Pate De Roses

Rose leaves, two ounces; lampblack, one and a half drachms; isinglass, one ounce; gum tra-gacanth, half ounce.

Dissolve the gum and isinglass in boiling water, thicken the solution by evaporation, and add thereto the other articles previously mixed together. When the paste is homogeneous, knead it well in mass, and divide into small beads. It can also be moulded into a variety of forms and designs, in relief, resembling cameos and similar ornaments.

Pate De Menthe Ou De Jasmin

Flowers of mint or jasmine, one ounce; gum tragacanth, half ounce; Vermillion, two ounces. In this way red-colored pastilles are made.

Pastilles For Bad Breath

Chocolate, three ounces; charcoal, one ounce; sugar, one ounce; vanilla, one ounce; mucilage, quantum sufficit. Make into lozenges of five grains, and take four or five daily.

Preparation For Bad Breath

Dry chloride of lime, three drachms; distilled water, two ounces.

Powder the chloride of lime in a glass mortar, and then add a part of the distilled water; stir up and let it repose for some minutes; when settled, decant the clear liquor. Add a new quantity of water to the residue, triturate, and after sufficient rest, again draw off the clear liquor. Repeat this washing and decanting a third time; add all the clear solutions together, and filter. To the liquid running through, add two ounces alcohol, in which four drops oil of rose and four drops of any other desired oil are dissolved.

The solution, thus prepared, removes the fetid odor of diseased gums. The dose is half a table-spoonful in a tumbler of water, with which the gums are moistened daily by means of a sponge or brush.

Keep the bottle always closely stoppered to retard decomposition.

How To Crystallize Flowers

Construct some baskets of fancy form with pliable copper wire, and wrap them with gauze. Into these tie to the bottom violets, ferns, geranium leaves, - in fact, any flowers except full-blown roses, - and sink them in a solution of alum, of one pound to a gallon of water, after the solution has cooled. The colors will then be preserved in their original beauty, and the crystallized alum will hold faster than when from a hot solution. When you have a light covering of crystals that completely covers the articles, remove the basket carefully, and allow to drip for twelve hours. These baskets make a beautiful parlor ornament, and for a long time preserve the freshness of the flowers.

Hair-Dyes

Nearly all the hair-dyes in use at the present time contain some form of lead, and are therefore dangerous. The symptoms most commonly resulting from their use are partial paralysis, numbness of the back of the head and neck, often extending to the arm and wrist, pains in the stomach and bowels, with other indications of lead poisoning. During the past few years, since these dyes have been largely used, many lives have been sacrificed; and those of ruined health or impaired constitutions may be counted by thousands.

These preparations are generally represented to be harmless. The noxious ingredient being usually lead, this may be readily detected by adding to a little of the suspected dye a few drops of a solution of hydriodate of potash, to be obtained at any drug store. One drachm dissolved in an ounce of water will be of sufficient strength. The preparation, if it contains lead, will be instantly changed to a bright orange color, the product being hydriodate of lead. As appears by Prof. C. F. Chandler's Report to the Board of Health of New York City, fifteen out of sixteen preparations for the hair which he analyzed contained lead in varied proportions from .11 to 16.39 grains in one fluid ounce.

Even without a resort to chemical re-agents, one may usually satisfy himself of the contents of these compounds by the peculiar sticky feeling of acetate of lead when rubbed between the fingers, or by placing a drop upon the tongue and noting the sweetish astringent taste of the salt. Avoid as you would any other deadly poison all dyes or hair-dressings which contain lead in any of its various forms. See Hair-dressing page 566.

Chinese Depilatory

Quicklime, one pound; pearlash and sulphuret of potassium, each, two ounces. Triturate together, sieve, and preserve the fine powder in a well-stopped bottle.

Creme Parisienne Depilatoire

Take quicklime, two ounces; orpiment (sulphuret of arsenic), half an ounce; alka-net in powder, two drachms.

Mix together and pack up in bottles or boxes, bearing directions as follows, and to be strictly conformed to in the application of the powder:

Put some pinches into a saucer or egg-glass, and pour upon it enough warm water to thin it into a pasty or pap consistence, and apply it in this form to the places to be depilated. Let it remain five to eight minutes, then moisten with a little warm water, and gently remove the dampened stuff with the point of a knife. Afterwards sponge the part with warm water and dry without rubbing.

It is necessary that there should always be an interval of twenty-four hours between any two applications of this powder.

Eau de Javelle (rectified.) - This water is used both as a disinfectant, and for the removal of fruit, rust, and ink stains. It is prepared by saturating an aqueous solution of potash with chlorine gas. A few drops, washing the linen afterwards with soap, will bleach it perfectly.

Ink For Marking Linen

Sulphate of manganese, one drachm; distilled water, one drachm; powdered sugar, two drachms; lampblack, half a drachm.

Make into a semi-liquid paste. This paste is used with a stamp. The mark is dried, then washed in solution of caustic potash and dried anew; then again washed in water. The name now stands out boldly.

Shaving Pastes

"White wax, spermaceti, and almond oil, of each, quarter of an ounce; melt, and while warm, beat in two squares of Windsor soap, previously reduced to a paste, with rose water.

Another

Melt together half an ounce each of spermaceti, white wax, and oil of almonds; beat it up with three ounces of the best soap, and a sufficient quantity of eau de Cologne.

Preparation Of Good Hair Dye

Ten grains gallic acid in one ounce weak alcohol.

For The Dye

Four grains nitrate of silver in one ounce of water with half a drachm of aqua ammonia.

Add the ammonia cautiously till the precipitate dissolves.