90 



Popular Science Monthly 



An Adjustable Rake for the 

 "Land Patriots" 



Eliminating the Noise from 



ALL contributions to 

 l\ the cause of agri- 

 cultural preparedness 

 will be gratefully re- 

 ceived! Especially 

 when they are as good 

 as the adjustable garden 

 rake that is shown in the 

 accompanying illustra- 

 tions. Instead of hav- 

 ing to use a number of 

 different sized rakes to 

 fit between rows of diff- 

 erent kinds of vegetables, 

 you can adjust this one 

 rake to suit all purposes. 

 All the teeth of the rake, 

 excepting the central 

 one, are riveted to two 

 rectangular side-frames 

 pivoted to an iron socket 

 on the end of the rake 

 handle. When weeding, 



O 1 



When the central tooth is re- 

 moved the rake will straddle the 

 small shoots. Then both sides of 

 the row can be worked at one time 



Above: The side teeth 

 adjusted to a narrow 

 row. At right : The 

 rake opened out 



or when loosening the ground between rows 

 of potatoes, for instance, the side bars are 

 swung around until they aline. The rake, 

 thus opened to its fullest width, is then 

 locked in this position by the wing nuts 

 shown. When cultivating onions, on the 

 other hand, the angle between 

 the side bars can be reduced to 

 adjust the rake to the smaller 

 width. 



When the sprouts are 

 young, this rake can be 

 used for cultivating both 

 sides of the row at one 

 time. The central tooth 

 may be unscrewed and 

 taken out making it 

 possible for the rake to 

 operate on both sides 

 of the small shoots. 



Railroad Traveling 



NE railroad at least 

 has solved the 

 noise problem. Much 

 to the delight of the 

 passengers, the "Bur- 

 lington Route" has 

 rooted out the grinding 

 of wheels, the creaking 

 of axles, and the other 

 noises usually attendant 

 upon traveling. They 

 have accomplished this 

 by installing a sound-, 

 proof flooring in their 

 new steel cars. A layer 

 of hair felt one inch 

 thick, a layer of spec- 

 ially prepared paper, 

 and a half-inch air space 

 separate the steel floor 

 of the car from the 

 steel sub-floor nearer 

 the ground. The sounds 

 coming from the wheels 

 are practically all ab- 

 sorbed by the insulating 

 layers. Especially in 

 traversing the loosely 

 packed felt, the sound 

 vibrations are readily 

 lost in the loosely 

 connected fibers, 

 so that they will 

 never reach the 

 ears of the 

 travelers. 



Combining a Strainer with the 

 Bung of a Barrel 



A BARREL attachment which serves 

 as a bung and a strainer in one has 

 been devised by William R. Brison, of 

 Tompkinsville, New 

 York. Screw the at- 

 j^^^^^^^^ tachment into the 



barrel and contents 

 can be drawn through 

 an exceptionally fine 

 strainer, without re- 

 tarding, the flow. 



The attachment 

 consists of a hollow 

 steel head that sup- 

 ports the cheese-cloth 

 The cheese-cloth strainer extends back covered wire frame- 



into the barrel like a long, hojlow tube work of the strainer. 



