1870. 



NEW ENGLAM) FARMER. 



487 



melted butter. After putting on the butter it 

 should be covered close. 



For pickling, a writer in the Country Gentleman 

 says : — "Have a kettle of boiling water, and put in 

 one at a time, with top down, unless the kettle is 

 large enough for more, and boil it until tender. 

 Have ready a jar of cold vinegar, with cloves and 

 mace ; drain the cauliflower well, and put into the 

 vinegar while hot. Cover tightly, and it will be 

 ready for use in a week or ten days." 



So much by way of book-cooking. Will some 

 of our lady friends give their modes from practi- 

 cal experience ? 



GIRDLING APPLE TREES TO MAKE THEM BEAR. 



1 enclose an article credited to the Hortictdturist 

 which gives, in glowing colors, accounts of favor- 

 able results of girdling apple trees to induce fruit- 

 fulness. I have seen a similar recommendation 

 in several papers. I once tried the experiment on 

 some of my own trees. They bore some apples 

 that season, but they will never bear again, — no, 

 never ! And it seems to me that the editor of the 

 Horticulturist ought to have tried the experiment 

 himself and waited till the next year to see its 

 effect, before recommending his readers to girdle 

 their trees, if he did not already know that a gir- 

 dled tree must die. A. w. 



South Royalton, Vt., Aug., 1870. 



Remarks. — "Ringing," as it Is called, is an old 

 trick to induce fruitfulness and early bearing, but 

 is usually applied to a branch or two of a tree, 

 and not to the trunk. The operation is performed 

 in July, when it is desired to force the branch to 

 form blossom buds ; and just before blossoming, 

 when the object is to set the fruit and retain it. It is 

 not necessarily fatal. When a ring of bark of about 

 one-sixth of an inch wide is removed from a limb, 

 being careful not to injure the wood, granulations 

 are generally formed and the flow of sap, though 

 checked for a time, is finally restored, and the 

 wound healed. But if the ring of bark is too 

 •wide for this healing process, the limb dies, of 

 course. Tieing a cord around a limb is said to 

 produce about the same efiect, with less danger. 

 Premium specimens of fruit are sometimes pro- 

 duced in this way. It is always more or less in- 

 jurious to the tree, and is a practice that cannot 

 be recommended for general adoption. 



HINTS TO FARMERS WIVES. 



We presume that a great majority of farmers' 

 wives may not need the hints contained in this 

 article, but we do know that there are some which 

 might be profited by putting them in practice. 

 We know the innumerable cares and duties of a 

 farmer's wife, cares which at times seem to crush 

 out all life and energy. We know there are times 

 when it seems almost impossible to bear the heat 

 and burden of the day. Perhaps few women have 

 fewer hours of leisure than the wives of farmers. 

 With many of us ever]/ moment brings its work, 

 and in order to live in happiness we must love to 

 work and love our work. 



We pity the woman who hates housework, but 

 is obliged to go through what is to her the dull 

 routine from kitchen to pantry, from garret to 

 cellar; washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, churn- 

 ing, skimming milk, washing pans, pails and 



dishes, making and mending, and oh! dear! — all, 

 and much more, done with the feeling that she is 

 being sacrificed to a life of drudgery, wh*e quali- 

 fied for some higher calling. But this restlessness 

 and dissatisfaction with present pos-ition and occu- 

 pation is not confined to farmers' wives nor to 

 women. It is experienced by men and women in 

 all ranks and professions of life. The great good 

 they seek is ever just beyond their reach, and 

 perhaps the highest lady in the land is little better 

 satisfied with present surroundings than the far- 

 mer's wife, and none are higher in the sight of 

 God than those who do their duty cheerfully, 

 however humble may be their sphere. 



But there is no disputing there are talents for 

 different vocations among women, as well as 

 among men, and we say again that we pity the 

 woman who thinks she has missed her vocation, 

 and instead of attempting to act well her part, 

 and of improving her means of usefulness, spends 

 her days in unprofitable regrets. 



There are truly many pleasures to be found 

 in a life on the farm. May they not be increased 

 in many instances ? Every farmer should pro- 

 vide conveniences to make his wife's work as 

 easy and agreeable as possible. A farmer would 

 think he was altogether behind the times if he 

 should tread out his uorn in a five-pail kettle, who 

 lets his wife ply the needle far into the night, 

 making garments for perhaps six or eight, when 

 with proper working apparatus it is a pleasure to 

 see with what expedition work can be turned ofi". 

 The men of the farm should do the chur»ning and 

 working of butter. There is then enough left for 

 the women to do, and there is pleasure in sending 

 off the tubs of golden butter, especially if we 

 know it will be called the best in th« market. 



But aside from work, could not we make our 

 homes pleasanter ? We do not have much time to 

 spend in decoration, perhaps, but a few minutes 

 each day may make our surroundings much 

 more cheerful. We know of some farmers' fami- 

 lies where, if you go into their homes during any 

 time of the day, you will find the ladies ( ?) in 

 ragged and mended dresses, without hoops, with 

 uncombed hair and no sign of collar or ribbon. 

 The dresses of their children, also, from their 

 many colors, remind one of Joseph's coat, which 

 in its day may have been a triumph in the art of 

 tailoring; but in this instance the children are 

 patched to save their father's purse strings ; and 

 this in a family with means at command to dress 

 comfortably and tastefully. 



We know there are many who are obliged to be 

 very economical, but there are but few that can- 

 not have a clean dress and collar to put on, when 

 we sit down to do another kind of work. And the 

 children, too, if kept clean and tidy, will grow up 

 with more refinement of character than they will 

 if they are obliged to wear their father's boots, 

 pants and frocks till they will hold together no 

 longer. Do all this for your own self respect; 

 you feel more like somebody to sit down dressed 

 up a bit, and when your husband comes in — mind 

 you ! I don't say do this for your husband, — that 

 has been preached in every paper in the land! 

 Do it for the purpose of pleasing him, and ten to 

 one you never know by word or deed that it is ap- 

 preciated. But, as I was saying,— when your hus- 

 band comes in, you feel you are ready to receive 

 him as in days that neither of you have forgotten. 



Make home pleasant for the children. Provide 

 books and games for the older ones, and plenty of 

 pictures for the little ones. We know a little boy, 

 onJy a little over two years old, who went into a 

 neighbor's kitchen, as pleasant as many a farmer's 

 kitchen, and looking round on the bare walls, 

 said, "No pictures here, mamma !" The pictures 

 of his home had their influence, and he noticed 

 their absence here. 



