Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-07-28
FSoa, TIE Soa.esr,: p..al..sr.
Wheat. FhresniEg and Cattle. Stze2-
ENPa.
FOUR THINGS WORTH KNOWING.

FOUR THINGS WORTH KNOWING.
There are three things which always
bother a farmer in threshng wheat: the
suffering Of himself and his hands from the
dust! the worrying of his oxen from heat !;
andj the wear and tear of his horses from
the constant strain Of working the machine.
But these three things are easily remedi-
ed.
LIST. The dust may be entirely excluded
from the nose and lungs by simply ADJUST
ing q moist sponge, made to fit like muz-
zle, to the mouth and nostrils. Ii is not
troublesomej or difficult to make-only
make tolerable thick close fitting muzzle
out of sponge, stuff small pieces of the
sponge into the larger holes and stltch them
in with thread. fasten it on by tape strings
above the head--twine strings will cut
and keep It moist by rinslng it as often as
1t becomes dry. The philosophy OF it rs
simply this the pores Of the sponge are
very crooked aud irregular, and the dust IN
its permeations settles on the moist surface
and becomes mud. One can breathe and
speak through this new style of resplrator
perfectly we'll, and will sustain only the
inconvenience of some little increased heat
about the mouth, but nothing comparable
10 the trouble from the dust Every hand
whose business keeps him near the thresh-
ing box should have one, aud be made to
wear it, or-be hreShed himself.
Cd. The distress of the oxen from the
heat may be entirely obyiated by working
ing them under covers like horse covers,
kept moist. A piece of course oznaburgs,
such as comes around bales of raw cotton
fitted with strings TO the bottom OF the OK
bow, with rude girth, and as rude Q crup-
per- answers every purpose. Wet it thor
oughly, put it on wet, and keep it so, as fal
as possible, by giving the OK a shower bath
with bucket OF water, or taking 1t off ano
soaking it. 1t is astonishing what relief i
gives. At first the oxen may be refractory
and attempt to kick it off, but they soor
come to understand it and relish it very
much. Our friend Mr. Newman, with
whom we dispute the originality of THIS in
ycntion, uses it on his oxen in hauling hi
his account in it. Let the skcptical try
on one OK in team and sec how speedily
he will take in his tongue. Any gentleman
who has ever had wet Jacket will easil,
comprehend that bullock may experience
:he same GOODNESS that he has done from e
saporation at the surface.
Sd. The wear and tear Of horses in work
lng the wheat machine may be greatly NIT
igated by changing the teams; that is,
there are four horses working the machine
and four hauling up wheat, let them swa
work every four hours, or about that inter
val. BY doing it the horses will keep u
their srder and do more work than by tn
common plan. And their buttocks will not
by distressing and disfgunng scars, indi
cate, as they too often do at the close o
threshing, how greatly their powers hav
been oyertaXed. The number of consecu
tive hours that the horse works is a matte
of much more Importance to his durability
and consequently, 10 his health and HI
masters interest, than is COMMONLY suppos
ed, There is one case recorded, OF Goa
hauling in Scotland, where by the devic
of breaking up eighteen miles of travel int
four stages of four and half miles each
the quantity hauled by each horse, in
team of four, went up from three tons tw
hundred weight to seven tons weekly,
difference of very nearly four tons pc
horse.
Many Of Our readers VIII remember til,
astonishing ride of Col Fremont in Calitor
MIA, of eight hundred miles in eight days
including all stoppages, and nearly tw'
days detention. This feat of one hundred
aud twenty miles day with the first relay
and one hundred and twenty-five miles
day with the second, was performed by
means of frequent changes, each of the par
" having for his own use three horses
which were successfully caught and pu
under the saddle at distances of about
twenty miles.
So much for these three things, as t
each of which we speak from actual expe
rience.
Now for the cattle shelter.
Most persons, as the straw is threshed
put it up in round stacks or in long rick'
on level ground. This should by no mean
be done, but it should be stacked so as t
form good shelter for cattle, as it may b'
without difficulty, trouble or expense. Sc
lect site on sloping hillside, if conven
lent, il not, build wall (of stone is best,
from eos TO rest about two feet high thel
draw q parallel line about eight feet from
1t. AT proper distances in this line, say ter
feet insert strong posts showing four or five
feet, above the ground and about two feet
in, we'll rammed mortise strong plates up
on these posts, (the morhsing may be done
with two inch augur.) Across this paral
lei place stout poles, twelve to fourteen fee
long, leaving just the intervals that yol
would in a rack in fact, you have only
made an enormous rack with an upward in
clination Of two feet in eight. Upon thi
elevated grating your straw should b,
stacked, and 1t will afford your cattle fin,
shelter which they can gradually consume
without troubling any one to feed them, AM
the straw will, at the same time. be KEEP
out Of the mire. For the back wall,a stren,
double fence to be stuffed with straw ma,
be substituted, but it should be very stron
or it will break down with the weight o
straw OF course, where farmer has bee
sensible enough to have good shelters 70
CATTLE, these remarks do not apply.
INFLUENCE OF CoTToN-The immens
influence which American cotton exerts o
yer the feelings and prospects of John Bull
is thus spoken of bv Dickens IN the las