7She RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
897 
Waterproofing Canvass 
(Continued from page 895i 
water. The second is merely an oily coat 
of turpentine and paraflin. in the ancient 
and once honorable ratio of sixteen to 
one. Cai-e must be used in dissolving, by 
gentle heat, the paraffin in the tu.'pen- 
tin'^, and of course the tent so_ treated is 
highly inflammable. Plain linseed oil, 
put on the stretched cloth with a paint 
brush is also first-class if you have the 
patience to let it dry. 
I 
I 
i 
Medicinal Value of Greens 
Ts there really anything medicinal in 
the tomato? People seem to think that 
rhubarb stalks must be a tonic because 
the root is used as a medicine. Is there 
anything in this? w. c. 
New York. 
lihubarb root is certainly in high re¬ 
pute for some troubles, but the value of 
the stalks and tomato is no doubt the 
same as that of the rest of the greens 
that are so good in Spring; they are 
more foods than medicines, even _ if by 
test-tube tests they have small “nutritional 
Value.” The fact is we do not know .iust 
why they are so good; perhaps they have 
some undiscovered “vitamines” in them, 
or perhaps they stimulate the “hormones,” 
but. whatever the reason is, the great ma¬ 
jority of people are in better health if 
they eat a reasonable quantity of them, 
not only in the Spring but whenever they 
can be obtained. 
Indian Method of Tanning Skins 
On page 809 AI. ,T. R. asks for the meth¬ 
od employed in tanning skins, with par¬ 
ticular reference to what was known as 
the smoke-tanning process. Doubtless the 
methods varied somewhat among the dif¬ 
ferent nations, but, among the tribes in 
Wisconsin and westward to the Rocky 
Moun?ains. the proce.ss was essentially 
as follows: The skins were thrown into a 
pool of stagnant water, where they were 
allowed to remain until sufficiently de¬ 
composed to loosen the hair. Then they 
were removed and the hair scraped off 
with a knife made of wood or of bone. 
Metal knives were not used, but whether 
from some notion among the Indians or 
whether there was a likelihood of the 
grain being iniured, I cannot say. The 
flesh side of the skin was also carefully 
scraped to remove all particles of fat or 
fleshy tissue. Next the skin was worked 
with the hands, and rubbed and twisted 
until all the water was wrung from it. 
Then it was stretched by being spread 
upon the ground and, the .sides being at¬ 
tached to numerous pep driven into the 
ground. Here it remained fully exposed 
to the sun until it was thoroughly dry. 
'Phen it was soaked in oil or melted fat 
until the skin would a'b.sorb no more, 
meantime being worked with the hands 
to make it soft and pliable. Then it 
was taken from the oil and spread in the 
snn to dry. When dry. if sufficiently pli¬ 
able. weli and good. If not, it was re¬ 
turned to the oil for another bath. About 
e<iual parts of brain, liver and fat were 
finely chopped together and allowed to 
j'utrefy, and when sufficiently decayed, 
the mass was spread upon the skin, about 
as one would spread buttojf- on a slice of 
bread. The skin Avas then tightly rolled 
and bui .ed in moist earth for three or 
iour day.s, when it was unrolled, spread 
upon the ground and rubbed with, dry 
day until every particle of oil Avas re¬ 
moved. 1 .asfly it Avas polished Avith a 
smooth, r<'nnd stone. 
This *vas the ordinary tanning process. 
As a rule “smoke tanning” Avas not prac¬ 
tised except Avhen the hair was alloAved to 
remain. But when a skin Avas to be 
smoke-tanned it Avas. after having been 
sub.iected to the above process, tightly 
stretched upon a frameAA’ork of poles, and 
placed horizontally upon stakes some three 
or Raui- feet from the ground. Then the 
sides were inclosed, sometimes Avith bai'k 
and sometimes with other skins, and 
sometimes earth av.ms piled against the 
sides until a tight, box-like inclosure Avas 
made. Then a fire Avas built at a dis¬ 
tance of several feet and the smoke con¬ 
veyed into the box and against the flesh 
side of the skin. somcAvliat similarly as 
Ave would smoke a ham. Considerable 
care not to overheat the skin was neces¬ 
sary. and they Avere also particular about 
the kinds of fuel used. The ChijApeAva 
Indians of Wisconsin, though they often 
used rotted Avood. greatly preferred a 
fungous groAvth often found on stumps 
and logs and known as toadstools, or 
bracket fungus. Avhile the Sioux of Minne¬ 
sota and Dakota used a dried plant com¬ 
mon on the ])rairies. and knoAvn as rosin 
Aveed. Of course, in curing furs or skins 
upon which the hair Avas alloAved to re¬ 
main, the soaking in stagnant Avater and 
the subsequent removal of the hair Avas 
omitted. In other re.spects the i)rocess 
Avas identical. It has been said that no 
Avhite man was ever able to ecpial an In¬ 
dian in curing skins for <dothing, because 
no Avhite man CA'cr lived Avho' had the pa¬ 
tience to manipnlate a skin so thoroughly. 
This method Avas taught me by a band 
of Indians Avhile I AA'as a re.sident of the 
Indian country some 40 years ago. and it 
is fnrtlu'r corroborated by a paper pub¬ 
lished by the Bureau of American Eth¬ 
nology. C. O. OKMS15EE. 
She Avas much interested in prison re¬ 
form, and Avas visiting a large prison one 
day. “Don’t any of your friends come to 
see you on visiting days?” she asked of a 
big, burly ruffi.'in. “No’m,” responded 
the ex-burglar; “they’re all here Avit’ me.” 
—Everybody’s ^Magazine. 
Galvanized-~~ Roofing and Siding 
Both farm and city property owners need to know 
the absolute safety and service of metal roofing..- 
Apollo-Keystoite Galvanized insuroB durability and satisfaction for 
all forms of sheet metal work, including Culverts, Tanks, Flumes, Spout- _ 
Ing, Garages, etc. Sold by leading metal merchants. Keystohe Copper 
Steel is also uneqnaled for Hoofing Tin Plates. Look for the Keystone ,‘iM 
added below regular brands. Send for free “Bettor Buildings” booklet. 
AMERICAN SHEET AND TIN PLATE COMPANY, Frick Bldg., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
THE SELF-OILING WINDMILL 
has become so popular in its first three years that 
thousands have been called for to replace, on their 
old towers, other makes of mills, and tq_ replace, at 
small cost, the gearing of the earlier , ^ 
Aermotors, making them self-oil-, 
ing. Its enclosed motora 
keeps in the oil and! 
keeps out dust andl 
raln.The Splash Oilingl 
System constantly^ ^ 
floods every bearing with oil pre-, 
venting wear and enabling the 
mill to pump in the lightest breezed j 
The oil supply is renewed once a year. 
Double Gears are used, each carrying half the load 
We make Gasoline Engines. Pumps. Tanks, 
Water Supply Goods and Steel Frame Saws. 
Write AERMOTOR CO.. 2500 Twelfth SL. Chicago 
Send for 
Catalo. 
FARM WAGONS 
High or low wheels— 
steel or wood—wide 
or narrow tires. 
Wagon parts of all 
kinds. Wheels to fit 
any running gear. 
Catalog illustrated m ouloro freoi 
Electric Wheel Co.. 48ElmSI., Quincy, III, 
e n 
wit 
the 
also oranges, grapes, olives and figs. No 
soil; low prices; easy terms. Enjoy life here. Newcomei-s 
welcome. Write for new San Joa(iuin A'alley Illustrated 
Foldei-Sifree. C. L. Sent;raves, liidiistriuICuinmlsstoii- 
er Santa Fe Uy., ISXili Railway Exchange, Chicago 
rns more money 
h less work. Kaise 
crops you know, 
cold weather: rich 
CORN HARVESTER 
That beats them all. One horse cuts tAvorows. Car¬ 
ries to the shock. Worked by 1, 2 or3men. Nodaii- 
ger. No twine. Free trial. We also make STUMP 
PULLERS and TILE DITCHERS. Catalog free. Agents 
Wanted, h. D. BENNETT & CO.,Westerville.O. 
/coming to farmers from the rich Avheat fields of Western 
Canada. Where you can buy good farm land at $15. to 
$30. per acre and raise from 20 to 45 bushels of $2. 
wheat to the acre it’s easy to make money. Canada offers 
in her provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta 
160 Acre Homesteads Free to Settlers 
and other land at very low prices. Thousands of farmers from the 
U.S. or their sons are yearly taking advantage of this great oppor¬ 
tunity. Wonderful yields also of Oats, Barley and Flax. 
Mixed Farming is fully as profitable an industry as grain 
raising,. Good schools, markets convenient, climate excellent. 
Write .ir literature and particulars as to reduced railway 
rates to Supt. Immigration, Ottawa, Canada, or to 
O. G. RUTLEDGE 
301 E. Genesee St. 
Syracuee, N. Y. 
Canadian Government Agent. 
Your ctiaiiee is in Canada. Rich lands and 
business opportunities offer you independence. 
Farm lands Sll to $30 an acre; irrigated lands 
$35 to $50. TAventy years to pay; $3,000 loan 
in impi’ovements, or ready-made farms. Loan 
of livestock. Taxes average under twenty 
cents an acre; no taxes on improvements, per¬ 
sonal property or livestock. Good markets, 
chnrclies, schools, roads, telephones. Excel¬ 
lent climate—crops and livestock prove it. 
Special homeseekers’ fare certificates. Write 
for free booklets. Allan Cameron, General 
Superintendent Land Branch, Canadian I’a- 
; ciflc Railway, 519 Ninth Avenue. Calgar.A, 
Alberta. 
Books Worth Reading 
Animal Breeding, Shaw. 1.50 
Breeding L'ami Animals, Marshall.. 1.50 
Principles of Breeding, Davenport.. 2.50 
Cheese Making, A'an Slyke . 1.75 
Business of Dairying, Lane. 1.25 
Clean Milk, Winslow.3.25 
Dairy Chemistry, Snyder. 1.00 
Dairy Farming, Michels. 1.00 
Handbook for Dairymen, AYoll. 1.50 
Milk and Its Products, Wing. 1.50 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
333 WEST 30th ST., NEW YORK. 
