•Prt RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 2, 1920 
'im 
NEPDN5ET ROOFS 
In the long run Bird’s 
Neponset Paroid is the cheapest 
roofing to use 
Twenty years without a single repair 
is not an unusual record for a Paroid 
Roof. 
That’s why we say that Paroid is 
the cheapest roofing to use. 
Paroid comes in natural gray. Every 
roll complete, with nails and cement. 
If your dealer does not carry Paroid we 
will ship direct to you. 
Bird & Son, inc. (Established 1795) East Walpole, Mass. 
Stumps removed for the 
cost of a tin of tobacco 
F. A. Rullman, Hawthorne, Fla., used Atlas 
Farm Powder and removed 980 stumps at a cost 
of about 15 cents each. In describing this ex¬ 
perience Mr. Rullman writes: 
We removed 980 stumps, of which 684 were green pine. 
The tap roots of the green stumps averaged 11 inches in 
diameter. I used 572 pounds of Atlas Powder and it 
required two men helpers for 19 days. The cost of re¬ 
moving the stumps averaged 14 4-5 cents per stump." 
Atlas Farm Powder takes the 6tumps out clean 
and breaks them into pieces that can be easily 
handled. 
Reading our book, “Better Farming with Atlas 
Farm Powder,” will enable you to blast stumps, 
make ditches, plant trees, break boulders and 
promote plant growth by subsoiling. Write 
for it today. 
ATLAS POWDER COMPANY 
Division R.N.2, Philadelphia, Penna. 
ealert everywhere Magazines near you 
Simple Science 
By Dr. F. D. Crane 
Softening Hard Water 
Will you advise of a chemical or chem¬ 
icals which will not injure clothes, to 
soften water? L. E. c. 
Larchmont, N. Y. 
We have frequently taken up this mat¬ 
ter of softening water in the columns of 
The R. N.-Y., and we can only repeat 
the advice already given. Prepare a mix¬ 
ture of ammonia carbonate, say, four 
ounces, and eight ounces of the strongest 
water of ammonia; dilute this with ordi¬ 
nary water to one pint, shake to dissolve. 
When you wish to soften some water, add 
a few drops of this and stir. Just how 
much you will have to add it is impos¬ 
sible to say. You should make a test 
with a reasonable amount, say a gallon, 
of the water, and after adding half a tea¬ 
spoonful of the mixture, allow it to stand 
for a few hours, and then take some of 
the clear water from the top and. placing 
it in a good light, add a few drops of 
the mixture. If you see a cloud, it shows 
that there is not quite enough added in 
the first place. It will do no harm at 
all to the clothes if you get a few drops 
too much of this mixture, and we think 
it will give you results if you are willing 
to take the trouble to use it. On the 
other hand, if you happen to have mag¬ 
nesia hardness in your water, this will 
help some, but will not wholly cure the 
trouble, in that case you will have to 
use a water softener which also contains 
sodium ammonium phosphate. If the 
Suggestions given above do not work, you 
may write us again and we will see what 
we can do for you. 
Sterilizing and Bleaching Syrup 
I have had trouble with my syrup sour¬ 
ing and fermenting. How much sulphur 
dioxide should be used to prevent this, in 
what way is it used, and at what stage of 
the making should it. be applied in sor¬ 
ghum syrup? I have quite a quantity 
to make soon. M. H. w. 
Ivoxley, Ala. 
The old method was to burn sulphur in 
the keg or barrel. A better way is to get 
a cylinder of the compressed gas, so that, 
by ‘weight, you can tell just how much 
vou are using. A pipe from the cylinder 
is led into the syrup, and the given 
amount run in very slowly under good 
stirring. This will be better for you than 
a small sulphur burner, and if you do not 
know where to get the gas, we may be. 
able to help you ; but see first if you can¬ 
not order it locally. The gas, compressed, 
is sold at about 10 cents a pound, but tne 
cylinders, which may be returned for 
credit within a reasonable time, are rather 
expensive. The gas should be used last, 
and very little is needed, just how much 
depends on the state of the syrup. Do 
not try to replace cleanliness and care 
with sulphur dioxide, but make the very 
best syrup you can and then give it just 
a touch of the gas. 
the clipping, but wc have cut them short 
because this is merely a scheme for mak¬ 
ing caustic soda or soda lye at home. It 
is exactly the scheme (except for the 
borax, which is mere camouflage, as it is 
killed off by the lime), which was used 
for years in making all caustic soda on a 
large scale, and is perhaps being worked 
.vet, although the electrical soda is push¬ 
ing the other sort off the market. If 
you want to add a little soda lye to vour 
wash, by all means do so; it will certainly 
hustle out the dirt, and the effect on the 
clothes depends partly on the ( sort of 
goods and partly on the amount of boil¬ 
ing- Hut you may as well know what 
you are doing. You can buy the straight 
lye a good deal cheaper in a can. and 
dilute it to suit yourself. 
Eggs in Water Glass 
I find my eggs in water glass are not 
keeping. Wlmt is the trouble? j. r. 
Kalamazoo, Mich. 
From the sample you sent you must have 
missed count when you diluted and put 
in too much water. It is too thin. Also, 
the chances are that you cracked an egg 
when putting them in. and so started the 
trouble. It is too late to do anything 
with that lot. Next year, after you have 
made up your solution, test it. before you 
put in the eggs, as follows: Get a little 
phenolphthalein, common in drug stores, 
as it is a mild cathartic; say 5 cents’ 
worth, and dissolve it in a half ounce of 
denatured alcohol. This is your indicator 
and you use only one drop for each 
test. Get a medicine dropper and a 
%x6-in. test tube, if you can: if not, a 
small, clear, glass vial will do. Put in 
the test tube, or vial, about an inch in 
the water glass solution as you have made 
it. up. and add one drop of the indicator. 
It should turn a deep red. Now add. one 
drop at a time, shaking between drops, 
strong vinegar, till the red color just 
goes. If you run over the first time, try 
again ; the color will fade to a pink, and 
then one drop more will take it out. Tne 
contents of the test tube should now be 
held quiet for two minutes, and then, on 
tipping the tube, should be found to have 
set to a jelly firm enough not to run when 
the tube is inverted, and as firm as or¬ 
dinary currant or apple jelly inside of 10 
minutes. If it is not a jelly as described, 
the water glass is too thin, and more of 
the original should be used. 
Discolored Vinegar 
T have some cider vinegar which has 
bepn darkened by contact with iron, fan 
it be used for pickles? E. o. w. 
The vinegar is harmless, and there is 
no reason why you cannot use it if you 
do not mind the color. It is likely that 
there will also be a slight change in the 
flavor, which may become more marked 
whpn used with other flavors in pickles. 
Better try a small lot first. 
Cleaning Contaminated Water 
On moving into our present home we 
were informed that former tenants had 
disconnected the supply pipes (house 
leaders) and utilized the cistern as a de¬ 
pository for kitchen and possibly bedroom 
slops, etc. We had it thoroughly cleaned 
out and new leaders connected for the 
supply of water, and piped the kitchen 
waste into the cesspool, furthermore, 
dropped a sack of charcoal and lime into 
the cistern water, and since November 
had a constant supply of water for wash¬ 
ing purposes, but feared to use it for 
drinking. We were advised to test the 
water, viz., put household ammonia into 
a glass of water, which we did. and the 
water remained as dear as crystal. Wo 
also communicated with the county health 
physician, who recommended a laboratory 
auaylsis at a cost of $25, and we now ap¬ 
peal to you for a less costly analysis, that 
will determine if the water, which is al¬ 
ways clear and cold, can be utilized for 
drinking purposes, as we are now procur¬ 
ing our drinking and cooking supply, from 
a neighbor, which is somewhat incon¬ 
venient. A. N. 
Brentwood, N. Y. 
The steps you have taken are all pro- 
pi r :iini are about all that you can do 
except to clean again at a convenient 
time and get the lime and charcoal out, 
since they have done all the good they 
ran. and are hardening your soft water. 
There is no domestic test which can be 
employed; even the professional test is 
rather difficult, and the sum mentioned 
was reasonable. It is unlikely that there 
are any harmful germs alive at this late 
(late, and after one more cleaning the 
water will probably be all right. 
Washing Fluid 
A clipping gives the following as a good 
homemade washing fluid. Will it work 
and will it affect the clothes? B. 
Arizona. 
The clipping calls for 2 lbs. .of un¬ 
slaked lime, 4 lbs. of sal soda. lb. 
borax, 20 qts. water. Boil one-half hour, 
let stand over night, decant the clear 
liquid, and use one cupful to a boiler full 
of water. There are more directions on 
Removing Skunk Odor 
On page loS4 II. ,T. H. complains that 
skunks have been disturbed in his cellar, 
and in consequence have imparted their 
characteristic odor to the premises, and 
asks for a remedy. Dr. Crane suggests 
the use of either chloride of lime or burn¬ 
ing sulphur as a possible method of relief, 
but confesses that his suggestion comes 
largely from the standpoint of a “theoreti¬ 
cal chemist.” Now his “theory” may 
work out all right, and the chemicals sug¬ 
gested may deodorize the premises per¬ 
fectly. I cannot triy as to that. But 
it is always safer to follow advice that is 
based upon practieal experience., and *so 
I suggest n thorough spraying with gaso¬ 
line as a convenient and effective remedy. 
But there are others that are equally sat¬ 
isfactory. 
When T was about 10 years old. I. to¬ 
gether with a companion of my own age, 
chased a.skunk into a neighbor’s woodshed, 
during the absence of every member of 
the family, and we threw sticks of wood 
at the poor fellow until it died. Then, 
with a wholesome respect for a horsewhip 
that luing in the carriage house, we denied 
all knowledge of the affair, and denied 
even being on the premises, and wo were 
fortunate enough to get away with our 
denials. But the people deodorized the 
shed by burning a quantity of damp, 
moldy hay in the building. On another 
occasion a skunk found its way into a 
back kitchen, where the family oat gave 
it a good battle. In this instance deodor* 
ization was accomplished by tightly dos¬ 
ing the doors and windows, and burning 
a lot of old woolen ragsviu the room, and 
I can recall several other instances in 
which the highly perfumed premises were 
deodorized by the use of strong-smelling 
smoke. The Indians, when hunting the 
moose, often anoint themselves witn the 
mephitica in order to destroy the man 
scent, and enable them to approach closer 
to their game, and they deodorize their 
clothing by banging them in the smoke 
arising from the burning of green spruce 
or cedar brush. Perhaps it.is not:too 
much of a theoretical proposition to as¬ 
sume that a similar application of smoke 
will effectually deodorize the premises in 
question. c. o. obmsbee. 
