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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume III, Issue 292, 10 December 1868, Page 2

If blinds are occasionally wetted by a slight jet of water when the sun is upon -them, it will be found that the-thermome-ter wili indicate from eight to 12 degrees .less of heat beneaththe under surface. It -is a well known experiment, and worthy - of being repeated; if a thoroughly wetted -blanket be put -over a basket in the euu, butter and such like commodities are ren- -: dered cool and hard. Soap, made from colonial tallow, is now ; largely manufactured in New South Wales. Ono firm named by the S.M. Herald turns out on the average ahout 15 .tons of soap per week. -To produce this -they use weekly about 10 tons of tallow and three tons of caustic soda, besides resin and other materials. The boxes in -which the common yellow soap' is packed "cost ls 7d each, and the monthly account for the boxes ranges at about £80. This does not iuclude the finer and better made -boxes for the scented soap. The number of hands employed is 12, and of these two are in the -scented spap department. The only* matter in the trade, requiring any judgment is the : boiiing, and this is always managed by the proprietors themselves; the -rest of the business is littlejnore than laborer's wprk, though requiring some little knack in some points, such -as the cutting the-hlocks of soap into slabs. This, however, is very soon acquired. Though making only the quantity of spap ahovenamed, the capacious boilers of the establishment are - quite equal to turning out from 60 to 70 tons per week, if the ';- faarket were able to take it.