“Uhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
919 
A Cellar Drain Problem 
Would you tell me which would be 
the more satisfactory way to drain my 
cellar, from the center or by ditching 
around the outside? I was planning to 
put a tile from center of cellar out with 
a 2-in. slant from sides, but I am told 
it will not be dry enough then. c. c. 
Dryden, N. Y. 
A drain from the center of the cellar 
would not prove sati.sfactoi*y, for the floor 
would always be kept wet by the water 
coming from the sides toward the center. 
Where a drain is not placed under the 
wall when building, the next best thing 
to do is to lay a line of tiles around the 
inside close to the wall, and deep enough 
to be covered nicely by the cement floor. 
thinner cement, filling in no faster than 
the wall progresses on the free side. The 
reinforcing rods can be easily put into 
this wall, and the inside plaster and black 
paint will make an air-proof job. j. g. 
Plan for Cellar Drain 
Three-inch tile are large enough and a 
l>end should be used to turn the corners. 
The outlet should be located at the cor¬ 
ner to meet the out.side drain. If there 
can be a little grade to the drain around 
the cellar so much the better, but if laid 
level it will dispose of the water. In 
cementing the cellar bottom a three-inch 
opening should be arranged in the outlet 
corner connecting down to th“ drain, and 
the cement bottom should have a slight 
grade to that point. This opening to be 
protected with a screen. In this way the 
cellar can be flushed out. The overflow 
from the cistern or some of the house 
roof pipes should connect with this to 
help keep the whole drain flushed out. 
And will prove an insurance to the con¬ 
tinuous operation of the drainage. A 
dry cool cellar will be the result. 
H. E. cox. 
Locating a Spring 
Can _ yoxi furnish me with any in- 
formation in regard to locating springs? 
I live in a very hilly part of the coun¬ 
try and our water supply gets low at 
times. T R R 
Red Hook, N. Y. 
A spring naturally locates itself at 
varying depths beneath the surface. 
There are in many localities porous or 
water-bearing strata through which the 
underground streams are finding their 
way. When an obstruction to their con¬ 
tinued course is encountered the water 
is forced to the surface by the back 
pressure of the stream as it fills and 
forms a .sort of reservoir of water in 
this porous stratum. This dam may be 
either rock, hardpan or clay, but it is 
always there, although the surface for a 
considerable depth is of silty or porous 
nature. In this case it is often difficult 
to locate the exact spot where the 
spring breaks out. In one instance 
where about an acre was covered with 
swale and bogs, with water showing 
everywhere, I began by opening a main 
line of drain tile on the lower side 
where the water flowed out on the more 
solid ground, then by placing laterals 
every 20 feet I w'as able to locate the 
spring at the upper .side of the tract and 
secured all the w^ater. Iron pipe is used 
from the spring direct when it is har¬ 
nessed up or developed. There are peo¬ 
ple who claim to be able to locate these 
underground streams by the use of a 
crotched branch from a peach tree; this 
is carried in a certain manner and 
should turn toward the ground when di¬ 
rectly over a stream. Personally I am 
a doubting Thomas in regard to this 
method. An intermediate spring is 
hardly worth spending time and money 
on, but one that flow’s continuously is 
of great value to a farm property. 
HENRY E. cox. 
Repairing of Silo 
I have a round stave silo inside the 
barn, 12 feet in diameter, which has 
rotted out for about tw'o feet from the 
bottom. This silo goes up through the 
floor, which is laid tight around it, and 
also through the roof, strips of tin being 
nailed to silo and roof boards all around 
opening in roof. There are two plans 
that suggest themselves to me. First, 
saw’ off the two feet at bottom and let 
silo dow’n. This would make it necessary 
to tear out around roof and floor above 
stables, and then replace both. Second, 
saw off the tw’O feet and build up wdth 
concrete. The objection to this is the 
W’ork and expense of making the forms 
inside and out for so small an amount of 
cor-crete. Can you sugge.st a better plan, 
or if not, can you tell me how to build 
the forms with the least amount of lum¬ 
ber and labor. The barn w’all comes quite 
close to the silo on two sides. L. 
Lacyville, Pa. 
The plan that suggests itself to me 
would be to pay no attention to the 
stave.s, let them be as they are, and build 
a cement wall outside them. You do not 
need forms, or plastic cement. Get some 
rough stone, and with plenty of cement, 
build about an eight-inch-thick wall about 
the silo, up to where the staves are sound. 
In this W’all put two good reinforcing 
rods, to make it impossible for the wall 
to spring, or crack, and you have quite as 
good a wall as the pure cement would be, 
and do not have any forms to make. Be 
sui’e the cement fills every space between 
the stones in the wall. Then make some 
good cement, and plaster these decaying 
staves on the inside up as high as the 
outer wall. Take some good coal tar 
roofing paint, and paint this plaster on 
the inside to make it air and moisture 
proof, and you w’ill not have to disturb 
your barn floor or roof, and have a silo 
at very small expense, that w’ill last you 
until Uncle Samuel takes charge of our 
farms and orders up the disposal of our 
crops, and furnishes containers for their 
perfect i)reservation. The silo being in 
the corner angle of the barn wall offers 
HO obstacle. Pill in this space in the 
angle with stone and cement, as you can 
drop in smaller stone, and use \ little 
Greenhouse Heating 
1. I have a greenhouse building 100 feet 
long, 25 feet wide and four feet glass 
sides; the concrete foundation projects 
above the ground one foot. There is a 
row of purlin posts the length of house 
six feet distance from the sides; number 
of purlin posts on each side nine. What 
is the proper amount of pipes necessary 
to heat this greenhouse to a temperature 
of 75 degrees? The thermometer goes to 
about 18 degrees below’ zero; that is the 
coldest. I w’ant the house for growing 
tomatoes in Winter, the planting to be 
on the ground; the return pipes to be on 
the side and the flow along the purlin. 
The house rums east and west. I have 
800 feet of 1^/4-in. pipe and a couple hun¬ 
dred feet of li/^-iu. pipe. IIow’ deep 
should boiler be in pit, and what is the 
proper pitch to give the pipes? I have 
a hot water boiler of 1250 square feet 
radiating surface at 175 deg, Fhr. Would 
you tell me the proper number of pipe to 
use and the size? I thought to use larger 
size pipe on north side, 2, Is it advisable 
to W’ater tomato plants in greenhouse 
overhead or not. ii. s. w. 
Montague, Mich. 
1. Our temperature rarely goes lower 
than five degrees below’ outdoors, so could 
not speak from experience, but for tem¬ 
perature at IS degrees below', it would 
be best to install one square foot heating 
Surface lEor each 2^‘ feet glass exposure, (or 
approximately 1600 square feet. This 
would require about 3,730 feet l^^-in. 
pipe, 3,200 feet, of ly^-in. pipe, or 2.070 
feet 2-in. pipe. Either size could be 
used, though the 2-in. would give better 
results and a more even degree of heat. 
Install one overhead flow along the pur¬ 
lin and two returns on side, for 2-iu. 
pipe; but for the 1% or li/4-in. pipe it 
is better to have as many flows as re¬ 
turns. The high point of the system can 
be either over the boiler or at the far 
end of the house. The expansion tank, 
large enough to contain one-tw’entieth of 
the W’ater in the entire system, should 
be located high as convenient, and con¬ 
nected to system near the boiler into a 
return pipe. The pipe should have an 
even ascent and descent of one inch to 
every 10 feet, or more if you can allow 
it. The top of the boiler should be low¬ 
er than the return pipes in the house. 
A 1,250 ft. boiler would not be large 
enough for a house of this size; 2,.500 ft. 
would be about right, or another 1.250 
ft. boiler added, and so connected that 
each can be used separately or together 
when needed. From the boiler to the 
house the flow and return pipe should be 
five inches. 
2. Tomato plants should be watered 
underneath w’hen setting fruit. The 
blossoms should be kept dry if i>ossible. 
When the plants are small the w’ater does 
no damage to the foliage, but when the 
fruit is ripening water will damage the 
tomatoes the same as the rain will to the 
outdoor crop. elmeb j. weaver. 
Waterproofing Cement Cistern 
We depend on a cement cistern for the 
water supply for the house. The cistern 
is now dry, and w’e have had heavy rains 
recently. Can you tell any way of 
waterproofing a cistern? g. m. a. 
Geneva, O. 
Concrete cisterns are commonly made 
water proof by finishing the inside sur¬ 
face with a coat or tw’o of neat cement 
made by mixing Portland cement with 
sufficient w'ater to make a fluid of about 
the consistency of thick cream ; this may 
be applied with a brush after seeing that 
all cracks are stopped and that there are 
no visible outlets for the water. Unless 
the w’alls of a concrete cistern are prop- 
ei’ly constructed to begin with, it is often 
difficult to prevent their leaking by out¬ 
side applications. m. b. d. 
Western Apple-packing House 
Apple grow’ers throughout the Eastern 
and Middle States will be interested in a 
bulletin issued by the Department of Ag¬ 
riculture on the “Apple Packing-house of 
the Northwest,” This gives a study of 
the packing-houses scattered through that 
Western country where fine apples are 
grown, packed and shipped all over the 
W’orld. It W’as necessary for those West¬ 
ern countries to systemize their work 
thoroughly and get it down about as close 
to a science as w'as possible. They have 
got a long way on the road to doing this, 
and the pamphlet gives much infonna- 
tion about their method and the kind of 
house they have found necessary in order 
to take care of their fruit. It is a good 
pamphlet and ought to interest every 
Eastern grower. We shall have to come 
sooner or later to the Western plan of 
co-operative work, and this pamphlet is 
one of the things which will show us 
how to do it. 
Don’t Risk Disappointment — Get 
MORE 
MONEY 
FOR 
APPLES 
Kasttm Stylm 
by ordering now and making sure 
of Box deliveries when needed. 
The big demand for Baker Boxes 
makes ordering ahead the only 
safe way. Growers everywhere 
are alive to the fact that the extra 
price leaves a fine margin of profit 
over cost of 
Baker Apple Boxes 
Your apples will “look” a better 
price, command a better price, 
will be easier to sell and easier 
to handle. Boxes shipped to you 
knocked-down. 
Write at once for prices, stating 
number and style of box wanted. 
An order placed at once will in¬ 
sure delivery. 
BAKER BOX COMPANY 
84 Foster St.» Worcester, Mass. 
30% More Fall Wheat 
One farmer writes: “Your 
Sheep’s Head Pulverized 
Sheep Manure gave ^ per 
cent increased yield over 
barn manure on worn-out 
land.’’ Dropped with ferti- 
>«a lizer attachment. Kich in 
nitrogen, phosphoric acid 
end potash. Also adds hu¬ 
mus. For all field crops, 
meadows, lawns and gar¬ 
dens. It makes things 
grow. Write for prices. 
^NATURAL GUANO COMPANY 
830 RIVER STREET AURORA, ILLINOIS 
The grammar-school principal w’ent 
from room to room explaining what to do 
in case of fire. The pupils li.stened with 
respectful attention until he came to his 
final instruction, then cmiles and giggles 
disturbed the principal’s serenity. “Above 
all things,” he said, “if your clothing 
catches fire, remain cool,”—Credit Lost. 
Corn this Year will be Predous 
Therefore buy a 
ROBINSON METAL CORN CRIB 
and protect your crop from 
vermin and weather 
Prices on application 
DODGE FARM, Washington, Conn. 
SECOND-HAND PIPES,TANKS AND BOILERS 
Flues for culverts—Flumes and Penstocks. Pipe 
threaded and coupled ready for connection or cut to 
length suitable forlieating, supports and fence purposes 
Guaranteed caimble of reasuiiable pressures. Steel 
beuius and rails cut to length. Tiuiks of all sizes 
open, closed, suitable for storage of water, giisDline. 
AGENTS FOR THE SKINNER IRRIGATION SYSTEM. 
Write for circulars and prices. 
PERRY. BUXTON, DOANE CO., BOSTON. MASS 
DITCHED 
andXerraces 
Also grade roads, build 
dykes, levees with 
Farm Ditcher 
__ — Grader 
Works In any soil. Makes V- 
Bhaped ditch or cleans ditches 
Qp to ^ feet deep. Does labor of 
100 men. All Steel. Reversible, 
Adiustable, Write tor tree book 
and our proposition. 
Owenshero Ditcher & Grader Ca Inc. Box 2340weBshore, Ky. 
BOOKS on all subjects of farming by leading ,, 
authorities are for sale by The Rural New- i 
Yorker, 333 West Thirtieth Street, New York i 
The Nation will need every potato you can produce this year. 
There Will also be a big export demand. Get all of them. Adopt 
a better and cheaper method of digging your crop. Use a 
Hoover Potato Dig^g^er 
Digs fast and easily 
Gets all the tubers. Saves the backaches from hand digging. Digs from five 
to eight acres a d®y- Delivers all of the potatoes on top of the ground—easily seen 
ancl picked up. No weeds or trash to bother. This is delivered to the side of row. 
Picker at^chment can be furnished which delivers potatoes in piles or in crates. 
Hoover Potato Diggers represent a better investment 
than ordinary diggers. They give more years of ser¬ 
vice and at less cost for upkeep. Made of steel and 
malleable castings almost entirely. Elevator rods are ^ 
offset. This promotes better separation, and prevents H Je 
potatoes from falling back on elevator. jL VjS 
Hoover Diggers are built in different J_ (•'p^ 
Styles and sizes—there is a type that 
will meet your requirements. 
Write for Hoover Potato Digger Book¬ 
let. Mailed free. Ask for package P— 33, 
JOHN DEERE 
MOLINE, ILL, 
.lul 
u itju* 
