Ingenious Devices 
LABOR-SAVING SCHEMES AND SHORT CUTS IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE GARDEN 
Celery in Tiles 
N ingenious celery grower has resort¬ 
ed to the following clever method 
of cultivation. He plants his seed in 
double rows in a trench according to the 
usual practice and when the plants have 
become 8 in. in height he makes use of the 
tiles. These are the common terra cotta, 
vitrified or glazed pipe tiling so frequently 
seen in general use. Select for the celery 
covers, pipe preferably of four inches in 
diameter. This can be easily broken into 
cylinders of convenient length. If the col¬ 
lar joints of wider diameter are left on, 
they should be put into the earth so that 
they are at the bottom. The tile is placed 
over the celery and the outside entirely 
banked with earth. A hole is left running 
down through the dirt outside the tile. The 
plants should be watered through this so 
that the water will reach the roots directly. 
If it is poured inside the tile it will cause 
the celery to discolor and rot. This pre¬ 
caution, as well as that of banking the 
earth about the cylinder to prevent its 
becoming overheated from the sun, are 
the only essentials for success when using 
this method. Its benefits are apparent, 
in that it enables one to grow long, 
clean stalks of celery which are blanched 
quite white for their whole length. An¬ 
other advantage is that the concrete acts 
a little like a coldframe and helps to pro¬ 
duce ripened celery earlier than the old 
way. H. P. 
A Gardener’s Use for Old 
Tin Cans 
np HE two- and three-pound cans that 
are thrown away as soon as the 
contents are removed, may be made to 
serve the gardener in a profitable way. 
Melt both ends and along the side seam; 
they will then have to be held in shape by 
tying a string around each one. Push 
them down in the hotbed so that the up¬ 
per rim is an inch above the surface, then 
plant the seed of melon and cucumber in 
them. The seed will germinate and grow 
in the hotbed, and when the weather per¬ 
mits the cans may be taken up with the 
dirt that is in them and also the plants 
that have grown therein, and set in hills 
previously prepared for them. The string 
is cut, and the relaxing can is lifted out, 
leaving the plant undisturbed by the pro¬ 
cess of transplanting. Melon plants can¬ 
not be moved without sufficient dirt ad¬ 
hering to the roots to prevent the break¬ 
ing of any of them, and this plan gets 
around that difficulty. When no longer 
needed the cans may be rolled one within 
the other and stored away for another 
year. They are also valuable to place 
around plants which are susceptible to 
the ravages of the cutworm, by pushing 
them an inch into the soil. H. F. G. 
Utilizing the Space Above the 
Radiator 
T last the unsightly and much-in-the- 
way radiator serves another pur¬ 
pose than that of diffusing heat. How 
often have we longed to put it somewhere 
out of the way, and utilize its space for 
a bookshelf or other piece of furniture. 
Now there comes a shelf supported on 
brackets which may be firmly attached to 
the radiator, and made to hold heavy 
weights. The brackets are made in dif¬ 
ferent weights and styles, to correspond 
with the various designs in radiators. The 
platform which rests on the brackets, is at 
a sufficient distance above the radiator to 
be free from heat, and any number of 
shelves may be installed above. 
When the celery is covered with the pipe, 
bank the soil well up about it, leaving but 
a few inches above ground 
Glue Oilcloth on Kitchen Tables 
NSTEAD of tacking the oilcloth cover 
on the table or cabinet top glue it 
firmly. This, together with an applica¬ 
tion of good varnish two or three times 
a year will insure doubled or trebled serv¬ 
ice from ordinary table oilcloth 
M. E. S. H. 
For Creaking Doors 
HE bathroom door had developed a 
persistent and annoying creak. I 
literally drenched the hinges with oil in 
an effort to stop it, but still it complained 
distressingly. An investigation revealed 
a chafed spot on top of the door. This 
was rubbed with soap, literally lathered 
on. The creak then stopped as if bv 
magic. M. E. S. H. 
For the Casement Window 
HE casement window is apt to prove 
a great nuisance unless one pro¬ 
vides for its adjustment in a simple and 
effective manner, which will lock it se¬ 
curely at any desired point without remov¬ 
ing the wire screen. There are several 
such devices on the market, and the best 
of them work easily from the inside, eith¬ 
er under the sill or through the screen. 
No one plans casement windows to swing 
inward nowadays, for they interfere much 
with hangings and shades, as well as oc¬ 
cupying too much space when open. 
One adjuster is a simple mechanical de¬ 
vice, which is hidden by the inside sill or 
stool of the window, assuring a firm 
clutch on the window; and when closed 
or open the device acts as a lock. The 
only part visible in the room is the ope¬ 
rating handle, which folds back under the 
projecting sill when not in use. Jointed 
rods alone are visible from the outside. 
The adjuster which works through the 
wooden frame of the screen or storm sash 
has only a small lever and wheel visible 
from the inside, and is simplicity itself 
to operate, with nothing to get out of or¬ 
der. 
The simple features of the new-fash¬ 
ioned casement adjusters make it pos¬ 
sible, even for a child, to open and close 
the windows, without interference with 
wire netting or storm sash, and they do 
away with the annoyance of rattling, 
when closed and open. K. N. B. 
Supporting Tomato Vines 
SPLENDID support for tomato 
vines will be found in the common 
fruit crates. Some of the long slats 
should be taken from the sides and the 
crate placed on end over the plant when 
quite young. Then, as it grows it ad¬ 
justs its leaves and branches to fit the 
frame, supporting itself without any tying. 
Windstorms and beating rains can do it 
little damage, and the plant will do so 
much better when thus guarded that the 
small amount of expense and trouble will 
be well worth while. L. McC. 
A Lasting Stove Polish 
HEN the polish has been burned off 
the stove it is very often difficult 
to replace the black polishing surface, and 
when the ordinary liquid or soft polish is 
used there is small probability of succeed¬ 
ing. The blacking can be put on, but when 
rubbed to a polish it quickly disappears, 
leaving the stove as red and unsightly as 
before. To succeed with this work take 
a piece of blacking that has hardened in 
the box, and after wetting the spots to be 
treated, rub on the polish with vigor, and 
after a time enough will adhere to permit 
of a shine of great brilliancy. A. D. 
(272) 
