Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-04-27

II
and mill companies, and every pound
of soil washed from their bare slopes
goes directly into the reservoirs, af-
fecting the storage value.
The finest particles Of silt and clay
pass beyond the lowest dams and set
tie in the slower moving portions Of
the rivers near the coast and in the
harbors. The greater portion Of the
millions appropriated by the Federal
government for the improvement or
rather the temporary opening. Of the
lower reaches of southern rivers. is ex-
pended for dredging; and the neces-
sary expenditures to keep the channels
clean of the rapidly forming and shift
ing silt and sand bars will in the fu-
ture increase in direct proportion to
the increased silt burden Of these
streams. In the event Of the canarza-
ton Of any OF them, the sand deposits
would continue menace to channel
depth, since the slowly moving canal
water affords ideal conditions for set
thing.
Terraeino to Check Erosion.
A very large portion Of this, loss and
damage is avoidable. How thoroughly
erosion can be checked and with what
benefits to farming, as well as, OF
course, corresponding benefits to other
industries which suffer. Is shown by
the results secured by deep plowing
and level terracing In portions Of the
south. On one farm in South Carolina,
with a very steep slope. dozen ter
races rise on the hill above the Con-
garee river to a total height of more
than sixty feet. The terraces are so
well leveled that there is no run-off
of surface water; the entire rainfall ID
absorbed. Deep plowing is used az an
adjunct, and plenty of humus is main
tained to keep the surface soil loose,
porous, and mellow, thus lessening the
tendency Of the heavy rains to compact
the surface, and assuring the surface
water good drainage through to the
subsoil. On this farm the sorghum
was eight feet high. while the cotton
stood to the shoulder, indicating q
double yield above that Of the adja-
cent unterraced slopes where erosion
yet had unrestricted action.
Such level terraces are developed by
constructing embankments, such as are
now extensively used on hillside bitches
In the south, except that they are lo-
Gated on level, and by the use In till
age Of hillside and reversible disk
plows which always turn the furrow
down the slope. This hastens the lew
cling process. But erosion. the very
agency they are being constructed to
prevent, plays its important part, and
the rapidity with which the terraces
develop and leveling proceeds, indf-
Gates how rapidly erosion was taking
place.
Terracing undoubtedly has it, draw
backs In restricting cultivation. but
there Is with It's use an enormous in-
crease in the yield Of the crops and a
decrease in the cost Of maintaining
fertility. 1t is far superior In every
way to the much-used hillsids Itch
which barely checks erosion sufficiently
to make cultivation possible.
Such level terracing, breaitng the
field into steps, need be used ,nly on
the sleeper slopes. On more gentle
slopes other methods can be employed
which permit unrestricted cultivation.
Either broad dykes, eighteen to twen-
ty feet wide, located on level, or mar
rover dykes on slight incline. but
following the contours Of the slopes.
and two to four feet vertically apart,
can be employed. The surface OF
these dykes Is cultivated like the rest
of the field, and while they do not en-
tirely prevent erosion, they considera-
bly, reduce 1t. But above all, deeper
blowing Is necessary and more humus
in the soil, made from manure or by
plowing under green crops, to give
mellowness and porousness; the gen.
eral use Of cover crops on land during
the winter; and more small grain and
the grasses. All hillside land In corn,
cotton, tobacco, or other clean TILED
crop should be laid by with q cover
crop of some kind.
The Problem Of the -oId Fields"
This Is for the lands which are now
in cultivation; and where these meth
ods have been used not only has ero-
sion been largely reduced. but land
values have rapidly risen. The idle
and waste lands, the "old fields" rep
resent more serious problem. 1t will
require the addition of million work.
ers to the population Of the south to
place these lands again In cultivation,
more than that number IL intensive
cultivation Is practiced. At the same
time the movement Of population In
the south is still toward the towns, as
| Il should be to establish and assure
necessary home markets for farm
products, and 1t will be many years
before their profitable cultivation will
be possible. The soils at bottom are
good and strong. and some day the
greater portion will undoubtedly be
needed for the use Of the south's in
creasing population. This land can IN
the meanwhile be made productive
with but little labor by planting trees,
assuring at once its reclamation by
checking erosion and some returns
from the investment by the profitable
use Of the land. Some areas are SO
steep and rough that they should be
permanently maintained in forest.
Encouragement Of Tree Planting.
There is already a strong feeling In
some Of these states that vigorous
measures must be taken to reduce ero-
sion, and that when profitable and per-
manent cultivation is not possible with
out It's being excessive, the land to
assure its permanent earning value
must be regarded as forest land. This