It is often difficult for many to weigh hay, corn fodder, 

 straw, etc., for lack of suitable scales, but this is by no nieans 

 a serious matter, for less than $i.oo outlay of cash and Yi days 

 work, a balance can be made that will weigh very accurately, the 

 cuts on page 23, represent the parts of one that is now in use 

 in our feeding barn. Figure x, is the complete balance, A is 

 the beam, a, a, a, are the pivots wMch consist of "screw eyes,'* 

 b, b, b, and common " halter snaps," which hook into these screw 

 eyes. The cords which suspend the weight platform w and the 

 spreader h pass through two of these " snaps " while the hook 

 or cord by which the whole is suspended from a beam, (d in the 

 cut Fig. 1) is attached to the third "snap." The platform P is 

 suspended by its four corners by cords passing through the 

 " speader " h at the parts marked, 2, 3, the " speader " being 

 suspended by the cord shown passing through holes at i and 4, 

 c is a plumb bob suspended from near the top of the beam at n, 

 and when balanced should be in the center of the board x that 

 is fastened to the center of the beam. 



The material from which to construct such a balance con- 

 sist of " three screw eyes " and three " halter snaps " these may 

 be had at any hardware store, also 40 ft, of window weight cord 

 and cloth or canvass to cover the hay platform, this is all that 

 need be bought, and the whole cost is only 35 cents. 



The beam is made of a straight piece of inch board, 4 

 inches wide, and 8 ft, 6 inches long, this is shown in Fig. 5, 

 on the under side of this at each end, a piece is cut out, 6 inches 

 long and 2 inches wide as shown, on the top side in the exact 

 center one screw eye is inserted, now measure exactly 4 feet each 

 way from this to the points y, z, Fig. 5, and insert a screw eye 

 at each end on the under side, this completes the beam. 



Next get out 2 pieces each 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide and 

 5 ft, 8 inches long, like Fig. 4, and cut the ends as shown ; these 

 are the pieces o, o, which cross in Fig. 2 ; cross them at right 

 angles and nail securely ; now take four lath, (t, t, t, t, Fig. 2), 

 cut two of the 4 ft, long, and two 3 ft, 9 inches long. The cross 

 piece o which is under7ieath must have two blocks of inch board, 

 4 inches square, nailed to each end, to bring the top up even 

 with the other cross-piece. Now nail the lath on as shown. 

 This is the skeleton of the platform which is to be covered with 

 heavy cotton cloth, or canvass, or oil cloth, tacked to the lath 



24 



