THE YOUNG SCIENTIST. 
93 
How to Drive a Nail. 
TIte following' notes contain information that 
is familiar to .all experiencod workmen, but is 
probably new to manj'- of the readers of the 
Young Scientist. We take it from the excel- 
lent catalogue of Bee-Hives and other Apiarian 
Supplies of A. I. lioot, of Medina, Ohio: 
''Much depends on having- a hammer just 
right for th(3 work that is to be done. I often 
see people (w^omen especially, begging their 
pardon) try to drive a small, slender nail, into 
light work, with a very heavy hammer. The 
nail doubles up, the work splits, their lingers 
get pounded, and it is no wonder they conclude 
in disgust that carpentry is not their forte. Try- 
ing to driv(' a large nail Avith a light hammer is 
not so bad, but it is a great waste of time and 
strength. Every bee keeper should have at 
least three sizes of hammers. You can drive a 
common brass pin its whole length into a pine 
board with a hammer of the right weight; but 
should you try to do it with a hammer that is 
too heavy you would double it up the first clip. 
In w;itch w^ork, we frequently require hammers 
weighing scarcely more than a quarter of an 
ounce." 
Novelties for Amateurs. 
We intend to reserve this department for the 
description and illustration of such tools, appli- 
ances, instruments, devices, and methods, as 
may be brought to our notice, and that we think 
will be of use or interest to our readers. What- 
ever may be brought under discussion in this 
column will onlj'- receive the views of ourselves, 
as we do not intend to be biased by interest or 
by the sayings or offers of manufacturers or in- 
ventors. In other words, we do not intend to 
be bribed by advertising or other patronage to 
praise or condemn an article, if, from our point 
of view', it does not deserve such. 
If we think an article good, we shall not hesi- 
tate to say so. The same rule will obtain if the i 
article is not such as represented. Indeed, we 
shall feel it incumbent upon us to keep the 
readers of the Young Scientist informed of all 
inventions, devices, etc., etc., that we may be 
advised of, and that may be of use to them, and 
to warn them against purchasing the " cheap 
John " and " catchpenny " stuff that is so freely 
advertised all over the country. 
Of course, we shall be phuised to receive sam- 
ples of tools, instruments, materials, or any- 
thing suitable for the young- experimenter or 
amateur worker, for examination, and if they 
are such as we think will be appropriate for use 
to any of our young readers, we shall gladly 
give a notice thereof, and illustrate, where 
necessary, showing up their good features and 
pointing out their defects. 
No doubt there will be cases where our ob- 
taining a specimen will be out of the question, 
as the articles may be too la rge or too expen- 
sive. In such cases, " Mahomet will go to the 
mountain," but we shall see to it that our read- 
ers do not suffer in consequence. Now, in ever 
notice that may be w^ritten of any article, be it 
what it may, it is our intention to give all the 
particidai-s we can obtaiji regarding it, fully and 
clearly, believing it to be in the interest of both 
buyer and seller that this should be done. That 
there are those who are averse to this method, 
we are fully aware, as they think that publish- 
ers or editors must derive some benefit or other 
by saying all about an article, its price, and 
where and of whom it is to l )e bought. Such a 
supposition is as absurd as it is groundless; the 
pu) )licity that is aecortled to any article is, after 
all, in th(} interest of those who may be in- 
clined to buy, rather than that of the makers 
and sellers ; and of those who would infer that 
the submittal of any manufactured article for 
notice inclines the person who has to weigh its 
merits to decide in its favor, we would ask if 
they would think for a moment that the send- 
ing of a book for review has anything to do 
with influencing the opinion of the reviewer? 
And as with book reviews, so is it with notices 
of articles composed of other materials than 
paper, cloth, and pasteboard. 
Having thus defined our position, and en- 
deavored to show that neither publishers nor 
editors do or can derive any benefit from the 
notices of articles, we may point out to invent- 
ors and makers that any article they may send 
to be examined and tested shall receive fair 
and impartial consideration. Examination and 
test are as necessary to the review, so to speak, 
of a plane or saw as of a book, or of a drilling- 
machine as of a periodical ; taking this view of 
the matter, we tr-ust that manufacturers and 
mak<H-s who desire to have their specialties 
mentioned in the Young Scientist will send 
their articles at an early dat<\ so that we may 
have ample lime to do justice to the sul^ject. 
Visitors to the American Institute Fair, New^ 
York City, last fall, no doubt saw, in th(^ en- 
trance leading to the Art Gallery, several speci- 
mens of the Ga te's Folding- Table. These tables 
are certainly very ingenious contrivances, be- 
ing so small that they may be used for a writ- 
ing-desk, as they can be tii)ped to any angle to 
suit the writer. They may also be made to an- 
swer as a book-rest, as the top is provid(^d with 
a movable ledge, which may be attached near 
the lower edge of the table top when it is tilted. 
