THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
11 
by the knob end, whilst a heavy weight is 
hung from the small end. Crooks may 
be turned by immersing the end in boiling 
water for five or ten minutes, then bend- 
ing it to the desired form, and securing 
it in this position with a tourniquet (Fig. 
1) until the stick is cold. The bark may 
next be taken off with a sharp knife, if so 
required, and care must be taken not to 
splinter or chip the wood of the stick. 
then any amount of skill in carvings may 
be expended on the knob ; but if the stick 
is for use, we should first consider its use. 
Bound smooth-headed knobs (*Fig. 3) 
carved and polished to fit comfortably 
into the palm of the hand, will meet with 
most acceptance from those who use a 
stick as a support. But knobs thus formed, 
and shorn of a projecting crook or hook, 
often slip from beneath the arm or out of 
Fig- 7= 
Fig. 8. 
iiS it 
Pig. io» 
Fig. 1.— Crook Stick, showing method of turning crook by means of tourniquet. Fig. 2.— Black- 
thorn Knob, rough. Fig. 3.— Blackthorn Knob, trimmed. Fig. 4.— Crutch Form of 
Crook. Fig. 5.— Half Crutch. Fig. 6.— Elm Stick. Fig. 7.— Ash Root, as dug up. Fig. 8.— 
Ash Root, trimmed. Fig. 9.— Ash or Oak Knob, as pulled from pollard or stump. Fig. lo.— 
The Same, trimmed. Fig. ll.~Stick Bent and Trimmed to form Crook. 
Knots may be trimmed at the same time, 
and the knob trimmed up to shape. Hard 
and fast rules cannot be given for the 
formation of knobs, since their form must 
be regulated by the natural knobs, and 
these are often very suggestive in them- 
selves. One or two things should, how- 
ever, receive consideration in designing a 
knob, and the first should be the ultimate 
use of the stick. If the stick is to be a 
fancy one, to be carried and swung in the 
hand, more for appearance than for use : 
the hand when its owner wishes to use 
both hands for some purpose — for in- 
stance, to light a cigar or a pipe. The 
head of a dog with a long muzzle, the 
head of a swan or a goose, forms an ap- 
propriate design for such a stick. The 
crutch (Fig. 4) or half-crutch form (Fig. 5) 
is also a comfortable one, but the ordi- 
nary crook (Fig. 1) although useful for 
many other purposes, does not fit com- 
fortably in the hand, it is too much of a 
handful, and the central support usually 
