1881. 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



ill 



Early Turnips. 

 The earliest, und perliaps the hest variety of turnip 

 for table ubc Is tlie Early Flat Dutch. It Is uulver- 

 eally popular, and it takesouly a small plot to fur- 

 nish a supply for a medium sized family. One rea- 

 son why they so frequently fail iu gaideus Is the 

 richness of the soil and their frequent Krowin;; In the 

 same bed. In preparinK a plot for turnips dig down 

 full spade drep, for the purpose of (,'etling some of 

 the virgiu earth, and espceially a little clay. As a 

 fertilizer there is none equal to bone-dust, and noth- 

 ing else. The turnip sliould grow slowly, with as 

 little top as possible. It will not bear pusliing or 

 forcinfr. — Gerinanlouyii TeUijraph. 



Transplanting. 



There is scarcely auy oiieration In gardening wlierc 

 there is so much opportunity for the exercise of skill 

 and good judgment as iu transplanting. The skill- 

 ful gardener will remove his plants so that they will 

 hardly receive any check in their growth, while the 

 careless removal of plants or the choice of too dry 

 weather, with subsequent neglect, occasions the loss 

 of many thousands of plants every year, and much 

 disappointment. In order tobeartransplantingwell, 

 the piaut should be in thrifty, growing condition^ 

 liut not by any means "drawn" or "long legged," 

 as gardeners are wont to call such plants as have 

 Butfered from crowding or too rapid forcing uuder 

 glass ; they should be grown in sandy loom, which 

 favors fibrous growth of roots, and should be well 

 watered a few hours belore moving, so as to liave the 

 roots moist when moved. Then care should be given 

 to have the loom in which the plants are planted 

 moist enough to favor rapid growth ; and if possible, 

 they should be shaded from sun and wlud for a few 

 days after transplanting, if the sun is hot. — German- 

 lowu Telajraph. 



Strawberry Culture. 



Strawberries maybe grown ou any soil that will 

 produce corn or potatoes. A light clay loam, well 

 enriched with rotten barnyard manure, is the, most 

 favorable soil for most varieties. Spring is the best 

 season for planting. As soon as the plants are re- 

 ceived from the nursery open the package or box at 

 once and, if possible, plant the same day. If the 

 ground is not ready or for other causes the planting 

 has beeu dela.yed untie each bundle and heel in the 

 plants at a shady placeor cover with damp moss and 

 keep in a cool cellar until ready for planting. In the 

 garden plant iu rows eighteen inches apart by twelve 

 In the rows ; after every third row leave a space of 

 two feet, instead of eighteen inches, for a path. In 

 the Held for cultivation Ijy horses the rows should be 

 three feet apart. After the beds are marked out 

 make with a hoe or a trowel a hole for each plan 

 large enough to admit the roots of the plants without 

 crowding or bending them over. Then spread the 

 roots in the hole and carefully sprinkle pulverized 

 soil upon them until the hole is one-half filled, and 

 press the soil firmly around the roots, then fill up the 

 hole to the crown of the plant, but no more, without 

 pressing the soil again. If the ground is very dry it 

 is best to plant toward evening and to water the 

 plants well. To secure healthy plants and a bounti- 

 ful crop of fruit the year after planting the plants 

 should not be allowed to bear the first season ; the 

 runners must be cut ofi' before the tips take root, and 

 the ground kept louse and free from weeds. When 

 lasting cold weather sets in— in this latitude about 

 the last week in November — the plants should be 

 covered with straw or leaves or salt hay, or any 

 other light material, to a depth of one or two inches. 

 This mulch is not removed until after the bearing of 

 the plant. In the spring when the strawberry leaves 

 start open with a poiuted stick or the hand the 

 mulch over the crown of each plant. No other f-are 

 is required before bearing. After the last picking the 

 mulch is to be taken away altogether, and the beds 

 cultivated as during the previous season. Straw- 

 berry beds managed in this way will last three or four 

 years, so that in order to secure a full supply of 

 berries every season a new bed should be laid out 

 every second year. 



Household Recipes. 



KUDBAKO Jam.— One and a half pounds of rhu- 

 barb stalks ts one pound of preserving sugar ; the 

 peel of one large lemon. Boil all well together, stir- 

 ring constantly, and adding a tea«poonful of powdered 

 ginger. Turn into pots and cover down. This is 

 excellent jam for children. 



Gkaua.m Meal Gkiddi-e Cakes.— Three table- 

 spoons yeast, two cups graham flour, one cup wheat 

 flour ; mix at bedtime with warm water or milk — 

 they should be quite thin— set where it will keep 

 warm ; bake on a griddle for breakfast. They must 

 be well cooked. 



Cheesk Omei.ettb. — tlrate cheese in proportion 

 of a large cupfull to one dozen eggs, beat the eggs as 

 for omelette ; add the cheese, pour into a buttered 

 or oiled frying-pan,abouthalf Inch thick, fry quickly, 

 do not turn ; serve on buttered toast, very hot. 



I'OKK Chop.— Pork chop must be well cooked to 

 be wholesome, but they must neither be suffered to 

 dry up or to lie soaking in greasy gravy. Cut them 

 from a neck of pork ; trim them neatly ; give them 

 a few blows with the bat, or the potato masher, if 

 you have no meatbat ; broil over a clear Are ; have 

 ready a bit of butter-trub into this a teaspoouful of 

 salt, half of pepper, the same of powdered sage, 

 and one spoonful of chopped onions ; heat this up 

 with a dash of vinegar, and turn each cliop over in it 

 before serving. Cover closely with another plate, 

 and keep hot in the oven for a few minutes before 

 serving. Eat with apple sauce or roasted apples. 



"Oyster Fkicassee.— To make oyster fricasse-? 

 take no less than six oysters for every person— good 

 box oysters— strain the liquid into a porcelain-lined 

 saucepan ; add a large cup of strong bouillon, a 

 piece of butter, the size of an egg, rolled in flour ; 

 season with celery salt, and beat the yolks of three 

 eggs, (for about thirty oysters); let all this boil 

 nicely and smooth, and then add the oysters; they 

 must not boil but get heated through well ; serve as 

 soon as prepared ; while you prepare the dressing 

 have your oysters in a colander over a pot of boiling 

 water, to heat them gradually; they will keep their 

 size prepared tills way ; if the dressing is too thick 

 add some bouillon. 



Fine Sweet Rusks.— Soften two table spoonfuls 

 of butter in a bowl, whisk two table-spoonfuls of 

 sugar, three eggs and flavoring to your taste (lemon 

 generally), together with a pint of milk, add to your 

 butter in the bowl two quarts of flour with four tea- 

 spoonfuls of baking powder sifted in it, then add 

 milk, eggs, etc., and mix, adding a little more milk 

 if required to make it of the desired consistency. 

 Bake in balls size of large walnuts placed together 

 ou buttered pans with sides to them . Moderate oven. 



Dried Peacu Puddinu. — Three-quarters of a 

 pound of flour, one pint dried peaches, three gills 

 beef suet, one teaspoonful of salt. ■ Chop the peaches 

 and suet, mix them with the flour and salt ; add cold 

 water enough to mix the ingredients together in a 

 stiff dough as can be made with a spoon, tie it in a 

 cloth, leaving room to swell, and steam or boil it 

 three hours or longer. The rule for a batter pud- 

 ding is half an hour to every pint of pudding. 



Beef Stew. — Select from the cheapest cut of beef 

 about three pouuds of the lean, and into an iron pot, 

 cover it with water, and one quart of sliced tomatoes, 

 and one half pint of sliced okra, three onions cut fine, 

 and half a dozen ears of corn cut from the cob. Let 

 the whole stew gently for three hours, or until the 

 vegetables make a jelly with the meat. Season with 

 salt and pepper before removing from the first. If 

 desired add two ounces of butter. 



Frosted Ai>ple Pie.— Line a pie with pulT paste. 

 Slice in apples, sugar them and add a little butter, 

 no water, and a little lemon eseence or juice. Bake, 

 and when done spread a thick frosting of beaten egg 

 and sugar over it, return to the oven till the frosting 

 is warmed through. 



To Kebp Preserves.— Apply the white of an egg 

 with a brush to a single' thickness of white tissue 



I paper ; with which cover the jars, lapping over an 

 inch or two. It will require no tyeing, becoming 

 j when dry inconceivably tight and strong, and imper- 

 I vious to the air. 



Live Stock. 



Dairy Pr.<ducts 

 At the recent annual meeting of the International' 

 Dairy Fair Association one speaker claimed that the 

 dairy interest of the couutry exceeds the wheat In- 

 terest in money value. The corn production of 1S79 

 was worth ?.'J0O,O0O,OOO, but the exhaustion of the 

 soil necessary to its production represented not less 

 than 8100,000,000, ;or 20 per cent, of the sclllug 

 value. Wheat and corn depleted the soil of Its na- 

 tural wealth, and, notwithstanding the vastly in- 

 creased acreage devoted to these cropa.lastyear there 

 was a decrease'of *26,000,000 in the total market 

 sales. On the other hand, dairy products not only 

 made up for the iinijoverielimcnt of the soil by corn 

 in 1B79, but added 1100,000,000 to its value. 



To Determine the Weight of Live Cattle. 



Measure in inches the girth round the breast, jutt 

 behind the shoulder blade, and the length of the 

 back from the tail to the foretop of the elioulder 

 blade. Multiply the girth by the leugth, and divide 

 by 144. If the girth is less than three feet, multiply 

 the quotient by 11 ; if between three feet and tlvB 

 feet multiply by I(> ; if between Ave feet and seven 

 feet, multiply Ijy 23 ; if between seven and nine feet, 

 multiply by 31. If the animal Is lean, deduct l-20th 

 from the result. Take the girth ami length In feet, 

 multiply the square of the girth by the length, and 

 multiply the product by 336. The result will be the 

 answer in pounds. The live weight multiplied by 

 O.O.I gives a near appro.'cimation to tlic net weight. 



Raising Jersey Cattle. 



There are upon the island of Jersey 12,000 head of 

 cattle, which is about 3,400 head to every square 

 mile. This is after deducting the laud occupied by 

 buildings, gardens, roads, etc. Probably there is not 

 another tract of land of the same dimensions in the 

 world which sustains so large a number of cattle. 

 Jersey has exported for the past cighteeu years an 

 average of 2,049 head. Her ability to do this is 

 owing to the high cultivation of various kinds of grass 

 and roots. Among the latter the parsnip is con- 

 sidered the most valuable, and the Islanders consider 

 that the color in the butter is due in a great meas- 

 ure to the feeding of the parsnip. They do not con- 

 fine its use to the winter season, hut feed it alike the 

 year around. 



Hurdling Sheep. 



The American Cultivator describes a system of 

 hurdles for use in preventing waste of pastured 

 crops, which seems to be excellent. Each hurdle is 

 twelve feet long and is made with a stout pole bored 

 with two series of holes twelve inches apart. Stakes 

 six feet long are put into these holes so that they 

 project from them three feet on each side of the pole. 

 One scries of holes is bored in a direction at right 

 angles with that of the other, and when the stakes 

 are properly placed they form a hurdle, the end of 

 which looks like the Icltev X. The field in which 

 they are used consists, say of six acres. A strip of 

 ten feet in width is thus set olT, upon which four hun- 

 dred sheep feed. They eat up all the grass upon 

 this strip. The hurdles are then turned over, ex- 

 posing another strij) of rather more than four feet In 

 width at each turn. When this is fed off the hurdles 

 are again turned over. The Chei'aux-de-frige pre- 

 sented by the hurdles prevents auy trespassing upoD 

 the other side of them, and by using two rows of 

 hurdles the sheep are kept iu a narrow strip between 

 them. Their droppings are very evenly spread over 

 the field, by which it is richly fertilized. At night 

 the sheep are taken off and the grass is watered . 

 The growth is one inch per day under this treat- 

 ment, and when the field has been fed over the sheep 

 are brought back again to the starting point, and 

 commence ouce more eating their way along. 



