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According to "50% self-sufficient" Daniel Warner of Walton, New York, there's more than one way to skin a small animal. In order to better define the boundary between a recently killed specimen's hide and its flesh, Daniel makes one small hole in the skin right above the quarry's hind foot. He then inserts a ball needle (attached to a hand pump) just under the skin, and begins pumping in air. The carcass puffs up like a balloon . . . separating most of the hide from the meat. Warner next pats the hide, working air into any area that still adheres to the flesh.

At that point, the Empire Stater begins cutting around the animal's legs and across to the anus. Then, when Daniel does peel the hide, it comes off easily, and the connective tissue remains clearly visible . . . enabling him to make cuts that insure that the maximum amount of meat stays on the carcass and off the hide.

If you own chickens, Doug Qualls's tip may be mighty helpful to you. This resident of Apple Valley, California avoids the boring chore of hoeing the weeds along his fences by throwing chicken scratch along the line of his posts. Doug's feathered "fence crew" then digs in after the feed . . . pulling up weeds as they go!

Save those sunflower stalks! Eileen Janigo of Wittenberg, Wisconsin does . . . and finds them quite handy for supporting pole beans, lima beans, peas, morning glories, and other climbing crops or flowers in her garden. And you don't even have to wait until spring to use the stalks . . . the Badger Stater says they also make great shepherds' staffs for Christmas pageants!

Linda Bisaccia treats her pet goldfish to her own homegrown seaweed. Here's how she does it. The last time Linda purchased some elodea plants at the pet shop (which was quite a while ago by now), she bought an extra bunch and placed it and a few snails in a glass jug of water. Ms. Bisaccia set the container in a sunny spot among her indoor greenery, and then sat back to watch the seaweed grow. The Thurmont, Maryland reader says that regular thinning of the underwater crop provides an ample supply of seaweed for her feasting fish. What's more, she gets to enjoy watching beautiful chains of silvery oxygen bubbles float up from her sunlit plants . . . and, when Linda changes the water in the jug from time to time, she brightens up drooping houseplants with the fertilized liquid!

"My husband and I own and operate a secondhand store, and therefore rely on garage sales for a considerable por tion of our merchandise," writes Mrs. Dennis Austin of Medicine Park, Oklahoma. "However, we found that running about to 30 or more different sales in one day can be extremely nerve racking, especially since we're newcomers and unsure of the directions around the city.

"So we came up with a device that keeps us sane and delivers us to the sales quickly enough to get hold of the real bargains. First, we obtained a city map from the local fire department. We then trimmed the chart to size before gluing it to a piece of cardboard. Next, we stuck the guide's list of street names and their locations on the back of the cardboard, and had both sides laminated in plastic at the dime store.

"Now, when the garage sale ads appear, we mark the location of each on the map with a grease pencil . . . and plot our route. This saves us time, gasoline, and frustration. And we can reuse the map simply by wiping off the grease-pencil markings with a cloth!"

Got a good-for-nothing ball point pen? Turn it into a useful implement by taking this suggestion from D. Leverette of Fairfield, Florida: "A tip for those readers who keep notebooks on various subjects for easy reference and would like to add diagrams to their records-is to take a dry ball point pen and a piece of carbon paper, place the carbon underneath an original sketch, and trace over the work. Presto! You've got a copy to put with your notes so that you can refer to it quickly when you're in the fields."

David Eniss is so impressed with his wife's Honey Candy recipe that he decided he'd like to share it with all of MOTHER's readers. The La Belle, Floridian says this dessert/snack is delicious, nutritious, and oh so-easy to make.

Mix together in a pan 1 stick of margarine, 3/4 cup of honey, 3/4 cup of milk, and 3 tablespoons of cocoa or carob powder. Boil this mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring it constantly, and then remove the pan from the heat. Next, add 3/4 to 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter and 3 cups (more or less, according to your taste) of oats. Spread the hot honey candy on a tray or plate and allow it to cool. Then cut it into squares and enjoy!

"No stick" pan spray is expensive to buy, and usually comes in resource wasting aerosol cans, to boot. How can you obtain the benefits this product offers without incurring its costs? Just take this suggestion from Gale L. Flag of Fort Kent, Maine. She keeps a small cotton cloth in a plastic container along with 1/2 teaspoon of liquid leci thin-for wiping all of her pots, cake pans, bread pans, cookie sheets, and broilers before she uses them. A little goes a long way, she adds, so keep the coating very thin.

Charles Craig avoids purchasing those high-priced, commercially produced reflective pet collars by making his own. Charles and his wife, who reside in Tallahassee, Florida, purchased some reflective tape that can be sewn on clothing. They found a remnant of the fluorescent green material on sale at a fabric store for 50d and took it home. After measuring each cat's neck, they stapled the ends of the cut to-fit tapes together and slipped them over the pets' heads. Thus, the Craigs can help protect their night prowling felines at a fraction of the cost of commercial collars.

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