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Show '( --- - I Farm Conservation Reoort How Much Soil Have You Lost? "How much longer will your farm last?" asks J. Vern Hopkin, Utah PMA chairman. 9 Explaining this challenging question, Mr. Hopkin said thai when farms were broken out of , the native vegetation' there was a store of fertility in reserve. In some instances the reserve was rather small; in other instances, there was a rather large reserve of minerals needed for plant growth. Crops have taken some of that reserve, but a far larger amount in most cases, has been washed away or blown away. The chairman points out that unless un-less something is done to restore these losses, sooner or later the land fails to produce, because of the lack of one or more of the necessary minerals. When the reserves of one of these essential minerals runs out, crop yields drop off. An abundance abun-dance of calcium won't make up for a lack of phosphate. In most instances, these minerals support each other in promoting plant growth, the chairman explains. Erosion and heavy production of cash crops have taken a serious ser-ious toll from our land. A recent study in an important agricultural agricul-tural county reveals that 20 ner cent of the top-soil had been lost in 33 years of farming. The total amount of top-soil lost in this one county amounted to 31,728 acres based on an average of 7 inches of top-soil over the area. Putting it another way, enough soil was lost to cover an area of 31,728 acres 7 Inches deep. Studies in this State indicate that loss of the top-soil here also has been serious. More serious on some farms than others, the chairman said. These studies and the evidences we have all around us should make each of us who farm ask, "How much soil have I lost and how much longer will my farm last?" He points out that the Agricultural Conservation Conserva-tion Program is in operation to help farmers check these losses. Grass Holds Soil If you want to stop erosion, put your land into grass, advisps Joseph Wilcken, chairman of the Duchesne County Agricultural Conservation Committee. But, he adds, "Naturally it wouldn't bp practical to have all the land on all farms in grass. Other crops besides livestock and livestock products are needed in great abundance." The chairman explains that the point he wants to make is that grasses and legumes do hold the soil and are among the most effective ef-fective means of checking soil erosion. A good stand of grass and clover forms a protective coyer for the soil which prevents the cutting effects of heavy rains. The mass of roots hold the soil together and they also provide "channels" into the soil for the moisture which falls. Because grass is so effective in conserving soil directly and indirectly in-directly and so important in the production of livestock and livestock live-stock products, the chairman advises ad-vises that pasture improvement practices again will be emphasized empha-sized in the 1948 Agricultural Conservation Program. The 1948 Agricultural Conservation Conser-vation Program offers assistance to farmers for seeding adapted legumes and grasses, and fencing to provide better pasture management. man-agement. Farmers of Duchesne county interested in improving their pastures are requested to talk their problems over with the County Agricultural Conservation Conserva-tion Committee. Pasture Grass Seed Production Up Seed production of grass and legume crops that are important m the Agricultural Conservation Program has just been reported by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Ag-riculture. In general, pasture crop seea production was higher last year than the 1941-45 average. aver-age. The report indicates more seed of hay crops, less of crested wheat grass, an important range grass; and a spotted situation among the clovers. The crop of Kentucky blue-grass blue-grass is estimated to be 30,235 -000 pounds . . . that is about 175 per cent of the average crop The white clover seed crop estimate esti-mate is 4,120,000 pounds of clean seed . . . nearly 215 per cent of the average. The ladino clover seed crop is 900,000 pounds of clean seed, which is 150 per cent of the average. The orchard grass i seed crop was nearly normal 6,240,000 pounds of clean seed, 4 per cent above the average. Among hay crops, the production produc-tion of the meadow fescue seed croj) is 1,690,000 pounds, 138 per cent of average. 55,000,000 pounds of clean perennial ryegrass rye-grass seed is 166 per cent of the five-year average. The Deduction Deduc-tion of bormegrass was 2 per cent below average 10,820,000 pounds of clean seed. The production of crested wheat grass used almost entirely for reseeding the northern ranges is only 2,750,000 pounds of clean seed. This is only about one-fourth one-fourth of the average produced in the period 1941-45. The estimated 49,500,000-lb. crop of common ryegrass is 169 per cent of average. The common and Willamette vetch seed crop is 34,800,000 pounoV of clean seed, 112 per cent of average. The blue lupine crop continues to increase. The current crop is 48,300,000 pounds of clean seed, 25 per cent above the year before. be-fore. The hairy vetch crop at 19,890,000 pounds of clean seed was 83 per cent of average; and the 58,750,000-lb. crop of Austrian Aus-trian winter peas, 73 per cent of average. |