RURAL NOTES.

Waikato Times, Volume XL, Issue 3257, 13 May 1893, Page 2 (Supplement)

RURAL NOTES.

—♦ Taw'AOMN.®.—Mutton tallow is sometimes used as a dressing for tarpaulins, ' It is melted and laid on boiling hot. j G< ii Lkavks tor Sorks.—An infuaiau ( of bice gum leaves stands unrivalled for ( healing sores on the nooks and breasts of | horses. Tho same remedy taken in« j ternally is also said to bo a certain cure | for colds and similar.complaints, j Sisalj Gkass.—'Tho sisal grass of Yuca- , Inn is one of the most romarkablo | vegetable products kuown, It grows in , long blade?, sometime- to the length of 4 ' or 5 feet, and when dry the blade* curl up from side to side, making a cord which is stronger than any cotton string , of equal size tint has ever been manufactured, Home Made Soap.—The following recipo is recommended for making soap : —Take potash Gib., lard lib,, resin lib. Heat up the resini and mix well with the lard and potash, afterwards putting the whole into a 10 gallon cask of warm water, stirring the mixture twice a day for 10 days, when 100 lb. of good soap will bo produced, To Prevent Rusting of Iron Tools and Imi'LKments,—Hundreds of pounds are lost each year by tho rating of ploughs, bons, shovels, cto, Some of this miiiht bo prevented by tho application of lard and resin, it is said to all Steel and iron implements. Tako threo tiinos as much lard as resin, and melt them together. This can be applied with a brush or cloth to all surfaces in danger of rusting, and they cau easily bo kept bright. If tools are to bo laid by for tho winter, give them a coating of this and you will be well repaid. It can be kept for a long time, and should always bo on hand and ready for uso. Greasy Hms.-A simple and good lotion for tho euro of greasy heels in cattle may bo made by dissolving 1 oz. of blue vitrol in 4 oz. hot water. This should be applied daily. Of course the i lotion must be allowed to eool before . applying it to the heels, and if they omit • an offensive odour a littlo oirbolic aoid l (previously dissolved in glycerine) may be added to tho lotion, in tho proportion of i 1 dr, to 4 oz. This will not only destroy tho unpleasant odour, but also assist to | effect a cure. It is always desirable to administer some alterative medicine when ' attempting to cure an animal with greasy ' hools, as this is a constitutional complaint; 1 and therefore it ifl of importance that tho i blood should fee purified, ) Tire-setting with Hot Oiu—Crossing lots tho other day, I met tho owner i of a job waggon, who was tightening the . tire bv giving tho fellows a bath in hot ■ raw linseed oil, Tho oil was contained in a trough of sheet-iron 3ft. long, perhaps Bin, deep and Gin. wide, It was set over , a holo in the ground and under it a liro of chips was huiniug, Tho _ wheel was ! jacked up so as to turn on its axles and tho rim was slowly moved, I learned it required throe oi four hours to each wheel and that two quarts of oil was sufficient for tho whole job, Hut tho practice was not a succcs', the man said, if the tir. s wero looso enough to slip, tho proper i timo to apply it being as soon iis when j the wheels moving under a heavy load I showed a solution of continuity betweou the tiro and the felloe. My informant

said that by watching his waggon iii a diy time lie could tighten the tire so it would continue fast for a year or more, aud so save the cost of resetting, and avoid the injury to the wheels following over-dishing. I suggest that some substance might be found cheaper and more penetrating that would fill tho pores of the wood more readily, and increase its bulk, and thus tighten the tire more; peihaps crude palroloum will do it. Care of Horses. All horses must not be fod in the same proportions, withott regard to thoir ages, their constitutions, and their work, The impropriety of suoh a practice is selfevident. Yet it is constantly done, and is the basis of diseaso of every kind. Never use had hay on account of its cheapness, because thero is no proper nourishment in itDamaged corn is exceedingly injurious, because there is nu proper nourishment in it, Chaff is better for old horses than hay, because they can chew and digest it better. . Mix chaff with corn or beans, and do not give tho latter alone,.because it makes tho horse oliow his food more and digest it better,' Hay or grass alone will not support a horse under hard work because there is not sufficient nutritive body in either. When a iiorso is worked hard its food should bo mostly oats—if not worked hard its food should be chiefly hay—because oats supply moro nourishment and fleshmaking matorinl than any othor kind of food; hay not so much. For a saddle or conch horso half a peok of sound oats and eighteen pounds of hay are sufficient, If the hay is not good add a quart or a pock more oats, A horse which work* harder may have more of each; one that works littlo should havo less, Rack feeding is wastoful. The better plan is to feed with chopped hay from a manger, because the food is not then thrown about, and is more ehowed and digested, Sprinkle tho hay with water that has salt dissolved iu it, because it is pleasing to the animal's taste and more easily digested. A teaspoonfnl of salt in a buoket of water is sufficient. Oats should be bruised for an old horse but not for a young ono, because the former through age and defective teeth oannot chew them properly; tho young horse can do so, and they aro thus properly mixed with tho saliva and turned into wholesomo nutriment, Londou Horso bonk.