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elementary character, to say nothing of investigation, and exter- 

 nally with one of the worst pieces of land in tlie whole district,, 

 and besides all that with an endowment utterly inadequate for 

 eti'ectively cai-rying out experiments such as ha\e been alluded 

 to. Reference lias already been made to the fact that potash 

 salts are carried off with all the unwashed wool tliat leaves our 

 ports ; but a23art from this no effort is made, so far as I know, to 

 preserve for manurial purposes the potash salts which find their 

 ■way into the water in which wool is washed. Professor Tate 

 drew attention to this matter some ten years ago in some science 

 notes communicated to the Register. The greasy matter of wool 

 is composed of certain peculiar fatty substances, some fatty acids, 

 and potash salts in the form of soaps. These latter lind their 

 way into the wash-water, and here are simply wasted ; but in 

 Europe the water is evaporated, the residue calcined in gas> 

 retorts, yielding by that treatment considerable quantities of am- 

 monia and illuminating gas, and the charred jDroduct washed to- 

 extract the jDotash salts, which are obtained in a form readily 

 convertible into valuable manure. A process has recently been 

 patented in this colony, of which a trial took place some time 

 ago, for extracting the potash salts from wool by water, and the 

 greasy matter by carbon disulphide. The patentees have j^ro- 

 ceeded to England with a view of perfecting certain parts of the 

 apparatus, which cannot be obtained here. The use of carbon 

 disulphide for extracting greasy matters is not new, but has been 

 tried more than once and abandoned owing to various difficulties 

 connected with its use. Possibly, however, the new process in- 

 volves improvements which will render the process workable and 

 protitable. The value of the greasy extract depends mainly on 

 one of its constituents, a substance known as cholesterin, which 

 is found in human gall-stones, in feathers, hair, whalebone, l^c, 

 and which possesses the peculiar property not possessed by ordi- 

 nary fats of absorbing more than 100 per cent, of water. Mixed 

 with a certain proportion of water it is known as lanolin, and 

 this substance is stated to be much more valuable for making- 

 plasters, ointments, &c., than vaseline, paraffin, or lard, being 

 much more readily absorbed by the skin, carrying with it the 

 various medicaments with which it may be mixed, Again, 

 potash salts are sometimes carried off in some quantity in the 

 "argol" or "tartar" which separates from grape juice during 

 fermentation. This substance is known chemically as potassium 

 bitartrate, and is in many cases sold to chemists for the manufac- 

 ture of cream of tartar, and for other purposes. It is not impos- 

 sible, however, nay, it is highly pi-obable, that a continual' 

 draining off of this compound from the soils of our vineyards, 

 without corresponding replacement may produce damaging effects. 



