Charleston Mercury
May 6, 1861
Prepare a stick four inches long, perfectly round, and a little smaller than the ball; cut small slices of paper, an inch and a half long, and wide enough to go one and a half times around the stick; prepare a mucilage of water and gumarabic; roll the paper on the stick one time, then put on the mucilage and press it firmly by rolling it; then trim the stick one-eighth of an inch and put mucilage in the end of the paper; insert the ball and stand it on the point in a cup of flour, or fine dirt or sand, and let it remain until it is dry. This mode is much more convenient and better than the ordinary mode of tying the paper to the ball.