44 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Feb. 
action entirely. When the machine overdraws its sup¬ 
ply, and stops from that cause, the syphon pipes do not 
empty themselves of water, (as would be the case with 
an ordinary syphon,) but the first few bubbles of air 
which enter the short leg of the syphon, break by their 
elasticity, the continuity of the battering column, the 
different portions of which immediately acquire inde¬ 
pendent movements, which mutually destroy each other, 
until the valves cease their motion, and the water 
throughout the apparatus comes to a state of rest. 
At the foot of the short leg of the syphon, is a short 
plug fitted loosely to the calibre of the pipe, which 
may be drawn up a little distance into, or thrust down 
out of-the pipe, by means of a rod attached to it. This 
plug is drawn up into the pipe, for the purpose of clos¬ 
ing it, when the syphon is filled. It is also used for 
starting the machine, at any time, when the pipes are 
filled, and the water in them at rest; this is done by 
drawing the plug up, and thrusting it down out of the 
pipe pretty quickly. The downward draught of the 
plug, by removing the pressure of the atmosphere for 
a moment from the column of water in the short leg, 
allows the spring on the main-valve to throw it open, 
and the plug, passing immediately out of the pipe, al¬ 
lows the machine to commence its operation. 
The advantages which this syphon ram possesses 
over the ordinary hydraulic ram, are, that it can be ap¬ 
plied in many situations, where, from the nature of the 
location, the common ram could not be used, as, for 
instance, where the source of supply is a well, or 
where, as is often the case in mills and factories, a 
pipe may be passed down into a place to obtain the 
requisite fall, in which, from want of room, the ordi¬ 
nary ram could not be placed; that it is more commo- 
diously situated for repair or regulation, inasmuch as 
it stands high and dry above, instead of below, the 
head of water which operates it; and that when water 
is required to be raised to a considerable height, the 
elevation of the working parts of the ram upon the 
summit of the syphon, divides the load to be lifted, re¬ 
lieving the strain upon the air vessel, and making the 
valves less violent in their action, and consequently 
more durable. 
To make the machine operate well, not less than five 
feet fall, below the level of the supply, should be ob¬ 
tained, and more than twenty is not desirable. The 
fall may be obtained within the distance of twenty 
rods, or twenty feet, indifferently, and the pipes may 
be laid at any angle, to suit circumstances. 
The sizes of the syphon pipes required for elevating 
water for domestic purposes, are ordinarily between 
5-8ths and I 4 inches diameter, according to the amount 
of water to be elevated, the height to be overcome, 
the quantity of supply, &c. Machines between the 
sizes of 5-8ths and 1| inch syphon pipes, consume be¬ 
tween 1 and 7 gallons of water per minute, and can 
be furnished, and ordinarily set up, exclusive of pipes, 
at prices ranging between $15 and $30. The expense 
of pipe will, of course, depend on the quantity and size 
required. In all cases, before erecting them, the fol¬ 
lowing data should be ascertained, as nearly as prac¬ 
ticable, viz: the quantity of supply; the amount of 
fall that can be obtained below the level of supply; the 
distance within which said fall can be obtained; if the 
supply is a well, its depth to the water and the bottom; 
the height to which the water must be elevated, and 
the quantity required. 
The apparatus which I have in use at this place, is 
employed (as mentioned in my former communication) 
for elevating water for stock, from a well near the 
farm yard. It has now a small building, about 8 feet 
by 12, erected over it, which also covers the well, and 
contains a wooden cistern above the level of the ground, 
of the capacity of about ten hogsheads. The machine 
keeps this cistern filled with water, which may be at 
any time drawn through a key into a trough in the 
yard. The building is of wood, the frame of which is 
covered, inside as well as out, with matched boards, 
and the spacings thus formed, are filled with cut straw. 
This precaution (together with those of having two 
windows facing the south, and leaving, during the win¬ 
ter, the mouth of the well uncovered, so that the 
warmth of the water may be communicated to the air 
in the building) gives perfect security from the effects 
of frost, even in the severest weather. Thewellfrom 
which the water is drawn is not as favorable as many 
others. The supply of water never fails, but it is very 
variable. After the wet seasons of the spring and 
fall, it has furnished sufficient water to keep the ma¬ 
chine in constant action, consuming about three gal¬ 
lons of water per minute for a week or two at a time; 
but in midsummer, the deficiency is such, that it does 
not operate more than three hours in the twenty-four. 
This irregularity renders it necessary to start the ma¬ 
chine at longer or shorter intervals, as the supply in 
the well accumulates and is exhausted. The inconve¬ 
nience of this frequent, although momentary attention, 
might in a measure be obviated by relaying the syphon 
with a smaller pipe; but in the winter it is desirable 
to make use of the whole supply, which pipes and an 
apparatus small enough to continue in constant action, 
at all seasons, would not do. The whole difficulty is, 
however, overcome by a fixture designed for the pur¬ 
pose, which was first attached to the pump last Au¬ 
gust, and has been in successful use ever since. Its 
object is to set the pump running, whenever, after an 
interval of rest, the water in the well shall have risen 
to a given height. By accomplishing this, the whole 
supply of the well is used, whatever it may be, and the 
pump requires no attention. 
The construction of this attachment is shown in the 
adjacent drawing, fig. 16: 
Where a, is one end of the frame on which the pump 
is erected, and b , that side of the pump which com¬ 
municates with the long leg of the syphon; c, is a 
small rod or spindle wdiich passes through the outer 
end of the chest marked /, in fig. 15, on aline with the 
stem of valve g, consequently when pressed horizon¬ 
tally inward, the spindle acts against the stem of the 
valve and opens it. It is obviously necessary that this 
rod should pass through into the pump by a perfectly 
air-tight joint; it is also necessary that when pressed 
from c, towards d, (fig. 16) for the purpose of opening 
the valve, it should have a tendency .,0 return quickly 
out of the way of the action of the valve. These re= 
