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POTATOES
—
MASHING.
115.
verted
into
sugar.
The
reason
is,
that
the
feeula
has not
been
sufficiently
decomposed
in
the
potatoes
boiled
by
steam.
To
liquefy
and
convert
this
feeula into
sugar
by
means
of
malted
barley,
it
is
necessary
to
place
it
in
im-
mediate
contact
with
the
latter;
the
husks,
and
the
gra-
nular
and
crystalline
state
in
which
the
feeula
is
found
in
potatoes
boiled
by
steam,
fulfil
but
imperfectly
the
con-
dition
necessary
for
the
complete
saccharification
which
has
been
observed
in
the
mashing
of
rice.
This
saccharification
is
completed
in
the
fermentation,
at
a
much
lower
temperature,
it
is
true,
but
not
in
so
short
a
period.
In
fact,
this
conversion
of
feeula
into
sugar
takes
place
as
long
as
the
fermentation
lasts.
To
this
process,
simple
in
itself,
are
attached
all
the
incon-
veniences
inherent
to
the
distillation
of
pastes.
Agricul-
ture,
which
is
deeply
interested
in
this
kind
of
industry,
has
long
since
been
in
want
of
means
to
remove
this
imperfection,
without
too
hasty
innovations,
and
without
afi*ecting
the
simplicity
and
economy
belonging
to
this
method.
There
are
some
important
modifications
to
the
method
just
detailed,
which
it
may
not be
amiss
to
give
while
on
this
subject.
These
modifications
may
be
executed
in
two
ways
:
the
first
consists
in
isolating
the
feeula
of
the
potato,
to
work
it
with
malted
barley
or
Indian
corn
;
by
the other
the
separation
of
the
feeula
is
avoided,
by
directly
operating
on
potatoes
simply
divided
by
the
rasp.
As
the
fabrica-
tion
of
feeula
will
be
useful
to
the
reader,
not
only
in
this,
but
in
the
second
method,
a
description
will
be
given
of
it,
such
as
is
practised
in
Paris
for
the
purpose