1878 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
185 
and leaves a bright gloss. It can only injure leather 
mechanically, several coats will made it stiff, which 
may be avoided by occasionally oiling the leather. 
A Dressing for Patent Leather. — When 
patent leather boots or shoes lose their original 
lustre, they may be revived by a very simple dress¬ 
ing. Sugar one pound ; Gum Arabic, in powder, 
one ounce ; Ivory-Black, one pound. Add a pint of 
water, and boil together, stirring, until the Gum aud 
Sugar are well dissolved. If two thick to apply 
smoothly, add more water. Let stand for a few 
hours for the coarser portions of the ivory-black to 
settle, then pour off and bottle. This is to be ap¬ 
plied to the patent leather with a soft camel’s-hair, 
or badger-hair brush. When a new application is 
to be made, the former coat, if too thick and stiff, 
may be removed by washing it off with a damp cloth. 
This renews the lustre of patent leather perfectly, 
and was given us by a gentleman from Europe, who 
paid his French valet a round-price for the secret. 
Household Notes and Queries. 
A Good Preparation of Veal. —This being 
the “veal season,” the following is an excel¬ 
lent mode of preparing it to be eaten cold, and for 
keeping it on hand for several days, ready for im¬ 
mediate use : Take say 31 lbs.—the thick part of 
the leg is preferable, with the tough tendonous 
parts removed—chop it tine without cooking ; mix 
well with it 4 soda crackers rolled fine, 3 well-beat¬ 
en eggs, 1 tablespoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of 
pepper, i nutmeg, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, or a 
small piece of butter. Make it into a loaf, and bake 
in a dripping-pan without water, with quick heat at 
first, to close the outside and retain the juices, and 
continue the baking about II toll hour. Serve 
cut in thin slices. An excellent lunch in traveling. 
Another Wat to Cook Veal. — In England 
everybody goes to the races, and great preparations 
are made for the lunch on those occasions. Veal 
prepared in this manner is a favorite at the race 
lunch, but will be found useful at other times. 
Butter a good sized bowl, and line it with thin slices 
of hard-boiled eggs. Have veal and ham both in 
very thin slices ; place in the bowl a layer of veal, 
with pepper and salt, then a layer of ham, omitting 
the salt; then a layer of veal, and so on alternating 
with veal and ham until the bowl is filled. Make a 
paste of flour and water, as stiff as it can be rolled 
out; cover the contents of the bowl with the paste, 
and over this tie a doubled cotton cloth. Put the 
bowl into a saucepan, or other vessel, with water 
just up to the rim of the bowl, and boil three 
hours ; then take it from the fire, remove the cloth 
and paste, and let it stand until the-next day, when 
it may be turned out and served in very thin slices 
Gasoline. —“ C. T. M.,” Bolivar Co., Miss., asks • 
“Is Gasoline any more dangerous to use for burn¬ 
ing than coal-oil, and what is its composition ? ”— 
Without knowing what our correspondent means 
by “coal-oil,” we can answer that Gasoline is 
eminently—fearfully dangerous, and should not be 
used in any lamp whatever. To answer his ques¬ 
tion as to composition in general terms, we may say 
that Petroleum, ae it comes from the wells, is a 
mixture of several distinct compounds of carbon 
and hydrogen. The products from different loca¬ 
lities vary greatly, but they are all mixtures 
of hydro-carbons, which are distinguished especi¬ 
ally by a great difference in their boiling points. 
If petroleum be placed in a still, and heat gradual¬ 
ly applied, first Rhigolene, will pass off. This 
ha? the lowest boiling point of any liquid, as it 
boils at 65° Fah. Then when the heat is raised to 
120° Fah. Gasoline will pass off. At 180° Naphtha 
will be distilled; of this there are three kinds; 
one boiling at 180°, another at 220°, and another 
at 300°. When the heat is raised to 350°, the 
liquid which passes off is known as Kerosene , and 
there are others that boil at higher temperatures 
than this. This is the only petroleum product that 
can be safely used, and Gasoline or Naptha alone, 
or, as they unfortunately sometimes are, mixed with 
Kerosene, should be avoided. While there are con¬ 
trivances for bumingthe vapor of Gasoline mingled 
with air, as a substitute for gas, and for aught we 
know, some of these under proper management 
may be safe, there is no way, no lamp, in which 
the liquid Gasoline, or either of the Naphthas can 
be safely burned. Who ever does this, assumes a 
risk he has no right to take, and exposes others to 
dangers fearful to contemplate. Let them all alone ! 
Yeast. —“Mrs. C.,” of Hawley, Minn., finding 
the preparation of the yeast, in providing bread for 
' a large family, to be no little labor, has simplified 
the matter as follows: “ When the potatoes are 
boiled for dinner, I pour the water in which they 
have been cooked into a pitcher, setting it aside to 
cool. By the time dinner is over, it is about the 
proper heat. I then add a tablespoonful each of 
sugar, salt, and flour, mix together thoroughly, 
and pour this into the yeast-jar, which, of course, 
has left in it some of the old yeast. In this way I 
have always fresh, good yeast on hand, with com¬ 
paratively no trouble.”—This is not very definite as 
to quantities—of course it refers to water from 
peeled potatoes; but the plan of adding fresh 
materials to the yeast-jar is a good one. 
Cottage Pudding.—“H. M. J.” If one wishes to 
prepare a dessert hurriedly, or when an unexpected 
visitor comes on a day when the dinner is somewhat 
meagre, this puddiug answers an excellent purpose, 
as it is easily and quickly made, and “very filling 
for the price.” The materials required are : Flour, 
three cupfuls, or sufficient to make the batter; But¬ 
ter, one tablespoouful; Sugar, one cupful; Eggs, 
two ; Milk, one cupful; Soda, half a teaspoonful; 
Cream of Tartar and Salt, of each, one teaspoonful. 
Mix the Cream of Tartar with the Flour, beat the 
Whites of the Eggs. Put the Butter, Sugar, and 
Yolks of the Eggs together, then work in the Milk, 
Soda, and Salt, adding gradually, the Flour and 
Whites of the eggs. There should be flour enough 
to make a fairly stiff batter. Butter a mould ol¬ 
dish, and bake. It may be turned out;, or served 
from the dish. To be eaten with any liquid sauce. 
Lemon Pie. —The grated rind and juice of one 
Lemon, one teacupful each of White Sugar and 
boiling water, one tablespoonful each of Butter 
and Corn-starch, one Egg. Begin by creaming to¬ 
gether the butter and sugar. Mix the corn-starch 
with a little cold water, and stir this into the boil¬ 
ing water. Pour this hot starch mixture over the 
sugar and butter, stirring together. While it is 
cooling, beat the egg and prepare the lemon. Stir 
all together, and bake with one crust. 
Carpet Moths.— “ W. W. B.” We have pub¬ 
lished it once before ; but it is seasonable, and we 
will give it again. These moths are mostly under 
the edges of the carpet, but take refuge in the cracks 
of the floor and under the base-board. Fold a sheet 
or other cloth to a handy size, wet it, and lay it upon 
the carpet; then have several flat-irons quite hot, 
and iron the cloth. This will drive the steam 
through the carpet and into all the cracks. By per¬ 
severing with this, at intervals of a few days, to 
catch those that have hatched after the application, 
you will soon overcome them. Repetition is im¬ 
portant in all battles with insects, as eggs often 
escape the treatment that kills the insects. 
RECIPES WANTED. 
A house-keeping friend asks for a recipe for 
making Scrapple, said to be a popular breakfast 
dish in Philadelphia. We think it is a modified kind 
of head-cheese—will some one tell how to make it? 
Apple Dumplings, Steamed.— “ Mrs. H.,” of Ni¬ 
agara Co., N. Y., fails to make Steamed Apple 
Dumplings to exactly suit the taste of “Mr. H.” 
Will some of her house-keeping sisters help her? 
Rte Flour.— “ Mrs. A.” of Erie Co., N. Y., 
would like to know the best method of making Rye- 
bread, and for using rye flour generally. They can 
raise excellent rye, but have to buy all their wheat. 
“Salt-Raising.” — “A Subscriber,” very sen¬ 
sibly prefers “yeast-bread,” but would like to know 
how to make other kinds to use in an emergency. 
“The Queen of Puddings.” —“Mrs. D.,” of 
Brenham, Texas, saw a recipe for this, several 
years ago. Can any one give us the recipe to 
publish it for the benefit of her and others? 
1B©YS <k ©©MMMo 
Aunt Sue’s Chats. 
A Card-Basket.—“ K. B. W.”—I know of no better 
pattern for ‘ ‘a card-basket of perforated card-board,” than 
Fig. 1.— PATTERN FOR CARD-BASKET. 
that with a hexagonal base and six five-sided pieces 
around the sides. Figure 1 shows you half of the sides 
sewed upon the base. Let each side of your hexagon be 
exactly one inch and three-quarters wide. Cut your side- 
pieces of the shape of figure 2. (You will see the dimen¬ 
sions marked upon it.) Bind the pieces around, with 
narrow lute-string ribbon. You can either work some 
little design on each piece with silk or worsted, or you 
can stick a little picture upon each. Overhand the pieces 
together (as seen in fig. 1). Be careful to sew to the 
Fig 2.— ONE SIDE OF BASKET. 
hexagonal base the side of the five-sided piece which 
measures II inches. A little bow of lute-string at the 
top (inside) of each side seam, will add to the effect. 
Red Japan Varnish.—“J. D. F.”—The simplest way 
to make this, is to procure a stick of the best red sealing- 
wax, break it into small pieces, and drop it into a wide¬ 
mouthed bottle; then cover the sealing-wax with strong 
alcohol; cork the bottle, and set in a warm place. When 
thoroughly dissolved, it will be fit*for use. You can dip 
your little twigs in it “ to make them look like coral.” 
The varnish soon dries, so you can give several coats, 
if needed, without much trouble. Poor sealing-wax 
will make an unsatisfactory varnish. Buy of a stationer, 
who knows what a good article is. 
Polishing Shirt-Bosoms.—Selma wishes me to tell 
her “how to give a glossy appearance to shirt-fronts and 
collars, such as they have when new.”—I can tell you, 
Selma, how to make the starch, hut a great deal depends 
upon the ironing. Make a quart of starch the usual way, 
but see that it is very smooth and very thoroughly boiled. 
While hot, stir into it a piece of spermaceti, about as 
large as a hickory nut; then add a tablespoonful of 
gum-water, and stir all well together. You can always 
keep the gum-water prepared. The proportions are, two 
ounces of gum Arabic to one pint of water; but you had 
better make only half the quantity if you use it but once 
a week, as it spoils, especially in warm weather. But 
after making the best possible starch, you can not make 
the linen look “like new” without a “polishing-iron.” 
These are sold at the furnishing stores, and are like a 
common flat-iron, but with rounded edges, and a highly 
polished steel face. It is hard rubbing with an iron of 
this kind that gives the new articles and those from the 
city laundries their peculiar gloss. 
Crackers.—Beltine had no success with her crackers; 
who will tell her how to make them ? 
I. T. E. asks me for a “ description of printing done in 
old times, materials used,” etc.—Some say that the 
Chinese printed from engraved blocks of wood, fifty years 
before the Christian era. Then we hear of it in Venice 
in the fourteenth century, where they fastened a page ot 
manuscript on to the face of a block of wood, and engraved 
