like boric acid or saltpeter to retard the latter.

The artificial colors, such as carmine and aniline red, may be
detected by observation or by warming the finely divided material on a
water bath with a five per cent solution of sodium salicylate. This
fluid will extract the color, if present.

=Lard.=--Good lard is white and granular and has a firm consistency.
It has an agreeable characteristic odor and taste. The choicest leaf
lard is made from the fat about the kidneys of the hog; the cheaper
grades are made from the fat of the whole animal.

=FRESH VEGETABLES AND FRUITS--Vegetables.=--All green vegetables to be
eaten uncooked should be carefully washed and examined for insects,
dirt, and foreign matter generally. The ova or eggs of the tapeworm
may be ingested with improperly cleaned vegetables. Running water and
a clean brush (kept for this purpose) should be used.

Green vegetables should have a fresh, unwilted appearance; any sign of
staleness or decay should cause their rejection. Overripe or underripe
vegetables are harmful.

Lettuce, celery, and all leaved or stemmed vegetables should be
examined to see if the outer leaves have been removed; this may be
determined by the distance of the leaves from the stem head. The
general signs of disease in vegetables are softening, change of color,
and mold.

The following characteristics indicate fresh and wholesome vegetables:

=Asparagus.=--Firm and white in the stalk with a green, compact tip.

=Beans and Peas= should have green, not yellow, pods, brittle, and
easily snapped open. The vegetable itself should be tender, full and
fleshy, not wrinkled or shrunken.

=Cabbage=, crisp and firm, with a well-rounded and compact head.

=Carrots=, light red or yellow, with a regular, conical shape, sweet
and crisp.

=Cauliflower=, white, compact head; any tinge of yellow or green
generally indicates an inferior quality.

=Celery=, nearly white in color; large, crisp, and solid stalks, nutty
in flavor.

=Cucumbers=, firm, crisp, with a smooth skin and white flesh.

=Lettuce=, the head close and compact; the leaves clean, crisp, and
sweet. When it is too young or running to seed the taste is bitter.
Pale patches on the leaves are caused by mildew and are a sign of
decay.

=Parsnips=, buff in color, with unforked roots, sweet and crisp.

=Potatoes=, underripe, green potatoes are unfit for food; they contain
a poisonous substance which renders them actually