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Show Erosion Control Program Pays Dividends To Adam Keller ! Spring Developed With Aid of CCC Adam Keller said flatly today that his SOO-acre fram in Mink Creek northwest of here is worth much more since he worked out an erosion control program on it with the help of the Preston Soil Conservation Service CCC side camp recently moved to Central. He was one of the first to develop de-velop such a plan after the camp was established in the fall of 193S, and today is one of more than half a hundred Franklin county coun-ty farmers and ranchers who are using improved soil-and-moisture saving farming practices in the canip demonstrations area. The Cache Valley program primarily is one of water erosion control and moisture conservation, from tht high ranges above Bear river and Mink creek, down across the bench land wheat fields to the irrigated valley lands. "My farm is worth a whole lot more now than it was before," Keller said as he led the way to a good flowing spring "with concrete tank that was developed under the plan for his livestock. -I never would have gotten this all done; because, in the first place, I wouldn't know how to go about it, to say nothing of the work. It's what you do yourself, too, that counts." "That spring is the most wonderful wonder-ful thing." he added. -I wouldn't taka a thousand dollars for it. if I could have hail that developed tweity years ago. it would have savnd me. for Instance, SMin it cost ma for that other one we developed develop-ed nd I woul4 have had better water, too." Keller runs 40 head of stock on the place, including ten dairy cows. Under his conservation plan, he has his pastures fenced off and uses a pasture rotation system to improve the grass stand and thereby there-by give more protection to the pasture soil. Two pastures have been seeded to alfalfa and grass mixture. "Take this hill here," he said, pointing to the field beyond the spring. "I am going to put into strips of grain and grass, so that when we irrigate up above, any soil washing will be caught, below by the grass. I have been using grain and alfalfa strips up on the dryland place." He leaves the alfalfa in for four or five years, and plans to seed grass in with the alfalfa when h breaks it up again. The Mink Creek farmer also called attention to the importance of handling irrigation water properly pro-perly in order to avoid soil washing wash-ing and water wasle. lie pointed out that before he came on ib" place, the water had been taken straight down steep slopes above the farmstead. He cbangei hi'-ditches hi'-ditches so as (o take the water out of Ihe supply ditch at one cud and bring if back onto his land on a low gradient across the slop, thus avoiding the soil cutting. On one pieie that he s;iid he could not irrigate ir-rigate without its eroding. Keller planted 3 .."00 trees, including black locust pine, and other species, thus protecting the land providing for a future woorih-t frorn which he can harvest fence posts and other farm timber products:. |