The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1926-05-07
Enormous Annual
Loss by Erosion
Soil Resources Are Being
Seriously Depleted
by Outlying.
prepared by the United States Department
of Agriculture.)

prepared by the United States Department
of Agricultureo
Erosion of farm land causes an
enormous annual loss to American
farmers While large outlay OF cash
and labor is being made for soil inn
provement, at the same time the SOIL
resources of the country are being
seriously depleted through outlying.
Owing to the large yearly rainfail
and to the extensive growing OF clean
cultured crops year after year in the
southern states, that section suffers
disproportionate share Of this loss.
Outlying does considerable damage,
however, in nearly all parts of the
United States.
When plants and soil are unable to
retain all of the rain that falls on
rolling or hilly land the surplus flows
over the surface to a drainage channel
at the foot of the slope. If there are
no draws or depressions the water
travels over the surface to the foot OF
the slope in broad, thin sheets. Where
depressions exist, however, the water
Is led into the depressions. 1t gath
ers from above and from the sides Of
the depression and forms a stream
with power to wash away the soil
proportional to the streams size and
velocity. If the depression is not
sufficiently protected by grass or other
means to prevent erosion, gully be-
gins to form which enlarges with each
succeeding rain.
Where GulIies Start.
Natural hollows are not the only
places where gullies start. They may
start at any place on slope where
opportunity is afforded by artificial
means for the water to collect and
form small stream. Driving wagon
down slope when the ground is soft
leaves wagon tracks that may later
develop into gullies. A gully may be
started by dragging pillow down
slope. Mole holes and cattle paths
down q slope are common causes OF
gullies. One of the commonest ways
to start gullies is to pillow or cultivate
straight up and down slope. dead
furrow extending down slope may
rapidly develop into a deep gully.
Means employed to prevent the
formation of gullies are: deep plow-
ing, blowing under organic matter
such as manure, stubble and stalks,
the use of cover crops, proper crop
rotations, blowing along level lines
across the slope, and tile draining
The construction Of terraces also re-
duces erosion by carrying off the sur
plus water slowly. Information rela-
tive to terracing may be obtained
from the state agricultural colleges
and from the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.
Plan Reclamation.
In reclaiming gully, the work
should be planned so that when COM
pleted the entire gully will be re-
claimed. Too often small section
of gully is reclaimed in way which
will not fit into any later scheme for
the reclamation of the whole gully.
In starting work attention should be
first directed to the upper end of the
gully where head erosion is going on.
The brush dam is cheap and easy to
build and is effective in filing gullies
when carefully and properly con-
structed The following method is
recommended for building brush dams
that are at times overflowed. The
bottom and sides of the gully for a
distance of four to ten feet are COW
cred with a layer of straw that will
be from four to six inches deep when
4 pressed down by the weight of the
dam. The brush, with the butts point
ing upstream, is laid close together
on the straw and thoroughly tramped
down, the fine brush being placed at
the bottom and the cOarser on top.
The packed brush is held in place by
cross pieces nailed to fence posts set
In the line of the dam across the
gully. Set the posts in the ground not
less than four feet deep if possible.
Make the middle of the dam lower
than the sides so that the water will
not have a tendency to wash around
the ends. Satisfactory dams can also
be made of other materials, such as
stones, logs, concrete, or woven wire,
where brush Is. not available.
Flowing in and seeding is simple
though sometimes rather expensive
method of retaining gullies. Small
gullies tone to three feet deep hav-
ing no we'll defined drainage areas
can be entirely filed. They can be
first partly filled with manure, straw,
corn stalks or small brush, which
should be covered with foot or
more of dirt by blowing and scraping
from the edge Of the gullies.
start Flowing.
The blowing should be started in
the bottom of the gully or as near the
bottom as possible and the dirt thrown
toward the center from both sides.
The, blowing is done in the same way
as in breaking land and should be
oon+;nuod n fouy f,,rrou,S havoud tho