1876.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
34r3 
and frequently applied to cucumbers, squashes, 
melons, tomatoes, cabbage, and to grape-vines and 
other small fruits. The liquid manure adds much 
to the vigor of the plants, and the size and quality 
of the vegetables and fruits. To those who have 
never tried it, we think the free use of liquid ma¬ 
nure will open a new revelation in gardening. Try it 
ou the flower borders, and on all the growing crops. 
Connecticut. 
The Cut-Leaved Sumach. 
We know of no cut-leaved shrub or tree, that in 
departing from its normal condition, so effectually 
disguises itself as does the Cut-leaved Sumach. 
This is a form of the common Smooth Sumach, 
{Rhus glabra), as delicate and refined in its aspect 
as the otheris coarse and common; indeed, we have 
rarely met with a person, even if very familiar with 
plants, who could identify this by the leaf. Fern- 
leaved Sumach would be a most appropriate name 
for it. Our object in noticing it at the present 
time is to call attention to its value in summer 
floral decorations, as in all large work of this kind, 
its leaves produce all the offect of fern fronds, and 
at the same time hold up much better than most of 
them do, retaining their form and freshness for 
several days ; besides—an item of no little import¬ 
ance—they can bo produced almost inexpensively. 
Indeed we are not sure but it would pay florists who 
do much decorative work to forco the plant. As a 
lawn plant it should always be grown with a single 
stem, cutting it back each fall, to get a start as 
near the ground as practicable; if allowed to 
branch it loses much of its beauty ; if grown for 
the sake of a supply of its leaves, it would even 
then be better to treat it in this way, as they are 
much more luxuriant when the whole vigor of the 
roots is thrown into a single stem. In early sum¬ 
mer a leaf-folding caterpillar sometimes attacks the 
very tips of the leaves, which should be disposed 
of before the leaf is disfigured. 
Irrigation in the Garden. —The experience of 
the past July will set the gardeners near the At¬ 
lantic coast to considering the subject of irriga¬ 
tion more seriously than ever before. There is 
rarely a season when the crops would not be bene- 
fitted by a copious watering, and in such a season 
as we have just passed, it is with many vegetables 
a question of watering or no crops at all. We have 
no doubt whatever that the strawberry crop would 
in ordinary seasons, by its increase, pay a hand¬ 
some interest ou the outlay for irrigating apparatus, 
and in unusually dry seasons, the saving of the 
fruit would remunerate all the expense by a single 
crop. By irrigating we do not refer to mere water¬ 
ing,'as it is generally understood in gardening ; but 
flooding the surface with water and allowing it to 
soak in to such extent that the soil will be thor¬ 
oughly moistened. This requires an abundant 
store of water, but not so much as many suppose, 
as the garden may be so arranged as to be irrigated 
in detachments. The most favorable conditions are, 
where the water of a brook can be led along the high¬ 
er part of a garden, and conducted to all parts. Un¬ 
fortunately it is in only the rarest cases that this can 
be done, and most gardens must depend upon water 
obtained from other sources and stored-until wanted. 
It is not our present purpose to discuss the details 
of irrigation, but simply to insist that it is practi¬ 
cable in nearly every garden, aud that the means of 
effecting it will depend upon circumstances which 
will vary with the locality. Water rams and wind 
mills of various kinds are now made in great vari¬ 
ety and at low cost, and water can be raised cheap¬ 
ly. Other sources not being at hand, a well will 
afford a supply. If the lay of the land allows of 
the building a cistern reservoir, this may often be 
best, but tanks of plank can be made to store 
enough to irrigate a moderate surface. It appears 
to us that there is no matter connected with gar¬ 
dening in which there is so much room for im¬ 
provement as in this of irrigation, and the present, 
when the sad ruin wrought by the drouth is only 
too visible, is the time to consider “ ways and 
means.” During next April’s rains no one will 
think of irrigating his garden. 
^ For other Household Items see “ Basket ” pages. 
Home Topics. 
BY FAITH ROCHESTER. 
Something a.I>out Cellars. 
The Scriptures might teach us, if common sense 
did not, to count the cost before beginning to build 
a house. Some tell us to make out careful esti¬ 
mates of the cost of building materials, and all 
necessary labor, and then double the amount to get 
a sum nearer what will be the actual expense of the 
new house than the first careful estimate. A little 
observation, if positive experience be lacking, 
should teach any house-builder to leave a wide 
margin for extra expenses and for covering the loss¬ 
es which result from various accidents and delays. 
It would seem as though no person of good 
judgment would rear a house without attending 
first to the foundation. But this mistake is often 
made, especially here in the West, or in new towns 
where there is scarcity of house-room if not scarci¬ 
ty of money. The house is hastily put up over a 
kind of hole in the ground, which is to be dug out 
deeper and wider, and made into a cellar sometime. 
But work presses, and time flies, and the frame of 
the house settles unevenly, and water collects in the 
hole meant for a cellar. Sometimes years pass be¬ 
fore the hole is made into a cellar, and sometimes 
this desirable change is never made—all of which 
is a great mistake. Better build small, and be 
thorough as you go on with the work. 
A good cellar is a very important part of a coun¬ 
try house—a dry cellar, cool and clean in summer, 
frost-proof and well ventilated in winter. The au¬ 
thor of “ Homes and How to Make Them,” insists 
that the cellar shall extend under the wdiole house 
if possible, and be not less than 7i feet deep. If 
the house is built on firm dry land, with sufficient 
slope away from the walls in all directions, there 
will be little difficulty in securing a dry cellar. 
And what if the outside covered drain, which is in¬ 
tended to carry away the water from the cellar, 
slopes inward instead of outward ? This would not 
often happen, but I have lived over one cellar 
where an attempt at drainage met such lack of suc¬ 
cess, impressing upon my own mind the need of 
great care in that respect. [One method of draining 
a cellar was described last month, on p. 290.— Ed.] 
There are many desirable places for a home 
where a dry cellar is an exception to the general 
rule. But a dry cellar you must have, or suffer 
more or less in family health. No matter if you 
are poor, “Doctor’s bills” cost more than sanitary 
measures for the preservation of health. In a pa¬ 
per on “Drainage for Health,” in the “Report of 
the Mass. State Board of Health,” there is a very 
truthful representation of the condition of mauy 
farm-house cellars at the time of spring rains and 
melting snows. First, the flood in the cellar, when 
boxes, and barrels, and wash-tubs, and hoops, and 
staves are all afloat, and afterwards the horrible 
slime on the bottom, when the pond in the cellar 
has slowly oozed away, leaving behind all its poison 
filth. The most common method of cellar drain¬ 
age—the construction of a small culvert running 
from a corner of the cellar to some low ground 
near the house, with little ditches across the cellar 
bottom connecting with this outlet is quite inade¬ 
quate for securing a really dry cellar. No one need 
imagine that a well made water-tight inside with 
cement, will answer as well as drainage. Dr. 
French mentions an instance where a cellar was 
carefully aud heavily cemented to exclude water, 
and the pressure of the water lifted the whole body 
of the cement from the bottom, leaving it in bro¬ 
ken masses, like flag stones half on edge. He says 
it is practicable to exclude water from a cellar by a 
heavy wall laid in cement, and a heavy cemented 
floor of brick or stone, but the process is very ex¬ 
pensive, and leaves the adjacent soil saturated with 
water in wet times. 
In vain have you sought a healthy climate for 
your home if your new dry and frost-proof cellar 
lacks some adequate means of ventilation. People 
become gradually accustomed to increasing cellar 
odors iu their living-rooms and bed-rooms, and 
breathe a tainted and unwholesome atmosphere 
quite unconsciously. An invalid, especially one 
with weak lungs, coming from a pure atmosphere 
into one of these cellar-tainted houses, quickly per¬ 
ceives the impurity of atmosphere which dwellers 
in the house had not observed. Perhaps this is the 
best mission of invalids, and no one need fear that 
they will ever find their occupation gone, for bad 
air and invalids will probably “go out” together. 
In buildiug, one or more of the chimneys should 
be so arranged that a flue may be used for ventilat¬ 
ing the cellar. If windows alone be depended upon, 
they will probably be closed and sealed by the 
banking outside iu the coldest weather. A cellar 
should have both an outside and an inside entrance. 
It is about equally uncomfortable for a housekeep¬ 
er to have all tiie vegetables and meat brought in 
through the house for winter storage, or to be 
obliged to run out of doors in all weathers to reach 
her cellar by an outside door. The cellar should 
be made so tight and carefully protected in every 
part that rats and mice can find no entrance. 
Drains must be protected at the outer end by cop¬ 
per gauze, and the windows by wire-netting in sum¬ 
mer, so that the whole cellar may serve as a clean 
cool “ safe ” for milk and other food. 
A housekeeper who has a good cellar, has reason 
to be thankful for one great comfort, and she can 
but show her gratitude by taking the best possible 
care of it, letting nothing be left there to decay, 
and having it well cleaned as often as the case de¬ 
mands, which is at least every spring, very thor¬ 
oughly, boxes, barrels, and all. 
Dried Tomatoes. 
Housekeepers in the country, who have many 
tomatoes and few cans, can easily preserve a large 
quantity of this very easily raised fruit, by drying it. 
This method requires little outlay, and compara¬ 
tively little trouble. Scald and peel the tomatoes, 
as for canning. Boil them slowly in a porcelain 
kettle or stone jar, until the original quantity is re¬ 
duced one-half. Then season them in the propor¬ 
tion of a teaspoonful of salt, and half-a-cupful of 
sugar to a gallon of stewed tomatoes. Spread on 
plates and dry quickly, without scorching. As the 
moisture dries away and the stewed fruit takes 
shape, scrape it up so that both sides may dry, and 
let the contents of several plates, heaped up light¬ 
ly, stand iu bright sunshine a little while before 
putting away. Store in bags and keep dry. 
When wanted for use, put a small quantity soak¬ 
ing in considerable ivater several hours, or over 
night. Stew in the same water long and slowly— 
three or four hours—keeping boiling water at hand 
to add if it grows thick, and so is in danger of 
burning. It should be quite thin when done, and 
may be thickened with bread crumbs, and sea¬ 
soned with a little sugar,, salt, and butter—of 
course tomatoes should not be made sweet. [As 
to sugar in tomatoes, tastes differ greatly ; we know 
a few persons who habitually use sugar upon the 
cooked fruit; for ourself, the least particle of sugar 
is at once detected, and the dish is spoiled. We 
should as soon think of putting salt upon straw¬ 
berries as sugar upon tomatoes. Ed.] 
Knitling Work. 
Practice enables a person to knit with such ease 
and lack of attention, that the work is almost like 
play, or like doing nothing. I say “person,” be¬ 
cause I do not see why boys and men should not 
become skilled in the art of knitting. If a man has 
done a good day’s work and feels tired as he sits 
down at evening, or if he is inclined to read by the 
evening lamp, he had better let knitting work 
alone. The rest or the reading will do more good 
than his knitting work. Why is not this true also 
of women ? Many a weary woman feels that it 
would be quite scandalous for her to sit down at 
home, even for an hour before bed-time, without 
some work in her hands ; and if she is too tired to 
