216 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



good short splice requires that the rope be unlayed 

 for about twenty-five times its own diameter for 

 each end of the splice. Care should be taken that 

 the ends of the strands are opened up properly so 

 that none cross over the middle as in Figure 26. 



The middles of the two ends are then placed to- 

 gether so that each strand lies between two strands 

 from the opposite rope, as in Figure 27. 



After the ends are set together in this way, 

 begin the splice by taking a strand from the left-T 

 hand rope and placing it around 

 the strand from the right-hand 

 rope which lies against it on the 

 farther side from the operator. 

 Place it around and pull it under, 

 toward you, the same as though 

 you were tying the first half of a 

 square knot. The easiest way to 

 do this is illustrated in Figure 28. 

 Here the rope is untwisted enough 

 to allow the left thumb to go un- 

 der the strand from the right- 

 hand rope so that the strand from 

 the left-hand rope may be placed 



against the end of the thumb and 

 crowded under the right-hand 

 strand as the thumb is drawn 

 back. 



After this is done and the 

 strand pulled down smoothly as 

 in Figure 29, turn the rope toward 

 you and do exactly the same with 

 the next pair of strands ; that is, 

 place the one from the left-hand 

 rope around the one from the 

 right-hand rope which lies next 

 back of it, and pull it under to- 

 ward you. Do exactly the same 

 thing with the third strand from 

 the left-hand rope ; then reverse 

 the rope, or place yourself on the 

 other side of it, and go through 

 exactly the same process with the 

 other three strands. All strands 

 should now be pulled up tightly 

 and if all the operations so far 

 have been correctly done, the 

 middle of the splice will be a 

 three-strand rope the same as any 

 other part of the rope as shown in 

 Figure 30, only that the strands 

 will be twice as large as in the 

 original rope. 



To finish the splice simply 

 keep repeating the process al- 

 ready begun except that as you proceed, leave out a 

 small portion of each strand each time it is looped 

 around its mate, thus gradually tapering the end of 

 the splice as in Figure 31. This kind of short splice 

 will be smoother when finished and will wear longer 

 than the ordinary short splice in which the strands 

 cross each other nearly at right angles. Figure 32 

 shows the completed splice. 



Rope halters are very easily made, cost very 

 much less than those made of leather, and for some 

 purposes they are much better. For example, a 

 colt when first tied in the stable, will be very much 

 less likely to learn the bad habit of halter-pulling 

 if tied with a rope halter which will hurt the back 

 of his head when he pulls upon it, than he will in 

 case a leather halter is used. 



To make a good halter for a horse requires 

 about 15 feet of half-inch rope. To measure the 

 rope for the halter, allow about six inches of the 

 end for splicing, then measure from the point at the 

 side of the head where the square ring of a leather 

 halter naturally comes, over the head to the corre- 



