488 



NEW ENGLAND EARMER. 



Oct. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 THE ONION. 



In conversation with a practical gardener this 

 morning, about the remark made by Mr. Hunt- 

 ington, that his best onions, the present season, 

 ■were on that part of his field where no manure 

 at all was applied, (which field I examined yes- 

 terday, and found the fact to be as stated,) he 

 said he had found maggots to rage less on a 

 warm, light, porous soil, than on that which was 

 otherwise. This principle he thought applied 

 equally well to Mr. Huntington's crop, as that 

 which he had applied. Perhaps the true reason 

 may be found in the combination of the two 

 causes. It is important to determine the true 

 cause, because it is admitted by all who have 

 seen them, that Mr. H.'s crop of onions is supe- 

 rior to any other in the neighborhood — full half 

 of most other fields having been destroyed by 

 the worm. 



If any mode of checking the ravages of this 

 insect could be made certain, it would be an an- 

 nual saving to this town of $50,000 — and quite 

 as much to several of the adjoining towns. 



1 have forborne troubling you with communica- 

 tions of late, because I find my neighbors arc 

 watching the signs of the times, and are always 

 ready to tell all they know, und SGmcti7nes alittle 

 more; but v/hen the onion is crou-dfd vpon, 1 

 think my legitimate province is invaded. P. 



South Danvers, August '30, 1859. 



of good feeling. While insisting on truthful- 

 ness, she constantly sets an example of untruth 

 by threatening penalties which she does not in- 

 flict. While inculcating self-control, she hourly 

 visits on her little ones angry scoldlngR for acts 

 that do not call for them. 8he has not the re- 

 motest idea that in the nursery, as in the world, 

 that alone is truly salutary discipline which vis- 

 its on all conduct, good or bad, the natural con- 

 sequences, the consequences, pleasurable or pain- 

 ful, which in the nature of things such conduct 

 tends to bring. Being thus without theoretic 

 guidance, and quite incapable of guiding herself 

 by tracing the mental piccesses going on in her 

 children, her rule is impuls^ive, inconsistent, mis- 

 chievous often in the highest degree; and would 

 indeed be generally ruinous, were it not that the 

 overwhelming tendency of the growing mind to 

 assume the monotype of the race, usually subor- 

 dinates all minor influences. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



LEGISLATION IN THE NUKSEBY. 



See the young mother in the nursery with an 

 unfolding human character committed to her 

 charge — see her, profoundly ignorant of the phe- 

 nomenon with which she has to deal, undertak- 

 ing to do that which can be done but imperfectly 

 even with the aid of the profour.dest knowledge. 

 She knows nothing about the nature of the emo- 

 tions, their order of evolution, their functions, 

 or where use ends and abuse begins. She is un- 

 der the impression that seme of the feelings are 

 wholly bad, which is not true of any one of them ; 

 and that others are good, however far they may 

 be carried, which is also not true of any one of 

 them. And then, ignorant as she is of that with 

 which she has to deal, she is equally ignorant of 

 the eff'ects that will be produced on it by this or 

 that treatment. What can be more inevitable 

 than the disastrous results we see hourly arising ? 

 Lacking the knowledge of mental phenomena, 

 with their causes and consequences, her interfer- 

 ence is frequently more mischievous than abso- 

 lute passivity would have been. This and that 

 kind of action, which are quite normal and ben- 

 eficial, she perpetually thwarts ; and so dimin- 

 ishes the child's happiness and profit, injures its 

 temper and her own, and produces estrange- 

 ment. 



Deeds which she thinks it desirable to encour- 

 age, she gets performed by threats and bribes, 

 Or by exciting a desire for applause, considering 

 little what the inward motives may be, so long as 

 the outward conduct conforms, and thus cultivat- 

 ing hypocrisy, and fear, and selfishness, in place 



DOMESTIC RitCSIPTS. 



Pickled Beans. — Select young beans; string 

 and wash them. Make a brine of salt and water 

 strong; enough to bear an egg. Put your beans 

 into it, and let thtm remain until they change 

 color. Then take them out, and wash them in 

 clear water. Line the bottom of your kettle with 

 green cabbage leaves, put in your beans, and as 

 much vinegar and water, or clear water, as will 

 cover them. Lay cabbage leaves over the top ; 

 put them over a f-low fire, and let the m get scald- 

 ing hot. When they are green, take them out 

 and let them drain. Put them in jars with some 

 allspice, cloves, a little mustard seed and scraped 

 horseradish, and enough vinegar to cover them. 

 Tie them close, and keep them in a cool, dry 

 place. 



Pickled Artichokes. — First wash your ar- 

 tichokes, put them in strong salt and water, and 

 let them remain four or five days. Then take 

 them out, rinse them in fresh w^ater, wipe them 

 dry, and put them in jars. Add to them cloves, 

 allspice, and mustard seed. Cover with cold vin- 

 egar, anel tie them up close. 



Pickled Nasturtions. — Lay them in salt 

 j and water for two or three days ; then wash them 

 I in fresh water, and let them drain. Put them in 

 jars, and cover them with cold vinegar. 

 j If it should be preferred, a little spice may be 

 added to the vinegar, but it discolors the pickles. 

 j A little sugar is a very great improvement. 

 I Pickled Mushrooms. — Select small mush- 

 ! rooms, commonly called buttons. Cut off' the end 

 I of each stalk ; scrape, wash and spread them out 

 , to drain. Take as much vinegar as will cover 

 j them, put into it some stick cinnamon, mace, 

 'cloves, allspice, and just enough salt to taste. 

 Put the mushrooms in jars. Boil the spice and 

 1 vinegar, and pour it over the pickles while hot. 

 Cover them close, as soon as they get cold. — 

 Widdijield's Cook Look. 



Tomato Pie. — Line the sides of a deep plate 

 with pastry, slice the tomatoes thin, add sugar, a 

 little butter, some pounded cloves and nutmeg, 

 and half a cup of water. A little flour makes 

 the sirup richer. Cover the whole with pastry, 

 leaving an opening in the centre to let the steam 

 escape. 



