38 Uses of the Potatoe. 



The strainer now used is of very fine texture, so that no 

 improper or accidental admixture may interfere. As soon as 

 the starch thus purified, has firmly subsided, it is spread on a 

 board, and exposed to the open air. The damp speedily 

 evaporates, on which it is, as a security for cleanliness, put 

 through a sieve. 



A large circular pan is now procured, and set upon the fire. 

 The farina is gradually put into the pan, till what is conceiv- 

 ed to be sufficient for one cooking has been supplied. As 

 the natural tendency of the farina, in a warm state, is to ad- 

 here to the pan, great care is requisite in constantly turning 

 and stirring it. This is effectually done with a broad flat 

 piece of wood, having a long handle to prevent inconvenience 

 from the heat. A temperature of one hundred and fifty de- 

 grees, Fahrenheit, suits best for perfecting the tapioca. ^ When 

 the farina becomes quite hard, dry and gritty, it is then ready, 

 and may be taken off the fire. Quarterly Journal of Agri- 

 culture, Vol. II., p. G8. 



Potash may be extracted from potatoe leaves 'and stalks, 

 by the following process : Cut off the stalks when the 

 flowers begin to fall, as that is the period of their greatest 

 vigor,; leave them on the ground eight or ten days to dry ; 

 cart them to a hole dug in the earth, about five feet square by 

 two feet deep, and then burn them, keeping the ashes red-hot 

 as long as possible. Afterwards take out the ashes, pour 

 boiling water on them, and then evaporate the water. There 

 remains, after the evaporation, a dry saline reddish substance, 

 known in commerce under the name of salin ; the more the 

 ashes are boiled, the greyer and more valuable the salin be- 

 comes. The salin must be calcined in a very hot oven, until 

 the whole mass presents a uniform reddish brown. In cool- 

 ing it remains dry, and in fragments bluish within, and white 

 on the surface, in which state it takes the name of potash. 

 Smith's Mechanic, Vol. IL,p. 381. 



