Starch, 
147 
It is now suffered to rest for some days, -—say four or five,— till the 
starch is again settled in a very firm state at the bottom of the 
square. It is necessary to observe, if the starch is wanted to be 
what is commonly called Poland, that is, with the blue shade ; 
during the last time of putting through the silk sieve, a certain! 
quantity of the very best smalts must be mixed with the starch. 
If the smalts are very good, 2lb. per cwt. may do, and spmetimes 
31b., according to the depth of blue wanted if the best smalts are 
not used, however fine the colour may appear when in a damp 
state, it will entirely fly off in the stove, and Leave the starch of 
a dingey hue. 
When the starch is found to be completely settled, the water is 
again drawn off ; and if any more slimes are still on the top they 
are taken off as before, and the starch is now fit for boxing. It is 
necessary to observe, that the slimes taken off after the starch has 
been put through the silk sieve are not put into the hog-wash, but 
are either mixed with some other operation, or again wrought up 
with water and strained through the silk sieve ;■ when a consider- 
able part of them will be tolerably good starch. 
The boxes may be made of different sizes ; but they are com- 
monly about four feet long, six inches deep, and twelve inches 
broad, and are bored full of holes, so that any remaining water 
may drain from the starch. Thin canvass is cut in such length 
and breadth as to line all the inside of the box, the intention of 
which is to bring the starch clean from the box after the water is 
fully drained. 
The boxing is performed by digging the starch out of the 
square with a spade or shovel, and filling the boxes. The length 
of time for the starch being in the boxes can only be ascertained 
by the starch coming to a hard solid body, which is sometimes 
sooner and sometimes longer. The starch is then taken from the 
boxes by turning them bottom uppermost on a table or dresser; 
it is then broken into pieces about four or five inches square, by 
laying a ruler or round piece of wood underneath the starch, giv- 
ing the upper side a cut across with a knife; when a small press 
of the hand will break the starch into such pieces as are designed. 
It is then set upon soft bricks, that is, bricks which have been 
only half-burned in the kiln s the intention of this is to suck the 
water out of the starch ; which if not done before it is put into the. 
stove, it js apt to dry into various hard substances called hamy*. 
