POSTAGE STAMP MUCILAGE.

Take of gum dextrine two parts, acetic acid one part, water five parts.  Dissolve in a water bath and add alcohol one part.

Scientific American.

Gum of great strength, which will also keep for a long time, is prepared by dissolving equal parts of gum arabic and gum tragacanth in vinegar.  A little vinegar added to ordinary gum water will make it keep much better.

FAMILY GLUE.

Crack the glue and put it in a bottle, add common whisky; shake up, cork tight, and in three or four days it can be used.  It requires no heating, will keep for almost any length of time, and is at all times, ready to use, except in the coldest of weather, when it will require warming.  It must be kept tight, so that the whisky will not evaporate.  The usual corks or stoppers should not be used.  It will become clogged.  A tin stopper covering the bottle, but fitting as closely as possible, must be used.

GLUE.

Glue to resist heat and moisture is made as follows:  Mix a handful of quick-lime in four ounces of linseed oil, boil to a good thickness, then spread it on tin plates in the shade, and it will become very hard, but may be easily dissolved over the fire as glue.

A glue which will resist the action of water is made by boiling one pound of common glue in two quarts of skimmed milk.

FURNITURE CREAM.

Shred finely two ounces of beeswax and half an ounce of white wax into half a pint of turpentine; set in a warm place until dissolved, then pour over the mixture the following, boiled together until melted:  Half a pint of water, an ounce of castile soap and a piece or resin the size of a small nutmeg.  Mix thoroughly and keep in a wide-necked stone bottle for use.  This cleans well and leaves a good polish, and may be made at a fourth of the price it is sold at.

CEMENT CRACKS IN FLOOR.

Cracks in floors may be neatly but permanently filled by thoroughly soaking newspapers in paste made of half a pound of flour, three quarts of water and half a pound of alum mixed and boiled.  The mixture will be about as thick as putty, and may be forced into the crevice with a case knife.  It will harden like papier-mache.

A POLISH FOR LADIES’ KID SHOES.

A fine liquid polish for ladies’ kid shoes, satchels, etc., that is easy of application, recommended as containing no ingredients in any manner injurious to leather, is found by digesting in a closed vessel at gentle heat, and straining, a solution made as follows:  Lampblack one drachm, oil turpentine four drachms, alcohol (trymethyl) twelve ounces, shellac one and one-half ounces, white turpentine five drachms, saudarac two drachms.