SOIL EROSION PROBLEM

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 227, 30 August 1939, Page 2

SOIL EROSION PROBLEM

"The enormous inroads of soil erosion throughout Australia in Jess than 1.00 .years already amount to atragedy,” said Mr. H. WoodyearISmitli.supervisor of the Helds division of the Challenge Phosphate Company, Limited, who returned to New Zealand by the Wanganella this week.

“In vast arras of country, tin; slopes of which a Now Zealander would regard as easy, the ravages caused by soil erosion were a revelation.” said Air. Woodyear-Smitli.

'I ho original natural eovci mg ol tlie laud has been completoly destroyed, he added. and the country lias been cropped in some cases for 70 years. The practice adopted was to put in a wheat crop, harvest it, burn the stubble, leave a bare fallow, and tlien sow a further wheat crop. This policy has provedl disastrous, for it had exposed the surface soil to hot suns and drying winds, while the rate of evaporation was intensive. These factors, together with the type of cultivation followed. caused the top soil to become Huffy.” The condition of the soil was such that it would not permit the sudden and excessive amount of moisture from occasional thunder storms to penetrate, continued -Mr. WoodyearSmith. Consequently the' water rushed off the surface, taking with it large quantities of soil, and leaving behind: a series' of small gullies. This process. repeated year after year, had almost completely denuded some areas of soil, leaving bare rocks exposed. In other instances, huge l gullies had been, formed, and it was no longer possible to work or farm that land, “So serious .had been the loss of soil in some places that already three fence lines had’ been completely buried, and a fourth had been providled on top of them,” said -Mr. Wnodyear-Smith. Discussing the measures adopted to control erosion. -Mr. Woodyear-Smith said New South \\ ales had established a soil conservation service to give advice to farmers, and a similar service was about to lie introduced in South Australia. He was fed to understand that the entire Commonwealth would shortlv ho organised! to tackle the piobloin Of its own defence.

AUSTRALIAN TRAGEDY

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