| Perhaps a third or more of all cropland is losing topsoil faster than new soil is forming, thereby reducing the land's inherent productivity. |
| Attempts to replant had obviously been made, but the topsoil had washed away and the saplings were dead. |
| The thin layer of topsoil is constantly thawing and refreezing during the summer, and this makes any plant growth very difficult. |
| Often the topsoil was easy to see because it was blowing around in the air, in willy-willies like mini-tornadoes. |
| The ground had to be dug over, dressed with some compost and lastly covered with the topsoil. |
| The air was fresh with earthly scents of topsoil, grass, trees and wildflowers. |
