L. TECHNOLOGY. 477 



added to it. This soap is to be boiled thoroughly for twenty 

 to thirty minutes with continued stirring, and is then ready 

 for use, forming a very homogeneous so-called soap-glue, of a 

 sirupy consistency, and especially adapted for washing wool. 

 Should the soap be required for fulling, an addition of some 

 ammoniacal salt will be of advantage, to be introduced imme- 

 diately before using. Instead of caustic soda, which it is 

 sometimes difficult to obtain, we may use ordinary soda salt, 

 which is to be rendered caustic by leaching through freshly 

 burned and slightly moistened lime. Even ordinary potash- 

 lye, obtained from ashes, mixed with fresh quicklime, can be 

 employed in this preparation. 23 (7, xvi., August 15, 223. 



UTILIZING THE GREASE OF SHEEP'S WOOL. 



An additional instance of the possibility of converting what 

 was formerly considered refuse into valuable material is seen 

 in the case of the fatty matter contained in sheep's wool, and 

 technically known as suint. This contains about forty per 

 cent, of potassa, and, when ignited, the alkali becomes entire- 

 ly mixed thereby with strongly nitrogenized animal charcoal. 

 The result of recent experiments tends to show that suint, 

 thus treated, may be used to an excellent profit in the manu- 

 facture of prussiates and cyanides. 16 A, April, 1870, 260. 



WASHING POWDERS. 



According to a high German authority, recent investiga- 

 tions of a great variety of so-called washing powders many 

 of them of loud -sounding pretensions, and bringing high 

 prices showed that their efficiency depended entirely upon 

 the amount of soda they contained, which was, in most cases, 

 of so poor a quality as to be of comparatively little value. 

 The author advises the public, therefore, to have nothing to 

 do with any such compounds, but to rely entirely upon ob- 

 taining a good quality of soda, which may always be secured, 

 and at a low price. 25 C, xx., May 24, 166. 



REMOVAL OF GREASE FROM WOOL. 



It is said that the best method of removing tar, axle-grease, 

 etc., from raw wool consists in exposing the portion affected 

 in a closed vessel for a short time to the action of benzine. 

 By a previous application of old butter to the wool, and al- 



