518 PAPER MAKI3TG. 



steam or water and the caustic earthy "base, so that the new process is 

 peculiarly advantageous in its application to mixed materials rich in 

 silk rags or waste. The above-mentioned proportions of solvent ingre- 

 dients, temperature, pressure, and time, are indicated as the result of 

 experiments made with the express purpose of ascertaining the mini- 

 mum of solvent power to "be employed when it is desired to remove as 

 little as may be of the animal part of the mixed material in watery 

 solution, aud to leave as much as possible for removal on the dry way, 

 which latter is by far the cheaper and more convenient way of removing 

 it. It will be understood, therefore, that the above-mentioned pro- 

 portions may be varied to any required extent accordingly as the ope- 

 rator's object may be to remove a greater or less proportion of the 

 animal matter in solution. Indeed it is found easy, by a slight increase 

 of the lime, and of the temperature or time of the steaming, to reduce 

 the whole of the animal matter in the mixed mass treated to a gelatinous 

 fluid condition so that it can be washed or strained away from the 

 vegetable fibre which still remains unaltered. 



The powder, for which the name of " ulmate of ammonia " has been 

 invented,is said to contain 12 (the Dartford Paper Mill prospectus says 1 5,) 

 per cent, of soluble nitrogen, and to be equal therefore, or nearly so, as a 

 fertiliser, to Peruvian guano. It is stated that the works at Grays are 

 now turning out 25 tons of separated cotton fibre, and about the same 

 quantity of " ulmate " weekly. We are not aware how nearly the price 

 at which this "ulmate" is sold approaches that of guano, but the esti- 

 mate of yearly profits from its sale, and from the manufacture of from 

 32 to 36 tons of paper weekly, is from 20,000/. to 25,000/. Allowing 

 one-half of this, or say 12,500/., to accrue from the paper-mill, this 

 would be equal to nearly Id. per lb. upon the estimated annual pro- 

 duction, an assumed profit which would appear to be reasonable 

 enough. It is hardly likely, however, that the profits upon the 

 "ulmate" works can be anything like 10,000/. or 12,000/. a year; 

 while it is not unlikely that the profit of paper-making now amounts to 

 considerably more than Id. per lb. 



The American paper trade has for some time been an object of 

 interest to English makers. The present American tariff upon paper is 

 from 20 to 35 per cent, ad valorem, under which such paper as is em- 

 ployed for the American journals can even now be laid down in New 

 York, with all charges paid, at less than 7|d. per lb. We observe, by 

 a paragraph in the " New York Times," that 5,000 reams, or say 90 tons, 

 of paper for that journal had just been imported from Belgium, and 

 that more was to follow. — The Engineer. 



