"Uhe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1419 
Farm Mechanics 
Repairing a Leaky Tank 
Can yon tell mo of a cheap, easy and 
effective way to mend a leaky water tank? 
Wo have a 2,000-ga!lon tank supplied by 
a windmill which is losing water. 
White Plains, N. Y. yr. a. y. 
A leaky water tank may he easily 
soldered and a permanent repair made. 
To insure success first dry the leaky por¬ 
tion out thoroughly. This can best be 
done with the flame of the gasoline torch, 
but if no torch is available heated iron* 
or bricks may be used instead. After 
thoroughly drying the leak should be 
scraped clean and bright with an old 
knife or similar tool, as the solder will 
not adhere to a dirty surface. The solder¬ 
ing copper should be freshly tinned by 
filing bright and, after heating until it 
melts solder freely, rubbing it with some 
melted solder on a piece of sal ammoniac. 
This acts as a flux and causes the solder 
to spread evenly over the freshly filed point 
of the copper, giving it the appearance of 
silver. The copper is now ready for use 
and should be kept as hot as possible and 
not burn the tinning from it. The sal 
ammoniac referred to can be easily and 
cheaply obtained at any drug store, 10 to 
15 cents worth lasting years for ordinary 
farm I’epairs. 
The freshly scraped leak should be treat¬ 
ed to a solution of zinc dissolved in hydro¬ 
chloric acid. This solution is made by 
adding pieces of zinc to the acid until 
some remains nndissolved at the bottom 
of the container. This container should 
be of glass or earthenware. Hydrochlorio 
acid can also be obtained fi-om the drug¬ 
gist, while zinc scraps can be found at the 
hardware store. The solution made from 
these materials should be allowed to settle 
and the clear liquid poured off for use. 
After painting this solution over the 
surface of the freslily scrapp'd leak apply 
the solder with the hot copper, using a 
good-sized copper to hold the heat as long 
as possible, keeping the point well tinne<l 
as directed and keeping it ns hot as it is 
possible to do without burning the tinning 
from the end. Metal that is soldered must 
be brought to the temperature of the 
melted solder to insure that the solder 
will adhere to it, and as galvanized iron is 
a comparatively heavy metal it follows 
that the copper must be used as hot as 
possible and moved .slowly along the leak 
to insure that enough heat is transmitted 
to tlie material to bring it to the required 
temperature. 
If the leak is about the entry of a pipe 
into the tank it can be repaired by putting 
in a new rubber gasket or by using oakum 
and white lead for the same purpose, 
liitharge. another drugsrore ju'oduct, when 
mixed to a paste with glyceiine, is some¬ 
times used to repair leaks, as is also a 
paste of white lead and oil. A permanent 
repair with solder is, however, the best. 
If the 9upi)0rts, either beneath the tank 
or on the sides, have settled or are too 
light the tank will be made to bulge when 
full by the pi-essure of the water con¬ 
tained, and so caused to leak. If the case 
mentioned applies no amount of soldering 
will stop the leaking until these supports 
are made strong and rigid. The weight 
of 2.0(>0 gallons of water is considerably 
more than 8^/4 tons, and ample provision 
must be made to support it. B. H, S. 
Disinfecting Vault 
Can you tell me what to put in a privy 
vault to destroy contents? s u. H. 
Canaan, N. Y". 
I know of nothing that will destroy 
the contents of the vault so that they 
will not have to be removed, but they 
can be rendered inoffensive by using a 
liberal quantity of a good preparation of 
chloride of lime. This disinfects as well 
as deodorizes if r.n active preparation is 
used. It is difficult sometimes, however, 
to find a good, fresh preparation in local 
markets. The cheapest deodorizer and an 
efficient destroyer of offensive matter ia 
dry loam or road dust. A box of this 
should be provided in the Summer «nd 
placed where it may frequently be sprink¬ 
led over the contents of the vault. Used 
in sufficient quantity and frequently, it 
will keep the vault inoffensive and make 
its cleaning out an entirely unobjection¬ 
able job. jf. B. D. 
Utilizing Unused Well 
I have on my farm an unused well 
built_ of hiird brick without cement, six 
feet in diameter and 75 feet deep. As I 
have no further use for it as a well, 
would you suggest what use I can make 
of it instead of filling it up? How would 
it do as a root cellar, and how should it 
be arranged? Is there any other use you 
may suggest for it? M. L. P. 
Lakewood, N. ,1. 
It appears to me that a well 75 feet 
deep would be a very unsatisfactory place 
in which to store root crops, for tho rea¬ 
son that they could not be inspected and 
sorted over, as is sometimes necessary 
when a portion has started to decay, 
without going to the trouble of taking 
them all out of the well, which would re¬ 
quire considerable extra labor. I believe 
that these two objection, unhandy and 
inaccessible, are enough to condemn it 
for that purpose. If this well is conve¬ 
niently located near the residence, it 
could be used as a refrigerator or ice box 
by simply installing a small windlass with 
rope or chain sufficient to reach down 20 
to .W feet. To this may he attached a 
large pail or a small screened cupboard 
with shelves enough to hold any perish¬ 
able 'food which must be kept cold. This 
will save buying ice or emptying the ice¬ 
box pan, and does the work just as effi¬ 
ciently as a refrigerator for ordinary 
household use. c. S. a. 
Cement Cover for Well 
I am going to build a new pump-house 
with a cement floor. I would like to 
know how to cover with cement a six-foot 
well. w. R. 
Swede^oro, N. J. 
The well cover may be continuous with 
the concrete floor or built as a separate 
slab. In either case, make it five inches 
thick and reinforce well. Cover the well 
with sound plank to be left in place, or 
fit a cover into the opening and shore it 
up from beneath in such manner that the 
cover and its supports may be taken 
apart later and removed through the man¬ 
hole. Re sure that the cover is suffi¬ 
ciently stiff to withstand the weight of the 
green concrete without sagging. Make a 
wooden frame of inch stuff about 20 
inches square and five inches in depth. 
Around the outside of this and flush with 
the upper edge tack a two-inch .square 
strip of wood; this for a manhole form. 
Place the manhole form in the desired 
place over the well, and provide for a 
suitable opening for the pump. Bolts 
may be imbedded about the pump opening 
to project above the surface and hold the 
pump base. Soap or grease the outside 
of the manhole form well, and lay an inch 
and a half of concrete over all. Upon 
this layer of concrete lay heavy woven 
wire fencing for reinforcement. Immedi¬ 
ately complete the concrete cover to its 
full five inches in thickness. It would 
be well to reinforce the concrete specially 
about the manhole by placing short half¬ 
inch iron rods in the concrete about two 
inche.s hack from the edge. Leaves from 
an old buggy spring make good reinforc¬ 
ing metal for such short spans. Place 
all reinforcing metal near the bottom of 
the slab and complete the laying of the 
concrete over the well at one continuous 
operation. After removing manhole form, 
saw out the plank underneath, jr. B. p. 
Extracting Honey 
Can you tell me some way to extract 
honey from the combs without au extract¬ 
or and without destroying the combs? 
I just started with bees this year and 
have 10 frames in the super full of 
honey, about 80 lbs. and worth about 
$8 or $10), not enough to pay to buy 
an extractor. ir. j. w. 
Appomattox, Va. 
I cannot conceive of any way to remove 
honey from the combs without destroying 
the latter save by the centrifugal process 
as embodied in revolving frame extractors. 
If the combs were uncapped and kept in 
a warm place, the honey would doubtless 
drip out in time, but I cannot say wheth¬ 
er it could be made to do so rapidly 
enough for pra»‘tical purposes. If any 
reader knows how to exti’act honey on 
any considerable scale without the use of 
expensive machines, we should be glad to 
hear from him. jr. B. n. 
A Cheery Companion 
Take the Perfection Oil Heater along and be com¬ 
fortable—upstairs, downstairs—wherever you go. 
It gives cheering warmth at the touch of a match. It’s 
convenient and economical too. No smoke or ashes 
—no fixing or tending. 
Re-wicking is now easy with the new No. 500 Perfection Heater 
Wick —comes trimmed and burned off all ready for use. 
Use So-CO-ny Kerosene for best results. 
STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF NEW YORK 
PRINCIPAL OFFICES 
This Better Crops Book 
Was Written Forlfbu 
It’s Free 
Send a 
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This book 
iiives highly 
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information about tillage. 
(We want you to have a 
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The Cutaway 
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672 Main St. 
Higrganum,Conn. 
Makers of the orig¬ 
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Grinds your plow 
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uolexMill&Mfa.Ca.. Box 4*20 . Sorinafiald. O. 
ARPLETON 
SAWS 
Give perfect ser¬ 
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tables ^^^^^^Lathe-tnmed steel shaft, 
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Grind corn and cobs, feed, 
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On the market 50 years. 
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THE A. W. STRAUB CO 
Dept. E-374Q Filbert Sl«, PhPadelphia, Pa. 
Dealers — Writ© for contract. 
SAW YOUR WOOD 
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CONSERVATION. Conserve time, 
money and your horse’s streegth by using 
RED TIP CALKS 
They will enable your horse to travel on slip- 
pery, icy roads and streets in absolute salety. 
They can be adjusted in a few minutes and 
make you ready for the road any time—day of 
night—eliminating danger and delay. 
NEVERSLIP CALKS NEVERSLIP SHOES 
H always have Red Tips. always have Red Heels 
Get them from your horseshoer now. 
It Booklet F will bo sent free on request. - 
l^THE NEVERSLIP WORKS, New Brunswick, N. J. 
