Our bird table is a source of great enjoyment, particularly since the birds feel secure from cats or other enemies because of the construction of this ornament in our garden. The sketch shows the arrangement of the table braced at the top of a 6-ft. post. Shrubbery surrounds the table and a light evergreen climber clings to the post, yet does not give the cats a good foothold.
Experience has taught us that birds in general prefer bread crumbs to other varieties of food, and they are also fond of cracked wheat. The linnets like oranges particularly. We cut an orange in two and place the halves on the table. It is amusing to see the birds balance on one side of the orange while they peck at the fruit. Soon the orange peel is almost entirely emptied. We provide a small basin of fresh water on the table, and the birds use it as a drinking cup as well as a bathtub.—F. H. Sweet, Waynesboro, Va.
Making Photographic Prints Glossy
Pictures printed on glossy, semi-glossy, or semimat paper may be given a high gloss by the following method: Obtain a sheet of clean glass, without scratches, and apply a solution of a piece of paraffin, the size of a walnut, in one pint of gasoline. Use a soft cloth, and when the glass is dry, rub until all traces are removed. Soak the prints in water for 10 minutes and place them on the glass, face down. Place a clean blotter over them and roll on it with a print roller, to remove excess water and to give them a good contact with the glass. Dry the prints in a warm place, preferably where there is a draft.—M. E. Fuller, Detroit, Michigan.
Shaving-Brush Holder
A shaving brush is injured by permitting it to remain in the mug to dry. It should be suspended with the hair down so that it may dry thoroughly and quickly. A hook made from a piece of wire bent to form a loop, with a pointed section at each side of it, may be made easily. The loop should be of a size to fit the thin portion of the handle, and the pointed ends of the wire are driven into the wall or other support. A loop may be made at each end instead of pointing the wire and the device fixed to the wall with two small screws placed through the end loops.
How To Build
A Canoe
By Stillman Taylor
PART I
Specifications and List of Materials
Canoe making is commonly considered more difficult than building the larger and heavier craft but many amateurs with only ordinary experience and tools have turned out satisfactory canoes, and if the simple directions given here are carefully followed out, the work will proceed rapidly and no difficulty will be encountered. Working with light materials, the canoe builder must pay particular attention to the workmanship, and, as it is many times more difficult to patch up mistakes in a canoe than it is in rowboats or other heavier craft, the work must not be hurried, but plenty of time taken to do each and every part well and in a workmanlike manner.