Hazard A Guess: Week of Jan. 16, 2003.

Hello from Hazard!

Ever hear of the saying, “cold hands, warm heart”? Well, I’m sure all of us reading this north of the Mason-Dixon line sure have warm hearts these days, because our hands sure are cold. All you Southern readers and Florida snowbirds count your blessings.

Item No. 669 must have awoken you from your mid-winter slumber. We received several “close” responses, including a “peg leg” and a stilt. Readers Dave Soehnlen and Jude Brown were both the “warmest” of all the close answers by saying it was some sort of a portable stock to do footwork on cows or horses. And Tom Miller of Spartansburg, Pa., was most correct in saying what it was used for, but just not the right species.

This wooden gizmo is a cast used for a horse with a broken front leg. You put some padding in it and then strapped the leg into the sling with the wide leather bands. Our thanks to Mary Lou Wiskowski of Glenshaw, Pa., for sending in the photograph.

Not much to tell you about Item No. 670, for you can see its length in the photograph, but I will add that it’s very lightweight and made of aluminum. Mark Steeb of Columbiana, Ohio, submitted the item.

Do you know what it was used for? If so, jot us a note at: Hazard a Guess, P.O. Box 38, Salem, OH 44460; or via e-mail: editorial@farmanddairy.com.

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We also have a request from reader John Borkowski of Kirtland, Ohio, who wants to know something about the early years of margarine.

“We old timers are having a discussion about he uncolored margarine (it looked like lard) that used to come in a clear plastic, one-pound pouch, with an orange pill in the corner. I remember getting to crush the pill and knead the margarine to spread the orange color all through it (this was about 1948-49).

“One lady says it come out in the 1930s.

“I was wondering if any knows just when margarine was sold like this?”

Can anyone help? Just write us at the address or e-mail listed above, and we’ll share the responses here in Hazard-land.