The Library of Work and Play: Outdoor Work

LING

ster a stubborn stick, the danger that a slip may bring the axe down elsewhere than on the stick, or that a careless blow may cause the stick to rebound, leap into the air, and giv

ly where it can be had when needed. In town things are different. The fences, if any, are iron, the buildings are few and kept in repair because they cost so much to build. There are practically no loose boards l

h by Hele

hat is Never

siness, if he has any spunk. The capital required is very small. If your credit is good you can borrow a hatchet. The cha

rth and South. Some say the supply has given out, but who believes such tales? The

of substitute for this is being sold. It is a mixture of chemicals and does very well f

d the great subject they are working at, they will think out ways of disposing economically of the tops and branches of the cut trees. This is one of the big problems of forestry for these reasons: (1) The huge amount of this refuse wood chokes out the young growth and the forest cannot r

for lumber; for fuel, nothing makes better fires than the smaller limbs; for kindling, the branc

oth dump-heaps that deface the landscape near some of our great cities, or going from house to house collecting old iron or rubber or newspapers, or picking over the slag along the rail

permission from the owner to clean up his wood lot. It will be good for the wood lot and the owner knows it if he

ak off in the forest all the branches that they can reach when standing on the ground. In those forests there is never any loss of life, nor lumber, by fires, no choking out of young growth by brus

was as young as ours. But they found out the way to take care of

NG A C

that you will not clean the carriage till the next day. But if thin mud

the varnish, the mud washed off by the force of the water rather than being rubbed off or scraped off. Keep your b

it from grit. Never use soap on varnish. It may be used on the metal parts of the carriage. Prepared chalk is t

N THE

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where nurseries and orchards are plentiful who follow this as a trade, making good wages at it. It is a wonderful thing to do, a very neat job in handicraft, and while a book might tell

ellis or wire with rags or raffia. They become very expert and tie an incredible numbe

RUSTIC

irst part suggests the quest for the other pieces and the fitting them together to make a natural looking, balanced, artistic piece. Rustic furniture to be good, should appear to have grown that way. There is too

ING SE

or seed. It may be that your father buys his seed corn from a seedsman. My experience is that seed corn bought in bulk contains a large number of poor grains. They probably shell the whole ear. The best farmers n

seed

oints you have learned in mind. Take off the outer husks and draw the rest back, exposing the entire ear. When you have ten or a dozen ears braid the husks together, starting with three ears, adding one after another to the braid till all are secure. Fasten with stron

erfect, you find the crop will improve, if cultivation is good, the soil well enriched, and the season normal. Every time a farmer boy uses his mind first in connection

CIDER

ily goes to waste. Nature is lavish always, but wastes nothing. The farmer has learned to be lavish and wasteful too. They say that every part of the pig is utilized in the packing house except the squeal. That is the principle which the farmer will have to live b

egar making. Nature does the hard work but we can aid nature b

The same is true of over-ripe apples. "But there isn't much sugar in cider vinegar," you say. No, that is true, but without sugar in the cider you wouldn't get any vinegar. If you were a chemist you could find out just how much sugar was contained in the juice

us. What makes it do this? The chemists must answer again. They say that there are yeast plants in the apple juice. How did they get there? We did not put yeast in the apple juice. No, but the air is full of the spores of wild yeast plants so the juice does not have to wait till we put in domesticated yeast from a little "silver" wrapper. As

t plants to convert all the sugar to alcohol, because warmth hastens the

oscope. Among them is a kind that causes alcohol to change to acetic acid. Did you ever pour off the vinegar from a jug and find a mass of jelly-like substance stopping the mouth of the jug? T

oes take some knowledge of what to do and when. A little study and experience makes success almost certain. A bulletin of the New Yor

forty-five degrees Fahr. the alcoholic fermentation will be complete in about six months. This time can be shortened to three months by keeping a temperature of sixty-five to seventy degrees in the storage room and by adding one cake of Fleischmann's compressed yeast dissolved in a little water, to every five gallons of juice. When the cider stops 'working' you will know that the sugar has all been changed to alcohol. The clear liquid shou

GRAPE

ar on the farm there comes the question of what to do with the grapes. A little jelly is made when the grapes are green but most people prefer currant jelly or blackbe

alone gives good results and few farms have cold storage plants. Those grapes

value, as it contains more solid matter than milk, and is recommended as a drink for children and for invalids. In many European countries "grape cures" have long been popular. In the pure, unadulterated, unfer

arbour what more delightful occupation can you imagine than spending a day or two converting the perfect fruit into nectar? Idling in a hammock

s, granite pans and double boiler, an oil or gasolene stove, clean

worth working over. Discard all unsound fruit, wash, and crush. Put into a freshly washed bag of coarse, strong mu

e object of heating this juice is to destroy the yeast spores and other organisms which have alighted on the grapes as they hung in the arbour and which are so small that they came right through the mesh of the muslin bag. A temperature of one hundred and eighty degrees to two hu

s precaution is necessary. With greatest care dip the clear liquid off and filter it. A flannel bag made in the shape of a cone with a stiff wire or wooden ring at the top to hold it open, is the best filter. Several thicknesses of flannel or felt are b

ice with rubbers and covers on but not screwed down in on this. Put water into the boiler till it comes up to the shoulders of the jars. Heat now until the water is on the point of boiling, but do not let it boil. Remove jars from the water and screw down the

d should be used immediately. Even a small family will have no difficulty in consuming a quart if given the opportunity.

G LEA

ittle back yard faggot fire just enough to roast a few potatoes and onions and play gypsy, or a big blazing bonfire, almost dangerous and wholly splendid. What I don't like is a sickly, smouldering pile of leaves sending

y to get their leaves taken away," you say. True, but that is because we are such a lot of wasters. We are just beginnin

of the real article is never equal to the demand. Ask the floris

ire. Set this frame in some part of the yard where it will not look unsightly but as near the source of leaf supply as is permissible. If you have to carry the leaves by wheelbarrow you will see the force of this. Use a pony and cart for the job if you have them. A b

n the process of decay. A very small quantity of leaf mould for home use can be made in a store box or barrel. This should not be

aking of compost for the garden. I have from a

N FRUI

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result is a rich, brown, moist compound which, added to common garden soil at suit

our's yard as well as your own and make leaf mould. Combine the boys on the street into

LAVENDE

ant leisure when they were girls. The lavender stick is such a sweet and dainty object that I hope for it a renewed popularity. It is one of the always acceptable gifts the Pacific coast can send to the Atlantic where it is so hard to make lavender grow. I might say here that there is good

and the picture that goes with them. Late June is the best time, September the next best. The lavender must be in full flower. If too young th

ender

he longest, heaviest heads. Always have an odd number. Strip off the leaves, draw the stems down till the heads are all on a level, then tie them "gently but firmly, under their chins" with soft cotton yarn that will hold but not cut. Use plenty of string and leave very long ends.

to weave. The simplest weaving is the most artistic, under one stalk and over the next, passing round and round till the head is covered. At this point it is best to fasten the end of the ribbon, wind the stems with common string and begin on another till you have brought all to the same stage. Lay them all away for a month to cure. You will find that the weaving wi

ING

soon as the corn had cooled sufficiently we began to cut it off, with thin, sharp knives. With the butt of the ear resting on the flattest big platter, one sliced from top to bottom. We had orders not to cut deep the first time-just to take off the tops of the grains. The next cut was thin, too, and came off in a slice which fell apart. We cut three slices, at least, before we came to the cob. By this means we obtained a final product far superior to that of the neighbours who m

te afternoon, with salt to taste. By this time most of the water will have been absorbed or evaporated. The corn will be soft and all its n

A TENNI

for the wire netting and the necessary posts. A standard double court is seventy-eight feet by thirty-six. Choose a well-drained piece of ground; the more

the surface fairly level. Level is one of those adjectives that can not be compared. If a court is level it can't be any leveller, and to be right it must be done with a straight edge and a spirit level. If there is one boy in whom you all have confidence,

ome people prefer to spread on a layer of ashes,

d on others. You will probably use that which is most available. Clay is hard to work with, but whe

ng together. The roller should be used often, especially after a

allon or more can easily be held by a framework upon a wheelbarrow or wheel hoe in such a way that the drip from two nail holes will fall upon the broad rim of the whee

raked, and made level. Then the sod should be matched and laid accurately, then rolled, spri

LLING

Most of the men on our street take early trains and have very little time, and even less inclination to shovel snow. The boys

ust have his tools right and an expert snow shoveller does not want to use a dilapidated spade on one job, a short-handled s

ry corner accurately so that one scrape did the trick and no false motions to waste time and strength. For informal paths to chicken house, garden

you at the shovel, he can have a book, keep track of the time each boy can work, call at patrons'

NG L

er ought to be smart enough to take care of one. He needs to know how the machine is put together, what parts do the work and where the wear comes on the parts. The directions which come with a good machine are worth reading. The man who sells the mower may not be able to explain any part you don't understand. His business may be to sell, only. If you go

achine before you begin and put it in shape. It is ten minutes well spent. Tighten screws, oil the parts that rub, adjust the knife to the kind and condition of the gr

ING WO

their pails. Coal ashes are as nearly worthless as anything I know of although they can be used in making a tennis court

rtilizer equal to them for certain purposes. Not only are they valuable at home, but they are an article of

s in. Cheap boxes come next. They should be tight and kep

CROCUSES

dandelions in the lawn. Perhaps it is Hobson's choice with them, as with many, but although the dandelion flower is bright as gold the leaves are a real nuisance. They are coarse and rank and they resist the lawn-mower, and discourage the fine grasses. Except when in blossom they are a disfiguring feature. Crocuses are certai

ING

all the year round. We put things outside and they freeze, we keep them in the

time because the iceman does not come around. Sometimes you may have thought when you brok

where it will get the greatest exposure. If the mercury is a little below zero it will freeze a coat of ice two or more inches thick on top and sides of the pail. Turn the pail upside down on a bench and turn enough hot water over it to loosen the pail; then take

where the sun cannot melt it during a thaw and where you can get at it when needed. From this the logical conclusi

d the ice was bad as a rule. Good sleighing meant ice covered with snow. There was always anxiety for fear we should not get a supply, and often the houses were filled with thin cake

was bound over a heavy wire. When the cold weather came the clean pans were filled from the well. The cakes were turned out of the pans next day and dipped and filled just as described above, as solid cakes formed. These wer

SEED P

ing seed

description of their potato cutter is adapted from Farming for April, nineteen hundred and seven. A dry goods box holding several bushels was fitted with four strong legs, just long enough to lift the box to a height convenient to sit by. At the bottom of one side of the box a board was removed to let the potatoes roll out on a shelf attached beneath the opening. The shelf should have a

s want to wear gloves to keep their hands clean and smooth

UN

h befor

boils. Their work, unless overseen by an expert, is pure butchery. Many a noble tree has

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r place. It is impossible to treat the whole subject of pruning in one short chapter, but there is nothing difficult to understand about the principles or practice. In ten minutes an expert grape pruner could show a pupil how to prune a grape-vine so as to produce the best and largest

ay. The wou

. The stub pr

ed by the skinning of a tree is the only part of the tree which is really actively alive and at work. This layer, called the cambium, extends like a tight-fitting garment over the entire tree. Every tiny twig and spur is overlaid with it. If you ever had an "infected" finger from a scratch or pin prick or cut you have some idea of the danger the tree is exposed to when the cambium layer is laid bare and the wound neglected. Compare the two drawings on this page. Look at the trees in your yard. Are there some like No. 1 and others like No. 2? In No. 1 the pruner cut a branch off close up to the main trunk. The wound was dressed with thick paint to close the pores. All around the edge of the wound was the cut edge of the cambium

cover the wound with a dressing to prevent decay. Trees, shrubs, vines, and bushes should be pruned every year. Cut out all dead

NING

girls did the sweeping and mother washed the floor. How cheerless the days that followed! How damp the floors, how extra careful we had to be not to carry in dirt on our way to bed! The whole house wore a dejected expression reflected by the family. All because of those miserable carpets. They had to be beaten, too, and the clouds of dust that had to be breathed before we heard the welcome call, "That's enough now

e to be beaten. It is bad for the rug and a waste of energy. A rug-beating rack can be made which will save the wear on the rugs a

frame up aga

at the side of the barn. Strong strap hinges should be used to attach it to a piece of four by four spiked to the barn at a height convenient for your beating. When the frame is not in use it is pushed up and rests against the side of the barn, held in

en I let the children turn the hose on it. We turned it over and over and over again, till it was very, very wet. It was also clean. We left it on the grass in the shade the first day. Then we laid it still damp, face down, on the clean, dry floor of the porch where the sun could get at it and the breeze. It was dry by the night of the second day and so clean that it was a real joy to handle it. One by one we put every rug in the house through the same course of treatment. A couple of Wiltons, a few of Brussels carpeting, some that were woven out of old i

g frame, d

beaten with a whip, hung on the line, or shaken. Lay on a soft carpet of grass or on a rug-beatin