392 
THE RURAL NEW-YOKKEK 
A PIT SILO IN SAND. 
OME time ago I noticed an article about pit 
silos made by plastering a circular pit in the 
ground of such diameter and depth as was 
convenient. The "Country Centleman” has an ex¬ 
tended account, and I have bulletins from Western 
experiment stations about them. I would like to 
build such a silo, as I think the silage would keep 
better, especially in Summer, below ground than 
above, but our soil is sand, pure lake shore sand, 
and a local mason who has had considerable experi- 
< nee assures me that cement mortar cannot be plas¬ 
tered on sand even if it would stand up until say 
three to five feet were taken out of the hole. What 
do you know about it? I have never seen it tried, 
but 1 have often noticed that when the lake cuts 
into the bank and washes the sand away rapidly a 
vertical or almost vertical bluff will be formed, 
sometimes 15 to 20 feet high, which does not cave 
lor several days, or until it dries out. This would 
seem to prove that there would be time to make the 
excavation three feet deep in a hole, say. eight feet 
in diameter, before it would cave. We also have 
plenty of water handy and could wet the sand be¬ 
fore digging it. 
If it is impossible to plaster the sand walls, will 
you give me your opinion on the following? Make 
a ring of concrete, using a form both outside and 
inside and say four feet high. Fill this with con¬ 
crete and reinforce heavily with rods or wire, both 
horizontally and vertically. Let the bottom of the 
ring be a cutting edge formed by slanting the bottom 
from the inside. See diagram, Fig. 141. When 
this has set remove the forms and raise them on top 
of the ring and fill again as if to build above ground. 
Now. when the sand is dug from under the walls 
will they go down, and can the process be repeated 
until a depth of say 25 feet has been reached? I 
noticed in a recent number of the “Scientific Ameri¬ 
can" that a similar method was used on the Panama 
Canal to sink pillars for foundation for piers and 
docks. This was in swampy land, and as they were 
to be filled solid very heavy walls were used. If 
you think such a plan reasonable, what thickness 
of wall and what reinforcement would you recom¬ 
mend? Also, do you think that by using extra 
cement, sand without any gravel could be used for 
the concrete? It is seven or eight miles to poor 
gravel from here. If the walls should stick we 
could always weight them with sand bags to al¬ 
most any limit. There are no stones, and practically 
no stumps or other troubles liable. o. w. s. 
Holland, Mich. 
R. X.-Y.—This is turned over to our readers for 
discussion as the best way to settle it. lias any¬ 
one ever tried such a plan? We think something 
like it though in heavier soil is described in a bul¬ 
letin from the Nebraska Experiment Station. That 
sand is surely the best soil condition for a pit silo. 
We think the plan suggested would work, but have 
had no personal experience. 
STARTING A NEW BANK. 
T HERE is a movement to establish a national bank 
here; the required amount has been already sub¬ 
scribed. all by local men, none from out of town. 
The stock is over $100 per share. A majority 
is owned by three men. the balance in lots from one to 
10 shares. The persons owning the majority want to 
dispose of a part of this to different people (farmers 
largely) to secure their business and influence, they 
say. I have been asked to take a few shares. The 
men who are promoting this are of my immediate neigh¬ 
borhood. have always known them, and have confidence 
in them, all farmers, well-to-do. They never had any 
experience in banking business. One is to be cashier, 
has had no experience. They expect to hire a competent 
bank man to start it; after learning the business they 
will assume charge.. IVhat is your advice? In case 
there was a mismanagement and the bank was closed, 
would I be liable for the amount of my stock; in other 
words, could the government commence action and com¬ 
pel me to pay the amount of my stock? Would I be 
liable in any other way? I believe it would be a good 
thing for the community to have such a bank. If I 
can be of service to our community by helping this 
along I am willing to do so. reader. 
The law provides that “the shareholders of every 
national banking association shall be held individ¬ 
ually responsible, equally and ratably, and no one for 
another, for all contracts, debts and engagements of 
such association, to the extent of the amount of 
(heir stock therein, at the par value thereof, in ad- 
dition to the amount invested in such shares.” If 
you pay $100 per share for your stock and the bank 
later gets into difficulties, you could be assessed 
ratably with the other shareholders up to the par 
value of the stock. Whether you should go into the 
enterprise is a question of business policy for you to 
decide. If the people who are putting up the most 
money have had previous business experience, al¬ 
though not in banking, and are conservative in their 
outlook, and you are acquainted with them and with 
their methods, it may be a wise policy on your part 
to enter the business. Possibly you and a few 
friends may stipulate, as part of the consideration 
■ »f your entering, that you may be allowed to name 
nne of tlie directors, and so may keep in close touch 
with the business. m. n. 
CROP ADJACENT TO TREES. 
HAT is a good crop to sow along tlm side of a 
patch of woods which seem to stunt the growth 
of corn and potatoes? I would like a crop I 
could feed to the cows. J. n. K. 
Rhode Island. 
Cultivated land lying adjacent to woods is sel¬ 
dom if ever as productive as land lying beyond the 
radius of the shadows of the trees and the reach 
of their root system. In the first place its fertility 
cannot be maintained up to the proper standard, 
and its moisture content is always below normal in 
dry weather, and in times of long-continued drought 
the; moisture is almost invariably nil. In the sec¬ 
ond place, such crops as require full sunlight will 
not thrive well in partial shade, no matter how well 
they may be nourished and watered. This is par¬ 
ticularly true with corn and is always noticeable 
Mail Boxes On Wheel. Fig. 142. 
in a field upon which scattering trees of some size 
are growing or if adjacent to woodland. That por¬ 
tion of the crop near to them is always more or less 
puny, and many of the stalks coming within the 
radius of the shadows cast by the trees fail to bear 
ears, and those that do, the ears are inferior in 
size of cob and quality of grain. Cow peas and Soy 
beans would probably succeed better on this ground 
than most other crops. Neither of them is particu¬ 
larly partial to full sunlight, both are rather deep- 
rooted and stand drought fairly well grown broad¬ 
cast or in drill. Both are legumes, gathering large 
quantities of nitrogen from the air and depositing 
it in the soil, greatly to its benefit and improvement. 
They are also rich in protein, and are a most excel¬ 
lent stock food either in the green or dry state, but 
on account of their high protein content, they should 
be fed in connection with corn or other roughage 
of correspondingly low feeding value. k. 
PROGRESS OF PROHIBITION. 
WOULD like to ask if you are serious when you 
express the belief that an amendment to the United 
States Constitution prohibiting the manufacture 
and sale of liquors will really be submitted to 'the 
States? S. B. s. 
Entirely so. No one will deny that we have super¬ 
ior facilities for learning the sentiment and convic¬ 
tions of intelligent country people. It may be stated 
without any qualifications whatever that the senti¬ 
ment for prohibition is growing steadily and solid¬ 
ly among farmers and country people. History is 
repeating itself, and the conviction that the liquor 
traffic is wrong morally and economically is grow¬ 
ing just as the feeling against slavery was devel¬ 
oped. There is this great difference. The slavery 
ouestion was sectional, the temperance movement is 
nation-wide and nothing can now stop it. It has 
now gone past the period of fanatics and agitators 
and has become an economic question, like the tariff 
or the currency problem. So long as it was a moral 
question only prohibition could not make great pro¬ 
gress because it could not secure the backing of the 
classes which enforce laws. As an economic 
March 13, 
question it touches the pocket and the stomach 
which, we inffst all admit, carry more votes in these 
days than heart and conscience. We think it will be 
some years before Congress submits an amendment 
for ratification, and probably some years more be¬ 
fore it becomes effective. Such slow process is, we 
believe, desirable but wo have absolutely no doubt 
whatever about the final outcome. The work will 
be accomplished largely through the votes of farm¬ 
ers and country people, on the theory that the money 
spent for liquor is a loss to society and a double loss 
to farmers and workmen who provide food and 
clothing. It is probable that enforcement of such 
a law will be difficult in some of our larger cities. 
Violation of it will carry its own penalty, for popu¬ 
lation and business wi’.l finally leave such towns. 
COUNTY AGENTS NEEDED. 
T seems to be difficult to find just the right men 
to serve as county agents or advisers. There are 
many men who possess the needed knowledge on 
farm matters, and have a fair understanding of 
scientific principles—yet they fail. Their failure is 
often due to the fact that they do not or will not 
consider human nature. In most farm neighbor¬ 
hoods the county adviser must win the confidence of 
the farmers first of all. Unless he is patient and 
wise enough to do this he cannot hope to make any 
real progress. This is very evident to anyone who 
has worked among farmers, and the county adviser 
to succeed must have tact and judgment and a keen 
appreciation of human nature. This is peculiarly 
true of the older States, where farmers are conser¬ 
vative and fixed in their habits of thought. We 
are quite frequently asked to suggest men for such 
position and the last request carries this statement 
of community needs: 
I wish we might get hold of a man 30 years of age 
or older; one who is interested in the problems of coun¬ 
try life, who loves the people on the farm and if possi¬ 
ble, a man who has had practical farming experience 
and a good agricultural college training. _ Personally, 
we would much prefer that he be a Christian, of good 
habits, who would come with a desire to remain a term 
of years and make a place for himself among these 
people. We have no criticism to make of the Federal 
cooperation, but it does seem a pity to us that they 
continually change their men about, especially here, 
where a man cannot do his best work until after he 
has remained in the community ’ong enough to gain 
the respect and confidence of the people. 
Another county with different people might need 
a younger man of somewhat different type, but the 
point is to select a man of good judgment who knows 
how to approach his people. 
D ID you ever stop to realize how habit and fash¬ 
ion influence trade? Here is a case. For cen¬ 
turies the Chinese have been drinking their 
tea clear. It was a decoction of tea leaves without 
milk. Americans acquired the habit and came home 
to tell how much better the "pure tea” is. Now 
the Chinese have begun to use condensed milk in 
their tea and the habit is spreading all over China. 
It was started by a condensed milk company, but 
has become so fixed that some parts of China will 
Top-Working An Apple Tree. Fig. 143. 
go into dairying! History is full of just such things. 
A change in hats among the rich in England and 
France nearly ruined the trade in Canadian beaver 
skins two centuries ago. If we could only make our 
city people realize that eating baked potato is 
fashionable those potatoes in the Maine storehouses 
would put on silver wings and fly. 
