a strong lather of Castile soap on a woollen rag and rub it on the hat until the dirt is removed. Wash the soap off the hat with clean water. Then dry with a cloth until the hat is only moderately moist, and finally place it in a sulphuring barrel to be bleached.

The sulphuring barrel is prepared as follows: Cover the bottom of a barrel with stone or sheet-iron and ignite some sulphur upon it. Suspend the hat for 30 minutes, so that the sulphur fumes but not the flame can reach it, and cover the barrel tightly. The hat, when sufficiently sulphured, is taken out and made glossy by pressing with a warm flat-iron.

Experiments in Washing Woollen Fabrics. Opinions about washing woollen fabrics differ so widely, and the receipts and directions given in practical journals vary so much and are so contradictory, that we decided to test the matter thoroughly. The most varying degrees of heat, from the hottest to the coolest temperature, were made use of in this experiment; and, further, all the recommended cleansing agents, such as soap, borax, spirit of sal-ammoniac, benzine, and all mixtures of the latter. The results were so decidedly and distinctly marked that the following may be given as the principal guiding points:

1. The suds used for washing must be as hot as possible.

2. To remove greasy impurities, as perspiration, etc., borax is of so little use that its employment is sheer waste; even pure soap-suds is better, but the best of all is soap-suds with spirit of sal-ammoniac. The latter actually effects wonders in quickly dissolving dirt on special places in woollen undershirts, etc., otherwise hard to cleanse, and restores and brightens the colors. On the other hand, for washing white woollen articles, nothing is equal to borax; soap-suds with borax used boiling hot gives to white woollen articles a looseness of texture and a brilliant white which they frequently do not possess when new.

3. If shrinking is to be entirely avoided and the texture of the fabric is to be even looser than when new, the articles must be prepared for quick drying by pressing them repeatedly be

tween soft drilling. Under no circumstances should woollen articles be dried in the sun, as that renders them hard and close; it is best to dry them in a moderate draught of air, and in winter in a warm room, not too close to the

stove.

Separate the white from the colored woollens. For the latter prepare a suds of about 24 ounces of yellow soap(Elaine soap) in about 2 gallons of boiling soft water, and divide in two tubs, in one of which add a small tea-spoonful of spirits of sal-ammoniac for each quart of suds. When the articles (only 3 or 4 pair of stockings or an equivalent at one time) are placed in the suds, they must be so hot that the hand cannot be borne in it, and the articles must be squeezed, turned, and manipulated with clean wooden sticks or spoons. They are then squeezed out as much as possible, and brought into the tub containing the other half of the suds without an addition of spirits of sal-ammoniac. This will be generally sufficiently cooled off to allow of the articles being thoroughly squeezed out, but under no circumstances must they be wrung out with a turning motion. The articles, to accelerate their drying, are now pressed between 3 or 4 soft dry cloths, until the latter absorb no more moisture. Then every article is drawn into the shape it is to have; undershirts, for instance, being stretched in the width, this being still more necessary in regard to the sleeves, as they have a tendency to become long and narrow. In hanging on the line the shape of the article must also be carefully taken into consideration; jackets and undershirts, for instance, must be hung only crosswise, that is, the collar to the right and the tail to the left. In summer a few hours suffice for drying.

For washing white woollen articles add 1 tea-spoonful of pulverized borax to 1 quart of soap-suds, and for the rest proceed exactly as above. Should the second suds be found too soapy some hot water may be added. It is of great importance that, after washing about 3 sets of articles, the suds should be reheated, which is accomplished by adding to the first from the second, and replacing this by fresh. Even suds which have become almost black can

be further utilized by allowing the dirt to settle, then carefully pouring off the suds, and using them for the first washing of coarse colored clothes.

Any one wishing to test the efficacy of these methods should make a trial with articles not thickened by previous washing in lukewarm water, and, if possible, new ones.

To Wash Cotton and Muslin Prints Without Injury to the Colors. Heat soft water in a copper boiler to such a degree that the hand can be barely borne in it, and pour in the eighth part by weight of the fabrics to be washed of wheat-bran. Then place the articles in the water and let this come to a boil, during which the fabrics should be frequently turned with a wooden stick. Now let the water cool off sufficiently to allow of the dresses, etc., being washed in it; then rinse them in soft water, and dry at an ordinary temperature. The dresses, etc., are by this process washed as clean as with soap without the least injury to the colors.

Panama Essence for Cleansing and Washing Clothes is prepared by dissolving 15 pounds of Marseilles soap and 14 pounds of carbonate of sodium in 25 gallons of hot water, and adding 1 pound of extract of quillaya bark.

This gives solution No. I. In another vessel mix 4 gallons of beef's or sheep's gall with 14 quarts of ammonia of 22 per cent.; heat and skim the mixture, and, when cold, compound it with 4 gallons of spirit of wine of 90 per cent. This gives solution No. II. For use mix part of solution No. I. with of solution No. II., and compound the mixture with a suitable quantity of aromatic essence.

Cleansing Fluid for Tissues, etc. The parts of mineral oils having a low boiling point are treated with chlorine gas until a sample, after shaking with alkali, emits no disagreeable odor. The whole is then treated with milk of lime and next with soda, or air is forced through it. It is then distilled, and the product passing over at less than 212° F., having a weak, agreeable odor, may be perfumed.

The rust stains to be removed were in old ironed towels, which, to all appearance, had been in them for some time, and in a condition as generally found in clothes. Pieces as large as a hand containing the stains were cut out of the towels, and to prevent errors five of such pieces placed in every solution, care being also taken to place stains of equal intensity in equally strong solutions. All solutions were used cold.

The result of the observations was as follows:

In the oxalic acid solution even the strongest stains disappeared completely in 1 b. in about 20 minutes; in 2 b. in 25, and in 3 b. in 30 minutes.

In the sorrel salt solutions, 2 c. and 3 c., the stains disappeared in about 30 minutes.

In the stains treated with tin solu. tion only a slight change was perceptible in the stains, even after an immersion of 3 hours, and they remained plainly visible after 3 days.

By a completely saturated solution of tin-salt the rust stains were removed after an immersion of 3 days.

Such stains as had been in the tinsalt solutions for 3 hours, and then carefully washed, disappeared in 10 to 15 minutes after being placed in the oxalic acid solutions.

With ink stains the result was the

same. From these experiments the conclusion may be drawn that tin-salt deserves but little recommendation for removing rust and ink stains.