Popular Science Monthly 



49 



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- 

 ;'lanting, they are 

 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. 



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 



