GOIN' TO THE CORNER lowed them to bend in. Then they'd stand them all up around an iron hoop, like in a circle and then put another hoop over that which goes down about the middle. After that you had to put that over an iron stove. This got hot - they were heated so the staves won't break. The hoops were only temporary. Wait a few minutes and the tress hoops were put on. Then you'd have to champer them. That meant you had to go all around the top and bottom rims of the barrel with a tool like a plane. You'd go all around the barrel with a champer knife. This groove was for the head to fit in. The heads were the ends of the barrel. Then you would level it and finally close it. You had to knock off one tress hoop and (put) the head in. Then you put on an inner hoop, two hoops are put on each end. You had to shellac them inside with resin. We used to buy resin in the stores in big lumps. Corked holes were left for draining the water. Sometimes they were filled with fish and then they were laid on their side and this hole was used to fill the barrel with pickle. Usually one head was put on first, and then the barrel was filled. After the second head was fitted on, you'd have to take an axe to get that off. I sold barrels every¬ where. I sold them to Holman's for mackerel, smelts and oysters.... BLACKSMITHS Villages were always eager to attract a good blacksmith, for no community could have survived without one. The Elmsdale area was no exception as many fine black¬ smiths served the early settlers and were common until recent years. Today the black¬ smiths we are familiar with are really farriers, as these are the craftsmen who shoe horses. The early blacksmith was a "jack-of-all-iron-trades". A blacksmith's work required great physical strength, both to hammer the pieces of red-hot iron into shape and to manage heavy iron ob¬ jects and lively horses. Among the items a blacksmith was called upon to make were: axes, hoes, scythes, plow blades, nails, hinges, pots, sleigh runners, weather vanes, rims for wheels, hoops for barrels, brack¬ ets for holding kerosene lamps, gates, horse¬ shoes, and small iron pieces for bridles and har¬ nesses. NOTICE ! On account of the advance in the price of horse shoes, nails, iron and steel, we find it impossible to continue shoeing horses for the same price as formerly, so on and after June 16^, 1913, we, the undersigned have agreed to charge the following prices: For new shoes, per set $1.00. For resetting shoes, per set 50 cts. For putting on new shoes when the customers buy them, per set 60 cts. R.H JELLY , O'Leary . J. McNAUGHT , McNaught's Corner JAS. E. BROWN , HARRY A. SAUNDERS , MELVINMCAUSLAND, DOUGLAS REE), Campbell ton W. Y. COSTAIN , JAS. MCDOUGALL , Springfield TO A. HARRIS , ANGUS MCEACHERN , PATRICK MCCOURT, Coleman. Island Farmer, June 18,1913 400