146 
•P* RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 4, 1922 
All Sorts 
Pise Building Construction 
Can you furnish me any information 
regarding building houses out of loam 
commonly known as ‘‘pise”? c. •. 
Indiana. 
The term "pise” is a general one, and 
comes from a French word for "stamp" 
or "tread." so it merely means that the 
building is stamped down ; that is. forms 
are put up and the earth is stamped or 
pounded down between them. Of course, 
that means that various sorts of earth or 
clay may be used, but it also means that 
the method must be adapted to the ma¬ 
terial being used. In general, this form 
of construction is only advisable where 
the climate is very dry most of the time, 
and where there is a proper supply of 
rather clay-like earth. The R. N.-Y. has 
readi es all over tin world, so let us know 
where you are planning your mml pie 
and we will help you to mix it according 
to the befct local wisdom. 
Water Gate for Ocean Tide 
Can von give any information as to 
how to control the water under the fol¬ 
lowing conditions: What is wanted is 
to keep water from the sen from pouring 
through an outiel when- the fresh water 
flows out at low tide? I know that there is 
some way of doing this, and would like to 
know the construction of the arrangement 
•and if such an arrangement can he found 
in the market. Samuel syi vester. 
Maine, 
We ask some of our sea coast readers 
to tell us about this. As a boy on the 
Massachusetts coast, we remember the 
tide gates hung at the mouth of little 
rivers or creeks running up int<< the hay 
meadows. These gates were ewung like 
heavy doors, with big hinges at the top. 
They were usually under a bridge, and 
there was a frame built around the gate. 
It swung so that when the* tide came in 
the water pushed against the gate' and 
shut it tight. Some little water worked 
in around the edges, hut not much. Then 
when the tide ran out the fresh water be¬ 
hind thi gate would open it and pass out. 
Those* gates did not hold all the salt back, 
but they were a help, and after a time 
the meadows gave a good quality of fresh 
hay. 
Where China Is Made 
Will you tell me through The R. N.-Y. 
where china and earthenware are made? 
D. D. F. 
In the United States. New Jersey. Ohio 
and West Virginia lead in the pottery 
trades. Trenton. N. J., is a famous pot¬ 
tery town, while places in Obi" and Wept 
Virginia have become noted for certain 
highly artistic production, as well a* 1 
coarser wave*-. Y\V import a great deal 
of pottery from England, certain districts 
in Staffordshire, known as "the Pot¬ 
teries,” being especially active in this 
trade. Great Britain makes all clashes 
of china and earthenware. France excels 
in ;i varietv of beautiful wares. Sevres 
and Limoges being well-known centers. 
Germany. Austria and Bavaria Were large 
manufacturers before tin war. and some 
fine ware*; are made in Italy. Sweden and 
Denmark. Japan i*- a leading manufac¬ 
turer of china and earthenware, while 
China has liot-n famous for centuries in 
thF industry. It will he noted that the 
manufacture of earthenware in its var¬ 
ious forms extends over many countries. 
Roughly speaking, the most valuable 
specimens prized by collectors are certain 
porcelains formerly manufactured in 
China, England and France. 
An Infestation of Book Lice 
Some time ago I saw a reference in 
The B. N.-Y. to lipok lice. Can you tell 
me what to do for them? T have been 
pestered wiTh them for some time. Our 
house F half stone, and I think they must 
breed in the walls, for they seem to be 
almost everywhere, tod in great numbers, 
hut just scattered here and there, and 
the y annoy rne. e * 
Paterson, N. J. 
Book lice have received their name 
from their habit of infesting old books and 
papers, and they are also known as 
“death watch.” owing to a peculiar tick¬ 
ing sound they make. They are pale, 
colorless creatures. *-0 small that they are 
barely distinguishable, but when disturbed 
they move very rapidly, whereas true lice 
are very sluggish. They are biting in¬ 
sects. while true lice have a sucking beak. 
Book lice are not likely to occur in a 
place frequently used, with good light and 
ventilation. They breed in undisturbed 
materials, like "silver fish,” and especially 
n starched clothing that is laid away, as 
their principal food is starchy material 
and dried vegetable and animal matter. 
Thev frequently occur in mattresses, 
where the sight of them, running over 
the sheets, is very alarming to the house¬ 
keeper. Control methods are thorough 
scrubbing, dusting and brushing with a 
liberal application of gasoline in cracks 
and crevices, Naphthalene iu drawers, 
boxes and closets used for storage will do 
much to keep these insects out. A badly 
infested mattress stuffed with straw, corn 
husks nr vegetable liber should lie ripped 
open and the contents burned. It is not 
likely that they are breeding iu the walls, 
hut there may be books, papers or cloth¬ 
ing laid away for some time that is pro¬ 
viding breeding places. (’"tfoti fabrics 
laid away are often undisturbed, because 
the housekeeper knows that there will be 
no moth infestation, but book lice and sil¬ 
ver fish will breed in them freely, espe¬ 
cially when starched, and may become a 
pest all over the house. 
Making Vases 
Some time ago someone asked direc¬ 
tions for making vases or jardinieres of 
broken bits of Colored crockery and plas¬ 
ter of Paris. 1 make umbrella stands, 
vases and jardinieres the following way: 
First pick out a jar or old cooking pot 
or anything you wish covered, paint it 
and let dry. In the meantime make a 
sppply of putty. Lay a thin layer of 
putty, a small space at a time, and press 
pieces nf broken china (colored) into the 
putty as close together as possible. When 
this space is covered cover another piece 
with putty and prees iu move pieces of 
china. Proceed until whole surface is 
covered. Dark blue pieces here and there 
are especially pretty among the lighter 
colored pieces. This ran he put aside 
and worked on any time one feels like 
lining it. Then when wholly covered the 
putty shows around each piece in a little 
ridge. After drying a few days I go over 
all the ridges with a camel’s-bair brush 
dipped in liquid gold paint. I have an 
umbrella stand, a jardiniere and a vase 
made this way, and everyone pdmires 
them. MRS. J. H. 
Purifying a Cistern 
Will you tell me how to purify a cis¬ 
tern? I can get some real old-fashioned 
charcoal for filter purposes. What else 
is good to use in a filter? R. w\ 
I know of no worth-while expedient for 
purifying the water of a cistern when 
that water can be pumped out and the 
cistern itself thoroughly cleaned with 
clean water and broom OV scrubbing 
brush. If the cistern gets its supply 
fr.im a roof, a cut-off should he ‘arranged 
to take the first water from the roof 
after a prolonged dry spell, permitting 
the water to enter the cistern only after 
the roof has been washed by the rain. 
Cistern water may be filtered by passing 
it through a bed of gravel, fine sand and 
charcoal, or. perhaps, satisfactorily with¬ 
out the charcoal. Any arrangement of 
box or barrel that will hold the filtering 
materials and permit the water to pass 
through may be used. Charcoal is han¬ 
dled by dealers in wood and coal, the 
particular wood of which it is made be¬ 
ing immaterial. M. E. D. 
EVENTS OF THE WEEK 
11 1 
DOMESTIC- —Joseph Gluck of 955 
Rogers Avenue, Brooklyn. N. Y.. who 
turned State’s evidence in the Nicky 
Am stein bond theft cases in 1920 and 
received a suspended sentence on that 
account, was one of three men arrested 
January 22. by detectives from Col ice 
Headquarters in connection with the theft 
of $78,000 worth of securities belonging 
to Thomson & McKinnon of 42 Broadway 
on December 1921. The police accuse 
Gustave Zeitnian, S73 East Tenth Street. 
Brooklyn, of the actual theft, but charge 
that he was prompted and coached by 
Gluck in the methods of getting securities 
in Wall Street. 
Thirty-two horses were burned in a 
fire which swept through the stable of 
Battery D of the Sixth Field Artillery at 
Camp Dix, N. J.. January 25. Troopers 
put on gas masks and went into the 
smoke filled building to try to rescue 
some of the animals. They managed to 
get four horses out, but iho latter wore 
so badly burned that they had to be shut. 
Mrs. John G, Sheridan agreed to accept 
$8,000 for the loss of her husband, $.".,000 
down and the rest in tint" payments, it 
was said .Tauuav.v 25 at a hearing before 
Justice Dike, in the Brooklyn Supreme 
Court, when Paul Eckert, of 1025 09th 
Street. Brooklyn, was examined in con¬ 
nection with the death of Sheridan, who 
was run down and killed by Eckert's 
automobile. The accident occurred on 
February 14, 1921. and Eckert was sub¬ 
sequently indicted by the grand jury on 
a charge of manslaughter in the first de¬ 
gree. Counsel for Eckert, in arguing for 
a dismissal of Ihe indictment, said an 
agreement bad been reached with Sheri¬ 
dan's wife in a civil action. Eckert, 
counsel said, would turn over $5,000 he 
has saved immediately and the balance in 
installments. After being cross-exam¬ 
ined Eckert pleaded guilty to the charge 
of manslaughter and was remanded for 
sentence. 
Abolition of penal overtime payments 
until after the ninth hour of work, and 
authorization of "split tricks” instead of 
compelling overtime payments or two 
shifts for intermittent work over n span 
of more than eight hours, are important 
changes In rules governing railroad cleri¬ 
cal and terminal employees, issued by the 
Fuited States Railroad Labor Board 
January 22. The new rules, which be¬ 
came effective February 1. supersede the 
national agreement made by the Federal 
Administration with the Brotherhood of 
Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight 
Handlers. Express and Station Employ¬ 
ees. which has been in effect since Janu¬ 
ary 1. 1920. About 500.000 employees 
are affected. 
A decision of the United States Circuit 
Court of Appeals, granting to Gregory 
Ross, Ellis Island’s "man without a coun¬ 
try.” the right to remain in the United 
Stales, was received at tlie immigration 
station January 22. Ross was released 
some time ago on a writ of habeas cor¬ 
pus and, according to his attorney, is now 
living near Seattle, 'Wash. Ross was 
arrested as a Red advocate during the 
war. His deportation was deferred, and 
he was held prisoner at Ellis Island for 
more than a year, because he declared 
that ho did not know where he was born 
or of what country he was a subject. 
When arrangements were made to deport 
him to Scotland the British government 
refused to receive him. 
Forty convicts from Clinton Prison 
proved heroic fire fighters January 22 
when the village of Dauueriinra. N. Y.. was 
threatened by a blaze which destroyed 
the Adirondack Hotel. The blaze had 
attained such headway that it was im¬ 
possible to save the hotel. A high wind 
and zero weather added to the danger. 
The prisoners did such effective work Ihnt 
the fire was kept from spreading. After 
the fire was under control the men re¬ 
turned to their cells. 
An alleged conspiracy which may in¬ 
volve between 209 and 500 manufactur¬ 
ing furriers in charges covering an at¬ 
tempt to defraud the Government of 
$2,(100.(MX) iu taxes was revealed in New 
York January 24, when two men said to 
have been ringleaders in the plot were 
arrested-. They are Morris Rosenhlum of 
Park side Court, Brooklyn, and Herman 
R. Seliuss, who gave his address ns thp 
Aberdeen Hotel, where he was taken into 
custody. Rosenhlum formerly was a 
deputy collector in (he Internal Revenue 
Office here. lie was detected in several 
frauds while in the Government service 
and was out in $7,500 bail, awaiting sen¬ 
tence. which was deferred when lie turned 
informer iu a case in the Federal District 
Court two years ago. lie had pleaded 
guilty to four indictments at that time, 
one of them involving an $11,000 bribe 
for making false returns on the taxes 
owed by the Coastwise Warehouse and 
other corporations, and gave testimony 
wdiich led to the conviction of a public 
accountant involved in these transactions. 
Rosenhlum and Sohnss were charged with 
collecting large sums of money from fur¬ 
riers in return for receipts purporting to 
show that the manufacturers had paid 
their taxes. 
Creation of a new department to regu¬ 
late automobile traffic and curb reckless 
driving which resulted last, year in 1.981 
deaths in this State is proposed by the 
joint legislative committee in a report 
submitted January 24 to the New York 
State Senate and Assembly. More than 
40,000 were injured by automobiles in 
the Slate, and the percentage of accidents 
np-Stnte was larger than in New York 
City, the committee found. Restricting 
licenses, strictly enforcing speed laws 
through the State and the bonding of 
motor vehicle owners or enactment of a 
law requiring compulsory insurance 
against liability are some of the measures 
proposed. 
Five self-confessed members of the 
party that lynched Jake Brooks, negro 
packer worker, on January 14 were sen¬ 
tenced at Oklahoma City, Okla.. to serve 
life terms at hard labor in the State 
penitentiary in McAleater when they 
pleaded guilty January 21 before Judge 
•Tames I. Phelps in District Court. The 
live are Lee Whitley, 29; Charles Polk. 
19; Elmer Yearta. 19. all white, and 
Robert Allen, 27. cousin of the lynched 
man. and Nathan Butler. 40. both ne¬ 
groes. Whitley and Yearta are members 
of the Butcher Workmen's Union, which 
is mu strike there, and I'olk is admittedly 
a union sympathizer. Brooks, the man 
lynched. was a non-union packing house 
Worker. 
William P. Gibtiey. member of a prom¬ 
inent Brooklyn family, pleaded guilty 
January 24 before Judge Crain in Gen¬ 
eral Sessions to the theft of $280,000 
from a former employer. Sidney Z. 
Mitchell, president of the Electric Bond 
and Share Company. 71 Broadway. New 
York, Restitution of about $20,000 al¬ 
ready has been made, it is said, and coun¬ 
sel for the defendant said he would bo 
able to make good between $100,000 and 
$200,000 within a few years. He was 
remanded to the Tombs for sentence. 
WASH! NOTON. — Recreta ry of the 
Treasury Mellon told the Ways and 
Means Committee of the House ami the 
Finance Committee of the Senate Janu¬ 
ary 24 that bonus legislation at ibis time 
—by whatever means paid—would be a 
serious if not disastrous drain upon the 
Treasury, upon the nation and upon the 
people. Secretary Mellon made these 
points: The Treasury faces a deficit for 
(lie current fiscal year of $24,000,000. 
For ihe fiscal year 1925 it faces a deficit 
of $107,000,000 oil the basis of the budget, 
with a probable $112,000,000 additional 
in items not carried in the budget, but to 
he appropriated by Congress. Taxes on 
the present basis are too onerous for the 
country’s good. Expenditures must be 
reduced still further—not increased. The 
Government faces a heavy shrinkage in 
receipts. Ibis shrinkage being faster than 
the lessening of expenditures by (be great 
economies effected. Veterans of the war 
are not now being stinted. In all 
8450.000,000 a year is being spent for 
their relief. This is more than any other 
single item of Government outgo, except 
interest on the public debt. It would be 
dangerous in the extreme to attempt to 
finance the expenditures involved in the 
bonus through new borrowing. If the 
Government should greatly increase the 
public debt, inflation and higher money 
rates would prejudice business and in¬ 
dustry and the Treasury’s own refunding 
program. 
FARM AND GARDEN.—Louis Han¬ 
del. proprietor of a duck ranch in Nas¬ 
sau County, N. Y„ who sued (he Brook¬ 
lyn Elevator and Milling Company for 
$25,000. charging that between 17.000 
and 18.000 ducks belonging to him had 
died after eating bran purchased from 
i lie defendant company, will receive 
$8,250 in damages by (he verdict of a 
jury in Ihe Supreme Court in Mineola 
January 25. A bacteriologist told the 
jury the bran contained poisonous matter. 
The ducks, after eating the bran, the 
witness said. died. The same jury 
awarded to the milling company a judg¬ 
ment for $2,940.08 against Handel, the 
amount representing the principal and in¬ 
terest on bills for feed. 
The Munson liner Aeolus brought in 
January 24 the first big shipment of 
fresh fruit from Argentina, made up of 
17.000 lbs. of peaches, plums and apri¬ 
cots. consigned to fruit dealers in New 
Y"rk. 
Of five scholarships that have been 
donated by K. A. Wallenberg, a Swedish 
banker, for distribution by the Stockholm 
Academy of Agriculture, three will be 
applied for studies in the United States. 
Prof. J. G. C. Barthel, specialist of ihe 
Agricultural Bacteriological 1 list itute; 
Dr. Eden, the Experimental Institute's 
specialist on cattle raising, and Dr. 
Samuelsson. specialist on dairy farming, 
will enjoy the benefits of the three schol¬ 
arships for studying in the United States. 
Experiments iu canning apples for 
commercial purposes are being made by 
one of (he largest canning establishments 
on the Pacific coast. To assist in this 
fast apples recognized as quite famous 
and grown in Tulare County. Cal., have 
been shipped to the company’s headquar¬ 
ters in Sun Francisco. 
"I won't see you at our annual ban¬ 
quet last night.” "No; I discovered that 
the moths had been holding their annual 
bannnet on my dress suit, so I had to stay 
at home."—New York Sun. 
A Farmer in India and Ifix I‘iow 
