Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1852-07-14
FOUR THINGS WORTH KNOWING.

The following timely remarks we copy from the
Southern Planterfor the present month, which we
commend to the notice of our agricultural readers:
There are three things which ALWAYS bother a
farmer IN threshng wheat: the suffering of himself
ana his hands from the dust the worying of his
oxen from heat; and the wear and tear of his horses
from the constant strain of working the machine.
But these three things are easily remedied
lst The dust may be entirely excluded from
the nose and lungs by simply adjusting moist
sponge, made to fit like muzzle, to the mouth
and nostrlls. 1t is not Troublesome or difficult to
make-only make a tolerably thick, close fitting
muzzle out of sponge, stuff small pieces of the
sponge into the larger holes and stitch them in with
thread. fasten it on by tape strings above the
head, (twine strings will cut,) and keep it moist
by rlnsing it as often as it becomes dry The phi
losophy of it is simply this: the pores of the sponge
are very 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 respirator perfectly WELL and will sustain only
the Inconvenience of some little increased heat
about the mouth, but nothing comparable to the
trouble from the dust. Every hand whose business
keeps him near the threshing box should have one,
and be made to wear it, or-be hreshed himself
I'd. The distress ofthe oxen from the heat NAV
be entirely obviated by working them under covers
like horse covers, kept moist A piece of coarse
oznabergs, such around bales of raw cot
ton, fitted with strings to tie to the bottom of the
OK bow, with a rude girth and as rude crupper
answers every purpose. Wet it thoroughly, put
it on wet, and keep it so, as far as possible, by
giving the OK shower bath,,with bucket of water
or taking it off and soaking it. 1t is astonishing
what relief it gives. At first the oxen NAV be re-
fractory and attempt to kick it off, but they soon
come to understand it and relish it very much
Our friend, Mr.. Newman, with whom we dispute
the originality of this invention, uses it on his oxen
in hauling his wheat, some five miles to market,
and finds his account in it. Let the skeptical try
it on one OK in team and see how speedily he will
take in his tongue. Any gentleman who has
ever had wet jacket will easily comprehend
that bullock may experience the same cool
ness that he has done from evaporation at the sur
face.
g. The wear and tear of horses in working the
wheat machine may be greatly mitigated by chang
ing the teams that is, if there are four horses
working the machine, and four hauling up wheat,
let them swap work every four hours, or about
that interval. By doing it the horses will keep up
their order and do more work than by the common
plan. And their buttocks will not, by distressing
and disfgurng scars, indicate as they too often do
at the close Of threshing how greatly their powers
have been overtaXed. The number of consecu-
tive hours that the horse works is matter of
much more Importance to his durability, and con-
sequenly, to his health and his masters interest
than is commonly supposed. There is one case
recorded. of coal hauling in Scotland, where by
the device of breaking up eighteen miles of travel
into four stages of four and half miles each the
quantity hauled by each horse in a team of four
went up from three tons two hundred weight to
seven tons weekly, difference of very nearly
four tons per horse
Many of our readers will remember the aston
ishing ride of Col. Fremont in California, of eight
hundred miles in eight days including all stoppages
and nearly two days. detention This feat, of one
hundred and twenty miles day with the first re-
lay, and one hundred and twenty five miles a day
with the second, was performed by means of fire.
quent changes, each of the party having for his |
own use three horses, which were successfully |
caught and put under the saddle at distances of |
about twenty miles.
So much for these three things, as to each of
which we speak from actual experience.
Now for the cattle-shelter
Most persons, as the straw is threshed, put it |
up in round stacks in long ricks on level ground
This should by no means be done, but it should be
stacked so as to form good shelter for CATTLE as
it may be without difficulty, trouble or expense. |
Select site on sloplng hillside, if convenient, |
if not build wall (of stone is best,) from east to
,cest ABOUT two feet high: then draw parallel
line about eight feet from it. At proper distances
IN this line, say ten feet, insert strong posts show
ing four or five feet above the ground and about
two feet in, well rammed mortise strong plates
upon these posts, (he mortising may be done with
two inch auger.) Across this parallel place
stout poles, twelve to fourteen feet long, leaving
just the intervals that you would in rack in
fact, you only make an enormous rack with an up
ward inclination of two feet in eight. Upon this
elevated grating your straw should be stacked,
and 1t will afford your cattle fine shelter which
they can gradually consume without troubling any
one to feed them and the straw will at the same
time be kept out of the mire. For the back wall
a strong double fence to be stuffed with straw NAV
be substituted, but it should be very strong or it
will break down with the weight of straw. OIL
course. where farmer has been sensible enough 1
to have good shelters for his cattle these remarks
do not apply.