The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-01-17
DROUTIlS AND THEIR REMEDY

III has been our experience for near
~ bali dozen years that wells, springs
and small streams 60 dry in midsum.
mcr and autumn in many places. We
have spring and branch that never
went dry but once in forty years, ac-
cordlng TO my own personal knowledge ::
yet it has been bone drv five times in
the last five or six years. There is
manifestly reason for this change, and
that reason am anxious to discover
Wells have gone dry in the same period
that had afforded unfailing drinking
wafer for more than fifty years. | am in.
cnt on securing information, and unless
the water supply is sinking deeper-as
the land is more thoroughly cultivated,
or the clearing up of,timbered lands has
Kept the soil 80 dry, that the usual vat
er veins are dried up or evaporatcd, |
can find no good or sufficient reason
Tor THIS deficiency. 1t may reach a
place where artesian or deep bore wells
VIII become necessity, or the rcsctting
OF bare, WORKOUT soils with trees
forest trees may restore deposits of
water Tor The supply of customary spr.
springs and wells among us. This oucs-
ton lsalrcady serious one to rural
farmers. Well-digging, such as will find
and guarantee good drinking water, is
become lostart in this country.
40 not forget that tie work is like
The majority of the workmcn who pro-
pose TO dig wells-very unreliable. The
ajority of farmers are not able or
wiling to go down in the newly dug
wells to see if the work is done well
or otherwise; and it may be that sorry
work VIII account for many sorry wells,
but that does not account for the dis.
appearance of springs, which makes so
many streams go dry these days.
had attributed the lack of water to
long-continucd drOuths, such as we
nave had for several weeks back until
we had almost continuous rain last
tall, ard the worst winter for freezes
and ilDods ever known in the history
OF the county. mean the winter of
1898 80. Yet the came recurrence of
failing springs and wells took place at
the close of the year.
In this connection ] remarked anoth
or phenomenon that may throw some
light on this subject. The most of the
land that was cultivated in cotton and
corn III the year 1899. that | was ac-
qualnintcd with, was level, kepp. pillow.
ed, long cultivated soil.
The dry spells of two months or more
That fell on us in the spring caught
The seed in the ground, and there i;
lay, struggling up with half stand,
after frequent rcplantings. There was
small field near by set in half-grown
peach-trecs, also worked in cotton. On
That tract, the seed came up promptly,
grew Off well and came near making a
bale TO the acre. Those little peach
trees cast trifie of shade on the sun
baked soil during all the drouth time.
Again, we began sowing turnIps in
July, the weather torrid and very often
dly for weeks. Whcle we .owed in
he open places the seeds would gcrmi
nate, but perish under the hot sun. In
my garden l have a couple OF cherry
trees. Where the shade of the trees
icll on the ground sown in turnips we
had fine stand, and made mammoth
turnips. Where the shade was not the
ground had to be resown three or four
Times to get any plants. | sowed seed
alongside tomato vines. There the
stand was good, demonstrating to my
mind the value of shade on land where
you want damp otll.
1t has convinced me that tree plant
ing has become necessity where the
soil has been for a long time bare (and
unless fertilized), mach impoverished,
especially where constant drainage to
lower levels exists, and no moisture re.
mains in long drouths. | believe
springs must be encircled with growing
trees, so that their roots may pentrate
the soil deeply aud keep open the
veins in the earth where the water col.
leCts and feeds the spring.