646 



FARMERS' REGISTER— VEGETABLE OILS. 



only be uiulertaken witli success in those unclear- 

 ed countries wiiere are vast natural forests, and 

 where, from (he imperfection or dislance of trans- 

 portation, the value of limhcr is no more than that 

 of tiie laiior required to fell it. The only districts 

 in Europe in which any considerable quantity ot 

 potash is made, are tiie mountainous f()rests in 

 Germany, and (he extensive woodland tracts of 

 Poland and Russia. The British market is prin- 

 cipally supplied from the United States, a country 

 in which, from its rapid increase of population, 

 there is a cons(an( demand tor cleared land, for (lie 

 purpose of ag'ricuUure ; and therefore, where tim- 

 ber is looked upon rather as an incumbrance than 

 as contributini;' either to the beauty or (he value 

 of (he s^round on which it stands. 



The American method is, (o pile up (he wood, 

 as soon as it is suliiciently dry (o burn, in large 

 heaps, and reduce i( as quickly as possible (o 

 ashes : these ashes are (hen put into a wooden cis- 

 4ern, with a plug- at the bottom of one of its sides, 

 and a quantity of water, sufficient to make a strong- 

 lixirium, is added. After standing for an iiour or 

 two, the plug- is withdrawn, and the water holding 

 the potash in solution, runs ou(, leaving the eardiv 

 par(s (ill impregnated with a portion of alkali 

 in the cistern. Tliis solution is then evaporated to 

 dryness in iron j)ans, and hastily fused info com- 

 pact reddish lirown masses of semi-caustic potash, 

 in which state it is (it for market. 



In Germany, where (he value of wood is great- 

 er, care is taken to select such kinds as are the 

 richest in potash; the combustion is slower, and of 

 course the temperature lower, in consequence of 

 which, but little is lost by volatizafion ; (lie lixivi- 

 ations also of the ashes are judiciously repeated 

 till the alkali is extracted. 



Proportion of potash afforded by 100 par(s of 

 wood of different species, which being previouslv 

 dried, were burned by an o[)en fire, to ashes ; and 

 which, after being weiglied, were lixiviated till all 

 their saline contents were extracted. 



Salt from 100 

 Ashes. .Salt, parts of ashes. 



Oak, 1. 3 0.15 11.1 1 y 7 r 



Beach, 0.58 0.12 21.9 hjcw/emy ./ 



Aspen, 1.22 0.07 6.1 \ Sciences, at 



Fir, 0.34 0.04 13.2 j ^ ""^• 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



The paper which I send herewith is copied from 

 " The Journal of the Franklin Institute," a pe- 

 riodical published in Pliilapelphia, devoted espe- 

 cially to the mechanic arts, manufactures, and ge- 

 neral science; the subject of it l)eing one which I 

 thought peculiarly approj)riate to the pages of a 

 publication like (he c^ne you are engaged in con- 

 ducting: and having first appeared in another, 

 which, (hough I believe it is very extensively cir- 

 culated, yet but little, if at all, amongst the readers 

 of the Register, I determined (o hand it to you, (hat 

 if you deemed it of sufficient interest, you might 

 give it a place in your colunms. It is chiefly on 

 account o(^ the information given in the first part of 

 it, that I thought it might be useful. Tlie remarks 

 on the subject of the machine, which the wri(er 

 had heard was inven(ed by some person at (he 

 sou(h, for hulling cot(on seed, are perhajis to be ac- 

 counted for, from (he want of inlbrma(ion. If he 

 had, as the writer of this has frequently enjoyed, 

 opportunities of witnessing the successful opera- 



tion of the machine alluded to, no doubt, they 

 would have been of a difTercnt character.* 



If any additional inducements are needed by our 

 agriculturists to turn their attention more to the 

 culture of seeds from which vegetable oils are 

 manufactured, they may be found in (he fiict that 

 establisl)mcn(s lor the pui'pose of manufacturing 

 that article are multiplying in tliis part of our state ; 

 a circums(ance (hat will at all times insure suffi- 

 cient market, and competition in that market. 



That your very useful Register may be sup- 

 ported more extensively than heretofore, you have 

 my hearty Avishes. Yours, &c. 



HUGH NELSOIV. 



Petersburg, March 6, 1834. 



RKMAUKS ON TH12 CULTURE OF SKEDS FOR, 

 AND THE MANUFACTURE OF VEfiETABLE 



OILS. Bij Charles F. IIagner,3Ianayunk, Phi- 

 ladelphia County. 



I was much pleased to find in the Journal of the 

 Franklin Insti(u(e for Novendjer, an essay con- 

 (aining some useful hin(son the subject of the ma- 

 im (acture of vegetable oils. I have long been as- 

 tonished (ha( a subjec( of so much impor(ance to 

 (he agricultural, manufacturing, and commercial 

 interests of our country, should be so long ne- 

 glected, and that more attention has not been paid 

 to it. I am perfectly convinced that there are 

 many seeds from which oil for various jnirposes 

 could be produced, and which could be grown 

 with great advantage to the agriculturist. All that 

 is necessary, is to draw his attention to the sub- 

 ject, and induce him (o make the experitnent. It 

 is but a few years since the palma christi, (castor 

 bean,) was firs( grown in quan(ities in this coun- 

 try, yet the in(ro(luc(ion of it here has had (he ef- 

 fect, as almost every one knows, of improving in- 

 finitely (he quality of the oil, and of supplying 

 (he market at from (wo to three hundred percent, 

 cheaper than was paid for the nauseous and mise- 

 rable stuff, formerly received from the West In- 

 dies and elsew here. 



One of the seeds mentioned l)y your correspon- 

 dent, colchicum or rajje seed, is of the greatest im- 

 ])ortance, and produces an oil which is, and has 

 long been, much wanted ibr manufacturing j)ur- 

 poscs. This seed is grown abundantly in all part's 

 of Europe, and the oil made from it is extensive- 

 ly used in the process of manufacturing cloth: it 

 is, I believe, the cheapest oil they have, and takes 

 the place of common kinds of olive oil, which the 

 manufacturers of this country are obliged to use 

 at a great cost. This is a matter of great impor- 

 tance, when it is known that to every 100 pounds 

 of wool carded, there is consumed from (wo to 

 three gallons of oil. The rape seed oil is so cheap 

 and abundant in Germany, that it is much used in 

 adulterating linseed oil; hence the bad quality of 

 some of the German paint oils, as the rape seed 

 oil does not possess the drying qualities of (hat 



* Our correspondent alludes to the macliine for hulling 

 cotton seed, invented by Francis Follett, Esq. of Pe- 

 tersburg, Va. which is in operation there, and in various 

 o:lier places. There remains no doubt of the perfectly 

 successful operation of this machine in removing the 

 hulls from the kernels of the seed, and thus enabling the 

 oil to be expressed with as little difficulty as from any 

 other ve2;etablc substance. — Ed, Farm. Rc^. 



