438 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
These plates can be ground on the grind-stone, though an 
emery wheel is better. In grinding, care should be taken 
to grind them slanting under so as to have a sharp cutting 
edge. If worn too much, new ones should be put on. Do 
not use the knives, even for one hour, after they have be¬ 
come worn to a point, as they will draw the fine grass into 
the guards without cutting and so clog them up, often 
breaking the knife-bar near the eye. Moreover, this will 
make the machine draw hard, and sometimes stop it en¬ 
tirely. I will venture the assertion that nearly every one 
ivho has used a mower with knives worn to a point, has 
had more or less trouble of this kind, and all the while he 
kept wondering what the matter was. The breaking of 
the knife-bar is not always caused by this. If the connec¬ 
tion at the knife-head is worn so as to cause too much 
play, or lost motion, the same effect will be produced. 
Some manufacturers make the main frame of one solid 
casting, the part where the shafts run being tubular, and 
bored out at the ends, so that the boxes for the shafts can 
turn in them. I would not advise anybody to buy one of 
these machines, as the pitman shaft running so fast soon 
wears out, the iron boxes also readily wear out of line, 
and can not be repaired unless one gets the whole main 
casting entirely new. Some manufacturers put brass 
boxes in these tubes, and their agents will tell you that 
they are the best,because when they are worn out any farm¬ 
er can drive them out and put new ones in, all in a few 
moments, and then the machine will be as good as if it 
were new. Let us see: Ten out of every 12 farmers will 
run their mower until it begins to cut badly, and will 
then look it over to see what the matter is. If it is one of 
those machines with solid cast-iron frame and brass 
tubular boxes with a hook-and-eye connection at the 
knife-head, they will find the hook-and-eye so much worn 
that, oftener than otherwise, there will be an eighth of an 
inch play in the eye. Having followed the pitman up to 
the wrist pin or crank, the investigator will find the pin 
and box worn, though perhaps not quite enough to allow 
so much play as at the knife-head. Let him now take 
hold of the balance-wheel and move it sidewise, and he 
will find as much more play there. Let him now lift the 
wheel up- and down, and he will find that it will move 
but little, showing that the box is worn more in the direc¬ 
tion in which the pitman works than it is up and down. 
Now to get repairs for these defects, the farmer must go 
to the agent’s for a new knife-head, a box for the upper 
end of the pitman, and two brass tubular boxes, one for 
each end of the pitman shaft. Nine times out of 10 the 
agent will not have them, and will have to send to head¬ 
quarters for them. The reason why the agent does not 
have them is because these repairs cost high, generally 
from 100 to 300 per cent, higher than duplicates of other 
parts, and it would cost a small fortune to keep a supply 
on hand. I have found this true in every instance where 
I have gone to agents for repairs; but suppose the farmer 
finds them at the agent’s, he goes home and tries to fix up 
his machine as the agent told him it would require only a 
few minutes’ work. After half a day’s work he succeeds 
in getting the shaft and old boxes out, slips the new ones 
over the shaft to see how they will fit, and finds the lower 
one quite loose. He thinks there is some mistake such as 
that the agent has given him the wrong box, but on 
closer inspection he finds that the shaft is worn as well as 
the old box; but instead of being worn round, it 
is worn a little flat—into something in the shape 
of a man’s wrist—but he can do nothing except to put them 
in. (He happens to remembter though, that the agent did 
not tell him that the shaft would wear). He drives the boxes 
in and puts in the shaft, but it will not go clear through. 
What is the matter ? He takes it out, drives out the 
boxes and finds that the groove in the box, which has a 
corresponding projection in the casting, was not cut quite 
far enough, and that in driving the boxes in he has “ up¬ 
set ” them so that the shaft will not go through. 
He goes to work with a file, and after a good deal of toil 
and worry gets them in, drives out the brass box in the 
pitman head, tries to put in the new one, and finds it is 
very much too large. He works over an hour to get it to 
fit, finally gets it in, drives in the rivet to hold it, and puts 
it on, but he has spent so much time that he has become 
nervous and does not notice that the wrist pin is much too 
small for the new box. He gets the old knife-head off, and 
the new one on, and is feeling pretty well while thinking 
the machine is almost ready to go to work; only one thing 
more is to be done, and that is to put in the knives and 
connect with the pitman, which is done in a few moments 
(the only thing so far that has been done in a few moments); 
when to his extreme disgust he finds that the hook on the 
end of the pitman will not fill up the eye in the knife-head, 
so, after all, a trip must be made to the blacksmith’s, 
perhaps half a mile distant, and perhaps three or four 
miles. 
A whole day has already been spent, besides the time 
lost in going to the agent’s; but the job must be finished, 
so off to the shop with the pitman and knife-bar. The 
blacksmith’s shop is full of horses to be shod, or some one 
else is ahead on the same errand, so that several hours 
must be spent in waiting. Finally his turn comes and the 
pitman is repaired. Having hurried home, he hitches up 
and starts the machine (meantime the men have been 
lying idle); it does not work well; there is a “ chug chug ” 
noise; the knives clog up ; in fact, it will not work. What 
is to be done ? He does not know, but concludes to load 
the machine into the wagon, or hitches it behind, and 
starts for the shop again. The smith looks it over and 
finds he had got the pitman a little too short or too long, 
as the case may be, and that the knives do not slide by the 
edge of the guards far enough in going one way, while 
they slide too far in going the other. This matter is 
remedied, and the farmer gets home about night. Two 
days’ time has been lost for himself and team; with two 
men idle at home, eo that if it is a busy time the loss will 
amount to at least $15; but the agent will tell him that 
his machine is now practically new, so that he has saved 
$35, as he would have had to buy a new one if he had not 
repaired this. Not so 1 Why ? Because, as we noticed 
before, the lower end of the pitman shaft was worn to an 
irregular shape, consequently at the end of the haying 
season, the new boxes will be worse than the old ones were, 
the machine barely finishing up the mowing for the 
season. It is generally left where last used, and a new 
one is bought the next season, to be, in a few years 
thrown aside in the same way. 
This is not an overdrawn picture, but a statement of 
facts, that can be proved in nearly every town. I know of 
three machines under one barn, that were thrown aside 
for the very reasons given above. Another stands in a 
meadow, and has been mown around for several years. 
Two more are at the side of the road, and so the story 
might be continued indefinitely. I have examined all of 
these machines, except one, and find the trouble just as I 
have stated above. In one of them the leger plates were 
worn but little, showing that the machine was compara¬ 
tively new; but the brass boxes, pitman shaft, wrist pin 
and box, and hook-and-eye at the knife-head were worn 
out, which told the whole story. 
I intended in this article to give some suggestions as to 
how boxes ought to be made, and why good Babbit metal 
is better than brass, but I have already taken up too much 
space, and will have to leave the rest of the tale for 
another article. But, in conclusion, I would say to those 
who intend to buy a mowing machine this season : Do 
not buy a machine unless it has a ball-and-socket joint at 
the knife head, not at the wrist-pin. Then if it does not 
have wheels at each end of the cutter-bar, so much the 
better. Then if you can find a machine with these im¬ 
provements, one that has Babbit metal boxes, you will get 
a machine as nearly perfect as machines are now made. 
S. M. MACOMBER. 
A WOMAN’S FARMING. 
No. II. 
I did not make much money the first summer of my 
venture; but I came out even and made some purchases of 
stock for the coming season. I made expenses, and, look¬ 
ing back from my present standpoint, I consider that I did 
well; but I was rather discouraged at the time. I was 
poohed and laughed at, but I had some stern stuff in me, 
else I would never have been able to overcome the difficul¬ 
ties that have lain in my way. 
My Spanish chickens did not hatch well. Out of a set¬ 
ting of 13 eggs I obtained only six chicks. Four of these 
proved to be roosters, leaving me only two pullets, and 
they were cross-bred at that—half Spanish and half Ham¬ 
burg. I got one cock, a single-combed large fowl, as fine a 
bird as I ever saw. The pullets, too, were single-combed, 
and proved great layers of large, white eggs. I raised also 
some Leghorns and a lot of scrub stock. My turkeys did 
not do well the first season. The birds were too closely 
connected. The poults were weakly and died off. How¬ 
ever, I got three fine females to commence with. I pur¬ 
chased a gobbler in the fall, an excellent bird, of the Nar- 
ragansett or Silver Gray breed. He was a fine-bodied, low¬ 
legged fowl, and weighed 20 pounds at six months. 
The following spring I was ready to commence opera¬ 
tions. I took hold of the work with zest. I raised 100 
chicks and 75 turkeys. At this time a younger sister 
joined and assisted me somewhat in relieving me of indoor 
work. I readily found out that to secure eggs of uniform 
color and size, I must operate mostly with one or two 
breeds, entirely ignoring the commoner, mongrel sorts. 
The eggs of the latter were small, indifferent in shape, and 
in color ranging between coffee-brown and muddy white ; 
while my Spanish and Leghorns gave me large, chalky- 
white eggs, and laid them in winter, too, while the others 
were idle, though they received the same amount of care 
and feed. For their eggs I readily obtained 45 and 50 cents 
per dozen at the city markets during December and Janu¬ 
ary. In February the others struck in. I found that my 
work was divided. The fowls occupied my time in winter, 
keeping me busy mixing warm, soft feeds, and supplying 
warm water to drink. I gave vegetables, and hunted 
around in many a warm, sheltered place for a bit of grass, 
for which they were grateful. They were not allowed to 
step a foot out-of-doors when the weather was stormy or 
the ground covered with snow. I divided them into colo¬ 
nies, keeping the Europeans for eggs and the commoner 
kinds to act as sitters and to lay eggs for the store groceries 
and the table. This plan I found worked well. 
I happened to strike a family in the city who fell in love 
with my nice, clean, white eggs, and engaged all that my 
hens laid from September until July, or during their resi¬ 
dence in the city, paying me full market prices and furnish¬ 
ing baskets at my door and paying all expenses of carriage. 
This was a boon hardly looked for. I took hold of the 
work with a vim that I hardly thought I possessed. I 
fairly crowded the eggs at the commencement of my third 
year, frequently sending during the late winter and spring 
months as high as 40 dozens per week to market. These 
my customer (who was always cash) distributed among 
friends, etc. This customer I served regularly and steadily 
for 15 years. In summer looking after my turkeys occu¬ 
pied much of my time. I can safely say, that taking into 
account the size of the birds they are the cheapest fowls 
raised so far as the outlay for feed goes, but they will not 
bear confinement. Many a long chase they led me through 
the fields and meadows of high grass, while looking after 
them; for every bird must come home at night and be 
counted at the roost. I was sometimes forced to follow 
them even to the woods and keep with them. The sh^de 
here was grateful. I gradually gave up turkeys; for they 
troubled the neighbors too much. At the end of my third 
year I was able to deposit] $100 in the bauk.^ This wa s the 
first installment towards payment for the farm.£» w c. B.^J 
JULY 5 
Womans Work. 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
J UST at the present season we meet with a good many 
cases of poisoning by poison ivy or similar plants, and 
they are very vexatious even in the mildest forms. I 
know many persons who are poisoned by this pest only 
when greatly overheated and perspiring; if quite cool 
they can handle it with impunity. Different remedies suit 
different cases; witch-hazel is excellent, but our usual 
cure is a frequent application of alcohol to the affected 
part. When the case seems obstinate, and does not yield 
readily to treatment, it is certainly wiser to consult a doc¬ 
tor, as frequently internal as well as external remedies are 
needed. I have known a person to suffer from this form 
of poisoning year after year, even when removed entirely 
from the vicinity of the plant; it had affected the entire 
system, resulting in a very dangerous condition. It is an 
absolute necessity for land-owners to do their utmost to 
destroy this dangerous plant, though its tenacious roots 
and vigorous growth render this extremely difficult. It is 
well to remember, too, in tearing down fences covered with 
this vine, that it is not really prudent to burn such wood 
in the kitchen stove. I have in mind a case where a strange 
inflammation of the eyes appeared simultaneously in sev¬ 
eral families; after puzzling the doctor for some time, it 
was traced to the use of fire wood overgrown with poison 
ivy. The fumes from the burning wood were excessively 
acrid and penetrating, inflaming the eyes and irritating 
the respiration. For the benefit of those who never feel 
quite able to distinguish the poison ivy from the harmless 
Virginia creeper—and the two often grow close together— 
it may be added that the harmless vine has Jive leaflets 
grouped together, the poisonous one only three. Of course, 
the two kinds are distinct in every way, to those who 
know, but this is the most striking difference to a casual 
observer. 
Speaking of poisoning, the most severe case of eruptive 
poisoning I have seen was caused by the bite of a common 
spider. The sufferer was a thoroughly healthy person, but 
the case was really serious, requiring thorough medical 
care. It really seems that a dread of spiders is not with¬ 
out a solid foundation. 
# 
* * 
Next to poisoning in the list of hot weather ailments 
come trifling but exasperating eruptions like hives or 
prickly heat. To be writhing with the irritation thus 
caused, and then to be told—by some one who is not suffer¬ 
ing from the annoyance—that you are making yourself 
worse by fretting, is a sufficiently severe trial of patience. 
All one can do is to try some cooling application, like 
diluted witch-hazel, or ammonia and water, and then just 
grin and bear it. It is noticeable, too, that a simple effer¬ 
vescing medicine, such as a seidlitz powder, will aid in 
giving relief. After the irritation goes down, it often 
leaves a very sore, chafed skin. We usually bathe the 
affected parts in glycerine and rose-water, and then dust 
lightly with infant’s powder. This prevents rubbing. I 
have come to regard the so-called medicated infant’s powder 
as a very useful thing in one’s toilet, especially where the 
skin is liable to chafing, or to chapping; in the latter case 
it may be used to advantage after bathing. 
* 
* ♦ 
Since there are so many styles of arrangement for the 
hair, it is a pity that any one should wear it unbecomingly 
dressed. The greatest fault a woman can make in this 
respect is to dress her hair unbecomingly just because that 
particular style happens to be in fashion. Another great 
mistake is to arrange the hair very elaborately, just be¬ 
cause it seems fashionable, without any reference to circum¬ 
stances. The present styles are, for the most part, very 
plain, or at least they give the effect of plainness. A good 
many women still wear the hair short, and it is both be¬ 
coming and convenient, in many cases, but it presents two 
serious obstacles—you can’t pin your hat to it, aud as soon 
as you begin to let it grow you may as well retire from 
human eyes, for it makes the wearer a perfect fright when 
in the half-grown stage. But it is very pretty, giviug an 
exceedingly youthful look to the face, and convenient, too, 
save in cases where Nature has made the hair very straight; 
then the wearer must pay regular visits to a curler, or look 
anything but attractive. 
The hair braided and worn low, in the Catagon style, 
though very fashionable abroad, has never become really 
popular here; it is not at all becoming to long faces, and 
indeed Is hardly so pretty as a rounder arrangement. The 
hair is worn either high or low, as may be most suitable, 
and although a wavy effect is sought for, a very frizzy ap¬ 
pearance in the back is considered bad style. The prime 
requisite of curls and waves is that they appear natural, 
even if they are not. As for the front hair, the woman 
with a low, smooth forehead may draw hers loosely back, 
and feel glad that she is able to do it, but those less for¬ 
tunate must wear it in curls or wavy bang as is most be¬ 
coming—but never, never friz it—that is ugly, unnatural 
aud unfashionable. EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
gtti.srcUancous; §Uvrrti$ing. 
In writing to advertisers, please mention the R. N.-Y. 
When Baby was Blck, we nave her Castorla, 
When she was a Child, she cried for Castorla, 
When she became Sltss, she clung to Castorls, 
When she had Children, she gave them Castorla. 
