The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-06-11
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

VALUE OF HIDES AT HoME.-The
skin of an animal, whether cow,
colt, or horse, that dies on the farm, is
worth more at home than at the tanners.
Cut it into narrow strips and shave off the
hair with sharp knife before the
kitchen fire, or in your workshop, on the
stormy days and evenings. You may
make them soft by rubbing. A rawhide
halter strap an inch wide will hold a
horse better and last longer than an
inch rope. 1t is stronger than hoop-iron
and more durable, and may be used to
hoop dry casks and boxes, and for hinges.
Try il on broken thill, or any wood
work that has been split. Put it on wet
and nail fast. Thin skins make the best
to use it i'm its natural state. For other
purposes it may be dressed.
To PRESERVE WOODEN LABELS
The following method of preserving
wooden labels that are to be used on trees
or in exposed places is recommended in a
German paper: Thoroughly soak the
pieces of wood in a strong solution of
sulphate of iron then lay them, after
they are dry, in lime-water. This causes
the formation of the sulphate of lime,
a very insoluble salt, in the wood.
The rapid destruction of the labels by
the weather is thus prevented. Bast
mats, Irvine, and other substances used
in tying up or covering trees and plants
when treated in the same manner, are
similarly preserved. At recent meet
ing of a horticultural society in Berlin,
wooden labels, thus treated, were shown
which had been constantly exposed to
the weather during two years without
being affected thereby.
THE FRUIT GARDEN. farm.
ers possess an orchard of greater OF
less extent, but as general thing,
too few try to grow supply OF
the smaller fruits. While apples, pears,
peaches, cherries, ETC., are raised by most
farmers in considerable quantities, such
excellent fruits as the grape, raspberry,
blackberry, strawberry, currant, ETC., are
in a great measure neglected. One
reason probably why they are not grown
more extensively, is that they, or the
most of them, are little more difficult
to cultivate successfully than the larger
or regular orchard fruits; but this
should not be allowed to prevent any one
from trying to grow them in the future,
as the little extra labor required to cult
vate them is of no great consequence,
and the reward because of the almost
sure crop of fruit is very great. Every
one possessing the ground, instead of be.
ing slow to engage in the growing OF
small fruits, should hail with delight an
opportunity to cultivate them.
IMPROVEMENT OF GRASS LAND.--Thou.
sands of meadows and upland pastures
produce less than half the quantity OF
hay and feed which the land is capable
of, from deficiency of plants of those
kinds which are most productive and
suitable for the soil. In some cases
where the pasture is very foul with
weeds and moss, it is advisable to pare
and burn the old sward, and re-sow the
land entirely, as above directed. In
some other instances it may be desirable
to drain and manure the land but in
most cases great improvement can be CT
fected by merely sowing renovating seeds
(Which should consist of the finest and
most nutritive kinds of perennial grasses
and clovers) in the following manner.
Heavy harrOws should be drawn over the
old turf early in the spring to loosen the
soil for the admission of seeds, which if
sown freely, will occupy the numerous
small spaces between the grasses already
growing, and supercede the coarse grass
es and noxious weeds. After the seeds
are sown the land should be carefully
rolled. 1t is good practice to SOW the
seeds at the same time as the tOp-dressing,
if any is applied; but this is by no
means necessary. The months of Feb
ruary, March, and April, are proper for
sowing the seeds; the earlier the better,
as the old grass will protect the young
from frost. 1t il also useful to SOW in
July and August, Immediately after
carrying the hay. Should the old turf
be very full of moss, this is generally an
indication that draining would be bene-
fetal. The following is, however, an al
most infallible remedy for the moss, not
only destroying it, but preventing the
growth in future. Mix two cart loads of
quick lime with eight cart loads of good
light loan, turning the compost several
times, that it may be thoroughly mixed
and the lime Stacked, and spread this
quantity per acre over the pasture, drag
ging the turf well with iron harrows---
Land and Water.