Easter Egg Dyes.-P. P. C.-As we have stated on previous occasions, the process of egg dyeing is a very simple matter, immersion in an aqueous solution of any aniline color being all that is required to give the desired color. The dyes may be purchased in bulk from your wholesaler, ground to a fine powder and put up in 25 or 30 grain packages to retåil at 5 cents. No mordant is required.

Anonymous Correspondents.-J. T. and others are informed that it is our custom to pay no attention to requests for information unless accompanied by the name and address of the writer.

Vin-Hypophos. Co.-H. S.-The following formula is recommended by the Cincinnati Academy of Pharmacy in the Epitome of the National Formulary recently published:

Compound Wine of Hypophosphites.

Calcium hypophosphite

Potassium hypophosphite

Manganese hypophosphite

17.5

Gms. 8.75 Gms. 8.75 Gms.

Ferric hypophosphite

Sodium hypophosphite

1.125 Gms.

1.125 Gms.

Quinine hydrochlorate

.560 Gms.

Potassium citrate

2.5

Citric acid

1

Gms. Gm.

Stronger white wine, a sufficient quantity to make..

.1000 Cc.

Mix the fluid extract with the glycerin

and add 400 Cc. of stronger white wine. Allow to stand 24 hours and filter. Triturate the hypophosphites of iron and manganese with the potassium citrate, citric acid and 30 Cc. of water and warm the mixture for a few minutes until dissolved.

Dissolve the other hypophosphites and the quinine hydrochlorate in 220 Cc. of water, to which add the strychnine previously dissolved in the alcohol. Add the second solution to the third and filter. Dissolve the sugar in the filtrate by percolation, adding sufficient water through the percolator to make 500 Cc. Lastly, add to this syrup the mixture of fluid extract and sufficient stronger white wine to make 1,000 Cc.

Each fluid dram represents 1 grain hypophosphite of calcium, grain each of hypophosphite of potass. and sodium, 1-16 grain each of hypophosphite of iron and manganese, 1-32 grain quinine hydrochlorate and 1-100 grain of strychnine and 5 grains of coca.

Compound Syrup of Camphor.-P.This is an English preparation, having the following composition:

Acid benzoic

Acid acetic glac.

Acet. scillae

Acet. ipecac

Ol. anise

Camphor

Tinct. opii.

Sacch. alb.

Sacch. ust. q. s.

18 grs. .176 mns. 4 fl. oz.

4 fl. oz. 12 mns. 12 grs. .512 mns.

2 lb. 12 ozs.

4 pts.

Aquae distill., enough to make ... One minim of tincture of opium is contained in each fluid dram. Dose, one teaspoonful.

Rub the powder with the liquids, the latter being added very slowly.

If you can recover the caked powder, which you say remains behind in the bottles from which the varnish has evap

orated, bring it to an impalpable form, and

rub up with a fine copal shellac varnish; a good bronze paint will result.

Quick Process for Nickel Plating. A. M.-There is no reliable method of depositing nickel from its cold solution, but a thin and adhesive coating may be given articles of brass, iron, etc., according to the Standard Formulary, by the following process: Boil in a copper vessel a saturated solution of zinc chloride and an equal quantity of water. While boiling add hydrochloric acid, drop by drop, until the precipitate at first thrown down is redissolved. Now add zinc in powder, until the bottom of the kettle is nearly covered with a precipitate of zinc. The bath is now ready for the addition of a salt of nickel, and you may use either the sulphate or the nitrate. Add it in sufficient quantity to give the bath a strong green color. The articles to be nickeled are now hung in the bath by means of a zinc wire, or a strip of sheet zinc, and a few pieces of the latter are thrown in along with them. Raise the heat to a strong boil and continue it for several minutes, or until the articles are covered with a bright coating of nickel. The articles should be thoroughly cleaned and free from grease before being put in

the bath.

A coating of mercury can be applied to a metal by the reduction of mercuric nit

rate in acid solution. To strong nitric

acid is added mercury until no more can be taken up. Water is sometimes added and it is best to have the acid slightly in excess. The solution is applied to the surface of the brass, copper or other metal to be plated by means of a brush or pad of cloth.

Formulas Wanted.

Sloan's Colic Cure for Horses.-C. E. M.

Hunn Black Oil.-P. H. C.

This book is said to have run through several editions. The copyright imprint on the copy just received from the publishers bears the date 1887. We are surprised at this, since the book does not in any manner approach our ideas of a satisfactory poison register. The abstracts of the different State laws regulating the sale of poisons are complete enough, but take up space which might well have been utilized to better advantage. The chapter on poisons and antidote treatment is a feature of the book against which the purchaser should be warned. We need only refer to the treatment advised in cases of carbolic acid poisoning to give point to this criticism. Few druggists, we fancy, will care to use a book in which the spaces for recording the sales are so contracted. They will prefer a larger, if even more inconvenient register. PROCEEDINGS of the Twentieth Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Association, held at Crittenden Springs, Ky., June 15, 16, 17, 1897. J. W. Gayle, Secretary, Frankfort. The members of the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Association must be a patient body of men, to wait eight months for the publication of their annual report. The report contains no paper of professional interest. The cut-rate problem appears to have received most consideration during the meeting.

William Abbatt, 31 Nassau street, New York, is the publisher of a manual on "nursing" which contains a great deal of valuable information for intending nurses. It is entitled "How to become a trained nurse" and consists of a series of twenty articles by superintendents of training schools and matrons of hospitals, giving complete information on the various forms of nursing, with notes calculated to enable aspirants to select the right school and also enable them to know what nursing really is before entering upon their unknown sphere. The book is sold for $1.75.

"Lofoten Islands and Their Principal Product" is the title of a handsomely illustrated pamphlet, published by Parke, Davis & Co., of Detroit, Mich. It contains a number of interesting sketches of the cod fisheries, and outlines briefly the political history of Norway. The most interesting part is that devoted to a description of the Norwegian industry, in which the boats, tackle and fishing grounds are all described in an entertaining manner; one engraving shows mountain of cod fish heads, representing nearly a million fish. The whole constitutes a very attractive advertisement of Parke, Davis & Co.'s improved Lofoten Cod Liver Oil, but it is interesting apart from this, and any of our readers who may have been overlooked in the distribution of this elegant pamphlet should not fail to communicate with Parke, Davis & Co., at Detroit.

a

In referring to Hinrich's Chemistry recently we made an error in stating that the price was $2.50; we should have said $4.00.

element of news supplied by the sale of the remedy itself. In advertising one pre. paration for a long time the advertising should be progressive. It ought to chronicle all the incidents which the advertising itself creates. If twenty-five bottles of the remedy are sold in one day, you have your news item for to-morrow. If some one gives the remedy a flattering recommendation, use it while it is warm. News and argument sell goods and it often happens that news is the best kind of argument.

One of Mr. Smith's ads. is reproduced. An effort is evidently made to have the setting as odd as possible and some of the results are rather striking.

The heading of this ad. is "Air Ships," the subject is Easter Egg Dyes. Why advertisers should think it necessary to call attention to some entirely foreign subject and then rudely yank the reader back to the business in hand, is something hard to understand. This is a first-class ad. from the middle down. Cut off the air ship talk and the following remains:

EASTER EGG DYES.

There was a time when the ap proach of Easter aroused more or less foreboding-colored eggs caused so much fuss and trouble. It's differenc now; dyeing with the dyes we sell is a very easy matter. Six colors for 5 cents, and from these you can make a dozen tints. Just as simple to use as dropping an egg into boiling water. No danger in their use, as they are harmless.

What in the world is the use of trying to trick people into reading this ad? It contains information that will be gladly welcomed by hundreds of mothers. It is a good ad. on a seasonable subject. Every effort should have been made to catch the attention of those who might want dyes. The effort in this case has been to reach those who want air ships. This would have been twice as good an ad. if the first half had gotten lost somewhere.

The setting of the ad. is unusually good. N N N

Avoid Looseness of Construction.

Editor Business Hints:

I enclose an ad. that I used in my weekly newspaper, which seemed to bring me good results. I had men who told me that they never read an advertisement before, come and compliment me, and I wish to enter it in your prize contest. I wish to compliment your advertising department, as I get better ideas from it than I have received from any other journal. FRANK S. PATTON.

Jonesboro, Tenn.

There are some very good things in this ad., but the construction is loose.

I should judge that some portions of the ad. had been used before and that the blending of new and old matter had not been smoothly done. As a matter of fact, there are two complete ads. in one. The first ends with the paragraph headed: "Then we check up." Either of these ads. would have been better used alone.

How They Say It.

Kelly & Durkee, of 392 Boylston street, Boston, Mass., are exhibiting in their show-window an extensive line of silver, glass and ivory novelties. They also have a sign in white and black running the entire length of the window, on which appears:

"Annual sale of novelties in silver, ivory, glass, etc., at greatly reduced prices, from March 1st to April 1st." This firm also displays some beautiful specimens of sea moss. Their object can be seen from the following signs, with which the goods are marked:

"A fresh supply of extra quality sea moss for table decoration, 35c. per bunch; $3.50 per dozen."

Andrew P. Preston, of Portsmouth, N. H., recently issued an interesting little slip treat. ing of one of his specialties. On it was the figure of a woman just starting out on a shopping tour with a bag in one hand and a bottle of Portsmouth Lavender Salts in the other. There was also a fac-simile of this latter package, and beside it these words: "Can't leak. See the cap?" He words this little circular as follows:

"Put this in your bag when you go shop-
ping. It is

PORTSMOUTH LAVENDER SALTS. When you become tired, dizzy, faint from walking, looking, crowding, inhale it; 'twill quickly refresh you. If you haven't a bottle, buy it at the toilet counter in the store where you're shop ping, or at the nearest drug store; 25

cents.

"PRESTON," of New Hampshire.

How They Do It.

Horace Standley, of Beverly, Mass., recently had a display in his window out of the ordinary run for a drug store, but he found it very suc cessful in catching the eye of passers-by. It was a poultry show on a small scale, and consisted of fancy-bred chickens.

Some of the hunting trophies secured by Gordon Parker, of Woburn, Mass., on his hunting trip last autumn, and which he has since used as a window display with excellent results (see this column, February 10th) are to be a feature of the coming sportsmen's show in Boston.

Here is a combination employed by one of New England's enterprising firms: "If it comes from Hall & Lyon Co., it is all right. This did."

C. H. Dexter, Bowdoin square, Boston, in pushing his headache cure emphasizes the fact that it does not affect the heart. He has a large card in his window upon which there are red heart-shaped figures, and also packages of the cure. Upon the card are these words: "No morphine, cocaine, or antipyrine. Headache cure, 3 doses, 10 cents. Prepared by C. H. Dexter, Bowdoin square. Sure cure, or money refunded."

H. J. Hart, Glover's Corner, Dorchester, has an odd-looking container for his "Beef, Iron and Wine." It is a jug with handle holding one pint.

Emery Souther, who recently moved to 73 Green street, Boston, has had an attraction in his window which succeeded so successfully in catching the public eye as to cause his sidewalk to be very much crowded by on-lookers. The cause of all this excitement and curiosity was a caged monkey which was placed in the window to advertise a brand of molasses candy. Mr. Souther fed the monkey with a chocolate mixture in a nippled bottle, and the feeding operation, coupled with the after efforts of the animal to extract sustenance from the empty phial served the double purpose of keeping the attraction in a state of activity and health, and of holding the crowd.

Are Business Assignments Necessary?

BY D. C. DELAMATER.

It has been the experience of a vast number of manufacturers and jobbers, who are selling their goods largely on credit, that when a customer, who is strictly honest, desiring to pay his debts in full, becomes discouraged from the stress of hard times, or from being pressed for payment on accounts a little overdue, and acting from a desire to serve all alike, makes a general assignment without preferences, he takes a step which in many cases is entirely unnecessary. It is one that results only in a sacrifice of the debtor's business, and the payment of a very small percentage of his debts. While an assignment under the circumstances named is strictly legal and not subject to severe criticism, from a moral point of view, yet it has come to be regarded among large givers of credit as generally injudicious. It certainly is not the plan that is the best for paying debts.

Upon the assumption that the debtor is honest, and has no desire to give preferences, but which his estate is to be used in paying, pro rate, assignment proceedings should be avoided in every possible case. The great objections to an assignment are that thereby the debtor delivers his business over to be managed by an outsider, who cannot obtain the good results that the owner can secure. The assignee is obliged to close up the business by forced sales, that rarely bring more than a small percentage of its value. As a final result the owner loses his business and sees his assets greatly reduced, with only a very small amount of his debts actually paid.

This question then naturally arises: Are assignments really necessary, and if they are not necessary, how can they be avoided?

As the world has grown older, there has been an improvement in business practice and in business ideas, as well as in many other directions. There has come to prevail a kindlier feeling for the honest debtor upon the part of the creditor than prevailed in earlier days. At present harsh plans of collecting and pre-emptory demands for the settlement of obligations are not the methods most in favor with jobbers and manufacturers. Instead, there is manifested in active business practice much more of the spirit of the golden rule.

In cases of business embarrassment the first step upon the part of the debtor should be a conference with all his creditors, at which a complete and honest statement of his condition is submitted. Business men engaged in large transactions are, in a great majority of cases, fair-minded men. Where a debtor presents a truthful statement of his embarrassment, it is their inclination, in nine cases out of ten, to at once make some satisfactory arrangement with him, either in the form of an extension or a compromise. Thereby the debtor's business is saved to him, and a much larger proportion of his indebtedness is paid than would follow from a general assignment.

A customer saved is worth much more to a creditor than a failed or ruined customer, even though in the latter case the same amount of debt has been liquidated. Every credit man therefore will put forth every effort to save an honest debtor, even though the first result may be a loss to his house.

H

DRUG STORE CLUBS.

BY M. QUAD.

AVING an hour or two of spare time in the evening, I went to the vilage drug store to be entertained. I had known the ways of the village drug store since boyhood, and had no fear that I would not be well received and made to feel at home. Only four of the regular liars had assembled when I entered the place, but six or eight more soon made their appearance. The meeting opened with fifteen persons present, but some of them were only callers, like myself. The

counter on both sides of the store was occupied by sitters, as well as the three or four chairs, and for a time I was ill at ease. It seemed as if I ought to buy something, if not more than a stick of gum, but one of the regular liars assured me that there was no use throwing money away. The druggist ought to feel proud and glad to have the club meet there. If he wasn't-if he gave the least hint that he wasn't-then they would take their "custom" elsewhere and he might go to pot.

Before the regular proceedings were begun there was an interchange of news of considerable interest to me. I learned that farmer Johnson's red bull had broken out of the pasture that day and torn down ten rods of rail fence; also that a carpenter named Abbot had cut his thumb with a chisel; also, that Mr. William Taylor had decided to paint his barn a sky-blue. There was other news, but not of such startling nature. Of the fifteen men, fourteen chewed tobacco and the odd one was lonesome. Of the fourteen only seven had any of the weed with them, and those who didn't have proceeded to borrow. When all was finally ready, and the woman who had entered the store for a piece of court-plaster had got it and gone out, the first liar started off. It was an adventure of his in the early days of California and before he got through he killed two men and discovered a gold mine. Every man in that crowd knew that he was lying to beat the band, but they listened to him with absorbing interest and applauded him when he had finished. A man who came in for a hairbrush and heard the last of the story became so excited that he borrowed a match and forgot his errand.

Liar No. 2 was the proprietor of the local saw-mill, but there was no saw-dust on his hat. He said he was in New York once when a young man, and being dead broke he crawled under a banking building to sleep. An hour after midnight he was awakened by the advent of two men, who had a big augur with them to bore a hole through the floor. He kept still while they bored, but as the gold coins

came rattling down he frightened the fellows off and filled his hat and pockets and decamped. There was a general groan of despair when he said he didn't get away with but $11,000. They thought he ought to have gone back with a wheel-barrow and two coffee sacks and taken the last stiver. He had lived to regret that he didn't, he said, but at that time his worldly experience was not great.

Liar No. 3 was a grocer, who had closed up his store in order to come over and lie. I didn't anticipate much from him, as he had a short neck and stubby fingers, but he acquitted himself excellently well. Before going into the grocery business he kept a flouring mill in Indiana, and one day, when all the stones were running and he was inspecting the product from time to time, he suddenly discovered that every hopper was turning out Paris green. That was his first idea, but when he came to examine closer he found bits of greenbacks. In one of the hoppers, among the unground wheat, he discovered ten $1,000 bills, and these were rescued unharmed, and shoved down into his breeches pocket. Three or four days later he learned that a bank had been

robbed of $300,000, and that the robbers, when arrested, said that they had hidden the money in a farmer's wheat bin. This was the wheat that came to his hoppers, and he had ground up $280,000 of it, as well as spoiling two barrels of flour. No one had the impoliteness to ask him if he returned the $10,000 to the bank, but when he said if he had found the whole boodle he should have presented the town with a hand fire engine, his liberality was duly applauded. I think even the drug store man heaved a sigh when he thought of that fortune being ground up in the way it was.

I could see that liar No. 4 was looked upon with distrust as he began to clear his throat. He had lately joined the Good Templars, and there was a suspicion that he might have pledged himself to let lying alone as well as whisky. He hadn't, however, as events proved. He first announced that he had never told the story before, fearing to be disbelieved and ridiculed, and he hesitated now, though among his best friends. He was fishing to be pressed, of course, and after the pressure he said that he was one night awakened from a sound sleep by some one whispering in his ear. He at first thought it was his wife, although she generally dug him with her elbow when she wanted to rouse him, but as he rose up he saw that she was sweetly sleeping. He was about to fall back and pick up his snore where he had dropped it when a voice from out of the darkness of the family bed-room came to his ears:

"Richard White, there is trouble! Get up and follow me!"

The voice was that of a woman, but of no woman who bought shoes at his store. As his wife was of a jealous disposition he crawled carefully out of bed and got into his clothes and followed a faintly outlined form down stairs and out of the back door and across the yard to the barn. Several times he sought to grasp the form, but it always eluded him. At the barn the figure wabbled about for awhile, as if it had had too much beer, and then suddenly vanished. The liar didn't exactly know what to do, but concluded to enter the barn and see if everything was safe. To his amazement he found the family cow twisted up in her rope and standing on her head. Had his coming been delayed two minutes longer there would have been no milk for breakfast. After rescuing the cow he returned to his bed, but hardly got snuggled down when the same mysterious voice came whispering:

"Richard White, I have saved the life drinking and join the Good Templars. of your $25 cow, and I want you to quit Will you do it?"

"I will!" answered Mr. White, and that's the way he came to be a member of the order.

If there was any question about the spirit visiting him and speaking the words

it did how should he have known about the cow? If he did not see the spirit how did he follow it? And stronger proof still

when the spirit spoke to him the last time its voice woke up Mrs. White, who bounded out of bed in jealous fury and hunted the whole house over for a woman. Not one man in all that gathering sneered or ridiculed or argued against Mr. White, as he half expected. On the contrary, each one of them announced his earnest belief in such things, and each and every one had had startling experiences.

It was eleven o'clock when liar No. 5 began his tale, which was about a haunted house, but I didn't remain to hear the end. The druggist, who lived a mile from his store, was fidgeting about, and I felt to pity him. I asked for a dollar bottle of consumption cure, feeling that he ought to be requited, but he kindly replied that I was under no obligations and he hoped to see me again.

The Uses of Misfortune.

"The sun certainly does shine brighter after a rainy day," said Mr. Billtops, "and after a storm we enjoy smooth sailing all the more. So I suppose a certain amount of misfortune should not be regarded as anything very dreadful. We don't want crushing blows that bust our armor and cripple us, but a gentle whack now and then only serves to stir us up and improve our circulation. In fact, taken in moderate quantities and not too often, misfortune gives to life a zest which otherwise it would lack."-New York Sun.

A Poet.

She (at the reception): Well, Mr. Rott, how is poetry now?

Mr. Rott (rising young poet): Very dull, indeed. Patent medicine verses bring only 5s. a hundred words, no activity at all in porous plaster ads., and in the slump of prices yesterday children's food rhymes went down thirty points in fifteen minutes.-Tit Bits.