THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



79 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



Curious Things in Housekeeping. 



Every lir;nu-li (if Boii'iHT liiifi its iiuirvi'ls ; but, ox- 

 peclinir 111 moct in iiat\iro Willi wniKlcrs Hint luilllc 

 kiiOH li'dirr, we .iri' mil mi imiili asldiiifliril at tlirsc 

 as at till' sturllinir facts that arc forced u|niii us I'rnm 

 day to day ill social life. Some of tlic most surjiris- 

 iiig of tlicse confront us in- the developments of the 

 eeience of honseUeepinir. They are entirely lieyond 

 explanation, and \vo\dd be lieyond liclief illliey rested 

 upon mere assertion ; Iml as all of ns, niiforliniately, 

 have tested them by our own senses, we accept them 

 with wonder, and with some show of rcsii;iiatlon. 



Take an imiiortant branch of liousekeepini;— cook- 

 inu'. How inexplicable are some of the nsnlts ofculi- 

 iia~rv study. .\ woman, with whom we once lived for 

 a time, had kcjit house for tliirty-tive years, had 

 never had a servant, and had, lUirin;;- that time, as 

 she informed ns, "baked twice a week rei.'nlar." 

 Conse(|nently, to yo in to the stalislies of the nialtcr, 

 bread had been baked in that establishment :i,(i40 

 times. Deduetinir 'J4t) for occasional sickness or 

 absence of the mistress (a large allowance, for she 

 was healthy, and seldom went from home,) and we 

 have :i,4(l(r times that this woman has made and 

 baked bread. 



She used i;ood Hour, and yet bn'ad was invariably 

 dani|), sticky, and unfit for a savasre to cat, and no 

 Christian stomach could possibly ditrcst it with com- 

 fort. Now, surely this was a wonderful thinir! By 

 what methods, unfathomable to ordinary rea.«oii, 

 could she have avoided, in a practice of thirty-live 

 years, learnin;,' how to make irood yeast, how much 

 to work the dousrh, how Ions; it should stand to iret 

 liKlit, what temperature the oven should be, and the 

 proper leUK'th of time to hake it? How could she 

 help doimrit riirht the three thousand four hundredth 

 time! It would seem that a vast amount of labor 

 would he necessary to do it badly ! She was a wonum 

 of averasre good sense, and, no doubt, eoneientious. 

 She had no aspirations and no " mission," and read 

 nothing' but a weekly reliijious newspaiier. Her 

 whole mind was in her housckecpiuij, and here was 

 the result ! 



Another woman, now over fifty years of aee, has 

 cooked, more or less (eenerally more), since she was 

 twelve. She has a special likim; for lamb chops, and 

 has cooked them very many times. And, to this day, 

 she serves up liver-colored chops, fried and swini- 

 minff in a irreasy liquid I Merely lookiui; at tlu'm 

 will sive a rifrht-niinded person the dyspepsia. This 

 ■woman has eaten lamb chops elsewhere, cooked 

 accordins to the best civilized methods, and has 

 praised them ; hut each time she returns serenely to 

 her frying-pan and grease. Now, upon what hypoth- 

 esis can this be explained; Can it be po.ssible that 

 there are human beings so constituted that their 

 minds and bodii'S act indi'iiendeiitly, so that the sen- 

 sation of taste has no mcnt.;il etiect whatever? For 

 in these instances the results were- not the effect of 

 carelessness or inditference— they both thought their 

 horrid abominations were feasts for the gods. 



And not the least curious thing in these cases is, 

 that these poor cooks have sharp eyes for the faults 

 of »he butcher and baker. The biUeher knows better 

 than to otl'er a stale or tough chop to No. 2: and if 

 the baker were to serve No. 1 with such bread as she 

 makes herself, she would refuse to pay for it, entirely 

 unconscious of the reflection she would thus cast upon 

 herself. 



Why do some housekeepers continue, week after 

 wfck, nionth after month, year after year, to n.se raw 

 tlour for "thickening ; " Would it not be reasonable 

 to suppose that after a number of years — say ten — 

 the raw llavor, and the stickiness of the compound, 

 would suggest to them tin- [Kissibility of altering 

 their manner of preparing it? 



We have suggested but a few things that happened 

 to occur to us, and these belong only to one branch 

 of housekeeping; but, if we were to pursue our 

 inquirv into other de]Kirtm<*nts, we should be met at 

 everyturn with phenomena similar to the above. They 

 indicate the existence, in the midst of our home life, 

 of marvels that science has, so far, failed to explain, 

 and for which reasou can lind no law. — *S'cri67te?''» 

 Monlhly. 



* 



Beautifying Our Homes. 



Will it pay to beautify my home with flowers and 

 shrubbery? is a question which every one who has a 

 home must answer for himself. There are few per- 

 sons who cannot atTord to invest a small sum in a few 

 rose bushes or other ornamental plants lo start with, 

 and in a short time they will he well repaid for their 

 slight expenditure and trouble. 



Anything which adds to the beauty and cheerful- 

 ness of a home, adds to its iiermanent value. There 

 are many gems in the floral creation which, when 

 on«e implanted in the soil, will continue to grow year 

 after year, and remain joys forever to the fortunate 

 possessor. All will admit that this departnu'Ut of 

 nature is well worthy the study of man. Flowers arc 

 not the trifles which many think them to be, or fiod 

 woidd not have bestowed the care on them that he 

 did. It is a noticeable fact that the cultureof flowers 

 exerts a wonderful influence for the better ou the 



minds and habits of those whom they surround. Thus 

 are tlttwers useful as well as beautiful. Their cultl\'a- 

 tion lends to form a taste fororderand neatness. Who 

 ever saw an untidy cottage with healthy, well grow- 

 ing flowers in the window '. 



Flowers are always in season and never out of place. 

 In the wciods, the gardi'U and the house, they are 

 a never-failing source of comfort and didight . If I 

 have no coaches and horses, I can at least hang a 

 tracery of vine leaves along my iKirch, so ex<iuisilc 

 and deliiate that no siulpturc can match it. If I 

 have no conservatory with its wimders, yet the sun 

 and I together can linild a tangled coppice of bloom- 

 ing things In my dooryard, of which every tiny leaflet 

 shall be a miracle. Nay. 1 make my home, however 

 small it may he, so complete in its simplicity, so titled 

 lo its ollice, so governed by neatness, so endtowered 

 bv wealth of leaf and flowers, that no riches in the 

 w'orld can add lo it without damaging its rural grace; 

 anil my gardener.s — sunshine, frost atid showers are 

 their names — will work for me with no crusty reluc- 

 tance, but with an abandon and zeal that ouly ask 

 gratitude for pay. — JJ. O ■ MilcluM. 



Lime Water for Burns. 



A corrcspoTidc'iit of the New York Stni writes to 

 that journal that the n-adiest and most useful rem- 

 cdv for scalds and burns is an I'nibroeatiou of lime- 

 water and linseed oil. These simple agents combined 

 form a thick, cream-like substance, which elfectually 

 excludes the air from the injured parts, and allays 

 the inflammation almost instantly. He mentions a 

 ease where a child fell backwards into a bath-tub of 

 boiling water, and was nearly Hayed from her neck 

 lo below her hips. Her agonies were indescribable; 

 but her clothing being gently removed, and the lime 

 and oil preparation thickly spread over the injured 

 surface, she was sound asleep in live minutes. Sub- 

 sequently the parts were carefully washed with warm 

 milk ami water three times a day, the oil dressing re- 

 newed, and the little patient rapidly recovered. 

 Though all the scalded skin came oft', she did not 

 have a sear. This remedy leaves no hard coat to dry 

 on the sores, but softens the parts and aids nature to 

 repair the injury in the readiest and most expeditious 

 manner. Tlie niixlure may be procured in the drug 

 stores; Ijut if not thus accessible, slake a lump of 

 ({uicklime in water, and as soon as the water is clear 

 mix it with the oil and shake it well. If the ease is 

 urgent, u.se boiling water over the lime, and it will 

 become (dear in Ave minutes. The preparation may 

 be kept ready l.ioltled in the house, and it will be as 

 good six months old as when first made. 



An Appeal to Mothers. 



We once heard a good man say, that just as we conduct- 

 ed ourselves toward one another in our families, just so 

 we woidd behave in the comminuty to which we belong; 

 therefore, we come to the conclusion, that a very 

 great deal depends upon the mothers of our commu- 

 nity. If we do. all in o\ir power to make home 

 attractive to our children, sons, as well as daughters, 

 will not seek for pleasure elsewhere ; and will never 

 hear the taunt that our children have received their 

 education in the street. Many a sou has been drivi'U 

 from home by cr^Yi/K,' neatness. We have heard as 

 an actual fact of a housekeeper in the Stale of I'cnn- 

 sylvania (a State noted for its housekeepers) who 

 was so afraid that the boys would bring a little dirt 

 into the house, compelled tlieni to exchange their 

 shoes for slippers before crossing the threshold. 

 Neither do we .advocate careless or slipshod house- 

 keeping. While in a gentle manner we appeal to 

 the children's feelings (for children do iiidni! have 

 feelings as well as grown folks,) to spare mother's 

 weary limbs, by helping to keep the house to rights, 

 let us avoid too much scolding. If we govern our- 

 selves and our children at home, one thing is certain, 

 there will be no insubordination in our schools, and 

 our pastors and teachers will have less need for using 

 their authority. Besides, there would surely be fewer 

 corner-loafers. 



Provide Good Tools. 



Few farmers are supplied with enough good tools. 

 Give an' honest laborer just the implements he needs 

 for his job, and he will do it in half the time it will 

 take him if poorly e()uip|ied. Now a fork is betti'r 

 than a shovel to move manure. It will do the wurk 

 quicker and easier. Coarse manure may be handled 

 w ith a six lined fork, w Idle line compost can be taken 

 up rapidly with a ten lined and twelve lined fork. 



A great deal of time is s|ient on farms spreading 

 fine nuinurc from carts on grass lands. It is a paying 

 operation. If done in autumn or winter it insures on 

 the right land a good return. Some years ago I aban- 

 dimcd high-sided, narrow cart bodies tin- this wurk, 

 and had them made extending from wheel to wheel, 

 wider and Iowit, holding as much as before. Now 

 every common-sense cart has a simjilc arrangement 

 at the forward end called a swivel. By this the load 

 can be tilted so that it can be taken out easily. A 

 common shovel is not the tool to lay out a load of 

 fiuc manure. A strong, healthy man can easily take 



U|i from two lo four shovelfuls of light nuuuire with- 

 out dangir of hurting himsidf, and he should have 

 for such work a many fined steel fork. — ('ur. Ocr- 

 mnntown Telegraph, 



Remedies for Chilblains. 



For chilblains, cut up two white turnips, wllhout 

 paring, into thin slices; put the slices into a lineup 

 with three large s|«ionsful of best lard ; let II simmer 

 slowly for Iwi) hours, then nuish through u sieve; 

 when cold spread it on a soft linen cloth, and apply 

 to the chilblain at night. 



L. 1). .M.. in the ("mciniiati flaztlle, says: " While 

 working in the slio|i, I froze niv feet very badly. Be- 

 fore I went to bed I had s(Mne mush nuidc out of 

 corn meal. 1 then look some tea an<l |HPUred on boil- 

 ing water, just enough to cause the leaves to unfold. 

 Afti'r pulling the mush on a piece nt cloth, I laid on 

 tlnr tea leaves and hound the whole over the frosted 

 parts. Doing this for two nights, the frost was all 

 drawn out." 



Another remedy, claimed to be belter than any- 

 thing else, and easily obtained and applied, ami a 

 sure etire lor chiltilains, is to soak the frozen feet iu 

 strong warm lime water. .Mix it nearly lo the con- 

 sistency of whitewash. It will slop Ihe itching Iu 

 live minutes, and will ]iermanenlly cure in a few' aj)- 

 [ilicatioris. Let the feel, remain in until Ihe dead 

 skill will freely rub off. Apply every evening until a 

 cure is ett'ected. 



Grease Your Nails. 



One of the technical journals says : " F.very farmer 

 who has had occasion lo drive a nail into seasoned 

 oak posts, knows its liability lo bend and break. If 

 the jioint Iii^ moistened in the mouth it will usually 

 drive more kindly. Oil is still better, but then it is 

 inconvenient lo dip each nail separattdy into it. An- 

 other point observed is, that boards become kwse 

 evcnttially from the rusting of the nails, which, eom- 

 municating to the wood, causes not only an enlarge- 

 ment of the nail hole, but the wearing away of the 

 nail itsidf, remlcriugtlic fence or the building shaky 

 and insecure. This may be prevented by healing any 

 rough grease until it smokes, aiai then pouring it 

 over the nails to he used. The grease will penetrate 

 the pores of the iron, and cause the nails to last, 

 without rusting, an indeflnite period. Besides this, 

 no trouble will then be experienced in driving them 

 into the hardest wood. "The reason is that Ihe coat- 

 ing of grease prevents contact of air, and, conse- 

 quently, oxidalicm. Oxygen is Ihe great destroyer of 

 iron, and moisture is the inducting cause." 



Remedy for Cabbage Worms. 



nellebore, lime, salt and similar substances have 

 been used with varied success for the destruction of 

 cabbage worms. It is now stated that bran and 

 buckwheat flour answer the purpose better than any 

 other remedies that have been tried. The bran is 

 simply dusteil over the infested cabbages as soon as 

 the worms make their aiipearance. If the worms are 

 very thick, about a handful of bran is required to 

 each cabbage head, and sonu'times it is necessary to 

 go over the plants a second lime. A. hundred weight 

 of bran is sullicient for an acre. It nuist be applied 

 wlien the worms are young. When they are full 

 grown or very strong, it docs not appear to affect 

 them. The buckwheat flour is sifted upon them by 

 means of a sieve, in the evening or in the morning — 

 when Ihe dew is on the jilanls. If one apfilicalion 

 does not destroy the worms, a second one should be 

 maile. It is probable thai wheat flour, flue Indian 

 meal, or any other pulverulent farinaceous sul)- 

 stance would have the same efl'eet . — American Garden. 



A Word for Clean Cellars. 



LiHiking after the cellars In a dwelling-house ought 

 to be the business of the men-folk, but how scUlom 

 will they move in it of their own accor<l ? When the 

 subject is broached, though there may be very little 

 oul-<loor work toilo.it is piMi-|xi(ihed as enlirely loo 

 soon, and then it is left from day today until a warm 

 day sets in and the vegetables kept inthe cellar begin 

 to decay and to infuse a most ilelelerious atmosphere 

 over the house, causing dangerous fevers and big 

 diict(u's bills. My sister housekeepers should avoid 

 this by insistinglhat thecellar bet horo\ighly cleansed 

 out and given two good coals of whitewash all over 

 except the floor. It will purity It and leave no hurt- 

 ful gasses lo pass up thnmgh the house to cause sick- 

 ness, and it may be, death. " A wortl in season." — 

 AiNT .M.iiiv, Oer. Tel. . 



Cooking a Shad. 



We reside at a iioini w here we can get every morn- 

 ing shad taken during the previous night, and can 

 take our pick if we are w illing to pay the priie. Shad 

 is somewhat like brcail and beef, one can eat it every 

 day as long as it lasts witlumt getting tired of it. As 

 to cooking shad I have tried various ways. It is a 



