211 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Teansport of Earth. 



Throwing with a shovel. — This is to be done only from 5-12 



feet in distance or from 5-6 feet vertically. To throw 5 feet 



vertically, costs as much as 12 feet horizontally, that is to say, 



if 30 feet horizontally cost per cubit yard, ' day's ^wages ^j^^ ^^^^ 



distance vertically will cost about 2^ times as much, or more 

 exactly, ^ "^"^'^^^^^^^ whence is seen the economy of using wind- 

 lasses, &c., instead of " stages,"* in shovelling earth vertically. 

 The table gives the cost of shovelling earth certain distances, ex- 

 pressed in the number of cubic yards a laborer's day's wages 

 will pay for. 



Wlieelbarrows. — The usual distance of transport suitable for 

 the use of wheelbarrows is 100-200 feet. In exceptional cases 

 it may be more, but perhaps never above 500 feet, and then only 

 for moderate quantities. In going up hill, the greatest inclina- 

 tion is to be not more than 1 in 10, and a man can push only f 

 as much on this inclination as on a level. 3 feet vertical trans- 

 port costs as much as 90-100' horizontally. Whenever possible, 

 planks should be laid for the wheel-barrows to run on. The 

 best timber for this purpose is beech wood and the cost of keep- 

 ing such planks is only about -^^ or ^^j per cent, of the cost of 

 transport per cubic yard. 



* By a " stage," is meant the operation of one shoveller lifting and throw- 

 ing what another has thrown in front of him. 



