-46-t 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Decembek, 
Letter from a Housekeeper. 
Sauces and Garnishes. — We had broiled chick- 
ens a few clays ago for an eight-o'clock supper, at 
which our friend Sirs. S. was a guest. We all 
said "How delicious ! " but 1 was almost tempted 
to feel annoyed at Mrs. S. because she helped her- 
self to tomato catsup, and I knew she did not en- 
joy the delicate flavor of the chicken as we did. 
When will people learn that delicacies like broiled 
chicken do not require the aid of strong sauces and 
pickles to make them palatable? Casters are now 
generally banished from the upper table. When 
mustard, pepper, oil, and catsup are required, they 
are placed upon the table in convenient places, and 
in jars and bottles adapted for the purpose. When 
a joint of cold meat is put upon the table, pickles, 
catsups, and sauces should accompany it. Years 
ago, pickle, cheese, spiced meats, and even pie, 
were introduced at tea or supper, but now we do 
» not do so. A plate of biscuit, one kind of cake, a 
dish of delicate preserves, and perhaps a few slices 
of meat, are all that is required. But of course 
judgment must be exercised in this as in every- 
thing. If a friend or friends from a distance are of 
the party, the gracious hostess will provide some- 
thing substantial and appetizing for their refresh- 
meBt. Nothing more displays the good-breeding 
simple, wholesome pictures of life. But there are 
so many ol them! Unless a child has a taste for 
something else — something positively instructive — 
it is iu danger of keeping its mental digestion weak 
by too easy intellectual diet. 
Feminise Underwear for Winter. — Judging 
by what I have myself observed, I should suppose 
that it is very common for women to dress during 
winter weather almost the same as in summer. 
They "dress up" iu merino and warm-looking 
clothes, but the appearance is deceptive. Many 
young women wear the same thin cotton stock- 
iugs and drawers all the year round, and a single 
calico covering on their arms while about their 
work. Over their shoulders they have not more 
than two thicknesses of thin material, three over 
the lungs, and around the lower part of the waist 
considerable more warmth in the thick corset. The 
covering of the body is very unequally distributed. 
There should be warm undergarments of flannel, j 
merino, or cotton-flannel, covering the whole body. 
The merino vests and drawers furnished for ladies 
used to be quite senseless a few years ago — short- 
sleeved and short-legged, only reaching just below 
the elbows and knees. Some women purchase the 
smaller sizes of men's ribbed drawers and shirts 
for their own use. Some prefer a long-sleeved, 
high-necked waist of cotton-flannel, with a full 
(gathered) piece set iu across the bust, leaving the 
front with a yoke and broad belt. The drawers, of 
the same materia], are sewed to this across the 
front, and button to it across the back. Iu that 
case the waist opens behind. When it opens be- 
fore, the drawers button on all around. The draw- 
ers are made at the bottom like men's drawers — 
reaching to the heel uuder the stockings. The 
usual muslin drawers are generally worn over 
these. Some grown-up women choose flannel 
drawers, like the red ones worn by children, instead 
of a flannel underskirt. 
I think the day is fast approaching when women 
will be clothed, instead of draped as hitherto ; when 
comfort and convenience will insure to woman's 
attire a reasonable and permanent beauty. While 
we wait for that day to eomc, we cap be more 
reasonable about "our undergarments than has been 
our habit, if we consider the matter and are wise. 
The girls who are only half-dressed say they are 
warm enough, but they do not know what a price 
they pay for such degree of comfort as they are 
able to maintain. It uses up the vital force which 
is needed to carry on the various functions of the 
body ; and though the girls may not 6eem to "take 
cold" by such habitual exposure, they are under- 
mining their constitutional vigor, and are preparing 
themselves to be added to the list of nervous, 
broken-down women. 
of a lady than consideration for the actual wants 
of her guests. We used to laugh at a cousin of 
mine because he insisted upon eating mustard with 
mutton and vinegar with sardines, and I know a 
gentleman who eats mint-sauce with beef. Many 
persons eat sardines with vinegar, but in my opin- 
ion it destroys the delicate flavor of the fish. 
Handsome jellies are an acceptable addition to a 
table. Of course you would not use jelly on fish, 
but it is good with beef, mutton, or lamb, and es- 
pecially appropriate for turkey, poultry, and game. 
Fish of most kinds are rather insipid without 
sauce or catsup. A few years since a friend (who 
was constitutionally deficient in all matters per- 
taining tu me appotifco) invited me to dinner. She 
had carrots brought to table with the fish. It 
seemed very odd to mc, though the other guests 
probably thought nothing of it. 
A few hints iu regard to garnishes for meat : 
Horseradish scraped into shavings for roast beef. 
Put a pinch as large as an egg lightly on the joint, 
and au equal quantity iu eveu spaces around the 
dish. Leaves or tender sprigs of spear-mint around 
mutton or lamb. Parsley for chicken, veal, and 
fish; to the latter two, slices of lemon may be 
added. Red beet-root, boiled aud sliced, and boiled 
carrot sliced, make a very pretty garnish for boiled 
beef. Fried sausages or balls of forcemeat around 
turkey and roast chickens. Parsley around boiled 
chickens. Game may be garnished with jelly. 
A Christmas Goose. — We always have a goose 
for dinner on Christmas, and do not attempt so 
elaborate au affair as on Thauksgiviug. We used 
to think a goose must be boiled before it is roasted 
or it would not be good, but have since learned 
better. It should of course be tender. Take the 
body of the goose with one hand, and with the 
other grasp the leg. Bend the knee-joint from the 
body. If it cracks and snaps you may know it is 
young. If the skin will break under the wing 
close to the body it is also youjig. Unless a goose 
is very fat it will not be good. Not that any of the 
fat is required for the table, but it indicates good 
feeding and condition. Every part of the leaf fat 
should be removed from the inside before prepar- 
ing it for the oven. The neck and apron incisions 
should be securely sewed up after the forcemeat 
has been put in, aud then the fat from the surface 
of the body will roll off as it melts without affect- 
ing the lean meat. Every particle of this fat should 
be removed from the pau before the gravy is made. 
Many persons do not think of this, and they make 
sad work of the gravy. A neighbor of mine once 
came into possession of four young ducks. She 
kept them until they became very fat, when she 
gave one away, and. as she had a large family the 
other three were killed for her table. A few days 
after one of the sous called, and having nothing 
else to say, I asked how they enjoyed the eating of 
the ducks. " Well, not much," he said. " They 
were so rich we could hardly eat them, aud mother 
has two tureenfuls of gravy left. She don't know 
what to do with it." "Did you see your mother 
make the gravy?" I said, suspecting where the 
trouble was. " Yes." " And did she pour off the 
fat?" "No, not any of it, and she thickened it 
with flour. It is a horrid mess. 1 never want any 
more duck to eat." I should fancy not. Just think 
of the quantity of grease that would flow from 
..three fat ducks, aud then thicken this with flour, 
aud expect her family to eat and enjoy such a dish ! 
I suspect that if we could go into the kitchens 
of some families aud see the stupid way iu 
which the cooking is done we should be astonished. 
We shall have with our roast goose apple-sauce 
nicely made in a covered jar in the oven, to which 
su<*ar is added, making it rather sweet ; then onion 
sauce, the onions so thoroughly boiled that their 
intact relations would not know them. 
Making Shirts. — It is very essential that the 
cloth from which shirts are to be made should be 
well shrunk before the garments are cut out. I 
once made a dozen shirts for my brother, which 
fitted him perfectly before they were washed, but 
afterwards each one shrank nearly two inches 
around the neck, and the wristbands one inch. Of 
course, new bands had to be put on, but the shoul- 
der pieces had also shrunk, aud it was impossible to 
make them fit well. I was mortified about it at the 
time, as they were made just before he was mar- 
ried, and the mistake not being discovered until 
afterwards, his new wife had to alter them, 
and I fancied she thought I did not kuow much 
about shirts. It is a great deal better to shrink the 
cloth first than to allow for shrinkage, as many do, 
because there is a difference in cloth iu this respect. 
Buttons. — Of course, button rings or slides 
■would be better, but I happen to be without any, 
andlcau'tgooutafterthem,soyonscel do thenext 
best thing. A piece of string or a narrow strip 
from the selvedge of cambric, which I prefer to 
string, run in through the eye of each button, on 
the wrong side of the garment, serves to hold them 
very firmly, if the needle and thread are also passed 
through a few times. In making button-holes, the 
end passing around the eye of the button should 
be made oval in shape. Where this is not done, 
the garment is apt to look drawn between the but- 
tons after it is fastened together. 
How to Cook Sturgeon. — "Max" 
writes : In the May number you give your readers 
a very interesting and instructive article upon the 
sturgeon, whereiu the writer states that -he "tried 
it several years ago (upon the table) and has since 
had no desire to repeat the experiment. Now, I 
had the good fortuue to be born in the staid old 
city of Albany, which our friend represents as 
head-quarters for the consumption of the North 
River Sturgeon crop, and many a savory dish of the 
aforesaid "Albany beef" has my good mother 
served up^for us in years goue by. Others who 
never tasted it elsewhere have partaken of it ou 
these occasions, and I believe their testimony has 
always been iu its favor, unless when au unfounded 
prejudice has stood iu the way. I call it delicious, 
and for the fair fame of the calumniated Acipenser, 
and the information of whom it may concern, I 
append the recipe for its preparation : Take off all 
the fat and the brown meat. Cut in 6lices about 
1 by 2 inches. Riuse off, and-put over the fire in cold 
water, for half an hour or more, until tender, but 
not enough to break apart. Add flour aud butter, 
salt and pepper, and bring again to the boil. Re- 
move from the fire, and stir in one or more eggs, 
according to quantity. Serve on toast, with plenty 
of dressing. It is in fact prepared the same as 
chicken fricassee, except the toast and eggs. 
Dried Apple-Pariiigs. — Wherever ap- 
ples are scarce, it is good economy to dry the nice 
parings, especially of fine fall apples, as thus dried 
they will make good apple-jelly in winter. I hate 
tried it myself, and I can fancy that the richly 
elaborated juices so close to the suushine uuder 
the crimson and golden surface are more suitable 
for jellies than other parts of the apple, as we. 
know it to be so iu the quiuce. The parings dry 
nicely laid in plates under the cooking stove for the 
first day, then in the sunshine. Keep in paper 
bags. The parings of russets are generally bitter. 
Scalloped Oysters. — This makes an ex- 
cellent dish to aceompauy the turkey or goose at a 
Christmas dinner, to serve at a supper party, or to 
help out an otherwise meager dinner. Small oys- 
ters, which cost less than large ones, aud are just 
as well flavored, will answer as well as large. But- 
ter a pudding-dish aud put on a thin layer of bread 
crumbs or rolled cracker ; put on a layer of oysters, 
another layer of crumbs, and so on until the disk 
is filled or all the oysters have been used. The 
top layer should be of crumbs. In filling the dish, 
put bits of butter and a little pepper with each 
layer of oysters. A very little mace makes au ex- 
cellent seasoning for this dish ; a few small bits 
with each layer — avoid using too much. The oys- 
ters in cooking usually give up enough liquor to 
moisten the crumbs. Bake lV>r*n hour. The dish 
should be handsomely browned upon t op,and should 
be moist ail through, without any running liquor 
