The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-07-22
Contour Strips On
Farms Is Means Of
Lowering Soil Loss

Demonstrations Are Proving Eff
fective In Control OF Erosion
Contour strip farming, now being
demonstrated in Garrett county as a
means Of decreasing the losses Of top
soil, is being found to be very effec-
tive on the Foster Yost farm at Ac-
cident.
A great many people passing thru
Accident have noticed the contour
strips on Mr.. Yost's farm that lies on
the ridge just south of the town. His
farm is one of three demonstration
farms in the county where the value
of contour strip cropping is being
shown. The other two demonstration
farms in the county are those of G.
Emerson Bishoff and Frank SLIDER.
Mr. Yost declared that one good
rain on his farm prior to the contour
blowing, would wash away tons of
soil. Along with the soil he said he
often lost a few planted potatoes if
the rain came before the roots got a
good start. Mr. Yost says his problem
was no different from that of most
Garrett county farmers.
He pointed out that his soil losses
rarely occurred as gullies. His big
gest loss in top soil was through sheet
erosion which he often did not see.
During each hard rain he would lose
a thin layer of soil that after a num-
Der Of rains would amount to a lot.
An exhibit in the Harrisburg Farm
Show gave Mr.. Yost his first idea of
how to control erosion by contour
blowing and diversion terraces. To
him it looked like a good idea on
somebody else's farm but didn't look
like a good thing for his farm. Yet,
when Mr.. Yost talked with John H.
Carter, County Agent, in regard to
controlling erosion, Carter recon-
mended that contour plowingpractices
and strip farming were what he need
ed. He suggested they drive down to
Frederick county to see some contour
strip crops that had been in opera
ton for several years.
Mr. Yost became more interested in
the possibility He, G. E. Bishoff, EN-
DRY Georg, Arnold Georg and Nh
Carter drove down the Middletown. in
Frederick county, and look over some
Of the work Icing carried out by the
Mijdletown Soil Observation Dis
trict. Phillip Coblentz, a good Fred
erick county farmer, on Route No. 40,
just east Of Niddletown, had a prob
lem much similar to that of Mr..
Gost's. Coblentz had not only stopped
most Of his erosion, but had increased
his yields and was actually saving la
Dor. His Diversion terraces were lead
I ing the water off to controlling out
let, not allowing large quantities Of
surface run-otf water to rush down
across the field.
William Mace, of the AlIegany
County Soil Conservation District,
was called to assist in laying out the
terraces and contour strips on the
Yost farm as a Soil Conservation
Demonstration farm.
Mace soon had the fields laid out
on the contour and with a crawler
tractor, hired from Ernest Griffith,
near Selbysport, and terracing ma
chine (similar to a road grader) Dor
rowed from the Soil Conservation ser
vice, they soon constructed 5000 feet
of terrace at cost to Yost of about
$4,000.
Because a rather large area drains
into these terraces, Emory Georg
ploWed in some level pasture burrows
in his hill pasture above the Yost
farm. These burrows will not only
help the pasture by conserving sum
mer moisture, but will protect Yost's
terraces by retarding excess run-otf
above them, and are a fine example of
cooperation for conservation, Mr..
! Garter explained.
The money paid out for these two
terraces has more than been made up
in the two seasons which they have
been in operation through saving in
soil and the washing out of his crops,
he states.
Forty acres, or all of the crop land
Of Mr.. Yost's S9-acrc farm, is in con-
tour strips. On six acres of this land
he is producing seed potatoes He has
planted this year some Of the new va
riety recently developed by the Uni
versity Of Maryland.
Not the least of the advantages of
/ Conservation farming Mr.. Carter
pointed out, is that now Mr.. Yost can
listen to hard storm at night and
get up next morning without wanting
to run up to his fields to see what
damage has been done, for he knows
that the diversions and strips are do
/ ing their jobs of protecting his top
soil.