■4-1 On the Stecpwg of I fool, and the Injluenec. 



weak wool was ot" a greenish yellow colour, whitli dH 

 Stinctly announced its rtL-cay. 



2. A portion of the wool of each of the preceding num- 

 bers, bcimj!; treated hot with 1 -20th of soap, became very 

 white, and perfeotlv free from the grease.' it had a very 

 httle smell, which exposure to the air Speedily removed. 



3. One-f(Ttieth partof caustic potash scours and whitens 

 wool extremely well ; but this nv.-thod, though very effica- 

 cious, is attended with too many inconveniences to advise 

 its employment. 



4. Wool steeped for some time in hot water lost, by the 

 action of the potash, too little of its greasy matter to be 

 employed in that lUate. 



5. it is dangerous in all the operations of scouring to 

 raise the temperature of the fluid above 60°, or to leave the 

 wool in it longer than a quarter of an hour, for it is liable 

 to be very soon injured in boiling water. 



(». Flanders soap is the substance which appeared to act 

 in the most advantageous manner; it scours very speedily,- 

 and gives wool a decree of whiteness which it is extremely 

 difficult to produce bv any other means. 



On comparinj^ wool spun in the grease and aftcnvardg' 

 scoured, with that scoured before it was spun, it ap- 

 peared that the former had become exceedingly white, re-* 

 sembling the colour of unv,/rov.ght cotton, while the second 

 retained a dull yellow cast, from which it can never be 

 freed. This last experiment frequently repeated, and in 

 several different ways, constantly afforded the same results.' 

 It perfectlv agrees with the ideas current in the work-shops, 

 that wool badly scoured can never be thoroughly cleansed 

 frou) grease, and that a great part of the preparations it 

 may receive in dvcin^: are never fixed in a solid manner.- 

 Thus, besides the advantane of sparing proprietors an ope- 

 ration V. hich thev never execute perfectly, a twofold cause 

 ought to induce them to preserve wool in the grease : irl 

 the first place, to protect it from insects and grubs, which 

 seldom attack it in that state ; and in the second, to allow 

 the various arts which employ white wool the means of 

 ffivino" it that purity and lustre which it can never acquire 

 Vvlien it haf been previously scoured. 



The eBects of gas and sulphuric acid were likew^ise tried j 

 but neither of those means was capable of giving to wool, 

 twice scoured, ihc same degree of whiteness as to that 

 which had been completely freed from grea?c at onee. 



'iJiese exi>erinients sprved to ascertain a fact svhich h6, 



had 



