Show SAVING THE HILLSIDE SOILS some practical suggestion for management of fields that have been badly washed away have noticed that the soil on the field has washed badly the last few years ever wonder what waa the reason for this increased water action do you wish to stop it alumus the decaying vegetable mat ter in the soil tends to prevent this erosion humus absorbs moisture and retains it when the soil contains an abundance 0 humus the soil particles are kept apart and they can absorb more water the soil Is open and the water tends to soak into the ground instead of run off therefore one ot the best ways of preventing erosion Is to keep the soil full of humus have the grasses or legumes occupy a prom anent place in the rotation tor the hill side fields perhaps some bad gullies have formed in your field and you desire to fill them up it so make the force of the gullies the force that washed them out fill them up place brush in the ditches with the tops upstream up stream and it will catch and hold the material washed down even a better method however Is the use of the woven wire dam place a stake on each side of the gully three feet from the bank and fasten a piece of woven fairo to them place old hay above this wire and it will catch almost all of the ma terdal washed by the water the gully will then fill up when it reaches the top of the woven wire put on another strip and repeat the process soil erosion can never be prevented entirely but it can be greatly reduced by a regard for im principle of proper soil management |