a. 
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By Arthur Inkcrsley 
‘‘YOUTH AT THE HELM”? 
their use can be remedied, and the best results 
secured. 
Stains may be caused by forcing the develop- 
ment of underexposures; by a contaminated 
developer, or one that has become muddy; by 
insufficient rinsing between development and - 
_ fixing, or by too high a temperature of the solu- 
tions. The amateur may resort to every remedy 
which the causes of his trouble suggest, and 
still have stains of the most obstinate kind, 
which seem to baffle every effort to suppress 
them. There may be a longer exposure and a 
shorter development; a new developer may be 
prepared; the solutions may be made ice-cold, 
yet there may be stains. Their cause must be 
sought elsewhere. Examine your developing 
tray. If the bottom and sides are coated with a 
deposit which has accumulated with continued 
_ use, there will be stains until that deposit is 
removed.. Ordinary washing will not affect it, 
but if a solution of citric acid be poured into 
the tray and allowed to remain a-half hour or 
longer, the stain-producing deposit will become 
so loosened that it can be easily washed away 
Citric acid, though slower in its action than 
some of the more corrosive acids, is recom- 
mended because of its harmlessness and its 
having none of the poisonous fumes of the 
stronger acids. 
If blisters appear it will usually be in the 
wash water, after fixing. They can often be 
prevented by transferring the prints, one by 
one, into two or three changes of water to 
remove the surplus hypo, and then immersing 
them for about one minute in a saturated solu- 
tion of alum. The washing can then be con- 
tinued as usual. 
Abrasion marks, which are very common 
with the glossy papers, and appear occasionally 
on some of the others, can be removed by rub- 
bing the print with a tuft of cotton previously 
moistened with alcohol. There will be little 
