a fecula or sediment, found at the bottom of vessels wherein wheat has been steeped in water, of which fecula, after separating the bran from it, by passing it through sieves, they form a kind of loaves, which being dried in the sun or an oven, is afterwards cut into little pieces, and so sold. The best starch is white, soft, and friable, and easily broken into powder. Such as require fine starch, do not content themselves, like the flaxmen, with refuse wheat, but use the finest grain. The process is as follows: The grain, being well cleaned, is put to ferment in vessels full of water, which they expose to the sun while in its greatest heat; changing the water twice a day, for the space of eight or twelve days, according to the season. When the grain bursts easily under the finger, they judge it sufficiently fermented. The fermentation perfected, and the grain thus softened, it is put, handful by handful, into a canvas-bag, to separate the flour from the husks; which is done by rubbing and beating it on a plank laid across the mouth of an empty vessel that is to receive the flour.

As the vessels are filled with this liquid flour, there is seen swimming at top a reddish water, which is to be carefully scummed off from time to time, and clean water is to be put in its place, which, after stirring the whole together, is also to be strained through a cloth or sieve, and what is left behind put into the vessel with new water, and exposed to the sun for some time. As the sediment thickens at the bottom, they drain off the water four or five times, by inclining the vessel, but without passing it through the sieve. What remains at bottom is the starch, which is cut in pieces to get out, and left to dry in the sun. When dry, it is laid up for use.

The following mill, was invented by M. Baumé for grinding potatoes, with a view to extract starch from them.

He had a grater made of plate iron, in a cylindrical form (fig. 1) about seven inches in diameter, and about eight inches high; the bars made by stumping the holes are on the inside. This grater is supported upon three feet AAA, made of flat iron bars, seven feet high, strongly rivetted to the grater; the bottom of each foot is bent horizontally, and has a hole in it which receives a screw, as at A, fig. 4. A little below the upper end of the three feet is fixed a cross piece B (fig. 1 and 4), divided into three branches, and rivetted to the feet. This cross piece not only serves to keep the feet at a proper distance from each other, and to prevent their bending; but the centre of it having a hole cut in it, serves to support an axis or spindle of iron, to be presently described.

The upper end of this cylindrical grater has a diverging border of iron C (fig. 1, 4, and 7), about ten inches in diameter at the top, and five inches in height.

Within this cylindrical grater is placed a second grater (fig. 2 and 3), in the form of a cone, the point of which is cut off. The latter is made of thick plate iron, and the bars of the holes are on the outside; it is fixed, with the broad end at the bottom, as in fig. 4. At the upper end of the cone is rivetted a small triangle, or cross piece of iron, consisting of three branches D (fig. 2), in the middle of which is made, a square hole, to receive an axis or spindle; to give more resistance to this part of the cone, it is strengthened by means of a cap of iron E, which is fixed to the grater by means of rivets, and has also a square hole made in it, to let the axis pass through.

Fig. 3 represents the same cone seen in front; the base F has also a cross piece of three branches, rivetted to a hoop of iron, which is fixed to the inner surface of the cone; the centre of this cross piece has also a square hole for the passage of the axis.

Fig. 5 is a spindle or axis itself; it is a square bar of iron about sixteen inches long, and more than half an inch thick; round at the bottom, and also towards the top, where it fits into the cross piece I, fig. 7, and B, fig. 1 and 4; in these pieces it turns round, and by them it is kept in its place. It must be square at its upper extremity, that it may have a handle, about nine inches long, fixed to it, by means of which the conical grater is turned round. At G, (fig. 5), a small hole is made through the axis, to receive a pin H, by means of which the conical grater is kept at its proper height within the cylindrical one.

Fig. 6 is a bird's-eye view, in which the mill is represented placed in an oval tub, like a bathing-tub. I is the fore-mentioned triangular iron cross, fixed with screws to the side of the tub; the centre of it has a round hole, for the axis of the mill to move in when it is used.

Fig. 7 represents the mill in the oval tub; it is placed at one end of it, that the other end may be left free for any operation to be performed in it which may be necessary. A part of the tub is cut off, that the inside of it, and the manner of fixing the mill, may be seen. That the bottom of the tub may not be worn by the screws which pass through the feet of the mill, a deal board, about an inch thick, and properly shaped, is placed under the mill.

When we wish to make use of this mill, it is to be fixed by the feet, in the manner already described; it is also fixed at the top, by means of the cross piece I, fig. 6, and 7. The tub is then to have water poured into it as high as K, and the top of the mill is to be filled with potatoes, properly washed and cut; the handle L is to be turned round, and the potatoes, after being ground between between the two graters, go out gradually at the lower part, being afflited by the motion produced in the water by the action of the mill.

To prepare starch from potatoes, says M. Baumé, any quantity of these roots may be taken, and soaked in a tub of water for about an hour; they are afterwards to have their fibres and shoots taken off, and then to be rubbed with a pretty strong brush, that the earth, which is apt to lodge in the inequalities of their surface, may be entirely removed; as this is done, they are to be washed, and thrown into another tub full of clean water. When the quantity which we mean to make use of has been thus treated, those which are too large are to be cut into pieces about the size of eggs, and thrown into the mill; that being already fixed in the oval tub, with the proper quantity of water: the handle is then turned round, and as the potatoes are grated they pass out at the bottom of the mill. The pulp which collects about the mill must be taken off from time to time with a wooden spoon, and put aside in water.

When all the potatoes are ground, the whole of the pulp is to be collected in a tub, and mixed up with a great quantity of clean water. At the same time, another tub, very clean, is to be prepared, on the brim of which are to be placed two wooden rails, to support a hair sieve, which must not be too fine. The pulp and water are to be thrown into the sieve; the flour passes through with the water, and fresh quantities of water are successively to be poured on the remaining pulp, till the water runs through as clear as it is poured in. In this way we are to proceed till all the potatoes that were ground are used.

The pulp is commonly thrown away as useless; but it should be boiled in water, and used as food for animals; for it is very nourishing, and is about 3/5ths of the whole quantity of potatoes used.

It is farther to be observed that the liquor which has passed through the sieve is turbid, and of a brownish colour, on account of the extractive matter which is dissolved in it; it deposits, in the space of five or six hours, the flour which was suspended in it. When all the flour is settled to the bottom, the liquor is to be poured off and thrown away, being useless; a great quantity of very clean water is then to be poured upon the flour remaining at the bottom of the tub, which is to be stirred up in the water, that it may be washed, and the whole is to stand quiet till the day following. The flour will then be found to have settled at the bottom of the tub; the water is again to be poured off as useless, the flour washed in a fresh quantity of pure water, and the mixture passed through a silk sieve pretty fine, which will retain any small quantity of pulp which may have passed through the hair sieve. The whole must once more be suffered to stand quiet till the flour is entirely settled; if the water above it is perfectly clear and colourless, the flour has been sufficiently washed; but if the water has any tenible appearances either of colour or of taste, the flour must be again washed, as it is absolutely necessary that none of the extractive matter be suffered to remain.

When the flour is sufficiently washed, it may be taken out of the tub with a wooden spoon; it is to be placed upon wicker frames covered with paper, and dried, properly defended from dust. When it is thoroughly dry, it is to be passed through a silk sieve, that if any clotted lumps should have been formed they may be divided. It is to be kept in glass vessels stoppered with paper only.

A patent was granted in 1796 to Lord William Murray for his discovery of a method by which starch may be extracted from horse-chesnuts. It is as follows:

Take the horse-chesnuts out of the outward green prickly husks; and either by hand, with a knife, or other tool, or else with a mill adapted for that purpose, very carefully pare off the brown rind, being particular not to leave the smallest speck, and to entirely eradicate the sprout or growth. Next take the nuts, and rasp, grate, or grind them fine into water, either by hand, or by a mill adapted for that purpose. Wash the pulp, which is thereby formed in this water, as clean as possible, through a coarse horse-hair sieve; this again wash through a finer sieve, and then again through a still finer, constantly adding clean water, to prevent any starch from adhering to the pulp. The last process is, to put it with a large quantity of water (about four gallons to a pound of starch) through a fine gauze, muslin, or lawn, so as entirely to clear it of all bran or other impurities. As soon as it settles, pour off the water; then mix it up with clean water, repeating this operation till it no longer imparts any green, yellow, or other colour to the water. Then drain it off till nearly dry, and set it to bake, either in the usual mode of baking starch, or else spread out before a brisk fire; being very attentive to stir it frequently to prevent its burning, that is to say, turning to a paste or jelly, which, on being dried, turns hard like horn. The whole process should be conducted as quickly as possible.

Mention is here made of a mill which may be employed to grind the horse-chesnuts; but it is not described; perhaps the one described above for grinding potatoes might answer the purpose.