Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1847-01-28
agricultural Department.
Winter CnlcnIations Tor Farmers.

FuEL.--Every farmer knows that green stick
of wood is much heavier than a seasoned one. Ifa
stick Of beech maple, or Of any other wood COM
monty used as fuel, be weighed when first cut
and again when thoroughly seasoned, ii will be
fond to have lost about one third of its weight
which is, Of course the water in the wood, evapo-
rated by drying. How much water is there then
in single cord Of woodf There are 1913 cubt
feet; deductng two-ffhs for the n,orstices between
the sticks leaves II solid feet of wood One-third
26 cubit feet of this is water, which is equal to
more than six barrels, the quantity in every cord Of
green wood. The teamster, then, who draws in one
winter hundred cords Of wood to market loads
draws, and unoads, more than 600 barrels of water
which he need not have done had the wood been cut
year sooner and properly seasoned How much
would he charge for drawing those 600 barrels, in
water, separately
Agan-In burning green wood the water, in
the wood, being cold, is heated from freezing TO
boiling, In the consumption Of every cord of
wood, therefore six barrels Of water are thus made
to boil, the heat ofthe wood passing into the water
instead Of being liberated and becoming available
as would be the case if the wood was dry, and no
water TO heat. Many Of our villages, containing
two or three thousand inhabitants, consume each
year FIVE thousand cords Of wood one-third Of which
at least, or sixteen hundred. is green. Hence, the
people Of such village are at the needless expense
Of about ten thousand barrels Of cold water year
doing this, payl
Agan-It is ascertained that the heat required
to corporate barrel of water after it is heated TO
boiling, is more than five times that required for
the heating. That s,--if vessel ofcold water be
placed over fire, and a half hour be required to
heat it from the freezing to the boiling pont-th
it will be found to require five more half hours to
evaporate all the water. Consequently, in burning a
cord of green wood, the heat required to drive off
tba g,x oC, -. Il l.
done while the wood is burning, is FIVE times as
great as the boiling of the water, or equal to
heating thirty barrels TO boiling, Hence the far
mer who burns twenty cords Of green wood in a
winter, as many do also performs the needless task
of eyaporalng sixty barrels Of water which is equal
to heating to the boiling point no less than six hun.
bred barrels
Is there any mistake or error in these calcua-
tons Then let it be pointed out. The weight
of water in green stick may be easily known by
first weighing il, then seasoning il by the stove a
few weeks, and weighing aganc In this way the
quantity oil water in cord may be determined with
out mistake. The heat required for eyaporating
can be ascertained by experiment. All the other
calculations follow as a mater of course and con-
tain no material error Now is the time for every
one to have his wood cut a year in advance and, if
possible, two years. so as TO season year under
shelter
Again-lt has been found that in common
Fireplace the loss of heat which escapes through the
chimney, is nine-tenhs of the amount caused by
the consumption of the wood that is nine.tenths
are lost This has been determined by comparing
the quantity OF wood needed 10 heat the same room
equally, where a fireplace, and stove with forty
feet pipe, were each used. Hence, the village
which burns thousand cords of wood in fre.places,
expends nne-tenths OF this amount, or nine hun.
dred cords, in heating the air above the chimney
wk ,l.a -E L.. II.
there is current Of hot air. foot square, and mov-
ing four feet second That is, four cubic feet
of hot air sent out into the wide atmosphere every
second which is equal 10 eighty-six thousand cubic
feet in twenty four hours, the amount which every
farmer, who uses an open fireplace, contributes to
the winds.
FEEDING DOMESTIC ANMALs.-If one COW daily
treads three pounds of hay under foot in the mud,
she will waste about hundred pounds per month
or herd Of twenty cows would waste ton per
month AT this rate, how many times, every ten
years, would the quantity wasted pay the expense
of making feeding boxes and racks 7
WATERING CArrLE.-Many farmers suffer a loss
by not providing good and convenient water for
heir cattle. An animal that is compelled to 90
half mile over a slippery road and chased perhaps
by dogs, cannot gain in flesh by The operaiion-
II COW has to travel twice day half mile 10
water, and return, she travels two miles day =
or ten cows perform twenty miles of travelling per
day, and two thousand miles each winter
GArEs.-Every field on the farm should be en-.
tered by good Substituting and selEfastening gate
Farmers, who too busy in summer TO make
them, or get them made, should see TO it now
How long does it require to take down and put up
set of bars At least two minutes which if
repeated three times day for a year, amounts
10 thirty hours, or three days Of working time
which would yearly pay for good gate. Or ex-
anime it in another point of view,-three times
day, is eighteen hundred times year now, is
there any man between Halifax and California,
who would take down and replace set of bars
eighteen hundred times in succession, in payment
for farm gate Hardy-yet this is the price
yearly paid by those who bars that constant
ly passed, and the gate is not obtained by it,
Again-how much better is well hung gate, than
one halfhung Tor with good selffasening latch,
than one with pin crowded into auger-hole
Try it by dragging badly hung gate over the
ground eighteen hundred times in constant success
sion, scouting it each time with pin, and see if
you do not think this labor would pay for good
hinges and latch-Aibany Cahivator.