Green Mountain Freeman

INDESTRUCTIBLE MORTAR.-The inferior quality of mortar in use at the present day for laying brick is as notorious as it is unnecessary and dangerous. It is a well known fact that in Europe, buildings hundreds of years old exhibit mortar ridges between the stones. showing that the mortar possesses a quality of hardness or durability equal to that of the stones. It has been thought that the making of this exceedingly hard mortar was peculiar to former times, the secret of which has been lost. Concerning this. a German chemist claims to have invented a method of producing mortar which shall be, as it were, indestructible. According to his plan, the lime is first slacked. then mixed with finely sifted sand, and to this damp, powdery mass is added a quantity of unslacked lime. equal to one fourth the amount of the sand used. On turning and mixing this together, the added lime slacks and the mortar may be used at once while hot and steaming, The proportions of slacked lime and sand are not given in the account of this invention. but care must of course be necessary not to use an undue proportion of sand. If not wanted at once. the slacked lime and sand mixture may be kept for some time without. deterioration.