5o6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 2 , 
the crop flourishing on rocky hillsides where there was 
barely 18 inches of soil above the solid rock. Where 
the Alfalfa obtained its footing in such soils was a 
mystery. The sight of an Alfalfa field in bloom is one 
long to remember, and is enough to make any farmer 
determine to do all he can to fix the crop on his farm. 
COB PIPE CORN. 
The cut on first page, Fig. 216, shows in exact size a 
section of the Missouri cob-pipe corn mentioned by 
Prof. Waters in a recent issue of The R. N.-Y. It is 
easy to see that the profit in this corn is not in the 
grain, as some of it is nearly 50 per cent cob. Part of 
the cob is very dense and tough, a little ring surround¬ 
ing the pith being harder than hickory, and nearly fire* 
proof. It is this that makes it of value as pipe timber. 
Probably the corncob pipe used by Mrs. Jack Means, of 
the Hoosier Schoolmaster, was from this variety or 
its ancestors, as it has long been known in the West. 
About 25 years ago commercial cob-pipe making was 
begun. The business has grown until well toward 100,- 
000.000 of these Missouri meerschaums are sold annu¬ 
ally. The use of tobacco has little to commend it, but 
there is one “mitigating circumstance”—the fact that 
the smokei who uses the cob pipe pays a substantial 
tribute to agriculture, and he does it cheerfully, as he 
thus gets the best cheap pipe in the world. 
BOARDS FOR DRAINS. 
While tile is the standard material for use in under¬ 
drainage of farms, there are often circumstances where 
boards make a desirable substitute. Places which are 
remote from where tile are manufactured, and, in con¬ 
sequence, where they are expensive on account of 
freight, are likely to have lumber at hand comparatively 
cheap. Almost any kind of second-class lumber is 
suitable for making a board drain, as when wood is 
placed beneath the surface some distance, especially 
where it remains moist, it becomes very lasting. Every¬ 
one has noticed that when fence posts are removed 
on account of decay at the surface of the ground the 
bottoms are found comparatively sound. At places 
where the bottom of the ditch is miry or quicksandy 
tile will sometimes get out of line unless collars are 
used, and they add to the expense. They may also be 
disturbed by deep entering frost, which may even dis¬ 
integrate an tmglazed section, and thus ruin the whole 
system. These various defects are almost entirely ob¬ 
viated in the case of boards. 
It has been the writer’s observation that nine-tenths 
of the drains meet with some mishap other than the 
decay of the material of which they are constructed. 
Besides the faults mentioned above, there are the stop¬ 
pages caused by entering roots or the accumulation of 
silt, the burrowing of animals and the breaking down 
and filling in of the outlet. Some of these defects are 
peculiar to tile and some to board drains, while some 
are common to both. Another thing about tile drains 
is that they require more than the average farmer’s 
skill to construct properly from beginning to end. At 
least it is true that more care is required in the opera¬ 
tion than is the case with the use of boards. I have 
placed many feet of board drains, and have always been 
satisfied with them. I use five and six-inch boards, 
nailing the wider board to the narrow one, making a 
trough which is laid inverted in the bottom of the ditch. 
No board is necessary for them to rest on. Unless the 
joints fit closely they should be covered with short pieces 
of boards. Board drains require a little more fall than 
tile drains. More drains become defective from failure 
properly to care for the inlet and the outlet than from 
any other cause. A flat stone should be placed against 
the upper end, closing it as tightly as any portion along 
the line. If this is not done dirt will work its way 
in and finally choke the opening. If it is desired that 
the drain should take some surface water which cannot 
be readily diverted some other way, a silt well should be 
made, extending to a depth two feet below the level of 
the drain. The sediment will settle in this instead of 
passing on into the drain, and it will have to be cleaned 
out perhaps once a year. At the outlet some mason 
work will be good economy. A retaining wall of stone 
about six feet long and laid with hydraulic cement 
should protect the face of the ditch where the drain 
comes out, as shown in the diagram. It prevents the 
dirt falling down and obstructing the outlet, and, in 
case of board drains or horseshoe tile, keeps the ground 
beneath the last few feet of the drain from washing out, 
causing a displacement of the drain itself. Over the 
outlet should, in all cases, be securely fastened a screen 
of heavy galvanized netting to keep out all “varmints.” 
GRANT DAVIS. 
PLANS FOR BARN BUILDING. 
I have here a barn 50x124 feet, originally built for sheep. 
One long side is a stone wall with small windows on top; 
the other three walls are double hoard. I would like to 
change this barn to hold 40 or 50 cows, stalls for calves, 
box stalls for cows and mares, six to eight horses, and as 
many brood sows as it would be well to have with number of 
cows (in the butter business) stated as well as pigs grown 
from same; all this to go into basement, which is open on 
three sides to sun and air. Silo is attached to center of the 
long side made of stone wail. If better so, I would partition 
off the different kinds of animals stated. This basement has 
doors for a driveway in the short sides eight feet wide, 
there being 10 feet on one and 22 feet on other side. I give 
plan of barn herewith. Floor above has a tank from which 
water is piped down stairs. I would also like suggestions 
how to arrange floor above; about one-third of space in 
32-foot mow is occupied by tank and granary. It occurs to 
me that if barn is too large that a Winter laying part for 
hens might be put in and separated by wire netting from 
other stock. c. R. 
Shesbequin, I'a. 
The location is ideal. The stone wall upon the east 
side will not materially interfere with sunlight. During 
the time that cows arc kept in and especially need sun¬ 
light the south and west sides admit it. Use windows 
enough to provide one square foot of window space 
to each 100 cubic feet of air space. This is a trifle 
more than ordinarily necessary, but the barn is wide, 
and must receive the greater part of the light from the 
south and west sides. The barn is 14 feet wider than 
it should be to cut up to advantage. I have therefore 
placed a row of box stalls, b, b, 10 x 12 feet; they can 
be used for calves, colts or horses. The large stall, a, 
is 12 x 20 and would make a fairly good Winter hen¬ 
house, lacking, of course, sunlight, but having the ad¬ 
vantage of warmth from the cows and horses. There is 
no objection to hens in this stable if they are kept as 
clean as the cows. They should be cleaned out at 
least once a week, and plaster or S. C. rock used to take 
up the ammonia. A passage, g-g-g, six feet wide at the 
silo and 3U> feet where it crosses the cow platforms 
will make feeding easy. It would be less work to feed 
if the long row of cows was upon the silo side. 1 
should, however, prefer the extra labor rather than to 
lose the direct rays of the sun, which the horse and 
box stalls would partially cut off. The partitions around 
the stalls should not be over four feet high, and then if 
necessary use iron lattice work above that; c, c, c, c, 
represents six horse stalls five feet wide, including par¬ 
titions ; h, is a small stall that can be used for hay 
storage each 24 hours for the horses, dropping easily 
from the drive floor above. This convenience saves 
much time in a two-story barn running up to feed the 
horses three times a day. The feeding alley, e, e, on 
S 
the side next the box stalls, is wider, giving ample 
room to get to and into these stalls without con¬ 
taminating the manger; it will be about It feet; on 
the side of the long row of cows six feet, '['lie plat¬ 
form, d, d, must be made to suit the cows; large Hol- 
steins five feet in width, smaller cows less, varying 
down to four feet six inches. 
The gutter, i, i, is eight inches deep next the cows 
and six inches on the back, and 16 inches wide; f, f, f, 
is the manure drive, eight feet wide. It could be made 
nine feet if desirable, and narrow the box stalls that 
much. Room will be provided in the 88 feet in length 
for about 40 cows, depending upon the size. Large 
Holsteins should have four feet in the clear, smaller 
cows less, and so the length of the utilized space can 
be increased, and if 50 Holsteins are to be stabled nearly 
the whole length of the present building will be needed, 
together with the stalls shown. This space, j, j, of 
whatever size can be utilized for storage or sheep or 
hogs if the man who cares for them keeps them per¬ 
fectly clean. There are so many degrees of cleanliness 
that one hardly dares advise in such matters without 
knowing the human nature to be dealt with. Use a 
concrete floor over the whole surface. Build at least 
one dead-air space in the outside wall. Put in the King 
ventilation, which has been so frequently described in 
these columns, and the results ought to be satisfactory. 
_ H. E. COOK. 
CERTIFIED MILK. 
Much is being done by the Agricultural Department 
of New York State, and by the Agricultural College at 
Cornell, as well as by the efficient Experiment Stations; 
still there is a phase of the dairy question which needs 
effective co-operation. Every large sized town and city 
of this State should be a market for the best dairy prod¬ 
ucts, and this is the case to a large extent, but not with 
regard to certified or guaranteed milk. 
In New York City, where there are over 12,000 quarts 
of milk sold at a price which will average over 10 
cents per quart, this price is ever increasing, and the 
demand is frequently beyond the supply. There is not 
a town or place of 5,000 or over that should not have 
the “certified milk” delivered, and not a place where 
this should not be available. Physicians who have 
made a specialty of infant feeding, and have thus been 
led to study the problems of clean milk, all agree that 
far above any medicine or any other food obtainable, 
ranks clean milk. The ordinary milk will run as high 
as several million bacteria per cubic centimeter, whereas 
“certified milk” never runs over 30,000 bacteria per 
cubic centimeter, and is frequently less; this difference 
in the amount of bacteria is frequently the cause of 
many disturbances which take place in young children, 
and is the direct cause of cholera infantum, in many 
cases, and other specific stomach irregularities; certified 
milk is also a necessity for many sick and aged" people, 
and an important factor in maintaining a healthful con¬ 
dition in ordinary life; what food article is better or 
cheaper than clean milk? 
The State Department, whether from Albany or 
through the Cornell Agricultural College, should enlist 
the co-operation of the local boards of health, who 
should be able to influence and show the physicians 
who do not appreciate the value of clean milk, just 
what it can do for their patients and the community, 
and thus assist them. If the local boards of health or 
a number of the prominent physicians can be got to¬ 
gether to form a milk commission as in New York 
City, much has been accomplished, and the market 
is started. Then the farmer must be shown how. 
There are some details which are extremely important 
and these are all within the mastery of the enter¬ 
prising dairyman. The New York City Milk Com¬ 
mission have an inspector, Mrs. Coke, who has 
proved very efficient in visit in" the farms and showing 
the dairymen just what was necessary. There have been 
some objections to this matter being done by a woman, 
but this particular woman has overcome these very 
effectively, and has proven a blessing to many farms 
that she has visited, not only in assisting with the 
production of “certified mi' 1 -” but also in other ways. 
If the State could take up this work and employ such 
a fit person much good would result, and if the far¬ 
mers had this matter properly brought before them 
at conventions, Grange meetings and institutes, it 
would be a great educational work, as wed as giving the 
farmer a good price for his product. The result of 
this would be felt throughout the dairy industry of the 
State, as the more milk that is sold at a price bringing 
good returns to the farmer, the better will be the prices 
obtainable for other high-class products, such as cream, 
butter and cheese. 
A very valuable agenev in assisting the physicians 
throughout the State is found in the book written by 
the eminent specialist, Dr. H. D. Chapin, entitled “The 
Theory and Practice of Infant Feeding.” This is a 
book that every enterprising dairyman should possess; 
it is not only valuable in every household, but there 
are various chapters on milk which are important, and 
go to show how the specialists regard the importance 
of the milk question. There are other helpful books 
but not many dealing directly upon this subjects of 
“certified milk.” One of these is “Clean Milk,” by Dr. 
Belcher, with an introductory chapter by Dr. Parks. 
This is very helpful in the production of milk. The 
fifty dairy rules of the Dairy Division of the Agricul¬ 
tural Department of Washington, which were compiled 
by Prof. R. A. Pearson, now of Cornell University, 
form the foundation of much of the practical work 
which has been done along the line of producing clean 
milk. With Prof. Pearson at the Cornell Agricultural 
College, the dairy interests of New York State will 
certainly be greatly increased, and he will be especially 
helpful to all dairymen wishing to produce a pure 
sanitary milk. e. n. e. 
