To make a branding ink, saturate water with 1 oz. of either gum tragacanth or gum arabic. Work up bone black into a stiff paste with the gum solution, and incorporate with a small quantity of soluble Prussian blue or indigo: add a few drops of creosote, and press into boxes. Glycerine may be used in place of the gum solution, and makes a very nice ink. but it does not dry very quickly. Another method is thoroughly to work up equal parts of soluble Prussian blue and lampblack or bone black with a little glycerine. Then make it into a paste of suitable stiffness with solution of gum arabic.