England, particularly its strength, and felting qualities among the hatters; which assures me, that rabbits' wool from those bred in Upper Canada will do the same; and there are some millions of acres, within the latitude and boundaries which I have before described, suited to the nature of the warren rabbit; nor do I apprehend that the wolves, foxes, &c. of Upper Canada will be half so destructive as the poachers in England,

The Guanaco,

or camel sheep of South America, no doubt will be a na- The guanaco. tional object at some future period. This is a tame, domestic animal, very hardy, and used with much cruelty by the natives in travelling over the mountains with their burthens. It shears a fleece of wool of from 2lb. to 3lb., which is of a dusky red on the back, on the sides inclined to white, and under the belly quite white; its texture is very fine, yet strong; its felting qualities are very powerful; and it is worth, when ready for use, from five to fifteen shillings per lb. This animal would no doubt thrive, and do well in England, Upper Canada, and in particular I should sup pose in New Holland,

The Beaver

duced into Bri

might be propagated to great advantage in Scotland, Ire- The beaver land, and the northern parts of England. It is an animal, might be intrewhen tamed, very familiar, and will eat bread and milk, tain & Ireland. willow sticks, elm bark, &c., and no doubt might be imported with safety; but as these two last mentioned animals are not likely to be attended to immediately, I shall say no more respecting them for the present,

Pine Timber.

There are many thousands of large pine trees on the Pines for masts. borders of the lakes, rivers, &c., in Upper Canada, which might be marked and secured for naval purposes, and which might be floated down to Montreal and Quebec with great case, and which no doubt would be of great be

nefit in furnishing a large supply of good masts for the

navy of this empire.

I am, Gentlemen, with respect,

Your obedient servant,

WILLIAM BOND.

On the use of

the potato

V.

Remarks on sundry important Uses of the Potato*.

THE HE potato has, though deservedly, occupied so much of the attention of different writers, and of this Society, that it may seem almost necessary to bring forward some new and important discoveries concerning it, if we attempt to say more on its qualities. It is not however, a singular opinion, that so important is this vegetable, and so applicable to economical uses, as human food; that it will remain for posterity fully to appreciate its positive and comparative value. But as no new and promising experiment, however imperfectly conducted, should be suffered to escape general notice, it will be acceptable to our readers to receive a general statement of certain trials made by a very respectable British merchant, who is also a member of the Society, with a view to ascertain the value of the potato for for sea stores. seu provision and other stores. His diffidence about having done justice to the subject, which he doubts of finding leisure to prosecute, prevents his allowing his name to appear as to a finished Essay of his own, for this volume; but certain statements laudably reported by him to the Society, are deemed too important to be lost, as they may lead to farther discoveries and facts. The statements then are in substance as follow:

Cheap methods of preserving potatoes have not been sought after,

«The ease with which this root is prepared by boiling and for immediate consumption, either in its separate form, or mixed in bread; the little trouble there is in preserving

Bath Society's Papers, vol. X, p. 293.

it through the winter months; and the short period between the time of planting, and the return of the crop; have most probably been the causes, why less pains have been taken to find out cheap methods of preserving potatoes, as a store for future sustenance, than would otherwise have been the case.

"The large quantity of potatoes produced in the last Experiments season, and the reputed scarcity of bread corn, induced me in drying them. a few weeks since to make some small experiments on the means of drying potatoes, either in substance or in flour; either for future consumption at home, or for the supply of our seamen on long voyages.

The ease with which I found this might be done, and This may easily the probable benefit which I think may be derived to the be done. public from a farther pursuit of the subject, induces me to

submit to the inspection of the Society a small quantity of the flour of potato sent herewith.

"The potatoes were boiled with their skin on, dried on a Potato four. kiln, and the whole ground in a steel corn mill: none of the skin has been separated by dressing.

wheat flour,

"By experiments that have been before made on fine It will keep dried flour of potatoes, it is known, that it will keep longer longer than than the flour of wheat, without spoiling; that it is used as a substitute for sago, and makes good biscuits without admixture. And I have every reason to believe it will mix and make good bread, in a much larger proportion with wheat flour, than has hitherto been employed of the boiled root, in the common mode of using it.

"The expense of preparing the flour from the root in large quantities, I am not prepared to speak to. The chief Washing the labour is washing the potatoes from the mould which ad- chief labour. heres to the eyes, particularly in those sorts, the eyes of which are much depressed. Drying them will be consider ably expensive; but I think may be reduced much below what at first it will be estimated at. Grinding will not cost more than corn.

Boiling not ne

"From what I believe were accurate experiments, I find that one hundred pounds of washed potatoes will produce cessary, full twenty-five pounds of flour (such as the sample). The difference in weight will be very little, whether the potatoes

are

are boiled, or only ground in an apple mill, and the juice suffered slowly to drain from them before they are dried. It might seem therefore at first view, that the boiling might but advantage. be omitted; my trials however have shown me, that the colour of the flour is much fairer when boiled, and the taste more pleasant and that the expense of boiling in steam is very little. With the greatest care even some of the starch (the most nutritive part of the root) will separate with the juice; above three pounds of fine starch (weighed after it was dried) passed off with the water from 100lbs. of po

Quantity of flour from an acre of potatoes.

Peeling.

Maufacture

tatoes.

"Other persons will, I trust, ascertain such facts with more accuracy; I myself hope soon to ascertain more satisfactory particulars. In the mean time permit me to make an estimate of the probable produce of an acre of potatoes in quantity, when reduced to the state of flour.

"The average produce of an acre managed with care, estimated at about eighty sacks of 240lbs. each.

"According to my experiments (as before) 100lbs. of washed potatoes will produce 25lbs. of dry flour; or each sack 60lbs.; or one acre, two tons and upwards.

"I am not qualified at present to carry these calculations farther-if quantity alone be the question, I need not. "Note. The potatoes used in the foregoing trials were the red apple potato.

"The steel mill has not ground this flour so fine as I believe a stone mill would have done. Some of these had their skins stripped off after boiling. Should an expedi'tious method be found of stripping off the skins, it will perhaps be less troublesome than washing so carefully as must otherwise be practised."

After giving a numerical account of the samples of flour of potato prepared for exhibition; this gentleman gives also samples of bread and biscuit made from different sorts of potato flour, mixed with different proportions of wheat flour of different degrees of finenes; but these would be unintelligible in this place, in the absence of such samples.

"The potato flour used in the bread and biscuit is made the flour, of the whole of the potato, washed, steamed, bruised

slightly

slightly after steaming, dried on a malt kiln, and ground in a common corn mill, no alteration whatever having been made in the set of the stones, from what they were as used forinding wheat; it may reasonably be supposed however, that a miller, accustomed to grind this article, would make better work and finer flour.

"Nothing was taken from the flour except some large pieces that were not ground, and a little large bran in the proportion of the sample sent herewith.

"The potatoes of which this flour was made were cer- The potatoes tainly over dried; and having lain in a heap after steaming should be dried without delay upwards of two days before they were put upon the kiln, after boiling, & some degree of fermentation had begun to take place, but not over dried. which was thought so little as to have been perfectly corrected by the drying. In the bread, however, it is certainly distinguishable. The baker considers, that it is from this cause that the bread is not so light as it otherwise would have been. It rose well in the oven, but fell when the door was opened. He thinks that when mixed with the flour of dry wheat, the potato-meal will have exactly the same effect as the mixture of a certain portion of cone wheat flour, and Similar to cons wheat flour. that it will answer as well in about the same proportion. He has no doubt, but that even with this flour he shall succeed better in the second attempt. With potato meal well made, he believes that bread of the best quality may be produced.

"The chief precautions necessary in making potato flour Precautions. seem to be, to prevent any fermentation taking place in the boiled potatoes, previously to their being dried, and to avoid giving them too great a heat in drying. With this view it seems advisable to construct the apparatus for preparing it, so as that the steaming tubs and kiln should be heated by the same fire, without loss of time or labour; the potatoes may then be immediately removed from the steam to the kiln, and means should be used to regulate the heat of the kiln, so that it should not much exceed 90°.

"For the common purposes of bread, it seems evident, Peeling notfrom the samples, that taking off the rind or skin is by no necessary. means necessary; to wash the potatoes carefully before boil

ing seems, therefore, the only precaution required.

"From