.1868. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



335 



so is cloth. Why may not wool be bought in 

 the same way ? A machine for buying wool, 

 like that for other purposes, should be simple. 

 The less wheels and springs and levers the 

 better. This bright idea, however, was a 

 little too bright to be realized by ordinary 

 machinists, and our wool manufacturers and 

 wool dealers, being thrown upon their own re- 

 sources, at once exercised their genius in 

 the production of a "series of resolutions" 

 with which they hoped to accomplish the same 

 purpose. 



The following which we have before pub- 

 lished, are the "plan and specification" of 

 such an invention by the North-west Woolen 

 Manufacturers' Association, in general council 

 assembled, some months since, at Chicago : — 



1. Merchantable wool shall be standard for 

 price, and must be well washed, free from tags and 

 all filth, and tied with only what twine is sufficient 

 to hold the Heeces together. 



2. On all unwashed fleeces, fleeces stufifed with 

 tags, murrain wool or any other foreign substance, 

 black fleeces and all washed buck fleeces, a deduc- 

 tion of one-third shall be made. 



3. On unwashed buck fleeces, a deduction of 

 one-half shall be required. 



Now, that looks as though it might work, 

 and save a great deal of labor and much 

 bother ; and so perhaps it would, if the inven- 

 tors had secured letters patent on the exclu- 

 sive right to pass resolutions, as well as to use 

 the "one-third" pulley. Neglecting to do 

 this, we fear their invention will be of little 

 practical utility, as the door is left wide open 

 for the introduction of opposition machines. 



The Washington County, N. Y., Sheep 

 Breeders' and Wool Growers' Association, 

 taking advantage of this fatal omission, on the 

 part of the manufacturers, have adopted the 

 following resolutions, — which on the principle 

 of Knickerbocker's justice, who weighed the 

 account books of the parties to a suit he was 

 trying, entitles them to the verdict : — 



Whereas, Commission merchants and wool deal- 

 ers in market have, heretofore, for their own con- 

 venience and profit, adopted a rule to shrink all 

 unwashed wool one-third, without regard to its in- 

 trinsic value or condition ; and 



Whereas, The wool buyers in varrious sections 

 of the country, who are agents of wool dealers, 

 and under their influence and suggestions have 

 formed associations and passed resolutions adopt- 

 ing this unjust and oppressive rule, and pledged 

 themselves to make their purchases in accordance 

 therewith ; therefore : 



Resolved, That the sheep breeders and wool 

 growers of the country are compelled and in duty 

 bound to take summary steps to protect themselves 

 against this associated combination, and preventthe 

 universal adoption of a rule so unjust and oppres- 

 sive to their interests. 



Resolved, That the article of lyool, like all other 

 farm products, should be sold on its merits, the 

 condition of the article governing its price; and 

 while it may be both convenient and profitable for 

 the wool dealer to adopt the one-third rule to pro- 

 tect him from the ignorance and blunders of inex- 

 perienced agents, it would be more just to both 

 parties to employ agents who understand their 

 business. 



Resolved, That it is the duty of the State Wool 

 Growers' Associations, and all the county associa- 

 tions in this and other States, to adopt resolutions 

 and recommend all wool growers to resist, and, if 

 necessary, to decline dealing with all agents who 

 insist upon this rule. 



Butter that will Keep. — We have seen 

 the statement that "a dairy made in Broome 

 County, N. Y., was sold in St. Croix, in 1839 

 to the Governor, for 75 cents per lb. In 1840 

 the same dairy was sold in New Bedford, 

 Mass. , and went on a whaling voyage. / saw 

 some of it after the expiration of nearly four 

 years, as sweet and in as good condition as 

 when made. The same dairy has since been 

 sold in New Orleans, in Natchez, and Mobile, 

 and there has never been any complaint as to 

 its quality. I shipped some butter made in 

 that county to Canton, in 1846, which opened 

 as fresh as when made, and was so good that 

 shippers have each year since applied to me 

 for butter for cabin stores. I broke up the 

 firkins, and procured small white oak kegs, 

 containing from fifteen so twenty-five pounds 

 each, repacking the butter. These kegs were 

 put into large hogsheads and filled in the in- 

 terstices with rock salt, and placed in the hold 

 of the vessel. The small kegs were used 

 merely with reference to the convenience of 

 retailing at Canton." 



"Orange County butter" is now understood 

 to have reference to the mode of manufactur- 

 ing, rather than to the locality where made. 

 In making this butter the milk is churned and 

 rock salt is used. 



HEATING NAILS. 

 Every one who has used them knows that 

 cut nails are brittle and easily broken (some 

 brands more than others), but when heated to 

 a red heat and then cooled slowly, become 

 soft, and will generally clinch as well as 

 wrought nails. Jacob Abbott thus explains 

 the matter in a story which he tells in Our 

 Schoolday Visitor: — "Common nails, being 

 cut out from a plate of iron by means of 

 shears working with prodigious force, have the 

 substance of the iron so compressed that they 

 are somewhat brittle, and the points are very 

 apt to break off if we attempt to clinch them. 

 But these common nails can be softened by 

 heating them red hot in any common fire and 

 letting them cool slowly. The iron of the 

 nails, which is compressed and made hard by 

 the action of the machine in which it is manu- 

 factured, is swelled out again by the heat of 

 the fire and restored to its natural condition." 



