1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
411 
bage, but abstained from it on account of the 
unpleasant odor that pervades the house 
while it is being cooked. To avoid this odor, 
he fitted a tube to the lid of the pot or boiler, 
which conveyed the steam from the cooking 
cabbage into the pipe of the stove, as shown 
in the engraving made from his sketch. 
There is nothing new about this, but it is 
just as much an invention, born of necessity, 
as if it had not been done long, long ago, 
in the early days of cooking stoves. Some 
half century ago, every stove-pipe had its 
openings, closed when not in use by a swing¬ 
ing valve, and every pot-lid was so arranged 
that, if need be, a tube could be put on to 
carry the steam up chimney. In those days 
the kitchen was, in most families, the dining¬ 
room also—indeed, on most farms the kitchen 
was the room of the house, the living-room, 
the center around which the whole house¬ 
hold moved. As the dining-room became 
separated from the kitchen, this contrivance 
and others for making cooking less disagree¬ 
able, went out of use. This simple contriv¬ 
ance for carrying off the steam from cooking 
cabbage and other offensive odors 
Has Been Invented Anew, 
to our knowledge, several times within the 
last 20 years. Being a necessity, it keeps on 
being invented, as our correspondent is wit¬ 
ness. There is one point in the sketch of 
“ H. J, N.,” that is worthy of note. The tin¬ 
smith, if told to make such a tube to carry 
off the steam from the cooking-pot to the 
stove-pipe would have the tube shut on over, 
or on the outside of the socket placed on the 
pot-lid. Our friend has his inserted on the 
inside of the socket. He is right. Some of 
the steam will be condensed in the tube, 
and the water will run back. If the pipe 
shuts over the socket this water would drip 
upon the hot stove, and increase the trouble ; 
placing it within the socket, it falls back into 
the pot. A very little matter this ; but much 
of our comfort in this world depends upon 
little matters. Our correspondent writes of 
the perfect success of this contrivance, not 
only in cooking cabbage, but with onions, 
and all other vegetables that give off an odor 
while cooking.“Mrs. A. S.” writes from 
Yakima Co., Wash. Terr., to tell her method of 
Cookiug Evaporated Fruit. 
As explained elsewhere, the term “evapo¬ 
rated ” is given in the market to fruit dried 
rapidly by artificial heat, to 
distinguish it from the vast¬ 
ly inferior sun-dried fruit. 
It appears that this “Evap¬ 
orated Fruit ” has made its 
way to the far northwestern 
Fig. 1.— A COOKING STEAM-PIPE. 
portion of our country. Our correspondent 
writes that she puts the evaporated apples in a 
granite-ware saucepan covered with water, 
and allows them to soak over night. After this, 
half an hour’s gentle simmering—not boiling 
—in the closely covered saucepan, cooks them 
perfectly. She avoids stirring the fruit, in 
order to keep the pieces as whole as possible. 
Pies made from the evaporated fruit cooked 
in this manner, she regards as in no respect 
inferior to those made with fresh apples. 
Have You Started tbe Ivy? 
Of all satisfactory household plants, at least 
of a climbing habit, nothing 
equals Ivy. By Ivy, we do 
not mean “Parlor Ivy,” or 
“ German,” or any other Ivy 
—but simply Ivy— Hedera, 
the thick-leaved evergreen, 
that clothes European ruins 
in such drapery of verdure, 
which flourishes so finely on 
houses in Virginia and the 
adjoining States. It cannot 
be trusted on the walls of 
buildings even in New York 
City. It will grow on for 
several years, and just when 
it is most beautiful, an un¬ 
usually severe winter will cut 
it down and make it a most 
wretched and forlorn object. 
The Plant of All Plants 
for the house is the Ivy. If 
one has a piece, a bit only 
six inches long, with time 
and patience all the rest will 
follow. This piece may be 
had of a friend, or any 
nurseryman or florist will 
send a small rooted plant or 
some cuttings by mail, for a 
small sum. If the plant has 
roots, plant it in a pot in 
good soil. If it has not roots, 
do the same, and it will soon 
make roots, for it is one of 
the easiest of all things to 
grow from cuttings. Slow 
of growth at first, if given 
larger pots as the roots re¬ 
quire, it will in time run to 
be trained over the window 
frame, up the corner of the 
room and along the cornices, 
over picture frames, and 
everywhere, and make a 
drapery so beautiful that no one will ever 
think of the pattern of the wall paper. One 
of the finest displays of Ivy we ever saw was 
in a very old Dutcli house, one built in the 
early days of New York State : the parlor had 
all the beams exposed, and these beams and 
the heavy window frames were all draped 
with a profusion of Ivy. Any one, with a 
very small outlay, and time, can produce 
equally fine effects. Ivy out of doors will 
bear quite a severe freezing, but in the house, 
if in a state of growth, it must not be allowed 
to freeze. If the soil is kept moist, and to 
remove the dust, the foliage is gone over oc¬ 
casionally with a damp sponge or cloth, a 
plant a foot high will be a thing of beauty, one 
20 feet high, or long, will be a wonder of grace 
and cheerfulness. A cut from the admirable 
“ Winter Greeneries at Home,” by the Rev. 
E. A. Johnson, illustrates our remarks. This 
represents the Ivy in a portion of his house. 
Green Corn Fritters are good or bad 
according to the manner of making them. 
If made from raw com, it rarely gets proper¬ 
ly cooked. Our method is to. boil for dinner 
enough ears to have an excess to give a supply 
for fritters for the next morning’s breakfast. 
There is an admirable little corn cutter sold 
at the furnishing stores, which slits the ker¬ 
nels and scrapes out their contents. Those 
who have not such a help, can cut the corn 
from the cob in the usual way. An excellent 
method is to run a sharp knife lengthwise 
of the rows, and with the back of the knife 
scrape out the contents of the kernels. In 
whatever way the corn may be removed from 
the cob, take two coffee-cupfuls of the corn, 
three eggs well beaten, a small cupful of flour, 
and mix, adding enough cream to make the 
mixture thin enough to drop from the spoon. 
Drop in spoonfuls into very hot fat, and fry 
quickly. With these fritters properly made, 
one will hardly know what to do with the 
meat and other things provided for breakfast. 
Potted Ham is sold in small tins at a very 
high price ; it is a most excellent article for 
travellers’ lunches and similar uses. To make 
it, lean and very tender boiled ham is re- 
- quired; the meat is chopped fine and after- 
wards beaten in a mortar, an old-fashioned 
wooden one, is excellent for this purpose. 
The ham is beaten to a paste, adding butter 
if needed, to make the particles stick together, 
and if desired, a little mixed mustard may be 
added. If to be kept long, it should be put 
in jars, and melted butter poured over the 
surface to cover it- and exclude the air. 
Spread upon slices of bread, it forms the most 
perfect sandwiches imaginable. It is an ex¬ 
cellent way in which to use up the odds and 
ends of a ham, there always being portions 
that cannot be cut into presentable slices. 
Fig. 2.— AN ARRANGEMENT OF IVY FOR A BAT-WINDOW. 
