Show OUR POPULATION DECREASES SOME PROBABLE REASONS POSSIBLE REit REMEDIES Census figures show that Sanpete's population has decreased decreased decreased de de- de- de creased nearly 14 per cent in the past ten years almost 11 per cent per year At that rate the county will win be without inhabitants in some 66 years which is not an encouraging prospect Also the county slipped from in population rank rankin in 1940 to in 1950 And a lot of us remember when it ranked then going to only ten years ago go when Carbon climbed to place Now the questions before the house seem to be Why the decrease What can be done about it We have been doing a lot of thinking about the matter lately and have arrived at some conclusions They may be partly wrong or all wrong but we pass th them m on for the consideration of readers First the reasons for the decrease I I. I DECLINE IN AGRICULTURE This is due largely it seems to us to six main causes I 1 Loss of soil fertility There has not been enough crop rotation too much of our barnyard manure has been hauled to Sevier county which has shown very little decline only 42 less than 10 years ago and to the Gunnison area the only place to show an increase in population in Sanpete Also very little commercial fertilizer is used a practice which has proved highly successful in other agricultural agricultural agricultural tural areas 2 Invasion of weeds There has not been enough individual and community effort in controlling noxious weeds I until now many once-fertile once and productive farms are practically practically y valueless Also too much rabbit brush and other useless useless use use- use use-I less plants grow on land which could and should be producing ing an abundance of grass Overgrazing has been an arch criminal in killing out useful forage plants and permitting top topsoil soil to wash away leaving a poor quality soil in which only weeds can thrive 3 An increase in insects and rodents The alfalfa weevil wee weevil wee wee- vil viI is perhaps the greatest insect enemy which plagues Sanpete Sanpete Sanpete San San- pete agriculture although it has close rivals in plant diseases and in some other insects This year the grasshoppers are posing a special menace which threatens to destroy much of what little forage and grain there is 4 Insufficient water Everyone knows that more water water water wa wa- ter is needed for irrigation and in the past month or so a prolonged drouth coupled with cold has done inestimable damage There is little we can do abo about t a natural drouth but there may be some ways of making better use of what irrigation water is available 5 Draining of the swamp area near Ephraim and Manti This project which once seemed wise to many has proved to be a distinct misfortune The stacks of wild hay the large herds of cattle which once were so numerous now are no more Land which naturally produced an abundance of forage forage forage for for- age now now produces mostly weeds It could be also that draining draining draining drain drain- ing the swamp has influenced adversely the amount of summer summer summer sum- sum mer rainfall Sometimes it takes a very very small additional additional additional addi addi- amount of moisture to saturate the atmosphere and cause cause ause rain storms Perhaps evaporation from the hundreds of acres of swamp land often provided that needed additional moisture to reach the saturation point 6 Cutting of permits to graze livestock on the forest Many stockmen will list this as the number one cause for decline in the livestock industry Others disagree But everyone knows that the same forage cannot be eaten by byboth byboth byboth both deer and cattle or by deer and sheep Neither does uneaten forage produce meat II LACK OF INDUSTRIES It is a recognized fact that industrial workers have been able ble to secure far pay for the hours spent in labor than have agricultural workers in recent years Lacking industries Sanpete has seen both young and old go to places where industrial industrial industrial in in- employment is available for longer periods of the year Among loss of industries can be noted 1 Closing of one of the county's two canneries and the threatened closing of the other one 2 Cessation of operations at the so called Parachute Plant in Ma Manti ti 3 3 The stopping of railroad p passenger service 4 4 Moving of the Manti National Forest office from i Ephraim to Price All these have had an adverse effect on population III DESIRE O OF COMMUNITIES TO BE SOMETHING OTHER THAN COUNTRY TOWNS j Too many of our communities are like the toad which tried to puff itself up to be as big ig as an ox It proved fatal to the toad We in the country are trying to imitate cities in ways that are costing more than we have to spend Instead of trying to be beautiful inviting country towns ns with an abundance of shade and quiet we try to be big cities with witha a wide uninviting streets stripped of trees with their inviting I shade Our projects prove very costly and andI take away money which should and could be used far better betterin in rehabilitating our soil and for other productive resources We Ve spend beyond our means on projects that add no real teal value in beauty or in service and so have nothing left I with which to construct needed improvements such as sewer systems school houses industrial plants swimming pools etc People now go from the rural communities to seek summer shade whereas they used to come to such places for relax relax- Another feature which affects the county population adversely is the practice of so many of buying awa away from home and failure to support county industry and business For ourselves we know that hundreds of dollars each year are sent away for wedding announcements grocery store bills etc which can be printed at home just lust as s cheaply and more effectively Other local industries suffer in the same way WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT ITI I I. I INCREASE AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT 1 1 Use more fertilizer both commercial and barnyard and rotate crops more scientifically 2 Fight weeds both individually and cooperatively 3 3 Plant more grasses of types that are being proved adaptable to local soil and moisture conditions 4 4 Fight insects not only with commercial sprays and such but by prote protecting ting our useful birds the natural enemies of insects The great decrease in meadowlarks bluebirds large field hawks etc is most alarming In order to ent entice ce cemore more birds we should have more trees in which they can rest and find shelter We need more wind breaks and shelter belts of trees in the to provide shade and nd shelter for livestock and refuges for useful birds We Ve believe that thata a solid row of trees from Manti Man ti to Ephraim on both sides of the highway would prove a great tourist attraction and would pay for itself many times over by indirectly increasing the number of useful birds and thus decreasing the number 0 of f destructive insects 5 5 Better cooperation between stockmen and the Forest Service The Forest Service should not want to make the range lands a paradise for tourists and for wild life atthe atthe at the expense of the livestock industry The stockmen should not desire to take all the forage now and leave the ranges Continued Continue on page 5 1 y u OUR dUR POPULATION DECREASES 11 Continued from page 4 denuded for future generations There could be much better cooperation between the two for the benefit of all Neither side as ns we see it is entirely right in the controversies which seem without end G 6 Better livestock Much has been done in this direction direction direction tion especially with sheep but there still is room for much improvement Better protection of stock ti through spraying etc also would greatly increase the output of beef and mut mut- ton Too many pounds of good beef are being lost every everyday everyday everyday day as cattle chase wildly around pastures to escape the bothersome bothersome bo bo- bo- bo heel flies Perhaps some DDT m mixed med ed with s sand for the cattle t to stand in in shady places would help 7 Develop water vater storage projects even on small scales and put to better use the available water by lining ditches clearing willows and briers from ditch banks etc II INCREASING INDUSTRIES 1 Raising more peas and less wild oats morning glories and mustards mustard would make it more profitable for the pea canneries to operate Better corn might also make possible the re-opening re of the Manti cannery And why cant can't we can carrots and vegetables for salad like was once the case here 2 Develop abundant lime deposits in the area for use usein usein i in the Geneva Steel and other industries I 3 United efforts to secure a wool scouring plant for this area where so much fine wool is produced 4 Development of the talked much of county Jide wide county power pow pow- er system 5 Continued effort to secure a permanent manufacturing ing industry for the Manti 1 armory 6 G. Support of all local industries including use of products products products pro pro- ducts produced locally such as cheese from local creameries creameries creameries creamer creamer- ies milk from firms which buy the raw milk in San Sanpete p eTh fe peas from the lo local al canneries etc III MAKING BETTER COl m While a country town should not try to be a big city it should be a beautiful inviting sanitary country town where people like to come and relax There should be areas in the community which are kept free from livestock areas in close proximity to churches schools business district et etc Adequate and sanitary sewage disposal systems should also be available such as at Nephi to replace the saturated cesspool cesspool cesspool cess cess- pool system just as cesspools replaced the old More trees both shade and fruit should be planted Th There re is one resource which has not been used to its fullest extent by c country towns to in recent years That is the human resource the friendly courteous generous attitude attitude attitude atti atti- tude of rural residents This friendliness properly used and developed can go a long way in making life in the country S so inviting that the financial and other advantages of the industrial centers will not entice away so many of our ci citizens |