1882.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
163 
the subject. I think I have found what few have 
in this country—delicious bread. That bread is 
not made with yeast, nor do I think any good pure 
wheat-ta6ting bread can ever be. [We can con¬ 
vince ‘W. R.’ to the contrary.— Ed.] The one 
thing that has beaten me is the ‘gems.’ I have 
tried several times to make these gems (or, rather, 
have got good women to do so for me), and we al¬ 
ways failed. Now my idea of the perfect bread 
is quite that of the gems. It is a great thing to 
get rid of the yeast, but the thing of all is to get 
the golden grain ground to the degree one likes, 
and mix it with pure spring water only. Now I 
want to know from some of your clever ladies how 
it is we fail with these gems. I wonder how a 
gem would look after a voyage from New York? 
If I cannot make a gem here, I think I must ap¬ 
peal to some of your housekeepers to send me one.” 
A Convenient Work Box. 
A very haudy thing about the house is a suitable 
receptacle for needles, thimble, thread, scissors, 
bits of cloth, and odds and ends of sewing, which 
too often are thrown carelessly about, or become 
lost or badly soiled and tangled up, etc., etc. The 
engraving shows a new, neat, and desirable Work 
Box that will prove very handy on the sewing 
table. The box proper is 8 inches long, 5 inches 
high, and 6 inches wide. At one side is a small 
drawer, a, extending across the bottom. The 
A CONVENIENT WORK BOX. 
scissors may be secured to one end as at 5, or placed 
inside as desired. At the right of the handle is a 
pin-cushion, e , while at the left is a little box with 
lid, m. Above and parallel with the drawer, a strip, 
p , is tacked or glued, into which at proper inter¬ 
vals small pieces of wire are inserted ; on these 
spools may be placed. The box may be made from 
hard or soft wood, and embellished to suit the 
maker’s fancy. L. D. S. 
Felons—Boils—Simple Remedy. 
“ Felons,” which are usually termed “Whitlow ” 
by physicians we believe, are a very painful and 
often a very serious affection of the fingers, gen¬ 
erally of the last joints, and often near or involv¬ 
ing the nails. As the fingers are much exposed to 
bruises, felons are quite common among those who 
constantly use their hands at hard work. If allowed 
to continue, until matter (pus) forms, and the 
periosteum or bone sheathing is affected, lancing 
is necessary; but if taken in time, a simple appli¬ 
cation of Copal Varnish, covering it with a bandage, 
is highly recommended. If the Varnish becomes 
dry and unpleasantly hard, a little fresh Varnish 
may be applied from time to time. When a cure is 
effected, the varnish is easily removed by rubbing 
into it a little lard and washing with soap and 
water. Dr. A. B. Isham details, in “MedicalNews,” 
a number of cases of its application with uniform 
success, where formation of pus had not previously 
occurred. Iu two cases there was apparently a 
combination of the “run-around ” with the felon, 
and in all of them there was swelling, redness, heat, 
and great pain. He suggests the use of Copal Var¬ 
nish for felons, “run-arounds,” boils, andanylocal 
acute inflammation of external parts. 
Dear Potatoes—Substitutes. 
As shown in last Dec. American Agriculturist, pota¬ 
toes are always an expensive food, more than four- 
fifths of their weight being nothing but simple water. 
Flour at $10 a barrel supplies as much actual nutri¬ 
ment for the same money as potatoes at 50 cents a 
bushel, and corn at $1 a bushel supplies quite as 
cheap nourishment as potatoes at 30 cents a bushel. 
But the majority of consumers in New York and 
many other places who buy at retail, now pay fully 
$1.50 per bushel for poor potatoes, equivalent to at 
least $15 per barrel for flour, or corn at $4 to $5 
a bushel. In December we described some substi¬ 
tutes for potatoes. The following are in the same 
line :— 
Rice Cakes do well, especially for breakfast,, 
made thus :—Cook the rice thoroughly in a farina 
kettle, and while still quite warm, mould 
it into round cakes flattened; this to be 
done the previous day or evening. In the 
morning dip them into beaten egg, and fry 
in hot lard or drippings, until of a delicate 
brown. They are very palatable to eat with 
meats, or with sugar and cream if thus pre¬ 
ferred. The coating of egg keeps them 
Arm, prevents too much fat penetrating, and 
adds to their good taste and nutritiousness. 
Corn Meal and Hominy, if rightly 
cooked, are very palatable, and even at the 
present high price of corn, are much the 
most economical, nourishing food. We pre¬ 
fer Hominy—not the lye-hulled, unbroken 
kernels, called hominy in some parts of the 
country—but simply the machine hulled 
corn,coarsely ground. The secret of cookinghominy 
or corn meal, especially the latter, is to mix it thin, 
and cook it thoroughly without burning, which 
cooking will thicken it enough. It can be best 
done in a farina kettle, or even by putting it into 
a smaller tin pail, and set this iu a larger one 
partly filled with water kept briskly boiling. If 
in a single vessel, constant stirring is important to 
prevent any part of it from scorching, as that will 
affect the flavor of the whole. If thoroughly 
cooked and in sufficient quantity for use, hominy 
or meal will keep well in a cool place for two or 
three days or more, to be drawn upon as wanted. 
It is excellent when cut into pieces of any size, 
five-eighths to three-quarters of an inch thick, 
and fried, to be eaten with meats or with syrup. 
As little lard as will prevent it sticking to the grid¬ 
dle should be used, for if saturated with grease, or 
cooked beyond a light brown, it is much less di¬ 
gestible and nutritious.—If house-keepers will 
give proper attention to thorough cooking, with¬ 
out the slightest scorching either in boiling or fry¬ 
ing, and exercise some skill and taste in the 
preparation and serving, they may greatly reduce 
the table expenses by making corn meal a leading 
and even principal dish at almost every meal. 
once in fifteen or twenty years—some in not less 
than after thirty or forty years, and some never. 
The writer of this was vaccinated successfully 53 
years ago, and though he has tried it every few 
years since, it has never operated the second time. 
A Case for Silver Spoons and Forks. 
For the housekeeper who is fortunate enough to 
possess more forks, spoons, or knives, than she has 
in daily use, the little case shown in figure 1, is very 
haudy. It is made of white drilling. Cut one 
piece double thickness, three inches wider than the 
length of the article (knife, fork, or spoon), it is 
intended to hold, and long enough for twelve 
pockets and for a pointed flap at one end. Also 
one piece the length of the first, without the 
pointed flap, and not as wide by four inches. Run 
Get Vaccinated. 
During the recent prevalence of small-pox 
throughout the country, which still continues, 
though less generally, many people have had 
doubts as to the utility of vaccination, arising from 
the theories of a few persons who have figured 
pretty largely in a portion of the newspaper press. 
Well established facts are far better reliance than 
any amount of theory. Among many others take 
this one: On Feb. 31, Superintendent Day pre¬ 
sented the following statement to the Board of 
Health of this city : In the Riverside Hospital dur¬ 
ing January, 1883, there were 166 cases of small¬ 
pox admitted in various stages of severity, and 
there were 48 deaths. Of these 44 had never been 
vaccinated, and of the other four no history was 
obtained on this point. Of the total 166, 85 had 
been vaccinated and 78 not. Of the 85, 77 had a 
very mild type of small-pox, and probably their 
having it at all was due to the long time since their 
vaccination. It is a safe rule for any person to try 
vaccination about once in seven years, though only 
a small number will find it to take oftener than 
Fig. 1.— A CASE FOR SILVER TABLE WARE. 
the larger piece together and turn it. Hem the 
smaller piece across the top, and baste it to the 
larger one. Stitch twelve casings large enough to 
let the article slip in easily, and biud all around 
with linen braid. Use 
the extra width of the 
back for a flap to turn 
over the top of the 
pocket. Sew strings to 
the pointed flap to*tie 
Fig. 3.— THE “ SILVER : 
CASE FOLDED UP. 
the case, as shown in fig¬ 
ure 3. Silver kept in a 
case does not tarnish so quickly, as when it is 
scattered around in a drawer or on a shelf. 
Cream of Celery. 
Celery is unusually scarce now, and little of it is 
well blanched and crisp. But even the somewhat 
inferior quality may be made quite palatable. Cut 
it iDto very small pieces, rejecting the toughest 
green portions. Add only water enough to keep 
it from burning, and boil it in a closely covered 
vessel for an hour, or until perfectly tender. Then 
add a sufficient quantity of milk, first thickened 
with a tablespoonful of flour to each pint, previously 
rubbed smooth with two tablespoonfuls of butter, 
and salt and pepper to the taste, very little of the 
pepper. Boil and serve as soon as the flour is thor¬ 
oughly cooked. If made moderately thin with the 
milk, flour, and butter, it can be rubbed through a 
colander, when it gives a delicious, cream-like 
soup. Smooth squares of bread well browned are 
frequently put into the soup wheu finished. A 
bowl of this, eaten with bread, the same as bread 
and milk, makes an excellent noon lunch. 
S&iiubarb Canned better tlinn Forced.— 
Charles Downing, who lets no occasion where 
his wide experience may be useful, to others, pass 
unimproved, writes with reference to our note on 
“ Forcing Rhubarb” given in February : “ A better 
method than forcing rhubarb is to can it. When 
the stems have gained their full size and are still 
tender and in good condition, cut them into half¬ 
inch pieces, cook with the desired amount of sugar, 
and can in the same manner as fruits are preserved. 
Taken when in the best condition, and canned, it will 
be found in spring much better than forced rhu¬ 
barb, the acid being greatly moderated by the 
ripening influence of the sun and air. 
