Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-02-10
FIFTY YEAns Auo-No. 8.


said that the chief features of an old
time door-yard, in It's modern dress digni-
fed and beoutifed into dawn" were
wood-pile,a a hen-coop, a spring or well
and grind stone. And have written
one Of this series Of articles Concerning
wells" It is hardly fnir 10 thus leave the
contents of door.yard with n "whip aud
n promise !" and yet not much can he said
about the other articles IN IL, WoW
has undergone little improvement in the
manner of fitting il for use. The old way
of getting tree down, by hand-chorping,
is still employed. In pioneer times the
chiefs oil the forest, when laid low. were
cut into sled lengths and hauled To the
house to be cut into fire. place or stove
lengths and split to the desired degree of
flneness with the bright, smooth, keen ax.
When cut the wood was lienped in conical
nile, the better TO shed rain, and left in
the yard, with no shelter, to dry for sum-
mer use. The principal changes are the
use of the hand saw and bucks, and the
later employment OF the horse and steam.
power saws. AS to piling 1t Tor the sum.
mer the wood is now days neatly put into
shed. Hen aud chicken coops are about
the same as Of old. Perhaps more pains
are taken to make them warm. The
greatest change, not to say Improvement,
in this line, is in Matching eggs. Could
our ancestors have seen the modern, hot
air, oven arrangement, they would nm
doubedly have hastened to "pnt their
house ir ORDER" and don the mi lerite as.
cension robe, believing the las, day had
come. After all, the principal advantages
of this latter chicken Matching invention,
are that hens are not Obliged to set against
their will, and hens that nre given, too
much, to brood over door.knobs aud
spikes, do not have to be broken of the
annoying habit by tying red strings to
their legs, or sosing them into pail ol
water before their time has come, or set
ting the dog ON them TO make them for
ret where their nest is. AS this new in
venton gives the hens great deal more
time for liytng, ii is unreasonable that
eggs are three cents a piece. l think
some inventor would better direct his Ell.
rrgies in this line. Ii the man is blessed
MS n beneiaclor, who causes two spears oi
grass to grow where only one had grown,
what would we say in praise Of him who
shoul,l make the average hen lay two eggs
where her utmost efforts prmluced but
one! 1 expect this hint will be so well
improved that eggs Will yet be sold MS low
ms six for hall cent piece.
But am sadly neglectinS the topic |
had chosen, aud which is named at the
head of this article; showing that it lisa
better plan to put IN your caption after
Won have written what you have to say.
Now what can say of grindstones? !?
Does any one remember ever To have seen
AN Improvement in this lme? The Use of
of II grinistone is but two.iold-lo sharpen
dull edged tools, and to keep III ischiev-
ous boys within reasonable bounds. And
| was wont to think, when Il promising
member of hat numerous class, that this
later WIS the principal AIM Why are
not girls sometimes set 10 turning the
grindstone? Are they not mischievous
in some degree, at least? Yes, | know
they have to churn. But boys have to do
that, even, where there is a scarcity Of
girls, whereas, if man has no son and
lots of girls, he gets some other mans
boy to turn while he grinds Well, hut
this ls saying more about the turner than
the stone. Grindstoncs ure pieces Of
granite or sand stone. or something that
have what certain or rather uncertain
people lack-grit. They differ only IN
size. They are invariably round. l
think some smart alec would just make
his fortune, If he would invent a square
grind-tone, that would turn easily and do
its wOik well!
In concluding thls exhaustive discourse
on grindstones and ihlng+, have in my
minds eye one Of them hung under cherry
tree, in II back yard, invilngly ready for
boyish Use. II rested or its axle did, on
two beams, once supported by four legs,
but one was poor and got broken and Its
place was supplied by n log. The arm
Of the axle was moriiced on: hut the joint
becoming worn and loose, somebody had
tried 10 drive nails through it, only IL
have them break before they were hall
through. The handle once fit well into
the arm but had also worked loose. The
stone WAS much worn,rendering il necess;r,
to turn il very fast. 1t hung 'whopper-
jaweu' and ground against the trani be
low. Altogether it was u rickety, sqmaek
ing wheezy, irritating, disagrecable thing
except when still. -D