An ounce of sand or a stone from New York State, for the same from any other State.
K. Dean,
310 Hamilton Street, Albany, N. Y.
Specimens of woods and soil of Victoria County, Texas, for the same of any other locality.
A. G. Sterne, Victoria, Victoria County, Texas.
A Reader, Syracuse.—Skins of woodchucks and other small animals are often prepared by country boys without the use of any chemicals. The skin, fur side down, is stretched as tight as possible on a board, and is exposed to the sun and air until thoroughly dry. It must never be left out at night, nor allowed to get damp, as this makes it liable to crack and mould. When dry, it should be rubbed gently between the hands until soft. A little bran added while rubbing absorbs the grease, and helps to soften the skin. The skin will be better preserved if, after tacking it to the board, you wash it over with a solution of salt, and afterward, during several days, moisten the surface often with a wash made by dissolving two and a half ounces of alum in a pint of warm water.
E. L. S.—The first series of United States stamps was issued in 1847, and consisted of two values—5-cent, Franklin head, brown; 10-cent, Washington head, in black. The next series was begun in 1851. It consisted of 1-cent, 3-cent, 5-cent, 10-cent, 12-cent, 24-cent, 30-cent, and 90-cent. This was followed in 1861 by a series of similar values, with the addition of 2-cent and 15-cent. In 1869, an entire change was made, and stamps were issued of 1-cent, 2-cent, 3-cent, 6-cent, 10-cent, 12-cent, 24-cent, 30-cent, and 90-cent. Following this, in 1870, came the current series, which at first had values similar to the 1869 series, with the addition of a 7-cent stamp. The 7-cent, 12-cent, and 24-cent were suppressed in 1875, and the 5-cent re-introduced. Space is too limited to give any details of these stamps, but the following point will help you. The second and third series can be distinguished by the size of the holes separating the stamps, being very small in the second. In the fourth series, the stamps are all square. In the current series, all except the 5-cent are treated similarly to the 3-cent, head in oval to left. The 5-cent is blue. All these are the regular postage stamps for the use of the public.