The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-30
IL THE PATENT OFFICE.
Freak Inventions Filed for Protection by
Law.
Rene Bdchc IN Washington Star

American invention has given birth
to no end Of freaks, which have been
embalmed at the patent Office in order
that they MAY not perish. SOME Of
the queerest Of them are devices for
entrapping beasts, bugs; fishes and
even human beings.
What, for example, could be funnier
than the notion of using imitation
flowers with poisoned honey to attract
noxious insects The artificial bios
som, each containing small quantity
of sugary liquid properly prepared, are
to be fastened to twigs. Moths Of de-
strubtive Species sip the deadly nectar
and die. A more elaborate device Of
a similar description is intended for
the protection Of apple trees. 1t is a
tin can covered as to its upper half
with luminous paint. On the outside
of the lower half apple blossoms are
represented with the same sort of
paint. Inside Of the RECEPTACLE Is a
small quantity of cider. The can is
to be hung on branch of an apple
tree at night. Insects attracted by
the pictured flowers light upon the
can. The smell of the older induces
them to enter through holes provided
for that purpose ; they drop into the
cider and are drowned.
tits not always easy to distinguish
between crank idea and useful dis.
covery. The poisoned counterfeits OF
flowers above described are said to
work very we'll. Many years ago a
man got patent for a method OF kill
ing bugs on trees in sort Of balloon
of canvas, into which an asphyxiating
gas was to be poured for the purpose
Of suffoeating the insects. Every
body thought he was lunatic. But
now that his patent has run out the
merits of the plan have suddenly OBJ
tanned appreciation and it's adoption is
alleged to have saved the orange-grow-
ing industry in California.
Several kinds of luminous bats for
fish have been patented. One OF
these is a minnow Of hollow glass
coated on the inside partly with
solution of gold or silver and partly
with luminous paint. The result is
very brilliant object in the water, cal
culated to attract any predaoious crea-
ture with fms. Another interesting
contrivance is for making frog bait
more seductive. The jerking Of the
line equipped with this device causes
the frogs legs to move as if he were
swimming.
Contrivances for catching insects
are more numerous than any others.
One of them is furnace for slaugh-
tering potato bugs. To begin with, q
deep and wide furrow is to be plowed
all around an infested field. Through
this trench smooth log is dragged to
make the surface hard and smooth.
The bugsin migrating to other grounds
are unable to scale the trench, and
the furnace, which is cylinder Of
iron filled with fuel, is drawn along
the furrow and destroys them. Other
odd devices are cartridges intended to
be inserted in the mouths Of the ant
holes and to be fired, thus communi-
eating sitting vapors to the subter.
ranean chambers also many kinds of
lamps for attracting and burning up
the moths of various worms in cotton
fields. There is toy pistol for in
sects, which sucks them in when the
trigger is pulled.
An ingenious Westerner has invent
ed a trap for catching the horn fly,
which is such an enemy to cattle in
some parts of the country: 1t con-
sists most Importantly OF great
frame, to which brush is attached in
such q manner that when the beasts
walk through, eager, as they always
are, to scratch themselves, the flies
will be scraped from their bodies by
the branches. Finally the frame is
closed up by means Of doors and the
captured insects are destroyed. Nearly
everybody has heard of the gold tape
worm trap, which the patient swal.
lows. Bed-bug traps are of several
varieties, all Of them being intended
to afford attractive hiding places for
those blood-suckers and to be burned
or scalded out afterward.
Much ingenuity has been expended
in rat traps. Some of them are so
elaborate that no full -witted rat would
go near them. One requires Mr.. Rat
to come in through a door, which
drops behind and makes him pris-
oner. Seeing bright light above, he
ascends a fight of little steps and
trots across small plank that is so
nicely adjusted as to balance that his
weight causes it to trip and throw him
into a tank of water. Another con-
trivance consists of a double chamber.
One chamber has a glass end, through
which Mr.. Rat sees two or three imi-
tation rats having a nice time with
bit of cheese. Wishing to join them, he
runs around the box, gets into the
other chambers, and is caught.
There are number of devices which
employ mirrors for the purpose of lur-
ing Mr.. Rat to his face. He mounts
on top of barrel and sees tooth
some piece Of cheese. AS he ap-
proaches it, he beholds another rodent
i'm reality his own reflection, in a
piece of looking glass-coming for the
cheese from the opposite direction.
He makes dash to get there first,
and pivotted board drops him into
a cask, which is half full of water.
Rats will swim for long time, so one
humanitarian has patented water
trap with little shelves around the
edge and just above the surface. On
the shelves are placed small lead
weights with fish hooks hanging from
them. The captured rats, in trying
to escape, grasps one of the hooks,
gets it fastened in his mouth, dislodges
the piece of lead and is carried to the
bottom by the latter.
Sparrow traps are Of many different
kinds. Most of them invite the birds
to walk in through door which drops
behind them, making them prisoners.
When next seen, in the restaurants,
they are reed birds on toasts. Oh
greater interest are contrivances fol
catching thieves. One of them is
designed to discourage bank sneaks,