The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-02-06
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The Price
!. of Water

what high prices we have to pay Tor
it in the ordinary course of our pur-
chases in shop or market. Take, for
instance, tie butchers bill, which is
usually the most serious item of do
nestle expenditure. 1t is trifle dis
concerning to be told that when the
thrifty housewife expends money upon
the best cuts of beef, no less than
three-quarters of the sum is paid for
water Yet such is unqueStionably
the case--Youched for by the highest
analytical authorities. Knocked beef
or mutton contains exactly Is per cent,
Cor three-fourths of its whole bulk) of
water.
Other kinds of meat are less fluid in
their nature. Lamb, for example, con-
tains only 81 per cent IF water. Pork
has still less, the amount varying from
so to 60 per cent. But those who
buy smoked bacon really purchase the
greatest amount of solid satisfaction
for the money, for this meat seldom
contains more than % per cent of wa
ter.
In the fatty parts OF food, hydrogen
and oxygen do not exist in the chemi-
cal proportions necessary for ethe for
nation OF water. Therefore, it may
be laid down as general rule tina.
the more fat or sly the meat, the less
water will it contain. This fact, the
aiminution OF water as fat increases,
is well exemplified in the case of poul-
try. The flesh of pigeons contains Is
per cent of water, that of fowls and
ducks per cent. while a fat goose
may have as little as 3S per cent of
water in It's composition.
The fish of different sorts of fish
varies considerably in the quantity of
water which it contains, the figures
ranging between 40 and 80 per cent.
Most of the kinds commonly seen up
on the fish dealers slab approximate
to the higher rate. Thus, the flesh of
cells contains Is per cent of water;
that of salmon and other red-fieshed
varieties, about n per cent; while
white fish, such as soles and turbots,
reach one per cent higher still.
Milk must be regarded as the type
of complete food. Yet milk. fresh
from the COW, and before it has
paid a visit to the nearest pump 2r
tap, contains between So and SO per
cent of water. This fact is exceeding
ly significant of the Importance which
Mature attaches to water as diluent
of her food substances, But certain
so-called solid fluids contain even
more water than the same weight of
milk. This seems a paradoxical state
ment, yet it is perfectly true. Exam
PIES of the kind are especially COM
mon among our kitchen vegetables.
For instance, the turnip contains
water to the extent of nearly 80 per
cent, while very nearly the same pro-
portion goes to the make up" of
cabbage. But II, is still greater sur
prise to learn that cucumbers, veget-
able marfuws and pumpkins are on
ly per cent removed from water IT.
self, chemically speaking Nineteen
twentieths of this substance is water.
suspended, as it were, in frail net
work of solid matter. This brings to
tight the extraordinary fact that cts
cumber has from to 8 per cent more
water in its composition than the
milk which we drink out of glass!
It Is quite impossible to determine
the amount OF water in any substance.
and thus arrive at the price which we
nave to pay for it, without careful
analysis. The hard. dense-feshed ap-
pie contains from 80 to SO per cent
of water, and the comparatively solid
looking strawberry 80 per cent. the
most luscious grapes yield only 80 per
cent of water when subjected to the
analytical process.
Foods which contain only a small;
percentage of water are usually unfit
for human consumption until they
have been cooked. The culinary art.
reduced to its simplest terms. consists
mainly in innumerable devices for
putting water to food m an attrac-
tive manner. Bread is a capital case
in point. Dry wheaton -four contains,
as rule, about ~ per cent of water;
and dry wheaton flour would be voted
anything but satisfactory article OF
food by the majority Bread, on the
other hand, is the acknowledged staff
of life. In this, its changed form. the
-four has received an addition of wa
ter until the percentage has
arisen to from As to So This increase
of moisture has brought about import
ant chemical changes, whict have con-
verified the dry and uninviting -four in
to q pleasant and easily digested food.
At the same time, it is occasionally
possible, after adding water to food