54 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Febroart, 
ferment, oue third water, oue third milk— if I have 
it, if not, two thirds water— and a little salt. Cov- 
er with a cloth and let it stand in a warm place un- 
til morning, then knead until it works free of the 
hands and board. Let it rise again in the pans and 
bake. The sponge should be made a little too soft 
to mould, but the more flour is used the longer it 
will take to rise ; in summer it should be made 
quite EtifE It should always rise until it has a del- 
icate, silky touch to the hand, or until it begins to 
fall at the top, which is always a sure test. If 
worked too soon, the bread will be tough and dark 
colored, if baked without kneading, it will be coarse 
grained, while that which is thoroughly kneaded 
has an opposite appearance. A good loaf will al- 
ways be fine grained, still very light and showy. I 
always keep my bread when cold, in a stone jar, 
then it does not get dry. 
I have been married six years, have always done 
my own work unless I was sick, and during that 
time I can safely say I have not failed one time out 
of twenty five to have my bread all right. I have 
not used the value of half a pound of saleratus, .and 
have never lost my stoclc yeast. 
Out of curiosity I tried the hot bricks as recom- 
mended by " Hatt," in the July number last year. 
The bread was sweet, but not so bulky by one 
fourth, coarse grained, and not as good nor hand- 
some — if I may use the expression — as if kneaded 
thcsecond time, and I am quite sure it did not go 
as far. I think it better to use a little more ' leaven' 
and not quite so much force, at any rate I felt near- 
er ' Paradise ' when I had seen the last of it and re- 
placed one of my loaves on the table." 
»-< «■■ I » 
A Bachelor's Opinion of "Recipes." 
The editor who usually attends to the House- 
hold department was much occupied just as matter 
was wanted to complete these pages ; so he handed 
a large file of recipes, which had been contributed 
by the kindness of our readers, to one of his asso- 
ciate editors with a request that he would select 
some of the best and prepare them for publication. 
This associate is a bachelor, and as a matter of 
course, he thinks that he knows more about house- 
keeping and bringing up children than those who 
have tried both. He returned the documents with 
the following notes — : " Here you have at least a 
hundred recipes, and probably not five things fit to 
cat can be made from them. Well, that is proba- 
bly about the usual proportion, as one of the best 
housekeepers in New York told me that she 
bought every new cook book, and felt quite con- 
tented if she could find five good things in each. 
Some of your recipes have been read, and others, 
like the bills in Congress, have been ' read by title 
and passed.' People are puzzled to know what 
shall be done with the leading rebel when caught. 
If it wouldn't he too cruel, I would make him try 
the different recipes that come to this office. He'd 
never rebel any more, I guess Here is one for 
pork apple pie, and another for apple pork pie. No, 
1 thank you. The sight of that big hog exhibited 
in the office of the Americmi Agriculturist has been 
pork enough for the rest of my life. But, seriously, 
do people ever eat pork in apple pies ? — do they 
put in any saleratus ? — Herds a woman who sends 
a recipe for a pudding ' which can't be beaten.' — 
As there are no eggs in it, I don't see why it should 
be. Soda — soda — cream of tartar— saleratus — no, I 
won't publish any of these, and induce people to 
turn their kitchen into an apothecary's shop. — Here 
is a recipe to 'keep sausage meat,' The best way 
is to ha\e no s.ausage meat, but if you do happen 
to have some about the house, lock it up in a chest 
and lose the key— or do any thing but eat it. — 
' Keeping eggs'— better keep hens and use the eggs. 
— I never saw an egg improve much by keeping. 
Here is something about 'bread making.'— As we 
havu't said much on that subject, it would be well 
to publish this. — Pshaw! it has 'salt raising.' — Now 
how can people spoil flour in this way, and call it 
bread ? — ' Poor man's fruit cake.' Pray what busi- 
ness have poor folks with fruit cake ? — but let us 
Bee what it is made of: flour, eggs, pork fat and 
soda. That '11 do. — If poor folks have pork fat and 
soda, let them make soap and take in washing, and 
then they won't be poor. My washerwoman gets 
a dollar a dozen, and dresses better than my wife — 
could if I had one. Poor folks' cake indeed ! — ' Rhu- 
barb mince pie' — This must be a good idea. -I used 
to be foolish enough to eat mince pie, and then I 
had to take the rhubarb the next day ; here the two 
are combined in one dose. — Oh ! it means pie-plant, 
and that is out of season. — How can I publish any 
of these recipes ; cake I never eat, puddings I ab- 
hor, sausages I detest, and mince pies I abominate, 
and you knew it when you put the job into my 
bands— about as sensible as to turn a bull into a 
china shop. I have looked over the whole 
batch of recipes, and though I don't doubt they 
are good of their kind, it is the kind that don't suit 
me. The only thing the title of which tempts me 
at all is Johnny cake. I open the recipe, and find 
that though the mixture may be good, it is baked 
in au oven ! Shade of my grandmother ! a Johnny 
cake in an oven ! Don't you see that when it is 
baked in an oven, though it may be something 
good, it isn't Johnny cake. That must be baked on 
the middle piece of the head of a flour barrel 
(Beach's brand preferred), with a hole in the north- 
east corner. The cake is placed on this, and set 
up against a flat iron in front of a bed of hickory 
coals, to bake, and nothing short of this can be 
Johnny cake — but as I sometime intend to make a 
cook-book, I won't say anything more about it. — 
If I do make a cook book, I won't have any mince 
pies, any sausages, nor cakes, nor puddings, nor 
anything sweet, nor any saleratus ; but just you 
wait and see what I do put in." 
All of which goes to show how " Doctors dis- 
agree," especially bachelors. Well, perhaps food 
that common folks find agreeable ought not to 
agree with a bachelor. At any rate, our readers will 
agree that our bachelor is spicy enough, and that 
the best thing he can do before writing his cook 
book will be to take lessons in a few first principles 
from some competent lady. At present we hand 
him over to the tender mercies of our fair corres- 
pondents. When time permits, some of their much 
abused but good recipes will be published. — Ed. 
Household Depaktmknt, (whoever lie may be.) 
^ I ■ M > Ml »-• 
Household Notes for February. 
Look to the children's boots and shoes which may 
be wearing through by this time. Do not allow 
them to go with damp feet. 'Whole boots are not 
always water-proof Prepare spring and summer 
clothing, before the garden and dairy claim atten- 
tion. Study what improvements can be made in 
the garden the coming spring, and by what means 
the products of the dairy can be increased iu this 
time of high prices. Is the dairy room suitable ? 
Is the water right ? Do you understand the best 
methods of making butter and cheese ? Give at- 
tention to the poultry. Can you not raise some 
very early chickens, for the table, for market, and 
for next winter's layers? Do not neglect the minds 
of your children. What advancement are they 
making at school ? Give them home instruction. 
A blackboard is a very useful piece of household 
furniture, affording a means of teaching children 
m.any things, and furnishing them with pleasing 
employment. Teach them common things. Chil- 
dren are often very eager to learn about things 
around them, and if properly taught, will treasure 
up a great deal of scientific knowledge Take 
the fresh air daily ; do not let the cold weather make 
a dormouse of you Try and get sometime to 
brush up the chambers of your own mind. Try to 
keep the heart young, warm, and bright, and the 
children cheerful by your own sunshiny presence. 
Do not let the " cares of this world " or the " de- 
ceitfnlness of riches " cheat yon out of the bles- 
sings of a glorious and eternal future. 
Smokt Protjes may be made palatable by cover- 
ing with boiling water, stirring them quickly, and 
draining it ofE Do this three times in succession. 
Practical Odds and Ends. 
Sent by Subscribers to the AmeHcan Agrictdlnr- 
ist. Please send plenty more of the same sort. 
Greasing Dishes, griddles, etc., for cooking is 
done most easily with a swab made by winding a 
strip of clean cotton cloth on the end of a stick, 
and fastening it with twine. 
To Save Suqab in Apple Satjce.— Use half sweet 
and half sour apples. After washing, soak them 
separately over night, then stew them in the same 
water iu which they were soaked. Put in the sweet 
apples first, and when they are tender add the sonr^ 
ones. Mem. Next fall dry plenty of sweet apples. 
To Clean Bottles.— Partly fill the bottle with , 
soap suds, drop iu one or two dozen tacks, or^ 
some small nails, and shake them up briskly. ^ 
Shoe Stbdjq Tags are apt to come off speedily. 
A blow or two with a hammer to bring the sides i 
together will keep them in place. 
Buffalo Robes.- A subscriber asks how they 
may be made soft and pliable after being wet and 
hardened. Will some one please inform us. 
Itching from poisoning or other cause may be 
relieved by rubbing with cloths dipped in water as 
hot as can be borne. 
Dried Apples may be easily removed from 
strings by cutting the knots at the ends, and soak- 
ing the fruit in water a short time. Such fruit 
should always be washed clean before cooking. 
Hints on Cooking, etc. 
Breakfast Corn CaJtc— Contributed 
by Mrs. F. E. H. Kingsbury, Suffolk Co., Mass. 
Put 2 cups of Indian meal (or 1 of Rye and 1 of 
Indian), J^ cup of flour, and X cup of sugar into a 
dish, and add a good sized teaspoonful of saleratus. 
Stir them together a little, then stir in 3 cups of 
sour milk, the sourer the better, and bake iu a 
shallow tin, or one two inches deep. As no eggs 
or shortening are used, this is very economical, 
and when rightly made, it is also a very nice cake. 
Oood " i^iitcakes."— Contributed by Mrs. 
S.J.Damon, Plymouth Co., M.ass. Mix 3 eggs, 1 cup 
sugar, 1 cup sweet milk, butter the size of an egg, 
3 teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, 1 of soda, a little 
nutmeg, and flour enough to roll out. Cut in 
rounds, making a small hole in each, then drop 
them into hot fat and fry to a light brown. 
Farmers' Cake. — Contributed by L. J. 
Farrand, Lamoile Co., Vt. Mix 1 cup of cream, 1 
of sour milk, 3 of sugar, 3 eggs, 1 teaspoonful sal- 
eratus, and 1 of salt, with flour sufficient to make 
a good batter. This will make two fair sized cakes. 
Improved Hasty Piiddiiie-.- Contrib- 
uted by "R. A." Sift the meal and make a bat- 
ter of meal and cold water. Heat water boiling 
hot, salted to taste, and gradually stir in the batter 
until just thick enough for the mush to hop and 
sputter while boiling hard. Let it boil from one 
to two hours over a slow fire ; it burns easily, and 
is spoiled if scorched. Do not add any meal after 
the batter is all in. Make it free from lumps. 
Unbolted tVIieat Bread.— Contribnted 
to the American Agriculturist by Mrs. H. N. Low 
Salem Co., N. J. Mix one quart of warm water, a 
teaspoonful of salt, with fine wheat flour enough to 
make a thin batter. Let this stand uncovered over 
night. The next morning stir in half a teacupfnl 
of molasses, a tablespoonful of salt, and mix with 
unbolted flour into a dough stiff enough to knead 
without sticking to the pan. Let it rise moderately, 
mold it over, place it in a greased pan, and when 
entirely light, bake it about three quarters of an 
hour in a moderiitely hot oven. 
Pickling for Hams or Beef.- Con- 
tributed to the American Agriculturist by D. Nice 
Bennington Co., Vt. For each 100 lbs. of meat, 
take 7 lbs. coarse salt, .5 Ibe. brown sugar, 3 ounces 
