PLANNING 275 



ing, or crop rotation. Instead they set up demonstration farms 

 in which these good soil practices were carried out. The 

 farmers in the surrounding country could see the better crops. 

 Once they became interested, the Tennessee Valley Authority 

 said, "We will help you manage your land in the same way." 

 They provided machinery for the contour plowing, cheap fer 

 tiliser made in the nitrate plant, and advice about crops. In 

 areas where erosion had advanced so far that there was no hope 

 of farming it, the Tennessee Valley Authority bought the land 

 and planted forests. The purpose of this is to hold the soil on 

 the hillsides, rather than let it down into the stream. 



The next step of the Tennessee Valley Authority has been 

 to find out just how the resources of the area can best be used. 

 First of all there is the problem of transportation. The dams 

 have been so built that eventually there will be a nine-foot 

 channel running from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Paducah, Ken 

 tucky. This means that there will be an outlet for the produce 

 of the Valley by cheap water transportation to Pittsburgh, 

 the Great Lakes, the upper Missouri, and the Gulf. 



Fifty-two per cent of the land surface of the Tennessee 

 Valley is in timber. Through research the forestry division of 

 the Tennessee Valley Authority has made various studies to 

 figure out ways in which this forest land can provide work and 

 income to the people who live in the region. Forestry is very 

 important to the Tennessee Valley Authority because the 

 forests are responsible for keeping much of the soil on the 

 hillsides and out of the streambed. 



Another kind of research undertaken by the Tennessee Val 

 ley Authority is a survey of mineral resources in the area. The 

 purpose of this has been to find industrial occupations and 

 markets for Tennessee Valley Authority electricity, which 

 would be needed in factories using these minerals. 



As you can see now, all the activities of this area depend on 

 one another. Any plan to develop the valley must include all 



