Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-09-02
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EXPERIMENTS IN SETTING PosTs.-A New
England farmer, who cut some yellow oak
timber in winter, split each log into two box
posts, and set them the following spring. De-
termined to settle the question of the dura-
bility of posts, he made the following expert
ments:
First pair we're placed butt end down, one
charred. Both rotted off the third year; the
upper ends we're then put in the ground, and
they lasted seven years more.
Second pair we're put butt end down, one
sslted by boring and plugging. The salted
post gave out the second year, the unsalted
the fourth year. The ends were reversed,
and each lasted about eight years longer:
Third pair-One was placed butt end down,
the other butt up. The one with the butt
down rotted by the third year, the other by
the fourth The ends were reversed, and the
new butt. rotted one. year before the other, al
though the latter was set one year sooner.
Fourth pair-These were set small ends
down and one salted. Both rotted off the
fourth year, and ON being reversed, lasted four
years more.
In drawing conclusions from these expert.
rnents, the farmer decided that charring did
no good, and sailing green post is useless, IT
not injurious. ALI the experiments indicated
that posts set reversed last longest, and it ap'
peared that seasoned posts last longer than
green ones, the seasoned and small ends down
in the FIRST experiment lasting about twice as
long as the green small ends in the fourth.
RURAL NcTEs-Copper rivets and burrs
are Just the things to repair old harness which
are not past their usefulness. Harness makers
do not recommend chem for reasons best
known to themselves, but in case Of need
copper rivet will mend broken trace, har.
ness tug or line neatly and quickly. 1t can
be done at home and will last equal to stitch
ing. The writer has mended collars, bri'
dies, halters, and horse blankets with rivets,
besides fastening handles and bales to bas-
kets, and united stove pipes and iron hoops.
Considering the many uses to which copper
wire and rivets can be put, they are neces:
sary part of a farmers equip pment. A pound
of wire or riyets is enough to purchase at one
time, and they can be had of most hardware
dealers.
As rule, when horse breaks his leg, he
is knocked in the head as useless, but it seems
this is not by any means necessary, and if the
beast is worth saving, it can be saved. Two
months ago a valuable horse belonging to
Charles E. Smith, of Stony Brook, had his
leg broken at Port Jefferson. The broken
bone was set, and the leg was imbedded in
Plaster of Paris. In two weeks the horse
could walk around the stable in three weeks
the owner drove him home, distance OF
FIVE miles, and on Saturday the horse was
driven to a road wagon, mile in four
minutes. -
SEED WHEAr.-Mr. Goddess says: "It
farmers would exercise as much care in Sc
lecting seed wheat as they do in corn, there
would be less running out" This is fact,
and am surprised that more farmers do not
see it. In my experiments with corn, l have
tenaciously held the fact that the top ear
bears the only seed suitable to plant, and as
tenaciously do hold that there is only one
head in each stool Of wheat perfect enough to
keep it from deteriorating. Another reason
why wheat runs out is that, as long as far
mers take their seed from the common gran
cry, so long will it diminish in yield. They
may sift it, sling it across the barn floor, and
run it through hundred sieves, and it will
still degenerate. Not until they exercise the
patience and science Of hand picking bush.
el or two every year from the top heads OF
the best stools, and sowing them alone on
some choice lot for seed the following year,
will they escape the degenerating influences
of bad, unremunerative crops. Wheat is so
remarkably sensitive that it receives the
slightest attention most kindly; and, on the
other hand, the presence of any foreign plant
{eveu another kind of wheat,) weed, fly, bug
or worm, takes from it its life to such de-
gree that every farmer loses many bushels an
nually. ...
DRINKING IMPURE WATER.-Set pitcher
of ice.water in room inhabited, and in
few hours it will have absorbed from the room
much of the respired and perspired gases,
and the air of the room will have become
purer, but the water will be perfectly filthy.
This depends on the fact that the water has
the faculty of condensing and thereby absorb
ing ali the gasses, which it does without in
creasing its own bulk. The colder the water
is, the greater its capacity to contain these
gasses At ordinary temperature pint of
water will contain pint Of carbonic acid gas,
and several pnts of ammonia. This capacl-
ty is nearly doubled by reducing the temper
ature to that of ice. Hence, water kept in
the room awhile is always unfit for use, and
should often be renewed whether it has be-
come warm or mot And for the same reason,
the water in pump-stock should all be
pumped out in the morning before any is
used. That which has stood in the pitcher
overnight is not fit for cooking purposes in
the morning. Impure water is quite as inju-
rious to the health as impure air, and every
person should provide the means of obtaining
fresh, pure water, for all domestic uses.
FRESH A1R.-Live out of doors as much
as you can. II is the place for a man to be.
It is good for the health. A distinguished
physician was in the habit Of saying:
"However bad the air may be out of doors,
it is always worse in the house"
1t is good for the temper. People who are
always shut up in house are apt to grow
fretful and peevish. They are prone to &C.
quire narrow views of things and to worry
over trials not worth considering. 1t is good
for the whole character-for strength, hope,
patience and fortitude.
To PREVENT Cows FROM KICKING.-A
correspondent of an exchange writes that he
has MIXED cows for thirty years, and has
found many that were handy with their feet.
The most effectual method of preventing
kicking, he says, is a strap buckled tight
around the body just forward of the hip