•430 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[Decembek, 
years ago. We made a radical mistake at first 
ia building our mounds so narrow that they 
gave way at the sides and failed to supi^ort the 
wall. A finished wall on this plan requires 
some 3 feet to stand on, a moderate slope of 2 ’|j 
feet on each side to the ditch, with an elevation 
of at least 1 foot above the general level, under 
the wall, being a mound of 8 feet in width. 
The ditches (which with the slope should be 
well seeded while the ground is pliable) will 
each be some 3 feet wide, thus with tlie mound 
breaking the surface 14 feet Avide. This looks 
formidable, but can not be helped. One can 
not judiciously plow nearer than 2 '| j feet to any 
Avail or fence. The ditches are invaluable to 
drain the Avail, and frequently the adjoining land, 
and to.carry off the spring snoAV banks, Avhile 
the grazing is not lost. To make the mound, 
turn two heaA^y furroAvs 8 feet apart iiiAvard 
tOAVard the line of the Avail, leave them undis¬ 
turbed, Avilhin this space you have 6 feet, into 
which throAV the subsequent furroAVS one at 
a time, with forks and shovels. It is surprising 
how quickly and cheaply four men Avill raise a 
mound. I build on it Avhen freshly made, throw¬ 
ing 2 inches of earth against the bottom stones, 
and seed down. More earth tlian this prevents 
drainage, and makes a trough to hold water. 
On such mound Ave build a Avail from 30 inch¬ 
es to 3 feet Avide at bottom, according to the size 
of the stones, and 12 to 14 inches at the top, 
Avith a bight of 3’|.2 feet besides the caps, Avhich 
superadded make the liight 4 feet or more. It 
has been my practice of late, when the ground 
is clear, to build such mounds for rail fences, 
believing that it will pay for this purpose only, 
as Avith the increased protection of the ditches, 
rails enough may be saved to pay its Avhole cost; 
besides, it is ready for a wall at any future time. 
Tlie mound should be of such slope, and the 
ditches of such Avidth and depth, that one can 
drive upon it Avith a stoneboat, Avhich in case of 
heaA'y loads may be facilitated by throwing 2 
or 3 rails into the ditch. The elevation of the 
mound and the depression of the ditches amount 
to at least 18 inches. When an animal ap¬ 
proaches it with evil intention, his hinder feet 
being in the ditch, his body is out of balance. I 
have never knoAvn a horse to break it over Avith 
his neck and chest. An cducatad sheep Avill 
jump any stone Avail, aud for division walls we 
sometimes put in liglit posts 7 feet apart, and 
nail on one board above the Avali; this requires 
less stone. It is not my purpose to depreciate 
or object to any other mode, but only to offer 
some suggestions in regard to this, and I am 
glad to see tliat the subject is being canA'assed 
in the Agriculturist. Some ten years past, 
lion. A. B. Dickinson, of Steuben Co., in a 
series of most valuable articles recommended, 
among other things, a system substantially like 
this. It Avould bo interesting to know what his 
vicAvs are noAV.”—Will Mr. D. please respond. 
Extension Ladders, Fruit Ladders, etc. 
Mr. Hosea Barnes, of Kenosha Co., Wis., 
furnishes the readers of the American Agricul¬ 
turist Avith the folloAving description of an ex¬ 
cellent ladder of his inA’cntion: “lira recent 
number of your paper, I notice illustrations of 
ladders. Having invented, made, and used one 
Avhieh appears to mo to be better adapted to 
farmers’ use than any I have seen illustrirted in 
that or irrevious mmrbers, I send you tAVO hur- 
j'icd sketches, Avhich Avill serve to make m 3 ' des¬ 
cription intelligible. The ladder is made in 
three lengths. The middle one is just AAwdo 
enough to fit nicely between the sides of the 
loAver one, to Avhich it is attached by means of 
slots 4 inches in length, the centres of Avhich arc 
14i inches from the lower end of the middle 
ladder, and through these the upper rung of the 
loAver length passes. Slots, 2\ inches in length. 
Fig-. 1.— JOINTED LADDER. 
are cut in the bottom of the middle length, 
which, when the ladder is in an upright position, 
shut or slide doAvn upon the next rung to the 
upper one of the bottom length. When the 
middle joint is fully draAvn out, it Avill move 
back ami forth as on a hinge; Avheu shut to¬ 
gether, the tAVO lengths are as stiff and strong 
as if each side of the ladder Avere a single piece. 
“ The upper joint is fastened to the middle 
joint in a precisely similar manner. The pro¬ 
jection at A, fig. 1, should be 4 inches in length, 
so that the joints can only be folded in one di¬ 
rection. This Avill make the ladder safer to use: 
total length of about 18 feet, when shut together 
and used as shoAvu in fig. 1. In case a ladder 
of 12 or 14 feet is Avanted, and a greater length 
becomes inconvenient, draAV out and let the up¬ 
per length SAvingdoAvn; it is then out of your 
way. This is a very desirable feature fur build¬ 
ing and painting, also in stacking hay and 
grain out of doors, as is done in this section of 
country. When folded, as in fig. 2, it becomes 
a first-rate fruit ladder, alloAving tAVO persons at 
the same time to ascend on opposite sides. The 
upper length, having notches in the sides near 
the end, Avhich shut over the loAver rung of the 
bottom length, acts as a brace, making the fruit 
ladder firm and safe. The rungs are 1 foot apart.” 
Fig. 2. 
for, otherAvise, should the joints be eA'en drawn 
apart with a person on the ladder, it still re¬ 
mains stiff, unless it be turned over. The loAver 
ends of the side pieces of the upper tAVO joints 
should then be made as represented b}' the en¬ 
larged end on the left hand side of fig. 1. A good 
length for the bottom and middle joints is 8 
feet each, of the upper 7 feet; this Avill give a 
Cattle Plagues,—Rinderpest. 
rain, etc. 
Texas Mur- 
We have had little to say of late in regard to 
the direful malady Avhich has visited the herds 
of the farmers of Great Britain during the past 
year, because it has been rapidly decreasing in 
activity, and distinguished A'eterinariaus and 
others have been most studiously investigating 
its nature, causes, and treatment. An immense 
amount of matter has been iiriuted upon the 
subject—nine-tenths, or more, of Avhich has 
been the crudest speculation, and the most em- 
pyrical “bosh.” The Avhole country, so to 
speak, has run mad after one remedy or anoth¬ 
er; and the natural anxiety of cattle OAvners 
(avIio saAV their herds or those of their neighbors, 
SAvept off by this mysterious contagion) to get 
something, or do something to stay the plague, 
was seized upon by unprin¬ 
cipled men to make money 
in one Avay or another. 
That kine pox Avas a cure 
Avas once the ciy, and so 
cattle- Avere vaccinated. 
Then some one said that 
small pox Avas a better pro¬ 
tection, so the poor beasts 
Avere inoculated Avith small 
pox. Then it Avas claimed 
that cattle, inoculated Avitli 
the rinderpest itself, Avould 
have it lightly aud escape, 
and so there were plenty of 
people found to try this. 
There was scarcel 3 ' any 
end to the medicines rec¬ 
ommended as cures or as 
preventives. All the schools 
of medical practice, regular 
homeopathic, hydropathic, 
depletive, stimulating, etc., 
etc., all had their say and 
their followers; but all this 
AA'.as of no avail. Sensible 
first folloAved the practice 
veterinarians of the continent, and regarding 
the pole-ax as the efficient remedi', used it faith¬ 
fully, and so great districts Avere saved. In an 
interesting revieAV of this subject, Avhich has late¬ 
ly appeared in the Ertglish papers. Prof. Simonds 
poAverfully enforces this fact, viz.: in those dis¬ 
tricts, as for instance in Cheshire, where timid 
councils prevailed, and Avhere cures were at¬ 
tempted, the most terrible devastation occurred 
and was perpetuated. In the above named 
count}' upAvards of 72,000 cattle are reckoned 
among the victims of the disease, of which less 
than 8000 recovered, .and a debt of $1,500,000 is 
saddled upon the county. In other counties, 
Avhere there Avas no temporizing, but every in¬ 
fected animal,.sick or well, Avas killed and buried 
people from the 
of the thorough 
