1871.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
29' 
favorable, the yield will not be less than two 
tons of hay to the acre. There can b'e no 
doubt, that these salt-water ditches and ponds, 
full of decayed sea-weed aud marine deposits, 
are one of the cheapest sources of manure to 
the shore farmer. It is by no means necessary 
to have a steam-digger to procure it. In many 
places the teams can be driven to the edge of 
the ditches and loaded. Even where planks 
and wheelbarrows are necessary at low tide, 
it will pay well to get it. It is much richer 
in ammonia than common yard manure, and 
will help all farm crops. The shore fanner has no 
occasion to invest in guano or superphosphate, 
if he will liberally use this neglected fertilizer. 
If the mud is to be carted a half-mile or more, 
the extra expense of removing it from the ditch 
with the wheelbarrow will be compensated in 
part by the lighter cartage, as it will lose half 
its weight in the water that drains from it. 
This fertilizer is accessible at all seasons of the 
year, at every low tide, and the experiments 
upon Mr. Fish's farm show that it pays better 
than sea-weed. Connecticut. 
An Odometer, or Measuring-Wheel 
Wm. H. Barnes, Oakwood, Kansas, sends a 
drawing of a wheel, for measuring the boun- 
daries of fields. It is exactly one rod (1G 1 /? feet) 
in circumference, aud at one point a pin is 
ODOMETER, OR MEASURING-WHEEL. 
placed, which every time it comes round indi- 
cates that one rod of ground has been passed 
over. This instrument can be made useful in 
laying out fields, and we would suggest the ad- 
vantage of arranging farms into such divisions, 
that the size can be easily calculated aud re- 
membered. For instance, a field 40 rods square 
contains 10 acres; 80 rods square contains 40 
acres. Where the original division of the land 
has been made in squares, as in the Western 
States, this is easily done ; but even in the East- 
ern States, where boundaries are often very ir- 
regular, fields may be made to approach the 
square form more commonly than they now 
are. To ascertain the contents of a square 
field, multiply the length of one side, in rods, by 
that of the next side to it, and divide by 160; 
this will give the number of acres. 
How to Build a Boat. 
Rivers and lakes being so plentifully inter- 
spersed over our territory, boats become ar- 
ticles of great convenience, or absolute necessity, 
and the ability to construct one, however rude 
it may be, is a useful accomplishment. 
We aim in this article to give directions for 
constructing a boat, capacious enough to carry 
two good-sized men and a fat buck, if they 
should ever be so lucky as to be compelled to 
carry one home, and at the same time suffi- 
ciently light to enable it to be carried about eas- 
ily, when required to be removed from one 
piece of water to another, overland. 
The boat is flat-bottomed, aud the keel.orbot- 
Fig. 1.— THE BOAT IN USE. 
torn is of board three quarters of an inch iu 
thickness, of white pine, or other light wood 
that will not readily split. The length of the 
boat represented is nine feet, width two to 
three feet, depth eighteen inches. These pro- 
portions may be varied to suit circumstances. 
To shape the bottom or keel, 
take two boards of the character 
before mentioned, and twelve 
inches wide, join them together 
by a tongue-aild-groove joint, 
make the joint water-tight by 
means of pitch, aud fasten a cleat 
across with clinch-nails or screws, to prevent its 
spreading. Mark out with a pencil the shape re- 
presented iu figure 2. Cut this out very accurate- 
ly, and plane very smoothly to line, with a slight 
bevel upwards. The more carefully this is done, 
the closer the joint and the dryer the boat will be. 
The stem is made, preferably, of a tamarack 
" knee ;" if this can not be readily procured, cut 
out of soft maple a " knee" one inch thick, as a 
substitute. This should represent an angle of 
something over 90 degrees, so as to give a 
forward rake, as in figure 3. The front of the up- 
right portion should be beveled to a fine edge, the 
bottom dressed square, and fitted to the keel in 
its place with screws, or wrought nails riveted 
over burrs. The stern (figure 4) is of similar 
stuff to the keel, cut G inches wider at the top 
a boat that will make no ripple, and this gradual 
decrease of width towards the stern avoids all 
noise as the boat passes along. A boat of this 
pattern will do this perfectly, 
and will be fouud easier to 
row or paddle. When the 
molds are properly placed, 
take the boards — which should 
have been previously soaked 
at the ends in water — aud fit 
them to their places, holding 
them with a clamp, until 
securely nailed to the stem 
and stern ; all nails which 
pass through the boards where 
they lap, should be clinched on 
the inside ; boat nails should 
be used. When the first board, 
which is the bottom one, is 
put on, fit the next, allowing 
three quarters of an inch to 
lap. Between the boards, at 
the lap, place a piece of thick 
cotton cloth, dipped in tar, which will make 
the joint water-tight, or nearly so, and calking 
will be unnecessary ; then fit on the top board, 
taking care the upper edge has a proper sweep ; 
when the boards are fastened, put iu two ribs, 
which should be of white oak, half an inch 
d. — THE STEM. 
Fig. i.— BOAT TURNED TO SHOW BOTTOM AND STERN. 
than at the bottom. The side boards should be 
of quarter-inch spruce stuff, well seasoned, and 
dressed, at least on the outside, to present the 
least resistance to the water. To give the boat 
the proper shape, cut out patterns representing 
the cross section of it at those parts crossed by 
the dotted lines. The sides should 
spread a little, that is, should be 
wider at the gunwale than at the 
keel, say 6 to 12 inches. The 
patterns should be cut accord- 
ingly, aud be tacked lightly to 
the keel-board, to hold them 
in their place until done with. The dotted lines 
which cross the boat are drawn at equal dis- 
tances, and show the width at those places 
which is greatest a little buck of the center 
(figure 2). It is a great point iu hunting to have 
-TEE BOTTOM OF THE BOAT. 
thick, and one and a half wide; soak them 
thoroughly, until they are pliable enough to 
beud into their places, and secure them by nails 
clinched on the inside. These should be placed 
midway between the molds, and not only 
strengthen the frame, but 
give a bearing for the feet 
of the rower. A piece of 
tin should be bent over 
the stem, and nailed from 
bottom to top, for a cut- 
water. Before putting this 
piece of tin on, fill in well with pitcli and tallow. 
The molds may now be removed ; a strip 
two inches wide and one half thick should 
then be nailed all around on the inside; cleats 
are to be nailed on, for the thwarts (or seats^ 
which should be placed six 
inches below the gunwale or 
edge ; the hinder seat may be 
made of the lid of a locker or 
box, iu which tools, nails, lines, 
asupply of putty, tallow, pieces 
of tarred canvas and tin, 
should be stowed away, as re- 
sources in case of damage or leaking. The bow 
of the boat should have a similar place made, to 
hold a supply of eatables when necessary. A 
baling dipper should be stowed away in one of 
these lockers. The bottoms of these lockers 
must be elevated two or three inches above the 
Fig. 5. — BOAT, SHOWING RIBS, LOCKERS, AND SEAT. 
keel, to keep the contents dry. Fig. 5 shows 
the arrangement of the lockers and seat. 
A ring-bolt and cord, sufficiently long, should 
be attached to the bow, for the purpose of tying 
up. To finish up the job, the seams must be 
