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THE POETRY OP THE TABLE. 
Many of us lack a taste for cooking. It is 
a l)acl sign. It is a certain sign that the 
cooking will lack in some respect; for there 
must he a love Ipr this calling, as well its for 
anj- other, in order to succeed. Then it will 
be a department that may be ranked with 
the fine arts. This is its influence aud spirit, 
as every true, intelligent housewife knows. 
For there is something in the looks, as w ell 
as in the taste, of a meal. 
The true art of cooking is to please, to 
satisfy, and, at the same time, to benefit. 
We do not want the consciousness of harm 
resulting from wbat we oat. This is a bad ac¬ 
companiment; it detracts Horn the pleasure, 
and, if fulfilled, is, indeed, to be deplored. 
Such dishes are to be banished from the 
table. A dirty table-cloth is an otTcnse; it is 
an insult to your guest. A white, clean, 
fresh table-spread is an invitation. It adds 
to the relish. If the dishes correspond, there 
is a still further increase of pleasure, not only 
in the plates, cups and saucers, and the 
bright silver and steel forks, knives, and 
spoons that reflect your face — they will re¬ 
flect a pleasant one—but the food that is in 
them. Take a tart, fragrant apple,—say a 
Spitzeuberg, cook it just toa " done," so that 
it dissolves like nectar in the mouth, first, 
tempting you with its appetizing look, 
brown, shiny, crumpled coat; collapsed, 
contrasting in hue with its dish, a glistening 
white,— take such a dish, (and where will 
you find a simnlerV) and you will not be dis¬ 
turbed with the thoughts of any evil after¬ 
effects. Here are healthfulness, and relish, 
and cheapness, and the consciousness of eat¬ 
ing a wholesome fruit. 
This is hut one disk,— and one of the 
lesser,— and yet how important an influence 
it sways in a meal. So it is with the cran¬ 
berry. This beautiful, delightful berry, as 
wholesome and healthful us delightful, is 
another dish of the cheap yet. engaging kind, 
a mate to tins apple, though just now it is 
pretentious in its value. You are not afraid 
to eat the cranberry, dish after dish. It is 
relish itself. Its Crimson, in contrast with 
the white of the table, attracts you; it is 
something that helps in the meal. 
You have your brown steak, your broiled 
ham, your eggs, fried or in the shell—shell as 
whito and clean as the doth,— aud, as you 
arc in for white things, there are the white 
mealy potatoes. Then comes the snowy 
bread, light as your fancy, waiting to bo 
“ broken.” 
This is but the beginning—a few simple 
things—and what a meal we already have! 
You must he a little cautious about the 
bam (unleae you are a man or woman) of 
strong digestion, though this, understand, is 
broiled, which takes about three hours and 
a half to digest. You need not be afraid 
then even of this dish, nor of any meats, if 
properly prepared. 
I see you desire an Omelet, You want 
this light lemon color also for variety. A 
little darker lino is revealed in the dish that 
opens with a stream of fragrance aud vapor; 
tills is the toast. Are you afraid of toast? 
It is as harmless as the orange sides of a 
well-cooked salmon, or his speckled con¬ 
gener, the brook trout. 
We are getting color. We are getting 
more in that rich, unctions, steaming, fra¬ 
grant. cup that is filling—call it not coffee ; 
this is nectar! The gods drank such, and 
now we are gods, truly, as much as there 
ever were gods. Well, here is the test of 
art—how to make coffee. But this is made. 
It has its association; it brings to mind 
(what you may have on the table also) wiae 
in both its color and clearness. It is so clear 
that it sparkles, inside aud out, throughout. 
Aud it brings to mind—not the grocery, 
reeking with its foulness—it brings to mind 
the fields of Arabia, its sun and its cloudless 
sky, and Mocha. It not only brings to 
mind, but has, and is, the Orient. It was 
there, belongs there, grew there; it looked 
long and contentedly on its sky that spanned 
the desert. But here it is—this Arab. 
We are still but at llio beginning; we 
have not wandered further, to the kingdom 
of the Celestials, that empire of the “ sun,” 
bordering on the great, sea. 
All these thoughts are suggested, and are 
they nothing ? They are the poetry of eat¬ 
ing. So life has, or should have, its poetry 
iu all its variety. But some men eat like 
the brute, merely for sensual gratification. 
These cannot be reckoned among rational 
men. 
It is not the rarity or the expense of a 
dish that makes it desirable, save only as it 
serves to display. The simplest food may 
be made the most toothsome, the most 
healthful, the most satisfactory. It is in 
knowing how to serve it—how to select 
first,—or better, to raise it yourself, control 
it from the start. Thus the simple, the 
“ frugal" fare may be made a dainty for a 
king. And if it fail in being made so, a 
higher, a more costly will share the same 
fate.— f. o. 
SUNDRY CONTRIBUTIONS. 
Filling Glass Fruit Cans. 
Some one asks for a method of filling glass 
fruit cans without first heating them iu water. 
I give my way, which has long proved satis¬ 
factory. I first set the cans on Ihe slcre- 
hearth, or in the tin oven a short lime; thou 
put in one or t wo spoonfuls of sauce, cover¬ 
ing the top of the can with my hand till the 
steam warms the can ; the fruit can then be 
put in with safety. The best glass is always 
the cheapest, as inferior qualities break with 
even careful usage. 
lioston Brown Bread. 
I THINK 1 have improved the imitation of 
Boston brown bread by using Graham flour 
instead of shorts or corn meal. My children 
just line on it as long as the loaf lasts. I set 
it in the oven after steaming, instead of before. 
Coloring Brown. 
Mrs. L. II. M. bus conferred a favor on the 
rural sisterhood by giving us her recipe for 
coloring blue. I add one for coloring brown 
oil cotton that. I consider invaluable to all 
interested: — To one pound of goods use 
one ounce of gum cateclui, one-liulf ounce of 
bichromate of potash. Dissolve the catechu 
in hot water, and soak ur dip the goods one 
hour; then wring loosely, and dip in the 
bichromate dye made in the same way. Dry 
and wash iu suds; it will not. fade. —E. A. H. 
Timmcrntni'c of Cream for Clinrniug. 
I Iiave just been reading in the Rural 
an article by M. A. E. W., in which the 
right temperature for cream is given at 
seventy-four degrees; this is just right. I 
know by my own experience that when 
cream is churned at a greater degree of heat 
than sixty-four, the butter comes soft. At 
that beat we churn in from thirty-five to 
forty minutes. 
Suit vs. Hop* for Brcnd. 
As for bread, I prefer salt-rising instead of 
hops. I can set my rising over night aud 
have my bread baked by eight and ten 
o’clock. I take a bowl half full of boiling 
water, add a piece of saleratus the size of a 
pea, the same of salt, and a handful of In¬ 
dian meal. Let it stand till cool; thicken 
with flour ; cover, and set iu a dish of warm 
water by the stove. It seldom, or never, I 
might almost say, fails with me- k, it. v. 
Grniutm Bread. 
I take two teacups of cold water aud 
thicken it with "wheat meal,” to the con¬ 
sistency of very thick batter, and bake in a 
quick oven. Sometimes 1 use one cup of 
sweet milk and one of water, and occasion¬ 
ally put in one egg, well beaten. These are 
delicious. 1 have made bread after the above 
plan for more than t wo years, and we prefer 
it to the best yeast bread — and 1 doubt not 
wo make as good of the latter kind as can be 
found on the table of P. Devinny. Con¬ 
trary to his experience, we find Graham bread 
to be perfectly healthy. Constipation can¬ 
not exist when; Miss Colman'h recipes are 
adhered to.—C'ouA A., South Avon, N. Y. 
To Mimaae Wiislilmr. 
I Din not intend to discuss tile subject of 
washing-day with any one. But as you ask 
how I did so much in so short a lime, I will 
tell as nearly as I can, although 1 did not 
think it anything extra smart. It was in the 
winter, when I had no dairy or anything to 
hinder me from doing my washing first of 
anything. First, I had everything ready 
over night—clothes put to soak, the boiler 
filled with water enough to pound my 
clothes; and while I was pounding them I 
put over more water to rub them in; so 1 
did not have to wait for a great deal of 
water to beat at a time. I had them rubbed 
ready for boiling by half-past six, when 1 
put my clothes over to boil on one part of 
tbo stove while 1 got breakfast on the other. 
Breakfast is ready and eaten by the time my 
clothes ere ready to take out, when I suds, 
rinse and hang them up, wash my flannel and 
calico clothes, rinse and hang them up. I 
have a wringer, which helps a great deal. 
1 wash my dishes and put away wash-tub 
and pounding barrel, and it is all done by 
nine o’clock. —mbs. a. o. h. 
To Whiten Beeswax. 
Take the cleanest beeswax you can ob¬ 
tain, melt it in hot water, skim it out into a 
cup or basin previously oiled; when quite 
cold cut the wax into thin slices; expose 
these to the action of the sun and air upon 
white dishes, sprinkling it, unless there be 
rain, once or twice each day with clean 
water. At the. end of a week melt the wax 
again, and proceed as before. In hot weather 
the wax may be floated on water in the 
middle of the day. 
Another way is to melt the wax in a deep 
dish—a quart measure will do—place it in a 
kettle of hot water when melted, have a 
straight pestle previously wet; dip the pestle 
iu the melted wax the same as you would dip 
a candle; take a large pin or needle, cut the 
wax into sheets, pin on a white cloth and 
expose to the sun and air as above. This is 
a good way to bleach in small quantities. 
If a large quantity is required, it may be 
effected by a chemical process, which may 
be found in tbc book “ Wax Flowers; How 
to Make them.”—Mrs. M. K. } Lynn, Pa. 
Exterminating Ants. 
I can tell G. E. J. how to manage the lit¬ 
tle red ants, if not entirely destroy them. All 
from one colony will eat contentedly from 
one dish, and, if not disturbed, will search 
for nothing else. My plan is to remove the 
dish of food they have attacked, and put 
immediately in its place, or in their path, (for 
they march in line,) a plate prepared on pur¬ 
pose to bait them. They like crumbs of rich 
Johnny cake; the fat which fries from pork; 
fresh beef or mutton ; butter and cream. I 
always cover the plate with a bowl or basin. 
Norman suggests a sponge partially filled 
with melted lard. Whatever form of bait is 
used, plunge it in hoi water two or three 
limes a day, as the ants collect upon it. It 
may take days, or even weeks, to destroy a 
whole colony ; but her only trouble will be 
the killing of them. Rome of my neighbors, 
after eight or ten years’ experience, have 
adopted this plan. 
If she wishes to drive them from a par¬ 
ticular shelf or cupboard, she can do so by 
placing around it chloride of lime or fresh 
tansy. However, sliowill find her trouble 
increased rather than diminished, for they 
will scatter all over the pantry or milk 
room.— Mrs. N. ,T. Strong, Lewance Co., 
Mich., 18G9. 
- +~*~* - 
HOW TO CAN GREEN CORN. 
A Recipe worth a Year’s Subscription to 
the Rural. 
If that Missouri lady who writes such a 
lively letter to that experienced and scien¬ 
tific assemblage of old salts, die New York 
City Farmers’ Club, (is there one farmer 
among them?) reads the Rural, she may 
consider her troubles at an end on the can¬ 
ned green corn question. Airs. Hallkck 
may take her dried corn and throw it to the 
pigs, for (hat is about nil it is fit for. I 
never yet saw any of it anywhere that was 
any better than very poor and mean lye 
hominy, which anybody knows is poor stuff. 
That wide awake sheet, the Burlington 
(Iowa) ilawkeyc, iu its interesting Agricul¬ 
tural Department, inquired last, summer for 
a recipe lo preserve this delicious vegetable. 
This drew out n lady correspondent, who 
said that by shelling or cutting it from the 
cob, and boiling it in a very little water 
in a pot, till thoroughly heated and cooked 
through, adding a small ■teaspoonful of tur- 
luiic acid to each quart l*>ttlo, and stirring 
well all the time, closing and sealing the 
cans while hot, it would keep perfectly for 
years. My better half was not very credu¬ 
lous, but put up eight quart glass cans ac¬ 
cording to those instructions. They all kept 
perfectly, and were used during the winter 
with great pleasure, the fresh flavor of the. 
vegetable being preserved more perfectly 
than is usually the. case with canned goods. 
Before cooking the contents of the cans for 
eating, add a. teaspoonful of bicarbonate of 
soda, and Jot it stand half an hour. This 
recipe may be depended on, and is certainly 
the best one for this purpose that I have 
ever seen tried. 
It is said that, in Maine, where very large 
quantities of this corn are prepared, it is 
usual to scald out the fermentative principle 
iu the corn, by keeping the cans at boiling 
heat for eight and twelve hours. This, of 
course, is impracticable in ordinary house¬ 
holds. 
The wise men of the Chicago Farmers’ 
Club declared, some time ago, that no good 
green corn could be raised in the Northwest. 
If any of them will take the trouble to plant 
good common sugar corn, and have, it prop¬ 
erly cooked by a good housewife, they may 
have occasion to reconsider Ibis sage con¬ 
clusion. No better corn can be grown any¬ 
where than iu tbo West, if as good. 
Northwest. 
--4-*+- 
Warble Cnlie.—A good muible cake may be 
made by using the whites of the eggs with while 
sugar, and the yolks with brown sugar. Any 
kind of seasoning may lie used, aud citron im¬ 
proves It. 
Cheap Cake. —Two eggs, one-half cup butter, 
one cup sugar, one-half cup sweet milk, one- 
hall' teaspoon cream tartar; one-quarter ounce 
of soda, and flour to make us still' as cup cake.— 
Hattie. 
Not astonishingly cheap, Hattie. 
UNPATENTED CHIMNEY - CAPS. 
Chimneys sometimes smoke front wrong 
construction, sometimes from wrong con¬ 
struction of tho stovo; 
but oftentimes from tho 
greater height of .sur¬ 
rounding buildings. 
When defect In the 
draught lies in accu¬ 
mulated soot, the reme¬ 
dy is obvious to all. In 
the other cases a pana¬ 
cea may be fi.mid in 
some one of the fol¬ 
lowing diagrams. 
In Fig. 1 is delineat¬ 
ed a good cldnmey- 
FUi. 1. cap. The perpendicu¬ 
lar portion is front six to ten inches in di¬ 
ameter, as the aperture in tbc chimney will 
admit. The two bell-shaped sides arc of 
corresponding size, attached as shown. In 
Figures 1, 2 and 8, galvanized sheet-iron 
Cure for Warts uiul Corns. Take a piece of 
fresh meat, souk it in vinegar over night, shave 
off some very thin, put it on the wart. A cure 
is effected iu a very few days.—*-. A. it., Jr. 
of the latter, and arc prevented front running 
off by placing a block at the end of the track 
or upon tlie side of the doors. 
It is very essential that ihe track be pro¬ 
tected from tlie weather by some kind of 
covering. Two narrow boards nulled to¬ 
gether similar to an cave, trough, aud fastened 
to tlie building above the track and rollers, 
form the best kind of protection from snow 
or rain. Frank Graves. 
Marcell us Falls. N. Y. 
-—--- 
PRACTICAL TASTE. 
Fig. 
Fig. 3. 
is used, as it will not rust, and is strong and 
durable. Figure 2 consists in an elbow of a 
flue placed above the ton of the chimney, 
with a vane of sheet-iron passing through, as 
indicated. The action of thy wind upon the 
projecting elbow and vane serves to keep it 
in the correct, position. Figure J exhibits a 
cheap, substantial and unique cap It. is 
hell-shaped, two feet in height above the 
chimney, eight inches in diameter at tho 
base, and sixteen inches at tlu; top, or m that 
proportion if a longer length bo used. If it 
Fig. 4. Fig. 5. 
be desired to keep rain and snows from en¬ 
tering the chimney, a cap of iron or stone 
placed upon (he raised corners, as shown in 
Figure 4, will be found beneficial, and often 
improves the draught of the flue. The arched 
one in Figure 5 also subserves the same pur¬ 
poses, and in many sections is much used. 
Perhaps some, cases may occur wlteu a chim¬ 
ney is fur beneath two buildings, where the 
use of the most, improved draught regulator 
would avail little. In such cases build the 
chimney higher,or place in a sheet-iron flue, 
retaining it in a perpendicular position by 
stays. L. D. Snook. 
Yates Co., N. Y. 
-- ■»■»»- 
HANGING BARN DOORS. 
In reply to L. Q., Beaver Center, Pa., in 
regard to hanging barn doors on rollers, I 
inclose you the plan of tho method most in 
use in Central New York. Figure 1 repre¬ 
sents the doors as applied to the barn, 
How to Keep Grapes.—A correspondent asks 
our readers who succeed in keeping grapes 
through the wtuter, bow they prepare them for 
the purpose. 
PuperlMj; White-Washed Watts. —Mrs. B. H. 
Fot/rs says if tho white-washed watts are washed 
in strong brine, there will he no danger that the 
paper will not adhere. 
Figure 1. 
Figure 2 tlie manner of applying the rollers 
to tlie door and track. Tlie rollers, track and 
other trimmings may be obtained at any 
hardware store. 
- fe s=&t-- 
Grease Spots on 811k.— How can grease spots 
bo removed from light silk without injury to 
the goods?—A Subscriber. 
To Pickle Green Tomatoes.—M. C. R. asks for 
the best inode of pickling green tomatoes. 
Figure 2. 
The track is first securely fastened to the 
edge of an inch, or, if preferred, to a two- 
inch board about four or live inches wide. 
This is then firmly nailed or spiked to the 
building, parallel to and even with the lop 
of tho doorway, and should extend tlie width 
of the door upon each side. In order that 
the doors may run easily, tlie track should 
be laid as level as possible, and upou one 
board. 
The manner of fastening tlie rollers of tiie 
door is clearly shown in the engraving. The 
doors are placed upon tlie track at the ends 
In a former article, under the above head¬ 
ing, a few suggestions were presented in 
reference to lines and colors of the exteriors 
of houses. Iu that article an important note 
was inadvertently omit ted, and is introduced 
here. It is to object to tho practice of 
painting blinds, doors, caps, sills, sash, cor¬ 
nice, stoop, &c., of several colors, as it 
breaks up tlie mass or general'unity of 
effect, tending to belittle tho structure. One 
color of various shades, on nearly all parts 
of a house, produces a more impressive ap¬ 
pearance. 
By a little further consideration of tlie 
subject, we will find there is something 
practical to bo learned by its study in rela¬ 
tion to interiors. The color of almost any 
object is of importance. Especially is it so 
in its associations with other objects and 
surroundings in our homes, where so largo a 
part of our hours are spent, and our dearest 
interests center. Insteud of adopting plans 
and styles, as it, were, by accident, as is often 
the case, thought should be given to tho 
tastes of those who are lo occupy the house, 
as well as to fitness of plans to the purposes 
intended. 
The various workmen who make and 
furnish our homes, ought certainly to under¬ 
stand their respective avocations thorough¬ 
ly ; but, unfortunately, many do not, conse¬ 
quently owners naturally looking to trades¬ 
men for guidance in their lines of business, 
are misled into blunders, which are not dis¬ 
covered till too late to remedy unless by do¬ 
ing the work all over again, which most per¬ 
sons arc not willing to undergo. 
Wo frequently see colors allowed not at 
all in keeping with the purposes of the room, 
because perhaps the painter, decorator, and 
furniture dealer lias a “run” on a certain 
style, or wishes to dispose of material on 
hand, or some one else of fashionable incli¬ 
nation lias patronized it, ami so, whether 
suitable or not., it is adopted. 
If a room is so situated as to admit, but 
little light, just as likely as not it is finished 
in painting and papering of dark, dull colors. 
Imagine how different the effect on the miml 
of a person occupying such a room, in con¬ 
trast with the same place treated with light, 
cheerful colors. 
In the finishing and furnishing of rooms 
devoted to social purposes, as parlor, dining¬ 
room and flltting-room, all will probably 
agree on having them bright and cheerful, 
and it may be even gay; yet there is a too 
prevalent, inclination to gorgeous display, so 
lavish of brilliant, colors as to detract from 
the guests or others in tlie room. Particu¬ 
larly is it tlie case in carpets. It seems as if 
dinginess of carpets in general only catered 
to the vulgar taste for tbo gaudy ;uid bril¬ 
liant. 
It is true tasteful carpets are to be had, but 
such as are too expensive lor those of 
moderate means. Usually tlie figures are so 
large that they only suit large apartments. 
If such arc put ou the door of a small room 
it is made to appear the smaller by it, Tlie 
more intricate the design and smaller the 
pattern, the better suited to a small room, 
and lends to make tlie size of tlie apartment 
greater. Tlie same rule is applicable to 
papering and frescocing.—w. h. 
-♦-*--*- 
CLEANING HOUSE-FRONTS. 
In Paris, a municipal regulation requires 
die periodical cleaning of tlie house-fronts; 
and a due regard to the appearance of the 
buildings from the street, would suggest a 
similar practice in many cities on this side 
of tlie water. Tho plan most approved in 
Paris, where it has been In use for the past 
two years, is to throw against the house- 
front, a jot of water forcibly projected by 
steam pressure. 
The advantages of this mode arc cheap¬ 
ness, tlie avoidance of injury to the more 
fragile ornamental or sculptural portions of 
the building, and universality of application. 
Aside from the cleanly and fresh appearance 
of the houses secured by thus washing tlie 
fronts, other desirable results may be in a 
measure secured; thus, for instance, it lias 
been calculated that if the exterior walls of 
all the buildings in London were kept, clean, 
instead of being grimy and nearly black 
from top to bottom, a gain of half an hour of 
daylight in every twenty-four hours would 
be obtained.— Ex. 
Dry Brick Dwelling*, t would bo glad if some 
of your readers would triform us how to build a 
brick house so as to make It perfectly dry and 
clear of dampness. Will a hollow wall do it ; if 
so, how should it be constructed ?—Taos. West 
