1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



481 



For the New England Farmer. 



LIGHTNING RODS. 



Messrs. Editors : — In your paper of the 26th 

 of Aug., a writer styling himself "Farmer," asks, 

 if lightning rods are not humbugs? 



There are various kinds of lightning rods, and 

 different modes of erecting them, and "Farmer" 

 asks which is the best ? Why, truly, mine is the 

 best ; so each one says. One relies upon its top, 

 another, on its fixtures, another, on something 

 else, for sure protection. But the cause of failure 

 lies not usually in its top, nor in its fixtures, but 

 at the foot of the rod. Here is the place of its 

 failure. It does not enter the ground in the best 

 place, or it has not been -well-imbedded in the 

 earth. It has been my practice for many years 

 to examine, thoroughly, those rods which the 

 lightning has left, to ascertain what, and where, 

 the defect or difficulty was, and I have invariably 

 found it to be at the foot of the rod. 



Had Franklin's directions been followed, there 

 doubtless would have been no failure. He direct 

 ed to have the foot of the rod enter the ground 

 in the wettest place about the building. The well 

 was a good place, he said, if convenient, or sink- 

 hole, or put it down so deep as to have it always 

 moist ; and at the same time, he would have old 

 iron, or charcoal, which is better, placed about 

 the foot of the rod, so as to form a larger fouQ 

 tain of electricity at the foot of the rod than 

 there was in any other place about the building, 

 for he said lightning would not leave a large foun 

 tain of electricity for a small one. Here is sound 

 philosophy and good common sense. And when 

 his directions have been- followed, I have not found 

 a failure. 



Some place much reliance on glass insulatorvS, 

 of which there are a number of different patents. 

 But I have found none but what have failed to 

 protect. And why should they not sometimes 

 fail ? Electricity will run on glass when wet as 

 well as on anything else. When it lightens, it 

 usually rains, or at least, the atmosphere is so 

 humia that the glass is moist, affording no obstacle 

 to the lightning passing over it. In theory, they 

 seem very scientific, but in practice, they are real 

 scientific humbugs. I might point to lightning 

 rods with glass insulators, which have fluid to 

 protect. But as an illustration familiar to all, 

 look at the telegraph. Its wires run through 

 glass insulators, and yet every year, more or less 

 frequently, the lightning comes down upon the 

 wires, runs over the glass, demolisliing the post 

 on which the glass sits. I have examined hun- 

 dreds and perhaps thousands of places where the 

 lightning has actually struck, and have always 

 found it coming down in connection with the na- 

 tural^ fountains of electricity in the earth. These 

 fountains are the oars and veins of water in the 

 oarth. Find the natural fountains of electricity 

 about the building, and place the foot of the rod 

 over the largest one, and then you form a railroad 

 for the lightning to run safely by the building to 

 the place which it is seeking. 

 Yours truly, 



Mendon, Sept. 6, 1854. A. 11. Reed. 



The Germ.ws. — These Germans soom an odd 

 race, a mixture of clay and spirit — what with 

 their beer drinking and smoking, and their slow, 



stolid ways, you would think them perfectly 

 earthly ; but an ethereal fire is all the while work- 

 ing in them, and bursting out in most unexpected 

 little jets of poetry and sentiment, like blossoms 

 on a cactus. 



Nowhere in Europe is railway travelling so en- 

 tirely convenient as in Germany, particularly in 

 Prussia. All is systematic and orderly ; no hur- 

 rying or shoving, or disagreeable fuss at stations. 

 The second class cars are, in most points, a9 good 

 as the first class in England ; the conductors are 

 dignified and gentlemanly ; you roll on at a most 

 agreeable pace from one handsome station-house 

 to another, finding yourself disposed to be pleased 

 with everything. There is but one drawback to 

 all this, and that is the smoking. — Mrs. Slows. 



NICHOLS' PATENT CORN AND COB 

 CRUSHER AND PULVERIZER. 



This is a most valuable machine for cracking 

 corn and cobs previous to passing through mill- 

 stones ; for crushing and pulverizing corn, and 

 cobs, and all other kinds of grain suitably for 

 provender ; and for cracking corn alone, making 

 it suitable for hominy, and the use of stables. It 

 is adapted to horse, steam, or water power ; ■svill 

 crush a great amount of grain > and remain in ac- 

 tive use a long time without needing repairs ; is 

 easily and quickly regulated to crush or pulver- 

 ize grain to any degree of fineness, from coarse to 

 that which is very fine ; will crush oats and all 

 other grain of like dimensions, — the necessity of 

 which is yearly becoming more apparent, as fcer- 

 nela of grain must bo denuded of their coating, 

 or pellicle, previous to entering tho stomacli of 

 any animal whatever in order to be digested and 

 do the animal thogroatcst good ; for even Nature's 

 powerful solvent, the gastric juice of the animal's 

 stomach , is not equal to tho decomposition of the 

 pellicle covering tho kernel of oats. 



