Demon Bowls Of Fire.
—The performer has three 6 1/2-inch brass bowls on a table, and openly pours ordinary clean water (may be drunk) into bowls, until each is about half full. Then by simply passing the hand over bowls they each take fire and produce a flame 12 to 20 inches high.

Each bowl contains about 2 teaspoonfuls of ether, upon which is placed a small piece of the metal potassium, about the size of a pea. If the ether be pure the potassium will not be acted upon. When the water is poured into the bowl the ether and potassium float up, the latter acting vigorously on the water, evolving hydrogen and setting fire thereto, and to the ether as well.

The water may be poured into the bowl and lighted at command. In this case the potassium and ether are kept separated in the bowl, the former in a little cup on one side, and the latter in the body of the bowl. The water is poured in, and on rocking the bowl it is caused to wash into the little cup, the potassium floats up, and the fire is produced.

N. B.—The above tricks are not safe in any but specially made bowls, i. e., bowls with the wide flange round edge to prevent the accidental spilling of any portion of the burning ether.

The Burning Banana.
—Place some alcohol in a ladle and set fire to it. Dip a banana in the blazing alcohol and eat it while it is blazing. As soon as it is placed in the mouth the fire goes out.
Sparks From The Finger Tips.
—Take a small piece of tin about 1/2 inch wide and 1 1/2 inches long. Bend this in the shape of a ring. To the center of this piece solder another small piece of tin bent in the shape of a letter U; between the {612} ends of this U place a small piece of wax tape about 1/2 inch long. Take a piece of small rubber tubing about 2 feet in length and to one end of this attach a hollow rubber ball, which you must partly fill with iron filings. Place the rubber ball containing the iron filings under the arm and pass the rubber tube down through the sleeve of the coat to the palm of the hand; now place the tin ring upon the middle finger, with the wax taper inside of the hand. Light this taper. By pressing the arm down sharply on the rubber ball, the force of the air will drive some of the iron filings through the rubber tube and out through the flame of the burning taper, when they will ignite and cause a beautiful shower of sparks to appear to rain from the finger tips.
To Take Boiling Lead In The Mouth.
—The metal used, while not unlike lead in appearance, is not the ordinary metal, but is really an alloy composed of the following substances:
Bismuth 8 parts
Lead 5 parts
Tin 2 parts

To prepare it, first melt the lead in a crucible, then add the bismuth and finally the tin, and stir well together with a piece of tobacco pipe stem. This “fusible metal” will melt in boiling water, and a teaspoon cast from the alloy will melt if very hot water be poured into it, or if boiling water be stirred with it. If the water be not quite boiling, as is pretty sure to be the case if tea from a teapot is used, in all probability the heat will be insufficient to melt the spoon. But by melting the alloy and adding to it a small quantity of quicksilver a compound will be produced, which, though solid at the ordinary temperature, will melt in water very much below the boiling point. Another variety of easily fusible alloy is made by melting together

Bismuth 7 to 8 parts
Lead 4 parts
Tin 2 parts
Cadmium 1 to 2 parts

This mixture melts at 158°, that given above at 208° F.

Either one of the several alloys above given will contain considerably less heat than lead, and in consequence be the more suitable for the purposes of a “Fire King.”

When a body is melted it is raised to a certain temperature and then gets no hotter, not even if the fire be increased—all the extra heat goes to melt the remainder of the substance.

Second Method.—This is done with a ladle constructed similarly to the tin cup in a previous trick. The lead, genuine in this case, is, apparently, drunk from the ladle, which is then tilted, that it may be seen to be empty. The lead is concealed in the secret interior of the ladle, and a solid piece of lead is in conclusion dropped from the mouth, as congealed metal.

To Eat Burning Coals.
—In the first place make a good charcoal fire in the furnace. Just before commencing the act throw in three or four pieces of soft pine. When burnt to a coal one cannot tell the difference between this and charcoal, except by sticking a fork into it. This will not burn in the least, while the genuine charcoal will. You can stick your fork into these coals without any difficulty, but the charcoal is brittle and hard; it breaks before the fork goes into it.
Chain Of Fire.
—Take a piece of candle wick 8 or 10 inches long, saturated with kerosene oil, squeeze out surplus oil. Take hold of one end with your fire tongs, light by furnace, throw back your head, and lower it into your mouth while exhaling the breath freely. When all in, close your lips and remove in handkerchief.

NOTE.—Have a good hold of the end with the tongs, for if it should fall it would probably inflict a serious burn; for this reason also no burning oil must drop from the cotton.

Biting Off Red-hot Iron.
—Take a piece of hoop iron about 2 feet long, place it in a vise and bend it backwards and forwards, about an inch from the end, until it is nearly broken off. Put this in a furnace until it becomes red hot, then take it in your right hand, grasp the broken end in your teeth, being careful not to let it touch your lips or your tongue, make a “face” as though it was terribly hard to bite off, and let the broken end drop from between your teeth into a pail of water (which you should always have at hand in case of fire), when the hissing will induce the belief that the portion bitten off is still “red hot”—it may be, for that matter, if the iron be nearly broken off in the first place and if you have good teeth and are not afraid to injure them.
Water Stirred Yellow, Scarlet, And Colorless.
—Obtain a glass tube with one end hermetically sealed and drawn into a fine point that will break easily. Into an ale glass put a solution of mercury {613} bichloride (corrosive sublimate, a deadly poison) and into the tube a strong solution of potassium iodide so adjusted in strength that it will redissolve the scarlet precipitate formed by the union of the two liquids. While stirring the solution in the glass the bottom of the tube (apparently a glass rod) is broken and a small portion of its contents allowed to escape, which produces a beautiful scarlet. The balance of the fluid in the tube is retained there by simply keeping the thumb on the open top end. Continue the stirring, allowing the balance of the contents of the tube to escape, and the scarlet fluid again becomes colorless. Before the scarlet appears the liquid is yellow.

To heighten the effect, another ale glass, containing only clean water and a solid glass stirring-rod, may be handed to one of the company, with instructions to do the same as the performer; the result is amusing.

QUICK-WATER: See Alloys.

QUILTS, TO CLEAN: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

QUINCE EXTRACT: See Essences and Extracts.

RAGS FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

RASPBERRYADE POWDER: See Salts, Effervescent.

RASPBERRY SYRUP: See Essences and Extracts.

RAT POISONS

(See also Turpentine.)

Poisons for rats may be divided into two classes, quick and slow. Potassium cyanide and strychnine belong to the first, and phosphorus and arsenic to the second. Both should be kept away from children, dogs, and cats, and this is best done by putting them in places too narrow for anything larger than a rat to squeeze into. If the poison is too quick, the effect of it is visible to the same rats which saw the cause, and those which have not eaten of the bait will leave it alone. On the other hand, if it is too slow, the poisoned rat may spread it to edible things in the pantry, by vomiting. Slow poisons generally cause the rat to seek water, and when they are used water should not be left about promiscuously.

The substances most useful as rat poisons, and which are without danger to the larger domestic animals, are plaster of Paris and fresh squills. Less dangerous than strychnine and arsenic are the baryta preparations, of which the most valuable is barium carbonate. Like plaster of Paris, this substance, when used for the purpose, must be mixed with sugar and meal, or flour, and as a decoy some strong-smelling cheese should be added. In closed places there should be left vessels containing water easily accessible to the creatures.

One advantage over these substances possessed by the squill is that it is greedily eaten by rats and mice. When it is used, however, the same precaution as to water, noted above, is necessary, a circumstance too frequently forgotten. In preparing the squill for this purpose, by the addition of bacon, or fat meat of any kind, the use of a decoy like cheese is unnecessary, as the fats are sufficiently appetizing to the rodents. It is to be noted that only fresh squills should be used for this purpose, as in keeping the bulb the poisonous principle is destroyed, or, at least, is so modified as to seriously injure its value.

Squill Poisons.

—The preparation of the squill as a rat poison can be effected in several different ways. Usually, after the removal of the outer peel, the bulb is cut up into little slices and mixed with milk and flour; these are stirred into a dough or paste, which, with bits of bacon rind, is put into the oven and baked. Another plan is to grate the squill on a grater and mingle the gratings with mashed, boiled, or roasted potato. This method of preparing them necessitates the immediate use of the poison. The following is, however, a stable preparation that keeps well:
I.— Hog’s lard 500 grams
Acid salicylic   5 grams
Squill   1 bulb
Beef suet  50 to 100 grams
Barium carbonate 500 grams
Solution of ammonium copper acetate, 20 per cent  50 grams

Cut or grate the squill into very small pieces, and fry it in the lard and suet until it has acquired a dark-brown color and {614} the fats have taken up the characteristic squill odor; then to the mess add the other substances, and stir well together.

II.— Squill, bruised 4 ounces
Bacon, chopped fine 6 ounces
Flour or meal, enough.
Water, enough.

Make into a stiff mass, divide into small cakes, and bake.

Phosphorus Poisons.

—Next to the squill in value as a poison comes phosphorus in the shape of an electuary, or in pills. For readily preparing the electuary, when needed or ordered, it is a good plan to keep on hand a phosphorated syrup made as follows:

To 200 parts of simple syrup, in a strong flask, add 50 parts of phosphorus and 10 parts of talc powder; place the container in a suitable vessel and surround it with water heated to 120° to 130° F., and let it stand until the phosphorus is melted. Now, cork the flask well, tie down the cork, and agitate until the mixture is completely cold. As a measure of precaution, the flask should be wrapped with a cloth.

To make the poison take 50 parts of rye flour and mix with it 10 parts of powdered sugar. To the mixture add about 40 parts of water and from 30 to 40 parts of the phosphorated syrup, and mix the mass thoroughly.

While it is best to make the phosphorated syrup fresh every time that it is required, a stable syrup can be made as follows:

Heat together very carefully in a water bath 5 parts of phosphorus, 3 parts of sublimed sulphur, and 30 parts of water, until the phosphorus is completely melted and taken up; then add 30 parts of wheat flour and 6 parts of ground mustard seed, and work up, with the addition of warm water from time to time, if necessary, into a stiff paste, finally adding and working in from 1 to 2 parts of oil of anise.

Borax in powder, it may be noticed, is also useful as a preservative of phosphorated paste or the electuary.

Mühsam gives the following formula for an electuary of phosphorus for this purpose:

I.— Phosphorus, granulated  1 part
Rye flour 30 parts
Simple syrup 10 parts
Mustard seed, powdered  1 part
Sublimed sulphur  1 part
Water 10 parts

Proceed as indicated above.

Hager’s formula for “Phosphorus globules” is as follows:

II.— Phosphorus, amorphous  10 parts
Glycerine  20 parts
Linseed, powdered 100 parts
Meat extract  15 parts
Quark, recently coagulated, quantity sufficient.

Mix, and make a mass, and divide into 200 globules, weighing about 15 grains each. Roll in wheat flour, in which a little powdered sugar has been mixed.

Phosphorus electuary, made as indicated above, may be smeared upon bits of fried bacon, which should be tacked firmly to a bit of board or to the floor. It is essential that either flour or sugar, or both, be strewn over the surface of the phosphorus.

The most convenient in practice, on the whole, are the phosphorus globules, either made after Hager’s formula, or, more readily, by adding rye flour and sugar to the electuary and working up to a pill mass, or barium carbonate and plaster may be added.

Arsenical Poisons.

—The following are some of the formulas given by Hager for preparing globules, or pills, of arsenic:
I.— Arsenic, white, powdered 100 parts
Soot from the kitchen   5 parts
Oil of anise   1 part
Lard, sufficient.
Wheat flour, sufficient.
Make into 400 globules.
II.— Beef suet 500 parts
Rye flour 500 parts
Arsenic, white, powdered  50 parts
Ultramarine  10 parts
Oil of anise   1 part

Melt the suet, and add to the flour, mix in the other ingredients, and work up while hot, beating the mass with a roller. Make 1,000 globules.

Strychnine Poisons.

—The strychnine preparations are also valuable in the destruction of rats and mice. The first of these in point of usefulness is strychnine-wheat, or strychnine-oats (Strychninweizen or Strychninhafer), in the proportion of 1 part of strychnine to 100 or 150 parts of wheat or oat flour, prepared by dissolving 1 part of strychnine in 40 to 50 parts of hot water, mixing well up with the flour, and drying in the water {615} bath. Strychnine may also be used on fresh or salted meat, sausage, etc., by insertion of the powder, or the heads of fried fish are opened and the powder strewn on the inside. The latter is an especially deadly method, since the odor of the fish acts as a powerful lure, as also do the bits of bacon or other fats used in frying fish. Strong cheese is also a good vehicle for strychnine, acting as a powerful lure for the rodents.
Strychnine sulph 1 drachm
Sugar milk 3 drachms
Prussian blue 5 grains
Sugar   1/2 ounce
Oat flour   1/2 ounce

Nux Vomica Poison.—

Oatmeal 1 pound
Powdered nux vomica 1 ounce
Oil of anise 5 drops
Tincture of asafetida 5 drops

Barium Poison.—

Barium carbonate 4 ounces
Sugar 6 ounces
Oatmeal 6 ounces
Oil of anise 4 drops
Oil of caraway 4 drops

RAZOR PAPER: See Paper.

RAZOR PASTES:

See also Pastes.

The razor pastes, razor creams, etc., on the market, have for their cutting, or sharpening, agent jewelers’ rouge, or rouge and emery. When emery is used it should be ground to an impalpable powder and levigated.

I.—The simplest formula is a mixture in equal parts of rouge and emery powder, rubbed up with spermaceti ointment. Coke is also used as a cutting agent. Suet, prepared lard, in fact, any greasy or soapy substance, will answer for the vehicle.

II.—Melt 1,000 parts of beef tallow and pour 250 parts of oil to it. To this mixture, which is uniformly combined by thorough stirring, add in the same manner 150 parts of washed emery, 100 parts of tin ashes, and 50 parts of iron oxide. The stirring of these ingredients must be continued until the mass is cool, as otherwise they would be unevenly distributed. The leather of the strop should be rubbed with this grease, applying only small quantities at a time. This renders it possible to produce a very uniform coating, since little quantities penetrate the fibers of the leather more easily.

III.— Tin putty (tin ashes) 2 parts
Colcothar 2 parts
Forged iron scales or filings 1 part
Pure levantine honing stone finely powdered 7 parts
Beef suet 3 parts

All the ingredients with the exception of the suet should be finely powdered. The suet is melted, the ingredients poured in, and the whole thoroughly mixed to form a doughy mass.

IV.— Colcothar 1 1/2 parts
Pumice stone 1 1/2 parts
Graphite 4 1/2 parts
Bloodstone (red hematite) 2 parts
Iron filings 1 part

These ingredients are finely powdered, washed, and mixed with the following:

Grafting wax 2 parts
Soap 2 parts
Lard 2 parts
Olive oil 2 parts

Naturally the fatty ingredients are to be heated before the solid substances are commingled with them.

The side of the blade to be polished should be treated with the following compositions:

a. Tin ashes (tin putty) rubbed down to a fine powder on a honing stone and mixed with axle grease.

b. Washed graphite mingled with olive oil.

REDUCERS: See Photography.

REDUCING PHOTOGRAPHS, SCALE FOR: See Photography.

REFLECTOR METAL: See Alloys.

REFRIGERANTS.

I.— Potassium nitrate 2 pounds
Ammonium chloride 2 pounds
Water 5 pints
II.— Potassium nitrate 2 1/2 pounds
Ammonium chloride 2 1/2 pounds
Sodium sulphate 4 pounds
Water 9 pints
III.— Ammonia nitrate 4 pounds
Water 4 pints
IV.— Sodium sulphate 8 parts
Dilute hydrochloric acid 5 parts
V.— Snow 1 part
Water 1 part
Sulphuric acid 4 parts
VI.— Snow 3 parts
Calcium chloride 4 parts

REFRIGERATION

If water to be frozen is placed in a tin bucket or other receptacle it can be readily congealed by putting it in a pail containing a weak dilution of sulphuric acid and water. Into this throw a handful of common Glauber salts, and the resulting cold is so great that water immersed in the mixture will be frozen solid in a few minutes, and ice cream or ices may be quickly and easily prepared. The cost is only a few cents. The same process in an ice-cream freezer will do the trick for ice cream.

Home-made Refrigerators.

—I.—Partly fill with water a shallow granite-ware pan. Place it in an open, shady window where there is a good draught of air. In this put bottles of water, milk, and cream (sealed), wrapped with wet cloths reaching into the water. Put butter in an earthen dish deep enough to prevent water getting in. Over this turn an earthen flower-pot wrapped with a wet cloth reaching into the water. The pan should be fixed every morning and evening. With several of these pans one can keep house very comfortably without ice.

II.—Procure a wire meat-safe—that is, a box covered by wire netting on three sides, with a fly-proof door. On top place a deep pan filled with water. Take a piece of burlap the height of the pan and safe, and of sufficient length to reach around the entire safe. Tack it fast where the door opens and closes. Tuck the upper edge in the water. Place it where there is a draught and where the dripping will do no damage. This constitutes a well-ventilated refrigerator that costs nothing but water to maintain.

III.—Take a store box, any convenient size, and place in this a smaller box, having the bottom and space around the sides packed with sawdust. Have a galvanized iron pan made, the size of the inside box and half as deep, to hold the ice. Have the pan made with a spout 6 inches long to drain off the water as the ice melts. Bore a hole the size of the spout through the double bottom and sawdust packing to admit the spout. Short legs may be nailed on the sides of the box and a vessel set underneath to catch the drippings. Put on a tight board cover. A shelf may be placed in the box above the ice. This box will keep ice for three days.

IV.—Select a large cracker box with a hinged cover. Knock out the bottom and cut windows in each side, leaving a 3-inch frame, over which tack wire gauze. In the coolest part of the cellar dig away the earth to a level depth of 3 inches and fit the box into the space.

Mix plaster of Paris to a consistency of thick cream and pour into the box for a 1/2-inch thick bottom. Twenty-four hours will harden it sufficiently. Put a hook and catch on the lid. A box of this sort can be cleaned easily, and insects cannot penetrate it.

To Drain A Refrigerator.

—I.—Have a stout tin funnel made, 7 inches in diameter at the top. The tube portion should be at least 8 inches long and of uniform diameter. Bore a hole through the floor directly under the drain-pipe of the refrigerator; insert the funnel, then force a piece of rubber tubing (a tight fit) over the funnel from the cellar side. Pass the tubing through a hole cut in the screen frame of a cellar window, and drain into any convenient place. This avoids the necessity of continually emptying the drain-pan, and prevents the overflow that frequently occurs when it is forgotten.

II.—This simple device saves the inconvenience of having a drip-pan under the refrigerator: If the refrigerator is placed near the outer wall get a piece of rubber hose long enough to reach from the waste pipe to the outside of the wall. Bore a hole through the wall under the refrigerator, where baseboard and floor meet. Attach the hose to the waste-pipe and pass through the hole in the wall. A small trough outside should carry the water away from the house.

REFRIGERATORS, THEIR CARE: See Household Formulas.

REPLATING: See Plating.

RESILVERING OF MIRRORS: See Mirrors.

REVOLVER LUBRICANTS: See Lubricants.

RHUBARB AS A REMEDY FOR CHOLERA: See Cholera Remedies. {617}

RIBBONS FOR TYPEWRITERS: See Typewriter Ribbons.

RICE PASTE: See Adhesives.

RICE POWDER: See Cosmetics.

RIFLE LUBRICANTS: See Lubricants.

RING, HOW TO SOLDER A JEWELED: See Solders.

RINGS ON METAL, PRODUCING COLORED: See Plating.

ROACH EXTERMINATORS: See Insecticides.

ROBURITE: See Explosives.

RODINAL DEVELOPER: See Photography.

ROLLER COMPOSITIONS FOR PRINTERS.

Rollers for transferring ink to types have to possess special properties, which have reference both to the nature of the ink and that of the types to which it is to be transferred. They must be as little liable as possible to changes of temperature. They must be sticky, but only just sticky enough, and must have elasticity enough to exert a uniform pressure over the varying surface with which they meet in the form. Originally, the composition was one of glue and molasses in varying proportions, and the only practical improvement that has been made is the addition of glycerine. This being slightly hygroscopic, helps to keep the roller at the right degree of softness, and being practically unfreezable, it is a great assistance in keeping the rollers from hardening in cold weather.

The recipes given in technical works for printing roller compositions are numerous and very different. All contain glue and molasses, and it is the practice to put a larger proportion of glue in rollers to be used in the summer than in those intended for winter use. The following is a selection of recipes:

I.—Soak 8 pounds of glue in as much water as it will absorb. When there is no visible water, treat the glue till melted, and add 7 pounds of hot molasses.

II.— Glue (summer)  8 pounds
Glue (winter)  4 pounds
Molasses  1 gallon
III.— Molasses 12 pounds
Glue  4 pounds
IV.— Molasses 24 pounds
Glue 16 pounds
Paris white  2 pounds
V.— Glue or gelatin 64 pounds
Water 48 pounds
Linseed oil 96 pounds
Molasses or sugar 64 to 96 pounds
Chloride of calcium  3 pounds
Powdered rosin  8 pounds

Soak the glue in the water and then liquefy by heat. Then stir in the oil, first heated to 150° F. Then add the molasses and the chloride of calcium, and finally the fused rosin. The latter ingredient is only to be added when very tough rollers are required. This recipe is interesting from the inclusion in it of the hygroscopic salt, chloride of calcium, the object of which is obviously to keep the rollers moist.

ROOFS, HOW TO LAY GALVANIZED: See Household Formulas.

ROOFS, PREVENTION OF LEAKAGE: See Household Formulas.

ROOF PAINTS: See Paint.

ROOM DEODORIZER: See Household Formulas.

ROPES.

To protect ropes, cordage, and cloths made of flax and hemp against rot, it has been recommended to leave them for 4 days in a solution of copper sulphate, 20 parts by weight to a liter, then allow them to dry, and then, to prevent the copper sulphate being washed away by the water, place in tar or a solution of soap—1 to 10. In the latter case an insoluble copper soap is formed. To secure the same result with twine, the following process has been recommended: Place the string for an hour in a solution of glue, then allow to dry, and place in a solution of tannin. After removal from the tannin, again dry, and soak in oil. The process first described has been shown by experience to be very effective; but to prevent the washing away of the copper sulphate, it is advisable to use the solution of soap in preference to the tar, as articles steeped in the latter substance are apt to become stiff, and consequently brittle. The {618} treatment with glue and tannin in the second process has the drawback that it tends to make the string too stiff and inflexible, and thus impair its usefulness.

ROPE LUBRICANTS: See Lubricant.

ROPES, WATERPROOFING: See Waterproofing.

ROSE CORDIAL: See Wines and Liquors.

ROSEWOOD: See Wood.

ROSE POWDERS: See Cosmetics.

ROSIN, TESTS FOR, IN EXTRACTS: See Foods.

ROSIN OIL: See Oil.

ROSIN STICKS: See Depilatories.

ROT:

Remedies For Dry Rot.

—A good remedy for dry rot is petroleum. The sick parts of the wood are painted with it, which causes the fungi to die, turn black, and finally drop off. The best preventive of dry rot is plenty of draught. If the portions are already affected so badly that they must be removed and renewed, the freshly inserted wood is coated with “carbolineum” to prevent a fresh appearance of dry rot. Another remedy is ordinary salt, which is known to have a highly hygroscopic action. It absorbs the moisture of the wood, whereby it is itself dissolved, thus gradually impregnating the planks, etc. In order to combat dry rot with salt, proceed as follows: Throw salt into boiling water until a perfectly saturated solution is obtained. With this repeatedly wash the wood and masonry afflicted with dry rot. Wherever practicable the salt may be sprinkled direct upon the affected place.

ROUGE: See Cosmetics.

ROUGE FOR BUFF WHEELS.

The rouge employed by machinists, watchmakers, and jewelers, is obtained by directly subjecting crystals of sulphate of iron or copperas to a high heat by which the sulphuric acid is expelled and the oxide of iron remains. Those portions least calcined, when ground, are used for polishing gold and silver. These are of bright crimson color. The darker and more calcined portions are known as “crocus,” and are used for polishing brass and steel. Others prefer for the production of rouge the peroxide of iron precipitated by ammonia from a dilute solution of sulphate of iron, which is washed, compressed until dry, then exposed to a low red heat and ground to powder. Of course, there are other substances besides rouge which are employed in polishing, as powdered emery, kieselguhr, carborundum, rotten stone, etc.

ROUGE POWDER: See Polishes.

ROUGH STUFF: See Wood.

ROUP CURES: See Veterinary Formulas.

RUBBER

Artificial Rubber.

Austin G. Day tried hundreds of experiments and took out many patents for rubber substitutes. He was in a measure successful, his “Kerite” compound proving of great value and being a result of his seeking for something that would wholly supplant rubber. As far back as 1866 he made public the results of some of his work, giving as formulas for rubber substitutes the following compounds:

I.— Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 2 pounds
Raw turpentine 2 pounds
Sulphur 2 pounds
Boil 2 hours.
II.— Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 1 pound
Raw turpentine 2 pounds
Castor oil 1 pound
Sulphur 2 pounds
Boil 1/2 hour.
III.— Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 1 pound
Raw turpentine   1/2 pound
Liquid coal tar 3 pounds
Peanut oil 1 pound
Spirits turpentine 1 pound
Sulphur 4 pounds
Boil 35 minutes.
IV.— Linseed oil 2 pounds
Cottonseed oil 1 pound
Petroleum 2 pounds
Raw turpentine   1/2 pound
Liquid coal tar 2 pounds
Spirits turpentine 1 pound
Rubber [ ] pound
Sulphur 2 pounds
Boil 1 hour.

In 1871 Mr. Day had brought his experimenting down to the following formula:

V.— Cottonseed oil 14 pounds
Linseed oil 14 pounds
Asphaltum  8 pounds
Coal tar  8 pounds
Sulphur 10 pounds
Camphor    1/2 pound

In this the tar and asphaltum were first mixed with the cottonseed oil, after which was added the linseed oil and camphor, and, last of all, the sulphur, when the temperature was about 270° F.

A substitute designed to be used in rubber compounding in place, say, of reclaimed rubber, was made as follows:

VI.— Cottonseed oil 27 pounds
Coal tar 30 pounds
Earthy matter  5 pounds

To be mixed and heated to 300° F., and then strained and cooled to 200° F. Then were added 27 pounds linseed oil, the heat raised to 220° F., and 15 to 18 pounds of sulphur added, the heat being continually raised until the mass was sulphurized. When the heat reached 240° F., 1 to 1 1/2 ounces of nitric acid were added, and at 270° to 280° F., from 1 to 3 ounces camphor were added to help the sulphurization. The resultant compound was used on the following basis:

VII.— Para rubber 20 pounds
Litharge  5 pounds
Sulphur  1 pound
Above compound 20 to 40 pounds

Mr. Day did not insist on the compound quoted, but advised that the proportions be varied as widely as the exigencies of the case might demand. Whiting, barytes, infusorial earth, white lead, blacks, in fact almost any of the oxides, carbonates, or earthy materials commonly used in compounding, were used in connection with his substitute, as also were any grades of crude rubber. Among other ingredients that he found of use in making his substitutes were vegetable and animal waxes, together with ozokerite and paraffine. These were only used in small quantities, and always in connection with the linseed and cottonseed oils, and generally asphaltum or coal tar. One of his compounds also called for a quantity of golden sulphuret of antimony, presumably to assist in the sulphurization, and a small amount of tannic acid.

Another line of experimenting that is interesting, and that will yet produce good results, although so far it has not amounted to much, is in the use of cellulose. A very simple formula is of French origin and calls for the treating of cellulose with sulphuric acid, washing, drying, granulating, treating with resinate of soda—which is afterwards precipitated by sulphate of alumina—then drying and molding under pressure. As a matter of fact, the resultant mass would not be mistaken for rubber. An English formula is more like it. This consists of