ON THE APPLICATION OF DISEASED POTATOES. 137 



ply of wholesome milk is of great importance to the com- 

 munity ; and I hope a law will be enacted to prevent this 

 disgraceful practice from being continued. 



(533.) The bakers also are not very particular about 

 the state of the potatoes which they employ. Price, not 

 quality, is their motto ; and though they prefer the pota- 

 toes when sound, they do not particularly object to their 

 being partially rotten. It is quite surprising to me that 

 the present extensive adulteration of bread with alum 

 should be allowed to exist for a single day ; and whilst the 

 bakers are allowed constantly to employ alum, I do not see 

 why they should not also use vitiated potatoes, or any 

 other noxious ingredient of which they can make a profit- 

 able use. 



(534.) Notwithstanding the partial indemnity which 

 appears to attend the use of damaged potatoes, I must ex- 

 press a strong conviction that the use of vitiated food of any 

 kind is liable to give rise to disastrous results. 



(535.) We are not only employing vitiated potatoes, 

 but we are employing likewise milk produced from the 

 same material, and from even worse material ; for the 

 cows are fed likewise on diseased beet and turnips. 



Under these circumstances, disease and excessive mor- 

 tality may be expected for we may be influenced by 

 diseased food through our milk and bread at breakfast ; 

 we may then have damaged vegetables at dinner, and 

 return to damaged food for tea. 



(536.) There can, however, be no possible objection to 

 the separation of the good matter from the bad, and I have 

 already pointed out that the starch is left nearly entire. 

 This process has already been described, and the separated 

 starch may be kept and stored up for future use. 



