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Open Fires

The following article and receipts for open fires are by Professor Ferrum, and we quote them from the "American Druggists' Circular": use ture is the best in use; its composition may be altered by various admixtures:

I. Nitrate of strontia, 13 parts; sulphur, 1 part; powder dust, 1 part. The latter ingredient is prepared from fine gunpowder, rubbed up carefully in a mortar and then sifted through a hair sieve. Another receipt is:

II. Nitrate of strontia, 24 parts; chlorate of potassa, 16 parts; stearine, 4 parts; powdered charcoal, 1 part. In using chlorate of potassa the precautions given in No. 2124 must be strictly observed, and all pounding and rubbing avoided. Among themany receipts for open fires, but few deserve to be recommended, and these have been selected. The white and red fires only show a clear, distinct color. The green is generally pale, and shows off only when burnt after a red. A pure blue is very difficult to obtain. The following should be observed as general rules: The ingredients for III. Nitrate of strontia, 20 parts; chlorate the fires are dried singly at a slightly elevated of potassa, 4 parts; sulphur, 5 parts; black temperature, finely powdered, and preserved sulphuret of antimony, 2 parts; powdered in well-stoppered bottles, until required for charcoal, 1 part. Gives a very strong light.

The mixing of the ingredients is best The nitrate of strontia for these fires, as the performed on a sheet of paper by means of a ingredients for all others, must be well, but card, and should be done very carefully so as carefully dried. (See No. 2065.) to ensure a complete mixture. Sifting is in 2110. Yellow Fire. This color, which most cases admissible, while triturating in is very little used, is produced by the followby the followa mortar is above all to be avoided. After ing mixture: Nitrate of soda, 48 parts; sulof soda, 48 parts; sulmixing, the powder is piled in small heaps in phur, 16 parts; black sulphuret of antimony, open vessels, for which purpose small flower- 4 parts; powdered charcoal, 1 part. pots or flower-pot dishes are well adapted. 2111. Green Fires. The coloring in- On top of these several piles, some gunpow-gredients for these lights are the salts of bader is placed to facilitate the lighting. The ryta. The color is generally not very deep. vessels should be arranged in such a manner I. Nitrate of baryta, 45 parts; sulphur, 10 that the flame may illuminate the intended parts; chlorate of potassa, 20 parts; calomel, object without being seen by the spectators. 2 parts; lampblack, 1 part. The distribution of the material into a greater II. Nitrate of baryta, 60 parts; chlorate or less number of dishes is governed by cir- of potassa, 18 parts; sulphur, 22 parts. cumstances. A great number of small flames III. Chlorate of baryta, 3 parts ; sulphur, from a certain quantity of mixture generally 1 part. give a more intense, but so much shorter- IV. Chlorate of baryta, 24 parts; stearin, lived light than the same quantity distributed 3 parts; sugar of milk, 1 part. in larger portions; beyond a certain limit, V. Chlorate of baryta, 3 parts; sugar of however, even that intensity is not materially milk, 1 part. heightened by a few more lights. If the fire