Evening star., 1933-07-02
Farm Crop Rotation of Fish
And Wild Fowl Is Proposed
DIR. Field Urges Innova.
ton as a Measure of
Conservation.

wv American farm, to be alter
mated with wheat or corn
for q new farm asset In the
new deal for the farmer?
DR.. George Wilton Field, one Of the
country's outstanding water biologists,
thinks SO and strongly urges such a
crop rotation" not only as a means
Of fertilizing the land, but also as part
OF broad and far-reaching program Of
conservation, which aims at economic
relief through natural correlation OF
DR.. Field, who has held a number
of important scientific posts in the
service Of Massachusetts,, his native
State, and the Federal Government, is
particularly concerned with the danger
to the resources of the country pre-
sented by abnormally rapid erosion,
scarcity Of precipitation and OF run-oh
waters, which is gradually lowering the
water table from coast to coast.
1T Is estimated that the aggregate
wastage Of water, soil and atmosphere
Is costing North America no less than
5000, 600 900 every year, which Is about
half the value Of the entire agricultural
products Of the United States" he de-
clared. "The farmers are the ones who
lose the entire $4,000, 900 900. but the
shock Of the loss is Nation wide, because
this wasted capital is needed in business.
Water Cycle Disturbed.
"The cycle of water has been dis
turbed by the introduction of drainage
and the resulting lack Of evaporation Of
water into the atmosphere. The nor
NAL cycle of water is visualiZed as COM
ing from the air and dropping on the
soil, whereupon a certain portion runs
off, We have enormously increased that
portion.
Man can plan to soak larger pro-
portion into the soil and let 1t come
back out into the cir by evaporation
and through vegetation. The vegeta-
ton pumps the water out from the water
table, it evaporates into the air, then
1t cools and comes down again; thus
there Is constant and more or less reg
ular cycle Of water.
This water, DR.. Field pointed out,
carries with it chemical, physical and
biologic ingredients, which, through
the influence Of sunlight, are trans
formed into plant and eventually into
animal light, including mankind.
TT Is evident, therefore" he stated,
that business is based on this cycle Of
matter and that If you disturb that
cause you disturb life"
Rotation Of aquatic crops with the
conventional crops would do much, DR.
Field thinks, to restore the proper
amount Of water to the lard by prevent
ing too rapid drainage.
Plan Tried In Europe.
This scheme already has been tried
out with success in Europe, notably in
Germany. In fact most conservation
measures advocated have been proven
practical by use in European cities and
on European farm lands. America has
been too prosperous to feel the need.
In Germany and France, he said, it is
common thing for a farmer to i'm
pound the run-of waters Of his land by
means of dykes, forming ponds, some
times acres in extent. After a short
time plant and animal food for fish
develop and the ponds are stocked with
hsh. These ponds, DR.. Field declared,
are used for two and sometimes three
years, yielding rich returns. Then the
water is drained of and the land i.
ready Tor the plow. Such a crop rota-
ton has been found to increase the
value OF the land enormously by restor-
ing the elements drained from it by
IeSuI-
ing floods, which result from too speedy
run of. In America this run-off is not
made.
To the question of whether this plan
can be carried out in America. DR..
Field replied: Il have recently made
7,O0O-mile trip through Ohio. Indi-
ana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Ne
hraska, through to North Dakota and
back through Minnesota and Wisconsin.
There are vast areas in each of those
States which would be handled in this
way. Here Is one of the biological So
lutions for our farm problems, a new
type OF rotation Of crops adapted for
submarginal lands"
The methods Of biologic utilization
Of impounded run-of water proposed
by DR.. Field include also the capture
of silt and organic debris for incor-
poration into farm land along the lines
followed IN Egypt, France, Germany
This method" DR.. Field said, "can
be applied profitably in many large
areas Of North America. The result
will be to substitute one or more crops
OF protein foods for rotation with cot
ton, cereals and garden crops"
Control Of Pests.
In addition, he pointed out. an i'm
portant biological result of this sort
Of rotation would be the control of
farm pests and blights.
The general water conservation pro-
gram DR.. Field urges can be divided
into two parts. One would contribute
to increase the water resources of the
soil, regulate the atmospheric moisture
and stabilize the rainfall, and so check
sc 4lr &c
The other half calls for prevention Of
sewage as an economic asset.
The first part would be carried out
through such measures as fish and
wild fowl farming and impounding of
water on a larger scale, developing
useful aquatic organisms to provide
food and recreation through fishes and
wild fowl.
The second would employ modern
scientific methods to the sewage prob
lens of large cities. DR.. Field said that
four uses can be developed for sewage
which at the same time would prevent
pollution of public waters.
From sewage can be manufactured,
he said, gas, solid fertilizer, liquid
ef11uent which contains plant food and
could be applied with excellent results
on farm land, and liquid efhuent
which mixed with river water and
sprayed on ponds would provide food
for fish and wild ducks and geese.
If sewage were treated in this man.
ner. he said, the United States could
save the s72.000,000 annual bill which
it pays to Chile and othsr countries
for fertilizer and nitrogenous products,
and lessen appreciably municipal,
State and Federal tax levies.
The general principles Or. Field ad-
EnT1Nn