BORAX IN AMERICA. 357 



were entirely satisfactory, but in working large quantities the case 

 was found very different. Concentrated to 20 B., a crop of crystals 

 was deposited which were pure borax, but they were scarcely more 

 than fifty per cent of the borax originally held by the lye thus formed. 

 When, now, this mother-liquor was still further concentrated, no more 

 pure borax separated, but a combined mass of borate and carbonate. 



And here was manifested another feature. The amount of borax 

 available depended very largely on the bulk of the solution in which 

 it was allowed to cool. Very small quantities were of course useless 

 in practical working, though the crop from them was satisfactory. 

 Patiently continued trials showed that pans of two to three gallons 

 gave economically the best results. But even here the borax clung so 

 closely to the carbonate as to occasion much difficulty, until the plan 

 was devised of crystallizing them together, and then washing away 

 the carbonate by means of its greater solubility. 



This was the plan adopted, and by its use about eighty per cent of 

 the borax originally contained in the Hachinhama water, as pumped 

 into the evaporating-pans, was secured. The extent of the works may 

 be estimated from the fact that about 4,000 of the pans mentioned 

 were in daily use. 



But the unassisted lake-water was not long used. Hachinhama, 

 from its shallowness, becomes nearly or quite dry at the close of each 

 summer. As it dries away, the exposed mud is thickly covered with 

 the salts deposited. These were carefully removed for use. The sur- 

 face thus cleared of its salts began at once to renew its coating, the 

 deposit being speedily replaced by capillary attraction from the stores 

 beneath. In a week, or perhaps more, the surface was ready for 

 sweeping again. The second crop was abundant, it was replaced by 

 a third, and by others in succession, till the advent of the rains (never 

 occurring in that climate till October, or perhaps November) put a 

 stop to their formation. 



This process was repeated each year during the occupation of 

 Hachinhama, and, when the lake filled in turn with the winter rains, 

 the alkaline-water bore the same degree of strength consecutively, 

 showing that the stores of supply in the mud beneath gave no evi- 

 dence of exhaustion. 



The salts thus gathered were used by lixiviation to strengthen the 

 lake-water in the evaporating-pans, and thus increase the yield of 

 borax. 



The work of refining the borax thus obtained differed in nothing 

 from that employed with the green crystals of Borax Lake hot solu- 

 tion and crystallization in lead-lined tanks. Hachinhama borax, as 

 placed in the market, was of a grade of excellence never surpassed. 



The works were conducted in this manner until the spring of 1872, 

 when a change was^ introduced in consequence of the discovery that 

 immense deposits of borates existed in Nevada. It was determined to 



