14=2 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[April, 
this view the place where he sits would be the head 
of the table. If this does not satisfy our inquiring 
friend, she must refer the matter to the next 
‘Woman’s Rights Convention. “How should guests 
be seated?”—asks another. If the guest is a gentle¬ 
man, his seat should be at the right hand of the 
lady of the house, and if a lady, her place is at the 
right of the head of t he family. This is the proper 
way, but circumstances may modify it, as in fami¬ 
lies where there are young children for the mother 
to look after, and who must consequent!}' be near 
her. All such matters depend upon circumstances. 
Where there are several guests, and strict etiquette 
is observed, the host asks the gentleman who is to 
be particularly honored to wait upon his wife to 
the table, while he takes the lady who is to sit at 
his right hand. Where there are several visitors, 
other things being equal, the most attention is 
shown to the greatest stranger, but age—if there 
be marked distinctions in this respect—takes pre¬ 
cedence of everything else. No matter how “dis¬ 
tinguished” maybe the other persons present, the 
old gentleman or lady should have the place of 
honor. “Should milk and sugar be passed for each 
one to use in his or her own tea or coffee, or should 
the lady of the house add them ?”—This is a ques¬ 
tion upon which we have known sensible people 
to differ. Some ladies think it their prerogative 
to prepare the cup before it is passed. Our own 
notions incline the other way. Some take their 
tea and coffee “ dressed,” and others like it “ bare¬ 
foot,” as we once heard a backwoodsman express 
the difference between coffee with sugar and milk, I 
and without. Some take milk and no sugar, and 
vice versa ; and again, tastes differ very much as to 
the quantity of these additions. We know of one 
person who does not consider his coffee as sweet¬ 
ened unless he can dip up some undissolved sugar 
from the bottom of his cup. The only objection 
we have heard to passing the milk and sugar is that 
it is “ too hotel like.” If hotels have found out 
how their guests are best suited, it seems to us an 
argument in favor of the practice, rather Ilian 
against it. Those who advocate the propriety of 
“seasoning” tea and coffee by the lady of the 
house have the majority with them, but we think 
the other method worthy of consideration by those 
who would consult the comfort of those who sit 
at their tables; at any rate its adoption would 
avoid the often repeated “ Is your tea agreeable ?” 
Hints on House Cleaning. 
BT MRS. S. O. JOHNSON. 
As the spring days approach, the housewife feels 
her daily cares increase. Every closet, drawer, and 
piece-bag must be ransacked, overlooked, and 
cleared up for the coming summer. Carpets must 
betaken up and shaken, beds well beaten, and bed¬ 
steads washed in strong brine to destroy all insects, 
etc. As any thing that can' lessen the labor of a 
housekeeper is desirable, I venture to contribute 
my mite. Save the tea leaves for a few days, theu 
steep them in a tin pail or pan for half an hour, 
strain through a sieve, and use the tea to wash all 
varnished paint. It requires very little rubbing or 
“ elbow polish,” as the tea acts as a strong deterg¬ 
ent, cleansing the paint from its impurities, and 
making the varnish shine equal to new. It cleanses 
window sashes and oil cloths; indeed, any varnished 
surface is improved by its application. It washes 
window panes and mirrors much better than soap 
and water, and is excellent, for cleansing black wal¬ 
nut picture and looking-glass frames. It will not 
do to wash unvarnished paint with it. Whiting is 
unequaled for cleansing white paint. Take a small 
quantity on a damp flannel, rub lightly over the 
surface, and you will be surprised at its effects. 
Wall papers are readily cleansed by tying a soft 
cloth over a broom, and sweeping down the walls 
carefully. The dust and ashes of furnaces and 
stoves arc deposited in every crack and crevice of 
our rooms, and require vigilant and active treat¬ 
ment, for their removal. Carpets absorbgreat quan¬ 
tities of them. All who can afford it will find it a 
great improvement to use straw matting in sum¬ 
mer, and in autumn cover them with carpet linings 
or even common newspapers, theu put down the 
carpets over them. Cleansing silver is not an easy 
task; the use of kerosene will greatly facilitate the 
operation. Wet a flannel cloth in the oil, dip in 
dry whiting, and thoroughly rub the plated or sil¬ 
ver ware ; throw it into a dish of scalding soap¬ 
suds, wipe with a soft flannel, and polish with a 
chamois skin. Your silver or plate will look equal 
to that exhibited in a jeweler’s window, and will 
retain its brilliancy for six months, if once a week, 
when washed, it is polished with a chamois skin. 
Bright silver adds much to the beauty of a table, 
and is easily attained by this method. Some may 
think it will injure the plate. I have used it spring 
and fall for five years, and neither plated articles 
nor silver sustain any injury. Those who use brass 
andirons will find it equally efficacious in restoring 
their brightness. Old feather beds and pillows are 
greatly improved by putting them on a clean grass 
plot during a heavy shower; let the beds become 
thoroughly wetted, turning them on both sides. 
Let them lie out until thoroughly dry, then beat 
them with rods; this will lighten up the feathers 
and make them much more healthful to sleep upon. 
It removes dust and rejuvenates the feathers. 
■ - ■■■ - ■ -- 1 —■ — ■ ■ - 
Household Talks. 
BY AUNT HATTIE. 
My doctor often says to me, “Do you know that 
not one family in ten has good bread? Now, if 
you would benefit the human race, send a good rec¬ 
ipe to the Agriculturist and tell the people how 
to makegood, wholesome, sweet bread.”_“I 
would do so, Doctor, but there are so many things 
required in order to make good bread that it is dif¬ 
ficult to give a recipe. They must have good flour.” 
_“Tell them that.”_“And they must have 
good yeast.”_“ Well, tell them that.”_“And 
good judgment, perseverance, aud good sense.”.... 
“Well, tell them that.. You write it, the editors 
will publish it, and millions will be benefited; half 
the doctors might go to farming if the women 
would invariably put good bread upon the table.” 
_“Many persons will not do just as the recipe 
tells them, and tire blame will fall back upon me.” 
_“ Tell them to do just as the recipe lias it. It 
is not honest to take a recipe and mix it up with 
one’s own ideas.” Here are my directions for 
Home-made Yeast. —Take six large potatoes of 
a good kind, pare, and boil until soft, then mash as 
for the table. Boil a small handful of hops in two 
quarts of water for a few moments. Put the pota¬ 
toes into a colander and rub through as much as 
possible; then pour on the hop water, and wash 
the remaining potato pulp through with it. When 
all is strained, return it to the kettle to boil. Take 
a tablespoonful of ground ginger and two table- 
spoonfuls of flour ; mix with a very little water to 
a smooth paste, add more water to make of a thin 
batter; add to this a tablespoonful of salt and half 
a teacupful of sugar, which pour gently into the 
boiling hop aud potato water, stirring all the time, 
to prevent its burning. Allow it to boil a few 
moments, then take from the stove and pour into a 
crock to cool. When warm as new milk, or luke¬ 
warm, stir well into it a teacupful of lively yeast, 
and keep of an even temperature until well risen, 
when it should be put into a suitable jug and cork¬ 
ed loosely for a few days. After a few days, drive 
the cork in tight, and remember to keep it well 
corked; also shake up the yeast well before taking 
out a supply for bread-making. This yeast will 
keep any reasonable time, as the sugar, ginger, and 
salt, are excellent preserving agents. Persons who 
have been in the habit of using a piut or a quart of 
flour will say Aunt Hattie has made a mistake 
about the quantity of flour; not at all,—two table- 
spoonfuls is all that is required in this yeast. 
Making Bread. —I set my sponge about 8 o’clock 
in the evening. I consider the bread better when 
about a dozen potatoes are passed through the 
colander into the flour, but this is not always con¬ 
venient, and I sometimes omit them. When this 
is the case, I pour about a quart of boiling water 
into the flour, cooling with cold water until of the 
proper temperature for the yeast to be added ; but 
inexperienced bread-makers had better mix with 
water a little more than lukewarm. Sift into 
the bread-bowl about seven quarts of flour, make 
a hole in the centre, and pour in about two quarts 
of warm water and a little salt; stir in some of the 
flour until you have made a moderately stiff batter. 
If it is so hot that you cannot bear to hold your 
finger iu the batter, it is too warm for the yeast, 
and should be allowed to stand until lukewarm ; 
then add a teacupful of yeast, and stir vigorously 
for a good while. The more it is beaten, the bet¬ 
ter, provided that it does not cool below the luke¬ 
warm point. Sprinkle a little flour over the batter, 
cover with a large milk-pan as closely as possible, 
cover this again with a blanket, and place in a warm 
room until morning. The first thing in the morn¬ 
ing, mix the bread. By taking care, the flour may be 
introduced into the batter without its adhering to 
the hands; but where it does do so, it should be 
immediately rubbed off with some of the dry flour. 
Also, where it adheres to the sides of the bowl, it 
should be removed in the same manner. Be care¬ 
ful not to get too much flour into the dough. It 
should be spongy and spring under the hands while 
being kneaded; do not consider this part of the 
process complete until the bowl is perfectly free 
from dough, and until the hands may go iu and out 
without sticking. Make the mass into a round 
ball, sprinkle a little flour ou the bottom of the 
bowl, return the dough, and let it stay iu a warm 
place until well risen. It should be covered with a 
clean cloth and blanket. Iu two hours it should 
have risen so that two or three cracks, an inch 
wide, are formed on its surface, wheu it may be 
moulded into loaves. If two or more loaves are 
put into the same pan or tin, a space of an inch aud 
a half or two inches should be left between the 
loaves; they will rise sufficiently to touch, and 
will divide much evener after being baked. Ordi¬ 
nary-sized loaves will require an hour and a quarter 
in a moderate oven; if thej r are very large, it would 
be well for the inexperienced to thrust a thin 
skewer or knitting needle into the loaf. If it comes 
out free and clean, the bread is baked sufficiently. 
Do not divide the loaves or put them away into the 
crock until quite cold. Folding in a clean towel 
until nearly cold has a tendency to soften the crust, 
and is considered an advantage. To obtain good 
bread the following precautions must be observed: 
Be careful that the batter is lukewarm when the 
yeast is added, and as it will take some time to 
rise, it must be kept as nearly as possible at this 
temperature; hence the necessity of covering 
closely with the pan and blanket. The dough 
should be kueaded and moulded in a warm room, 
that it may not get cold. The loaves should be 
covered also. Avoid putting the pans of dough on 
the stove or on the hot-water boiler, as the bottom 
gets too warm and rises before the whole. If the 
dough gets cold, however, you will be obliged to 
resort to this means to obtain a fermenting temper¬ 
ature. Bread should be thoroughly cooked, and it 
is well to always make the loaves the same size, and 
by looking at the clock the baking may in a few 
trials be regulated to a nicety. If the bread should 
be clammy or doughy, make the loaf the same size 
next time, and bake a little longer,or make the loaf 
smaller and bake the same length of time. 
A Delicious Dessert is made as follows : Pul 
a small teacupful of tapioca to soak for a few hour! 
in warm water. Pare six or eight good cooking 
apples. Core without dividing, and fill the holes 
with sugar and a little lemon juice, or grated nut¬ 
meg. Pour the tapioca mixture around the apples, 
grate a very little nutmeg over, and bake an hour, 
or until done; serve with sweetened cream. 
Mow to Pop Corn. —A “ Professor c t 
Pop Corn” says: Put in a pan a heaping tea¬ 
spoonful of butter or clean lard, a good pinch o( 
salt, and a small handful of pop corn; cover, and 
put over the fire. Butter or lard improves the pop¬ 
ping qualities of the corn, and it pops better than 
in the wire or screen poppers. If any one knows 
a better method than the above, let him give it. 
