Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1911-03-10
eolah Top ss;rsners Of Liberia.

From BITdLAut 1AaSo~As'S'
That primitive man often exeels iNs
more civilized brethren i'm feaaS OF sAlS
IS well exemplitied by tha remarkable
dexterity shown by the Gosah top
spinners OF Liberia. CertaSa bndiyid-
Tals OF lis primitive tri3a OF West
African negroes are able to- msaipu-
late a top-like toy wE@ch they keep
spinning II length Oh time In MILO
air by merely striking IL with Va sreab
Whip. .......
For the botanical Identification OF
the fruit from which these tops ans
made the writer Is indebted to NAh
w. II. Swfugle, of the United States
department of agriculture, who pointy
out that these hard shelledi. sphericay
fruits belong to the genus Balsa-
mocitrus, a very near relative of che
ball fruits OF India and a more dis
tant relative of the common orange.
These fruits. which may welt be de-
| scribed as hard shelied oranges, are
from three to i've inches in diasneter4
The shell is very lard and from a.
quarter to- half an inch In thickness.
| The top is formed of one of the
fruits from. which the interior has
been removed. together with a round
stick about, haif an inch in diameter
and eight inches In length. The stick
passes lllIVuSA S&Ac SCLLCL VI llC Nk
projecting only on n side. A Eele'
is also cut in tho side OF the fruit, sol
hat the top produces q musical soUndI
when spinning rapidly.
IN whip, by means of which the
top is kept In, the air. consists Of a
stalk about II foot in length To
which a string about IS inches long,
made from the ber of the wine paAAa
is tied as a lash.
The poarnod. Of eta rtiraps Hhn ton 10.
as follows: The lash OF she whip is
wound around ths body OF the top.
making a little. more than one turn.
The top is then placed on the ground
with the stem to- one side. The whip
is given a quick upwau6 motion.
throwing the top into the air. at the
5aIne time Importing TO II a spinning
motion. AS the top, drops within
reach, but before 1t touches the
ground, 1t Is struck, with tite whip ia
UGH a amer that the lash winds
around the stem close to the head.
The stroke Is Immediately followed by
another upward notion, which again
THROWS the top up and makes it re-
volve still faster.
Skilled performers have no, difficulty
in keeping the top IN the air for any
length of time desired. The perform
ance is varied by catching the top N
the stock Of the whip and slowly tilt
ing IT Until me S2GSoI tho SUCK rests
On the ground, whafo, &c spins fpu some
time like an ordinary top. From this
position, while stiil spinning, the top
can again be thrown into, the air by
the whip n the whole operation re-
peated.
AS soon as the Top is. fairts started
IT begins to emit IA musical note, low
at first, but gradually increasing in
volume as the top revolves- moro rapid
ty, until the speed is so great that
the sound ceases, recurring a. soon as
abe top slows down.
The sound produced by this top Ia
believed by the Golahs to be distaste-
ful to the ground hogs, which often do
considerable damage to cultivated
fields. This means of driving away
pests is considered SO effective that
men able 10 perform with this top are
In great demandd and are often called
q distance Of two or three days. travel
TO rid fields Of these pests.