f
CONSERVATION
le entire world during
thousand years, ap-
106 species and sub-
animal life have be-
Thirty-three of
out of existence pre-
Year 1800. Durin,g
ifty years, two more
Through the period
1900 thirty-one were
it. From 1900 to the
have lost forty more.
years ago the last
died. Today, the trum-
is given an even
surviving.
the rate of this loss
man's progressive ex-
:d •increasing need for
and we have the an-
forms of wildlife can-
to roans' environ-
and its habitat
a certain amount of
of the ant-
simple, pro-
environment is
This was
the buffalo. Our na
not afford to leave
fertile land unculti-
range. The buf-
as his natural habitat
make room for crops
herds of livestock.
enough individuals
to perpetuate the
Virtually all of the nation's
6,000,000 farms today need a cor-
rect plan of land management to
stop soil erosion.
According to government fig-
ures an estimated 10,000 one-
hundred acre farms are lost each
year through neglect of the land.
of a total 321,000,000 crop-acres
available in 1948, official statis-
tics show that 50,000,000 crop-
acres have been lost through
erosion, and 50,000,000 more are
ill critical condition and no long-
er are producing at a profit. In
addition, 100,000,000 crop-acres
with 25 to 75 percent of the top-
soil gone are producing at a pro-:
fit only through heavy applica-
lieu of commercial fertilizers.
Unless some effective mea:As is
established immediately to save
soil through controlled drainage
and thereby increase per acre
crop yield, the country will be
reduced to a starvation level
within the next 40 years. It will
cost the nation more to live at a
bare subsistence level than it does
now at the present standard of
living.
Soil conservation is the basis
for any plan of correct land use~
Terracing is the basis for any
plan of soil conservation. Recent
survey by the United States Soil
Conservation Service reveals that
650,249 miles of terraces have
been constructed throughout the
('ountry as of June 30, 1947. Im-
e - observation mediate plans call forthe con-
Wer species of ant-struction of 1,314,383 miles of
~appe .red in Europe [ terraces additionally. However,
two thousand year[5036,566 miles of terraces ~l~e
have been extermin-I critically needed aside from ~on
continents of Africa, [ thousands of miles, of divers
North America. Dur-[terraces to be built, drainage
[,[e.lAges, the wealthYlditches to ,be dug and gullies to
• ,~ope set aside large [ be filled.
P(~vate hunting es- Estimates are that where no
• "~ wildlife and its plan of soil conservation is on the
'protected. Conse- land, loss of applied fertilizer
species were saved
Wildlife sanctuar-
nated in medieval
new life in the
ed countries of the
ence of this there
of SOuth Africa,
Park of Canada
own primitive areas
Parks. Much has
ueh more remains to
the duty of the
to decide wheth-
Wishes to save our
es 'from extin¢-
D W. McINTYRE
TILE IS
SOIL?
indicate that many
farms are annually
tion due to the lack
~ents that can and
in the form of
having soil tests
can approach his
l~nowledge as to
field by field and
and money as
be ,the case where
:ations are made
dance of soil tests.
ests in the Pine
the county some
eu fOund to .be very
some low in
low in nitrogen.
lightly acid, in
of lime
before any
obtained by add-
general short-
ility could be
e, the prablem
Ual farm prob-
each field would
records
recent applica-
zer in this area,
tests, are ~being
the a~tual
can be obtained.
these tests will
for more
to obtain soil
the proper ,'bal-
may ~e ob-
lrCoductlon of bet-
hopes to soon be
fertilizer in pas-
mee if there isn't
We must
in both
pasture land ff
remain prosper-
nd farmers. There
of ~s interested in
programs, in-
been the case
Years.
Farm Bureau
livestock
where proper-
and fur~
fowl. Ira'
and
throt~gh erosion is 23 times great
el" than the amount of fertilizer
used in the growing of the crop.
Extensive study has been given
this important problem by Inter-
national Harvester in cooperation
with SCS personnel and the Com-
pany now has a terracer which,
through proper application and
subsequent land management, re-
portedly will increase crop yield
markedly within the first year.
Designed for one-man operation,
the terracer also can .fill gullies
for grassed waterways, dig ditches
or build ridges to control drain-
age, and help to hold fertilizer
and humus where they belong.
W. F. TRACY.
.X
"Unless the farmers and farm
women of the nation think more
~bout the things that are funda-
mental and how they can en-
courage their children to love the
farm and the farming people and
turn their faces toward the home
community instead of the distant
city, they will continue, in all
likelihood, to lose the ownership
of the land." O. E. Baker, *'Di-
vision of ,Farm Population and
Rural Life." Bureau of Agricul-
tural Economics, U. S. Depart-
Laent of Agriculture.
Because of man's propensity for
destruction, nature has provided
a safeguard for all natural ele-
ments or forces to the extent that
though it may change its form o~"
character, no particle of organic
substance is ever lost. But through
the ages assumes a new and use-
ful purpose. Thus erosion of our
rich soil and farm lands to the
Mississippi delta, will in the dis-
tant future, become a deep allu-
vial plain capable of sustaining
a vast or dense population. How-
ever evolution of nature is so de-
liberate that generations of men
may perish because of the lack of
conservation during their own
span of existence.
We, in America, have witnessed
all of the elements of man's de-
struction as well as the po~i,bili-
ties of rejuvenation to soils, wat-
er, timber and their combined use
to maintain-fertility and provide
means for human sustenance.
These illustrations of material
conservation should lead us to
observe more closely the possibil-
ities of conserving human health.
by diet, sanitation, and proper
housing.
The conservation of human
happiness ~by conforming to those
established spiritual and social
codes that have, by time, been
proven beneficial to all humanity.
Last, but not least, we must
conserve the political liberties
that we have inherited. Liberties
that ,former generations achieved
by "trial and error" by blood,
sweat and tears". Liberties that
granted ~s of America the right
to "life, llbertT-and the pursuit
of happiness". The rt(rht to choose
our vocation, to create as mu~h of
the worlds wealth and goods as
we desire or as abilities permit,
and to retain for ourselves or our
posterity the entire fruits of such
la,bor. And to keep these proper-
ties, these rights and liberties
free from confiscation by auto-
crats of church, state, or nation.
These treasured privileges once
lost by lack of thoughtful con-
servation can only be recovered
by time and human suffering, let
us guard them well.
WILBUR F. NE~,VLAND
--X"
There are 3l locally organized
Soil Conservation Districts in
Wyoming. Over two-thirds of the
farmers and ran,cihers are in or-
ganized Districts."Why not all of
us?
Poor land makes poor people.
Observe "Wyoming Soil Conserva-
tion Week May 2nd--8th.
Soil and water conservation is
ao longer a choice; it .is a na-
tional must!
Soil conservation is cheaper
than soil erosion.
Soil conservation pays its own
way--and more.
"Soil Conservation: The use of
each acre according to its own
individual capabilities, and the
treatment of each acre according
to its own individual needs."---
Dr. Hugh H. Bennett, Chief. U. S.
Soil Conservation Service.
"What it has taken Nature
thousands of years to give us we
have despoiled in two or three
centuries at the most and often
in as little as 20 or 40 yea~, a
mere clock tick, in the span of
eternity."--"To Hold This Soil"
--Misc. Pub. No. 321, USDA.
"The plain truth is that Ameri-
cans, as a people, have never
learned to love the land",and to
regard it as an enduring resource.
They have seen it only as a field
fo~r exploitation and a source of
immediate financial return." --
Dr. Hugh H. Bennett, Chief, U.
S. Soil Conservation ,Service.
"Since the first crude plow up-
rooted the first square foot of
sod. and since man's axe first bit
into virgin forests, erosion of the
soil has been a problem It is as
old as history'. Down through the
ages it has influenced the lives
of men and the destinies of na-
tions and civilizations, in the
United States Ioday, no problem
is more urgent." Dr. Hhgh Ham-
mend Bennett. Chief, U. S, Soil
Conservation ,Service.
"Therefore the Lord God sent
him forth from the Garden of
Eden. to till the ground from
whence he was taken." Genesis
2:23.
"Let us remem,ber that'the cul-
tivation of the earth is the most
important labor of man." Daniel
Webster.
"The ,best poems I have pro-
duced are the trees I planted on
the hillsides." Oliver Wendell
Holmes.
"We ruin the lands that are al-
ready cleared---A half, a third, or
even a fourth of what land we
mangle, well wrought and prop-
erly dressed would produce more
than the whole under our sys-
tem of management." -- George
Washington, First President of
the U. S.
Farmers: Rotate your irrigated
)astures ~vith an electric fence.
Pastures properly rotated and ir-
rigated will double forage pro-
duction.
Over-stocked ranges are an ero-
sion hazard. The correct rate of
use will mean ~better livestock
and more pounds of meat with no
erosion.
Contour tillage will save soil
and moisture.
Idle fields do not make profits.
Seed these fields to grass and
produce meat--and cash in the
bank.
Spread flood waters from small
,dr~nage~on grass lgnds. This
will increase forage ~)roduction
and cut down erosion.
L
Far~ shelterbelts cut down
wind erosion, furnish shelter for
livestock, and a habitat ,for wild
life.
Rats alone destroyed or dam-
aged 200 million bushels of grain
last year. If this amount of grain
were all wheat, it would be suf-
ficient to supply one pound of
bread every day for a year to 36
million people. One rat will eat
or damage $20 worth of food,
feed, and property per year which
means the nation pays $2V2 bil-
lion annually to keep its rats. Al-
so, rats are carriers of bubonic
plague, typhus, and other deadly
diseases. Rats may cause short
circuits by gnawing insulation
from electric cords.
Fire and rats consume food and
feed. Debris and trash accumula-
tions are their friends. Clean-up
and dispose of piles of rubbish,
and the like where rats may hide.
Do away with rat "hotels".
Haul manure to the fields. This
not only fertilizes the crops but
improves the looks of the farm-
stead and at the same time helps
eliminate flies and other insects
around the house and barn.
Weeds and grass growtng
around discarded machinery are
hazards for fire and harbors for
rats. Gasoline should be removed
from machinery during storage.
Salvage all scrap metal.
Hastenln,g stove fires by using
kerosene or gasoline takes a heavy
toll of farm lives and farm prop-
erty.
New Orleans is more than 130
miles farther from the Gulf of
Mexico than when it was found-
ed. This is the silt deposited from
erosion of farms in the Mississippi
water shed.
Wyoming has a,bout 8 acr6s of
arable land per person. The na-
tion has 3 acres. I 3-4 acres of
arable land per person in the
world for food and fibre. Let's
preserve this ratio.
Waters from Wyoming directly
affect 13 other states. Let us con-
serve and store as much of it as
is economically possible.
Over use of" irrigation water
wastes land and fertility. Good
irrigation requires proper con-
trol structures. Complete conser-
vation on irrigation land has in-
creased production over $25 per
acre based upon 1940-45 prices.
Reservoirs in Wyoming are fill-
ing with silt from the lands
above them. Let's stop erosion
and protect this investment.
TI-I~ SUNDANCE TIME~
Sundance, Wyo. May 6, 1948
6.400 FARM WOMEN TO
OBSERVE NATION&L HOME
WEEK. SAYS MRS. HUNTER
Laramie--Approximately 6,400
Wyoming rural women will ob-
serve the third annual national
Home Demonstration Week May
2-8, discloses Mrs. Thomas Hunt-
er, state president of the Home
Demonstration Council and a
member of bhe LaPrele club in
Converse county one of the old-
est and largest of the 291 home-
makers clubs in the state.
State and county-wide spon-
sored events will .highlight the
'home and family and will follow
the theme "Today's Home Builds
Tomorrow's World", said Mrs.
Hunter.
~ponsoring a letter-writing con-
test entitled "Let's Get Acquaint-
ed", the State Council encoura4~es
any members to write about their
homes and families, the kind of
a farm or ranch they live on, and
something of their community
activities, Mrs. Hunter pointed
out. Mrs. Mae Urbanek, state pub-
licity chairman, Lusk is in charge
of the contest.
Three counties show a repre-
r ~ntation of the type of activities
to be featured in the program.
Park county will honor 20-year
members who have been active in
the program at a tea. Natrona
county will feature a luncheon
followed by a tour to see the dem-
onstration of various types of
household equipment on display
at Casper stores; and 4n Camp-
bell county 4#H girls will ,partici-
pate in a style show modeling
dresses that they 'have made or
that are available at local stores.
Club members will participate
in radio programs to be broad-
cast over the Denver "Mile-High
Farmer" program on Station KOA
and over county stations, Mrs.
Hunter states.
Mrs. Hunter is offering valu-
able assistance in integrating the
county programs in the National
observance spotlighting the farm
women, says Mrs. Verna J. Hitch-
cock, state home demonstration
agent leader of the Wyoming ag-
ricultural extension service. She
and nine other Wyoming women
attended the National Council
meeting in West Virginia last
Octaber to formulate plans for
National HDA Week.
.x
Data collected for the Secre-
tary of Defense reveals that 87.4
percent of Army officers holding
rank of major or above who were
discharged since 1940. are re-
ceiving disability pensions, where-
as only 63.4 percent of Naval of-
ficers of a comparable rank re-
tired during the same period, are
claiming disability.
SUITED TO THE SOIL
Serving this territory in Safety
for Fifty-Two Years.
