\ 
JAN. 4 
And ho I might multiply observations all 
tending to show that where (he water level U 
brought near (he surface of earth, the pulveriza¬ 
tion of the surface down to and including the 
water-soaked portion, oftentimes, mIiowh un in- 
creuHe of evaporation. When, however, the 
pulverized surface soil 1 h placed and kept above 
any permanent water level, then the contrary 
seems evident that evaporation is checked. 
In general terms, as experience of the farm 
shows, a pulverized surface to our tlelds hin¬ 
ders the rise and loss of moisture from the 
deeper portions of the soil, although the loss 
of water Is large from the surface which is 
itself pulverized. 
Ju sumo observations on soil temperature 
this past summer, I found, iu every trial, that 
the surface soil was warmer than the air, the 
temperature being taken early in the morning 
before tha influence of the sun was to he felt. 
As dew is only deposited upon surfaces colder 
than the air, 1 caunot believe that, under Urn 
circumstances of culture, any moisture from 
the air cau be deposited in our soil as dew, and 
that therefore this, as a source of water addi¬ 
tion to our soil, usually, if not always, adduced 
as ouo of the effects of stirring the soil, must 
be abandoned from our thought. It is very 
true that under laboratory conditions, dry soils 
do absorb moisture from the surrounding air. 
It seems as certain that this absorption has 
never been determined for arable soils under 
farm treatment, and that, when exact experi¬ 
ments shall be made, it will he found that al¬ 
though there may he exceptional Instances of 
an accretion of moisture by dry soils, yet that 
this tact will not apply to the ordinary condi¬ 
tions of soil and air, us met with on farms, 
during the season of growth in New England. 
This whole subject of the physics of tin- soil 
is worthy of more lull, complete and exact 
study, and I am very much plcased.to see such 
un influential and advanced paper as the Rit¬ 
ual NRw-1 ouKKit giving it prominence. 
I must apologize for appearing in your paper 
with an article counter to your views, but as 
wu are both seeking the truth, I do not deem 
“W position either as objectionable to you, or 
in bud taste. 
(.Far from it,— Eds.) 
cfann (gconomy. 
BARN-YARD8. 
HY A WESTERN FARMER. 
The barn-yard is one of the most important 
parts of the farm, inasmuch us It is the manu¬ 
factory of the manure as well as a pluce where 
the cattle spend a large portion of their exlst- 
oneo. It should, therefore, be arranged with u 
view to the most perfect fulfillment of both of 
these purposes. It Is ull the better adapted for 
the latter purpose In proportion us it is more 
effective for the former, and a well-arranged 
burn-yard that will preserve the manure in the 
best manner, will tie convenient and eouiforta- 
• tile for the cattle. 
Tilts situation. 
A barn-yard should never be made upon u 
steep slope. A slight slope to the south is de¬ 
sirable, but the site should be so nearly level 
that the rain which falls upou it may not flow 
off and carry the wash to lower ground where 
it will be wanted. The surface should be some¬ 
what hollowed to the center to rotuin ull the 
water that may fall upon it, and keep the ma¬ 
nure or litter that may remain as moist as may 
be necessary to keep it in good condition. Tim 
manure and the litter of the yard should be 
heaped in this lowest spot in a square pile 
built up with perpendicular sides and hollowed 
at tlie top to retain what rain may full upon it. 
When the yard is scraped up, fresii litter should 
be scattered over it to prevent the surface from 
being poached Into mud. A muddy yard, or 
one slushy w ith soft manure, is Unhualthtuland 
contributes greatly to disease of the feet, lungs 
uud udder. The troublesome affection of the 
hoofs and coronets, known as hoof-ail, foot-rot, 
etc., is caused by the wot tilth of muddy and 
8 l 0 PPy yards. Cattle take cold if compelled to 
lie about in such yards, and Innumerable cttHes 
of pneumonia and garget are caused in this 
way. 
Tills DRAINAGE 
of tlie yard, and stables as well, may be effected 
by means of a manure cistern in tlie center of 
the yard. This is a most valuable adjunct to a 
well-ordered farm und may be made to return 
its cost every year, cither in a supply of liquid 
manure for crops that can be fertilized In that 
way—gruss, clover and low-growing fodder 
mops being especially suited to it; or by fur- 
wishing the means for greatly enriching the 
manure heap itself. Drains from the stables 
and pens should be led Into the cistern, uud 
this should bo covered with stout poles upou 
which the manure may be piled. A pump 
should be flxed iu the cistern, by which tlie 
•‘quid manure can be raised and poured over 
the heap to moisten and enrich it, or into ma¬ 
nure tanks for spreading R upou the Held. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
I lie leaders from the roof 'gutters may be con¬ 
nected with tlie manure drains, so that tlie 
liquid manure may be diluted sufficiently for 
use, as it is far too concentrated to be safely used 
without being mixed with at louBt four or five 
times its bulk of water. During tlie fall and 
winter, the leudersshould be disconnected from 
the manure drains and turned into tlie water 
cistern. 
CISTERNS. 
A manure cistern may be a very simple affair. 
All that is needed is, to excavate a hole large 
enough, say. twenty-four feet long by twelve 
wide, six feet deep, und with flaring sides, as 
nhowu in section in Fig. I. The bottom and 
sides are covered with a coating of cement 
made of one part of hydraulic lime and three 
purts of sharp sand, and laid directly on tlie 
earth with a common trowel. The cement 
should be carried over tlie edge ou the top for 
a few feet, so as to make a hollow or dish- 
shuped reeeptuele to collect the drainage from 
the manure heap. Round poles me laid across 
the cistern, and rails upon these, to make a 
firm bed for tile manure. A common wooden 
manure pump is fitted as shown by the dotted 
lines. This may consist of a wooden tube 
made of strips four inches wide nailed together 
at their edges und furnished with a spout, a 
lifting valve and Iron rod to work it with. 
The valve is made, as shown at Fig. 2, of a 
piece of thin, hard wood, hinged by a piece of 
leather to an Iron frame which is attached to 
the lifting rod. Tlie valve opeus (see dotted 
lines) when it is pushed clown, and doses when 
it is drawn up; tlie liquid is retained in the 
pump by means of a clieck-valve. shown at the 
bottom in the illustration, Auy handy boy can 
make this pump and a blacksmith can make 
the rod mid valve-seat in an hour. 
A water cistern is very handy to have in a 
barn yard, and will furnish a lurge supply of 
Muter for stock. It may be linud with cement, 
and for a building 30x24. should be ten feet 
deep and eight feet in diameter, w'liieh will 
hold 3,000 gallons or 120 barrels. The total 
quantity of water falling on the roof of u build¬ 
ing of the size mentioned in the year, will be 
23,000 gallons or over 800 barrels, giviug more 
ttian two barrels a day through the year. A 
cistern of this Hizo will easily be filled in a 
week of rainy weather, in spring or lull, and a 
heavy thunder-shower (two inches of ruin-fall) 
would fill a third of it. 
KEEP RACKS. 
No barn-yard is complete without feed racks. 
These are means of saving fodder and preserv¬ 
ing cuttle from injury caused by lighting over 
their feed. There are many simple methods of 
making them. One is by tiuUing fence strips to 
posts, as shown at Fig, 3. By ibis means a 
rack for four cows is made. A sufficient num¬ 
ber of those may be provided for all tlie stock, 
and one or two in excess may be useful. A 
long rack at which twelve to twenty cows may 
feed, may be made by setting fence posts in tlie 
ground and fitting two strong rails Into them, 
as in u puBt-uud-rall fence; cross laths rest 
upon the lower rail, and the upper one serves 
to keep the fodder in the rack. A rack of this 
kind for twenty head should bo three panels, or 
thirty feet long, and four feet wide. This will 
give ample room to tit stukes and posts to tlie 
rack at intervals of three feet, so as to make 
species of stalls In which tlie cows can feed 
and which will prevent them from crowding 
each other. Similar, but smaller racks should 
be provided for sheep. 
WATER TROUGHS 
are as needful as feed troughs, for u constant 
supply of pure water is indispensable to health 
und profit from the stock, of whatever kind it 
may be. Troughs for winter use should be 
made to be reversed, so that at night they may 
be turned over and kept free from snow. One 
constructed as shown at Fig. 4, would answer 
the purpose, amt at uight might be turned over, 
emptied and held with the side uppermost by 
moans of the peg near the top of tlie post in¬ 
serted in the holy at thy corner of thy trough. 
CRACKS IN BARNS. 
There seems to be an idea that thuee neces¬ 
sary evils on a farm should lie winked ut, and 
not spoken of too often. Some barns are nearly 
all cracks, especially on tlie outside between 
the boards. Now these cracks are a very im¬ 
portant and very necessary part of all barns. 
There must be cracks, attd they won’t be stop¬ 
ped up. but they can lie backed up and this Is 
tlie May to do it: Mix together “ secunilum or 
tem ” in proportion to suit your circumstances, 
good seed, good soil, good tilth, good after 
care, and thus produce crops which shall be 
the •• crack " crops of the country. When har¬ 
vested, haul to the barn, and every farmer will 
not only slop up tlie Imru cracks, tint many 
little cracks in other folks’ promises, such as 
the storekeeper’s, the blacksmith’s, the tailor’s, 
the shoemaker’s etc. It Is astonishing how 
fast a neighborhood will improve when this 
inode of getting rid of the Rural’s bug-bear is 
adopted by the people who have barns. 
The Rural doesn’t like people to tell it so much 
about stopping np the cracks, but is there any¬ 
one who has hacked tip these “airy nothings" 
as effectually as this same Rphial New-Yorker 
has done, especially during tbo past year? 
Let an Irish echo answer “Few, if any,” 
through a crack, uud let it be a big one! 
S. Rufus Mason. 
#fll) Crop. 
FORAGE PLANTS IN KANSAS. 
L. J. TEMPLIN’. 
ASPECT OF TUB COUNTRY. 
Kansas occupies a part of the region marked 
in tlie geographies of a few years ago us “The 
tireat American Desert." This region, includ¬ 
ing Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming Terri¬ 
tory, is now the home of nearly two millions of 
enterprising people. The Success already 
achieved In grain and fruit-raising proves this 
part of tin; country capuble of competing M'ith 
any portion of the Union iu diversified agricul¬ 
ture. lint while this is true, it is a fact that 
admits A, no question that the raisiug of live¬ 
stock is to be tlie great source of wealth to the 
people of this State. This is equivalent to say¬ 
ing tliaTriie forage crops are the most import¬ 
ant ones to the prosperity of the State. From 
the Missouri River to the mountains, this 
whole region is one vast extent of native pas¬ 
ture. It seems strange to us that these rich 
plains should ever have been regarded as a 
desert; but it seems that a marked change lias 
taken place in the appearance of the face of 
the country within the lifetime of the past and 
passing generations. Old teamsters and ex¬ 
plorers tell us that fifteen years ago the sand- 
bills that stretch parallel to the Arkansas 
River, were entirely destitute of vegetation, 
whereas they are now almost entirely covered 
M'il h nutritious grasses, making excellent sheep 
walks und cow pastures. The nutritlou^eEur- 
acter of thu native grasses of this region needs 
no other proof than tlie readiness with which 
the) fatten stock for tlie market, even keeping 
cuttle and sheep in good living order ull the 
year round. 1’here is a great assortment of 
wild grasses found on these plains, extending 
from tlie Rocky Mountains to the Missouri 
Ris er. A knowledge of these grasses is of im¬ 
portance both to the settlers of these plains 
and also to all whose well-being Is in auy way 
affected by the live-stock products of this 
region. 
81‘KCIBS OK GRASSES. 
There are iu this part of the country 143 
species of grass, belonging to live genera. 
Of these nincty-ouc are also found beyond the 
Missouri River, many of them growing ull the 
way East to the Atlantic. Of these, however, 
seven belong, strictly speaking, to tbe plains, 
extending only a short distance beyond the 
river, while fifty-two are confined to the plains 
exclusively. Thus, of the whole number, 
eighty-four kinds belong equally to the East 
and West, while fifty-nine belong to the West. 
Most of these grasses are worthless, or nearly 
so, as forage plants, and might bo dispensed 
with, M'ltli little or no loss to the grazier and 
feeder. I 1 or eastern and central Kansas, one 
half dozen Mill include all that uro of any 
speciul importance to the stuck-raiser, M hilo 
along tlie ascent of tlie eastern slope of the 
mountains, the list Mould have to be extended 
to perhaps a dozen. Tha relative value of the 
live most Important to this region, may be set 
down about as follows: Andropogon furcatus, 
40 per [cent.; Andropogon seoparius, 20; Sor¬ 
ghum nutans. '20; Sporobolus hoterulcpsis, 12; 
Buchloe dactyloidus, 5. The romaiulugj 3 per 
cent, would bo divided between several differ¬ 
ent species. This comparison of values is 
necessarily only an approximation, and may 
not be sustained when the matter is fully sub¬ 
mitted to chemical analyses and ^experimental 
tests; but it is believed to be not far from cor¬ 
rect. I he Atuiropogons, which comprise more 
than ouc-half of our valuable grasses, are per¬ 
ennial, M'ith rigid culms, and clustered or dlgl- 
7 
late spikes. Tlie first-named above, Andropo¬ 
gon furcatus— 
“blue stem,” 
is most abundant., and is distinguished from 
tlie two that follow it ouly by Its spikes of 
UoM'ers and fruit. It has u smooth, terete 
branching culm, with digitate l spikes. It 
groMs from five to seven feet high. It pro¬ 
duces a large mass of rudieal leaves from eight 
to twelve or more inches long. These cover 
tlie ground bo completely ua to exclude many 
ot tlie worthless weeds that abound iu other 
places. Some seasons it produces seed quite 
sparingly. It seems to require a moist situa¬ 
tion, or u M'et season to induce it to seed pro¬ 
fusely. It is un excellent grass for hay, es¬ 
pecially it cut before the stems become hard and 
Moody. 
BROOM GRASS, 
A. seoparius, is a much smaller grass than the 
foregoing, growing ouly three to four feet in 
Light, It is also mueh less abundant, and 
seems much less Inclined to send up flower 
Stalks than that grass; but in Its radical 
leaves it very closely resembles the other, 
being, indeed, often mingled with it ou the 
prairie. As a hay grass, it is probably of equal 
value, ton per ton, with the Andropogon furca- 
tus. Dr. Darlington, In his *• Weeds and 
Blunts, ' declares these two species to be “ re¬ 
markably worthless grass.” However true this 
may be Ln regard to the u’oru-out>ud neglected 
fields of Pennsylvania, on the rich >oila of 
Kansas they are exceedingly nutritious and 
valuable, constituting, according to tlie above 
estimate, sixty per cent of the valuable grasses 
of this part of tlie country, and producing 
enough rich herbage to feed and fatten mil¬ 
lions of cuttle each year within the limits of 
this single btute. 8orghum nutans— 
WOOD-Q It ASS, 
is a noble grass, resembling the two pre¬ 
ceding species, and distinguished from them 
ouly by its seed stalk. It has un open 
panicle that has u drooping tendency when 
ripe. It lias often a glaucous color thut con¬ 
trasts finely with grasses of a pale or colorless 
hue. It resembles the others in uot seeding 
very abundantly, except in favorable seasons 
and situations. It is injuriously affected by 
dry weather, the quantity of hay it will pro¬ 
duce being greatly reduced by drought. 
1 best; three grasses, as sjiowu above, are sup¬ 
posed to constitute eighty per cent, of the val¬ 
uable hay amt pasture grasses of these regions. 
When left standing, they generally dry up 
into natural huy before severe frosts, making 
a very nutritious feed that seems to be relished 
by stock ulmpst as much as that which has 
been cut and put Into stacks. If the fall and 
m Inter are dry, as is usually the case, this natu¬ 
ral hay seems to retain its good qualities tiH 
the following spring. Stock will often live 
through the winter, in fair condition, with un 
feed except this dry grass oil the range. 
T lie next to be noticed is Sporobolus hetero- 
tepHis. This, with many other specimens is 
called 
“ DROP-gEBD GRASS.’’ 
It produces a heavy growth of long, slender 
leaves from the crown of the roots. These 
have u peculiar curled form, the points ofton 
resting on the ground. It is more Inclined to 
grOM' in stools or bunches than either of those 
named above. It has a .-mall panicle composed 
of shurp-polijted spikelets. The round seeds, 
when bruised, emit a strong, disagreeable 
odor. I bis grass, M’hen It seeds, grows about 
two and a half feet tall, but Iu u dry season 
it seldom scuds np any fruiting stems at all. 
It seldom yields any large amount of hay, but 
what it yields is of u very superior quality. 
I come now to speak of a grass of which 
almost everybody Iu the country lias heard, 
but of which I find many have formed very 
erroneous ideas. This is the 
BUFFALO GRASS, 
Bueh loo dactyloides. It is entirely unfit for 
hay, us M ill be seen from the description. Tlie 
leaf-growth soldom exceeds three inches iu 
bight, while the scattering male flower stalks 
grow to about twice this bight. The seeds are 
borne near the surtucu of the ground, under 
the foliage. Both pistillate and stamluate 
floM'ers are produced by thu sumo plaut. 
Though so short it forms a very close, thick 
sward, aud furnishes a lurge amount of very 
nutritious herbage. It endures an almost un¬ 
limited amount of grazing, and seems to thrive 
better, under such treatment than when left 
undisturbed. It is said to be found 100 miles 
M'est of the east line of Kansas and west of that 
range. In this, pari of the. State it is generally 
found in limited patches, but old settlers state 
that when the buffaloes were hero lu groat 
numbers it was the prevailing grass, but siuce 
their disappearance the larger grasses have 
come ln and displaced it over most of the coun¬ 
try. In places where it still retains iu hold, 
the subsoil Is geuerally fomid to be composed 
of hard-pan. which seems to be in the incipi¬ 
ent stage of the process of turniog to stone. 
On account of its Impormeuble character the 
water stunds near ttic surface after a heavy 
rain; and it also dries out worsts duriug a 
