The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1880-01-09
AGRICULTURAL.

leather soft and pliable. ms can De
done only by charging it thoroughly
with oil and grease, says the Harness
Journal, which further adds: "Water
is destroyer of these, but mud and the
saline moisture from the animal are
even more destructive. Mud, in drying,
absorbs the grease and opens the pores
of the leather, making it a ready prey
to water, while the salty character of
the perspiration from the animal in
jures the leather, stitching and mount
ings. It therefore follows that to pre-
serve harness the straps should be
washed and oiled whenever they have
been moistened by sweat or soiled by
mud. To do this effectually the straps
should all be unbuckled and detached,
then washed with little water and
brown soap, then coated with mixture
of neatsfoot oil and be allowed to re-
main undisturbed until the water is
dried out, then thoroughly rubbed with
wooden rag; the rubbing is important,
as it, in addition to removing the sur
plus oil and grease, tends to close the
pores and give finish to the leather. In
hanging harness care should be taken
to allow all straps to hang their full
length; brides, pads, gig saddles and
collars should be hung upon forms of
the shape of each. Light is essential to
the care of leather, and when the har-
ness closet is dark the door should be
left open at least half of the time dur
ing each day. All closets should be ven
tilated, and when possible they should
be we'll lighted. To clean plated mount
ings use chamois with a little trip oil
or rotten stone, but they should be
secured as little as possible. Rubber
covered goods should be cleansed in the
same way. Leather covered needs to
be well brushed and rubbed with a
wooden rag. If a harness is thoroughly
cleaned twice year, and when unduly
exposed, treated as we have recon-
mended, the leather will retain its soft
ness and strength for many years.
COMMENCING WITH New CROPs.-It
is wise and we'll to occasionally substi-
tute new crops for those that have long
been gvOwn on farms. A change OF
crops is favorable to keeping up the fer
tility of soils. Farmers who are poor,
especially those who occupy new farms,
are obliged to raise those crops that can
be produced without a large expendi-
ture of money. They have not the
means to plant vineyards or hop vines,
or to engage in the culture Of those
plants that require expensive machinery
to raise or costly buildings to protect
after they are harvested. They must
generally be content to produce corn,
potatoes and small grains for several
years after they open up new farms.
These produce crops the same year after
they are planted or sown, so that i'm
mediate return is realized from them.
They may also be produced most adj
vantageously and generally the most
abundantly from new land.
After land has been in standard crops
several years, the yield OF them becomes
smaller unless extra pains are taken to
supply manures. A change of crops,
therefore, becomes necessary, as the
soil is robbed of certain elements Of fer
tility. As farmers become forehanded,
they naturally wish to produce crops
that will yield larger return than corn,
grain, and potatoes. They know that
a field planted to grapevines OF hops will
produce succession of crops with
comparatively little labor. With capital
to purchase machinery, they may find
the raising of broom-corn very profita-
BILE. With means to erect curing-houses,
they can make money by engaging in
the culture of tobacco. Observation
shows that the production of certain
crops is confined almost entirely to the
older sections of the country, where the
soil has been long cultivated, and the
farmers are generally wealthy. Many
farmers err in commencing to raise a
new crop with very little knowledge on
the subject. They read a glowing &C
count of the success of one farmer and
hasten to make small fortune in the
way he did. Perhaps the only informa-
ton they have on the subject was de-
rived from short newspaper article.
They find at the end of the season that
they planted the crop at the wrong time,
LID of coil aud ~, the