Difficulty in the operation of a lawn mower is often caused by failure to use the machine properly. A lawn mower cuts like scissors except that one of the members is fixed. The cutters pass over the cutting bar at an angle and thus shear off the grass. The machine tends to throw the grass off to one side, usually toward the left; hence the machine should not be permitted to throw the cut grass back into the uncut patch. This may be prevented by passing around the lawn so that the uncut grass is at the right of the operator.—W. H. Kruse, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Telegraph Recorder with Spool-and-Pencil Indicator
A simple substitute for the somewhat complicated telegraph recorders of the inking type may be constructed of materials readily available to a boy. The instrument shown in the sketch was made in a short time and with no special outlay. The base and the upright support are of wood. The armature A was made of a strip cut from a tin box, and folded to a length of 4 in.
The Telegraph Recorder was Made of Materials That may be Gathered Easily by Boys
The recording device consists of a short piece of pencil, P, set in a spool, S. The electromagnet M is fixed to the base, and the armature A is actuated when current is permitted to pass through the magnet, causing the recording pencil to move vertically. A strip of paper is moved slowly under the pencil, and in order to make the record regular a small channel-shaped guide of metal may be arranged under the pencil.—William Warnecke, Jr., New York City.
Campers’ Bait Cache
Angleworms for Fishing Bait may be Kept Satisfactorily in the Buried Box, Covered with Sod
Campers desiring a sure supply of angleworms for fishing will find the bait cache shown in the sketch convenient and practical. A box, about 18 in. long and 10 in. square on the end, is sunk into the ground in a shady place, and all the bait dug by the campers on their arrival is placed into it. The soil used to fill the box should be rich, black loam, quite moist but not wet enough to be sticky. A few inches of the top of the box is left unfilled and a double layer of green sod is fitted over it, as shown in the sectional view at the right. The upper sod is arranged level with the surface of the ground and should be cut carefully so that it will not be observed by prowlers. If the region where fishing is to be done is such that angleworms cannot be obtained easily, it is best to dig them before starting for the camp. The bait cache may then be made as a convenient place in which to keep the bait in good condition for fishing.