14 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ Ja nuary, 



of the common sort. But of all the prolific vege- 

 tables the "green prolific cucumber"' has taken the 

 palm. For pickles, either for use or for sale, there 

 can be none better. One hill of three plants has pro- 

 dueeJ more than half a bushel of cucumbers, which 

 grew in bunches and with remarkable rapidity. Pe- 

 ruvian guano may have helped, but there is a great 

 deal in the variety itself. Of squashes, a new cross- 

 breed of Mr. (iregory, of Marblchead, named the 

 Butman, has proved better than theMarblehead,one 

 of its parents. For pies it is superior to any that I 

 liave grown. The flesh, when cooked, is dry, sweet, 

 and very full of flavor. This variety is vigorous 

 enough to withstand a hundred borers in each vine 

 without perishiug. The "Early Peabody' ' sweet po- 

 tato is another acquisition. It is red-skinned, and 

 early enough to permit of its growth far north, I 

 doubt not, even in Canada. It is too soon, as yet, to 

 decide as to its cpiality. 



^ 



Suggestions About Plants. 

 To succeed well some judgment is required in 

 choosing proper stems. Old wood will grow if taken 

 at the right lime, which is when new leaves are just 

 forming on it; they will take longer to grow than 

 young shoots, but will eventually make nice plants. 

 It is well to know this in case of a large plant get- 

 ting broken. Take the .«lip from the lower part of 

 the plant, as near the root as you can choose one. 

 When slips break off short and crisp they are sure 

 to root, although this rule will not hold good for 

 wooded plants, such as roses, azaleas, &c. Set the 

 cutting, before they wilt : if you carry them any 

 distance, sprinkle them with water as soon as 

 taken from the bush, and wrap up tightly 

 in paper, putting an extra dry piece of paper 

 outside, tying it tightly. You can carry slips three 

 daj's in this way, not opening the parcel until 

 you are ready to set them out at once. Take any or- 

 dinary dish, either earthenware or tin, about an inch 

 and a half deep, fill with silver sand, adding water 

 sufficient to completely saturate the sand, but the 

 water must not stand on top of it. Be sure it does 

 not get dry. Place the slips in the sand almost up to 

 the second eye — if the eye touches the sides or bot- 

 tom of the dish they will root quicker ; keep the dish 

 in the sun, even if you have to move it from spot to 

 spot. In from five to eight days the roots will have 

 appeared or will be ready to do so, when you can pot 

 the slips, using one-half good garden soil and oue- 

 half sand, setting in a shady, cool place for three 

 days, and gradually bringing into warmth and light. 



Sowing Flower Seeds. 



The rule which we have adopted for beds in open 

 ground is to cover all seed from three to five times 

 their short diameter, small seed receiving only a 

 slight sprinkling, and larger a more copious sifting 

 of the fine mould . No seed should be sown when the 

 soil is not dry enough to be reduced to fine powder. 

 The best soil is sandy loam, but a large proportion of 

 clay makes a good material if dry enough to be made 

 perfectly mellow. The addition of sand and leaf 

 mould will make any soil of proper consistency. 

 The best way to sow seeds is, in the first place, in 

 drills or circle ; then the weeds may be easily taken 

 out. If sown broadca.st it will be more difHcult to 

 keep the bed clean. Provide a quantity of finely pul- 

 verized mould in a basket or barrow, and cover by 

 sprinkling it evenly with the hand. Avoid soaking 

 the beds with water until the plants are dry. If the 

 surface is likely to become too dry after sowing, 

 which is often the case, put on a thin, gauzy mulch- 

 ing. This may be pulverized moss, thin canvas, or 

 even a newspaper. Every person who plants a 

 flower garden should know the hardy plants — which 

 usually come up soon, and may be sown early — from 

 the tender, which are often more tardy in appearing, 

 and should be sown later. 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



Burry the Rubbish. 

 Hundreds of insect pests find safe winter quarters 

 in the rubbish of the fields and g.ardens. The prim- 

 ings of currant bushes, raspherries and blackberries, 

 dead squ.ash vines, loose pieces of bark, bunches of 

 weeds, and such ruhhisli, hide multitudes of eggs, 

 larva^ pupa; or perfect insects. Such loose stufl'had 

 better be burned ; to consign them to the manure 

 heap is only to propagate the pests. When burned 

 there is an end of them, and of much unsightly waste 

 which no neat person should have about his premises. 



Rust on Blackberries. 



Charles Phelps in the Frnil Recorder states that 

 he has dealt with rust as follows : " The first year of 

 rust I cut the bushes ofli' and burned them, as recom- 

 mended in the Recurder last year. I cut ofiT the 

 leaves, and left tlie canes standing. The result was 

 the canes leafed out again, wifhoitt rust. I think it 

 is worth other persons trying the coming summer. 



Scarlet Fever. 



The Boston Board of Health has issued the follow- 

 ing as a circular, sending it to every house in the city. 

 It deserves a careful reading : 



Scarlet fever is like small pox in its power to spread 

 rapidly from person to person. It is highly contagious. 

 The disease shows its first signs in about one week 

 after exposure, as a general rule, and persons who 

 escape the illness during a fortnight after exposure 

 may feel themselves free from attack. Scarlet fever, 

 scarlatina, canker rash and rash fever are names of 

 the one and the same dangerous disease. 



When a case of scarlet fever occurs in any family, 

 the sick person should be placed in a room apart 

 from the other inmates of the house, and should be 

 nursed, as far as possible, by one person only. The 

 sick chamber should be well warmed. Its furniture 

 should be such as will permit of cleaning without 

 injury, and all extra articles, such as window drapery 

 and woolen carpets, should be removed from the 

 room during the sickness. The family should not 

 mingle with other people. Visitors to an infected 

 house should be warned of the presence of a danger- 

 ous disease therein, and children especially should 

 not be admitted. 



On recovery the sick person should not mingle 

 with the well until the roughness of the skin, due to 

 the disease, shall have disappeared. A month is con- 

 sidered an average period during which isolation is 

 needed. The clothing, before being used by the 

 patient or the nurse, should be cleansed by boiling 

 for at least one hour, or if that cannot be done, by 

 free and prolonged exposure to out-door air and sun- 

 light. The walls of the room should be dry rubbed, 

 and the cloths used for that purpose should be burned 

 without previous shaking. The ceiling should be 

 scraped and whitened ; the floor should be washed 

 with soap and wat£r, and carbolic acid may he added 

 to the water — one pint to three or four gallons. The 

 infected clothing should be cleaned by itself, and not 

 sent to the laundry. 



A Hint to Grape Growers. — A vine grower 

 under glass, writes that it is now generally admitted 

 that inside borders, which have been properly drained 

 and constructed, can hardly receive to much water 

 when the vines are in active growth, 



Useful Hints for Home. 



To Cure Bilious Headache. — Drink the juice of 

 two oranges or of one lemon, about half an hour be- 

 fore breakfast every morning. 



Cuke for Bilious Headach, II. — Dissolve and 

 drink two teaspoonsful of finely powdered charcoal 

 in one-half a tumblerful of water ; it will relieve in 

 1.5 minutes ; take aseidlitzpowderan hour afterward. 



Cure for Chronic Rheumatism. — Dr. Bonnet, 

 of Graulhet, France, recommends and prescribes for 

 chronic rheumatism the use of the essential oil of 

 turpentine by friction. He used it himself with per- 

 fect success, having almost instantaneously got rid 

 of rheumatic pains in both knees and in the left 

 shoulder. 



To Cure Hoarseness. — Beat well the whites of 

 two eggs, add two tablespoonfuls white sugar, grate 

 in half a nutmeg, add a pint of lukewarm water, stir 

 well and drink often. Repeat the preparation if 

 necessary. 



Asthma. — One ounce flour sulphur, one ounce 

 pulverized sugar, small quantity of ground capsicum, 

 enough to barely flavor it ; dose, as much as a three- 

 cent piece can hold, every two hours; rub the chest 

 and spine with butter and salt. The homreopathic 

 remedies are arsenicum and capsicum ; avoid sauces, 

 cheese, cakes, pies and gravies as food. 



To Prepare MulleIn Leaves. — Mullein leaves 

 for catarrh are to be dried and powdered as fine as you 

 would powder sage, and the smoke drawn through 

 the nostrils from the mouth, but not swallowed. 



To Make the Hands Soft. — Take equal portions 

 of glycerine and alcohol ; mix well ; before retiring 

 at night wash the hands in warm water and rub well 

 with the lotion. 



To Keep the Hands Soft, II. — Take three 

 pounds common yellow soap, one ounce of camphor 

 dissolved in one ounce of rose-water and ounce laven- 

 der water ; beat the above in a mortar until it be- 

 comes a paste ; make it into balls to dry, and place 

 it in a cool place for the winter. 



Hair Invicorator. — Bay rum, one pint; alcohol, 

 one-half pint ; castor oil, one-half ounce ; carbonate 

 of ammonia, one-quarter ounce ; tincture of cantha- 

 rides, one-half ounce ; mix them well. This mixture 

 will promote the growth of the hair and prevent it 

 from falling out. 



Suggestive to Fault-Finders. 



" Now, deacon, I've just one word to say. I can't 

 bear your preaching ! I get no good. 'There's so 

 much in it that I don't want that I grow lean on it. 

 I lose my time and pains." 



" Mr. Bunnell, come in here. There's my cow 

 Thankful — she can teach j'ou theology." ' 



" A cow teach theology ! What do you mean ?" 



" Now see ! I have just thrown her a forkful of 

 h.ay. Just watch her. There now ! She has found 

 a stick — you know sticks will get into the hay — and 

 see how she tosses it to one side, and leaves it, and 

 goes on to eat wliat is good. There again ! She has 

 found a burdock, and she throws it one side and 

 goes on eating. There again! She does not relish 



that bunch of daisies, and she leaves them and — goes 

 on eating. Before morning she will clear the man- 

 ger of all save a few sticks and weeds, and she will 

 give milk. There's milk in that hay, and she knows 

 how to get it out, albeit there may be now and then 

 a stick or a weed which she leaves. But if she re- 

 fused to eat, and spent the time in scolding about 

 the fodder, she, too, would ' grow lean,' and her 

 milk would be dried up. .Just so with our preach- 

 ing. Let the old cow teach you. Get all the good 

 you can out of it and leave the rest. You will find a 

 great deal of nourishiuent in it." 



Household Recipes. 



Doughnuts. — Three eggs, two cupfuls sugar, one 

 and one-half cupfuls milk, butter size of a small egg, 

 two teaspoonfuls cream tartar rubbed into a quart of 

 flour, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in milk, a little 

 salt, and one-half nutmeg; use flour enough to roll 

 out soft ; cut in fancy shapes and drop into boiling 

 lard. A slice of raw potato put in the fat will pre- 

 vent it from burning. 



Almond Maccaroons. — Scald 12 pounds of 

 almonds ; take off skins and throw into cold water 

 till all are done, then pound them with one table- 

 spoonful essence lemon to smooth paste, add equal 

 weight of powdered sugar and \yhites of three eggs ; 

 work the paste well with the back of a spoon, then 

 dip fingers into cold water and make into little halls 

 and lay on white paper ; dip hand in cold water and 

 pass over each one ; bake in cool oven three-quarters 

 of an hour. 



Lemon Puddins.— One-half pound sugar, one- 

 quarter pound butter well creamed, yolks of eight 

 eggs. Pour this mixture into a rich crust of pastry, 

 after adding the grated rind of two lemons. Then 

 partially bake it. "Beat the whites very stiflT, and add 

 a spoonful of sugar for each egg. Then add the 

 juice of two lemons, pour this meringue over the 

 pudding and brown it quickly. 



Silver Pie. — Peel and grate one large white 

 potato. Add the juice and grated rind of a lemon, 

 the beaten white of one egg, one cupful of white 

 sugar, and one of cold water. Bake in a nice paste. 

 After baking, spread on top the whites of three eggs, 

 frothed, sweetened and flavored with lemon. Set 

 again on the fire and brown. Lay on small pieces of 

 jelly or jam, just before taking it to the table. 



Rice Croquetts.— Wash well one teacupful of 

 rice ; put it to boil in a pint of milk, the same of hot 

 water, until quite tender, but dry ; while hot add a 

 piece of butter the size of an egg, two tablespoousful 

 of white sugar, two eggs, the juice and grated peel 

 of one lemon ; stir this up well ; have ready the 

 yolks of two eggs, beaten on a plate, some fine 

 cracker crumbs on another ; make up the rice with 

 your hands in rolls about three inches long and two 

 inches round ; dip into the egg, then into the crumbs; 

 fry them in hot lard to a light brown. Served hot. 



Cubes for Household Pests. — Kals are said to 

 have such a dislike for potash that if it is powdered 

 and scattered around their haunts they will leave 

 them. A piece of rag well soaked in a solution of 

 cayenne is a capital thing to put into rat or mice 

 holes, as they will not attempt to eat it. A plug of 

 wood covered with a piece of flannel so prepared may 

 be used to fill up the holes. Cockroaches and ants 

 have a similar dislike to cayenne, and a little strewed 

 about a cellar will keep it clear of them. 



Lady Fingers.— Rub half a pound of butter into 

 a pound of flour ; add half a pound of sugar ; grate 

 in the riud of two lemons, and squeeze in the juice of 

 one ; then add three eggs ; make into a roll the size 

 of the middle finger; itwill spread in the oven to a 

 thin cake ; dip in chocolate icing. 



Short Cakes. — One pound sifted flour, quarter of 

 a pound butter, and half as much lard, very little 

 salt, a pinch of soda, well dissolved in just vinegar 

 enough to cover it ; work all well together with ice- 

 cold water enough to make a stitf dough ; roll it into 

 paste half an inch thick : cut it into round cakes ; 

 prick the top with a fork, bake in a quick oven. 



To Prepare Squash for Pies. — Saw a squash in 

 half, clean out the seeds, etc., then place one end 

 down in a pan containing an inch or so of boiling 

 water, placing small strips of wood or thick wire 

 underneath them, so that the edge will not burn on 

 the pan. Let it steam until thoroughly tender. The 

 flesh of the squash is then easily scraped out with a 

 spoon, and run through a colander, if thought desi- 

 rable, though it is not necessary, there being no hard 

 lumps in 117 By this plan none of the aronia of the 

 squash is lost, while it greatly reduces the labor of 

 preparation. Another plan is to take the two halves 

 after cleaning from seeds, etc., join them together 

 and bind firmly with twine, and place in the oven to 

 bake until tender. There is little, if any difl'erencc 

 in the result, hut 1 give the prcfercBce to the first 

 method as being much the easier. , 



Moths in Carpets.— A good way to kill them is 

 to take a coarse towl and wring it out of clean water. 

 Spread it smoothly on the carpet, then iron it dry with 

 a good hot iron, repeating llie operation on all sus- 

 pected places, and those least used. It does not injure 

 the carpet in the least. It is not necessary to press 

 hard, heat .and steam being the agents, and they do 

 the work effectually on worms and eggs. 



