The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-11-24
A New piseovery-The IIorse .ohesnut as To0d


a New DiscOvery-Tho Horse Chestnut as Food
The Paris National Of Oct. 10, in Report Of the
Academy, contains the following interesting ac-
count Of discovery which promises to be Of much
practical value II is transatedentir for the New
York Tribune, from the columns of that paper.
"We hasten to give The first intelligence of
beautiful and useful discovery, which the Academy
has received with lively satisfaction. At last it is
known how to convert economically the pulp Of the
hofse-chesnut into meal Of excellent quality. This
was old problem, one of the desiderata of Agri-
cultural Chemistry. These beautiful trees, winch
are the pride of our parks, have for years strewed
the ground withther fruits which we have trodden
under foot without being able to reap the least adj
vantage from them. What is there, however, under
the shining shell of the horse ehesnut! mealy
substance enveloped in heterogeneous membranes,
that is TO say, matter emnently nutritive. Only
one particular element, bitter oil, is secreted IN
these cells and communicates to them insupp0rt
able taste. To strip the pulp of the chesnul OF the
essence which infecs it IS then very natural idea,
and one worthy to exercise the skill of our chemists;
they have essayed very often they have even sue
ceeded, butt was by expensive proceedings, proper
for laboratories, but absolutely inapplicable for
common life. Likewise, every time that Agrieul-
ture, regretting the loss of so beautiful produce,
demanded from Science the secret to render il use
full, it appeared to renew that proposition of the
Temper before the rocks of Judea Die ut lapides
istde paaeS fdnt.'
Chemistry has not yet been able to change stones
into bread, but it now makes sweet bread from
horse chesnufs These are its minerals, Won will
see from the receipt happily described by M.
Charles Fandin. Collect soma horse chesnuts, and
CRATE them after having taken off the skin; throw
on this pulp little carbonate of pulverized soda.
1.-THE carbonate of soda is found at any grocery 1t
costs three cents the pound, and for every hundred
weight of pulp two pounds is necessary. Mix these
materials well, kaeading the pulp with your hands,
then Won will expose it in sieve TO a current Of
water like that which issues from the spout OF your
fountain. Stirring the matter thus moistened, it
will pass entirely through the meshes of the sieve
and fall with the waters of washing into trough
placed beneath. Let these waters subsde for some
minutes then pour out by gently inclinind the vat.
They take with them the bitter oil which has cOlored
them green in dissolvng itself, and at the bottom
of the vessel is found a fine paste of brilliant
wilderness and very agreeable taste. This Is the
purified pulp.
1.-The operation is finished, and there remains no
more to you but to cook this flour in the manner
which will please you the best. If you like meal
cake, we have only TO refer you to the " Complete
Cook; buff you prefer to make bread OF tt
household oaves of good quality, like those which
the Members of the Academy have shared-send
the pulp of the chestnut to the baker, bidding him
TO introduce it for one-ffth part in the ordinary
paste, to augment little the quantity of leaven,
and to put the whole in the oven without farther
ceremony.
Do you, wish, however, to know the theory of this
operation Nothing more simple. The bitter princi
pie contained in the pulp of the horse-chesnut COM
bnes itself inme lately with the carbonate ofsoda
introduced into the paste forming with it alkali,
soluble salt, and the mealY substance, purified by
simple washing, is deposited at the bottom of the
vat whence you have gathered it. After this, it
would be very superfluous TO dwell upon the econ
omical value of such discovery. The fruit Of the
horse-chesnut is abundant, the harvest easy to
gather, unassailabe by insects, and capable of
being preserved very long time. The crops of
several years can be accumulated in silo,* and
then should a bad harvest come, such as that of
I847, there will be found there quantity of pro-
duce which, converted at little expense into meal,
will offer very precious resource to the public
maintenance. This is what M. Flandin has desired
to render manifest in saying that horse-chesnut
planted at the door of peasant, would produce the
value of field of potatoes for him. 1t is from this
point of view that we should judge of the discovery
of NJ Flandin; but as an idea never comes alone,
it would be easy show that this one will raise up
from it many others which will produce, under the
double connection of pure science and domestic
economy, numerous and beautiful consequences.
The very principle which M. Fladin has so happily
advised for the publication Of the horse chesnut
will apply, without doubt, to many other vegetable
textures and on the other hand, the bitter essences
which will be extracted from them, will furnish
matter for interesting researches.