24 



POPULAR SCIENCE NEWS. 



[Fkhruary, 1889. 



coalesce was first manifested before or after cultiva- 

 tion we have no means of knowing, but that such a 

 union of branches often takes place, both in wild 

 and cultivated plants, we have abundant proof, for 

 no monstrositv is more common in plants than this. 



Fig. 5. Ear of Zfa Miiyi, variety tunicata, showing the ah- 

 normally dcvfli)piil glumes, forming husks around each 

 grain (after Bonafous.) 



The old-fashioned garden plant called "coxcomb " 

 is a case in point where a number of spikes orig- 

 inally distinct, have united to form a fan-shaped af- 

 fair, which as it happened to suit man's fancy, has 

 been perpetuated for many generations. 



The law of Massachusetts taxing all dogs, 

 and placing this tax money at the disposal of 

 the county treasurer for the benefit of those 

 whose flocks are injiued by dogs, is good as 

 far as it goes ; but the breeder of sheep, pigs, 

 and even calves and hens do not care to breed 

 choice animals for such a market ; the trouble 

 of proving the amount of loss to the satisfac- 

 tion of the selectmen, and collecting the 

 money involves considerable vexation and de- 

 lay, and the breeder likes to have the privi- 

 lege of selecting what he wishes to sell, and 

 the time of selling. The only satisfactory 

 remedy is to catch the dog, and we cut direc- 

 tions for doing this from the American Sheep 

 Br eeder : 



"To kill a dog often causes bitter strife. 

 To poison a dog is perhaps worse, and is sel- 

 dom, if ever, advisable. Of course, all sheep- 

 men ought to labor and vote for the enact- 

 ment of a just dog law. Failing that, the 

 best way is to make the dog bring in his own 

 indictment. If a sheep is found killed con- 

 struct around it a rail-pen sloping inward or 

 upward seven or eight feet high, with an ap- 

 erture at the top two or three feet square. 



into a soft paste with white of egg, iiavor with rose- 

 water, line some tartlet pans with three-quarter 

 paste, and put some of the mixture in the centre, 

 and when baked pipe around with apricot, green- 

 gage or red currant and raspberry jam, at least one 

 quarter of an inch in diameter. These jams had 

 better be rubbed through a hair sieve first. 



Vanili.a Rusk Pudding. — Dissolve an ounce 

 of butter, and mix in with it a quarter of a pound 

 of sifted sugar; stir over the fire for a few minutes, 

 add a well-beaten egg and half a teaspoonful of es- 

 sence of vanilla, and continue stirring till thick. 

 Spread four slices of rusk with this paste, and put 

 them in a buttered tart-dish. Boil half a pint of 

 milk, pour it on to a well-beaten egg, add it to 

 the rusk, and bake for an hour in a slow oven. 

 Turn out and sift white sugar over it. Apricot or 

 any other jam may be handed with this pudding. 



Chutnee. — Take one pound of brown sugar, 

 one quarter of a pound of salt, half a pound of 

 onions, quarter of a pound of ground ginger, half a 

 pound of mustard seed, half a pound of raisins, stoned 

 and chopped very fine, three quarters of an ounce of 

 ca^'enne pepper, three pints of best vinegar, and 

 about from 30 to 40 apples (according to size) of 

 different and sour kinds. Be careful that the mus- 

 tard seed is perfectly clean; it is better, perhaps, to 

 wash and dry it. Slice the onions and pound them 

 very fine. Peel the apples and take out the cores, 



The dog can easily ascead this and leap down ^^^^ ^^j, ^^^^^ ,„ j,,^ ..jnegar; when cold bruise 



ion. Mix all the ingredients to- 



Fig. 6. Vertical section of a grain, magnified (after Sachs) C, 

 coat, B., base of style; F., foot-stalk; A., albumen or seed- 

 food; E-, embryo; S., scutellum or absorption shield; St., 

 stalk; P., plumule or young shoot; R., root. 



It may not be too much to hope that the awaken- 

 ing interest now shown in the antiquities of our 

 country may, in time, lead to the discovery of re- 

 mains through which we may gain more definite 

 information concerning the history of our noble 

 maize, and so be led to modify, supplant, or confirm 

 our present theories. 



THOSE DOGS. 



So long as the pet dog and the sportsman's 

 dog are not trained to let sheep and other do- 

 mestic animals alone, they will occasionally 

 follow their wolfish propensities and destroy 

 valuable sheep, and even pigs and calves. 



We know of a case lately where a dog, or 

 more probably a pack of several dogs, killed 

 two yearling heifers, and another case where 

 they destroyed several pigs of about seventy 

 pounds weight. 



inside, but can never escape. In the morning 

 the pen will generally contain a miscellane- 

 ous assortment of crestfallen curs, and the 

 neighbors can be summoned to claim their 

 own. If, after this ocular proof of guilt, the 

 dogs still continue their depredations, the 

 flockmaster will be justified in shooting them 

 on sight." 



A dog that has once tasted stolen mutton 

 can ssldom if ever be cured of the habit of 

 nibbling it on the sly ; it is usually necessary 

 to kill him or transport him to some point 

 where he can do no harm. There is little 

 chance that his owner can ever cure his vi- 

 cious ways however confident he may be of 

 liis power to do so. 



Wny should not dog owners be required 

 by law to keep their dogs on their own prem- 

 ises.' Why are dogs entitled to liberties 

 which we do not grant to cattle or swine.' — 

 Mass. Ploughman. 



them with a spoo 



gether and bottle. If tied up perfectly air-tight it 



will keep good for several years. 



A Good Apple Jelly E.^sily Made. — Stew 

 one pound of pared and cored apples with a quar- 

 ter of a pound of sugar and a half a pint of water. 

 Before putting them on the fire, add the grated rind 

 of a lemon, and the juice carefully strained. Stir 

 the apples, to prevent their sticking to the pan. 

 While the apples are cooking, soak one ounce of 

 gelatine in a gill of water, and have it dissolved by 

 the time the fruit is ready. When the apples are 

 quite done, run them through a hair sieve, and stir 

 the gelatine into the pulp. Care must be taken that 

 it is all thoroughly dissolved and mixed. Rinse an 

 earthenware mould that will hold a pint and a half, 

 in cold water; ornament it with any colored or dried 

 fruit you like, and then fill the mould with the ap- 

 ples, and set in a cool place to get firm. If coloring 

 is liked, a little cochineal will make the jelly a very 

 pretty tint. Whipped cream or a good custard 

 should be sent to the table round the jelly in the dish. 



SELECTED RECIPES. 



German Disir of Turnips. — Warm 3 oz. of but- 

 ter in a stewpan and lay in the tiu"nips cut small ; 

 toss them a few minutes, then add a little stock, and 

 simmer till tender, adding pepper and salt. Brown 

 a tablespoonful of flour with a little butter, and add 

 it to the gravy. 



Devilled Turkey Drumsticks. — Score the 

 drumsticks down parallel with the bone, and insert 

 in the slices thusinade a mixture made with i oz. 

 of butter, a good teaspoonful of French mustard, a 

 little cayenne, and a saltspoonful of black pepper. 

 Mix all this thoroughly together, and spread the 

 mixture in the cuts; then rub the drumsticks with 

 butter, and grill over a fierce fire. 



Scotch Cake. — Cream six ounces of butter with 

 the same quantity of powdered sugar, add eight 

 eggs by degrees, then add six ounces of flour, and 

 the same quantity of cornflour, flavor with essence 

 of almonds, bake in shell-shaped tins well buttered, 

 and when baked, ice with pink water icing. 



QiALiTV Cakes. — Take half a pound of ground 

 almonds, and one pound of powdered sugar, make 



GLEANINGS. 



Fattening Cattle. — "There is one thing the 

 people lose sight of when they undertake to feed 

 cattle," says an exchange, " that they can do with- 

 out corn." The highest price paid in the world for 

 cattle sold on the hoof is in a country where they 

 never raise an ear of corn, and don't feed it. That 

 is in the northeast of Scotland, in the county of 

 Aberdeen. They send their animals to market in 

 better condition, and get one cent or three-quarters 

 of a cent a pound, at least, more for them than for 

 any other cattle in the market, and they cannot raise 

 corn. 



A Mechanical Scarecrow has been invented. 

 This new invention represents a man of " sports- 

 manlike" appearance, standing with gun in hand, 

 ready to fire at the first intruder. The arm that is 

 holding the gun is made to move by clockwork, 

 which is enclo.sed in a strong iron box at its feet, 

 and at a proper elevation, it fires a shot louder than 

 an ordinary gim. After the report, the arm lowers. 

 The mechanism can be regulated at the owner's 

 pleasure by a regulator like a clock, and only re- 

 quires to be wound up once a day. 



