Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-05-13
Agricultural.

A FORTUNE PROM FEATHERS. Very
recently q new invention has opened the
way to a new utility, and the wealth OF
France rests in her wonderful utilization
of even the meanest things. This new
thing, which is to give all the country
maidens a dot, or dowery, is-feathers.
The only capital required is pair OF
scissors. How much money do you
think is annually lost in America by the
waste of feathers? Geese, ducks, tur-
keys, hens, and pigeons lose quantities
in one way and snother-by accident,
moulting, battles, and death. Feathers
stick in the mud, on weeds, on branches
and sticks; they lie on the woed-piles,
by streams-everywhere one wanders he
will find feather. A feather is almost
indestructible. 1t may be blown from
mountain-top into valley and back again
and remain the same beautiful and deli
cate thing. Well, these wandering
feathers that seem so insignificant con-
stitute-or may-veritable riches. LIS
ten:
The down of geese and ducks has for
. long time been very highly valued,
"dovny beds of ease" being the incar
nation of repose, while the bed-covers
OF silk, lined with down. have been, on
account of their high price, only enjoyed
by the rich. But in Paris artificial
down" has come to be more highly
valued than the natural down, because
il is much lighter. This is made from
feathers of no matter what kind OF
festhered animal, by cutting the barb
Of the feather from each side OF the
quill. and putting them tthe barbs) IN
. stout cloth sack, and then rubbing
them between the hands as washwoman
does linen. Five minutes rubbing will
have mixed the mass in felt-hke sub
stance, rendering it homogeneous. That
is edredon drtifciei. and sells In Paris
for something over IS in gold a pound,
and this price is constantly increasing.
But there is something more wonderful
still A process has been invented for
making cloth of feathers. To make
square meter "a meter is three inches
more than yard) of cloth-cloth vastly
lighter and warmer than wool, from 700
to 756 grsmmes Ga gramme is equal to
16 grains avoirdupois) of this artificial
down. But this feather cloth-drdp de
plume-it takes color admirably, and
is almost un-wear out-able, because,
instead of breaking and cutting in the
places most exposed to wear, 1t mats
itself more and more into felt-lke
substance. This discovery is one of
the most remarkable of the age.
Now for some figures. The estimate
has been made that in France alone
enough feathers are allowed to go to
waste each year to make from Z, 900, 600
to {, 900, 600 square meters of cloth In
other words, as much rs lost in France
in feathers as is paid for cotton! This
being true of France, how much more
Is it true of the United States? A girl
OF eight or ten years can see from this
how valuable every feather-eyery one
is, and her chance for money making,
for if mistake not, the price paid for
down Is higher in America than in
France, and it finds buyers everywhere.
Experiences result in facts, and here is
one: The feathers that three-fourths of
the country people throw away amount
in value to more than 20 cents for each
ordinary hen In fact, a hens ward
robe weighs usually from 90 to So
grammes, and sometimes weighs as high
rs 81. Don't despise the little things"
feathers mean fortune.
To MAKE MANURE SPREADER. Pro-
cure strong pole, about ten feet long
and six inches in diameter, and secure
. tongue in the middle, so as to form
large T. The tongue may be bolted or
secured by mortise and tenon. After
the tongue is made fast, set it up in
perpendicular position and bore two
inch holes through the bead-piece, one
foot apart. Now fill the holes with
strong spreading brush, letting the
brush extend behind the cross head
from four to six feet. The more brush
one can fasten in the holes the better.
After the manure is spread with forks,
hitch team to the tongue, place a
board on the brush behind the cross
head, and let the driver stand on the
board as the spreader is driven across
the field, back and forth like harrow,
and the brush will then spread and
grind the manure into the gronnd and
pulverize the Jumps more perfectly than
could be done by hand. A man and
horse team can spread an acre per hour |
Of any kind of manure. Such spreader |
will be found useful in preparing land |
for seeding after it has been narrowed, |
- it will crush the Jumps, fill up the |
dead furrows and leave the field like |
garden bed. In lieu of large pole, a |
heavy slab or narrow plank may be en- |
ployed for the head of the spreader. |
The spreader should be driven at right |
angle to the first course, whenever all |
the lunches are not ground fine and |
spread evenly.
PRINTER s INK FOR TREEs.-Mr. Pratt, |
Superintendent of the Public Grounds |
at Concord, Msssachu- etts, has for the |
past three years had charge of the noble |
Elms which line the streets of the an
eient and historic town. He has expert |
meDted carefully with printers ink, by
applying IL IN various ways to the fruit /
trees, sometimes directly to the bark,
then by daubing tarred OF brown paper
and winding that around close to the
ground. He has found it completely |
efectual, and has had the best success
by merely smoothing the rough bark
slightly with drawing shave, and then
spreading the ink directly upon the
shaved surface.
1t does lot iDjure the tree, and is not
fooeSi put OAl, put
cacious even than the use of the tarred
or shesihing paper, for there is then no
hiding place for the moth.
The slightest contact with the ink is
death to the insect.
After using the ink upon all trees,
large and small, Elm and Apple, without
any paper, and for a period of three
years, he sees no injurious effect on any
tree.
The WAY THEY DO IT IN CALIFORNIA.
"A baulky horse is understood to be
an animal which, when harnessed, re-
fuses to start. Various expedients,
many of them cruel, are resorted to in
order to overcome such obstinacy. and I,
it may, therefore, be well enough to
please note the California method. 1t /,
is to put rope under the horses body,
behind his fore legs, and to let two men,