TURNING A DESERT INTO FERTILE SOIL 



BY ROBERT H. MOULTON 



O 



NE of the most remarkable examples of soil 



transformation to be found anywhere in the 



United States is on the farm of Mr. A. N. Abbott 



near Morrison, Whiteside County, Illinois. In 



six years Mr. Abbott has accomplished the seemingly 



dollars an acre. Mr. Abbott's farm lies on the edge of 

 the so-called River Bottoms, three or four miles east 

 of the Mississippi River. When in geological ages 

 the channel of the Mississipi was changed, the sand 

 in the old river bed was blown up on the east side of 



SHOWING HOW A TRA.N'SFORMATION IS POSSIBLE 



In the background may be seen a tract of barren sand; in the foreground is a tract formerly without a trace of vegetation on which grass is now 

 growing because of the protection of the line of trees in the middle distance. To the right is part of the fo-est plantation. 



impossible task of 

 formerly as barre 

 flourishing forest. 

 Nor is that all ; for 

 this forest, acting 

 as a sandbinder, 

 has been the 

 means of saving 

 other fertile acres 

 irom the inroads 

 of the drifting 

 sand, the total re- 

 sult being that 

 Mr. Abbott's farm 

 has increased sev- 

 eral times over in 

 value. The sandy 

 tracts, which be- 

 fore being planted 

 to trees were prac- 

 tically worthless, 

 are now worth 

 anywhere from fif- 

 ty to one hundred 



turning some seventy acres of sand, the river, forming many sandy tracts. In time these 

 n as the Desert of Sahara, into a tracts became covered with a sparce growth of grass. 



Then in a dry sea- 

 son the grass was 

 killed, and the 

 sand began to 

 blow about, cover- 

 ing everything in 

 its course. Such 

 was the situation 

 when Mr. Abbott 

 came into posses- 

 sion of his farm. 



Being some- 

 thing of an enthu- 

 siast in afiforesta- 

 lion, Mr. Abbott 

 determined to at- 

 tempt the reclama- 

 tion of the sand 

 tracts on his farm. 

 He was encour- 

 aged in the belief 

 that trees could be 



549 



THE 0.\K KI-.AIAI.M.NG BLOW HOLE 



The trees in the background protect the corn field beyond. Note how the wind has scooped oui 

 the sand. This is part of the original seventy-acre tract of sand on the Abbott farm. 



