Nevada County picayune., 1886-01-14
AgHCallardl C0!ull.
impr0viug Lands.

ayaiieta these if land is rolling
 and the soil is washed away ar
 fast it as deepenel CT enriched.
 In all, ,rti.rts to improve the soil,
 the first step must be to hold it. a',eatisu, study ingesuity, must | all be directed to one point since tcrracing has acquired no. 'toricty, hillside di,ching has been almost entirely discarded. This | uny be well after terraces have . become firmly established, but an terror to this whilst tbe terraces
 gre being made, aad the loose
 earth thrown up by thc blow is
 easily washed away, Gitches will
 be drciGely advantageous, cspec- isll, il washes have already begun.
 Iu heavy raids, water acquires a
 terrible momentum down slope
 that are long and s.cep, fl allowed
 ta traverse the wlc,e distance;
 catch it in q ditch before 1t has
 had time to acquire volume and | velocity Make the ditch large.
 aud deep enough to hold the va
 lter in the heaviest raius; don't be
 timid about this, fearing your
 ditch will become gulley With he greatest Gall given hillside
 litches. il k an oagy matter to get
 them filed up after they have . served their purpose. Every one Nho has had such experience will hillside ditehcs know. that the trouble is to' keep th open D Rnars. weeds, etc. falling into
 them are constantly ca,cliu earth t and making soil ia their bottom F npoa which spr1ns uP grasses ane ' wee ls. these catch more sJ.l aue i soor the d.tsh break over, ualcs. T often clcael out. ln crossing s them with the blow dirt ani ifast | ,ali into such dceree that t l.
 next to impossible to keep then 6 open when tls p.owman does no O turn al the d:ich. Mbcrc rows ar, Q run on icvcl, onr years breakia- q and cuitivution of the land vii e completely obliterate ditch thu = is crossed.
 \ poorly made, inadequate !iicl u is worse than no ditch, but a pro = per,y made large ditch has one de . cird drawback; especially or = steep slopes the water falling in
 lo it from above tends 10 start lit I, tie gulheS on the upper edge O the ditch; and these if not checked
 tends to cloUgat' up the hill-i,
 other words djtches tend to gen " crate guliios Fortunately thi'
 can be obviatcd by leaving an ut ', pl1wed strip along the upper edge u of the ditch. Weeds and eras'
 growing upon this strip binds it. ' soil 90 that water will hot cu " through it, but checked in ils dow
 deposits it's burdens of soil O. . said strip and quietly perco.sie. u through. This strip should not h' " not less tean 3 feet in width Where this prccAat.un has uo ;een taken. anu gnll,oS have sis-' | rd along the upper eGIe of dit,he- [ would b. N"'l .b p1t trash Of come kinl in every one of t.ese ' weighing it down with rocks. \ g perfect edge of the ditch can thu soon be restablished, anl the uD x plowed strip of land will take ear, |. of it afterwards. Don't de' [ a looking after these apparant'y Lt { gle things; stitch in time will save - more than niue afterwards.
 Where moderate gullies have al $ ready formed haul leaves, straw or ' trash of any kind and put in them Il little brush at intervals, or TOW ! of stohs placed across them will serve to keep tho leaves from be. ing washed out of them. IftLis is . done and plowmen made Co lih their plows over in crossing these
 washes. they will very soon fill up More CT lcss dirt and trash VII drop into them from the blows a s they ara lifted, anl this will help
 fill them. If washes are plOwed across without lifting the blow, the loose dirt in the wash is carried of by the first rain, and thus every blowing serves to deepen the wash Make it an inviolable rule to have
 the blow lifted over every wash shat can be crossed. Al this soa son of the year it is well to SOW a little rye, wheat or other grain
 alnnuy thesn vNShos fiat o-n p1lo3