122 A. KING — THE ADTANTAGES 



the advantages of softened water that he had all his water at 

 Goodwood treated by Clark's process. 



To return to Monsieur Soyer's evidence. It is as follows : — 



" You are known to the Commissioners from your writings on 

 cookery ; and you have doubtless had occasion to try the qualities 

 of different waters for culinary purposes ; you have probably used 

 Thames water ? — Yes, I have ; when I first became cook to the 

 Reform Club we occupied Gwydyr House, which was then supplied 

 with Thames water. 



" What was your experience of it? — That it was very hard and 

 inconvenient. . . . 



"What was the effect of the hardness in cooking? — That we 

 were in many processes obliged to use potass or soda for the water, 

 to soften it. 



" What were the processes ? — First, in boiling cabbage, greens, 

 spinach, asparagus, [and] especially French beans, hard water gives 

 them a yellow tinge. Hard water shrivels greens and peas, [this] 

 will be more particularly noticed in French beans. The process 

 of boiling is also longer. 



" That requires more fuel ? — Certainly. 



" What would be the difference in time? — With dry vegetables 

 certainly one-fourth more. 



" How is it with potatoes ? — I do not think it acts so much upon 

 potatoes, but still it has an influence upon all sorts of vegetables. 

 I do not see the same effects, however, upon roots generally, as 

 upon leaves generally ; the effects are very powerful. 



" What do you find to be the effect of hard water upon the animal 

 foods ? — Upon salt beef the hard water is not so good ; it does not 

 open the pores of the meat so freely as soft water. On fresh meat 

 it likewise has a prejudicial effect, but not equal to that on 

 vegetables. It has the effect of making very white meat whiter 

 than [does] the soft water. Upon all delicate things it has, how- 

 ever, a more marked effect ; for example, in making beef-tea, 

 chicken or veal broth, or upon lamb ; and the more delicate a 

 substance is, the greater is the influence of a hard water upon it. 

 A hard water as it were compresses the pores, Avhilst a soft water 

 dilates them and the succulent matter which they contain, [and] 

 it makes them more nutritious. The evil of hard water is more 

 visible in small quantities, such as [of] broth or beef -tea. 



"Then it will be the more prejudicial or expensive in domestic 

 cookery, which must be in small quantities ? — Exactly so ; in the 

 larger operations, where there is much boiling, the boiling itself, 

 and for a long time, reduces the hartlness. In the small quantities 

 requisite for invalids and delicate persons the disadvantages are the 

 most experienced. When I used Thames water at Gwydyr House, 

 I have had quantities boiled in order to soften it, and have then let 

 it get cool and kept it ready for use for the smaller operations. 



" What is the effect of hard water upon bread ? — I have not had 

 practical experience in bread-making ; but there is not the least 

 doubt that soft water is of the greatest importance as making the 



