-110 
water, in which it is left for a short time to remove the chromic 
acid. It is then placed in a test-tube half-full of water an 
shaken up with some vigour, after which as a rule the constituent. 
elements will be found to be completely separated. 
lf the material has not become sufficiently limp after ten 
minutes in the chromic acid, the solution may be strengthened 
by adding a little saturated solution to it, and the fibre may be 
tested again for softness a few minutes later. 
several samples of commercial fibres were treated by the method 
described above, and proved to be well macerated either after five 
or ten minutes in the chromic acid, or after a few additional — 
minutes in a slightly stronger solution. In this treatment it was 
not found that the walls ot the fibres were either swollen by the 
potash or attached by the chromic acid.* 
For certain classes of fibres it would no doubt be better to use 
a somewhat different treatment, but the above method appears, 
after a number of trials, to be suitable for fairly general use with 
fibres. When in any case it is found that the action has been 
too weak or too strong, it is easy to alter the treatment in the 
right direction for a second attempt. 
aceration of wood was tried by the same method, but the 
results were much less satisfactory than those obtained with fibres. 
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importance to those tis ok ec ane paper of considerable 
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been published 
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* Except that j 
brittle. The at in one or two cases the fibres had become somewhat 
deal of energy. then Table: to break across if shaken up with a good 
