cxxxiv Department of Farm Mechanics 



(c) creameries. The details of the type of septic tank developed during 

 the preceding year have been modified so as to increase the efficiency of the 

 tank and at the same time simplify its construction. Special modifica- 

 tions of the general design have been made to suit each of the types of 

 cases given above, and through cooperation with private parties several 

 typical installations have been constructed which will serve as experi- 

 mental plants. A serious problem in connection with sewage disposal 

 is that of distributing the effluent of the septic tank uniformly over the 

 purifying bed without the use of expensive apparatus and also without 

 loss of head, which is in many cases absolutely unobtainable. This is 

 particularly true of the small domestic plants, thousands of which must 

 be installed in the next few years if our farmers are to develop the con- 

 veniences of their homes as they should. In order to meet this need the 

 writer has designed and perfected the Cornell sewage switch and sewage 

 divider, two small fittings which from the drawings provided may be 

 easily constructed at negligible expense by any farmer reasonably handy 

 with tools and familiar with mixing concrete. These fittings are now 

 being used in a number of cases in order that they may be fully tested 

 before their use is extensively recommended. 



A small steam boiler for use. by fruit-growers in boiling lime-sulfur 

 was tested as to capacity, data as to amount of steam used for this purpose 

 were obtained, and a report was submitted to the manufacturer. 



At the request of the Department of Plant Pathology the details of a 

 type of collapsible spray tower suggested by them were perfected and 

 two of the towers were built and used for demonstrating purposes. 

 Drawings and specifications were prepared for distribution. 



The investigations in farm engineering, under the immediate charge of 

 B. B. Robb, were conducted either independently by this Department or 

 in cordial cooperation with other departments conducting investigations 

 in which special engineering work of any kind was required. These 

 problems were as follows : 



1. The design, installation, and operation of an irrigation plant at 

 Brockport, New York, for the purpose of determining the best method of 

 applying w^ater for irrigation to land of this type in New York State. 

 Conducted in cooperation with the departments of Pomology and Soil 

 Technology. 



2. The study and solution of especially difficult engineering problems 

 in connection with proposed or existing drainage systems in various parts 

 of the State. 



3. The design, construction, and use, in cooperation with the Depart- 

 ment of Soil Technology, of an instrument for automatically recording 

 the discharge of a drainage system, the instrument developed having 

 been named a " drainometer." 



