Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-08-19
Mrs. Thrasher
Joyful as Farm
Is Made Over
$4,000 Watch S-Hou'
Job by 500 Men,
$50 Machines
By jones BirchfieId
Stor Staff Correspondent

JEFFERSON, Md, Aug. 49,
Mrs. Nellie v. Thrasher cooked
breakfast this morning and
stepped out on the front porch
of her farm house near this quiet
Frederick County village.
AS the sun rose over the Catoctin
Mountain, Mrs. Thrasher looked out
over a new farm-one that had
been remade in single day through
the cooperation of men. machines
and skill.
Mrs. Thrasher has looked out over
her farm from the front porch since
she moved there in 1927. Each year
she watched the gulleys grow deeper
in the sloping fields and the grass
grow thinner on the pastures. She
saw soil erode from crops that were
planted in straight rows In square
fields. And each year the hay crop
was just a little smaller than the
year before.
The farm was losing a little each
year-not enough to cause alarm,
until the cumulative results began
to be felt in production.
But things were not the same to-
day. Where gulleys had SCARED the
hillside, there we're the marks of
drills that had seeded pasture
grasses. And white sheen of lime
and fertilizer spread out across the
pastures.
New Barn Is Built.
A new 23-cow dairy barn stood up
against the sky to the rear of the
freshly painted house, ready for the
herd, and water was beginning to
seep into a pond that had been
scooped out behind the barn. When
it is full, the pond will be stocked
with fsh-bass and Dream to pro-
vide sport and food for Mrs. Thrash
err, her daughter, Jan, and George
Edward, her 17-year-old son.
And this miracle OF transforma-
ton had taken place in the incred-
IDLY short period Of between 8 am.
and 5 pm. yesterday. 1t was &C
complished by 500 volunteers, many
of them Thrasher neighbors, and
more than $50 machines. 1t started
with the blasting of a drainage
ditch and ended when cultipackers
seeded the banks of the farm pond.
Gov. Lane of Maryland said this
was an example of what the spirit,
of cooperation can accomplish, and
Secretary of Agriculture Brannan
called attention to the fact that
this country is growing old" and
must use its resources with care to
provide an adequate diet for her
144,0o0,oO0 people.
Job Done Quickly.
President H. C. Byrd of the Uni
versity of Maryland, his white suit
spattered with red catsup that had
overturned at one Of the refresh
ment counters, acted as master Of
ceremonies.
Speed was the word Of the day.
Five hours after 10 painters started
on the Thrasher house 1t stood
cleaning white under the clear sky
completely painted, insulated and
the yard newly graded.
In three hours all fences had been
removed, and tractors equipped with
posthole diggers made a path for
new fences that will follow the new
pattern of fields.
And in the fields, terraces were
thrown up, contour strips took shape
and clouds of white lime f1oated
down off the hills, where 1t was
heinp Spread on naStllre
Work Directed by Radio.
The job of keeping men and
machines working together was in
the hands of Carl 1ngling, district
supervisor of the Soil Conservation
Service. From a tent atop hill
on the farm he directed the work
by means Of walkie-tal provided
by the Maryland National Guard.
Back in the wooded area Of Ca
toctin Mountain modern sawmill
was set up In forestry demon
stration. There also, the Maryland
Game Commission had a wildlife
area demonstration.
Here spectators who climbed the
steep slope got glimpse Of lumber
being ripped from huge trees; of
quail in their natural habitat, and
of the fish that will eventually be
used to stock the Thrasher pond.
The tremendous Job of setting
more than $50 fence posts and of
stringing more than 1922 rods of
barbed wire fencing moved slowly,
ard by midafternoon call was is
sued for additional volunteers.
Small Jobs Remain.
When the day was finished, only
two small jobs remained to be done
A few rods of fencing still had to
be completed, and wet area had
not completely been drained because
of fouled drag line when bull
dozer became mired.
L. H. Crickenberger, field day
manager, said these jobs will be
completed in the next few days.
The representatives of many ma
lions we're on hand to see the dem
onstration, among them Ricardo
Martinez Vargas, Bolivian Ambas-
sador. and U So Nyun, Ambassador
from Burma.