1864] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
245 
Fig. 2.— purslane (Portulaca oleracea.) 
have kept specimens between paper for weeks, 
for tlie purpose of drying them, and then found 
that they were alive and would grow. This fact 
shows the necessity of preventing the plants 
once hoed up from rooting again. In the garden 
they can be raked out and taken to the hog pen, 
but in field culture this can not be done. There 
the weeding should be done on a hot day; one 
skillful with the hoe usually manages to com¬ 
pletely invert the plant after cutting it up. 
TODE MQUMOIUQ). 
Household Hints for August. 
Hot weather, busy clays. Get as much of the 
housework as possible done in the cool of the day. 
Sponge the bread at night, that it may be ready to 
mold into loaves in the morning, and do other bak¬ 
ing at the same time. If you have washing to do, 
soak your clothes over night, and boil them up in 
the morning after a partial rubbing, for clothes 
much soiled, or use erasive soap and a spoonful 
of sal-soda in the boiling suds, to save a great deal 
of rubbing. Remind your husband that a good 
washing machine and wringer would be acceptable 
as soon as he can afford it. When baking or wash¬ 
ing is to be done, provide beforehand for breakfast 
that it may be prepared with little trouble. If the 
baby keeps you awake nights, go to bed early. Na¬ 
ture exacts severe penalties for violated law. 
Clean floors in the morning, and iron after tea. 
Put your house in order immediately after break¬ 
fast, and before retiring at night. Begin to thiuk 
about next winter’s comfort, and so always have 
knitting or something ready for leisure moments. 
Two Ways of Governing Children- 
The best government of children is that which 
trains them to properly rule themselves. A boy 
who refrains from wrong only or principally be¬ 
cause he fears the rod, is in a fair way to ruin ; 
when he has grown too large to be whipped, re¬ 
straint will be gone, and he will hasten to gratify 
his passions all the more fiercely because of the 
previously enforced denial of indulgence. The con¬ 
stant effort of parents should be to teach children 
that inconvenience, pain and misery are the natural 
consequences of transgression. Merely repeating 
this day after day to a child will not be sufficient to 
implant it as a principle of action. It may be thus 
impressed on the memory, but not on the life. 
Children learn to avoid physical danger, first by 
experiencing the pain resulting from it. No child 
will let fire alone merely from being told that it 
will burn ; but after he has once or twice felt the 
smart, he will not only shun the flame, but he wili 
be more likely to heed future warnings, both of 
this danger and of others against 
which his parents may caution him. If 
his constant experience be that trans¬ 
gression of the commands and disre¬ 
gard of the counsels of his guardians 
are inevitably followed by evil conse¬ 
quences which he can feel, and that 
his pain is the direct result of his in¬ 
fraction, he will ultimately be convinc¬ 
ed of the superior wisdom of those in 
authority over him, and of their just 
and kind motives in imposing restraint. 
“ I always whip my boy when he dis¬ 
obeys me, and yet I can not make him 
mind,” was the reply of a parent to 
the writer, when urging the necessity 
of proper discipline. In this case, 
and it is one of thousands, pain fol¬ 
lowed disobedience not as a direct re¬ 
sult, but only as an arbitrary and tem¬ 
porary consequence. The boy might 
feel that perhaps the whipping came 
merely because the father was displeas¬ 
ed, and console himself with the re¬ 
flection that at some day he would be too big to whip. 
Or as is more frequently the case, the thought might 
be, “ I will look out and not get caught next time.” 
As an illustration of another and better' mode of 
treatment take the following, \\ liich occurred under 
the writer’s notice. A lady bad placed a quantity 
of grapes in a closet for sale keeping until she 
could preserve them. Her little boy found them, 
and slily helped himself so liberally that the loss 
was noticed. He was called to account, plead guilty’, 
for the proof was strong, and received not a whip¬ 
ping, but the following just sentence. “ I am sorry 
you chose to take your share of the grapes slily 
and dishonestly, when by waiting a little you could 
have enjoyed them with the rest of us, and with¬ 
out fear or shame. Of course, you can not expect 
any more, having eaten your portion, and I shall 
not allow you to have them." The sentence was 
faithfully carried out. Every time the preserved 
grapes came upon the table the little fellow felt not 
only the deprivation of the luxury, but he could 
trace the natural and just connection between 
his sin and its punishment, and the lesson was 
remembered longer than a severe whipping 
would have been. A boy who should refuse to 
bring wateror cut wood or milk the cows, or do oth¬ 
er similar work, would be more successfully treated 
by being denied his share in the benefits of these 
operations, than by scolding or whipping. Thus 
in most cases of discipline, the punishment may be 
so directly connected with the offence, that the 
child will wish to escape the effect by avoiding the 
cause, and learn to do this habitually; and when 
this is done, a long step is gained toward the prac¬ 
tice of self government, and a foundation of good 
principles is laid for his continuance in well doing 
when parental control can no longer be exerted. 
Management of Domestics. 
The scarcity of “good help ’’ is only equalled by 
the infrequency of good mistresses. The few -who 
know how to manage domestics, usually have faith¬ 
ful service, so that in general more than half the 
blame for servants’faults should be shared by their 
employers. This may seem harsh, but remember, 
that the employed are, as a class, of inferior capac¬ 
ity, needing direction, and most likely to go wrong 
without it. From her position the mistress has it 
in her power to guide those not determinedly in¬ 
tractable or helplessly stupid, and it is her duty to 
do it,—failing in this she sacrifices much domestic 
comfort, and inflicts positive injury on her depend¬ 
ents. A large proportion of servants are foreign 
immigrants, ignorant of our customs, needing to 
be taught almost every thing pertaining to house¬ 
keeping, and requiring no small stock of patience 
on the part of those who undertake the task. Lack 
of this quality is the beginning of half the house¬ 
keeper’s troubles. Something goes wrong, and the 
girl at once “gets a scolding.” In most cases,kind¬ 
ly pointing out the error, showing a personal inter¬ 
est in the improvement of the girl, and judiciously 
praising every attempt at better performance, will 
keep alive not only kindly feeling but a constant 
endeavor to please. The girl should be plainly di¬ 
rected as to what is expected of her, and there 
should be an inflexible requirement of obedience 
to all household regulations. This may call for no 
little firmness, but it should be so blended with 
gentleness that no needless opposition he provoked. 
Human nature everywhere rebels against harsh¬ 
ness, but is attracted by kindness of manner. A 
judicious mistress will plan to lighten the labors of 
her domestics. A girl who sees a disposition on 
the part of her mistress to make work merely to 
keep her busy, will very naturally and justly take 
it as easy as possible. If, however, there be a pros¬ 
pect of finishing up, and enjoying a little leisure 
each day, it will stimulate to cheerful and active 
performance of duty. Service at housework, is at 
best, not an inviting employment, not one which 
parents would generally choose for a daughter; 
let this fact be kept in mind, and have its influence 
in awakening feelings of sympathy as well as in¬ 
citing just dealing toward those whom circum¬ 
stances have placed in the position of domestics. 
Hew Vessel for Cooking Vegetables, etc. 
The engraving represents a simple but useful 
contrivance for cooking vegetables, or other articles, 
which was devised and patented by a lady, Mrs. C. 
Britain, St. Joseph, Mich. It is a tin kettle with a 
perforated bottom and having a movable cover. It 
is designed to set into another common iron kettle. 
Feet are attached to the bottom to raise it from 
contact with the water when it is desirable to cook 
the contents by steam, which in many cases is a 
great improvement. The top has an orifice to 
which is attached a tube that may be carried into 
an opening in the stovepipe, through which odors 
from articles being cooked may escape; this in 
some instances is highly desirable, as for instance 
in cooking cabbage, turnips and onions. The use 
of this contrivance will also obviate the necessity 
of lifting off a heavy iron pot, to remove the con¬ 
tents, as the whole can be readily lifted out with 
the inner kettle. We are not informed as to the 
cost of this boilpr, but from its simple construc¬ 
tion, judge that it can not be very expensive. It is 
a convenient apparatus for use in the kitchen. 
Politeness can not be learned from books of et 
iquette ; to be genuine it must spring from a de¬ 
sire to bestow enjoyment, from a loving disposi¬ 
tion. When this is trained to observed miuoi 
courtesies, it gives a charm and polish which at¬ 
tract in every sphere. It will be at once recognized 
by all, in court or camp, in the drawing room or 
the cottage. It will shine out not like the refleo 
