The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-02-18
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.

GERMAN HARNEss.-One Of the most
marked contrasts between the German
md American draft harness is the man.
ner in which 1t b made up, the stitching
being done with leather thongs, and in
some cases, when the harness is high
priced, the stitching is ingenious and
two styles of stitches are
used-one the single or front stitch, the
other the chain or back stitch. The leather
for the thongs is made expressly for this
purpose; it is alum-tanned, Is clear,
white. and soft, and can be dyed any
desired color, but the principal ones used
are red and blue. When well made this
leather is very tough, and when cut into
very fine thongs is not easily broken.
The usual width of thongs is one-fourth
of an inch, but for ornamental work they
are cut as high as one-sixteenth of an
inch, these being used for forming flow
ers and other ornamental devices.
INDOOR CULTURE OF ToMAToEs.-The
London Gardeners Chronicle describes
method of raising tomatoes within
doors which it says has been successful,
and is worthy of general adoption. The
seed is sown about Christmas, and by
the first week in March the plants arc
set out against the back wall of some OF
the lean-to wineries, in good compost,
with ample root-room. Here they make
a rapid and vigorous growth, and in the
course of the season attain to height OF
from ten to twelve feet, and produce sue
cessful crops of fruit with great profusion
until past Christmas. In this manner
early and late tomatoes are obtained from
the same plants. As a matter of course
the plants can hardly be kept too moist,
and good dressing of crushed bones is
occasionally given. The border in which
the tomatoes are planted is only about
fifteen inches in width. The plants must
be we'll fed, but the wonderful crops they
bear is the best testimony to the adj
vantage of a liberal treatment. The
weight of fruit obtained from one plant
in a season is something remarkable, and
many of them attain great size.
SELLING CoRN.-Sell no corn in the
ear, have all you sell shelled. A hand
Smelling machine will answer if your crop
is small one. If large, get one to be
worked by horse power. Neither will
cost a great deal, and We are very GER
tain that the cobs, if crushed, steamed
and fed to your cattle, will be worth
more to you in single winter than the
price of a corn-sheller, whether you get a
small or large one. We believe there is
one-third as much nutriment in a bushel
of cobs rs there is in bushel of grain,
and we do know that cows or oxen fed
upon three pecks of the steamed OF
crushed cobs, in addition to the usual
quantity of hay, or tops of fodder, will
Keep fat. Then why haul your cobs to
market to be given away? 1t costs az
much to carry bushel of cobs to the
market as it does bushel of corn. Shell
your corn, leave your cobs at home t.
nourish your cattle, and through then
your land; and where you now send ont
bushel of corn, you will be able to trans
port two for the same money. Look thi
subject fairly in the face, consul
economy, consult the comfort OF you
cattle, consult the wants of your soil, ant
you can not fail to take our advice. TIL
: above from the american Farmer, state
the cob question rather strongly. Their
is, no doubt, nutriment enough in tn
cob to pay for GRINDING it fine, with tn
corn, and the price is usually enoug
better to pay for Smelling; but the co
has never been placed, by analysis a
more than ten per cent. OF the value
the grain.-Liue Stock Journal.
THE TRAMP OF FAT CATTLE.-Enl
!, lish farmers manage one way and anotht
to extract good deal of recreation on
: of their business. 1t is not all work wit
G them, and among days off" the hume
Gus fairs and exhibitions afford frequer
!. occasion for amusement. Their usu;
yearly fat cattle shows being purposel
so timed, give opportunity for a sort
7. hippodrome affair, in which processio
: of stock parades the country from OF
y end to the other, the same ANNA
. starring it by easy stages at contig
!, Gus towns, until finally the compan
4 which started at York or Manchestc
Is ends at London, where it reaches Il
u climax at the great Smithfield shO'
IL Thus the same animal often takes 81,
; cession of prizes, and its owner nets
lee considerable profit on his venture.
d curious fact is that the same amin
u rarely gets the first premium at tv
II places; the first Mt one being last at a
e other, and the last first. This illustrat
:, the adage, "many men, many minds
Is and proves that opinions differ. Thus &
ss COW which stood foremost at the 70
u show came second at Manchester, iii
III again at Oakham and second again
e Birmingham.
" " The most notable feature of this late
= accession of shows was the decadence
- the Herefords and the restoration to t
NJ front rank everywhere of the Shorthorl
n The Devons are also gradually retiri
y, y. before the more popular breed and
- seems likely that these useful cattle
10 destined to 90 out of favor entirely.
~ Birmingham, which was one of the m'
10 important shows of the series, there We
-, only two classes, oxen and cows, open
,m for the once popular and always haI
:! some Devons At this show Syri
~ sheep was exhibited of the fat-tail
~ species, furnished behind with an apps
la age weighing thirty pounds, and lal
NC enough to fill bushel basket. At
TO- Smithfield show there was an OK five ye
~ old, and said to be the finest specim
III of a shorthorn since the famous Duri;
Il, III OK, bred by Chas. Colling. AS a pr
H. of the benefit from cross-brecding m
;so be instanced the fact that first-pr
iso animal this year at this show is brOtl
~ to a first prize-taken last year, and b'
az are bred from mixture of the tn
~, ,u Fashionable Bates, Booth and Knigh
,n, families Of shorthorns.
Ter Among the sheep the chief facts of
nd portance are the continued appreciat
On. of the Shropshires, and the great incre
yer in size Of specimens of the large bret
Three Leicester shearings weighed
pounds, and three Cotswolds $50 pour
three of the Lncolns only exceeding th
ret by q pounds. One item of inter
,si- however, may be mentioned, viz: t
,rk there was scarcely pen of sheep t
he was not got up for show by some tri
ipt: such as "stubblc shearing," " trimm
,od and dyeing," bleaching" smuttin
J, / or "smearing" "eravel tinging,"'
ad- "blacking." Another curiosity of
of reports-which are full of the slang
ms. rent with stockmen-is the descript
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