THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



365 



successive months, with common feed. 

 True, there are some instances of much 

 greater yield, but the quality is not the 

 best. 



c; A gentleman of undoubted veracity, 

 living within a mile or two of the city, as- 

 sured me, a few days since, that one of his 

 cows gave fifty-six pounds, (I think it was) 

 equal to twenty-seven or twenty-eight 

 quarts daily. Her milk, however, was in- 

 ferior to that from his other cows. 



"Such cows are rare; but it is from the 

 rarest and the best that a preserve — if I 

 may use the word — of cows for breeding 

 and for the dairy should be selected." 



HOW TO USE ELDERBERRIES. 



The following recipes arrived last fall — too 

 late in the season to be of service, as the fruit 

 had disappeared from market. We, therefore, 

 reserved the article, and doubt not it will now 

 be acceptable to the readers. — Ohio Cultivator. 



Mrs. Bateham: — Having served an appren- 

 ticeship of three years in the art of cooking, 

 I suppose it will be conceded that I know 

 something about it, and seeing Aunt Fanny's 

 taste for elderberry pie called in question by 

 one of your correspondents, I, therefore, take 

 the liberty of sending you our method of using 

 them. I know some who say they cannot eat 

 them; the reason of this is, they do not know 

 how to prepare them. When cooked by these 

 recipes, they relish them very much. 



It is strange that when there is a scarcity of 

 fruit, as there was last year, people will lament 

 the lack of fruit, when behold the fence cor- 

 ners are filled with these valuable bushes, bend- 

 ing down and overloaded with ripe delicious 

 fruit that all goes to waste. You need never 

 to be at a loss for fruit to make pies, for it 

 grows spontaneously. If I ever plant an or- 

 chard I intend to plant a goodly number of 

 elderbushes, for I think if they we're cultivated 

 they would be much larger. Now you that 

 have enterprise, and are planting out fruit trees 

 of all descriptions, just be wise and take a bit 

 of advice from Cousin John, and while you 

 are planting your orchard, set out a number 

 of elder fruit trees. Remember other fruit is 

 liable to fail, while this is a never-failing fruit. 



Elderberry Pie. — Prepare the crust as for 

 apple pie— put the under crust on the platter 

 and pour in the fruit till half an inch deep, 

 then sprinkle two spoonfuls of flour and two 

 of sugar over them, and pour on a tea-cupful 

 of sour cream. Put on the upper crust and 

 bake thoroughly, and you will have a most 

 delicious pie; the best, according to my taste, 

 that can be prepared, and so say nearly all 

 who taste them. A little nutmeg and loaf su- 

 gar grated over the pie when first taken from 

 the oven, improves it. 



Dried Elder Fruit.— This fruit is very 

 easily dried by spreading in pans under the 

 stove or in the oven, and will make as good 

 pies as though fresh, if they are soaked a few 

 minutes in hot water before using. Some of 

 our neighbors dry them by the bushel, for 

 winter use. 



Elderberry Dumplings. — Make the crust 

 as usual and put in the berries as you would 

 other fruit. Boil them fast till the crust is 

 done, then take them up and eat with a dip of 

 white sugar and sour cream, and you will 

 confess they are delicious. 



Elderberry Jelly. — Take berries that are 

 fully ripe and remove all unsound ones, pour 

 a little water over them and press the juice 

 out through a strong cloth. Put equal quan- 

 tities of juice and molasses into the preserving 

 kettle and boil to the consistency of very thick 

 molasses, stirring in three or four drops of le- 

 mon oil to the gallon. Put it up in stone or 

 glass jars, and if to keep for the following 

 summer, fit the covers air-tight by using blad- 

 der, or white of egg on paper, or sealing them, 

 and put them in a cool place, and they will 

 keep good as long as you wish. 



Elderberry Preserves. — These can be 

 made by the same recipes as other fruit, and 

 are the most healthy of any preserves I know 

 of. 



Elderberry Wine— Press out the juice as 

 you would for jelly, and let it stand till it fer- 

 ments, then add a quart of sugar and a few 

 drops of cinnamon oil to the gallon, and bottle 

 it for use, and you will have an excellent qua- 

 lity of wine. 



Elderberries for Medicine. — This fruit 

 when cooked is an excellent diet in cases of 

 the flux. A brother and sister of mine who 

 were severely attacked with this disease last 

 year, were entirely cured by this, without the 

 aid of medicine. 



So much for elder fruit. 



Mi. Auburn, Shelby county, Indiana. 



COMPARATIVE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF 

 AN ACRE OF CABBAGE WITH OTHER 

 CROPS. 



The cabbage has lately been chemically 

 examined, in consequence of the failure of 

 the potato with a view to its substitution 

 for that root. It is found to be richer in 

 muscle forming than any other crop we 

 grow. It contains more fibrin or gluten, 

 of which substance the muscles are made, 

 and hence is richer in the material essen- 

 tial to the health, growth and strength of 

 an animal; wheat contains about 12 per 

 cent, of it; beans 25 per cent.; but dried 

 cabbage contains from 20 to 40 per cent, 

 of this all-important material of which the 



