The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-04-19

in the ranks, where the soil is too poor
to justify planting.
The recent dust storms and the ter
rible havoc in their wake are by no
means peculiar to America, says the
National Geographic society. The same
thing has happened in Syria, Palestine
and North Africa. Experts say that
such regions, where the rainfall is less
than 25 inches a year, should be left
to live stock and not cultivated.
Darwin reported that in South Amer
lea, during the seasons of 1S27-1S30, so
much dust was blown about that
boundaries were obscured and prop
erty rights confused. In October, 1928,
chocolate dust from Australia stained
the snow peaks Of New Zealand, 1900
miles away. In the spring of the
same year, some 15,00O,OOOO00 tons of
earth from the Ukraine were scat
tered over Europe; in the Ukraine a
reforestation program similar to that
planned by our forest service was used
W COllDdL Wlllu ClOSlOAs
Blame the Sahara.
The Sahara is the source of supply
for most of the European dust storms.
Hot sirocco winds carry the dust over
the Mediterranean and northward as
far as the Baltic.
China Is famed for dust storms.
In winter they sweep over the North
China plain, covering trees, houses,
crops and people with yellow sediment.
Dust storms of another age built the
Loess highlands that lie between the
North China plain and the deserts OF
central Asia. This fertile, yellow
earth, often reaching a depth of 300
feet, covers thousands of square miles
in the northern provinces. Crops may
be raised on loess without fertilizing
wind renews the soil as the Nile does
in Egypt. The fine, yellow silt has a
tendency to split in vertical direc-
ton, furrowing the region with steep
cliffs and canyons. The natives often
carve cave dwellings in these cliffs,
climbing to the roofs of their homes to
pillow their fields.
To look at them coldly, such dust
storms as we have had may be bless
ings in disguise, according to ]. C.
Mehler, secretary Of the Kansas board
of agriculture. They will be, says
he, if they lead farmers to adopt diver
sified farming, turning much of the
land back to grazing. They will also
prove beneficial in inaugurating till
age methods which will cut down the
loss from soil blowing.
Dust storms in northeastern Colo
RADIO have been hailed with delight by
psychologists. They have taken sew
eral inches of dirt off buried Indian
treasures, revealing new stores of
spearheads, scrapers, stone knives,
hand grinding stones and bowls, and
fragments of Indian pottery. The
latest storms, combined with the er0-
sion of other winds in the last year,
have caused the citizens of Cornish,
a village 20 miles northeast of Greeley,
to hold a second Stcne age fair. Since
the first fair last year new discoveries
of Folsom and Yuma arrow point frag-
ments have been uncovered. The Fol-
som work is said by experts in archie
ology to be 10000 years old. The
fair last year was tremendous sue
cess and attracted scores of exhibitors t.
Relief from the terrible drouths
which have helped to make powder Of
the soil in recent seasons is promised
by John B. Kincer, head of the climate
and crop weather service of the
United States weather bureau. Kincer,
who does not believe in definite changes
in climate, but rather in definite cycles
Of rainfall variations, holds to the
view that the United States has been
in the descending curse of moisture
cycle" for the last 25 years. "The
whole country should experience heav-
Ter rainfall in years to come" he says.
There are indications now that the
bottom has been reached, and heavier
rainfall will be noticed in the future.
The Northwest is apparently already
being favored"
Kincer's opinions are based on 9
longtime study of reports from 5000
weather stations throughout the coun-
try.
An Illuminating sidelight on city
folks appreciation of the rigors Of
the dust storms was revealed to the
writer while dining recently in a metro
politan restaurant. l complained to
my waitress that the spinach was
gritty.
'9Thank the saints yez are eatin' 1t
here" she replied in her best Hibern-
ian>brogue. "Phwat if yez were eatin'
It out In Kansas !"
q Western Newspaper Union.