The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1938-10-20

spreads like a cancerous disease.
Americas cancer lies in an area
that from 1923 was the "breadbas-
ket of the nation" producing some
800, 100000 bushels of wheat year.
From 1882 to 1886 production
dropped to $50, ZOO, 900 bushels. The
cancer is still spreading, mostly to
the northeast into Kansas corn belt.
But the encouraging factor is that
man can now reconquer the orig
NAL dust bowl, and is at last learn
ing how this precious farm land
should be handled.
Today's farmer admits the good
earth has been misused. Through
a half century of boom era farming
Its resources were drained and no
attempt was made to restore them.
Years ago there was no such thing
as crop rotation, nor did a washed
out hillside cause much concern.
But eventually the good earth got
plain mad, dried up and blew away.
Agriculture's Proving Ground.
The dust bowl offers agriculture's
best example of what must be done
throughout the Midwest, and what
will result. In this $1,000, 900 acres
OF wasted land-once highly pro-
ductive farm NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
fostered by the United States de-
partment of agriculture is winning
a painstaking battle. Though thou
sands have migrated, though count
less farms stand deep in churning
sand, the dust bowl is emerging as
a proving ground for American ag-
riculture.
1t was not enough that farmers
learned to leave good ground COW
er during winter months, nor was it
enough to learn that terracing will
prevent erosion from both causes
washouts and blowing. It took mon
ey to carry out these plans.
First, the Farm Security admins
tration offered loans to farmers who
would handle their land scientifcal-
ly, making further loans if they
wished to lease adjacent neglected
blow land" and anchor it down.
Though 100000 dust bowl farms
have been placed under good man.
agement this way, and although the
Jones-Bankhead act permits the
government to purchase remaining
idle blow land, the new spirit of CO.
operative attack is best illustrated
by still another method-the soil
conservation district.
Given U. S. Assistance.
This is simple plan. Farmers
in certain area can form an asso-
citation to lease abandoned land,
thereby qualifying for a special pay
ment from the Agricultural Adjust
ment administration. The govern
ment provides machinery to remove
buried fence posts, level hummocks
and put the abandoned land in
shape. Funds for additional treat
ment come from the Farm Security
administration, and this loan is re-
paid when AAA allotments are
made to the district.
This cooperative work has been
going on unnoticed in the dust bowl
and other drouth areas, and this
autumn the amazing results were
brought to the public's attention for
the first time. There is a popular
misconception that the dust bowl
is new great American desert"
but farm experts are quick to point
out that it is potentially produc-
tive region of generally good soils.
Most of the land is level and can be
operated with modern farm ma
chinery. It has produced bumper
crops in the past and can again.
Department of agriculture Of
ficials confidently predict that a rel
atively small percentage of the land
operated this past summer will be
subject to blowing next winter and
spring. They have found some of
the land not suited to crops-about
5000, 900 of the $4,000, 900 acres now
under cultivation-and this will be
put back to grass immediately.
eventually becoming suitable for
grazing.
The latest figures on dust bowl
progress look good. It's original
$1,000, 900 acres are now reduced to
an expected 16,000,0O0 acres for /,
next year, which means the proving
ground has succeeded and that SIM
liar technique can be applied to
drouth-ridden farms throughout the
Midwest.