The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-15

approved by taste. and the real coffee
| man" has a keen perception of perfection;
| coffee critic has very little tolerance
with 2 compromise in good coffee even
an expert, familiar with the berry cannot
depend too muen upon the outward sign;
the real flavor is in the extract after
careful and proper roasting. We can re-
call in childhood DAYS when there was
coffee roasting on the plantation. Aunt
Biny'' used to bring in the Drowned grain
to ole Marster" for test of the proper
roast for his favorite ''Cordova"
Recalling this painstaking we naturally
asked of Mr. Batterton: do you find in
supplying this market that housekeepers
really know the value of fresh and
careful roasting of the berry?" 81 find
everybody enjoys real good cup OF cof-
fee. and If thex are deprived of this lux
ury in their home it is because the de-
tails of both buying and making are over
looked by the housekeeper."
We could not guess at the quantity Of
coffee and tea this firm cieculates, though
our purpose was especially to obtain the
quantity, and still Mr.. Batterton says,
1--WE are young yet; though recently we
have Just received 500 bags of coffee, two
carloads, valued at sl5,0O0" AS to yearly
shipments, we found he had handled in
the past year 5000 bags of coffee. amount
ing to about 20 carloads, and this is only
the report of one dealer. There is no es-
innate calculated as TO the great amount
of coffee shipped into the city and con-
sumed in our homes and made into drinks
good, bad and indifferent. We also learned
that tea is being more generally used all
over the south, and a recent shipment of
5000 pounds has just been delivered to this
one firm. the varieties-India, Congon and
Gum Powder. These have to undergo the
same test for blending as coffee before
they are packed in retail packages. We
could form no idea of how this bulk of
tea was imported; that is. how packed
but learned that Ceylon and India are
shipped in 100 pound cases. and the bal
ance in go pound chests. And with all
this care of packing, importing and
blending isn't it shame to find a cook
"boiling the tea in tin bucket" giving
it a repulsive bitterness and cooking the
delicate extract out of existence.
If while gathered at the tea table there
could be a blending of practical ideas, a
closer study of the history of products
and the proper preparation of foods, there
might be a formidable fight against the
germ of modern nervous indigestion
Apropos of this We cannot refrain from
calling attention to the plea of a mother
of several boys-all practical and indus
trious. 'Oh. if our girls today could be
raised to begin life eheerfully as we did,
and enjoy the real making of home, the
boys would settle down and marry young.
My boys make good salaries, but the girls
they like best could not be content with
that small amount OF worldly goods they
can afford
Our housekeepers to obtain the best re-
suits must come in closer contact with
our markets. must familiarize themselves
with current prices and know the quanti-
ties needed, actually consumed not vast
ed, for q day. a week or month. This
sending the bill to father is getting bur-
densome. and has always been wasteful.
The time has come when the thinking
housekeeper wants an allowance, a stip-
ulated amount entrusted to her, evincing
confidence in her capacity to manage,
and If she knows how to half way plan
the business of her home she can gen.
orally have from her savings the pastime
of a matinee, or an evening "at home"
with her friends, although the cost of
living is still a problem. and will be until
the end of time unless our schools of
domestic science inculcate real interest
lin doing with our own hands and seeing
before buying"
The housekeeper who has not studied