In a 1940 NBC Radio Broadcast, Henry A. Wallace said that grass, though small, humble, and often unnoticed, is as important as trees for protecting the soil and even more important for building deep soil rich in humus and holding water like a sponge. He also said he had always had a great affection for grass because it stands for quietness and strength, and that a countryside shorn and stripped of thick green grass is weakened just as Samson was.