The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1868-08-27
Agricultural.
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.

EARLY PorAroEs are said to have much
shorter runners than the later varieties
and il Is thought by some that the distance
from the stalk of the potato 10 the tuber
will afford an index of the time Il will take
the crop 10 mature. We can only explain
this by supposing that the time taken for
the unners of some varieties TO force their
way a long distance through the ground Is
employed by other kinds in the develop
ment of the tuber. .r..r .. I..'I
Screws that have become firmly fixed in
wood may sometimes be started by press
ing n red-hot fire poker ON their heads.
The heat of the poker expands the screw,
when it will readily yield to the action of
the screw-driver. The same result may
often be obtained by forming a little groove
around the head of the screw, and filling it
with kerosene oil. This oil is very pene-
trating in its nature, and will find its way
between the thread Of the screw and the
wood that incloses it.
To REMOVE THE TASTE OF New WooD.-
A keg, churn, bucket, or other wooden YES
sci, will generally communicate a disagree
able taste to anything that is put into Il.
To prevent this inconvenience, FIRST scald
the vessel well with boiling water, letting
the water remain in it until cold; then dis
solve some pearlash or soda in luke-warm
water, adding q little lime to il, and wash
the inside Of the vessel we'll with this solu-
ton. Afterward scald IL well with cold
water before you use il. The reason for
this is the ready combination of %resinous
matters with alkalines to form a compound
soluble in water. The resinous substances
Of wood, while new, cause n disagreeable
taste and odor in substances kept in wood
en- vessels.
How TO FIR COLLARS TO H6RsEs' SHOULD
Frs. Il is very important to have a collar
fit nicely and snugly TO the shoulders of n
horse. 1t enables him TO work with q
great deal more ease and to apply n great
deal more strength. Il prevents CALLING
and wounding, as the friction is avoided.
Collars nre so made, or should be so made,
as to throw the chief force on the lower
part Of the shoulder. But We started out
to tell our readers how to make a new col
lar ft the shoulder of a horse. The collar
should be purchased Of the proper size;
Just before putting il on, the first time,
immerse it in water, letting it remain for a
minute, and Immediately put il on the
horse, being careful to have the names 30
adjusted at the top and bottom as to fit the
shoulder, and then put the horse to work.
The collar, by being wet, will adapt itself
to the shoulder, and should dry on the
horse. When taken off il should be left
in the same shape it occupied on the horse,
and ever after you will have q snug fit
ting collar md no wounds Valley Far
mcr.
EcoNoNY IN FLoRTcULTURE.-The great
number of plants now used for the decora-
ton Of the garden and pleasure ground,
particularly those suitable for bedding pur-
go. - aIA IL. a II Mill II
can be procured, considering the cost of
material and labor necessary for their pro-
duction, renders economy Of the greatest
importance in everything connected with
the business. The use Of hot water APP
paratus and properly constructed propnga-
ting beds, is now well understood. There
is, however, a very common and costly
mistake often pmcticed, by which much
time is lost, and the condition of the plants
greatly impaired, viz: that of allowing the
cuttings TO remain in the propagating bed
longer than is necessary-often until they
have made several joints of growth. In
this case they sustain a check upon being
removed. so severe as TO cause the leaves 10
wilt, and finally TO drop; thus making the
plant unsightly; whereas, if they are re-
moved as soon as they have fairly com
menced 70 form roots, little or no check
will be sustained. The plants, with proper
management, will be well furnished from
their base and upward; and owing to the
short time required to root such stuff,
double the number ofplants may be turned
ont Of the same space in the p~ropagating
bed. W.
PRoPAGATISd GRAPE CUTrISas.-I make
cuttings in the Fall, Of thoroughly ripened
wood. Bury them six inches deep in any
lev nVaV1pI Il, NIa anesnn &C.. Al. g..,A
is out, spade n trench, or trenches, two
feet wide and six inches deep; cover the
bottom with any cheap or refuse boards,
set up at each side q six inch board and
spread on the bottom some old hay or
straw, hall, or two-thirds rotten, about one
inch thick when packed, and make it very
wet. Fill the box with rich earth. Now
with the hand, open across one end q V
shaped trench down to the old straw.
Press the cuttings against the side of this
trench, about two inches apart, with the
upper bud at the surface of the ground.
With the hand take the dirt from the front
side Of this little trench and press it against
the cuttings, leaving a similar trench,
which ill with cuttings and continue until
the bed is filed. Then mulch with loose
hay or straw W or three inches deep, and
with a spout or rose sprinkler make the
Ded pretty moist. ]
Now the theory is this; The rotton
straw in the bottom retains moisture. The
boards prevent the surrounding earth from
absorbing that moisture; the mulching pre-
vents the moisture from evaporating, and
therefore the cuttings remain moist.
My experience is this;-Ninety.fve per
cent of all my grape cuttings treated as
above, have grown.
There is another item or two in this pro-
cess worthy Of notice; when the plants are
to be lifted for the winery or for sale, first
lift out the side boards; then with a shovel
or fork, the plants arc taken out with roots
entire and uninjured, and also, that they
may be easily watered, and 10 some pur-
pose, in a dry time. Doc.
OMAHA, Neb.
OXEN FOR FARSI WoRK.-The leading OBJ
ject in pursuit Of any business is 10 accu-
mulate wealth, In doing this it becomes
necessary TO e~conomize, in preparatory
movements made in the commencement.
In farming, n Of the heavy expenditures
is in motive power-the power that moves
the pillow, the wagon, the cart, the thresh-
ing machine, the mower aud reaper, the
hay rake, &c,
The motive in common use is, the horse.
mule and OK, For part Of the farmers work
the morse or mule appears to be indispen-
siblei but for the wagon, cart, or even the
pillow, the OK comes in strong competition
with the horse. To begin with, there is
less capital invested, less expense of food,
less expense Of gearing, less expense of
shoeing. When unfit for work, either by
age, accident, or ~viciousness in fence
breaking they can be fed off for the
butcher.
If a farmer buys a pair of oxen for two
hundred dollars and works them for two or
three years, or even longer, and feeds them
of for the butcher he can get back all his
capital and sometimes more.
Many farmers raise and train their own
oxen which is the better way. At our 40.