OCR Text |
Show GA- 1,034 Hard rains cannot erode the soil on this grassed slope. on one plot and up and down the slope on the other. Notches cut in the edge of a 1- by 12- inch board ( as shown in the drawing) can make the grooves. Lay a perforated lawn- sprinkling hose between the two plots and turn it on so that a steady shower falls on both plots with equal intensity. Make careful notes of what happens on both plots. INTERPRETATION Contour farming is one of the easiest and most widely accepted conservation practices. It is the use of implements across the slope of the land; that is, on the contour. When a farmer farms on the contour he disregards the usual straight field boundaries and straight- rows and follows curved XIII. Make Splash Boards Get 2 boards 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide, and Sy2 feet long. Sharpen one end of each board. Paint them white. Mark lines across the boards at 1- foot intervals beginning at the unsharpened end. Attach tin shields about 4 inches wide and from 8 to 10 inches long to the top of each board ( see drawing). The shield helps to prevent rain from washing off the splashed soil. Locate two spots with very different amounts of grass cover. Some suggestions are: 1. A bare or nearly bare spot in the schoolyard where the grass is well trampled and an un- trampled spot where the grass is heavy. 2. A spot on each side of a farm fence where grass is heavy on one side and thin or the ground bare on the other side. 16 TENN- D80- 2 Planting the garden on the contour helps to hold water until it can soak into the soil. Much runoff and soil loss are prevented. lines whenever necessary to stay on the contour. Contour farming should be used in combination with crop rotations, grass waterways, fertilizers, and returning organic matter to the soil. Contouring alone will not stop erosion. But it reduces soil erosion as much as 50 percent on a wide range of soil and slope conditions. Steepness and length of slope are important, as well as the crop grown and the condition of the soil. There are other advantages of contour farming. In low- rainfall areas it helps hold and conserve rainfall. Farmers have found that it saves power, time, and wear on machinery because the equipment is working at peak efficiency all the time instead of being overloaded going uphill and underloaded coming downhill. Cultivation on the contour helps prevent erosion and saves rainfall in gardens on sloping land. To Study Splash Erosion |