receives tbe water from the roof, so that if 
the cistern gets full up to near the turn of 
the arch, the surplus water will run out 
through this drain into the main drain, or 
some low place outside, to prevent gelling 
too full; aud in this last drain there should 
be a foul-air trap, to prevent bad air from 
blowing up the main sewers into the cis- 
only used to keep the charcoal down prop¬ 
erly in its place, as otherwise, it being light¬ 
er than water, would rise aud float on top. 
The cistern can be built of any size, and cost 
in proportion. For a small family, one ten 
feet in diameter and eight feet deep, holding 
4,400 gallons, would probably he sufficient. 
Isaac Esmay. 
South Bend, Ind„ Aug., 1871. 
dcnttfic anb 
uses :—“ Slake lime in a close box to prevent 
the escape of steam, and when slaked pass 
it through a sieve. To every six quarts of 
this lime add one quart of rock salt and one 
gallon of water. After this boil and skim 
clean. To every five gallons of this add, by 
slow degrees, three-quarters of a pound of 
potash and four quarts of fine sand. Color¬ 
ing matter may he added if desired. Apply 
with a paint or whitewash brush. This wash 
looks as well as paint and is almost ns dura¬ 
ble as slate. It will stop small leaks in a 
root, prevent the moss from growing over it, 
and render it incombustible from sparks fall¬ 
ing on it. When applied to brick work, it 
renders the brick utterly impervious to rain; 
it endures as long as paint, and the expense 
is a mere trifle.” 
HOW TO BUILD A CISTERN, 
Useful Hint Scientific Inquiries. —Can any of 
your readers inform uie if they know of a light, 
colored stain for finishing off wood work inside 
of new houses; or any to imitate grained work? 
How it is made aud applied ? Is it. as good and 
durable as paint?—j, w. L. 
*01 the spfice to contain the ice. Presuming 
that the ice-house is only for family use, select 
a shady position and dig a cellar two feet 
deep, and let the floor or bottom be properly 
smoothed off with a descent of eighteen 
inches in the twelve feci, leading to one 
corner, It should be made perfectly water¬ 
tight and smooth with a coating of cement; 
and a wall, also laid in cement, should he 
erected therein three feet high, formed on the 
top with a rabbet on the inner edge of two 
sides for the purpose of receiving the joists for 
the inner lining of the house ; make the size 
any way you please, only not less than twelve 
feet square inside 
ngmttc J'nfonmrtian 
I)fcp pnsbaitbrg 
HYGIENIC NOTES. 
(Wis.) Leader, who has Been an inveterate 
stammerer, wrilos us follows about the way 
to cure the habit:—“ No stammering person 
ever found any difficulty in singing. The 
reason of this is that by observing the meas¬ 
ure of the music—by keeping time—the or¬ 
gans of speech are kept in such position that 
enunciation is easy. Apply the same rule to 
reading or speech, aud the same result will 
follow. Lei the stammerer take a sentence, 
say this one—* Loander swam the Helles¬ 
pont’—and pronounce it by syllables, scan 
il, keeping time with bis finger if necessary, 
letting each syllable occupy the same time, 
thus, Lc—an—der—swam—the—Ilel—les— 
pout, and he will not stammer. Let him 
pronounce slowly at first, then faster, but 
still keeping time, keeping lime with words 
instead of syllables, aud lie will be surprised 
to find that, by very hi tie p me tied, he will 
read without stammering, and nearly as 
rapidly as persons ordinarily talk or road. 
Then practice this in reading and con versa* 
lion until the habit is broken up. Persever¬ 
ance and attention is all that is necessary to 
perform a perfect cure,” 
SHEEP SHEARINGS, 
erect on this wall your 
double frame, carefully boarded with tongue- 
and-groove hoards on the inside, and made 
as tight as possible. Pack the space between 
the inner and outer lining with dry sawdust 
or tan bark up to the beginning of the roof; 
let the roof be steep, and also lined inside 
with hoards, but not filled, and Jet a space 
under the peak he left open three inches to 
conduct, the warm air to a ventilator on either 
side of the peak, secured by wide slats in 
such a position as to make ingress of rain 
impossible. Another ventilator must he 
placed in the eentreof the peak, the openings 
of which must he larger in proportion to the 
house (say one foot square inside), and en 
lively secured against rain. Let the door for 
tilling and taking out be on the north side of 
the gable, arranged like the roof, not filled, 
and a drain-pipe of three to four inches, prop- 
Attica, N. Y., July 13,1871. 
Hon. II. 8 . Randall — Dear Sir : Having 
purchased, last March, the entire flock of 
thorough-bred American Merino Sheep, 
owned by Walter Cole of Batavia, Gen. 
Co,, consisting of one hundred and three 
ewes and two rams, I desire to report, their 
shearing through your valuable columns. 
The shearing was public, and look place 2d 
and 3d day of May 1871. The sheep were 
unwashed. 
Sectional View of Cittern. 
tern ; and if ibis last drain should discharge 
into a low place in an open lot or field, then 
there should be a copper wire screen put 
on the outer end of it, tine enough to pre¬ 
vent rats, mice, frogs and vermin from get¬ 
ting through into the drain. The foul-air 
trap will also stop them from reaching the 
cistern. 
A roof 30 by 40 feet will generally catch 
rain enough to supply a large family. Keep 
the root clean ; do not allow doves or fowls 
of the air to roost ou it, or leaves of the trees 
to fall thereon. A cistern of this size, and 
built, as here described, will hold about 8,000 
gallons, and cost with the pumps, pipes, 
drains, work aud materials, all complete, 
about $300, according to tbe price of labor 
and materials where built. 1 had one Imilt 
32 years ago in New York Stale for $225; 
but it would cost more now—say $300. 
About. Filters. 
Nearly all the filters for filtering water, as 
published in the papers, are made of coarse 
gravel, sand,&c. Now water would have to 
erly cemented, run from tbe lowest point of 
tins bottom of tbe pit, at least ten feet (fifteen 
feet, is better) under ground, with a good de¬ 
scent for taking off tbe water, aud your 
house is ready to receive the ice, and it will 
keep it well for all purposes. 
The filling of tbe bouse should be done in 
this manner: Place at the bottom of the said 
pit clean cornstalks eighteen inches deep, 
closely packed and leveled ; then cut your 
ice in square blocks, as even square as prac¬ 
ticable, and place them on the cornstalks 
close together, like tiles in a hall, and when 
six layers are completed, taken watering-pot 
with h middling fine nose, ami pour clean 
water gently over all crevices left, until they 
are closed by the freezing of said water; 
continue then the filling, repeating at inter¬ 
vals the watering process until you reach the 
beginning of the roof; then let the ice settle, 
and, il you find that the crevices have not 
been completely frozen, choose a very cold 
day to finish the watering operation. You 
can then put in ice enough to go half way to 
the peak, and you can enjoy the luxury of ice 
until tiie new crop. To make the handling 
of the ice easy, have a beam extending three 
Slieep 
OrO V3CO 'SIlGU’S 
long uecn aware or the fact, and now their 
view is confirmed by Dr. Mahcet. There 
is no nourishment in beef tea. Mixed with 
solid food, it imparts a relish which pro¬ 
motes digestion; uml the best that can he 
mixed therewith is the beef from which it 
was made, reduced to a powder. In two, at 
least, of the London hospitals the mixture 
of powdered beef with ihe beef tea has long 
been piacticed ; aud there the patients get 
Strong on a beef-tea diet. It is worth re¬ 
membering, too, that the objections to the 
use ot beet tea apply equally to the prepara¬ 
tions described as Extract of Meal, with tbe 
further disadvantage that the extract is al¬ 
ways stale. 
feet from the roof Outside for block and tackle, 
and another one inside near the peak for the 
same purpose, also fix an easy ladder on the 
inner wall on the side where the door is, and 
the ice can be nicely removed with the tackle 
and ice-tongs without any trouble. When 
taking t he ice some distance from the house, 
it would lie advisable to use a blanket to put 
it in while it. is being transported, which 
blanket should always he kept aired, and 
should he cleaned every time it is used. Such 
a building should be painted from time to 
time on the outside; and, whenever the ice 
is finished, the cornstalks should be removed 
and Ihe house well ventilated, so as to be free 
from any unpleasant odors. If so cared for, 
it will last a great many years, and will re¬ 
quire very few repairs.—W. F. II., in Tech¬ 
nologist. 
Remedy for Sprain*. 
I SEND you a recipe for the cure of sprains. 
It is a liniment and composed of the follow¬ 
ing ingredients:—Oil stone, 1 oz.; oil spike, 
1 oz.; oil seneca, 1 oz.; sp. camphor, oz. 
Mix well and rub Ihe part sprained well 
with liniment. Pour some on a piece of 
flannel and wrap it carefully around the 
sprain. It has been thoroughly tested, and 
is a sure cure for all sprains of the ankle, 
wrist or any like place. It, is also good for 
horses and cuttle. The druggists sometimes 
say the different oils composing il are one 
and Ihe same, but be assured they are not 
and give u fair trial.—D. T. R, Pittsburah. Pa. 
I further state that 100 of these ewes 
clipped twelve hundred and two pounds of 
nice, merchantable wool, which was sold in 
May, nearly as soon as cut., for thirty cents 
a pound. I. can bring proof of the correct¬ 
ness of all this report. These ewes have 
raised 60 htuihs, 50 of them the gel, of the 
ram Dixie, owned by C. Grosman and my¬ 
self. 
Concerning Dixie, I would state that lie 
was shorn uuder very unfavorable circum¬ 
stances, having received, bust November, a 
hip fracture and a broken leg, and carrying 
splints of iron and wood, weighing 4 pounds, 
over thirty days, producing a jog in his 
fleece, and an injury from which lie has not 
yet quite recovered. We believe that, with¬ 
out the injury, lie would have shorn a 
heavier fleece than ever before. Yours, 
truly— J. J. Brainard. 
E. J. Hiatt & Brother's American 
Merino Sheep were shorn, unwashed, the 
first week of May, 1871, and sheared as fol¬ 
lows : 
En (i ii if Rhubarb Leaves. 
The Madison .Observer notices a death 
from eating pie plant. Mrs. Lucy Snook, 
aged 50 years, wife of Isaac Snook, residing 
between Oneida and Dmhamville, died on 
the 29th ult., from the effects of eating for 
greens the leaves of rhubarb or pie plant, of 
which she was very fond, and from the 
poisonous effects of which she suffered for 
nearly three weeks previous to her death. 
The stalk of the pie plant, when peeled of 
its outer covering, is not considered injurious 
when used for food ; but the leaves are poi¬ 
sonous, aud should never be eaten. 
NOTES P0R BUILDERS, 
Narrow Rear Stairways. 
The American Builder has the following 
sensible paragraph :—One of the worst mis¬ 
takes architects make in constructing houses 
is the narrow stairways in the rear. For 
instance, one almost invariably finds the 
stairway leading from kitchen to cellar or 
laundry only wide enough for one person. 
If there is any part of a house that should 
have a broad, easy stairway, it is that part 
which is used the most, and where it is 
necessary daily to carry bulky materials up 
and down. It is good economy to have wide 
stairways all through a house. In nearly all 
of our high-stoop city houses there is no 
water or wash-basin on the main floor, and 
there Is no reason for this defect but the 
inconceivable stupidity of architects. If an 
architect can find no other place for a wash 
basin, let him locate it in a niche in the hall 
—anywhere, so that he saves the family from 
the miles and miles of unnecessary, fatiguing 
stair-travel which they otherwise must suffer. 
Fireproof Wash lor Roof*. 
The following recipe from the Boston 
Journal of Chemistry, will be found excel¬ 
lent for this purpose, as well as in all cases 
where whitewash is employed for out-door 
Cast Iron or Copper Pipe-Foul Air Trap and 
Drain. 
The filler may want renewing once in ten 
oi fifteen years. After the cistern has stood 
neatly or quite lull of water for a few weeks, 
should there come a dry time, so that the 
water would he low in the cistern, pump 
and dip it all out and clean it, not disturbing 
the filters; afterwards the little lime taste 
will be gone, and you will have just such 
water as you desire, without any further 
trouble, except renewing the filters once in 
ten or fifteen years. Further, the cistern 
will not he in your way; it will be out of 
doors, under the ground, and nearly out of 
sight; while if you build it in ihe cellar or 
basement, it will always he in the way, and 
when you clean it out, will make dirt and 
muss, which is not pleasant. All the pipes 
and drains which enter or leave the cistern 
should have Ihe holes around them well ce¬ 
mented, inside and out, and puddled as be¬ 
fore, and the waste pipe or drain should lie 
perfectly tight, out to beyond the foul air 
trap. Much depends upon having all done 
peifectly. Ihe stones, slats and canvas are I 
Remedy for Hydrophobia. 
We find the following given as a cure for 
hydrophobia, and give it space, with the 
hope that it may prove useful should any of 
our readers or their friends he afflicted— 
horse-radish, grated and made into a paste 
with sweet oil. Give the patient, of this as 
much as he can swallow and keep on his 
stomach, and apply the same as a poultice 
to the wound. 
Hygienic Inqulrles.-Can you or any of 
your subscribers give my wife a remedy for 
ol>route 6oro throat? She has been troubled 
with it about, two years. Nothing-she has yet 
tried seems to afford permanent relief. If you 
can give her a remedy, 1 will be grateful.— 
J- S. II., Princeton , Ky. 
Our sheep are from the flocks of W. R. 
Sanford, Charles Lane, J. T. & V. Rich, 
Jerome Gherhino and S. S. Rockwell 
of Vermont.— E. J. Hiatt & Brothers, 
Chester Hill, Morgan Co ., 0. 
H- 
t 
< 
• 
£ 
! 
r n 
Age of 
Fleece. 
W't. of 
Fleece. 
Yrs. 
M’s. 
Sex 
Yrs. 
Jb.-oz. 
7 
K. 
1 
12 
6 
K. 
1 
13 
2 
E. 
1 
13.4 
d 
E. 
1 
13 
6 
4 . 
E. 
1 
13.4 
4 
E. 
I 
13.8 
4 
E. 
1 
13.4 
3 
. . 
E. 
1 
12 
4 
* . 
E. 
1 
13 I 
4 
• , 
K. 
1 
13.1 
2 
E. 
1 
11 
3 
E. 
1 
13.4 
2 
E. 
1 
13.12 
4 
E. 
1 
15.4 | 
2 
E. 
1 1 
15.13 
5 
E. 
1 
14.8 
« 
E. 
1 
14.4 
4 
E. 
1 
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5 
E. 
1 
lti | 
2 
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E. 
1 
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2 
E. 
1 
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2 
E. 
1 
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1 
2 'A 
E. 
.. 1 
12.12 
