THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[December 



and mice find no entrance. The bottom may 

 be cemented. In some localities it is neces- 

 sai-y to drain the soil by artificial means in 

 addition to cementing the bottom. At all 

 events the cellar must be perfectly dry to be 

 Iiealthf\il. Persons, without being aware of 

 it, become accustomed to bad odors arising 

 from musty cellare, while new comers are in- 

 stantly aware of the taintid and unwholesome 

 atmosphere the household is constantly in- 

 haling. Many serious cases of illness may be 

 traced to this source. 



Sometimes the windows and doors are not 

 so arranged as to keep up a constant circula- 

 tion of air, and the apartment will become 

 musty and a mould will form on the walls. It 

 will be impossible to keep milk and other 

 perishable things where there is this condition. 

 If ventilation cannot be secured tlirough the 

 chimney, place a wooden spout eight or ten 

 feet high against the back or side of the house, 

 opening into the cellar. Then another table 

 from the outside, near the ground, that shall 

 open at the bottom of the cellar. Thus a cir- 

 culation of air will take place from the bot- 

 tom to the top. Wash the walls and ceiling 

 with lime white-wash with which a little car- 

 bolic acid has been mixed. This will destroy 

 the mould on the walls, and pjoper ventila- 

 tion will prevent its future formation, — Provi- 

 dence Star. 



SICK ANIMALS. 



It is a remarkable fact that we seldom see a 

 sick animal. Of course, when a beast or 

 bird becomes a little weak, it is an easy prey 

 to carnivorous animals that are always on the 

 lookout for chanches, and this will keep down 

 the number of sick subjects that would other- 

 wise come before us. But it is not likely that 

 it would keep down all, and allowing, there- 

 fore, for this possibility of an early taking off 

 a weak subject, we should .still see some and 

 certainly many more than we do. We think 

 it is tolerably certain that when in a state of 

 nature there is not near so many diseases fol- 

 low an animal as when it is under domestic 

 care. 



It is quite probable that there is much more 

 in the popular phrase about killing things 

 with kindness than we imagine. Not that we 

 should be harsh and unfeeling, but we do 

 many things under the feeling of care that 

 are unneces.sary, and even an injury to do. 

 We do things for certain reasons, and then 

 continue the practice from habit without any 

 reiison at all. Take for instance the way a 

 brood of young chickens are treated. It is 

 quite likely that if there is any long grass 

 about or tall weeds, the young may be dragged 

 through by a tlioughtless hen till the little 

 chickens are tired out or perhaps lost. To 

 guard against this tlie hen is put into a coop 

 as soon as the little chickens are hatched till 

 they are strong enough to go pretty well 

 wherever she may lead them. This usually 

 being the case on farms, the practice became 

 rather common, till every one thinks a young 

 brood with the must be cooped up. They who 

 should refuse or neglect to follow this practice 

 would be thought to be very green people. No 

 one ever thinks to ask why tliey do this. Only 

 it is the practice and it is done. 



But the experience of large numbers prove 

 that many young chicks are lost every year 



by the most attentive painstaking. It is not 

 too much to say that not one half— and this is 

 a good average— ever live to grow to maturity. 

 On the other hand, how rarely is it that a hen 

 which 'steals her nest,' fails to bring up near- 

 ly or quite the whole lot ? The fact is that 

 the young getting through the coop and hear- 

 ing the mother's calls to come back, are ren- 

 dered nervous and subject to disease to a far 

 greater extent tliau they would be if entirely 

 trusted to the hen's own care. In fact, phy- 

 sical exercise and cheerfulness are as essential 

 to the health in an animal as they are to the 

 human race. 



How the lack of these things operate inju- 

 riously on animal life, is shown by the experi- 

 ence with animals in the zoological gardens 

 and menageries. If they are taken at mature 

 age and placed in confinement, they are near- 

 ly sure to die, as everybody knows who has 

 endeavored to bring up in this way a captive 

 rabbit or bird. 



INCREASED DURATION OF LIFE. 



Tlie stage to which we have at present at- 

 tained may be stated thus : (Compared with 

 the period 1S38-18.54 (the earliest for which 

 there are trustworthy records) the average of 

 a man's life is 41.9 years instead of 39.9, and 

 of a woman 43.3 instead of 41.9 years, an ad- 

 dition of eight per cent, to the female life and 

 five per cent, to the male. Of each thousand 

 males born at the present day, forty-four more 

 will attain the age of thirty-five than used to 

 be the case previous to 1871. For the whole 

 of life the estimate now is that of one thou- 

 sand persons (one-half males and one-half fe- 

 males) 35 survive at the age of forty-five, 26 

 at fifty-five, 9 at sixty-five, 3 at seventy-five, 

 and 1 at eighty-five. To put the case in an- 

 other way, every thousand persons born since 

 1870 will Uve about 2,700 years longer than 

 before. In other words, the life of a thousand 

 persons is now equal in duration to tliat of 

 1,070 persons previously ; and 1,000 births 

 will now keep up the growth of our popula- 

 tion as well as 1,070 births used to do. This 

 is equivalent in result to an increase of our 

 population, and in the best form, viz : not by 

 more births but by fewer deaths, which means 

 fewer maladies and better health. What is 

 more, nearly 70 per cent, of this increase of 

 life takes place (or is lived) in the "useful 

 period"— namely, between the ages of twenty 

 and sixty. Thus of the 27,000 additional 

 years lived by each thousand of our popula- 

 tion 70 per cent., or 1,890 years, will be a di- 

 rect addition to the working power of our 

 people. 



It is to be remembered that there might be 

 a great addition to the births in a country 

 with little addition to tlie national working 

 power — nay, with an actual reduction of the 

 national wealth and prosperity— seeing that, 

 regarded as " economic agents," children are 

 simply a source of expense, and also are a ma- 

 jority of the elderly who have passed the age 

 of three-score. On the other hand, as already 

 said, only one-quarter of the longer or addi- 

 tional life now enjoyed by our people is passed 

 in the useless periods of childhood and old 

 age, and more than one-tliird of it is lived at 

 ages when life is in its highest vigor, and 

 most productive alike of wealth and enjoy- 

 ment. — Cornhill Magazine. 



BREAD-MAKING. 



The old saying, " bread is the stall' of life," 

 has sound reason in it. Flour made from 

 wheat, and meal from oats and Indian corn, 

 are rich in the waste-repairing elements, 

 starch and albumen, and head the list of arti- 

 cles of food for man. Good bread makes the 

 homliest meal acceptable, and the coarsest 

 fare appetizing, while the most luxurious 

 table is not even tolerable without it; Light, 

 crisp rolls for breakfast, spongy, sweet bread 

 for dinner, and flaky biscuit for supper, cover 

 a multitude of culinary sins ; and there is no 

 one thing on which the healtli and comfort of 

 a family so much depends as the quality of its 

 home-made loaves. 



Bread-making seems a simple process 

 enough, but it requires a delicate care and 

 watchfulness, and a thorough knowledge of 

 all the contingencies of the process, depen- 

 dent on the different qualities of flour, the 

 varying kinds and conditions of yeast, and 

 the change of seasons ; the process which 

 raises bread successfully in winter making it 

 sour in summer. There are many little things 

 in bread-making which requires accurate ob- 

 servation, and, while valuable recipes and 

 well-defined methods in detail are invaluable 

 aids, nothing but experience will secure the 

 name merited by so few, though earnestly 

 coveted by every practical, sensible house- 

 keeper—" an excellent bread-maker. ' ' These 

 things are indispensable to success— good 

 flour, good yeast, and watchful care. Good 

 flour adheres to the hand, and, when pressed, 

 shows the imprint of the lines of the skin. 

 Its tint is cream white. Never buy that 

 which has a blue-white tinge. Poor flour is 

 not adhesive, can be blown about easily, and 

 sometimes has a dingy look, as though mixed 

 with ashes. Never use flour without sifting ; 

 and a large tin or wooden pail with a tight- 

 fitting cover, kept full of sifted flour, will be 

 found a great convenience. All kinds of flour 

 and meal, except buckwheat and Graham, 

 need sifting, and all except wheat flour should 

 be bought in small quantities, as they become 

 damp and musty by long standing. 

 To Bake Bread. 



Here is an important point, for the bread 

 may be perfect thus far and tlien be spoiled 

 in baking. No definite rules can be given 

 that apply equally well to every stove and 

 range ; but one general rule must be observed, 

 which is to have a steady, moderate heat. 

 The oven must be just hot enough ; if too 

 hot, a firm crust is formed before the bread 

 has expanded enough, and it will be heavy. 

 Many test the oven by sprinkling a little flour 

 on the bottom ; if it browns very quickly it is 

 too hot, but if it browns gradually, it is just 

 right. An oven in which the hand can not be 

 held longer than to count twenty moderately, 

 is hot enough. When the bread is done (to 

 test which, break apart and press gently with 

 the finger; if elastic it is done, but if clammy, 

 not done, and must be returned to the oven), 

 wrap in a coarse towel or bread cloth and 

 place each loaf on its edge until cool. If by 

 accident or neglect the bread is baked too 

 hard, rub the loaves over with butter, wet the 

 towel in which they' are wrapped, and cover 

 with another dry towel. In winter bread 

 dough may be kept sweet several days by 

 placing it where it will be cold without freez- 

 ing, or by putting it so deep into the flour 

 barrel as to exclude it entirely from the air. 

 When wanted for use make into bread, or, by 

 adding the proper ingredients, into cake, rusk, 

 biscuit, apple dumplings, chicken pie, etc.— 

 Fireside Journal. 



