1879 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
89 
“Hog-dressed. Calves.»»—Inquiries as to what 
arc Hog-dressed Calves, and how they are prepared, show 
that many of our present readers did not see the very full 
details we gave some years ago. This method of sending 
veal to market with the skin unremoved, often allows the 
farmer to dispose of his calves more advanlageously. We 
can best answer inquiries by giving the method recom¬ 
mended by Messrs. E. & O. Ward, 279 Washington St., 
one of the oldest of our commission houses. They say: 
“ Calves from 3 to 0 weeks old and weighing about 100 
lbs., or say from 80 to 120 lbs., are the most desirable 
size for shipment to this market, and should be dressed 
in the following manner: When all is ready for the kill¬ 
ing, take the calf gently (it must not be worried or 
chased), and should not be fed for a space of at least six 
hours previous. Tie a rope to the hind legs, and hang it 
up clear of the ground or floor, then cut the head off just 
behind the ears; when thoroughly bled out, put in the 
gambrel stick, and cut off the legs at the knee joint, then 
open the belly from just behind the kidneys to the breast¬ 
bone ; next remove all the intestines, including the 
liver, lights, and heart. If all this is well and properly 
done, the inside will present a clean appearance, free 
from blood or blood-stains. Now balance evenly on the 
gambrel, and place a stick of suitable length in the open¬ 
ing, to hold it in proper shape; then hang in a cool, dry 
place until the flesh is 'set,' say from eight to twelve 
hours—it must hang until the animal heat is all out. The 
stick which was placed across the opening, should now 
be removed, unless quite warm weather. Mark by sew¬ 
ing a ‘ Shipping Tag’ to the bag skin, between the hind 
legs, it will then be ready for shipment. Note.— A cnlf of 
only sixty pounds in weight, is liable to be taken by the 
Board of Health,as unlit for use.”—This is important. Eds. 
Easket Items continued on page 113. 
Important Experiments with Fertilizers. 
No cultivator should fail to carefully examine, 
and study long and well, the table on page 91. 
The figures bring together in compact and conveni¬ 
ent form for comparison, the results of a large num¬ 
ber of carefully made experiments, on a variety of 
soils. By noting the kind and condition of the soil, 
described above the table, and then noting the kind 
of fertilizer, and its cost per acre, and the result 
shown in measuring up the crop yielded ; and then 
comparing each set of figures in each column with 
the others in other parts of the table, a great deal 
of interesting information will be gleaned, besides 
practical suggestions for making similar experi¬ 
ments. (See remarks immediately under the table.) 
Scientists may theorize, and they are able to give 
important suggestions and to aid us in determining 
the kind, and quality, and purity of fertilizers ; hut 
the best way for every man to learn definitely what 
his soil most wants for any crop—what will pay best 
—is to put questions directly to the soil itself, on a 
moderate inexpensive scale at first, and thus make 
the soil tell him what it wants, or for what it gives 
hack the best return. There ought to he ten thou¬ 
sand such experiments made during the present 
year. We have no doubt that it would pay grandly 
in the end, if at least every owner of a farm that 
has been cultivated a few years, should make for 
himself at least one set of experiments with fertiliz¬ 
ers this very year.—We believe the forthcoming 
Report of the Conn. State Board of Agriculture will 
contain a full report of the experiments, briefly 
epitomized on page 91, and what they show and 
teach. We hope to announce in our next paper 
some plan by which all who may desire the report 
can obtain it at trifling expense. 
Our Rapidly Growing Rational Wealth. 
The times have been hard these past five years; 
they are still so. Tet, as a people, we have for 
three years, at least, been rapidly growing richer in 
material wealth, and this is the case to-day. And 
what benefits the people as a whole, will in due 
time benefit the individuals making up the entire 
mass. In the era of inflation and wild speculations, 
of enormous expenditures, of money borrowed for 
war expenses, for building railroads, for municipal 
improvements, or those so-called, we imagined we 
were flourishing. It was a deception ; we were only 
running in debt—were as a people and as individu¬ 
als reveling in borrowed funds. As a nation, as a 
people, as individuals, we were, in 1872, relatively 
poorer than at any time before in this century. Ex¬ 
penses largely exceeded income. In 1873, we got 
to the end of our eredit; the brakes were put on 
by foreign money lenders; everybody was scared. 
Then we began to see and feel the mass of debt. 
For five years we have been getting down off 
from the “high horse.” Expenses have been cut 
down, and the lower style of living has been felt. 
But we have been economizing, without greatly re¬ 
ducing the actual amount of production of real 
wealth, that which comes from the soil. Many hun¬ 
dreds of millions of dollars more have been pro¬ 
duced during the past twelve months than have 
been expended. The figures will bear out this state¬ 
ment. We do not feel this, because so much of the 
increase has gone to pay up previously incurred 
debts ; but we are gradually liquidating these, and 
if we keep on thus, we shall, as a people, have this 
surplus production to use and enjoy. Below is an 
illustration of what is stated above. For years we 
kept buying and using up vast amounts of foreign 
products—running in debt for them—paying in 
promises to pay, in Government and railway 
“ bonds,” in a mortgage upon our property. The 
following figures show how in 5 years we have di¬ 
minished the importing of these foreign products, 
and on the other hand have been exporting and sell¬ 
ing the products of our fields, factories, and mines. 
Imports- Exports. Bat. Against Us. 
1869.. .. $463,424,000 $393,732,000.. $69,692,000 
1870.. .. 486,696,000 484,439,000....... 2,257,000 
1871.. .. 589.915,000 537,792,000 . 52,123,000 
1872 ... 634,022,000 515.147,000....... 118,875,000 
1873.. .. 589,337,000 566,792,000....... 22,547,000 
$265,494,000 
In Our Favor. 
1874.. .. $577,410,000 $640,600,000. $63,l!)0,li00 
1875.. .. 525,786,000 590,251,000 64,465,000 
1876.. .. 461.092,000 646.976.000. 185,884,000 
1877 ... 503.901.000 668,585,000. 164,684.000 
1878.. .. 460,630,000 763,198,000 . 302,568.006 
$780,791,000 
These tables show that in the five years, 1869 to 
1873, we were constantly piling up debts abroad, 
aggregating $265,494,000, while in the five years 
1874-1878, we have sold more than we have bought 
each year, aggregating $780,791,000, of which the 
gain last year alone was $302,568,000, or nearly a 
million dollars for every working day. 
A New Hint to Housekeepers. 
There is not the slightest doubt that if the sci¬ 
ence of nutrition and digestion, of the relative value 
of different kinds of food to supply nourishment 
and strength to the system, and the best methods of 
preparing various articles of diet, to make them 
palatable and attractive as well as economical, 
■were better understood by the mass of housekeep¬ 
ers, there would he a great saving of expense, a 
great deal more of enjoyment, and that health would 
be largely increased. Miss Juliet Cobson is doing 
very much to promote these most desirable ends. 
Her book, “ Twenty-five Cent Dinners for Families 
of Six,” which is being rapidly circulated through 
the country, has already accomplished a good deal, 
and will do much more hereafter. Her “ Cooking- 
School Text-Book and Housekeepers’ Guide ” is a 
most excellent work, giving in plain, easily under¬ 
stood language, directions for dishes suited to any 
table, from the simplest and cheapest up to the 
most elaborate and expensive. This work details 
the cost of each article of food, taking the average 
through the country. Another of her books, her 
“ Cooking Manual,” gives “ Practical Directions for 
Economical Every Day Cookery.” These books, if 
in the hands of every housekeeper, would doubtless 
quickly save many times their cost. 
But Miss Corson is working in other ways. She 
gives public lectures to the people, and has organ¬ 
ized classes for housekeepers, for regular cooks 
and house-help, including instruction among the 
poor, to children, etc. One of these courses of in¬ 
struction is attended by ladies of the highest class, 
from Fifth avenue, Murray Hill, etc. A Represen¬ 
tative of the American Agriculturist has frequently 
attended one of these courses, to report the pro¬ 
ceedings, which are after this manner: At 35 East 
17th Street a kitchen is fitted up with all needed 
apparatus, including various improved appliances 
of cookery, with chairs for 15 or 20 ladies. Miss 
Corson takes her place among her cooking appara¬ 
tus very much as the Professor of Chemistry in a 
college does when lecturing to his classes, and at 
the same time conducting experiments with his re¬ 
torts, his test-tubes, beaker glasses, etc. Follow¬ 
ing the order of her text-book, with copies of it in 
the hands of her students, for such they are, though 
matronly ladies and younger ladies preparing 
themselves to be worthy matrons in the future. 
Miss Corson thus not only gives her lectures or 
talks, but with her own hands goes through the va¬ 
rious operations of preparing and cooking a great 
number of dishes, soups, roasts, vegetables, en¬ 
trees, salads, desserts, etc., etc. The whole pro¬ 
cesses, from receiving the articles from the market 
to placing them upon the table, are gone through 
with, so that each “ student ” goes home with a 
clear, definite understanding of the whole, ready to 
put in practice what she has learned. Necessarily 
but one dinner course is taken up each after¬ 
noon, in a lesson of 2 to 3 hours.—Now for our 
Plan for the Housekeepers of a Neighborhood. 
In every neighborhood, small or large, let a few 
of the housekeepers meet at the residence of one 
of their number, say once a week or fortnight, one of 
them being chosen as leader for the day—usually the 
lady of the house where the meeting is held. Let 
two or more articles of food be selected for that 
meeting, and let the whole operation of preparing 
and cooking, and eating them if you please, he 
gone through with, including discussions upon 
different methods and the best ones. Copies of 
Miss Corson’s books to refer to will be helpful. 
Let the young ladies he present to see and learn. 
Can there be any question that such a series of 
meetings would result in great improvement? 
The ladies who meet in Miss Corson’s room, tell us 
they derive great pleasure and profit. These local 
meetings will be an excellent substitute for some 
other social gatherings. Whoever moves in this 
enterprise will do a good work we are very sure. 
Another Good Thing to Do 
The great mass of poor and ignorant people pay 
more for the nutriment they actually get, than many 
well-to-do, intelligent families. Their supplies are 
bought in driblets at double cost; they do not know 
how, or in what, they can obtain the most real 
nourishment for the least expense ; and what they 
do get, could be made to do much better service if 
they knew how to prepare and properly cook it. 
If in each neighborhood two, or three, or more of 
the intelligent ladies, or even one of them, would 
undertake the work of educating the class referred 
to, in the direction indicated, it would often be of 
greater service than the organisation of charitable 
associations. The superintendent of one of the 
best Insane Institutions in our country told us re¬ 
cently that the largest percentage of bis 500 pa¬ 
tients came from a class of laborers who lived chiefly 
on poorly cooked bread and salt pork fried hard. 
They lose the balance of mind because they are 
not sufficiently nourished with digestible food. 
Prickly Comfrey for Poultry. — Last 
month’s Basket contained a note from Mr. S. H. 
Rice, of Worcester, Mass., giving his success with 
Prickly Comfrey. Since then we have had the 
pleasure of a call from Mr. Rice, who gave us more 
in full his experience with the plant. He regards 
it as especially valuable for furnishing poultry con¬ 
fined in a yard, with a supply of fresh vegetable 
food. He advises the setting of plants a year old, 
a foot apart in well-manured beds 4 feet wide and 
as long as desired ; these are to be surrounded at 
the sides and ends by boards 8 inches wide set on 
edge, and over them is to be placed a lattice-work 
of lath. The fowls are to be kept away from these 
until the plants are well established, when they are 
allowed to feed through the openings of the lattice¬ 
work. The lattice prevent the fowls from injuring 
the roots and buds, as they can only reach the 
leaves. We suggest that it would be better to have 
two beds, so that the plants in one might be grow¬ 
ing while the fowls have access to the other. 
