USEFUL PROJECTS. 



855 



quired accurate information on these 

 subjects, I have seen how widely 

 their accounts differ from the truth. 

 I experienced the same thing when 

 1 wanted to learn their method of 

 making soy ; but having at length 

 obtained a perfect knowledge of the 

 process, I tiiink it my duty to com- 

 municate it to the academy. 



Soy is made of a species of kid- 

 ney-beans (which arc white, and 

 much smaller than those of Turkey) 

 wlicaten flour, common salt, and 

 water, in the following proportions : 

 fifty pounds of kidney-beans, fifty 

 pounds of salt, sixty pounds of 

 flour, and two hundred and fifty 

 pounds of water. After the kidney- 

 beans have been well washed, they 

 are boiled in an open pot, in spring 

 water, several hours, or till they 

 become suflicicntly soft to be mash- 

 ed between the fingers. During 

 the whole time they are boiling, they 

 ought to be covered with water, 

 that they may not be burned. Care 

 should be taken not to boil them 

 too much, as too great a portion of 

 the substance would be left in the 

 liquor. When the kidney-beans are 

 boiled in this manner, they are ta- 

 ken out, and put into large low 

 wooden vessels, or, according to 

 ( the Chinese method, into tubs made 

 of split bamboo, two inches and a 

 half deep, and five feet in diameter. 

 In these they are spread to the thick- 

 ness of about two inches. When 

 they are cool enough to be stirred 

 vith the hand, flour is gradually 

 sprinkled over them, and well mix- 

 ed with the kidney-beans ; and 

 this is continued till the whole of the 

 flour is used. When the mass be- 

 comes too dry, and the flour does 

 not blend with the kidney-beans, a 

 small f|uantity of the hot liquor may 

 be added. Tlie whole being well 



mixed, the mass is spread in the 

 above-mentioned vessels, taking care 

 that it may not lie in cakes more 

 than an inch, or an inch and a half 

 thick; alter which, put over them 

 covers that fit exa6tly. When you 

 perceive that the mixture begins to 

 grow mouldy, and that heat is dis- 

 engaged from it, which takes place 

 in two or three days, the cover may 

 be lifted up and supported by two 

 sticks, in order to give the air free 

 admission. During this time a rank 

 smell is exhaled : if the mixture as- 

 sume a green colour, it is a sign 

 that all goes right; but if you ob- 

 serve that it begins to grow black, 

 raise the cover still higher, that the 

 mixture may come still more in coni ■ 

 tadt with the air. If the mixture 

 once become black it is entirely 

 spoiled. When you perceive that 

 the whole mass is green and mouldy, 

 which commonly happens in eight 

 or ten days, remove the cover, and 

 expose the mixture several daj's to 

 the air and sun. 



A\ hen the whole mass has become 

 as hard as stone, cut it into small 

 pieces, and throw them into a large 

 earthen pitcher ; add 230 pounds 

 of water, in which the 50 jiounds 

 of salt have been dissolved ; stir the 

 whole well together, and take no- 

 tice how high the water reaches in 

 the pitcher. In case one pitcher Is 

 not sufficient, divide the mass into 

 several, always observing that each 

 should be proportioned to the quan- 

 tity of matter put info it. 



The pitcher being thus filled, 

 place it in the sun ; the contents 

 should be stirred and shaken regu- 

 larly each morujng and evening. 

 Take care to put a cover over the 

 pitcher every evening, to secure the 

 mass from the cold. This cover 

 .should be made convex above, that 

 'J I 3 rajH 



