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Work Basket aud Wall Pocket.- 
Seleot perfect straws of uniform length, 
For the foundation cut a pieco of paste¬ 
board, any shape to suit the fancy. Those 
represented in our illustrations are very 
about as busy as any one man needs to be. 
He has worked hard aud conscientiously at 
the task he set himself, and wo rejoice in 
his success. 
BAG CARPETS 
A UNIQUE BIRD H0U8E. 
Mrs. C. H. Criswell of Sycamore Villa, 
near Brooklyn, L. I„ sends us a sketch of a 
very uniqnowood bird house, which is rep¬ 
resented in the accompanying illustration. 
It is placed upon the trunk of an old cherry 
tree, which was cut off about twelve feet 
from the ground for the purpose. The su¬ 
perstructure is about six feet in bight, 
shaped like a Chiueso pagoda, octagonal, 
with little bells at every corner, which ring 
out merrily when the wind blows high, 
making the air musical with their echo. 
Every story—there are live— is divided into 
four compartments, with a platform all 
around; at the corners of the platforms, 
bells are hung—about forty all together. 
ciosea as when the oow is fastened; 3 
shows the position of the button just, be¬ 
fore it falls, aud when the stanchion is 
nearly closed. 4 and 5 represent the but¬ 
ton and latch respectively, separate from 
the whole structure. A person can fasten 
cattle with this as fast as ho can walk from 
one to another, and when they are fast, 
they must stay so, for the self-acting button 
will not get. out of its place without human 
aid.*’— East Hebron, Potter Co., Pa. 
Building a Conservatory.—Mrs. I. L. 
M. “wishes for information in regard to 
building a conservatory to open into a sit¬ 
ting room in a brick house. This room is 
always kept warm; would tlio heat from 
this room bo sufficient to keep a small con¬ 
servatory warm without any arrangement 
for flree in it? How should such a conser¬ 
vatory, say four by six feet bo built, and at 
about what cost? I hope the roadoraof the 
Rural New-Yorker will give their expe¬ 
rience. 
pretty. Cover carefully with silk or satin 
which must be neatly sewed at the edge. 
Perforate this with holes the size of the 
straws, one-half inch from the edge and 
equal distances apart. After firmly fixing 
the straws in these holes, take narrow taffe¬ 
ta ribbon (the shaded is preferable) and 
twine alternately “ in and out ’’ among the 
straws. Finish the top with a rim of paste¬ 
board—which must bo covered the same as 
the foundation — and pierced with corre¬ 
sponding holes to receive the straws. 
SWINE BREEDERS’ CONVENTION 
New York, March, 1872. 
To the Breeders of Well-bred, Swine of the United 
States and Canada: 
Gentlemen :—By means of a circular let¬ 
ter, dated January, 1873, and sent to the 
most prominent swine breedors, and pub¬ 
lished also in the agricultural papers (far 
which courtesy the editors receive our 
thanks), the public has been informed of a 
movement, originating in the Farmers’ Club 
of the American Institute of New York, to 
learn the views of brooders in regard to es¬ 
tablishing a standard of characteristics and 
“ scale of point s ” applicable to each of the 
recognized breeds of swine. 
We have received numerous responses to 
the questions proposed in that, circular, 
showing that the groat majority of the dif¬ 
ferent breedors who have written think tbo 
-•stabliahment of such a “scalo of points” 
important; that their views as to what 
should constitute perfection vary; aud that 
it would bo very desirable to havo a oonvoli¬ 
tion as therein proposed. 
Not one in ten of those responding inti¬ 
mated a dissent from the first and third 
propositions. Therefore we consider our¬ 
selves abundantly warranted In assuming 
the responsibility of calling a convention of 
the swine breeders of North America, and 
invite all persons praotlofllly engaged in 
breeding pigs of the well-bred varieties to 
meet in the City of New York on Tuesday, 
the 14th of May next, at 3 o’clock p. m.. In 
Room 24—where the meetings of the Farm¬ 
ers’ Club are held—in the Cooper Union 
Building, on 8th street, between 3d and 4th 
avenues. We propose that the convention 
be organized immediately after the adjourn¬ 
ment of the meeting of the Fanners’ Club 
upon that day, and, aftor settlingupou an 
order of busineus and appointing commit¬ 
tees, adjourn until the evening or following 
day We are confident that, a full meeting 
of the moat prominent breeders may be ex- 
peoted, and believe it will bo productive of 
lasting benefit. Aside from the announced 
objects of the convention, we shall be more 
than compensated for the day or two given 
to the object by making each other’s per¬ 
sonal aoquamtauccaud freely interchanging 
opinions. 
Breeders intending to be present will r a - 
vor the chairman by announcing the fact to 
him at an early date, addressing him at tho 
Grand Central Hotel, New York. 
Frank D. Curtis, ) 
m V.V A8E ' f-Com. 
M. C. Weld, | 
consumption. A very expensive carpet, 
that, to her husband and little children. 
But where tho rags could not be better 
employed, lb is far preferable to have rag 
carpets than tho bare, desolate - looking 
floors we find in so many farmers' houses, 
and which causo so many weary hours of 
mopping and scrubbing to keep clean. Aud 
when your new carpet is taoked down, don’t 
forget, from the balls that are left, to 
croohet rugs to lay over the parts most 
liable to wear, thus making tho carpet last 
much longer. G. r. b. 
ASBESTOS ROOFING. 
ODDS AND ENDS, 
"■ate!-piuoi any nine; tne volatile pro¬ 
perties of the coal tar used speedily evapo¬ 
rating, heat soon carbonized what was left, 
and the wind soon blew it away, leaving 
only rotted paper, or a more slowly but not 
less certainly rotting felt. Besides, the 
composition was very Inflammable and so 
unsafe. 
Mr. Johns set resolutely to work to 
change all this, and calling to his assistance 
rare chemical knowledge, the best mechani¬ 
cal skill to be had, sufficient capital and in¬ 
telligent liberality in its use, succeeded in 
producing the Asbestos Roofing which is so 
identified with his name, and of which he 
is justly proud. 
The Asbestos Roofing, as now made, con¬ 
sists of a lining or back of strong Manilla 
paper, made especially for this purpose, 
then a water-proof composition, of many in¬ 
gredients, that in water-proof, then fine 
woven canvas, then more water-proof com¬ 
position; the whole completed by a layer 
of Asbestos felt. The complete roofing is 
about one-tenth of an inch in thiokness, 
and is clean to handle, light, cheap, per¬ 
fectly water-proof, of low combustibility, 
and so strong to resist rending and abrad¬ 
ing forces that we wonder it has not been ap¬ 
plied to other uses than roofing, for which 
it is obviously adapted. 
Somewhere near fifty thousand feet per 
day are made with present facilities, whioh 
must, however, soon be largely increased, 
for tho demand is enormous. Beside his 
full share of the roofing for the many mil¬ 
lions of buildings annually covered in the 
LT uited States, Mr. Johns makes large ship¬ 
ments to South and Central America, to 
Europe, and even to Joppa and Beyrout, in 
Syria. The application of Asbestos to 
Stair Rods.—To L, A. C.—Having seen 
your inquiry in tho Rural New-Yorker 
respecting tile best kind of stair rods, alluw 
me to say I think you will find that stair 
rods aro all made very much upon the same 
plan; but a new kind of fastening has been 
invented whioh is in many respects superior 
to the old, being made in a circular form, 
and fastened to the stair in tho usual way; 
but not to the rod, however. It slips inside 
the goove on the under side of tho stair rod 
—one at each end. Such, I think, will meet, 
the approbation of the most fastidious.— 
Mrs. Farmington, Cottage Glen, N. Y. 
Mrs. C. writes:—“This fancy affair, as you 
may suppose, attracts a good deal of notice 
from passers-by, whoso remarks concerning 
it are often quite amusing. Birds are not 
scaroe, either, in this vicinity, and one may 
hear them sing to one’s heart's content, if 
that one happens to havo an ear for bird- 
music.” It will bo seen that tho trunk of 
the cherry-tree, which is the foundation for 
the superstructure, is clad with climbers. 
NOTES FOR BUILDERS. 
Boston Brown Bread.—I give a synopsis 
from “The Young Housekeeper’s Friend," 
by Mrs. Cornelius, of the Boston Brown 
Bread: — Three pints of rye meal, and the 
6amo of Indian or corn meal; a pint or so of 
wheat flower is an addition. If the Indian 
meal is sweet and fresh, do not. scald it. 
Half a teacup of molasses, a teaspoouful of 
salt, ono of soda or aaleratua, aud half a 
teacup or more of yeast. If superior yeast 
is used, it will rise ready for baking in from 
three to four hours. Make it as stiff a6 can 
conveniently be stirred with a spoon. It 
requires longer baking than wheat flour 
bread.—x. p. c. 
Stanchions for Cattle.—We continue 
to reoeive inquiries for the best modes Of 
fastening cattle. In our last volume we 
gave several Illustrations of stanch ions from 
our correspondents. B. F. Greenman 
Grape Vinegar.—Last full, we had an 
early frost that killed our grapes before 
they were ripe. They were turned black, 
but not ripe enough to be sweet; and by 
way of experiment, we washed some anil 
put them in a jug, and put in some cider. 
The jug was put in the cellar, and now, April 
2d, it is sharp vinegar. We shall try again 
next fall.— A. Wilson. 
Kidney Worms.— Mr. E. W. LniBEy 
asks for information in regard to a disease 
affecting hiB swine, which, by the symp¬ 
toms he gives, doubtless is kidney worms. 
Having had a number of hogs affected in 
nearly the same way as ho describes, I have 
never failed In curing them by using the 
following simple remedyTake copperas, 
about the size of a hickory nut; give once 
a day, in a small quantity of swill, two or 
three days. 1 havo had hogs that got en¬ 
tirely off of their logs, having but little 
use of them, restored by this remedy. 
Charcoal and sulphur should bo fed occa¬ 
sionally to swine to keep them in a healthy 
condition ; but ono should be careful about 
giving sulphur to sows suckling litter of 
pigs; given lightly it will do no injury.— 
F. J. Wiggins, Erie Co., O. 
sends us the following, whioh he regards as 
“the best and most economical.” He says: 
“The materials for the lramo are t.wo-inch 
plank, eight inches wide, pine or hemlock, 
put together with seasoned oak pins. If 
the long planks at top and bottom arc put 
in green, the structure will be all the more 
substantial when they have seasoned. The 
posts are six feet long, and should be set so 
as to allow as much as three feet to each 
cow. The latoh, when closed, should stand 
seven inches from tho post. The latch and 
button are a little thinner than the post, so 
steam 
boilers aud pipes in the form of a cement, 
which seems, for whiteness and lightness 
equal to meerschaum, aud the large sales of 
the various resins and gums, soluble glass, 
coal tar, silioa, paraffine, mineral paint, &c., 
(all needed for or in some way connected 
with tho manufacture of Asbestos Roofing,) 
help to swell his Income and keep him 
White Linen Table Cloths (in answer 
to “ A Subscriber ”) are always fashionable 
for the breakfast and dinner table; and so 
far as attractiveness is concerned, they 
ought to be fashionable for the tea table, 
but they are not. 
