29
lump, which is left about a fortnight to cool. An acre may give about a ton.
AMERICAN POT-ASH
Is a fixed vegetable alkali, another valuable material in hard soap-making, prepared from the ashes of burnt wood in America, Russia, &c. The process of preparation is nearly as follows.
A quantity of wood being burnt to ashes, these, while hot, are raked together into a heap, in which state they remain for ten or twelve hours. The purpose of this is, to give the embers, or black bits of the wood, sufficient time to dissolve, and be thoroughly converted into a white ash. These white ashes are boiled with water, for the purpose of extracting the salt. This water being drawn off, is again boiled, and evaporated in a broad pan, over a strong fire, until the whole is reduced to a perfect dry salt.
