1878-] 
Economy of Nitrogen. 
161 
The obtaining a sufficient supply of starch from materials 
either non-nitrogenous or at least not adapted for human 
food, such as, e.g., the horse-chestnut. 
Or, if food-materials are still used in the starch manu- 
facture, the complete utilisation of the nitrogenous 
compounds present. 
Or, the complete replacement of starch, flour, &c., in 
textile manufactures, and in calico-printing by some 
inorganic substance. 
Or, the supercession of “ thickeners ” by some improved 
method of applying colours — a step which some prac- 
tical men consider as by no means out of the question. 
From starch we pass to vinegar. This useful and exten- 
sively employed acid contains not a particle of nitrogenous 
matter, save in the form of impurities, not merely unessen- 
tial, but damaging to its quality. All that is required for 
its manufacture is simply sugar, which is in the first place 
split up into carbonic acid and alcohol, which latter then 
undergoes a process of oxidation. If vegetable acids — such 
as the tartaric, citric, &c. — are present in the raw material, 
these not only effeCt an agreeable modification of the flavour, 
but contribute to the formation of traces of ethereal com- 
pounds, of most refreshing odour. This explains the excel- 
lence of the wine-vinegars of France, the apple-vinegars of 
America (which preserve the delightful aroma of ripe apples), 
and the vinegars occasionally met with in rural districts in 
England — made from cane-sugar, flavoured with the juices 
of fruits, or even flowers, such as the primrose or the 
cowslip. But the vinegar made for sale in England is un- 
fortunately prepared from a nitrogenous matter, i.e., malt, 
and we have thus combined nitrogen wasted in obtaining a 
product which can be procured in far superior quality from 
non-nitrogenous, or at least very sparingly nitrogenous, 
matter. True economy demands that bodies rich in com- 
bined nitrogen should be used for no purpose save where 
such nitrogen is essential, and should be restricted as far as 
possible to the production, direCtly or indirectly, of articles 
of food and medicine. The enunciation of this law brings 
us into open collision with widespread customs. We do not 
belong to those who pronounce alcohol altogether objection- 
able as an article of diet, and neither by moral suasion nor 
by legislative interference do we seek to abrogate its use ; 
but as combined nitrogen is not required for the production 
of alcohol, we are compelled to include the use of nitro- 
genous products in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages 
among instances of that waste which we are explaining and 
VOL. viii. (n.s.) m 
