The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-12-05
CARE OF FARM TOOLS.
A Habit Easily Formed and Which Pay
Big Interest.

A Habit Easily Formed and Which Pays
| Big Interest.
See here, farmer friend, want to tell
you something. A little way down the
road I saw pillow standing in the fence
corner of the corn-field. The iron was
red with rust. The wood was wet with
Yesterdays rain. am sure the imple-
ment has been standing there for some
weeks from the appearance of it. /
would not be afraid to assert that the
exposure of the pillow has damaged it
more than all the use it was put to
during the spring. The water which
soaSs in about the lemons and mortices
and bolt-holes will soon induce decay in
THE wood, and some day it will give
out. another worthless implement"
you will say. perhaps. "Here is a
broken tool while yet new. 1t ought to
have lasted twice as long. They don't
make machinery ss strong and substan-
tail as they used to-, Now the fault
will not be in the pillow if it gives out
before it ought to. 1t will be the result
of your neglect. If you house a pillow
or any other tool when not in use, giv-
ing the woodwork a good coat of pc
troleum and oiling the iron in it to kee,,
off rust. it will last three times AS long
rs machinery left to take care of itself
will. know this to be true.
|. Machinery properly cared for will
wear out, but seldom will give out be-
fore it is worn out. Think of it! If
you can make your pillow, or your
mower, or your reaper last three times
as long by putting them under shelter
when not in use, and giving them the
attention all machinery should receive,
to prevent decay and rust. how much
money Won squander in few years by
not doing so! This may seem an ex-
travagant statement, perhaps, at first
thought; but when you come to think
the matter over soberly you will con-
clude l am not far from right.
Have a house to keep them in. It
need not be an expensive building, but
it should be one that will keep out rain
and snow. Make it large enough to
hold the mower and reaper, the pillow,
the harrow and the horse rake When
you have got through with the ma
chimes in the field. bring them to shell
ter, and see that oil and grease are APP
piled at once.
Our ladies wrap up their furs in cam
phor and cedar to keep out moths dur
ing the season when furs are not in use.
We should be as careful to apply the
means of preventing the ravages of the
destructive moths of rust and decay to
our farm tools. But we are not.
Another argument in favor of having
a house, or place, for machinery of
all kinds in use on the farm is this: II
YOU do not take the pillow or harrow
from the field when done using it there,
you may forget where you left it. and it
will have to be hunted up, causing vex-
atious delay. Even if you remember
where it is. there will be labor and time
expended in going after it. which might
have been avoided if you had brought it
from the field and stored it in the tool
house or shed.
1t is always pleasant to know where
to look for and find thing. Ahabit of
putting things in their proper place is
good one for farmer to form and
teach his boys. The first step toward
the formation of this habit is to have a
place for the things. The second one is
to put the things there. After that see
that they are kept there when not in
uSe.-W Western ROlCDldu