The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1873-09-02 00:00:00

FOOD PROSPICCTS AND PRICV.
To tA4 Editor. _

" Th. report of the Viiertnat; Deputimeat of the
Privy Council for 1872 contains tables showing the
'amber of animals ia Great Britain. the fl letuatiolui
Ic the pries of meet; the number of impor:ed bramble
tomtits statistios, Ito. The average pries of Hy. steak
was about one farthing per lb. more than In 1871. . .
There is aothiag in the report which pion Gay hope of a
reduction in price; on coatrary, Ito statistics show
that not only it. Great Brstaia 8.1 in most dairopeax
canner ice there has been during Ike past kit y years a steady
rim "—Food Journal. •

Bra,—l hare Owed tUaetrlkthg ex tram 'Attie head of
let:er bentosis it states la • most explieut way what Is
before us In respect of at beset one desartption of food—
butchers west. The Ptlvy Couto,' report' are well
worth the attention of tomb food oonsuut..rs and food
produoirs, sad the Food Jou nial, • respeotedie and well-
Mformed publication, bits shortly summarised the effect
of the latest of these reports in the limes which I have

Of ;mum the result is perfectly natural, and need
surprise nobody. With • population 1464,111 y increating,
with wages penerally rMing, with a limited sirfuse of
least for the production of Frain, kJ.. it Is obvious that
there will be an lacreased demand for butcher.' meat;
that this demand cannot he supplied to any oocsider-
able exteut, and that priori most rise. Foreign imports
any in some measure modify this re-ult ; and It Is
peeible that by the cultivation of our waste lands, and
by Improved method. of agrleull ere, the home supply
may be loweamid. Homesteadc and oottsgos may b 3
laetroy•d, se they have been before, more partionlarly
to Ireland and Soaked, small holdipg, may b 3 con-
verted into large farms, stook may be bred instral of
men, and • larger rent may be obtained by the land-
owners. Bet the economics of the matter are plain
and inevltablo, and even these measure. can have but
trilling *Leta in reducing the prim of flesh, while
they will neositurily diminish the aggregate supply of
food produced. .

loon. direction only can we look villa confidence
for any real relief ; —to better knowledge of the
chemistry of food, and bettor, more skilful, and more
economical methods of cookery. There coo be no
question that English soli is able to prodaoe food Annie
for the supply of even double our present population,
sod if these Important subjeete were more studied,
and the knowledge gained inutUrently ected oa ; U our
land were cultivated to the beet result ; sad we creased
to wade our resources sod to defile our rivers by throw-
log away our bast fertilising prodaota, our difhaelties
would quickly dieeppear.
ledeed ton rely large extent those difficulties Ile—
la the kitchen. It is tints that the thrifty—or would-
be thrifty housewife, learnt that peas and beaus, for
Instarsos, outing balk for balk, not one-third the pries
of betoken' most—efford very much more nutrition;
thee brown tread is vastly mon wholesome, as well as
more ecooomical than the pale white article sold by the
bakers, or made est home from "super".dour ; that oat-
meal porridge is ezoelleut food for growing radishes,
though it may nag be quite the Ineitlon for vomit ladle.;
that • good bud, of soup—U people 'maid only learn
how to make rano is worth a dun cups of tea; and
that fruit in It. season, eaten ripe or stewed, ...mid
prove more agreeable medicine thou pills, es well es
save • good many doctor's fees. But perhaps this kind
of kaowleigs is numb too homely for modern ideas, so
the British householder mast go on u before, eating
diapers which are not always either substantial or
esjoyable, but Aiwa,. costly, end oocasionelly varied
with • little indigestion. Let WI hope however that
the laternational Bobool of Cookery rosy teach us all a
and that improved and toonomieel cookery will
bums more general than it is.
Thies Is one set of people whom this matter dote not
bench at all, end who se m perfectly uneonoerned about
It—the Vustarbuts. Flesh may moor it may fall, and
they remain equally Indifferent. Certainly they s:rem
Boas Use won* for their novel kind of total abstinence,
and perhaps we may lean something wirer from them.
It may sot be geoersily knows that they haves society
devoted to the propagation of their views, with se
ones in Ilaeoluster (91, Oaford Strut), where their
pabliesitions or. left They have for president no lees
distinguished • man than Professor F. W. Newman.
They publish a monthly maestri., The Dietetic
Reforms, and their Penny Cookery, of which many
thousands have been gold, is a WWIII and suggestive
little manual for any cook or housewife. I =ratios this
as laforseetioa for your lady readers, sad, I bog to
remain. Biz, faithfully yours,
AN Ourlnsaioxst• Housaturga.