160 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
May, 
Raising Water by Rams. 
“ I have a never-failing spring, which runs, I should 
think, a stream large enough to fill inch hole with¬ 
out altering, wet or dry. I want to raise it 40 feet and 
bring it 60 rods. Can a tile and cement pipe be made 
for this purpose? Would this stream work a ram—and 
of what size and price ? The cost of tile and cement— 
and cost per rod of laying ?” 
A stream that will fill an inch pipe with a descent 
of about 2 feet, will drive successfully a small sized 
water-ram, and elevate a stream to the height and dis¬ 
tance desired. Lead pipe is commonly used for the 
discharging-pipe, and it may be necessary to use it for 
such a head, and for so great a distance. But its lia¬ 
bility to become corroded and to communicate poison 
to the water in some instances, is an objection to its 
use. Pipe made by enclosing tile in water-lime-ce¬ 
ment would be too iarge for this purpose, and its size 
would make it more liable to burst by the heavy pres¬ 
sure, by presenting a large surface. The best mode of 
forming a cement' pipe for this purpose, is to procure 
the best hydraulic cement and mix it dry with twice 
its bulk of clear sand, so that small portions may be 
quickly moistened into mortar and used before it sets. 
It is laid by means of a trough or mould evenly into 
the bottom of the ditch, a smooth rod’placed in it, and 
another layer placed above the rod, which is withdrawn 
just at the moment of setting. Another portion is add¬ 
ed to the end of this, and the tube thus formed contin¬ 
ued at pleasure. A bore of 'three-fourths of an inch, 
Avith compact and hardened cement sides two inches 
thick at the greatest pressure, would probably be 
strong enough—but great care should be taken that 
there are no holes nor crevices ; and that it attains 
flinty hardness before the water is let in. 
We do not know the prices of the smaller rams, but 
our impression is, some fifteen or twenty dollars. They 
may be had, doubtless, at the principal agricultural 
warehouses in the larger cities. 
We cannot inform our correspondent of any person 
who makes it his business to construct cement pipes— 
nor the cost per rod—but it is unquestionably much 
cheaper than lead pipe. 
Oil Cake for Cattle. 
Messes. Editors —At page 42 of The Cultivator , 
I found, among other inquiries, one in relation to the 
efiect of oil cake in the rearing of calves. Having 
had some experience in its use for two winters past, I 
thought that, as queries and experiences tend much to 
the development of that knowledge of which your 
journal is so able and attracting an advocate, I would 
forward an item in reference .to the question put by 
your correspondent. 
Oil cake is the substance left in cheese form, from 
the press, after the oil has been expelled by hydraulic 
power. In this state it still retains much of its oily 
nature, and here is probably much of its fattening 
qualifies. The cake is ground into meal, and in this 
form fed to the Stock, upon which they thrive greatly, 
and are kept in a good healthy condition. When 
made into slop and left to stand a few hours before 
using, it expands far beyond the original bulk, so that 
a very small quantity forms a stiff slop by swelling. 
I keep one cow only, and am raising a calf which will 
be one year old next May. My plan in feeding has 
been to mix one third oil meal and two thirds buck¬ 
wheat bran, and feed in the form of slop to both cow 
and calf twiee per day. I prefer the slop rather tfian 
dry meal, as then there is not the waste which occurs 
when the mouth of the animal, while chewing, is turn¬ 
ed away from the feeding tub, by which much of the 
dry meal falls and is lost. This might be avoided, 
and the meal fed dry to all other stock than cows giv¬ 
ing milk, by using stanchions to keep the mouth over 
the feeding tub. It has been found to be a first rate 
feed for cows, as I have been able to keep mine not 
only in good condition, but to milk her most of the 
year. I see no necessity of cows going dry and being 
only an expense for three or four months of each year, 
when proper and regular feeding may prevent it. Oil 
meal is coming more into use in this country as its 
benefits are being understood. It is now much used 
mixed with other feed for fattening cattle for the mar¬ 
ket, and commands a ready sale from persons engaged 
in this business. Within a year or two its price per 
ton has been rapidly advancing, and at my last infor¬ 
mation (about one month since,) was readily bringing 
$27,50 at the mills. 
As your correspondent asks where it may be had, I 
would state that I obtain mine at Bennington, Vermont, 
where a pure article is manufactured by Samuel 
Rockwood and by C^a’s. S. Colvin, who I under¬ 
stand cannot supply the demand for oil meal, since 
farmers and drovers are beginning to know its value 
as an article of feed for cattle. Bennington may be 
reached from Troy, 30 miles, by railroad. . When the 
meal is first offered to cattle unaccustomed to its 
use, they almost invariably refuse it, but a little ef¬ 
fort at first with the dry meal soon leads them to rel¬ 
ish it so much so as to take it eagerly. My cow and 
calf are both in fine condition, and I have about 100 
lbs. of meal on hand for which I would not take thrice 
its weight in other feed. I would say that I have fed 
the oil meal without being mixed, but find it to do well 
and last much longer with some other feed mixed 
with it. E. C. Lebanon , N. Y. 
We thank E. C. for the above. Oil cake is used in 
England largely for fattening both cattle and sheep. 
A considerable portion of its supply comes from this 
cutry, and is preferred to that made in Europe, ow¬ 
ing to the faet that the oil is less thoroughly pressed 
from it here than there. It is also extensively used in 
some parts of this country and with the best results. 
It has been steadily rising in price for twenty years 
or more, and is now worth about $35 per ton in New- 
York.— Eds. —— 
Houses of Unburnt Brick. 
Inquiry. —In the Country Gentleman of March 23, 
an unfavorable opinion is expressed on the mode of 
building houses of gravel or small stones and mortar. 
Can any of your readers in the neighborhood of To¬ 
ronto, U. C.. inform us what has been the result with 
the houses built of clay or unburnt bricks, in that neigh¬ 
borhood, several years since 7 The British American 
Cultivator , of that town, published a number of ar¬ 
ticles on the subject in 1842 or 3, with details of the 
manner and cost of construction, and praised them 
highly for their cheapness, durability and comfort. A 
number of houses had been built of that material. 
These articles were republished in the Report of the 
U. S. Patent Office for 1843. The mode of building 
was highly recommended by Hon. W. H. Ellsworth, 
Commissioner of Patents, and he built a house of the 
same material on Massachusetts Avenue, Washington. 
Has the plan justified the expectations of its advo¬ 
cates? A Subscriber. 
To Destroy Thistles. 
The Canada thistle is easily subdued, if they can 
be plowed. Plow in the fall and sow to wheat, and 
stock down heavy with the large red clover and 
timothy. In the spring, as soon as the ground is dry, 
or the clover is two inches high, sow plaster, as much 
as you please, from £ to 4 bushels per acre. Get your 
wheat off as early as possible; let the clover grow as 
late in the fall as is convenient: then let nothing but 
calves or yearlings on to it, nor let it be fed more than 
just to keep the mice from nesting in it. The better 
you can make the clover grow, the more fatal to the 
thistle. P. 
