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HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



sadly neglected, I am glad to see that its importance 

 is becoming recognised by " the faculty." In the 

 "Lancet" of April 4th, Dr. J. Milner Fothergill 

 commences a communication on the subject by saying 

 that " Malt as food has a great future before it." So 

 said I, and further practical study of the subject not 

 only confirms my original expectations, but greatly 

 extends them. Dr. Fothergill naturally looks upon 

 the subject from a physician's point of view, and 

 describes the value of malt llour as a supplement to 

 the food of dyspeptic patients. I am by no means a 

 dyspeptic, quite the contrary, troubled with over- 

 nutrition and its bulky consequences, but nevertheless 

 I have found the use of malt as an addition to every 

 kind of food containing farinaceous matter very 

 advantageous, and am receiving communications of 

 gratitude from strangers who have followed my 

 advice 'given in " Knowledge, " and repeated in the 

 volume above named. 



So much having been said concerning the value of 

 malt as cattle food during the agitation for the repeal 

 of the malt tax, we might have supposed that human 

 beings should have been considered at the same time, 

 but instead of this the idea of using it ourselves is 

 almost a new one. The cost has shut out the cattle, 

 but it need not exclude us, though I am sorry to say 

 that the price I have had to pay for malt flour hitherto 

 is simply ridiculous. It is at present regarded by 

 vendors as a fancy article, and retailed at perfumery 

 rates of profit. This, I hope, will right itself by the 

 wholesome operation of competition when it takes its 

 place as a primary kitchen requisite. I have already 

 brandished a rod of terror in the face of one shop- 

 keeper. I have threatened him with William Whiteley 

 and the Stores. 



Another difficulty is kitchen prejudice. My pet 

 experiment for demonstrating the " potential energy " 

 resident in malt is to make a portion of oatmeal 

 very thick or pudding-like ; then to add a spoonful of 

 dry malt flour to this at the temperature of about 

 140 to 150 , and stir the mixture, when, lo, presto ! 

 the thick pudding, instead of further thickening by 

 the dry addition, gradually becomes thinner and 

 thinner till quite sloppy. This effect, so much like 

 that produced by adding water is naturally supposed 

 by the orthodox cook to be of the same nature ; a 

 dilution or " taking out the goodness." When cooks 

 are sufficiently educated to understand that all their 

 farinaceous thickenings must be reduced to watery 

 solutions before doing the work of nutrition, they 

 will appreciate the importance of performing this 

 necessary first stage of digestion in the kitchen. 



I have recently made an interesting visit to the 

 works of Messrs. Burrowes & Wellcome, where 

 "malt extract" is prepared on a large scale, by 

 boiling an infusion of malt in vacuo, so as to extract 

 and concentrate the diastase. The result is a honey- 

 like syrup of maltose, &c, the resemblance of which 

 to the honey of a Swiss breakfast-table has suggested 



another simple mode of obtaining malted food. I 

 spread it like honey or jam on bread or toast, with 

 or without previous buttering. A very thin film is 

 sufficient to supplement the work of the salivary 

 glands in the manner described in the book above 

 named. To those who take hurried breakfast, and 

 rush off to business immediately after, this is a matter 

 of vital importance, however robust they may be at 

 present. To supply this and other similar every-day 

 domestic demands, the extract of malt must become 

 much cheaper than it is now, as it probably will, 

 when it becomes a grocery commodity demanded 

 by the hogshead like sugar, instead of a pharmaceu- 

 tical product supplied in bottles. 



I attended the lecture of Mr. Fletcher at the 

 Parkes Museum. His object was to show that we 

 may, if we choose, do away with the nasty practice of 

 burning coal in dwelling houses, and thereby not 

 only griming everything indoors, but also rendering 

 our towns and cities hideous by smoke and brown 

 fogs. This is to be effected by using gas fuel for all 

 domestic purposes. If the gas companies were 

 compelled, as they may be, to fulfil the conditions of 

 their charters by supplying the public with gas at 

 cost price, plus the maximum profit allowed by their 

 charter, this wholesale reform might be effected with 

 a considerable economy. Mr. Fletcher showed us 

 that not only domestic heating may be economically 

 effected by gas, but that bakeries, manufactories, &c. 

 may be similarly served by means of gas, plus gas- 

 coke. He has proved by practical experiment in his 

 own works, that with a properly constructed furnace, 

 a steam boiler of the cheapest form may be made to 

 do better duty with coke, and last much longer, 

 than the complex and more expensive boilers fired in 

 the usual manner with flaming coal. But the coke 

 must be mixed with brains. The users must understand 

 that the coke fire does its work by radiation almost 

 entirely, while the flame acts chiefly by convection. 

 Therefore, the furnace must be modified accordingly. 

 It was evident from Mr. Fletcher's description of his 

 furnace that its efficiency depended on this principle, 

 though he did not thus explain its rationale. 



SOME FERNS OF HONG-KONG. 

 By Mrs. E. L. O' Malley. 



A SHORT account of some of the Hong-Kong 

 ferns may be interesting to the general reader. 

 There are few persons who take no notice of the 

 works of nature, and the study of ferns constitutes 

 one of the simplest branches of natural science. The 

 material for such a study meets us everywhere, and 

 there is hardly a corner in the world where ferns are 

 not found. In the northern regions beyond the Amur, 

 in Scandinavia, and amidst the snows and long 

 winters of Labrador ferns flourish, when flowers can 

 only show their tender tints and disappear. 



