i'HE RURAju NBJW-YOR.K3SR 
2 
We cannot help but feel rather proud at the com¬ 
ments that we have received from the people and the 
press, but still not proud in the. sense that some of 
our citizens have remarked that it makes us feel 
“chesty.” This is not the kind of pride the good 
people here have in building and improving our 
road. What Linn and Sherman are doing is no more 
than they ought to do, not any more than any com¬ 
munity can do, and should do, and we believe that 
this good roads enthusiasm is spreading; that it is 
not only local, but State-wide, and Nation-wide also. 
We believe that the day is not distant when we shall 
see good State and county roads in every State in 
this Union. h. w. stearns. 
What the Secretary Says. 
Two years ago I worked up this road-making bee 
the first time, then Linn worked for itself, and went 
out and cut down some bad hills west of town. We 
had about 100 teams and over 200 men. Everybody 
worked, and the ladies supplied the dinner, which we 
had in common, and of course a big time during the 
noon hour. The last year, in order to create enthusi¬ 
asm further out, we enlisted the help of our sister 
town, and as stated, had a good turn out, and all sat 
down to the same table to eat dinner. It is not the 
work done so much alone that day, but the enthusi¬ 
asm that such a day creates. We had the engineer 
out that day, and during the evening organized the 
“Good Roads Club,” which now numbers over 100 
active members. Our membership fee is $3 cash, or 
one day's work with man and team. The men in the 
town usually pay the cash, while the farmers prefer 
to work it out. Then we cooperate with the town¬ 
ship board in every way we can. We aim to work 
as near the man’s home place as possible, so he gets 
direct benefit from what he does. We now build none 
but concrete bridges and culverts. We are now work¬ 
ing on next Spring’s “Road Making Bee,” when we 
hope to build four miles of model road, such as is laid 
out and recommended by the State Engineer. We 
have now been promised a number of steam and 
gasoline engines and teams and men, and will ask 
the State the loan of their engineer for two days, 
the first day to lay out and plan the work and the 
next day to do the job. It is a simple question of 
getting out and doing the^ work. H. j. meierkord. 
AREA OF HOT AIR HEATING. 
Being interested in the subject regarding heating 
by H. S. H., page 1223, I would like to offer a few 
suggestions. If his furnace is installed as the average 
hot-air system is, and can heat only two or three 
rooms, which I infer may be a possible half of the 
number to be warmed, it is quite likely that there 
are other factors besides the area of air inlet pipe 
which would need treatment to give the results de- 
'sired. The success of hot-air heating is largely due 
to a positive inflow of properly warmed air, and to 
insure this it is necessary to remove an amount of 
air equal in volume to that introduced, by means of 
fireplace flues or ventilating flues. The average house 
has few of the former and none of the latter, and 
the change of air must be accomplished by that due to 
leakage at windows and doors. This latter, varied 
greatly by wind conditions, is very uncertain, and 
is the most common cause of hot-air systems failing 
to give good results. • 
The preferable location of fresh air inlet would 
be on the northerly or westerly side of house, so 
as to get the benefit of the strong pressure of the 
prevailing winds from these quarters, and the chances 
are that if the cold-air pipe is not from either of tin 
above points, it would be none too large if equal in 
area to the combined area of the hot-air pipes. If 
conditions are such that a large part of the air sup¬ 
ply could be taken from the main hallway through 
a register in floor and conveyed by pipe and con¬ 
nected into the outside cold-air pipe, entering same 
diagonally and in direction of flow, a rotation of air 
would be had through the rooms and back to furnace, 
by leaving the doors leading into hallway partially 
open, or in place of doing this, registers could be 
placed in openings through the partitions if desired. 
Drawing the air from the rooms in above manner 
would improve the conditions of heating in rooms 
which did not have fireplace or ventilating flues, and 
at the same time reduce the fuel used, as only such 
outside air need be taken in as might be considered 
necessary to make up for leakage or give some ven¬ 
tilation. Dampers should be placed in each of the 
pipes to control the flow of air. In the rotating 
system the conditions would be similar to those 
where steam or hot-water radiators were placed in 
rooms, and the air heated over and over again, and 
for this reason, from a standpoint of ventilation, 
might be open to some criticism, but as houses are 
ordinarily constructed, ample ventilation is secured 
by leakage and by windows. w. o. w. 
“SEEING RED”; SPECIAL LUNG POWER. 
1. Is it really true that a red (lag or dross will enrage 
a bull or other animal more than other colors? 
2. Why are beavers and muskrats able to remain so 
long under water? Have they lungs of special shape 
or capacity or do they have “air bladders’’ like birds? 
1. There is a chance for some extremely interest¬ 
ing experiments with reference to the effect of dif¬ 
ferent colors on animals, especially the differences of 
visibility of the various colors; but I am not aware 
that any accurate observations on the subject have 
been published. We have heard all our lives, that 
red more readily than other colors attracts the atten¬ 
tion of cattle, especially the vicious kind, and I do 
not doubt the truth of the statement. In this con¬ 
nection I would call your attention to the fact that 
the bull fighters of Mexico and Old Spain use red 
flags to excite the animosity of El Reno bulls and 
induce a charge by them. I doubt, however, that 
the animals have any special animosity towards red, 
b'ut believe it is, so to speak, more visible to them 
than other colors, attracts their attention more 
readily and they can probably see it further. I 
should expect that if a dozen persons went into a 
pasture inhabited ^y a vicious bull, the one in red 
would be the most likely to invite the attention of 
the animal and be charged by it. 
2. I believe that the popular idea relative to the 
length of time animals like muskrats and beavers can 
remain under water is erroneous; but, again, very 
few accurate observations on the subject have been 
made. Seton has made observations from which he 
judges that a beaver might remain under water as 
long as five minutes, at least; and probably the musk¬ 
rat can do as well. Both animals, however, unques¬ 
tionably have to renew their supply of oxygen in the 
lungs at rather short intervals. As to the physiology 
of the subject, whether they have relatively larger 
lungs than humans, for instance, or the blood can be 
sufficiently oxygenated with a lesser supply of oxygen, 
I do not know. I should expect, however, to find a 
relatively larger lung capacity as the result of habitu¬ 
ally staying under water as long as possible. As is 
well known, native divers, especially the Hawaiians 
and other Polynesians, can remain under water a 
surprisingly long time as the result of habit; and no 
doubt the lungs of any animal would respond by 
increase of size to habitual effort to tax the oxygen 
supply and capacity to the utmost limit. 
U. S. Biological Survey. H. w. jjenshaw. 
THE FUEL PROBLEM; TWO EXTREMES. 
Strangers passing through Ohio and other States 
of the Middle West often notice farmers at work 
taking coal from a private mine. Many of the farms 
are underlaid with veins of soft coal. In some cases 
these veins or streaks are close to the surface, so 
that it is easy for farmers to get out the year’s fuel. 
A news note from the Ohio College of Agriculture 
tells of such a farm: 
Near New Plymouth, Ohio, is a farm coal mine that 
has been worked by the owner for more than 25 years. 
The No. 2 coal vein, which in this section is only about 
22 inches thick, comes quite near the surface of tiie 
ground. Each Autumn the farmer who owns this coal 
mine, removes the overlying dirt from as much of the 
coal as he cares to take out in one year. The dirt is 
first loosened with tiie plow and then moved with a 
scraper. This year about 1,000 bushels of coal will be 
taken from this farm. It is sold at six or seven cents 
per bushel at the mine-or nine cents when delivered in 
the nearby village. 
We may compare this with what may be called the 
other extreme—taking out peat for fuel in Vermont. 
In Bulletin No. 165 of the Vermont Station there is a 
full discussion of peat and muck. Peat is used to 
some extent for fuel. It is the undecayed vegetable 
matter found in swamps and low places. Mr. John 
Webster tells in this bulletin how he digs the peat 
for fuel: 
First stake out the center of the ditch, then mow all 
grass and brush from the center line for at least three 
rods each way in order to make a drying ground. Spread 
the hay and small brush evenly thereon, and then stake 
and line out the sides of the ditch. After removing the 
sod, commence at one end and cut squares across with 
the common spade about one foot deep. Then, taking 
the peat spade, which is four inches wide with a lug or 
lip on one side of the same width, and 16 inches ioug, 
begin at one side and cut out tiie first row of blocks. 
These will be triangular in shape, the next row will 
be square, but not quite of full length, and the third line, 
as well as the remainder, will be about 4.5 inches square 
by 16 inches long. Let a man on each side of the center 
proceed in this manner working backward until one 
spade deep has been thrown up. Tiie same operation 
is repeated until the peat is dug as deep as is desired 
or as deep as it extends. We usually cut out three layers, 
but have thrown out four or five. If there is help 
enough, have a man with a wheelbarrow on each side to 
remove blocks to the drying ground, where they can lie 
evenly on the ground side by side, commencing at the 
hack or further side of the drying ground and working 
towards the ditch. An occasional root or stump may be 
met which usually the spade will cut through. The water 
has never prevented us from finishing a day’s cut. hut 
it comes in during the night partly filling the ditch ; hence 
one should leave a partition between the different day’s 
cuttings of, say, 15 inches to keep back the water. 
These wet blocks are piled tip cob-fashion, so as 
to permit the air to work through, and are quickly 
dried out in good weather. The dry peat burns well, 
but gives a large amount of ash. It seems that during 
the long coal strike about 10 years ago farmers in 
January 4, 
the “Bashful State” began to get nervous over the 
fuel question and the station has looked up the peat 
deposits very thoroughly. This fuel is not largely /, 
used yet, but doubtless will be some day. 
A NEW POULTRY CONTEST. 
The Connecticut egg-laying contest seems to hav/ 
started others. We have first reports of several whif-n 
have been begun in various parts of the country. At 
the Kansas Agricultural College something more t/an 
a comparison of egg yield will be attempted. The 
difference, if any, between “mongrels” and purebred 
chickens will be tested. The plan involves crossing 
“mongrel” males upon common farm stock and pure¬ 
bred males upon the same class of hens. Here is the 
scheme as outlined: 
First, upon the uniformity of the offspring in regard 
to size, type and color: second, upon their earlinoss ot 
maturity: third, upon their fattening qualities; fourth, 
upon their egg production with regard not </nlv to the 
number of eggs laid, but the size, shape and color of the 
eggs. Forty-eight mongrel pullets, representative of tiie 
average birds of mixed breeding found on Kansas farms, 
have been divided into groups of 12. The first group is 
mated with a Barred Plymouth Rock cockerel, whose dam 
laid 232 eggs in her first laying year, and whose grand 
dam, on his sire’s’ side, laid 20!) eggs in her first year. 
The second group is mated with a White Orpington cock¬ 
erel from a hen imported in January. This lien laid 1ST 
eggs tiie first 10 months she was in th/s country. Tiie 
third group is mated with a Single Como White Leghorn 
cockerel whose mother laid 252 eggs her first laying year. 
The folirth group is mated with a mongrel cockerel. 
Records are to be kept of the food consumed by each 
flock, the eggs laid by each lien, the fertility of tiie eggs 
as well as their size, shape and color, the weight of tiie 
chicks at birth and also at the oih/ of eacli succeeding 
fourth week until the pullets begin to lay, and the cock¬ 
erels are fattened or sold. One-half of the cockerels 
produced will he crate-fattened as <oou as their size and 
the season will permit. 
After the first season pullet? from these different 
pens will be bred on in the same line. That is, the 
lialf-mongrels will be bred to another mongrel male, 
the half Leghorns to another Leghorn, and so on. 
This will be continued year after year as long as is 
necessary to obtain record/ If such an experiment 
is carried on accurately it (Right to give some valuable 
data. It will, of course, depend somewhat upon the 
selection of the pullets. If they are all trap-nested 
the mongrels will have a better chance than otherwise, 
for there are good layers even among the common 
dunghill fowls. 
“THE CALL OF THE WILD.” 
That a dog should forsake his kind and join a 
wolf pack, to become the fiercest among them, is 
entirely credible, /or. somehow, civilization, seems to 
have but slightly veneered the wild nature of our 
canine pets, and at the smell of living blood, they 
frequently revert to savagery; seeming sometimes 
in the ferocit? with which they attack other more 
helpless creatures to be trying to make amends for 
the generations during which they have posed as 
domestic arimals. But that the gentle, mild-eyed 
calves of our barnyards should, in a brief Summer, 
forget the/r masters, and renounce all allegiance to 
mankind, seems more strange. That they may do so, 
however, was learned by Mr. Lewis Mead, a New 
York former, who, last Spring, turned five Holstein 
yearling to pasture on the hill at the rear of his 
farm. 
In the early Fall these yearlings broke out, and 
defying the efforts of their owners to catch them, 
begin ranging the woods and fields with all the 
freedom of young deer. A few vain attempts to 
round them up only increased their wildness, and 
the effort was abandoned until a heavy fall of snow 
made it evident that they must be captured. About 
a dozen of the neighbors volunteered for the hunt, 
and the young cattle were chased for hours. Fences 
of wire or brush offered no obstacle to them, and it 
was found impossible to corner them anywhere. A 
young man with some local reputation as a sprinter 
succeeded in gelling close to them blit failed to make 
a tackle. Fina/ly two of the animals broke away 
from the rest, and, crossing a valley, plunged into 
the woods of a range of hills to the west, and the 
chase was temporarily abandoned. Several days later 
six or eight men gathered, determined to secure the 
three heifers remaining. A fleet-footed greyhound 
was brought into requisition and the yearlings were 
chased by this dog until one of them ran into an 
open lot. .md in its exhausted condition permitted a 
man on horseback to get near enough to rope it. The 
other two escaped. 
Some days later the two which had deserted their 
fellows were discovered near a pasture seven or 
eight miles to the east of their home. They had 
evidently returned across the range of hills upon 
which they were pastured, and found their way over 
railroad and creeks, through a thickly settled valley, 
to the hills on the other side. Fences apparently 
offered as little obstruction to them as they would 
have done to deer. The farmer who discovered 
them let some of his cattle out to joint them, and in 
this wav, they were driven to a barn and captured. 
The two remaining at large are still roaming the 
woods and fields, and Mr. Mead is considering all 
the different methods of capture suggested to him. 
even to that of advertising for a Western cowpuncher 
with his lariat. m. b. d. 
