184 
VARIETIES. 
for  the  bottom  fell  out  immediately,  without  sufficient  warning  to  enable 
me  to  save  one  drop  of  the  liquid.  Had  it  been  mended  with  barley  sugar, 
and  water  then  poured  into  it,  the  effect  would  not  have  been  more  sudden. 
To  turn  this  loss  to  some  account  I  then  tried  comparatively  the  respec- 
tive effects  on  old  paintwork,  of  Ether,  Benzol,  Bisulphide  of  Carbon,  and 
Chloroform.  I  found  that  the  last,  applied  on  wadding  with  gentle  fric- 
tion, speedily  exposed  the  clean  surface  of  the  wood,  whilst  the  Ether  and 
Benzol  removed  the  more  recent  only  of  the  layers  of  paint.  Bisulphide  of 
Carbon  apparently  was  without  action. 
Query,  then,  would  it  not  be  advisable  in  cases  where  valuable  dresses 
have  been  to  all  appearance  spoilt,  by  paint  being  allowed  to  dry  upon 
them,  to  try  the  effect  of  chloroform  before  giving  up  all  hope  ?  At  any 
rate  I  shall  try  it  on  the  first  case  I  meet  with.  I  have  already  discounted 
the  smiles  of  the  fair  ones,  whose  gratitude  I  intend  to  deserve. —  Wey- 
mouth.—  Chemist  and  Druggist,  January  15,  1866. 
Cheap  Manufacture  of  Phosphate  of  Soda,  and  its  use  in  Manure. — We 
read  in  Les  Mondes  a  statement  by  M.  Dumas  that  coprolites  are  now  made 
into  phosphide  of  iron  containing  from  14  to  15  (?)  per  cent,  of  phosphorus. 
This  is  done  by  heating  the  coprolites  with  iron  ores  in  a  reverberatory 
furnace.  The  phosphides  so  obtained  are  sent  to  Paris  and  treated  with 
sulphate  of  soda,  by  which  sulphide  of  iron  and  phosphate  of  soda  are 
formed.  The  phosphate  of  soda  and  some  magnesium  salts  are  mixed  with 
the  contents  of  cesspools,  whereby  an  ammoniaco-magnesian  phosphate  is 
produced,  and  all  the  ammonia  and  phosphates  in  the  urine  and  foecal 
matters  are  fixed.  This  plan  of  treatment  is  the  invention  of  M.  Bobli- 
que. — London  Chem.  News,  Jan.  5,  1866. 
Process  for  Rendering  Wood  Plastic. — A  very  simple  method  of  render- 
ing wood  plastic  has  recently  been  discovered.  It  consists  in  injecting  di- 
luted hydrochloric  acid  into  the  wood  under  a  pressure  of  about  two  atmos- 
pheres. The  duration  of  the  operation  must  be  regulated  by  the  nature 
of  the  wood,  the  bark  is  not  removed,  and  by  a  very  simple  arrangement 
the  liquid  injected  at  one  extremity  may  be  partially  collected  at  the  other. 
If  the  green  wood  is  submitted  to  pressure,  the  cellules  having  been  pre- 
viously washed  with  water,  it  may  be  reduced  to  a  tenth  of  its  original  si-ze  ; 
the  fibres  may  be  excessively  compressed  without  breaking  or  tearing,  and 
when  dry  have  no  tendency  to  resume  their  natural  condition.  Woods 
treated  in  this  way  will  serve  for  many  purposes.  If  after  the  treatment 
with  hydrochloric  acid  the  wood  is  washed  and  dried,  it  may  be  cut  and 
chiselled  with  great  facility,  and  serves  admirably  for  sculptural  purposes. 
The  wood  is  dried  by  passing  air  under  pressure  through  the  cellules  at 
about  37°,  the  moisture  is  rapidly  expelled,  and  as  the  mass  contracts 
evenly  throughout,  there  are  no  cracks.  Colors  or  the  various  substances 
which  prevent  wood  from  rotting  may  be  injected  in  a  similar  manner  ; 
