334 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[September, 
on the previous page of a noted cow, “Vivandiere,” 
owned by Mr. Outliwaite, of England, which, with 
the accompanying copy of a drawing of the same 
cow, were originally published in the “London Ag¬ 
ricultural Gazette.” That the photograph shows the 
cow, is plain to any one who knows a cow, and that 
the picture is an exaggeration, is equally plain. 
But this exaggeration is passable compared with 
that of many portraits published in this country 
which are simply absurd impossibilities, to which 
an artist should be ashamed to attach his initials. 
The Agricultural Gazette has the credit of stead¬ 
fastly opposing this prevalent fashion of misrepre¬ 
senting animals in England, and it is fortunately 
seconded by many of the best and most popular 
and successful breeders, among whom Mr. Outh- 
waite, the owner of “Vivandiere,” is one. Unfortu¬ 
nately this cow, the most successful prize taker for 
many years in England, died in consequence of the 
injury to her constitutiou by over-feeding to main¬ 
tain her in show condition. The amount received 
in premiums by this cow was §5,357. The Short¬ 
horns have qualities and excellencies sufficient to 
enable them to stand upon their own merits with¬ 
out exaggeration, both in portraiture and in esti¬ 
mated value. It is an injury to them to be misrep¬ 
resented by the artist, as it is also to be made the 
object upon which financial speculations can be 
fastened, and it is to be hoped that before long 
they will be freed from both of these oppressive 
inflictions, and given the honest and respectable 
position they so well deserve. 
Among the Farmers—No. 8, 
BT ONE OP THEM. 
We are in the midst of a protracted drouth, but 
all hope and pray we may be nearer its termination 
than “in the midst” would signify. Yesterday 
was the hottest day that I remember to have ex¬ 
perienced in the country in this part of the world. 
One summer spent in Louisiana is looked back 
upon as an exception. We had yesterday a pretty 
steady north-west wind which was hot like the 
breath of a furnace. The parched landscape fairly 
quivered under the heat. The corn leaves were 
curled to mere lines, and the dry pasture and mow¬ 
ing land from which the grass has been cut, turned 
a shadow or two browner or yellower before noon. 
It is twenty-four days since we had a cool day, and 
as long since we had a soaking rain. Gardens are 
dried up, peas a failure, beets cease to grow, toma¬ 
toes only survive, but cucumbers and musk-melons 
seem to flourish as well as if we had rain, but 
water-melons suffer. 
This farm is situated upon a gravelly hili-side, 
gently rolling, with plenty of springs, which indi¬ 
cates that the ground is underlaid more or less 
with water. The result is that trees do well, for 
after they are well established, their roots go down 
to a never-failing supply of moisture. I have no 
doubt the roots go down at least 15 feet for water 
through rather a coarse, hard-packed gravel. On 
all sides I hear complaints that the dry weather is 
causing apples to drop badly, mine drop too to 
some extent, but it is from worms, aud not the 
drouth. Every one that falls has one or more lar¬ 
vae of what I suppose to be the codling moth, so I 
presume the drouth is blamed elsewhere for what 
ifl not its fault. 
On such soils as we have underdraining does not 
seem to make the land withstand dry weather bet¬ 
ter than before. Irrigation is probably the only 
solution of the problem : How to make ourselves 
and our crops independent of the season, provided 
only we have heat and light enough, which we sel¬ 
dom lack. The difficulty I find with this is, that 
the soil is so porous that it is necessary to carry the 
water in pipes, and distribute by a hose. We have 
no clay, or after a while I might hope to get the 
channels to hold water. I have not much experi¬ 
ence as yet in irrigation, but this fact forces itself 
upon me, namely, that everything that has been ju¬ 
diciously watered has thriven during the dry 
weather beyond comparison. 
Mr. Taylor’s Dairy. 
In the month of June I was at Mr. W. 3. Taylor’s 
stock farm, “ The Elms,” near Burlington, N. J. 
He has fine cattle, aud horses, sheep and swine, but 
what interested me particularly, was the dairy, 
which is constructed upon plans furnished, and I 
believe patented, by Mr. J. Wilkinson. It is con¬ 
nected with an ice-house, and is dependent for the 
excellence of its operation in part upon the ice, 
but to a greater degree upon air ducts laid for a 
long way underground at a depth sufficient to se¬ 
cure the same temperature throughout the year. 
The dairy is half underground, probably 7 feet be¬ 
low the general level. The ground slopes some¬ 
what towards it, and it is entered by a descent of 
5 or 0 steps. The walls are brick below ground 
(possibly stone), and wood above well furred off and 
rendered in a great manner impervious to heat. 
The floor of the dairy is perhaps two and a half or 
three feet lower than that of the ice-house, and a 
tank of 3 feet in width by some 20 inches deep, ex¬ 
tends from under the center of the ice-house to 
past the middle of the dairy. This takes the drip 
of the ice, and is kept full by it and at a tempera¬ 
ture of about 50° or less, according to the thawing 
of the ice. This would naturally have a tendency 
to keep the temperature of the dairy low, as would 
also its mere proximity to the ice-house. But the 
walls of the ice-house are thick, and as thoroughly 
non-conductors as possible, so little cold comes 
from them. 
The remarkable feature of the structure is the 
ventilation. To secure this, pipes are laid for a 
distance of not less than 100 feet, but to distances 
securing sufficient fall in different directions. One 
brings air in warm weather down to the dairy, the 
other conducts it away also at a fall. Slate is found 
to be the best material for these ducts, and they are 
laid so deep that the warm air entering at one end 
is deprived of both heat and moisture before it 
reaches the dairy. Here it flows in in a steady stream, 
and without other sources of cold, would bring the 
temperature to about 60° or 62°, and maintain it 
there. Of course doors and windows close as 
tightly as possible, and should be double. When 
both ducts are open and in order, the conditions 
for a regular and rapid flow of air are established. 
The air in the lower part of the upper duct is cold¬ 
er, hence heavier than that in its upper and outer 
portion, hence it settles into the dairy room; here 
it is still further cooled by the cold water tank, and 
flows out through the opening connected with ihe 
descending air duct, and through this to the open air. 
In winter the atmospheric conditions are reversed, 
instead of the outer air being hotter than the earth, 
it is colder, and so the air in the ducts becomes 
warm, hence lighter, and rises throughout the 
whole extent of the underground system, includ¬ 
ing the dairy in its course, keeping the air therein 
at or about the same temperature as the earth. 
The ends of the ducts are protected against the di¬ 
rect action of the wind, which otherwise might oc¬ 
casionally reverse the current. Should occasion 
require at times greater coldness in the air of the 
dairy than it receives from the earth, a duct is pro¬ 
vided into which the air may be turned before it 
reaches the dairy. This circulates back and forth 
between the plank floor and the cement floor of the 
ice-house, and the air is then thrown into the room 
at about the temperature of 40°. 
This system involves building a good dairy sep¬ 
arate from the dwelling, not necessarily in connec¬ 
tion with an ice-house, but preferably adjoining 
one, or a cold spring. Mr. Taylor’s is certainly in¬ 
expensively, but thoroughly well built, and I was 
greatly pleased with its results, which are entirely 
satisfactory to him. I may add that the whole es¬ 
tablishment impresses one with the idea of comfort 
and thrift. A remodeled farm-house, neat and 
tasteful, in the midst of a broad lawn set with well 
grown trees, roads and carriage drives, in capital 
order, new barns, cow byres, etc., somewhat scat¬ 
tered, it is true, but on the whole convenient, and 
particularly excellent stock of all kinds. 
T3ie Centennial. 
Of course my wife and I took an early opportu¬ 
nity to go to the “Centennial” for a week, and 
now we want to go again so much that we can 
hardly wait for cool weather and the period of the 
cattle shows in the autumn months. Truly here 
one finds himself among the works of the farmers 
if not as much as he might wish “Among the 
Farmers” themselves. What astonishing exhibi¬ 
tions some of the Western Agricultural States do 
make ! Among them that of Kansas stands pre¬ 
eminent. In all these exhibitions of produce one 
secs few farmers, but is elbowed by crowds of city 
people. If is among the implements that one must 
go to see the producers. Farmers who come to 
this great show from other motives than mere curi¬ 
osity, cannot keep away from the labor-saving im¬ 
plements. What a temple to labor and its results 
is the Agricultural building! It is meet that it 
should be the most impressive and imposing of 
any. Not exteriorly, for one is disappointed in the 
outside, but within. If “work is worship,” as Mr. 
Longfellow holds, surely here is a fitting temple. 
Its broad aisles flank broader naves crossed by airy 
transepts, with circles, rotundas, and fountains in 
the intersections ; the whole extending over twelve 
acres of ground. Nickel-plated plows with carved 
oak and rosewood beams don’t strike farmers as 
practically good. There are plenty that are practi¬ 
cally good, however, and as one wanders through 
a wilderness of mowers and reapers and harvesters, 
in the full clatter of make-believe work, he is sure 
to lose his way unless he gives his mind to not los¬ 
ing it. Who does not enjoy being lost in such a 
place? I am sure we did. After all, the Agricul¬ 
tural Department is not the place for farmers and 
their families who visit the exhibition to spend 
their time most improviugly. Any one of the other 
departments contains more that is new to us, and 
calculated to give us clearer and more correct ideas 
of other nations than our own. I noticed, and 
fairly grew nervous, or at least distressed, over a 
tendency in farmer folks to dwell upon and exam¬ 
ine things which they might be supposed to be fa¬ 
miliar with more or less, and to ignore the most 
wonderful and beautiful classes of objects of which 
it is quite certain they could know next to nothing. 
This tendency is a natural one, perhaps, but I must 
believe abnormally developed in us. We are not 
willing to admit even in our inner consciousness 
that we are ignorant. This feeling will result in 
the exhibition proving not nearly so instructive as 
it might be. 
The manner in which the British display is classi¬ 
fied and labelled is a lesson to our people, and it is 
certainly to be hoped that some means will be 
taken to make the American “ exhibit ” more in¬ 
structive in all departments. For instance, if, as is 
the case with Queensland, or Victoria, localities in 
our own country making any notable exhibit, were 
indicated upon a map hung contiguous, visitors 
could see at once where they are, their relation to 
the seaports, to the great internal lines of travel 
and centers of population. Trenton makes a great 
show of pottery, remarkable for excellence and 
cheapness rather than beauty. Where is Trenton ? 
There should surely be a large outline map of New 
Jersey showing its rivers, canals, and railroads 
clearly marked and having Trenton enclosed in a 
bright red circle, while in one corner the State 
itself should alone be colored in a small outline 
map of the United States. We are all supposed to 
study geography, even if wc are for some years out 
of school, but I coufess it was a satisfaction to me 
to see Tasmania and Queensland, and all the other 
British provinces clearly indicated upon maps. Be¬ 
sides, for the instruction of the people, we need at 
least in the American departments, more reading. 
We are great hands to ask questions about things 
which are of no earthly consequence, and yet pass 
through these crowded aisles interested and won¬ 
dering at many things, and ask no questions about 
those of which we know the least. I notice where 
there are cards giving explanations, they are always 
read, and thus comparatively unimportant things 
are seen and studied, while others are neglected 
and passed by unnoticed. This is being in some 
measure remedied I believe ; it certainly should be, 
for in this regard foreign exhibits are generally su¬ 
perior to ours, as they are also in having numerous 
attendants whose business it is to explain as well as. 
to sell or take orders. 
