1861 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
119 
If the bleeding be profuse, use a large quantity, 
say from one to three pints. It may be left on 
for hours, or even days, if necessary. In this 
manner he saved the life of a horse which was 
bleeding from a wounded artery; the bleeding 
ceased in five minutes after the application. It 
was left on three days, when it worked loose, 
was easily removed, and the wound soon healed. 
Cooking Meat “ Scientifically.” 
Poor meat rightly cooked, is often better— 
more agreeable to the taste, more readily digest¬ 
ed, and affords more nutriment—than good 
meat not properly cooked. A piece of tough, 
tendonous beef contains quite as much nourish¬ 
ment as the same weight of clear, tender steak, 
for the latter contains a larger proportion of 
water. But in the usual process of boiling, 
most of the flavor and much of the real sub¬ 
stance of tough meat, are lost before it is made 
tender enough for eating. A plan for boiling 
tough meat, which we have before referred to, is 
so valuable as to be worthy of discussing again. 
The process is applicable to beef and mutton, 
fresh or salted. If corned beef, it should first be 
soaked in cold water until quite fresh enough to 
be eaten. As above hinted, a piece of tough, 
cheap beef, will by the process become quite as 
good as that which cost twice as much per pound. 
Put into a kettle the fresh beef, or mutton, or 
the freshened corn beef; cover with hot 
water, and set it to boiling. Put upon the top of 
the kettle, (or better, fit into the top) a tin pan 
that will close it as tightly as possible. Nearly 
fill the covering pan with cold water, and re¬ 
plenish it, when it evaporates. The boiling of 
the meat is now to be kept up for from three to 
six hours or more , or until the meat is cooked 
“ all to pieces,” that is made perfectly tender, 
so that it no longer adheres to the bones, and will 
not even hold together to be lifted with a fork. 
The main point is to boil it long enough. The kettle 
can stand upon the back of the stove from morn¬ 
ing until night if need be; slow boiling is about 
as effective as rapid boiling. If water boils at 
all, it is heated 212°, and is no hotter than this 
when boiling ever so furiously. 
The “ science” of this process is in having the 
pan of water for a cover. The rising steam, 
which if allowed to escape would carry off much 
of the flavor and substance of the meat, 
is condensed upon the bottom of the pan, and 
falls back into the kettle, so long as the water 
in the covering pan is below the boiling heat. 
The covering pan may be improved by bending 
it down a little in the middle, so that the con¬ 
densed steam will drop back from the center. 
If the boiling be so rapid as to heat the water 
in the covering pan also to boiling, the water 
may be occasionally changed for cold. 
When thoroughly done, dip out the meat with a 
skimmer, remove the bones, and put the meat 
into a pan or deep dish. Leaving the cover off, 
simmer the pot liquor down to convenient quan¬ 
tity, and mix it with the meat. Now cover it with 
a plate, and put on a quantity of weights—sad¬ 
irons, or a stone, or any other convenient weight 
—and set it aside to cool over night. The liquor 
will form a hard jelly with the meat, and the 
mass will become a solid piece, having the form 
of the containing dish and cover, and will be in 
nice order to place upon the table, for a sub¬ 
stantial meal, or as a cold relish. It is a good 
preparation for a Sunday dinner; and as it keeps 
well, is good to have on hand for an emergency, 
It can be cut into nice slices, and will be tender, 
juicy, very palatable, easily digestible, and 
nourishing. If fat and lean bits be mixed to¬ 
gether, the slices will present a beautiful marbled 
appearance. If the meat be quite fat, the pot 
liquor may be first cooled and the fat removed, 
and afterwards be boiled down a little, and 
then poured on the meat as above described. 
The “ Apple Pie ” Melon, and Other Sub¬ 
stitutes for Apples. 
After what we considered a fair trial, our ver¬ 
dict on the Japan or “ Apple Pie ” melon has 
been “ Use it for pies when nothing else can be 
had,” that is, provided a pie be absolutely ne¬ 
cessary ; and many accounts from experiment¬ 
ers confirm this unfavorable opinion. But it 
has found an advocate to whom we accord a 
hearing; for, if by skillful cooking, it can be 
made a good substitute for apples when the lat¬ 
ter fruit is scarce, it is worthy of cultivation. 
Mrs. S. H. Ingalls, Muscatine Co., Ia., contrib¬ 
utes to the Agriculturist the following directions, 
by which she says a really good pie may be 
made: 
Peel the melon, extract the seeds, and slice the 
remainder as you would an apple. Fill a three 
quart tin saucepan with it, and pour over cold 
water enough to cover it, adding two teaspoon¬ 
fuls of Tartaric acid. Boil together until nearly 
done, then add one and a half teacupfuls of 
sugar, and one teaspoonful of salt (this is indis¬ 
pensable). Boil ten minutes longer, then flavor 
with nutmeg, lemon, or cinnamon, as for an 
apple pie—a few slices of lemon boiled with the 
melon, makes the best flavor. After pouring 
in the mixture, sprinkle over it from one to two 
teaspoonfuls of flour, according to the quantity of 
juice, which should be plentiful and rich; add a 
small piece of butter, to each pie. Be careful to 
press the crust together well, so that the juice 
will not run out in baking. This quantity will 
make from three to four pies. 
The melon chopped, then boiled and prepared 
with the acid, sugar, etc., is also a good substi¬ 
tute for apple in mince pies. 
Green tomatoes sliced, and even young squash¬ 
es and pumpkins prepared in precisely the same 
way make excellent pies, where one can not 
get fruit, as we have learned from experience in 
this new western world. These recipes are not 
intended for anybody else. The directions must 
be explicitly followed, or failure will result; the 
salt especially must not be omitted, as it serves 
to destroy the raw, insipid, disagreeable taste; 
nor must the tartaric acid be exchanged for vine¬ 
gar, as only the former will give the peculiar acid 
taste belonging to fruit. 
--«——«•*•——*-»■- 
Oranges and Flavoring. 
When oranges are cheap, they may be eco¬ 
nomically used in place of preserves. Even the 
common Sicily fruit—which, in its season, can be 
bought for from 8 to 12 cents per dozen—when 
peeled, divided and covered with sugar for two 
or three hours, make a dish superior, to our taste, 
and more healthful than the rich confections of 
plums, peaches, etc., found upon many- tables.- 
The peel, packed in a jar with layers of white 
sugar, and covered with brandy, will give an ex¬ 
cellent article for flavoring puddings, sauces, 
cakes, etc. 
Toast Pudding. 
Contributed to the Agriculturist by “ J. T. K.,” 
Bridgeport, Ct. Mix 1 quart of milk, 8 eggs, 
and a little salt, as for custard. Cut a small loaf 
of bread (bakers’ bread is best) into slices half an 
inch thick, and lay them separately on platters. 
Pour the mixture over them, and let them stand 2 
hours, or until all the milk is soaked up; then 
fry brown on a griddle, and serve with sauce. 
Baked Dumplings. 
Contributed to the Agriculturist by S. M. Ken¬ 
yan, Sullivan Co., N. Y. Prepare the dump¬ 
lings as for boiling, and bake them in the oven 
until well done. For sauce, brown some butter, 
stir in a little flour and water according to the 
quantity needed; sweeten it and flavor with 
wine and lemon, or spice if liked. Make a small 
opening in each dumpling, pour in a spoonful oi 
two of the sauce, and serve while warm. 
The Best Lemon Fie. 
Contributed to the Agriculturist by Mrs. S. H. 
Ingalls, Muscatine Co., Ia. “ Take two lemons, 
five eggs, two spoonfuls of melted butter, eight 
spoonfuls white sugar. Squeeze the juice of all 
the lemons, and grate or chop finely the rind of 
one. Stir together the yolks of three eggs, and 
white of one, with the sugar, butter, juice, and 
rind; beat well; then add one coffee cup of good 
sweet cream (some use half cream and half milk). 
Beat all for a minute or two. Have ready 
a plate lined with pastry, into which pour 
the mixture, which will be sufficient for two 
pies of the ordinary size. Bake till the pastry is 
done; meanwhile beat the remaining whites of 
eggs to a stiff froth,and stir in 4 spoonfuls of white 
sugar; take the pies from the oven and spread 
over equal parts upon each, and return them 
quickly to the oven, and bake a delicate brown. 
Take care that the oven be not too hot, or they 
will brown too quickly, before the egg is set 
sufficiently, which will cause the pie to fall 
when taken from the oven. This is a beautiful 
looking pie and in my own opinion, and that of 
others, the best lemon pie made. The improve¬ 
ments I have added to the excellent recipe of 
the March No., Vol. 19.” 
Sour Milk Cheese. 
Contributed to the Agriculturist by “ House¬ 
wife.” Heat sour, or loppered milk (which is 
better) in an iron pot over a slow fire, until curd 
is formed. Take out the curd and press the 
whey from it with a ladle or the hands. To 
each quart of curd add one half pint of sweet 
cream, a lump of butter the size of an egg, and 
salt to the taste. Place all the ingredients in a 
frying pan over a slow fire, and stir until it as¬ 
sumes a smooth, thick consistence, when it will 
be ready for the table, either warm or cold. 
[Some housekeepers place the curd in a strainer 
bag and allow the whey to drip out, before ad¬ 
ding the cream, etc. The second heating ap¬ 
pears to be an improvement.— Ed.] 
Sweet Potato Coffee. 
Mrs. Ann Iloopes, Vermilion Co., Ill., writes 
that a very good substitute for coffee can be 
made from sweet potatoes. Wash and scrape 
good sound tubers; cut them into pieces, half 
an inch long; dry them in the stove; roast them 
as you would coffee, until of a light brown color. 
Make “ coffee ” from them in the usual manner, 
except that the pieces are not to be ground. 
To Clean Tripe. 
Contributed to the American Agriculturist by 
J. M. Moper. As soon as the fecal matter is 
emptied out, put into the stomach about one 
quart of air-slacked lime, add 2 gallons water, 
warm or cold; then sew it together. Work and 
shake it for about for a minute or two; empty 
the mixture out, and it can then be cleaned 
with a knife and water in a few minutes. 
