HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 383 



ily so much depends. With good bread the coursest fare is enjoy- 

 able. Without it the most luxurious table is not even comfortable. 



In the past two years there has been so much poor flour put 

 upon the market for "No. 1" that it has been almost impossible to 

 make bread that was eatable — let alone being nutritious. 



In serving on committees of bread and cake at our State Fair for 

 the past two yeara I was surprised to see how much poor bread 

 was brought to compete for the generous premiums. Much of it 

 showed a lack of kneading and some was mixed too hard, showing 

 that the housekeeper did not think it necessary to be as particular 

 in mixing, kneading and baking the bread as she did to bake cake. 

 Let me tell you housekeepers that you cannot be too particular in 

 making bread. 



In the first place good yeast is essential, The following recipe 

 has been in use in my family for years, and if you make it your- 

 self you will always have good bread. Use as many hops as you can 

 hold in your fingers cooked in three pints of water strained on 

 three large potatoes grated raw, cook twenty minutes and add one 

 tablespoon salt, one of sugar and one teaspoon ginger when it is 

 done. When luke-warm add one teacup yeast to raise it. For 

 setting the sponge take six potatoes boiled and mashed while hot, 

 one-half cup yeast, two tablespoons white sugar, two tablespoons 

 lard, one teaspoon salt, one quart of warm water, three cups of 

 flour, mix all thoroughly and beat it ten minutes, set to raise over 

 night in a warm place. In the morning when the sponge is light 

 sift the flour in and knead it quite stiff, as the grade of flour we 

 have now requires it, spending at least twenty minutes; after rais- 

 ing knead down the second time and make into loaves. When 

 ready for the oven be careful to have the oven well heated and 

 kept up to an even temperature. 



Now in regard to cake making. I want to impress upon the 

 farmers wives that they cannot make nice, sweet cake, with strong, 

 rank butter, as it will surely taste. The best of butter, eggs and 

 in fact all the ingredients that are used for cake must be good and 

 not old. Many times you see cake that seems so dry and bard, 

 again you will find it full of holes showing too much baking pow- 

 der, or soda and cream tartar. If farmers would take pains to 

 have their wives have a home paper that treats on all branches 

 of work done in the home, like the Houskeeeper, a paper which 

 has been a dear friend to many a young house-keeper for the past 

 twenty years, they would find many a savory dish greet them when 

 they come home tired out with a hard day's work. 



