Photograph of mowing a Johnson Grass Meadow. A 27 acre bottomland field that is subject to overflow. “From May 1 to July 10 I had 34 head of beef stock on this grass,” said Earl Fish, “and the last of July, I got a hay crop that yielded at least a ton to the acre. I let the stock stay on the grass until about August 5 and I am now getting my second hay crop. I expect to make about ½ ton per acre this cutting, put the stock back to grazing and leave them until the first frost, probably in the middle of October. During the entire grazing period the stock have had access to about 30 acres of native grass on the hill, but they would only go up there at night for the cool breeze. No matter how early in the morning, I’d get out to the bottom land, the cows would already be there grazing and they’d stay on the Johnson grass all day.” OK-8596.

Photograph of two acre Bermuda grass pasture strip developed from a badly gullied draw. The draw was sloped and sodded in 1938 and now provides grazing at the rate of 1 unit per acre and serves as an outlet channel for 70 acres of terraced and cultivated land. Mr. Fred Bunch states that this pasture strip furnishes better grazing than any of his 28 acres of native pasture on this 160 acre farm. He also states that his soil conservation practices have increased by $1,000 the value of this farm. Terraces were built with the assistance of the old Sentinel Civilian Conservation Corps [CCC] Camp. OK-8467. Meadow development. In the spring of 1940 this 60 acre abandoned, cultivated field was planted to sericea lespedeza. There was formerly a shoulder deep gully where the man I standing and numerous smaller ones covered the area. This year Mr. George Stainer has made one cutting for hay that yielded a ton per acre. It has been heavily grazed since then and another hay crop could be cut immediately (the estimated yield is 1 ton per acre). OK-8628.

Photograph of Class II land. Terraces on San Saba Clay. OK-8503

Photograph of Class I land. Lonoke very fine sandy loam on a slope less than 1 percent. OK-8500.

Photograph of Class III land. Bowie very fine sandy loam, terraced and farmed on the contour.

Photograph of furniture in front of the W. H. Stubbs home. During recent flood, water was approximately 3 feet deep in the house. Stubbs’ loss was listed as follows: crops destroyed: 20 acres of sweet corn, 80 acres of filed corn, 15 acres of green beans, 10 acres of spinach, 9 acres of sweet potatoes, 2 acres of cantaloupes and watermelons. Livestock lost: 29 hogs and pigs, 2 cows, and 2 horses. Also lost includes $350 worth of seed, 540 gallons of gasoline for the tractor, 50 gallons of motor oil, 1 planter, 1 cultivator, 1 section harrow. An irrigation system costing $600 to replace was also destroyed. Residence damage was $1200. The furniture damage was $1500. OK-8531.

Photograph of the temporary repair in the levee of a drainage ditch that was clogged with silt and sand washed from the adjoining farm land during a recent heavy rains, contributed to record-breaking floods in OK and AR. The levee broke in four places. Joe Preston, administrative assistant, State Soil Conservation Committee is standing on the repaired break. In the center foreground H. M. Chambers, State Conservationist for the Soil Conservation Service, stands near the bottom of the ditch which has now silted up to a level above fields is seen in the background. OK-8524.

Photograph of a huge roadside gulley caused by water run-off from an improperly constructed terrace and unprotected outlets and outlet channels. OK-8673.

Photograph of the St. Louis and Santa Fe railroad tracks that were washed 200 feet from the railroad during recent record-breaking floods on the Verdigris River. These tracks washed from the roadbed and completely across Hwy 66 before lodging against the trees. Most of the rails are bent out of shape. Photo shows Verdigris River between Tulsa and Claremore. OK-8543.

Photograph of H.H. Bennett, chief of the Soil Conservation Service, and F.S. Hurd, Chairman, Board of Supervisors, Arkansas Verdigris Soil Conservation District [SCD], examine an improved pasture on the farm of C.B. Ritberger. Ritberger says carrying capacity of this 88 acre pasture has been doubled since he improved it with the addition of hop clover, white Dutch, yellow hop and lespedeza. Ritberger first came to this 200acre farm as a tenant in 1928, he rented the farm for $700 from F.S. Hurd until 1938, when he bought the farm, paying $8000 cash. Starting with 2 cows in the diary business he has increased the herd to 40 Jerseys that average 20 pounds of milk per day, the year round. He also has 20 white-faced Herefords. His 92 acres of cultivated land are terraced and tilled on the contour. He has 12 acres of bluestem meadow and 2 acres of post lot. OK-8546.

Photograph of harvesting mung beans planted 20 pounds [?] per acre, June 1, 1943. Mr. Earl Tucker (operating combine) said that he planted 30 acres this year and had never tried to grow a mung bean crop before. One field yielded 400 pounds per acre and average yield on the entire 30 acres ranges from 312 – 315 pounds per acre. The beans are following barley as destroyed by green bugs and Tucker says he will follow the beans with wheat for pasture. “I have heard much about the soil improving qualities of mung beans,” he said, “and I hope to work out a rotation with wheat”. The beans are selling at 5 cents per pound. OK-8579.

Photograph of wind erosion control on peanut [?] land. 8 rows of kafir corn alternating with 12 rows of peanuts. OK-8573.

Photograph of land use capability classes. Left slope, Class VII. Middle Distance on the right, Class VI. Lake to trees (right background), Class V. OK-8557.

Photograph of farm land cover with sand and silt deposited during record breaking floods along the Canadian River between May 10 and May 28, 1943. OK-8540.

Photograph of bay city crane placing key wall for the support of riprap. Crane is working on a bern at elevation 934.0. Note the depth of trench for key wall and size of rock. This view taken at Station 28 - 00. OK-8485.

Photograph of Harry N. Chambers, State Conservationist, Soil Conservation Service, stands on the edge of US Hwy 64, leading out of Webbers Falls and is reviewing damage done to the fences and silt and sand deposited on farm land during the recent floods that occurred between May 10 and 28, 1943. The town of Webbers falls was evacuated twice. The home in the background is on the edge of Webbers Falls. Note the drift collected on the fence. OK-8545.

Photograph of P.S. Hurd, Chairman, Board of Supervisors, Arkansas Verdigris's Soil Conservation District [SCD] and H. H. Bennett, Chief of the Soil Conservation Service examine some native little bluestem in the 12 acre meadow of the C.B. Ritberger farm. This meadow land is contributing a large amount of run-off to streams was formerly waste before Ritberger developed it under a plan worked out with the aid of technicians of the Soil Conservation Service assigned to assist the district. Grass today is helping to hold most of the rain on the land. OK-8548.

Photograph of H.H. Bennett, chief of the Soil Conservation Service, left, and Elmer T. Peterson, Associate Editor, Daily Oklahoman, look over flood damage at Webbers Falls, OK. J. P. Turner, owner of rock home, left background, stated that from 6 to 36 inches of silt and sand were deposited over 24 acres of alfalfa, spinach and cotton growing in a field adjoining his home. He stated that silt deposits broke 2 drainage ditches in the town. He stated Webbers Falls was evacuated twice in the spring of 1943 between May 10 and May 28 as a result of record-breaking floods along the Arkansas River. Large deposits of silt and sand were deposited in fields and along the highway in this vicinity. OK-8536.

Photograph of H. H. Bannett, chief of Soil Conservation Service shows Elmer T. Peterson, Associate Editor of the Daily Oklahoma, the depth of sand and silt deposited on the highway during record breaking flood occuring from May 10 to 28, 1943, along the Arkansas River. Webbers falls, a town of 400 was evacuated twice during the flood. OK-8537.

Photograph of G. G. Goss on a tractor drilling cover and soil improving crop of vetch in a 26-acre pecan orchard. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Drilling cover and soil improving crop of Vetch in a 26 acre Pecan Orchard. In the same operation, Goss is applying 100# super phosphate per acre. Nimrod Fine Sand."

Photograph of an UNIDENTIFED man standing in a gully caused by unprotected terrace outlet. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Gully along fence row is the result of unprotected terrace outlet channel and will be sloped and sodded to Bermuda for erosion control. Terraces will be extended across channel to divert all runoff out of gully & into adjoining pasture and the fence will be relocated."

Photograph of Carl Chastain kneeling in a field of soil improving Korean Lespedeza. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Carl Chastain in Korean Lespedeza utilized for soil improvement. This is the first year Korean Lespedeza has been used here and Chastain said "Where the oats and wheat were seeded with the Lespedeza the small grain grew 6" to 8" higher than in the other field."

Photograph of Guiglardi examining some alfalfa on his irrigated farm where new borders have been established according to plans made with the assistance of the Soil Conservation Service technician assigned to the district. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Photograph of Mr. Guiglardi examines some of the alfalfa on his irrigated farm where new borders have been established according to plans made with the assistance of the Soil Conservation Service technician assigned to the district. Note the contrast between the irrigated valley land in the foreground and the sand hills in the far background. Flood waters from these sand hills frequently do serious damage to the fertile productive valley lands. In 1941, a flood from the sand hills severely damaged an 8-acre field on this farm. Four acres were deeply sanded and four additional acres were damaged severely. With the assistance of the Soil Conservation Service, owner leveled the land, changed the rows, and in 1942 produced an average of two bales of cotton to the acre. It was the best production he had ever made on the 8 acres. Without this work, the land would have produced nothing in 1942."

Photograph of two UNIDENTIFED men, one of them looking upstream, surveying the drainage ditch known as the Huey-McNair Project. The back of the photograph proclaims, "Looking upstream along drainage ditch known as Huey-McNair Project. Rod shows depth in this 9 foot cut. Side slopes are 2-1, the bottom width is 3 feet. Road on right will be graded down by Parish. Ditch crosses road in the background."