Evening star., 1949-04-15
Maryland Maps
Monocacy Basin
Soil REBUILDING
Heads Of Departments
Told Of Program at
Frederick Meeting
Bv Jomes BirehfieId
BY jones birchffeld
Sgor StoH Ccrrescondent

FREDERICK. Md. April 49,
The Monocacy River Valley. in
cluding some of the most fertile
land in Maryland, will be devel-
oped for maximum agricultural
and aquatic production.
Plans for making the Monocacy
into a Maryland garden spot were
revealed in a report by DR.. r. v.
Truitt. chairman of the Maryland
Department Of Research and Edu-
cation. DIR. Truitt spoke at a
meeting last night Of agriculture
leaders. businessmen and State
officials, called by the Frederick
County Chamber of Commerce.
"Our survey has disclosed" DR..
Truitt said, that with local lead
ership. hard work and the CO.
operation Of our State agencies we
can build the Monocacy Valley
again into the fertile spot it once
was"
DR.. Truitt estimated that in the
last rs years enough soil has been
carried down the Monocacy into
the Potomac to build a fertile
farming area of more than 900
square miles. or as large as the
present Monocacy watershed.
The plan for the Monocacy
development originated with the
Frederick County Chamber of
Commerce. It will include Frede-
rick and Carroll counties in Ms.'y-
land and Adams County, Pennsyl-
vania. Full cooperation of the
people and organizations in these
areas will be sought.
Heads of State deparments,
attending last nights meeting
pledged full aid to the project.
which may serve as national
demonstration of river planning.
Pledeing full cooperation of the
State soil conservation service,
Edward M. Davis. State conser-
vationist, said work In his field
already is well under way.
"Soil conservation plans are in
operation on 625 Of the 1000 farms
in the area, Mr.. Davis said. strip
cropping has been carried out on
$4,000 acres, leaving 100000 acres
yet to be stripped. Thirty five
farm ponds have been completed.
This is against a need of 1900
pounds in the area. We have
made As miles of terraces and
have planted $4,000 trees. We
need 500 miles of terracing and
more than $4,000 900 trees.
IF we continue at the present
rate. it will take us 100 years to
do the job in this area. I am glad
to say, however, that our work is
speeding and we dosnot contern-I
plate a 100-year project"
Joseph Kaylor, director of Mary.
land forests and park. reported
that a 100-acre nursery soon would
60 into operation. He said this
would provide more trees than the
State has had available in the past.
He estimated a need of $500 acres
of forests to be planted each year
for the next 10 years in the Mo-
nocacy Valley.
Edwin r. Cotton, director of
the Interstate Commission on the
Potomac River Basin, pledged the
commissions support in obtaining
full cooperation from Penn
sylvania. He reported that the
commissions board of directors
has favored the creation Of q
demonstration area in the Monoc-
acy Valley.
r. D. Van Deusen. biologist for
the Natural Resources Institute
at Solomons, Md. said the survey
of the Monocacy last year indi-
Gated that from June, the begin
ming of bass fishing, until Septem-
ber the stream was unsuited for
fish life. Through management
the Monocacy should be made q
fisherman's paradise. he said. =
Pointing out the cost Of stream
siltation to water departments
in cities, Harold A. Kemp. District
of Columbia sanitary engineer,
said that more than 100000 tons
of soil was carried past Washing
ton in the Potomac River during
q 14-day food In 1886.
The organization for the Mon
ocacy development will be formed
under the direction of Lawrence
H. Crickenberger, chairman of the
Chambers rural-urban committee,
and master of the Frederick
ro,,ofu n~opne IS