Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-02-01
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Winter Farm Economics.

VIM
The Prairie Farmer says: There are
so many things that the farmer may do
at home, in his own workshop, as well
as another can do it for him, that it is
surprising that so few are without kit
of wood working tools, shoeing ham,
mer, some horse nails, pinchers for iron,
copper, rivets, screws, and other neces-
sary articles as will enable him to COM
plete many a handy job without the
intervention of the carpenter. The time
required to do the work will often be
found to be less than that spent in going
to and from the mechanics place of
business. Thus with few tools the
wood work OF harrows, pIows, cultiva-
tors, and other tools about the farm
may be repaired. By having few
extra handles of forks and other imple-
ments on hand, these may be cheaply
repaired and made as good as new.
Wagon tongues, and many other
duplicates for farm vehicles and ma
chimes, are now prepared SO as to re-
quire but little fitting. In the case of
machines, all that is necessary, as a rule,
is simply to fasten them in place. In
doing this the farmer not only renders
himself handy with tools, but at the
same time he becomes thoroughly con-
versant with the working parts of each
individual machine-no small matter to
the practical man. In fact every farmer
ought to be able to take apart, and put
together intelligently, any machine on
the farm. Unless this be the case, they
cannot be worked as economically as
they should be.
While the farmer is thus educating
himself, he will come to see the neces-
sity and economy of having everything
in its place, and place for everything,
when not in use, and when in use they
will be just in place. So he will come
to occupy his leisure hours in repairs of
various kinds. Barn and stable doors
that are getting shaky on their hinges
will be repaired at once. If he burn
wood, it will be prepared and piled
secure from rain, and with proper ven-
tilation, so it may dry perfectly. If he
burn coal, proper shed will be built to
keep it dry. The pumps about the
place will always draw. Water troughs
will never have slougbs Of mud about
them in soft weather, to mire stock, nor
glare ice in hard weather, to MAIN them.
Sheds will be made comfortable. The
best facilities will gradually be accumu-
lated for accomplishing the work of the
farm, and general air of thrift will be
observable, not only about the home
stead, but over the farm.
| In this we do not mean to assert that
the simple possession of the tools neces-
sary to do odd jobs will accomplish all
this but the handling Of tools soon gets
q common sense man conversant with
their use, and the Investigations neces-
sary to enable O man to do the work i'll
telligently, broadens the mind, and one
soon comes to see where money may be
saved in many directions, and how easy
it is to make all things tidy about the
house and place, and also, where the
profit comes in, in rendering the stock
about the farm comfortable.
These may seem like small economies.
In truth they are but it is these small
economies that go to swell the profits Of
the farm, just as in any other industry
in life. 1t is, in fact, attention to small
economies that make the prosecution Of
business successful in its best sense.
Household Hints.
Bad cooking spoils good food.
Apply common baking soda to burns.
There is no dignity in work half done.
Bottom heat is not good to raise
bread.
Cold corned beef is best for making
hash.
Eat what your appetite Graves if you
can get it.
Husbands must not expect their wives
to make good, white bread from poor
-four.
SAVE THE FEATHERS. To utilize
feathers of ducks, chickens and turkeys,
generally throw aside all refuse, trim the
plumes from the stump, inclose them in
a tight bag, rub the whole as if washing
clothes, and you will secure perfectly
uniform and light down, excellent for
quilting coverlids and not few other
purposes.
To CLEAN PAINT. Take one ounce of
pulverized borax, one pound small
pieces best brown soap and three quarts
water; let simmer till the soap is dis
solved stirring frequently; do not let it
boil. Use with a piece of old flannel
and rinse off as soon as the paint is clean.
This mixture is also good for washing
clothes
Washing FInnneIs.
A lady correspondent says: 81 will
give little OF my experience in washing
flannels. was taught to wash flannel
in hot water, but it is great mistake.
In Italy my fannels were wonder to
me; they always came home from the
wash SO soft and white. I learned that
the italian women washed them in cold
water. Many time I have watched
them kneeling in box, which had one
end taken out, to keep them out of the
mud, by the bank of stream, washing
in the running water, and drying on the
bank Or gravel, without boiling; and l
never had washing done better and fan
nels never half so well. I have tried it
since, and find the secret of nice soft
lannels to be the washing of them in
cold or luke.warm water, and plenty of
stretching before hanging out. Many
recipes say, don't rub soap on hannels;
but you can rub soap on to the advan-
tage of the fannels, if you will rinse it
out afterward and use no hot water about
them, not forgetting to stretch the
threads in both directions before dry
ing. Flannels so cared for will never
become stiff, shrunken OF yellow"