In the preservation of a good violin it is requisite that it should be kept, when not in use, in a wooden case, lined with cloth or flannel; and as it is subject to damage from the sudden changes of the weather, the greatest care should be taken to keep it from damp. Too great heat, however, will often render the wood brittle, and make it difficult to produce the tone with the best effect, as the strings are apt to become dry, so that it is not easy to bring out that delicacy of tone which is one of the charms of the instrument. To carry the violin to any distance from home in cold weather, it should always be put into its case, or else it is apt to condense moisture when brought into a warm room, and to cause dust to accumulate both inside and outside of it. And it should never be left out of its case in the summer, as the flies are almost certain to get into the _f_ holes, and leave their filth in it, much to the detriment of its tone. It is also absolutely necessary to keep the violin perfectly clean; and the resin-dust should be carefully wiped off with a soft linen cloth before and after using it. It is a good plan to insert a handful of warm barley into the interior, through the _f_ holes, and by shaking it well the dust will attach itself to the seed, and will be brought out with the barley through the _f_ holes. This process should be performed twice a year, and the instrument will be better preserved for it. To keep the strings on the instrument in good order for any length of time, take a small piece of taffeta and moisten it with almond oil, and rub it lightly over the strings, from the bridge to the nut, after using the violin, and before putting it into its case. And when you want to use it again, wipe off the oil with a piece of fine linen. This plan is especially beneficial to the fourth or G string, which, however much it may be stretched before being covered with wire, is apt to shrink in summer, when the wire gets loose if the string is not subjected to the oiling. The advantage of adhering to this plan will be that the strings will not become dry, and will retain a smoothness of tone, and keep the moisture from the fingers from being detrimental to the strings, and prevent their producing a false tone, or that grating or whistling so common in the use of the resin from the bow. This treatment of the instrument was communicated to Ernst by Otto, and Ernst mentioned it frequently to the professors and amateurs, who readily adopted it and found considerable advantage therefrom. The proper means of preserving strings not in immediate use is stated to be the moistening them with the best almond oil, putting them into a piece of calves’ or pig’s bladder, and enclosing them in a tin box. Most violin players know where to procure the best strings. Another important thing connected with the violin is its having a paper bridge fitted for it, which should be specially adapted to the instrument. If the performer has a