1914. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1079 
due almost wholly to two causes, viz., (1) tempera- 
lure contrasts, and (2) the rotation of the earth on 
its axis. 
The foregoing indicates the deductive method of 
attacking this problem, and evidently leads to a 
negative result. The inductive method would seek 
in the meteorological records maintained in all parts 
of the world some evidence of weather periodicities 
corresponding to the diurnal, monthly, or other pe¬ 
riods of the moon's motion, or of the combined mo¬ 
tions of sun and moon. This method has been ap¬ 
plied by a great number of able students, using the 
refined mathematical analysis which is necessary to 
single out any lunar period, if such exists, from the 
periods due to known terrestrial causes—as, for ex¬ 
ample, the diurnal and seasonal fluctuations of tem¬ 
perature at the earth’s surface. These studies have 
led to conflicting results. Many investigators claim 
1< have found some indication of a lunar period in 
certain weather phenomena, and these have been 
variously attributed to the gravitational, thermal, or 
magnetic influence of the moon. The all-important 
fact, however, in connection with these alleged dis¬ 
coveries is that the effects in Question are. if they 
exist at all, exceedingly small and. especially, that 
they are exceedingly small in comparison with the 
effects of ordinary terrestrial causes. They are, 
therefore, mainly of academic interest, and lie be¬ 
yond the purview of the layman’s observation and 
comprehension. e. f. marvin, 
Chief of U. S. Weather Bureau. 
CARE OF FARM MACHINERY. 
W HAT DETERIORATION COSTS.—Accord¬ 
ing to the census of 3010 the farmer of the 
United States is buying yearly over $149,- 
000,000 worth of farm machinery, an amount equal 
to over 31-3 per cent, of the total crop values as as¬ 
certained by that census. Much of this outlay repre¬ 
sents the replacement of worn and discarded ma¬ 
chinery rather than adding to the equipment. Prob¬ 
ably not over nine-tenths of this amount is expend¬ 
ed for new equipment, leaving $14,000,000 spent 
yearly for repairs and replacements alone. Any 
system that will reduce this repair expense seems to 
be worthy of careful study. Farm field machinery is 
always called upon to work under adverse condi¬ 
tions. Grit, storm, and sunshine, three enemies of 
the field machine, cannot be eliminated. The only 
course left open to the operator is to lessen their 
effect as much as possible. 
(’Al SES OF DAMAGE.—While grit might be con¬ 
sidered by some as being the most potent factor gov¬ 
erning the life of a machine, its action can be large¬ 
ly controlled by proper adjustment of the bearings 
and by the use of dry lubricants as graphite, on the 
parts of the machine most exposed to its action. 
Then too the parts worn by grit are usually the 
small parts of the machine, as boxes, etc., and they 
can he easily replaced, making the machine as good 
as new if the main parts of the outfit are still in 
good condition. 
WEATHER CONDITIONS.—The weather is one 
of the most potent factors affecting me life of a ma¬ 
chine. Storm and sunshine are at work every min¬ 
ute that the machine is out of doors, whether it is 
being used or not. Practically all farm machinery 
is painted by dipping, leaving a thick, inelastic coat 
of cheap paint. The heat of the sun on the metal 
Parts of the machine causes them to expand, cracking 
the paint, which flakes off. leaving the metal be¬ 
neath it to be attacked by rust. The wooden parts 
suffer to even a greater extent than the metal from 
the weather. They are made from the ordinary 
slash-sawed stock, and it is a well-known fact that 
this type of lumber shrinks, swells, cnecks and warps 
much worse than quarter-sawed material. Also 
much of the woodwork to field machinery is of a 
kind that has little ability to withstand weather con¬ 
ditions. The machine gets a soaking, the wooden 
Parts swell, crushing bolt heads and other metal 
parts into them, then in drying out the parts warp, 
checks develop, and the material shrinking, causes 
the bolt to be loose, and it loses its holding power. 
Winter conditions affect the machine mainly by 
water running into the crevices and freezing there, 
forcing the adjacent parts away from each other. 
Housing then, it would seem, is one of the principal 
things to look to in prolonging the life of a farm 
machine. The shed need not be expensive, the only 
requirement being that it protects the machine from 
the weather. 
A MACHINE SHED.—The shed illustrated is 24 
feet deep by 20 feet wide. It cost less than $50 and 
will protect over $500 worth of field machinery and 
implements. It is not an ideal shed by any means, 
as the depth is too great, making it necessary to use 
some forethought when storing the machinery so 
that the implement wanted will be at the front of 
the shed, but it shows what can be done with a small 
amount of money. The cost of material was as fol¬ 
lows : 
Sheathing for roof, sides, and one end, 1.250 feet 
at $15 per M...$18.75 
Rooting paper, 7 rolls, at $1.25. 8.75 
8 planks, 12 foot x 8 inches x 2 inches, for plates, 
12S feet B.M. 
18 planks, 14 foot x 6 inches x 2 inches, for raft- 
ers. 212 feet B.M. 
8 boards, 12 foot x 0 inches x 1 inch, for collar 
beams, 48 feet B.M. 
Total .388 Ft. 
388 Ft. at $20 per M. 
50 pounds nails and spikes at 2'A . 
B.M. 
7.70 
1.25 
Total cost for material.$36.51 
The cost of the posts is not included in the above, 
POOR SUMMER STORAGE FOR T1IE SLEDS. 
Fig. 476. 
for the seven posts used were made from round 
cedar rails found on the place. Neither was the 
labor cost included, for it was built with ordinary 
farm help during slack times. In fact the shed 
shown was much lower than the above in price, for 
all of the lumber used was made from material 
found on the farm. The plates were made from elm 
planks, and the siding and roofing from cull pine ob¬ 
tained from down trees. On a large farm it is far 
from convenient to bring the field tools to the build¬ 
ings every night and a few of these sheds, built at 
CHEAP, EFFICIENT TOOL HOUSE. Fig. 477. 
points where most of the work is carried on are a 
great convenience as well as saving. At night, when 
through with the machine, run it into the nearest 
shed, then if conditions are such that you do not re¬ 
turn to the field the next*morning the machine is pro¬ 
tected. 
GENERAL CARE.—When in use take time to oil 
your machinery occasionally. The judicious use of 
machine oil saves horse feed as well as repair bills. 
Generally speaking a medium thick oil. one having 
a considerable body, is best for farm machinery. It 
is seldom that their bearings are very finely finished 
SHORT LIFE FOR THE HAY LOADER. 
Fig. 478. 
and this oil is needed to fill the little irregularities 
in them and keep them from grating on each other. 
Graphite is fine for this purpose and an application 
to the chains and gears of mowers and binders helps 
much toward a light running machine. The ordinary 
stick stove polish can be used for this purpose. 
REPAIRS.—Keep a note book for the purpose, 
and when a machine is to be laid up until the next 
season, go over it carefully and note the repairs 
needed. It can be done more easily then than at 
any other time, the machine is accessible and the 
weak places are fresh in mind. Order these repairs, 
and during stormy weather they can be fitted and 
the machine will he ready for use when the season 
opens, instead of having to wait at this time for re¬ 
pairs to be ordered. Keep the machine painted. A 
good coat of paint is a protection from the weather, 
acting as a portable covering for the machine. As- 
Phaltum varnish makes a cheap and good covering 
for the metal parts, while red lead paint is equally 
as good for the wood. The red and black make a 
good color combination as well. This painting can 
be done during the slack season, and does much to 
insure better care for the machine, for there is no 
man that will not take pride in a well-painted ma¬ 
chine, and try and keep it in as good condition as 
POSSible. ROBERT H. Siiiril. 
New York. 
MAKING SAND HOLD WATER. 
C AN anything be put on sandy soil to make it stand 
the drought? Things in garden literally dry up 
sometimes. e. b. w. 
New York. 
First let us think what makes a soil dry out so 
rapidly. There may lie in the same township a 
sandy, open soil, and another which we would call 
a clay loam. Each receives the same rainfall, yet 
after three weeks of dry weather the sand is as dry 
as powder, while if we dig or kick into the other we 
turn up dark-colored moist soil. Why? One soil is 
able to hold its moisture better than the other. A 
soil loses its moisture through drainage and evapora- 
tion. Naturally in the coarse, open sand the water 
will run away freely, while in the more compact loam 
the drainage cannot be so rapid. The same is true 
of evaporation. The air, warm and dry, works free¬ 
ly into the open sand and carries off the moisture 
better. The problem therefore is to change the char¬ 
acter of the sandy soil if we can. and make it more 
like the loam. The particles of the sand are coarse 
and held loosely together. The loam particles are 
smaller, some of them so small that they bind the 
larger ones together and fill in between them. The 
sand is light-colored and contains but little if any 
organic matter or humus. The loam is darker in 
color, and contains a good share of this organic mat¬ 
ter, which holds the moisture somewhat like a 
sponge. A garden or small space of sand can be 
made more compact by working into it a good quan¬ 
tity of fine, sifted wood ashes. This ash will work 
in between the particles of sand and help hold them 
together. A good dressing of air-slaked lime will 
act somewhat like mortar to compact the sand. Air 
cannot enter it so readily and thus the water is not 
taken out so fast. Heavy dressings of stable ma¬ 
nure worked into the soil year after year will in¬ 
crease the amount of organic matter, and weeds, 
wastes of crops and cover crops should all be plowed 
or spaded under. Such soils should never be left 
bare through the Fall or Winter. There should al¬ 
ways lie left growing a crop of rye. turnips, clover, 
vetch—anything that will make a growth that can 
be worked into the soil. This constant addition of 
organic matter will finally change the sand to a loam 
which will have the ability to hold moisture and 
thus withstand drought. There is no quicker way of 
doing it except the expensive method of using stable 
manure heavily. On the peninsulas of Delaware and 
Maryland are many instances where land miracles 
have been performed by using lime and chemicals 
and plowing under cow peas. Soy beans and Crimson 
clover. Starting with dry, leachy sand, farmers 
have in a few seasons been able to build up dark- 
colored loam soils which hold water well and pro¬ 
duce large crops. 
Registering Farm Names. 
The State of Missouri has the following law gov¬ 
erning the registration of farm names: 
Any farm owner in this State may, upon the pay¬ 
ment of one dollar to the clerk of the county court in 
the county in which said farm owner may reside, have 
the name of his farm duly recorded in a register which 
the county clerk shall keep for said purpose, and shall 
be furnished a certificate, issued under seal, and setting 
forth the name and location of the farm and the name 
of the owner: Provided, that when any name shall have 
been recorded as the name of any farm, such name 
shall not be recorded as the name of any 
other farm in the same county, except by prefixing 
or adding designating words thereto. 
That is a good law for any State. It is a pleasant 
thing to name the farm, and a good thing to have a 
trade mark. It leads every member of the family to 
think more of the farm. When the farm is about 
all you have it should have most of your thought. 
The Kansas Agricultural College has started tests to 
show the value of Alfalfa as silage. In small experi¬ 
mental silos are being preserved respectively. Alfalfa 
alone. Alfalfa with corn chop. Alfalfa with molasses, 
Alfalfa > with molasses feed. Alfalfa with straw, Al- 
talfa with rye, and rye alone. 
