Part 3 (continued 4)

2342. Fishes

Large fishes should be opened in the belly, the entrails taken out, and the inside well rubbed with pepper, and stuffed with oakum. Small fishes may be put in spirit, as well as reptiles, worms, and insects (except butterflies and moths); insects of fine colours should be pinned down in a box prepared for that purpose, with their wings expanded.

2343. Tracing Paper

Mix together by a gentle heat, one ounce of Canada balsam, and a quarter of a pint of spirits of turpentine; with a soft brush spread it thinly over one side of good tissue paper. The composition dries quickly, is very transparent, and not greasy, and therefore, does not stain the paper to which it is applied.

Never Walk One Way and Look Another.

2344. Impressions from Coins

Melt a little isinglass glue with brandy, and pour it thinly over the medal, &c., so as to cover its whole surface; let it remain on for a day or two, till it has thoroughly dried and hardened, and then take it off, when it will be fine, clear, and hard, and will present a very elegant impression of the coin. It will also resist the effects of damp air, which occasions all other kinds of glue to soften and bend if not prepared in this way.

2345. Method of Hardening Objects in Plaster of Paris

Take two parts of stearine, two parts of Venetian soap, one part of pearlash, and twenty-four to thirty parts of a solution of caustic potash. The stearine and soap are cut into slices, mixed with the cold lye, and boiled for about half an hour, being constantly stirred. Whenever the mass rises, a little cold lye is added. The pearlash, previously moistened with a little rain water, is then added, and the whole boiled for a few minutes. The mass is then stirred until cold, when it is mixed with so much cold lye that it becomes perfectly liquid, and runs off the spoon without coagulating and contracting. Previously to using this composition, it should be kept for several days well covered. It may be preserved for years.

Before applying it to the objects, they should be well dusted, the stains scraped away, and then coated, by means of a thick brush, with the wash, as long as the plaster of Paris absorbs it, and left to dry. The coating is then dusted with leather, or a soft brush. If the surface has not become shining, the operation must be repeated.

2346. Modelling

Modelling in Cork, Gutta Percha, Leather, Paper, Plaster of Paris, Wax, Wood, &c.—Modelling, in a general sense, signifies the art of constructing an original pattern, which is to be ultimately carried out on an enlarged scale, or copied exactly.

2347. Scale of Construction

When models are constructed to give a miniature representation of any great work, elevation, or topographical information, they are executed in detail, with all the original parts in just and due proportions, so that the work may be conducted or comprehended better; and if the model is a scientific one, viz., relating to machinery, physical science, &c., then it requires to be even still more accurate in its details. In fact, all models should be constructed on a scale, which should be appended to them, so that a better idea may be obtained of the proportions and dimensions.

2348. Materials

The materials used in modelling are plaster of Paris, wax, whiting, putty, clay, pipeclay; common and factory cinders; sand of various colours; powdered fluor-spar, oyster-shells, bricks, and slate; gums, acacia and tragacanth; starch; paper, white and brown, cardboard and millboard; cork sheets, cork raspings, and old bottle-corks; gutta percha; leather and leather chips; wood; paints, oil, water, and varnish; moss, lichen, ferns, and grass; talc, window and looking-glass; muslin and net; chenille; carded wool; tow; wire; hay and straw; various varnishes, glue, and cements.

2349. Tools

The tools consist of brushes for paints, varnishes, and cements; two or three bradawls; a sharp penknife; a chisel, hammer, and punches; scissors and pencil.

2350. Caves

Caves may be modelled readily in cork, wood, starch-paste, or cinders covered with brown paper soaked in thin glue.

2351. To Construct Caves of Cinders

Arrange the cinders, whether common or factory, in such a manner as to resemble the intended design; then cover in such parts as require it with brown paper soaked in thin glue until quite pulpy. When nearly dry, dust over with sand, powdered brick, slate, and chopped lichen or moss, from a pepper-box; touch up the various parts with either oil, water, or varnish colours; and if necessary, form your trees of wire, covered with brown paper and moss, glued on.

Better Go Round than Fall into the Ditch.

2352. Cave Effect

When a Cave is constructed in the above manner, on a large scale, and the interior sprinkled with powdered fluor-spar or glass, the effect is very good by candle-light.

2353. Stalactites

Stalactites may be represented by rough pieces of wood, which must be smeared with glue, and sprinkled with powdered fluor-spar, or glass.

2354. To Model Caves in Cork

Construct the framework of wood, and fill up the outline with old bottle-corks. The various projections, recesses, and other minutiae, must be affixed afterwards with glue, after being formed of cork, or hollowed out in the necessary parts, either by burning with a hot wire and scraping it afterwards, or by means of a sharp-pointed bradawl.

2355. Small Trees

If small cork models are constructed, the trees should be formed by transfixing short pieces of shaded chenille with a fine wire (.), and sticking them into the cork.

2356. Decoration

Various parts of the model must be touched up with oil, water, or varnish colours; and powdered brick, slate, and chopped lichen, or moss, dusted on as usual.

2357. Wooden Models

Wooden models are constructed roughly in deal, according to the proper design, and the various fine parts afterwards affixed with glue or brads.

2358. Finer Work in Wood

In forming the finer parts of the wooden model, a vast amount of unnecessary labour may be saved, and a better effect obtained, by burning much of the outline, instead of carving it. By this plan, deeper tones of colouring, facility of operating, and saving of time and labour, are the result.

2359. Decorating Wooden Models

In common with other models, those constructed of wood require the aid of lichen, moss, powdered slate, &c., and colours, to complete the effect.

2360. Water

When water issues from the original cave, and it is desirable to copy it in the model, a piece of looking glass should be glued on the stand, and the edges surrounded by glue, and paper covered with sand. Sometimes it is requisite to cut away the wood of the stand, so as to let in the looking glass; this, however, is only when the water is supposed to be much lower than the surface of the land.

2361. Starch-Paste Models

Starch-paste models are formed in the usual way, of the following composition:—Soak gum tragacanth in water, and when soft, mix it with powdered starch till of a proper consistence. It is much improved by adding some double-refined sugar finely powdered. When the model is finished, it must be coloured correctly, and varnished with white varnish, or left plain. This is the composition used by confectioners for modelling the various ornaments on cakes.

2362. Ancient Cities

Ancient cities may be constructed of cork or starch-paste, in the same manner as directed above; bearing in mind the necessity for always working models according to a scale, which should be afterwards affixed to the stand of the model.

2363. Modern Cities

Modern cities are better made of cardboard, starch-paste, or pipe-clay; the houses, public buildings, and other parts being constructed according to scale.

2364. Houses

Houses should be cut out of a long thin strip of cardboard, partially divided by three strokes of a penknife, and glued together; this must afterwards be marked with a pencil, or pen and ink, to represent the windows, doors, stones, &c.; and the roof—cut out of a piece of square cardboard, equally and partially divided—is then to be glued on, and the chimney—formed of a piece of lucifer match, or wood notched at one end and flat at the other—is to be glued on, A square piece of cardboard must be glued on the top of the chimney; a hole made with a pin in the card and wood; and a piece of grey worsted, thinned at the end, fixed into the hole for smoke.

Examples do not Authorize Sins.

2365. Public Buildings

Cathedrals, churches, and other public buildings are made in the same way; but require the addition of small chips of wood, ends of lucifer matches, cork raspings, or small pieces of cardboard, for the various ornaments, if on a large scale, but only a pencil-mark if small.

2366. Starch-Paste or Pipeclay

When constructed of starch-paste, or pipeclay, the material is rolled flat on a table or marble slab, and the various sides cut out with a sharp penknife; they are then gummed together, and coloured properly.

2367. Large Models

If large models of houses or buildings are made, the windows are constructed of talc or thin glass, covered with net or muslin. The frames of the windows are made of cardboard, neatly cut out with a sharp penknife.

2368. Countries

Countries should be made of cork, because it is easier to work. Although the starch-paste is very agreeable to model with, yet it is liable to shrink, and therefore, when in the mass, one part dries quicker than another, so that there is not equal contraction—a great objection to its employment in accurate models. Cork, on the contrary, may be easily cut into all forms, and from abounding with pores, it is remarkably light—no little consideration to travellers.

2369. Topographical Models

Topographical models may, however, be formed of plaster of Paris, but the weight is an objection. A model of a country on a moderate scale—say one-eighth of an inch to a square mile—with its mountains, valleys, and towns, may be thus made:—A model having been first made in clay, according to scale and plan, moulds should then be taken of various parts in gutta percha, rendered soft by dipping it into hot water, and the parts cast in paper cement.

2370. Paper Cement

Reduce paper to a smooth paste by boiling it in water; then add an equal weight each of sifted whiting and good size; boil to a proper consistence, and use.

Take equal parts of paper, paste, and size, sufficient finely-powdered plaster of Paris to make into a good paste, and use as soon as possible after it is mixed. This composition may be used to cast architectural ornaments, busts, statues, &c., being very light, and susceptible of a good polish, but it will not stand weather.

2371. Other Parts

The several mountains and other parts being formed, join them together in their proper places with some of the No. i. paper cement, rendered rather more fluid by the addition of a little thin glue. The towns are made of a piece of cork, cut and scratched to the form of the town; steeples of cardboard, and trees of blades of moss. Sand is sprinkled in one part; looking-glass in others, for the lakes, bays, and rivers; and green baize flock for the verdant fields.

2372. Monuments

Monuments, ancient or modern, are better constructed of cork, on account of the lightness and facility in working, more especially the ancient ones.

2373. Ruins

Ruins should be constructed of cork, according to the directions given above, and when it is necessary to represent the mouldering walls covered with moss or ivy, a little green baize flock, or moss chippings, should be attached by mucilage to the part; and oftentimes a brush of raw sienna, combined with varnish, requires to be laid underneath the moss or flock, in order to improve the effect. Prostrate columns and huge blocks are effectively represented in cork, and should be neatly cut out with a sharp knife, and the various parts supposed to be destroyed by age picked away with a pin or blunt knife afterwards.

2374. Cities and Temples

We will suppose that the model is to represent the Temple of Theseus at Athens, which was built by Cimon, the son of Miltiades. In the first place we must obtain the necessary dimensions, and then, reducing the number of feet to fractional parts of an inch, form a scale suitable for carrying out the whole. A piece of wood of the necessary size is procured, the plan marked out in pencil, and the ground on which it stands imitated in cork, by cutting away the parts that are not required with a sharp penknife, and adding others with glue.

The floor of the temple is now to be glued on with common glue, for we should remark that the liquid glue does not dry quickly enough for cork modelling, and is not so good as the old plan; the sides and ends are formed of cork sheets, marked with a lead pencil to represent the blocks of stone; and ruined and broken parts imitated, by pricking the cork with a blunt penknife or needle. The frieze, representing the battle between the Centaurs and Lapithæ and the metopes in mezzo-relievo, containing a mixture of the labours of Hercules and Theseus, should be drawn upon the sheets of cork according to scale, and coloured with a little lampblack and raw sienna, to represent the subject intended, if the scale is small; but if the model admits of it, the groups may be neatly carved with a sharp penknife from the cork, which has been previously outlined with pencil.

The next thing we shall have to do is to strengthen the interior of the model, and this is done by glueing small pieces of cork, at irregular intervals, at the angles formed by the junction of any parts; these are put on the inside, and lastly, the roof is affixed. Any parts that require to be coloured, may be touched up with varnish or water colours, and lichen, &c., affixed with mucilage where it is requisite.

2375. To Model from Living Objects

We will imagine that the reader desires to model the features of some friend, and as there is some difficulty in the matter, on account of the person operated upon having a natural tendency to distort the features when the liquid plaster is poured upon the face, and some danger of suffocation if the process is not well managed, we will proceed at once to describe the various stages of operating:

2376. Procedure (1)

Mix the plaster of paris with warm water, and have it about as thick as cream, but do not mix it until all is ready. Lay the person upon his back, and having raised his head to the natural position when walking, by means of a pillow of bran or sand, cover the parts intended to be cast with oil of almonds or olives, applied by means of a feather, brush, or lump of cotton: plug the ears with cotton or wool, and insert two quills into the nostrils, and plug the space between each quill and the nostril very carefully with cotton.

2377. Procedure (2)

Cover the face with the plaster, beginning at the upper part of the forehead, and spread it downwards over the eyes, which should be kept

firmly

closed, but not in such a manner as to produce any distortion by too violent compression—and continue the plaster as far as the lower border of the chin; cover that part of the chest and arms that is to be represented, and carry the plaster upwards, so as to join the cast of the face; then carefully remove each, and season for casting, by soaking or brushing with linseed oil boiled with sugar of lead or licharge. Some persons boil the moulds in the oil; and many, instead of casting the face in one piece, and the chest in another, lay threads across the face and up and down it, leaving the ends out. As the plaster sets, or is nearly set, the threads are pulled through, so as to divide the cast into four, five, or more pieces.

2378. Procedure (3)

The back part of the head is moulded by having an oval trencher sort of vessel, deeper than half the head, and generally made of plaster, and boiled in oil. The back of the head being oiled, and this trencher partially filled with liquid plaster of Paris, the head is lowered into it, and the cast taken. The back of the neck is cast with the person turned over on his face.

2379. Procedure (4)

Each part of the mould is marked so as to secure accurate junction with the adjoining part or parts; sometimes with a

x

or

||

, which, passing over the junction of two pieces, serves to distinguish them.

2380. Procedure (5)

To model the face, join the several pieces, and tie them together with twine; then wrap some rag round the joints, to prevent the plaster oozing out, and pour in the plaster, made tolerably fluid, taking care to oil the inside of the mould very carefully first. When the outer part of the mould is nearly set, scoop out the centre with a spoon, and let the whole dry; then remove the strings, &c., and smooth off the edges of the joints upon the model with a sharp penknife, and carve out the eyes from the mass, otherwise they will appear as if closed.

2381. Wax Models

Wax models may be made from the moulds used for the plaster; but when the wax sets at the outside to about one-eighth of an inch, the rest should be poured out of the mould; or, a smaller portion being poured in, it may be shaken about the inside of the mould until it is coated. The pieces are removed, and the seams trimmed up, as in the plaster cast.

2382. Making a Cast

If a cast be made in Gutta Percha from the model in plaster—or, what is still better, in fusible metal,—then, by pressing basil leather, moistened with water, into the mould, and strengthening the back and centre with chips of wood affixed by liquid glue, a very nice model may be obtained in leather, which, when varnished, will look like oak carving—especially if it be stained with Stephens's Oak Stain.

2383. Rustic-Work Seats

Rustic-work seats, &c., may be constructed of wire twisted to the proper shape and size, and then covered with gutta percha, rendered soft by being dipped in hot water. The gutta percha should be twisted round the wire previously warmed, and gently heated over a spirit lamp, or dipped again into hot water, so as to allow the various parts to be covered with it. When the model is finished, it should be touched up here and there with oil colours—green, yellow, sienna, and Venetian red—according to fancy, and the effect produced will be very good.

2384. Dr. Clark's Pills for Nervous Headache

Socotine aloes, powdered rhubarb, of each one drachm; compound powder of cinnamon, one scruple; hard soap, half a drachm; syrup enough to form the mass. To be divided into fifty pills, of which two will be sufficient for a dose; to be taken occasionally.

2385. Pains in the Head and Face

A severe attack of tic-doulou-reux is said to have been cured by the following simple remedy:—Take half a pint of rose water, add two teaspoonfuls of white vinegar, to form a lotion. Apply it to the part affected three or four times a day. It requires fresh linen and lotion at each application; this will, in two or three days, gradually take the pain away.

2386. Sore Throat

Those subject to sore throat will find the following preparation simple, cheap, and highly efficacious when used in the early stage: Pour a pint of boiling water upon twenty-five or thirty leaves of common sage; let the infusion stand for half an hour. Add vinegar sufficient to make it moderately acid, and honey according to the taste. This combination of the astringent and the emollient principle seldom fails to produce the desired effect. The infusion must be used as a gargle several times a day. It is pleasant to the taste, and if swallowed, contains nothing to render it dangerous in any way.

2387. Deafness

It is now considered injurious to use water for the ear in cases of ear complaint. Pure glycerine has been found to act most beneficially as a solvent. In some forms of ear complaint powdered borax, as a constituent of the "drops" to be used has been found useful, and tannic acid in other forms. Carbolic acid mixed with glycerine is used when a disinfectant is necessary. So delicate, however, is the structure of the internal ear that in all cases it is desirable to consult a medical practitioner.

One is not so Soon Healed as Hurt.

2388. A Cure for Weak and Sore Eyes

Sulphate of zinc, three grains; tincture of opium, ten drops; water, two ounces. To be applied three or four times a day.

2389. Squinting

Squinting frequently arises from the unequal strength of the eyes, the weaker eye being turned away from the object, to avoid the fatigue of exertion. Cases of squinting of long standing have often been cured by covering the stronger eye, and thereby compelling the weaker one to exertion.

2390. Pills for Gout and Rheumatism

Acetic extract of colchicum, two grains; powdered ipecacuanha, four grains; compound extract of colocynth, half a drachm; blue pill, four grains. Divide into twelve pills; one to be taken night and morning.

2391. Gout Mixture

Wine of colchicum, one ounce; spirit of nitrous ether, one ounce; iodide of potassium, two scruples; distilled water, two ounces. A teaspoonful of this mixture to be taken in camomile tea two or three times a day.

2392. Mixture for Rheumatic Gout or Acute Rheumatism

Half an ounce of nitre (saltpetre), half an ounce of sulphur, half an ounce of flour of mustard, half an ounce of Turkey rhubarb, quarter of an ounce of powdered gum guaiacum. A teaspoonful to be taken in a wineglassful of cold water, every other night for three nights, and omit three nights. The water should have been well boiled.

2393. To Arrest Bleeding at the Nose

Introduce, by means of a probe, a small piece of lint or soft cotton, previously dipped into some mild styptic, as a solution of alum, Friar's balsam, solution of blue stone, or even cold water. This will generally succeed; but should it not, cold water may be snuffed up the nostrils. Should the bleeding be very profuse, medical advice should be procured. In cases of hæmorrhage of a severe character, Ruspini's styptic is most beneficial, and may be recommended.

2394. Biting the Nails

This is a habit that should be immediately corrected in children, as, if persisted in for any length of time, it permanently deforms the nails. Dipping the finger-ends in some bitter tincture will generally prevent children from putting them into their mouth; but if this fails, as it sometimes will, each finger-end ought to be encased in a stall until the propensity is eradicated.

2395. To Prevent Galling in Invalids

The white of an egg beaten to a strong froth; then drop in gradually, whilst you are beating, two teaspoonfuls of spirits of wine; put it into a bottle, and apply occasionally with a feather.

2396. Jaundice

One penny-worth of allspice, ditto of flowers of brimstone, ditto of turmeric; these to be well pounded together, and afterwards to be mixed with half a pound of treacle. Two tablespoonfuls to be taken every day.

2397. Convulsions

The following remarkable case, in which a surgeon saved the life of an infant in convulsions, by the use of chloroform, will be read with interest. He commenced the use of it at nine o'clock one evening, at which period the child was rapidly sinking, numerous remedies having been already tried without effect. He dropped half a drachm of chloroform into a thin muslin handkerchief, and held it about an inch from the infant's face. In about two minutes the convulsions gave way, and the child fell into a sleep. By slightly releasing the child from the influence of the chloroform, he was able to administer food, by which the child was nourished and strengthened. The chloroform was continually administered, in the manner described, from Friday evening at nine o'clock until Monday morning at nine. This treatment lasted sixty hours, and sixteen ounces of chloroform were used. No injurious effects, however trivial from the treatment adopted, subsequently appeared.

Hide thy Domestic Wounds.

2398. Asthma

The following is recommended as a relief:—Two ounces of the best honey, and one ounce of castor oil, mixed. A teaspoonful to be taken night and morning.

2399. Coughs

It is said that a small piece of resin dipped in the water which is placed in a vessel on a stove (not an open fireplace), will add a peculiar property to the atmosphere of the room which will give great relief to persons troubled with a cough. The heat of the stove is sufficient to throw off the aroma of the resin, and gives the same relief that is afforded by the combustion, because the evaporation is more durable. The same resin may be used for weeks.

2400. For a Cough

Syrup of poppies, oxymel of squills, simple oxymel, in equal parts, mixed, and a teaspoonful taken when the cough is troublesome. It is best to have it made up by a chemist. The cost is trifling.

2401. A Mixture for a Bad Cold and Cough

Solution of acetate of ammonia, two ounces; ipecacuanha wine, two drachms; antimony wine, two drachms; solution of muriate of morphine, half a drachm; treacle, four drachms; water, add eight ounces. Two tablespoonfuls to be taken three times a day.

2402. Pills for a Bad Cough

Compound ipecacuanha powder, half a drachm; fresh dried squills, ten grains; ammoniacum, ten grains; sulphate of quinine, six grains; treacle, sufficient quantity to make a mass. Divide into twelve pills; one to be taken night and morning.

2403. Whooping Cough

Dissolve a scruple of salt of tartar in a quarter pint of water; add to it ten grains of cochineal; sweeten it with sugar. Give to an infant a fourth part of a tablespoonful four times a day; two years old, half a spoonful; from four years, a tablespoonful. Great care is required in the administration of medicines to infants.

2404. Roche's Embrocation for Whooping Cough

Olive oil, two ounces; oil of amber, one ounce; oil of cloves, one drachm. Mix: to be rubbed on the chest at bedtime.

2405. Offensive Breath

For this purpose, almost the only substance that should be admitted at the toilette is the concentrated solution of chloride of soda, from six to ten drops of it in a wineglassful of pure spring water, taken immediately after the operations of the morning are completed. In some cases, the odour arising from carious teeth is combined with that of the stomach. If the mouth be well rinsed with a teaspoonful of the solution of the chloride in a tumbler of water, the bad odour of the teeth will be removed.

2406. Breath tainted by Onions

Leaves of parsley, eaten with vinegar, will prevent the disagreeable consequences of eating onions.

2407. Mixture for Indigestion

Infusion of calumba, six ounces; carbonate of potass, one drachm. Compound tincture of gentian, three drachms.

Dose

, two or three tablespoonfuls daily at noon.

2408. Ointment for Sore Nipples

Take of tincture of tolu, two drachms; spermaceti ointment, half an ounce; powdered gum, two drachms. Mix these materials well together to make an ointment. The white of an egg mixed with brandy is the best application for sore nipples; the person should at the same time use a nipple shield.

2409. Ointment for the Piles, or Hæmorrhoids

Take of good lard, four ounces; camphor, two drachms; powdered galls, one ounce; laudanum, half an ounce. Apply the ointment made with these ingredients every night at bed-time.

2410. Ointment for Broken Chilblains or Chapped Hands, &c.

Sweet oil, one pint; Venice turpentine, three ounces; hog's-lard, half a pound; bees'-wax, three ounces. Put all into a pipkin over a slow fire, and stir it with a wooden spoon till the bee's wax is all melted, and the ingredients simmer. It is fit for use as soon as cold, but the longer it is kept the better it will be. It must be spread very thin on soft rag, or (for chaps or cracks) rubbed on the hands when you go to bed.

An Act is Better than a Word.

2411. Camphor Balls to prevent Chaps

Melt three drachms of spermaceti, four drachms of white wax, with one ounce of almond oil, and stir in three drachms of camphor (previously powdered by moistening it with a little spirits of wine); pour small quantities into small gallipots, so as to turn out in the form of cakes.

2412. Cramp in Bathing

For the cure of the cramp when swimming, Dr. Franklin recommends a vigorous and violent shock of the part affected, by suddenly and forcibly stretching out the leg, which should be darted out of the water into the air if possible.

2413. Cramp in the Legs

Stretch out the heel of the leg as far as possible, at the same time drawing up the toes as far as possible. This will often stop a fit of the cramp after it has commenced.

2414. Hiccough or Hiccup

This is a spasm of the diaphragm, caused by flatulency, indigestion, or acidity. It may be relieved by the sudden application of cold, also by two or three mouthfuls of cold water, by eating a small piece of ice, taking a pinch of snuff, or anything that excites counteraction.

2415. Scratches

Trifling as scratches often seem, they ought never to be neglected, but should be covered and protected, and kept clean and dry, until they have completely healed. If there is the least appearance of inflammation, no time should be lost in applying a large bread-and-water or linseed-meal poultice, or hot flannels may be repeatedly applied. Leeches should be applied only when ordered by a medical man, as in some cases erysipelas may be the consequence.

2416. Ring-worm

The head should be washed twice a day with soft soap and warm soft water, and when dry the places should be rubbed with a piece of linen rag dipped in ammonia from gas tar. The patient should take a little sulphur and treacle, or some other gentle aperient, every morning. Brushes and combs should be washed every day, and the ammonia kept tightly corked.

2417. Ointment for Scurf in the Heads of Infants

Lard, two ounces; sulphuric acid, diluted, two drachms; rub them together, and anoint the head once a day.

2418. Scurf in the Head

Into a pint of water drop a lump of fresh quicklime, the size of a walnut; let it stand all night, then pour the water off clear from sediment or deposit, add a quarter of a pint of the best vinegar, and wash the head with the mixture, which is perfectly harmless, and forms a simple and effectual remedy.

2419. To Restore Hair when removed by Ill-health or Age

Rub onions frequently on the part requiring it. The stimulating powers of this vegetable are of service in restoring the tone of the skin, and assisting the capillary vessels in sending forth new hair; but it is not infallible. Should it succeed, however, the growth of these new hairs may be assisted by the oil of myrtle-berries, the repute of which, perhaps, is greater than its real efficacy. Even if they do no good, these applications are harmless.

2420. Baldness

The decoction of boxwood, which has been found successful in some cases of baldness, is thus made:—Take of the common box, which grows in garden borders, stems and leaves four large handfuls; boil in three pints of water, in a closely covered vessel, for a quarter of an hour, and let it stand in a covered earthenware jar for ten hours or more; strain, and add an ounce and a half of eau-de-Cologne or lavender-water, to make it keep. The head should be well washed with this solution every morning.

Never Quit Certainty for Hope.

2421. Lotion for the Cure and Prevention of Baldness

Eau-de-Cologne, two ounces; tincture of cantharides, two drachms; oil of rosemary, oil of nutmeg, and oil of lavender, each ten drops. To be rubbed on the bald part of the head every night.

2422. Remedy for Rheumatism, Lumbago, Sprains, Bruises, Chilblains, and Bites of Insects.

One raw egg well beaten, half a pint of vinegar, one ounce of spirits of turpentine, a quarter of an ounce of spirits of wine, a quarter of an ounce of camphor. These ingredients to be beaten well together, then put in a bottle and shaken for ten minutes, after which, to be corked down tightly to exclude the air. In half an hour it is fit for use.

Directions

.—To be well rubbed in, two, three, or four times a day. For rheumatism in the head, to be rubbed at the back of the neck and behind the ears. This mixture should not be used for broken chilblains.

2423. Excellent Remedy for Sprains

Put the white of an egg into a saucer; keep stirring it with a piece of alum about the size of a walnut, until it becomes a thick jelly; apply a portion of it on a piece of lint or tow large enough to cover the sprain, changing it for a fresh one as often as it feels warm or dry. The limb should be kept in a horizontal position by placing it on a chair.

2424. Remedy for Blistered Feet

Rub the feet, on going to bed, with spirits mixed with tallow, dropped from a lighted candle into the palm of the hand.

2425. Boils

These should be brought to a head by warm poultices of camomile flowers, or boiled white lily root, or onion root; by fermentation with hot water, or by stimulating plasters. When perfectly ripe and ready to break, they may be discharged by a needle or the lancet.

Constitutional treatment:

—Peruvian bark, and port wine, and sea-bathing are desirable. Gentle purgatives should be given occasionally.

2426. Bunions

Bunions may be checked in their early development by binding the joint with adhesive plaster, and keeping it on as long as any uneasiness is felt. The bandaging should be perfect, and it might be well to extend it round the foot. An inflamed bunion should be poulticed, and larger shoes be worn. Iodine, twelve grains; lard or spermaceti ointment, half an ounce, makes a capital ointment for bunions. It should be rubbed on gently twice or thrice a day.

2427. Cure of Warts

The easiest way to get rid of warts is to pare off the thickened skin which covers the prominent wart; cut it off by successive layers; shave it till you come to the surface of the skin, and till you draw blood in two or three places. When you have thus denuded the surface of the skin, rub the part thoroughly over with

lunar caustic

. One effective operation of this kind will generally destroy the wart; if not, cut off the black spot which has been occasioned by the caustic, and apply the caustic again, or

acetic acid

may be applied in order to get rid of it.

2428. Corns (1)

Any remedy for these painful growths, to be effectual, must include removal of the usual cause—pressure by tight or ill-fitting boots. Strong acetic acid may be used, but great care is necessary in applying it, to avoid burning the adjacent parts.

Soft corns

may be cured by extract of lead.

2429. Corns (2)

A very good remedy for corns is that known as "Celandine," which is harmless and easily applied. Any chemist will supply it.

2430. To Cure Stings of Bees and Wasps

The sting of a bee is generally more virulent than that of a wasp, and with some people attended with very violent effects. The sting of a bee is barbed at the end, and is consequently always left in the wound; that of a wasp is pointed only, so that the latter insect can sting more than once, which a bee cannot do. When stung by a bee, let the sting be instantly pulled out; for the longer it remains in the wound, the deeper it will pierce, owing to its peculiar form, and emit more of the poison. The sting is hollow, and the poison flows through it, which is the sole cause of the pain and inflammation. The pulling out of the sting should he done carefully, and with a steady hand; for if any part of it breaks in, all remedies then, in a great, measure, will be ineffectual. When the sting is extracted, suck the wounded part, if possible, and very little inflammation, if any, will ensue. If hartshorn drops are immediately afterwards rubbed on the part, the cure will be more complete.

2431. A Cure for Bee Stings, etc.

Among other simple remedies for this purpose, rubbing the part affected with sweet oil, the juice of onion, or the blue bag used in washing, slightly moistened, will be found efficacious.

2432. Nettle Stings

The sting of a nettle may be cured by rubbing the part with rosemary, mint, or sage leaves. Dock leaves are also said to supply an effectual remedy.

2433. Arnica for Bites

A correspondent of the

Times

says:

"Noticing in your paper an account of the death of a man from the bite of a cat, I beg to trouble you with the following case, which occurred to myself about three weeks ago:—I took a strange dog home, which produced consternation among the cats. One of them I took up, to effect a reconciliation between her and the dog. In her terror, she bit me so severely on the first finger of the left hand, as not only to cause four of the teeth of her lower jaw to enter the flesh, but so agonizing was her bite that the pressure of her palate caused the finger to swell at the joint on the opposite side to where the lower teeth entered the finger. In a minute or two the pain was about as excruciating as anything I ever felt—certainly greater than I have suffered from a wound. I got some tincture of arnica, diluted with about twelve times the quantity of water, and proceeded to bathe the finger well with it. In about half a minute the blood began to flow freely, the pain ceased, and the swelling abated, and up to this moment I have had no further inconvenience or pain, not even soreness."

2434. Cure for Burns

Of all applications for a burn, there are none equal to a simple covering of common

wheat flour

. This is always at hand; and while it requires no skill in using, it produces most astonishing effects. The moisture produced upon the surface of a slight or deep burn is at once absorbed by the flour, and forms a paste which shuts out the air. As long as the fluid matters continue flowing, they are absorbed, and prevented from producing irritation, as they would do if kept from passing off by oily or resinous applications, while the greater the amount of those absorbed by the flour, the thicker the protective covering. Another advantage of the flour covering is, that next to the surface it is kept moist and flexible. It can also be readily washed off, without further irritation in removing. It may occasionally be washed off very carefully, when the crust that it forms has become dry, and a new covering be sprinkled on.

2435. Remedy for Burns and Scalds

Take chalk and linseed, or common olive oil, and mix them in such proportions as will produce a compound as thick as thin honey; then add vinegar so as to reduce it to the thickness of treacle; apply with a soft brush or feather, and renew the application from time to time. Each renewal brings fresh relief, and a most grateful coolness. If the injury is severe, especially if it involve the chest, give ten drops of laudanum to an adult, and repeat it in an hour, and again a third time. To a child of ten years give, in like manner, only three drops, but beware of giving any to an infant. This plan with an internal stimulant, according to age, as brandy, or salvolatile, or both, should be at once adopted, until the arrival of the medical attendant.

2436. Lime-Water

Lime-water beaten up with sweet oil is an excellent application for burns.

2437. Pitting in Small Pox

The following is a simple process that has been adopted most successfully, not only in cases of small pox, in which it completely prevented pitting, but in all eruptive diseases generally, such as measles, scarlatina, nettlerash, chicken pox, &c., relieving the itching, tingling, and irritation of those complaints, and thereby affording great relief, especially in the case of children. It consists in smearing the whole surface of the body, after the eruption is fairly out, with bacon fat; and the simplest way of employing it is to boil thoroughly a small piece of bacon with the skin on, and when cold to cut off the skin with the fat adhering to it, which is to be scored crosswise with a knife, and then gently rubbed over the surface once, twice, or thrice a day, according to the extent of the eruption and the recurrence of itching and irritation.

Another plan, practised by Dr. Allshorn, of Edinburgh, is to mix three parts of oil with one of white wax, by heat, and while warm and fluid to paint over the face and neck with a camel-hair brush. As this cools and hardens it forms a mask, which effectually excludes the air, and prevents pitting. It is said that if light is admitted into the patient's room through yellow blinds, so that the red and blue rays of the sun are excluded, pitting will be prevented.

2438. Cutaneous Eruptions

The following mixture is very useful in all cutaneous eruptions: Ipecacuanha wine, four drachms; flowers of sulphur, two drachms: tincture of cardamoms, one ounce. Mix: one teaspoonful to be taken three times a day, in a wineglassful of water.

2439. Wash for a Blotched Face

Rose water, three ounces: sulphate of zinc, one drachm. Mix; wet the face with it, gently dry it, and then touch it over with cold cream, which also dry gently off.

2440. Freckles

To disperse them, take one ounce of lemon juice, a quarter of a drachm of powdered borax, and half a drachm of sugar; mix, and let them stand a few days in a glass bottle till the liquor is fit for use, then rub it on the hands and face occasionally.

2441. To Remove Freckles

Dissolve, in half an ounce of lemon juice, one ounce of Venice soap, and add a quarter of an ounce each of oil of bitter almonds, and deliquated oil of tartar. Place this mixture in the sun till it acquires the consistency of ointment. When in this state add three drops of the oil of rhodium and keep it for use. Apply it to the face and hands in the manner following:—Wash the parts at night with elder-flower water, then anoint with the ointment. In the morning cleanse the skin by washing it copiously in rose water.

2442. Wash for Sunburn

Take two drachms of borax, one drachm of Roman alum, one drachm of camphor, half an ounce of sugar candy, and a pound of ox-gall. Mix and stir well for ten minutes or so, and repeat this stirring three or four times a day for a fortnight, till it appears clear and transparent. Strain through blotting-paper, and bottle up for use.

2443. Teething

Young children, whilst cutting their first set of teeth, often suffer severe constitutional disturbance. At first there is restlessness and peevishness, with slight fever, but not unfrequently these are followed by convulsive fits, as they are commonly called, which are caused by the brain becoming irritated; and sometimes under this condition the child is either cut off suddenly, or the foundation of serious mischief to the brain is laid.

The remedy, or rather the safeguard against these frightful consequences, is trifling, safe, and almost certain, and consists merely in lancing the gum covering the tooth which is making its way through. When teething is about it may be known by the spittle constantly drivelling from the mouth and wetting the frock. The child has its fingers often in its mouth, and bites hard any substance it can get hold of. If the gums be carefully looked at, the part where the tooth is pressing up is swollen and redder than usual; and if the finger be pressed on it the child shrinks and cries, showing that the gum is tender.

When these symptoms occur, the gum should be lanced, and sometimes the tooth comes through the next day, if near the surface; but if not so far advanced the cut heals and a scar forms, which is thought by some objectionable, as rendering the passage of the tooth more difficult. This, however, is not so, for the scar will give way much more easily than the uncut gum. If the tooth do not come through after two or three days, the lancing may be repeated; and this is more especially needed if the child be very fractious, and seems in much pain.

Lancing the gums is further advantageous, because it empties the inflamed part of its blood, and so relieves the pain and inflammation. The relief children experience in the course of two or three hours from the operation is often very remarkable, as they almost immediately become lively and cheerful.

Contentment will Both Clothe and Feed.

2444. Cure for Toothache

Two or three drops of essential oil of cloves put upon a small piece of lint or cotton wool, and placed in the hollow of the tooth, will be found to have the active power of curing the toothache without destroying the tooth or injuring the gums.

2445. Gutta Percha Tooth-Stopping

Since the introduction of gutta-percha, the use of metallic succedaneum for filling decayed teeth has been superseded, especially in cases where the cavities are large. The gutta-percha is inodorous, cheap, and can be renewed as often as required. It is only necessary to soften it by warmth, either by holding it before a fire, or immersing it in boiling water. Succedaneum is best when the decayed spots are very small.

2446. Succedaneum

Take an old silver thimble, an old silver coin, or other silver article, and with a very fine file convert it into filings. Sift through gauze, to separate the coarse from the fine particles. Take the finer portion, and mix with sufficient quicksilver to form a stiff amalgam, and while in this state fill the cavities of decayed teeth. This is precisely the same as the metallic amalgam used by all dentists.

Caution

.—As it turns black under the action of the acids of the mouth, it should be used sparingly for

front

teeth. A tooth should never be filled while it is aching.

2447. Rose Lipsalve

Oil of almonds, three ounces; alkanet, half an ounce. Let them stand together in a warm place, then strain. Melt one ounce and a half of white wax and half an ounce of spermaceti with the oil; stir it till it begins to thicken, and add twelve drops of otto of roses.

White wax, one ounce; almond oil, two ounces; alkanet, one drachm; digest in a warm place, stir till sufficiently coloured, strain and stir in six drops of otto of roses.

2448. Ventilating Bedrooms

A sheet of finely perforated zinc, substituted for a pane of glass in one of the upper squares of a chamber window, is the cheapest and best form of ventilator; there should not be a bedroom without it.

2449. A Simple Method of Ventilation

Get a piece of deal two inches wide and one inch thick, and as long as the width of the sashes of the window in which it is to be used. Care should be taken to ascertain the width of the sashes exactly, which may be done by measuring along the top of the lower sash, from one side of the sash frame to the other. Raise the lower sash—drop in the piece of wood, so that it rests on the bottom part of the window frame, the ends being within the stops on either side, and then close the sash upon it. If properly planed up, no draught can enter between the wood and the bottom of the sash; but the air can enter the room in an upward direction, through the opening between the top of the lower sash and the bottom of the upper sash, any direct draught into the interior of the room being prevented by the position of the lower sash.

The Quiet Mind Enjoys the Sweetest Rest.

2450. Bedclothes

The perfection of dress, for day or night, where warmth is the purpose, is that which confines around the body sufficient of its own warmth, while it allows escape to the exhalations of the skin. Where the body is allowed to bathe protractedly in its own vapours we must expect an unhealthy effect upon the skin. Where there is too little allowance for ventilation, insensible perspiration is checked, and something analogous to fever supervenes; foul tongue, ill taste, and lack of morning appetite betray the evil.

2451. Vapour Baths

Vapour baths may be made by putting boiling water in a pan, and placing a cane-bottom chair in the pan, the patient sitting upon it, enveloped from head to foot in a blanket covering the bath. Sulphur, spirit, medicinal, herbal, and other baths may be obtained in the same manner. They should not be taken except under medical advice.

2452. Vapour Bath at Home

Another equally easy but far more effectual method of procuring a vapour bath at home is to attach one end of a piece of gutta-percha tubing to the snout of a kettle on the fire, and to introduce the other end below the chair, on which the person who requires the bath is sitting, enveloped in a blanket as described above.

2453. Hot Water

In bruises, hot water is the most efficacious, both by means of insertion and fomentation, in removing pain, and totally preventing discoloration and stiffness. It has the same effect after a blow. It should be applied as quickly as possible, and as hot as it can be borne. The efficacy of hot water in preventing the ill effects of fatigue is too well-known to require notice.

2454. Thinning the Blood

It is desirable to consider the means of thinning the blood, when it has been deprived, by too profuse transpiration in hot, dry winds, of its aqueous particles, and rendered thick and viscid. Water would easily supply this want of fluidity if it were capable of mingling with the blood when in this state; acid matter cannot be ultimately combined with the blood when the body is in this state. In order to find a menstruum by which water may be rendered capable of combining ultimately with the blood, of remaining long in combination with it, and of thinning it, we must mix it with a substance possessing the property of a soap, and consequently fit to dissolve viscous matters, and make them unite with water.

The soap must contain but little salt, that it may not increase the thirst of the parched throat. It must not have a disagreeable taste, that it may be possible to drink a considerable quantity of it: and it must be capable of recruiting the strength without overloading the stomach.

Now all these qualities are to be found in the yolk of egg. No beverage, therefore, is more suitable (whilst it is very agreeable) for hot, dry weather than one composed of the yolk of an egg beaten up with a little sugar according to taste, and mixed with a quart of cool spring or filtered water, half a glass of Moselle or any other Rhenish wine, and some lemon juice. The wine, however, may be omitted, and only the lemon juice be used; in like manner, hartshorn shavings boiled in water may be substituted for the yolk of egg. Equal quantities of beef tea and whey are good for delicate infants.

2455. Beverage for Hot Weather

The yolk of eggs beaten up, lump sugar (to taste), Rhenish wine or not, citric acid powdered, or tartaric acid (small quantity, exact quantity soon found); one or two drops of essence of lemon on a lump of sugar, to make it mix readily with the water; one quart of water. This is really an excellent, agreeable, and, without the wine, an inexpensive beverage.

Little Comforts Beget Much Happiness.

2456. To Ascertain the State of the Lungs

Persons desirous of ascertaining the true state of their lungs should draw in as much breath as they conveniently can, they are then to count as far as they are able, in a slow and audible voice, without drawing in more breath. The number of seconds they can continue counting must be carefully observed; in cases of consumption the time does not exceed ten, and is frequently less than six seconds; in pleurisy and pneumonia it ranges from nine to four seconds. When the lungs are in a sound condition, the time will range as high as from twenty to thirty-five seconds.

2457. To Avoid Catching Cold

Accustom yourself to the use of sponging with cold water every morning on first getting out of bed. It should be followed by a good deal of rubbing with a wet towel. It has considerable effect in giving tone to the skin, and maintaining a proper action in it, and thus proves a safeguard to the injurious influence of cold and sudden changes of temperature. Sir Astley Cooper said,

"The methods by which I have preserved my own health are—temperance, early rising, and sponging the body every morning with cold water, immediately after getting out of bed,—a practice which I have adopted for thirty years without ever catching cold."

2458. How to Prepare Artificial Sea-Water

In each gallon of river or rain water dissolve about six ounces of sea-salt, either by stirring it or suspending it in the water in a linen or muslin bag. It dissolves as readily in cold as in hot water. Sea-salt is produced by evaporation of sea-water. Common salt is sometimes supplied in place of it; but the genuine sea-salt, manufactured by well-known firms, which can be procured of any grocer or of most chemists, is specially prepared to enable persons to have a salt-water bath at home.

2459. Change the Water in which Leeches are Kept

Once a month in winter, and once a week in summer, is sufficiently often, unless the water becomes discoloured or bloody, when it should be changed every day. Either clean pond water or clean rain water should be employed.

2460. Damp Linen

Few things are attended with more serious consequences than sleeping in damp linen. Persons are frequently assured that the sheets have been at a fire for many hours, but the question is as to what sort of fire, and whether they have been properly turned, so that every part has been exposed to the fire. The fear of creasing the linen, we know, prevents many from unfolding it, so as to be what we consider sufficiently aired: but health is of more importance than appearances; with gentleness there need be no fear of want of neatness.

2461. Improving Camomile Tonic

Dried orange peel added to camomile flowers, in the proportion of half the quantity of the flowers, improves the tonic.

2462. Gingerbread Aperient

Gingerbread, made with oatmeal or with barley flour, is a very agreeable aperient for children. Beware of giving children medicines too frequently.

2463. Cod Liver Oil

This very beneficial drug, formerly so unpopular on account of its rank odour and nauseous taste, has of late years largely increased in consumption through the skilful manipulations of modern science in its preparation, whereby both the smell and the flavour have been almost entirely removed, rendering it capable of being taken by even the most delicate stomach. It is extremely efficacious in cases of consumption and debility, checking the emaciation, regulating the appetite, and restoring vitality. Coffee, new milk, and orange wine, whichever the patient may fancy, are among the best mediums for taking the oil.

A Cup must be Bitter that a Smile will not Sweeten.

2464. Camomile Flowers

Camomile flowers should be gathered on a fine day, and dried upon a tray placed in the sun. All herbs for medicinal purposes and uses should be treated in the same manner.

2465. Decoction of Sarsaparilla

Take four ounces of the root, slice it down, put the slices into four pints of water, and simmer for four hours. Take out the sarsaparilla, and beat it into a mash; put it into the liquor again, and boil down to two pints, then strain and cool the liquor. Dose, a wineglassful three times a day.

Use

—to purify the blood after a course of mercury; or, indeed, whenever any taint is given to the constitution, vitiating the blood, and producing eruptive affections.

2466. Preston Salts

Take of sal-ammoniac and salts of tartar of each about two ounces; pound up the sal-ammoniac into small bits, and mix them gently with the salts of tartar. After being well mixed, add a few drops of oil of lavender, sufficient to scent, and also a little musk; stop up in a glass bottle, and when required for use, add a few drops of water, or spirits of hartshorn, when you will immediately have strong smelling salts. The musk being expensive, may be omitted, as the salts will be good without it. Any person can for a few pence obtain these ingredients at any druggist's, and they will make salts, which, to buy prepared, would cost, at the least, eighteen pence.

2467. Destruction of Rats

The following receipt for the destruction originated with Dr. Ure, and is highly recommended as the best known means of getting rid of these most obnoxious and destructive vermin.

Melt hog's-lard in a bottle plunged in water, heated to about 150 degrees of Fahrenheit; introduce into it half an ounce of phosphorus for every pound of lard; then add a pint of proof spirit, or whisky; cork the bottle firmly after its contents have been heated to 150 degrees, taking it at the same time out of the water, and agitate smartly till the phosphorus becomes uniformly diffused, forming a milky-looking liquid. This liquid, being cooled, will afford a white compound of phosphorus and lard, from which the spirit spontaneously separates, and may be poured off to be used again for the same purpose, but not for drinking, for none of it enters into the combination, but it merely serves to comminute the phosphorus, and diffuse it in very small particles through the lard.

This compound, on being warmed very gently, may be poured out into a mixture of wheat flour and sugar, incorporated therewith, and then flavoured with oil of rhodium, or not, at pleasure. The flavour may be varied with oil of aniseed, &c. This dough, being made into pellets, is to be laid into rat-holes. By its luminousness in the dark, it attracts their notice, and being agreeable to their palates and noses, it is readily eaten, and proves certainly fatal.

2468. To Kill Slugs (1)

Take a quantity of cabbage leaves, and either put them into a warm oven, or heat them before the fire till they get quite soft; then rub them with unsalted butter, or any kind of fresh dripping, and lay them in places infested with slugs. In a few hours the leaves will be found covered with snails and slugs, which may then, of course, be destroyed in any way the gardener may think fit.

2469. To Destroy Slugs (2)

Slugs are very voracious, and their ravages often do considerable damage, not only to the kitchen garden, but to the flower-beds also. If, now and then, a few slices of turnip be put about the beds, on a summer or autumnal evening, the slugs will congregate thereon, and may be destroyed.

2470. To Exterminate Beetles

Place a few lumps of unslaked lime where they frequent.

Set a dish or trap containing a little beer or syrup at the bottom, and place a few sticks slanting against its sides, so as to form a sort of gangway for the beetles to climb up it, when they will go headlong into the bait set for them.

Mix equal weights of red lead, sugar, and flour, and place it nightly near their haunts. This mixture, made into sheets, forms the beetle wafers sold at the oil shops.

Where Reason Rules Appetite Obeys.

2471. To Kill Cockroaches

A teacupful of well-bruised plaster of Paris, mixed with double the quantity of oatmeal, to which a little sugar may be added, although this last-named ingredient is not essential. Strew it on the floor, or in the chinks where they frequent.

2472. Earwigs

Earwigs are very destructive insects, their favourite food being the petals of roses, pinks, dahlias, and other flowers. They may be caught by driving stakes into the ground, and placing on each an inverted flower-pot, for the earwigs will climb up and take refuge under the pot, when they may be taken out and killed. Clean bowls of tobacco-pipes, placed in like manner on the tops of smaller sticks, are very good traps: or very deep holes may be made in the ground with a crowbar, into which they will fall, and may be destroyed by boiling water.

2473. To Destroy Ants

Drop some quicklime on the mouth of their nest, and wash it in with boiling water; or dissolve some camphor in spirits of wine, then mix with water, and pour into their haunts; or tobacco-water, which has been found effectual. They are averse to strong scents. Camphor, or a sponge saturated with creosote, will prevent their infesting a cupboard. To prevent their climbing up trees, place a ring of tar about the trunk, or a circle of rag moistened occasionally with creosote.

2474. To Prevent Moths

In the month of April or May, beat your fur garments well with a small cane or elastic stick, then wrap them up in linen, without pressing the fur too hard, and put betwixt the folds some camphor in small lumps; then put your furs in this state in boxes well closed. When the furs are wanted for use, beat them well as before, and expose them for twenty-four hours to the air, which will take away the smell of the camphor. If the fur has long hair, as bear or fox, add to the camphor an equal quantity of black pepper in powder.

2475. To get rid of Moths

Procure shavings of cedar wood, and enclose in muslin bags, which can be distributed freely among the clothes.

Procure shavings of camphor wood, and enclose in bags.

Sprinkle pimento (allspice) berries among the clothes.

Sprinkle the clothes with the seeds of the musk plant.

To destroy the eggs—when deposited in woollen cloths, &c., use a solution of acetate of potash in spirits of rosemary, fifteen grains to the pint.

2476. Bugs

Spirits of naphtha rubbed with a small painter's brush into every part of a bedstead is a certain way of getting rid of bugs. The mattress and binding of the bed should be examined, and the same process attended to, as they generally harbour more in these parts than in the bedstead. Three pennyworth of naphtha is sufficient for one bed.

2477. Bug Poison

Proof spirit, one pint; camphor, two ounces; oil of turpentine, four ounces: corrosive sublimate, one ounce, mix. A correspondent says,

"I have been for a long time troubled with bugs, and never could get rid of them by any clean and expeditious method, until a friend told me to suspend a small bag of camphor to the bed, just in the centre, overhead. I did so, and the enemy was most effectually repulsed, and has not made his appearance since—not even for a reconnaissance!"

This is a simple method of getting rid of these pests, and is worth a trial to see if it be effectual in other cases.

2478. Mixture for Destroying Flies (1)

Infusion of quassia, one pint; brown sugar, four ounces; ground pepper, two ounces. To be well mixed together, and put in small shallow dishes when required.

2479. To Destroy Flies (2)

To destroy flies in a room, take half a teaspoonful of black pepper in powder, one teaspoonful of brown sugar, and one tablespoonful of cream, mix them well together, and place them in the room on a plate, where the flies are troublesome, and they will soon disappear.

When Appetite Commands, the Pocket Pays.

2480. Flies (3)

Cold green tea, very strong and sweetened with sugar, will, when set about the room in saucers, attract flies and destroy them.

2481. Inks

There are many receipts published for making ink; the following is as useful and economical a mode of producing good ink as any of them:

2482. Dr. Ure's Ink

For twelve gallons of ink take twelve pounds of bruised galls, five pounds of gum, five pounds of green sulphate of iron, and twelve gallons of rain-water. Boil the galls with nine gallons of the water for three hours, adding fresh water to supply that lost in vapour; let the decoction settle, and draw off the clear liquor. Add to it the gum, previously dissolved in one and a half gallons of water; dissolve the green vitriol separately in one and a half gallons of water, and mix the whole.

2483. Ink Powder

Ink powder is formed of the dry ingredients for ink, powdered and mixed. Powdered galls, two pounds; powdered green vitriol, one pound; powdered gum, eight ounces. Two ounces of this mixture will make one pint of ink. Cost: galls, 1s. 4d. per pound; green vitriol, 1d. per pound; powdered gum, 1s. 5d. per pound.

2484. Red Writing Ink

Best ground Brazil wood, four ounces; diluted acetic acid, one pint; alum, half an ounce. Boil the ingredients slowly in an enamelled vessel for one hour, strain, and add an ounce of gum.

2485. Marking Ink without Preparation

There are several receipts for this ink, but the following is said to be one of the best of its kind:

Dissolve separately, one ounce of nitrate of silver, and one and a half ounce of best washing soda in distilled or rain water. Mix the solutions, and collect and wash the precipitate in a filter; whilst still moist, rub it up in a marble or Wedgwood mortar with three drachms of tartaric acid; add two ounces of distilled water, mix six drachms of white sugar, and ten drachms of powdered gum arabic, half an ounce of archil, and water to make up six ounces in measure.

2486a. Ink for Zinc Garden Labels

Verdigris, one ounce; sal-ammoniac, one ounce; lampblack, half an ounce; water, half a pint. Mix in an earthenware mortar, without using a metal spatula.

Directions

.—To be shaken before use, and used with a clean _quill_ pen, on bright zinc.

Note

.— Another kind of ink for zinc is also used, made of chloride of platinum, five grains, dissolved in one ounce of distilled or rain water; but the first, which is much less expensive, answers perfectly, if used as directed, on clean bright zinc.

2486b. Manifold Writing¹

The demand for a rapid and simple method of multiplying letters, circulars, &c., has led in recent years to the invention of several ingenious processes. So few copies are obtainable by the ordinary reporters' system of sheets of tissue paper, or "flimsy," interleaved with sheets of prepared black paper, that various kinds of "graphs" have been produced, by which upwards of a hundred, and in some cases many more, copies may be produced from one writing.

The "graph" process usually consists of transferring a writing made in an aniline dye on to a gelatine surface, from which, by the application of successive sheets of paper, subjected to a smoothing pressure by the hand, a number of copies may be obtained, in a manner very similar to the ordinary lithographic process. All those which may be classed as "gelatine transfer" processes are, however, open to the objection that, after a certain number of copies, the colour grows very faint.

Some other methods of manifold writing, such es the Edison, the Trypograph, the Cyclostyle, &c. (by which 1,000 copies can be taken from one writing), do not possess this fault, being based on a principle of a fine stencil on prepared paper, and squeezing ink through the minute perforations on to a sheet of paper fixed underneath. The writing in these stencil systems, however, has a "dotty" and broken appearance, displeasing to many eyes—the Cyclostyle being, perhaps, least faulty in this respect. For those who would like to make a gelatine "graph," we append the following recipe:

Six parts by weight of pure glycerine, four parts by weight of water, two parts of barium sulphate, and one part of sugar. Mix them, and let them soak for twenty-four hours; then melt at a gentle heat, stir until thoroughly mixed, and pour the composition into a tray. Any chemist will supply an aniline dye for the ink.

Footnote 1:

Both these sections were numbered 2486 in the original text.

return to footnote mark

Every Pea Helps to Fill the Peck.

2487. Cements

The term "cement" includes all those substances employed for the purpose of causing the adhesion of two or more bodies, whether originally separate, or divided by an accidental fracture. As the various substances that may require cementing differ very much in texture, &c., a number of cements possessed of very different properties are required, because a cement that answers admirably under one set of circumstances may be perfectly useless in others. The general principles upon which the success or failure of cementing usually depends are:

The different parts of a solid are held together by an attraction between their several particles, which is termed the attraction of cohesion. This attraction acts only when the particles are in the closest possible contact: even air must not be between them. If, after breaking any substance, we could bring the particles into as close a contact as before, and perfectly exclude the air, they would re-unite, and be as strongly connected as ever. But in general this is impossible: small particles of grit and dust get between them; the film of interposed air cannot be removed; and thus, however firmly we press the edges of a broken cup together, it remains cracked china still.

The cohesion between the particles of the cement is very much less than the adhesion of the cement to other bodies; and if torn apart, the connected joint gives way, not by the loosening of the adhesion, but by the layer of cement splitting down the centre. Hence the important rule that the _less_ cement in a joint the stronger it is. To unite broken substances with a thick cement is disadvantageous, the object being to bring the surfaces as closely together as possible. The general principles that ought always to be borne in mind having been mentioned, the manufacture and uses of some of the more useful cements may be described.

2488. Mouth Glue

The very useful preparation sold under this title is merely a thin cake of soluble glue, which, when moistened with the tongue, furnishes a ready means of uniting papers, &c. It is made by dissolving one pound of fine glue or gelatine in water, and adding half a pound of brown sugar, boiling the whole until it is sufficiently thick to become solid on cooling; it is then poured into moulds, or on a slab slightly greased, and cut into the required shape when cool. (

See

Liquid Glue

, No.

2491

.)

Economy is the Household Mint.

2489. Paste

Paste is usually made by rubbing up flour with cold water, and boiling; if a little alum is mixed before boiling it is much improved, being less clammy, working more freely in the brush, and thinner, a less quantity is required, and it is therefore stronger. If required in large quantity, as for papering rooms, it may be made by mixing one quartern of flour, one quarter pound of alum, and a little warm water; when mixed, the requisite quantity of boiling water should be poured on whilst the mixture is being stirred. Paste is only adapted to cementing paper; when used it should spread on one side of the paper, which should then be folded with the pasted side inwards, and allowed to remain a few minutes before being opened and used; this swells the paper, and permits its being mere smoothly and securely attached. If kept for a few days, paste becomes mouldy, and after a short time putrid; this inconveince may be obviated by the use of:

2490. Permanent Paste

Permanent Paste, made by adding to each half-pint of flour paste without alum, fifteen grains of corrosive sublimate, previously rubbed to powder in a mortar, the whole to be well mixed; this, if prevented from drying, by being kept in a covered pot, remains good any length of time, and is therefore convenient; but unfortunately it is extremely poisonous, though its excessively nauseous taste would prevent its being swallowed accidentally. It possesses the great advantage of not being liable to the attacks of insects.

2491. Liquid Glue

The liquid glue of the shops is made by dissolving shellac in water, by boiling it along with borax, which possesses the peculiar property of causing the solution of the resinous lac. This preparation is convenient from its cheapness and freedom from smell; but it gives way if exposed to long-continued damp, which that made with naphtha resists.

2492. Common Glue

Of the use of

common glue

very little need be said; it should always be prepared in a gluepot or double vessel, to prevent its being burned, which injures it very materially. The chief objection to the use of this contrivance is, that it renders it impossible to heat the glue in the inner vessel to the boiling point; this, however, can be obviated by employing in the outer vessel some liquid which boils at a higher temperature than pure water, such as a saturated solution of salt (made by adding one-third as much salt as water). This boils at 224° Fahr., 12° above the heat of boiling water, and enables the glue in the inner vessel to be heated to a much higher temperature than when pure water is employed. If a saturated solution of nitre is used, the temperature rises still higher.

2493. Diamond Cement

Soak isinglass in water till it is soft; then dissolve it in the smallest possible quantity of proof spirit, by the aid of a gentle heat; in two ounces of this mixture dissolve ten grains of ammoniacum, and whilst still liquid add half a drachm of mastic, dissolved in three drachms of rectified spirit; stir well together, and put into small bottles for sale.

Directions for Use

.— Liquefy the cement by plunging the bottle in hot water, and use it directly. The cement improves the oftener the bottle is thus warmed; it resists the action of water and moisture perfectly.

2494. Rice Flour Cement

An excellent cement may be made from rice flour, which is at present used for that purpose in China and Japan. It is only necessary to mix the rice flour intimately with cold water, and gently simmer it over a fire, when it readily forms a delicate and durable cement, not only answering all the purposes of common paste, but admirably adapted for joining together paper, cards, &c., in forming the various beautiful and tasteful ornaments which afford much employment and amusement to the ladies. When made of the consistence of plaster-clay, models, busts, bas-relievos, &c., may be formed of it; and the articles, when dry, are susceptible of high polish, and are very durable.

2495. Using Egg

The white of an egg, well beaten with quicklime, and a small quantity of very old cheese, forms an excellent substitute for cement, when wanted in a hurry, either for broken china or old ornamental glassware.

2496. Cement for Broken China, Glass, &c.

This cement being nearly colourless, possesses advantages which liquid glue and other cements do not.—Dissolve half an ounce of gum acacia, in a wineglass of boiling water; add plaster of Paris sufficient to form a thick paste, and apply it with a brush, to the parts required to be cemented together.

At Night Nature is in Mourning for the Loss of the Sun.

2497. Lime and Egg Cement

Lime and Egg Cement is frequently made by moistening the edges to be united with white of egg, dusting on some lime from a piece of muslin, and bringing the edges into contact. A much better mode is to slake some freshly-burned lime with a small quantity of

boiling

water; this occasions it to fall into a very fine dry powder, if excess of water has not been added. The white of egg used should be intimately and thoroughly mixed, by beating with an equal bulk of water, and the slaked lime added to the mixture, so as to form a thin paste, which should be used speedily, as it soon sets. This is a valuable cement, possessed of great strength, and capable of withstanding boiling water. Cements made with lime and blood, scraped cheese, or curd, may be regarded as inferior varieties of it.

2498. White Lead as Cement

Cracked vessels of earthenware and glass may often be usefully, though not ornamentally, repaired by white lead spread on strips of calico, and secured with bands of twine.

2499. Marine Glue

In point of strength, all ordinary cements yield the palm to Jeffery's Patent Marine Glue, a compound of India-rubber, shellac, and coal-tar naphtha. Small quantities can be purchased at most of the tool warehouses, at cheaper rates than it can be made. The colour of this glue, however, prevents its being much used.

2500. Coaguline

An exceedingly strong, and at the same time a transparent and colourless cement is made by Messrs. Kay Brothers, of Stockport, and is sold by most fancy stationers and chemists under the name of Coaguline. It is easily and quickly applied, and will be found extremely serviceable in repairing glass, china, and stone articles. It is inexpensive.

2501. Red Cement

Red Cement which is employed by instrument makers for cementing glass to metals, and which is very cheap, and exceedingly useful for a variety of purposes, is made by melting five parts of black rosin, one part of yellow wax, and then stirring in gradually one part of red ochre or Venetian red, in fine powder, and previously

well dried

. This cement requires to be melted before use, and it adheres better if the objects to which it is applied are warmed.

2502. A Soft Cement for Corks

A soft cement, of a somewhat similar character to that just described, is useful for covering the corks of preserved fruit, and other bottles. It is made by melting yellow wax with an equal quantity of rosin, or of common turpentine (not oil of turpentine, but the resin), using the latter for a very soft cement, and stirring in, as before, some dried Venetian red.

2503. Mastic Cement

This is employed for making a superior coating to inside walls, but must not be confounded with the

resin mastic

. It is made by mixing twenty parts of well-washed and sifted sharp sand with two parts of litharge and one of freshly burned and slaked quicklime, in fine _dry_ powder. This is made into a putty, by mixing with linseed oil. It sets in a few hours, having the appearance of light stone; and we mention it, as it may be frequently employed with advantage in repairing broken stone-work (as steps), by filling up the missing parts. The employment of Roman cement, plaster, &c., for masonry work, hardly comes within the limits of Domestic Manipulation.

2504. Cement for Leather and Cloth

An adhesive material for uniting the parts of boots and shoes, and for the seams of articles of clothing, may be made thus:—Take one pound of gutta-percha, four ounces of India rubber, two ounces of pitch, one ounce of shellac, two ounces of oil. The ingredients are to be melted together, and used hot.

Go to Bed with the Lamb and Rise with the Lark.

2505. Birdlime

Take any quantity of linseed oil, say half a pint; put it into an old pot, or any vessel that will stand the fire without breaking—the vessel must not be more than one-third full; put it on a slow fire, stir it occasionally until it thickens as much as required; this will be known by cooling the stick in water, and trying it with the fingers. It is best to make it rather harder than for use. Then pour it into cold water. It can be brought back to the consistency required with a little Archangel tar.

2506. Anglo-Japanese Work

This is an elegant and easy domestic art. Take yellow withered leaves, dissolve gum, black paint, copal varnish, &c. Any articles, such as an old tea-caddy, flower-pots, fire-screens, screens of all descriptions, work-boxes, &c., may be ornamented with these simple materials. Select perfect leaves, dry and press them between the leaves of books; rub the surface of the article to be ornamented with fine sand paper, then give it a coat of fine black paint, which should be procured mixed at a colour shop.

When dry rub smooth with pumice-stone, and give two other coats. Dry. Arrange leaves in any manner and variety, according to taste. Gum the leaves on the under side, and press them upon their places. Then dissolve some isinglass in hot water, and brush it over the work. Dry. Give three coats of copal varnish, allowing ample time for each coat to dry. Articles thus ornamented last for years, and are very pleasing.

2507. Ornamental Leather Work

An excellent imitation of carved oak, suitable for frames, boxes, vases, and ornaments in endless variety, may be made of a description of leather called basil. The art consists in simply cutting out this material in imitation of natural objects, and in impressing upon it by simple tools, either with or without the aid of heat, such marks and characteristics as are necessary to the imitation. The rules given with regard to the imitation of leaves and flowers apply to ornamental leather work. Begin with a simple object, and proceed by degrees to those that are more complicated.

Cut out an ivy or an oak leaf, and impress the veins upon it; then arrange these in groups, and affix them to frames, or otherwise. The tools required are ivory or steel points of various sizes, punches, and tin shapes, such as are used for confectionery. The points may be made out of the handles of old tooth-brushes. Before cutting out the leaves the leather should be well soaked in water, until it is quite pliable. When dry, it will retain the artistic shape. Leaves and stems are fastened together by means of liquid glue, and varnished with any of the drying varnishes, or with sealing-wax dissolved to a suitable consistency in spirits of wine. Wire, cork, gutta-percha, bits of stems of trees, &c., may severally be used to aid in the formation of groups of buds, flowers, seed-vessels, &c.

2508. Black Paper Patterns

Mix some lamp-black with sweet oil. With a piece of flannel cover sheets of writing-paper with the mixture; dab the paper dry with a bit of fine linen. When using, put the black side on another sheet of paper, and fasten the corners together with small pins. Lay on the back of the black paper the pattern to be drawn, and go over it with the point of a steel drawing pencil: the black will then leave the impression of the pattern on the undersheet, on which you may draw it with ink.

2509. Patterns on Cloth or Muslin

Patterns on cloth or muslin are drawn with a pen dipped in stone blue, a bit of sugar and a little water; wet to the consistence wanted.

2510. Feather Flowers: Materials

Procure the best white swan or goose feathers; have them plucked off the fowl with care not to break the web; free them from down, except a small quantity on the shaft of the feather. Get also a little fine wire, different sizes; a few skeins of fine floss silks, some good cotton wool or wadding, a reel of No. 4 Moravian cotton, a skein of Indian silk, some starch and gum for pastes, and a pair of small sharp scissors, a few sheets of coloured silk paper, and some water colours.

Eating and Drinking Shouldn't Keep Us from Thinking.

2511. Patterns for Petals

Having procured two good specimens of the flower you wish to imitate, carefully pull off the petals of one, and, with a piece of tissue paper, cut out the shape of each, taking care to leave the shaft of the feather at least half an inch longer than the petal of the flower. Carefully bend the feather with the thumb and finger to the proper shape; mind not to break the web.

2512. Stem and Heart of a Flower

Take a piece of wire six inches long; across the top lay a small piece of cotton wool, turn the wire over it, and wind it round until it is the size of the heart or centre of the flower you are going to imitate. If a single flower, cover it with paste or velvet of the proper colour, and round it must be arranged the stamens; these are made of fine Indian silk, or feathers may be used for this purpose. After the petals have been attached, the silk or feather is dipped into gum, and then into the farina. Place the petals round, one at time, and wind them on with Moravian cotton, No. 4. Arrange them as nearly like the flower you have for a copy as possible. Cut the stems of the feathers even, and then make the calyx of feathers, cut like the pattern or natural flower. For the small flowers the calyx is made with paste. Cover the stems with paper or silk the same as the flowers; the paper must be cut in narrow strips, about a quarter of an inch wide.

2513. Pastes of Calyx, Hearts, and Buds of Flowers

Take common white starch and mix it with gum water until it is the substance of thick treacle; colour it with the dyes used for the feathers, and keep it from the air.

2514. To make the Farina

Use common ground rice, mixed into a stiff paste with any dye; dry it before the fire, and when quite hard, pound it to a fine powder. The buds, berries, and hearts of some double flowers are made with cotton wool, wound around wire, moulded to the shape with thumb and finger. Smooth it over with gum water, and when dry, cover the buds, berries, or calyx with the proper coloured pastes; they will require one or two coats, and may be shaded with a little paint, and then gummed and left to dry.

2515. Flowers of Two or More Shades

Flowers of two or more shades are variegated with water colours, mixed with lemon juice, ultramarine and chrome for blue; and to produce other effects, gold may also be used in powder, mixed with lemon juice and gum water.

2516. To Dye Feathers Blue

Into two pennyworth of oil of vitriol mix two pennyworth of the best indigo in powder; let it stand a day or two; when wanted shake it well, and into a quart of boiling water put one tablespoonful of the liquid. Stir it well, put the feathers in, and let them simmer a few minutes.

2517. Yellow

Put a tablespoonful of the best turmeric into a quart of boiling water; when well mixed put in the feathers. More or less of the turmeric will give them different shades, and a very small quantity of soda will give them an orange hue.

2518. Green

Mix the indigo liquid with turmeric, and pour boiling water over it; let the feathers simmer in the dye until they have acquired the shade you want them.

2519. Pink

Three good pink saucers in a quart of boiling water, with a small quantity of cream of tartar. If a deep colour is required, use four saucers. Let the feathers remain in the dye several hours.

2520. Red

In a quart of boiling water dissolve a teaspoonful of cream of tartar; put in one tablespoonful of prepared cochineal, and then a few drops of muriate of tin. This dye is expensive, and scarlet flowers are best made with the plumage of the red ibis, which can generally be had of a bird-fancier or bird-stuffer, who will give directions how it should be applied.

We Seldom Repent of Having Eaten Too Little.

2521. Lilac

About two teaspoonfuls of cudbear into about a quart of boiling water; let it simmer a few minutes before you put in the feathers. A small quantity of cream of tartar turns the colour from lilac to amethyst.

2522. Black; Crimson

See Instructions upon Dyeing, par.

2682

,

et seq,

2523. Preparation of Feathers for Dyeing

The feathers must be put into hot water, and allowed to drain before they are put into the dyes. After they are taken out of the dye, rinse them two or three times in clear cold water (except the red, which must only be done once), then lay them on a tray, over which a cloth has been spread, before a good fire; when they begin to dry and unfold, draw each feather gently between your thumb and finger, until it regains its proper shape.

2524. Leaves of the Flowers

These are made of green feathers, cut like those of the natural flower, and serrated at the edge with a very small pair of scissors. For the calyx of a moss-rose the down is left on the feather, and is a very good representation of the moss on the natural flower.

2525. Waxen Flowers and Fruit

There is no art more easily acquired, nor more encouraging in its immediate results, than that of modelling flowers and fruit in wax. The art, however, is attended by this draw-back—that the materials required are somewhat expensive.

2526. Materials for Wax Flowers

The appliances required for commencing the making of waxen flowers will cost from 20s. to 30s., and may be obtained at most fancy repositories in large towns. Persons wishing to commence the art would do well to inquire for particulars, and see specimens of materials; because in this, as in every other pursuit, there are novelties and improvements being introduced, which no book can give an idea of.

2527. Petals and Leaves of Wax Flowers

Petals and leaves of wax flowers are made of sheets of coloured wax, which may be purchased in packets of assorted colours.

2528. Stems

The stems are made of wire of suitable thicknesses, covered with silk, and overlaid with wax; and the leaves are frequently made by thin sheets of wax pressed upon leaves of embossed calico. Leaves of various descriptions are to be obtained of the persons who sell the materials for wax flower making.

2529. Models for Wax Flowers

Ladies will often find among their discarded artificial flowers, leaves and buds that will serve as the base of their wax models.

2530. Natural Models for Wax Flowers

The best guide to the construction of a flower—far better than printed diagrams or patterns—is to take a flower, say a

tulip

, a

rose

, or a

camellia

. If possible, procure

two

flowers, nearly alike; and carefully pick one of them to pieces; lay the petals down in the order in which they are taken from the flower, and then cut paper patterns from them, and number them from the centre of the flower, that you may know their relative positions.

2531. Putting Petals Together

The perfect flower will guide you in getting the wax petals together, and will enable you to give, not only to each petal but to the

contour

of the flower, the characteristics which are natural to it. In most cases, they are merely pressed together and held in their places by the adhesiveness of the wax. From the paper patterns the wax petals or other portions of the flowers may be cut. They should be cut singly, and the scissors should be frequently dipped into water, to prevent the wax adhering to the blades.

2532. Utilisation of Scraps of Wax

The scraps of wax that fall from the cutting will be found useful for making seed vessels, and other parts of the flowers.

He who Serves Well Need not be Afraid to Ask his Wages.

2533. Leaves of Flowers

Where the manufactured foundations cannot be obtained, patterns of them should be cut in paper; the venous appearance may be imparted to the wax by pressing the leaf upon it.

2534. Sprigs of Plants

In the construction of sprigs, it is most important to be guided by sprigs of the natural plant, as various kinds of plants have many different characteristics in the grouping of their flowers, leaves and branches.

2535. Selection of Sheets of Wax

When about to copy a flower, take care in the selection of good sheets of wax, and see that their colours are precisely those of the flower you desire to imitate.

2536. Imitation of Tints, Stripes, Spots, &c.

For the tints, stripes, and spots of variegated flowers, you will be supplied with colours among the other materials; and the application of them is precisely upon the principle of water-colour painting.

2537. Fruit, &c., in Wax

For the imitating of fruit in wax, very different rules are to be observed. The following directions may, however, be generally followed:

The material of which moulds for waxen fruit should be composed is the

best

plaster of Paris, such as is used for plaster casts, &c. If this cannot be procured, the inferior plaster, from the oil-shop, may be substituted, if it can be obtained

quite fresh

. If, however, the plaster is faulty, the results of the modelling will of course be more or less faulty also. It is the property of plaster of Paris to form a chemical union with water, and to form a pasto winch rapidly "sets" or hardens into a substance of the density of firm chalk. The mould must therefore be formed by impression from the object to be imitated, made upon the plaster before it sets.

2538. Causes of Want of Accuracy