ss, or a hip that has been wrenched.

Shorten and hollow out the brush of the broom and then pad the
hollow part with cotton batting, covering it with a piece of cloth
sewed in place. Such a crutch does not heat the arm pit and there
is an elasticity about it not to be had in the wooden crutch. The
crutch can be made to fit either child or adult and owing to its
cheapness, can be thrown away when no longer needed. --Contributed
by Katharine D. Morse, Syracuse, N. Y.

[Illustration: Crutch]

** Toy Darts and Parachutes [352]

A dart (Fig. 1) is made of a cork having a tin cap, a needle and
some feathers. The needle is run through the center of the cork A
and a pin or piece of steel is put through the eye of the needle.
Take a quantity of small

[Illustration: Dart Parts and Paper Parachute]

feathers, B, and tie them together securely at the bottom. Bore a
hole in the center of the cap C, and fasten the feathers inside of
it. Fasten the cap on the cork and the dart is ready for use. When
throwing the dart at a target stand from 6 to 10 ft. away from it.

The parachute is made by cutting a piece of paper 15 in. square
and tying a piece of string to each corner. The strings should be
about 15 in. long. Tie all four strings together in a knot at the
end and fasten them in the top of a cork with a small tack. It is
best to be as high as possible when flying the parachute as the
air currents will sail it high and fast. Take hold of the
parachute by the cork and run it through the air with the wind,
letting it go at arm's length.
--Contributed by J. Gordon Dempsey, Paterson, N.J.

** A Tool for Lifting Can Covers [352]

A handy tool for prying up varnish paint, syrup and similar can
covers car be made from an old fork filed down

[Illustration: Made of an Old Fork]

to the shape shown in the illustration. The end is filed to an
edge, but not sharp.
--Contributed by Ben Grebin, Ashland, Wis.

** Keeping Rats from a Chicken Coop [352]

After trying for months to keep the rats from tunneling their way
into my chicken coop by filling in the holes, laying poisoned meat
and meal, setting traps, etc., I devised a simple and effective
method to prevent them from doing harm.

My roosting coop is 5 by 15 ft. There is a 1-in. board all around
the bottom on the inside. I used wire mesh having 1/2-in. openings
and formed it into the shape of a large tray with edges 6 in.
high, the corners being wired, and ta