Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1917 — PREVENTING EROSION OF FARM LANDS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

PREVENTING EROSION OF FARM LANDS

(Prepared by the United States Depart—ment of Agriculture.) All types of terraces are constructed originally in the same way. The work of construction should begin invariably with the highest terrace in the field and each terrace should be completed before work is started on the one next below. The late fall and early winter is the best time to lay out and build terraces. If one has not time to terrace his whole field well it is better to construct well the first few terraces near the upper,side of the field than to terrace the whole field poorly, for a break In a terrace near the upper side of .the field is followed by breaks in all below. The terrace embankment can be built up wholly with an ordinary turning plow. ,A large 16-lnch plow with an extra large wing attached to the moldboard for elevating the dirt, is an effective implement for throwing up a high terrace bank. For broad terraces furrows are thrown toward the center line from each side for a strip 15 to 20 feet in width. Then, commencing at the center again, the strip is plowed in the same manner as before. This procedure is repeated until the terrace has reached the desired height. Many farmers allow the loose earth to be settled by a rain between plowings so that the dirt will turrf better. However, it is safer to build the terrace to the desired height at the start for, if a heavy rain, sufficient to overtop the terrace, comes between plowings, much of the original work is undone and considerable damage occurs from erosion. A disk plow can be used successfullyto throw up loose dirt, and the ordinary road grader is employed often and is adapted especially to such work.

The most commonly used and cheapest Implement for throwing up a terrace is a wooden, V-shaped drag. After the first three or four furrows have been plowed on each side of the center line of the terrace, .the drag is used to push the loose earth toward the center and thus build the terrace higher. The plowing is resumed and the drag used again, and this is done repeatedly until the terrace has attained the desired width. If the terrace is not built sufficiently high the first time, the work Is started again at the center and the plowing and dragging are repeated. The longer side of the drag is hinged so that for the first few furrows the hinged portion is allowed to swing loose. As the terrace Increases in wiflth, and It is desired to move the loose earth a greater distance, the removable brace is set in position and the hinged portion is brought into use. The short side of the drag is made to follow the

open furrow; this holds the drag In the proper position. The piece to which the hitch is made should be set at a vertical angle with the shorter side, and also at a horizontal angle. The former tends to keep the short side parallel with the bottom of the furrow and the latter keeps the point pressing slightly against the edge of the furrow and prevents a tendency of the drag to jump out. Graded terraces commonly are built with a plow and drag scraper. Ar strip is plowed, as heretofore described, and loose earth on the upper half of the strip is scraped up and deposited on the lower half. By this method a channel Is constructed for the flow of the vrater, and the earth used to build up the embankment. Maintenance and Cultivation. A newly built teigrace Is susceptible to failure until it becomes thoroughly settled. For this reason it is not advisable to cultivate the terrace the first year. It should be sown to some sort of cover crop. Breaks In terraces in the first year tend to discourage a novice in the use of terraces, but unless the embankment is built to an abnormally large size breaks occur often in newly made terraces. After the terrace has been established permanently, the soil should be thrown toward the center at each plowing of the field, at least once a year. This will increase the breadth and maintain the height, of the terrace and the field eventually will assume an appearance of a succession of prominent waves, all of which may be cultivated easily. In cultivating a terrace as much of the soil as possible should be thrown toward its center. The best results are obtained where the rows are run parallel with the terraces. At first, usually one row is planted on the top, but as the terrace grows broader several rows are planted. These rows invariably produce a greater yield than do those on the land between the terraces. Where large machinery is used, and it Is difficult to follow the terrace line, the rows may be run at an angle across the terraces, where the land is not very steep. To do this, the terraces must be broad and must be thrown up at least once a year to maintain their height. Where the rows between two adjacent terraces are to be laid out parallel with the terraces, the same number of rows should be run parallel with each terrace. Owing to the variation in distance between terraces it then will be necessary to fill in with short rows, generally known as “point rows.” These rows are run in pairs so as to facilitate the work of cultivation.

CHEAP IMPLEMENT FOR THROWING UP TERRACE.