286 
■Ghe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
February  19,  1910. 
Farm  Mechanics 
Piping  Water  Across  Ravine. 
I  wish  to  pipe  water  across  a  ravine. 
How  thick  should  cement  or  concrete  be 
to  keep  water  pipe  from  freezing? 
Baiubridge,  X.  Y.  c,  M.  t. 
As  I  understand  the  question,  you 
wish  to  pipe  water  directly  across  the 
top  of  a  ravine.  If  this  is  the  case  it 
would  probably  be  impossible  to  make  a 
solid  cane  re  t6  cowling  thick  enough  to 
prevent  freezing  of  water  in  the  pipes. 
Solid  concrete  is  a  fairly  good  conductor 
of  heat,  and  enough  beat  would  easily 
pass  through  it  from  the  water  in  the 
pipes  to  lower  it  below  (he  freezing  tem¬ 
perature  in  a  very  short  time.  The  fact 
that  it  is  airtight,  does  not  necessarily 
make  it  warm.  For  example,  note  the 
rapidity  with  whieli  a  glass  jar  of  water 
will  freeze  on  a  cold  day,  the  fact  that 
it  is  airtight  having  but  little  effect  on 
the  time  of  freezing*  a  sealed  jar  freez¬ 
ing  practically  as  quickly  as  an  open 
one,  because  the  glass  walls  arc  such 
good  conductors  of  heat. 
I  am  offering  the  following  as  a  sug¬ 
gestion  only,  to  be  tried  in  case  there 
is  no  practical  way  of  getting  the  pipe 
underground  through  the  bottom  of  the 
ravine  or  of  draining  it  when  water  is 
not  flowing  through  it.  I  have  never 
Been  it  tried.  Its  success  would  depend 
in  a  large  measure  upon  the  care  with 
which  the  work  is  done  and  the  volume 
of  water  flowing  in  the  pipe,  a  small  pipe 
carrying  so  little  water  that  its  heal  is 
Bonn  lost.  Cover  the  pipe  carefully  with 
some  of  the  patented  coverings  us<‘d  for 
protecting  exposed  steam  or  hot  water 
pipes.  This  is  made  expressly  for  the 
purpose  of  retaining  heat — the  very. thing 
that  Ave  wish  to  do  here  to  the  greatest 
extent  possible.  After  completing  this 
build  a  tight  b<<x  around  tbe  pipe  about 
three  feet  square — the  larger  (lie  less 
chance  of  freezing — and  making  sure  that 
the  pipe  is  in  the  center  ram  this  box  full 
of  dry  planer  shavings.  Be  sure  that 
they  are  tightly  packed.  The  outside 
of  the  box  should  be  covered  with  roofing 
paper  with  cemented  laps,  making  it 
tight,  preventing  storm  water  from  en¬ 
tering  and  wetting  the  shavings,  and 
shutting  out  air  currents,  establishing  a 
dead  air  space  in  the  shavings  wall.  It 
would  seem  that  such  construction  would 
prevent  freezing  but  I  do  not.  know.  If 
the  pipe  could  be  put  underground  I 
would  advise  doing  so  or  even  arranging 
it  to  drain  when  not  in  use  would  be  a 
great  help.  If  a  similar  condition  has 
been  met  by  a  It.  X.  1\  reader  I  would 
like  to  see  a  description  of  his  method. 
B.  H.  S. 
Iron  Lightning  Conductor 
In  the  Dec.  2.1th  issue,  in  the  answer 
of  M.  B.  D.  in  regard  to  lightning  rod 
protection,  he  says  that  iron  is  probably 
equal  to  copper  as  a  lightning  conductor. 
Is  tlirs  true?  In  all  the  tables  of  the 
relative  conductivity  of  different  metals, 
copper  is  near  tbe  head  of  the  list,  and 
iron  is  near  the  foot.  If  iron  is  as  good 
a  conductor  of  electricity  as  copper,  why 
do  the  electric  companies  use  copper  ca¬ 
bles  instead  of  iron  ?  ^  C.  0.  w. 
Canandaigua,  XT.  Y. 
Iron  isn’t  as  good  a  conductor  of  elec¬ 
tricity  as  copper,  but  it  doesn’t  follow 
that  the  best  conductor  of  electricity  will 
make  the  best  lightning  rod.  The  report 
of  a  Lightning  Research  Committee  in 
England,  headed  by  Sir  Oliver  Lodge, 
treats  of  this  point  as  follows:  It.  was 
formerly  supposed  that  the  quantity  of 
electricity  to  be  disposed  of  was  of  chief 
importance,  and  that  protection  required 
that  the  electricity  of  the  clouds  he  car¬ 
ried  to  the  earth  by  the  shortest  route 
and  easiest  path.  It  is  now  perceived 
that  it  is  not  so  much  the  quantity  of 
electricity  as  it  is  its  energy  that  is  to 
be  taken  into  account.  A  sudden  dissi¬ 
pation  of  energy  is  always  violent;  no  one 
would  care  to  stop  a  moving  fly-wheel 
suddenly,  and  while  an  armor  plate  may 
stop  a  caiman  ball  quickly,  a  heap  of 
earth  will  do  it  more  safely  because  more 
gradually.  So  it  is  with  the  store  of 
electrical  energy  between  a  cloud  and  the 
earth;  a  lightning  conductor  of  perfect 
conductivity  would,  if  struck,  deal  with 
the  energy  quickly  hut  perhaps  so  quick¬ 
ly  that  the  result  would  be  in  the  nature 
of  an  explosion.  A  conductor  of  moder¬ 
ately  high  resistance,  such  as  iron  wire, 
would  get  rid  of  the  energy  in  a  slower 
and  therefore  safer  manner,  though  with 
too  thin  a  wire  there  might  be  risk  of 
fire. 
With  iron  conductors,  also,  there  is  less 
danger  of  induced,  or  side,  flashes  which 
may  ignite  wood  or  other  combustible 
material  near  the  lightning  rod.  On  the 
whole,  the  opinion  of  authorities  seems 
to  he  that  iron  wire  is  superior  to  cop¬ 
per  for  this  purpose,  though,  of  course, 
less  durable  and  requiring  more  atten¬ 
tion  to  keep  it  in  perfect  condition. 
M.  B.  D. 
“Cooking”  or  “  Doctoring”  Silage 
Some  time  ago  you  gave  an  account  of 
cooking  silage.  I  remember  reading  it. 
It  seems  to  me  to  have  been  six  or  eight 
years  ago.  1  have  never  heard  anything 
about  it  since.  This  man.  after  filling  his 
silo,  had  steam  pipes  arranged  in  it  and 
by  attaching  his  steam  engine  or  boiler 
to  them  and  steaming  the  silage  for  four 
or  five  days,  cooked  it  so  as  to-  prevent  it 
from  souring.  I  would  like  to  know  if 
any  other  people  are  doing  it.  H.  T.  L. 
Xew  York. 
If  anyone  has  tried  this  we  shall  be 
pleased  to  have  the  story.  It  is  not 
likely  that  such  cooking  would  ever  pay. 
When  well-matured  fodder  is  put  into  an 
airtight  silo  and  well  pressed  down  we 
have  the  condition  for  making  good  silage. 
Heat  enough  is  generated  to  fit  the  silage 
for  use.  Some  21  years  or  more  ago  Mr. 
(’oleord  of  Massachusetts  invented  a  silo  in 
which  he  arranged  a  system  of  perforated 
pipes.  The  silage  was  packed  in  and  the 
juice  was  drained  or  pumped  out  at  the 
bottom  through  these  pipes  Col  cord 
claimed  that  this  gave  him  control  over 
the  fermentation  in  the  silo  as  he  could 
add  steam  or  gases  as  he  pleased.  The 
silage  was  said  to  be  “sweet,”  but  at  Col- 
cord’s  death  wo  think  the  plan  was  given 
up  and  forgotten.  The  English  papers 
sometimes  tell  of  cases  where,  a  jet  of 
steam  is  forced  into  hay  mows  in  tight 
barns.  In  the  case  of  clover  hay  cut  and 
housed  in  bad  weather  there  is  trouble 
from  mold  or  heating.  In  such  cases  the 
plan  seems  to  be  driving  a  pipe  into  the 
haymow,  and  then  forcing  steam  in 
through  it.  This  is  said  to  help  the  buy. 
A  number  of  experiments  have  been  tried 
at:  putting  charcoal,  salt,  lime  and  other 
substances  into  the  silo  as  the  fodder  is 
cut  in  ;  the  general  agreement,  seems  to  be 
that  when  the  silo  is  tight  and  the  silage 
well  packed  down  the  silage  will  take  care 
of  itself. 
Preventing  Syrup  from  Crystallizing 
Can  you  tell  me  how  to  put  up  maple 
syrup  (standard  weight  of  11  pounds  to 
gallon  1  so  that  it  will  not  crystallize  (or 
harden)  in  the  bottom  of  tbe  can?  I 
sell  direct  to  consumer  and  they  some¬ 
times  think  it  is  not  pure,  when  I  know 
it  is.  l.  M.  g. 
Lansing,  Pa. 
1  is  a  difficult  matter  to  accomplish 
this  without:  some  crystallization.  Our 
sugar  makers  make  a  practice  of  taking 
off  the  syrup  when  the  thermometer 
shows  that  its  boiling  point  has  reached 
210  degrees  F.  This  will  give  syrup  of 
the  standard  weight  of  11  pounds  to  the 
gallon.  An  allowance,  however,  should 
be  made  of  one  degree  for  every  500  feet 
above  sea  level.  That  is,  if  the  syrup 
is  made  at  a  point  500  feet  above  sea 
level,  it  should  be  taken  off  when  the 
boiling  point  reaches  220  degrees  F. 
Syrup  should  be  strained  through  a  heavy 
felt  strainer,  to  take  out  all  sugar  sand. 
It  would  probably  be  -better  to  allow  the 
syrup  to  stand  for  a  time  before  can¬ 
ning,  so  that  any  remaining  sugar  sand 
will  have  a  chance  to  settle,  and  then  it 
may  be  canned  or  bottled.  Many  con¬ 
sumers  think  that  the  formation  of  crys¬ 
tals  is  an  indication  of  adulteration,  but 
this  is  not  true.  It  is  just  as  natural 
for  maple  sugar  to  form  crystals  under 
certain  conditions  as  it  is  for  cane  sugar. 
E.  8.  BRIGHAM. 
“Colonel  Brown  seems  to  be  very  lit¬ 
erary,”  remarked  a  visitor  to  the  Brown 
household  to  the  maid,  glancing  at  a  pile 
of  magazines  lying  on  the  floor.  “Yas, 
ma’am,”  replied  the  girl,  “yas,  ma’am, 
he  sholey  am  literary.  He  jes’  nat’ally 
littuhs  things  all  ovah  dis  year  house.” — 
Credit  Lost. 
Making  this 
fertilizer 
proposition  an 
Investment 
CL0VERmM0THY*5°B°u 
Greatest  Grass  S»v<l  Valor  Known—  mvofttigate.  Alsiko 
Clover  and  Timothy  mixed— the  finest  grass  grown  for 
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everywhere.  You  will  save  1-3  on  your  grass  seed  bill  by 
writ  i  g  for  free  cample,  circular  and  big  Co-operutivo 
Seed  oinrtp-  Write  today.  American  Mutual  seed 
Co.,  Dept.  SCO,  43rJ  and  Roby  St.,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
BIG  STRAWBERRIES 
The  new  Strawberry.  Lupton.  the  Berry  you  are  go- 
ingtogrow.  Semi  for  Prices.  M.D  Lupton,  Newport,  N.J. 
instead  of  a 
Speculation 
'tRTILlZl*'' 
Hubbard’s  “Bone  Base”  fertilizers  are 
made  for  the  man  who  puts  .’arming  on  a 
business  basis,  who  looks  beyond  the  mere 
price  per  ton,  counts  his  cost  carefully, 
and  figures  on  the  final  net  profit. 
In  view  of  the  high  prices  in  prospect, 
you  are  planning  of  course  to  get  a  record- 
breaking  yield.  It  will  pay  you  to  invest 
in  a  liberal  application  of 
HUBBARD’S 
“Bone  Base  ” 
FERTILIZERS 
For  nearly  half  a  century  these  famous 
fertilizers  have  been  known  widely  and 
well.  They  keep  pace  with  the  march  of 
modern  scientific  discovery,  but  they  are 
“Ancient  and  Honorable  in  record  and 
reputation." 
Don’t  gamble  with  unknown  substitutes. 
Insist  on  HUBBARD'S  —  the  name  that 
guarantees  value  and  insures  results. 
Write  to  Dept.  A.  for  “1916  Hubbard’s 
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THE  ROGERS  &  HUBBARD  CO. 
MIDDLETOWN,  CONN. 
Office  and  W ork*:  Portland,  Conn. 
STRAWBERRY  PLANTS 
Northern  Grown.  Well  fertilized.  Write  for  prices 
and  catalogue.  R.  C.  MASON,  North  Girard,  Pa. 
POT  A  TOES  CORN— OA  TS 
Grown  tor  seed.  Dibble  Russet,  Late  Rambler  and 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh.  New  York  Standard  barrel 
S3. 30.  Dibble  .Mammoth  Yellow  Flint  Goru  70  lbs. 
on  ear.  $1.50.  Oats,  bu.  7 5«.  Our  guarantee 
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Held 8.  i.M.  traniprou.Sce'y,  IK'-j  llultioail  Nt,,  Lori  land,  N.Y. 
Nitrates  added  to  the  soil  Vfcc.  a  pound 
Nitrogerm  40c.  per  acr»\  14*81  for  inoculating  Fnrm  seeds. 
1  fist  met!  re  circular  No,  fr»c,  Writes  Dept.  17. 
STANDARD  NITROGERM  CO.,  Glen  Ridge,  N.  J. 
Soil  tested  for  acidity,  2.1c. 
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E0ZL 
Goutds  Fig.  1163  Jack  for 
Operating  Barrel  Sprayers, 
Gentlemen; — I  received  the  Berry  Set  in 
perfect  condition,  and  I  amvery  much  pleased 
with  it.  It  is  certainly  a  handsome,  set  and 
I  want  to  thank  you  very  much  for  all  the 
trouble  you  took  to  get  it  to  me.  I  will  try 
and  do  more  work  for  you,  whenever  I  can. 
Yours  truly, 
Dover,  N.  H.  Rachel  I.  Je.nness 
E  receive  hundreds  of  letters 
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one,  commending  the  Re¬ 
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THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
333  WEST  THIRTIETH  STREET  NEW  YORK  CITY 
