No. 2. 



Pickles. 



65 



the " new system" from the Massachusetts 

 Ploughman, and in the month of August, 

 after taking off the usual amount of the 

 grass I have described, I took up a piece by 

 ploughing and dragging thoroughly, cleaned 

 it, gave the top-dressing, put in the seed — 

 timothy and red-top — say a half bushel of 

 the former to three pecks of the latter, and 

 the present season I took from it the best 

 crop of grass I ever saw. I intend, there- 

 fore, to complete my job in that way, the 

 object being to clean the land and change 

 the quality of the grass. 



I opened an account with my lot when I 

 commenced, charging every day's work, 

 every load of manure, every bushel of seed, 

 &.C. I gave credit, as I passed along, for all 

 the crops I took from it, including wood, &c. ; 

 and at the end of four years, it had paid prin- 

 cipal and mterestof the amount expended — 

 over $300 — and brought me in debt about 

 $;15. Since that time, I have made no esti- 

 mate of the expense or profits, until the pre- 

 sent season, and now only with a view to 

 this statement. 



The net profits of my lot, then, the pre- 

 sent season, are as follows: 

 25 tons of hay at S8 per ton, $200 



Deduct 16 days' labour at $1 



per day, $16 



" " boy, 50 c. per day, 8 



" 32 days' board at $1 50 



per week, 7 



" use of oxen and tools, 2 



— 33 



Net balance, $167 



Abstract of Ag. Returns. 



Chester, Mass., October 8th, 1846. 



Pickles. 



The time of year is now approaching 

 when all "good housewives" will be anx 

 ious to see their pickle pans filled, and as 

 there is a variety of articles used for this 

 purpose, we have concluded to present a 

 few remarks relative to the manner of pre- 

 serving them. Among the most highly es- 

 teemed, we may mention the Mango pickle. 

 This is formed by immersing green musk- 

 melons in a solution of salt in water for the 

 space of eight days, taking out the seeds, 

 filling the interior with ungrouiid mustard, 

 horse-radish, cut fine, allspice, and small 

 onions. The melons should tlien be imme- 

 diately sewed together and scalded in sharp 

 vinegar, or placed in a jar where vinegar 

 heated to the boiling point can be poured 

 over them. 



Walnuts are pickled in the following 

 manner: As soon as they become so ripe as 



to admit of their being easily perforated 

 with a pin, they are fit for pickling. Hav- 

 ing gathered your nuts, soak them for ten 

 or fourteen days in very cold and strong 

 brine which has been boiled and skimmed. 

 Into a quantity of vinegar, sufficient to co- 

 ver them, put whole pepper, mustard seed, 

 cloves, small onions, garlic, ginger and horse- 

 radish; this should be boiled and poured over 

 the walnuts when cold. From two to three 

 months are necessary to pickle the walnut, 

 and when properly prepared, they are excel- 

 lent and esteemed by most. 



Peppers. — Peppers for pickling should be 

 taken from the vines as soon as they have 

 attained their maturity of growth, but be- 

 fore they are ripe. They should then be 

 immediately immersed in salt water and 

 suffered to remain until they begin to turn 

 yellow. They should then be removed, and 

 " greened" by immersing them in warm salt 

 and water, shifting them every two or three 

 days. This done, remove them to a suitable 

 vessel — an earthen crock or jar is best — and 

 pour over them boiling vinegar. If a small 

 bag of mustard seed be deposited in the ves- 

 sel, it will be found a great improvement. 



Cucumbers ought to be pickled while per- 

 fectly green, and of small size, and should 

 lie in weak brine from six to eight days. 

 'I'hey should then be removed, and after 

 being carefully washed, placed in a wooden 

 vessel and kept in a warm place for a day 

 or two, and then removed to the jar or crock 

 and have as much vinegar, scalded with 

 pepper, allspice, flagroot and mustard seed 

 as will fill the vessel, poured over them. 

 You may, in order to " green" them, throw 

 in a small lump of alum, which will also 

 harden them. Some boil their pickles in 

 brass or copper kettles, but these metals, 

 when acted on by a powerful acid, like vine- 

 gar, are not wholesome, and ought not, there- 

 fore, to be used. 



Red Cabbages. — In the preparation of this 

 vegetable for pickling, nothing more is ne- 

 cessary than to cut the heads from the stumps 

 when grown, and to pour over them spiced 

 vinegar, which has been previously boiled 

 and skimmed, and suffering them to remain 

 immersed for ten or twelve days before using. 

 Some prefer immersing the heads in brine 

 for twenty or twenty-four hours before turn- 

 ing in the vinegar, as they suppose it im- 

 proves the flavor, and causes them to keep 

 more perfectly. Where good vinegar is 

 used, pickles will rarely grow soft or in- 

 sipid, but if the vinegar is of a poor quality, 

 or has suffered deterioration from any cause, 

 or if the spices used to give flavor, are in- 

 troduced without judgment, the reverse is 

 often the case. When this takes place, no 



