The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-06-12
Unwheleso. ...o Fooa.

/
beh Unwhelcsonsc Food.
Under the above caption we might enter a
broad field Of investigation, but we don't in
tend to go over the whole ground in this ar
ticle. We will first enquire, What is the
principal and most important infection of
grains What is it that often grows with
grain, especially with rye-and when
grained with itproduces disease? And when
fed to cattle itproduces disorder often con-
founded with Rinderpest. 1t is ergot, fun
gold disease which often attacks grain of va
rious kinds. An Exchange says it acts chief
| " on the nervous system, causing giddiness
dimness OF sight, numbness ard death by con-
vulsions. 1t also sometimes produces a
creeping sensation over the surface of the
body, coldness, insensibility and gangrene
following in regular order. IT this black
grain causes such complication oil diseases,
it is well for our farmers and their wives to
be on the lookout for the poison.
Ergot is easily distinguished from the pure
grain; for its color is black and it is consid-
erably larger than other kernels. It.iourish-
es chiefly in wet clay soils, in damp localities
and in the vicinity of dense forests. On new
lands near forests this fungoid growth of
grain is often seen, and the farmer when he
harvests, threshes and winnowshis crops must
see to it that the fungoid growth is separated
from the healthy grain. And if the farmer
neglects this important duty the miller ought
to make the separation before grind
ing. In years past we have seen this poison
Gus growth ground up and made into meal
with the other grain. We are inclined to be-
lieve that ergot IS not SO prevalent as it was
many years ago, and yet we arc not certain
about it. In early life we were taught that it
was apoison and deleterious to health and
yet it often found its way into bread, but in
such small quantities, perhaps, as not to pro-
duce death while it may have injured the
general health. 4 4 Is4ln aaielf salf
Darnel seeds are also less dangerous to
health when ground and mixed with -four,
A DIR. Kingsley is authority for the statement
that several families, about thirty persons in
all, in 1854, suffered much from the effects OF
bread made from -four containing darnel
seeds. Those who ate the bread, it is said,
ssases--a shout as if they were intoxicated,
anu experiences musr- aistress from oidl]i-
ness, GOODNESS Of limbs and great prose-. ION
of the vital power. Now in spite Of all this
warning many farmers will sow darnel seed
and cultivate it with their crops of wheat, rye,
oats and barley! So much for ergot and dar-
mel. M s.r, asS.- ',st
Now what about unripe articles? .Unripe
grain we are told by good medical authority,
produces dysentery, aud corn affected with
black or brown rust, is far from being whole
some. Mouldy food, especially mouldy bread
is dangerous to take into the stomach. DIR.
Letheby says; ~The spores or sporidea are
always floating in the atmosphere, and con-
sidering their extent, he thinks it quite sur
prising that they do not more frequently
taint our food and cause disorder of the sys-
tenn; for air washed with distilled water will
always yield an abundance of these germs
which are ready at any moment to spring in
to activity when they come into contact with
proper indus for their growth.
In the old motto from the Book of Kings,
"There is death in the poi" much truth may
be found. And we might go farther and say
there is death in the 0ven. We all know that
bread is the chief article of diet, and uniess ii
is properly made and from unadulterated -four,
it works mischief in the stomach and thereby
| Injuries the whole system. In making bread
| it is no difficult matter to adulterate -four,
and our bakers have the health of our people
in their hands. A dishonest baker is dam
gerous character in the community. Allmen
ought to be honest, and especially bakers.
We trust our bakers are honest, but they
sometimes make mistakes in Suffering their
flour to ferment too long in order to make as
big loaf as possible out of a given
quantity of -four. There is time which
may be called the "nick," when dough ought
to be placed in the oven. Ifit is kept out be-
| yond that time, it becomes soured and in goes
the saleratus to remedy that evil. And such a
remedy is about as bad as the disease.
a remedy for sour dough- The people of
Maine consume an enormous amount of sal
eratus every year. A grocer in Boston told
us some three or four years ago that he sent
tons upon tons into Maine every spring and
| fall, and he wondered at it. But his wonder
ceased when we told him a vast amount oil
bread in our State was made with sour mix,
and what is called "milk emptings." And al
most every woman puts some kind OF grease
into her bread, and calls its shortening. -
| We dislike the name. All the grease we
want in our bread is in the shape of a thin
plaster of sweet butter upon it. Hop yeast
pure water and good flour are all the ingre-
dients we want for making good bread. The
| truth is, dough is suffered to ferment too
long. sJanet" of Harrisburg, Penn, says:-
"There is point at which the sweetness has
| departed, even before the sourness begins
The great art is to arrest the fermentation be-
| fore it reaches this point" Never were tru-
er words uttered, and yet how little will they
be needed by bakers in the city or farmers
wives in the country? Good -four has de-
| licious sweetness that soda, saleratus, fermen-
tation or any thing else in the manner OF
cooking ought not to destroy, but it IS de-
stroyed and the agencies of its destruction
are sour milk, saleratus, acidity, long fermen-
tation, grease of various kinds and half bak-
| ing. AS "Janet' says, sit is bad enough to
be obliged to use yeast at all in making
bread but il is too bad to ferment it until it
becomes sour and then dose it with saleratus.
Our farmers pay too much for saleratus, and
we hope this drawback win be stopped. Let
the hogs have the sour milk; keep fat for
greasing wheels, and let that grocer in Bos-
ton who has heretofore sent so many tons Of
saleratus to Maine keep it in his store until it
is wanted for some other use than making
bread.
~ AGRIcoIA.