1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Tlio present method, or want of method, in 
training children, physically, as well as intellect¬ 
ually and moralty, is sadly at fault—ns every pa¬ 
rent and teacher doubtless feels. Mr. Spencer 
not only points out many of these defects, but he 
also directs us to a better way. TVe may not 
entirely agree with all his suggestions, but in 
the main they are excellent—many of them of 
the highest importance. 
The work first appeared in four articles, in the 
three leading English periodicals, the Westmins¬ 
ter,North British, and British Quarterly Review's; 
and they are now thrown into a neat volume of 
282 pages, and issued by D. Appleton & Co., of 
this City. We are glad to learn that 3000 cop¬ 
ies are already sold, and it can doubtless be had 
through most booksellers. When not otherwise 
accessible, v T e will, With pleasure, procure cop¬ 
ies and send them post-paid for the usual price 
($1). If possible, we shall secure a large edi¬ 
tion on such terms that it can be offered as 
a premium in a way that those who can not 
afford to buy it, can secure it by a very little 
effort. If successful in this plan, the fact will be 
announced on the last page of this paper. 
The Two Wives. 
Recently, two men were returning home from 
a beer-sliop at a late hour, partially intoxicated, 
and one of them remarked: “ WhenIget into 
my house I shall catch a terrible scolding from 
wife.” “ Ah,” replied his companion, “ I shall 
meet something ten times more intolerable than 
that! My anxious wife who is waiting for me 
at this midnight hour, will meet me w r ith noth¬ 
ing hut kind words and acts; but her care-worn 
countenance, and the thought that she has been 
praying for me, will be far harder to endure than 
the most furious invectives. If she would only 
scold I could answer her with harsh wordg. 
Her quiet wa} r , and her kindness, slianie me, 
though. I am tipsy. Oh I am cruel—never shall I 
taste another drop from the degrading cup.”—— 
He is keeping his word—so he informs the writer. 
-- •ms&arQt -►-«=>- 
“ Save the Pieces.” 
Furniture and crockery will bo broken, “for 
’tis them nature too,” but they need not be left in 
that condition week after week, in these days of 
prepared glue and cemejit. Make it a rule to 
repair articles that are worth it, and which can 
be mended at borne, on the same day they are 
injured, if it be possible; if not, set them aside, 
not to he used until put in order. A broken 
legged chair, or a rickety table, is not only a 
source of discomfort, but it goes rapidly to ruin 
when once out of order. 
Mended crockery is hardly fit to be used for 
the table, particularly for holding cooked food. 
Grease and other matters penetrate the cracks, 
and they soon become uncleanly. Such dishes 
will answer to contain the odds and ends which 
most housekeepers have in the pantry. A sub¬ 
scriber, J. O. Harris, La Salle Co., Ill, recom¬ 
mends the following preparation for mending 
almost all articles that can be “stuck” together. 
It is named “Diamond Cement” and is often 
sold under that name at 25 cents for a 3 oz. vial: 
Take. l ib. White glue. 
k lb. White lead (dry), 
1 qt. Rain water, 
J pt. Alcohol. 
Place the first three ingredients in a kettle, 
and set the kettle in a dish of water. Boil it un¬ 
til the glue is dissolved; then add the alcohol, 
and boil again until all is well mixed. Keep it 
in well stopped bottles. Use it hi the same 
manner ns glue. Should it ho a little hardened 
when wanted for use, soften it by placing the 
bottle in warm water. 
Saving Matches. 
They cost less than half a cent a paper, per 
haps, but two gross of papers wasted, would, if 
saved , pay for the Agriculturist a year; besides, 
carelessness is a had habit, however small tbo 
matter involved. Let the girls and boys roll 
up “ lighters ” of waste paper, to he used after 
the fire is once burning; it will take hut little 
time to prepare them, the children like the sport, 
and will ho kept out of mischief while thus em¬ 
ployed ; there will also be avoided much of the 
unpleasant smell of phosphorous and brimstone 
so offensive to most persons. A subscriber re¬ 
commends another plan that we have seen in 
use, which is quite convenient and saves the 
trouble of making the paper lighters. Keep, say 
two tablespoonfuls of cheap alcohol in a small 
bottle: to the cork attach a wire long enough 
to reach the fluid, with a bit of cotton fastened 
on its end. The fluid on the cotton is always 
ready to be lighted, and will burn long enough 
to light several lamps, 
Care of Stoves and Pipes. 
When stoves are no longer needed, they are 
quite frequently set aside in an oat-building, or 
other out of the way place, with no further 
thought, until again wanted for use. If neglect¬ 
ed, the rust of the Summer, may injure them 
more than the whole Winter’s wear, particu¬ 
larly the parts made of sheet iron. They should 
be kept as free from dampness as possible, and 
occasionally cleaned if rust be observed. W. 
Conrad, Somerset Co., Pa., recommends to ap¬ 
ply a coating of linseed oil to the pipes before 
nutting them away. It should be done while 
the pipes are warm (not hot) and kept at a low 
temperature five or six hours. This, he says, will" 
impart a fine luster, and prevent rusting. 
Hints cn Cooking, etc. 
(Contributed expressly for the American Agriculturist.) 
Mrs. J. F. King, of Wayne Co., Ga., sends to 
the American Agriculturist the following prescrip¬ 
tion for two articles quite popular at the South: 
Soft Hominy Bread.—1 spoonful of hominy 
cooled (after boiling, we presume); a Small lump 
of butter; 1 egg; £ pint of wheat flour ; mixed 
with milk to the consistency of cream. Pour 
into a spider, and bake. 
Hominy Waffles.—2 spoonfuls of hominy ; 
a small lump of butter; 2 eggs; 1 quart wheat 
flour. Thin with milk, to the consistency of 
very thick cream. Bake in waffle irons. 
Mexican Stew. —Contributed by J. B. 
•Howe, Worcester County, Mass. Take a beef 
shank, saw it in three or four sections, boil 7 or 
8 hours, or until the meat, cleaves readily from 
the bones, let it cool, slice it across the fiber, with 
a sharp knife, add the marrow from the top of 
the pot, with enough of the gelatine to make a 
gravy, season with onions, sage and pepper, and 
ay arm up in a fry-pan. 
Apple Russe. —Aunt Sue says “this is a very 
stylish but simple pudding,- prepared as follows: 
Make some apple sauce, very sweet; spread some 
slices of bread generously with butter on both 
sides; line a pudding-dish with these slices, 
(sides and bottom), then pour in your apple 
sauce, and bake until the bread and butter is 
nicely browned. When done it should turn out 
of the pudding-dish all standing, but if you are 
preparing it for company, it is almost sure to 
turn out leer-slump! 
Delicate Pie.— The grated rind and juice of 
a lemon ; 1 cup powdered sugar; the yolks ol 
3 eggs; 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, | of a cup of 
water. Take the whites of the 3 eggs, and 
3 tahlospoonfuls of sugar; heat to a froth, and 
turn it over the pie when baked. Set it in the 
oven again, and let it remain 3 minutes. Use 
but one crust. 
I'ornLEtl CakWi-—• 4 tumblers flour, 2 tumb¬ 
lers of sugar; S tumbler butter, 1 tumbler milk, 
2 eggs; 1 teaspoonful of saleratus; 1. of cream 
tartar. 
Silatsr Cakes.— 2 teacupfuls of sugar; 1 of 
butter; whites of 8 eggs; 4 cup of sweet milk; 
8 cups of flour; or 1 teaspoonful of cream tar¬ 
tar ; I teaspoonful of soda. 
Caroline Cato*—C ontributed to the Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist by Mary E. Brotlierton, Stephen¬ 
son Co., Ill.—-3 coffee cups of white sugar; 8 
of flour; 1 of sweet cream; 2 tahlospoonfuls 
melted butter; the whites of 5 eggs, well 
beaten; £ teaspoonful cream tartar; j teaspoon¬ 
ful soda ; £ pound citron; 1 teaspoonful ext. 
lemon. Pour half the mixture in your baking- 
dish. Slice the citron over it, then pour in the 
rest, and bake immediately. 
Mrs. Susau S. Butler, of-Co., Ohio, sends 
to the Agriculturist , a number of items, or recipes, 
which she says she lias tried and approved—and 
some of them she-lias improved. Wc select the 
following five, tlio first four of which have been 
endorsed to us by a good housekeeper near at hand: 
Boiled Custard.— Put one quart of milk and a 
teacupful of white sugar into a tin pail, and set the 
pail into a kettle of water and heat it. When at a 
boiling heat stir in four or more eggs well beaten. 
Keep it constantly stirring until it begins to thick¬ 
en or look creamy. Then remove from the fire and 
pour at once into a cold dish. If left in the pail, 
the heat of the tin will curdle it around the edges. 
Flavor with vanilla or lemon. It is very good to be 
eaten with cake. 
Washington Pie.—S tir well together: 1 cup of 
sugar, 1 beaten egg, X cn P butter, cup sweet, 
milk, % teaspoonful soda, 1 teaspoonful cream of 
tartar, 2 cups flour, and flavor with a little grated 
nutmeg. Bake in two round tins. Turn one of the 
cakes bottom up, on a plate, and spread over it 
peach or other jelly, or cranberry, or other sweet¬ 
meats, and lay the other cake upon it. Frost,"or 
sift on powdered sugar. 
A Good Lemon Pie.—B eat the yolks of 3 eggs 
with 4 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 1 tablespoonful of 
butter melted, and the juice and grated peel of a 
lempn. Put the material into a crust and bake. 
When cool, beat the whites of the eggs to a froth 
with 2 tablespoonfuls of fine white sugar, and spread 
it over the pie. Put the pie back into the oven and 
let it just brown over. 
Starch Cake. —Beat the whites of 5 eggs well, 
adding 2 cups of white sugar, 1 cup of butter, 1 cup 
of starch dissolved in a enp of sw'eet milk, 1 tea- 
spoonful of soda, and 2 of cream of tartar. Flavor 
to ycur taste and bake. 
To Clean Ribbons.—M ix 1 tablespoonful of 
pure honey, 1 of good soft soap, and a little more 
than a tablespoouful of brandy. Place the above 
upon, a clean board, and rub in the mixture with a 
flannel cloth. Rinse clean with well water, avoid¬ 
ing any wringing. Iron on the wrongsi.de. [This 
is good for ought we know, though wc can not un¬ 
derstand the chemistry of the mixture, nor do v'e 
like the soft soap. Would not good castile, or oth¬ 
er hard snap, he better.— F.d. | 
