Clearing Sage Brush Land 33 



scale on it, be up-hill. The place for the terrace is found 

 by raising the foot of the instrument up or down hill until 

 the proper level is obtained, then let the boy carrying pegs 

 stick one at the front end of the level; then go with the 

 instrument to that point, and repeat same operation until 

 f.\\ the terraces are laid off. When you come to a gully 

 make half sets with the instrument and set up-grade stakes 

 to tell how high to build the banks to prevent breaking 

 over by heavy rains. Now walk back over the line of 

 stakes and when a place is found where there is too short 

 a turn in the terrace, straighten a little or give a more 

 gentle curve by moving the upper stakes a little down 

 hill; never move lower stakes uphill. 



"After the terrace has been staked out a furrow can be 

 run connecting the stakes. If desired, the terrace can be 

 listed up by throwing several furrows together and the 

 trees planted on the terrace. In planting orchards on con- 

 tours it is impossible to have the trees line-up as they 

 would do on even land. The first row is set by simply 

 spacing the trees along the contour at the regular distance 

 desired. The second row is set by alternating, as nearly 

 as possible, the trees with those in the first row. As 

 the work of setting proceeds the trees in each row will be 

 alternated with those in the row preceding it. On account 

 of the variability of slope it will be found impossible to 

 exactly alternate the trees. Occasionally a tree will have 

 to be shifted one way or the other, or one left out, in order 

 to keep the spaces between the trees fairly uniform." 



In irrigated sections land can be planted in contours 

 and terraced, with the irrigation ditch flowing on the upper 

 side of the terrace. This will let the water percolate 

 through the soil to best advantage. In case the hillside is 

 long it may not be necessary to water the lowermost rows 

 as they will sub-irrigate. 



Clearing Sage Brush Land 



The method adopted by Western farmers in clearing 

 their land of sage brush varies a good deal with the sec- 



