The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-09-06
The Water We EGt.

Bought as food, water is tolerably
expensive luxury. In several in
stances it costs something like 50 SO
glass, according to the estimates Of
II. j. Holmes in Pearson's.
Let us begin with breakfast.
Look at that loaf Of bread. To all
appearance it is solid enough. But it
is not. When it came into the hands
of the baker as wheat -four it contain
ed water only to the extent Of II per
cent. In working up the materials
into dough, by kneadiDg and other
manipulation and in baking a great
change takes place, end the quantity
of water has more than doubled. The
wheat flour loaf contains nearly 40
per cent of water. Curiously enough
it's value as food is increased there
by. The percentage of water in the
crust is about half that in the soft in.
side.
"Cured" pork does not contain q
large proportion Of water. In fact,
wherever there is good deal Of fatty
matter there is also scarcity of mois-
ture. So the man who enjoys his
slice of breakfast bacon may comfort
himself with the reflection that he is
getting fairly solid value for his mon
ey, because bacon contains only 90
Per cent Of water.
Fresh eggs, on the other hand, are
composed of no less than G5 per cent
of water.
The best dairy made butter, no mat
ter how carefully prepared, contains
q comparatively large percentage of
water. Out of l 500 samples Of butter
examined by we'll known authorities q
small number contained over Is PEI
cent of water. The largest mum ber
contained between l. and 'l3 per cent.
Carelessly manufactured or adulter-
ated butter often contains much more
water than is permissible by law, and
the breakfast table may include sup.
ply of butter containing as much as &c
per cent Of water.
1t is only to be expected that milk
owing to it's origin, should vary con
siderably in its composition. Much
depends oD the health and surround. !.
ings of the animal yieldingit
1t is interesting to know that m orn-
ing milk as it comes from the cow is
by no means as nourishing as the
evening supply. There is more
water in the former. The daily quart
of milk, even in its purest state, con-
tains an average of 87.6 per cent of
water.
The choicest fish contains the lar.
gest percentage of water. Thus tur.
bot and sole are credited with 70 pei
cent, salmon Is per cent, while the
commoner inhabitaots of the deer
blue sea are content with from 40 to
6O per cent. as in the case of the
homely herring.
AS cool as a cucumber" is house.
hold term. The coolness is easily ex.
planned. Caoumbers are almost en-
tirely composed of water-that is, 95
per cent, Or over IA per cent more
than is contained in milk, which is
itself liquid. Lettuce must not be
forgotten. Here is further instance
of how little substance may be in on
apparent solid, for the cabbage let
tuce holds 81 per cent of water.
twill be seen that most of the good
things of life are largely composed of
water, but it is better for US that this
is 80. Nature knows more about our
digestive powers than we know our
selves, and she has designed her pro.
duots-6sh, aesh, fowl and fruit
with so cunning hand that the water
contained in each is essential.
Food containing very little water in
it's composition is not, as rule, good
to eat until suitable process of cook
ing has rendered it safe By adding q
further supply Of water to it, and boil
ing, as is we'll known, is the process
that renders our food most wholesome
and easy of digestion.