1865.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
273 
Digging', Stoning, and Curbing Wells, 
The annual waste of manure, and of flesh 
and fot, caused by drivhig anhnals to tlie 
brook or spring for water, and by the lack of 
an abundance of it, will on many t\xrms equal 
the expense of making a good well onco a year. 
In the summer, all the stock, and the teams in 
particular, sulTer for want of good water; while 
during the foddering season, when storms pre- 
vail, cattle often will not go to drink for a whole 
day, or even longer, because the water is at a 
distance from the barn. Then, wlien thirst com- 
pels them to leave the yard, and break their 
own path through snnw drifts to obtain water, 
they drink too much. On their way to and from 
the water, they drop much manure, which is 
wasted. The importance of a good well at 
every barn, where water can not be obtained 
from some other source less expensive than 
digging wells, need not be argued. 
The best time to dig wells in our latitude is in 
Seiitember, before hard autumnal rains have 
raised the streams. At this season of the year, 
those veins of water only a few feet below the 
surface are dried up, so that permanent water 
can be found only by digging deep. If a good 
vein of water can be readied in a dry time, a 
well will not be likely to fail. But, if dug when 
most springs flow abundantly, the water is lia- 
ble to fiul at a period when it is most scarce — 
at the very time when it should be supplied by 
a never-f;iiling spring. 
Tlie next consideration is, where to dig a well. 
Our advice i.s, dig it where it will be most con- 
venient for watering stock. If it is to be dug in 
the field, the most suitable place would ap- 
pear to be near the intersection of the lines 
dividing four fields, so that animals in each lot 
could be watered from one well, witliout leaving 
their respective enclosures. When dug near the 
barn, a location convenient to two or more 
yards should be chosen. Sometimes it is neces- 
sary to sink a well far below the surface, while 
in other instances, living water may be reached 
by digging only a few feet. 
For wells of ordinary size, five feet in diame- 
ter is sufficiently large; and they can not be 
much smaller than tliis, as a man will not have 
sufficient room to swing his pick and handle 
the shovel. If the well is, without doubt, to be 
30 or 50 feet deep, and to be stoned from the 
bottom to the top ; and if the stones are bould- 
ers of irregular form and size, it would be moie 
advisable to dig six feet in diameter, on account 
of making a thicker and more substantial wall, 
than is required in shallow wells. If a large 
number of animals are to be watered, or much 
water required for anj' other purpose, the diam- 
eter should be increased to 8 or 10 feet, for tlie 
IHU'pose of forming a large reservoir, in which 
the water can accumulate. When a well is very 
small, a largo herd of cattle would exhaust 
the water before they all- could be supplied ; 
whereas, there would be an abundant supply, 
were there sufiicient space for it to accumulate. 
If the well is to be stoned many feet deep, 
the stone should be hauled to the spot before it 
has been sunk. A few years ago, we employed 
a man to dig a well, and before he had dug it 
10 feet deep, he struck a vein with his pick, 
when the water rushed in so rapidly, as to pre- 
vent stoning it. The water flowed in so fust, 
that two men were able to lower it only 3 feet 
in half a day. Therefore, the well was never 
stoned. At another time, the water rose G feet, 
as fast as three men were able to make the wall. 
If the inside is to be lined with brick or wood, 
every thing should likewise be ready for imme- 
diate use. The location of the well being de- 
termined upon, strike a circle 5 or 6 feet in di- 
ameter, whioh is as large as is needed, and mark 
it deeply and accurately with a shovel or pick- 
ax, leaving the outer edge firm and well defined. 
The first 13 or 14 feet of earth may best be 
thrown out with shovels, by making a platform 
5 or 6 feet Ijelow the surface, from which a man 
shovels the earth to the surflice, as fast as it is 
thrown up to him. When a well is to be sunk 
to a greater depth, one man with a horse can 
haul up the dirt with great ease, by erecting 
three poles over the well, as represented by 
figure 1. A strong stake, having a large 2-inch 
pin through the bottom of it, horizonlall}', 
should be set firmly in the ground, so that a 
horse can not pull it up. Tlieu he will need no 
one to lead him. This stake or post must not 
be placed beyond the foot of one of the poles, 
for the tendency would then be to draw the 
tripod over. At this stake a block or pulley is 
fixed, and a rope passes through it and over a 
pulley near the top of the poles, thence around 
another at the bail of the bucket, and the rope 
should be tied near the upper cud of the poles. 
The upper pulley should be suspended at such 
a hight that the dirt bucket may rise just high 
enough to be emptied into a wheelbarrow 
when the Ijlocks come together. Thus the horse 
may continue to pull with all his might, with- 
out being able to get away, or to hinder the 
workman who manages the bucket. By luaving 
a wheelbarrow near, the earth may be turned 
quickly into it, before the horse can back up. 
AVhen a bucket is drawn up in this manner, it 
rises onlj'half as fast as the horse travels; and 
be can with ease elevate three or four hundred 
pounds at a time. 
The best way to make a bucket is, to saw off 
about one tliird the length of a strong barrel; 
nail a board across the bottom on the outside 
so that stones dropping in will not break the 
liead through ; put on a strong iron hoop six 
inches above the middle of the bucket and at- 
tach an iron bail at this point with half-inch 
bolts, passing through the bail, hoop and staves, 
or with hooks and eyes. A small lad will be able 
to empty a large bucket hung in this manner. 
DIGGING AJTD CURBING WELLS IN QUICK SAND. 
Whenever there is danger that the earth will 
cave in, it becomes necessary to curb the sides 
as fast as the well is sunk. To do this, dig out 
the earth in a true circle, plumbing accurately 
tlie sides of the well, and when it is 6 to 12 
feet deep, set up pieces of 3-inch plank, G or 8 
inches wide, as represented by figure 3, which 
illustrates an cud view of the staves. Set up 
one stave perpendicularly, and piu it first to the 
earth with wooden pins, at top and bottom, as 
shown in the illustration. Then set up 3 or 4 
more, nailing them together at the edges. Pin 
every fifth stave, to keep the curb from settling 
down, when it is undermined. After the last 
stave has tieen set up, drive in thin wedges be- 
tween the staves, in four places if possible, to 
keep it tight. The staves will soon swell on 
the outside, and the chinks between them will 
fill up with sand and gravel, and thus they will 
form an arch that will resist a much greater 
pressure than will ever occur at any part of the 
curbing. Now dig six feet deeper, if it is safe 
to sink it so fiir, and set up another course of 
staves under the first, fastening them as previ- 
ously directed. In this waj', the well may be 
sunk and curbed with great dispatch and perfect 
safety to any desirable depth. No other curbing 
will be required until the staves have dicayed. 
^ 
3 
I 
Fig. 2. — WOODEN crRBrNG. 
Still, the whole may better be stoned or bi'icked 
up at once on the inside of the curbing. 
STONING AND PLASTERING WELLS. 
When wells are sunk through sufficiently 
compact ground, such as will not cave in, the 
sides may be plastered with two thick coats of 
water-lime cement, from the bottom to within 
4 or 5 feet of the top, when there should be an 
offset for a brick or stone wall to rest upon, 
extending to the surface of the ground. Sink 
such a well 4 feet deep, 7 or 8 feet in diam- 
eter ; then, dig it G feet deeper, 5 feet in diam- 
eter, and plaster the surface. After this, dig 
and plaster about 6 feet, and so finish succes- 
sive sections, until permanent water is found. 
This will be as good as stone, if well done. If 
veins of water break through the green cement, 
drive a circular piece of tin or wood, a few 
inches long into the plaster and earth, just be- 
low the issue of the water, to keep it from run- 
ning down and washing off the mortar. Where 
stone are abundant it is economical to use them 
instead of cement. If bricks are used in- 
stead of stone, they should be well burned, 
and made wider at one end than .the other, 
so as to fit the curve of the well as repre- 
sented by fig. 3, at B. Water will find its way 
between the staves at the ends, and between the 
bricks which should not be laid in mortar. 
There is a right way and a wrong way to 
stone a well. The object is to build a strong 
wall that will not fall inward, instead of a wall 
having a smootli face, which is of little account. 
Figure 3, illustrates the manner of placing the 
stones. In laying up a common wall the large 
