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Show MMJfHftiflT., PE. HIM LIBRARIES Clover, alfalfa, and grass- The best way to simulate these crops is to paint the areas and sprinkle sawdust of appropriate colors over them. Sawdust coming from different kinds of machines, such as sanders, saws, chippers, and jointers, has different textures. The texture can be altered by screening. Coarse- textured sawdust is best for crops like alfalfa and clover; fine sawdust would be best for grass. Color the sawdust with a mixture of about one- fourth paint and three- fourths turpentine. Pour this over the sawdust and then spread it out to dry. Bare soil- Fine sawdust, or the modeling material itself will give about the right texture if painted the right color. Terraces- Loosely twisted heavy cord or small rope can be glued to the model. The areas above and below the cord or rope can be filled with crack filler shaped to give the form desired. Corn- You can represent young corn by gluing strips of stiff burlap vertically in rows. After the glue has set, pull out the horizontal threads. Then split and curl the remaining vertical threads. Shrubs- Cut sections from colored sponge and glue them in place. You can make isolated trees in the same way, but to represent a woodlot treat the whole area as a mass, using colored sponge. Models of farms can also be made with papier mache. On a sturdy base make the shape of the farm you want by bending and shaping chicken wire. Then cover it with layers of paper dipped in paste, until you have the right amount for strength and form. Add the buildings, fences, and crops as explained above. For younger children, don't overlook the sandbox. It offers a good opportunity to make a less elaborate model. Even with sand, it is best to copy an actual farm even though you will need to exaggerate the topography. INTERPRETATION If the farm or ranch model can be based on local land use problems and conservation needs, it will be most effective in helping children relate conservation to their own home and community welfare. Teachers in city schools can relate wise use of soil and water to the everyday lives of urban children by pointing out that food, lumber, wool, cotton, and other necessities come from the soil. Your model farm can represent the conservation plan on the farm you are studying. The successful conservation farmer follows a plan that was designed for his particular farm much the same way a tailor cuts and fits a suit to a particular man. The first step in preparing this conservation plan is to find a good use for each acre on the farm. The physical characteristics of the land, in combination with the climate, limit how the land can be used safely. 1114 01809 4245 No two acres of land are alike. The differences include variations in slope, soil depth, inherent productivity, stickiness, wetness, texture, amount of erosion, and many other features. Some soils may be so shallow that cultivated crops will not yield enough for profit. This kind of soil is naturally best suited to grass or trees. Some soils are sticky when wet and form hard clods when dry. Such soils are hard to farm and may take more work to prepare for seeding and cultivating. They let water in slowly and give it up to plants slowly. This characteristic may determine what the use should be. How much soil has been lost by erosion has a lot to do with how land can be used safely. Severely eroded slopes will need maximum plant- cover protection. Grass and trees or shrubs for wildlife are usually the best use here, although some eroded land can be reclaimed for cultivated crops if the soil is deep enough and if the slope is not too steep. Some land slopes so much that any cultivation of the soil will result in serious erosion in spite of all the farmer can do to protect it with mechanical measures. Even just a little too much grazing or too heavy cutting of timber will have bad effects. Steep slopes will be more profitable to the farmer in the long run if used for grass or trees. Gentle slopes, provided the soil is satisfactory in other ways, can be safely cultivated and used for crops like corn, cotton, and truck crops. Level land that is well drained, does not overflow, has deep soil, and has no physical impediments like outcropping rock makes the best land for growing cultivated crops. Such land can be worked frequently without serious erosion hazard. Even this land needs good management to keep it productive. After a careful study of the land and soil characteristics the farmer makes a plan to use each part of his farm within its capability as imposed by nature. This plan becomes the farmer's blueprint for his farming operations. It includes a field arrangement that puts each acre of land to work at a safe use. The field arrangement takes into consideration convenience of work for the farmer. It provides for separating cropland from grassland and from woodland. Some wildlife may be separated but all the land on the farm will be used by wildlife in some way. After the farmer plans for the safe use of each acre of land he then plans the necessary supporting conservation practices like crop rotations, terraces, grass waterways, stripcropping, contour farming, pasture rotation, and woodland protection. Such planning as this makes a soil conservation plan for a farm- a plan that fits the farm because it was made according to the physical nature of the land and a plan that suits the farmer's needs and abilities. 29 |