POTATO STARCH. 



305 



> are located at a distance from the hot-beds of 



> party spirit in our cities, and npon a naicroscop- 

 ' ic scale in our villages ; as those viho quietly 

 * plow their fields and gather tbeir harvests ? — 



But ignorant men are not fit for responsible 

 . posts : it is not the mere tiller of the soil, the 

 , untutored laborer, but it is the enlightened work- 

 I man, the educated farmer, to whom we \^-ould 

 I commit our great interests : to the plain and 

 unsophisticated batnotuninstmcted, sons of the 

 soil, unskilled it may be in intrigue, but who. 

 when they march up to duty, ^vhen they exer- 

 cise their own personal rights, or act on behalf 

 of their fellow citizens by a delegated power. 



do it without fear, though frowned upon by the 

 scheming partisan and the ambitioas office- 

 seeker. 



To conclude, we declare that we care not 

 how many institutions are founded, by what 

 name they may be known, or when or by 

 whom our young men are educated, prorided 

 it is done ; but let not our farmers deceive them- 

 selves by founding institutions whose objects 

 are partial and narrow, and which leave out of 

 view those courses of study which are necessa- 

 ry to fit the pupil for the discharge of the du- 

 ties of a citizen of this jepublic. 



POTATO STARCH.... HOW PREPARED. 



Everything is interesting which relates to 

 the culture, uses and economy of a root on which 

 eo much labor is bestowed over so wide a range 

 of the civilized world, and which, far beyond aU 

 others, forms an element of human subsistence. 

 So great has been the dependence upon it that i 

 weU-founded alarm exists in EuropeJ'^lest the j 

 failure of the crop this year may produce a fam- 

 ine ; and our bread-stuffs already begin to show 

 the effect of the Potato Murrain there. If Hu- 

 manity could have its proper sway, in opposition 

 to the cunning policy of monopolists of the 

 wealth and power of nations, the restrictions 

 devised for their sinister purposes would be re- 

 pealed, and our Indian com and other bread- 

 stuffs would find their way and spread abtmd- 

 ance over lands that are threatened with the 

 diseases and the mortality that ever follow in 

 the train of starvation. 



%Viihoat adverting farther, however, to the 

 peculiar circumstances which must at this time 

 enhance the importance of this root in the eyes 

 of the agriculturist, we should deem the follow- 

 ing worthy of a place, as an item of information, 

 which will ser\'e to give variety to the assort- 

 ment that every gentleman agriculturist ought 

 to possess ; for we hope our readers have al- 

 ready discovered and approved our design, to 

 go for the curious and the ornamental, as well 

 a<! the useful and the money-making. We hope 

 the time has arrived when young gentlemen in 

 the country, as well as do cultivated and profes- 

 sional men in the towns, will, in regard to their 

 reading, and researches, and intellectual exer- 

 cises, begin to ask themselves some other ques- 

 tion beside that very useful — but. when pushed 

 too far. very vulgar one — hoie much money tci/i 

 this put in my pocket 1 The extract is firem 

 that profound work to which we have before 

 referred — Dr. Kane on the Industrial Resource^ 

 of Ireland : 



(605) -20 



" Of all the starch-bearing plants, the potato is 

 that ■which affords the greatest quantity of pro- 

 duce from a given surface of land. The differ- 

 ent varieties of potato differ, however, very 

 much : and the following table will indicate ex- 

 actly the circumstances of the most important 

 kinds. The plants were grown all on the same 

 quality of land, and the analyses are by Payen, 

 the eminent French agricultural chemist 



Rohan, 



Large yellow, 

 Scotch. 



Slow Island.. 



Lcgonzac, 



Siberian 



Duvillers, 



100 pttrts contaiiud 



Gluten, 

 fffibre. 



8.2 

 8.0 

 8.2 

 8.3 

 8.3 

 8-2 

 8.1 



These results show that the quantity of starch 

 is not largest necessarily in those varieties which 

 yield the greatest weight of tubers. Thus an 

 acre of large yellow potatoes, which gives but 

 94 tons of tubers, produces two tons, three cw^ 

 of starch, whilst the acre of Slo^v Island pota- 

 toes, which produce fourteen tons of tubers, give 

 only one ton, fifteen cw^ of starch. In cultiva- 

 ting the plant for the purpose of extracting this 

 material, it is, therefore, of the greatest impor- 

 tance to attend to the existence of these varie- 

 ties. 



The preparation of starch from the potato is 

 an operation of very simple kind, and well 

 adapted for the industry of the smaller towTis, 

 where potatoes would be usually cheap. It re- 

 quires only the most ordinary skill, and involves 

 little machinery, the greatest nicety in it being 

 perfect cleanliness, and care that the washings 

 be well finished and with pure water. The op- 

 erations of the manufacture are 



1st. Washing the tubers. 



■i<l. Rasping them toa prdp. 



3a. iTessing the pulp. 



4th. \V ashing the ron»h starch. 



5th. Draining and drying the produce. 



6th. Boldng and storing. 



Of tliese operations it is only necessary to no- 

 tice one or two in detail. 



