Properties of Charcoal

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Among the many properties of charcoal may be mentioned its power of destroying smell, taste, and color; and as a proof of its possessing the first quality, if it be rubbed over putrid meafy the smell will be destroyed. If a piece of charcoal be thrown into putrid water, the putrid taste or.flavor will b" destroyed, and the water be rendered completely fresh. Sailors are aware of this; for when water is bad at sea, they are in the habit of throwing pieces of burnt biscuits into it to purify it. Color is materially influenced by charcoal, and in numbers of instances in a very irregular Way. If you take a dirty black syrup and filter it through burnt charcoal, the color will be removed. ? The charcoal of animal matter appears to be the best for this purpose. You may learn the influence of charcoal in destroying colors by filtering a bottle of port wine through it, in the filtration it will lose-a great portion of this color and become tawny; repeat the process two or threa times, and you have destroyed it altogether A. syphon for dairymen is now in use in Scotland, by means of which the milk is drawn away trom the cream instead of skimming the cream off the milk.

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