14 NATURE AND THE CAMERA 



filled with shot or sand, it will keep the curtain in 

 close contact with the floor. The window is easily 

 made by cutting a hole of the desired size and cov- 

 ering it with ruby cloth and orange paper. A lamp 

 on a bracket outside will give the best and most 

 steady light without heating the room. An extra 

 piece of ruby paper or cloth should shield the light 

 when isochromatic plates are being used. 



If by tapping the water-pipe you can have running 

 water, do so, as you will find it is well worth the 

 small cost. A plentiful supply of water is the way 

 to be sure of having everything clean, and cleanliness 

 in photographic work counts for a great deal. 



Inside the dark room the shelves should be ar- 

 ranged so that there will be a place for changing 

 plates, a place for the developing trays, a small shelf 

 for chemicals and graduates, and another shelf below 

 all the others for the fixing-bath. Having this below 

 the shelf on which the developing is done insures 

 one against the possibility of having drops of hypo 

 fall into the developer. 



Developing. — While it might be taken for granted 

 that the reader knows how to develop, still a few 

 words may be said on the subject for the benefit of 

 the beginner. Developing a plate is, briefly speak- 

 ing, subjecting an exposed plate which holds a latent 

 image to the action of certain chemicals which will 



