THE HANDY MAN ON THE FARM. 



847 



BLACKSMITHING FOR FARMERS.* 



The fanner is perhaps called upon more than anyone else to exercise his 

 ingenuity and to meet emergencies, and in the present time of keen com- 

 petition he must be in a position to help himself. He is called upon in turn 

 •to be carpenter, saddler, blacksmith, &c, and it must be admitted that far- 

 mers generally have adapted themselves well to circumstances. At the same 

 time, it is noticeable that blacksmithing work is not taken up in the same 

 way as, for instance, carpentry, although in the matter of time, and also of 

 .money, it would mean a great saving. When the ironwork of some machine 



Fig. 1.— A Portable Fan-blast Forge. 



breaks, it often means a long journey to the blacksmith, and in many cases 

 it a forge were on the farm this work could be done by the farmer himself. 

 Another aspect of the question is worthy of consideration. The forge has 

 a peculiar fascination for boys, and placing the facilities at their disposal 

 provides them with a source of amusement, and with an occupation that, 

 with a little skill, can be turned to profitable account, and at the same 

 time will tend to make farm life more interesting. 



Forges. 



These can be roughly divided into two classes — fan-blast, and the bellows 

 forges. Fan-blast forges are either self-contained — that is, the hearth and 

 blast are in the one forge ; or the forge merely consists of a hearth, and the 



* Condensed from Farmers' Bulletin, No. 46, by A. H. E. McDonald, Chief Inspector 

 •of Agriculture, formerly of Hawkesbury Agricultural College, who was assisted by 

 D. H. Reay, blacksmith at the College. 



