or bruised apple; is well constructed ; 1ms a 
straight knife, and is reliable. 
Hero is also a cut of a Paring, Coring and 
Slicing Machine, all iron; easily affixed to a 
tabic with a damp; three turns of its crank 
pares an apple; four turns pare, core and 
oven. When you use the fruit, season to 
your taste. A very good way, is to put in 
salt, pepper, butter, a little sugar, and, if 
you like it, bread crumbs, or cracker; but 
very little, or it will spoil the flavor. 
Corn Fritters. 
One-half teacup of butter; the same of 
flour; one egg, pepper and salt; one pint of 
grated corn. Beal it up, and fly on a well 
buttered griddlu. These are as good as fried 
oysters. 
Mnsluril Picble. 
Fill a three gallon jar with small, green 
tomatoes, cucumbers, nasturtiums, onions, 
cauliflower, horse-radish, and a few small, 
green peppers. Let them stand in salt and 
water twenty-four hours. Drain off this wa¬ 
ter. Put, the mixture in a brass or porcelain 
kettle, with fresh water, and boil eight or 
ten minutes. Then drain it thoroughly and 
put the pickle in the jar. Put three quarts 
of vinegar in the kettle to boil. Take three- 
view from a west window or piazza, any¬ 
where equal to having his barn “bandy;” 
so for the sake of a pig stye, or a corn crib 
the richest transfigurations of land and sky, 
arc forever shut off from eyes that, of all 
others, need most to take in the wonderful 
beauty. 
orntific antr Gtscful 
caustic (feccncmii 
CONDUCTED BY MARY A. E. WAGEI!. 
USEFUL AND SCIENTIFIC NOTES 
(Sulphite of Lime lor Preserving Wine and 
Fruits. 
One of the readers of the Rubai, New- 
Yobkek desires to know the best method 
of using sulphite of lime for preserv¬ 
ing fruit. As the subject is one of gen¬ 
eral interest, we take occasion to present 
briefly the principles upon which this sub¬ 
stance acts as a preservative. 
The great agents in causing the decay of 
fruit, vegetables, wine, &e., fire beat and air. 
If, however, the latter be excluded, some 
fruits and vegetables, and most wines, will 
bear a pretty high temperature. Further, it 
is only one element of the air—the. oxygen— 
that, proves so destructive, and if this be re¬ 
moved, putrefaction and fermentation are 
either stopped or greatly retarded. Some 
substances have a powerful affinity for oxy¬ 
gen, and remove it entirely from the atmos¬ 
phere under some circumstances. Thus, if 
sulphur be burned in the air it combines 
with the oxygen, forms sulphurous acid, 
which dissolves In water or wine and leaves 
the remaining air free from oxygon. Hence 
the use of burning sulphur in wine casks 
before filling with wine. The oxygen is all 
removed, and the agent which turns alcohol 
to vinegar not being present, there is iu> 
danger of the wine turning sour. As a con¬ 
venient substitute for burning sulphur, (sul¬ 
phurous acid,) sulphite of lime (a combina¬ 
tion of sulphurous acid and lime) has been 
used. It bus a strong tendency to absorb 
oxygen and become converted into sulphate 
of lime (gypsum.) It therefore removes the 
free oxygen from the wine and from the 
cask, and entirely suspends the process of 
acetilioation, as it is called—that is, the con¬ 
version of the alcohol of the wine into vin¬ 
egar, For this purpose sulphite of lime has 
been extensively used, especially for the pre¬ 
servation of cider. 
It has also been used for the preservation 
of fruit. If dissolved in the sirup or water 
in which the fruit is placed, it will soon ab¬ 
sorb all the oxygen present, and tbe fruit 
will not decompose. In the case of wine or 
cider, however, the resulting gypsum, which 
is insoluble, will full freely to the bottom of 
the vessel, and produce no effect on the fla¬ 
vor of the wine unless too much is used. 
But in the case of fruit the sediment is apt 
to settle on the fruit, though not to such an 
extent as to do much harm. The proper 
quantity to be used is noted on the bottles 
in which the sulphite is sold; and in the 
case of fruit, an exposure to the air for a few 
hours before use will in general remove all 
unpleasant taste or smell. We must add, 
however, that although the process is sim¬ 
ple and cheaper than the ordinary method 
of canning fruits, we prefer the latter. 
WHAT SHALL BE DONE? 
THE CONTINENTAL WASHING 
MACHINE. 
In the COUNTRY, l 
Uuder a Pine Tree, Sept-, 18T0. f 
It is one thing to sit in a New York office 
and dictate, advise or suggest what country 
people shall do, how they shall do it, and 
quite another to practice what you preach. 
So long as the present system of Domestic 
Help prevails, farmers aud farmerines will 
be drudges. Drifting through agricultural 
regions for the last month or two, 
The Help Qumliou 
lias fastened itself on my mincl, aud refuses 
“ to be quieted.” There is nothing that so 
takes the poetry and sentiment out of house¬ 
keeping, as to have a house full to do for, 
and only one pair of hands to do it with. A 
small platoon of men coming in to dinner, 
like a pack of hungry bears; half grown 
boys and girls romping distractedly in from 
school; a baby crying in the cradle; a gen¬ 
eral sense of untidiness everywhere, which 
annoys the housewife more than it possibly 
can anybody else; hurried from one thing to 
another, from morning until night, with only 
a few hours rest to begin a similar routine 
next, day, forms a true picture of a majority 
of farmers’ houses, and is one that any 
thoughtful woman cannot but honestly and 
thoroughly recoil from. Matrimony and 
housekeeping do not look inviting from, such 
a standpoint. Considered in this light, it is 
not strange that, women take to “boarding,” 
a kind of existence men do not seem to ap¬ 
preciate. 
Talking with a young married friend, only 
a few days ago, who has undergone a sort of 
semi - starvation experience in Southern 
boarding houses, I was amused at her en¬ 
ergetic remarks:—“ But I won’t go to house¬ 
keeping,” she said. “ Servants are no longer 
to be relied upon, and you are likely to be 
left in the lurch any minute. I can’t tolerate 
the thought of being obliged to go to bed 
with the problem of breakfast to work out, 
and to have my brain filled with roast beef 
and onions for the next dinner. I think the 
way in which some women engineer their 
households is simply marvelous. There is 
nothing in the man kingdom equal to it for 
diversity of cares and responsibilities. That 
two-thirds of them do not go sheer mad 
from distraction and the burden of care, is 
my constant wonder.” 
To put the matter simply as it is, it is very 
bad. When there is no help to be had , what 
are the people to do ? A man may leave 
his harvesting and ride about for days “ in 
search of a hired girl,” or a man, and be 
wholly unsuccessful, to say naught of the 
absolute expense incurred ; for time is money. 
I don’t know that 
My 1*1 nii for Relief 
is even a good one. But good or bad, I set 
it afloat, hoping it may provoke something 
absolutely better. It is not" original,” but 
is adapted from the “ Intelligence office” 
system cn vogue in cities. At some central 
place in each town (at a telegraph station is 
best) an intelligence office is formed, which 
consists of an agent—man or woman—who 
is in correspondence with similar offices in 
the nearest city, and also is posted in regard 
to home domestics. Lists of applicants 
wanting help, and lists of “ help” wanting 
situations, put the matter in a nutshell. 
When home help is exhausted, the city, by 
telegraph or letter, supplies the demand. 
The cost of transportation can he defrayed 
by deduction from the future wages of the 
employe, especially when employed for a 
considerable length of time. A small com¬ 
mission charged by the agent, defrays her 
expenses. Such an agency would never se¬ 
riously interfere with the pursuit of other 
work or profession. If half the money an¬ 
nually spent in sending tracts and weak- 
1 tinged parsons to the heathen, were spent 
in sending our starved miserables in tbe cities 
to the country, and thereby giving our hon¬ 
est and intelligent country people some do¬ 
cent leisure in which to expand their minds 
andsouls.I think the Lobd would be justas 
well satisfied, and vastly more glorified. 
There is some hope that John Chinaman 
will modify the labor question; but what 
corner of the earth sends us hope of intelli¬ 
gent help jn the Domestic Kingdom? Per¬ 
haps Catherine Beecher’s “ Woman’s 
University,” with the diplomas of “Domes¬ 
tic Science” will solve the trouble, when a 
bonnie lassie, wielding one of the blue rib¬ 
boned sheepskins will be installed in the 
homes of agricultural kings at a salary of 
$35 per month or more. 
But the sun goes down, and my “ mildly 
beaming” temper with it. The sunsets here 
are beyond description. People go so far 
to see beautiful things, and after all see 
nothing that can compare with the “Walls 
of the West” at this quiet hour, when the 
presence of God’s hand is so unmistakably 
seen in the “ low, sweet heavens.” But not 
one farmer out of ten thinks an unobstructed 
Our engraving represents a newly in¬ 
vented and thus far wonderfully successful 
Washing Machine, manufactured by Messrs. 
Brinkeuhoek & Van Dusen of Auburn, N. 
Y. The simple fact that over three hundred 
of these machines were sold in Cayuga coun¬ 
ty within three months from the lime of its 
first Introduction, proves that the Continen¬ 
tal must possess unusual merit. The pro¬ 
prietors of this valuable improvement thus 
describe its operation and advantages: 
PARING, CORING AND SLICING MACHINE. 
slice an ordinarily-sized apple—all done 
at once. lL pares without, slicing, if de¬ 
sired. It is a good thing, and worthy of 
commendation. See advertisement on last 
page of this No. 
A ftluvilcronn Sen Flower. 
One of the exquisite wondeis of the sea is 
called the opelet, and is about ns large as the 
German aster, looking, indeed, very much 
like one. Imagine a very large double aster, 
with ever so many long petals of a light 
green, glossy as satin, and each one tipped 
with rose color. These lovely petals do not 
lie quietly in their places, like those of the 
aster in your garden, but wave about, in the 
water, white the opelet generally clings to 
tile rock. I low innocent and lovely it looks 
on its rocky bed ! Who would suspect that 
it could cat anything grosser than dew or 
sunshine? But those beautiful waving arms, 
as you call them, have another use besides 
looking pretty. They have to provide food 
for a large, open mouth, which is hidden 
deep down among them—so well hidden that, 
one can scarcely find it. Well do they per¬ 
form their duty, for the instant that a foolish 
little fishlct touches one of the rosy tips he is 
struck ■with poison as fatal to him as light¬ 
ning. He immediately becomes numb, and 
in a moment stops struggling, and then the 
other beautiful arms wrap themselves around 
him, and ho is drawn into the huge, greedy 
mouth, and is seen no more. Then thelove- 
!y arms unclose and wave again in the water, 
looking as innocent and harmless as though 
they had never touched a fish. 
Thu Inlinencu of Vegetable PuiTuiiiuh upon 
Ihu AI mo sphere. 
An Italian professor has made researches 
which lead him to assert that vegetable per¬ 
fumes exercise ft healthful influence on the 
atmosphere,converting iis oxygen into ozone, 
and thus increasing its oxidizing influence. 
The essences that develop the largest quan¬ 
tity of ozone are those of cherry laurel, 
palmarosa, cloves, lavender, mint, juniper, 
lemons, fennel and bergamot; those that 
give it. in less quantify arc anise, nutmeg, 
enjeput and thyme. The flowers of the nar¬ 
cissus, hyacinth, mignonette, heliotrope and 
lily of the valley develop ozone in closed 
vessels. Flowers destitute of perfumery do 
not develop it, and those which lmvc but 
slight perfume develop it only in small 
quantities. As a corollary from these facts, 
the professor recommends the use of flowers 
iu marshy districts and in places Infested 
with animal emanations, as the powerful 
oxidizing Influence of ozone may destroy 
The inhabitants of such regions 
the cjOJsr r rnsrKisra’A_Li wovsinivGr m /yctiitvf: 
“ It will wash a single collar, or any quan- fourths of a pound of best mustai 
tity of small articles at once, up to the bulk it up in cold vinegar, and pour i 
ol two or three sheets. It will also wash vinegar. When it thickens, pom 
the hem of a garment, the collar or wrist- pickle. 
bands Of a Shirt, thG foot Of stockings, Or French Tomato I'ickh 
any part of any clothing that may require One peck of green tomatoes, 
more washing than the rest. For washing large onions, sliced, covered with 
bedding it cannot be excelled. A half-grown of salt, and left, over night. Ne: 
boy or girl can work it with ease, and but put it in a kettle, covered with 
from two to five minutes are required to wash water, one part vinegar, and allc 
a machine full of clothes. The machine ten minutes. Then drain it well 
does not rub the clothes a particle, and con- iu a jar. 
sequently docs not wear them, nor tear off Take vinegar enough to cover i 
buttons. Its action on the clothes is to turn of this scalded tomato, and ad< 
and squeeze, thereby forcing the water pounds of brown sugar, one-ha 
through them, the mass revolving in the white mustard seed, one teasp 
suds.” enne pepper, oue tablespoon of f 
— We have had one of these machines in tard, allspice, cloves, cinnann 
use for several weeks, for the purpose of Boil these together ten minute 
testing its merits. It has entirely overcome over the tomatoes. Scald the si 
the strong prejudice it, encountered when vinegar, and skim it before pu 
first placed in our laundry, and we have no other ingredients, 
hesitation in pronouncing the Continental Having tried and proved the r 
all that it is claimed to be, and heuco one of commend them to the readers ol 
the best machines for saving labor that any New-Yorker.—Emile. 
family can obtain. The ease, rapidity and 
thoroughness with which it does its work is Tomato Catsup, 
surprising. It will save any family a vast ^ writes the II 
amount of hard labor, as well as wear and Yorker:—” I make tomato < 
tear of clothes, and, in our judgment, needs t * ie billowing recipe: One-hal 
but to be fully tested to be approved and banaloes cut up; two tablespoor 
adopted. 8o well are we convinced of this ( ' iLLo ul pepper; hall a table 
that we have concluded to place it in our S mand muBuml; (lUto ot 
Premium List.— [Ed. Rural New-Yorker, clove9 5 one P int ^vinegar. 
Icicle* in tliu Coll* of Plants. 
At a meeting of tbe Academy of Sciences 
of Paris, on the 21st of February, M. Pril- 
lieux sent in an interesting paper on the 
congelation of plants. He has established 
the existence, normally, of large icicles iu 
the interior of all frozen plants. These 
icicles form small columns, perpendicular to 
the surface, and often penetrating the epi¬ 
dermis. The ice is formed from liquids de¬ 
rived from the cells. The cells themselves 
remain intact, so that, there is no destruction, 
but simply a separation of organs,and there¬ 
fore what has been said concerning the 
death of plants by freezing goes for nothing. 
them 
should surround their bruises with beds of 
tbe most odorous flowers. 
Tlie Uses ol Soapstone. 
Mrs. D. G. Johnson asks the Rural 
New-Yorker the uses, value, &c., of soap¬ 
stone. Steatite or soapstone has various 
uses. It is used for polishing serpentine 
marble, mirror glass, &c.; as a basis of cos¬ 
metic powder; as an ingredient iu anti¬ 
attrition pastes; for dusting the insides of 
boots iu order that the feet may slip in them 
easily; is rubbed upon grease spots on silk 
and woolen, by tailors, to remove the stains 
by absorption; is a component of crayons 
for certain uses; is used for tracing on glass, 
silk and woolen, &c. Of its market value 
in these various forms, or iu the crude state, 
we are not, informed. 
Apple Parent and Slicers. 
It is the time of drying fruit. Apple par¬ 
ing bees are in season. Tbe apple crop is 
abundant. Modem machinery lias been so 
improved, that nothing need be lost. Cider 
mills grind unmarketable apples Into cider. 
Cider vinegar sells at good prices, when 
known to be pure. But tbe surplus crop 
can be made available by drying it. The 
profit of drying apples depends upon the 
cost of the labor involved. Here is an en- 
CONTRIBUTED RECIPES. 
Tnunliiff Mote Skin 
We find the following in the New Eng¬ 
land FarmerTake the hide and draw it 
over a medium-sized corn cob, and place it 
in the sun. Then apply sweet oil to it once 
every twenty-four hours to prevent the hide 
from getting dry. After giving the hide 
about five applications of this oil, then 1 
take a little fine alum and rub tbe bide with 
it thoroughly. By this time the hide is per¬ 
fectly tanned.” 
Paint ro Prevent Decay ol Wood. 
We have several inquiries for further par¬ 
ticulars concerning the paint described in 
Rural New-Yorker, June 18, page 395. 
We gave at the time all the facts in our pos¬ 
session concerning it; and we have not been 
able to learn anything more yet. 
PotatoeM. 
Mention was made in a late Rural New- 
Yorker, of the manner in which potatoes 
are cooked at Saratoga, the writer question¬ 
ing such a fatty method. 1 can vouch for 
their being most delicious, thus cooked. If 
soaked in ice-water, and cooked in fat, enough 
for them to swim, like crullers, they svill not 
soak fat, but shed it, and turn as brown as 
mahogany. It is one of Prof. Blot’s meth¬ 
ods of cooking potatoes. 
(kiuuiuff Tomatoes. 
Inquiry is made how to can tomatoes. 
The better way is to put them up in glass 
cans, just as you do other fruit, except put 
nothing whatever in them. Just boil them 
down quite thick, and put them in cans, 
which you have on a tin, warming in an 
Roll Jell Cake. 
Four eggs, one cup of sugar, one cup of 
flour, oue tcaspoonful cream tartar, one-lialf 
teaspoonful soda, pinch of salt. This will 
make two cakes. Spread thin on long tins. 
As soon as baked, turn from the tins; flavor 
your jell and spread over the cake, and roll 
it up immediately. This will not break in 
rolling, if there is not too much flour in it, 
will keep some time, and is acknowledged 
by all who try it to be the best they ever 
saw.— Mary. 
UNION APPLE PARER. 
graving of the Union Apple Parer, which 
has no superior, probably. It is so construct¬ 
ed that the knife pares going both ways, thus 
saving time, without increasing the speed of 
the apple; it throws the parings from the 
machine; is simple; gears connect directly 
with each other; will not scrape over a hard 
DoihuhGc Inquirte*,—MARY asks:—“Will some 
of the readers of your paper tell us at what 
time and how to cook vegetable eggs?”—8. & 0. 
ask some one to give directions for bleaching or 
whitening beeswax. 
