Show crop land of nation periled perilea by erosion officials say failure to act will cost U S 20 billion washington conservation officials say bay that one fourth of 0 the nation eions entire arop crop land Is 13 threatened with irreparable damage by 1900 it if tho the present rate rata of 0 erosion continues another 23 25 per cent ol of the land faces permanent injury between 1960 1900 and 1975 failure to act it was indicated will cost the nation 20 billion dollars in the tha next 20 years years in actual cash and without regard to the irreplaceable loss of a vital natural resource continued retirement ol of broad areas from cultivation each year well may force a reduction of the american diet officials added pointing up this possibility they said census experts estimate that by 1970 the united states will have a population of million compared with the present million they said cald so BO great a population will require more mo not less land than Is producing crops today the officials stressed that no one will starve instead the national diet would decline in nutritional quality there would be a shifting to a heavier cereal diet according to the toll soil men erosion now is in making its most vicious attack upon the rich middle belt of the country the no midwest long has been considered a permanently rich bread basket but intensive cultivation of war important crops in the last few years has exposed millions of acres of precious topsoil to wind and rain officials said the BO 50 per cent of available crop land now ering from critical or serious erosion totals million acres another million acres Is if undergoing a slow eating away the rest of the nations nation farm land resources or only about 15 million stores does not need conservation help now and may never need it |