Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1879)
February, 1879. THE WEST SHORE. 4 RECENT IMPROVEMENTS IN PLOWS. The improved American plow holds high rank fttnong the implement! of modern bus bandry, not only it home, but in the foreign market In form, materials ftnd construction it appear to be all that it i capable of being, and yet there are constant developments of now points of excellence. The most obvious im provement within the last few yean consists in the use of hard metal, tint for the edge, and later for the entire wearing surface. Chilling tho edges and point of the share and the bot tom of the Und-side were the first steps in tho line of progress, made about 30 years ago, but within the last 10 years attention has been di rected to the importance of reduuing the fric tion of tho mold-board. Hardened steel was in troduced for this purpose, and is still recognised as the best material where soil is wholly free from grit, but it was found that a chilled sur face of cast-iron, in combination with tho chill ed share and land-side, was more easily kept in repair in all toils containing grit. Tho well known process of chilling first resorted to, con sisted in running the molten metal against the surface of oold iron. This method, while ren dering the metal harder, made it correspond ingly brittle, and required great care in the mixture) of the iron to make the chill penetrate uniformly. This plan also required a method of annealing, sometimes with hot water, or bv building Area on the back of the mold-board, ami sometimes by covering with heatod sand. I .ater improvements in mixing metal have lieen successfully made, so as to secure entire hard nosa throughout, without the chilling process. Plows made in this way are usually Known by appropriate names, such as "Carlton," "Dia mond," "Adamant," etc. I-ong experience has taught that steel in certain combinations will mix with melted pig iron, and with tho addition of certain chemicals will make a homogeneous metal by pouring it into molds at the right time, which time is ascertained by means or its color. In this way the result is "hardness, uniformity and strength. " In former years, plows made of cast iron were so rough that farmers were severely tried in koeping them bright As plows have grown harder the polish is more difficult to produce, as well as mure durable, and on the metal here referred to, is said to suffer little from corrosion. As tke friction of the plow is equal to about 8ft of the whole force of the draft, every expe dient to reduce it is important to the plowman, while every increase of labor is at the cost of some useless expenditure. A still better improvement in this direction was recently achieved by the introduction of a reversible point in the share, which thns be comes self-sharpening, and enables the fanner to keep the bottom of the plow level, thereby avoiding the friction that arises from a projec tion of the point of the share below the general level It has been found that the effect of a sharp point is to sharpen the wing also. Among other improvements by various manufacturers, is the setting of the beam in the center instead of one aide of the line of resistance, which is ad justable at the standard so aa to produce a bal ance, avoiding side drafta. ! Mr, hi mii v in Wim 0001. At a meeting of the Glasgow Chamber of ( 'ommeroe, held re cently, a report was submitted with reference to the desirability of establishing a uniform wire gang. In the report it was suggested that the ( 'hamber should concur with the Birmingham ( 'hamber, in asking Parliament to supplement the Weights and Measure Act, 1878, by a clause instituting a legal standard to be recognised as a wire gange. A Man who Bfurr. A German medical journal gives an account of a man who literally onset from taking four plates of potato soap, and many (bow many is not stated) cups of tea and milk, followed by a large date of bicarbonate id soda to aid digestion Hia stomach swelled eaornioaaly, and tort the diaphragm, canting immediate death. THE 0 HEAT GKAY OWL This it the largest kind of owl found in Amer ica, ami perhaps equals any known elsewhere, measuring two feet in length, wing 10 to 18 inohes (from the bend), tail 11 to 12,. The eyos, rather small for the site of the owl, are yellow, the short, strong bill and claws paler. The plumage is grayish-brown and grayish white in alternate liars, the pale ones widest beneath. The back and breast have more irregular wide stripet of tame color, aud on the face thoy form ringt. From its ashy colon, this tieciei was named nearly a century ago Strir tinrrm, and hat re tained this speoiHo name among naturaliiti ever since. It inhabits the northern portions of America, rarely wandering south of latitude I- , though no doubt to bo found on the lofty mountain ranges of Western America much far ther south, and has ho n nqxirted to occur in the Sacramento valley. Another kind, how ever, of similar plumage, but a fourth smaller (the Westera Barred owl), may havt been mil. taken for this. A paler variety, kuuwn at the laplaud owl, it found in tht most northern parta of Europe aud Asia, like the American birds they live in the thinly wooded regions surrounding the Arctic circle, within which, the Sinm i owl, nearly equal in tise, take their place, ami at it wanders much farther south in winter, is a better known kind. The figure we give ia the tame published in that standard work, "The History of North American Minis,' by Baird, Brewer k Hidgway, Boston, 1874. The '.cat tiray owl it found throughout the year along the lower Columbia river, and often teen hunting biidt, rabbits, ete., towards sun act or early in the morning, being able to tea in a stronger light than louse kinds with larger yM, each at the (treat Horsed owL Notts have been found only in tall trees, eosstrsetod like tons of a hawk, ssd pevtuua were old hawks' in .is, as other kinds of owls are knows to use ssch nests whas they cannot Had a salt aMe hollow tree. The eggs are described in the "History of North American Birds." by Dr. Brewer, as being about t by l iscbra in liat, oblong, oval, ssd dull white, the number in a nest 3 or 4 only. This owl it apparently a vory quiet species, no record being given of any cries uttered by them, except that one, kept in uonlinement, made a tremulous note like that of the common little eat owl, or screech .owl smaller than a pigeon. Tina silcnoe, combined with a perfectly noiseleta flight, assists them in sin prising their prey, which might otherwise eaoaie their daylight attacks. Though not known to prey on domestic fowlt, they would no doubt do to iu the southern part of their range where fowls are kept Is Alaska, the Indiana often steal up to them when they are asleep and catch them by hand. Kvsa the savages, however, do not often eat owls, per haps more from tupentitious reasons than want of ilpHltitc. Iluw i-o I in ii iii i. hlR Civ. Perhaps one of the most appropriate uses of an old fruit can that eau be devised is to make it contribute to tho growth of new fruit to All new cans. This is done in the following manner : The oan ia pierced with one or more pin holee, end then sunk iu the earth near the roots of the straw berry or tomato or other plants. The pin holes are to be of sneh sit that when the can la filled with water the Hunt oan only escape tats tat ground very slowly. Thus s quart can, proper ly arranged, will eilsad its irrigation to the plant through a ieriod of cavers! day i the ess u then reulUd. I'rsetieal trials of this methia! of irrigation leave no doubt of Its I time. Plant thus watered nourish aad yield the meet bouuUou return throughout lh loageet drouths la all warts looalltlas, where water la aosroe, the planting of old f nut cans, a here indicated, will be found profitable a a regular gardening operation. KrrstT or nir lauuiTio. Hassphrey Davy, ia hi young days, aastcted Dr. Beddoae, who st that time was beat as rurlsg sll d leasees by Use inhalation of gates. It to happened thai Davy was ssssefnmsl, before applying las at hslcr, to atoertaia the temperature fay placing s thermometer under the tuagse. While that employed oa a ooaetrymaa, who fancied this was the wonderful ptoses se had heard of, the man eseUimed that he already fell better. Deny tosh the hint, left the Ik si susulsr la Ma stats some tuna, aad reapplied it every sseeatsg, list pal lest improved ia health, aad altaassssljr got qslU well, w about any other treclascat, I1KEAT llttAY OWI. .Hlrit Cloerea.