BORAX

one of the most useful of chemicals. The world’s supply formerly came from Asia, principally Thibet and Persia, but the United States now furnishes a considerable share of it, the largest deposits being those discovered in the middle and latter part of the last century in California and Nevada. The most famous are those of “Death Valley” in California, the borax being generally found in depre ions which were probably lakes in prehistoric times. The borax there is generally in the shape of balls, from the smallest po ible size to others as large as pumpkins, and usually stuck in clay around the depre ions or “marshes”—technically so called though a majority of them have been dry as dust for ages and the others hold water only during the rainy season. When these balls are broken they show a white crystal interior, which changes to a hard dull grey on further exposure to the air. In other parts, the borax is mixed with sand on the surface and in ma es under ground. In its powdered and refined form and as boric or boracic acid, which is borax decomposed by sulphuric or hydrochloric acid, borax has an extraordinarily wide field of usefulne . It is largely used in the silk and textile trades, in paper making and various other manufactures, as a substitute for and in the composition of soap, in the making of shampoo and other hair preparations, for preserving foods and liquids of all kinds, in the sick room and nursery, for the extermination of all manner of bugs and vermin, ete. Adulterations were formerly very common but the bulk of the borax sold to-day is pure. To test it, add to the powder a few drops of strong vinegar—if it effervesces, it is not pure. The most commonly used adulterant is bicarbonate of sodium. BORDEAUX WINES—Red. See CLARET. BORDEAUX WINES—White: a majority of the white Bordeaux wines exported are produced in the celebrated Graves section of the department of the Gironde. The cheapest grades are generally marketed here as Barsac, Bommes and Graves; the next higher as Sauternes, Haut Sauternes and Haut Barsac. The term “Haut” in this connection means “Upper,” the higher sections of the Sauternes and Barsac districts producing wine of better quality. The most famous variety is the Chateau Yquem Sauternes—some vintages attain exceedingly high value. The other first “cris” (growths or districts) are Chateau Latour-Blanche, Chateau Peyraguey, Chateau Vigneau, Chateau Suduiraut, Chateau Coutet, Chateau Climenz, Chateau (Bayle) Guiraud, Chateau Rieu ec and Chateau Rabaut. ‘ The principal differences in the making of such wines as “Sauternes” and “Claret” are, that for Sauternes, “white” grapes are generally employed and that they are left on the vines until the last po ible moment, until they are beginning to wrinkle with ripene , so as to obtain the fullest amount of sugar; that the juice is pre ed and removed from the grapes as rapidly as po ible to avoid its being colored by the skins, and that, going into the pre later in the season, fermentation is arrested before all the sugar has been transformed into alcohol—producing a wine “white” instead of red and sweeter than claret—in which practically all sugar has been transformed. In addition is, generally, a special selection of the grapes used—varieties heavy in sugar, such as Sauvignon and Semeillan, being grown in the majority of the vineyards of the Sauternes district—and, frequently, the addition of a small quantity of sugar-syrup after fermentation. The bulk of American “Sauternes” is produced in the Pacific Coast range district. Both the Eastern and Southern wine districts also supply a limited quantity, some brands being excellent in flavor and characteristics. See general article on Wines—Temperature, Decanting, etc. [s. 78]