QUERIES AND ANSWERS. 37 



draw plows and it bids fair to be practicable, particularly as after the pas- 

 sage of the engine the earth is left in the condition of an absolutely perfect 

 seed bed six to eight inches deep. 



204. Q. In draining land where there is very slight declivity state the Draining. 

 least fall from which a good result can be expected? 



A. Half an inch to every sixteen feet, though one-quarter of an inch in 

 sixteen feet has been known to work well on a line of open drain of 1000 

 feet 



205. Q. How shall I make the cheapest and simplest level for use by Draining 

 ordinary farm laborers in ditch digging ? Level. 



A. Decide first on the pitch or declivity of the ditch or drain. 



If, for example, one inch in sixteen feet is desired, then take a sixteen- 

 foot board and plane off both edges perfectly straight, and of equal width 

 from end to end, then with a chalk line mark off on one side an oblique 

 line from one inch to nothing and rip out. Next procure a carpenter's 

 spirit level. 



When digging the ditch, shovel the earth out so that when the leveling 

 board is placed with the wide end down the ditch, it will rest all of its 

 length on the lower edge on the earth and place the carpenter's spirit 

 level upon the top smooth edge, thus indicating the true level, when the 

 pitch will be one inch every sixteen feet or five feet in a 1000. 



206. Q. Is there any foundation in fact for the popular belief among Snperatition. 

 horsemen that a horse with white hoofs must necessarily have soft feet ? 



A. Veterinary surgeons say, if there is any appreciable difierence in 

 density of pigmented or non-pigmented hoofs it is so slight as to make no 

 practical diflference as to soundness or usefulness. 



207. Q. How many acres does the United States Land Oflice sell an- Land Sales. 

 nually ? 



A. In the year 1889, the sales amounted to 19,000,000 acres. 



208. Q. What proportion of our agricultural productions are sent to Exports. 

 foreign countries? 



A. About one-tenth — a small proportion after all — and yet it is a greater 

 percentage than the agricultural exports of any other country. This ex- 

 port is not likely to reach a greater proportion, as the nine-tenths will 

 always be needed at home, and as many other nations are sending to the 

 purchasing countries their surplusses of the same kind of productions. 

 Our export trade if increased must be in the line of concentrated articles 

 as cheese, butter, canned fruit and vegetables. The annual value of our 

 farm productions exported amounts to about $400,000,000, with the agri- 

 cultural imports just about equal to the exports. 



209. Q. Among the importations, what agricultural products are they American 

 which American farms should produce ? Productions. 



A. First. Sugar, the amount imported being equal in value to our wheat 

 and flour exported. 



Second. Flax, hemp and other fibre imports, which amount in value to 

 nearly the total value of our boasted cotton crops. 



Third. Fruit, of which $20,000,000 worth are annually imported. 



