556 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



cd to this, for making- Egg POxVE and Virginia 

 Cakes, I will undertake to promise that they 

 will become the favorite bread at the breakfast 

 table of Q.UEEN Victoria herself, as the Indian 

 Meal Axh Cake ever was with Gen. Wash- 

 ington. It shall even augment the desire which 

 she, and it is to be hoped every Christian human 

 beiug entertains, to preserve peace and all sorts 

 of kind offices between the mother and the 

 daughter countiy. 



Yours with "best washes, J. S. Skinner, 

 Editor of Fanners' Library. 

 New-York, Dec. 184.5. 



To MAKE Griddle Cakes.— Best way to 

 make them is to use milk altogether, instead of 

 water — two eggs, yellow and white, to be al- 

 lowed for a pint of com meal — the milk to be a 

 little warmed, and the whole to be well beaten 

 up with a spoon or ladle. There must be milk 

 enough used to make the whole so liquid as 

 that it will pour out of the saucepan on the 

 griddle — one spoonful of wheat flour, and lard 

 (pure butter still better) the size of a walnut. 



The Griddle. — Much nicety is to be ob- 

 served in the preparation of the griddle, which, 

 as must be well known, is Sijlat round iron con- 

 cern standing on three legs, and of any size — it 

 must be made not veri/ hot, because then it 

 would burn the cakes, and it must be well clean- 

 ed and grea.sed while warm, that it may be per- 

 fectly smooth, so that the cakes may be easily 

 turned, that they may be done brown (not burnt) 

 on both sides — to promote their turning easily is 

 the object of adding the wheaten flour. Be it re- 

 membered that the dough, or rather batter, as 

 directed, must be well beat up and prepared di- 



rectly before being cooked — though it might set 

 an hour — this is mentioned to prevent its being 

 supposed that it, like some other bread, would 

 bear to be mixed over night. The cakes are 

 usually poured on until they spread on the grid- 

 dle to the size of the bottom of a breakfast plate. 

 You will think this recipe rather prolix, but it 

 is my way in all .such cases to be very exact. 

 Better be too particular than to omit any essen- 

 tial item. J. S. S. 



Egg Pone. — Three eggs to a quart of meal — 

 no wheat flour — to be made also wiili milk — 

 water would make it heavy — a spoonful of but- 

 ter, all well beat together and made up of a con- 

 sistence thicker than the cakes — too thick to povr 

 out— but just thick enough to require to be 

 taken up with a spoon — may be baked like the 

 cakes, immediately after being mixed — must be 

 baked in a tin pan, which must be placed in a 

 Dutch oven, not too hot at first, but the fire under 

 it to be increased. The object is to have it begin 

 to bake at the bottom, when it will riae in the pro- 

 cess of baking, become brown on the top, and 

 when put on the table and cut, resemble what we 

 call poundcake. Ifyour friend will exactly follow 

 these directions, and then eat his cakes, or his 

 egg-pone, hot, with good fresh butter, he will 

 find that Indian Corn bread is fit ior other persons 

 as well as pigs to eat. the assertion of a corn- 

 law Member of Parliament to the contrary not- 

 withstanding, Divei's other preparations of com 

 and Corn Meal might be given. For instance 

 " hominy and ash-cakes," which a certain George 

 Washington had cooked for his own eating to 

 the day of his death. J. S. S. 



P. S. — Salt, of course, add as usual, in both 

 cases. 



THE POWER OF FASCINATION IN SERPENTS. 



There is a very general opinion, which has 

 been adopted, even by some eminent naturalists, 

 that several species of serpents po.ssess the pow- 

 er of fascinating birds and small quadrupeds, by 

 fixing their eyes upon the animal, so that the 

 poor victim is unable to escape from his formi- 

 dable enemy. Dr. Bai-ton, of Philadelphia, pub- 

 lished, in 1796, a " Memoir concerning the foscin- 

 ating faculty which has been ascribed to the 

 R,attlesnake, and other American Serpents," in 

 which he maintains that this supposed power of 

 fascination does not exist, and otters some inge- 

 nious explan.itions of the origin of what he con- 

 siders a popular mistake. Our readers will, we 

 think, be interested by an extract or two from 

 this ■work : 



" In conducting my inquiries into this curious 

 subject, I endeavored to ascertain the two fol- 

 lowing points, viz., first, what species of birds 

 are most frequently observed to be enchanted 

 by the serpents? and, secondly, at what sea.son 

 of the year has any particular species been the 

 most commonly under this wonderful influence ? 

 I suppo.scd this would furnish me with a clue 

 to a right explanation of the whole mystery. 



" Birds have an almost uniform and determin- 

 ate method of binding their nests, whether we 

 c^onsider the form of the nest, its materials, or the 

 (11-14) 



place in which it is fixed. Those birds which 

 build their nests upon the ground, on the lower 

 branches of trees, and on low bu.shes (especially 

 on the sides of rivers, creeks, &c. that are fre- 

 quented by different kinds of serpents,) have 

 most frequently been observed to be under the 

 enchanting faculty of the Rattlesnake, &c. In- 

 deed, the bewitching spirit of the.se serpents 

 seems to be almost entirely limited to these kinds 

 of birds. Hence we so frequently hear tales of 

 the fascination of our cat-bird, which builds its 

 ne.st in the low bushes, on the sides of creeks, 

 and other waters, the most usual haunts of the 

 black snake and other serpents. Hence, too, 

 upon opening the stomachs of some of our ser- 

 pents, if we often find that they contain birds.it 

 is almost entirely tho.se birds which build in the 

 manner I have ju.st mentioned. 



'• The Rattlesnake seldom, if ever, climbs up 

 a tree. He is frequently, however, found about 

 their roots, especially in wet situations. It is 

 said that it is often seen curled round a tree, 

 darting terrible glances at a squiiTol, which af 

 ter some time is so much influenced by these 

 glances, or by some subtle emanation from the 

 body of the serpent, that the poor animal falls into 

 the jaws of its enemy. Is the animal's fear and 

 distress a matter of any wonder ? Nature has 



