St. Tammany farmer., 1921-11-12
Hill Lands May Be Made to
Produce and to Grow
More Fertile
HEAVY RAINFALL
.: WILL NOT WASH
Father Thomas Adds His
Testimony as to Value
Drainage, .Terracing
(By A. e. Briggs)


The value of drainage for hill
lands is not realized by those WHO
are unacquainted with drainage prin-
ciples. The idea is prevalent that
where water runs off quick drainage
is not needed and would be of no
value. Another notion quite as mis-
taken assumes that drainage on slop-
ing land would make the soil dry.
With the heaviest annual rainfall in
the United States and with drOughty
seasons only exceeded by the arid
West, the problem Of water control
is quite as important here as where
irrigation is practiced. This fact ap-
plies to both hill and fiat lands, but
for the present We will consider the
matter only with reference to hill
lands.
On the hill lands the problem Is
twofold: On the one hand to store
as much water in the soil as possible
to be availa BILE for plant use; on the
other to prevent heavy rainfall
from washing away the soil fertility.
Water storage and prevention of soil
washing can both be accomplished by
a drainage system, which is descrio
ed in U. S. Farmers Bulletion No.
997. This consists Of tile drainage
with broad-base levea7ridge terraces.
The value of this system is best
perceived by consideration of the
losses which occur annually and
which eventually destroy the Hill
farm and cause it to be abandoned.
1t is estimated that the annual fer
tility washed away i'll the United
States amounts to one million dol
lars, and that four million acres of
lands have been ruined by soil ero-
zion. Prof. Shaler once said that it
greater care is not taken Of our hill
lands We can look forward to time
when the available soil for cultiva
ton will 'be very small in this coun-
try But the greatest loss is that
to the South. One writer says that
the annual loss from soil washin 5
in the Southern States is $85,0oU,-
900. Therefore every hill farmer
can seriously ask himself how much
lie is personally losing from this
source.
For several reasons the Southern
hill farmer suffers more than any
other from excessive rainfall. or
course there is some fiat land so bad
ly in need Of drainage that without
it no kind of farming is at any time
possible, but with this exception
other farmers are better off than the
hill farmer, notwithstanding that in
this parish the hill land contains
some soils which in natural adapt
ability to cultivation are among the
most valuable. The hill farm must
take greater pains to retain it's fer
tility than is necessary on level or
slightly rolling land. So where no
effort is made to check washing, deep
gullies are soon worn on the hill
side. One does not have to go SO far
as China to find instances, although
there very wide stretches Of country
once fertile and prosperous have by
this cause been SO denuded that
famine conditions exist for the in
habitants. The loss of fertility has
preceded gullying
On well-drained land there should
be several inches of top soil with
an abundance of stored plant food
Ii ON st. Tammany hill lands care
be taken to increase the depth and
fertility of this top soil their value
will be greatly increased. But il
with every hard rain top soil is be-
ing washed away as at present Oh
cultivated hill lands, then the farmer
can make little headway in the i'm.
provement of his soil, and on the
contrary year by year his farm is
becoming less valuable.
Some Of our farmers are already
doing something to hinder this loss
by terracing. But the best methoG
of terracing as recommended by the
United States Department of Agricul
ture is that described as broad-base
level-ridge terraces in connection
with tile drainage system. The
reasons are thus given:
The two most important advant
ages of the brOad-base level-rldgt
terrace as compared with other types
OF terraces are that the entire ter
race can be cultivated and that prac
tically- none of the soil or applied
fertilizer is allowed to escape from
the field. Level-ridge terrace also
i'll preventing the rapid escape of tn,
ram water, retain a supply or mos
ture for crops which is often mucl
nedeed on hill lands during thu
growing season and especially dur
ing periods of drought. The expert
ence of number of farmers shoWe'
that their best crop yields came from
level terraced fields" Indeed tn
best row Of cotton or corn OF othe
crop is Invariably that on top of tn
terrace. When the leVel-ridge ter
race is accompanied by a complet
tile drainage system the very hes
OF results may be obtained on sue
hill land soil as characterizes th'
parish
''The broad-base level-ridge ter
race is best adapted for use on s'ope
not exceeding is feet fall in ~
(CDntinued on mage