The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-17
Terraeing.
(.liLnIl PlInk.

Law of the tCrrace lines perfectly level.
Give three feet from one line To another
Throw two furrows together with Il two'hOrSe
turn pillow, making the terraces three icet
wide. If a one-horse plow is used it is best to
give four turrowS. Where wash or gulley Is
crossed the terrace must be built up by shoF-
cling dirt from below or above The terrace,
making it little higher than at other rrUints ;
If the Wash is a deep one, OLD logs, chunks
and stones can he used for filling up. Tho
! rows are run With the terraces, ALTERNATING,
first with one terrace then the other. the point
rows being midway between the two terraces.
Where there is unterraccl land above the
water must be conveyed of by ~ good ditch.
The terraces can be ploWed up at the end OF
the year if desircd but If they have been cor
rectIy made, they should remain permanent
| ly. There are Instruments. Oh market by
which the desired fall can he obtained, anu
the lines run very correctly ana rtpldly.
Last year tcrraced Il field of Stubblel and, a
portion of which was quite rolling and though
we had some heavy rains, the terraces did
not break, except at 4 very few places where
washes had already formed. | also trrraccd
a piece Of land that had been in cotton the pre-
vious year. In May l narrowed the cotton
twice, and hoed it to stand, leaving the sur
face smooth. In a day or so after h0clng
there fell one of the heaviest ram remcm-
Der of ever seeing. The water tloated over the
whole surface. The terraces were washed
over and, being new, We're broken In q mum:
Der of places, but they hold much OF the soil
which otherwise would have hcen washed
from the field. Had the terraces been made
one year earlier, and the grass had time TO
get firmly matted, and the sod become firm
and compact, tine land could not have washed.
In November sowed this piece OF land in
wheat, and the low places above the terraces
have been filling up ut every rain
INTENDED tcrracing the balance OF my land
this Spring. ,
did not state in the proper order that the
terraces should be examined after each hcavy
rain, for the first year, and the broken places
bui nm q little higher than the balance or
the line so as to force the water to other
points. After the first year the terraces are
not likely to break.
In the absence of q better instruments for
laying off the lines, II level can be made in q
few minutes by taking long piece OF
flooring plank. having IL straight edge, and
mailing squarcly to each end Il narrow piece
of plank about four-lnd-a half feet long. Inc
edge, and the end pieces must be exactly OF
equal length, or it will not he correct Place
! Il spirit level on top OF the end to be carried
! in front. keeping il in position by tacklnG a
| few lnths on the sides of the plank so as to eX-
tend up the sides of the level. This level Is
convenient for carrying on the shoulders
The front hand moves his foot OF the level up
! hill or down hill as may be required, until
the spirit level indicates the level position.
! A mark is then made and Il peg stuck up, and
the level carried forward, and the rear hand
places his foot of the level in the track the
! front end was moved from, and so on. y
! light fnrrow Is run for permanently locating
! the Ines The terraces can be completed at
any future time.
in using the plank level, the three feet fall
can be obtained by tackinS short strip
snuarely across the front foot OF the level,
three feet above the ground, for sighting by.
| Begin At the lowest portion Of the field ana At
| the end of each line, turn the level sIuarely
down the hill, with the front foot on the line,
| foremost hand can then sight by the strip up
| to where the next line should be.