Tea. What is Tea? It is the dried leaf of a plant which grows in China, India, and other Eastern countries. What kind of plant is the Tea-plant? It is an evergreen plant, with flowers not unlike those of the white wild-rose. (See p. 12.) When was Tea first brought to England? About two hundred years ago. How can you give an idea of the amount of Tea consumed in Great Britain in a year? If all the chests of tea consumed in the British Islands in a year were ranged in a line, they would stretch from the north to the south of Scotland nearly three hundred miles! Coffee. From what is Coffee made? From the berries of an evergreen shrub about ten or twelve feet high. What are the Berries like? They are about the size of a cherry; and each contains two kernels, called coffee-beans. How are the Beans prepared? They are dried and roasted, and then ground into the powder which we call coffee. Where does Coffee come from? The best coffee comes from Mocha, in Arabia; but a great deal comes also from the West Indies and from Brazil. Cocoa. From what is Cocoa made? From the oily seeds of the cacao, a shrub which grows in the West Indies and many parts of South America. What else is made from these Seeds? Mixed with sugar and spices, they make a sweet paste called chocolate. Sugar. From what is Sugar made? It is made chiefly from the juice of the sugar-cane. Whence does it come? From the East and West Indies, and from Brazil. How is it made? The stems are crushed, to get the juice out of them; the juice is then cleared, boiled till it forms into crystals, and strained. What is the liquid part strained from the sugar called? Molasses, or treacle. What else is Sugar made from? From the maple-tree, from beet-root, and from the date-palm. Milk and Butter. What is the place called where Milk is kept after it comes from the cow? The dairy. What forms on the surface of the Milk when it stands for some time? A thick, oily liquid, called cream. How is Butter made? By putting cream in a churn, and stirring it violently, it is separated into butter and butter-milk. What is Cheese? It is the curd of milk, salted, pressed, and dried. How is the Curd formed? By putting a liquid called rennet in milk, it is made to turn sour, and to separate into a thick mass called curd, and a thin liquid called whey. What kinds of Milk are used for food besides cow's milk? Goat's milk in Switzerland, reindeer's in Lapland, camel's in Arabia, and mare's in Tartary. We also make cheese of ewemilk; and give ass's-milk to invalids. Eggs. What kinds of Eggs are commonly used for food? Chiefly those of the common hen; sometimes also those of ducks and turkeys. Do the British Isles supply themselves with Eggs? Not entirely. They produce great quantities, but millions are imported every year from France. England and Scotland also get large supplies of eggs from Ireland. Salt. Where is Salt obtained? Either from mines (Rock salt) or from salt water (Bay salt). Where are the greatest Salt-mines? In Poland; but there are very large ones also at Northwich, in Cheshire. How is Salt made from sea water? The water is boiled till it all goes off in steam, leaving only the salt behind. Is Rock-salt used just as it comes from the mine? Not always the Cheshire salt is first melted in sea water, and then prepared in the same way as Bay salt. Why do we use Salt with our food? If we took our food without it, we should become very unhealthy. For what do we use it, besides for seasoning food? For preserving meat. As-sem-bled, brought together. Man-age, keep in order. Butler, a servant who has charge of Pol-i-cy, rule to act by. Sov-er-eign (sov-er-in), a gold coin, worth twenty shillings. Trudged, walked slowly. Un-ru-ly, wild; not easily led. A SCOTCH nobleman, who was very fond of farming, had bought a cow, from a gentleman who lived near him. The cow was to be sent home next morning. Early in the morning, as the duke was taking a walk, he saw a boy trying in vain to drive the cow to his house. The cow was very unruly,* and the poor boy could not manage her at all. * The boy, not knowing the duke, bawled out to him, "Hallo, man! come here and help me with this beast." The duke walked slowly on, not seeming to notice the boy, who still kept calling for his help. At last, finding that he could not get on with the cow, he cried out in distress,* "Come here, man, and help me, and I'll give you half of whatever I get." The duke went, and lent a helping hand. "And now," said the duke, as they trudged* along after the cow, "how much do you think you will get for the job?" "I don't know," said the boy; "but I am sure of something, for the folk up at the big house are good to everybody." On coming to a lane near the house, the duke slipped away from the boy, and reached home by a different road. Calling a servant, he put a sovereign into his hand, saying, "Give that to the boy who brought the cow." He then returned to the end of the lane, where he had parted from the boy, so as to meet him on his way back. "Well, how much did you get?" asked the duke. "A shilling," said the boy; and there's half of it to you." "But surely you got more than a shilling?" said the duke. "No," said the boy; "that is all I got; and I think it quite enough." "I do not," said the duke; "there must be something wrong; and as I am a friend of the duke, if you return, I think I'll see that you get more.” They went back. The duke rang the bell, and ordered all the servants to be assembled.* Now," said the duke to the boy, "point me out the person who gave you the shilling." "It was that man there," said he, pointing to the butler.* The butler fell on his knees, confessed his fault, and begged to be forgiven; but the duke ordered him to give the boy the sovereign, and quit his service at once. "You have lost," said the duke, "both your place and your character,* by your deceit.* Learn for the future that honesty is the best policy.*" The boy now found out who it was that had helped him to drive the cow; and the duke was so pleased with the manliness and honesty of the boy, that he sent him to school, and paid for him out of his own pocket. Who is that Did he help QUESTIONS.-What is the boy in the picture doing? standing near him? What did the boy promise him? him? How much did the boy give him afterwards? Who had cheated the boy? How was he punished? How was the boy treated? SOME years ago, a fine dog, called Neptune, was kept at an inn in Wimborne, in the county of Dorset.* His fame spread far and wide. Every morning, as the clock of the minster* struck eight, he might be seen, with a basket in his mouth, going to the baker's for bread. The basket contained money to buy the bread; and Neptune, day after day, carried it safely across the street to the baker's shop. |