Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-02-21
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FARM AND PRESIDE.

FARM AND FIRbblDE.
PRUNING GRAPE VINEs.-Thirty years
ago physicians were in the habit Of draw
ing pint of blood from every patient. No
matter what his disease was he must be
bled! The consequence was that they
gradually drew out the living principle of
the people who fell into their hands. Many
grape growers are now doing the same
thing to their vines. They think that if a
certain amount of sap runs through cane
bearing fruit. and if portion of that cane
be cut off, the entire vi ality of the cane
when uncut will be diffused through what
remains of it. Mistaken idea! You may
take two canes. each five, ten or fifteen
feet long, each bearing three clusters of
grapes. If you cut one off to within a foot
of the fruit the grapes on the uncut cane
will ripen just as early, and will be as good
if not better than those on the cane that is
cut off. The reason is, that the roots of
the vine supply all the sap that the grapes
ard canes require; and by cutting back
canes the fruit receives no more nourish-
ment than it did before the canes were cut
because it can receive but a certain
amount. The only way to improve the
size and quality Of grapes is, when vine
is heavily fruited, to thin out the clusters,
| and this should be done in June.
| MILKING.-In milking do not seize the
teat between the thumb and forefnger and
| drag down until the end slips from the
grasp of the digits. Do not grasp, with
the hand pressing the nails into the teat.
with squeeze and pull. Grasp the teat
with the thumb partly upwards, and the
fingers in their natural position when
closed, next the udder, and closing the
fingers IN succession, force the milk down.
| ward, with a gentle pull on the udder. So
proceed alternately with each hand, going
| farther and farther up into the udder as
t. e flow ceases, until you have all the milk
| drawn. Thus you may, milk easily for
yourself and the COW; in fact, the cow
soon cones to like the manipulation. If
d few simple rules founded upon common
| sense were observed in milking, instead of
kicking COWS and holding up of the milk,
we should soon find our cows gentle to
handle, and much vexatlon would be
spared to the mixers. 1t should, however
oe remembered that in milking COWS gen.
| tleness is a cardinal virtue.
RAISING A CALF IN WINTER.-There
is no trouble in raising fall or winter
calf, and many farmers prefer them to
spring calves. Give the calf warm quar-
ters with room enough for exercise, and
give it new milk for ten days or until it
gets a good start; then feed skim milk and
oil meal or flaxseed to replace the cream
you take from the milk. Begin with a
teaspoonful of the seed OF two of the meal,
pour boiling water in and let it stand where
| it will simmer slowly until it forms a jelly.
/ am feeding calf seven weeks old a half
pint of flaxseed day, and it is growing as
fast as if it was sucking the COW. AS soon
| as your calf is four or five weeks old, feed
it shelled corn. 1t will not be as likely to
SECURE 1t as meal, and confidently recon-
| mend it as the best thing you can give
young calf the first winter. When your
calf gets so that it can eat a large ear of
com at a feed, three times day, it will
not need so much faxseed or oil meal.
CARE OF THE TEETH.-In the first
place, the teeth should be picked and
washed after each meal, so as to remove
particles of food flom their cavities and
inter stices. All persons should learn the
habit themselves, and teach it to their
children, when quite young, of brushing
the teeth vigorously, both inside and out
sire, at least once day. 1t is better to do
so both night and morning, but at all
events before retiring. It is also very de-
sirable to employ some soft cleaning sub
stance, in addition to the mere rubbing.
Such as soap and precipitated chalk. But,
in all cases, care should be taken not to
use any preparation that feels harsh or
gritty to the teeth, as all such are iniuri-
Gus.
To TAKE RUST OUT OF STEEL.-Place
the article in bowl containing kerosene
oil, or wrap the steel up in soft cloth
we'll saturated with kerosene; let it remain
twenty-four hours or longer; then scour
the rusty spots with brick-dust. If badly
rusted, use salt wet with hot vinegar; af-
ter securing, rinse every particle of brick
dust off with boiling hot water; dry thor
onghly; then polish off with clean fam
mel cloth and a little sweet oil.
L1NIMENT FOR BURNs.-Take one pint
of lime water (made by pouring water on
unslacked lime and letting it ssttle) and
one pint of common olive or linseed OIL I
Shake together in bottle and cork tight I
ly for use. Always shake it when it is to !.
be applied. 1t Is a sure cure for burns and :,
scalds, and it IS excellent for poisoning by
ivy, and scrofulous or syphilitic abrasions
of the flesh,
STYE ON THE EYELID.-Put tea
spoonful of black tea IN small bag: pour
on it enough boiling water to moisten it;
then put it on the eye pretty warm, Keep
1t on all night, and in the morning the
stye will most likely be gone, if not, Sc
cond application is certain to remove it.
WASHING OILcLoTHs.-In washing oil