©80 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 26; 
tell us what it usually costs to bring one of their 
apple trees to fruit. 
As between the two methods here described the 
advantage appears to be with the partly cultivated 
trees, because it is difficult to obtain sufficient 
mulching material. A young tree planted in sod 
and not cultivated should receive the equivalent of 
a good-sized hay cock in order to have it equal a 
cultivated tree. Where straw and hay are cheap 
good trees can be grown that way. I feel sure of it. 
COUPLING, ELBOW, REDUCING ELBOW. Fig. 471. 
because some of our sod trees which have been thor¬ 
oughly mulched are fully equal to the cultivated. 
Under either of the methods here mentioned one 
man or one family can give good care to a large 
number of trees. I am very sure these methods 
can be employed on the cheap, hilly land—much of 
which is natural apple soil. As these lands are often 
sour and very thin of grass the plan of planting 
the tree row and plowing five or six furrows up 
to it on each side would seem to be the most sen¬ 
sible way to start unless one had the capital and 
the help to clear the land completely at the start. 
It all seerps to come down to the fact that there 
is no cast-iron rule about growing an orchard. No 
man has any right to say that his way is the only 
one, and that all must do as he does. There are 
general principles which are necessary for success. 
The tree must have an abundance of food and water, 
and must be adapted by heading and pruning to its 
conditions and what is expected of it. Insects and 
disease must be kept away from it. Just how to 
do these things to the best profit and within his 
means is for the grower to study out. I think 
there are a half a dozen good methods of giving a 
tree water and food. H. w. c. 
COMMON FITTINGS USED IN PLUMBING. 
Part II. 
Having threaded the pipe and reamed out the burr 
formed by cutting, the next thing in order is to 
put the piping together. The fittings are innumerable, 
but the great bulk of ordinary work is done with 
those illustrated in this article. They are made for 
every size of pipe and are ordered to correspond with 
the pipe ‘being used. For the usual water lines malle¬ 
able iron fittings are used; for hot water and steam 
jobs cast iron fittings are required. Cast iron will 
never rust out as malleable or wrought iron will in 
time subjected to hot water and steam. 
In putting up a line of pipe the coupling, Fig. 471, is 
used to connect the pieces. Just cover the threaded 
portion of the pipe with white lead or red lead mixed 
thick with linseed oil and screw the coupling on with 
the pipe wrench. Then screw the next piece of pipe 
in. The illustrations of the other fittings explain 
themselves. The elbow's, tees, etc., are put in where 
needed. When it is desired to lead off a smaller size 
of pipe from a larger one a reducer or bushing, 
Fig. 473 is used. All of the fittings are made with the 
reducing feature. For instance an elbow (See Fig. 
471, 3), as illustrated, may be half inch at one end 
and inch at the other. A job alw r ays looks nicer with 
reducer fittings, but these are not always at hand. 
In that case the various sized bushings are exceed¬ 
ingly convenient. The illustration shows this and 
how it is used. It is simply screwed into the larger 
QUARTER ELBOW TEE AND PLUG. Fig. 472. 
fitting and the opening is reduced for the size of pipe 
desired. 
The standard sizes of piping are l /s, Y 2 , 34> 
1, 1J4, IY 2 , 2-inch and up. The fittings are made to 
correspond. Like the piping they may be had in 
black or galvanized. The valves are brass. For 
w'ater work, hot or cold, a gate-valve is much better 
than a globe-valve, because w'hen opeji there is no 
obstruction to the flow'. For relief valves, to allow 
escape of air, in hot water or steam work the Ys 
size is large enough. In putting them in a }4-inch 
tap, pipe size and thread, is the tool to use. The 
hole is first drilled a little smaller than the tap and 
the thread is then cut with it. 
Professionals use right and left-hand threads and 
fittings, but this complicates too much the work for 
the average man, and is by no means necessary. The 
necessity for right and left-hand work is obviated 
by the union. This may be ordinary or flange (Fig. 
474). The ordinary is the handiest, cheapest and most 
used. The flange (12) is stronger, safer and more 
durable. The ordinary (ll) union is in three parts. 
An end is screwed on to each of the pieces of 
pipe that it is desired to bring together. A rubber 
washer or gasket is placed between them over the 
shoulder part made for the purpose. Then the v'hole 
is brought together and the outside sleeve screu'ed up 
tightly. Some fittings, like the radiator valves (19) 
and union elbow's (20) have the union feature. By 
their use a radiator can be disconnected easily at any 
time without disturbing the rest of the piping. The 
flange union is self explanatory. A thin packing of 
a rubber ring is placed between the tw r o disks, that 
have been fitted to the separate pieces of pipe, and 
they are then bolted together. The rubber gaskets 
or washers of various sizes for the union may be 
bought at the supply houses, or may be cut from a 
good grade of rubber packing, say Ys inch thick. 
Care must be used in this work, or leaks will occur. 
As the pipe is put in place it should be supported 
either by hangers made for the purpose or by fasten¬ 
ings of some sort. It must be kept in alignment and 
not allowed to sag. 
The flange (16) is a very useful thing on the 
farm. It is simply a big iron w'asher threaded for 
BUSHING, CROSS, NIPPLE AND CAP. Fig. 473. 
// 
UNION AND FLANGE UNION. Fig. 474. 
BRANCH TEE, OPEN RETURN BEND, GATE VALVE, 
FLANGE. Fig. 475. 
any size of pipe and drilled with screw holes. If 
it is desired to run a pipe into or out of a wooden 
tank or barrel all that is necessary is to put this 
flange on the spot where it is wanted, perhaps using 
a thin rubber packing, fasten it with common screws, 
and then screw the pipe into it. The floor and ceil¬ 
ing plates are placed around the piping after it is in 
place and cover up the holes, making a neat finish. 
The nipples—simply short pieces of pipe threaded— 
are very useful things to have around. They run 
from about two to six inches in length and come in 
handy a great many times. 
One soon gets familiar with the plumbing tools 
and fittings and with practice gets confidence—half 
the battle, by the way. These tools and fittings 
should be on every farm. There is no mystery about 
them. They are as easy to use as carpenters’ tools. 
Such conveniences as hot and cold w'ater, bathrooms, 
and w'ater closets can be had on many a country 
place at little cost. It is largely a matter of gump¬ 
tion, a few simple tools and self-confidence^ The 
trick is soon learned. It is a good plan to get 
manufacturers’ and dealers’ catalogues of tools and 
appliances and study them. In this way one becomes 
unconsciously familiar w'ith many things that would 
otherwise puzzle him. The purpose of these articles 
has been to introduce the subject of practical home 
plumbing to farmers and country' residents, explain¬ 
ing so far as it can be done in print, the chief tools 
and fittings, and leave the rest to those who are 
interested. It is possible to get good working skill 
with a little practice and then many things will be 
attempted and worked out to the advantage and gain 
of those who have had the courage to try the experi¬ 
ment. In my own case I have saved considerable 
money by doing the w'ork, have gained in proficiency 
by each effort, and had the pleasure of that comes 
from doing useful things. Wallace h. miller. 
SOME EXPERIENCE WITH FLOATS. 
When one undertakes the cultivation of a Connecti¬ 
cut farm, that for years has lain in sod, and from 
which the apology for a hay crop has been annually 
sold, the problems regarding humus and plant food 
are, to say the least, somewhat acute. I can speak 
from real experience. After considering th. various 
factors involved with my location I decided to imi- 
i y * v 
FLOOR AND CEILING PLATES. AIR COCKS. Fig. 476. 
tate an old Belgian practice, and build 'up the fer¬ 
tility by feeding poultry. About that time it was the 
latest fad with the agricultural press to advocate 
spreading all manure as soon as possible, and for 
two seasons I did so, distributing the material 
thinly over rye fields that w'ere destined to be plowed 
down in the Spring. But then came a Winter with 
mostly bare ground, and several very heavy rains, 
so that the crops the following season gave the old 
system of prompt spreading a decidedly black eye. 
Meanwhile I had heard Prof. Clinton of the 
Storrs Station recommend the use of ground phos¬ 
phate rock in connection with manure that was to 
be stored, so early in 1908 I began using it. In 
order to make the cleaning easier, as well as for the 
chemical results, I sprinkled the powder liberally 
in the roosting coops, and cleaned them once a 
week. As the season advanced, of course I began 
the usual vigilant lookout for red mites, but lo! they 
failed to appear. The systematic warfare that 
hitherto had been so large a factor in the task of 
raising the chickens utterly ceased. The intervals 
for cleaning out lengthened to two weeks, three 
weeks, and finally one month, but the weekly use of 
the floats was not omitted. At last it dawned 
upon me. The mites, contrary to the general rule 
among parasites, apparently do not lay their eggs 
on the “host,” but instead deposit them in conve¬ 
nient spots where continuous heat is available. Wit¬ 
ness their multiplication beneath the “broodies,” or 
on the uncleaned dropping boards, under the fer¬ 
menting manure. In the latter place the heat due 
to certain chemical changes is entirely eliminated 
by the use of the floats, and the mass remains as dry 
and cool as a sand pile. This was the condition of 
the accumulations in the roosting coops, and in con¬ 
sequence the mite eggs failed to hatch, the old bugs 
died of age, and the place thereof knew them no 
more. Of course this sheds no light on the plant 
food question, but it is easily worth the price of the 
floats to be rid of the necessity for fighting mites, 
and keeping the coops cleaned out, all during the 
busiest part of the year. c. M. G. 
Connecticut. 
Good Results from Floats. 
I have used floats in the stable and "in the manure 
pile, and with good results. The fermenting ma¬ 
nure does make some of the phosphate usable, and 
RADIATOR UNION AND ELBOW. Fig. 477. 
the crops will use more of it, but that is only the 
small part of its use. It saves the escaping am¬ 
monia in the manure pile or stable, and plays the 
same part in the soil when the decay is going on. 
Floats is a good absorbent in the stable and gets 
mixed well with the manure. I pay $10 a ton retail 
for it with bags. Where the acid phosphate can 
be bought at a reasonable price it is far superior 
to the floats in the manure pile, worth over two to 
one in favor of the acid phosphate. The acid 
has far more power of holding the ammonia than 
the floats; it saves the manure and supplies phos¬ 
phate. The acid has the tendency to make the soil 
acid where there is a good deal used, but a little 
lime will rectify it; still I use more floats than acid 
phosphate in the manure. J. S. 
Dorsey. Pa. 
