430 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Decembek, 
j'ears ago. We made a radical mistake at first 
in building our mounds so narrow tliat they 
gave way at the sides and failed to support the 
■wall. A finished wall on this yilan requires 
some 3 feet to stand on, a moderate slope of S'la 
feet on each side to the ditch, with an elevation 
of at least 1 foot above the general level, under 
the wall, being a mound of 8 feet in width. 
The ditches (which with the slope should be 
well seeded while the ground is pliable) will 
each be some 3 feet wide, thus with the mound 
breaking the surface 1-4 feet wide. This looks 
formidable, but can not be helped. Oue can 
not judiciously plow nearer than :i'|j feet to any 
wall or fence. The ditches are invaluable to 
drain the wall, and frequently the adjohiing land, 
and to carry off the spring snow banks, while 
the grazing is not lost. To make the mound, 
turn two heavy furrows 8 feet apart inward 
toward the line of the wall, leavo them undis- 
turbed, within this space you have 6 feet, into 
which throw the subsequent furrows one at 
a time, with forks and shovels. It is surprising 
how quickly and cheaply four men will raise a 
mound. I build on it when freshly made, throw- 
ing 3 inclies of earth against the bottom stones, 
and seed down. More earth than this prevents 
drainage, and makes a trough to hold water. 
On such mound we build a wall from 30 inch- 
es to 3 feet wide at bottom, according to the size 
_ of the stones, and 13 to 14 inches at the top, 
with a hight of 3'|,j feet besides the caps, whicli 
superadded make the bight 4 feet or more. It 
has been my practice of late, when the ground 
is clear, to build such mounds for rail fences, 
believing that it will pay for this purpose only, 
as with tlie increased protection of the ditches, 
rails enough may be saved to pay its whole cost ; 
besides, it is ready for a wall at any future time. 
The mound should be of such slope, and the 
ditches of such width and depth, that one can 
drive upon it with a stoneboat, wliich in case of 
heavy loads may be facilitated by throwing 2 
or 3 rails into the ditcli. The elevation of the 
mound and the depression of the ditches amount 
to at least 18 inches. When an animal ap- 
proaches it with evil intention, his hinder feet 
being in the ditch, his body is out of balance. I 
have never known a horse to break it over with 
his neck and chest. An cducatad sheep will 
jump any stone wall, and for division walls we 
sometimes put in light posts 7 feet apart, and 
nail on one board above the wall; this requires 
less stone. It is not my purpose to depreciate 
or object to any other mode, but only to offer 
some suggestions in regard to this, and I am 
glad to see that the subject is being canvassed 
in the Agriculturist. Some ten years past, 
Hon. A. B. Dickinson, of Steuben Co., in a 
series of most valuable articles recommended, 
among other things, a system substantially like 
this. It would be interesting to know what his 
views are now." — Will Mr. D. please respond. 
Extension Ladders, Fruit ladders, etc. 
Mr. Hosea Barnes, of Kenosha Co., Wis., 
furnishes the readers of the American Agricul- 
turist with the following description of an ex- 
cellent ladder of his invention: " In a recent 
number of your paper, I notice illustrations of 
ladders. Having invented, made, and used one 
which appears to me to be better adapted to 
farmers' use than any I have seen illustrated in 
that or previous numbers, I send you two hur- 
ried sketches, which will serve to make my des- 
cription intelligible. The ladder is made in 
three lengths. The middle one is just wide 
enough to fit nicely between the sides of the 
lower one, to which it is attached bj' means of 
slots 4 inches in length, the centres of which are 
144 inches from the lower end of the middle 
ladder, and through these the upper rung of the 
lower length passes. Slots, ^\ inches in length, 
Fig. 1. — JOINTED L.IDDER. 
are cut in the bottom of the middle length, 
which, when the ladder is in an upright position, 
shut or slide down upon the next rung to the 
upper oue of the bottom length. When the 
middle joiut is fully drawn out, it will move 
back and forth as on a hinge; when shut to- 
gether, the two lengths are as stiff and strong 
as if each side of the ladder were a single piece. 
" The upper joint is fastened to the middl» 
joint in a precisely similar manner. The pro- 
jection at A, fig. 1, should be 4 inches in length, 
so that the joints can only be folded in one di- 
rection. This will make the ladder safer to use ; 
for, otherwise, should the joints be even drawn 
apart with a person on the ladder, it still re- 
mains stiff, unless it be turned over. The lower 
ends of the side pieces of the upper two joints 
should then be made as represented by the en- 
larged end on the left hand side of fig. 1. A good 
length for the bottom and middle joints is 8 
feet each, of the upper 7 feet; this will give a 
total length of about 18 feet, when shut together 
and used as shown in fig. 1. In case a ladder 
of 13 or 14 feet is wanted, and a greater length 
becomes inconvenient, draw out and let the up- 
per length swing down; it is then out of your 
way. This is a very desirable feature for build- 
ing and painting, also in stacliing hay and 
grain out of doors, as is done in this section of 
country. When folded, as in fig. 3, it becomes 
a first-rate fruit ladder, allowing two persons at 
the same time to ascend on opposite sides. The 
upper length', having notches in the sides near 
the end, which shut over the lower rung of the 
bottom length, acts as a brace, making the fruit 
ladder firm and safe. The rungs arc 1 foot apart." 
Cattle Plagues.— Rinderpest. Texas Mur- 
rain, etc. 
f) 
We have had little to say of late in regard to 
the direful malady which has visited the herds 
of the farmers of Great Britain during the past 
j'ear, because it has been rapidly decreasing in 
activity, and distinguished veterinarians and 
others have been most studiously investigating 
its nature, causes, and treatment. An immense 
amount of matter has been printed upon the 
subject — nine-tenths, or more, of which has 
been the crudest speculation, and the most em- 
pyrical "bosh." The whole country, so to 
speak, has run mad after one remedy or anoth- 
er; and the natural anxiety of cattle owners 
(who saw their herds or those of their neighbors, 
swept off by this mysterious contagion) to get 
something, or do something to stay the plague, 
was seized upon by unprin- 
cipled men to make money 
in one way or another. 
That kine pox was a cure 
was once the cry, and so 
cattle were vaccinated. 
Then some one said that 
small pox was a better pro- 
tection, so the poor beasts 
were inoculated with small 
pox. Then it was claimed 
that cattle, inoculated with 
the rinderpest itself, would 
have it lightly and escape, 
and so there were plenty of 
people found to try this. 
There was scarcely any 
end to the medicines rec- 
ommended as cures or as 
preventives. All the schools 
of medical practice, regular 
homeopathic, hj'dropathic, 
depletive, stimulating, etc., 
etc., all had their say and 
their followers ; but all this i-ule ax. 
was of no avail. Sensible people from the 
first followed the practice of the thorougli 
veterinarians of the continent, and regarding 
the pole-ax as the efl[icient remedy, used it faith- 
fully, and so great districts were saved. In an 
interesting review of this subject, which has late- 
ly appeared in the English papers, Prof Simonds 
powerfully enforces this fact, viz. : in those dis- 
tricts, as for instance in Cheshire, where timid 
councils prevailed, and where cures were at- 
tempted, the most terrible devastation occurred 
and was perpetuated. In the above named 
county upwards of 73,000 cattle are reckoned 
among the victims of tlie disease, of which less 
than 8000 recovered, and a debt of |1, 500, 000 is 
saddled upon the county. In other counties, 
where there was no temporizing, but every in- 
fected animal, sick or well, was killed and buried 
