1884] 
AME RIO Al^ AGRICUI/I"U R LS^E 
211 
rainfall before it comes up. Some dispense with 
ridges, and lay the seeds flat on the surface, only 
pressing them slightly with the foot. This saves 
labor, but as a rule the ridging is best. For this the 
same plow is used for the furrows as for corn or 
other crops.—The distance apart varies considera¬ 
bly, ranging from ten to twenty inches. Sixteen 
inches is a fair distance for the hoe in weeding, 
and for spread of vines on land of medium quality. 
An implement with a wheel is pushed along the 
ridge, points orpins at given distances markingthe 
place on top of the ridge for the peas. Care is 
taken not to have the holes more than two inches 
deep. The pea, a single kernel in a place, is then 
dropped by hand and covered by carefully pressing 
a little soil upon it. The land is left in a smooth 
state for the first plowing. Being a tropical plant, 
the peanut requires warm sun all the time. We 
have known it planted all through the month of 
June, but it should generally be up and growing 
by the first of that month here. Cold, rainy wea¬ 
ther about the time of planting is very detrimen¬ 
tal. The crop can be and is already grown suc¬ 
cessfully much further North than Virginia. 
Simple Leveling for Draining, Etc. 
For extended, expensive operations in draining, 
ditching, grading, irrigation, and the like, it is 
cheapest in the end to secure the services of a civil 
engineer oi' good surveyor with delicate iustru- 
cides with the mark, running the length of the up¬ 
right bar, and may be sighted along its upper edge. 
“ Picket,” Morrisonville, Ill., sends us his plan, 
which is essentially a long sixteen foot fence board. 
f r 
jfc 
k 
Fig. 1.— AN EASY METHOD OP LEVELING. 
ments. But for ordinary farm draining, ditching 
and grading, most men can extemporize simple ap¬ 
paratus, or borrow a common spirit level from a 
carpenter. We have secured quite accurate results 
thus : Select a perfectly straight thick board or 
plank four feet or more long, of any width above 
five inches, the upper surface planed smooth. If 
not already painted, rub a little oil over the top, 
wiping it clean. Lay this upon or near the ground 
as near level as you can.—Pour half a teaspoonful 
or so of water upon its middle, covering four to six 
inches lengthwise and two or three inches wide. 
Carefully elevate any side or end needed to bring 
the edges of the little pool of water to an equal 
Fig. 4.— LEVELING WITH CABPENTEr’S LEVEL. 
perfectly straight edged, with two laths nailed on 
each side of the center as a handle (figure 2). This 
is set on edge, and upon the middle of its upper 
edge is placed a “ tifteen-cent pocket level.” The 
longer carpenter’s spirit level would be more ac¬ 
curate. When the fall is decided upon, another 
board is cut to move along the bottom as the drain 
is dug. Thus if the fall is two inches in sixteen, 
and a sixteen-foot board is two inches narrower at 
one end when the top is kept level the bottom 
edge moved along the excavtion will indicate the 
proper shape, as in figure 3. 
Mr. J. Bartlett, Oshawa, Ont., sends us sketches 
which we combine in figure 4. Let s, s, be the ir¬ 
regular surface; at the highest point set a four feet 
high, and with a carpenter’s level, mark b; then 
mark c four feet below it on the stake, which may 
be one hundred feet or more away. From the dis¬ 
tance between c and *• judge of the fall 
& necessary to have the drain sufficiently 
below the surface at that point. If this 
be say two feet, mark e two feet below h .— 
Then at various points as at f, g,^ h, k, 
etc., twenty to thirty feet apart, set stakes 
marking them in the line between the eye and e, 
either by sighting with an assistant, or stretching a 
line. The drain d will be equally distant below the 
tops of these stakes. A line stretched between 
the tops of these, or near the ground at equal dis¬ 
tance from the stake tops will serve as a guide for 
the bottom of the drain at all intervening points. 
Fig. 2.— A CHEAP LEVEL. 
thickness. One can sight along the upper side or 
an upper corner, to within an inch fall or rise in 
one to two hundred feet, as in figure 1. An assist¬ 
ant at a marks the place on the stake, a motion of 
the hand up or down directing him to raise or 
lower his finger. Other stakes at 6, c, d, etc., can 
be marked to show the elevation of this surface at 
each point, and how deep to dig. It is wbll to try 
the board elevated on sticks or stocks at a and 
sight back, to test the work. 
A very simple home-made leveler we have used 
with much satisfaction is made thus ; A cross-piece 
Fig. 3.— LEVEL IN SHAPE FOR DRAINING. 
of inch stuff, four inches wide, three to four feet 
long, is firmly nailed near the top of a similar piece 
five feet long, sharpened at the foot, with two bits 
of blocks in the corner if it be much used, to give 
it firmness. A scratch-alt mark runs exactly 
down its middle front, with a small pin at the top, 
from which a strong thread or light cord is sus¬ 
pended with any convenient weight on its lower 
end. With the cross-piece exactly at right angles 
to the upright, easily secured by using a good steel 
square, it will be level when the plumb-line eoin- 
The Care of Fruit Trees. 
Protect the Roots. —In transplanting or hand¬ 
ling trees, recollect that every minute of exposure 
to the air injures them. If a tree can not be 
planted at once, make a hole and bury the roots. 
Those who go to a near nursery and take home 
their own trees, should puddle them. Make a hole 
in the ground a foot deep and as large as needed. 
Have a plentiful supply of water. Pour water into 
the hole and stir up the soil, until a thin mud is 
formed. Draw the roots of the trees through this, 
until they, even the smallest, are completely cov¬ 
ered with mud ; then sprinkle dry soil over them 
to dry them off. This “ puddling ” or “ grouting ” 
of the roots, as the English call it, is useful 
not only for trees, but for plants of all kinds. 
Pasturing the Orchard. —It is a singular fact 
that the orchard is the only field that farmers, as a 
general thing, expect to yield more than on e crop. 
There is so much apparently unoccupied ground 
between the trees, that there is a desire to utilize 
it with some crop. When the trees are in bearing, 
they need all the soil. While the trees are young, 
a manured crop may be grown between the rows. 
The best treatment of an established orchard is, to 
sow it to clover and pasture young pigs upon it. 
By this the.fruit, sod and pigs will be benefited. 
Staking Newly Planted Trees. —In exposed 
localities, trees are apt to get a ” list ” in the direc¬ 
tion of the prevailing winds. If the trees are 
small and properly pruned at planting, there will 
be less trouble than wivh large trees, which must 
be staked. The safest way is to drive two stakes 
at a little distance, upon each side of the tree, 
and secure the trunk to both stakes by means of 
a straw band, or soft rope so as not to chafe. 
Injured Trees. —Nursery trees when sent a 
long distance, may be injured by drying, and when 
received, the bark will be shrivelled, and the tree 
apparently dead. Such trees may usually be 
saved. Open a trench large enough to receive 
them, and lay in the trees, root and branch, and 
sprinkle in the soil among the branches, laying the 
trees one upon another, taking care to have the 
soil come in contact with even the smallest 
branches. The bark will gradually absorb moisture 
from the soil, and in a few days become plump and 
apparently as bright and as fresh as ever. 
Started Trees.—I f trees are transported in 
warm weather, especially if packed moist, the buds 
will push, and when unpacked will be found to 
have white, weak shoots, several inches long. The 
only way to save such trees is to cut back every 
branch to a good bud that is still dormant. 
Selling Eggs by Weight. 
There is from twenty to thirty per cent difference 
in the weight of eggs, yet the custom is almost 
universal in the Eastern markets, of selling them 
by the dozen at a uniform price. Even ducks’ 
eggs, which are much larger, and by some regarded 
as richer, bring no more than the smallest hen’s 
eggs of not half the weight. In California, eggs, 
fruits, and many other articles that are here sold 
by the dozen, the bunch, or by measure, are sold 
by weight. The practice is a good one, and works 
beneficially for all parties, especially for the pro¬ 
ducer. It operates as a premium upon the cultiva¬ 
tion of the most productive varieties of fruits, 
vegetables, and farm stock. The farmer, who is 
pains-taking with his poultry and gets the largest 
weight of eggs, has a fair reward for his skill and 
industry. The present custom is a premium to 
light weights, and good layers. We need a change 
in the interest of fair dealing in trade, and, if 
necessary, it should be enforced by legislation. If 
the legislature is competent to fix the weight 
of a bushel of corn or potatoes, it can easily 
regulate the weight of a dozen eggs, and thus 
promote exact justice between buyer and seller. 
Stool and Clamp for Harness, Etc. 
Mr. C. B. Clark, Peoria, Ills., sends us a descrip¬ 
tion of a combined bench with simple clamp for 
holding harness and other articles for repairing, 
etc. The bench or stool 6, of any desired size, is 
supported by’ two legs near one end. The other 
end is held up by the foot of the long claw, ex¬ 
tending to a convenient Light for the operator. A 
shorter claw, c, is fastened to it by a cross-piece p, 
about an inch thick and three inches wide, passing 
through a slot in the jaws, in which it works easily 
but firmly on two iron pins, a little more than half¬ 
way up from the bench. In the lower end of the 
short jaw an eccentric works on a pivot and 
against a projection on the larger jaw. Depress¬ 
ing the handle to this eccentric or cam closes 
the jaws at the top with all the force desired. 
