Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-11-21
A GREAT LOSS.
Over a Billion Dollars Wash Away
Each Year.
Loss TO the Farmers Through
Wash I'm Their Lands is Appalling
Each Year Says Expert

Each Year Says Expert
The farmers OF the United States
annually permit one billion dollars
worth of potential wealth to roll into
the seas. without apparently the
slightest effort to prevent this enor-
nous waste.
This was the remarkable state-
ment made recently by Prof. w. j.
MCGEE, chief of the bureau of soils
OF the agricultural department. Then
Prof. MCGEE sets about proving his
assertion by reciting some of the
follfes of the American AGRICULTURAL
ist. Much has been said lately cor
cerning the conservation of our nat
urai resources. and SO great has this
agitation become that the president
VIII devote one chapter OF his forth
coming message to n discussion of the
subject.
According to the views OF the agri-
cultural experts and scientific men
In Washington, farmers are responsi-
bic for more of the damage to his
lands than he is blamed for. Prof
MCGEE says that careful investigation
justifes the department in the ascer-
tion that the rains are permitted an
nually to carry of into the small
streams and through them to the
great rivers and on to the seas not
less than.one billion tons of the sur
face soil, which is the richest and
most potent in reproductive elements
OF any portion OF the tillable land
OF the country. and that practically
the entire amount could be retained
II proper system of blowing was
followed.
His criticism is made with partic-
ular reference to hillside farming
and the cultivation of sloping areas.
Instead of plowing up and down the
hillside, as most farmers in this coun-
try do. Mr.. McGee suggests that the
agriculturists try the plan of plowing
across sloping fields. This would
make ridges that form natural, but
tiny break waters. thus preventing the
water from rapidly flowing into the
ravine. as inevitably is the case when
the burrows of a field plowed in the
opposite and customary direction are
converted into rivulets that in time
grow into feeders that carry off the
water at ruinous rate Mr.. McGee
states that by following the plan
suggested by his bureau water is not
only stopred from rapidly carrying
of the surface earth. but the natural
springs and other sources OF water
supply are prevented from replenish-
Ing themselves. Ii water is not per-
mitted to sink slowly into the earth.
he declares, springs eventually will
dry up and wells will fail. From an
economic viewpoint the situation as
sumes graver aspect in the eyes of
these experts. as Prof. McGee says at
most reasonable estimate this bill
lion tons of the richest soil that is an
nually~Iost cannot be replaced by the
use of fertilizers costing vastly more
than billion dollars.
The question also has another
phase directly connected with the
subject of the enlargement of our in
land waterways, upon which also the
president has declared his purpose of
addressing the congress. Heavy rains
carry this soil into the streams and
the muddy and swollen rivers go
rushing on towards the sea, erod-
ing their banks.
Prof. MCGEE says that only muddy
water will erode the banks, and that
this silt and fine dirt and sand cuts
its way ruthlessly as It moves rapidly
along eating the banks and filling up
the channel. If II were not for this
soil carried to the sea, the depart
ment experts declare there would be
an enormous saving in the annual
expenditures of the government for
dredging and other public works in
connection with the inland rivers.
In the same way the levees and
other works at the mouths of such
rivers as the Mississippi become nee
essarily. almost solely. because of
this waste of the land that is permit
ted to flow down and block up the
mouth of streams by their enormous
deDOsits