1^'ARMERS' REGISTER 



S^ 



4, is a communication recommendinor the month 

 of August, wiihin one day ol' the time u'iien ihe 

 moon IS roll, as ihe best period lor ouiiing ;ill i<inds 

 of oak. But ii is urj^ed, in order lo guard it from 

 decay, to immerse the wood, imiuediately aller it 

 is cut and split lo the dimensions required, in lime 

 and water, in whir.h it is to remain a year, aHordin<r 

 time for the particles of lime to penetrate ihe pores 

 of the wood. Tiiis lime water is to be frequenlly 

 agitated. Tiiis process requires a vat, which may 

 be sunk in the ground at a liiile expense. The 

 water and lime should be ol' tiie consistence of 

 wiute-wash. If Ihe durability of the limber is pro- 

 moted by tiiis process, it is evidenlly owing to the 

 aaliseptic quality of the hme-water, with which 

 it is saturated; and not to the mere circumstance 

 of cutting liie timber in the month of August. 



The editor of the Genesee Farmer, and a host 

 of his correspondents, recommend cultinglimber in 

 the winter, as its durability depends upon ils being 

 cut when free li-om sap. Joshua Howard says, 

 that from twenty years experience in Ihe preser- 

 vation of timber, I lie best lime to cut it to insure 

 durability, is when the tree is in its greatest vigor — 

 which, in the latitude of his residence, Dearborns- 

 ville, N. Y., is about the middle of June. He 

 cites a case m which a man was convinced against 

 his will. A farmer in North Carolina wishing to 

 fence a certain lot, went lo work according to the 

 old theory, and cut his rail timber during the full 

 of the aioom in February. When he came in 

 JVIay to put up his fence he was deficient about 

 ibrty panncis — he went into the woods, cut Ihe 

 requisite quantity, and put it up as the only alter- 

 native. Ten or twelve years afterward on exam- 

 ining his (ence, he was exceedingly sur|)rised lo 

 find that the rails cut and split in May were irifi- 

 nilely more sound than those cut and prepared in 

 February. There are thousands of similar cases. 



A great variely of plans have been proposed lor 

 the preservation of limber. The late Samuel 

 Preston, of Stockport, Pa., was satisfied from ex- 

 perience, that posts set with the lop pari in the 

 ground will last from three to (bur times as long as 

 when they are set wiih the but-end down. Dan- 

 iel Longstrelh says, that penstocks and other tim- 

 bers exposed to wet or dampness near the water 

 wheel, are placed by many raill-wrights with the 

 top end downwards, as they are found to be more 

 durable than when placed in a different position. 

 Charring posts has been strongly recommended 

 and extensively practised, without, however, an- 

 swering fully the expectation ol' its advocates. 

 Wood tar has been recommended as a preserva- 

 tive of limber. A correspondent of the Farmers' 

 (Va.) Register, cites several very interesting cases 

 which go to prove that posts cut, and put in the 

 ground green, will remain perl'eclly sound many 

 years after well seasoned posts, in the same line 

 of lence, in the same soil, and put in at the same 

 time, liave entirely decayed. We need, however 

 further experimenls on all these points. 



SOAP MAKING. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



Much difficulty is often experienced by those 

 \vho manuiacture their own soap; frequently in- 

 deed the operation succeeds well, but sometimes 

 Vol. VIII— 4 



it totally fails from unknown causes. Often when 

 every [)recnuiion has lieen apparently taken, com- 

 pleie lailiire has been the consequence; and the 

 lime is not long past, when some have even decla- 

 red that they believed their soap was bewitched. 

 But if the rationale on which the process is Ibunded, 

 is but understood, Ihe whole becomes simple and 

 easy, and may be performed with an absolute cer- 

 tainty of success. 



Common soft soap is composed of oil (or fat,) 

 and potash. The potash is obtained from common 

 wood ashes, by causing water lo run through it, 

 which dissolves (he potash contained in the ash- 

 es, and leaves the residue behind. The manner 

 by which ihe oil or grease is obtained is well known. 

 These are made to unite and (brra soap by being 

 boiled and well stirred together. 



One of Ihe first requisites in soap making is that 

 there should be a sulficient quantity of poiash dis- 

 solved in ihe water, or in other words, that the ley 

 should be strong: this is readily ascertained by an 

 ^iig ; if the egg floats the ley is sufficiently strong ; 

 i( 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 unfrequenlly happens that the ley is 

 found by trial lo 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 capa- 

 ble of corroding the skin, which slate is absolutely 

 requisite to success. Potash in its purest state is 

 highly caustic; but when ashes have been fo^ 

 some lime exposed to the air, they gradually ab- 

 sorb from it a portion of the peculiar kind of air, 

 existing in small propotion in it, known by the 

 name of carbonic acid, which destroys thfi causlio 

 properties of the potash, and renders it unfit lor the 

 manuiacture of soap. Now, as quick lime has a 

 slVonger attraction lor carbonic acid (han potash 

 has, it is only necessary to place a quantity of 

 lime, in the proporiion of half a bushel of liaie lor 

 a hogshead of good ashes, in the bottom of the 

 leech before filling it, and it will abstract the car- 

 bonic acid from Ihe potash of ihe ley, as it passes 

 downward, leaving it in a comparatively pure and 

 caustic state. In order to prevent failure, therefore 

 this should always be done. In order lo 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 effervescence 

 (or boiling up of bubbles) will instantly take place, 

 owing to the escape of (he carbonic acid. The 

 carbonic acid may be removed from the ley and 

 render it fit for eoap making, by boiling the ley 

 with quick lime. 



If the ley be strong, if it be rendered caustic^ 

 and if there be' a sulficient quantity of tolerably 

 clean fat, there can be little danger of success. 

 The |)ioporlions should be about thirty pounds of 

 fat to eight or ten gallons of ley. 



Hard soap consist of soda instead of potash, uni- 

 ted with fill; and is commonly made by adding' 

 common salt (which consists of muriatic acid and 

 soda.) to well made soft soap while it is yet boiling. 

 The soda ofthe salt unites with ihe (at, and forms 

 hard soap, while the poiash unites with the muri- 

 atic acid ol the salt and separates by (ialling (o the 

 bottom of the vessel. Diflerent degrees of hard- 

 ness in soap are obtained by using po(ash and- 

 soda, at the same time^ in different projKirtiongj 

 Hence grease from salt meat has a tendencj^ to m»" 



