120 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



and toughened io texture by the addition of a little 

 tallow. 



Potatoes were proposed to be preserved by Thomas 

 Alexander Roberts (patent dated April 23rd, 1825), 

 by taking them when thoroughly ripe, and before they 

 have grown in the spring, and cutting out or otherwise 

 destroying the eyes or germs." Carrots, turnips, and 

 other vegetables were to have the germinating parts 

 cut out. 



In the patent granted to Robert Vazel, July 12, 1827, 

 a claim is made which has reference to " preventing the 

 injury which corn and pulse too frequently sustain by 

 rain and wind during harvest," this being effected by 

 placing round a stake driven into the ground eight sheaves 

 of the grain, and placing a hood sheaf spread round the 

 upper part of the upright sheaves. This arrangement 

 is called the " corn^preserver." There are other claims 

 which donot comewithin thecompass'of the present paper. 



Donald Currie patented, January 31, 1828, a me- 

 thod of preserving grain, and other vegetable and 

 animal substances, by inclosing them in air-tight vessels, 

 vaults, and other proper receptacles. From these the 

 atmospheric air was to be extracted as much as possible, 

 and to be replaced by carbonic-acid gas, obtained by any 

 of many well-known methods, as by combustion of 

 charcoal and fermentation. 



Potatoes, and other vegetable substances, were pro- 

 posed to be preserved by a process patented by Edward 

 Downes, Aug. 8, 1840. The potatoes are first to be 

 boiled, or steamed, till the skins just show symptoms of 

 cracking ; they are then put into a cylinder, the bottom 

 of which is pierced with small holes, and in which a pis- 

 ton is pressed down, forcing the potatoes through the 

 holes in the form of small threads or fibres, which retain 

 the form. The potato fibres are then dried in water-baths. 



The object of the patent granted to Charles Grellet 

 (Nov. 25, 1840) is also the preparation of potato?s into 

 various articles of food, in the shape of potato flour and 

 potato meal. Various machines and apparatus for dry- 

 ing are described in the specification. 



To Robert Davison and William Symington a patent 

 was granted, March 28, 1844, for a method or me- 

 thods of drying, seasoning, and hardening wood and 

 other articles, parts of which are applicable to the desic- 

 cation of vegetable substances generally. For this pur- 

 pose currents of air heated to definite temperatures 

 in a series of pipes placed over a furnace are propelled 

 with high velocity, by means of revolving fans, through 

 and among the mass of wheat, coffee, starch, or other 

 substances to be dried. 



In the patent granted to William Truman Hall (Jan. 

 28, 1845), the animal and vegetable substances to be 

 dried are hung up, or thinly placed on shelves in a dry- 

 ing chamber, through which air is propelled by means 

 " of a fan, a piston, or a cylinder." The air, before en- 

 tering the chamber, is proposed to be passed through a 

 vessel containing fragments of chloride of calcium ; the 

 object of this being to deprive the air of moisture. To 

 keep animal and vegetable substances " dry " only, the 

 patentee proposes to place them in vessels " generally 

 inadeoftin," containing chloride of calcium. When 



the substances to be kept dry are very moist and thin, 

 " it is advantageous to make a partial vacuum in the 

 cases or vessels," and to increase considerably the 

 quantity of chloride of calcium. 



Samuel Carson, in his patent (dated Nov. 4, 1845) aims 

 at preserving- eggs by puncturing them at one end with a 

 pin, placing them in cases with the punctured end up- 

 wards. The lids of the cases are then soldered on, and 

 the air exhausted from a tube in the lid, which has two 

 openings, one of which leads into a steam boiler ; the 

 steam from this enters the case, and the water of con- 

 densation islet off through a hole in the bottom of the 

 case. 



Thomas Grimwade Shipp, in his patent (dated May 

 14th, 1847), proposes to preserve milk for any length 

 of time, by the simple admixture of pure water. To the 

 mixture saltpetre is added ; the whole being exposed to 

 heat in vacuo, so as to evaporate and extract the aqueous 

 particles. The fluid is then to be enclosed in vessels 

 from which the air has been previously exhausted ; and 

 preserved from contact with the atmosphere. 



The object of the next patent (patentee, Francis 

 Bernhard Bekeart, date May 29th, 1847) is to increase 

 the quantity of cream from milk, by adding to it, in the 

 proportion of one table-spoonful to two quarts of milk, 

 a liquid prepared by dissolving in one quart of water 

 one ounce of carbonate of soda, to which is added one 

 teaspoonful of a solution of turmeric or curcuma, and 

 three drops of marigold water. Other alkaline sub- 

 stance may be used, and the patentee states that the soda 

 solution will be efficacious without the other ingredients 

 above mentioned. Milk is proposed to be preserved 

 under the patent by adding to one quart of the milk one 

 spoonful of the solution of soda. The milk thus treated 

 is put into a bottle which it should exactly fill, the cork 

 to be secured by wire or string to prevent it flying out. 

 The bottles thus filled are to be placed in a cold bath, 

 the water of which is to be raised to the boiling point, 

 and allowed to cool. 



IMilk is also proposed to be preserved by the patent 

 process of Jules Jean Baptiste Martin de Lignac (date 

 of patent Oct. 7th, 1847), which consists in first straining 

 the milk, evaporating it in flat shallow pans, placed in 

 a water bath heated to 18G deg. Fah. till it is reduced to 

 one-sixth of its original bulk. It is then filled into tin 

 vessels, which are hermetically sealed after standing 

 twenty-four hours. When sealed, the tins are put into 

 water at a temperature of 210 deg. Fah., and allowed to 

 remain for ten minutes. 



Robert Davison and William Symington propose, in 

 their second patent (dated Nov. Gth, 1847), to dry pulse 

 or vegetables by means of currents of heated air— pro- 

 duced as stated in their first patent — passing through 

 the substances, which are placed in the heating-chamber 

 upon trays with hair-cloth or lattice-work bottoms. 



The patent of date May 2Gth, 1848, granted to Felix 

 Hyacinthe Folliett Louis, proposes to preserve milk by 

 converting it into solid cakes or masses, soluble in warm 

 water, " and capable of preserving for a long time their 

 original freshness and sweetness." These cakes are 

 made bv mixing with the milk well clarified raw sugarj 



