86 



Lard Oil. — Savins: Seed. 



Vol. VII. 



with the skin next the wood, and so on filling 

 up the middle last, until you have a solid mass 

 of meat six or eight inches deep, then throw 

 a sufficient quantity of salt to fill all the in- 

 terstices, and to cover them partially ; after 

 which take a wooden rammer and ram the 

 meat down for some time ; it would be well 

 to place a piece of carpet on the meat before 

 commencing this process ; after which, put 

 in as much more salt as will cover the layer 

 about 2^ inches in depth, and then lay on 

 another layer of pork and proceed as before, 

 by alternating the layers of the salt and pork 

 until the cask or tub is full, letting some 2^ 

 or 3 inches of salt remain on the top — (but 

 in no case use any other than the best rock 

 salt,) — then let the meat stand thus for a 

 week or ten days, after which pour in as 

 much pure clean water as will nearly fill the 

 cask; and if well hooped and headed it may 

 be sent to Calcutta and back again, and be 

 as good on its return as it ever was. S. S.*' 



It is with every thing else that is brought to market, 

 as our correspondent H. M. observes in relation to 

 Hams, &x., the good article is of ready sale, and com- 

 mands a fair price ; while the inferior, if it sell at all, 

 it must be at a price, scarcely paying for the prepara- 

 tion and bringing it to market. This is a subject of 

 very great importance to the producer, and the judici- 

 ous remarks of H. M. we trust will have their use. 



In the Cabinet of Seventh month 1841, p. 373, may 

 be found two recipes, which we think also good for 

 curing Hams, &c. — one purporting to be the Jersey me- 

 thod — and the other was given by our friend Botts of 

 the " Southern Planter," published at Richmond, Va. 

 —Ed. 



Lard Oil. 



Analysis. — The following extract is from 

 an article in the Louisville Journal on the 

 discovery and effects of Lard Oil : — 



This great discovery is one of the results 

 of chemical science, and shows, in strong 

 colours, the utility of a high degree of edu- 

 cation, for which we have so often contended. 

 M. Arago, the illustrious French philoso- 

 pher, has forcibly shown, that inventors are 

 the real benefactors of a state ; and in pro- 

 portion as we open the highest departments 

 of science to the mass of the people, in that 

 proportion do we secure new inventions and 

 great discoveries. Let the citizen reflect, 

 then, while enjoying the light of the lard oil. 

 that the saving he effects in purchasing a 

 gallon of it at 50 cents, instead of a gallon 

 of sperm oil at -S 1,75, is one of the results 

 of science; and let it be an incentive to se- 

 cure and maintain a comprehensive system 

 of public instruction. This is but a single 

 item, but it alone should cause science to be 

 respected. 



Chevruel, a French chemist, in some in- 



vestigations upon animal fat, discovered that 

 it was composed of two principles, to which 

 lie gave the names elaine and stearin, and he 

 found that they could easily be separated. 

 They are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and 

 oxygen ; and wherever carbon predominates 

 in an animal oil, we may be assured of an 

 article capable of a high degree of luminous 

 power. A curious experiment is related by 

 Bernard, which shows that fat may be made 

 artificially: on mixing together one mea- 

 sure of carbonic acid, ten measures carbu- 

 retted hydrogen, and twenty of hydrogen, 

 and transmitting the mixture through a red 

 hot tube, several white chrystals were ob- 

 tained, which were insoluble in water, solu- 

 ble in alcohol, and fusible by heat into an 

 oily fluid. 



The following are the relative constitu- 

 ents of lard oil and spermaceti : 



We have heard the fear expressed, that 

 the lard oil will not stand the v\ inter, or will 

 not retain its fluidity in cool weather. This 

 is a very idle fear. Sperm oil is made in 

 the same way as the lard oil. It is composed 

 of elaine and stearin, and they are separated 

 by pressure upon bibulous paper, which re- 

 tains the elaine. By the same process lard 

 oil is obtained, and winter strained lard oil 

 will stand the cold weather just as well as 

 winter-strained sperm oil. The success of 

 this discovery is secure beyond all chance, 

 and the corn and swine of Kentucky will 

 prove greater sources of wealth to her citi- 

 zens than would the mines of I'otosi. 



Saving Seed. — Every attentive observer 

 will remark, among the plants of almost 

 every kind of crop, some individual stalks 

 are distinguished from others by a greater 

 degree of health or luxuriance, or product- 

 iveness, or earliness, or some other peculi- 

 arity. A friend of mine remarked, some 

 years ago, a particular stem of peas among 

 his earliest crop, which came into flower and 

 ripened long before the others. He marked 

 this stern, and saved the whole of its pro- 

 duce for seed. These came as much earlier 

 as they had originally done. This produce 

 was also saved for seed, and thus he obtain- 

 ed a particular kind of early peas, that came 

 at least a week before the best sort he could 

 buy in the shops, if sown at the same time. 

 The Doctor relates facts similar to this re- 

 specting wheat and beans. The general idea 

 he means to inculcate is obvious and worthy 

 attention. — Dr. Anderson's Recreations. 



