Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1903-05-30
A Process of Soil Wasting.

A Process of Soil Wasting.
L. c. Burnett in an address at the
University of Nebraska, said:
1t has been roughly estimated that
there is an annual loss of 269 square
miles of soil, one foot in depth. from
the great Mississippi basin, and
very large per cent of this enormous
loss comes from the Missouri river
and its tributaries. This loss of 269
miles includes the whole drainage
system of those great rivers. but we
must bear in mind that large areas,
such as our semi-arid regions, all of
the lower levels and much of the
prairie lands lose but small per cent
of the whole. Hence this great loss
must come from our rolling lands,
and none suffer more than eastern
Nebraska and Kansas. To the above
amount of soil that is lost to the
Gulf of Mexico, we should add a like
amount that is transported from roll
ing lands to all lower levels. Imag-
inc, If you can, a body of soil 1Ox6O
miles, moving like a mighty ava
lanche riverward and oceanward, and
the very cream of our broad acres.
While the loss of this soil represents
untold values to our farms, the gov
ernment and the states bordering the
lower Mississippi river, are spending
millions of dollars to get rid of our
soil. Then again, the torrential rush
Of these waters causes other losses OF
great magnitude.
Some idea of the vast destruction
of property due to floods may be
gathered from the statement that the
floods of 1881-1882 caused loss of not
less than Is million dollars to the
property interest of the Ohio and Mis-
sissippi valleys alone. In 1884 the
region about Cincinnati alone suf-
fered loss of $40 100000. Well may
Capt. Fades exclaim: Forestry must
come to the aid of the engineer" A
half-uttered truth. 1 claim that the
farmers of this mighty midwest must
come to the aid of the engineer. The
dTanning up of one draw, the crea-
tion Of one reservoir, is an aid The
good effects of one thousand will be
felt away down in Southland.
One hundred and eighty miles OF
eastern Nebraska contains 129,60O
quarter-sectons of land. If waste
land to the amount of two acres per
quarter section is damned up, we will
have a water surface of 259. 200 acres.
If com bined, would make two lakes
one mile wide, 2O2A miles long. The
holding back of this much flood water
will be felt along the levees and jet
ties of the Mississippi. And if our
sister states should do as well, the
great problem of taking care of our
flood waters will be solved, and Uncle
Sam can use his millions of dollars
in building great reservoirs. Our
semi-arid West will have been re-
deemed from our hot winds and for
generations this mighty inter-ocean
will continue to be Americas great
stock farm and granary.
Cultivation of speIt in Germany.
The Bulletin des Halles (Paris)
contains the following statement con-
corning the cultivation of spelt in
Germany: The southwest of the Ger
man Empire has its own peculiar
grain, spelt, while in the north, the
center, and in Bavaria wheat is the
special object of cultivation. Spelt
(Triticum spelta L.) is extensively
cultivated especially In Wurtemberg,
in the regions bordering on the Grand
Duchy of Baden, in Alsace, in Switz-
e-land, and in Bavarian Suabia. In
Wurtemburg especially spelt (speltz.
dinkel, finkorn) is used almost ex-
Spelt is very much like wheat and its
flour is placed in the same rank with
wheat -four. 1t differs from wheat,
however, in that the operation of
thrashing fails to remove the outer
covering from the grains. Spelt
must, therefore, necessarily be hulled
in special mills before being mar
keted. 1t is a rather curious and In
terestinP fact thai in France as in
the other Latin countries, and in
England, wheat occupies first place
among cereals used for breadmaking,
but that the cultivation of spe1t as
the predominant cereal is confined to
the clearly limited region specified
above.
Mission of the Angora-
Far be it from the minds Of any
goat breeder that the Angora has
- - k4 MA of