NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



403 



ARTESIAN WELLS. 



"Under this name is designated a cylindrical perfo- 

 ration, bored vertically down through one or more of 

 the geological strata of the earth, till it passes into a 

 porous gravel bed containing -water, placed under 

 such incumbent pressure as to make it mount up 

 through the perforation, either to the surface, or to a 

 height convenient for the operation of a pump. In 

 the first case, these wells arc called spouting or over- 

 flowing. This property is not directly proportional 

 to the depth, as might at first sight be sujiposcd, but 

 to the subjacent pressure upon the water. We do 

 not know exactly the period at which the borer or 

 sound was applied to the investigation of subter- 

 ranean fountains, but M-e believe the first overflow- 

 ing wells were made in the ancient French jDrovince 

 of Artois, whence the name of Artesian. These 

 wells, of such importance to agriculture and manu- 

 factures, and which cost nothing to keep them in 

 condition, have been in use, undoubtedly, for several 

 centuries in the northern departments of France and 

 the north of Italy; but it is not more than fifty or 

 sixty years since they became known in England and 

 Germany. There are now a great many such wells 

 in London and its neighborhood, perforated through 

 the immensely thick bed of the London clay, and 

 even through some portions of the subjacent chalk. 

 The boring of such wells has given much insight 

 into the geological structure of many districts. 



The formation of Artesian wells depends on two 

 things, essentially distinct from each other : First, 

 on an acquaintance with the physical constitution or 

 nature of the mineral structure of each particular 

 country ; and, second, on the skilful direction of the 

 processes by which we can reach the water level, and 

 of those by vi-hich we can promote its ascent in the 

 tube. We shall first treat of the best method of 

 making the well, and then offer some general remarks 

 on the other subjects. 



The operations employed for penetrating the soil 

 are entirely similar to those daily practised by the 

 miner, in boring to find metallic veins ; but the well 

 excavator must resort to peculiar expedients to pre- 

 vent the purer water, which comes from deep strata, 

 mingling with the cruder waters of the alluvial beds 

 near the surface of the ground, as also to prevent the 

 small perforation getting eventually filled with rub- 

 bish. 



The cause of overflowing wells has been ascribed 

 to a variety of circumstances. B>it, as it is now gen- 

 erally admitted that the numerous springs which 

 issue from the ground proceed from the infiltration 

 of the waters progressively condensed in rain, dew, 

 snow, &c., upon the surface of our globe, the theory 

 of these interior streamlets becomes by no means 

 intricate ; being anolagous to that of siphons and 

 •water jets, as expounded in the treatises on physics. 

 The waters are difl'uscd, after condensation, upon the 

 surface of the soil, and percolate downwards, through 

 the various pores and fissures of the geological strata, 

 to be again united subterrancously in veins, rills, 

 streamlets, or expanded films, of greater or less mag- 

 nitude or regularity. The beds traversed by numer- 

 ous di^junctions will give occasion to numerous inte- 

 rior currents in all directions, which cannot be recov- 

 ered and brought to the day ; but when the ground 

 is composed of strata of sand or gravel, very jjcrme- 

 able to water, separated by other strata nearly im- 

 pervious to it, reservoirs are formed to our hand, 

 from which an abundant supply of water nuiy be 

 spontaneously raised., In this case, as soon as the 

 upper stratum is perforated, the waters may rise, in 

 consequence of the hydrostatic pressure upon the 

 lower strata, and even overflow the surface in a con- 

 stant stream, provided the level from M'hich they 

 proceed be proportionably higher. 



The sheets of water occur principally at the sepa- 

 ration of two contiguous formations ; and if the suc- 

 cession of the geological strata be considered, this 

 distribution of the water will be seen to be its neces- 

 sary consequence. In fact, the lower beds are fre- 

 quently composed of compact sandstone or lime- 

 stone, and the upper beds of clay. In level coun- 

 tries, the formations being almost always in horizontal 

 beds, the waters which feed the Artesian wells must 

 come from districts somewhat remote, where the 

 strata are more elevated, as towards the secondary or 

 transition rocks. The copious streams condensed 

 upon the sides of these colder lands may be, there- 

 fore, regarded as the proper reservoirs of our wells. 

 — Selected. 



PORTABLE STEAM ENGINES. 



Horace Greeley thus describes a steam engine 

 which he saw during a recent visit to Watertown, 

 New York : — 



" The best thing I saw in Watertown was the turn- 

 out of two thousand people on a wild, stormy night, 

 to hear a dry talk on temperance; the next best was 

 a new ' Portable Steam Engine,' invented and man- 

 ufactured by Howard & Bradford, and sold (including 

 boiler and all fixtures) at these rates : half a horse 

 power, $75; one horse, $100; two horse power, 

 $160 ; three horse, $225 ; four horse, $300. The 

 two horse engine I examined Avas running a Napier 

 power press briskly, while burning about as much 

 fuel as a common kitchen range. Certainly, a ton of 

 sea-coal would amply suffice to run it a fortnight, 

 night and day ; or a month, ten hours per day. The 

 time must be at hand when every thrifty farmer, 

 with nearly every mechanic, will have such an engine 

 of his own ; and chopping straw, turning grindstone, 

 churning, chopping wood, threshing, i^c, will have 

 ceased to become a meclianical operation. Printing 

 (press work) by hand must rapidly disappear before 

 the approach of this engine, which will be running 

 on wheels, and driving a scythe before it, or drawing 

 a plough behind it, within five years. We have 

 hardly begun to use steam as yet." 



The following notice of this portable steam engine 

 is from the Trans. N. Y. Ag. Soc. : — 



"This engine is a beautiful piece of mechanism, of 

 half horse power, working to a charm. It was oper- 

 ated in the hall, and attracted great attention. It 

 propelled a grindstone, lathe, straw-cutter, &c., work- 

 ing with ease at from five liundrcd to eight hundred 

 revolutions per minute. With it a farmer mia;ht 

 saw his wood, cut his straw and hay, grind his tools, 

 steam his potatoes and other feed with the surjilus 

 steam, and, while thus operating, save the labor and 

 board of two or three men. It is well worthy of 

 careful attention, and, if durable, of general encour- 

 agement. It requires from one to one and a half 

 cents' worth of fuel per hour to propel it, and costs 

 only $75." — Ohio Cultivutor- 



THE GREYHOUND. 



The modern, smooth-haired greyhound is a very 

 elegant dog ; remarkable for its extreme velocity, in 

 which it is, we believe, superior to the rough-haired 

 dogs of the olden time, though not to some of the 

 modern rough greyhounds, in which a cross of the 

 old rough breed, or Scottish decrhound, jn-cvails. No 

 greyhounds used for the hare c{iual in sjieed and en- 

 durance those of our island ; and none — so improved 



