1910. 
THK RURAL NEW-YORKER 
865 
AN ARRANGEMENT FOR HOUSE DRAINAGE. 
Every little while I see a discussion of the problem 
of disposing of sewage of country residences. I sec 
by a recent number that the Hope Farm man has had 
to contend with this problem. In my own case I have 
so satisfactorily solved the problem, along lines which 
I have not seen suggested in The R. N.-Y., that I feel 
some sense of obligation to make the plan known. 
About five years ago I built a home in the suburbs, 
away from water and sewage facilities. For water 1 
drilled a well 120 feet, which a gas engine pumps into 
a tank on a tower constructed over the "well house.” 
The water supply has proved satisfactory 
in every respect. I now sell water to a 
number of my neighbors. 
The sewage question was troublesome. 
There was no depression available for 
its discharge, which necessitated a cess¬ 
pool. Twelve feet beneath the surface is 
a bed of loose, coarse gravel. I exca¬ 
vated a short distance into this bed. The 
pool was about six feet in diameter, at 
the bottom, was walled with brick with 
open joints, and was arched over at the 
top about 18 inches beneath the surface, 
and covered over. The sewage from the 
house was discharged directly into this 
pool. Within six months, however, the 
pool was filled, and the sewer clogged. 
The solid matter had effectually cemented 
the bottom and sides. 
This led me to hiake a more careful 
study of the subject. I saw somewhere 
that if the surface of a cesspool was not 
disturbed a heavy scum would form in 
which would be propagated certain bac¬ 
teria ; that at a certain stage of maturity 
these bacteria would drop to the bottom 
of the pool, where their future ravages 
would result in the practical dissolution 
of all solids. It was stated that break¬ 
ing and agitating the surface of the pool 
prevented propagation. In working out 
this idea I constructed a small pool, 
which I call a settling pool, about one 
hundred feet from the dwelling. This 
pool is of concrete, bottom, sides and 
top, and is water tight. Its inside di¬ 
mensions are four feet long, three feet 
wide and four feet deep. The top is 
about six inches beneath the surface and 
is now sodded over. For ingress and 
egress I used two similar three-inch soil 
pipe T’s, built into the sides of the pool 
opposite each other, on the same level, 
the opening in the sides to accommodate 
these T’s being about six inches below 
the top. Each of these T’s is connected 
with the sewer on either side of the pool, 
and the upper projection of each T will 
protrude through and above the top of 
the concrete box. The lower projection, 
as will be apparent, will extend always 
beneath the surface of the pool. Thus 
the surface is not agitated by the intake 
or discharge of the sewage. The outside 
projection of the T provides openings 
through whiclr the settling pool can be 
pumped out. A cesspool, similar to the 
one first described, was constructed, into 
which the settling pool discharges. 
In four years’ use of this system I 
have observed these facts: The water 
discharged into the sewer from bath, 
closet, toilet and sinks, is about six 
barrels daily. There never has been the 
slightest obstacle to a free discharge of 
all sewage. Not a single item of repair 
or attention has been given to the system 
since it was installed, four years ago. 
There is no odor from the pipes project¬ 
ing through the top of the settling pool. 
(These openings are loosely covered, to 
permit of ventilation.) The discharge 
from the settling pool is absolutely free 
from solids, is almost clear water and 
without odor. An examination at the 
shows less than four inches of solid matter in the form 
of sediment in the bottom of the settling pool. The 
system is easy to install. Under my unskilled direction, 
my hired man did the work. The expense is small, and 
is practically covered by the item of labor. The nature 
of the discharge from the settling pool permits of its 
disposal in almost any manner. f. p. moats. 
West Virginia. 
PACKING FRUIT. 
Where the Law Would Help the Grower. 
I have always been in favor of a law that would com¬ 
pel the proper packing of fruit. Yet I never realized 
how very necessary this was to the good grower arid 
honest packer of fruit until a few nights ago, when I 
heard a conversation between two men that was a 
revelation to me. I have known for some years that 
just such things were being done, but supposed it was 
mostly by men of little experience in growing and 
handling fruit, or otherwise by men who did it pur- 
ALABAMA CORN FIELD IN SILK, JULY G. Fig. 374. 
THE BURRO AS A FAMILY TEAM. Fig. 375. 
passed this could not be done, which would ruin the 
fruit growers. Here is where he and I differ, as in this 
law I can see about our only salvation, about the only 
way everyone will have to sell his fruit on its merits, 
and the only way I can see whereby a buyer will have 
some assurance of what he is getting. There is now 
no certainty as to the quality of a consignment. 
As it is now, the man who buys can only do so on 
the basis of what good fruit is in sight on top and 
bottom of the barrel, with the supposition that they are 
poor in the middle. In this case if they are good lie is 
ahead. On the other hand he cannot buy on the basis 
of good fruit in the middle of the barrel, 
for if it is poor (as lie has ofen found it 
if lie is a frequent buyer) lie is “stung.” 
However, if we are to have a law gov¬ 
erning the grades of fruit, let us have a 
national law and not a State law, as in 
the case with packages, which works 
confusion on growers who live near the 
border of two States with different laws. 
This sometimes makes you a violator of, 
but not amenable to the laws of another 
State than that in which you live. 
You will notice I said I saw in a fruit 
grading law about our only salvation. 
In this case (until we can get such a 
law) we have to do the next best thing, 
which at present I am convinced is to 
pack our fruit honestly, don't put any¬ 
thing in to sell that you would not be 
willing to buy. Deal with an honest 
commission man, and let him know as 
nearly as possible just what is jn the 
package. The commission men as a rule 
have a chance to sell fruit of almost any 
grade, and get what it is worth, and by 
knowing what he has he can ask a good 
price for a good article. We hear so 
much at times about the commission 
men making poor returns and trying to 
beat the shipper. It is very easy for 
these claims to arise. For instance, the 
man spoken of at the beginning of this 
article said his No. 1 Oldenburgs only 
sold for $2.75, when they were quoted at 
$3.50. Yet after knowing what he called 
No. 1, who can wonder? And then, did 
you ever stop to think of the number of 
comparatively honest people who are al¬ 
ways trying to beat the commission man, 
that is making their stuff look better, 
and hoping the commission man will 
think it is better than it really is? My 
opinion is that a commission man who 
tried to do unto others as others try to 
do unto him would not last long in busi¬ 
ness. So let us not abuse them or any¬ 
one else for a trouble which we can 
easily remedy ourselves. The time is 
close at hand when all the office seekers 
arc your friend, and that is the time to 
get them to your way of thinking. So 
let every fruit grower get busy on the 
passage of a law that will govern the 
grading of fruit, thus giving a man what 
he is entitled to for his fruit, and every¬ 
one what he pays for when he buys it. 
New York. wm. hotaung. 
HOW THEY WENT TO THE FRUIT GROWERS’ MEETING. Fig. 37G 
is practically 
present time 
MOTORING FRUIT GROWERS.—The picture at 
Fig. 37G show's how New York fruit growers went to 
the recent meeting at Sodus. Hundreds of them trav¬ 
elled in motor cars. The one shown came from Yates 
Co. It has run over 5,700 miles and is still good. 
poscly to be dishonest. Yet here I found a man who 
was a grower, also a man who bought and packed 
fruit, and strangest of all a man who thought it per¬ 
fectly legitimate to (as he put it) run in apples under 
two inches (if they were fair) and. apples that had 
worms (also as lie put it) in the blow ends into No. 1 
fruit. . Then it was that the thought came to me, what 
chance is there for a man who grows good fruit and 
packs it properly, so long as he must compete with 
fruit packed in this manner? Think of it, apples 
under two inches as No. l! an apple no larger than a 
good-sized crabapple, and can you wonder at the cry 
every little while from some one i who has bought a 
barrel of No. 1 apples? And this man was lamenting 
the fact that there was a movement to try to pass a 
standard grade law. lie said that if such a law was 
A TOAD FARM—THE LATEST. 
Newspaper clippings state that a Mr. 
Dray, from England, is to start a toad 
farm here, claiming that the toads will 
sell readily for 25 cents each. Mr. Dray 
is said to have got an endorsement of his 
toad scheme from Washington. Having 
been through the ginseng and mushroom 
fever, tried poultry and bought a few 
mining stocks, we were not interested 
in toads, but the boys were. A colony 
of toads came hopping from under the 
front porch each night in such increasing 
numbers that at 25 cents it looked like 
picking up money to breed them. We 
wrote to Washington about this endorsement and re¬ 
ceived this letter from the Biological Survey. 
I do not know of anyone with whom Mr. Dray, the al¬ 
leged toad culturlst, has consulted. Almost every fresh 
water pool throughout the country is a natural toad prop¬ 
agating farm, and if the young were properly protected 
they would soon overrun the neighborhood. The toad is 
rn indiscriminate feeder, devouring any moving object of 
proper size. We have known it to feed on small birds, 
young toads and frogs, and various beneliclal ami injurious 
insects. If properlv confined in potato fields infested by 
till' Colorado beetle, it will do effective work in destroying 
such insects that feed on the lower leaves or fall to the 
ground. 
Wc once tried to show off our knowledge by placing 
a toad and half a dozen Potato beetles in a box to¬ 
gether. The toad refused even to look at the insects. 
If any man is foolish enough to start a toad farm we 
realize that we could not expect to head off such a 
heavy brand of folly. He will have to learn by ex¬ 
perience. 
