Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 32, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 August 1892 — HOME AND THE FARM. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME AND THE FARM.

A DEPARTMENT MADE UP FOR OUR RURAL FRIENDS. Rainy Days Can Be Improved Where a Good Wood House Is at Hand—Time to Cut Hay—Good Portable Fence, Etc. A Wood and Post House. It will pay any man who owns his farm to build a post and wood house, says Farm and Home. A diagram is given herewith for a complete house for this purpose. The main part is 36 by 72 feet with an L of 18 feet. The central part of the main building is 18 by 24 feet, and is devoted to unsawed wood and unprepared posts, where a supply,.oLdry -yicod and seasoned pAsts ctin be hau at all times. Near the- driveway imtlHs room are placed trusses on which* td summer the post.racks. There is rib partition between this room and the driveway. At the right of this is a room 24 by 26 feet for posts after they have been sharpened and prepared for use.while at the left is a room of tne same dimensions tor wood after it is sawed

and split readj 7 for the stove. A driveway 10 feet wide nuns the ifull length of the rear and has a Gliding door at each end and largedouble doors in the middle just .opposite ’.the supply room. In the front are two rooms each 12 by 24 feet, between which is a wide arch whore’the stove is placed. The left .room is .devoted to the preparation of posts and in.one corner is a device for sharpening them, an engraving .of which is shown. It is con-

structod by taking two posts 8 by 8 inches and •setting firmly in the :ground wide enough apart to receive a vice as shown in the cut, while:the top ends are bolted firmly to the joists. At the foot of these excavate a hole about 3 feet deep, putting in the bottom coarse gravel and on top of that a block, sawed from the butt of a wellseasoned elm log.and fill

in firmly around it, tramping the earth down. In sharpening posts put one end in the vice and screw up tight. The other end is raised on the block, which is a little disking on top and placed just high enough for a man to work without stooping much. In this way one man can sharpen posts as fast as twoin the old-fashioned way, and do it better. In another corner of this room is placed a furnace and kettle for heating tar for painting the ends of the posts, while in another corner is placed a work bench. The right room is for sawing and splitting wood. On one side of this room is a large patent saw. The wood is sawed, split and placed in a cart and wheeled to the wood room and piled

up in a neat manner. In these two rooms are also kept all the tools pertaining to chopping and repairing. In ithe general supply room fence boards, wire nails, etc., are placed Where they will always be dry. The loft can be used for this purpose if necessary. In this room are also kept the post driving cart and the transfer cart and log sled. In the springs and fall, after repairing the fences, gather up all the refuse material, such as posts, nailsand boards, and draw theiri to this room. The beauty of this building is that no time is lost. Rainy days can be improved in the wood house sawing, splitting and carting to and from the sawing room. A yard can also be made in the back of :.the house if wished, to which all heavy timber can beidrawn in the winter time. A sled for-such a purpose iis-shown here. The out 'explains Itself. The building which I have described can be builit of cheap lumber, it mot being necessary to have any part warm except tthe work and sawing rooms, whiea wiH'l be used a great deal during tire winter. Build a -cupola on top to help the looks .of the building, paint it all .-over, and you will find it will prove useful, profitable .and ornamental

HaM> Saar Cutting Mu#. We take the mliowing (paragraphs from an exchange: “There te a right and a wrong time to cat hay. Theoretically, grass mown when approaching the blossom stage is worth 25 cents per hundred for feeding, while the same grass cut after bloom is worth 8 cents on the hundred pounds —a very material difference. Moreover good bay is wort.i several dollars per ton more than ■poor hay, and the whole difference in price may be made in the curing.” We are inclined to think that there is nothing theoretical about the matter; the question of the relative value of hay cut at the proper season, or much later, becomes one of fact and not of theory. All the evidence that chemistry can offer goes to prove the fact that the early celt is superior to the late cut; but it is also true that in the curing early cut may bp so injured as to be of no greater value than the late cut. Observations on the effect of feeding of the two kinds arc fully sufficient to establish the fact; on going a step further observation of the desires of the animal will be sufficient to determine the question of the comparative value of the hay made from early or seasonably cut or late cut hay. A Great Change. The change that has taken place in well ordered dairies with respect to the treatment of milk is notable. The new science says, make the time as short as possible between milk pail and package. Instead of oeing

controlled by the weather, and at its mercy, the goo I dairyman .now with tanks, creamers, starters and aerators controls the milk and its product, and gets uniformity every day in the year. The closer the extremes of making are brought together, the better for the texture and flavor of the butter and cheese. For years it has been supnosed that cold was the great remedy for all tareatened disaster to milk and cream, but now it is found that cold only prevents the germs of ferment from activity, and when the cold is suspended the milk goes to the bad all the more quickly. It now seems that aeration, thorough airing of the milk, not cooling it a great deal,. is far better. Its odors are eliminated, the bacteria are prevented from developing, and in all respects the aeration has been an element of decidedly favorable influence upon the milk and its after products, notably that of cheese. The best of it is, aeration costs nothing save a few moment’s time and the steady use of a gallon dipper to lift and pour the milk in the can until every drop of it has been brought under the influence of the oxygen of the air.— Practical Farmer.

Advice to Farm Hands. When you have secured a good place learn the condition of the farm and the household regulations. Know your place and always be in it. Do not be inquisitive about the private affairs of the family, and be careful how you talk of them to outsiders. Some things maj 7 not exactly suit you, therefore,, you will do best not to be forward in makingcomplaints. Think about the time when you will have charge of a farm and be at the head of a family. You may discover much now that you should then imitate, much that you should avoid, and much that will suggest new ideas. It will be best not to have much debate with your employer about the best ways of doing any work. While you may think you have a better method than his, you will give better satisfaction by yielding to him. Treat all the family with respect, and for the time feel as if you were one of them as far as your position allows. Politeness consists in attention to trifles, and by this attention you will gain respect and earn for yourself a reputation that will be invaluable.— Stockman. Good Portable Fence. The form of. panel for a portaWe fence shown in the illustration has the important merit of being wind proof, tor according to the American

Garden from which the 'engraving is reproduced, the '.wind cannot overturn it, ris it'Can other styles of portable fences. It is so simple that no directions'Other than the picture .will tie required for its 'construction. Kalwiiig. I like poultry as.an .adjunct, better than poultry exclusively, writes an experienced poultry raiser. A butter, egg and fruit farm makes a grand combination, and they work well together. Poultry and fruit, poultry and vegetables, mr poultry and a general farm are grand schemes. I have in my mind’s eye ayoung man that -started ion five acres of land. He planted a half acre an blacknerries, half acre In raspberries, half acre .in strawberries, and a half acres ms gooseberries and currants. Two lin all were devoted to berries. One :acre he,put in a variety of garden truck, and two acres devoted to poultry, stables, and his residence. He kept three cows, a horse, two hundred fowls, .and four brood-sows .and a boar of the Chester Vpbito breed. All through the five acres, whereever there was sufficient room, he planted fruit trees. What is the harvest? He has eggs, and poultry, and fruit, and milk, and pork, and some ’.vegetables far sale throughout the year, .and he is comfortably fixed. But you .ask, how does this work -with the poultryfarm? As he must.next de[>end entirely upon the poultry for 'expenses <af living, etc., he reduces the -cost, by oiakiing each branch of the business pay a certain percentage «»f oost. And 200 hens give him 'better returns, as they can lie more readily attended to. More poultry would only increase the expense without sufficiently helping the income. Of course all rihls may not sound like a good poultry article, but it will serve as am 'example of how poultry is best made to pay. Farmers, when they take good care of their stock, always make the most money out of them. Drinking Fountain tor Chtcka. Take an emptied tomato can, bend in the ragged edges where it has been opened, make a hole in the side onequarter of an inch from the edge; fill

it with water, put a saucer on it, and quickly invert both. The water will then stand in the saucer constantly at the height of the hole, writes J. Bollinger in the Practical Farmer. Chickens can drink, but cannot get in the water which will always remain clean Little chickens are not in danger of getting drowned. It is a grand, good thing. Sheep and Swine. Have you set apart a clover lot for the hogs? A pig may be taught to hunt—for a living Allow no hogs around the stock watering tank. The largest amount of food consumed does not always give the best returns. Pigs weighing 200 pounds when five

or six months old are profitable. This is possible. The cheapest pork is made by using the clover pasture. Some grow peas and let the fattening pigs harvest them. See that the ewe mother has plenty of clean water to drink. Give the young lamb a little wheat bran or oatmeal to lick. The greater the number of pigs the more food the sow needs. A well-fed pig ought to make at least a pound of grain a day. Neither hogs nor cows should be kept in solitary confinement Keep your pigs dry, but give them all the water they want to drink. Never confine the brood sows to a dry lot barren ofgrass or green forage. The scale test is the only satisfactory way of determining the value of any way of feeding. No matter how much slop is given daily, be sure that hogs have all the pure water they will drink. It is an erroneous idea to think that a hog will thrive upon any kind of feed if he only has plenty of it When it comes to breeding and feeding hogs on the farm, theoretical knowledge is of little practical value.

Hints to Housekeepers. I® warm weather put eggs in cold water, as they will froth better when broken. A bit of charcoal held in the mouth and slowly chewed will remove the offensive breath after eating onions. A spoonful of butter,, in culinary lore, is rounded as much above the edge of the spoon as the bowl extends below. A good tonic for the hair is of salt water, a teaspoonful of salt to a pint of water, applied to the hair two or three times a week. A hole in black silk or satin can' often be nicely mended by placing a | piece of court plaster on the wrong side. A weak place in kid gloves can' also be strengthened in the same way. A carpet, particularly a dark carpet, often looks dusty when it does not need sweeping; wringouta sponge quite dry in water (a few drops of ammonia helps brighten the color) and wipe, off the dust from the carpet. This saves much labor in sweeping. Bright sunshine, it is said, will nearly always entirely remove scorch which has been made by using an •over-heated iron. Frequently a shirt bosom, apparently almost ruined, has 'been brought back to 'its wistine whiteness by a liberal application of this remedy, which Dame Nature pro vides for us so liberally at times. Few things are more-slovenly than a wall with holes in the plaster, yet such disfigurements are likely to occur from theblows Of heavy furniture, 'hammering of picture nails in wrong! places and from various other causes.. Such places should be mended atJ ■once with plaster of paris, .mixed to a' thin paste with water It is best to mix only a little at a time, as it sets: ■so rapidly ithat it becomes too hard to! handle in a few moments. Apply itj and smooth it down with the blade: of a knife.and cover up the spot with: a piece of wall paper matching the: pattern on the wall as you paste it on, and the-spot will never show.

MlHcellaneouN Kecipew. ’White Cup Cake. cup fresh butter, two cups white powdered sugar, four cups sifted Hour, white oi five eggs, one cup sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one teaspoon extract of lemon. Gooseberry Fool.—Make a smooth boiled custard and set on ice to cool; have an equal quantity of stewed gooseberries,’well sweetened and also cold; mix the custard and gooseberries together, putting in a bowl or glass dish, and set on ice till wanted, and then serve with a basket of fresh cake. Spiced Currant Jelly.—Press the juice from wipe currants and strain; put in a kettle; let come to a boil, add a pound of sugar to a pint of juice, with a tablesoopful each of extract of cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace: let boil five minutes. This jelly is excellent -served with mutton, buck, venison, <or other game. Currant Pie.—One cupful if ripe ■currants, one cupful of sugar, two eggs; .line the pie-plate with a nice paste and sprinkle a little flour ovei iit; spread the currants on (this; bea‘ the sugar and yolks of eggs together and pour over the currants Bo'-l about twenty minutes! Beat th a whites of the eggs toa stiff truth with two taldespoonlute of sugar, spread over the pie; set it <on the top grate and taown a little. Plain Clam Bo<ue.—Wash and. drain fifty'Clams. chop the hard pert of the .clams, and put them <onto boil; in the liq.uor. Set the soft part a wny. i Remove scuta .as it rises on thellqu ir, then add a pint of water, pepper to, taste, and cook slowly five minutes. Lastly add the soft part of the clams, i two ounces of butter and a pint c< milk. When the soup is hot agaiaii add ten water-crackers broken quite tine, and serve. Do not boil after' adding the milk. It fi« best to wish ■ the clams before opening, with ajsnta-i scrub brush. In the recipe givrfh above all water may be used instead of part milk.