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TITLE Conservation Science Fair Projects.INSTITUTION Soil Conservation Society of America, Ankeny, Iowa.PUB DATE Apr 70NOTE 38p.AVAILABLE FRCM Soil Conservation Society of America, 7515 Northeast

Ankeny Rd.. Ankeny, Iowa 50021 ($1.00)

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EDRS Price AF$0.25 HC Not Available from EDRS.Biology, 0,Ccnsetvation Education, Ecology,*Environment, Environmental Education, *NaturalResources, *Science Fairs, *Science Projects, SoilScience, Water Resources

ABSTRACTIncluded are idas, suggestions, and examples' for

selecting and designing conservation science projects. Over 70possible conservation subject areas are presented with suggestedprojects. References are cited with each of these subject areas, anda separate list of annotated references is included. The referencespertain to general subject materials, information on how to conductan investigation or experiment, and inforr,ation on how to organize anexhibit or demonstration, (PR)

CONSERVATIONSCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS

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CONSERVATION SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS

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SOIL CONSERVATION SOCIETY CF AMLR1CA7515 N. E. Anken.! RoadAnkeny, Iowa 50021

1st trinting - April 1970

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-4 FOREWORD

The Soil Conservation Society of America, Washington, D. C.Chvter, has encouraged conservation projects at Science Fairs

L.Ad for many years. It has recognized outstanding projects at AreaFairs with certificates.

A series of conservation project suggestions was developedjointly by the Chapter and the American Society of Range Manage-ment, National Capital Section. These were published in "ProjectIdeas f9r Young Scientists" (Taylor, Knipling and Smith, 1960,1962).1! Later, these same project suggestions were reprinted(with permission) together with some new project ideas, brief in-troductory material, and some suggested conservation referencesin "Conservation of Our Renewable Natural Resources--Suggestionsfor Science Fair Projects in Junior and Senior High Schools"(Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, 1964).

Interest in conservation science fair projects has been con-tinuous. The Chapter decided to update the second publicationmentioned above. A committee was appointed and the present bul-letin developed. This bulletin is entirely new except for someconservation project suggestions repeated without change from the1964 publication. It includes some new project suggestions andrevisions of some of those published in 1964.

Because of the widespread interest in Science Fairs, and therequests for assistance reaching the Washington, D. C. Chapter,it was decided to request the International Headquarters of theSoil Conservation Society of America, 7515 N. E. Ankeny Road,Ankeny, Iowa 50021, to print and make copies of the publicationavailable for general distribution to other interested groups.Thus, a project of the Washington, D. C. Chapter, Soil Conserva-tion Society of America, has become national in scope.

Soil Conservation Societyof America

April 1970

Citations in parentheses are listed in "Selected References"in the back of this bulletin.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Pas1

Selecting the General Scientific Field and Specificarea of work 2

Learning About Natural Resource Conservation 2

Planning Your Project 3

Choosing a Project Title 4

Some Conservation Project Suggestions 5

Causing People to Become Conservationists

(a) Block diagrams as tools in resource inventories 5

(b) Interpreting soil maps for different conserva-tion uses

(c) Creating conservation awareness through pictures,cartoons, comic strips and posters 6

Establishing Sodded Turfs for Conservation 6

Organic Mulches for Conservation 6

Reducing Evaporation from Water with Chemicals 7

Soil Profile Effects 7

Learning About Soils by 'Inking a Collection of SoilMonoliths 8

Antibiotics 8

Modifying Soil-Water Relations with Chemicals or SoilStabilization with Chemicals 9

Reducing Evaporation from Soils with Chemicals 9

Hydrophobic or Nonwettable Soils 10

Effects of Air Pollution on Plants 10

Effects of Fire on Seed Germination 10

Seed Germination Related to Conservation 11

Root Growth Studies 11

Shade Tolerance in Plants 11

Page.

Differential Response of Grass and Legumes toNitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilizers 12

Effects of Water Table Depth on Growth of Plants 12

Reducing Evaporation from Plants with Chemicals 12

Forest Measurements 13

Wood 13

Fire Retardants and Suppressants 13

Interception and Distribution of Rainfall UnderForest Stands 14

Control of Stump Sprouting 14

Controlling Weeds that Compete with PlantedTree Seedlings 14

Insects and Conservation IS

Conservation Education IS

Value of Conservation Practices IS

Suburban Soil Erosion IS

Urbanization and Conservation 16

Value of Plant Residues 16

Cross-slope Cultivation 16

Water 16

Conservation of a Small Watershed 17

The Hydrologic Cycle 17

Farm Ponds for Conservation and Use of Water 17

Water Conservation for Cities 17

The talky Faucet 18

Measurements of Soil Moisture 18

1. Effect of plant cover on water intake 18

2. Effect of different kinds of vegetation onevapotranspiration 18

Page

Soil Aggregate Formation 18

Nitrogen-Fixation by Legume Bacteria 18

Soil Bacteria, Nitrogen, and Humus 19

Plant Ecology 19

Identification and Evaluation of Grasses byTheir Vegetative Characteristics 19

How Seeds Travel 20

Effects of Competition on Plant Growth 20

Effect of Major Elements on Growth ofKentucky Bluegrass 20

Effect of Clipping on Root Development 20

Influence of Mowing and Grazing on Grasses 20

How Grass Grows 21

How Much Water Does a Plant Use 21

Selective Action of Herbicides on Weed andForage Plants 21

Wildlife Habitat 22

Establishing Wildlife Areas 22

Pond and Marsh Management for Waterfowl 22

Stream Pollution and Fish Conservation 22

Do Earthworms Help to Conserve Soil and Water?

Insects and Wildlife Conservation 23

Insects and Soil and Water Conservation 23

Methods and Economics of Reducing Erosion onFarmland 24

Mathematics of Installing ConservationFarming Systems 24

Selected References (Coded by Subject Matter andAnnotated) 24

CONSERVATION SCIENCE PAIR PROJECTS2/ by 3/ 4/

Paul E. Lemmon, Theodore C. Green, and Merle S. Lowden

INMODUCTION

So, you want to develop a conservation science fair project?Let's see if we can help you get started. You want ideas, suggestions,examples, and some selected sources of information that can be studied.You want to follow some orderly pattern in planning your project and incarrying it out. You want to know how to present your project at thefair.

ways:This brief publication is intended to help you in the following

(1) To select the general scientific field of work and thespecific subject matter within that scientific fieldtoward which you will concentrate your efforts.

(2) Find recent publications about natural resource con-servation so that you may learn more about the broad,modern concepts of conservation and select the specificconservation matter to which you wish to relate yourscience fair project.

(3) Obtain ideas and suggestions about kinds of scincefair projects that may appeal to you.

(4) Refer you to available publications providing guidance,information and instructions on "how to investigate,""how to observe," "how to experiment."

(S Refer you to available publications providing sugges-tions and ideas on how to set up an exhibit or demon-stration. (You will recognize that this deals withthe art and science of communications.)

2/

Soil-Yoodland Specialist, U. S. Dept. Agric., Soil ConservationService, Washington, D. C.

3/

Soil Conservation's!, U. S. Dept. Agric., Soil ConservationService (retired), Washington, D. C.

4/

Direct)r, Division of Fire Control, U. S. Dept. Agric., ForestServicq, Washington, P. C.

1

SELECTING 111E GENERAL SCIENTIFIC FIELDAND SPECIFIC AREA OF WORK

You will likely be encouraged to dPvelop ascience fair project by a teacher or advisor ina particular scientific field. For example:

Chemistry StatisticsEarth Sciences EconomicsMeteorology SociologyPhysics LinguisticsMathematics CommunicationsAgricultural Sciences ArtBiological Sciences And many othersPsychologyIt is natural you will select a szientific

field in which you are involved in your regularschool work. Your advisor and your classmateswill be of much help. Your project is likely tobe an individual effort extending and expandingyour knowledge about a particular subject thatyou have studied or are studying but for whichclass time is not available to explore it asdeeply as you would like.

For example, you may be studying BiologicalSciences. This may be the general scientificfield which you select for your science fairproject. Suppose you have recently been study-ing plants, a branch of Biological Sciences wecall Botany. You are intrigued with the infor-mation you have studied about a particular sub-ject such as the plant cell, solutions and membranes, plant structures of roots, leaves orstems, plant functions such as the ascent of sapih tall trees, or many other Items. You willhave learned that scientists have studied all ofthese items and many more. They have developedmethods and techniques to learn more about eachsubject and have discovered and expressed manynatural lava and general statements that applyto then. Or suppose you have recently beenstudying animals, a branch of Biological Scienceswe call Zoology. A listing of subjects could begiven around which your study may have beenorganized. You may be intrigued by the informa-tion you have studied about any one of them. Doyou wish to develop your project along the linese Botany, the study of plants, Zoology, thestudy of animals, or some other recognized sub-division of Biology?

First, select the general scientific fieldwithin which you wish to iork, and then narrowthat field down to one of the recognized sub-divisions of it.

Having made these choices, you are ready toconsider the selection of a specific project.In a subsequent section, we have included a listof suggested conservation science fair projects.Each suggestion includes one or more referencesthat expands the suggestion. In every case, thesuggested project may be developed in 'tiny dif-ferent ways depending upon your interests,inclinations, imagination and efforts. the ref-

erences given are only a point of belittling.Most references cite additional papers forstudy. In addition to the suggested conservationprojects, the list of selected references at the

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end of this bulletin includes some publishedsuggestions and ideas for science fair projects.After you have tentatively selected severalspecific project ideas you can more clearly ex-press your interests to your advisor and othersin seeking help.

Remember, you arc learning about the vastamount of scientific information that has al-ready been discovered. You are not expected todiscover new basic truths or natural laws al-though, as you advance in a career of science,you may be in a position to do so.

Final selection of a project should beguided by: (I) Your curiosity and profoundinterest in a specific subject; (2) the time andenergy you wish to devote to exploring a subjectand in developing a project; (3) the avail-ability of equipment and materials; and (4)many other factors. Your own interests andcuriosity about a subject should determine yourfinal choice becausc, without it you are notlikely to develop an outstanding science fairproject.

Then too, you will want to relate yourproject to conservation in a tangible and easilyexplained manner. Once you have narrowed downthe alternatives to a choice between severalpossible projects that appeal to you, your ad-visor can easily refer you to many referencesfor your study. The next section will be help-ful in relating your project to conservation ofnatural resources.

We hope you are beginning to get the ideayour science fair project is going to involve amajor scientific field, plus general scientificinformation from many alfra fields, plus con-servation. For example, a project may involve:Biology, general science and conservation;Chemistry, general science and conservation;or, Physics, general science and conservation.

LEARNING ABOUT NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION

You may have been surprised, when thinkingabout conservation of natural resources, at thelist of general scientific fields given at thebeginning of the precedina section. Can allthese be related to conservation? The answeris yes! It would be difficult to indicate ascientific field that is not somehow related tothe conservation of natural resources. That iswhat makes a conservation science fair projectsore interesting than just a science fair proj-ect. It gives you the opportunity, yes, re-quires you, to understand the relationships ofthe most basic natural law or scientific truthto something that is of vital concern to eachindividual. That is, its relationships to theconservation of natural resources. A conser-vation science fair project is a means ofillustrating practical application of scientificinformation you have been learning about inyour science courses.

Of course, you need to learn more about the

servation of natural resources along with yourorts to develop the scientific parts of yourject. This is where the list of selectederences at toe end of this bulletin will behelp.

There are thousands of publications on con-vation that you could read. But we know you1 not be able to read more than a few. Text-ks and other books are written, to assemble,anize and summarize the vast amount of infor-ion in most scientific fields, including con -vat ion. A good textbook on conservation is ad place for you to start your study aboutservation of natural resources. A number ofse are available as you will find when goingough the card catalog of a good library. Wee confined our reference listing to only asuch books. These ate not necessarily the

t or the only good ones, but they are some ofmost recent and appear to adequately sum-

ize the kind of information you should ob-n.

Drawing from one of the publications in theerences listed (Munzer and Brandwein, 1950)find conservation to be defined as "the wise, intelligent development, and efficient man-ment of our natural resources." You will findy such definitions, none of which are superiorall respects. The definition just quotedears to express an attitude of policy in thea of human behavior according to the authors.Aces this concern everyone? The authors of

s definition go on to say that conservationsures within such a policy a,ay be expressedsuch words es: planning, allocating, sub-tuting, restoring, reusing, recycling, pro-tins, etc. Do these conservation neasurescern you?

In your studies you will find natural re-rces variously classified as renewable,"n-renewable," "inexhaustible," and "new orbe-developed." Can you list examples ofer classes? is this an adequate classifica-n? Are there some natural resources thatd explanatico before you can properly placem in one class or another?

Now, recall your choice of a scientificId and the subject matter within that field,the several specific projects you are con-

ering be related to conservation? Your finalice of a conservation science fair projectt be made to relate your scientific studiesh one or more cress of natural resource con -vat ion.

The listing of selected references includesits other than books about natural resourceservation. These are smaller publications,tly by government agencies, designed to pro-e information about natural resources, theirortance, availability, and conservation sea-es that affect them. Some of these publica-ns are general in scope and cover broad fieldsnatural resource conservation. Others arefined to different kinds of natural resourcesh as soils, water, forests, and grasslands.code numbers following each citation will

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assist you in selecting the reference pertinentto your study. Most of these smaller publica-tions are available free or at small cost, asindicated in the citations, and you may wish tobtain copies for your own. Besides the infor-

mation they contain for your study, severalmight be useful as a part of your science fairexhibit or demonstration.

Most of the selected references we havelisted refer you to many other books, pamphlets,bulletins, scientific articles, and othersources of information that you can obtain toextend your studies if you desire. Several ofour citations are devoted exclusively to list-ings of a large number of selected publicationsabout conservation. .

You might as well face it. A scientistmust be adept at finding published informationabout a subject of his interest. He relies onlibraries and librarians to help him in thisimportant phase of scientific work. He findsthat it is a continuing job to which he mustdevote time and attentitn. Libraries are ofmany kinds; your school library, county li-braries, those of colleges, universities, andmany other agencies and organizatiLns, theNational Agricultural Library of the U. S. De-partment of Agriculture, and the Library ofCongress. Some of these have extensive collec-tions of reference materials and others arelimited. However, about any library has facili-ties to obtain references available elsewherethrough inter-library loans. Do not hesitateto ask your librarian to assist you in obtain-ing items that you need.

PLANNING YOUR PROJECT

The most important vl.lues of your sciencefair project is the knowledge and experienceyou gain in properly conducting an experiment,ding scientific work, presenting a report, andin preparing an exhibit or demonstration. Someof the references listed are designed especiallyto assist you in these matters. if we were toindicate "required reading" for a science fairparticipant, we would recommend first the smallbook by Golstein and Brandwein, 1957.

No matter where you obtain instructionsfor planning and developing your project, youwill find the first requirement is a "statementof the problem." This should be brief butshould clearly indicate the subject area ofyour proposed work, the general methods of ap-proach to be used, and the objectives that youplan to achieve. A conservatiorriCience fairproject will includergiINTRUblem statement,information about how you plan to show therelationships between your scientific projectand some phase of natural resource conservation.

A science fair participant does not ordi-narily begin actual work on his project untilhe has developed a satisfactory problem state-ment and plan approved by his advisor. Besides

the problem statement, your plan should includebrief information about the research methods,materials, and facilities you intend to use, andthe measurements and observations you intend tomake. Many scientists say that a successful re-search project is divided into three parts ofabout equal importance and complexity, and re-quiring about equal amounts of time and effort.The first part is "planning." Your library re-search is a part of this phase. The second partis "doing the research work," and the third partis "reporting the results." From this, you willsee that planning your science fair project withyour advisor and others is going to require somevery careful study and thought. It may requiremore effort than you originally suspected. Ad-ditional efforts, suggested by your advisor, inreworking your plan, in developing the problemstatement, and in deciding upon methods, mate-rials, and observations and measurements youintend to make, will be efforts well spent. It

will save you much time later and will lead toa fax better science fair project. Even themost mature scientist subjects his work plans todetailed reviews by others and appreciates thesuggestions and comments he receives.

A condensed step-by-step statement, writtenin 1969 by Mr. E. G. Sherburne, Jr., Director ofScience Service Inc., Washington, D. C., may behelpful in summarizing and highlighting theinformation presented in this bulletin. Thestatement is included below with permission.

"Suggestions for Science Fair Projects"

"1. Decide on a Topic: Ideas for topicscan come from anywhere at any time. Finalistsat the 17th International Science Fair said theideas for their prize-winning projects came fromthe following sources: magazines, scientificpapers, newspapers - 25%; books - 17%; schoolsand teachers - 13%; and others - 12%." (Other

sources are included in the Selected References.)"2. Read Widely: Your success in a science

fair project depends largely on how much youknow about your subject. . Wide reading broadensyour understanding of the possibilities andlimitations of your project. Search your schoollibrary and the public and nearby university,college and specialized libraries for publica-tions in your project field. Librarians aremost willing to help you find the magazines,books and other printed matter that you willneed."

"3. Question ()tilers: Scientists drawheavily upon the knowledge of others in theirown and related fields. Acquire. the habit of

consulting with others about your plans. Oftena classmate or adult can point out an error inyour thinking or suggest a method which mighttake you many hours to detect otherwise. Pro-

fessional scientists and technicians are alwaysglad to help answer your questions if you followsimple rules of courtesy such as querying themwhen they have the time to answer, and question-ing them only when you have done enough reading

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and thinking to be able to ask intelligentquestions."

"4. Kinds of Projecta: Depending on yourgrade level and on the xules of your local fair,you may do a number of different kinds of proj-ects. The best kind is 0-; experimental proj-ect, where you try to reach conclusions throughdata obtained in laboratory or field experi.ments. For younger students, there are alsoconstruction projects, where you attack problemsof design and materials in building some sort ofequipment or device, and collection projects,where biological, geological, or other specimensare collected to study their geographical orother interrelationships. Remember that simplybuilding something or collecting something,without drawing some significant conclusions,will not make a good science fair project.Older students should never undertake construc-tion or collection projects, unless they are ofan extremely sophisticated nature."

"5. Write a Report: Even though yourlocal science fair rules do not require it, youshould write up the results of your work. Yourreport should contain the following: The pur-pose of your project (what you were trying tofind out or investigate), how you went aboutdoing your project, what you did find out in-cluding any key data that you used in comingto your conclusions, any special problems thatyou encountered, acknowledgements of any majorhelp received, and major help reference sources(books, articles in scientific journals, etc.)."

"6. Buil°. your Exhibit: Your exhibitshould be a display version of your report.While graphs, photos, data, apparatus, equip-ment, materials or other things with which youworked may be scattered all over, they willneed to be molded into an interesting display.Before you start building anything, be sure tocheck all the rules about displays for yourscience fair, including the regulation forsize."

"7. Some Don'ts: Don't write to someorganization to send you everything they haveon some subject, or expect them to do your proj-ect for you. Don't copy work that has alreadybeen done. Don't do a "cookbook" project bygoing according to step-by-,tep proceduresgiven in a book or magazine. And don't tacklea project that is so big that you will not getit finished in time."

CHOOSING A PROJECT TITLE

A short, eye-catching, project title isdesirable. This is usually chosen during thelatter stages of your work when you are de-veloping a report, preparing an exhibit, orsetting up a demonstration. This is part ofthe final third of your project. Some of theselected references will be of help in thisphase of your work. The project title cannotfully convey the scope of your project but it

should be carefully and thoughtfully chosen tobe suggestive of your project contents. This isimportant to officials organizing and classify-ing projects for science fairs and in arrangingthem for competition. Conservation projectsshould be identifiable readily from the title inorder to assure their appropriate consideration.Such identification does not eliminate a projectfrom classification and competition in a basicscientific field in addition to the conservationcategory.

Even though this bulletin is directedspecifically to those interested in conservationscience fail projects, your efforts and the in-formation contained in this bulletin may applyto other student research efforts; for example,ordinary student project work, Future Scientistsof America Clubs, Science Clubs of America,NASA-NSTA Youth Science Congresses, JuniorAcademy meetings, the Science Talent Search forthe Westinghouse Science Scholarships and Awards.

SOME CONSERVATION PROJECT SUGGESTIONS

Causing People to Become Conservationists

Conservation of our renewable resourcestakes many forms. It is practiced by the farmerwho runs his crop rows on the contour instead ofin convenient straight lines, by the timberowner who does selective cutting and reforesta-tion, by the factory owner who keeps his millwastes from polluting streams, by school chil-dren and scouts when they plant trees or developwildlife shelter, by all of us through tax sup-ported conservation programs.

Conservation does not just happen. It isthe result of someone's labor. That means some-one must want it done. To get conservation donethe farmer or the lumberman, the mill owner orthe teacher, the scoutmaster or the taxpayermust be made aware of the importance of conser-vation to him. He must want to get it done andlearn how to go about it. This might apply to aclass in school or to your county government,as well as to an individual.

How to cause people among such groups to be-come conservationists - -to stimulate individualor group or civic action--offers a big challengein the field of conservation education today.It is a challenge to the best skills in thegraphic arts, the various mass information andnews media, the whole broad range of the art ofteaching and convincing.

There are many interesting conservationscience fair projects to be developed under thisgeneral project title. For example:

(a) Block diagrams as tools in resource in-ventories.

These require unique knowledge and graphicskills. They are three-dimensional drawingsthat are commonly used In published soil surveys,

geological bulletins and other reports. Theyillustrate features of the landscape such asshape, location and position of a natural soilbody in relation to topography, drainage, ele-vation, geological formations and to other kindsof soils in a way that is not possible onordinary maps. Such diagrams, when skillfullydone, provide information not readily under-standable by other methods of communications.What kind of diagrams can you develop to illus-trate natural resources in a specified area fora science fair project:

References

Lobeck, A. K. 1924. Block diagrams and othergraphic methods in geology and geography.John Wiley and Sons, New York. In li-braries.

Raisz, Erwin, 1948. General cartography. Mc-Graw-Hill, New York.' $9.95.

Katz, Hyman H. 1949. Technical sketching andvisualization for engineers. MacmillanCo., New York. In libraries.

Farmer, J. Harold, 1950. Illustrating for to-morrow's production. Macmillan Co., NewYork. $7.95.

Anonymous, 1948. Techniques. Higgins Ink Co.,Brooklyn, New York.

Anonymous, 1953. Technical illustration.Higgins Ink Co., Brooklyn, New York.

Thornbury, William D. 1954. Principles ingeomorphology. John Wiley and Sons, NewYork. $10.50.

Lobeck, A. K. 1956. Things maps don't tell us.Macmillan Co., New York. $5.95.

Lobeck, A. K. 1939. Geomorphology. John Wileyand Sons, New York. $13.50.

(b) Interpreting soil maps for different con-servation uses.

Soil maps show the extent and location ofdifferent kinds of soils. Besides the soilmaps, a published soil survey includes interpre-tations and detailed soil information that helpconservationists and others use soils accordingto their capabilities and treat them accordingto their needs for conservation and improvement.The interpretations tell which soils of an areaare high, intermediate, or low in potentialproductivity for different crops. They tellwhich soils are well suited, moderately wellsuited, poorly suited, or generally unsuitedfor such non-farm uses as developmental sitesfor buildings, playfields, golf courses, septictank disposal areas, etc. They indicate, byratings, the relative hazards and limitationsthat may be expected when using each differentkind of soil for a specified use. Such thingsas erosion, flooding, excessive wetness, steep-ness, rockiness and stoniness, droughtiness,low fertility, clayiness, and the like areeconomically important in use of soils fordifferent purposes. Such ratings are usuallyexpressed as severe, moderate or alight.

Starting with a recently published soil survey(see the project title "Soil Profile Effects" forreference list of nearby recently published soilsurveys) you can prepare on transparent overlays,colored maps showing areas with different de-grees of general suitability, or aloes with dif-ferent degrees of specified hazards and limita-tions for specified conservation uses. Colorsare very helpful and interesting for these in-terpretive maps. For example, red can denotesevere hazard and limitations. It is a commoncolor signifying claw:, or on the highway,"stop." Yellow may be used to denote moderatehazards and limitations. Yellow normally signi-fies caution - you can expect some problems.Green is a conventional "go ahead" color. Here,we would expect to find little or no hazards orlimitations to the specified use being summarizedon your map. Such interpretive maps are notgenerally a part of published soil surveys butthey are very helpful in getting people to under-stand and use the information that is containedin a resource inventory such as a published soilsurvey. A series of such interpretive maps ascolored overlays to the soil map in a soilsurvey would make a very good science fairproject.

Reference

Bartelli, L. J., A. A. Klingebiel, J. V. Baird,a .d M. R. Heddleson [eds.], 1966. Soilsurveys and land use planning. Soil Sci.Soc. Amer. and Amer. Coc. Agron. 677 SouthSegoe Road, Madison, Wisc. 53711 (EspeciallyChapter 10 and Plates 13-17).

(c) Creating conservation awareness throughpictures, cartoons, comic strips, and posters.

You've heard the old adage, "one pictureis worth a thousand words." This is certainlytrue and there are many people who learn moreabout natural resource conservation throughthese chauiels than from any other means ofcommunication. Have you Iver seen a comicstrip that presents a conservation story? Some-

body developed these and it took a lot ofimagination, knowledge, and skill. Have youever eaten at a restaurant where you spent10 or 15 minutes studying and enjoying the in-teresting place-mats tha waitress set beforeyou? Usually these depict historic eventsor tell about scenic attractions importantin the area. Why couldn't these tell a re-source conservation story? Someone needs touse a lot of imagination, conservation infor-mation, and artistic skill in developing them.Don't you think the development of a seriesof natural resource conservation place-matscould be a helpful contribution? It is likelythat you may develop skills that will lead toa very interesting, profitable and worthwhilevocation. Certainly, the development ofsuch a series would make an excellent sciencefair project.

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References

Howard, E. F. Corporation, 1954. Who lives onthe forest farm? - Jackie Davis learns howbirds and animals find food and shelteramong growing trees. Southern Kraft Di-vision, International Paper Company,Mobile, Alabama.

Mercer, Howard Corporation, 1951. The crop thatdid not fail. Southern Kraft Division,International Paper Company, Mobile, Ala-bama.

Anonymous, (undated). The fight to save Ameri-ca's waters - a Mark Trail adventure inpublic health and conservation. PublicHealth Service, U. S. Health, Educationand Welfare Dept., Washington, D. C.

Anonymous, (undated). Five booklets entitled:The story of soil; The story of plants;The story of meat animals; The story ofgrass; The story of poultry. Swift andCompany, Agric. Res. Dept., Chicago, Ill.

Anonymous, 1959-1967. Seven booklets entitled:Help keep our land beautiful; Making a homefor wildlife on the land; Food and theland; The wonder of water; The story ofland; Dennis the menace and dirt; Workingtogether for a livable land. Availablefrom the Soil Conservation Society ofAmerica, 7515 N. E. Ankeny Road, Ankeny,Iowa 50021. Price 25tt each to 9 copieswith decreasing cost for larger quantities.

Establishing Sodded Turfs for Conservation

Sodded turfs are established for many con-servation jobs, e.g. to protect yards, banks,golf courses, playfields, etc. The kind ofseedbed preparation best adapted to receive sod,kind of sod for different uses and areas, timeof sodding ani methods of application, sub-stratum characteristics on which sod is placed,subsequent care and treatment, and many othermatters are all of importance for successfulestablishment and growth. How can you comparethe relative effectiveness of rooting and growthbetween different substrata materials and treat-ments? This project utilizes a simple quanti-tative method that can be developed and illus-trated for a science fair.

Reference

King, J. W. qnd J. B. Beard, 1969. Measuringrooting of sodded turfs. Agr. Jour. 61(4):497-498.

Organic Mulches for Conservation

Organic materials in and on the soil havelong been recognized as important elements ofthe soil environment. They retard soil erosion,

slow down water runoff, help maintain good soiltilth, aeration, and fertility. They improvewater intake rates and increase available soilmoisture supplies. They insulate the soilagainst heat and cold and retard unnecessary wa-ter evaporation. Much is known from research andpractical experience about these matters. Arti-ficially supplied and naturally grown organicmulches provide some of the best conservationtreatments applied to the land. Many kinds ofmulches and techniques are requIrcJ for the mul-tiplicity of uses and areas where these treat-ments are needed. Many simple controlled experi-ments can be developed to test, evaluate, and il-lustrate these kinds of conservation measures inthe field, in the laboratory or around the home.The following references provide a few illustra-tions that may help you select and develop aspecific conservation science fair project. Forinstance, the results of mulching for moistureconservation might be demonstrated in a garden byputting peat, straw, or grass clippings aroundtwo or three rows of beans. Do the mulched rowsproduce more? What is the effect if part of thebeans is irrigated or watered frequently?

References

Diseker, E. G., E. C. Richardson, and B. H.Hendricksoa, 1963. Roadbank erosion and itscontrol in the Piedmont upland of Georgia.U.S. Dept. Agric., Agricultural ResearchService ARS 41-73.

Richardson, E. C. and E. G. Diseker, 1965. Es-tablishing and maintaining roadside coveron the Piedmont Plateau of Georgia. Agron.Jour. 57: 561-564.

Chepil, W. S., N. P. Woodruff, F. H. Siddoway,and D. V. Armburst, 1963. Mulches for windand water erosion control. U.S. Dept.Agric., Agricultural Research Service ARS41-84.

Chepil, W. S. et al, 1960. Anchoring vegetativemulches. Agric. Eng. 41(11): 754-755, 759.

Swanson, N. P., R. Dedrick, H. E. Weakly, andH. R. Haise, 1965. Evaluation of mulchesfor water-erosion control. Trans. Amer.Soc. Agr. Eng. 8(3): 438-440.

Allison, F. E. and M. S. Anderson, 1951. The useof sawdust for mulches and soil improvement.U. S. Dept. Agric. Circular No. 891.

Lingg, A. W. a,id C. J. Whitfield, 1957. Stubble-mulch farming. U.S. Dept. Agric. Bul. 1166.

U.S. Dept. Agric. 1957. Soil, the Yearbook ofagriculture. (See "stubble" and "stubble -mulch,")

Yamada, H., J. Miller, and J. Stockton, 1963.Desiccated grass mulch increases irrigationefficiency for cotton. Calif. Agric.17(11): 12-13.

Reducing Evaporation from Water with Chemicals

Engineers impound water made available in

nature through precipitation. The next greatchallenge is to put the water to effective use.Evaporation losses from impoundments in the 17western states exceeds the useable water stor-age capacity of all California! An importantconservation measure being investigated involvesthe use of chemicals that establishes an evapo-ration resistant barrier on the water surface.What are these chemicals? Are they harmful toplants and animals? What are the methods thatmay be used in applying them? What are thetechnical, biological and economic implicationsof such a proposed conservation measure? Canyou devise and conduct a simple controlled ex-periment to test the effectiveness of sem sug-gested chemicals to reduce evaporation fromwater surfaces?

References

Michel, Curtis, 1963. Evaporation control: A

new tool for water management. Jour. Soiland Water Conserv. 18(6): 223-229 (Cites

44 additional references)Osborn, J. F., J. Letsey, and N. Valoras, 1969.

Surfactant longevity and wetting charac-teristics. Calif. Agric. 23(3): March

Roberts, W. J. 1961. Reduction of transpira-tion. Jour. Geophys. Res. 66(10): 3309-3312.

Rietveld, W. J. and L. J. Heidmann, 1969. In-fluence of antitranspirants on water use,growth characteristics, and relativedrought resistance of Ponderosa pine seed-lings. U.S. Dept. Agric., Forest Service,Research Note RM-151. 7 pp.

Soil Profile Effects

The proper management of a soil is ofteninfluenced by conditions beneath the soil sur-face. Soils of the Piedmont area, for example,are often underlain by granitic-type rocks suchas granite, gneiss, or uicaschist. Soil at thesurface may be of good tilth, underlain byrotten rock which rests on hard rock.

On the coastal plain, impeded drainage withmottled subsoils occurs frequently and mayaffect the use or results of use of the soil.Flat areas of the coastal plain frequently de-velop pan formations. The breaking of these issometimes necessary for conserving water, butmay be too expensive for general farm practice.

What happens to water infiltration and re-tention on different types of soil? Considerthe same amount of rain on different types.Consider the same amount varied as to length oftime or fall.

What happens when one attempts to grow con-servation cover on different types of soil? Onsoils that have been manipulated to change thenature of the profile? Various crops and vari-ous types of treatment with the same crop mightbe recorded.

References

Any modern textbook on soil science.Flocker, W. J. and H. Timm, 1969. Plant growth

and root distribution in layered sandcolumns. Agron. Jour. 61(4): 530-534.

Recently published county soil surveys availablein major libraries or from the U. S. govern-ment Printing Office, Washington, C. C.such as:

Matthews, E. D., E. Z. W. Compy, and J. C. John-son, 1961. Soil survey of Montgomery Crun-ty, Maryland. U. S. Dept. Agric., SoilConservation Cervice in cooperation withMaryland Agric. Expt. Sta.(See, Soil Conservation Service, 1969. Listof Published Soil Surveys. U. S. Dept.Agric., Soil Conservation Service, Washing-ton, D. C. 20250. April. From this list,you can select and obtain a copy of arecent soil survey for an area near you.)

Learning About Soils by Making a Collection ofSoil Monoliths

Biological scientists have found that col-lecting and preserving plant and animal specimensis one of the best ways to learn about them, e.g.plant collections, insect collections, seed col-lections. The same methods are uses by soilscientists to learn about soils. You can't col-lect au entire soil that occurs as a naturalbody on the landscape, but you can collect andpreserve representative sampler. of soil profilesfrom vertical banks or the walls :d dug pits.Two kinds of soil monoliths are aescribed in thereferences--full scale or natural size, andmicromonoliths. We suggest the latter but tech-niques are similar.

These samples, appropriately identified withthe soil name, labeling of the several profilelayers with texture, structure, thickness,reaction PH, relative amounts of coarse frag-ments, and other information, will provide neededinformation to help you recognize different kindsof soil. The major characteristics responsiblefor soil performance when used in differentways--for production of cultivated crops, grow-ing trees, shrubs, grasses and legumes, forengineering purposes such as foundations forroads, buildings, playfields, and as septic dis-posal fields, etc., will be obvious.

We suggest you begin your project by obtain-ing a recently published county soil survey foran area accessible to you. (See the projecttitle "Soil Profile Effects" for a reference listof recently published soil surveys in nearbyareas.) It may be possible for you to spendseveral hours in the field with a local soilscientist employed by the Soil Conservation Ser-vice or the State Agricultural Experiment Sta-tion. He can identify the soils by name at anumber of convenient locations and you can re-turn later at your convenience to make the soil

8

monoliths and obtain needed detailed informationfor labeling them. Referring to the publishedsoil survey will help you in describing andlabeling your monoliths. Soil monoliths makean excellent science fair display especially ifthey are supported by additional informationabout capabilities for different uses and abouthazards and limitations in difference conserva-tion uses. The published soil survey will pro-vide this kind of information.

References

Berger, K. C. 1960. The vinyZite resin methodof taking and mounting soil profiles.(Mimeo. copies available from Dept. Soils,Univ. Wise., Madison, Wise.) pp 6.

Berger, K. C. and R. J. Muckenhirn. 1946. Soilprofiles of neural appearance mounted withvinylite resin. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc.(1945) 11: 484-485.

Brown, L. N. 1963. The lacquer cement methodof making soil monoliths. Univ. Calif.Agric. Expt. Sta., Bul. 795. pp 27.

Brown, L. N. and R. E. Storie, 1957. How tocollect and use soil monoliths in teaching,research, and extension. (Mimeo. copiesavailable from Dept. Soils and Plant Nutri-tion, Univ. Calif., Berkeley, Calif. pp 8.

Bushnell, T. M. 1949. Soil profile samplingmade easy. Special Circ. No. 2. PurdueUniv. Agric. Expo. Sta., Lciayette,Indiana, pp 8.

Porter, H. C., R. E. Devereux, and G. R. Epper-son, 1960. Let's take a soil monolith.Virginia Agric. Expt. Sta., Blacksburg,Va. Leaflet 3, 4 pp.

Smith, H. W. and C. D. Moodie, 1947. Collectionand preservation of soil profiles. Soil

Sci. 64: 61-69.Smith, H. W., R. A. McCreery, and C. D. Moodie,

1952. Collection and preservation of soilprofiles II. Soil Sci. 73: 243-248.

Storie, R. E. 1941. Collection of soil mono-liths by the cellulose-acetate method.(Mimeo. copies available from Dept. Soilsand Plant Nutrition, Univ. Calif., Berkeley,Calif.) pp 2.

U. S. Dept. Agric., Soil Survey Staff, 1951.Soil Survey Manual. U. S. Dept. Agric.Handbook No. 18, Washington, D. C. 20250.1.2 333-336, Superintendent of Documents,Government Printing Office. $3.50,

Antibiotics

the micro-organisms that produce the"wonder drugs" such as penicillin live in thesoil, as well as in modern laboratories wherethey are put to work to produce antibiotics formedicinal and agricultural purposes. But aremicro-organisms the only ones that produce anti-biotic substances? What is the role of theseantibiotic substances in the soil? Are they

defense mechanisms against certain plant diseasesor insects? Do they influence the developmentand growth of possible plant competitors? If so,

can they be increased or encouraged, or can theirinfluence be minimized, by particular conserva-tion or maragement measures to accomplish specif-ic objectives? Many experiments can be devisedto study these interesting and important prob-lems.

References

Stallings, J. II. 1954. Soil-produced anti-biotics--plant disease and insect contra/.Bacteriological Review 18(2): 131-146.

Holm, LeRoy, 1969. Chemical interactions betweenplant and agricultural lands. Down toEarth 25(1): 16-22. (Published by the DowChemical Company, Midland, Michigan)

Lavin, R., D. A. Jameson, and F. B. Gomm, 1968.Juniper extract and deficient aerationeffects on germination of six range species.Jour. Range Mgment. 21(4): 262-263.

Jameson, Donald A. 1958. Species interactionsof growth inhibitors in native plants ofnorthern Arizona. U. S. Dept. Agric.,Forest Service Research Note RM-113. 2 pp.

Tukey, H. B., Jr. 1969. Implications ofallelopathy in agricultural plant scien3e.Bot. Rev. 35(1): 1-16. (Contains 71 cita-tions)

Rovira, Albert D. 1969. Plant root exudates.Bot. Rev. 35(1): 35-37. (Contains 98 cita-tions)

Woods, F. W. 1960. Biological antagonisms dueto phytotoxic root exudates. Bot. Rev.26: 546-569.

Garb, S. 1961. Differential growth-inhibitorsproduced by plants. Bot. Rev. 27: 422-443.

McPherson, J. K. and C. H. Muller, 1969. .:lle-

lopathic effects ofAdenostoma Fascicu-laturm, Chamise, in the CaliforniaChaparral. Ecological Monographs 39(2):177-198.

Modifying Soil-Water Relations with Chemicals orSoil Stabilization with Chemicals

These closely related project titles mayinvolve many different types of conservationmeasures, for example: :educing soil erosionfrom watersheds or from exposed banks; reducingwind erosion from soils; treating soils to pro-mote water yield for storage and use; sealingsoil surfaces to effect water impoundments;stabilizing roadbed materials. Research hasbeen reported where many chemical measures havebeen explored but knowledge is still quite in-complete. Such chemicals or substances assodium chloride, calcium chloride, gypsum, lime,cement, bentonite, resins, polyvinyl alcohol,asphalt, and lignin products have been used.Many simple experiments may be developed tolearn more about these research projects and to

9

test the effectiveness of different chemicalsor substances on a variety of different sub-strata for different conservation uses. Suchprojects are easily related to conservation butpracticable uses of such measures require in-tensive economic evaluations.

References

Krammes, J. S. and II. Hellmers, 1963. Tests ofchemical treatments to reduce erosion fromburned watersheds. Jour. Geophys. Res.68(12): 3667-3672.

Rollins, M. B. and A. S. Dylla, 1964. Fieldexperiments on sealing permeable fine sandwith bentonite. Soil Sci. Soc. Proc. 28(2):268-271.

Davidson, D. T. and Associates, 1960. Soilstabilization with chemicals. Iowa Eng.Expt. Sta. Bul. No. 193 (Three separatepapers, pp 320-338.)

Davidson, D. T. and Associates, 1961. Soilstabilization with cement. Iowa Eng. Expt.Sta. Bul. No. 194.

Davidson, D. T. and Associates, 1961. Soilstabilization with lime. Iowa Eng. Expt.Sta. Bul. No. 195.

Davidson, D. T. and Associates, 1961. Soilstabilization with lime fly ash. Iowa Eng.Expt. Sta. Bul. No. 196.

Chepil, W. S., N. P. Woodruff, F. H. Siddoway,D. W. Fryrear, and C. V. Armbrust, 1963.Vegetative and nonvegetative materials tocontrol wind and water erosion. Soil Sci.Soc. Amer. Proc. 27(1): 86-89,

Kowsar, A., L. Boersma and G. D. Jarman, 1969.Effects of petroleum mulch on soil watercontent and soil temperatvre. Soil Sci.Soc. Amer. Pro:. 33(783-786).

Reducing Evaporation from Soils with Chemicals

Plant growth is often retarded because o2insufficient supplies of soil moisture. Thisis especially true in dry, desert areas withlow rainfall, but it is often a periodic problemin areas with sufficient total rainfall. We

know that water is lost from the soil by evapo-ration and many techniques have been studied toreduce this wasteful loss of needed moisture.Treating soils with certain kinds of chemicalshas been suggested and tried by scientists.What are these chemicals? Are they harmful toplant and mimal life? }hat are the technical,biological and economic implications of such aconservation measure? Can you devise and con-duct a controlled experiment to test the effec-tiveness and practicability of such a proposedconservation practice?

References

Bowers, S. A. and R. J. Hanks, 1961. Effect ofDDAC on evaporation and infiltration of

soil moisture. Soil Science 92(5): 340-346.Woolley, Joseph T. 1962. Soil-applied hexade-

=not as an evapotranspiration suppressant.Jour. Soil and Water Conserv. 17(3): pp 130.

Law, J. P., Jr. 1964. The effect of fattyalcohol and a nonionic s.rfolcant on soilmoisture evaporation in a controlled envi-ronment. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 28(5):695-699.

Hydrophobic or Nonwettable Soils

Scientists were puzzled by their "dustytracks in the mud" as tLey crossed freshly burnedwatersheds after fall and winter rains. Studiesindicated this phenomenon to be associated withthe presence of certain kinds of plants that ap-pear to produce organic chemicals responsiblefor nonwettability in soils. Do you have, andcan you identify nonwettable soils in yourlocality? Can you develop, by artificial treat-ments, nonwettability in soils similar to thatfound in nature by the scientists? An extractof plant materials with the NHAOH solution hasbeen used. Can you find any differences in soilwettabP.ity after applying standardized extractsfrom different plants or organic matter availablefor your study? Assuming you are successful andcan make flats of soil nonwettable (o1 that youhave a natural source of nonwettable soils avail-able for your study) do you find the nonwettablesoil throughout your soil sample or concentratedin a band at a certain depth? Can the amount andlocation of the nonwettable soil layer be alteredby applying more extract, a wetting agent, heat,pure water? Can you devise and perform experi-ments with different materials (wetting agents)designed to eliminate or minimize nonwettabilityin soils? Would a successful treatment have anypracticable application in conservation? Canyou make a simple device for measuring soil tem-perature at different depths under a fire suchas a wildland fire? Can you devise and performexperiments to study the effects of heat on soilnonwettability? Or other properties and charac-teristics of the soil? What are some of theimplications of these studies in conservationof natural resources?

References

DeBano, L. F., J. F. Osborn, J. S. Krammes, andJ. Letey, Jr. 1967. Soil wettability andwetting agents--our current knowledge ofthe problem. U. S. Forest Service ResearchPaper PSW-43. Berkeley, Calif. (19 refer-

ences)Fenner, R. L. and J. E. Bentley, 1960. A simple

piTometer for measuring soil temperatureswildland fires. U. S. Forest Ser-

vice Miscellaneous Paper No. 45. Berkeley,Calif. (8 references)

Gilmour, D. A. 1968. Water repellence of soilsreated to surface dryness. Australian

10

Forestry 32(3): 144-148 (11 references)Krammes, J. S. and L. F. DeBano, 1967. teach-

ability of a wetting agent treatment forwater - resistant soils. Soil Sci. Soc.Amer. Proc. 31(5): 709-711 (S references)

DeBano, L. F. 1969. Water repellent soils: A

worldwide concern in management of soil andvegetation. Agricultural Sc. Rev. 7(2):11-18. (Published by the U. S. Dept.Agric., Cooperative State Research Service,Washington, D. C. 20250)

Effects of Air Pollution on Plants

Air pollution by toxic substances such asthat generated by many industries, motor vehicleexhaust, and leakage from storage, is harmfulto man, animals, and plants. Some toxic airpollutants are chlorine, sulfur dioxide, carbonmonoxide, ozone, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN),ethylene, and fluorides. Can you devise asimple controlled experiment to expose pot-grow:. test plants to polluted air under differ-ent conditions aAJ study the effects? A smallgasoline motor may provide a source of exhaustfumes. Other toxic gases are available commer-cially in cylinders controlled by valves or theymay be generated chemically. Plastic laundrybags supported on frames may make individualtreatment chambers. Many simple, safe, con-trolled experiments are possible to study thisimportant problem dealing with the environmentand related to natural resource conservation.

References

Brennan, E., I. A. Leone, and R. H. Dairies,1966. Response of pine trees to chlorinein the atmosphere. Forest Science 12(4):386-390.

Berry, C. R. and H. E. Heggestad, 1968. Airpollution detectives. U.S. Dept. Agric.,Yearbook of Agriculture, pp 142-146.

Weaver, E. C. 1968. Environmental pollutionexperiments. The Science Teacher 35(4):24-27.

Woodruff, N. P. 1969. Control of airbornepollutants. Great Plains Agric. CouncilPublication No. 34. Vol. 1. Kansas StateUniversity, Manhattan, Kansas.

Effects of Fire on Seed Germination

Fire is often used to stimulate regenera-tion of certain desired forest species or toencourage desired understory plants for wildlifeuses and for livestock grazing. Even under con-trolled management, results of burning are oftenerratic and unpredictable. What are the effectsof heat produced by such burning on seed germi-nation of selected important species? Is therea difference between dry and moist heat? The

amount and kind of seed dormancy may be relatedto heat treatment, What are they and how canthey be tested in conjunction with an experimentto test heat treatments on seed germination?How does this relate to natural resource conser-vation? Many experiments can be developed toshed light upon this broad and little known sub-ject. The reference cites other publicationsthat will be helpful.

Reference

Cushwa, C. T., R. E. Martin, and R. L. Miller,1968. The effects of fire on seed germina-tion. Jour. Range Mgmt. 21(4): 250-254.

Seed Germination Related to Conservation

Seed germination experiments can be donewith simple equipment. Seeds of many plants arereadily available or can be obtained with ad-vralced planning. Work can be carried out almostany time of the year.

Basic environmental factors that affect.:ded germination are: water, oxygen, tempera-ture, and light, These factors operate togetherin predictable and often unpredictable ways de-pending upon the species, variety, and condi-tions. Chemical and physical treatments may beused to increase or decrease seed germinationdepending upon the species and objectives. Il-

lustrations can be developed to show how the in-formation is important in conservation of natu-ral resources.

References

Barton, Lela V. 1961. Experimental seed physi-ology at Boyce Thompson Institute for PlantResearch, Inc. Yonkers, N. Y., USA, 1924-1961. Proc. Int. Seed Testing Assoc.26(4): 561-596 (Lists 135 references). In

major libraries.Jones, LeRoy 1961. Effect of light on germina-

tion of forest tree seed, Proc. Int. SeedTesting Assoc. 26(3): 437-452 (Lists 29references). In major libraries.

Riffle, J. W. and H. W. Springfield, 1968. Hy-drogen peroxide increases germination andreduces microflora in seed of several south-western woody species. Forest Science(14(1): 96-100.

Tiedemann, A. R. and F. W. Pond, 1967. Viabilityof grass seed after long periods of uncon-trolled storage. Jour. Range Mgmt. 20(4):261-262.

Toole, E. H. 1961. The effect of light andother variables on the control of seedgermination. Proc. Int. Seed Testing Assoc.26(4): 659-673 (Lists 23 references). In

major libraries.Miller, E. C. 1938. Plant physiology. McGraw-

Hill Book Co., Inc., New York, N. Y.Production and marketing Administration. 1952.

11

Testing agricultural and vegetable suede.U. S. Dept. Agric., Agriculture HandbookNo. 30. Washington, D. C.

Chatterton, N. J. and A. R. Kadish. 1969. Atemperature gradient germinator. Agron.

Jour. 61(4): 643-644.

Root Growth Studies

Conservationists need information about theinfluences of environmental factors and theirmodifications on root growth of plants. Manytechniques have been used. They are generallytime-consuming and laborious, such as root exca-vations of field-grown plants or soil-removalfrom the roots of plants gruwn in containers.Usually the test plants are destroyed in theprocess, thus preventing a continuous study ofroot development of the same plants under stan-dardized conditions. A simple procedure ofgrowing plants in glass-faced boxes has beenused. Using this technique, root developmentmay be studied continuously over time. Studiesmay include different kinds of plants or mix-tures of plants to learn about root competition.Effects of many different environmental treat-ments, such as using different soils and differ-ent physical and chemical treatments, may beincorporated into a controlled experiment foran interesting conservation project.

Reference

Larson, M. M. 1962. Construction and use ofglass-faced boxes to study root developmentof tree seedlings. U. S. Dept. Agric.,Forest Service. Rocky Mountain Forest andRange Expt. Sta., Research Note No. 73.Fort Collins, Colorado.

Shade Tolerance in Plants

Some plants grow better in shade thanothers. Can you classify common plants in yourlocality according to their relative shadetolerance? Information about the relative shadetolerance of different plants iL; important inmany ways: e.g. selecting turf grasses forshaded areas; determining the value of under-story species in forest stands as forage fordomestic animals and for wildlife uses; manage-ment of forests to encourage regeneration ofdesirable tree species. What factors need tobe controlled in developing an experiment totest relative shade tolerance of plants? Howcan you develop a relatively simple procedurefor testing shade tolerance? These and otherquestions lead to many science fair projects forwhich implications 'o natural resource conser-vation may readily be developed. The referencecites a number of other publications that may behelpful.

Reference

Wood, Glen M. 1969. Evaluating turfgrasses forshade tolerance. Jour. Agron. 61(3): 347-352.

Differential Response of Grass and Legumes toNitrogen and Phosphorus Fertilizers

An important phase of conservation is theselection of fertilizer treatments favorable tothe desired vegetative cover. Nitrogen stimu-lates grass growth while having less effect onlegumes. Rooted propaguies (portions of growingplants) of uniform size of grass and alfalfa,from a single plant each, will provide a strikingdemonstration of these relationships when grownin gallon cans and given different fertilizers.For best results each treatment should be induplicate and the experiment should continue atleast two months. Suggested fertilizer rates:200 lbs. N, or 100 lbs. P per acre. Chec% withbiology teacher as to treating all cans with K.Growth curves can be obtained by periodic mea-surement of plants by Crider's technique.

Reference

Crider, Franklin J. 1955. Root-growth stoppageresulting from defoliation of grass. U. S.

Dept. Agric. Tech. Bul. 1102.Hewitt, E. J. 1966. Sand and water culture

methods used in the study of plant nutri-tion. Commonwealth Agriculture Bureau,Farnham Royal, Bucks, England. In majorlibraries.

Shive, J. W. and W. R. Robbins (undated). Wth-ods of growing plants in solutions and sandculture. New Jersey Agric. Expt. Sta. Bul.No. 536.

Effects of Water Table Depth on Growth of Plants

Can a simple controlled experiment be de-veloped to study the effects of water table andrelated phenomena on the growth of plants? Thereferences (each citing other relevant research)describes studies with trees and grasses ingreenhouse tanks with sloping soils of differentkinds to control the water table. The plantswere selected to represent different growth re-quirements and the soils to represent differentmajor characteristics. The methods can beadapted for a science fair project using yourown choice of plants and soils. Control ofvarious habitat factors during the experiment isdiscussed. Results can be related to conserva-tion of natural resources.

References

Mueller-Dombois, D. 1963. Techniques for sttdy-

12

-trig soil-water-growth relations on arti-

ficial slopes. Forest-Soil Relation-ships in Notch America (Edited by C. T.Youngberg), Oregon State Univ. Press.,Corvallis, Oregon. pp 153-161. $8.00.

In major libraries.Mueller-Dombois, D. 1964. Effect of depth of

water table on height growth of tree seed-lings in a greenhouse. Forest Science10(3): 306-316.

Sims, H. P. and D. Mueller-Dombois. 1968. Ef-

fect of grass competition and depth ofwater table on height growth of conifer-ous tree seedlings. Ecology 49(4): 597-

603.

Reducing Evaporation from Plants with Chemicals

More water escapes from our continentthrough small pores in plants than from allother ways combined. This is called planttranspiration. Is all this loss of waternecessary? Can it be reduced in the interestof conservation? This problem is complex withmany ramifying implications. Scientists arelearning about. chemical treatments that may beused to reduce this important source of water-loss. What are these chemicals? How can theybe tested for conservation uses? Many simplecontrolled experiments may be developed tostudy various aspects of this important prob-lem.

References

Waggoner, P. E. and J. E. Pallas, Jr. 1968.

Saving the water spent by plants. U. S.

Dept. Agric., Yearbook of Agriculture,pp 213-217.

Gale, J. and A. Poljakoff-Mayber. 1965. Anti-transpirants as a research tool for thestudy of the effects of water stress onpant behavior. UNESCO Arid Zone Research25: 269-274.

Waggoner, P. E. and J. D. Hewlett. 1965. Testof a transpiration inhibitor on a forestedwatershed. Water Resources Research 1(3):391-396.

Roberts, W. J. 1961. Reduction of Transpira-tion. Jour. Geophys. Res. 66(10): 3309-3312.

Davenport, D. C., R. M. Hagan, and P. E. Martin.1969. Antitranspirants - uses and ef-fects on plant life. Calif. Agric. 23(5):14-16.

Davenport, D. C. 1966. Effects of phenyl-mercuric acetate on transpiration andgrowth of small plots of grass. Nature212(5064): 801-802.

Lopushinsky, William. 1969. A portable ap-paratus for estirating stomatal aperaturein conifers. Pacific Northwest Forest andRange Experiment Station, U. S. Dept.1gric., Forest Service, PortlaLd, Oregon.

nest Measurements

Growth and yield of forest stands are usual-' determined by making certain physical measure-nits of individual trees. Some of the itemsnatured are: height, age, diameter, basal area,amber of trees per unit of area, crown length,rown spread, stem volume and stem weight.asal area is the cross-sectional area of stemst breast-height (4-1/2 feet), expressed aspare feet per acre. This is a convenient andlmost universally-used measurement related totand density, size of individual trees, andther items.

Until about 20 years ago, foresters layedut plots of designated sizes and measured thetameters of individue. trees with a caliper oriametcr tape. Then, by laborious computationsetermined the basal area. A new principle hasvolved that has revolutionized forest measure-ents. This is called "point sampling," "plot-ess sampling," and by other names. A measure-ent requires only a few seconds. The refer-nces describe this new method. They describewo simple instruments by which this measurementay be made--home-made angle gauges, or small,alibrated, inexpensive wedge prisms.

An interesting project may involve basalrea measurement of several different foresttands using older methods as compared withhose made by the newer method. The use of thiseasurement in determining effects of variousorest conservation treatments, such as thinningnd selective harvesting, can be pointed out toake this a conservation project.

References

rosenbaugh, L. R. 1952. Plotless timber esti-mates--new, fast, easy. Jour. For. 50(1):

32-37.ruce, David. 1955. A new way to look at trees.

Jour. For. 53(3): 163-167.ell, J. F. and L. B. Alexander, 1957. Applica-

tion of the variable plot method of samplingforest stands. Oregon State Board of For-estry, Research Note No. 30. Salem, Oregon.

'ood

What is wood? How is it formed? What func-lons does it perform in the growth of trees?%Pt Ire some of the characteristics of wood im-lortant to man? Does wood from different kindsif trees differ? Can trees be identified fromamples of their wood? What are some of the useIf natural and processed wood? Many projects canpe developed to stuuy wood and illustrate answers:o these and other questions. These projects canle related to natural rescurce conservation.

References

'oulger, A. N. 1969. Classroom demonstrations

13

.good properties. U. S. Dept. Agric.,}-crest Service, Forest Products LaboratoryPA-900. Washington, D. C. 20250.

Koehler, Arthur. 1949. Key for the identifica-tion of woods without the aid of a handTense or miercscope. U. S. Dept. Agric.Yearbook of Agriculture. pp 833-844.

Fire Retardants and Suppressants

Believe it or not, fire is one of nature'smost important conservation phenomenal We

challenge you to develop this thesis in linewith a modern and comprehensive concept of natu-ral resource conservation.

Fire can be beneficial: to reduce bulky,inflammable materials that are in the way orare a nuisance; to produce heat; to prepare cer-tain kinds of seedbeds; to reduce certaindisease and pest hazards. Fire can be detri-mental: destroying forests; destroying forageand cover on grass and brush lands; destroyinghouses and other structures.

Scientists and many other people have ;70-vided a vast amount of knowledge about fire.They have shown how to make things burn fasterand how to treat things to retard burning. Theyhave provided sophisticated methods of gener-ating and maintaining fire as well as methodsfor retarding and extinguishing fire. In other

words, much effort has been devoted to helpingman understand this common phenomenon so thathe may use it to his advantage. Since fire issuch an all-pervasive phenomenon in our lives,can't we develop science fair projects to learnmore about this knowledge and demonstrate someof the things we know?

Take the matter of fire retardants. Did

you ever fire proof your Christmas tree? Haveyou noted thnt some items around the h:me do notburn easily although on first appearance theywould be expected to burn rapidly: for exam-ple, drapery, curtains, clothing, certain kindsof paper products? It is likely the manufac-turers have gone to great lengths to renderthese materials more valuable to man by elimi-nating some of the hazards to his well-beingdue to accidental fire. Have you ever thoughtof extinguishing a fire, such as a wildfire inthe forest, by spraying a fire retardant on itfrom the air or the ground? Could a fire pre-vention measure, such as a firebreak through aforest or a grass and brush area be developedby fireproofing strips of vegetatioa instrategic locations?

These questions deal mostly with the useof chemicals and substances that retard burn-ing. What are these chemicals and materials?How are they applied and at what rates? Do

they perform satisfactorily on all kinds ofinflammable materials under different condi-tions? Can you develop a simple controlledexperiment to test the effectiveness of a seriesof suggested chemicals or substances by using

them as fire-proofing treatments on shavings ortwigs taken from a Christmas tree? Carefullyplan your experiment and document your tests andobservations. Then, set up an exhibit to demon-strate your findings at a science fair. Takethe necessary precautions to guard against ac-cidental fire and injury.

References

Hardy, D. E. 1967. The fire retardant develop-ment plateau. In Western Forest Fire Con-ditions published by the Western Forestryand Conservation Association, American BankBldg., Portland, Oregon. (Eleven refer-ences are cited)

National Fire Protection Association Committee(M.S. Lowden, Chairman) 1967 (2nd ed.)Chemicals for forest firefighting. Pub-lished by National Fire Protection Associa-tion, 60 Batterymarch Street, Boston, Massa-chusetts 02110. (Numerous references arecited)

Drake, G. L. Jr., and L. H. Chance. 1968.Flame-retardant fabrics safeguard your life.U. S. Dept. Agric., Yearbook of Agriculture,Washington, D. C. 70250. pp 279-283.

Eickner, H. W. 1968. Wood can protect you fromfire. U. S. Dept. Agric., Yearbook ofAgriculture, Washington, D. C. 20250. pp.321-324.

Interception and Distribution of Rainfall underForest Stands

Less rainfall reaches the soil under aforest canopy than in the open. Factors affect-ing this are: kind of trees, condition of for-est stands (age, size, density, etc.), climaticconditions (amount and intensity of rainfall,temperature, humidity, wind, evaporation),topography, and other items. How does this natu-ral phenomenon affect forest growth, understorygrowth, soil-water recharge of underground sup-plies, soil and water conservation? How can youset up a simple experi7..:.nt to learn about thismatter in a forest stand accessible to you? Thefirst two references describes methods for doingthis. You can make your own equipment. Thethird reference cites 61 scientific publicationsfor further study bearing on tie subject.

References

Voigt, G. R. 1960. Distribution of rainfallunder forest stands. Forest Science 6(1):2-10.

Hoover, M. D. 1953. Interception of rainfallin a young labially pine plantation. U. S.Dept. Agric., Forest Service, SoutheasternFor. Expt. Sta. Paper No. 21.

Helvey, J. D. and J. H. Patric. 1965. Canopyand litter interception of rainfall byhardwoods of eastern United Statea. Water

14

Resources Research, Vol. 1, No. 2, SecondQuarter, Amer. Geophys. Union, Washington,D. C.

Control of Stump Sprouting

Good forestry often requires the elimina-tion of weedy or undesirable trees. Many kindsof trees and shrubby species sprout profuselyafter cutting thus rende%ing control measuresby cutting only partially effective. Stumptreatments with various herbicides have beenused to reduce sprouting on cut stumps. Whatare these chemicals? What are the best methodsof application? When is the best time of yearfor such treatments? What is the relative ef-fectiveness of different chemicals? What spe-cies of woody plants appear to be most trouble-some due to stump sprouting? Other conservationmeasures require the complete control (elimina-tion) of existing woody vegetation in order tobe completely effective. What are some of theseconservation measures? Have you been plaguedwith persistently resprouting trees, such asblack locust, in your lawn, hedge, or flowerbed,arising apparently from the roots of a nearbydesirable shade tree? Can you devise a simplecontrolled experiment to test the effectivenessof several suggested chemicals to eliminate thistroublesome problem?

Reference

Leonard, 0. A. and A. H. Murphy. 1961. Stumpsprout control. Calif. Agric. 18(4):p. 7.

Controlling Weeds that Compete withPlanted Tree Seedlings

Can the use of selective weed sprays orgeneral contact herbicides be used in placeof mechanical treatments, such as cultivationor hoeing, to reduce weed competition andimprove survival and growth of planted treeseedlings? The reference describes some fieldexperiments dealing with this important andcomplex problem. Many such experiments maybe conducted to study various aspects of theproposed project. These can include use ofdifferent kinds of test plants and weedy com-petitors, different kinds and amounts of spraymaterials, different dates and methods of ap-plication. Relating your experimental resultsto practical conservation objectives will leadyou into many interesting ramifications of thisgeneral subject.

Reference

Brown, J. H. and K. L. Carvell. 1962. Grasscontrol around planted tree seedlings.

Jour. Soil and Water Cons. 17(1): ,5 -77

Insects and Conservation

Some of our most important crops depend up-on insects for pollination. Insects are an im-portant link in the food chain of many animals.Some insects are harmful to man and his variouspursuits while others are beneficial. How doinsects relate to the subject of conservation ofnatural resources? Experiment 98, dealing withinsect behavior, in the reference will guide youinto an interesting conservation science fairinvestigation. Many other investigations areincluded in this book that may suggest otherscience fair projects.

Reference

Kalmus, H. 1960. 101 simple experiments withinsects. Doubleday and Company, Inc.,Garden City, N. Y. (This reference is alsocited in the section on selected refer-ences). $3.95.

Conservation Education

Knowledge of the part soil and water re-sources play in our living is an important re-sponsibility of citizenship. Conservation ofthese important resources is taught in manyschools today. Some people have a better chanceto observe and learn the effects of these re-sources on living because of their surroundingsor their friends and family.

But roo many students still grow up withoutsufficient knowledge of the importance of pro-tecting and improving the land from which we getmost of our food and much of the material forour clothing and shelter.

How much do the students in your class oryour school know about conservation? Do farm-raised students know more about it than thosewho have lived only in the city, or in thesuburbs? What do they know most about-Soil?Water? Forests? Wildlife? What phases of con-servation education need more attention in yourschool?

A survey or questionnaire, with the resultsplotted to show the answers to some of thesequestions, would make an interesting and valuablescience fair exhibit.

References

Hill, Wilhelmina. 1959. The three R's and re-sources. National Wildlife Federation,Washington, D. C. 104.

Giles, Robert H., Jr. 1958. Conservationknowledge of Virginia school pupils. Bul-letin 257. Virginia Polytechnic Institute,Agricultural Extension Service.

15

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Our AmericanLand. Agr. Info. Bul. 321 (SCS).

Value of Conservation Practices

Conservation of land and water resources- -especially through construction of lakes andponds, establishing or preserving woodlands,maintaining meadows, and preventing streamchannel erosion--adds materially to the attrac-tiveness of the countryside and to the facili-ties for recreation. These measures may makethe land more productive and more valuable.Building ponds and doing other things for con-servation, however, cost money, sometimes agreat deal of money. Studies to determine whatthese measures are worth to the landowner andto the community in comparison to what theycost would be very valuable in helping peopledecide on the kind of conservation program toundertake.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1958. Land,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C.

Upchurch, M. L. 1957. Longtime investments insoil management, Soil, the yearbook ofagriculture. U. S. Department of Agri-culture. pp. 441-50.

Ciriacy-Wantrup, S. V. 1951. Dollars andsense in conservation. Calif. Agr. Expt.Sta. Cir. 402.

Suburban Soil Erosion

Cutting all trees and bringing all landsto new grades in suburban building develop-ments is very contrary to good soil and waterconservation practices because during thedevelopment period and for years thereafterthe soil has little or no protection from watererosion.

1. Show two areas on opposite sides ofa stream or on different streams, one denuded,the other with houses among the trees andwith cleared areas for gardens.

2. Show differences in stream turbid-ity (color and load) after a rain when thearea is wooded, as compared with a denudedarea, either bare or recently seeded orsodded.

References

J. H. Stallings. 1959. Soil Conservation.Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs,N. J. $9.95.

J. H. Stallings. 1957. Soil Use and Improve-ment. Prentice-Hall, Inc., EnglewoodCliffs, N. J. $7.56

Urbanization and Conservation

One of today's most critical conservationproblems is the effect of rapid expansion ofcities into farm areas, with resultant loss ofgood food producing land, increased floods andsedimentation, reduction of recreation areas,etc. Cities must expand, of course, as our pop-ulation grows. But there are ways of selectingland best suited for urbanization and then'loaning it in ways to minimize the ill-effectsof urbanization.

An exhibit showirg a land area before andafter urbanization under good practices andunder bad practices would be very informative.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1967. Knowthe soil you build on. Agr. Info. Bul. 320.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1967. Sedi-ment. Agr. Info. Bul. 325.

Soil surveys and Land use pleoining. Soil ScienceSociety of America, 677 South Scgoe Road,Madison, Wisconsin.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1)63. Soilconservation at home. A213 244, USDA Year-book of Agriculture. A place to live.

Value of Plant Residues

Several small plots could he set up in thegarden or backyard to study the value of plantresidues (leaves, straw, etc.) as an aid for (1)conserving moisture, (2) improing soil tilth,(3) building up soil fertility, or (4) othersoil and water conservation benefits.

One of the plots could be kept cultivatedso no vegetation would grow. Different kindsof plant residues could be applied to the others;e.g. leaves on one clippings from the lawn onanother, and peat, barnyard manure, or combina-tions of residues with commercial fertilizerson still others.

The purpose of this project would be tolearn how plant residues can be used to im-prove soil conditions and conserve moisture.The results of the year's observations couldbe shown by charts and demonstrated at theScience fair.

Reference

Stallings, J. H. Soil, use and improvtgent.1957. Ch. 10 and IS. Prentice-Hall, Inc.,Englewood Cliffs, N. J. $7.56.

Cross-Slope Cultivation

Garden plots could be used to determine theeffect of cross-slope (contour) cultivation onrunoff and soil erosion. The plots should be

16

near each other on the same kind of soil and thesame steepness of slope. One plot would becultivated across the slope and the other upand down the slope. Some device for catchingand measuring the runoff water and soil lostfrom each plot would provide data for comparingthe effects of the two methods of cultivation.Observatioos on a contour-farmed field duri;tga rain would supplement the plot data. Theresults could be illustrated at the ScienceFair by models in small boxes.

References

Stallings, J. G. 1957. Soil, use and irprove-rent. Ch. 13. Prentice-Hall, Inc.,Englewood Cliffs, N. J. $7.56.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Teaching soiland water conservation. PA-341. Washing-ton, D. C.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. Soil,

the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C. 784 pp. See p. 290, "Erosion oncultivated land," by B. D. Blakely, J. J.Coyle and J. G. Steele.

Water

Water is probably the most critical naturalresource in our country today. Where it isavailable, in what quantity and quality deter-mines whether agriculture can expand, whethernew industries can be located, and even affectsthe growth of cities.

Man's use of the land affects the behavioras well as the supply of water. A challengingscience fair exhibit might be built around whatman can do to inprove the quality and quantityof water for a community. This might be agraphic description of watershed management,including erosion control and flood prevention,control of pollution and sedimentation, develop-ment of water storage, reduction of evaporationlosses, and many other factors of good waterand watershed management.

Check with local offices of the Departmentof Agriculture to see if there is a watershedprotection and flood prevention program under-way in your area. If so, the plans and prog-ress of this project will provide A good basisfor your study.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 19SS. Water,

the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Water facts.PA-337, Soil Conservation Service, Wash-ington, D. C.

U. Department of Agriculture. Teachingsoil and water conservation. PA-341,Soil Conservation Service, Washington,D. C.

Conservation of a Small Watershed nation and the water cycle. Agr. Info.Bul. 326.

If the conservation problems were correctedon enough small watersheds (the drainage basinsof small streams), big conservation problems(floods, water shortages, dust storms, extensivesoil loss or deterioration, etc.) would besolved. These problems are important to bothrural and city people. Making citizens (youthand adults) aware of the problems and possiblesolutions is the first step. There is a minia-ture watershed on practically each school groundor nature trail. Why not identify the conserva-tion problems on one, plan their solution, andcarry out the plan on the ground? Then why notmake and exhibit a model of that water.hed, alongwith a poster listing and picturing the conser-vation practices installed?

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1955. Water,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C. (e.g., pp. 161-218).

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. Teach-ing soil and water conservation. PA-341,pp 28-30.

A Rurhan Watershed -- Rock Creek in the Nation'sCapital. 1959. Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Col.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1963. Waterintake by soil. Misc. Pub. 92S.

The Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous circulation of water innature, through the processes of evaporationand condensation, is known as the hydrologiccycle, and is essential to life on this planet.The process can be materially influenced by theway man uses and cares for his land. Therefore,it is important for everyone to know what hap-pens in this cycle and what we can do in soilconservation and land use programs to avoidwasting water and damaging the soil.

A model, diagram, or series of drawings orphotographs describing the processes involvedand the effect of land use on the hydrologiccycle could present a highly important andvaluable story. The construction of a reallyeffective exhibit of this kind offers a chal-lenge to the inventive as well as the scientific-minded student.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1955. Water,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C. 751 pp. (See esp. p. 41, "Fromocean to sky to land to ocean," by Acker-man, Coleman, and Ogrosky.

Foster, E. E. 1952. ftinfaii and runoff. Mac-millan Co., Inc., New York. In majorlibraries.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1967. Cerneer-

17

Farm Ponds for Conservation and Use of Water

Rainfall is often quite below average inmany areas. In these years, the wells or farmstreams may not produce enough water to supplyall needs for home and livestock. Many farmershave built dams across small watersheds tocatch rainwater v.i.tch otherwise would run offto the ocean. Gene:ally, a relatively smallarea, say 4 acres, it sufficient to supplyenough water for a livestock water pone. (Theseponds may provide much good recreation too.)

Ponds need to be quite large to provideenough water for irrigation for field crops.len to 15 acres or even more may need to be inthe watershed. But a garden can be irrigatedby the water saved by even a relatively smallpond.

Significant charts and graphs could bedeveloped assuming varying seasonal deficits ofrainfall from :he Washington area average andshowing:

1. Acre-feet of water storage in pondsneeded to replace the deficits.

2. Watershed areas needed to collect rain-fall runoff in those ponds (remember waterlosses).

3. Acres of apple orchards that could besprayed during t normal spray season from suchponds.

4. Number of cattle or other types ofanimals for which such ponds would supply ade-quate water for drinking, for washing of equip-ment, etc.. for a specified number of months.

S. Capacity of a pond needea to providesupplemental water for an average (specifiedsite) lawn or garden.

Reference

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1955. Water,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C. (See "irrigation," "ponds," "reser-voirs," "livestock eater needs," etc.).

Water Conservation for Cities

More and more water is being used both byagriculture and by cities. Irrigation is ex-panding in the more humid areas. Water con-sumption is expanding even more rapidly in theurban areas. Many cities already have takenwater formerly used by agriculture. Some havehad to impose water rationing on their citizens.The job of providing increased quantities ofwater and of maintaining or improvinl, qualityof water for cities is increasing and becomingmore costly. Could you make a study thatwould reveal the future needs for water both

for agriculture and for urban uses in your area?Such a study would be very valuable for planningfor future water supplies.

You could secure estimates of agriculturaluses of water in the past from the Bureau of theCensus. Estimates of urban uses, both for in-dustrial purposes and for human consumption,could be obtained from the planning commissionor ether city officials. You could developcharts showing water consumption in the past bytype of use and you could project these into thefuture on the basis of trends in population.

Reference

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1955. Water,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C.

The Leaky Faucet

Most homes and apartments at one time oranother have a leaky faucet. The amount ofwater lost from one leaky faucet could be mea-sured. This figure could then be used to esti-mate the amount of water lost from this causeduring a year In all the homes in the city,state, or nation. Charts could be developedshowing hov much this water cost, or how valuableit would be if saved and used for growinggardens and crops, filling swimming pools, cool-ing factories, or other purposes.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Pater faets.PA-337. Soil Conservation Service, Wash-ington, D. C.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 195S. Water,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C.

Measurements of Soil Moisture

Water in the soil is an important elementin the hydrology of a watershed. Soil is one ofthe principal natural reservoirs for the storageof the water that falls on the land as rain,snow, or other forms of precipitation. Measure-ments of the moisture in the soil help answermany questions about the hydrology of an area.

Instruments are available for measuring themoisture in the soil in place. Electronic de-vices can be used to make a continuous recordof the measurements and/or to transmit them toa central location.

Some of the problems that can be studiedby measuring moisture in the soil arel

1. Effect of plant cover on water intake.Instal) soil moisture instruments in two areasof i similar soil with different plant cover(or one bare area); install or use data from

18

rain gauge nearby. Calculate the increase inmoisture content of the soil resulting fromeach rain; compare amount or rate of gain (in-take) of the two plots. How does this affectrunoff from the area?

2. Effect of different kinds of vegetationon evapotranspiration. With irstrumentation asdescribed in item 1, compare rat es of moisturedepletion on the two areas after rains thatsaturate the soil. Calculate the moisture-storage capacity of the soil and its possibleeffect on runoff.

References

Blanc, M. L. 1959. Soil moisture reporting.Weekly Weather and Crop Bul. 46(13): 7-8.Mar. 30. U. S. Weather Bureau, Washington,D. C.

Lassen, Leon, H. W. Lull, and Bernard Frank.1952. Some plant- soil - rams:' :etations in

watershed management. USDA Cir. 910.Washington, D. C.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1955. Water,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C. pp. 41-51 "From ocean to sky toland to ocean"; pp. 151-159 "Hew much ofthe rain enters the soil?"; pp. 362-371"How to measure the moisture in the soil."

(The above publications list additional refer-ences)

Soil Aggregate Formation

Soil that is crumbly is said to be "well-aggregated." This kind of soil structure isbetter for farming than cloddy or lumpy soil.We know that soil growing grass or trees usuallyis better "aggregated" than soil that has beet.in cultivation for a time. But exactly hcwor why this happens is not too well-known. It

is believed that water, soaking into the soilfrom a well-vegetated surface, carried with itin solution organic matter that helps to createthis situation. Studies of the action of soilmicro-organisms in connection with the organicmatter in the capillary water, and possibleeffects .1 positive and negative charges onclay particles in the soil, would make inter-esting an: useful projects.

References

Bayer, L. D. 1956. SoiJohn Wiley 6 Sons,libraries.

Stallings, J. H. 1957.Ch. S and 6. Prent

wood Cliffs, N. J.

pkisics. Ch. S.Inc., New York. In

Soil. conservation.ice-Hall, Inc., Englt-59.95.

Nitrogen-Fixation by Legume Bacteria

Nitrogen is indispensable to life processes.

Although 80 percent of the air is pure nitrogen,this element is useless to plants and animalsunless it is combined in some form to make itavailable. Many leguminous plants used as rovercrops for soil and water conservation, have aspecial relationship with bacteria which causeand live in nodules on the roots of most legumeplants and bring about this combination, com-monly called nitrogen-fixation.

This fixation and its effects can beshown by growing leguminous plants aseptically;and inoculating with pure cultures, crushednodules or commercial preparations. Some strainsof the bacteria are symbiotic with only certaingroups of legumes. Different strains may rangefrom highly effective "fixers" to actual para-sites, on the same legume. Growing a legumein sterilized soil, in soil from a field inwhich the legume is growing well, with differ-ent strains of nitrogen-fixing bacteria or withthe same strain, exposed at the time of inocu-lation to differing amounts of heat or drying,can demonstrate differences which are highlysignificant in growing these soil-conservinglegumes.

References

Erdman, L. W. 1959. Legume inoculation. Whatit is. What it does. USDA Farmers Bul.No. 2003.

Virtanen, A. I. 1550. the biological ;ixationof nitrogen and its significance for agri-culture. Frocnedings of Eighth Congressof the Nor :c assn. of Agr. tics. (Copiesavailable frnm ASCS, CV.)

Soil Bacteria, Nitrogen, and Humus

Many bacteria essential to higher lifelive on dead organic material and change it,irking humus, an essential of good soil, anessential to plant growth and therefore to con-servation. These bacteria can do this onlywhen enough nitrogen is present for them tothe and function. These organisms, too smallto see by the unaided eye, are key operators insoil management .144 therefore to human life it-self.

What happens to organic matter such aspeat moss or leaf mold mixed with garden soil,treated with different levels or types ofnitrogen fertilizer and a fixed amount of wa-ter? What happens to organic matter under (a)desert-like, (b) artic-like, and (c) topic-likeconditions? What if the soil used in the mix-ture is (a) acid, (b) neutral, or (c) allaline?What happens to plants seeded in the soil underthe different conditions being observed? Catemust he taken to keep careful control--ore ofwhich min" t be to have the organic matter andsoil sterilized at the beginning of the ex-periment and kept moistened by distilledwater.

19

Refeeences

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. Soil,

the yearbook of agriculture. (e.g. pp.

151-165).Gibson, T. 1951. Recant progress in soil

bacteriology. In World Crops, Vol. 3,No. 4. (Copies available from USDA, Agr.Cons. Program Serv.)

Waksman, S. A. 1952. Soil microbiology. JohnWiley & Sons, Inc., New York, N. Y. In

major libraries.

Plant Ecology

Ecology is the study of the relation oforganisms to their environment and to oneanother. An important phase of plant ecologyis the effect of changing soil environment onthe plant life it will support at a particulartime. Knowing what kind of soil environment isrust favorable for a particular plant or tree isimportant in planning soil conservation andgoor', land use. he effect of ThanglAg soilconditions to the growth of p'ant3 might be thesubject of an interesting study in plant ecology.

Rererences

Daubernmire, R. F. 1959. Plants and Environ-ment. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.$7.50.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. Soil,the yearbook of agriculture. Washington,D. C. 784 pp. (See esp. p. 38)

Stallings, J. H. 1957. Soil conservation.Ch. 7, 8, and 11. Prentice-Hall, Inc.,Fnglewood Cliffs, N. J. S9.9S.

Identification and Evaluation of Grassesby Their Vegetative Characterislcs

Identification of grasses by vegetativecharacteristics is often essential in evaluatingpastures, lawns and conservation plantings.Grow seed of knows. grasses in flower pots orflats and make field collections. Determinecharacteristics that distinguish common grasses.Display drawings of characters used to differen-tiate species, mounted specimens and growingseedlings. What characteristics make grassesvaluable as soil-binding and moisture-conservingplants? Exhibit could include pressed, driedspecimens, as well as the growing plants andcharts.

Reference

The identification of 76 species of Mississippigrasses by vegetative morphology. 1952.

Mississippi Agriculture Experiment StationTechnical Bulletin 31.

How Seeds Travel

It is well-known that seeds of importancein soil and water conservation are widely dis-persed by wind, water, birds, and other animals.They have special organs adapting them for thedifferent forms of hitch-hiking, as the para-chute-like hairs of the thistles and dandelions,the hard light hulls on the seeds of littoralplants, and the hooks and glands that adhere tohair or skin. Every seed, as goes the song ofthe boll weevil, is "looking for a home."Relatively few of the nillions of seeds find aproper spot for their germination and growth toa plant, but when this happens by nature'schance, they have found their home and perhapshelped solve a conservation problem. Thisprocess the botanist calls ^eesis (from Gr,ek),a short word but laden with meaning. Whe...aver

we live, new or wayfaring plants can be found.To the inquiring mind the kind of sot; andsite they grow in and the types of seeds theybear--the different type: mike a good ex-hibit--are clues for the t.ciectIfie detectionof their identity, origin, and how they gotthere.

Observe an area of earth that was barea year or two ago, chart its plant popula-tion, where the plants probably came from,how they got there (related to the differ-ent types of seeds) how ....any kinds, and howthey compare with those in a nearby undisturbedarea.

References

Ridley, Henry M. 1930. The dispersal of plantsth.4)ughout the L. Peeve 6 Co. Ltd.In major libraries.

Any illustrated encyclopedia, "Seed.

Effects of Competition on Plant Growth

Greater productivity may be realized alongwith proper soil conservation if optimum standdensities are receiv-i from plantings.

Competition occurs whenever two or moreplants sake demands for water, light, or nu-trients in excess of the supply. Interestingresults may be secured by planting differentnumbers of seeds in a series of pots or greenhouse flats. The same species might be usedthroughout, or different species might beused. Results can be evaluated in terms ofheight, weight, fruit or flower stalk produc-tion, and receded by photography, charts, ortables.

Reference

Weaver, J. E. and F. E. Clements. 1938. Kantecology. McGraw -hill, Net York. $12.00.to major libraries.

20

Effect of Major Elements on Growthof Kentucky Bluegrass

On many soils it is essential that properfertilization be done to maintain an adequatedesirable plant cover. Such cover is needed toconserve the soil as well as maintain high pro-ductiep.

Plant Kentucky bluegrass seed in one seriesof pots filled with subsoil and in a second,filled with garden soil. Possible trcatnentsmight include no fertilizer, a complete fertil-izer (10-10-16) nitrogen only (ammonium sulfateor ammonium nitrate), phosphorus only, ant po-tassium only. The complete fertilize: treatmentand the single fertilizer treatments should becomparable with respect to the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium applied. Harvesttwo replications and display two. Measure rootsand tops and include weight if possible. Studycould be supplemented by fertilizer experimenton a small portion of a hone lawn.

References

U.S. Department of Agriculture. £48. Grass,

the yearbook of agriwature. Wash. D. C.H. B. Musse:, 1950. Turf management. McGraw-

Hill Book Co., Inc., New York. $10.95.In major libraries.

Effect of Clipping cn Root Development

The amount ,)f top growth removed fromplants and the frequency cf this removal has agreat deal to do with root growth am! conse-quently the ability of plants to absorb thtri-ents and moisture from different soil depths.

Grow seedlings in pots ano subject them tovarious clipping treatments, including heightof cut and frequency rdaily, weekly, etc.).Measure root development, amount of top growth,etc. It would be desirable to include morethan one species, e.g., annual ryegrass andKentucky bluegrass. This study could be supple-mented by a height of clipping test on a homelawn. Photographs taken in the spring and falland sod samples dug in the fall would be tcefulin yeportirg on a home demonstration.

References

U. S. Derurtment of Agriculture. 1918. Grass,

the usarbook of agriculture. Wash. D. C.H. B. Musser. 1950. Turf manageAcmt. McGraw-

Hill Book Co., Inc., New York. 10.95.In major libraries.

Influence of Hewing and Grazing on Grasses

Conservatim1 use of pasture and rangeplants is necessary to keep them in good high

producing condition. To demonstrate this,plant grasses such as crested weatgrass,meadow fescue, bromegrass or others in near-gallon can filled with soil and with perforatedbottoms to facilitate drainage. Crnw in fullsunlight. Clip the plants weekly at heightsof 1/2, 2 and 4 inches for a period of 8 to 12weeks. At the end of the period, submerse theeans of sail in water fer 24 to 18 hours. Re-move soil and plants frou cans and gently washsoil from roots to show the effect of heightof cutting upon root deeelopment. Resu.ts maybe displayed by mounts of plants, photographs,charts, etc.

Reference

Weaver, I. E. and F. E. Clements. 1938. Plantecology. McGraw-Hill, New York. $12.00.In major libraries.

how Grass Grows

Grass, like other green plants, grows bymanufacturing food through the process of photo-synthesis in the green leaves. If too much ofthe foliage is removed, as in mewing a :awn,growth is slowed down and sometimes the plantsare killed.

To determine the effect of foliage removalon growth of grass, study two plots of lawnmowed at different heighta. How both plots onthe same day, cutting one with the mower set aslow as possitile anc the other as high as pos-sible. L.fore each mowing, record observationson the density and vigor of the grass, heightor length of blades, presence of weeds, and otherfeatures that indicate the condition of thelaws,. The results of these observations con-tinued for several months coald be shown oncharts and illustrated by samples of the sodfrom the two plots.

Reference

Crider, F. J. 1955. Poot-powth stoppage re-sulting from defoliation of grass. USDATech. Bul. 1102., Washington, D. C.

How Much Water Does a Plant Use

The amount of water used by plants is im-portant in determining species to be used inplantings, especially where the water supply islimited.

The water requirement of grass can he de-termined by carefully following relativelysimple procedures. Gallon confectioners' cansmake suitable containers. The plants shook bestarted as cuttings and after rooting must be

21

grown for two or more months in a known aniountof soil, and al; water applied must be measured.Loss of moisture b: evaporation from the soilsurface can be greatly reduced by a surfacemulch or cover. The dry weight of plant mate-rial produced is divided into the weight ofwater used to obtain the water requirement.

References

Keller, Wesley. 1953. Water requirements ofselected genotypes of Orchard-grass.Agronomy Journal IS.

Keller, hesley. 1954. Water requirement ofDactylis gtomerata L. in the greenhouse(2 influenced by variations in techniqueand their interactions. Agronomy JournalNo. 46, No. 11.

Selective Action of Herb:cides onWeed and Forage Plants

Plant rows of seeds of oats, red clover,and ladino c'iover 1/4 inch deep in each of 4pets or neav-gallon cans. Jr. three of thesepots scatter over the surface a mixture ofseeds of broad-leaved plants such as rape,mustard or lettuce to represent brot.3leavedweedy and lightly cover with soil. Grow theplants in full Sunlight for a period of 3 weeks.The pots having a mixture cf legumes, oats :rdplants representative of weeds should be givendifferential treatment at this time: (a) SprayOne pct at a calculated rate of 1 lb. of ?,4dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) per acre,(b) spray ^ second pot at a calculated rate of1 lb. of 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) iutyric acid(4-(2,4-08)) per acre, and (c) give no spraytreatment to the third. Continue to growplants in full sunlight for an additional periodof 3 to 6 woas.

This demonstration will show the effect ofbroad-leaved plants in competition with legumeseedlings, in comparison with the weed freecondition. Also, the 2,4-D spray treatmentwill eliminate both weeds and legumes and leavethe oats relatively uninjured while treatmentwith 4-(2,4-D8) should remove the "weed"species without injury to the legumes or oats.!rat are the principles of selectivity?

Herbicidal chemicals can be obtained fromcommercial companies such as Amche Products,Inc., Ambler, Pa.; Dow Chemical Co., Midland,Mich.; Chipman Chemical Co., Roundbrook, N.J.;and others. It is important that chemicals beapplied to the foliage of the plants at therates of application recommended.

Reference

Ahlgren, Klingman, and Wolf. 1951. Principlesof lieed control. John Wiley 4 Sons, Inc.,New York. In major libraries.

Wildlife Habitat

Field borders between cropland and woodlandare often unproductive and badly eroded. Cropsdo not do well close to the trees because treestake the .'oisture or make too much shade. Hence,there often is a "no-man's land" at this pointor the fcrm. If this border is planted tos'irubs, especially those that bear fruit orberries, it will provide excellent food andcover for wildlife and will attract song andgame birds, rabbits, and other animal;. In

addition, the shrubs will protect the land fromerosion.

A season's wi'xilif count, comparing fieldsthat have planted edges or borders with thosethat do not, will reveal interesting and usefulinformation about the effect of this conserva-tion practice on wildlife populations. It mayalso reveal facts about food preferences, nest-ing habits, and other wildlife behavior.

You can get help from your county agent orlocal offices of the U. S. Department of Agri-culture, in locating fields where such compari-sons might be made. Be sure to get permissionof the farmer, too.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. *liking landproduce useful wildlife. Farm Bul. 2035.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Nora wildlifethrox0 soil and water conservation. Agr.Info. Bul. No. 175.

Establishing Wiidlife Areas

Most farms have out-of-the-way cornersof land that are difficult, costly, or im-possible to farm. These frequently can makegood wildlife areas for birds to nest in ifthey can get a. :.:ess to other vias for safety.A good stand or grass and bushes provides cover.These are espeCally fine if a source of foodis also provided, or is close by as in grainfields. But such shelters for wild game shouldtake into account the birds or animals and theirpredators. Such areas ought not to become"traps" by reason of their isolation from otherhabitat.

There are many backyards and wooded cornersthat might make good places for birds to nest orrabbits to hide. Check your neighborhood forlikely places. Are there grasses and bushes forthe rabtlts? Are the trees the kind that woulddiscourage cats from climbing? (Cats arenotorious bird predators if the birds have noplace to keep out of reach.) WLat is the sig-

nificance of field borders? What food plantsare most desirable and can be planted?

Establish or Isintain such areas and ex-hibit photographs and specimens of such habitatand plants. Existing areas may be identifiedand included.

22

Referen,:es

Habitat Improvement and other Publications ofthe National Wildlife Federation. Washing-ton, D. C.

Bird Habitat Publications of the National Audu-bon Society, 1130 Fifth Avenue, New York,N. Y.

Pond and Marsh Management for Waterfowl

Pond environments with continvously stablelevels may lose much of their utility to water-fowl througL the disappearance of many of themore desirable kinds of waterfowl food plants.Periodic reduction of the water level or evencomplete drainage and refilling often restoresthe capability of the pond to produce preferredfood and cover plants. This process oftenoccurs under natural conditions in aizas of lowrainfall, such as the pothole country in theDakotas, Minnesota, and the Prairie Provincesof Canada. On federal, state, are other areasmanaged for waterfowl, deliberate manipulationof water levels are carried out periodicallyto insure maximum sustained use of these landsand water by wildlife. To mainta'n highestfe-tility of the waters, however, the timing ofthe "draw-down" is important, for the nutrientcontent of the water varies with the season.Thus, unless timed properly, drainage of im-poundments may dissipate nutrient elements fromthe pond. Changes in pond vegetRtion and otherfact'.rs may be determined and exhibited fromphotographs, charts, specimen collections, etc.

Reference

Caok, Arthur H. and Charles F. Powers. 1958.

Early tiochemiral changes i4 the soils andwaters ofartifically oreated marshoe inNew York. New York Fish and Game Journal.pp. 9-6S.

14Artin, A. C. and F. M. Uhler. Food of Gameduck& in the Vnited Stafes and Canada.Research Report 30, U. S. Fish and WildlifeService, USDI. Superintendent of Documents,U. S. ;overnment Printing Office, Washing-ton, D. C. 308 pp. 10.75.

Stream Pollution and Fish Conservation

River or other stream pollution by sewageand industrial wastes destroys fishing and otherrecreational resources. Showing the facts andhelping the public to understand they can be aconstructive conservation project and ScienceFair exhibit. For example:

1. Model showing a "combined" sewer dur-ing heavy runoff of storwater, emptying intothe river. This will require running water,color and open topped, pipes. Benefit from

correction of this system: Recreational use ofriver :.111 be safe at all times. At present itis unsafe because of pe:iodi-: overflows of sew-age after rains,

2. Picture exhibit of a sewage treatmentplant showing primary and secondary treatmentfacilitios aid operations. Information regard-ing capacity and other facts should be included.Benefits: As city grows, additional solids mustbe removed since these solids use up oxygen inthe river which fish require to live. Elimina-tion of odor in the river,

3. Two fish tanks. One equipped withoa:..gen supply and live fish. One without oxygensupply and dead fish. Benefit: Oxygen in wateris required for fish to live. Also unsightlyand smelly scum develops on water without oxygen.

Sources of Information and Assistance

Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin,203 Transportation Building, Washington,D. C.

Division of Sanitary Engineering, DistrictBuilding, Washington, D. C.

U. S. Public Health Service, Division of Infor-mation, Washington, D. C.

Do Earthworms Help to Conserve Soil and Water?

Soil "aggregation" (crumb structure that isnot readily broken down by rain) and soil chan-nels made by macro-organisms are important tosoil and water conservation. Earthworms improvethe stability of some soil aggregates in waterand, at the same time, make holes which increasewater infiltration. Interesting experimentscould determine the effects of earthworms ondifferent soli properties ani their possibleinfluence on soil and water conservation.

A simple study of earthworms in action naybe made as follows: Fill a container half fullof loose black earth with several earthworms init. Then add on top of that about %alf as muchwhite sand or sawdust Follow that by a half-inch of corn meal. Moisten daily with a smallamount of water at house temperature. (If aglass container is used for easier observation,plate inside a paper bag for darkness.) Recordobservations daily. Later, make studies of thecomposition of the sand or sawdust and earthlayers, earthworm population, etc. Another COA-tainer with a different mulch on top, or anoiherkept at a different temperature, would provideinteresting comparisons.

References

C. S. Slater and H. Hopp. 1948. Soil ScienceSoc. Amer. Proc. 12: 508-511.

C. S. Slater and H. Hopp. 1949. Jour. Agr. Res.78(10): 325-339.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. Soil,

23

the yearbook of agriculture. p. 164.

Insects and Wildlife Conservation

To understand the maze of interrelation-ships existing in wild populations challengesthe ingenuity of our best ecologists. Anyaltering or control measures applied to insectscan further complicate tle picture and offer avery interesting and challenging field of study.Insect counts before and after the applicationof insect control measures, can indicate whichkinds of birds or other animals have had theirfood supplies altered. For example, learn whenthe county will carry on "fogging" operationsto control mosquitos or will spray to controlcertain tree insects. Take counts of vrriousinsects on plants in the sprayed area (1) beforeand (2) a day after (Cau:ion: If planning toapply any insecticides, remember that some arevery dangerous to man and other warm-bloodedanimals.)

References

C. H. Hoffman and J. P. Linduska. 1949. TheScientific Monthly. LXIX: 104-114.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1952. In-sects, the yearbook of agriculture. pp.

669-731.

Insects and Soil and Water Conservation

Many insects are important in the break-down of organic matter and in making holes inthe soil, which increase water infiltration.Interesting research might classify the differ-ent insects and other arthropods in forestfloors or cultivated fields and tabulate theireffects on the soil. The Berlese funnel andbrine flotation method may be used to determineinsect population.

Population counts before and after spray-ing might also be of interest. Does sprayingchange the amount or kind of activity going onin the soil? (Caution: Some insecticidesare very dangerous to man and other warm-Nloodedanimals.)

References

C. H. Hoffman, H. K. Tomes, H. 'I. Swift, andR. E. Sailer. 1949. field studies on theEffects of airptone applicatin:z of DIY"on forest invertebrates. Ecological mono-graphs 19: 1-46.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1952. In-sees, the yearbook of agric-Ature. (e.g.pp. 79, 291-292).

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957.

the yearbook of ogricklture. p. 163.

Methods and Economics of ReducingErosion on Farmland

There are .echarical ways of reducing soilerosion on hilly land, such as terrace systems,contour farming, striperopping, etc., and thereare vegetative methods, models, drawings, photo-graphs, etc., may be used to illustrate theso.

Yet many family gardens--both vegetable andflowering - -lose much of their topsoil (and there-fore ability to produce) from erosion. Do thegardens you kno4 about have little rivulets TM-ning downhill between the rows or plants wherethe soil has eroded away? Over a few weeks acheck on this can be made by getting some 18-inch stakes and painting about half-way down anddriving the stakes into the soil as far as thepaint. Put the stakes about three or four feetapart. After each rain or a number of rains;draw a string between two stakes at the formersurface level and see how deep the rivulets are.

How much top soil has been lost? Estimatethe average depth of the erosion ard how manyeighth's of ah inch the thickness uouitl be ifsmoothed out evenly. From this, compute howheaky the si,i1 is--how many tons per acre havebeen lost as conservationists do. How muchdecrease in yields might result? How much harderwould it be to make an income on eroded land'

Estimate the soil and yield losses In dif-ferent types of relatively clean cultivated landuses and in a grassy area of similar topography.

References

Conservation and Erosion in any encyclopedia.Foster, A. B. and A. C. Fox. 1957. Teaching

eoit and water conservation - -a classroomand field guide. USDA PA-341. pp. 19 and20.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957. Soil,the yearbook of agriculture. (e.g. pp. 390-307).

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Terracing forsoil and water coneervati2n. Farmers Bul.1789.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. Will more for-age pay? Misc. Bul. 702.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1961. Now tocontrol a gully. F-2171.

Mathematics of Installing ConservationFarming Systems

The ,,st of conservation practices andfrequent) a lown farm income for a period ofyears are facts that discourage farmers fromdoing needed conservation work. The effect onincome sight look something like Figure 1. Al-

ternatives might make the effect like Figure 2or some other pattern.

How can a farmer calculate whether he can"afford" to carry out a conservation system?Two or three alternative cropping and livestock

24

Tears

Legend

Assumed income it farming system is not changed.

Assumed income if conservation system is installed.

Reduced income period.-- Irbgressed income period.

systems might be assumed. Assumptions of stableprices and increases in crop yields, for exam-ple. of from 20 to 35 percent (2 to S percentper year) over a period of years might be madeunder various conservation systems of manage-meut. Optimum use of lime and fertilizer wouldht. important. The federal government will sharethe cost (about 50 percent) of certain conser-vation practices and bear certain technicalservice costs. The family minimum living costmay require the borrowing of money. How muchand when? Charts, graphs, and mathematicalformulas and computations can be used. Modelsof a farm before and after treatment can illus-trate systems and practices.

References

U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1957.

the yearbook of agriculture. (e.g. pp.

367-376, 411-450). U. S. Department ofAgriculture. 1958. Land, the yearbook ofagriculture. (e.g., pp. 316-338).

Ball, A. G., E. 0. Heady, and R. V. Baumann.1957. Economic evaluation of use of eoitconservation and improvement practices inww,tern Iowa. USDA Tech. Bul. No. 1162.

Ciriacy-Wantrup, S. V. 1951. Dollars and sensein conservation. Calif. Agri. Exp, Sta.Cir. A02.

U. S. Department of Agriculture. What is aArm conservation plan? PA. 629 (FCS);Credit in use and conservation of a6Ticul-turai resources. 1957. Agri. Info. Bul.No. 172; and Agricultural conservationprogram national bulletin and a relatedACP unpublished paper Conservation Armingpaye;:en?

SELECTED REFERENCES(Annotated)

The numbers following each citation in-dicate the subject-matter content according tothe following codes:

1 =

2 =

3 =

4

5 C

6 =

7

8 =

9 =

How to coniuct experiments, do scientificwork, and present reports, exhibits, ordemonstratioo-, of results.Conservation of natural resources - General.Conservation of renewable natural resources -General.Conservation of renewable natural resourcesSoil.

Conservation of renovable natural resourcesWater.

Cons "rvation of renewable natural resourcesEorrsts.Conservation of renewable to.turai resourcesGrasslands.Conservation of renewable natural resourcesWildlife.

Suggestions and ideas forprojects.

science fair

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy,1963. Pharmaceutical science project hand-book. American Pharmaceutical Association,2215 Constitution Aveue, N.W., Washington,O. C. 200.'7. 32 pp. _S;.

Certain fields of pharmaceutical science,defined in this booklet, deal with the search fornew drugs, many of which come from specializedplants of limited availability. All major fieldsdeal in some way with problems of health sci-ences. The booklet provides a source of pharma-ceutical science project ideas, some of which arerelated to conservation of natural resources. Anumber of science projects arc outlined undereach of four major fields with background infor-mation, supplies needed for the project, pro-cedures, discussions, and selected references.

(9)

American Chemical Society, 1969. ?lecozi:ng our

environmentthe chemical batfis for action.A Report by the Subcommittee on Environment,Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs.American Chemical Society, 1155 SixteenthSt., S.W., Washington, D. C. 20036. 249 pp.$2.75.

This publication is written especially forlaymen (legislators, administrators and others)who deal with environmental pollution problemsa: one of more steps removed from direct in-volvement such as a particular science and tech-nology. Two goals have been achieved by thelong list of distinguished scientists on thecommittee that prepared this bulletin. (1) Theyhave set down an objective account of the cur-rent status of the science and technology ofenvironmental improvement; What is known and howit is being used; what most be learned and howit might be used. (2) They analyzed the infor-mation thos assembled and have recommended anumber of measures that, if adopted, should helpto accelerate the sound development and use ofthat science and technology. Following a briefbut enlightening tutelary that includes 55 of 73recommendations, the material is presented indetail in four sections: The Air Environment;

25

Thu Water Environment; Sol;'.; Wastes; and Pesti-cides in the Environment. Each section pro -'ides a comprehensive laymen-oriented, discus-Lion, well organized under appropriate subhead-ings, vo provide an exhaustive account. Eachsection inclodes the recommendations and anextensive list of cited literature on the sub-ject. Anyone interested in tavironmental pollu-ti_a would do well to begin his studies withthis bulletin. (2)

Anonymous, 1962. Advo:tures in biology. Board

of Education, City of "'cu York. Publ,ks-tion Sales Office, 110 Livingston Street,Brooklyn, N. Y. 11201. 289 pp. $1.50.

Provides suggestions, procedures and sourcereferoicts for nearly 200 projects answeringbitiogical questions. Twenty-seven of theseare classified as ecological or conservation.Each project includes additional suggestionsfor related topic:. Contairs a comprehensivebibAography including 59 Turtox Service leaf-lets available from General Biological SupplyHouse, Chicago, Illinois on such subjects as:preserving botanical specimens; embeddingspecimens in transparent plastic; growing plantsin nutrient culture media; collection and cul-ture of eartiorms and other Annelids; hydro-ponics--growing plants in nutrient solutionswithout soils. (1, 9)

Anonymous, 1965. Conserving our natural re-sources- -a 4 -ii leader's guide. U. S. De-partment of Agriculture PA-04. Washington,10 C. 42 pp.

This bulletin was prepared by a committeeof federal and state agencies and industrygroups. It is for the purpose of providing abetter understanding of our nation's renewablenatural resources through an integrated approachto conservation. It provides an understandingof the relationships between living things andtheir environment. Discussions including soil,water, forests, grasslands and wildlife pointout the interrelationships between them. Aspecial section on references includes films,textbooks and pamphlets. This bulletin isavailable from the U. S. Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D. C. or from offices of theFederal Extension Service, Forest Service, SoilConservation Service, or the Fish and WildlifeService. (3, 4, S, 6, 7, 8)

Anonymous, 1967. Selected references on forestsand related natural resources. U. S. Dept.

Agric. Forest Service FS-39. Washington,D. C.An updated list of selected references avail-

able from the U. S. Government Printing Office,Washington, D. C. or from offices of the ForestService. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Anonymous, 1967. Trees of the foreststheirbeauty and wet. U. S. Dept. Agric., ForestService FA-613. Washington, D. C. 24 pp.

This pamphlet tells about trees. It gives

background about our forests and how they havechanged. It tells about the National Forests- -what they are and how they are managed. Charac-teristics of various trees and their uses aredescribed. Ten special areas in the NationalForests are described as places to go and learnmore about trees and forests. Available fromthe U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington,D. C. for 25t or from offices of the ForestService. (6)

Allen, Shirley W. and J. W. Leonard, 1966 (3rded.). Conserving natural pesources--prin-ciples and practices in a democracy. Mc-Graw-Hill, New York. 432 pp.A comprehensive textbook on natural resource

conservation including classification into re-source groups with individual discmsiens,methods of resource management, legislation,etc. Bibliography at end of each chapter. (2,

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Barr, George, 1958. Research ideas for youngscientists. Whittlesey !tense, McGraw-HillBook Company, Inc., New York. 142 pp.

This is an intriguing small book describingmany research ideas not repetitious of thoseordinarily suggested. The material is organizedunder the following headings: electricity andmagnetism; transportation; sound and light; thehuman body; weather, water; insects; plants;distance; time; science in your home. Eachsection is terminated with suggestions entitled,"more to find out," and a short listing of"books to read." Kinds of research ideas pre-sented are illustrated by such topics as: "isit warn under the snow;" "can you control theevaporation of water?"; "can you read by fireflylight?"; "do all vines twine the same direc-tion?". Imagination and background in conserva-tion will be needed to use the ideas in develop-ing acceptable conservation science fair proj-ects, but reviewing thin book cannot help butstimulate ideas. (9)

Bennett, Hugh Hammond, 1939. Soil conservation.MeGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York. 993

PP.This book is the "classic" on soil conserva-

tion. There is a later book (1955) by the sameauthor and publisher entitled Elemente of SoilConservation. (2, 3, 4, 3, 6, 7, 8)

Berman, William, 1963. Experimental bioLogy.Sentinel Book Publishers, Inc., New York.128 pp. paper-back. $1.00.

As indicated on the cover, this excellentbook on experimental biology is a road to re-search in plant cancer, aquaculture, enzymes,metabolism, photosynthesis, chromatography,phagotytosis. Detailed and illustrated instruc-tions and techniques are given for preparingcultures, solutions, slides, using manometry,making tissue extracts, extracting chlorophyll,and for photomicrography. the exercises aredeveloped around special science projects with

26

many suggestions for expanding the investiga-tions. (1, 9)

Boy Scouts of America. Merit Badge Library.New Brunswick, N. J. 08903.'[his is a series of clearly presented, well

prepared, illustrated and periodically updatedbooklets, written by authorities in theirfields. They are designed especially for Scoutsand Explorers in meeting merit badge require-ments. Separate booklets cover many phases ofscience, art, technology, vocations, sports,recreation, communications, conservation ofnatural resources, etc. For example, bookletsare available on Agr::culturc (1960), Birdstudy (1967), Botany (1961), Conservation ofnatural resources (1967), Forage crops (1965),Forest)? (1959), Soil and water conservation(1968). Selected booklets are useful in re-lating scientific projects to conservation ofnatural resources. Each booklet lists selectedreferentes for further study and lists theother booklets in the series. Available inlibraries, bookstores, suppliers of Boy Scoutequipment, or from the publisher at 504 percopy. (2, 3, 4, S, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Carvajal, J. and M. E. Munzer, 1968. Conserva-tion education--a selected bibliography.The interstate Printers and Publishers,inc., Danville, Illinois. 98 pp.An annotated bibliography, published for

the Conservation Education Association, listingUnited States publications f:om 1957 through1966. A few earlier ":lassies" are included,mostly without comments. Citations are classi-fied by subject categories and the suggestedreading levels. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Concepts in Science Series. Harcourt, Braceand World, Inc., New York, Chicago, Atlanta,Dallas, Burlingame. (Especially the follow-ing items.)

Brandwein et al, 1966. Concepts in scienco:E.-teacher's edition. S3.80.

This 440-page, hard-backed book containsan introduction for teachers and 54 investi-gations. Each unit contains well describedand illustrated investigations followed by aseries of questions to promote individualstudy.

Brandwein et al, 1966. 200 invitations toinvestigate. $21.00, wholesale.This is a set of 100 ungraded laboratory

cards providing background information, illus-trations, and guides for pupil's independentinvestigations in the biological and physicalsciences. Packaged in a stury case, pupils ingrades 4 through 9 can pursue their own in-terest in a particular area of science, inde-pendent of their regular classroom work andtheir teacher. A single box, which can serveone or mere classrooms, contains: (1) anintroductory card; (2) a sample investigation

card; and (3) 100 investigation cards separ-ated into three approximate degrees of diffi-culty. Intended as a self-sufficient enrich-ment program for the Concept in Science Series,100 Invitations to Investigate can also supple-ment any other elementary school science text-book series.

Brandwein et al, 1968. Life: its forms andchanges, $4.35; Matter: its forms andchanges, $4.35; and Energy: its forms andchanges, $4.95.These three books, also a part of the Con-

cepts in Science Series, are designed especial-ly for junior high schools. They are organizedinto units of study, each unit contains a num-ber of illustrated and described "'apprenticeinvestigations" followed by suggestions for"an investigation on your own." (1, 9)

Dasmann, Raymond F. 1969. An environment fitfor people - -the new meaning of conservation,

Public Affairs Phmphlet No. 421. 381 ParkAve., New York 10016. 28 pp. Price 254.(Published in cooperation with the Conserva-tion Foundation, 1250 Connecticut Ave., N.W.,Washington, D. C., where it may also be ob-tained.)This pamphlet is an excellent, modern, ma-

ture, and general presentation of conservationaccording to the following definition: "The

rational use of the environment to achieve thehighest quality of living for mankind." Thematerial is organized under the following head-ings: the meaning of conservation, ecology andconservation; population and environment; con-servation in cities--air pollution, water pollu-tion, solid wastes, urban open space, city plan-ning; conservation and rural lands--soil erosion,conservation of rangelands, forest conservation;wild creatures and wild places; the marine en-vironment; outlook and action. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6,1, 8)

Driscoll, Richard S. 1967. Managing publicrangelands; effective livestock erasing sys-tems for National Forests and National Grass-lands. U. S. Dept. Agric., Forest ServiceA18-315. 30 pp.

A photographically Illustrated pamphlet thatpresents range management objectives, rangelandconservation practices, and kinds of grazingsystems with information about their advantagesand disadvantages. A selected bibliography listsother publications for further study. The in-formation is brief, simply written, and will givea science fair participant some general back-ground to relate his project to rangeland (grass-land) conservation. Available free from theU. S. Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 10150.

(7)

Foster, Albert B. and Adrian C. Fox, 1957.Teaching soil and water conservation - aciassroon and field guide-. U. S. Dept.Agric., Soil Conservation Service, Washing-

27

ton, D. C. PA-341. 30 pp.As the title states, this publication is a

classroom and field guide. The material is pre-sented as 22 conservation activities such as:Compare soils by growing plants ih them; howmuch sediment does a stream carry?; how duescrop cover affect soil loss?; make splash boardsto study splash erosion. Simple experimentsand demonstrations are explained and illustrated.These help students set up their own investiga-tions to more fully understand the basic con-cepts of each activity. Each activity is ac-companied by a discussion on "interpretations"that leads the student to a broader apprecia-tion and understanding of the subject matter.This publication may be obtained free through alocal Soil Conservation Service office or fromthe national office in Washington, D. C. (4, 5,6, 7, 8, 9)

Fox, Charles E. 1967. Conservation activitiesfor young people. U. S. Dept. Agric.,Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 40250.21 pp.

This booklet suggests many potential con-servation science fair projects. Numerousquestions and statements, orga3ized about sug-gested field excursions, are presented to ex-tend students' observations and curiosity. Thesuggested field excursions sample all phases ofrenewable natural resources. Twenty-eightsimple demonstrations or experiments are des-cribed briefly, each of which will direct stu-dents to specific conservation science fairprojects of their own. Lists of "other subjectsto explore further," "exhibits and collections,"and "subjects to write and talk about" provideadditional suggestions. May be obtainer' freefrom offices of the Forest Service. (9)

Frandsen, Waldo R. 1960. Grass makes its ownfood- -for growthfor forage- -for gorier landusefor soil conservation. U. S. Dept.Agric., Soil Conservation Service, Agricul-ture Informational Bulletin No. 223.An 8 x 15 inch sheet folded to pocket size

and giving elementary information about grass.When opened, one side contains a poster-typecaricature of a "grass factory" illustratingbasic environmental requirements entitir Howarose makes food for growth. This folder hasbeen used in classrooms and on exhibits toillustrate rangeland conservation principles.Available free from local or national officesof the Soil Conservation Service or for St fromthe U. S. GovernmeLt Printing Office, Washing-ton, D. C. (7)

Goldstein, Philip and Paul Brandwein (editors)1957. How to 4, an experiment. Harcourt,Brace and Co., Inc., New York. 192 pp.This small book is truly outstanding. it

tells the junior sLientist about scientificmethods; how information is obtained; how tocarry on an investigation, including choosingand starting the problem, doing the preparatory

work, planning and carrying out the investiga-tion, recording the observations, analyzing re-sults and formulating tho conclusions, reportingthe investigation and results orally, in writingand as an exhibit. A useful bibliography isincluded. Every science fair participant shouldreview this book. (1)

Green, Iva. 1958. Water--our moat valuablenatural resource. Coward-McCann, Inc., NewYork. 96 pp.An interestingly written, well-illustrated,

elementary discussion of water, its sources,uses, and conservation. (5)

Guidry, N. P. and K. B. Frye, 1968. Graphiccommunications in science--a guide to format,techniques and tools. National ScienceTeachers Association, 1201 Sixteenth St.,N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036. 48 pp.$2.00.This publication guides the reader toward

effective presentation of data in illustrations(charts, diagrams, etc.). Different types ofcharts are described along with the best methodsof production and the equipment necessary forprofessional-looking work. Includes a glossaryof terms and a bibliography. (1)

Harrison, C. William, 1969. Forests (riches ofthe earth.) Julian Messner, 1 West 39thStreet, New York 10018. 191 pp. $3.95.

"For as long as man has been on earth, for-ests have b'en essential to his survival andwell-being...from them man has received the mate-rials with which to build his houses, his ships,his tools....forests support the bulk of wild-life and produce the oxygen we breathe. Thestory of our forests and their enormous varietyand manifold uses is a fascinating one, and manhas much to learn if he is to preserve theirbeauty, their wonder and their economic value asone of the greatest of the riches of our earth."This is a recent book whose scope is indicatedby the above statements taken from the foreword.Any student interested in developing a conser-vation science fair project relating to forestsas one of the important renewable natural re-sources, will gain much background informationfrom reading this interesting book. (6)

Kslmus H. 1960. 101 simple experiments withinsects. Doubleday and Co., Inc., GardenCity, New York. 194 pp.This small, hard-back book, written by a

scientist at LoLdon's University College, andadapted for North American readers, includes aseries of simple experiments designed to samplevarious functions and habitat factors of insectlife. Animals and apparatus needed for eachexperiment are listed. Background informationis given for each experiment together with sug-gested procedures. A short introduction tellsabout insects as a group of animals. Specificreferences are cited for each experiment. Avail-

able from libraries or from the publisher. (9)

28

Le.:.ompte, Robert G. and Burrell L. Wood, 1964.Atoms at the science fair--exhibiting nu-clear projects. U. S. Atomic Energy Com-mission, P. O. Rox 62, Oak Ridge, Tennessee37831. 52 pp. Free.

This booklet, designed to help young ex-hibitors, science teachers, project counselors,and parents, offers advice on how to plan, de-sign, and construct successful exhibits. Along list of nuclear science project titles ex-hibited at the National Science Fair-Interna-tional from 1950 through 1963 is included. Nu-

clear energy-related investigations and appli-cations are suggested in the areas of biology,medicine, chemistry, physics, geology, and in-dustry. There is a well-chosen list of suggest-ed references published since 1952 and a listof suppliers of radioisotopes. (1, 9)

McAvoy, R., J. Ayres, J. C. Chiddix and R. E.

Diveley, 1959. Biology projects. SciencePublications, Normal, Illinois. 160 pp.A hard-backed, small book suggesting 61

biological project areas that may be pursuedin the classroom, as individual projects, or ashobby interests. Projects are not described incomplete detail but are suggestive of theavenues that might be followed. Projects areorganized under; the plant kingdom, the animalkingdom, and general projects. Specific refer-ences reporting published research in the sug-gested subject are not given and no bibliographyis included. (9)

McCorkle, J. S. 1967. Grass-the rancher'scrop. U. S. Dept. Agric., Soil Conserva-tion Service. Leaflet 346. 8 pp.

This photographically illustrated leaflettells about the importance of grass and grass-land conservation. Available free from localor the national offices of the Soil Conserva-tion Service or for 104 from the U. S. Govern-ment Printing Office, Washington, D. C. (7)

Moore, Shirley (A.), 1960. Science projectshandbook. Science Service, Inc., 1719 N.Street, N.W., Washington, D. C., or Ballan-tine Books, Inc., 101 Fifth Avenue, NewYork. 254 pp. Paperback, 504.A very helpful, inexpensive, small book

giving, in chapters 3 through 12, actual re-ports by students who have developed projectsin many areas of science. The book containsguidance for the student in developing a prt.ect and carrying it through competition such aca science fair. There is a 20-page chapterciting references for study. These are orga-nized by subject areas. (1, 9)

Morholt, E., P. F. Brandwein and A. Joseph.1958. Teaching high school science: a

sourcebook for the biological sciences.Harcourt, Brace and Company, Inc., NewYork.

A heavily illustrated book of techniques,demor.trations, projects, experiments, and

references for teaching and learning biology,genera science, health, botany, and zoology atthe high school level. Includes a 19-page chap-ter on conservation: web of life. (1, 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Munzer, M. E. and P. F. Brandwein, 1960. Teach-ing science through conservation. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York. 470 pp.

This book, sponsored by the ConservationFoundation, helps science teachers relate generalscience, biology, chemistry, physics, and earthscience to conservation of natural resources.Conservation is defined according to modern con-cepts and resources are classified as renewable,nonrenewable, inexhaustible, and new to-be-devel-oped. keny well described and illustrated ex-periments, projects, and exercises are given tolead the student into a more complete understand-ing and appreciation of basic scientific prin-ciples and their interrelationships to the con-servation and use of natural resources. An ex-tensive bibliography is included, classified bysubject matter, availability, and reading level.(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

National Science Teachers Association, 1968.Award winning FSA (Future Scientists ofAmerica) science projects. National ScienceTeachers Association, 1201 Sixteenth Street,N. W., Washington, D. C. 20036. 30 pp.$1.00.This publication contains many student re-

ports of actual regional award-winning projects.Scientific areas represented are: biology;chemistry and physics; earth-space science; andmiscellaneous. The projects ',present allgrades from 7 through 12. A prospective sciencefair participant will profit from referring tothese reports. Many reports include discussionsof additional investigations that could be made.

(9)

McNall, P. E. 1964 (2nd ed.). Our naturalresources. The Interstate Printers and Pub-lishers, Inc., Danville, Illinois. 280 pp.$4.75.This book is written for young people to

present the story of natural resources and man'sdependence upon them. Resources are discussedas "inexhaustible," "exhaustible-irreplaceable,"and "exhaustible-replaceable." Attention isgiven to atomic and solar energy and to moreconventional sources of energy such as coal, oiland gas. Excellent presentations are includedabout soil, water, minerals, wildlife, trees,and other vegetation, together with discussionsabout their conservation. Available in librariesor from the publisher. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Patterson, Margaret E. and Joseph H. Kraus.1957 (5th ed.). Thousands of science proj-ects. Science Service, 1719 N Street, N.W.,Washington. D. C. 20036. 44 pp. 25$.Each of the thousands of science projects

reported was completed by at least one student

29

who participated in a science fair or competedin the science talent search of the Westing-house Science Scholarships and Awards. Theproject titles are classified in two ways--bybroad general subjects, and according to theclassification used by the Library of Congress.There are some photographs illustrating how theprojects were displayed to the public. Infor-mation (descriptions and plans) about how eachtitle was developed is not included and is notavailable. The list of titles may provide ideasto those in search of a suitable project but aspecific project under any title may take manydifferent forms depending upon the individualstudent. (9)

President's Council on Recreation and NaturalBeauty, 1968. From sea to shining sea, areport on the American environment- -ournatural heritage. U. S. Government Print-ing Office, Washington, D. C. 304 pp.$2.00.

This publication, available in majorlibraries and from the U. S. Government Print-ing Office, presents the consequence of man'simpact on his environment. "In his single-minded pursuit of particular aims--evolvinginto the intensive specialization accompanyingtechnological advance--man has often been ob-livious to unintended side effects of hisactions." The publication presents a nationalbeauty movement defined as, "...a vigorousexpansion of traditional concepts of theAmerican conservation movement started by JohnMuir, Gifford Pinchot, and Theodore Roosevelt."All facets of the subject are covered under;The Environment - the urban areas, the ruralareas. and transportation; Sharing Responsibili-ty for Action; and Keys to Action includingliterature, films, agencies and organizationsthat can help, "...until the impact of therenewal of the American environment has beenfelt in every part of the land." (2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8)

Research problems in biology-investigationsfor students. Series 1 and 2, 1963, andSeries 3 and 4, 1965. Anchor Books, Double-day and Company, Inc., Carden City, NewYork.

Each of these four, 160-page, paper backbooks contain 40 investigations sampling areasof research. The investigations were preparedby biological scientists and present backgroundof current knowledge, suggested approaches tothe problem, and appropriate references toscientific literature. Each investigation isan invitation to discovery, emphasizing inquiryand encouraging independent work. (9)

Rosenfeld, Sam. 1965. Science experimentswith water. Harvey House, Inc., Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, Y. 190 pp.Illustrates, describes and discusses numer-

ous simple experiments with water that clearlypresents basic pLysical phenomena of water and

related subjects. Thought-provoking questionslead students to other investigations. Avail-able in libraries or from the publisher. (9)

Sawyer, R. W. and R. A. Farmer. 1967. New ideasfor science fair projects. Arco PublishingCompany, Inc., 219 Park Ave. South, New York10003. 155 pp. $3.95.

An excellent book for prospective sciencefair participants. It explores and explains ev-ery aspect of science fair activities: how do youchoose a topic?; what are the basic techniques ofresearch?; how do you plan and build a projectaround your selected topic?; how do you prepare atimetable?; how much will your project cost andhow long will it take to build?; who can help youwith your research?; how do you enter your proj-ect in a science fair?; what types of fairs arethere?; what are the rules?; who does the judgingand what are the rewards? It includes 22 nation-al fair-winning reports by actual participants,some of which are illustrated by photographs anddrawings. These will be helpful to science fairparticipants. (1, 9)

Science Clubs of America, 1966. Science activi-ties handbook. Science Service, Inc., 1719N Street, N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036.63 pp. $1.00.A handbook for teachers, club sponsors, and

parents of science-interested youth. Includes

information from many sources helpful in encour-aging student scientists. Contains sectionsabout science fairs (national, international,local) with background information about orga-nization, rules, regulations and judging; aboutthe National Science Talent Search; and aboutmany other helpful subjects. (1)

Showalter, V. M. and I. L. Slesnick, 1966. Ideasfor science investigations. National ScienceTeachers Assn., 1201 Sixteenth Street, N.W.,Washington, D. C. 20036. 58 pp. $3.25.

This is an excellent reference for sciencefair participants. Part one, containing a chap-ter for students and a chapter for teachers,indicates how to use the publication. Part two,comprising five chapters, is devoted to "develop-ment of investigations." The first chapter ofthis part deals with selecting and starting theproblem. The next three chapters illustrate howthree different students developed ertirelydifferent and acceptable projects from the samebasic project. The fifth chapter of this partdeals with reporting the project. Part threepresents project suggestions as "ideas for in-vestigation." These are organized into fourgroups--biology, chemistry, physics, and general.Project topics are stated and discussed briefly.Then, a number of questions or statements arepresented about each topic that leads thestudent into selecting his own specific projectfor investigation. Part four is a selectedreference listing of relatively recent publica-tions organized under the headings "ideas,""techniques," and "information in depth." (1, 9)

30

Smith, Guy-Harold (ed.), 1965 (3rd ed.). Con-servation of natural resources. John Wileyand Sons, N. Y. 533 pp. $9.95.A comprehensive textbook written by many

authorities. Contains chapters on specificresources, historical review, evaluations ofpast activities and future outlook. Bibliog-raphy material is included throughout the textand at the ends of chapters. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6,7, 8)

Soil Conservation Service. 1964. Water facts -sources - supplies - needs - uses - losses -floods - conservation. U. S. Dept. Agric.,Soil Conservation Service, PA-337. 14 pp.This pamphlet, issued in 1957 and revised

in 1964, provides a brief factual summary ofwater. A student interested in developing aconservation science fair project about waterwill obtain background information from thispublication that will help him relate a specificproject to water conservation. Obtainable freefrom a local or the national office of the SoilConservation Service. (5)

Soil Conservation Service. 1964. Grass inconservation in the United States. U. S.Dept. Agric., Soil Conservation Service,SCS-TP-143. 43 pp.A technical publication basic to a broad

understanding of the use of grass in soil andwater conservation. It includes four main sec-tions written by authorities: grass in soiland water conservation; grass in conservationfarming; conservation of private rangeland; newplant materials for conservation farming andranching. There is an excellent, comprehensivebut selected list of publications for furtherstudy. The more advanced science fair partici-pant will obtain information to help him relatea project dealing with grass and legumes toconservation of grassland. Available in majorlibraries or from the U. S. Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D. C. (7)

Stallings, J. H. 1957. Soil conservation.Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N. J.575 pp. $9.95.This is a general and comprehensive text-

book of permanent value. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Strong, Evelyn. 1966. Science fairs? why?who? helping children learn science. (A

selection of articles reprinted from Scienceand Children.) National Science TeachersAssociation, 1201 Sixteenth St., N.W.,Washington, D. C. 20036.This publication discusses science fairs

for elementary schools. It gives two criteriafor selecting children's participation. Sug-gestions for suitable science projects aregiven under the following four headings: obser-vations of the environment; demonstration of abasic principle of science; collecting andanalyzing data; controlled experimentation."Worthwhile projects are those which are

problem-centered and in which the process isimportant--not those which center on showmanshipor gadgetry in display." (1, 9)

Taylor, John K., Phoebe Knipling and FalconerSmith. 1962 (rev.). Project ideas foryoung scientists. Joint Board on ScienceEducation, 6113 Trowbridge Place, Oxon Hill,Maryland 20022. 173 pp. $1.25.

This book discusses the purposes and natureof science projects, science exhibits, andscience fair activities in the greater Washing-ton, D. C. area. Definitions used in PrinceGeorges County, Maryland for classifying projectsinto eleven general subject-matter fields forexhibit are given together with instructions forpreparing exhibits and in judging. Numerousproject titles are presented with brief, generaldiscussions about how a project may be developedand listing one or more published sources ofinformation that will help the student getstarted. These projects are organized under 12areas--zoology, botany, agricultural science,conservation, chemistry, engineering, etc. Thereis a chapter listing a large number of brieflyannotated, unclassified titles suggestive ofscience projects, and a chapter listing many"just titles." (1, 9)

UNESCO. 1959. Seven hundred experiments foreveryone. Doubleday and Co., Inc., New York.221 pp.Prepared by the United Nations Educational,

Scientific and Cultural Organization for world-wide use through translated editions. Chapterscover the following subjects: plants; animals;rocks, soils, minerals, and fossils; astronomy;air and air pressure; weather; water; machines;forces and inertia; sound; heat; magnetism;electricity; light; the human body. Clear ex-

31

planations and diagrams are provided on how tomake necessary equipment and how to performmany experiments to demonstrate "basic princi-ples that govern the world." Appendices includelistings of ready references, scientific dataand information that may be needed. (1, 9)

Viorst, Judith. 1967. 150 science experimentsstep-by-step. Bantam Books, Inc., 271Madison Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10016.180 pp. 60t.

This book is written for young people inter-ested in exploring some of nature's basic lawsthrough the experimental process. It covers thefields of chemistry, physics, biology, weather,and numbers. The experiments, designed forgrades six to nine or ten, range from easy tochallenging. (1, 9)

Weaver, E. G. (ed.). 1969. Science experimentsin environmental pollution. Holt, Rinehartand Winston, Inc., 393 Madison Avenue,New York, N. Y. 10017. 40 pp. $1.00.

A booklet of new ideas for investigatingpollution problems. Written in the spirit ofinquiry, they provide ideas for student or classprojects. Projects include physical and chemi-cal tests for such air and water pollutants asfluoride ions, acids, sulfur dioxide, dust, andradioactive particles. Projects dealing withthe effects of mirvo-organisms on solid wastes,such as paper and aluminum foil as well as ondetergents and soap are also included. Manyhelpful diagrams and hints on constructing test-ing devices are given. Some suggested investi-gations are very simple and use a minimum ofequipment and chemicals. This publication pro-vides projects for junior and senior highschools but some investigations will be toocomplex for junior high schools. (9)

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

AVAILABLE FROM

SOIL CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA

JOURNAL OF SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION

Printed six times a year as the official publicatiohof the Soil Conservation Society of America, it annuallycontains more than 40 technical and general manuscripts re-lating to all facets of conservation. It is now used bymore than 500 libraries in the United States and Canada.Available to individuals only through membership of $10.00per calendar year; libraries $10.00.

RESOURCE CONSERVATION GLOSSARY

Developed over a period of three years by a specialcommittee of members of the Soil Conservation Society ofAmerica affiliated with the Lincoln (Nebraska) Chapter,the glossary is designed to be of aid to all professionalsemployed in conservation, to students, administrators, andclerical personnel. The glossary contains 1,618 selectedterms from 13 technologies including agronomy, biology,forestry, geology, hydrobogy, range, recreation, soils andwatersheds.

It is available as a separate publication at thefollowing prices:

Single copy $5.002 - 9 copies 3.00 ea.10 - 49 copies - 2.50 ea.50 - 99 copies - 2.00 ea.

100 or more 1.50 ea. F.O.B. Ankeny

SOIL CONSERVATION SOCIETY OF AMERICA7515 N. E. Ankeny RoadAnkeny, Iowa 50021