THE GENESEE FARMER. 



321 



f alrus' D^prtmnit. 



HOW SHALL WE SPEND OUR WINTER EVENINGS 1 



The question, how shall farmers and their families 

 spend their winter evenings profitably, and at the 

 same time pleasantly? has often been asked, and many 

 ways have been proposed, and I presume resorted to 

 in various places, to suit their several localities; but 

 I will tell you how we managed it the past winter. 

 At a social singing party at the house of one of our 

 deacons, our pnstor proposed to us to get up a lit- 

 erary society of some sort, for mental, moral, and so 

 clal improvement After some discussion, a commit- 

 tee was chosen to dr^L a constitution and give us a 

 name. It was decided to call it a Polytechnic Socie- 

 ty; its officers were President, Secretary, Treasurer, 

 and Editor and Editress. Ten cents constituted any 

 one a member; the funds to be applied to the pur- 

 chase of paper, ink, and other incidental expenses. 

 To meet once in two weeks. Officers to be chosen 

 by ballot, and changed at every meeting, thus giving 

 every one a chance for an office. Besides the paper, 

 which of course was a written one, and filled from 

 seven to ten sheets of foolscap, the contents of which 

 were, with very few exceptions, original, and of great 

 variety, we had two original essays. At the close of 

 the meeting, the President announced the officers for 

 the ensuing meeting, and himself appointed the essay- 

 ists; the choice of subject left to the writers. 



We met round, as the schoolmasters say, or from 

 house to house, as we were invited. And this re- 

 minds me of a peculiar feature of Western life — the 

 capabilities of a small house to accommodate a large 

 company. Our housewives seem to have the knack 

 of making room; for a common observer would 

 hardly think some of our houses large enough to ac- 

 commodate an ordinary sized family, yet from fifty to 

 sixty persons were comfortably seated, for that was 

 our usual number. New Years afternoon we met at 

 the house of our pastor, with such donations as we 

 had the power to offer, and enjoyed an excellent and 

 bountiful repast prepared by the ladies, and in the 

 evening had our regular meeting. 



Perhaps some will say, well, this only took up one 

 evening in two weeks, but it must be remembered 

 that the articles for the paper occupied all the spare 

 time of the members during the two weeks, and tlie 

 editors had their hands full, 1 assure you. At any 

 rate, notwithstanding the severity ot the winter, we 

 always had a full house, and the winter passed rapid- 

 ly away; and when the spring came at last, with its 

 usual toils and cares, and we were obliged to adjourn 

 till September, we all felt sorry to give up our Poly- 

 technic; for though it is true the arts and sciences 

 had not very much advanced under our supervision, 

 ■we felt that our minds had been improved, and we 

 had become acquainted with each others habits of 

 thought, which years of common intercourse would 

 never have unfolded. Now if any of your subscri 

 bers have found a better way, let them name it, and 

 we will try it; if not, let them go and do likewise. 



Viola. 

 Clay, Washington Co., Iowa, July 20, 1857. 



To Destroy Crickets. — Put Scotch snuff upon 

 the bole where they come out. 



ORIGINAL DOMESTIC RECEIPTS. 



Curing ITams. — Rub salt all over them as soon aa 

 cut and laid on a table; the next day brush it off 

 and pack in a cask; put on a pickle made as follows: 

 1 quart salt to 1 gallon water; to 6 gallons water \ 

 gallon molasses and 3 ounces saltpetre. Let the 

 hams remain in six or eight weeks, according to size. 

 Smoke to suit, and pack away in salt in a cask, and 

 put in a cool dry place, and they will keep good all 

 summer. 



Oyster Soup. — To one quart of oysters with their 

 juice, put two quarts of cold water, half a pint of 

 milk, and a heaping spoonful of salt ; let them boil 

 one minute; skim out the oysters; add half a tea cup 

 of crackers rolled fine, half a tea cup of butter, and 

 a little pepper; let it boil again; then pour over the 

 oysters. 



Extempore Buckwheat Cakes — Three pintsbuck- 

 wheat flour; one tea spoonful carbonate of soda, dis- 

 solved in water enough to make a batter with the 

 flour. When mixed, add a tea spoonful of tartaric 

 acid, dissolved in a few spoonfuls of hot water. Stir 

 it in, and bake immediately. 



Ginger Snaps. — One cup molasses; one half cup 

 sugar; one half cup butter; one half cup warm wa- 

 ter, the butter melted in it; two tablespoons ginger; 

 one tea spoon saleratus. Knead it well with flour 

 enough to make it stiff. Cut it into round cakes; 

 bake in a moderate oven. 



Baked Corn Meal PuddiiJg. — To seven htaoing 

 table spoonsful Indian meal add one quart boiling 

 milk, one cup molasses, a little salt and butter. Stir all 

 well together, and just as it goes into the hot oven, 

 put in a cupful of cold water or milk. Bake three 

 quarters of an hour. 



To Cure Hoarseness. — Take whites of two Qg^, 

 and beat them with two spoonsful of white sugar; 

 grate in a little nutmeg; then add a pint of luke- 

 warm wafer. Stir well, and drink often. Repeat 

 the prescription if necessary, and it will cure the 

 most obstinate case of hoarseness in a short time. 



Pickled Cabbage. — Slice red cabbage very thin; 

 put oq,it a little coarse salt, and let it rest 24 hours 

 to drain; add sliced onions if you like them. Boil 

 four spoonfuls pepper and four of allspice in a quart 

 of vinegar, and pour it over. 



Wiping Dishes. — Much time is wasted by house- 

 keepers in wiping their dishes. If properly washed 

 and drained in a dry sink, with a cloth spread on 

 the bottom, they look better than when wiped, be- 

 sides the economy in saving time and labor. 



To Prevent the Smoking of a Lamp. — Soak the 

 wick in strong vinegar, and dry it well before using. 

 It will then burn both sweet and pleasant, giving 

 much satisfaction for the trifling trouble in preparing 

 it 



To Make Cracker Pie — Take eight water or 

 butter crackers; break in pieces, and pour on them 

 one quart of boiling water; add a tea spoonful of 

 tartaric acid for two pies. Sweeten and spice to the 

 taste. 



Cream Pie, Very Rich — Is made by a rich paste 

 for bottom; then a layer of butter, the thickness of 

 a cent; then one of sugar; then one of flour, the 

 same thickness, and fill up with cream. 



