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OLIVE OIL.

Few articles differ more in quality than olive oil; not that the
different kinds are produced from different fruit, but in the different
stages of the pressure of the olives. Thus, by means of gentle pressure,
the best or _virgin_ oil flows first; a second, and afterwards a
third quality of oil is obtained, by moistening the residuum, breaking
the kernels, &c. and increasing the pressure. When the fruit is not
sufficiently ripe, the recent oil has a bitterish taste; and when too
ripe it is fatty. After the oil has been drawn, it deposits a white,
fibrous, and albuminous matter; but when this deposition has taken
place, if it be put into clean flasks, it undergoes no further
alteration. The common oil cannot, however, be preserved in casks above
a year and a half or two years. The consumption of olive oil as food is
not surprising if we remember, that it is the lightest and most delicate
of all the fixed oils.

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CARDS.

Some misconception has arisen respecting the legality of _Second-hand
Cards_. It appears, however, that they may be sold by any person, if
sold without the wrapper of a licensed maker; and in packs containing
not more than 52 cards, including an ace of spades duly stamped, and
enclosed in a wrapper with the words "Second-hand Cards" printed or
written in distinct characters on the outside: penalty for selling
Second-hand Cards in any other manner, 20l.

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CINNAMON AND CASSIA.

Cassia bark resembles Cinnamon in appearance, smell, and taste, and is
very often substituted for it; but it may be readily distinguished: it
is thicker in substance, less quilled, breaks shorter, and is more
pungent. It should be chosen in thin pieces: the best being that which
approaches nearest to Cinnamon in flavour; but that which is small and
broken should be rejected.

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COLOURING CHEESE.

The fine, bright, red colour of some Gloucester cheese has been
fraudulently produced by red lead, which, we need scarcely observe, is a
violent poison. The ingredient now employed for this purpose, (to the
exclusion of every thing else) in Cheshire and Gloucestershire, is
annatto, a dye prepared from the seeds of a tree of South America. It is
perfectly harmless in the proportion in which it is used; an ounce of
genuine annatto being