POTASSIC MANURES 103 



is dissolved. The crushed salt falls from the mill 

 into the receiver of a cup-elevator which deliv- 

 ers it directly into the dissolving pans or into 

 a wrought-iron chute. The elevator is driven 

 by a shaft on which is mounted the belt pulley. 

 The dissolving pan is of riveted wrought-iron of 

 a cylindrical form ending in a conical bottom. 

 At the beginning of the cone is a perforated short 

 bottom intended to retain the residues from 

 the salt. These residues are run out through 

 a manhole. The solution is drawn off by a tap. 

 The pan is steam heated. In the early days the 

 Stassfurt and Leopold factories wrought in an 

 appreciably uniform style, but lately they have 

 adopted different methods more conformable 

 to the interests of each factory. The oldest 

 method, still much employed, is the following: 

 The dissolving pan is first partly charged with 

 water, mother liquor, which is termed No. 2, 

 with residual solution No. 1 and with clarified 

 solution No. 3. After having brought this mix- 

 ture to the boiling-point, by direct injection 

 of steam, the crude salt is fed into the elevator, 

 while continuing to boil without interruption. 

 The carnallite soon dissolves and therefore the 

 density of the solution increases gradually. The 

 escaping steam by a suitable arrangement sets 

 the liquid in motion and mixes its different 

 components. When the density of the liquid 

 reaches 32 to 33 Be., the elevator is stopped, 

 the steam turned off and the solution run 



