30 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



needle will not point to a lump of ore away 

 down in the ground. If it were true, and if the 

 willow switch or hazel rod did point to veins of 

 water many feet below, then we should have a 

 new imponderable agent now unknown to 

 science. Scientific men would rush to investi- 

 gate, as they would hunt tor a new planet or a 

 new cornel. It is a little strange thiit scientific 

 investigation has paid so little attention to this 

 matter. One experiment station took it up 

 some years ago. Very likely it was our Ohio 

 station. They showed up the fraud in very 

 short meter by demanding that the water-witch 

 should prophesy where water could be found, 

 with his eye^ t>}iti(lfi)ltJed. The one called 

 was an old gentleman who had located wells 

 almost all his life. He was unquestionably 

 honest and sincere in the matter, for he did 

 the work for little or nothing. When the 

 scientific experimenters, however, asked him 

 if he could do it just as well blindfolded he 

 replied that he could, without question; but 

 when placed upon trial he entirely failed to set 

 any stake where he had previously set them 

 when he could use his eyes. The old man was 

 honest enough to give up, and submit that he 

 had probably not only deluded others, but had 

 deluded himself all his life. 



Now, you need not rush forward and try to 

 "snow me under" with your testimonials or 

 with your faith. If any of you have got a 

 water-witch, north, soulii. east, or west, who 

 can locate wells by the twisting of a switch, and 

 who will locate them with his eyes blindfolded 

 just as well as with his eyes open, just let me 

 know about it, and I will make a trip expressly 

 to see him, and pay you all for your time and 

 trouble besides. Will thf> experiment stations 

 of the different States help to get rid of this 

 foolish, s' upid legend of the Dark Ages '? Make 

 tests as I have outlined above, then send out 

 bulletins, and have the matter published in the 

 agricultural papers. Why, dear friends, just 

 consider a moment. People have carried water 

 long distances from wells all their lives because 

 a water-witch drove a stake in that spot; and, 

 again, one good friend of mine. I am told, has a 

 well right square in front of his front door, be- 

 cause the water-witch told him he could not 

 get water if he dug anywhere else. Perhaps a 

 majority of the " witches" are honest. It simply 

 illustrates how prone is humanity to get notions 

 and to fall into ruts. Electropoise and patent 

 medicines, spoken of in other pages in this 

 issue, attest this. Why, it is just really enough 

 to make a good man weep to see how people 

 waste money and health by letting their imagi- 

 nation lead them astray. As a rule, men who 

 put down wells by machinery, and do a large 

 business, will tell you that the witching 

 amounts to noViing at all. The man who put 

 down our well where the big windmill now 

 stands said he always drilled wherever people 

 directed him to, and that a great many times 

 they had a water-witch set the stake: but he 

 said there was no question but the whole thing 

 was a humbug, and, furthermore, that, when 

 the matter was submitted to him. he always 

 directed people to have their wells where it 

 would be most convenient, and that the chances 

 were certainly just as favorable for striking a 

 heavy vein of water in one place as in another. 

 They had never failed in getting plenty of water, 

 providing they went deep enough. If somebody 

 would dig for water where the witch says it can 

 not be found, he would find plenty of it. with 

 hardly an exception; for it is about as hard to 

 dig far into the earth irlthout finding a vein of 

 water as it is to cut a finger without finding a 

 vein of blood. That would prove the fallacy of 

 at least half his claims, and with that would go 

 the other half. 



SANITARY DRAINAGE, ETC. 



We are told in our book, "Tile Drainage," 

 that the roots of trees never go into the tiles 

 unless said tiles carry water when the ground 

 generally is lacking in moisture. This condi- 

 tion would be secured only where the tiles car- 

 ried water from springs, or slops and sewage 

 from the house, cellar, etc. In digging up some 

 tiles in Ernest's lawn we found the roots of dif- 

 ferent ornamental trees had got into the tiles, 

 and spread out, making quite bushy roots. 

 The reason was, these tiles carried drainage 

 from the kitchen. Now, I have for some time 

 been thinking we might take advantage of this 

 fact. Water-closets are fast becoming desirable 

 fixtures, and they are especially preferable to> 

 the dry-dust system where the internal water 

 cure is to be used. Our books and periodicals on 

 sanitary drainage, I believe, are recommending- 

 cesspools. Now, I do not want a cesspool any- 

 where on my premises. We put a waier-closet, 

 about a year ago, in our bath-room. A cast- 

 iron pipe carries the sewage outside of the 

 building; then vitrified sewer-pipe, with ce- 

 mented joints, take it several rods down into 

 the orchard. At this point the sewer-pipe is 

 conducted into large-sized drain-tiles. We used 

 first eight-inch tile, increasing to ten. As the 

 ground slopes away from the house, there is na 

 difficulty in getting a gradual fall, and at the 

 same time keeping these large tiles within 20 or 

 24 inches of the surface of the ground through 

 the orchard. By the way, these large drain 

 tiles are some damaged ones that I got at the 

 factory for a very small sum. They are crack- 

 ed and warped from being overburned. These 

 were just the thing, you see, to let the roots of 

 the apple-trees, or any other kind of roots that 

 take a notion, get through inside of the tiles. 

 A good many shook their heads, and said it 

 would not work. But how can it fail to work? 

 The water used in flushing scatters the solid 

 matter the whole length of these large tiles, and 

 dissolves more or less of it every time it goes 

 through. During our extreme drouth there was 

 a dense growth of grass and clover over the 

 large tiles, especially toward the lower end, but 

 not the faintest smell could ever be perceived — 

 of couj-se 7iot, for the growing plants took hold 

 of it at once and converted it into something^ 

 valuable. 



We have just finished to-day, Dec. 22, putting 

 a similar one for Ernest's home down through 

 some rows of raspberries, currants, strawberries, 

 pie- plant, etc. See cut on page .517,1894. You 

 see, the whole thing is automatic. The essen- 

 tials are. to find a gentle slope in some direction 

 away from the house; then the length of the 

 line of tiles, as well as the size, will have to de- 

 pend somewhat on the size of your family. 

 Perhaps I should have added that the ground 

 in our orchard and under the berry-plants is 

 thoroughly tile-'lrained. These large tiles for 

 sewage run right over the tile drains, the latter 

 constantly disposing of the surplus water. 

 There you have it — sewage taken away without 

 any handling, and without ever seeing it; and 

 you also have finb-irrigation and liqiikl ma- 

 nure combined. Of course, perfectly work- 

 ing sewer- traps are a necessity; and experts in 

 the matter say there should also be a standpipe 

 just beyond the trap, to carry any surplus gases 

 up through the roof of your building. This 

 prevents gases of any kind from forcing their 

 way through the trap, as we are told they some- 



