DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



been able to ascertain how great a fall is essen- 

 tially necessary to the effective operation of a 

 ram, elevating water say 25 or 30 feet. I have 

 been induced to troxible you Avith these qnes- 

 tions. thinking you might be familiar with the 

 practical operation and economy of this instru- 

 ment, or could refer my interrogatories to some 

 manufacturers of your acquaintance, who, I 

 suppose, are jireparcd to give all necessary in- 

 formation in regard to it. 



I am beginning to feel the want of a vinery, 

 which, without heating apparatus, I conceive to 

 be a simple and plain structure, but am unable 

 to devise means to prevent injury from hail 

 storms. I don't know whether you are subject 

 to the fall of hail of sufficient size to endanger 

 these structures, or whether you use shutters. 

 It strikes me that shutters, unless entirely re- 

 moved, would intercept too much light; but I 

 am quite afraid to risk them, where hail from 

 half an inch to one and a half inches in diame- 

 ter, sometimes falls. Another question arises, 

 which I wish to ask you. My farm is one mile 

 in extent in its longest measurement, and pre- 

 sents an undulating surface, witli several good 

 building sites, which I design to improve for my 

 tenantry. I would like to improve the different 

 sites with houses of different style, to give va- 

 riety, (am I right?) and wish to know if I should 

 place edifices in the pointed .style on the highest 

 eminences, or the lowest. You will probably 

 consider this a very foolish question for any one 

 to ask, but I assure you that I am content to 

 ask simple questions in regard to what consti- 

 tutes good taste in architecture and the land- 

 scape, and trust you will pardon the same, when 

 you consider that I have a new farm, directly 

 from the hand of nature, and am located where 

 I have not the benefit of erudite example. 



I have now in cultivation and in English grass, 

 near 300 acres of my 420, and when some 

 twenty-five more have been subdued, I shall 

 direct my energies to the ornamental improve- 

 ment of my timbered lands. 



I obtained some good Devon cattle from Mi- 

 chigan this fall, as a beginning of my original 

 design, formed seven or eight years ago, to 

 stock my lawns with choice breeds of animals; 

 and shall be able to have them sufficiently in- 

 reased, with what additions I hope to be able 

 ic by the time I get my grounds ready, 



to make a respectable show in the way of stock. 

 "We have had a delightful autumn and early 

 winter — no cold weather until the 12th of De- 

 cember. Since which time, the thermometer 

 has ranged below zero, the greatest portion of 

 the time, sometimes as low as 20°; so I suppose 

 we may say good bye again to the fieaches. 

 Yours, respectfully, J. W. Muscatine, loiva. 



Remarks. — As almost every case whei'e the 

 hydraulic ram is used, differs slightly from ano- 

 ther, we can only generalize in our answer to 

 our correspondent's first query. The fall need- 

 ed in most cases, is from three to four feet ; the 

 quantity of water forced up by the ram, (say 

 at 200 or 300 feet distant, with 30 or 40 feet of 

 elevation.) is about one-tenth; that is nine gal- 

 lons of a given supply from a spring or stream, 

 are used in obtaining the power necessary to 

 force up one gallon. The cost of the ram it- 

 self, (usual sizes,) varies from 12 to 18 or 20 

 dollars. Besides this, enough lead pipe is need- 

 ed to convey the water from the ram to the 

 place where it is wanted. This is usually half- 

 inch pipe, worth, at the manufectories, five or 

 six cents a running foot; also about 20 feet of 

 one and a half-inch pipe, to drive the ram, worth 

 25 or 30 cents a foot. 



Severe hail storms occur occasionally here — 

 though not so frequently as at the west. It is 

 rarely the case, however, that greenhouse glass 

 is greatly damaged by it. A shower of very 

 large hail stones — averaging three-fourths of an 

 inch in diameter, took place last autumn, while 

 we were at a gentleman's seat upon which was 

 a range of glass neraly two hundred feet long. 

 The owner expected to find the glass roofs en- 

 tirely destroyed after the storm. But only 60 

 panes were broken among so many hundreds. 

 The steeper the roof, the less the breakage. 

 "What is termed " double thick" glass, — made 

 especially for greenhouses, is much stronger, 

 and is rarely broken. 



In building several tenant houses upon a sin- 

 gle piece of property, we would much prefer 

 to construct them all in one general style — or 

 with only slight variations, growing out of diffe- 

 rent sizes, positions, and wants. The passion 

 for variety is the bane of modern art. It is at 

 variance with simplicity, certainly one of the 

 noblest and highest beauties of art, and 

 stroys breadth of repose and expression. 



