Saw Filing. By referring to Figure 6 it is seen that half of 

 the farmers have filed cross-cut saws meaning timber saws and 

 that forty-eight per hundred file their own hand saws. In view of 

 the fact that a sharp saw will cut twice as fast as a dull one, and 

 that less effort is required to use the former, it would seem that 

 every farm boy ought to know how to file saws or to "fit" saws 

 to use the terminology of mechanics. The fifty per cent of farmers 

 who do not file their saws probably would do so if they knew how. 

 It is poor policy to depend upon someone else for a thing of that 

 sort, as one may run his saw on a hidden nail, or otherwise dull it 

 in a few 7 minutes. 



Taps and Dies. A small set of taps and dies will often save a 

 trip to town, or to a repair shop, for farmers. As farm machinery 

 of the more complex sort is much more common today than it was 

 two decades ago, it has become desirable that farmers know how to 

 use taps and dies. Figure 6 show y s that at present one in every five 

 farmers uses them. 



Shoeing Horses. Nineteen per hundred farmers shoe horses. 

 This figure includes replacing and tightening. Occasionally farm- 

 ers who find it difficult to secure the services of good horse shoers. 

 advocate that their sons be taught horse shoeing in the vocational 

 agricultural school. The absurdity of the request is apparent to 

 all who realize how much skill and strength such work requires. 



