1867.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
371 
MIFiELMm 
(j^- For other Household Items, see "Basket " pages.) 
Household Ornaments. 
The WardianCase is one of the most entertaining 
and instructive of home ornaments. It is an Inge- 
nious device to keep plants in a thriving and at- 
Fig. 1. — WAKDIAN CASE. 
tractive condition, without the constant attention 
which a bouquet in a vase, or growing plants in 
pots require. The glass which is put over the lit- 
tle bed of plants retains the moisture of the atmos- 
phere and constantly returns it to the bed, so that 
no extra watering is required for weeks. For stock- 
ing a case, plants are usually selected that flourish 
in°deep woods or in moist, secluded places. The 
fine velvety mosses which grow upon rocks, aloDg 
water courses, and aU the smaller ferns, especially 
the Maiden's-hair, are admirable for this purpose. 
One who enters upon 
the study of suitable 
material for stocking 
a ease will be surpris- 
ed at the number and 
beauty of the mosses 
and ferns that grow 
in wet, unfrequented 
woods. The Twiu or 
Partridge berry, {MU- 
chella repens), a trail- 
ing evergreen, with 
flowers growing in 
twos, and bright scar- 
let berries holding on 
all winter; the Ad- 
der's Tongue, JBry- 
IhroniumAmericanum, 
with its curiously 
blotched leaves; the 
Wintcrgrecn, GauL 
theriaprocumbens ; the 
Prince's Tin'', Chima- 
phila »m& ttat I ; the 
Trailing A.rbutus,J£ri- 
gtxa repent, fairest and 
sweetest of all the 
children of the early 
spring, are suitable 
plants for this pur- 
| pose. The catalogue 
' might be greatly ex- 
tended, for almost all 
the plants that flour- 
ish iu wet, shady localities, do well iu the case. 
Many bnlbs flourish here, and you may have your 
Crocuses anticipate their spring blooming out 
of doors by planting the bulbs among the mosses. 
The first thing needed is a suitable frame to hold 
the case. This may indeed be set upon a table or 
shelf, but it is much more elcgaut to have a stand 
made for the purpose, even if it be very rough 
rustic work. Fig. 1 shows a stand made princi- 
pally with the turning lathe. The top piece is 
made concave so as to hold the plate of plants 
without showing it. The plate fits in closely, and 
the edge is concealed by the wooden rim of the 
stand. Three rounds unite the top piece and the 
shaft below, and this is furnished with three legs. 
In tig. 2 a platform under the legs makes a nice place 
for a pot of ivy, which may be traiued gracefully 
about the legs or suffered to climb along the win- 
dow case. A common earthen plate or Ehallow 
tin pan will serve to hold the bed for the plants. 
The preparation of the soil is a matter of consider- 
able importance. Nothing is better than leaf mould 
or rotton wood, which is usually found in abund- 
ance with the plants. With this, pounded char- 
coal should be mixed in about equal parts, and a 
handful of sand be added. The surface should be 
left evenly convex to show the plants to the best 
advantage. The moss now goes on as the back- 
ground of the picture, and the other plants are 
arranged according to the taste of the operator. 
When finished, the glass case is put over it, and 
you have an ornament for the fireside that will 
give you a fresh bit of summer all through the 
dreary winter. ,y ^ 
The divinity who 
presides in our 
household adds, 
"be sure and take 
off the glass case 
every day when 
you are dusting, 
for the space of 
five minutes by 
the clock, and no 
more." As this 
injunction is very 
emphatic, and her 
case is always the 
finest in the town, 
we advise our 
readers to take 
heed. The glasses 
maybe had in city 
stores. A small 3. -aquarium. 
aquarium, made 
in a jar or vase, is shown in Fig. 3. Clean white 
pebbles are put in the bottom of the jar, in which 
are placed some of the plants that live entirely un- 
der water, and which may be found in almost every 
pond or slow stream. Anacharis aud Valisneria are 
very good, but any with fine foliage will do. A 
few small gold fish may be put iu after the plants 
have been established for a few days. This will 
make a handsome ornament for the center or dining 
table, aud may also be used to hold a bouquet. 
Leaves from the Diary of a Young House- 
keeper.— No. X. 
FBIZE ESSAT BY MBS. LAUBA E. LTHAX, STAMFORD, CT. 
WAItnlAN OASB. 
Octtfxr 2d.— I always hail with enthusiasm the 
coming of this month ! The air is so braciug, and 
Nature wears her most gorgeous livery of russet 
and brown and gold. She has just put on the mel- 
low, warm tints that presage tin- coming frosts. 
Summer still lingers lovingly in the lap of autumn, 
arraying herself iu her most fascinating garb, that 
we may more sadly mourn her departure. All the 
morning I have becu in the garden gathering seeds 
for next spring; they arc wrapped up in little pack- 
ages, carefully secured with twine, labeled and put 
away in the seed basket for future use. Taking 
the hint from Edward's practice, I selected the 
seeds from the largest and most perfect plants, *" 
as to improve the varieties. By continuing thus, 
I hope in two or three years to have the very best 
seed of everything which the garden produces. 
October l'itti.—l am in the midst of my prepara- 
tions for the Fair which is to take place next week, 
aud find myself absorbed in the very natural house- 
wifely ambition to carry off some of the prizes 
which have been offered. If I fail it will not be 
for want of effort on my part, but because some 
more successful competitor has more knowledge, 
skill, and experience than I possess. For several 
days the cows have been turned into the wheat 
fields to feed upon the young clover that has sprung 
up there since harvest ; this will give the butter a 
richer flavor and a more golden color to the but- 
ter than the pasture they have been in lately. 
The abundant care I have always taken of my 
milk and cream is redoubled. Every day I seald 
my pans iu hay water that they may be perfectly 
sweet, aud watch my milk carefully, using my best 
judgment in removing the cream from it at just 
the right moment. This morning I churned, and 
more fragrant, golden, delicious butter I never 
saw iu my life. I have worked it over once, and 
just before dark shall do so again, and mould 
it into the shape of a pineapple. Four of the 
lumps will just fill a little shallow hemlock firkin 
Edward bought for me, to put them in to carry to 
the fair. They will weigh about three pounds 
each. Besides my butter, I am going to take to 
the fair some Boston brown bread, which is quite 
a novelty in these parts, and my parlor rug. - 
October lith.— To-day I made my brown bread. 
Last night I sifted two quarts of corn meal, 
and wet it iu warm buttermilk from my last 
churniug, and set it to soak over night. This 
gives it full time to swell, and extracts all the 
sweetness of the meal, which is fresh ground, and 
of this year's growth. This morning I added a 
pintof the bestmolasses, two piutsaudalialf of rye 
meal, some salt, buttermilk sufficient to moisten the 
whole, and soda to neutralize the acid of the but- 
termilk. After mixing all the ingredients thor- 
oughly, I put it iuto a large earthen pan and baked 
it three hours in a moderately heated oven, being 
careful to preserve the heat at a uniform tempera- 
ture. A little of the dough I put in a smaller pau, 
aud Edward declares it is the best brown bread I 
ever made, but suggests that, as many object to the 
hard crust formed over the top of the loaf by this 
long baking, I had better make another loaf to- 
morrow, and steam it in my pudding pan. There 
is no crust at all upon bread cooked in this way, and 
its flavor, too, is different from that which is baked. 
My rug, which has been so much admired, and 
which resembles tapestry carpeting so closely that 
everybody takes it for an imported article, I made 
of carpet thrums, purchased at a carpet factory. 
They co=t only two dollars, but such a rug as I 
made of them could not be purchased for less than 
ten dollars. My own labor iu its manufacture I 
never count; it was a recreation from the routine 
of household duties. The pattern, which I made 
myself, is a double cornucopia, filled and over- 
flowing with flowers of all hues aud every variety. 
I took them from worsted patterns aud varied the 
figure to suit my taste, 
Edward is going to take two of the largest and 
fattest of the Chester Whites we raised with so 
much care last spring, and we shall carry also some 
of the handsomest clusters of our grapes, aud the 
largest and finest flavored of our apples. 
October 20th.— We returned Iasl evening from the 
Fair, and a most delightful time we had. .My but- 
ter, my bread, my rug, each drew a prize. For the 
butter, I received a beautiful silver cup; for the 
bread, a silver lr uii knife ; and forth.- nig, a silver, 
dessert spoon, Thcj shineon the table as I write, 
apd much as 1 prize them for their intrinsic value, 
the honor of which th.y arc the pledge, I rate of 
far more worth. My butter was pronounced by the 
judges as at once more beautiful iu appearance, 
and excellent in quality, than any other at the Fair, 
and it was beautiful ; four magnificent goldeu pine- 
apples in a setting of green leaves; they looked 
like fruitage from the trees of Eden ! The silver 
cup I shall keep, but the butter that took the 
prize I have sent as a gift to our excellent pastor. 
When our hired man brought back the articles 
wo sent to the Fair, I missed the two pigs from the 
| farm wagon, and saw in it a big square box of pine 
