222 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
A famous French cook Hays the Ameri¬ 
can oyster is, -without doubt, the best oyster 
in the world. Of course, this being the 
season for them—the months with an It— 
something more definite about the preciouH 
bivalve may be pleasant, at least to new 
readers of the Rural New-Yorker. 
it often is a matter of much convenience 
to be able to keep oysters alive in the shell, 
especially when one lives a distance from 
market. To do this, place the oysters in a 
tub, with the concave side of the shell un¬ 
dermost, and sprinkle each well with salt 
and Indian meal. Fill up the tub with cold 
water, and over the top spread an old car¬ 
pet or blanket. Freshen daily the water 
and food. They may bo kept in this man¬ 
ner from a week to a fortnight. The tub 
must be kept in the cellar. 
Oysters raw are inexpressibly delicious, 
if you happen to like them. Wash the 
shells clean before opening. Serve with 
vinegar, pepper and salt. Lemon juice is 
preferable to vinegar. Horse radish is an 
excellent addition to the lemon juice. 
Oysters pickled will give the happy 
eater an appetite, that only another and an¬ 
other oyster will satisfy. They form a very 
desirable and convenient dish for parties, 
country ‘‘donations," and, in fact, for any 
entertainment including refreshments. Re¬ 
move the shells and all pieces of shells from 
one hundred and fifty flue, large oysters. 
Lay them in a deep dish and strain the 
liquor over them. Add salt to taste, as 
salt addB to their firmness. Simmer over 
the fire until the oysters are heated through, 
but not until they boll. Then drain out the 
oysters, putt ing t horn in a stone jar. To the 
liquor add a pint of cider vinegar, a large 
teaspoonful of blades of mace, three dozen 
whole cloves, and the same of pepper corns. 
Let all come to a boil, and when the oysters 
are quite cold in the jar pour the liquor 
over them. They can be used at once will 
be better next day—and will keep a week 
in cold weather. 
Stewed Oysters are served as a soup. 
Open them on a sieve to drain. Put them, 
with a little more than half the liquor, some 
whole pepper kernels, a few blades of mace, 
and some grated nutmeg, into u stew pan. 
Simmer gently for live minutes, adding, 
meantime, a piece of butter rolled in flour, 
or a quantity of sweet cream, which is bet¬ 
ter. The oysters need only be heated 
through to bo sufficiently cooked. Try one 
before removingfrom the fire. When done, 
turn the contents over buttered slices ol' 
thin toast, in a deep dish. 
Crumbed OysterB.— Eight square soda 
crackers, rolled tiue, seven ounces of butter, 
one quart of oysters. Put the crackers and 
oysters in alternate layers, dividing the 
butter equally through, and sprinkling a 
dust of peppor over each one. l. r se salt 
sparingly. Have crackers at top aud bot¬ 
tom of dish. When ready for the oven, 
pour over a coffee cup of the oyster liquor. 
Bake alight brown. 
Clams make a palatable breakfast dish, 
stowed, or made into fritters. They possess 
tonic properties, and are esteemed by in¬ 
valids. They may be eaten raw like oysters. 
To stew, Avash the shells clean wIth a scrub¬ 
bing brush. Add water enough to prevent 
their burning and boil until the shells open; 
then take out aud remove the shells. Cook 
the clams in the same water, adding pep¬ 
per aud butter. Stir in rolled crackers. 
Long dams are nice broiled or roasted in 
the shell. 
Lobsters—A live lobster, weighing from 
one to two and a-half pounds, is the kind 
to be chosen. To boil, lay it alive in a iisli 
kettle; cover with cold water, cover the 
dish well aud set on a brisk fire. Boil from 
fifteen to twenty-five minutes, according to 
size. When boiled, take it from the kettle, 
separate the body from the tail, and place 
in a colander to drain. Use everything but 
the stomach and the black or blueish vein 
running along its back aud tail. It is eaten 
with salt, pepper, viuegar, oil, mustard and 
chopped parsley. Crabs may be boiled aud 
served similarly. 
Craw-Fish* sometimes called river or 
fresh water crabs, and often taken for 
voung lobsters, are excellent to eat, deco¬ 
rate dishes fiuely and are dressed aud serv¬ 
ed like lobsters aud crabs.—M. 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
To Fry Potatoes.—I will 6end you my 
ways of frying potatoes. First, take the 
required amount of potatoes, pare, and slice 
very thin, and sprinkle salt over them. 
Have ready a frying pan, with equal parts 
of melted butter and fat from salt pork, if 
you have it : if not, use a little less of nice 
lard; any housekeeper can judge as to the 
required quantity. Have the fire pretty 
hot, and as soon as they are nicely browned 
on t he bottom turn carefully, so as to not 
have them look broken or tnussy. Ab fast 
as they are brown on the bottom, turn (but 
not before.) unt il they are sufficiently cooked. 
We think potatoes fried thus good enough 
for anyone. It takes one-half or two-thirds 
as long to cook this way as to boil. The 
other way is to take cold, boiled potatoes, 
slice thicker than for raw ones, and fry in 
the same way; the boiled ones fry much 
quicker.— Mrs. A. A. Ovitt. 
Preserving Figs.—Mrs. Carr of Cali¬ 
fornia is reported in the Pacific Rural Press 
as saying at a Farmers’ Club:—“ A lady at 
Mokelumne Hill sent me some preserved 
figs in a jar. They were treated like toma¬ 
toes, boiled in hot water, had the outer skin 
removed, and placed in ginger-root sirup 
boiled in water till it was flavored with it. 
When boiling hot the figs were thrown in. 
They cooked well aud without the slight¬ 
est danger of going to pieces. They were 
very nice, and much better than preserves 
made wit h East Indian ginger. I shall have 
figs preserved this way. It preserves the 
flavor of the fig. The liquor is quite st rong 
before the sugar is added. ’’ 
To Fasten Shells on Picture Frames. 
—1 have made a great many very pretty 
frames. Take an inch board and make a 
rough frame of any shape you liko and cov¬ 
er with good white lead putty, and then 
commence with your largest shells and 
place the putty about as t hick as will about 
half bury the shells; then fill in with small 
ones according to taste; let them dry and 
then varnish, and the frame will be as solid 
as if made of stone.—H. s. R. 
Corn Starch Cake.—One cup of pul¬ 
verized sugar, half cup butter, and stir 
until it looks like thick cream; one tea¬ 
spoon soda dissolved in half a teacup of 
sweet milk; beat the whites of three eggs 
and put them in with two teaspoenfuls of 
cream tartar mixed Avith a teacup of flour; 
stir and add half a teacup of corn starch; 
season and bake in a moderately guick 
oven; frost or not, just as you please.— 
OuvK W. _______ 
Floating Island.—One quart of sweet 
milk, one-half cup Avhite sugar, two eggs; 
beat the yolks and sugar and stir into the 
milk just before-it boils. As soon as it 
begins to thicken, remove from the fire; 
beat the whites to a stiff froth; pour the 
custard into a dish; flavor Avith vanilla 
and iben place the whites upon it while 
hot. fTo be ser\ r ed when cold. — Delia M. 
F., Coldwn-tcr , Mich. 
The Pestiferous Cricket.—K. of Oce- 
anica, N. J., asks if any one can tell how 
to keep crickets away and from destroying 
clothes. If any of our readers know how 
to drive these pests away we should be hap¬ 
py to have them give the desired informa¬ 
tion. _ 
To Pickle Cucumbers in Alcohol,— 
Take one part alcohol to six of Avater; throw 
in your cucumbers as you gather them; lay 
a cloth loosely over tile top, take it off and 
riuse it (stirring them up) every day.— 
11. M. G. __ 
Beets aud Mangold Wurtzel as Sub¬ 
stitutes for Potatoes. —An Englishman 
says in the Gardener that if these roots are 
Avashed, well baked , then peeled aud eaten 
with vinegar, they are very palatable, anti¬ 
scorbutic, and will keep several days after 
they are cooked. 
French Loaf Cake. —One pound of 
flour, one pound of sugar, one pound of 
raisins, a half pound butter, one cup new 
milk, five eggs, and spice to taste. 
Warm Cake.—One cup of sugar, one of 
butter, one ol sour milk, teaspoonful sale- 
ratus, two eggs.— Loretta E. Kxa.pt*. 
To Take Mildew Out of Linen.—Scrape 
chalk thick on il after it has been spread 
on the grass alter washing. Repeat this 
several times. Somet imes putting linen or 
muslin in buttermilk will answer the pur¬ 
pose.— Sarah H. C. 
Domestic Inquiries.—A subscriber asks 
how to make viuegar out of the refuse of 
grapes after t he wine has been pressed out; 
whether sugar should be added; if so, how 
much. . . . Mrs. A. L. S. asks sumo one to 
tell her how to prepare skeleton leaves, and 
what leaves arc best, when they should be 
gathered, etc. 
(Jlovii|uttui[al. 
PLANTS FOR NAME. 
Rock Cress. — The plant sent by L. E. 
S. is Rock Cress (Arahis hespcridoldcs), 
a common weed on the banks of some of 
our Western and Southern rivers. The 
plants grow two or three feet high ; flower 
pink, or purplish. 
Eqnisetnin Arvense.—Inclosed you will 
find a species of rush which I Avould like to 
have you name for me, as there is no one 
here that, knows it.— Gaylord F. Millard, 
Coirnranl, Ohio. 
EquLxctum arveuse, or common Horse¬ 
tail. By consulting Gray’s or Wood’s 
Botany, you will find name and description. 
Green Hellebore.—Inclosed please find 
plants, for which please furnish names. 
No. 1 is a plant that has been in my garden 
since my first recollection, put there by my 
grandmother. No. 2 is a wild Flower taken 
from the woods by myself and t mnsplanted 
in I he garden, where it does finely. — C. 
N., Springfield, \V. Va. 
No. 1 is Green Hellebore (Hellebore vlrU 
die). No. 2 we lost or have mislaid in some 
way; at least we do not find it in your let¬ 
ter. Send us another specimen. 
Texas Plants.—I find a great many 
pretty plants on our prairies, and I try to 
name them all, but failing, I send them to 
you. Inclosed you will find two plants 
which please name. One is an annual; the 
leaves next to the bloom arc silvery white, 
and growing in large heads as they do is 
A’cry ornamental. The sap is milky. The 
other (flower and leaf separate) is a shruh, 
from eight to six feet high, blooming on the 
new wood, and is quite ornamental, bloom¬ 
ing all Summer. Seed in a pod.—D ice 
Hopson, Sherman, Texas. 
The plant with terminal leaves, margined 
Avith white, is Euphorbia marqinatu. It 
is cultivated by our florists ami used for 
tedding out. with other variegated leaved 
plants. The other plant, Avith small pinnate 
leaves and yelloAV flowers, is Cassia Lind- 
helm cr Lana. < )ur more common botanical 
works are of very little use to the student 
who desires to identify .wild Texan plants. 
Plants from Alabama.—Please giveme 
the names of the inclosed plants. No. 1 
grows in damp places. No. 2 is found on 
the hills, and has a bulb-like root. Where 
can I get plants of Venus Fly-trap ?—A 
Southern Girl, Curralltoien, Ala. 
No. 1 is Platanthcra rilaris. See Chap¬ 
man’s Flora of tho Southern States, page 
4fiO. No. 2 is Bletia aphylla ; see page 450 
of the same work for full description. You 
can probably obtain plants of Venus Fly¬ 
trap from the sandy bogs of your own State, 
as it is quite common in the Northern part 
of South Carolina. If it does not occur in 
Alabama write to some one living in the 
locality avc have named. You can obtain 
seed of it at almost any of our seed stores. 
Ailantlius Glandulosa.—Please to name 
the enclosed, and oblige — Enoch Wil¬ 
liams, Lockport, N. V. 
The name of the seed sent is given aboA*e. 
Lungwort.—Inclosed please find a stem 
of flowers which grow wild on the shore of 
the Catteraugus Creek: it is called in this 
locality “Cattaraugus Blue Bell.” Please 
give the botanical and common name. The 
buds that look whitish were a bright pink 
before being pressed. The plant is peren¬ 
nial; blooms in May.— Old Suusciuueh, 
Springfield, A’. Y. 
The common name is gi\’en above, and 
the scientific name is Mertensla Virginica , 
named in honor of Prof. Mertens, of Ger¬ 
many. 
Twelve Tender Roses.—Seeing the list 
of hardy roses, 1 am led to ask for a similar 
list of the “ monthly rose." They are quite 
hardy with us. Will not some one give us 
a list embracing all that may be desirable? 
If permitted. 1 Avould ask “Rural Life ” to 
giye us the benefit of his experience with 
this queen of flowers; and a list of the 
finest— Ben. Decherd, Van Buren, Ark. 
We submitted your letter to “Daily 
Rural Life," and lie replies t hat to select 
only twelve best roses from the many tiue 
Tea, Bourbon and Noisettes is almost as 
difficult as it would be to tell which one of 
a hundred pretty girls was really tho most 
beautiful. Each particular variety may 
possess some particular charm not to be 
found in another; but he writes that ho 
Avill do with this rose question just as he 
would do Avith the pretty girl question- 
shut his eyes and call the names as some 
peculiar claim of each came to mind. Here 
is his list of twelve selected at random from 
tho classes named abo\ r e: — Aime Yibert, 
Bon Silene, Cloth of Gold, George Peabody, 
Hermosa, Isabella Sprunt, Lamarque, Lev- 
eren Gower, La Pactole, Phoenix, Pauline 
Labonte, Souvenir de la Malmaison. 
FLORICULTTTRAL NOTES. 
SilA T er Ferns are said not to succeed 
well in fern cases. The fronds do not de¬ 
velop well. Only one of them succeeds, and 
that is Gymnogramma. tart area ; and it 
requires air to be freely admitted to the 
fern case. __ 
Viola Pedata.— Emma R. is informed 
that this is an American species, very hand¬ 
some, and quite distinct from other Amer¬ 
ican violets. Flowers, pale purple, white 
or yellowish at the base of the petals. It is 
perennial. 
THE TEETH OF YOUNG HORSES. 
I find in the Rural New-Yorker of 
Sept. 21, au article written by C. D. Smead, 
of Logan, N. Y-, headed as above, claiming 
that wolf teeth in horses are nothing more 
than sucking tusks, and appear midway be¬ 
tween tho front ami back teeth in the 
mouths of colt* of from two to four years 
of age, and more frequently in horses than 
mares. Now, in the first place, I never srav 
a wolf tooth in a horse’s mouth (and I have 
knocked them out by the score), but what 
grew tight up against the first grinders, 
sometimes in the row Avith the test of the 
teeth, and sometimes on the inside of the 
grinder next to the tongue, but never an 
eighth of au inch from the grinder, in any 
case. 
In the second place, I find them growing 
just as often in horses from four to eight 
years old as 1 do under that ago, aud fre¬ 
quently in old horses. According to the 
best, of my recollection l have found them 
more frequently In mares than in horses. 
They have been invariably accompanied 
with sore eyes, Avliich could not be cured 
Avith medicine so but what they Avould soon 
become sore again, until the teeth were 
knocked out, when the sore eyes would get 
well immediately, 
I have had horses come to me with sore 
eyes and could find no Avolf teeth, and told 
them to doctor t heir horse’s eyes lor inflam¬ 
mation, which they did for several weeks 
to no purpose, until tho poor animals were 
nearly blind; t hen they have brought them 
back to me again to look for Avolf teeth, aud 
we found them on tho inside of the grinder 
next to the tongue, entirely out of sight, 
unless you looked in from the other side of 
the mouth from that the tooth Avas on. 
Alter knocking out the teeth the sore eyes 
got well right along, and they never have 
liad any more trouble Avith them. 
My opinion is that your correspondent 
has never seen any wolf teeth, and, of 
course, his theory is correct xvitb regard to 
the tusks, for Avolf teeth never gruAv Avheie 
tusks do. But let authors aud surgeons say 
what they please, I am satisfied that wolf 
teeth will make horses blind unless they are 
taken out. H. C- Morgan. 
Catharine, N. Y. 
-- 
NOTES FOR HORSEMEN. 
Ringbone Remedy.—F. S., in Turf, 
Field aud Farm, gives the following:—I 
gaA r e you two recipes for the cure of ring¬ 
bone on a horse, and, in answer to many: 
First—The best treatment for ringbone of 
either kind is, after the inflammation has 
been in a great measure removed by cooling 
applications, to lire the part, or, in other 
Avords, well rub in the iodide Of mercury 
ointment, washiug off the parts on the fol¬ 
lowing day, aud then repeat it again and 
again. By such means you will succeed in 
removing the lameness, diminishing the 
enlargement and restoring the animal in 
many cases to a state of usefulness. Sec¬ 
ond—Foment the parts daily for a week, or 
keep them covered with a damp bandage 
in case there is much inflamation and local 
tenderness. Then rub in the following en¬ 
ergetically for five minutes:—Powdered 
cantharides, one dram; rod iodide of 
mercury one-half dram: camphor, one 
scruple; spirits of wine, one dram; lard, 
six drams. Add the spirits of wine to 
the camphor and then rub up all into the 
ointment. At the end of twenty-four 
hours, apply fresh lard over the blistered 
surface, repeating it daily until the scurf 
comes off; then if it be necessary a second 
application, aud after that a third may be 
made. A proper adjustment should be giv¬ 
en to the wearing surface of the hoof and 
shoe, as failure sometimes results from 
neglect of this precaution. Should lame¬ 
ness persist it may be advisable to proceed 
to the extreme measure of using the hot 
iron, for this, however you would need pro¬ 
fessional assistance. 
