SOIL CONSERVATION

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front

Cachet: The cachet shows two open, cupped hands rendered in detailed pencil shading, holding a small illustrated landscape of rolling hills and a scattering of trees. A single thin root or stem hangs down from the hands, drawn in a deep rust brown that echoes the eroded soil shown in the stamps above. Beneath the hands the cover reads "khusela umhlaba ~ save the soil" in a flowing cursive script, tying the Xhosa and English phrasing together. The image is simple but effective, presenting the land itself as something being carefully held and protected.

Info card

SOIL CONSERVATION Arable land is one of the most prized gifts of nature to mankind. The conservation of soil and the prevention of dry sandy area from extending into good farm land are age-old problems throughout the world and Transkei is no exception. There are various kinds of erosion, but all are the result of vegetation being removed totally or partially, without artificial measures being introduced to protect the soil. The slope of the land is another important factor, and the rolling hills of Transkei are extremely exposed to soil loss. Most Transkei soils fall into the sandy to sandy loam groups. The physical properties of all light-textured soils make for easy cultivation, but also for easy erosion. Overgrazing, injudicious burning of veld, poor cultivation methods, faulty irrigation practices, and careless building operations are major erosion hazards initiated by man. Educating the public to save the soil is of primary importance in Transkei's soil conservation programme. Preventative measures such as controlled grazing, contour ploughing and crop rotation are employed, and areas that have already sustained damage are stabilized and reclaimed. This set of stamps depicts the successful reclamation of an erosion donga (gully). The 11c stamp shows an erosion-scarred landscape, the result of steep hillsides criss-crossed by footpaths and cattle tracks and denuded of vegetation by overgrazing and the indiscriminate felling of trees. The 25c stamp illustrates the first steps in the reclamation process: the removal of all stock from the area, and the erection of stone barriers to serve as sediment collectors. The 30c stamp portrays the restoration of the countryside, and the 50c stamp is a picture of life-giving land saved for posterity.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 7 February 1985 in Lady Frere. The four stamps, illustrated by A H Barrett, trace the reclamation of an eroded donga in stages, moving from a scarred, overgrazed hillside through early conservation work to fully restored grazing land. Most Transkei soils fall into the sandy to sandy loam category, which makes them easy to cultivate but also highly vulnerable to erosion once vegetation cover is lost. The stamps document a practical conservation process still used today, including the removal of livestock from damaged areas and the building of stone barriers to trap sediment and allow the land to recover.

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