Varieties.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 412, 7 April 1904, Page 7

Varieties.

BLACK HEADS.

3||n|K,A.NY persons ate greatly annoyed Sn«htt by what are commonly termed mS3k ' black heads,' due to an accumu-

lation of fatty matter in the ducts which carry away the saoretion from the fat glands of the skin. The following is the proper treatment for a case of this sort:—Pquet ze out the fatty matter, gently pressing the skin between, the fingers, or by pressing upon the spot with a watch-key or a similar instrument made for the purpose. Wash the face thoroughly with a little fine soap, then apply a lotion consisting of two drachma of ether, two drachm i of borax, and four ounces cf water, which should be employed daily. After a few weeks' use, instead of the lotion given, a solution of sulphate of zinc, one-half drachm to the pint of water.

PASSING IT BA.OK. ' a" curioQß action for libel came on for trial recently in Limerick, the parties concerned being the captain and mate of a small sailing vessel engaged by some merchants : in the,: cargo trade on the Shannon. It was the rale of the ship that all events concerning it or its crew b recorded in the log-book. So one day when the mate went ashore, and partook rather freely of the potent wine of the country, the captain: was obliged to make the unpleasant entry, 'Mate drunk all day." ■ ■■'.''.■ ■'■'-'-■■-'• . :'■■' '.- ■'■■■''..'■'- :Aj '■'.■■■,''"i

'Why did you pot that down V the mate kquired, when he was sober enough to take note of the occurrence.

'lt was true, wasn't it P.' asked the captain, i ■

'Tea,' replied the mate, grumpily | ' but you know it will do me harm.' Some weeks later the captain took a holiday on shore, and on his return to the ship proceeded to fill up the log-book. But, much to his disgust, he found ther mate had already forestalled him, and* entered,' Captain sober a$ day.' ' Why did you put that down P' aaked the; enraged skipper, i "It wea true, waenT; it p* asked the maty. * Iffli' said the captain. But he failed to enjoy the Joke, and with good reason, for when the book was examined by the owners they drew their own conclusions of the meaning of that suggestive entry, and dismissed the captain. Oat of this arose the libel action, which was happily compromised when the true facts became known, and the captain was reinstated.

THE VABNISS-TBEE, The urusi, or varnish-tree, of which the Japanese make so extensive a use, is a noble tree when grown to its full sise. On incision it yields a rich, milky, glutinous juice, out of which the Japanese make the celebrated varnish known by the name of 'japan.' With this varnißh they cover and coat all their household furniture, all their dishes and plates, and all their drinking vessels, whether made of wood or of paper. The use of plate, or porcelain, or glass appears to be very limited, and is probably interdioted by some rule of nationality or religion; from the Emperor down to the meanest peasant, all make use of the light varnished or japanned cups and dishes, the inner substance of which is wood or paper, or, what we term papier-mache. Another tree, called 'foraai,' renders a varniah of an inferior quality.

HINTS ABOUT SCEBWS. Where screws are driven into soft wood and subjected to considerable strain, they are likely to work loose, and it is oiten difficult to make them hold. In suoh cases the use of glue is profitable. Prepare the glue thick j immerse a stick about half tke size of the Bcrew and put it into the hole; then immerse the screw, and drive it home as quickly as possible. When there is an article of furniture to he hastily repaired,' and no glae is at hand, bore a hole, insert the stick, fill the rest of the cavity with pulverised resin, then heat the screw sufficient to melt the resin as it is driven in. Where sorews are driven into wood for temporary parposes, they can be more easily removed by dipping them in oil before inserting. When buying screws, notice that the heads are sound and well cut, that there are no flaws in the body or thread part, and that they have gimlet points. -

PEOPER DRYING OP STOCKINGS. The best way to inbure wcollen stockings from shrinking is to dry them on stocking boards. The next best is to stretch them well, put a smooth, round stone inside each, and pin the stocking to the line, with the top spread oat as mnoh as the size permits. Neither silk nor woollen stockings should be ironed with hot irons. They may be pressed with warm ones on their wrong sides, but their appearance on the feet is quite as good if while they are in disuse they are rolled up in pairs with the toes folded in and the top of one slipped over the roll.