The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-12-04
Farm AND HOME.
HOW DRAINS ACT.

in tough clay soil, enters from the sides
and bottom, and not from Immediately
above the drains. The toughest clay is
sufficiently permeable TO water TO allow
il to pass through readily, and after the
drains have been in operation some
time, regular and permanent water
channels become established in the soil
leading from above to the bottom of
the drains. In digging drains in tough,
compact clay, numerous small veins OF
water are cut, which show very clearly
how readily the water will pass through
such soil as soon as outlets are provided.
The advantage of deeper drains is thus
explained, and it is readily seen that
their influence extends very much
further in proportion to their depth.
To PREVENT BUSTING.
Boiled linseed oil will keep polished
tools from rusting if it is allowed to
dry on them. 1t is very difficult to get
off and should never be put near joint,
as it candies. Turpentine or soft soap
will destroy it when it is necessary to
brighten the surface oiled. Common
sperm oil will prevent from rusting
short period. A coat of copal is fire.
Quently applied to polished tools ex-
posed to the weather. Wooden ma
terials are the best for wrappers for
metals. Iron and steel goods OF all de-
scriptions are kept free from the rust
by the following Dissolve one-haif
ounce of camphor IL one pound OF hogs
lard, take off the scum and mix as much
black lead as will give the mixture an
iron color. Iron and steel, and ma
chinery of all kinds, rubbed over with
this mixture and left with it on for
twenty four hours, and then rubbed
with linen cloth, will keep clean for
months. ~
WEIGHT AND MEASURE.
The american AgriculturiSt very
sensibly says Now that the season for
selling has arrived, we would impress
upon our readers the necessity for ac-
curately weighing and measuring every
thing they sell. There is too much
guess-work done. Buyers are handling
produce every day of the year, and they
weigh and measure all they handle.
They are well posted. Farmers are
not. When it comes to estimate the
farmers are beat. cit is naught, it is
naught, saith the buyer" And farm
ers are too easily persuaded by his
pertinency. Besides, farmers want the
money, and do not like 70 lose sale.
SO they give way. There is no settler
Of disputes so stubborn as good plat
form scale. A Fairbanks scale will
save many words, and much time and
loss. Every barn should be provided
with one, and nothing should be taken
out for sale until it is weighed and
plainly marked with its weight.
COWS.
There are, probably, $500, 000,0 600 in
vested in COWS in the United States.
Unfortunately a great deal of this
money is not we'll used. 1t does not
bring in the yearly interest which it
might and ought to yield. The average
profit which the ordinary farmer re-
ceives from his COWS is quite small.
But they ought to pay well. If they
do not, it shows either lack of skill
or else of care and attention on the part
Of their owners. A great, perhaps the
greatest, cause OF loss IS, most farmers
keep poor COWS. A poor COW hardly
pays, while good one pays handsome
profit. 1t will cost but little more to
keep a good COW than poor one. The
farmer will make from six to eight pounds
Of butter per week for forty-two weeks,
worth say thirty-fve cents per pound,
realizing an income of from $SS to $117,
while the latter, making only three OF
four pounds week for forty-two weeks,
will bring only from $44 to $50 per
yesr.-IStOck Journal.
WET BOOTS.
A friepd writes from Europe What
an amount of discomfort we5 boots en-
tail, to be sure and how we'll we all
recall the fretful efforts we have now
and then made to draw on pair of
hard baked ones which were put by the
fire over night to dry. Damp and adj
hesive within, they are without stiff and
unyielding as horn. Once on, they are
a sort of modern stocks, destructive of
all comfort, and entirely demoralizing
10 the temper. The following simple
device will rob the cold, wet barnyard
OF slushy winter or spring, evening of
half its promise of discomfort for the
next morning When the boots are
taken off, fill them quite full with dry
oats. This grain has great fondness
for damp, and will rapidly absorb the
last vestige of it from the wet leather.
As it takes up the moisture it swells
and fills the boot with q tightly-fttjng
last, keeping it's form good, and drying
the leather without hardening it. In
the morning shake out the oats and
hang them in bag near the fire to dry,
ready for the next wet night, draw on
the boots and go happily about the
days work. american Agricuit,riSt.
SAFE TETHER PIN.
The Agriculturist for October Illus
trates q simple device which, we infer,
any one is at liberty to make use of
without fear of infringing upon any
patent. A strong iron rod, say five
eighths or half an inch in diameter, is
sharpened at one end and bent into
conference.-the spiral. The unsharpened
end is bent into ring large enough to
receive a good sized rope. 1t is easy to
screw such an iron into anything worthy
of being called a soil, using stick, if
necessary, after the manner OF an augur
handle. Such tether-pin as this will
defy the efforts of the strongest animal
to pull it up, and with the ring at the
level of the ground it is impossible for