64 THE YOUNG 
water or wine, the cask must first be coated with 
pitoti. 
Restoring" Frozen People.— Medical men 
liave always differed as to whether the best treat- 
ment of frozen persons was by a gradual or rapid 
application of heat. To settle the matter, Lapt- 
chinski has made a series of very careful experi- 
ments upon dogs, with the following results: Of 
twenty animals treated by the method of gradual 
resuscitation in a cold room, fourteen perished ; 
of twenty placed at once in a warm apartment, 
eight died ; while of twenty immediately put into 
a hot bath, all recovered. 
Hard Putty.— The Carriage Monthly gives the 
following for a hard putty that will dry in one 
day: Take the whitening, mash all the lumps 
out on the stone, and mix into a stiff paste by 
adding equal parts of japan and rubbing varnish ; 
then add as much keg-lead as you think will make 
it work free with the knife ; then add the rest of 
the whitening until you have it to suit you. This 
will sand-paper good with one day's drying. If 
you want putty that will dry quicker, take dry 
white lead and mix with equal parts of japan and 
varnish, to which add a few drops of turpentine. 
This is very soft for puttying, but can be sand- 
papered in from two to three hours, it becoming 
perfectly hard in that time. 
Label Varnish.— An excellent varnish, which 
dries in a few seconds, and produces a colorless, 
smooth, and shining coat, is prepared, according 
to E. Kirsten, from the following: 
Sandarac 53 
Mastic -20 
Camphor l 
Oil of lavender 8 
Venice tun)entine i 
Ether 6 
Alcohol 40 
The ingredients must be macerated for weeks, 
until everything is dissolved. It is, therefore, 
advisable to prepare a, sufficient quantity to 
last for some time at once.— Pharm. Zeit., 1881, 
No. 13. 
Bismuth in Soft Solders.— The fusibility of 
soft solders is increased l:)y adding bismuth to 
the composition. An alloy of lead four parts, tin 
four parts, andbismuth one j^art is easily melted ; 
but this alloy may itself be soldered with an alloy 
of lead two parts, bismuth two parts, and tin one 
part. By adding mercury a still more fusible 
solder can be made, butthe strength of the solder 
is greatly lessened. Equal parts of lead, bis- 
muth, and mercury, with two parts of tin, will 
make a composition which melts at 12'2<» F., or an 
alloy of tin five parts, lead three parts, and bis- 
muth three parts will melt in boiling water. In 
mixing these solders, melt the least fusible metal 
first in an iron ladle, then add the others in ac- 
cordance with their infusibility. To cast strips 
of solder, pour a thin stream of the molten metal 
on a flat surface of stone or metal. 
SCIENTIST. 
Bolts anb Queries, 
In continuing this depaitment. which has been found of 
so much value, we would remind our readers who wibh for 
information on any of the arts and sciences, that they are 
cordially invited to make their wants known through this 
column, and those of them who can furnish accurate 
answers to questions asked are requested to send in replies. 
Doubtless many of our subscribers may know of methods, 
processes, or devices that may be better or more suitable for 
the particular c?se in question than anything generally 
known, and it is this reason that induces us to keep this de- 
partment open for a medium, where an interchange of ideas 
and practices may be made to the advantage of all our 
readers. Correspondents will please send their full address 
when forwarding their communications — either questions or 
answers — not for publicaiion, unless expressly so stated, but 
so that we may know where to find the wiiter if desirable. 
Communications should be sent in on or before the first of 
each month previous to publication, to insure insertion in 
next issue. 
Answers. 
In answer to R. G. (i).— Cathay is China; and 
as China is not looked upon as a particularly 
progressive country, the poet means to intimale 
that mere existence in Cathay during a whole 
"Cycle," or 25,000 years, would not be as full of 
real life and incident as fifty years in America or 
Europe. (2). The "Swiss Family Robinson," is 
an abridged translation of a German tale by Hum- 
bolt's tutor, Joachim Heinricli Ka,mpe.— S. K. 
12. S, N. will find that the drying and curing of 
skins is not a pleasant process, but many small 
kinds may be made useful should their owners 
know what to do with them, and will undertake 
the trouble. If the skin has already been dried, 
soak it in clean, and if possible, running water 
for twenty-four hours, w^orking it with the hands 
repeatedly during the time, until it becomes 
quite soft. II" the skin is soft and fresh, it will 
only need washing to remove the dust and dirt, 
and carehil scraping to remove any particles 
which may have adhered to the .^kin. Allow the 
soaked skin to drain until most of the moisture 
has left it; then lay it on a firm table with the 
hair underneath. Prepare the following mixture, 
and apply as directed: Alum, 5 lbs. ; salt, 2 lbs. ; 
coarse wheat, oats, or corn meal, 2 lbs. Powder 
all the ingredients carefully, and mix gradually 
in a. stoneware jar, or wooden bucket, with 
enough sour milk or sour buttermilk to bring it 
to the consistency of cream. Then, taking some 
ol it, rub it thoroughly into every part of the 
fieshy side of the skin, using as much force as 
possible to drive the mixttire into the pores. 
Give the skin as much rubbing as possible. Re- 
peat this process daily for eight or ten days, lay- 
ing the skin away each night, with plenty of the 
mixture to cover it, and folding it together with 
the fur side outwards. When it appears suf- 
ficiently tanned, wash as at first, in clean water, 
repeating the washing until there be no salt left 
in the skin, because, if any be left, the skin will 
grow damp on every moist day. The last process 
is to at)ply a strong solution of ahim without salt, 
and lay the skin to dry, exposed to the sun, if 
possible. When di-y it will be as hard as a board. 
Now roll it up into a tight roll, with the fur out- 
side. Tal^e a wooden mallet and beat it till it be- 
comes less stiff. Open it out and stretch it as 
follows:— Get any blunt instrument with a 
rounded edge— a large shoemaker's rasp, for in- 
stanee— and, laying the skin on the floor, proceed 
to w^ork it from the centre to the sides with the 
blunt end of the tool, steadying the skin by 
placing the foot upon it, using the tool with the 
right h-^nd and holding the skin with the left. 
AVhcn thoroughly worked all o\er, smooth with 
puni i(^e-stone, and it is finished. The forogoisig 
recipe is an excellent one, nnd. easy to follow. I 
hnve seen handsome rabbit-skin rngs, made of 
skins cured by this process by the yotingei- 
