Volume 18 , Issue 24

Dust storm Thursday Brought Foreign Soil Navarro County At Rate of Half Ton Per Acre - 1935

Here is another dust storm story from the same newspaper, dated Tuesday, 16 April 1935, page 5, news article from the Corsicana Semi-Weekly Light, out of Corsicana, Texas, written by Mike Rinehart: "Dust Storm Thursday Brought Foreign Soil Navarro County At Rate of Half Ton Per Acre."

Found on Newspapers.com

More than a half ton per acre of foreign soil fell on Navarro county i less than 24 hours Thursday during the sandstorm that swept Texas, obliterating the sun, and covering everything with a fine silt, according to George H. Hurt, vocational agriculture teacher at the Sate Orphans Home.

This conclusion was based on the amount of silt gathered Thursday afternoon from a space of about 300 square feet and sifted and weighted. On the 300 Square foot area, 7 1-2 pounds of silt was deposited. At this ratio, more than a half ton fell per acre during the 24 hour period when the test was made.

The sand, according to Mr. Hurt, is a fine silt loam coming evidently from the wheat sections of Kansas and Nebraska, and appears to be rich in humus. There is also an indication of a high content of other minerals rich in plant food.

Mr. Hurt has swept up considerable amount of the sand which flooded the state Thursday and plans to conduct experiments to see the value this dirt deposit has given Texas.

"The wide devastation these sandstorms are causing in the middle west," Mr. Hurt thinks, "will be of immense benefit to Central and Southeast Texas in particular. In this section the wind erosion is not hurting the soil; instead it is helping.

The high winds which sweep the middle western sates picks up the richest part of the soil and sweeps it southward. When it reaches Central Texas the wind has spent its damaging velocity, and the sand begins to settle. With the other sand storms that have visited this section earlier in the year, it is probable that more than three tons of rich silt loam per acre has been deposited on Navarro county. Just what will be the lasting results, remains to be seen in this and next year's crops (1936)."
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