Show 11 The Land Doctor By Vivian Shearer 1 I 11 I Some Somo plants prefer an acid soil solI and prefer some I was warming up to my subject again Whoa backup hold bold er Hank interrupted You are the longest winded bird I ever eYer saw Ive I've been waiting weeks on end for you to get around to telling mo me what to do to build up this farm and all you do is to get sidetracked and talk about everything everything everything every every- thing else Sorry Hank I replied but butI I I was going to explain how Hold er right there Hank cut in Skip the tho explanations explanation and tell me something about where we go from here Hank Hanl had me on the spot Sometimes It is hat hard haid d to switch ideas and arguments in a hurry Ive got to get to work worl now he sal said After I get started you can peddle the explanations Maybe l Sally will have time to listen She's stood between me and abuse abuso for 40 years And Ami between you and good sense too Mrs in but I guess it is too late to change You do the work while I do the learning Before t these It 11 e s e pleasantries pleasantries' could get thicker I changed the subject First off I told them you must be bo convinced that your land lanci landis is slipping sUpping in productivity ana that something must be done dent to save it When you reach that point the rest will be easy I could see that Hank was fixIng fixIng fixing fix- fix Ing up a comment of some kind so I hurried on Take that field next to Clems Clem's pl place ce I said Some bad gullies there and the tho topsoil Is mighty thin Looks to me like the tho only thing possible to save saye it would be to build some broad-base broad terraces terraces terraces ter ter- races on it it Rake Rako the topsoil up in wind- wind Continued on page four V The Land an Doctor I I Continued from page one rows In other words Hand objected objected objected ob ob- ob- ob sarcastically Better Detter have your topsoil raked raked raked rak rak- ed up In windrows on your own farm I argued than to have haveit it scattered over o a thousand mud flats between here and the sea Hank didn't have anything to tosa I sa say so I continued Of course terracing will disturb disturb disturb dis dis- dis- dis the topsoil but the soil I you wont won't lose afterwards will square the account Like the tho rancher in Colorado who was troubled by a marching wolf It took trappers a full season to get tho the wolf and cost the rancher the price of more stock than he lie would have killed in a year But ButI the cattle he didn't kill from I there on more than paid for getting getting get get- get I ting rid of him |