Mower County transcript., 1871-07-13
Turning Everything to Account.

! NEITHER large salaries nor extensive
facilities for making money ensure COM
petcnce for man. What ones future ma
tcrial condition will be, depends not so
much upon what he receives as upon what
he saves. Generally speaking, the differ
ence between the individual who becomes
independent and the one remaining de-
ference between careful saving and rockies
spcut,ing.
Some become rich on what others throw
away. During the last century, a poor
emigrant and his wife who had landed in
New York, finding nothing else to do, be-
gan to gather cigar stumps about the
streets and bar rooms, and manufactured
them into snuff. They were industrious,
prospercd, and laid the foundation for what
is now one of the largest tobacco houses
in the world. The gardener enrichcs his
soil with the dressing s iven away by the
improvidcnt ncighbor. The Celt tattens
his cow and hog on the slops thrown out
at back doors; and many chiffoniers, in
large cities, fish out snug little fortunes
from waste barrels aid cutters. There is
scarcely anything in The house that can
not be turned to account sooner or later,
no matter how valucless it may appear at
the moment
There is no waste in Natures laboratory.
In the numbcrlcss transformations and
combination Of things, material and i'm
material, nothing is lost or laid aside as
valuclcss. by how much man initiates
Nature in this respect, by 50 much he IN
creases his worldly substance. Corpora
tions and companies amass fortunes,
through the application of genius and in.
ventve talent to what is looked upon rs
refuse and Of no account. An article of
commerce is now made from the water
employed in gas works. Sawdust, which
was once cast into streams, blocking up
their channels, is now extensively u>cd in
manufacturing oAalic snd tormic acids,
paper, gun.cottou, volatile oils, and blast
ing powder. 1t has proved highly scI vice
able in curing hams, lH'li>Altig jcwciiy,
cleaning furs, and for a variety Of other
purposes. Ivory dust, iron filings, sa-
weed, coal dust, and bones. wht h were
once cast away, arc turned to good uses.
1t is now proposed to utilize the Stag ofiron
furnaces Tor block pavcmcnts. The dead
body Of a horse, which owners were for
mcrly in such a hurry to put out of si-hr,
is now converted into a vast number Of uses.
The name and tail, says u contemporary,
arc servic"ahle for hai:-c'oth, Stoves, bow
strings, and brushes. "'rhc skin is converted
into leather for cart hari.vss, for boots and
shoes, and strong collars. Th: h"'s arc
used for combs, horn work, glue, and in old
times were the chief source Of harlsborn,
now obtained from the gas-house. The
flesh is boiled down in the rendering vat,
and much oil and fat is obtained from it
The stomach and intcstincs make valuable
strings and cords for musical instruments.
Out of the bones are manufactured but
tons, toys, tweczcrs, knife handles rules,
cups, dom NOES, balls; and the residue
from all these things is burnt into bone
black, to be used by the sugar rrtiner, who
puts in a second claim on the dead horse;
and some parts OF the bonc-bla,k is lurn-
ed white, to nc used by the assayer in test
ing gold and when the assaycr and rcfn-
er have finished with it, it is converted
into supcrphosphate to serve as a valuable
manure on our land. The teeth are used
as substitutes for ivory. Some portion OF
the bone-b black is converted into phos-
phorus for the manufacture OF matches,
and lately valuable bread preparation is
made Of tho phosphate, and medicines are
prepared for the cure Of consumptivcs."
lngucnui,y and economy of this ch"ract' L
have but to be exercised in our household
affairs in order to ensure a competence,
however limited may be our incomcs.-
,n<1