CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 277 



calomel, which is afterward washed. Professor WJioler, Chem. Gazette, 

 July 18, 1854. 



MISCELLANEOUS CHEMICAL IMPEOVEMEHTS. 



Black Stain for Wood. The London Chemical Gazette gives the following : 

 4 Ibs., or two quarts of boiling water aje poured over 1 ounce of pounded 

 commercial extract of logwood, and when the solution is effected, 1 drachm 

 of yellow chromate of potash is added, and the whole well stirred. The fluid 

 is then ready for use as a writing ink or wood stain. It has a beautiful violet 

 blue color, but when rubbed upon the wood it produces a pure black. It is 

 apph'ed to the wood without warming or any other preparation by means of 

 a brush or sponge. When dry, the application of the dye is repeated, 

 and three, or at most four applications, produce a deep black color, which 

 acquires the highest beauty when polished or stained, and with equally good 

 results with different kinds of wood. 



Softening Horn. The London Artisan mentions an invention for softening 

 horn, and rendering it elastic like whalebone. The horns are cleaned, split, 

 opened out and flattened, and immersed for several days in a bath com- 

 posed of 5 parts of glycerine, and 100 parts of water. They are then 

 placed in a second bath, consisting of 3 quarts of nitric acid, 2 quarts of 

 pyroligneous acid, 12 Ibs. tannin, 5 Ibs. bitartrate of potash, and 5 Ibs. sul- 

 phate of zinc, with 25 gallons of water. After leaving this second bath 

 it will have acquired a suitable degree of flexibility and elasticity to enable 

 it to be used as a substitute for whalebone for certain purposes. 



Improvement in Preparing Vegetable Fiber. The following is the claim of a 

 patent recently granted to J. Blane, of New Orleans, for improvements in pre- 

 paring vegetable fibers : I do not claim burying the plants in either wet sand 

 or mud, as described in the "India" process, found in the Agricultural Eeports 

 of the Patent Office for 1854, page 174. Nor do I claim simply rotting the 

 plants on end with the butts down. But I claim the staking of the plants, 

 butts down, in a pit dug for said purpose, and surrounding them with dry 

 leaves, or straw, with earth thrown around the same, thereby inclosing 

 them entirely on all sides, leaving the top open and uncovered, as fully set 

 forth. 



Gun Cotton. The use of gun-cotton for artillery has to some extent been 

 adopted by the Austrian government during the past year. Four batteries 

 (32 pieces) have been already constructed, and others are in preparation. 

 Twelve-pounders, intended to be used with gun-cotton, require only the same 

 weight of metal, as six-pounders. The following are some of the results of 

 experimentation with this substance: A twelve pound ball was fired from 

 a gun, charged with powder, at some thick boards prepared for the purpose, 

 and another ball, of the same weight, was fired from one of the new guns, 

 charged with gun cotton ; although the new gun was six hundred yards 

 further from the target than the old one, the hole made by the shot of the 

 former was well defined and clean, while the orifice made by the latter was 

 jagged and splintery. 



