THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



125 



A Large Truck Farm. 



What is claimed to be the largest trucic farm in 

 the South is in Louisiana, near New Orleans, where 

 the cultivation of very early cabbages, cucumbers 

 and tomatoes are made a epccialty for the marl<cts 

 of Northern cities. Last season the yield was about 

 900 barrels of cucumbers, 8,000 boxes of tomatoes 

 and 170,000 heads of cabbages. In addition to this 

 a considerable portion of the ground is devoted to 

 the cullivatiou of strawberries, cauliflower, peaches, 

 grapes, etc., and an apiary yields an annual produc- 

 tion of about ten barrels of honey. 



Kill the Weeds Before Planting Seeds. 

 Where there are weed seeds loitering in the soil 

 harrow over the surface lightly to cause them to ger- 

 minate. Do this once a week for two or three weeks 

 while your manure Is composting. Better spend an 

 hour a week, for three weeks, to kill weeds, than to 

 depend on killing them after the plants come up and 

 the weeds with them. One hour spent before the 

 seeds are in and the ground warm will save one day 

 when the weeds and plants come up together. 

 Weeds are the main discouragements to gardening 

 among farmers. Kill the weeds before you put in 

 the seeds this year. 



A Timely Suggestion. 

 A recent number of the Mirror and Fanner pub- 

 lished an article under the title of " Land Improve- 

 ment," from the pen of Prof. Sanborn, of the New 

 Hampshire Agricultural College, from which we 

 extract a paragraph of interest to owners of low, wet 

 land : "I received seventy-five bushels shelled corn 

 per acre on the college farm, from ground never 

 planted to corn because flat and wet, by beginning 

 in the centre of three and one-hall rod beds, as 

 marked out, and plowing so as to turn the furrows 

 on either side of the centre towards each other. This 

 makes the ground in the centre of the bed higher, 

 leaving at the outside of each bed a dead furrow to 

 take off the water. For removing surface water 

 on level ground they have been more effectual with 

 us than drain tile would have been. The field is left 

 In poorer condition for tools than after tile drains, 

 but after harrowing down I have not found them 

 in practice very troublesome. When the ground is 

 Tcry wet they should be made narrower. In Canada 

 I have seen them not more than a rod or a rod and a 

 half on their low-lying lands that stretch away for 

 miles. These drains are advised for surface, not 

 spring water from below. 



Cabbage Fleas. 

 Every one who tries to grow cabbage plants, and 

 probably nine-tenths of the readers of the Fakmer 

 do this, will be interested in the following reply given 

 by the Counhy Genlletnan to a Washington corres- 

 pondent who asks for a remedy against the little 

 hoppers that infest the beds and sap the life from the 

 leaves of the young plants : " A ' perfect remedy ' 

 cannot be given, because different species of insects 

 infest plants, and a remedy which may answer well 

 In one locality and under certain circumstances or in 

 one season, may not succeed in others. Among the 

 remedies which have proved effectual in most cases 

 are, dustinir with powdered lime, syringing with 

 a strong infusion of tobacco stems, dusting with 

 powdered tobacco (obtained from the sweepings of 

 tobacco houses), and, perhaps the best of all, syring- 

 ing with water strongly impregnated with coal tar, 

 made by repeatedly stirring the tar in ten times as 

 much water. Kerosene in water has also been used 

 with good success in some instances. Several other 

 remedies might be named, but none belter than the 

 above. Dusting the ground with lime while the 

 plants are very small, is a good preventive, and stir- 

 ring the ground by cultivating frequently, and pro- 

 ducing vigorous growth, lessens the damage com- 

 mitted." 



Notes from a Suburban Lawn. 



No shrub excels the Deutzia crcnata in natural 



grace, if left to itself. By close pruning every year 



it can be made to produce iowers in greater abun- 



dance, but this floral wealth is gained at the ex- 

 pense of certain free and wayward sweep of outline, 

 which is its peculiar charm. Occasional thinning 

 out of the shoots— not cutting them all in— encour- 

 ages its natural habits, and well-grown shrubs, with 

 long branches drooping under their load of bloom, 

 arc now among the fairest ornaments of my lawn. 

 Thomas Hogg, to whom we are indebted for so many 

 introductions of trees, shrubs and vines from .Japan, 

 once said In my hearing that he considered the double 

 pink Deutzia the most desirable shrub of all those he 

 had sent from the East. The Deutza gracilis passed 

 out of flower long ago, and when not In bloom the 

 shrub has little to commend It. It has an unpleasant 

 way of showing dead branches m the spring, and a 

 stiff habit of growth which Is not pleasant. The 

 delicacy of its early flowers, however, atones for 

 other shortcomings, and gives It an honored place 

 among dwarf shrubs. There is a variety of Deutzia 

 known as parvitlora, which for some reason is rarely 

 seen. Its habit is rather more upright than that of 

 D. crenata. It blooms profusely, and a little earier 

 than Its better known relative. It is a shrub which 

 deserves to be more liberally planted. 



Household recipes. 



Beef Tea.— For very weak patients, when even 

 weak meat broths are thought to be too strong, 

 what is called beef tea is often made use of. This 

 article is greatly overrated as an article of diet or 

 sustenance, as it can possess but very little nutri- 

 ment, and the patient must be very feeble indeed 

 that cannot bear something stronger. It is made as 

 follows : Take one-half pound of lean fresh beef, 

 cut in thin slices, put into a small vessel or bowl, 

 pour over one pint of boiling water, and Jlet it stand 

 half an hour by the Are to steep, but not to boil; 

 then pour off, squeeze out the juice from the meat a 

 little, season with salt, and give this " tea" or liquid 

 to the patient. It should be taken moderately 

 warm. 



Chicken Panada. — Boil a young grown^chicken 

 until nearly done, in about two quarts of water ; 

 then take out, remove skin from the breast, and 

 wheu cool enough cut off the breast, or white meat ; 

 cut in small slices, put into a mortar or other strong 

 vessel, and with a pestle or piece of hard wood, 

 properly prepared, pound and mash to a paste, ad- 

 ding a little of the broth in which it was boiled. 

 Season properly with salt. Then boil to the con- 

 sistency you wish, by adding sufficiently of water- 

 boiling slow for a few minutes. It should be as 

 thin as gruel. Toasted bread may be given with it. 



Chicken Broth.— This may be made best by 

 taking a rather old chicken, and boiling it down to 

 shreds, seasoning with salt ; keep thin by adding 

 water, and when done, tkim and strain. It can be 

 placed away in a suitable vessel of stone, to be used 

 from daily in such quantities as the patient may 

 require, by taking a little and warming it, and. If 

 need be, thinning it, and, perhaps, adding other 

 ingredients, as toasted bread, boiled rice, and the 

 like. 



Nutritious Jelly.— Take two onces each of rice, 

 pearl barley and sage, boil slowly in three quarts of 

 water, down to about one quart ; take a teacupful in 

 a little milk, warmed, morning, noon and night. 



Irish Moss Jelly.— Let the moss stand in water 

 a little while, then wash it through two waters. To 

 one ounce of moss use two quarts of water and a lit- 

 tle cinnamon bark ; boil to a thick jelly, and then 

 strain and season to the taste with wine and white 

 sugar. 



Wine Whey.— Take one quart of new milk, half 

 as much water, put them in a saucepan, place over 

 a fire, and when they begin to boil add one-half pint 

 of sour wine ; boil slowly about fifteen minutes, dur 

 Ing which time, as the curd and cheese part collects, 

 take it off with a spoon, and when the whole of the 

 curd is thus removed pour the whey into a vessel, 

 and it is ready for use. tiuod for verj weak persons. 



To .Mull Port Wine.— Boil a little allspice la 

 one pint of water, to get the proper flavor ; then add 

 an equal quantity of port wine, a little sugar, and 

 boil together a few minutes, and serve any way pre- 

 ferred. 



Kefrksiiinc; Diiixk in Fevers.- Take four 

 ounces of tamarinds, four ounces of raisins, and boll 

 ill about throe quarts of water, flowly, for flfleen or 

 twenty miiuitcs, or until the water Is reduced near 

 one fourth ; then strain, while hot. In a vessel with a 

 little lemon-peel in it. When cool use as a drink. 



Graham Bread.— Wet the graham Hour with lake 

 warm water, and use yeast and salt as for wheat 

 bread. Knead In flour to make stiff; let stand from 

 one to two hours till risen, and then bake. 



Mutton Broth.- To one pound of lean mutton, 

 use one quart of water, and a little salt, with a few 

 crusts of biead ; boll slowly for a couple of hours; 

 then skim off the oily matter carefully before using. 



Calf's Feet Brotu.— Take two calTs feet, well 

 dressed, split open and cut off all the fat, add about 

 one-fourth pound of lean meat, veal or beef, boll in 

 plenty of water, three or four quarts, slowly, and 

 for several hours, down to about three pints. In the 

 mean time, add to it a piece of wheat bread crust 

 and salt. When it has boiled to a jelly let stand, 

 skim and strain, when it Is ready for use. 



To Make Gruels.— The most common gruel Is 

 made of cornmeal and water, with a little salt. 

 Take two tablespoons of sifted meal, stir it Into one 

 teacup of cold water, then put it Into a saucepan 

 with one and a half pints of boiling water, and boll 

 slowly for half an hour To be eaten with milk and 

 sugar. 



Oatmeal Gruel. — Made the same as cornmeal. 



Barley Gruel. — Boil four ounces of pearl barley, 

 or one teacup in three cups of water ; boll it down to 

 one quart. Strain and return to saucepan ; grate 

 into it a little cinnamon, if you like, and sweeten ; 

 add from one-half to three-fourths pints of fresh 

 milk ; warm up, and use as wanted. 



Flour Gruel —Take one tablespoon of flour and 

 stir it smoothly with one cup of cold water; mix it 

 thoroughly so there will be no lumps. Let one pint 

 of fresh milk come to a boil, then stir in the flour 

 and water, add sufficient sugar to sweeten, and stir 

 about fifteen minutes. 



Boiled Flour.— For young children who are suf- 

 fering with looseness of the bowels no better food 

 can be given than is made as follows : Tie securely, 

 in coarse muslin, two teacups of wheat flour, and 

 boil for eight or ten hours ; take off the cloth and 

 crust formed over the flour, grate the inner portion 

 as needed into boiling milk, to the consistency of 

 thin starch, and sweeten with white sugar. 



Belladona Anodyne Oint.ment.— Mix thiee 

 drachms fresh extract uf belladonna, \^ drachm 

 powdered opium, and 3 drachms lard. Fur neuralgia, 

 &c., apply with friction for 6 to S minutes. 



Sulphur Ointment — Mix together 1 ounce sub- 

 limed sulphur and 2 ounces lard. 



Slihi-euy Elm Poultice.— Take a sufficient 

 quantity of pulverized slippery elm bark ; stir it in 

 hot or warm milk and water, to the consistency of a 

 poultice. This will remove inflammation sooner than 

 any other. If tiucture of myrrh be added it is valu- 

 able in boils, ulcers, carbuncles, etc. 



MusTAKD Poultice.— Mix the best English 

 ground mustard with strong vinegar ; spread it on a 

 piece of book or tarleton muslin, to prevent its ad. 

 hcsion to the skill. Wet the part first with vinegar, 

 and apply the poultice. 



Poultice for Strains and Bruises.— Carbon- 

 ate ammonia, 3 ounces ; vinegar, ;.' pints; proof 

 spirits, ■'> pints. Mix the ammonia and vinegar ; 

 when the effervescence ceases, add the spirit. For lu- 

 flaminatlon of the joints, of some standing, mix with 

 aiii^i'i il meal, and use as a poultice twice a day 

 It is also valuable for sprains, bruises and other in- 

 juries. 



Carbolk: Acid Garule. — Used as a gargle for 



