, 1876-09-15
Vegetable Leather.

Under the title of Improvements in
~ Manufacture of Vegetable Leather" +"
In notent has recently been obtained, says
ne Eaqlish Mechanic, in this country
tor an invention which promises to util
iOa M certain waste or cheap products.
r. Fucns of several species and Laminaria
~ well.known sea-weeds, as plentiful
o. tbe sea-coast as grass in the fields,
"a waste textile materials of vegetable
o-;1;n are still in sufficient abundance
a. And profitable employment in the
S.onnfacture of this "leather." Sheets
- carded wadding are manufactured
O-;tb cotton waste or cotton itself, ac-
cording to the quality required to be
PRODUCED, uniform in thickness, length
and width, which sheets are placed on
nolished zinc or other metal plates, then
he wadding is coated with concen-
t-ated decoction of ''fucus crispus" or
rsarl moss, or other fucus or mucilagin-
pus hchen (rock moss), or any other
similar mucilaginous substance may be
employed. The metal plates requires
to be kept hot, in order to allow the mu-
cilaoinous decoction to penetrate thor
onobly into the filaments of the cotton.
The sheet is then dried quickly, thus
0iying to the surface applied to the
metal plate a glazed or polished appear
ance, resembling the gloss of ordinary
leather. The sheet thus prepared is
nassed between two heated cylinders or
rollers perfectly polished, having a
space between them the exact thickness
reouired to be given to the sheet to be
produced. Great pressure is required
in order to press and felt all the fla
ments of cotton thoroughly together,
and thereby render the thickness of the
sheet uniform. The skeet is then coated
with boiled linseed oil, and dried in the
open air, or by means of artificial heat.
When the sheet is dry, a coating of thin
vegetable wax is applied, according to
the use TO which it is to be applied, and
the sheet is softened by passing it
through heated huted rollers, by which
means it is softened in a uniform man
,ner; it is then passed through other pol
ished rollers, according to the quality
Of the leather required, either plain,
morocco, embossed, glazed or otherwise,
and it is then bronzed, silvered, gilded,
or vanished, and finished in like man
ner to ordinary leather. French, veg
etable, or similar leather thus prepared
is waterproof, and easily stamped.
THE TELL-TALE EARLY one
morning a gentlemanly looking fellow,
with evident marks of having been on q
"tare, found his way upstairs in the
United States army recruiting Office in
st. Louis, and introduced himself to
some Of the "boys in blue" He in
vited them out to drink, and declared
his willingness to buy a whole whisky
store for them. He gloried in being a
newspaper man, special correspondent,
and feeling patriotic desire to avenge
Clusters death burning in his breast, he
wished to dof citizens attire, don the
uniform of a soldier brave, and be dis
patched Immediately for the far North
west. He was told to call again at nine
o'clock that morning. He did so, hav-
ing fortified himself with several drinks.
In order to undergo the doctors exami-
nation, he took Off every article of cloth
ing except his undershirt. He had a
fine physique and appeared in frst-class
general health. He passed the doctor,
and was just laughing with some of the
soldiers at his good fortune, when the
man of medicine (who had been given
the tip" by one of the officers) ap-
preached our friend and asked;
What have you got on your left
breast?
Nothing" the man replied.
Let's see, said the doctor, and he
lifted the undershirt up, when the fatal
brand I'D showed itself unmistakably.
The man protested that the mark was
not I'D" at all, but the remains of a
disease he had contracted. He was dis
missed, however, as incompetent to join
the American army. He was deserter
from the British army.
WHICH WAY SHOULD DRILLS Rum
An erroneous impression seems to pre-
vail in regard to the proper direction in