THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



Si 



Domestic Economy. 



Evening's Milk Richest. 



1 1 is subject has now been put to tlic test of chemi- 



, , I aiialvsis, and the result is tliiil the evening's mill; 



i> iHuiultobe the richer. Piof. Bocdekcr analyzed 



I li. milk of a healthy cow at different periods of the 



A IV The professor found that the solids of tlie eve- 



iin, 'fimilk (thirteen per cent.); exceeding of the 



nini; (ten percent.), while the water conlaincd 



.• Iluid was diminished from eifrhty-nino per cent. 



i-lify-six per cent. The fatty matter f^radually 



liases as the day progresses. In the morning it 

 iiiiiiiunts to two and one-quarter per cent., at noon 

 three and one-half per cent., and in the evening five 

 and three quarters per cent. The practical imijortance 

 of this discovery is at once apparent ; it develops the 

 fiif t that while sixteen ounces of morning's milk 

 « ill yield but one-half ounce of butter, about doubU 

 t iir quantity can be obtained from the evening's milk. 

 I 111- casein is also increased in the evening's milk 

 liMin I wo and one-quarter to two and three-quarters 

 1« 1- cent., but the albumen is diminished from 44- 

 liiiiths per cent, to Sl-lOOths per cent. Sugar is least 

 alundant at midnight (four and one-quarter per 

 iriit.) and most plentiful at noon (four and tlircc- 

 i|u:uters per cent). The percentage of the salt un- 

 d. r-oes almost no chanire at any time of the day. 



What Is Castile Soap? 



\ subscriber wishes to know how this differs from 



Mtlirr soap. The hard soaps made in this country 



an- almost exclusively from animal fats ; in the south 



.1 iMiiiipp, where the olive grows abundantly, the 



, ,. 1 liimls .'I uHm' oil are used for soap-making. 



I MMiiiinii ^.la|l^ air sciila and auinial fat ; Caxtile soap 

 i. , iia and \c-riaiilr ciil. In making Castile soap, 

 LT 111 rare is takm lo avoid an excess of alkali (the 

 hr,ila)oiily just enough being used to neutralize the oil. 

 ( III this account the soap is much milder, and maybe 

 \isrd on wounds and other surfaces where common 

 map would irritate and give pain. The mottled ap- 

 prarauee of Castile soap is due to a small quantity of 

 solution of copperas (sulphate of iron) which is 

 stirred into it before it hardens ; this leaves a bluish 

 ..xide of iron in the soap which, when exposed to the 

 air, becomes changed to red-oxide. White Castile 

 snap is also sold, which is the same as the other, 

 without the coloring. Though called Castile, it is 

 in no means exclusively made in Spain, the largest 

 sliare coming from the south of France, and indeed 

 it is :;fiicially kiinKii in Europe as Marseilles soap. — 



- -•- -- - 

 Water-Proof Boots. 

 It is not always desirable that boots should be 

 atisolutfly water-proof, as whatever keeps water out 

 •lioevcr has \yorn India-rubber 



of time, knows that retaining 

 llir |iiMsi'iraiiiiii 01 ilie feet soon puts them in a very 

 imiilrasant, half par-lioiled condition that is not de- 

 siialilo. Still, walcr-proof boots are useful in an 

 I iiicrgcncy, to be worn for a short time— as in doing 

 llie chores in bad weather. A pair of good rubber 

 liodts yvill answer this purpose, or a pair of common 

 I iiwhide boots may be made yvater-proof after the 

 niithod of the New England fishermen. These 



I pie, exposed to all weathers, have for a century 



iis.d the following compound : Tallow, 4 oz. ; rosin 

 and lieeswax, 1 oz. each ; melt together, then stir in 

 ii.'atsfoot oil, equal in bulk to the melted articles. 

 riie boots are warmed before a fire and this com- 

 |iiisition is rubbed into the leather, soles and uppers, 

 l.v means of a rag. Two applications will make the 

 Irather quite water-proof.— ytmcficfiH AurknUnnxt 

 U'l- February 1. 



Ammonia in the Household. 

 The pantry shelves arc getting grimy, or finger- 

 marks around the door-latches and knobs are looking 

 dark and unsightly. For lack of time they are left 

 day after day, for it is hard work to scour all the 

 time, and it jvears off the paint, too. Now, suppose 

 the wife has her bottle of spirits of ammonia to use ; 

 she takes a basin of water and a clean cloth, just 

 puts on a few drops of the fluid snd wipes olf all the 

 dirt; it is worth more than a half day's labor, and 

 does not hurt the paint cither. HM could put a few 

 drops iu her dishyyater, and see how easily the dishes 

 could be cleaned ; a few drops on a sponge yvould 

 clean all the windows in the sitting room, making 

 them shine like crystal. It would take the stains off 

 the teaspoons, and a tcaspoonful in the mop-pail 

 yvould do more in washing up the kitchen floor than 

 ten pounds of elbow grease applied to the mop- 

 handle. A housewife has just as much right to make 

 her work easy and expeditious as her husband has. 

 If she does not do it the fault is her own in a great 

 measure. 



To Preserve Potatoes from the Rot. 



Dustovcrthe Hoorof the bin with lime, then putiu 

 a few layers of potatoes, and dust the whole once 

 niore with lime, adopting the same plan over again. 

 L se one bushel of lime to fifty of potatoes. The lime 

 kills the fungi which causes the rot. 



L-p it 1 



Household Recipes. 



Live Stock. 



Eauaciie.— Cotton wool, yvet with camphor, or 

 paregoric and sweet oil, hot, and the ear bandaged, 

 will give relief. 



To Baick EudS.— Butter a dish, break the eggs, 

 pour in pepper, salt and butter ; bake iu a slow oven 

 until yvell set. Serve hot. 



Frosted Fket.— Frosted feet may be cured as 

 follows : White oak bark, taken fresh and boiled in 

 water to a strong liquor. Bathe the feet in the 

 li(luor. It is pronounced the best of all remedies. 



A .STICK of black sealing yvax and one of red dis- 

 solved in two ounces of spirits of wine make an ex- 

 cellent color for wicker baskets or other small arti- 

 cles of the kind. .Lay it on yvith a small brush. 



CuANBERHiits.— To keep these berries whole while 

 stewing, prick each one with a pin ; lay them in 

 sugar over night, and cook very slowly. They cook 

 much nicer in this yvay than when stcyved all to 

 pieces. 



tiiNGKU Cookies.— One cup of molasses, one cup 

 of sugar, one cup of butter or lard, three eggs, two 

 teaspoonsful of saleratus, dissolved in a little hot 

 water, five cups of flour, one tablespoonful of ginger 

 mixed with molasses. 



Sweet Omelet.— Beat four eggs very lightly, add 

 a little salt and one spoonful brown sugar ; pour all 

 into a hot buttered fry pan ; when well set lay in 

 two spoonfuls raspberry jam, cook one minute, roll 

 up and dish it, sprinkling well yvilh powdered sugar. 

 This is a very delicate and rich dessert. 



Tapioca Ckeam.— Soak three large tablespoonfuls 

 of tapioca over night in one pint of yyater, the next 

 morning add one quart of milk and boil ; a little 

 salt, four eggs, one cup of sugar; flavor with lemon 

 or vanilla; beat yvhitc of eggs to a stiff froth, and 

 brown in shape of eggs ; put on the top of pudding 

 yvhen it is cold. 



To Lessen Friction for Furniture.— Black 

 lead is excellent to lessen friction between two pieces 

 of work. The sides and rests of desks or bureau 

 drawers may be made to move easily by spreading 

 common stove-blacking evenly with a cloth or the 

 finger over their surfaces. Time and patience may 

 thus be saved. 



The Sleep fob Children.- The Herald of 

 UcaUh cautions parents not to allow their children 

 to be waked up in the morning. Let nature yvake 

 them ; she yvill not do it prematurely. Take care that 

 they go to bed at an early hour— let it be earlier and 

 earlier until it is found they wake up themselves in 

 full time to dress for breakfast. 



Chocolate Cake.— One cup butter, two of sugar, 

 one of milk, five eggs, leaving out the whites of 

 three; four cups of siftcil Hour, three teaspoons 

 baking poyvder. Bake in throe layers in jelly tins. 

 For icing, take yvhites of three ci;i;s, beaten stifl", one 

 and a half cups of powdcrcil sugar, six teaspoons of 

 gr.ated chocolate, two teaspoons vanilla. 



Wafers.— Melt a quarter of a iiound of butter 

 and mix it with half a pint of milk, a leaspoonful 

 of salt, a wineglass of wine, three beaten eggs and 

 suflicient sifted fiour to enable you to roll them out 

 easilj . They should be rolled very thin, cut into 

 small circular cakes, and baked in an oven of moder- 

 ate heat. Frost the whole and sprinkle sugar sand 

 or comfits over it as soon as frosted. 



Orange Cake. — Mix two cups of sugar yvith the 

 yolks of two eggs, then add the yvhites, beaten to a 

 stiff froth, next add a large tablespoonful of butter, 

 then one cup of milk and flour to make as stiff as 

 cupcake; flavor to taste ; bakein jelly pans ; filling, 

 one lemon, two oranges, grate rinds and add the 

 juice, one cup of sugar, one tablespoonful of corn 

 starcli, one cup of water; boil until smooth; cool 

 before puttnig between cakes. 



tjoru Milk Cheese.— Some time since I saw a re- 

 quest lor this article. Take milk just changed from 

 sweet to sour and place over the fire ; when scalded 

 so that the curd is very stringy, it is nearly done ; 

 heat a feyv minutes longer, then strain through a 

 colander. As soon as cool enough remove to a plate ; 

 press all the yvhcy out, and work in two tablespoon- 

 fuls of butter and a little salt. Add considerable 

 patience, as it will be needed before the sticky, 

 stringy mass can be worked fine with the hand. 

 Press into round balls, and yvhen cold, slice with a 

 sharp knife. 



.Mince Pies.— Boil a fresh tongue ; chop it very 

 fine, after removing the skin and roots; yvhen cold, 

 add one pound of chopped suet, two pounds stone 

 raisins, two pounds currants, two pounds citron cut 

 in fine pieces, six cloves powdered, two teaspoonfuls 

 cinnamon, half tcaspoonful mace, one pint brandy, 

 one pint yvine or cider, two pounds sugar ; put this 

 all in a stone jar and covdr well ; in making pies, 

 chop some apples very fine, and to one bowl of the 

 prepared meat take two of apples ; and more sugar, 

 according to taste, and sweet cider enough to make 

 the pies juicy, but not thin ; mix and y>'"arm the in- 

 gredients before putting into your ple-pUtes ; always 

 bake yvith an upper and under crust, made yvith one 

 cup of lard, one of butter, one of water and four of 

 flour. 



Winter Management of Sheep. 

 There arc two extremes practii-ud in the wintering 

 of sheep. Some ],.m|,|,. pnividi' no bhelterat all, and 

 feed tlii-ir liav on ili.- .'imiiul, whether rain or shine, 

 siKiM 111 Hill I Ml ill ill is fed It is not until 

 tow li i i ; ' ii m has become debili- 



talni li; I h i;ii ! ;! : M.id to receive the iiour- 



i^hllll n: ;' 1 1 I, nil i;i nad of giving Strength It 



only wcakriis thcanimal, and the shiftless farmer 

 enters his protest against "feeding grain to sheep." 

 Others overdo the thing in crowding them into close 

 unveiitilatcd stalili's. 'Ihis.if any dilferencc, is worsa 

 than inMiii.i ihi 111 •-iiiii inr iIm inn iiii-. Of all othcr 

 aniiii -I I'l-ar the least 



cniuiii . ! 1 ' I I 1 iil;1i ventilation. 



Ami II I- \iiv iiii;iiii i.iiii ili.ii llll^ have access to 

 water rcirnbulv, lor alMiouL'li tlii-y will get along In 

 a sort ofWay when there is snow on the ground, 

 they will not if it is dry and frosty. No animal will 

 go more regularly to water in the yviutcr if it is at all 

 convenient. 



I prefer having sheep kept in such a yvay that they 

 can go out and in at pleasure, and I have under my 

 barn an arrangement for stabling four lots— in all 

 from 150 to ^00 head. At each end of the stable are 

 two large doors, opening two-thirds the width of the 

 barn ; the two .at the south end arc only closed dur- 

 ing very stormy yveather. Every Hock has access to 

 from two to five acres, in yvhicli there is water, and 

 they go in and out at their pleasure. 



Hay is fed from racks in the stables twice a day, 

 and some cornfodder is fed on the ground when it is 

 frozen or covered yiith snow. No leavings are al- 

 lowed to remain in the racks, but arc thrown out 

 previous to putting in fresh hay. The refuse is given 

 lo calves or other cattle, or liorses, and are mostly 

 all eaten. I generally keep a flock in one of the fields, 

 and feed them hay from a stack, and have a shelter 

 of rails covered yvith straw for them to go under at 

 night, or during stormy weather. Spring lambs are 

 gained a little most of the winter. Weak ones arc 

 kept in a place by themselves and get extra care. 

 Old ewes are got in good condition and sold before 

 they lose their teeth. Manure is not allowed to fer- 

 ment in the stables. Long hoofs arc trimmed with 

 toe nippers.— Germanlumi Tvlqjrnph. 



Weaning Calves. 



■11;, /;, ,' \ )',',■ says: Having yveaned 



imiiii I 111 having fifty years ago 



tv.li'ii ii i ii: hi myself, I can say with 



euiiri'i ii 11 I I h ii ■ I r ilir first week, skim milk 



warmed a little niorc than new milk is when drawn 

 from the cow, will keep them in good growing con- 

 dition. There is no if or doubt about this fact, for 

 many thousands arc raised in this way every year, 

 and have been for years out of mind, before my day 

 in the county I was born in, and also in the States 

 for the last twenty years ; yvhile in Canada, they are 

 treated just the same by hundreds of people. About 

 four quarts of sweet skim milk for the first few 

 times is enough, as giving more yvill relax them too 

 much sometimes ; six quarts afterwards, and, if It 

 can be spared, more as the calf grows larger. In 

 wiiili'r or rarh in .-iiring the calves require feeding 

 «iili iiii\. aMrv little at first, and, of course, it 

 slioiiM I I mil , Milt ^Toen hay and a little bran and 

 oal>, or lira II ami meal— two-thirds bran yvill make 



What Stock Needs. 

 A writer in the Farm and Fireside remarks: "The 

 requirements of success in stock-breeding for proflt 

 are well-bred stock, clean, yvarra quarters, pure 

 yvater, suflicient salt, a stall for each, having rope 

 and chain fastening instead of stanchions, gentle 

 exercise daily, when the yveather Is not stormy, 

 suflicient syveet clover hay, cured in the cock, to 

 supply their wants, and a uniform supply of finely 

 ground cornmeal . Whatever method of feeding may 

 be adopted, the questiou in which the progressive, 

 practical farmer is the most interested is, " how can 

 I produce the most tender, juicy beef in the shortest 

 time, at the least possible expense ." 



Imported Cattle. 

 General Langhorn Wister, of Duncannon, Perry 

 county, has just imported from the island of Guern- 

 sey, two superb heifers at a cost of about 5400 for 

 the pair. "These," 8a)-s the Record, "with his fine 

 Guernsey bull, 'Susquehanna,' No. 113 Herd book — 

 makes the nucleus of a herd of pedigree Guernsey 

 cattle, and the only ones, we believe, in Perry county. 

 Guernsey is one of the islands in the English chan- 

 nel, and the purity of its cattle is insured from the 

 fact that the laws there prohibit the im[)ortatlon of 

 cattle." 



"A farmer of some experience" writes to the 

 ^[auaelm!:tm Ploughinan : Heifers that are kept fat 

 with meal will not breed, while those kept in good 

 growing order on grass, hay and roots, breed readily. 



