"I dropped amateur telescope making temporarily a while ago and took up amateur carpentry, with the result shown in the photograph."

"The result" is the square structure, capped with a silo top, shown below, and its maker, owner, user, and the writer of the above comment, is E. N. Ryder, D.D.S., of Brewster, New York. Dr. Ryder further observes in his letter that, "this edifice has been spoken of, I understand, as 'The Coffee Mill with the crank on the inside'."

AN observatory constructed partly with the help of the well-known "Scanlon Specifications", and partly by the Morrisville Foundry Company, is that of W. D. Jones, 18 Summer Street, Morrisville, Vermont. The dome, Mr. Jones says, is 12 feet in diameter inside, and is rotated by rack and pinion. The brick walls are seven feet high and the four-inch telescope is mounted level with the base of the dome, so that it may be used down to a low angle.

The Scanlon Specifications are-or formerly were and probably still are-available from Leo J. Scanlon, Secretary-treasurer of the Astronomical Section of the Academv of Science and Art of Pittsburgh, 1405 East Street, N. S., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This is the observatory whose prototype, roofed with sheet aluminum, was described in a special article in the July, 1931 number.

LACONIC is Charles A. McPherson, contractor and home builder, of Edgar, Montana, who writes:

"Sir: Enclosing photo showing results of reading 'A.T.M.' Observatory eight feet diameter. Too small for eight-inch telescope -hard to move around without bumping tube. Concrete floor with six-inch diameter pipe set in concrete, carrying German type equatorial. Have two eight-inch mirrors. Either one can be used for the same tube. Telescope used for variable stars."

"CONGDON ORCHARDS" is the name on the letterhead of Fred L. Farmer, manager, Yakima, Washington, surprinted over pictures of two big luscious red "Chekola Brand" apples-from which we gather that amateur astronomer Farmer is also a professional apple farmer. Mr. Farmer sends several progress photographs of his job.

"In the construction of this observatory," Mr. Farmer writes, "the sill and plate of the side walls, as well as the rafters and sill of the dome are all made of two thicknesses of one-by-three, cut on a ten foot circle, except the upper member of the plate, which was made of one-by-four. I had this material cut at the mill. The studs for the side walls are six feet long. The shutter opening is 30 inches wide and extends well beyond the center. The dome is supported by eight roller-skate wheels and has eight roller-skate wheels on brackets for thrust bearings which ride under the top member and on the lower member of the plate. The frame of the shutter is made of 1/2-inch angle iron on which wooden strips are fastened to support the slats. Both the shutter and the dome move very easily. The dome is covered with heavy canvas and the side walls with Beaver Board.

"The cost of material was 60 dollars.

"In building this observatory, I followed very closely the instructions of Chas. D. Higgs of Fortana, Wisconsin, as published in Popular Astronomy, August-September, 1928. 1 find that this makes a very satisfactory housing for my six-inch reflector and greatly increases

the pleasure of using my telescope."

BONNEVUE OBSERVATORY is at 222 D Evans Avenue, Wyoming (near Reading), Pennsylvania, and is the creation of J. Milo Webster, wholesale optician.

"The building contains a small shop on the first floor," Mr. Webster writes. "The second floor is given over to an assembly room which will more or less become 'hobby headquarters.'

"The main point of interest is the turret house supported on I-beams resting on the masonry walls of the building. It is approximately eight feet square, affording standing room for several persons.

"The refracting telescope at present mounted carries a five-inch lens, but this will later be replaced with a larger one. A second telescope can be mounted on the opposite side of the turret.

"Six two-inch grooved wheels carry the turret, four being located at the top and one either side. The driving mechanism consists of a gear of 24-pitch and 1508 teeth on the outer edge of the large steel ring, into which a 21-tooth pinion meshes. The speed of the shaft carrying the 21-tooth pinion when following a star is three revolutions an hour.

"A synchronous motor of 1800 r.p.m. is followed by a 400 to 1 reducing gear, which in turn will turn a worm gear with 90 teeth, attached to the pinion shaft. The synchronous motor operates on standard time but the number of teeth on the large steel ring corrects for sidereal time in the revolving of turret, with an accuracy quite satisfactory, the error being but five and one third seconds in 24 hours."For the general idea of a turret type refracting telescope, the owner is indebted to ex-Governor Hartness of Springfield, Vermont, who has the first, and until recently had the only, turret type refracting telescope."

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