The National tribune., 1888-11-22
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
HOW To OIL HARNESS.

Mr. E. Chambers, writing to the Boston
Globe, urges as q first requisite avoidance of
lampblack, or any mixture containing this
smoke, or resinous substances, for the appended
reason: Lampblack is not suitable for such
kinds of leather which are to be bIackened on
the grain side, but only on those which are to be
blackened on the flesh side, such as is used for
shoes, because when applied to the grain side it
will rub of on your hands every time there is
damp spell or the leather gets wet.
Instead for proper treatment of parts that
appear a little red or foxy after washing, make
the following preparation: Take small keg
or half-barrel, and put in it some iron filings
from machine-shop, or old rusted stovepipes,
wornout horseshoes, or any kind of iron; then
pour on enough cider-vinegar to cover the
iron, Always keep it on hand, for the longer
it stands the stronger it will get After few
weeks draw off some of this color and put
little copperas in it. Now you have complete
grain color. / know of none better Take
brush and apply this liquid to parts of the
harness that show red, or you can go all over
them with it, This must be done Immediately
after you have washed your harness, before
oiling, because it will not take where there is
any grease. These preliminary points disposed
of now comes the cleaning. Take the harness
apart wherever it can be unbuckled give
each strap a good washing using lukewarm
water with little washing-soda in it. Scrub
well with a scrubbing- brush, and be sure that
you get all the grease and dirt off. Work we'll
in the hands until soft and plant. for it is no
use to apply oil on dry, stiff leather; it will
never become soft. After this has been done,
hang it in room where it will not dry
too rapidly, until about three parts dry.
Then apply plentifully, on both sides pure
cod oil; this has more body and lasting quality
than any other grease | have ever tried on
leather tanned with bark. Besides, if you use
neatsfoot oil, rats and mice will eat your har-
ness, while they will not touch that creased
with cod OIL After giving it good coating
with this oil, hang it up until dry. Then |
would go over it again with the oil, giving it
but light coat this time After that dries
wipe off with dry coarse cloth. For common
work-harness nothing more is needed, but for
carriage harness go over it with sponge and
CASTLE soap, and wipe with dry ehamois skin,
and you may depend upon it there will be no
black rubbing off on your hands.
FEEDING PIGS.
Bulletin No. 80 of the Massachusetts, Agri-
cultural Experiment Station is devoted to the
results and discussion of experiments in feed
ing pigs, which seem to confirm conclusions
arrived at in previous experiments. The fol-
lowing conclusions are arrived at: l. A gradual
periodical change from rich heterogeneous diet
to that of wider ratio between the digestible
heterogeneous and heterogeneous food constitu-
ents of the feed is rec0mmondable IN the inter-
est of good economy. 2. The feeding effect of
one and the same diet changes with the adj
Yancing growth of the amount on trial. 8.
ing it into live weight decreases with their
progress in age. A. 1t is not good economy to
raise pigs for the meat market to an exception
ally high weight To go beyond 175 to $50
pounds is only advisable when exceptionally
high market prices for dressed pork are Sc
cured. The above serves to suggest the I'M
proftableness of attempting to make heavy
weight in pigs Germantown Telegraph.
| CONDITIONS AFFECTING THE VALUE OF COM
MERCIAL FERTILIZERS.
There are many points regarding commercial
| fertilizers upon which farmers require knowl-
| edge. Bulletin No. 81 of the Massachusetts
| Agricultural Experiment Station says that the
mechanical condition of any fertilizing ma
| terial, simple or compound, deserves the most
| serious consideration of farmers. The degree
| of pulverization controls almost without ex-
! ception the rate of solubility and the more or
| less rapid diffusion of the different articles of
| moisture also exeTts an important influence on
| the peeuniary valne. Two samples of fish fer
| tiliZers may differ from so to 100 per cent in
commercial value account of the difference
| in moisture. The remuneratiye use of COM
| mercial fertilizers depends very largely upon
| the knowledge of these conditions, that affect
| their agricultural value or their influence upon
the growing plant as feeding substance
NOTES
| For seed potatoes for next year select
| those which are well matured, clear of disease,
| fair size, even and smooth, carefully handle
| them and store them separately from the corn.
To encourage the growth of hair on bald
| spots wash the parts with warm water and cas-
| tile soap, rub dry with a rough towel, and i'm
mediately rub in the skin mixture of one
| part of tiucture of Spanish fly and 40 parts of
alcohol Repeat night and morning for three
or four weeks.
"A pair of rabbits can produce 100000
rabbits in Australia in two years. James Wat
son. of Victoria, says he has found out a way to
! keep the rabbits down and make money at it.
| He has started canning factory to pack them
for food. Besides he kills them by the hundred
| with strychnine on sliced apples.
- Western New York is doubtless the best
| fruit-growing district of the United States.
| Fruit-growing associations exist in most of the
Counties, and ruit-growing is made speciality
by most of the farmers. 1t has been thus since
| the settlement of the Holland Purchase. Many
persons have grown wealthy in the business
1t is well to recolect that old orchards
| cannot be conveniently plowed, but need ma
nuring If this is done in early Spring the
rains carry the fertilizing material down TO the
roots before the hot sun dries up the manure,
| and if done in the Fall the advantage is fully
as great. 1t is not best to spread the manure
Immediately around the trees.
| Ignorant gardeners and farmers burn the
weeds they remove from the soil. and in doing
so cast all the ammonia they contain into the
air, and then purchase guano imported from
the other side of the world to replace their
loss. Neither weeds nor straw should be burn
ed, but sufficiently rotted to destroy the fer
tility of seeds, and then returned to the ground
for the ammonia contained. A writer says
In ordinary gardens the crop of weeds far
exceeds in exhaustive energy the sum total of
all the other crops"
You can keep supply of apples for do
nestle use in a cool, dry cellar in this way
Get made q number of tiers of broad shelves
one foot apart. with raised edge of an inch, to
| keep the apples from falling off. Spread the
apples on the shelves and cover them with any
kind OF cloth, sacking spare blankets, or such
material little clean, dry rye straw might
answer this purpose. AS apples are used take
those which ripen first become shriveled, OF
have specks of decay on them, leaving the
sound ones. 1t will pay to get cheap blankets
| or felt carpet for this use, as q foW barrels oil