Ingenious Devices 
LABOR-SAVING SCHEMES AND SHORT CUTS IN THE HOUSE AND IN THE GARDEN 
Cooling Water Without Ice 
I N Arizona and the region round-about, 
especially where artificial ice is not 
to be had, water is made deliciously cool 
by putting it at night into jars of coarse 
pottery and placing these outdoors where 
the night air can reach them. 
Each jar holds about a gallon, and so 
porous is the pottery that nearly a quart 
oozes out of a jar during the night, leav¬ 
ing the rest delightfully cool. Glazed pot¬ 
tery cannot be used at all for this purpose. 
Each jar must be protected by a covering 
of fine wire or mosquito bar to keep the 
contents clean and yet admit the air. 
Nearly all the water used for drinking 
is thus carefully and healthfully prepared. 
The jars are of attractive Indian pattern, 
and retain the old Indian name of “oyas.” 
L. McC. 
Plants that Drink Surface Water 
R OOTS of Golden Glow, Dahlias and 
Boltonia rapidly absorb surface 
water, and if planted in or on the edge 
of the sink-drain there will be little water 
left standing. The effect on the plants is 
that of promoting a heavy, luxuriant 
growth that almost entirely hides the 
drain. An occasional handful of lime may 
be scattered about the roots to sweeten 
the soil. L. W. Macomber 
To Clean the Cellar Floor 
T N our family of busy people the clean- 
ing of the furnace-cellar floor was 
often neglected, with the result that the 
dust was tracked all over the house. One 
day I found a small box of sawdust left 
beside the furnace by someone to be 
burned. Wetting it well with warm water, 
I sprinkled it over the floor, and swept 
lightly. It gathered up the dust and made 
scrubbing unnecessary. Since my dis¬ 
covery we keep the floor clean with little 
trouble. A. M. A. 
Vines as Window Awnings 
TWO of my kitchen windows are very 
_ sunny, and I wished some protec¬ 
tion during the summer. With light 
strips of wood we made a frame at the 
top of the window by nailing an end of 
a twelve-inch strip at each side of the cas¬ 
ing and fastening a cross-piece between 
them at the outer end. To the ground 
underneath we staked the end of a piece 
of wire netting and carried it up to the 
frame above. Over this the vines were 
trained. We find it a great advantage 
not to have the vines directly against the 
windows. The foot of space between al¬ 
lows the breeze to draw through, giving 
better ventilation; and it really seems 
much cooler than when the frame is di¬ 
rectly against the window. During a rain 
the windows do not get spattered from 
the vines unless a hard wind is blowing, 
and the dropping of leaves and blossoms 
does not litter the window-sills. 
Alice M. Ashton 
Plumbing for the Steam Heater 
A SIMPLE and effective way of run- 
the feed water supply pipe to a 
steam heater is shown in the following 
diagram. The advantage will be easily 
seen, as it also allows a stop-cock to be 
placed without additional piping, to draw 
all the water off from the heater when 
necessary. This saves labor and material, 
both of which are very expensive these 
days. C. K. F. 
It will save much trouble in the future if the 
water supply for your steam heated is ar¬ 
ranged in this way, with a stop-cock outlet 
Keeping Cut Flowers 
\ N expert in flower culture who does 
a great deal of decorating in fine 
homes tells me that flowers cut several 
hours before really needed and placed im¬ 
mediately in water keep better than those 
freshly cut. The reason for this is that 
the fragile stems when well filled with 
water do not droop as quickly as those 
Before the birds begin to leave, hang up a 
cocoanut from which a notch has been cut 
from one or from both ends. Bore a gim¬ 
let hole at the lowest point of the bottom 
to allow the escape of any rain water that 
may accumulate 
that have only their own juices to draw 
upon. He declares we should gather flow¬ 
ers in the early morning if wanted at 
night, and the night before if they are 
wanted to be at their best the next noon. 
A little salt in the water helps to keep 
them, and it is much better than placing 
the flowers on ice, as in that case they 
wither almost immediately on exposure to 
air. L. McC. 
Keeping a Stove Bright 
T HROUGH sad experience I have 
come to know that the best way to 
keep the outside of a stove presentable is 
to rub it frequently with crushed news¬ 
papers, and once in a while with a soft 
cloth on which are a few drops of kero¬ 
sene. Washing a stove with dish-water is 
the poorest possible way. 
To prevent rust on the inside of the 
oven, the best that can be done is to leave 
the door open after baking until it is cold 
and dry. The steam from the cooking 
rusts it. and the only help for it is to 
leave the door slightly ajar much of the 
time. L. McC. 
Formalin for Drain-pipes 
I HAVE found that a tablespoonful of 
formalin flushed through sink pipes 
daily will discourage the hatching of in¬ 
sects. It is especially good where fowls 
run at large and drink from surface drain¬ 
age, as the formalin tends to reduce the in¬ 
flammation of mucous membrane which 
attends so many fowl ailments. 
L. W. Macomber 
A Feeding Dish for Chickens or 
Cats 
A ROUND cake-tin with funnel in the 
center makes an excellent feeding 
dish for a few small chickens. Drive a 
stick into the ground, slip the tin over it, 
and there is no danger of the tin being 
upset. We also find this satisfactory as 
a feeding dish for the cats. They are more 
easily cleaned than most “stationary’' 
feeding dishes. A. M. A. 
An Automatic Burglar Alarm Test 
A N electrician gave me a hint the other 
day which will help many people 
who have burglar alarms installed. The 
burglar alarm circuit and the call bell cir¬ 
cuit, which served the front door, dining¬ 
room, etc., were all connected to one bat¬ 
tery. Then if the call bells, which were 
used continuously every day did not ring, 
it indicated that the batteries needed at¬ 
tention, and so the burglar alarm system 
was kept always supplied with sufficient 
battery power. Of course, except it is 
tested, the burglar alarm system is not 
usually tried unless thieves attempt to 
enter. 1'’ 
(169) 
