Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-11-28

these experts. as Prof. MCGEE says.
at a most reasonable estimate this
billion ton of the richest soil Is an
nually lost and cannot be replaced by
the use of fertilizers costing vastly
more than a billion dollars.
Th4 question also has another phase
directly connected with the subject OF
the enlargement of our inland water
ways upon which, also, the president
has declared hts purpose of address
ing the congress. Heavy rains carry
this soil into the streams and these
muddy and swollen rivers go rushing
ON towards the sea, erOding their
hanks and that this silt and fine dirt
and sand cuts its Nay ruthi'se'5 a "a
moves rapidly along, eating AWAY til"
banks and filling up the channel. u
Il were not for this soil carried mt
the sea. the department eNp"lts de-
clare there would be an eUorU iEs
saving in the annual expenditure oi
the government for dredging n
other public works In connection with
the inland rivers. In h same way
the levees and other works at the
mouths Of such rivers as the Missis-
sippi become necessary, limos solely
hecauc Of this waste of the land That
is permitted to flow down and block up
the mouths of streams by their enof-
nous deposits.
Profl MCGEE and his associates say
the American farmer must look to
European countries n the orient for
lessons on how best to conserve some
of tho natural In the ORR
cnt particularly. he says. the people
know how to till the land and save
It from waste by flooding. Articles
have been written by scientists on the
wonderful engineering feats per-
formed by the people of some of these
oriental countries In connection with
iheir agricultural activities and these
Prof. MCGEE declares are not cngin-
ecring feats at all, but simply The evil
aence of the fact that the natives
have taken advantage of the ways OF
nature herself. In many of the orien-
tal countries these hillsidcs and noun
tain farms have apparently been Gu
into terraces. and these terraces have
been the wonder Of FOREIGN visitors
How these natives could construct
these terraces for purposes OF agri-
culture have long pcrplcNed tourists.
but Prof. MCGEE says the explanation
is simple. These people divided their
lands for purposes Of convenience.
owing to their billy character, into
tracts and nlpwed them across
the stones. planting shrubs and trees
at the bottom that would stop the
land from being washed away. In The
course of time as the soil was WaShcn
down. IL was gathered by the shrubs
and gtnuuCu untN 10 LNt thtuIhl
the slope became level and the
land retained its pr~oductiveness.
IN this fashion. on tn. mountain
farms one terrace under another D. ai
common sight but. ne says. b repre-
the c0mmon sense that has been
displayed hy the oriental Tor centuries
and not the engineering ieats Of eN-
pcrts. II this system were followed iu
country. agricultural department
soien lists declared the money saved 90
the people would soon hc appreciate
and the saving 10 the national govern
boz remedying the dsmage done
by Hood and high water would De-
or course the cutting
away o. our forests has done mucn
to make our rains p~rectIltous %
cause flooding. This cauuof be REM
short ct years 30 patient labor
bat the farmer. Prof McGec insists
a remedy boz his uvn hands that
be- can auuiy nf once and poo . ~ea-
~ would see the wisdom ~ the
hanCe in his treatment OF hls rolling
It would seem tu DO an expert
menf well worth trying.