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Show THE Vage Two phorus and potassium, in various compounds, have been drawn out of the soil by the plants that grew on it. The bigger and better the crop, the more vital minerals extracted. Ordinarily, much of these elements is replaced by rotation, fallowing, or application of fertilizers, but during these war years when every field must be made to yield to the limit, there is an annual loss. Also, the scarcity of fertilizers, and shortage of help and machinery have conspired to impoverish the farmer's land. There is still another important factor in this present problem. That is the matter of Land Being Mined by Excessive Cropping Will Need Fertilizer Seen as Postwar 'Must' Stresses Need for More r Efficient Farming, More Attractive Life In Order to Maintain Production. American farmers face the most gigantic soil rebuilding 'mmrnininMBlffill job in all history when World War II is fought to a successBy BAUKIIAGE ful conclusion. Newt Analyst and Commentator. That is the considered opinWXU Service, Fnion Trust Building, (2) Decreasing the output per man ion of farm economists, soil in agriculture operations Washington, D. C. cutting conservation experts and Ever since the beginning 'of the down its hours or doing away with leading agronomists of state year, Washington has realized that some of the mechanization. agricultural colleges throughone of the most important problems (3) Development of. greater out the country. no one it is farmon I before demobilization. It isn't a future problem. It's "here. Nearly a million and a quarter men have already been discharged from the army and navy since Pearl More than 50,000 were Harbor. physically "disabled," but excepting the severely wounded, most of these can be absorbed into civilian activities. Reconversion of our economic and social structure is beginning. Two weeks ago, I discussed at some length In this column, the George report on reconversion. Since then has come the Baruch report on the same subject, which was rapidly followed by executive action. It looked as if congress and the White House were in a race to see who would be first to start the colossal job. While attention is being centered on readjustment of industry, less attention has been paid publicly to the necessary readjustments In agriculture which must come. Because many starving peoples will have to be fed for some two years after the war is over, the demand on the farmers for production of food and textiles should continue on somewhat the same basis as at present. But adjustments will have to be made whether or not this high rate of production Is maintained because any changes In our economic life are bound to affect the farmers. One of the most important recent contributions to this planning for the adjustment of agriculture has been made by Dr. Murray R. Benedict, a Wisconsin farm boy who is now a professor of agriculture in the University of California. He points out in a very thorough study of "Farm People and the Land After the War," released by the National Planning association, that if we want our people to be adequately and suitably fed, and if we want our farmers and farm workers to be satisfied, farming will have to be made more efficient and farm life more attractive both as a business and as a way of What this job will cost, knows yet, but it will be consider(4) (Something we would hardly ably above the 250 to 300 million dolwant to see) Immigration to less de- lar expenditure farmers have been veloped countries, except, of course, making for fertilizer in recent years. in the case of places like Alaska, Virtually all of the nation's 6,000,00(5 farms will need serious attention. where there is a need of settlers. Two major reasons are cited by Another danger which besets the experts for this situation: farmer and which regional planning soil 1 Wartime crop goals necessary would avert is the sense of insecuto produce foodstuffs, meat, dairity on the part of the farm people, ry products, oil and fiber crops due to the tendency toward tenant for victory, are eating up the short-tim- e of farms under operation soil's resources of nitrogen, tenures, which naturally leads to inphosphorus and potash much efficient farming, bad living condifaster than they can be replaced tions, lack of continuity. today. Steps to correct this must Then, of course, there is the anbe taken immediately the war cient bugbear of farming, crisis is over. inherited from partly slavery days 2 The e job of soil conand particularly noticeable in cotton be must servation stepped up. agriculture. Another factor is the operations can be postwage labor situation in particular poned no longer. The "fifth collocalities (also a heritage of another umn" attacks of erosion are beday) which results in poor living coming more menacingly sericonditions and unproductive and unous. Wasteful farming practices work. Other satisfactory disturbing over a century and a half have factors are the use of submarginal squandered precious topsoil to lands or unsuitably located farms a dangerous degree. of and then, of course, the problem presthe exhaustion of resources with the entFarmers recognize onthat the soils' their wartime drain counter-measur- e of conservation. level is a necessary contriIt is pointed out that the situation fertility bution to victory. But they should in met which the pioneer America ear in mind the imperative fact resulted In certain definite tenden- that wealth borrowed from the soil cies and traditions affecting the to win this war, must be rehelp American attitude toward agricullater on. ture. These pioneex conditions, of paid Dr. George D. Scarseth, head of course, ceased when there were no the agronomy department of Purdue more good, new lands which could summed things up when be opened up. But their effect lives university, he said: on and has affected land policies "Farmers in the Middle West and ever since. elsewhere throughout the nation are Dr. Benedict lays great stress on making a sacrifice in the war prothe fact that land policies which duction program to an extent not were well suited to the pioneer do fully realized by the world. Soils not fit in at all with our modern that have had to produce war crops economy and he emphasizes heavily by fertility exhaustion practices will the need of altering the tenant-farmnot have dividends to pay after the situation. In the old days a man, war, but will require their own kind if conditions were unsatisfactory, of taxation hi the form of fertilizers. could pack his family and belongings "In reality, farmers are in the in a covered wagon, cross the range business, the same and stake out a fresh claim for him- manufacturing as munitions makers, or steel proself. Now, if he has no place of his ducers. They are turning out essenown, he has to work on someone tial products for our armed forces. else's terms and like it are manufacturing foods, They "The past two decades have feeds, fibers and oils out of the raw brought clearly into view," says Dr. materials of the soil the nitrogen, the insecurity and phosphorus, potash and lime. Benedict, destructiveness of the American sys"Fortunately all our soils are not tem of tenancy, the rapid deterioraexhausted of their inherited riches. tion of soils, and the increasing dif- But exhaustion is on the way even ficulty with which able yeung farm- with our best soils, and we face a ers can become established on th future where these raw materials land." must be added to the soils as fertilizers in greater amounts than in Three Improvements Unless we do this, the He believes that wise legislation the past. could be put into action and three productivity of the soil will sink to a dangerous level." important improvements could be Concerning the future outlook, he brought about: (1) Powerful incentive for the ten- said: "Our war debt won't be only a ant to conserve the soil since he matter of taxes and maturing bonds. would reap the benefits. Our farmers are asked to mine their (2) Much more careful selection of soils because fertilizer materials are tenants, since removal of poor ten- scarce. But crops must be made on ants would be more difficult. the 'fat' of the soils. This means 3 Improved community status of that a farmer of the future will have those tenants who become estab- the of a more exhausted lished under arrangements of this soil handicap and smaller crop yields to pay kind. the taxes that will follow this war." Such is a brief summary of the Tremendous Drain. in studied research goals typical Just how big a drain on the soil's now being done for the benefit of the resources does this extra one-cro- r-- j .!$. rour Major Fact or $ There arc four factors which can take up or let out the slack: (1) A 1,'ireer demand for farm Snxluds at home or abroad. M'-- representing the War Man- de- partment have been surveying areas if labor shortage where prisoners of nr may be used effectively in farm-riand industry. About one million men have been Tarte dentally fit for duty by U. S irmy dentists, according to the war ierartnrr.t An aerial view of a large Georgia farm on which several soil conservation methods are used. In the upper part of the picture appears a large meadow strip, which serves as a safe water disposal area for surface runoff from adjoining fields. The curved bands are contour strip cropping, and terracing. The owner, Dr. A. C. Brown of Royston, also follows improved rotation practices. increased acreage. In order to produce the extra crop quotas, not only do existing acres have to do a bigger crop yielding job but more and more acres have to be tilled. Much of this land represents a lower strata of fertility level and honce it is not able to bear the burden of heavy cropping effectively. A glance at acreage figures tells the story. In 1941 the total harvested acreage of principal crops in the United States was 334,130,600. In 1942 it rose to 338,081,000 and in 1943 to 347,498.000 acres. New production goals for 1944 propose the use of some 380 million acres. of Land Ruined. e When we Jurn to the job of soil conservation that has been accumulating since the pioneer settlers' plows first broke America's virgin farm land, we find an even more serious situation. Hugh H. Bennett, chief of the U. S. soil conservation service, is authority for the statement that 50 million acres of the nation's 600 million tillable acres have been completely ruined for agricultural purposes. An additional 50 million acres, he estimates, are seriously damaged and a very large further acreage has suffered a marked decrease in As a result of the soil fertility. soil conservation service's work and the efforts of agronomists at state agricultural colleges and experiment stations, significant steps have been taken in recent years in combating this menacing trend. But the major task lies ahead. Six principal factors are responsible for the foregoing losses, according to Mr. Bennett. They are erosion, leaching, the removal of fertilizer elements by harvested crops, livestock and livestock marketing, oxidation of soil organic matter, and long-rang- "... g 5oer commission and the war p farmer. Unfortunately, however, as I said earlier, politics is bound to play a powerful role in the effort to secure any "wise legislation" and, with selfish interests, will make up the chief obstacle. Circumstances will force action in regard to the reconversion and adjustment of industry in the present session of congress but it would be an optimist indeed who would predict that constructive farm legislation could be carried out in an election year. The farm lobby is one of the most powerful in congress but unfortunately pressure exerted it frequently fails to have for its objective the general good of the country. Proponents of certain measures may be really honest In expressing the wish of their particular constituents but the farm problem in America is so closely interwoven with every phase of our life, social as well as economic, that to envision it properly one must consider the welfare of the entire nation, not the special interests of any one particular locality. . . by linn kh age i Increased imports of codec and cocoa from Brazil and other American republics now assure a larger miota of these products for U. S civilians Ai.ont in I!U4 cups of tea per person moip t! an in 1913 will be available for U. S. civil ai s this year if ship pinK conditions permit, according 1IK to the War Fuo! ndir inistraUon. fire. Erosion is the worst offender, removing annually 2,500,000 tons of nitrogen, 900.000 tons of phosphorus and 15,000,000 tons of potash the three major plant foods which make the productions of crops possible. fertility crop production impose? The answer is plenty! Take one corn for example. single crop Agronomists estimate that the 1941 corn crop in ton midwestern states removed 2.645,404.7.10 pounds of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash from the soil. Increasing wartime yields boosted this tax to 3.003.123.334 pounds in 1942 and 3.227.333.770 pounds in 1043. Large as this removal was. it represents but a portion of the fertility loss from a sinqle region. Add to it the fertility drain caused by producing huge yields of wheat, soybeans, potatoes, alfalfa, clover, oats and other crops and you have some Idea of the depreciation of fertility resources. I!ut that doesn't tell the whole story, either, for the Job of producing livestock and dairy product- requires heavy amounts of plant fooci. 1 , M i L Hilly land often considered practically viorthless can be made to yield Rood returns by proper strip cropping. C", I. Blubaugh', Danville, Ohio, Is hnwn weltrhinit the harvest f ram out h a field. He Is one of the three million farmers now included In 6n soil conservation projects. o. The plain fact is that every time a crop is harvested and hauled.to ket. or livestock ore shipped to a packer's yards, some of the farm's fertility goes with them. Those essential elements, nitrogen, phos nitrogen Increasing vitally needed hay and pasture production to meet wartime feed requirements, was recommendD. hay-typ- II. Dodd of the Ohio State university. Summarizing the results of a series of experiments. Dr. Dodd that: 1. Sixty pounds of nitrogen, equivalent to 175 pound per acre of ammonium nitrate applied to a good d j ! day this averages only six inches in depth. "The present war emergency, as well as the future of American agriculture itself calls for a determined fight against the forces of soil depletion. The effectiveness of the individual farmer's soil management plan in wartime as well as in the peace era to follow, can be aided by the cooperation of agronomists at state agricultural colleges and experiment stations. Through research and experimentation over a long span of years, these experts have developed information concerning fertilizer needs for various crops and soils that is helpful to the farmer who is striving to rebuild his soil's productivity." In combating the destructive effects of erosion, individual farmers and organized agriculture are conn fronted by a stealthy, enemy. Erosion's damage is gradual and in the first stages, barely noticeable. But once it gains headway, winds and rains not only carry away valuable topsoil, but also remove needed fertilizing elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Conservation methods are the surest means of reducing these losses of valuable topsoil and plant nutrients. It has been found that soils having a cover crop suffer only a fraction of the losses from erosion that other farm areas experience. Not only will grasses and legumes provide effective vegetative cover for holding topsoil in place and furnish a balanced ration for farm animals, but they promote nitrogen fixation, improve the soil tilth and help increase crop yields following in the rotation. This is particularly true where adequate fertilization is undertaken. Bonds Will Provide Funds. Fortunately the means for accom- plishing this soil replenishment job are in the hands of virtually every American farmer. Dollars invested in war bonds now that farm cash income' is at the highest level in history and farm debt at the lowest point in many years, can provide the ready cash to pay for the purchase of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash needed to restore the fertility level of farms later on. "It is not too early to begin planning for this agricultural reconstruction job. any more than it Is premature at present to lay plans for future political and economic peace," a statement by the Middle West Soil Improvement Committee concludes. "For it is becoming increasingly clear that the whole structure of future security will rest on the productivity of the soil. While every encouragement will be given to soil rebuilding projects by the federal government and by state agricultural agencies, the major responsibility for getting the Job done will rest on the shoulders of individual farmers. By earmarking part of present war bond purchases now for peacetime soil rebuilding expenditures, farmers can be ready when the materials and manpower become readily I available in the poslwar era." mal load, the nitrogen-treategrass Boost Yield will have exceeded it by 700 to 1.000 pounds of herbage containing 175 to 250 pounds of protein per acre, .figsod of timothy or other ured on a dry basis. grass by April 1, will on the aver3. The inclusion of 20 to 30 age produce an extra ton of 6 to 9 pounds protein hay if cut at the proper early of nitrogen with phosphorus or phosa first treatstages. phorus and potash in 2. A similar application of nitro-- I ment for general pasture improvegen apphed to a good grass pasture ment, may be expected to incrcaw sort will bring the herbage to the the returns the first year by SO to 75 grazing stage two to three weeks per cent instead of 25 per cent, earlier than without the nitrogen. By which is a reasonable expectation for the first year for the mineral the time untreated pasture is making sufficient growth to carry its nor without nitrog"n. of Hay Ammonium Nitrate Will Or Brings Pasture to Grazing Stage Earlier The use of as a means of ed by Dr. 1 - .11 Asked to address a mission to seamen, a young preacher thought to add point to his remarks by drawing illustrations from the sea. He spoke of the captain at wits' end navigating his ship through a twisting channel abounding in swift currents and rocks. Ultimately, to the captain s despair, his ship was driven on a bank, and the preacher, now thoroughly worked up, exclaimed dra. matically: "What shall we do now?" "Goodness knows," said an old sailor who had been listening open-mouthed. "For the last 15 minutes ye've been drivin' stern foremost!" sJ Robert Ripley's exploiter reports that Ripley is the researcher on it . . . That Herr Goering's first name, Herman, came from a Jewish doctor, Herman Eppstein, of Tyrol, Austria . . . Goering's father was Governor of German East Africa. A widower, who couldn't take along his infant son so he boarded him with Dr. Eppstein . . . The physician raised the boy sent him through school in Bavaria and paid the tuition until he graduated as a lieutenant . . . Dr. Eppstein passed on in 1935 . . . No. 2 Nazi Goering attended the funeral . . . When he entered the synagogue, he paused at the door and asked if he should wear or remove his hat . . . Ripley adds: "In case you didn't know, the name Winchell in German means divining rod, the instrument that detects the truth." CHILD'S coughing at night caused by throat "tickle" or irritation, mouth breathing, due to a cold can often be prevented by YOUR ... Big-scal- e Unfortunately, there is a great danger that such efforts will be frustrated owing to the very natural political reaction of a democratic country, long under federal regulation which is necessary in wartime. Once peace returns, free people is anxious to throw out its chest and start off lustily, paddling its own canoe again. It must be remembered that up until 1870, the condition of agriculture shaped the entire anatomy of the American body economic political social. After 1870, industry developed to the point where it became the tail that wagged the igricultural dog. Since 1870, the percentage of the population engaged in nonagricul-tura- l activities has remained either bout stable or has shown a slight The farm population Increase. showed a decrease until now when it has become fairly stabilized at bout 30 million. It would be possible, provided certain definite steps were taken, either to increase the number of paying tarm jobs or to achieve greater production with a fewer number of workers, so that we could have more or less farmers, according to production needs and still make it remunerative to all. Acconlmq to Dr. Benedict, the normal birth riitc keeps the farm population Just about st.ible unless sharp shifts to and from the farm are i.ado. The shifts do come and they throw t.'ie whole farm picture out sf kil'rr This is where the tail t. uEKit.g the dog comes in. for in tirr.e of depression, of course. irkers t e k livelihood on the (arm nr.d. therefore, have a tenin time der cy to tint the market of boom, the farm bnv deserts the 5 dels for ti e Cities and the better-tiavin- U ffli Youthful Preacher Soon Had Them All at Sea! In the foyer of the Barberry Room the other night Raymond Paige took A corporal noticthis snapshot ing a colonel losing one of his eagles meekly offered to pin it back . . . "Thanks," grumped the colonel, "the damb things catch on everything." "Gee, sir," was the reply, "I wish I had your troubles!" long-rang- Political Reaction It I K F S . Harvested crops rank text in depleting the soil and are in normal years responsible for taking out an additional 4,600,000 tons of nitrogen, 700,000 tons of phosphorus and 3,200,-00- 0 tons of potash. Nearly a third of the fertile top-so- il of American farms has been lost due to erosion, floods and the damaging effects of overcropping, according to a statement issued by the Middle West Soil Improvement Committee. Six Inches of Topsoil. "A century and a half ago," says the statement, "there was an average of nine inches of topsoil spread over the entire United States. To- - the part of the ers themselves. life. 15 Thursday, March 16, 1944 NEPHI, UTAH Immense Task of Soil Rebuilding Faces Managers of Nation's Six Million Farms Agricultural Readjustment Farmer-Educato- TIMES-NEW- e d rubbing throat and chest with Vicks VapoRub at bedtime. VAPORUB'S poultice-and-vap- or action loosens phlegm, relieves irritation, helps clear upper air pas- sages, thus tends to stop mouth breathing and M invite restful Bleep. Try itl VapoRus flMIJM KV& V Bigtown Murals: At about 8:30 the other Monday night (during a heavy rainstorm) a packed Amsterdam Avenue trolley stopped at 128th Street. The conductor got out went to a bar and grill ordered two sandwiches and a beer while the passengers waited 20 minutes . . . The newsreel theater in the Grand Central Station. It features a clock to the right of the screen . . . The clock is set two minutes fast so spectators won't miss trains . . . CommoThe clock at the near-bdore Hotel bar is set three minutes ahead. Indicating that you can get away from a newsreel sixty seconds sooner than you can part from a drink. y defacing of St Patrick's Cathedral and other churches by some crackpot reminds us of what happened in Paris at the Place de la Concorde when the Nazis marched in . . . Ten German army bands held a concert and 8,000 Frenchmen were forced to assemble . . . Through the microphone the assemblage was asked, "Who doesn't speak German?" The whole crowd raised their hands, and a picture was taken . . . Which showed up in South America via the Goebbels propaganda machine with this caption: "French crowds acclaiming German army in Paris with Nazi salute" . . . Dismiss this incident at these worshipping shrines as the Job of those desperately trying to cause disunity and trouble. The Blimps Prey on Fish Fish as well as submarines are prey of the navy blimps patrolling North Pacific waters. The navy las agreed to allow blimps to radio fishing vessels when schools of fish are sighted, saving fishermen hours of search. NO ASPIRIN can do more for you, so why pay more? World'slargestsellerat 10. 36tablets20)S, 100 for only 351. Get St. Joseph Aspirin. SNAPPY FACTS 0 ABOUT RUBBER 1912 tropical Americas produced their greatest output of rubber 62,000 tons. It is expected that we will have imported 41,000 tons from these countries in 1943, an important supplement to our synthetic supplies. Some experts estimate that there are around 300 million Hevea (rubIn ber) trees In Latin America. Most of are in jungles,diffkult to get at. them "Alcohol and driving don't mix" may still be a worthy admonition, but nevertheless, millions of gallons of alcohol are needed as a raw material to make synthetic rubber for the production of tires now so essential to driving. The Wireless: "The Song of so beautiful to read and see, suffers from the slows on the kilocycles. It comes to the ears as which it never is between covers and on the screen . . . The west coast comics "localed" you dizzy with their jibes at California's unusual weather. What you might ," ham-heav- call house-orga- n comedy, strictly for the family . . One coast announcer got a mouthful of esses, and it came out: "Upton Close on the Noose" . . . The guffaw of the month was uttered by a Berlin radio expert named Von Hammer, who whimpered that "the Red Army is using unmannerly military tactics" . . . Fulton Lewis' blast at certain conwas gressional . . . John B. Kennedy was also aroused into slugging back at them. under-the-belte- Kthel Quotation Marksmanship: Smith: She was the light of his life, but it turned into an awful glare . . . Ambrose Bierce: Woman would be more charming if one could fall into her arms without falling into her hands . . . Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior without your consent . . . Mme. Deluzy: A coquette is a woman without a heart, who makes a fool of a man who has no head . . . D. R. Henderson: The V for Victory is only half the W for Work . . . Christopher Morley: There Is so much for me to say, but your eyes keep interrupting me . . . B. Lytton: A stiff man. . . . Garry starched with Moore: He sweeps women off their feet a Beau Broomel. sclf-cstcc- J - his ii BIGoodrich I ilpilllli MEDICATED Sootho Itch of nmplo roahee by sprinkling on POWDER FOR Meisans, the soothing, medicated powder. Re- FAMILY USE lieves diaper rash. DON'T LET CONSTIPATION SLOW YOU UP When bowels are sluggish and yoo feel Irritable, headachy, do es millions do -c- haw FEEN-A-INT, the modern chewing-gulaxative. Siorply chaw FEEN-A-MIN- T before you go to bed, taking only in accordance with package directions sleep without being disturbed. Next morning gentle, thorough relief, helping you feel swell again. Try FEEN-A-INT. Taste good, is handy and economical. A generous family supply FEEN-A-MIHT1- . 61 $G4 Question: The President, they ay, was asked (by a reporter) to name the member of the United Nations he considered the most important ally. "Is It Great Britain, China or Russia?" "I'll ask you one," FDR said. "Which is the most important leg on a three-leggestool?" Once William Allen White was ... atcon- tending a Democratic national A Senator, smiling, vention announced: "In looking over the delegates I fail to recognize any clergymen, and so 1 shall call upon my good friend, William Allen White, to open the convention with a prayer." Mr. White arose. Stabbing the Senator with a glare, he sarcasmed: "You will have to excuse me. I'm a little out of my element, and the fact is, I prefer the Lord does not know I am here!" t Whm KIDNEYS When oTtrstraln nud di.reli( old or other cause $lowt down kidney function, the back may ache painfully. Naturally, urinary flow may be lessened -frequent but scanty often smarting. "Get-un-g up nights" may ruin sleep. To relieve such symptoms, yoo want ( lltmmUlirm tf kidney mctttm. To help attain this, try Gold Medal Capsules. This easy-to-tadiuretic bat been famous for over 30 years for such prompt action, Take care to ose only as directed on packat drug stores. Accept no age. Only substitute. Get the gennint Gold Medal Capsules edsj. They aclM i)t 1 |