Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-07-22
THE FARM AND HOME.
A METHOD OF PREVENTING
LAND WASHING.
Clayey Soil suffers Heaviiy-To Increase
Yields-A Cure for Heaves-More
sheep Farm Notes
and Home Hints.

Der OF Colemans hufal horiu, that
somebody besides myself is concerned
about the washing OF land. have
felt concerned about that matter ever
since first came to the clsyey West
ern region, writes G. A. Osgood,
More than thirty years ago i wrote IN
the n. Y. Tribune that it seemed
as II nature had taken the contract
OF filling up the Gulf Of Mexico. and
had impressed the farmers of this
region into her service on the job,
and that they seemed TO be good and
willing helpers, as none OF them that
know seemed 10 care for the wash
ing OF their lands if so be the number
Of acres were left and the ink not
washed out Of their title deeds.
When their fields became we'll
scored over with gullies, they would
put some straw in the deeper ones
aud pillow all full Of top soil and CON
slider the harm all remedied, never
seeming to realize that every opera
tiOn Of that kind lessened the aver
age depth of fertile soil an inch or
more, which in time would bring
the pillow down to sterile clay and
hard-pan. Sandy or gFayelly land,
even of pretty steep slope, viii abb
sorb water as fast as il usually falls
in rain
But it is quite different with a
clayey soll. so that il suffers not only
from the effects Of the washing but
also from the loss OF the water itself
in case Of short, rapid showers in
times OF drouth. Once on a bright,
hot day in time of general drouth.
came to a creek. wallowing bank
full of thick. muddy water; there had
been heavy shower higher up. but
none where was.
We are depicting the fertility OF
this Western region pretty rapidly
by the expectation Of so much OF the
products OF the soil. Tor this we
get some return in cash and goods
But | have no doubt the Missis-
sippi river drains the country Of more
Of the valuable elements Of crops,
Soluble and insoluble) than all our
exports together; and for this we get
no return whatever. have long re-
garded this waterway waste as a cry
ing evil and serious loss TO mankind.
that ought in some way to be- OBJ
waited. Besides the securing Of the
soil. there is an immense waste from
nearly all farms that carry much live
stock caused by the teaching and
washing away OF manures,
And then. think OF it, the elements
OF nine.tenths or more OF all the food
consumed in cities and towns are
ruthlessly washed or dumped into the
rivers and ocean, and thus mostly
lost to the '.babiters Of earth FOR a
geologic period, more or less. These
things must stop some time. There
is simple and feasible way to most
u prevent land from washing.
!. years ago. saw directions for It
in paper and practieed it to a small
extent with perfect success. The
directions were TO take a straight
edged board one rod long aud nail a
leg to each end, one leg one and one
half inch longer than the other. At.
tach spirit level to the board Cor a
plumb line would do). With this
lay out the waterways in such direc-
ton that the straight edge OF the
board will be level with the longer
leg down hill. Stick marking pins
where each leg stood. Go on for an
other length setting the shorter leg
where the longer first stood. and so
on. leaving marking pin at each
station; then follow the course
marked out with pillow two to four
burrows, and finish with hoe
or scraper In many places a
single furrOw would do at least
for experiment later adopted a
more expeditions mode Of laying out
the bitches which answers very well
wherever the slope Is pretty even. ]
made simple stand Of convenient
heighth to hold the level. then
marked on STAFF the same height of
the top Of the level, with inch marks
above, then beginning at upper end
of course sent my helper with the
stair in the direction we were to run.
directing him to pace Off a gwen num-
Der OF rods (more or less. according
to the character Of the suriace). then
to face me with his hand on the stan
one ami one-haf inches above the
level mark for each rod he had gone
out. would then sight over the
level and motion him up or down hill
until he found the place where the
level would strike his hand (top or
bottom as agreed. Bottom preiera-
bly,. We marked the stations as I'm
the other way.
] was so situated that never did
more Of it IN either way than to fairly
experiment, but | was iso.woll salts
fled with the feasibility and benefit
OF the process. that intended. II
obliged 10 retain possession OF my
farm much longer, to have bought
road machine for the purpose Of MAX
ing those waterways all over the
place, together with some roads ana
perhaps rent the machine to the road
district And that is just the way
to do it, A road machine once IN a
place and little finishing UP with
l.