The seats J are suspended at the ends of the 2 by 4-in. bar, with their inner ends lower, as shown, to give a better seating when the thriller is in action. The seats are supported by rope or strap-iron brackets, K, set 15 in. apart. The box should be high enough so that the seats do not strike the ground.
Kinks for the Talking Machine
When short of fiber needles or when the jewel needle has broken, file down the tooth of a bone comb to the required point, and it will serve well. If the needle arm becomes loosened from the diaphragm, and no wax is handy, a bit of soft chewing gum makes an excellent temporary repair. Use a magnet to pick up steel needles from the receptacles on the machine, to save time and avoid punctured fingers. If the machine is too loud for the room, placing a piece of loose cotton in the tone arm, directly behind the reproducer, is more effective than muffling the sound at the horn end.—L. B. Robbins, Attleboro, Mass.
A Wire-Walking Toy
Adapted to Window Displays, This Amusing Toy Has an Advertising Value
A daring wire-walking performer who, unmindful of the fact that a misstep may mean destruction, keeps on going, back and forth, so long as the motor runs, or the crank is turned, is a toy that boys can make easily. The wire is stretched, not across Broadway, but between two 1 by 1-in. standards, held upright by guy cords, or fixed to a baseboard. They are fitted with forked tops, at A and B, and pulley wheels, C and D. A wire, F, is fastened to two of the prongs, at E, and a black thread, G, runs over the pulley wheels. A carriage, I, is formed from a 12-in. length of stiff wire, and weighted, at L, to balance upon the tight wire. The figure K is cut from stiff paper, and made to turn upon the carriage upright J, and braced with thread, at H. Thus the figure is always drawn forward, revolving on the support J at the end of each trip. Power to turn the thread is transmitted from a hand crank or motor, M, by means of the double pulley wheel at D.—Edward R. Smith, Walla Walla, Washington.
Double Roofs Provide Ideal Shade for Poultry Coops
Having no native shade in our city chicken yard, we noticed one summer that the hens, especially those in the low brooder coops, became droopy and exhausted from the excessive heat. We studied the construction of the U. S. Weather Bureau thermometer shelter, which usually stands out in the sun, and is no larger than our brooder coops. It has a double roof with free air-circulation space between the roofs, hence the inclosed thermometers are exposed to a true-shade temperature. We then placed an extra roof on each of the brooder coops, leaving a 6-in. open air space between, the top roof being supported at the corners only. The arrangement proved so effective that the hens sought the coops, against the heat of unventilated inclosures on quiet, hot days.—J. Cecil Alter, Cheyenne, Wyo.