Lineal

Surface—land

Volume—liquid

Fluid Measure

Troy Weight

Apothecaries’ Weight

Avoirdupois Weight

English Weights And Measures

Apothecaries’ Weight

Fluid Measure

The above weights are usually adopted in formulas.

All chemicals are usually sold by

Avoirdupois Weight

Precious metals are usually sold by

Troy Weight

NOTE.—An ounce of metallic silver contains 480 grains, but an ounce of nitrate of silver contains only 437 ¹/₂ grains. {759}

Metric System Of Weights And Measures

Measures Of Length

Measures Of Surface

Measures Of Volume

Weights

For measuring surfaces, the square dekameter is used under the term of ARE; the hectare, or 100 ares, is equal to about 2 ¹/₂ acres. The unit of capacity is the cubic decimeter or LITER, and the series of measures is formed in the same way as in the case of the table of lengths. The cubic meter is the unit of measure for solid bodies, and is termed STERE. The unit of weight is the GRAM, which is the weight of one cubic centimeter of pure water weighed in a vacuum at the temperature of 4° C. or 39.2° F., which is about its temperature of maximum density. In practice, the term cubic centimeter, abbreviated c.c., is generally used instead of milliliter, and cubic meter instead of kiloliter. {760}

The Conversion Of Metric Into English Weight

The following table, which contains no error greater than one-tenth of a grain, will suffice for most practical purposes:

•     1 gram  =    15 ²/₅ grains
•     2 grams =    30 ⁴/₅ grains
•     3 grams =    46 ¹/₅ grains
•     4 grams =    61 ⁴/₅ grains, or  1 drachm,  1 ⁴/₅ grains
•     5 grams =    77 ¹/₅ grains, or  1 drachm, 17 ¹/₅ grains
•     6 grams =    92 ³/₅ grains, or  1 drachm, 32 ³/₅ grains
•     7 grams =   108 grains, or  1 drachm, 48 grains
•     8 grams =   123 ²/₅ grains, or  2 drachms,  3 ²/₅ grains
•     9 grams =   138 ⁴/₅ grains, or  2 drachms, 18 ⁴/₅ grains
•    10 grams =   154 ²/₅ grains, or  2 drachms, 34 ²/₅ grains
•    11 grams =   169 ⁴/₅ grains, or  2 drachms, 49 ⁴/₅ grains
•    12 grams =   185 ¹/₅ grains, or  3 drachms, 20 ¹/₅ grains
•    13 grams =   200 ³/₅ grains, or  3 drachms, 20 ³/₅ grains
•    14 grams =   216 grains, or  3 drachms, 36 grains
•    15 grams =   231 ²/₅ grains, or  3 drachms, 51 ²/₅ grains
•    16 grams =   247 grains, or  4 drachms, 7 grains
•    17 grams =   262 ²/₅ grains, or  4 drachms, 22 ²/₅ grains
•    18 grams =   277 ⁴/₅ grains, or  4 drachms, 37 ⁴/₅ grains
•    19 grams =   293 ¹/₅ grains, or  4 drachms, 53 ¹/₅ grains
•    20 grams =   308 ³/₅ grains, or  5 drachms,  8 ³/₅ grains
•    30 grams =   463 grains, or  7 drachms, 43 grains
•    40 grams =   617 ¹/₅ grains, or 10 drachms, 17 ¹/₅ grains
•    50 grams =   771 ³/₅ grains, or 12 drachms, 51 ³/₅ grains
•    60 grams =   926 grains, or 15 drachms, 26 grains
•    70 grams = 1,080 ¹/₅ grains, or 18 drachms,  0 ¹/₅ grains
•    80 grams = 1,234 ³/₅ grains, or 20 drachms, 34 ³/₅ grains
•    90 grams = 1,389 grains, or 23 drachms,  9 grains
•   100 grams = 1,543 ¹/₅ grains, or 25 drachms, 43 ¹/₅ grains
• 1,000 grams = 1 kilogram = 32 ounces, 1 drachm, 12 ²/₅ grains

The Conversion Of Metric Into English Measure

•     1 cubic centimeter  =    17 minims
•     2 cubic centimeters =    34 minims
•     3 cubic centimeters =    51 minims
•     4 cubic centimeters =    68 minims, or 1 drachm, 8 minims
•     5 cubic centimeters =    85 minims, or 1 drachm, 25 minims
•     6 cubic centimeters =   101 minims, or 1 drachm, 41 minims
•     7 cubic centimeters =   118 minims, or 1 drachm, 58 minims
•     8 cubic centimeters =   135 minims, or 1 drachms, 15 minims
•     9 cubic centimeters =   152 minims, or 2 drachms, 32 minims
•    10 cubic centimeters =   169 minims, or 2 drachms, 49 minims
•    20 cubic centimeters =   338 minims, or 5 drachms, 38 minims
•    30 cubic centimeters =   507 minims, or 1 ounce, 0 drachm, 27 minims
•    40 cubic centimeters =   676 minims, or 1 ounce, 3 drachms, 16 minims
•    50 cubic centimeters =   845 minims, or 1 ounce, 6 drachms, 5 minims
•    60 cubic centimeters = 1,014 minims, or 2 ounces, 0 drachms, 54 minims
•    70 cubic centimeters = 1,183 minims, or 2 ounces, 3 drachms, 43 minims
•    80 cubic centimeters = 1,352 minims, or 2 ounces, 6 drachms, 32 minims
•    90 cubic centimeters = 1,521 minims, or 3 ounces, 1 drachm, 21 minims
•   100 cubic centimeters = 1,690 minims, or 3 ounces, 4 drachms, 10 minims
• 1,000 cubic centimeters = 1 liter = 34 fluidounces nearly, or 2 ¹/₈ pints.

WELDING POWDERS.

II.—Borax, 2 parts; wrought-iron filings, free from rust, 2 parts; sal ammoniac, 1 part. These pulverized parts are moistened with copaiba balsam and made into a paste, then slowly dried over a fire and again powdered. The application is the same as for Formula I.

WHEEL GREASE: See Lubricants.

WHETSTONES.

To make artificial whetstones, take gelatin of good quality, dissolve it in equal weight of water, operating in almost complete darkness, and add 1 ¹/₂ per cent of bichromate of potash, previously dissolved. Next take about 9 times the weight of the gelatin employed of very fine emery or fine powdered gun stone, which is mixed intimately with the gelatinized solution. The paste thus obtained is molded into the desired shape, taking care to exercise an energetic pressure in order to consolidate the mass. Finally dry by exposure to the sun.

WHITING:

WHITEWASH

Wash the ceiling by wetting it twice with water, laying on as much as can well be floated on, then rub the old color up with a stumpy brush and wipe off with a large sponge. Stop all cracks with whiting and plaster of Paris. When dry, claricole with size and a little of the whitewash when this is dry. If very much stained, paint those parts with turps, color, and, if necessary, claricole again. To make the whitewash, take a dozen pounds of whiting (in large balls), break them up in a pail, and cover with water to soak. During this time melt over a slow fire 4 pounds common size, and at the same time, with a palette knife or small trowel, rub up fine about a dessertspoonful of blue-black with water to a fine paste; then pour the water off the top of the whiting and with a stick stir in the black; when well mixed, stir in the melted size and strain. When cold, it is fit for use. If the jelly is too stiff for use, beat it up well and add a little cold water. Commence whitewashing over the window and so work from the light. Distemper color of any tint may be made by using any other color instead of the blue-black—as ocher, chrome, Dutch pink, raw sienna for yellows and buff; Venetian red, burnt sienna, Indian red or purple brown for reds; celestial blue, ultramarine, indigo for blues; red and blue for purple, gray or lavender; red lead and chrome for orange; Brunswick green for greens.

Ox blood in lime paint is an excellent binding agent for the lime, as it is chiefly composed of albumin, which, like casein or milk, is capable of transforming the lime into casein paint. But the ox blood must be mixed in the lime paint; to use it separately is useless, if not harmful. Whitewashing rough mortar-plastering to saturation is very practical, as it closes all the pores and small holes.

A formula used by the United States Government in making whitewash for light-houses and other public buildings is as follows:

Slake the lime in a vessel of about 10 gallons capacity; cover it, strain, and add {762} the salt previously dissolved in warm water. Boil the rice flour in water; soak the glue in water and dissolve on a water bath, and add both, together with the whiting and 5 gallons of hot water to the mixture, stirring all well together. Cover to protect from dirt, and let it stand for a few days, when it will be ready for use. It is to be applied hot, and for that reason should be used from a kettle over a portable furnace.

WHITEWASH, TO REMOVE: See Cleaning Preparations and Methods.

WHITE METAL: See Alloys.

WINDOW-CLEANING COMPOUND: See Cleaning Compounds.

WINDOW DISPLAY:

See also Sponges.

An attractive window display for stores can be prepared as follows:

In a wide-mouth jar put some sand, say, about 6 inches in depth. Make a mixture of equal parts of aluminum sulphate, copper sulphate, and iron sulphate, coarsely powdered, and strew it over the surface of the sand. Over this layer gently pour a solution of sodium silicate, dissolved in 3 parts of hot water, taking care not to disturb the layer of sulphates. In about a week or 10 days the surface will be covered with crystals of different colors, being silicates of different metals employed. Now take some pure water and let it run into the vessel by a small tube, using a little more of it than you used of the water-glass solution. This will displace the water-glass solution, and a fresh crop of crystals will come in the silicates, and makes, when properly done, a pretty scene. Take care in pouring in the water to let the point of the tube be so arranged as not to disturb the crop of silicates.

WINDOW PERFUME.

In Paris an apparatus has been introduced consisting of a small tube which is attached lengthwise on the exterior of the shop windows. Through numerous little holes a warm, lightly perfumed current of air is passed, which pleasantly tickles the olfactory nerves of the looker-on and at the same time keeps the panes clear and clean, so that the goods exhibited present the best possible appearance.

WINDOW POLISHES: See Polishes.

WINDOWS, FROSTED: See Glass.

WINDOWS, TO PREVENT DIMMING OF: See Glass.

WINES AND LIQUORS

Bitters.

Bitters, as the name indicates, are merely tinctures of bitter roots and barks, with the addition of spices to flavor, and depend for their effect upon their tonic action on the stomach. Taken too frequently, however, they may do harm, by overstimulating the digestive organs.

The recipes for some of these preparations run to great lengths, one for Angostura bitters containing no fewer than 28 ingredients. A very good article, however, may be made without all this elaboration. The following, for instance, make a very good preparation:

Strength about 45 u. p.

Still another formula calls for Angostura bark, 2 ¹/₂ ounces; gentian root, 1 ounce; cardamom seeds, ¹/₂ ounce; Turkey rhubarb, ¹/₂ ounce; orange peel, 4 ounces; caraways, ¹/₂ ounce; cinnamon bark, ¹/₂ ounce; cloves, ¹/₄ ounce.

Brandy Bitters.—

Macerate for 14 days and strain.

Hostetter’s Bitters.—

Macerate together for 2 weeks.

Cordials.

Cordials, according to the Spatula, are flavored liquors containing from 40 to 50 per cent of alcohol (from 52 to 64 fluidounces to each gallon) and from 20 to 25 per cent of sugar (from 25 to 32 ounces avoirdupois to each gallon).

Cordials, while used in this country to some degree, have their greatest consumption in foreign lands, especially in France and Germany.

Usually such mixtures as these are clarified or “fined” only with considerable difficulty, as the finally divided particles of oil pass easily through the pores of the filter paper. Purified talcum will be found to be an excellent clarifying medium; it should be agitated with the liquid and the liquid then passed through a thoroughly wetted filter. The filtrate should be returned again and again to the filter until it filters perfectly bright. Purified talcum being chemically inert is superior to magnesium carbonate and other substances which are recommended for this purpose.

When the filtering process is completed the liquids should at once be put into suitable bottles which should be filled and tightly corked and sealed. Wrap the bottles in paper and store away, laying the bottles on their sides in a moderately warm place. A shelf near the ceiling is a good place. Warmth and age improve the beverages, as it appears to more perfectly blend the flavors, so that the older the liquor becomes the better it is. These liquids must never be kept in a cold place, as the cold might cause the volatile oils to separate.

The following formulas are for the production of cordials of the best quality, and therefore only the very best of materials should be used; the essential oils should be of unquestionable quality and strictly fresh, while the alcohol must be free from fusel oil, the water distilled, and the sugar white, free from bluing, and if liquors of any kind should be called for in any formula only the very best should be used. The oils and other flavoring substances should be dissolved in the alcohol and the sugar in the water. Then mix the two solutions and filter clear.

Alkermes Cordial.—

Reduce the mace, cinnamon, and cloves to a coarse powder macerate with the alcohol for several days, agitating occasionally, then add the remaining ingredients, and filter clear.

Anise Cordial.—

Mix the oils and anethol with the alcohol and the syrup with the water; mix the two and filter clear, as directed.

The name is frequently applied to a preparation containing blackberry root often combined with other astringents, but the true blackberry cordial is made according to the formulas given herewith. Most of these mention brandy, and this article should be good and fusel free, or it may be replaced by good whisky, or even by diluted alcohol, depending on whether a high-priced or cheap cordial is desired.

I.—Fresh blackberry juice, 3 pints; sugar, 7 ¹/₂ ounces; water, 30 fluidounces; brandy, 7 ¹/₂ pints; oil of cloves, 3 drops; oil of cinnamon, 3 drops; alcohol, 6 fluidrachms. Dissolve the sugar in the water and juice, then add the liquor. Dissolve the oils in the alcohol and add ¹/₂ to the first solution, and if not sufficiently flavored add more of the second solution. Then filter.

II.—Fresh blackberry juice, 4 pints; powdered nutmeg (fresh), 1 ounce; powdered cinnamon (fresh), 1 ounce; powdered pimento (fresh), ¹/₂ ounce; powdered cloves {764} (fresh), ¹/₂ ounce; brandy, 2 ¹/₂ pints; sugar, 2 ¹/₂ pounds. Macerate the spices in the brandy for several days. Dissolve the sugar in the juice and mix and filter clear.

Cherry Cordials.—

The oils, ethers, and extracts must be dissolved in the alcohol, the sugar in part of the water, then mix, add the juice and filter clear. When the juice is not sufficiently sour, add a small amount of solution of citric acid. To color, use caramel.

Dissolve the oils in the alcohol, then add the other ingredients and filter clear. It is better to make this cordial during the cherry season so as to obtain the fresh expressed juice of the cherry.

Curacoa Cordials.—

Mix the first three ingredients and reduce them to a coarse powder, then mix with the alcohol and 4 pints of water and macerate for 8 days with an occasional agitation, express, add the sugar and enough water to make a gallon of finished product. Filter clear.

Reduce the solids to a coarse powder, add the alcohol and macerate 3 days. Then add the oil, gin, and 3 pints of water and continue the maceration for 8 days more, agitating once a day, strain and add sugar dissolved in balance of the water. Then add the orange-flower water and filter.

Kola Cordial.—

Macerate kola and cochineal with alcohol for 10 days, agitate daily, add arrac, vanilla, and sugar dissolved in water. Filter.

Kümmel Cordials.—