DROUGHT AREAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 August 1939, Page 6

DROUGHT AREAS

REHABILITATION PROGRAMME. REGINA. Work in rehabilitating drought areas of the southern Prairie Provinces of Canada is proceeding apace under the combined forces of scientific agriculturists, farmers and engineers. This work includes reclamation of areas that have been seriously affected by soil drifting; a constructive programme that is being projected on 49 district sub-experimental stations; grass seeding demonstrations designed to tie the soil down and provide pasture; tree planting and other horticultural activities; soil surveys and research; soil moisture conservation projects: crop programmes for both large and small irrigation projects.

Approximately 28,600 farmers in the drought areas have banded themselves under Agricultural Improvement associations to assist in this work of rehabilitating the land. An important development of this is the establishment of community pastures in areas found unsuitable for crop production. There arc now 41 such pastures with a total acreage of nearly 900,000. Under the water development schemes, 292 large irrigation projects have been completed since 1935 when the schemes were first initiated and 174 are under consideration. In addition more than 8,000 smaller projects such as dugouts and stock watering dams have been completed.