The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-03-11

termlU aLlOH u OOSI IAO Ao y % 49,
oto have peace" it is not proba-
BILE that they will provoke col
lision with any commander who
is not predetermined to deal with
them harshly and unjustly.
Interesting Experiments with
the sweet Potato.
Some years before the war, DIR.
Cartwright in an elaborate dis
QUESTION to the public through
The MIssIssIPPIAN newspaper, up
on the uses of the Sweet Potato,
argued that it would some day
become product OF the South
and an article Of commerce TO the
world, more important than cot
ton, In a letter to The CLARION
about two years ago, DIR. Z. K.
Marshall one of our most invent
i've men, as if TO make real this
prediction Of his predecessor, sug-
gested that the uses of the Sweet
Potato if dried, would be i'm
mensely enlarged; and argued
that thus prepared it could be
kept at home as. IAN article Of food
the year round, and also be ex-
ported to foreign countries with
profit. The suggestion Of DR.
Marshall went the rounds of the
newspapers as something curious,
but as a prophet is without honor
in his own country, We have not
heard that any further or practi
cal attention was given it.
We are gratifed to observe,
however, that it has been treated
in a very different manner else
where. Thorough experiments
have been made in New York
with results which are fully ex-
planned in the proceedings of the
Farmers Club Of that tate,copied
below.
Now that the practicabiIity Of
the suggestion has been amply
tested, is it unreasonable to hope
that the subject will not be neg.
ected here in the South, where
this plant is so plentiful-grows
abundantly on almost every kind
of soil that will produce anything
else-and never fails of a crop
with attention, though all else
fails. 1t is well known to be a
good substitute for bread in its
nprepared state, but its liability
to rot renders it an uncertain re-
lance for this use throughout the
season. But these experiments
demonstrate that this difficulty
may be remedied by dessicahon.
If every farmer would take care
10 raise supply of Sweet Peta,
toes and dry them, there would be
no danger Of bread famine; or of
dependence for the staff of life on
other regions:
Professor Whitney reported the re-
suits OF his investigations on this sub
Ject. They were very interesting, and
were listened to with great attention.
The quantity of sweet potato treated
was very small, some six quarts; this
was rulely prepared by peeling, slic-
ing and then drying them in one cor
ner of lumber-kiln. In its crude
form the desiccated product consists
OF thir slices of dry, starchy material,
contaiaging distinct taste of saccha-
rine matter. The characteristic flavor
of the sweet potato is lost; excepting
slight sweetness, the substance has
no more taste than ordinary flour.
For this reason, he thinks it can never
be substituted for canned and preserv-
ed vegetables, used on shipbaord to
prevent scurvy and similar diseases.
He therefore concludes if the product
should become a staple article of con-
sumption, it must be in the form OF
flour and meal. Three experiments
with the powdered desicatted material
gave the followidg results:
l. Used alone as cornstarch of flour,
it produced pudding equal in every
respect TO bread-pudding.
2. Mixed with sufficient wheat flour
to make the particles of powder stick
together, fritters, or pancakes" were
made equal to those made wholly of
wheat, and better in the desirable
equality Of browning"
8. Mixed, as in the previous case.
with little wheat-fiour, it was made
into biscuits resembling Graham
bread in cClor, but having q sweeter
taste and finer texture, estimated in
quality to De little higher than or
binary rye bread.
The essential thing in the prepa ra-
ton of the dried, or dessieated potato
consists in the removal of its moisture
in the quickest way with the lowest
heat and least cost. The first step is
TO remove the skin. After being peel
ed, the tubes should be cut into slices
of uniform thickness-about one quar-
ter of an inch-that the watery parti-
cles may be readily expelled by the
heat. The potato is now ready for
dessicat.on. The drying may be done
in any common drying kiln, carebeing
taken in the operation. When thor
oughly dried, convert them into -four
or fine meal by grinding.
The writer also states that broken
into course grains, roasted and ground.
it forms the closest imitation of real
coffee he has ever seen. He recon-
mends placing it in the market under
its proper designation. that people
might purchase at a fair price, and use
much or little, mixed with pure coffee,
to suit their taste.