July 18, 1884.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE 



45 



set down by Rumford at r|d. per lb. (now about one 

 farthing). Fuel was also dearer. But wages have risen 

 greatly. As stated in money, they are about doubled (in 

 purchasing power, i.r., real wages, they are three-fold). 

 Making all these allowances, charging wages at six times 

 those paid by him, I find that the present cost of Kum- 

 ford's No. 1 soup would be a little over one halfpenny per 

 portion, and No. 2 just about one halfpenny. I here assume 

 that Kumford's directions for the construction of kitchen 

 fireplaces and economy of fuel are carried out. We are in 

 these matters still a century behind his arrangements of 

 1790, and nothing short of a coal-famine will punish and 

 cure our criminal extravagance. 



The cookery of the above-named ingredients is conducted 

 as follows : — "The water and pearl barley first put together 

 in the boiler and made to boil, the peas are then added, 

 and the boiling is continued over a gentle fire about two 

 hours ; the potatoes are then added (peeled), and the 

 boiling is continued for about one hour more, during 

 which time the contents of the boiler are frequently stirred 

 about with a large wooden spoon or ladle, in order to destroy 

 the texture of the potatoes, and to reduce the soup to one 

 uniform mass. When this is done, the vinegar and salt are 

 added ; and, last of all, at the moment that it is to be 

 served up, the cuttings of bread." No. 1 is to be cooked 

 for three hours without the potatoes. 



As already stated, I have found, in carrying out these 

 instructions, that I obtain a pur^e or porridge rather than 

 a soup. I found the No. 1 to be excellent, No. 2 inferioi-. 

 It was better when very small potatoes were used j they 

 became more jellied, and the puree altogether had less of the 

 granular texture of mashed potatoes. I found it necessary 

 to conduct the whole of the cooking myself ; the inveterate 

 kitchen superstition concerning simmering and boiling, the 

 belief that anything rapidly boiling is hotter than when it 

 simmers, and is therefore cooking more quickly, compels the 

 non-scientific cook to shorten the tedious three-hour process by 

 boiling. This boiling drives the water from below, bakes 

 the lower stratum of the porridge, and spoils the whole. The 

 ordinary cook were she "at the strappado, or all the racks 

 in the world," would not keep anythiug barely boiling for 

 three hours with no visible result. According to her posi- 

 tive and superlative experience, the mess is cooked suffi- 

 ciently in one-third of the time, as soon as the peas are 

 softened. She don't, and she won't, and she can't, and she 

 shan't understand anything about hydration. " When it's 

 done, it's done, and there's an end to it, and what more do 

 you want." Hence the failures of the attempts to intro- 

 duce Rumford's porridge in our English workhouses, prisons, 

 and soup kitchens. I find, when I make it myself, that it is 

 incomparably superior and far cheaper than the " skilly " 

 at present provided, though the sample of skilly that I 

 tasted was superior to the ordinary slop. 



The weight of each portion, as served to the beggars, <fcc., 

 ■was 19-9 oz. (1 Bavarian pound) ; the :3olid matter con- 

 tained was 6 oz. of No. 2, or ij oz. of No. 1, and Rumford 

 states that this " is quite sufficient to make a good meal 

 for a strong, healthy person," as " abundantly proved by 

 long experience." He insists, again and again, upon the 

 necessity of the three hours' cooking, and I am equally 

 convinced of its necessity, though, as above explained, not 

 on the same theoretical grounds. No repetition of his ex- 

 perience is fair unless this be attended to. 



The bread should 7iot be cooked, but added just before 

 serving the soup. In reference to this he has published 

 a very curious essay entitled " Of the Pleasure of Eating, 

 and of the means that may be employed for increasing it," 

 the discussion of which must be postponed until my next, 

 together with the details of the more luxurious menu, of 



the first company of the Elector's own Grenadiers, wh& 

 were fed upon boiled beef, soup, and dumplings at the 

 large cost of twopence per day, and other regiments 

 variously fed at about the same cost 



Before concluding this paper, I must add a few words in 

 reference to the amusing fiasco of Mr. Albert Dawson, 

 described in No. 139, page 480. I scarcely thought it 

 necessary in writing for intelligent people to remind theia» 

 that the length of time which any kind of moist food may 

 be kept varies with the temperature and the place In which 

 it is kept. Most people know that a leg of mutton which, 

 on the average, should hang for about a week, may advan- 

 tageously hang for a month or more in frosty weather, 

 and be spoiled if kept at midsummer in an ill- ventilated' 

 place for two days. The fate of Mr. Dawson's 

 porridge is an Illustration of this simple principle. Judi- 

 ciously kept, it becomes slightly sour ; this sourness Is due 

 to the conversion of some of the starch into sugar, and the 

 acetous fermentation of some of this sugar. The vinegar 

 thus formed performs the function of that supplied by 

 Count Rumford to his porridge. It renders it more- 

 digestible, and assists In Its assimilation. The re-heatingr 

 of the oatmeal porridge drives off any disagreeable excess- 

 of acid that may have been formed, as acetic acid is very 

 volatile. 



Tastes may vary as regards this constituent For 

 example, my old friend (to whom I referred), the late 

 William Bragge (so well known In Birmingham, Sbtffield, 

 and South America), preferred his porridge when thus soured;, 

 other members of his family say that it lost the original 

 aroma of the oatmeal. Be that as it may, I have no doubt 

 that the ensilaged porridge, ounce for ounce, supplied more 

 nutriment and demanded less work from the digestive 

 organs than the freshly-made porridge. Probably this 

 advantage may be obtainable more agreeably by Rumford's 

 three hours' boiling, and his wilful addition of the vinegar,. 



MAX AND XATUKE. 



IT Is well known that the larger game of the far West 

 has been long diminishing in numbers. This is espe- 

 cially true of the bison, an animal which is unable to escape^ 

 from Its pursuers, and which can hardly be called a game- 

 animal. The once huge Southern herd has been reduced 

 to a few Individuals In North-western Texas. The 

 Dakota herd numbers only some 7.5,000 head, a number 

 which will soon be reduced to zero if the present rate of' 

 extermination continues. The Montana herd is now the- 

 object of relentless slaughter, and will soon follow the- 

 course of the other two herds. When scattered Individuals- 

 represent these herds, a few hunters will one day pick therQ 

 off, and the species wUl be extinct 



Let the Government place a small herd In each of the 

 national parks, and let the number be maintained at a 

 definite figure. Let the excess escape Into the surrounding 

 country, so as to preserve the species for the hunters. Let 

 herds of moose, elk, big-horn, black and white-tailed deer, 

 and antelope, be maintained in the same way. Let the 

 Carnivora roam at will ; and in a word, protect nature from 

 the destructive outlawry of men whose prehistoric Instincts 

 are not yet dead. Let the newer instinct of admiration for 

 nature's wonders have scope. Let the desire for knowledge 

 of nature's greatest mystery — life — have some opportunity.. 

 Let there be kept a source of supply for zoological societies ^ 

 and museums, so that science may ever have material fon- 

 its Investigations. By securing the preservation of these 

 noblest of nature's works. Congress will be but extending 



