FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 151 



gaudy designs should be passed by always, as they detract from other furnishings. 



In pictures, select such as will prove to be good friends, those that will appeal 

 to our varying moods, and for the hasty glance give back to us a pleasant thought, a 

 sense of peace or the strength of renewed hope. From the special offers of such 

 magazines as the Art Interchange, one can get at a slight expense copies of paint- 

 ings by well-known artists, landscapes, flowers, figures or water scenes, carefully 

 finished as to color shadings and truthfvilness to nature. Rather than use poor 

 colored chro-mos, substitute black and white views from some of the leading maga- 

 zines. 



Exercise care when selecting furnittu'e, by choosing such as will readily part with 

 Its coating of dust. Elaborate carvings are beautiful in their places but are not 

 beautiful when covered with dust, and we do not crave extra care. 



Avoid fads in fancy work. Choose that which is beautiful in itself, and be care- 

 ful not to clutter the rooms. 



For the front of the house there is nothing finer tlian 



A SMOOTH, WELL-KEPT LAWN. 



Save a few of the native trees, or, if too late for this, plant some, placing them at 

 the sides instead of in front of the house, near enough to give shade but not so 

 near as to exclude sunshine. Hide unsightly small buildings with a screen of 

 shrubs, collected perhaps from the woods and swamps near home. An open kitchen 

 drain may be successfully hidden by a row of hollyhocks. Have the heaviest plant- 

 ing on the side of the prevailing winds, always including a few evergreens to give 

 color in the winter. Study the surroundings and leave openings towards the at- 

 tractive spots— the beautiful knoll, a neighbor's house, a brook, or even a native 

 tree. Remember that these trees and shrubs will last long after we are forgotten. 

 always testifying to our taste and care. 



HANDLING THE CORN CROP. 



JAS. WILLIAMS, Bellaire. at ANTRIM COUNTY Institute, Bellaire. 



As it requires the most labor to harvest of any crop that we raise, I have aimed at 

 lessening the labor and also saving time, and my laiethod is within easy reach of 

 any farmer. First, in getting the ensilage corn to the cutter, I use a pair of low 

 trucks, covered with a long platform projecting over and even with the outside of 

 the wheels. Upon this we place rope slings long enough to reach across the plat- 

 form, having a loop in each end of the sling and using two ropes for each slingful, 

 placed at a distance apart to property balance the corn. An economical arrange- 

 ment of the barn will do away with expensive machinery, so that the cutting and 

 elevating of ensilage corn, and all other feed that is to be put through the cutter, 

 should not cost more than sixty dollars. 



THE CHEAP POWER ON THE FARM 



Is the horse; so we locate the cutter on a platform near the top bf the barn, and 

 just at the edge of the silo. Just behind the cutter I have a large vat which will 

 hold two loads of corn; from the top of this vat is an inclined plane running to the 

 floor, also two ropes running to the floor with hooks on the lower ends to hook in 

 loops on slings under the load. I have two pulleys fastened to the roof of the barn 

 and directly over the vat. The distance apart of ropes and pulleys will depend on 

 length of corn. But from three to four feet will be about right. Now take a I'ope, 

 the doubled length of which will reach from the opposite side of the load (from in- 

 clined plane) to pulleys at roof; now run each end of the rope through each pulley 

 with a hook on each end of the rope, aud hook to loop on other end or sling ixjpes 

 on load; now fasten a rope to the bite bow end between pulleys, reaching from there 

 to floor pulley and team, as for hay fork. You now have a continuous rope, and the 

 team will roll the corn up the inclined plane and drop it in vat by cutter. A load 

 divided into three slingfuls can be unnloaded, after a little experience, in about five 

 minutes. I use a tworhorse power and a No. 2 Cummings cutter, which with the 

 above ai'rangement, are sufflcient for a 160 acre farm. All elevating is removed 

 from the machinery, and this places the silo within reach of a great many farmers 



