274 



Water-Proof Dubbing for Leather. — Anti-Friction. Vol. V. 



our flaxseed and flaxseed oil, and segars to- 

 gether, and we have an aggregate of ten mil- 

 lions of dollars, gone out of the country to 

 enrich foreign nations and impoverish our 

 own, all in the short space of one year. What 

 think ye of this farmers; is this good man- 

 agement, good economy 1 say yea or nay at 

 once, or ever after keep silence. A. B. 



For tlie Farmers" Cabinet. 

 Water-proof Dubbing for Leather. 



KEEP YOUR FEET DRY AND HEAD COOL. 



^ To render leather water-proof, and at the 

 same time to preserve its elasticity, is a mat- 

 ter of great importance, as it increases its 

 durability, and protects those who apply it to 

 shoes or boots from the mischievous effects 

 arising from damp or wet feeL The follow- 

 ing receipt followed out carefully, it is be- 

 lieved, will effect this object. 



Take a pint of linseed oil, two ounces of 

 beeswax, two ounces of spirits of turpentine, 

 and half an ounce of Burgundy pitch, and 

 slowly melt them together, continuing to stir 

 them so as thoroughly to incorporate them, 

 being careful not to set the mass on fire, as 

 the ingredients are all combustible. When 

 this compound cools, it will be found to be 

 about as elastic as leather ought to be. If it 

 were harder, it would cause the leather to 

 crack or break when bent; and if it were 

 softer, water would enter and wash it out. 

 To apply it, re-melt it, warm the shoes or 

 boots, and put it on with a small brush, or a 

 sponge, or piece of cloth tied on the end of a 

 stick ; continue to warm it in till the leather 

 is well saturated with it, and particularly the 

 bottoms of the soles and heels. It should al- 

 ways be applied when the boots or shoes are 

 new, and then lay them by to season for some 

 time before wearing. Leather thus treated 

 will be found impervious to water, and will 

 wear twice as long as that to which it has not 

 been applied. The writer has used this arti- 

 cle for many years, and can testify to the 

 great benefits derived from it ; and lie has no 

 doubt but his shoemaker's bill has been re- 

 duced to one-half by the use of this composi- 

 tion; and what has been saved in doctors' 

 bills he is unable to estimate. 



Common grease applied to leather tends to 

 rot it, and it is soon washed out in wet wea- 

 ther. O. 



N. B. After shoes have been worn a short 

 time, the leather will take blacking and shine 

 as well as if the composition had not been 

 applied to it. 



To preserve seeds in long voyages, mix 

 them with powdered sugar and roll thera 

 tight in paper. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 

 Anti-Friction. 



UEWnO MAKES HARD THINGS GO EAST, DESERVES PRAISE. 



If horses could speak, no doubt they would 

 often complain of the excessive friction of 

 cart and wagon wheels. 



It should be the duty, as it is unquestion- 

 ably the interest of every farmer in the coun- 

 try, to see to the state of his wheels at fre- 

 quent intervals, and lessen the friction of them 

 to the lowest possible degree. The horse is 

 an interesting and useful animal, and has but 

 a dogged life of it under the most favourable 

 circumstances, and therefore he ought to have 

 his interest and comfort duly considered and 

 attended to. Those who oppress beasts un- 

 necessarily, always add to their own burdens 

 by increasing their expenses ; for all domes- 

 tic animals pay well for kindness and care. 

 A horse will be more useful, and last much 

 longer under kind and Christian treatment, 

 than when he is subjected to unnecessary 

 hardship and extreme drudgery. A horse 

 always draws with the greatest effect when 

 the line of draught is inclined upwards, so as 

 to make an angle of about 15 degrees with 

 the horizon ; for at this inclination the line 

 of traction is set at right angles to the shoul- 

 der, all parts of which are then equally press- 

 ed. W^hen part of the weight presses on the 

 back of the horse, he will draw a load which 

 else he would be incompetent to move ; hence, 

 a horse can accomplish more in a cart pro- 

 perly loaded, than he could otherwise. The 

 question, in regard to the material most pro- 

 per to be applied to wheel-carriages to dimin- 

 ish friction, is one of great importance, and 

 every well-wisher to the interests of farmers 

 ought to lend some aid in solving it. All the 

 varieties of grease, tar, and their combina- 

 tions have been resorted to; and there are 

 other substances which have of latter years 

 been adopted to lessen the friction of ma- 

 chinery; such as black-lead and soap-stone 

 pulverized, and mixed with small quantities 

 of fat of some kind. Yet I have seen no re- 

 sults of comparative experiments published 

 to instruct and guide the public. Should an^ 

 of the readers of the Cabinet possess practi- 

 cal knowledge on tiiis useful and interesting 

 subject, they would much oblige some of your 

 readers by making it public through your co- 

 lumns. We have many antics in our widely 

 extended country, but we want one more, in 

 the form of an anli-friclion composition, for 

 application to cart and wagon-wheels, to 

 make them revolve with less labour to our 

 horses; and he who will discover and make 

 it known through the Cabinet, will deserve 

 well of the community at large. 



