RE INNOVATIONS ALWAYS IM- A HOUGH. WHEN any man who is prominent in any business, profession, or art, publicly advocates great innovations on established customs, therein he thereby invites and should expect, comment and criticism. Mr. Hollinger in his late celebrated talk before the N. P. A. Convention at Celeron indicated and advised a whole series of innovations on established photographic customs, of which, perhaps, the most important, is the making one print only from a portrait negative, at price enough to cover the cost of both as a complete transaction. The idea maintained being that a photographer is as much an artist as a portrait painter. Portrait painters don't sell pictures by the dozen, therefore photographers should not, if they want to maintain their standing as artists. But an artist may make "replicas" of his own work without injury to his reputation, if he only gets nearly or quite as much for each, as for the original. So, a photographer must charge for duplicates nearly or quite as much as for the first print, to maintain his artistic equality with the portrait painter, is implied. But can this contention of equality and similarity between the painter and the photog. rapher be logically maintained? The duplicate photograph is not a replica in the painter's sense. The making of another negative and print might be, but not the making of another print from the same negative. That would be more like making another impression from the engraver's plate, which no one would pretend contained the value of the plate. Photography is therefore more allied to engraving than to painting, and its methods should be similar. Mr. Hollinger is bold, manly, and outspoken in his innovations and recommends, and is doubtless winning money and renown by them. The question is, can they be successfully and profitably adopted by photographers generally. Another marked innovation is the making a finished picture on approval. While with Mr. Hollinger it stands as evidence of his proud confidence in his own indisputable superiority, with the fraternity generally it would be a standing temptation to unscrupulous imposition. "Let's go and have our pictures taken, just to see how we look. He won't make us pay if we don't want to," is the way a large class in the cities would talk, and go to half a dozen galleries just for fun, and then choose one, or none, as the whim of the moment took them. There are other points of innovation equally open to argument pro and con, but generally in them all Mr. Hollinger's attitude is open, bold, and honorable. The one discordant note in Mr. Hollinger's practice, according to his own statement, seems to be the skilful playing upon the vanity of his customers by intimating to each, I made it that way because I thought you were artistic, and would like it so." That sort of flattery may succeed with the originator, but if adopted by the craft generally, how soon it would become ridiculous, however neatly put Just imagine them saying in chorus, "I made it so, because I thought you were artistic." How soon the insincerity would be detected, and the false flattery rejected. No! Bold and successful as Mr. Hollinger's innovations may be with him personally, the craft must look on him as we regard the dazzling comet meteor that cuts across the regular orbits of the stars, which, though we admire its flaming course, we would not have our solar system, with all its satelites, leave their regular and well established orbits and follow its No one would deny the title of artist to an engraver because his pictures were sold by eratic lead into unknown space. quantity instead of singly; so the photographer forfeits no artistic claim because he sells by the dozen, or hundred, instead of one only. The equity of modern business would deny the right to charge the cost of the plate with each picture, and no artist could long maintain such rates unless he had an almost miraculous superiority over all his rivals. Is not advice leading to such innovations more likely to injure the ordinary photographer than to benefit him, by instilling false ideas of his relation to art, and the public? PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITIONS.-In our next issue we will announce a number of photographic competitions and offer several PHOTOGRAPHIC TIMES medals to subscribers. We trust to have the support of our readers. If so we shall continue them throughout the year. The possession of a PHOTOGRAPHIC TIMES medal is a guarantee of merit. C OLLECTING RESIDUES. BY W. ETHELBERT HENRY, C.E. LET us give a little attention to the methods of saving those residues of the precious metals not actually required to form a part of the finished picture. As is well known, only a very small portion of the silver and gold actually employed exists in the final print, and that is why so many careful workers make the collection of residues a regular feature of their hobby. So important is this matter that large users of material can often save from this source alone a matter of 40 or 50 per cent. of the original silver contained in their paper and plates. In order to form even a crude idea of what happens during the collection of residues, it will be necessary to take a brief survey of the various means employed in separating the different classes of waste. Let us consider each in turn. OLD FIXING BATHS.-These form one of the richest perquisites of the careful photographer, containing as they do a very large quantity of silver. The old fixing baths should be thrown into a paraffin cask until it is at least two-thirds full, and it is advisable to have a tap about a foot from the bottom in order to facilitate the removal of the waste liquid after the precipitation of the silver. In this cask all fixing baths (plates and paper) should be put, as well as the first washing water used after fixing; that is, in case of large batches being finished at once. When the cask is nearly full, the silver in solution is thrown down as a precipitate by adding to the refuse a strong solution of potassium sulphide (liver of sulphur), stirring the mixture constantly during the addition. This will cause a dense brown precipitate to fall, and the sulphide must be added so long as the deposite is continued. Perhaps the best way to judge when the action is complete, is to take a little of the solution under treatment and put it in a test-tube, adding some of the sulphide and noting if a precipitate is still formed. If so, the bulk will want more also; but if there is no further deposit it is a sign the action is complete, and the solution may be allowed to settle. As soon as it becomes clear, the supernatant liquid may be run off and the thick muddy deposit at the bottom may be collected in another vessel for further decantation. The mud so reclaimed may be freed from moisture and sent to a refiner, or may even be converted into metallic silver at home. employed to collect the valuable part from the waste, let us see what happens in order to produce the change. In as few words as possible it is this: the potassium sulphide has formed a combination with the silver held in solution and thrown it down in an insoluble form as silver sulphide. Thus you see, although the hypo bath in the first place dissolved the silver bromide which was insoluble in water, the addition of potassium sulphide has forced it to return, in an insoluble condition, all the silver so dissolved. By this means we are enabled to send the silver to the refiner in a most convenient form without any admixture that might add to the cost of refining and carriage. Here is a simple way to test the value of the silver sulphide contained in each ounce of the dry residue: in a convenient vessel (a dessert spoon) measure out one part of the residue, two parts of flour of sulphur, four parts of dried nitre, and two parts of fine dry sawdust. Mix possible the ingredients as thoroughly as a paper, using a bone or wooden knife; place the whole in a crucible and ignite it at the top. It will soon take fire and burn with great fierceness until the whole is melted. When cold, the silver will be found in a metallic state at the bottom. A simple proportion sum will give the weight of metallic silver contained in the whole bulk of residue. on PAPER CLIPPINGS.-At one time, when photographers sensitized their own paper, the value of paper clippings was far ahead of what it is at present, still it is as well to know the method of reclaiming the silver contained in them. The general way is to reduce the paper to ashes and burn these in a closed vessel (to prevent their disappearance up the chimney) until they are impalpable powder. The powder so recovered must be sent to the refiner to separate the silver chloride from the paper and gelatine ash. A better way, in the case of gelatine papers, is to put all the clippings in the fixing bath and then recover the silver as sulphide. WASHING WATERS.-These, especially the first two in which prints are washed before toning, are particularly valuable, and yet far more find. their way down the sink than into a residue cask. The waters should be collected in a similar manner to that recommended for the fixing baths, but in a separate cask. When full, add a strong solution of salt acidulated with hydrochloric acid; the proportions are immaterial, as This deposit is densely white and flocculent, and is composed of silver chloride. Let us see why. You will prob ably remember that most of the papers employed for "printing out" contain more or less free silver soluble in water. This silver is, of course, dissolved in the preliminary waters; in fact, the washing prior to toning is on purpose to effect this result. Well, the dissolved silver finds its way to the residue cask, and there remains until it is recovered in an insoluble state as silver chloride, owing to the chemical combination between the chlorine in the salt (sodium chloride) and the hydrochloric acid. This action was referred to in the paper dealing with the making of chloride. emulsion. As soon as all the sil ver chloride has been thrown out of solution, the water is drawn off (as in the case of old fixing baths), and the chloride can be sent to the refiners. 'TWIXT GLIM AND GLOOM OLD TONING BATHS.-These are rarely worth recovering, excepting in big businesses, but the operation is simple enough, and cheap in the extreme. Make a solution of sulphate of iron and acidulate it with sulphuric acid, add sufficient acid to the toning bath to make it redden blue litmus paper, then add the iron solution, a little at a time, as long as a precipitate is formed. The precipitate is formed of metallic gold (although it will not look like it owing to its fine division), and should be reserved separate from the other residues. Be sure to have the solution acid or the iron will be precipitated instead of the gold. Another plan is to boil the bath with ferrous sulphate (4 oz. to 5 oz. of bath) to throw out the gold. The precipitate is then boiled with hydrochloric acid to remove the iron. ALCOHOL. The frequent use of alcohol for the above purpose will so load it with water as to render it too weak for other uses; this may be remedied in the following way: add to the bottle of weak spirit a quantity (immaterial) of dry potassium carbonate and shake it frequently during twenty-four hours. If all has BY MRS. GEO. ADSIT gone into solution, more must be added until it will take up no more. Then let the mixture rest until the two liquids are distinct; then decant the top portion, which is strong alcohol, and dry the other, which is water and potash, in an evaporating dish, when the dry potash will be recovered for future use. What has happened? The potash having great affinity for water and none for spirit, has dissolved in the water and formed a liquid heavier than spirit.-The Amateur Photographer (English). On Photographing the Rotation of Cell Contents. PHOTOGRAPHING THE ROTATION OF THE CELL CONTENTS IN ANACHARIS ALSINASTRUM. BY R. L MADDOX, M D., HON. FELL. R. M. S. AND HON. MEMB. AM. M. S, ETC. IN an article lately forwarded to the editor of "The American Photographic Annual" and THE PHOTOGRAPHIC TIMES, allusion was made to the difficulty experienced on endeavoring to secure a satisfactory photomicrograph of the rotation or circulation of the little chlorophyll granules, or plasmic masses, in the cells of anacharis alsinastrum, a rather ubiquitous water weed. The difficulty consisted in a considerable amount of interference from the limiting borders or edges of the structural cells, and a kind of haze, supposed to be due to the little. granules acting as minute moving lenses when illuminated by reflected bright sunlight, so that at the time it was rejected for another subject. However, later, on thinking the matter over it occurred to the writer to make a further trial by causing the illumination of the object to emanate from a small diffused radiant or spot of light, instead of focusing strong sunlight directly on the object. Opportunity was taken to test this view, and the result is now given in the following lines: Instead of using the cells at the edge of the leaf numerous fine longitudinal sections were made of the stem of the plant. On examining these one was found which showed one entire cell uninjured when mounted in water on an ordinary slide. At first no rotation of the granules could be seen, but on holding the slide in the warm hands and waiting about a quarter of an hour, the circulation was well seen under theth objective. The object was now carefully transferred to a glass slide finely ground on the back, or the surface resting on the stage of the microscope. The flat mirror was now turned towards the sun, and the Abbe achromatized condenser focused so as to condense the rays into a bright spot on the ground surface. The object was now brought into position, but gave an image of a rather too clouded character to be useful for the purpose of a "snap shot." The cloudiness was attributed to the too great dispersion of the radiant light, and as alteration of the focus of the condenser did not seem to improve matters sufficiently to remove the haze, the slide was removed, and 31 soft paper, just smeared with paraffin oil. This at once took away some of the milkiness of the ground surface, and on placing it again on the stage and refocusing the condenser a beautifully soft, yet sufficiently sharp image of the object was seen without any visible interference lines. It now remained to make a photomicrograph, which was quickly done by using a small metal camera which fits to the draw tube of the microscope, and employing an eye piece which had been lengthened by a deep ring of brass fitted over it, and of such a depth as to make the image seen on the screen of the little camera correspond to that seen when the image was in focus by this eye piece. Thus, for obtaining a correct focus for the sensitized plate, it was only necessary to secure the best focus obtained by the eye piece. Every thing being in readiness, it was first noted that, within the time occupied to shut off the light, remove the eyepiece, substitute the little camera, draw its slide, expose as rapidly as possible by hand and again shut off the light, the little masses of granules had not moved the entire length of the cell. The instrument was now covered by black velvet, except the mirror, and an exposure made, the little plate being cut from an ordinary one On developing it was quite twenty minutes before even a faint dark circle of the field could be seen, and another ten minutes before development was finished. After being washed and fixed it was considered a fair negative for further enlargement. This was accomplished later up to three times the original, and thus brought the magnification of the object to 180 diameters. This gives, as may be expected, rather a coarse image on account of the thickness of the section, which must contain some uninjured cells as, if injured, the rotation ceases, or the granules flow out at the injured part. It might have been wiser to have used a rather lower power objective, as a ths, or even inch, and have made the enlargement only double, but the granules are so numerous in anacharis they would then have appeared very crowded, but in a section from Valisneria it would no doubt be more satisfactory as the little circulating bodies are much less numerous and less adherent to each other. This is, however, a matter for trial to those who may like to utilize the plan adopted. The rotation as seen under the microscope was up on the right hand, and down on the narrow oblique ends of the cell, yet the shadows on the edges of the circulating granules scarcely admit of deciding which are moving up or moving down. It may be useful to here mention a very simple plan for keeping water supplied to the object when needed for re-examination. Tear a strip about a quarter of an inch wide and an inch and a quarter long from clean fine blotting paper, and place it on the slide so that one long edge just touches the edge of the cover glass, then turn down the strip over one side of the slide for about ths of an inch and fill a deep watch glass with fresh water, place the slide over it and let the turned down flap dip into the water, two slides can be easily placed over the watch glass or flat cell, and then covered by a small bell glass shade. On re-examination it is only necessary to remove the strip of blotting paper, wipe the back of the slide and then draw off the surplus of the water under the cover glass by a pointed bit of absorbent paper. If the object be very small cotton thread can be used instead of blotting paper for each purpose, so that the suction shall neither supply too much fluid nor draw away the object. By this method infusoria and diatoms can be kept alive for a little time without much trouble. 66 ROSA ROSARUM UDI ALTERAM PARTEM"-A PLEA FOR GREATER ACCURACY IN PHOTOGRAPHIC LITERATURE. BY DR. N. B. A SIZER. It is an axiom in chemistry as well as physics that, to obtain identical results, the materials, quantities, and manner of experimentation. must be also identical. Now, we all know that photography is simply a series of very exact or delicate chemical experiments, and obviously BY MATHILDE WEIL the above rule applies the more forcibly, as the conditions are more delicate. Of late I have been forcibly impressed with the observation that current photographic literature is far from being as definite and exact as is necessary, and a paper of mine in the PHOTO. TIMES for November, 1896, contains several startling proofs of the truth of this statement. Allow me to renew the subject for its grave importance has been proven to all amateurs by frequent failure in working new formulæ. One very common error is this: If you follow an English formula, remember that their minims, drachms, ounces, pounds, and pints are not those of the United States standard to which all our measures and glass graduates are adapted. The English ounce is the old avoirdupois, of 437 grains; the fluid ounce is their ounce weight of water (that is, it weighs 437 |