The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-04-11
The Power of Chemistry.

The last example of the power of
chemistry will be found in the immense
prairies of La Plata and Australia.
Here wander innumerable hocks of
sheep and cattle /; vigorous vegetation,
favored by warm climate and the hu-
mid salt emanations from the sea pro-
vides abundance of nourishment ami
mails prosper and multiply amazingly.
The South American hunters are numer-
Gus also and the number of cattle kill
ed every month may be counted by hun
dreds of thousands so that the wonder
is that they do not wholly disappear.
In former days, this rough sport was
carried on for the sake of the hides and
wool only ; the flesh. bones and sinews
were too difficult of transport and pre-
servation for this rudimentary trade,
and lay abandoned on the spot. Some
persons interested themselves to utilize
more fully these waits and strays of the
chase. At first, it was proposed to ex-
port the bones to England and France
In civilized countries they have acquired
commercial value which covers the
price of the freight they are largely
used by the cutters; gelatine is extract
ed from them /; by burning them, the
substance is obtained which clarifies
sugar; olosphorous is made from them,
an / lastly, they furnish the most valua-
bic manure for the agriculturalist.
As for the skins, the country not offer
ing the necessary resources for the es
tablishment of tanyards, they were ex-
ported in fresh state. A new agent,
picnic acid, preserved them from any
alteration during the voyage. 1t is the
best antiseptic known; there is no ami
NAL fermentation which can resist it, no
putrefaction that it does not arrest.
After this, there only remained the flesh
to perish for want of suitable means of
preservation. The employment of fphcn-
ic acid could not be thought of excel
lent as it is for the purifcation of sta
bles, houses, and hospitals, it does not
answer for articles of food. Though it
has been purified so as to obtain color
less crystals, it always has an odor of the
coal-tar from whichit is extracted, which
gives o flavor to the meat. In default of
a modern antiseptic, another was tried,
less effcacious, and as old as civilization
common salt !; but no decisive result
was obtained it did not give complete
security, and it did not yet appear pos
sible economically to preserve the meat
which was left to perish.
The well-known chemist, DR.. Liebig,
directed his researches in another way /;
instead Of exporting the flesh, he wish
ed to concentrate on the spot, and in a
small compass, the principal nutritive
elements to obtain an extract of meat,
which, when it reached England, might
be weakened by thirty times its weight
of water, and give liquid having all
the essential qualities of ordinary beef
tea. This new commercial production
has been largely consumed in England
and Germany it is used in the navy
and in distant colonies where foods diff
ficult to obtain but in France, where
refinement of taste is greater, the sue
cess has not been Sc general. This is
the manner i'll which it is prepared
the process is very simple, and suited to
the primitive state of the country. Af-
ter the animal is killed, the meat is cut
very small, and stepped in an equal
quantity of water this is boiled for a
quarter of an hour, when the whole is
thrown into linen cloth, and the liquid
which passes through is the beef-tea in
its normal state. There is, however, too
large proportion of water, and some
fat, which would interfere with its keep
lug. The dydraulic-press is applied to
the mass of meat which is left after
straining and thus pressed it forms a
sort Of cake, which is considered to be
exhausted of all eatable particles a
residue which at some future time will
probably be turned to useful purpose.
The liquid is again heated, and the fat
being carefully skinned off the top, ii
is boiled down to one-sixth of its origin
al volume, and brought to the consisten-
cy of extract, keeping it from all con-
tact with the air in the vessel where a
vacuum has been made by means of q
pneumatic pump. Nothing more is
wanting but to pour it into jars hermet-
ically closed, and sealed with a leaden
seal, to preserve them from adulteration.
-ChdmberS'S Journal.