7i4 
October 1, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
alone. It is sometimes necessary to put water on the 
pile to prevent this heating. If this is done keep the 
pile in the form of a dish or saucer, hollowed at the 
center. Where the liquids are well absorbed and cow 
and horse manure are mixed it is not often necessary 
to add water. Have the manure stamped or packed 
down. It is a good plan to put the horse manure in the 
gutter behind the cows before it is thrown on the pile. 
It is a good absorbent and will hold liquids which might 
otherwise be wasted. It will be a good plan to keep a 
barrel of acid phosphate and a bag of kainit in the 
stable and use them behind the cattle. They will help 
preserve the manure and also add phosphoric acid and 
potash. We would not haul thoroughly rotted manure 
to the field until we were ready to grow a crop with it. 
Rotting the manure makes the nitrogen available. In 
fresh manure much of this nitrogen is not soluble and 
will not be lost when put in fair sized piles. When it 
has been well rotted the nitrogen becomes soluble in 
water, and is safer under cover, or in a large solid pile 
or plowed under ground. We should be quite willing 
to haul fresh manure at any time and spread it on level 
ground—sod preferred. On hillsides we would rather 
have it left in large piles until Spring. You cannot 
measure the value of manure water by its color, but 
probably you lost part of the value by leaching. We 
would rather put 10 loads in one pile and have the 
manure stamped down hard. Most of the manure used 
within 30 miles of New York comes from the city on 
cars and can be bought at any season. 
THE ALFALFA GROWS BETTER. 
My Alfalfa was sown on a narrow strip of land along 
the road. The fence posts are about 20 feet apart. Cross¬ 
wise of the strip I scattered earth from an old Alfalfa 
field in alternate sections marked by the fence posts. 
Then, leaving a wider space, I scattered a small quantity 
of earth in a narrow line across the strip. This earth 
came from a growing field of Alfalfa in California. I 
reported the first clipping, which I think was prema¬ 
ture. Crab grass seemed alter that to have the ascend¬ 
ency. At the second clipping we got a good crop 
of that grass with a very light sprinkling of A1 
falfa. Following that the growth of Alfalfa and of 
Crab grass was slow for some weeks. A species of 
Panicum also appeared, but made no greater growth 
than the others. Gradually the best of the Alfalfa has 
been showing its superiority and the grasses are taking 
their place as interlopers. The narrow strip strewn with 
California soil is quite marked. On both sides of it the 
Alfalfa has been apparently starved out. When we 
reach the line where the other soil was strewn the 
Alfalfa is vigorous, and continues so .not only on the 
alternate strips, but on those intervening, there being no 
apparent distinction. In the starved-out portions an 
occasional vigorous plant shows itself, and so does an 
occasional stool of Red clover, but the general appear 
ance indicates that the Alfalfa gave up the struggle and 
died for want of food. 
The seed germinates very promptly, and there follows 
a quick growth, which indicates to me the necessity of 
an abundant supply of quickly available food. The ap¬ 
pearance of the tubercles is at variance with the state¬ 
ment that inoculation from imported soil does not occur 
under a year. w. w. s. 
New Jersey. __ 
EXPERIENCE WITH HOT WATER HEATERS. 
After upwards of seven years’ experience I have never 
found a better method of heating a farm house than 
with hot water. My father bought this farm in 1839; 
the house, which was built in 1818, was extensively re¬ 
paired, the old chimney taken out, etc., 16 years ago. 
We have never used over six tons of coal during any 
season. We usually start a fire in the heater early in 
November, and keep it up late in the Spring, until about 
May 1, or even later, as we have small children in the 
family. I would not advise buying a second-hand 
boiler as I believe the first wear of any article to be the 
best. We have six radiators, four of them quite large, 
the largest in the hall downstairs also warms the hall 
upstairs. The radiators in the living rooms are just 
where we need them. We use them to dry the childrens’ 
shoes and stockings, rubber boots and other articles. If 
the radiators are hot, nothing is scorched or set on fire. 
The heater is partitioned off from the rest of the cellar, 
where vegetables are stored. This partition is made of 
boards. In extremely cold weather we leave the doors 
of the heater room open. The pipes in the cellar are not 
covered. They help keep the floors in the living rooms 
warm, and it makes but little difference with the tem¬ 
perature of the bottom of the cellar, where potatoes, etc., 
are kept. As we do not have running water in our farm 
buildings the water for the boiler, etc., is taken to the 
attic and put into the expansion tank. This takes nearly 
100 gallons. We usually draw off the water in the Fall 
and put in fresh—while this may not be necessary we be¬ 
lieve it is best to do so. Last Winter we forced the 
heater as we had never done before, and it stood the 
test admirably. We kept the house comfortable. 
With regard to some of the advantages of hot water 
heat, I am thoroughly convinced that it is the most 
healthful of any. The temperature is so equable and 
pleasant through the house—when we want the heat 
we can have it—when we do not need it we are not 
obliged to have it. In mild weather "a. smouldering 
fire will keep the house warm. Should the weather 
grow suddenly cold, as is liable to be the case in our 
New England climate, open the drafts, the water will 
soon get warmer. Sometimes during the Spring or 
Fall months we start a wood fire in the heater. We 
have run the heater with a good wood fire several days 
in succession, but do not make this a common practice, 
A 
F-'o-rF l tA (C. 
At-on-g- 
C n A 
B J-& n — ''r £r m f 
1; Hi l L,h “A 
I ~ X&ccYth. J 
GROUND PLAN OF CATTLE BARN. Fig. 314. 
See page 717. 
as it is more trouble. We do not often have the heat 
turned off from any of the rooms; sometimes we turn 
or partly turn off the heat in a sleeping room; this is 
easily regulated. It is less trouble to take care of a hot 
water heater than to take care of any stove I have ever 
seen; a few minutes morning and evening. In extreme¬ 
ly cold weather it might be well to attend to it at 
noon. In mild weather once a day will often suffice. 
Now with regards to freezing of the pipes—farmhouses 
are usually occupied during the Winter. If the house 
is abandoned draw off the water. My complete outfit 
cost $265. J- P. F - 
West Haven, C onn. 
PIPE WATER FROM SPRINGS. 
I have been much interested in reading the experi¬ 
ence of M. Morse and others in piping water for use at 
the buildings. In 1S90 I put in an inch iron pipe from a 
spring 800 feet from barn, six feet fall from level of 
spring to level of water in trough for stock, arranged 
as at Fig. 315. At no point is the pipe higher than in¬ 
let. Near the barn a T-joint gives us a pipe to house. 
PIPING THE SPRING. Fig. 315. 
water running constantly at both places. We have had 
trouble in warm weather and had to use force pump 
to clear the pipe. The fall is so slight the pipe grad¬ 
ually filled with rust, until the Spring of 1901, when we 
replaced with three-inch terra cotta with cement joints, 
and now draw the entire spring, which has never run 
less than 6,000 gallons, and never more than 24,000 gal¬ 
lons in 24 hours. Inlet at spring is in a barrel, and at 
the barn where the pipe rises to the trough is a small 
barrel with an open end to pipe, kept closed with plug 
except when wanted open to flush the pipe to clear off 
any sediment. This pipe is below frost most of the 
distance, except near the barn. The past Winter the 
frost was 12 inches below the pipe, but did not freeze 
within three inches of it. There is never any ice in 
water trough even when the temperature was 10 degrees 
below zero. The leveling and work was all done by 
myself without the aid of anyone except -ordinary farm 
help. C. L. KNIGHT. 
Pennsylvania. 
On page 666 is an interesting article on “A syphon for 
drawing water.” I may suggest what I think will 
be a benefit to those who contemplate putting water in 
their houses and barns. To find the size of pipe re¬ 
quired as a main take the area of one-half the total 
number of outlets, it being taken for granted that 
not more than one half the total number will be open at 
one time and use that size as a standard to the last out¬ 
let. For example, I have eight l /-inch outlets. I should 
use one inch pipe, one one-inch pipe will deliver its full 
capacity when four jA-inch outlets are used. The area 
of one y 2 -inch outlet is .19635; four times that area is 
.7854, the area of one one-inch pipe. If inlet at well 
is always kept under the surface and we have no leaks 
we will never get air in main pipe. If waste cock (so 
called) is left open we lose head on all outlets beyond. 
If said cock is desired let it be at the farther end of main 
pipe. I can see no possible objection to using galvanized 
iron pipe; it is much cheaper and more easily handled. 
Run pipe from well to house as straight as possible, so 
as to reduce friction and consequent loss of head. With 
the flow of three gallons per minute mentioned in Mr. 
Morse’s article, it is a self-evident fact that his pipe 
is far too small. In his 1,600 feet of one-half-inch pipe, 
when .pipe is full and no outlets open, he has approxi¬ 
mately 32 gallons of water. At a delivery of three gal¬ 
lons in five minutes it must take 53^ minutes to draw 
the 1,600 feet. At the same ratio by using a one-inch 
pipe with y 2 - inch outlet we would get four times the 
head. The little diagram will give an explanation, Fig. 
316. P. 
New Jersey._ 
A STUDY OF NEW YORK CATTLE. 
SHORT-HORN TYPES.—There arc features at the 
State cattle show both interesting and instructive. I 
was chatting with an enterprising and intelligent young 
man while the judge was passing upon the Short-horns. 
He criticised some of my notions concerning the dual- 
purpose cow, saying he was breeding cows that were 
both good milkers and fine showy beef animals, and as 
a convincing proof of his position said: “I bred that 
year-old the judge is looking at.” She was really a 
fine, clean-cut beef heifer, but for milk production I 
would have been willing to wager on a Holstein steer 
as against her. It seems to me this show where the 
types are so prominently brought out is the place for 
dual-purpose students to come and reflect. 
HOLSTEIN STOCK.—The Holstein exhibit was a 
standing rebuke to the many breeders within 50 miles 
of Syracuse; only one exhibitor, Henry Stevens & Son, 
of Lacona. I heard many excuses offered, none of 
which seemed satisfactory. It was hinted that all was 
prearranged—I doubt it—I keep Holsteins and like them, 
but it is not easy to correlate the breeders’ statements of 
16 to 25 pound cows A. R. O., with the attitude of 
Holstein men upon the question of total solids in milk, 
the desire for an increase of which Holstein men seem 
to fight by intuition. It is very unfortunate that there 
is not a more general belief among farmers that official 
records are true. The trouble lies in the fact that be¬ 
fore the Babcock days, records were made by the mouth, 
and people have not forgotten those days. On the 
other hand farmers not familiar with scientific care and 
feed, have a very indefinite understanding of a modern 
dairy cow and her possible performance—another unfor¬ 
tunate circumstance is the fact that public tests for some 
reason taken as a whole fall short of private or semi- 
private records. 
BOOMING BROWN SWISS. The big muscular 
Brown Swiss were in evidence, and the breed contains 
many cows of sufficient merit to command respect. They 
are surely doing good work at St. Louis. But so far as 
my observation extends, the heavy milkers approximate 
very closely in their makeup to the milk type of the 
recognized dairy breeds. They are, however, very large, 
having great capacity, and are strong and vigorous. 
They possess a strong muscular development that might 
in the best cows be taken for a beef form, but which 
after all is not. Muscle is desirable in a dairy cow; 
she should be loose jointed, but these loose joints should 
be covered with the strongest of muscles. While I can 
see and recognize the merit in this breed and a far 
greater usefulness in the future, there is in my judg 
ment too much uncertainty from the great number of 
beefy animals still found in the breed. The longer they 
are bred in this country the more closely they will ap¬ 
proximate one type of a dairy cow, and lose their indi¬ 
viduality as a breed, lliere is one point in their devel¬ 
opment that breeders of dairy cows could copy with ad 
vantage, and that is the calving at three years old in¬ 
stead of two. Intensified milk production is inclined to 
couple with it early breeding, and so we find some of the 
best Jersey strains, and they were shown at the Fair, are 
ready to breed at # six to seven months old. This weak¬ 
ness would necessarily have to run its course and per¬ 
mit the “survival of the fittest" to solve the problem 
were not the whole future of these animals in the hands 
of men. It seems a mistake to perpetuate the precocity 
at the expense of future vitality and disease resisting 
force. Bodies are destroyed by the product of their 
own existence. So the tendencies of breeders will, if 
not checked, nullify their usefulness. To illustrate: 
The Holsteins to give poor milk; the Jerseys to be 
small, weak and effiminate; the Aryshires to bred off 
the teats; the Guernseys to a lack of constitution—and 
the Short-horns, Brown Swiss and Red Polls to beef. 
TYPES WANTED.—the extreme of any type is to 
be avoided, because it means that sacrifice of some valu¬ 
able feature has been necessary. One has only to study 
the Dutch Belted to understand what one non-essential 
idea means if long perpetuated. The color of these 
animals has now become so positively fixed, it does seem 
that a careful selection might improve them. The Polled 
Jerseys are certainly showing improvement and the ex¬ 
hibit contained animals of strong constitution and large 
capacity, such animals as any man would be glad to own. 
