• 1854. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
267 
brown head—and consisting of nine rings or joints. 
They occupied the center of the stalk, which they had 
partly devoured and killed, the head of the wheat be¬ 
ing nothing but empty chaff, and nearly white in con¬ 
sequence of the death thus occasioned. The stalk was 
straight , and the sheaths entirely uninjured. We have 
not met with this insect before, and do not know it. 
Telford Roads. 
The time is approaching- when farmers will be no 
longer satisfied with the present combination of earth, 
ruts and mudholes in forming what is commonly known 
as public highways. The rapid increase in railroads 
and other means of transmission, has imparted quite 
new ideas of locomotion; aud many are becoming 
very much averse to plowing through mortar beds with 
loaded teams. Plank roads, at one time, promised 
much, but from several causes they are likely to result 
in disappointment to their proprietoi’s at least, except 
on the larger thoroughfares, where the amount of tra¬ 
velling will warrant the use of the best white-oak 
plank for their construction. A most reliable and du¬ 
rable substitute may be found however, in the Telford 
road, which may be cheaply constructed wherever 
scattered stones and gravel beds are accessible ; and 
a brief notice of them may be useful by way of con¬ 
tributing to the stock of information on the subject of 
road-making, now becoming so desirable. 
The foundation of the Telford road is a layer of 
rounded stones, which, being always more or less ir- 
1 "s L : ' I / 
wmm 
regular, the smaller or sharper end is placed upward. 
The smaller stones are laid near the side of the track¬ 
way, and the larger towards the middle, thus giving 
s the road an even convex form. In the best roads the 
spaces are then filled with small broken stone, which 
by the travelling upon it, is firmly wedged into the 
spaces between the larger stones already laid, and the 
whole becomes a solid, hard, immovable mass. In the 
absence of small broken stone, gravel will wedge firm¬ 
ly into the interstices, but will not become quite so 
solid as the other material. The whole surface is cov¬ 
ered with a few inches of gravel or broken stone, and 
forms a smooth, hard, excellent road. Where the soil 
on which the stones are laid is likely to become soft in 
wet weather, a previous layer of stones should be de¬ 
posited before the pavement is laid. 
There are many parts of the country where the 
field^rof the. farmer are encumbered with a superabun¬ 
dance of stones, and which may be had without any 
cost; and when, in addition to this, gravel is accessi¬ 
ble, these roads may be made at a very moderate ex¬ 
pense, and if well constructed they will last a long pe¬ 
riod. Even when very carelessly made, the stones be¬ 
ing thrown in without any arrangement, and with none 
of the advantages of wedging-together already de¬ 
scribed, they have been found to answer a most valu¬ 
able purpose, although vastly inferior to well construc¬ 
ted roads. 
Thermometer for Farmers. 
Many a farmer has had the comer of his ear or the 
point of his nose touched most inconveniently with the 
frost on going out on a wintry morning without knowing 
the intense cold that actually existed at the time; and 
not a few have suffered most severely in bodily health, 
if they have not actually suffered from a “ sun-stroke/’ 
by overdoing in the hay or harvest field before they 
were aware of the excessive heat. Few, who have not 
actually made trial, can be aware of the continual 
convenience of knowing by a glance of the eye the 
precise temperature of each day—the security it affords 
in providing for the comfort of domestic animals, who 
otherwise might severely suffer—the protection of cel¬ 
lars against frost in case of emergency—the shielding of 
garden vegetables on the approach of severe night frosts 
—and the preservation of rooms in winter at a uniform 
temperature, especially during sickness. For the latter 
purpose, (as well as for the others,) the sensation of 
pei-sons in health is altogether too variable and uncer¬ 
tain for a guide, dependent as it is, on the state of the 
system, amount of exercise, nature of clothing, &e. 
In addition to these, the thermometer is of great use 
in churning and butter-making, and in the manufacture 
of cheese. When it is remembered that all these ad¬ 
vantages may be secured by the payment of a single 
dollar, it is surprising that so few avail themselyes of 
what may be so cheaply obtained. The best, clearest, 
and most accurate thermometers, adapted to the climate 
of this country, that we have met with, are those 
manufactured by Kendall of Rochester—the imported 
ones are mostly quite unreliable and catchpenny ai’ticles, 
many of them not running below zero, or above boil¬ 
ing, and therefore of no value for general purposes. 
Ketchum’s Mower. 
Editors Country Gentleman— Last week I saw 
the operation of one of Ketchum’s mowing machines. 
Several of them have been brought to this town this 
season for use. Its operations were unsuccessful, prin¬ 
cipally, as I thought, because of the rawness, of both 
machine and operator. 
But I took my pen to name a great objection to these 
machines. The objection is this ; the team must be 
driven to almost a trot, or much beyond a natural 
walk—entirely too fast for long endurance. This is 
one objection, and another is, they are too heavy both 
in weight and draft for an ordinary team of two 
horses. 
I name these objections that they may meet the eye 
of the inventor, and if possible be improved. 
And let me ask why our writers when writing about 
such implements, do not state such objections if there 
are any, that farmers may not be mislead in purchas¬ 
ing, and that the manufacturer may improve his ma¬ 
chine ? 
I am a farmer—do not own a mowing machine of 
any kind, and have no other motive in writing the 
above than to suggest a little improvement. 
Both the objections I have named are observed by 
all who have witnessed the operations of the machines. 
Yours. A. C. J. Richfield , N. J. July 17th 1854 
