soil conservation practices in the caribbean archipelago

Soil Conservation Practices in the Caribbean ArchipelagoAuthor(s): Ismael VelezSource: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 74, No. 3 (Mar., 1952), pp. 183-185Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20801 .

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21. SWENK, M. H., and STEVENS, 0. A. Wilson Bull., 41, 129 (1929).

22. NIcE, M. M. Bird-Banding, 2, 89 (1931). 23. HANN, H. W. Wilson Bull., 49, 145 (1937). 24. NIcE,-M. M. Bird-Banding, 9, 1 (1938). 25. BUTTS, W. K. Ibid., 1, 149; 2, 1, 59 (1930-31).

26. MICHENER, H., and J. R. Condor, 37, 97 (1935). 27. ALLAN, R. P., and HICKEY, J. J. Bird-Banding, 9,

155 (1938). 28. POOR, H. H. Ibid., 14, 101 (1943). 29. MASON, E. A. Ibid., 22, 32 (1951). 30. BROLEY, C. L. Wilson Pull., 59, 3 (1947).

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SOIL CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN THE CARIBBEAN ARCHIPELAGO D URING a recent tour through the Carib- bean Archipelago, I observed soil conservation practices on St. Thomas, St. Vin-

cent, and Montserrat that seern worth reporting. Very little farming is carried on in St. Thomas.

What little there is, is done by the farmers of French descent, and is mnostly limited to the northern coast. It was around these French rural set- tlements that the Agricultural Experiment Sta- tion, under the USDA, was established a number of years ago. The station endeavored, among

other things, to establish soil conservation practices that would not only permit the efficient utili- zation of the land, which is very scarce indeed, but also offer the farmers an example worth follow- ing. Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the method and the results. The method seemed so attractive that the neighbors took to it readily and soon put it into practice on their own plots. The hard labor is done during the late afternoon hours. As can be observed from the photographs, this section of the island is very steep and rocky, and it is normally

FIG. 1. A level terrace built on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. ... degree slope, northern St. Thoma~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. ...

FIG.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~....... 2..Rcksareuse.tohol th land and form the "bench" for the ter~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. ... race,~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. . ...

V4Q ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. .... ........

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?~~~~~~~~~~~~.. . ..

V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.....

March 1952 183~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.. .......



FiG. 3. Lettuce, shallots., radishes, and other vegetables thrive well. (Figs. 1-3 were taken at the USDA Experi- ment Station.)

FIG. 4. Another successful terrace on St. Thomas.

covered with xerophilous scrub. The rainfall amounts to about 45 inches a year, but is poorly distributed. Before terraces came into use, the nomadic practice of clearing a spot, exploiting it for two or three seasons, and then abandoning it was in vogue. Now, although a great deal of work is required at the start, the plot is not abandoned. While a first crop of bananas and/or dasheens is being raised the terraces are being built, slowly but surely. Usually afterwork hours are used, to avoid the heat of the day, and neighboring farmers may help each other. In the course of this labor some land may be washed out if a shower hits while the soil is loose and bare, but once past this stage the land is very effectively conserved (Fig. 4). Some of the farmers have made enough progress to afford a truck and a garage. Rainwater from the roofs of the houses is caught in tanks

or in small catchments (Fig. 5), and, as the farmer prospers, it may be piped to the garden and the plants sprayed by hose. Thus the French farmers of northern St. Thomas can provide the local market nearly the year round with at least part of the fresh vegetables needed.

The situation on St. Vincent is entirely differ- ent, for this island is largely agricultural. The soils are of volcanic origin, and on the whole are porous and well drained. Rainfall is much higher, but frequent drains are obviously unnecessary. The island produces 70 per cent of the world's arrowroot starch and a large proportion of the peanuts raised in the West Indies. These are raised on both large estates and small holdings, but from our observations, everyone seems to be soil conservation-minded. Vetiver, or khuskhus grass (Vetiveria

184 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY



FIG. 5. Water from roofs and water- catchments is led to tanks and then piped into the gardens.

FIG. 6. In St. Vincent, British W'est Indies, khuskhus (Vetiveria zizan-i oides) is planted in rows on contour lines to hold the soil.

zizanioides), is widely used to hold the soil in place (Fig. 6). Frequent cutting keeps the grass from going to seed, and the tops are used for mulching. Occasionally strip planting is practiced, alter- nating arrowroot and other root crops like yams, taniers, etc. Agricultural officers are not yet satis- fied, but do not like to recall the days when the people would not even let the government lay the contour lines and plant the grass for them, free of charge.

Montserrat, one of the Leeward Islands, also practices soil conservation. In places where rocks are abundant, they are placed in heaps, or occa-

sionally in rows, heaps starting on top of another large rock to save space. Even in apparently level places, where erosion seems negligible, rows of khuskhus can be seen planted to conserve the soil.

Suffice it to say that the little islands of St. Thomas, St. Vincent, and Montserrat have soil conservation practices worth observing by some of the islands where erosion is still an unsolved prob- lem, and where heavily eroded slopes are frequently seen.

ISMAEL VELEZ Polytechnic Institute San German, Puerto Rico

March 1952 185



soil conservation practices in the caribbean archipelago

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