The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-01-06

Protecting Land from Washing.
1t is not to be expected that a tenant
will feel the same interest in the flu
ture welfare of land that the owner
does. The former feels that the tenure
is uncertain and his chief concern Is
to get all he can out of the land while
he holds it, without much regard to
its future condition. To get one
golden egg the ordinary tenant is quite
willing to sacrifice the traditional
goose. He is not apt to bestow any
labor on ditching the land, or in pre-
venting worthless weeds from going
to seed on it. He is not overcareful
as to getting his rows run on the hor-
iZontal nor is he particularly mindful
about blowing the land when it is too
wet, except as it may work damage
to the present crop. Under the mis-
cradle tenant system that prevails in
the South, is it to be wondered at that
so many of our lands are so quilted
and impoverished that it is impossible
to grow profitable crops on them. Neg
lect in taking the proper precautionary
steps to prevent the washing of land
has not, by any means, been confined
to tenants. Among the land owners
themselves, both large and small, there
are only a few here and there who seem
to regard it as an important matter
In the last few years, however, the
subject has been freely and intelli-
gently discussed in the agricultural pa
pers, and in the clubs; and something
Of an impetus has been given to the
ditching and terracing of rolling lands
among the more intelligent farmers.
Practical essays have been written on
the subject: cheaper dwelling instru-
ments have been devised and put on
sale and doubtless in the past three
years, more ditching, draining and
terracing has been done in this state
than has been done in the twenty years
preceding. A very small fraction of
what ought to be done has been done
however. There are thousands of acres
in Baldwin county, and in every other
county where the land is as rolling
as it is in this, where the gullies are
gradually but steadily widening and
deepening and down which the heavy
rains are as gradually carrying the
finer and better parts of the surface
soil (cutting up a field into little
patches which, sooner or later are TO
be consigned to the tender mercies of
pine sapplings and sedge) when little
or no effort is being made to mitigate
the evil consequences of heavy rains.
After gullies have been allowed to form
the difficulties in the way of proper
ditching and terracing are greatly in
creased, of course, but not insurmount-
able at the first clearing of the land, it
was a simple matter to provide for the
protection from washing to leave I'M
plowed horizontal strips. After washes
are started it will require considerable
labor to restore the level of these low
places to the terracing strips or en-
bankments. Rocks or pife brush or
other material will have to be freely
used at the lower part of the gully
where it intersects with the horizontal
ditch or strip Cor baulk as the English
term iD. A fall of or 31A feet is al
lowed between each horizontal ditch or
strip. These strips that occur between
the land should never be plower. On
land that is only slightly rolling the
ditch on the lower side of the baulk or
strip need not be very deep or wide;
oftentimes 1t can be dispensed with
entirely. The apparent waste of land
in these strips should not be regarded.
Some valuable forge crop may be es-
tablished upon them and be moved
from time to time. 1t is no use to dis
cuss any other plan for protecting from
washing. This is the plan-the only
plan that is effective and rational.
One need not attempt to perfect it in
one season. Timely work on defective
portions will soon establish a perfect
terrace. Where weeds take possession
of the "baulks" they should be moved
down before seeding, so as not to foul
the land. AS our lands increase in
value, of course, more attention VIII be
given TO their Improvement and pres
ervation: but we can very greatly en-
nance the productive capacity and
money value of our own separate farms
by promptly resorting to this compare
lively inexpensive but effective mode
of preserving the cultivated area from
waste