The hydraulic press., 1860-03-17
TERRACINa OUR HILLsIDEs.

SlCeS, which lie Oel0W mining canals ana are
thus accessible to irrigation, can be, and yet
will be, made available for grape growing
and other culture. Latterly, in reading
about the grape growing districts of Europe,
this opinion has been strongly confirmed
In the rugged mountain regions of Switzer-
land and Italy, where fertile soil, resulting
from the decomposition of granite rocks,
is not found so abundantly as in this State,
good soil is made Yn the steepest slopes by
terracing. Behind winding walls of stone,
sometimes made solid by mason work, the
scanty earth is scraped together, added to
by soil and manure carried up IN baskets from
below, formed into level or gently sloping
beds, planted with grape vines or whatever
else is desired, watered by hand, when ne
cessary, and made exceedingly productive.
In this way thousands of acres of vineyard
land has been manufactured, the best of
which, according to recent traveller, is
worth from 81, 900 to $4,000 an acre. These
terraced vineyards commonly yield six or
eight hundred gallons of wine per acre.
They extend up the mountain sides four or
FIVE hundred feet, clothing them with beauty
as well as wealth, and giving to the scenery
Of the lower Alps one Of its most character
istic and charming features. The wine, we
are told, seldom sells fer more than thirty
cents a gallon. Now if terracing can be
made SO profitable, and so identifying to
nature, in the rugged Alpine slopes, it would
certainly prove practicable and valuable in
the Sierra Nevada, where the climate is
free to whoever Will occupy it, and the price
of wine at least one hundred per cent.
greater. In confirmation of these views we
find in the California Culturist for this month
an article from which we make the subjoined
extract. Mountain fruit growers ought to
put terracing for grape raising purposes to
a practical test. Almost any person can
prepare an acre or two at trifling expense,
by following the directions which we here
copy:
Where the side hill is too steep for Guilt
walton, yet the soil is not rocky, 1T may be
made productive and much more attractive
by terracing. This applies especially to the
vicnage of towns where land is valuable and
locality of Importance. For mere farming,
it would not pay. Terraces are made by
cutting down the hill as you would for a
road, exactly-the object being to make as
many level platforms as you can. In the
states, and more SO in England, it is usual
to batten up the lower side of the terrace
with sod, giving it a slant inwards, and
making it more or less steep, according to
the angle of the general ascent the sleeper,
the more picturesque is the object; but, in
this dry summer climate, the slope, unless
walled up, should be easy enough to grow
some verdure by the aid of irrigation, There
is one rule of good taste that is imperative.
Never make a straight terrace. Give each
the greatest and most wavy curvature you
can. Before you put your spade in the
ground, let your plan be made; it will save
you from expensive notifications of blunders.
We speak of spading; but the hill side plow
and scraper will do the work at one-fourth
the cost, if the grounds are extensive enough
say line of two hundred feet.
To make terracing at all successful in CAL
ifornia, irrigation is essential. Do not 60
to work without previously providing this
indispensable element. In nearly every town
among our foothills, and in all our mining
towns where water bitches course along the
hill-sides, all the land below the bitches that
is not rocky, is suitable for terracing; and
within a mile of town it will pay. AS a
general rule, fruit blossoms on such places
escape the spring frost blights which visit
the orchards of the flats below; and every
thing that grows bears greater, longer-keep-
ing fruit-from the potato to the apple. But
the difference is greatest in the grape. No
vineyard, whether its purpose be for raisins,
for wine, or for the table, should ever be set
out anywhere but on the hillside. For this
purpose, terracing will pay on any breadth
of scale. So for hops. In each case, pole
ing and trellicing can be in great part dis
pensed with-the vines trailing over the
slopes. In this way, if the horrid OVER
hacking of the pruning knife be spared,
which brings ruin on many vineyard, the
most beautiful crops Of the finest favored
grapes will be produced under the deep,
leafy shade which the grape courts in this
land of unrelieved sunshine
A SIMPLE TEST FOR SILvER.--As a great
number of persons are searching, or intend
to search for silver ore, we publish for the
special benefit of all such, the following pro-
- 1o