loO 
AMERICAN AG-RIC U LTURIST. 
usual manner. One side is rolled up, the ends of 
the •‘stretchers” are placed in the mortises, and 
fastened with pins, as shown in the cut, and all 
is ready. It is better to have legs attached to 
the end pieces, on which the frame may stand, 
than to rest it on the backs of chairs. When one 
width is finished, and the quilt is ready to roll, 
the pins are removed, the quilted part brought on 
to the front roller by turning the side piece, and 
the pins inserted again. 
-- =— - « -» ~-- 
Apparatus for Ornamenting Cakes, etc. 
The beautiful designs with which bakers and 
confectioners ornament their work, require a 
practical knowledge of the art which no mere de¬ 
scription can give. They use only a few simple 
instruments, but practice and dexterity enable 
them, with these, to produce very pleasing results. 
One of their implements in most common use, 
recommended by Mr. Crozer, an experienced 
baker, a description of which is here given, will 
he found very convenient for household use in 
making scrolls,wheels, 
borders of headed 
work around frosted 
cake, and fancy trim¬ 
ming of this kind so 
much in demand for 
wedding occasions, 
parties, etc. It is sim¬ 
ply a hag of stout cot¬ 
ton cloth, of any con¬ 
venient size, in the 
form of a cone or sugar loaf, with att opening of 
about i of an inch at the bottom. A tin tube about 
2 inches long, an inch in diameter at one end, ta¬ 
pering to | of an inch at the other, is slipped partly 
through the lower end of the bag as shown in the 
picture. The bag is sometimes made of oiled silk, 
to better retain the semi-fluid mixture, and tubes 
of different diameters may be employed to suit 
various kinds of pastry work. To use it, introduce 
the frosting mixture or other compound into the 
hag, gather the top together, gently squeeze it 
with one hand, and as the roll comes out below, 
move it about to form the pattern desired. This 
will he found more convenient than the syringe, 
recommended in some cook books. The appara¬ 
tus may also be used for shaping the cakes called 
Lady-fingers, Macaroons, Jumble kisses, etc. A 
little practice will enable the housekeeper to pre¬ 
sent her cakes ornamented as neatly as if done 
by a professional baker. 
Cutting Glass without a Diamond. 
A subscriber to the Agriculturist , A. Mead, N. 
Y., writes that glass may be readily cut with a 
file, by keeping it wet with spirits of turpentine, 
which gives it a “bite.” We have seen the fol¬ 
lowing process recommended for dividing circu¬ 
lar vessels as bottles, jars, etc. Fill the vessel 
with any kind of oil up to the point where the 
ril-ision is to he made. Heat an iron rod to red¬ 
ness, and slowly introduce it into the top of the 
ml; the glass will crack in an exact circle around 
the surface of the liquid. The heat imparted to 
the oil, causes the inner side of the jar to expand 
rapidly, and thus makes a break. * 
[Rumakks. —The last recommendation is of 
doubtful utility. We have often cut off glass bot¬ 
tles readily by first filing a small notch fora start¬ 
ing point,and then applying a hot iron rod, or poker, 
moving it slowly hack and forth along the line 
wnce we wished the crack. By keeping the 
iron ahead of the break, you can lead it in any 
direction desired, so as lo cut off the bottle 
square, or at any angle. When at work in the 
laboratory, we often made extempore tumblers for 
holding various substances, by thus cutting off the 
upper part of bottles, of which the necks had been 
broken. We have also made gas transferrers, 
etc., by cutting off the bottom of cracked bottles, 
leaving the neck and main body whole, with the 
bottom open. Alter a little practice any one can, 
with a hot iron, lead a crack in a bottle, tumbler, 
or along flat glass, in any desired direction. The 
sharp edges can be smoothed or rounded with a 
fine file, or by grinding. We have often cut a 
pane of glass nearly true across, by filing a slight 
notch in the edge, laying on a cold iron, or even 
a strip of wood for a rule, and then passing a hot 
iron back and forward, along the place where the 
fracture is desired —En. 
--- t> - . - 
Familiar Talks by the Doctor..—V. 
Mk. Editor.— Another thing that injures the 
health of our farming population is the entire 
•neglect of all that pertains to digestion. True, 
fanners are no more careless in this respect than 
many other classes of people; but for all that, 
they injure themselves in this way, and it is sor¬ 
ry comfort that mechanics do the same thing. 
The process of digestion is, after all, an important 
one. Our food contains, or ought to contain, 
those elements which are best adapted to supply 
the waste of our bodies, for our bodies are con¬ 
stantly wasting. Every movement made, every 
breath drawn, every idea which enters our minds 
causes more or less of waste. The complicated 
machinery of our bodies is constantly wearing 
out, and as constantly requires to be repaired. 
From our food alone, can supplies for these wastes 
be drawn. But something more is necessary to 
fit our food to nourish (that is to repair the waste 
of) our bodies, than to put it into our stomachs. 
Swallowing one’s food is necessary, and to be 
commended, but some other processes are neces¬ 
sary both before and after swallowing, the cus¬ 
tom of so many of the universal Yankee nation 
to the contrary notwithstanding. It is necessary 
before swallowing, to chew the food thoroughly. 
The thing that rs necessary after swallowing, is 
digestion, by which the food is dissolved and its 
nourishing elements fitted to be taken into the 
circulation. If we had gizzards, like fowls, it 
would do for us to swallow our food whole as they 
do their corn, hut not having gizzards it is neces¬ 
sary to grind our food in (fiber ways. It is prob¬ 
able, to say the least, that this is the design of 
the teeth. True, to chew a piece of beef requires 
some time, but one by practice acquires the hab¬ 
it of biting it once or twice, rolling it up on his 
tongue, and swallowing it as he would a big pill. 
But it will not be dissolved so quickly if hegulps 
it down, as if he had chewed it, and the waste 
made in his system by his labors, will be sooner 
repaired, if lie stops to chew his food, than if he 
takes it whole. As a matter of economy of time, 
it is better to stop lo chew one’s food. The pro¬ 
cess of dissolving also requires time, and a cer¬ 
tain amount of quiet. I do not say absolute rest, 
but of quiet. A certain amount of'blood must he 
furnished to the stomach that it may be able to 
supply the fluid (gastric juice) which is to dissolve 
the food. If, by at once engaging in violent ex¬ 
ercise, or in any oilier way, the blood is prevent¬ 
ed from going to the stomach, that juice can not 
he digested. It will act precisely as it would if, 
instead of being swallowed, it had been put into 
a bottle, and kept as warm as the interior of our 
bodies, that is, it will sour, and not only distress 
us, but be coming up into the mouth—a most an¬ 
noying thing. Sumo people’s stomachs will bear 
this for a tune, but sooner or later, they give way, 
though originally as strong as an ostrich’s stom¬ 
ach,^nd you know it is said they can digest nails, 
(which I do not believe). I shall not take up 
your valuable pages by stopping to illustrate oi 
to prove these statements. But depend on it, they 
are true. To state my doctrine briefly, it is this. 
If you wish to avoid dyspepsia : 1st, take simple 
food. 2nd, chew it thoroughly. 3d, eat leisurely. 
4th, do not go to work too soon after eating. 5th, 
do not drink too much with your food. Even 
water may be taken to excess, and it then dilutes 
the gastric juice till it has no power to dissolve 
the solids. 
It was by neglect of all these rules that Mr. 
Crustyman, to whom I alluded in my first talk, 
got his dyspepsia, and that is what makes him so 
snappish. He has often boasted that he does not 
waste his time in eating. Well he is a little richer 
perhaps, but he has to spend some of his extra 
money in paying my bills. P. H. E. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Home-made Bread. 
Good yeast is the first thing necessary. To 
procure it, take one quart of flour, and mix with 
water enough to make thin, smooth paste, free 
from lumps. Stir this over the fire until scalded, 
and when cooled to about blood heat, add one 
good, fresh yeast cake, previously dissolved in 
half a pint of pretty strong hop tea. Put this in¬ 
to ajar, and set it in a moderately warm place, 
until it begins to ferment. Then set it away in 
a cool place for use. This yeast will remain 
good, as long as it is kept where it is too cool to 
ferment. 
For two loaves of bread, mix half a pint of this 
yeast with two boiled potatoes, mashed fine. 
Then, having mixed three pints of flour with one 
tablespoonful of lard and half a pint of warm wa¬ 
ter, add this mixture of yeast and potatoes. Mix 
and knead well, and set in a warm place lo rise, 
(which may require thirty or forty minutes ;) » 
when light enough cut into two equal parts, 
mould into shape, put into pans, let stand a few 
minutes to rise a little, and bake in a quick oven. 
Never use saleratus or soda in any kind of 
bread, but instead of these, ivhen it is necessary 
to correct acidity from too much fermentation, 
use lime water, which is easily made by putting a 
lump of fresh lime (about one pound) into a jar 
with one gallon water, and when this has settled 
clear, (which may require two or three days.) 
pour off the clear liquid into bottles, and cork 
tight to preserve from spoiling. This costs no¬ 
thing but the trouble of making it, and will keep 
forever, if well corked. R. 
Irvington , N. J. 
Hints on Cooking, etc. 
A CHAPTER ON KISSES. 
These are luxuries over which the lips are 
smacked with satisfaction by lovers of sweet 
things, and if temperately enjoyed at proper times 
are innocent as we have proved by trial — bakers’ 
kisses of course — for we take it our readers need 
little instruction about the other sort. The kind 
now referred to, are usually iu the form of egg- 
shaped, snowy white lumps with a sweet, crisp, 
and brittle shell, and soft creamy inside, and are 
named kisses, perhaps, from their melting so 
pleasantly on the lips We are indebted to Mr. 
Crozer, Mercer Co., N. J., for the following di¬ 
rections communicated for the American Agri¬ 
culturist. 
Ecu Kisses. — Place iu a clean, dry, metal or 
