4880 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
344 
fair competition, disturb the normal relation 
between demand and supply, and seem almost 
to overthrow the laws of political economy 
based on a careful study of the facts of the 
past. Clearly society and Government, its 
representative, have the highest of all rights, 
the very right of self-'preservation to place 
sharp limitations on “trusts” and prevent 
their cornering and controlling the people’s 
supply of food and other essentials, and prime 
conveniences of life. Nor ought Government 
to compel the people to resist ‘‘trusts” by 
boycotting; combination by counter-combina¬ 
tion; plots by counter-plots. The Govern¬ 
ment should itself deal with these harmful 
trusts as conspiracies, unlawful combinations, 
seeking by secret means the damage of 
society. If the Government leaves such mat¬ 
ters to private adjustment, it neglects its own 
proper function of protecting society, and 
inaugurates intestine war between opposing 
factions. If this comes “ they that take the 
sword shall perish by the sword.” 
Discussion, light, and calm investigation 
should be encouraged. With it our legisla¬ 
tion is likely to be just towards the people— 
producers and consumers—and not unjust to¬ 
wards lawful combinations. Without such 
discussion and such light, the danger is 
great and manifest, viz., that the people 
blindly and numbly feeling the real injustice 
inflicted on them by railways, combinations, 
pools and trusts, shall rise in tlio wrath of 
communism, grasp the pillars of society, bow 
themselves in their might like the Hebrew 
Sampson, and bring down the entire structure 
of society upon themselves and the Philistines 
in common ruin. 
That heaven may save us from such dire 
calamity is the prayer of all true patriots. 
Heaven will save us, if at all, only by the free 
and calm discussion of the philosophic and 
ethical principles involved, a determination 
to know the right and do it. Unless we are 
thus saved our Republic will perish like the 
Republics of the past. For the dangers that 
beset us from combinations of unscrupulous 
wealth on the one side, and communism on 
the other are the greatest that now threaten us. 
State Agricultural College, Ames, la. 
Various. 
SOME HITCHES. 
The Engineering and Building Record re¬ 
cently published the illustrations shown at 
Fig. 113. A good deal of time and a good deal 
of property may often be saved by the ability 
to fasten a rope quickly and securely. Be¬ 
lieving that some of the hitches here described 
may be new to our readers, we have repro¬ 
duced the cut. In all the figures, S represents 
the standing end of the rope and F the free 
end. Fig. 1 is a simple round turn where the 
rope encircles the object once. A half hitch 
Fig. 2, is made by taking a round turn about 
the standing part, and then passing the free 
end through the bight. Usually two or three 
half hitches are used together, as at Fig. 3, 
and form a very secure fastening. When the 
strain is intermittent, the free end should be 
stopped, so as not to slip out of place when 
not strained. The halt-hitch is very easily 
made, can be fastened on a taut line, 
and will hold on small objects. A 
clove hitch Fig. 4, is made with a 
round turn, and one half-hitch backwards, 
and will roll if the object can turn. A becket 
hitch, Fig. 5, is two half hitches made back¬ 
wards, and is much used for fastening the 
end of a fall line to the becket of a pulley 
block. It will not undo, and the free end 
does not require lashing. This hitch is apt to 
jam, so that the line must be cut to remove it 
from the block. A blackwall hitch, Fig. 6, is 
used for fastening a rope that is to be under 
strain, to a hook: the standing part jams the 
free end and holds it securely. A timber 
hitch,’Fig. 7, is easily made, holds well and 
cannot jam. It is much used for handling 
timber, but is not safe when used alone unless 
thoroughly made. A timber hitch and a half 
hitch,Fig. 8,are used for hauling timber,etc., 
endways. A roller hitch, Fig. 9, permits the 
object hauled to roll along freely in the rope. 
Fig. 10 is a harness hitch. Fig. 11 is a marlin 
spike hitch. Fig. 12 is a fisherman’s bend; it 
is easily made, and very secure. Fig. 13 is a 
convenient hitch to use for taking strain from 
one end of a rope; A A, for shifting luff 
tackles, etc. 
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A SHEEP BARN. 
For 50 sheep I built a barn like that shown 
at Fig. 114, 22x50 feet. The lower story is 
open to the south and east. The wall is four 
feet high* on the north side, the lower story is 
7X feet high, the second story is high enough 
to hold all the hay wanted. Two tubes with 
ladder sides extend from the bottom of the 
feed troughs to the top of the hay mow, (three 
by four feet). There are oval holes for each 
sheep, about six inches wide and eight inches 
long. The bottom of each hole is four inches 
from the floor of the feed trough. The latter 
is from 12 to 16 inches above the floor of the 
building, according to the size of sheep or 
lambs. The holes through which the sheep 
are to feed are about 20 inches from center to 
center. The space between the two troughs 
should be about four feet, or enough to allow 
one to walk through comfortably and feed 
sheep from inside. The rack or boards are 
just high enough to keep sheep from jumping 
over. There is a good passage of five or six 
feet at each end of the building to allow the 
sheep to pass freely without jamming to¬ 
gether. With this plan the flock can be readi¬ 
ly divided by temporary cross wickets or the 
gates. Any one who has attempted to feed a 
flock of hungry sheep with grain, or has come 
in contact with a cross ram will appre¬ 
ciate this plan of feeding. Very little feed 
will be wasted and the sheep will not crowd 
each other. The building can be extended so 
as to make it large enough for any number of 
sheep. If the ground is not very dry, a floor 
should be laid. h. o. s. 
farm (Topics. 
SOME COGITATIONS. 
FRED GRUNDY. 
Foretelling the Weather.— “Is the Sig¬ 
nal Service a signal failure?” is asked on 
page 55. I rather think it is—to the person 
who looks directly overhead for his weather. 
In this locality we receive the “ indications ” 
for the current 24 hours at 10 A. m. By that 
time we know what the weather is, and is 
likely to be until night. But we want to know 
what it will be to-morrow. If we know how 
to read the Signal Service “ indications,” and 
understand the visible indications, we can, 
by compariug the two, tell almost to a cer¬ 
tainty what it will be. This is how it is done: 
Nine-tenths of our weather comes from 
some point between N. W. and S. W. We 
note from which of these directions the cirrus 
clouds are moving, and whether fast or slowly; 
then we know the drift of the upper current 
of air. If this is from the N. W., we know 
that to-day’s weather in Iowa, Nebraska and 
Dakota will be ours to-morrow, with possibly 
some slight changes, and we read what that 
weather is in the “indications” for those 
States. If the cirrus clouds are moving from 
the S. W., we look for the “indications” in 
Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas. If there is a 
storm in progress in any of those States, we 
shall get it, or part of it, within 24 hours. If 
it is fair in those States with W. or N. W. 
winds, and there are no local showers in sight, 
we can safely slash away at the meadow until 
night. But if it should be rainy out there, or 
if there are “local rains” with S. or S. E. 
winds, we had better move cautiously and 
finish up as we go along. Our rainy weather 
in summer almost invariably comes from 
some point between W. and S. and those are 
the points to watch. Our cold weather in 
autumn, winter and spring comes from some 
point between W. and N. and we watch the 
“ indications ” for the States out that way. 
A very few rains come from the S.; none 
come from the E., except such local showers as 
are developed in sight. I think the weather 
is a very fascinating study, and with the aid 
of the Signal Service and a little practice, 
any keen-eyed person may become quite ex¬ 
pert as a weather prophet. 
Preparing for the Census. —In a late 
number of the Rural some one suggests that 
farmers should prepare for the census to be 
taken next year. The suggestion is a good 
one. I took the census of this township in 
1880, and of the 158 farmers that I interviewed 
not more than 10 were prepared to give any¬ 
thing like correct answers to half the ques¬ 
tions relating to their vocation. They 
“guessed” this, and “thought” that, and 
“ supposed,” the other. If I hadn’t been per¬ 
fectly familiar with farming operations, my 
report would have been of little value. By 
Fig. 113. 
asking an infinite number of questions I could 
get very near the facts. In the village, busi¬ 
ness men were prepared to give all required 
facts and figures right from their books, and 
I experienced little difficulty in gathering all 
the information the schedules called for. It 
really is surprising how little some farmers 
know about their own business. 
Oh, for better Cheese ! — Governor 
Hoard, as quoted on page 73, gives the cheese- 
men a well-deserved pop on their thick skulls. 
I like good cheese better than meat, but I 
want to know that it is good before paying 
three prices for it. When cheesemen learn to 
supply the home market with cheese that is 
cheese, and not putty or tallow, the demand 
will quadruple in a very short time. People 
buy meat because they know it is real meat. 
They don’t buy cheese because they don’t 
know what it is made of, and they don’t care 
to turn their stomachs into analyzing ma¬ 
chines. Let’s have some real cheese for the 
sake of variety. 
Away With the Privy Vault.— The Ru¬ 
ral has condemned the privy vault. It is wise. 
The vault is the meanest and most utterly ex¬ 
ecrable and pestiferous make-shift that was 
ever devised. It is an abomination that is 
found on nearly every farm and village lot in 
the country. Common sense, common decen¬ 
cy and the least regard for health demand 
that it should be abolished. I use a tight 
drawer arranged to slide under the seat from 
the back of the building. A plentiful supply 
of road dust is gathered at the proper season 
and stored for use. When the drawer is to be 
emptied a stay chain is hooked into a strong 
staple projecting from the front, a horse 
is hitched on and it is drawn out to the field 
or manure heap. It can be emptied and re¬ 
turned to its place in five minutes, and the la¬ 
bor is nothing. 
Salaries in the Towns and Wages in 
the Country. —I see in a local paper that 
my young friend B has “accepted a position” 
with X Z & Co., a hardware firm doing 
business m a neighboring town. I also hear 
from a neighbor that D, another young friend, 
has “hired out” to a farmer in an adjoining 
township. I learn that B receives $22 per 
month and boards himself, and D receives 
$18 per month and board. B has “accepted a 
position,” which fact is chronicled in the lo¬ 
cal paper,and commented upon by his friends 
who regard him as a lucky fellow,with a bril¬ 
liant future open to him. D has merely “hired 
out,” which fact is not chronicled anywhere, 
or commented upon by more than a dozen 
people, all told. No brilliant future is open 
to him; he is not a lucky fellow; he delves 
among the dirt! If he places $100 in the bang 
at the end of eight months, and his wages are 
raised to $20, nobody will make any fuss 
about it. If at the end of two years he has 
$300 to his credit, he will be looked upon as a 
sober, steady hand. If B’s salary is raised to 
$30 at the end of eight months, congratula¬ 
tions will pour upon nim. If at the end of 
two years he still retains his position, and is 
out of debt, he will be regarded as a very 
promising young business man and his salary 
may be increased to $50, out of which he can, 
if economical, save $10 per month. 
Young man, if you want to be somebody go 
to town and “accept a position.” If you want 
to lay up something substantial for the fu¬ 
ture, go to the country and “hire out.” 
Christian County, Illinois. 
£klb Crops. 
MELON GROWING IN INDIANA. 
J. A. FOOTE. 
Melon growing in Indiana formerly and to¬ 
day, favorite varieties; cultivation; plant¬ 
ing; Nutmeg melons; starting the seed and 
after culture; profits in melons. 
In a few sections of Indiana melon growing 
is a considerable industry. Across the south¬ 
ern part where the soil and shipping facilities 
are favorable, it is carried on, and particu¬ 
larly in the “ pocket ” which is the southwest¬ 
ern corner of the State, and from there up the 
Wabash to Terre Haute and somewhat be¬ 
yond. The place named was my home for 
many years and I am conversant with the 
business there. For many years past several 
hundred car loads of water-melons and Nut¬ 
meg melons have been shipped from there 
each year. It was famous for water-melons 
over 30 years ago, for a strip of sandy land, 
one to three miles wide, runs along the river 
through the county. At that time the Yel¬ 
low Mountain Sprout was the principal one 
grown. I grew them myself, but20 years ago 
the red-fleshed sorts superseded them,and now 
none of them is to be found. It occurs to me 
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Fig. 114. 
here to say that seedsmen do not control the 
varieties grown as much as they imagine—not 
as much as the market. For instance, many 
good varieties of water-melons have been in¬ 
troduced in the past 10 or 15 years; but Kolb’s 
Gem was well in the market before the seed 
was offered, and has almost displaced every¬ 
thing else as a shipping melon, my impres¬ 
sion being that nine-tenths of .those grown in 
