ease, by French chalk, and stains, by diluted
oxalic acid, or cream of tartar. The oxalic acid is best, but must be
instantly washed off. _To whiten them_, drive nails in a barrel, near
its bottom, so that cords can be stretched across. On these cords, tie
the bonnet, wet with suds, (having first removed the grease, stains, and
dirt.) Then invert the barrel, over a dish of coals, on which roll
brimstone is slowly burning. Put a chip under one side of the barrel, to
admit the air. Continue this, till the bonnet is white; then hang it in
the air, (when the weather is not damp,) till the smell is removed. Then
stiffen it with a solution of isinglass or gum Arabic, put on the
inside, with a sponge. Press the crown, on a block, and the rest on a
board, on the right side, putting muslin between the iron and straw, and
pressing hard. Be careful not to make it too stiff. First, stiffen a
small piece, for trial.

ON COLORING.

_Precautions and Preparations._

All the articles must be entirely free from grease or oil, and also, in
most cases, from soapsuds. Make light dyes in brass, and dark ones in
iron, vessels. Always wet the articles, in fair water, before dyeing.
Always carefully strain the dye. If the color be too light, dry and then
dip the article again. Stir the article well in the dye, lifting it up
often. Remove any previous color, by boiling in suds, or, what is
better, in the soda mixture used for washing.

_Pink Dye._ Buy a saucer of carmine, at an apothecary's. With it, you
will find directions for its use. This is cheap, easy to use, and
beautiful. _Balm blossoms_ and _Bergamot blossoms_, with a little cream
of tartar in the water, make a pretty pink.

_Red Dye._ Take half a pound of wheat bran, three ounces of powdered
alum, and two gallons of soft water. Boil these in a brass vessel, and
add an ounce of cream of tartar, and an ounce of cochineal, tied up
together in a bag. Boil the mixture for fifteen minutes, then strain it,
and dip the articles. Brazil wood, set with alum, makes another red dye.

_Yellow Dye._ Fustic, turmeric powder, saffron, barberry-bush,
peach-leaves, or marigold flowers, make a yellow dye. Set the dye with
alum, putting a piece the size of a large hazelnut to each quart of
water.

_Light Blue Dye_, for silks and woollens, is made with the 'blue
composition,' to be procured of the hat-makers; fifteen drops to a quart
of water. Articles dipped in this, must be thoroughly rinsed. F