1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



395 



juice ; the sugar must be broken into lumps ; 

 stir it, and when melted, put the jar into a pan 

 of water; let it simmer and then skim it; 

 when cold bottle it. It will be fine and thick 

 when cold, and a most excellent syrup for mak- 

 ing a wholesome drink. 



Red Currant Jelly. — The following re- 

 ceipt for making this jelly I have used for sev- 

 eral years, and think it much better than any 

 other I have tried or seen recommended : Put 

 your currants in a bell-metal kettle and scald 

 them well ; when cool press them through a 

 sieve, getting out all the juice, (be careful not 

 to allow any skin or seeds to pass through the 

 sieve,) measure the juice and put it back again 

 in the kettle and let it boil hard for five or six 

 minutes, skimming it well ; then add while on 

 the fire boiling one pound of sifted loaf sugar 

 to every pint of juice ; stir it till dissolved and 

 then it is done and ready to put in the tum- 

 blers. It tastes much more of the fruit and 

 is of a beautiful light color. Will keep for 

 years if necessary. 



Long Braxcii Berry Pudding. — One and 

 a half cups of flour, one-half cup molasses, 

 one-half cup of brown sugar, three pints of 

 berries, (raspberries, blackbei-ries or whortle- 

 berries,) one small half tumbler of water, and 

 boil two hours. To be eaten with beaten 

 sauce. Two eggs are an improvement, as 

 they keep the pudding in better shape. 



Curds and Wiiey. — Infuse a piece of ren- 

 net in a little boiling water as for making 

 cheese ; let it stand an liour or two ; then put 

 a tablespoonful to three pints of new milk 

 warmed. Cover with a cloth and leave until 

 the curd is thick. Press out and use the whey, 

 or sweeten and use both whey and curd. 

 This makes a very nice dessert for dinner. 



Corned Beef. — In cooking corned beef, at 

 this season of the year so delicious, it should 

 be put into boiling water when \n\t on to cook, 

 and when it is done it should remain in the 

 pot until cold. This is the whole secret of 

 having corned beef juicy and full-flavored, in- 

 stead of the contrary. 



Cooking old Potatoes. — The following 

 method of cooking old potatoes is highly re- 

 commended, and this is the season of the year 

 to try it : Pare the potatoes about an hour be- 

 fore Doihng, and then soak them in cold ■vyater 

 until they are to be cooked. The water must 

 be boiling before they are put in and a little 

 salt must be added. When done the water is 

 poured otl' and the pot is placed near the fire i 

 with the lid removed to allow the moisture to 

 escape. The potatoes will be dry and mealy. 



To Prevent Bread fro:\i Drying. — Keep 

 a wet cloth around the loaf that is being cut 

 from and wet every time after a meal. This 

 will keep the bread in a fresh state. 



To KEEP Butter in the Summer. — A sim- 

 ple mode of keeping butter in warm weather, 



where ice is not handy, is to invert a common 

 flower-pot over the butter, with some water in 

 the dish in which it is laid. The orifice at the 

 bottom may be corked or not. The porous- 

 ness of the earthenware will keep the butter 

 cool. 



To Preserve Flowers Fresh. — A vase 

 of flowers can be retained in freshness much 

 longer by using soapsuds or soaped water. 

 Try it. 



Sting of Insects. — An Indiana correspon- 

 dent writes thus : Tell your readers that a few 

 drops of coal oil dropped oi^ parts stung by 

 bees, wasps or hornets will give instant relief. 



A NEW USE FOR OLD BULBS. 



During a recent visit to a most delightful 

 garden, I got a hint of a use for old bulbs, 

 which may interest many of our readers. It 

 must be remarked, first, that there are several 

 extensive runs of holl}' and thorn fences, and 

 a few bits of half-wild scenery in the place ; 

 and, further, that all tlie best early flowering 

 bulbs are grown in exhibition style for the 

 conservatory. It is the gardener's rule to 

 buy every year for this purpose, and it is his 

 rule also not to destroy a single bulb. He 

 disposes of them in a short and summary man- 

 ner. When they are done blooming, they are 

 transferred to spare pits for the advantage of 

 a little shelter, and of course they get a little 

 water occasionally. As soon as mild weather 

 occurs in the early part of April, they are all 

 planted out in front of the green fences and 

 in the borders and odd nooks of the wilder 

 parts of the garden. The process of planting 

 consists in o])ening holes and turning out the 

 ball complete, without even removing the 

 crocks from it. The result is that wherever 

 you go in the spring of the year about this 

 place you see thousands of snowdrops, cro- 

 cuses, tulips, hyacinths and other equally 

 beautiful flowers as they open in succession ; 

 and in a majority of cases they are really fine 

 in quality, the crocuses and tulips especially. 

 If a great heap of cut flowers are wanted 

 there is no difficulty in obtaining them, and I 

 was informed that a very great cut is made 

 every year for the dressing of the parish 

 church at Easter. The bulbs are not the only 

 things that are naturalized in this way, for the 

 banks and boundary lines are smothered with 

 violets, primroses, several varieties of nar- 

 cissus, and other equally desirable hardy 

 plants, all of which have been turned out of 

 pots when done with, instead of consigning 

 them, as is usually done, to the muck heap. — 

 Oardeiier'^s Magazine, 



CORAL JEWELRY. 



The Paris correspondent of an English 

 paper directed the attention of sightseers in 

 the late Exhibition to the brilhant disjjlay of 

 coral jewelry from the establislunent of an 



