T.H.Day

SCS (Soil Conservation Service) Collection

c. 1950's

This winter image shows a field of bare soil with numerous rows of what are identified as lettuce roots standing up to four inches above the soil surface. The rows run from lower right foreground to upper left middle ground. A low brush-covered ridge holding small patches of snow crosses the image in far middle ground. When lettuce is harvested it is normally cut at ground level below the head or leaves. The roots are thus left in the ground. The exposed roots in this photo illustrate the depth of soil that has been blown away since the fall lettuce harvest.

Matanuska Valley, Alaska

Black & White Paper Print, 4"x5"

Erosion#11x-SCS