K. DOMESTIC AND HOUSEHOLD ECONOMY. 421 



same result as attained in his own, consume four times the 

 quantity of fuel; and the comparison with even the most 

 improved chimneys is always decidedly in his favor. Me- 

 moirs Academy of Sciences, Toulouse, 1875, 233. 



CHEAP SOAP FOR ORDINARY ARTICLES AND WOOLEN 



FACTORIES. 



Mayr recommends the following process for preparing a 

 very cheap soap. First procure from a soap-boiler the 

 spent lye or salt lye, either in a fluid or gelatinized condi- 

 tion, and preserve it in well-covered vessels until required. 

 Prepare a soda lye of 22 Baume, by heating in a boiler 100 

 pounds of calcined soda in about 52 gallons of water until it 

 is dissolved. Add to this gradually 60 pounds of fresh, un- 

 slaked lime, stir the mixture well, and transfer the whole of 

 it to a tub of sufiicient size, and allow it to stand for about 

 12 hours, that the lime may settle. Then carefully dip out 

 the lye from the lime into the kettle again, and boil until it 

 indicates 22 Baume. After cooling, transfer to a suitable 

 vessel, and cover tightly. Then prepare a potash lye of 10 

 Baume, by stirring potash into hot water, until the required 

 strength is reached. As an experiment, boil 25 pounds of 

 cocoa-oil with 30 pounds of potash lye of 10 Baume, and 

 add gradually, when not boiling too vigorously, 30 to 40 

 pounds of soda lye of 22 Baume. After the combination of 

 the oil and lye, and the mass has assumed the appearance of 

 a brown glue, and is thready, add, with vigorous stirring, 

 159 pounds of spent lye of not over 16 Baume, but diluted 

 to this strength, if necessary, with lime-water. Boil the mass 

 for half an hour, and allow the fire to die down. It will ap- 

 pear as fluid as w^atei', and very unlike soap, but a sample, 

 if allowed to cool perfectly on a board, or in a porcelain 

 dish, will harden. The principal point at this stage is to 

 transfer the mass to a tub, and allow it to cool, and on the 

 following day to transfer it again to the boiler without the 

 addition of any liquid, and after boiling it for an hour, sam- 

 ples will yield elastic threads indicative of increasing con- 

 sistency. Then add common salt gradually, until a cooled 

 sample feels dry upon the hand. Allow the fire to slacken, 

 and ladle the mass into forms, which can be taken apart 

 when the soap becomes hard. The advantage of this proc- 



