Any one who has been so sick as to re¬ 
quire attention during the night, as well as 
through the day, soon learns what a great 
difference there is among night watchers. 
Under the care of one person, the patient 
will pass an uncomfortable night, while in 
the care of another, the night will be restful 
and even pleasant. In country plaoes, espe¬ 
cially, we are liable to be called upon at any 
time to “ sit up with ” or to “ watch ” with a 
very sick neighbor. This is a friendly office 
which we should always be ready to perform. 
But few families can well bear the expense 
of a hired nurse, even where such is within 
reach, and even where one is employed, it is 
usually necessary that the care at night be 
given by volunteers. One should always obey 
an invitation to watch with cheerfulness, as 
he cannot know how soon he may need the 
same service himself. There are a few general 
rules which should be observed by all who un¬ 
dertake the care of a very sick person. Always 
take a dressing-gown and slippers, or in warm 
weather a thin coat instead of the dressing- 
gown. In very cold weather do not go near 
the sick person until the clothing and hands 
are properly warmed. A person who is greatly 
prostrated, often lias the senses highly sensi¬ 
tive. The sense of smell, for example, is 
sometimes so exalted and acute as to notice 
odors that are not perceptible to the well. 
One of the important things for an intending 
watcher is (if his daily occupation is one that 
is likely to give a marked odor to the clothing) 
to change throughout. Those who smoke 
should observe the same precaution, as the 
odor of stale tobacco smoke is most distress¬ 
ing to an invalid, even if he smokes himself 
when well. In taking possession of the sick 
person for the night, learn the hours for ad¬ 
ministering medicine and food, and write 
them down. It is seldom the case that a sick 
person should be roused from sleep to take 
medicine; but be sure and ascertain what 
directions have been given by the physician 
in this respect. If the patient is very ill, 
never whisper in his presence; if anything is 
to be asked of a member of the family, do it 
out of the room. Avoid all unnecessary 
moving about, and all noise. If in winter, 
and the coal fire is to be replenished, prepare 
beforehand for this by taking some old news¬ 
papers and doing up the coal in parcels—do 
this outside of the room, of course. A parcel 
of coal thus done up can be placed in a stove 
or grate without making any noise. So where 
ice is to be given to the patient; let it be 
broken up beforehand, and then, if ice is 
scarce and care must be taken to preserve it, 
put it in a soup plate and cover it with 
another, then place the plates between two 
feather pillows, and it may be kept for a long¬ 
time. See that the heat from the fire does 
not fall unpleasantly upon the patient, and 
take care that the lamp is properly shaded. 
In warm weather, when the windows are 
open, be careful of a sudden change during 
the night, and see that no drafts fall upon 
the sick person. When medicine is to be 
given, always measure and prepare it out of 
the sight of the patient, so that he may not be 
thinking of it beforehand. When the watcher 
is a friend, the sick person is often tempted 
to talk, and thus induce fatigue. If the ar¬ 
rangement of the room allows it, the attend¬ 
ant should sit out of sight, but where he can 
hear the least whisper. 
Valuable Recipes for the American Agri¬ 
culturist Premium List. 
Three Kinds of Cake from One Recipe. 
—The house-keeper who is limited as to time 
and materials, will find the following recipe 
a most excellent one : 1 lb. flour, 1 lb. sugar, 
3 / 4 lb. butter, 10 eggs. Mix as for pound cake. 
Divide into 3 parts ; take one-third, flavor 
with lemon, or to taste, and bake as a pound 
cake. Mix 1 cupful of raisins, 1 cupful cur¬ 
rants, piece of citron, cut thin, spices to 
taste, with second one-third, and bake as a 
fruit cake. To the remainder add flour 
enough to roll, cut, and fry as crullers. 
Lemon Cake. —Beat together, to a cream, 
1 cupful butter and 3 cupfuls white sugar; 
add 5 eggs, whites and yolks beaten sepa¬ 
rately. Then add the juice and grated rind 
of a lemon. 1 cupful of milk with a teaspoon¬ 
ful of soda stirred in it, and four cupfuls of 
sifted flour. Bake in hot, steady oven. 
Fruit Cake. —1 lb. flour, 1 lb. butter, 1 lb. 
sugar, l‘/ a lb. raisins, half cupful milk, half 
teaspoonful soda, 9 eggs, 1 nutmeg, tea¬ 
spoonful each cinnamon and cloves, 2 wine¬ 
glasses wine, 2 wine-glasses brandy, citron, 
and currants. 
Union Cake. —1 cupful butter, 2 cupfuls 
sugar, 3 cupfuls flour, half cupful corn starch, 
4 eggs, 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar, half 
teaspoonful soda. Lemon to flavor. 
Cream Cake, —Half cupful butter, half 
cupful sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cupful milk, 3 cupfuls J 
flour, 2 spoonfuls baking powder. Filling for 
cake: 1 pint of milk, 2 spoonfuls of corn 
starch, half cupful sugar, half teaspoonful 
vanilla; mix until smooth the corn starch 
in a little milk. Put into a double boiler, the 
remainder of the milk, the sugar, and vanilla, 
and lastly, add the corn starch; stir con¬ 
stantly for about 2 minutes. Spread while 
hot on layers of the cake. 
Tea Cake. —Half cupful of butter, 1 cupful 
of sugar, 1 cupful of currants, 2 eggs, half 
cupful of water, 2 cupfuls of flour, and flavor 
to taste. 
Cookies. —1 cupful of sugar ; half cupful 
of butter or lard (if lard is used, one-third tea¬ 
spoonful of salt will be required), half cupful 
of sweet milk ; half teaspoonful of soda, 1 
egg ; flour sufficient to roll thin. 
Puddings, Etc. —Baked Custard : 1 quart 
milk, 4 eggs, 5 tablespoonfuls of granulated 
sugar, mix thoroughly, flavor with lemon 
or nutmeg. Pour into custard dish or cups, 
and place in shallow pan of cold water, and 
bake in a moderately hot oven. Placing the 
custard cups or dish in the pan of' cold water 
prevents their baking too rapidly, and form¬ 
ing whey. 
Lemon Pie. —Grate the rind of one lemon, 
and add juice; yolks of 3 eggs, 1 cupful of 
sugar, 1 tablespoonful of butter, 2 table¬ 
spoonfuls of flour; put in crust and bake. 
When cooked, spread whites of eggs beaten 
stiff, and place in oven to brown. 
Molasses Lemon Pie. —1 cupful molasses, 
half cupful water, 1 tablespoonful flour, 1 
egg, grated rind and juice of one lemon; 1 
tablespoonful melted butter; mix. Bake 
with three crusts—one at bottom, one in 
middle of pie, one on top. 
Queen Pudding.— 1 pint of fine bread 
crumbs, piece of butter size of an egg. rubbed 
in a tea cupful of fine white sugar, grate the 
rind of one lemon ; beat the yolks of 4 eggs 
in a pint of milk, and mix all together in a 
pie dish, and bake in quick oven until well 
set, but be careful not to let it remain too 
long, as it will become leathery. When cool 
spread a layer of jam on the top. Whip the 
whites of the 4 eggs to a stiff froth with a 
teacupful of sifted sugar, and add the juice 
of a lemon, or lemon extract. Make the 
froth as ‘ ‘ rocky ” as possible, and pile it up 
higher in the center than at the sides. Let 
it brown slightly. 
Sauces. — Mint Sauce. — 2 tablespoonfuls 
green mint, chopped fine, add to it two table¬ 
spoonfuls sugar, and half a cupful of vinegar. 
Parsley and Lemon Sauce. —Wash a hand¬ 
ful of parsley, and chop it up finely with the 
pulp and rind of a lemon ; melt an ounce of 
butter in a saucepan, mix with it a table¬ 
spoonful of flour, add the parsley and lemon ; 
also add sufficient broth or stock, to make 
the sauce, a little powdered mace, and a few 
capers; stir over the fire, and when partly 
cooked, take off fire and add the yolks of 4 
well-beaten eggs. 
Corn Bread. —1 cupful of corn meal, 1 
cupful of flour, 1 pint sweet milk, 1 teaspoon¬ 
ful cream tartar, half do. soda, 1 egg, small 
piece of butter, and half teaspoonful of salt. 
Johnny Cake. —Half pint sour milk, half 
pint meal, 1 egg, 1 teaspoonful sugar, 1 do. 
butter, half do. soda, half do. salt. 
Mayonnaise Sauce.— Yolks of 2 eggs, 1 
saltspoonful of salt, half do. pepper, 1 table¬ 
spoonful vinegar, 1 teaspoonful mustard. 
Beat well together, and add while beating a 
gill of oil. 
Strawberry Cream. —1 pint fresh straw¬ 
berries sprinkled with half oz. white pow¬ 
dered sugar. Let stand for a time to draw out 
the juice, then pass through a sieve with 
wooden spoon; put half oz. gelatine into a 
stewpan, with half a gill of cold water to 
soak and swell; then put on fire and stir un¬ 
til gelatine is melted. Add 2 oz. powdered 
sugar and juice of 1 lemon. Put this mix¬ 
ture through a strainer, and stir into straw¬ 
berries. Whip half pint of cream to a stiff 
froth, and add also. Scald a pint-mold 
with hot water and rinse with cold. Pour 
the Strawberry Cream into the mold, and 
place on ice until required for use. 
Float — or French Custard. — Beat the 
yolks of 5 eggs with 10 tablespoonfuls of 
sugar, and stir in a quart of new milk ; place 
over the fire and stir until it creams (do not 
cook too long). Pour into a dish that can be 
covered. Spread over the top the whites of 
the 5 eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, with a table¬ 
spoonful of pulverized sugar. Both custard 
and whites of the eggs should he flavored 
with lemon or vanilla. 
Baked Indian Pudding.— 1 quart milk, 1 
cupful of molasses (New Orleans best), 1 tea- i 
spoonful salt, J / 4 lb. suet, chopped fine, half 
teaspoonful powdered cloves and allspice 
together. Let milk come to a boil, and stir 
in corn meal enough to make it the consist¬ 
ency of thin batter; add suet and salt, stir¬ 
ring constantly to prevent its becoming 
lumpy ; remove from the fire, and let it par¬ 
tially cool; then stir in the molasses, and 
cloves, and allspice. Pour into an earthen 
baking dish, and bake in a moderate oven 3 / 4 
of an hour. Raisins are very good in it also. 
432 AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. [October, 
Caring for the Sick. 
- 
Preserve for reference these Valuable Recipes and the Suggestions for the Sick Room. 
