1850. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
149 
A Wet Cellar made Dry. 
Eds. Cultivator —A writer in The Cultivator 
for February, under the head of “ Water-Tight 
Cellars,” after some correct observations on the 
evils and inconveniences of a wet cellar, remarks, 
that—“ every reader who has experience in the use 
of means to make a dry cellar, should communicate 
it to the public.” Being one who has known the 
“ evils” of a wet cellar, for nearly half a century, 
and which has within the last two years been con¬ 
verted into a dry one, I freely give the process for 
the benefit of all interested. 
My dwelling stands on a moderate swell, contigu¬ 
ous to an extensive piece of low ground, and the 
bottom of the cellar being so nearly on a level with 
it, though furnished with a drain, was never dry, 
and was often very wet. Flat stones and boards 
were resorted to as a temporary relief, till in some 
parts several strata had accumulated. The walls 
having been laid chiefly with such stones as were 
gathered on the farm, and without mortar, became 
a thoroughfare for rats, which till recently, bid de¬ 
fiance to the efforts for their expulsion. This, in 
connection with the evil first named, made it neces¬ 
sary that something thorough should be attempted, 
and the work was commenced accordingly. All the 
varied furniture of a cellar, such as potato and ap¬ 
ple bins, meat barrels, &c., was speedily removed. 
Several inches were pared off the bottom to make 
room for an equal amount of gravel. A trench was 
then cut entirely round the cellar, about six inches 
from the wall, which having been commenced on the 
surface, rendered this operation indispensable. The 
trench was carefully stoned with a double row of 
cobbles, and covered with flat stone, the surface of 
them being two or three inches below the general 
level. The old drain was re-opened and deepened 
sufficiently to receive the water from the inner drain. 
The next step was to procure a sufficient quantity 
of creek gravel to give a coating of two or three 
inches. The number of wagon loads used was five, 
the cellar being equal to about 30 by 20 feet. The 
gravel was made compact and sufficiently smooth to 
receive the mortar, by using a flat headed pounder. 
Mortar made of quick lime and sand was then 
applied to the wall, and the chinks generally filled. 
But in more places than one, before the mortar had 
become hard, those marauding, sagacious animals, 
whose intelligence seems hardly inferior to those 
who occupy a higher place in creation, made their 
accustomed inroads. But to the main subject. 
The necessary quantity of sand, say about sixty ! 
bushels, and four barrels of water-lime, being in 
readiness, the next step is to proceed to the mixture 
and application. Unless the sand is nearly free of 
pebbles, I think it best to sift it, though that is not 
indispensible. The proportion of each used, was 
one bushel of lime to three and a-half of sand, 
which being thoroughly mixed, was then reduced to 
the proper consistency for application. A vast 
quantity of water will be necessary, and if not at 
hand, it should be previously in readiness, as three 
hands will hardly be sufficieut to tend a single ma¬ 
son. The cement was spread from an inch to an 
inch and a-half thick, and the work completed in 
about eight hours. The cash expense was about 
$8, labor estimated at about $12. From four to six 
weeks are necessary for the bottom to harden suffi¬ 
ciently to walk on without injury. It is well, as a 
precautionary measure, to lay down a few boards 
after a couple of weeks, and let them remain until 
the cement has become so hard as not to receive foot 
prints. 
I have said the cost was about $20; the benefit of 
this improvement I will hardly trust myself to esti¬ 
mate. I have a dry cellar; the floor of which is as 
easily swept as that of any room in the house, and 
I am not aware that a quart of water has ever ap¬ 
peared on its surface as formerly, except from a sup¬ 
posed leak i-n a stone cistern, a few times, which 
was easily disposed of. And I would further say 
that the rats are beginning to find their case hope¬ 
less, it being a long time since they discontinued 
their unwelcome visits. G. Butler. Clinton , 
March 1, 1850. 
Flax with Barley. 
Eds. Cultivator —I have, for a number of years, 
been in the practice of loaning flax seed to sow, for 
the purpose of obtaining a supply of seed for manu¬ 
facturing into oil. For the last three years, the 
average yield has not exceeded ten from one, which 
is, indeed, a very ordinary yield. I have known 
farmers who had thirty from one, but it is consider¬ 
ed a good return, if one bushel produces twenty. 
I recently purchased from Mr. Lawrence Gard¬ 
ner, of Charlton, Saratoga county, N. Y., a little 
short of twenty bushels, which he raised among his 
barley, from a little more than a peek sown. Mr. 
Gardner assured me that the flax by no means in¬ 
terfered with the growth and yield of the barley— 
that it did not interfere with the harvesting, but on 
the contrary, it kept the barley so together as to 
render the harvesting less difficult. 
This yield of about seventy-five from one, is per¬ 
haps unprecedented in this country; and it would be 
well for farmers, especially those who do not live at 
a great distance from Mr. Gardner, to ascertain his 
mode of sowing, so as to be able to effect such de¬ 
sirable results. X. 
We find in the Berkshire Culturist, an account 
of a crop of flax and barley together. It was rais¬ 
ed by Mr. Reed Mills, of South Williamstown, 
Mass. He states that he derived his information in 
regard to the crop, from The Cultivator , vol. iii, 
(new series) pp. 57, 127, 157. Last spring, he 
sowed an acre and a-half of ground with three 
bushels of barley and one of flax-seed. Before 
sowing, he soaked the barley in weak brine 24 hours, 
then rolled it in plaster, and added the flax-seed, 
mixing both together. He obtained 40^ bushels of 
barley, worth 67 cents per bushel; 9 bushels of flax¬ 
seed, worth one dollar per bushel—the whole being 
worth $36.14; from which, deducting the expenses of 
cultivation, interest on land, &c,, $11.50, a net pro¬ 
fit was left of $24.64. 
Farming Economy. 
Eds. Cultivator —Twenty years ago it was a 
common saying among farmers, that all a man could 
make in farming, was enough to support his family, 
and, possibly, save a hundred or two hundred dollars 
a year besides. Farmers who held this idea, were 
no doubt, honest; they only judged of the profits of 
farming from their own management. Even now, 
a great many farmers suppose that in order to make 
money by farming, they must do all the labor them¬ 
selves; they say they “can’t afford to hire help.” 
This is evidently a great mistake, for if the farmer 
makes his own labor profitable, he could make that 
so w’hich he hires, under good management, and 
without that, no labor can be profitable. 
Labor in this country is high, in proportion to 
what it is in older and more populous countries; but 
I do not regard this as a subject of regret, for who 
is “worthy of his hire” if the day-laborer is not? 
