An Alarm for a Sleepwalker
A little girl in our family would walk in her sleep and it caused us no little worry lest she might leave the house without our knowing it. I therefore rigged up an alarm device to ring a bell should she leave the room. The device consisted of a bell and battery in a circuit, and a switch which was attached to one door casing. A string was stretched across the doorway and attached to the switch lever in such a manner as to pull it closed when the string was pushed through the doorway opening.—Contributed by J. Woodburn, Toronto, Canada.
A Kraut and Root Grinder
The grinder is intended mainly for chopping cabbage when making sauerkraut, but it is also of much service in grinding vegetables and roots to be cooked for poultry.
The Grinder will Easily Reduce Cabbage Heads to Bits Suitable for Sauerkraut
The base A is made of a plank, at least 1 ft. wide and 4 ft. long, with a 9-1/4 by 9-1/2-in. hole cut in the center. The grinding part, or cylinder, is made of wood, 3 in. in diameter and 9 in. long, with 8-penny nails, spaced 3/16 in. apart, driven partly into it and then cut off so as to leave 1/4 in. projecting. The cylinder is turned by means of a crank attached to the end of the shaft.
A hopper, B, is constructed, 4 by 9-1/2 in. inside measurement at the bottom, and as large as necessary at the top. A space is provided at the bottom as shown to receive the concave C, which consists of a 1-in. board, 3 to 4 in. wide and 9 in. long, with nails driven in and cut off as described for the cylinder.
The hopper is securely fastened on top of the baseboard and over the cylinder. The concave is slipped into place and held with wedges or by driving two nails in just far enough to fasten it temporarily. The concave can be adjusted for grinding the different vegetable products, or replaced at any time with a new one.
The ends of the base are supported on boxes, or legs may be provided if desired. When grinding cabbage, cut the heads into quarters and remove the hearts. Press the cabbage on the cylinder and turn the crank. Fine bits of cabbage, suitable for sauerkraut, will be the result.—Contributed by J. G. Allshouse, Avonmore, Pa.