The Cook County news-herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Cook County, Minn.) 1909-current, 1917-06-06

the Wider benches because Of the few
er terraces required and the fact that
it is more convenient to cultivate the
field in a few broad strips than in a
greater number of narrow ones. In
other words, they are willing to in
cur a greater loss by erosion for the
sake of greater convenience in cult
walton.
Protection Against Erosion.
When constructed and maintained
properly, bench terraces give excel
lent protection against erosion. How
ever, many landowners object to this
terrace on account of the difficulty of
moving farm machinery from one
bench to another, the necessity Of cul-
tivating each bench separately, the
loss Of the land occupied by the un-
cultivated embellishments, and the
growth Of weeds and grass on the en-
bankment, which robs the adjacent
cultivated soil of its plantfood and
tends to seed the entire field to weeds
and Objectionable grasses. These
reasons are sufficient to initiate
against the use of this terrace except
On steep slopes where no form of cul-
tivable terrace can be employed.
The best practice indicates that the
bench terrace should not be used on
slopes exceeding 20 per cent. How
ever, they are actually in use on slopes
up to 80 per cent, with a vertical in
terval of s to 10 feet; but in such
instances the labor of cultivating the
narrow benches and of maintaining
the high embankments is considerable,
and it is believed that such slopes
could be devoted more proftably to
pasture or timber.
Narrow.Base Level.Ridge Terraces.
The narrow-base level-ridge terrace
is used to great extent throughout
the Piedmont region Of the South. It
is essentially the first stage in the
construction Of bench terrace, but
methods Of blowing are employed to
prevent it from developing into ter.
race of the bench type. 1t is built usu-
ally to 5 feet wide at the base and
from one-half to 1 foot high. Where
these terraces are sodded heavily they
render satisfactory service on previ'
GUS soils and slopes not greater than
5 to 8 per cent. They should be
spaced from to feet apart in yer.
teal distance. A close spacing re-
| duces the volume Of water which col
lects above the terraces, and the sod
ded surface prevents erosion of tho
terrace due to impounded water over
topping it.
This type Of terrace is cheap to con
| struct, easy to maintain, and affords
a very convenient guide row in plow'
ing and planting. The principal OBJ,
| jections to it's use are (D the land oc,
cupied by the sodded terrace reduce,
the total amount of tillable land in
the field; (2) the growth on the ter
race saps the strength from the adj
Joining soil, resulting in dwarfed
plant growth on either side of the ter,
race; and (3) the weeds which Otter
are allowed to grow on the terrace
tend to seed the entire field, and har,
Dor Objectionable insects in the win
ter. Owing. to these objections, thii
type of terrace Is losing favor rapidly
among the most advanced farmers.
Some attempts have been made II
cultivate this terrace and thus dt
away with the Objectionable features
but such attempts have been attended
with very little success, except wher(
the soil is very sandy and capable Of
absorbing most Of the rain water a,
fast as it falls. Where this water /.
not absorbed readily by the soil, Il
concentrates above the terrace, gener
ally breaks it and rushes down tn.
slope, usually washing a deep gull!
and carrying away large quantities o.
fertile soil.