Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-06-03

pofSplfdtIO1 dio excessively AaIlSeIois
to both man and beast, and cannot do
better here than to reiterate this eau
ton, including along with the horse his
sometimes equally but self-injured
master.
One of the things for which Ameri-
can women, says the Technologist,
have passion for is whitewash. Give
one of our thoroughgoing housekeepers
pail of lime and a whitewash brush,
and she will be happy as a boy with
new penny trumpet-and about as
great nuisance. Everything is white
washed, and it is impossible, for
months to go near fences, walls OF any
thing within reach, without getting
reminder of those fearful days known
as house-cleaning times. The worst of
it is that very few of our American
women understand the art of white
washing. IF they did they might be
endurable, just as the boy with the
trumpet might be endurable, if he had
a good instrument and knew how to use
it. In general they use quicklime, SIM
ply mixed with water, and laid on.
After time they get worried by the
constant anathemas hurled against
their whitewash, which does not stick
to the walls, and does stick to every
thing else. So they mix little glue
with the whitewash, in the hope of glu-
ing it fast. But the lime kills the glue,
and the whitewash is as loose as ever.
Then they add paste, which is slight
improvement, but in general they use
paste made Of wheaton -four, which
contains much gluten, and is easily
acted upon by the lime, whereas in
countries where paste is used success
fully, the paste is made of rice, either
ground into -four Or boiled very soft,
and beaten until the grains are
thoroughly broken up. Various other
additions are recommended, such as
plaster Of Paris, white vitrol, etc., all
of which serve good purpose, but are
not entirely efficient.
But the best whitewash contains no
quicklime at all, but is made of pure
whiting, which is soft kind of chalk,
ground very fine, washed SO as to sepa-
rate all the coarse and gritty particles,
and formed into Jumps in the process
of drying. Good whiting, beaten up
with water so as to form milky liquid
free from Jumps, and mixed with lit
tie good strong size, forms whitewash
that cannot be rubbed off, and will give
very brilliant white surface. This is
substantially the material known as cal
chime, something very old, but never
appreciated until it received a high
sounding name. The whiting used for
making this whitewash, or calcimine,
is sometimes called Spanish white,
Paris white, etc. They areall the same
thing, and the only point is to select
the finest and whitest material offered
to you, and take it under any name the
vender chooses to sell it, provided he
does not ask too much for it, for it is
only whiting after all. Some recipes
name sulphate of baryta, a beautiful
white powder, as the only material for
making calcimine. It answers very
well, but is not easily procured, and
more than half the time common WHITING
is sold for it. The size for mixing with
the whiting is most easily prepared
from glue: and as it is necessary that
the whitewash should be permanent.
and as little liable to decay as possible.
we must select good article of glue.
Directions upon this point could not be
easily followed by housekeepers. Let
us, therefore, advise them to go to
respectable dealer and buy the best.
Professional artists in the science of
calcimining generally use the cheapest,
and most recipes direct the use of
cheap article, but it will be found that
it is most judicious touse the very best.
The better the glue is, the less liable it
is to decay in damp weather, and thus
create disease. Moreover, when it is
good, less of it is required, and the less
glue you use the purer will be the color
of your calcimine. To prepare the glue,
soak it in water over night-not any
longer, however, or it will begin to de-
cay. It will absorb water and swellup,
but will not dissolve. Pour the water
off, add little fresh, and boil until it