With This Device Sod may be Cut Quickly and of Uniform Width and Thickness
The device may be made of any suitable width; 15 in. between the inner edges of the blade, and the latter set to cut a depth of about 2¹⁄₂ in., being desirable. The board is a 2-in. plank, about 4 ft. long. The blade should be set with the cutting edge slanting slightly downward so as to make the device “bite” into the ground. A smaller cutter may be made for use by boys, several of whom may draw it.—F. H. Sweet, Waynesboro, Va.
A Match-Box Trick
All that is required to perform this trick is a box of safety matches. Four matches are removed and three of them arranged as shown in the sketch. The performer then tells his friends that he will light the fourth match and set the cross match on fire in the center, then asks which match of the standing ones will light first. Most persons will not stop to think and guess either one or the other. As a matter of fact, after the cross match is set on fire it soon burns the wood away, and the pressure of the two side matches will cause it to spring out so that neither catches fire.—Contributed by Abner B. Shaw, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
Cutting Glass Bottle with Electricity
Performing an experiment in a laboratory, it became necessary to have some apparatus which we did not possess at the time. A bell jar could have been used, but this we did not have, and as a substitute we used a large glass bottle, 8 in. in diameter, with the bottom removed. In order to do this, we first made a mark around the outside of the bottle near the bottom with a glass cutter. A piece of copper wire, ¹⁄₃₂ in. in diameter, was then wound around the outside on the mark and connected to the circuit.
As the wire would expand enough to make it slip off the bottle when heated red-hot, pliers were used to keep it taut about the bottle when the current was turned on. A current of 110 volts and 5 amperes was run through the wire, heating it red-hot, and this cracked the glass exactly on the line marked by the glass cutter.—Contributed by R. E. Hollis, Chicago, Ill.