hill where it finds the extremities of the 
roots, and is absorbed laterally under the hill. 
In flat culture it takes quite a shower to wet 
down two or three inches into the dried soil, 
and this depth is quickly dried out again in hot 
weather. It will not be so quickly dried out 
where it is absorbed under the hill. Heaping 
the soil into hills dries and loosens it, making 
a favorable condition for the development of 
the tubers, which grow by no absorption of 
their own and therefore do not need moisture, 
but receive their substance through the stem 
which attaches them to the roots. In flat cul¬ 
ture the tubers would set below the level of 
the surface, which in many soils, especially in 
a wot season, would expose them to too much 
wet, injuring both quality and product. 
With regard to planting potatoes : where 
the land has been properly loosened with the 
harrow, say, to the depth of four inches, an 
ordinary corn marker will run from one to 
four inches deep, so that the potatoes will not 
be planted much below the surface level. Is 
there auy better way ? Planting potatoes too 
deep about doubles the labor of digging them. 
If you make your marker two feet nine inches 
from center to center of runner, it will mark 
an acre into 5,600 squares or hills, so that if 
you can raise two bushels from 5f5 hills the 
product will be 200 bushels to the acre, which 
is enough. Cutting seed potatoes three or 
four weeks before planting with me, checked 
their sprouting. G. n. c. 
Little Falls, N. Y. 
(Seepage 43R for Illustrations.) 
The old adage. “ No foot, no horse,” em¬ 
phatically expresses how important it is that 
the horse’s feet should be sound and well 
formed. No part of the horse is so liable to 
injurious effects from hard work and mis¬ 
management as the foot, and consequently 
there is none that requires more care in health 
and disease. As the entire weight of the 
animal rests upon its feet, it is most important 
that these should be healthy and of good shape. 
What is understood by the foot is the hoof 
and all the various parts inside it. In order 
to present to our readers an idea of this very- 
complex limb, we give in Fig, 198, a section 
of a horse’s foot cut longitudinally from the 
fetlock joint to the tip of the toe; that is,along 
its entire length. As this represents only the 
mesial, or central parts, however*, there are 
several important parts which are not here il¬ 
lustrated. The iuternal parts, are, first, the 
bones, of which there are three principal and 
three accessories in this part of the leg. The 
three principal ones are the phalanges—the 
series of small bones corresponding to those of 
the fingers aud toes in the human subject. Of 
these the first, or pastern bone, B, supported 
above and behind by the large sesamoids,* F. 
forms, with the lower end of the cannon-bone, 
A, the fetlock joint. The second phalanx, or 
bone of the coronet, C, the upper portion of 
which is articulated, or connected, with th 9 
first phalanx, and the lower portion with the 
third phalanx, is completed below and behind 
by the sesamoid, E, called also the navicular 
bone. The third phalanx, cofiin-bone, or bone 
of the foot, Dis, completed at the sides and 
behind by elastic prolongations in the heel, 
named lateral cartilages of the bone of 
the foot. These cannot be .seen in Fig. 198, as 
that only shows the central parts of the foot. 
Other internal parts are special ligaments, or 
binding bands, which connect the bones 
solidly with each other, acting as hinges to 
them. Ab these are placed at the sides 
they cannot be seen in the diagram. Next 
■come the tendons which serve the three¬ 
fold purpose of promoting motion, helping to 
fix the bones and to sustain the weight. 
These are situated at the front and back of 
the phalaoges, and consist of an extensor, or 
straighteuiug tendon, in front, G, and two be¬ 
hind, a superficial flexor, or bending tendon, 
H, and a deep fiexor, I. The sesamoids serve 
as pulleys for these, and a peculiar sort of oil, 
resembling the white of an egg, and called 
senovia, lubricates them, causing them to 
work backward and forward easily. This oil 
is contained in bags, R, 8, which secrete it. 
An oil of the same kind lubricates the joints 
proper, also. Back of the third phalanx is 
a cushion of fibro-cartilaginous, elastic sub¬ 
stance, P, which serves admirably to lessen 
concussions. Last of all come a multi¬ 
tude of veins, arteries, lymphatic vessels and 
sensitive nerves, which ramify through the 
whole internal structure and supply autri- 
ment and sensibility to the foot. 
The hoof, or external part of the foot, con¬ 
sists of three distinct parts, which, though 
inseparably united when recently removed, 
may lie readily separated by maceration, or 
steeping, for a few days. These are the exter- 
^Sesaraotds are small iiones round In the mibstauee 
<or the tendons at the articulations or joints of the 
.great toes, antlaotueUtne* at other articulations. 
nal w’all or crust; thesole, or slightly concave 
surface, forming the bottom or floor of the 
case, M; and the triangular central portion of 
this called the frog, O, The wall or crust 
reaches from the edge of the hairy skin to the 
ground, and averages about three inches ami 
a half in depth. It is an oblique aud almost 
cylindrical box, slightly conical in shape, for 
it is larger at the bottom than at the top. 
When examined from the side the front 
should form an angle of about 45 deg. with 
the line of the sole. The front of the wall is 
about half an inch in thickness, gradually di¬ 
minishing, in a strong foot of average size, to 
barely a quarter of an inch in thickness at the 
back. This proportion, however, is confined to 
the fore feet, for in the hind there is little differ¬ 
ence between the front and back in thickness. 
The front of the hoof is the toe, the back the 
heels; the intermediate part on each side the 
quarter. The upper border, or coronary 
band, is marked by a whitish color. Exter¬ 
nally it otherwise resembles the crust below; 
but internally it differs in being smoothly ex¬ 
cavated, while the crust, or wall, is made up 
of perpendicular, thread-like fibers. 
At the heels the crust is bent inward towards 
the middle of the sole, thus forming the bars 
which are merely prolongations of the wall. 
These appear as sharpened prominences, be¬ 
tween the soleand the frog, forming an angle 
at the heels which terminates towards the 
toes. They are useful buttresses which give 
strength and durability to the hoof, prevent 
contraction of the heels and aid the crust in 
protecting the soft and sensitive parts. 
The sole is a concave plate covering the 
lower face of thB pedal bone, or third pha¬ 
lanx, and is fixed to the inner edge of the 
crust and the outer sides of the bars, and not 
to their lower surfaces. It is more elastic 
than the crust and its usual thickness is about 
one-sixth of an inch, but it varies greatly in 
different horses, and i3 thickest around the 
outer border where it joins the wall, and 
thinnest in the center, where it is most con¬ 
cave. It is secreted in. plates, which can be 
readily separated with a knife, and have a 
tendency to break off in flakes on the ground 
face under some conditions. 
Within the bars, with its point, or apex, 
forward to the center of the sole, is the frog, 
triangular in shape, elastic in substance and 
filling up the space between the heels behind, 
the bars on each side, and the sole in front. 
In the middle is a longitudinal fissure called 
the cleft, which should not be deep and the 
sides of which should form an angle of about 
45 degrees. Iu front of this a solid wpdge of 
the elastic, horny substance which composes 
the frog, lies immediately beneath the navi¬ 
cular bono and is called the cushion. Like 
the sole, the frog lessens the shock from the 
percussion of the foot against the ground. 
The structure of the horu which forms 
these three divisions varies. In the crust it is 
fibrous, somewhat resembling whalebone, but 
not so hard, the bristly fibers being firmly 
united by a gelatinous substance. The sole is 
also fibrous, but not nearly so much so as the 
wall. The frog differs from both in that the 
fibers are finer and fewer in comparison with 
the amount of gelatine—a formation which 
renders it more soft and elastic and also more 
prone to decomposition. In the crust the 
growth takes place from the coronary band 
downward, but in the sole aud frog, from the 
internal surface to the external. 
A well-shaped foot is large rather than 
small. The wall should be smooth, even 
shiny, and fashioned so that the fibers of 
which it is made can be seen. Transverse 
undulations or rings on the wall show that 
something has been the matter with the feet. 
The crust at the heels should be one third as 
high as the toes. The heels ought to be sep¬ 
arated by a deep hollow, not by a shallow 
groove. Low heels are often accompanied by 
soreness and tenderness. The frog should be 
as prominent as the lower end of the crust. 
In diseases of the foot, even more than in 
those of any other part, prevention is better 
than cure, for in many such diseases a cure 
cannot be secured without rest; and born will 
not be secrete l well without the stimulus of ex¬ 
ercise. It will be «een, even from this neces¬ 
sarily brief sketch, that the foot of the horse 
is a very complicated structure, which is lia¬ 
ble to derangement whenever the hoof, or 
horny substance, is interfered with, and this 
often occurs either from mismanagement in 
shoeing, causing mechanical injury, or from 
inflammation of the secreting surface, which 
will ultimately cause imperfect horn, or from 
punctures or other wounds of the foot. 
With regard to the illustrations, the various 
parts shown in Fig. 198 are fully explained in 
the text. In Fig. 199, A Is the cornet; B, the 
coronary, frog - band or periople ; C, the 
wall or crust; E, the toe, and F, the quarter 
In fig 200, G. F, G is thesole; DE, DE, the 
bars; H, the frog, and I, the cushion thereof. 
3mpi 
xmenis, ? 
BELLE CITY FEED CUTTER. 
As far back as the time of our grandfathers, 
the utility of cutting-up bay, straw, etc., 
wetting it, aud mixing it with meal was so 
well understood that they even emfdoyed the 
clumsy and inexpeditious method of cutting 
it on a block with a broad-axe. Our fathers 
improved upon this method by buildiug a box, 
attaching a cradle-scythe at right angles to 
it, compressing the straw with a treadle and 
pushing it forward by the band or by a short- 
handled fork attached to the box with chains. 
To this day where there are but two or three 
horses to cut for, I know of no better or 
cheaper machine. The styles and patterns of 
cutting boxes at the present day are innumer 
able, and nine-tenths of them to a greater or 
less extent, are failures; that is, they are 
radically defective in some one or more points. 
At any rate, this has been my experience, and 
I bave bought aud used some eight different 
machines, aud have models of at least twenty 
more. 
The old machines wou Id do for a few animals 
and cheap labor, but when there are 20 acres 
of corn-stalks and as many tous of hay aud 
straw to be cut in a single Winter, or 20 tons 
of ensilage to be cut in a single day,perfect and 
certain execution becomes an essential require¬ 
ment of the maebiue. The machine too must 
be not only durable but free from such com¬ 
plications or mat-adjustment of parts as make 
it' liable to breakage when run at a high rate 
of speed. One point is ofteu overlooked— 
those who have had no experience can have 
no realization of the amount of power required 
to cut a ton of dry corn-stalks, covered with 
silica, into quarter-inch lengths. It should 
always be a continuous cut and a draw cut 
and not an intermittent one. The motion, of 
necessity, must be rapid. The mistake is 
Belle City Feed Cutter.— Fig. 204. 
usually made of not furnishing sufficient 
power to run the machine at its most efficient 
rate of speed. In cutting dry material the 
kuives must be often sharpened, and therefore 
ease of removal and adjustment is of the 
utmost importance. Having had occasion to 
fill a silo last Fall, I purchased a Belle City 
Feed Cutter, made by David Lawton, Racine, 
Wisconsin. I found that this machine com¬ 
bined in great perfection all of the requisites 
named above. It was a N >. 1. A, Its easy 
capacity proved to be twenty tons of ensilage 
a day, which was all that two men were able 
to feed. It cut (50 tons without sharpening the 
knives, breakage or stoppage. It has a rapid, 
continuous cut and runs without jar or vibra¬ 
tion. The knives are easily removed, sharp¬ 
ened and replaced, which should be done when 
cutting dry material,for every five tons. The 
carrier which may le from twelve to twenty 
feet long delivers the cut material either 
from the side or end of the machine as may 
be desired. This cutter satisfies me in every 
wa y* J P. Roberts. 
Professor of Agriculture, Cornell University 
Utica, N. Y. 
We represent, In the engravings page 
436 the elevation and plans for a very con¬ 
venient five-room cottage, which is well suited 
to the country or suburbs. The external 
appearance is plain though neat, and the 
arrangement of rooms, their size, etc., seem 
well adapted to the uses of a small family. 
The entrance hall gives access to the parlor 
and living room, and affords room, on the left 
for stairs to the second story, under which a 
closet may be placed if desirable. The front 
door is set back, giving room for a pleasant, 
sheltered porch. The parlor is made llxl2>£ 
feet, with fire place, mantel and double¬ 
windows. The living-room is 11x15 feet with 
fire-place and two windows, or a double 
wiudo » may be placed at the side. The size 
of the kitchen is 9> a 'xl2^, and the pantry 
which opens from it.is 3x5# feet. The position 
of the kitchen furniture will be seen from the 
plan. 
On the second story the front chamber is 
11 x 123 ^ and rear chamber is of the same size, 
each having good-sized closet. A. bath-room 
is at front end of hall. There is abundant 
closet room hroughout the house: the plans 
will explain the details of arrangement. The 
estimate of labor and material made by the 
architect, Mr. J. C. Pel ton Jr., of San Fran¬ 
cisco, Cal., as published in “Cheap Dwellings” 
by the San Francisco Bulletin Co., is as 
follows: 
Roush Lumber, 6.1XX) Tect at $18 per 7VI. 
Klnri’ lug, 1,3ft) fret ar, $27.50 per M.' 
Rustic 2.3U<i feet at $:So prr M. 
Shingle-, 10.0 ii at $ ! per M . 
Doors, windows and mill work, including wain¬ 
scoting, fence and W. C. 
Stairs. \ 
Hardware and nails.. 
Carp-ntcr'.s labor.. 
Chimneys ithree)." ‘ ’' 
Mantels i.two).•.” 
Plastering..... 7 . 
Painting. 
Plumbing and tin work. 
Excavation and drain pipes.] 
$108 
33 
84 
20 
220 
50 
55 
200 
40 
45 
100 
80 
85 
20 
Total.,...$1,140 
These prices are for San Francisco, so that 
they will vary somewhat for other sections 
of the country. 
cmnnts* 
PAPER BAGS AND GRAPES. 
The practice of bagging grapes is receiving 
considerable interest with grape growers. 
There is no doubt but that inclosing the 
bunches of grapes in paper bags is of advan¬ 
tage in some eases. For the amateur who 
wishes to make a 6ure thing and save a few 
specimens of new, or old kinds from the birds 
and bees, or prevent their being spattered 
with muddy water during heavy rains, paper 
bags will be quite an advantage. Exactly 
whether putting each bunch of grapes in a 
paper bag will prevent their rotting, I think 
needs further experiments to determine. 
It certainly wili not if left to be done after 
it is too late. About the time the grapes are 
the size of shot is said to be the best time to 
slip the bags on to prevent rotting. My 
Salems have a way of cracking open after 
long and heavy rains. I could not dis¬ 
cover any difference in that respect between 
those that were inclosed in paper bags, and 
those that were left without protection. I 
bought 1,500 No. I Mauilla paper bags, and 
before they were all put on I was convinced 
that the practice of slipping a paper bag on 
to each bunch of grapes, never will become 
popular with those that raise grapes for the 
millions. [Right you are. Eds.] 
Cuyahoga Co., Ohio. H. B. Spencer. 
