Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-04-04

Hoes OU.-It is stated IN the Salem Gazette,
that an important discovery has been made 10y Mr..
Ellsworth at Washington, viz. that the oil of Hogs
Lard is equal TO the best spermaceH. The whole
article IS interesling-but we copy only so much
as is essential to a fair understanding of the new
scheme for oil making.
4" BY the recent Report of Mr.. Ellsworth, the
intelligent and interchangeable Commissioner Of Pa.
tents, we learn that The Hoe is about 10 become
formidable rival to the WHALE, in the production
of Oil.
The report contains table OF agricultural sta
tsilcs OF the thirty States and Territories, cslna-
ted for the year l54l and in this table, the mum
Der of Swine for that year is 26,30l, 293. The
editor Of the Philadelphia Ledger makes the fol-
lowing calculation assuming for the sake olround
numbers, 20 l2 millions as the whole number,
aud fifty pounds the average weight of each,
we shall have an aggregate OF 325 millions OF
pounds; and il we assume one half of this MS the
quantity of lard, we shall have an aggregate Of
662 l2 millions of pounds. The discovery an
nonnced by Mr. Ellsworth, is that lard yields an
oil, in all respects, and for all purposes, equal to
the best sperm oil. Eight pounds Of lard nre
quail in weight TO one gallon Of sperm oil, aud The
whole is convertible into olene, or oil, and Stearine
or SpermGceH. The proportion of these two sub
stances in lard is not mentioned in the report but
we viii suppose what must he near the TRUTH that
pound of lard will yield iwothirds Of its weight
in oeiue, or fluid oil. Then the whole 662 I-2
millions OF pounds of ard will yield AL l-2 mil
lions Of pounds of OF, equal 10 SIS Id millions OF
gallons. The proceeds Of the whale fisheries in
lS4l were about 5 millions of gallons of sperm
oil, and about 6 A millions of gallons Of whale
and hsh oil, or an aggregate oil Ia millions. II
then oil the swine now in The country were con-
verIed into lard for oil, ihe product would be five
times greater Than that Of The whale fishery. But
we must assume that not more than half Of the
number OF swine are slaughtered in any one year,
that the average weight is not less than one hun
dred pounds, aud that one half of this weight is
lard Upon this calculation, the annual product
of swine slaughtered viii be G62 9 millions of
pounds and Of lard AL q millions of pounds
we Wlll next suppose that only one fifth of this
quantity is used for oil the rest being consumed as
pork and we shall have / millions of gallons of
OIL or quantity equal TO the product of the whale
fishery. But to this we must add The slearine from
lard, III the proportion of one third. lfthen G62 g
millions oil pounds OF lard yield one third or
22l millions of pounds of stearine, and one fifth
OF The whole quantity of pork be used for oil, the
product will be 44,200,000 pounds of stearne and
thus if only one fifth of the pork now produced
annually be converted into oil, the product, in ar
ucles equal TO Spermaceti aud pure Sperm Oil
will exceed the whole proceeds of the whale fish,
cry IN spernacet and oils of all kinds The re
suit is truly surprising.
The expense of procuring these substances from
pork is an important consideration; and according
TO the report when lard is at six cents for the
pound, the oil can be sold for good profit at 81
cents gallon and the stearine is clear gain be
sides. But the present average price ofard in tn,
western States III only four or five cents, viii
these facts before us, we see a new and amos
boundless field OF wealth opened to our agricnl
ture, especially 10 the United States. In lS4O tn,
quantity OF whale and sperm oil exported was
bout i've millions Of gallons, AMI the consumption
at home about six and quarter millions. There
fore the present agriculture of the country woule
alone supsrsede the whole whale fishery, both fo
expectation and domestic consumption; and e
this we must add that this agriculture will ncreas
with the population of the country, if no new feel,
he opened for its products, and in a much NOR
rapid ratio with this new field for enterprise"