330 
Conceding the fact to be that the associa- 
tion in this case was at the time without 
means to purchase this land, which was re- 
garded as necessary to its purposes, and 
that the contract entered into with plain- 
tiffs afforded a way of accomplishing the 
purpose to enlarge its grounds, and ap- 
parently provide future benefits without 
present expenditures, yet the entire trans- 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
action was contrary to the plain provisions 
of the statute. In whatever light this con- 
tract may be viewed, it provided profit for 
a member of the association. By its terms 
a 12.9-acre tract of land, costing $200 an 
acre, was immediately platted into 1,060 
lots, to be sold not ‘below an average price 
of $20 per lot for all lots plated,’ and one- 
half of the proceeds thereof paid to the 
Mechanical Helps for the 
Ho7ne-Made Leaf Rake 
W. C. Rapp, superintendent of Fort Plain 
Cemetery, Fort Plain, N. Y., has rigged up 
a handy home-made device for raking 
leaves together into piles that he finds fa- 
RAPP'S HANDY LEAF RAKE. 
cilitates the work of leaf gathering in the 
cemetery. The device consists of a curved 
frame with upright rods rising from it at 
intervals of a few inches, and handles like 
plow handles extending toward the rear. 
The operator holds the handles and two 
men with ropes attached to either end of 
the frame pull the rake. Our illustration 
shows i\Ir. Rapp at the handles doing .the 
“plowing.” The machine will collect a big 
pile of leaves at one sweep and draw them 
together into piles when they are ready to 
load on the wagon, which is provided with 
a big box for holding the leaves. The 
wagon box may be distinguished in the 
background of our picture. It is considered 
a big improvement over the use of the cus- 
tomary hand rakes, which in ]\Tr. Rapp’s 
cemetery are used only to gather the leaves 
into rows. 
Patent Grave Filler 
Nathan C. Low'e, of Lebanon, Ore., has 
been granted patent No. 1,206,558 for a 
“device for filling graves” that is also de- 
signed to be an earth-holder while the 
grave is open. 
Referring to the drawings, the device 
consists of end plates 1 — 1 circular in 
form and provided with notches 2. The 
end plates are connected by means of bars 
3, the ends of which lie in the notches 2 
and are secured to the end plates in any 
desired manner. Connecting the longitu- 
dinally extended bars 3 is a lining 4, which, 
as shown in Fig. 1, has a cutout portion 5 
which lies between two of the adjacent 
bars 3. This lining when secured to the 
longitudinally extending bars forms a dirt 
receptacle. 
Passing around the end plates is a yoke 
which comprises two members 6, the for- 
ward ends of each of which are perforated 
as at 7 to receive the projecting end 8 of 
the spindle or the like carried by each end 
of the plates. The opposite end of each of 
the yoke members 6 is secured to an op- 
erating handle 9 by which the device is 
moved along the ground. Each of the end 
plates 1 — 1 is provided on its inner face 
with a block 10, the forward w'all 11 of 
which is angular. 
Pivoted to the handle 9 is a T-shaped 
member 13 having oppositely disposed hook 
members 14 — 14, which are adapted to en- 
gage the longitudinally extending bars 3 to 
prevent the rotation of the hollow cylin- 
drical member. 
In operation, when it is desired to dig a 
grave the device is positioned directly over 
the place where the grave is to be dug, the 
pivoted latch being swung upon its pivot 
15 to release the longitudinally extending 
bars 3 which it engages. The whole de- 
vice is then moved forwardly or rear- 
wardhr, as the case may be, until the open- 
ing 5 is uppermost. With the device in 
this position, the grave is dug and the dirt 
is thrown into the cylindrical member from 
the grave. When, it is desired to fill the 
grave it is only necessary to release the 
pivoted latch 13 whereupon the device is 
moved forwardly until its opening 5 occu- 
pies a position directly over the grave open- 
MOLE TRAP OPEN 
AS SET. 
SPRUNG 
WITH MOLE 
CAUGHT. 
president of the corporation and his asso- 
ciates ; thus at the time clearly contem- 
plating an ultimate profit to them of at 
least $8,000. Suffice it to say, without fur- 
ther comment, that this court will not lend 
its aid to the enforcement of any contract 
violative of a statute or the established 
public policy of the state.” 
Ha n dy M a n 
ing whereupon the dirt contained therein 
is discharged into the grave opening and 
owing to the inclined faces 12 of the mem- 
bers 10, the dirt is deflected toward the 
center of the grave opening. 
PATENTED DEVICE FOR FILLING 
GRAVES. 
f rapping Moles 
Methods of exterminating moles have 
been previously discussed in these pages, 
and the operation of the trap illustrated 
will be of interest to our readers who are 
bothered with these vermin. 
The first thing to do is to find the mole’s 
runway, which usually starts from a build- 
ing, a fence or a piece of ground not often 
disturbed. They pass through these run- 
ways regularly about 6 a. m., 12 m. and 6 
p. m. As many as thirty moles have been 
taken from one of these runways by one 
of these mole traps. 
Press the runway down firmly with the 
foot, then grasp the levers and force the 
points of the jaws through the mole’s run- 
way until trip rests firmly on the ground; 
then force levers apart until locked with 
trip, as shown in cut No. 1. Care should 
be taken to see that the trap is in line with 
the mole’s runway, so mole can enter be- 
tween the jaws and force trip up, thus 
springing the trap. When trap is sprung, 
simply grasp the levers and pull the trap 
up and the mole will come out as in cut 
No. 2. Keep all joints well oiled. This 
trap is manufactured and sold by George 
W. Heartley, 900 Summit street, Toledo, O. 
