APPLICATIONS. 



Of heated or vulcanized gum-elastic. Its usefulness and variety. Novelty and peculiarity of 

 construction, and the necessity of detailed descriptions. Extent of application. The vyords 

 India rubber, gum-elastic, caoutchouc, synonymous throughout this work. 



In describing the applications of caoutchouc, the writer has 

 endeavored to confine himself to the description of such fabrics 

 and applications only as are deemed to be of practical utility, 

 though in some few instances articles are described which have 

 not been tested by use at the time of writing. 



Reasoning from the utility of other things like them in kind, 

 it may be fairly presumed that they are alike useful. Where 

 there is a doubt of the success or usefulness of any application, 

 the fact is stated in connection with the description of the 

 article. 



Had not the writer confined himself to rules of this sort, or 

 had he indulged in describing uses and things deemed of possible 

 or probable utility, or even described all the varieties of the same 

 class of articles, or enlarged upon all the ascertained uses of 

 successful applications, it would have swelled the volume to an 

 inconvenient size. To those who are unacquainted with the 

 subject, or who have not seen the specunens, there are 

 some applications mentioned, such as clothes-brushes, coal- 

 scuttles, kitchen utensils, &c., which may at first appear 

 ridiculous. Notwithstanding this, it may very likely be found 

 that these are the very articles to which some of the fabrics 

 are best adapted. In the description of the various arti- 

 cles, it is stated that each article is made of one or more of 



