The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1948-01-22

There are now two hundred farm
crs cooperating with the Garrett Soil
Conservation District, all of whom
have worked out and adopted conser-
walton plans for their farms, and are
in various stages of applying the
practices to the land, according to the
annual report prepared by William
w. Mace, district conselvationist.
Usually it takes or more years to
make the change to conservation
farming. OF the 200 District Cooper
ators, few have completed the APP
plication of all the conservation prac-
tees that were planned. Almost all
of them have done some of the work.
and will do the rest of it as fast as
they are able, Mr.. Mace stated. The
report continued:
"The District program is aimed to-
ward using each acre for the purpose
to which it is best suited, and treating
every acre according to it's needs.
With this in mind, conservation plans
are made to cover all of the work
needed on the farm. Each practice
planned must not only be needed, but
must be practical and must pay its
own way. The plan should not only
suit the needs of the land, but should
meet the farm needs, insofar as pos
sible, for pasture, hay, grain and other
crops.
"No two conservation plans are "a
like, because there are no two farms
alike. However, most plans in the Gar
rett District include strip cropping on
cropland, the use of cover crops after
clean-tilled crops, drainage of wet
land, sod waterways in draws running
thru cropland, lining and fertilizing
of pastures, use of perennial hay on
sleeper cropland slopes and manage
ment of farm woodlands.
"In addition, some farms require
diversion terraces on long cropland
slopes, tree planting on very steep or
very poor open land, clearing of fence
rows between fields to be strip
cropped, or clearing of brush and
trees from pastures. windbreak
may be needed to protect farm build
ings or farm pond for stockwater,
fire protection or fish production.
THE plan is developed jointly by
the farmer and the soil conservation
list There is no compulson about
carrying out the plan, and no cost
for the technical help needed in max
ing the plan and laying out the diff
ferent practices. We do not know of
any farmer who has made the change
to conservation farming who would
change back to conventional methods.
"Of the 200 conservation farm plans
now operating in this District, rs
were prepared in 1947. This is an in
crease of 10 over the number in 1916.
Shown below are the amounts of sew
elal of the more important conserva-
ton practices that have been estab-
lished on the land, the first figure
indicating amount established last
year, and the second figure the
amount established since 1914:
Contour Strip Cropping, 986 acres,
28O1 acres; Pasture Treatment, 1921,
2863; Tree Planting, 80, 81; Farm
Drainage, 1853, 292; Clearing of Pas
lures, Fence Rows, l45, 206; Estab
fishing Perennial Hay, 1926, 40; Es-
tablshing Sod Waterways, 5000 line
az feet, q, 800 linear feet; Woodland
Management Cuttings, 1,106 acres,
2,8O7 acres; Windbreak Planting, s.
800 linear feet. $3.50 linear feet.
"In carrying out its program, the
District has received help from
number of agencies. The Soil Conser-
walton Service supplies technicians
who help farmers make farm plans
and help lay out the field work. 1t al
so supplies tree and shrub seedlings,
a limited number of which are fur
nished free to cooperating farmers
for windbreaks and forest tree plant
ings. The Extension Service, thru the
County Agents Office assists in the
Districts Educational Program. The
County Agent is Secretary of the
Board of District Supervisors. Voca-
tional Agriculture Teachers h av
helped by teaching courses in Soil
Conservation.
During 1947 Perry Steiding, of Ac-
cident, won the State Prize in the
Baltimore and Ohio Conservation Con-
test This contest was based on the
amount of conservation practices APP
piled on the land in the year ending