1875.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



HI 



tlrmly Hint it cuiiiuit lie pullfd iill« illiout lirsi li-ttliiK 

 ill air hv lircssiii!; aniilr llir nililii-r, liiserlinir a |iiii 

 undiT ii, iir liy siu-liiilliiT nii'aiis as Is iimviiU'il In tlii' 

 (■oiislnutioii i)f tlu' jar. Wlicii rciriilar fniil jars arc 

 nut usi'il, f.'(icHl CMflis anil crnifnl innsl In' pniviilnl. 

 t'cnniit is nnidi- liy nirltin!; l'^ oz. of tulluw wltli 

 1 tb. rosin. Tin- stiillirss oi the ciMniMit nniy In' |L,'ov- 

 crni'il liy tin- iisr ol niorf or less tallow. .\Otr Ihr 

 jar is ci'irki-il, U<- a picci' ol' stout ilrillini; over IIk^ 

 nioutli. Dij) till' riolli on Ilif nniutli of Mil' jar into 

 till' niclli'il I'i'incnl, ruli Mie ii'inent on Hic cloth wUli 

 a stirk to tirrak up thc> Imliiilcs and leave a close 

 eovfrini:. The process is as follows ; 



Kverylhlnir shoulil he In readiness, tlie jars clean, 

 the covers wi'll lilted, the fruit iiiekeil over or ollier- 

 vvlse prepareil, and cenieut and e»trks, if these are 

 usiil, at hanil. The liotllesor jars are to rireive a 

 very hot liipiiil, ami tiny must he irradually warnieil 

 lieforchand, by plaein;; warm water in Iheni, towliieli 

 lioilini; water is i,'nidnally added. L'oniiuenii' liy 

 niakiiiKa syrup in the proportion of afiound of white 

 8Uf;ar to a pint of watiT, usinj; less sii{;ar if 

 this <iuanlily «ill nnikc the fruit too sweet. When 

 the svrup lioils, adil as much fruit as it will cover, let 

 llie fruit heat in the syrup i;radnally, and when it 

 comes to a lioil ladle it into the jars or bottles which 

 have been warmed as abovi' directed. Put in as inuch 

 fruit as possible, and tlien add the syruji to lill up all 

 interstices amonj; tlie fruit ; then jHit on the cover or 

 insert tlie stojiper as soon as possible. Have a cloth 

 at hand daiupcued in hot water to wipe the necks of 

 the jars. When one lot has liecn l«)ttled, proceed 

 with more, addini; more sni;ar and water, if more 

 synip is reciuired. Juicy fruits will diiuinisli the 

 syrup much less than olhers. When the bottles are 

 eiild, put them away in a cnol, ili'ij itinlditrk j>/ii<-c. Do 

 not tamper with the covers in any way. The bottles 

 should be inspi'ctcd every (lay lor a week <ir so, in 

 order to discover if any are imperfect. If fermenta- 

 tion has eoinnienecd, bubbles will be seen in the 

 Bvrup, and the covers will be Uxisened. If taken at 

 once, the contents may be saved by tliorouglily re- 

 lieatin;;. 



Another way is to prepare a syrup and allow it to 

 cool. Place tiie fruit in the bottles, cover with the 

 svrup, and then set the bottles nearly up to their rims 

 in a boiler of cold water. 8ome wooden slats should 

 be placed at t he bottom of the boiler to keep the bot- 

 tles fnun contact with it. The water in the boiler Is 

 then heated and kept lioilini; until the fruit in the 

 bottles is thorou;;hly heated lhroui;h, when the covers 

 arc put on, and the bottles allowed to eool. It is 

 claimi'<l thatthi' llavor of the fruit is better preserved 

 in this way than by the other. 



All the fruits that are used in their fresh state, or 

 for [lies, etc., and rhubarb, or pie-plant, and toma- 

 toes may be preserved by the foreiroini; methods, 

 (irecii iieas and corn cannot be readily preserved in 

 families, as tliey rcciuirc sjiecial apparatus. In pre- 

 serving strawberries, the hard-tleshed sour varieties, 

 such as the WiLson, are better than the more delicate 

 kinds. Clurrants need more sui^ar than the forc^^oin;^. 

 Blackberries and luu-kleberriesare both very satisfae- 

 Uirily preserved, and make capital pies. Cherries 

 anil plums need only pickinj; over. Peaches need 

 jM'clin;; and tiuartcrin«c. The skin may be removed 

 Ironi ripe peaches by scaldini; them in water or weak 

 lye tor a lew seconds, and then transferrins; them to 

 cold water. Some obtain a strouif peach flavor by 

 boilin^a few pcacii meats in thesyrup. Peaches have 

 been kept three years, and were ttien better than 

 those sold in the stores. Pears are jiared and lutlved, 

 or quartered and the core removed. The best, hii^h- 

 * fla\ored and nieltin;; varieties only should be used. 

 Coarse bakinix pears are unsatisfactory. Very few 

 put up ajiples, but those who try some hiijh-llavored 

 ones will be pleased with them. There is a i;reat 

 contrast between i(uinci-s preserved in this way and 

 those done up in the old way of |Kiund for |>ound. 

 They do not become hard, and they remain of a line 

 li^rlit color. The most thuroui^h and reliable mode 

 of eamiin;; tomatoes is tirst to sutliciently steam, not 

 ciKik them, so as to scald or liKiscu the skin. They 

 are then jKiurcd u|Min tabU-s and the skin removed, 

 care bein;; taken to preservi^ the tomato in as solid a 

 state as jHissiblc. .\flcr beint; peeled they are placed 

 in lar;;e pans, with false bottoms perforatcil, so as to 

 strain oil the liiptid which emanates from them. 

 From these pans they are carel'ully placed by haial 

 into the cans, which arc tilled as solidly as possible — 

 in other words, all an- put in that the cans will hold. 

 They are then put tliroujrh the usual process and 

 bermctieally scaled. The cans, when opened for use, 

 present the tomato not only like the natural ve;;e- 

 table in taste and color, but also in appearance ; and, 

 moreover, when thus sealed they are warranted l<i 

 ■ keep in any climate, and w hen opened will taste as 

 naturally as when just plucked from the vine. The 

 general |)ractice, however, of putting; them up Is to 

 eiMik them very lhorou'.;hly, as if pre|>ared fur table 

 use, but iu this way they lose much of their natural 

 flavor. 



Any Intellicent (htsou who understands the princi- 

 ple u|ion which fruit is preserved in the way we have 

 described, will soon lind the mechanical part of the 

 process easy of execution and the results satisfactory 

 if onlinary care istakeiiin the preparation of the fruit 

 aud sealing the cans. 



Oatmeal vs. Beefsteak. 



,\t the Kritlsh .Association iti the section of Blolopy, 

 Professor liidl'irn, in llie course of a paper of a valu- 

 able character on the fund of plants and unimals, went 

 on to iKiinI out that there were few social problems 

 more important than how to acipiaint the wife of the 

 laborer or artisan, or even the wives and servants of 

 the middle classes, how to expend a fair share of their 

 Incume uiKin food to the urealcst advautai,'e and how 

 to prepare it without dcstruyini; its nutritive proper- 

 ties. A savory dish of meat was often iircparcd by 

 mincini; or cuttinfr the nual into small and more or 

 less cubical blocks. It was then stewed, or more fre- 

 ipienllv boiled. The outer surface of each little block 

 had its albumen lirjidy coairulatcd, and the whole 

 surface was converted into about asindiijcstible a mass 

 as could well beimatriued— the lii!,'h-prieed andhi;;hly- 

 nutritious nnal haviiiL' ticen destroyed lor the pur- 

 poses of nutrition and the action of the diircstivc or- 

 gans pruliably injuri'd for some time toeoine; or(;oiid 

 i.nil valuable fresh meat wassubjceled to the process 

 of saltlnir, which llrst of all abstracted the juices of 

 meat, and then hanlen the lllicrs, .so as to destroy or 

 i;rcatly deteriorate its diucstibility. .\o doulit it was 

 convenient In have a liardciicd. dry mass of meat, in- 

 capable of much chani.'e for months, and ready to be 

 used fur the purpose of lillinic the stomach and ell'eet- 

 ually satisfyini.' the appetite ; but these were nut the 

 liuriMwes for which food was intended Iu be used. It 

 uinjlit to be capalilc ol' supplyini; t he waste of the body 

 and of lieiiji,^ easily eonverled into heat and motion. 

 If it failed in these particulars, it would al.su fail in 

 nourishini; the brain and aidiii!,' in tliccvolutioiiof in- 

 telliirence, and thus intellectual and bodily imwer was 

 lost to the community and dclcriuralioM of race was 

 promoted. His collcaKue, Dr. (iordun, said that he 

 recollected runnin<; races, puttini; stones, wrestlim,', 

 and other athletic exercises tieiiif,' the favorite amuse- 

 menls of the sons and servants of the fanners in the 

 County Down. Now nothinir of the sort was heard of. 

 These youni; men found a short day's work almost 

 too much fur them, and at the end of it they were to 

 be seen lyinic about iniluli;inir in idle conversation. 

 Coineidenily with this they iniairined themselves the 

 eipials of their masters and mistresses, and that the 

 healthful oatmeal jsirridire and buttermilk twicedaily, 

 with beans and bacon fur dinner, was too strong and 

 coarse. They insisted on more delicate fare and de- 

 manded a supply of tea and white bread. Tliey were 

 unconscious that persons in their position but a few 

 years asfo i>ossessed atmizini; viijfor and perfornu'd 

 twice the amount of labor with greater ease, and when 

 the day's work was over actually reveled in the dis- 

 play oi' surplus strenscth, which nothing but their bet- 

 ter and more rational diet could have yielded them. 

 London Medical Heconh 



Cheap Food and Good Food. 



Dr. Dlo Lewis says, that " to make the iM-st bread 

 that can Im- nnide of wlieat, obtain [food wheat and 

 trrind it wllhout boltint; ; mix It with cold water un- 

 til il is as thick as can be well beaten wllh a s|irK>n ; 

 afler it is Ihorou^'hly iH'aten down, put It Into a lar);o 

 iron pan, com|Nised of nuiny little ones, which inUHt 

 be llrst made hot ; put It then ipilekly into a hotoveu 

 and bake II as rapidly as iKissible. 



"Indian corn makes excellent nourishment. It 

 contains a larire amount of oil, has' remarkable fatten- 

 ing ipialities, and is likewlsi- remarkable as a heat 

 producer. Kiec keeps Us consumers fal, but It lacks 

 the elements which feed the muscles and brain. 



" Polaloi's, both Irish and sweet, arc very (XMjr for 

 brain and muscle. 



"Of meats, the l>est for beat and fat are pork, mut- 

 ton, lamb, beef, and veal ; for muscle, liccf, veal, 

 nnittun, buub, and |»irk ; fur brains and iicrvc, l>ccr, 

 veal, mulliin, lanili, and jmrk. 



" In cold weather, fat meal, butter, and the like 

 will keep the limly warm ; and in warm weather, 

 milk, eggs, brun breail, and summer vegetables will 

 keep it ciHil. 



" There is no dllfleuUy In a poor man's liavlni; meat 

 for his family every day. Take, for example, what 

 is called a shaid<fif beef. The very liest can be Uiught 

 fora fraction of what thedearest parts cost. A single 

 IKiund cooked in a stew, with dry bits of bread, will 

 make a meal for an entire family." 



Eggs Versus Meat. 



Would it not be wise to substitute more eggs for 

 meat in our daily diet ? About one-third the weight 

 of an egg is solid luitrinicTil . This is mure than can 

 be said of meat. There are nu bunes and tuiigh pieces 

 that have tu be laid aside. An egg is made up uf ten 

 parts shell, sixty parts white and thirty jiarts yolk. 

 The white of an egg contains xn per cent, water, the 

 yolk -Vi percent. The average weight of an egg is 

 aliout two ounces. Practically, egg is animal food, 

 and yet there is none of the disagreeable work of tlte 

 butcher necessary to obtain it. The vegetarians of 

 England use eggs freely, and many of these iiu'ii are 

 eighty and ninety years old, and have been ninarka- 

 bly fi'ee from illness. A good egg is alive. The shell 

 is poriis, the oxygen of the air goes through the shell 

 and keeps up a sort of respiration. An egg .soon be- 

 comes stale in bad air, or in dry air charged with ear- 

 iKinic ai'id. Eggs may be dried and made to retain 

 theirguudne.ss for a liingtinu'.or theshell may be var- 

 nislicd, which excludes the air, when. If kept at a 

 proper temperature, they may be kept good for years. 

 The Krench peo|)le produce mure eggs than any other, 

 and shi|i millions of them to Ens^land aiwinally. Fresh 

 eggs are more transparent at the cciitri', old ones at 

 the toj). Very ohl inics arc not trans|iarent at either 

 ])lace. In water in which oiie-tenlh salt has ln'cn dis- 

 solved, good eggs siidi and inditlereiit lines swim. Had 

 eggs float in pure water. The best eggs are laid by 

 young healthy hens. If they are |iriiperly fed, the 

 eggs are belter than if they are allowed to eat all sorts 

 of food. Eggs are best when cooked almut four min- 

 utes. This takes away aniuuil taste that is oll'ensive 

 to some, but does nut so harden the white or yolk as 

 to make them hard to digest. An egg, if cooked very 

 hard, is dillicult of digestion, except by those with 

 stout stumachs ; sueheggs should be eaten witli bread 

 and masticated very llnely. .Vn excellent sandwich 

 can be made with eggs and brown bread. .\n egg 

 spread on toast is lit for a king, if kings ileserve any 

 iK'tter food than auybiMiy elsi', whicli is doubtful. 

 Friiil egL'S are less whoh'somc than Uiiled ones. An 

 egg dropped into hot water is not oidy a clean and 

 handsome, but a delicious morsel. Must peoplcsiKiii 

 the taste of their eggs by adding salt and pepper. \ 

 little sweet butler is the best dressing. Eggs contain 

 much pliospl.oru.-, which is sup|>o.sed to be useful to 

 those wlio use their brains much.— A'<i««ii« luiinur . 



Clean Out Your Cellars. 



If you did not follow Hie advice given In a former 

 issue of TiiK FahmIvU, and clean out your cellar Inthe 

 spring, lose nu tiim' in dulng so. This is tlie season 

 for malarious diseases arising from decaylieg vegeta- 

 tion. Diseases which attack a man and beast lurk in 

 the foul air, caused by decaying vegetable substaiwes, 

 and many a family has sulfcred from neglect itig to 

 clean cellars under dwelling houses. .MI decaying 

 vegetables should be remuved as early as iMisslble, 

 and the rcnuiiniicr handled over and aired, afterwhieh 

 a thorough whiti'washingof walls and woodwork nniy 

 follow with the best resulls. Filthiness of cellars is 

 not wholiy conliued to the country, but it is to the 

 farmer we ehielly address ourselves, supiHisingthat he 

 may be negligent of certain duties as widl as other 

 people ; and as this subject of cleaning cellars is one 

 of some imix>rtance, we again call attention to it. 



The Tea-Pot Assailed. 



The Jmirnal of Cheminlry asserts that tea is not the 

 simple harmless In'verage that is generally sU|i|Kised ; 

 but that its ctfects, in this character, may rightly l>c 

 claimed to be classed with those of tobacco and alco- 

 hol. The Joiirtinl adds that " many disorders of the 

 nervous system are the direct results of extensive lea 

 bibbing. Tea is a " narcotic poison ;" lis essential 

 principle, theine, is allied in eoniixisillon anil pro|H'r- 

 tieswith strychnine and nior|ihine. It tirst cxcllcstbc 

 nervous sysi em and then exhausts il. Ex|H-riment 

 shows that lioth in man and in other animals, it im- 

 pairs |Mnver in thelowcrextremitles ; sothatit alTecIs 

 the " understanding" in a double scii.se — literally as 

 well as ligurativeiy. It is not the harmless exhilaraiit 

 it has been considered, but a powerful agent, whose 

 elleets are often serious." 



Valuable Household Recipes. 



Bi.ACKnEUliv Sviii r : Take a suflielent quantity, 

 of ripe lilacklHTrice. Put them into a sieve |ilaced 

 over a large broad pan, and with a [Kitato masher, or 

 s<imctbing of that sort, press uut all the juice. Itr, 

 having bruised them llrst, put the blacktuMrics into a 

 linen bag, and sipiee/.c «Hit all the juice into a vessel 

 placed beneath. Measure it, and to every quart of 

 the strained juice allow half a (Kmnd of |iowdi-riil 

 loaf sugar, a hea|ied lcas|»Minful of |K)Wilcred cinna- 

 mon, the same of |Kiwiiercil clovcji, and a imwilercd 

 nutmeg. Mix the spices with the juice and sugar, 

 and boil all together in a |iorcelain keltic, skimming it 

 well. When eulil, stir inlii the alMive quantity half a 

 pint of fourlh-prouf bran.iy. Then iKittle it i"or use. 

 This is a giMid family medicine, and is bcnellclal in 

 complaints incident "to warm weather. 



lii.ArKiiiCKUV .Iam ; (Jathertbc fruit iiidry weather; 

 allow half a |»iunil of gisnl brown sugar to every 

 |)ound of fruit ; Imil the whole together gently for au 

 hour, or until the blackberries are soft, stirring and 

 mashing them well. Preserve il like any other jam, 

 and it will be found very useful in families, particu- 

 larly fur chUdren— regulatini: their IkuvcIs and en- 

 abling them to dispense with eatharlics. It may Is; 

 spread on bread, or on puddings, instead of butler ; 

 and even when the blackberriea are liought It Is 

 chea|M-r Iban butter. In the country every family 

 should preserve, at least, half a (sek of blackberries. 



LiiMiiNAiiE: A hot lemonade is one of the Ih'sI 

 remedies in the world for a cold. Il acts promptly 

 and ell'cetivcly, and has no unpleasant afler elleels. 



One le n pro|)erly squce/.ed, cut in slices, put with 



sugar, and covered' with a half (liiil of boiling water. 

 Driuk just bel'oic g<iiug to iH'd, and do nut exjiose ymr- 



