318 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[OCTOBBB, 
in variously shaped flasks and bottles, as well as in 
large jars and barrels. With us its use as food is 
mainly confined to dressing salads, etc., but in 
Europe, it is largely employed for most of the pur¬ 
poses for which we use butter and lard. The infe¬ 
rior kinds of oil are eunsumed in large quantities 
for burning, for oiling machinery, and for other use. 
--—.—--- 
Cheese from a few Cows. 
The communication from a “ Farmer’s Wife,” 
upon making cheese from a few cows, published 
last June, seems to have met the wants of a num¬ 
ber of our readers. Mrs. Ellen Whitcomb, of Del¬ 
aware Co., Iowa, writes a i^leasant account of her 
success, and as her ingenuity in overcoming some 
difliculties may be of use to others, we give the 
following extract from her letter: 
“ I quite disagree with the ‘ Western Boy,’ in say¬ 
ing the Agriculturist is not adapted to the West. I 
think wherever people are, whether East or West, 
they may learn some thing. I have all the love for 
the West that any one can boast, still I have learned 
a great many things from the columns of your pa¬ 
per, indeed I could not do without it. As I was 
putting my cheese to press this morning, I thought 
I would write and tell you how much benefit your 
jiaper was to me, and perhaps my experience 
might help some one else; and also to express 
my thanks for the timely assistance iu making my 
cheese, derived from it. This spring I said I want¬ 
ed to make cheese with two cows, my neighbors, 
who thought they must have sixteen or twenty, 
laughed, and guessed I would make a large cheese 
with two cows, one of them being farrow, aud we 
have a pet lamb that drinks four or five quarts a 
day. I did not like to give up, but never having 
seen a cheese made, aud not liking to ask them 
how, I was still undecided, when the June Agri¬ 
culturist came with those plain and sensible direc¬ 
tions. Now, I said, I will have a cheese. My hus¬ 
band said he would fi.x a press if I would trj' to 
make one. I got a peck measure for a hoop, and 
the rennet from a neighbor, but then I had no 
linen cloth for a strainer; never mind, some old 
thin cloth would do for all I should make. The next 
difficulty was, we had no cheese basket—well, the 
colander would do, and now I was ready. The first 
cheese being too salt and rather thin, I then thought, 
to put three curds into one. I tried it, putting each 
curd into the press, and pressing lightly, so that it 
Avould not sour, then the third day I crumbled the 
too first with la.st, and pressed them all together, 
and a very nice cheese was the result, aud you may 
well believe I was proud of it. Now I have three, 
and they all admit I can make cheese from two 
cows, for Avhich I thank the paper aud the lady 
Avho wrote for it.” 
New and Beautiful Embroidery. 
The growing appreciation of elegant embroidery 
as a means of beautifying aud enriching garments 
.and fabrics, is an evidence of increasing refinement 
in taste, which all lovers of the natural, as developed 
in the artistic, must rejoice to see. Not a little of 
this interest and appreciation is owing to the new 
methods of accomplishing the Avork, rendering it 
infinitely more effective, as Avcll as greatly abridg¬ 
ing the tediousness of the process. A few years 
ago, embroidery Avas never seen excepting upon a 
fcAV articles of clothing, or household adornment, 
belonging to the very Avealthy. Ladies could not 
even afford to hire it done, so costly Avas it, on ac¬ 
count of the length of time consumed in its pro¬ 
duction. What their OAvn industry aud skill could 
not achieve in the art of ornamental nccdle-Avork, 
they Avere obliged to do Avithout; but so highly 
]irized Avere the comparatively crude results of their 
dainty fingers, tliat the most valued gift a lady could 
bestow on lier lover, Avas a sc.arf embroidered Avith 
her own hands. Could the bright eyes that grew 
dim during the months, and even years, that were 
frequently occupied iu Avoaving solemnly grotesque 
roses and most alarming leaves on silk or wool, 
have seen the brilliant and graceful shapes whieh 
groAV into life with the rapidity of thought in these 
latter days, through the instrumentality of the 
Grover & Baker SeAving Machine, they Avould have 
looked with disgust upon what had before been a 
source of much satisfaction, and believed that the 
magic of the past had been transferred to the future, 
and instead of the lamp of Aladdin, found its homo 
in the modern sewing-machine. 
The facility with which the most difficult and 
elaborate patterns are executed by this machine, 
added to the exquisite beauty of the workmanship, 
has made it the most fashionable of decorations, 
not only for children’s garments and morning 
Avrappers, but for dresses of rich material, and the 
finest of carriage and opera cloaks. The carriage- 
rug of the Princess of Wales, displayed every day 
in her rides in Hyde Park, is embroidered in Avhite 
silk, in the Grover & Baker stitch, Avhich, accord¬ 
ing to the Queen and other English fashion journals, 
is exciting a furore abroad. A great advantage in 
embroidery is the union of strength and elasticity, 
for Avhich the sewing of the Grover & Baker Ma¬ 
chine has always been famous, and Avhich renders 
it smooth, even, aud perfect, Avithout irregularity 
or liability to rip. Altogether, this embroidery 
promises to take a distinguished place in ornamen¬ 
tal Avorkmanship abroad as Avell as at home, and 
must greatly add to the esteem in Avhich this 
favorite machine has ahvays been held. 
A Libel on the Tomato. 
The following precious nonsense is going the 
rounds of the agricultural and other papers : “ A 
good medical authority ascribes to the tomato the 
folloAving very important medical qualifications : 
1st. That the tomato is one of the most poAverful 
aperients of the liver and other organs; Avhere 
calomel is indicated, it is one of the most effective 
and the least harmful medical agents known to the 
profession. 2d. That a chemical extract Avill be 
obtained from it that will supersede the use of cal¬ 
omel in the cure of diseases. Sd. That he has suc¬ 
cessfully treated diarrhoea Avith this article alone. 
4th. That Avheu used as an article of diet, it is al¬ 
most sovereign for dyspepsia and indigestion,” etc. 
This Ave regard as a sort of double-header, being 
a wrong to the medical profession, and a libel upon 
our most excellent friend the tomato. No “ good 
medical authority ” ever wrote himself down such 
a stupid as to accuse a tomato-vine of being an 
apothecary’s shop, or a pair of Doctor’s saddle- 
bags. Just think what a condition our livers must 
be in at the close of the tomato season, after being 
so poAverfully “ .aperiented,” to say nothing of the 
“ other organs.” The Avhole thing savors of the 
most arrant quackery. The tomato extract dodge 
Avas tried years ago, and Ave had “Tomato pills, 
Avill cure all ills,” as the quack epidemic for its 
day. Let no lover of the delicious tomato be de¬ 
terred from enjoying it for fear of taking anything 
bearing the slightest resemblance to calomel or 
any other medicine, but e.at as many as he likes 
Avithout thinking of his liver or the doctor. 
To sret I2id oFTlies. —R. F. Watson con¬ 
tributes to the Agriculturist the folloAving simple 
method of destroying flies Avithout poison. Nearly 
fill a common tumbler Avith strong soap suds. Then 
nail a small board on the end of a pole long enough 
to reach the ceiling. Place the tumbler on the 
board and keep it in place by three nails, or pins 
inserted in holes around it. Then in the evening, 
make the room rather dark, and Avhen the flies have 
settled on the ceiling, clap the tumbler over them; 
they Avill fly into the suds, aud make a good 
breakfast for the chickens. 
To Remove Oreeu Corn from tlie 
Col». —11. G. Bulkley Avrites to the American Agri¬ 
culturist : “ If you Avould leave as much of the hull 
as possible on the cob, take a jdecc of sheet iron, 
say 3 X G inches, and cut or file some teeth in one 
edge. Let the tcctli be 3-10 iu. in Icugth, aud a little 
less distance apart. Then set the ear on end, aud 
Avith the teeth soj'ape from top to bottom tAVO or 
three times, Avbich thoroughly splits the kernels, 
and with tlie btick edge scrape it clean. This can 
he done with great rapidity, whether the corn is 
previously boiled or not. Some prefer to fasten 
the iron to a firm block, and then move the ear first 
over the teeth, and then over a smooth edge, 
fastened near b}".” 
IVIaat to «lo with. Old ISoot Ciegs.— 
“Farmer” Avrites to the AgricvUurist ; “Old boot 
legs are Avorth very little as mending material. 
The best use that I have found for them is, to cut 
the' legs off Ioav doAvn, draAV the legs on, put on 
your shoes, letting the legs come low doAvn OA'er 
the shoes. If plOAving, or Av.alking through mud, 
Avet grass, etc., put your pants inside, and the leg¬ 
gings will answer about as well as a pair of boots 
entire, and cost about half as much.” 
Hints on Cooking, etc. 
Bread at Sea.—A correspondent at sea, on 
the U. 8. Steamer, Fort Jackson, inquires hOAV to 
make good bread there, Avhere no yeast can be ob¬ 
tained. Will some capable landsAvoman please in¬ 
form him. The same instructions Avill also be Avel- 
come to several, who ask hoAV to make yeast Avhen 
one has none to start Avith. 
Christmas l*Biddiiig without Hg'g's. 
—1 lb. of raisins, stoned, 1 lb. of currants, washed 
and dried, 1 lb. beef suet, shred very fine, 1 lb. 
broAvn sugar, 1 lb. flour, sifted, candied orange 
peel, 6 ozs. bread crumbs, 1 tcaspoonful of mixed 
spice, X pi'it of milk, 1 teaspoonful salt, the out¬ 
side rind of tAVO large carrots scraped fine; all to 
be Avell mixed together, and poured into a mould 
aud covered Avith thick paper, then Avith a good 
cloth and tied tight, plunged into boiling water 
and kept bmling six hours. To insure a pudding 
turning out Avhole, it is a good plan after taking it 
out of the boiling Avater to dip it instantly into cold. 
Mar«l Molasses CiiMgerhread.. —Take 
2 % cups molasses, % cup of shortening, butter is 
preferable, fill the cup with boiling Avater, stir un¬ 
til the butter is dissolved, a tablespoonful ginger, 
a tcaspoonful soda, stir quickly ; knead with flour 
enough to make it hard, roll thin, bake in a quick 
oven twenty minutes. 
Molasses Sponge Calse.— Mix 1 cup of 
molasses, 1)4 of flour, 3 eggs, and a teaspoonful of 
soda. Bake in a quick oven. 
To Clean Ueese.—A farmer’s wife says, 
after pulling off the feathers, put the goose in a 
tub, pulverize some rosin and rub a little into the 
doAvn ; then pour hot Avater upon it and rub off the 
doAvn Avith the hand. Proceed in this Avay until 
all the doAvn is removed. 
ISesl; Metliod. for Keeping ISeef.— 
Cut up the meat in pieces as large .as you desire. 
Pack it in a barrel, or cask. Then make a brine as 
folloAvs : lbs. salt to 1 gallon Avater, 1 oz. salt¬ 
petre to 100 lbs. beef, 1 tablespoonful of ground 
pepper to 100 lbs. beef. Put iu the salt and salt¬ 
petre and heat it boiling hot, skim it, then add the 
pepper. Pour it on the beef boiling hot and cover 
closely. Tour meat Avill be good and fresh any 
time. The philosophy is this—The hot brine closes 
the pores on the surface, preventing decay aud the 
meat from getting too salt. Try it. If necessary 
scald the brine over in the spring, or put on a ucav 
brine. Farmers can in this Avay have fresh meat 
nearly all the time. The meat should be taken as 
soon as it is cold, before it has acquired any old 
taste by exposure to the atmosphere. 
Aisot.lici* goo«l Wiay to Iccep Meat.— 
Cut it in slices ready to broil or fry for the table. 
Then putting doAvn iu a jar one lajdng of meat, 
sprinkle Avith salt and pepper, and so continue till 
the jar is filled, cover closely aud set iu the coolest 
part of the cellar. It Avill keep a long time, for I 
aud my neigbors have tried it.—A Country Woman, 
