July, 1918 
FOREST AND S T R E A M 
423 
opposite and let the nails protrude out 
enough so that they will go into the holes 
on either side of the trap. Nail a small 
block on the inside of the trap, just under 
the lid so that it will only tip one way. 
In my crude sketch of the lid, I have 
marked the bait side and the weight side. 
In mounting the lid see that the weight 
side is over, the block on the inside of the 
trap. Fasten a piece of meat or putrid 
liver on the bait side of the lid; a piece 
just large enough to counterbalance the 
weight. The trap is now ready for use. 
Take it to the pond or stream, select a 
place where the turtles climb out on the 
bank or a log to sun themselves. Put 
enough rocks in the bottom of the trap 
to sink it to within two inches of the top. 
Tie a stout cord to the trap and the other 
end to a bush or anything secure on the 
bank. This should get the turtles. 
C. W. Bandy, Illinois. 
To Make Matches Waterproof 
D IP the heads and one inch of the ad¬ 
jacent stick in collodion. If desired 
the match may then be rolled in fine (pul¬ 
verized) gun powder. The powder adds 
to the flash and first blaze. Be careful to 
have the powder fine and do not put on 
too much. Collodion is made by dissolv¬ 
ing gun cotton in alcohol and ether. It 
can be purchased at any drug store, and is 
a useful dressing for cuts and scratches. 
Dr. R. M. Miles, Pa. 
Canvas Camp Cot 
I AM going to try to give you fellow 
sportsmen my idea for a camp bed. 
Procure a large piece of canvas six and a 
half feet square, firmly stitch two opposite 
sides together thus forming a bottomless 
sack. Cut two stout poles seven or eight 
feet long and as big around as your wrist. 
Insert them through the bag and allow the 
ends to project equally at each end, rest 
these two ends on two logs. In order to 
hold the poles in place, notches should be 
cut in the logs at such distances as will 
draw the bag to its full width. The in¬ 
terior of the canvas should now be filled 
with dried grass, leaves, moss, or spruce 
boughs. This makes a good bed and is 
comfortable and dry. The picture will ex¬ 
plain more fully. Frank Fonda, Ohio. 
The Wasmuth Kink 
E OR the benefit of the fishermen who 
are interested in my article on the 
Frank Day rod in the June issue of Forest 
and Stream, I am sending a drawing of 
about a quarter of an inch apart. The 
map was then turned over and another 
quadrangle pasted upon its back. A sheet 
of celluloid was made into a case open at 
one end, the other three edges being bound 
with tape. This case was just large enough 
to hold the map when the latter was folded 
and fitted into a coat pocket made a little 
large for this purpose. By folding it prop¬ 
erly two adjoining sections could always 
be seen, one on one side and the other on 
the other side of the celluloid case, and 
the Wasmuth kink which was described in 
that article. Mr. Wasmuth is a Hoosier 
manufacturer who takes his fishing as 
seriously as his business and politics, and 
I am sure his invention will prove of value 
to many who do not like a long lure with 
sinker tied on ahead. 
Mr. Wasmuth gets a Tandem spinndr. 
Then he rolls up a funnel of paper, fastens 
the point of the funnel at the lower end of 
the space between the blades, and pours 
molten lead into the funnel. When the 
lead cools he fashions it to suit himself. 
Thus he has a sinker that is part of his 
spinner. He leaves a little more lead on 
one side than on the other which gives a 
wobbling motion to the spinner. Mr. 
Wasmuth has not patented his invention 
yet, but it is such a fine idea that other 
fellows would better hurry and make up a 
supply of them before he decides to do so. 
A. E. A., Ind. 
To Preserve Government Maps 
N our trip through the Golden Trout 
country, of which I have written in 
Forest and Stream, we used the govern¬ 
ment quadrangle maps which may be se¬ 
cured from the U. S. Geological Survey 
for ten cents each. Almost everyone we 
met on the trip seemed to be using similar 
maps, but no one had them arranged as 
conveniently as we did. The idea we put 
to use was suggested by my sister, but it 
is not unlikely that others have hit upon it 
in the past. Each map was cut into six 
sections and pasted back down upon cheese 
cloth, the edges of the sections being kept 
when desired it could be pulled out and 
the entire quadrangle inspected. Our map 
was in perfect shape after five weeks of 
rough travel, during which time it was 
used daily, while others we saw were in 
shreds after a week’s usage. 
M. L. Langhorst, Calif. 
Don’t Fcrget the Priest 
I HAVE always taken occasion to urge 
the use of a “priest,” whenever an op¬ 
portunity arose, but nine out of ten Amer¬ 
ican anglers with whom I have been 
thrown did not know the meaning of the 
term, as applied to angling. 
The English tackle dealers all advertise 
the priest as part of a necessary outfit; 
running in price from two to five shillings, 
being more or less ornamental, and vary¬ 
ing in size according to the fish to be 
“treated.” 
The priest is simply a short round stick, 
like a policeman’s billy, and is used by 
giving a smart sharp blow on the head of 
the fish, as soon as netted, to put him out 
of misery; and one twelve inches long, 
and a half to three-quarter inches in di¬ 
ameter, is ample for ordinary use; and 
one should always be carried, whether on 
land or in a boat. 
So many anglers think only of killing 
dangerous ones, and are apt to forget the 
cruelty of throwing a live fish into a boat 
or basket to die in slow agony; or in put¬ 
ting them on a string to be kept alive in 
water in prolonged suffering. 
A. T. Brice, Washington, D. C. 
