| How to Keep Birds Out of Trees Posted: 05 Nov 2017 04:00 PM PST While birds may look pretty and sound nice in your yard, you may want to prevent them from taking up permanent residency in your trees. Birds will often eat fruit like apples or oranges on trees. Certain birds, like magpies and sparrows, will also scare away smaller birds and build nests on branches. To keep birds out of your trees, you can use deterrents like shiny ribbons and moving devices. You can also put up barriers and prune the trees to deter birds from perching on them. EditInstalling Deterrents - Hang CD-roms from string in the trees. Birds do not like reflective surfaces and will be scared away by the CD-roms, especially when they reflect bright sunlight. Tie string around the CD-roms and attach one per tree branch. Hang them down from the branches.[1]
- If you are trying to deter birds from fruit-bearing trees, harvest the fruit and then remove the CD-roms. You can put them back up next year as the trees start to bear fruit to keep birds away.
- You can also use pie plates instead of CD-roms, as they are also reflective. Poke holes through the pie plates and tie string to them. Then, attach one pie plate per branch.
- Tie shiny ribbons to the branches. Shiny ribbons will also deter birds from hanging out in your trees. Get ribbons made of shiny material in bright colors like red, yellow, or orange.[2]
- Make sure you replace the shiny ribbons after a storm or bad weather so they are effective.
- Use shiny, scary looking balloons in the trees. Get balloons with scary faces that are made of shiny material. Balloons with menacing bird faces are ideal, as they will fool the birds into thinking there are predators in the trees. Tie them onto the tree branches with string.[3]
- You will need to move the balloons around the trees once a week so the birds think they are alive.
- Place a scarecrow at the base of the trees. Make a scarecrow out of straw and wood that is half the size of the trees. Dress the scarecrow in a hat or a shirt. The birds will think it is human and stay away.[4]
- You will need to change the position of the scarecrow once a week so the birds think it is a real person.
- You should also change the scarecrow's appearance by putting a hat on it or an item of clothing.
- Try a decoy hawk or owl. You can buy decoy hawks made out of plastic at your local hardware store or online. Birds are scared of hawks and owls and will assume the decoy is real.[5]
- You will need to move the hawk or owl around to a different spot in the trees every few days so the birds think it is alive.
- Use a moving device. A moving device like a spider that wiggles or a hawk that makes screeching noises can scare the birds away. Look for moving devices at your local hardware store or online. Hang them from the trees so they can deter the birds.[6]
- Most moving devices run on batteries. You will need to swap out the batteries regularly so the devices keep working.
- Sometimes moving devices can be annoying to people, as they will release a high pitched sounds regularly.
- Get a bird sound deterrent for the trees. Look for a bird sound deterrent at your local hardware store or online. These devices send out bird distress calls to keep birds away. Hang them in your trees.[7]
- These deterrents use batteries so you will need to replace them regularly.
- Most sound deterrents use sound waves that cannot be detected by humans, only by birds. You should not be bothered by these devices.
EditUsing Barriers - Drape the trees with plastic netting. Netting is a great way to deter birds and protect fruit bearing trees. Use bamboo poles, fence posts, or tall stakes to create a frame around the tree. Then, drape the netting over the frame so it reaches the ground. Use wire to anchor the netting to the ground so it does not move.[8]
- Netting that has been well anchored will usually stay in place despite wind or rough weather.
- Keep in mind that barriers like plastic netting may not look the most attractive on your trees, but they will help keep birds away.
- Put chicken wire over the trees. Make a net out of chicken wire and drape it over the trees. Use bricks or wood to secure the bottom of the chicken wire so it does not blow away or move.[9]
- Use reflective tape. You can also put a layer of reflective tape over the tree branches to keep birds out. Use flash tape that makes a crinkling sound, as the sound will also deter the birds.[10]
- Make sure you secure the tape by tying it to a piece of wire in the ground.
EditPruning the Trees - Cut off overgrown branches. Use a clean pair of garden shears to prune branches that are overgrown or damaged. Remove branches that cross each other or that are growing inward, towards the tree trunk. Cut the branches at a 45 degree angle, pruning them just above the tree trunk.[11]
- Removing branches on the tree will give the birds less of a surface area for perching. This can deter them from spending too much time in the trees. It will also encourage the tree to grow well.
- Trim the trees regularly. Prune the trees in late fall or winter so it has time to recover and grow in. Trim the trees so they maintain their shape and do not become overgrown.
- Only trim 25 percent or less of the tree at one time. Over trimming the tree can actually cause it to become more overgrown and out of control..[12]
- If you have fruit bearing trees, make sure you harvest the fruit once it is ready to be picked so birds stay away.
- Hire an arborist to cut the trees for you. If you are unsure how to prune your trees properly, look for a local arborist who can do this for you. Search online for a reputable arborist who has experience cutting your tree type. Once they inspect your trees, you can then ask them how to maintain the trees so birds stay away.
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| How to Discount Cash Flow Posted: 05 Nov 2017 08:00 AM PST Everyone knows that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow — this is because of inflation and the opportunity cost of what you miss out on by not having the dollar today. But how much less is that dollar received tomorrow actually worth? Discounting is a technique designed to answer this question by reducing the value of future cash flows to their present-day values. Once calculated, discounted future cash flows can be used to analyze investments and value companies. EditGathering Your Variables - Identify a situation in which you would need to discount cash flows. Discounted cash flow (DCF) calculations are used to adjust the value of money received in the future. In order to calculate DCFs, you will need to identify a situation in which money will be received at a later date or dates in one or more installments. DCFs are commonly used for things like investments in securities or companies that will provide cash flows over a number of years. Alternately, a business might use DCFs to estimate the return from an investment in production equipment, for example.
- In order to calculate DCFs, you will need a definable set of future cash flows and know the date(s) that you will receive those cash flows.[1]
- Determine the value of future cash flows. To calculate the present value of future cash flows, you will first need to know their future values. With fixed payments like annuities or bond coupon payments, these cash flows are set in stone; however, with cash flows from company operations or project returns you will need to estimate future cash flows, which is an entire calculation in itself. While it may seem that you could just project current growth trends over the next set of years, the proper calculation of future cash flows will involve much more.
- For example, you might include industry trends, market conditions, and operational developments in cash flow projections for a company. Even then it may not be even close to accurate when the cash flows actually arrive.[2]
- For simplicity, though, let's say you are considering an investment that will return you a set amount at the end each year for three years. Specifically, you will receive $1,000 the first year, $2,000 the second year, and $3,000 the third year.
- The investment costs $5,000 to buy, and you want to know if it is a good investment based on the present value of the money you will receive.
- Calculate your discount rate. The discount rate is used to "discount" the future cash flow value back to its present value. The discount rate, sometimes also called the personal rate of return, represents the amount that is "lost" each year due to inflation and missed investment opportunities. You might choose to use the return on a safe investment, plus a risk premium.[3]
- For example, imagine that instead of investing in the investment providing future cash flows, you could invest your money in treasuries earning a guaranteed return of 2 percent per year.
- In addition, you expect to be compensated for taking the risk of loss of your money, say a risk premium of 7 percent.
- Your discount rate would be the sum of these two figures, which is 9 percent. This represents the rate of return you would earn by investing your money elsewhere, such as in the stock market.
- Figure out the number of compounding periods. The only other variable you'll need once you have the discount rate and cash flow future values is the dates at which those cash flows will be received. This should be pretty self-explanatory if you've purchased an investment, have a set of structured payouts, or have created a model for a company's future cash flows; however, make sure to clearly record the cash flows with their associated years. Creating a chart may help you organize your ideas. For example, you might organize the example payouts as follows:[4]
- Year 1: $1,000
- Year 2: $2,000
- Year 3: $3,000
EditDiscounting Cash Flows - Set up your equation. In its simplest form, the DCF formula is . In the formula, refers to the future value of the cash flow for year n and r represents the discount rate. For example, using the first year of the example investment from the part "Gathering Your Variables," the present value of that cash flow for $1,000 after one year, using the discount rate of 9 percent, would be represented as: .[5]
- The discount rate must be represent as a decimal rather than by a percentage. This is done by dividing the discount rate by 100. Therefore, the 9 percent rate from above is shown as 0.09 () in the equation.
- Add up all discounted cash flows. The total value of discounted cash flows for an investment is calculated as the present values of each cash flow. So, the other cash flows must be added to the calculation in the same method as the first one. For the previous example, we would add the $2,000 and $3,000 payments at the end of the second and third years to the equation.[6]
- In total, this gives:
- Arrive at the discounted value. Solve your equation to get your total discounted value. The result will be the present value of your future cash flows. Start by adding the discounted rate to the 1 within parentheses:[7]
- This gives
- From there, calculate the exponent. This is done by raising the "1.09" in parentheses to the power above it (1,2, or 3). Solve this by either typing "[lower value]^[exponent]" into Google or using the exponent button, on a calculator.
- After solving the exponent, the equation will be:
- Next, divide each cash flow by the number underneath it. This yields:
- Finally, add up the present values to get the total, which is .
- Adjust your discount rate. In some cases it may be necessary to change the discount rate used to account for changes to expectations, risk, or taxes. For example, businesses analyzing a project might add a risk premium on to the discount rate used to discount the cash flows from a risky project. This artificially lowers the returns to account for risk. The same might be done for a very long time window between the present and the future cash flows to account for uncertainty.
- Discount rates may be converted to real rates (rather than nominal rates) by removing inflation from the discount rate.
- A spreadsheet program, such as Excel, has functions that can help with these calculations.
EditUsing Discounted Cash Flows - Analyze your result. To use your DCF result, you will need to understand what your figures represent. Your total DCF is the sum of the present values of future payments. That is, if you received an amount equivalent to your future payments today it would be the total DCF value; therefore, you can now compare future amounts of money directly to the present cost of investing to get that money.[8]
- Evaluate an investment. In general, DCF calculations are used to discount cash flows from an investment to see if that investment is worthwhile. This is done by comparing the value of buying into the investment to the present value of its future cash flows. If the present value of the future cash flows is higher than the cost of investing, it may be a good investment. If they are lower, you will be effectively losing money.[9]
- For example, in the example used in the other two parts, you had the option of buying an investment that would pay $6,000 total over three years ($1,000 + $2,000 +$3,000) at an initial investment cost of only $5,000.
- While this may seem like a good deal, you can see that, using a discount rate of 9 percent, you are better off investing your money elsewhere.
- This is because the present value of the cash flows, $4,917.34 is lower than the cost of the investment, $5,000.
- Use discounted cash flows for company valuation. In finance, DCF calculations are used for DCF analysis, which is a method used to assess the value of a company. In this method, the company's free cash flows are as estimated for the next five or ten years and a "terminal value" are discounted back to the present. The present value of these amounts is then used as the "enterprise value" of company. Then, debt is removed from the enterprise value to arrive at a valuation for the company.[10]
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| How to Dye a Human Hair Wig Posted: 05 Nov 2017 01:00 AM PDT Unlike synthetic wigs, human hair wigs can be dyed relatively easily. You can use the same hair dye, the same developer, and even the same tools to dye your wig as you would normal hair. Simply mix your dye before gently applying it directly to the wig. Wash the wig after dyeing it to keep it clean and shiny. Keep in mind that hair dye will not work on synthetic wigs. EditMixing the Dye - Choose a normal hair dye. You can use any hair color available at a drug store. Keep in mind, however, that you should only darken human hair wigs. Don't try to lighten the hair, as the bleach used in lighter hair colors can weaken the hair on the wig.[1]
- Do not use fabric dye on human hair wigs. Use hair dye only.
- Find a 20 volume hair developer. A lower volume may be too weak. A 20 volume developer will let you change the color by one or two shades while a volume 30 will let you make the hair even darker. In most cases, a 20 volume developer will be sufficient.[2]
- Put on rubber gloves. Gloves will protect your skin from irritation and staining left by the dye. Use rubber gloves that you don't mind tossing afterwards.
- Mix the dye and the developer in a plastic bowl. Read the instructions on your dye to see how much dye you should combine with the developer. Mix with a plastic spoon. If the dye looks a little light, don't worry. It will darken over time.[3]
- If your wig goes down below your shoulders, you may need two boxes of hair dye.
- Do not use a metal bowl or spoon to mix your dye. The metal can oxidize the dye, causing it to change colors.
EditApplying the Dye - Test the dye on a few strands of hair. With your fingers or a small paintbrush, apply the dye to a small section of hair. This should be somewhere that is not easily seen. Wait thirty or forty minutes. If you like the color, apply it to the rest of the wig. If you don't like the color, try a different shade of hair dye.[4]
- Soak the wig in the dye. Place the wig in the bowl with the dye. With your hands, gently scoop the dye over the wig and spread it through the layers of the wig. Be gentle. Try not to roughly rub the dye into the wig.[5]
- Set the wig onto a wig stand. A wig stand will keep your wig's shape and style intact after you dye it. Place the wig on the stand as you would put it on your own head. Secure the wig to the stand using T-pins.[6]
- The dye might drip off of the wig. To prevent any stains on your furniture, you can put a towel or plastic tarp around the wig stand.
- Brush through the hair. Use a comb or a wig brush to distribute the dye throughout the wig. Make sure that the dye is evenly applied to the entire wig. This will help the dyed hair look more natural.[7]
- Leave the wig to let the color set. Read the package on the dye to see how long you should leave it. In most cases, this will be thirty or forty minutes. If you can't find this information, check the wig every ten minutes. When it has reached the right color, you can wash it.[8]
- If you do not have a wig stand, leave the wig in the bowl to set. Cover it with plastic wrap.
EditWashing the Hair - Shampoo the wig. Use a color-safe shampoo or a special wig shampoo. Place the wig under a tap with warm water to get rid of any excess dye before lathering the wig with shampoo. Rinse out the shampoo when you are done.[9]
- Apply conditioner to the tips of the wig. This will give extra shine to your wig. Avoid using any conditioner near the roots of your wig or else the hair might fall out. Rinse out the conditioner with cool or lukewarm water.[10]
- Pat the hair dry with a towel. Gently squeeze the wig with the towel to remove excess water. Place it back on the wig stand to dry.[11]
- Let the wig dry. You can let it air dry or you can use a hair dryer on a low setting. If you are air drying the wig, leave it on the stand until it is completely dry. If you are blow drying it, run the hair dryer up and down through your hair. Make sure that the wig does not overheat.[12]
- If you're nervous about dyeing your wig, take it to a hair stylist. They may be willing to dye it for you.
- If you want to ombre your wig, add streaks, or apply highlights, use the same techniques that you would use on normal hair.
- Hair that has already been dyed may not pick up color as easily as virgin hair.
- The more you dye your wig, the more brittle the hair will become. Dying your wig can shorten its lifespan.
EditThings You'll Need - Hair dye
- Plastic mixing bowl
- Plastic spoon
- Rubber gloves
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Wig stand
- Towel
- T-pins
EditSources and Citations __
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