The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1945-01-25
Conservation Practices Maintain Soils Productivity
Prevention of Erosion,
Replacement of Minerals
Chief Effort in Program

What will the American farmer do
after the war? Will he be able to
grow and market the huge record
crops Of wartime? Will his land
stand up under the stress of huge
crops year after year?
Early surveys indicate that the
sturdy sons Of the soil were already
thinking out these problems in the
midst of completing another amaz-
ing record harvest of food and fiber
last year, according to the War
Food administration.
Problems Of volume of crops and
adequate markets must await post
war developments, but both the
American farmer and Uncle Sam
are prepared to make necessary ad-
justments that will retain for the
farmer the stability he has enjoyed
during the a
First on the list of rural postwar
planning to maintain production are
rest and rehabilitation Of the ma
TONS soil, reports show. Despite
care to preserve the land better than
in World War I, continuous years
of record production have taken
their toll. But VIA points out that
farming for war has clearly demon
strated the value of conservation
practices as protection for the soil,
as well as an aid to increased yield
and higher quality crops.
Acre yield in 1913 was % per cent
greater than in 1885, the year be-
fore the governments conservation
programs began to receive special
emphasis. The 1914 harvest indi.
Gates a probable C r yield 6 per
cent more than last year, or about
20 per cent higher than the 1885
figure.
More than half the entire land
area of the United States is in
farms, a total of 1,06O, 852, 900 acres.
This includes cropland. rangeland
and woodland. About $50, 131, OOO
acres are available for crops.
More and more farmers have
learned to protect their land from
erosion by strip-cropping, contour.
ing and terracing. They are replac.
ing minerals and other soil nutri.
ents depleted by constant cropping,
and are using soil rebuilding crops
and other conservation practices to
protect and enrich the land.
Boost Yield in Idaho.
Out in Idaho, for example, on five
acres of land where sweet clover
was turned under, the per acre har.
vest of potatoes last year was 5,991
pounds greater than on the rest Of
the field where no green manure
was used. Similarly, contour farm.
ing with intertilled crops in the
north central states raised the corr
yield So to IL bushels per acre, anc
in the southern states increased cot
ton yield % pounds per acre. II
addition, this practice was reported
to have resulted in a national saw
ing of soil ranging from is ton!
to 126 tons per acre per year.
Emphasis, during the war, o
necessity has been on such better
farming methods as would Civ. i'm
mediate results in increased yielc
and be simple to put into effect
VIA points out. Postwar farming
will turn its attention to the longer
range practices. the more compile,
measures that may take additiona
labor and money, and a longer time
to complete, but which bring NOR
lasting returns. and make for a bet
ter balance Of land and use.
Expansion of irrigation is ex
pected to be one of the importan
larger conservation practices which
will receive additional emphasis
particularly in the far west states
So important is planned irrigation
to the productivity of western farm
ing, says VIA, that the irrigated
area, which includes only about
per cent of the land in farms ant