The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-02-27
Save Our Soil

Save Our SOll
With America alive to the fact that COM
plete defense covers a much broader field
than ever before, we are coming to realize
that it includes the conservation of our ma
tural resources And in these times when
SOSs are being heard at sea, the same hue
and cry should be made on land meaning
save our sol"
Gone are the days when the farmer had
little to fear about soil fertility and pro-
duction since he only had to bring another
new ground" into cultivation when he
wanted improved soil for any special crop
Today floods, wind storms and the direct
benefits of timber have taught him that
it is more profitable to leave part of his
land in trees and to even reforest some of
it from which the timber has been cut
away. ...-.....~>.
He is learning too, that improved farm
ing calls for improved SOIL and that what
ever vital elements are taken out of it by
one crop must be replenished by another
Our government has made rapid progress
along this line in recent years. but there
still remains much to be achieved.
Ashe and Allegheny are rural counties
which can count the soil as one of their
biggest resources from which can be pro-
duced large variety of valuable agricul-
tural crops. The flood of 1910 robbed both
of these counties of much of their valuable
soil. This was a major catastrophe, but it
should serve to emphasize the fact that
our soil must be saved. We cannot prevent
floods, but by ,practicing improved farm
ing methods, we can help to save and i'm
prove our soil from day to day.
On the banks of the New River are some
of the finest bottom lands in North Carroll
ma, but also within it's valley and those of
it's tributaries in .Ashe and Allegheny, are
gullies which grow deeper as the years go
by-bald spots, the paths of landslides and
other evidences that something must be
done to save the soil.
Through improved practices and meth
DDS several farmers are doing much toward
soil conservation; but the efforts must be
united and spread over more of our land.
Thousands of tons of lime and phosphate
are being put into the soil by Ashe and Al
leghany farmers, annually. These two
counties are among the leaders in the state
in these improvement practices. Shall we
allow these soil-build:ng elements to be
washed to the bottom of the Atlantic ocean
when the proper terracing, planting and
rotating and other methods to prevent ero
sion can be so easily worked out?
Located as they are in the valley of the
New River, and closely associated in many
ways, these two adjoining counties would
form an ideal set-up for a soil conservation
project With such project in operation
in this New River area, farmers of the two
counties could be given supervision, di
rection and scientific planning and obser-
walton which would be invaluable. Such
project could also serve nearby counties,
both directly and indirectly; for it is much
easier to cTry out practice after you
have seen it in actual operation
Both Ashe, and Allegheny counties have
active, progressive farm agents who are
particularly interested in soil improve
ment PRACTICES Within the two counties
are civfcsclubs sand other organizations
which could and would, we feel sure, lend
their support to a project which would
mean the saving of thousands of dollars to