1862 .] 
AMEBICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
249 
About Kites. 
Who ever saw a boy that did not enjoy kite-fly¬ 
ing ? We never did. It was one of the very, pleas¬ 
antest sports of our boyhood, and we hope all our 
young readers, particularly the boys, enjoy it too. 
The kite is a toy which depends upon very philo¬ 
sophical principles. And there is a good deal of 
skill required to make a good kite and fly it well. 
This is just the time for kite-flying, for the grass is 
mown, and the grain is much of it harvested, so 
that the fields are clear, and there is room enough 
to raise the kite without doing any injury. A good 
kite is strong and light—and of such a shape that a 
great surface is exposed to the wind, in proportion 
to the amount of wood in the frame. A square 
kite, or a diamond-shaped one, or a six-cornered 
one, are each better than a bow-kite, because there 
is so much wood iu the bow, that it is hard to make 
a bow-kite that will fly well in a light breeze. Who¬ 
ever makes a kite should take care to make it per¬ 
fectly symmetrical—that is, just the same on one- 
half as on the other, just as heavy, and to look the 
same. Select straight-grained pieces of pine wood, 
have them of very even size throughout, somewhat 
flat, and without splits; as light as you think they 
will do. For a square kite, cross two pieces of equal 
length at the middle of each. Tie them together 
with shoemaker’s “ waxed ends ” if you can get 
them; they will not slip—and it is not best to cut 
notches or nail them, for this weakens the wood. 
Then take a stout linen cord, and having notched 
the sticks, on the ends, pass the string around, and 
tic it as tight as you can and not split or make the 
sticks bow, and drive a small carpet tack into each 
end through the string. Next make some paste— 
which is done thus : Take a tablespoonful of flour, 
put it in a teacup, and wet it with a little cold wa¬ 
ter, and stir it up till it is as thin and smooth as 
cream—then stir it slowly into about a teacupful of 
boiling water in a tin cup, which is kept boiling. 
This will make a beautiful, smooth, clear paste, and 
if you stir some fine salt or powdered alum into it, 
it will keep a long time. When the paste is made, 
spread .a newspaper out on the clean floor, or upon 
another paper, and lay your kite-frame upon it, then 
cut the paper about an inch larger all around than 
the cord. Beginning on one side, spread a thin coat 
of paste on the edge of the paper, and paste it over 
the cord; then do the opposite side; then cut the 
paper at the corners so that it shall fold smooth, 
and paste the other edges; and finally paste several 
narrow strips of stout paper across the sticks to 
keep the paper from tearing off or rattling. Care 
must be taken to have the paper very smooth and 
tight, and if the paste is'strong, it answers some¬ 
times to dampen the paper slightly but evenly 
when it is pasted. It will then be tight as a drum¬ 
head. To make a diamond-kite, have one stick 
about % as long as the other, and let it cross % 
from the top of the long one. Otherwise make it 
like a square kite. A six cornered kite has usually 
two long sticks of equal length crossed, and one a 
little shorter, crossing at the same point, which is 
above the middle of the kite. The prettiest way to 
arrange them is so as to have the two upper ends 
of the long sticks, above where they cross, just 
as long as the ends of the cross piece, and the 
distance between the lower ends of the long pieces, 
not so wide as the cross-piece is long. 
Fasten the line to strings tied to the sticks, 
going through the paper, so that it may be slipped 
up and down, and the amount of wind the kite 
holds may be regulated in this way—the higher it 
is “ hung ” the less wind it will hold, but the more 
it will take to hold it. It must always be hung above 
the middle, or it will not go up. Woolen list, which 
may be got at the tailor’s for little or nothing, 
makes the best tails—the length of which must be 
regulated according to the strength of the wind— 
and so must the strength of the line also, for a 
light line will do very well in a nearly still day, but 
when the wind blows hard, the line must be strong, 
or the fruits of much labor will be lost. We shall 
have more to say about kites, and lanterns to send 
up attached to them, at another time, but now, 
will only caution you not to make too large ones. 
M 
Wtmffb 
'TI-IEIR' 
For tflae Guesserg. 
Illustrated Rebus. —No. 15.—Above is a Rebus which 
is a very good one, but it will tax the ingenuity of 
a very good guesser to solve it. Still some parts of 
it are very easy, and by patience, we think, it may 
all be worked out. 
Mock Puzzle. —No. 16.—Out of 5 squares like this 
One, which is in two pieces as shown, construct a 
perfect square.—Contributed to the American Ag¬ 
riculturist by Michael Beyerley, Portsmouth, Ohio. 
What is a Labyrinth ? It is a place where, by 
means of the complicated character and many in¬ 
tricate windings of the paths, a person is likely to 
be lost or so bewildered that he can not find his way 
out or in without some clue. There were some fa¬ 
mous underground labyrinths or mazes in olden 
times—one near lake Moeris in Egypt had about 
3,000 separate chambers. Our young readers who 
have studied English history will remember about 
the beautiful daughter of Lord Clifford, called fair 
Rosamond, the favorite of King Kenry II, who 
built for her a house approached by a Labyrinth, at 
Woodstock, where she lived, while the jealous 
Queen Eleanor could not find where she was. Well, 
we do not think any body knows in what way this 
labyrinth was constructed; but we have received 
the accompanying sketch of Fair Rosamond’s laby¬ 
rinth, and though the bower in the center in which 
she is said to have lived has been changed to a tem¬ 
ple of Liberty, we think it will please and perhaps 
puzzle some of the boys and girls to find their way 
in without crossing a line. 
Tlie Play of tlie Elements. 
This is one of those games which sharpen the wits 
and promote sociability. It may be familiar to some 
of our young readers, but probably not to many of 
them. Our young friends know from w'hat we 
have told them about elements, that air and earth 
are not elements at all. Yet the Ancient Philo¬ 
sophers considered them so, stating that' there 
were four elements, fife, air, earth,, and water, so 
these are often called the elements. The same game 
is often played and called 11 Fish, flesh, fowl.” 
“ Let the company sit iu a circle; when all are pre¬ 
pared, the beginner of the proceedings takes.ahand- 
kerchief, arid, looking at some one as if he were 
about to throw it at him, darts it at another, crying 
“Air!” or (whatever element he chooses, air, earth 
or water,) “ one, two, three, four; five, 
six, seven, eight, nine, tent” The 
other, if he be ready-witted, will an¬ 
swer before the numbers are over, 
“sparrow,” or the name of some 
other inhabitant of the “element” 
named; but often when taken by sur¬ 
prise, he will stammer, remain in a 
state of stupid perplexity, or give the 
name of a four-footed beast as an in¬ 
habitant of the air. If he makes a 
mistake, he pays a forfeit, but at any 
rate throws the handkerchief in his 
turn and soon meets with plenty of 
companions in misfortune, whose for¬ 
feits in a pile on the table must shortly 
be redeemed. This play creates much 
amusement, and quickens the wits.” 
Mns. J. F. Jennings, Brighton, Mich. 
Tlie Horse and tlie 9.ion. 
The following interesting anecdote is 
from an article which appeared some 
time since in Blackwood’s Magazine: 
“ There were some horses on board 
belonging to Major Kemball, the Con¬ 
sul General at Bagdad, one of which 
got loose and leaped overboard just 
at dawn. The steamer was then about 
half way to Bagdad, and getting un¬ 
der way, after anchoring as usual for 
the night. The horse was not mis¬ 
sed for half an hour, but was then descried 
ashore, in what seemed very unpleasant proxim¬ 
ity to a splendid lion. The lion circled round 
and round him, always closing in. The horse 
remained motionless, beyond turning his head suffi¬ 
ciently to watch the lion’s movements. Suddenly 
the latter gave a tremendous bound, but the horse 
was too quick for him, and escaped with a slight 
scratch ; but instead of galloping away, he only 
went a hundred yards, and again stood still. The 
lion commenced his former tactics with a similar 
result, only his bound was less vigorous this time. 
The horse did not even yet take completely to his 
heels; he seemed either tied by some strange fas¬ 
cination, or inclined to tantalize an enemy from 
whom a few minutes’.canter would have entirely 
freed him. Again the lion commenced his circles, 
but ere they were narrowed to springing distance a 
party had landed from the steamer, and the instant 
the horse had descried them he came galloping down, 
while the lion stalked away toward the jungle.” 
A ILaHyriiiitli. 
