454 
[December, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
the shed is'boarded to withiu four feet cf the 
ground, leaving that space open, that the sheep 
may go iu or out when they please. The feed¬ 
ing-rack is placed round three sides of the shed, 
smd slopes forward so that the sheep can con¬ 
sume the last mouthful of liay contained in it. 
It is made so high that the sheep can not reach 
over the front of it and pull the hay out over 
each other’s wool. Three feet and a half is the 
right hight for large sheep. The slats are 
placed three inches apart, which prevents the 
sheep from pushing their heads through and 
wearing the wool from their necks. Everything 
about a sheep-pen should be smooth, leaving no 
rough splinters to catch and tear the wool. The 
pen and yard should be kept well littered. This 
shed is arranged especially to keep the wool 
clean and free from hay seed, clover heads, and 
dust, and that the sheep may be outdoors or 
indoors as they wish, and according to the 
weather, without needing very much attention. 
Slaughtering Hogs. 
A necessary work, but generally a most dis¬ 
agreeable one, is that of slaughtering hogs. 
It is made more unpleasant by the reason that 
it comes in the cold and stormy season, and 
from the absence of a sheltered place in which 
to do the work. Any out-liouse or shed may be 
fitted up with little trouble, so as to render this 
duty, if not pleasant, at any rate not so sloppy, 
cold, and uncomfortable as it usually is. A tight, 
wooden scalding-trough may be made, with a 
sheet-iron bottom, under which may be set a 
simple arch of stone or brick, to hold a few 
brands, which will keep the water hot enough 
to do the scalding, and obviate the necessity of 
keeping the kitchen stove occupied. 
A sloping end to this trough enables the hog 
to be easily drawn out on to a bench at the cud 
of it, where the hair may be scraped off. When 
the scraping is done a hoisting apparatus on 
the floor above elevates the carcass while it 
undergoes the operations of dressing and clean¬ 
ing. This hoist con¬ 
sists of an axle with 
cranks by which one 
man may raise a hog 
of four hundred 
pounds. The frame 
is set on common 
casters, by means of 
which it is pushed 
backward — the rope 
passing along a slit 
in the floor— to where 
some S hooks are 
suspended, to one of 
which the carcass is 
transferred, and the 
apparatus is ready for 
another hog. lyith a sufficient number of hands 
to help, the job of slaughtering is soon finished. 
Home-Made Sleds. 
A pair of bob-sleds ordinarily cost fifty dol¬ 
lars, and are generally much heavier than neces¬ 
sary. Besides they are very often made on a 
wrong principle. The joints are made very 
tight and the frame rigid. When, therefore, 
they are taken off a smooth road and brought 
into the woods with perhaps a heavy log or 
other load on them, there is no play or “ give ” 
to the joints, and they 
either break or be¬ 
come badl}- racked. 
We figure here a pair 
of sleds which have 
neither mortises, ten¬ 
ons, nor iron about 
them, necessarily, ex¬ 
cept the shoes, king¬ 
bolt, and the coupling clevises. They can be 
made without any other tools than an ax and 
an auger. They sit low to the ground and are 
easily loaded and difficult to upset, and the cost 
to a man who can use an ax is about four days’ 
work. The runners are hewed from small 
oaks, or sugar maples, which have a natural 
crook at the root. 
They should be two 
and a half or three 
inches thick, and as 
deep as desired. 
Blocks are pinned on 
to each runner to re¬ 
ceive the beams. The 
hind beam should be 
eight inches thick, the 
front beam about half 
that thickness, the 
bolster being the same, 
or an inch or so 
heavier. The beams 
and blocks are bolted 
to the runners with 
inch - and - a - quarter 
oak or hickory pins, 
well wedged at both 
ends. The tongues 
are fitted in with wooden wedges, which 
come well up from the roller, and two half¬ 
inch pins should be put through both the 
wedges and tongue to keep them from working 
loose. This will make the tongue sufficiently 
rigid without braces, unless some careless 
teamster drives around too short sometimes, 
when the tongue is just as apt to break as to be 
wrenched from its place if well wedged. In 
case the sleds are wanted shod we would 
recommend cast-steel shoes, one eighth of an 
inch thick, to be put on with three-inch wood 
screws, the holes being countersunk so that the 
screw-heads may be quite flush with the shoe. 
A steel shoe is light and will not “stick” in 
frosty weather, as a cast shoe will. The writer 
has built such sleds and shod them with com¬ 
mon band iron, one eighth thick, which comes 
cheaper than the steel, and for ordinary use is 
nearly as good. But for heavy work, such as 
drawing logs, timber, or lumber steadily every 
day, the steel shoes are the cheapest in the end. 
These sleds are very durable if taken care of 
during the summer, and a coat of crude petro¬ 
leum put on will increase their durability. If 
made of well-selected stuff a pair of these sleds 
are good for five years, when probably they will 
need new pins or some repairs. There is no 
necessity to use seasoned lumber for making the 
sleds, as green timber just out of the woods will 
answer, as there are no joints to work loose. 
A Snow-Plow. 
A properly constructed snow-plow is worth 
several times itscost. After every storm which 
covers up the roads, if a good snow-plow is 
drawn around and the roads and paths opened, 
the snow is packed down and becomes consoli¬ 
dated. It does not then melt away rapidly, 
and sleds will not cut down to the ground. To 
make such a plow as is figured here, take two 
planks eight or ten feet long, bevel the end of 
each plank, and bring it to a point so that when 
put together they will form something like a 
double-mold-board plow. Let the planks slope 
outwards from the upper part, so that the sled 
shall be wider by a few inches at the bottom 
than at the top. It will not then ride on the 
snow, but will push it sideways and throw it off. 
A floor may be laid on the plow on which the 
boys, who will always be on hand to assist, 
may ride, and this necessary job of clearing 
away snow will become one of the regular win- 
A SNOW-PLOW. 
ter sports. The hook by which the plow is 
drawn, must be fixed at the top of the nose, or 
it will be lifted up when in motion. 
A Movable Feed-Rack. 
A very simple rack for cows, calves, or sheep 
is shown in the engraving. It is intended for 
the yard, and the illustration sufficiently ex¬ 
plains the construction of the rack itself. It is 
mounted on a post, and a strong iron pin set in 
the top of the post passes through a piece of 
SHED, PEN, AND RACK FOR SHEEP. 
ARRANGEMENT FOR DRESSING HOGS. 
HOME-MADE WOOD OR LUMBER SLEDS. 
