The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-12-17

The fact that some manufac .urers are
 going to display them shows that
 there are others, who have an idea
 that wire wheels are coming in again.
 The first sign of changes this year
 is to be seen in the body design. The
 slop.ng fronts of len years ago again
 are being revived: not in the same
 form. but heightened and proportioned
 to suit the structure to which they
 are applied. This change is due part
 ly to the lapsing of pa, a,ent prohibition
 in the foreign market, and partly to
 the better arrangement of the cooling
 radiator. as we'll as ,o the influence
 of the boat and airship. which demon-
 strate that speedy structures should
 not be sCuare-ended. Certain it is
 not continue to look right. but, fitness
 wins out in the end. This is clearly
 noticeable by the general adoption of
 doors to ..he front seat. Just why
 there should be doors to the rear and
 not to the front was never satisfactor- fly explained.
 The Mo or World in its last number
 tells of substitute for rubber which
 has been discovered. Certain Detroit
 capitalists became aware of the exist
 ence of the substance and sent Profess
 sor John R. Allen, of the University
 of Michigan. in o the wilds of Mex co
 to get some of it. The newly dis
 covered gum exists in the virgin woods
 of Mexico. According to the narra-
 tive. it may be produced for F cents
 a pound. and the statement is made
 that the marke.s of the world are
 eaeer to get it at 75 cents pound
 Rubber. the Para kind that furnishes
 the name for the raw material that
 goes into au omobile tires. has been quoted recently in New York at some
 thing like $1-50 a pound. As describ- ed. "it belongs to the nettle family;
 L. l. ~I~@ nut tree. and its leaves and frui, can not be handled with the bare hands.
 as the nettles burn the skin like a red-hot iron.' Professor Allen carried
 samrles of the new-found gum to England. where 1t was analysed by experts. who. while declaring tha, they never had heard of the gum. pronounc- ed it the nearest approach to real rub Der ever found. It is said to develop excellent strength in vulcanized form, although it's resiliency is not as great as hat of pure rubber. This is
 thopeht to be due to an excess of resin: but the experts state that when it has
 been put through process. costing
 not over 3 cen s pound. it will be as desirable for all purposes as pure rubber. It is very important to note that the tree that furnished the gum
 was not one of the long-familiar ones, from which chem 'sts long have sought | to extract something that could be used instead of rubber. It was new tree: it had never been classified hotanically nor exploited commercial | ly. The trees are said by the natives live to he very old and the life of
 the trees is not shortened by repeat ed tapp'ngs. so long as they are all | lowed to rest two months between taps. The trees may be tapped and scored for five days runnin~ when they mus he allowed to rest. Each tree six inches in diameter will yield a pound of gum each time it ie tau- l red while from five to seven pounds
 of gum are said to result from each tepp'ng of the lar~er trees. Professor Allen and his associates have secured concessions from the Mexican govern ment for a trac; of some 500 0c0 acres | of land right where the near-rubher trees grow thickest.l Negotiations for | further concessions are said to. be un- | der way.
 If a modern engine becomes noisy | in the first few thousand miles of It's I running life. a likely cause Is ma'ad- I justmeni of the valve tappets. With 1 the strong valve springs now used In nearly all cars. the tapDet heads and valve toes wear faster than they used l to do, and too wide a clearance at | this point Is a prolific cause of noise.
 The adjustment Of the screwed tapoet heads on any engine Is considerably | facilitated by the use of feeler gauges. plus a courle of special open-ended spanners, which exactly fit the hexa- gons of the loose tappet head and it's | ,ock-nut. A piece of tin. of about 1-22 inch in thickness. should be slip ped between he valve toe and the tap 1 pet head. after the engine has been revo,ved by means of the starting handle until the taupet to be adjusted | Is at it's lowest point. The tanpet head should then be screwed uD till it | nj tha fee1er panQa aga 'nSf the valve toe: then the lock-nut must be tightened and the gauge withdrawn. This plan is much better than a vis- ual test. even with a vertical engine and Is almost essential on certain en- zines.