THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



305 



give energy to all the vital functions, relievo the lassi- 

 tude of the nervous system, and citll into action the 

 intellectual powers. 



All countries have some spirituous drink, of native 

 or foreign manufacture. Whether it be the chewed 

 kava of the Pacific islands, the cliicha of South America, 

 the pulque of Mexico, or the toddy and arrack of the 

 East. 



Some of these stimulating beverages are of curious 

 origin. Thus, an intoxicating spirit is distilled in 

 Corinthia and Styria from gentian, which is found in 

 most of the elevated regions ; in Tartary and Iceland 

 we have the koumis, or fermented milk ; in Dalmatia, 

 rakia, from the husks of grapes, mixed with arouiatics ; 

 in Northern Africa a brandy is made from dates, and a 

 strong spirit from millet. The fermented fruit of the 

 peach gives an excellent brandy, wliich is chiefly 

 manufactured in the United States. An American 

 citizen has succeeded in distilling a pleasant spirit 

 from the tomato. In Norway, where about 2,500,000 

 gallons are made atmually, the spirit is chiefly distilled 

 from the potato ; but a small portion is produced from 

 rye, barley, and oats, and it is generally 50 percent, 

 proof. In Chili, after making cider and wine from 

 their apples, they extract from the refuse a white and 

 finely-flavoured spirit. 



Some of these foreign beverages require a de- 

 gi'ee of hardihood to experimentalize upon them. 

 Thus the flavour of pulque — the sap of the leaves 

 of the maguey — (the Agave americana) is likened, 

 by Dr. Bayard Taylor, to a distillation of sour 

 milk, strongly tinctured with Cayenne pepper and 

 hartshorn. Another traveller tells us that " to 

 strangers, both the taste and smell are horrible, 

 something of the style of rotten eggs ; but one soon 

 gets accustomed to the flavour." And this is the al- 

 coholic drink of five millions of people. What propor- 

 tion it is indulged in by them we have no means of 

 determining. 



It would certainly be very beneficial, in many points 

 of view, if we could obtain our alcohol from other 

 sources than food plants ; and, as scientific discovery 

 proceeds, there is little doubt that we shall in course of 

 time utilize for this purpose many now neglected or 

 wild plants. The French chemists have been long at 

 ■work on this experimental research. Owing to the 

 dearness of alcohol, a great number of continental beet- 

 root sugar manufacturers transformed their establish- 

 ments into distilleries ; but the alcohol obtained from 

 the root was of such detestable taste and smell, as to be 

 unfit for any purpose whatever, until, after some time, 

 it was found that the essential oil could be separated 

 from it, and the spirit rendered equal to the alcohol 

 from colonial sugar and from grapes. The attempts to 

 distil from beet-i'oot in this country have not yet been 

 very successful. 



In Algeria attention has been called to the cheap 

 production of alcohol from indigenous plants, obtained 

 in great abundance in that province. The bulbs of 

 Asphodel, in the months of May to August, yield as 

 much as 12 per cent, of the fermentable principles— 



about the maximum of cane sugar, and almost double 

 that of beet sugar. The marc or pulp, after the extrac- 

 tion of alcohol, is also greedily devoured by hogs, who 

 feed on it with advantage. The large and dry bulbs of 

 Scilla maritima, another common plant, growing 

 abundantly in northern Africa, afford, according to 

 M, Dumas, more than 30 per cent, of saccharine mat- 

 ter; but this contains a bitter principle, which is in- 

 jurious to the alcohol, although it can probably be 

 removed like that in beet-root spirit. The French are 

 even utilizing their pea-shucks : they have discovered, 

 so it is said, that pea-pods yield alcohol as abundantly 

 as the beet-root, or as pumpkins. 



There has been a great decrease in our imports of 

 Geneva or Hollands. About ten years ago we imported 

 on the average 400,000 gallons a-year : now it has de- 

 clined to 178,000 gallons. The chief export is now to 

 the United States, where this spirit has become highly 

 popular under the name of " Schiedam Schnapp?." 

 The greater part of the gin shipped from Holland to 

 the United States is imported high-flavoured for adul- 

 teration — to be mixed with what is called in America 

 " pure spirits" ; that is, common whisky obtained from 

 maize, with the essential oil extracted, leaving it neu- 

 tral. When brought into contact with an article 

 bearing a high flavour, pure spirits therefore imbibe 

 the flavour ; and in this way, in fact, are the wines, 

 gins, and brandies adulterated in the New York mar- 

 ket. The gin principally shipped to the States has an 

 extra quantity of the juniper flavour, and, when added 

 to the " pure spirits," it produces the article commonly" 

 known as " Old Hollands," and by other names. The 

 manner of producing this extra flavour is somewhat 

 after the following fashion : The juniper berry is mixed 

 with the malt-wine of the Dutch— a liquor having a 

 malt flavour, due to the mixture of corn and rye in its 

 manufacture. The juniper and the malt-wine are put 

 together in the mill, and concentrated. A few gallons 

 of the extract will give a pipe of whisky the flavour 

 of gin. 



From the last census we glean the following facts 

 relative to the quantity of grain distilled per annum in 

 the United States : — 



Indian corn . . 11,067,661 bushels. 



Rye 3,143,927 ,, 



Oats 56,717 „ 



Hhds. of molasses 61,675 



From these products are manufactured annually 

 42,133,955 gallons of whisky, and 6,500,000 gallons of 

 rum. There are also imported about 4,000,000 gallons 

 of brandy, grain, and other foreign spirits. A late 

 Cincinnati journal informs us that in that city and its 

 vicinity there are thirty-two distilleries, which manu- 

 facture and send into the market in a year 19,260,045 

 gallons of proof whisky, in the manufacture of which 

 there were consumed 6,420,015 bushels of Indian corn, 

 besides a large quantity of i"ye and "ship stuff." 

 What this " ship stuff" is, is not stated : it may pro- 

 bably be the molasses or drainings from sugar casks. 

 The average annual export of maize from the United 

 States to Europe for the last nine years has been about 



