Experience in Terracing 



From " St Louis Star Farmer," Feb. 23, 1912. 



Editor, " The Weekly Star Farmer: " 



Land that has washed down the hill, down the branch and down the river is 

 gone, and gone forever. Wherever the top soil is thin and sandy, a tight clay lying 

 close to the surface and the country hilly or rolling, washing is sure to follow. 

 The precious and friendly raindrops, like fire, are a good servant, but a bad master. 

 If allowed to wash away all the top soil, with its plant food, they become man's 

 worst enemy. 



In the four years I have occupied my present place I have not suffered the loss 

 of one foot of top soil from washing, and my land is hilly. I solved the problem 

 with dynamite. At the same time I solved several other vastly important problems 

 the conservation of moisture, destruction of insects, and fine, porous pulverizing 

 of soil for cultivation. 



It is terracing with dynamite that we are now considering. To do this, make 

 a land level of three pieces of scantling or any cheap, rough, straight-edge stuff; 

 one for your bench to be 8 to 12 feet long and two pieces of equal length 2 l / 2 to Z 1 /* 

 feet long. At a hardware store buy a 75-cent carpenter's spirit level. Secure it 

 on top of bench in the middle by ten-penny nails partly driven. A more simple 

 and accurate device could not be imagined ; but if you prefer, buy a land level for 

 $10 or $15. Two men can level fifty or more acres a day. One takes the level and 

 one follows with a hoe, chopping out a hoeful of dirt at each end, thus indicating 

 your terraces. Or a man may follow with turn plow or twister, discarding hoe. 

 Throw several deep furrows up for terrace. Now, with a number of IH-inch 

 iron drills follow in last furrow and drill holes 24 to 34 inches deep, every 10 to 

 14 feet. Insert a half stick of Red Cross Extra 25% Dynamite, equipped with cap 

 and fuse. Tamp well with an old broom handle or other wood tamp, light at 

 first and gradually harder and harder till hole is filled. Use clay for tamping. 

 Split end of fuse to effect a powderpan ; turn back and light a row at a time with 

 a torch or matches. Use your best judgment in spacing terraces, according to steep- 

 ness of your grade. Much land may be saved for cultivation by dynamiting close 

 terraces alone, and only throwing every third or fourth one up with plow. It 

 is marvelous how this will hold hilly land together. Save your fresh land and 

 reclaim that has begun to wash. Besides being the best means for terracing, you 

 will literally irrigate your farm with these storehouses of moisture and will be 

 astonished beyond measure at the ease of cultivation and crop returns. 



I travel all over the Southern states from time to time, meeting nurserymen 

 and orchardists. I have never yet seen a man who had used dynamite for stump 

 blowing, tree setting, subsoiling or ditching who was disappointed with results. 

 For my part, I use it for all these purposes on my place. It has more than proven 

 its worth. 



ARTHUR E. COLE, 



High Point Farm and Nursery, DeKalb Co., Ga. 

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