1868] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
409 
nearly to the floor beneath the roosts, and then 
up, as shown in fig - . 2. This pipe is covered 
with about a foot of dry sand, and the warmth 
is diffused into the sand on all sides. It is im¬ 
portant that there should be no moisture in the 
soil or sand which forms the floor of the house, 
and it would be well to cement the floor and 
the trench in which the pipe is laid. But, though 
the ground around the 
sides of the house may 
freeze, and so be made 
moist and muddy by an 
underground fire, yet we 
are confident such an ar¬ 
rangement of floors as we 
have indicated would pre¬ 
vent any difficulty from 
this source. The object 
of placing the stove un¬ 
derground is to have a' 
diffused warmth, lasting- 
long after the fire goes out. 
We have repeatedly made 
use of underground fires 
and flues, but not for this 
purpose, yet recommend 
them with confidence. A 
mass of moderately heated sand remains warm 
a very long time, and diffuses a mild and 
agreeable warmth. The same end may be 
accomplished by a brick stove, or any stove 
enclosed in a double wall and arch of bricks. 
---«■- 
Growing Interest in Blooded Stock. 
Hardly any thing can rejoice the intelligent 
agriculturist more than evidence that the farm¬ 
ers are taking increasing interest in raising pure 
and grade stock. We have often said, and say 
now again, that no sensible farmer, if he can 
help it, will use a grade, or mongrel bull, as a 
sire for stock he expects to raise. The use of 
thoroughbred bulls pays, even if the calves be 
slaughtered for veal; and it is a hundred times 
more important if they are to be raised. The 
question is asked us very often, “ What sort of 
a blood bull ought I to buy?” We only help 
each man to decide this question for himself. 
Short-horns are preeminently a beef race; still, 
among the cows, large milkers are frequently 
found. The grades usually make deep milkers, 
but the milk is generally not rich. They 
require good feeding all the time, and when 
fed for market, feed very economically. They 
reach maturity earlier than any other breed. 
The Devons are very different. They are an 
ancient race, and though somewhat improved in 
beef points, have changed little in the historic 
period. They are red, with long, white horns, 
beautiful heads, short limbs, long bodies, and 
straight backs. They will pick up a good living 
on rough pastures, in the woods, or cane-brakes, 
where Short-horns would almost starve. They 
give good milk, which is lacking chiefly in 
water (and this may be added, if desired). The 
calves are small; the bulls reach maturity and 
full size at 5 or 6 years of age, and the cows 
and steers at 4 or 5, perhaps. As working cattle, 
Devons and Devon grades are unsurpassed, on 
account, chiefly, of their compact, muscular 
frames, intelligence, and sprightliness. 
The Ayrshires are the cattle for milk and 
cheese dairies. See article on another page. 
The Jerseys , or Alderneys, are noted for their 
very yellow milk, cream, and butter, as we have 
stated in several recent numbers of the Agri¬ 
culturist. The oxen of neither of these breeds 
are worth much, but both make superior beef. 
These hints will serve as a guide to those of 
our readers who may wish to select a premium 
from our live stock list. The Devons do well 
at the South, Short-horns do not, as a general 
rule at least, and we do not know whether Ayr¬ 
shires and Jerseys have done well or not. At 
the North, the last two are reputed to be very 
hardy, and the same is true of the Devons. 
Getting Out Muck. 
Most muck-swamps, or peat-bogs, are acces¬ 
sible in winter, and the common practice is, 
first to dig ditches that will carry off the bulk 
of the water down to the lowest possible level; 
then to throw out the muck upon the surface, 
and cart it off in winter, when all is frozen hard. 
As we go South, however, and in tide-water 
swamps, the reliance to be placed on a frozen 
surface diminishes, and it is likely to prove a pit- 
fall and a snare. A “ Sunny South” corres¬ 
pondent, who is in straits, sends a sketch of a 
crane and scoop, with which he proposes to 
scoop out muck by horse power, where the 
team will have no footing. Such a plan will 
not work, but a horse or ox scoop may be 
easily employed in the following manner: 
Provide a strong rope, with two simple pulley- 
blocks. (The rope must be more than four times 
as long as from where the muck is to be dug to 
solid ground.) One pulley is fastened upon the 
firm ground, and the other to a rail or other 
anchorage in the muck-bed, just half as far from 
the first pulley as the rope is long. The rope 
is rove through both pulley-blocks, and a com¬ 
mon ox-scoop, or scoop-shovel, is made fast to 
it, both ends being attached to the bail. Now, 
if a horse or pair of cattle be attached to any 
part of this rope, and pull on the line of it, the 
scoop will be moved 
forward or back¬ 
ward. If the team 
start off when the 
shovel is loaded, and 
at the farthest point 
from solid ground, 
and walk towards 
the pulley on shore, 
by the time it is 
reached the scoop 
Fig. 3. bucket. should have reached 
the land, where the muck may be dumped; and 
the team, being faced about, will draw the scoop 
back to the starting point. If the swamp be a 
narrow one, two teams, attached to the end of a 
straight rope, alternately pulling and returning, 
may be made to move a scoop back and forth in 
the same way, the scoop taking a load from the 
middle of the swamp, each way, to the shore. 
We have never seen this done, but it is obviously 
quite as practicable as the method with two 
pulleys, which is sometimes employed in getting 
out harbor mud, at low water along the coast. 
A simple home-made crane for getting out 
muck, if the distance to firm ground is not over 
about 50 feet, and equally good, or better, for 
other purposes, is shown in the engraving, fig. 
1. This consists of an upright pole, or mast, say 
about a foot in diameter, and 25 feet long, 
pointed, and “stepped” in timber resting upon 
planks, so that it may have a firm base even on 
the soft muck, and held in position by three 
guy ropes. Attached to this is a second pole, 
or spar, 6 or 8 inches in diameter, and nearly as 
long. One end of this is made fast to the mast 
by a simple sling, shown in fig. 2, and the other 
end is supported at the desired elevation by a 
rope passing from it to a pulley-block at the top 
of the mast and down to a belaying block. 
A bucket, made of half an oil cask, or larger 
cask, with a bail attached in the manner shown 
•in fig. 3, or in some similar way, is attached to 
a rope which passes through a block in the 
upper end of the spar and down its length to 
the windlass or spool 
attached to the mast. 
The bucket is filled by 
hand, swung round by 
means of a rope attach¬ 
ed to it, or to the crane, 
and managed by the 
driver of the team, and 
its contents dumped into 
a cart, or, it may be, in a 
heap. The use of this 
crane, in a nearly hori¬ 
zontal position, is shown 
in fig. 1, by phantom 
lines. The extreme reach 
of the crane is some¬ 
thing more than its sim¬ 
ple sweep. The simpler 
methods of direct cart¬ 
ing, scooping, or moving out by means of wheel¬ 
barrows run upon a plank track, bridging 
brooks, etc., are much more inexpensive and 
are preferable, when they can be employed. 
Tim Bunker on Farmers Getting - Rich. 
Mr. Editor. —That Ohio man’s letter you 
sent me touches on a point that a good many 
folks are thinking about, and I may as well give 
your big family the benefit of our Hookertown 
experience. It is fair to let him state the case 
in his own language. He says: “ You had an 
article last month on the American desease of 
‘muchness of land,’ in which you forgot to 
mention how those Europian’s live who suport 
their famaleys, and get rich on 5 acres of land. 
We want to know hear as we are very anxious 
to get rich, and not willing to wait if we can do 
better. Are their tables loaded with sweet¬ 
meats ? Do they ride in a splendid carage with 
a spotted dog under it, and all the necesery ac- 
companeyments of pumpkin seed bonnits and 
kamel hair shorls, &c. ? Have they parlors with 
costty carpits and furniture, with the companey 
to correspond? Do they drink' tea, eat tobaco, 
and buy out of the grocery the prencepal part 
of their living ? Please to explain the whole 
thing, and not give us a part of the truth onley. 
This subject of economy is fearfully overlooked, 
and if you fear your popularity would be coim 
promised by so unpopular a subject, please hand 
it over to Tim Bunker. I think he will not 
shrink from the task.” 
I am often called upon for advice by my 
neighbors besides what I give in Justice’s Court, 
but it is rather new to have a man from so far 
out West wanting to know my views. So I had 
