fact in natural science. The best of it is in 
the practical bearing it has upon the. common 
things of every-day farm-life. Radiation re¬ 
fers to heat. Without going into an exami¬ 
nation of the quality and general properties 
of heat, let us look at its most remarkable 
property—radiation. If we heat a brick in 
the fire and then place it on the ground its 
heat begins to radiate in every direction. 
By holding the hand beside it wo perceive 
the escaping heat. By placing the hand 
over it we notice an increased radiation. If 
we remove thebrielc and examine the ground 
we find it also has been heated, though in a 
less degree. Had we placed the brick upon 
a block of ice radiation would have gone on 
as before, and at a much greater speed. 
From those common things farm-life has 
to deal with—plants, animals, &e.—radiation 
proceeds incessantly. When we consider 
that every plant or animal that lives must 
maintain a certain fixed temperature or die, 
the practical bearing of the applied science 
of radiation becomes plain. The turnip will 
not thrive in a temperature of less than 40® ; 
no fiower will bloom if the air stand below 
55®; no cow or horse can live in health unless 
its blood stands at blood-heat, and every 
child that lives must be protected from radi¬ 
ation by suitable clothing, that its animal 
heat may never full below the happy 08°. 
To return to our experimental brick. There 
is nothing like experiment. Experiments 
show us the working of natural law's. Ap¬ 
plied science is nothing more than carrying 
the results of pure experiment into real life. 
Heat the brick and t his time place it on the 
hearth in the warm kitchen. Radiation takes 
place as before, but at a slower rate. If it is 
chilled in half an hour outside, here itw'ill be 
perhaps an hour cooling, and even thenjwill 
not become so cool ; that is, if it cools to 40" 
out of doors, here it may not fall below 45'. 
Notice this little fact, and stow it away in 
your mind 
171 acres more, which cost about £11,000, and 
was the last purchase of real estate. 
In 1806 my sons were both married. The 
younger settled in his new home, which cost 
about $7,000, and the eldest took possession 
in the spring of 18G7, his building estimated 
at about $10,000. It now became necessary 
to make a division, and we proceeded to do 
bo, with the following result.: The farm on 
which we commenced in 1888, contained 180 
acres. Previous to our division we had sold 
15 acres, for which we received an advance 
of about $700. 
We had added by purchase. tlO acres, 
making in ail 7-tO. for which we had $36,778 
paid, a fraction less than $50 per acre 
Permanent Ini provemc»U, buiidin es, &c. 
on homestead,... 7,000 
For the first son married and settled 
about.. 7,000 
For the other, in spring of 1887,. lu.ooo 
Loss by fire,. 4,000 
Educating two sons professionally,. 3,000 
Two substitutes foruiiuy,. 1,400 
House and lot in village,. 1,300 
Stock and tools,. 4,000 
Cash on liatid, permanent improvements, 
DESTRUCTION OF INSECT PE8TS IN 
GARDEN AND FIELD. 
ONE SATISFIED FARMER 
Under th is head theNew-England Farmer 
published some time since an interesting bit 
of family history which will be read with 
pleasure and profit; it is [from an octogena¬ 
rian, dated “near Buffalo, N. Y.” Having 
learned a trade in boyhood (though born on 
a farm near Boston), he worked at it until, in 
1834, he concluded to “go West” in search 
of better fortune. A journey of fifteen days 
brought him to Buffalo, and in the winter of 
1835-6, he purchased 130 acres of land at $25 
per acre, which, as it was a time of general 
inflation, was regarded an extremely high 
price. He paid $200 down, and borrowed 
money to make a further payment in the 
spring. He writes: 
The farm was mostly woods, with a poor 
log house ; about fifteen acres cleared and 
fenced, and about three miles from the vil¬ 
lage. Not a very inviting residence. I took 
possession in 1830 ; hired a man and set him 
to clearing, fencing, &c, During t he follow¬ 
ing winter 1 got off some wood and timber. 
About this time the great bubble burst With 
a tremendous crash, and business all closed 
up. I waited patiently till the spring of 1838, 
but nothing turned up for me. I was not 
quite ready to encounter the cares of the new 
home, being all unacquainted with farm life, 
but after looking the subject squarely in the 
face, decided to make the attempt, though 
not without some doubt and misgiving. 
But necessity overcame all objections, for 
which I have ever been thankful; and 1 pro¬ 
ceeded at once to build a small shell of a 
house, IS by 20 feet, enclosed with good 
sound matched boards, without plastering or 
paint. My wife contrived to paper neatly, 
with the various kinds of newspapers, which 
answered the double purpose of keeping the 
cold out and educating our children. We 
were now about to take possession of what 
wo expected, in due time, to make a com¬ 
fortable home ; yet, under the circumstances 
the outlook was not very encouraging. Our 
family consisted of myself, 44 years old, wife, 
40, and five children—the eldest, a daughter 
about 13, three sons and an infant daughter, 
not a very formidable force to begin with, on 
a new farm. My capital was small, not ex¬ 
ceeding $500 in cash ; a credit alv.-ays avail¬ 
able, when wanted ; furniture sutliciont to 
make us comfortable ; strong, willing hands, 
and a young, growing family. I hired a man, 
took off my coat, and went to work in 
earnest. 
The year previous, I had made some little 
progress in clearing, fencing, <fcc., which, by 
the way, cost $15 to $20 per acre. Our first 
available cask crop was 100 cords of wood, 
at, $1.12}£ per cord, and what little eould bo 
retailed in the village at $1.25. Oak timber, 
but little, however, ol' that, at from $70 to 
$80 per cubic thousand—very little money in 
either, after paying expenses. 
The first permanent improvement was a 
“bank” barn, 40 by 100 feet, with stables 
under the whole. Next, a good, substantial 
stone house, suitable for all purposes of com¬ 
fort and convenience. In ISIS to 1850, I had 
paid up the first purchase and bought thirty 
acres adjoining, for which I was to pay $25 
per acre, which was paid in due time. About 
this time, my eldest son became of age, and 
proposed looking for something better. Ho 
did so, and spent several months, and 
returned fully satisfied, and went to work, 
with the understanding, if the boys wanted 
farms, our united efforts would be more 
available than separate. This was all the 
arrangement made with my sons, who were 
expected to remain at home and take their 
chance on the farm, and here commenced 
our co-operative farming. We then had 
four sons, the second studying for a profession 
the third, fourteen years old, who was ex¬ 
pected to remain on the farm. In 1852 and 
1853, we had made good progress, and were 
getting on quite well. In August, 1853, we 
were checked by the burning of our barn, 
with all our wheat, hay, and most of our 
nere I would remark that, 
A Connecticut correspondent complains 
bitterly of grasshoppers in the garden 
“which devour cabbages and cauliflowers, 
beets, egg plants, etc., but are not at all par¬ 
ticular.” For his benefit we suggest a flock 
of ducks or chickens as useful colaborateurs. 
TurkeyB might prefer the cauliflowers to the 
grasshoppers after a few hours. The follow¬ 
ing paragraphs are of interest in this con¬ 
nection : 
A correspondent writes to the Elmira Ad¬ 
vertiser :—Let me give your readers a hint, 
which may not be new. 1 have a fine crop 
of garden potatoes. When they were about 
six inches high the beetles swarmed in on 
them. Handpicking was ineffectual. Scat¬ 
tered a little chicken-feed among the vines, 
and set fifteen Sebright bantams on dress 
parade up and down the rows. Next day 
found one bug, and next day none. Se- 
brights are exceptionably sharp on insects, 
but turkeys would probably be better on a 
field of considerable size.” 
Tht' Army Worm, and the Beet. — The 
Pacific Rural Press saysThe somewhat 
sensational accounts of the ravages of the 
army worm among the beet crops near 
Sacramento have been entirely disproved by 
the facts in the case. The worms, it is true, 
did make their appearance there in great 
numbers; but their operations were soon 
brought to a close by a fortunate device of 
the owners of the fields. A hastily re¬ 
cruited army, consisting of about 1,400 tur¬ 
keys was organized, which was given into 
the commend of two Chinamen ; and being 
driven, not led, by their skillful generals, 
these turkey recruits passed through the 
beet fields, cleaning out the destroying 
worms most, effectually. Considerable order 
and discipline is said to have been main¬ 
tained in this gobbling army, the Chinese 
marshals restraining their impetuosity, and 
keeping them In strict marching order. 
Onlv t wo or three invasions were required 
to make this war of extermination a com¬ 
plete success : and we are assured by par¬ 
ties directly from the scene of action that 
tin- damage to the beet crop is scarcely per¬ 
ceptible. Will Sacramento manifest its re¬ 
publican ingratitude by allowing these faith¬ 
ful soldiers to go the way of uil turkeys at 
Christmas time, or will they allow them a 
scanty pen-rion ? For ourselves we say long 
Total. $7ti,478 
Now for the result as far as the boys are in¬ 
terested. They have performed their part 
faithfully and perseveringly to the end, and 
should be well paid. They lcavo for their 
new homes with good warrantee deeds for 
500 acres of choice land, with all fixtures and 
appurtenances thereto belonging, stock, tools 
and well and handsomely located, worth at 
least $75,000. 
If my sons, when they became of age, had 
wanted and obtained situations ns clerks in 
some respectable, well established business 
they should have received for their services, 
each, $3,500 per year, to have balanced their 
receipts; from the farm, and then they would 
not have had comforts and privileges as at 
home, with few exceptions, besides the ex¬ 
posure and influence of city life, and proba¬ 
bly been no better, il 30 Well educated for the 
common business of life. Now let the boys 
who are looking forward to that end, remem¬ 
ber Unit nothing really valuable can be ob¬ 
tained without well directed, persevering 
effort, and that a well developed brain is very 
essential to that end ; that mother earth al¬ 
ways pays liberally and promptly Tor well 
directed labor, and that seed-time and har¬ 
vest have never failed. 
As the subject of temperance is being so 
fully and freely discussed, 1 will say that in 
early life 1 adopted the motto, “taste not, 
touch not, the unclean thing.” When 1 
commenced farming, 1 was told that harvest¬ 
ing could not be done or a building raised 
without its use. i have, however, done all 
my harvesting, raised several large barns, 
some of them requiring the services of 100 
men, and carried out all our operations on 
the farm without its use, to the fullest ex¬ 
tent. 
I am aware that some of my brother far¬ 
mers may be a little incredulous as regards 
my statements, without some further ex¬ 
planation. 1 would say that our forests 
were disappearing, so I was induced to pur¬ 
chase largely of heavy woodland, on which 
was a very good limestone quarry, suitable 
for building purposes and for lime, all of 
which we made available for both purposes. 
We converted some 400 or 500 acres of this 
timber into cord-wood, &c., and from 1854 
to 18G8 put into market from 1,000 to 1,500 
cords yearly. We cleared and cultivated as 
we proceeded, and in so doing we kept as 
many men and teams os would pay, all the 
time. Our winter crop was the most pro¬ 
ductive and profitable, yet the farm fur¬ 
nished the means and results, us beforestated. 
Now, as 1 am about, to bring my long, ramb¬ 
ling story to a close, I will only odd that in 
this record of my farming operations, 1 have 
endeavored to show results and uot particu¬ 
lars, and that a good practical mechanic, in 
middle life, might change his business, if he 
has a desire and taste lor farming, and in 
the end be successful. As u whole, he is 
better qualified, can plan, layout and execute 
better. 
1 have raised good crops of the various 
kinds, and some not so good. In 1803,1 had 
ninety acres of wheat which promised a large 
return, but after threshing six days, with ten 
horse-power, I got only 00U bushels. If the 
midge had let me alone, the first threshing 
should have yielded more than 2,000 bushels. 
Here we were short $3,000. The straw from 
forty acres, seventy-three tons, sold for 
$730. But similar losses happen alike to all 
and who but farmers will feed the insects 
and birds i 
Present ly you shall see its ap 
plication to your cows in the barn. There 
are dollars and cents in the latter matter. 
Now heat three bricks and ask the house¬ 
keeper fora piece of woolen cloth, a muslin 
handkerchief and an old newspaper. Now 
lift one brick from the stove with the tongs 
and roll it. up in the woolen. Twine the 
handkerchief round another brick, and wrap 
up the other tightly in the paper. 
Meanwhile let us examine another matter. 
Heat a brick and drop it. into a pail of water. 
Take it out at once, and notice how quickly 
it has cooled. 
To return to our pocked brick We find 
the woolen-covered one at perhaps one hun¬ 
dred and flfty r degrees, the paper covered one 
at about one hundred degrees, and the mus¬ 
lin-covered one at. sixty degrees. To look at 
the pract ical side of this we see that radia¬ 
tion proceeds at different rates through 
different substances. Suppose the brick a 
child. His animal heat would have radiated 
through the muslin quickly and been almost 
entirely saved by the woolen. 
As another experiment wrap the woolen 
round a bot brick in such a way that one 
face of the brick is exposed to the air. Lay 
it down exposed side up. Tear off a bit of 
the newspaper slightly larger than the brick, 
and lay it upon a hot brick. Roll up more 
paper and moke it cap or tent over another 
not brick. We find that the woolen-covered 
one is the coolest this time. The one witn 
the paper shade over it less cool, and the one 
with me paper hood warmest of all. Where¬ 
fore ( Simply because radiation into the air, 
when it is 1 ree to move upwa i d, is most rapid. 
The woolen about, the sides is nearly useless 
while the Lop is exposed. The bit of paper, 
though il only covers I he l op, docs better, us 
the upward movement of me air about it is 
in a measure prevented. The paper hood 
being airtight locks in a cone-shaped mass of 
air. The air, unable to escape with its iieat, 
stores it up, and wadiates it again, and so 
checks the cooling of the brick. 
To savo a plant from early frost protect it 
from the top. Radiation is must active up¬ 
ward. A paper screen over the lop will ac¬ 
complish more than a woolen wrap round 
the allies. A paper liood would be best of 
all. 
Make your barn tight, especially about the 
top, and your cattle will cut less, be in u bet¬ 
ter condition, ami bring a larger return m 
milk or meal, Radiation from their bodies 
being reduced, health, comfort and happiness 
will return to them, and money to you. A 
bam full of cracks is an c flense against 
science and your pocket. 
A small blanket on the top of a horse’s 
back will do more good than a large one 
badly fastened Oil. 
Radiation lakes place more rapidly through 
water than air. Radiation through aqueous 
vapor is slow. Keep all the feet cm your 
place dry*, be they shod with iron or leather. 
I'o save your green-house coal keep me air 
inside damp. Radiation is slow in a damp 
atmosphere ; quick in a dry one. To save 
your vineyard n om an early frost build fires 
of green wood among the vinca ut night. 
The aqueous vapor caused by the smoulder¬ 
ing wood will act as a blanket and perhaps 
save the crop. A lire of dry wood, warm it 
ever so fiercely', will uot do halt so much 
good. 
Apply these few facts to your every-day 
life on the farm and you will find money in 
them. 
EXCELLENT MANURE FOR TURNIPS 
A correspondent of the London Times, 
writes from Alexandria:—“The. other day, at 
Bukhara, 1 saw nine camels pacing down 
from the mummy juts to the bunk of tlie 
river, laden with nets, in which were fe¬ 
mora, tibia and other bony bits of the hu¬ 
man form, some two hundred weight in 
each net on each side of the camel. Among 
the pits there were people busily engaged in 
searching out, sifting and sorting the bones 
which almost crust the ground. On inquiry 
I learned that the cargoes with w hich the 
camels were ludeu would be sent down to 
Alexandria, and thenee be shipped to English 
manure manufacturers. They make excel¬ 
lent manure, I am told, particularly for 
Bwedes mid other turnips. The trade is 
brisk, and has been going on for years, and 
may r go ou for many more. It is a strange 
fate—to preserve one’s skeleton fur thou¬ 
sands of years in order that there may be 
fine Soutlidowns and Cheviots in a distaut 
land ! But Egypt is always a place of won¬ 
ders.” 
farming tool: 
in addition to our former capital, a windfall 
came into the family of $2,000, which assisted 
in re-building the bam, w hich we commen¬ 
ced at once on a more approved plan, 50 by 
76 feet, with basement stables for some 
thirty head, and good root collar. Now, as 
opportunity offered, from this time to 1857, 
we purchased 410 acres of land, for which we 
were to pay some $21,000. This, for a time, 
insured a tax of $3 per day interest. The 
next purchase was a house and lot in the vil¬ 
lage, for $1,200; then a little more land that 
adjoined us, which we coveted and pur¬ 
chased ; then, from 18G1 to 1805, we bought 
Are Hard Wood Ashen worth Hauling ?— 
I am within three-quarters of a mile of a 
large quantify of hunt wood ashes which can 
be obtained for Ihe hauling. Would you 
advise the hauling and spreading of same 
this winter on wheat, 14 acres of which is 
sown in timothy arid 18 acres to be sown in 
clover t Soil sand, loam, on two-bottom.— 
Yocu Apmiuer, j/oWesville. Hamilton Co., 
Ind. 
We have only to say, “ Go for them.” If 
you fail to get them we advise every neigh¬ 
bor within say five miles in your section— 
w'e would haul them ten with pleasure—to 
get all they can and apply to wheat or grass 
or potatoes or fruit or any grain crop. 
HOW RADIATION CONCERNS FARMERS. 
Prof, Tyndall in a lecture said:—“A cob¬ 
web spread over a blossom is sufficient to 
protect it from nightly chill.” In this rather 
fanciful expression we have a hint of a great 
