TO CHOOSE MEAT8.

Bet/. If the flesh of ox-beef is young it will have a fine smooth open grain, be of a good red, and feel tender. The fat should look white rather than yellow, for when that is of a deep colour, the meat is seldom good; beef fed by oilcakes is in general so, and the flesh is flabby. The grain of cow-beef is closer, and the fat whiter, than that of ox-beef; but the lean is not of so bright a red. The grain of bull-beef is closer still, the fat hard and skinny, the lean of a deep red, and a stronger scent. Ox-beef is the reverse. It is the richest and largest; but in small families, and to some tastes, heifer-beef is better if finely fed. In old meat there is a streak of horn in the ribs of beef: the harder this is, the older; and the flesh is not finely flavoured.

Veal. The flesh of a bull-calf is the firmest, but not so white. The fillet of a cow-calf is generally preferred for the »dder. The whitest is not the most juicy, having been made so by frequent bleeding, and having had whiting to lick. Choose the meat of which the kidney is well covered with thick white fat. If the bloody vein in the shoulder looks blue, or of a bright red, it is newly killed; but any other colour shows it stale. The other parts should be dry and white; if clammy or spotted, the meat is stale and bad. The kidney turns first in the loin, and the suet will not then be firm. new and sweet, must have the eyes plump and they are sunk or wrinkled, it is not good. applies to the head of a sheep or lamb.

The head, if

lively; but if This rule also

Venison. If the fat be clear, bright, and thick, and the cleft part smooth and close, it is young; but if the cleft is wide and rough, it is old. To judge of its sweetness, run a very sharp narrow knife into the shoulder or haunch, and you will know by the scent. Few people like it when it has much of the haut-gout.

Pork.—Pinch the lean, and if young it will break. If the rind is tough, thick, and cannot be easily impressed by the finger, it is old. A thin rind is a merit in all pork. When fresh, the flesh will be smooth and cool; if clammy, it is tainted. What is called measly pork is very unwholesome; and may be known by the fat being full of kernels, which in good pork is Pork fed at still-houses does not answer for

never the case.

curing any way, the fat being spongy. Dairy-fed pork is the best.

Mutton.-Choose this by the fineness of its grain, good colour, and firm white fat. It is not the better for being joung; if of a good breed, and well fed, it is better for age; but this only holds with wether-mutton: the flesh of the ewe is paler, and the texture finer. Ram mutton is very strongflavoured, the flesh is of a deep red, and the fat spongy.

Lamb. Observe the neck of a fore quarter: if the vein is bluish, it is fresh; if it has a green or yellow cast, it is stale. In the hind quarter, if there is a faint smell under the kidney, and the knuckle is limp, the meat is stale. If the eyes are sunk, the head is not fresh. Grass lamb comes into season in April or May, and continues till August. House lamb may be had in great towns almost all the year, but is in the highest perfection in December and January.

Bacon. If the rind is thin, the fat firm, and of a red tinge, the lean tender, of a good colour, and adhering to the bone, you may conclude it good, and not old. If there are yellow streaks in it, it is going, if not already rusty.

Hams.-Stick a sharp knife under the bone; if it comes out with a pleasant smell, the ham is good; but if the knife is daubed and has a bad scent, do not buy it. Hams short in the hock are best, and long-legged pigs are not to be chosen for any preparations of pork.

Brawn. The horny part of young brawn will feel moderately tender, and the flavour will be better; the rind of old will be hard.

TO CHOOSE FISH.

Salmon.-It new, the flesh is of a fine red, (the gills particularly) the scales bright, and the whole fish stiff. When just killed, there is a whiteness between the flakes, which gives great firmness; by keeping, this melts down, and the fish is more rich. The Thames salmon bears the highest price; that caught in the Severn is next in goodness, and is even preferred by some. Small heads, and thick in the neck, are best.

Turbot, if good, should be thick, and the belly of a yellowish white; if of a bluish cast, or thin, they are bad. They are in season the greatest part of the summer.

Cod. The gills should be very red: the fish should be ten' thick at the neck, the rlesh white nnd firm, and the eyes fresh. When flabby they are not good. They are in season from the beginning of December till the end of April.

If too

Skate.-If good, they arc very white and thick. fresh, they eat tough, but must not be kept above two days. Herrings. Tf good, their gills are of a fine red, and the ♦yes bright; as is likewise the whole fish, which must be stiff and firm.

Sprats —Choose by the saine rules as herrings.

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Soles. If good, they are thick, and the belly is of a cream colour; if this is of a bluish cast and flabby, they are not fresh. They are in the market almost the whole year, but are in the highest perfection about midsummer.

Whitings. The firmness of the body and fins is to be looked to, as in herrings: their high season is during the first three months of the year, but they may be had a great par$ of it.

Mackarel.—Choose as whitings. Their season is May, June, and July. They are so tender a fish that they carry and keep worse than any other.

Pike. For freshness observe the above remarks. The best are taken in rivets: they are a very dry fish, and are much indebted to stuffing and sauce.

Carp live some time out of water, and may therefore get wasted; it is best to kill them as soon as caught, to prevent this. The same sign of freshness attend them as other fish.

Tench. They are a fine-flavoured fresh-water fish, and should be killed and dressed as soon as caught. When they ate to be bought, examine whether the gills are red and hard to open, the eyes bright, and the body stiff. The tench has a slimy matter about it, the clearness and brightness of which ihon freshness. The season is July, August, and September.

Ptrch. Take the general rules given to distinguish the freshness of other fish. They are not so delicate as carp and tench.

Mullets.—The sea are preferred to the river mullets, and the red to the grey. They should be very firm; their season is August.

Gudgeons.-They ore chosen by the same rules a* other

fish. They are taken in running streams; come in about mid' summer, and are in season rive or six months.

Sturgeons. When good, they must have a fine blue in the veins and gristle: the flesh should be perfectly white, and cut without crumbling.

Smelts, if good, have a fine silvery hue, are very firm, and have a refreshing smell like cucumbers newly cut. caught in the Thames and some other large rivers.

They are

Eels.—There is a greater difference in the goodness of eeht than of any other fish. Those taken in great floods are generally good, but in ponds they have usually a strong rank flavour. Except the middle of summer, they are always in

season.

Lobsters.—If they have not been long taken, the claws will have a strong motion when you put your finger on the eyes and press them. The heaviest are the best, and it is preferable to boil them at home. When you buy them ready boiled, try whether their tails are stiff, and pull up with a spring; otherwise that part will be flabby. The cock-lobster is known by the narrow back part of his tail, and the two uppermost fins within it are stiff and hard; but those of the hen her soft, and the tail broader. The male, though generally smaller, has the highest flavour, the flesh is firmer, and the colour when boiled is a deeper red.

Crabs.—The heaviest are best, ami those of a middling size are sweetest. If light they are watery; when in perfection the joints of the legs are stiff, and the body has a very agreeable smell. The eyes look dead and loose when stale.

Prawns and Shrimps.—When fresh they have a sweet flavour, are firm and stiff, and the colour is bright.

Oysters.—There are several kinds. When alive and strong the shell closes on the knife. They should be eaten as soon as opened, the flavour becoming poor otherwise. The rock-oyster is largest, but usually has a coarse flavour if eaten

raw.

Plaice and Flounders.—They should be thick, firm, and have their eyes bright. They very soon become flabby and bad. They are both sea and river fish. The plaice is best when the body has a bluish cast. They are in season from January to March, and from July to September.

TO CHOOSE POULTRY AND GAME.

A Turkey Cock.-If young, he has a smooth black leg, with a short spur. The eyes full and bright, if fresh, and the feet supple and moist. If stale, the eyes will be sunk, and the

feet dry.

Hen-Turkey is known by the same rules; but if old, her legs will be red and rough.

Geese.—The bill and feet of a young one will be yellow, and there will be but few hairs upon them; if old, they will be red; if fresh, the feet will be pliable; if stale, dry and stiff. Geese are called green till three or four months old. Green geese should be scalded; a stubble goose should be picked dry.

Ducks. Choose them by the same rules, of having supple feet, and by their being hard and thick on the breast and belly. The feet of a tame duck are thick, and inclining to dusky fellow; a wild one has the feet reddish, and smaller than the They should be picked dry. Ducklings must be

scaided.

Pigeons should be very fresh; when they look flabby about the vent, and this part is discoloured, they are stale. The feet should be supple; if old, the feet are harsh. The tame ones are larger than the wild, and are thought best by some persons; they should be fat and tender; but many are deceived in their size, because a full crop is as large as the whole body of a small pigeon.

The wood-pigeon is large, and the flesh dark-coloured; if properly kept, and not over-roasted, the flavour is equal to teal. Plovers. Choose those that feel hard at the vent, which shows they are fat. In other respects, choose them by the same marks as other fowl. When stale, the feet are dry. They will keep sweet a long time. There are three sorts: the grey, green, and bastard plover or lapwing.

The Bustard.—This dainty bird is chosen in the same manner as the turkey.

The Heathcock and Hen, when young, have smooth legs and bills, which become rough when old. You may judge of their freshness in the same manner as yju do with the phea

sant.