24 
BULLETIN 1298, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
Sound and decayed balsam Nos. 2550 and 2553 were selected at 
random from mill piles. Like the hemlock, the balsam showed a 
higher cellulose content in the decayed material than in the sound. 
The true evidence of decay is seen, however, in the increase in copper 
number and solubility in water and in NaOH, and in decreased 
stability of the cellulose. Unfortunately, it was not practicable to 
make pulping trials on the balsam woods. 
SPRUCE SULPHITE PULP 
Spruce sulphite pulps Nos. 2547, 560, 2548, and 2555, prepared 
from woods containing successively increasing amounts of decay, 
were chemically analyzed, with results as shown in Table 10. The 
data as to cooking and physical properties of these pulps are those 
previously given in Table 3. The chemical data for pulp No. 2561 
are taken from records of work done previous to these studies, and 
are representative of pulp made from sound spruce. 
Table 10. — Analyses of 
sulphite pulps from spruce woods 
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P.ct 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.C* 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.ct 
P.C^ 
P.ct 
2561 
From typical sound wood 
0.1 
0.0 
1.1 
11.0 
20.. 3.0 
1.2 
97.2 
87.5 
3.2 
9.3 
3.5 
0.8 
0.29 
2547 
From slightly decayed wood No. 
2545 
.0 
.0 
1.5 
10.8 
24.8 
2.6 
2.8 
96.1 
75.8 
17.9 
6.3 
4.6 
.6 
.57 
560 
From somewhat decayed wood 
No. 2560 
.3 
.0 
1.3 
14.3 
28.2 
3.8 
1.5 
96.5 
79.4 
11.4 
9.2 
4.2 
.9 
.33 
2548 
From considerably decayed 
wood No. 2546 
.0 
.0 
1.0 
13.4 
31.3 
3.7 
2.1 
96.1 
73.0 
22.0 
5.0 
3.6 
1.4 
.50 
2555 
From badly decayed wood No. 
2541 
.3 
5.0 
.9 
31.9 
52.8 
9.0 
1.7 
94.4 
46.1 
48.6 
5.3 
2.9 
1.4 
.81 
The pulps did not vary greatly in purity. None, with the excep- 
tion of No. 2555, contained less than 96.1 per cent cellulose, and 
none more than 2.8 per cent lignin. The progressively increased 
degree of decay in the woods was clearly reflected in the pulps, how- 
ever, by the increase in their solubility in NaOH and the decrease 
in stability of the cellulose. The copper number did not show any 
marked increase, except in the one case of advanced decay. 
SPRUCE SODA PULP 
Soda pulps Nos. 2559 and 2557, prepared, respectively, from 
slightly and badly decayed spruce, the same lots from which were 
made sulphite pulps Nos. 560 and 2555 (Table 10), were analyzed, 
and the data are given in Table 1 1 . 
The low cellulose and high lignin in pulp No. 2557 indicate clearly 
its undercooked condition, which was evidenced also by the lar^e 
proportion of screenings, 16.8 per cent, and by the weak, brittle 
condition of the screened pulp. It is not surprising to note, there- 
fore, that this pulp was still soluble in alkali to a considerable degree. 
Pulp No. 2559 also appears far from pure, containing as it does 9.6 
per cent lignin and only 89.4 per cent cellulose. 
