312 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
October, 18t>8. 
Abuut Starch. 
A foreigner, whose chief iJea of the American people 
had been drawn from the pictures of the “Universal 
Yankee Na’ion,” that find their way into foreign prints, 
would be led to think starch an article little knoAn, or at 
least little used here. But a visit to our cities, or our 
country towns and churches, and a sight of the stiff col¬ 
lars and “dickies,” to say nothing whatever of the 
boundless crinoline, would soon change his opinion; and 
when he here reads, that on this side of the Atlantic we 
daily consume about 250 tuns—or half a million pounds of 
this article, he will conclude, that, after all, we are quite 
a starched up people. 
Where dors the starch come from! Almost every thing 
we eat contains more or less of starch. The following 
table gives about the average proportion of starch in seve¬ 
ral leading articles : 
100 Pounds. Starch. 
Wheat Flour (in ordinary state).40 to 80 lbs. 
Rye Flour.50 to 02 
Barley Flour.05 to 70 
Oat Meal.70 to 80 
Rice Flour_•. 83 to 86 
Corn Meal bolted .76 to 82 
Buckwheat Flour.50 to 55 
Bean and Pea Meal.40 to 45 
Potatoes (undried).12 to 16 
Potatoes (dried).55 to 65 
Sweet Potatoes [undried).14 to 18 
It,will be seen that the amount varies considerably, de¬ 
pendant upon the variety of grain, the soil, location, etc. 
Thus : Wheat grown at the South, usually contains more 
g'u’.en, and much less starch, than the white wheat grown 
at the far North ; while, on the contrary, the Southern 
white corn is more used for starch-making than the 
Northern flint varieties A glance at the table will show 
that Indian corn (maize) has a much larger amount of 
starch, in proportion to the relative prices, than any other 
article named. Forexample: callingflour worth2cents 
per pound, and corn meal 1 cent per pound, which is about 
the usual proportion, $2 worth of flour (100 lbs.) would 
contain, s ty about 67 lbs. of starch, while $2 worth of 
corn (200 lbs.) would contain 155 lbs. of starch. This 
f ict is well understood by starch manufacturers, and they 
now use corn almost entirely, except in a few localities 
where potatoes still grow well, and are sold very low. 
Tapioca and arrow-root are mainly starch obtained 
from roots, growing—the former in South America, and 
the latter in the West Indies 
Starch exists in small grains, too small to be seen by the 
unassisted eye, but readily examined with the micros¬ 
cope. They vary in size, from one three-hundredth part 
to one ten-thousandth part of an inch in diameter, and 
hundreds of millions of particles are contained in a table 
spoonful. These particles vary in size and shape in dif¬ 
ferent articles, as shown in the engraving of two varieties. 
GRAINS OF RICE STARCH. 
Even the finest wheat flour contains the starch particles 
in regular, unbroken form. 
Starch is a very simple compound, each atom being 
made up of 12 atoms of carbon (charcoal), 10 atoms 
of oxygen , and 10 atoms of hydrogen (C12, O10, H10). 
The chemical reader will readily understand that starch 
is really composed of 12 atoms of carbon, (charcoal,) 
and 10 atomsof water—as the 10 atoms of oxygen and the 
10 atoms of hydrogen are equivalent to 10 atoms of water. 
In other words; 9 lbs. of pure, white, dry starch really 
contain 4 lbs. of charcoal, and 5 lbs. of water, and noth¬ 
ing else This is one of ten thousand wonders revealed 
by chemistry, which we cannot now stop to explain or 
dwell upon. 
Starch serves an important end in food, since it supplies 
a large proportion of the material for oil or fat in the body, 
and the carbon for producing the warmth of our bodies. 
How Starch is obtained.— This we cannot fully enter in¬ 
to, but will give a few hints. Make flour into a stiff 
dough, put it into a muslin bag, and work it over with the 
hands for some time in a vessel of water. The starch 
will pass out into the water, and an elastic, tough, gum¬ 
like dough, called gluten, will remain in the cloth. Allow 
the water to' stand several hours, when the starch will 
settle to the bottom. Pour off the water carefully and add 
mare water, stirring it well with the starch, and let it settle 
again. A few successive washings will produce a 
pure, white starch. Put tiiis in a muslin bag to drain 
and dry. When nearly dry, heat it slowly in a warm 
oven, and it will form starch crystals, w liich will be visi¬ 
ble on breaking the dry mass. Ground grain of any kind, 
rasped potatoes, and some other roots will produce a 
similar result. 
We recently visited the “ Glen Cove Starch Works,” 
at Glen Cove, L. I. ,25 miles east of this city, which is 
one of the largest and most perfect establishments of the 
kind in the w orld. There, the white Southern corn is first 
soaked until soft, then ground in water and run through 
bolters, or sieves, which remove the hulls and coarserpar- 
tieles. The milky fluid is conveyed into immense vats 
and allowed to settle. The w-ater is drawn off and more 
added at several successive intervals, until a beautiful 
pure, white starch is obtained. The magnitude of the 
operations carried on may be gathered from the fact, that 
the buildings cover nearly two acres of ground, and 18 
tuns, or 36,000 lbs. of starch are daily manufactured The 
purest spring water is used, which is an important requi¬ 
site, and upon which much of the perfection of the pro¬ 
cess depends. There are several details which we can¬ 
not give, such as the proper soaking, perfect separation of 
the gluten by chemical additions, etc., etc. About 23 
lbs. of starch are usually obtained from a bushel of corn. 
The remaining portions are saved in a semi-fluid state, 
like thin mush, and this is largely used by farmers in the 
vicinity for feeding milch cows, hogs, and other stock. It 
is sold at 30 cents per barrel, at w liich price it would seem 
to be a very economical food. Indeed, while writing this 
article, Mr. Willis of Syossett happened in, and he says 
he finds it decidedly profitable to cart it 9 miles to feed to 
milch cows. 
-— * & ... 
American Women ESnying' WasSiington’s 
Tomb and Homestead. 
To Ike Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
Do your readers know of the effort which is now being 
made through the length and breadth of our land, from the 
forests of Maine to the flowers of Florida, to obtain pos¬ 
session of Mt. Vernon? This name, which calls up to us, 
not only the home and tomb of Washington, but the (arm 
which he cultivated and loved, as all your readers love 
some acres, few or many, of their own, is now placed 
within our reach. The Mt. Vernon Association of the 
women of the Union has, for the sum of $200,000, purchased 
two hundred acres of the land belonging to the Mt. Ver¬ 
non Estate, including the mansion house and its appen¬ 
dages, the garden s and landing on the Potomac, and above 
all, the Tomb which contains the mortal remains of the 
Father of his country. A good price, some practical farm¬ 
er will say, thinking only of the corn and wheat these 
acres will raise. But Mt. Vernon raised something above 
price, in the hearts of our countrymen and countrywomen. 
Washington, his home life, his farmer life, w hich he loved 
best, and longed for while in command of an army, and at 
the head of a government, his crops which he planted, 
by directions given from the besiegingeamp near Boston, 
from Head Quarters in the Highlands, from the President’s 
house in Philadelphia; the love and veneration we feel 
for the man. all these thoughts and feelings cluster round 
Mt. Vernon, making our hearts yearn to wards it some what 
as he did. We wish to have it owned by the people of 
the country, to have it kept forever, as it was while in his 
hands, safe from the chances which befall private proper¬ 
ty in this country. It should be sacred to his memory, a 
spot which all the world may visit and bring away lessons 
of Wisdom, of uprightness, of trust in God, and w here we 
may learn true patriotism and devotion to the highest 
good of our whole country. 
On the 6th of April last a contract was made with the 
proprietor of Mt. Vernon, for the purchase of the 200 acres 
described for $200,000 ; $18,000 were paid in cash, $57,000 
are to be paid January 1st, 1859. This is now ready for 
payment, making in all $75,000. The effort now making 
by the women of our country, is to raise the remainder, 
$125,000, by the 22nd February next, Washington’s birth 
day, in order to obtain possession of the estate on that day. 
The payment of one dollar makes every one, man, woman 
or child, a member of the association, and a joint proprie¬ 
tor of Mt. Vernon. The Regent, Miss Cunningham, is 
empowered by the Constitution to appoint Vice Regents 
from each State, who form a Council of Management. 
Twelve States are already organized as follows: Mrs. 
Little, Portland, Maine ; Mrs. Greenough, Boston, Mass ; 
Miss Hamilton, New-York; Mrs. Ritchie, Virginia ; 
Mrs. Dickinson, Wilmington, N. Carolina ; Mrs. Eve, 
Augusta, Georgia ; Mrs. Le Vert, Mobile, Ala.; Mrs. 
Morse, New Orleans, La.; Mrs. Me Willie, Jackson, Miss.; 
Mrs. Fogg, Nashville, Tenn.; Mrs. Walton, St. Louis, 
Missouri; Mrs. Murat, Florida. Subscriptions and con¬ 
tributions, whether in small or large sums maybe sent 
with name and residence to either of the Vice Regents, 
or to the Treasurer of the Association, George W. Riggs 
Esq., Washington, D. C., or to the New York office—m 
the Cooper Institute, Astor Place, addressed to Mt. Ver¬ 
non Ladies’ Associat'on, New York City P. O , Station D. 
From the contract with Mr John A Washington, that, 
“the said vault, the remains in and around it, and the in- 
closure, shall never be removed or disturbed,” every 
woman who loves her home and every farmer w ho tills his 
land, may come forward with security to help on this na¬ 
tional tribute of devotion to the memory of Washington 
The names as proprietors will be registered on tho 
books at Mt. Vernon. 
--- - 
©oath oE Mrs. ILjiwl&osi. 
There are few reading farmers or gardeners who are 
unacquainted with the valuable works of J. C. Loudon, 
who died in 1843 ; but a much smaller circle are familiar 
with the writings of his worthy consort who mav he said 
to have laid the foundation of “Ladies’ Flower Garden 
Literature.” We have renewed the intelligence of her 
death which occurred on the 13th of July. The Illus. 
trated London News of July 17th, thus notices the event: 
Mrs. Loudon, a well-known name among English women 
from her beautiful and valuable works relating to English 
flowers and the English flow-er-garden, died in London on 
the 13th inst.,at the age of fifty-eight. We remember the 
time when she first obtained some distinction in literary 
circles. She was then Miss Webb, and as Miss Webb she 
wrote and published a novel, in three volumes, called 
“ The Mummy.” “ The Mummy ” introduced her to her 
husband, the late J. C. Loudon, whose labors in landscape 
gardening were so very useful, and whose writings on 
English forest-trees will be remembered. When Miss 
Webb married Mr. Loudon she knew so little of flowers 
that she could with difficulty distinguish a daisy from a 
dandelion. But with an innate love for wild flowers, and 
for garden flowers generally, she set resolutely to work, 
and under her husband’s tuition soon became an adept in 
something more than the language of flowers, and, before 
many years were over, a skilled writer on the subject ol 
Gardening for Ladies. Her “beautiful Flower Books,” 
as the trade truly describes them, form six volumes quar¬ 
to, and contain upwards of fifteen hundred exquisitely 
colored illustrations of the choicest wild and cultivated 
flowers. She had the skill to choose taking titles: wit¬ 
ness “The Ladies’ Flower Garden of Ornamental An¬ 
nuals,” “The Ladies’ Flower Garden of Ornamental 
Greenhouse Plants,” “ The Ladies’ Flower Garden of 
Ornamental Bulbous Plants,” “ Mrs. Loudon’s P.aetical 
Instruction in Gardening for Ladies,” “ The Ladies’ Com 
panion to the Flower Garden,” &c. Mrs. Loudon had a 
Government pension after her husband’s death, of one 
hundred pounds a year, and has left an only child--a 
daughter-who inherits the literary tastes of both her 
father and her mother. 
- -« wa Hz*-— *- .*»— -- 
Valuable Books. 
I. Botany for Young People and Common Schools. How 
Plants Grow; a simple introduction to Structural Botany; 
with a Popular Flora. Illustrated by 500 wood engravings. 
By Asa Gray, M. D., Fisher Professor of Natural His'ory 
in Harvard University. New York; Ivison and Phinney. 
75 cents. 
II. First Lessons in Botany and Vegetable Physiology 
Illustrated by over 365 wood engravings from original draw 
ings; to which is added a Dictionary of Botanical Terms 
By same as above. $1. 
III. Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States, 
including Virginia, Kentucky, and all east of the Missis¬ 
sippi : arranged according to the Natural System. By same 
as above, $2.50. 
IV. Introduction to Structural and Systematic Botany 
and Vegetable Physiology, being a fifth and revised edition 
of The Botanical Text Book, illustrated with over 1300 wood 
cuts. By same as above. $2. 
We give here the titles of a complete series of volumes, 
in which is presented the scientific side of a subject which 
we are constantly treating in the Agriculturist in a more 
practical way. Our pages are taken up to a considerable 
extent with directions for tiding the soil, showing when 
and where to sow seed, how to destroy weeds and mul¬ 
tiply valuable plants, and how to preserve the fruits of the 
earth and make them serviceable for man and beast. The 
knowledge that men have concerning the vegetable king¬ 
dom and the life and growth and reproduction of plants, 
when properly classified and arranged, constitutes the 
science of Botany ; and it is easy to see that such a science 
must be of great service, directly or indirectly, to those 
who are engaged in agriculture, and whose constant aim 
is to get from the earth certain vegetable products for 
food, fuel, shelter and clothing. Botany has to do not 
only with flowers and the flower garden, without which 
no farm is complete, but with every species of vegetable 
growth—with the grasses, the grains, the rools, the fruits 
and the trees, about which every farmer’s mind is exer¬ 
cised. 
Professor Gray is well known among men of learning 
as an accurate and thorough naturalist. His works bear 
evidence on every page of being written by one who is 
master of his subject. Ho writes in a style singularly 
