Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 July 1908 — Farm and Grden [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Farm and Grden

THE WOOD LOT. Devices For Making the Cutting of Timber Less Laborious. The increase of interest in timber raising makes the consideration of any devices of aid to the woodcutter of Interest. The accompanying sketch shows a support or guide for a saw, which may readily be attached to a log or timber with ordinary tools to

facilitate the sawing of the log. The details of this attachment are shown. Says the Scientific American: “The attachment consists of a clamp adapted to be secured to the handle (A) of an ordinary ax. The clamp comprises two jaws (B), through which a bolt is passed. The upper end of this bolt terminates in a support. The support consists of two parallel .arms, between which a roller (O) is mounted to rotate. The bolt which passes through the jaws of the clamp is fitted with a Wing nut, and by turning this nut the jaws may be pressed together on the handle of the ax. In use the ax is driven into the log, and the clamp is then made ‘fast with the support, standing vertically. The saw is then guided between the arms of the support, and the back of the saw rests on the roller. With* the saw thus supported and guided, it may be operated in the usual manner, to saw through the log. The roller may be mounted near tbe outer end of the support or close to tbe jaws. la the former case the saw will operate between the roller and the jaws, and the support must be mounted to project downward. In order to permit of removing the saw from the support It is preferable to support the ■aw on the outer aide of the roller, guiding It in the open slot formed by the two. arms. of. the •SMprt. The

damp is then applied, with the support projecting upward instead of downward.” This useful attachment for ■awing logs has been patented by Mr. Levi Smith of Marshfield, Coos county, Ore. A sawhorse for household use may be made like the ordinary sawhorse, except that at the back Instead of a narrow edge a wide edge is put, with a top piece four inches wide. It can be made wider if desired. Two strips along the side form a box, which will hold tools and nails. It is about the handiest thing the handy man around the farm can have. To bring the forests to their full productiveness they must be cut over. The ax is the forester’s hoe as well as his scythe. Reaping and sowing are

usually for him one and the same operation, and cultivation is accomplished by getting rid of what he does not want. There were cut from the national forests during the last fiscal year the equivalent of a little over 280,000,000 board feet of timber. This Involved cutting operations on slightly less than 360,000 acres of land, or about one four-hundredths of the total area of the government’s forests. In other words, hardly a beginning has been made in bringing the forests to their highest productiveness through use, and their reserve of mature timber has scarcely been touched by the operations under way. There is money in the wood lot, and the average farmer in awakening to this fact Destroying Smut. To destroy the germs of smut on oats and other seeds add half a pound of formalin to thirty gallons of water, spread the seed on a barn floor and sprinkle the solution over it making It thoroughly damp. Then shovel it into a pile and cover it with sacks or blankets for about two hours, so that the chemical may act on the grain. The grain may then be dried for future use, but It is better to sow it at once. The seed should not be so moist as to pack in tbe hand. Thirty gallons will treat 100 to 150 bushels of grain. Utilizing ■ Broken Ho*. Don’t throw away the hoe with a broken handle even if there are only two feet of the handle left. Instead take It to a blacksmith shop and have the hoe straightened out on a line with tbe handle. It would not be amiss also to have the hoe sharpened. You will find this useful In many ways around the chicken house or in the garden for digging weeds or lifting plants ter repotting.

NEW LOG SAWING DEVICE.

A SAWHORSE.