13G0.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
nient of two valves so placed that whether you 
pull up or push down, 
pail or tub, and force 
it out of the pipe. Fig. 
g is a simplified sketch 
of its operation, m, n, 
are two brass tubes, 
or rather one tube, say 
2 inches in diameter, 
bent round in the man¬ 
ner shown in the cut. 
An india-rubber pipe, 
of any desired length, 
extends from e, at the 
left, into a tub, pail, or 
cistern, a, is a piston 
with a sliding valve 
opening downward, b, 
is a similar piston, 
with the valve open¬ 
ing upward. Both pis- 
ions are attached by 
connecting rods to the 
same handle. When 
the handle is being raised, the valve, b, closes, 
and forces the water over it out at o, and leaves a 
vacuum under it at n and m , which is instantly 
filled by water rushing in through e, and down 
through the valve a. Now push down the handle, 
and a closes and draws down the water through 
e. At the same time b opens upward, and a forces 
the water in m around up through b, and out at o. 
Thus by either the upward or downward motion 
of the hand, the water is propelled through a dis¬ 
charge pipe attached to o, with a velocity propor¬ 
tionate to the force applied by the hand. A foot 
stirrup is attached below, and the apparatus is 
used as represented in fig. 1. The implement is 
convenient, as it can be carried around with 
a bucket of water, and be used at any point de¬ 
sired, for sprinkling gardens, trees, graperies, 
washing windows, etc., etc. It lacks the appli¬ 
cation of lever power, but this is not necessary 
for ordinary use. By a quick, strong motion of 
the hand, we have readily thrown water upon the 
roof of a 2£ story building, and even higher. It 
is well made, chiefly of brass ; the packing of the 
valves, the packing screws around the piston 
rods, etc., we have omitted in the sketch, which 
was made in the simplest form possible to illus¬ 
trate the mode of its operation. [Since making 
our sketch and putting the above in type, we have 
received an advertisement from the manufactur¬ 
ers, in which the apparatus is shown more in de¬ 
tail. Fig. 2 above, however, better illustrates 
the operation of the valves.] 
-«►-.-—«»——- 
Wire Pences. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist. 
I have used the plan for wire fences described 
below, for five or six years, and found it to work 
well. For a fence of one hundred rods, first set 
at each end a straining post eight by ten inches, 
high enough for the required number of wires. 
Bore the holes to admit the wires near one edge, 
so as to leave room for a brace to be set against 
the post. Make the brace twelve feet long, set 
its lower end firmly in the ground, and resting 
squarely against a flat stone set perpendicularly. 
The intermediate posts should be four by four 
inches at the bottom, and four by two inches at 
the top, and set at intervals of twelve feet. My 
plan is to bore the holes before setting the posts 
with a £ brace bit. [It is more difficult to bring 
the holes into exact line in this way, than by bor¬ 
ing after the posts are set.—E d ] 
After the posts are all set, the next part of the 
operation is to draw in and splice the wires. To 
form a neat splice, let the two ends lap each oth¬ 
er about six inches; with a narrow pair of black¬ 
smith’s tongs hold them firmly together, and with 
another pair of tongs turn each end around the wire 
until it is all coiled; a splice so made is very strong. 
When the wires are all drawn through and spliced, 
the ends are to be properly fastened. This is 
done by means of iron rollers, each five inches 
long, one inch in diameter, and pierced with three 
holes, one large enough to receive the wire, the 
others, one on each side of the first as large as 
the roller will allow, say, 7-16thsof an inch in di¬ 
ameter, and £of an inch from the small hole, and 
at right angles with each other. Draw the wire 
through the small hole, pull it as tight as it can 
be made by hand, then with two steel levers each 
about 14 inches long and fitting the holes in the 
roller continue to turn the roller and wind the 
wire until it is sufficiently tight. Then place an 
iron pin in one of the holes, which will rest 
against the outside of the post and prevent un¬ 
winding, and the work is done. A fence of one 
hundred rods or more should have rollers for 
tightening at each end ; for a fence of fifty rods 
or less, they will be needed at one end only. 
I think too small wire is commonly used for 
fencing. I prefer the size No. 6, and would al¬ 
ways have it annealed. This can be purchased 
in Philadelphia at 5£ cents per lb. which will 
make a fence of six wires cost about twenty five 
cents for a panel of ten feet. If the fence is want¬ 
ed to turn cattle only, five wires are sufficient, 
but for sheep and lambs, there should be seven. 
I see it mentioned in the Agriculturist that 
difficulty is experienced by some, in consequence 
of the variations of length caused by heat and cold ; 
but the fence that I have made on the above plan, 
has, as yet, given me no trouble. If it should be 
apprehended, that, the hard freezing of Winter 
would injure it, it might be easily obviated by 
taking out the pins. I do not think of anything 
else requisite to make a neat, durable, substan¬ 
tial, and at the same time, cheap fence. If neat¬ 
ness and beauty are aimed at, it would add very 
much to both, to give it a coat or two of white 
paint. Thomas Atkinson. 
A Wheel-barrow Ladder. 
The above cut represents a wheel-barrow, upon 
which several baskets or barrels may be set and 
trundled to the orchard. Arrived there, it is ele¬ 
vated, and forms a very convenient fruit ladder, 
as seen at fig. 2, which may be pushed up among 
the branches, or stand near the outer edge of 
the trees as desired. It can be made of any 
needed length, and only differs from an ordinary 
double step ladder, in having a wheel near the 
lower end. When several baskets of fruit have 
been picked, they are set in the spaces between 
the rounds, and wheeled home. The ladder will 
also be found very convenient in grafting, prun¬ 
ing, etc., and can be run to and from the or¬ 
chard, much easier than to carry an ordinary 
ladder. By letting the round next to the one at 
the top, project a little at each end, the two parts 
may be unfolded and set up as a single ladder, 
thus forming one of double the length. 
Q<i7 
We have not seen this arrangement in use in 
this country, but borrow the idea from a French 
periodical, which represents them as common 
in some parts of France. From the draw¬ 
ings, any one who can make an ordinary ladder, 
can construct one of this form. From six to 
eight feet is a convenient length for each part: 
this will give twice that elevation when used as 
a single ladder. 
- , - —■» —--- 
One Horse Humbug. 
Since the successful performances of Rarey, in 
horse taming and training, a host of imitators 
have arisen, some of them men of intelligence, 
able to understand and apply the principles of his 
practice, but in very many if not most instances, 
mere jockeys, too lazy to work, and desirous ol 
living by their wits, or in other words, making 
money out of the want of wits in other men. ^A 
correspondent sends us a handbill, copies of which, 
and of others similar in character, he says are 
posted on nearly every guide post in the West¬ 
ern States. They show at once the character of 
the enterprising individuals engaged in the bus¬ 
iness. We find here a promise to teach, for the 
sum of$8, “How to acquire the most perfect 
control over the wildest horse in one hour’s time, 
without the use of drugs or charms.” “How to 
break the wildest colt in half an hour’s time so 
that a boy fourteen years old can ride or handle 
him with perfect safety,” etc., etc.—the promises 
far exceeding any thing that even Rarey profes¬ 
ses to know. But that is of small consequence 
with an imposter—a big lie is as easily told as a 
small one. Any sensible man knows there is but 
one way to break the wildest colt in half an hour, 
that is, to break his neck; then, and only then 
can a “ boy handle him with safety.” To break 
a colt well, is to educate him, which is a work 
of months or years of painstaking. The process 
is simple enough, but very different from what 
ignorant jockeys recommend. The richest part 
of this handbill, however, is the proposal to in¬ 
struct in the arts of swindling as practiced by 
jockeys. The morality and the grammar of the 
following are about equal : we copy verbatim. 
“ We will teach the following jockey tricks, 
which we do not recommend any one to practice ; 
but as there are men who do practice them, it is 
well that all should know them : 
“ How to make a horse appear like he was badly 
foundered in one night’s time. How to make a 
horse stand by his food and starve to death, and 
not taste it. How to make a horse appear like he 
had the glanders in one night’s time. Howto 
take the truest pulling horse, and without taking 
they draw water from the 
Fig. 2. 
