Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1842-10-08
LARD OIL AND sTEARIN.

l
Improvements Of the oge-Corn s1abora
ted in,o hugs Hogs elaborated int
lamps and candles.
Lard oil and stearin, very greasy sub
jects, have been handled so much and
with such skill by the western presses
oflate that we would let them pass. our
selves. but Tor the important bearing tina,
their manufacture will have on the gen.
eral agricultural prosperity Of the ives.
tern States.
II it shall be made to appear that these
States can actually supply the market
not af this country merely, but Of Eu.
rope, and in fact the whole world, with
a substitute for sperm and spermaceti oil
cheaper than could be done. elsewhere,
then, indeed we may expect new era in
both tie manufacturing and agricultural
prosperity Of the West. As to the rela-
tive value and composition Of stearin and
sperm, stearin and sperm are, ia ali their
properties, essentially the same. and, so
far as examined, their clinical consti-
tuition is identical We, however, have
seen but little sperm that would bear com
Parison with specimen Of stearin shown
US by gentleman Of this city not long
since. This was probably mainly owing
to the pains taken in separating so per-
fectly the elaine (lard oily and s,erin
Lard and spermaccti oil are nearly, If
not quite, identicai< in their clinical con-
stitu.ion, being composed each Of them
in 100 parts ofsabout 80 .parts carbon,
lkparts o! hydrogen, and 8 of oxygen
The composition OF lard, or q fat closely
resembling it, has been determined SYN
THETlcALLY as we'll as analytically. by a
curious experiment. Twenty measures
Of hydrogen, ten Of carbhretted hydro.
gen, and one of carbonic acid, were trans
mitted through red hot iron tube, and
on combination yielded crystals easily
fuslblc into fatty substance closely re.
semblingsit, lift was not actually, lard.
But now we must come to the PRICE at
which sterin and lard Oil can be AFFORDED
at the present cost Of lard and the sepa.
ration or manufacture from it of the ar.
sticles in question.
The price oflard here ranges between
three and eight cents. One pound Of lard
will yield a half pound each, of stearin
and lard oil. The separation Of lard into
stearin and lard oil is not, as heretofore
conducted, veryexpensive, and, we doubt
not, will be cheapened by some re-agent
the process as now conducted being
more mechanical than clinical, and pre-
clsely the same as that in use for the
production Of sperm aud spermaceti oil.
The lard isspressed on bibulous paper
which absorbs aud permits the transmits
sion Of the lard oil while the stcarin re-
mains behind on the surface of the paper.
Such is the process, and very simple
one. Did you ever lie, drops fall from a
sperm candle on paper, and not observe
that the paper had absorbed a portion OF
oil from the sperm, and left it harder
This was because the separation Of the
sperm from the oil was not quite perfect.
and shows you the manner in which lard
Oil and stearin are separated.
At the present cost Of lard, and the
manufacture Of stearin and lard oil, a
handsome profit would be yielded on the
former, at 20 cents perslb., and the latter
at so cents per 8gallon. Such prices
would drive sperm and spermaceti oil out
VI Ony lhOls u0 COuSCQu0uI Ue
mand for lard will induce change in the
plan Of .iarm;ng," and corn will be more
extensively cultivated and elaborated
into hogs" and hogs willbc more exten.
siyely elaborated into lard. Such will be
tho demand for lard, that almost the zen.
tire swine," will pass into the lard ket
tie, and the fertile valley Of the Nssis
sippi, instead Of being patched with al
Fternate fields oftobacco, hemp. and grain
will present broad and expansive field.
Of waving corn. We congratulate our
citizens on the prospect Of such change
In proportion only as a country devel
oPes ner own resources, and renders 9th
er countries dependent on her for hel
productions is she really independent.
Illinois paper.