344 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



young Fonathan no trouble met, 



But plump and strong he grew j 

 Silk tiis.tel o'er his ear he set, 



Exquisite 'twas to view. 



But now ilrew near bis trial time — 



For soon as he matured, 

 And just had donned his yellow coat. 



Of proud repose assured, 



All roughly seized was Jonathan Maize, 



To Merriam's he was borne ; 

 It was no jnem-ment for him, 



For he must burst or burn. 



A fiery ordeal would him try — 



Ah I that would test the chit — 

 If beauty, goodness, strength is there, 



The fire will make the hit. 



A furnace is in glowing heat — 



Bold Jonathan, hold your own ; 

 Hark ! 'tis not presto, but 'tis pop — 



Twelve-fold his size has grown. 



Hurrah ! hurrah ! for Jonathan Maize, 



Expanded by the fire ! 

 Pureness and beauty burst to sight j 



We look, and we admire. 



All honored now is Jonathan Maize — 



Selina's kindly hand 

 Bedecks him in a rosy coat. 



With skilful stoeetness planned. 



Then in a box that's clean and white. 



He's carefully encased ; 

 Upon my word, if you would bite. 



You'd say 'twas bite well placed. 



Laura Elmir, in Merry^s Museum, 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



BHUBABB WINE. 



To every gallon of water, add five pounds of 

 rhubarb cut in thin slices ; let it stand nine days, 

 stirring it three times a day ; cover the pan con- 

 taining it with a coarse cloth ; strain it ; to every 

 gallon of the liquor, add four pounds of loaf-su- 

 gar, the juice of two lemons, and the rind of one ; 

 dissolve one ounce of isinglass (to fine it) in a 

 pint of the liquor over a slow fire, then add it, 

 when cold, to the rest ; when fermentation has 

 ceased, bung it close, and bottle it in March. A 

 few raisins improve it. The lemon rind Snould 

 not remain in after fermentation has ceased. 



Cut the rhubarb into rather thin slices ; squeeze 

 through a sieve to extract the juice; this being 

 done, mix with it as much sugar as will suit the 

 taste, and some water, after which it must sim- 

 mer on the fire for an hour or two ; then put as 

 much yeast as will cause it to ferment ; put it in- 

 to a cask for three weeks ; draw through a tap ; 

 bottle. It will be good at the time, if properly 

 fermentc^l, but, if allowed to stand a year, would 

 be perfect. 



Seven pounds of rhubarb to be bruised in a 

 mortar ; and, when bruised, put to it three quarts 

 of water; let the water be boiled, and stand until 

 cold ; stir them every day for five days ; then 

 add three and a half pounds of coarse sugar ; 

 then put it into a bottle or cask, and in three 

 months add a quarter of a pint of the best bran- 

 dy, and in six months bottle it for use. Twenty 

 pounds of rhubarb, twelve pounds of sugar and 

 fiigkt quarts of water will mike thr«e i^allous. 



To every five pounds of rhubarb stalk, when 

 sliced and bruised, put a gallon of cold spring 

 water ; let it stand three days in a tub, stirring 

 it twice every day ; and then press and strain it 

 through a sieve, and to every gallon of the liquor 

 put three pounds of loaf-sugar ; put it in a bar- 

 rel, and hang some isinglass within the barrel, 

 and bung it up directly. In six months, it will 

 be ready to bottle. Currant juice to color, if you 

 like. 



Take six pounds of rhubarb, and cut it into 

 half-inch pieces, put it into a pot, add one gallon 

 of cold water, and let it stand three weeks, stir- 

 ring it every day ; then strain out the rhubarb, 

 put the liquor into the pot a»ain, and add three 

 pounds of sugar to every gallon of the liquor ; let 

 it stand three weeks longer ; then strain it through 

 a flannel bag, put it into a keg or stone bottles, 

 and add a little isinglass to clear it. It will be 

 ready for use in three or four months. 



Take four and a half pounds of rhubarb, bruise 

 it in a tub with a mallet till quite soft ; add one 

 gallon of cold water, and let it stand three or 

 four days ; stir it frequently ; strain it off through 

 a wort sieve, and press the juice out ; then meas- 

 ure the liquor ; to every gallon, put three and a 

 half pounds of moist sugar ; let it stand a day or 

 two, that all the sugar may dissolve ; put it into 

 the cask ; do not stop it up close for a week ; 

 leave the top cork out ; when put into the cask, 

 add two or three ounces of isinglass ; stir it well 

 together, and in two months rack it, and run it 

 through a flannel bag ; then put it into the cask 

 again, with a little more isinglass, if required. 

 To ten gallons of wine, add six pounds of chopped 

 raisins ; the isinglass should be dissolved, and 

 whisked to a froth ; add what quantity of brandy 

 you think right. — Godey^s Lady's Book for June. 



How TO Cook Rhubarb or Pie Plant. — Get 

 the LinniBus rhubarb. It is larger, more tender 

 and better flavored than any other, requires less 

 sugar by one-fourth, and has no skin to be taken 

 oiT. Do not attempt to peel it, but cut in pieces 

 as long as the thickness of the stalk, and put 

 them with your sugar in an earthen dish without 

 water ; cover it to retain the flavor, and place it 

 in an oven and cook till quite tender without 

 stirring or breaking the pieces. If too much 

 cooked it assumes a disgusting stringy appear- 

 ance, and loses all fruity character. The rosy 

 color of the stalks will give your dish an attrac- 

 tive appearance, and the dyspeptic will find in it 

 a powerful aid to digestion. 



The Mistress of a Family. — The house- 

 mother ! what 31 beautiful, comprehensive word 

 it is! how suggestive of all that is wise and kind- 

 ly, comfortable and good ! Surely, whether the 

 lot comes to her naturally, in the happy grada- 

 tions of wifehood and motherhood, or as the 

 maiden-mistress of an adopted family, or — as 

 one could find many instances, in this our mod- 

 ern England — when the possession of a large 

 fortune, received or earned, gives ner, with all 

 the cares and duties, many of the advantages of 

 matronhood — every such woman must acknowl- 

 edge that it is a solemn as well as a happy thing 

 to be the mistress of a family. — A Wo7na/ii'3 

 Thought* ubtiti W»ni4n. 



