iR7r..] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



93 



sccrftiiry, wliiili were not rcnil. One on the subject 

 of" How eun we best iin|ir<>vi' tlie apiieuriinee of our 

 liirniti," :inil tlie olliir on " Wliat is Ibe best, nictljiHl 

 or takini; eare of our boyi^ ami uirls on Ihi- laini, so 

 ax to make tb( in bappy ami lonlentid." Tbe sub- 

 jerls will be ilihcm-i-ed at I be next meeting. 

 On motion the boeiety ailjourned. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



Meat Safes or Closets. 



As the Benson ailvaiices, many houKewives will feel 

 the necessity of a meat safe, wIk iiin various kimlsof 

 foo<l can be kept Irom the Hies, and also receive a 

 giMHl supply of fresh air, and not be stt ilamp a« to 

 promote mould. Any ini^eiiious num or Imy, who 

 jMissesees suitable tools, can construct a box which will 

 answer a [;(«h1 purpose, in a short time. The lower 

 Ih)X can be made of any dimensions desired, and 

 s(|uarein form. The framework can lie from three to 

 lour inches in depth, ami sawed from l:oard^of tbrie- 

 quartersof an inch thiikiass. They can be nailed 

 toijcther, or a neater way would be to dovetail them 

 at the aUfrli'S, after they have bi'cn smoothly iilaiicd. 

 Then the cover must be constructed, and it should be 

 made in a curvet! shape. To do this either osier or 

 cane split loniritudinally, will be rei|nircd. A womlen 

 frame must be made to tit closely over the imuT box, 

 and at the four corners the pii'ces of cane must be 

 fastened. To do this advantaj;eou.sly, it will be need- 

 ful lo bore a small hole through the cane, takinij care 

 not to sjilit it, and then it can be attached to the cor- 

 ners by a small screw. lit the centre, where the sup- 

 ports meet, a screw with a brass rinir attached can be 

 nuide to fasten them, and it will make a erood handle 

 by which to lift the safe, if its dimensions are so 

 small that it can be readily moved. 



When the framework is prepared, wirenork can be 

 fastened all over it by nutans of small upholsterers' 

 tacks or tinned tacks. Then take small strips of 

 wood and nail them aloiif; the cdijes of the liox to se- 

 curethocovcrineli;i;litly. MosquitA) nettiiiffor strain- 

 er cloth can be substituteil for the wircwork if it can 

 not lie easily obtained. Such a meat safe will be 

 found of great use in excludiiig insects, and more 

 than one will frequently be desirable to the housewife, 

 to whom small portable safes are always acceptable. 

 The one dc«eril>ed above is of a square or oblong 

 shape, as iK-st suits its maker, but a round one will 

 often be useful, and the hoop of an old sieve can be 

 made with a curved roof by glueing the covered steels 

 of old hooi>-skirts over it, and covering them tightly 

 with musquito netting. 



But a sizable closet fitted up with shelves and en- 

 closed with wircwork frames and thtors, will be of 

 greater utility during the oppressive heat of the sum- 

 mer, anil if it can V»e kept in a c<hi1, northern exjKisure 

 it will be of nmch service. iSucli a closet or meat 

 safe can be Ituilt out of doors, but care must be taken 

 U> iilace itwhere the sun's rays do not strike it, and it 

 should Ik' built upon stones or bricks at least three feet 

 from the ground. It can then be made of inch boards 

 smoothly planid, and thi^ roof must have a sufficient 

 inclination to shed the rain, and also project over the 

 sides for better jirotection. The lj<jards for the floor 

 and the roof should be matched and fastened tightly 

 together, and the roof can be covered with felting or 

 zinc. The back [lart of the frame should be of the 

 same lioards as the floor and nmf. Theu a frame 

 work must be made to lit closely iuto the other 

 sides, and covered with wirewitrk. 



The front shouhl be nuide with doors, hinged at 

 the two ends and rabbeted at the centre. A stout 

 strip of wood nuist be nailed lo the side siip|)oris, 

 ujHUi whidi to hang the doors. Their covering, and 

 that (d' the sides also, may be of coarse canvas, but 

 it would not be as desirable as the wircwork. Zinc, 

 pcrforateil with holes, e*)uld also be used, and it has 

 the advantage of never rusting, nor needing to be 

 painted, while the wircwork must either be painted 

 or galvanized. 



When the '' safe " is made, some shelves and hooks 

 nuist be addctl to it. The hooks can be inserted from 

 the ro<d', and all fresh meat can be hung from them. 

 A safe four feel in h-iigth and three feet in heitrht, 

 would be <d' a conveidcnt size for family use, and it 

 would be founil to have more than paid for its cost 

 in the saving of vari(jus articles id' iood during the 

 tirst summer of its use. — Daigy Eyebriijht. 



Care of Canary Birds. 



During the summer .season you should have both a 

 drinking cup and a bathing dish in the cauc, and 

 should wash them well twice a ilay and till with 

 fresh water. The seed cup should be tilled every 

 morning. 



The n)om in which the bird is kept should never be 

 warmer than (10 degrees. 



Kced plain IVkmI. Now and then a lump of sugar 

 docs no harm ; but, as a general rule, avoid sweets. 

 Keep the cuttle-fish dry and clcau, and feed only 

 fresh and dry seed. 



Never jilace a cage where a draft can strike the 

 bird. 



Never smoke, nor allow any one to smoke, in a 



room where your bird is kept, as the odor of a elgar 

 is fatal to canaries. 



As a general rule nevc-r keep the bird in a painteil 

 cage, for the bird will pe<k at the wins, and it will 

 lead to disease. 



When your binl is shedding feathers, which is 

 generally styled moulting', avoid ilrafis id' air. 



Hy iilu-yiiii; these simple direct inns, you can keep 

 your birds in excellent health for years. — VuuiUry 

 tltinaii. 



(1 



Household Recipes. 



To Hkmove SiimriiKs. — ."^lorchcs made by over- 

 heated llatirons can be removed from linen by spread- 

 ing over the cloth a paste maih^ of the juice pressed 

 from two onions, one-half ounce white soap, two 

 ounces fuller's earth, and one-half pint vinegar. Mix 

 it, boil well, and cool before using. 



Soi.in .Svi.LAiiim.— Take a pint of thick cream, half 

 a pint of white wine, and, sweetening to your taste, 

 put in the juice of one lemon and half the rind 

 (.'rated. Whip it up the eve of the day when you de- 

 siLiii it for use, but do not till your glasses or garnish 

 with it tinlil the day alter it is made, If you wish it 

 to be solid and stand. 



HoMINvFiUTTKIis.— Two full teacups of cold iKiiled 

 hominy ; add to it one scant teacup of sweet milk 

 and a little salt ; stir till smooth, then add fourlablc- 

 s|Kionfuls of tlour and one egg; beat the yolk and 

 white sejiaralely, adding the white last, llavcaiian 

 of hot butter anil lard ready, (half of each) ilro|i the 

 batter in by spoonfuls aial fry them to a light brown. 

 To M/VivE Fine Pancakes.— Take a jiint of cream, 

 six eggs, three tablcsixjonfuls of Hour, three of wine, 

 one of rose-water, a quarter of a |ifiunilof suiiar, half 

 a pound of melted butter, almost cold, and half a 

 nutmeg grated. Mix these well together. Vou need 

 butter your pan only for the tirst time you fry. Just 

 let them become delicately brown. Let the batter be 

 as thin as possible. 



A Cu.sTARn Pudding. — Take a pint and a half of 

 cream and irnx with it six eggs well beaten, two 

 sixjonfuls of corn-starch. Hour, or jmunded cracker, 

 and half a nutmeg grated, a little pinch of salt, and 

 half a i»und of sugar. Have a very thick doth but- 

 tered and floured, jwur in the batter, and put the 

 pudding into a pot of boiling water. Boil it half au 

 hour. Serve it with sauce. 



OuANOE Cake. — Mix two cups of sugar with the 

 yokes of two eggs, then add the whites beaten to a 

 ftoth ; next add a large tables|>ooiiful of butter, then 

 one cup of milk, with two tablcs|)Oonfuls of baking 

 povvderdissolved in it, and last of all Hour; flavor 

 with lemon extract, bake in jelly pans. Filling : 

 Two oranges and one lemon ; grate the rinds and add 

 the juice, one cup of water, one cup of sugar, one 

 tablcsiioonful of corn-starch ; boil until smixjth ; 

 cool before putting between cakes. 



A Fl.VE EiiG ProDiNO. — Beat three eggs very well, 

 and put in as much sifted flour as will make tliem 

 very thick. Set a quart of milk and half a pouiul of 

 butter over the fire; then beat two eggs, and stir 

 them into the milk, continuing to stir till it boils; 

 then add the three eggs, and let it boil until it is 

 quite smooth and thick. Take it oH' the fire, and 

 season it to your taste with sugar, salt and milmeg. 

 Currants will impaove it. Bake the iiudding for half 

 an hour. To be eaten w ith wine sauce. 



Holiday Pi'i)DiNf4. — Take two large lemons, and 

 grate off the peel of both. Use only the juice of one, 

 unless you like quite a tart flavor. Add to the 

 lemon half a iKiund of line white sugar, the yolks of 

 twelve and the whites id' ciirht eggs, well beaten ; 

 melt half a jiound of butter in four or five tablespoon- 

 fuls of cream. Stir all together, and set the mixture 

 over the fire, stirritig it until it begins to be pretty 

 thick. Take it oil, and when cold till your dish "a 

 little more than half full, having previously lined its 

 bottom with Hue puff paste. 



Boii.Eo AriM.E I)t Mfi.iNGS. — Ouc pound of suet, 

 one iKinnd of Hour, heaping tcasixioiiful of salt ; 

 chop the suet into a little Hour to prevent its cakinir, 

 chop very fine— as line as meal; then add flnur and 

 mix thoroughly; then add cold water enough to 

 make a paste ; roll as thin as pic crust ; |)arc a dozen 

 large apples, quarter and core them ; keep each 

 apple by itself, place the quarters together again, 

 and cut the paste in a square to cover the apple ; tie 

 each duni]iling in a sipiarc doth, leaving a very little 

 room to swell. Boil tlicin an hour, putting them 

 into boiling water ; serve with hard sauce. 



Heyday Puddino.— T-ay a thin puff paste in the 

 bottom of your dish, or rather pie-plate, taking care 

 to lay a thicker strip around the outer edsre, moisten- 

 ing the bottom piece with a little cold water to make 

 the layers stick together. Theu take of candied 

 orange jK>el, lemon peel and citron, each an ounce; 

 slice them very thin and lay them on the paste. Beat 

 the yolks of eight eggs and" the whites of two ; add a 

 light half-pound of melted butter, a irood half-pound 

 of sugar, and blend all the inirredienis smoothly and 

 thoroughly together. When you arc sure that" your 

 oven is projierly heated for bakim: pastry, pour the 

 pudding mixture into the plates prepared, and bake I 

 carefully, not Icttingthe puddings brown too much. I 



To .Make Ciieesf.-Cakes WITHOUT C'uhdh.— Take 

 a pint of sweet cream and put it into a skillet on the 

 Are; beat up two ei;i.'s very well, and then add to 

 them enough Hour to make them into a very thick 

 batter. Dn not stir the egus and flour into the cream 

 unlil it is boiiin;.' hot ; but when arrived at that point 

 stir them irradnally into it, and let them Uiil lomiher 

 afterwards for a lew niinules. Then remove them 

 from the lire, and while warm stir in half a |Kiundof 

 hutter. In the mcanllme have ready three cL'gs 

 more, well beaten; these must be added, together 

 with hall a |K)Uiid of sugar, a little salt and mitnicg. 

 Put in a few currants, and bake 111 little tin patty- 

 pans lined with pastry. 



Thy It. — Here Is an article for housekeepers : The 

 ScUiiliflc Atiiericiiii asserts that a little soa|> lather 

 mixed with the starch will prevent the flatiron from 

 sticking lo the linen, and gives the gloss so conspicu- 

 ously absent in the home laundry article. Easllv 

 tried. '' 



In washing calicoes In whlili the colors arc not 

 fast, be careful not to boil them ; but wash in the 

 usual way with soap, and rinse in hard water. For 

 dark-colored gi««ls add a little salt to the water; for 

 light, a little vinegar. 



Kxi-EUIME.NTS have been made at Halle and I,elp- 



sie, showing the superiority of large-sized s Is for 



garden veiretables. Beans and |M'as were tried « ith 

 large and small seed side by side. The plant from 

 the large seeds were earlier and grew more rapidly, 

 and there was about one-tenth In the dilfercncc of the 

 crops in favor of the larger seed. The large seeds 

 also germiuuted with much greater certainty. 

 ♦ 



The Taste of Turnips in Milk and Butter. 



It is stated, U|H)n Cerman authority, that the un- 

 pleasant taste imparted to milk and Imttcr by feedhig 

 turin(is, iV:e., may be removed by simply throwing 

 into each pan of milk of four or five quarts as much 

 sallpeire as will lie on the |i<)int of a knife, when a 

 gelatinous mass will separate from the milk alid set- 

 tle to the bottom. 



Horse-Radish Sauce. 



Clean and grate one stick of horse-radish, place in 

 a sauce-pan, and a ciijiful of soup, two tabli's{><Min- 

 fuls of dried currants, a little sugar, a teas|ioonful of 

 vinegar, and some salt ; place over the lire, let It 

 come to a IhiII, and serve. This sauce is very |)opu- 

 lar among the (iermans, by whom it is much eaten 

 with soup meat, and is gooil with other Uiilcil meats. 



Drumstick Asparagus. 



To obtain asparagus white, all but quite to the 

 ixiint, nothing more is needed, so soon as the |Miiiitof 

 a shoot appears al«ive the surface, than to cut It as 

 low benealh the surface as a knife can be thrnsl. 

 Such whitc-.stalked shoots arc almost tasteless. Let 

 the shoots grow until :i or 4 inches aljove the surface 

 are quite green. Tho.se inches are all eatable and 

 high flavored. The sun is needed to give them flavor. 



GENERAL MISCELLANY. 



Have Faith in Your Business. 



All great accomplishmenls have resulted from 

 coiiHdence in the business pursued. .\nd this con- 

 fidence must not be a blind faith, but fnundcd iqion 

 an inlimate practical knowledge of your occupation. 

 When Michi lioiight a London Ikii: for the piiriKiseof 

 transforminir it into the most fruitful farm in Eng- 

 land, and saw, in advance, the transformations he 

 proposed to make, laid his plans as can-fully as an 

 eiii;inccr would have done to tunnel a mountain, pro- 

 ceeded u|Kin seicntilic and practical principles com- 

 bined to carry out the work of iin|provenient, step by 

 step, re'_'ardless of the jeers of the routine farmers 

 around hliii. lie had faith in his business. .And that 

 faith ciialiled lilm to spend a irrcater amount (ht 

 acre in rcclainiing and improvinir his^and than hail 

 ever before or since been expended uinin land for 

 agricultural purinises, and yet his balance sheet, for . 

 years, has shown a liberal net return for his invest- 

 ment. 



Let us take the case of Mr. Dalrynqile, of Minne- 

 sota, who, after studying the business, cntenil on the 

 great scheme of raisiiii.' 'J,(KKI acres of wheat per 

 year, and so eoinplelely had he calculated the means 

 required to accomplish this end, that it was all 

 plowed, cultivated and sown in season, and his crop, 

 some twenty per cent. alMive the average among 

 small farmers, harvested In goinl order, threshed and 

 sent to market, with an average profit of ten to flftecu 

 thousand dollars per annum. This was not a single 

 year, and accidental gixnl luck, but continued for 

 years in succession. He had faith in his business. 



John Johnson, of (ieneva, .\. Y., came to this 

 country with little mori' means than to plant him on 

 his .American farm. He saw the needs of his soil, 

 and eomincncfMl draining off its surplus water, and 

 the jeers of his neighlMirs at his folly wen- soon turned 

 to astonishment at the crops he priMliiced. They 



