181 
A  Homemade  Windmill 
Economy  in  Materials  and  Construction 
Part  IT. 
IIAFT  AND  OTHER  DETAILS.— The  shaft 
ii] >on  which  the  mill  revolves  is  a  piece  of  1A4 
inch  pipe.  2 Y*  feet  in  length.  This  has  an  outside 
diameter  of  1%  inch  and  the  boxes  (C)  have  to  be 
bored  to  that  size.  The  shaft  is  made  to  rotate  with 
the  mill  by  a  pin  shown  at  (D)  ;  this  passes  through 
a  hole  drilled  in  the  pipe  and  fits  into  a  groove  out 
in  the  hub  of  the  wheel.  Four  holes  are  also  bored 
in  the  end  of  the  shaft,  which  extends  %  inches 
beyond  the  wheel,  coinciding  with  the* spokes.  Dou¬ 
ble  wires  lead  from  these  to  the  ends  of  the  spokes 
and  are  made  taut  by  twisting  with  a  spike  or  holt. 
These  help  the  wheel  to  withstand  the  wind  pres¬ 
sure  and  also  provide  a  means  for  truing  it  up 
should  it  run  unevenly.  As  the  wind  blows  directly 
against  the  face  of  the  wheel  some  means  has  to  lx* 
provided  for  caring  for  the  thrust.  For  this  pur¬ 
pose  washers  were  made  from  4x%-inch  band  iron, 
one  being  fastened  to  the  back  of  the  wheel  and  the 
other  to  the  front  of  the  box.  A  %-lnch  wood 
washer  (E)  was  first  added  to  the  back  of  the  wheel 
to  give  it  sufficient  clearance.  The  crank  wheel  is 
made  from  two  circles  of  hoards.  11  inches  in  diam¬ 
eter.  These  were  glued  and  bolted  together  witn 
(he  grain  crossed  and  the*  heads  countersunk  so  as 
not  to  interfere  with  the  connecting  rod.  For  the 
crank  a  short  piece  of  %  -inch  pipe  was  driven 
through  a  hole  in  the  wheel  four  inches  from  the 
center,  giving  an  eight-inch  stroke.  If  the  mill  is 
to  he  connected  direct  to  the  pump  plunger  T  would 
advise  a  six-inch  stroke.  Details  on  page  149. 
MOUNTING  THE  MILL. — The  mill  is  mounted 
upon  a  turntable  which  is  also  made  of  wood,  a 
piece  of  21/4-inch  plank,  two  feet  10  inches  long, 
forming  the  bed  (F).  upon  which  the  bearings  are 
placed.  This  has  an  inch  and  a  half  hole  bored 
through  it  for  the  pump  rod,  and  is  protected  on  its 
underside  by  an  iron  plate  made  from  the  same 
material  as  the  thrust  washers.  This  plate  also  has 
a  hole  made  in  it  through  which  the  pump  rod 
passes.  This  protection  is  necessary,  as  the  mill 
swings  upon  the  top  of  u  214-inch  pipe,  seven  feet 
in  length,  which  is  fixed  firmly  in  the  top  of  the 
tower  and  projects  three  feet  5*4  inches  above  it. 
At  right  angles  to  the  bed  piece  and  on  either  side 
of  it  are  bolted  two  pieces  of  six-inch  plank,  six 
feet  and  five  inches  long.  This  is  cut  out  as  shown 
in  the  drawing.  Fig.  47.  being  four  inches  wide  at 
the  top.  The  object  is  to  get  the  wind  wheel  as  near 
as  possible  to  the  center  of  the  turntable  and  thus 
make  it  easier  to  hold  into  the  wind.  Blocks.  (II) 
(H)  are  bolted  between  the  lower  ends  of  these 
planks  and  bored.  2%  inches,  forming  a  sleeve  that 
holds  the  mill  upright  on  the  pipe  and  still  allows  it 
to  swing  easily  and  face  the  wind.  The  top  parts 
of  these  planks  form  guides  between  which  the 
crosshead  is  worked  up  and  down  by  the  connecting 
rod  and  crank.  The  connecting  rod  is  KIM:  inches 
long  from  center  to  center  of  the  holes.  The  cross¬ 
head,  (I)  is  made  from  a  piece  of  two-inch  maple 
plank  15  inches  in  length,  and  is  channeled  on  each 
edge  to  slide  freely  on  lxt-inch  guide  strips  of  the 
same  material.  These  are  fastened  firmly  to  the 
inside  of  the  upright  planks.  A  wrist  pin  is  pro¬ 
vided  on  this  cross-head  by  using  another  short 
piece  of  %-lnch  pipe,  the  same  as  for  the  crank 
wheel. 
FURTHER  DETAILS.— As  the  mill  is  free  to  turn 
upon  the  top  of  the  large  pipe  projecting  from  the 
tower  some  means  must  be  provided  for  a  swivel 
joint  in  the  pump  rod,  otherwise  it  would  be  twisted 
off  as  the  mill  swung  to  face  the  wind.  This  is 
easiest  provided  at  the  cross-head,  in  the  mill 
shown  a  band  iron  loop  was  made  to  bolt  over  the 
top  of  the  pump  rod.  This  was  drilled  with  a  *4- 
inch  hole  at  the  top  and  a  machine  bolt,  put  through 
before  the  loop  was  bolted  to  the  rod.  This  bolt 
was  then  inserted  in  a  hole  bored  in  the  lower  end 
of  the  cross-head,  a  mortise  cut  through  the  cross- 
bead  providing  a  means  for  putting  on  the  nut. 
This  is  then  drilled  and  a  pin  put  through  to  prevent 
it  from  turning  off  again. 
THE  RUDDER.— The  rudder  requires  little  de¬ 
scription  aside  from  that  furnished  by  the  drawing. 
It  is  made  from  the  same  material  as  the  vanes  and 
the  size,  as  well  as  the  distance  from  the  center 
shown,  have  been  found  about  right  to  turn  the  mill 
into  the  wind  easily  and  to  balance  the  wind  wheel 
nicely.  (K)  (K)  shows  four  one-half  inch  iron 
braces  that  help  to  support  the  rudder  and  make 
the  turntable  more  rigid.  The  cross-head,  guides 
and  bearings  were  all  made  from  hard  maple  and 
thoroughly  soaked  in  oil  before  use.  This  prevents 
swelling,  shrinking  and  cheeking  and  provides  lu- 
Ghe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Indention.  Connection  is  made  to  the  pump  by  means 
of  the  pump  rod  (L)  which  passes  down  through  the 
middle  of  the  pipe  (G).  As  erected  the  tower  is 
only  12  feet  high  to  the  top  of  the  platform.  No 
doubt  a  higher  tower  would  greatly  increase  the 
power  of  the  mill  but  as  there  are  no  trees  about 
we  get  ample  power  for  pumping  as  it  is.  The  tow¬ 
er  can  be  made  from  poles  or  any  material  handy, 
the  only  requirements  being  sullicient  strength  and 
The  Farmhouse  in  Winter.  Fig.  54 
rigidity  and  a  .vertical  position  for  the  pipe  upon 
which  the  (mill  swings.  If  this  is  not  plumb  the 
mill  will  sag  to  one  side  and  not  face  the  wind 
THE  PUMl*. — A  cheap  and  efficient  pump  was 
made  by  buying  a  3xl0-iuch  cylinder  and  plunger 
and  fitting  it  with  the  proper  length  of  1  Vi -inch 
pipe.  At  the  top  the  pipe  was  fitted  with  a  tee 
to  serve  as  a  spout  and  a  pump  head  dispensed 
with.  The  cylinder  was  so  placed  that  it  is  sub¬ 
merged  and  is  therefore  always  primed,  the  least 
movement  of  the  mill  bringing  some  water.  The 
whole  affair  was  fastened  to  a  2x4-incli  which  was 
Face  View  of  Mill  with  Pump  Connection.  Fig.  55 
in  turn  spiked  to  the  lower  part  of  the  tower  so  that 
the  pump  is  perfectly  rigid.  This  is  shown  at  (2) 
in  Fig.  55.  No  attempt  was  made  to  provide  a 
means  for  throwing  the  mill  out  of  gear.  It  is  lo¬ 
cated  at  some  distance  from  the  buildings  and  is 
left  running  all  the  time.  A  pipe  is  arranged  to 
carry  any  overflow  from  the  tank  back  to  the  well 
preventing  a  mud  hole  from  being  formed. 
MATERIAL  REQUIRED. — Aside  from  the  work 
the  cost  of  such  a  mill  is  small.  If  one  does  not 
have  a  circular  saw,  drawings  or  patterns  bad  bet¬ 
ter  be  made  and  many  of  the  parts  such  as  the 
vanes  made  at  the  shop.  The  cost  will  not  be  so 
much  more  than  it  would  be  for  I  In*  lumber,  as  they 
can  be  made  from  small  pieces  that  otherwise 
might  be  thrown  away,  and  it.  will  save  a  lot  of 
band  sawing.  If  made  at  home  drygoods  boxes  may 
Supply  the  material,  although  it  is  getting  harder 
and  harder  to  find  a  drygoods  box  with  lumber  in 
it  fit  for  any  other  purpose. 
For  a  total  of  less  than  ten  dollars  a  windmill 
can  be  built  that  will  pump  the  water  for  your  cows 
without  attention  throughout  the  Summer  months. 
It  not  only  supplies  the  cattle  with  water  but  it 
relieves  the  farmer  of  much  tedious  work.  Why 
not  build  one  during  the  rainy  weather  and  let  it 
work  for  you  when  the  weather  becomes  clear? 
ROBERT  H.  SMITH. 
A  Clearing  House  for  Farmers 
1WAS  very  much  impressed  with  some  of  the 
facts  that  were  given  in  the  notes  from  different 
parts  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania 
in  your  issue  of  .Tan.  Sth.  It  would  seem  almost 
impossible  that  the  prices  of  milch  cows  could  vary 
as  there  indicated.  According  to  one  report,  “dairy 
cows  are  scarce  at  $S0  to  $90.*'  In  another:  “New 
milkers  $100;  at  auction  $150";  another  "$90  to 
$125"  per  head,  while  from  another  conies  this  re¬ 
port:  “Almost  impossible  to  sell  cows  or  young 
stock  of  any  kind,”  and  from  one  other,  “milch  cows 
from  $30  to  $50  each." 
Why  would  it  not  be  possible  to  bring  those  who 
have  difficulty  in  selling  their  cows  at  a  reasonable 
price  into  touch  with  those  who  seem  to  be  com¬ 
pelled  to  pay  so  much  higher  prices  because  they 
are  scarce?  Could  there  not  be  a  sort  of  clearing¬ 
house  of  information  established,  so  that  those  hav¬ 
ing  cows  for  sale  could  make  them  available  to 
those  in  need?  Of  course  both  parties  might  profit¬ 
ably  invest  in  some  advertising.  But  the  State,  or 
the  agricultural  society,  or  some  one  else  acknowl¬ 
edged  to  be  reliable,  and  who  may  be  supposed  to 
be  interested  in  the  general  welfare  of  the  farmers 
of  the  State,  might  be  induced  to  keep  records  of 
available  cows  and  available  buyers.  I  don’t  know 
of  any  reason  why  such  information  should  lie  re¬ 
stricted  to  cows,  however.  Such  a  clearance-house 
could  lie  used  in  a  much  wider  way  to  give  the 
farmers  mutual  help.  It  seems  to  me  tills  would  lie 
one  way  to  “elevate  the  farmer.”  b.  c.  taylor. 
Pennsylvania. 
R.  N.-Y. — We  bring  about,  hundreds  of  such  trades 
every  year.  Our  “Subscribers’  Exchange”  was 
started  to  help  such  work,  and  thousands  have  al¬ 
ready  used  it  for  such  purposes.  The  New  York 
Foods  and  Markets  Department  has  just  such  a 
plan  under  way,  but  it  cannot  be  developed  for 
nothing.  With  a  fair  appropriation  the  Department 
will  be  made  just  such  a  big  “clearing-house”  as 
Mr.  Taylor  describes. 
The  Breeding  of  Alfalfa 
ON  the  first  page  of  your  issue  for  August  7, 
1015,  there  appeared  an  interesting  article  on 
Alfalfa  breeding,  which  I  feel  qualified  to  comment 
on.  having  spent  considerable  time  in  working  <m 
this  crop.  The  fundamental  idea  on  which  the 
writer  has  based  this  article  is  that  Alfalfa,  like 
Red  clover,  is  cross-fertilized  by  insects.  Now  it 
is  well  known  that  the  production  of  Red  clover 
seed  is  dependent  on  insect,  fertilization,  and  that 
due  to  this  cross-fertilization  progress  in  the  breed¬ 
ing  of  this  crop  cannot  be  expected.  And  as  the 
writer  points  out,  even  if  an  exceptional  strain 
of  Red  clover  should  be  produced  after  the  expendi¬ 
ture  of  a  large  amount  ol*  time  and  effort,  this  strain 
would  soon  be  hybridized  by  the  crossing  with  the 
common  strains  of  Red  clover,  and  tile  result  of  the 
careful  breeding  would  be  lost. 
Alfalfa,  unlike  Red  clover,  is  not  cross-fertilized 
to  any  appreciable  extent  by  insects.  Indeed,  so 
small  are  the  chances  of  cross-fertilization  that  in 
an  Alfalfa  breeding  nursery,  such  as  Is  conducted 
at  many  of  the  experiment  stations,  the  individual 
plants  are  placed  as  close  as  three  or  four  feet 
apart,  with  no  danger  of  crossing.  Practically  the 
only  way  in  which  crossing  will  take  place  even 
under  those  conditions  is  when  a  sprig  of  Alfalfa 
from  one  plant  in  full  bloom  is  brushed  against 
another  plant  by  the  wind.  Therefore  the  possi¬ 
bilities  of  Alfalfa  breeding  are  not  so  hopeless. 
Considerable  progress  lias  already  been  made  in 
Alfalfa  breeding,  and  from  past  results  the  proa- 
poets  for  further  improvement  are  very  bright.  We 
need  a  rust-resistant  strain  of  Alfalfa,  we  need  a 
good  seed  producing  strain;  we  need  an  Alfalfa 
that  can  be  pastured  late  in  the  Fall  without  in¬ 
jury;  and  we  need  a  hardy  Alfalfa,  one  that  is 
adapted  to  Eastern  conditions.  o.  e.  jensen. 
Iowa  Exp.  Station. 
