Antidote for Squirrel Pest
To the owner of a garden in a town where squirrels are protected by law, life in the summer time is a vexation. First the squirrels dig up the sweet corn and two or three replantings are necessary. When the corn is within two or three days of being suitable for cooking, the squirrels come in droves from far and near. They eat all they can and carry away the rest. When the corn is gone cucumbers, cabbages, etc., share the same fate, being partly eaten into. At the risk of being arrested for killing the squirrels I have used a small target rifle morning and night, but during my absence the devastation went on steadily. Last year they destroyed my entire corn crop. Traps do no good; can't use poison, too dangerous. But I have solved the difficulty; it's easy.
Shake cayenne pepper over the various vegetables which are being ruined, and observe results.
Homemade Electric Stove
By J. F. Tholl
Pattern for Parts of the Electric Stove
The construction of an electric stove is very simple, and it can be made by any home mechanic having a vise and hand drill. The body is made of sheet or galvanized iron, cut out and drilled as shown in Fig. 1.
Each long projection represents a leg, which is bent at right angles on the center line by placing the metal in the jaws of a vise and hammering the metal over flat. If just the rim is gripped in the vise, it will give a rounding form to the lower part of the legs. The small projections are bent in to form a support for the bottom.
The bottom consists of a square piece of metal, as shown in Fig. 2. Holes are drilled near the edges for stove bolts to fasten it to the bottom projections. Two of the larger holes are used for the ends of the coiled rod and the other two for the heating-wire terminals. The latter holes should be well insulated with porcelain or mica. The top consists of a square piece of metal drilled as shown in Fig. 3. Four small ears are turned down to hold the top in place.
One end of the coiled rod is shown in Fig. 4. This illustrates how two pins are inserted in holes, drilled at right angles, to hold the coil on the bottom plate. The coiled rod is 3/16 in. in diameter and 27 in. long. The rod is wrapped with sheet asbestos, cut in 1/2-in. strips.
The length of the heating wire must be determined by a test. This wire can be purchased from electrical stores. Stovepipe wire will answer the purpose when regular heating wire cannot be obtained. The wire is coiled around the asbestos-covered rod, so that no coil will be in contact with another coil. If, by trial, the coil does not heat sufficiently, cut some of it off and try again. About 9-1/2 ft. of No. 26 gauge heating wire will be about right. The connection to an electric-lamp socket is made with ordinary flexible cord, to which is attached a screw plug for making connections.