gom^tic (Sconomi). 
FARMERS' KITCHENS. 
Have you room for the complaint of an¬ 
other troubled “fannerlne" who, after 
much hesitation, has determined to ask you 
to give expression, through your valuable 
paper, to what she believes to be one of the 
greatest wants of many of her working sis¬ 
ters, among farmers' wives and daughters; 
and as it. is a want easily supplied by the 
exercise of a little thought and trouble on 
the part of heads of families, I trust some 
of them at least will “ take thought ” and 
do better in future. 
I do not complain of the mud clinging to 
the great boots till they are in the middle 
of my best carpet or clean floor, and then 
coming off in such delightful “chunks, nor 
of any one of the many provokingly careless 
habits usually attributed to “ those meu," 
for I think such little shortcomings can best 
be corrected by the judicious exercise of 
“fexniuiue tact."’ Or, failing in that, we 
must meekly sweep and scrub, and patient¬ 
ly endure what, we cannot, remedy, trusting 
that our reward will come “ by-and-by.’’ 
But my rebellious thoughts, to-day, were 
suggested by several hours' hard work in 
a room which ungratefully repays all my 
cleaning and mopping by looking, as my 
little girl said, “just, as bad as it did be¬ 
fore." And this room is my kitchen—the 
exact counterpart, iu respect to cheerless¬ 
ness, of many others attached to substantial 
farm houses, in which often delicate and 
nervous women spend so large a part of 
their lives. It is surprising to observe the 
indifference with which most people regard 
the situation and construction of this room 
—really the most important, one in the 
house; for it is hero the farmer s wife, if 
she be prudent and helpful, must spend a 
very large portion of her time. Situated, 
usually, ou the coldest, darkest side of the 
house, often so surrounded by sheds and 
outside buildings that no ray of sunshine can 
ever ponetrato the inside gloom, the kitchen 
presents about as dismal an appearance as 
can well bo imagined. And the inside 
arrangements are seldom better; abound¬ 
ing in little, dark, useless closets; regular 
“dirt traps" occupying the space which 
should be devoted to windows, and the 
diminutive windows themselves placed in 
corners or remote parts of the room. Then 
the woodwork is all oovored with the dingi¬ 
est paint to be found in the shop, or no paint 
at all. Then the fanner considers his duty 
done in that direction; and perhaps in after 
years, when his wife appears at the dinner 
table, after five or six hours* work in a room 
which won't look clean, with a frown or 
discontented look, he wonders “ what did 
change Mary so; she used to be such a 
cheerful girl." 
If ho could change places with “ Mary ’’ 
for a while and spend from five to ten hours 
each day, in that dirt-colored room, I won¬ 
der if the shadows would not sometimes 
follow him to the dinner table and reflect 
on the rest of the family! Thero would bo 
clouds instead of shadows 1 
After ten years' practice of the very 
necessary art of cooking, I shame to say I 
detest It; and yet I am not to blame, t trace 
this unreasonable aversion to tho oold, com¬ 
fortless kitohen, (lighted by one window,) 
attaobed to my kind father's comfortable 
house. The gloom of that nightmare room 
would cliug to me when I ontored tho bright 
parlor, althongh I strove to leave it outside. 
And papa grieved that his dear daughters 
were indolent; “did not like to work. 
Bless bis dear heart! tho kitchen was so 
dark he could not see what was tho matter. 
Even at this distance, that great room looms 
before my memory, unsoftened by the halo 
of early association and the cherished mem¬ 
ories of my early home! 
What wonder that our girls grow up with 
such a settled antipathy to kitchen work,and 
such a fondness for fancy work and pleas¬ 
ant parlors, rendering them unlit, for farm¬ 
er’s wives! No wonder the work is put ou 
“mother." Why, the very thought of the 
dainties smoking on the table is connected 
with visions of a room so disagreeable to a 
girl of any refinement of feeling, that it is 
simply impossible for her to resist the im¬ 
pulse of keeping within a more genial at¬ 
mosphere. The thought, of entering such a 
room for life, has driven many a girl to the 
fatal step of "marrying for money." 
Will farmers never understand that the 
eurest way to stop the tide of young men 
and women rushing toward the cities, there 
to swell the throngs of poverty and too often 
of vice, is to make the country homes so 
attractive that the boys and gilds will love 
the country, and never long for the false 
pleasures and excitement of city life ? The 
reform should be commenced iu tho kitchen; 
for the girls must have employment— Will 
have it, good or bad—and our first efforts 
should bo to keep them pure and womanly. 
Choose bright-tin ted paper for the walls; 
hang pretty pictures over that; paint the 
floor some cheerful shade; make the kitchen 
as bright and attractive as any part of the 
house, and your wives and daughters will 
learn to love their cooking; the table will 
be constantly supplied with well-prepared 
food, contributing to the health and pleas¬ 
ure of all; your girls will never long for a 
change, aud tho family be spared many a 
“ shadow ” from the gravc-liko room yonder, 
only waiting till the hasty, tasteless meal is 
swallowed, to engulf — strength, cheerful¬ 
ness and all—the tired, disheartened woman 
who sits so listlessly at the head of your 
table, longing and yet unable to take an 
honest pride iu her housekeeping. 
Danville, Cal. Linda. 
•-■*-*-*- 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
Keeping Eggs.— The lady reader who 
gave in the Rubai. New-Yorker. Dec. 30, 
the recipe for putting down eggs for long 
keeping, has given one which can be relied 
upon at all seasons of the year. I have used 
it for many years and never found it t.o fail 
preserving them good and fresh for any 
desirable time, if tho eggs are fresh and 
sound at the time of putting down. It is 
one tiling to state results and quite another 
t hing to give the reason for them. The phi¬ 
losophy of their keeping with tho little end 
down is on account of the yolk being lighter 
than tho other part. The round end of the 
egg has a film enclosing a small vacuum, or 
air cell; this prevents the yolk from coming 
in contact, with tho shell, which takes place 
soon after the eggs are laid if the weather 
be hot; this fact is readily demonstrated 
by the examination of bad eggs. 
Coffno Pota, patented and unpatented, 
now before I be public, are almost as numer¬ 
ous as churns and washing machines, nine- 
tenths <>f which, I venture to say, are sim¬ 
ply worthless. All coffee pots that claim 
any improvement in making good coffee, 
culminate iu the one principle of returning 
tho aroma, or condensing principle, during 
tho process of leaching or boiling. Of these 
various ways of producing a good article I 
have found none so simple end good as in 
the* use of tho old-fashioned coffee pot., 
which will secure all the aroma, or condens¬ 
ing principle, necessary for the very best, 
coffee that can be made, by simply placing a 
cup of cold milk or water ou the top of the 
coffee pot.—H. N. L., Rochester, N. K, 1872. 
Cleaning Tinware.—In one of the late 
Rubai. New-Yorker's some neat (?) house¬ 
wife proposes that on washing day all the 
housekeepers collect, tbuir burned, smoked 
and blackened tinware, and when the clothes 
are taken from the boiler, replace them with 
these kitchen utensils; said tinware to be 
boiled a short, time, when it. will be found 
bright as new. Permit me to ask what pro¬ 
duces this brightness ? Is it not the soap 1 
Then why not take clean water and add 
soap, and give tho dishes a boil, instead of 
using the dirty suds ? All physicians claim 
that, the dirt which clings to soiled clothing 
is not only dead, filthy matter, but that it 
is actually poisonous; hence the necessity 
of thoroughly boiling clotbos, and in cases 
of carelessness In regard to personal bath¬ 
ing, living animalcula; are also found with 
this dead matter, by microscopic examina¬ 
tion. Yet wo are advised to boil our tin¬ 
ware in this mass of filth aud corruption to 
make It clean! 
A really good housekeeper has no need to 
practice such “uncanny" arts, as a little 
rubbing of blackened tinware, with a cloth 
dipped iu common baking soda, will make 
those kitcheu utensils shiuo like burnished 
silver. This method has, at least, the recom¬ 
mendation of cleanliness.—S tormy Cliff. 
Ginger Snaps.—Here is a good recipe 
for ginger snaps;—2 cups of molasses, 1 cup 
of sugar, 1 cup of hot water, 1 cup of but¬ 
ter; one large spoonful of saleratus and 
one of ginger. Roll thin.—E. A. C., Chau¬ 
tauqua Co., N. 1'. 
Turkey Red on Cotton, Etc.—A lady 
correspondent asks some one to give a 
recipe for coloring Turkey red on cotton; 
also for the best arrangement of colors to 
bo used in making a fancy rag carpet. 
To Restore the Color of a faded Lin¬ 
en dress is what. Elizabeth A. Crosby 
asks some Rural reader to tell her how 
to do. ____ 
To Expel Ants.— Lillie I. Robbins, a 
little girl, writes the Rural New-Yorker : 
—"Mamma says strong alum water will 
scare away ants.” • 
NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
Fireside Kcleiiec.-A series ol Popular Scientific 
Essays upon subjects connected with Every-lJay 
Life. By JAMES K. NICHOLS, A. M , M. O. New 
York; Published by Uurtl & Houghton. 
A work of more than common interest and 
value to farmers, as well as the general reader. 
Science isnow-n-days as fascinating as romance, 
•and Dr. Nil hols has the happy faculty of writ¬ 
ing in a geinul, ready style, easy to be compre¬ 
hended. Ibis book is intended for the Tninily 
group, and discusses a number of topics, among 
which ure the chemistry of a hens egg. of a cigar, 
of a pint of kerosene, of a lump of sugar, of the 
human body, etc. Water-pipes, the relations of 
water to agriculture, air furnaces, the food of 
plants, and many other subjects are written 
about in a delightful manner. 
Chemical Manures. Agricultural Lecture deliv¬ 
ered at the Experimental farm, nt Vincennes, in 
the vejir 18t!T, by GEOlltlK Vii.l.ii. Translated by 
Miss b. L. HOWARD. Atlanta, On.: Plantation 
Publishing Co. 
M. Vii.LE is well known In Franco, and among 
agriculturists, as having done much to promote 
this cileiice. This work lias been admirably 
translated, and all advancod farmers who arc 
in ter rated in tho subject of which it treats, will 
bo glad to get a copy. It is full of valuable in¬ 
formation, and is worthy of « wide circulation. 
The Manic Lennon of Confucius, and ntli<;r Po- 
cum. By (;kaklksGodfrey Lki.ami. Boston: 
Jim. It. Osgood ft Co. 
A MODEST little volume of true and rare po¬ 
ems, from one of the best writers in the English 
language. Mr. Lei,and is known as tho author 
of “Sunshine in Thought," and other works. 
His poems are gems, and these will please nil 
who road them. Such verses as “Tho Origin of 
Wheat,” “The Legends of tho Birds," and “The 
Poems of Perfumes," will please rural readers 
of taste. __ 
Water Mill Land.— By JACOB ABUOTT. Now 
York: Harper & Brothers. 
This book is one of a series or “Solence for 
the Young." It is profusely illustrated with 
handsome pictures, giving representations of 
numerous water-falls, rivers, mines, rocks, ole. 
A much better book to put into the hands of 
boys aud girls than any romance ever written. 
Itihliopolist.— J. Hauin & Sons, Now York. 
The January number of this unique publica¬ 
tion Is of rnoro than usual interest. It is a 
monthly catalogue of old and new books, and a 
repository of notes and queries. Ail book¬ 
worms will bo anxious to see the Bibliopollst. 
LITERARY ITEMS. 
Ttlt: Queen of England bus given a copy of her 
books to the Chicago Library. 
Rf.v. Washington Gladden of tho Independ¬ 
ent is on a successful lecturing tour West. 
Mansfield Tracy Walworth Is writing up 
the lives of the Chancellors of New York State. 
Jared Sparks’ library will be sold in Boston, 
next month. It contains but a few rare works. 
The Kansas Magazine has appealed, and Is 
said to be very good for a far-Western literary 
venture. 
Mrs. Jenny June Croly is making a collec¬ 
tion of portraits of famous women in all ages of 
the world. 
George William Curtis is not an “Old 
Bachelor," although he so writes himself in 
Harper’s Biiznr. 
Bayard Taylor is spending tho winter in 
New York. Ho is very stout and healthy, and 
talks German fluently. 
Robert Bonner of the Lodger lias given $5,000 
to Princeton < 'OHcgo, towards Increasing the sal¬ 
aries of tho Professors. 
New York has a new magazine, called The 
City. There was onco a daily paper with the 
same narao published in New York. 
Judge George ocoupies Idlowild, the old 
homo of N. P. Willis. During the summer, as 
many as three hundred visitors a day go to look 
at the homo of tho poet. 
Mary L. Booth of Harper's Bazar, is a middle- 
aged lady, with black eyes, a pleasing manner, 
and exceedingly agreeable in conversation. She 
Is a very industrious worker. 
Some of the Salt Lake papers are scolding Geo. 
Allred Townsend roundly for the letters be bus 
recently published about the Mormons. If ever 
he visits that city again, they threaten to duck 
him in Jordan. 
Mr. Dorse* Gardner Inis a lengthy and read¬ 
able article in the January North American Re¬ 
view, On “Oratory and Journalism." He was 
once editor of the Round Table, but resides at 
present on bis orange plantation in Florida. 
The A morlcan News Company have published, 
in book form, tho celebrated sped h of Gen. 
Thos. F. Burke, delivered May 1, 1W, in the 
Court House, Dublin, on being asked by Lord 
Chief Justice Whiteside why sentence of deuth 
should not be pronounced against, him. 
We have in “Picture Poems," written by Ma¬ 
rion Douglas, and published by J. R, Osgood & 
Co., Boston, a collection of beautiful poetical 
productions for the young folks. They are dedi¬ 
cated to Hans Andf.rsen, tho “delight of the 
writer's childhood," and inclosed in a setting of 
blue and gold. The illustrations might bo im¬ 
proved in another edition of the poems. 
Nero publications. 
“ A model periodical j a credit to Ameri¬ 
can periodical literature.”— Philadelphia Press. 
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