The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-12-20
FARM AND GARDEN.

One VINO mas ITleQ II, WIltSo do
follows to the american Farm Journal:
Z" If any farmer wants a convenient and
cheap cushion to ride on, let him take
a sheep skin as soon as it is taken from
the sheep, and scrape the flesh off, then
lay in smooth place. Pulverize one
pound of alum and the same of salt,
and cover the flesh side of the skin and
let it lie for a week or two, and it will
be well tanned. They make the best
seat for the reaper, raker, corn planter,
or to throw on the horse to ride from
the field to the barn, and if we should
be caught in sudden shower, they will
answer for a protection.
TURSIP FLAVOR IN MILK AND BUT
TER.-A correspondent of the Ameri-
can Agriculturist states that last winter
he fed turnips in the usual way at milk
ing time to five cows, until the milk
and butter became so strong that 1t
could not be used He then commenc-
ed feeding Immediately after milking,
and found that "there was not par
ticle of turnip flavor in the milk or
butter" After time the taste re-
turned. On investigation, he found
that one of the cows was nearly dry,
and was MIXED only once day, while
she was fed with turnips twice day.
She gave but a pint of milk per day,
so that when fed in the morning she
could have had only about half pint
of milk in her bag; yet this received so
much taste from the turnips that it
spoiled the milk of four other cows in
full flow. To make the test complete,
he had her milked twice day, when
the difficulties at once ceased, and did
not again occur. Evidently, a very
small amount of milk in the udder will
suffice to do the mischief, and if drying
off cows are milked only once a day
while on turnip feed, their milk should
not be mixed with that from the rest
of the herd.
PUNCHING HOLES IN STRAPs.-The
punching of holes through the various
straps of harness for buckle-tongues
and for attaching the buckles, is a mat
ter of considerable importance, and
does not, as rule, receive the atten-
ton that it should. The old method,
of punching them from the upper or
grain side of the leather, has been gen.
orally abandoned by the manufacturers
of fine work, it being deemed injurious
to the wear of the leather. The prin-
cipal objection arises from the liability
of the grain of the leather to crack from
the strain on the buckle tongue, and to
be the cause, eventually, of the leather
tearing, as it causes such crease
where the tongue catches that it Injuries
the texture of the leather, and makes
it tear the hole more or less. In addi-
ton to this, if the leather is very strong,
the tongue of the buckle is sure to be
bent out of shape. All these objections
can be obviated by punching from the
under or flesh side of the strap, and by
using punch the long sides being par
allel with the length of the strap; the
punch should be set at an angle of
about twenty degrees, cutting the hole
at such an angle that the buckle tongue
will rest in it without throwing any
strain on the inside of the leather.
Some object to punching the hole
from the under side on account of its
forcing the grain out, and thus disfgur-
ing the outside edges of the hole. This
can be corrected, however, by driving the
punch through the hole from the out
side, which will cut away the slightly
turned edge of the grain. and set it
down smooth and clean. 1t is not nee
essary, however, to repunch any holes
except those that will be exposed when
the harness is complete. Punches
should be as thin as possible, as the ex-
ira thickness of the metal strains the
leather-HarneSs Journal
SOAP WASH FOR FRUIT TREEs.-The
beneficial influence of a weak alkali
wash upon the bark of fruit trees is of
long standing acknowledgement. Its
action is in expansion of the pores,
while at the same time it is destructive
of all animal life, sporadic or otherwise.
Writers or theorists differ as to the best
time to apply it; but we have always
found that if good common sense be
used in preparing it, the time of appli
cation is always good. And now for the
preparation. Ifyou use purchased pot
ash, reduce it SO that you can bear your
finger in it half minute or more with
out tingling or sore sensation. If
you can obtain good soft soap from the
refuse grease and lye of ashes saved up
dry, then take it and reduce it (the
soap) down, not to a suds, but so that
it will not be ropy when used by soft
whitewash brush. Use it freely, and
it matters not materially just when,
but say no,o, and any time most conve-
nient until lst of July; but after that
time it is perhaps better to wait till the
next year.-American Farm Journal
To HAVE APPLEs EVERY YEAR.-A
correspondent of the New York Tribune,
tells three ways of having apples every
year.
/. Take scions from a tree in 1873
and put them into good thrifty three,
and do the same in 1874, and you will
get fruit in alternate years.
?. If you cut off the thrifty trees
n a 4 L 7