460 
AMEKICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[December, 
butter, your wife sets before you? And then after 
you have seDt it to market and received five or ten 
cents more per pound for it than the market price, 
because she took such extra pains with it, what 
share of the pay are you willing to give her to spend 
as she thinks best ? When there is au extra week's 
work on hand, how willing are you to pay out a 
fuw dollars of 7<erhard earnings to secure help for 
her? When yon want au extra hand in the field, 
does she object because it will cost two or three 
times as much as it would to secure the same 
amount of help for her ? And when there are three 
or four " men folks " in the house, do they complain 
if she calls on them to help her do a few chores? 
Do you see that your wife's health is gradually, 
but surely giving way, and that when it is once 
gone it. can never be restored? Do you realize that 
the time is coming when you will pay for all this 
short-sightedness in the way of doctors' bills, 
nurses, and hired help ? When your wife is laid in 
her last resting place, and it is too late, you would 
be willing to give all you possess if it would bring 
her hack to your home ! There are thousands of 
farmers' wives to-day, killing themselves with hard 
work, because both they and their husbands think 
they cannot afford to hire help in the house; but 
llicy will see the time when they would be willing 
to give large sums to have their wives' health 
back again, but it will be when it is too late. 
Now I am going to say a few words to your 
wives, but when you have read them don't say 
"Pshaw, that's easy enough done," and think it is 
not necessary for her to have any help, for it is 
much more difficult to perform the duties I shall 
mention here, than you suppose, besides the dozeus 
of chores to be done every day, that I shall not 
think of ; but whenever she calls on you or one of 
the other " men" for help, be sure she receives it, 
and my word for it, you will not be sorry in the end. 
The woman from Oregon says, after naming some 
of her trials, and asking many questions, which 
you can read by referring to the Oct. No., "Now 
if any one will tell me all these things I shall be 
very thankful." 
I shall not attempt to tell her all those things, 
but will try to tell her how I think I would do; 
and I have had some experience in doing both dairy 
and house-work alone, but not with quite so much 
of a family as she has. 
The more there is to be done in a house, the 
more necessary it is that there should be a system 
— a time for everything, and every thing in its time. 
If I had the work of a dairy and family to do, 
"besides waiting upon three men and an oeeasional 
hired mail," I woild arrange my work something 
in this manner ; I would not skim milk but onee 
a day. There is but little if any difference in the 
quantity or quality of butter made from cream 
skimmed from milk just "turned," or after it is 
"thick," and the butter comes much better if the 
cream is taken from the milk and mixed together 
to stand awhile, before churning ; it will all become 
sour alike, and will all come at the same time. 
I should detail one of the " three men folks" for 
my own use every morning until breakfast, or until 
the churning was done, and the wood-box and 
water-pails filled. They may complain that they 
haven't time to do these chores, but if they have 
not you certainly have not. 
The first tiling in the morning, I would put the 
cream in the churn and set one of the men to churn- 
ing, (it is better to have the same one every time) ; 
then work and pack butter, and set pans for the 
morning's milk, so that when the men come with 
it they can strain it with little trouble, and take 
. the empty pail wherever you want them to wash 
; it. Then I would put over my breakfast ; the potato 
kettle where it is very hot, and my spider of meat 
where it is not so hot, and by the time you have 
the children dressed, and table set, the breakfast 
and churning will be done, and all hands ready to 
enjoy the meal; but before sitting down, do not 
forget to put an extra 6tiek of wood in the stove, 
and a good supply of dish-water where it will heat. 
Breakfast over, clear away the dishes, aud wash 
and salt your butter, and wash the churn and 
breakfast dishes, sweep diniDg-room aud kitchen, 
and stir up beds, and you are ready for the day's 
bu-iucss, and it ought not to be later than eight 
o'clock. By this time you should have decided 
what you will have for dinner, so that when the 
proper time comes you will he ready to prepare it. 
Immediately after dinner, skim all the milk that 
will need skimming before the next day, and set 
pans for the evening's milk, so the men can strain 
it; and if you work your butter twice, work the 
morning's churning, and when the pans are washed 
aud set away you can bid good-by to the dairy work 
for the day. Wheu you have finished making your 
beds, pick up all bits of straw or coarse dirt that 
may be scattered on the floor, and in this way you 
can prevent the need of sweeping more than onee 
a week. Before going to bed, see that potatoes and 
meat are all ready for the kettle and spider. 
I would wash on Monday, bake Tuesday, iron 
Wednesday, mend Thursday, do my general baking 
Friday, and Saturday give the house a good 
thorough sweeping and dusting, and wash conspicu- 
ous spots from the paint. Saturday morning I 
would change the bed linen, and in the afternoon 
wash and dress myself and children in clean clothes, 
and put all soiled clothes in tubs in the wash-room ; 
the brown and dirtiest by themselves in one tub, 
and the white or cleaner ones in another. Wheu 
the men get through with their work, which should 
be early on Saturdays, have them wash and change, 
and then put their clothes with the others. Have 
the boiler filled with good soft water, and soap 
enough to make a pretty good " suds," and while 
you are doing your dinner work on Sunday, have the 
boiler set on till the water is warm (not hot), and 
pour it over the clothes in the tubs, aud let them 
stand till morning. Ton will be surprised to see 
what a help it is to the washing to have the clothes 
all picked up, aud the dirt soaked loose. I have 
tried both this way, and letting the clothes lie in 
the closet till Monday morning, and I really think 
it makes half the difference in the work of getting 
them clean. On Sunday go to church, aud take 
all the rest you can. 
When coffee is used daily, it saves trouble to 
grind aud settle a quantity at a time. Use one 
whole egg for every pint of ground coffee, stir well 
together, and bottle for use. I find a self-sealing 
fruit jar very convenient for this purpose. 
If your sewing is more than you can get along 
with, in justice to yourself, select some of the 
most difficult pieces and hire them done. It will 
cost you something, but if you try to do it your- 
self it will be far more expensive in the end. 
When you have company just to spend the after- 
noon, give them as much of your time as possible. 
On your general baking day, bake as much cake as 
you will need during the week, and put it in a 
covered stone jar in a cool place. Then when your 
company comes give them a good cup of tea, bread 
aud butter, a piece of your eake, and one kind of 
fruit. If you can give tliem more of a variety with- 
out trouble, well and good, but if not do not worry 
yourself about it, for sensible people will prefer 
your company to your extra victuals. If you have 
company to stay a longer t ime, probably they will en- 
joy your society in the kitchen as well as auywhere, 
and expect to receive such fare as your time and 
means will allow you t o provide. 
Hints on Cooking, Etc. 
Bread Vlaking:. — "Julia," Greenwood, 
Mo., sends the following ; Take 1 quart of butter- 
milk, bring to a boil, aud seald enough flour to 
make a stiff sponge ; after it is cool enough put in J< 
pint of yeast, stir well, and let rise over night. 
The first thing in the morning pour in lpint boiling 
water or sweet milk, and make up the bread in half 
au hour. Let the bread rise S hours aud make into 
loaves. Mix with sweet milk or water Another 
way : Pare and slice about 1 quart of potatoes, and 
boil and mash well ; wheu cool enough for yeast, 
if too thick, thin with the water the potatoes were 
boiled in, stir in a few spoonfuls of flour and the 
yeast ; let rise over night, or if in a hurry it will 
do to start in the morning, and moke up the bread 
about 9 o'clock. This quautity will make 6 or 8 
loaves. Bread needs more kneading than many 
suppose, it makes it whiter to work the dough 
down once after it rises. 
<'ni-ing' IBains. — The following is com- 
municated by Mr. Geo. A. Griffiu, who has long 
practiced this method of curing with excellent 
results. As soon as the animal heat is well out, 
rub the pieces on every part with salt aud lay them 
ou a shelf or in a box or barrel, as convenient, for 
one week. Then rub with finely pulverized salt- 
petre (1 oz. to a 20 lb. ham), and immediately 
follow with another dressing of salt as at first. 
Repeat at the end of 2nd, 3d, and4th week the rub- 
bing witli salt alone. At the end of 5 weeks, wash 
in warm water, hangto dry for 24 hours, and smoke. 
Spiced Keel".— Mrs. L. A. G. Chop line the 
tough ends of two very large beefsteaks, aud a 
piece of raw suet about as large as half an egg, 
season with pepper and salt, aud a little dried sum- 
mer savory ; then add 2 well beaten eegs, with about 
a half pint of dry bread rolled line, or as much 
rolled crackers ; 4 or 5 tablespoonfuls of sweet 
cream, and a piece of fresh butter as large as au 
egg, make into a loug roll with flour enough to 
keep it together, put into a baking pau with drip- 
ping as large as half an egg, and water enough to 
keep from burning. Bake as you would a roasting 
piece of beef; when cold slice thin for the table. 
Some eat it with vinegar. 
Mince Pics.— Mrs. L. A G. Take I}, pints 
of chopped, boiled meat, 2% pints of chopped 
apples, \}4 pints of sugar, % of a pint of vinegar, 
J.f pint of the broth in which the meat was boiled. 
A large }{ pint of raw beef suet finely chopped, J-^ 
pint of brandy with half a pound of raisins, seeded 
aud cut in half, 5 tablespoonfuls of ground cinna- 
mon, and Yi of a tablespoouful of ground cloves. 
Mix all well together, and put into the crust and 
bake. It is well to only put in half the brandy 
when you mix it, then put one or two tablespoon- 
fuls in each pie just before it is baked. This quanti- 
ty will make six pies. 
Pumpkin Pics.— By Mrs. L. A. G. One 
quart of sifted pumpkin, beat 9 or 10 eggs, yolks 
and whites together, stir them well into the pump- 
kin, add 4 even tablespoonfuls of ground ginger, 
23« tablespoonfuls of ground cinnamon, 1 even tea- 
spoonful or less of salt. Stir all well together, 
then add 2 quarts of sweet milk, and make about 
as sweet as for custard. Bake with one crust. This 
will make 4 pies. 
JCecipe ibr Sponge Cake. — By Mrs. 
G. B., Hicksville, L. I. 1 pound of sugar, J^ pound 
of flour, 9 eggs, the juice of one lemou, and grated 
rind, and a pinch of salt. The yolks of the eggs 
and the sugar should be beaten together, the whites 
separately. The whole should then be put to- 
gether, the juice of the lemon added last. No soda 
or cream tartar should go into sponge cake as it 
makes it dry. The lemon is very essential, not only 
for the flavor, but to make it light. The quicker 
it is beatcu together, and put in the oven the better 
it is. The oven should be pretty hot. 
Carrot Pics. Mary M. Clark, Kausas City, 
Mo., says: "Select Orange carrots, scrape and 
boil them and press through a seive ; to a pint of 
the pulp add one quart of milk, six eggs, two 
tablespoonfuls of melted butter, one grated nutmeg 
and sugar to taste. Other spices may be added if 
desired. Bake in one crust. 
Washing Fluid Wanted. — Some of 
our correspondents ask if there is any compound 
which is useful as an aid in washing. Will those 
who have satisfactorily used washing fluids give us 
some account of them ? 
Veal Omelette.— Mrs. L. A. G. 3 lbs. of 
chopped veal, 2 eggs beaten ; 1 tablespoouful of 
sweet cream, 1 tablespoouful of salt, 1 teaspoon- 
ful of ground pepper, 6 tablespoonfuls of rolled 
crackers, 1 teaspoonful of thyme or summer 
savory. Make into a long roll, put into a dripping 
pan with water enough to keep from burning. 
Bake well. Some add a slice of salt pork chopped, 
