106 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[March- 
were stronger in health to begin with; but it is a 
question with me whether we are not suffering the 
■visitation of their sins upon us, in the way of weak 
constitutions. It is certain that the children of our 
day are much more difficult to take care of than 
our grandmothers' were, and our houses are harder 
to keep, in spite of modern improvements. There 
are more rooms to take care of, we use more 
crockery at every meal, and cook a greater variety 
of food. There is more clothing to make, wash, 
iron, and mend, for each member of the family. 
General society makes greater demands upon wives 
and mothers, and more papers and books come 
into our houses, wearying us with their cries to be 
read. I don' t think we need feel at all ashamed or 
discouraged if we are unable to do all that our 
grandmothers did. Like them, let us teach our 
sons and daughters to help us. It may not he easy 
to teach them, but it will pay both them and us. 
It is a false tenderness that seeks to spare the pretty 
hands of a child, and dreads to put a portion of our 
care upon the young shoulders. It should be done 
with kindness and moderation, and for the sake of 
their discipline as well as for our relief. 
" The farmer needs, above all else, a clear head, 
with all his faculties of mind, muscle, light and ac- 
tive, and under complete control. Much depends 
upon temperament, but as a rule such men need 
sound sleep and plenty of it." Is not the remark 
just quoted equally applicable to mothers? " Sound 
sleep and plenty of it !" Some women never know 
that for years and years of their lives. They have 
no vacations from the confining care of young chil- 
dren, and they go constantly hungering for the 
sleep they ueed but cannot get. Much would be 
gained in the way of rest if the baby never slept in 
the same bed with both its parents. In warm 
weather, a crib beside its mother is better ; and in 
very cold weather it should have a good bed 
by itself. The baby should not sleep upon its 
mother's arm, as neither can rest soundly or 
comfortably. It can be taught on the start to take 
food only once during the uight, and may be wean- 
ed from night nursing altogether when quite young. 
From all our lives, some things get "crowded 
out" which we would gladly do. It is a nice 
point to settle what shall be done and what left 
undone, and it is in deciding this that char- 
acter shows itself. I say, let us cherish especially 
those things that tend most to make our families 
healthy, cheerful, and intelligent. We may cut 
down a good deal in the way of clothing and pastry, 
and be the gainers for it. Women owe it to their 
husbands that they talk these things over frankly, 
and both should labor together to do that which is 
for the general welfare. Even in the worst cases, 
there is geuerally more thoughtlessness than un- 
kiudness on the part of husbands. Mothers spoil 
their sons from one generation to another, by liv- 
ing before them uncomplaining lives of drudgery 
and slow suicide. These sons never heard their 
mothers " complain," and they expect as much 
from their wives as their own mothers accomplished. 
Cause of Sour Bread — Yeast. — "A. 
M. C," Cumberland, Md., asks why bread is sour 
after it is baked, and wishes to know if there is any 
acid in flour. Flour contains no acid, but is capa- 
ble of producing acids. When bread is raised 
slowly, especially if leaven (sour dough) is used, 
some lactic aeid is formed, the chemistry of the pro- 
duction of which we will not now consider. Again, 
■when we add yeast to bread to cause fermentation, 
some of the flour is decomposed, a small amouut 
of alcohol is formed, and carbonic acid (gas) is set 
free, which makes the dough light, and causes it to 
raise. When the bread is baked, this fermentation 
is stopped, and the expansion of the gas, which was 
involved in the dough, makes the bread still more 
porous. If the dough remains too long before it is 
baked, another kind of fermentation takes place, 
and acetic aeid is produced, which gives the bread 
a sour taste. A good bread maker shows her skill 
by putting her bread into the oven before souring 
has set in. Even the most careful will, especially 
in warm weather, occasionally have a bat-ch slight,? 
ly soured. The trouble is theu corrected by work- 
ing in a little soda, thoroughly dissolved in blood- 
warm water, just before baking. It is best to avoid 
the necessity for using soda by having quick, fresh 
yeast, and raising the dough as soon as possible. 
A lady correspondent, "M.," says that by using 
the following yeast she never has sour bread : "To 
make yeast that will keep ; put a handful of hops, 
in a bag kept for the purpose, into 3 qts. of boiling 
water; while steeping, wash, peel, and grate 6 
medium sized potatoes, take out the hops, put in 
the potatoes, boil a few minutes, stirring constant- 
ly, add )4 teacup salt, % teacup white or light 
brown sugar, let it cool, theu add a teacup of pota- 
to yeast, if you can get it, if not, brewers' will an- 
swer, let it rise until a mass of foam, theu stir it 
down, put it in a large-mouthed jug and keep it 
corked tight. Observe, if you jug it before it has 
ceased working, the cork will be thrown out. For 
a large family, perhaps a larger quantity, than here 
indicated, will be necessary. I have used yeast made 
in this manner for several years, and never lost any 
from souring in the hottest weather. A teaeup- 
ful will raise two large loaves. The special point 
in this yeast is that there is no flour used iu it." 
Household Talks. 
BT AUNT HATTIB. 
I have been fixing up an old rocking chair that 
has done nursery service for many years. The cane 
bottom seat was almost, gone, so first with a pair 
of scissors, I picked out the whole of it from the 
holes, leaving nothing but the frame. I had pre- 
viously procured some strong packing twine, which 
I threaded backwards and forwards after the man- 
ner of cording an old-fashioned bedstead, making 
a very durable seat ; then I made a cushion, and 
a cover for it, and I value it now more than ever. 
I notice that my new girl wears away a broom all 
on one side. There is nothing annoys me so much 
as to be obliged to use a broom that has been so 
worn. I should be ashamed to have any one see 
Libbie's kitchen broom as it is now. I think noth- 
ing is so suggestive of extravagance and bad house- 
keeping as a one-sided broom. There is no neces- 
sity of having a broom worn down in this way. 
When sweeping, hold the broom up, almost perpen- 
dicular, and brush rather than sweep, being careful 
to turn the broom and keep the longest side to- 
wards the carpet or floor. A broom kept straight, 
will last three times as long as one allowed to wear 
all upon one side. 
Mrs. Gilman asks me to write more about making 
cake. She does not mention her own skill or want 
of success, but writes : " Some of my neighbors 
make shocking cake ! What is the reason that cake 
is not only heavy but oily at times?" — I remember 
that mother used to say, the way to have light cake 
is to beat the whites of the eggs to a perfect froth, 
and add them lightly, the last thing. That was very 
well in those days, when eggs were only 5 to 8 cents 
per dozen, and we put in nine or ten to an ordina- 
ry sized cake, but now, when the farmers get 35, 
and the g-oeers 40 cents for them, it is evident that 
cake must be made light in some other way. I use 
only one egg to one loaf of cake, but I am careful 
to obtain good baking powder, or pure cream of 
tartar, and good soda. I think one great secret of 
light cake making, is this keeping the ingredients 
in a state of foam, during the mixing. For instance, 
beat the sugar, butter, and the yolks of the eggs 
until they turn white and creamy. Then add milk, 
if used, and some of the flour, beat and stir one 
way all the time until the ingredients are mixed, 
and bake immediately. If cream of tartar and soda 
are used, mix the former with the flour, and add 
the soda dissolved in a tablespoonful of warm wa- 
ter, the last thing before the white of the eggs. I 
imagine that cake is oily, at times, for the reason 
that the proportions are not properly measured. 
The sugar in all cases should be as much as, or 
:iore than twice the quantity of butter, and the 
flour should be equal in quantity to the butter and 
sugar together, thus : 1 part of butter, 2 parts of 
sugar, and 3 parts of flour. If these rules are ob- 
served, and the baking powder is good, you can- 
not fail to make good cake. I make a very nice 
cake using only one egg, as follows : Take one 
small teacupful of butter, warmed, two and a half 
teacupfuls of sugar, and the yolk of the egg ; beat 
well together, then add one-half teacupful of milk ; 
add gradually, beating one way, three teacupfuls of 
flour ; flavor with very flue strips of citron or can- 
died lemon peel. Finally add three or four tea- 
spoonfuls of baking powder, the white of the egg, 
and bake in a buttered pan lined with white paper. 
I manage my washing in this way. The evening 
previous to washing-day I put on the boiler and 
two gallons of soft water, allowing about a quarter 
of a pound of sal-soda, and a quarter of a pound of 
soap sliced ; let them boil together until the soap 
and soda are dissolved. I then put the fine white 
clothes into one tub, and the coarsest ones into 
another. To the water in the boiler I add enough 
cold water to make the whole hike warm, aud pour 
it over the clothes, and cover the tubs with a blank- 
et. In the morning I add a pailful of hot water to 
the fine clothes and rub them well from this. They 
then go through another rub in fresh water, are 
next boiled twenty minutes, sudsed, rinsed in blue 
water and hung up to dry. The coarse clothes re- 
ceive the same treatment. My colored clothes are 
washed, rinsed, and starched before hanging out. 
In starching my muslins and the shirt bosoms and 
wristbands, I use boiled starch, being careful to 
rub in well the starch, that is, after the shirt bosom 
has been dipped and wrung out as dry as possible, 
it is well rubbed and patted between the hands. 
This is a secret known to all good laundry women, 
and it is almost impossible to prevent the iron from 
sticking unless this precaution is observed. I can- 
not make Edward's collars stiff enough with boiled 
starch, so I always use cold starch for them. Take 
two teaspoonfuls of starch, and perhaps a half tea- 
cupful of water, or a little more. Have the starch 
thoroughly mixed before dipping in a collar, wring 
out, and rub and pat with the baud, spread on a 
clean towel, and when all are done, roll up the tow- 
el and iron in about an hour. 
■ ■» -. in —~- • 
Hints on Cooking, Etc. 
Cooking' Parsnips and Cabbage. 
— " Lucy Lamb," says : Wash the parsnips, scrape, 
boil tender, and then slice and brown on a griddle, 
with butter to prevent sticking. Carrots are good, 
cooked in the same way Boil cabbage tender 
iu clear water ; drain dry, add salt and a good piece 
of butter put on in little bits ; cut in small squares 
for convenience in serving. Another method, re- 
quiring only half as much time in cooking, is to 
chop the cabbage fine before cooking ; boil in clear 
water forty or fifty minutes, and serve as above. 
It is nearly equal to cauliflower. 
Raised Cake without JEggs. — By 
Lucy Lamb. — Eggs are scarce and expensive, and 
we invent recipes which require few or none. Stir 
together a coffee-cupful of light sugar, and half a 
cupful of butter; add a pint of warm water, half a 
cupful of yeast, and flour enough to make as thick 
as ordinary fruit cake. Rise over night. When 
very light, add a little mace, cinnamon, allspice, 
and nutmeg, aud a cup of chopped raisins. Put 
in the pan, let rise until light ; then bake. 
Marion's Cake. — Stir to a cream a teacup 
of butter aud two of sugar ; then add four eggs 
beaten to a froth, one small grated nutmeg, and a 
pint of flour. Stir until just before it is baked. 
Bake in cups, about 20 miuutes. 
Corn Cake.— By Mrs. R. E. Griffith, Chester 
Co., Pa. — 1 pint of buttermilk, 1 pint of corn meal, 2 
beaten eggs, 1 teaspoonful of soda; beat well to- 
gether and bake in shallow tin pans. Increase 
quantities for more than four or five persons. 
Cookies. — By Mrs. L. A. G. 1 large cup 8f 
butter ; 2 cups of sugar ; 3 well beaten eggs ; % a 
cup of sour cream ; 1 level teaspoonful of 6oda ; cin- 
namon or carraway seeds, aud flour enough to roU, 
