16 MODERN PAPER-MAKING
the same standard, and for this reason the task of the rag-sorting department
of the mill is made extremely difficult.
It is impossible to give even a general definition of Seconds to cover the
whole of the packings of rags sold as such. Suffice it to say that they are all
supposed to be derived from cotton, and they consist of clothing of all kinds,
from tropical suits to imitation woollen underclothing, and from bed-ticking
to dishcloths. Every imaginable article of textile manufacture is included
among them, and in colour they range from one end of the spectrum to the
other, with the addition of black and white. So much for the rags themselves.
If the trouble ended here the task of the paper-maker would be compara-
tively easy. It is, however, in the matter of contraries that a great deal of
trouble arises, and by contraries is meant the 'mulch' or .useless material which
is often included in large quantities. It is quite impossible to refer to these
in detail, as their name is legion, but a few of the commonest may be mentioned.
These are silks and wool, string, bones, orange-peel, whalebone, feathers,
horsehair, rubber, straw, etc.
Even in the best packings a certain quantity of these is always present, and
it is simply amazing to see die amount of rubbish which is thrown out of what
appears at first sight to be a fairly decent lot.
There is only one basis on which these rags may be bought with satisfaction,
and that is on a pre-arranged standard of percentage of 'mulch', any excess
over the agreed maximum percentage being debited to the seller, or returned
to him after the parcel has been overhauled.
In fairness to the merchants, however, it must be admitted that there are
some who grade their rags regularly within close limits, and these packings
can always be relied upon to contain a maximum of about 5 per cent of
'mulch*, and very often much less. These rags are, of course, much more
expensive than the ordinary run of so-called Seconds, but by the time they
are converted into half stuff they will be found to be considerably cheaper,
and what is of as much importance to the paper-maker, they will yield a much
more uniform stock.
Seconds are always divided into several grades, such as Country Seconds,
which are the largest and best; Selected Seconds, which are usually fairly clean
and free from dark colours; and London Seconds, which are invariably dirty,
'strippy' and generally poor, worn out and often actually rotten.
In judging Seconds it is quite useless to depend on a post sample; at least
a ton must be bought and carefully sorted before any real estimate can. be made
of their value.
There are many different things which must be taken into consideration
when estimating their value, some of which may be given in detail: