anxzstk (Btonamn* 
COOKING AND CARVING MEATS. 
One often hears city people say,“ country 
people always fry their beefsteak,” which, 
if not always true, is generally so. Of all 
the wasteful, indigestible, abominable ways 
in vogue for spoiling food, that of frying 
stands at the heath A fried beefsteak is a 
ruined beefsteak. Only an idiot would fry 
it, and only idiots would willingly cat it. 
It should be broiled always, now and for¬ 
evermore, and not smothered in butter after 
broiling cither. 
Meat that is so poor as to need buttering, 
had belter be disposed of in some oilier way. 
It is like buttering eggs (the quintessence of 
richness) or adding sugar to preserves. 
Cooks get so in the habit of putting butter in 
this and that dish, that common sense is en¬ 
tirely lost sight of. People who have stomachs 
like ostriches can hardly appreciate the 
care an intelligent but delicate person must 
constantly be burdened with, at the average 
dining table. But ns nine-tenths of the 
American people suffer from indigestion in 
one form or another, it follows in the major¬ 
ity ruling sense, that all edibles should be 
prepared with a view to wholesomeness, 
unburdened with grease, high spicing, or 
clamminess. “Easy Digestion” should be 
placarded in every cook room. The ten 
commandments or the Sunday School Cate¬ 
chism are of hardly more consequence than 
the commandments of the True Mode of 
Cookery. When wo feel in the mood for 
law-giving, we will ascend the Mount of 
Hygiene, and take them down from the lips 
of the Goddess of Health herself. 
Roast beef that has a crisp surface, and 
the heart of it red, rare nnd juicy, has the 
proper “doneness,” and admits of no criti¬ 
cism. Another way to spoil meat is to cut 
ii the wrong way in carving. It would be 
superfluous to say lmo it should be cut, as 
that every adult knows. But it does not 
seem unnecessary to add that it is a matter 
of importance that this knowledge should 
never fail in being illustrated by practice. 
-- 
ODDS AND ENDS. 
Hcottercd Potatoes. 
The Scotch have a way of scottering po- 
tatoes which a friend pronounces delicious. 
Potatoes that have been boiled whole (left, 
over from dinner) make this palatable break¬ 
fast dish, by laying them on live coals and 
turning them until the brownness of toast is 
acquired. Eat with salt and butter to taste. 
Try it. 
Why is Ten Injurious? 
A correspondent asks Ibis question, 
which we may answer with, “ Because of 
its astringcncy.” Drinking it while warm, 
during eating, (it is claimed by physiolo¬ 
gists), affects the food so that it passes 
through the system without yielding proper 
nutriment, or supplying its waste. Long 
steeping extracts all the astringent proper¬ 
ties, besides destroying the delicacy of the 
aroma. 
Serving nt Tnblc. 
The habit that obtains in many families 
of" heaping” food and giving a little and a 
considerable more Ilian is asked for, lias 
nothing to be said in its favor and a great 
deal against it. Unless one has a strong, 
firm appetite that only an earthquake or 
tempest could affect, a large quantity of food 
is appalling. It is much pleasanter to send 
up one’s plate and have it replenished than 
in be obliged to leave food upon the plate. 
In order to cleat' the plate one is prone to 
over eat, from an idea of "saving” the food. 
Economy does not signify a lack of plenli- 
fuluess nor stinginess. It means enough 
for each and all, nnd nothing wasted, and 
when food is served in oyer-abundance waste 
must he the result, unless, indeed, the sur¬ 
plus is gathered together again—the simple 
idea of which is disgusting. Moreover, it is 
a comfort to have just what one asks for—if 
“ half a cup of tea,” that much and no more. 
Ilow lo Hull nnd Serve Cracked Wheat. 
Cracked wheat, better than oatmeal, is 
growing in favor among farmers, ns it has 
long been highly esteemed by city folk. It 
is good for breakfast, good for dinner, and 
good for supper. The more you eat of it 
the belter you like it. It keeps the bowels 
in a most comfortable and wholesome con¬ 
dition. It is a simple dish, but fit for a king. 
Two coffee cupfuls will be quite enough to 
cook at one lime. Pour on a cup of cold 
water, stir the wheat about in it, and then 
pour it off to be poured on again, as the 
wheat, in cooking, boils dry. The reason 
for so doing is that the water carries off 
much of the flour which would otherwise 
tend lo burning. Cook in a tin pan or basin, 
throw in a little salt, nnd add water with 
discretion, so that when dune, the mass will 
he consistent enough to mold. Turn into a 
disli, and when cold turn on a plate, bottom 
side up, Serve with cream or milk and 
sugar. Add a slice of jelly or fruit jam, if 
you like. 
Foot-Warmer* 
Tnis particular foot-warmer (Figs. I and 
ID consists of a basket covered with over-' 
lapping frills of pinked fine flannel, red and 
Avhite alternating, with small medallions in 
embroidery. The inside is lined and wad¬ 
ded and finished with a cord atouud the 
Fio. L — Foot-Warmer Open. 
top. A loop and button fasten the top 
down, and a loop is placed on the top by 
which to lilt it. Trie heater inside is made 
of tin nnd filled with hot water. A large, 
fiattish glass bottle limy be used instead. 
When not in use, the warmer may be used 
for u work-basket. Indeed, if all country 
homes have an old-fushioued basket with 
cover, such ns used to be in our own, for the 
accommodation of "us childrens’” play¬ 
things, it will he found to be just the thing 
for tills warmer. In lieu of such, a round 
or square box may be fitted up, like a foot¬ 
stool. When purchased at the shops limy 
cost from $4 50, upward, and arc called 
Chauffoniere. 
-»»» - - . 
CONTRIBUTED RE0IPES. 
l’rescrvtnc Citron. 
While I am wailing for my citron to cook, 
let me lei I I. B. C-, who asks in Rural Niuv- 
Yohkeii Nov. 4lh, how wc preserve them : 
Cut them in any shape you wish; remove 
the seeds and rind, and boll them in water 
in which a very little alum hits been dissolv¬ 
ed. Let them cook until clear and soft; 
then put them in colander and let them drain 
until next day, when slice a few lemons nod 
boil until soft. Weigh your citron, and if 
you only wish to can ii, a half or three- 
quarters of a pound of sugar is enough to a 
pound of fruit. Some like it very sweet, 
others not. If you desire to preserve it, use 
Fio. 2. — Foot- Warmer Closed. 
one pound of sugar to each pound of fruit. 
Dissolve the sugar (coffee sugar) in the wa¬ 
ter in which your lemon was cooked; when 
the syrup comes to a boil, put in your fruit 
and cook fifteen or twenty minutes; then 
can as you would anything else. 1 have 
kept citron put up this way several years, 
ami found it as nice when opened as if just 
cooked.— Farmer's Wife, NoinvaUc, 0. 
How lo Fill 1 Ji» Picltlcil lUent. 
I will give my way for fifty-one years. I 
put in a good dean barrel, first putting in 
salt to just cover the bottom of tho barrel, 
and then 1 put in a layer of meat as close as 
I can and cover with suit about a quarter of 
an inch ; then on the next and the same till 
done. When done cover with pickle and 
then put on a weight and keep under pickle 
till it is all used up. It will save for years 
and he as good ns when put down. Don’t 
take fish barrels,for salt won't save it in one. 
—James Bird, Bloomsburg , N. Y. 
-♦-*-*- 
Aniline Red (F uclisi Of) on Wool. 
Place the fucltsine crystals in a stone jar 
and pour upon eaeli part of I lie same 100 
parts of boiling water, stirring continually 
until all is dissolved; set aside to cool and 
filler through paper, muslin or flannel. For 
100 pounds of woolen goods, (flannels, yarns, 
etc.,) five ounces of fuchsine will give a fair 
middle shade. For use, a quantity of water, 
which would more than cover tlm goods to 
he dyed, is heated to 1G5-170 5 F., and as 
much of the dissolved dye added as will pro¬ 
duce the desired shade. The goods should 
then he placed in the hath, stirred well to 
prevent aU’enks, and removed in half an hour, 
when they will be found completely dyed. 
They should then he freed from water iii an 
ordinary clothes wringer. On a large scale 
this is done in a centrifugal machine. 
The same bath maybe used continually 
for a whole day by adding more of the 
fuchsciue solution, but it should not be kept 
over night. 
: o go 
Dtarn of n Rnralist. 
2? C 
DAILY RURAL LITE, 
From tlic Diary of n Gentleman near New 
Fork City. 
Garden Stake. 
Nov. IS.—Slakes of some kind are neces¬ 
sary adjuncts to every garden. Pole beans 
and all kinds of climbing plants require sup¬ 
port during growth, ami there is no cheaper 
or more economical mode of training than 
to stake. Such plants require stakes six or 
more feet long, bill for raspberries nnd black¬ 
berries a less length will answer, tout stakes 
of some kind are always in demand about a 
garden. The question often arises as to the 
cheapest and best wood for this purpose; 
and while almost anything will do for one 
season, still it requires nearly as much lime 
to make a poor slake ns a good and durable 
one. Even where timber is plentiful, it is 
not economy to use that which will not last 
more than one season. There are only a 
lew kinds of young growth of a suitable size 
for stakes that will last, when driven into Lite 
earth, more than two seasons. Even red 
cedar and locust, if of rapid growth, soon 
rot. Young saplings of all kinds have little 
bard, Ann heart wood, the greater portion 
being bark and soft, spongy sap wood. I 
have always found that largo limber is far 
the most durable, as well as the cheapest, for 
this purpose. 
lieing fortunate enough to have a few 
large chestnut trees, among which an occa¬ 
sional one dies and lias to ho cut down, 
thereby furnishing me with a good supply 
of most excellent timber for stakes. A 
good, straight-grained chestnut tree rises so 
easily anil regularly that it is very little 
trouble lo make stakes of any required 
length or size. When I bavehftdto pur¬ 
chase the timber, my chestnut stakes live to 
six feet long and two and a-hnlf inches in 
diameter cost about $20 per 1,000, ami this 
too, in a locality where wood of all kinds 
commands a good price. Chestnut slakes 
made from fair-sized trees, and of the diam¬ 
eter named, and then well seasoned before 
using, will Inst a half-dozen years, being far 
cheaper than round poles at any price, with 
few exceptions. Black or while oak, and 
several other kinds of timber that might be 
named, will last nearly rr*fyu1c us long ns 
chestnut if made in Abe same fminner. Fall 
is a good time to secure the timber, nnd 
winter a good time to make trio stakes. 
One of my large chestnut trees 
died last summer, and to-day I 
have had it cut down and the 
best part of the stem laid aside 
for stakes, to he made during 
Btormy weather. I usually keep 
one or two thousand nicely made 
stakes on hand, and they always 
come handy during summer, for 
it is frequently the case that a 
larger number is wanted than 
even the highest estimate of my- 
p self or workmen. If we do not 
?' happen to waul all that is made, 
g they will keep any length of 
time if housed, and occasionally 
a neighbor is glad to get a thou¬ 
sand or two, as one did from 
me to-day, paying only what they ac¬ 
tually cost; and yet 1 saved money by the 
trade, because my hired help made the stakes 
in rainy weather, when they would have 
clone little else if such work had not been 
provided. By next spring I shall probably 
have another lot ol' stakes on hand, and not 
he obliged lo go into the woods in planting 
lime,spending valuable moments in picking 
up worthless saplings, as nine out of ten of 
our farmers and gardeners do, wondering 
all the lime what makes their work so be¬ 
hindhand. Success in every kind of busi¬ 
ness may not depend entirely on proper 
calculation, but it is certainly a great power 
when rightly applied in cultivating the earth. 
Arrow - Root. 
A friend has sent me a plant of the arrow- 
root, (Marantic anguslifolia,) a native of the 
West Indies. There are many species of the 
Marantas , and all are worthy of cultivation 
for ornament, hut they are not, of any prac¬ 
tical use in a northern climate. The leaves 
of some of the species, as well as varieties, 
are very beautiful, being large, and either 
striped, mottled or otherwise colored. They 
make elegant bedding plants, but must he 
stored in winter where the temperature will 
not, go below 45° or 50° Fih. The propa¬ 
gation is of the simplest kind, merely divid¬ 
ing the roots, or cutting and planting the 
buds obtained from the old tubers. 
Ditccina Grope Viuo*. 
Nov. 15.—A few warm days late in au¬ 
tumn are always acceptable; for the more 
work wc get done, the more wc are likely to 
find that needs doing. In looking about my 
garden to-day, I found a lot of choice grape 
vines, grown from cuttings this season, that 
had not been dug up atul heeled-in, as they 
should be at this time. I may wish lo plant 
these vines in nursery rows again next year, 
and some persons might question the wisdom 
of such an operation; but long experience 
has shown me that vines frequently trans¬ 
planted can always he moved with safety 
and very little loss in growth. Besides this, 
one-year-old vines have comparatively few 
roots; consequently arc more or less liable 
to be lifted out of the ground by the frosts of 
winter and spring; but when dug up and 
carefully heeled-in, there is no danger of in¬ 
jury. Our best nurserymen transplant their 
grape vines every season until they are sold. 
When this system is pursued the vines will 
always have an abundance of small, fibrous 
roots, instead of a few long ones of little 
value to the plant, except as a nucleus from 
which others may radiate. 
Wild Ilia. 
A friend sends me a root of a wild Iris 
from Utah, hut 1 shall not he able to deter¬ 
mine the species unlil it blooms. Among 
the dozen or more native species of the Iris, 
we should certainly have some worthy of 
cultivation and improvement. Probably 
they are naturally as beautiful as any of the 
old world species, but it is doubtful if our 
gardeners possess trie patience and perse¬ 
verance needed to produce new ami im¬ 
proved varieties therefrom. There arc few 
plants that have been so frequently men¬ 
tioned in ancient and modern history as this. 
Ovid, VIROIL, Calumklla, and nearly 
all the writers of olden lime, speak of the 
beauty of trie Iris. The ancients used the 
Iris flower us a symbol of eloquence, and 
this meaning avos intended to be conveyed 
by the Egyptians avIicii they placed it on 
the brow of the Sphtiix so often seen in old 
antique statuary. It is the national flower 
of France, and adopted in the times of 
Louis the Seventh. It was called the Fleur 
de Louis, or Louis’ flower, then contracted 
into Fleur de Luce , after wards, as now 
known, as Fleur-de-lis. But six centuries 
before the time of Louts the Seventh, Franco 
AVits strewn Avilli escutcheons, upon which 
avows emblazoned the Fleur-de Us, or Iris. It 
is not, strange, therefore, that a plant bo long 
and favorably known .should attract the at¬ 
tention of trio early florists, and through 
their aid thousands of vurielios produced as 
we now find iu European collections. We 
have in America no true or mythological 
history of plants, except what Ave borrow 
from the Old World, hence each i3 appreci¬ 
ated according to its merits, and not from 
old associations or historical praise. 
Protect hur CJiinlmitr Vines. 
Fov. 17.—No class of plants are more 
easily protected in winter than climbing 
vines, and yet few persons seem to know 
how to do it. I have often seen large plants 
of Clematis and Honeysuckles inclosed in a 
straw jacket from tlie ground up to trie top¬ 
most shoot, requiring an limit- of lime to 
each plant, avIicu five minutes would he 
sufficient for giving a much belter protec¬ 
tion. Vines (hat are nearly hardy need no 
other protection than merely laying them on 
I lie ground where the siioav Avill cover them. 
But the more tender sorts, such ns some of 
llie choice varieties of the Clematis, may he 
coiled about, the slakes close to the ground, 
then covered with earth ora little coarse ma¬ 
nure. I have protected scores of half-hardy 
climbers in this manner, anti never lost a 
plant from the effects of cold. The half- 
hardy Clematis in particular are greatly 
benefited by this kind of protection, because 
their buds remain plump and healthy and 
bloom much more freely in consequence. 
Cora or I'ni'li, 
Nov. 18.—The almost universal custom 
among poor people is to keep a lew pigs, the 
question of profit seldom being taken into 
consideration. In localities where Mr. Pig 
is allowed to do his own stealing, occasion¬ 
ally getting into a field of corn or garden 
patch, perhaps there may he some profit 
derived from this kind of stock among those 
who have no land of their own upon which 
to raise swine food. It is very doubtful if n 
man can afford to raise pork near any of our 
huge Eastern cities and make it from corn, 
potatoes or other limn produce. Of course, 
there Is always more or less Avasto material 
about a house that can be fed to hogs, nnd 
I do not doubt but the rearing of pigs may 
he made profitable business; but when it 
comes to fat hogs.it is, nt least, questionable. 
I tried it for several years, und gave lip trie 
practice, simply because I failed to make it 
profitable. The surplus milk, scraps, and 
other Avasle material from the kitchen are 
now given to hens, which certainly give me 
a bolter return even than pigs, to say noth¬ 
ing of pork; although i raised my own corn 
for fattening them, I cannot afford to keep 
hogs. I notice that nearly every poor day 
laborer about, the neighborhood keeps one 
or two, buying or otherwise obtaining food, 
but, I am certain, at a loss lo themselves. 
Young pigs, six to eight weeks old, sold 
readily la3t spring at $5 each ; now how can 
a man make pork from such a start, with 
the high price of all kinds of grain, and sell 
pork at $8 per 100 pounds, the present high¬ 
est rate in our market ? A few of my neigh¬ 
bors have kept an account of cost of pork 
this season, and are pretty well satisfied to 
let the pork business alone in the future. If 
every family who has to purchase corn to 
fatten their pigs would take a sensible view 
of trie subject, they could not fail to see that 
they had better eat the corn themselves, in¬ 
stead of feeding it to pigs. A bushel of corn 
ground into meal, av i 11 go much farther, be¬ 
sides being more healthful and nutritious, 
than the two or three pounds of pork that 
can he made from it. The Western States 
can supply the Eastern with pork much 
cheaper than we can make it ourselves, and 
they should be allowed to do so, a\ hilo avc 
raise mole profitable animals, if any. 
■ -M l qj 
ianb Department. 
W) f 
SUNDRY LETTERS. 
From Croxnvillv, ('inn lire Inltd Oo.» Trim. 
It is common for those who write of tho 
South to say that wc have no grass, and there 
are those who go so far as lo deny that we 
can raise it; and yet the facts are trial our 
vast, forests (and they are vast) abound Avilli 
Avild grasses, and of such nutritious quality 
that cattle turned out to them in tho spring, 
in low condition of flesh, become by July or 
August excellent beef; and one of the pecu¬ 
liarities of our wild grasses is, that they nev¬ 
er produce scouring in any* of our livestock. 
That we cannot raise the cull iva led grasses 
is untrue. I have never seen heavier or better 
grass anywhere at the North than ayo can 
easily grow ou these elevated table lands, 
and of any kind too which with so much 
care is cultivated at the North. Even red 
clover, which you rarely expect to retain in 
your soil for a period longer than three 
years without re-seeding, becomes hero a 
perennial plant. 
'flic native inhabitants of this region have 
neglected, and even discouraged the cultiva¬ 
tion of trio various grasses of the North, for 
tliey said, "It we once get them in our soil 
we can never get rid of them, and what avo 
want is corn fields—the range gives us all 
the grass we need, therefore why should wo 
put upon our land Unit which avc regard as 
a pest?” With equally as good cultivation, 
we can grow as heavy crops of grass as you 
can at the North, Avilli the advantage over 
you of perennial growth. In speaking of 
our ability to produce grass, l wish it. to ho 
understood tlmt 1 confine my remarks to 
ihese table lands. Others may speak of the 
valleys who know more of them than 1 do. 
The farmer who believes my statements 
respecting grass, and short and mild winters, 
and is informed that good pasture and 
ms Allow can lie made, nt light cost, on land 
which lie can purchase at $1 or $2 per acre, 
will naturally inquire why sheep husbandry 
cannot be more profitably pursued here, ns a 
business, than oil land which is valued at 
$100 and upward. 1 know of no reason 
why it cannot he. Our sheep are not liable 
to any disease that I am aware of, but, like 
man, are healthy. If they should not pro¬ 
duce as heavy fleeces, 1 think the difference 
Avould he trifling, and I believe that but little 
if any difference Avould be apparent in the 
texture of the fleece. If carrots or turnips 
arc desired for whiter feeding of sheep, there 
are few, if any, places where they can be 
more successfully cultivated than here.— 
av. w. P. 
From Wilkcriboro, N. (?. 
I notice iii the Rural New-Yorker of 
Nov. 11th, a letter from a Southern woman 
who lias married a Northern man, in which 
she makes the assertion that tho " majority 
of Southern girls are yearly trying to get 
Northern men for husbands in spite of the 
opposition of their relatives.” As a repre¬ 
sentative of my sox, I fuel hound to deny it; 
we remember loo well tho blood shed by 
our noble fathers, brothers and friends, in 
vindication of Southern principles and hon¬ 
or, to think for one moment of marrying a 
man whose sentiments would differ so widely 
from ours. The idea of a young lady trying 
to get a husband, strikes us as so very 
strange, L can scarcely believe it to have 
emanated from a Southern woman. I admit 
there are cases (as Unit of your correspond¬ 
ent proves, where girls Southern horn have, 
since the Avar, married Northern men; hut 
they lacked that ardent devotion to South¬ 
ern honor whicri characterizes our sex, and 
moreover, these cases are rare. I would 
have your correspondent remember, there 
are young men in our dear Sunny South, 
who, although lacking in wealth, possess 
many noble qualities which commend them 
to the hearts of Southern girls, and with 
them Ave would much prefer U&tliurt poverty 
than to live iu sumptuous elegance with a 
Northern man. In reading the letter of 
your correspondent 1 avrs forcibly reminded 
of trie fable of the Fox—as she has married 
a Northern man, she writes to hold out the 
idea that all Southern girls would like to do 
the same thing. I am sure I have no objec¬ 
tion lo her doing ns slie pleases, hut I se¬ 
riously object to having my sex so misrep¬ 
resented.— B. A. 
. 4 »» ■ 
We have a mass of correspondence we 
shall be glad to publish in this department; 
the fact that it does not appear promptly is 
due entirely to a lack of space. 
