302 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[ArGusT, 
Agriculturist, a friend from Illinois wishes recipes 
for pudding sauce, calculated to agree with a diges- 
tion less delicate than that of an ostrich, and com- 
posed of articles readily obtained by farmers. I 
propose, for his benefit, to give a few wholesome 
and agreeable sauces, which may be made of things 
which are or should be found in the pantry of every 
farmer in the land — flour, butter, sugar, nutmeg, 
and water — nothing more than these. For hunting, 
plum, spice, Indian meal, or ffuet pudding, a sweet- 
ened drawn butter is sufficient. This is made of two 
heaping tablespoonfuls of flour, and one small ta- 
blespoonful of butter, blended smoothly with a 
little water, and poured into a half pint of boiling 
water, 6immered gently, and stirred to prevent buru- 
iug. Add sufficient sugar to sweeten properly. For 
apple -pudding, Yorkshire pudding, apple or plain 
fritters, boiled batter pudding, or warm apple 
pie, use sweetened cream and sugar, or two table- 
spoonfuls of butter, beaten aud whipped witli a 
small tcacupful of fine white sugar, until creamed or 
foamy. This sauce should be served on a small 
plate, ornamented with a little grated nutmeg, and 
indentures made with the handle of a spoon. A 
teaspoonful or two, only, is supposed to be all that 
is required for one person. 
Raspberry Vinegar. — No housekeeper who 
has the means at her command should neglect 
to put up a few bottles of raspberry vinegar. Two 
tablespooufuls of it added to a tumbler of ice- 
water makes a pleasant and healthful beverage. It 
is very easily made : To two quarts of raspberries, 
slightly bruised, add one quart of good vinegar, 
aud le"t it stand overnight ; strain through a flan- 
nel bag, and to one pint of juice allow one pint of 
sugar, and heat until the sugar is dissolved ; bottle 
and cork for use. 
Bottled Raspberries. — I much prefer preserv- 
ed raspberries to strawberries ; with me they have 
always retained their flavor, been less watery, 
and the color has been much superior to that of 
strawberries. I never put water to raspberries. A 
quantity of juice will usually flow from them, 
which may be used with a little sugar for a com- 
mencement; when putting the fruit into the first 
one or two bottles, leave enough juice for another 
quantity of berries, and so on, until all are taken. 
Bad Luck with Jars. — This afternoon, Mrs. C, 
a neighbor of mine, was in. She has always pro- 
fessed a good deal of admiration for my bottled 
peaches, raspberries, etc., so this spring I persuad- 
ed her to invest S'2.50 in a dozen bottles of quart 
self-sealing jars, and when strawberries were at the 
hight of the season, she put up a few quarts, filling 
five or six of the bottles. To-day she discovered 
that the fruit had fermented, and the lids slipped 
from the mouths of the jars. Not knowing what 
to do with the preserves, and feeliug, too, I fancy, 
a little indignant at me for getliug her to try the 
new process, she hurried over to tell me about it. 
As 60on as she had taken a seat and slipped off her 
sun-bonnet, she said, " My strawberries have 
popped." "Indeed!" I said, "Why, how could 
that have happened ?" " I don't know ; I put them 
up just as you said." " Did you have the fruit 
boiling while you ladled it into the jars?" "Cer- 
tainly I did ; and used a hot teacup, too." "Aud 
did you put the lid on immediately ?" " Yes ; and 
did one bottle at a time." "Well, then," I said, 
" I am at a loss to account for the occurreuee ; no 
one had meddled with the lids, had they ?" " Why, 
what harm would that do ?" she said. " Oh, that 
would spoil the fruit, of course ; you would let the 
air in again." "Why, I never thought of that; 
and now I guess I am to blame after all. You see, 
when the bottles were nearly cold, I noticed that 
they were not quite full, aud you said that if the 
bottles were not full, the fruit would spoil; and as 
I had some of the preserves left, not quite enough 
to fill a jar, I opened the others and filled them all' 
up. It is too bad, but I shall know better next 
time." After a little more conversation, in which 
I advised with her what to do with the fermented 
jars, she went home, resolved, as she 6aid, never to 
meddle with the lids of her self-sealers again. I 
am acquainted with a young lady, who, after doing 
up a quantity of fruit for her mother, inserted the 
point of a penknife between the rubber and rim, 
for the purpose, as she told me herself, of letting 
out the air. Of course she let air in, and her fruit 
all spoiled. After the lids of self-sealing bottles 
are properly adjusted, they should not be removed 
or re-arranged, or in any wise meddled with 
uutil such time as it is desired to use the contents. 
Wheat and Corn Bread. 
BY MRS. J. P. rEARSALL. 
I take a quart bowl, put in it one teaspoonful of 
sugar, one-half teaspoouful of ginger, % teaspoon- 
ful of salt, and saleratus the size of a large pea; fill 
the bowl half full of boiling water ; when cool 
enough not to scald the flour, add enough flour to 
make a thick batter; set the bowl in warm water 
to rise ; if the batter gets thin I add more flour. It 
usually takes about six hours to rise. I let it stand 
until the bowl is full, and then set the sponge by 
adding the yeast so made to one quart of milk- 
warm water, and stir in flour to make it sufficient- 
ly thick. Let it stand in a warm place one hour, 
or uutil sufficiently light, then mold into loaves 
and let them stand ?{ of an hour; then bake in a 
moderate oven one hour. Tins is my method of 
making wheat bread. — When I make corn bread I 
leave two tablespoonfuls of yeast in the bowl ; add 
a tcacupful of warm water ; thicken with flour, and 
let it rise. This will occur in about one hour. I 
then take 4 quarts of corn meal, wet with boiling 
water, and let it cool. Then add the yeast, one-half 
teacupful of sugar, one saucerful of flour, one-half 
teaspoonful of saleratus, one full teaspoonful of 
salt ; stir it well, let it rise one hour, and then bake 
in a hot oven an hour and a half. If the crust is 
likely to get too brown, I cover with paper, or with 
a tin plate. I bake it in a pan. When my bread is 
done I rub a little butter on the top crust, and 
cover with a cloth until cold. I never fail of hav- 
ing good bread when I have good flour. 
Children's Dress. 
BY MRS. LUCY LAMB. 
I was lately reading from a New England paper, 
an appeal in behalf of a more comfortable style of 
clothing for little girls, and was surprised at the 
statements of the writer, that children in that se- 
vere climate could be permitted by their foolish and 
heartless mothers to go out with their short dress- 
es, aud their poor little purple extremities barely 
shielded from the inclemency of New England win- 
ter weather, by a single thickness of linen. It 
seems incredible. So much for a foolish woman's 
idea of fashion ! What wonder that so many of 
the poor little abused creatures die in childhood ! 
What strong, healthy man could endure such ex- 
posure ? Much less frail little girls. What won- 
der that the few who survive such treatment aud 
grow up to womanhood, pine and fade at the first 
real hardship ! And it is all so unnecessary. There 
is no good reason why little girls should not be 
dressed as warmly as little boys. They are out of 
doors very nearly as much, and surely ought to be 
as thoroughly protected from the cold. And they 
can be dressed prettily, too. It costs no more to 
dress a little girl in flannel throughout, with warm 
flannel underwear, skirts, waists, dress, and thick 
warm stockings, than to dress her in flimsy finery,' 
fit only for summer wear. Then there is a saving 
in the item of washing and ironing, not to be over- 
looked, to say nothing of the child's comfort and 
health, which ought to be the first consideration. 
I know a family of little girls, rosy-cheeked little 
misses, pictures of robust health. Their mother 
is not rich, but she is sensible, and dresses her 
daughters quite as warmly as her sons. Their 
underclothing is made of thick warm flannel, soft 
and agreeable. The drawers are made to fasten 
with a band around the top of the stocking, which 
is thick and warm. The underskirt is thick flan- 
nel, with a flannel waist. The arms are protected 
by flannel sleeves and the wool dresses have the 
waist and sleeves lined with flannel. There is no 
greater fallacy than to suppose that the arms need 
less protection than other parts of the body. Many 
women line their dress sleeves with very thin ma- 
terial or none at alL This is wrong. The sleeves 
of winter dresses should be lined with flannel or 
other warm goods. Then have a thick warm jacket 
or sacque, for cold days, or for unusual exposure. 
I made a very nice one out of a pair of pantaloons 
which had been thrown aside by a gentleman. The 
knees and other parts were worn threadbare, aud 
yet, when finished, it was so stylish that when 
wearing it for a riding habit, as I did all last spring 
before the weather became warm enough for horse- 
back exercise without it, I was complimented by a 
very fashionable lady on my "elegant new sacque." 
She never surmised where it came from, and it cost 
not one cent. Women and girls who are exposed 
to the weather ought to be as well clad as men and 
boys. Why not? The girls have the same expo- 
sure in going to school, in skating, and other ex- 
ercises as their brothers, and should have as thor- 
ough protection. If Mamma thinks she has noth- 
ing wherewith to make a warm jacket or sleeved 
waist for Susy, let me hint to her to hunt through 
the closets and see if there is not some old coat or 
pair of piants of Papa's or Brother Harry's, which 
is of no use to them, and that when ripped and 
washed and turned inside out, and bottom upward, 
aud pieced a little here and neatly darned there, 
will make just the nicest and prettiest jacket, espe- 
cially with the addition of a little bright-colored 
alpaca braid, which will cost but a trifle, and how 
comfortable and warm the dear child would be I 
Hints on Cooking, etc. 
More about Popping; Corn. — We 
have given some methods of popping corn. We 
add one more from Mrs. E. M. B., Pattersonville, 
La. In a few months these can be put to the test. 
She says : " I think I can give a better recipe for 
popping corn than either of those I have seen in 
the Agriculturist. Take a heaping tablespoonful of 
lard to a pint of pop corn, and put both into a pot 
together, stirring steadily until the corn begins to 
pop, by which time it will have absorbed the 
lard ; the lid should then be placed on the pot, to 
be removed for au occasional. stir. If the corn 
should not pop so well, by this process it will be 
much more crisp, and will be made delicious by 
having a small quantity of sugar candy poured 
over it while the candy is hot, the corn being well 
stirred so that each grain shall be slightly coated." 
Pudding- Sauce.— Mrs. A. C. Smith, Fitch- 
burg, Mass. Beat well together one cupful of 
white or nice brown sugar, one tablespoonful of 
corn starch, and a little salt; then add one pint of 
boiling water and let it boil ; after taking from the 
stove, add butter and nutmeg to 6uit the taste. 
Poor Man's Rice Pudding-. — Two 
qts. of rich milk; half a pint of raw rice, well 
washed ; half a pint (or more) of sugar ; a piece of 
butter the size of an egg, and a little salt. Flavor 
with nutmeg. Bake slowly from 1,'j' to 2 hours. 
Stir occasionally during the first hour, to prevent 
the rice settling to the bottom. 
Craclccrs.— Mix in two quarts of flour, ono 
cup of butter, three teaspoon fuls of cream of tartar, 
salt, one and a half teaspoonfuls of soda, iccll in- 
corporated, then add one pint of water ; beat with 
the rolling pin, cut and prick', and bake on a tin, 
or oven bottom, with a slow fire. The same rec- 
ipe is used by some without the cream of tartar, 
and a little sweetening may be added. 
Carrot Pie, properly made, is a good thing, 
but poorly done it is a shabby apology for a pie. 
Who will give a recipe known to be reliable ? 
Sweeping Floors.— "J. R. S." writes: 
"Persons having bare floors to sweep, 6uch as 
public halls, 6tores, etc., will fiud that by taking 
pine sawdust, wetting it thoroughly, and after 
pouring off all the water not absorbed, sprinkliug 
the floor slightly with it, they may not only sweep 
very clean, but make scarcely any dust. Try it." 
