152  PHOSPHORUS  AND  MATCH  MANUFACTURES. 
has  a  series  of  fifty  transverse,  shallow  notches  upon  its  upper 
surface  to  receive  fifty  splints,  and  is  covered  on  its  lower  side 
with  felt  or  other  soft  material.  Having  placed  one  of  these 
strips  upon  the  bottom  piece,  he  takes  up  a  handful  of  splints 
and  quickly  deposits  fifty  of  them,  one  in  each  groove,  their  ends 
projecting  one  and  a  quarter  inches  on  each  side ;  he  then 
places  another  strip  upon  the  first  one,  and  fills  it  in  like  man- 
ner, and  so  on  until  the  pile  of  twenty-four  rows  is  complete. 
A  thicker  strip  of  wood,  similar  to  the  bottom  piece,  covered 
upon  its  lower  side  with  felt,  is  then  placed  upon  the  top,  and 
the  whole  secured  moderately  tight  by  means  of  thumb-screws, 
or  pegs  fitting  into  holes  in  the  uprights.  The  splints  are  then 
ready  for  being  tipped  at  their  ends  with  the  phosphorous  com- 
position.   Many  children  are  employed  at  this  kind  of  labor. 
The  exact  ingredients,  and  their  proportions,  in  the  phosphor- 
ous composition,  differ  in  different  countries  and  with  different 
manufacturers,  but  they  all  consist  essentially  of  emulsions  or 
mixtures  of  phosphorus  in  a  solution  of  glue  or  gum  arabic, 
with  or  without  other  matters  for  increasing  the  combustibility, 
for  coloring,  &c.  In  England  the  composition  contains  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  chlorate  of  potash,  which  imparts  a  snap- 
ping quality,  and  noisy  projecting  flames,  and  but  little  phos- 
phorus, on  account  of  the  moisture  of  the  climate  ;  other  sub- 
stances are  also  added  to  give  hardness  and  power  of  resisting 
moisture.  The  following  is  about  the  composition  of  the  best 
quality  : — 
Water    ...  4    parts  by  weight. 
Glue      ...  2  « 
Phosphorus  .  .  1 J  to  2  "  " 
Chlorate  of  potash  4  to  5  "  •< 
Powdered  glass    .  3  to  4       "  " 
In  Germany  the  proportion  of  phosphorus  used  is  much 
larger,  and  gum  is  used  instead  of  glue,  together  with  nitrate  or 
protoxide  of  lead,  and  no  chlorate  of  potash.  In  consequence  of 
the  presence  of  so  much  phosphorus  and  the  absence  of 
chlorate  of  potash,  the  German  matches  light  quietly,  with  a 
mild,  lambent  flame,  and  are  injured  quickly  in  a  damp  place 
by  the  oxidation  of  the  phosphorus   and  the  production  of 
