Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1899 — FARMER CORNER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FARMER CORNER

Butcberine Hobs. Butchering hogs has many disagreeable features, but some of these, particularly the lifting of the hogs before and after dressing, can be robbed of many of their objections by having a convenient arrangement for scalding, ■craping, cleaning and hanging. One arrangement for lightening labor in this way is shown in the accompanying Illustration. The farm sled can be used as the scraping platform b. The scalding vat a may be any large barrel which will hold water.-. Securely block and brace it so that it will not be displaced In putting the hog in and taking It out. In the iron kettle, c, the water Is heated. The hog is killed and drawn along the side of the scraping platform opposite the iron kettle. Instead of lifting the carcass onto the platform by band, make use of the pivotal lever attached to the post d. Place a chain about the hind legs of the hog, hook tne short end of the lever into this chain and the hog is lifted easily. The post d is equally distant from the platform b and posts g, b and f. After the hogs have been scalded and all the hair removed put in the gambrels and with the lever lift them from the scraping platform and swing them around so they can be liung upon the crossbars in posts g, b and f. A lot of heavy lifting is thus avoided. The crossbars can be made so that they will turn around on a pivot in the direction

of the arrows. This is accomplished by boring a 1% inch hole in the top of tide post. Use for crossbars 4 by 4 oak properly narrowed at the outer ends. Cross these on top of the posts, bore a 1% inch hole in the middle of the intersection and secure them in place by means of an iron pin which just fits into the 1% inch hole in the crosspieces and the post. Fasten the cross arms together and a first-class, cheap pivotal arrangement for hanging hogs is the result. With this device and the lever there is absolutely no necessity for heavy lifting.—American Agriculturist.

A Stitch in Time. The weekly mending is always so much of a bore that the happy thought of applying the old adage, “a stitch in time,” to this dreaded task has set, me wondering why I have allowed myself to be troubled so long. Upon my dressing table I keep in a little tray a needle, thread and some darning cotton. Every night when I remove my stockings I look them over—a glance suffices—and I find the little holes that begin to come vastly easier to mend than the yawning caverns that would otherwise be awaiting me on Tuesday. And so it is with other things. Sewing on a button or catching together a tiny rip here and there takes scarcely a minute, but the sum total of these rips and buttons would make a large inroad upon one precious week day morning otherwise. Perhaps this scheme will not commend itself to mothers. Certainly a halfdozen pairs of stockings, big and little, could not be mended every morning before breakfast, but it is admirable in the still economy of a bachelor girl's domain, and ought to be followed by many of the girls who believe in the old Remington saying, “To save time is to lengthen life.”—M. I. McNeal, iu Orange Judd Farmer. Value of Kuttermilk. Buttermilk posseses many valuable qualities not generally recognized by farmers and dairymen. Some recent medical tests have proven that as an agent of digestion buttermilk has no superior on the farm. It is of great value in typhoid fever and, being a laxative, is excellent -for habitual constipation. As a remedial agent in kidney troubles it posseses good features, and In cases of gastric ulcer and cancer of the stomach it cau be retained when no other food will remain. These facts ought to be kept in mind and the medical virtues of buttermilk utilized in regaining health and keeping thejiody impervious to disease.—Farm and Dairyman. Fcab on Apples and Peafs. The Ontario Experiment Station reported a number of years ago that for the prevention of scab on apples and pears it is necessary to spray two years in succession to secure satisfactory results. The first year’s spraying often appears to be of comparatively little benefit in combating this disease. Confirmation of this conclusion is found this year in reports from Michigan, where it is said that there is much scab this year, except in orchards which were sprayed last year. Chicken Cholera. It is hardly worth while to doctor hens for this fatal disease, and the energy of the owner should be devoted to preventing Its spread. Let him separate the sick hens, and then make up his mind to root up the germs of the disease from the premises by thorough cloning and disinfecting. Tbs surf-ce I ..

of the henyard should be scraped and burned. Every part of the floor, roosts and nests should be scraped perfectly clean, and then disinfected with a liquid made of one pint of carbolic acid to fifty quarts of water. Experts even are not able to save enough of the victims of cholera to pay for doctoring, but anyone cab cheek its spread by thorough measures. Massachusetts Ploughman. Saddle Horses. The favor in which Kentucky saddlebred horses are now held in the East, consequent upon repeated victories in the show rings, will surely encourage even closer attention in the breeding districts to the production of high class horses. The fact that the East prefers a walk-trot-cinter horse to one that has all the accomplishments is in favor •»£ the breeder and trainer, as it Is much less work to finish the horse of the lesser education. Type, weight carrying and blood and saddle horse instincts and intelligence are what is wanted, and the breed of saddle horses chiefly fostered in Kentucky and Missouri is abundantly able to furnish all these requirements. Action should not be overlooked—not the action of a high stepper, but clean, true, attractive and balanced fore and aft. Front action that comes from the shoulder is demanded, while the hocks should follow promptly. Of all horses a saddle horse needs a leg always under him. There is a bright future for breeders of the saddle horse.—Breeders’ Gazette. To Make Shoes Last. A new wrinkle may be learned from an English soldier, who was noted for keeping his boots in better condition and making them last longer than any of liis brother officers. When asked what he did to them to prevent the leather from cracking and keping it soft and smooth, his reply was: “Mutton bone.” When an explanation was demanded he said: “It is nothing, I assure you. My man asks the cook for a knuckle bone, which be cleans and then bakes. After rubbing the leather with cream he then frotles them as hard as he can with the bone. Usually my boots last me three years.” Economy of Hornless Cows. When it comes to putting up cows for winter, the cow that has no horns will be found to take much less room than her neighbor who is tempted to and generally does hook and fight all those near her. In the' stable, of course, each stall will accommodate its cow, horns or no horns. But horned cattle are often kept in stables on bright, pleasant, winter days, to keep them from hooking one another, when they would be much healthier if allowed to run in a small yard. Most barnyards are made much larger than Avould be necessary If all liorns were removed. Improved Incubator House. The cut shows a plan for obviating the inconvenience of rising temperature in the incubator bouse when the sun is shining, especially late In the spring or in the summer. Then it is difficult to keep a uniform heat in the machines, as the house becomes overheated from the effect of the sun upon

the roof. A simple way out of the difficulty is to put on an additional roof, leaving an air space between the two. The inner roof can be covered with cheap boards and roofing paper, with lath battens. The outer roof should be shingled, as a black roof absorbs the heat readily.—New England Homestead. Salt for Lawns. Wherever lawns are highly manured, as most well-kept lawns are apt to be, a dressing of salt sometime during the winter will greatly benefit them. Salt in small quantities, as it must be used when applied to land, is one of the best solvents known. We are so used to putting salt in extra amounts to harden and pick vegetables that we are apt to forget that in very small amounts it rots them. Salt is especially valuable to release mineral fertilizers that have become inert in the soil. Dairy Pointers. If the butter is mottled work it a little after salting. If the butter is tbo soft feed the cow some potatoes. Stringy milk can be cured by keeping the cows clean. Wash all the milk vessels with cold water before scalding. Whitewashed stables mean fewer flies and more milk. Crosses are usually better for farmers than pure breeds. Whenever possible test the cow’s milk before buying her. A cow that tests below 3 per cent, is not worth keeping, Cows and horses should not be allowed in the same pasture. Richer food does not mean richer milk; it means more milk. Many dairymen like an ounce of salt to the pound of butter. Do not wet your hands when milking; if you do you flavor the milk. You waste 25 per cent, of your butter in summer by not using a separator. Adding hot water to cream while churning is the worst of all practices. Heating milk to 160 degrees Pasteurizes it. Stir It continually while hot When butter is poor don’t blame the cow. Blame your own want es skill. If the batter takes too long to come add one to two fresh cows to the dairy. Warm milk from the cow does not absorb odors. While cooling keep it In. a pure atmosphere.—lllinois Dairy Ba> port

BUTCHERING ARRANGEMENT.

DOUBLE-ROOF INCUBATOR HOUSE.