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.