AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
108 
Jatouf Jptprtnuiit. 
JOURNAL OF A FARMER’S WIFE. 
Monday , October 17 th .—An unclouded sun 
and the weather truly delightful. We must be in 
the midst of Indian Summer. Flies are a little 
troublesome again, and I occasionally meet a 
stray musquito. All are busy out of doors, dig¬ 
ging and topping sugar-beets, and stacking them 
in heaps preparatory to covering with straw and 
earth to guard against the winter frosts. The 
latter coveringwill not be put on till cold weather 
approaches, otherwise the roots would sprout 
and be greatly injured. I find no root equal to 
the sugar-beet to produce rich milk and cream 
during winter; we consequently raise large 
stores of them every season. Parsnips, perhaps, 
rank next; carrots are very good also, yet on 
the whole are better for horses. I have paid 
quite as much attention to the feeding of our 
cows as my husband, for I take great interest 
in such things, as every farmer’s wife should, 
although not exactly household matters. 
Before Willie went out to work, I called upon 
him for his secret of turning hard water into 
soft. Pshaw, how simple! strange every body 
does not know it. It is only putting from a tea¬ 
spoonful to a tablespoonful or so of potash into 
every gallon of water; the quantity required 
being dependant upon the strength of the potash 
and the hardness of the water. An equivalent 
of wood ashes would answer the same purpose, 
but the water must be well settled and drawn 
off afterwards. 
In the afternoon Cousin Clara walked down 
the valley with me to see a poor, sick neighbor, 
who moved here from the north last spring. 
The man would sit out in front of his cottage, 
with neither hat nor coat, every fair evening, 
as soon as supper was over, to smoke his pipe, 
after a hard day’s work in the hot sun. His wife 
and children were equally imprudent, though I 
have often told them how unhealthy it was to 
be exposed to the damp evening air, and that 
they would surely get sick. But my cautions 
were unavailing, and now nearly every one is 
down with chills and fever. Had they kept within 
dpors soon after sundown, and lighted up a little 
fire in their sitting-room, they would probably 
have escaped. I am aware this is not a certain 
safeguard, but I know that this is the course 
our family have pursued, and that we have never 
had a case of chills and fever yet, though our 
residence is not far from tide-water marshes, 
where there is a good deal of miasma generated 
in wet seasons. Left them a few things for their 
comfort, and gave them a preparation of quinine 
for medicine. Returned home and made up a 
dish of thickened milk, or pop robin as some 
call it, for supper, after the following recipe : 
Beat two eggs, add to these a teacup ful of 
cold milk, and stir in flour until thick enough 
to fall in lumps from the spoon. Now have two 
quarts of milk boiling hot, and then drop the 
above mixture into it a little at a time ; add salt 
to suit the taste, and let the whole cook about 
three minutes. 
Cousin Clara said she could make a nice des¬ 
sert by taking the above mixture and dropping 
it gradually into two quarts of milk, just before 
it boils, so as to be smooth like pudding; and 
when taken from the fire adding a cupful of loaf 
sugar and grating a little nutmeg over it. A 
small quantity of fine, pure wine added, makes 
it still more palatable, 
I am determined on trying this, or rather I 
will get her to make it up some day, as she 
seems to take a pleasure in aiding me in the 
kitchen whenever I will permit her. But to 
return to pop robin —what a funny name! We 
eat it in milk with baked apples and pears. All 
pronounced it excellent, and left bread and 
butter, tea and cake, and a huge pumpkin pie 
untouched. Was this not' marvellous ? 
Tuesday , 18tA.—My husband and Willie off 
thus early to the Cattle Show of the American 
Institute, so as to be in good time. The latter 
will exhibit a few of our beautiful Devon cattle, 
and fine South Down sheep; while Willie en¬ 
ters some poultry of different kinds, on which 
he is sanguine he will take the first premium. 
I hope he will not be disappointed, as this would 
half break his heart, though I have done my 
best to prepare his mind for the worst. I tell 
him he ought not to expect a single prize—that 
he cannot tell till he gets there but his compe¬ 
titors will show superior birds—that even if 
they do not, committees are capricious in their 
judgments, and that he ought to exhibit merely 
for the pleasure of it and the encouragement of 
others, without any regard to prizes, for these 
should always be considered a secondary matter. 
Still all I can say, I fancy, will have little influ¬ 
ence on his sanguine hopes and expectations, 
and I almost regret he was permitted to take any 
thing there. As for my husband, he takes such 
things very cooly. Is gratified if he wins, and 
cares little about it if he loses, as the deci¬ 
sion of judges on such occasions seem to have 
no great influence on public opinion in regard 
to the merits of his stock. He says he can sell 
all he wishes to spare at good prices, any how, 
win or loose. 
Wednesday , 19 tli .—Still warmer than yester¬ 
day. I found it even hot in the middle of the 
day. Busy in doors with domestic matters, 
which are not of sufficient importance to chron¬ 
icle in these pages. The Editor of the Agricul¬ 
turist has informed me that he wishes my 
journal hereafter a week in advance of his issue, 
or he cannot get it out in time. I must, there¬ 
fore, close my lucubrations for the future, in the 
middle instead of the end of the week. 
Wives. —I am acquainted with a great many 
good wives, notable, and so managing, that they 
make a man every thing but happy, and I know 
as many others who sing, paint, play, and cut 
paper, and are so accomplished that they have 
no time to be useful, Pictures and fiddles, and 
every thing but agreeableness and goodness, 
can be had for money; but as there is no mar¬ 
ket where pleasant manners, and engaging con¬ 
versation, and Christian virtues are to be bought, 
methinks it is a pity the ladies do not oftener 
try to provide them at home. 
. -o o o- 
Cooking Fisil —Fish must be put into cold 
or boiling water, according to its firmness of 
flesh; for instance, turbot, salmon, mackarel, 
&c., should be put into cold water; while plaice, 
whittings, haddocks, and such soft-fleshed as 
well as crimped fish, should be put into boiling 
water. The reason is obvious; by putting flac¬ 
cid and watery fish into the water cold, it is 
rendered still more soft and watery; but the 
boiling water sets it and renders it firmer; on 
the other hand, the cold water penetrates and 
softens the fish that is of firmer texture, and 
makes it more tender and delicate. Keep the 
water skimmed while the fish is boiling. 
Fish is cooked enough when it leaves the 
bone easily. Be sure to wash and clean your 
fish well. 
In frying fish, having washed it, dry it thor¬ 
oughly in a clean cloth, then flour it well, or 
v, bisk it over with egg, and dip into bread¬ 
crumbs before frying it. Be sure your pan is 
very clean, and that y®ur fat (of which there 
should be enough to cover the fish) boils before 
you put the fish in. Fry fish quickly, of a fine 
light brown. Some like fish fried in batter— 
as good a batter as any is a little ale and flour 
beaten up just as you are ready for it—then dip 
the fish in before frying it. Put plenty'of salt 
in the water in which you boil your fish, and a 
stick of horse-radish, excepting mackarel, with 
which you boil salt, mint, parsely and fennel. 
Boiled Rice. —Wash it thoroughly in cold 
water; have your pot of water (two quarts for 
every half pint of rice) boiling—add salt at dis¬ 
cretion ; put the rice in and stir it while boil¬ 
ing; let it boil four minutes, (some say ten and 
some fifteen,) then pour off' the water as close 
as you can, without stirring the rice; set the 
pot on some coals and cover it; let it remain 
twenty minutes, then dish it up. Each grain, 
by this method, will be swollen and soft, with¬ 
out having lost its individuality, and ti e dish 
will be light, palatable, and nutritious. Those 
who prefer a sodden, starchy, porridge-like 
mess, may boil it longer, and neglect to steam 
it. A very delicate and nice breakfast roll is 
made in Georgia, by mixing hominy or rice, 
boiled soft, with rice, flour and milk, in a stiff 
batter, to which an egg and salt may be added. 
It is kept over night in a cool place, and baked 
so as to be brought hot on to the breakfast table, 
and makes the best kind we have ever eaten. 
To Cook Parsnips. —Persons who have never 
eaten parsnips cooked according to the following 
mode, have no idea what an excellent dish they 
are. Scrape the parsnips, wash and slico them 
lengthwise; boil in just water enough to cover 
them when thoroughly done. Then put in a 
piece of butter, with a little salt and pepper. 
Beat an egg with a spoonful of flour and pour 
over them—they are then ready to dish up. 
Parsnips are likewise very good split once 
and roasted with pork in the dripping-pan.— 
Exchange paper. 
Use op the Nose. —Important to Nurses .— 
We always thought that the nose was meant for 
higher purposes than mere sneezing, and now 
the secret is out. We have been much amused 
by beholding one of the readiest modes of si¬ 
lencing squalling children, we remember to have 
either read or heard of. So desirable a piece 
of knowledge is worthy of being universally 
known, and we therefore give it publicity. 
Take a child in its cross fits, and press your 
finger gently across the cartilage of the nose, 
and in less than a minute it will be asleep. 
Laws of Health.— Children should be taught 
to use the left hand as much and as well as the 
right. 
Coarse bread is much better for children than 
fine. 
Children should sleep in separate beds, and 
should not wear night-caps. 
Children under seven years of age should not 
be confined over six or seven hours in the house 
—and that time should be broken by frequent 
recesses. 
Children and young people must be made to 
hold their heads up and shoulders back while 
standing, sitting, or walking. The best beds for 
children are of hair, or in winter of hair and 
cotton. 
Young persons should walk at least two hours 
in the open ais. 
Young persons should be prevented from 
bandaging the chest. We have known three 
cases of insanity, terminating in death, which 
began in this practice. 
Every person, great and small, should wash 
all over in cold water every morning. 
Reading aloud is conducive to health. 
The more clothing we wear, other things be¬ 
ing equal, the less food we need. 
Young people, and others, cannot study much 
by lamp-light with impunity. The best remedy 
for eyes weakened by night use, is a fine stream 
of cold water frequently applied to them.— Lon- 
don Lancet. 
