1877.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
107 
A large pin with the head cut off, or a piece of wire, is 
fixed in at one end, while the other end is split at right 
angles, to receive the folded paper, as shown in figure 2 
The paper, a square piece of writing paper, is folded in 
halves in two directions, then turned over and folded 
from corner to corner, as shown by the black and dotted 
lines in figure 2. A single trial will show that it is very 
easy. The folded paper is placed in the slits, and the 
Fig. 3.—MAKING A WOODEN CHAIN, 
dart is ready. If you throw it, paper end down, as hard 
as you please, you will find that the pin will always stick- 
in the floor, and if you throw it at a board set up as a 
mark, whether you start it sidewise or endwise, it will 
reach it pointed end first. By setting up a target, yon 
can soon learn to hit the bull’s eye every time. Caution— 
with this, as with arrows, and everything of the kind, take 
the greatest care against accidents. The mark should 
always be where there can be no danger, and never where 
a person may come upon it unexpectedly. If yon learn 
to observe proper care in using 6uch things as these, 
it will not be so difficult should you ever have a gun. 
A Wooden Chain, many, after trying to find where the 
links were joined together, have been surprised when 
•'told that the chain, with its links within one another, 
has been wittled from a single solid piece of wood. If 
you examine the chain, with its links all moving freely, 
it looks as if the cutting were a very difficult matter, 
while really, one with a sharp knife, and a moderate 
amo.tint of skill in the Yankee accomplishment of whit¬ 
tling, can succeed in making a simple chain, especially 
if he has the engraving, fig. 3, to help him. Any easily 
cut wood will answer, and a piece 1)4 or IX inch square, 
and 6 to 12 inches long, is the best size to begin with. 
The position of the links is shown in the engraving, and 
you can see from that what wood will have to be cut 
away in order to set them free. A considerable cutting 
may be saved by the use of a fine saw. Let us suppose 
that the links of the chain are to be two inches long. 
You measure off two-inch spaces on one side of the stick, 
and with a fine saw cut the stick a little more than one- 
quarter of the way through; you then turn the stick and 
make other cuts exactly opposite to these, leaving an un¬ 
cut portion in the center as wide as the links of the chain 
are to be thick. The sides may also be sawed in a simi¬ 
lar manner, with cuts just half way between, and at right 
angles with these. When you have cut a link, you will 
see just where the saw can be of use. Sailors, p.isoners, 
and others who have much leisure time, sometimes cut 
chains with very elaborate things at the ends. Select 
clear-grained, quite soft, rather tough wood, have a 
very sharp knife, and always think before you cut , as 
a mistake, once made, can not be easily repaired. 
Feeding the Birds. 
[This note comes from “ J. H. P.,” of Franklin, New 
Jersey, who, I judge, is by no means a boy, but as he 
tells vhat boys and girls will like to know, we welcome 
him to our columns, and hope he will come again. Wish¬ 
ing to knov in what part of the State J. H. P. lived, I 
looked in Ike latest Gazetteer, and found that there are 
no less than six Franklins, in as many different counties 
in IT. J. The good people who named these towns must 
have been great admirers of Franklin, or they must have 
had c. small stock of names on hand.— The Doctor.] 
Perhaps the Doctor is not aware, and probably few of 
his young readers know, that pumpkin seeds are the most 
acceptable feed for Chickadees during the winter. They 
prefer them even to meat. For a number of years I have 
fed my four Chickadees cn pumpkin seeds, of which I 
always save several quarts expressly for them. I put the 
seeds, r. small handful at time, in a half-pint tin cup, 
and set the cup or. the window-sill. In the morning, as 
soon ar. day-break, a Chickadee alights upon the edge of 
the cup, utters his “ teet-tect ’ o. thanks, looks in at the 
window r. moment, cud jumps down into the cup ; he 
t-thes a seed, hops out, and flies to the nearest tree to eat 
lis breakfast. Another bird immediately takes his place, 
until all four have had their breakfasts. Thus, almost 
every hour iv. the day, from December to 7 .fay, and sp-.-.e- 
times to June, the Chickadees delight us with their 
presence. They become very tattle, so much so - to 
peck at one’s finger held against the glass. Once I put 
out k, i.nnd and rubbed one on the breast several times 
before it took wing. If your young readers would feed 
the Chickadees pumpkin seeds and moat on the window¬ 
sill, it would furnish them a great deal of amusement. 
The Nuthatch, and the small Rod-headed Woodpecker, 
are less tamo. For these I hang up half-picked bones, 
by means of a string, to a limb of a tree, a few feet from 
the window. The Chickadee manages a pumpkin seed, 
which you know is quite a large seed, in one of two 
ways: he either grasps each end of the seed with his 
claws, and a small twig at the same time, and pecks 
upon the middle of the seed until he has made a hole 
through the shell, or he thrusts the seed, point first, into 
a crack of a board, or under the rough bark of a tree, 
hammering it down well to make it secure, and then pro¬ 
ceeds to break up the rim of the seed. Sometimes, when 
too liberally fed, the Chickadees get mischievous and 
throw out every seed in the cup, eating only the plumpest 
ones. The rest, however, are not wasted, as they pick 
them up afterwards. It is amusing to see them stand on 
the window-sill and watch the people within, as they are 
at their various occupations. In May or June, they gen¬ 
erally leave for the woods, but return, occasionally, dur¬ 
ing the summer and search through all the trees in the 
door-yard for “ worms ” or caterpillars. 
Aunt Sue’s Oiuts. 
Mattie. - You must mean a card -rack. I can give you 
the “ pattern of one,” which you can vary to suit your¬ 
self. Cut two pieces of perforated cardboard of the shape 
of figure 3, and one of figure 2. The small dots put at 
the sides of the square edges indicate the number of 
holes in the cardboard at the places designated. Work 
the pattern given with any colored worsted you please, 
Fig. 1.—THE CARD-RACK COMPLETE. 
and stick some pretty little picture in the center of figure 
2, when fiuished. Work the two pieces (fig. 3) only in 
the squares surrounded by a thick line. Figure 3 is to be 
made exactly the same size as figure 2, with the addition 
of the piece at the base. The small dots on figure 3 show 
where a few sly stitches are to fasten the pieces together, 
as in figure 1. Ornament with small tassels, and attach 
cord and tassels to the top by which to hang it. 
B. F. T.—The Baltimore Oriole inhabits North America 
from Canada to Mexico, and is not especially “ a native 
of Maryland.” According to Catesby, it takes its name 
from its colors, black and orange, being those of the arms 
or livery of Lord Baltimore, formerly proprietary and 
one of the first settlers of Maryland. 
E. L. R.—It is of no use trying to make those “ little 
rolls,” unless you have a brick oven. If you have the 
latter, then mike very light dough, pat your rolls into 
the shape required, and make a deep indentation down 
the center with the back of a knife, put them on sheets 
ol tin and bake quickly. You can get, patterns for tidies 
to be worked on “ Java canvas ” at almost any worsted- 
store. You will find a tidy made of rag-rosettes described 
in the American Agriculturist for April, 1876. 
M. A. „.—I never attempt to “ make house-plants 
blossom in the winter.” I am satisfied if I can keep 
them alive. So I sent your letter to “ The Doctor,” and 
he writes as follows: “If I were to ask Miss Minnie, 
‘what is goo'd in case of sickness? ’ she would at once 
ask ‘ what sickness ? ’—So, before I can answer our young 
friend, I must know what plants. It is quite generally 
supposed that it is the business of plants to bloom all the 
time, while there are some plants which only bloom once, 
and are done with it for the year, there are others which 
Fig. 2 .- PORTION OF CARD-RACK. 
will bloom oftener, if they have a rest between whiles. 
It depends so much upon the kind of plant, and vhat it 
has been doing heretofore, that it is impossible to give 
any but the most general directions. Let Miss Minnie 
shower her plants, at least once a week, setting them in 
a sink or bath-tub, and giving a good sprinkling. Water 
only when the soil seems a little dry, and never keep the 
earth soaking wet; give them a plenty of sun-liglit, and 
air on mild days, by opening another window, so that 
cold winds will not come directly on the plants, and she 
will do all that can be done to ‘ make ’ them bloom. 
Some can’t be made to flower, and ought not to be.” 
Mary L. B. says “ will you please help ns to a solution 
of the accompanying riddle, said to be by Oliver W. 
Holmes, as we can’t, any of us, make it out? ” 
“ I’m going to blank,” with failing breath, 
The failing gladiator said; 
Unconquered, he “consents to death ; ” 
One gasp—the hero-soul has fled. 
“ I’m going to blank,” the schoolboy cried; 
Two sugared sweets his hands display— 
Like snow-flakes in the ocean tide 
They vanish, melted both away. 
Tell with one verb, or I’ll tell yon, 
What each was just about to do. 
I presume that the falling gladiator was going to 
succumb, and the schoolboy, too, was going to suck 'em. 
Will the person who sent me the (Napoleon) “natural 
curiosity,” please send me her address, that I may return 
the picture, as requested ? 
K. D. E.—Thanks for your budget of puzzles. Certain¬ 
ly, you “ may send anagrams.” I “ do not give prizes 
now,” because the plan evoked a great deal of grumbling 
from many who failed to win them, aud because I con¬ 
cluded that the best motives for studying the puzzles, 
was the pleasure and instruction to be gained therefrom. 
The Story of Three Little Boys aud. 
Their Big Snow Ball. 
Illustrated by our Special Artist. 
There were three of the boys, names Joe, Bill, and 
Jack ; they lived in a house set a little way back from 
the main country road, which in winter, you know, is 
apt to be pretty well covered with snow. These three 
little boys of course made it a rule, to set off betimes on 
their way to the school. The school-house, it stood, as 
g_j 
Fig. 3.—PORTION OF OARD-RAOK. 
some school-houses will, a long distance off on the top of 
a hill. One bright winter’s day, I’ve forgotten the date, 
each boy started off with his book and his slate ; each 
had in his pocket an apple to munch, along with a-dough- 
