774 
cessary. or give more of their property into the com¬ 
mon stock. As we shall see. these Canadian grain 
growers have shown the fanners of the world how 
to cooperate and how to succeed. It is as if the po¬ 
tato growers or milk producers of New York and 
New England had been able to hang together, obtain 
15 cents more of the consumer's dollar and use 10 
cents of it to organize a great cooperative business. 
Notes on Hay Making. 
A S to the handling of the hay crop in this local¬ 
ity, the growing tendency around here is in 
the direction of Increased speed in the work. 
The old-time custom of putting up hay “to stand a 
rain” has about passed away. Now the tendency is 
to handle it so quickly that it is cut and in the barn 
before the rain can come. Of course occasional mis¬ 
takes occur due to a wrong sizing up of the weather. 
To secure quick results two methods are in use. 
With one the hay is cut with wide-bar mowers, 
raked with side-delivery rakes and loaded with 
loaders. The second method where loaders are not 
used is to rake in long windrows, bunch with a two- 
horse rake and throw on from the bunches; where 
hay is heavy two men double in pitching on, and 
with a good gang the wagon hardly stops at all. 
When the weather is very hot Timothy is often cut 
very early in the morning and put in the barn the 
same day. With heavy clover it is sometimes ne¬ 
cessary to use the tedder; with Timothy this is not 
usually needed. When tedded the machine is kept 
going, beginning again when the piece is finished 
and working right along until it is ready for the 
rake. It is surprising how quickly this method 
will prepare the heaviest clover, and it can gen¬ 
erally he put in the barn on the second day after 
cutting and I have frequently known of its being 
put in the barn the same day it was cut. Some¬ 
times in raking the time is planned so it will lie a 
short time in the windrow before being loaded or 
bunched, and this handling of it and allowing the 
air to blow through it all helps in curing. This 
method seems to secure a nice quality hay, and there 
is no trouble about heating. In fact there is more 
trouble about heating when cured in the old way 
and put in when it is a little wet from dew or a 
shower. Hay that is wet with a heavy dew or rain 
should not be put in the barn in large quantities, 
or trouble will result. fred m. holmes. 
Schuyler Co., N. Y. 
Quick Hay Making. 
Practically all hay in this locality is cut with two- 
liorse mowers. Many use tedders to cure it, mak¬ 
ing it possible to cart to barn same day as cut 
Sometimes cutting the grass in the afternoon gives 
quite an advantage on next day’s curing. Most rak¬ 
ing is done with one-horse dump rakes. A few are 
using hay loaders, and like them. Personally our 
hay is pitched on by hand, but unloaded by horse¬ 
power fork, two-tined harpoon style. We find this 
is quicker, and saves so much labor in a close barn 
of a hot afternoon, though as a precaution the hay 
must be more thoroughly cured, or it will heat worse 
in the barn, as it is dropped in such large solid 
chunks. Farmers usually rake after the load with 
a horse. Many plan to have more than one wagon, 
and to do most of the unloading in the cool morning. 
New Hampshire. n. l. b. 
When to Cut Clover. 
We like to get a big start the last week in June, 
when the clover is well blossomed out. Alsike usu¬ 
ally blossoms before the Red, but it is so weak on 
the stem, it will often lodge before the 10th of June. 
Let it alone for two weeks and the Herd’s grass gets 
such a growth the burden of grass will double in 
weight within that time. We would cut Hei’d’s 
grass just before the first bloom for our own feed¬ 
ing. horses or cows. If mixed with clover start to 
cut just as the heads appear. We have so much 
land in hay, and grow such heavy crops, after the 
20th of June we plan when the weather looks fav¬ 
orable to push haying for all it is worth. The first 
grass is cut too soon and the last cuttings are over 
ripe. In harvesting hay the weather is the big 
factor. With a moderate quantity of grass to cut, 
T would advise the average farmer to pick the 
weather to make his hay. Charles e. lyman. 
Connecticut. 
Gasoline Engine for Unloading. 
Our grass consists principally of Timothy and 
Red-top, and a very little clover. We never start 
the mower until the dew is off; we use the tedder 
and until the hay gets ripe enough to cure the same 
day we rake and cock it. The next day open cocks, 
sc it will air out a little, after which we put it in 
the barn. By the way, we do not dry our hay as 
some do, but are always careful not to have water 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
in it. We use horse fork and gasoline engine for 
unloading. 
When grass gets ripe so we can cut and get it 
in barn the same day, we never cut rnoi’e than we 
can handle; try to clean up every night. There 
are many here who use a hay loader; some like 
them and some condemn them. a. d. barnes. 
Chenango Co., N. Y. 
Good Notes on Hay Making. 
To obtain the best quality of hay clover should 
lie cut just as it is getting past the full bloom, or 
as the blossoms are showing a little brown; most 
other grasses as a rule after the bloom has fallen 
or when falling. All hay should be got in the mow 
just as soon after cutting as it can be properly 
cured. Commercial hay, Timothy and its various 
mixtures can usually, in good weather, be cut and if 
heavy use tedder, windrowed and with a good load¬ 
er and horse fork be stored to liest advantage. If 
properly and evenly mowed with no rain or dew 
there is little danger of being green, but do not un¬ 
der any circumstances think you can put it in wet 
and have hay of quality. If you have a large hay¬ 
ing you must have at least one competent man in 
the field who can handle the men as well as the 
machines. You must also have a man at the barn 
who can keep things moving. With a modern mow¬ 
ing machine six or seven-foot cut, one half day or 
day in the lead, a good smart team for tedder and 
rake, two heavy teams and three wagons for haul¬ 
ing, a good man and team on rope to horse fork, 
and you can make things hum. Don’t forget to have 
extra whiffletrees, at least two horse forks, ready 
to use in case of breakage; one-half dozen extra 
pulleys; can of oil, and use it; one extra man, level¬ 
headed, as carpenter, machinist, doctor, inspector 
and “high push.” judson macafee. 
Pennsylvania. 
Town Sewage in a Stream. 
A certain town in Virginia installed a system of sew¬ 
age recently, and placed a disposal plant on a small 
stream which goes dry in extremely dry seasons. It 
flows through my farm, and the farms of several of 
my neighbors, and is the only source of water supply 
for our stock. They did not ask for our permission 
which I am told should be done, according to law; also 
that it is unlawful for conditions to exist which, might 
be a menace to health. I bought our farm some months 
prior to the above improvements, with the intention of 
dairying, and one of my neighbors also expected to 
start dairying this Fall. We asked the town authori¬ 
ties about the condition of the water in our stream. 
They said it would be better than ever, or 90% pure. 
Recently we noticed the water to have a greenish color 
and a foul odor, and the horses refused to drink it. 
We sent a sample of this water to the State Board of 
Health, asking for the analysis wishing to know if it 
would be all right for dairy cows to drink. They re¬ 
plied that it was not fit for dairy cows to wade in, 
and enclosed the following analysis: “Bacteria per 
cubic centimeter 2,000 plus; colon baecilli^ present in 
test samples of .1 c.c., 1 c.c., 10 c.c. and 50 c.c.; em¬ 
phasizing a high degree of pollution,” but if we wanted 
our trouble aired in court they referred us to some 
other bacteriologist. T. J. B. 
Virginia. 
T is impossible to define the purity of water in 
terms of percentages, such as 90% pure, for 
there is no arbitrary standard by which pollu¬ 
tion may be measured. Upon making a bacterio¬ 
logical or chemical examination, water may show 
evidence of no pollution, of a slight, a moderate, or 
a high degree of pollution. Since it is impracticable 
to find the germs of the various water-borne diseases 
in large volumes of water, recourse is had, in de¬ 
termining the purity of a suspected supply, to ascer¬ 
taining whether or not certain germs of animal 
origin are present. These germs for which search 
is made are known as colon bacilli; they are found 
in large numbers in the intestines of man and of 
some of the lower animals and their presence in 
water shows, of course, that it has been polluted by 
animal discharges. Water so polluted is unfit for 
domestic use, as it may contain the germs of ty¬ 
phoid or other diseases. Instead of counting the 
colon bacilli present in a certain quantity of water, 
their comparative numbers are estimated by ascer¬ 
taining how small a quantity of water will show 
their presence. If they are so numerous that a 
majority of cubic centimeters samples—a cubic cen¬ 
timeter is about 20 drops—of water taken for ex¬ 
amination will show them, it is considered that that 
water has been recently polluted by sewage from 
animal sources. If one-tenth of a cubic centimeter 
of suspected water shows the presence of these 
bacilli, as reported in your analysis, there must be 
about 10 times as many bacilli present, and the evi¬ 
dence of sewage pollution is accordingly that much 
stronger. 
I am not familiar with the health laws of Vir¬ 
ginia, but in my own State, New York, such pollu¬ 
tion of streams by municipal sewage would not be 
permitted. If, upon presentation of the facts to 
your State Department of Health, that body refuses 
to take any action, I presume that your only remedy 
June 5, 1015. 
would be an action at law against the town for 
damages, but I would suggest that you unite with 
your neighbors in a strong protest to your State 
health authorities, and to the local ones, as well, 
before assuming an expensive and uncertain legal 
contest. You should know, also, that unless the 
samples of water submitted to your board of health 
for examination were properly taken, under the pre¬ 
cautions necessary in such cases, the report is of no 
value and no legal action should be taken with it as 
a basis. m. b. d. 
Installing a Siphon. 
I have a well 15 feet deep with 3% feet of water 
in it. I would like to siphon it down to the barnyard, 
which is 230 feet from the well, with two feet, fall 
from the bottom of the well. Can this be done, and if 
so, how should I proceed? Can I put a faucet in at 
the end of the pipe, and let the water run as I need it? 
Weston, Or. J. w. 
T HERE are sometimes found, especially in hilly 
country, conditions where the siphon can be 
installed to advantage to furnish a supply of 
water for the farm buildings. A spring or well located 
on a hillside so that the water level is above the 
point of discharge furnishes such a condition. As in 
the case of the suction pump water is forced through 
the siphon by the pressure of the atmosphere and, 
like the suction pump, it will lift water only to a 
certain height. If a perfect vacuum could be se¬ 
cured and held, water could be carried over a raise 
of about 34 feet but in practice it is found best not 
to go much above 25 feet and a lesser lift is desir¬ 
able. In action the water in the long leg being 
heavier than that contained in the short one flows 
out, exhausting the air in the pipe, much in the 
same way that the plunger does in the pump, and 
water is forced up the short leg of the siphon by 
the pressure of the atmosphere to fill the vacuum 
thus formed. This action is continuous as long as 
the siphon continues to flow. 
Although very simple there are several points 
that should be observed in installing a siphon to get 
good and continuous action. Ordinary well or 
spring water carries a certain amount of air in so¬ 
lution. Air is slightly soluble in water and con¬ 
sequently a small amount is absorbed. As the water 
flows through the siphon some of this air is liber¬ 
ated and being lighter than the water collects at the 
highest point. As the amount of air increases at 
this point the siphon discharges slower and slower 
until finally an “air bind” is formed and the siphon 
stops. To prevent this the top part of the siphon 
should be laid level as shown in Fig. 292, leaving 
no one high pocket for the air to fill and resulting 
in more of it being carried down the long leg of the 
siphon to the discharge opening. To prevent the 
entrance of air other than that contained in the 
water, the whole siphon should be perfectly air¬ 
tight, especially over the bend, where a very min¬ 
ute leak will result in an air pocket and a stopped 
siphon. All joints should be well coated with white 
lead or plumber’s “dope” and drawn up tight. The 
use of lead pipe is sometimes advised for this part 
of the line. 
The siphon will not start until filled with water. 
Different methods are used for this purpose. Some¬ 
times a pipe is connected in as shown in the cut, 
and after plugging both ends water is poured in 
through the funnel until the siphon is full. If air 
in the pipe bothers about filling, loosen the lower 
plug allowing it to escape. After the pipe is full 
close the valve below the funnel and remove the 
plugs, letting the water start. Another way, a modi¬ 
fication of the first, is to connect a force pump to 
the end of the line and fill it with water by this 
means. An ordinary spray pump and hose will 
answer. A third way is to connect in a tee as 
shown. A pitcher pump mounted on this tee pro¬ 
vides a means for filling the pipe with water. This 
pump is left in place, then, if at any time the siphon 
should show signs of “petering out,” a few quick 
strokes of the pump handle will remove the air 
and set all right again, the lower end being closed. 
The first mentioned scheme, though the cheapest, 
has the disadvantage of being likely to admit a 
small amount of air. If this plan is used it is well 
to have a water-tight connection between the funnel 
and the upright pipe and to keep water standing 
in the funnel above the valve. This seals the valve 
itself but there still may be a minute leak where 
the valve is screwed to the pipe. 
For controlling the flow a float may be arranged 
as shown in the bottom of the watering trough, or 
a faucet can be used as suggested by J. W. It should 
be remembered though that in a siphon with so 
little difference in vertical length of leg the flow 
will not be very fast. This will be especially true 
if a small size pipe is used. I would not advise the 
use of pipe smaller than one inch and 1*4 or I%- 
inch would be better. e. h. s. 
