328 



RECREATION. 



and make as large an image as you would 

 get at 6 inches with regular lens. Cost 

 of amplifier, $i to $2. — Editor. 



THE CINEMATOGRAPH FORETOLD. 



The Photographic Chronicle recalls the 

 fact that over 40 years ago Sir John Her- 

 schel predicted animated photography. 

 ''What I have to propose," he wrote in 

 i860, "may appear a dream, but it has the 

 merit of being a possible and perhaps a 

 realizable one. It is the stereoscopic rep- 

 resentation of scenes in action — a battle, 

 a debate, a public solemnity, a pugilistic 

 conflict, a harvest home, a launch, any- 

 thing within a reasonably short time which 

 may be seen from a single point of view." 



All that Sir John demanded was to be 

 able to take a photograph in the tenth of a 

 second. His dream is realized in the cine- 

 matograph, for which the tenth of a sec- 

 ond would be unnecessarily. long. The pre- 

 vision was noteworthy, even for so clear- 

 sighted a man as the younger Herschel. 



SNAP SHOTS. 

 i. What will prevent the staining of the 

 finger nails in using pyro for a developer? 



2. What will remove such stains? 



3. What will prevent the brittleness of 

 the nails, caused by the use of pyro? 



E. L. Kelly, Asheville, N. C. 



ANSWER. 



. I. A preparation called New Skin, ad- 

 vertised in Recreation, is good. Coat the 

 finger tips with it. A plate lifter is excel- 

 lent. One of those that rest on the edge 

 of the tray, made of aluminum in the shape 

 of the letter Z is as good as any, and can 

 be made at home or bought for 15 cents. 



2. Persulphate of ammonia well rubbed 

 on where the stains exist. Do not use a 

 solution, but the chemical itself just damp- 

 ened. 



3. Lanolin, perhaps. — Editor. 



Please give me a simple formula for a 

 quick drying and easily removed prepar- 

 ation for backing plates. Which will pro- 

 duce the best result as to color values, 

 ordinary plates used with a Ray screen 

 or orthochromatic plates without the 

 screen? A. R. Sedgley, 



Wakefield, Mass. 



ANSWER. 



There is no published formula for back- 

 ing which is not slow in drying and very 

 sticky. You can get a cake of what you 

 want from Edward W. Newcomb, Bible 

 House, N. Y., for 50 cents. It will last 

 you a year unless you are an enormous 

 user of plates, and it dries quickly and re- 

 moves with a rub of a damp cloth. His 

 formula is not published. — Editor. 



I notice in July Recreation 2 methods 

 given for mounting photographs on glass. 

 Here is another: Take a sufficient quan- 

 tity of pure gelatine, soak it in cold water 

 until thoroughly swelled, then warm it un- 

 til it melts. Apply it to both the print 

 and the glass with a squeegee, work out 

 all air bubbles and surplus gelatine and let 

 dry. This gelatine solution may be pre- 

 served by adding a small quantity of alco- 

 hol and keeping it in a tightly corked 

 bottle. A. T. Tweedie, 



Croswell, Mich. 



Recreation's 6th annual photo competi- 

 tion closes November 30. Have you sent 

 in your picture yet? If not, you should 

 make good use of the intervening time. See 

 list of prizes, head of the photo department 

 of this issue of Recreation. The first is 

 a camera valued at $85; «the second an- 

 other camera valued at $61.50, and so on. 

 There are a lot of good things in store for 

 the persons "who make the best pictures 

 entered in this contest. Well known men 

 will be chosen as judges, and at least one 

 of them will be an expert amateur pho- 

 tographer. Don't fail to participate. 



In the hands of men entirely great, the 

 camera is mightier than the' gun. 



I received the Shattuck double hammer- 

 less shot gun and the Bristol fishing rod. 

 Am much pleased with both. The gun is 

 much better' than I expected. Please ac- 

 cept my thanks for both. 



Chas. Houghton, Binghamton, N. Y. 



The Texas wells are all in play — 



With every one a teaser; 

 She scorns her neighbors o'er the way 



And doth outgrease the Greaser. 



— Cleveland Plain Dealer. 



When a bird or a wild animal is killed, 

 that's the end of it. If photographed, it 

 may still live and its educational and sci- 

 entific value is multiplied indefinitely. 



The boy sat on a hornet's nest- 

 He thought it was a pillow. 



His family laid him down to rest 

 Beneath a weeping willow. 



—Judge 



Names of great men ill remind us, 

 We can make our own sublime, 



If we can but make the printer 

 Spell them all out every time. 



— Judge. 



