The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1947-09-12
THE NATIONS No. / PROBLEM
By "BILL"

one of the most important phases the development
of any river basin. wonder if it should not receive
priority over dams and dkes to control floods. The
amount of water flowing down any stream is largely
determined by the extent of soil conservation prac-
put effect in its watershed the problem
Of SILT which will eventually effect the capacity of the
reservoirs, effectively be solved back the
land
How does conservation practices the land effect
soil and water losses? AS example, Mr.. Kruse
pointed out that
At Carinda, Iowa. continuous grown the
contour lost soil over syear period and only
Oh percent of the RAINFALL whereas, the crop
grown up-and-down the SLOPE in the way
the kind of land, cost 175 tons of soil per
and 1913 percent of the rainfall At same erosion
experiment station the average production of corn
6-year period, the kind of land, was
80 bushels per per when comforting was
practiced against 10 bushels with upand-down
slope cultivation.
This problem of silt in the rivers is nothing
than top soil from the land that has been washed
away by the water This has increased to the point
where the statistics this subject have reached alarm
ing proportions
Time Is Running Short
The Columbia river carries away 10000 acre feet
of topso each year and the Mississippi river at full
flood crest this spring deposited the top from 40
acres into the Gulf of Mexico every minute it seems
that it is high time that the development of our river
basins be speeded and that soil water conserva
ton be given first consideration.
We have made considerable progress in the last
10 years in soil conservation in this country but think
it should be exceerated We have at least agreed on
how to about it, have heard almost no criticism
of the soil conservation service or the method bv which
technical assistance is made to the operators
in Soil Conservation district
How About a "soiI Conservation Davp?
1t is my opinion that by adopting good educational
program the conserving of can be speeded nm
In the Tennessee valley and in other parts of the
country by the Soil Conservation Service agreements
are entered into whereby the operator agrees TO use
approved tlage methods and permits his place to
De used demonstration farm on certain DAYS where
lis neighbors what results can be obtained nv
doptng certain practices. This method could be en-
arged upon. In our own state prophesy that we will
Zee more Soil Conservation Field Days such as was held
It Hardin this year This sponsored by the Cham
Der of Commerce and the of supervisors of the
ocal Soil Conservation district
believe lot of people think that the bo sori
cultural problem is disposing of surplus food we
produce. 1t is not. We may have temporary sur
pIuses such last year in potatoes but the ability
OF this country to supply enough food to furnish an
adequate diet to every citizen seriously questioned
Howard {. Babcock, chairman of the board of corneu
university Farmer, leader in farmer cooperatives
recently stated that after thorough study bv farm
economists at Cornell they came to the conclusion
'nat with present acreages and yields, there was
serious DOUBT If the farmers could produce 75oL Of
the 1000 required for adequate diet
III is my firm conviction that if we do NOT eton
ne destruction of greatest resource the soil in
ne not too distant future, will be getting taste
what we have been reading about for wears of what
takes place in India and China