VOL. XXI.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., SATURDAY, NOV. 13,1886
NO 46
SURVEYING FOB COMMON USE.
To determine the general contour of a
farm or field, a level ia necessary. I will
describe two forms.which any persen may
construct for himself; one for taking general contours quickly, and the other for
taking short differences of level, as would
be required ln running a ditch or laying a
drainage pips.
Fig. 1
Take a piece of lead pipe, tnree feet long
and one inch in diameter, carefully bend
it so that each end projects about two
inches, as A A Fig. 1. Take tw*> vials, and
cut the bottoms off with a file or a hot
nail, previously wrapping a piece of paper
above the line where you would wish to
cut. Insert the glass tubes into the projecting ends of the pipe as B B and seal
them in with putty. Fill the tube and
vials with water, colored with blueing or
writing ink, until it nearly reaches the
necks of the vials. Mount the tube upon
a tripod stand made of wood, so that the
tube may swivel on the stand. When required for use, bring the level approximately horizontal with the eye; withdraw
both corks from the vials, and the surface
of the water will indicate a truly horizontal line in whatever direction the tube is
turned. A leveling staff is necessary with
this level. Take a strip of wood say 12
feet long, graduate it into feet and inches,
strongly marking the divisions by making
every other one white and black, so that
they can be seen for some distance. Fix
on a piece of wood so that it will slide
along the strip. Then, when a sight is
taken on the level in the direction of the
staff, the point where the sight intersects
the staff, represents ths difference of level
and is marked by tbe slide. It ia necessary, of course, to measure the hight of
the level from the ground, and to subtract
it from the figure indicated on the staff;
fnr instance, if the level was four feet
from the ground, and tbe horizontal line
indicated five feet on the staff, the difference in level between the two points would
be one foot.
r *
Tne otber  level is the more useful, and
even   more  easily  constructed.   Take a
strip of   wood (A A Fig  l)of  any length
(a rod long if   the moat useful),   and con
nect it with other stripe, each of the same
length (B B) into a triangle whose apex
would be, say four feet high, Fig. 2.   Put
leg a couple of inches long on each end
of tne base, (F F) and attach a plumb line
(P) from a nail in the apex of the triangle.
To adjust the level, place it upon an approximately level floor or ground, and
mark the position of the plumb on the
base strip, then reverse the triangle, end
for end, placing the feet upon tbe same
spots they occupied before, and again
mark the position of the plumb line. One
half the distance between them is the true
perpendicular, and when the plumb line
is over this point, the triangle is resting
on a level. To ascertain what divergence
of .the plumb line, equals a given difference of level between the ends, adjust the
level so that the plumb line is perpend ic-
lar, and the instrument level; then place
a chip a quarter of an inch high under one
leg, and make a permanent mark on the
base exactly under the point crossed by
the plumb line; this mark will always indicate a difference of level of one-fourth
of an inch in the space included between
the legs. Repeat this with other pieces of
wood one naif inch, three-fourths inch,
one inch and so on, for bath ends of the
level. The advantage of using a base one
rod long,is that these marks will show the
difference of level ln inches and parts of
an inch to one rod.
In making a ditch, the fall she uld depend upon the siza of the stream passing
through it and the nature of the passage
One three feet wide and six inches deep
a fall of one fourth of an inch to the rod,
is ample; for very small ditches one half.
If you wanted to ascertain the line yon
wished to carry the ditch, giving it a fall
of one-fourth of an inch to the rod, you
would take a point of beginning, and
swing the level around until the plumb
line indicated a fall of one-fourth of an
inch, drive a peg,, and carry the level forward, placing one of the legs near tbe
point indicated by the peg and again
swlt g the level around to the point where
the deflection of the plumb line indicated
one-fourth of an inch, and proceed as before, until the whole line of ditch is snr
veyed. The pegs will then indicate where
the ditch must be dug.
This method is very simple and accurate, and can be done nearly as quickly as
it takes to tell it. In the territories,where
irrigation demands very much ditch raak
ing, no other method is used, and the writer has merely explained an operation he
has repeatedly performed. The same instrument may be used to level anything,
as a foundation wall or a sill, or a line of
shafting. The higher the apex of the triangle from the base, and the longer the
plumb line, the more sensitive the instrument will be, and the lesser change of
level will make a greater deflection of the
plumb, bat portability must be considered, and a hight equal to one-fourth of
the base ia amply sufficient to secure good
results.	
^*^^-ji i
Thb election in this S;at« resulted in
giving the Republicans apurality of 3,647
Tbe senate will have 19 Republican members and 31 Democrats. The house 55 Republicans and 45 Democrats. Making a
Democratic msjority of two on joint
ballot.
(Qxxtvt} & gtnswer.
Give yonr name and postoffice when asking question*. Many queries go unanswered for failure to
observe this rule.
1. Did the Jersey cattle originate from
the Alderaeys, or are they the same?
2 Does the orange cane molasses turn to
sugar? W. P. W.
Mexico, Mo.
1. Alderaeys and Jerseys are the same
cattle as known in this oountry. Jersey is
the name of the largest island in the group
in the English channel and so gives the
name to most of the cattle. Guernsey is
another of the islands and produces a breed
very similar to those of Alderney and Jersey.
2 It can be converted into sugar by the
vacuum process or the extractor, but does
not pay, at the present low prices of cane
sugar.
1. Please oblige by answering the following questions: Is the enclosed thistle
the Canada thistle? I have not seen it till
within the last two years, but now it Is on
many farms?
2. On what kind of land does oelery
thrive best? Would it grow on a drained
marsh where the top soil is two feet deep
and soft enough to ran a pole down with
ease ? It seems to be very rich for heavy
crops of corn are grown on it.
3. Will some one tell ua how to grow
mangel wurzel? Something was said
about it in a late number, but when it
comes to ridging the ground up in the
spring, I would like to know what it is for,
and how high to make the ridges.
4. Does Herman millet mature so as to
make seed as far north as Porter county ?
One of my neighbors says not.     C. E. S.
Porter Co.
1. Yes, it is the veritable Canada thistle,
and we are sorry for you if you have it
bad.
2 Celery thrives best on moist, not wet,
rich land. If yeur marsh is well drained
it ought to raise good celery.
3. Orow them like beets, planting them
twice as far apart in the row. They are
heavy feeders and the ground must be
made rich. They are very long and the
ground must be ridged somewhat or
broken up quite deep to give them a
chance to de their best.
4 German millet perfects its seed in this
part of the State, and we think it will do
so in yours if sown early in June. Many
do not sow till late in June or early in
July.
Please tell me where I can get a pair of
ferrets. W. C. D.
Decatur Co.
We do not know. Any one having ferrets to sell will find customers by advertising the fact In our columns.
giving milk, it will be advisable to remove
the seeds when cutting them up. There
is no otber danger in feeding pumpkins to
stock in unlimited quantities.
"Can 'Mother Hen,' or any of the readers of tbe Farmer, tell me what ails my
chickens, and what will cure them and
what causes the disease? The heads of
the chickens are covered with warts, some
white and some black, which appear on
the comb first, then on the eyes which
causes blindness, after which they soon
die.
The disease appeared first in a brood
about two months old but spread very
rapidly. I keep the diseased ones separated from others and feed red pepper, but
it does no good. Any information will be
thankfully received." Fan.
Mauckport.
Mother Hen makes the following reply:
If the "warts" prove to be scabs your
chickens undoubtedly have chicken pox,
sometimes called "sore head."
It appears mast frequently in damp, or
hot weather. It appears about the heads
of fowls in small scabs or spots, and is
found on the head among the feathers, on
the face, in the corners of the mouth, on
the eye-lids and on the comb and wattles.
It will work into the eyes and destroy
them, and into the mouth and throat and
result in canker.
The disease is contagious, although it is
liable to break out any time in case of
heat, dampness or crowding in the roosting places.
Prevention is always indicated in the
causes, and in addition to securing clean,
well ventilated quarters, and shade if the
weather is hot, care should be exercised ln
feeding. (live clean food In variety, with
plenty of clean water to drink. Keep
their digestion in good order by putting a
little soda in feed or drinking water two
or three times a week.
Treatment.—Remove the scabs with a
sharp stick, and wash the places with
castile soap and then apply a strong solution of blue vitriol, being careful to keep
it out of the eyes.
Sometimes sores about the head are
caused by erysipelas, and if the vitriol
fails to cure apply a solution of sugar of
lead. A physic may also help and castor
oil or rpsom salts can be given, about half
a teaspoon of oil or half as much salts to
each fowl.
Doctoring fowls is very unsatisfactory
business and one should look more to preventives than cures.
You did right in separating the sick
from the well ones.
WUl you please tell us through your
valuab e columns if pumpkin seeds are
good for milk cows or not? Will they
stop the flow of milk? When feeding to
horses is there danger of getting too many
seeds in with the feed?
I think the Farmer is a valuable paper.
I think Mr. W. W. Sullivan's idea is pretty
good on tbe hog question. I have followed
his plan for the last two years with success. J. C.
Miami.
The pumpkin, from its near kin to the
melon family, has in its seeds tke property
of acting on the kidneys, se as to increase
the secretion of urine. This generally acts
to diminish the secretion of milk in nearly
the same proportion that the fl >w of urine
ia increased.   If pumpkins are fed to oows
The abstract of tbe condition of 2,852
national banks at the close of business on
Thursday, October 7, made public November 5 shows:
Reserves.    42,618 844,751
.Loans and discounts 1,413,667,740
United Plates bonds to secure circulation.    258.486,950
stocks, bonds and mortgages, exclusive
of United BUte* bonds       81,817.7»S
Due from reserve agent* „     140,754,579
Due from other national banks  80,526.61.
Exchange for deal I n g house._       95,596,941
Gold and silver coin and treasury certificates ..„      15S.S87,6S6
Legal-tender lotes _....      62,1.12 Hi
Liabilities    2,573,844,751
Capital stock paid in     548,240,730
Surplus fund      157,249, 90
Otber undivided profits „      ss 508,4*4
National bank note* outstanding.,     238,672,610
Individual deposits  1,172,918,308
Due to otber national banks.      218.385,980
'Duet* State b.nss and bankers      90,246 4»