No. 4. 



Soap Making. 



117 



devise a remedy for; particularly garlic, wild 

 carrot, and Canada thistle, and elder or bore- 

 tree. The garlic is not confined to this part 

 of the country alone, for I am informed that 

 it is to be found over almost all the state. A 

 correspondent recommends a plan for to de- 

 stroy it, but experience has convinced me 

 that it will not answer ; for I have tried every 

 remedy that 1 could devise, and all have 

 failed. Some say, turn the field out and let 

 it lie a common, but that wont answer, for 

 there is at this time a field which has been 

 lying out for twenty-six years, as I am in- 

 formed ; and from that time to this there has 

 not one head gone to seed ; yet I was sur- 

 prised on examining it some time since, to find 

 that the roots were there, only waiting for 

 circumstances to revive them; and I think 

 the seed of some weeds will remain tor years 

 in the ground, only waiting for circumstances 

 to favor their germination. 



Soap Making* 



Much difficulty is often experienced by 

 those who manufacture their own soap, fre- 

 quently indeed the operation succeeds well, 

 but sometimes it totally fails from unknown 

 causes. Often when every precaution has 

 been apparently taken, complete failure has 

 been the consequence ; and the time is not 

 long past, when some have even declared tliat 

 they believed their soap was bewitched. But 

 if the rationale on which the process is found- 

 ed, is but understood, the whole becomes sim- 

 ple and easy ; and may be performed with an 

 absolute certainty of success. 



Common soft soap is composed of oil (or 

 fat,) and potash. The potash is obtained from 

 common wood ashes, by causing water to run 

 through it, which dissolves the potash con- 

 tained in the ashes, and leaves the residue 

 behind. The manner by which the oil or 

 grease is obtained is well known. These are 

 made to unite and form soap by being boiled 

 and well stirred togetlier. 



One of the first requisites in soap making 

 is that there should be a sufficient quantity 

 of potash dissolved in the water, or in 

 other words, that the ley should be strong: 

 this is readily ascertained by an egg ; if the 

 egg floats tlie ley is sufficiently strong; if it 

 sinks, it is too weak, and must be increased 

 in strength by evaporating a part of the water 

 by boiling, or by passing it again through 

 ashes. 



But it not unfrequently happens that the 

 ley is found by trial to be too strong, and yet 

 good soap cannot be produced. This is almost 

 always owing to the potash of the ley not 

 being caustic, or capable of corroding the 

 skin, which state is absolutely requisite to 

 success. Potash in its purest state is higlily 

 caustic ; but when ashes have been for some 



time exposed to the air, they gradually absorb 

 from it a portion of the peculiar kind of air 

 existing in small proportion in it, known by 

 the name of carbonic acid, which destroys 

 the caustic properties of the potash, and ren- 

 ders it unfit for the manufacture of soap. — 

 Now, as quick lime has a stronger attraction 

 for carbonic acid than potash has, it is only 

 necessary to place a quantity of lime, in the 

 proportion of half a bushel of lime for a hogs- 

 liead of good ashes, in the bottom of the leech 

 before filling it, and it will abstract the car- 

 bonic acid from the potash of the ley, as it 

 passes downward, leaving it in a compara- 

 tively pure and caustic state. In order to 

 prevent failure, therefore, this should always 

 be done. In order to ascertain if ley contains 

 carbonic acid, pour a few drops of sulphuric 

 or nitric acid into a wine glass of the ley, 

 when, if it contains much, a violent efferves- 

 cence (or boiling up of bubbles) will instantly 

 take place, owing to the escape of the car- 

 bonic acid. The carbonic acid nlay be re- 

 moved from the ley and render it fit for soap 

 making, by boiling the ley with quick lime. 



If the ley be strong, if it be rendered caus- 

 tic, and if there be a sufficient quantity of 

 tolerably clean fat, tliere can be little danger 

 of success. The proportions should be about 

 thirty pounds of fat to eight or ten gallons of 

 ley. 



Hard Soap consists of soda instead of pot- 

 asli, united with fat; and is commonly made 

 by adding common salt (which consists of 

 muriatic acid and soda,) to well made sotl soap 

 while it is yet boiling. The soda of the salt 

 unites with the fat, and forms hard soap, while 

 the potash unites with the muriatic acid of 

 the salt and separates by falling to the bot- 

 tom of the vessel. Different degrees of hard- 

 ness in soap are obtained by using potash and 

 soda, at the same time, in different proportions, 

 lionce grease from salt meat has a tendency 

 to increase the hardness of soap unless the 

 salt be previously removed by boiling in wa- 

 ter. 



Soap of tallow is made in England, and 

 largely in the United States, and is the best 

 in common use ; when scented with oil of 

 caraway seeds and cast into a mould, it is 

 used for the toilette, and is called Windsor 

 soap. Other toilette soaps are made with 

 butter, hog's lard, or with almond, nut or palm 

 oil. Sometimes fish oil is used for coarse 

 soaps, as well as linseed oil ; and rosin is often 

 added to give a yellow color and odor. The 

 following proportions (by weight) have been 

 given for a good yellow soap; tallow twenty- 

 five, oil four and a half, rosin seven, barilla, 

 (soda) eighteen, settlings of waste ley, evap- 

 orated and calcined, ten, and palm oil one- 

 half part. 



Soaps are colored blue by indigo, yellow by. 



