farmers' institutes. 287 



cellent addition to the ration. The main thing to be avoided in carry- 

 ing hogs of this sort through the winter, is a straight corn diet. The 

 greater the variety of cheap materials Hke these, the better the sows 

 will do. 



THE FARM WORKSHOP. 



(C. D. Lyon, Higginsport, Ohio.) 



As well for the purpose of making the boys satisfied with farm 

 life as for the economy of doing odd jobs on the farm, we think that 

 the workshop and the tools should be found on every farm. For years 

 our own has been a 12x16 foot room in the corner of a barn, and we 

 have passed many a wet day with pleasure and profit to ourselves in 

 repairing the old and making new implements, gates, ladders and other 

 things useful upon the farm. 



A twelve-foot work bench with a carriage maker's vise stands by 

 the window. This bench is of two-inch elm lumber sawed from a log 

 cut on the farm. The tool chest is kept under the bench and a tool 

 rack hangs on the wall above it. A chopping block stands near the 

 middle of the shop, and back of this a shaving horse. Overhead is 

 stored lumber of various width, thickness and length. Now for the 

 tools. These are not in as great variety as we could wish, but are 

 sufficient for the needs of most farmers : Steel square, cut-off saw, 

 rip saw, claw hammer, heavy hatchet, shingling hatchet, draw-knife, 

 brace and six bits, groove 54 to ^ inch, also four twist drills, ^^ to ^j 

 inch for drilling metal, three augers lyi and ly^ inch, four chisels j/i, 

 y2, I and lYz inch, mallets, awls, cold chisels, punchers, and other small 

 tools that have been bought from time to time. We have three plunes, 

 but a good jack plane will do for most work. 



There is a regular horseshoeing kit in a shoeing box and either 

 of my three older boys or myself can drive a shoe as well as anyone. 

 There should be a heavy piece of iron for an anvil. This can often 

 be obtained from some dealer in old iron at a small cost. A.lways have 

 a regular smith's or machinist's hammer to use on iron. This lot of 

 tools, all of good grade, can be bought for less than $25, and they 

 will pay more than twenty-five per cent rent on the investment every 

 year. A good grindstone and oilstone are part of the outfit, and both 

 must be used often enough to keep all tools sharp. For several years 

 all of our tools were kept bright as new, and this is a very desirable 

 matter, but years of use has dimmed the polish and we are as proud of 

 them as we ever were. 



