Dissolve the saltpetre in water, saturate the powders with the solution, dry the mass, and again reduce it to powder. This powder, strewn on a warm surface such as the top of a stove, takes fire spontaneously and gradually disappears.
Fumigating Papers and Wicks (Bruges Ribbons).
French—Papier à fumigations. Ruban de Bruges; German—Räucherpapiere. Räucherbänder.
Fumigating papers are strips impregnated with substances which become fragrant on being heated; such a strip need merely be placed on a stove or held over a flame in order to perfume a whole room. Fumigating papers are divided into two groups: those meant to be burned, and those meant to be used repeatedly. The former, before being treated with aromatics, are dipped into saltpetre solution; the latter, in order to render them incombustible, are first dipped into a hot alum solution so that they are only charred by a strong heat, but not entirely consumed.
A. Inflammable Fumigating Paper.
Papier Fumigatoire Inflammable.
The paper is dipped into a solution of 3½ to 5½ ounces of saltpetre in water; after drying it is immersed in a strong tincture of benzoin or olibanum and again dried. An excellent paper is made according to the following formula:
| Benzoin | 5½ oz. |
| Santal wood | 3½ oz. |
| Olibanum | 3½ oz. |
| Oil of lemon grass | 150 grains. |
| Essence of vetiver | 1¾ oz. |
| Alcohol. | 1 qt. |
For use, the paper is touched with a red-hot substance, not a flame. It begins to glow at once without bursting into flame, giving off numerous sparks and a pleasant odor.
B. Non-inflammable Fumigating Paper.
Papier Fumigatoire Permanent.