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Show SUITABLE CARE WILL LENGTHEN LIFE OF ALL LEATHER PRODUCTS -lrV'$ 7 - It, I 7 " v - ; v-t ' d - ' This harness has been used for 34 years. It has been kept clean and oiled frequently with neat's-foot oil. As a result it shows no signs of deterioration and should last 20 years longer. Proper selection and care did it. (Prepared bv the United States Department Depart-ment of Agriculture.) It Is poor business to neglect the care of leather. Every pair of shoes, every machine belt, piece of harness, or other leather product on the farm that is allowed to go to waste or pot made to yield Its full service must be needlessly replaced, thus adding unnecessary un-necessary expense to the farm, say specialists of the United States Department De-partment of Agriculture. On many farms a set of harness lasts less than ten years. Where eight or ten horses are kept this means one new set of harness every year. The department has received many reports, especially from Southern states, showing that harness Insts only from two to five years. But good harness, properly cared for, will last 20 years or more. In every neighborhood there are cases where farmers are cutting their harness har-ness hills in half by giving the leather a cleaning and oiling occasionally. Fifty million pairs of shoes could be saved annually if the American people kept their footwear In repair, the specialists say. As a nation we buy some 300,000.000 pairs of shoes a year, but If each Individual cared for his shoes properly the needs could be ' supplied hy 250,000,000 pairs. The wasting of a single shoe a year by each person in the United Slates would cost (he country at least $250,-(XH).O(KI $250,-(XH).O(KI annually at present prices of shoes. Any leather improperly used and neglected will deteriorate rapidly. Belts for driving machinery, for example, ex-ample, often become Impaired, If not useless, within a few years even on straight drives, but when they are kept clean and oiled they will last from ten to thirty years. Selecting and Caring for Harness. Harness that Is too light or of poor quality cannot give years, of service. In selecting harness, It Is more economical eco-nomical to get a set that is too heavy than one which is too light for the work required. Make sure especially that I lie reins, breeching, holdback straps, tugs or traces, bellybands. anil yoke straps are strong, .i runaway team cannot be controlled Willi weak reins, nor will weak tugs and straps stand heavy work. No portion of the harness should show cracks on the grain side when the leather Is sharply sharp-ly bent. Harness should be washed and oiled when ii becomes dirty or extremely dry. For washing, use tepid water, a neutral soap, such as rastile or white toilet soap, and a sponge or fairly stiff brush. Hardened grease is very conveniently con-veniently removed by scraping with a dull knife. Uinse in clean, tepid water, and allow the harness to stand in a warm place until It is no longer wet but still damp. Then oil it and leave it in a warm place for 24 hours before being used. Harness should he oiled or greased while still damp; otherwise. oth-erwise. It may take up so much grease that It will pull out of shape or take up sand and grit, which will injure it, as well as spoil its r.ppearance. Har-' ness should never look c" feel . greasy. Neat's-foot or euPtor oil or a mixture mix-ture of these with wool grease is good for driving harness. For heavy harness har-ness use a mixture of any or all of these with wool grease to make a paste, having about the consistency of butter. Apply the grease lightly to driving harness and liberally to work-harness. work-harness. Hub the oil or grease, warm to the hand, thoroughly Into the leather leath-er while It Is still damp from washing. wash-ing. After the harness has hung in a warm room overnight, remove with a clean dry cloth the excess of oil which the leather is unable to take up. Keep Belts Clean. In selecting a belt for driving machinery, ma-chinery, make sure that it Is wide Aid heavy enough for the loud It Is to carry. Ordinarily the competent belt maker's advice as to the proper belt for a given installation should be followed. fol-lowed. If the belt Is not suited to the work It gives trouble continually, causing shutdown of machinery that will soon cost more in loss of time and wages than many good belts. It should always be sufficiently flexible, to cling closely to the smallest pulley over which It passes. A belt will not give satisfactory results If It slips, does not run true. Is not . properly laced, Is run too loose or too tight, Is subjected to rapid changes from light to heavy loads. Is alternately wet and dry. Is run on pulleys that are not true or are too small for the weight-and weight-and thickness of the belt, or is neglected neg-lected and allowed to deteriorate for lack of grease. The belt should be wiped off every night to prevent dust. dirt, or oil from working into It. When the bell needs oiling clean It well, especially on the pulley side, by washing with warm water and a good iWutral soap. Wash rapidly and do not permit licit to become be-come wet. as It will then stretch anil slip. Apply the dressing lightly and evenly by rubbing it in wit Ii cotton waste or a piece of felt, and allow it to soak in the belt overnight. Among the best belt dressings are mixtures of cod and nent's-font oils with" (allow (al-low and wool grease, free from mineral min-eral acid. |