The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-06-08

THE GLASGOW COURIER
sides may be saved and kept in a
cultivable condition by the use of ter
races. Terraces make possible either
the holding of the rich, easily eroded
surface soil in place, or else limit its
movement to short distances from
which it can be thrown back by plow-
ing. The various systems of terrace
ING. and the soil and other conditions
which make a particular type of ter
race desirable, are described in a re-
cent publication of the United States
department of agriculture, Bulletin
No. 512, "Prevention Of the Erosion of
farm lands by Terracing," by c. E.
Ramser. The bulletin is based on
studies of field conditions and terrace
systems now in use in the United
States.
While terracing has been success
fully employed in the United States
on fields sloping as much as 30 feet
to the 100 feet, and is practiced in
Europe and Asia on ever sleeper
grades, the department of agriculture
does not recommend the use of ter
races on slopes greater than 20 feet
to the 100 feet, with a view to making
the land available for cultivation. Hill
sides with slopes greater than 20 feet
to the 100 feet should be seeded for
pasture or planted to timber.
The Purpose of Terracing.
The purpose of terracing is so to
shape the land in fields with a pro-
nounced slope that rain water, in
stead of draining gullies and washing
the fertile top soil entirely from the
field, will be confined either to nearly
level zones or else to strips of sloping
land having relatively small area. The
theory of terracing is that the water
accumulating in thse restricted zones
is restrained, so that much of it soaks
into the soil, while the surplus is car
ried away at railroad velocity along
the terraces and disposed of where it
will do no damage.
Bench Terraces.
The original system of terracing
which is used almost exclusively in
Asia, and to a great extent in Europe
, is a series of benches separated by
almost perpendicular rises. Water
usually is prevented from flowing
, over the edges of the benches by
. small ridges or shoulders. Bench ter.
: races are classified as sloping or hori'
!, %zontal, according as they have or have
not slope between rises. In both case:
9 the rises are abrupt. Horizontal
, bench terraces are little used in tn
United States, but sloping bench ter
races are common. With these two
types of terraces there is much waste
y land on the face of the rises and nea,
. the edges, and it is impractical t.
: mend them only when it is necessar.
get heavy farm machinery from on
! bench to another. The specialists o
:, the Department of Agriculture recon
mend to cultivate slopes approaching
20 per cent.
. Broad Base Level Ridge Terraces.
% Wherever conditions permit, what i
e known as the ~broad-base level-ridg
terrace system should be used. Ur
. der this system there is no vast
of land and no surface movement {
- water from the zones, and farm ms
chinery may be transferred from tel
race to terrace with little difficult,
: Such terracts may be used to bes
advantage on fields with open, pei
vious soils and with slopes up to
per cent. When carefully designed
constructed, and maintained, howeve
this system of terraces can be used O
IT any soil and on slopes somewhs
'e greater than Is per cent.
N When broad-base level-ridge tel
IS races are constructed, the portion {
a the field between the terraces is lie:
E. at it's original slope. Ridges wit
E. bases at least 10 feet wide and height
of of at least IL feet are thrown up
a intervals to stop and hold surfat
t. water. These ridges run across tt
face of a hill or completely around
r. at exactly the same level. The
j. therefore wind about on conto,
rs lines, turning closer into the hill
depressions and farther out whe
OF shoulders are encountered. The rid
r. es, if not carried completely arour
hills, may be brought to an end
natural watercourses or at ditch,
constructed along property lines. u
der such circumstances a portion
the water drains away. For the mo
st part, however, the water falling {
I'd each section of the slope is caugl
i'll and held by the next lower ridge, al
ut eventually soaks into the groun
d, Such surface soil as is washed dow
Id against the ridges can be work.
re gradually up the slopes by prop
be methods of blowing.
to Broad-base level-ridge terraces a
&c sometimes supplemented with ii
ar Iroiporo cyctapnc Nroh oonhip.