26 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[January, 
receive all the service and render none. For their 
sakes, we must avoid that. But let us look after 
our duties more carefully than after our rights. 
Let us try to do our part faithfully, and if our ex¬ 
ample does not stimulate the laggards, we can talk 
over with ea«h delinquent the importance of each 
one contributing to make home bright and happy. 
It is of the greatest importance that the little 
ones should go to bed happy —important for their 
healths and for their dispositions. And if we can 
all say “good-night,” and sink to sleep with hearts 
kindly aflectioned one toward another, it will help 
our souls’ growth wonderfully. Then let us have 
pleasant, social evenings. Let us get the work all 
done up on the busiest days, if possible, before 
night comes; and if we have a clean frock and col¬ 
lar and a bright ribbon, let us put them on for the 
sake of the dear ones, whose happiness is surely 
affected by all these little things. 
Now, who will read aloud ? Yes, I do know how 
almost, and often entirely impossible this is if 
baby is awake. Selfish little babies ! But it is the 
nature of a baby to be selfish, and we must conform 
ourselves to it more or less until it gets a little 
older. Games, then, or puzzles, or light work 
around the lamp. 
Pray, tell me why should a woman’s fingers be 
busy with knitting or sewing, and a man’s or a 
boy’s be idle or at play? Teach the boys to knit 
and sew, and when there is need they can employ 
themselves right usefully so. If they learn to im¬ 
prove their time while young, if they learn to love 
work, they will be carving out frames or brack¬ 
ets or napkin-rings or children’s toys while the 
story is read aloud. If potatoes are to be prepared 
at night for the breakfast, why can not some mas¬ 
culine fingers do it ? 
About the reading—don’t be too prosy if there 
are children among the listeners. It is best to 
read something that interests all, at least a part of 
the evening. Every parent who deserves the joy 
and honor of parentage, has a young spot in the 
heart, and can not fail to be interested in any well- 
written children’s book or story. 
Woolen Wristlets. —A pair of warm wool 
wristlets is about equal to an additional garment 
for keeping the whole body warm. The blood 
which the heart pumps into the arteries with each 
beat comes very near the surface wherever you can 
feel the pulse beating, as at the wrists. Keep 
these warm and the whole circulation is favorably 
affected. Knitted yarn wristlets are worn by old 
and young, male and female. They are three or 
four inches long, seamed all of the way usually, 
and may be finished at the hand by a narrow 
fringe, or crocheted border, or by a knitted ruffle. 
It is well to have two pairs for a change, and if 
these are of white or of delicate colors, daintily 
wrought and scrupulously clean, they are not un¬ 
suitable with one’s nice dresses. A pair of white 
ones, with no fringe or ruffle at the hand, cau be 
worn under linen cuffs. 
Beans without Pork. —Some families seem not 
to know that baked beans are delicious without 
pork if properly cooked and seasoned. We be¬ 
lieve in cooking them a long time—four or five 
hours in all. We often boil a pot of beans until 
they are cooked thoroughly soft, take half for one 
day’s bean-soup, and use the other half a few days 
later for baked beans. We pick over and wash 
the beans as soon as breakfast is over, and put 
them over the fire, well covered with cold water, 
as soon as possible. If the beans are old we drop 
in a small lump or lialf-teaspoonful of soda. When 
this water boils, we turn it off, and supply its 
place with clean boiling water. After the beans 
have boiled in this water about an hour, we 
change the water again—sometimes three times, 
but never after the beans have begun to come to 
pieces. We set them where they will not boil too 
hard, and cook them four or five hours, when they 
are well softened and separated. Then we stir into 
this soup salt, and a cup of cream if we have it; if 
not, a table-spoonful or two of good butter. We 
take out half of the beans (if we have cooked 
enough for two meals) before seasoning the day’s 
portion, and sometimes thin what is left for soup 
with hot water, and then put in the cream and 
salt, and boil and stir it all together. When we 
bake the reserved portion, we pour it into a large 
baking-dish or dripping-pan, stir in a spoonful of 
salt and a cup of cream, or creamy milk, and bit of 
butter, and bake an hour. I can not believe that 
any one who tries it would prefer “pork and 
beans” to this. The most common mistake in 
cooking beans is to cook them too little. This is 
the cause of their flatulent tendency, and such re¬ 
sult may be prevented by thorough cooking. The 
frequent changing of the water takes away the 
strong flavor which is disagreeable to many. Well- 
cooked beans are among the most nutritious arti¬ 
cles of diet. 
Winter Squash. — I suppose that Hubbard 
squashes are baked more frequently than they are 
boiled nowadays. The chief difficulty is with the 
shells upon the table-cloth at meal-time. A few 
empty plates set here and there to receive the rind 
obviate this difficulty. No way of cooking squash 
suits us so well as steaming it. Cut off the rind, 
and cut in small pieces as for boiling. Allow a 
little more time for the steaming than for boiling 
potatoes, say three quarters of an hour, and when 
done it may be mashed and seasoned with a little 
salt, buttered over the top, with a little dash of 
black pepper, and it is ready for the table. Squash 
is rather slow in baking, requiring more time than 
potatoes. An hour is hardly too much time to 
allow for the baking of Hubbard squash. In boil¬ 
ing squash, cut into small pieces and put very little 
water in the kettle, filling up with boiling water if 
necessary, to prevent burning. The drier it is 
boiled the sweeter it will be. 
Everybody knows, I suppose, that squashes of all 
kinds make excellent “pumpkin pies.” Squash 
should be sifted through a colander after boiling (or 
steaming or baking), and treated in all respects 
like pumpkin. 
“ Cambric Tea ” or “ Comfort.”— This is also 
“ Temperance tea ” and “ White tea ”—nothing but 
hot water, milk, and sugar. But put the sugar and 
milk (you need put no sugar in my cup if you give 
me cream instead of milk) in the bottom of the 
cup, and pour the boiling water in last. The flavor 
is very perceptibly better than a mere cup of hot 
water seasoned with sugar and milk. This is very 
true of coffee also. Put the “ trimmings ” (as they 
say out West) in the cup first (having ascertained 
what each of your coffee-drinkers prefers), and 
pour the coffee into this. It does really make 
a deal of difference. “ White tea ” or comfort is 
useful when one wishes a warm drink simply, with¬ 
out any stimulant. 
Which Paper ? 
When I was a little girl, I heard my father say 
regularly aud often, toward Christmas, for several 
years, “We must not take so many papers next 
year.” Then would arise some discussion about 
which of the papers should be stopped. It always 
resulted in the same way—as many or even more 
papers the next year. I am glad of it. 
My friend Americus was the other day lamenting 
that so many periodicals came into the family, 
because no member of the family found time to 
read them all. He said it was better to take only 
one paper, and read that thoroughly. “ Beware of 
the reader of one book,” said he, quoting from 
somebody. “ Why ? ” I asked. “ Shall we beware of 
the reader of one book because he must necessarily 
be rather narrow-minded?” 
But Americus meant, and I suppose his predeces¬ 
sor meant, that the careful reader of a single book 
would probably thoroughly digest his scant mental 
rations, and waste no particle of nutriment gained 
from it. The reader of one book is just the person 
to catch you tripping when you state any fact within 
the range of bis one book. I suppose it is really 
better to read one book or newspaper with close 
attention and reflection than to merely skim a dozen 
books or newspapers, getting no clear idea of any¬ 
thing. One who wishes to preserve aud increase 
one’s mental power should habitually do some care¬ 
ful reading—so critical and painstaking that it may 
properly be called study. 
But I quite object to being shut down to one 
newspaper. I long for big libraries and full read¬ 
ing-rooms. I think it is a great privilege to be 
allowed to skip a good portion of every.paper, 
“But,” said Americus, “ there is the-now. 
It is well edited in every department, and there is 
nothing in it which it would not be profitable for 
you to read.” So v r e took a number of the-, 
and turned through its pages. There were certain 
departments which I always read, and the contri¬ 
butions of certain writers were always 'welcome. 
But there was as much more in the paper which 
was not to my taste, though invaluable perhaps to 
a multitude of readers. There were pages that I 
habitually “ skimmed,” and I found the cream so 
gathered much more profitable for my use than the 
whole milk w r ould be. 
“But,” said Americus, “here are these articles 
by-. Don’t you read those ? Why, they are 
excellent! Do read them. I would not miss them 
for anything.” 
■ “There it is,” said I. “It is the nourishment 
you are needing now. But my mind is working in 
another direction and craves different mental food; 
and provided Ibelieve that what it is seeking is good and 
wholesome , I am going to let it follow its bent. ‘ Eat 
what you crave,’ says the sensible Dr. Hall, and I 
say read what you crave, and if it does you no 
harm, go ahead until you have had enough of that.’ ’ 
Parents should not be niggardly in supplying the 
family with reading matter. There is sucli a variety 
of tastes among its members that no one paper 
would be likely to meet the requirements of all. 
Provide only what is pure aud profitable, but re¬ 
member that fun is profitable to the health and in¬ 
tellect and heart. Aud do not be afraid of stories, 
only be careful that those you take into the family 
to influence your children as only stories can, are 
of noble purpose aud of high, pure character. I 
know some excellent people who tell me that one 
of the best things their parents did for them in the 
way of education, was to leave them pretty much 
free to follow their own tastes in respect to reading, 
while furnishing only good books aud papers, and 
plenty of those. 
Where neighbors can co-operate, taking a variety 
of papers and magazines among the different fam¬ 
ilies, and exchanging with one another, there is a 
saving of money outlay, and a gain in the way of 
neighborly intercourse. Rell. 
“ Splendid ” Cake.-One cup of butter, 
two of sugar, four of flour, one of water, and four 
eggs. To the four cups of sifted flour add one 
measure of Horsford’s bread preparation, or one tea¬ 
spoon of cream of tartar and half a teaspoonful of 
soda. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, then 
add the beaten eggs, next the water; after adding 
the flour, bake immediately. After the cake is 
ready for the oven sift over the pans dry sifted 
sugar, which gives the cake a meringue like crust 
if the oven is not too hot.—W. 
“ Brown BEetty.”—The following recipe, 
given by Marion Harland, we have tried with much 
satisfaction: One cup of bread-erumb6, two of 
chopped tart- apples, % of sugar, one teaspoonful 
of cinnamon, and two teaspoonfuls of butter cut 
into small pieces. Butter a deep dish, and put a 
layer of the chopped apple at the bottom; sprinkle 
with sugar, a few bits of butter, and einuamon; 
cover with bread-crumbs ; then more apple. Pro¬ 
ceed in this order until the dish is full, having a 
layer of crumbs at the top. Cover closely, and 
steam three quarters of an hour in a moderate 
oven; then uncover, and brown quickly. Eat 
warm with sugar and cream or sweet sauce. Serve 
in the dish in which it is baked. We do not use 
near as many apples as we might, with advantage 
in both economy and health. The “ Brown Betty ” 
here described is very good, quickly prepared, 
and utilizes scraps of bread that are often wasted. 
