432 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 27 
the grass up in 45 days. A word on Crimson clover. 
I used last year 300 pounds of Crimson clover seed 
in 20 or more fields of my own and others. The tests 
were full and complete, covering nearly every con¬ 
dition here. The result was a total failure. Crimson 
clover is worthless in this section. 
Connecticut. george m. clark. 
R. N.-Y.—The grass reached us safely, and is just as 
described by Mr. Clark. The best of it is fully three 
feet long, and is all of excellent quality. 
CIVIL ENGINEERING FOR BOYS ON THE FARM. 
Part V. 
To Run a Line of Levels and Do the Figuring. 
We will presume that you have the line staked out 
as previously directed, and that the line is clear, with¬ 
out any brush in the way to interfere with the work. 
You will need a little blank book, and a pencil to 
keep the notes. The book should have the left-hand 
page ruled into six columns for the figures, and the 
right-hand page is to note down any explanatory 
remarks that you wish to make. The first column on 
the left-hand page, is for the numbers of the stakes, 
and the second column is to contain the record of the 
rod readings or observations, as they are frequently 
called. Mark the top of the first column “ Sta,” and 
the second “Rod Rdg.” The use of the other columns 
will be explained as we come to them in the example 
to be worked out. 
Everything being ready, set up the leveling instru¬ 
ment in or near the line as far away from the start¬ 
ing point as you can clearly see the target on the rod, 
to have it placed at the exact level. While you are 
getting the instrument ready, the rodman holds up 
his rod on the hub at the starting point, and when 
ready you get the rod reading at that point as prev¬ 
iously directed. It being the starting point of the 
line, the stake is marked 0, and you put that down in 
the “Sta” column, and opposite it in the nextcolumn, 
the rod reading. When you have it down, you would 
better take another observation on the same point, to 
be sure that you have not made any mistakes. The 
rodman then moves up to “Sta” 1, and you get and 
note down its rod reading in the same manner. So he 
goes on from stake to stake in their order, passing 
you and getting as many rod readings as can be taken 
without moving the instrument. When you have 
taken the last rod reading thabcan be had from where 
you are, the rodman stops where he is until you have 
moved your level on beyond him, when he holds up 
the rod a second time on the same point, and you take 
another reading from it. This second reading is taken 
for the purpose of finding out what the new height 
of the instrument is, since you moved it. In the 
“ Sta” column mark it as a + sight because the rod 
reading has to be added to the height of the point on 
which the rod stands to find out how high the instru¬ 
ment is. 
Now let us go back to the beginning and put down 
the rod readings so far as you have taken them and 
figure it up. After that, you can go on with the 
leveling and figuring as far as needful, as the further 
work is only a repetition of the same kind of a pro¬ 
cess We will suppose that the rod you have been 
using is marked off into feet and tenths for con¬ 
venience, and that the readings have been taken to the 
nearest half tenth, which is close enough for all 
ordinary leveling. The slight errors this causes in 
the readings are as likely to be one way as the other, 
and in the long run will offset or balance each other. 
We will now put down the rod readings, as for this 
example, we will suppose that you have taken them, 
and figure everything out, putting each item in its 
appropriate column which will be explained as we go 
along : 
Left-Hand Page. 
Right-Hand Page. 
c3 
bl 
'V 
ps 
o 
eight of 
istrument. 
eight of 
Sta. 
rade. 
Height. 
P 
Remarks. 
w 
as 
W 
O 
O 
0 
3.75 
103.75 
ICO 00 
96.00 
4.0oJ 
J Top of hub at surface of water 
( one foot deep. 
1 
3.25 
100.50 
95.80 
4.70 
2 
2.60 
101.15 
95.60 
5.55 
In hard, stony land. 
3 
1.20 
102.55 
95.40 
7.15, 
c4 
2.80 
100.95 
95.20 
5.75, 
-fsi 
5 
1.25 
2.00 
102.20 
166.26 
95.00 
5.20, 
6 
3.20 
99.00 
94.80 
4.20 
Edge of Marsh. 
+50 
4.40 
97.80 
94.70 
3.10, 
Bottom of water course. 
7 
3.40 
98.80 
94 60 
4.20 
Enter willow swamp. 
c8 
3.70 
98.50 
94.40 
4.10, 
-fsi 
9 
1.05 
2.30 
100.15 
97.85 
94.20 
3.65 
10 
3.15 
97.00 
94.00 
3.00 
BM 
2.45 
97.70 
IBM on top of rock 40 feet to 
j right of sta. 10 . 
In ordinary leveling, we do not care anything 
about the absolute height of the different points 
—that is, how far they are above the center of the 
earth or above the level of the sea. It is the relative 
height we are after. We wish to know how they com¬ 
pare with each other. If we take the starting point 
of the levels as a base from which to make our 
figures, we may, very likely, find that some points 
in the line are higher and others lower than it 
is. Such a state of things is confusing, and likely 
to cause mistakes in the figures. To avoid this, 
it is customary to assume some arbitrary point from 
which to start the figures, the level of which is called 
the datum of the survey. The datum is selected so 
that it shall be certain that no point in the line 
shall be below it. In this case, we have assumed 
a datum 100 feet below Sta. 0, or in other words, 
we assume that the top of the hub at Sta. 0 is 100 
feet high. So we put down 100.00 feet in column 
4 for the height of Sta. 0. We next find the 
height of our instrument by adding the rod reading 
at Sta. 0 to the assumed height of that point, and 
find (100 00 + 3.75) that it is 103.75 feet. Put this down 
in column 3 When you know the height of a station, 
add the rod reading to it, and that will give the height 
of the instrument and vice versa. When you know 
the height of the instrument, subtract the rod read¬ 
ing, and it will give the height of the station. 
In this case, we have found the height of the instru¬ 
ment, so we simply subtract the rod readings at the 
several stations from it as far down as Sta. 4, and put 
down the remainder in column 4. Sta. 4 we have 
marked with a c to show that, when we reached that 
point, the position of the instrument was changed. 
Having moved the instrument, it is necessary to find 
its new height, and as we know the height of Sta. 4, 
we take another rod reading on it ( + si) which, added 
to the height of the station, gives us the new height 
of the instrument. Every time the position of the 
instrument is changed when running a line of levels, 
you must get its new height by taking a rod reading 
on some point whose height is known. Otherwise, 
there will be a break in the connection. It is not 
necessary to follow these figures any further, as it 
would be repeating the same process. 
Michigan. frank hodgman. 
KILLING HORNS WITH CAUSTIC POTASH. 
WHEN AND HOW TO DO IT. 
What to Use; Where to Use It. 
On page 411, a reader in Missouri stated that his ex¬ 
perience in killing the horns on young calves had not 
been uniformly successful. lie used the common 
pencil or caustic potash, and asked for the experience 
of others. The following notes have been received : 
How the Work is Done. 
Preventing the growth of horns on young calves by 
the use of caustic potash, is a simple matter if the 
operation is properly performed at the proper time. I 
have applied the stick caustic potash to the budding 
horns of young calves many times successfully. 
Certain precautions are necessary to insure success. 
First, the caustic should be applied as early in the 
life of the calf as the little horn or button can be 
located. Second, the hair should be carefully clipped 
away from the youug horn, and the caustic thor¬ 
oughly rubbed in. Third, care should be taken not to 
apply the caustic to the surface of the skin except 
over the little horn. 
When the operation is properly performed, it is neces¬ 
sary to clip but very little hair from over each horn. 
Six or eight drops of the saturated solution of the 
caustic applied to each horn and well rubbed in, are 
amply sufficient to prevent further growth. If the 
application be carefully made, a casual observer 
would not notice at any time, that an operation had 
been performed on the calf. My practice has been to 
clip the hair closely from over the budding horn, 
moisten the little button with strong soapsuds or 
ammonia water, then dip the stick of caustic potash 
in a dish of water, withdrawing it and holding it for 
a moment that the adhering drop may become thor¬ 
oughly saturated with the potash, and rub it carefully 
over the little button. This was repeated three or 
four times. The other horns were then treated in the 
same manner. After treating both horns, the process 
was again repeated, giving from six to eight drops to 
each horn. This, if properly applied, will be suffi¬ 
cient to prevent future growth. In handling this 
stick potash a bit of paper or cloth should be 
wrapped about the stick grasped by the hand. 
In the successful performance of this operation, it 
is necessary to do thorough work, and best to accom¬ 
plish this, the operator should have an assistant to 
hold the calf, unless means are provided for tying the 
calf during the operation. I have detected no great 
difference in the caustic used. This was obtained at 
various times from the chemical laboratory, and was 
the commercial stick caustic potash. I am told that 
this does not vary greatly in strength. The difference 
supposed to be in the potash, I imagine was due to 
the application, and not to the caustic. When asked 
if concentrated lye would not answer the same pur¬ 
pose as the caustic potash, the answer has been that 
it undoqbtedly would, with the suggestion that it be 
given a fair trial. Reports from such trials have been 
very satisfactory, indeed. george c. watson. 
An Awful Practice—with Hot Iron. 
W. II. R.’s experience in stopping the growth of 
horns on young calves, is the same as mine, and I 
believe, from observation, the same as that of most 
people that have used, not only caustic potash, but 
different preparations for the same purpose. I don’t 
apprehend that W. II. R.’s failure was because of un¬ 
certain strength of the caustic potash. There should 
be a certain and sure rule to go by when one wfishes 
to dishorn the calves. The horn grows in two parts— 
the outside or shell horn grows from the hide or skin 
denuded of flesh and hair, and would be a very poor 
weapon, but for the bone horn that grows inside of 
the shell horn, and is developed from the matrix or 
head bone. To make a sure thing, both the shell and 
the bone horn must have an application that scalds or 
burns enough to kill the growth of both. We have 
used caustics, and killed the outside or shell horn, 
but did not burn deep enough, and the bone horn 
would develop and grow a stub horn from the matrix. 
We have burned deep enough to stop the life of the 
bone horn, but not broad enough across the hide, and 
the shell horn would develop and grow a loose stub 
from the hide. When the horn or stub grows from 
the head bone or matrix, it is solid and firm ; when it 
grows from the hide separate from the bone horn, it 
will be loose—in either case, it is unsightly. 
Whatever one use, whether caustic potash, acids or 
horn killer, it has to do just what a red-hot iion has 
to do, nothing more or less. I make an iron about 
the shape of a clay pipe, but solid iron, only a good 
deal larger; the large end is one or I %-inch across, 
made quite oval. Press the hot iron on the embryo 
horn, and the iron being oval, will burn a countersink 
into the head bone. Then with a rag, or even the 
naked thumb, push away the burnt sediment, then 
one can see and feel just what has been done. If there 
be still the little bone horn to be felt in the center, 
burn until it cannot be felt. If there be a hard horn 
substance to be felt on either side of where it has 
been burnt, burn that until it cannot be felt. When 
that is accomplished, success will follow every time. 
As to the age of calf, the sooner, the less there is to 
burn ; it can be done to calves two or three months old. 
Cattaraugus County, N. Y. o. n. smith. 
Some Experiences with “Horn Killer 
My experience in preventing horn growth on calves, 
has been confined to the use of “ Horn Killer,” with 
which I have had good success. I have used it each 
year for six years, and the only failures (?) that 1 
have had were the following : Five years ago, I left 
a calf until it was six weeks old before applying it. 
Each of the horns has grown slowly, but they are 
not x>erfect; the cow has, while in pasture, knocked 
each of them off close to the head at least twice, and 
to-day is a model mulley. A calf treated three years 
ago, bore one horn, and that but little stunted, while 
the other one was completely killed. I see no reason 
why any application that will kill one horn of a calf, 
will not kill the other horn of the same calf, and the 
only way that 1 can account for this case, is that the 
remedy was wiped from one side of the head while 
being applied to the other. The other case of ill- 
success with it was on a calf dropped November I, 
1895, and left till November 29, when the killer was 
applied first to a young calf, and the little that was left 
in the bottle put on the “ buttons ” of the older one. 
Her horns are much stunted, but it will be necessary 
to saw them off a year hence. The manufacturer of 
this preparation claims that it contains nei ther potash 
nor acid, and as I never used caustic potash, my ex¬ 
perience is not much to the point. G. G. gibbs. 
New Jersey. 
Two Brief Horn Killing Notes. 
At first, we, like W. H. R., were not completely suc¬ 
cessful in preventing the growth of horns on young 
calves by the use of caustic potash. Later, since we 
have taken more care to remove from the point to be 
treated, the hair, all dirt, exudations, etc., that is, 
make the skin perfectly clean, we have had uniformly 
complete success. It is possible that the caustic 
potash used by W. H. R. was variable in quality, but 
from our own experience, I am inclined to think that 
the failures were due to not shaving and cleaning the 
parts thoroughly to which the potash was applied, 
for, with the same potash which failed with us, we 
secured success when we were careful to do the work 
most thoroughly. i. p. Roberts. 
Although I have dishorned cattle for years, I have 
never attempted to remove the buttons with caustic. 
I have neighbors who have tried it, but not with 
uniform success, as a deformed horn frequently starts. 
1 think that a nice time to dishorn stock is when they 
are a year old past, and the horn is 1% to 2% inches 
long, with either clippers or saw, preferably clippers, 
which make a close cut, and that ends it for all time. 
Orange County, N. Y. m, ii. c. Gardner. 
