Lac is the incrustation deposited by the lac insects on the branches of certain trees, and is collected, as a a rule, by the jungle tribes, who break off the branches on which it is deposited. In this state it is called stick lac, and is sold by the gatherers to local dealers, who sell it to the manufacturers of shellac or button lac, who put it through various processes until it becomes the lac of commerce. During the past twe years the product has been comparatively small, while the demand has largely increased. This increased demand is mainly due to the use of shellac in electrical works and, in a minor degree, for making gramaphone records. High prices may lead to the adulteration of shellac with resin, which has frequently been done but can be detected by the smell.

The London Daily Mail has the following. Medical men and nurses abounded at the recent opening of tht Medical Exhibition. One stall contained nothing bul samples of a new anaesthetic which bears the restfu name of "somnoform", a liquid the boiling point of which is 23° below zero. The moment it comes in contact with air it becomes a gas. Its great virtue, from a medical point of view, is that breathing stops before the heart when it is administered.

In the newly invented apparatus for milking cows by electricity rubber hoods are attached to the udder of the cow. These hoods are connected with a vessel for receiving the milk by means of a rubber tube from which the air is exhausted by means of the electrical device. It is claimed that the cow "lets down" her milk more freely than when milked by hand. It is also claimed that absolute cleanliness of the milk may be secured when this method of milking is employed.

It has been demonstrated that ground ivy and r&us-tard can be destroyed through sprinkling with a solution of copperas (sulphate of iron), and that cereals are not injured by it.

"What is worth doing, is worth doing well. "

The man who does only what he gets paid for, gets paid for only what he does.

The Mineral Collector.

A new gasoline motor has appeared with a mechanically operated valve, serving for both admission and exhaust. It is worked by the aid of a sliding sleeve, which surrounds the valve, and a peculiar-shaped cam giving two degrees of lift to the valve. Though the means may be new, the result is not, as a combined inlet and exhaust valve has long been a feature of some horizontal motors.