upon the trees used for the purpose. Canada has been the principal
source of supply of this form of potash; hence the commercial name
of Montreal potashes. The classification of "firsts," "seconds," and
"thirds" is from the inspection at the warehouse there; this, however,
is exceedingly superficial, the ashes being simply tested for their
_alkaline_ strength, with no discrimination between potash and soda,
which is a difficult and delicate chemical test. Soda being now far
cheaper than potash, and also the alkaline equivalent, as previously
explained, being greatly in favor of soda, there has been every
inducement to "enterprising" producers of ashes to adulterate them with
soda, which, in many cases, has been largely done. Another source of
potash has been beetroot ashes, very similar to wood ashes, and also
German carbonate of potash, which latter about corresponds to a common
soda ash, as compared with caustic soda; with these articles, a tedious
boiling process, very similar to the old process for the production
of hard soap, had to be adopted, the ashes, or carbonate of potash,
previously being dissolved and causticized with lime by the soap maker.
The production of a first-class soft soap was also a very difficult
operation, as the impurities and soda contained varied considerably,
often causing the "boil" to go wrong and give considerable trouble to
the soapboiler.

During the last two years, however, caustic potash has been introduced,
that manufactured by the Greenbank Alkali Co., of St. Helens, being very
nearly pure. With this article there is no difficulty in producing a
pure potash soap, either for wool scouring, fulling, or sizing, by a
cold process very similar to that described for the production of hard
soda soap with pure powdered caustic soda.

The following directions will produce an excellent soap for wool