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311 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
tion of money to leave to their children, were 
devoted to the physical education and training neces¬ 
sary to secure a. vigorous constitution. Of any two 
young men starting on the race of life, one poor 
but healthy, the other rich and effeminate, other 
things being equal, the chances for usefulness, 
honor, and a well-remembered name, are mani¬ 
fold in favor of the former. Every man of the 
least observation and reflection knows this to be 
an indisputable truth. Yet, in view of the fact 
that vigorous health is a better and safer fortune 
than stocks and bonds, how many in each hun¬ 
dred parents who read this article will lay it 
down and resolve: “I will do more to leave 
to my children a vigorous constitution !” 
Another element in the success of Lord Chief- 
Justice Campbell was, that his employer, seeing 
his dull nature, but noticing at the same time, 
that when he had any thing to do, he went at it 
promptly, and with great painstaking kept at it 
until the work in hand was done, although done 
painfully slow, he patted him on the shoulder, 
always spoke cheerfully to him, and with con¬ 
siderate consistency, threw little jobs in the way, 
by which the heavy boy might earn a little 
money, and be stimulated to greater activities. 
How many a youth at school, how many an ap¬ 
prentice in the shop, how many a child in the 
family, lias gone out in the night of a blighted 
life, who, with humane encouragements, might 
have lived usefully and died famous, let the pas¬ 
sionate teacher and master and parent inquire, 
and do a little more patting on the shoulder. 
Cheap Food. 
In these times especially, some lessons of 
economy may, or should be learned by all. At 
the usual market prices, beans are relatively 
cheaper than any other article of diet, corn ex¬ 
cepted, perhaps. Beaus combine the nourish¬ 
ment of both grain and meat, and they should 
enter more largely into consumption. Good 
housekeepers should learn how to cook them 
palatable. Any method is defective, that leaves 
the beans unbroken. Whether boiled or baked, 
or both, they should be so thoroughly cooked as 
to fall to pieces. Uusually they are prepared for 
the table too dry.-But all the beans raised 
this year will probably be needed for army use, 
and command good prices. Corn should there¬ 
fore be more largely resorted to. A bushel of 
corn yields nearly as much nourishment as a 
bushel of wheat, while the latter will sell for 
two or three times as much ready money. But 
there is a prejudice against corn, or corn meal, 
arising mainly from want of skill in preparing 
it. We have published many methods, and will 
continue to give others from time to time. 
What we now suggest is, that housekeepers 
who are disposed to be economical (and who are 
not ?), should overhaul their recipe books, and 
the back numbers of the Agriculturist and other 
journals they may have preserved, and try the 
various methods of cooking corn and corn meal. 
When they hit upon any preparation that ap¬ 
pears to give general satisfaction, make a note 
of it, and there will soon be found a variety of 
methods that may pretty nearly fill up a week, 
and still afford a daily change that will be 
agreeable. Let it be understood that you are 
studying economy, and many dishes that would 
be rejected in ordinary times will become ac¬ 
ceptable to the heads of the family. We believe 
In the doctrine that children should be taught 
to always eat what their parents do, or rather 
what is set before them, without questioning or 
torirdiiing of the face. This pampering of the ap¬ 
petite, and allowing children to express their 
likes and dislikes, and be gratified in their whims, 
is the worst possible training—and the sure way 
to make them unhappy afterward. A child 
may be taught to always be happy, and to enjoy 
any meal that circumstances may place before 
him in all his future life. 
We forgot to name dried peas among the 
cheap foods. Though not quite as nourishing as 
beans, they are very good and palatable when 
rightly cooked, and they afford good nutriment 
more cheaply than meat or wheat flour. They 
need to be soaked in cold water until quite soft, 
and can then be treated as when green; the ad¬ 
dition of a little sugar will improve them, and 
give a taste more nearly like the green vegetable. 
Pea-soup is quite palatable, and is made by boil¬ 
ing the soaked peas in sufficient water for the 
quantity of soup required, then mash about one- 
third of them and stir them in the broth. Add 
butter and salt and pepper to suit the taste. 
-- . —a—--- 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Cooking Meat—Making Soup. 
A writer in the June Agriculturist , in speaking 
of cooking corned beef 1 scientifically,’ says: “ It 
should first be soaked in cold water until quite 
fresh enough to be eaten.” Shade of Liebig, did 
you ever hear of such a thing? Now, in the first 
place, there is no need to have beef so very salt 
to save it; and in the second place, if it does 
happen to get too salt, why, freshen it in boiling 
water, not one degree less than 212°, except 
you are on the top of Mont Blanc, where water 
never gets higher than 180°. 
We housekeepers always put cold water on 
meat intended for soup—or rather the fresh 
meat bones with which we generally make our 
soups. The cold water gradually brought to a 
boil, extracts all the gelatine or sweet portion of 
the meat, and leaves it in a soluble state in the 
water or liquid of which the soup is made. 
Soup meat takes about six hours boiling, or ra¬ 
ther slow simmering on the top of the stove, the 
afternoon of the day before the soup is wanted, 
as it should stand over night and have the 
grease skimmed off in the morning before using. 
The foundation for the soup, if reduced enough, 
will then have assumed a jelly-like appearance: 
the bones and meat should be taken out when 
the six hours are up, and may bo considered as 
of no further use. With us a favorite way of 
making soup at this season of the year is as fol¬ 
lows : Having brought a gallon of “ founda¬ 
tion” to the boil, we put in a handful of finely 
chopped parsley and sage, and ten minutes later 
a chopped onion and half a pint of peas, if we 
have any of the white variety in season, (for 
dark colored peas will discolor soup.) Add to 
these half a teacupful of rice, a teaspoonful of 
salt, and a dust of pepper, and in half an hour 
more you will have a dish to set before the king. 
Let the reader remember that if cold water 
takes the salt out of meat, so will it take out 
much of the good. M. j. Stephenson. 
Carroll Co., Ill . 
Remarks. —We must disagree with Mrs. S. in 
one or two points. Cold water will not remove 
the juices of the meat, or but very slightly so, 
while it will take out the salt about as well as 
if hot. As the water is gradually heated so as 
to warm the fatty portions, it will also dissolve 
out the gelatine and other juices of the meat. 
On the contrary, putting the over-salted meat at 
once into boiling water, will tend to close the 
outside pores, or, at least, the juices will come 
out with the excess of salt, and must be thrown 
away with it. Hence we still advise to freshen 
meat, when too salt, in cold water; then boil it 
in no more water than is needed, and save the 
pot-liquor which will really contain the most 
nutritious, digestible portions—if it is cooked as 
we recommend, that is, so as to prevent the es¬ 
cape of vapors. The skimming off of the grease 
when there is an excess, is desirable-The ad¬ 
dition of the peas is also good; but as for the 
sage and parsley, and especially the onions, why 
that depends upon whether you are sure that 
these several articles will just suit the taste of 
all who are to partake of it. Kings may all 
like onions; but we know of more than one 
American Sovereign who would not object to 
onion juice as an outside poultice, when need¬ 
ed, but who would be constitutionally opposed 
to having a forced inside application, or go 
without dinner.—En.] 
- ^ > » 
For the American Agriculturist . 
A Word to Mothers. 
The chilly Fall mornings are coming on, or 
rather are on us now, and in many of our farm 
houses there are no hands but mother’s to tend 
baby, and dress the little ones, and get breakfast. 
There is perhaps no hour during the twenty- 
four so trying to a mother as this, and no won¬ 
der that baby is often neglected, and tosses 
around in his little night-gown till he gets cold 
feet and wind colic, and cries as if “ pins and 
needles were sticking in him.” 
The only thing to be done then is to have out 
baby’s winter stockings at once, put them on the 
first thing when you get up in the morning, also 
a flannel petticoat, and a long sleeved sacque, 
and then he can toss around at will until break¬ 
fast is over, and the mother can get time to 
wash and dress him. 
This is now emphatically the season for 
croups, coughs, and colds, far more than mid¬ 
winter; the middle of the day is too warm 
for thick clothes, and the morning and evening 
too chilly for thin ones. No wonder that the 
Fall, on this account, is the harvest for fever 
and ague in the West. To every mother of a 
family, then, let me say, get out the winter 
clothes, put them on gradually as they are need¬ 
ed, and so secure health and comfort to your 
little ones. M. J. Stephenson. 
Carroll Co., 111. 
Good Green Corn Cake, 
The following we have used the present year, 
and found it very good. Take eight ears of 
green corn, and either grate, or shave off the 
kernels and mash them fine. Mix with two 
beaten eggs, lj pints of sw’eet milk, a teaspoon¬ 
ful of salt, not quite a teacupful of sugar, and 
flour enough to make the wfliole into a batter 
as for griddle cakes. Bake in the oven, in but¬ 
tered pans, or cook on a griddle as you would 
buckwheat cakes. To be eaten hot with butter, 
the}’ are good without butter. 
Tomato Corn Cakes—A Spanish Recipe. 
A friend handed us the following which we 
have tried and like well: Take a dozen ears of 
green corn; split the rows of kernels length¬ 
wise with a knife, then shave off and mash with 
a rolling pin; or grate off the kernels fine. Scald 
a dozen medium sized tomatoes and remove the 
skins. Beat three eggs well, and mix the whole 
with a pint of milk, and flour enough to make 
a batter. Add salt, pepper, and allspice to thq 
taste. Fry on a griddle in the same manner as 
buckwiieat cakes, avoiding excess of grease. 
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