The chestnuting season is now at hand, and gathering chestnuts will he one of the pleasures of many readers of this magazine. The simple device here described will make easy the shaking of the long, high branches of the tree, where nuts always seem to be thickest" and most difficult to get.

Obtain an iron or lead ball, the latter prefered, about two inches in diameter, and drill a quarter of an inch hole in it. In this hole put one end of a piece of iron rod a quarter of an inch in diameter and eight inches long, and solder securely. Bend the other end of the rod into a small eye. About 150 feet of strong cord will also be needed, one end of which is fastened to the eye in iron rod, and the "shaker" is complete.

To use it, take hold of the cord about two feet from the shaker, and twirl it in a verticle circle until it is moving rapidly, the hold being-released so that it will rise over the branch and drop to the ground on the further side. This action has thrown the cord over the branch, and if the two ends are then brought together, the branch can be violently shaken, and the chestnuts will drop to the ground. Before throwing the shaker the cord should be loosely coiled so that it will not snarl when rising. When through shaking, the shaker end of the cord is pulled until all the cord is again on the ground, when it is coiled for another throw. But little practice is required to enable one to direct the shaker quite accurately. Use care that companions are not struck with the shaker, as a most violent blow would result if it was moving rapidly.