California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



Some call it concrete, while others give it the 

 dignified name of ' 'grout. ' ' They prepare the 

 mortar same as above. Then place two stiff 

 planks upon the foundation for the wall the 

 distance apart they wish the thickness of the 

 ■wall. The planks have stays across the upper 

 edges to keep them from spreading, and bolts 

 near the lower edges for the same purpose. 

 The planks should be smooth on the inside, 

 and sutSciently stiff to avoid springing. The 

 mortar is placed between the planks and 

 packed in, and if smooth, washed gravel is 

 packed in with the mortar, to form a face to 

 the wall, it is all the better. The mortar soon 

 sets, when the bolts are withdrawn and the 

 planks moved to another place, and the opera- 

 tion repeated until the wall is finished. 



I noticed at Fort CoUins, Colorado, a large 

 stole building made in this way. It was two 

 stories high, and had a very substantial look, 

 although of rough exterior. It was not plas- 

 tered, nor^did they stop the bolt holes with 

 mortar, and many of the gravel stones on the 

 surface were as large as a man's fist. 



Frost does not seem to injure it, yet I 

 doubt if it will prove a practical method of 

 fencing in California. 



San Jose, June, 1875. S. Pelton. 



^amc^tic* 



Chats With Farmers' Wives and 

 Daughters — No. 7. 



BY "JEWELI,." 



Perhaps a few experiences in my farm life 

 ■would be amusing, and sho^w how wide apart 

 theory and pradice come to ns new beginners. 

 Shall I own it? I can'l make good yeast bread! 

 I've tried it faithfully for over two months 

 now, and only succeeded three times in hav- 

 ing eatable, light, sweet bread. I may be 

 stupid at it, but I understand thoroughly the 

 routine to go through — the theory is all right 

 — but the practice, — ah! there is the rub. 1 

 doubt not but that I could take a raw hand 

 and tell them just how to make good bread, 

 and they would succeed, too, after trying as I 

 have, two months — perhaps in leSs time. I 

 may be too old to learn. Who kuows the age 

 past which it is impossible for a woman to 

 learn how to make good bread? When I got 

 brewers' yeast I seldom failed — that was in 

 town. But here on the farm, where bakers' 

 bread would taste strangely out of place, it 

 became a duty — nay, a pride, to have plenty 

 of sweet, fresh bread to spread the new butter 

 upon. So at it I went, earnestly, -without 

 doubt of success, when, lo! my sponge would 

 not raise. But I was not to be dictated to in 

 that way. I'd make it into, loaves. No, it 

 refused to do more than flatten out. How- 

 ever, with a heavy heart and dull head, I was 

 bound to utilize my labor and fiour; so I 

 baked it, and fed it in leaden lumps to Jack, 

 our " hound dog, " who took it out of my 

 sight. 



My husband (who knows everything, as all 

 husbands should) encouraged me, and told 

 me to try salt-rising bread. His sister told 

 him exactly how, and a good recipe was in 

 the Hay number of the Ageicoltukist, and 

 it was simple, and if I once got into the way 

 of making it, it would be easy enough, etc. 

 So, next day, I cheerfully started in before 

 breakfast; but things did not work well. I 

 could not get the temperature just right. It 



first baked on the bottom of my pan, and then 

 when I set it off the kettle of hot water it got 

 too cold. At noon I could see no sign of 

 change in the raising. By two o'clock a little 

 foam on the top encouraged me to make it 

 into a sponge. Then I kept it warm (keep- 

 ing a fire on purpose all day), and tendered 

 it my utmost attention until supper time, 

 when it was made into loaves and set to raise. 

 This it gradually did, in a slow, unwilling 

 way, very exasperating to me, so earnest was 

 I. We sat up and baked it that evening — 

 though I felt guilty in doing it, and really 

 thought myself imposed upon by that heavy 

 leaden, sour-smelling mass — the result of 

 all my pains! But my good husband quite 

 petted me this time, and made me feel that a 

 triuniph mtisl follow when one was determined 

 to succeed in a good undertaking, and that 

 we learn through our failings, not successes. 

 So in my heart I resolved to succeed, and in 

 imagination had mastered the art, and baked 

 my last soiu bread. 



To my next attempt I resolved to give my 

 undivided attention, and as my husband was 

 at home that day, I called in his experi- 

 enced ( ?) eye to see the process, and together 

 we watched it all day. By eight that night 

 our united efforts were cro-wned with success! 

 The two loaves were fragrant and plump, 

 cor>ipfc(e, the "guide mon" said; but in my 

 heart I knew it was not quite salt enough 

 and resolved to do better next time. But the 

 next, though salt enough, was heavy again, 

 BO I felt more than ever how necessary was 

 light to our lives. 



To recount all my failures would be but a 

 repetition, and my success also. Now I must 

 say right here that this experience has more 

 than ever persuaded me that our girls should 

 he encouraged and taught to be good cooks —to 

 make good bread. It is far easier to learn 

 when in mother's house, ■n'ith few responsi- 

 bilities, than in our own, when cares and 

 babies are clinging to us and demanding our 

 ceaseless attention. 



HOW TO PUT TJP CITBEANTS. 



As seasonable advice, I clii^ from the Coun- 

 try Gentleman the following recipes, which are 

 good. I advise the putting up of currants 

 and all tart fruits in glass always, as tin is 

 likely to corrode to the injury of the flavor of 

 the fruit, and danger of the health also: 



Currant Ice. — Take one quart currants, one 

 pint of raspberries, one pint of water, and 

 one and a half pounds of sugar; mash the 

 berries; add them to the water; squeeze out 

 the liquor; add the sugar, and freeze. Where 

 raspberries are uuattaiuable,use more currants 

 and flavor with extract of raspberry or straw- 

 berry. 



Currant Jelly. — If the fruit is gathered be- 

 fore dead ripe, it will make firmer jelly, and 

 it is not necessary to pick it from the stems, 

 only remove all leaves or sticks. Put the 

 fruit m a pail, or pan, over a kettle of boiling 

 water, and heat enough for the skins to break 

 easily, then dip into a bag made of flannel, 

 and squeeze till dry. Measure the juice, al- 

 lowiug for each pint a pound of white sugar, 

 but do not add the sugar to the liquor until it 

 has been allowed to gently boil over the fire 

 for twenty minutes or more, removing any 

 scum that may arise. The sugar is now to be 

 added in the proportions mentioned, when 

 the process of coagulation is so rapid that 

 lumps of jelly are often formed before it is 

 all dissolved ; while in color it glows with all 



the richness and transparency of the garnet. 

 The secret of making all fruit jellies is to boil 

 the juice before, and but little after adding the 

 sugar; if boiled together, the product is apt to 

 be soft, dark and gummy, if it ever becomes 

 jelly at all. Use a pound of sugar to a pound 

 of fruit in presennng currants, and if all the 

 necessary boiling has taken place before the 

 sugar is added, the juice will become a tender, 

 beautiful jelly. 



Currant Catsup. — This is a favorite prepara- 

 tion to eat with meats, and is made of five 

 pounds of mashed currants, three pounds of 

 sugar, one pint of vinegar, two tablespoonf uls 

 of finely-ground cinnamon, one of cloves, one 

 of allspice, one of black pepper, one nutmeg 

 and a pinch of salt. Cook half an hour. A 

 great improvement on the above is to add the 

 same proportion of spices to the juice, boil, 

 and finish as jelly. Then the useless seeds 

 and skins are rejected, and more than all, it 

 always retains its first fresh, delicate flavor, 

 which is lost after a time under the regular 

 recipe for catsup. 



Preparing Currants for Winter Uses. — To pre- 

 pare currants for mince pies and other winter 

 uses, add one pound of sugar to four of fruit 

 picked from the stems; cook a few minutes, 

 spread on plates or tins, and dry in the oven, 

 which must not be hot enough to scorch them. 

 When sufficiently dried away, pack in stone 

 jars, and put a layer of sugar over the top. 

 This method is superior to all others for pre- 

 serving the flavor of fruit (it even adds to the 

 richness of cherries) ; no fermentation takes 

 place if stored in a cool place, and it will keep 

 unchanged for years. Heating a little sugar 

 and water with several spoonfuls of the fruit 

 makes a dish of preserves in a few minutes. 



Currant Vinegar. — To make ten gallons take 

 six quarts of ripe currant juice; put in a jar 

 and let it remain a day or two, removing the 

 scum ; add one gallon of molasses, and water 

 enough to make up the ten gaUons of liquor; 

 set it in the sun, or a warm place, being care- 

 ful to exclude insects, and it will soon become 

 good vinegar. 



To the above I will add the following: 



EASPDEKKY JELLY. 



There is no more delicious jelly than rasp- 

 berry; but as the raspberry is a dear fruit and 

 difficult to prepare alone, we find that by tak- 

 ing one-third raspberries and two-thirds cur- 

 rants the jelly has all the flavor of raspberry, 

 does not cost half so much as clear raspberry, 

 and is every bit as good — we think superior 

 to clear raspberry jelly. Make the same as 

 currant jelly. 



Another hint: Every year that we put up 

 fruit for the table, we use more sugar than 

 formerly. The fruit keeps finer with plenty 

 of sugar, and is certainly nicer, and suits al- 

 most every one's taste better. 



Familiar Tallts~No. I. 



" Jewell," "Nell Van," E. E. Anthony and 

 the rest of you who write for the Ageicul- 

 TUEisT, how I would like to have a cozy, per- 

 sonal chat with you all. As that is out of the 

 question, the next best thing is to become ac- 

 quainted through the columns of the paper 

 we all prize so highly. Many a useful recipe 

 and hint have I gleaned from it, and wilj 

 now offer one or two which I think all my 

 sister housekeepers may not have thought of. 



A PAS-BOLDEB. 



Instead of the cup-towel or dish-cloth to 

 remove pans of bread, gem pans and the like 

 from the stove, take a coffee or salt sack (a 

 grain sack will do), cut into pieces about ten 

 or twelve inches wide and long enough to al- 



