150 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[MAY, 
They only make the spot larger, and consequently 
set benzine down as useless. One would not think 
of removing a dark stain from the wristband or 
the collar of a shirt by wiping it with a cloth wet- 
ted with soap suds. The soiling substance must 
be dissolved and washed out and then the article 
rinsed to remove the filthy water. Benzine must 
be used in just the same way : there must be a 
thorough washing and rinsing of the stained spot. 
To do this, lay the soiled article on an old blanket 
'or other soft cloth, folded several times ; pour on 
enough benzine to wet the spot, and rub it with a 
piece of sponge or woolen cloth ; then pour on 
some more benzine, so that it will soak down 
through the article being cleaned, and be taken up 
by the cloth below. By operating in this way as 
long as may be thought necessary, the benzine, as 
soon as it becomes charged with the soiling mate- 
rial, will be taken up by the blanket placed to 
absorb it, and will, in a few repetitions, completely 
remove all grease or paint stains. In working with 
benzine, care should be taken to prevent spreading 
any more than can be helped, and before drying to 
wash the edges of the wet portion with a sponge 
or cloth charged with fresh benzine. 
Butter and Cheese in Winter. 
Mrs. Almou Benton, Pottawattomie Co., Kansas, 
writes : " Having noticed an article in the March 
number of the Agriculturist on making butter from 
" frozen milk," I will state my mode, which if tried, 
will be found to produce butter quite as easily in 
winter as summer, and the quality and quantity 
will also he improved. After the milk is strained, 
I place on the stove a kettle with some water in it ; 
then place a pan of milk on the kettle and let it 
remain until the milk is scalding hot ; I then re- 
move the pan and set it away for the cream to rise. 
Pursue the same process till all is scalded. If the 
milk has all been scalded, it matters not whether a 
part or the whole has been frozen. Mix the cream 
thoroughly and place by the stove until it is of the 
right temperature to churn. The butter will all 
come at the same time, which seldom takes more 
than 5 or 10 minutes. Much sweeter butter can be 
made from scalded milk than in the ordinary way, 
as cream not scalded will sometimes get bitter, if 
kept long enough to get a churning in cool weather. 
" For the benefit of those who make " double 
curd cheese," I would suggest the plan which has 
proved; a success with me. When making the first 
curd, scald 'as if going to press immediately, but 
make it quite salt, then set it away until the second 
curd is ready to salt ; put the old and new curds 
together and thoroughly mix ; add more salt if 
necessary. The reasons for this process are: by 
scalding (or cooking) the curd, the whey is nearly 
all separated from it, which, with salt, prevents it 
souring, and the curd being salted it does not set- 
tle in a solid mass, and the necessity of cutting is 
obviated, which, with the soaking, "to get the sour 
out," always removes a portion of the butter from 
the curd." 
For the American Agriculturist. 
A Word about Salads. 
Mr. Editor : It has been said that a French fam- 
ily would live well, on what an American family 
wastes. This I believe to be in a good measure 
true, and in nothing is French domestic economy 
shown more than in salads. The American idea of 
a salad is lettuce dressed with vinegar and sugar. 
The European's idea, is either vegetables alone, or 
vegetables and meat dressed with oil, vinegar, pep- 
per and salt. For a purely vegetable salad, lettuce, 
endive, corn-salad, celery, or chopped cabbage may 
be taken ; this is covered with a dressing, snfflcieut 
to wet it thoroughl}', made in the proportion of 
two tablespoonfuls of olive oil to one of good vin- 
egar, with salt and pepper to taste. There is a 
curious prejudice among Americans against the 
use of olive oil. 'Where this exists, butter melted 
With a gentle heat may be used instead. All fresh 
vegetables to be used for salads should be kept in 
water until served upon the table, in order to have 
them firm and crisp. Another excellent set of 
salads may be made from cold meats ; cold beef, 
veal, mutton, or fowl of any kind may be chopped 
into small pieces and mixed with a share of some 
green salad, or in fault of that, cold boiled beet, 
celery, or even potatoes may be used and covered 
with the above dressing. The chicken and lobster 
salads are usually dressed with what is called May- 
onnaise — a sauce made of the yolks of two eggs 
half a teaspoonful of vinegar, salt and pepper; 
stir in a tablespoonfui of olive oil (or melted 
butter), adding a few drops at a time, and when the 
whole is thoroughly incorporated into a rich, cream- 
like mess, add a tablespoonfui of vinegar. The 
more thoroughly it is stirred, the smoother it will 
be. This dressing is sometimes varied by the addi- 
tion of mustard and is preferred by some ; it is 
mixed with the raw yolk in 6uch proportion as 
may be fancied; then proceed as before direct- 
ed. Hard-boiled eggs, sliced, may be added to all 
meat salads. One of my favorite dishes is the 
genuine potato salad. This is made of cold boiled 
potatoes, sliced and dressed with oil, vinegar, salt 
and pepper, as directed above, with the addition of 
a little onion and parsley chopped fine. Those 
who like salads will find this an agreeable way to 
dispose of cold potatoes. It does not cost much 
to live well if one only knows how, and I hope 
these hints will be useful to your progressive 
housekeeping readers. Htobekt. 
=-. nC» i — »— 
More Good Bread. 
Mrs. E. M. Palmer, Susquehanna Co., Pa., sends 
to the American Agriculturist the following direc- 
tions for making good bread : " Boil enough nice 
white potatoes to thicken one quart of water like 
thick gruel. Stir }{ teacupful of sugar into it, then 
dissolve your yeast cake and add all the salt that is 
necessary for the bread. Let this compound stand 
for twelve hours ; then knead in all the flour that 
is necessary for the bread. If there be not enough 
to wet what flour is required, add a little warm 
water. Be particular to knead it until it will not 
6tick to the board or pan. Let it stand until morn- 
ing in a moderately warm place. Then mould it 
into loaves, let it rise a little, and bake 1 to 1}£ 
hours, according to the heat of the oven." 
An Educated Housekeeper's Views. 
" What are you studying ? " asked a young man 
of a friend who was taking her last year's schooling 
at an academy. — " The common branches, physiol- 
ogy, chemistry, rhetoric, and natural philosophy," 
was the reply.—-" What on earth will you do with 
such learning in farmer G 's kitchen? " exclaim- 
ed he, naming a wortby man to whom she was 
betrothed. I'm afraid you'll find yourself so well 
fitted for some other sphere that your education 
will be a discomfort rather than a source of happi- 
ness." — The answer given to this proved that the 
young lady possessed an educated mind as well as 
book learning. Said she, "How little you know 
about housekeeping. Ton talk as though it were 
like turning a grindstone, or walking on a tread- 
mill, needing only plenty of muscle ; and the less 
brains to make one uueasy, the better. Why ! my 
mistaken young friend, there's more room for 
science and thought and skill in managing a house- 
hold properly, than you'll ever find in your dry 
goods store, with a bank and a grist-mill thrown in. 
It requires philosophy to properly make a fire, wash 
clothes, sweep a room, ventilate an apartment, reg- 
ulate a clock, and a hundred other matters you 
never dreamed of. Cooking is an every day appli- 
cation of chemistry. A woman can mix and heat 
up provisions without knowing any thing about it, 
but the art; but she can make better bread, butter, 
roast, broil or boil more nicely, put this and that 
together in her puddings, pies and cakes with 
greater success, if she knows the why as well as the 
hem. Then, what is a poor, broken-down wife good 
for ? Physiology teaches how to keep health 
in the family ; and then when we have all finished 
the day's work, having applied science all the way 
through, we shall want to look over the papers and 
books which tell what the rest of the world is 
thinking about ; and then don't you see how nicely 
some little knowledge of belle leltres and the laws 
of mind will come in ? A higher sphere, indeed ! 
If those who are so anxious to fill a large place, 
would only take pains to make the place they are 
now in what it might be, depend upon it there 
would be more comfort and less complaints, both 
from themselves and those depending on them. 1 
intend to try to elevate my work to my own level." 
" Upon my word," said the young man, "you make 
out a pretty strong case. I never saw the matter 
in just that light before, and I doubt whether many 
women view it thus ; and that such a good lesson 
may not be lost, I'll send it to the American Agricul- 
turist" and here, Mr. Editor, you have the story. 
To Color with Purslane. 
A correspondent of the American Agrimlturist, 
"M. G.," gives the following directions for coloring 
with the common weed purslane, (Portulacca olera- 
acea). Boil one bushel of the green plant for three 
hours in a copper or brass vessel. Strain out the 
liquor and add to it 1 lb. of logwood chips previ- 
ously soaked, or as much extract of logwood as 
equals a pound of the chips, and % lb. of alum. 
Wet 3 lbs. of the goods to be dyed, place them iu 
the mixture and expose to moderate heat for three 
hours ; while simmering, occasionally raise the 
goods out of the dye and expose to the air. The 
resulting color will be a light bluish purple. 
Boils, Bunions, aii«l Carbuncles.— 
Dr. Hoffman of San Francisco, states in the Medical 
Press of that city, that Tincture of Iodine made of 
double the strength given in the formula of the 
United States Dispensatory, when thoroughly ap- 
plied to boils, bunions, and carbuncles, will relieve 
all pain, and shorten the stages of suppuration more 
than one half. The first application almost entirely 
relieves the feverish symptoms, with the alternate 
agues and unpleasant feelings met with in delicate 
females and other persons. The quantity of matter 
is also much lessened under this treatment. — As we 
find this remedy copied by the Phila. Medical and 
Surgical Reporter, we presume it worthy attention. 
■•-« ■■ ■ ■»■- I m 
Hints on Cooking 1 , etc. 
Bnslts. — Contributed to the American Agri- 
culturist, by Miss L. R. Getter, Montgomery Co., 
0. : Melt K lb- of butter, mix with it % of a pint 
of milk, and flour to make a stiff batter; add 3 
tablespoonfuls of yeast, and set it in a warm place 
to rise. When light, beat 2 eggs with % lb. of 
rolled sugar, add a teaspoonful of salt, 1 of cinna- 
mon, and flour to make the whole of the above in- 
gredients sufficiently stiff to mould up. Work 
them into biscuit form, lay them on flat tins, and 
let them remain until of a spongy lightness before 
baking in a moderately hot oven. 
Soda Biscuit. — By the same contributor: 
1 quart of flour, 2 teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar 
mixed well in the dry flour ; 1 tablespoonfui of 
lard, 1 teaspoonful of soda dissolved in sweet 
milk enough to make a soft dough with the flour. 
Bake in a quick oven. 
Bice Spudding-. — " Peggy " objects to the 
directions given in March for making rice pudding, 
that it is too expensive, and also indigestible from 
the wrong proportion of the ingredients. She says 
a small % teacupful of rice, 2 eggs at most, with a 
few raisins, a little salt and spice, are abundant 'for 
1 quart of milk, which should be sweetened to the 
taste. A very palatable article can be made with- 
out eggs, by adding % more rice. Four eggs and 
a quart of milk would make a very nice dessert of 
custard, and thereby save rice, raisins, and flour. 
The pocket as well as the palate should be consult- 
ed in these high-priced times. 
