METHODS OF SOIL MANAGEMENT 



151 



of the semi-arid belt, especially in western Kansas and Oklahoma. Such 

 soil destruction calls for surface protection, either by a continuous covering 

 of plants, or by such methods of cultivation as will prevent the movement 

 of the surface soil. In those regions it is recommended that the plow 

 furrows be at right angles to the prevailing direction of the wind, and 

 that the drill rows of grain be likewise at right angles to the wind. Mulches 

 of straw, especially in the wheat regions where straw is abundant, are also 

 recommended. Such straw may be rolled with a subsurface packer to 

 prevent its blowing from the soil. Under such conditions the surface 

 soil should not be made too fine. 



In the South and in southern Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, soils erode 

 badly as result of the movement of rain water. Such erosion often results 



Another Way to Stop Erosion. 1 



in deep and destructive gullies. These cause a direct loss of soil, and are 

 barriers to continuous cultivation in the fields in which they occur. Such 

 erosion should be prevented by every possible means before it proceeds 

 far. Gullies may be stopped by the use of brush, weeds, straw and stone. 

 These materials should be anchored in the gullies in such a way as to 

 encourage them to fill with soil again. Deep plowing and the use of 

 green manures, which encourage penetration of rains, help to overcome 

 this erosion. Terracing the soil may be resorted to as a last means of 

 preventing erosion. 



Soil Injury. — Soils are frequently injured by plowing and cultivating 

 when they are too wet. Heavy soils are more susceptible to such injury 

 than those of a sandy nature. Such injury is often difficult to overcome. 

 It gives rise to a puddled condition of the soil. When plowed, it turns 



1 Courtesy of The International Han-ester Company. 



