708 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



then the windmill would seem to stop and 

 take a breath. At other times it would 

 scold, and seemed to whine because its little 

 masters gave it too much work to do. Fi- 

 nally Ihey succeeded in cutting off a dozen 

 lengths of boards, or such a matter, and 

 then the windmill began to run^so slow that 

 it was impracticable to cut boards. The 

 boys, impatient to continue their work with- 

 out interruption, were obliged to wait until 

 another gust of wind came along. 



"• I tell you." said Jimmy, '" it is a con- 

 founded nuisance to work this way." 



" I know it is," said Sam, " but it is a 

 good deal better than cutting off boards 1)y 

 hand. I wonder why the wind does not blow 

 all the time. OH in the field there the wind 

 seems to be waving the trees. There must 

 be something wrong with our windmill. 

 There is pa down there. Lefs ask him 

 what he thinks about it." While they were 

 talking thus. Mr. Green came into the barn 

 to see how they were i)rogressing. 



'' Well, boys, you have made a start, have 

 you not? VVhy aren't you at work now?" 

 said he, as a twinkle gleamed in his eye. 



■"Say, pa, what is the reason those trees 

 are waving their tops, and yet our windmill 

 won't run?" 



■■ I have just been thinking of this very 

 same thingmyself." said Mr. Green, '' and I 

 think T have an explanation for it. The 

 wind is, as you notice, in a southwesterly 

 direction ; directly in range is a maple-tree 

 standing in front oi' the mill. When the 

 wind changes a little, I think you will not 

 experience quite the same trouble." 



•' But, pa, yesterday, when the wind was 

 directly in the west, the windmill had this 

 fashion of humming a while, and slacking 

 up and stopping just when we wanted to 

 work." 



" Suppose, boys, we get on top of the barn 

 where we can (ibserve matters a little more 

 closely." 



This propositiou was no sooner put forth 

 than it was put into execution. From tlie 

 roof, Mr. Green mounted the short wind- 

 mill-tower, in ordei- that he might better de- 

 tect the breeze. 



'■'■ See," said he ; " clear over yonder, some 

 ;W0 or 100 yards, the trees are waving quite 

 hard, and yet the wind is not blowing here 

 at all, scarcely." 



" That's so." chimed the boys. Very soon, 

 however, the leaves rustled on the trees, and 

 the windmill inunediately commenced re- 

 volving at a prett>' good rate of speed. 



"Oh! I think"! see," said Mr. Green. 

 '• There seem to be gusts of wind traveling 

 along; and when you saw the trees iit a dis- 

 tance from the barn window, waving, you saw 

 one of these gusts coming up. Didn't the 

 wind mill,'soon after, commence revolving?" 



'' Yes," said Sam ; " I now remember it 

 did on several occasions." 



The three then decended to the ground. 

 Sometimes, when the windmill was going at 

 a pretty good rate, they felt no breeze what- 

 ever. Again, the breeze seemed pretty 

 strong, and yet the windmill moved not. 



'■ Tliere seems to bean upward and a low- 

 er current traveling," observed Mr. (ireen. 

 While they were thus talking, the wind- 



mill started briskly ; and the boys, eager to 

 make use of the opportunity, ascended to 

 the barn-loft, accompanied by Mr. (Jreen. 

 They cut a few lengths of boards, and then 

 the windmill stopped as before. 



" That is enough to make a fellow mad," 

 said Jimmy. 



" You must not expect," interposed their 

 instructor, '' that wind power is equal in 

 steadiness to steam power or water power. 

 We have already observed that there are 

 gusts of wind that seem to traAel about ; 

 and when one of these strikes the mill we 

 have an abundance of power. In the inter- 

 ims the mill may run very slowly and per- 

 haps stop. Now, while we are waiting for 

 more wind, suppose we remove the crosscut 

 and put in its place the rip saw. drosscut- 

 ting is a little different from ripping ; and 

 while I have the opportunity 1 want to in- 

 struct you in ripping up frame-stuff, edging 

 boards, etc." 



" What do you mean V)y edging boards?" 

 said Jimmy. 



" I mean, making the sides of the boards 

 at right angles to tlie ends which you have 

 already cut off." 



" OhI' said Jimmy ; '" I see." 



Jimmy proceeded to lift up the saw-table. 

 He took up a wrench. He twisted and twist- 

 ed, but the nut which held the saw in place 

 on the mandrel would not stir. 



" Wait a moment ! you are turning the 

 wrong way." 



'•Why,! am turning it just the way aW 

 screws are made, when you want to iniscrew 

 a screw." 



" But you must remember," said Mr. 

 Green, ''that I told you that when you 

 wanted to take off' the saw fiom the arbor 

 you must turn the nut in the opposite direc- 

 tion from which you are accustomed. In 

 other words, you are dealing with what is 

 called a left-handed screw. Turn the other 

 way." 



Jimmy did so and it slipped off' easily. In- 

 stead of taking a wrench. ;is is customary, 

 Mr. Green told .Jimmy to take a hammer 

 and strike on that side of the init that will 

 take the nut off'. 



'• Yow see. if the screw on the mandrel 

 were a right-handed screw, the saw would 

 untwist the nut ; therefore we are obliged to 

 have a left-handed screw, the same as you 

 will find on the left side of a buggy." 



Accordingly, when Mr. Green slipped on 

 the rip-saw he tiuned the screw " back- 

 ward," as Jimmy said. 



By this time "the wind had started up 

 again. In the meantime Mr. G. had remov- 

 ed the figure-f(un- and adjusted the parallel 

 gauge so that there was about a. quarter of 

 an inch distance between it and the hum- 

 ming saw. He next took up a board about 

 a foot long, and shoved it through. 



'' Yes, that works very nicely," said he. 

 He then raised the saw-table "so that the 

 saw just projected through this seven-eights 

 board, after which he sawed the board into 

 narrow strips ; but while cutting the strips 

 he used the push-stick, such as has been pre- 

 viously described. Just at that momenta 

 friend" of Mr. (Jreen came to see him, and he 

 was called awav. After he had gone, Jim- 



