the usual cradle furnishings may be used. One yard of mosquito netting stretched over the opening of the cradle will prevent insects from bothering, and the netting itself cannot touch and awaken the baby.

FINISHED CRADLE

Winter months mean extra care for the mother of a baby, but possibly the greatest of the additional cares that winter brings in this regard is that of keeping the curious tot from the hot stove. Build a pen around the stove to protect him from it. The pen is a simple affair. It consists of four little gates, made just large enough to surround the stove, and covered with netting. The wire netting does not interfere with the free passage of heat and is very effective in keeping baby from getting burned. The gates are made of 14-inch strips, mortised or neatly fitted. For netting use ordinary poultry wire of 2-foot width. The gates are held in place by hooks and screw eyes. This arrangement is better than hinges, as it makes the

taking down of the affair, for sweeping or cleaning the stove, much easier.

In the summer you may use the gate at the foot of the stairs, across the porch door, and in other places where baby is determined to go, and where he is in danger of falling and getting hurt unless protected in this way. For this pen, the lumber costs 25 cents, the netting 25 cents, and the hook and screw eyes 15 cents, making a total of only 65 cents.

A BOX FOR CLOTHES

In many of the furniture stores one may see pretty cloth-covered boxes that are used in bedrooms as a receptacle for various articles of apparel, the inside, as well as the outside, being covered with pretty figured cloth. The inside of the cover is fitted with pockets for slippers and slumber shoes. These little chests are so light that they may be lifted about with one hand.

To make such a chest, select one of the very light and well-made grocery boxes in which cereals and various brands of breakfast foods are shipped, which may be had at any grocery store. See that the corners and the bottom are nailed securely. The top will be composed of at least two pieces of board, and these can be made into a solid cover by nailing two cleats beneath them. But these will not look very attractive when the covering is being put on, so a more workmanlike plan will be to saw off a couple of inches from each end of the top boards and supply the place of the wood removed by nailing along the ends a 2-inch strip of the same thickness. This gives a cleat at each end, but the cleats in this way form part of the cover itself.

Use long wire nails to secure these end pieces in place.

It will be a simple matter to cover and line the box when the covering material is at hand. Use very small tacks and carry the outside covering up over the top and down over the inside, which will make the use of tacks along the top unnecessary. The lower edge of the cover can be tacked on the bottom of the box, so the tacks will not be seen on the outside at all.

SCOOPS FROM TIN CANS

Scoops for handling sugar and flour are among the most convenient utensils that one can have about the pantry; and in a short time a good supply may be made from materials that are going to waste about almost every home.

Take an ordinary tin can and either melt or cut off the top. With a pair of tinner's shears (a strong pair of household shears may be used), begin at the open end and split the side of the can to within about an inch of the bottom. Opposite this one make a similar slit. Parallel to the bottom of the can, cut from the lower end of one slit to that of the other. Round the corners of the remaining half, and the body of your scoop is finished.

For a handle, about 4 inches off the end of an old broomstick is just the thing. If this is not available, a handle may easily be shaped with a knife from a piece of soft wood. To attach the handle, from the inside drive a small nail through the center of the bottom of the can and into the center of the handle.

Some additional strength is obtained by planning so that the seam of the can will run down the middle of the lip of the scoop, thus stiffening it. A salmon or corn can makes a very convenient sized scoop for the sugar, while tomato cans serve very nicely for flour and meals, and half-gallon paint buckets may be thus utilized for handling light materials.

A HOMEMADE FOLDING TABLE

A handy game or sewing table may be made as follows: Take two planed boards 12 inches wide and 3 feet long. Fasten them together with two

SIMPLE HANDY TABLE

strips 2 inches wide and 24 inches long. Fasten these strips by strong screws in upright position. Now take two similar strips and fasten them by

hinges to the pieces screwed on the boards. Fasten four stout legs to these in the manner shown in the cut. Take two three-cornered boards large enough to hold the legs stiff when dropped into position, and fasten them by hinges, as shown.

The same general plan may be followed in making a much larger and heavier table or a lighter one.

A HOMEMADE BUTTER WORKER

A butter worker is one of the handy devices that should be upon every farm. A good type is shown in the drawing. It is made of close-grained hardwood-maple or birch are recommended-tightjointed, free from knots and perfectly smooth in size. It slopes enough to drain readily at the narrow end through a short piece of lead pipe inserted

at the bottom. The working bar has a strong, smooth iron rod or spike at its lower end, which is easily inserted into or removed from the hole in