derived from the grass on which the sheep feed. _Suint_ was first
investigated by Vauquelin. He obtained it by evaporating, after
filtration, the water in which raw fleeces had been washed. The residue
is of a brown color, and has a saline, bitter taste. On addition of an
acid to its solution in water, it coagulates, and a fatty matter rises
to the surface. It is, in fact, a potash soap, to a great extent
containing carbonate and acetate of potash, along with chloride of
potassium and lime, probably in combination also with fatty acids. It is
usually mixed with sand and carbonate of lime.

In 1828, M. Chevreul, who is still alive in Paris, although nearly a
century old, published an analysis of merino wool. It consisted of:

Per cent.
Pure wool 31.23
Soluble _suint_ 32.74
Insoluble 8.57
Earthy matter 27.46
------
100.00

It is easily seen that _suint_ forms a very important constituent of raw
wool. Its proportion varies, of course, according to the nature of the
pasture on which the sheep are fed, the climate, etc. Wool from Buenos
Ayres, for example, contains much less than that analyzed by M.
Chevreul; its amount is only 12 per cent. of the weight of the raw wool.

This _suint_ contains always about 52 per cent. of residue when ignited.
The composition of this residue is: