1877.1 



TH£ LANCASTER FARMER. 



13 



Fur Trk I.ANi'AsrER Fabmeb. 

 TO MY FRIEND LENA. 



"Deaipst friend," callest thou mc; 

 Would that I misht enrol free 

 Notes, that all unuttereil dwell 

 In my heart's deep inner cell, 

 I would warble unto thee 

 Strains of sweetest melody. 



But the ehoieest gcu^s of thoufflit, 

 Stay within the mind unwroui,'ht, 

 For their lustre, holy lirifjht 

 Shrinketli from the crimson light, 

 As the gentle violets hide 

 Far away from pomp and pride. 



"nearest friend," thou namest me, 

 Listen while I sinp to thee, 

 For thy words of friendly cheer. 

 Spokei'i kindly in mine ear. 

 Wake sweet music iu my heart. 

 Courage to the lay impart. 



Ilence what e"er my lot may be, 

 Sailing o'er life's changeful sea, 

 'Twill my lonely hours engage. 

 Turning to sweet memory's page, 

 There to trace those words of thine, 

 Breathed in eloquence divine. 

 ■Mary L. Groff, Orecnwood I'arl,-, Jan. 1, 1877. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



Bread Making. 



I do not generally have " luck" making yeast 

 bread in cold weather. If I set the sponge the night 

 before, it chills, and the bread is only tolerable, not 

 heavy nor sour, but dark, and soon dries out. For a 

 few times I have made salt rising bread, and find it 

 a delightful substitute — fine and white and light, 

 quite as good as hop yeast, only for the insipid, in- 

 nocent taste. 



One of my neighbors says, "Salt rising' who told 

 youhctw toniake it ?" just as if I had not always 

 known how it was made. I wrote down my recipe 

 for her, and I append it here, hoping that some 

 woman may be benefited. 



Put a pint of lukewarm water into a large earthen 

 bowl, then add half a teacupful of new milk, a good 

 pinch of salt, an even teaspoonful of soda and a 

 large spoonful of sugar. When dissolved stir iu su- 

 gar enough to make a thick batter, beat it well and 

 place the bowl iu a pot of warm water, cover it up 

 and let it stand in a warm place. Be watchful that 

 the water is kept at the same temperature. Stir it 

 occasionally for a couple of hours, then let it stand. 

 If this is done early in the morning, say five or six 

 o'clock, it will be up to the brim of the bowl about 

 noon — if not set until seven, or later, it may not rise 

 till two or three o'clock. 



If water comes on top of the rising, stir in a little 

 flour. Let it ferment until it reaches the very top of 

 the bowl, then have your pan of flour warmed ready, 

 and wet it up with lukewarm milk and water. Do 

 not make the dough too stiff; if you do the bread will 

 incline to dry out soon. 



Set the loaves in a warm place to rise. I mix and 

 mould out Into loaves immedialely. Do not hurry 

 too fa«t; let the pans rise full before putting the 

 loaves in the oven bake with a moderate fire and 

 you will be delighted with your nice loaves and their 

 delicate brown color. 



This is a pleasurable change from yeast bread, es- 

 pecially if your yeast has not stood the cold weather 

 and was touched with the chill that has been so mer- 

 ciless and so cruel . 1 do not say that my way of 

 making salt rising is the only and best way— nearly 

 every woman has a plan of her own; any of them is 

 good if it will make good lively yeast and good bread . 

 My mother used to make e.vcellent bread, and I re- 

 member very distinctly that she made the yeast of 

 barely lukewarm water, flour, and a pinch of salt. 

 I think the soda and sugar hasten or assist fermenl.a- 

 tion; it looks reasonable that it should. 



If one's patience is tired by a sack of poor flour, a 

 very good quality of breail may be obtained by the 

 use of salt rising when hop yeast would fail. Or, 

 try bran rising — made by stirring up clean bran 

 and warm water at night, the same as for cow feed; 

 set it in a warm place, and in the morning, or 

 soon after, it will putl' uji with very lightness; then 

 strain through a coarse cloth, and use the bran wa- 

 ter to wet up your Hour; proceed as with salt rising 

 bread, and you will be delighted with a very fine- 

 grained, sweet, nutritious bread. The elements of 

 Graham bread are all in it. It is well to experi- 

 ment in bread making and just see what gratifying 

 results will follow your efforts. You will find a 

 great many new new things. 



A Word to Housewives. 

 My symjiathy for all who are compelled to bear 

 the burden of the management of ' servants" is very 

 great, indeed ; but how few housekeepers there are 

 who take the course so necessary to interest the 

 " hired girl" In doing the work of the kitchen thor- 

 oughly and well ! My experience has compelled me 



to learn the important lesson of personal supervision; 

 especially in the preparation of the pastry, as most 

 girls, if left to this work unaided, are either incom- 

 [letent or become careless and negligent. There are 

 few who will do it well. Not only is the cake heavy 

 and the pies hard and indigestible, Imt extravagance 

 and waste is often the case in this department of the 

 culinary art, if left to the girl. I do all my pastry 

 cooking, anil enjoy it . Some time ago a friend of 

 mine called my attention to a new invention which 

 has aided me very much in my work, being tired of 

 the drudgery incident to the inconvenience of having 

 any materials stored away in storerooms and pan- 

 tries. .\fter having seen this, I saiil to myself 

 " F.nreka," and decided to have one. It is now a 

 pleasant task for rne to stand beside this ingenious 

 kitchen storehouse, which occupies no more room 

 than a kitchen table, and contains all the implements 

 and materials used in doing my work, without mov- 

 ing one step, and with little fatigue I accomplish my 

 task. Bridget sees me enjoy these daily duties, anil 

 is inspired by my jiresence to make extra exertions to 

 do her work ; and the result is, we get along 

 pleasantly, and I have everything as I desire it. — 

 Chicago Tribune. 



How to Pour Tea. 



There is more to he learned about pouring out tea, 

 and coffee than most ladies are willing to believe. 

 If those decoctions are made at the table, which is 

 by far the best way, they re<iuire experience, judg- 

 ment and exactness ; if they are brought on the 

 table ready made, it still requires judgnu-nt so to ap- 

 portion them that they shall prove sufllcient in 

 quantity for the family party, and that the elder 

 members shall have the stronger cups. Often per- 

 sons pour out tea who, not being at all aware that 

 the first cup is the weakest, and the tea grows 

 stronger as you proceed, bestow the poorest cup 

 upon the greatest stranger and give the strongest to 

 a very young member of the family who would have 

 been better without any. Where several cups of 

 equal strength are wanted you- should pour a little 

 into each, and then go back, inverting the order as 

 you fill them up, and then the strength will be ap- 

 portioned properly. This is so well understood in 

 England that an experienced pourer of tea waits till 

 all the cups of the company are returned to her be- 

 fore she fills any a second time, that all may share 

 alike. — Housekeeper. 



Origin of Dessert. 



The service of sweets and fruits at banquets origi- 

 nated in Milan in tho fifteenth century. It was un- 

 known in France under Louis XIV. No dessert at 

 all appears in Moliere's picturesque descriptions of 

 the banquets given by the Grand Monarque in 1604 

 and 16fiti, and so far as we know the first dessert ever 

 put upon a great table in France was at the marriage 

 festival of Louis XV., when his poor little Polish 

 bride, Marie Lecszinka, was brought from her simple 

 home at Weissombourg to share the first throne in 

 Europe. Under the first Napoleonic empire the 

 dessert, as we now know it, was developed and estab- 

 lished by three great artists whose names should not 

 be suffered to die, Desforges, Delorme and Dutfoy. 

 It was by the last-named of these that the pyramids 

 of iced-cream, then known as '^ froinaqen (jtacci<,*^ 

 were first served ; but he was careful always to serve 

 with these and the other confectioneries, puddings 

 and sweets of all sorts, genuine cheeses, " for the 

 benefit," as he tells us candidly, " of those who 

 need a second thirst." 



Valuable Recipes. 



Worms on Ti-rnips. — Ashes scattered over old 

 soils will commonly operate against the inroads of 

 worms upon turnips planted in them. 



Renderixg Lari).— We, at the suggestion of a 

 neighbor, took the "sugaring oft' pan" to try our 

 lard in, and found it more expeditious than kettles. 



Bkide Cake. — Whites often eggs beaten till hard 

 2 cups of pulverized sugar ; 1 cup of Hour ; 1 tea 

 spoonful cream tartar ; put all except the eggs into 

 a sieve and sift them on the eggs. 



Fruit Cake— Superior.— 1 lb. flour ; 1 lb. sugar ; 

 1 lb. butter ; I'i eggs ; 4 lbs. raisins ; 4 lbs. currants ; 

 1 lb. citron ; 2 wine glasses brandy ; 2 wine glasses 

 wine ; 1 nutmeg ; 1 tablespoon cloves ; I tablespoon 

 cinnamon ; 1 lables|X)on molasses ; will make ten or 

 twelve loaves of good size. 



To Ekadicate Dandri;fk.— Wet tlie head with 

 lukewarm water, then rub on enough good castile 

 soap to make a stift" foam; rnb it in well with the 

 ends of the fingers, then wash out in two waters. 

 Do this at least twice a week until a cure is effected. 

 You should never touch the head with a fine comb, 

 and should bear on very lightly with a coarse one. 



Sore Tiihoat. — Soak a small piece of bread, about 

 the size of a hazel-nut, and then take a pinch of 

 Cayenne pepper ; mix and roll up in the form of a 

 pill, which the patient must swallow, when in about 

 three hours he will be relieved from all pain. In a 

 severe case a second dose may be requisite, which has 

 never been known to fall. 



Iron DrKiNii Moii.tino.— A good article to use 

 in the water given your mounting fowls to drink Is 

 the tincture of iron. It is very handy and cheap, and 

 sliould be accessible constantly cluring the critical 

 time when old fowls are elianiring their plumage. It 

 is strengthening, palatable, and works like a charm 

 in its way as a stomach tonic. A tablespoonful of 

 the tincture to a quart of water is sutHeient. To be 

 had at any drug store. 



Veoetahi.e Sol r. — Take four potatoes, three tur- 

 nips, one carrot and three onions ; cut them into 

 small pieces and put them into a slew pan, with a 

 cjuarter of a pound each of butter and ham, and a 

 bunch of parsley ; let them remain ten minutes over 

 a brisk fire, a<ld a large teaspoonful of flour ; mix 

 well in, moisten with two 'jtiarts (jf broth and a pint 

 of boiling milk ; bnil u|i, season with salt and sugar, 

 run through a hair sieve, put into another stewpan, 

 boil again. .Skim and serve with fried bread in it. 



Indian Hui'.An. — Kosella gave us a receipt "as 

 our graMdmcithrrs made it," but it isn't as rny 

 grandmother makes it, and I don't believe it is near 

 as good. Here is my grandmother's recipe : One 

 quart of corn meal and one teacui)ful of molasses or 

 sugar, .scalded together; cool with water until milk 

 warm, and then add one pint of rye meal or Hour, 

 and one cup of yeast; mix and let it rise three 

 hours, then stir it well and put in a small pan. 

 Bake tliree hours. If you use milk risings it will not 

 need to stand more than half an hour before baking. 

 If it gets too light it will fall. 



Couoii Svuci'. — This is the season for coughs and 

 colils, and 1 feel as though anyone knowing a good 

 cough medicine should make it known. Cough 

 syrups are plentiful, but they soon wear out ; and you 

 don't always know what you are taking. We know 

 the following is good : White pine gum and lard 

 equal (|uaritities; disolve or melt ; strain if any bark ; 

 then a<ld three times as nuudi sale sugar ; simmer 

 twenty minutes, sliriug frequently ; take it off and 

 stir till cool. Take a pill of it after coughing spells. 

 White pine gum can be purchased at any drug store. 

 Now don't think your cough is so slight it will cure 

 it.self, or so bad this won't relieve it. But people of 

 weak stomachs can't all keep it down. 



Freckles. — The following is cli[)ped from an ex- 

 change. We recommend caution in using any 

 mjiterial on the face or skin as more harm than good 

 may result : In many females of a sanguine tem- 

 perament, freckles, even if removed for a time, will 

 be sure to return, and, therefore, may be said to be 

 incurable. But in nine out of ten cases the following 

 will effect a cure r In the morning on rising, take a 

 teaspoonful of lac-Euli)hur in a few teaspoonfuls of 

 milk. Then, for external use, apply the following : 

 Corrosive sublimate, four grains; alcohol, one ounce. 

 Mix. Kemember, ladies, that the latter mixture 

 ought not to come in contact with the lips. After a 

 few days' using the skin will begin to very slowly 

 peel off, and the freckles disappear. Twice daily is 

 sullicient to apply it. .\ French dermatologist re- 

 commends the following for the same purpose : Take 

 muriatic acid, one-half ounce; alcohol, one ounce ; 

 rain water seven ounces. .Mix, and apply well with 

 a sponge three times daily. When in England, a 

 gipsy woman informed me tliat she used horseradish, 

 boiled in milk, for removing freckles. She cured a 

 number of young girls, but whether or not she told 

 me the real secret of the means employed 1 am un- 

 able to say, having never given the preparation a 

 trial. 



LIVE STOCK. 



Hens in Winter. 



Every personwho keeps hens for profit is exceed- 

 ingly anxious that they should furnish eggs during 

 the winter, for the reason that they are then more 

 scarce, insullieient to supply the demand, and conse- 

 quently high priced. 



There are several conditions necessary to attain 

 these desirable ends; the first is to obtain a desirable 

 variety or breed of fowls. This is a ditlieult matter, 

 for many of the breeders of fowls are profuse in their 

 recommendation of the i>erpctual or winter laying 

 qualities of the particular breed in which they are 

 interested, all of which is exceedingly confusing to 

 the innocent farmer who has no time or opportunity 

 to study the good qualities of any breed. If possible, 

 it is safe to get a hardy breed; the White Leghorns 

 are a good fowl and reasonably good layers, but are 

 a little inclined to be tender. A poultry breeder of 

 careful observation considers, for farmers' use, a 

 cross between the White and Brown Leghorn pre- 

 ferable to any other variety. There are those, how- 

 ever, who believe the Partridge Cochins arc the best 

 breed, for the reason that they are said to be good 

 winter lavers. 



But aside from breeds, another essential to suc- 

 cess in winter keeping is, that the fowls have warm 

 quarters. This is absolutely necessary, for there is 

 no breed of hens that can be expected to furnish eggs 

 if allowed to shift for themselves, and secure such 

 quarters as an open shed or old barn affords. They 

 are exceedingly averse to severe cold weather and 

 also continuous moisture ; for this reason they should 



