OCR Text |
Show Erosion Raids Take High Toll CHICAGO. Erosion's raids on I soil fertility are costing the United j States nearly four billion dollars annually, an-nually, according to the Middle West Soil Improvement committee. "The extent of this yearly damage dam-age is indicated by recent U. S. Soil Conservation service estimates that wind and water erosion removes re-moves 21 times as much plant food from the nation's farm soil each year as is taken out by crops sold off that land," the committee reports. Dr. H. H. Bennett, chief of the conservation service, places the annual an-nual loss as a result of uncontrolled erosion and water runoff at $3,844,-000,000. $3,844,-000,000. He estimates that nearly one billion acres of the nation's farm lands need soil conservation treatment to protect them from erosion ero-sion and to maintain their productivity. produc-tivity. It is clearly evident that eternal vigilance is a 'must' if our greatest farm asset-soil fertility ia to be preserved," Dr. Bennett insists. "The recent wartime burden on farm land to produce record yields to speed victory has been succeeded by an equally heavy peacetime load to produce crops to meet the world-wide food crisis " the soil improvement group de Clares, adding that "the only rem edy that will rescue overworked farm land from eventual fertility exhaustion is a program of effective effec-tive soil rebuilding." Pointing out that any soil rehabili tating plan should be ir-ll-rounded the committee says it should include i 'fir8 ' 'egUmeS t0 ir"Prve soil tilth and to increase It, el sources of organic matter recuHr crop rotation, steady use 0f mixed fertilizer containing nitrogen, phos phorus and potash. and pasture improvement. |