<SPAN name="startofbook"></SPAN>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/cover.jpg" width-obs="622" height-obs="800" alt="Cover: Six Cups of Coffee" /></div>
<hr class="full" />
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-002-organ.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="520" alt="Estey Organ advertisement" /></div>
<hr class="full" />
<p class='center'>
———FOR———<br/>
<br/>
<span class='bigger2'>DYSPEPSIA, MENTAL AND PHYSICAL<br/>
EXHAUSTION, NERVOUSNESS,<br/>
WEAKENED ENERGY, INDIGESTION,</span><br/>
ETC., ETC.<br/></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-003-horseford.jpg" width-obs="500" height-obs="309" alt="Count Rumford Horsford's title" /></div>
<p class='adtitle2'>
ACID PHOSPHATE.<br/></p>
<p>A liquid preparation of the phosphates and
phosphoric acid.</p>
<p>Recommended by physicians.</p>
<p>It makes a delicious drink. Invigorating
and strengthening. Pamphlet free. For sale
by all dealers.</p>
<p class='right'>
<b><big>RUMFORD CHEMICAL WORKS, Providence, R. I.</big></b><br/></p>
<p class='unindent'><b>BEWARE OF IMITATIONS.</b><br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p class='right'>
<b>Finest Tone. Best Work and<br/>
<span style="margin-right: 2em;">Material Guaranteed.</span></b><br/></p>
<p class='bigger6'>EMERSON<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 2em;">PIANOS</span><br/></p>
<p class='unindent'>
<b>More than 45,000 Sold. Every<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 4em;">Piano Fully Warranted.</span></b><br/></p>
<p class='center'><br/>
<span class="u"><b>SEND FOR CATALOGUE.</b></span><br/>
<br/>
<b><span class='bigger2'>EMERSON PIANO CO.,</span><br/>
<big>Wareroom, 146 A Tremont St.,</big><br/>
BOSTON, MASS.</b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p class='adtitle2'>THESE ARE SOLID FACTS.</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-005-ridges.jpg" width-obs="222" height-obs="300" alt="Ridge's Food For Infants and Invalids" /></div>
<p><b><big>It is undoubtedly true that
more children have been successfully
reared by the use of
Ridge's Food than by the use
of all the other foods combined.</big></b></p>
<p><b><big>Do not experiment with your
child, but take the food that
has stood the test of time.</big></b></p>
<p>[The following is a nurse's
experience in one of Boston's
best families; few can boast
of bringing up five children in
a single family. It speaks well
for both the nurse and the
food.]</p>
<p class='right'>
<span class="smcap">Boston</span>, June 16, 1886.<br/></p>
<p class='unindent'>
Messrs. <span class="smcap">Woolrich & Co.</span><br/></p>
<p>Gentlemen,—I feel it my duty
to write and tell you my experience
with <span class="smcap">Ridge's Food</span>.
When I first began to use it I
expected, of course, to obtain
some benefit, but was not prepared
for such wonderful results.
Instead of the babe being
feeble, cross and sickly, it was
well and hearty all the time. I
thought at first it must be because
it was that kind of a
baby, but now I have brought
up five babies on it, and my
experience is the same with
all. They are all well and
hearty, there is never any fear
for sickness, you can sleep all
night, and <i>I know it is the food
that does it</i>. I think every
mother ought to know about
this, and there would not be
any more fretful, cross and
sickly babies. Very truly,</p>
<p class='sig'>
<span class="smcap">Mary Monohan.</span><br/></p>
<p class='right'>
<span class="smcap">Wellsville, O.</span>, Oct. 16, '84.<br/></p>
<p class='unindent'>
<span class="smcap">Woolrich & Co.</span><br/></p>
<p>I had long tried to procure,
for a pair of twins in my practice,
a food that would not
acidulate; also, one which the
babes would not reject after a
few meals. I am happy to say
that Ridge's Food has fulfilled
these conditions <i>perfectly</i>.</p>
<p class='sig'>
Respy., Dr. <span class="smcap">J. R. Hooper</span>.<br/></p>
<p class='right'>
<span class="smcap">Camden, N. J.</span>, Aug. 31, '83.<br/></p>
<p class='unindent'>
Messrs. <span class="smcap">Woolrich & Co.</span><br/></p>
<p>Sirs,—I am selling more of Ridge's Food, and it gives better satisfaction,
than any other food I have handled for twenty-five years. Please send some
advertising matter for distribution.</p>
<p class='sig'>
<span style="margin-right: 8em;">Respectfully,</span><br/>
<span class="smcap">M. Goldsmith</span>, Apothecary.<br/></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'>
<b>Send to Woolrich & Co., Palmer, Mass., for pamphlet, entitled<br/>
"Healthful Hints," sent FREE to any address.</b><br/></p>
<p>Mention this Pamphlet.</p>
<hr class='full' />
<p><b><big>Every Woman wishes to be Beautiful, and desires
to have a Clear, Transparent, Soft, and Healthy Skin.
Many use cosmetics, in a vain hope to produce this
effect, some few foolish ones make their skin death-looking
by taking arsenic.</big></b></p>
<p><big><i>All may have a Beautiful, Rosy, Soft and Healthy
Skin if they enrich the blood and feed the brain and
nerves with VITALIZED PHOSPHITES. This is not
a medicine, it is a</i> Special Food <i>to enrich the blood
and feed the brain and nerves.</i></big></p>
<p><big>It cures Nervousness, Debility and Headache,
gives bright, new life and health, and produces
sleep without the injurious effects of
Opium and Drugs.</big></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-006-crosbys-vitalized-title.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="66" alt="Crosby's Vitalized Phosphates title" /></div>
<p class='center'>
<b>56 W. 25th, St., N. Y. For sale by Druggists or sent by mail $1.</b><br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</SPAN></span></p>
<h1>SIX CUPS OF COFFEE.</h1>
<p class='center'>PREPARED FOR THE PUBLIC PALATE<br/>
<br/><small>BY THE</small><br/>
BEST AUTHORITIES ON COFFEE MAKING.</p>
<hr class="short" />
<p class='center'>
<span class="smcap">Maria Parloa, Catherine Owen, Marion Harland, Juliet Corson,<br/>
Mrs. Helen Campbell, Mrs. D. A. Lincoln,</span><br/>
<br/>
<small>WITH THE</small><br/>
<br/>
STORY OF COFFEE, BY HESTER M. POOLE.<br/></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-007.jpg" width-obs="214" height-obs="211" alt="two pots of coffee" /></div>
<p class='center'>
APPETIZING, AROMATIC, HEALTHFUL.<br/>
<br/>
———————————<br/>
"This coffee intoxicates without exciting, soothes you softly out of dull sobriety, and makes you
think and talk of all the pleasant things that ever happened to you.—<i>W. D. Howells.</i><br/>
———————————<br/><br/>
<span class="smcap">Good Housekeeping Press,</span><br/>
CLARK W. BRYAN & CO., <span class="smcap">Springfield, Mass.</span><br/>
<small>TRADE SUPPLIED BY</small><br/>
C. A. MONTGOMERY & CO., <span class="smcap">New York</span>.<br/></p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</SPAN></span></p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p class='copyright'>
<span class="smcap">Copyright</span>, 1887.<br/>
———<br/>
<span class="smcap">All Rights Reserved.</span><br/></p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>PREFACE.</h2>
<p>It is not much to say that nine-tenths of that decoction
which passes under the name of coffee, is unworthy to be so
called, and that many persons live and die without ever tasting
a really good cup of that delicious beverage.</p>
<p>As a nation, the American people want the best of everything,
and intend to have that best. Furthermore, they are
very properly and intelligently eager to turn it to the greatest
advantage. But what avails the best raw material if it be not
prepared in such a manner as to develop and secure its subtle,
delicate, volatile and enlivening qualities? The very same ingredients
may be injurious and depressing, or wholesome and
exhilarating, according to the way in which they are treated.</p>
<p>The six cups of coffee offered to the reader, by six of the
foremost authorities regarding cooking, will bring a new and
healthful stimulus to prepare that refreshing drink in a manner
which shall leave nothing to be desired. They are not made
from old grounds re-heated for the occasion, but are as fresh as
the intelligence and the experience which have produced them.</p>
<p>A country which expends nearly thirty-five millions of dollars
each year for the aromatic berry, can well afford to study the
best methods of extracting its desirable qualities.</p>
<p>In those family circles where Good Housekeeping is the rule,
not the exception, it is to be hoped that this little book will be
welcomed as a useful friend and interesting companion.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>INDEX.</h2>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="contents">
<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><span class="smcap">Page</span></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left">I.— <span class="smcap">As Prepared by Maria Parloa</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_5">5</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Filtered Coffee made with Cold Water,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_9">9</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Filtered Coffee made with Boiling Water,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_9">9</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Boiled Coffee made with Cold Water,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_10">10</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Boiled Coffee made with Boiling Water,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_10">10</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left">II.—<span class="smcap">As Prepared by Marion Harland</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_11">11</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left">III.—<span class="smcap">As Prepared by Mrs. Helen Campbell</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_15">15</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left">IV.—<span class="smcap">As Prepared by Juliet Corson</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_20">20</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">A French Chef's Method,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_21">21</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Cafe au Lait,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_23">23</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Cafe Noir,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_23">23</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Filtered Coffee,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_23">23</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Breakfast Coffee,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_23">23</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left">V.—<span class="smcap">As Prepared by Mrs. D. A. Lincoln</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_25">25</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">The Wrong Way,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_25">25</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">The Right Way,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_26">26</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left">VI.—<span class="smcap">As Prepared by Catherine Owen</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_30">30</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">French Coffee,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_31">31</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">French Coffee in a Pitcher,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_32">32</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span style="margin-left: 4em;">Boiled Coffee,</span></td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_32">32</SPAN></td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">The Story of Coffee, by Hester M. Poole</span>,</td><td align='right'><SPAN href="#Page_36">36</SPAN></td></tr>
</table></div>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>SIX CUPS OF COFFEE</h2>
<hr class="chap" />
<h2>COFFEE—I.<br/> <small><i>As Prepared By Maria Parloa.</i></small></h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-i.jpg" width-obs="157" height-obs="308" alt="I" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi">IN war times, after a battle or a long march,
how the soldiers enjoyed their coffee! And
in many cases it was pretty poor coffee, too,
though to them it seemed fit for the gods.
The delicious aroma which arose made their
feelings of weariness or depression vanish for
a while, and the beverage itself cheered them
in a marked degree. Nothing could take its
place; nothing can take its place to-day.
The consumption of coffee in this country is
enormous. Rich and poor alike must have
it. But it is a common complaint that a cup
of good coffee is the exception rather than
the rule. Considering the low price of the raw material, this
should not be the case. People are prone to think that they
know all there is to be known about coffee, and do not take
pains to learn what special qualities different brands possess,
and what the most approved modes of making coffee are.</p>
<p>Time was when a Mexican or South or Central American
coffee was considered an inferior article. To-day some of the
best coffees come from these places. For example, one of the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</SPAN></span>
most delicious coffees which is brought into this country comes
from Guatemala. It bears the name of "Las Nubes" (The
Clouds), which it takes from the plantation where it is grown.
There is an odd bit of history connected with this plantation.
A Scotchman named Nelson owned it, and was coining money
from it, when he was banished from the country by President
Barrios, and his property was confiscated. It is now owned by
the widow of Barrios. The annual yield from it is four hundred
and fifty thousand pounds. A large proportion of this
goes to England, where it brings a higher price than here.</p>
<p>There are two kinds of coffee,—the strong and the mild. To
the first class belong the Rio and Santas, and to the second,
the Java, Mocha, Maracaibo, and, indeed, almost all the other
kinds. When a rich, smooth beverage is desired, a combination
of Mocha and Java—or some coffee that has the qualities
of Java—should be used; but when a very strong flavor is
liked, Rio or Santas should be taken. The supply of Java
meets only about one-fifth of the demand. For this reason
many other mild coffees are sold under the name of "Java."
Good Maracaibo is equal to Java, and is constantly sold under
that name. A combination of one pound Mocha, one pound
Rio, and two pounds Java or Maracaibo will give a rich,
strong-flavored drink, but not so smooth as if the Rio were
omitted.</p>
<p>When buying the berry, pause for a moment to think how
you like your beverage. Do you want it smooth and of delicate
flavor? Take one-third Mocha and the rest Java or Maracaibo.
Do you want it strong? Use all Rio, or temper that brand by
combining it with some one of the mild kinds.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>A large proportion of housekeepers buy their coffee roasted,
and many also buy it ground. If coffee, while still hot from
the roaster, were put into vessels almost air tight, and kept in
them until ground for use, the improvement in the drink made
from it would amply repay for the trouble taken. Much of the
fine aroma is lost before the roasted bean reaches the housekeeper,
and there is even a greater loss if the coffee has been
ground for a considerable time. These are some of the disadvantages
which must be endured when one buys coffee already
roasted. But, on the other hand, unless the roasting be done
very carefully, the coffee will not be good. A few burnt beans
in a quart will ruin the drink. When careful attention to
roasting cannot be given at home, it will be better to buy a
supply already roasted, but never ground. A French small
mill, which can be regulated to grind coarse or fine, can be
bought for about a dollar and a half. With care it will last for
ten or twenty years. Some firms put up coffee in tin cans. It
costs more, but retains so much of the aroma as to be well
worth the extra price.</p>
<p>When green coffee is bought, be careful that it is well seasoned.
It should have a brownish or yellowish tint, which
comes only with years of seasoning. The best way to do, when
it is possible, is to buy green coffee by the sack, and keep it
stored in a sweet, dry place—say the attic—for two or three
years. In that time it will have become sufficiently mellowed.</p>
<p>To roast coffee, put the green beans into a large dripping-pan,
being sure that the pan is perfectly clean. Have the coffee
about an inch deep. Place the pan in a moderate oven. Stir
frequently, and at the end of half an hour increase the heat of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</SPAN></span>
the oven. From this time until the beans are sufficiently
browned, there should be a stirring every three or four minutes.
When the coffee is almost a chestnut color, remove the
pan from the oven, and for every quart add one tablespoonful
of butter. Stir well; and, while the coffee is still hot, put it
into cans and cover closely. Coffee absorbs moisture and
odors. It should therefore be kept in a sweet, dry place.</p>
<p>There are so many ways of making coffee, and so many kinds
of coffee-pots, that young housekeepers often are perplexed in
choosing either a mode of preparing the drink or a utensil in
which to make it. If a few principles be carefully observed, a
perfect result may be counted as a certainty—provided, of
course, that the ground coffee be good. The berries should be
heated before or after grinding. The coffee-pot should be entirely
clean, without a particle of old coffee grounds in it. The
coffee should not be subjected to long boiling, as this will
dissipate the aroma and produce a rather bitter drink. Coffee
that is not boiled at all is very smooth and free of bitter flavor.
All coffee should be served hot, and as soon as possible after
being made. Always serve cream or hot milk with it. Heat
the milk to the boiling point, but do not let it boil.</p>
<p>Tastes vary as to the proper strength of coffee. The rules
given in this article are for a strong drink; and where only
moderate strength is desired, use but half the quantity of dry
coffee for the quantity of water stated. Coffee made with cold
water always is stronger than that made with boiling water,
and in the opinion of many people it is better; but some folks
think that no coffee is equal to that which has been boiled with
an egg. No matter what mode of making the drink is followed,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</SPAN></span>
the result will be pleasing if good material is used, the work
done quickly, and the coffee served fresh and hot.</p>
<p>Here are four rules, any one of which will give perfect coffee,
but each of a different flavor:— </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">Filtered Coffee Made with Cold Water.</span></h3>
<p>Put one cupful of fine-ground coffee in a small saucepan and
on the fire. Stir constantly until hot. Put the hot coffee in the
filter of a coffee-biggin. Place the coarse strainer on top, and
then add half a cupful of cold water, pouring it in by tablespoonfuls.
Cover it and let it stand for half an hour, though
less time will do. Next add three cupfuls and a half of cold
water, a cupful at a time. When all the water has passed
through the filter, pour it from the pot, and again through the
filter. Cover closely; and at serving-time heat it to the boiling
point and serve at once.</p>
<p>One advantage in using cold filtered water is that the coffee
may be made at any time in the day, and heated when required.
If to be served after dinner, it will be better if made with three
cupfuls of water instead of four.</p>
<p>This coffee will be perfectly clear, and of a fine color. The
flavor will be rich, smooth and delightful. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">Filtered Coffee Made with Boiling Water.</span></h3>
<p>Heat one cupful of fine-ground coffee in the manner described
in the preceding receipt, and put it in the filter of the coffee-biggin.
Put the biggin in a pan with a little boiling water, and
place it on the stove. Pour a gill of boiling water on the coffee,
cover, and let it stand for five minutes. At the end of that time
add half a pint of boiling water, and continue to add boiling
water by the half-pint, at intervals of three minutes, until a
quart of water has been used in all. Serve the coffee at once.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</SPAN></span>
Or, the coffee may be passed through the filter a second time,
giving a stronger cup.</p>
<p>Filtered coffee never should be boiled. Placing the pot in
the pan of boiling water keeps the coffee at the boiling point,
and yet protects it from a boiling. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">Boiled Coffee Made with Cold Water.</span></h3>
<p>Heat a cupful of coffee, ground rather coarse, and put it in a
bowl with one pint of cold water. Cover closely, and let it soak
for an hour or more.</p>
<p>Break an egg into the bowl with the coffee, and stir well. Put
this mixture into the coffee-pot and place on the fire. Heat
slowly to the boiling point, then add a pint of boiling water,
and boil gently for five minutes. Now add a gill of cold water,
and set the pot back where its contents cannot boil. At the
end of three minutes strain into a hot pot and serve at once.</p>
<p>This coffee will be stronger than that made with boiling
water; its flavor, too, will be somewhat different. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">Boiled Coffee Made with Boiling Water.</span></h3>
<p>Heat one cupful of coffee, ground rather coarse. Put it into
a coffee-pot, and add an egg. Stir well, and add a quart of
boiling water. Place over the fire, and stir until the coffee
boils up. Now stir the coffee and egg down, and then shut
down the cover, and set the pot where its contents will only
simmer during the next five minutes. At the end of that time
add a gill of cold water. Let the coffee stand at the side of
the stove for three or four minutes, then strain into a hot pot,
and serve at once.</p>
<p>The rules for making coffee might be multiplied almost
indefinitely, but what has been given here will insure a good
beverage every time.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>COFFEE—II.<br/> <small><i>As Prepared by Marion Harland.</i></small></h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-t.jpg" width-obs="210" height-obs="318" alt="T" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi2">THE <i>very</i> best way to make coffee is to
buy the raw berries and brown them
yourself, at least once a week. Most
printed directions for preparing the
beverage insist upon these preliminaries
as a <i>sine qua non</i>. When
the mistress cannot superintend the
roasting, it is seldom well done, the
coffee being burned or unequally
cooked. Therefore, the average
housewife, who has her hands full
of "must-be-dones," reading that
tolerable coffee cannot be had unless
this rule be obeyed, makes up her mind to give her family a
second-rate article. Should coffee be regarded as a daily necessity
of existence by her and her household, she would do well
to spare time from other occupations (if possible) to prepare it
in the most approved manner.</p>
<p>To this end, purchase Java and Mocha in equal quantities;
mix and roast them in a broad dripping-pan, shaking and
stirring often, particularly when they begin to brown, turning
the pan, end for end, several times during the operation. The
berries should be evenly tinted to the shade we know as
"coffee-color." Burnt grains must be thrown away. Lift the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</SPAN></span>
pan to a table, and stir into the hot coffee the beaten whites of
two eggs for each pound, and a dessertspoonful of fresh butter.
This keeps in the aroma until the grinding lets it out. Do it
quickly and faithfully, glazing every berry with the air-proof
coating. When cool, shake the coffee in a sieve, that the
berries may not stick together, and put it into a tight canister.
Grind in a good mill—<i>i.e.</i>, one that works well without rattling
or "wobbling"—every morning as much as will be needed for
the day. This was our mothers' and grandmothers' way of
preparing coffee grains for making the most popular beverage
known to civilized peoples, and no domestic considered herself
aggrieved if required to do it. Now, the good wife who informs
her cook that "we roast and grind our own coffee," will have
trouble in the flesh. Bridget's impregnable belief is that "what
is good enough for people that lives in finer houses nor yerself, is
plenty good for yez." It is not to be undermined by representations
that ground coffee bought by the package has lost much
of its original value with time, and is, furthermore, shamefully
adulterated. What your richer neighbors use ought to satisfy
you, especially when discontent with it entails worry and labor
upon herself. I repeat it: If you must have irreproachable
coffee, look to it in person.</p>
<p>Next to this process in excellence is the plan of purchasing,
a pound at a time, freshly-ground coffee from a trustworthy
grocer, whose mill goes every day; or you may buy it freshly
roasted in the grain from him in small quantities, putting a
certain portion in the oven until warmed through, as you need
it, and grinding it before it cools. This insures you against
the admixture of foreign substances. The belief in the extensive<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</SPAN></span>
adulteration of the ground coffee sold by the package at a
low rate is founded upon a rock of fact. Sacks of beans and
tons of chicory are bought without a scruple, and stored unblushingly
in the warehouses of coffee and spice millers.</p>
<p>Make sure then, to begin with, that your material is pure
and lately ground. On the last point, take notice that the
coffee which is to be made into a drink by the percolation of
steam or water should be ground more finely than when it is
to be boiled.</p>
<p>Next see that the water is on what may be called "a fresh
boil." It should not have simmered for hours at the side of the
stove until all the liveliness is spent, but stand in the hottest
place, where it will come quickly and furiously to the boiling
point, then be used at once.</p>
<p>The perfection of coffee, to my way of thinking, is made in
the "Vienna coffee-pot." A tea-kettle of copper, brass, or
plated silver, full of boiling water, is set over a spirit lamp.
Into it is fitted a tube attached to a glass receptacle for the
finely-ground coffee, which is kept from entering the tube by a
wire sieve. A tight stopper prevents the escape through the
kettle-spout of the steam generated by the lamp. It is thus
forced upward through the tube and sieve into the dry coffee.
The globe has a brass cover that keeps in the heat. The coffee
is speedily saturated with vapor, and begins to heave and boil
like the crater of a volcano. When the tossing mass fills the
upper vessel, the stopper is withdrawn from the spout of the
lower, and the surface slowly sinks to the original level. The
stopper is replaced, and another boil begins. Three boils and
as many drainings will leave in the kettle delicious black coffee,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</SPAN></span>
fragrant and clear. It can be made on the breakfast or dinner-table
in five minutes, if the flame be strong and the water on
the boil when set over it. Directions and measures for quantities
of coffee and water accompany the pot.</p>
<p>Hardly second in merit to this method is the use of the French
"biggin" or "grecque." A tin cylinder, furnished with two
movable and one stationary strainers, is set on a coffee-pot.
Dry, fine coffee goes into the upper vessel in the proportion of
a half-pint cupful to a quart of <i>boiling</i> water poured on this,
and left to filter through once, twice, or three times, as a moderately
or very strong infusion is desired. The pot should be
made hot by scalding before the cylinder is fitted on, then stand
on the hot range or hearth, while the liquid drips through the
strainers. But this <i>must not boil</i> then or afterwards.</p>
<p>Persons accustomed to Vienna or French coffee do not relish
that cooked in the old-fashioned style, but as many still cling
to the latter, it is well to know how to obtain the most satisfactory
result offered by it.</p>
<p>Allow to each even cupful of ground coffee a quart of boiling
water. Mix the coffee in a bowl with half a cupful of cold
water and the white and shell of an egg; stir all well together
before putting the mixture into the boiler. Add the boiling
water, and let it boil <i>fast</i> ten minutes after it begins to bubble.
Throw in one-third of a cupful of cold water to check ebullition;
draw to one side, and let the decoction settle for three minutes
before pouring it off gently from the grounds into the urn.</p>
<p>Send hot milk—cream, if you have it—to table with coffee.
A teaspoonful of whipped cream, laid on the surface of each
cupful, adds to the elegance of the beverage.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>COFFEE—III.<br/> <small><i>Two Ways with Coffee, as Described by Mrs. Helen Campbell.</i></small></h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-p.jpg" width-obs="214" height-obs="367" alt="P" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi2">PERHAPS the <i>two</i> should read twenty,
and it would, were it any part of
my present mission to give every
possibility of method with the
berry from bush to pot or filter.
But I deal to-day only with two,
and they define themselves at
once, sharply and decisively—a
good way and a bad way; and as,
according to a famous moralist,
we take more interest in the faults
than in the virtues of a friend, it
is with the bad way that we begin.
It is a way susceptible of
many variations, as my own eyes
have seen, but all reducible to the one formula,—bad. Moreover,
they all emanated from a source supposed to represent
the acme of good housekeeping. It was in New England,
far to the east, and the quiet house where a part of a summer
was spent had every charm but that of good coffee.
Paint, walls, and floors were spotlessly clean. The sheets
smelled of green grass and all growing things, and, like every
washable article, dazzled one with the whiteness and purity<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</SPAN></span>
of their cleanliness. Bread and butter were perfect, and innumerable
pies equally so. But the coffee! Freakishly, mysteriously,
variously bad; but bad inevitably. Why and how
one act could have such manifold effects became the problem,
and gradually, by means of much patient observation made
from my place by the south window in the room, which
was both dining-room and sitting-room, I found out.</p>
<p>My hostess came down late one morning. The coffee of
the previous day had stood in the tin pot all night, and she
poured off such liquid as remained, emptied the grounds,
rinsed the pot with cold water, and put in a cupful of cold
coffee. This was set on the stove, and soon began to boil.
The potatoes were frying, and some slices of pork also, and
she busied herself with these for a time; then, as a sort of
afterthought, took some coffee from the canister, ground it,
and poured it into the pot. The kettle had boiled furiously
for an hour, and I knew that the water that filled it had
stood all night in the kitchen; these two facts meaning that
it had parted with the last bubble of life and spirit, and
was flat, stale and unprofitable. But she filled the coffee-pot
to the brim, throwing in the bit of fish skin for clearing;
and on it boiled till the bell had rung, and Aaron came
in from the barn and received his cup, made bearable by
the cream, which she never stinted. But not a detective appointed
for the purpose could have told the nature of the
compound before him, and would have echoed the despairing
traveler's request: "If this is tea, bring me coffee;
and if it's coffee, bring me tea."</p>
<p>Happily, Aaron was thirsty, and emptied the pot. His<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</SPAN></span>
mother turned out the grounds, washed the pot with soap-suds,
and set it away, half dry—an immediate explanation
of one of the flavors sometimes to be perceived. Observation,
the next morning, showed that the kettle did not boil,
because the fire refused to burn properly. But the coffee
went in, and the water went on, and in due time came to
the table, distinctly flavored with soap, but drank with calm
unconsciousness by both Aaron and his mother. The supply
of cream had gone by mistake into the churn, and there was
no alleviation. I looked at the determined countenance of
my hostess, and wondered if I might speak. Here was the
well by the door; here was a canister of real coffee; here
milk that could boil. What lacked it that I must forego
the real union of all these elements? Only my own craven
nature, which shrunk from the conflict, and continued to
shrink, through three weeks of vicissitude. I had grown indifferent,
but the sight of a fresh package of coffee coming
in under Aaron's arm aroused me to mild persuasion. I
read at the tea-table a bit from some paper on Delmonico's
theory of boiling water.</p>
<p>"He must a' been dretful notional. I wouldn't a' had him
come pokin' about <i>my</i> kitchen," remarked my hostess, decisively.</p>
<p>"But he was quite right. Water is spoiled for drinking,
as hot water, or for making tea or coffee, if it passes beyond
that first few minutes of effervescence. It should be
fresh water, freshly boiled, and poured at once on the coffee,
which ought to be in a clean, hot pot. It doesn't make
much difference whether it is boiled or filtered. Delicious<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</SPAN></span>
coffee can be had by either method, if those conditions are
followed absolutely; the best coffee is ruined if they are not."</p>
<p>"Folks that don't like my vittles can go where there's
vittle's they do like," was my hostess's answer, after a moment
of stony silence. And so I lost that boarding-place, and
found one where they never ground their own coffee, but where
they did everything else to it, decently and in order.</p>
<p>Two years later I found myself one morning in a waste,
howling wilderness in North Carolina—a tar and turpentine
station in the pine woods, where only a cabin or two showed
signs of life. One truck of the car was off the track. Hours
must pass before we could go on, and any breakfast lay forty
miles beyond.</p>
<p>"You'll get a snack in yonder," the conductor said presently,
pointing to a distant cabin. "And it's a pretty good
one. I've tried it before."</p>
<p>He led the way under the pines to the lonely little cabin,
in the door of which stood a tall "cracker," with a keener
face than most of his order. It was the roughest of interiors,
but it was clean. He had already cut some slices of
bacon and placed it in his pan, and a pone baked in the
ashes. A coffee-mill was screwed against the post, and from
a shed I heard the lowing of a cow. We should not be
milkless.</p>
<p>"Do your prettiest, Jacob," the conductor said, and Jacob
nodded. Then he went to a spring and filled a little kettle
with the fresh, bubbling water, and hung it over the coals.
Coffee was in a sack in the corner, and he took out a handful
and roasted it then and there, turning each grain in the pan<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</SPAN></span>
as it browned, and grinding it the instant the process ended.
The water boiled on the same moment. He scalded his coffee-pot,
put in the ground coffee and the boiling water, and
put that and a little can of milk on the coals. Three minutes
passed. Then he lifted the pot, poured off a cupful to
free the nozzle, poured it back, and put it aside to settle.</p>
<p>"Set by," he said, concisely, putting a tin cup at my
place, with a spoonful of sugar in the bottom.</p>
<p>"We hain't any store cups," he said; "an' this ain't what
you're used to, but it won't spoil the coffee." And with
that he poured two streams, one a rich, clear brown, the
other snowy white, and both at boiling-point, till the cup
was full. Never had more perfect coffee passed my lips, and
I said so.</p>
<p>"Learned that in Mexico," said the tall "cracker," with
a smile of pride. "Used to drink my coffee straight; but
go down thar for a year, an' now can't bar it no other way
but their's. Roast it, an' boil it, and drink it all to onst.
It gits ahead o' whiskey, or even peach an' honey."</p>
<p>Here are the two ways: Admirable cook-books will give
you admirable rules for making coffee; but, if you believe
it worth the trouble, try my "cracker's," otherwise Mexican,
method. Cream and coffee are often indigestible; boiled
milk and coffee, almost never. The union prevents excess
of coffee, and, if both come to the table as near the boiling-point
as possible, you have the perfect drink. Only remember
that the coffee must be one-third Mocha to two-thirds
Java, and, if you will roast more than enough for
once, keep closely covered, and heat before grinding.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>COFFEE—IV.<br/> <small><i>As prepared by Juliet Corson.</i></small></h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-t2.jpg" width-obs="175" height-obs="286" alt="T" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi2">THAT "the easiest way is the best" is
a proverb not always verified in the
kitchen; but it certainly applies to
the making of good coffee, if the ideal
beverage is a clear, wine-brown, fragrant
fluid of comforting quality.
Testing many ways of preparing this
almost indispensable accompaniment
to a good breakfast has proven that
the Turks and Arabians treat it most
fairly; the reservation may be made
that Americans generally prefer not to
absorb the substance of the berry, even in the form of an
almost impalpable powder, as do the followers of Mahomet.
These comparatively temperate people attach its true value
to coffee as a frequent beverage; its free use is unfavorable
to indulgence in intoxicants of any character, and, properly
prepared, it does not exercise any deleterious action upon
the digestive organs under normal conditions. Some persons
are unable to use it freely without more or less intestinal
disturbance, just as others cannot digest eggs, fish, or
milk; once convinced of its injurious effect, one would be
as foolish to drink it as to persist in testing the relative
hardness of one's head and a stone wall.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Much of the physical trouble arising from the drinking of
coffee is to be attributed to the use of uncooked milk with
boiled coffee. The actual boiling of coffee extracts its tannic
acid, and this, combining with some of the component parts
of milk, forms an indigestible substance that appears on the
surface of the beverage in the form of a thin scum. When
coffee disagrees with any one who likes it boiled, the trial
is suggested of making it with boiled milk, as the French
prepare <i>café au lait</i>; if the ill effect is still apparent, dispense
with milk, using only sugar; or try condensed milk,
in which the elements are somewhat changed chemically;
if it still produces disturbance, be sensible; do not use it.
Cocoa is a good breakfast drink.</p>
<p>Coffee is preferable to any kind of tea as a breakfast beverage,
because, under right conditions, it does not, like tea,
retard the digestion and assimilation of food; it is slightly
stimulating and conducive to appetite, and is especially valuable
when the bulk of the meal is made up of cold food,
as it sometimes is in summer, and when it is hurriedly prepared.
Several recipes are given for making coffee, with
preference for the last, because it develops all the flavor
and aroma of the berry, and secures its nutrient properties
so far as they can be obtained by infusion. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">A French Chef's Method</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Of making breakfast coffee was to mix a cupful of the ground
berry with one raw egg and its shell, and a quart of cold water;
these ingredients were placed in the coffee-pot over the fire,
occasionally stirred, and allowed to reach the boiling-point; the
coffee-pot was then drawn to the side of the fire, where it could<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</SPAN></span>
not boil, one-half cupful of cold water was poured into the
spout and top of the pot, and the coffee was allowed to stand
ten minutes before it was used. Boiled milk is the best for all
kinds of coffee except <i>café noir</i>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A favorite French mixture of coffees is one-third each of
Java, Mocha, and Maracaibo, with at least an ounce of pure
chicory to each pound of coffee. The addition of chicory to
coffee gives it a rich color and pleasant flavor; it is best to
make the mixture at home, buying the chicory from some
reliable dealer.</p>
<p>Green coffee—that is, unroasted coffee in the bean—may
be bought at any time when the market is favorable; it improves
by being kept in a cool, dry place. Roast it in small
quantities, and grind it just before using it; this is quite
feasible, even if home facilities are limited. In some households
there are small coffee-furnaces; or the beans can be
browned in the oven by exercising due care. Add a very
little good butter to the coffee, just enough to make it glossy,
but not greasy; after it has been put into an iron pan, place
it in the oven, and shake the pan often enough to make
the beans brown evenly; do not burn the coffee. The same
precautions must be taken in using the furnace or coffee-roaster.
If coffee is bought roasted and unground, put into
a frying-pan with enough butter to make it glossy, and shake
the pan over a hot fire until the aroma of the coffee is perceptible;
then grind it, and use it at once. Only enough
for one meal should be heated at one time, the quantity
depending upon the desired strength of the beverage; from
one to two ounces of coffee to a quart of water is the usual<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</SPAN></span>
allowance in families. When coffee is made in large quantities
a pound is allowed for twenty-five persons. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">Cafe au Lait.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>This favorite breakfast beverage of the French is made of
<i>café noir</i> and boiling milk in equal quantities, poured together
into a cup from two coffee-pots, and sweetened to taste.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3><span class="smcap">Cafe Noir.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>This beverage, called after-dinner or black coffee, is made
clear and strong, being allowed to reach the boiling-point, but
not to boil. The usual proportions are one cupful (or four
ounces) of coffee to a quart of water. If made in a percolator,
a half additional of this quantity of coffee should be allowed;
that is, six ounces to a quart.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3><span class="smcap">Filtered Coffee.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>When coffee is made in a percolator, or a coffee-pot with a
strainer at the top, one-third at least should be added to the
usual proportion of coffee; three ounces to a quart makes a
good coffee by this method. The coffee is placed in the
strainer, and actually boiling water is poured through it; the
coffee-pot is placed where the coffee will keep hot without boiling
for about ten minutes, and then used.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3><span class="smcap">Breakfast Coffee.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>The best and most economical coffee is made as follows: A
small bag of unbleached cloth is so arranged as to remain suspended
about midway of the coffee-pot. The coffee, freshly
roasted, or heated in a frying-pan, as described above, and then
ground to a fine powder, is put into the bag, an ounce being
allowed for each quart of coffee; <i>actually boiling water</i> is then
poured upon the coffee, and it is allowed to stand for ten minutes<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</SPAN></span>
where it will keep hot <i>without boiling</i>, and then used with
boiling-hot milk and sugar. Of course the coffee-pot must be
of such a size that the bag of coffee will be entirely covered
with the boiling water.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Coffee made in this way is clear and fragrant, absolutely
harmless to the digestive organs, and as delicious as coffee
should be. The boiling-hot milk is a necessity for those who
like coffee hot. The coffee-pot should be rinsed with clean
boiling water after the coffee is used, and then thoroughly
dried; the bag should be rinsed in boiling water to free it
from grounds, and then dried before it is again put into
the coffee-pot. No soap should be used upon it, nor any
soapy water; simply water that has been boiled before it
is used. If this method is followed, clear coffee will always
be the order of the day.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>COFFEE—V.<br/> <small><i>The Right and Wrong Ways of Making Coffee, as Described by Mrs. D. A. Lincoln.</i></small></h2>
<h3><span class="smcap">The Wrong Way.</span></h3>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-b.jpg" width-obs="173" height-obs="306" alt="B" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi2">BUY the cheapest coffee—that is, the kind
which costs the least money—without
regard to its purity or quality. Use
more or less coffee, just as it happens;
accurate measurement is not essential.
Put it in an old tin coffee-pot; pour on
water from the tea-kettle—never mind
about the quantity or its temperature,
or the time it has been in the kettle,
since, as it comes from the tea-kettle, it
must be all right. Let it boil indefinitely,
and if, when breakfast is ready,
the water has boiled away, just pour in
more. If you can afford it, add one or two eggs at any time
during the process, when you happen to think of it. If it be
roily, strain it, if you can find a strainer, and serve it with—yes,
common brown sugar and skim milk will do, if you choose
to think so. The compound is—what?</p>
<p>If there be any left, keep it warm on the back of the stove
until the next meal. As this long steeping makes it dark, it
must be strong, so, add more water. After dinner set the pot
away, and the next morning pour out the old grounds; rinse it<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</SPAN></span>
or not—just as your time will allow—and repeat the process of
making. Wash the coffee-pot occasionally if the outside need
it, but rinsing is sufficient for the inside. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">The Right Way.</span></h3>
<p>Buy pure coffee—not necessarily that which costs most—but
buy it from some reliable dealer. Mixtures of one-third Mocha
and two-thirds Java, or half Mocha and half male berry Java,
have given general satisfaction. There are some varieties of
South American coffee which are very good. Occasionally one
finds a brand, through some friend who is in the business, or
who has had opportunity of procuring it directly from coffee-growing
countries, which is of such remarkable excellence that
it leads one to suspect that much of the best coffee grown is
not in the market.</p>
<p>The raw berries are tough, difficult to grind, and have but
little flavor. Roasting makes the berries brittle and crisp, and
when properly done develops a fine flavor; but when half done
or done to excess, the result is a raw or bitter flavor. Many
prefer to roast and grind the coffee for themselves; but in
coffee houses the arrangements for roasting are so complete,
that it is better for small families to buy roasted coffee and to
grind it as needed, or to buy it ground in a small quantity. It
should be kept in air-tight tin cans or glass jars, that the fine
flavor may be preserved.</p>
<p>Opinions vary as to the best kind of coffee-pot. Some prefer
porcelain or granite ware, others prefer tin, but all good
housekeepers agree that absolute cleanliness is of the utmost
importance. The pot should be cleansed every time it is used<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</SPAN></span>—all
parts of it, the spout not excepted. A brown deposit is
soon formed on the inside of the pot if the coffee be allowed to
stand in it long, or if it be not often and thoroughly cleansed.</p>
<p>An important point, and one often overlooked even by intelligent
housekeepers, is that the water should be freshly boiled
in a clean kettle. Water, in boiling, loses the air or gases
which give it a fresh taste and sparkling appearance. It should
be used as soon as boiled, or it becomes flat and tasteless. A
brown substance is deposited on the inside of the kettle, and
this, if allowed to accumulate, imparts an unpleasant taste to
the water; yet there are many housekeepers, exquisitely neat
in many ways, who seldom wash the inside of a tea-kettle. It
is an excellent plan to keep a small kettle to be used only in
boiling water for tea or coffee. Wash and wipe it carefully
every time it is used.</p>
<p>The proportions of water and coffee are one heaping tablespoonful
of ground coffee to one half-pint cupful of boiling
water. Reduce the amount of coffee slightly when several
cupfuls are required. It takes a larger proportionate amount
of both coffee and water to make just enough for one cupful
than for more, as the grounds absorb a certain portion of the
water, and the last coffee poured out is not as clear as the first.
Coffee should be made in such a way that the full strength and
aroma may be obtained without developing the tannic acid.</p>
<p>Whether coffee shall be boiled or not will probably be always
a question. Many think it has a raw taste if not boiled; others
contend that, in boiling, much of the aroma is lost. Boiling
makes the mixture roily, and it must stand long enough to let
the grounds settle and the liquid become clear. Some albuminous<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</SPAN></span>
material will help to clear it. Fish skin, isinglass, cold
water, and eggs are used for this purpose. Eggs give it a flavor
and body, and, no doubt, improve an inferior quality of coffee;
but they increase the cost of the beverage, as, aside from their
own cost, they clog the grounds, thus making a larger amount
of coffee necessary to obtain the desired strength. But if
coffee must be boiled, let it be boiled in a closely covered
vessel, with a thimble or cork in the spout, as, if left uncovered,
the volatile oil which forms the fragrant aroma is dissipated;
and it should never boil more than five minutes, as
longer boiling extracts the tannic acid. There is a widely
prevalent but erroneous notion that long boiling extracts more
of the strength and color, and is, therefore, more economical;
but strength and color thus gained are obtained at the expense
of flavor and wholesomeness.</p>
<p>After thorough trial of several methods of making coffee, I
have found filtering (or percolation) the simplest, most economical,
and most satisfactory. Various modifications of the
biggin, or French filter coffee-pot, are in use. This is a double
coffee-pot, with one or more strainers in the upper pot. Some
of these biggins are expensive, and soon get out of order; but
others are very simple, and, with care, will last a long time.
The coffee should be ground very fine, and be placed in the
upper pot. Some varieties have a convex, coarse strainer in
the bottom, to keep the grounds from clogging the fine strainer.
Then a coarse strainer is placed over the grounds, the boiling
water is poured in, and allowed to drip slowly through the
coffee into the lower receptacle. Many of the coffee-pots made
on this principle are placed in another vessel containing boiling<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</SPAN></span>
water; but, if there be only two parts to it, the coffee-pot
should stand where the coffee, as it drips through, will keep
hot, but will not boil. If the upper part be not large enough to
contain all the water desired, it must be poured on in small
portions. The full strength and aroma are thus obtained; no
clearing is necessary, and, if care be taken to observe all the
minor points in the directions, the beverage will invariably be
good.</p>
<p>For good breakfast coffee, cream, scalded milk, and block
sugar are necessary. The milk should be scalding hot, but
never boiled, as boiled milk gives an unpleasant flavor. Ascertain
the tastes of those at the table, as most coffee drinkers
prefer to have the coffee poured on the cream and sugar. One
tablespoonful of cream, two of hot milk, and two blocks of
sugar, with an extra block in the saucer, is a fair proportion
for a breakfast cup. Pour in the coffee until the cup is three-fourths
full. Never fill it to overflowing.</p>
<p>After-dinner coffee, or black coffee, is made in the same way,
a double proportion of coffee being used. It should be very
strong, and perfectly clear. Serve it in small cups, with block
sugar if desired, but not with cream or milk, as the milk
counteracts the purpose for which the coffee is taken.</p>
<p>Coffee is stimulating, and, when taken clear and very strong
after a hearty meal, aids digestion; but, when combined with
cream or milk, a leathery compound is formed, which is indigestible
and irritates the internal membranes.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>COFFEE—VI.<br/> <small><i>A Cup of Good Coffee, as Described and Prepared by Catherine Owen.</i></small></h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-p2.jpg" width-obs="156" height-obs="255" alt="P" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi2">PEOPLE often speak of the delicious
coffee they drank at this place or that,
as something quite unattainable in their
own homes; yet, as rich, fragrant, clear
coffee is no more expensive than strong
coffee—thick and muddy, bitter, but not
fragrant—there is no reason why every
one should not revel in the simple luxury.
First of all, as to the pot: Some people
seem to have quite a superstition about
a coffee-pot. The fact is that any absolutely
clean pot will make good coffee, and I have made as
good coffee in a warmed pitcher as ever was made in the
most perfect of filtering pots.</p>
<p>Strong French or filtered coffee is not used in many families,
because it is believed to be more expensive; but this
mistake comes from the fact that the experiment is often
made with coffee too coarsely ground. Grocers usually grind
coffee like coarse oatmeal; but coffee so used is very extravagant,
for you require double the quantity necessary.
Coffee should be ground as fine as coarse corn meal—not so
fine as flour, or it will clog the strainer—and it should be<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</SPAN></span>
freshly ground each time coffee is made. These rules apply
both to boiled and filtered coffee. </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">To Make French Coffee.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Allow for strong breakfast coffee, one tablespoonful of finely-ground
coffee for each person, and half a pint of boiling water
to each spoonful. Put the coffee into the strainer, and set it
where it will get heated, but not burn (the flavor of both coffee
and tea are improved by being warmed before the water is
added). Pour the freshly-boiled water on the coffee ten minutes
before breakfast. Coffee is spoiled if made too long.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If you use the usual French coffee-pot with two strainers,
you will save time by pouring the water on a little at a
time. There is, however, a coffee-pot that is easier for general
use, as the water can all be poured on at once; the
process is then exactly the same as making tea, except that
part of the water must be poured out and returned.</p>
<p>For black, after-dinner coffee, you require four tablespoonfuls
of coffee to a pint of water.</p>
<p>You must remember that, in using little water, you make
very strong coffee, and you need only each cup one-third
or half full; then fill it up with foaming, hot milk. If you
live in a city, this is the real expense; but a cup of such
coffee is far more nourishing than the usual weak coffee
just clouded with milk. For instance: If you put a pint
of water on a tablespoonful of coffee, you get two cups of
coffee too weak to allow much milk. If you put one-half
pint of water to a tablespoonful of coffee, you get two half
cups, rich and strong, each of which will allow being filled
up with boiling milk. Therefore, you get the same quantity<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</SPAN></span>
of the beverage in one way as the other; but one will be
fragrant and nourishing, the other will be neither.</p>
<p>Just here let me digress from the actual making of coffee
to another matter that concerns coffee drinkers. It is often
said by those who drink weak coffee for breakfast, such as
would be made by using a pint of water to a tablespoonful
of coffee, that they would be afraid to drink strong coffee.
They will perhaps see from the above that they consume
just as much coffee—and whatever unwholesome ingredient
it may contain—in the one case as the other, but that, in
one case, it is diluted with water, and in the other with
milk. The moral they can draw for themselves.</p>
<p>Any reader who has not tried making French coffee, and
has no proper pot, can experiment in the following way: </p>
<h3><span class="smcap">French Coffee in a Pitcher.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>Put two full tablespoonfuls of finely-ground coffee in a well
warmed pitcher; pour on it a pint of freshly-boiled water, and
stir it to saturate the coffee: cover close with a cloth pressed
into the top, and let it stand on the range five minutes. Have
another heated vessel (a pitcher, if you choose); lay a piece of
muslin (scalded) over it, and pour the coffee carefully through
it. This will be clear, fragrant coffee.</p>
</blockquote>
<h3><span class="smcap">Boiled Coffee.</span></h3>
<blockquote>
<p>This is preferred by many, although it lacks the aroma of filtered
coffee, which some consider a <i>raw</i> flavor. Put two tablespoonfuls
of coffee into an ordinary coffee-pot, with a pint of
boiling water. Stir it well; then let it just boil up, and set it
where it will keep hot, but <i>not boil</i>. Throw into it a tablespoonful
of cold water, and in five minutes pour out a cupful of<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</SPAN></span>
the coffee, return it to the pot, repeat this, leave it five minutes
to settle, and the coffee will be perfectly clear, without any egg
to clear it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Of course I am assuming, when I promise good coffee from
either of these methods, that you use the best quality of
coffee. Out of poor coffee you may make a <i>clear liquid</i>,
but you can never make fine coffee. By fresh-boiled water,
I mean water which has not been kept boiling, but is used
as soon as it boils.</p>
<p>But it is not enough to know how to make good coffee.
There are mysteries about it which beset even those who
understand how to make it—periods when the coffee will
be poor in spite of the quantity or quality of coffee used,
or it will be bitter, black, and flavorless, even though we
know we have the finest Java, the very same that has yielded
golden fragrance to us heretofore. So it seems to me not
enough to tell how to perform the simple feat of making
coffee, but how to explain the periodical deterioration to
which it is subject. The first difficulty is that of a weak
product, in spite of the fact that you know the right quantity
of coffee, and not too much water, is used. You may
be almost sure, in this instance, that the coffee is not ground
fine enough, half of it, probably, being as large as rice. Alter
the screw of your mill. It is harder work to grind coffee
when the mill is screwed tight, and you may not find it easy
to keep it screwed just right, for it will develop a perverse
tendency to loosen under Delia's care, which you will know
by your coffee being weak and your grocer's bill long.</p>
<p>Another trouble that seems sometimes unaccountable: The<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</SPAN></span>
coffee will be cloudy in spite of strainers. There is only one
honest reason for this—the coffee may be ground too fine.
But this is unlikely; it is more probable that the water has
been poured all at once into the strainer, instead of gradually.
This would have taken a long time to drip through,
and a spoon has been used to facilitate the process, and
muddy coffee is the result.</p>
<p>Sometimes families will have trouble of another sort. The
coffee will be strong and bitter, without aroma, and when
milk is added, instead of the beautiful, clear brown it should
be, it will be of a blackish hue. This kind of poor coffee
will come to the table week after week, and the quality of
the coffee itself be blamed. It comes from one of two causes:
It has been made too long and kept hot in the pot, or the
pot itself is not well kept.</p>
<p>Not even milk-pans require more scrupulous care than the
coffee-pot. It may be rinsed after each time of using, and
yet be far from clean. There is an oily property about coffee
which adheres in spite of rinsing out. You can see this for
yourself by taking almost any coffee-pot that has been some
time in use (unless it has been very carefully kept), and
you will find clinging to it a sort of black grease (not brown);
this will come off if you rub a cloth round the inside. Now,
this deposit, for some reason which I should like to have
explained, destroys the fragrance, color, and flavor of coffee.
If you see your coffee looks black-brown instead of ruddy
brown, you will know it will be flavorless, however strong.</p>
<p>To keep this black oil from the pot it must be daily washed
(not rinsed), scalded, and <i>dried</i>. Each piece of a French<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</SPAN></span>
coffee-pot should be separately dried before it is put away.
If packed together wet, the strainers will in time give a
metallic taste. Another reason for great care is that, without
it, the strainers get clogged and the coffee will not go through.</p>
<p>If you find your coffee-pot has been neglected, put a piece
of washing soda as large as a hickory-nut into hot water;
set the strainers in it; let them stand on the stove for hours;
put the same in the coffee-pot; then rub and brush both
till the wire gauze is clear and all the black removed; then
run boiling water slowly through, and dry it. Let the care
be daily afterwards. The grease will not form, nor will the
gauze fill up, if a pint or so of boiling water is poured
through <i>every</i> morning and it is dried before being put away.
<i>Cold</i> water is worse than useless, as it sets the oil. Sometimes
the coffee-pot is put away exactly as it leaves the table,
with left-over coffee in it. This should never be.</p>
<p>In drying the coffee-pot, or warming it, be careful not to
let it get too hot, or there will be the flavor of burnt coffee
to spoil the beverage for that occasion.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>THE STORY OF COFFEE.<br/> <small><i>Its History, Properties and Powers, as described by Hester M. Poole.</i></small></h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-i2.jpg" width-obs="151" height-obs="294" alt="I" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi">IT would be almost as desirable to know
who drank the first decoction of coffee as
"who tamed the first wild steed," or
"who first conquered fire." Perhaps,
like Charles Lamb's roast pig, it was first
parched through the burning of a rude
cabin, near which grew the odorous and
inviting shrub. Some of the roasted berries
may have fallen into a calabash of
water, whose primitive possessor, weary
and thirsty through vain efforts to save
his shelter, drank unwittingly of the decoction,
and, in the bewitching cup, made a great discovery
while drowning his sense of misfortune. All great benefits to
mankind have their origin in obscurity. It will never be known
whether coffee was first used in Abyssinia, Arabia, or Ethiopia,
as the plant grows wild in each of these countries. Its name
is derived from Kaffa, in Eastern Africa, and a Mahometan
legend ascribes its discovery to a party of dervishes, who, for
some misdemeanor, were banished from the city of Mocha on
or about the year 1250. Repairing to the mountains of Yemen,
they came near starvation before finding that, upon chewing
the wild coffee berry, their strength was marvellously supported<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</SPAN></span>
and hunger relieved during enforced fasts and vigils.
The prior, Sheykh Omer, began to steep the berries in water
and to dry a store of the fruit for sustenance during long
marches. Its use spread to other dervishes, then to Mecca and
Mocha, Damascus and Aleppo, till, in the year 1550, coffee
became the favorite drink in Constantinople, in which city
coffee-houses were soon after opened. If Prior Omer has not
yet been canonized, he should certainly fill the first vacant
niche, for, surely, no man ever conferred greater enjoyment
upon his fellows. Yet, during a long period—perhaps for ages—the
wild tribes in the interior of Africa had before that date
used the berry, and the incident of the burning of the primitive
hut is neither far-fetched nor improbable.</p>
<p>As the mosques were comparatively deserted for the coffee-houses,
the Mufti was petitioned to issue edicts against the
use of a beverage so delicious as to cause the sons of the faithful
to forget the call to prayer, and for a little while it was a
secret and stolen delight. Seeing that it could not be suppressed,
the priests, with an eye to the main chance—common
to the powers that be in all nations—wisely decided to impose
a high tax upon the berry, and the coffee bean, from that day
to this, has been the daily inspiration of the dreamy, sensuous,
and fate-worshiping Turk.</p>
<p>It was not until about the year 1670 that coffee-drinking
became popular in France, though infrequent travelers had
brought with them from the East a few pounds of the curious
berry. At that time Solomon Aga was sent from the Sublime
Porte to the court of Louis XIV., and he became very soon the
rage, through the splendid and unique entertainments at which<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</SPAN></span>
he figured as host. Costly Eastern stuffs, at that time seldom
found in the elegant capital, displayed the rich and harmonious
coloring of which the Turks are masters. Divans and
cushions of embroidered velvet shot with gold, prayer rugs of
every kind and device, vestments of many hues, bedizened
with jewels and diamonds—all these made him the magnate of
the city.</p>
<p>Most of all, the gay world coveted the services of exquisite
porcelain and silver, the napkins fringed with bullion, and—served
in cups of egg-shell porcelain, hot, strong, and fragrant—that
delicious coffee which has never lost the place it then
secured. On bended knees the slaves of the ambassador presented
the choicest Mocha to these grande dames, who fluttered
their fans with many grimaces and bent their piquant faces—bepatched,
bepowdered, and berouged—over the steaming
beverage. Such were the half-barbaric occasions upon which
coffee first became generally known to that nation which is
now so largely dependent upon the tiny brown berry of Arabia.
Four years afterward an Armenian opened the first coffee-house
to the Parisian public. Others followed his example,
and a little later beer and wine were also served at the same
establishments. Finer than any of his predecessors came a
dusky Italian from Florence, and to his salon flocked the chief
literary men of the last quarter of the seventeenth century.
Coffee became a tyrant, and, as tyrant, it still holds matutinal
and undisputed sway over the civilized portions of the earth.</p>
<p>Common as it is in this age, it was then an expensive luxury.
The cultivation of the plant was confined to small districts,
navigation tedious, and commerce with the East restricted. It<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</SPAN></span>
is recorded that the daughters of King Louis of France had
coffee imported for the use of the royal household at a cost of
£3,200 yearly,—a fact which, after making all due allowance,
shows that "rings" must have existed as far back as two centuries
ago. The exact date of the introduction of coffee into
England is not known. It is supposed to have been about the
middle of the seventeenth century, and it became a popular
drink there earlier than in France. Perhaps this may be due
to the fact that the first English merchant who dealt in coffee
had lived in Constantinople, and brought back with him to
London a pretty Greek wife, who acted as his saleswoman.
At first it sold for four or five guineas per pound, but soon
became cheaper.</p>
<p>Coffee-houses multiplied, not only in the capital, but in all
the large cities. Long antedating common newspapers, these
shops were news centers, where the intelligent men of the age
gathered to learn what was taking place, to discuss public
affairs and governmental measures, and form public opinion.
Considering that they were hot-beds of sedition and revolution,
Charles II. ordered them closed in 1675, but the order was soon
revoked. Cromwell ordered them closed again during the Protectorate
for reasons somewhat similar; but they had become
necessities to the people, and could not be put down for any
great length of time.</p>
<p>Wits and poets, essayists and philosophers, daily gathered in
the coffee-houses of London during several generations. How
much they quoted from favorite authors—how faithfully they
harangued and button-holed each other in that fashion, common
to all ages, from the cloudy eras of the Chimpanzees to<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</SPAN></span>
the year of our Lord 1887—there are no annals full enough to
describe. Within their precincts, what fear and folly, what
foolishness and wisdom, have been uttered over steaming cups
of Mocha!</p>
<p>It was at Will's Coffee-house, Covent Garden, that Dryden
and Addison, Steele and Davenant, Carey and Pope, met with
other luminaries, and if it be proven that other potations,
more fiery and deep, mingled with those of the Eastern berry,
it may well be surmised that coffee often supplied the place of
worse beverages, or mitigated their evil effects. The "intellectual
drink," as it has been called, gained friends every day
among the wits of the reign of Queen Anne. Here Pope found
the inspiration of "The Rape of the Lock," if not the "Essay
on Man," an inspiration which he celebrated in these lines:</p>
<p class='poem'>
"From silver spouts the grateful liquors glide,<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">While China's earth receives the smoking tide;</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">At once they gratify their sense and taste,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">And frequent cups prolong the rich repast.</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Coffee!—which makes the politician wise,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">And see through all things with his half-shut eyes!"</span><br/></p>
<p>Prior to the year 1700, coffee planting had been confined to
Africa. The preceding year the President of the Dutch East
Indies had brought some of the shrubs to Batavia, and Java
rapidly became one of the first coffee-bearing countries—now
exporting more than 75,000 tons annually. A shrub was sent
from Batavia to Amsterdam shortly after, and in 1710 a shoot
from this plant was taken as a curiosity to Louis XIV., who
had it carefully tended in the <i>Jardin des Plants</i>, where it
flourished for some years.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>But, with the development of the New World, coffee was a
necessary concomitant. Across the stormy ocean, to the Island
of Martinique, the Grand Monarch sent three plants in 1720,
only one of which survived the voyage, and from this one shrub
have sprung all the rich and expensive plantations of the West
Indies and Central and South America.</p>
<p>It was not till the year 1754 that the first coffee tree was
planted by a friar in the garden of the convent to which he
was attached in Rio Janeiro, and not till 1809 did the first
cargo of coffee land on the shores of the United States. Now,
three-quarters of our coffee comes from Brazil, although much
of it is sold under the name of Mocha or Java, the Chamber of
Commerce report itself declaring that the "Santos pea berry
and other similar appearing beans are used by mixers to supplement
the supply of genuine Mocha." It would be a gratification
to be able to say that no other mixing or adulteration
is practiced.</p>
<p>Brazil, under the enlightened statesmanship of Dom Pedro,
now ships from her ports over one million of pounds daily,
Sundays included, only a portion of which comes to this
country. At our ports, chiefly at New York, vessels are unloading
which received their precious freightage at Maracaibo,
Central America, Savanilla, Hayti, Porto Rico, Jamaica, Macassar,
Ceylon and Mexico, as well as from places which have
been previously mentioned.</p>
<p>In the year 1886, 247,141 tons of coffee were used in the
United States, against 242,677 tons in 1885. This gives an
increase in one year of 1.8 per cent., making the <i>per capita</i>
consumption of the population of 60,000,000 to be 9.22 pounds,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</SPAN></span>
nearly nine pounds and a quarter for every man, woman and
child in this country.</p>
<p>As may be supposed, the consumption of the berry is yearly
increasing. While this is due partly to the growth of population,
it is still more affected by the increasing popularity of
coffee as a beverage, by its relative cheapness, and by the fact
that it is prepared much easier than before it was sold in its
roasted state. The loss and labor entailed in the preliminary
preparation deterred many housekeepers from its use. A moment's
forgetfulness or preoccupation converted the berry into
a piece of charcoal, and rendered it bitter and innutritious.
Now, by the aid of large roasting establishments and improved
machinery, that tedious process is thoroughly done, though,
it must be confessed, with the loss of a slight portion of its
volatile aroma.</p>
<p>This loss, again, is more than balanced by the avoidance of a
more serious trouble. Large dealers well know that, in order
to give coffee a good color and thereby increase its value, the
traders in Rio and manipulators in New York use vile drugs,
coloring matter, and soapstone. To buy this green coffee and
roast it at home is to take slow poison, because this adulteration
is not wholly dissipated by the process of roasting. The
large roasters of the country do not buy this doctored berry;
they care nothing for the appearance if the coffee roasts well,
and is clear and free from "quakers" or decayed berries.
Therefore it is better to buy roasted coffee of the retailer,
either in paper packages or out of tins bearing the name of a
reputable house, and refuse to purchase the green under any
circumstances. The can from which it is taken should be<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</SPAN></span>
practically air-tight. Coffee scooped from the top must come
in contact, more or less, with the atmosphere, and readily loses
its value. Nothing so quickly parts with its delicate aroma;
nothing so easily absorbs injurious or disagreeable particles
from surrounding substances. The near presence of decayed
vegetables, kerosene oil, effluvia, or foul air of any kind, not
only destroys its delicacy, but may render it deleterious. That
very quality which makes it capable of cleansing a room of foul
odors is the very property which makes it dangerous to expose
it to them.</p>
<p>The average consumption of coffee per head now amounts to
slightly over nine and a half pounds yearly, an increase of over
five per cent., or about one-half pound more for every man,
woman and child for one year. As a whole, the United States
consumes coffee largely, but it has not reached the point of
consumption of Denmark, where the average is thirteen and a
half pounds for each person, and of Holland, where the <i>per
capita</i> consumption is twenty-one pounds. But with Mexico
on the west materially increasing her yield of coffee, and with
increased railroad facilities for commerce with this country,
dealers in the fragrant berry expect that the importation this
year will be double that of last year. Mexican coffee is of
excellent quality, but loses its identity by being mixed with
other grades. It figures under other names, just as various
kinds of wine are mingled to make champagne.</p>
<p>Coffee-growing is an industry as interesting as it is important.
In Brazil the seed is sown in the shade of coffee trees in long
rows. At the end of a year the plants have reached about the
height of a foot, and are ready for transplantation. The grounds<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</SPAN></span>
which are selected for plantations lie principally between 25°
north and 30° south of the equator, as the plant does not flourish
in a climate where the thermometer falls below 55°. High
altitudes also favor its perfect development, and the best
berries are found on hills having an elevation of 3,000 or 4,000
feet above the sea. The ground must be rich in mineral matter,
well watered and well drained.</p>
<p>The plants are then removed to the plantation and set out in
long beds, at a distance of four to six feet apart, with roadways
between the beds. The plants are topped when reset,
and are ever after kept closely pruned, so that they are about
twelve feet high, instead of attaining their natural growth of
fifteen or twenty feet. In three years the bush bears fruit, and
thereafter for forty years, being in full vigor from its tenth
year till its decay. From three to eight pounds are plucked
yearly from each bush, and the longer the bean is kept the
richer will be its flavor.</p>
<p>And a beautiful sight it is when the coffee unfolds its first
blossoms during September and October! Appearing in clusters
only for a day or two at the axils of the dark-green, shining,
evergreen leaves, the scene is made all the more brilliant
by the consciousness of its evanescence. Each flower consists
of a small, five-clefted white corolla, affording a fine contrast
to the laurel-like leaf, some four or five inches in length. The
bright blue sky, the warm air, the billowy lines of foliage, the
clusters of jessamine-like flowers, tossing fragrance from their
tiny bells, the intoxicated butterflies flitting from plant to
plant, all belong to a climate as unlike our northland as it is
possible for the mind to conceive.</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>Soon the fruit makes its appearance,—green at first, but
shortly turning a dark red,—which is ripe for gathering in
March, and from that until August. The two seeds or berries
contained within the fruit, which is shaped something like a
cranberry or a cherry, are glued together, each being enveloped
in a peculiar, leathery, parchment-like membrane.</p>
<p>The berries are picked by hand, care being taken to select
only those which are perfectly ripe. They are then thrown
into large, open yards, paved with rock and stone, with a
grade sufficient for the free drainage of water. After a few
days' exposure to the sun, the berries being perfectly dry, they
are put in the crusher to separate the berry from the husk.
The coffee is then passed through large and small sieves, one
under the other, with a fan at the back, by which means the
husks are winnowed from the berry.</p>
<p>Grading follows next, according to the size of the grain.
The best grade of coffee is Mocha, the next Java. The blending
of various qualities is one of the most difficult accomplishments,
without which, good coffee is almost an impossibility.
Hence it is that retail dealers, who roast their own coffee, so
often fail of success, since it requires skill, experience, and a
knowledge of the properties of different growths to produce
blendings which suit the palate.</p>
<p>As might be expected, numerous adulterations are found in
ground coffees of inferior grades. Some of them, like venetian
red to give color, are positively poisonous. Others, like chicory,
an endive like the dandelion, are injurious. Tons of this
root are annually consumed, many persons believing that it
accentuates the flavor of the real article. Yet it has been<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</SPAN></span>
proven that chicory produces heartburn, cramps, and, finally,
total blindness.</p>
<p>Besides these, are less noxious mixtures of roasted corn,
beans, peas, wheat, rye, dandelion, and various nuts. As long
ago as 1850, 18,000 pounds of vegetable matter were sold for
coffee in the United States. Professor Sharples, the State
Assayer of Massachusetts, last year found that one favorite
brand contained no coffee at all. It was made up of green
peas, burnt molasses, and "an occasional grain of rye." Another
French coffee was a concoction of peas, rye, and oats.
Be sure of an honest grocer, is the moral, unless the coffee is
burnt and ground at home. Some of these ingredients are harmless
enough, but who wishes to be deceived and defrauded?</p>
<p>The adulterations of ground coffee can be easily detected.
It must be premised here that the genuine coffee berry is extremely
hard and tough. Every one knows the character of
the grounds even after long soaking and boiling. "Now," says
an expert, "a spoonful of pure coffee placed gently on the surface
of a glass of cold water will float for some time and
scarcely color the liquid. If it contains chicory it will rapidly
absorb the water, and, sinking to the bottom of the glass, communicate
a deep reddish brown tint as it falls. Again, shake a
spoonful of the coffee with a wineglassful of water, then place
the glass upon the table. If it is pure it will rise to the surface
and scarcely color the liquid; if chicory is present it will
sink to the bottom and the water will be tinged of a deep red
as before."</p>
<p>Still again: "If, when a few pinches of the suspected coffee
are placed upon water in a wineglass, part floats and part<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</SPAN></span>
sinks, there is reason to believe it is adulterated either with
chicory, roasted corn, or other substances. Coffee does not
absorb the water; other substances do.... If the cold
water becomes deeply colored, it is evidence of the presence
of some roasted vegetable or burnt sugar. Or if, when a few
grains of coffee, spread out on a piece of glass, are moistened
with a few drops of water, we are enabled to pick out, by means
of a needle, minute pieces of a soft substance, the coffee is
adulterated, for the coffee particles are hard and resisting."</p>
<p>But, given coffee pure as pure can be, what are its effects
upon the system?</p>
<p>Coffee owes its stimulating and refreshing qualities to caffeine.
It also contains gum and sugar, fat, acids, casein and
wood fibre. Like tea, it powerfully increases the respiration,
but, unlike it, does not effect its depth. By its use the rate of
the pulse is increased and the action of the skin diminished.
It lessens the amount of blood sent to the organs of the body,
distends the veins and contracts the capillaries, thus preventing
waste of tissue. It is a mental stimulus of a high order,
and one that is liable to great abuse. Through its fascinations
the scholar burns the midnight oil, and too rapidly reduces his
store of vital force. To some temperaments it may be called a
poison. Carried to excess it produces abnormal wakefulness,
indigestion, acidity, heartburn, tremors, debility, irritability
of temper, trembling, irregular pulse, a kind of intoxication
ending in delirium, and great injury to the spinal functions.
Unfortunately, there are many coffee tipplers who depend upon
it as a drunkard upon his dram.</p>
<p>On the other hand, coffee is of sovereign efficacy in tiding<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</SPAN></span>
over the nervous system in emergencies. Soldiers in the late
war declared they could march longer and endure more hardships
under the stimulus of coffee than under that of liquor.
During their long predatory excursions the tribes of Central
Africa subsist for many days at a time on a mixture of coffee
and butter. Made into balls an inch and a half in diameter,
one lasts a man during twenty-four hours. The Belgian coal
miners live on a less quantity of solid food than the French
miners, who are furnished with a smaller amount of coffee.</p>
<p>Coffee is also, in its place, an excellent medicine. In typhoid
fever its action is frequently prompt and decisive. It is indicated
in the early stages before local complications arise. Coffee
dispels stupor and lethargy, is an antidote for many kinds
of poison, and is valuable in spasmodic asthma, hooping-cough,
cholera infantum, and Asiatic cholera.</p>
<p>It is also excellent as a preventive against infections and
epidemic diseases. In districts rife with malaria and fever,
the drinking of hot coffee before passing into the open air has
enabled persons living in such places to escape contagion.
Probably the nervous system is aroused to a positive condition,
in which fever germs are rendered innocuous.</p>
<p>That coffee is a medicine in cases of extreme alcoholism is
well known, but it is hardly understood to what extent this
exhilarating and potent beverage might be used in place of
liquor. Coffee-houses, where all the accessories are cheerful
and wholesome for mind and body, greatly tend to diminish
drunkenness. In the city of Birmingham, England, according
to the report of the American Consul a few years since, the
seventeen temperance coffee-houses in operation received the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</SPAN></span>
patronage of 20,000 men daily, six days in the week. "And,"
he truly adds, "a large proportion of these visitors would
otherwise have spent their evenings and their earnings in
liquor saloons."</p>
<p>The methods of making coffee are as various as the nations
that partake of it. In Arabia the coffee is freshly roasted and
pounded whenever the decoction is prepared, and its flavor is
enhanced by the addition of a few aromatic seeds or a little
saffron. It is drank in small cups, without sugar or milk, but
hot and strong, and Oriental hospitality demands that it be
served to every visitor. In country places the people use an
infusion of coffee leaves, steeped like tea and tasting like a
mixture of coffee and tea.</p>
<p>It is curious to observe that in the extremes of the North
and South coffee is alike regarded. In Sweden, near the midnight
sun, where the necessaries of life are scant and dear, Du
Chaillu found that the rudest cabin cherished a little store of
the precious berry to be used on festive occasions, feasts and
funerals, or for the infrequent and welcome traveler. Nothing
in his narration is more touching than those portions in which
he describes the hospitality set forth in the odoriferous cup in
those hamlets near the Arctic circle, where salt fish and sour
milk form the staple winter food.</p>
<p>From its cordial and gently stimulating effect, Western nations
may well join in the panegyric pronounced upon coffee
by an Arabian, translated thus: "O Coffee, thou dispellest the
cares of the great; thou bringest back those who wander from
the paths of knowledge! Coffee is our gold, and in the place
of its libations we are in the enjoyment of the best and noblest<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</SPAN></span>
society. Every care vanishes when the cup-bearer presents the
delicious chalice; it will circulate freely through thy veins and
will not rankle there. Grief cannot exist where it grows;
sorrow humbles itself before its powers."</p>
<p>Lastly, it may be said in the words of Sidney Smith, "If you
want to improve your understanding, drink coffee."</p>
<p>No matter where the coffee bean may have grown or how
perfect its condition, the decoction may be ruined in its preparation.
Among the numerous coffee-steepers in the market,
one, lately devised, seems to fill all requirements. It is the
Common-sense Coffee-pot, a veritable wonder worker, invented
by Mr. Krag, of Indianapolis. A bag or filter at the top, like
that used by the French, is nothing new. The improvement—and
it is a great improvement—consists in a simple yet ingenious
arrangement whereby the steam is condensed and returned
to the coffee. By this means the delicate aroma is entirely
preserved, and the coffee made delicious and strong.</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</SPAN></span></p>
<h2>A FEW FACTS ABOUT GOOD COFFEE.</h2>
<div>
<ANTIMG class="drop-capi" src="images/drop-i3.jpg" width-obs="47" height-obs="98" alt="I" /></div>
<p class="drop-capi3">INFORMATION regarding the making of good coffee is worthless
unless the roasted coffee bean is at the outset of good value itself.
The larger percentage of roasted coffee sold by the average retailer
is inferior. The crude and ignorant manner in which roasted coffees
are handled by the small dealers is of itself sufficient to depreciate
and almost destroy the good that is in any coffee; and, to meet this emergency,
the Schnull-Krag Coffee Co., of Indianapolis, Ind., adopted a patent can
from which their coffees are sold. These cans are sealed as soon as the coffee
is placed in them, and, by the intervention of a trap on the inside of the can,
refilling is prevented except at their mills. To further protect the consumer
a strip of heavy paper is fastened across the cap, or top, of the can, the removal
of which becomes evidence of an attempt at tampering with the contents.</p>
<p>The coffee placed in these cans comes hot from the coolers at the mills, and
is, therefore, fresh and fragrant, and no portion of the aroma is allowed to
escape.</p>
<p>These patent cans guard jealously the rights of the consumer, and all lovers
of good coffee should see that they get their supplies from these cans.</p>
<p>The Schnull-Krag Coffee Co. has its own secrets of so mixing and blending
coffee as to get results which have never been paralleled. Prof. William E. S.
Fales, analytical chemist, of New York, pronounces the fine coffees roasted
and sold by the Schnull-Krag Coffee Company not only the peer, but the
giant of all roasted coffees.</p>
<p>The leading brands roasted by this company are "Windsor, Mocha, and
Java," and "Our Best Java," and every customer failing to find these goods
with their dealer should insist, for their own happiness, comfort, and economy,
that they order them from the company. The price is never above that of
inferior goods, and the coffees are so boxed or crated that shipment is safe to
all quarters of the globe. No dealer need excuse himself. He can get these
coffees if he so wills it. Insist upon having them.</p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='drop-cap'>WHEN the foregoing papers were written by the
famous authorities on cooking, the Q. Q. common
sense condensing coffee pot had not yet been
shown to the public, the inventor prudently desiring to
give it a rigid trial before claiming for it marvelous possibilities.
It is now known that the whole field of invention
in coffee pots has nothing which ever created the interest
and captured the housekeepers affections as has the Q. Q.
Had Mrs. Harland or Miss Parloa, or either of the contributors
to this book been advised of the existence of this at once
practical, reliable and common sense coffee pot they would
have given it the priority over all other methods of coffee
making. How do we know this? How do you know that
you would prefer a glass of pure crystal spring water to a
drink of Missouri river water? How do we know that a
gas jet is preferable to a tallow dip? So do we easily reckon
where the remarkable work of the Q. Q. coffee pot
would place it in the opinions of all good housekeepers.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-058-dividing_line.jpg" width-obs="250" height-obs="13" alt="dividing line" /></div>
<p class='center'><big>"A DREAM OF PERSIA."</big></p>
<p class='center bigger'>THE AR-MO-JA COFFEE, (<span class="smcap">Powdered</span>.)</p>
<p class='center'>Sold only in one and three pound cans. Full weight.</p>
<p>Ar-mo-ja is powdered from the purest importations of
the highest grade coffees. It is economical, convenient
and wholesome. Being packed as soon as roasted and
pulverized, in air-tight cans, it will retain its strength and
exquisite aroma for any length of time, and in any climate.
For sale by all first-class grocers. Should you fail to find
it with your grocer, have him order a case.</p>
<p>Ar-mo-ja and the Q. Q. Coffee Pot make a partnership
giving unexampled results.</p>
<p class='sig'>
<span style="margin-right: 4em;">THE SCHNULL-KRAG COFFEE CO.,</span><br/>
<span class="smcap">Indianapolis, Indiana</span>.<br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-059-handsomeneckwear-title.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="419" alt="Handsome Neckwear for Men and Boys Linene Collars and Cuffs title" /></div>
<p><b>HOUSEWIVES</b> who desire to have their Husbands and Boys look their
best, should make note:</p>
<p class='center'>
<span class='bigger'>The "Linene" Goods</span><br/>
<br/>
<b>Are the most convenient article for the Farmer, the Mechanic,<br/>
the Machinist, the Traveler, and all Professional Men.</b><br/></p>
<ul class='list'><li>Both Standing and Turn-down in all desirable Sizes and Styles.</li>
<li>Always comfortable and easily adjusted.</li>
<li>Unequalled for cheapness, unrivalled for elegance.</li>
<li>After soiling on one side can be folded and used on the other.</li>
<li>No fretting, no worry, but clean linen always ready.</li>
</ul>
<p><b>We desire EVERYBODY to give these goods a FAIR TRIAL, and
will send to any address a sample Collar and pair of Cuffs, on receipt
of SIX CENTS. (Name Size.)</b></p>
<p>Please send for our <i>Illustrated Catalogue</i> (free), which gives full particulars
as to styles and varieties.</p>
<p><b>Ten Collars, or Five pairs of Cuffs, sold at stores for 25 cents.</b></p>
<p><ANTIMG src="images/i-059b-hand.jpg" width-obs="22" height-obs="10" alt="right index" /><i>Collars and Cuffs for Ladies, both White and Percale.</i></p>
<p class='center'>
<big>REVERSIBLE COLLAR COMPANY,</big><br/>
27 KILBY STREET, BOSTON, MASS.<br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-060-dangler-stove.jpg" width-obs="571" height-obs="519" alt="THE DANGLER Vapor Cook Stove The Housekeeper's Delight" /></div>
<p>These celebrated labor saving and economical Cook
Stoves are rapidly going into general use. They will Bake,
Roast, and Heat Irons Quicker and Better than either
the coal or wood stoves or range; and no kindling wood
or coal to carry, no ashes, dust or dirt. Be sure and inquire
of your dealer for <span class="smcap">The Dangler Non-Explosive
Vapor Cook Stove</span>. For circulars and catalogue address</p>
<p class='center'>
<b><span class='bigger'>THE DANGLER STOVE AND MFG. CO.,</span><br/>
Cleveland, Ohio, or Chicago, Illinois.</b><br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='adtitle'>The All Right Steam Heater.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-061.jpg" width-obs="397" height-obs="543" alt="steam heater" /></div>
<p class='center'>THESE HEATERS ARE GUARANTEED FOR FIVE YEARS AGAINST<br/>
ANY FAULT OF THE BOILERS, AND HAVE BEEN<br/>
<span class='bigger2'>WELL TESTED.</span></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'><b><big>ARE RELIABLE, ECONOMICAL AND EFFICIENT.</big></b></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'>Contains all that any good apparatus does, and the price is below<br/>
them all. It could be no better if it cost twice as much.</p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'>
CIRCULARS SENT ON APPLICATION TO<br/>
<b><span class='bigger'>THE COMBINATION CO.,</span><br/>
Or WM. H. PAGE, Treas., Norwich, Conn.</b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="dentifrice ad">
<tr><td align="right" rowspan='2' valign='top'><div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-062a-geers-phenol-bottle.jpg" width-obs="196" height-obs="400" alt="" /></div>
</td><td align="center" valign='top'><div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-062b-geers-dentifrice-box.jpg" width-obs="239" height-obs="300" alt="GEER'S Phenol DENTRIFICE or CARBOLIZED TOOTH POWDER" /></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="left"><p><i>To maintain the health of the MOUTH
and preserve the freshness and beauty
of the TEETH, the frequent use of a
Dentifrice becomes indispensable. It
is important to obtain an article free
from obnoxious ingredients, the presence
of which would surely cause
numerous troubles, the origin of which
is unsuspected.</i></p>
</td></tr>
</table></div>
<p><i>The proprietor of Phenol Dentifrice
recommends it to the notice of those not
already acquainted with its long established
merits. This preparation which
has been in the highest repute since its
introduction in 1870, and sold to the
dental profession throughout the United
States by the leading Dental Depots,
is a scientific combination of the finest
materials, so united chemically as to
insure the greatest efficiency and the
best possible results upon the MOUTH,
TEETH and GUMS.</i></p>
<blockquote>
<p><i>The excellence of this Dentifrice, the formula of which originated with the
proprietor, a dentist of 30 years practice, has obtained for it the strongest
recommendation of many of the professors in our DENTAL COLLEGES, as
well as from those most noted in private dental practice.</i></p>
</blockquote>
<p class='center'><b>As a TOOTH POWDER for general use, by old and young it stands unrivalled.</b><br/>
<br/>
<b><big>Sold by Druggists, 25c. per bottle, $1 per lb. in cans.</big></b></p>
<p>On receipt of 35 c. a ¼ lb. can; of 50 c. a ½ lb. can; of $1 a 1 lb. can will be sent
<i>post paid</i>, to any address.</p>
<p class='center'><big>S. L. GEER, DENTIST, 59 BROADWAY, NORWICH CONN.</big></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="wolff's shoe polish ad">
<tr><td align="left"><div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-063a-1.jpg" width-obs="470" height-obs="299" alt="man and woman cleaning and polishing shoes" /></div>
</td><td align="left"><p>"You need not work
so hard to blacken your
shoes, if you will commence
using <span class="smcap">Wolff's
Acme Blacking</span>.
See how easy it is?
While you sweat and
groan, I sit in perfect
composure."</p>
</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-063a-2-wolfs-blacking.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="33" alt="WOLFF'S ACME BLACKING" /></div>
<p class='center'>requires no brush to polish; gives a brilliant finish; preserves the leather and
is suitable alike for Ladies' French Kid Shoes and Men's Calf Boots;
in fact, all leather.<br/>
<br/>
For Sale in Groceries, Shoe Stores and Retailers in General.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-063b-wolff-title.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="46" alt="WOLFF & RANDOLPH, PHILADELPHIA." /></div>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="wolff's paint ad">
<tr><td align="left"><div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-063c-wolffs-transparent-title.jpg" width-obs="401" height-obs="202" alt="WOLFF'S TRANSPARENT PAINTS" /></div>
</td><td align="left"><p>Produce the same effect as
wood-staining and polishing,
without the cost or labor.</p>
<p class='center'><b><big>NO SKILL REQUIRED
TO APPLY IT.</big></b></p>
<p>Will stain old furniture without
scraping off the varnish.
Can be used as a Lacquer for
Metal, China or Glassware,
Pottery, Cane, Willow and
Wicker Work, Papier-Machè, etc.</p>
</td></tr>
</table></div>
<p class='center'><big>For Restoring Grained Wood-Work To Its Original Beauty,
Or Renewing Wall Paper.</big></p>
<p class='unindent'>Can also be used for painting expensive Lincrusta Walton, and will add greatly
to its beauty. Will make Imitation Stained Glass as clear as colored
glass itself.</p>
<p class='center'>
<b>SEND STAMP FOR CIRCULARS.</b> <b>SAMPLE BOTTLE BY MAIL 35 CTS.</b><br/>
<i>When ordering, state on what you wish to apply it and the effect desired.</i><br/>
<b><big>WOLFF & RANDOLPH, PHILADELPHIA.</big></b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-064-burnetts-title.jpg" width-obs="379" height-obs="237" alt="BURNETT'S PERFECTLY PURE Standard Flavoring HIGHLY CONCENTRATED EXTRACTS" /></div>
<p class='center'><b><big>Thoughtful people should read the testimonial below.</big></b></p>
<p class='unindent'><span class="smcap">Joseph Burnett & Co.</span>, Boston:</p>
<p><i>Gentlemen</i>,—I have used your Extracts for years, knowing them the best
to be found in the market.</p>
<p class='sig'>
MARIA PARLOA.<br/></p>
<p class='center'><span class="smcap">With Thousands of Others of Same Import.</span></p>
<hr class="short" />
<p class='bigger2 center'>
<i>Burnett's Coffee Clearer.</i></p>
<hr class="short" />
<p class='center'><b>A WOMAN'S INVENTION.</b></p>
<hr class="short" />
<p class='center'>
A patented combination of<br/>
<big><i>Cod Fish Skin and White of Eggs</i></big>.<br/>
<br/>
The best article for<br/>
<big>SETTLING COFFEE.</big><br/>
<br/>
<b>EGGS SAVED AND NO PATENT COFFEE POTS NEEDED.</b><br/></p>
<p>At a daily expense of less than (½) one-half a cent per family. A superior
article for settling Coffee, meeting with great success. If your grocer has not
got it send 12 cents for full sized package by mail, to</p>
<p class='center'>
<span class='bigger'><b>JOSEPH BURNETT & CO.,</b></span><br/>
Boston and Chicago,<br/>
<span style="margin-left: 12em;"><span class="smcap">Manufacturers and Proprietors</span>.</span><br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='adtitle2'>"<b>PRIME COFFEE AND GOOD COOKING</b>"</p>
<p>Is the remark of those who eat meals served on the gorgeous Dining Cars
which run on all through passenger trains between Chicago and Council Bluffs
(<i>West</i>), Minneapolis and St. Paul (<i>via</i> the "Famous Albert Lea Route,"
<i>Northwest</i>), and St. Joseph, Atchison, Leavenworth and Kansas City (<i>Southwest</i>),
over the</p>
<p class='center'>CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC R'Y.</p>
<p>Its passenger equipment also includes magnificent Pullman Palace Sleepers,
fine Day Coaches and elegant Reclining Chair Cars, and is unequalled in the
West, unsurpassed in the world.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-065.jpg" width-obs="501" height-obs="557" alt="inside of dining car" /></div>
<p>The "<b>GREAT ROCK ISLAND</b>" is the popular overland thoroughfare
and offers a choice of the best routes to Pacific Coast cities, and all intermediate
points, making connections in commodious Union Depots. To enjoy the
superior facilities, comforts and luxuries of this First-class, Railway, apply to
your nearest Coupon Ticket Office for tickets <i>via</i> Chicago, Rock Island and
Pacific Railway or Albert Lea Route, and refuse to take any other.</p>
<p>For Tickets, Maps, Folders, copies of Western Trail, or any desired information,
apply also at Chicago to</p>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="15" cellspacing="0" summary="managers and agent">
<tr><td align="center">R. R. CABLE,<br/>
<i>Pres. and Gen. Mgr.</i></td>
<td align="center">E. ST JOHN.<br/>
<i>Asst.-Gen. Manager.</i></td>
<td align="center">E. A. HOLBROOK,<br/>
<i>Gen. Ticket & Pass. Agt.</i></td></tr>
</table></div>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='center'><i>Given good browned Coffee it follows that it must be well made, and to do
this a good Coffee Pot is essential. The Q. Q. is that pot.</i></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-066-qq-title.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="407" alt="DON'T RUN IN A RUT! THE Q. Q. Common Sense Condensing Coffee Pot Patented in America, Canada and Europe." /></div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-066b.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="91" alt="The Result of Experience and Experiments." /></div>
<p class='center'><b><big>PRACTICAL, ECONOMICAL, SENSIBLE.</big></b></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'>
<b><span class='bigger3'>THE W. A. KRAG CO., Manuf'rs,</span></b><br/>
<b><big>93 Wall Street, New York.</big></b><br/></p>
<p><b>Western Office, Indianapolis, Indiana.</b></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-067-kingsford-title.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="464" alt="KINGSFORD'S Oswego Starch" /></div>
<p class='center'>For the Table, is Most Delicious, for</p>
<p><span style="margin-left: 10em;"><i>PUDDINGS</i>,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 16em;"><i>BLANC MANGE</i>,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 22em;"><i>CUSTARDS</i>, <i>Etc.</i></span><br/></p>
<p class='center bigger'>AND IS PERFECTLY PURE.</p>
<p>To secure the BEST—the UNADULTERATED ARTICLE, see that
the name</p>
<p class='center'>
<b><span class='bigger'>T. KINGSFORD & SON,</span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 13em;">OSWEGO, N. Y.</span></b><br/></p>
<p class='center'><i>Is on Every Box and Every Package</i>.</p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='center'><big>P. D. & Co. Patent Tea or Coffee China Pot Lid Fastener.</big><br/>
Prevents the Lid from falling off while pouring from the Pot.</p>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Coffee pots">
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan='2'><span class="smcap">Without it.</span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="smcap">With it.</span></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-068a-1.jpg" width-obs="160" height-obs="221" alt="coffee pot" /></div>
</td>
<td align="center"><div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-068a-2.jpg" width-obs="177" height-obs="224" alt="coffee pot" /></div>
</td>
<td align="center"><div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-068a-3.jpg" width-obs="154" height-obs="224" alt="coffee pot" /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center"><span class="smcap">Burnt Hands.</span> </td>
<td align="center"><span class="smcap">Broken Lid or Cups.</span></td>
<td align="center"><span class="smcap">Safety and Comfort.</span></td></tr>
</table></div>
<p>It fits any shaped pot, and saves its cost many times over by preventing the
breakage of lids and cups. It is made of German Silver and is an ornament to
the pot. Every one will appreciate the additional comfort from its use.</p>
<p class='right'>
<b>Per Mail, 20 Cents each.</b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-068b.jpg" width-obs="106" height-obs="367" alt="egg beater" /></div>
<p class='adtitle2'>P. D. & CO. PATENT EGG BEATER.</p>
<p class='center'>IT FITS INTO ANY SHAPED DISH.</p>
<p>It whips up and down into the egg, being just as effective
on one egg as more. With all revolving beaters but
little of the whipping surface comes into use, the whipper
spinning around above the egg, unless enough eggs are
used to cover it.</p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class="figcenter">
<ANTIMG src="images/i-068c-try-it.jpg" width-obs="130" height-obs="17" alt="TRY IT!" /></p>
<p class='center'><b>Beats ONE EGG in a TEA CUP in 18 Seconds.</b></p>
<p class="center">
<ANTIMG src="images/i-068c.jpg" width-obs="141" height-obs="15" alt="TEST IT!" /></p>
<p class='center'>
<b>Beats SIX EGGS in a BOWL in 70 Seconds.</b><br/>
Per Mail, 30 Cents each.<br/></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'>
<big>PAINE, DIEHL & CO.</big><br/>
<small>MANUFACTURERS,</small><br/>
12 BANK ST., PHILADELPHIA, PA.<br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="Granite ware ad">
<tr><td align="center" colspan='3'><ANTIMG src="images/i-069-granite1.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="255" alt="GRANITE IRON WARE. GRANITE IRON WARE" />
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td align="left"><ANTIMG src="images/i-069-granite2.jpg" width-obs="150" height-obs="212" alt="coffee pot" /></td>
<td align="left"><p>Coffee and Tea Pots are absolutely
the best articles made for this purpose.</p>
<p>Being a combination of <i>Glass</i> and
<i>Iron</i> they possess the qualities of both;
the <i>Glass</i> insuring a pure beverage, free
from taste or discoloration, and the iron
supplying the strength necessary for
durability.</p>
<p>A full line of <i>Kitchen Utensils</i> is
made in <i>Granite Iron Ware</i>, and can be
found with all first-class dealers in
House-Furnishing Goods. Made only
by the <span class="smcap">St. Louis Stamping Co.</span>, St. Louis, Mo.</p>
<p>Branches: 96 Beekman St., N. Y., 16 Lake St., Chicago.</p>
</td>
<td align="left"><ANTIMG src="images/i-069-granite3.jpg" width-obs="155" height-obs="242" alt="another coffee pot" />
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center" colspan='3'><ANTIMG src="images/i-069-granite4.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="393" alt="PATENT GRANITE IRON WARE" /></td>
</tr>
</table></div>
<hr class='full' />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-070-agate-factory.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="382" alt="AGATE IRON WARE. WORKS OF THE LALANCE & GROSJEAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY" /></div>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='center'>EXTRACT FROM AN EDITORIAL<br/>
<br/>
<small>ON</small><br/>
<br/>
<span class='bigger2'>AGATE IRON WARE,</span><br/>
<br/>
<b><small>BY</small></b><br/><br/>
<big>MARION HARLAND.</big><br/><br/></p>
<p>"Those who use the <span class="u"><b><big>AGATE IRON WARE,</big></b></span> patented
and made by this firm, need no recommendation of it.
Eminent chemists certify to its <big><b>safety,</b> <b>durability,</b></big>
and <big><b>cleanliness</b></big> of the materials employed in its composition.
The <b><big>shapes</big></b> are unusually <b><big>graceful</big></b> for
household and kitchen utensils. It is easily kept <b><big>clean;</big></b>
is <big><b>light,</b> <b>strong,</b></big> and pleasing to the sight by contrast
with the black Iron and dim or rusty Tins. After
several years' trial and thorough satisfaction with this
ware, editorial attestation to its <b><big>excellence</big></b> is an act
of <b><big>simple justice</big></b> to the manufacturers. It is given
in hope that others may share the <b><big>comfort</big></b> and <b><big>pleasure</big></b>
attendant upon its use."</p>
<hr class="chap" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='adtitle'><span class="smcap">For Candy Making</span></p>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="buy and stars">
<tr><td align="right"><ANTIMG src="images/i-072a-stars.jpg" width-obs="97" height-obs="11" alt="stars" /></td>
<td align="center"><big>BUY</big></td>
<td align="left"><ANTIMG src="images/i-072a-stars.jpg" width-obs="97" height-obs="11" alt="stars" />
</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-072.jpg" width-obs="399" height-obs="391" alt="ANDES STOVES AND RANGES" /></div>
<p class='center bigger'>THEY ARE THE BEST.<br/>
<br/>
THEY GIVE THE BEST SATISFACTION.</p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'><small>MANUFACTURED BY</small><br/>
<span class='bigger2'><b>PHILLIPS & CLARK STOVE CO.,</b></span><br/>
<big>GENEVA, N. Y.</big></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-073-hunters-title.jpg" width-obs="591" height-obs="475" alt="HUNTER'S ROTARY FLOUR And MEAL SIFTERS." /></div>
<p class='center'><small>MANUFACTURED BY</small><br/>
<br/>
<b><span class='adtitle2'>THE FRED. J. MEYERS MFG. CO.,</span><br/>
<big>COVINGTON, KY., U. S. A.</big></b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</SPAN></span></p>
<p><b>FOR SALE BY ALL FIRST CLASS DEALERS.</b><br/>
<span class='bigger'><span style="margin-left: 2em;"><i>ASK FOR THE IMPERVIOUS SAFETY OIL CAN!</i></span></span><br/>
<span style="margin-left: 22em;"><b>THE BEST IN THE WORLD.</b></span><br/></p>
<p class='center'><b>A COMPLETE FAMILY <big>OIL</big> TANK AND LAMP FILLER COMBINED.</b></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-074a-kerosene.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="215" alt="KEROSENE CANS PATENTED. ALL WARRANTED." /></div>
<p>These Oil Cans are made of WOOD, with the inner surface so prepared as to be perfectly impervious to
Kerosene or other Oils. They are fitted with Nickel-plated Compression Faucets and Vented Fillers. They
are absolutely free from Leak, Sweat or Odor. Lamps can be filled direct from the <span class="smcap">Faucets</span>, thus rendering
them the <b>Safest, Neatest and most Convenient Oil Can for Family Use</b>.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-074b-impervious-title.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="59" alt="Beware of Infringements. MANUFACTURED BYTHE IMPERVIOUS PACKAGE CO., KEENE, N. H." /></div>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-075-waste-embroidery.jpg" width-obs="400" height-obs="293" alt="WASTE EMBROIDERY SILK Factory Ends at half price; one ounce in a box—all good Silk and good colors. Sent by mail on receipt of 40 cents. 100 Crazy Stitches in each package. Send Postal note or Stamps to THE BRAINERD & ARMSTRONG SPOOL SILK CO., 621 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa. or 469 Broadway, New York." /></div>
<p><ANTIMG src="images/i-059b-hand.jpg" width-obs="22" height-obs="10" alt="right index" />
For the names and addresses of 10 ladies interested in Art Needlework,
we will send our new book "Art Needlework," free.</p>
<p class='right'>
<b>The Brainerd & Armstrong Spool Silk Co.,</b><br/>
<b>621 Market St., Philadelphia, Pa.</b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p class='adtitle'>Books for Every Housekeeper.</p>
<p class='center'><b>By MARIA PARLOA.</b></p>
<p>First Principles of Household Management and Cookery. A
Text-Book for Schools and Families. 18mo, New Edition enlarged.
Flexible cloth, 75 cents.</p>
<p class='center'><b>By MRS. A. D. T. WHITNEY.</b></p>
<p>Just How: A Key to the Cook-Books. 16mo, $1.00.</p>
<p>Of all the American cook-books we know, Mrs. Whitney's is the very best.—<i>"H.H."
in Denver Tribune.</i></p>
<p class='center'><b>By CATHERINE OWEN.</b></p>
<p>Ten Dollars Enough, Keeping House Well on Ten Dollars a
Week, How it has been Done, How it may be Done Again. 16mo,
$1.00.</p>
<p>⁂ <i>For sale by all Booksellers. Sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of price by
the Publishers.</i></p>
<p class='center'>
HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY,<br/>
<span class="smcap">4 Park St., Boston.</span> <span class="smcap">11 East 17th St., New York.</span><br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</SPAN></span></p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-076a-title.jpg" width-obs="476" height-obs="119" alt="MRS. E. M. VanBRUNT'S DRESS REFORM PARLORS, 39 E. 19th STREET, NEW YORK." /></div>
<div class="center">
<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="underwear and ad">
<tr><td align="left" rowspan='2'><div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-076c-longjohns.jpg" width-obs="150" height-obs="307" alt="women's long underwear" /></div>
</td><td align="center"><div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-076d-underweartitle.jpg" width-obs="343" height-obs="52" alt="Hygenic and Artistic Underwear title" /></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td align="center">
FOR<br/>
<br/>
WOMEN AND CHILDREN.<br/>
Sole Agent for <span class="smcap">Miss C. Bates'</span><br/>
<b><big>DRESS REFORM GARMENTS.</big></b><br/>
Jersey fitting Undergarments in Silk,<br/>
Wool, Merino and Lisle, in<br/>
stock or made to order.<br/>
At all times a full line of Ferris Bros.'s<br/>
celebrated<br/>
<b><big>COMMON SENSE WAISTS</big></b>.
</td></tr>
</table></div>
<div class="figright"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-076e-corset.jpg" width-obs="193" height-obs="251" alt="BATES' WAISTS (waist)" /></div>
<p class='center'>CORDED WAISTS,</p>
<p>For all ages, "<b>Breakfast Corsets</b>,"
Dress Forms, Stocking Supporters, Abdominal
Bandages, Sanitary Towels,
Bustles, etc., made of best material.
Corsets for Equestriennes, Corselettes
for Sea Shore Bathers.</p>
<p class='center'><span class="smcap">Send for Dress Reform Quarterly. <br/>Mailed Free.</span></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="smcap"><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</SPAN></span></span></p>
<p class='adtitle'>THE BOSTON COOK BOOK,</p>
<p>By MRS. D. A. LINCOLN, is the best Cook Book in the World. Nearly
600 pages, 50 illustrations, price $2.00. Sent by mail, post-paid, on receipt of
price by the publishers,</p>
<p class='right'>
ROBERTS BROTHERS, Boston.<br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p class='adtitle2'>Good Housekeeping Series of Household Books.</p>
<p class='adtitle3'><b>PERFECT BREAD.</b></p>
<p><span class="smcap">Fifty Recipes</span> for Making Breads of all kinds, the Preparation of Yeast,
and Instructions, which, if duly followed, will enable any housewife to be sure
of always having Perfect Bread. Postpaid on receipt of Twenty-Five Cents.</p>
<p class='adtitle3'><b>A KEY TO COOKING.</b></p>
<p>Of which the author, Catherine Owen, says, "I do not think anything I
shall ever be able to write will be more valuable to the inexperienced cook than
this book." Sent by mail, postage free, on receipt of price, Twenty-Five Cents.</p>
<p class='adtitle3'><b>LESSONS IN CANDY MAKING.</b></p>
<p>The very popular Series of Catherine Owen's papers on Candy Making at
Home, recently published in <span class="smcap">Good Housekeeping</span>, are now re-published in
book form. Sent postpaid for Fifty Cents.</p>
<p class='adtitle3'><b>"SIX CUPS OF COFFEE."</b></p>
<p>By Maria Parloa, Catherine Owen, Marion Harland, Juliet Corson, Mrs.
Helen Campbell, Mrs. D. A. Lincoln. A book of greater value to housekeepers
than anything of the kind ever before published. Sent postpaid on receipt
of Twenty-Five Cents.</p>
<p class='center'><b>We will send these Four Books for $1.</b></p>
<p>Others of this series in preparation are: "Progressive Housekeeping."
"In the Sick Room."</p>
<p class='center'>
<span class='bigger'>CLARK W. BRYAN & CO., Publishers.</span><br/>
<b>SPRINGFIELD, MASS.</b><br/></p>
<hr class="full" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</SPAN></span></p>
<p class='adtitle'>Good Housekeeping</p>
<p class='center'><b>A FAMILY JOURNAL.</b><br/><br/>
PUBLISHED FORTNIGHTLY. - $2.50 A YEAR.<br/></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center bigger'><b>Good Housekeeping Bill of Fare.</b></p>
<p>The Fortnightly Bill of Fare of <span class="smcap">Good Housekeeping</span> has heretofore
been enriched by contributions from some of the most noted and practical
writers on household subjects, and new ones are being constantly added to the
already largely extended list, which now contains the names of:</p>
<p>Marion Harland, Maria Parloa, Catherine Owen, Juliet Corson, Rose Terry
Cook, Mary E. Dewey, Margaret Sidney, Hester M. Poole, Lucretia P. Hale,
Elisabeth Robinson Scovil, Mrs. D. H. R. Goodale, Dora Read Goodale,
Anna L. Dawes, Ellen Bliss Hooker, Anna Barrows, Margaret Eytinge,
Helen Campbell, H. Annette Poole, Emma P. Ewing, Ruth Hall, Carrie W.
Bronson, Mrs. H. M. Plunkett, Elizabeth M. Griswold, Adelaide Preston,
Pauline Adelaide Hardy, Henrietta Davis, Georgia A. Peck, Emily A. Brownell,
Helen Chase, Mary Stuart Smith, Kate Tannatt Woods, Mary Winchester,
Mrs. Fanny A. Benson, Carlotta Perry, Julia H. May, Sarah DeWolf
Gamwell, Clarissa Potter, Mrs. C. S. Fox, May Kingston, Nellie F. Burnham,
May Riley Smith, Anne Aldworth, Florence B. Hallowell, Mary Clark Huntington,
Olive E. Dana, Emma W. Babcock, Marion Foster Washburne, Mary
B. Sleight, Olivia Lovell Wilson, Mrs. Lewis Swift, Helen Whitney Clark,
Frances B. James, England, Marie Gozzaldi, Lugano, Switzerland, E. C. Gardner,
Milton Bradley, Dr. F. M. Hexamer, William Paul Gerhard, John Wentworth,
Zenas Dane, Edgar L. Wakeman, Frank H. Stauffer, and scores of
other famed writers on matters pertaining to the interests of the Higher Life
of the Household in the Homes of the World.</p>
<p class='center'><span class='big'><b>SAMPLE COPY 10 CENTS.</b></span></p>
<hr class='short' />
<p class='center'>
<span class='bigger2'><b>Clark W. Bryan & Co., Publishers,</b></span><br/>
<b>SPRINGFIELD, MASS.</b><br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<p class='center'><b>MARK YOUR LINEN YOURSELF!</b><br/>
WITH</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-079a-title.jpg" width-obs="571" height-obs="79" alt="PAYSON'S indelible INK" /></div>
<p class='center'>With a <span class="smcap">Common Pen</span>, without a preparation.</p>
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i079b-paysons.jpg" width-obs="594" height-obs="52" alt="THE OLDEST. {Established over 50 years} THE BEST." /></div>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i079c-paysons.jpg" width-obs="381" height-obs="228" alt="PAYSON'S INDELIBLE INK, for Marking Linen, Silk & Cotton WITH A COMMON PEN, Without a Preparation. EST 1815" /></div>
<p>A single letter or number
even, will save time and
confusion in sorting the
family linen.</p>
<p>Don't waste patience and
money, trying the so called
cheaper inks, or leave your
articles to be disfigured and
injured by laundrymen.</p>
<p>Sold by all Book, Drug
and Fancy Goods stores.</p>
<hr class="full" />
<p class='center'><b>ESTABLISHED, 1801</b></p>
<p class='adtitle2'>BENT & CO.'S <small>Celebrated Hand-made</small> WATER CRACKERS</p>
<div class="figleft"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-079d-crackers.jpg" width-obs="238" height-obs="297" alt="BENT & CO'S HAND MADE WATER CRACKERS" /></div>
<p class='center'><b><big>GUARANTEED ABSOLUTELY PURE.</big></b><br/>
<br/>
Hand-Made from Choicest Flour.<br/>
<br/>
They are Easy of Digestion.</p>
<p>Recommended by Eminent Physicians both
sides the Atlantic.</p>
<p>Get only the genuine, which bear the stamp
of the makers.</p>
<p>For more than four-score years the Crackers
have been unequalled for excellence and their
superior keeping qualities. They are sold by
first-class grocers everywhere.</p>
<p class='right'>
BENT & CO., Milton, Mass.<br/></p>
<hr class='full' />
<div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i-080-back_cover.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="627" alt="Two women shopping in very elaborate dresses" /> <div class="caption">"Wait a moment, please, while I step in and order a package of Schnull-Krag's Windsor Mocha and Java Coffee. You know we are always sure of having a good cup of coffee when we use the Windsor."</div>
</div>
<hr class="chap" />
<div class='tnote'>
<p class='center'><b>Transcriber's Notes:</b></p>
<p>Obvious punctuation errors repaired.</p>
<p>Page 33, repeated word "may" removed from text. Original read
(coffee you may may make a)</p>
<p>Page 42, "poision" changed to "poison" (to take slow poison)</p>
<p>Page 56, "TOOH" changed to "TOOTH" (As a TOOTH POWDER for)</p>
<p>Page 68, "SAFTY" changed to "SAFETY" (IMPERVIOUS SAFETY OIL)</p>
<p>Page 69, "Enongh" changed to "Enough" (Dollars Enough, Keeping House)</p>
</div>
<SPAN name="endofbook"></SPAN>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />