Riveting is a means of fastening two metal parts together more permanently than by bolts. This method of assembling has been used on practically all types of equipment and during the life of this equipment it becomes necessary to replace rivets due to corrosion affecting the strength of the riveted joint, vibration or other condition which affects the strength of the unit.

The battle against flies is constant, but there are ways to reduce these costly and irritating pests — without toxic chemicals. There are several types of pest flies, with different habits and behavior, so a combination of tactics is usually most effective when trying to eliminate or reduce flies. House flies and stable flies (the latter are aggressive biters, tormenting horses and cattle) breed in manure and rotting organic matter such as old hay and bedding. Horse flies and deer flies breed in swampy areas and black flies breed in flowing water.

For the last ten years, I have made hay mostly with a single horse. This has not necessarily been out of choice, as at one time I had hoped to be farming on a larger scale with more horses. Anyway, it does little good to dwell on ‘what if ’. The reality is that I am able to make hay, and through making and modifying machinery, I probably have a better understanding of hay making and the mechanics of draught.

One day my husband walks in from the barn with a baby pigeon. The poor little guy was hungry, scared and so ugly he was cute. Well, cute may be stretching it. Khoke wondered aloud if we should try to save him or feed him to the cat. These questions were merely a formality, since the bird made it all the way into the house. Khoke knew my answer before he left the barn.

It was the beginning of winter and the nights were getting cold. Soon one of the calves sickened and died. He convinced Ann that in order to save the other scrawny calf, he would have to house it in their basement. He erected a make-shift pen, put down lots of straw and had plenty of feed near-by. The calf appeared to be in bovine heaven.

Stack-trench silos have been used by Washington farmers for many years. These silos have saved thousands of tons of valuable cattle feed. Now that more feed is needed, many farmers can increase their stored feed by using a silo. Materials for upright silos are scarce, so the stack-trench can be used to good advantage although spoilage in the stack-trench may be greater than in an upright silo.