4=^6 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
There are many sensible ladies in these United ! 
States now weaving undergarments similar 1 1> those 
just described. Among them the preference is 
usually given to thin cotton material for Hi* suit 
next the body, with a suit made of woolen (white 
flannel, gray ladies'-cloth, or red firemcn's-flannel) 
in the same fashion worn over the cotton suit in 
winter weather. With two such woolen suits for 
frequent changes, to give opportunity for thorough 
airing aud sunning of the woolens, they require 
rery little washing. The cotton next the body 
takes up the perspiration, etc., and this gets the 
good weekly washing. The woolen suit when 
taken off weekly for a change need only be exposed 
to pure air and sunlight for a day or two to purify it 
properly, washing it only when it visibly requires it. 
If men wear cotton under their woolen shirts, 
the woolen may be treated in the same way, and 
men who are not engaged iu dirty work cau wear 
their woolen shirts all winter with very little wash- 
ing, purifying them by air and sunshine each week 
when changes are made. Ladies' cloth shirts shrink 
less than common flannel. 
Squikkel Stews. — I was told long ago that com- 
mon red squirrels make very good food, but our first 
and second attempts at cookiugthem were not very 
successful. Perhaps a part of the fault was in the 
dressing, but now I know that I did not cook them 
long enough. In the region where we live red 
squirrels are so thick (or were until the late " dis- 
pensation " overtook them") that they do a deal of 
mischief to corn, etc. Half-a-dozen of these 
marauders make a nice dish to set hefore as many 
grown-up people who relish fresh meat for dinner. 
The squirrel lives upon the best of food, and lives 
a free, active life, hut its very activity gives its 
muscles a tendency to toughness. This can be 
overcome by sufficient boiling. In the first place, 
it must be carefully skinned aud dressed while yet 
warm. If the entrails are left in the animal until 
the body is cold they will injure the flavor of the 
meat more or less. Put them in cold water enough 
to cover them, and skim the pot carefully when it 
comes to boiliug (this always in boiling or stewing 
meat or in making soup). Two hours' gentle 
boiling is not too much for young squirrels, 
sud three hours for old ones. Never season 
them until they are done tender, and then you will 
add salt and cream, or a bit of butter, according to 
your judgment. A little thickening (a table- 
spoonful of flour stirred smooth in half a cup of 
milk or water) stirred in while the pot is boiling- 
will make a nice gravy. Pour the whole over 6lices 
of bread or split gems. The strong flavor of squir- 
rels comes from the fat. Cut this ull away care- 
fully before cooking. 
I suppose everybody knows that gray squirrels 
are good eating. Red ones are just as good when 
well cooked, only they are smaller. 
Chicken Stuffing. 
boil or roast them, and invite me to dinner that I 
may see you enjoy that stuffing. Aunt Sue. 
" Mollfe Wants to Know " how to make good 
ehicken stuffing, does she? Well, I don't profess 
to know much about cooking; I'll fix your puzzles, 
paint your pictures, write your letters, aud eat 
your dinuers for you while you do the cooking ; 
but if there be one article of culinary construction 
which I do understand it is chicken stuffing, and 
this is how I make it (that is, if I have to make it 
by reason of being without a cook. " Oh ! yes, 'm, 
indade I'll have to lave ; the docthur says it's the 
debility I got, an' that I haven't a bit of muscle in 
my whole body." Of course, then I have to go 
into the kitchen on my muscle, and this is how I 
make the chicken stuffing) : Three tcacupfuls of 
grated bread-crumbs rubbed through a colander 
(don't let a drop of water come near those crumbs, 
and take out every bit of crust) ; one teacupful 
of very finely-chopped beef-suet; two thirds of a 
teacupful of chopped parsley ; a good pinch of 
sweet marjoram and summer-savory; the grated 
rind of one lemon ; some grated nutmeg, pepper, 
andQsalt. Now bind all these ingredients together 
with one or two beaten eggs, stuff your chickens, 
How shall we Keep Thanksgiving-Day 1 
The poor, poor stomach ! What crimes against 
digestion are committed in the name of Thanks- 
giving ! Our customs smack somewhat of heathen- 
ism, or would if the overloading of the stomach 
done on Thanksgiving-day were really done iu the 
name of religion. 
Don't I believe in Thanksgiving festivals ? Indeed 
I do. But '' enough is as good as a feaEt," and a 
great deal better than too much. What I wish 
to enter my protest against is the great variety of 
food offered at a single meal, and the indigestibility 
of most of it. The pie-crust alone which is eaten 
on that day adds much to the ill health of indivi- 
duals, and greatly increases the sum total of our 
national dyspepsia. I speak feelingly, for I was 
wretched for two days after last Thauksgiving-day 
iu consequence of the very small amount of pie- 
crust I ate that day. I was away from home, and 
in a part of the country where fresh apple-pie was 
a rarity. I left upon my plates as much of the 
chicken pie-crust and of the crust of fruit pie as I 
dared and pay any regard to good manners — but, 
oh ! the lard ! I understood then for the first time 
why such a cry is made about the indigestibility of 
pie-crust, for I was not brought up on anything 
like that. Now, pie-crust can be made very nice 
aud palatable aud wholesome — not "puff paste, 1 ' 
but sensible crust for good fruit-pies. Use much 
less than the usual recipe of shortening, aud eschew 
lard totally. Good sweet butter or cream are the 
only kinds of shortening hygiene allows. Many 
people who abhor pork use lard for shortening, 
but it is a distinction without any real difference. 
But to the pie-crust. A little baking-powder 
(at the rate of a tea-spoonful to a quart of flour) 
will insure lightness. If you are afraid of the 
" neutral salts" left in bread or crust after the acid 
and alkali unite and effervesce, and dare not put 
your faith in Horsford's bread-preparation, use 
good cream, either sour or sweet, without any 
soda. Let your oven be waning in heat when you 
set the pies in, but hot at that moment, and set the 
pies upon the bottom. This do for the sake of 
taking the bottom crust before it gets soaked with 
the fruit juice. 
How can an intelligent Christian woman set 
mince-pies before Iter family '! If you make them 
so plain that they will not hurt anybody, who cares 
to eat them ? They only taste good when they are 
so spiced that no stomach but the strongest can 
digest them without suffering, aud such thing's 
finally break down the strongest stomach. 
To make such conglomerations as mince-pie, 
pound-cake, old-fashioned fruit-cake, and the regu- 
lation plum-pudding, and expend the thankfulness 
of our hearts over food prepared in the most 
health-destroying manner, i- — well, isn't it blas- 
phemous ? For just see! Here we have the most 
delicious fruits sweeteued and flavored all ready 
for the eating, and such an abundance of beautiful 
and nutritious vegetables which need only the 
simple preparation of cleaning aud softening with 
heat and water to be made fit to set before any 
creature with unvitiated tastes. And shall we or- 
dain our Thanksgiving-day, and then set all God's 
bounteous autumu store in the backgroundnvbile 
we weary and heat ourselves making artificial pre- 
parations which tickle the depraved palate, but do 
injury to the whole body ? 
It is a good time to have those particular goodies 
which are too rare or scarce for every-day use. For 
most people roast turkey comes under that head. 
That is my idea of a feast — to choose a few delicious 
viands aud spread a bountiful table with those. I 
would have plenty of these feasts, too — one for 
Thanksgiving, one for Christmas, one for New- 
Tear, one for Fourth of July, one for each child's 
and each parent's birthday, aud one for each family 
anniversary. A particular kind of choice fruit, or 
game, or good (but not dyspeptic) cake or pie, or 
nuts, or ice-cream, might celebrate each anniver- 
sary. One speciai good thing is enough, with other 
wholesome everyday tare, but more than one 
"goody " is admissible, if there is harmony in the 
flavors, and uo " death in the pot" in the way of 
unwholesomeness. It used to be thought that 
you must cook a little of everything you had in the 
house, but we are outgrowing that childishness I 
trust, as we are learning more about harmonies of 
flavor aud more about the stomach's requirements 
aud powers of endurance. And persons once 
seemed to feel obliged to eat a little of everything 
upou the table. Jean Mace tells of a man who 
died suffocated from excess of food after one of the 
great public dinners, and "his Etomach was found 
so distended that it alone occupied more than one 
half his inside." Beware of a similar fate ! 
Of course caliug is not the only event of Thanks- 
giving-day. A thankful heart is the great thing! 
And that we should have every day of our lives, 
for there is uo iife so bare and hard that it has no 
cause of thankfulness. Rell. 
Chopped Pickle. 
What we call Chopped Pickle goes also under 
the name of Chow-Chow, Picklette, Higdum, etc. 
It is liked by most persons, is readily made, aud ad- 
mits of the use of a number of articles. There is 
no particular rule for making it, and the basis may 
be of whatever pickle-making material is most 
abundant. We have just put up our winter 6toek, 
and this time made it as follows. Green tomatoes 
furnished the largest share, then there were nearly 
ripe cucumbers with the seeds removed, cabbage, 
onions, and green peppers. These were chopped 
in a chopping-machine and mixed, sprinkled freely 
with salt, aud allowed to stand until the next day. 
The abundant juice was then thoroughly drained 
off, and enough spiced vinegar prepared to cover 
the material. No rule can be given for the spice, 
which may be according to taste. Whole pepper, 
cloves, mustard-seed, broken cinnamon, or what- 
ever spice is fancied, may be boiled iu the vinegar. 
We prefer it with the addition of sugar. Some 
mix up mustard and add to the pickle when cold, 
aud others boil turmeric in the vinegar to give it a 
uuiform yellow color. It is a pickle that can be 
made according to fancy rather than according to 
rule. Iu winter, cabbage, celery, and onions treated 
in the same way make a very fine pickle. As 
with other pickles, the vinegar should be poured 
off, aud boiled, at intervals of a few days, two or 
three times before it is put away for the winter. 
To Clean Smoky Paper-Hangings. 
Take a piece of wood of the shape of a scrub- 
bing-brush, nail a handle on the back, then upon 
the lace nail a piece of dried sheepskin with the 
wool upou it, or flax or tow will do, or cotton- 
flannel of several thickuesses will answer very 
well. Dip this brush into dry whiting, and rub the 
smoke lightly with the brush, on the upper parts 
of the room first — protecting the carpet with mat- 
ting or newspapers, as the whiting-dust is hard to 
sweep off a carpet. The whiting that remains ou 
the wall is easily brushed off with a soft cloth 
attached to a stick. It is very effectual if the room 
is not damp aud the whiting is dry. W. 
To Wash Straw Matting.— Take a 
pail half-full of hot water, a perfectly clean long- 
handled mop, and a dish of dry, unsifted Indian- 
meal. Sweep all dust off the matting, then scatter 
the dry meal evenly over the room. Wring the 
mop so dry that it will not drip at all, and rub 
hard, one breadth at a time, always lengthwise of 
t he straw, and use clean water for each breadth. 
When the matting is dry, the meal can be swept off 
easily ; it should always be done ou a dry day. — W. 
Roots. — If these are stored in a cellar under 
the dwelliug rooms, have them covered with dry 
earth, which will prevent disagreeable aud un- 
healthful odors from coming into the apartments. 
