Your correspondent, "Hudson, N. Y.," in the February number of your valued magazine, relates his experience, and asks, "Will some one explain how this putty is adulterated?" I know nothing of the particular batch he became the unfortunate possessor of, but have no doubt it was such as is made and sold in large quantities, at the present time, by those who set a higher value on a money profit, than they do upon a good, honest reputation of character.

Having been a manufacturer of paints and putty for the past 50 years, I claim to know how they should be made.

True putty consists of thoroughly well-dried whiting and linseed oil - nothing else. To me, it is a gratifying fact, that this is the only formula I have used. The sharp competition of these days, the great tendency to cheapen everything that is sold, has led even the manufacturers of putty to produce an article at less cost; and they have succeeded by the use of finely ground marble, white clay and lime-water, with a portion of oil (either linseed or menhaden), in producing, at little cost, a compound which they call putty, and sell for such. This marble dust putty has but little adhesiveness, and is quite unfit for glazing, as it is sure to drop from the sash. But, even if it did not, there would be no economy in its use, it being much heavier than true putty, i. e., the genuine, old-fashioned whiting and linseed oil article; a vessel which would be filled with 100 pounds of this, would hold from 130 to 140 pounds of the marble dust article. Common lime-water mixed with linseed oil, in the proportion of 3 or 4 parts of lime-water to 1 part of linseed oil, forms a saponaceous mixture, used instead of pure oil in making cheap putty, and it is believed also in the manufacture of cheap paints, which " perish (almost) in their using".

Just at this moment, a circular setting forth the advantages of using an "improved paint oil," has been placed in my hands. A single extract from this circular will suffice: " Live and energetic dealers in paints and oils, will find it a profitable oil to handle" * * * "half the price of linseed oil".

As long as people will insist upon having goods for less than their value, they may look for these cheapening adulterations. Philadelphia.