682 



FARMERS' REGISTER— VALUE OF THE POTATO. 



man, led naturally to inquiries, whether the pro- 

 ducts derived Irom these grains, by subniittin<T 

 them to diH'erent chemicaroperatiors, might not 

 be procured also trom this root. Comp'ete'succcss 

 was the consequence. It was found, among other 

 things, that a substance, possessing aU the pro- 

 perties of sugar, though didering a7ittle from that 

 of the sugarcane, could be [irocurcd by a simple 

 operation Irom the potato. Until lately, however, 

 the discovery was considered only as a matter ol 

 curiosity, and was mentioned only anion o- men ol' 

 science. Two years ago, experiments \vere tried, 

 on an extensive scale, in tlie United States of 

 America, to ascertain Avhether, in districts where 

 the potato grows abundantly, this sugar might not 

 be made advantageously both to tlie'population of 

 the district, and to the manufacturer himself! 1 

 liave seen an account of the i>roccss. and the re- 

 eults, which are very interesting. The potatoes 

 were ground by a very ingenius and simple me- 

 thod, by exposing them through a box or hopper 

 to the action of a wooden cylinder, having nailed 

 upon it long strips of iron punched full of holes, to 

 give them a rough grating surlace. Thisc^dinder 

 Avas driven by a band of leather attached "to the 

 drum of a water-wheel. On fdling the hopper 

 with potatoes, and giving the graterThe necessarv 

 motion, the potatoes were reduced with surprising 

 rapidity to a fine pulp, fi'om which., by tlie aid of 

 a sieve and water, the starch, in great purity, was 

 readily obtained. This apparatus ground S500 

 bushels of potatoes without the least repair. The 

 starch thus obtained was then dissolved complete- 

 ly in water, heated by steam let into it. A certain 

 quantity of sulphuric acid, or vitriol, was then 

 mixed with it, and heat being applied, the whole 

 of thestarch was converted into syrup. This was 

 purified li-om the acid by adding quicklime, and 

 then evaporated; when the result was an excel- 

 lent sugar fit for all domestic purposes. A bushel 

 of potatoes, weighing 60 lbs., gives 8 lbs. of pure 

 dry starch; and from these 8 lbs., 7^ lbs. of suo-ar 

 are obtained. This sugar ferments briskly, Avhen 

 made into beer, and yields a healthful and plea- 

 sant beverage. It will be of most use, however 

 for making sweetmeats, and may be used at table 

 in place of honej', for which it is a good substitute 

 It has already become a great favorite with most 

 persons who have become acquainted with it. Its 

 taste is that of a delicious sweet, and as an article 

 of diet it is probably more healthful, and less op- 

 pressive to the stomach, than any other sweet sub- 

 stance in use.* Potatoes (as I find fVom the ac- 

 count of a traveller,) are used extensively in the 

 eastern part of Russia lor making treacle, which 

 IS quite as sweet and good as that which we ob- 

 tain from the tropics, but having less consist- 

 ence. ° 



As all substances containing saccharine matter 

 are capable of producing ardent spirit, we would 

 naturally be led to expect, fVom the foreo-oino- re- 

 marks, that It might be procured from the poTato- 

 and such IS the fiict. In 1747, experiments on the 

 distillation of brandy from potatoes were made in 

 bvveden, and the result was so favorable that it 

 was i)roposed to substitute them in a oreat mea 

 sure tor grain. In England Dr. Anderson was 

 the first who obtained spirits from this plant, and 

 the account which he published of his operations 



* Silliman's Journal. 



is very interesting. The potatoes were boiled to 

 a pulp, bruised, and the skins ihrownaway. Wa- 

 ter was then added, and a great (juanliiy of yeast 

 mixed with it. In twelve hours it fermented, and 

 this was kept up by occasional stirring tor a fort- 

 night. The liquor, which Vi-as now stightly acid, 

 was distilled, and, from 72 lbs. of potatoes which 

 had been used, was obtained a gallon of pure 

 si)irits considerably above prooij and a fiuart more 

 below proof. "This,"' says the Doctor, "was in 

 eA'cryresjject the finest and most ajjrreeable vinous 

 spirit I ever saw. In taste it somewhat resembled 

 brandy, but it was more mild than any brandy I 

 ever lasted; and had a certain kind ol coolness on 

 the palate peculiar to itself, by which it might be 

 readily distinguished by a nice judge fi-om any 

 other kind of s|}irit. Its flavor more nearly re- 

 sembled brandy impregnated with the odor of 

 violets and raspberries, than any thing else to 

 which I could compare it. A single glass of it 

 put into a bowl of rum (lunch, made it appear as 

 if it had consisted half and half of rum and bran- 

 dy, impregnated with the juice of raspberries. It 

 seemed to derive its flavor from a subtile essential 

 oil of a very singular kind." "I have been at 

 great pains," continues the Doctor, "to describe 

 this kind of spirit in its state of perfection, because 

 I have since heard of and seen some spirits said to 

 be drawn from potatoes, which, from want of skill 

 or caution on the part of the operators, were intol- 

 erably nauseous."* It has been supposed, as I 

 before remarked, that, with proper management, 

 potatoes might form a cheaper material than bar- 

 ley to extract spirits from; and accordingly, I find, 

 that, at present, in the Isle of Guernsey, there is a 

 distillery where they are used with success; and, 

 in 1821, there were actually in Paris twenty dis- 

 tilleries for extracting brandy from the potato 

 starch, and nearly as many more within a circle 

 of eight leagues round it. In 1822 these were all 

 put a stop to, fijr some reason connected with the 

 revenue laws, and I cannot learn whether they 

 have since been resumed. f 



The next product of the potato is a kind of 

 cheese. The manufacture of this is carried on in 

 Thuringia and Saxony, and it has the advantage 

 of retaining its fi-eshness for several years, pro- 

 vided it be kept in close vessels. It is prepared 

 by boiling the potatoes, and reducing them, wlien 

 cold, to a pulp, rejecting the skins. Sour milk is 

 added, or else sweet curd with the whey pressed 

 out, in the proportion of a pint to five pounds of 

 pulp. It is kneaded several times, drained in 

 small baskets, and simply dried in the shade. J 



In some parts of German}- potatoes are put to 

 another use. The lower classes are accustomed to 

 incorporate them, after being steamed and reduced 

 to a paste, with the butter to be spread over bread. 

 It thus goes farther where economy is studied: 

 and that it may longer be preserved, is oflen salt- 

 ed.§ 



It will surprise many to learn, that a mode has 

 been suggested by a French chemist for convert- 

 ing potatoes into a substance resembling coffee. 

 He mixes some best olive-oil with a certain portion 

 of dried potato-flour, and then adds a small quan- 



* Bath Society Papers. 



t Sir John Sinclair. 



X Ibid. . § Ibid. 



