The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-09-10
Home Notes for the Farmer.

The thrifty farmer should build
workshop on his place, and near his
house, so that it may be used con-
venlently. This should contain y
bench and wise, some carpenter tools,
and a place for storing hard wood to
season. There may be flooring to
this part of the shop if SO desired.
Materials and tools for mending
harness may be kept here. On the
other side of the workshop, and on
the earth floor, blacksmith's forge
and anvil should be placed, with a
few pincers, punchers and hammers,
and some pieces Of bar and of round
iron of different sizes. This iswill
often enable the farmer to save
long trip to the village. Such a
workshop will pay for itself many
times year, and will teach the boys
many useful industries.
Farmers sometimes ask how to
build an efficient smoke house at the
least expense. The following plan
will be found useful: Dig pit for a
furnace on sloping ground, or where
there is bank of foot or 80 in
height. A few feet away set a
large barrel with both heads re-
moved. Dig sloping trench, and
lay joint or two of stove pipe, so as
to extend from the fireplace to the
surface of the ground under the bar
rel. If the stove-pipe is painted it
will last much longer. The earth
must be banked closely about the
| barrel. The hams and sides. of bacon
are to be hung from sticks placed
across the top, and then covering
of sacks, SO arranged as to allow the
smoke to pass through completes
the arrangement. Corn cobs and
sa ~dust make excellent material for
| the fire.
Economy in team work is an i'm
portant matter by few fairly under
stood. One of the best gardens in
Alameda county was made by adding
sand to naturally harsh soil, and
this sand was hauled at a little. ex-
pense. Each day the owner had to 60
| 70 the depot with load of fruit or for
his mail. He never failed to put a
shovel in the express wagon, and
when he had unloaded his
fruit, he stopped in the bed OF
| the creek on the way home
and took small load of sand. It did
not take long, but the way the sand
pile by the stable door, used for COM
posting purposes, managed to in
crease, was constant marvel TO the
nsighbors. In like manner there are
many times, when, by the exercise of
"a little forethought, an extra journey
of teams can be avoided by loading
them each way.
The farmer must have pure water
for his family. There are places
where spring water is not to be had
and where the river water is un-
healthy. A filter must then be made,
and this can be done cheaply and
easily by the following plan: Take a
clean oaken bucket or tub and put
it in q shady place, or in the cellar,
inserting faucet near the bottom.
Take clean pebbles as large as wal
nuts and put them several inches
deep on the bottom. On this place
charcoal in fine bits the size of peas,
pounding it down quite hard as you
fill in, and SO continue until the bar
rel is filled to within ten inches of
the top. Use clean pebbles again
for two or three inches, and cover
the whole with clean piece Of white
flannel, which acts as strainer. If
a similar piece is placed on the bot
tom before any pebbles are used it
improves the filter. A couple Of
buckets full of water may be poured
in the top, and more when desired.
This filter will be found reliable, and
the charcoal may be used for one or
two years without renewing. When
necessary the flannel may be washed.
Cider and other liquids can be filtered
by this arrangement.
Farmers know the danger from fire
at this dry season, and paints which
are not combustible are coming into
favor, as cheap preservative and
safeguard. A wash of lime, salt and
fine sand or wood ashes is worth
using on the roofs Of barns and other