The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-08-02
THE SUMMER FOOD SUPPLY.

Great Care Must Be Taken to Get Fresh
and Ripe Fruits and Vegetables.
The last weekly report of Health Officer
Townsend showed that there was an increase
in diarrhoeal diseases in the city that amounted
almost to an epidemic. And the facts were
rather under than overstated, as it is well
known that diseases of this kind are prevalent
in every section OF the city, and in many cases
where persons of weakened vitality have been
seized the diseases have resulted fatally. A
HERALD reporter asked leading physician
whether there was anything in the atmosphere
to account for this state of affairs HNo.n
replied he, "but at this season zymotic dis
eases are always more or less prevalent, owing
to the weakening OF the vitality by the heat
and the fact that more fruits and vegetables
are eaten than at any other season. Now,
fresh, ripe fruits and vegetables are the health
lest food that can be eaten just now-the less
meat the better; but unfortunately we do not
always get here in the city these articles fire. sh
and sound. Unsound fruits and vegetables
are the most prolific source of ferment in the
stomach and consequently of diseases such as
diarrhoea. Many people do not know how to
select these articles of food-the sound from
the unsound. There are many ways by which
INSCRIPTIONS dealers and hucksters can fix up
food unfit for use and palm 1t off on the un-
wary as fresh. For example, two or three
days ago huckster In the Centre Market was
brought into the Police Court charged with
selling stale vegetables on complaint of two
policemen. District food Inspector ap-
peared in behalf OF the defendant, but the
judge disregarded his testimony and fined the
defendant. And l may say here that be-
lleye that the system of inspectorships of food
products in the District is, as at present CON
Quoted, farce and useless expense. There is
too much of the you-tickle me- and III ll-tickle-
Won business in the Tf tba of
the city is to be benefited the whole system
must be changed and penalties imposed upon
officials for neglect of duty or malfeasance in
office. If the people are to be slaughtered by
oeing compelled to buy unsound food, the
officials who pass and stamp such food as
sound ought to be put into the penitentiary.n
The HERALD reporter next called upon one
or the regular country marketmen, who stands
on the B-street side of the Centre Market, and
asked him if the bogus countryman dodge had
as yet been squeched
Said he, ~ believe the police are doing all
they can to break up the gang, but it is hard
job. The custom is as rife as ever. 1t is Just
this way; These men are supported by some
OF the regular stall-keepers in the market.
When the days sales are over these STALL
Keepers always have a lot of fruits and yege-
tables left over which they know will not
keep well until next day and they would have
to throw them away; but these street hucksters
step in and take the articles off their hands at
ttsss 4e9 M s.,io 10 unVh UP VI peuulo Inem
through town the next day. 1t is never safe
Tor housekeepers to buy fruits and vegetables
under the market rates, no matter how wise
they may think they are In such a matter.
They are bound to get fooled and their econ
omy may breed death in the family''
"What do you countrymen do with the
fruits and vegetables left over after the davis
sales Do you carry them back home?''
swell, no; we sell out for what we can get.o |
"But those vegetables and so on would not |
be fresh for next days dinner; how do YOU
know the hucksters don't get hold of them |
country vegetables p
"Well- -um-ah-we sell 'em fresh and it's |
not our lookout"
And so it goes.