Evening star., 1940-05-26

region. The loss OF precious topsoil in
past years in Tennessee is evidenced by
abandoned farms, disintegrating home
steads, and by poverty in an area which
once was and still is, potentially land
Of great plenty.
A major part of the Tennessee pro-
gram Is to restore all of this land to
useful productivity or to develop it for
recreational or other purposes which will
make 1t an asset rather than a liability.
Although water control in the river
channels has become purely matter OF
governmental concern, the control Of
water on the land, which is of equal i'm
portance from the standpoint Of the
program, presents all of the problems of
individual cooperation. The principles
Of voluntary cooperation and local ini-
tiative, basic in our democracy, must be
invoked. In Tennessee they are being
invoked with extraordinary success.
The Tennessee program has become
to an astonishing degree, the program of
the people. 1t is being planned, organ
lied, conducted and to a large extent
financed by the farmers and landowners.
The T. " A. has made available fer.
tilizers essential to land rehabilitation,
reforestation and soil erosion control
program. The agricultural extension
services of the land grant colleges and
Department of Agriculture are furnish-
ing supervision, leadership and technical
Information through farm and home
agents and specialists. Any observant
visitor to Tennessee can see the results
In almost every part of the State.
OF 26,000Oe0 acres in the Tennessee
Valley watershed, farmlands comprise
about 100000 acres and virtually all
of the remaining 100000 acres is in
forest land, publicly and privately owned,
today. OF the 100000 acres classified
as farms" some 100000 acres, or one
third, are in woodland.
Farmers Busy.
OF the remaining 100000 acres of
land in the Tennessee Valley, some
100000 acres are subject to appreciable
erosion-or were last fiscal year when the
land survey was made. Tennesseeans
are confident that this land can be SO
treated and so planted as to reduce the
losses in soil and rainwater. A major
part of the Tennessee program is in
tended to give substance to this belief,
Last year more than $4,000 farmers,
working a total Of more than 4,000,0O0
acres, were actively participating in
program of readjusting their farm pro-
grams in the interest of water control
and soil conservation. They were using
Government produced fertilizers extern
siyely, more than $4,000 tons having been
distributed. These farmers have ter
raced nearly 100000 acres of farm land
at their own expense. They have planted
millions of trees.
Where erosion has become very severe
and control is needed In the public in
terest, the labor being too great for the
landowner alone, cooperation of the
Civilian Conservation Corps and the
United States Forest Service is provided.
Forestry research ana development Of
forest industries have gone hand in
hand with the general program and
10S new varieties Of trees have been in
troduced as being useful for watershed
protection.
The fate Of nations often is deter
mined by the wisdom they display in
the use of their natural resources. The
whole T. v. A. program and much Of the
cooperative program of the State OF
Tennessee is based upon the need for
conservation Of natural resources, In
cluding water power.
The frontier days Of unlimited natural
resources have passed in this country
and the need grows more urgent yearly
for wise use Of the land and Its products.
Selfish exploitation must be curbed and
more effective use must be made Of the
land for meeting the physical esthetic
and spiritual needs Of the people.