1906. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
3o3 
THE FARM CEMENT QUESTION. 
The use of cement is spreading rapidly for various forms 
of farm work. We would like the experience of farmers who 
have actually done the work regarding the following: 
Will some of the readers of The R. N.-Y. give full 
instruction for building, from field stone and cement, a 
storage tank of 100 barrels capacity for storing water 
pumped by a windmill? Tank to be built on a rise of 
ground. C. B. 
New York. 
Building Concrete Walks. 
I have watched the columns of The R. N.-Y. since 
becoming a subscriber to see some detailed directions 
for the construction of concrete walks, but have over¬ 
looked them if they have appeared. Will some one, 
with experience in their construction, describe the pro¬ 
cess? How deep should trench be dug? How deep 
should the broken stone be in trench before concrete 
mixture is applied? How thick should the concrete 
mixture be and what the maximum quantities of finely 
crushed stone and clean sharp sand that can be given 
to a measure of Portland cement? Will the rock dust 
in the grgund stone do any damage or should it be sifted 
out? I trust these questions will prompt some one to 
give to your readers a formula for this work that will 
be safe, and for which the cost will be the minimum. 
Virginia. _ D. d. c. 
A RUBBER PLANT IN COLORADO. 
A recent news item gave an account or a goat that died 
mysteriously in Colorado. Quantities of rubber were found 
in this goat’s stomach, and investigation showed that it 
had eaten of a certain wild plant. Anything that a goat 
cannot digest is certainly enduring, and the story of it 
ought to hold water, so the plant was examined and found 
to contain rubber! That %vas the story, and we wrote Prof. 
L. G. Carpenter of the Colorado College for the facts about 
this plant. Here is his reply: 
I do not know how true the reputed fate of the goat 
was, or the cause as due to the rubber plant. I presume 
there is a good deal of imagination in that particular 
story. It is true, however, that we have a rubber plant 
in Colorado, and that the plant is being investigated as 
a possible source for rubber. I have seen rubber in 
considerable quantities that was said to come from 
this rubber plant. The rubber is in the root. The 
plant grows wild in the mountains on the arid lands, 
and is a weed. There were some efforts made to start 
a factory at Buena Vista, and now they are talking of 
one at Durango in this State. I never have met the 
people who are directly interested in this enterprise, 
but have understood that the difficulties standing in the 
way have mostly been in the mechanical extraction of 
the rubber. J. E. Payne, who was connected with our 
Station for a number of years on the Plains investiga¬ 
tions, was employed by the rubber company at Buena 
Vista last year to see if the plant could be put under 
cultivation and an increase in yield be obtained so as 
to make it have better commercial prospects. The 
plant is of genus Actinilla, of the Compositae family. 
I do not know that the rubber people have been trying 
to get the public to invest, but seem to have thought 
that they had an article which needed development in 
order to make its commercial extraction possible. As 
the rubber is said to be entirely in the root, I presume 
that the goat story has very little basis of fact. I have 
heard, though in rather a shadowy way, that the root 
of the plant has been used by the Mexicans as a sort 
of gum. _ L. G. CARPENTER. 
ARE " WATER-GLASS” EGGS DANGEROUS 
I have watched with interest your hearty advocacy of 
“water-glass eggs.” I have wondered whether you have 
ever had such eggs tested chemically, or have knowl¬ 
edge of such tests. Evidently the contents of the shell 
before and after such treatment are not the same. As 
is said in your recent issue, these contents are “more 
watery”; and the water glass around the eggs, on stand¬ 
ing in Summer especially, acquires “a strong odor.” 
I hcse facts show that both water glass and egg is 
changed. These changes must result from an inter¬ 
change between the egg content and the water glass, a 
change due to osmosis. Part of the egg content has 
passed out into the preserving fluid, and part of the 
water glass has passed into the egg. Just how large a 
portion in either case seems not to have been deter¬ 
mined. The eggs on standing after being taken out 
allow some of the water of solution that had passed in 
from the preservative to evaporate out, thus, getting 
rid of the objectionable “watery condition/’ But the 
sodium silicate itself does not evaporate out. It is true 
that sodium silicate is not classed among poisons. Yet 
m its very nature it strikes one as being a substance not 
especially desirable for mixing with the digestive fluids. 
Since thousands of dozens of eggs doubtless will be put 
up this Summer in this strongly-recommended preserva¬ 
tive, will it not be well to publish any examination of 
contents of eggs preserved in water glass that may have 
been made by our food authorities; and if such analyses 
have not been made, to urge their making at an early 
date? You speak of washing the shell before using; but 
the small amount that might thus chance to get into the 
contents is probably insignificant as compared with what 
may possibly have entered the other way. Personally 
I should not care to make a regular diet of “water-glass 
eggs” until I knew whether with them I was consuming 
water glass, and if so in what quantity. 
Illinois. R. o. GRAHAM. 
R. N.-Y.—We have not been able to find any analysis 
of the water-glass eggs. They will be tested this season. 
GOOD HOGS BUT FOOlt FEEDING. Fig. 124. 
Our own opinion is that the danger, if any, is very small. 
We shall be glad to hear from chemists who have tested 
the matter. _ 
A CISTERN OF CEMENT. 
In reply to an inquiry in a recent R. N.-Y. a writer 
advises brick in the construction of cisterns. With brick 
shaped for the purpose and every brick a hard-burned 
one a cistern may be made that is reliable. In any ordi¬ 
nary soil that will “stand up alone” one entirely of 
cement can easily be constructed without skilled labor. 
Many have been so constructed in my neighborhood. If 
a cistern of say six or eight feet in diameter is wanted, 
two sets of segments, say each two feet high, are needed 
of the required diameter. Each circle is made up of six 
parts—each part consists of a top and bottom circular 
cut board and the two-foot narrow strips are securely 
nailed to the outside to make one-sixth of the proposed 
circle. When done the segments are placed together 
and form a complete circle resembling a giant washtub, 
with perpendicular sides and no bottom. The last seg¬ 
ment is fastened to the first with hooks, and is so con¬ 
structed that it can be pulled inwards when it is to 
be removed. 
If a six-foot cistern is required proceed to dig, mak¬ 
ing an accurate circle of six feet eight inches. A deep 
cistern holds more water and preserves it better. A 
A WEALTH OF ROSES. Fig. 125. 
cistern about 11 feet deep gives us four changes of seg¬ 
ments, eight feet, and leaves three feet for the arch and 
earth covering. When cistern is dug the first set of 
segments is placed, leaving four inches of space on all 
sides. Proceed to fill this four-inch space with cement. 
Then place the second row of segments carefully on top 
of the first and fill behind these, thus securing four feet 
of cement wall. With care the cement may be rammed 
down without any soil admixture to injure it. After a 
few hours it will be found that the lower “tub” may be 
removed in pieces and placed above the upper one. 
Proceed to pack cement behind this till filled, and so on 
till you reach a point two feet or more below the sur¬ 
face of the ground. After the wall has set remove the 
segments and proceed to arrange for a concrete arch. 
On the bottom of the cistern place about four posts and 
upon the level top of these posts arrange lid to fit in¬ 
side of the pot you have constructed about three inches 
from the top of the cistern. The lid, supported on two 
cross-pieces on top of said posts, is best made of short 
pieces of boards, some of which may be rounded off to 
fit inside of cistern. Boards may be covered with stiff 
paper to keep the soil in place. Upon this proceed to 
build a conical mound of earth about two feet high. 
Firm this mound carefully, and use a layer of sandy 
soil on top which should be smoothly troweled. 
Upon the top of this mound place a box about 16 x 20, 
and say six or eight inches deep, omitting the top and 
bottom. This makes the future manhole. Proceed to 
cover the mound outside of the box with cement made 
from sifted sand. The top of the cistern may in this 
way be made very smooth. If sifted sand is used in the 
walls of the cistern it will make a smooth wall through¬ 
out; no plastering required. When the top coat is 
somewhat hardened apply another and repeat this several 
times until you have a thickness of four or five inches 
of a top arch. I like to place a second box outside of 
the first, leaving a space of three or four inches. Fill 
this with concrete up to or above the surface of the 
ground. When the inside box rots, as rot it will, a new 
one can readily be put in place. When the concrete 
conical top of the cistern has hardened the manhole 
is used to remove the soil which formed the core, the 
boards, etc., which formed the pot cover, and the cistern 
is entered and cleaned out. The bottom of the cistern 
might be put in when the sides were completed, but I 
prefer to make it the last job. By using an ordinary 
three-cornered trowel two good coats can easily be 
smoothly spread upon the bottom. A dish-shaped bot¬ 
tom is best. Such a cistern is very cheap and very 
durable. When provided with segments any handy man 
can construct scores of cisterns in this way. E. m. 
Niagara Falls, Ont. 
OTHER SIDE OF EXPRESS COMPANIES. 
I am as anxious to see a good parcels post law ma¬ 
terialize as anyone can be, but I want to say a good 
word for the express companies for all that. I be¬ 
lieve the express people try to “deliver the goods.” 
When I shipped my Slate turkeys to the Madison Square 
Garden Show last January I also shipped a parcel of 
books and other articles which I needed at the show. 
I went to the express office at the Garden several times, 
but could learn nothing of my parcel, though the tur¬ 
keys arrived in good season. On Tuesday, when the 
loss of the parcel was becoming a vital matter, I went 
to the general office of the American Express Co., made 
my loss known, and an investigation was begun, which 
resulted in the discovery of my package stored away 
at the Garden. The search at the general office cov¬ 
ered nearly two hours by telephone, and the examina¬ 
tion of numberless papers, but the parcel was found and 
delivered, though patience had almost ceased to be a 
virtue before this happy result was reached. I find it 
wise to write the address on express packages more 
than once. An addressed card is always tacked on to 
boxes or crates, but the address is also written on the 
wood, lest the card get torn off. Much annoyance 
may be saved by forethought and thought at the time 
of sending a parcel. A new wrinkle in regard to ship¬ 
ping poultry was sent me to-day by a man to whom I 
shipped a pair of turkeys last week. It is always nec¬ 
essary to crate turkeys separately, they are such pug¬ 
nacious fowls. My customer, in acknowledging the 
birds and saying nice things about them, said that had I 
nailed the two crates together it would have lessened 
the express rate nearly one-half. sara a. little. 
New York. 
I am one of those “careless express agents” that you 
and some of your correspondents have so much to sa\ 
about in regard to our breaking eggs. I am in a posi¬ 
tion to know something about this problem, as this 
office is a shipping point for a dealer in fancy poultry, 
who ships hundreds of baskets of eggs each year. (All 
eggs here are packed in excelsior in baskets.) This 
morning he told me he seldom heard of a broken egg 
in one of his shipments, and that last season he never 
heard of an egg being broken, and that a customer 
would let him know if any were broken. He said 
that several years ago, when he shipped in boxes, a 
great many were broken, as the box was solid and 
would not give any if it was hit, but a basket would 
give a little and not shake the eggs. This dealer 
said if eggs were properly packed there was no danger 
of breaking, as he has had lots of experience, and 
many of his shipments go over long stage routes. 
Oregon. e. b. stokes. 
The R. N.-Y. is a welcome arrival in our household and 
I particularly find It a great help, for the Woman and Home 
Department Is full of practical suggestions and helps for 
an inexperienced farm housekeeper. mbs. g. w, m. 
Michigan. 
