The professional, as well as the old stager in the amateur ranks, uses pyro. The novices uses one of the many newer developers. For years, writes F. J. Clute, in the St. Louis and Canadian Photographer, we have been told by the former that their reasons for giving pyro the preference was that it gave them more control. None of them have told us just why this "pliability" of the pyro developer was so universally observed by the older workers. They themselves have, in many cases, put forward the theory that it was no doubt owing to their familiarity with its working. Its poor keeping qualities and inclination to stain the hands has been the reason most generally given by the amateur for his discarding it in favor of one of the more cleanly working developers. The real reason why the pyro developer gives an amount of control not obtainable with any other reducing agent lies in the fact that pyro possesses, as distinctive from all the other developers, the quality of working softly like metol or rodinal, when well diluted, while still retaining the power of equalling hydroquinone or glycin as a producer of hard negatives when used in a less dilute solution. This good quality is possessed by none of the other reducers; at least, only to a very limited extent, and at once explains the preference of the experienced worker for "good old pyro." Prepared intelligently, its keeping qualities in solution are all that can be reasonably desired. Any developer will deteriorate, and where the deterioration is indicated by a relative amount of discoloration, this discoloration is more of an advantage than otherwise. The staining to which pyro pleads guilty is another bugbear that the tyro has been taught to dread. If the fear of staining his fingers would only keep him from continually raising the plate from the tray to hold it in front of the ruby glass, well and good. Use pyro and leave the plate to the mercy of the solution. Learn to judge the condition of the latent image, gradually becoming visible, by the time required and the way in which it comes up as the plate lies in the tray. It is this holding the partially developed negative with its glass side clo>e to the lamp that causes many of the poor negatives that the tyro turns out. Leave the plate in the solution, where the film of amber colored developer serves the same purpose as an extra sheet of ruby glass, and you will obtain clearer negatives. Of course, as development nears completion, an examination by transmitted light is occasionally required. Rubbing a little vaseline well into the ends of the fingers, around the roots, and underneath the ends of the nails will prevent stains. Afterwards wiping the hands well on a dry cloth will leave the vaseline where stains are most liable to occur, while removing it from those parts of the fingers most likely to come in contact with the holders, slides, and plates. Use a two solution developer, of course. Boil the water used to dissolve the pyro to expel the air. Add a few small crystals of citric acid, that the solution may not be alkaline; use a good quality of sulphite, and keep well corked. For the alkali solution, less precautions are required. Use common washing soda, and filter the solution.

You can dry a negative very quickly within five minutes by taking advantage of the property of methylated spirit to displace the water within the pores of the gelatine. Once the water is removed the spirit volatilises quite readily in the air, leaving the negative dry within a few minutes; but to succeed with the method it is most necessary that the water should be thoroughly removed, and this will not be the case unless it is placed in a bath of strong spirit. If a number of negatives are being handled, the water extracted from each soon weakens the spirit, and that is why the following procedure should be adopted: - Take three batches of spirit, and place the negative in Nos.

1, 2, and 3 in turn each for five minutes, filling bath No. 1 with a fresh negative as soon as the first is in No.

2, and so, keeping the three dishes occupied. As soon as the negative comes from the third bath it will dry almost instantly on being waved in the air. Though not necessary, it is a good plan to mop off as much surface moisture as possible, before putting the negative in the spirit, with a soft cambric pocket handkerchief. In the course of time, all the spirit baths naturally become weakened by the absorption of water. Then they should be collected in a big bottle and dry potassium carbonate, in fair quantity, be added, and shaken occasionally. The water will be absorbed by the barbonate, and will collect at the bottom of the bottle as a heavy liquid. The renewed spirit can then be poured off.

Negatives are labelled by but few photographers with even a fair amount of success. And yet the work is easy. as the following, from the Photographic News will show. Dissolve some maroon aniline in powder, in methylated spirit, so as to make a very strong solution. In some places the solution can be bought ready made and is used for coloring dresses, etc. Add to it an equal bulk of water, and a little gum solution or glycerine, to keep it from running too quickly off the pen, and then write with this ink on the film, using a fine pen. It will give clear, sharp, and well defined letters. On glass negative it must be written the reverse way, and this is said to be easy after a little practice. With celluloid films coated with gelatine on the back, write on this back in the proper way.