226 APPENDIX. [No. XV.A. 



bread. It is a mere scientific curiosity in this country, though we are 

 informed that it is employed in the West Indies. The turnip bread had a 

 very agreeable flavour, but the loaf was very small. The relative price 

 was not stated, but we should think it would not be an economic food. It 

 might, perhaps, be used as a luxury. Bread made with the sugar-beet was 

 good and palatable, so was also that made with mangold- wurzel. There 

 was a good sample manufactured from the red beet by Mr. Fames, which 

 had the colour removed by repeated boilings. Parsnip bread was one of 

 the best breads shown, and was moreover a large loaf. Bread made with 

 the white carrot in the same manner had no peculiar flavour, which of 

 course is a great advantage for food which is to be used constantly. Arti- 

 choke bread has the flavour of that root ; it makes a good bread. Perhaps 

 the root breads can hardly be called famine food, because the materials of 

 which they are formed are articles of food under any circumstances, and 

 they will be just as available for human food when cooked in the usual 

 manner as when made into bread. There were, however, two decided 

 novelties exhibited, namely Iceland moss bread and hay bread, which will 

 strictly bear the name of famine bread. Half Iceland moss and half 

 wheaten flour make a dark-coloured bread of great weight and probably 

 highly nutritious. It, however, possesses a peculiar bitter flavour, agreeable 

 to those who like bitters, and disagreeable to those who dislike that taste. 

 The hay food attracted great attention ; it was shown in two forms as 

 hay bread and hay biscuits. The colour was very dark and repulsive, 

 but the odour was agreeable. In taste it was sweet and high-flavoured, 

 somewhat resembling that of strong and high-flavoured tea. The greater 

 part of the company agreed as to its palatable character; some even 

 thought it delicious, though others thought it disagreeable. To prepare it 

 the hay was ground into an impalpable powder and mixed with half flour, 

 to hold the particles together. The hay food is probably highly nutritious, 

 and might form a valuable famine food ; but, being quite a novelty, 

 experience is wanted upon the subject." 



The ' Sun ' states that " the hay bread was a sweet-smelling and not 

 unpalatable food. The Iceland moss bread alone was nauseous: all the 

 other varieties were well tasted, and presented the appearance of an 

 ordinary loaf, and indicating by the smell the vegetable from which it was 

 prepared." 



The ' Morning Post ' states : " The most interesting objects, and those 

 which excited the greatest attention, were specimens of famine food. 

 About a dozen different kinds were submitted for examination, consisting 

 of rye, barley, Indian meal, parsnip, yam, beet-root, artichoke, carrot, Ice- 

 land moss, and hay. With the exception of the two last, these breads seem 

 to be well adapted for use, not only in times of scarcity, but also when 

 no such dire exigency exists. The Iceland moss and hay breads are 

 black, and fit only to be used as human food when terrors similar to 

 those described by Josephus of the last siege of Jerusalem shall fall 

 upon us." 



The ' Morning Advertiser ' observes that " foremost among the series 

 of illustrations exhibited Ve have to notice those which are immediately con- 

 nected with the progress of the potato disease, and with the inventions to 

 which that great calamity has given birth, in the formation of substitutes 

 both for the potato and for bread, from the most available natural pro- 



