1-46 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Apeil, 
things tbat are served tliroughout the land under 
this name arc truly wonderful. One of the com- 
monest ways is to fry potatoes that were boiled the 
day before, and they may be done very nicely, but 
not in Bridget's usual way ; Biddy slices the pota- 
toes into the frying-pan, puts a lump of drippings 
or lard with them, sets the pan on the stove, and 
goes about something else. The fat melts and 
soaks into the slices at the bottom ; as the heat in- 
creases, these begin to brown, and then if Biddy 
happens to think of it, she gives them a stir ; per- 
haps another later ; when the potatoes are on the 
table, a part will be very brown or even burned on 
one side, white on the other and very greasy, while 
the rest are well warmed through, and it there was 
fat enough left to do it, their surfaces greased. 
Potatoes are very hard to spoil — provided they 
were good to start with, but these eome as near be- 
ing imlit to eat as a potato can be made. Now, let 
us take the same boiled potatoes from yesterday's 
dinner ; shce them, not into a frying-pan, but into 
a wire basket, like that in the engraving. This can 
be had for about 50 cents at any furnishing store. 
Ours is 8i inches across, 3 inches deep, has a 
streng'tkeniug rim at the top^ and a wire bail ; it is 
made of tinned wire, and may be kept almost as 
bright as silver. The frying-pan is dispensed with, 
but the kettle of fat is put on as before ; when the 
fat is right hot, in goes the basket with a s-k-r-r-i--r. 
The surfaces of the sUees are browned at once, 
they are all done equally, are taken out at once, 
drained a few seconds, and dislied without a sign 
of grease. Eaw potatoes are treated in the same 
way; if you wish "Saratoga potatoes," slice raw 
potatoes very thin, cut the slices into strips, and 
put them in ice-water ; then, when the fat is hot, 
dry the potato slivers in a towel quickly, put them 
into the wire basket and into the fat while stUl cold 
and crisp. We of course do not do this as a gen- 
eral thing, but many ask about Saratoga potatoes, 
which " may be eaten in white kid-gloves," and we 
give it in passing. These two examples will, we 
think, justify us in the statement that frying pro- 
perly understood is not only a quick and convenient 
mode of cooking, but its results, while acceptable 
to the palate, are not of 
necessity more deleteri- 
ous in the stomach than 
other forms of cook- 
ing. But understand 
that by frying we do 
not mean simmering 
and sizzhng in fat, but 
the sudden immersion 
into aplenly of fat that is 
suffickntbj hot. If these 
two ends can not be accomplished — then don't fiy. 
" Ah, but plenty of fat, it is all very well for rich 
people, but we can not afford it." — This is a mis- 
take ; it simply requires more to start with, but the 
actual consumption ot fat is less. An ordinary 
family will probably do four kinds of frying, and 
should have as many stone jars ; one for fat to fry 
meats ; one for fish ; one for potatoes, and a fourth 
for fritters, doughnuts, and such like. On a farm, 
where lard is a home product, it makes no difler- 
ence whether the lard is used in this way or in 
small dabs at a time. Always have a plenty of fat, 
so that the article to be fried need never rest on the 
bottom of the pan. Have the fat always so hot 
that the surface of whatever is put into it is cook- 
ed, or seared at once ; there will then be no soak- 
ing of fat. The French cooks call it siezbuj, the 
moment the thing goes into the fat, that should bo 
hot enough to " sieze " it at once. The wire 
basket is a great aid in frying properly, as it allows 
the articles to be all put in and all taken out at the 
same instant, and nothing can ever come in contact 
with the bottom of the kettle or pan. We find it 
of frequent use ; hving near the sea, where scol- 
lops, clams, oysters, smelts, (a very small delicious 
flsh), and many such things, not common in-land, 
are readily obtained, we find it of frequent use for 
these; and for balls made of mashed patatoes; 
those made of meat and potatoes, or whatever is to 
be fried, that ordinarily may come in contact with 
the bottom of the pan, this is in frequent use. 
Innovations are seldom welcomed by those whg 
ILi-KI'T. 
have always followed " the old way," but we be- 
seech our friends either to improve their methods 
of frying, or to "reform it altogether," by banish- 
ing this manner of cooking. 
A Place for the Slop-Jas. 
ET J. HYSLOP, WASHINGTON, D. C. 
Even when new, and in all its pride of paint and 
gilt, the slop-jar is hardly an ornamental piece of 
furniture in a room used both as a sitting and bed- 
I'oom, and after a few months' wear, we all know 
what an unsightly object it becomes. I suffered 
the sight of an old one in my room for many 
AKBANGEMENT OF SLOP-JAB. 
months, hoping all the time to be able to replace 
it with one of china, but I found it took a young 
fortune to get a decent looking one in that material, 
so I set my inventive faculties at work, to devise 
a means of hiding my old tin thing, and yet have it 
as convenient for use as it in full view. The 
enclosed sketch will show you the result of my 
labors. The bracket screwed on the edge of the 
washstand door next the hinges, supports the end 
of the shelf, and a slat, screwed across the lower 
part, the side, giving ample support for a jar 
when full of water. On the outside of the door, 
at the middle of the lower edge, I fastened a bronze 
drawer-puU, large enough to admit the toe of a 
slipper, so that the door, and with it the jar, may 
be pulled out, if need be, while both hands are 
occupied with the basin. An incidental advantage 
of having the jar raised on the shelf, is that there 
is less spattering iu using the the tooth brush ; 
where there was formerly a puddle on the oilcloth 
when I had finished my toilet, there is now scarcely 
a drop of water. After nearly a year's use, I find 
the hinges not at all strained, although of the 
weakness of those usually found on cabinet work. 
Paklor Matches.— "S. M. T." These are at 
once the most convenient, as well as the most un- 
safe matches one can use. Still we use them, they 
are so C|uick and certain, that the old kinds seem a 
waste of time, to say nothing about the unpleasant- 
ness of sulphur fumes. It should be borne in 
mind, that as the facility with which we can strike 
a light is increased, so is the danger increased. 
With these matches the merest light stroke gives 
us a light ; so a similar stroke made accidentally 
upon a carelessly dropped match, may cause a con- 
flagration. These matches should be kept as care- 
fully as you would keep gunpowder. Have no 
matches lying about ; in each room where they 
are to be used, have a metalie match-safe. 
Excellent ones of cast iron may be had cheaply ; 
elegant ones of bronze, for finer rooms, are also 
made. But let there be fixed places where match- 
es are to be kept, and insist that they shall be kept 
nowhere else. Have common matches in the kitch- 
en, and equally well protected. Teach by example, 
and precept, that they are a great blessing, and a 
source of great danger. Have ihcin out of reach 
of children and of rats. Many a building has been 
bnrncd by a rat gnawing a match. Rats will carry 
oft' parlor matches to their holes ; perhaps they are 
tempted to do this by the smell of paraffine, with 
which their ends are coated, before the explosive 
mixture is put on. We saw a year or two ago, (^ 
quart at least of parlor matches that were taken 
from a rat's nest, in a country hotel not far from 
where we live ; the rats had gathered these from 
the bar and other parts of the house, and taken 
them to their nest, and a single bite at one, or any 
rough usage, would have set the house on fii-e, and 
" the work of an incendiary," would have been the 
verdict. We have not the least desire to speak ill 
of these matches, for we use no other, but we think 
it best that their dangerous possibilities should be 
known. When eveiy one knows that they are 
dangerous, then tbeir danger will disappear. In 
this ease, as iu others, it is not " foUy to be wise." 
Sometimes, though not often, the matches happen 
to be of poor wood, and the blow given to strike 
a light, simijly breaks off the match near the end. 
Don't take another and another until one is found 
to light, and think no more about it, but hunt for 
these match ends, lest they be swept up and go 
with the rubbish. The rubbish heap in winter is 
often under a shed, until it can be disposed of in 
spring. Look out that no match ends make a burn- 
ing on their own account. Occasionally we get a 
lot of matches which go off with an explosion, and 
scatter small burning particles. We buy our 
matches by wholesale, and once bad a large lot, in 
which, owing to carelessness in mixing the com- 
pound with which they were tipped, every match 
was a small torpedo, sometimes throwing minute 
particles of burning matter for a foot ormore. Even 
mth ordinary lots a match will sometimes go with a 
bang. One of these flry bits, upon the eye, wUl 
cause intense pain^we have known it to do so by 
hitting the face — if not irreparable damage. There- 
fore never draw a match towards you — always draw 
it from you, and this, iu case of an explosion, will 
incline the particles away from the face. As ex- 
perienced hunters rarely have an accident with 
their arms, because they know just what they are 
capable of doing, so there need be no accidents 
with matches, if aU knew the mischief of which 
they are capable. The careful housekeeper does 
not object to have laudanum or arsenic in the , 
house, because she knows just how poisonous they i 
are, and guards them accordingly, so our friend 
"S. M. T.," need apprehend no danger from par- 
lor matches, if she knows their dangerous points, 
and guards against accident. By "parlor match" 
we have reference to no particular manufacture, 
but refer in a general way to those matches which 
have no sulphur, and the igniting material of 
which ignites iu a half explosive manner. 
A Carpet-Stretcher. 
A very simple and useful Carpet-Stretcher is 
made by fastening a narrow piece of wood to a 
broora-handlc, or the 
handle of a hay-rake or 
fork. A hole is bored 
in the piece of wood— 
which is shaped like 
the head of a hay-rake 
— rather smaller than 
the handle. The end 
of the handle is whit- 
tled down to fit the 
hole, so that it cannot 
be forced through, and 
it is then wedged tight- 
ly in its place. A few 
pieces of wire, or 
shingle nails, filed or 
ground to a sharp point, 
are then inserted in the 
head of the stretcher, 
projecting so far from - 
the edge that they may 
take hold of the carpet, 
but no more. These 
should be filed or : 
ground smooth, as any 
sharp or rough comers 
will cut or break the 
carpet threads. The front of the head from which 
the points project should be beveled down to an 
edge ; then very short points only will be needed, 
CAEPET-STEETCHBB. 
