58 farmers' and mechanics' journal. 



in alum, whether it existed previously in the clay, potash, urine, 

 or vitriol, used in the manufacture. 



Our dyers may discover when alum contains iron, by dissolving 

 a small portion of it, and dropping in a few drops of a solution of 

 pure prussiale of potash, which, when iron is present, will cause a 

 blue precipitate, pale, when slightly impregnated, and denser as 

 the iron is more abimdant. As the prussiale of potash of com- 

 merce may contain iron, it will be necessary that our dyers should 

 have a pure solution, which they can obtain by applying to Mi". 

 William Partridge, 34, ClitF-street, New-York. Hopson. 



[JV. Y. Statesman. 



ON THE STAINING OF WOOD. 



Dem- Sir, — When I closed the letter which accompanies this, I 

 forgot to mention a stain, as cabinet-makers would call it, for some 

 sorts of wood used in the making of cabinet furniture. This stain 

 consists simply of a decoction of walnut or hickory bark, with a 

 sm.aH quantity of alum dissolved in it, in order to give permanency 

 to the color. Wood, of a white color, receives from the applica- 

 tion of this liquor, a beautiful yellow tinge, very little liable to fade. 

 Indeed, so far as I have ascertained the fact by several experi- 

 ments, the color does not appear to fade at all ^ and I have good 

 reason to think, that it will abide until it is worn off. So far -es 1 

 have tried the experiment, the color retains its proper state, when 

 not defended at all from the action of the light and the air; when 

 protected by varnish, it will, of course, be still less liable to change. 

 1 have in my house, an article of furniture stt'ined in this manner, 

 which has stood exposed to the near light of a window fifteen 

 months, and the color appears at this time, \i any change has taken 

 place, even brighter than at tirst. 



This stain is particularly adapted to several kinds of furniture 

 which are commonly made oi maple. It gives a beautiful and deli- 

 cate tinge to the high posts of bedsteads, when made of that kind 

 of maple which is called curly or curled. But to that kind of ma- 

 ple which is called binVs-eije, it gives the finest appearance of any. 

 This species of wood is commonly prepared, by cabinet-makers, 

 by scorching its surface over a quick fire, which does not, at the 

 same time, smoke. The wood, after being thus scorched, is made 

 smooth in the usual way, and varnished. The scorching produces 

 a great variety of dark shades and specks on the surface ; these 

 have generally been considered to possess considerable beauty, and 

 the wood, so prepared, has come into pretty extensive use in the 

 making of particular sorts of cabinet furniture. When bird's-eye 

 maple is thus prepared, except the varnishing, if it is then stained 

 with the walnut dye, it receives much additional beauty. In the 

 common mode of preparing that wood, the colors are black, of va- 

 rious shade? and degrees of intenseness ; and that kind of white, 

 though somewhat tarnished, which is natural to maple. These 

 colors are destitute of any other lustre than what the varnish mere- 



