435. ANTIBILIOUS PILLS

Take of camomel 20 grs., jalap powder 20 grs., tartar-emetic 2 grs., and syrup sufficient to form into pills; divide into eight pills. The dose is tow at bed time; repeated in the morning if necessary. This forms an excellent antibilious pill.

436. JAUNDICE

Take of rhubarb powder 1 scruple, castile soap half a drachm, calomel 12 grs., mix and divide into pills; two or three to be taken at bed time; emetrics, purges, fomentations about the stomach and liver, and exercise will seldom fail to cure jaundice when it is a simple disease; and when complicated with dropsy, a scirrous liver, or other chronic complaints, it is hardly to be cured by any means. Castile soap has been looked upon as a kind of specific.

437. ASTHMA

Take of powdered squills 2 drms., powdered assafoetida 1 drachm, mix and divide into 30 pills, two to be taken twice or thrice a day. Useful in chronic asthma.

438. DR. DEWEES' ANTI-COLIC MIXTURE

Take of carbonate of magnesia 1/2 drm., tincture of assafoetida 60 drops, tincture of opium 20 drops, white sugar 1 drm., and distilled water 1 oz.; mix and shake; twenty-five drops to be given to an infant of two to four weeks old, in flatulent colic, diarrhoea, &c.

439. DR. HUN'S ANTI-DIARRHOEAL MIXTURE

Take of oil of cajeput 1 oz., oil of cloves 1 oz., oil of peppermint 1 oz., oil of anise 1 oz., alcohol 4 oz.; mix and shake; dose, from one to two drachms in hot brandy and water or syrup. This will afford the most speedy relief in diarrhoea accompanied with pain.

440. HOPE'S MIXTURE

Take of camphor water 4 oz., nitric acid 4 drops, tincture of opium 40 to 60 drops; mix cork, and shake; dose, a tablespoonful every two hours in diarrhoea and dysentery.

441. ANTI-CHOLERA MIXTURE

Take of tincture of opium 1 drm., liquor ammonia 1/2 drm., tincture of the oil of peppermint 1/2 drm., ether 25 drops, tincture of camphor 1 drm., tincture of capsicum, 1 drachm; mix, cork and shake. In real cholera give this all immediately; if the patient throws it up, repeat at once. This is an excellent prescription in extreme cases when the patient is cramped.

442. FOR HYSTERIC FITS

Take of tincture assafoetida 2 drms., aromatic spirits of ammonia 2 drms., camphor water 7 ozs., mix and cork; give two tablespoonsful every three or four hours.

443. ANTI-ASTHMATIC MIXTURE

Take of mixture of ammoniacum 4 oz., syrup of squill 3 drms., antimonial wine 60 drops, wine 1/2 oz., mix and cork. Give two tablespoonsful often, or when either the cough or shortness of breath is troublesome.

444. ANTI-RHEUMATIC MIXTURE

Take of ammoniated tinc. of quack 1/2 oz., honey 1/2 oz., camphor water 6 oz., mix and cork. Take two tablespoonsful three or four times a day in chronic rheumatism; rub well the affected part with anti-rheumatic liniment.

445. ANTI-RHEUMATIC LINIMENT

Take of tinc. of opium 2 oz., tinc. of belladonna 2 oz., powdered camphor 2 oz., oil of turpentine 2 oz., oil of sassafras 2 oz., oil of origanum 2 oz., and tinc. of capsicum 1 pint; mix all together.

446. DIURETIC MIXTURE

Take of peppermint water 5 oz., wine 6 drachms, sweet spirits of nitre 1/2 oz.; mix. Two tablespoonsful to be taken three times a-day in obstruction of urinary passages.

447. SWEATING MIXTURE

Take of acetated liquor of ammonia 3 oz., ipecacuanha 10 gr., tincture of oil of peppermint 15 drops, distilled water 5 oz.; mix. Three tablespoonsful to be taken every two hours, until it produces the desired effects.

448. FOR CRAMP IN THE STOMACH

Take of ether 2 drms, white sugar 1-1/2 drms., tinc. of opium 60 drops, cinnamon water 2 oz.; mix. Give a teaspoonful every hour in cramp of the stomach.

449. FOR HOOPING COUGH

Take of tinc. of assafoetida 1 drm, ipecacuanha 10 gr., tinc. of opium 10 drops, distilled water 2 ozs.; mix. Give to a child two years old a teaspoonful every four hours, increasing ten drops for every additional year.

450. FOR WINTER COUGH, &c.

Take of powered extract of liquorice 2 drms, gum acacia 2 drms, hot water 4 oz.; mix. Let all dissolve, and add tinc. of opium 40 drops, spirits of nitric ether 1 drm., wine of antimony 2 drms. Dose, one tablespoonful in catarrh and common winter cough.

451. TONIC MIXTURE

Take of calomba 2 ozs., tinc. of muriate of iron 1-1/2 oz., sulphate of quinine 20 grs., brandy 6 ozs., water 1-1/2 pint, bruise the calumba and pour the water on it boiling hot, cover tightly for two hours, then strain, bottle, and add all the other ingredients, when the quinine is dissolved it is ready for use. This forms an excellent tonic in cases of debility. Dose, one tablespoonful three times a-day half an hour before meals.

452. ANTI-PERIODIC MIXTURE

Take of sulphate of quinine 20 grs., sulphuric acid 1 drop, white sugar 1 drm., cinnamon water 2-1/2 oz.; put the quinine, acid and water into a vial together, when dissolved add the sugar. Dose, a teaspoonful every hour, between the paroxysms of intermittent fevers, fever and ague, &c.

453. EMMENAGOGUE MIXTURE

Take of tinc. of aloes 1/2 oz., tinc. of chloride of iron 1/2 drm., tinc. of valerian 1/2 oz.; mix. Take a teaspoonful in chamomile tea two or three times a-day in cases of amenorrhoea.

454. ANTI-GOUT MIXTURE

Take of ammoniated tinc. of guaiac 6 drms., camphor water 6 ozs., tinc. of rhubarb 1/2 oz., and honey 1/2 oz.; mix, by rubbing the honey and the guaiac up in a glass mortar, and then add the other articles by degrees. Give two tablespoonsful every four or six hours, and rub with the anti-rheumatic liniment.

455. ANTI-GONORRHOEAL MIXTURE

Take of copaibe 1/2 oz., spirts of nitric ether 1/2 oz., powdered acacia 1 drm., powered white sugar 1 drm., compound spts. of lavender 2 drms., tinc. of opium 1 drm., distilled water 4 oz.; mix. Dose, a tablespoonful three times a-day. Shake before using.

456. ANOTHER

Take of copaibe 1 oz., sweet spirits of nitre 1 oz., gum acacia powdered white sugar 1 drm., peppermint water 4 oz.; mix, and let all dissolve. Dose, a tablespoonful three times a-day. Shake before using.

457. ASTRINGENT EYE-WATER

Take of solution of acetate of lead 12 drops, wine of opium 11 drops, rose water 4 ozs.; mix, and let dissolve. This should be applied with a linen rag four or five times a-day.

458. EYE-WATER

Take of distilled vinegar 1 oz., diluted spirits of wine 1/2 oz., rose water 8 ozs., mix. An excellent application to weak eyes after depletion.

459. ALUM EYE-WATER

Take of rose water 2 ozs., distilled water 2 oz., and alum 1 scruple; mix and let dissolve. Excellent in chronic inflamations.

460. GARGLE OF BORAX

Take of borax 1 drm., tinc. of myrrh 1/2 oz., clarified honey 1 oz., rose or distilled water, 4 oz.; mix. To be used as a gargle or mouth wash in sore mouth or affection of the gums. Omit the myrrh and water, and there is nothing better for the thrush in children; clean rain water answers about the same purpose, in all cases, as distilled water.

461. GARGLE FOR SORE THROAT

Take of sulphate of quinine 15 grains, sulphate of copper 16 grains, aramotic sulphuric acid 1 drm., water 8 ozs.; mix and dissolve. To be used frequently in chronic and obstinate sore throats.

462. OINTMENT FOR PILES

Take of lard 1 oz., solution of subacetate of lead 25 drops, tinc. of opium 1 drm.; mix well. Anoint the parts twice a day.

463. OINTMENT FOR ITCH

Take of sublimed sulphur 2 ozs., lard 4 ozs., oil of lavender 1 drm. Make into an ointment. To be rubbed on the parts affected every night, till the eruption disappears. The internal use of sulphur will, in all cases, assist its external application.

464. BLISTERING OINTMENT

Take of lard 32 parts, oil of almonds 2 parts, strong liquor of ammonia 17 parts; melt the lard, add the oil, then the ammonia, must be strong, and keep the contents of the bottle well mixed by shaking them until cold. This will blister in half an hour.

465. IODINE OINTMENT

Take of iodine 3 grs., lard 2 drms.; make into an ointment; applied to scrofulous swellings when the skin is unbroken. It is the only cure for what is popularly termed thick neck.

466. OINTMENT OF IODINE OF ZINC

Take of iodide of zinc 1 drm., lard 1 oz.; make onto an ointment. A drm. to be rubbed on twice a day in tumors.

467. OINTMENT FOR CHILBLAINS

Take of lard 7-1/2 drms., creosote 10 drops, solution of subacetate of lead 10 drops, watery extract of opium 1 grain; mix. Apply to the affected parts.

468. OINTMENT FOR DISEASES OF THE SKIN

Take of citrine ointment 1-1/2 drm., sublimed sulphur 1 drm., lard 3 ozs.; make an ointment. This is a good application for almost all affections of the skin.

469. EMOLLIENT OINTMENT

Take of palm oil 2 lbs., olive oil 1 pint, turpentine 4 oz., red beeswax 6 ozs.; melt the wax in the oils, and then add the turpentine and strain the ointment. This is a most excellent application for inflamed parts, &c.

470. POKE ROOT OINTMENT

Take of poke root 3 ozs., lard 1 lb., boil for a quarter of an hour and strain. This ointment has quite a reputation in Virginia, with the old ladies, for all kinds of old sores and ulcers, and it is an excellent application to indolent and purulent ulcers and sores.

471. OINTMENT FOR HYDROCEPHALUS

Take of iodide of mercury 2 parts, iodide of potassium 3 parts, camphor 2 parts, lard 32 parts; mix and keep well corked. To be rubbed on the head in hydrocephalus or water on the brain in doses of half a drachm to a drachm.

472. LINAMENT FOR BURNS

Take of olive oil 1 oz., linseed oil 1 oz., lime water 1 oz.; mix well. This forms an excellent application for recent scalds and burns.

473. VOLATILE LINAMENT

Take of olive oil 1 oz., aqua ammonia 1 oz.; mix. To be applied to bruises, rheumatic parts, &c., and to the neck in inflammation of the throat.

474. ALKALINE CATAPLASM

Take of lye, rather weak, warm it and stir in of slippery elm bark or flaxseed, or meal sufficient to form a poultice. This is a most excellent poultice, and should be used more than it is. It is useful in inflammation of the breast and other parts, felons, wounds, fistula, &c.

475. ANODYNE FOMENTATION

Take of laudanum 4 ozs., water 1 pint; mix. For painful affections of the joints, as chronic rheumatism, &c., hops dipped in hot vinegar will answer as well.

476. COMMON CLYSTER

Take of flaxseed tea or cornmeal gruel, from one to two pints, sweet oil 2 or 3 ounces, common salt one teaspoonful, brown sugar two tablespoonsful; mix.

477. ANODYNE CLYSTER

Take of a solution of starch in water, of jelly, or water half a pint, laudanum forty drops; mix. The whole to be injected in cases of dysentery, violent purging and pain in the bowels.

478. INJECTION FOR LEUCORRHOEA

Take of sulphate of zinc 10 grs., tinc. of opium 1/2 drm., rose water 4 oz.; mix and dissolve. To be injected several times a day.

479. ANOTHER

Take of alum 10 grs., rose water 4 oz.; mix and dissolve. To be used frequently.

480. ESSENCE OF BEEF

Take of lean beef sliced 1 lb., put it into a bottle or jar closely corked; place this in a vessel of cold water and boil for an hour or more; then decant and skim the liquid. Chicken tea may be made in the same way. For more nourishing and palatable than beef tea, season it to suit the taste.

481. IMPERIAL DRINK

Take of cream of tartar one drm., the outer rind of fresh lemon or orange peel half a drm., loaf sugar one ounce, boiling water two pints. When they have stood in a pitcher about ten minutes, strain off the liquor. This makes a beautiful cooling drink, and is an excellent article in fevers.

482. RINGWORM LOTION

Take of sublimate of mercury, 5 grains; spirits of wine, 2 oz.; tinc. of musk, 1 drachm; rose water, 6 oz.; mix well, and rub well in.

483. WHISKERS AND MOUSTACHES

The best method of promoting the growth of whiskers and moustaches, is to shave the parts frequently, and use as a stimulant the ashes of burned tobacco macerated in bay water.

484. COUGH SYRUP

Take of hoarhound, 1 quart; water 1 quart; mix and boil down to a pint; then add two or three sticks of liquorice and a tablespoonful of essence of lemon; dose, a tablespoonful three times a day, or as often as the cough is troublesome.

485. BLACK SALVE

Take of sweet oil 1 oz., linseed oil 1 oz., pulverized red lead 1 oz.; put all into an iron dish over a moderate fire, constantly stirring until you can draw your finger over a drop of it on a board, when a little cool, without sticking; when it is done, spread on a cloth and apply as other salves.

486. SEIDLITZ POWDERS

Take of rochelle salts, 2 drachms; bicarbonate of soda, 2 scruples; put these into a blue paper, and put 35 grains of tartaric acid into a white paper. To use, put each into different tumblers, half fill each with water, and put a little loaf sugar in with the acid, then pour them together and drink; this makes a very pleasant cathartic. Effervescing draught is made by leaving out the rochelle salts.

487. CAMPHOR ICE

Take of spermaceti, 1-1/2 oz.; gum camphor, 3/4 oz.; oil of sweet almonds, 4 teaspoonsful; mix, and apply heat just enough to melt all together. Whilst warm, pour into small moulds, then paper, and put up in tin-foil. This, for chaps on hands or lips, cannot be equalled.

488. FOR SALT RHEUM

Take a quantity of the pokeweed, any time in summer, pound it, press out the juice, strain it into a pewter dish, and set it in the sun until it acquires the consistency of salve; then put it into an earthen mug, add to it water and beeswax sufficient to make an ointment of common consistency. Simmer the whole over a fire till thoroughly mixed; when cold, it is ready for use. To be rubbed on the part affected. The most obstinate cases have yielded to this in three or four months. Try it.

489. ARTIFICIAL SKIN

Dissolve gun cotton in sulphuric ether, and thicken it with gum mucilage. This article touched upon a cut or bruise, forms, immediately, an artificial skin, which cannot be washed off. It is very useful as it obviates the necessity of finger cots or bandages. It is excellent for sore nipples.

490. HAIR RESTORATIVE

Take of sugar of lead, 1 oz.; lack sulphur, 1 oz.; essence of bergamot, 1/2.; bay rum, 1 gill; alcohol, 1 gill; and half a teaspoonful of salt; dissolve, first, the sugar of lead and sulphur in the alcohol, then the other ingredients; and add the whole to a gallon of warm soft water, then bottle it tightly, and it is fit for use. To be applied several times a day. This is a most excellent article, give it a trail.

491. TO REMOVE WARTS AND CORNS

This is very often done by means of nitrate of silver, or some of the mineral acids; but the best caustic for this purpose is that recommended for cancer in the skin.

492. CANCER IN THE SKIN

No one but an impostor will presume to cure a true cancer, containing the cancer cell, and situated in the muscles. Many times hard tumors, not containing the cancer cell, are called cancers, and are removed by different methods, which is very easily accomplished, without a danger of their returning; by which means base quacks become lauded by the illiterate, for their superior skill in banishing this dreadful malady, and the orphan, and finally, in consequence thereof, plunge themselves headlong over yonder precipice of eternal misery. Cancer which are situated in the skin, and are sometimes called spider cancers, &c., may be cured by the following caustic: take of sulphate of iron, 1 part; and acetate of lead, 1 part; pulverize each separately, as fine as possible, and mix well together; then, by means of a probe or knitting-needle, touch the cancer with it every morning for three or four times, and you will be able to draw it all out; after which apply adhesive straps that it may heal. It is used in the same way to destroy corns and warts. In the case of cancer, physic well before applying it.

493. FOR WORMS

Give a child one year old 15 drops of spirits of turpentine on sugar, fasting, for three mornings in succession; follow the last dose with a good dose of castor oil; this forms an excellent vermifuge. The dose of spirits of turpentine for a child two years old is 20 drops, three years old 25 drops, four years old 30 drops, &c.

494. SPASMODIC CROUP

Genuine croup is indeed of very rare occurrence, and is a fearfully dangerous disease, the only chances are to call in a physician at once. In genuine croup, the child seems to have a cold and is hoarse for a few days previous to the attack; but the fit generally comes on suddenly in spasmodic croup, which may be treated as follows. During the fit put the child in a warm bath, apply hot water to the throat, allow fresh air, and sprinkle the face and chest with cold water.

495. FOR FLATULENCY

Make a tea of the seeds of anise, caraway, and coriander, and drink freely of it.

496. FOR HICCOUGH

Take five drops of oil of anise on sugar when they commence to be troublesome.

497. FOR HEARTBURN

This is a very disagreeable sensation, but may be banished by taking a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda dissolved in half a tumbler full of sweetened water.

498. ERYSIPELAS

This when very bad needs the attendance of a physician; when not so bad, paint the inflamed part over with white lead, mixed with paint oil, it is an excellent remedy.

499. FOR FELON

Poultice well with flaxseed meal until matter begins to form, then at once have it well laid open with a lance, continue the poultice for some time afterwards.

500. HAIR RESTORATIVE

Take of black mustard seed 1/2 oz., red pepper 15 grains, blood root 1/2 oz., cantharides 15 grains, castile soap 1/2 oz., alcohol one quart; mix all together in a bottle, let stand for a week, occasionally shaking. Perfume with oil of bergamot, and apply three or four times a day.

501. TO KILL RATS AND MICE WITHOUT POISON

Slice up a quantity of corks, grease, and scent them with oil of anise; throw them in the way of the rats and mice; they will eat, but cannot digest them; the result is they will die.

502. EYE WATER

One part of good brandy, to six of clean rain or distilled water, makes an admirable eye water for most cases of sore eyes.

503. FOR CHRONIC GOUT AND RHEUMATISM

Take of bicarbonate of potash 1/2 drachm, tincture of orange 2 drachms, compound decoction of aloes 8 oz., mix. Dose, a wine glass full whenever the fit is expected. This is Sir A. Cooper's prescription.

504. FOR SICKNESS AND VOMITING

Take of creosote 16 drops, acetic acid 16 drops, compound spirit of juniper 1 oz., syrup 1 oz., water 14 oz.; mix the creosote with the acid, add gradually the water, and lastly the syrup and spirit. Dose from two to four tablespoonsful.

505. LAXATIVE PILL

Take of powdered aloes 1 drachm, gamboge 10 grains, Castile soap and water sufficient to make a pill mass; mix and divide into 34 pills. Dose, one, two, or three, to be given when necessary, for torpid bowels.

506. FOR HEADACHE

In case of a severe attack of headache the best remedy is, generally, to take a good strong physic of salts and senna. If this does not relieve it, or where the person is very frequently troubled with headache, apply a blister to the back of the neck, you will find it an excellent remedy.

507. FOR MAKING SIZE

This, with the following four, are currier's receipts.

Take of sizing 1 quart, soft soap 1 gill, stuffing 1 gill, sweet milk 1/2 pint; boil the sizing in water to a proper consistence, strain and add the other ingredients, and when thoroughly mixed it is ready for use.

508. FOR PASTE

First coat.—Take of water 2 quarts; flour 1/2 pint, castile soap 1 oz.; make into paste. Second coat.—Take of the first paste 1/2 pint, gum tragacanth 1 gill, water 1 pint; mix all together. This will finish eighteen sides of upper.

509. SKIRTING

This is for finishing skirting and the flesh of harness leather in imitation of oak tanning. Take of chrome yellow 1/2 lb., yellow ochre 1 lb., cream of tartar 1 oz., soda 1/2 oz., paste 5 quarts; mix well. This will finish twelve sides.

510. SKIRTING

For the grain of skirting to imitate oak tan, take of chrome yellow 1/2 lb., yellow ochre 1/2 lb., cream of tartar 1 oz., soda 1 oz., paste 2 qts., spirits of turpentine 1 pint. Mix well; this will finish twelve sides.

511. GRAIN BLACK

This is for the grain of harness leather. First, stain in tallow, then take of spirits of turpentine 1 pint, cream of tartar 1 oz., soda 1 oz., gum shellac 1/2 oz., thick paste reduced thin 2 qts. Mix well. This will finish 24 sides.

512. ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS

The antidotes for poisoning with the strong mineral acids, such as nitric, muriatic, sulphuric, or oxalic acids are magnesia, chalk, whiting, in milk or water; mucilaginous or soapy liquids. When sulphuric acid has been taken, use very little water if any. Irritate the throat with a feather to produce vomiting.

The antidote for poisoning with corrosive sublimate or any other preparation of mercury, is albumen, as whites of eggs, in large quantity, flour and water, and milk. The whites of eggs are best.

The antidotes for poisoning by opium, or any of its preparations, as morphia, laudanum, &c., are the stomach pump if it can be had; tartar emetic, 2 to 5 grains, or sulphate of zinc, 15 to 30 grains, or sulphate of copper, 12 to 15 grs., for an adult. The sulphates of zinc or copper are best, because they act quicker. External excitation, keep in motion, mechanical excitement of respiration, cold effusion to the head and face, feet in hot water, electro-magnetism, internal stimulants, as bicarbonate of ammonia, 5 to 25 grains in water, carbonate of ammonia, 5 to 15 grains in water, coffee and vegetable acids. Some propose as an antidote for every case of poisoning, half a pint of bland oil, as sweet oil, fresh butter melted to oil, &c., to be drank at once, for an adult.

513. TREATMENT OF DROWNING

If respiration has ceased when the body is taken out of the water, it should instantly be commenced artificially, by putting a pipe into one nostril, and closing the mouth and the other nostril, and very gently blowing through it about 15 times in a minute; but it is a better plan to use a small pair of bellows, putting its muzzle into the nostril, at the same time the body should be wiped dry, and be assiduously rubbed with hot cloths; hot bricks and bottles of hot water should be put into the armpit, between the thighs, and to the feet; the head should be raised, the nostrils irritated with a feather, or the fumes of hartshorn, and a warm injection of turpentine, made as follows, may be thrown up—oil of turpentine, 3 drachms; gruel, 1/2 a pint; and the yolk of 1 egg. Incorporate the turpentine with the egg, then add the gruel. Galvanism should be resorted to, if respiration is not quickly restored. As soon as the patient can swallow, he should have some weak wine and water; and soon afterwards an emetic of a large tablespoonful of mustard, mixed with 6 ozs. of water, to clear the stomach of the water which he has swallowed, and to restore the circulation by the impetus of vomiting. After some hours he will suffer from severe headache and fever, which must be relieved by bleeding, purgatives, &c., which will be attended to by a physician, who will be present by this time. A case is related in which life was restored by the most persevering friction, which was kept up for eight hours before the humanity of the surgeon, Dr. Douglass, of Havre, was rewarded by a return of respiration.

514. ELASTIC CEMENT FOR BELTS

Take of white glue, 1 lb., dry white lead, 1 lb., alcohol, 1/2 pint, rain water, 3 pints, and proceed as directed in receipt No. 417. When ready for use apply to the ends of the belt, lay them together and place upon them a heavy weight until perfectly dry, then use the belt as you please.

515. GOOD SAMARITAN OR PAIN-KILLER

Take of 95 percent alcohol 2 quarts, and add to it the following articles: oils of sarsafras and hemlock, spirits of turpentine, balsam of fir, chloriform, tincture of catechu and guaiacum, of each 1 oz., oil of origanum 2 oz., oil of wintergreen 1/2 oz., and gum of camphor 1/2 oz. Let it all be well incorporated and you have the most excellent pain killer that was ever made. It is good for rheumatism, headache, neuralgia, cuts, sprains, burns, bruises, spinal affections, ear-ache, tooth-ache, sore throat, &c. This is used internally and externally, the dose internally is 10 drops; take on sugar.

516. DIAMOND PASTE FOR RAZORS

By rubbing a little of this paste on your razor-strap, it is astonishing how speedily you will be able to sharpen a razor. It is made simply by mixing flour of emery and sweet oil, to the consistence of paste.

517. FOR STAGGERS IN SHEEP

Dissolve assafoetida in warm water, and put half a tablespoonful in each ear of the sheep. It is a speedy remedy.

518. WATER-PROOF FOR LEATHER

Take of linseed oil, 1 pint; yellow wax and white turpentine, of each, 2 oz.; burgundy pitch, 1 oz.; melt all together, and colour with lampblack. This being applied to boots, you may stand in water all day, and your feet will be dry at night.

519. TO BROWN GUN-BARRELS

Rub the barrel, after it is finished, with aquafortis, or spirit of salt diluted in water; leave it by for a week, till a complete coat is formed; then apply a little oil, and after rubbing the surface dry, polish it with a hard brush and a little beeswax.

520. LIQUID GLUE

Put 1 oz. of borax into a pan with 1 quart of water, set it on the fire; when melted, which will be very soon, put in 8 oz. of gum shellac, and boil until dissolved; if too thin add more gum; when cool bottle for use.

521. TO TAKE INK SPOTS OUT OF MAHOGANY

Apply spirits of salt with a rag, until the spot disappears, and immediately wash with clean water; or to half a pint of soft water put 1 oz. of oxalic acid, and 1/2 oz. of butter of antimony; shake it well, and when dissolved it will be very useful for extracting stains out of mahogany, as well as ink, if not of too long standing.

522. TO CLEAN MARBLE, SIENNA, JASPER, PORPHYRY, &c.

Mix up a quantity of strongest soap-lees with quicklime, to the consistence of milk, and lay it on the stone, &c., for 24 hours; clean it afterwards with soap and water, and it will appear as new. This may be improved by rubbing or polishing it afterwards with fine putty powder and olive oil. This is a beautiful article for cleaning marble monuments, &c.

523. TO CLEAN SILVER FURNITURE

Lay the furniture piece by piece upon a charcoal fire; and when they are just red, take them off and boil them in tartar and water, and your silver will have the same beauty as when first made. Try this method once and you will never forsake it; it will not remove a portion of the silver, as article that are sold in vials, boxes, &c., for this purpose will do.

524. A FINE BLACK VARNISH

Take 2 ozs. of bitumen of Palestine, 2 ozs. of resin, and 12 ozs. of umber; melt them separately, and afterwards mix them together over a moderate fire; then pour upon them, while on the fire, 6 ozs. of clear boiled linseed oil, and keep stirring the whole from time to time; take it off the fire, and, when pretty cool, pour in 12 ozs. of essence of turpentine. This varnish is for coaches and iron work.

525. TO PAINT SAIL-CLOTH, SO AS TO MAKE IT PLIANT, DURABLE, AND WATER-PROOF

Grind 96 lbs. of English ochre with boiled oil, and add to it 16 lbs. of black paint; dissolve 1 lb. of yellow soap in one pail of water, on the fire, and mix it while hot with the paint. Lay this composition, without wetting it, upon the canvass, as stiff as can conveniently be done with the brush, so as to form a smooth surface; the next day, or the day after, (if the latter, so much the better,) lay on a second coat of ochre and black, with a very little, if any, soap; allow this coat a day to dry, and then finish the canvass with black paint.

526. PHOTOCROMATIC OIL PAINTING

INSTRUCTION:

Chemicals used in executing them:—chemical varnish, No. 1, 2 oz. damar varnish, 1 oz. spirits turpentine; (mix well together.) Finishing varnish, No. 2, 1 oz. spirits turpentine, 1 oz. alcohol, 1 oz. salt, 1 quart water. A camel's hair brush is needed for varnishing. Take a smooth pane of common window-glass, any size you choose, clean it well, then varnish one side of it with chemical varnish No. 1, lay it away where it will be perfectly free from dust, and let it dry twenty-four hours; next varnish the same side of the glass again, and let it dry about one half hour, or until the varnish becomes stickey. Immediately after varnishing the glass the second time, take the print that you wish to get an impression of, and immerse it in the solution No. 3; put the solution in a flat pan, and lay the print in with the face side up; let the print lay in the solution about five minutes, or until the paper is completely saturated, then remove it, taking care not to stretch it, and lay it on paper with the face side up, in order that the solution may dry from the face of the print. In this way prepare the print, getting it ready by the time the glass has dried one half hour. Next, carefully lay the face of the print on the varnished side of the glass, being particular to lay it on smooth and press it firmly to the glass, so as to exclude every particle of air; should there be any air left under the paper, it will show itself in spots, and must be pressed out. You now lay it away and let it dry another twenty-four hours; then, wet the back part of the print with water and with your hand or a wet cloth, rub the paper from the back of the print until it is so thin that the outlines of the picture can be seen from the back and of uniform thickness. You next spread a thin coat of finishing varnish (No. 2) on it and lay it away to dry. This will render it perfectly clear and transparent.—After this coat of varnish has dried, rub it over with a bit of fine sand paper, to make it smooth, and finish with two or three coats of No. 2 varnish. When dry, put it in a frame with the varnished side out, placing a sheet of light coloured paper on the back, this will give it the appearance of an oil painting. By following these directions you cannot fail to produce a beautiful picture.

527. FOR THE COMPLEXION

Boil a small piece of gum benzoin in some spirits of wine till it is dissolved, (five minutes boiling will be sufficient,) then bottle for use. A few drops of this in a glass of soft water (sufficient to make the water a milky colour) makes a delicious wash; apply with a towel or linen cloth. This article will make the skin as soft as velvet, and will constantly preserve rosy cheeks and lips, and for this it has not equal in the world; besides, it is as harmless as a sun-shower. As it is not a paint, it will not act just on the moment when applied.

528. ORIENTAL CREAM OF ROSES

Take of tincture of elder blossoms 1/2 oz., best beef marrow 1 teaspoonful, orange flower water 1/2 pint, cassia buds 1 oz., blanched bitter almonds 2 oz., spirits of oriental roses 4 drms.; mix all, and when the solution acquires the colour and consistency of milk it is fit for use. This article is for beautifying the complexion, making the skin as soft, as fair, and as rosy as that of a healthy infant; apply at pleasure. It is not only harmless, but will prove a speedy cure for all pimples, blotches, &c.

529. INSTRUCTION FOR GILDING

Dissolve a gold dollar in nitro-muriatic acid,—(2 ozs. muriatic to 1 of nitric,) then dissolve a 1/4 lb. of copperas in a pint of hot water, and pour it into the dish containing the gold and acid, pouring in a little at a time, till it stops boiling or foaming up; then let it stand and settle about six hours; then strain off the copperas-water carefully, and the gold will appear like a brown or dark yellow powder in the bottom of the dish. You will then proceed to wash the gold, which is done by pouring hot water on it; let it stand and settle a few minutes, and then drain off. Continue washing in this manner till there is no acid or copperas taste; then add to the gold in the bottom of the dish from 1-1/2 to 2 oz. cyanuret potassa, dissolved in about 1/2 pint pure soft water. The solution is then ready for use. Gild by laying a piece of pure zinc in contact with the article to be gilded, in the solution.

530. DIRECTIONS FOR SILVERING

Dissolve a silver dollar in about 2 ozs. of nitric acid by heating; then dissolve a tablespoonful of salt in about a quart of water; pour it into the dish with the silver and acid; let it stand and settle a few minutes, and the silver will settle to the bottom in a white powder. Then drain off the water carefully, and add more water, then drain off again. Continue washing in this manner till no acid or salt taste remains; then add a quart or more of pure soft water, and cyanuret potassa enough to take it up, or nearly so. The solution is then nearly ready for use.

Silver by laying a piece of zinc in contact with the article, the same as in gilding. If the article you are silvering or gilding corrodes or turns black, it wants a little more cyanuret. In gilding or silvering, the article must be thoroughly cleaned, and great care must be taken that the water used is of the purest kind.

When the plating is as heavy as you wish, polish it with a mixture of chalk and alcohol, or of chalk alone, applied with a fine brush, or else a bit of chamois leather or rag.

If you wish to put on a very heavy coat of silver or gold, instead of using zinc alone as a battery, use the following, attach a piece of copper to one end of an iron wire about ten inches long, and a piece of zinc to the other end, and place both zinc and copper in contact with the article being silvered or gilded.

531. USING FRENCH POLISH

There is a mode of using shell-lac varnish which is sometimes denominated the German, but more commonly the French mode. It merits to be generally known, as the process is easy and economical, and the effect beautiful. It has been much employed by cabinet and musical instrument makers, but is not yet so extensively practised as it merits to be. The varnish is applied by means of what is called a rubber, made by rolling up a piece of thick woollen cloth, which has been torn off so as to have a soft, elastic edge. The varnish, put into a narrow-mouthed bottle, is applied to the middle of the flat face of the rubber by laying the rubber on mouth of the bottle and quickly shaking the varnish at once, as the rubber will thus imbibe a sufficient quantity to varnish a considerable extent of surface. The rubber is then enclosed in a soft linen cloth doubled, the remainder of the cloth being gathered together at the back of the rubber to form a handle to hold it by; and the face of the linen cloth must be moistened with a little raw linseed oil, which may either be coloured with alkanet root or not, applied with the finger to the middle of it. The work to be varnished should be placed opposite to the light, in order that the effect of the polishing may be better seen, and a surface of from ten to eight feet square may be varnished at once. The rubber must be quickly and lightly rubbed upon the surface of the article to be varnished, and the rubbing continued until the varnish becomes nearly dry. The coil of woollen cloth must then be again wetted with the varnish, (no more oil need be applied to the surface of the linen cloth,) and the rubbing renewed till the varnish becomes nearly dry as before; a third coat must be applied in the same manner, then a fourth with a little oil, which must be followed by two others without oil, as before. You proceed thus until the varnish has acquired some thickness, which will be after a few repetitions of the series. Apply then a little alcohol to the inside of the linen cloth, and wet the coil with the varnish; after which, rub very quickly, lightly, and uniformly, over every part of the varnished surface, which will tend to make it even, and very much conduce to its polish. The linen cloth must now be wetted with a little alcohol and oil, without varnish; and the varnished surface being rubbed over, with the precautions last mentioned, until it is nearly dry, the effect of the operation will be seen. If it be found not complete, the process must be continued, with the introduction of alcohol in its turn as directed before, until the surface becomes smooth and of a beautiful lustre. The preceding process is that in general use; but Dr. Jones recommends, in the Franklin Journal, a rubber of a different sort, as well as a simpler mode of employing it. He takes a piece of thick woollen cloth, six or eight inches in diameter, and upon one side of this pours a teaspoonful of the varnish; he then collects the edges together, so as to enclose the varnish in the cloth and form a handle by which to hold it: this is finally covered with a piece of oiled linen cloth, and the rubber is ready for use. More varnish is added as often as it is required; and when it becomes occasionally too thick to ooze through, a little alcohol is poured into the cloth. Some difficulties may be at first experienced in performing this process; but Dr. Jones states that a very little practice will enable any handy person to surmount them. The peculiar advantage said to attend it is, that a beautiful polish may be at once obtained by a continued application of the rubber in this way; while, according to the method previously described, successive coats of varnish, which require considerable time to dry, must be used, and a great deal of additional trouble incurred. In varnishing recesses or carved work, where parts of the surface are difficult to reach with the rubber, a spirit varnish, made with or without lac of the usual gum resins, and considerably thicker than that used for the rest of the work, may be applied to those parts with a brush or hair pencil.

532. LACQUER FOR BRASS

Seed-lac, 6 ozs.; amber or copal, ground on porphyry or very clean marble, 2 ozs.; dragon's blood, 40 grains; extract of red sandal-wood, 30 grains; oriental saffron, 36 grains; pounded glass, 4 ozs.; very pure alcohol, 40 ozs. Articles, or ornaments of brass, to which this varnish is to be applied, should be exposed to a gentle heat and then dipped into the varnish. Two or three coatings may be thus applied, if necessary. Articles varnished in this manner may be cleaned with water and a bit of dry rag.

533. TO CLEAN OLD BRASS WORK FOR LACQUERING

First boil a strong lye of wood-ashes, which you may strengthen with soap-lees; put in your brass work, and the lacquer will immediately come off; then have ready a pickle of aquafortis and water, strong enough to take off the dirt; wash it immediately in clean water, dry it well, and lacquer it.

534. TO PREPARE FISH OIL FOR PAINT

Into a cask which will contain about 40 galls., put 32 galls. of good common vinegar; add to this 12 lbs. of litharge, and 12 lbs. of white copperas in powder: bung up the vessel, and shake and roll it well twice a-day for a week, when it will be fit to put into a ton of whale, cod, or seal oil, (but the southern whale oil is to be preferred, on account of its good colour and little or no smell:) shake and mix all together, when it may settle until the next day; then pour off the clear, which will be about seven-eighths of the whole. To clear this part, add 12 galls. of linseed oil, and 2 galls. of spirits of turpentine; shake them well together, and, after the whole has settled two or three days, it will be fit to grind white lead and all fine colours in; and, when ground, cannot be distinguished from those ground in linseed oil, unless by the superiority of colour. If the oil be wanted only for coarse purposes, the linseed oil and oil of turpentine may be added at the same time that the prepared vinegar is put in; and, after being well shaken up, is fit for immediate use, without being suffered to settle. The residue or bottom, when settled by the addition of half its quantity of fresh lime-water, forms an excellent oil for mixing with all the coarse paints for preserving outside work. All colours ground in the above oil, and used for inside work, must be thinned with linseed oil and oil of turpentine.

Gain by the above process.

One ton of fish oil, or 252 galls................ $151.20 32 galls. of vinegar, at 12-1/2 cts. per gall.... 4.00 12 lbs. litharge, at 7 cts. per lb............... 84 12 lbs. white copperas, at 8 cts. ditto.......... 96 12 galls. of linseed oil, at 90 cts. per gall.... 10.80 2 galls. of spirit of turpentine, at 40 cts..... 80 ———— $168.60

252 galls. of fish oil 12 ditto linseed oil 2 ditto spirit of turpentine 32 ditto vinegar —- 298 galls., at 90 cts. per gal. $268.20 Deduct the expense............. 168.60 ———— $ 99.60

535. PAINTING IN MILK

In consequence of the injury which has often resulted to sick and weakly persons from the smell of common paint, the following method of painting with milk has been adopted by some workmen, which, for the interior of buildings, besides being as free as distemper from any offensive odour, is said to be nearly equal to oil-painting in body and durability. Take 1/2 gall. of skimmed milk, 6 ozs. of lime newly slaked, 4 ozs. of poppy, linseed, or nut-oil, and 3 lbs. of Spanish white. Put the lime into an earthen vessel or clean bucket, and having poured on it a sufficient quantity of milk to make it about the thickness of cream, add the oil in small quantities at a time, stirring the mixture with a wooden spatula. Then put in the rest of the milk, and afterwards the Spanish white. It is, in general, indifferent which of the oils above-mentioned you use; but, for a pure white, oil of poppy is the best. The oil in this composition, being dissolved by the lime, wholly disappears; and, uniting with the whole of the other ingredients, forms a kind of calcareous soap. In putting in the Spanish white, you must be careful that it is finely powdered and strewed gently over the surface of the mixture. It then, by degrees, imbibes the liquid and sinks to the bottom. Milk skimmed in summer is often found to be curdled; but this is of no consequence in the present preparation, as its combining with the lime soon restores it to its fluid state. But it must on no account be sour; because, in that case, it would, by uniting with the lime, form an earthy salt, which could not resist any degree of dampness in the air. Milk paint may likewise be used for out-door objects by adding to the ingredients before-mentioned 2 ozs. each more of oil and slaked lime, and 2 ozs. of Burgundy pitch. The pitch should be put into the oil that is to be added to the milk and lime, and dissolved by a gentle heat. In cold weather, the milk and lime must be warmed, to prevent the pitch from cooling too suddenly, and to enable it to unite more readily with the milk and lime. Time only can prove how far this mode of painting is to be compared, for durability, with that in oil; for the shrinking to which coatings of paint are subject depends in great measure upon the nature and seasoning of the wood. The milk paint used for in-door work dries in about an hour; and the oil which is employed in preparing it entirely loses its smell in the soapy state to which it is reduced by its union with the lime. One coating will be sufficient for places that are already covered with any colour, unless the latter penetrate through it and produce spots. One coat will likewise suffice, in general, for ceilings and stair-cases; two will be necessary for new wood. Milk painting may be coloured, like every other in distemper, by means of the different colouring substances employed in common painting. The quantity I have given in the receipt will be sufficient for one coat to a surface of about twenty-five square yards.

536. ETHEREAL SOLUTION OF GOLD

The following mode of effecting this solution (used chiefly for gilding steel) is recommended by Mr. H. Mill, in the "Technical Repository," as being superior to any previously made known. "The instructions," he says, "given in most elementary works on chemistry for this purpose are either erroneous or not sufficiently explicit." The process answers equally well for either gold or platina. Dissolve any quantity of gold or platina in nitro-muriatic acid, (aqua regia,) until no further effervescence is occasioned by the application of heat. Evaporate the solution of gold or platina, thus formed, to dryness, in a gentle heat, (it will then be freed from all excess of acid, which is essential,) and re-dissolve the dry mass in as little water as possible: next take an instrument which is used by chemists for dropping liquids, known by the name of a separating funnel, having a pear-shaped body, tapering to a fine sharp point, and a neck capable of being stopped with the finger or a cork, which may contain a liquid once or more; fill it with the liquid about one-quarter part, and the other three parts must be filled with the very best sulphuric ether. If this be rightly managed, the two liquids will not mix. Then place the tube in a horizontal position, and gently turn it round with the finger and thumb. The ether will very soon be impregnated with the gold or platina, which may be known by its changing its colour; replace it in a perpendicular position, and let it rest for twenty-four hours; having first stopped up the upper orifice with a cork. The liquid will then be divided into two parts—the darkest colouring being underneath. To separate them, take out the cork and let the dark liquid flow out: when it has disappeared, stop the tube immediately with the cork, and what remains in the tube is fit for use, and may be called gilding liquid. Let it be put into a bottle, and tightly corked. The muriate of gold or platina, formed by digesting these metals in nitro-muriatic acid, must be entirely free from all excess of acid; because it will otherwise act too forcibly on the steel, and cause the coating of gold to peel off. Pure gold must be employed; the ether must not be shaken with the muriate of gold, as is advised in chemical publications, for it will be sure, then, to contain acid; but if the two liquids be brought continually into contact by the motion described, the affinity between ether and gold is so strong as to overcome the obstacle of gravity, and it will hold the gold in solution. The ethereal solution may also be concentrated by gentle evaporation.

537. VARNISH POLISH

Take 2 ozs. of tripoli, reduced to fine powder; put it into an earthen pot or basin, with water to cover it; then take a piece of fine flannel, four times doubled, lay it over a piece of cork or rubber, and proceed to polish your varnish, always wetting it with the tripoli and water. You will know when the process is completed, by wiping a part of the work with a sponge and observing whether there is a fair and even gloss. Take a bit of mutton-suet and fine flour, and clean off the work. Or, the powdered tripoli may be mixed up with a little pure oil, and used upon a ball of serge, or of chamois leather, which is better. The polishing may afterwards be completed with a bit of serge or cloth, without tripoli. Putty powder, and even common whiting and water, are sometimes used for polishing; but they produce a very inferior effect to tripoli, except in the case of ivory, for which putty and water, used upon a rubber made of a hat, forms the best and quickest polish. Putty and water may likewise be used, in the same manner as just mentioned for ivory, in finishing off the polish of pearl work, after it has first been polished very smooth with pumice-stone, finely powdered, and well washed to free it from impurities and dirt.

538. VARNISH FOR COLOURED DRAWINGS

Mix together 1 oz. of Canada balsam and 2 ozs. of spirits of turpentine. Before applying the composition, size the drawing or print with a solution of isinglass in water; when this is dry, apply the varnish with a camel's-hair brush. The use of this varnish gives to coloured drawings and prints an appearance resembling that of oil paintings.

539. VARNISH FOR GLASS

Reduce a quantity of gum tragacanth to powder, and let it dissolve for twenty-four hours in the white of eggs well beat up; then rub it gently on the glass with a brush.

540. TO CLEAN PICTURES

Having taken the picture out of its frame, take a clean towel, and making it quite wet, lay it on the face of your picture, sprinkling it from time to time with clear soft water; let it remain wet for two or three days; take the cloth off, and renew it with a fresh one; after wiping your picture with a clean wet sponge, repeat the process till you find all the dirt soaked out of your picture; then wash it well with a soft sponge, and let it get quite dry; rub it with some clear nut or linseed oil, and it will look as well as when freshly done.

541. ANOTHER METHOD

Put into two quarts of strong lye a quarter of a pound of Genoa soap rasped very fine, with about a pint of spirits of wine; let them simmer on the fire for half an hour, then strain them through a cloth; apply it with a brush to the picture, wipe it off with a sponge, and apply it a second time, which will effectually remove all dirt; then, with a little nut oil warmed, rub the picture, and let it dry; this will make it look as bright as when it came out of the artist's hands.

542. VARNISH FOR CLOCK FACES, &c.

Take of spirits of wine, 1 pint; divide it into four parts; mix one part with half an ounce of gum mastic, in a bottle by itself; one part of spirits and half an ounce of gum sandrac in another bottle; and one part of spirits and half an ounce of the whitest part of gum benjamin; mix and temper them to your mind; if too thick, add spirits; if too thin, some mastic; if too soft, some sandrac or benjamin. When you use it, warm the silvered plate before the fire, and with a flat camel-hair pencil stroke it over till no white streaks appear; which will preserve the silvering for many years.

543. VARNISH FOR BALLOONS

Take some linseed oil, rendered drying by boiling it with 2 ozs. of sugar of lead and 3 ozs. of litharge for every pint of oil till they are dissolved, which may be in half an hour. Then put 1 lb. of birdlime and half a pint of the drying oil into an iron or copper vessel, whose capacity should equal about a gallon, and let it boil very gently over a slow charcoal fire, till the birdlime ceases to crackle, which will be in about half or three-quarters of an hour; then pour upon it 2-1/2 pints more of the drying oil, and let it boil about an hour longer, stirring it frequently with an iron or wooden spatula. As the varnish, whilst boiling, and especially when nearly ready, swells very much, care should be taken to remove, in those cases, the pot from the fire, and to replace it when the varnish subsides; otherwise, it will boil over. Whilst the stuff is boiling, the operator should occasionally examine whether it has boiled enough , which may be known by observing whether, when rubbed between two knives, which are then to be separated from one another, the varnish forms threads between them, as it must then be removed from the fire. When nearly cool, add about an equal quantity of oil of turpentine. In using the varnish, the stuff must be stretched, and the varnish applied lukewarm. In 24 hours it will dry. As the elastic resin, known by the name of Indian rubber, has been much extolled for a varnish for balloons, the following method of making it, as practiced by M. Blanchard, may not prove unacceptable: dissolve elastic resin cut small in five times its weight of rectified essential oil of turpentine, by keeping them some days together. Then pour 1 oz. of this solution in 8 ozs. of drying linseed oil for a few minutes; strain the solution, and use it warm.

544. TO PREPARE RENNET TO TURN MILK

Take out the stomach of a calf as soon as killed, and scour it inside and out with salt; after it is cleared of the curd always found in it, let it drain a few hours, then sew it up with two good handsful of salt in it, or stretch it well salted on a stick, or keep it in the salt wet; and when wanted soak it a little in fresh water, and repeat the same when again required.

545. TO MAKE CHEESE

Put the milk into a large tub, warming a part till it is of a degree of heat quite equal to new; if too hot the cheese will be tough. Put in as much rennet as will turn it, and cover it over; let it stand till completely turned, then strike the curd down several times with the skimming-dish, and let it separate, still covering it. There are two modes of breaking the curd, and there will be a difference in the taste of the cheese according as either is observed: one is, to gather it with the hands very gently towards the side of the tub, letting the whey pass through the fingers till it is cleared, and ladling it off as it collects; the other is, to get the whey from it by early breaking the curd; the last method deprives it of many of its oily particles, and is therefore less proper. Put the vat on a ladder over the tub, and fill it with curd by the skimmer; press the curd close with your hand, and add more as it sinks, and it must be finally left two inches above the edge. Before the vat is filled, the cheese-cloth must be laid at the bottom, and when full, draw smoothly over on all sides. These are two modes of salting cheese; one by mixing it in the curd while in the tub, after the whey is out, and the other by putting it into the vat and crumbling the curd all to pieces with it, after the first squeezing with the hands has dried it. The first method appears best on some accounts, but not on all, and therefore the custom of the country must direct. Put a board under and over the vat, and place it in the press; in two hours turn it out and put a fresh cheese-cloth; press it again for eight or ten hours; then salt it all over, and turn it again in the vat, and let it stand in the press fourteen or sixteen hours, observing to put the cheese last made undermost. Before putting them the last time into the vat, pare the edges if they do not look smooth. The vat should have holes at the sides and at bottom, to let all the whey pass through; put on clean boards, and change and scald them.

546. TO PRESERVE CHEESE SOUND

Wash in a warm whey, when you have any, wipe it once a month, and keep it on a rack. If you want to ripen it, a damp cellar will bring it forward. When a whole cheese is cut, the larger quantity should be spread with butter inside, and the outside wiped to preserve it. To keep those in daily use moist, let a clean cloth be wrung out from cold water, and wrapt round them when carried from the table.

547. TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE

Put 5 quarts of strippings, that is, the last of the milking, into a pan, with 2 spoonsful of rennet. When the curd is come, strike it down two or three times with the skimming-dish, just to break it; let it stand two hours, then spread a cheese-cloth on a sieve, put the curd on it, and let the whey drain; break the curd a little with your hand, and put it into a vat with a 2 lb weight upon it; let it stand twelve hours, take it out, and bind a fillet round; turn every day till dry, from one board to another, cover them with nettles or clean dock leaves, and put between two pewter-plates to ripen. If the weather be warm, it will be ready in three weeks.

548. ELEGANT AND INGENIOUS ARTS, &c.

Accomplishments.—These are very desirable for the household, because the inmates are made happier by refined and ingenious arts and pursuits, and are fitted to improve the taste of others. Children and young persons, of both sexes, should learn as many of these arts as they possibly can without neglecting duties. Pleasant modes of employing leisure hours save people from many temptations, and add much to the happiness of life.

549. GRECIAN PAINTING

Grecian painting is the art of imitating oil paintings. This truly beautiful imitation, if well done, is so perfect that none save connoisseurs can discern, at sight, the difference.

Engravings best suited to this style of painting are mezzotint or aquatint, though fine lithographs are used.

Rule First.—Procure a frame one inch longer than the engraved part of the print. Second.—Cut the engraving the size of the frame, then make a stiff paste, and spread thickly on the frame. Third.—Place the engraving face down and sponge it gently with water; then press the frame firmly and evenly down on; leave it till entirely dry (not by the fire) and it will become even and tight.

To make the Grecian Varnish.—Take one part turpentine, two parts alcohol, (90 proof,) three parts balsam of fir, and mix.

To use the Varnish.—Pour sufficient spirits of turpentine on the back of the picture to moisten it well, then put on the varnish and rub it THOROUGHLY with a stiff brush, and continue to apply it until the picture is perfectly transparent.

Spots.—Leave the picture for twenty-four hours, after which if white spots appear, showing that the varnish has not been effectual, repeat the process. Sometimes it has to be done several times.

Drying.—Place the picture, face downward, where it will be free from dust, and leave it three or four days.

Paints.—These are put on the back of the engraving.

Eyes.—For blue eyes, permanent blue and white; for hazel eyes, yellow ochre and vandyke brown.

Flesh Tints.—Flake white, with a very little vermillion and Naples yellow.

Foliages.—Chrome yellow and Prussian blue, with any of the browns.

Sky.—Clouds touched in with white; the rest permanent blue and white.

Water.—The light parts with white, the rest the same as the sky. If a bright scene, and with trees, of a greenish brown.

Hair and Eyebrows.—Yellow ochre and vandyke brown, or raw sienna.

Backgrounds.—The most agreeable tint is a greenish brown.

White Background.—Flake and silver white.

Buff Background.—Naples yellow.

Orange Background.—Chrome yellow, with vermillion.

Blue Background.—Flake white and Prussian blue.

Gray Background.—White, Prussian blue, and vermillion.

Pink Background.—White and vermillion.

Crimson Background.—Vermillion and white, with carmine.

Green Background.—Chrome yellow and Prussian blue.

Paints for the front of the picture.—Drying oil must be used with all the colours on the front.

Shading for the flesh on the front.—Carmine and vandyke brown laid on lightly, and the edges touched off with the finger.

Cheeks.—Carmine; soften the edges carefully.

Lips.—Carmine, with a touch of vermilion.

Hair and Eyebrows.—Yellow lake and vandyke brown.

Draperies.—These are always painted on the back, and shaded on the front with vandyke brown.

Backgrounds.—If plain, glaze with yellow lake.

Foliages.—Yellow lake and vandyke brown.

General Directions.—First.—Lay the paint thickly on the back, and be careful to cover every part, but not to go over the edges. Second.—When the painting is finished let it dry four days, and then cover the front with a coat of mastic varnish.

Materials required are a palette, palette-knife, flat varnish brush, three sizes of bristle brushes, three sizes of table brushes, drying oil, mastic varnish, spirits of turpentine, Grecian varnish.

Colours used are oil colours in tubes. Those generally needed are silver white, Naples yellow, yellow ochre, brilliant yellow, vermilion, Prussian blue, raw sienna, ivory black, carmine, yellow lake, vandyke brown.

If economy is an object, some of the above-mentioned materials can be dispensed with.

550. DIAPHANIE

This is a beautiful, useful, and inexpensive art, easily acquired, and producing imitation of the richest and rarest stained glass; and also of making blinds, screens, skylights, Chinese lanterns, &c., in every variety of colour and design. In decorating his house, a gentleman spends as much money as he can conveniently spare; the elegancies and refinements of modern taste demand something more than mere comfort; yet though his walls are hung with pictures, his drawing-room filled with bijouterie, how is it that the windows of his hall, his library, his staircase, are neglected? The reason is obvious. The magnificent historical glass might be envied, but could not be brought within the compass of ordinary means. Recent improvements in printing in colours led the way to this beautiful invention, by which economy is combined with the most perfect results. A peculiar kind of paper is rendered perfectly transparent, upon which designs are printed in glass colours, (vitro de couleurs,) which will not change with the light. The paper is applied to the glass with a clear white varnish, and when dry, a preparation is finally applied, which increases the transparency, and adds tenfold brilliancy to the effect. There is another design, printed in imitation of the half-light (abatiour;) this is used principally for a ground, covering the whole surface of the glass, within which (the necessary spaces having been previously cut out before it is stuck on the glass,) are placed medallion centres of Watteau figures, perfectly transparent, which derive increased brilliancy from the semi-transparency of the surrounding country. To ascertain the quantity of designs required, measure your glass carefully, and then calculate how many sheets it will take. The sheets are arranged so that they can be joined together continuously, or cut to any size or shape.

Practical Instructions.—Choose a fine day for the operation, as the glass should be perfectly dry and unaffected by the humidity of the atmosphere. Of course, if you have a choice, it is more convenient to work on your glass before it is fixed in the frame. If you are working on a piece of unattached glass, lay it on a flat table, (a marble slab is preferable,) over which you must previously lay a piece of baize of cloth to keep the glass steady. The glass being thus fixed, clean and polish the side on which you intend to operate, (in windows this is the inner side,) then with your brush lay on it very equably a good coat of the prepared varnish; let this dry for an hour, more or less, according to the dryness of the atmosphere and the thickness of the coat of varnish. Meantime cut and trim your designs carefully to fit the glass, (if it is one entire transparent sheet you will find it little trouble;) then lay them on a piece of paper, face downwards, and damp the back of them with a sponge, applied several times, to equalise the moisture. After this operation, arrange your time so that your designs may now be finally left to dry for fifteen minutes before application to the glass, the varnish on which has now become tacky or sticky, and in a proper state to receive them. Apply the printed side next to the glass without pressure; endeavour to let your sheet fall perfectly level and smooth on your glass so that you may avoid leaving creases, which would be fatal. Take now your palette, lay it flat on the design, and press out all the air bubbles, commencing in the centre, and working them out from the sides; an ivory stick will be found useful in removing creases; you now leave this to dry, and after twenty-four hours apply a slight coat of the liqueur diaphane, leaving it another day, when if dry, apply a second coat of the same kind, which must be left several days: finally, apply a coat of varnish over all. If these directions are carefully followed, your glass will never be affected by time or by any variations in the weather: it will defy hail, rain, frost and dust, and can be washed the same as any ordinary stained glass, to which, in some respects, it is even superior. It is impossible to enumerate the variety of articles to the manufacture of which diaphanie may be successfully applied as it is not confined to glass, but can be done on silk, parchment, paper, linen, &c., after they have been made transparent, which may be accomplished in the following manner:— stretch your paper, or whatever it may be, on a frame or drawing board, then apply two successive coats (a day between each,) of diaphanous liquor, and after leaving it to dry for several days, cover it with a thin layer of very clear size, and when dry it will be in a fit state to receive the coat of varnish and the designs. Silk, linen, or other stuffs, should be more carefully stretched, and receive a thicker coat of size than paper or parchment; the latter may be strained on a drawing or any other smooth board, by damping the sheet, and after pasting the edges, stretching it down while damp. Silk, linen, or other stuffs require to be carefully stretched on a knitting or other suitable frame. Take great care to allow, whatever you use, time to dry before applying the liqueur diaphane. All kinds of screens, lamp-shades, and glasses, lanterns, &c., &c., may be made in this way, as heat will produce no effect upon them. The transparent pictures are successful, because they may be hung on a window frame or removed at will, and the window blinds are far superior to any thing of that kind that have yet been seen. Instead of steeping the designs in the transparent liquor at the time of printing them, which was previously done in order to show their transparency to the purchaser, but which was practically objectionable, as the paper in that state was brittle, and devoid of pliancy, necessitating also the use of a peculiarly difficult vehicle to manage (varnish) in applying it to the glass, the manufacturer now prepares his paper differently, in order to allow the use of parchment size in sticking them on the glass. The liqueur diaphane, which is finally applied, renders them perfectly transparent. In this mode of operation, no delay is requisite, the designs being applied to the glass immediately after laying on the size, taking care to press out all the air bubbles, for which purpose a roller will be found indispensable. The designs should be damped before the size is applied to them. We are of opinion that this art may be applied to the production of magic-lantern slides, dissolving views, and dioramic effects; though we are not aware whether such experiments have been tried.

551. WATER-COLOURS USED IN DRAWING

Indian Ink.—The best is stamped with Chinese characters, breaks with a glossy fracture, and feels smooth when rubbed on the plate.

Hair Pencils are made of camel's-hair; if they come to a point, when moistened, without splitting, they are good.

Drawing Paper.—That made without any wire marks, and called wove paper, is the best; it is made of various sizes and thicknesses.

To make a good white.—Clarify white lead with white-wine vinegar. After the powder has settled, pour off the vinegar, put the powder into a glass of water, stir it, and pour the water off while it is white into another glass; when it is settled, pour off the water, and an excellent white will be obtained. To this add gum enough to give it a gloss.

552. DIRECTIONS FOR MIXED COLOURS

Ash Colour.—Ceruse white, Keating's black and white, shaded with cherry-stone black.

Bay.—Lake and flake white, shaded with carmine; bistre and vermilion shaded with black.

Changeable Silk.—Red lead and masticot water, shaded with sap-green and verdigris.

Another.—Lake and yellow, shaded with lake and Prussian blue.

Cloud Colour.—Light masticot, or lake and white, shaded with blue verditer.

Another.—Constant white and Indian ink, and a little vermilion.

Another.—White, with a little lake and blue verditer, make a good cloud colour for that part next the horizon.

Crimson.—Lake and white, with a little vermilion, shaded with lake and carmine.

Flame Colour.—Vermilion and orpiment, heightened with white.

Another.—Gamboge, shaded with minium and red lead.

Flesh Colour.—Ceruse, red lead, and lake, for a swarthy complexion, and yellow ochre.

Another.—Constant white and a little carmine, shaded with Spanish liquorice washed with carmine.

French Green.—Light pink and Dutch bice, shaded with green pink.

Glass Grey.—Ceruse, with a little blue of any kind.

Hair Colour.—Masticot, ochre, umber, ceruse, and cherry-stone black.

Lead Colour.—Indigo and white.

Light Blue.—Blue bice, heightened with flake white.

Another.—Blue verditer, and white of any sort, well ground.

Light Green.—Pink, smalt, and white.

Another.—Blue verditer and gamboge.

Another.—Gamboge and verdigris. This is chiefly used for the ground colours of trees, fields, &c.

Lion Tawney.—Red lead and masticot, shaded with umber.

Murrey.—Lake and white lead.

Orange.—Red lead and a little masticot, shaded with umber.

Orange Tawney.—Lake, light pink, a little masticot, shaded with gall-stone and lake.

Pearl Colour.—Carmine, a little white, shaded with lake.

Popinjay Green.—Green and masticot; or pink and a little indigo, shaded with indigo.

Purple.—Indigo, Spanish brown, and white; or blue bice, red and white lead; or blue bice and lake.

Russet.—Cherry-stone black and white.

Scarlet.—Red lead and lake, with or without vermilion.

Sea Green.—Bice, pink and white, shaded with pink.

Sky Colour.—Light masticot and white, for the lowest and lightest parts; second, red ink and white; third, blue bice and white; fourth, blue bice alone. These are all to be softened into one another at the edges, so as not to appear harsh.

Sky Colour for Drapery.—Blue bice and ceruse, or ultramarine and white, shaded with indigo.

Straw Colour.—Masticot and a very little lake, shaded with Dutch pink.

Yellow Colour.—Indigo, white, and lake; or fine Dutch bice and lake, shaded with Indigo; or litmus smalt and bice, the latter predominant.

Water.—Blue and white, shaded with blue, and heightened with white.

To prevent Colours from Cracking.—Boil 2 ozs. of the best and clearest glue, with 1 pint of clear water, and a 1/2 oz. of alum, till dissolved. With this temper those colours intended for the sky.

To make a Solution of Gum.—Dissolve 1 oz. of white gum arabic, and a 1/2 oz. of double refined sugar, in a quart of spring water; strain it through a piece of muslin, and bottle it to keep it free from dust.

To keep Flies from the Work.—Having prepared the gum water for the colours, add a little coloquintida.

To prepare Alum Water.—Take 4 ozs. of alum, and 1 pint of spring water; boil it till the alum is thoroughly dissolved, and then filter it through blotting-paper.

To use Alum Water.—Before laying on the colours, take some of this water, hot, and with a sponge wet the back of the paper, which, if not good, must be wet three or four times, letting the paper dry each time before wetting it again. This will prevent the sinking of the colours, and give them additional lustre.

To make Lime Water.—Put unslacked lime in a well-glazed pan; cover it with pure water, and let it remain for one day. Then strain off the water. This water will change sap-green into blue.

553. TO PREPARE WASH COLOURS FOR MAPS

Blue.—Dilute Saxon blue with water; or to the solution of litmus add distilled vinegar.

Green.—Dissolve verdigris in distilled water and add gum arabic. Or, dissolve sap-green in water and add gum.

Red.—Steep Brazil dust in vinegar, with alum. Or, dissolve litmus in water and add spirit of wine. Or, steep cochineal in water, strain, and add gum.

Yellow.—Dissolve gamboge in water; or French berries steeped in water, the liquor strained, and gum arabic added.

554. TO MIX WATER-COLOURS FOR ANIMALS

Horses, black.—Black lightly laid on, shaded with Keating's black and bistre, heightened with masticot.

Horses, chestnut brown.—Red ochre and black mixed together, shaded with black, heightened with red ochre and white.

Horses, grey.—Black and white mixed, shaded with black, white, and bistre; heightened with pure water.

Lions.—Colour much in the same manner as horses, adding lake in the ground colour.

Bears.—Brown ochre, red ochre, and black, mixed; shaded with bistre and ivory black.

Wolves.—Spanish liquorice and black, shaded with black.

Asses.—Black and white mixed; or, add a little brown ochre, shaded with black.

Elephants.—Black, white, and Spanish liquorice, mixed; shaded with black and bistre; the inner part of the nose, vermilion and white, shaded with black.

Monkeys.—Dutch pink and black, heightened with masticot and white: the face, black and bistre mixed, as also their feet; their bodies, shaded underneath with black and pink mixed with a little brown ochre.

555. FRUIT IN WATER-COLOURS

Apples.—Thin masticot mixed with verdigris, shaded with brown ochre.

Cherries.—Vermilion and lake, shaded with carmine, heightened with vermilion and white.

Grapes, blue.—Dark purple shaded with blue; the bloom, bice.

Grapes, white.—Verdigris and masticot mixed, shaded with thin verdigris heightened with masticot and white.

Peaches.—Thin masticot shaded with brown ochre; the bloom, lake heightened with white.

Pears.—Masticot deepened and mellowed with brown ochre.

Strawberries.—White; draw it over with vermilion and lake, shaded with fine lake, heightened with red lead and masticot mixed, and then with white; stipple them with white and thin lead.

556. TO PAINT FLOWERS

Anemones.—A thin wash of gamboge shaded with bistre; or carmine and sap-green blended together. The stripes carmine, shaded with the same; indigo in the darkest parts, or stipple with it.

Leaves.—Sap-green, shaded with indigo and French berries; the stalk brown.

Honeysuckles.—Inside of the petals, white shaded with sap-green, or gamboge and bistre.

The insides are to be shown by curling the leaves back at the ends, or by splitting them.

The outsides, a thin wash of carmine and lake mixed, shaded with carmine—indigo for the darkest shades.

Stalks.—Sap-green and carmine.

Leaves.—Sap-green, shaded with indigo and French berries.

Roses.—A light tint of pure carmine, over which another equally light of Peruvian blue; proceed with the darker shades of carmine of the best sort. In the darkest part of the flower add a little indigo to give a roundness. If the seeds are seen lay on gamboge, shaded with gall-stone.

Leaves.—Upper side, sap-green, shaded with indigo and French berries mixed; under-side, white indigo and sap-green mixed, shaded with the same.

Stalks.—Sap-green and carmine, shaded with indigo.

Rose-buds.—A pale wash of carmine, shaded with a stronger wash of the same.

Stalks and leaves, sap-green with a slight wash of carmine.

557. BIRDS IN WATER-COLOURS

Eagles.—black and brown, shaded with indigo; feathers heightened by brown ochre and white; beak and claws saffron, shaded with bistre; eyes vermilion, heightened with masticot or saffron, shaded with vermilion.

Geese.—Ceruse shaded with black; legs, black; bill, red.

Owls.—Ochre mixed with white, in different shades; legs, yellow ochre.

Pheasants.—White and black mixed; legs, Dutch pink, shaded with black.

Swans.—White shaded with black; the legs and bills black; eyes yellow; a ball in the midst.

Turkeys.—Black, black and white mixed, shaded off to a white underneath; sprinkled and shaded with black.

558. LANDSCAPES IN WATER-COLOURS

Sketch the outlines faintly with a black-lead pencil. Then colour.

Colours.—The most useful are: lake, burnt ochre, gamboge, indigo, light red, sepia, Prussian blue, sienna, and burnt umber.

The gray colour is made of burnt umber, indigo, and lake; each rubbed separately in a saucer, and then mixed in a fourth saucer as to produce the exact colour—a warm gray. This is thinned for the light tints, as sky and distances. Deeper is to be used for the shadows and near parts, softening with water till the exact effect is produced.

Buildings are sometimes tinted with a mixture of lake and gamboge. Burnt ochre is also used. The shadows have an excess of lake.

Breadths of Light are obtained by destroying the scattered lights with grays.

Clouds are produced by a thin mixture of indigo and lake. They should be tinted with sepia. The lower or horizontal clouds are tinged with ultramarine.

Figures are touched with lake and indigo.

Force is acquired by adding sepia to indigo, in the cold parts, and sepia with lake to the glowing parts.

Grass is washed with a mixture of burnt sienna, indigo, and gamboge; that in shadow has more indigo. Grass and bushes may be brought out by a tint of gamboge; distances may be heightened by lake.

Hills, retiring.—Tint the whole with weak blue; then the nearer ones with indigo and lake; add a little gamboge to the next, keeping one subordinate to the other; the most distant being lost in the aerial tints.

Land, distant.—Ultramarine and lake. Ground near is tinted with ochre.

Road and Paths.—A mixture of lake, burnt umber, and burnt sienna. It may be tinted with ochre.

Smoke.—Lake and indigo.

Trees, distant.—Ultramarine, with a wash of indigo, gamboge, and burnt sienna, tinted with gray. The middle trees have a thin wash of burnt sienna and gamboge. Nearer trees a wash of burnt sienna, indigo, and gamboge. In the shadows more indigo is used.

Opposing masses of trees are tinted with sepia and indigo.

Windows.—Indigo and burnt umber.

559. POTICHOMANIE

This elegant accomplishment, which has become so extremely popular and fashionable, promises not only to supercede altogether many of those accomplishments which have hitherto absorbed the attention of our fair countrywomen, but to rank among the fine arts.

Advantages of this Art.—It possesses many advantages: and the process is simple and easily acquired. It is an exceedingly pleasing and interesting employment, requiring no previous knowledge of drawing, yet affording abundant space for the exercise of the most exquisite taste. The time employed is richly repaid; the results produced are of actual value; articles of ornament and domestic utility being produced, in perfect imitation of the most beautiful Chinese and Japanese porcelain, of Sevres and Dresden china, and of every form that is usual in the productions of the Ceramic Art. It furnishes an inexhaustible and inexpensive source for the production of useful and elegant presents, which will be carefully preserved as tokens of friendship, and as proofs of the taste and talent of the giver.

Articles necessary in the Art of Potichomanie.—Glass vases, (Potiches en verre,) of shapes suitable to the different orders of Chinese, Japanese, Etruscan, and French porcelain, Alumettes, &c.; cups, plates, &c., &c., of Sevres and Dresden design. Sheets of coloured drawings or prints, characteristic representations of the designs or decorations suitable to every kind of porcelain and china. A bottle of liquid gum, and three or four hog-hair brushes. A bottle of varnish, and very fine pointed scissors for cutting out. An assortment of colours for the foundation, in bottles. A packet of gold powder, and a glass vessel for diluting the colours.

Directions.—We will suppose the object selected for imitation to be a Chinese vase. After providing yourself with a plain glass vase, of the proper shape, you take your sheets of coloured prints on which are depicted subjects characteristic of that peculiar style. From these sheets you can select a great variety of designs, of the most varied character, on the arrangement and grouping of which you can exercise your own taste. After you have fully decided upon the arrangement of your drawings, cut them out accurately with a pair of scissors, then apply some liquid gum carefully over the coloured side of the drawings, and stick them on the inside of the vase, according to your own previous arrangement—pressing them down till they adhere closely, without any bubbles of air appearing between the glass and the drawings. When the drawings have had sufficient time to dry, take a fine brush and cover every part of them (without touching the glass) with a coat of parchment size or liquid gum, which prevents the oil colour (which is next applied) from sinking into or becoming absorbed by the paper. When the interior of the vase is perfectly dry, and any particles of gum size that may have been left on the glass have been removed, your vase is ready for the final and most important process. You have now to tint the whole of the vase with a proper colour to give it the appearance of porcelain; for up to this time, you will recollect, it is but a glass vase, with a few coloured prints stuck thereon. Select from your stock of prepared colours, in bottles, the tint most appropriate to the kind of china you are imitating, (as we are now supposed to be making a Chinese vase, it will be of a greenish hue,) mix fully sufficient colour in a glass vessel, then pour the whole into the vase. Take now your vase in both hands, and turn it round continually in the same direction, until the colour is equally spread over the whole of the interior: when this is satisfactorily accomplished, pour back the remainder. If the prepared colour is too thick, add a little varnish to the mixture before applying it. If preferred, the colour may be laid on with a soft brush. Should the vase be intended to hold water, the interior must be well varnished after the above operations, or lined with zinc or tin foil. If the potichomanist wishes to decorate the mouth of his vase with a gold border, he can do so by mixing some gold powder in a few drops of the essence of lavender and some varnish, applying it on the vase with a fine brush; or he can purchase gold bands, already prepared for application, in varied sheets, suitable to the potichomanie designs. Potichomanists have found the art capable of greater results than the mere imitation of porcelain vases, by the introduction of glass panels (previously decorated with beautiful flowers on a white ground) into drawing-room doors, and also into walls which, being panel papered, offer opportunities of introducing centre pieces of the same character as the doors; elegant chess and work-tables, folding and cheval-screens, panels for cabinets, chiffoniers and book-cases, slabs for pier and console-tables, glove-boxes, covers for books, music, albums, &c. The most common cause of failure is, that the drawings inside are not thoroughly pressed down.

560. COLOURING FOR CHEESE

The colouring for cheese is, or at least should be, Spanish arnotto; but as soon as colouring became general in this country, a colour of an adulterated kind was exposed for sale in almost every shop; the weight of a guinea and a half of real Spanish arnotto is sufficient for a cheese of fifty pounds' weight. If a considerable part of the cream of the night's milk be taken for butter, more colouring will be requisite. The leaner the cheese is, the more colouring it requires. The manner of using arnotto is to tie up, in a linen rag, the quantity deemed sufficient, and put into half a pint of warm water over night. This infusion is put into the tub of milk, in the morning, with the rennet infusion; dipping the rag into the milk, and rubbing it against the palm of the hand as long as any colour runs out.

561. TO SHARPEN EDGE TOOLS

Take equal parts of flour of emery and crocus; make into a paste with sweet oil; have now a piece of buck-skin, (hemlock tan,) tack it by each end on a piece of board, with the grain uppermost; then on this spread a little of the paste, and sharpen your tools on it. You will, indeed, be astonished at the effect. Try it.

562. BLUE COMPOSITION FOR DYEING

Take equal parts of vitriol and indigo; powder them very finely, separately, and mix.

563. TO GILD LETTERS ON VELLUM OR PAPER

Letters written on vellum or paper are gilded in three ways; in the first, a little size is mixed with the ink, and the letters are written as usual; when they are dry, a slight degree of stickiness is produced by breathing on them, upon which the gold leaf is immediately applied, and by a little pressure may be made to adhere with sufficient firmness. In the second method, some white lead of chalk is ground up with strong size, and the letters are made with this by means of a brush; when the mixture is almost dry, the gold leaf may be laid on, and afterwards burnished. The last method is to mix up some gold powder with size, and make the letters of this by means of a brush.

564. TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRY PLANTS

Sir Joseph Banks, from a variety of experiments, and the experience of many years, recommends a general revival of the now almost obsolete practice of laying straw under strawberry plants, when the fruit begins to swell; by which means the roots are shaded from the sun, the waste of moisture by evaporation prevented, the leaning fruit kept from damage by resting on the ground, particularly in wet weather, and much labour in watering saved. Twenty trusses of long straw are sufficient for 1800 feet of plants.

565. MANAGEMENT OF STRAWBERRY PLANTS

On the management of strawberries in June and July, the future prosperity of them greatly depends; and if each plant has not been kept separate, by cutting off the runners, they will be in a state of confusion, and you will find three different sorts of plants. 1. Old plants, whose roots are turned black, hard, and woody. 2. Young plants, not strong enough to flower. 3. Flowering plants, which ought only to be there, and perhaps not many of them. Before the time of flowering is quite over, examine them, and pull up every old plant which has not flowered; for, if once they have omitted to flower, you may depend upon it they never will produce any after, being too old, and past bearing; but to be fully convinced, leave two or three, set a stick to them, and observe them the next year. If the young plants, runners of last year, be too thick, take some of them away, and do not leave them nearer than a foot of the scarlet, alpines, and wood, and fifteen or sixteen inches of all the larger sorts; and in the first rainy weather in July or August, take them all up, and make a fresh plantation with them, and they will be very strong plants for flowering next year. Old beds, even if the plants be kept single at their proper distance, examine, and pull all the old plants which have not flowered. When the fruit is nearly all gathered, examine them again, and cut off the runners; but if you want to make a fresh plantation, leave some of the two first, and cut off all the rest. Then stir up the ground with a trowel, or three-pronged fork, and in August they will be fit to transplant. If you have omitted in July, do not fail in August, that the runners may make good roots, to be transplanted in September; for, if later, the worms will draw them out of the ground, and the frost afterwards will prevent them from striking root; the consequence of which is, their not flowering the next spring; and you will lose a year.

566. THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

What each flower enumerated, signifies, when sent to a friend or lover.

Almond, flowering—Concealed love. Althea, Frutex—I am deeply in love. Amaranth—Immortality, or piety. Anemone—Fading hope. Arbor-Vitae—Unchanging friendship. Auricula, Scarlet—Pride. You are proud. Bachelor's button—Hope in love. Balm—I long for your society. Balsamine—Impatience; or, pray come. Bay Leaf—I change but in dying. Box—I believe in your constancy. Buttercup—Riches. You are rich. Calla Ethiopica—Magnificent beauty. Carnation—Pride and Beauty. Camelia Japonica—Surpassing excellence. Cedar—Think of me. China Aster—Caprice. Cypress—Despair, and without hope. Dahlia—Dignity—I will sustain it. Daisy—Youthful beauty. Dandelion—Coquetry, I accuse you of. Eglantine—I wound to heal. Forget-me-not—True love for ever. Fox-glove—Insincerity. You are false. Geranium—Gentility and elegance. Gilly-Flower—Thou art fair. Golden Rod—Encouragement. You will succeed. Grass—Submission. Heart's Ease—Love in idleness. Heliotrope—Devotion. Let us pray for each other. Hellebore—Calumny. You have listened. Hollyhock—Ambition. I seek glory. Honeysuckle—Dost thou love me? Houstonia—Content ever with thee. Hyacinth, Purple—Sorrow. I am sad. Hydrangea—Heartlessness. Ivy—Wedded Love. We are happy. Jasmine, White—I desire a return of my affection. Larkspur—Haughtiness. Laurel—Ambition. I will win. Laurustinus—A token. Pray remember. Lavender—Acknowledgment. Lilac—Fastidiousness. Lily, White—Purity and beauty. Magnolia—You are beautiful. Marigold—Jealousy—I have cause. Mignionette—I live for thee. Moss—Patience, or pray wait. Oak-Leaf—Courage. I will endure. Passion-Flower—Piety. Trust in God. Periwinkle—Memory. Never forget. Pink—Household love. I am at home. Poppy—Forgetfulness. Primrose—Neglected merit. Rose—Love, or I love you. Rue—Disdain. Go: never return. Saffron—Marriage—when? Snow-drop—Faithful in adversity. Thyme—Thriftiness. I am diligent. Tulip—Beautiful eyes. Look on me. Violet—I dream of thee. Willow—Forsaken—never more. Wheat—Prosperity—I wish thee. Yew—Penitence. I am sorry.

567. FRENCH POLISH FOR BOOTS, &c.

Logwood chips, half a pound; glue, quarter of an ounce; soft soap, quarter of an ounce; isinglass, quarter of an ounce; boil these ingredients in two pints of vinegar and one of water, during ten minutes after ebulition, then strain the liquid. When cold it is fit for use. To apply the French polish, the dirt must be washed from the boots, &c.; when these are quite dry, the liquid polish is put on with a bit of sponge.

568. AN ILLUMINOUS BOTTLE

By putting a piece of phosphorus, the size of a pea, into a phial, and adding boiling oil until the bottle is a third full, a luminous bottle is formed; for, on taking out the cork, to admit atmospheric air, the empty space in the bottle will become luminous. Whenever the stopper is taken out in the night, sufficient light will be evolved to show the hour upon a watch; and if care be taken to keep it in general well closed, it will preserve its illuminative power for several months.

569. CHINESE METHOD OF MENDING CHINA

Take a piece of flint-glass, beat it to a fine powder, and grind it well with the white of an egg, and it joins china without riveting, so that no art can break it in the same place. You are to observe, that the composition is to be ground extremely fine.

570. TO MAKE STILTON CHEESE

Take the night's cream, and put it in the morning's new milk, with the rennet; when the curd is come it is not to be broken, as is done with other cheeses, but take it out with a soil dish all together, and place it on a sieve to drain gradually, and, as it drains, keep gradually pressing it, till it becomes firm and dry; then place it in a wooden hoop; afterwards to be kept dry on boards, turned frequently, with cloth-binders round it, which are to be tightened as occasion requires. In some dairies the cheese, after being taken out of the wooden hoop, are bound tight round with a cloth, which cloth is changed every day until the cheese becomes firm enough to support itself; after the cloth is taken away, they are rubbed every day all over, for two or three months, with a brush; and if the weather is damp or moist, twice a day; and even before the cloth is taken off, the top and bottom are well rubbed every day.

571. TO PRESERVE BEER

In a cask containing eighteen gallons of beer, becoming vapid, put a pint of ground malt, suspended in a bag, and close the bung perfectly; the beer will be improved during the whole time of drawing it for use.

572. TO RECOVER SOUR BEER

When beer has become sour, put into the barrel some oyster-shells, calcined to whiteness, or a little fine chalk or whiting. Any of these will correct the acidity, and make the beer brisk and sparkling; but it cannot be kept long after these additions are made.

573. CARVACROL—THE NEW REMEDY FOR TOOTH-ACHE

Dr. Bushman gives (in the Medical Times) the following account of this new compound, which, though well known in Germany as a quick and effectual cure for one of the most worrying ills "that flesh is heir to," is now for the first time published in England. Carvacrol is an oily liquid, with a strong taste and unpleasant odor. It may be made by the action of iodine on oil of caraway or on camphor. A few drops applied on cotton wool (to a decayed and painful tooth) give immediate relief. Carvacrol much resembles creosote in appearance, and is used in similar cases of tooth-ache, but its effect is much more speedy and certain.

574. CAMPHOR CERATE FOR CHAPPED HANDS

The following receipt was given to the contributor by a maid of honour to Queen Victoria. It is an excellent one. Scrape into an earthen vessel one ounce and a half of spermaceti and half an ounce of white wax; add six drachms of pounded camphor, and four tablespoonsful of the best olive oil. Let it stand near the fire till it dissolves, stirring it well when liquid. Before the hands are washed, rub them thoroughly with a little of the cerate, then wash them as usual. Putting the cerate on before retiring answers very well. This quantity costs about twenty-five cents, and will last three winters. The vessel it is kept in should be covered, to prevent evaporation.

575. THE WAY TO WEALTH

"The way to wealth," says Doctor Franklin, "is as plain as the way to market."

Many men, however, either miss the way, or stumble and fall on the road.

Fortune, they say, is a fickle dame—full of her freaks and caprices; who blindly distributes her favours without the slightest discrimination. So inconsistent, so wavering is she represented, that her most faithful votaries can place no reliance on her promises.

Disappointment, they tell us, is the lot of those who make offerings to her shrine. Now, all this is a vile slander upon the dear blind lady.

Although wealth often appears the result of mere accident, or a fortunate concurrence of favourable circumstances, without any exertion of skill or foresight, yet every man of sound health and unimpaired mind may become wealthy, if he takes the proper steps.

Foremost in the list of requisites, are honesty and strict integrity in every transaction of life. Let a man have the reputation of being fair and upright in his dealings, and he will possess the confidence of all who know him.

Without these qualities, every other merit will prove unavailing. Ask concerning a man, "Is he active and capable?" Yes. "Industrious, temperate, and regular in his habits?" O Yes. "Is he honest? is he trustworthy?" Why, as to that, I am sorry to say that he is not to be trusted; he wants watching; he is a little tricky, and will take an undue advantage, if he can.

"Then I will have nothing to do with him:" will be the invariable reply.

Next, let us consider the advantages of a cautious circumspection in our intercourse with the world. Slowness of belief, and a proper distrust are essential to success.

The credulous and confiding are ever the dupes of knaves and impostors. Ask those who have lost their property how it happened, and you will find in most cases it has been owing to misplaced confidence.

One has lost by endorsing; another by crediting; another by false representatives; all of which a little more foresight and a little more distrust would have prevented.

In the affairs of this world, men are not saved by faith, but by the want of it.

Judge men by what they do, not by what they say. Believe in looks rather than in words.

Before trusting a man, before putting it in his power to cause you a loss, possess yourself of every available information relative to him.

Learn his history, his habits, inclinations and propensities; his reputation for honesty, industry, frugality, and punctuality; his prospects, resources, supports, advantages and disadvantages; his intentions and motives of action; who are his friends and enemies, and what are his good and bad qualities.

You may learn a man's good qualities and advantages from his friends—his bad qualities and disadvantages from his enemies. Make due allowance for exaggeration in both.

Finally, examine carefully before engaging in anything, and act with energy afterward. Have the hundred eyes of Argus beforehand, and the hundred hands of Briarius afterward.

576. MAXIMS BY DR. FRANKLIN ON THE WAY TO WEALTH

God helps those who help themselves.

Many words won't fill a bushel.

Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labour wears.

The key often used is always bright.

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.

The sleeping fox catches no poultry.

There will be time enough for sleep, in the grave.

If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the greatest prodigality.

Lost time is never found again.

What we call time enough, always proves little enough.

Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy.

He that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night.

Laziness travels so slowly, that poverty soon overtakes him.

Drive thy business, lest it drive thee.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Industry need not wish.

He that lives upon hope, will die fasting.

There are no gains without pains.

Help, hands, for I have no lands.

He that hath a trade, hath an estate, and he that hath a calling, hath an office of profit and honour; but the trade must be worked at, and the calling well followed, or neither will enable us to pay our taxes.

The drone in the hive makes no honey.

At the working man's house hunger looks in, but does not enter.

Industry pays debts, but despair increaseth them.

Diligence is the mother of good luck.

God gives all things to industry.

Plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you will have corn to sell and to keep.

One today is worth two tomorrow.

Have you somewhat to do tomorrow, do it today.

If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good master should catch you idle? Are you, then, your own master? be ashamed to catch yourself idle.

The cat in gloves catches no mice.

Light strokes fell great oaks.

By diligence and patience, the mouse ate into the cable.

Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou art not sure of a minute throw not away an hour.

A life of leisure and a life of laziness, are two things.

Troubles spring from idleness, and grievous toils from needless ease.

Many would live by their wits, without labour, but they break for want of stock.

Industry gives comfort, plenty, and respect.

Now I have a sheep, and a cow, everybody bids me good-morrow.

I never saw an oft-removed tree, Nor yet an oft-removed family, That throve so well as one that settled be.

Three removes are as bad as a fire.

Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee.

If you would have your business done, go; if not, send.

He that by the plough would thrive, himself must either hold or drive.

The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands.

Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge.

Not to oversee workmen, is to leave them your purse open.

In the affairs of the world, men are saved not by faith, but for the want of it.

Learning is to the studious, and riches to the careful, as well as power to the bold, and heaven to the virtuous.