1865.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Q23 
not had sufflcient experience in this to say whctlicr 
cooking requiring a long application of heat can 
be done witli economy. But most people are be¬ 
yond the reach of gas pipes, and for them a kero¬ 
sene stove answers an excellent purpose. We used, 
last summer, one made by Lesley & Elliott, who 
also make gas stoves and found it very convenient, 
especially; at tea tin e when there is seldom any 
need of heat beyond that necessary to boil a kettle 
of water. The apparatus consists of a small iron 
stove with a large kerosene lamp having three 
wicks, over which a teakettle, spider or saucepan 
can be placed, and the whole thing can stand on 
the kitchen table or dresser, and be put out of 
sight when not in use. The only especial care re¬ 
quired in the use of kerosene is, to see that the 
wicks are not so high as to cause smoking, and 
with the gas, to so regulate the flame as not to burn 
more than is needed. Any person with ordinary 
tact will And either of these methods of cooking a 
comfort in hot weather, while others, who don’t 
believe in new-fangled notions, and start with a 
prejudice against them because they are new, will 
probably manage to make them unsuccessful. 
Hints on Cooking, etc. 
SSreatl.—One pint mashed potatoes, one tea- 
spoonful salt, and one of sugar. (The potatoes 
should be much wetter than for the table.) Add 
one teaenpful of y^ast, either home or baker’s, but 
not a bit of flour. Keep this very warm till light. 
Use this to mix the bread, and mix so that it will 
Just not stick. Let It rise very light, then mould 
into tins; keep very warm till light again, and 
bake in a moderately warm oven. I have made 
good bread in this way from flour not fit to eat 
without he potatoes. 
Stca-Mied Coi-m 15rca«l.—Mix thorough¬ 
ly 1 cup of sweet, and 2 of sour milk, 3 of corn 
meal, 2 of flour, 1 of syrup or molasses, and one 
teaspoonful of soda. Place it in a pan and steam 
it over boiling water steadily for three hours. 
BSiitter Craclcers.—“ K.,” of Rensselaer 
Co., N. Y., sends the following: Take 10 cups 
flour and 1 of butter, 1 teaspoonful of soda, and 2 
of cream tartar, with water enough to form a very 
stiff dough; rub the butter and cream of tartar 
through the flour, and dissolve the soda in the 
water, roll thin and bake quickly. With these 
crackers and vegetable oysters we make oyster soup. 
S.ime Water for Correctiiiff AcMs 
ill etc. —When, bread becomes sour 
by standing too long before baking, instead of using 
soda I use lime water, two or three tablespoonfuls 
will entirely sweeten a batch of rising sufficient for 
four or five large loaves. I slack a small piece of 
lime, take the skim off of the top and bottle the 
clear water, and it is ready for use. A bottle full 
will last all summer. 
Flositisig Beat the whites only of 
flve eggs, until they form a stiff froth, then 
add a little at a time, 4 spoonfuls of powdered loaf 
sugar, and Currant Jelly, or syrup of any kind of 
preserves. Put rich milk or a custard with the yolks 
in the bottom of a glass or china bowl and put the 
float ou the top. 
Poor Msasi’s AiiiaWes.—2 bowls of flour, 
1 of su.gar, X ol' ®our cream or buttermilk, a little 
soda and cinnamon ; to be rolled thin and fried in 
hot fat or butter. 
• Tea Craclcers.—3 teacupfuls flour, 1 of 
lard, 1 of water, a large teaspoonful of salt. Mix all 
together, put it on the pie-board and work it well, 
adding flour until stiff, short, and perfectly smooth. 
Roll out as thin as a knife blade, prick with a 
fork, and bake well, but do not brown. 
Oisielet.— Take 4 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of 
flour, 1 cup of milk, and a little salt. Beat the 
whites of the eggs separately and add to the above, 
(which should be well stirred together,) just before 
cooking. Butter a spider well, and when hot pour 
in the omelet. Cook very slowly on top of the 
stove and keep the vessel covered. 
IScet Biasli. —Take cold boiled beets and po¬ 
tatoes, equal parts of each in summer and early 
autumn; in winter, one third beets, and two thirds 
potatoes ; hash them, and fry or stew in milk and 
butter, with salt and pepper to suit the taste. Heat 
slowly and thoroughly; if scorched it is spoiled. 
This is a nice preparation for a breakfast dish. 
mY§ & ©©ILWMMS. 
Malclirag Carden Worlc Easy. 
Gardening is hard labor or pleasant work, according 
as one manages to have it. It makes the back and arms 
ache to lioe through the long rows, and it is very tire¬ 
some to stoop among the beets, onions, carrots, etc., to 
pull the weeds. A boy may tliink of little but “ Oh what 
long rows these are ”—“ what hard work this is ”—“how 
I do ache all over”—“ I wish dinner time would come,” 
(does not that sound familiar, John?) Such thoughts 
will help very much to make one tired, and hot and 
thirsty, and thoroughly uncomfortable. One little gar¬ 
dener we know of, has a different way of looking at things. 
When planting corn, he was busy thinking of the fine 
roasting ears wliich would grew from them. “These 
are my little eggs,” said he dropping some kernels, “ I’ll 
put them safely in the nest, and mother Earth will keep 
them warm, and first you know, ail the sprouts will hatch 
out, and then grow and grow, and next September there’ll 
be a whole brood of my corn on every stalk.” And so he 
w'ent on planting, thinking, and amusing himself with 
such pleasant conceits, forgetting all about the hard 
work. When hoeing time came, he called his hoe a 
musket, the weeds, rebels, and the corn, the Union men. 
and great sport he had in winning easy victories. That 
was certainly more agreeable than pitying his muscles 
and so making them ache harder. The secret of easy 
working is to keep the mind pleasantly employed. The 
garden is full of ideas for those who will take pains to 
seek them. On commencing work in spring, the ground 
is hard and must be plowed or spaded. That may re¬ 
mind you of the thick dullness of an uneducated mind. 
It takes something stirring to wake up its attention, and 
prepare the man to receive the seed of new ideas ; the 
older he is, the liarder work for him to learn. You re¬ 
member the proverb, “You can’t teach an old dog new 
tricks.” When the seed begins to grow, if too thickly 
sown it must be thinned, or it will produce little. That 
may teach the very important lesson that one w ho would 
be successful must not have too many plans on hand. 
Most great men are those who have worked steadily on 
a few purposes. Then there are fortunate plants grow¬ 
ing ahead of all around them, because they happen to 
grow in very rich earth; but their less prosperous 
neighbors do not seem to notice it; they go right on 
growing their best. Surely here is a good lesson. And 
so from every plant and weed, and from every operation 
in the garden, profitable and pleasant thinking enough 
may be drawn, to keep work from being irksome, and to 
greatly lessen fatigue. Try it the next time you are w eed- 
ing onions, or hoeing cabbages. 
Ih _ 
Isitercsting’ Tradiftioms of tiae Ear¬ 
liest Times. 
A chief of the Ojibway Indians relates that when he 
became of suitable age to be made tlie head of his tribe,. 
the “Medicine Man” or prophet of his people, took him 
alone into the woods to initiate him into some of the sa¬ 
cred mysteries. When they came to a certain location, 
the prophet bade him to remove liis moccasins, because 
they were standing on holy ground. He then went to a 
large stump and drew from it a roll of bark on which 
certain characters were marked, which he read to the 
young chief. It professed to give among other things an 
account of the introduction of death into the world, in 
substance as follows: Thousands of moons ago, before 
death was known, this world was fastened to a bright 
star by a grape vine which grew in'the midst of the home 
of tlie Indians. At the further end, where it touched the 
star, was a wicket gate. It had been decreed by the 
Great Spirit, that this gate must never be touched, that 
if any one presumed to knock there, death should enter 
the world. A little old squaw seemed determined to try 
the experiment, and several times she was detected 
climbing the grape vine, but was shaken off by the other 
Indians. But early one morning, to their dismay, they 
saw her so far up that they could not dislodge her. On 
she went, until she reached the fatal gate and knocked' 
Instantly the hand of an angel was stretched forth with a 
drawn sw'ord, the grape vine was cut, and with the old 
squaw fell with a crash to the ground. The enraged In¬ 
dians attacked lier with fury, and stamped her in pieces, 
and so death commenced and has always continued on 
the earth. Our young readers will sea how curiously 
this account resemble.s llic fall of roan as i!o.«cribfil ir 
the Scriptures. A li iolilion Appaienily i-f Easier n origin 
thus accounts frir the savage propen.'-ities of wild lierr.si.ri 
Before man sinned the aiiinrals all lived in pi-acc. The 
lion, the tiger, and even lire fiei'ce hyena, were as h-s.rm- 
le.ss and gentle as tire innocent lambs in h ho.se rniilst the> 
fed upon grass and herbage. But when Adam .sinned 
they became .sullen and wild, though they did not yer 
destr'oy eacli otlier. A number of them were preseni in 
the field when Cain killed his brother ; then the srneli 
and sight of blood rnarldened them, and a terrible .strife 
followed. Hundreds of ttiem were shrin. until each 
learned which of the olliers was stronger, and slrurrned 
tliose lliey could not overpower, and they and their de¬ 
scendants have remained feiocioris and blood thirsty. 
A Child’s Question. —A boy once asked Sir llmn- 
phrey Davy why two pieces of rattan rubbed togetlier 
would give a faint light. The great rhemi.st could not 
tell, but .said lie would try to find out, and after consider¬ 
able experiment he made Die di.scovery that tliis cane 
and a large number of plants contain silex or flinty earth, 
which helps to stiffen and protect tlieir stalks. 
Asaswers to TroWems laisal 
The following are answers to tlie puzzles, etc., in the 
June number, page 191 : No. 156. Curious Sniteyire.— 
He S',\id that; that that that that that referred to, 
was incorrectly used-No. 157. Illustrated Rebus.— 
Tooth ink on s in with pleas ewer is necks two it,® c 
(omission) ; or, To think on sin wilh plea.siirc is iie.vt to 
its commission.... No. 158. Curious Latin Sentences. —1, 
Quid, w'ho ; crudus, raw ; pro. for ; ledum, read ; album, 
white j et, and ; spiravit, blew ; or, hurrah for tlie red 
white and blue : 2, ^lens, mind ; tuus, your; ego. I ; et, 
and; labor, work; via, a way; that is, Mind your eye 
and work away; 3, Bonce, good ; mnli, apples, smtl. 
are; desiderahiles, de.sirable_No. 159. Illustrated Re¬ 
bus.—Two bee a man re quires sum th in g yp(e)ar.s 
(more than years) ; or. To be a man requires someiliing 
more than years-No. 160. Conundrums.— Because 
it knows no law ; 2, Seipio carried the war into Africa , 
Lincoln carried Africans into the war; 3, General satis- 
faclioit; 4, Portugal (is full of Portuguese).—The follow 
ing have sent in correct answers up to June 8lh : 1. C. 
Martindale, 149, 150, 153; Row'land Bobinson, Jr., 153. 
Belle Curtis and Mary F. Jordon, 153; “A. P.,” 152. 
“ J. Y. D.,” 147, 155 i “ T. S. McD.,” 147 (Tliere are sev¬ 
eral correct solutions to the planting problem); Jim R. 
Hale, 153 ; Emeline Burgert, 153. 
New PeixzIcs to Ise Asasworesl 
No. 161. Curious Numbers. From what number can 
you substract three and leave tlie same original number ? 
2d: 1 from 6 leaves 9, and 2 from 6 leaves 10; how can it be t 
No. 162. Illustrated Rebus .—.Appropriate to the time.'. 
No. 163. Commdrttm. Louis Napoleon and Maximilian 
are in dread of the gift of wlial wliole country ? 
No. 164. Word Rebus.—Fuel sheep insect recolored in 
small spots journalist abbreviated, condensed moisture 
wash-pitcher opening tea made of dew. 
No. 165. Illustrated Rebus.—To be remembered by all. 
No. 166. Conundrum, by John R. Weeks. What river 
in the United Stales is like a private in the 54th Massa 
chusetts Regiment? 
No. 167. Puzzling Sentences.—\, Hi knees found 
harm under half covering. 2, Ut rye vattin I am iluu. 
Read them correctly. 
No. 168. Clock Problem.—M, a certain lime between 8 
and 9 the minute hand of a clock w'as between 9 and 10. 
Within an hour afterward tlie hour and the minute hands 
had changed places. Wliat was the lime first mentioned f 
