38 Vineyard Culture. 



or at once laid in regular lines along the side of the hill, and 

 the soil thrown against the wall, so as to make the terrace ap- 

 proach to a level on the surface. The width of the benches, 

 and the hight of the walls, will depend upon the steepness of 

 the hill. It is a notable fact that the soil on the lower side 

 of the walls is seldom dug so deeply as is desirable. 



Sometimes these walls and benches are carried horizontally; 

 sometimes they are made to incline a little toward one end, to 

 give outlet to the water. Generally, the surface drainage is 

 provided for, by making paved gutters at some point of the 

 vineyard, toward which the ends of the benches incline on 

 one or both, sides. 



The cost of digging and walling these hill-sides, varies with 

 the amount of stone and masonry, and will range from two 

 hundred to as much as five hundred dollars per acre. 



In appropriating a grassy slope to vineyard uses, where 

 there is no stone for the construction of walls, the ground is 

 often thrown into benches, or terraces, and the abrupt slopes 

 are protected by sodding. This is either done by setting 

 masses of earth with the grassy surface placed regularly on the 

 lower line of the terrace, as the work progresses, so as to 

 make a regular sod-bank, at once, or the earth is dug into 

 shape and sodded with blue-grass afterward. 



These sod-banks have quite a pretty effect in the landscape, 

 and they answer a very good purpose in holding the soil in 

 shape, if they have been properly constructed, but they do 

 not furnish so good a drainage as the dry stone walls, and, 

 being sloped, they occupy more space. There is another 

 objection to sod-banks : they reduce the temperature by radia- 

 tion at night ; and sometimes this reduction amounts to a frost, 

 which would not have occurred, but for the grassy surface. 

 This objection applies with equal force to the sodded road- 

 ways, recommended on a previous page, as a means of pro- 

 viding for the surface drainage. 



