1709. To Diffuse a Fragrant Odor

1709.    To Diffuse a Fragrant Odor. A few drops of oil of sandal wood dropped on a hot shovel, will diffuse a most agreeable balsamic perfume through the room.

1710. Simple Mode of Purifying Water

1710. Simple Mode of Purifying Water. A table-spoonful of pulverized alum sprinkled into a hogshead of water (the water stirred at the same time) will, after a few hours, by precipitating to the bottom the impure particles, so purify it that it will be found to possess nearly all the freshness and clearness of the finest spring- water. A pailful, containing 4 gallons, may be purified by a single tea-spoonful of the alum.

1711. To Test the Impurity of the Atmosphere

1711. To Test the Impurity of the Atmosphere. A simple method of ascertaining the presence of impurity (carbonic acid) in the atmosphere, is to nearly fill a glass tumbler with lime-water, and to place it in any convenient position, as on the mantelpiece of a room. The rapidity with which a pellicle forms on its surface, or the water becomes cloudy, corresponds to the amount of the carbonic acid present in the atmosphere that surrounds it. A little moist carbonate of lead put on a plate or saucer, and exposed in the same way, will turn black, should any sulphuretted hydrogen be contained in the air. This is a delicate test for that destructive gas.

1712. To Purify "Water in a Cistern

1712.    To Purify "Water in a Cistern. 2 ounces of permanganate of potassa thrown in a cistern will render the foulest water sweet and pure. (See No. 1701 (Condy's Solution).)

1713. To Purify Dirty Water

1713.    To Purify Dirty Water. Since, in dry seasons, any water may bo of high value, at least for cattle drinking, M. Meunier advises to place, in a large-sized cask, a false bottom perforated with some holes; and to put on that bottom, first, clean pebbles, next, well washed sand, then a layer of coarsely granulated charcoal, and over all this a piece of canvas. The water, even that standing in shallow ditches after a shower of rain, may bo poured into this filter, and thus become available for cattle-drinking, though it may not be quite clear.