Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-09-29
Agricultural.
FARM. GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.

CARE OF HARNESS. is very bad pOIcy,
for all but the saddler, to keep gears in or
near the horse stable. Ammonia is very
injurious to leather, especially when it con-
tains a large amount of grease; hence,
gears which are allowed to remain in the
stable are always more or less injured by
the ammonia which constantly arises from
the manure; but this injury is in proportion
to the amount Of cleanliness which is Oh
served in the stable. OF all kinds those in
which horses or sheep are kept are most
injurious, because of the volatile nature OF
the manure. If COW stables are kept clean
the injury to gears kept in them will be but
slight. The best plan is to have a small,
dry room ON purpose; such room can,
with few boards and nails soon be made
and the saving in the harness will soon re-
pay the trouble. To clean and oil har-
ness the best plan is to separate the har-
ness into the smallest possible pieces, wash
each piece we'll in CASTLE soap and water
until cleaned OF all outside grease and dirt;
the pieces then to be laid on a board or to
bic, and meats foot or tanners oil applied
with a brush, generally using from half
pint to pint of oil 10 a pair of heavy farm
harness; to clean carriage harness, only the
dirty parts should be washed and creased
as before. If you wish to give the gears
hands. a small portion of lampblack may
be mixed with the oil before applying it to
the leather.
10 PREVENT FLANNELs FROM SHRINKING.
In washing hannels, or other wooden ar
ticles, have the suds ready prepared, by
boiling up and 80 dissolying small pieces OF
soap III rain water, without soda; but do
not use the suds when boiling; let them be
lukewarm only when the articles are put
in. The tiannels should not be rubbed
with large piece of soap, nor should the
material itself be rubbed as i'll washing lin
Ell, &c. the fbres of the wool contain num-
berless little hooks, which the rubbing
knots together; hence, the thickening OF
the fabric, and consequent shrinking i'll di-
mansions. Well sluice the articles up and
down i'll plenty of suds, which afterwards
squeeze mot wring) out. The clothes
wringers, consisting of a pair of India rub
Der rollers between which the clothes pass,
are great improvement upon hand labor
as, without injury to the fabric, they
squeeze out the water so thoroughly that
the article dries in considerably less time
than it otherwise would do. After rinsing,
squeeze out the water and dry in the open
air, If the weather is such as to admit of
the articles drying quickly; if not, dry in
warm room. but avoid too close proximity
to fire. Let any dust or mud be beaten
out or brushed off prior to washing.
DENTITIoN OF ANIMALs.-A correspond
ent of the Mark Lane Express says that the
dentition of animals, as q test of age, is
now exciting considerable interest among
English farmers, on account of the disqual-
itication of Lord Randor's pigs at the Bir-
mingham cattle show. Owen Wallis, of
Mentone, states that on one occasion, when
draughting his yearling ewes, about the
end OF September or beginning of October,
he found one with all its lamb teeth undis-
turbed, and showing no signs of putting
up permanent ones; while many others Of
the same age had 4 broad teeth nearly
fully developed. AS these sheep had all
been bred alike, the one in question being
perfectly healthy and an average size, he
wishes to have the great difference account
ed for by veterinary professors. That they
are generally correct i'll their decisions he
has no doubt, but he thinks that the case
described tends to show that the teeth are
not to be relied on as an unfailing test Of
age, and as such great discrepancies do oc-
casionally occur, minute ones may do so
frequently, and, therefore, injustice may
be done to exhibitors by disqualifying ami
mails by the dentition or tooth test.
BUTTER. singular method of making
butter has lately come into quite extensive
use III France, based upon the observed
fact, that cream is changed into butter by
being simply buried in the earth. The
theory of this result is not very Ineligible
though the fact is stated to be beyond ques-
ton; and in Normandy and other parts of
France, butter is actually prepared on a
large scale i'll this way. The process con-
sists in placing the cream III linen bag of
moderate thickness, which is carefully
closed: then burying the bag about n foot
and half deep IN the ground. and allow
ing it to remain from twenty-four to twen-
ty-ive hours time. After the expiration of
this period the cream is found to have be-
come hard, and it is then broken up by
means OF wooden heater into small pieces,
and enough water poured upon it to wash
out the buttermilk. To prevent any mix
ture of earth, it is advisable to enclose the
bag in a second one of larger size and
coarser quality. This method of making
butter saves a great deal of labor, and sep
arates the butter more perfectly than the
ordinary process; and we are assured that
butter thus prepared is of the most excel
lent quality.
A COOP RAT TRAP. barrel which
will hold water, cut the head little small
er than the top of the barrel, pass ft string
through the centre of the head and hang
1t up so that 1t may hang perfectly free III
side the barrel, three or four inches below
the chime. Now put in five or six inches
of water, and drop some grease on the top
of the barrel head, which You must bal
ance by lacking on some thin pieces of
lead; place your trap where the rats can
get ON it easily, and it is ready. They
come up to get the grease, and on stepping
on one side of the head the other naturally
tips up, and in goes the rat. The head
soon gains its equilibrium and is ready for
another. Sometimes, when there is con-
siderable grease around where they can get
at it, they won't take it for bait. In this
case, put little anise-seed in your bait.
COTTONWOOD HEDGE.-Rey. S. w. Ing
ham, of Toledo, Iowa, writes to. the Fort
Dodge Times III relation 20 cottonwood
hedges. He says there are several of these
fences in that part OF Iowa, and that they
answer an excellent purpose. He notices
one only four years old that would turn
swine and live stock effectually. He notices
another three years from the setting, that
already turned cattle. The slips were set
from twelve to eighteen inches apart, and
the second year the tops were woven to-
gether so as to reduce their height to about
three and a half feet, cutting off all the
limbs that remained higher than that, and
were not long enough to weave with the
rest, cutting them off at the top of the
fence, and to all appearances the fence bids
fair to turn any kind of stock, in two years
more, with proper attention during that
time.
PASTE THAT WILL. KEEP A YEAR. Dissolve
a teaspoonful of alum III quart Of warm
water When cold, stir in as much -four as
will give it the consistency of thick cream,
being particular to beat up all the Jumps;
stir in as much powdered rosin as will lay
OH dime, and throw III half dozen |
cloves to give pleasant odor. Have on
the fire a teacup of boiling water pour the |
flour mixture into it, stirring well all the
time In a very few minutes it will be the |
consistency of mush. Pour it into an earth
ern or china vessel; let it cool; lay cover
on, and put in a cool place. When needed |
for use, take out portion and soften it |
with warm water. Paste thus made will |
last twelve months. 1t is better than gum, |
as it does not gloss the paper, and can be
written on.
BUGS AND CoCKRoACHEs. The Journal