Show conservation notes ii by 4 W earl bail it seems as though a guy never neier stops learning new things on tills this subject of conservation the other day I 1 had bell the op fortuity ity to see eee some of 0 the work woric cooperator loram lorain pollock dow don it under anae the dump on the paris was as doing on his tarm farm realizing that erosion was van gradually washing some of ills his fields away avay loram lor im signed up a cooperative coope rathe agreement with tile the parla river soil conserva consena clort district about three years ears ago the big diesel tractor which the soil conservation service sen ice had loaned to the district was just starting to work on his tarm farm filling in w gully when we got there loram was vas right there with the tractor and when we asked him it he thought this work was economically sound bound heres what he said these are lorains own words this work Is going to maka tile me about an acre of good land I 1 could do nothing with it before because of tile tho gullies running through it caused by waste tr ir continued on page four conservation notes continued from page one water but for about 31 1 I can have these filled and tho I 1 ground aund leveled and prepared tor for cultivation do you see that he asked three years ago about the time lime I 1 entered into agreed agreement ent with the parts parla soil conservation district there was a wash running ii ng through t this h Is land the wash was about 15 feet wide and 1 14 feet deep on the average and with its tributaries tributa ries which cut up tills this 10 acre plot it was more than one fourth mile in length I 1 began a program to reclaim this land soil conservation service personnel and I 1 carefully selected two sites about yard apart at the lower end of the wash and had two dikes con strutted ted across aaros the waso wash at points above the dikes where the wash was vas more shallow Bh allow I 1 hauled in ili tumble weeds and iii anure it was surprising how fast that wash began to fillup fill up in ili 1943 1 I had three acres ot of it reclaimed claimed le to the point where I 1 could plant it 11 to alfalfa for young hay this did fairly well the first year but luring during the next year eai 1944 1 I took oft off 1412 14 tons of hay from this plot of ground in addition to tills this on oil another small part of this ten acres I 1 raised some potatoes and corn in ili all with this that I 1 un am having prepared now I 1 have we re clatt lied about six sik ot of the ten acres and I 1 consider this the best land I 1 have haie in my held field I 1 think it will take about two years longer tor for me to complete this project and have hae the other four acres under cultivation this program to date has cost me ine in ili cash less than figuring in my illy labor on the six acres the whole project to date lias has cost we me about the land was almost worthless before but now I 1 would not take tak e for it the tour four acres yet to be worked I 1 do not expect will cost as much proportionally is as the other six have 1 I am ain now able to conserve my irrigation water to ito better advantage in my opinion this project is one of the most worthwhile projects 1 I could have practiced on my farm without the technical aid from the service personnel and assistance from the district equipment I 1 could not have carried on this project as I 1 have to to date had I 1 relied on my own resources it would have taken me much longer to accomplish this work and I 1 could not have realized the advantage of having this done tor for years to come I 1 appreciate being a cooperator in the parla river soil conservation district concluded mr pollock |