222 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[Juke, 
cold, a tablespoonful of ground ginger and flour 
enough to make a still' dough were added; this was 
rolled thin, and cut into cakes with a one-inch cutter. 
They will not rise, but will spread a good deal over 
the pan while in the oven ; therefore they should be 
put some distance apart. Bake three to live minutes, 
and let them cool before removing from the pan. 
Cocoan'ut Cake. —Take two cups of sugar, two 
tablespoonfuls of butter, and the yolks of two 
eggs; beat to a foam, add to it one cup and a third 
of sweet milk; add gradually three cups and a 
quarter of flour, and three teaspoenfuls of baking 
powder, or two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and 
one of soda. .Bake in the same way as jelly cake, 
but when each layer is cool, instead of using jelly, 
make a meringue of the white of one egg well 
beaten, nine teaspoonfuls of white sugar, and grated 
cocoanut, using the whole or half of one as con¬ 
venient. Mix and spread evenly on one of the 
cakes or layers, then put on another layer, and so 
on until you have an ordinary sized loaf of cake. 
This quantity should make two loaves. 
Lamp Brackets—Useful and Ornamental. 
Those who use lamps—and this includes the ma¬ 
jority of our readers—will often find it very con¬ 
venient to have brackets on which to place them. 
The bracket may be merely a simple shelf or a very 
elaborate affair. We like to see such things home¬ 
made, and they afford an opportunity for the 
younger members of the family, both boys and 
girls, to display their skill. A lady of our acquaint- 
Fig. 3. 
ance is quite celebrated among her friends for her 
handiwork with the saw and knife. A very simple 
and not inelegant pattern for beginners is sent by 
“A. D. II.,” Blairsville, Pa., who says: “ Take 
inch stuff, and mark out with the compasses a 
circle 10 inches in diameter. Inside of this, mark 
another circle % of an inch less. Divide the circle 
into four parts, as shown by the 
dotted lines in fig. 2; then mark 
the smaller circles, leaving the 
cross-bars as shown in the engrav¬ 
ing. This forms tire back-piece; 
a colid semicircular piece, fig. 3, 
serves for the shelf, and the brace, 
fig. 4, is made exactly like one-quarter of the back- 
piece. The whole can be laid out with the com¬ 
passes and square, and be cut out with a compass- 
saw. The parts may be put together with wooden 
pins or with glue. It may be suspended by means 
of two brass-headed nails driven into the wall, 
as shown in fig. 1. If the bracket 
is made of 6oft wood, the parts 
may be cut out with a knife.” 
When one becomes skilled in this 
kind of work, tlio pattern may be 
made more elaborate. In fig. 5 
our artist suggests a slight va¬ 
riation, which will give an idea for other patterns. 
When the regular form first given is departed from, 
it is best to make the pattern on a piece of stiff 
paper, and carefully draw it out upon the wood. 
The wood of which cigar-boxcs are made is often 
used for small work of this kind. There is a great 
deal of power wasted by boys in whittling, and it 
would be well if these suggestions would induce 
them to whittle to some purpose. A pair of neat 
brackets would allow a boy to surprise bis mother 
or some friend with a most acceptable present, and 
even the father need not be ashamed to bring 
in from the workshop a pair that he has made. 
-->-♦- 
Amusements for Children. 
BT MRS. I.UCY LAMB. 
“How shall I amuse the children during the 
evenings?” is a question of no slight importance 
to many mothers who have sons growing up. 
In almost every neighborhood there are some 
boys who are allowed to stay in the streets fronythc 
time that school closes until bedtime. This street 
night-school is the place where many boys take 
their first lessons in crime. 
Neighbor Brown has four sons, some of them 
grown now, and all of them worthless. Years ago, 
when a teacher in a public school where they were 
in attendance, I became acquainted with their man¬ 
ner of life. They were little boys then, bright, 
and possessed of more than ordinary talent. But 
there was, for them, no home attraction. The fa¬ 
ther attended all the meetings of the church, but 
left his boys to spend their evenings in the streets, 
planning and executing mischief. Studies were 
neglected and school-time wasted. Playing truant, 
robbing fruit-trees, and kindred diversions, came 
to be common pastimes for boys whose parents, 
though good people, and members of a church, 
yet failed to restrain their sons from the influence 
of bad companions by providing such amuse¬ 
ments at home as would make them love it. 
On the other hand I know a little boy thirteen 
years of age, (I say “ little boy,” because he has no 
ambition to be thought a mau yet, and does not use 
tobacco,) who has never learned to love the street- 
school. During the intermissions of study his 
play is heartily relished, but the evenings at home 
are the crowning joy of the day. If there are no 
lessons to be learned, there are two good hours for 
some kind of entertainment. This little boy has 
three sisters, younger than himself, and a baby- 
brother, all of whom require some one to direct 
their pastimes. In this instance the office is filled 
"by one who loves them best, the mother. Regard¬ 
ing the early years of her children as most import¬ 
ant in forming their tastes and giving tone to their 
characters, she has devoted her time and energies 
to cultivating in them a taste for such innocent 
amusements as every home may offer to its children. 
In. the first place a choice and careful selection 
of reading matter is provided. The American 
Agriculturist, Little Corporal, and other good 
papers, find their way to the pleasant home of 
these little ones. Old, cast-off blank books and 
scraps of clean letter paper are carefully 
hoarded to be adorned with pencil sketch¬ 
es of animals, plants, buildings, or articles of furni¬ 
ture, sometimes colored with the contents of a 
twcnty-five-cent box of water-color paints; and 
these serve to amuse and instruct, while they in¬ 
sure safety from “evil comnfunieations.” When 
the voices of truant schoolmates chance to reach 
the ears of the folded lambs at home, a merry game 
of “blind-man’s-buff,” or a treat of pop corn 
will prove a very certain counter-attraction, and 
richly repay the mother, who esteems it not beneath 
her dignity to join the children in their sports. 
For children who are old enough to understand 
them, an almost endless fund of entertainment can 
be found in playing charades. To illustrate very 
simply for beginners, let me explain how this may 
be done. Suppose there are four children. Let 
two go into the next room and privately decide 
upon some word. To begin with, let them choose 
the word High-way. That is easy to act. Let one 
of them open the door and announce to the others 
that the word is composed of two syllables, and 
there will be two acts. Then let one or both come 
in and mount a chair or table and stand for a mo¬ 
ment. This is the first act. Then bring in the 
scales and weigh some article. This is the second 
act. Those in the room must solve or “guess” 
what the word is; and then they go out and choose 
a word to puzzle the others. 
A little practice will enable children to act a great 
many words, and while engaged in sucli harmless 
diversions, with Mamma to assist occasionally, many 
pleasant hours can be spent around the fireside. 
For Sunday evening employment, something dif¬ 
ferent should be chosen. The youngest can always 
be interested in the rehearsal of Bible >tories. 
While too young £o read for themselves, a lively 
description of the prominent scenes and incidents 
of Bible history may be so fixed in their minds 
timt the pictures will remain, even after they 
read the stories for 'themselves in later years. 
To IfJaSte 'I'esi.—Bv Mrs. I. J., Northamp¬ 
ton, Mass. First, heat the teapot by pouring 
boiling water into it; pour this out, and put into 
the pot as much good tea as you wish to use; then 
pour in boiling water enough to completely cover 
the tea so as to wet it thoroughly. Set the pot on 
the cooking table, if that is liandy, (it need not be 
set on anything that is hot) and in five minutes 
pour in boiling water enough for the first cups, 
and pour out immediately. If a second cup, or 
cups, are wished, and tea enough has been put in 
the pot, add boiling water in sufficient quantity. 
This rule applies particularly to Japanese and Hy¬ 
son teas. I do not know that black tea would be 
as good made in this way, as if it were steeped 
longer. That may depend on taste. 
Boiled Brown Bread.—Mrs. E. A. M., 
Springfield, Mass., sends the following, which she 
says is “ very good.” We do not see the use of the 
coffee, unless it be to give a color to the bread.— 
One pint sifted corn meal, one pint unsifted rye 
meal, % cup molasses, cup liquid coffee, 1 tea- 
spoonful salt, 1 heaping teaspoonful of soda. Mix 
to a rather stiff batter with sour milk or butter¬ 
milk (buttermilk is the better), pour into a 3-quart 
tin pail, and cover tightly; set the pail in a kettle of 
boiling water, and keep it boiling six or eight hours. 
Mary Jiimes’ Crsiclcer Pudding.— 
“E. H. F.,” Leicester, Mass., communicates the 
following, which is commended as “ cheap and 
first-rate.”—Two quarts of milk; ten soft crack¬ 
ers ; one cup of molasses; one cup each of sugar, 
whole raisins, and chopped suet. Break up (not 
pound) the crackers, and put them into the pan 
with the milk (cold), and set the pan on the stove 
until they are soft; then add the other ingredients. 
Salt and spice to taste, and bake in a slow oven for 
three hours. Stir once or twice after it begins to 
bake, and be careful not to let the raisins burn on 
the bottom. Bake in. a deep pan or crock, and 
be sure not to bake too fast on the bottom. 
TPsiddisig Ssiiiee Wanted.—A friend in 
Illinois wishes us to give recipes for pudding sauce, 
to be composed of articles readily obtained by farm¬ 
ers, and not calculated to disagree with a digestion 
less delicate than that of an ostrich. 
Summer Drink.—Take the juice of six 
lemons and one pineapple, cut in small pieces, add 
sugar to'suit the taste, aud put in plenty of ice 
with the water. Unique, 
j 
Popping Corn.-6eo. W. II. says > “In 
the April number of the Agriculturist there was a 
recipe for popping corn. I think I know a better 
one, viz.: Place in an iron vessel (which should be 
rather deep and broad) enough salt to cover the 
bottom t 9 the depth of half an inch. Place it over 
a hot fire, and put in as much corn as you wish to 
pop; cover it over, to prevent the corn from flying 
out when if bursts, and in a few minutes the great¬ 
er part of the corn will be found nicely popped.” 
Cream Butter Budding.— Half a pint 
of sour crenm ; half a pint of sweet milk; half a pint 
of flour ; 3 eggs ; a little salt ; half a teaspoonful of 
soda. Beat the whited and yolks of t lie eggs separate¬ 
ly, and add 1 he whites last. Bake in a moderately 
hot oven. This is tliC'gwm of batter puddings. A 
very nice sauce for it is made by adding to a coffee 
cup of boiling milk, a tablespoonful of flour, first 
wet with a little cold milk. Have ready a teacupful 
of sugar and half a teacupful of butter, thoroughly 
stirred together ; and when the flour and milk have 
boiled two or three minutes, add the sugar and but¬ 
ter. Stir well, but do not boil. Flavor with vanilla. 
Fig. 4. 
