exposition of asbestos held in Rome, the ma¬ 
terial was exhibited under all forms, from the 
crude state as mined, to its highest industrial 
preparations. There were samples of thread 
made from the mineral which were stronger 
than the best English cotton; cloth, from 
coarse bagging to a fabric as fino as linen; 
paper for writing, printing, and sheathing 
buildings and pasteboard. The asbestos paper 
is made at Tivoli, and costs about 40 cents per 
pound. It is especially useful for important 
documents which it is desired to preserve from 
fire. To test the fire-proof qualities of the 
pasteboard, a case made therefrom was filled 
with ordinary paper; another caso of paste¬ 
board, not containing asbestos, but otherwise 
exactly similar, was likewise filled, and both 
were thrown into a lire. In the space of five 
minutes the unprepared pasteboard box and its 
contents were wholly consumed, while to that 
period the asbestos box remained uninjured. 
-- 
ABOUT MATCHES. 
notoriously damp and unwholesome, on high but 
made ground, a face-brick in the fourth row 
from the foundation was found to contain eight¬ 
een ounces of water. Respecting the capacity 
for absorption, three brickB from a building in 
the process of erection look up in twenty-four 
hours from eight to fifteen ounces. From a 
certain brick-yard samples of faood-hrick ab¬ 
sorbed ten and a half and eleven ounces ; from 
another yard, pressed brick took up twenty and 
a half and eighteen and a half ounces in the 
same time. How is it possible to have dry and 
healthy houses made of such miserably porous 
materials ? The inference to bo drawn from the 
foregoing statement of startling facts is that 
bricks raado to-day are less compact than those 
made at an earlier date. The miserable “ brown 
stone ” houses of New York, or at least many of 
them, made of the coarsest, cheapest and mean¬ 
est stones, are probably no better than those 
made of the cheapest brick. 
In an exhaustive and interesting article on 
the rise and progress of the manufacture of - 
lncifer matches contributed to Nature by J. C. 
Thomlixson, we find some things described 
which sre not generally known. For instance, 
in relation to the discovery of what is called red c 
phosphorus, he says; 
About the year 1850 a gentleman entered the 1 
laboratory of King’s College, London, and drew c 
from hia waistcoat pocket, a fragment of a ‘ 
rough-looking red solid, and, placiug it in the 
hands of Professor Miller, asked him if he knew 
what it was. It was handed round among those 
present, but no one had the slightest idea as to 
its nature, when, to the astonishment of every 1 
one, the gentleman said. “It is phosphorus, 
amorphous pliosphoruB, discovered by me, Herr 1 
Schrotter of Vienna.” 
Up to this time, and indeed for some years ' 
later, persons engaged in tho manufacture of 
lucifers were subject to a terrible disease, J 
known in tho London hospitals as thk “ jaw 
disease;" necrosis of tho lower jaw, induced by 
constantly inhaling fumes of phosphoric acid 
escaping from tho phosphorus of tho paste with 
which the matches were tipped. 
Ordinary matches made with phosphorus 
were, during many years, dangerous contriv¬ 
ances. They w T ere luminous in the dark, liable 
to ignition on a warm mantle-piece, poisonous; 
childr en have been killed by using them as play¬ 
things ; and, moreover, they absorb moisture, 
and become useless by ago. 
But tho chief inducement in getting rid of 
ordinary phosphorus and substituting the now 
variety was to put an end, aa far as possible, 
to the Jaw disease. Tho rod, or amorphous, 
gave off no fumes, had no smell, was not poison- 
oub, and tho matches made with it were not 
luminous in the dark; they did not fire on a 
warm mautlepiece, did not contract damp, and 
would keep for any length of time. A manu¬ 
facturer in 1851, sent me several samples of 
matches made with red phosphorus. I found 
some of these matches tho other day, and they 
were as active, after twonty-iive years, as at 
first. 
But here was a difficulty. When the red 
phosphorus is brought into contact with potassic 
chlorate a slight touch is sufficient to produce an 
explosion, iu which the red phosphorus reas- 
Burnes its ordinary condition. Many attempts 
were made to form a paste, and many accidents 
and some deaths occurred iu consequence. 
Prizes and rewards were offered by manufactur¬ 
ers and others for a safe paste, or for some 
means of using tho red instead of the ordinary 
phosphorus; but without success, so that the 
patent for the manufacture of red phosphorus, 
which was secured by Mr. Albright of Birming¬ 
ham in 1851, threatened to be of but little 
value. 
At length the happy idea occurred to a 
Swedish manufacturer not to attempt to make a 
paste at all with the red phosphorus, but to 
make the consumer bring the essential ingre¬ 
dients together in the act of igniting the match. 
Mr. Preece’s suggestion, that the ignition of 
the matches ia due to electricity, may be dis¬ 
missed in the face of the following experiment: 
Place a few grains of red phosphorus on a hard 
surface, together with some powder or a crystal 
o^fcotassic chlorate, when a gentle tap will 
cause them to burBt into a flame. 
ABSORBING CAPACITY OF BRICKS. 
In a recent Oity Health Report of St. Louis, 
Dr. D. V. Dean, the city chemist, among various 
other facts relating to public health, said that he 
had examined the condition of brick walls in 
buildings standing in dry and damp situations. 
Bricks were tested, first taking one in dry weather 
from an old one-story building placed on high 
ground, well sewered and well exposed to sun¬ 
shine. A face-brick fiext above the foundation 
contained one ounce of water ; four feet higher, 
half an ounce ; and just under the level of the 
roof, one-twelfth. In a house differently placed, 
Domestic (gcouomg. 
A SERMON TO GIRLS ON COOKING. 
Good advice to girls and boys is always abun¬ 
dant and, wo may add, a cheap article iu market, 
and perhaps this is ono reason why It is not 
more frequently hooded by those most in need 
of it. But here is another excellent pioco of 
advice to girls, given by a correspondent of tho 
8. 8. Times : 
Cooking classes have been popular among 
fashionable young ladios of late years. But 
thcro is no cooking class which quite equals in 
its opportunity for excellent information that 
which you may find at home. Presuming that I 
am talking to a girl who has Just left school, I 
advise you to make use of your lelsuro in taking 
lessons from your mother. There is an abso¬ 
lute, splendid feeling of independence in know¬ 
ing how to make perfectly light, sweet, substan¬ 
tial bread. Then try your band at biscuits, 
muffins, corn-bread, toast, and all the different 
forms into which breadatuffa may bo blondod. 
Toast seems a simple thing enough, but it ia 
frequently so ill-mado that it does not deserve 
tho name. Gruel, a necessity of tho sick room, 
is often a hopeless mystery to women who have 
the vaguest idea of how it is evolved from the 
raw material. After you have mastered tho 
bread question, try meats and vegetables. Any 
bright girl who can comprehend an equation, or 
formulate a syllogism, can overcome the difficul¬ 
ties which beset her when learning to cook. 
Lucent sirups, goldon cake, delicately browned 
bread, quivering jellies, molting creams, and tho 
whole set of material things glorified, because 
made for Iovo’b sake and for the good of one’s 
dour ones, aro fit expressions for any woman. 
Tho charm of this accomplishment lies in tho 
fact that it imparts to its owner a gratifying 
sense of power; it bestows on her, too, tho 
power of blessing and resting those she loves 
best. Whorover the cook goes she takes her 
welcome along. One may tire of tho sweetest 
singing, of the loveliest poetry, of the finest 
painting, and of the most witty conversation, 
but of good cooking, never. Yet I would be 
sorry to have you contented to be only a cook, 
only a domestic machine. That ib not my moan¬ 
ing or intention. Be artist, poet, inventor, and 
well-bred woman; bo tho most and the best that 
you can, and add, as a matter of course, ability 
to keep house well and to do all that good house¬ 
keeping includes. 
—-«*-*-*-— 
THANK8, AND FAVORS RETURNED. 
Superior Sponge Cake.— Ono pound of sugar; I 
half a pound of sifted flour; grated rind aud ‘ 
juice of one lomon ; ton eggs, or whites of twelve i 
and yelks of eight. Beat tho yelks as light as j i 
possible: add the BUgar and lemon, and beat i 
very hard; then add ono third of the whites 
beaten until they stand alone, and give all a 1 
good heating ; add one third of the flour, then 1 
one third of tho whites alternately, until all aro ' 
used. When tho flour is put in, stir in tho gent¬ 
lest manner, as beating then makes the cake 
heavy. Better have some ono beat tho whites 
while you beat the yelks, iu order to get it in 
the oven so soon as possible. If baked in ono 
loaf, hake one how. If mado properly, it is very 
delicious. Mns. Mart Olis. 
To “Estelle.” — Variegated or Marble Cake. 
—One and a half cups of sugar ; one half cup of 
butter; one and a half cups of flour ; half a cup 
of corn starch; half a cup of sweet milk ; whites 
of six eggs; one teaspoon of croam tartar; one 
half teaspoon of soda; mix buttor and sugar 
thoroughly till very light; add first, corn starch 
dissolved in milk; second, whites of eggs ; third, 
flour. 
For the Yellow. -Mako the same as white, 
using yelks of eggs. Drop with a spoon, white 
and yellow alternately. Bako an hour or more 
in a good oven. Flavor with lemon extract. 
• A Reader. 
Stockings of Candle-Snicking. — Many good 
housekeepers of my acquaintance knit stockings 
fur “the men folks” of candlo-wicking. Take 
a ball and divide it by winding three or four 
strands into a ball. If it is flue, have four ; if 
coarse, three will do. Bet up tho stocking, put¬ 
ting a fourth less stitches than for woolen. Uso 
the coarsest needles, and knit as usual, only, as 
the strands aro not twisted, it will bo necessary 
to see that you do not split stitches. Throo 
Iballs will knit a pair. Thoso stockings never bo- 
como hard by washing, and aro very durable. I 
am told that two pairs will often last a man 
a year, summer and writer, both.— Farmer’s 
Wife. 
Fried Carrots. —Pare and wash the oarrots 
and divide them into halves, boil them tender in 
salted water; when done, drain them. Have 
ready a well beaten egg and a plato of very fino 
craoker crumbs. Roll the carrots in the egg, 
then in the cracker crumbs and fry in half but¬ 
ter and half lard, in order to give them a rich 
I brown. Serve immediately. 
Carrol Fritters.—Boil tho carrots in salted 
water until very tender; drain, and squeeze 
through a colander. To a pint of the cooked 
oaiTota add ono pint of sweet milk; two well 
beaten eggs; and flour enough to make it as 
thick aa for griddle cakos; (use flour which has 
been prepared by Btirring two heaping toaspoon- 
fula of baking powder and ono teaspoon of salt, 
thoroughly through ono quart of flour. It is 
always Well to have a pan of flour prepared ready 
for use ; it will often save a good deal of tirno and 
' hurry.) Have ready a pan of hot lard and drop 
tho mixture into it, a spoonffil at a time; fry to 
a light-brown on both sides. A very good side 
dish for dinner. Serve very hot. 
Slewed Carrots. —Wash and sorapo tho oarrots, 
or pare aa thinly as possible ; out them Into thin 
slices and throw thorn into as much boiling salted 
water as will cover them; boil gently until they 
are very tender; let the water nearly evaporate; 
1 then arid milk, a little butter, and flour enough 
made smooth in a little cold milk to make the 
' gravy of tho proper consistency. Servo hot. 
Why carrots aro not in more general use among 
our farmers’ wives Is a mystery to mo, as they 
aro a wholesome and delicious vegetable. 
Mrs. Rustic. 
tho sick room, ia either useless or positively ob¬ 
jectionable, owing to the false sense of security 
it is calculated to produce. To mako the air of 
a room smell strongly of carbolic acid by scatter¬ 
ing carbolic powder about the floor, or of chlor¬ 
ine, by placiug a tray of chloride of lime in a 
comer, is, bo far as the destruction of specific 
contagion is concerned, an utterly futilo pro¬ 
ceeding. The practical result of tho experiments 
goes to prove (1) that dry heat, when it can he 
appliod, is probably the most efficient of all dis¬ 
infectants ; (2) that the old plan of stopping up 
crevices and fumigating with sulphur and char¬ 
coal is more efficacious than any other proceed¬ 
ing with more modern disinfectants; (8) that 
the use of carbolio vapor for disinfecting pur¬ 
poses should be abandoned, owing to the rela¬ 
tive feebleness and uncertainty of its action. 
I tried the recipe for Graham bread from 
“ Farmer’s Wife"—in answer to Nina’s request— 
and found it excellent. Husband thought it the 
best I had ever made—better than any mado with 
any kind of yeaBt or emptyings; and In return, 
I will send her a recipe for a rye and Indian loaf, 
which ia excellent if one has fresh rye flour; 
also some cake recipes. Will some one send a 
good, tip-top recipe for crullers, and much ob¬ 
lige? Mbs. Mary Olin. 
-♦ » ♦- 
ORIGINAL RECIPES. * 
Rye and Indian Loaf. —One quart of com 
meal; one pint of fresh rye flour; two eggs; 
one cup sugar; one teaspoon salt; one teaspoon 
soda; two teaspoons cream tartar; one quart 
sweet milk, or sufficient to make a batter soft 
as johnny-cake. Put it into a basin or small iron 
kettle (which is better) and steam from two to 
three honra; then put it in a slow oven and 
brown nicely. 
Economy Cake. —Two cops of dried apples 
chopped fine ; soak over night; in the morning, 
simmer down as dry as possible; when cold, add 
cups of molasses; one cup of sugar; one 
teaspoonful of cloves ; two teaspooufuls of cin¬ 
namon ; one teaspoonful of nutmeg; two tea- 
spoonfuls of ealeratus; two eggs; two-thirds of 
a cup of shortening, and flonr enough to make 
a little stiffer than for ordinary cake. 
fggmtit Information. 
DISINFECTANTS. 
Db. Baxter has instituted a great number of 
very careful experiments with a view to test the 
disinfeoting properties of the so-called disinfect¬ 
ants commonly used. Evidence was adduced to 
show that carbolic acid, sulphur, permanganate 
of potaBh and chlorine are all endowed with true 
disinfectant properties, though in very varying 
degrees. The effectual disinfectant operation of 
chlorine and permanganate of potash appears to 
depend far more on the nature of the medium 
through whioh the particles of the infective mat¬ 
ter are distributed than on the specific charac¬ 
ter of the particles themselves. A virulent 
liquid cannot be regarded as certainly and com¬ 
pletely disinfected by sulphur unless it has been 
rendered permanently and thoroughly acid. No 
virulent liqnid can be considered disinfected by 
carbolic acid unless it contains at least 2 per cent, 
by weight of the pure acid. When disinfectants 
are mixed with a liquid, it is very important to 
be sure that they are thoroughly incorporated 
with it, and that no solid matters capable of 
( shielding contagion from immediate contact with 
j its destroyer, be overlooked. 
‘ Aerial disinfection, a* oommonly practiced in 
CEA-WATER vs. OBESITY. 
About a year since wo published a note from a 
correspondent, who claimed that, a toa mado 
from sea-wood, or sea-wrack, was a specific for 
obesity. Wo were inclined at tho time to doubt 
the efficacy of this remedy ; but quite a number 
of our readers have dosirod ub to give further 
facts in regard to it, hut, none having come under 
our observation, we have boon uuablo to comply 
with their requests. 
Wo now have another remedy to offer, which 
lias the advantago of tho former, as it appears 
to ho more reasonable that soa-wator would re¬ 
duce surplus flesh sooner than a ton made from 
a weed possessing little or no known medicinal 
properties. 
According to tho Fails Medicate, sea-water, 
taken internally, acts liko diuretic and purgative 
salts, a remarkable fact being that tho diuretic 
effect increases when the purgative diminishes. 
The water should be obtained, when possible, 
from some depth, and far from shore. It is then 
to bo loft to settle for six or twelve hours and 
filtered. It is to bo taken throo times a day, in 
doses of a small glassful, or iu half that quantity 
at a time, with fresh water or milk. It is stated 
aa a fact that soa-water thus used facilitates tho 
oxygenation of tho blood, and that it hastons 
tho elimination of effete materials. In combi¬ 
nation with this treatment, sea-water bathB aro 
to he taken, free exorcise is to bo practiced, and 
fattening foods avoided. 
-■ - 
HYGIENIC NOTES. 
Clergymen's Sore Throat, Catarrh, etc. —These 
affections are not to bo relieved by local applica¬ 
tions only. Get tho stomach and liver right and 
the troubles are apt to cense. Indigestion is the 
common cause of the sore throat of public speak¬ 
ers. 
Sick Headache. —Tho best remedy I have yet 
found for this troublesome ailment is the “Sev¬ 
en Springs Alum Mass." Tt is a now remedy, but 
is gaining a high reputation in diseases of tho 
stomach and bowels. It is obtained by evapora¬ 
tion of tho water of tho Sovon Springs. 
Milk Hash.- Can any reader of tho Rural 
give a safe cure of tho troublesome affection of 
children, called milk rash, or milk tetter? I 
havo tried such remedies as fish oil, butter oil, 
carbolic uoid and glyocrino, tar, piaster, oxide of 
zinc, etc,; but have yet to learn an efficacious 
prescription. a. n. jr. 
Collodion for Freckles. -The following prepar¬ 
ation is recommended as being effectual and 
harmless: One gram of sulphocarbolate of zinc 
ia reduced to a very fine powder, and then in- 
coporatod by trituration with one gram of es¬ 
sence of lemon (or other flavor); 5 grams of 
alcohol and 45 grains of collodion. 
Hard on Doctors, —Tho National Reformer 
(London) says: “It U stated that Terra del 
Fuego has been traversed by Lieut. Masters, R. 
N., who haa discovered that the natives believe 
in devils, and that they are the departed spirits 
of members of the medical profession. The 
main object of their religious ceremony is to 
keep these dovils at a distance from them. 
Poisoning by Illuminating Gas. —D. R. Dex¬ 
ter reports a case of a servant girl, occupying a 
small room, who so “ turned off tho gas" on going 
to bed, as to allow a large volume to escape into 
her room. In the morning she was found as¬ 
phyxiated, unconscious and nearly pulseless. 
Recovery in about four hours took place, under 
treatment by fresh air and spirits of ammonia, 
fifteen drops every ten minutes being given at 
first, 
i 
Bad Cold—l append two remedies for a cold, 
leaving the reader to take his choice; 1, As soon 
i as you find that you have an attack of cold, ab- 
, stain from swallowing anything that is liquid. 
You may eat ordinary food, but you must, not 
\ drink anything. Keep this up for Id hours, and 
. your cold will bo very slight;—for 20 hours, and 
you will be comparatively well. The first drink 
p of water you take, will teach you how good wa¬ 
ter is. 2. The first night after you take cold, 
take a dose of aperient medicine and rub well, 
night and morning, with a damp towel. 
