I'Jlo. 
FARM ENGINEERING. 
Building a Filter. 
We would like information in regard to 
filtering water running into a cistern. 
Our local cistern workers are lamentably 
deficient in knowledge on this subject. 
The cistern will have a capacity of about 
200 barrels, and will be filled from the 
roof of a rather large residence in which 
coal will be burned. e. f. c. 
Watervliet, N. Y. 
The best plan is to pass the rain water 
ihrough a gravel and sand filter, which 
may be constructed as shown in the 
first of accompanying sketches. A well 
is dug, preferably lined with concrete, 
but stone or brick may be used. The 
well is divided in two parts by a par¬ 
tition, the parts communicating at the 
bottom by an opening, as shown. The 
rain water is led into one part of the 
well, goes through the opening between 
the parts, and rises in the other part 
through the gravel and sand, and is 
led off to the storage cistern. In place 
of a divided Well, you may use two bar¬ 
rels or hogsheads, which communicate 
with each other at the bottom by means 
of a short piece of pipe. Then the rain 
water may be led directly into one 
barrel from the roof, and through the 
pipe to the other barrel, in which there 
has been placed a six-inch layer of 
coarse gravel, then an eight-inch layer 
of finer gravel, then at least a foot of 
clean, sharp sand which has not been 
sifted or screened, but which has been 
washed, to remove all clay and dust. A 
pipe from near the top of the second 
barrel leads to the cistern. The use of 
the barrels has many advantages over 
the sunken well, one being that cleaning 
of the filter may be very easily accorn- 
I Barrel ~F liter 
plished by disconnecting the barrels and 
pouring plenty of water into the top of 
the filter barrel, allowing it to run 
out of the pipe. If barrels are used, 
die filter barrel should be six inches 
above the other, so that the connecting 
pipe from the side of the first barrel 
can go into the bottom of the filter bar¬ 
rel, in order that there will be no trap 
in the latter in which sediment can 
settle. The sketch shows details. 
B. P. O. 
Artificial Stone Flooring. 
1 here have been several notes about 
the use of a composition known as stone 
Hooiing, and many readers have asked 
for information. 
the composition flooring known as 
tit'a iai stone consists of the oxides and 
1 'loiides of magnesium known as mag- 
ncS, l .u.i “ ox y chIoride ,” with a filling 
'i,' „ , su< i 1 as Paper, sawdust, sand, 
' ’ .ssbestos, shredded wood, etc. If 
"... wish to do the work yourself you 
(Vr ? ly ^ le ma terial all ready for use. 
dor xr ?£ cl i age8 ~ a U< l uid and a pow- 
Sn • ¥ 1X th e two together to a stiff cement 
oneT« d if a Y er , the T floor to a depth of about 
bfit fvL" 1 , 0 ^ 11 wil1 “set” over night, 
ffia v n o„ ‘A d 2 ys Wl11 e lapse before you 
before Hi ^« door , and it will be week? 
color % floo *\ assumes its final even 
nnv h.. 10 i w ! ut< ~ 8 P ots which appear 
eo UP „ 1 . Wa " h<,,i oir - The floor will be- 
proof 8toila hard and is water- 
may Ik p vp', rT l ' 00f ; ,• Auy 'lasired color 
• gnen by adding earth colors. 
THE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
773 
The specific ingredients for those who 
wish to make up the cement themselves 
are: The powder (parts are by weight), 
50 parts calcined (burned) magnesite; 
15 parts marble dust or dolomite; 5 
parts asbestos; 15 parts sawdust; 2 y> 
parts silicate of magnesium; 11 parts 
proper earth colors. Mix the above sub¬ 
stances thoroughly. The liquid: Equal 
parts of water and chloride of mag¬ 
nesium solution. Add the liquid to the 
powder until you obtain a good stiff 
mixture. If desired iy 2 parts of muri¬ 
ate of ammonia may be mixed with the 
powder before adding the liquid in order 
to make ;i better union of the elements. 
In another flooring, the following is 
used: A.-—85 parts magnesium ehlorid 
solution ; 30 parts of filler, such as saw¬ 
dust; 25 parts of infusorial earth. When 
ready to usee add : B.—100 parts of pul¬ 
verized burnt magnesite; 43 y 2 parts of 
water; coloring substance, as ocher, 
umber, red oxide, etc. Ready for use 
the composition costs about 15 cents per 
square foot, while put down it costs 30 
cents per square foot. Any of those floor¬ 
ings may be waxed. . b. p. c. 
Muddy Well. 
In the Winter I drilled a well in my 
yard, going 00 feet in hardpan, then 
striking sand and gravel (so drillers 
thought) and water too. They went on 
to 70 feet, cased the hole 02 feet, did not 
strike any rock. This month I put 
on a force pump and have been pumping 
on it more or less every day, but the 
water does not clear up, but is decidedly 
roily. Water comes up to within two 
feet of top and seems to be abundant. 
We are right near Cayuga Lake; pump 
pipe down about 00 feet. E. n. 
Evidently you have gone below a sand 
stratum into loose earth. The only 
remedy is to go further or to draw 
pump pipe up a few feet and fill in below 
with gravel and sand, these acting as a 
filter. k. p. c. 
Kye as a Cover Crop. 
On page 050 you ask for letters on 
cover crops. I think cover crops are 
great, and it is a wonder to me why 
more farmers do not use them. We 
would have sown rye in our cornfield at 
the last cultivation, but had no seed. 
We filled our silo October 4, and as soon 
as we could had a team harrow the 
stubble with a spring-tooth. The ground 
was not fitted very well, so we used 
a disk drill. This covered the seed but 
did not put it in very deep, as the ground 
was very hard. The rye came up and 
gave the field a greenish tinge before 
Winter set in. This Spring the plants 
were very small, and the freezing and 
thawing was very hard on them, but 
where the ground was well drained there 
is a good stand and will make a fair 
crop. This will be harvested for grain. 
We had four acres of potatoes last year 
and finished getting them off the field 
October 17. This is a nice dry patch, 
and the ground was in good shape after 
digging the potatoes. We put a little 
lime on this field, as I intended to sow 
Alfalfa on it in June, 1913. We har¬ 
rowed it once with the spring-tooth 
and drilled November 1. The next day 
the ground was covered with snow. We 
all had a good time making fun of our 
“Winter-sown” rye, but this Spring it 
looks better oven than that sown in 
September. This rye has probably done 
so well because the ground was in 
good shape when drilled and there must 
have been some fertilizer left after the 
potatoes were off, as there were 3,000 
pounds of a 4-8-7 fertilizer used for the 
potato crop per acre. If for any reason 
we cannot turn the rye under and fit 
the ground for Alfalfa we shall harvest 
it for grain and put the Alfalfa in later. 
McKean, Pa. k. a. m. 
Destroying Sweet Fern. —Referring 
to the article of E. (’. S., on page 075, 
regarding sweet fern brush, would say 
that it would be best that lie cut it off 
with a mowing machine any time after 
haying—August is about the best time. 
After the brush lias dried thoroughly, 
set fire to it and plow about October 
1, and let lie in furrow until Spring, 
then harrow and plant to corn. If the 
corn is cultivated about three times 
during the season I will guarantee you 
will not be bothered any more with 
sweet fern. This is practical experience. 
F. H. 
The Ten-Hour-a-Day IIki.p.—T he 
Hope Farm man asks can we make a 
success of farming and work eight or ten 
hours a day. This question lias often 
come before us on our farm, and we have 
decided we cannot unless there is plenty 
of money behind us. It is certainly 
true that we must “make hay while the 
sun shines.” We are back-to-the-farm 
people and have been here two years. 
After stocking our farm with stock and 
farming implement and living a year with 
everything going out and nothing coming 
in and a hired man to pay, we found 
when interest and taxes came due we 
were wise in not doing as some of our 
neighbors, who had several 10-hour-a-day 
men and after a year or two went back 
to the city wiser and poorer. We have 
found the city man with means and no 
knowledge of farming, does the real 
farmer much harm in paying help big 
wages for eight or 10 hours’ work. 
While I believe all help should be given 
fair wages, there are very few really 
entitled to what they ask. F. H. c. 
Mention The Rural when answering ads, 
DAY 
Free 
Trial 
Gu&i 
UPantee 
I made the WITTE, the leader in engine 
usefulness 26 years ago, when the gas engine 
business was in its’ swaddling clothes. I 
have kept it ahead ever since, as the thous¬ 
ands of my customers testify. Nobody can 
sell you a better engine, and nobody will 
quote you as low as my latest reduced Fac¬ 
tory Prices Direct to Users. 
WITTE Engines 
Gasoline, Gas and Oil 
Sizes VA to 40-H.P. stationary and mounted, 
(skids and trucks.) All with detachable 
cylinders, vertical valves, and other features 
of merit without which no engine can be 
really high-grade. Start without cranking, 
run without watching, 24 hours a day. 
Cheaper power, per horse, than others give. 
Buy Direct From Factory 
5-YEAR GUARANTY 
60 DAYS* FREE TRIAL 
Bold to save you dealers’ profits, and give yon 
lowest factory prices ever known for strictly high 
standard engines of proven worth. No reasonable 
terms refused If you can't pay all cash. Get my 
great new book, FREE, with latest prices. 
CD H WITTF w 'TTE IRON WORKS CO. 
CU. n. nillt, 1891 OAKLAND ave., 
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI. 
Engines 
k 1 to20 H.P.STKAM ENGINES, 
Y 5 to 25 H. P. SEPARATORS, 
\jtL 6 sizes, lOOto lOOObu. pur day. 
1 Hand and power feed cut- 
tors and corn shell era, 
wood saws, horse 
\ powers, steel 
ft and wood laud 
rollers, etc. 
_ Mowers, \ ^ v 
’ Rakes, Tedders. 
MESSINGER MEG. CO., Tatamy. Pa. 
Let My Pumping 
Engines Do the Work 
Yes, sir. Get a Galloway Pumping 
Engine Outfit. Put it to a 90-day i st on 
your rr| . Use it to run the chum, cream sep¬ 
arator, waoiiiug machine, pump or any small 
mach e on your place. Then if you don’t say it’s 
the best little engine you ever saw In your life, 
you can ship it back. I’ll refund your money and pay 
the freight both ways. No atringsto th : offer — is there7 
Then on ' pof this wonderfully liberal offer I’ll save you 
$25 to $50 th. outfit. Can you beat it? Never. Write me today. 
Get My Special Offer and Prices 
Do it today. Only $24.75 for a ' 3 A h. p. “Boss 
of the Farm” pumping engine. You , .’t afford to wait 
for your windmill to blow down or a calm, hot 
day when you have to do all the pumping fora 
lot of stock by hand. Be prepared. Get my spe- 
cial pumping engine catalog. Save $26 to $50 on yoar en¬ 
gine and join my list of over 30,000 aatisfied Galloway C 
engine customers. Wi to me today. Don’t put it off. I 
You’ll need an engine In the next few weeks. It’ll c 
for itself the first month. Get my special 1913 
oiler. Address 
Wm. Galloway, Pres. 
William Galloway i 
'"alloway 1 
Protect Your Hayl 
^ ery pound of hay spoiled by rain or rust 
or mildew is money thrown away . 
Rust-Proof Metal Stack Covers 
Pay for Themselves on One Stack 
These corrugated galvanized Metal Stack covers 
save all the hay just as well as barns or sheds. Made 
in light interlocking sections that a 15-year-old boy can put 
together. Two boys cover a stack 20x40 feet in a few minutes 
Wind-proof, water-tight, rust-proof, last a lifetime. 
Farmer Agents Wanted. Write todav for descriptive 
circular, prices and special terms to Farmer Agents. 
Metal Cover Co., 27 s. Despiaines st., Chicago 
UIIIIUi 
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Wear Like Steel | 
—comfortable | 
as old slippers | 
The life of Bass Shoes is H 
almost unbelievable, until S 
you try a pair and see for 5 
yourself. The firm hemlock. C 
soles wear under hardest = 
conditions twice as long as 2 
the average sole. Yet the 55 
uppers have given good E 
service after taking 2 
as high as 8 and 9 5 
half soles. =S 
Here’s the 
Secret 
Bass Shoes are made 
with vegetable-tanned leather from only the toughest and closest- 
grained part of the skins of matured veal. Most of the other makes of 
shoes you see are made from the whole skins of young, tender calves, 
slaughtered for market. You. yourself, know that shoes made from these 
skins with their weaknesses cannot stand the strain of rough, outdoor 
wear long enough for you to get your money's worth. 
BASS Shoes 
For Hard Service 
Still other brands use hides from steers, which you know cannot be so 
close-grained, smooth and pliable as the skins that go into Bass Shoes. 
That s why Bass Shoes feel so soft and comfortable to your feet—and 
adapt themselves to a perfect fit of every part of your foot—just as 
though they were made to your individual order. 
Another reason for their great durability—and economy—is the nailed 
soles. A sewed sole rarely stands more than one or two half-soles. 
Shed Water Like a Duck’s Back 
Not only am Bass Shoes marvelously durable and comfortable, but you may wear them 
through muddy roads-, marshes and in other damp and wet places and know that your feet 
will be kept dry. they are as nearly waterproof as shoes can be—mud won t faze them. 
Buy Bass Shoes of the best dealer in your town or the nearest town. They cost $4.00—a 
little more, perhaps, than ordinary shoes, but their extraordinary features make them worth 
a whole lot more. If your dealer does not sell Bass Shoes, don't buy auy others—write us 
and we will tell you how you can easily get them. 
Handsome catalog' of Bass Shoes, 
free—send for it now. 
G. H. BASS «& CO. 
Makers of famous Bass Moccasins 
Wilton, Maine 
5 
DEALERS. Write us on your business letter¬ 
head for our special dealers’ proposition and 
full particulars as to how we are making it easy 
for you to sell the increasingly popular Bass line. 
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When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick 
reply and a “ square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
