these matters you are surely on the wrong line for you. Get off and devote your time to some other pursuit. You must be in earnest and willing to persevere. Keep everlastingly at it. Dabblers rarely ever succeed at anything. I saw a patented churn. It was a plain tank and a long round handle with propeller blades set on the end. The propeller was pushed down through the cream. It did not revolve, and hence agitated the cream very much. Then, when it was pulled up to the top, the propeller revolved and the cream was scarcely moved. In going down the propeller would move up about one inch and lock. In pulling up it would move back and unlock. I remember the man who patented an iron ore washer. It was a large tank affair, say eight feet long, three feet at one end and six feet at the other. Inside it was lined with iron plates having a flange projecting upward. These were fastened so that the flanges formed a spiral from the large to the small end. An axle was placed in the centre by braces. The large end almost touched the ground; the small end was, say, two feet above the ground. The ore dirt was shoveled in the big end. A stream of water entered the small end. The washer was revolved. The dirt ran out with the water. The ore was worked by the flanges up to and fell out of the small end. I met a party who had a patented bung for barrels. It looked like a straight piece of round wood. I inquired, what is the patent. He said, bungs blow out of barrels, but his would not, because it was first made larger at one end than the other, then by driving it through a tube it was forced equal at each end. The original big end was marked and put in the bung hole. The liquid would cause it to swell to its former size. It could not blow out, and to tap the barrel it was driven in. The shores of Lake Superior are full of fine iron ore, probably millions of dollars worth. A party got up an electrical separator. To reclaim the iron sounds big. Let us see. An iron cylinder, an electrical battery or dynamo to charge and magnetize it, a long trough with a moving belt in the bottom. The sand and fine iron were shoveled on the belt and carried up to and fell on one side of the revolving magnetized cylinder. The iron adhered, and as the separator revolved it was scraped off on the other side. Some ten years ago I wrote to a number of chewing gum firms and proposed they make sugar-coated tablets. They did not enthuse and I dropped the matter. To-day it forms quite a business. About twenty-five years ago I proposed to put India-rubber along the water line of war ships, so that when struck the hole would close and prevent the water going in. To-day every war ship is equipped with that idea, using cellulose instead of rubber. So, don't give up your ideas too quickly. Become well convinced before you drop them. During the past month I read an article stating that the railroads required a heavier rail. I thought the added weight might be used to make the rail alike top and bottom—a double rail—so that when one side wore out the rail could be turned and virtually have a new one, and it being on the ground would save the handling in the second case. A special shoe would secure it to the tie. First costs are often increased to get economic results. I simply advance the idea. Any one interested can put it in their pipe and smoke it. If any of you use a rubber ball in the heel of the shoe to make walking comfortable you may be able to fit a small tube and have it arranged to ventilate the toe of the shoe. A party made a horseshoe having a toe piece of three parts. The centre was very hard steel; the outsides were soft. They wore down and the hard centre stuck up. It was always sharp. He said the blacksmiths would not handle them because it hurt their business.

It always seemed a good idea to make a wheel so that the spokes formed a hub at the centre. If all the people were alive to their needs all hats would be ventilated. The corrugated band is a good idea, as far as it goes. It should be supplemented with vents in sides or top. Do you know they paint ships without brushes? Simply spray it on with an atomizer and sweep with a suction hose. I hope it will be after my day when some of you get up a machine to do the eating. A cannon was mounted with mechanism to absorb the recoil and other service. A hole was drilled through the side of the cannon about one foot from the end or muzzle. A tube was fitted and extended rearward to the mechanism. When the cannon was fired the pressure became very great in the chamber, and the instant the projectile passed the drilled hole, and until it left the gun, this high pressure or power went through the tube and worked the mechanism at the rear of the gun. I know hoopskirts are long out of style. Could a flexible metal band be arranged at the bottom of pants and end of coat sleeves, so that they need not be sewed and could be worked to shorten or lengthen them, as desired?

I saw a funnel that had a wire rod running down to the small end. A ball on the end of the rod was used to close or open the funnel. When the bottle was full you could close the funnel, and no more would run out of it. I don't think there is a good nutmeg grater on the market. The price at retail should not be above 10 cents. It should have a good appearance, convenient and practical. It should all be enclosed, fly proof and dust proof—a sanitary grater. There is a chance to improve a match box to hang on the wall, something that won't show the marks. You should be alive to the difference between goods being on sale at stores and taking hold of a specialty and pushing it.

Sometimes the horses are driven with slack lines, and shy or scare suddenly. Often the driver is bothered to take up the slack. Could you invent handles to put on the lines that could be moved forward easily, have them grip so not to slip back until a spring or catch released them? I don't understand why they don't connect the shafts to the vehicle so that they could be instantly disconnected in case the horse ran away.

They sell a number of popcorn roasters. One to revolve should prove a good seller. The shaking plan is very tiresome. Some arrangement should be put on the bootblack boy's box to prevent the foot from slipping off. A propeller rocket could be made to go very high. Could you make a metal frame that any one, by using a strong manila paper, could make a pocketbook to hold notes, bills, etc.? How do you like a wire device to be put on rolls of ribbon to keep them from unwinding in the retail stores? A watch might be made so that the opening and closing of the lid would keep it wound up. I have not been inside a school for a long time. Perhaps they have holders to prevent the chalk crayons from breaking.

Did you ever cut a round piece of cardboard in a strip, say one-half inch wide, cutting round and round to the centre, then set it on a knitting needle, place it over the stove and see it turn? The heat from a small wax candle should turn a Christmas tree lamp on the same principle. Now they make wood lead pencils that require no sharpening. The lead is loose. A slot down the side of the pencil enables one to advance the lead as required. Elections call forth many ideas as to the best form of balloting. I think a very safe form of voting would be to have two large iron boxes with mechanism and a long roll of paper, proper width, with the ballots printed on it; a flat space or table between the boxes; the long paper tape of ballots would be wound up on a roller in one box and unwound into the other, the ballots to be numbered consecutively. A voter steps up and proves his right to vote; then he marks his vote on ballot No. 1, which shows on the flat place between the boxes. The judges then turn a crank. That ballot moves into the other box and the next adjoining ballot appears on the flat place. Such a plan would be free