Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1870-03-18
FARM AND FIRESIDE.

REPAIRS ON THE FARM.-.The journal of
Agriculture contains valuable hints upon
a subject which lis of very great interest to
every farmer-the repairs on the farm
These ordinarily cost more than most far
mers would be willing to admit, and in many
cases three times as much as they need to.
for the reason that the team is stopped, and
a hand sent 10 the mechanic, several miles
away. to get some little job done that any
farmer Of ordinary ingenuity could do in
half the time the messenger is gone to the
mechanics, if he had a few tools, and a
little of the proper kind of material.
The thrifty farmer will always lay aside
pieces of timber to be used for repairs
These he often finds in his wood pile, and
he lays them up where he can get them or
send a boy for them at any time. He will
also have a box of screws of different sizes.
with a good screw driver and several GIN.
blets. That first and last of all carpenters
tools for the farmer, the drawing knife will
be at hand; also a little box of different
sizes of bolts, with nuts and washers to
match a brace and good set Of auger bits,
from three-eighths to seven ,eighths, and
three augnrs, one inch and a half and two
inch. These, with a hand saw, make d
very respectable kit for a farmer, and if he
has any skill at all in using them, he will
sometime save much more than the cost Of
them in a few months.
Let any farmer who has been accustomed
to run to the shop for every little repair,
supply himself with such things as we have
named, and do his own repairing, and he
will be agreeably surprised at the difference
in his mechanics bills.
Then there are the harnesses. If the
farmer uses several of them, he can save
several dollars in the course of the year by
having on hand two or three avis, q shoe
knife. q ball Of shoe thread and a ball of
wax, all of which will cost less than a dol
lar, and will last several years.
When wheat sells at seventy-ive cents q
bushel, farmers will do we'll to look carefully
to the incideutals.
PLANK Floors FOR HoRsEs.-The follow
from the Cincinnati Gazette, by an Indiana
correspondent, says something on the SUBJ
ject:
III ACSoio W uOASCS SSauuluR Ou pure
plank floors l have tried it for fifteen years,
and never Uttered a stall yet, nor have l
ever had a horse or mule to get lame by
being SO treated. I have at times left stable
floors without plank, and afterwards plank
ed them, for the reason that the horses do
better on plank floors, and the stables are
easier cleaned. They do not wear in holes
or ever get wet. l got the idea from q
paper many years ago, which stated that ia
Holland q think) they use stone floors for
their stables, and never litter them, and
they have sounder horses than any other
country. Now if | was going to build u
stable floor | would get two by four inch
oak scantling, and lay them lengthways Of
the stall, or the same way the horses stand,
and leave small half inch cracks between
them. Setting them edeways you will have
a floor four inches thick and one that will
always be dry and cool. The reason for
laying it lengthways of the horse is, if it
should ever wear out it will be where the
horse stands !; consequently only a few
pieces need be taken up and repaired. /
would also have the floor two feet above
ground, if possible, for dryness and ventila-
ton"
FEED II FRUIT TREEs.-I must be ap-
parent to every rejecting person that the
material round about a fruit-tree, which
renders important aid in the production of
fine fruit of any kind, must necessarily be
more or less exhausted after a vine, bush or
tree has produced abundant crops for sever
al successive seasons. For example: A
large pear tree or apple tree will frequently
yield from ten to sixteen bushels OF fruit
annually. Many trees have produced more
than twice these quantities at one crop.
After a few seasons, the material that the
roots must be supplied with. in order to
develop fruit. will be more or less exhausted.
For this reason, fruit begins to fall and the
failure is often attributed to an east wind.
or some mysterious atmospheric influence.
when in reality. the sole cause is Starvation,
arising from On Impoverished soil.
The remedy is to feed the roots of all
kinds of fault trees with lime, wood ashes,
gypsum. chip dirt, bones, fishes, and any,
thing that will renovate an impoverished
soil. 1t is evident that fruit-trees cannot
produce fine fruit out Of nothing, or ont of
such material as may be desirable for some
other purpose.-Heosth and Home.
CAKE BAK1NG.-Cake takes longer to
bake when made with molasaes and moist
sugar, than when made with white sugar or
honey.
Flour should always DO measured and then
sifted. One cup of unsifted -four will make
one cup and a half of siftcd flour.
Cake pans should always have a butterea
paper at the bottom. Always have ut hand
a newspaper to cover cakes that bake slow
ly, it will prevent scorch on top.
Any cake is better if the whites and yolks
of the egg are beaten separately. p'IrT
Fruit should always be chopped it will
incorporate with the other ingredients bet
ter Raisins or citron generallysfall in a
solid mass at the bottom Of the nan.-OJ
| Dominion Muqasine.
The Hollow-Horn in cattle, it is said
may be cured by the following prescrip-
ton:
Take two tablespoonful of ground mus
tard (the finer the better, mix with sharp
vinegar until the mustard is thick as sweet
cream. and put half in each ear, working
it as far up the car as can conveniently be
done. 1t the animal does not eat in three
hours, give another dose. An Ohio farmer
says. II have used the above twenty-five
years, and have to lose the first animal vet"
Coon RUsK.-One pint Of new milk, one
pound white sugar and two eggs beaten,
stir these up with some -four into a sponge,
add yeast and set to rise at night. When
ri ..-L a. j. IT