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The Country Gcntkmaiis Magazine 



the proprietor, is also largely due to the co- 

 operation of Mr Simon Beattie, the farm and 

 stock manager, whose knowledge and experi- 

 ence enabled him to make most advantageous 

 purchases in Britain on behalf of his em- 

 ployer, as well as most efficiently to superin- 



tend things on the estate, during the neces- 

 sary absence of the owner. Mr Cochrane is 

 fortunate in having so able a right-hand man, 

 and one so competent every way to second 

 his plans and efforts as a breeder of choice 

 cattle and sheep." 



THE AMERICAN TUBE WELL. 



THE long tract of dry weather we have 

 experienced, while it has reduced the 

 bulk of even considerable rivers, has dried up 

 many streamlets which supplied water to graz- 

 ing stock, rendering the cattle dependent on 

 supplies brought to the fields daily by means 

 of water-carts. That ample supplies of pure 

 water are essential to the healthy condition of 

 live stock of all kinds is too well known to 

 require any argument to prove it, and for 

 this reason it is of the utmost importance 

 that not only all pasture fields, but also 

 every farm-yard, shall be furnished with the 

 means of procuring a sufiicient supply at all 

 seasons ; and, of course, the more cheaply 

 this can be effected it will be the better for 

 all concerned. 



We are therefore desirous to bring under the 

 notice of our readers the Tube Well, which 

 we believe is an American invention. During 

 the American war it was used with great ad- 

 vantage by the Federal army, while its merits 

 have also been successfully tested in the 

 course of the Abyssinian campaign. The 

 Emperor of the French had it tried in his own 

 presence at St Cloud, with the most satis- 

 factory results. Wells on this principle are 

 now in operation at several public works, and 

 also private establishments, and in every in- 

 stance the experiment has succeeded— that is, 

 of course, if water was to be found. 



A great feature in Norton's Tube Well is 

 its simplicity, and when one examines it and 

 sees the manner in which the operation is 

 conducted, it seems somewhat strange that 

 the invention had not been hit upon long 

 before this time. An iron tube, 12 feet in 

 length, and \}{ inch in diameter, pointed 



with steel, and perforated for about 2 feet 

 from the bottom, is driven into the ground by 

 a heavy weight, or " monkey," which is 

 worked over puUies attached to a tripod, by 

 a couple of men. Should the first tube fail 

 to reach water, a second tube is attached, and 

 it may require even a third tube or more 

 before the operation is finished, but in most 

 instances one tube, or at most two tubes, 

 have been sufficient. When water in sufficient 

 quantity is indicated by the plumb-line the 

 operation is complete, with the exception of 

 fitting on a pump to the top of the tube. 

 The rate of sinking depends, of course, on 

 the nature of the ground, but in a trial which 

 we saw the other day, water was got at a depth 

 of 8 feet in twelve minutes. Half-an-hour is 

 frequently sufficient to complete the whole 

 operation of sinking the tube, fitting on the 

 pump, and having the well in full working 

 order. 



But the simplicity of the Tube Well, and the 

 ease with which it is made available, do not 

 comprehend all its advantages. It is often 

 impossible to sink wells, by the ordinary 

 method, in running sand, but in such cases 

 the Tube Well is perfectly effective, while 

 the filtration of the water is secured by 

 enclosing within the perforated portion of the 

 tube an inner tube, which is also perforated, 

 the vacant space between the inner and outer 

 tubes being filled with wire gauze, which acts 

 as a filter. Besides this, the water obtained 

 from the Tube Well is always pure, as no 

 sewage or surface water can find its way into 

 it, as frequently happens in the case of ordi- 

 nary wells. No doubt some of our readers 

 will have experienced this in the case of wells 



