and the arm that holds it. The arm is an upright with a rod extending out at right angles from the upper end. The lower end of the upright is slipped into a hole at one corner of the highest part of the bench.
Fig. [7].—The tip of your Christmas tree for a distaff.
Fig. [8].—Bring the four branches up and tie at the top.
The distaff, which the mountaineers of Kentucky call the "rock," is a thing you can make for yourself if your wheel happens to have lost its own. Many are cut from the top points of pine-trees which grow like [Fig. 7], and dogwood also is sometimes used. The tip of your Christmas tree will be just the thing. Strip off the bark, bring the four branches up, and tie at the top to the middle stem ([Fig. 8]). Let the lower end of the stem extend about four inches below the branches and whittle it down to fit in the hole in the distaff-arm.
These are all the parts of the spinning-wheel, but before you can "see the wheels go round" every piece of metal must be
Thoroughly Cleaned
and freed from rust. Rub first with kerosene oil and then with the finest emery paper. Be very careful in polishing the teeth that you do not bend or break them, as it will not be easy to have them replaced. In fact, it is difficult to replace any part of the wheel, and though it has lasted several generations, careless handling may put it past repair.
