1876.1 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
5? 
dined to eat it. The experiment, however, is not 
fair as regards corn, on account of the small quan¬ 
tity consumed. Had an equal number of animals 
been fed all the corn they could have profitably 
consumed, there is little doubt but that would 
have been found the more valuable food. It is 
shown that fish scrap will be eaten by sheep in 
small quantities, and that to that extent it may be 
utilized as feed, but if only one pound per week is 
consumed, it is evidently not a desirable food. 
To Fix or to Lift a Gate-Post. 
A plan of setting a post for a gate or fence firmly 
in the ground is illustrated at figure 1. When the 
post-hole is dug, a fiat 
stone is laid in the bot¬ 
tom, against the side 
upon which the strain 
upon the post causes it 
to press. The stone re¬ 
ceives the pressure, and 
_ having a larger surface 
fig than the post, is not so 
apt to work into the 
earth at times when it 
may be wet and soft. 
When the post has been 
placed, and the post- 
hole nearly filled with 
earth, another stone is 
; Fig. 1.— FIXING A POST. 
laid against it upon the side towards which it is 
drawn by the weight of the gate or fence. The 
use of the stones distributes the pressure over a 
greater space, and there is much less tendency for 
the post to work loose. 
When a post is to be 
moved, it may be readi¬ 
ly drawn out of the 
earth by fastening a 
chain or rope around 
the bottom of it, and 
carrying it over a stake 
or a piece of plank, if 
nothing better is to be 
procured' as shown in 
figure 2, and then hitch¬ 
ing the team to it. A 
large portion of the 
force of the team is 
, changed in its direc- 
6 tion to an upward one, 
and this is generally sufficient to lift the post. 
Small stumps, or partly decayed large ones, may 
be lifted out of the ground in the same manner. 
Hints for the Workshop. 
A grindstone is very seldom kept in good work¬ 
ing order ; generally it is “out of true,” as it is 
run “ true,” and the longer it is used, the worse it 
becomes. When this is the case, it may be brought 
into a circular shape by turning it down with a 
worn-out mill-file. It is very difficult to do this 
perfectly by hand, but it is easily done by the use 
of the contrivance shown in figure 1. A post, slot¬ 
ted at the upper part, is bolted to the frame. A 
piece of hard wood, long enough to reach over the 
frame, is pivoted in the slot. This should be made 
two inches wider than the stone, and be pivoted, 
so that an opening can be made in the middle of it, 
of the same width as the stone. This opening is 
made with sloping ends, so that a broad mill-file 
may be wedged into it in the same manner as a 
plane-iron is set in a plane. At the opposite end of 
the frame a secoud post is bolted to it. A long 
Fig. 1.— TRUEING A GRINDSTONE. 
called, or worn out of a perfectly circular shape. A 
new stone is frequently hung so that it does not 
slot, or a series of holes is made in the lower part 
of this post, so that it may be raised or lowered at 
pleasure by sliding it up or down upon the bolt. If 
a slot is made, a washer is used with the bolt; this 
will make it easy to set the post at any desired 
hight. It should be placed so that the upper piece 
of wood may rest upon it, exactly in the same 
position in which the file will be brought into con¬ 
tact with the stone. A weight is laid upon the 
upper piece to keep it down, and hold the cutter 
upon the stone. Wheu the stone is turned around 
slowly, the uneven parts are cut away, while those 
which do not project beyond the proper line of the 
circumference, are not touched. 
Mill Picks and Cold Chisels may be held by 
this contrivance while being ground. In grist-mills, 
where a number of picks need grinding very fre¬ 
quently, an extra hand is often required to hold 
them, and much time is unnecessarily lost. By 
wedging them in the upper piece in the manner 
described, and raising the post to the proper hight, 
any boy, however inexperienced he may be, will be 
able to grind them pro¬ 
perly. In the same way 
cold chisels may be 
ground. Mill picks and 
cold chisels should be 
ground to an exact 
angle suited for the 
work required of them, 
which may be readily 
done by placing them 
in the proper position 
by suitable wedges, and 
the position will not be 
changed during the 
grinding — a very im¬ 
portant matter. 
A Grinding Frame 
to hold tools, is de¬ 
scribed by a correspond¬ 
ent, and engraved in 
figure 2. It is made of 
light pieces of pine, or 
hard wood, in the shape 
shown. The tool to be 
ground is fastened to the cross piece. A sharp point, 
a nail, or a screw, is fastened to the narrow end 
of the frame, and when in use, the point is stuck 
into the wall of the shed, which forms a rest. 
BARN LANTERN. 
A Safe Barn Lantern. 
Several readers, referring to our recent caution 
against using kerosene oil in the barns and stables, 
have asked for a description of a safe lantern to 
use in their out-buildings. An engraving is here 
given of the lantern we have been in the habit of 
using in the barn and 
stables, which is per¬ 
fectly safe and more 
convenient than an oil 
lantern. The frame is 
made of tin ; the back is 
wholly of tin, and the 
front and sides are of 
glass or sheets of mica, 
which slide in grooves 
in the corner posts of 
the frame. The bottom 
is pierced with holes to 
admit air, and the top 
is covered with a cap, 
which prevents the 
wind from blowiug down into the lantern, 
but which permits the heated air and smoke to 
escape. A handle in the shape of a hook is fixed 
to the back, by which it may be hung up in a 
proper place upon a staple or a screw-eye fastened 
in the wall or to a post. A common tallow candle 
is perhaps the best light, and a dish made to go 
easily into the lantern, and leave a small space 
around each edge for the circulation of air, as 
shown in the illustration, will be found very con¬ 
venient and cleanly in use. No spark can possibly 
drop from the wick and fall out of this lantern. A 
small oil lamp may be used in place of the candle, 
if found more convenient or desirable, but we have 
found so much difficulty in getting good burning 
oil that will not gum up and stop flowing, that the 
tallow caudle made in the common mold was 
adopted as the best light in every respect. In mak¬ 
ing the candles, the wick should be divided into 
three equal parts, and loosely plaited into a flat, 
soft ribbon. In burning, this plaited wick will 
turn over to one side and the burned end will waste 
away at the side of the flame, and require no snuf¬ 
fing, while the common form of wick must be 
frequently trimmed, or it will burn very dimly. 
The glass or mica slides can be slipped out of the 
frame in an instant when necessary, either to clean 
the lantern or to trim it, and the tin back should 
be kept clean and bright, to act as a reflector. 
An Ohio Barn. 
Mr. Henry Kyle, of Green Co., Ohio, sends the 
following description of his new bam, which he 
thinks has many conveniences. The total cost was 
Fig. 1.— PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF MR. KYLE’S BARN. 
$1,200, in addition to the owner’s work, and the 
value of the frame timber, which was cut upon the 
farm. From the sketches sent by Mr. Kyle, the 
accompanying engravings have been prepared, 
