1880.] 



MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 



63 



ing simple method: I take a soft, 

 pine board and place upon it a 

 quantity of emery and water, and 

 rub the edges upon the wood and 

 emery. A groove soon forms in the 

 soft wood, into which the emery is 

 scraped, and the edge ib rubbed 

 until a good polish is obtained. 

 Sheets of fine sand or emery-paper 

 m5i\' also be used with success. 



In this, as in every thing else, 

 care and observation tend toward 

 perfection. As the fancy paper 

 covers are now nearly abandoned, 

 and very properly too, I think, 

 ground edges are a necessity, if one 

 would have his cabinet present an 

 attractive appearance, and make his 

 ■work popular with others. A few 

 persons grind off the corners of their 

 slides, making them quite round. 

 If this were a uniform custom it 

 might not be objectionable, but as 

 they are in a hopeless minority, it 

 is advisable to abandon it entirely. 



It may be asked whether it " wiU 

 pay " to do all this. I can say that 

 I think it will, unless one buys his 

 slides in large quantities. Turning 

 the stone with one hand and grind- 

 ing with the other, I have ground 

 twenty-five slides in an hour, which, 

 at ordinary prices, would make my 

 labor worth 75 cts per hour. But 

 whetlier it pays or not in dollars 

 and cents, a knowledge of how to 

 do the work with simple means 

 may not oidy lead to improvement 

 in the appearance of many cabinets, 

 but to the construction of many 

 accessories made of glass, which are 

 very useful about the microscope. 



Mounting in Balsam with Cells. 



If a cell is made upon a slide with 

 prepared balsam (by Merriman's 

 method). Algae and other objects 

 of considerable thickness, may be 

 mounted with great facility. The 

 cell is allowed to dry until clear, 



and sufficiently hard to bear the 

 touch of the finger. It is then filled 

 with prepared balsam, tliinned so 

 as to now readily. The Algse may 

 then be taken from the chloroform 

 (if treated according to Stodder's 

 method) and transferred to the cell. 

 The cover being applied, little or 

 no balsam will be found to overflow, 

 and the mount may be set aside to 

 harden. No spring-clip is required. 

 For a short time the inner edge of 

 tlie cell may be distinguished, but 

 presently the cell and the interior 

 fluid becom^ a homogeneous block 

 of balsam, and the mount is practi- 

 cally finished. A ring of gold-size 

 or other cement, may be added if 

 desired. W. 



New Microscopes and Acces- 

 sories. 



In the article describing Crouch's 

 "Histological" microscope, we were 

 in error when we stated tliat the 

 base was not of brass. Tlie stand is 

 made of brass throughout. 



This month we take pleasure in 

 presenting an illustration of Beck's 

 "Economic" stand, which has been 

 improved, and adapted to the wants 

 of those who desire a cheap and good 

 stand. When we have said this we 

 have but very little to add, for in its 

 original form this stand was one of 

 the best known in the market. 



The illustration shows the present 

 model with rack and pinion. A tube 

 for carrying sub-stage apparatus is 

 shown on Ae ri^ht. This tube is held 

 beneath the stage by a bayonet catch, 

 and serves to hold various accessories, 

 the most important of which are the 

 paraboloid, the dark-w^ell, the po- 

 larizing prism and the diaphragms. 



This stand is very convenient 

 and useful, and is attractive in ap- 

 pearance. 



Including a 1-inch and a 5^-inch 

 objectives, two eye-pieces and seve- 



