Show EVOLVE SYSTEM FOR ANCHORING SOILS federal experiment success in california War sonville calif the pajaro valley bounded on the east by the santa cruz mountains and on the west by monterey bay famous since the times of the spaniard don gaspar de bortol for its fertility has be come one of the model experiments of the federal government s soil rec ree la mation service although it is only two years since the federal government stepped in to reclaim and conserve the dis ds brict where all of the rich top soil had been washed away apparently beyond all retrieving the district is now being cited by the government as a model for the rest of the coun try unlike most of the devastated farming districts of the country that of the pajaro valley was of re cent date yet the results were just the same except that in this case the government instead of allowing the valley to be abandoned stepped in at once and began its tion erosion of recent date it was just three years ago that heavy rams rains in the hilly farm coun try of the Corra corralitos litos tos district and the rolling areas of the valencia dis brict larken and pleasant valleys gashed the entire rich top soil and washed it away entirely leaving on ly ugly furrows and earthen cica arices that apparently could never again produce crops in fact soil erosion had always been considered by residents of the district as one of the enemies that it would never be possible to overcome immediately following the dasas ter of three years ago the federal government aith with an army of ex stepped in and began the ap of the latest methods for soil conservation the farmers of the four areas most affected were divided into four different organizations with a total membership of representing 8 acres of land the work was then gradually extended until it cov ered 40 acres 4 the first work was that of ditch digging to keep the normal flow of water from rainfalls within well regulated channels these ditches are of 0 various types the first type is that of contour ditching which now protects 1337 1 acres as co corn in pared with fifteen before conserva tion work began it is estimated that there are seventy three and one half miles of orchard grade ditches or contour furrows vast network of ditches the latest survey just completed also reveals the following construe con eions 61 feet of concrete lined ditches 77 square yards of main diversion diversi orl ditches of vegetated types 16 lineal feet of concrete pipe lines as outlet ditches 18 feet of permanent diversion ditches concrete lined and small dams and structures erected for perma nent gully control the second phase of the reh abili tation and conse conservation work has been that of reforestation in con with the government s ideas that certain lands are not fit for cultivation and should never be used for that purpose the farmers in evolved were finally brought to see eye to eye with the experts on that point and consented to having acres set aside tor for woodland pa pas turina and another 1843 acres P planted tan red as wood wa lots rots under the reforestation aspect of the work which has just begun more than trees and shrubs will be set out to prevent destructive washing out of productive soil the principal trees to be used are eu pine redwood douglas fir hardwood siberian elm green ash black walnut locust pampas and shrubs lippia wild blackberry for gully control buck rush and wild lilac |