82 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 2, 



dissent from the usual practice of farmers general- 

 ly; instead of leaving them in the sun and wind to 

 dry, after digging, in small parcels, in carts or 

 heaps, they should be immediately covered with 

 the tops or something else, even if they remain in 

 the field but a few hours. This destructive prac- 

 tice, I think must be entirely attributable to want 

 of reflection. It is the sole cause which produces 

 the evil so much complained oij by us called, the 

 watery potato; by the Irish, the winded potato; 

 destroying not only the flavor, but a great portion 

 of its nutriment, "in fact, sun, wind and rain, are 

 as destructive to a fresh dug potato, as moonlight 

 is to a fresh caught fish. When our potatoes are 

 removed to the cellar, put into the bottom of the 

 bin two inches of fresh earth, then fill your apart- 

 ment with potatoes, within three or four inches of 

 the top, immediately cover it with tough grass 

 turf, cut up with a spade a little dove tailing, to the 

 thickness of three or four inches; cover them with 

 the turf, grass side up, packed close and pounded 

 down with a wooden mall, to exclude as much air 

 as possible. In this manner in a cellar of suitable 

 temperature, they may be kept fresh and good tor 

 a year, without germinating. No danger is to be 

 apprehended of having too much dirt sticking to 

 the potatoes, it assists in preserving them; an oc- 

 casional sprinkling of fresh earth amongst them 

 will be found serviceable. 



A. W. BAR XI" 31. 



Vergennes, March 13, 1835. 



Extracts from an Essay by M. Arago in Jameson's Philosophical 

 Magazine. 



OIV ARTESIAN "WELLS. 



Depths of the most remarkable Fountains which 

 have been opened by the hand of man. 



We have already alluded to pits sunk by the 

 Chinese to the depth of 1800 feet, in the province 

 of Kia-ting-fou, by which they hoped to procure 

 a supply of salt water; but as no water ascended 

 the pits, we cannot rank them in the list of" wells 

 properly so called. 



The seventh sheet of water, found near Saint 

 Nicolas PAIiermont, was at the depth of 1030 

 feet. The water from it rose to the surface. As 

 it was not water, but coal, that was sought for, 

 the works were abandoned; and the only result 

 that remained, was the formation, without intend- 

 ing it, of a copious fountain, whose waters issued 

 1'rom a source more than 1000 feet deep. 



The pit recently sunk at Geneva to the depth of 

 682 feet, has not reached any body of "water which 

 has a tendency to rise. 



At Suresne, near Paris, the residence of M. 

 Rochschild, the Messrs. Flachat have worked a 

 pit, previously begun by M. JVlulot, to the depth of 

 663 feet. This pit has now penetrated the chalk 

 to the extent of 537 feet. The work has been 

 suspended, when there is only 60 feet more of 

 the chalk formation remaining, upon penetrating 

 which, there would be every prospect of finding 

 water. The desirableness of prosecuting the re- 

 search is most apparent. 



The fountain of Cheswick, in the Duke of 

 Northumberland's park, projects its water about 



a yard above the surface of the soil, and comes 

 from the depth of 582 feet. 



The deepest fountain in the department of Pas 

 de-Calais is situated between Bethune and Aire. 

 Its waters project seven feet above the ground, 

 and come from a depth of 461 feet. 



The artesian well which affords such an abun- 

 dant supply in the cavalry barracks of Tours, is 

 ted by a body of water which M. Degousee found 

 at the depth of 259 feet. The water of another 

 well, which was finished in 1834, in the silk man- 

 ufactory of M. Champoiseau, springs from a 

 depth of 273 feet. 



Concerning the daily issues from some of the prin- 

 cipal Fountains. 



Belidor has already mentioned, in his Science de 

 PIngenieur, a fountain which is situated in the 

 monastery of Saint Andre, a couple of miles from 

 Aire in Artois, the waters of which rise to the 

 height of eleven feet above the ground-floors, and 

 which furnishes nearly two tons of water per 

 minute. 



The well which Messrs. Fabre and Esperiquet- 

 te have sunk, at Bages, near to Perpignan, in the 

 property of M. Duvand, supplies 333 gallons per 

 minute. 



The well which M. Degousee had sunk in the 

 cavalry barracks at Tours, measured at six feet 

 above the ground, furnishes 235 gallons per mi- 

 nute. 



Of the many wells which exist in England, the 

 one whence, according to my knowledge, there is 

 the most abundant supply of water, is that in the 

 copper manufactory of Merton, in Surrey; its is- 

 sue amounts to 200 gallons a minute. 



The artesian wellof Rivesaltes, for which the 

 inhabitants are so much indebted to Messrs. Fa- 

 bre and Esperiquette, engineers, furnishes 176 

 gallons in the same time. 



The well lately sunk near to Lillers, in the 

 department of the Pas de-Calais, with a depth 

 of 140 feet, affords a supply of 155 gallons per 

 minute. 



Of .Artesian Wells whose waters have been em- 

 ployed as moving powers. 



At the village of Gouehem, near Bethune, four 

 wells have been sunk in a meadow to the depth of 

 120 feet. The waters which issue from them are 

 converted into the water-course of a flour-mill, and 

 subserve other agricultural processes. 



At Saint Pol, there is another mill, the only 

 moving power of which is the water from five 

 projecting fountains. 



At Fontes, near Aire, the waters of ten such 

 wells are made to turn the mill-stones of a large 

 mill, as also to blow the bellows and beat the ham- 

 mers of a nail manufactory. 



At Tours, M. Degousee has excavated a well, 

 in the silk manufactory of M. Champoiseau, to 

 the depth of 430 feet, which pours 287 gallons of 

 water per minute into the troughs of a wheel of 

 twenty-one feet diameter. This wheel works the 

 looms of his manufactory. 



At Tooting, near London, the fountain of an 

 apothecary puts a wheel of four feet diameter in 

 motion, and this sets a pump to work, which raises 

 water to the lop of a house three stories high. 



