THE HOME PADDOCK

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3783, 17 July 1936, Page 3

THE HOME PADDOCK

SOME USEFUL HINTS. / WASHING DAIRY UTENSILS. Boiling water is absolutely necessary in dairy work to ensure cleanliness, and there should be no sparing of it. It is well, however, not to start washing the utensils with water that is boiling, for this very high temperature has a tendency to cause the albumen to coagulate and to stick to the utensils in a thin, often invisible film that supplies a breeding ground for bacteria. The utensils should first be washed with warm water, with a little washing soda or other alkali added, using good brushware (cloths being very objectionable), after which they should be scalded in ample boiling water, and then put in a clean place to dry. WATERING HORSES. Right through the summer season the horses that are working require considerably more water than at other time, and if denied plenty of w r ater suffer acutely from lack of a drink as does a human being in the same circumstances. Now there is a considerable difference of opinion as to how horses should be watered during hot weather, and in many cases drinking is not allowed whilst at work or at times whilst sweating. The best plan to follow, however, is to never let the horse become unduly thirsty, but to allow it to drink frequently when the weather is really hot, whilst actually at work. To keep the animal off water for some hours whilst hard at work, and then to allow of drinking freely, is quite apt to cause stomachic troubles, but when allowed to drink frequently and as much as desired, no trouble will be set up, and the animal will work all the better for the concession, and will also benefit in health. WHEELING A HEAVY BARROW. To wheel a heavy barrow without fatigue, get an old bicycle tube (inner tube), pass it across the shoulders and loop each end over the barrow handles. This, when you stand upright, lifts the barrow clear off the ground and takes all the weight off your arms. The “give” of the rubber tube prevents it cutting the shoulders as a rope would do. Experience shows that this device increases the barrow pusher’s capacity twelve times. TO CATCH SMALL CHICKS. A quick and easy way to catch small chicks is with a butterfly net. Use a stronger net for the older birds. Make the bag from sacking, push a piece of flexible cane through the top of the hem, shape into a ring, and fix securely to a long bamboo pole. A CHEAP PAINT FOR IRON ROOFS. Because of the continual contraction and expansion, as the result of extremes of heat and cold, and the absence of good grip or key, ordinary house paint is not suitable for galvanised iron roofs, and it is always advisable to use paint specially manufactured for the purpose. A cheap paint for corrugated iron roofs may be made by mixing together 141 b. of cement to 1 gal. of boiled linseed oil. This should be kept thoroughly stirred and applied in warm weather. PRESERVE YOUR YOUNG TREES. When fastening young trees to posts, do not use rope as it is apt to cut into the tree and destroy it. A better way is to cut a strip from an old motor-tyre (or a piece of leather will do), put it round the tree and nail it to the post. Sometimes in the windy weather a rope will break and the tree is damaged, but the rubber band like this will keep it secure.