226 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
First make a box (fig. 1) of X% or 2-inch plank, 
18 inches long, 7. inches square at the top, and 6 at 
Fig'. 2.— PLANK TO HOLD FIG. 1. 
the bottom ; next get a plank about 3 feet long, 2 
or 3 inches thick, and 12 or 14 inches wide (fig. 2), 
in which cut a square hole which shall tightly fit 
the box at the dotted line, a a; 
next make a wooden stopper 
(fig. 3) to fit the top of the box 
(fig. 1); nail the box firmly into 
the plank (fig. 2), and plant them 
firmly in the ground, so that the 
top of the box is just level with the surface, 
ramming the whole well down. Make the end of 
your clothes-post to fit the socket (fig. 1), and, 
i° • °1 
Fig. 4.— CLOTHES DRYING POST IN PLACE. 
when you remove it, be careful to cover the hole 
with the stopper. Fig. 4 shows a section of the 
whole when fixed for use. 
- -—n»— ■ - 
Hints on Canning Fruit. 
BY ESTELLE EDGERTON. 
The season w r hen fruit will be plenty is fast ap¬ 
proaching, and those housekeepers who have seen 
how much their canned fruit was enjoyed the last 
wiuter, will be making calculations to put up a 
large supply the present summer. There is noth¬ 
ing healthier, and really, hardly anything cheaper, 
than canned fruit. 
It may seem unnecessary to those who are al¬ 
ready adepts at the art to write anything on this 
subject; but I can assure such, that there are hun¬ 
dreds of bushels of fruit spoiled every year in this 
town alone. 
A lady not long since was telling me that last fall 
she put up three baskets of as handsome peaches 
as were ever gathered, and every bottle was spoil¬ 
ed. I constantly hear the ladies talking about their 
spoiled fruit. There is another remark I often 
hear, and which seems absurd to me. It is this : 
“My fruit always white-molds, and I think it im¬ 
proves it.” There is a thick leathery white mold, 
which often forms on the top of the fruit, and 
which can be removed whole without affecting, ap¬ 
parently, the flavor of the fruit; but it is not desir¬ 
able to have even this sort of mold. It would be 
out of the question to send such bottles to a long 
distance, as the mold would be spread all over the 
fruit, if it did not impart any unpleasant flavor. 
There is such a thing as having bottled fruit with¬ 
out any mold whatever. I think the reason white 
mold forms, is, that the lid of the can is not applied 
soon enough, and many ladies consider this as part 
of the process. Ouly yesterday a friend told me 
that she always waited three or four minutes after 
the fruit was in the bottle before putting on the 
lid. “ It lets out the air,” she said. I looked sur¬ 
prised. “You know there are always bubbles of 
air that have to come up.” “ Oh, yes! ” I said, “ I 
know; but always run a knife quickly down the in¬ 
side, and that brings them up.” The quicker the 
lid is applied, the better, and it should not be dis¬ 
turbed until you want to use the fruit. 
Iu regard to the air-bubbles, which often form 
while the bottle is filling, a little care will obviate 
the difficulty. In putting the fruit into the bottle, 
do not pour in such a way as to close the whole 
mouth of the bottle, because that prevents the es¬ 
cape of the air; but rather let the fruit slide gently 
down the side of the bottle. It can be done just 
as quickly this way as the other. 
The secret of having bottled fruit keep, is to 
have a perfectly air-tight cover, and to be sure that 
the fruit perfectly boils all throughout, before put¬ 
ting it into the bottles, and then to be quick about 
putting on the cover, and letting the cover alone, 
until you want to use the contents of the bottle. 
It is not necessary to let out the steam or air, 
after the cover is on. Do not place a string under 
the rubber for this purpose. Do not insert a pen¬ 
knife under the rubber (according to some direc¬ 
tions) to let out air (I know a lady that learned this 
lesson after her peaches had all fermented). It is 
not necessary to bury the bottles in the earth, or 
to have a dark vault made in the cellar for the pur¬ 
pose. Mine keep perfectly, without mold, on a 
shelf in a rather light cellar. If you bottle your 
fruit in the right way, it will keep almost anywhere, 
but by the stove ; if you don’t do it right, and let in 
the air with a knife, or some other way, it won’t 
keep, no matter where you put it. Of course, if 
you have not done it right, it will keep longer in a 
dark, cold place, but it will succumb to the atmos¬ 
phere in the end. Bottled fruit put up in a proper 
manner will keep for years, if desired. I had some 
splendid peaches at a friend’s the other evening, 
and she said she did not know whether they 
were two or three years old. But she knew they 
were not last year’s, for she did not put up any, as 
she had used up all her empty bottles for cherries, 
plums, raspberries, etc.; and as she had several 
bottles of peaches on hand, she did not think it 
necessary to buy more bottles for a fresh supply. 
Green Currants —To Bottle. —These are nice 
for pies, and many housekeepers put up a large 
quantity. Strip them from the stems. Allow six 
ounces of sugar to the pound of fruit, or about one 
pound of sugar to three pounds of currants. Put 
a layer of sugar and currants in the kettle until 
two-thirds full; set on back of stove, or in the 
oven, until the sugar melts and the juice starts. 
Now let them come to a boil, stew them awhile, if 
you wish, or bottle as quickly as possible; they 
must be boiling when bottled. Common, small¬ 
mouthed bottles will do. The corks should be cut off 
smooth and even with the glass, and waxed neatly. 
Green Gooseberries —To Bottle. —Remove the 
stems and blows, and allow about a half pound of 
sugar to a pound of berries. If you wish them 
whole, you will need a little water. Put a layer of 
sugar and gooseberries, and so on, and then water 
nearly to cover them, but not quite. Put the fruit 
into the bottles by the teacupful. Take them from 
the kettle solid in the cup, hut allow some of the 
boiling juice, or they will chill. Have the bottle 
full of the berries, and then cover with whatever 
quantity of the boiling juice is necessary. If you 
want them made into jam, let them stew until a 
pulp is formed, and use no water. Ripe gooseber¬ 
ries are better made into a jam; a little less sugar 
than for the green ones is required. 
Rhubarb, or Pie-Plant —To Bottle. — Skin 
young and tender stems, and cut them into proper 
lengths. Allow a half pound of sugar (brown will 
do) to the pound of fruit. Stew it for some time, 
if you wish, or simply bring it to a boil, and bottle, 
sealing as quickly as possible. 
To Bottle Cherries. —I always stone the red 
sour pie-cherries; the large white look and taste 
better with the stone left in. Some persons con¬ 
sider the black Tartarian an unsuitable fruit to 
bottle. I put up a quantity the past year: they 
kept well and were delicious. I did some with 
stones, and some without. You may put them up 
with or without sugar. My way is this: To one 
pound of sweet cherries allow one-quarter pound 
Fig. 3. 
of white sugar, and a little water. Bring to a per¬ 
fect boil, and bottle. 
Pie-Cherries— To Bottle.— Stone them, allow¬ 
ing the juice to drop with the cherries. To a pound 
of fruit add nearly or quite a half pound of brown 
sugar. Let them stew until the sugar is reduced to 
a syrup, or until they look a little glazed. Now 
bring to a lively boil, and they are ready to bottle. 
Remember the invariable rule for all bottled fruit: 
seal quickly, while boiling hot. 
Strawberries —To Bottle. — Let them be as 
fresh as possible. Pick over, and reject every one at 
all decayed. Wash thoroughly before taking off the 
stems. To every pound of berries allow three ounces 
of white sugar; use a porcelain or brass kettle. Put 
layers of sugar and fruit; no water, until you have 
sufficient in the kettle. Put them on a slow fire, 
and stir them constantly until reduced to a jam. 
Let them stew until the jam looks glazed, then boil 
up and bottle. If you wish them whole, take the 
juice drained from the berries, and the sugar, no 
water, and boil well together. Then add the ber¬ 
ries, and as 60011 as the fruit boils, bottle. Straw¬ 
berries, done whole, change color badly, besides the 
-husks from the seeds show unpleasantly in the 
syrup. I prefer to make a jam of them. 
Red Raspberries — To Bottle. — One short 
quarter pound to a good pound of fruit; put in 
layers iu the kettle, and reduced to a jam ; stewed 
awhile, brought to a boil, and bottled. Excellent. 
Black Raspberries. —The same as red! They 
make delicious pies. 
Red Raspberry Vinegar. —Put a quart of good 
vinegar over two quarts of berries. Let them stand 
over night, strain, and pour the juice over two 
more quarts of berries ; stand over night, then strain 
again. To every pint of juice allow a pound of 
white sugar. Let itcome gently to aboil, and bottle 
for use in small-necked bottles. One tablespoonful 
to a glass of ice-water makes a refreshing summer 
beverage, and is also excellent for invalids. 
» < ft W --- 
Washing Itislaes. —Mrs. E. Ward, Knox 
Co., Ill., 1871, writes: “In your March number, 
Mrs. W. Y. gives her process of washing dishes, 
which I approve of, except the pouring of hot 
water upon the soap. I like to put it in after I 
cool the water. Young people are apt to waste it 
in hot water. I wish to say to Mrs. W. Y., that I 
have a process for washing dishes which I always 
follow, and teach it wherever I can. After remov¬ 
ing the bits from the dishes with a knife, I have 
about.two quarts of hot water in a small pan; I 
then take my wisp of broom-corn, which I always 
have near my dish-pans, holding the dish with the 
left hand, not putting it in the water, but cleansing 
it with the wisp from all bits and grease, which are 
very objectionable to me, even in my large pan of 
soapy water. I must add here, that these Wisps 
(which are made of broom-corn, tied into bundles 
as large as a broom-stick, or larger, by two strong 
cords near the coarse ends, which form a handle) 
are indispensable in cleaning kettles and frying- 
pans. I never allow n^-self to be without two or 
three, handy. I find them good iu cleaning win- 
dow-sash. In fact, if a housekeeper would use 
them one month, she would wonder how she ever 
lived so long without such a convenience. 
Corn. B5rea«l. —2 teacups of sweet milk, I 
egg, \]4 teacups wheat flour, 2 teacups Indian meal, 
2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, a little salt, 4 teaspoonfuls 
of Cream Tartar put on with flour, 2 teaspoon fuls 
of soda dissolved in warm water; add this the 
last thing. Bake in gem pans iu a quick oven. 
Carrie’s Pudding. By “W.”—Cut any 
nice stale cake into squares or thick slices, and 
pour over it a soft boiled custard, flavored with 
lemon or vanilla. Serve when cold. 
A Refreshing Summer I>rlnlc.—A 
friend states that the most thirst-quenching drink 
that he found during the unusually hot summer waa 
strong cold black tea, to which lemon juice and 
sugar were added in quantities to suit the taste. 
We have often used cold or iced tea, and found it 
an exceedingly grateful summer beverage. 
