1869.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
421 
TEnS E(D)TOEEI(0)LID)o 
(Z3?~ /or ogfter Household Items, see " JJasket" pages.) 
"Whittling for Boys. 
A boy's outfit is not complete unless he has a 
jackknifc, and, being possessed of this article, he 
often uses it iu sueli a manner as to do mischief 
and annoy others. It is worth while to turn this pro- 
pensity to whittle to good account, as working with 
an object in view is of much greater interest to 
the boy than an unmeaning making of chips. Iu 
June last we gave designs for a lamp-bracket, which 
can readily be made by the older boys. A very 
good thing for the younger ones to try their hands 
at is a simple frame for a small photograph or 
other picture. A correspondent, whose name has 
been mislaid, has sent a tasteful design, which we 
give in the engraving. The outliue of Ihis, if neatly 
cut out from a piece of cigar box or other thin 
wood, will make a neat little frame. It may be 
made more elaborate by the addition shown by the 
dark portion of the engraving. This may be cut 
from black walnut, or some very white wood, cither 
of which would afford a marked contrast of color 
and add much to the effect, and glued on. The 
frame may be made of any convenient size. The 
pattern should be first made of paper, taking care 
to get both sides exactly alike; and then by laying 
tliis upon tin- wood nil' form may be drawn with a 
pencil, or the paper can be pasted upon the wood, 
PICTURE. FRAME. 
from which it can be readily removed by slightly 
moistening it. The boys should be taught to 
make square and neat edges. Rounded edges arc 
frequently made in order to cover up slovenly work. 
A Handy Kitchen Implement. 
At the furnishing stores are sold small brooms 
made of fine twigs, very much like a miniature 
birch broom without a handle. These are useful in 
scrubbing the iusides of pots and kettles, and are 
capital things to use in keeping the sink clean. 
The engraving shows the form in which they are 
made. The article as sold is about eight inches 
long. A similar one can be readily made of small 
, Mil - 
t\\ > of birch, or other strong and elastic spray. 
T .e handle is securely bound with twine or withes. 
A Cruet Stopper Fast. 
A lady in Grimes Co., Texas, has a vinegar cruet 
of which the stopper is broken off even with the 
neck. As she cannot readily match the cruet, she 
wishes to remove the stopper. It is a rather diffi- 
cult case, as there is no projection by which to take 
hold of it. We have in similar cases succeeded by 
putting the bottle into a vessel of cold water and 
gradually heating it. The cruet must be prevented 
from touching the bottom of the vessel, by a bit 
of thin board, or iu some other convenient way. 
The air within the cruet will be expanded by heat, 
and will frequently throw the stopper out, but it 
sometimes results in breaking the bottle. If any 
vinegar has dried around the stopper and thus ce- 
mented it in, it will be well to dissolve it by soak- 
ing in water for a while before trying the heating. 
Sour Cream, Sour Milk, and Buttermilk. 
BY A HOUSEKEEPER. 
There is no end to the nice articles of food that 
may be made by using sour cream, sour milk, and 
buttermilk, in a judicious way. There are several 
things iu their use about which care should be taken. 
1st. Cream that is to be used in cooking should be 
wholly separated from the milk. 2d. It should be 
thoroughly soured. 3d. If in any recipe milk or 
buttermilk is to be employed with the cream, it 
should also lie entirely sour, as the mixture of 
sweet and sour milk, or cream, tends to make the 
article heavy. 4th. The amount of soda or salera- 
tus should only be just enough to sweeten and 
lighten the cream, as any more than this imparts 
the green color and soapy flavor which are so dis- 
agreeable and unwholesome iu articles of food. 
When once a recipe is found to be good, no 
changes should be made, as the ehauces are ten to 
one that the experimenter will have a failure and 
lay the blame upon the use of cream instead of her 
own carelessness or ignorance. I annex a few rec- 
ipes which have been well tried and proved, and 
are thought by all my friends who have made use 
of them to be among their best recipes. 
Buttermilk Muffins. — 1 quart of sour butter- 
milk, 1 teacupful of sour cream, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoou- 
ful of soda, a little salt, flour enough to make as 
thick as pound cake. Bake in muffin rings placed 
upon tins iu the oven, from 20 to 30 minutes, ac- 
cording to the temperature of the stove. 
Buttermilk Griddle Cakes. — 1 quart of sour 
buttermilk, a little salt, 1 teaspoonful of soda, and 
flour enough to make the cakes as thick or thin 
as you like them. Bake upon a griddle. 
Corn Bread or Cake. — 1 quart of sour milk or 
buttermilk, 4 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar or 
molasses, 1 teaspoonful of soda, 1 pint of corn 
meal. 2 tablespoonfuls of sour cream may be added, 
though it is good without. Bake about one hour. 
Molasses Cake. — 1 teacupful of molasses, 1 tea- 
cupful of sour cream, 1 teaspoonful of soda, % tea- 
spoonful of ginger, alittle salt ; stir in flour enough 
to make a very stiff batter. 
Cream Cake. — 1 teacupful of cream, 1 teacupful 
of sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoonful of soda dissolved in 
1 . 2 ' teacupful of buttermillc, a little salt, 2 teaeupfuls 
of flour, spice to your taste. 
Cream of Tartar. 
" W. L. A." asks about Cream of Tartar. As this 
is an article largely consumed in the kitchen, the 
reply will properly come iu the Household Depart- 
ment. The juice of the grape contains besides sug- 
ar, acousiderable amount of a salt which chemists 
call bitartrate of potash, which isiu solution in the 
sugary juice of the grape. When the grape juice, 
or must, begins to ferment, and is converted into 
wine by a change of the sugar into alcohol, the bi- 
tartrate of potash, being little soluble in water and 
still less so iu a liquid containing alcohol, is depos- 
ited upon the sides of the cask, which it encrusts, 
and from which it is at length removed. It is known 
in this state as Crude Tartar, or Argol, and is more 
or less colored, according to the kind of wine from 
which it is deposited. The crude tartar is purified 
by dissolving it in boiling water. A small quantity 
of pipe clay is added to remove the coloring matter, 
and when the solution cools, white crystals are de- 
posited, which are called Crystals of Tartar, and 
these, when ground, are the Cream of Tartar 
Cream of Tartar, then, is a natural product of the 
grape, from which the impurities have been removed. 
Tin' composition of Cream of Tartar is 132 parts by 
weight of tartaric acid, 47.2 of potash, aud 9 of wa- 
ter. It is what is called an acid salt. Itis not easy to 
explain the composition of substances to those not 
familiar with chemistry. The neutral tartrate of 
potash consists of one equivalent of tartaric acid 
and one of potash — by weight 06 of the one and 47.2 
of the other. Cream of Tartar is the acid tartrate 
or bitartrate, and has twice as much, or oue equiv- 
alent more of tartaric acid than the neutral tar- 
trate, and is a convenient form iu which to use. 
tartaric acid. Much of the Cream of Tartar sold at 
the cheap stores is adulterated, the common addi- 
tions being alum, ground plaster, and flour. The 
last named is detected by its forming a paste with 
water ; the plaster does not perceptibly dissolve iu 
hot water. Alum can be less readily detected. 
The Table— Order and Ornament. 
The writer of these articles had no idea that they 
would bring out such an amount of correspondence 
as they have done. Some of the letters express 
thanks for the hints that have been given for table 
arrangement, aud others propound questions. 
Many things are asked which, to a good share of 
our leaders, may seem somewhat singular, but they 
must recollect that customs which they have fol- 
lowed all their lives are strange and new to many 
who live in isolated places where changes take 
place but slowly. We welcome these as we do 
other inquiries, as an indication of the wants of our 
readers, and the more we have of them, the better. 
One asks : " Is it proper in laying the table to place 
the plates bottom side up?" — It is much better to 
place the plates right side up ; the table looks neat- 
er, and one is not subjected to the inconvenience 
of turning them over "Which side should the 
servant go in serving the guests?" — Where the 
table is waited upon, the waiter should present 
everything at the left-hand side of the person served, 
except water. The glass being at the right hand of 
the person at the table, is usually filled where it 
stands " How shall guests be placed at the ta- 
ble?" — This was sufficiently discussed in April last. 
"Is it proper to talk at the table?" — By all 
means. We are aware that some few consider it 
proper to observe perfect silence while at table. 
We do not know how such a horrible custom origi- 
nated, yet we have a few times been a guest at such 
tables, but hope never to be again. The table is just 
the very place to talk, aud the meal hours should 
be among the pleasantest of the day. Don't talk 
business and discuss what work shall be doue after 
dinner, but give the time to social chat. This 
should not prolong the meal inconveniently, but 
there should be enough of it to prevent the too 
common custom of rapid eating. The table is a 
capital place to teach children to be good listeners ; 
no small part of a child's education is acquired in 
listening to the table talk of its seniors, and this is 
a hint as to what the character of the conversation 
should be. Talk? Yes, and laugh too, and the 
meal will be all the better digested "Is is cour- 
teous to leave the table when oue is doue, if the 
rest are still eating ?" — Decidedly not, unless there 
are some urgent reasons for it, and then an apolo- 
gy should be made to the lady of the house. Chil- 
dren should always ask leave to absent themselves. 
" How 6hould we spend the time while waiting 
for those who are still eating ?" — A person of tact 
will not finish the meal before the rest, but should 
it so happen it must be an exceedingly uninterest- 
ing company which would make it irksome to wait 
until all are through. The signal for rising is usu- 
ally given by the lady of the house " Should we 
leave the plate clean, or partly filled ?" — It is a 
great piece of affectation to leave a portion of the 
food intentionally. Where one is overhelped, it is 
sometimes unavoidable. Many in carving and serv- 
ing food seem to think it a mark of hospitality to 
give a bountiful supply, and we often see the plate 
