1807.] 
AMERICAN ACRTCr ETURIST. 
15 
witli horsM's m-iliiii; their fore-feet over the halter 
strap, I employ a simple remedy. The lie-line 
Is of rope instead of leather, with the end well 
wip|)ed (wound with twine, to prevent the 
stramls untwisting). This is passed through the 
Itole and a ligure-cight knot made a little dis¬ 
tance from the end ; the hole in the manger be¬ 
ing made smo(»lh, and slanting up and down; 
the rojM* runs freely in and out, just as the horee 
moves his head, therebj’ leaving no “bight” or 
bend to hang down. This prevents any possibil¬ 
ity of the horses’leg Iteingcaught over it; which" 
In-fore was a fretptent «K;eurrence. Not only did 
it take time and trouble to extricate him; hut 
there was also the liability of breaking the halter, 
and endangering his limbs. Aside from the 
alsive, less time is lost in tieing and untieing, 
and there is nc» danger of the horse getting loose; 
having tried this plan nearly two years, I am 
conviuced of its efficacy.” 
Gathering the Ice. 
In gathering the ice for tilling the home ice¬ 
house, till the tools that are really necessary are 
an ax, a shovel, one or two pike-poles, a stone- 
boat, ox-sled, or wagon of some kind, and a few 
Fig. 2.— ICE I'LAXE. 
Itoards. With the shovel, the ice is cleared of 
snow and broken pieces frozen on; with the 
edge of a board for a guide, the ice is marked 
off into strips of the desirable width, 
say 2, 2'|> or 3 feet wide, using any 
Iron point to scratch with. Then 
with the ax, a long narrow gutter is 
cut so that a start can be made, and 
the lines marked off arc deepened so 
that long, narrow cakes may be de¬ 
tached from the main field. These 
are then, or previously, measured off 
into cakc.s of uniform size, and then 
striking blows with the ax, at first 
gi-ntly, to start cracks, and finally 
splitting blows, they arc divided up 
into cakes of a size to lie handled. It 
rerjuires some Judgment to get the 
best sized cakes, for they must be as 
large as can be handled easily, and 3 et 
lie of a size to pack evenly in the 
house. Much, of course, depends up¬ 
on the thickuess. When the cakes 
arc separated, the next thing is to gel ^ ^ 
them out of the water. This may be =" " 
done either by making “ways” or ski.ls of boards, 
of about I lie width of the cakes. This should 
consist of 2 or bottom brtanls and 2 side strips 
fastoiicd logetlier by rross-tiesor cleats upon 
the bottom. It is shoved partly init> tbe watm, 
Hic cakes one nftcr another noated over >l3 sub¬ 
/f 
merged end, and then shoved out by pike poles. 
The same thing is used to load witli subse¬ 
quently. It is 
best to set the 
ice on edge and 
leave it until the 
next morning 
early, when the 
temperature of 
the air is the 
lowest; for then 
ice is as dry as 
wood, and not 
only those who 
handle it do not 
get wet, but it is 
much better for 
the ice to be 
packed at a low 
temperature. If 
the whole of the 
ice could be 
packed at zero, ^ 
the probability is jj^j^ j pike ; D, uasb toncs. 
that no thawing 
would take place for months. Hard woodr/edges 
are sometimes useful in making the long strips 
of ice first cut, split off evenly. Several of these 
are driven into holes started by the ax on the 
line, and tapped smartly, one after the other. 
The hand ice saw, fig. 3, is very useful in gather¬ 
ing ice in a small way even. It is simply run 
through a hole in the ice, and operated by a 
man standing. The cakes cut with it in both 
directions are as true and even as possible. 
If much ice is to be gathered, other tools e.x- 
pedite matters greatl}'. Then, ice gatherers 
can not choose what time of the day to do their 
work, and they must handle the ice cakes when 
wet and dripping, as well as when cold and dry. 
Instead of lining off the field ice with axes, 
after the first scratch is made as a guide, the 
ice plow is used. This instrument works on the 
principle of a dozen narrow planes in a line, 
each cutting its w’ay a little deeper, and so mak¬ 
ing, in once or twice passing, a groove so deep 
that a crack will follow it when once started. 
Attached to this is a guide which will run in one 
furrow and guide the plow in 
making the next. To free the 
ice from snow, and broken 
pieces, making the surface un¬ 
even, or from soft bubbly ice, an 
ice plane (fig. 2) is used. It con¬ 
sists of plate iron guides in a 
frame, and a blade which may be 
raised or lowered, crossing at 
right angles near the middle be¬ 
tween the guides. This is little 
used in this country, the com- yjg, 5._hokse 
mon road scraper being employ tongs. 
cd before the plow is used, to throw the snow 
into ridges, and to scrape it off into the water, 
or out of the way. The strips are cut up into 
accurately equal-sized cakes by the saw, 
or better by running the plow at right angles 
‘o its former furrows. This divides the ice into 
perfectly square cakes. Splitting is accomplished 
ly the broad-ended iron bar, fig. 4, called the 
mlitting bar. The pike poles are much employed, 
111(1 in cases where the ice-houses are close by the 
shore of the lake or river, canals are cut through 
the ice so that the cakes may be tioated close to 
shore, and upon the long tresseled ways up 
which the cakes are slid by horse-power, either 
upon cars or sliding directly uiioii the ways. 
Tonqs for lifting ^"tkes are shown m l\ 
fig. 4, autl lig. 5, aiKU;rc of fiiircfcnt^ws, some 
intended simply for use in the hands, or for 
horse-power, where large cakes or two at a time 
are drawn up into the tops of the ice-houses. 
The approved style of ax is shown in fig. 4, 
A. .B is a splitting bar for use on the pond or 
ill the house, and (7 is a convenient form of pike 
pole. With these implements adapted especially 
to the purpose, the work goes on very rapidly. 
They niaj' be obtained in all the cities ive be¬ 
lieve. The drawings were made from the tools 
of R. II. Allen & Co., 189 Water-st., New York. 
Agricultural Schools. 
[This subject is one attracting the serious at¬ 
tention of many good men in our country, and 
the following article is from a valued correspon¬ 
dent. In one particular, at least, he is surely 
wrong, namelj’', in supposing that several hours 
of work will interfere with the most efficient 
study. We will state as one incontrovertible 
proof, that at the Michigan Agricultural College 
the boys all work three hours a day, and those 
who are reported by the farmer as the best in 
the field, are uniformly the best|Scholars.— Ed.] 
It is a noteworthy fact, that agricultural col¬ 
leges and schools, as thus fixr organized and 
conducted in this countiy, have, with a single 
exception perhaps, proved practical failures. 
Students in law schools become lawyers, medi¬ 
cal students become physicians, and so on, but 
the students in our agricultural schools do not 
distinguish themselves as farmers, and time 
enough has passed for them to have done so if 
they would. How is this to be accounted for ? 
We may not be able fully to explain it, but 
may point out some of the defects in the plans 
of the institutions thus far established. 
It is a mistake to make an agricultural school 
a school also for general education. Our com¬ 
mon schools and academies teach the rudiments 
geography, grammar, arithmetic, etc. ; why 
rden an agricultural school with these ele- 
mtary and common branches? They cannot 
ich them any better or more economically 
an it is now already done elsewdiere, and it 
ly wastes time and clogs the working of the 
ofessional school to bring them into theii 
urses of study. It not only takes up the time 
aich should be devoted to studies strictly pro- 
jsional, but it lowers the standard of attain- 
ent. It tends to make a young man’s educa- 
m superficial, and hurries him into practical 
e at too early an age. The growing tendency 
our country to shorten the period devoted to 
iucation, is hurtful, and should be resisted, 
s the country grows older, the tendency should 
j in the other direction. 
Ao-ain, it is a mistake to connect the study of 
rriculture with a regular classical college, and 
•ike it a part of a course of general and Clas¬ 
cal education. This would tend to divert the 
ind too much from the regular studies. R a 
mng man who intends to be a doctor, should 
ive the science of medicine taught hini m the 
lidst of his college course, he wou d be veiy 
lit to neglect the other studies and give Ins 
lief thoughts to medicine. It might, in some 
xses be wise to have an agricultural schoo in 
.e s’ame town with the classical 
icy should be separate institutions. In 1 1 s 
^spect they should be organized just as on 
iistiiig schools of medicine, law, theology, am 
ractical science are--separate and iiidependen -. 
It is a mistake, also, to make an agi 
,l,ool a manual labor school. 1 iio J ■ . 
iiyedalVcscrrasB ill IJioopct) Ml, 1 I -I*' 
