278 ON JAPANESE PAPER. 



pounds of Rhammus catharticus bark ; a few minutes a pink skim is 

 produced. He then puts the whole into an earthen jar, well covered, 

 and then allows it to rest till next day. The liquid is yellowish ; it is 

 decanted and lime water added to it, which produces a change oi 

 colour ; it turns reddish-brown, the liquid is put in jars — very little 

 in each one — and the whole is exposed to air and light. The reddish- 

 yellow colour is modified and takes a green shade ; little by little the 

 green colour becomes more general, and is then deposited in plates. 

 All the liquids are mixed together and carbonate of potash is added ; 

 or green precipitate is produced ; he leaves it in deposit, decants the 

 liquid and collects the precipitate and dries it. 



The experiments of Mr. Charwin prove, 



1st. That his green colouring matter is of the same nature as the 

 Chinese lo-Kav, and will dye silk in as beautiful a green as the lo-Kav. 



2nd. This matter is extracted from an indigenous plant, the 

 BJiammus catharticus. 



3rd. That the process will permit its manufacture for dyers at the 

 price of 37s. per pound. 



ON JAPANESE PAPER. 



BY P. L. SIMMONDS. 



Extensively as paper is employed in Japan, we are not yet thoroughly 

 informed as to the materials of which it is manufactured. A large 

 portion is, we know, made from a species of mulberry, to which Von 

 Siebold has given the name of Broussoneti Kaminoki. Whether this is 

 a distinct species from the Broussonetia pajjyrifera, the bark of which 

 is used for making paper in China, or only a variety, is not yet clear. 

 Some young trees of the Japan mulberry are, however, said to have 

 been introduced recently into the gardens of the Acclimatisation 

 Society of Paris. The tree might be grown in various parts of Europe 

 and America, if the culture were remunerative enough in the yield of 

 bark. It prefers a strong soil, especially of a calcareous nature, and 

 should be planted at intervals not exceeding three feet ; otherwise the 

 branches would extend, whereby the bark would become full of knots, 

 causing much loss of substance in the manufacture. The soil is not 

 manured until the second year ; in the autumn of that year the plant is 

 lopped close to the root ; and this operation, as well as that of manuring 

 slightly, is repeated every second year. 100 lb. of branches thus ob- 

 tained, stripped of their leaves, yield 10 lb. of bark. The branches, 

 on arriving at the manufactory, are put into hot water for half ah 

 hour ; the bark can then be easily stripped off by the hands, and is 



