1875.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



175 



the quantiticR. or even the quartor, may bo uscd,b»it 

 then why do thoy not adaj)! their cjuantities at once 

 lo the eiremiistances of small laiiiilieH of Umitetl 

 means, anil lei the ri<'h, or lar^re faniiiles, multiply 

 quant it ies thontselves. 



Parlor Adornments. 



Some one writes in the Journal of Ihrticiilhnr: " Do 

 you w ish the uijly plain doors that shut of!" your tiny 

 entry to he arehed or eurved like those in the drawini; 

 room ofyour rielier iieighhor '. Huy a eoupleof hraek- 

 els, sueli as laiui>s for tlie hurnins of kero.sene are 

 sometimes phu-eil in. and serew them on the siiles of 

 the door. Put in eai-h a paii'of Kui^lisli ivy, the lonj;er 

 the better; then train the jilants over the top ai^aiust 

 the sides — indeed, any way yiuir faney indieates. You 

 need not huy the beautiful but eostly pots the tlower- 

 dealer \vill advise. Common iriazed ones will answer 

 every puriMtse, lor, by plaeini; in eaeh two or three 

 sprays of Coliseum ivy, in a few months' time uo ves- 

 ti;re of the. pot itself eau be diseerned through their 

 tliiek screen. The Eni^lish ivy yropiuic over t lie walls 

 of a buildinir. instead of promni in <^ dampness, as most 

 persons would sujipose. is said to be a remedy lor it, 

 and it is mentioned as a fact that'll! a eertain room 

 where damp had jirevailcd for a leuf^th of time, the 

 atleeted parts inside had beeome dry when the ivy 

 had j^rown up to eover up the opposite exterior side. 

 The elose overhangiiifi: pendant leaves prevent the rain 

 or moisture from penetrating to the wall." 



How to Boil Eggs. 



There is an objeitiou to the eommon way of boil- 

 iiiff eirffs which most people do not understand. 

 The wliite, under the usual three minutes rapid eook- 

 ine, becomes tousrh and iudiffestible, while the yolk 

 remains soft. When properly cooked, eirgs are done 

 evenly through, like any other food. This result may 

 be attained l)y jiuttinif the ecirs into a dish with a 

 eover, or a tin pail or farina kettle, and then pouring 

 upon them hniiinij water, two quarts or more to a 

 dozen efcsrs; then eover and set them away from the 

 stove fur fifteen minutes. The heat of the water cooks 

 the egistt slowly and evenly and sufficiently, and to a 

 jelly like consistency, leiiriiig the centre or yolk 

 harder than the white, wM\f the egi; tastes as much 

 richer and nicer as a fresh egg is nicer than a stale 

 effe;: and no person will want to eat them boiled after 

 bavins: once tried this method. 



GENERAL MISCELLANY. 



Dogs Good and Bad. 



Save the Soapsuds. 



However dcjilorable washins; day may be to the 

 liousehold (and the careful house mistress or tidy 

 maid has it in her power tofrreatly modify its discom- 

 forts), to the garden it is a very bountiful day. Our 

 hungry and thirsty grapevines and tlowers are glad 

 of every drop of wash water, and will repay every 

 bit of fatigue it may cost us to give them this fertil- 

 izer. If the sun is shining hot when we go out to 

 dispense our favor, it is best for us to dig a slight 

 trench not far from the root of the iilant, and jiour 

 the water into it, and cover again with the top soil. 

 This makes the water go farther, and at the same 

 time does not tempt the rootlets to the surface of the 

 ground. No better liquid can be prepared than the 

 soapsuds from the "woolen tubs," as they are sure 

 to nourish the roxes. If any of the liquid rests upon 

 the foliaije of the plants, wash it olf by syringing 

 smartly — plants always pay for this extra eare. 



How to Clean Carpets. 



A tablespoonfnl of aminoiua in one gallon of warm 

 water will often restore the color of carpets, even if 

 dissolved by acid or alkali. If a ceiling has been 

 whitewashed with the carpet down, and a few drops 

 should fall, this will remove it. Or, after tlie carpet 

 is well beaten and brushed, scour with oxgall, which 

 will not only extract grease, but freshen the colors. 

 ()ne pint oi'gall in three gallons of warm water, will 

 do a large carpet. Table and floor elotlis may be thus 

 washed. The suds left from a wash when ammonia 

 is used, even if almost cold, cleanses these new lloor 

 cloths well. 



Moths in Carpets. 



Moths will work in carpets in rooms that are kept 

 warm in the winter, as well as in summer. A sure 

 method of removing the pests is to pour strong alum 

 water on the tloor to a distance of half a yard around 

 the edges before laying the carpets. Then inii'e or 

 twice during the season, sprinkle dry salt over the 

 carpet before sweeping. Insects do not like salt, and 

 sutticient adheres to the carpet to prevent tliuir alight- 

 ing upon it . 



^ 



Good Kindlings. 



Very good kindlings are nnide in Europe of corn 

 cobs. They are first steepe<l in hot water containing 

 two ])er cent, of saltpetre, and after being dried at a 

 high temperature arc saturated with fifty per cent. of 

 resinous matter. These lighters are sold at from three 

 to four dollars per thousanil. 



The oflicers of the New Hampshire Airrieutural 

 Fair having otfcTod premiums for bIoo<lcii dogs, tliev 

 were roughly criticised by some of tlie pajiers. who 

 argued tliat as " doirs kill sheep, tiierclbre dogs 

 should bedestrnyed iusli-ad of being enccmraged or 

 improved." Thereupon the Miner ami /Wc/zKr took 

 U]) till' argiuni'Ut fiir Carlo, Kido anil the other good 

 (logs, declaring that the aliove argument had " en- 

 gulphed the iinderstandiiii.' " of the anti-dog people. 

 There arc, says t lie i-diloi-, in tliis .state, ihoiisamls 

 of mongrel curs which are worthh-ss and worse than 

 worthless. They kill sheep, yelp at passers-by, aial 

 devoin- food w hichtJhinilil lie put lo some better purpose. 

 They are an expensive ntiisancc from which wcoiiiilit 

 to lie delivered. Hut, on the other haml, there are in 

 the .State some dogs which arc of real value as pro- 

 tectorsof life and property and [iromoters of ratioiuil 

 jileasures. The race of "old dog Trays," which was 

 faithful and kind, is by lui im-ans extinct. 



.Vstliircis nothing meaner or more iinprofitable 

 than a bad dog, so tliere are few tliiiiL's which pay 

 better and are less trouble and expense than a irood 

 dog. If a watch-dog, he is awake at all times of day 

 and night, and always faithful anil devoted to his 

 master's interests. He never tins and never lliuchcs. 

 lie is |)roof against bribery and threats, lie never 

 gets drunk, nor asks for a vacation, lie demands no 

 wages, and does not grumble about his board. He is 

 the terrorof thieves, the safety-guard against tramps, 

 and the best fire-arm in uAe. If a farm-dog, he will 

 watch sheep, drive cattle, keep the hens within 

 botinds, and earn his price evci'V year killing wood- 

 chucksand squirrels, and as a hunter he fillsthe first 

 place in a sjuirtsman's outfit. 



But a good dog. like a good horse or a good man, 

 is the result of good blood and good training, and it 

 is because nearly all our dogs lack both pedigree and 

 decent bringing up that so many of them are gooil- 

 for-nothing, annoying, sheep-killing curs. It costs 

 no more to raise a good dog than a poor one, and yet 

 there is no animal which it is more liilhcult to pur- 

 chase than a good dog. To the man who owns a 

 first-class one, money seems to be no object. Be he 

 ever so poor, he will sell his cow, his horse, and his 

 pig, belbre he will part with his dog. A hundred 

 good watch dogs could be sold in this city in a week, 

 each one for more tlnin some of our friends seem to 

 think all the dogs in the State are worth, and there 

 is ahv.ay6 a large and increasing demand for good 

 hunters, while of good shepherd and farm dogs there 

 are twenty needed where one can be had. 



AV'ere it desirable, we caimot rid the country of 

 dogs. Between the human and the canine races there 

 is a strong " natural affinity." " Love me, love my 

 dog," is a foundation-stone of society. Even the 

 lousy curs which abound in the State now hold a 

 place in the atfections of the people, from which 

 neither taxation, moral suasion nor law can dislodge 

 them, and which they will contimie to hold tnitil 

 other atid lietter dogs come to take their places. 



If, therefore, the managers of the Fair can, by 

 showing us a few model dogs this year, encourage 

 the production of others, and in making room for 

 them drive out tho.se which are good-for-nothing and 

 vicious, they will, we believe, do a service not only to 

 householders whose property needs jirotcction, to 

 sportsmen who delight in hunting, to children who 

 want pets, but to farmers whose sheep are now at 

 the mercy of base-born and badly brought up dogs; 

 and all grumbling at the dog show is, to our mind, in 

 the interest of " curs not tit to live." 



Weight of Pigs for Market. 



It was only a few years agothat swine fcrtierswere 

 vicing with each other for the greatest weight td" car- 

 cass ; but this is now all clianired. Hogs that will 

 weigh .'Jtttl pounds are sold at a less i>rice pi-r pound 

 than those of '.'.ioto "(lO pounds. The ntarket in Eng- 

 land has long favored light weights. London is 

 chiefiy supplied with jiigs of less than 2(11) pounds 

 weight. .\nd this tendency of the market to pigs will 

 fattened, but of small weiirht. is just what thi' farmer 

 should cncourairc for it is exactly iu the liiie of his 

 inti'rest. It costs more to make the second hundrcil 

 pounds on a pig than the first, aiul still more lo make 

 the third hundred pounds than the second; and so 

 every iM>und aiided becomes more expensive. 



Several years havi' jn'oved that wcll-fattcnctl pigs 

 of '2.")0 poinids weight find the greatest favor in the 

 market, anil this fact should ehansre the whole sys- 

 tem of j>ig raising and fattening. Instead of ki-eping 

 them till eighteen to twenty months old. they should 

 never be kept beyond twelve months, except fiir breed- 

 ing, and seldom beyond nine or ten months. The 

 great eti'ort should be to induce early maturity in our 

 pigs, and thus shorten the period of fcedinir. and con- 

 sequently lessen the cost \WY pounil of producing jK>rk. 

 This is a matter of much greater importance than jKvrk 

 raisers generally realize. We think any well-con- 

 ducted experimcnl would show that ten piirs carried 

 over thewinterin store condition, as is usual, and fat- 

 tened at eighteen or twenty months, cost, |X'r |>ound 

 of live weight, twice as much as another ten of cqual_ 



quality, full feed, and fattened at nine or ten months. 

 There would not be so much ditfcrciM-e in cost per 

 pound if the piL's were full fed for the w lioh> eight ecu or 

 twenty mouths; but even then Ihcilitfi-rence wmdd be 

 at least fifty per cent . in favor of carl\' mat nrity. ,Vnd 

 this mailer of early inatnrity is ciiilrely wllhiii llio 

 eonlriil of the breeder. K cross of Herkshire, Essex, 

 Siillolk, snudi Vorkshire, or other early maturing 

 breeds, upon our best ciiniinon sows, will produce the 

 desired result. But this system has no iieriod of stor- 

 ing anlinuls ; it must be one constant pniL'ress from 

 the first to the last day in the llfeof the pig.— «<(/.i/o 

 Lire stork Joitrntil . 



Fine Stock a Safe Investment. 



John Scott, in the .S'iri'/(f mid I'onlirt/ ./umi-jki/ for 

 September, Impresses a lesson which we have always 

 sought to teach, by an illustration which may make 

 it clearer to many than it ever has boon before, and 

 especially as he vouches for the occurrence as uii ac- 

 tual fact: 



".My neighbor bought a trio of tine piixs, paying 

 therefor the reasonalile sum of $I2<). The male was 

 valued at ?lill and the fennilcs at ^"Ocacli. This was 

 a wise apportiotunent of values, as the inalc would 

 imi>r'ess his value on all the produce. There arc those 

 who think, however, that *titt is trjo great a price for 

 one pig. In this ease he did not die or prove barren; 

 but lie begat his likeness not only on the fcmalcH of 

 his own blood, but largely on otliersto which he was 

 bred. In the short space of two years my nidglibor 

 had sold, at prices much less than he paid, pure-bred 

 piirs lo the amount of SlJOO; had on hand a stock of 

 yim ng things, worth $'!l)ii; stiil had Ihcnriirinal stock, 

 and had paid for all his teed and labor by the use of 

 his male on his and other stock. To say iiotliingof 

 his enjoyment in the possession of the best, of the in- 

 creased respect of his nei!rhl">rs. of his own cullnrc 

 !.'roH iuL' out of the tliouL'hl he [rave to his pursuit, he 

 had a clear return of SI ,i«HI on an invest mciit of <!12(l, 

 and all in two short years. .MIowing one-half for 

 contingencies, and who has done as well as this with 

 low-priced stock ? 



" If a boar will get one hundred jiiirs In a year and 

 each of the pigs is worth ^'2 more than are those from 

 a common sire, what is he really worth ! If we use 

 him but three years at this rate, he will cam us 815(10. 

 Is it not plain that siuh an animal has a real value 

 far beyond the terrible hundred dollars for whi<'h he 

 sells ; Is it safe. then, to wail for the price lo come 

 down before we buy .' The expectation or fear that 

 the prices will ttunbic is based on the assuniption that 

 the world will move backward. The Idea is as vain 

 as it is uncomplimentary." 



Look to the Forests. 



The Imperial .Vcademy of Sciences at Vienna has 

 taken up a question in which all nations may be said 

 to be more or less interested, namely, the decrease of 

 the quantity of water In springs, streams and rivers. 

 .\ circular, accompanied by an able and instrnetlvc 

 report, has been addressed to seicniitic societies in 

 otlier covmlrics, in the hope that they nuiy be per- 

 suaded to undertake observations which in course of 

 time may furnish data for practical use. The Aca- 

 demy calls attention to the fact that for some years 

 past a diminution of the waters of the Dainihc and 

 other great rivers had been notiecil, and especially 

 since the modern practice of cutting down forests 

 without reirard to eonscquences, has prevailed. The 

 Austrian Engineers and .\rcliitects' I'nion have 

 also taken the question in hand, and ap|i<>intcd a 

 " hydrotechnic comnu'ttcc " to collect facts and pre- 

 pare a report. The Danube, the Elbe and the Khine 

 were each assigned to two members, while other two 

 were to examine into the metereology of the subject, 

 and into the inlluenee which glaciers and .\lpine tor- 

 rents may have on the ijcneral resnil. The commit- 

 tee regard the i|uesiion as urgent; they recommend 

 the immediate adiqition of remedial measures, and 

 they are unanimous in deelarin;^ that the prime cause 

 of the injurious decrease of water is the decrease of 

 forests. 



Simple Interest Rules. 



The following arc simple and cxrellcnl rules for 

 fliiding the interest on any principal for a given nutn- 

 ber of iliiijt. The answer in each ease bcinir in cents, 

 separate the two riL'ht-hand fiirures of the answer to 

 express the amount in dollars and cents : 



Four iK-rcent. — Multiply by number of days to run: 

 separate riglit-hand-Hgure from product and divide 

 by 0. 



Five pcT'CcDt. — Multiply by niinilxT of days, and 

 divide by 72. 



Six per cent. — Mnlti|ily by number of days, sepa- 

 rate right-hand figure, and divide by <i. 



Eight per cent. — .Multiply by number of days, and 

 divide by 4."). 



Xine percent. — Multiply by nunil>cr of days, sepa- 

 rate the right-hand figure, and divide by 4. 



Ten per cent. — Multiply by numlierof days, and 

 divide- by :t(!. 



Twelve |x"r cent. — Multiply by number of days, 

 separate the right-hand flcure. and divide by 'i. 



