American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-01-24

There are few things that give the or
binary farmer so much trouble as meas
uring the area of fields. Most of farm
ers have their plans by which they meas
ure square areas in rough way by ''step-
ping" calling five steps a rod. This is
but little better than mere guess work. A
better plan is to have light pole divided
into feet and inches This may be made
of either clear white pine, or wildwood
dressed, tapering from the middle to each
end, two and one-half inches deep at the
middle and tapering to one inch at the
ends; the thickness the other way to be
uniformly one inch.
If the fields be square or equilateral,
and the measurement results in rods and
fractions of rods, as for instance, 4551 by
and divide by 100, the number of rods in
an acre, or make the fraction decimals
and multiply and divide as before If
the quantity be in rods and feet, reduce
all to feet and divide by A., $50, the nnm-
Der of square feet in an acre. If the plot
be a right-angled-tr triangle, the base and
perpendicular lines being equal, multiply
them together and divide the product by
two, and again by 1850, which will give
the area.
If the field be a rightangled-tr triangle
base, and then several times across the
the short way; add these last quantities
together and divide by the number of
such measurements, thus: Length of
base line 5S7 feet Measurements across,
1929 plus 207 plus 101 plus 80 feet; adding
together the product is $50 feet; divided
by four the number of measurements
gives 10. Multiply 5S7 feet, the length
of the base, by 10, the average measure
ments across. Divide by A., $50 and the
product is the number of acres. In this
way the measurement will be nearly as
accurate as that made by surveyor, but
care must be taken that the measuring
pole be kept, when not in use, where it
will be dry and not liable to warp, else
the measurements will be incorrect
A better implement and one which any
carpenter can make is a large pair of
compasses or dividers, the points of which
may be made to extend just one-third of
a rod or five and One-half feet. If the in
strument be five feet long it will be easily
managed. Take it loosely in the hand at
the top and revolve one point past the
other as you walk forward. The number
of steps this instrument makes across the
field, divided by three, will be the rods
and thirds of rod of the line. A little
practice will enable you to work this in
plement as fast as you can walk, and the
distances will be close enough for all
practical purposes. The measurements
of the areas in the various crops of the
farm is one of the first things to be at
tended to in computing the cost and value
OF crops. knowing the cost and value is
one of the most important economies of
the farm
A rough way of getting a square acre
marked out is to measure a square, the
sides of which are seventy yards. This
gives the area 1900 square yards-siXty
square yards more than an acre. If it is
wanted nearer than that, take 200 feet as
tine sides of the square, which will give
an area of 1861 square feet-121 square
feet or about 1917 square yards more than
an Western RuruL.
Cleaning Silk.-Silk is such an ele-
CANT but expensive material, that every
lady possessed of economy as well as
taste should study to preserve and reno
vate every breadth as soon as it shows the
first signs of fading and losing its original
fine luster. The following is an excellent
recipe for restoring that important item
in lady's wardrobe. Use potato water
for all colors and kinds. Crate potatoes
into cold spring water, say cut a large
potato to every quart of water, of which
five or six will do for couple of dresses.
If for very light silk, pare the potatoes;
if any way dark, merely wash them clean
The pan of water must not be stirred in
the least for forty-eight hours, then very
slowly and steadily. Pour off the clear
liquor, but not a particle of the sediment,
into an open vessel-a bottle or such like
Dip the pieces of silk into this liquid up
and down few times, without in the
least creasing them; then wipe them on
a fiat table with a clean towel first on one
side and then the other. 1t is as well To
hang each one as dipped upon line to
allow the drops to drain off little before
wiping. Have damp cloth to co-er
them in till they are done; then iron one
way on the soiled side. The result ofthis
wash will be most satisfactory.