NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



antioip-.itefl by many, and n'ill be avoidetl liy ev- 

 ery prudent farmer. 



Stone walls set on wet spongy land are lia- 

 ble to fall. The land being soft, settles with 

 the weight of the wall, or in its wet state is 

 thrown up by frosts, and the wall falls. 1 pre- 

 vent this by raising the land on which the wall 

 stands, more or loss, according as it is more or 

 less wet ; it is done mostly with the plough, 

 by turning furrows towards each other before 

 the wall is made, or lowards the wall alter it is 

 made, most commonly the latter; for in the 

 latter case, the round or poorest stones may be 

 put into the bottom, where they will be held 

 in place by the earth, turned and raised against 

 Ihem. The water courses should be in the 

 last furrow on each side,& at three feet distance 

 from the wall ; the last furrow should be thrown 

 on the first side next the wall, and the loose dirt 

 cleared out L thrown up with the spade. A wall or 

 half wall, protected in this manner, with suita- 

 ble apertures at proper distances for the water 

 to pass under it, seldom falls. Long and re- 

 f)eated trials have confirmed me in the useful- 

 ness of this practice. 1 do it as well on dry as 

 damp land. The depth of the ditch adds that 

 much to the actual height of the wall. The 

 ilitch, in all after ploughings, should be preserv- 

 ed, and which may be easily done by not turn- 

 ing furrows into it, but from it. I do the same 

 with board fences, vvhen I make them, and for 

 like reasons: as no water can afterwards stand 

 about the fences, they remain firm and secure. 

 The additional expense is but a trifle, not over 

 <wo, or at most and in worst places, three 

 .cents, and often not over one cent per rod. 



If I have not given as favourable an account of 

 live fences as was anticipated, 1 trust I have 

 given, truly, impressions resulting from such 

 experience as 1 have had. 



I pray you to present my best regards to the 

 gentlemen of the Society, and remain, 

 Most respectfull}', 



your obedient servant, 

 GEORGE TIBBITS. 



P. S. The Maryland cockspur thorns have 

 now haws upon them, which is quite at the 

 servioe of any gentleman disposed to propagate 

 live fences, and who will take the trouble ol 

 gathering Ihem. 



I should give the preference to the English 

 Vhite thorn: at the present I have none of 

 them, but think it probable I may have them a 

 year from this time. 



WELL SPRINGS. 



TO THE EDITOR OP THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



Kewbury, S. C. July 5, 1824. 



Sir, — Permit me to communicate to you a 

 new method of digging wells, which in a hilly 

 country makes them, in my opinion, superior to 

 springs. 



The method occurred to me some years ago, 

 and I have often spoken of it as practicable, 

 but 1 have never heard of its being reduced to 

 practice until lately. Mr. John Khoden, of 

 Chester, 1 am informed has in the course of the 

 last year made the attempt, and completely 

 succeeded. 



Mr. Rhoden had a well on the side ofa steep 

 hill, the cleaning and repairing of which had 

 cost him much trouble and expense, to little pur- 



pose. At length it occurred to him that if he 

 could make n horizontal opening into it from 

 the side of the hill, on a level with the vein, 

 that he might thus be enabled to procure a 

 running stream from the well, such as is found 

 at springs, and gain an easy access to it, for the 

 purpose of cleaning it out whenever it might 

 become necessary. When the work was sot 

 about, it was accomplished in a few days, and 

 he has now, out of his well, nn excellent 

 spring ; easy to be cleaned out, with a veiy 

 convenient milk-house. 



The plan which had previously suggested it- 

 self to me, and which 1 still think is even supe- 

 rior to Mr. Rhoden's, is this — select a steep 

 hill, (whose declivity should be if possible, 45 

 degrees,) and dig down, opening out as you go 

 in the form of a ditch, from the inner wall of 

 the well, to the side of the hill, and wheeling 

 ofl' the dirt in a barrow, until you come to the 

 vein. Or make, in the first place, a horizontal 

 opening, such as Mr. Rhoden did, in the vein, 

 instead of digging perpendicularly as is usual. | 

 The first method proposed may at first view] 

 appear to involve a great deal of labour ; but 

 I am certain that on a hill declining at the 

 rate of45 or even 50 or 60 degrees, a well can 

 be sooner dug, with less labour, with greater 

 facilities for blowing rock, greater security 

 againt damp, and more certainty of finding 

 a vein than a common well. 



It can be sooner dug and with less labour, for 

 in the first place the dirt to be removed is but 

 about three titncs as sfreat, as will be procured 

 by only making a diagram of the hill; and in 

 (he second place, instead of having to haul up 

 the dirt by a windlass, at the great risk of the 

 well digger, and with much laliour and loss of 

 time, it can be wheeled off along the level o( 

 (he ditch, by a common hand as fast as it is dug. 

 As to this method affording greater facilities 

 for blowing rocks, and greater security against 

 noxious damps, than the common method ; this 

 is so apparent as to require no proof. 



It is attended with a greater certainty of find- 

 ing water, because in the common method un- 

 less a vein is found within the diameter of 

 your well, you may continue to dig without 

 success, although numerous veins may be run- 

 ning within a small distance of you. But in 

 the method I propose you will have a chance 

 for every vein which runs from the outside of 

 the hill to the inside of the well, for your ditch 

 must traverse the whole of them. 



1 believe the second method I have propos- 

 ed has nearly as many advantages as the first, 

 and some others : but these must suggest them- 

 selves at the first view, and require no elucida- 

 tion. 



An excelledt tJiilk-house may be easily made 

 in the excavation, under either method. 



1 will not dilate upon the advantages of this 

 method of digging wells. Allow me only to 

 reiterate (he superior facilities it affords for 

 keeping them in order. 



Many tracts of land, whereon there are no 

 springs, lose half their value ; because few 

 would be willing to settle them, and undergo 

 the trouble and inconvenience of watering their 

 whole stock from a well. But my method (or 

 rather Mr. Rhoden's) would afi'ord a running 

 stream from the well for that jiurpo«e. 

 Your's, most respectfully, 



JOB JOHNSTON. 



35 



From the Verrijont Aurora. 



Mn. Small— By inserting the following fact 

 in the Aurora, you will oblige a subscribor. 



IJncommnn grini-th nf Uije.. — While employed 

 in culling a piece of U inter Wheat, on Ibe 

 farm of Mr. John While, in Panton, I observed 

 an uncommon bunch of Rye, which I carefully 

 examined, and found that it sprung from a sin- 

 gle kernel ; the number of heads was ninely- 

 (/irff, and the number of kernels was ^t;e llion- 

 sand nine hundred and one, making an average 

 of more than sixty-three kernels to a head. 



Water Proof Muslin. — Mr. Mackintosh, an 

 eminent muslin manulaclurer, has been exhib- 

 iting in London, specimens of water proof mus- 

 lin, and water proof fabrics of various descrip- 

 tions. He lays two breadths together, and m- 

 terposes a thin lamina of caoulchouc, (gum 

 elastic, or India rubber,) dissolved in oil of 

 turpentine. The muslins thus prepared are 

 light, not distinguishable from others ; they 

 wash well ; and they can be afforded at an in- 

 considerable advance price. Silks, woollens, 

 linens, Sic. are treated in like manner, and 

 even leather. Of course, such a discovery is 

 of very extensive application, and of great im- 

 portance to commerce and the arts. 



A Plague remedied. — One of the greatest in- 

 conveniences in our climate, at this season of 

 the year, is occasioned by the ants getting into 

 our dressed provisions, which makes them ge- 

 nerally very disgusting, particularly to delicate 

 persons, and precludes the advantage of the use 

 of cold meals, which are most agreeable to ma- 

 ny in warm weather. The method is extreme- 

 ly simple, convenient, and safe. Take a wine 

 glass, well cleaned, and place it in your safe 

 upside down, and put the dish or plate. which 

 contains your meat on it. It may be here bal- 

 anced with the greatest safety, and I will war- 

 rant that it will be free from ants, provided 

 you take care that the meat and dish be tree 

 from them when you put it in that situation. 



The above mentioned remedy was discover- 

 ed by a sufferer, after trying all the common 

 remedies. — Sav. Georgian. 



JHetheglin is made in the following man- 

 ner: — Put so much new honey into spring wa- 

 ter, that when the honey is dissolved, an egg 

 will not sink to the bottom. Boil the liquor tor 

 an hour. When cool, barrel it up, adding a 

 spoontul of yeast to ferment it. Some add gin- 

 ger half an ounce to a barrel, and as much 

 cloves and mace ; but I have it very good with- 

 out any spices. One hundred weight of honey 

 will make a barrel of metheglin, as strong as 

 good wine. I once had a barrel made with 90 

 pounds of honey. After fermenting and fining, 

 it was an excellent liquor ; some part of which 

 I kept bottled several years ; it loses the honey 

 taste by age, and grows lighter coloured : but 

 on the whole it does not improve by age, like 

 some liquors. — Deane's JV. E. Farmer. 



A Remedy for Bxirns. — A friend 'infcfrms us, 

 that equal parts of lime-water and sweet oil 

 mixed and incorporated, will form a kind of soap, 

 which makes an excellent appliculion for burns. 

 He says it is very efficacious in taking out the 

 inflammafion, as well as for healing the wounds 

 caused either by burns or scalds. [Ed. 



