W2 



THE GENESEE FARMER 



May 28, 1831 



some left uncovered, which have stood the 

 winter — as have all others — as well as those 

 which were covered. 



" Paper Mulberry, (broussonetia papyre- 

 fera) has pretty generally suffered by the 

 severity of our winters, and we are induced 

 to believe cannot be successfully cultivated 

 in our latitude. 



" Magnolia, glauca, acumenata, and mac- 

 rophylla, (the latter with a little tan about 

 the bottom of the bole) have all remained 

 uninjured. The two former believed to be 

 sufficiently hardy." 



There has been but little attention paid 

 to cultivating the Magnolias in this quarter, 

 yet we know that the acumenata, ov cucum- 

 ber tree, is to be found in our forests, where 

 it is as hardy as other forest trees. 



" Your valuable correspondent, Mr. Tho- 

 mas, intimates that the double flowering 

 hawthorn is not to be found in our nurseries. 

 We purchased one some years ago, from Mr. 

 Parme.ntier. at the price of three dollars, 

 which we have propagated from, and which 

 we have no doubt is genuine — though we 

 have not been able to keep plants enough to 

 show flowers. Yours, &c. J. Buel. 



"Albany Nursery, May, 1331." 



SALTPETRE ON BEEF. 



One of our readers has requested as to 

 give information in our paper, how beef can 

 be restored which has imbibed too much 

 saltpetre. In order to comply with his re- 

 quest, it will be proper to assign a reason 

 why saltpetre is used at all, and then to 

 counteract its effects when too much of it 

 has been used. 



It is generally supposed that saltpetre helps 

 to preserve meat. This supposition is not 

 correct; but, on the contrary, it has a ten- 

 dency to spoil it. Salts are composed of an 

 acid combined with an alkaline base. Com- 

 mon salt is muriatic acid, combined with 

 soda. Saltpetre, or nitrate cf potash, is ni- 

 tric acid, or aquafortis, and potash. To 

 form a salt, the alkali and acid combine in 

 certain proportions. These proportions va- 

 ry in different salts; in some the alkali pre- 

 vails, in others, the acid. The crystaliza- 

 tion docs not take place when the two op- 

 posites exactly neutralize each other ; and 

 although they are commonly called neutral 

 salts, they are not strictly and chemically so 

 — for on applying tests to them, one will 

 show that the acid, and another that the al- 

 kali prevails, or is in excess. It is found 

 that those salts only in which the alkali pre- 

 vails, will preserve meats. Common salt, 

 or muriate of soda, is of this description ; 

 but if too much of this salt is used for salt- 

 ing beef or other meats which are mostly 

 what are called lean, the meat will absorb 

 >o much of the salt as to become hard and 

 unpleasant for use. Now the saltpetre is 

 used to counteract this effect, for in this salt 

 the acid is in excess; and the same effect 

 would be produced by adding the same quan- 

 tity of nitric acid or aquafortis to the brine 

 of the meat, that there is excess contained 



in the quantity of saltpetie used. But this 

 would be a plain case, and every body would 

 say that that would sour and spoil the meat ; 

 but by adding saltpetre, the thing is so mys- 

 tified that they cannot comprehend it — and 

 the love of the marvellous, or what they can- 

 not comprehend, is sufficient inducement 

 with most people to warrant its use. This 

 very relish for what they cannot comprehend, ' 

 is what keeps half the quacks in our coun- 

 try in bread, and which gives some of them 

 splendid fortunes into the bargain. For in- 

 stance, who would purchase a bottle of Opo- 

 deldoc at the price at which it is sold, if they 

 knew it was only bar soap dissolved in whis- 

 key, and scented with a little ammonia or 

 hartshorn ? — and yet such is the fact : — or a 

 bottle of Medicament um at the price of one 

 dollar, if they knew it to be similar to a com- 

 pound tincture of rhubarb diluted with spir- 

 its ? — or a bottle of Panacea at three dollars, 

 if they knew it was only a tincture of sarsa- 

 parilla and corrosive sublimate, and that the 

 materials might be bought for three cents. 

 It is the love of the marvellous that makes 

 us use saltpetre for beef, because it will do 

 something to the beef which we cannot com- 

 prehend ; for no one who tastes it will pre- 

 tend that it is pleasant to the taste. We do 

 not pretend to know why it was ever intro- 

 duced for this purpose, — but it has gained 

 such reputation, that were you to give a re- 

 cipe for curing hams without it, it would 

 scarcely be read. 



But to the point : — If your beef or pork 

 hams, or any other meats, have begun to sour 

 by the use of too much saltpetre or any oth- 

 er acid, correct it by adding to the brine an j 

 alkali in sufficient quantity to neutralise the j 

 acid. Pearlash or soda, either will answer' 

 the purpose — and the quantity necessary 

 may be known by incorporating it with the 

 brine in small quantities, and testing it by 

 dropping into it an infusion of Red Cabbage 

 juice; if the juice changes to a bright red 

 the acid still prevails — but if it changes to 

 green, then the alkali is in excess. It would 

 be well if housekeepers would remember to 

 test the brine from their meat barrels often 

 during warm weather — and as long as the 

 alkali is in excess, there is no danger of meat 

 spoiling ; but if the test changes quick to red, 

 the brine should be drawn off and scalded, 

 and a little potash or soda added — sufficient 

 to change the test to a green — when it should 

 be returned to the barrels. The same prin- 

 ciple is applicable to pork or beef that has 

 been fed on still slops. In the common pro- 

 cess of distillation, the beer or mash runs 

 more or less into the acetous fermentation, 

 and the slops of course contain a quantity of 

 vinegar. Cattle or hogs which are fattened 

 on such food, have a quantity of the vinegar 

 diffused through their whole system. When 

 such meats are packed, the quantity of acid 

 contained in them is sufficient to more than 

 neutralise the excess of soda contained in 



the common salt, and the whole remains 

 sour, ready for the commencement of the pu- 

 trid fermentation, which does not take place 

 where the fixed alkalies are in excess. For 

 the want of this knowledge, thousands of 

 barrels of pork are lost annually in the Uni- 

 ted States, and the blame is often attached 

 to the manufacturers of salt, or to the su- 

 perintendents of salt-making establishments 

 who are as innocent as were formerly those 

 persons who were executed in New>-England 

 for witchcraft. 



If to beef, hams, or fish, people would add 

 sugar instead of saltpetre, they would find 

 the flavor much improved, and the safety ol 

 keeping increased. 



SOAP. 



As this is the season of the year when most 

 of our housekeepers attend to making sol"; 

 soap for the use of the family, we trust a few 

 observations may be acceptable. 



Much difficulty is frequently experienced 

 in this business, and many vulgar errors have 

 :been connected with it; and we have heard 

 jwomen declare that they believed their soap 

 jwas bewitched. When the principles arc 

 'once understood, the whole process is easy 

 and simple. First, then, it is proper that 

 j housekeepers should know the properties ol 

 'the component parts of soap. 



There are two fixed alkalies used in soap- 

 ' making, viz. potash and soda. Potash is 

 called the vegetable, and soda the mineral 

 alkali. Either of these alkalies will unite 

 with grease and form soaps : potash and 

 grease make soft soap only, but soda and 

 grease make hard soap. Both these alkalie* 

 have a strong affinity for acids — uniting with 

 them, and forming what is generally called 

 neutral salts. Thus potash and nitric a' -id 

 form saltpetre; soda and sulphuric acid form 

 glauber salts, and soda and muriatic acid, or 

 spirits of salt, form common salt. 



Now no woman in her senses would think 

 of making soap with either of these salts; 

 and yet the base of either, when separated 

 from the acid, would form when mixed with 

 grease, as good soap as if they had never 

 been united. 



There is also another acid which combines 

 with these alkalies, which will equally pre- 

 vent their uniting with grease as either of 

 tiie before mentioned acids — that is carbon- 

 ic. Now this acid is continually floating in 

 the atmosphere unseen, and will combine 

 with potash or soda whenever it comes iu 

 contact, forming a carbonate of soda or pot- 

 ash— neither of which will unite with grease 

 to form soap. 



Much of the difficulty which housekeep- 

 ers meet with in soap-making, arises from 

 their ley having become more or less satur- 

 ated with carbonic acid. Ashes which have 

 laid long in a damp place, or become damp 

 by any other means, will absorb carboni : 

 acid, or if the ley is allowed to stand too long 

 after it is leached in an open vessel, the' 



