56 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[February, 
It is useless to make the land rich with fertilizers 
if we grow weeds instead of wheat. We must, 
therefore, cultivate the ground, and destroy the 
weeds that would otherwise destroy the wheat. 
The horse-hoe, by which the soil between the rows 
can be disturbed and loosened, is the proper imple¬ 
ment for this purpose. This is a new implement 
with us, and it is probable that a few attempts at 
its introduction may at first fail. The only Ameri- 
Fig. 1.— A NEAT DOG KENNEL. 
can implement of this kind shown at the Centennial, 
was one from Michigan, exhibited by the owner 
and inventor, Mr. A. B. Travis, of Brandon, Oakland 
Co., Mich., who has experimented in hoeing wheat 
for 15 years, with the result of producing the im¬ 
plement which we illustrate. The inventor writes 
that he has not as yet received one dollar from his 
invention, and as his patent expires in two years, 
he has small hopes of gaining anything from it, 
further than the satisfaction of helping to introduce 
a much needed improvement in wheat culture. 
The machine has received a medal at the N. T. State 
Fair, and a diploma from the Franklin Institute. 
Mr. Travis offers to send a circular with full in¬ 
formation for manufacturing the machine, and give 
the free privilege of making one for experimental 
purposes, to any person who may apply to him. He 
has at last made arrangements for manufacturing 
them, and it is to be hoped that at least the con¬ 
ductors of the experimental farms in the country 
will test the machine, with a view to their perma¬ 
nent use, if satisfactory, and if not, with an effort 
to improve it until it can be made useful. 
Dog Kennels. 
In many cases, where dogs are kept, they might 
very weli be dispensed with as worse than useless. 
When really of service, they deserve to be properly 
fed and comfortably sheltered in a kennel, placed 
where their watchful care is needed. Here they 
should be fastened at night, so that they may not 
be roaming abroad when they should he on the 
watch at home. The manner of making a very 
neat kennel is shown in figure 1. The bottom is 
2£x4 feet, and from the bottom to top of roof 3i 
feet. The door-way has an arched top and should 
be of any size from 8x12 inches, up to 12x22 inches, 
to suit the size of the occupant. It is painted a 
light brown, with the corners, base, and window 
planks painted darker. Brackets may be placed be¬ 
neath the cornice molding. A cheap and equally ser¬ 
viceable one is shown in fig. 2. It has a floor the same 
size as the preceding, it is 3J feet high in front, and 
the roof has a fall of 8 inches. A yet cheaper 
one is made by taking a square box, 2i by 3 or 4 
feet, and cutting a door in one end. During win¬ 
ter, if the kennel be in an exposed situation, tack a 
piece of heavy carpeting over the door on the in¬ 
side, so that it will cover the entire doorway. 
Where several dogs are kept, a roomy kennel and 
yard should be provided, in which to confine them. 
The disrepute into which these animals have de¬ 
servedly fallen in the estimation of sheep and poul¬ 
try keepers, and gardeners, is greatly owing to the 
liberty given to them by their owners, of wandering 
about and depredating. If the owners of dogs 
would provide a safe place for them, and confine 
them 'there when not at work, very little injury 
would be done. A dog-yard and kennel is shown 
at fig. 3. It is roomy, so as to admit of exercise ; 
well shaded, and is furnished with water, and a 
sleeping house. A water tank is indispensable, and 
generally there should be a bathing tank and water 
for drinking besides. 
A Three-Horse Evener. 
“L. F. P.,” Salina, Kansas, sends a sketch and 
description of a three-horse evener, which he has 
used upon his reaper, thinking, however, that 
sometimes the one horse had to draw the most. To 
show that this must be 
the case, and the man¬ 
ner in which the evener 
is wrongly constructed, 
we give an engraving of 
the sketch. It is in¬ 
tended to be used upon 
a tongue, shown at a. 
The evener, 4v feet long, 
is attached to the tongue 
in the usual manner, at 
a point which is one- 
third the distance from 
one end, leaving one 
part twice as long as the 
other. The two horses 
are hitched to the long 
end. The single horse 
is hitched to a bar 18 
inches long, which is 
bolted to the tongue in 
advance of the evener. 
This bar is connected 
with the short end of 
the evener by a pair of 
iron straps, which are 
bolted to the evener 
and to the bar at a 
point 6 inches from 
the hammer-bolt, and 12 inches from the outer 
end; thus giving the horse the advantage of two 
to one in drawing from the outer end of the 
bar. At least it seems so ; but it is not so really, 
because the straps are placed diagonally, and there 
Fig. 3.—KENNEL WITH YARD FOR DOGS. 
is a considerable loss of power in drawing in this 
way, which is exerted in pressure upon the _ con¬ 
necting bolts. But what is a more important-error, 
the two horses have the advantage of double the 
length of the evener that the single horse has, thus 
making the draft in their favor equal to 4 to 
1. Then as the single horse gains double his draft, 
that reduces the gain of the two. horses one-half, 
and makes it equal to 2 to 1 as against the single 
horse. Thus the single horse draws against the 
two horses, without any benefit from the complica¬ 
tion of levers. The suspicion as to the unequal 
draft is therefore a realty. To make two horses 
draw upon one side of a tongue, against one on the 
ARRANGEMENT OF EVENER. 
other side, without doubling the length of the 
double-tree upon the side of the single horse, or 
without producing a side draft, or an unequal 
draft, does not seem to be possible. If it can be 
done by any combination of adjusting levers, we 
should be glad to know of it from any of our readers. 
A Rustic Corn-Crib. 
When visiting the farm and grounds of Mr. J. 
Hull Browning, of Tenafly, N. J., recently, we. no¬ 
ticed a very picturesque com-erib, made of cedar 
poles and bark, which is represented in the ac¬ 
companying illustration. It is not intended for an 
ordinary farm, but for a country place, where the 
necessary ugliness of the usual corn-crib may be 
substituted by a very pretty and picturesque effect, 
without interfering with the usefulness of the crib. 
The crib is supported by pairs of stout poles, set in 
the ground; each pair being jointed, and bolted 
firmly together, where they cross each other. A 
sufficient number of braces and girts, to strengthen 
the crib, are used, and it is covered on the sides 
and ends with split poles of cedar. The roof is 
covered with bark. If the materials are well se¬ 
lected, a very ornamental and unique structure is 
the result, and the corn-crib may be made a promi- 
A RUSTIC CORN-CRIB. 
nent object in the yard, instead of hiding it away, 
as is often done, behind an outhouse or shed. 
Spreading Manure. 
The winter is a good season for spreading ma¬ 
nure. It is immaterial whether the ground is 
covered with snow or not, or whether it is frozen 
or soft, provided it is not too soft to draw loads 
over, and that the ground is not upon a steep hill¬ 
side, from which the manure may be washed by 
