Isaac Sanford, of the city of escape general notice, it will be Gloucester, civil-engineer; and Ste. acceptable to our readers to receive phen Price, of the Strand, in the a general statement of certain trials county of Gloucester, civil engineer; made by a very respectable British for a method to raise a nap or pile merchant, with a view to ascertain on woollen, cotton, and all other the value of the potatoe for sea cloth, which may require a nap or provision and other stores. His pile, as a substitute for teasels or diffidence about having done justice cards. Dated October 30, 1806. to the subject, which he doubts of Robert Bowman, of Leith, manu. finding leisure to prosecute, prevents facturer; for a method of making his allowing his name to appear as hats, caps, and bonnets, for men to a finished essay of his own; but and women, of whalebone; harps,, certain statements are deemed too for harping or cleaning corn or important to be lost, as they may grain, and also the bottoms of sieves and riddles, and girths for horses; and also cloth for webbing, fit for making into hats, caps, &c. and for the backs and seats of chairs, sofas, gigs, and other similar carriages and things; and for the bottoms of beds; as also reeds for weavers, &c. Dated October 30, 1806. Remarks on sundry important Uses of the Potatoe. Abridged from Letters and Papers of the Bath and IVest of England Society. The potatoe has, though deservedly, oecupied so much of the attention of different writers, that it may seem almost necessary, to bring forward some new and important discoveries concerning it, if we attempt to say more on its qualities. It is not, however, a singular opinion, that so important is this vegetable, and so applicable to economical uses, as human food, that it will remain for posterity fully to appreciate its positive and comparative value. But as no new and promising experiment, however imperfectly conducted, should be suffered to lead to farther discoveries and facts. The statements, then, are in substance as follow. The ease with which this root is prepared by boiling and for immediate consumption, either in its se parate form, or mixed in bread; the little trouble there is in preserving it through the winter months; and the short period between the time of planting and the return of the crop; have most probably been the causes why less pains have been taken to find out cheap methods of preserving potatoes, as a store for future sustenance, than would otherwise have been the case. The large quantity of potatoes produced in the last season, and the reputed scarcity of bread-corn, induced me a few weeks since to make some small experiments on the means of drying potatoes, either in sub. stance or in flour; either for future consumption at home, or for the supply of our seamen on long voyages. The ease with which I found this might be done, and the probable benefit which I think may be derived to the public from a farther pursuit of the subject, induces me to submit to the The potatoes were boiled with their skin on, dried on a kiln, and the whole ground in a steel cornmill: none of the skin has been separated by dressing. the inspection of the society a small that the expence of boiling in steam quantity of the flour of potatoe sent is very little. With the greatest herewith. care even some of the starch (the most nutritive part of the root) will separate with the juice; above 3 tbs of the fine starch, (weighed after it was 'dried) passed off with the water from 100 tbs of potatoe. Other persons will, I trust, ascertain such facts with more accuracy; I, myself, hope soon to ascertain more satisfactory particulars. In the mean time, permit me to make an estimate of the probable produce of an acre of potatoes in quantity, when re duced to the state of flour. By experiments that have been before made on fine dried flour of potatoes, it is known, that it will keep longer than the flour of wheat without spoiling; that it is used as a substitute for sago, and makes good biscuits without admixture. And I have every reason to believe it will mix and make good bread,in a much larger proportion with wheat-flour, than has hitherto been employed of the boiled root, in the common mode of using it. Of the expence of preparing the flour from the root in large quantities I am not prepared to speak. The chief labour is wash. ing the potatoes from the mould, which adheres to the eyes, particularly in those sorts, the eyes of which are much depressed. Drying them will be considerably expensive; but I think may be reduced much below what at first it will be estimated at. Grinding will not cost more than corn. s From what I believe were accurate experiments, I find that 100 of washed potatoes will produce full 25 lbs of flour (such as the sample.) The difference in weight will be very little, whether the potatoes are boiled, or only ground in an apple mill, and the juice suffered slowly to drain from them before they are dried. It might seem, therefore, at first view, that the boiling might be omitted; my trials however have shewn me, that the colour of the flower is much fairer when boiled, and the taste more pleasant; and, The average produce of an acre, managed with care, is estimated at about 80 sacks of 240 tbs each. According to my experiments (as before,) 100 ths of washed potatoes will produce 25 s. of dry flour; or each sack 60s.; or one acre, two tons and upwards. I am not qualified at present to `carry these calculations farther-if quantity alone be the question, I need not. Note. The potatoes used in the foregoing trials were the red apple potatoe. The steel-mill has not ground this flour so fine as I believe a stone-mill would have done. Some of these had their skins stripped off after boiling. Should an expeditious method be found of stripping off the skins, it will, perhaps, be less troublesome than washing so carefully as must be otherwise practised. After giving a numerical account of the samples of flour of potatoe prepared for exhibition, this gentleman gives also samples of bread and biscuit made from different sorts of potatoe flour, mixed with different proportions of wheat flour of different degrees of fineness; but these 3Q 2 would would be unintelligible in this place, in the absence of such samples. The potatoe-flour used in the bread and biscuit is made of the whole of the potatoe, washed, steamed, bruised slightly after steaming, dried on a malt-kiln, and ground in a common corn-mill, no alteration whatever having been made in the set of the stones, from what they were as used for grinding wheat; it may reasonably be supposed, however, that a miller, accustomed to grind this article, would make better work and finer flour. Nothing was taken from the flour except some large pieces that were not ground, and a little large bran in the proportion of the samples sent herewith. The potatoes of which this flour was made, were certainly overdried; and having lain in an heap after steaming upwards of two days before they were put upon the kiln, some degree of fermentation had begun to take place, but which was thought so little as to have been perfectly connected by the drying. In the bread, however, it is certainly distinguishable. The baker considers that it is from this cause that the bread is not so light as it otherwise would have been. It rose well in the oven, but fell when the door was opened. He thinks, that when mixed with the flour of dry wheat, the potatoe meal will have exactly the same effect as the mixture of a certain portion of cone-wheat flour, and that it will answer as well in about the same proportion. He has no doubt but that even with this flour he shall succeed better in the second attempt. With potatoe-meal, well made, he believes that bread of the best quality may be produced. The chief precautions necessary in making potatoe flour seem to be to prevent any fermentation taking place in the boiled potatoes previously to their being dried, and to avoid giving them too great a heat in drying. With this view it seems adviseable to construct the apparatus for preparing it, so as that the steaming-tubs and kiln should be heated by the same fire, without loss of time or labour; the potatoes may then be immediately removed from the steam to the kiln; and means should be used to regulate the heat of the kiln, so that it should not much exceed 90°. For the common purpose of bread, it seems evident, from the samples, that taking off the rind or skin is by no means necessary; to wash the potatoes carefully before boiling seems, therefore, the only precaution required. From experiments as before stated, the produce of dry meal is to the raw potatoe, as 26 or 27 to to 100, but let it be estimated at 25, or one quarter of the whole. The greatest quantity of raw potatoes said to be used as a mixture with wheat flour in bread, is one-third; not much above the same quantity of boiled potatoes has usually been employed. The proportion of flour in boiled potatoe exceeds that in raw potatoe by about one quarter, As a rough ground for calculation, we may, therefore, call 33 per cent. as the proportion of flour in any given quantity of boiled potatoe. The proportion, therefore, which the potatoe meal makes of the whole mixture in this bread, above that in which one-third raw potatoe has been used, is four times; that is, the actual quantity of potatoe flour flour in this bread is as great as if 24lb. of raw potatoe had been mixed with 12lbs of wheaten flour; and, compared with boiled potatoes, it is as great as if 18lb. of potatoes had been mixed with 12lb. of wheat flour. From the foregoing statements, it is not presumed that much farther information is imparted, than may have been gathered from some former accounts of bread-making from a mixture of such flours, except as to the mode of preparing the potatoe flour. Neither is it at present supposed that for common use, when corn is not dear, the potatoe will supersede the use of neat wheat flour for family bread. But in very dear times, when it may be used in some places to great advantage, the most economical mode of doing it is important; and the process of steaming, kiln-drying, grinding, and dressing, seems excellent. If equal quantities of wheat and potatoe flour are found to make very good bread, and the potatoe to have the effect of coneflour in the mixture; this may be set down as a sufficient regulation, and a valuable fact. But what is of great consequence to be known, and fully noticed is, that the flour of the potatoes so prepared, if barrelled up, and kept in any common dry place, will retain its virtue longer, either on land or at sea, than the other sorts of flour made from grain; in short, from frequent appearances, and well-attested facts, the flour of this vegetable, prepared as aforesaid, seems to possess the singular quality of being almost imperishable. In addition to that quality, the power of preserving potatoes in barrels, after being kiln-dried, either when whole or cut into parts, for the use of the table in long voyages, is very important; and it is found that, after being so preserved, they are capable of being again boiled soft, and served up as a vegetable at table, retaining much of their original flavour, consistence, and other qualities. An Essay on Manures. By Arthur Young, Esq. Abridged from the Bath Papers, Vol. 10. This essay obtained the reward of the first Bedfordean medal, which was voted by the Bath Agricultural Society to the author who produced "the best essay, founded on prac tical experience, on the nature and properties of manures, and the mode of preparing and applying them to various soils: in which essay shall be pointed out the cheapest manner of collecting and preparing the dif ferent kinds of manures, and the state, season, and quantity in which they should be applied." In this essay the author considers the subject of manures under the several heads of their nature, their properties, the mode of collecting them, the state in which they are applied, the manner of application, the season when applied, the quantity required, and on what soils the respective kinds are most beneficial. In classing the various bodies which may be applied as manures, he divides them into, 1. Such as are dry or made on a farm; and, 2. Such as are usually purchased. MARLE, of the manures of the first class, is the most coinmon in England, in some one of the denominations of clay, stone, or shell 3 Q3 marle ; marle; it may be distinguished by various colours, but these are no otherwise material, than as indicative of iron. It is by nature a fossil substance, usually composed of sand, clay, and calcareous earth; it falls in pure water, as well as by expo. sition to the atmosphere. The property that renders this manure particularly valuable, is the calcareous earth it contains; and there is great reason to believe that the calcareous carth is the part taken up by vegetables. The common way of collecting marle is by digging: it may, however, be sometimes dredged up from the bottoms of rivers, particularly the Shaunon. In searching for marle, therefore, these places ought not to be overlooked, but should be bored as well as other parts of a farm. This manure requires no preparation, and, as to the state in which it is applied, what ever benefit may result from exposition to the atmosphere, it must be attained after spreading; if, however, it be obtained from the bottom of lakes or rivers, the heaps should be left for six or twelve months. The application requires more extensive notice: the bulk of this manure renders the carriage so expensive, that every means should be used for lessening it. As marle should be very long exposed for the atmosphere to melt it down, and as the roots of the grass combine it with the surface of sweard land, whether applied to this or to arable, it should be applied in such a manner as to remain as long as possible undisturbed. The most experienced farmers are apprehensive of turning marle in too deep with the plough. This manure is usually applied on so large a scale as to preclude choice in the season; it 3 must be done when the teams have most leisure; it should, however, be suspended whenever the ground is much cut by the carting. The most advantageous quantity, though an object of extreme importance, has not been satisfactorily ascertained: it is better, however, to lay on too little than too much, as the application may be repeated in the former case; and the latter is sometimes productive of deterioration of the soil, and must be regulated in some manner according to what soil it be applied. On loose and sandy soils, the Norfolk farmers frequently apply from one hundred to one hundred and fifty cubical yards to an acre, and on soils of more firmness eighty, and even sixty yards have been found sufficient. If turnips produce deformed strings of root, or if the rush-rooted grasses prevail, the experienced farmer will pronounce the land to want marling; and upon wet, loose loams, which are found when manured with dung to be more productive of straw than corn, marle has generally been found an effectual remedy. CHALK differs so very little from marle, as to make it necessary to point out only the variations: it naturally possesses more calcareous earth, and is comparatively harder, and consequently its properties are not very different; it is usually col lected by digging from pits, which, for the convenience of application should be opened at small distances ; and it may be applied in all states, and at all seasons. The quantity required is smaller than that of marle, and the soils abounding with wild sorrel, have been found to be highly improved by it; and, indeed, it is used successfully on all soils, on which marle has been found to answer; |