AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
85 
' PEEPAIRING PAINTS, | 
The following recipes, prepared by a prac¬ 
tical painter, have been sold for a dollar : 
1. To Boil Oil. —In boiling oil, never fill 
your kettle more than two-thirds, or it may 
run over and take fire. Place your kettle on 
the coals, simmer your oil till it will scorch 
a feather, when it will be fit for use. i 
2. To Grind Paint. —Put your paint on a 
large flat stone, with a smooth face, wet your 
paint with oil, and grind until fine. Be care¬ 
ful to grind fine, or there will be a waste of 
the paint, and your work will not look well. 
3. A Mixture for Drying Paint. —Take 8 
ounces of sugar of lead, 8 ounces of red lead, 
8 ounces of litharage, 4 ounces of umber; 
make fine, put them into a gallon of oil; sim¬ 
mer together one hour, then strain, pour in 
one pint of spirits of turpentine. Add one 
gill to one quart of paint to make it dry fast. 
4. Painting on Wood. —In any kind of 
painting your paint must be of the proper con¬ 
sistency, your wood clean and smooth, and 
you must have a proper brush, or you can 
not do good work. It is as necessary that a 
painter have good tools as any other mechan¬ 
ic, to enable him to make a good job. I have 
seen houses and other things spoiled with 
poor brushes. 
5. To Painta House White.— Mix 4 quarts 
of linseed oil, with one keg of white lead 
thoroughly. Commence at the top and paint 
six or eight boards at one through, using 
great care to lay the paint even and smooth. 
Inputting on three coats, make the second 
the thickest, adding a little Prussian blue to 
the last coat to make the white more clear. 
Be careful not to use too much blue; and 
you must putty all the holes and cracks be¬ 
fore the last coat is applied. 
6. Cream Color. —Add finely ground 
chrome yellow to white paint, (see No. 5,) a 
little at a time till the shade pleases you. 
You must add yellow every coat to have a 
good finish. 
7. Lead Color. —Add finely ground lamp¬ 
black to white paint, (No. 5,) till the color 
suits you. 
8. Blue Paint. —Prepare a sufficient quan¬ 
tity of white paint, then add finely ground 
Prussian blue in oil. Add a little at a time, 
until the color is light or dark as you may 
want the shade. 
9. Black. —In preparing black paint, grind 
lamp-black in oil; and as black dries slowly, 
you should add two ounces of litharage, to 
every pint of paint. Always use boiled oil 
for black, to give it a body. 
10. Verdigris Green. —Wrap verdigris in 
cabbage or other large leaves, and place it on 
the hearth, over which scatter cold ashes, 
then cover with coals, let it roast one hour, 
remove, and when cold, grind in oil. This 
is not so apt to fade as other green, and is 
used for outside work. 
11. Common Green. —This is composed of 
nearly equal quantities of Prussian blue and 
chrome yellow. It must be ground very fine 
in oil. The shade may be varied with white 
lead. 
12. Another Green. —You may purchase 
patent green ready for grinding, which is 
beautiful if genuine ; to be ground as other 
paint. 
13. Stone Color. —Burn umber on an iron 
plate until it is of a reddish cast. No color 
looks better for a room if well put on. 
14. Stone Color of a beautiful Green Shade. 
—Add to white paint, sufficient to make a 
light drab ; then green enough to make a 
green shade. 
15. Orange Color. —Combine white lead 
with chrome yellow in the proper proportion 
to make a bright straw color, then add red 
lead to tinge it to an orange. 
16. Straw Color. —Number 15 makes a 
straw color by leaving out the red lead. 
17. Dark Stone Color. —Add umber to light 
lead color, (see No. 7,) till the color suits. 
18. Blossom Color. —To white paint add 
red or Venetian red, till the color please. 
Red lead is the best. 
19. Flesh Color. —To white paint add 
chrome yellow enough to change its shade, 
then some red lead and a very small quantity 
of black, till the color suits. 
20. Best Copal Varnish. —Reduce 2 lbs. of 
gum copal to fine powder and pour it into a 
copper kettle that will hold 3 or 4 gals., and 
melt it over a fire of charcoal. When the 
gum is dissolved, add one pint and a half of 
hot flaxseed oil, having removed the gum 
from off the fire, stirring smartly while ad¬ 
ding the oil. When it is partly cool, add 
slowly 3 quarts of spirits of turpentine, still 
stirring. Care must be taken that the con¬ 
tents of the kettle are not too cool while ad¬ 
ding the turpentine ; if too hot it will take 
fire ; if too cool it will not mix well. Strain 
while warm. 
21. Carriage Varnish. —Manage your copal 
as directed in No. 20. Use 5 pints of hot oil 
that will scorch a feather, add 1 quart of tur¬ 
pentine, and proceed as in No. 20. This 
varnish will not crack. 
22. Gum Shellac Varnish. —Put a pounds 
of shellac gum into 2 quarts of spirits of 
wine, and shake occasionally ; and when it 
is dissolved it will be fit for use. This will 
not stand exposure ; it will dry in a few 
minutes, and answers well for coffins. 
23. Varnish to render Paper Transparent 
—Heat 2 gills of spirits of turpentine in an 
earthen vessel; when hot add 2 oz. resin, 
and stir until dissolved. Varnish both sides 
of your paper with one coat, and when dry it 
will be clear enough to read through. Lay 
this paper on a picture and mark the outlines, 
then cut it out, paint through the hole. In 
this manner you may paint any figure you 
may desire.—Due West Telegraph. 
Stewed Celery. —The Horticulturist high¬ 
ly recommends stewed celery. Cut the 
blanched or white portion of the celery 
stalks in pieces about an inch in length, and 
put them in a saucepan over the fire, with 
milk and water, in equal proportions, barely 
sufficient to cover them ; add alittle salt, and 
let them stew gently, until perfectly tender. 
Then take out the celery, add a piece of but¬ 
ter to the liquid it was boiled in, thicken it 
slightly with flour, pour it over the celery 
and serve it up. 
POTATO DIGGING MACHINE. 
Mr. Hasson's patent potato digging ma- 
chine-was tried on Thursday, at one o’clock, 
on a field belonging to Mr. Renwick, farmer, 
Maryhill. There was a large assemblage of 
agricultural gentlemen, landed proprietors, 
and engineers. The machine is of a simple 
yet peculiar construction, and is not of large 
dimensions. It runs on four wheels, two 
small ones at the muzzle, and two about the 
size of cart wheels on each side of the body 
of the machine. A sock, which tapers from 
a point to a plate about a foot and a half in 
breadth, is made to enter the drill at a depth 
below the deepest potato roots. A series of 
grapes is made to revolve immediately above 
this sock, which effectually scatters the po¬ 
tatoes above the soil, and separates the roots 
from the shaws. The axle of the wheels on 
which the machine is supported is so con¬ 
structed that the wheel with the grapes is 
worked by it, and can be stopped on turning, 
or on other necessary occasions. A box is 
placed in the center of the machine for con¬ 
taining the necessary implements for yoking, 
unyoking, and altering the machine. It was 
drawn on Thursday by two horses, and 
worked by two men ; one of them drove the 
horses, while the other worked the machine. 
The weather was exceedingly fine, and the 
soil was in excellent condition for the experi¬ 
ment. A few minutes after one o'clock the 
horses were attached and the machine start¬ 
ed. During the first round it was driven at 
great speed, but wrought beautifully. The 
roots were scattered clearly above the ground 
over a breadth of 9 yards. After two drills 
had been opened the horses were stopped for 
a few minutes, and the gentlemen who were 
on the ground having assembled around the 
machine, Mr. Hanson, the inventor, who 
was present, proceeded to explain the mode 
of operation. He said that he had a shaft 
which could be attached to it for the purpose 
of supporting a plate of zinc against which 
the potatoes would be thrown, so that they 
would fall in a regular line, and not be too 
much scattered. We afterwards heard Mr. 
Hanson explain that the machine could lift 
turnips at a distance of 6, 9, 12, or 18 inches 
by the attachment of hoes instead of grapes. 
He also stated in answer to a question put 
to him, that it could easily be made to throw 
the potatoes to both sides, so that it might 
be made to lift a field without requiring to 
turn round a number of drills. Not a single 
root was cut or injured in the slightest de¬ 
gree, and none were left in the ground. The 
method of lifting potatoes with the grape 
can not at all be compared with it, and it 
works with aboht double the speed of the 
common plow, while it destroys none of the 
crop.—Scottish Daily News. 
The best cough mixture that has been 
made consists of a pair of thick boots, mixed 
with lots of air and plenty of exercise. Peo¬ 
ple who hug the stove and grow lean will 
please take notice. 
A good word is an easy obligation; but 
not to speak ill, requires only our silence, 
which costs us nothing. 
