A small camel's-hair brush will be required for the varnishing—one about 1/2 in. wide will do. If the varnishing is to be done out of doors, a clear and warm day should be selected, and the can of coach varnish should be placed in a pot of hot water for five minutes, so that the varnish will spread evenly. A temperature of about 75 deg. is best for this work, as the varnish will not spread if cold or in a cold place. The varnish should be evenly brushed on, and care taken that no spots are left untouched. Hang up by the tip to dry in a room free from dust. While the varnish will set in four or five hours, it is a good plan to allow three days for drying between coats. Two coats will suffice to protect the rod, but as coach varnish, properly applied, is rather thin in body, three coats will give complete protection to the wood.
The materials required for this rod are,
- 1 dagame or greenheart stick, 5 ft. long and 5/8 in. square;
- 1 reel seat with straight hood, 3/4 in.;
- 1 butt cap, 1 in.; 1 taper, small end 15/32 in.;
- 1 offset, or angle, agate top, 3/32 in., and 2 narrow agate guides, 1/2 in., all in German silver;
- 2 doz. corks, 1-1/4 by 1-1/8 in.,
- and two 50-yd. spools of silk, red and green, 00 size.
Automatic Watering System for Poultry Yards
Where a large number of poultry is cared for, the annoyance and attention necessary to furnish a constant water supply can be overcome by using the system shown in the illustration. For this purpose a storage tank must be provided. This may be some old toilet flush tank, or any open reservoir that will hold sufficient water to keep all the drinking pans supplied. A float is provided and connected with a stop valve, so that when the float drops below a certain level, the valve will be turned open, and a fresh supply of water will enter the storage tank, thereby again raising the float and closing the valve.
Simple Arrangement of a Flush Tank in Connection with a System of Pipes to Supply One or More Pans of Water for the Poultry Yard
Each drinking pan should be about 10 in. in diameter by 4 in. deep, and is drilled for a 7/8-in. hole to fit a 1/2-in. pipe. At the pan end, the pipe is threaded so that a lock nut and leather washer can be attached on each side of the pan bottom, to provide a watertight joint; at the other end, the pipe is screwed into a tee in the 1/2-in. main line which connects with the storage tank.
In using the system, sufficient water is run into the tank to fill the pans about three-quarters full. The float may then be adjusted to a shut-off position for the inlet valve. All pans are automatically kept at one level, even though several may be used considerably more than others. When the general water level has dropped sufficiently, the float, dropping with it, will open the stop valve, and cause the water to enter the tank and pans until the original level is again restored.—Contributed by D. E. Hall, Hadlyme, Connecticut.