1883.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



U3 



plants will deckle the treatment. Some things, like 

 carnation or sweetwilliani, have a mass of email 

 roots in a close bunch, and with this comparatively 

 small tops. These rarely wither, even under rather 

 poor hands. On the other hand, a geranium has 

 very few roots. It seldom comes up but all the dirt 

 falls away, and in an unskillful hand all the leaves 

 would fall, and for the whole winter the plant pre- 

 sents a sorry sight. To prevent such leaves from 

 withering and dying away is the point. Much may 

 be done with these sprawly-rooted things by "water- 

 ing them well before lieginning to lilt them, and 

 they should have a thorough soaking. Then, some 

 of the younger and softer leaves should be picked 

 off, for it is these which are the most reckless in 

 drawingon the plant's liquid supplies. Of couree 

 the plants must be put into their pots or tubs at 

 once on lifting, to keep them from drying, and the 

 whole thoroughly soaked with water on completion. 

 Then tlie pots should be set into shade and shelter, 

 where neither sun nor wind can get at them, and 

 where air without the loss of moisture can be given 

 to them. Some plants will not much "miss their 

 move," as the gardeners say, and may be put in the 

 lull light after a day or so, while some may need 

 this sort of protection for a week. The rule is to 

 put them into the full light as soon as they show 

 no disposition to wither under a moderate sun. 



Save the Peachstones. 



Now is the time to be putting these away under 

 ground, so as to have them in good condition to be 

 ptanted out in beds of rows in the spring. Nor is it 

 well to put it off until next season, thinking to do it 

 then, as it may find you without any to put away. 

 So, now, when they are to be had in abundance. It is 

 better to attend to it at once. If some ot the seed of 

 the best varieties are left to grow without being 

 budded there will be a fair chance of their producing 

 fruit of as good, and perhaps better, quality than 

 those that you bud, but generally speaking it is not 

 advisable to depend too much upon seedlings . 



A Hint for Window Gardening. 



A recent English writer gives the following, which 

 suggests a way in which hardy wood-climbers might 

 be made available for window decoration in winter 

 or early spring: 



"Some years ago, as I was passing through a room 

 used only occasionally, I perceived an odor of fresh 

 flowers that surprised me, as none was ever kept 

 there. On rising the curtain of the east window, 1 

 saw that a branch of Dutch honeysuckle had found 

 its way between the two sashes at one corner, while 

 gjowing in the summer, and had extended itself 

 quite across the window; and on the branch inside 

 there were three or four clusters of well-developed 

 flowers; with the usual accompaniment of leaves, 

 while on the main bush outside there was not yet a 

 leaf to be seen. The flowers inside were just as 

 beautiful and fragrant as if they had waited until 

 the natural time of blooming. Since then I have 

 tried the experiment purposely, and always with 

 the same result." 



A heavy covering of the ground over the roots of 

 the plants with leaves, and sufficient protection of 

 the stem outside, would allow this method to be 

 practiced in quite severe climates. 



Household Recipes. 



Fio Pudding. — An excellent pudding can be 

 made of tigs, and I think it will be generally liked 

 If well made, as every thing ought to be. Let the 

 figs be cut up and mixed with eggs, flour, snet, milk 

 etc., in the usual current method, and that is all. 



To wniTEN Scorched Linen. — If a shirtbosom 

 or any other article has been scorched in ironing, lay 

 It where bright sunshine will fall directly upon it. It 

 will remove it entirely. 



To COOK Turnips. — Pare and slice and boil in as 

 little water as possible. When almost done and al- 

 most dry, add an even tablespoonful of sugar to 

 each quart of turnips, and salt to make palatable. 



When dry and tender mash, add two or three spoon- 

 fuls of thick sweet cream and. serve hot. 



Almond Cake — One and one-half cups sugar, 

 half cup butter, four eggs, half cup milk, two cups 

 flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder; bake ui 

 slrcets. Icing: White of thri'C eggs beaten still', 

 three tablespoonfuls white sugar, one cup chopped 

 nut meats; flavor to taste and put these between and 

 on top of laj'ofs. 



Pan Dowdv — Fill a pudding pan with apples — 

 pared, quartered and cored; cover the top with a 

 crust rolled out of light bread dou<h; make a hole 

 in the lid and set the pan in a brick oven. After It 

 has cooked lift the crust and add inulasses or brown 

 sugar, a liltle powdered cinnamon and nutmeg to 

 taste, also one tablespoonful of butter; stir it well, 

 cut the crust into square bits, mix altogether, cover 

 it with a large plate, return it to the oven for three 

 or four hours. Serve hot. A pan dowdy may be 

 baked in a stove oven, in which case the apples had 

 better be stewed and the erust baked separately, 

 then mix altogether and bake two hours. 



Smothered Chicken. — Cut a good sized chicken 

 open on the back and spring the breast bone back so 

 that it will lie flat; wash it well In salt ami water; 

 lay it in the baking pan with the outside of the bird 

 up; rub it over with butter and sprinkle well with 

 flour; cross the legs and tie them and cramp tlie 

 wings; pour over it a quart of water and set it into 

 the oven to bake, dripping the gravy over it occa- 

 sionally. When well browned turn it over and 

 sprinkle a little flour over the inside surface and 

 set it back in the oven. About ten minutes before it 

 is needed for the table turn it over again, so as to 

 have the outside of the chicken a bright yellow 

 brown when placed on the platter. It is very deli- 

 cious cooked in this style. 



Pumpkin Pie. — Cut the pumpkin Into as thin 

 slices as possible, and in stewing it the less water 

 you use the better; stir so that it shall not burn ; 

 when cooked and tender stir in two pinches of sail ; 

 mash thoroughly, and then strain through a sieve ; 

 while hot add a tablespoonful of butter ; for every 

 measured quart of stewed pumpkin add a quart of 

 milk and four eggs, beating yolks and whites sepa- 

 rately ; sweeten with white sugar and cinnamon and 

 nutmeg to taste, and a saltspoon of ground ginger. 

 Before putting your pumpkin in your pies it should 

 be scalding hot. 



Sheep's-head Soup.— Cut the loins and lights 

 Into small pieces, and stew them in four quarts of 

 water with some onions, carrots and turnips, one cup 

 of rice, pepper and salt, a few cloves, a little parsley 

 and thyme; stew until nearly tender, strain, and 

 when colli remove the fat ; when used thicken with 

 flour and butter. 



Pickled Onions. — Peel the onions and let them 

 lie in strong salt and water nine days, changing the 

 water each day ; then put them into jars and pour 

 fresh salt and water on them, this time boiling hot ; 

 when it is cold take them out and put them on a hair 

 sieve to drain, after wliich put them In wide-mouthed 

 bottles and pour over them vinegar prepared In the 

 following manner : Take vinegar and boil it with a 

 blade of mace, seme salt and ginger in it ; when 

 cool pour over the onions. 



Lemon Pudding. — Put in a basin one-quarter 

 pound of flour, same of sugar, same of bread crumbs 

 and chopped suet, the juice of one good sized lemon, 

 and peel grated, two eggs, and enough milk to make 

 it the eonsistency of porridge ; boll In a basin for 

 one hour ; serve without sauce. 



Readt-Made Glue. — A good glue ready for use 

 Is made without the application of heat by dissolv- 

 ing the glue in common whisky instead of water. 

 Both are put together in a bottle, which is then 

 corked tight and allowed to stand for three or four 

 days. If prepared in this way, it will keep for years 

 and always be ready for use, except in extremely 

 cold weather, when it will be necessary to set it in 

 warm water before using. A strong solution of isin- 

 glass made in the same manner is an excellent ce- 

 ment for leather. 



Apple Jelly. — Put three quarts of water Into 

 your stew-kettle and pare one dozen large apples 

 and slice them Into the water ; when all are cut, boil 

 until soft, then pour into a jelly-liag. Let drain and 

 l)res8 out all jou can. To one pint of juice add one 

 pound of white sugar and boil moderately for half 

 an hour, stirring occasionally. 



A Remedy por Diptheria.— Dr. Setserlch for 

 children of one year gives a remedy, for Internal 

 use every one or two hours, as follows: Natr. 

 benzoic, pur, . '5 solv. In aq. distill at aq. menth. 

 piper, ana 4(J.O syr, cort. aur. 100. For children 

 from one to three years old he prescribes It from 

 seven to eight grammes for 100 grammes of distilled 

 water with same syrup; for children from three to 

 seven years old he prescribed ten to flfleen grammes 

 and for grown persons Irom flfteen to twenty-flve 

 grammes for each 100 grammes. Besides this he 

 used also with great success the insuDlatlon on the 

 diptherial membrane through a glass tube, in serious 

 cases everv three hours, In light three limes a day 

 of the natur. benzoic pulver. For grown people he 

 prescribes for gargling a dilution of ten grammes 

 of this pulver for 200 grammes of water. The effect 

 of the 'einedy is rapid. After twenty-four or 

 thirty .six hours the feverish symptoms disappear 

 completely and the temperature and pulse become 

 normal. This remedy was used also with the same 

 success by Draham Braun and Professor Klebs, In 

 Prague; Dr. Senator Cassel, and several others la 

 Russia and Germany. 



Household Hints. — To determine the quality of 

 silk, take ten flbres of the Ulling in any silk, and if 

 on breaking they show a feathery, dry and lack 

 lustre condition, discoloring the fingers in handling, 

 you may at once be sure of the piesencc of dye and 

 artificial weighting. Or take a small portion of the 

 fibres between the thumb anil forefinger, and very 

 gently roll them over and over, and you will soon de- 

 tect the gum, mineral, soap and other ingredients of 

 the one and the absence of them in the other. A 

 simple but efl'ective test of the purity Is to burn a 

 small quantity of the fibres ; pure silk will Instantly 

 crisp, leaving only a pure charcoal ; hcavlly-dyed 

 silk will smoulder, leaving a yellow, greasy ash. If 

 on the contrary, you cannot break the ten strands, 

 and they are of a natural lustre and brilliancy, and 

 fail to discolor the fingers at the puint of contact, 

 you may well be assured that you may have a pure 

 silk that is honest in its make and durable in Its 

 wear. 



Health Hints. — Flaxseed tea, which is good for 

 cough and sore throat, is made as follows : Put two 

 tablespoonfuls whole flaxseed in a pint of boiling 

 water, boil. fifteen minutes. Cut up one lemon and 

 put in a pitcher, with two tablespoonfuls of sugar. 

 Strain the tea boiling hot through a wire strainer 

 into the pitcher and slir together. .Medical men 

 claim that a pound and a quarter of oatmeal will 

 supply as much nitrogen and almost as much nitro- 

 gen and almost as much fat to the body as one 

 pound of uncooked meat of ordinary quality. A man 

 gets three times.as much nourishment at the same 

 cost in oatmeal as he does in meats. One pound and 

 a half of Indian meal Is equal to one pound of un- 

 cooked meat in nitrogen, and surpasses it in fat. 

 One who has tried it communicates the following 

 about curing sore throats: Let each one of your 

 readers buy at any drug store one ounce of cam- 

 phorated oil, and five cents' worth of chlorate of pot- 

 ash. When any soreness appears In the throat, put 

 the potash in a half tumblerful of water, and with 

 it gargle the throat thoroughly: then rub the neck 

 tlioroughly with the camphorated oil at night before 

 going to bed, and also pin around tbe throat a strip 

 of woolen flannel. This Is a simple, cheap and sure 

 remedy. 



DicY CuRiNo Pork and Beef.— Mr. Gillette In- 

 formed us that he had lor a number of years prac- 

 ticed, with entire success and great satisfacticn, a 

 method of dry curing, which supplied far better and 

 sweeter bacon and ham than the usual brining 

 process. After killing the carcasses, dry and thor- 

 oughly cool 24 hours or so. The sides and hams 

 are then rubbed over thoroughly with molasses — he 

 used the Porto Kico. Salt is heated in an iron vessel 

 to a dry line powder, and almost "red hot," when 

 it is spread r(nickly over the smeared pork, and when 

 cool enough is thoroughly mixed with the hand. 

 After tliree days the same process is repeated. They 

 they then lay lu a dry and cool place for a couple of 

 weeks, when they are ready for smoking. No brine 

 is used to toughen the pork or hams or affect the 

 flavor. The smoking is continued at intervals, with 

 care not to get up a heat l)y a continuous Are. Two 

 fires a day are make with corn cobs, or dry oak or 

 hickory. Tne total smoking that is the time the 

 meat is totally surrounded with smoke, 100 to 120 

 hours in all. After smoking enough, the bacon or 



