The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1878-02-21
Home and Farm .

The STATESMAN is Indebted to the
Prairie Farmer for much of it's "Home
and Farm" matter. s
GOOD AND BAD FooD.-An eminent
writer says ''no person can. be good
cook who is not at the same time
chemist, a botanist, physiologist, a
draughtsmar, and even something of a
geometrician. Independent of these
required requisites, he had need be en-
dowed with many natural gifts; for he
must have keen scent, a delicate
sense of taste and touch, with a quick
ear else he will ever be liable to be de-
ceived as to the state and maturing of
meats, the due seasoning of ragouts,
the dOneReSS of the boiled and roast,
the s.ewing of the viands, the condi-
tion of the various pastes. 1t is of the
last Importance, therefore, that cook
should be perfect in his corporeal
senses, and ready in his mental ones"
The writer might we'll have added that
it would require the full activity Of all
ones senses, and that there would be
ample scope for sixth to detect the
fracd that are practiced on the public
in the matter of food. The cock does
need keen scent and a delicate taste
to distinguish the genuine from the
spurious articles that flood the market
IL matters not that there are scores of
honest grocers, who deal fairly and
squarely with their customers, while
unprincipled men have already made
them the dupes of their dlshonestr.
We believe there are those who will
not knowingly offer an article for sale
that is not what it purports to be; bur,
in these days, things are not what they
seem, and one needs to be as wise as a
serpent to discover the ways that are
dark and the tricks of the trade. The
farmers wife who makes her own bu,-
ter, knows what she is eating; that it
is good and sweet and clean. She
knows too, that what is sent to market
is nice honest butter; but alas, for the
city housewife who buys butter after 1t
has passed through the hands of one or
two dealers. Nobody but they can
telI-and they never .will-whether it
is just as it came from the hands Of the
dairymaid, or a vile compound of lard,
saffron and water with just a little of
the simor-pure article to give it q name
or oleomargarine.
Everybody knows that ground coffee
is made, not of the real berry, but of
beans, peas, corn, dandelion, and
sometimes little sawdust and a few
acorns. We can buy the berry and see
it ground, or, better still, brown it and
grind 1t ourselves.
Gallons on gallons of tea are annual
ly consumed by the ''heathen Chinee,"
then the leaves nicely dried, and ship
ped to foreign parts to be used over
again. Economy is the road to
wealth" they say, and knavish Ameri-
can dealers, profiting by the example
of the almond eyed CelestIals, proceed
to mix all kinds of chaff and husks
with the exhausted leaves, and the re-
sult is tea that costs less per pound
than the price of importation. II one
could only be sure that the better
grades were not subjected in measure
10 the same treatment, it would be a
consolation. Even the poor invalid
who drinks his cocoa is liable to have
served with it all manner of aduItera-
tlons.
The dyspeptic who confines himself
to q diet Of graham -four may some
times eat sawdust, and the lover OF
white bread cannot be positive that
chalk, alum, bone-du and plaster ef
Paris are not among its ingredients.
Soda biscuits, unless made from pure
cream Of tartar and soda, obtained
from the druggists, are almost sure to
contain some, il not all of these artI-
cles, for the baking powders that food
the market are rarely pure.
Our grsndmothers said that brown
sugar was ''sanded, and savantsof the
present day say white sugar has q pois-
onous acid in il, and pulyerized sugar
is almost certain to be mixed with
starch and flour. The old fashioned
sugar-lOzf, done up in thick paper, is
the purest, and next TO that the granu-
lated sugars.
the Yinegars OF commerce are largely
made up Of POISONOUS acids. white wine
vinegar being the best; but even this
contains q large amount Of acefic acid,
which is less harmful than corrosive
subIimare, aTsenics and suiphuric,
murianc and nitric acids. Pure cider
vinegar is the only kind that is entirely
free from injurious ingredients, and We
would advise the establishment Of
family vinegar barrel, not only as .
means Of economy, but also Of health.
With little cider and q few gallons Of
strong cider vinegar 10 start with, the
supply can always be msde 10 exceed
the demand, BY the addition Of cider
from time 70 time, as the strength Of
the vinegar re9uns il
Ground mustard is oftsn made Of Q