70 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [l Jan., 1899. 
how a plough could do much in the way of weed destruction, I gave the matter 
no further attention, though weeds were the bane of my existence. Shortly 
afterwards I made Mr. Mac Mahon’s acquaintance, and last month he came for 
a few weeks’ holiday with me at North Toolburra. I had taken the weeds in 
hand myself; and although I slaved away with a dutch hoe for several hours 
daily, weeds stared me in the face everywhere. 
I was lamenting this when Mr. Mac Mahon said he knew of a tool whereby 
four times the work could be done in an equal time and with much greater ease. 
Of course I declined to believe this, and offered to back my opinion by a 
wager, which was declined as being a foregone conclusion. He wrote to 
Brisbane for the tool, which soon came, and a frail thing it looked; but when I 
saw how he sent it flying amongst the weeds, holding the handles in his little 
fingers to show the small power required, I realised that I had dropped on to 
a good thing, There were also a plough to hill up or dig, a pulveriser, and 
narrow tines for plants close together. It will cultivate between lines 3 inches 
apart, and, with the broad sweep which Mr. Mac Mahon has specially fitted to 
it, will cultivate 12 inches wide, pulverising the soil from 1 to 4 inches deep. 
After a few minutes’ trial, I found I could manage it perfectly. This is not 
done by main strength and stupidity. Very little strength is required when 
the knack is learned. 
In a few hours on the first day I had done as much as in the previous 
week, so that I soon found that Mr. Mac Mahon’s estimate was below the 
mark rather than above it. 
IT immediately asked Mr. Mac Mahon to use his kind offices in procuring 
me one of these most useful tools, as did also a neighbour who has a large 
vineyard. One of my men very quickly fell into the way of using it. 
A HEAVY HIDE. 
In May last Messrs. B. D. Morehead and Co. sold a hide weighing 80 1b. at 
10¢d. per lb., thus realising £3 7s. 6d. This, of late, has been considered a 
record price for a hide, but many years ago, when bullocks sent to market were 
far heavier than they are now, even higher prices were obtained. During this 
month, however, Messrs. Fenwick and Co. sold a hide weighing 95 Ib. at 
123d., thus obtaining £4 18s. 114d., a price which beats the last record by 
£1 11s. 53d. “The hide was sold for Mr. W. H. Ashton to M. A. E. Cornell, 
who will tan it for Mr. John Hunter, of boot palace fame. 
SKINNING, SALTING, AND FOLDING HIDES. 
A station correspondent of the Queensland Grazier gives the following 
practical instructions for properly skinning beasts, and subsequently dealing 
with the hides :—In skinning beasts, avoid cutting the hides, and do not leave 
flesh on; this affects the sale to a greater extent than is generaily supposed. 
When trimming, cut off from the knee, and the hind shanks from the hocks, 
also the bead, ears, and face pieces, leaving the cheeks only. After trimming 
lay the hides flat, one on top of the other, butt to butt, on a clean floor with a 
little slope, to allow the brine to drain out; as laid down they should receive 
from 10 to 121b. of salt, and be left in salt fully eight days before 
being taken up; when taken up, shake out the surplus salt and sweep the 
hides before rolling up for market. The salting varies according to the size 
and thickness of the hide, and should be spread evenly over, the butt part 
receiving the most. A great loss is often occasioned by the want of a few 
extra pounds of salt (a trifling cost in itself), for the hides become slippy or 
loose-haired, causing them to be sold as faulty, and incurring a loss of 3d. to 
1d. per !b. in price. Cleanliness is the only thing required to give the hides 
the kind of flesh desirable. When folding, the flesh side to be the inside; 
throw the head towards the tail, the fold starting from the wither, the sides to 
be thrown in, meeting at the centre of the hide, and then rolled tightly from 
