Texas Almanac, 1947-1948 Page: 183
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SOIL RESOURCES
servation program has been broadened to
include with terracing such activities as strip-
cropping, cover cropping and crop rotation in
a general plan of soil conservation and soil
rebuilding. The state-wide integrated pro-
gram is directed by the United States Soil
Conservation Service, operating in accordance
with a state law, and with the co-operation of
the A&M Extension Service.
Co-ordinated Program Applied.
For administrative purposes Texas is part
of the Western Gulf region of the Soil Con-
servation Service. The region also includes
Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. Head-
quarters are in Fort Worth. Louis P. Merrill
s regional conservator. Paul H. Walser is
state conservationist. The state office is in
Temple.
The Soil Conservation Service carries on
the major part of its work through soil con-
servation districts. The districts are legal
subdivisions of the state government The
districts are created and operated under
authority of the Soil Conservation Districts
Law passed by the Texas Legislature in 1939.
A State Soil Conservation Board of five mem-
bers administers the law. (See p. 329 for
board membership.)
On Jan. 15, 1947, there were 143 soil con.-
servation districts in Texas. They covered
125,888,000 acres and represented 87 per cent
of the state's landowners. Through their dis-
trict organizations the operators of 38,187
Texas farms and ranches covering 16,646,470
acres were applying co-ordlnated soil con-
servation programs.
While the Soil Conservation Service carries
on the major part of its work through soil
conservation districts, it engages also in con-
servation research, operates nurseries to pro-
duce grass and legume seeds and trees that
are not yet in sufficient commercial supply
to meet conservation needs, and managescertain publicly owned tracts known as Land
Utilization Projects. One of the nurseries is
situated near San Antonio. Research is car-
ried on in Texas at Amarillo, Spur, Temple
and Waco. Land utilization projects are situ-
ated at Bonham, Canadian, Dalhart, Decatur,
Ladonia, McLean, Perryton, Tulia and Um-
barger.
The land utilization projects are composed
of land that had been made submarginal by
erosion after it had been broken out of natix e
vegetation and put to improper use under
cultivation. The United States Government
bought the land when the owners could not
afford to apply the long-term measures need-
ed to bring the soil back into productivity
over a period of years. Purpose of govern-
ment treatment is to restore the land to
proper use. There are 128,183 acres of once
abandoned or low-yielding land in the proj-
ects in Texas The major part of this\ land is
now back in productive use.
Flood Control Aid.
In December, 1944, Congress authorized the
Department of Agriculture to undertake a
comprehensive program of runoff and water-
flow retardation and soil erosion prevention
In aid of flood control in the Trinity and
Middle Colorado River watersheds. begun
July 1, 1946, this program will assist in re-
ducing flood hazards to human life and prop-
erty and damages to ditches, stream channels.
reservoirs, bottomland farms and harbors by
the deposit of erosion debris.
Surveys for runoff and waterflow retarda-
tion and soil erosion prevention which were
being conducted by the Department of Agri-
culture in the Pecos, Concho and Little River
watersheds were interrupted by World War
II The Little River survey was resumed in
the summer of 1946 under the direction of
the Soil Conservation Service.OFFICERS: DIRECTORS:
Edmund J. Kahn f Eugene B. Smith
President 55
President J L. Brett
A. Edgar Kucera
Vice-Presiden- Farl H. Edwards
K. G. Hunt Derrll G. Elmore
Secy.-Treasurer J F W. Hannay
A. J. Stone j John T Lokey
Secy. Emertus - Molloy H. Miller
M. P. Hamby
Traffc Manager . Harold E. Vaughan
DALLAS COTTON EXCHANGE
In Dallas-The Largest Cotton Market in Texas
Its 136 members engage in the merchandising, financing, warehousing and shipping of
COTTON GROWN ON TEXAS FARMS and all other cotton states . . . to the
cotton mills of the world.
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Texas Almanac, 1947-1948, book, 1947; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117136/m1/185/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.