Photograph of area which used to be covered with sage like area shown in Okila. 10, 753. Olson(left) and SCS Tech. E. S. Cordell check up on grass growth. Olson sprayed sage once with 2, 4-D four years ago, withheld grazing for year, then grazed lightly for year and has grazed moderately since. Little & big bluestem, indian, swithc, blue and sideoats grama. Texas and Prairie blue and sand paspalum came back naturally; no reseeding. and range site in excellent condition.

Photograph of SCS Tech. John Bailey checking the seed heads of the wheat in this irrigated 60 acre field. Good tall growth of wheat was attributed to conditioning of the soil with alfalfa for six years. Wggins is to change from flood irrigation to level border. SCS Engineers designed irrigation system. III HP 2.

Photograph of SCS Tech. Clarence E. Stith checks growth of biennial yellow sweet clover. Stith planted the clover in the spring of 1952 in this 20 acre wheat field solely to improve the soil, the deep roots opening up the soil for the free circulation of air and water. He also uses hairy vetch turned in to add organic matter. To follow clover with wheat for 4 or 5 years.

Photograph of the nodules on the roots of this biennial sweetclover plant. After land was in Maize, Lee planted clover in spring of 1952 to improve the soil before going to wheat. He is doing whole farm of 960 acres this way. SCS Tech. E.S. Cordell holds plant.

Photograph of soil from farms in Mississippi watershed spurts from a pipe after being dredged from the harbor. Soil is spewed into stream channel where current is strong enough to carry it further downstream. LA-62, 278.

Photograph of soil from Mississippi watershed farms spewing from the end of a pipe line into a stream channel where the current is strong enough to carry it further downstream. Suction dredge is clearing channel to permit ships to dock. LA-62, 277.

Photograph of W. B. Close (left) and V.B. Ellis (right) showing that grass has grown well over 5 feet in the 84 days since it was planted. Close is a neighbor of Ellis’ who has had blue panic grass on his own land and was quite influential in getting Ellis to plant his grass. (See TX-48-717-A). TX-48-717-B.

Photograph of a Bermuda grass waterway sodded in the spring of 1952 with an almost solid cover near the end of the second growing season. The waterway is 200 feet wide and will carry the water from terraced fields on either side of the waterway. The waterway strip is 200 feet wide and will be used for pasture after the terraces have been constructed. Soil Unit 2, Class III BL. TX-48-831.

Photograph of a multiflora rose fence on the contour planted in the spring, 1950. AR-61-833.

Photograph of a suction dredge in the background that is clearing channel to permit ships to dock. The sand spewing out the end of the pipeline represents soil from the Mississippi watershed farms. At this spot dredging will go on for 12 days from a 100-foot line to deep water. Dredging 500 to 550 cubic yards an hour continuously. 500 cubic yards is equal to a farm of 178.5 acres with topsoil 6 inches deep for the 12-day dredging period. Sediment here is 9 feet deep. The water must be kept at a 35-feet mean for low gulf. This job is being done by a private contractor under the supervision of U.S. Corps of Engineers. LA-62, 279.

Photograph of growth that has been made on blue panic grass planted on May 1, 1953, where the grass was irrigated. The ground was irrigated once before planting and once after planting. Shortly after this picture was made, Ellis turned 43 head of grown cattle into this 8 acre planting of panic grass and left them for one month. They were then rotated to sudan grass. The blue panic grass was about knee-high at the end of this grazing period and either be grazed again or saved for a seed crop or both before frost. Ellis, co-operator of the Hall County Soil Conservation District [SCD] (center), Chester Hofstedler, Work Unit Conservationist [WUC] (left) and W. P. Close (right), a neighbor of Mr. Ellis. TX-48-717-A.

Photograph of Soil Unit 12 FC, Class III. 24 acres in cultivation for nearly 100 years. In the Fall of 1950, 10 acres were chiseled [i.e., furrowed with a chisel plow], fertilized with 500 pounds of 0-14-7 fertilizer and 100 pounds of 33-0-0 fertilizer and seeded with crimson clover. During 1951 the whole field gave 4360 animal days of grazing plus 2000 pounds crimson clover seed off of ten acres. The rest of the field (14 acres) was fertilized with 300 pounds of 0-12-12 fertilizer and 100 pounds of 16-0-0 fertilizer per acre. During 1952 (a drought year), the whole field gave 3916 animal days grazing plus 1800 pounds of crimson clover seed from the 10 acres. The 10 acres received 100 pounds of 0-12-12 fertilizer and 100 pounds of 16-0-0 fertilizer per acre. Through June 12, 1953 (another drought year), the whole field gave 2848 animal days of grazing. On June 8, green weight clippings showed 20480 pounds per acre on 10 acre area compared to 4960 pounds on the 14 acre area. For June 12, 3600 pounds cured hay per acre was harvested from the 10 acre area. RIGHT: Plant from the chiseled area. LEFT: Plant from unchiseled …

Photograph of Soil Conservation Service [SCS] technician John Bailey checks the seed heads of the wheat in this irrigated 60-acre field. Good tall growth of the wheat was attributed to conditioning of the soil with alfalfa for six years. Wiggins is to change from flood irrigation to level border. SCS Engineers designed the irrigation system. III HP 2. OK-10, 769.

Photograph of nodules ont eh roots of this biennial sweetelover plant. After land was in maize, Lee planted clover in spring of 1952 to improve the soil befoing to wheat. He is doing whol farm of 960 acres this way.

Photograph of typical view of the way other parts of Olson's ranch were covered with sage before he sprayed the growth and brought grass back. This are is to be cleared also. Olson (left) and SCS Tech, E. S. Cordell here discuss his conservation program, This is sandyland range site in poor condition.