The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1848-12-08
Darious A1atters.
From The ~ Y. Semi Weekly Tri5rus1
A New DiscOvery--The Horse Ches-
NUT ilS Food.

nut as Food.
The Paris National IF Oct. Is, in a Re.
port OF the Academy. contains the follow
ing interesting account Of discovery
which promises to be of much practical
value. 1t is translated entire for The
Tribune, from the columns of that paper.
! We hasten to give The first intelligence
Iof n 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
horse-chesnut into meal Of excellent quail.
NY This was an old problem. one of
the desiderata ofAgricultura Chemistry.
These beautiful trees, which are the
pride of our parks, which we have trod.
den under foot without being able to reap
the least advantage from them. What is
there, however. under the shining shell
ot the horse chesnut! A mealy sub
stance envelOped in heterogeneous mem.
branes-that is To say, matter eminentIy
nutrltlve.- Only one particular element,
a bitter oil. is secreted in these cells, and
communicates to them an insupportable
taste. To stri p the pulp of the chesnut of
the essence which infects it is then n very
natural idea, and one worthy to exercise
the skill of our chemists; they have even
succeeded, but it was by ex pensive pro-
ceedlngs proper for laboratories, but ab.
sonte ly iuapplcable for common life.
Likewise every time that Agriculture re-
GREETING the loss of so beautiful produce
demanded from Science the secret to rem
der 1t useful, it appeared to renew that
proposition Of the Temper before the
rocks of Judea: "Die atlapides istaepan
fant"
Chemistry has not yet been able to
change stones into bread, but it now
makes sweet bread from horse. .chesnuts
These are its miSerals, as you will see
from the receipt 80 happily described by
Nj. Charles Flandln. Collect some horse.
chesnurs, and CRATE them after having
taken off the skin; throw on This pulp a
little carbonate of pulverized snda. The
carbonate of soda is found at any grocery
1t costs three cents the pound aud for
every hundred weight of pulp two pounds
is necessary. Mix these materials well,
kneadng the pulp with your hands, then
you will expose it in sieve to current
OF water like that which issues from the
spout of your fountain. Stirring the mat
ter thus moisened, it will pass entirely
through the mesbes of the siev and fall
with the waters of washing into the
trough placed beneath. Let these waters
subside for some minutes; then pour them
out by gently inclining the vat They
take with them the bitter oil which has
colored them green in dissolving itself,
aud at the bottom of the vessel is found a
fine paste Of brilliant whiteness and very
agreeable taste. This is the purified
pulp.
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 Ifyou like a meal cake, we
have onl to refer you To the "Complete
Cook" but if you prefer To make bread
of fit-houshod loaves Of good quality.
like those which the Members of the Ac.
ademy have shared-send the pulp of the
chesnu' to the baker, bidding him to in
uoduce it for oneifth part in the ordina.
ry paste, to augment little the quantity
of leaven, and to put the whole in the ov-
EN- without farther ceremony.
Do you wish however to know the
theory of This operaion2 Nothing more
simple. The bitter principle contained
in The pul p the horse. .chesnut combines
itself Immediately with the carbonate of
soda introduced into the paste forming
with it talkali, soluble salt, and the mealy
substance purified by simple washing is
deposited at the bottom OF the vat whence
you have gathered it. After thisit would
be very superhuous to dwell upon the
economical value of such discovery.
The fruit of the horse .chesnut is abund-
ant, the harvest easy to gather, unassail-
able by insects, and capable of Icing pre-
served very long time. The crops of
several years can be accumulated in silo"
and then should bad harvest come, such
as that of 1S47, there would be found
there aquantity of produce which, con-
verted at little expense into meal, will of.
fer very precious resource to the public
maintenance. This is what NJ. Flandin
has desired to render manifest in saying
that horse -chesnut planted at the door
of peasant would produce the value of
a field Of potatoes for him. 1t is from
this point of view that we should Judge
of the discovery of M. Flandin; hut as an
idea never comes alone, it would be easy
to show that this one wi raise up from it
many others which will produce under
the double connection of pure science aud
domestic economy numerous and beauti,
full consequences. The very principle
which M. Flandn has so happily advised
for The puriica,ion of the horse chesnut
will apply without doubt to many other
vegetable textures; and on the other hand
the bitter essence which will he extract
ed from them will furnish matter for in
teresting researches.
la dry cellar or simply large hole in dry ground
6rA French gentleman, totally unac-
nuaiuied with our LANGUAGE. being intru.