TheImprovement ofTropical and Subtropical Rangelands

REHABILITATION TEOHNIQUES 153
FIGURE 7-4
Service)
Ripping grail IOd for increuecl wa'-r infiltration. (U.S. Forest
a more drastic treatment in that it involves more soil disturbance. As
the name implies, water retention furrows must be on the contour.
Water spreading is used to conserve water needed for restoring
or increasing the production of a forage crop. In water spreading,
excessive peak storm flows are channelled out of an intermittent
stream bed and spread out on gentle sloping land with a soil (medium
or heavy textured soils) capable of absorbing and making productive
use of the extra water (fipre 7-5). A National Academy of Sciences
publication, More Waterlor Anti Lantis (1974), describes techniques
of precipitation harvesting in some detail.
DIRECT SEEDING
Direct planting canspeed range rehabilitation, but it is not a cure
for all range ills. It is expensivej it is not universally applicablej and
there is a calculated risk as to whether succeM can be achieved. On
the other hand, if the following general considerations are carefully