MISCELLANEOUS. 523 



stir till the soda is dissolved, and the lime is all slacked; then, when it is well 

 settled; pour off the clear liquid; wash out the kettle and put in the liquid, 

 grease and borax, and boil till it comes to soap, and pour into a well-soaked tub 

 to cool, and when sufficiently hard, cut into bars and put on boards to dry. It 

 is very nice, even for washing white flannels and calicoes; and, if a little per- 

 fume is put in it is nice enough for the toilet." 



Remarks. — The old Windsor soap, as it used to be made, was flavored with 

 oil of caraway, but more recently the oil of sassafras, which is cheap, has been 

 used for perfuming soaps; ){ to 1 oz. would be enough for a " batch of soap" 

 of 5 to 10 gals., according to whether a little or a considerably strong perfume 

 is preferred. It should not be put in until the soap is pretty cool, then stirred 

 in thoroughly. 



The Rural Home, under the head of " Home-Made Soap," gives the same 

 recipe as this last, except it used only 3 lbs. of lime and no borax— otherwise 

 just the same — and makes these remarks about il: "Were the good qualities of 

 this inexpensive soap more generally known no family would go without it. It 

 is valuable for washing clothes, making them very clean and white, without in 

 the least injuring them, and is excellent for flannels and petticoats. It is good, 

 also, for the hands, making them soft and smooth." Could any higher enco- 

 miums or better recommendation be asked or given? I think not. And the 

 only reason I give them is that the people may have confidence enough in these 

 soaps to give them a fair trial, as they positively do not injure the clothing, but 

 save much labor and expense, as compared with using only bar soap kept by 

 grocers. I had also another recipe from the Inter Ocean, but it was just like 

 this, except a caution to "be verj' careful not to get any sediment in from the 

 lime." Simply be careful to pour off the liquid clear of sediment in any recipe 

 using the stone lime, as the lime will not dissolve, but simplj- slacks, yielding 

 up its caustic power, for which purpose only it is used, except for the hand- 

 washing soap below, and there it is used only upon the hands; for clothing ic is 

 best not to get in any lime lest it spot some colored goods. I will give you one 

 more of these hard soaps from soda, lime and grease, as the amount is smaller, 

 and is from a lady who is not afraid to give her name, and address also. It is 

 as follows: 



6. Hard Soap, With Soda, Lime and Grease Only.— Soft water, 

 11^ gals. ; sal sotla, 3 lbs, ; unslacked lime, 1 lb. ; clean grease, 3 lbs. Direc- 

 tions— Put the three first articles together and boil to dissolve the soda and 

 slack the lime; then let settle and pour off the clear liquid and put on the fire 

 again with the grease and boil to proper consistence. One oz. of any flavored 

 oil may be added, if desired.— .¥rs. W. W. Morse, of Lann, D. T., in Inter 

 Ocean. 



Remarks. — As named in another place, any of these hard soaps may be 

 made soft by using the proper amount of water to give the right consistence. 



7. "Why is Lime Used in Making Soap ? ^^—Explanation. —People 

 seem to be so afraid of using lime in making soaps, like the foregoing; the 

 question is of ten asked: "Why is the lime used? " and hence I will take the 



