OCR Text |
Show assumption that 1948 wheat crop prospects will not deteriorate seriously ser-iously and that livestock feeding and industrial uses will fall within limits expected at present. Grain export quotas for March total 36,557,000 bushels of grain, compared with 37,124,000 for Feb. tension 4-H club leader. An esti- FARMaHOME Conservation on Ruined Land Soil specialists report that about 100 million acres -of once good cropland have been ruined by erosion, ero-sion, and that about 500,000 acres are being lost each year. The meaning of "ruined" and "lost" is discussed by Alma J. Christensen, Chairman of the Millard County Agricultural Conservation Committee. Commit-tee. In the first place, says the chairman, chair-man, the lost and ruined land can-mot can-mot just be written off the books as that much land we don't have to bother about. It is one of the real threats to the good cropland still remaining. If not checked, the run-off from that land creates the destructive floods that destroy other oth-er lands. The top-soil is gone and there is little left to support vegetation, vege-tation, which in turn will hold the moisture. Gullies start in the ruined ruin-ed land and "eat" back into the good land. Some of this .damaged land is being brought back to where it is no longer the threat is used to be. In the South, kudzu and trees are now growing on badly eroded land. In many areas grass and some of the more hardy shrubs are being used to keep erosion under control. con-trol. Crops like corn, soybeans, or small grains cannot be grown on badly damaged land. It is too costly cost-ly to bring much of it back into production even if it were possible, but it is being brought back for use as pasture and woodlots. Its value may never be great, but the vegetation which is being produced is protecting the land from further erosion and checking its spread. The chairman points out that one of the jobs of the Agricultural Conservation Programs is to help heal the scars of the past and to keep the damage from spreading. Farmers are assisted in carrying out -usnsarvatlafi- jrsciices which, reduce the threat. Reports' frorK1 farmers in this and from otheP1 counties indicate that with the of the program practices to hol the land axe increasing. Vegetatioi ' is being restored, dams are beinfu built and terraces are being conj structed. Because of its importance in sup plying meat, leather and wool thru the livestock industry, in protecting protect-ing watersheds and conserving soil, range conservation has become an established part of the Agricultural Conservation Program. Airfield Dust Controlled by Straw At some of the desert airfields during the war there was difficulty in controlling the dust. Often it was too dry to grow grass and materials ma-terials to pave the fields were not available. The dry farming method of straw ( mulching was tried. The field was broken up to a depth of about six inches. About two tons of straw per acre were spread on the broken ground and this cut up with a big disc at least 23 inches in diameter and set straight. The method worked as well for the air field operators as it does for farmers who have to "anchor" their summer fallow in the Agricultural Agri-cultural Conservation Program. The benefits showed up in the operating operat-ing of airplane engines. Before the control of the dust the average flying fly-ing time between engine changes was 397 hours. After the dust was controlled, the average time was 523 hours. Thepld straw mulch improvements; a new heat-ant heat-ant installed, rest rooms, s painted, etc. When finish-ill finish-ill be one of the best recre-lalls recre-lalls in this area, mber of the parents enjoyed jinual day of schooling at ligh School, Wednesday, Feb. 4 : t le Henderson and Carol i, from the BYU, were home he weekend, visiting their ;, Mr. and Mrs. Warren Hen-and Hen-and Mr. and Mrs. Henry |