Evening star., 1939-08-15

system. In other words, the farm
ers In this locality joined together
In q spirit of community enterprise
and developed for the watersheds
in which they live a complete sys-
tenn for the conservation of their
lands. Where terrace had to cross
the boundary of one mans farm.
his neighbor carried it on until an
other neighbor, in turn, took it over,
and so on. In the same way, where
1t was necessary for one farmer to
allow water from a neighbor's farm
to run across his land the two farm
ers entered into a friendly drainage
agreement and the erosion tech
nicians helped them construct chan
nelways for the safe conveyance of
excess rainwater down the slopes.
II you could stand on a ridge and
look across one Of those valleys YOU
would see a good preview of the
American agriculture of tomorrow.
AS lar as you can see, the curving
lines OF contour crop rows, terraces
and strip crops would stretch out in
q pattern OF solid soil protection.
These farms now seem anchored
TO the hills. And, for a fact, they
are. They are now secure from the
ravages Of erosion. They will lose
no more soil. Since they will now
support a permanent agriculture,
tney are places where people can
remain and make q living.
There are many other places
where the same kind of soil pro-
lection can be seen today. Pas
sengers IN airliners have been heard
time and again to ask about the
curvlng stripes they see here and
there as they fly over farming
country. These stripes are terraces
strip crops, contour furrows-the
lines OF soil defense, representing
the new conservation type of farm
ing that is beginning to spread over
many parts of the Nation.
Taken From Cultivation.
IN some places, Of course, land has
become too poor to farm. Those who
Try to farm 1t are doomed to failure
from the start. They get stranded.
hopelessly begged down. Submarpi-
nal land OF that kind is being taken
out OF cultivation by Government
purchase and put to some construc-
tive use-sometimes 1t is developed
as game refuge, sometimes as a
recreation area, sometimes as a graz
Ing area for community pasture,
"A great deal is being done TODAY
to right the ills of our land. Various
agencies, both Federal and State, are
involved. Each has a particular
neld OF activity. But taken together
they form broad program with the
one objective of putting our land to
the kind of use that will conserve
1t for the generations of Americans
10 come. Each acre of land--everv
neld, pasture and woodlot-should
De treated according to its individual
needs and adaptability, by using all
the practical measures for conserya- :
tlon that have been developed
through years of research and ex-
perience on the land. That is the
oiiiy sure way 10 conservation of our
soil wealth.
we are moving fast, but not vet
last enough. America has too great
a stake in this soil that we are losing
by the billions of tons a wear To
save it we need to revive our love
for the land. We need to build a
new and deeper appreciation of its
value. We need to put the principle
OF conservation into application on
every piece of land worth saving for
productive use. AS matter of fact.
think you will agree that it is lust
as patriotic to protect the soil within
our shores as it is to protect our
shores from outsiders. And I sim
cerely hope that you, who have list
ened tonight, in town or country,
will lend your influence to the prog
ress OF conservation at every oppor-
tunity.