Imuxstrc (Bomcrwih 
CONDUCTED BY MARY A. E. WAGER. 
APPLES IN COOKING, ETC. 
BY JULIA COLMAN. 
It sometimes happens, especially in win¬ 
ter, that milk grows scarce or fails entirely. 
This is inevitable in the nature of tilings, 
though I believe this scarcity is felt more 
in the country than in the city. Then, too, 
people in the city never use so much milk 
for cooking purposes as those in the country. 
But it would doubtless be acceptable to all 
to know of a substitute that may be used in 
many cases, especially for dishes not com¬ 
monly made, without it. Not that we can 
find anything else that will make dishes 
taste exactly as they would with it. If we 
wish to make one dish taste exactly like 
another, wc must put in essentially, and in 
most cases exactly, the same ingredients. 
The attempt to make one article exactly 
represent another is in most cases dangerous. 
It is this principle that underlies the hurtful 
adulterations so largely practiced upon us; 
and it is absurd, because if a thing is good 
in itself it should stand on its own merits, 
and so increase the variety of the table and 
the resources of the housewife. It is in this 
sense only that we propose the use of apples 
instead of milk in cooking, to give us dishes 
equally good to the taste, and suitable in 
shape and material to take the place of 
others, and if they arc more digestible and 
wholesome, of course no one will object to 
that. 
A broad field for these new variations, 
where apples come in when milk and eggs 
go out, lies in the range of puddings, a style 
of dishes hitherto very largely dependent on 
milk and eggs. And first, wo will take the 
simplest, a bread pudding. Stew your apples, 
(the best greenings if you can get them,) 
gently in a moderate amount of water (as In 
Rural of Nov, 0lb,) and sweeten to the taste. 
Mash fine, or If wanted very nice, strain 
through a colander. Cut bread in slices one 
third of an inch thick, any wheat bread will 
do but wheat meal batter bread is the richest. 
If hard, steam it. Put in an earthen pudding 
dish a thin layer of steweel apples, and then 
a layer of bread, until the dish Is filled, finish¬ 
ing off with the fruit. Some like more apples, 
others less. Bake about forty minutes. This 
is very plain. It can be improved by moisten¬ 
ing the bread in a preparation of one part 
lemon juice aiul four or five parts water, 
sweetened to the taste; and by scattering on 
the surface of each layer of apples, a few 
nicely washed Zanto currants, or seedless 
raisins. Or apple and grape, apple and 
quince, apple and cranberry, may be used, 
always stewed. 
Stewed dried apples and other stewed 
fruits may be used, making a series of pud¬ 
dings quite equal in extent and delicacy to 
the puddings commonly made with milk. 
Another series of puddings can be made 
with uncooked chopped apple mixed with 
equal quantities of cooked pearl-barley, or 
cracked wheat or hominy. To one pint of 
each of these ingredients add one gill of 
sugar, and, if you wish it, onc-lialf pint of 
stewed raisins or Zante currants, and the 
juice of one lemon, (with two spoonfuls more 
of sugar to sweeten it;) mix thoroughly, and 
hake au hour or more. This style of pud¬ 
ding is usually preferred to the bread pud¬ 
dings ; but it requires more time for its pre¬ 
paration, as the pearl-barley, &c., must be 
cooked first. It can be made more expedi¬ 
tiously with sago, as that will require scald¬ 
ing oidy before mixing. Measure after 
scalding. 
A very simple crusted pudding may be 
made by filling an earthen pudding-dish with 
sliced apples, and spreading over it thickly 
a batter crust made by stirring wheat meal 
into cold water until the batter is just too 
thick to settle fiat. Bake thirty or forty 
minutes, then loosen at the edges, invert on 
a plate, mash and sweeten the apples, cut in 
pie-quarters, and serve. Instead of the bat¬ 
ter crust, pour boiling water into wheat 
meal and stir lightly, making a dough just 
firm enough to roll out; make it one-third of 
an inch thick, spread over the apple, and 
bake thirty minutes, or until the apples are 
tender; invert and serve as above. 
A “ dowdy ” pudding is made in the same 
way os the latter, only the crust is not more 
than half as thick, and when baked it is 
broken in, mixed slightly and smoothed off. 
A cocoa-nut pudding, more delicate than 
any of the above, is made with two-thirds 
grated apple and one-third grated cocoa-nut, 
sweetened to the taste, and a very little 
grated nutmeg, one-tldrd of a teaspoonful to 
a quart of pudding, just enough to flavor it, 
without giving the “tang” of the nutmeg. 
This is the proper way to use flavors when 
used at all. The result will be there, and 
evident; though the partaker may not be 
able to trace its origin. Bake this pudding 
half an hour. Stewed apple may be mixed 
in equal quantities with scalded sago or 
soaked tapioca, with currants, stewed raisins, 
or seedless raisins to the taste. Sweeten and 
bake forty minutes. Or stuff pared and 
cored apples with the raisins from the soaked 
and sweetened tapioca, or sago and apple 
over them; bake till the apples are tender, 
and you have a showy and delicious biviCs- 
nest pudding. But these puddings are very 
good without the “ bird’s-nest,” aud they are 
very convenient to make with canned ap¬ 
ples, after the fresh apples are gone. 
It. is a very convenient fashion to put up 
such winter apples as show a disposition to 
decay, in the cans already, by that time, 
emptied of the smaller fruits. Those will 
not only serve for fruit sauce when wanted 
in the spring, but for the puddings just men¬ 
tioned ; and if you have mingled cranberries 
or grapes with some of them, you will also 
have materials for tarts, as well as for fruit 
bread-puddings, all of which will lie very 
acceptable on the approach of warm weather, 
When the system craves the acids of fruits. 
Dried apples, when they have been made 
of good fruit and carefully prepared, arc very 
nice, really much richer, wheu gently slewed 
till perfectly tender, than the fresh fruit. 
Down in the country of peaches, I have seen 
them greatly preferred to dried poaches, 
though made of apples quite inferior to our 
host. They make good puddings, with sago 
and tapioca, as well as with bread, lemon 
and Zante currants. 
For stewed sauce, a flue variety can be 
obtained by putting with them quinces, 
green grapes, and rhubarb, either canned or 
fresh, and lemon pulp; and some use prunes, 
raisins and other fruits, both domestic and 
foreign. Sweet dried apples, usually so 
hard to dispose of, go off briskly when 
stewed with cranberries, rhubarb and other 
sour articles, when nice dried apples can be 
bad. 
I hope some of my readers who have been 
accustomed, often, to go without any fruit at 
their meals because they despise “dried 
apples,” will carefully try some of these 
recipes. 
-- 
SELECTED RECIPES. 
To Renew Color .—To renew the color, get 
of alcohol, one quart; add extract of log¬ 
wood, one-quarter pound; loaf sugar, two 
ounces; blue vitriol,one-quarter ounce; heat 
gently until all are dissolved, and bottle for 
use. To one pint of boiling water, put three 
or four teaspoons of the mixture, and apply 
it to the garment with a clean brush, wetting 
the fabric thoroughly; let it dry; then Hilda 
out well ami dry again, to prevent crockiug. 
Brush with the nap to give the polish. This 
may be applied to silks and woolens having 
colors, hut is most applicable to gentlemen’s 
apparel. 
To Clean the Hair and Head heat tlio yolk 
of an egg, rub it through the hair; wash and 
rinse in warm, soft water; dry with a towel 
as much as possible. Avoid going out be¬ 
fore the hair is thoroughly dry. Ammonia 
ia also very good to cleanse the hair and 
hair brushes. A teaspoon of liquid ammonia 
in a pint of warm water is a proper propor¬ 
tion. Add a little soap, wash the hair, and 
rinse well in clear, warm water. When dry, 
brush ten minutes, and dry with some clean, 
soft oil. 
Washington Cake. —One pound sugar, one- 
lmlf pound butter, one pound of fruit, one 
pound of flour; four eggs; one teacupful 
sour cream, one wine glass of brandy aud 
one of wine, two tenspoonfuls of soda. 
Bread Cake. — Two pounds bread dough 
after it is raised ; one pound sugar ; one- 
Jialf pound butter; four eggs; one cup rai¬ 
sins, stoned; one teaspoonful soda; a little 
cinnamon; bake as soon as mixed. 
- 
CYle’x “ Jiwt Right” Buckwheat Cake* seem 
to iii*> to be after the old “ sour-emptyings" 
style, long alnee discarded from tbe tables of all 
good housekeepers (sec Rural, page 699.) It 
may be that, the saloratua there noticed is good, 
but when we eat buckwheat cakes we do not < 
want them so fur gone as to need a toaspoonful , 
(!) of saleratus to sweeten them before they are . 
tit to bake. The whole should bo stirred up new 
with fresh yeast, every second or third day at ' 
least, mid wo find that it makes them much more I 
tender and wholesome to put in one-third wheat ( 
or one-fourth corn moaL. When kept over night 
it should not bo so warm as to sour and require 
a teaspoonful of saleratus to sweeten it.— Ceres. * 
--- i 
Feathers Working Throuli Ticks.-I would like 
to inquire If there is any way to prevent 
feathers from working through the tick with¬ 
out making the bods heavy. I had some of my 
ticks washed, anil they have shed feathers vory 
bad since.—A Knit at. Reader. 
-♦♦♦-. 
Coloring Black.-Will some one give a recipe 
for coloring black tbat will not rub off. I have 
tried a great many that professed to be such, but 
they all fail.—Mrs. F. S. Brown, Lexington, 0. 
[Utntl %uhiittirxn. 
' - ' ' '' 
A CIRCULAR HORSE BARN. 
Wr give herewith a design of a circular 
barn, to be constructed of brick or stone, 
which is, perhaps, better adapted to the vil¬ 
lage or city than to the farm. If built taste¬ 
fully and well it may be very convenient, 
economical, roomy, and look well. If iL is 
wished to inclose the greatest number possi¬ 
ble of square feet inside a certain length of 
wall, it should lie put in the form of a circle. 
Hence, if the circular form is as available as 
any other, it is the most economical. This 
design seems to economise space well. The 
circle is fifty feet in diameter. There is a 
center post to support the roof, and a division 
Grape Wine arid Jelly.— Will some of youreor- 
respondonts, through the Rural, give recipes 
for making grapo wine and Jelly?—Mrs. II. C. 
Morrison, Penn Yan, N. Y. 
■ — - - - 
A Round of Feasting.—The approach of win¬ 
ter, Thanksgiving aud the holidays, are the occasion 
of jolly limes and generons feasting, from Now Eng¬ 
land to Alaska. If the good housewife would set the 
best before her guests, If she wonld have fine, heal¬ 
thy pastry, cake and light, spongy bread, lot her use 
D, B. DeLano & CO.’S Chemical Saleratus. 
Circular IIorsk Barn-Orourd Plan. 
through the middle. On one side of this 
partition is the stable, and on the other the 
carriage and harness room. The stable, a, 
may be eighteen feet wide, and have ample 
room for an alley, b, in front of the horses. 
There can be five stalls, each live feet wide, 
and one, c, large enough lor a double or box 
stall, 'flte carriage rdofu, d , is twenty-live 
feet In its widest part and thirty-eight in its 
longest. The harness room, c, is ample in 
size. There are represented in the ground 
plan four windows and four doors, which 
will furnish sufficient light and ventilation, 
if well managed. 
. ■ - - 
EAVE-TROUGHS. 
Few, indeed, are the cottages that are 
without cave-troughs of some description ; 
and few are the barns, sheds, or other out¬ 
buildings that have them. No one will pre¬ 
tend to deny that a durable and correctly 
attached cave-trough is a good investment 
for an owner of buildings. Farmers, why 
not attach them to your buildings? I sur¬ 
mise you are too shiftless, or do not know 
how to construct them. For the latter class 
is this article expressly prepared. I propose 
to describe and illustrate such only as any 
farmer can make and apply to his buildings. 
Figure 2. 
Figure 1. 
I first notice Fig. 1; the part D being a 
cross section of a trough cut or dug out with 
an ax, adz or chisel, from a pine pole five 
inches in diameter. A trough prepared in 
this manner should dry or season under shel¬ 
ter for at least three months, and a coat of 
oil or paint should be applied inside and out, 
thus preventing warping or checking when 
exposed to the sun’s rays, or decaying by 
water remaining in it. 
As many who read this article may wish 
to apply an eavc-l rough to an old building, 
I have shown how the trough may ho secur¬ 
ed thereto. A V shaped trough is also 
shown in the figure 3, which if made from 
well seasoned pine boards, thoroughly nailed 
together, and painted, will last many years. 
In figure 5, is shown the plan of convey¬ 
ing water from the trough to a cistern, well, 
drain, or other rcceptable. A tin pipe, sh¬ 
indies long, is made to pass through a hole 
in the trough, at, t he angle shown by E, in 
figure 3; wooden tubing conveys the water 
to tlic earth, the same being held in position 
by hands of iron, B, nailed to the side of the 
building; cleats, P, are nailed upon the tub¬ 
ing immediately above where the bands, B, 
are supposed to pass. 
Figure 3. Fioure 4. 
Figures 2 and 4 show the mode of secur¬ 
ing the trough in position. In figure 3, a 
strip of iron, with two or more holes therein 
is secured to the lower side of the cornice, 
with the outer end curved to conform with 
shape of trough, which may ho secured to 
the same by wire or otherwise. In figure 4, 
one end of the supporting iron is attached 
to the roof, describing a circle, and secured 
to the outer edge of cornice. 
Figure 5, 
Many are the styles of tin cave-troughs; 
their attachment to an old building would he 
uncalled for, when a much cheaper and 
equally as good an one (as regards their 
utility,) is easily made from wood, as before 
described. 
Yates Co., N. Y 
L. D. Snook. 
mural Hairs. 
THE VIRGINIA STATE FAIR. 
Richmond, Nov. 5,1869. 
To-day (Friday) Is the fourth and lust, day 
that the Annual Agricultural Fair of Virginia 
has bo n in progress. And It Is 1 he lirst gather¬ 
ingand exhibition of Hie kind in this place since 
Istiti. As ti desolating war and the peaceful pur¬ 
suits of agriculture could not. he curried on ill 
olio lime, the cultivation of Urn soil arid the 
busy hum of Industry have not. been among the 
more prominent, features of material prosperity 
until quite recently. But now that the North 
and the South have resolved “to forgtvr; and 
forget—to lei the sorrowful past goto oblivion— 
and to redeem the future," the officers of the 
Agricultural Society of Virgluiu concluded to 
hold un “agricultural re-union," to which the 
North and tho South wore cordially Invited. 
The Fair Grounds mid Buildings. 
Tho beautiful grounds of Ihu Society urc loca¬ 
ted a few minutes’ ride beyond tho northern 
boundary of Richmond, on tho railroad leading 
to Washington, so that visitors could ride in tho 
cars directly to the entrance of the grounds, 
embracing over sixty acres, substantially in¬ 
closed by long lines of neat and convenient 
sheds and stables, and a high board fence. Dur¬ 
ing tho war the fair grounds were known as 
“Camp Leo," or the mustering grounds of the 
Confederate armies, whore every conscript was 
received into tho school of instruction. Hero 
also, Confederate deserters and Federal spies 
Were executed. 
Tho attractive and substantial architecture of 
the different buildings reflect much credit, on 
tho enterprising character of the men who 
guide their agricultural affairs, as some of them 
arc built, of brick, with projecting roofs, broad 
verandas for both stories, with green blinds at 
th© windows, and the various rooms for Presi¬ 
dent, Secretary, “The Press,” Judges, and all 
other officers, all neatly finished and furnished 
with stoves. The edifices appropriated to tho 
various Industrial departments, and tho “Art 
Gallery,’’ are all constructed In a beautiful and 
attractive stylo of architecture, appearing quite 
us durable as they arc commodious aud elegant. 
Tho stalls, sheds and stables are all constructed 
of cedar posbs and other durable timber, covered 
with a good shingle roof, ami all paiuted white. 
Beginning Right. 
On Tuesday, about the middle of the day, the 
mellow notes of the bugle, which hud long boon 
the familiar signal for warriors to come to arms, 
now made the welkin reverberate with a cheer¬ 
ing call to prayer. In quick response the cheer¬ 
ful throng gathered around the parlor, where 
the Rev, Dr, Curry lifted his voice in thanks¬ 
giving to the God of tho harvest, and Implored 
the Divine blessing on their efforts, as they 
turned from the field of mortal combat to tho 
peaceful pursuits of the industrial arts. The 
zealous President of the Society, Major W. T. 
Sutiieulin, who is a representative man of tho 
South, then delivered an excellent address of 
cordial congratulation to the members and 
patrons of the Society, and extended a fraternal 
welcome to guests and stranger friends. Tho 
occasion was one of cheerful exultation, of 
heart-felt gratitude, and a glorious reunion of 
hearts and hands. 
, The Beat Part of the Re-union. 
The crowning excellence of almost unysucli 
entetgriso depends very much on the presence 
of n vast crowd. This all-important and inspir¬ 
ing concomitant. was by no means wanting. The 
people turned out en Two long trains of 
open cars, having convenient seats, ran to and 
from the grounds every half hour, carrying sev¬ 
eral thousand, at every trip. Oil both the second 
and third days, there were from S5,000 to 30.000 
visitors on the ground for a long time. The 
r/gld men were there, to give character and effi¬ 
ciency to tho enterprise. Governor Wnlkcrund 
1 Lieutenant-Governor, and ex-Governor Smilli, 
Generals Leo, Iinboden, Magnalcr, Pickett, Mu- 
iiouo, t aiiby, and i know not how many others 
having Similar titles were present, besides, Colo¬ 
nels, Majors, Captains, Professor - , lb>vorends a ml 
other potables, who constituted the finest dis¬ 
play of noble appearing and well developed 
men, both physically and intellectually, that, it 
lias over been my pleasure to meet with. In 
stature, most of them were from tive feet nine 
to six feet six inches, with broad shoulders, full 
oh os Is, strong limbs, large, full and frank coun¬ 
tenances that would furnish a reliable passport, 
into any rotlned society, ■with towering intellec¬ 
tual developments, and easy and respectful ad¬ 
dress. And tho young men, boys, matrons, spin¬ 
sters, and fair maidens in the wane of their gig- 
glohood, were all as finely developed specimens 
of tho human family as 1 over have scon in so 
large a crowd. And another tiling, which I feel 
assured every Christian philanthropist in the 
whole world will rejoice loknow, is the fraternal 
and benevolent, feeling that they seem to cherish 
towards those who were onco tlielr hostile foes. 
Such u universal expression of friendly feeling 
as seemed to poseete the breasts of those, with 
whom 1 had the pleasure of exchanging congrat¬ 
ulations, I had not prepared myself to meet. 
It would bo strange indeed if there were not 
a large number of tho off-oxen of opposition— 
just enough to impart a greater luster to genuine 
friendship who do not feel as they should. Hut 
the representative men and women declare, 
frankly, andcUnch the declaration with a fra¬ 
ternal grasp:-'* U~e desire to hr genuine friend s. 
Heretofore,” they say, “wc have kept aloof from 
each other. Wc have not known each other as 
wo should. For the future wc want to net well 
our part as friends of one happy republic," 
Such a '* re-union of hearts and of hands” be¬ 
tween agricultural societies of the North ami of 
the South, il repeated often, would do more than 
almost anything else towards opening the way 
for t ho cheering roalizal ion of more endearing 
relations between all classes of society. 
The ArriuiKcniciu of tlio Grounds. 
Near tho outside of tills capacious enclosure a 
broad carriage track, of an elliptical form, has 
been neatly graded one mile in extent. And at 
one end the half-mile t rack appears of almost a 
circular form. 
The feature which seemed to draw much tho 
largest crowd was the Dolling and racing. Tho 
people, as a class, seem to ohcrixh almost a pas¬ 
sion for horse trolling and racing, The blow 
deliberation of the faithful ox, the stone-boat, 
and the plow, does not, appear to be compatible 
with the rest less enthusiasm and "go-am ad-u- 
tlvenous" of Young America. Ami yet, I sin¬ 
cerely wish wo could devise some satisfactory 
substitute for trotting, us litis feature of our 
agricultural exhibitions at the North does most 
certainly exert a disastrous influence on the 
ultimate object of such institutions, by alien¬ 
ating many of the best farmers, and the most 
desirable influence and co-operation of tho 
country. 
The Display of llornex mol Ollier Stock. 
The trotting at Richmond was eminently sat¬ 
isfactory and intensely interesting, if l may 
Judge from the Immense throng that lined both 
sides of tlie track to witness (lie swifi-footed 
coin poll tors as they Hew around the circuit. 
Large awards were offered,- as high as si x hun¬ 
dred dollars for tin* swiftest horse. The num¬ 
ber of horses representing the various classes 
Seemed to ho very large. There was, also, u 
creditable display of various breeds of neat 
cattle. The exhibition of improved breeds of 
swine was not second to any exhibition that l 
have ever seen at the North. Although the 
en I idea of sheep were not so numerous ns I have 
noticed at some of our Northern exhibitions, 
still representatives of most of (he improved 
breeds were ol' superior quality. One of the 
rarest curiosities la tho line of sheep was one 
having four large horns. A live colt was also 
on exhibition having only the two legs behind, 
with no appearance of limbs before. Tim exhi¬ 
bition of poultry of all the Improved breeds, 
some ot which I lmvo never met with at the 
North, was all that could be desired. 
Frail aud Vegetables. 
The display of large and beautiful apples ex¬ 
ceeded our most nuigniflcenL exhibitions of fruit 
at Northern Fairs. Am! I watt oral I lily informed, 
that (lie finest specimens of fruit mid vegetables 
were loft at home, us the prevailing Impression 
seemed to be that there would not be sufflcienl 
vitality in the patrons of the State Society to 
make a display that would lie at all satisfactory. 
But every one seemed to lie happily disap¬ 
pointed. This Successful effort will no dOUbl 
exert such an excellent influence that the ex¬ 
hibition next season, in every department, will 
show “ Old Virginia” in all the strength of her 
noble manhood and In the mnguifleence of her 
material prosperity. 
Exhibition of Ores unit Metal*. 
One of the most Interesting branches of the 
exhibition consisted of tho display of minerals 
collected by General Imboden,consisting of tine 
specimens of iron ores, pig ami wrought iron, 
marbles, marls, granites, copper ores, ochre-, 
plaster, coal, kaolino, manganese, barytes, lead, 
zinc, tire-clay, asbestos, silica, stalaol it io nan th. 
from Rockbridge, mads to no, tufa, plumbago, 
gold quartz from Fluvanna, Goochland, and 
Fauquier. 
Colonel Albert Ordway of the Buckingham 
Slate Company, also made a flue show of min¬ 
erals, neatly and scientifically arranged, cm 
bracing some rare specimens, all labeled, so 
that beginners having similar specimens could 
readily identify any that might be in their pos¬ 
session, thus forming an excellent combination 
of beauty and practical utility. 
Mixerthi iioouh Topic 
Tho department or agricultural implements 
and labor-saving machinery was a satisfactory 
success. Manufacturers of excellent implements 
from several of the Northern States contributed 
to the interest of this department. A plowing 
match was hold oil both the seoond and third 
day, at which prizes from $38 to *!>0 were award¬ 
ed for tho best plowing and I lie best trained 
teams. Interesting sessions of the Society were 
held every evening In the Capitol, at which the 
prevailing manifestation of feeling seemed to tie 
the cultivation of more friendly intercourse 
with sister States, and tlio more perfect develop¬ 
ment of tho agricultural, horticultural and 
mineral resources of the commonwealth of Vir¬ 
ginia. Hkre.no Edwards ’Todd. 
