TERRACING AND DRAINING 



77 



as possible. Below this furrow leave a strip of hard, un- 

 broken ground of about two feet wide. On this throw 

 furrows from above and below, forming a slight ridge or 

 bank. If at first this bank is not level or not high enough, 

 the work must be completed with shovel and hoe. 



A terrace on sandy, porous soil will hold back all the 

 water that falls except during and after very heavy rains. 

 Deep plowing will aid terraces to do this and will often 

 keep them from breaking, even after heavy downpours. 

 Breaks, however, will sometimes occur, especially before 



Ground Line 

 FIG. 51. A HOME-MADE LEVEL FOR LOCATING TERRACE LINES 



weeds and grass have covered the terrace and bound it to- 

 gether with their roots. Such breaks should be mended 

 promptly, using neither logs, stones, nor trash, but soil 

 taken from just below the terrace and some distance from 

 the break. 



A crop of cowpeas or cotton on the terrace bank keeps 

 the field much neater and more free from weeds. Terraces 

 may be covered with some winter-growing plant, the 

 living roots of which strengthen them in winter. Among 

 the best plants for this purpose are bur clover, vetch, or 

 Texas blue-grass. 



