230 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER 



Aug, 



The lecture was littcned to by alarge audience 

 The lime consumed teemed short, go great was 

 the interest takea. Mr. Walsh has the rare abil- 

 ity of presenting scientific matters clearly, and 

 popular. Wiih the exception of Agasiz, he is 

 probably the be-t popular scientific lecturer in 

 this country. He lectures not to "'get up a lec- 

 ture" and gain applauso, but to impart informa- 

 tion, and carries conviction becausehe believesev- 

 ery word he snys and believes also that the subject 

 he is talking about is the most important subject 

 in the world. A lecture from him is always 

 eigerlys^ought for and always received as a treat 

 and a luxury. 



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About Corned Beef. — When beef is fresh it 

 ccntains cciisidertible blood, which is drawn out 

 by tie brine. If the meat is left in this bloody 

 mixture, it will require a much larger quanti'y 

 of salt to preserve if, particularly through warm 

 weather. My pi in is to make a brine by using 

 f r every hundred pounds^ of beef, five pounds 

 of salt, one-fourth of an ounce of salipeter, and 

 one pound of brown sugar. This is dissolved in 

 just tnough water to cover the meat, arid poured 

 upon it. When it has been iu this brine two 

 weeks, I take out the meat, let it drain, pour a 

 fvesh biine over it, and then it will be good the 

 se8.«on through. 



The cook who uses corned beef s<hould not be 

 so igO( r -nt or bo indolent as to delay putting it 

 over the fire until an hour before dinner. A good 

 sized piece requires three or four hours steady 

 steady boiling to do it justice. Insufficient boil- 

 ing must be made up for by extm chewing. Al- 

 ways have the water boiling when the meat is 

 dropped in ; otherwise the sweetness will be 

 drawn out into the water. A boiling heat hard- 

 ens the outer surface at once, and thus keeps in 

 the juices which give richness, and which con- 

 tain most of the nourishment. An exceilent 

 way of cookikg corned beef is to have a large 

 boiler with a wire or wouden rack on the bottom 

 for the meat to rest over the water. When the 

 water boils, place the meat uion the rack and 

 put on the cover of the boiler with a cloth over 

 it to keep in the steam. The heat of the steam 

 will rise above the boiling point and penetrate 

 the meat and cork it mere quickly and better 

 than could be done by boiiing — Am. Farmer, 



should be stopped, leaving a few of the strong- 

 est, from which to get a magnificent show of 

 flowers. 



Precisely the same treatment is pursued with 

 the prairie roses, and the shoots which, ou strong 

 plants, will grow to the height of twelve to fifteen 

 feet, when trained to a pole, present a far neater 

 appearance than when, according to the common 

 mode, the old wood is alicwed to remain on the 

 plantt — Gardener's Monthly. 



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Management of the Dwakf Almond. — In con- 

 nection with a part of your introductory article 

 in your March number, giving drections for 

 pruning shrubs and climbing roses, please allow 

 the writer to state the plan which he has success- 

 fully pursued in flowering the double flowering 

 almond, whic'-, when properly managed, is one 

 of the most beautiful shrubs, but, as it is usually 

 grown, is an unsightly plant. The extremities 

 of most of the previous growth almost invaria- 

 bly being partially killed, the plant becomes un- 

 sightly, producing but few straggling flowers. 

 To in-^ure success, the whole plant should be an- 

 nually cut down to the ground as soon as the 

 floweas have lost their beauty. This will induce 

 a strong growth of new shoots, many of which 



Effect of a Hail Storm. — On the farm of J. 

 B. Phinney, the effect of the terrible storm that 

 passed over it last July, are still visible in the 

 dead trunks of the trees of the fine young or- 

 chard, and ornamental grounds he had started. 

 Evei'y vestige of green leaf above ground was en- 

 tirely destroyed at that time. Whole wheat fields 

 then in bloom were left as clean as though just 

 plowed. To see it now, except for the blackened 

 and scarred trees, one would scarcely detect the 

 ravages. Many of the trees have sprouted up 

 viry vigorously from the ground, and where en- 

 tirely killed new ones have taken their place. 

 The Osage hedges cut down into the ground are 

 sprouting out, and doing well. Clover fields cut 

 off clean, have rallied, and now present a splen- 

 did growth in full blossom. Such instances illus- 

 trate something of the recuperative power of 

 these virgin prairies. Bui we shall always hope 

 our farmers may be spared such visitation as was 

 Mr. Phinney's lot last year. — Editorial Cor. of 

 of the Prairie Farmer, from Champaign. 



A NcT for Geologists. — In Macoupin coun- 

 ty, 111 , recently, the bones of a man were found 

 on a coal bed, capped with two feet of slate rock, 

 ninety feet below the surface of the earth, be- 

 fore the run cut any part away. The bones when 

 found were covered with a crust or coating of 

 hard glossy matter as black as coal itself, but 

 when scraped away, left the bones white and na- 

 tural. — LaSal'.e Press. 



Barrel Measure. — Rice, 600 fibs ; flour, 196 

 pounds; powder, 25 pounds; cider and other 

 liquids, 30 gallons ; corn, 5 bushels, shelled. By 

 this latter measure crops are estimated, and corn 

 bought and sold throughout most of the Southern 

 and Western States. At New Orleans, a barrel 

 of com is a flour barrel full of ears. In some 

 parts of the West it is common to count a hun- 

 dred ears for a bushel. 



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Hogs and Cuhculio. — It is the practice of 

 many to allow their hogs to run in the orchard 

 and gather up all fruit as it falls. In this way 

 the insect is not allowed to leave the fallen fruit 

 and perpetuate its species in the gpound. If no 

 hogs are about, the fruit should all be picked up 

 and destroyed before the insect leaves it. 



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— Green corn forms a part of the soldiers' ra- 

 tions at Memphis. 



