OF A SUrPLY OF SOFT WATER. 123 



best bread. This is exemplified in Paris, where the water is hard, 

 and where that bread which is made in imitation of Gonesse bread, 

 though made with the same flour and by the same bakers, never 

 etiuals that made at the place itself, where the water is soft. I am 

 informed that part of the water at Glasgow is very soft, and that 

 the Scotch bakers [who have used it], when they first come to 

 London, cannot understand why the bread does not rise so well 

 as in Glasgow, even though they make use of the same yeast 

 and flour. . . . 



" What is your experience in respect to tea? — The hard water is 

 injurious in deteriorating the flavour; it also re(|uires more tea to 

 give an equal strength. There can be no doubt that the softer 

 water is of great importance ; we have found it so with the water 

 used at the Reform Club, which is Artesian well water. 



" In respect to coffee, what is your experience ? — Hard water 

 produces a similar effect, but not quite so powerful. 



"From these experiments and your extensive knowledge, will 

 you state the general results as to the relative power of the hardest 

 and the softest water in making tea ? — I should say that whilst 

 with the hard water three cups might be made, with the soft 

 water about five might be made. 



" What extra expenditure of tea, then, would the use of the 

 Thames water incur in making tea ? — IN^early one-third. 



"That is on all the tea consumed in the Metropolis? — Yes, I 

 have no doubt of it. 



"Do you consider that the action of water on tea is a fair test 

 and representative of its action on meat and vegetables in general, 

 in all the delicate processes of cookery? — Yes, I do, and I have 

 proved it in the following way. I have taken the solution of 16°, 

 and compared it with the water from the well of the Reform Club. 

 First, with vegetables, that is carrots, turnips, and onions, cut into 

 small pieces of about one inch long and an eighth of an inch square, 

 such as are used in Julienne soup, placed in two saucepans, with the 

 same quantities of water and on the same gas-stove : those cooked 

 in the Reform water were quickly done, and the flavour of the 

 vegetables [was] in the water ; whilst those cooked in the solution 

 never became tender, nor did the flavour go into the water. 

 Secondly, with potatoes, 1 cut a peeled potato into two, and boiled 

 them at the same time in the above waters : the difference was 

 easily distinguishable, that which was boiled in the hard water 

 being harder but at the same time whiter. Thirdly, in extracting 

 the juice or gravy from meat : the soft water does so quickly 

 and well ; but the hard water, instead of opening the meat, seems 

 to draw it closer together, and to solidify the gluten ; and I believe 

 that the true flavour of the meat cannot be extracted by hard water. 

 In [the] boiling of salt meat less salt is extracted when boiled in 

 hard water, and at the same time the meat is not so tender as when 

 boiled in soft water. Soft water evaporates one-third faster than 

 hard water. I should in every way give the preference to soft 

 water." . . . 



