=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 harmful. Good potatoes should have a smooth skin and few eyes; the flesh pale and of a uniform color and of a firm consistency. A rough skin, with little depressions, indicates a disease called "scab"; dark-brown patches on the skin are due to a disease called "smut." Potatoes with such diseases are of inferior quality. If green on one side, due to exposure to the sun when growing, the potatoes are unwholesome. =Fruits.=--Underripe or green fruit should never be eaten. This condition may be easily detected by the color and consistency of the fruit. Diseased or decayed fruit is known by its change of color, softening, and external mold. Spots on fruit are often caused by a fungus which lowers its quality and renders it less wholesome.