The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1778-09-16 00:00:00, page 1

From the Pennsylvania Packet.
An ESSAY upon the manufacture of INDIAN
CORN STALKS, for the purpose of making
Molasses, Sugars, and Spirits.
AS the habit of using saccharine or fweet
ning substances, such as sugars, mo
lasses and syrups, had become so com
mon as to conftjtute a considerable
part of our commerce, as well as of
our sustenance, particularly for the
female and more delicate part of the community, and
from which the men in general would not willingly
be exempt, if to be procured at a reasonable expence ;
this essay is intended to point out a method to such
as may not before have been acquainted with it,
whereby we may serve ourselves with a fubfitute for
those articles, equal, and in some rtipe&s superior
in quality to what has been imported from the Weft-
Indies, with this additional advantage, that a very
considerable sum may be saved to the Continent, even
from an article which has hitherto beer considered as
fit for nothing but the barnyard or ftercorary ; and
what is still more interesting to the real friends of
freedom and mankind is, that it may be procured in
considerable quantities without the service or assist
ance of slaves, which to a generous mind must render
it abundantly more valuable. The fubjeft from which
it is to be procured, is 110 other than the common
Indian Corn Stalk.
Having accidentally heard that trials had been made
with them in different ways, which teemed to afford
encouragement for profitable success, I was induced
the last fall to attempt the experiment myfclf; and
as the price of foreign sweets continue extravagantly
high, the season in which they may be procured at
home now approaches, and as I have not yet seen
any essay or directions on the fubjeCt, whereby many
(who would probably enter into the matter whether
from motives of patriotism or interest) are deprived
of the opportunity of exerting themselves on the oc
casion ; I am therefore induced, from my own incli
nation, as well as the persuasion of divers others, to
lay before tire public the observations I have made,
together with such inftruCtions as 1 am at present able
to furnifh, and Shall firft begin with the mill for
grinding the stalks.
When I made my experiments the last fall, I had
not heard that any other machine had been used for
the business except the common cyder mill ; but con
sidering the form and nature of the stalk, and the in
convenience that would attend grinding in the com
mon mill, by their being so imperfectly crulhed, as
well as their absorbing or fucking up again a consi
derable part of the juice as they palled through the
mill, and the disadvantage and loss that would at
tend prefling the stalks, considering the hardness of
their texture, induced me to believe that a different
plan rauit be preferable ; I therefore employ ed a tur
ner to make me two smooth cylinders or rollers of
good white oak, of the fame diameter as my cyder
nuts, and which might fit my old cyder mill frame ;
this was all the additional work as to the grinding
apparatus: I chose this frugal method for my firft
trial, as being attended with little expence, and for
that reason, as well as those above-mentioned, would
recommend the fame conduct to the farmers in ge
neral, as the more simple and lei's expensive any new
business is, the more likely it is to succeed; but if
any person should incline to undertake it as a profit
able employment, which I believe would answer well,
tfpecialiy for such as have children or small folk in
their families, another roller might be added, and the
whole plan executed upon a large scale ; round the
top of the short roller, and at the fame height in the
other, are fixed a set of cog teeth, aboutan inch and
a halt long, which should be so truly adapted to each
other, as to work smoothly and without fretting,
these teeth lerving to force round the rollers in case
of any great refinance, such as may arise from the
hard joints of the stalk ; let these rollers be fixed in
the place of the common cyder nuts, with the usual
iimple apparatus, having a tub or trough underneath
to receive the juice, and the machine is ready for
grinding: In order to feed the mill more convenient
ly, let there be a fort of trough, about five feet long
(made like a cutting box for straw) with narrow
drips of wood nailed horizontally across the small
end of the box, so as to keep live or fix, or as many
stalks as the nuts will receive, separate, one above
the other, let this end of the box be set close to the
mill, passing the stalks between the strips so that the
rollers may catch them, observing to put the small
ends firft, and as faft as the mill draws them through
replace them with others : Two persons are necessary
to tend the mill, boys may do as well as n?en, one
[Vol. I.] T H E # [Numb. 41.]
NEW-JERSEY GAZETTE.
/W E D NESD AY, September 16, 1778.
to feed it, and the other on the opposite fide to re
ceive the stalks, who should mind to keep them ra
ther in an ascending than declining position as they
pass out of the mill, in order to prevent them as much
as possible from drawing away with them any part of
the expressed juice : Thq stalks, when they have pas
sed through the mill the firft time, should be laid
down as even as poflible, with the small ends all one
way, in order to their being passed through a second
time, the hardness of the joints preventing the juice
from being fully squeezed out at once; the rollers
at firft should be kept about a quarter of an inch a
sunder, but when the stalks are to be passed through
again, they should be wedged up so as to touch each
other, by which means they will squeeze the juice
out so effectually as to leave the stalks nearly as dry
as a chip, and by this method a much greater quan
tity of liquor may be procured, than can by the com
mon method of grinding and pressing apples. —As to
the season proper for cutting the stalks, there have
been divers opinions, some thinking they should be
cut and ground when quite gieen, having the ears
plucked off v. hemthey firft appear; and others, that
they may be left 'till the usual time of gathering ; but
I apprehend neither of tnefe to be the best. Upon
the strength of the firft opinion, I had a small piece
of ground planted and' ordered for that purpose,
having the ears plucked off while young, but from
the quantity of juice these afforded, am fatisfied that
tile advantage by no means would be equal to the
loss of the grain, or to the profit that may be obtain
ed by letting the ears remain on for life, and cutting
the stalk at the mod suitable season; which, from
the attention I have paid to the matter am convinced
is about midway, between the date of well-grown
roasting ears and that of full ripeness, or according
to another criterion, when the stalk begins to change
from green to yellow, about this time the stalk sav
ing finifhed the conveyance of all the juices necessary
for the perfection or maturity of the grain, which,
though now not ipso hard a fate as when left longer
on, yet I judge can receive no further addition of
substance, or any other advantage, save that of gra
dually drying, the want of which is all the inconve
nience that can attend gathering the corn at the time
here proposed, which; however, may in a great mea
sure be remedied, by fp'reading the ears abroad in a
dry airy place, or tying federal ears together with
part of the hulk, and suspending them on poles# one
thing after the manner of tobacco, which last method
might answer well in the southern provinces ; or,
perhaps, if laid in broad heaps and turned so as to
prevent their heating, it might also answer; that
corn gathered at this season, will (with fufficient air)
keep found and good through the year, I have prov
ed by experiment; and whether there would be any
loss, or at least any worth regarding, I much doubt
(especially if put in competition with the advantage
otherwise gained.) However, this may be fatisfac
torily proved by measuring a certain quantity of each
kind (in the ear) the ensuing fall, and then weighing
them both carefully the next summer. When the
stalks are fit to be taken, about fifteen or eighteen
inches must be cut from the top, and the blades firip
ed off, which, when taken at this time, must make
excellent food for cattle, and though not much at
tended to in some places, may amply compensate for
the trouble of stripping and cutting ; the nearer the
ground the stalks are cut the better, as the lower
joints are much the richest, and it will be well not to
cut down more at a time than can be passed through
the mill in two or three days, as they would fufter
by laying long Ungroand, so that the sooner they are
used the better. The manner of feeding the miljhas
been already described, the next thing to be consi
dered is the management of the juice, which should
net be expressed in greater quantities than can be
boiled down within two days at furtheft, especially
if the weather be warm, as it is apt to ferment and
four, which ruins it for the purpose of syrup. When
there is such a quantity obtained as may suit the
boiling vessels we are furnifhed with (those of copper
or brass being best) the juice Should be drained thro'
a sieve or coarse cloth to separate any chips or small
pieces of the stalk ; it should then be set over the fire,
and boiled moderately as long as any scum arlfes,
which must be carefully taken off, and set in a vessel
apart ; when it appears that the scum has done rifiug,
the liquor must be tabw off the fire, and set by to
cool and fettle without difturbante, and in a few
hours will deposit a considerable sediment and become
clear, after which it must be carefully poured over
into another vessel, leaving all the sediment behind ;
this part of the process is particularly necessary to be
observed, in order to obtain a neat clear syrup, as the
feccee is not separated, but boiled down with the li-
quor, as hath been commonly the case with those who
have done any thing in this way, will render the sy
rup impure, and give it a disagreeable taste ; this se
diment may be put with the Ikimings, and both drain
ed through a woollen bag made lomewhat like a fun
nel, the fiift runnings whereof must be quietly re
turned into the bag until the stream appears pretty
clear, when it may be Suffered to run 'till the whole
is out, the drained liquor may then be put into the
kettle and boiled with the rest, by which means scarce
a drop will be loft: As to the time spent in boiling it
will vary accordingly the quantity of liquor, and the
heat given it, which must be continued till a syrup
is obtained of about an eighth part of the quantity of
juice firft put in. As it has been observed by some
that the syrup is attended with a flight acidity, this
may be effectually prevented by putting about half
a gill of Strong lime water to a gallon of the juice
while it boils, which will also promote the granula
ting ot the fugaf if intended to be made, which it
110 doubt may of very good quality, as there might
also be obtained a very neat and elegant spirit if dis
tilled, which I would recommend to the trial of the
curious. As it may be Satisfactory to some to know
the quantity of juice that may be obtained from any
given number of stalks, as well as the quantity of iy
rup from a certain quantity of the crude liquor, I
may add that I have carefully tried them both, and
found from several experiments made on stalks from
several different places, that thirty-fix well grown
stalks yielded better than a gallon of raw juice, and
that a gallon of juice from a mill with two rollers
turned by one borfe, may be obtained in ten minutes
time; and that a gallon of juice, when properly
boiled down, will yield a pint of pleasant rich syrup,
allowed by those who have tailed it, to exceed in
goodnels any molaflcs imported from abroad.
If these remarks and directions are thought wor
thy of attention, and should prove a means of en
couraging any to make similar experiments, or to
improve upon those already made, it will be a fuffi
cient Satisfaction to one who profeffes himfclf a friend
to the public good, and to all ulfful improvements.
I. GRA Y.
LONDO N, May 11.
Extract of a letter from an officer on board the Monarch,
lately arrived at Portjmouth from her cruise.
'" We are at length, thank heaven, arrived once
more in an English port. Our last foreign port was
Caeiz, where we experienced such treatment as will
scarce be credited ; though the, vouchers which go
vernment will receive by another channel, as well as
ours, will furcl) let them on a Scheme to resent the
inlult ofiered to a King's skip. We came into Cadiz
harbour on the Sunday afternoon, when the Captain,
according to custom, ordered the boat on shore to
get what is termed product, which could not be ob
tained; the next day another was sent, and a third,
and a fourth ; but to all we could not even get an
answer. A spirited memorial was at last sent to the
Commandant, who also gave no answer; in short,
they teemed resolved to take no notice of us. Judge
of the situation of our spirited Commander (who is a
true British teaman) when during the time we lay
there (seven days being detained by the wind) we
had the mortification to fee the usual honours paid
to two Dutch frigates, and above all to the Revenge
American privateer, commanded by Cunningham,
who came swaggering in with his Thirteen stripes,
saluted the Spanish Admiral; had it returned, and
immediately got product ; the Spaniards themselves
carrying on board wood, water, fruit, and frefh pro
visions; all which we were eye-witnesses of, as he
anchored directly under our fterii, within two cables
length. There are at Cadiz twenty-two ships of war
of the line, besides frigates and chebecs: the firft are
as fine vellcls to look at as ever put to sea: they
all appear lull manned, and are deep in the water,
as if provided with all necessaries ready to put to sea
on the fliortelt noti :e. There were also riding here
eleven vessels bearing American flags; and fix more
flrips of war were expected daily from Ferrol to join
the above fleet, which we weie informed of by the
Captain of the Dutch frigates, who behaved barely
civil to us. We were happy on our coming up to
Spithead, to fee so fine a fleet ready to chastise our
insolent and natural enemies. lam so far from ex
aggerating the account of our reception at Cadiz, that
I have been ol>liged to omit some very humiliating
circumltances that happened during our Ray there,
as being too much for the limits of a letter."
Should the five Irish bills pass into laws, it is com
puted that 60,000 manufacturers in Lancashire will
be hurt by them, and probably endeavour to redrefe
themfelvcs.