A Catapult
The catapult shown in the sketch is one I constructed some time ago and found to be amusing and very inexpensive. The catapult consists of a small piece of dowel or pine, whittled into the shape of a handle, a screweye, an elastic band and an arrow. It is surprising how a well-balanced arrow will fly into the sky until lost to sight when propelled through the eye of the screw with a medium-strong elastic. A number of forms of this simple gun were made, but the one shown is the simplest and most effective.—Contributed by C. A. Needham, New York, N. Y.
The Eye of the Screw Serves as a Guide for the Arrow
Growing Clean Strawberries
A very good method of growing individual strawberry plants that will produce large clean berries is to provide a covering constructed from a board 10 in. square with a 3-in. hole bored in the center. This covering is placed over the plant, as shown in the sketch, to keep down weeds, retain moisture, and to make a base for the ripening berries. A shower cannot spatter dirt and sand on the growing fruit. The rays of the sun beating on the surface of the board will aid in the ripening.
Growing Strawberries on the Surface of a Board Where They will Ripen Fast and Keep Clean
If a log can be obtained, the boards can be made better and more quickly. Disks about 1 in. thick are sawed from the log and holes in their centers either cut with a chisel or bored, as desired. The grain of the wood will be vertical and no warping will take place—Contributed by Johnny Banholster, Gresham, Oregon