_Re-varnishing._--Cars should be taken in and re-varnished at least once in 12 months; and if done once in 8 months it is better for them, and they will require only one coat; but where they run a year, they will generally need two coats. Those varnished during the hot months will not stand as well as if done at any other time. Painting done in extremely cold weather, or in a cold shop, is more liable to crack than if done in warm weather. _How to Dry Paint._--Paint dried in the shop where there is a draught of dry air passing through, will stand better than that dried by artificial heat; and you will find, by giving it your attention, that work which has failed to stand, and which cracked or scaled, was invariably painted in the winter season, or in cool, wet weather. I have paid some attention to this matter, and know the result. WOODWORK PAINTING.--One of the attendant drawbacks of houses that are newly built, or have been hastily finished for letting, is the inferior painting of the woodwork, and its speedy destruction. The wood is not thoroughly dry, and the consequence is the preparatory coat does not adhere; the pores being full of dampness, it is impossible for the oil to sink into them, especially as oil and water are unmiscible. Another equally injurious condition is the gum-resin which exudes from the knots of new pine and other timber. Painted over before it has time to come to the surface, the coat is destroyed by the action of the gum. Now, these evils have to be endured so long as the wood has no time to get seasoned. The painter follows the carpenter without any interval of time, and before the action of the weather can bring out the moisture and resinous substances. A coating of shellac is usually given to the knots, though this is often so thin as to be worthless. Crude petroleum, as a preservative coat, is found to be an admirable preparation for the painting. The petroleum is thin, and penetrates the wood, filling up the pores, and giving a good ground for the coats of paint.