bearing your weight more on one ski 
than the other will start your turn tight 
or left, and a slight turn of the toe in the 
direction that you wish to turn will help 
to complete the final direction. Spills 
usually come at the bottom of the hill, 
so watch out and don’t think that after 
you have got down the incline that you 
have successfully completed the coast. 
Keep the knees rigid and the skis in line. 
How to get up hill on skis is the next 
step and there are two general methods. 
One is to toe out on the skis and go 
straight or nearly so up the incline. The 
other method is to travel diagonally up 
the side of the hill and in case of a steep 
incline you will have to overlap your 
skis, which means that one ski is first 
placed sidewise up the hill and the other 
ski brought up into position. It is really 
a side step with skis. 
I find that a pair of colored glasses are 
a decided rest for the eyes if you are 
going on long trips b.ecause the bright 
reflected light of the white snow will in 
time tire the eyes. A light snow over 
crust is the ideal condition for skiing 
with the least effort. Crust without a 
layer of snow is rather hard to travel 
over and keep your balance. Wet or 
heavy snow is easy to travel in if you lift 
your skis and prevent the heavy snow 
from weighting them down. 
Winfield Kimball, Maine. 
A FISHERMAN’S CIGAR REST 
T he angler who possesses moderate 
skill at carpentry and is in any wise 
artistically inclined may fashion a cigar 
rest and ash tray which is in harmony 
with the general atmosphere which he 
loves. 
A half-inch pine board, a bit of paint 
and a small tin or ash cup comprise the 
necessary stock. 
The design should be 26 inches in 
length and may be first executed on 
paper and then traced upon the board, 
after which it may be cut out with a saw 
and jack-knife.. If a fine fret saw can be 
used, so much the better. The tailpiece 
is cut separately and attached to the base 
at right angles, serving with the fin pro- 
jections as a support. A beveled cleat 
may be added for additional firmness if 
desired. 
The smaller fish may be cut entire 
with the larger, or separately and fas- 
tened in position later, its mouth and tail 
being hollowed into apertures for the 
purpose of holding Cigars, and the cup 
may be attached to the top, convenient 
for ashes. If of tin, of course it may be 
fastened by a hole in the bottom. 
After finishing, a few strokes of black 
paint, to the taste of the artist, complete 
Cigar-holder for a fisherman 
the novely, which may have a similar de- 
sign on both sides, and if desired to 
elaborate in places where natural wood 
is exposed, a coat of cream color or 
white is effective. The fish is intended 
broadly to represent one of the pike 
family. Harry W. Poor, Mass. 
BELLOWS SLEEPING-BAG 
I HAVE given the sleeping-bag I am 
going to describe a thorough try-out, 
both in house and camp, since the winter 
of 1918, and will now pass it on to the 
Nessmuk Campfire. To make it 1 sewed 
two 14-foot strips of 22-inch No. 1 sail 
cloth together. The sides are of No. 6 
weight. Two strips 22 inches wide and 
75 inches long were cut lengthwise, form- 
ing the two sides of the bag. Galvanized 
rings are spaced 9 inches apart along the 
seams, 12 or 6 pairs to each side. This 
makes the bag adjustable for hot or cold 
weather. The sides collapse like kodak 
bellows. For cold weather the paired 
rings are tied together ; this collapses the 
sides, reducing the bag to its smallest 
capacity, which tends to increase the in- 
side warmth. The rings are not tied in 
hot weather, giving more room inside 
and less heat, and it will not shift under- 
neath when the sleeper rolls during the 
night. 
To get the bedding within, spread the 
bag out flat and pile the bedding upon it 
as it will be when inside. Next roll up 
the bedding, beginning at the foot end, 
until it clears the bag entrance. Then, 
by opening the bag, the bedding is un- 
rolled down to inside position. 
The measurements of bag given, w'ith 
plenty of bedding, will easily sleep two 
people of 280 pounds total weight, the 
tallest one not to exceed 5 feet 8 inches. 
I made it extra heavy to withstand 
rough usage, and it can be thrown down 
on any spot, whether damp or rough. 
I consider the bag practical and I can 
find no improvement to add to it. Things 
that stay in my outfit for three years are 
fixtures. Like Nessmuk’s woodcraft 
book, I have a whole lot of use for them 
yet. 
It is usually the case that the more 
simple the construction of an article of 
duffle the more useful it is in the long 
run. After using a number of bags with 
a multitude of rings and snaps and a 
complicated way of fastening them it is 
a relief to crawl into the handy Bellows 
Sleeping Bag. Jim Ferguson. 
