138 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
for the country; if March snow-drops and June 
roses, the budding green of April, and the scarlet 
glory of October offer you no compensation for 
the shop windows and the flutter of pearl fans at 
the opera; if the soft mosses in the grey old 
woods are not as welcome to your feet as the 
flags of Broadway; and you think an apple tree 
in blossom not to be compared to a milliner’s 
opening; for any nope I can give you, you may 
as well move back to the city at once. Yet, No ; 
perhaps time and the sweet influences of Nature 
may work a change in your tastes, and at least, 
for your children’s sake, you will try to stay a 
little longer. Come then, and let us deal with 
your perplexities one by one; but this must be 
reserved for another article. Emily. 
Windholme, Pa., May 15, 1857. 
From our Kentucky Correspondent. 
CANDLE AND SOAP-MAKING. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist : 
As I have just made some of the nicest tallow 
candles I ever saw, I will give my recipe for the 
benefit of young housekeepers. I bleached and 
hardened 34 pounds of very soft and yellow tal¬ 
low and one pound of black beeswax, by gently 
boiling the tallow out-door in the sun two days, 
in two gallons of weak lye, stirring and skimming 
it often. Each morning I cut out the tallow and 
scraped off the bottom that was soft, and put in 
fresh lye, for two days. The third day I put in 
fresh water, in which was dissolved one pound 
of alum, one of saltpetre and a little blueing. Af¬ 
ter simmering, stirring, skimming and straining 
it, it was as clear and white as sperm, and ready 
to dip. 
I bleached my wick very white, and gently 
twisted it around small cane rods; allowing lor 
one dozen candles to weigh two pounds, I put on 
wicks for fifteen dozen candles for the 34 pounds 
tallow. When the tallow was hot I put half an 
ounce oil of .Bergamot in, which perfumed it 
sweetly. I then dipped the candles in the usual 
way, making them rather shorter for Summer, 
but as large as mold candles. When done, the 
end of the wick should be dipped in turpentine to 
cause them to light quickly, and the candles are 
ne plus ultra. Talk of a perfumed breath, it is 
not more agreeable than a perfumed candle. (I 
think I deserve a patent for my invention, but I 
will give it to your readers gratis.) We dipped 
them in two hours, and did not have one drop of 
tallow on the floor ! We had two or three 
pounds left—it is not well to dip too close. We 
dipped them twice over after cutting off the ends, 
and as the weather was cool we boxed them im¬ 
mediately, to keep them from cracking, putting 
paper between each layer. I am sure they will 
be hard all Summer, and as good as the star 
candles. 
SOAP MAKING. 
In March I had two barrels of hard soap made 
in fhe following manner: Put strong ashes and 
a bushel of lime in a good hopper onstaw; beat 
it down with a maul; put on water, and let the 
ashes rot a few days till it runs through strong. 
Then boil it down as you do sugar water for three 
days, or until there is a good deal of potash at the 
bottom ; then boil your roughest grease, bones, 
skins, &c., in one kettle. If clear grease rises 
on top, skim it off and get out all the rough grease 
you can. Then, with a long fork, pick out the 
lumps and put them in the other kettle of lye and 
potash and that will eat them all up. Lather 
and try your soap, and if too strong put in the 
clear grease till it is of the right strength. If 
too weak add more potash. Stir an hour while 
the other kettle is being made, and you will have 
a barrel of good soap. I 
If you wish to refine some, melt it over in half 
a kettle of strong brine; stir till it boils ; let it 
cool, and cut it off and dry in the sun. My soap 
maker firmly believes in the new moon. 
“ The aspect of the horoscope, 
Is most favorable for making soap ! 
GAPES IN CHICKENS. 
The way they cure gapes in chickens in Ken¬ 
tucky, is to take the blue grass when it runs to 
seed, cut off the seed end, and put it down the 
windpipe of the chicken, and twist around a little, 
then jerk it out, and it generally brings the 
worms. It. is said corn cake, baked in ashes, will 
prevent chickens having gapes. 
Winchester, Ky. Mollie Broom. 
RECIPES. 
GINGER SNAPS—DOUGHNUTS-COOKIES. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
The following recipes may be new and valu¬ 
able to some of your readers. 
To make Ginger Snaps. —Take one tablespoon¬ 
ful of ginger, one of lard, one teaspoonful of 
saleratus, half a pint of molasses, half a teacupful 
of water, with a sufficiency of flour. Knead soft, 
roll thin, and bake in a quick oven. 
To make Doughnuts. —One pint of milk, one 
teacupful of shortening, two of sugar, one of 
yeast, three eggs, two teaspoonfuls of cinnamon, 
one of salt. Beat the eggs, sugar and spice well 
together, and stir in the other ingredients, with a 
sufficiency of flour. Fry in hot lard. 
, To make “Cookies." —One teacupful of butter, 
one of thick cream, two of sugar, one coffee-cup¬ 
ful of milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two of 
cream of tartar, and half a nutmeg grated fine, 
and flour to knead soft. Bake in a quick oven. 
New-Haven, Conn. Alice. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
GOOD, PLAIN RECIPES. 
Bread, and Butter Pudding. —A layer of quar¬ 
tered sour apples ; a little nutmeg and sugar ; a 
layer of dry bread buttered, (no matter how dry ;) 
another layer of apples, with sugar and nutmeg as 
before ; and so continue until you have filled your 
pan, the first and last layer being apples ; add 1 
cup of water, or sufficient to wet the bread. Bake 
1 hour, in a moderate oven; eat without sauce. 
Lemon Pic. —Take 3 good-sized lemons, squeeze 
the juice, and chop the peel, and mix with 2 cups 
of molasses, 1 cup of sugar, 2 eggs, and a little 
salt. Pastry, as for any pie. Cover t.he bottom 
crust with a moderate thickness of the prepared 
lemons ; place over this a second crust; then place 
more of the prepared lemon, and cover with top 
crust. 
Extra Nice Baked Apples. —Take sour apples— 
those of a keen acid —and to every square tin 
filled with them, pour over a teacupful of water, 
and a teacupful of sugar. Bake slowly till done. 
Eat with cream, and the juice that cooks from 
them, '"his is, indeed, excellent. 
MINCE PIES. 
To the Editor of the American Agriculturist: 
In looking over the Agriculturist for January I 
saw a substitute for apples in mince pies. I send 
you another method. Take one citron, pare 
and slice ; take out the seed; boil in clear water 
till soft; pour off the water, and boil it in vinegar 
until sour, then add your meat and seasoning the 
same as if apples were used, and you will have a 
pie that no one will detect from a pie made with 
apples. My wife has made all her pies in that 
way this Winter, and all who have eaten them 
pronounce them excellent. 
Rockton, Ill. D. M. Pettibone. 
FOR THE BOYS AND GIRLS. 
Mr. L. W. Nichols, Jr., of Concord, sends 
us the following, with the assurance that 
they have all been most thoroughly tested 
by experience: 
Excellent Plain Cake. —One cup of sweet milk; 
1 of sugar ; i of molasses ; £ of butter ; 3 of 
flour; i pound chopped raisins ; 2 teaspoonfuls 
cream of tartar ; 1 of soda ; 1 of salt; 1 of cloves ; 
1 of cinnamon ; 1 of nutmeg. Extract of lemon 
or rose-water, if desired. Mix the cream of Tar. 
tar thoroughly into the flour, and dissolve the 
soda in milk. Mix ?s usual. One-half lard can 
be used instead of all butter for shortening. 
Superior Cake —To the above ingredients, add 
2 eggs well beaten, and 1 cup of English cur¬ 
rants, and you will have an extra nice cake. 
Sally Lunds. —One quart of flour, and 2 eggs ; 
1 pint of sweet milk ; 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar ; 
piece of butter, size of 2 eggs, rubbed into the 
flour, with a little salt, and 2 teaspoonfuls of 
cream of tartar; 1 teaspoonful of soda, dis¬ 
solved in the milk. Bake in quick oven, in cups, 
in 20 minutes. Used to take the place of biscuit 
for tea. 
Sponge Cake. —One cup of sugar ; 1 teaspoonful 
cream of tartar ; 1 cup of flour; | teaspoonful of 
soda ; 3 eggs, well beaten. The cream of tartar 
should be well mixed in the flour, and the flour 
stirred very gradually into the beaten eggs and 
sugar. The soda should be dissolved in 2 table¬ 
spoonfuls of milk or cream, and added just before 
putting into the oven. 
Balter Pudding. —One quart of milk ; 3 eggs ; 
i teaspoonful of soda; a little salt; mix to thin 
batter with flour (thinner than fritters). Bake in 
cups So minutes; eat with sweet sauce. It is 
equally as nice, and probably more convenient, 
to bake in a pudding-dish. 
[Our whole paper is, of couise, designed for “young” 
as well as grown up people; the following is for tfip 
Boys and Girls only.] 
PROBLEMS FOR LAYING OUT GROUND. 
Problem 1 . —A gentleman has a square plot ot 
ground in one corner of wh’ch is a house occupy¬ 
ing just one-fourth ofthelot. 
In the house are four fami¬ 
lies, to whom the owner 
offers the use of the ground 
if they will divide it amongfl 
themselves so that all the! 
four plots shall be exactly? 
alike in size and in shape or ' 
form, and each lot shall enclose one of the four 
apple trees standing in the position shown in the 
cut. Can they do it, and if so, howl 
Problem 2.—Another gentleman has a lodging 
house situated in a square lotas shown in the cut. 
In the house are jive board¬ 
ers, all of whom have asked 
the privilege of cultivating the 
ground around it. They also 
demand that all of the five 
plots shall be exactly alike in 
size and form, or shape, and 
that each of the plots shall have two of the trees 
now growing. Being desirous not to offend his 
lodgers, the proprietor asks how he can make the 
desired divisions. 
Answers wanted to the above in our next. 
Which is the oldest, Miss Ann Tiquity, 
old Aunty Diluvian, Miss Ann Terior, Miss Ann 
Cestor, Miss Ann T. Mundane, or Miss Ann T. 
Cedent 1 
An Albany editor thinks his property would 
have been carried away by the late flood, had it 
not been for the heavy mortgages upon it 
