Ingenious Devices 
LABOR-SAVING SCHEMES AND SHORT CUTS IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE GARDEN 
Bookcases for a Song 
A N ingenious neighbor, when building 
•*"*- her bungalow, had the carpenters 
simply leave certain sections of the wall 
in her living-room unlathed, and after the 
room was plastered, strips of flat molding 
were nailed around these openings as a 
frame. Then she inserted shelves; the re¬ 
sult was the handiest kind of a bookcase. 
The cases were made on inside walls on 
either side of the homelike fireplace so the 
house was not rendered any colder. When 
filled with neatly arranged books they 
gave the room a well furnished look at 
no expense whatever, and there was no 
heavy piece of furniture to move on 
sweeping day. 
A similar opening in the wall of the 
bathroom makes a neat little medicine- 
closet, a dainty white curtain screening 
the bottles from view. 
No space is taken from the room, and 
they are exceedingly convenient. 
L. McC. 
Shallow Drawers for Linen 
TT looked strange to see in the linen- 
closet of a new house a row of draw¬ 
ers not over three inches in depth. These 
drawers, the owner explained, were ex¬ 
pressly for the storing of fine table and 
bed linen. 
“Did you ever notice,” she asked, “that 
when a quantity of linen is placed in a 
deep drawer some of it is sure to be crum¬ 
pled in getting out desired articles, and 
not infrequently must be sent to the laun¬ 
dry again before being used? Now, with 
these shallow drawers, only two or three 
articles are placed in each one, and all 
are kept in perfect condition.” 
A slip of paper was pasted on each 
drawer designating its contents, so that no 
confusion arose from the increased num¬ 
bers. Alice M. Ashton 
To Prevent Rust 
FTEN tools and metal work will rust 
though not exposed to the weather. 
Camphor gum seems to have the property 
of preventing rust, and oils of different 
kinds will protect metal. The best com¬ 
bination for preventing rust is made of 
tallow four parts, graphite two parts and 
camphor gum one part. The metal should 
be thoroughly cleaned and wiped dry, 
then the paste applied and allowed to re¬ 
main twenty-four hours. It may then be 
wiped perfectly dry, and kept in constant 
use for months without fear of tarnish 
or rust. The mixture in some way pene¬ 
trates the metal and prevents oxidation 
even under circumstances generally con¬ 
ducive to it. H. F. G. 
Mending Holes in Wire Screens 
A HOLE in an expensive wire screen 
A-*' is an annoyance and somewhat 
costly to fix if the screen be of copper. 
But holes can be quickly repaired at home 
with little expense and without leaving 
any disfiguring marks. To do it, get a 
piece of wire gauze like that of which 
the screen is made. The piece should be 
a little larger than the hole. Then take 
off the wires around the edge of the patch 
until it appears surrounded by teeth one- 
eighth inch long. Bend all these project¬ 
ing wires upward so as to be at right an¬ 
gles to the body of the gauze as in the cut. 
The outside wires should be stripped off, as 
in the first drawing, leaving even projec¬ 
tions around the edge; then bend these up 
in the manner shown 
Now put the patch over the tear, allowing 
the turned-up wires to go through the 
screen. Press flush to the surface and 
bend the projecting points of wire toward 
the centre. A patch put on in this way 
is perfectly secure; the work is done in 
a minute, and is not noticeable. 
W. E. P. 
Rope Rails 
N a great many houses there is a stair¬ 
case so narrow or so steep that there 
is no room to put in a hand-rail, or if 
there is one, its slope makes it of little 
service. A rope rail is not only the safest 
for these situations, but the most easily 
used; besides it takes up less room than 
any other kind. The hand has a better 
grip upon it and can slide, unobstructed 
by posts, along the entire length. The 
three-fourths or seven- 
eighths-inch, four-strand 
“bolt - rope,” spliced 
through heavy screw- 
eyes makes the best kind 
of a rail. Any 
heavy rope will 
answer, but it is 
preferable to have 
it smooth and soft 
and above all, se¬ 
curely fastened 
and tight enough 
to prevent much 
“give.” 
W. E. P. 
The illustration shows 
a rope rail with an 
eye splice. If this 
cannot be made, run 
the rope through 
the screw eye, and 
tie enough large and 
tight knots to pre¬ 
vent pulling through 
To Drive Worms from Potted Ferns 
l\/rANY ferns refuse to grow, however 
At A we p watered, because earth-worms 
infest the soil. If the plant can conveni¬ 
ently be re-potted, wash the roots clean by 
holding them under a hydrant, and then 
place in earth which has been baked in 
the oven to kill all the tiny grubs. 
But if this cannot well be done at the 
time, simply stick a number of matches 
head-first into the dirt. The sulphur kills 
all life in it and the plant revives ac¬ 
cordingly. Often worms will be found 
in the saucer, driven out by the sulphur. 
L. McC. 
For Stains in Marble 
"X/TARBLE statuary, garden ornaments 
of marble and other similar articles 
lose much of their beauty by their readi¬ 
ness to stain. Most of the ordinary spots 
can be removed by mixing a strong solu¬ 
tion of potash with whiting and painting 
the mixture over the marble. Allow it to 
remain long enough to work into the sur¬ 
face, then wash it off. Iron stains must be 
rendered soluble by applying salts of lemon 
to them. For smoke stains it is often nec¬ 
essary to lay the marble face downward in 
damp sand, leaving just the top uncovered. 
The moisture of the sand then gradually 
penetrates the marble, driving impurities 
before it. The most persistent stain is 
sometimes taken out by the application of 
a paste of raw potato. IT P. 
Protecting Steam Pipes 
OEOPLE usually realize that all the 
pipes in a hot water heating system 
must be protected from freezing, because 
they are always filled with water, but they 
frequently forget that any pipes in the cel¬ 
lar of a house heated by a steam furnace 
are also filled with water up to the level of 
the water in the boiler. Of course upstairs 
there is never any water standing in the 
pipes in a steam system, and this makes 
them think there is no danger anywhere. 
I have seen part of the piping placed in a 
cold-room. There is danger also in cold 
parts of the cellar for the piping on cold 
winter nights when the fire in the heater 
is low. See to it that such exposed pipes 
are protected. C. K. F. 
A Bathroom Precaution 
T N laying a new floor in our bathroom, 
the carpenter fastened down two of 
the boards with screws in place of nails. 
This, he explained, often saved a great deal 
of work in case any repairs had to be made 
in the plumbing. These boards can be 
lifted without injury to the floor and reset 
without any trouble. A. M. A. 
(no) 
