196 
[Mat, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
18©YS mm ® 9 (S©MMM£o 
The Doctor’s Talks. 
Several have written about kites; one boy wishes to 
know how to make such kites as are sold in the stores, 
and another asks something about kite-flying. In the 
flying of a kite we have an excellent illustration of an 
action of force that I have not referred to in these Talks, 
but which may well come in here. But before we can fly 
our kite we must make it. Some boys get a great repu¬ 
tation among other boys as kite-makers; their kites al¬ 
ways go up, and behave themselves when they get up. I 
don’t know how it is now-a-days, but such boys used to 
get a great many pennies from other boys, with more 
money and less skill. As I recollect about the kites of 
the famous makers of my boy days, they were always 
LIGHT AND STRONG, 
and I think that thefe was something about the “ belly- 
band ” that they prided themselves upon knowing. The 
two forms of kite the most common are the “Bow Kite,” 
and the “Three Stick" or “Six-Sided” Kite. By far 
the handsomest kite in my 
opinion is the Bow Kite 
(fig. 1), and I do not think 
it is altogether because it 
was the only kind we had 
when I used to fly kites. 
To make a kite of this kind 
that will fly well, requires 
more skill than the other. 
All the material should be 
as light and as strong as 
possible. For the stick, dry 
and straight-grained pine ; 
for the bow, a piece of a 
barrel hoop is generally 
used, whittled down nar¬ 
row, but the best is a piece 
of rattan, which for a small 
kite may be split. The cord 
should be cotton or linen, 
as it is much lighter than 
hemp of the same size. For 
paper, boys usually take 
newspapers, and as there is much difference in the kind 
of paper these are printed on, you will need to pick out 
the strongest. Then with some common flour paste, 
some strong linen thread, a knife and scissors, you are 
ready to go to work. You may make a kite entirely by 
guess and have it fly well, but boys should always learn 
TO WORK FROM MEASURE, 
when in building a kite, a sled, or a bird house. It is so 
iong ago that I have forgotten the proportions we found 
best, but I found some in an English book. I made a 
drawing on a large piece of paper according to the 
measures, and as the kite looks right, I venture to give 
them. Length of stick, 40 inches; bow, 30 inches. Make 
a notch near each end of the bow, and then find the exact 
center of the bow, by balancing it on the edge of your 
knife, and mark the place with a small notch; 4 inches 
from the top of the stick make a notch to admit the bow. 
As to the stick, it should be carefully worked down by 
whittling as small as may be, and yet be strong enough, 
and here you must use your judgment; point the top, 
and make a notch to let in the bow a short distance, but 
not enough to weaken it, put the bow in place, and bind 
it fast with a few turns of thread. Then tie a cord to one 
end of the bow, carry the cord once around the stick, and 
then to the other end of the bow, bring the bow into 
shape; then fasten the cord tight; the distance from 
each end of the bow to the stick should be 10 inches, and 
the string should cross the stick just 10 inches below the 
point where the bow is fastened to it. Now pass the 
string from one cad of the bow down to the bottom of 
the stick, through a deep notch, made there for it, then 
up to the other end of the bow, make it fast, and the 
frame is finished. To put on the paper, lay the paper on 
a table, and if one piece is not enough, join two by past¬ 
ing them together with a lap of about half an inch. Cut 
the paper an inch larger every way than the frame. Before 
pasting, cover the table with newspapers, so as not to 
soil it with paste. At the ends of the bow, and at several 
places between the two ends, cut notches through that 
part of the paper that is to be turned over, so that it can 
be pasted without any bad wrinkles. Apply paste to 
the inch margin, and turn it over neatly, and let the paste 
get thoroughly dry before handling the kite. Some make 
a point to the kite ; if this is wanted, measure four inches 
upon the bow, each side of the stick, and cut a small 
notch at each place, and make a notch at the top of the 
stick. Tie a piece of cord at one of the notches on the 
bow, pass it over the end of the stick to the other notch 
on the bow, and tie fast; this will make a spear-like 
point when covered with paper. Your kite is now ready, 
except two very important things, namely, the 
BELI.Y-BAND AND THE TAIL. 
We may call that part of the kite upon which the stick 
does not show, the front side. You need to make a small 
hole through the paper from the front, on each side of 
the stick 10 inches from the top of the stick, and two 
more holes 10 inches from the bottom ; the cord is to be 
passed through the upper holes with a turn around the 
stick, and tied very firmly—then through those below, 
leaving the band quite slack. The string of the kite is to 
be tied to this. The cord for the tail is tied in a similar 
manner to the stick at the bottom. The tail is made vari¬ 
ously ; sometimes one heavy paper tassel is fastened at 
the bottom; sometimes a long strip of cloth is used, but I 
don't think anything looks so well when the kite is up as 
the old fashioned bob-tail; pieces of paper, about 3 inch¬ 
es square, are folded up and fastened upon a string by 
a loop in it that every boy knows how to make. The 
tail may be very long (sometimes 15 times as long as the 
kite) and light, or Bhorter and heavier; the size is best 
learned by practice. Some make wings to the kite; 
these are merely paper tassels, attached at each corner 
of the bow, and are of very little account. 
THE THREE-STICK, OR SIX-SIDED KITE, 
Is, I find, thought by some of the youngsters of the pres¬ 
ent day, to be much the best kind of kite, but to those 
brought up on the other kind it looks like a very clumsy 
affair; it is, I think, the kind 
that one boy refers to as the 
kite “ sold in the stores.” 
These kites, as I have seen 
them, are made of three light 
sticks; these have notches 
at each end and are tied to¬ 
gether, as in figure 2. After 
the tying is securely done, 
the cord is passed from the 
end of one stick to that of the 
next, and so on all around, 
and made fast at each notch. 
This frame is then covered 
with paper, as I described 
for the other. When dried, 
the belly-band is to be arranged, and this is quite 
different from the other, as seen in figure 8. Holes are 
made through the paper and cord passed through and 
tied around, two of the sticks in such a manner as to 
make a loop above, and a broader one below, a cord con¬ 
necting these two loops forms the belly-band, to which 
the kite-string is to be fastened. A similar loop must be 
made to which to tie the tail, as you see at the bottom of 
figure 3; it is made fast near 
the lower ends of the sticks, 
its ends passing through 
holes in the paper. The tail, 
as in the other, may be ac¬ 
cording to fancy. A great 
variety of fancy kites are 
made, especially by the 
Chinese, among whom kite¬ 
flying is not confined to the 
youngsters, but is a favorite 
amusement of the grown up 
people. Travellers tell us 
that on certain days all the 
people engage in flying kites, 
and the air is filled with 
monsters of all sorts of droll 
shapes, from butterflies to 
dragons; they say it is a 
very strange sight to see old 
men with spectacles on their 
noses, flying kites with as much earnestness as if their 
happiness depended on it. Sometimes these strange 
CHINESE KITES 
are imported; but they are usually of the smaller kinds 
and shaped like butterflies or birds ; those that I have 
seen have the frame work of split bamboo or rattan, and 
covered with a paper very unlike anything we have, and 
I think that some are covered with a very thin cloth. 
They are ornamented by painted designs, the most com¬ 
mon being large eyes. They probably put eyes on their 
kites for the same reason that they put them on their 
junks , as their clumsy vessels are called. These always 
have at the bow a pair of enormous staring painted 
eyes. Upon being asked why they made eyes upon the 
junks the reply was: “ No hab eyes, how can see ?” 
IN FLYING THE KITE, 
you need string, in fact, as the boys say—“ no end of 
string,” and here as in everything else about the kites 
“ light and strong,” will apply to the string. It is not 
easy to get a kite up in a poor wind ; but if there is a 
good breeze and you have a good kite it will go without 
trouble All of you who have raised a kite know that 
the best way is to let another boy hold it, while you, 
having let out a good length of string, start and run 
against the wind, when instead of following along after 
you the kite will go up. Why it should rise, and if the 
wind blows, and you give it string it should keep going 
up, is a matter we must leave until another time; it has 
taken us too long to make our kite for us to fly it now. 
But in kite-flying let me give the boys—and girls too— 
ONE SERIOUS CAUTION. 
Never fly a kite in the road. Nothing so frightens horses 
as to see a strange object above them; I have seen horses 
that would not mind the noisiest rail-road train, made 
perfectly frantic by a glimpse of a kite in the air at no 
great hight. There is nothing ^iat will so thoroughly 
frighten a horse as a kite. This should be borne in 
mind when enjoying the sport, for it would make you 
very unhappy should your pleasure be the indirect cause 
of a serious injury to some one, as might be the case. 
Picture Puzzle. —This is a rather strange looking 
shrub, and the animal—fox or woodchuck we will sup¬ 
pose—at the base appears to be in trouble, one of his 
paws having found its way into a steel trap. There is- 
still more to the picture, which, no doubt, all will be able 
to see. Much of the pleasure, to us, connected with this 
picture, is that it was designed by a little boy, ar.d the 
sketch was sent to us to see “ what we thought of it.” 
How do you like the ingenious picture ? Does it catch you i 
Our Puzzle»llox. 
CHARADES. 
1. My first is a cover just twisted around. 
My next is a fair lady’s name. 
My whole a most awkward position is found. 
May you never be placed in the same. 
2. My first names a certain class of individuals f mjr 
second is an exclamation ; my third is a kind of dwell¬ 
ing. and my whole is a fish. Audax, 
3. My first in winter oft you see. 
My next near you is sure to be. 
My whole is found on the shore of the sea. 
Carter, 
NUMERICAL ENIGMAS. 
1. I am composed of 22 letters: 
My 9.19, 8. 21, 12, is a piece ; so also is 
My 13. 20. 6. 
My 1. 18. 19, 22. is something sacred. 
My 15, 17, 7, is generally despised. 
My 5, 10, 18, 3,14, is much nsed in building. 
My 11, 4. 19, 12, 3, is a girl’s name. 
My 10, 3. 17, is a boy’s plaything. 
My whole is a well-known proverb. Mamie. 
2. I am composed of 32 letters : 
My 4, 14, 31, 28, 8. 24, 3, 9, is an Egyptian vegetable 
My 13, 3$ 7, 23, 12, 9, SO, 2, was a queen of Persia, 
My 17,15. 30,15, 22, 0, 23, 21, was a prisoner with Paul 
at Rome. 
My 23, 10, 3, 32, 10, 11, 21, 1, was a precious stone >» 
the Highpriest’s breastplate. 
My 26, 14, 23, 15, 27, 25, 20, 12, was a city of Macedonia. 
My 29, 5,18, 10, 29, 27. 5, 19, is a bitter herb. 
My whole is a verse of Psalms. Isola 
ALPHABETICAL ARITHMETIC. 
LNSR)BKGOAKGS(EKSKN 
OEI.K 
L S R R A 
L S A L O 
LLG KG 
L S A L O 
L A G K S 
L L B A L 
E R B 
DOUBLE ACROSTIC. 
The initials and finals form a bad habit in reading. 
1. Ample. 2. A precious stone with head engraved on’ 
it. 3. A people. 4. A number of persons in company 
Wilks. 
ANAGRAMS. 
1. A Count? O music ! 
2. Saves Notaries. 
3. Patent toes. 
4. Spruce brides. 
5. Tidy vail. 
6. Peter, mind deer. 
7. Rob’s chip chair. 
8. Do show a finger. 
9. Metal portion. 
10. Drew ranges. 
DECAPITATION. 
(1) Entire I’m found on many a farm, 
And when I’ve lost my head, 
(2) I’m useful found my whole to cook. 
And turn it into broad. 
(3) Once more I must beheaded be, 
Would you enjoy your food. 
Unless I helped you with the bread 
’Twould do you little good. E. J. D, 
