ON THE OIL O;' PUMPKIN SEEDS. 233 



commencement of thn spring. There will not be a half crop of 

 tobacco made in this county, owing to the coolness of the spring 

 and the great scarcity of plants. The crops of corn are very good, 

 and cotton very promising. 



Yours, very respectfully, Jas. W. Jeffrey*. 



0\ THE OIL OV PUMPKIN SEEDS. 

 To Dr. C. L. Seeger, JYorthamptoyi, (Mass.) 



Your inquiries respecting pumpkins, which have lately reached 

 me, I hasten to answer to the best of my knowledge. 



I understood that j)umpkin seeds were pressed like rape seed, 

 and of course cold : when I added " or likefiax seed,'''' it was be- 

 cause I had never seen flax seed or linseed pressed warm after 

 roasting, as you say it is done with you. 



Pumpkin seeds, being very oily, and containing thin oil, require 

 no heat to help the effect of the press. They will yield their oil 

 to the press as easily as almonds, walnuts, and seeds of the melon 

 tribe. 



The Harmonists press this oil in the press used for rape seed oil. 



1 do not think that the pumpkin seed oil can be employed, like 

 linseed oil, for painting. It is too thin and fluid, but it will answer 

 in the instances where walnut oil is employed, being similar to it 

 in that respect, although otherwise much sweeter and less desica- 

 tive. 



Pumpkin bread and cakes are much used in the interior of the 

 State of Kentucky, as pumpkin pies in New-England. The bread 

 is made either by itself or mixed with corn meal, by kneading 

 pumpkins either raw or boiled, and baking them immediately after- 

 wards;, without any addition of yeast. It has, therefore, a great 

 similiarity to corn bread, and is eaten either warm or cold. Jt is 

 very sweet and of a reddish color : 1 cannot say it is vet-y palata- 

 ble to me, but those that are used to it like it well. You knovr 

 that corn bread is not liked at first by many persons. I think that 

 the best pumpkin bread is that made by uniting equal parts of corn 

 meal and boiled pumpkins. 



Respecting the cultivation of pumpkins, I can hardly give you 

 any additional information. Their culture is well understood all 

 over the country, and all the farmers know how to avail themselves 

 of the facility which they have of growing among corn, without in- 

 jury to either crop. I do not conceive that any positive advantage 

 might result from their separate cultivation. But manures might 

 be highly beneficial in either instance, and would increase the 

 crops. 



1 remember the following additional uses which may be made 

 of pumpkins : 



1. The cakes, remaining after the oil is pressed from the seeds, 

 are eaten greedily by cattle and hogs. 



2. In Europe, they make good preserves of pumpkins, by cut- 

 ting them in slices and boiling them for a long time in strong syrup 

 •f sugar. 



30 Vol. 1. 



