The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-09-27
with the soil. We are far from asserting
that everything that Is called terrace
exempliaies the value of sach contri.

with the soil. We are far from asserting
that everything that Is called a terrace
exempliaies the value of sach contri.
vance.
A few years ago an agent visited
Abbeville and the adjoining counties of
this State for the purpose of introducing
terraceing instrument. 1t was the first
time the subject had been brought to the
attention of our farmers, and he found
little difficulty in inducing them to un.
dertake the terracing of their lands.
With glib tongue and his skill in the
management of his instrument, as well as
the plough, and with cruel emphasis in
his reference to the exigeDcies of the case,
he presented a picture which confirmed
TO their minds every excellence claimed
for the terrace and the future blessings to
result from it.
Soon large areas we're terraced, when
suddenly the heavy rains descended, the
| terraces were all broken and in conse.
quence the lands were severely washed as
they never had been before, and it was
probably we'll for the personal comfort
of the terracing machine agent that he
was out of reach. With them the subject
ofterraciDg is not popular. The truth is
that terraces, as they are usually con.
| strueted, are not to be relied on till the
weeds and grass have made sod; then
they become dams and permit the water
to pass over without washing them away.
When they get into this condition, which
| is naturally at the end of the first or Sec
ond year, their benefits begin to be real
lied. Until then they will require repairs
and are liable to result in immense dam.
age at any time.
Terraces should be laid off on uDbroken
land when practicable, so as to have q
hard basis on which to build. Experience
has shown That the proper fall between
terraces should be about three feet. A
common rafter level is all the instrument
needed to locate it.; no great engineering
instrument, such as Is used in measuring
mountain heights or on mountain surveys,
is required. Perhaps the best precaution
in aid of the terrace, while it is being
established and undergoing the test
of the first year or two, is the terrace
ditch.
When water starts at the upper end OF
a long slope and passes over succession
of terraces and arrives at the lower end
gathering volume in its descent all the
while, though the terrace may stand, yet
the land will undoubtedly be damaged.
The terrace or horizontal ditch, with
about two inches fall in twelve feet, loca-
Gated midway between the upper and low.
or terrace lines, will aid in preventing
this.
But the most fruitful source Of disaster
to the newly made terrace is its INSULT
cheney and incompleteness. The theory
or central idea of the terrace is that the
intervening space between lis upper and
lower boundaries be level.
If experience and observation teach
that three feet is the proper fall between
the terrace lines, then it is obvious that
the lower lines should not be less than
one and half feet high with a CORE.
spending width ofbase. The water would
not run over terrace. Ifthey were thus
constructed, and the rows horizontalized.
We would have no broken terraces. The
practice, on the contrary, is to do little
more than mark off the direction in which
they should run by throwing together a
few furrows of earth with the plough, and
this is called terrace. We actually In
vite failure and destruction by the insig'
ni6cance of its proportions; just that style
of work and ineficiency which character.
ICES most of the operations on our South
ern farms.
1t is proposed to level a plat of land
which has fall of three feet between the
upper and lower sides, and to do this We
construct with plow level ridge o.
earth about eight inches high by sixteer
inches broad at the base, and if it fails te
do the work of an embankment, which
should be at least two feet high by three
feet wide, ne abandon the work and pro
nounce it failure. No terrace is stfi
cient over which the water flows, fol
though the terrace itself may not be bro
ken, vet the accumulated water flowing
over the plat below cannot fail to damage
the land.
The preservation of the soil, and no
the terrace, is the object desired, ane
hence accumulated water should not bt
permitted to flow over it. It is urged al
an objection to the terrace that the watel
accunulating against the lower terrace
line makes the land two vet and drown
out the growing crop. If this were tru'
in theory or practice it would be but
slight objection.
We cannot hope to receive unmitigatet
benefits from all we undertake, even as
remedial measure. We should submit t
temporary inconvenience or loss for th'
sake oflasting good when it is accom-
plished. But it is au imaginary evil. a
the period of the year when there ar
growing crops SO much water is required
and evaporation is 80 rapid that there
need be no apprehension Of damage from
this source on any land sufficiently roll
ing to require the construction of ter
race.
The terrace, when once permanent,
established, impairs additional value t.
the land, both real and conventional
When the farmer feels that. he is secur'
in the possession of his soil against tha
aa,,,.oF 1,oeta IN uh;oh ia 40 fatal 0f hi