THE BAKERS' GUIDE

Carbonate of soda, added to boiling water, will decompose these sulphates.

To soften water, for breadmaking, or for culinary, purposes, where carbonate of soda cannot be used, mix one ounce of quicklime with every 30 gallons of water, dissolve, and well mix, and allow to settle for 1 2 hours. The sediment will be ordinary whiteing. If necessary, to ascertain the exact amount of lime required, mix a solution of nitrate of silver, using distilled watet for the pupose, put a few drops into a white earthenware vessel— a gallipot will do — and add the hard water and lime in definite quantities until the faintest yellow tinge is produced. The measure of hard water and the weight of lime used, will then determine the proportions necessary for perfect softening.

Simple tests for water are : For impurities in suspension, boil down a quart in an evaporating dish (any porcelain vessel that will stand the heat) to dryness. If the deposit is white, there is not much the matter with it for health, but if yellow or green tints are present, or if gummy and emits a smell like burning leather or feathers, then these signs show the presence of hurtful organic matter. If the water is impregnated with vegetable refuse, manure, etc., a few drops of an acidulated 5 per cent, solution of permanganate of potash will be discoloured— all the purple taken out of it. The chemistry of this reaction, decayed organic matter attracts oxygen, and the permanganate contains oxygen in a state be removed in this way. The more organic matter the more drops of permanganate will be discoloured. Try two or three different kinds of water.

Ice, water, steam superheated to gaseous vapour, are all the same thing — it is all water at different temperatures, ice being only solidified water.

Zero (probably from the Arabic tsaphara^ empty). Nothing, It is used to denote a cypher, and to fill the blank between the ascending and descending numbers in a scale or series.

Zsymae. Is a diastasic principle of yeast.