686 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
WHY WIND PREVENTS FROST. 
Keeping the Air Stirred Up. 
Why does a wind prevent frost, If it does, as is popu¬ 
larly supposed? What effect, if any, would a whistle 
have on the atmosphere in such a case? I stood on the 
deck of a large steamboat, and felt a great disturbance 
of the air, when the heavy whistle blew. If wind would 
prevent frost, why not another kind of movement? Do 
you know whether the experiment has ever been tried? 
Maine. Q- s. p. 
ANSWERED BY PROF. F. H. KING. 
The fundamental principle which underlies the in¬ 
fluence of winds in the prevention of frost, is the ten¬ 
dency they have of preventing cold air from ac¬ 
cumulating at the surface of the ground. During still 
nights, when the air is clear, the tendency of the 
ground and all objects resting upon it, is to lose their 
heat rapidly by radiation through the clear air. above. 
As the temperature of the ground falls, and of objects 
resting upon it, they lower the temperature of the 
air which is in immediate contact with it, and when 
this a'ir becomes cool, it falls to the surface of the 
ground, and tends to flow along the surface of the 
ground in exactly the same way that water would 
flow, the cooled and heavier air running 'into the 
lower places, and collecting there. If the radiation is 
rapid enough so that the surface of the ground and 
the surface of objects upon it fall below 32 degrees, 
the air will be cooled down a corresponding amount, 
and unless there is wind enough to mix up the cold 
air with the higher, warmer air, and prevent it from 
collecting in low places, the danger is that frost may 
occur in favorable localities. 
With this principle stated, it will be clear to your 
correspondent that any device whatever sufficiently 
effective to do what winds do, and prevent cold air 
from gathering at the surface, would have the same 
tendency to prevent frosts that winds have. It must 
be kept in mind, however, that any device, to be 
equally effective with the wind, must be capable of 
doing approximately the same amount of work on the 
air in preventing stagnation. A sufficient number of 
whistles, or blowers of any type, which could create 
air currents would, in so far as they produced ef¬ 
fective currents, tend to prevent frost. The difliculty, 
however, in employing any such method is the ex¬ 
pense which is required in order to produce results of 
sufficient magnitude to be appreciable. 
It should be understood further in regard to the in¬ 
fluence of winds in preventing frosts, that they are 
effective only when the temperature of the upper air 
is above freezing. This will be clear to G. S. P. when 
it is recalled that the effect of the wind is only to 
change places with the air tending to collect upon 
the ground, and that which is lighter and occupying 
a higher level, and if the air at the higher level, which 
is to be brought to the surface by the winds, is al¬ 
ready below freezing, it is clear that no amount of 
wind would prevent frost. 
Wisconsin Exp. Station. 
THE WORK OF FALLING WATER. 
On page 542, S. E. B., in referring to my former 
article, says: 
A man here has a wheel of this kind in use where the 
fall is not over half an inch in 20 feet, and he pumps 
water for house and cuts feed for a horse—probably a 
full horse power. Two feet fall in 20 is a fair-sized 
stream, and would give a great deal of power, properly 
harnessed. Current wheels are not novelties in the West, 
many being used for irrigation. 
The power of falling water is not a matter of ques¬ 
tion, but one of fact, as is the action of a pair of 
scales. Put a certain weight of water on the bucket 
of a water wheel, and it will lift such a certain weight 
on the other side, as may be attached to the wheel, 
and this weight may be in the form of a lot of iron or 
stone, or its equivalent in work done in turning ma¬ 
chinery. The actual force of one-horse power of a 
water wheel is made by 33,000 pounds of water falling 
one foot in a minute, or any equivalent quantity of 
water and time. Thus 1,000 pounds of water falling 33 
feet in a minute will be equivalent to one-horse power. 
Any ordinary water wheel will make only one-half of 
this force available, the other half being used up in 
the movement of the wheel of any ordinary kind. On 
this basis, it is a mere matter of figuring what power 
can be derived from any stream. Find the quantity 
of water in pounds flowing in one minute, and the 
height of fall in feet. Multiply these, and divide by 
33,000, and we have the whole horse power of the 
stream, and half of this may be considered the full 
available power. 
The statement of S. E. B. that one-horse power is 
gained by an undershot wheel with a fall of half an 
inch in 20 feet, is entirely incredible, simply because 
it is impossible, unless the water is brought an enor¬ 
mous distance, and there is an enormous quantity of 
it, or the wheel is of enormous width. The proper 
harnessing of a fall of water is, of course, important, 
but such a fall as two feet in 20 with an undershot 
wheel is, as stated in my communication, of practic¬ 
able use only where there is a good-sized stream, and 
the water is raised only a small height, as when the 
water is used for irrigation. This method of working 
a water wheel for this purpose is a common thing in 
arid countries, and has been so for thousands of years. 
Indeed, this process is so simple that it needs very 
little mechanical skill to invent and operate. But no 
mechanical engineer would recommend any such 
power for any other purpose than turning a current 
wheel, which would give, probably, one-fourth of one- 
horse power or less, and most of this will be exhaust¬ 
ed in the mere inertia of the wheel. h. s. 
ALL SORTS. 
POTATO BEETLES AND TUBERS.—Last week we 
referred to Potato beetles that eat the tubers. Read¬ 
ers will remember the discussions last year, when 
Prof. Slingerland stated that he had never seen Po¬ 
tato beetles at work upon the tubers. As we could not 
bring the Professor to Hope Farm, and show him the 
kind of hunger our New Jersey bugs work up during 
tuis pleasant weather, we have done the next best 
thing, and had a photograph taken of what is left of 
a June Eating potato. A dozen bugs have worked on 
this potato for several days, and there is not much 
left of it to suit the eye of the average potato buyer. 
There are the bugs and there are the evidences of 
their work! They fairly chased us in from the field 
this year, and in some cases climbed to the highest 
point in the barn, where we stored a number of 
choice potatoes. We have never before observed them 
so numerous and greedy at this season of the year. 
Dr. Halsted, of the New Jersey Experiment Station, 
writes that this is no new thing. He said: “The other 
day I thought I would see whether Potato bugs would 
AFTER NEW FOOD ! Fig. 255 
enjoy a taste of raw eggplant, and quartered a small 
fruit and left the pieces on the ground. A half hour 
later I counted 33 upon the fruit, and they were there 
not simply for air and scenery.” As that is a larger 
story than we are able to tell about the potatoes, we 
simply print the picture without another word. 
MELONS AND DEER.—Some of the Oklahoma 
farmers who are growing watermelons have filed a 
complaint with the territorial game warden against 
deer. For two years, the shooting of deer has been 
absolutely prohibited in the Territory, and some of 
these melon farmers complain that herds of deer come 
every night and eat all the ripe melons. They are 
forbidden by law to shoot or capture the animals, 
and they demand from the game warden some pro¬ 
tection for their crops. Some of the farmers on 
the eastern end of Long Island could sympathize with 
their suffering brothers in Oklahoma; very serious 
complaints were made last Spring of depredations by 
deer in that locality, the animals being protected for 
five years. 
BLACK-KNOT.—Two years ago I found some 
black-knot on a plum tree. To remove it by cutting 
off the limbs would greatly disfigure the trees. The 
idea occurred to me to cover it w>ith a plastic salve 
that would prevent the spores being cast off, and thus 
prevent any farther increase. I mixed equal parts of 
kerosene, lard and resin, melted together, then ap¬ 
plied with a swab, covering completely the enlarge¬ 
ment. I watched to see whether the knot continued 
to grow and in the Fall gave another thorough ap¬ 
plication. In the Spring, the knots were scraped off 
easily. Now the bark is growing over the bare spots, 
and will soon cover the places made bare by the knots. 
Lard and resin alone may be equally serviceable. The 
object is to smother the spores of the knot with a 
pliable substance that will remain until the cure is 
effected. There is no guesswork about this; it does 
the work: c< M> 
Onondaga County, N. Y. 
September 30 
POTATO GROWING IN KANSAS. 
Methods and Tools That Help Out. 
Part II. 
PICKING UP.—Nine pickers are employed to pick 
up, with eight stations. The pickers usually keep up 
with the digger, but every row can be thrown out if 
not picked up even with the digger. Two large horses 
draw the digger, and each picker has a wire-bailed 
half-bushel basket to pick up in, that lets all small 
potatoes and dirt fall through. Two hundred bushel 
crates are strung along the field, and each picker puts 
his card into the crate he empties into. At 11 A. M., 
and 6 P. M., the broad-framed low-down wagon is 
driven into the field with four large horses, and the 
pickers set 100 crates on at a load, the driver keeping 
the cards, and driving. Two loads are made, and the 
pickers take the crates into the storage building, and 
empty them so that the pickers actually put the tubers 
into the bin at one handling. All sizes are picked up, 
and the wages are three cents per bushel, the pickers 
boarding thmselves. A 14-year-old boy will make $1 
to $1.20 per day, and this crew will put a car-load 
into the storage room in a day. The harrow is run 
over the field twice after the digger, and an average of 
five bushels per acre is secured at a cost of nine 
cents per bushel for picking up, making the total cost 
of putting the tubers into the storage bin V/ 2 cents 
per bushel. 
These potatoes are put in the bin eigkt feet deep, at 
a temperature of about 96 degrees, and cold air from a 
deep well is forced up through them by an air- 
pump, this air being about 60 degrees, and the water 
in the well 57 degrees. The doors to the storage 
building are shut, but the ventilators are left open, or 
else this cold air would cause too much moisture in 
the potatoes. After being cooled off, the doors are 
opened at night, and a draught blows through the 
building. The storage building holds 3,000 bushels, 
is built of stone with double walls and four-inch air 
space between the walls, double, floors above packed 
with 20 thicknesses of paper, and three inches of sand 
(smelter-grit). 
COLD-STORAGE PLANS.—It is my plan to build a 
stone ice-house near this building, and allow the ice 
to melt and drain into the well, reducing the tem¬ 
perature of the water to about 35 degrees, and the 
air to 40 degrees. I shall also arrange to pump this 
cold air into the eating and sleeping rooms of the 
house. Compressed air at 125 pounds pressure will be 
turned into a coil of pipe that runs around 100 feet or 
more in the water in the well, thus cooling it off to 
the temperature of ice-water, and a small current will 
be allowed to flow through the storage building and 
house, especially in case of sickness. I hope, also, 
to complete a water system where the water is lifted 
by compressed air through an injector and pipes. The 
air-pump will be driven by a couple of colts on the 
tread power, 20 minutes per day being enough to 
store all air needed in 24 hours. Three horses on the 
power will do my daily grinding, and compress the air 
at the same time. 
In sorting potatoes, I have used two sorting ma¬ 
chines, run by horse power, of my own make, but 
they bruised the tubers some, and I now use a Pease 
sorting machine run by hand. Three men can accu¬ 
rately size, sack and pick out all bad tubers as fast 
as one of the men can shovel them into the hopper, 
or one to two car-loads per day. I usually supply the 
small towns near me with 40 bushels per load. Pota¬ 
toes always average 15 cents above Kansas City 
prices, or 40 cents per bushel now, with 45 if half 
cash, and 50 in trade. I always take flour and sugar, 
and have thousands of pounds on hand, and I pay 
all my store bills with it, that is, lumber, hardware, 
barber, preaching, drugs, repairs, etc. 
Allen Co., Kansas. j. c. Norton. 
Massachusetts has a law to protect shade trees in 
public places. This declares that whoever suffers a horse 
or other boast to break down, injure or destroy, any 
shade or ornamental tree, is liable to a fine of from $5 to 
$100. A man in Springfield was recently obliged to pay 
this fine. 
A Knowing Bird. —A western friend tells us that a 
certain species of California woodpecker drills a hole 
about the size of a nickel in the thick bark of pine trees, 
and wedges an acorn in each hole. When the rains come, 
the moisture softens the acorn, rendering it a congenial 
place for an insect to deposit its egg, which produces a 
worm. Then the woodpecker hunts out the worm, as 
food for its young in the breeding season. Is it true that 
the woodpecker thus makes use of the acorn as an in¬ 
cubator for providing food? 
Oleo in Michigan.— The Supreme Court of Michigan 
has handed down an opinion declaring that it is not a 
violation of the State statutes to color oleo with a harm¬ 
less substance. The State Dairy and Food Commissioner 
held that the act entitled “An act to prevent adultera¬ 
tion, fraud and deception in the manufacture and sale of 
oleomargarine,” was broad enough to prevent coloring, 
but the Supreme Court takes a different view. This de¬ 
cision is regarded as a victory for the oleo men. It is 
certainly a blow to Michigan’s dairy interests. 
