1869 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
173 
“ drowned,” that is, if the water lies stagnant in 
it, this “ drowned ” portion will gradually accu¬ 
mulate silt, often sufficient in time to obstruct 
the passage beyond the power of the current of 
the drain to free it. Generally, drains being laid 
with a regular fall, this accident is little likely 
to occur, except where, from carelessness in al¬ 
lowing an accumulation of silt in front of the 
outlet, the mouth of the pipe is under water. 
Five minutes’ work, once or twice during the 
winter and spring, will usually suffice to remove 
this accumulation, and re-establish the cleansing 
flow; and the work should be promptly done. 
As a means of preventing this annoying and 
sometimes disastrous result, it is best to so 
arrange the outlet that its obstruction by silt 
is impossible, or nearly impossible. The best 
means for doing this is to lay the lower end 
of the last tile on a little wall of brick or stone 
masonry, built upon the rear end of a large, fiat 
stone or brick platform, in such a manner that 
the water flowing from the mouth of the drain 
will fall clear of the wall and strike below upon 
the stone or platform, this in turn standing at 
its farther edge a little above the bottom of the 
ditch through which the water is discharged. 
By this means we prevent any interruption to 
the flow of the drain, except such as might re¬ 
sult from an obstruction of the ditch below, 
which nothing but the grossest carelessness 
would ever allow to remain to an injurious ex¬ 
tent. An engraving of an outlet of this kind 
was given in the March number, on page 95. 
- ^ -- 
Portable Hitching Ring. 
Who has not been annoyed by not being able 
to find a suitable place to tie a horse ? In the 
country, perhaps, one might find trees, or build¬ 
ings, or timbers; in the town, wooden side¬ 
walks, awning posts, 
trees, etc., but often no 
hitching posts at con¬ 
venient points. A valued 
correspondent, whose 
letter is unfortunately 
mislaid, writes that he 
finds an article like the 
one figured exceedingly 
convenient. This is a 
strong, tapering screw, 
with ring handle, which 
may with ease be firmly 
set in any fixed wood- 
mTcunvo rim®. work) or tre6) by tbe 
roadside. This is a form of cooper’s vise, which 
may probably be found in the hardware stores, 
though the common form of cooper’s vise has a 
longer shank and too small a hole in the flat 
handle. A good blacksmith can easily make one. 
What Use Have We for Crows? 
Farmers regard crows as their natural ene¬ 
mies. This is a wrong view to take, for the 
question may well be discussed whether crows 
do more harm than good. They do a great deal 
of good, but this is very nearly balanced at any 
rate, if not overbalanced, by their destruction 
of grain and useful birds. It becomes there¬ 
fore an interesting problem, if we can not pre¬ 
vent the harm and make the most of their good 
offices. A flock of crows on a newly plowed 
field will destroy more white grubs and cut¬ 
worms than are seen by the farmer and his men 
in the course of an entire season, and where 
these pests are abundant in cornfields, the 
crows will, as the writer has repeatedly seeD, go 
from hill to hill, stopping only at those where a 
wilted spear shows that grubs or cut-worms are 
at work. At these points they persevere until 
they find the little marauders, being guided ap¬ 
parently by the sense of smell as well as by 
sight. Now, it may be all very well to say a 
good word for the crows when they deserve it, 
but few are inclined to do so when they find 
hill after hill of com pulled up, or see the 
rascals at work pulling the young wheat, or 
tearing open the husks of the roasting ears. 
A crow is a very shy animal, and if by any 
means one can be trapped 
upon a field, or be exposed 
a few days 'while living, as 
if caught in a snare or trap, 
it is a safeguard for the sea¬ 
son. It is no easy matter 
to trap a crow and yet it 
may be done. We illus¬ 
trate a plan which is said 
to be very sure in its oper¬ 
ation. A steel trap is laid 
in the shallow water of a 
pond, and a tuft of grass is 
placed upon the pan, and 
partly conceals the trap. 
Then the crow’s natural 
fondness for eggs is taken 
advantage of in selecting 
the bait, and a blown 
egg-shell put upon a stick, which is stuck in 
the bottom of the pool at such a distance 
from the trap that to get it the crow must light 
upon the tuft of grass. The egg is half filled 
with water and seems to float only a little out 
of water. The jaws of the trap should be bound 
with tow or wrapped with cloth, to prevent 
them breaking the bird’s legs. The trap must 
be frequently looked to, lest a crow being caught 
become exhausted, and falling over into the 
water be drowned. When one is taken it 
may be brought to the cornfield, its wings 
bound fast to a stick or in some way pinioned 
so that it cannot fly, and then tied. Its cries 
will attract all the crows in the vicinity, who 
will come down close to it, but do no damage 
to the corn. If a crow is pinioned on its back 
it is said that it will clutch and hold any crow 
that comes near enough. (This we have heard 
called a Maryland crow trap). We are assur¬ 
ed by Mr. J. II. Mabbett, who gives us this 
plan of catching crows and who has practiced 
it with success, that during the rest of the sea¬ 
son no crow of the neighborhood will light 
upon a field where a crow has been so displayed. 
----.» » ■ 1 » - 
Earth Closets for Cows and Horses. 
Much interest is now being taken in the ques¬ 
tion of the introduction of the earth closet; and 
it has occurred to us, (a limited experience on 
the subject confirming our idea,) that the appli¬ 
cation of the same principle to the cow stable, 
the horse stable, and, indeed, to every place 
where live-stock is kept, is perfectly feasible, and 
will be attended with the best results. Much is 
said in favor of trie use of swamp muck in and 
under stables; and, indeed, too much cannot be 
said in its praise. But, for the consolation of 
those to whom muck is inaccessible, we are glad 
to be able to say, that, although common sur¬ 
face soil contains within itself probably less 
actual fertilizing material, yet it is even a better 
absorbent of the escaping gases of the manure 
heap, and of its soluble fertilizing ingredients. 
A few cart-loads of good, fertile soil, taken up 
during the dry season in July or August, 
screened through a coal-screen, or sifted with 
an ash-sifter, and put away under a shed when! 
it will not get wet, will afford a better materif/ 
than muck, charcoal dust, or plaster, to b< 
sprinkled in stables and thrown upon the accw 
initiated droppings in a cellar or manure shed. 
While, probably, the value of this addition to 
the compost heap, in view of its absorbent qual¬ 
ities, will be quite as great as that of muck, the 
effect upon trio atmosphere of the stable will be 
even better. In the hog-pen, the use of dry 
earth will accomplish equally beneficial results; 
A TRAP TO CATCH A CROW. 
and even the ground under the hen-roost, or 
the floor of the hen-house, supplied with this 
material in sufficient quantity to cover and ab¬ 
sorb the droppings, the mass being forked over 
once or twice a week, will be productive of the 
most desirable effect. It will amply repay, in 
the increased value of the manure, the labor 
that it requires; while the purity of the air of 
the poultry-house, and the beneficial influence 
of this on the health of the fowls, will be greater 
than could be attained in any other way. 
The Rhode Island Muller. 
An implement used by the Rhode Island farm¬ 
ers, called a muller, is an excellent tool for all fine 
cultivation. It should follow the harrow and roll¬ 
er. Its effect in comminuting the smaller lumps, 
left by even a fine-toothed harrow, is almost equal 
to that of the hand-rake, while its work is both 
expeditious and cheap. It should be made of 
oak and iron. There is nothing about it that 
cannot be made by any common blacksmith 
and wheelwright; and there is no patent to 
prevent its general adoption. The horse is 
hitched by means of long traces, to the ends of 
the beam, which is about six feet long. The 
operator will soon discover that by tipping the 
implement forward or backward, as circum¬ 
stances require, he can cut oft’ the tops of little 
ridges and fill up little gullies so as to leave the 
ground in a very level condition, fit for the re¬ 
ception of even the finest seeds. For the crum¬ 
bling of small lumps it may be well, when the 
