The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1951-03-08
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES
by Hazel Br1nnon Smith

Dear Reader:
If you own any land, or if you
ever hope to own any, if you have
any children or grandchildren,
this column today is written es-
pecially for you - and ! hope you
will read it through.
I'm sure you look out over this
beautiful country Of ours and feel
thankful that you were lucky
enough to be born DR. to live in
this land of plenty.
You are deeply aware tina
the main reason we have so much
confusion in the world today
foremost of which is the civil
war in Korea which threatens to
envelop us into a Third World
War is the fact that other people
in other nations throughout the
world do not have enough good
earth to support their huge pop
ulations.
You know that the highest type
of civilization has risen only to
decay when the soil has played
out.
You've seen the soil play out
right here in Holmes county ~. !.
and throughout our country. As
the soil gave way the people have
had to seek new places to live.
Neighborhood schools and
churches have given way from
lack of use and loving care. Mo-
thing is sadder than to 60 into a
once prosperous farming COM
munity and see the ravages of
time after its former proud citi-
zens have had to find new fields
to cultivate.
I'm sure that all of you want
to see every acre OF land in
Holmes county put to proper use
- in order that your children and
grandchildren may come along
years hence and make a profit
able living for themselves and
supply u country in the future
with the food and fibre it must
have to maintain our high stand
ard of living.
It is as simple as that.
If each generation will try to
take care of the soil by using 1t
properly that same soil will take
care of future generations. II we
don't do this the standard of liv-
ing in America will decline and
we will have the same situation
here that the countries of Europe,
China and India now have. Then
the menace of communism will
loom even greater than it does
now.
Communism spreads easily
where there are too many people
and not enough land to feed them,
ii does not and cannot move in
and take over where you have a
happy, contented, well-fed people
unless those people concentrate
so hard on making money or
something else that they forget to
be vigilant about guarding their
individual freedom.
So we cherish the hope that
every one of you will resolve
right now to guard the fertility
of your soil so that you can pass
on to unborn generations a heri-
tage that will enable this country
to continue to be the greatest ma
ton in the world - with the
highest standard of living in the
world.
There is one particular thing you
can do right now along this line
and it is very important.
Keep fire out of your woods.
During the month of February
even with all the sleet and snow
on the ground, III fire crews
fought as forest fires in Holmes
county which destroyed or dam
aged greatly $50 acres of land
The crews checked 1856 additional
fires.
III tlllS JOu dNACS thCiS "NiC
172 acres of merchantable timber
destroyed and 445 acres of young
pines. Fires on 348 non-forest
acres damaged improved pasture
burned expensive fence posts and
did untold damage.
OF these as fires there were IA of
them set by the landowner or ten
ant which got out of control and
they had to call upon the county
fire crews for help.
But there were rs cases where
people went out and set fires
apparently with no thought other
thon TO see il burn. 646 acres
were destroyed or damaged from
these Is fires.
The result of these fires is thai
young timber is killed. merchan-
table timber is damaged. wildlife
is destroyed in many coses and
most important of oil, a far as
future generations are concerned
ground cover is destroyed and the
soil washes away.
Contrary to popular belief, you
are not killing the boil WeeViI