I 



,, 



Protection of Life 



The observance of the following 

 rules will prevent many deaths and in- 

 juries from lightning: 



Do not go out of doors or remain 

 out during thunderstorms unless it 

 is absolutely necessary. Stay inside of 

 a building where it is dry, preferably 

 near the center of a room. 



If there is any choice of shelter, 

 choose in the following order: 



1. Large metal or metal frame 

 buildings. 



2. Dwellings or other buildings 

 which are provided with light- 

 ning rods. 



3. Large unprotected buildings. 



4. Small unprotected buildings. 

 During thunderstorms avoid the im- 

 mediate vicinity of: 



Electric light circuits. 

 Lightning conductors and down- 

 spouts. 

 Screened doors and windows. 

 Stoves and fireplaces. 

 Telephones or any metal that pro- 

 jects through the walls or roof 

 of the building. 

 If remaining out of doors is un- 

 avoidable, keep away from: 



Isolated trees, wire fences, hill tops 

 and wide open spaces or small sheds 

 and shelters if in an exposed loca- 

 tion. 



Hold That Soil 



(Continued from page 21) 



Farm Sports Festival 



(Continued from page 19) 



Farm Advisers and officials are urged to 

 get in it. Get out your rod and reel 

 and practice a little. You don't need 

 a pond or river for the contest will be 

 held on dry land. If you can cast a plug 

 60 feet with fair accuracy you stand a 

 chance to win and, an)rway, it'll be lots of 

 fun to try. 



The quietest contest of the whole event 

 is the battle over the checkerboard. It 

 takes the utmost skill and concentration 

 but its more exciting than any of the 

 other sports to those who like head work. 



To get the most out of the festival, get 

 in it. Surely there is one in the whole 

 list of farm sports that you like. Enter 

 it at your county festival. See your farm 

 adviser right away and get the rules. 

 Practice a little at home and go out to 

 win. 



George Broman Dies 



George Broman, Henry county, director 

 of the Illinois Livestock Marketing Asso- 

 ciation died of a heart attack July 17, at 

 the age of 59 years. One of the organ- 

 izers of the Henry County Farm Bureau, 

 he served as president from 1929 to 1933, 

 was director in 1919, and again from 

 1922 to 1928. Mr. Broman was also a 

 director and treasurer of the Henry-Stark 

 Service Company. 



thrown across a ravine with tractors and 

 "tumblebugs," is spring-fed. It is deep 

 enough for boating or swimming. But 

 most importantly, it controls flood waters. 



Located near the farm buildings, the 

 lake adds to the attractiveness of the 

 Fritz home. It is flanked with an eight- 

 acre timbered tract that has been planted 

 to berry and seed shrubs to furnish feed 

 for quails and pheasants. 



In addition to conserving water, game 

 and fish, Fritz is terracing 1 1 acres of 

 rolling crop land as his farm operations 

 and business permits. 



While the group was visiting other 

 farms, the CCC camp blacksmith and 

 his helpers erected a rough dining table 

 and benches in the shade of the timber. 

 They made a tent over the table with a 

 tarpaulin. CCC cooks served a special 

 luncheon for the guests in this picturesque 

 spot on the lake shore. 



C. E. Swenson's farm lies a few miles 

 north of Rockford on one of the most 

 easily erodible soils, sandy prairie loam. 

 It presents a serious problem in erosion 

 control. 



When Mr. Swenson who is a mechani- 

 cal engineer, bought the farm a few years 

 ago it was in a badly run-down condition. 

 He started at once to restore the fertility. 

 Six tons of limestone and 1000 pounds 

 of rock phosphate per acre were applied. 

 One of the more rolling fields was sown 

 to alfalfa after it had been thoroughly 

 fallowed. 



Just as the young plants were getting 

 started, a heavy rain fell. The field was 

 washed so full of rills and gullies that 

 it was impossible to harvest the crop. 

 Engineer Swenson sought aid at the Soil 

 Conservation Camp. 



CCC crews rushed to the rescue of a 

 farm that was fast disappearing down the 

 hill. They leveled it off, staked out ter- 

 races and plotted outlets to care for the 

 surplus water. Terraces were speedily 

 thrown across the hill with a whirlwind 

 terracer. Waterways were quickly sodded 

 over. When the rains came again, ihe 

 soil was safe. 



Much of the soil that had been so copi- 

 ously supplied with soil-sweetening lime- 

 stone is now sour. The limestone, having 

 dissolved, was carried away with the 

 water. Another application must be made 

 before alfalfa will grow again. 



The newly terraced field was planted to 

 corn this spring. Instead of planting on 

 the contour, Swenson checked the crop 

 in just as though the ridges were not 

 there. Result is that the corn is uneven 

 and somewhat weedy. Cultivators have 



not been developed that will go over ter- 

 races and still do a satisfactory job. But 

 Swenson is applying his engineering skill 

 to an experimental cultivator which he 

 hopes will operate well on terraced fields. 



The farms visited on the tour were 

 scattered over the country. Each was a 

 demonstration of what farmers can do to 

 prevent losses due to soil erosion. While 

 the examples have served their purpose, 

 the Winnebago County Soil Conservation 

 Association is planning work for this 

 summer and fall along new lines. Instead 

 of scattered farms, they intend to develop 

 erosion control over a single watershed. 



Watershed control will benefit a great- 

 er number of farmers. Measures applied 

 to one farm nearly always effect adjacent 

 ones. By fitting erosion prevention to a 

 watershed results will be more satisfactory 

 and each farm in the project will get the 

 maximum benefit. 



Those who attended the out-of-door 

 luncheon on A. R. Fritz's farm learned 

 from Bruce Clark, assistant state coordi- 

 nator of the federal soil conservation 

 service, that Illinois has a law which en- 

 ables farmers to form cooperative soil 

 conser\'ation districts. These districts are 

 similar in many resp>ects to drainage dis- 

 tricts. 



Just as drainage districts are set up to 

 handle drainage along a single water 

 course, conser%'ation districts are estab- 

 lished to control run-off water from one 

 watershed. To set up a district, any 25 or 

 more owners of land lying in the pro- 

 posed district, who own at least ten per 

 cent of the land, must file a petition with 

 the state soil conser\'ation district board. 

 The board then holds a hearing in the dis- 

 trict at which any landowner or land 

 occupier may express his opinion on the 

 advisability of establishing a district. 



If the state board finds it advisable to 

 create a conservation district, it calls a 

 referendum. Then if a majority of all 

 landowners in the proposed district vote 

 to create it, the district can be organized. 



Looking at the broad aspects of soil 

 conserv'ation it may be truly called a pro- 

 gram of national defense. Not necessarily 

 a defense against a foreign power, but 

 a defense against povert)', unemployment 

 and bankruptcy of the nation. 



With the Civilian Conservation Corps 

 and the Soil Conservation Sen-ice to f>oint 

 the way and organized agriculture to 

 lead, Illinois farmers are on their way to 

 better farming and better living through 

 soil erosion control. 



AUGUST. 1938 



