To do away with the annoyance and strain of holding up the heavy pole of a mowing machine while fastening the yoke strap to the hames of a restless team of horses, I equipped the pole with a drop stick, or rest. This was made of a 30-in. piece of an old carriage shaft. One end of the rod was hinged to the underside of the pole as shown. When the machine is in operation, the stick is tied up out of the way by means of a rope. This appliance also lengthens the life of the pole, and can be used on various kinds of vehicles.—T. H. Linthicum, Annapolis, Maryland.
String-Cutting Ring Made of Horseshoe Nail
Persons having to tie a large number of packages or parcels soon find that their fingers become sore from breaking the heavy cord in the usual manner by wrapping it around the finger to form a cutting loop. A handy device, that can easily be made, is a string-cutting ring fashioned from a horseshoe nail, as shown. The point of the nail is curled into a hook, and the inner edge of the hook is sharpened. The string is quickly looped around the hook and cut by a slight pull on the free end. The ring is worn on the little finger.—C. C. Spreen, Flint, Mich.
¶A block of soft rubber, 1¹⁄₂ by 3 by 5 in., is useful as a pad for sandpaper in smoothing curved surfaces.
Teakettle Cover Held by Dent in Edge
To prevent kettle covers from dropping off, and the fingers from being burned by the escaping steam, make a small dent in the edge of the lid, as shown. In setting the lid into place, arrange it so that the dent is at the point opposite the spout. Thus, when the water is poured from the kettle, the lid cannot easily tip forward.—W. J. Parks, LaSalle, Ill.
Candlesticks Wired Neatly for Electric Lamps
