498 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Nov. 



ABOUT SEED -WHEAT. 



The Treadwell has been for a long time a 

 favorite wheat with the farmers of Michigan. 

 It is a mixed variety, some of the heads being 

 bearded and some bald. It is inclined to pro- 

 du e very heavy straw, and is apt to lodge 

 during a wet season. These objections have 

 caused many farmers to give it up, and to sow 

 other varieties. Soules wheat was much 

 sown in Michigan, until it became so liable to 

 the attacks of the midge or wheat-fly that it 

 had to be given up. The Diehl is a bearded 

 white wheat, having a very handsome plump 

 berry. Oa good wheat soil, and with proper 

 preparation, a large average yield may be ex- 

 pected. The head of the Diehl is shorter 

 than that of most bearded varieties, and the 

 straw is not liable to lodge. 



The Tappahannock is a bearded white 

 wheat, which was disseminated by the Agri- 

 cultural Department of the Patent Office sev- 

 eral years ago. It is an excellent variety, 

 which is rapidly coming into favor. It is an 

 early ripening wheat, which withstands the at- 

 tae:ks of the fly, and is not liable to lodge. 

 The straw is of a purplish color, somewhat re- 

 sembling the Blue-&tera. Some per.'ons think 

 that it really is the Blue-stem which has been 

 raised in the Southern States for some time, 

 thus causing its early maturity ; but such is 

 not the case. In growth the Tappahannock 

 ♦ resembles the Soules, but it has less leaves, 

 and on accoyint of its not being liable to lodge 

 it is adapted for seeding to clover and grass. 

 This variety has turned out very well in Alich- 

 igan fjr thn la>t three or four seasons. The 

 Diehl has also done well. The Treadwell is 

 biill raised extensively in many localities. — 

 \\e6tirn Rural. 



J<'or the yew England Farmer, 

 CEMENT CISTERNS, FILTERS, &c. 



I hope it will not be inferred that I wish to 

 detract aught from the excellence of Mr. Liv- 

 ermore's article upon this subject, in the Far- 

 mer of August 2G, if I attempt to add a few 

 suggestions, or strengthen the points already 

 made. | 



And first, most people err in making their 

 cisterns too small. The cost of making them 

 one foot deeper or wider does not increase 

 proportionately to the increase of room ; that 

 is, a cistern 8 by 9 costs but little more than 

 one 6 by 7. The first size, and even larger, 

 is not too capacious to supply the wants of a 

 farm house. | 



Secondly, in locating, if the north side of 

 the house is chosen, every part must be well 

 down below the surface of the ground, or 

 there will be trouble with the pipes when zero 

 weather comes. Beneath a shed or an ell, 

 frequently, is a good location. There is less 

 danger from frost in these places, and often 

 something may be saved in the length of the 

 pipes. The worst location is in the cellar, 



under the house. The evaporation from a 

 large open cistern under rooms daily occupied 

 by the family, cannot be conducive to health. 



The plan of simply plastering to the earth 

 does not answer in all cases. The soil that 

 admits this must be dry, firm and compact. 

 In a loose sand, newly made land, or very wet 

 and spongy soil, a supporting wall is neces- 

 sary, which may be stone or brick. I have 

 cisterns with walls of each material. In mak- 

 ing the first, small stones were used, and a 

 wall one foot thick was laid in good lime mor- 

 tar, with the inside thoroughly plastered with 

 hydraulic cement. When bricks are used, a 

 single course, or a four-inch wall is sufficient. 

 The arch is turned by the eye, without a cen- 

 tre, while with stone, a centre is necessary. 

 An experienced mason will lay a brick arch as 

 rapidly as the wall. A good job with brick, 

 requires a strong cement mortar, — one part 

 pure sand and one part cement. The inside 

 plastering should be of cement only. Consid- 

 ering the price of material and' the greater 

 amount of labor required to build of stone, I 

 think brick are the cheapest. It requires but 

 little cement mortar to lay up a single brick wall 

 upon a large circle. The brick give an even 

 surface, and a thin coat of plastering, if well 

 laid on, is sufficient. This fact, with the la- 

 bor, should be taken into account in estimat- 

 ing the relative cost of cisterns made of brick 

 and those made by plastering on the earth. 

 Where bricks and stone are plenty, they can 

 be used without adding materially to the cost. 

 When the work is thoroughly done, there can 

 be no question of their great durability. The 

 necessity of having a strong supporting wall 

 for the sides, where, as in many villages and 

 cities, all kinds of soils and situations are to 

 be dealt with, is obvious. 



It frequently happens, in constructing large 

 reservoirs and deep cisterns, for water for 

 fires, &c., that springs are met, and the inflow- 

 ing water is a hindrance to making them tight. 

 They can be built safely and made tight in 

 wet ground and near where water constantly 

 comes in, but an inexperienced builder had 

 better not attempt one in such a location. In 

 such locations it will often be cheaper to make 

 a more shallow one, in the form of a parallel- 

 ogram, or to build two smaller ones — in either 

 case keeping above the springs. Upon a farm 

 there is greater choice in locations, and the 

 top of cistt rns can, in many cases, be made 

 above the original surface of the ground, and 

 a mound raised around it, to prevent freezing. 



Where water is wanted for drinking, or 

 when an extra nice job is desired, it is a good 

 plan to coat the inside, after cementing, with 

 silicate of soda. Two or three coats of this 

 will give a smooth, glossy and very hard fin- 

 ish, which will at once prevent all taste of the 

 cement. This is inexpensive, and in a liquid 

 form is quickly put on with a common white- 

 wash brush. 



It is highly important that the inlet and 



