108 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
Wagon and Carriage Wheels— Large or 
Small Axles- 
The questions on this subject in recent num- 
bers of tne American Agriculturist, are exciting 
considerable attention, but no more than is de- 
served, as will be seen from some of the facts 
presented below. Several communications from 
practical men have been received and more are 
Invited. We have space the present month for 
only the following, from Henry Harper, Green 
Lake Co., Wis.— : "The query of David Will- 
iams, in January Agriculturist, page 4, as to which 
lias the most power for draught, a large or small 
axle, has been elucidated in the 4th and 5th 
Vols, of the Coach Makers' Magazine. A wagon 
wheel is nothing more or less than a lever pow- 
er. The above question, then, is simply this : 
which of the two axles has the most leverage ? 
The above diagram shows the operation of 
the lever power in a wheel : L is the lever ; F 
the fulcrum that the wheel makes of the obsta- 
cle over which it is to be raised ; W, the weight 
to be lifted ; 1, 2, and 3 are the draught lines 
to the different sized axles, the draught always 
being from the bottom of the axle. To deter- 
mine the power which the different sized axles 
have to lift the wheel over the obstacle, com- 
pare the length of the lever line L, from where 
it crosses the draught line, to the fulcrum F, 
with the W or weight line. In this case the 
lever line, L, is twice as long from the draught 
line 2, as the line W; therefore, one lb. draught 
on the line 2 will balance two lbs. over the ob- 
stacle. If the lines were of equal length, it 
would take a draught power equal to the weight 
to lift it over the obstacle. . Any one can see 
how the different sized axles shorten or extend 
the lever line, L, and in the same proportion 
the power is evidently increased or diminished. 
"It is a well established fact, that one pound 
•draught will earn over $100 while a good, sub- 
stantial wagon is being worn out. Then it is 
plain that, if one lb. of draught be lost by wrong 
construction, in wearing the wagon out there 
will be expended $100 worth of work without 
any compensation. Every body knows there is 
more or less difference in the draught of wag- 
ons. What the difference will average, no one 
can tell precisely, but it will not appear extrav- 
agant to say there is an average of five lbs. to 
1000 lbs. load loot by the average construction 
of wagons. This woui'.i make an average loss 
of $500 on every wagon made. Suppose every 
wagon-maker averages the production of three 
wagons in one vear, he then entails $1,500 loss 
on tlif. jcmmanl'.y. Wagon and carriage makers 
ha vi. no m ire right to make a difference in the 
results of their wagons and carriages as to 
draught, under like circumstances, than Mr. 
Fairbanks has in his scales. Both articles de- 
pend on lever power ; the power of the one is 
as susceptible of calculation, mathematically, as 
the other. If the farmer observes his own interest 
and acts intelligently by not patronizing me- 
chanics who are content to remain uninformed 
about mechanism, he will remedy a great evil." 
A Convenient Home-made Corn Marker. 
Roswell R. Moss, Chemung Co., N. T., con- 
tributes to the American Agriculturist the annex- 
ed illustration and description of a corn marker 
used by himself and neighbors : " It consists of 
a bed piece, A, of 3x4 oak joist, 11 feet long, 
in which teeth, B, are set 3 ft. 4 in. apart. The 
teeth are of oak, 2x4 and 12 in. long, exclusive 
of the tenons, which are 3 in. long and fitted to 
2 in. auger holes in the bed piece. Uprights, O, 
of oak 2x2 in. and 2 ft. long in the clear, are set in 
the bed piece, 6 in. inside the end teeth, at an 
angle of 45°. Handles, D, are fixed in these 6 
inches from the upper end. A cross-pole, E, con- 
nects the uprights in the middle, and is stiffened 
by a leather strip, F. Shafts, G, 8 ft. 9 in. long, 
are set in the bed pieces at an angle with the 
uprights, 4 ft. apart, at such an inclination to- 
ward each other that they will be from 15 to 
18 in. apart at the other ends. They are braced 
by k in. iron rods, as is shown in the drawing. 
A hook is fixed in the middle of the bed piece, 
to fasten a whiffletree to. The cross-pole and 
shafts can be made of white oak or ash sap- 
lings. The teeth being chamfered to an angle 
in front, and the manner in which they are 
drawn over the ground, prevent the soil falling 
back into the mark. One of the teeth is 
shown at E. It can be made by any farm- 
er possessing ordinary ingenuity, and at a tri- 
fling expense. It can be attached to any har- 
ness by using straps to hold the thills up. 
It is used with a single horse, and a boy to 
ride, and a man or smart boy to guide. Get start- 
ed in a straight line by a fence or flag, the 
guide having hold of the handle toward the 
fence. In turning, take hold of the cross-pole 
by the middle, lift the marker clear from the 
ground, have the horse come round as in culti- 
vating, back to the edge of the field. Drop the 
CORN MARKER. 
marker so that the end tooth will fall in the 
outside mark, take hold of the handle over that 
tooth and start again, keeping the eye ahead 
to remedy any deviations caused by stones or 
lumps. A man and boy and a smart horse can 
mark twelve acres both ways in a day." 
« • »»~ i ■ , 
He who is caught in a passion submits him- 
self to be examined through a microscope. 
How to Raise Carrots. 
H. A. Cook, Columbia Co., N. Y., communi- 
cates to the American Agriculturist the following' 
directions, which contain several good labor 
saving suggestions : " Moisten the seed and keep 
it warm four or five days, occasionally stirring 
it, until it is just ready to sprout, or quite 
sprouted. Just before sowing, usually about 
the middle of May, [no matter about the moon,] 
spread it out to dry a little, that it may be easily 
sifted through the fingers. Make the plot very 
rich and plow deep. Carrots will run clown as 
deep as the soil will admit. Rake the plot clean 
preparatory to making the drills. Make a drag 
or marker with thills and upon them straps like 
those of a boot, to draw by, and four or five 
teeth 20 inches apart, a little sharpened and in- 
clining backwards slightly from the perpendicu- 
lar. Draw a line for a guide and go through 
with a tooth of the marker on it ; in returning let 
CARROT WEEDER. 
the outside tooth run in the drill mark last made. 
Moist carrot seed can not be properly sowed 
with an ordinary seed drill. Hang a small cup 
on the fore finger of the left hand ; hold a com- 
mon dinner horn bottom up with the three low- 
er fingers of the same hand. With the thumb 
and finger of the right hand sift the seed 
through the horn into the drill, no matter how 
much the wind blows. The horn being conical, 
if the seeds escape from the thumb and finger 
somewhat irregularly, they will bound along 
down to the vertex and come out very evenly. 
The seed should be perfectly clean. Let a boy 
follow and cover the seed with a hand rake, and 
another spat with a hoe, or draw a hand roller. 
If the carrots are not up in one week, the seed 
is not good. This point, however, may be 
known before sowing, by fully sprouting a small 
portion of them. The great trouble in sowing 
dry seed is, that the weeds get the start of the 
carrots and make double the labor. Carrots 
can be cultivated by one person with the imple- 
ment illustrated above, as fast as three can work 
with hoes. Make the cross-beam, B, of 3x4 in. 
joist, 3 feet long. Let the thills, T, T, (which 
may be old rake handles) pass through it, slant- 
ing downward, and converging to about two 
feet apart at the lower end, where they are at- 
tached to the axles of the two wheels, which 
should be about one foot in diameter and made 
quite heavy to keep the implement steady when 
working. The uprights, S, are of wood, two 
inches in diameter, each strengthened with an 
iron ring or ferrule at the lower end, to receive 
the weed cutters. These cutters, C, may be 
made of old scythe blades. They should be 12 
inches long, and have a neek like the shank of 
a hoe blade to enter the standards, S, where 
they are fastened by iron pins. The cutters 
should be placed so that the ends next the rows 
slant forward a little, with the edge slightly in- 
clined downward. The neck being fastened on 
the under side of the blade, will help to prevent 
clogging. The knives should be kept sharp. 
This implement can be best used by taking hold 
