Evening star., 1947-07-17
By Hugh H. Bennett

The United States leads the world In its
efforts to conserve its remaining productive
land for good and permanent use. We attained
this leadership as the result of less than 20
years work, although we waited at least 100
years too long to start. We waited in spite OF
the early warnings of statesmen and thinkers
like George Washington, James Madison and
Thomas Jefferson. Later appeals for conserva-
tion of our croplands by Theodore Roosevelt
and few others fell largely on deaf ears.
In 1910-11 one of the first surveys of the
effects of soil erosion on farmland was made
in Fairfield County, S. c. Prior to that,
fellow soil surveyor, w. E. McLendon of
Bishopville S. c., and had identified sheet
erosion in 1905, during a survey of Louisa
County, Va for the old Bureau Of Soils.
But these and subsequent findings as to
what was happening to our farmland failed
to, arouse any particular national interest
until 1928. In that year, hearings were held
which resulted in congressional authorization
for establishing a number of erosion expert
ment stations at strategic points over the
country to study erosion rates and processes.
explore the possibilities of control, and develop
new methods of control and prevention.
Then followed the creation of the Soil Ero-
sion Service in 1888, through which soil and
water conservation practices were first applied
on whole farms and watersheds in erosion con-
troll demonstration projects. In 1885, Congress
for the first time declared soil conservation to
be national policy when 1t passed the Soil
Conservation Act and designated the Soil Con-
servation Service as a permanent agency IN
the Department OF Agriculture.
BY 1885, the Soil Conservation Service and
the Department began urging farmer direction
~ o}1c tioru m he
States started passing laws to make this pos
sible-through soil conservation districts. These
farmer 3voted and farmer-managed organiza-
tions have grown steadily in number and area
ever since. Today such State enabling laws
are in the statutes of all 48 States, Puerto Rico,
Alaska, Hawaii and the Virgin Islands.
There Is No Shortcut Plan.
Soil conservation district affairs are directed
by elected local farmers. called supervisors or:
directors. Most of the districts have called, on
the Soil Conservation Service for technical
assistance in planning and applying sound
conservation work. To date, farmers and
ranchers have voted into existence more than
1900 Of these districts. They cover approx
imately $50 100000 acres and 4,333 1888 farms,
about three e-fourths OF all the farms in the
country
Through these democratic, local units Of
State Government. soil conservation is being
put on the land In the only way we can ever
expect to have completely effective, permanent
protection of our food-producing farmlands.
That is. by treating every acre according to
its needs and using each acre according to its
capabilities for safe use. Cultivated crops are
grown on the level, less credible lands and
grass or trees on the sleeper, unstable lands.
Because parcels of land differ so greatly-from
one locality to another, from farm to farm, and
even between individual acres in a single field
there is no blanket, shortcut plan or practice
that can do the job.
That Is why the technicians Of the Soil Con-
servation Service first make land capability
survey when they reach farm designated by
the district directors for assistance. This sur
vey classifies every acre by its soil, slope, de-
gree of erosion, and other factors determining
It's proper use. 1t shows, for example, which is
class land Qand which may be used safely
for row crops with minimum of soil conserva-
ton treatment), class III land (Which re-
quires combination of treatments for ade-
quate protection), or class VI land (Which IS