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THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



time when the earth is in the best condition for 

 working: in about the roots. As evergreens fush 

 later tlian deciduous trees their removal may be ex- 

 tended lone into May. — Gerinnnlo'i'ii Telegraph. 



The Baby Plant. 



No curiosity exhibited in this city for years has 

 attracted such fceneral attention as that wonderful 

 plant at Shannahan's art gallery. Fully 3,000 

 people have visited the place to look upon this 

 botanical wonder. It is said to be indigenous to 

 Japan. Its technical term has not been ascertained, 

 but it is known, and appropriately so, as the " Baby 

 Plant." It is of the genus lily, sometimes attaining 

 a height of four feet and blossoming semi-annually. 

 The one of which we write is, however, not more 

 than twelve inches in heitrht, with leaves about six 

 inches long and two inches wide. The flower is 

 star-shaped, having live petals of a handsome brown 

 and yellow color. The calyx encircles and protects 

 a tiny little figure that bears an exact resemblance 

 to a nude baby, its little arms and legs outstretched, 

 and the eyes distinctly marked. Hovering over this 

 diminutive form is a small canopy, anirel-shaped, 

 having extended arms and wings, aiid peering closely 

 into the face of the infant. The family of plants of 

 which the " baby " is a member, produced not only 

 the specimen now on exhibition, but also give per- 

 fect imitations, if such they can be designated, of 

 different animals, insects and birds. Mrs. Mark 

 Hopkins, of San Francisco, has one of the latter 

 varieties, for which $:;no was paid. The plant 

 grows to be about three feet in height when fully 

 matured, and when in full bloom the one now in 

 this city will look like a shipwrecked foundling 

 hospital.— /'o)//o;i(; (Om/o«) Slumlard. 



Unlucky Fruit-Growers. 

 It is very common to hear people say that it is no 

 use for ihem to plant fruit trees. They have no 

 luck with them. But in truth luck never did any- 

 thing of any importance. We don't trust our farm 

 or general garden crops to this person. Luck ; but 

 we empluy good, careful hands and direct their 

 work by long experience, and the teeming harvest 

 field and luxuriant vegetable garden attest to their 

 wisdom and industry. There" is no luck about it, 

 but a careful measuring to the end to be accom- 

 plished with the means at hand to gain it. When- 

 ever the same means have been adopted with fruit 

 trees good results have followed. In our own dis- 

 trict there are " loads" of people who have wonder- 

 ful success with certain things that they set their 

 hearts on, and the growing of fruit is among these 

 successes. But these men, we repeat, do not trust 

 to luck. The trees are pruned as they ought to be 

 and manured with what they need; precautious, are 

 taken against injury to all from the curculio and 

 borer, and thus industry and not luck meets with its 

 due reward. Try it, as fruit raising and every other 

 crop raising ought to be tried, and see how ea'sy it is 

 to get good fruit and plenty of it, by going thus 

 about it in the right viay.—Geriaantouin Teleqraph. 



t January, 



latter temperature is unsupportable outside of Rus- 

 sia. The perfection of a house in wintej, where the 

 means will allow it, is to have the halls heated by a 

 furnace, while dining and drawing rooms have still 

 their grate for coal or their fireplace for wood, and 

 where ventilation has not been forgotten. 



Wearing Flannel. 



Put it on at once. Winter or summer, nothing 

 better can be worn next the skin than a loose, red 

 woolen flannel shirt; " loose," for it has room to 

 move on the skin, thus causing a titillation which 

 draws the blood to the surface and keeps it tin re ; 

 and, when that is the case, no one can take cold ; 

 " red," for white flannel fills up, mats together and 

 becomes tight, stiff, heavy and impervious ; 

 " woolen," the product of a sheep and not a gentle- 

 man of color, not of cotton wool, because that 

 merely absorbs the moisture from the surface while 

 woolen flannel conveys it from the skin and deposits 

 it in drops upon the outside of the shirt, from which 

 the ordinary cotton shirt absorbs it, and, by its 

 nearer exterior air, it is soon dried without injury to 

 the body. Having these properties, red woolen 

 flannel is worn by sailors even in the midsummer of 

 the hottest countries. Wear a thinner material in 

 summer. 



the cavities with sugar, apricot-jam and a clove ; join 

 the halves and inclose them in suet paste, boil them 

 in cloths for about three-quarters of an hour and 

 serve them with melted butter, plain sauce. 



CoRNMEAL Muffins.— Three cups of cornmeal, 

 one-half cup of sifted wheat flour, three eggs well 

 beaten, two large spoonsful of butter and one tea- 

 spoonful of soda dissolved in one pint of buttermilk 

 and a little salt. Beat these well together, pour 

 into rings and bake a nice brown in the oven. 



Yeast Dumplings.— Make a light dough of two 

 pounds of flour, one and one-half ounces of German 

 yeast, a pinch of salt and some milk ; let it rise in a 

 warm place. In about an hour the dough will be 

 ready to use ; mold them round as for buns, and 

 boil fast for about fifteen minutes in a good deal of 

 water ; serve with melted butter plain sauce. 



Glue for Polished Steel. 



The Turks glue diamonds and other jewels to 

 their metal setting with the following mixture : 

 Five or six bits of gum mastic, each of the size of a 

 large pea, are dissolved in as much spirits of wine as 

 will sulllcc to render it liquid. In another vessel as 

 much isinglass as will make a two ounce phial of 

 strong glue, previously softened in water, should be 

 dissolved in braudy, adding two small bits of gum 

 ammoniac, which must be rubbed until dissolved. 

 These must be mixed by heat, and kept in a phial 

 closely corked. When it is to be used, set the phial 

 in boiling water. This cement perfectly resists 

 moisture, and it is said to be able to unite etTectively 

 two surfaces of polished steel. 



A Wasteful Interest Paid by Farmers. 

 There is no disputing the fact thae any farm im- 

 plement, be it wagon, plow, harrow, reaper, rake, 

 or what not, if left exposed to rain and sun for ten 

 years, will be practically good for nothing. We 

 might say in five years, but if any choose to cavil at 

 five we will say ten. This is ten per cent, per au- 

 nma. At a cost of less than one per cent, these 

 tools can be kept always housed, or under cover of 

 some kind, even if but rough boards, that will shut 

 out sun and rain. Because we do not see the silent, 

 slow but steady waste, we are apt to forget that it is 

 ever going on. It is unnecessary to suggest the 

 " application " of this short sermon. Nine per cent, 

 interest saved is not to be despised, even if better 

 times are at hand. 



Domestic Economy. 



Timely Hints About Furnaces. 

 In heating a house with furnace-heat, suys the 

 New York Tiines, the great thing is to maintain an 

 equal temperature in the rooms. Now, it is well 

 known that, as the heated air rises and cold air de- 

 scends, the upper regions are hot, while the lower 

 are cold. In rooms where the furnace-air is stag- 

 nant, an absolutely dillcrent stratum of air is found. 

 It is better then to giv? ch-culation and movement to 

 the air in every way. This cannot, of course, be 

 done by taking cold air from a window, but by oc- 

 casionally opcninn: doors which lead to the entries of 

 the house. A door swung to and fro sometimes does 

 this. It looks as if it were a very simple thing to do 

 but few seem to know that, by liaving the heat to 

 enter freely into lowest stories of the house during 

 the winter nights ancl allowing the doors below to 

 be wide open, the heat ascending will quickly warm 

 the walls of the house and save a notable 'amount 

 of fuel for the next cold day. There can be no doubt 

 that although a furnace is one if the necessary evils 

 of our present condition of American civilization 

 that it is, nevertheless, deleterious to health and the 

 most expensive method of warming which can be 

 found. The great diflTerence between a direct fire 

 and warmed air or indirect heat arises from the man- 

 ner in which the objects, such as the walls of a 

 house, are warmed. One of the most troublesome 

 effects of furnace-heat is that it abstracts more 

 moisture from the human body than docs a direct 

 fire, and the consequence is that at high tempera- 

 tures evaporation from the body apparently cools the 

 inmate of a furnace-heated room. As to the use of 

 artificial moisture in the room, its advantages are 

 well known, but it is somethine can never be reeu- 

 lated with accuracy, for, if in excess, such saturated 

 atmosphere tends to become oppressive. Somewhere 

 between 70°, and never higher than 74^, are about 

 the limits of heating a room, though to many the 



Fruit in Cellars. 

 Fruit in cellars is likely to sufl'er from heat rather 

 that cold. In the slow operation of ripening, heat 

 and carbonic acid are given off. Whenever the 

 temperature approaches 40 degrees, the outer air, if 

 colder, should be let in to reduce it. In the house 

 cellar the accumulation of carbonic acid would be 

 injurious to the health of the family, and it is highly 

 important that this be removed by ventilation. In 

 fruit cellars apart from the house, this is not neces- 

 sary, as the presence of this gas, so injurious to 

 animal, as it excludes the atmospheric air. 



Household Recipes. 



Lemon Cake.— One cup of sugar, four eggs 

 three tablespoonfuls of sweet milk, three tablespoon- 

 fuls of melted butter, three tablespoonfuls of baking 

 powder and one cup of flour. 



Bakek's Ginoekhhead.— Three-quarters of a 

 pound of flour, one quart of molasses, one-fourth of 

 a pound of butter, one ounce of saleratus and one 

 ounce of ginger. 



Brine FOR Corn Beef.— Five gallons of water 

 one gallon of salt, one-half pound of saltpetre, one 

 and one-half pounds of brown sugar. Boil this mix- 

 ture fifteen minutes. When cold pour over the 

 beef. 



Suet Pudding.— Make a rather thick batter of 

 one pound of flour, one-half pound of chopped suet 

 three eggs, one teaspoonful of baking powder, some 

 grated nutmeg, sugar, salt and water ; boil in a cloth 

 three h ours; serve with sauce. 



Indian Meal Pancakes.— Beat four eggs, add a 

 little milk and form into a paste with ten spoonsful 

 of Indian meal ; and nearly a pint of milk and one 

 teaspoonful of baking powder ; work smooth and 

 fry, rolling them up with butter, sugar, nutmeg and 

 lemon juice. 



Apple Dumplings, Boiled.— Use russet apples, 

 pare and cut them in half, take out the core and fill 



Currant Pudding, Plain.— One pound of 

 chopped suet, one pound of flour, three-quarters of a 

 pound of currants, four eggs, a little cinnamon pow- 

 dered, a pinch of salt, and one teaspoonful of bakino- 

 powder; beat the eggs, add as much milk as will 

 mix the whole together, tie in a cloth, boil about 

 three hours and serve with melted butter plain in a 

 boat. 



Delicate Cake.— Take half a pound of butter, 

 one pound of sugar, one pound of flour, half a pint 

 of sweet milk or water, four eggs. Beat the butter 

 and sugar to a cream, then add the beaten eggs 

 then the milk or water, then the flour ; mix thor- 

 oughly and put the batter into your pan ; sia fine 

 sugar over the top and bake immediately in a mod- 

 erate oven. 



Fisn Pie.— Three pounds of fish, one onion, and 

 water enough to boil them both together. When 

 done, pick from the bones, mash the onion with it in 

 the dish it is to be baked in, add pepper and salt 

 scald one quart of milk, thicken it with one table- 

 spoonful of flour dissolved in cold water, pour over 

 the flsh, cover with pieces of butter and cover thick 

 with cracker crumbs; bake until brown. 



Relief fob Croup.— Croup can be cured in one 

 minute, and the remedy is simply alum and sugar 

 The way to accomplish the deed is to take a knife 

 or grater, and shave ofl" in small particles about a 

 teaspoonful of alum; then mix it with twice its 

 quantity of sugar, to make it palatable, and adminis- 

 ter It as quick as possible. Almost instantaneous 

 relief will follow. 



Dried Peach Pudding.— Take one pint of dried 

 peaches and scald and stew until done, and have 

 plenty of juice ; sweeten with one cup of sugar • 

 make a batter of a small teacupful of buttermilk 

 and one-half teaspoonful of soda, and salt to taste ■ 

 thicken with flour very stiff, drop this in small 

 lumps in the peaches, which must be boiling ; cook 

 about twenty minutes, and serve with cream and 

 sugar or sauce. 



White Mountain Cake.— Six eggs, six cups of 

 flour, three cups of sugar, two cups of butter, one 

 cup of milk, teaspoonful of soda, nutmeg. Beat the 

 butter and sugar ; then add the yolks of the eggs, 

 part of the flour and half of the milk, then the 

 whites of the eggs beaten to a froth, then the rest of 

 the milk with the soda dissolved in it, then flour 

 and spice. Bake in deep pans in a moderate, but 

 not cool, oven. 



Lemon Pies.— Beat four eggs very light, add to 

 them, gradually, a quarter of a pound of fine sugar 

 whisk these together for a few minutes, strewing 

 lightly in one ounce of corn-starch flour ; then stir 

 in by degrees three ounces of melted butter • beat 

 the whole well together and stir in the juice and 

 grated yellow rind of one large lemon. Line your 

 pie dish with a good puff paste rolled thin, fill them 

 two-thuds full of the mixture and bake for twenty 

 minutes in a moderate oven. 



Pennsylvania Sponge Cake.- Seven eggs one 

 pound of white sugar, three-quarter pounds of flour 

 one gill of warm water; put the sugar in a vessel 

 and pour the water over it ; stand it where it will 

 get warm, not hot; break the eggs in a tin bucket 

 and pour the heated sugar on it, beating with the 

 egg beater as you pour it ; keep the bucket contain- 

 ing the sugar and eggs over a vessel of hot water all 

 the time you beat. Continue this for half an hour 

 then stir in very lightly the flavoring and flour and 

 bake immediately. This makes a large cake and 

 very nice for dessert, with either custard or sauce. 



A Superior Omelett. — Beat six eggs very light 

 the whites to a stiff froth, that will stand alone, the 

 yolks to a smooth, thick batter; add to the yolks a 

 small cupful of milk, then the pepper and salt to 

 season j<ioperly; lastly, stir in the whites lightly. 

 Have ready in a hot frying pan a good lump of but- 

 ter. When it hisses pour in your mixture gently 

 and set over a clear fire. It should cook in eight or 

 ten minutes at most. Do not stir, but contrive as 

 tlic eggs "set" to slip a broad-bladed knife under 

 the omelett to guard against burning at the bottom. 

 When done, lay a hot dish, bottom upward, on top 

 of the pan, and upset it and bring the browned side 

 up. Eat soon or it will not be so light. A grand 

 dish for breakfast. 



