1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



21 



tiny of the newly-born. Thus, the first day of 

 tbe moon was preferred above all others, for the 

 arrival of the little stranger, for tbey said, "a 

 child bom on that day is sure to live and pros- 

 per." The second day was not so forttmate as the 

 first, as the child bom on that day '"would grow 

 fast but not live long." If he was bom on the 

 fourth day of the moon he was destined to become 

 a great }>olitician ; if on the tenth, a great travel- 

 ler ; and if on the twenty-first, a bold marauder. 

 But of all the days of the week on which to be 

 b-im, Sunday was by far the most lucky, and if it 

 fell on the new moon the child's prosperity was 

 destined to be unbounded. Friday was an un- 

 lucky birthday, not only because it was the cruci- 

 fixion of our Lord the Saviour, but because, ac- 

 cording to Anplo-Saxon calculation;, Adam ate 

 the forbidden fruit on Friday, and was also ex- 

 pelled from Paradise and died and descended into 

 hell on that day. — Thrupp's Anglo-Saxon Home^ 



POTATO STABCH. 



It is not so generally known as it should be, 

 that starch made from the common potato fur- 

 nishes an excellent substitute for arrow-root, as a 

 wholesome, nutritious food for infants. It also 

 makes a good cheap pudding for the table, if 

 cocked like sago, and as it has not the medicinal 

 properties of arrow-root, it is much to be preferred 

 as an article of daily food, except for children who 

 are subject to diarrhoea or summer complaint. 



The process of making the starch is so simple, 

 and the time required so short, as to put it into 

 the power of every one having the n^ans at hand. 

 Wash any quantity of potatoes perfectly dean, 

 and grate them into a tub half full of dean cold 

 water ; stir it up well ; let it settle, and then 

 pour off the foul water : put the grated potato 

 into a fine wire or coarse hair sieve ; plunge it 

 into another tub full of dean cold water, and 

 wash the starch through the meshes of the sieve 

 and throw the residue away ; or wash it again if 

 any starch remains in the pumice : let it settle 

 again, and repeat this process until the water 

 comes off dear ; scr^>e from the top any remains 

 of the pumice ; then take the starch out and put 

 it on dishes to dry, and it will be fit for use inune- 

 diately. 'U'hen wanted for use, thtt as much as 

 may be needed in cold water, and stir it into boil- 

 ing milk, or water, if preferred, and it requires no 

 further cooking. 



It also makes a stiff and beautiful starch for 

 clearing thin muslins or laces, and is much less 

 troublesome to manage than thit made of wheat. 

 — American AgricuUurist, 



Remedies for CME-BrTrsG. — I- - --—ex m- 

 per, there was an inquiry for the cure oi a cnb- 

 biting horse, and I have looked for answers, and 

 as yet have seen but one. and that was to buctie a 

 strap around the neck. I owned a crib-biter ooce, 

 and was told to try the strap, and the effect was 

 to cut the mane out, but the hone would crib 

 when the strap was off and almost as c^ten when 

 on — keeping in a stall withoot rwdk <x manger, 

 and taking the fix>d to the bosses in boxes at 

 feeding time, or soaping the parts thickly with 

 sot"\ sc»?.p on the spots he v==- ' — ^ "r' 



fact ail parts rea'"''"'»l ' 



HO'W THE TRESCH. ECONOMIZE. 

 There are few American faaatit* who know ex- 

 actly the eipenwa of a year ; tfaej all know, prob- 

 ably, that it eoets abont ao manr bondred or thou- 

 sand dcJIars oa the wholes Bat ereij Eaxopeaa 



I famfl J knows the expense of eretj fear, <rfcTeTy 



i month, day, or hoar — the exact cost of erery din- 

 ner, supper or break&st, of erery monel th^ eat, 

 of every drop they dnnk. Every Geiman or 

 French hoosewife knows not only bow nnidt 

 the meat, potatoes and bread of any meal may 

 cost, bat also the water in which she' has cooked 

 them, and the coal or wood die has homed to 



, boil the water. It is infinitdy «■»»■■« ■ ng to an 



' American to observe sodi a wtamffe. 



In Paris there b no aqoedoct, die fimntaiiw oi 

 the dty belra^ to the government, and the water 

 is sold by barrels and paHs foil to water-earricn, 

 who solely families at so modi a galion. In • 

 boose rji five stories, there are two fe w n Kp* on eaA 



'< floor, making ten who ascend the same ill ili i ■■ , 



i ap which aU aitides £ar bimly use moat be car- 

 ried. It is a rule that watCT, coal, and all faearf 

 anides most be taken op befcne noon, as aboot 

 that time the concierge deans the hall and staaa, 

 and they must be kept dean for calkxs in the af^ 

 temoon. In every kitdien is a receptacle fi» wa- 

 ter, coQsistzng of an oblong bos, eontuning two or 

 more pails foU, aeeoxding to die means of the fioB- 

 ily, aiM their ideas of HeanKnesa. In one comer 

 of the box is a smaQ portkm of ponms rtoM, 

 which serves as a filter, nid to wlach is a aepante 



' fauceL The portemr brings two kfige pails fidl of 

 water for three cents, and comes every monmg:. 

 It is, therefore, very easy to know how much tibe 

 water costs in which the dinner is boakd. 



In the same kitchen » a box for coal, wbidi 

 contains the quantity for wfaidi they pay Ibr^ 

 cents, and they know exactly bow many meals eaa 

 be cooked with tius quantity. If they have guests 

 to dinner, they ose an extra quantity of water and 

 coal, and know how many cents worth are devot- 

 ed to eadi guest, and then of cooise they know H. 

 they can a^rd to invite anybody ^ain ! 



They know exactly how mnch of every aiticie 

 is used every day. The streets of Pans are ned 

 with small grocefies, where everything is puirbawd 

 by the cent's worth, and are certainly rezy eoB- 

 venient for people who earn only a few cents per 

 day. K a femfly comes into the ne^b(»hood who 

 does not patronize these small diop-keepeis, it is 

 considered a great injustice, and we have known 

 them to commence a regular puseuUioB of saeii 

 a family, annoyii^ them in every possQite w^. 

 Toey keep coffee, baznt and gnxmd, sogar, pow- 

 dered and in ImBps, tobacco, Jiqiaars, and ereij 

 hoooebold aiticie in infinitely amdi qoantities. 



The momiii^ meal in every French Cuotiy is 

 Ivead and coffee, what they call ea/« «■ Ini^ aad 

 is made of equal portioBS of cofiee and dnckatr 

 placed in a b%giii,apoow)acfa bat water is poared 

 SO long as it runs uuougfa black. Of tins they 

 take two qwoofids to a faalf^puit of boifing miSk. 

 Three or five cents' worth of coffee is pardaaed 

 everv dav, and the milkman and baker of ooone 

 come everv mom in.?. 



The aeoood meal is at noon, thoqg^ it b called 

 break&at, and bmoelya hmcheon, cold, or the 

 remmtnts of y es te rday's dinner. For these two, 

 no doth b put npoo the table, and aQ eeiemoay 



