126 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



Tomato Fis-'S. 



Patent Office, July 10, 1841. 



Dear Sir. The mcdioinal qualities of tomatoes 



liave greatly increased tlieir cultivation, and every 

 new pre|)aralioii of tiie article is deserving Con- 

 eideration. A sample of "tomato figs" has just 

 been deposited at the Patent Office, of a very 

 superior quality. From the taste I should sup- 

 pose all the good qualities of the fruit are re- 

 tained. In appearance, the drum of tomatoes 

 resembles one of tigs so nearly that they might 

 easily be mistaken for the same. 



The samjile is deposited by Mrs. Steiger, of 

 this city, and the recipe transmitted with it is en- 

 closed lor publication. It is deeply to be regret- 

 ted, since the periodicals of the day are open 

 to communications, that so many valual)le im- 

 provements are lost to the world, barely for the 

 want of publicity. Others may have dried the 

 tomatoes with a reCipe, however less successful. 

 Very respectfully, 



H. L. ELLSWORTH. 



Hon. J. S. Skinner. 



Take six pounds of sugar to one peck (or 16 

 lbs.) of the fruit. Scald and remove the skin of 

 tlie fruit in the usual way. Cook them over a 

 tire, their own juice being sufficient without the 

 addition of water, until the sugar penetrates and 

 they are clarified. They are then taken out, 

 spread on dishes, flattened and dried in the sun. 

 A small quantity of the syrup should be occa- 

 sionally sprinkled over them whilst drying ; after 

 which, pack them down in boxes, treating each 

 layer with powdered sugar. The syrup is after- 

 wards concentrated and bottled for use. They 

 keep well from year to year, and retain surpris- 

 ingly their flavor, which is nearly that of the 

 best quality of fresh figs. The pear shaped or 

 single tomatoes answer the purpose best. Ord' 

 nary brown sugar may be used, a large portion 

 of which is retained in the syrup. — .American 

 Farmer. 



Does it not seem strange, that nations the most 

 uncivilized, and the most polite in the world, 

 should agree to that in which one would suppose 

 they would most differ — the treatment of females — 

 both uniting to impose the coarse labors and the 

 drudgery of life on the women ? Yet so it is. 

 The savage of the wilderness makes his squaw 

 hoe and pound the corn, and do all the work in 

 and about his wigwam, while he passes all his 

 time in eating or sleeping, until his stores are 

 exhausted, and hunger prompts him to string his 

 bow, to load his rifle, to bait his hook, or to set 

 Iiis trap. So in France, a nation filmed above all 

 others lor gallantry and polileiiess, the heaviest 

 burdens and the severest labor are devolved on 

 the women. Woman is there either a " hewer 

 of wood and drawer of water," or a goddess to 

 be worshipped ! 



We recommend the following sketch of the 

 condition of women in France to readers of 

 delicate nerves, whose sensibility is shocked at 

 seeing negro women in America with their great 

 sun bonnets, and fine domestic cotton gowns, 

 with a light hoe in hand, weeding corn or tobac- 

 co. To see a slave woman put to driving a cart, 

 or to cut wood, or guide the plough, the most 

 healthy of all human pursuits, has got to he so 

 rare as to excite wonder if not disgust. See 

 here what is done every day by all the females 

 in the " vine covered hills and fiiir vallics of 

 France," — a nation with «hom, from the very 

 nursery, we associate the idea of every thing that 

 is brave, gallant, and polite in man — lovely and 

 bewitching in woman ! 



Goldsmith, in his Traveller, draws in many 

 respects a faithful portrait of the Italians, Swiss, 

 English, French, and other nations. If I did 

 not know, Mr. Edilor, that you, and of course, I 

 must presume your readers, greatly prefer dishes 

 of potatoes to dishes of poetry — and views of 

 the "state of the market," and the form and 

 breed of horses and hogs, to dissertations on the 

 state of society, and the forms and habits of 

 men and women, I would like to transcribe what 

 the poet in this case says, in description of tlie 

 character of the French, of whom, (I give you 

 only two lines,) he remarks, 



" They please, are plnas'd, they give to ret estonn 

 Till, seemini; blest, th^v prow to what thev seem. 



ee nov,' what a traveller writes of the 

 common occupation of women, and compare it 

 with that of women, black or white, in our own 

 country. We verily believe that one French 

 woman would do more work in a day, than any 

 three house servants, or field hands, slaves in 

 America. 



" fVomen do all the work in France. — In this part 

 of France the women do all the work. Even 

 on their way to market, we see them carrying 

 on their heads the heaviest burdens, and it is 

 said they can carry as much as 150 pounds; 

 while the men go swaggering along with nothing 

 but a stick. It woidd be an easier task to enu- 

 merate the kinds of labor in which women are 

 not employed than those in which they are. In 

 the country they are to be seen every day at this 

 season of the year, ploughing and harrowing, 

 and spreading and carting manure ; at other 

 seasons mowing, reaping, and carrying the hay 

 home on their heads; while in the market, we 

 find them selling their corn, and every other 

 produce of their farms. In the towns, besides 

 being employed in sweeping the streets, and 

 cleaning the lamps, they act as laborers to the 

 paviours, bricklayers, and stone masons, and 

 carry on the work of glaziers, and almost every 

 other duty, both in doors and out, except that of 

 serving as soldiers. It may readily be supposed 

 that the women sufl'er much in their appearance 

 from such habits of hard labor and constant ex 

 posure to the weather. The consequence is, 

 they look old before middle life, and, in real old 

 age, the loss of their teeth, their naturally hard 

 features and complexions dry, leathern, and all 

 over wrinkles, combine to render them hideous 

 in the extreme. Still they seem to enjoy life, 

 especially as they go home from market, munch- 

 ing their dry bread or roasted chestnuts along 

 the road, and chatting in noisy groups, about the 

 business of the day. Yet I must confess, when 

 I have seen one of these old women riding like 

 a man, at hard launching trot, I have longed to 

 place her in a comlbrtable arm chair, by the fire- 

 side of an English cottage, to put a neat cap up- 

 on her head, and a Bible in her hand, and so 

 leave her to ])ass the remainder of her days in 

 peace." — .Mrs. Ellis's Summer and If'intcr in the 

 Pyrenees. 



Pickles. 



The best things tor pickles, after all, are the 

 old fashioned cucumbers. They should be gath- 

 ered when they are not much larger round than 

 the thumb. If not convenient to pickle them 

 all at once in vinegar, they may be salted down, 

 like i)ork, and freshened any time of year after- 

 wards, as the family has occasion to pro\ide a 

 new supply of pickles. 



We find the following directions for pickling 

 several sorts of vegetables, in the Albany Cul- 

 tivator: — 



Pickling. ge.veral directions. Brass 



should be used for vessels in the jtrocess, thor- 

 oughly cleansed before using, and no vinegar 

 allowed to cool in them. This precaution is ne- 

 cessary to prevent the formation of verdigris, 

 an active poison. Boil alum and salt in the vin- 

 egar, in proportion of half a tea cup of salt and 

 a table spoonful of alum to three gallons of vin- 

 egar. Vessels that have any grease about them 

 will not do for pickles. Stone and wood are the 

 only proper materials in which to keep pickles 

 when made. All [jickles should be stirred up 

 occasionally. When any scum rises, the 

 gar needs scalding. Pickles may be spiced or 

 not, at pleasin-e ; and when the vinegar becomes 

 weak from use, it may be thrown away, and fresh 

 vinegar substituted. Good, but not the sharpest 

 vinegar, is the best for pickles. 



CijccMBKRii.— The best are those that are 

 small and green, and those of a quick growlh. 

 Turn boiling water on them as soon as picked ; 

 let them remain five hours, and then put them 

 in cold vinegar, with alum and salt in i)roportion 

 of a spoonful of the former and a tea cup of the 

 latter to a gallon of vinegar; add vinegar as yo> 

 add cucumbers; and when you have done col 

 lecting cucumbers, turn the vinegar from them, 

 and scald and skim it till it is clear, then put in 

 the pickles, and let them scald without boiling 

 for a few minutes, and return them to their vessel 

 while hot. Cucumbers may be preserved 

 salt or saturated brine, for any length of time, 

 aud then jirepared for pickling by soaking and 



scalding. In the preparation of these ]>ickles, 

 no salt will be needed in the vinegar. Peppers 

 are added to the vinegar while hot, and before it 

 is turned over the jiickles. 



Peppers.— Take those that are fresh and 

 green, soak them in salt and water eight or nine 

 days, changing the brine each day, and keeping 

 them ir. a warm place. If they are not wanted 

 very fiery, make a slit in them, and extract the 

 seeds, being carefiil not to mangle the pepper. 

 If it IS desired to stufl" them, chop white cabbage 

 fine, season it highly with mace, cinnamon, 

 cloves, and nasturtiums, if liked, and fill the 

 peppers with the mixture. Sow them up care- 

 fully, and put them in cold spiced vinegar. To- 

 matoes may be treated in the same way, and 

 when green are very good pickled with the pep- 

 Peppers are one of the best of pickles. 



but those used must not be allowed to grow hard 

 or tough before gathering. 



Nasturtiums. — Gather them when small and 

 green, put them in salt and water, and change 

 them once in three days. When the gathering 

 is done, turn oflT the brine and pour on scalding 

 hot vinegar. Season at pleasure, though gene- 

 rally used without. 



Mangoes.— These are made of green musk- 

 melons, as late in the season as possible. The 

 common muskmelons make the best mangoes. 

 A small piece is cut from the side, and the seeds 

 carefully scraped out ; it is then soaked in salt 

 and water three or four days ; when taken out, it 

 is sprinkled on the inside with powdered chip?, 

 pepper, nutmeg, and filled with strips of horse 

 radish, cinnamon, small string beans, small pie- 

 ces of flag root, nasturtium, small onions, radish 

 tops, &c. The crevices are filled with whole 

 mustard seed. 



Cabbages.— Quarter the firm head of the cab- 

 bage ; put the parts in a keg, sprinkle on them a 

 good quantity of salt, and let them remain five 

 or six days. To a gallon of vinegar put an ounce 

 of mace, and one of pepper corns anil cinnamon. 

 Cloves and alspice may be added, but they darken 

 the color of the cabbage. Heat the vinegar 

 scalding hot, add a little alum, and turn it while 

 hot on the cabbage, the salt remaining. It is 

 necessary to turn the vinegar from the cabbage 

 several times, return it again while hot. This 

 makes them tender. Purple cabbages, the heads 

 not large, but fine and firm, are best for pickling. 



Weather wisdom. — The following are a few 

 of the common provei-bial " says" relative to the 

 weather, viz : — " A rainbow in the morning gives 

 warning." That is, if the wind be easterly; he- 

 cause it shows that the rain-cloud is approach- 

 ing the observer. "A rainbow at night gives 

 delight." This adage may also be a good sign, 

 provided the wind be westerly, as it shows that 

 the rain-clouds are passing away. "Evening 

 red and next morning grey, are certain signs of 

 a beautiful day." " When the glow-worm lights 

 her lamp, the air is always damp." " If the cock 

 goes crowing to bed, he'll certainly rise with a 

 watery head." "When you see gossamer flying, 

 be ye sure the air is drying." " When black 

 snails cross your path, black clouds mucji mois- 

 ture hath." "When the peacock loudly bawls, 

 soon we'll have both rain and squalls." "If the 

 moon shows like a silver shield, be not afraid to 

 reap your field. But if she rises haloed round, 

 soon we'll tread on deluged ground." " When 

 rooks fly sporting high in air, it shows that windy 

 storms are near." If at sun rising or setting the 

 clouds appear of a lurid red color, extending 

 nearly to the zenith, it is a sure sign of storms 

 and gales of wind. The above are a few of the 

 common sayings, mostly nsed by country people, 

 many of which are even more to be depended 

 on than are the bold predictions of would-be 

 weather prophets. 



Railways is England. — Upwards of 2,500 

 miles of Railways, most of them double track, 

 now traverse England, connecting all the jirinci- 

 pal towns with the great Metropolis. It is cal- 

 culated that more than fifty millions sterling of 

 capital are already devoted to the creation of 

 new railways, and in return for this investment, 

 something like fivs millions will every year be 

 created and returned into the treasury of the 

 capitalists. To give otu- reader.^ some slight idea 

 of the increase of railway trallic in England, we 



