Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 90.djvu/65

 Popular Science Monthly

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��Reforming Bad Boys with Egg- Shells. Distracted Parents Please Note

IT was Christopher Columbus who first advertised the possibility of standing an egg on end; but it re- mained for the residents of a suburb of Dayton, Ohio, to profit by the ability to utilize the shell in its sta- tionary' position. The method em- ployed is similar to that used by Columbus, except that the contents of the egg-shell may first be eaten or used for other purposes; afterward the shell is wiped off and the large end is carefully chipped so that the shell stands securely. The profit comes in utilizing the shell for starting a window garden.

The idea was first conceived at a settle- ment house in the suburb mentioned, in an effort to interest and reform the bad boys of the neighborhood. The little plants were started in the dainty egg-shell cases, and, being given plenty of fresh air, sun- shine and water, they grew first in the sunny windows of the settlement house and afterwards in the homes of the chil- dren, whose interest was aroused and held by the novelty of the idea as well as by the fascina tion of watching things grow. In this way the settlement workers obtained not only companionship of the chil- dren but also an entree into their homes.

The egg-shells take the place of the first little pots in which the seeds are planted. But as the plants grow to uitable size for trans- placed, shells and all, directly into holes made for them in the ground. The shells hold the water and dirt so long as they are not in the gpround, but they soon crack or rot off after being planted, and the roots of the plants grow on undisturbed. This is a decided advan- tage over the ordinary method of potting, and results in a quicker growth than would be possible with clay pots, from which the roots would have to be transplanted at least once and usually twice.
 * 'lanting, they are

���The egg-shells take the place of the first tiny clay jx)ts and are later set into the ground

Preventing Cats and Squirrels from Climbing Trees

AX effective guard to prevent cats and L squirrels from climbing trees to de- stroy birds has been put on the market by a western manufacturer.

It is nothing more than a wire net

with protruding points which expand with

the growth of the tree trunk. The guard

can be fitted to large and small trees,

and there is no animal of the

smaller class agile enough to

climb over it.

Se\eral years ago when the western part of Colo- rado was overrun with jackrabbits the farmers were at a loss to know what to do to prevent their trees and haystacks from being destroyed. The rabbits attacked everything edible in sight, including trees and even thorny bushes.

Of course, the farmers could not protect their haystacks but they did devise a means to save their trees. They bought all the scrap tin they could and fashioned it into guards similar in design to the one illus- trated. These were securely nailed to the trees. It wasn't long before the rabbits passed on to a more hospitable section of the country. In the spring, rolls of cotton saturated with a vermicide are placed over the top of the wires to keep caterpillars away.

���Only a very acrobatic cat or squirrel could climb over this tree-guard

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