Year: 1864

Domestic cEconomy.--lKow to make Soap,


Soft and Iiard.--Candlcs.


Correspondence Of the Prairie Farmer.


l frequently see directions in papers
for making soap, but never yet have
seen any that possessed common sense. i
The best aud cheapest article to make .
soap with is common house ashes when
that cannot bo obtained, potash is the
next best But some people say they
never have any ''luck' making soap -
Nov humbly submit that there is no
luck about it. If your lyc is pure and
Of the proper strength, and your grease
clean you cannot boil them together
without making soap, But how about
the purity of your lyc? Every tyro in
chemistry knows that carbopic acid gas
is one Of the most abundant products Of
nature, Now carbonic acid gas wW not
mir uih grease Wood ashes have a
great affinity for carbonic acid gas, par
ticularly such as get damp or lay near
the ground and as Il natural consequence
absorb it, and when the lye is run oil 1t
is not caustic potash, but carbonate Of
potash, which, as said before will not
mix with grease; therefore, ii is that
some housckecpcrs have SO much trouble
in making soap. Now fresh burnt lime
has stronger affinity for carbonic acid


than wood ashes, consequently where


lime in sufficient quantity is used IN the
| leach, it absorbs all the carlonic acid


and leaves the lye pure or caustic, and


then if Of the proper strength 1t Is S"Fr


to make soap Now all kinds of wood


ashes contain potash in some proportion;


some kinds contain more than others, but


all kinds will make soap if you can get


the lyc strong enough to bear up an egg


or rotatoe, either by boiling or by mix


Ing aud letting it stand, to make what Is


called cold soap. ! would advise every


body that intends to make soap to procure


one bushel Of fresh burnt lime for every


ten bushels of house ashes, (even if the


ashes arc dry and clear,O slakc the lime


aud mix with the ashes FIJI your leach,


and as long as your lyc is strong enough


to bear au cgg you cannot fail to make


soap. If your ashes are SO poor in potash


that the lyc will not bear an egg you can


save the lye to put on fresh leach or you


can boil it down until it will bear an egg


If you have no wood ashes and are


compelled to use potash, it is matter Of


economy to still use lime, fer common


potash is not caustic enough to make


soap to advantage, without lime. The
: best way is to take peck Of fresh burnt
, lime for every ten pounds of potash ; put
t the lime in kcg, dissolve the potash il
water and leach it through the lime; b'
, sure it is strong enough, and then pro
a cccd with your soap


: There can be no directions given rs t
: the proportions Of grease and potash.-
E That depends upon the strength of the
potash and the purity or cleanliness o'
, the grease The only test | know Of i:
the tongue. II by touching little t(
your tongue from the tip of your fogcl
4 it tastes very strong Of lye it wants more
grease if mild it wants more ye. 1t Is
f good plan to leave your soap pretty
e strong of lyc when you finish it or e]s'
! when you come to use it, it will not make
t good suds.


The above directions are Of course 70
e soft soap Potash and grease make sot
Y soap; soda and grease make hard soap
Y If after you have made good soft soa
Q YOU wish to convert it into hard soa
5 you can do so very easily by adding con-
T. mon salt (chloride of soda) until by tax
o ing up some Of the soap On puddlc yo


can see the lye run from the paddle clea


like water Then let it stand until
!, settles, when you can take the soap 0
IS the I've But to make good hard soap
e should be worked over two or thrc
2 times, each time with good fresh stron
: I've. In this case Of making hard soa
y with potash, where you see salt, the chl'
u ride of soda uuitcs with the potash an
O. forms chloride Of potash which rcmail
'e in the kettle (called salt lye) and leave
f, the soda free to unite with the grease
is form hard soap.


t, Let me finish by saying a few wor'
e. on the kindred subiect Of candles. The
eS is no need of having candles that W
IN run down and spill the grease on every
~ thing. When any one intends to NAL


candles, the first thirg to do is to p


YOUR LtllUW Will al SHudi TAHh|t'y
er water into kettle and boil it for five
es ten minutes, then let it cool, take t
ei tallow from the water, scrape the sec
IN mcnt off the bottom Of the tallow, al
u then you use good, clean, dry wickil
re you will. have candle that you will Il
D be ashamed of. The reason why po
It: candles are made from apparently CO.
ST clean tallow is, that all tallow before it


clcanscd by water contains some gelat
IS which wont burn, but which is remov
ut u by boiling with water. e. /. L.
nc pay-"Say, Mr. Clerk, have you 20
he strong porter about the hotel!'


eyes, sir, we have the strongest 0
he in the State"


70. "Is he intelligent for porter? do y


consider him feariess-that is, bo