1865. 
AMEPwICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
55 
saltpeter, ounce soda or saleratus, and 4 gallons 
water. Boil and skim the mixture, let it cool, and 
when cold pour it upon the meat, which should be 
weighted to keep it down. Le.ave common sized 
hams in pickle 4 to 5 weeks. Beef can be kept un¬ 
til used up, if the brine be scalded occasionally. 
United Carrots are much sweeter than 
when boiled. A Hubbard squash when baked pre- 
aerves its peculiar aroma and sweetness much bet¬ 
ter than when boiled. In northern latitudes it 
does very well as a substitute for sweet potatoes. 
Soda Craclcers, Contributed by Mrs. C. F. 
Noble, McHenry Co., Ill. Flour, 2 quarts ; butter, 
1 cup ; water, 1 pint; cream of tartar, 3 teaspoon¬ 
fuls ; soda, 1}4 teaspoonfuls. Mix the cream tartar 
thoroughly with the flour; then rub in the butter, 
and add the water and soda together. Knead about 
the same as pastry for pie. Roll out a little more 
than an eighth of an inch thick, cut in squares, and 
prick them all over. Bake in a hot oven about 
twenty minutes or till dry. Wash the oven bottom 
clean, and put the crackers on it; for they will not 
bake well on tins. 
Pa.rs«ii}> Croquettes.—Boil the parsnips 
iintil tender, and mash them. Flour a dish thickly, 
drop a spoonful of the parsnip on the flour, and 
roll it in the flour with a spoon until it is form¬ 
ed into a ball. Repe.at this process until you have 
used up the parsnips. Have a frying pan of lard 
hot, drop the balls in, and boil a light brown. The 
.ard must be boiling hot, and enough of it to float 
the bails. This is excellent, and has been eaten by 
those who thought they could not eat parsnips. 
Codiisli Bla.lls. —“ A Gratified Reader” war¬ 
rants the following to be superior: Soak and boil 
the fish, and pick it into small shreds the same as 
for ordinary fish cakes. This is to be done over 
night. In the morning boil and mash potatoes, and 
while warm mix well with the fish, and mix into 
balls. In the meantime have lard heating in a fry¬ 
ing pan, and when this is boiling hot, drop in the 
fish balls, and cook to a light brown. The balls 
should be as hot as possible, or they will cool and 
then absorb the fat, which will spoil them. There 
should be suffleient lard for the balls to swim in. 
Something' Ahont SPremn.s. 
The writet believes in dreams, that is after his own 
'ashion. He does not believe that one can tell from 
b eams wliat is about to happen. Strange stories are told 
of things occurring after certain dreams, but nobody knew 
what the vision meant until after the event came to pass, 
so that the dreamer was no wiser tlian tlie people. Any 
one who should try to do business by following his 
dreams, would soon have no money to dream aliout. Of 
course we do not refer to the visions which the prophets 
had in olden times, but to the ordinary dreams which 
every body has. Our belief in dreams is, that pleasant 
ones are very desirable, that they amuse and recreate tlie 
mind during the hours of sleep. The poorest man may 
enjoy unbounded wealth for eight hours out of the twen¬ 
ty four, if he be a good dreamer, and all things which the 
heart can desire may come without an effort. Thus at 
least one third of life may bring pieasure, and this is as 
large a portion of enjoyment as most men have. 
A hearty meal shortly before retiring, very great anxi¬ 
ety, too lieavy press of business, or whatever disturbs 
body or mind during sieep, will often bring torment to the 
dreamer. He will be attacked by wild beasts, or fall 
from precipices, or be drowning, or in some other terri¬ 
ble situation. Pleasant dreams usually attend sound 
health, a proper mode of life and a quiet conscience ; all 
of which will add to happiness by day as well as at night. 
The most important dreams come when people are wide 
awake. Columbus dreamed in this way, that there was 
a Western world, and then he went to work to find it. 
Jefferson Davis and otliers dreamed that they could have 
greater power in a Southern Confederacy, and they are 
endeavoring to make it come true. Thousands of boys 
and girls, men and women, are every day dreaming of 
becoming rich or famous, but, they do not go to work to 
bring it about, and so their dreams only make them dis 
contented. Here then are three things to be noticed : 
1st, daydieam.s are useful if tliey are to good purpose. 
3d, bad dieatns can, and should be dismissed ; and 3d, to 
•ocomplish anything.dreaming must be followed by doing. 
“ If Aobi Bjovc Me, I^ean Hard.” 
The Boston Recorder relates the following: “Miss 
Fiske, while in the Nestorian Mission, was at one time 
in feeble health, and much depressed in spirits. One hot 
Sabbath afternoon, she sat on her mat on the chapel 
floor, longing for support and I'est, feeling unable to 
maintain her trying position until fhe close of worship. 
Presently she felt a woman’s form seated at her back, 
and heard the whisper ‘ Lean on me.’ Scarcely yielding 
to the request, she heard it repealed, ‘ Lean on me.’ 
Then she divided her weight with the gentle pleader, but 
that did not suffice. In earnest, almost reproachful tones 
the voice again urged ‘ If you love me, lean hard.' ” This 
incident is worth a rvhole voiume of commentary on the 
nature of true love, which is happiest when it can do 
most for the loved one. 
Colored Mew in tlie Army. 
A friend recently returned from service with the Chris¬ 
tian Commission in the Army of the Potomac, relates 
several amusing incidents of the colored men in and 
around the camp. One of them, a soldier, w as on guard 
at the City Point wharf. Presently an officer approached, 
smoking a cigar. Politely giving the military salute the 
dusky sentinel said, “ Smoking on dis dock is forbidden 
sah 1” Is that the rule, asked the officer ?—“ Yes sah.”— 
“ A very good rule,” replied General Grant, for it was he, 
and he immedi.ately threw his cigar into the river,- 
A happy darkey was enjoyii.g himself perched on a high 
fence when a squad of rebel luisoners passed, and 
John’s former master was among them, “ Why John,” 
exclaimed he in' sttrprise,“are you up there ?” “ Yes, inas- 
sah,” said John, “ and you’s dow n dere,”-One of them 
was heard earnestly praying “ I.ord bress Massa Lin- 
kum, and douse his head wid irisdom." —Another thus 
gave the well known passage “Paul may plant and 
Apollos water, but God giveth tlie increase. “ Paul may 
plant and polish wid water, but it won't do." 
Sliei'Mlsiw Amwwg' liis l§iold.icrs. 
A gentleman recently from Winchester, Va., relates 
the following incidents which he witnessed just after the 
famous battle of Cedar Creek, w here Sheridan had turned 
disaster into an overwhelrnina victory.—The wotinded 
were being brought in and attended to by the surgeons. 
A soldier w:is having an arm amputated ; chloroform had 
been atiministered to render him insensible to pain, but 
he recovered consciousness just as the surgeon was saw¬ 
ing through the bone. Yet without seeming to pay any 
attention to this, he looked around and exclaimed, “ Boys 
isn’t Phil, Slieriilan a perfect brick ? Didn’t we give it 
to the Johnny's ?’’ and his eye livtited up witli the fire of 
victory. Not far from him our f iend noticed two whose 
wounds had been dres.sed, (one had lost an arm, the oth¬ 
er a leg,) lying face to face on a Ijoining cots, earnestly 
discussing the events of the bafic and praising “Phil” 
Sheridan, with whom and for whom they both wanted to 
fight again. The same enthusiasm pervaded the entire 
hospital, and the groans of the -suffering were hushed by 
the e.xuiting shouts for their leader and their success, 
Petroleum—Mow E'’arm was Soldi. 
A correspondent of the Amenr.an Agriculturist gives 
an account of an instance of pretty “sharp prac¬ 
tice” in the oil region of Pennsylvania. A widow, 
who owmed a farm in a locality bordering upon, or rather 
within the botinds of Petrolia. luoeured a barrel of the 
genuine oil, and poured a ferv gallons upon the surface 
of several small ponds of water on her domain. The 
barrel was then secreted in some brush near a small rivu¬ 
let, and a minute opening was made, so that a few drops 
constantly escaped, and floated down U|ion the surface 
of the water. The bait soon took with one of the roving 
seekers after hidden wealth, who contracted for the farm, 
hastened East, raised a company, and returned with 
ample funds to pay $100,000 for the farm, and to begin 
operations. The widow, of course, found it convenient 
to immediately change her residence to an eastern city. 
—The unusual sequel of the story, which we can not 
vouch for, is, that by chance, this turned out be a capital 
oil farm, and is yielding large returns to the company. 
Answers to Problems and Puzzles. 
The following are answers to the puzzles, etc., in the 
January numoer, page 23. No. 111. Illustrated Rebus. — 
Do nought leaves on g two birds a I one nor bee ewe t of sol 
two flowers; or Do not leave song to birds alone, nor 
beauty of soul to flowers_No. Ii2. A Curious Word.— 
Cares; add s, and it makes caress.. .No. 113. Novel Sub¬ 
traction. —Should have been take tivo letters from a word 
containing five, and leave but one. The word is stone; 
take away St and one remains ...No. 111. —Charles H. 
Thorp, sends the following solution. Ten acres is a plot 
measuring 060 feet on a side. As no vine is set nearer 
than one foot to the fence, they are to occupy a plot 638 
feet square. 658-;-6 gives 109 spaces between the 
vines or 110 vines on a row, and 110 rows if they 
are set in square form. 110x110 gives 12,100 vines 
for the plot when planted in square oiJer.-In 
the Quincunx order there wili be 110 vines on each 
row one way. The distance between the rews will form 
the perpendicular of a right angled triangle having a 
base of 3 ft., and a hypothenuse of 6 ft., or 3 and 2 tenths 
feet, nearly. 658-i-5.2 gives 126 spaces or 127 rows the 
other way. 110X127=13,970 vines in Quincunx order, 
or 1870 more than in the square_No. 15. Mathematical 
Problem.—90 ft. 10 in. and 118 ft. 5 in.No. 109.—Math¬ 
ematical Puzzle (Dec. No. page 349).—The word is Palm 
erson; the figures are 587019x3624=2127356856. The 
following have sent in correct answers up to Jan. 10. 
“Exepo,”108; David Dickey, 108; B. T. Fisher, 108, 
Flora .McKay, 108; Austin Leonard. 108, 109 ; “ C.” 
Pliila., 108 ; I. A. Mitchell, 108; Mary E. Graves, 108, 
109; John S. Starbuck, 108: H. Hudgens, 108, 109; Geo. 
W. Read, 109 ; H. G. Kingsleys, 108, 110; J. G. Bunnell, 
108; Wesley Harvey, 108; “R. N. M,” 108; Charles L, 
Gartman, 108 ; Ezra M. Smith, 108, 109 ; “ H. P. S.,” 
109; R. M. Leete, 109; Elias Stevens, 109; Daniel S. 
Carver, 108 ; Clarkson Johnston 109 ; E. Bishop, 108, 
109 ; Eliza Gillingham, 108; Augustine J. Pocock, 108: 
Philip Lounsberry, 108 J Madison Santee, 108; O. B. 
Gibson, 109 ; Atherton Sweatt, 109; H. P. Smith, 108; 
A. S. D. Demarest, 108; MaryLovejoy, 108; Edward A. 
Down, 108; David H. Trenlly. 108 : J. C. Browning, 109; 
Mary N. Rice, 108, 109; Samuel C. Carter, 109 ; C. Ar¬ 
thur Totten, 108, 109 ; S. Farqiter, 109; Olyvia Lybarger, 
109 ; John N. McGiffert, 109 ; F. H. Brown, 108; “ X, L. 
T,,” 109; W. C. Sharpe, 109 ; “ Grace,” 108 : Laura Wil¬ 
liams, 108; Sturges Green, 109 ; E. W. Miller, 108, 109; 
Susie Maxwell, 108; R. F. Maxwell and Zachary Tay¬ 
lor, 108; Nellie Robinson, 108 ; James W. Logan, 108 ; 
Amelia W. Thompson, 108; H, F. Brayton, 109; Joseph 
Holsinger, 109: E.J. Davis, 108; Robert Schofield, 108, 
S. H. Grundy, 109; S. B. Earlier, 109; Joseph Smith, 
109; George Tomlinson, 109 ; Cordelia Baker, 108; Wm. 
E. Baldwin, 108; “ L. S. F.,” 108; Sarah and Orpha B,, 
108; Clarence U. Meigs, 109 ; Rufus G. Fuller, 108; J. 
B. Burt, 108: D. R. Hosteman. 108; H. Zavala, 108; J. 
S. Burgess. 112; Duane W. Wilber, 112 ; Edm’d P. Bark* 
er, 109 : J. W. Winans, 109, 114, 115 ; J. B, Hatch, Jr., 112. 
New I*iiz?5les to be Answered, 
No. 116. Historical Questions. —1. What General took 
fhe City of Dublin, .A, D., 1116? 2, On what day did 
James lake possession of the throne of England? 3. 
What was the first name given by Europeans to Maine 
and New Hampshire ? 
No. 117. What fruit is mentioned in the Bible as grow¬ 
ing on a stick without root or branch ? 
No. 118. Illustrated Rebus .—Adapted to the times. 
No. 119. Mathematical Problem .—Proposed by Chas. 
F. Erhard, Queens Co., N. Y. A race course forming a 
perfect circle is just one mile long along the centre line 
of the track, which is 20 feet wide. The enclosed circu¬ 
lar piece of ground has a good crop of grass, and this 
has been bought by 3 men paying equal shares. They 
wish to divide the land in three equal parts by two strait 
parallel lines. How is this to be done and how many 
acres will each part contain? 
No. 120. Geographical Rebus .—What four Capital 
Cities are represented in the above engraving? 
No. 121. Mathematical Problem .—Suppose a heifer, at 
three years old, produces a calf, and one yearly after¬ 
wards, till she is twenty years old. Suppose her progeny 
to be females (through all the generations), and that each 
imlividual increases as the mother did, that is, a calf 
each year, commencing at the third, what will be the 
number of the herd when fhe old cow is twenty years old ? 
No. 122. Mathematical Re6?is.—Contributed to the 
American Agriculturist by “ William,” Kirkland, N. Y. 
Please lead it and find the answer to the problem. 
I O 2 A A V & 000 
OX2B&IXTUn2D 
Now let 2-|-4=6 scholar ° &c 
How THE 7-|-2=9 I O un 2 the 3. 
No. 123 Conundrum .—Why is Neptune like an Alcli* 
mist? This will loquire a good deal of guesslBg. 
