238 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June,. 
wasteful. Perhaps, until recently, more at¬ 
tention has been given to the artificial pro¬ 
duction of trout than to that of any other fish. 
Very few are aware of the importance that 
fish culture has assumed, especially since it 
has received such efficient aid from the Gen¬ 
eral Government. Every farm that has upon 
it permanent streams, or ponds of any con¬ 
siderable size, shored have them stocked with 
fish. The claim of advocates of fish culture 
that every body of water can be made to 
bring the farmer as good, or better returns 
than the same number of acres of land, is in 
a fair way to be proved true. Whoever has 
upon his land a stream or pond, may, with a 
slight outlay, make it a source of supply of a 
kind of food of which farmers and their fam¬ 
ilies have far too little, and it may be, a source 
of income. Of course all localities are not 
suited to trout culture, but there are other 
fishes which may be raised with profit. Near¬ 
ly all of the older States have now Fish 
Commissioners, whose business is to give 
advice and aid to those who wish to under¬ 
take fish culture. The localities for growing 
trout are comparatively few, and these are 
consequently the most profitable. Aside from 
the income derived from the sale of fish, the 
privilege of fishing in trout-ponds is often 
sold at paying rates. The Brook Trout suc¬ 
ceeds both in streams and in the still waters 
of ponds, but the ponds must either have 
great depth, or be supplied by springs. If, 
during summer, the temperature of the wa¬ 
ter ranges above 65°, it is not suited for 
trout, and some other fish should be chosen. 
The owners of some trout-ponds not far 
from New York City derive a handsome in¬ 
come from allowing sportsmen to fish in 
them. One having well stocked trout-ponds, 
even at a long distance from cities, would 
find no difficulty in renting them, as sports¬ 
men would generally prefer to go some dis¬ 
tance from home. To stock the waters of a 
single farm, it will be vastly better to pur¬ 
chase the young trout than to attempt to 
hatch them ; the buildings and the appa¬ 
ratus required would demand a heavy outlay. 
A Holder for Poles. 
A device for holding poles while sharpen¬ 
ing the end is sketched and sent by Mr. John 
Stewart, Sandy Creek. It is made by bolting 
two small standards to a carpenter’s trestle, 
A CONVENIENT POLE HOLDER. 
inclining them towards each other. A piece 
of timber, larger at one end than the other, 
serves as the weight. The larger end has 
two pieces nailed upon it to project in a V- 
shaped manner—the other end swings upon 
a bolt passing through the upper ends of the 
standards. The method of operation is made 
clear by the engraving, in which the pole 
and chopping log are also given in position. 
Another Bag-Holder. 
In sending a description of his Bag-Holder, 
“ O. S.,” Becker Co., Minn., writes: “It is 
without doubt a general feeling that what a 
man invents himself is his favorite, though it 
Fig. 1.— THE BAG-HOLDER ATTACHED TO THE WALL. 
may not be the best of its kind.” This is a 
natural feeling, but it should not deter any 
from sending home-made devices that they 
know from experience to be good. The bag- 
holder here presented is made of inch boards, 
and is 12 inches square at the top, 5 inches 
at the bottom. A cleat of 1 / i by 2-inch stuff 
is nailed on the top to add strength. Two 
hooks, a, a, of y 4 -inch iron and 6 inches 
long are fastened by staples to the inside of 
the holder, and about 4 inches from the 
comers that are to go next to the support. 
These hooks fasten into staples, a, a, driven 
at the right hight in the wall of the granary 
or side of the barn. Two strips, b, are nailed 
upon the sides of the holder near the bottom, 
and extend outward so far that, when brought 
against the support, the holder will be level. 
The hooks for holding the grain sack are 
made by driving some pieces of wire into the 
outside of the lower corners, as shown at c, c. 
Sharpen the ends 
with a file, and bend 
them up slightly to 
hold the edge of the 
sack when placed 
upon them. It is 
suggested by Mr. S. 
that the bag-holder 
be arranged upon a 
door, but the cir¬ 
cumstances of each 
case will determine 
the best position for 
it. A separate sup¬ 
port for the holder 
may be made, and 
then it can be used Fi S- --rest for holder. 
in the middle of a room. Figure 2 shows 
the construction of such a support for the 
“hopper.” It consists of a bottom piece of 
board, 18 inches wide, and 8 feet long, to 
which the upright is fastened, as shown in 
the engraving. Staples for the hooks can be 
placed either in the edges or on the front 
face of the upright. The great advantage of 
this bag-holder is the ease and rapidity with 
which the grain can be put into the sack. 
Repair tlie ICarns and Slieds. —At 
this season of the year the barns and sheds 
are usually empty, or nearly so. The store 
of hay, straw, etc., has been fed out, and the 
grain and wool have been marketed. There 
is no time so favorable for the “ fixing up”' 
of things around and in the bams, and other 
out-buildings, as now. There is usually a few 
days of comparative leisure after the corn is 
planted, before the work of cultivation begins 
in the fields, or the mower is started in the 
early meadows. A board nailed on in one 
place, and a new shingle here and there in 
the roof, may add greatly to the value of the 
fodder that is soon to be put under cover. It 
is through the little holes—they may be only 
large enough for rats or mice to pass—that 
much of a farmer’s profits slip away. Stop 
all these leaks while they can be found. If 
the repairs can go so far as to give a new coat 
of paint to the bams and out-buildings, it will 
not only add to the attractiveness of the farm,, 
but pay good interest on the investment in 
the greater durability of the buildings. Paint 
does prevent decay and is profitable to use.. 
A Low-Bottomed Wheelbarrow. 
Mr. G. N. Howes, Dutchess Co., N. Y., has 
a wheelbarrow with the “body” extending 
below the handles, from a sketch of which 
the accompanying engraving is made. He 
writes : “ I let down the bottom of the bar- 
row six inches below the handles, and made 
A LOW-BOTTOM WHEELBARROW. 
the part below them straight, but the box 
above the handles is spreading the same on 
the sides as at the front and over the wheel. 
The wheel is two feet in diameter, and has 
eight spokes. The legs are braced with 
‘ runners,’ which are shod with hoop iron on 
the under side. The side hoards above the 
handles can be removed. The front ends of 
each are secured in the ordinary way, but the 
rear ends are fastened with straps of iron, 
mortised through the handles, and made fast 
to the side boards. I bent a light wagon tire, 
and fastened it around under the middle of 
the bottom of the box to keep it from spring¬ 
ing, the ends being bolted fast to the handles. 
The ‘ body ’ is just large enough to hold four 
cans of milk, for the carrying of which the 
barrow is much used. For other purposes it 
is a very handy wheelbarrow, as the wheel 
being large it may be dumped with ease.” 
Stop and THimk:. —Some one has said, 
there is nothing so much needed in many 
families as a little judicious laziness. This 
does not apply to all, but there are those who 
are all work and no play, and look upon a 
hard day’s work as the measure of human 
virtue. Would it not be better for all such • 
to stop and think what work is for, and gain 
a broader view of life—its aims and blessings ? 
There are problems in farm life that need 
study, and this mental work can not be done 
when the body is exhausted with toil. The 
less active the brain becomes, the more the 
man grows into a mere machine. All that is 
suggested is that the worker spend more 
time in thinking ; it will make the labor 
easier, the life broader and more successful* 
