THE FARM WORKSHOP.

Press, Volume XLIV, Issue 6853, 10 September 1887, Page 3

THE FARM WORKSHOP.

♦ In the following remarks, the Queenslander handles an important matter with sound sense:— . ... It is astonishing how few farmers in this colony have a workshop upon their selections at all equal to the utility such a convenience would be. A selector who is located some miles away from the nearest township must of necessity be somewhat of a carpenter and smith. Such a selector , would rind it ultimately a great saving of his personal labor if he, at the very first, putup astrougbencb.made of the best slabs he could get. and fixed at one end of this a blacksmith's vice. Money may not be plentiful when starting the homestead, but, if possible, this vice—a good-sized one, for a small one is useless to a farmershould be got. The advantages of it will be daily made evident—indeed, it is often a substitute for another pair of hands. Then, if it is the intention of the settler to do much ploughing or tree-grubbing, a small anvil and a blacksmiths bellows will be found a great saving of time, labor, and even money; tor then the Eloughsharescan be pointed by the settler imself whenever they require it, and so the ploughing can be done with ease to man and horse, for no one can plough properly with the point of the share at all worn. Also the grubbing picks can be kept sharp, S hooks made for the broken chains, and a multitude of other odd jobs done which if not done on the place would ! entail a day's loss of time through going to the nearest blacksmith. If there are any boys in the family, they should be encouraged in the use of tools; one of them probably will show more aptitude than his brothers for this work, and he

' should be doubly encouraged by letting him have control of the little shop ' with its few simple tools; and he will soon become th.-. r:,ht band of the farm. We hope to see the time when a preliminary technical education will be given m j '■ all our country schools. Not that the schoolmaster cau be expected to be aci quaintetl with niaiiual work, but it might ' easUy be axr_uj--ed that a system of visiting teacliers verged in practical subject* could weekly instruct the boys in simple mechanics and practical &»«-"»§„*_;* , agriculture.for most assuredly the gravest drawback many of our selectors feel is the ' want of some simple mechancal Mdje* . nical knowleu>-. Therefore it is that the farm workshop is so seldom seen, and the j ' selectors' licise- and are so , - often U!K-oaifcrtaule.