The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-04-04
WESTERN NATURE STUDIES
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE SOIL.
BY J. H. PAUL.

One truth about the soil is that we
90 not own il; we only borrow 1t, and
cur plain duty IS to pass 1t on unin-
jured for the use Of our children. An
other is that the American farmers are
digging out the very heart Of their fer
tile acres each year, and with their
plows are annually sacrificing sol
enough to fill the Panama canal. The
riches of the American farmer, says
EOugh, are taking wings. The farmer
does not see them go, and he does not
understand that ne is literally plOWing
his farm into the ocean.
Not only do we waste. but that
waste accelerates each year That is
the horrible feature of all these re-
source wastes-they increase geOmetric-
ally with awful swiftness. The buffalo
went all at once The trees, the fish,
the ore Will so all at once We do
not like high prices, but higher prices
than we now can dream Of are coming
10 us Americans unless We get down to
n practical basis on religion. politics
and business"
This article will begin to elucidate
how and why we should take care Of
the soil.
Soil Is Our Heritage.
The soil is Americas greatest heri-
tage. the source Of her power, the rea-
son for her ascendauCy over other ma
tons in wealth and material prosperity.
While the soil lasts the luster Of our
country's financial greatness will no
doubt remain undimmed. Whatever ad-
vantage the American laborer enjoys
over his European brother is due to the
vast extent of the fertile areas which
could be so freely taken Up and en-
ployed to produce the food of nations.
The fruitful land, the bOunteous har-
vest the wealth OF standing timber
these are the original basis and the suf-
ficient explanation of our national pros
perity, which literally springs out Of
the ground
Mother Earth" is its true name, for
the productiveness Of our soil is what
accounts not alone for our national
greatness. but for our very existence.
And vet this priceless heritage IS, last
er than most other things of the earth,
passing away.
How Soil is Made.
The writer Of these notes stood, a
short time since, on the mountains to
The west of Elsinore, Sewer county,
and loked upon the endless variety OF
igneous or fire-formed rock rock that
constitutes the main part of the cnatn
at that place 4 dozen kinds OF color,
texture, weight and hardness, may be
picked I'D OF observed there within a
few square rods. The different masses
cr small pieces show every degree and
stage of disintegration, due to weather
Jug. from the beginning of the process
10 the final formation of sand and clay
from these rock materials. One of ma
lures great factories for soil making
may there be observed i'm active opera
ton and on a large scale. The rocks
crumbic into sand, clay, silt graVel'
these materials mix with decaying veg
citation and form lOamy Soils ana tins
newly formed soils are then carried
down the mountain side by rain. vino
and melting SNOW, forming finally tht
deem rich earth Of the valleys ON the
mountain side the soil is shallow; IT
the valleys it is deep; that IS. depth o
soil with the consequent richness o.
products from il varies inversely witt
the eteepness of the slope on which ]
rests The slopes cannot hold muci
soil. and shallow soil can hold but lite
water. hence the slopes can support bu
little. while the valleys display al
abundant vegetation.
How Soil Is Kept.
On the hIIIs.des. vertical riIl sooI
plows out a gully; but if horizontal
burrows should be made along the hill
sides and mountain slopes the rapi'
descent Of the soil into the valley
would be arrested. to the advantage o
both localities. If horizontal furroW
were to be constructed at the sam
elevation around these great hills. tim
aud nature would soon do the rest an
would turn these little burrows int
large arabic terraces. on which differ
ent fruits and vegetables could be pro
duced at the varying altituCes Gras
would first grow along the furrow; Tn
powdered rock moving along the fur
rows would be arrested by the sras
roots. and would form deep layers o
these embankments. down which Il
now uselessly washed away Tree
would soon grow on these terraces, es
pecially il purposely planted there b
foresters. Their roots would WlthStan
the soil wash and so prevent the cor
tinuous waste. Without trees on ines
hflsides the rains and melting snow
and often the winds also, carry q
"stone powder In guilies, or in lit
runnels. or in mud slides into the va
leys below, where il is net neeede'
and is I'm most places a detriment III
maths trampIed out by sheep may for
the beginnings of little gullies th'
wash the soil from the mountain sid'
TO be worse than wasted in the valley
The Labor of Centuries.
These rocks. we say. are wastir
away: but the rock waste is slow a.
cording to the years of human life. {
an average in our climate. with OF
l,nds of rock. only a foot Of each su
face rock is disintegrated and pulve
lied in Eve or six thousand years II
lesson which this fact teaches IS tn
the soil is slowly formed, and II 10
cannot be naturally replaced in III
man lifetime. and perhaps not IN aGe
Man is the latest occupant of the cart
He lives from the soil. which supper
him. and which I'm some sense produce
him. since he was formed out OF q
dust of the earth. Man is natures neN
est invention. but he will have su
cessor If he destroys the soil; and q
startling truth is that we are destro
ing this precious life pTeseTver at