1861. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



535 



ITOKTH MIDDLESEX CATTLE SHOW. 



The day was splendid. Exhibition began with 

 the Ploioing Match. Four double ox-teams and 

 three horse-teams engaged in the contest. The 

 match excited much interest. The show of horses 

 was large, and many of the animals excellent. 

 The number of entries of cattle in all, was 90. 

 Sheep 19 entries, swine 20, and there was a good 

 display of poultry. The display of vegetables 

 was very fine. Not much fruit, but a pretty good 

 show of peaches and plums. Fifty-two entries 

 were made for the premiums on bread, all of 

 which was said to be excellent. Of butter, there 

 were 17 entries, and several boxes of honey. 

 There was a large display of needlework, hand- 

 some carpets, shawls, flannels, Sec. There were 

 several farm implements, and the Winans Steam 

 Gun! 



A dinner was provided on the Fair Grounds, 

 after which an address was delivered by Dr. 

 George B. Loring, of Salem, which was, of 

 course, a good one. 



LADIES' DEPARTMENT. 



To Hold a Hard-headed Horse. — I wish 

 through the medium of your common-sense pa- 

 per, to describe a simple method of holding a 

 fiery, hard-bitted or run-away horse. Put the 

 buckle or snap of the rein through the bit ring, 

 and fasten it to some part of the bridle between 

 the ears and mouth of the horse. The advantage 

 of this easily and quickly made arrangement is 

 two-fold : 



1st. It draws the bit into the corners of the 

 mouth, whatever be the position of the horse's 

 head. 



2d. The force exerted on the bit in this man- 

 ner by the same power at the end of the rein, 

 though not quite doubled, is very much greater 

 than when the rein is attached simply to the bit. 

 By this means, I have seen the most fretful and 

 ungovernable animal immediately converted into 

 a serviceable plow-horse, while my eased limbs 

 and shoulders gave direct testimony in favor of 

 the diminished labor of managing the team. 



The arrangement is also convenient in driving 

 an ill-matched team, one horse being a fast, and 

 the other a moderate traveller. Arrange the reins 

 as directed for the fast horse, leaving the others 

 in the common way. — N. P. Blakeslee, in the 

 American Agriculturist. 



The Crops in Pennsylvania. — Farmers state, 

 says the Harrisburg Patriot, that the autumn crops 

 are full and abundant. The corn is fast ripening, 

 and roasting ears are only procurable from corn 

 planted late for the purpose. Potatoes will be 

 plenty and cheap. The only crops that remain 

 beside corn and potatoes are buckwheat and ruta 

 baga turnips. These are doing well, and the lov- 

 ers of buckwheat cakes may smack their lips in 

 anticipation. To the agricultural community this 

 fall is a lucky one. Their barns will be filled to 

 bursting, while the prices will be such that be- 

 tween now and next spring many a long, linger- 



THE PERFUME OF FLOWERS. 



An English writer regrets the waste of flowers 

 in many gardens, and recommends their use in 

 perfumery for domestic purposes. He says : 



The cultivation of flowers for this purpose is 

 carried on to an enormous extent in the south 

 of France ; the weight of blossoms from which 

 the odor is there extracted being reckoned by 

 thousands of pounds. Highly purified fat is used 

 for the purpose of absorbing the scent, which is 

 thus transferred to the perfumer, who then ex- 

 tracts it from the fat by the aid of spirits of wine, 

 for which it has a still stronger affinity. Why 

 should we not grow flowers for their odors as well 

 as for their colors ? There are scores of flowers 

 in our gardens that would yield admirable ex- 

 tracts with a little pains. For instance, there is 

 heliotrope, the lily of the valley, honey-suckle, 

 myrtle, clove pink, and wall flower. We have ex- 

 tracts from all these flowers in the perfumer's 

 shops, but they are nothing but skillful combina- 

 tions of other scents. He further suggests that 

 every lady might be her own perfumer, and give 

 us a receipt for obtaining scent from heliotropes, 

 or any other sweet-scented flower. Now that our 

 gardens are in full beauty and perfume, some of 

 our fair readers may like to try the experiment 

 for themselves, and we therefore give them the 

 benefit of the receipe : 



At the season when the flowers are in bloom 

 obtain one pound of fine lard, melt it and strain 

 it through a close hair sieve to drop into cold 

 spring water ; this operation granulates and 

 washes the blood and membrane from it. In 

 order to start with a perfect inodorous grease, 

 the process may be repeated three or four times, 

 using a pinch of salt and a pinch of alum in each 

 water ; it is then to be washed five or six times 

 in plain water ; finally, remit the fat and cast it 

 into a pan to free it from adhering water. Now 

 put the clarified fat into a glue-pot, and place it 

 into such a position near the fire of the green- 

 house, or elsewhere, that will keep it warm 

 enough to be liquid ; into the fat throw as many 

 flowers as you can, and there let them remain for 

 twentyrfour hours. At this time strain the fat 

 from the spent flowers, and add fresh ones ; re- 

 peat this operation for a week ; we expect, at the 

 last straining, the fat will have become very high- 

 ly perfumed, and v.'hen cold, may be justly termed 

 pomade a la heliotrope. To turn this pomade in- 

 to an extract fit for the handkerchief, all that has 

 to be done is to cut the perfumed fat into small 

 pieces, drop it into a wide-mouthed bottle, and 

 cover it with highly rectified spirits, in which it * 

 must remain for a week. When strained off, the 

 process will be completed. 



Tomato Pickles. — Slice green tomatoes and 

 put them in salt and water for three or four days. 

 Scald them in alum water ; then place a layer in 

 the bottom of a jar and sprinkle on a little sugar, 

 allspice and cinnamon ; put in another layer, and 

 sprinkle as before, and so on until the jar in near- 

 ly filled, and then cover them with scalding cider 

 vinegar. — American Agriculturist. 



