the width of a wire between them. Rings of wire pass around the roll at
regular intervals and hold the longitudinal wires in place. For
_batonné_ paper, there are thick longitudinal wires at intervals and
between them either smaller wires or gauze, as the paper is to be laid
_batonné_ or wove _batonné_. After passing the dandy roll the paper goes
over a number of rollers covered with felt and cylinders heated by
steam, until it is dry. It is then sized, dried again, pressed between
heavy rollers, to give it a surface, and the edges trimmed by revolving
cutters. It is then wound up in a roll or cut into sheets, as may be
required.

Having duly considered the design, printing and paper of stamps, the
next thing to attract our attention is the gum. Most gums are prepared
from potato starch, dextrin or gum arabic. Gelatin is sometimes added to
supply body and glycerine to give smoothness. Gum varies much in
thickness and color. The first three cent stamp of the Danish West
Indies furnishes an instance of this. The stamps were sent from Denmark
without gum, as is frequently done with stamps for tropical countries.
When they reached the islands the stamps were given to two druggists to
be gummed. One used gum of good quality and, light color, while the
other used poor material and of so dark color as to stain the paper and
even darken the ink of the stamps. In Hanover rose-colored gum was used
for a number of issues. Some of the earliest local prints of the South
African Republic were made upon paper sent out ready gummed from
Germany. The paper was much wrinkled by the gum and the effect may be
seen in the wavy and broken lines of the ink.

The stamps of the first issue of Reunion were sold ungummed and were
affixed to letters in any way that pleased the writers. Some were
fastened by wafers and some even were pinned on.