Ill 



GEOLOGICAL ACTION OF WATER 



Visit a newly formed gulch, ditch, or washout. Field lesson ; to 

 be given a day or two after a heavy rain. See Farmers' Bulletin, 

 No. 20, Washed Soils : How to Prevent and Reclaim Them. 



22. When we visited this place a few weeks ago, this 

 deep ditch was not here. Can you tell me who made it ? 

 You say the water did it ; but I wonder where the soil is 

 which was taken out here. You see so much has been 

 taken out, that a dozen teams would have to haul dirt for 

 a day, at least, to fill up this hole. Let us walk down this 

 gulch and perhaps we shall find some of the washed-out 

 material stranded somewhere. Here we are at the foot of 

 the hill ; just notice all the fresh stones, gravel, and sand 

 here. Where did all this matter come from ? Out of that 

 washout, of course. Up on the hill we noticed how the 

 water had carried material away ; here we see how it has 

 sorted this material. How could it do that? One day 

 when we visited the brook you saw that the water rolled 

 along small stones where the current was rapid. Now, 

 when the torrent rushed down this run, it carried small 

 stones, sand, and fine mud, all mixed together. As soon 

 as the foot of this hill was reached, the velocity of the cur- 

 rent decreased ; it could no longer carry the larger stones 

 and here they were dropped. A little farther down, we find 

 smaller stones and gravel, and still a little farther down, 

 you see the sand spread out. But what became of the fine 



Observations. Note the various grasses in meadows and iii other places. 



38 



