612 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. U 



and a little albumen. From 1000 parts of the 

 leaves of common cabbage, I obtained 41 parts 

 of mucilage, 24 of sugar, and 8 of albuminous 

 matter. 



In bulbous roots, and sometimes in common 

 roots, a large quantity of starch, albumen, and 

 mucilage are often found deposited in the vessels; 

 and they are most abundant after the sap has 

 ceased to flow ; and afl:brd a nourishment lor the 

 early shoots made in spring. The potato is the 

 bulb that contains the largest quantity of soluble 

 matter in its cells and vessels; and it is of most 

 importance in its application as food. Potatoes 

 in general afford from one-fifth to one-seventh 

 their weight of dry starch. From 100 parts of 

 the common Kidney potato. Dr. Pearson obtain- 

 ed from 32 to 28 parts of meal, which contained 

 fi-om 23 to 20 of starch and mucilage ; and 100 

 parts of the Jlpple potato in various experiments, 

 afforded me from 18 to 20 parts of pure starch. 

 From five pounds of the vaiiety of the potato 

 called Captain hart, Mr. Skrimshire, jun. obtained 

 12 ounces of starch, from the same quantity of 

 the Rough red potato 10^ ounces, from the Moul- 

 ion white llj, trom the Yorkshire kidney, 10j|^ 

 ounces', from Hundred eyes 9 ounces, from Purple 

 red 85, from Ox noble 8^. The other soluble sub- 

 stances in the potato are albumen and mucilage. 



From the analysis of Einhoff' it appears that 

 7680 parts of potato afford, 



Of Starch - - - 1153 



— Fibrous matter analogous to starch 540 



— Albumen . - . 107 



— Mucilage in the state of a saturated 



solution - . - 312 



2122 



So that a fourth part of (he weight of the potato 

 at least may be considered as nutritive matter. 

 Mr. Knight informs me, that he has found the 

 best potatoes, such as the Irish apple, to possess 

 n)uch greater specific gravity than the inferior va- 

 rieties ; the specific crravity varying from 1075 to 

 1100, and it is probable that their nutritive pro- 

 perties are nearly proportionate to their specific 

 gravities. 



The turnip, carrot, and parsnip, afford princi- 

 pally saccharine, mucilaginous, and extractive 

 matter. I obtained from 1000 parts of common 

 turnips, 7 parts of mucilage, 34 of saccharine 

 matter, and nearly 1 part of albumen. 1000 

 parts of carrots furnished 95 parts of sugar, 3 

 parts of mucilage, and ^ part of extract; 1000 

 parts of parsnip afforded 90 parts of saccharine 

 matter, and 9 parts of mucilage. The Walche- 

 ren or white carrot, gave, in 1000 parts, 98 parts 

 of sugar, 2 parts of mucilage, and 1 of extract. 



Fruits, in the organization of their soft parts, 

 approach to the nature of bulbs. They contain 

 a certain quantity of nourishment laid up in their 

 cells for the use of the embryon plant ; mucilage, 

 sugar, starch, are found in many of them often 

 combined with vegetable acids. iMost of the 

 fruit trees common in Britain have been natural- 

 ized on account of the saccharine matter ihey 

 contain, which, united to the vegetable acids and 

 mucilage, renders ihem at once agreeable to the 

 taste, and nutritive. 



The value of fruits for the manufacture of fer- 

 mented liquors, may be judged of from the spe- 

 cific gravity of their expresse,d juices ; but the 



quantity of juice and the consistence of the pulp 

 differ widely in different species of fruits, and 

 therefore the specific gravity of the fruit will not 

 always indicate the value of its fermented pro- 

 duce. The best cider and perry are made from 

 those Apples and pears that afford the densest 

 juices ; and a comparison between different fruits 

 may be made with tolerable accuracy by plung- 

 ing them together into a saturated solution of salt, 

 or a strong solution of sugar ; those that sink 

 deepest will afford the richest juice.* 



Starch or coagulated mucilage forms the 

 greatest part of the seeds and grains used for food; 

 and they are generally combined with gluten, oil, 

 or albuminous matter. In corn, with gluten : in 

 peas and beans, with albuminous matter; and in 

 rape seed, hemp seed, linseed, and the kernels 

 of most nuts, with oils. 



I found 100 parts of good full-grained wheat 

 sown in autumn, to afford 



Of Starch - - 77 



— Gluten - - 19 

 100 parts of wheat sown m spring, 



Of Starch - - 70 



— Gluten - - 24 

 100 parts of Barbary wheat, 



Of Starch - - 74 



— Gluten - - 23 

 100 parts of Sicilian wheat, 



Of Starch - - 75 



— Gluten - - 21 



I have examined different specimens of North 

 American wheat ; all of them have contained ra- 

 ther more gluten than the British. In general, 

 the wheat of warm climates abounds more in glu- 

 ten, and in insoluble parts ; and it is of greater 

 specific gravity, harder, and more difficult to 

 grind. 



The wheat of the south of Europe, in conse- 

 quence of thelargerquantity of gluten it contains, 

 is peculiarly fitted lor making macaroni, and other 

 preparations of flour, in which a glutinous quality 

 is considered as an excellence. 



In some experiments made on barley, I ob- 

 tained from 100 parts of fiill and fair Norfolk 

 barley. 



Of Starch - - - - 79 



— Gluten - - - 6 



— Husk . - - 8 

 The remaining 7 partfs saccharine matter. The 



sugar in barley is probably the chief cause why it 

 is more proper for malting than any other species 

 of grain. 



EinhoflT has published a minute analysis of 

 barley meal. He found in 3840 parts, 



Of volatile matter - - 360 



— Albumen - . . 44 



— Saccharine matter - - 200 

 -— Mucilage - - - 176 



— Phosphate of lime, with some albumen 9 



— Gluten ... 135 



— Husk, with some gluten and starch 260 



— Starch not quite free from gluten 2580 



— Loss - - - - 78 



* The specific gravity of the expressed juice of the 

 water melon, the most succulent of fruits, exceeds 

 very little that of distilled water. One specimen of 

 water melon, which I examined in Malta, yielded 97 

 parts of water, and 3 of solid matter, principally sac- 

 charine and mucilaginous. — J. D. 



