1860. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



561 



tre of the rooms, the space above servinj? as a 

 ventilator for the whole house, having ventilating 

 flues opening from the principal apartments. 



The interior finish should be plain throughout, 

 the doors and windows having plain architraves 

 with a neat baud moulding, and the base being 

 eight inches high with a bevel on top. The walls 

 are to be finished for papering. 



The arrangement of the plan gives a hall, A, 

 six feet wide, opening on the right into the living- 

 room, B, which measures fourteen by nineteen. 

 This i-oom communicates through a passage, F, 

 with the kitchen, D. The passage is to have three 

 draws, with three wide shelves above, and is 

 lightL'd by a narrow eight-light window. The 

 kitchen is fourteen by sixteen, and has a fire- 

 place, a sink, and two good closets. A door 

 opens into the entry, E, which communicates with 

 the cellar, and opens out upon the portico. It 

 also connects with the parlor, hall, and living- 

 room. 



The second floor contain a hall. A, opening in- 

 to the several chambers, B, C, D, and the bath- 

 room, E. At the right of the bath-room is a large 

 closet, belonging to the chamber, B. 



The cost of this house would be about eighteen 

 hundred dollars. 



Kansas for Sheep. — Gov. Medary, of Kan- 

 sas, has written an article for the Ohio Cultiva- 

 tor, from which we copy the following : 



"In my travels through the territory, I have 

 persuaded myself that Kansas is the best sheep 

 and wool growing country in the Union, Texas 

 not excepted. I have examined the country south 

 and west, and have got myself into quite a fever 

 on the subject. Extraordinary as has been our 

 drought, I have not seen a spot, on high or on 

 low lands, nor upon broken hill points, where 

 sheep could not live and fatten. Is there any oth- 

 er soil in North America that can show such a 

 tenacity for moisture ? I think not." 



For the New England Farmer. 

 FENCE POSTS. 



Mr. Editor : — I noticed an inquiry in your 

 paper of Oct. 20, of Mr. R. 11. Davis, concerning 

 setting posts on land liable to heave out by frost, 

 and also your remarks following. You say ; "we 

 know of no way to ])revent posts being thrown 

 out by frost, but to set them so deep that the bot- 

 tom of the post shall stand on firm ground below 

 where the frost reaches." Now I wish to inquire 

 how much less a fence will rise every winter, by 

 having long posts in the ground than those of or- 

 dinary length, say 24 to 30 inches in the ground. 

 I live in a region where cedar rails are tolerably 

 plenty, and have but little need of board fence, 

 yet on mine, as on most farms, a small amount of 

 board fences is desirable. My land is clay, and 

 heaves badly with frost, yet I have but little 

 trouble in making a fence stand, provided it is 

 built in the right way. My way is to dig a hole 

 two feet square, more or less, according to the 

 nature of the soil, and set the post in the centre, 

 then fill the hole with cobble stones and drive 

 them solid with a crow bar during the whole op- 

 eration of filling ; then throw a very little earth 

 over the top, which ought not to come in contact 

 with the post. 



I have a pair of gate posts and fence built in 

 this way some 23 years ago, which stand as strong 

 as ever, and will probably stand as long as the 

 timber lasts ; they s'.ill retain their perpendicular 

 position, and have not been raised any by frost. 



The reason why posts draw out, is because the 

 earth freezes at the top and adheres strongly to 

 the post, and as it freezes deeper the earth 

 rises by its own expansion, drawing the post up 

 from the bottom. The earth being wet and loose 

 at the bottom settles into the cavity below the post, 

 which prevents the post from settling back again 

 when the ground thaws ; therefore, the earth set- 

 tles back to its original level, leaving the post at 

 its highest point. Posts, when well set in stone, 

 will not rise with the surrounding earth, because 

 they have no contact with it, and no frost can 

 penetrate below the bottom of the post with suf- 

 ficient force to raise it, provided it is set two feet 

 or more in the ground. D. Buckland. 



Brandon, Vt, Oct. 24, 1860. 



Remarks. — In cases where cobble stones are 

 scarce, it might make the operation detailed above 

 somewhat too expensive ; but the operator must 

 remember that it is expensive, too, to reset his 

 fence every spring. Where the stones can be 

 procured at small cost, the plan of friend Buck- 

 land is undoubtedly a judicious and profitable one. 

 AVe shall adopt it when we come to set posts 

 where they are liable to be thrown out by frost. 



It has been well said, that a single year's crop 

 of corn is worth more than all the gold of Cali- 

 fornia. In addition to its other uses, it is now 

 found that it produces a clear fluid, that burns 

 without odor, without smoke, and is inexpensive, 

 afi"ording a good light in an ordinary kerosene 

 lamp for half a cent an hour. The corn-oil is as 

 clear and colorless as water. 



