648 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



[No. 11 



* In pasFing to this state, there 

 gravity of about four per cent. 



should be a loss in 



destroy the fibrils; and, in both capes, a section of 

 the main root becomes tlie opening through which 

 the juices of the soil are absorbed; and, instead ol 

 these juices being (li;rested and properly prepared 

 by the spongioles, they are conveyed to the plant 

 through the decayed or mutilated roots, either by 

 capillary attraction, or the absorbent power of the 

 roots, in a greater quantit}', and in a comparative- 

 ly raw state. As the roots of the walnut which 

 conuiiunicate with water are known to give it 

 their smell, all the moisture which comes in con- 

 tact with the roots of the vine is impregnated with 

 this flavor; and. beino- absorbed and transmitted, 

 without oigestion, ihrouirh the truncated roots, it 

 gives the same fiavor to the grapes. In the iVoft- 

 veaii, Cours d" jjgr., under the head ot "l^aisley," 

 you will see it remarked, that if the celery (seda- 

 iio) is covered with new dung, it will taste of it. 

 i have mentioned this in a paper which I have 

 written on celery, in the Giornale Jlgrario Lom- 

 bardo- Veneto; and shown how much the French 

 gardeners are in error, in taking up or transplant- 

 ing celery; by Avhich method lew or none of the 

 plants have their roots entire. Keeping these ex- 

 amples and principles in view, and tbllowing the 

 eame process, who can say that it is impossible 

 that the smell of the onion may not be given to 

 the rose, and the taste of wormwood to the peach, 

 &c. 7 — G. Manetti. Jan. 4. 1837. 



From die Soutliern Agriculturist. 



ON THE SACCHARUM OF THE SWEET POTA- 

 TO, (convolvulus BATTATAS.) 



By Robert Hare, M. D., Professor of Chemistry 

 in the University of Pennsylvania. 



Dr. Tidyman, of South Carolina, lately sup- 

 plied me with some sweet potatoes, of a "kind in 

 which the sweet matter is peculiar abundant, and 

 requesed that I would ascertain if there were 

 any suirar in them. Having pared, and by means 

 of the instrument used for slicing cabbages or 

 cucumbers, reduced them to ver}' thin slices ; 

 about a pound was boiled in alcohol, of the speci- 

 fic gravity of .845, which appeared to extract all 

 the sweetness, yet on cooling, yielded no crystals 

 ot sugar. The solution being subjected to distil- 

 lation, till the alcohol was removed, an uncrys- 

 tallizable syrup remained. In like manner, when 

 aqueous inlLisions of the potatoes were concentra- 

 ted, by boiling or evaporation, the residual syruj) 

 was uncrystailizable. It appears, therefore, "that 

 the sweet matter ot" this vegetable is analogous to 

 molasses, or the saccharum of malt. Its resem- 

 blance to the latter was so remakable, that I was 

 led to boil a vvort, made from the potatoes, of pro- 

 per spissitudes, say s. g. 1060, with a due quan- 

 tity of hops, about two hours. It was then cool- 

 ed to about Qo degrees, and yeast was added. 

 As far as I could judge, the phenomena of the fer- 

 mentation and the resulting liquor, were precisely 

 the same as if malt had been used. The wort 

 was kept in a warm place, until the temperature 

 85 F. and the fall of the head, showed the atten- 

 uation to^ be sufficient. * Yeast subsequently 

 rose, which was removed by a spoon. By refri- 



geration, a further quantity of yeast precipitated, 

 from which the liquor being decanted, became tol- 

 erably fine for new beer, and in flavor exactly like 

 ale made from malt. 



I have computed that five bushels of potatoes 

 would produce as much ivort as three bushels of 

 malt; but I suppose that the residue would, as 

 food for cattle, be worth half as much as the po- 

 tatoes employed. 



I believe it possible to make as good liquor from 

 malt in this country, as in England, but that in 

 our climate much more vigilance is required to 

 have it invariably good, principally because the 

 great and sudden changes of temperature, render 

 mailing much more precareous. Shou'd the siic- 

 charum of the sweet potato prove to be a compe- 

 tent substitute for that of germinated grain, the 

 (quality will probably be less variable, since its 

 developement requires but little skill and vigilance. 

 Besides, as it exists naturally in the plant, it 

 may be had where it would be almost impossible 

 to make, or procure malt. Hops, the other ma- 

 terial for beer, require only picking and drying to 

 perfect them for use. They are indigenous in the 

 United States, and may, no doubt be raised in any 

 part of our territor}'. 



I have dried in my evaporating oven, some of 

 the sw^eet potatoes in slices. It seems 1o me that 

 in this state they will keep a long time, and may 

 be useful in making leaven for bread. They may 

 take the place of the malt necessary in a certaui 

 proportion, to render distiiier's wash fermentable. 

 The yeast yielded hy the potato beer, appeared 

 in odor and flavor to resemble that from malt beer 

 surprisingly, and the quantity, in proportion, was 

 as great. In raising bread, it was found equally 

 efficacious. 



I propose the word suavia. from the latin siiavis, 

 sweet, to distinguish the syrup of the sweet pota- 

 to. The same word might, perhaps, be advan- 

 tagousiy applied as a generic appellation to molas- 

 ses, and the uncrystailizable sugar of grapes of 

 honey, and of malt. 



Crystallizable sugar might be termed sccha;*in, 

 since the terminating syllable of saccharum is ap- 

 propriated in chemistry to metals. 

 To John Hare Powell, esq. 

 Corresponding Secretary 

 Of the Pennsylvania Jlgriculiural Society. 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 

 RACE HORSES. 



It would be absurd to draw a comparison be- 

 tween the English race-horse in training, and the 

 horse of the desert; " educated," as Mr. Gibbon 

 eloquently says of him, " in the tents, among the 

 children of the Arabs, with a tender fiimiliarity, 

 which trains him in the habits of gentleness and at- 

 tachment." Nevertheless, we are inclined to be- 

 lieve that the tempers of many naturally quiet 

 horses are made uncertain, and ofttimes decidedly 

 vicious, by want of proper judgment, as well as 

 irood temper, in those also who have the manage- 

 ment of them. Brutes, like men, demand a pecu- 

 liar mode of treatment^ when we require them to 

 do their utmost for us ; and it is certain that this 

 principle holds nood in regard to both ; namely, 

 that if genera! kindness gains this point, cruelty 

 provokes resistance, and a proper degree of seve- 

 ritv produces obedience. We often hear it as- 



