Show 11 The Land Doctor By Dr Vivian Shearer 1111 Mrs Altwin was right right right-in In a general way The toilers In the fields and herdsmen In the hills hillsand hillsand and the rugged workers of the forests have always been as careless careless careless care care- less of their trade stock-in-trade as the ruler and war lords have havo been with theirs Perhaps that was because they lacked an understanding understanding understanding un un- un- un of the nature and properties and the limited supply supply supply sup sup- ply of the tho soil that was theirs Perhaps the they did not see that it was not as quickly replenished as was the supply of oC soldiers which the war lord found so plentiful and cheap and Inex inex- A gully to them perhaps was only an inconvenience Perhaps the silting up of river channels the depositing of gravel and debrIs debris debris de de- bris on cultivated fields the swallowing up of fertile fields along river banks the loss loss of fertility and in the fields and all similar blighting results of soil erosion once were accepted accept accept- ed only as manifestations of the wrath of their Maker Malter I wonder if they ever associated associated ed these things with the Idea of the loss of a treasure that could never be replaced I wonder If they ever understood that those disasters wet were avoidable and were caused by improper land use and practices I doubt If they the people next to tho the soil did realize these things I am less inclined to believe that the wise ones further removed from the soil had any better understand understand- ing Many of use even In very re recent recent recent re- re cent years havo have been guilty of abusing good land We Ve did It because we were ignorant However However However How How- ever it was not so long ago that i the situation became so serious I that not even the blind hUnd or most prejudiced could longer ignore it The story was carried across the nation in terrorizing clouds o of dust Tortured soil from the ravaged lands of the Great Plains drifted into the sight of the mighty Washington It topped tho the story of oC the tho gullies of To bacco hacco Road or floods of silted channels of falling failing res res- At last the warning of impending doom was heeded and national forc unleashed unleash unleash- ed to study tho the problem lem and aud seek seeka a solution Scientists in their Continued on pa pane pace e four Cour The e Land an Doctor oc or Continued from page ono one less engineers behind their transits transits transits tran tran- sits and drafting tables reseal research research re- re seal search ch workers in their experiment experiment exper exper- stations boys workIng working work- work Ing on projects on farms and ranches all have had an important part in the study and analysis of the causes and workings of or soil erosion They have tried diligently to determine determine determine de de- termine what constitutes proper land use By trial and error they have sought to learn the tho best est means of checking active ero oro- sion slon and to restore areas In various various var var- ious stages of or depletion A vast fund of or Information and knowledge knowledge knowledge know know- ledge has heon been assem assembled led Although much ad additional knowledge will be acquired by further study the time lime has arrived arrived ar nr- ar- ar rIv rived d when greater emphasis must be ue placed on making all tho the facts and figures available to I those who live by tho the soil and work It They are the ones who must grasp the significance of I time catastrophe toward which I civilization has been drifting The They must feel sure of the time means by which It may be averted The The challenge is theirs but equip them with proper understanding understand understand- ing and they will meet moot it boldI boldly bold bold- I ly and decisively |