PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 
scorching fat. When bacon fat is heated 
to 350 deg. F., this chemical change is 
brought about to a greater or less extent. 
Very often bacon is hurriedly cooked in a 
hot frying pan over an extremely hot fire, 
and more or less scorched fat is an almost 
inevitable result. If broiled, there is less 
chance of scorching the fat, but the edges 
of the bacon are often burned, and this ‘s 
equally unwholesome. Great care should 
be taken to avoid too hot a fire. With 
moderate heat, bacon may be cooked to a 
golden brown, either crisp or not, as may 
be preferred, and there will be no indi- 
gestion from scorched fat. The whole- 
someness Of well cooked bacon and a way 
of cooking it, were pointed out in a re- 
cent magazine, in a discussion of the diet 
for children’s hospitals. 
Fat is a necessary item in a child’s die- 
tary. It is especially indicated for thin, 
nervous children, and for such as have 
frequent colds or catarrhal disorders. Chil- 
dren are fond of cream; but, though cream 
is not sO expensive as butter, it is generally 
thought too dear for common use in insti- 
tutions. 
Most dilldren like bacon, ahd tender, 
mild cured bacon is considered a whole- 
some form in which to eat fat. Hence 
a careful, painstaking cook is needed 
to cook even the simplest articles of food, 
that they be sent to the table in a condi- 
tion fit for the stomach of a child. Cook 
the bacon in a slow oven, in a hinged 
broiler, set over a dripping pan. The crisp, 
delicately cooked slices will be eaten with 
avidity by even small children. 

TEA, COFFEE AND COCOA. 
Judging by official figures recently com- 
piled, Americans are apparently becoming 
greater tea drinkers, for in 1903 the net 
imports of that article were 104,632,260 
pounds, against 73,374,041 in 1902. Com- 
pared with the preceding years the imports 
from Japan increased more than 7,000,000 
pounds, and there was an increase from 
China of more than 19,000,000 pounds. The 
gross imports of cotfee in the fiscal year 
1902 were 1,091,004,380 pounds, while in 
1903 only 915,000,380 pounds came in. De- 
spite the falling off in imports, which was 
probably due to the market having a large 
supply on hand, the quantity transshipped 
and exported was 47,701, 306 pounds, against 
34,462,615 pounds in the previous year. It 
is interesting to note that the per capita 
consumption of coffee is about 13 pounds, 
while that of tea is 1% pounds. The price 
of tea, however, is more than double that 
of coffee. 
The Department of Commerce and La- 
bor, through its Bureau of Statistics, shows 
447 
that the importation of cacao has grown 
from 9,000,000 pounds in 1883 to 24,000,000 
pounds in 1893, and 63,000,000 pounds in 
1903. The value of importations of cacao 
in crude form has grown from $1,000,000 
in 1883 to $4,000,000 in 1893 and nearly 
$8,000,000 in 1903. Meantime the importa- 
tion of manufactured cacao and chocolate 
has fallen from 1,467,977 pounds in 1897, 
valued at $239,819, to 690,824 pounds in 
1903, valued at $144,823. 
The growth in the importation of cacao 
has been more rapid proportionately than 
that of coffee, and much more rapid than 
that of tea. Other evidence of the growth 
in consumption and popularity of cacao 
and its product, chocolate, in the United 
States is shown by the fact that the number 
of cacao and chocolate manufacturing es- 
tablishments reported in the census of 1880 
was 7;.in 1890, I1, and in 1900, 24, while 
the capital employed increased from $530,- 
500 in 1880 to $6,890,732 in 1900. The value 
of materials used in manufacturing grew 
from $812,403 in 1880 to $6,876,682 in 1900, 
and the value of the product from $1,302,- 
153 in 1880 to $9,666,192 in I900. 

KEEPING QUALITY OF BUTTER. 
Experiments carried on at the Iowa 
Agricultural Experiment Station show that 
water used in washing butter contains 
germs which cause it to deteriorate in qual- 
ity. It was found that these germs can be 
removed or destroyed in a practical and in- 
expensive way by 2 processes, viz., pasteuri- 
zation or filtration of the water. 
Butter washed in pasteurized water will 
retain its normal qualities much longer 
than the same butter washed in unpasteur- 
ized water, while butter made from pas- 
teurized cream and washed in pasteurized 
water retains its normal flavor about twice 
as long as butter made from unpasteurized 
cream and washed in water which has not 
been thus treated. Unwashed butter made 
from good and well ripened cream kept as 
well as, and in some instances better, than 
the same butter when washed in unpas- 
teurized water. Experiment showed that 
salt, as is commonly believed to be the 
case, improves the keeping quality of butter. 
It pays to pasteurize the wash water as 
well as the cream. The expense of pas- 
teurizing milk and water, not counting the 
original cost of the pasteurizer, is about 
.I of a cent a pound of butter. From the 
standpoint of the producer the conclusion 
is important that the increased value of 
butter by pasteurization when about a 
month old, is .8 of a cent, which is equiva- 
lent to an extra profit of 7 of a cent a 
pound for butter thus treated. 
