FA RIOTERS' REGISTER— PRESERVING SWEET POTATOES. 



533 



be much more easily shown than described, the 

 exhibition ^hould ever precede [or accompany at 

 least] thct account." It is desirable, therefore, that 

 in oriirinal pieces, those who treat on subjects of 

 the iiaiiu'e above mentioned, would ever accom- 

 jjany tliem with drawings, especially if the inven- 

 tion is entirely new. 



But not to "trouble you any longer, sir, with re- 

 marks of so general a character, lor Avliich my 

 admiration, and sincere desire for the utility and 

 success of the Farmers' Register, only could at- 

 tone, permit me to make use of your valuable 

 organ, besides, for a few other little fragments of 

 facts, which you may register as you tliiiik proper. 

 I begin with a 



KlOW SIODE OF rilESERVIKG S\V1:ET POTA- 

 TOES, 



which I practiced last winter with complete suc- 

 cess. Though one experimetit alone, Vv'ould seem 

 insufficient to establish a fact under all circum- 

 Btances, yet success in the firsf instance invites 

 repetition, and all those who wish may try it this 

 winter, as it is extremely cheap and simple. It is 

 to keep them in hogsheads, surrounded with straw 

 stacks, fixed as follows; — 



Erect a circular platform of earth, about a foot 

 from the common surface, about the area of the 

 end of a hogshead, with earth dag out of a cir- 

 cular ditch around the platform; then spread some 

 straw or chafl' on it, and set the hogshead there- 

 on. Now pour in your potatoes on some chaff or 

 straw, placed at the bottom of the hogshead in- 

 side, to within a foot of the top, taking care to 

 chink in straw or chaff between the potatoes and 

 the staves as j^ou fill it, and sprinkling some also, 

 occasionally, between the potatoes, to absorb the 

 redundant moisture arising from them while sweat- 

 ing, or any that may adhere to them when put up. 

 The cask may be placed in the middle of your 

 potato ground; and the potatoes must be spread 

 and dried, about a day before stored — when the 

 dirt dries on them, is a good rule to go by. After 

 this, insert three stakes equidistant around the 

 hogshead, and erect straw stacks around them, in 

 the common way; with this diflerence, that a man 

 must be walking the whole time the stack is mak- 

 ing, around the hogshead, ramming in the straAv 

 close and tight against the side of it, to prevent the 

 admission of cold air. The design of the stakes is 

 to steady the stack, and to confine the straw around 

 the hogshead. If the potatoes are for table use, a 

 hole may be made near the bottom of the cask, 

 large enough to admit the arm easily, through 

 which they may be taken at any time; taking very 

 particular care to cram straw and chaff in the hole 

 afterwards. My potatoes, put up in this way last 

 winter, when disturbed for planting, were perfectly 

 sound and plump, and free from that disagreeable 

 scent and odor, contracted in a kiln of earth. 

 Sweet potatoes may be preserved m heaps on the 

 firm stable-yard, covered with manure, by M'hich 

 they are kept warm — in pits in the ground, with 

 chaff, leaves, &c. — in kilns of earth — in hogsheads 

 in a smoke-house, a certain length of time, kept 

 warm by the fire and smoke. But the method 

 above mentioned, is far preferable to either, being 

 the cheapest, safest, and best for preserving the 

 taste and plumpness of the root. They may also 

 be kept in potato housec=-, and cellars in cabins. I 

 might have mentioned, the principle or rationale 



of this practice is, that while the cold air is ex- 

 cluded, the potatoes are not smothered for want 

 of air, to dry off the sweat, and prevent heating: 

 the material with which they are protected, being 

 at the same time, airy and warm enough: too 

 much air, or too little, are the two extremes to be 

 avoided in preserving tliis root. 



DRIED FUUIT, 



such as peaches and apples, &c., may be ele- 

 gantly preserved by healing before storing. This 

 destroys the eggs and worms that are deposited 

 on the fi'uit while drying, by flies, that afterwards 

 corrupts the fi'uit. The flj' frequendy depositee 

 instead of eggs, the living worm — this 1 have seen 

 myself. 



ibr railing, gates, &c., may be preserved for a 

 much greater length of time, by making them 

 without buts, or shoulders. It may be observed, 

 that posts always begin to decay at the surliice of 

 the earth; the reason of this is, the shoulder catch- 

 ing the water that trickles down the post, it re- 

 mains there lor a long time, soaking into, and 

 roiting the wood, till it finally tumbles to tlie earth. 

 This has been attributed to the wood maggot; but 

 in truth, this insect comes alter the jjost begins to 

 decay, to feed on the rotten wood, its natural food. 

 It may be objected, that the post in this way is 

 not so firmly fixed in the ground; but this may be 

 remedied by gravel, and ramming. Even a pine 

 post fixed in this way, will out last several oak 

 ones. Pines skinned the proper length, by using 

 a ladder to ascend them, and permitted to stand a 

 year or more, Vvill make handsome and durable 

 posts, (perhaps as much so as cedar.) By leaving 

 a circular strip of bark, about a hand's breadth, to 

 keep the sap in circulation, (which part may be 

 afterwards painted) the tree becomes coated with 

 a thick layer of rosin, which when exposed to the 

 atmosphere, becomes white as if painted. The 

 inserted end of the post, is to be sawed off even 

 and smooth, smeared thick with tar, and a board 

 nailed on it; this and the light- wood around the 

 post, which is an inch or two deep, wUl preserve it. 



TAR THE I'IXE TREE WOOD FOR FUEL. 



Tar maj' be made in abundance from the light- 

 wood of pines treated in the manner above. 



The utility of the pine tree, (I mean the field 

 pine) would flirnish a subject for a good essay: 

 there is no tree of the woods, which at first sight is 

 apparently so useless, yet is more useful than the 

 pine; nor anj^ one thing, scarcely, that is applica- 

 ble to a greater variety of purposes. It furnishes 

 coal for the shop; tar in abundance, which is here 

 made from the knots, but in North Carolina from 

 the green wood also, called green tar, which is in- 

 ferior to dry tar, being thinner, and containin;^ a 

 good deal of water, and pyroligneous acid, which 

 acts upon the metal. It is made there from the 

 pitch pine (pinus pahistris.) A pile of the pilch 

 ])ine twenty fijet in diameter, and fourteen feet 

 high, yields 200 barrels of tar. In Sweden and 

 Norway, it is made li'om the Scotch fir, (pinus 

 sylvesiris) where being manuftictured in brick fur- 

 naces, it is cleaner and more marketable. All the 

 French and Bourdeaux tar is made in this man- 

 ner, from the sea pine, (pinus maritima) alter the 

 trees have been exhausted of turpentine, by in- 



