The National tribune., 1894-08-16
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
Care of Wagons.

This is the time of the year when the
spokes in the farm wagon, spring wagon and
buggy wheels begin TO rattle The door OF
nearly every blacksmith shop is blocked
with the wheels of these vehicles. Usually
there IS certain amount of heavy hauling
to be done at this time and the wagon tires
begin to bother just when the vehicle is most
needed. However, it is used just as long as
possible until finally tire will slip off and a
broken wheel probably results. Being a
busy season for the blacksmith, several days
may elapse before the repairing can be
done, and thus considerable loss aecrues to
the unfortunate owner.
If the work of setting tires were similar to
that OF greasing harness it might be done
during bad weather, but on rainy DAYS
wagon tires give no trouble. However, much
of the loss resulting from loose tires can DO
prevented If due precautions are taken and
the vehicles properly cared for.
In localities where the roads become
deeply rutted and afterwards grow very
hard the paint is quickly rubbed off the
felloes and ends Of the spokes in wagon and
buggy wheels. The vehicles are then fire.
quently allowed to stand out in all kinds of
weather. The fellOes not being protected
by paint become thoroughly soaked and
when dried out by the hot sun they shrink,
lessening the size of the wheel and conse.
quently loosening the tire. To prevent this
the felIoes should be protected from wet.
which is best done by keeping in dry sheds.
Oiling the felloes occasionally has been
found beneficial where they are inclined to
dry ont. For 0iling them a small trough a
trlf1e wider and deeper than the fellOes is
needed. In 1t place liDseed Oil heated TO the
boiling point. Immediately turn the wheel
slowly through the boiling oil. Two or
three revolutions will probably be sufficient.
Do the same with the next wheel. Then add
little more of the boiling oil and proceed
with the remaining wheels. When the opera
ton is completed the oil remaining can be
returned to vessel and kept until needed
again. Do not wait until the tires begin to
loosen, but give each set of wheels an appli-
cation in the early part of the Summer
Then If the vehicles are kept in the shade
when not in use, they Will not need to be
treated again until the next year. 1t is not
bad plan to give the felloes a good coat
of paint each Summer after they have been
thoroughly soaked with oH.-Orangc-JRd
Farmer.
Experiments with Pigs.
The Farm Superintendent of the Utah
Station has been making some experiments
in feeding pigs. The result of the trial
given in Bulletin % is as follows:
l. Pigs allowed to roam at will over Is
acres OF good pasture, and fed all the grain
they would eat, made the most rapid growth
and apparently made the best use of food
foH
yard made more rapid growth than those
fed grain alone, and apparently made a
slightly better use of the food eaten.
3. In the cases of 1 and 2 there was an
increase in food consumed. apparently suffi-
cient to account for the more rapid growth
and the more economical use of food.
a. Green grass appears to be of the great
est value as an appetizer.
D. Pigs kept on grass alone made slow
growth-sO slow that it would require two
seasons for notwithstanding the profits
exceedingly doubtful.
6. Pigs kept in a movable pen on pasture
ate within seven pounds as much grain as
did those in yard without grass, but did
not make as good use of it.
Z. Exercise seems TO be necessary to in
crease consumption, and probably digestion,
that growth may be rapid and economical.
Composition of Wood Ashes.
At this season of the year many farmers
are probably considering the advisability of
purchasing wood ashes for use in top dress-
ing or seeding down. The value of good
wood ashes for such purposes is too we'll
known to need discussion in this article, and
in some localities even leached ashes show
marked effects and yield profitable returns.
But it seems appropriate to say something
about the difference in quality of ashes, be-
cause In looking over reports of analyses one
fail to be impressed with the wide
variations in composition, while the price
per ton is practically constant.
During the past year there have been re-
ported 161 analyses of wood ashes by the
New England Experiment Stations. By
scanning and arranging these results some
knowledge of the general quality of ashes
used by our farmers may be obtained. The
various figures have been grouped within
different limits. in order to find out the
most common composition rather than the
average. The grouping of results is as fol-
lows: 7G1