VINEYARD AND OUT-DOOR CULTURE. 167 



to form terraces from the bottom upwards, in width 

 according to the steepness of ascent. If very abrupt, only 

 one row of vines can be accommodated on each, but with 

 a more gentle inclination the breadth may be sufficient 

 for two or even three rows. The front will also require 

 to be banked up to render the upper surface level, and 

 there is nothing more suitable for the purpose than thick 

 turfs of grass-sod, fixed on the edges, inclining from the 

 perpendicular towards the bank. Generally speaking, 

 these sods may be cut from the immediate surface, when 

 a portion of each length to be laid out will furnish enough 

 material for its own front, and as there is a right and a 

 wrong in this operation, like most other things, it may be 

 of service to show the right. When a bank of this charac- 

 ter is made of square sods, as seen in Fig. 30, they are 

 subject to give way during the rains of the first summer, 

 from the fact of there being no mechanical holdfast. Fig. 31 



Fig. 30. Fig. 31. 



shows how this may be obviated, and the trouble or ex- 

 pense of workmanship is the same in both cases. The 

 way to get these latter is, to simply cut down a few inches 

 with the spade in a slanting direction, by a straight line 

 at equal, distances, as much as may be wanted, and after- 

 ward cut to the same width, with the line placed diagon- 

 ally to the first cutting, which will give each individual 

 sod of the right size and form to push together, by merely 

 reversing the bevelled edge at each rise on the height. 

 The trenching, plowing, manuring, &c., will be the same 

 in this as the before-noticed plan. The next thing to be 



