452 



Popular Science Monthly 



the 



Keeping the Tobacco at 

 Top of the Can 



THE man who smokes a pipe and 

 buys his tobacco in the "neat little 

 tins" will save himself cut fingers and 

 perhaps a degree of lost temper if he 



A movable auxiliary bottom to raise the 

 tobacco in the can as it is used from the top 



will equip his tobacco can with an 

 arrangement similar to that shown in the 

 accompanying drawing. A groove is 

 dented into one side of the can and a 

 sliding strap of some fairly stiff metal 

 inserted in the groove under a loop which 

 is cut as shown. The strap is bent, 

 half of it being inside the can. When a 

 little of the tobacco, which is contained 

 in a snug fitting paraffined paper bag 

 has been poured out the metal strap is 

 pressed upward, bringing the level of 

 the tobacco even with the top of the 

 can. This can be repeated as the 

 tobacco is used until the can is empty. 



Keeping Your Plants Watered 

 While You Are Away 



IF you are going away from home for a 

 few days and are afraid your choice 

 window plants may suffer for lack of 

 water, place the plants around a large 

 bucket filled with water, drop one end 

 of a piece of yarn to the bottom of the 

 water, and lay the other end on the earth 

 around one plant, using as many pieces 

 of yarn as you have plants. Sufficient 

 moisture will thus be carried to the soil 

 to keep the plants in excellent condition 

 for a long time. — H. C. Franke, Jr. 



Using Dirty Waste Oil from 

 Automobile Crankcases 



OLD, dirty and worn out oil, drawn 

 from automobile crankcases, drip- 

 pans and other sources need not be 

 thrown away. It can be mixed with 

 coal dust and screenings and used for 

 fuel. Use a pint or more with each hod 

 of screenings, mixing well, so as to make 

 a dry pasty mass that will barely hang 

 together. In this way two otherwise 

 useless products may be satisfactorily 

 employed as a fuel. — John Hoeck. 



An Adjustable Shingling Jack 

 for Sloping Roofs 



THIS jack is arranged so it can be in- 

 stantly fitted to any pitch roof by 

 simply loosening the lock nut on sup- 

 ports and raising the seat to the proper 

 angle, then tightening the lock nut. The 

 roof iron is made from 3^ in. by i in. 

 band iron and shaped like the sketch 

 with the points sharpened to keep it from 

 slipping in the roof. The hinges are cut 

 from an old 4^ in. by ^}4 in. door butt 

 and notched out to receive the adjusting 

 rods, which are made of M-in. gas pipe 

 which has been threaded up about 2 in. 

 and split with a hack saw, as in the 

 sketch. The button adjuster rod is of 

 solid iron ^ in. in diameter and filed to 

 slide into the ^-in. gas pipe. The 



The supports have threaded adjustments like 

 a turnbuckle to raise and lower the seat 



hinges are bolted on the seat and roof 

 iron, and the measurements are from 

 center to center. This jack was made 

 with no other tools than a hack saw 

 and a flat file. 



