2-04 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



of potash and soda is put into vrater, it does just what we would like to have 

 it do — it is decomposed ; the alkali is set free, as free or only partially com- 

 bined alkali, and the fat acid is left uncombined in the water. This is soap- 

 suds. The fat acid set free is wo longer a greasy substance, but is simply 

 perfectly inert, serving, however, in the washing of cloth, to make the surface 

 smooth, and in this way assist in sliding the dirt out into the water. 



The alkali set free, is ready, willing, and anxious to attack anything in 

 reach — dirty dishes, clothing, grease, etc. These it attacks, and entering 

 into chemical combination with the grease again, it serves, by the assistance 

 of a little friction, to eradicate it, and is thus a ''means of grace" in our 

 higher civilization. 



Going up to the leach we find, laid carefully upon the broken down, rheu- 

 matic, old chair, that is near by, an egg, which looks as though it had suffered 

 severely. Yes, the lye must be strong enough to hold up an egg (this 

 familiar fruit being the one domestic hydrometer common to all conditions iu 

 life); and even then, when it would do that, I've known the lye not to make 

 soap. In one instance, our neighbors, after working about a week with the 

 lye — testing it with the true instrument, the well authenticated lien's egg, boil- 

 ing the lye down some ; then, being afraid it was too strong, watered it a little, 

 but no soap. Losing faith in ashes, lye, grease, soap kettle, and all things 

 of good, soaply repute, they, with desecrating hand, broke the egg — yes, smashed 

 it utterly. Their worst fears were realized ; it was downright, utterly, super- 

 latively, bad, and had been so some time. A logical deduction from this 

 sketch, would be to test your egg first with bright, clear, sparkling water; not 

 on the temperance question, but on the question of moral soundness and 

 sterling worth of character. "But some lye that will float an egg won't make 

 soap." Yes, but you must have then neglected to put the required layer of 

 quick-lime in the bottom of the leach. "Well, what is that for?" "What 

 good does it do?" The chemical combination law comes in again right here. 

 Unleached ashes, whether fresh or old, contain their alkalies in the form of 

 carbonates. These carbonates are alkaline to a certain extent, but not to 

 the full extent that they are capable, as part of their alkalinity is destroyed 

 by the union with the carbonic acid; but if you will bring these carbonates 

 into contact with quick-lime, the stronger base, lime, will unite with the car- 

 bonic acid, setting free the potash and soda in the condition of caustic potash 

 and caustic soda, which is the state in which they are capable of exerting their 

 greatest alkaline strength, and which is secured by quick-lime placed where 

 the lye must flow through it on its way to the kettle. 



Hard soap differs from soft soap in being mostly composed of the stearate, 

 margarate, and oieate of soda, instead of corresponding salts of potash. To 

 make soft soap into hard soap we must displace the base potash by soda, and 

 we do this by adding common salt to the material while it is still boiling in the 

 soap kettle. Tiie soda of the salt unites with the fat acids of the soft soap 

 and forms a soda soap, setting free the potash which is obliged to combine 

 with the chlorine of the salt and form chloride of potash. Upon cooling the 

 mass in the kettle the hard or soda soap separates out and is ready to be cut 

 up into bars for drying. 



When we started upon this tour of domestic review we promised ourselves 

 that we would go down cellar. It is a place that much attention is directed 

 towards in seeking the causes of sickness, but we will only go down to smell of 

 the butter and see if it is sweet. Well, here is the butter, and upon examina- 



