The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1880-01-08
TOPICS FOR THE FARM.

TOPICS FOR THE FARM.
A coat Of gum copal varnish applied |
to the soles of boots and shoes, aud re- |
peated as it dries, until the pores are |
filled and the surface shines like polished |
mahogany, will make the soles water
proof, and it lasts three times longer.
Well fed aud well housed calves will |
go through the winter in good condition,
and pay for their keeping and care,
while those forced to seek shelter in the
lee of the straw stack, and to forage for
rations, will be worth less than good
veals at two months old.
Leather betting can be permanently
mended with the following cement:
Melt together in an iron vessel gutta
percha and pitch in about equal parts.
Dry the parts to be mended with hot
iron, and while hot apply the cement to
the edges, previously shaved, and press
the parts firmly together until set.
At recent meeting of an English
Farmers Club Professor Mcbride spoke
of the difficulty of administering medi-
cine to pil, and advised the following
plan: Don't give it to him while he
squeals; he will choke; SO halter him as
you would for execution, and tie the end
of the rope to a stake. He is sure to
pull back until the rope is strained.
When he has ceased his uproar and had
time TO reflect, approach him, and be-
tween the back pat of his jaw insert an
Old shoe from which you have cut the
toe leather. Then he will at once begin
TO suck and chew. If you now pour the
medicine into the shoe he will swallow
as much as you please. t.I
France has agricultural schools for
girls One of the chief is near Rouen,
which is said to have been begun with
a capital of one franc by sister of
charity and two little discharged prison
girls and to be now worth 800, ,000
This establishment has 800 girls, from
six to eighteen. The farm, entirely
cultivated by them, is over 400 acres in
extent. Twenty-Five sisters form the
staff of teachers. More than one medal
of the French Agricultural Society has
been awarded to this establishment at
| Darnetel, and the pupils are in great
| demand all over Normandy on account
Of their skill. They go out as stewards,
gardeners, farm managers, dairy women
and iaundresses. Each girl has on leav-
ing an outfit and small sum of money,
earned in spare hours. If they want
home they can always return to Darne-
tel, which they are taught to regard as
home. .
Horses ShOulders.-ln the street we
observed horse withsa bad gall upon
the shoulders, and inquired as to its
cause. The reply was: my work is
severe, and / am satisfied soft collar,
such as have been using, is bad for the
horses shoulders. am going to have
collar with wooden face, like an OK
| yoke, next to the flesh am satisfied
then l shall have no trouble"
The collar which was on his horse was
dirty and grimy, and there was no
wonder that with heavy work his horse
became CALLED. 5.-....s. .a.-esi
In the New York Tribune of recent
date A. B. Allen touches this matter of
hard collars as follows: ed -.-5-
/ have worked horses in all sorts of
ways for more than half century, and
never had case. of CALLED shoulders,
except when the drivers neglected my
directions about the collars This was
simply to rub them inside every few
days with little neatsfoot oil and the
moment they found any dirt sticking
like wax to the collar to wash it off
with warm soap suds, and then oil it.
Also to oil any chafed spot on the
shoulder of either OK or horse imme-
diately on discovering it. An excellent
preventive of gals is not to remove the
! yoke from the OK or collar from the
horse when brought into the stable from
work till all the sweat is thoroughly
dried up on them. The same remarks
as above may be applied to the use of
saddles or to any part of the harness
which happens to gall. If these are
nicely fitted to the animal, and kept
| clean, it must be an extra tender skin
that will ever show even a sligh. chat
ing. An acquaintance of mine, who
worked large number of mules towing
canal boats in New Jersey, informed me
that he never removed a collar from an
animal during the whole season-kept
it OH all night in the stable as we'll as
Jay. In this way he rarely had CALLED
ally employed The continued wearing
| VI Iuc COildT JOuSucucu lue Sklu, YET
kept it soft and pliable.
Apple Rot.-Mr. G. H. Peck, the State
Botanist, in his recently issued an.
nual report to the Regents of the Uni
Versity of the State of New York, says
"While on the way from Summit to
, Jefferson, in Schoharie County, an ap-
, pie orch ard was observed on which much
, of the fruit was discolored, and ap
, peared as if beginning to decay. Some
of the passengers remarked that they
"never before knew of apples rotting on
, the trees" Some of the fruit was pro
cured and found to be affected by fun
gus know to botanists by the name oI
Spheropsis malorunn, or apple sphar
: opsis." 1t has been described as at
lacking apples lying on the ground il
, winter. Here was an instance in which
: the apples were attacked while yet OF
e the tree, and that, too, as early as Sep
3 tember. The apples attacked by the
t fungus are rendered worthless, and ex
{ periments recently made indicate tina
e the disease is contagious, and may b,
| communicated from one apple to an
: other. For example, perfectly $ ,une
q apple was placed in a drawer with ont
! which was Affected by the fungus. In
q few days the sound apple began to shov
e signs of decay. Its whole surface hat
assumed dull brown color, as if begin
| ming tn r0L Two or fhr roo davs Ia ta