162 
AMERIOAK AGRIOIJLTUEIST. 
Simple Implement for Squaring Fields- 
Mr. Jno. Bartlett, Oshawa, Ont., suggests the 
following as an easily made contrivance for laying 
outfields in fencing, plots for plowing or sowing, 
and for any other purpose where it is desired to 
run lines at right angles. Take a piece of thor¬ 
oughly seasoned wood, an inch or so thick, and 
eight inches or more square, and fit to an inch hole 
in its center a staff of convenient length, sharp¬ 
ened at its lower end so as to be easily set firmly in 
the ground. With a square make two lines on its 
upper side, crossing in the middle at exactly right 
angles to each other. Then with a sharp, straight, 
well-set saw, cut grooves, a, 6, about a quarter 
inch deep, through or alongside of these lines as a 
guide. These ansvver to sight through, and an as¬ 
sistant can set up rows of stakes in quite accurate 
lines, being governed by a motion of your hand in 
moving them to the right or left. A convenient 
method of securing accuracy in sawing the grooves, 
is to fasten the board in a work bench or other 
vise, together with a thin, straight edge along the 
mark, to run the saw by the side of in starting it. 
A board twelve or fifteen inches square will not be 
unwieldy, and will secure greater accuracy by af¬ 
fording longer grooves through which to sight. 
Improved Well Windlass. 
As ordinary pumps draw water only thirty-three 
feet perpendicularly, and practically only about 
thirty feet from the water surface, force-pumps are 
required, or a windlass for wells thirty or more 
feet deep. The common windlass with stop ratchet 
served a fair purpose, but requires one to let the 
bucket all the way down by turning the crank 
backward. Various forms of brakes have been de¬ 
vised. Mr. Snook sends one form which is here 
AU IMPBOVEMENT IN WINDLASSES. 
presented, with several alterations, such as to se¬ 
cure the brake pressure by weight rather than lift¬ 
ing, and to have the lever arm out of reach of a 
blow from the crank, also a means of securing the 
brake when leaving it to h,andle the bucket. The 
illustration shows the construction and operation. 
Two opposite corner pieces, p, extend six feet high 
above the platform, and a diagonal piece connect¬ 
ing their upper ends, supports a grooved pully 
carrying the lifting rope. A hook h, turning on a 
pivot, is thrown over the lever 6, and slid along it 
far enough to hold the brake against the windlass 
firmly when the hand is removed. A swinging 
iron rod catches in the small pin on the top of 
the bucket as it rises, and tips the water into the 
spout. With these little additions, we prefer a 
windlass and bucket to a pump, as the water is 
drawn fresh, with no tainting from the pump log. 
Ordinarily one must draw out all the water stand¬ 
ing in the pump tubing, before getting that which 
is cool and fresh—a considerable waste of power. 
The actual force required to raise the same water 
is less with the windlass than with the pump, as 
there is less power wasted in the friction of the 
close fitting valves of the pump, and the fric¬ 
tion of the water against the side of the tube. 
Have Many More Things Early. 
Not one farmer or village plot owner in a hun¬ 
dred yet understands how very easy it is to have 
plenty of early vegetables, green peas, corn, pota¬ 
toes, etc., with a variety of early flowering plants. 
After long deprivation of fresh garden products, 
every week gained in spring and summer is so 
much added enjoyment, and is health-promoting 
—moreover, any enterprising man living accessible 
to a village or two will find large profit in being 
ahead in the market, since, as with early spring 
lamb, those first offering fresh garden products, 
peas, corn, radishes, lettuce, beans, beets, toma¬ 
toes, etc., etc., will realize two, three or fourfold 
the ordinary prices. An instructive illustration 
was that given by a farmer in Eastern Iowa, who, 
pointing to his excellent farm with fine buildings 
said the American Agriculturist in effect gave him 
these, as it led him to go into this early culture, 
and the extra profits largely paid for both farm and 
fixtures. Many others can give similar illustrations. 
Hot-beds are very gcod helps, but they are a bug¬ 
bear to many, simple and easilj- managed as they 
are, and they are not essential. Mr. Andrews’ 
method, (see Feb. No., p. 65,) is very good. The 
cheapest method for ordinary, and especially for 
larger operations, is the following : Procure a full 
supply of good sods, two to four inches thick, 
when practicable cutting off an inch or so of the 
grass side with a sharp spade. Select the souther¬ 
ly or southeasterly side of a board fence, and place 
boards along its bottom to shut off cold northerly 
winds, or loose straw piled along its colder side 
will answer well. In lieu of a fence, boards set on 
edge a little leaning against a row of stakes furnish 
a good wind break, and are even better than a 
fence as one can work over the top of them.—Lay 
along the sunny side of the'boards or fence a bed 
of the sods grass side down, two to four feet wide, 
packing them firmly upon the previously cleared 
ground surface. If the sods are not a rich mould, 
and even if they are, it will be an advantage to 
sprinkle or wet them with liquid manure dipped 
from a low place in the barn-yard, or that made by 
partly filling a barrel or cask with manure from the 
horses or cattle heaps, and filling with water, stir¬ 
ring and then dipping it out, or drawing it from a 
plugged hole at the bottom. 
Now, with a sharp spade or other thin imple¬ 
ment cut through the sod, not disturbing it, but 
leaving it in squares of vaiious sizes from an inch 
or two to four or five inches across, and in the mid¬ 
dle of each square place a few seeds of anything 
and everything which it is desired to bring forward 
early, as peas, beaus, corn, tomatoes, cabbage, cu¬ 
cumbers, melons, egg plants, etc., etc., and of va¬ 
rious flower-seeds if desired. Potatoes cut in suit¬ 
able sizes, or small whole ones, can be placed in 
the larger squares. All the above can be done 
quite rapidly, and as soon as the snow is off. It 
would have been better to have had the sods cut in 
the autumn and piled up with leaning boards over 
them to shed rain ; but when not done the sods 
can be gathered as soon as the surface frost is out. 
Sheltered from the colder winds and exposed to 
the sun, the seeds will vegetate and get the roots 
well started in the sod. If a freezing night is ap¬ 
proaching cover the sods with boards, or throw on 
a layer of loose straw when the plants are above 
ground. Whenever the open ground is warm and 
dry, and danger of frost is over, these sod pieces 
are to be set in hills or rows. The growth will go 
[April^ 
right on rapidly with a full month or more of time 
gained, as few plants vegetate and extend their 
roots beyond the diameter of the sods within a 
month from the time of sowing. 
The cost and profit are easily seen and estimated. 
A bed of sods a yard wide and only four rods long 
will furnish nine thousand five hundred and four 
squares, averaging three inches across, or about 
exactly enough to plant two full acres with hills 
three feet apart each way in the rows 1 
Bitting Colts. 
A colt should be thoroughly bitted, that he may 
not be awkward and ungovernable. One can al¬ 
ways tell by the way a horse carries his head, 
whether he has been well broken or not. It is very 
annoying to have a horse throw his head up and 
down when travelling, or swing it around sideways 
in an awkward ungainly manner. The contrivance 
here illustrated, is a most excellent one for bitting 
young colts before they are broken to harness. 
The two long crooked pieces, /, /, are natural 
crooks of some hard tough wood, finished to two 
A DEVICE FOR BITTING COLTS. 
inches wide, and one and a quarter inch thick. 
They are halved together at their intersection, and 
firmly fastened with four small bolts. A staple a, 
is for attaching the back strap and crupper. Short 
straps or cords from the bits are snapped into the ' 
staples at &, 6, 6, 6, and drawing from different di¬ 
rections, they thus prevent throwing the head 
about, and gradually induce a uniform habit. The 
turrets, c, c, have the lines passing through them as 
in ordinary harness, and may be taken from any 
old harness. The girth is attached to the staples 
d, d, when using. The four short lines from 6, 6, 6, 
6, must not be drawn in too tightly at first, or the 
colt will acquire a habit of backing to loosen the 
strain on the mouth. This contrivance should first 
be fitted on in the stable or a small yard, allowing 
the colt to become accustomed to its new outfit, 
before attempting to drive with the lines. When 
gently handled, the most wayward colt can be 
made tractable through the use of this simple ar¬ 
rangement. The under sides of the pieces, where 
resting on the back, may be padded to prevent any 
abrasion of the skin. The back-strap, crupper and I 
girth, need to be strong and secure, as they must ' 
bear considerable strain when the colt is viciously j 
inclined, W. D. Boynton. 
More Local Fairs Needed. 
We have, perhaps, enough of great expositions, ' 
national fairs. State fairs, etc., to give vent to the 
enterprise of the leaders in industry, and as nuclei | 
for the numerous demoralizing side shows that i 
eluster around these larger gatherings. But do we 
have enough of small local fairs and industrial 
shows which come within the reach both as to 
distance and productions of the ordinary farmer 
and his wife, his sons and daughters? In Great 
Britain, and especially in Scotland, each neighbor¬ 
hood has its ‘‘Poultry Show,” or its “Flower 
Show,”-to whleh the neighbors contribute the 
best samples of their own products, and they stand 
a chance of being awarded honors which would bo 
