. 
148 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
to make it possible to carry it. We are all the time, 
without even thinking why, observing this law; we 
know that the broader the base and the lower the center 
of gravity, the firmer a thing will stand. Figure 3 has a 
narrow base, with the center of gravity, c, high; a little 
movement will bring the line of direction outside of the 
base and over it must go. In the cube, fig. 4, the centre 
of gravity is lower and the base broader, while in the 
pyramid, fig. 5, the base is still broader and the center of 
gravity lower yet, consequently a body of this shape is 
the most dif- 
Fig. 9. GOOD AND BAD LADDER. Fig. 8. ^ er t,mt tll(: 
line of direc¬ 
tion shall fall outside of the base. A step-ladder like 
that in figure 8, while it stands well enough by itself, 
would be very unsafe with a man upon it, as it would 
raise the center of gravity and fall over easily. To make 
it safe, we have only to give it a broader base, as in fig. 
9, in fact make a pyramid of it. These instances will 
show that we are constantly observing this important 
law—that the line of direction , a line drawn directly from 
the center of gravity, must always fall within the base , or 
that portion on which the body rests. The illustrations 
giver. hc.re and several of those in last month’s article, are 
from that excellent work by Mr. John J. Thomas, on 
Farm Implements and Machinery, which every intelli¬ 
gent boy and especially every boy upon a farm, might 
study with great benefit. This is all that we need say 
now about th a center of gravity—at least until we have 
some talk about gravity in general. I am reminded that 
I did not, as intended, give you the figure of a metre, or 
rather a part of one. Many of you will recollect that 
some months ago, I had some articles 
ON WEIGHTS AND MEASURES AND THE METRICAL 
SYSTEM. 
In one article I showed that our present measures and 
weights started from very small beginnings, grains of 
barley and of wheat, and that our measures of length 
and measnres for liquids, and our weights had very little 
agreement, as every scholar who lias tried to turn avoir¬ 
dupois into Troy weight knows. I afterwards told some¬ 
thing about the system of weights and measures adopted 
by the French, aud used by several other countries, which 
is so plain and sensible that it must, before many years, be 
nsed by all civilized people. Even now it is so generally 
used in scientific books, that it is well for every one to 
know something about it. It is called the Metrical System, 
because its starting point is the metre. All other meas¬ 
ures and all weights have a direct relation to 
THE METRE. 
It was told that the metre was fixed by taking one ten- 
millionth of the distance from the earth's equator to the 
pole. The metre is 39.37043 of our inches, or about three 
and a third inches longer than our yard. Measures less 
4- INCHES. 
Now you may like to see what a metre looks like, but 
as our page is not long enough or wide enough, we must 
take a decimetre , which you will recollect is the tenth of 
a metre—or what is the same tiling, 10 centimetres or 100 
millimetres. These are put 
in contrast with four inch¬ 
es. so you can see the 
difference. Of course, 
paper is not permanent, it 
shrinks and expands, yet 
you can, by care, make a 
metre from the decimetre 
printed here that will 
be very nearly correct. 
I have also told you 
how from the metre the 
measure of length, the 
measure for capacity was 
made. A cubic decimetre 
is a litre. That is a box 
that measures on the in¬ 
side an exact decimetre 
each way, will hold just a 
litre —which is the start¬ 
ing point for measures of 
capacity of all kinds. 
There is not in this system 
a dry measure, a beer 
measure, and a wine meas ¬ 
ure, as with us, but the 
litre and its multiples and 
divisions answers for 
milk as well as for wheat. 
The other measures are 
derived from the litre , 
as the other measures 
of length are from the 
metre, and the same prefixes are used. Thus we have: 
Millilitre. Viooo of a Litre. 
Centilitre. y l00 “ 
Decilitre.. y 10 “ 
Litre . 1 Cubic Decimetre. 
Decalitre. 10 Litres. 
Hectolitre. 100 “ 
Kilolitre.1,000 “ 
As a metre is a little over one yard, so the litre is a 
little more than our wine-quart, or to be exact, it is 1,0565 
quart. Now, having reviewed our lesson for the benefit 
of the new scholars, the older boys and girls will like to 
take a step in advance, so we will say that the metre is 
also the starting point for the weights of this system. 
From the metre we get the litre, and with the metre we 
get the weights. A cubic metre—that is, a vessel measur¬ 
ing a metre on all sides—filled with pure water, gives the 
Tonneau, or ton, of this system ; but we will start with a 
smaller weight and the one most in use, the Gramme , 
which is the weight of a cubic centimetre of pure water. 
The Gramme is about 15X of our grains. From the 
names of the divisions and multiples of the metre and the 
litre, you will have no difficulty of understanding the 
smaller and the larger weights. But we must talk of this 
another time. The Doctor. 
Take part of Nevada, part of Maine, part of Georgia, 
rt of Wisconsin, and part of California, and make 
par 
another State. 
J. W. Wheatley. 
1 
1 
^1 
I 
II 1 1 l g 
111 
11 
3 
1 
1 
^ ^ 4 
1 1 
ONE DECIMETRE. ^ 
i! 
2 
3 
lO CENTIMETRES. 
1 .1:1 5| 6*1. ?! 8 
91 10 
Illl 
III 
mini! 
ini 
nil 
TOO Mil 
lllllllliillllll 
-LIMETRES. 
iiiiliiii ini Hu 
HU j 
in 
Illl 
Jill 
llllllllli 
Fig. 10. —DECIMETER AS COMPARED WITH INCHES. 
than a metre are obtained by dividing the metre, and 
those for more than a metre, by multiplying it. For these, 
prefixes from the Latin and Greek are used. For di¬ 
visions, Latin, and for multiplication, Greek. Thus: 
For multi-fDeca = 10 
plication j Hecat.on= 100 
Greek j Kilios = 1.000 
prefixes. [Myrias =10,000 
For divt IMille =1,000 
sion Latin J-Centum = 100 
prefixes. ) Decern = 10 
The divisions of a metre will stand thus : 
Millimetre . Viooo ol a Metre. 
Centimetre. . y 100 “ “ 
Decimetre. 1 / i0 “ “ 
Metre . 1-- 
Decametre. 10 Metres. 
Hectrometre. 100 “ 
Kilometre. 1,000 “ 
Myrinmetre.10,000 “ 
Pictorial Puzzle. —No. 460.—Aunt Sue sends this, as a very neat pen-drawing, 
and says “ One word describes the central picture. From that word may be made, one at a 
time, the twelve words which are represented by the pictures surrounding the central one." 
HISTORICAL ACROSTIC. 
1. A celebrated revolutionary battle ground. 
2. One of the Presidents of the United States. 
3. A British war-sloop captured by the Essex in the 
war of 1812. 
4. One of the first Governors of Massachusetts. 
5. A famous pirate. 
6. A great Statesman. 
7. A traitor to his country. 
8. The name of the American vessel which captured 
tlie British sloop “Frolic.” 
9. An Artie hero. 
The initials of the answers to the above questions form 
the name of a celebrated Indian Chief. Marion. 
VERBAL DISTINCTIONS. 
(Fill the blanks in each sentence with words pro¬ 
nounced alike but spelled differently.) 
1. That good metal — much to the value of the —. 
2. Was the roof of the — built in the form of an — ? 
3. He — to me from the fourth story that he was growing—. 
4. The child — the — paper away. 
5. What can — this — ? It is horrid I 
6. I shall visit-I leave Scotland. 
charades. 
1. My first and second may generally be found on the 
breakfast table : my whole in the fields. 
2. My first is a kind of gum, my second is used at din¬ 
ner-time : my whole is used on the farm. 
NUMERICAL ENIGMAS. 
I. I am composed of 25 letters: 
My 3, 22, 7, 20, 14, is a fruit. 
My 5, 15, 19, 11, 24, is a plant. 
Mv 7, 9, 18. 8,1, is a blacksmith’s tool. 
My 14, 12, 6, 1. 16, is a bird. 
My 18, 24, 9, 21, 10, is a planet. 
My 20, 17, 22, 2, 23, is a European city. 
My 25, 4, 12. 22, 13, is a fish. 
My whole is a proverb. Isola. 
3. I am a word of 13 letters: 
My 2. 12, 3. is a domestic animal. 
Mv 11, 4, 10, is a cooking utensil. 
My 11, 6. 2. is a soft cushion. 
My 7, 4, 3, 1, 5, is a kind of drink. 
My 8, 4, 5. 2. is much used in cooking. 
My 5. 13, 9, 11, is to cut grain. 
My 3. 4, 7, 8, 12, 11, is to run with leaps or bounds. 
My whole was a famous American poet and author. 
J. W. Wheatley. 
HIDDEN COINS. 
1. The arms of that doll are too long. 
2. It will be no trouble to shorten them. 
3. Frances, why don’t you come and see me? 
4. Well, I rarely go out, now. 
5. Have you heard from Arkansas lately? 
• 6. Not a solitary line have I had for months. 
7. Oh ! gentlemen, do sing me a glee! 
8. What ! in this dim entry? 
9. There goes my English friend, Rogers. 
10. Do you mean that hale, ruddy giant? 
II. Yes, he is my friend—at least I hope so ! 
metagram. 
In a word of one syllable, embodying six letters, find 
2 articles, 2 exclamations. 25 nouns, 9 verbs, 2 adjectives, 
2 pronouns and a preposition. 
BLANK DECAPITATIONS. 
(Behead the word which fills the first blank, and use 
the remainder for the second blank— e. (/., He did not- 
in bis determination to-his will —Falter, alter.) 
1. She was sure to-when she heard the wagons-. 
2. Under the-of his boat, he saw an-—. 
3. When told that he might have a holiday', he was a 
very-little-. 
4. The-was too damp for them to-to advantage. 
5. The cabbages-in a-. 
6. Do not —- my-, or you will annoy her. 
Strange Place for a Bird’s Nest.—An Eng¬ 
lish paper gives an account of a pair of birds—Pied 
Wagtails—that last year built their nest on the under side 
of a railroad car. This 
car made four short 
trips and returned 
each day, yet the 
birds not only built 
their nest, but hatch¬ 
ed their young. The 
account states that if 
the car went off while 
both old birds were 
ont hunting for food, 
these did not seem to 
mind it, but they 
would perch on the 
telegraph wires with 
the food in their 
beaks, and wait pa¬ 
tiently until their 
traveling nest came 
back. The birds seemed to like the arrangement so 
well, that they came back to the same place this year, 
built another nest, and eggs were laid in it. 
©«r S*azzIe-lSox. 
EQUIVOCAL WORDS. 
(Each line gives different definitions toone word — e. g., 
“Tranquility — repose — to shift a little— “ ease .”) 
1. Explanation—regard—recital. 
2. Once more—the rear—to aid. 
3. To confine—a hut—an apartment. 
4. Presence—sight—mode of regard—shamelessness. 
5. An embrace—possession—to catch. 
6. Fixed—rushing--dissipated—established. 
7. To inculcate—print—emblem. 
8. A vessel—to contend—to agitate. Try Again. 
