Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-03-21
Can Battle Fields Be EARNED?


A good deal has been written about the
restoration OF the farming land of the
battle areas. Practically all has been II
a pessimistic nature. There is an old say
'ns To the effect that war passes the
lheorist by and sinks its plummets deep
IN human experience" Most OF the pesSi-
ih'stic writing TO which I have referred Is
ny theorists. who do not realize that war
mas passed them by and that their
.heoriZings' less mischicvous than
alsr"n'agtng-have already been confuted
by cold facts.
Ever since the battle uf the Summr was
vel under way, with its obliterative artil-
cry preparations and barrages. 1 have
pee" reading in French. English n
american newspapers and reviews articles
-" ie.ters-several from not unemincnt
sciehtists and engincers-ail rur1,orting TO
demonstrate beyond the per%adventure Of n
houot mat the once fertile agricultural
''sioh OF Northern France could not but
s'hlah' an absolute desert for anywhere
rom . minimum of two or three decades
% hail u century and more. Two or three
DISTINGUISHING chemists held that the soil
vas SO thoroughly poisoned" from the
Tunes of asphyXiating gases and nigh ex-
.hoslves mat 1t would be many years be-
i"ts' IL could become sufficiently purified
!" support any kind of plant life. A pro-
s"ssor of agricultural science was equally
certain that the bringing to the surface
oi so much of the lower strata OF soil
which contains little or no blmus decay
ing vegetable matter)-would render the
lana LOO sterile to be worth cultivating
'or an indefinite but very long time. Be
SIDES these laboratory experts there are
many level headed. practicai men who
nave written or said that the more inten.
s'Veiy oombarded areas OF the battle zone
could never he cultivated again. for the
simple reason that they were so fright
iniiy torn up from shell and mine explo-
SONS that it would be impracticable to
move any agricultural implements over
mem. They also point out that the hun
ureds or miles OF barbed wire inextrica-
oiN mixed with the earth will make 1t
extremely difficult to plough or harrow.
while the countless thousands of buried
~unexpioded shells. which might conceiva-
hlv go off when turned up, Introduce an
elemen OF actual danger.
EVEN so, am convinced that their
pcsslmism regarding the problem In hand
rs only less warranted than that OF the
theorists pure and simple. That is to
say: The physical ifficulties-xreat az
they are-in the way Of c%ultivating even
the most heavily bombarded regions OF
inc war Zone. are not going to prove an
insurrnountable obstacle to their %restora.
ton to productivity.
To those scientists who hold that the
land OF tho battle areas has been "pois-
Dned" beyond remedy by gas and she'll
fumes. ! might point out that, while these
fumes occasionally bleach and cause
fresh grass n foliage to wilt and die
down. the effect Is only temporary. The
soil itself is not deleteriously affected. As
TO the effect OF the constant cnurntng Of
the earth by bursting shells. 1 might point
nut that sub soil cultivation by the use
III dynamite has been practiced with in
variable success in America for several
years. In all the world l know Of no land
that would be likely to benefit more by a