618 



Miscellaneous Results from the Laboratory. 



they contained anything like the proportion of nitrogen which their origin 

 would lead us to expect, they would furnish a supply of ammonia at an 

 excessively cheap rate. His Lordship subsequently furnished the speci- 

 mens, of which the analysis is given below. 



Specimen No. 1. — Rags costing (at Leeds) 21. per ton, and consisting of 

 the seams and other useless parts of old cloth clothes which (from the 

 appearance of these remnants) have been cut up, as before mentioned, to 

 be remanufactured into cloth. To the rags are attached portions of the 

 calico linings, together with the cotton thread used in sewing them. Of 

 the quantity of these in relation to the cloth itself no accurate notion can 

 be formed. 



No. 2, called "premings," and No. 3, "cuttings,"* appear to be much of 

 the same character, but totally different from the rags ; they both consist 

 essentially of coloured wool less than one-eighth of an inch in length. 

 No. 2, "premings," is sold at 15s., and No. 3, " cuttings," at 31. 5s. per 

 ton. 



These three specimens were analyzed for nitrogen, with the following 

 results : — 



Per centage of Nitrogen in Woollen Refuse, dried at 212°. 



No. 1, Rags. No. 2, Premings. No. 3, Cuttings. 

 First experiment .... 11-54 •• 10-49 • • 13-13 

 Second experiment .... 11-21 •• 10-85 12-81 

 Mean of the two experiments . 11*37 10-67 12-97 



These results were afforded by the dry refuse. As all the specimens 

 contain a certain quantity of water, a correction requires to be introduced 

 in order to arrive at their value in the ordinary state : — 



No. 1. — "Rags'' contained . . 7*87 percent, of Water. 

 No. 2. — "Premings" .... 7-00 „ „ 

 No. 3.— « Cuttings " .... 8-70 „ „ 



The following table gives the quantity of nitrogen in the specimens, 

 taken in the ordinary condition of dryness, together with the ammonia 

 which, by decomposition of the animal matter, will eventually be produced. 



No. 1, Rags. No. 2, Premings. No. 3, Cuttings. 



Per centage of nitrogen inl 



Woollen refuse in its > 10-47 • • 9-92 • • 11-84 



ordinary state of dryness] 

 Ammonia to which the} #< x 14 . 31 



above is equal . ) 



It appears, then, that it is quite incorrect to estimate the value of the 

 different kinds of woollen refuse by the known composition of wool itself; 

 for to whatever cause the inferiority may be due, it is plain that they do 

 not, on the average, contain 2-3rds of the nitrogen found in the raw material. 

 Again, it is worthy of attention that the "cuttings" and "premings," 

 differing in composition from each other only by 2 per cent, of nitrogen, 

 should bear a price in the relation of 4 to 1 ; whilst the rags, which are 

 practically alike in composition with the " premings," are three times as 

 costly. 



I place very little stress on the relative price as of general application, 

 inasmuch as nothing can be more capricious ; but it is very evident that 

 by a knowledge of the composition great economy may be effected ; but 

 this can only be by a special analysis of the individual sample which it is 

 proposed to employ. 



For obvious reasons the "rags" are the least desirable of the above 



* The " cuttings " are obviously produced by the shaving process, which gives 

 smoothness to the cloth. 



