Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-01-04

Horse Scraper. is a wide board,
six feet by sixteen inches, with two ham
dies, "a pair of old plough handles are
just the thing fastened on securely by
bolts; a couple of rings and staples half
way down the board, at suitable distan-
ces apart, serve to hitch the trace chains
of ploughIng harness; this tool is very
useful in scraping snow from hot beds,
or for clearing field of ice for cutting,
when it happens to be covered; the un-
der side should be shod with hoop iron
or hard wood, if it is to stand hard us
age.
The snow plough in common use in
our village streets for clearing sidewalks,
is very convenient thing upon the
farm for ploughing out paths to the
buildings, ETC.; it is made of two wide
boards, about six feet long by sixteen
inches wide, set upon edge in the form
of the letter A, with brace across
nearly in the place where the cross mark
of the A comes. To this are attached
the plough handles, strong iron eye
piece, for attaching the whIffietree, is
securely bolted to the nose at the upper
edge of the boards, and die nose and
under edge of the boards should be shod
with iron or hard wood. This is an ex-
tremely useful tool; larger plough or
road breaker for clearing a track for
teams, after deep snow, is made with
out handles, of TWO inch planks, fifteen
feet long or more, and needs four horses
or more to break through heavy drifts.
Wooden snow shovels are sold so
cheapiy, and excellently made, that it
would hardly pay to make them by
hand.
The clod crrisher or land drag. This
is intended to take the place of Il land
roller, where this tool cannot be affor-
ied, and there are some who prefer the
work of the drag to that of the roller in
crushing clods and smoothing the land,
but 1 prefer a roller. The drag, how
ever, has the merit of cheapness; /. is
made by taking two pieces OF oak plank
six or eight feet long and 70 ur by six
inches; these are to be split diagonally
at the saw mill, so as to give four pieces
three and one-half inches thick at one
aIoa ,nI ono boIf ,,.b a. A. ctl.ar
edge. Turning the fiat OF square side
of each piece up and the beveled side
down, with the thin edges of all in the
same direction; secure them in this
position by boitIng on top two cross
pieces of iron or hard wood, and attach
suitable ring bolts and chain for hitching
on the two horse whffletrees. OF course
the team is attached to that side Of the
drag where the thin edges of the plank
come. so that when drawn over the field
the clods are crowded down and ground
down by the wedge-like pressure of the
four pieces Of hard wood; it does rapid
work, making track six or eight feet
wide, but will not take the place of the
roller for rolling grass land in the
spring.
The hand marker for marking out
hot beds for setting plants. This is a
very simple and useful tool and is usu-
ally made of pine; the back piece is five
feet, eight inches long, so as to Just fit
inside the planks of common six foot
hot bed; this back is 1lx2 inches, and
has firmly nailed to it number of teeth
projecting two and one-half inches in
length, the distance between the teeth
being such as We wish to give the plants,
the two markers most used are three
and one-half inches and seven inches;
the latter give fifty plants to each sash;
the former about two hundred. Larger
markers with teeth twelve to eighteen
inches, or two feet apart, are sometimes
used for marking out drills in the field
for setting field crops, snch as lettuce,
celery and cabbages, but for this pur-
pose the wheel marker is every way SUI
perior.
This is wheel whose circumference
is common multiple of the distances
we wish to mark; good size is nine
feet circumference, which will enable
us to mark at distances of nine, twelve,
eighteen or twenty inches. The rim of
the wheel is of stout hoop iron, without
wood, and through it are drilled, al
proper places, holes for bolting on the
pegs which mark the spots for the
plants. The wheel is mounted on 8
pair OF handles, like wheelbarrow, and
a little practice will enable the workman
to strike out his rows quite straight with
it.