Popular Science Monthly 



of gathering. Many varieties of fruit 

 ripen about the same time on the 

 Pacific Coast and there the machine is 

 especially valuable because the prune- 

 grower is in danger of being left short- 

 handed. 



Taking the Bump out of the Barrow 



A MAINE inventor, George S. Nich- 

 ols of Freeport, has taken the 

 jounce 

 out of the 



loa d e d 

 wheel- 

 barrow 

 by at- 

 taching 

 the ends 

 of the 

 wheel- 

 axle to 

 springs 

 which are 

 fastened 

 to the side bars 

 of. the barrow- 

 frame instead of 

 around the axles 

 directly to the 

 ends of the side 

 bars — the usual 

 method. This 

 makes it easy to 

 handle a loaded 

 wheel-barrow. 

 When the wheel 

 bumps against a 

 stone the springs 

 take up the jar 



A wheel -barrow with springs takes more kindly 

 to vmeven roads than the old-fashioned sort 



567 



the land and reduce the danger of soil 

 blowing. Any kind of soil may be worked 

 with the attachment. 



Effects of the War on German Industries 



THE industrial situation in Germany 

 has undergone many changes dur- 

 ing the course of the war. A great in- 

 surance reserve for soldier workmen in- 

 valided in war was started so long as ten 

 years ago, but the frightful 

 struggle which is now in prog- 

 ress and its harvest of perma- 

 nently disabled men were hard- 

 ly expected. Soon after the 

 war had started, however, the 

 necessity for drastic measures 

 became clear to the men prom- 

 inent in the manufacturing in- 

 dustries, with the result that a 

 method of developing and util- 

 izing the productive capacity 

 of crip- 

 pled sol- 

 d i e r s 

 was in- 

 stituted. 

 In car- 

 r \' i n g 

 out this 

 work, 

 the Ver- 

 eindeut- 

 scherln- 

 genieure 

 provides 

 prizes 

 f o r 

 m e t h - 



If this disk-sled attachment is applied to an ordinary sled-har- 

 row, cross-harrowing can be done without a special implement 



instead of the wheel-barrow passing the 

 jolt along to the man behind. 



Making a Disk- Sled of a Harrow 



CROSS-harrowing levels the ground, 

 conserves the moisture and elimi- 

 nates the furrows. A disk-sled attach- 

 ment, invented by L. A. Gaume of 

 Danville, Kan., can be readily fastened 

 to any make of sled-harrow to do this 

 work. The attachment has a spring 

 pressure device by means of which the 

 large wide ridge that is thrown up by the 

 cutting-disk is divided into four small 

 narrow ridges. The various harrow- 

 knives level the ground, close up the 

 furrows, lessen the work of harrowing, 

 prevent evaporation of moisture from 



ods and appliances which will enable 

 disabled workmen to carry out the 

 duties of normal men. Wherever possi- 

 ble, the veterans are returned to their 

 former tasks. Often the problem of 

 finding new employment for them must 

 be solved. 



The large iron, steel and machinery 

 plants are caring for thousands of fam- 

 ilies, the heads of which were formerly 

 employed in their shops. The expense to 

 each concern averages over one hundred 

 thousand dollars a year. It is a remark- 

 able fact that the complicated systems of 

 industrial insurance in existence have 

 been able to make all payments demand- 

 ed. Sick-benefit funds for the factory 

 employees are already consumed. 



