162 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
February 4, 1022 
Farm Mechanics 
Conducted by Robert H. Smith, of the Canton Agricultural School 
Canton, New York 
light power for operating washing ma¬ 
chine and vacuum cleaner, using the en¬ 
gine that you now have for driving the 
generator. Figured in terras of useful¬ 
ness and convenience, the life of such a 
battery is not short, its actual length of 
life depending almost entirely upon the 
care given it. They are expected, how- 
given charge will last longer than will a 
charge in a smaller capacity battery. 
Therefore the battery does not get as 
many charges and discharges per year, 
and evil! last longer, its life being good 
for a given number of charges and dis¬ 
charges, other things being equal. The 
ise of devices employing heat, as electric 
Building a Log Dam 
I intend to build a dam about 100 ft. 
long and from 7 to S ft. high, allowing 
3 to 4 ft. for the foundation; that is, so 
much to go into the ground, and 4 ft. 
above Is it really necessary to go so 
deep for a foundation, as the brook that 
runs over the proposed lake and which 
I intend to dam is ft. deep, with a 
sandy bottom. The top soil is muck, 
about 1 ft., aud lower some clay and muck 
almost mixed, about 3 ft. I can press 
hard on a sharp-pointed stick aud pene¬ 
trate to a hard layer, which cannot be 
pierced. The banks or edges of the pro¬ 
posed lake are about 4 ft. high, above 
the bottom of the proposed lake, and two 
acres is the size of the lake to be. Would 
you tell me how to build a darn with logs, 
consisting of locust, which are 16 to 25 
in. in circumference? Is the circumfer¬ 
ence good for the purpose? I would like 
to hear from someone having experience 
with a dam built of logs, I intend to put 
a pipe iri the brook to keep the stream on 
the run. aud lay the logs all about it. 
Without going any deeper, will it be any 
good and keep the water from washing 
under? M. K. 
Tiltson. N. Y. 
A dam can be built of the logs which 
you speak of by first digging parallel 
trenches across the bed of the stream and 
in them placing mud sills to serve as a 
foundation. The logs used for this pur¬ 
pose should break joints, and care should 
be taken to see that they are solidly 
placed on a good foundation, although it 
is not likely that it will be necessary to 
go as deep as you suggest for this pur¬ 
pose. 
Next, a course of logs should be laid 
across these mud sills, parallel with the 
stream, and solidly spiked to the logs be¬ 
neath. They may he placed about 4 ft. 
apart, the spaces between being filled with 
field stone. Another log is now laid 
across the stream near the dowu-stream 
edge of the dam, and spiked to the logs 
beneath. This in turn serves as a foun¬ 
dation for a second course running par¬ 
allel with the &treafn with the upstream 
end resting on the mud sill, thus giving an 
inclined surface to the dam. 
This construction is continued until 
sufficient height is reached, and the open 
crib so formed filled with stones; in fact, 
this filling can be carried on during the 
construction of the dam. Sleepers arc 
now spiked across the upstream face of 
the daiu and planking nailed in place. 
The upstream side is then well banked 
with puddled clay or other tight soil to 
prevent the seepage of water under the 
dam. Particular care should Vie used 
where the dam joins the bank. It should 
extend into the bank several feoT, and 
make a tight joint with it. as washing 
frequently' takes place at this point. This 
type of dam. being made of wood, is sub¬ 
ject to decay, but its life may be length¬ 
ened considerably by making the crest 
level, so that waste water, if any. dis¬ 
charges over the entire length, keeping 
it all wet. Saturated wood will last in¬ 
definitely. Field stone should be put in«l 
the stream bed on the down-stream side 
to prevent washing by the waste water 
as it discharges over the crest, with the 
resulting undermining of the darn. 
It would be possible to build this dam 
and use dirt for the filling. A liberal 
supply of dirt, preferably clay or a clayey 
nature, should be dumped on the upstream 
face of tbe dam. both to make it water¬ 
tight and to give it weight and solidity. 
The crib could first be built and left 
open, permitting the water to flow through 
undisturbed. Planking could then be put 
on. leaving a portion in the center open 
for the escape of water. The ends of the 
dam arc then finished to this open place 
and then this part finished before the 
stream has a chance to raise the pond. 
These directions arc given with the under¬ 
standing that tie stream supplying the 
pond is a small cue. 
Earth dams are sometimes built by | 
driving several rows of posts or piles 
across the stream and using these as a 
foundation about which to build an earth 
embankment. Where the crest is of earth 
a spillway must be provided that will 
care for all of the waste water, even in 
flood time, otherwise the dam will be de¬ 
stroyed. Protection of the upstream 
slone must be provided also or it will be 
washed away by wave action at and just 
above the waterline. 
The United States Department of Ag¬ 
riculture has a bulletin. No. 249. entitled 
“Timber Pams and Rock-Fill Darns.'' that 
would be very helpful to you in this work. 
It was issued in 1912, but doubtless can 
still be obtained from your Congressman 
or upon application to the Superintendent 
of Documents at Washington. D. C. 
ROBERT H. SMITH. 
Dynamo Run by Kerosene 
Is it practical to run a dynamo with a 
kerosene engine. 3 h.p.. and operate an 
electric flatiron and vacuum cleaner? 
W T hat size dynamos would be required, 
and would it be a source of trouble. I 
understand that if the engine is not run¬ 
ning there is no electricity, but I do not 
want to pul in the short-lived storage 
batteries. What would the dynamo cost? 
Bridgton, Me. F. t'. 0. 
While the proposition that you outline 
is possible I would not consider it prac¬ 
tical in any sense of the word, for the fact 
that you would be obliged to run your en¬ 
gine during all of the time either device 
was in operation would make it both in 
convenient and expensive, neither of 
which conditions fit in well with a prac¬ 
tical proposition. If your dynamo could 
be fitted up to be driven with a small 
water wheel the case would be entirely 
different, and you would have a practical 
proposition* 
It seems to mo that your desire to avoid 
the use of storage batteries is somewhat 
unfounded. By Inlying a large capacity 
battery and charging dynamo you could 
arrange a very convenient plant which 
could be used to furnish water, lights aud 
ever, to give at least six or more years’ 
service with good average care. 
In speaking of a large capacity bat¬ 
tery i mean one of large ampere-hour ca¬ 
pacity. not one of high voltage. The 
large ampere-hour capacity means that a 
irons, toasters and percolators, is not ad¬ 
vised on a battery circuit, as heating de¬ 
vices are such heavy consumers of cur¬ 
rent. Cleaners, washers, sewing machines, 
etc., however, consume very little current 
and are very convenient. R. H. s. 
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