146 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
if you neglect preventives, you will be safe iu 
getting a gross or two of cholera remedies. 
April 30. — Jennette was so anxious I should go 
part way home with her, and visit a friend of ours 
who lives near the railroad, that Edward consented 
to spare me two days, and I got back home last 
night, I never thought Sue White would make 
such an admirable housekeeper and mother as I 
found her to be. At school she was one of the 
most learned and intellectual students in the whole 
Academy, and quite a literary character. I expect- 
ed to find her house rather neglected, and her two 
boys resembling the children of literary people 
generally-. But Sue has consummate sense as well 
as ability, and she has applied it to the regulation of 
her household and to the training of her boys, 
while she still reads a good deal, and freauently 
contributes to the Monthlies. 
I never saw more intelligent children. The old- 
est is not quite seven and the youngest just five. 
At morning prayers their father opened to the les- 
son for the day, iu Chrouicles I believe, and asked 
the boys " what the chapter was about yesterday 
morning." The youngest boy happened to remem- 
ber first what it was, and gave a very graphic ac- 
count of the destruction of the host of Sennacherib. 
Then the elder added something more about Heze- 
kiah, showing the utmost interest in the Scriptural 
narrative. I was very much pleased with Mr. 
White's mode of conducting family devotions. As 
lie read, he put every thing into language the chil- 
dren could understand, and they listened as to an 
Arabian Nights' tale. Then they- all sung a few 
verses of the boys' selection, and at the conclusion 
of the devotions all joined in repeating the Lord's 
prayer. Then the little boys went to their mother 
for a kiss, the customary reward for good bekavior 
in prayer time. She told me afterward, iu speaking 
of their family training, that they had commenced 
at Genesis, and had read to that morning's lesson 
in the same way, explaining everything a child 
could be made to understand, and requiring from 
the children an account each morning of the lesson 
which had been read the previous day. 
When Mr. White came in to dinner, the boys 
gathered round him and said : " Papa, won't you 
please tell us a story while dinner is getting ready ?" 
"What kind of a story — a hear story?" "No, 
Papa, a historical story." So he told them in a 
most graceful and simple style the story of John 
Smith and Pocahontas. They ran to get the little 
magnetic globe their mother had earned by a con- 
tribution to one of the magazines, to find Virginia, 
and then the Atlas, as the divisions into States were 
not marked on the globe. I was equally surprised 
and delighted to find how much they kuew of 
geography, all taught them from the globe by 
their mother principally, as Mr. AVhite is away 
much of the time. Sue said they never told their 
boys fairy tales or taught them Mother Goose's 
melodies, but translated into child language the 
innumerable stories scattered through all the books, 
Homer stories, Milton stories, geographical stories, 
Shakspeare stories, historical stories. 
My visit was only too short. I found that Sue 
had carried into housekeeping the same mental 
activity which characterized her at school — that she 
was constantly applying the principles of chemistry 
and physiology which she had learned at the Acade- 
my, to evcry-day life in the kitchen and nursery. 
I intend to imitate her example, and, instead of 
regretting that I can not carry my scientific and 
literary studies further, endeavor to apply all the 
knowledge I possess to the duties of daily life. 
JLieaves from inj" Journal. — ^fo. HI. 
PRIZE ESSAY BY MRS. E. MCLELLAN, OF OHIO. 
April. — I partly uncovered some of my bulbs to- 
day. They are crowding their heads out into the 
world again, but looked so delicate that I hid them 
away as soon as possible. The air is too chilly ; we 
shall have frost yet. My house-plants have afforded 
us much pleasure through the long, cold winter ; 
I have no good place for them. At the south 
■window of the sitting-room I make room for a few, 
but it is too warm. Roses, geraniums, and some 
running plants, have grown well. They make the 
winter sitting-room fragrant and cheery, and are a 
pleasant reminder of the beauty of summer. By 
April, one tires of the confinement of house. 
Somehow, things look faded, and not overnice. 
The fresh springing grass, the young willows by 
the brook, the trailing arbutus with its pink fra- 
grant blossoms looking out from some lingering 
snowdrift in the woods, seem more beautiful than 
ever before. But winter clothing must not be 
recklessly east off. The ground is damp and cold. 
Warm weather is not yet here, and nothing is gained 
by trying to forestall its coming. 
While making sponge cake to-day, I thought of 
the time, now long ago, when I said to a lady friend 
in my family that I quite despaired of ever being 
able to make sponge cake. She at once volunteer- 
ed to teach me I gladly engaged in the process, 
though with rather a tedious time in prospect. 
According to her direction it must be stirred " two 
hours by the clock. 1 ' The cake would by no means 
compare favorably with that made and baked to- 
day iu just forty minutes. The rule is so simple, 
I wish every housekeeper had it. It has been in 
the Agriculturist, but will bear to be published a 
second time. Six eggs, well beaten together, two 
cups of sugar, two of flour, two teaspoonfuls cream 
of tartar, and one of soda, with a little salt. It 
should bake quickly as possible without burning, 
being careful to have the oven right when it goes in, 
instead of making the fire afterwards. It is much 
nicer to be kept a few days before eating, iu the 
cellar in a stone jar. A "Farmer's Fruit Cake" 
was noticed in the Agriculturist for January, 1865, 
which I had the curiosity to try I was surprised, 
as well as all others who have tasted it, at its excel- 
lence. The apple prepared as directed has much 
the taste of citron, and the whole would pass for 
rich fruit cake, while it can be eaten without injury. 
Tarts arc very easily made, and filled with nice 
jelly, are a great ornament to the table, as well as 
highly relished. A small piece of pie-crust left 
from pie-making, with which the young house- 
keeper don't know what in the world to do, will 
make a plate full. The crust is to be rolled 
very thin, aud baked quickly in patty pans. 
I have been ironing shirts aud collars. Hannah 
can't make them look nicely. I rather think she 
don't care to learn, for I have given her faithful 
lessons. The gloss and smoothuess must be put 
on while drying, just as in polishing a stove or boot, 
and the harder the pressure the better. Muslins, 
laces and embroideries need working and clapping 
iu the hands until they are very clear from starch, 
and if ironed when quite damp will look neariy as 
well as new. It is a good rule to have ironing fin- 
ished by Wednesday night, as Thursday must be 
partly occupied with baking. 
I was at Lizzie's just after dinner. I found her 
cleaning the gridiron. It had got sadly burned while 
she cooked a small piece of steak, ami she was 
scraping it with a knife, while Georgey, iu high glee, 
evidently thought she was at work for his benefit. 
Is there noway, she inquired, that I can cook a 
piece of meat, no bigger than the palm of my hand, 
without such a bother as this ? Tes, indeed, I re- 
plied. Take that little stew pan, with a long handle, 
and, putting it over a good fire uutil it is hot, place 
the steak in it, covering tightly. Of course it will 
adhere to it at first, but in a moment or two be- 
comes juicy, when it must be turned, keeping it 
covered as far as possible. Turn it every half min- 
ute, aud iu three it will be done. Upon putting it 
iuto a dish, add butter, pepper and salt, cover still, 
and by the time you have placed your other dishes 
upon the table, there will he a sufficiency of gravy ; 
and I question whether Henry could tell that it was 
not broiled on the gridiron after the former fashion. 
I was a long time learning how to roast meat. 
But once when employing a washerwoman who had 
formerly been cook in a large boarding establish- 
ment, she said to me bluntly: " Why, Mrs. Frisby, 
you roast your meat to death. It is as tough as 
leather, and I reckon has not much better taste !" 
After this, according to her direction, I put the 
meat into a hot oven at eleven, and it was in readi- 
ness for dinner at twelve. The roast is thus quickly 
browned over and its juices retained. Before, I had 
cooked it two hours in an oven of only moderate 
heat. Many and many a time have I thus obtained 
most useful information from persons whose expe- 
rience had taught them more than can be learned 
from books. When first married, I studied my 
cook-book so constantly that my husband called it 
my "Library." Though valuable, of course, it 
often failed to inform me about some little point 
most essential to success. Salt or fresh meat when 
boiled is seldom cooked long enough. It should be 
just ready to drop from the bone when taken up. 
As it becomes cold, it hardens somewhat. A beef 
bone, with a little lean meat upon it, will make an 
excellent soup. Boil very thoroughly, and, remov- 
ing the bone, add such vegetables as you fancy, 
chopped finely together. A little rice thrown in, 
is an improvement. This is a convenient dinner 
for ironing day. But, Lizzie, I came to take you 
away from gridirons and dishwater a few days. We 
have decided upon a few improvements at home, 
aud shall be "topsyturvy" awhile. I want a lit- 
tle visit from you first — I shall take Georgy in his 
wagon with me, and you may follow at your leisure. 
Go round by the store and tell Henry as much. 
How Women Can Help Us, 
Aud at the same time help themselves. There are 
multitudes of ladies among our readers who are 
longing for "something to do," and are willing to do 
it. They have heard of woman's rights possibly, 
and of the enlargement of her sphere of usefulness. 
We should like to accomplish this latter, and our 
own, at the same time. We are aiming at a refor- 
matory work, on the farm aud in the household. 
We seek to lighten woman's burdens iu every koine 
we enter, and to cheer her in every department of 
her toils. And we have abundant evidence, in the 
kindl\' appreciation of the Agriculturist in the fami- 
lies where it is read, that we are successful in this 
work. Every such family can pursue its labors 
more intelligently and profitably. There is an at- 
mosphere of cheerfulness and thrift in these homes, 
that we do not find where no paper is taken. Now 
we want to enter the millions of homes of cultiva- 
tors where no agricultural paper is read, and intro- 
duce this new atmosphere. Wo want to teaeh bet- 
ter methods of husbandry and housekeeping, and to 
make the whole family, men, women, and children, 
better aud happier in their home duties and toils. 
In this matter the ladies can help us as others 
can uot. Many of them have the leisure and spe- 
cial adaptation to the work, aud we offer large pre- 
miums in useful articles as a reward. If they 
would take a subscription paper and go aroufld 
among their friends and acquaintances and ask 
them to subscribe, they would get well paid for 
their trouble, and enlarge our field of usefulness. 
We greatly desire to have a hearing in every one of 
the five millions of homes that are sustained by the 
products of the farm and garden. We have a good 
deal to say that will aid production, and digestion. 
Will the ladies help us ? 
. ^-4 — ii i a iw ■ ■ ■ 
BjIiiic Soap. — The substance that forms in 
flocculent masses iu hard water when soap is used in 
it, is lime soap, which is insoluble in water. An 
acquaintance tried to remove some mortar spots 
from his clothes by rubbing soap upon them; the 
result was the gumming up of his clothes with 
lime soap, which no washing would remove, and 
no fluid that he could apply would dissolve. We 
recommend him to soak the spots in vinegar, or 
some other dilute acid. This will decompose the 
soap, leaving a lime salt, to be washed out, and the 
grease remaining in the cloth. Then he can remove 
the grease with benzine, or in any other way. The 
acid may discharge the color of the garment, for 
some delicate colors are affected at once by acid, 
but many colors will not be changed. Where 
hard water is continuously used for washing, the 
fabrics become harsh and disagreeable from this 
lime-soap. The use of soda will in a good mea- 
sure prevent its formation. 
