WHAT MEAT LOSES BY COOKING. 



between arable and grass land. The soil generally is 

 clay, with the subsoil of the same character; where 

 the latter has sand veins, or is at all gravelly, a great- 

 er depth is adopted — in some few cases they are 5, 6, 

 and oven 8 feel deep, the object being to go wher- 

 ever the water is. On the strong soils, 3 feet drain- 

 ing is found so far to be eflectual; the system is to 

 drain down caoii furrow, the lands being generally 

 about 8 yards wide. Kgg-shaped pipes, 2| inches by 

 IJ, without collars, have been partially used, but 

 open tiles (with sides where necessary) have been 

 more generally used, and are preferred. The average 

 Jepth of rain-full in the neighborhood is a little over 

 20 inches. Stephen Gibbons, agent to the Earl of 

 Yaiborough, Biocklesty Park. 



The result of our drainage operations on all de- 

 icriptions of land has been most satisfactory. I be- 

 ieve nothing pays better than draining land. The 

 Iraiiiage adopted has been generally on the parallel 

 ystem, but that must depend a good deal upon the 

 lature of the ground and the fall. The prevailing 

 lepth of the drains is about 3 feet. I have not laid 

 Irains quite so near each other on grass land as on 

 rable. The direction of the minor drains has been 

 :enerally with the fall. I have found 2 inch pipes 

 nswer best for the minor drains; I would not advise 

 hat smaller should be used on any ground. I have 

 ever used collars, as I think they would have a ten- 

 eucy to displace the pipes and destroy the regularity 

 f the channel. I have not sufficient experience to 

 ay if there is any benefit by giving air at places to 

 ither main or minor drains. The average number 

 f acres discharging at the several outlets is about 

 hree acres, sometimes more. What is the soil and 

 absoil? Pebbly gravel, sometimes loamy, fur the 

 jil; the subsoil generally a stiff clay. We are situ- 

 ted here in what is called the London basin, which 

 onsists of a great depth of stiff clay, overlying the 

 halk which crops out at Ware and Hertford, but is 

 t too great a depth to be worked in this vicinity, 

 'he valley of the Lea consists of a great depth (in 

 )me places 8 or 10 feet) of loam (brick earth.) The 

 des of the hills are covered in many places with 

 eds of gravel, which dip under the loam, and lay 

 nmediately over the clay. This is on the Hertford- 

 aire side of the river. On the Essex side the clay 

 ses again after passing under the river, and there is 

 ttle or no gravel. The marshes close to the river, 

 3usist chiefly of black peat or decomposed vegeta- 

 le matter, intermixed occasionally with beds of 

 ravel, with clay underneath. The surface of these 

 larshes is evidently higher than it was originally, and 



drained would contract like a sponge, and sink 

 gain. I doubt much whether they can be drained 

 ) advantage. The best mode of improving them 

 ■ould be to dig up the clay and spread it on the top. 

 » as to consolidate them. Great injury is done to 

 le laud by heading up the water for the navigation 

 ad the mills. ^Ve are about 100 feet above the 

 ;a level. Hertford is 96 feet above the high-water 

 lark at the Thames. I am quite convinced, from 

 xperience, that nothing pays better than draining, 



well done, and the drains are not placed at too 

 reat a distance. I have one field on my estate 

 'hich was utterly worthless until drained. It would 

 'Ot grow the poorest grass. It now produces good 



crops of corn and roots. But I strongly advise that 

 whatever is done in draining should be well and effec- 

 tually done, and that the pipes should never be less 

 than 2 inches. I am of opinion, also, that although 

 the water will find its way down to very deep drains,^ 

 say 4 or 5 feet, this does not obviate the necessity of 

 close draining. AVe are also less careful than we 

 ought to be in forming the outlets. What is iiiuch 

 wanted is a good practical work on drainage, similar 

 to Leclkrc's Traile de Drainage, a French work. 

 G: T. Bosanquet — Hoiidesdon. — London Agricidtvr 

 ral Gazette. 



WHAT MEAT LOSES BY COOKIHG. 



" Professor Wallace, of Edinburgh, has given us 

 the results of some experiments made to determine 

 the loss which meat undergoes in cooking. It is to 

 be regretted that it is not more in detail, and that the 

 weight of the bone in each joint was not ascertain- 

 ed; but still it is of great value. The results reduc- 

 ed to 100 pounds of meat ars as follows: — 



Lbs. 



100 lbs. of beef lostinboUing 26M 



100 lbs. of beef lost in roaflling 32 



X00 1b.s. of Ijeef lost in baking - ;--30 



1»0 lbs. of legs of mutton, averaging about 9>a 11)S. each, lost 



inboiliog 21K 



100 lbs. of shoulders of mutton, averaging lOlba. each, lost in 



roasting — 3tK 



100 lbs. of loins of mutton, averaging 8 lbs. 12 m. each, lost in 



roasting 35 >2 



100 lbs. of necks of mutton, averaging 10 lbs. eftch, lost in 



roasting - - 23 J2 



Thus, the loss in boiling beef or mutton was less 

 than in roasting. And it appears that meat loses by 

 the cooking about one-fifth to one-third. A few 

 years since, I undertook the superintendence of some 

 experiments of the same tendeacy, with the view of 

 inserting the results in this volume. These trials were 

 made on several parts of the different animals, with 

 as much attention to accuracy as the nature of the 

 subject permitted. They were made on different 

 qualities of the same kind of meat, at various sea- 

 sons, both in England and Ireland. Such experi- 

 ments are exceedingly troublesome, and occasion no 

 small inconvenience; it is, therefore, the less surpris- 

 ing that the subject has been so little investigated; 

 and the following result-s, in the absence of any oth- 

 ers so particularly detailed, will, perhaps, prove inter- 

 esting. Allowance must be made for the nature of 

 such processes, as the difficulty of fixing an average 

 price of meat, fish, and poultry, owing to variations 

 occasioned by the supply and the season, the want of 

 uniformity in the prices of the city, and by the exor- 

 bitant demands of some vendors of these articles. 

 The degree of fatness was in all cases brought to a 

 standard by cutting off all excess, and leaving the 

 meat in a proper state for housekeepers' use. The 

 meat was in all cases cooked as nearly as possible to 

 the same degree, and the weights were determined 

 with exactness; avoirdupois weight throughout is in- 

 tended. The bones were entirely stripped of their 

 meat previously to their being weighed. The only 

 cost taken into account is that of meat, leaving out 

 fuel, &c. 



" 1. A piece of beef, roasted. It consisted of four 

 of the largest ribs, and was not remarkably fat: its 

 weight was 11 1-16 lbs. During the process of roast- 



