May 13, 1922 
Farm Mechanics 
Conducted by Robert H. Smith, of the Canton Agricultural School 
Canton, New York 
With Potash 
With Potash 
tom. a dam of this typo can bo built by 
driving two parallel rows of posts across 
the stream, forming the upstream and 
downstream faces of the dam. These rows 
of posts should be placed roughly as far 
apart as the proposed height of the dam, 
and the construction may be cheapened 
b.v placing them far enough apart to per¬ 
mit driving a team between them, even 
though more material is required to fill 
between them. After the posts are set 
rough lumber is nailed to them, or brush 
cut and fastened against them, burning 
rough retaining walls, and the space be¬ 
tween filled with well-puddled earth and 
stones. To prevent bulging from the 
earth pressure, when idling, tie across the 
dam from post to post with galvanized 
iron brace wire. 
An ample spillway, planked to prevent 
washing, must be provided to carry waste 
and freshet water and to prevent the 
washing away of the top of the dam. 
Also the dam should extend well hack into 
the bank to prevent leakage and washing 
at this point. If. in spite of the spillway, 
there is likelihood of water flowing over 
Increasing Engine Power 
I have a fl-h.p. engine, which is all 
right, except on blower; it has not enough 
power. It is new. and I don’t wish to put 
more money in exchange for another. 
Will this work? I'ut shaft on frame of 
engine with pulley larger than pulley on 
engine, then put pulley on same shaft, a 
little smaller belt to run from engine to 
large pulley, and belt from the other pul¬ 
ley to blower. If it is possible, would 
like at least S-h.p. I have shaft and 1 one 
12-in. pulley. h. c. 
New York. 
The device that you illustrate iu your 
sketch will not. increase the power of 
your eu ine in auv way. The power of 
your engine is determined 1 by the bore 
and stroke and the speed at which it runs. 
There are other factors entering in. but 
these are probably the chief ones. Chang¬ 
ing the pulley size can in no wav change 
the power that the engine is capable of 
developing. It may apparently do this 
in this way: Putting a larger pulley on 
the engine increases tin* speed of the 
Without Potash 
Without Potash 
Potash for Swamp Land 
D OES the corn grown on your 
swamp or muck land look like 
the large ear or like the small one? The 
small one shows the kind of corn pro¬ 
duced on potash hungry muck land. 
When 100 to 200 lbs. per acre of 
Muriate of Potash, or 400 to 800 lbs. 
of Kainit, are broadcasted on potash 
hungry muck, full yields of sound corn 
are produced. 
For onions, on such lands, 100 to200 lbs. 
per acre of Sulfate of Potash is the 
right amount to produce full yields of 
sound onions that ripen normally and 
keep well. 
With potatoes and truck crops, like 
results are obtained. 
Even at war prices potash gave a good profit 
on swamp lands. Now it can be bought for 
very much less. It will help you reduce the 
cost of production, and greatly improve the 
quantity and quality of your crops. There 
is plenty of it if' you will take the trouble to 
insist on having it. 
Engine Helled to Bloiccr 
it run harder and the tup of the dam at. certain seasons of 
o drive it while the year, it should be protected with held 
ith a smaller pul- stone. 
a uses the driven Should the stream have a pock bottom. 
, and hence does a dam built of logs in crib form, as de- 
ower to turn it. scribed in The It. N.-Y. some few weeks 
r. has the power ago, can be used, or a dam may be built 
nged. It is also of concrete. Concrete, of course, makes 
luce the speed of a permanent dam, I assume, however 
>t have sufficient from a study of your letter that a dam 
lage. Driving a that can lie built from the materials at 
-r a <i-h.f>. eugine. hand by (he help at hand is the kind that 
his purpose, your you wish, and if the stream that you are 
* exchange it for confining has not too great a flow, and 
has a bottom into which posts may he set. 
I think that the earth dam described will 
meet your requirements and pay you good 
dividends in pleasure. 
SOIL & CROP SERVICE, POTASH SYNDICATE 
H. A. HUSTON, Manager 
42 Broadway New York 
Electric Power from Stream 
Could we get electricity enough for 14 
bulbs out of a stream of water that fills a 
4 or ;»-in. pipe? There is a drop of about 
10 ft. for no ft. long; it is on a side hill. 
Would wc have to have a dam? Would 
we have to have a water wheel or tur¬ 
bine? We would want it fur live or six 
hours a day in the Winter. How much 
would it cost? About eight of the bulbs 
would go to the henhouse. There would 
have to be wire put up for nearly a half 
mile- GEOIM1K M. JXGRAIIAM. 
Water is capable of doing work because 
of its weight and position ; it is capable 
of doing work when fulling to a lower 
position, just :is any other weight would 
he. For this reason it is necessary to 
know the quantity of water discharged in 
a given time, as well «.«■• the distance 
through which it falls before the work it 
is capable of doing can be determined. In 
your description you have failed to give 
the quantity of wafer discharged, simply 
stating that "it will fill a 4-in. pipe." 
This, as you will note on second thought, 
really tells nothing, as the velocity is not 
given, and the stream might he flowing 
2 ft. per second or 20 ft. per second with¬ 
in the pipe, with the consequent variation 
in the quantity of water discharged. 
Judging from the general description, 
however, it seems that this stream is 
rather small to try to do much with in 
the power line. However, there are some 
very small streams being utilized for 
pumping and lighting purposes with ex¬ 
cellent results, and I would suggest that 
you obtain a bulletin on water wheels, 
containing complete directions for meas¬ 
uring the flow of your stream and com¬ 
puting the power available. An overshot 
wheel is the type that should he used in 
this case. The cost is somewhat high, 
Imt the first cost is practically tin* only 
cost, as the water for driving the wheel 
costs nothing, and wear and upkeep is 
almost nothing. 
Trouble with Gas Engine 
e have a 1*4 b.p. gas engine which 
has begun to give trouble. Engine runs 
almost perfectly at times, and then sud¬ 
denly it begins firing almost regularly for 
every revolution made, with consequent 
loss of power and a tendency to overheat 
quickly. Sometimes. In- lessening the 
supply of gas and turning the plate into 
a different position, which allows the re¬ 
ceding piston to draw a larger amount of 
a richer explosive mixture to the combus¬ 
tion chamber, the engine can be tided over 
this spell. Hut this does not always 
prove effective, and when it does it is for 
a short period only. 1 have recently re¬ 
moved the cylinder head and scraped out 
thoroughly every particle of carbon. This 
did not remedy the trouble, although the 
engine has more power than before. Could 
if he caused liy loss of compression, poor 
ignition, or the wrong way of reassembling 
the cylinder head, not making it airtight? 
Preston, Md, j». p. 
From the description of the actions of 
.vour engine I would think that the prob¬ 
able cause of trouble is an improper mix¬ 
ture of gasoline and air. The fact that 
POTASH PATS 
buc-pboof SISAL TWINE 
per pound shipment from Chicago. We alto offer Standard and Manilla. 
M.F.COOPER TWINE CO., MINNEAPOLIS 
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