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THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



181 



petals lie thus, lay pieces of bibulous paper be- 

 tween them, but so as not to make too great a 

 thickness in any one spot. Then lay another 

 piece of white paper upon it, and then place a 

 couple of the warm dry newspapers on each side, 

 making at least eight thicknesses of paper. 

 Make then a pile of the flowers to be pressed, 

 lay a board on it and then put on weights, 50 

 pounds or more — not enough to crush the suc- 

 etflent parts, however. 



In three hours, if you wish to be very partic- 

 ular about retaining the color, change the news- 

 papers, not removing the white paper on each 

 side of the specimens. Usfc the absorbing paper 

 as dry and warm as you please, heating it in an 

 oven, if it can be done without scorching, and 

 if it can stay in long enough to become not only 

 hot but dry. 



Change twice a day for the commonest plants, 

 and the oftener at first the better. The speci- 

 men is known to be dry when no part of it is 

 in the least damp, nor has any cool feeling when 

 pressed to the lips. — [Homestead. 



. — .>•* 



The New Sugar Cane. — Among all the ex- 

 periments with the Chinese Sorghum, very few 

 instances have occurred where the granulation 

 of the syrup has been secured; but the following, 

 from the Cincinnati Gazette, shows that it is 

 practicable to obtain this result: 



"Mr. Hedges, of our city, -has shown us sam- 

 ples of sugar maie from the "Sorgho," which, 

 in flavor and appearance, is equal to the Brazil 

 sugar. This is the first reliable and satisfactory 

 evidence of the success of the Chinese cane as 

 a sugar crop. This was made by Mr. Leonard 

 Wray, of England, who has devated many years 

 to the sugar business in various parts of the 

 Indies, as well as France, Algeria and South 

 Africa; and to his efforts we are indebted for 

 the process for granulating this new species of 

 cane syrup. Mr. Wray has just arrived in this 

 country, at the solicitation of some influential 

 men of the South, who were aware of his great 

 skill and success in the manafacturing. He 

 brings with him the seed of several species of 

 the "Imphees," found by him in Caffraria, which 

 he says is more precocious and better suited to 

 our northern latitude than the Chinese variety, 

 although he speaks in high terms of the latter. 

 Mr. H. has also a sample of alcohol, made from 

 the fermented juice of the cane, of a most super- 

 ior quality. He has also some of the simple 

 juice, considerably resembling the white wjaes 

 of the Rhine." 



-•••- 



S^.A Western editor whose subscribers 

 complained very loudly that ho did not give 

 them news enough for their money, told them 

 that if they did not find enough in the paper, 

 they had better read the Bible, which, he had 

 no doubt, would be news to them. 



-«•»- 



, French writer is represented as call- 

 ing dyspepsia "the remorse of a guilty stom- 

 ach." 



DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 



Cheap and Good Roofing. 

 S. K. R., writes to the Yalley Farmer from 

 Saline county — 



The cheapest roof that we are acquainted 

 with, and one that we prefer to shingles, partic- 

 ularly as many shingles are now made, is cover- 

 ed with cloth. We know from an experience 

 of more than fifteen years, that when properly 

 made they are not oply cheap but good. 



For the foundation for the cloth a substantial 

 covering of boards should be laid, giving the 

 roof any desired pitch, sufficient to run off the 

 water. Cloth known under the name of bur- 

 laps, which is made of herap, is the best for this 

 purpose. It is woven from one to six yards wide 

 and is much used for oil floor cloths. That 

 which is IJ yards wide is usually bought for 

 about 14 cents per yard, but the widest is the 

 best for roofing. It should be spread lightly 

 over the roof and lapped at the seams and well 

 tacked down with small pieces of cloth under the 

 heads of the tacks, a few tacks should also be 

 put in the middle to secure it from the wind 

 until painted and finished. It should now 

 receive a thick coat of paint j spruce yellow, 

 or what is termed mineral or fire proof 

 paint, costing but a few cents per pound, 

 with linseed oil, makes a cheap, substantial 

 paint. After the first coat of paint is laid 

 on, small wood strips, half an inch square 

 running up and down the roof should be 

 nailed ou twelve or sixteen inches apart. 

 Slim nails with small, neat points should be 

 selected for the wood strips. Then one or 

 more coats of paint should be applied. If 

 the house is strong and the boards for the 

 roof are well laid on, such a roof will oat- 

 last the common shingle roof. 



Candles for Summer. 

 Mrs. C. H. Price, of Ky., sends the fol- 

 lowing item of household practice to the 

 editor of the American Agriculturist: 



As I have just made some of the nicest 

 tallow candles I ever saw, I will give my 

 recipe for the benefit of young housekeepers. 

 I bleached and hardened 34 pounds of very 

 soft and yellow tallow and one pound of 

 black beeswax by gently boiling the tallow 

 out-doors in the sun two days, in two gal- 

 lons of weak lye, stirring and skimming it 

 often. Each morning I cut out the tallovv 

 and scraped off the bottom that was soft 

 and put in fresh lye, for two days. The 

 third day I put in fresh water, in which was 

 dissolved one pound of alum, one of salt- 

 petre and a little blueing. After simmer- 

 ing, stirring, skimming and straining it, it 

 was as clear and white as sperm, and ready 

 to dip. 



