Describes types of erosion and methods for preventing the erosion of soil by water and wind.

"This bulletin deals with erosion of the soil and measures of defense which have proved successful in controlling erosion in that part of the Piedmont country lying in the five States of Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama. The region is the rolling foothill country of the Appalachian Range, and extends east and south to the fall line which separates the Piedmont from the broad, gently sloping Atlantic and Gulf Coastsal Plains." -- p. ii. Measures of soil defense considered include terracing, contour tillage, strip cropping, close-growing crops in the rotation, and contour furrowing in pastures.

"Soil blowing is often a serious problem from December to May [in the Southern Great Plains], when the soil is, in many cases, bare and winds are high. This period is often referred to as the 'blow season.' The whole art of preventing and controlling soil blowing consists in keeping nonblowing materials on the surface. These may be crops, crop residues, or clods. When crops are absent, the essential feature in preventing soil blowing is the use of implements that lift clods and other nonblowing materials to the surface rather than implements that pulverize or destroy them.... Since tillage is dependent on implements, it seems of first importance to consider the implements that may be used to discuss their merits and shortcomings in relation to soil blowing.... From the general principles stated and the specific examples of implement use given, most farmers can probably decide on the correct applications for their farms." -- p. 1-3

This bulletin provides criteria by which farmers may determine how much they should plan to produce in a given year. There "are four major yardsticks: 1) How much should farmers produce, thinking only of the requirements of domestic consumers, plus; 2) What they can expect to ship to foreign countries in the next few years? 3) How much should they produce, thinking only of the requirements of soil conservation? 4) How much should farmers produce, thinking only of their incomes?" -- p. 3

"Erosion has left scars on a majority of farms in the Southeast. Too poor to produce crops, the eroding spots are usually abandoned. Unless they are treated to stop further washing of the soil they grow steadily larger and continually rob the farmer of more of his land. Fortunately, soil conservation and wildlife management can be effectively combined, and otherwise worthless areas made to produce a crop of game, fur bearers, and other desirable types of wildlife. The general principles of wildlife management on the farm are described in Farmers' Bulletins 1719 and 1759. The purpose of this bulletin is to show how gullies, terrace outlets, waterways, eroding field borders, pastures, and woodlands in the Piedmont region may be protected against erosion through the use of vegetation that will also provide food and cover for wildlife." -- p. ii

This bulletin describes how farmers can build a Nichols terrace, which is an improved channel-type terrace. Maintenance suggestions are also provided.