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Show News In Brief WIDE WIND Huge pits cover-TITS cover-TITS FOLLOW ing as much as OVERGRAZING G acres and reaching a depth of 15 feet in some places. sunnlv vivid evidence of the disastrous effects of wind erosion on grazing lands of the west. In one demonstration area of the Soil Conservation Service, in north central cen-tral Utah, the wind has dug several of these yawning land eaters. Before the demonstration was started, none of the land in the Utah project had been fenced or plowed and there had been little or no control over grazing. As a result, re-sult, overgrazing practically killed out the native grasses and browse plants which formerly grew in this section and held the soil in place. Wind erosion may occur any place where overgrazing, overcutting of timber, or some other form of land abuse has left the soil unprotected unpro-tected from the ripping action of the wind. Already dust "blizzards" have done great damage in the Southwest and in the Dakotas. In combating wind erosion in the Utah demonstration area, in Salt Lake and Tooele counties, grazing has been restricted and a good start has been made toward starting new plant growth, on the land. The Soil Conservation Service is introducing intro-ducing several varieties of grass, including in-cluding crested wheat grass, in an attempt to keep the soil out of the air and make the country suitable once again for grazing and agriculture. agri-culture. DROUGHTS A "The great CHALLENGE droughts of 1934 and 1936 are a challenge to the inventive in-ventive genius of the democratic institutions in-stitutions of the United States," said Secretary Wallace in a recent address. "No matter how great the problems which are forced upon us by weather, which seems to fluctuate fluctu-ate more violently from year to year than hitherto,' America is sound at heart, and I am sure will devote her inventive power, her natural na-tural resources, and her democratic institutions to give bounty and hope to all our people. In agriculture, labor, industry and government there must be an ever greater emphasis em-phasis on the increasing abundance for the average American home." |