AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
379 
worked with wooden ladles or “ spatters ” to get 
the water out with the last traces of buttermilk, the 
salt may be worked in and the butter considered 
made, except what working and compacting it gets 
in balling up, at which time every drop of moisture 
that can be extracted is clear gain. The hand should 
never touch the cream or the butter from first to 
last. If specks be seen, remove them with the point 
of a knife, or a stick made for the- purpose. The 
dairy-woman should educate her own mind to feel 
that though she knows her own hands are perfect¬ 
ly clean, and that they have not touched her head or 
her clothes, or any thing else, still the handling 
or touching the butter with bare hands is unwor¬ 
thy a good dairy-woman, and must never be done. 
The vessels and implements used in butter-mak¬ 
ing should not only be clean, but they should be 
scalded and then rinsed off in cold water every 
time just before they are used. The best table for 
working butter on is one of marble, with a groove 
all round, an inch and a half from the edge. Beach 
is the best wood for the ladles and “spatters.” A 
common pastry rolling pin, or one that has shallow 
longitudinal flutings in it, is a capital thing to work 
butter with; and a soft sponge covered with a fine 
linen cloth, kept constantly wet and clean- by dip¬ 
ping it in cold, pure water, and wringing it out, is 
excellent to take up the buttermilk which is 
brought to light by the rolling. This is a very neat, 
expeditious and easy process. 
Well worked butter does not require much salt; 
half an ounce to the pound is enough for that which 
is to be consumed at once or marketed, unless the 
market demands a salter article, and for the real 
butter lover no salt at all is decidedly preferable. 
Butter to be packed in firkins requires more salt, 
and should be worked again after salting, which re¬ 
duces the quantity somewhat, and should finally 
contain not more than one ounce of salt to the 
pound. The firkins should be prepared by first 
tightening the hoops, then filling with boiling hot 
water, and letting them soak half a day, and repeat¬ 
ing the operation, and finally, after they have be¬ 
come partially dry, scalding them out with hot 
brine and letting them dry without wiping. This 
takes out the taste of the wood. There is no object 
in using large quantities of salt between the layers 
of butter and upon the top, but on the contrary it 
is injurious. Every part of the firkin should be 
filled with butter, so that no air can penetrate; a 
thin film of fine salt, however, should line the sides 
and bottom, and cover the top. 
Onions in a Hygienic Point of View. 
In a medicinal point of view, the garden onion is 
of more importance than any other of our esculent 
vegetables. It is a powerful diuretic, and is said as 
such to have been successfully used as a specific in 
dropsy, gout, gravel, lumbago, and generally in all 
affections of the kidneys and urinary organs. As 
an instance of its efficacy in dropsy, we shall relate 
a circumstance which came within our own observa¬ 
tion a few years since. We were traveling through 
one of the middle departments of France in com¬ 
pany with a very eminent counsellor, and member 
of the Parisian Bar, who had turned his attention to 
discovering the various medicinal properties of sim¬ 
ples, in illustration of a favorite theory of his, that 
all the ailments which afflict mankind may be re¬ 
moved by remedies from the vegetable kingdom, 
to the utter exclusion of all mineral substances. 
One day we stopped and claimed the privileges 
of hospitality at a beautiful “ chateau ” belonging 
to a distant relative of our friend. We were most 
kindly received by the iord of the mansion, a fine 
looking middle aged man,-who, with tears in his 
eyes, informed us that his lady, whom our friend 
described- as a most gentle, kind-hearted, and noble- 
minded dame, was dying of the dropsy, all the med¬ 
ical men in the neighborhood having stated that 
nothing more could be done : for her. “That re¬ 
mains to be seen,” said our friend hastily, “ I must 
see ter forthwith,” and he proceeded to her bed¬ 
room, dragging us with him—a circumstance which 
will create no surprise in those acquainted with the 
manners of the French. The lady was alarmingly 
ill, and had swollen to an enormous size; she had 
been tapped once before, but on the present occa¬ 
sion had obstinately refused such a mode.of relief. 
The Parisian lawyer, nothing daunted, called for 
some white onions. Having peeled a sufficient quan¬ 
tity, he filled with them a pipkin, or coarse earthen 
mug, holding about three pints. Having stuffed in 
as many peeled onions as the vessel would contain, 
he filled this with cold water, covered it, and set it 
in the midst of the warm embers, where the water 
would simmer with very little ebullition. He let 
the onions stew until they were reduced to a pap, 
and the water to half of the original quantity—a 
process which required three or four hours, as the 
vessel was kept closely covered, and the fire slow". 
He strained the liquor through a linen bag, careful¬ 
ly expressing every drop of juice from the onion 
pulp which had melted in the liquor. Having ex¬ 
tracted this latter, he carefully weighed it, and then, 
gently over the fire, but without boiling, dissolved 
in it its own weight of coarse brown sugar. Of this 
syrup he gave his patient two tablespoonfuls every 
two hours, afresh quantity being made so as to keep 
up a constant supply. In a day or two the lady felt 
better, and in about six weeks, during which time 
we remained at the chateau as guests, she was able 
to walk with us about the grounds. We had occa¬ 
sion to visit our kind host about six months after 
our former visit, and found his lady enjoying excel¬ 
lent health, and valuing her cousin’s onion syrup 
as a specific for all the complaints “ that flesh is 
heir to.”— Mag. Domestic Economy , (Eng). 
For the American Agriculturist. 
About Pickles, etc. 
Allow me to add to your list of “Material for 
Pickles,” and your recipes for pickling, one or two 
which are very palatable, and entirely economical: 
OTHER TOMATO PICKLES. 
Use the multitudes of tomatoes of all sizes, which 
remain green on the vines when Jack Frost is draw¬ 
ing near, in this manner: Chop them to about the 
size of dice, place them in colanders with a little 
salt, and let them drain one day; then put them in 
jars, and cover them with hot vinegar well spiced, 
and set them away. They require no further care, 
and have very much the relish of mangoes. 
A kind of mango can be made of the very large 
tomatoes which remain green. Cut out with the 
stem enough of the tomato to permit the scooping 
out of the seeds, and then fill with chopped cab¬ 
bage, chopped onions, with mustard seed and 
spices, or any thing which is preferred. Secure the 
piece cut out, as you would in making melon man¬ 
goes, and then throw the tomatoes with your other 
pickles into vinegar. 
BOILED QUINCES EOR THE DESSERT. 
You furnish also a recipe for “ baked quinces.” I 
assure you that quinces not pared, simply boiled in 
fair water till tender, and eaten with butter and 
sugar, like dumplings, form a delicious dessert for 
the dinner table. They should be taken upon the 
plate and crushed with the fork, and simply but¬ 
tered and sugared. As to beauty, nothing can sur¬ 
pass them; they retain their form, and are as bright 
as a dish of oranges. Letty Ermin. 
Preserving Peaches. 
It may be done either with or without sugar, with 
much or with little. The question may well be 
considered, will sugar be cheaper next Winter and 
.Spring than now, and we may act accordingly. 
Peel and cut in quarters, put them directly into the 
bottles, with a very little water, put the bottles in a 
wash-boiler, or similar vessel, filled with water to 
within two inches of the tops of the jars; bring the 
water to a boil, and boil it 15 minutes. Have pre¬ 
pared a syrup with 1 pound of sugar to a pint of 
water, or 1 pound to 2 quarts, just as you choose— 
the former usually preferable—pour this, boiling 
hot, into the bottles, as soon as they are removed 
from the water, and close them immediately, as di¬ 
rected on page 182, Agriculturist for June, 1862. 
Hints About Cooking, etc. 
Pea Soup.—People who despise soups had 
better try either of the following recipes. The first 
is an old family recipe ; the other is from Soy er, who 
has furnished the people so many good recipes. 
Spilt Pea Soup.—Take a quart of peas; 
soak the peas over night in a quart of water ; in the 
morning boil them an hour in this water; 10 min¬ 
utes before the hour expires, put in a teaspoonful 
of saleratus; at the expiration of the hour, change 
them to fresh water; put in a pound of salt pork, 
and boil three or four hours. Serve with a slice or 
two of bread, cut in small cubes and fried brown. 
Cheap Pea Soap.—Put into the iron pot 
two ounces of drippings, one quarter of a pound of 
bacon, cut into dice, two good onions sliced; fry 
them gently until brownish, then add one large or 
two small turnips, the same of carrots, one leek, 
and one head of celery, all cut thin and slanting (if 
all these can not be obtained, use any of them, but 
about the same amount); fry for ten minutes more, 
and then add seven quarts of water; boil up, and 
add one pound and a half of split peas ; simmer for 
two or three hours, until reduced to a pulp, which 
depends on the quality of the peas; then add two 
tablespoonfuls of salt, one of sugar, one of dried 
mint; mix half a pound of flour smooth in a pint 
of water, stir it well, pour in the soup, boil thirty 
minutes, and serve. 
CJi-een Pickles.—To give pickles a lively 
green color, it is recommended to put grape leaves 
into the vinegar—a very simple way if it is effective. 
Corn Clysters.—Half a dozen ears of boiled 
corn; three eggs; a tablespoonful and-a-half of 
flour. Beat the yolks very thick; cut the corn off 
the cob ; season it with pepper and salt; mix it with 
the yolks, and add the flour. Whisk the whites to 
a stiff froth; stir them in with the corn and yolks; 
put a dessert spoonful at a time in a pan of hot but¬ 
ter, and fry to a light brown on both sides. 
BSiscnit Fritters.— 1 Take some light biscuits 
or rusks ; split them in halves ; saturate them with 
custard made with six eggs to a quart of milk, omit¬ 
ting sugar (if the cakes are sweet); then fry them 
in hot lard to a light brown, and eat with wine sauce. 
To Canady Fx-nits.—Take one pound of the 
best loaf sugar; dip each lump into a bowl of wa¬ 
ter, and put the sugar into your preserving kettle. 
Boil it down and skim it until perfectly clear, and 
in a candying state. When sufficiently boiled, have 
ready the fruits you wish to preserve. Large white 
grapes, oranges separated into small pieces, or pre¬ 
served fruits, taken out of their syrup and dried, 
are very nice. Dip the fruits into the prepared su¬ 
gar while it is hot; put them in a cold place; they 
soon become hard. 
Fincapple Jain.—Pare the pineapples, 
and grate or shred them fine with a silver fork. 
To every 5 pounds of fruit add 3 pounds of loaf su¬ 
gar. Put the whole on the fire, and boil it three- 
quarters of an hour, stirring it all the while. When 
cold, put it in jars with brandy paper on the top, 
and tie them close, or paste paper over, and keep in 
a dry, cool place. 
Sweet Apples ISalccd and I»ried.— 
Bake as for the table ; then dry by fire heat. The 
old-fashioned, large brick oven is the best place. 
When wanted for the table they may be soaked in 
water and heated, and finally the water dried away. 
The apples return to very nearly the condition of 
fresh baked apples. If they are stewed in a syrup ' 
they make a rich sauce, far preferable to that of the 
common dried apples. A Farmer’s Wife. 
Licking Co., Ohio. 
To BJesti'oy Moths in Carpets.— 
Remove the furniture and whip the edges of the 
carpet repeatedly with a strong whip, (a good raw- 
hide.) A good housekeeper writes that she has 
tried this method with success. 
