The Washington times., 1914-06-18
SOIL BY MILLION
TONS SWEPT TO SEA
Enormous Erosiye Waste to
Farms Is Pointed Out by
Agricultural Department.

The Department of Agriculture is
once more calling attention to the tre-
medous economic losses to the country
involved in the erosion of the soil.
These losses. though their Importance
is frequently not appreciated. run into
huge sums. and the Department feels
that unless proper methods are taken
to check them, they will gradually Ie-
suit in the complete ruin of many valu-
able agricultural sections.
Strangely enough, this country has
given almost no attention to the failure
TO conserve the waste of natural re-
sources involved in soil erosion. China,
where. with enormous populations. 1t
has been a case of conserving the fer
tilitv of the soil or starving, has gone
far ahead of this country in this re-
spect.
The late issue of the Agricultural
Year Book, in an article prepared by
r. o. Z. Davis, scientist Of the Bureau
OF Soils, deals at length with the eco
nomic waste from soil erosion. Allud-
ing to the fertile soil material that is
beaten down the hill sides and slopes
by the rains and then carried by the
creeks to the rivers, and by the rivers
TO the sea. DR.. Davis says this process
is costing the United States millions of
dollars yearly.
Enormous SOIL waste.
He makes the startling statement
that the amount of good soil material
passing yearly to the sea exceeds by
more than two times the total amount
of material removed in digging the
Panama canal
Mr. Davis estimates that the United
States is suffering the loss of s75. .00J, coo
to S!c0. 900, annually through the
agency of erosion. The National Con-
scryation Conference in 1909 reported
nearly 1000. 900 acres of abandoned
farm land in the United States. most
OF it damaged and over one-thi-d, or
about 100000 acres actually destroyed
by erosion.
At an average original value of SO,
this would mean a loss of SiO,"oO.O0O.
The loss from non-production is esti-
matcd TO he probably as much yearly.
Added to this, are losses to navigation
and water power and expense IN the
keeping open OF channels of streams
The enormous volume of the good
soil annually carried away to IN" sea
10y the rains and streams is thus de-
scrihed:
1t has been estimated that ;he Mis-
sissippi river. which drains over one
third OF the area Of the United States,
$40. 200, 900 to 6sO.00O.000 tons of sus-
pendtd material yearly. Accepting the
lower figure and assuming a lower rate
tor the rest of the United states,
500, coo. 900 tons, the total amount Cf
suil material carried to the seas amounts
TO O,OO0,0 900 tons a year.
Assuming that ne-half Of this is un-
re- essary waste, there is an annual Loss
of over i0O.0 100000 tons of soil ma
terial. This means a preventaole waste
yearly of more material than was re-
muIed in digging the Panama canal
But this is only part OF the story, for
t.rIy a esmalI portion of the soil brought
down from the hills is carried 10 the
mouths of toe rivers. What proportion il
Is impossible to estimate.
Urges Preventative Methods.
The point TO the story OF these enor-
In"us losses Is that the department is
urging the adoption OF methods of pre-
vention. Much can be done BY way
Of reclamation. Nature herself does
something in that direction.
But. better than reclamation. is pre-
vention. The building OF terraces and
other distractions 10 prevent the run
of of the soil is a practicable method.
In China and Europe this method is
widely employed. Another method is to
increase the porosity OF the soil by deep
plowing. dynamiting. and the like. thus
bringing about heavy absorption OF the
water from the rains. so that little or
none of IL runs away.
The adoption of both methods is often
practicable and the department holds
that public sentiment should be aroused
TO the great importance of such meth
DDS If the agricultural production OF the
country is not to be most seriously
diminished.