on the bottom. When it has swollen all it 
will, add more water, and then put the 
stew pan into a kettle of hot water and leave 
it cooking several hours—the longer the bet¬ 
ter, as the longer it is cooked the softer and 
more jelly-like it becomes. Having the stew 
pan in another kettle of hot water prevents 
its burning on the bottom, and you are re¬ 
lieved from constant stirring. It is good with 
milk, sirup, or sweetened milk, or oven with 
butter alone. l. w. g. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
fire ! Is not that a thing to be proud of I A 
very little water judiciously applied to coal, 
and especially to cinders—for I trust I am 
speaking to those who economically sift 
tiieir coal—makes it burn all the better, and 
prevents the dust from rising. And since 
little things are of consequence, and it is 
always worth while to save our time and 
labor when we can, let me beg of you to lay 
down a paper before the hearth wheu you 
draw out your pan. Have ft regular time 
for filling and taking care of stoves, and let 
one person only attend to the same fire : 
they are a national class of inanimates, and 
cannot abide too many masters. Usually 
they will be quite satisfied with a reasonable 
share of attention, night and morning, but 
on very cold days it will be necessary to 
clean the grate of cener. Where it is possible 
to obtain charcoal, ono need not, dread tho 
kindling of fires. A very good and easy 
method, is to light the charcoal in a stove 
containing fire, and when it is fully ignited 
remove it to your empty stove. Once lighted 
it will not be extinguished till it lias accom¬ 
plished its work. 
In your preparations for Winter, do not 
forget the loose sashes, but take the time to 
calk them well with a bit of cotton pushed 
into place with a case knife. It may be 
done very neatly, and no one will be the 
wiser. Chase out the cold wind from under 
the doors with strips of list, and stop the 
crack under the mop board with newspaper. 
One of the terrors of the cold season, i3 the 
difficulty of avoiding chills and Bhivprinsr at 
mean 
FAX IN FORAGE PLANTS, 
A WOMAN’S THOUGHTS, 
The following interesting article wo find 
in the Scientific American :—“To ary ono 
not a chemist or a quadruped, the last place 
to look for fat would be a haymow or a stack 
of straw ; yet it appears, from recent inves¬ 
tigation, that, fat is not only an essential con¬ 
stituent of bay and straw and similar forms 
of vegetation, but one of considerable eco¬ 
nomic value. In the lower leaves of oats in 
blossom Arndt found as much as 10 per cent, 
of the dry eight to consist of fat and wax, 
the latter i pouring U3 the blush bloom so 
conspicuous < m tho loaves of 1 uxuriant cereals. 
In fodder crops, generally the greatest pro¬ 
portion of fat is found in young and thrifty 
plants. Tlius Way found early meadow 
gros3 to contain 6>£ per cent, of fat, while 
in that of the same meadow collected in the 
latter part of June, there was little more 
than 9 per cent. The proportion of fat is in¬ 
creased by nitrogenous manure ; the grass of 
a aeworaged meadow at Rugby contained 4 
per cent, of fat. 
Tho nature of this sort of vegetable fat was 
investigated some little time ago by the Ger¬ 
man chemist IvOnig, who found that by treat¬ 
ment with strong alcohol the fat of grass and 
clover hay Could be separated in two parts, 
ouc a solid, waxy substance, the othera fluid 
fat, solublo in alcohol. At first he considered 
the latter to be u true glycerine, but changed 
his mind after the investigation of Sciiultz, 
who proved that, though it contains tho 
same proportion of carbon and hydrogen as 
ordinary fat, the fluid fat of bay is some¬ 
thing quite different, since no glycerine can 
be obtained from it. 
Konig has sinco confirmed these results 
and carried forward the investigation, show¬ 
ing how the fat of oats, rye and vetch seed is 
constituted. In all these formsof vegetation, 
hay, oat straw, tho grain of oata, rye, vetch¬ 
es and possibly others, he finds oleic and pal¬ 
mitic acids, not combined with glycerine but 
in u free Btato ; and us these acids iu their 
combi nations are well known.as largo ingredi¬ 
ents of nutritive fats and oils, it is likely 
that, they have a considcable influence on tho 
value of these plants for fodder. 
Koxn> ;il :o imils in hay and in oat straw 
the important ingredient of animal bile, cho- 
letitenin; s. ,1 furthc , ccrotic acid, a waxy 
body which forms 23 per cent, of ordinary 
beeswax, and two f tty substances new to 
science, one fluid and tiio other solid. They 
are distinct compounds having the character 
of fatty alcohols. Another interesting dis¬ 
covery in hay is tho presence of a hydro-car¬ 
bon, the relations of which are not fully rnado 
out. In several respects it agrees with soma 
of the paraffins.” 
AFTER reading the Rural of Dee. 12, I 
could not refrain from making just oue wish 
in regard to that individual who told us what 
he had to eat for a single day, and held up 
for the world’s ridicule the shortcomings of 
the woman whe, for aught we know, may 
be doing the best she call with the talents 
she possesses, and in tho position in which I 
fate has placed her. I wished that by some 
mysterious transformation that Western 
school-master might, be, for the space of one 
year metamorphosed into r farmer’s wife 
with plenty of work, no servant girl, and 
minus the happy faculty of making two ends [ 
meet together which, try as they may, some 
women seem never to possess. I think quite 
likely that when ho donned again his mascu¬ 
line attire and wen* back to his profession, 
ha would be a more easily satisfied boarder I 
and a more charitable man. But wouldn’t I 
like to board in his family during that year ? 
How we would live I To-day we wo .id have 
for breakfast beefsteak done to tho finest 
point of perfection, and we would dine off 
roast turkey ; to-morrow we would have 
oyster soup for breakfast and chicken pie for 
dinner; and along with these would come 
vegetables of every description, pies, pud¬ 
dings, rich cakes and a constant variety of 
preserves. This is not a sample of our usual 
fare, merely, but of what it would be every 
day. There would bo no failures, no lack in 
the culinary department from any cause 
whatever. The washing might be unusually 
large and the baby unusually cross ; churn¬ 
ing and cleaning might crowd themselves in 
upon baking day, but none of these things 
could affect us in tho least,. We should find 
the table cloth and napkins Immaculate, and 
the table as bountifully provided with good 
tilings es though we were waited on by half 
a dozen servants and tho mistress had noth¬ 
ing to do but supervise. 
Seriously, I think Pedagogious somewhat j 
unfair. Ho does not complain that he usually 
fares poorly, but for a single day his meals 
were not what he would wish them to be, 
and he treats this fact as if it was an error 
unpardonable. How does he know what 
may have been the cause of that day’s fail¬ 
ure ? It certainly could not have been occa- 
sioned by laziness on the part of tho house¬ 
keeper, for ho tells U3 that she toiled unceas¬ 
ingly from morning till night. She may have 
been engaged in some work of charity which 
seemed to her more worthy of her attention 
than ministering to the physical nature. Per- 
hap- her temples throbbed with pain and the 
preparation of those three pimple meals may 
have cost her more effort than o. whole week 
of the pedagogue’s labor co~t him. Perhaps 
she was tired out, worn out, discouraged, and 
the dissatisfi id face of her boarder, who felt 
like swearing and therefore probably looked 
like it, may have added another drop of bit¬ 
terness to tho cup already full enough of care 
and perplexity. Suppose he had put aside 
a'.! thoughts of profanity and spoken cheering, 
sympathizing words to the toiling woman ; 
perchance he might have found underneath 
the dull, indifferent exterior, a mine of good¬ 
ness and unsuspected thought. It R not ca y 
for a woman who combines the duties of 
Run drees, cook, dairywomau and general 
housekeeper to always have everything just 
as she would wish it to be, and when there 
13 a failure, if it is met with contempt, ridi¬ 
cule or dissatisfaction, it is often grievous to 
be borne. 
If Pedagogious is obliged to subsist con¬ 
tinually upon miserable, poorly-cooked food, 
then he certainly has my sympathy ; but if 
this is, as I should judge from his article, an 
exceptional case, I should think that, his in¬ 
tellectual, spiritual and physical nature ought 
to bs able to stand the shock without receiv¬ 
ing any Rating Injury. Neal Newton*. 
8ELECTED RECIPES, 
Wash the shells perfect- 
Oystera Roasted, 
ly clean, wipe them dry, and lay them on a 
gridiron, the largest side to the fire; set it 
over a bright bed of coals. When the shelR 
open wide and the oyster looks white, they 
are done ; fold a napkin on a large dish or 
tray, lay the oysters on in their sheila, tak¬ 
ing care not to lose the juice; serve hot. 
When oysters are served roasted at supper 
there must be a small tub between each two 
chairs to receive the shells, and large, coarse 
napkins, called oyster napkins. Serve cold 
butter, and rolls or crackers with roasted 
oysters. 
Breakfast Cake.— In absence of potatoes; 
or, to be eaten with butter while warm. 
Equal parts sifted corn meal and flour; stir 
or sift in carefully while dry one teaspoonful 
of cream of tartar. Dissolve in milk (suffi¬ 
cient to mix, and form a batter that will 
pour easily into baking tins), one level tea- 
spoonful each of carbonate of soda and salt, 
Lastly, add one or two ably cool 
night:—how to reach the happy 
between a heated bedroom and ft comfort- 
sweeten to taste. Lastly, add one or two ably cool, but not cold apartment. Have 
(according to supply) well beaten eggs to one enough covering on the beds for warmth, 
cake, and bake in a quick oven to a nice avoid weight if possible. Blankets are light 
brown. Do not scald and spoil your meal. and warm ; quilts are objectionable, becom- 
Gcrman Toast. -To one egg, beaten well, matted and heavy after constant use. 
add one cup sweet milk or cream, season A " d '< JP" f ol,ow of some 
with a little salt and pepper. Cut in slices f^nsing an ? f tltctl newspapers 
st ,1e bread, and dipin the milk to moisten, ^to your comfortobles take my advice and 
and fry in butter on a griddle. This we don’fuse the New YbrkTribune, unless you 
think is an extra nice dish for breakfast. Wlshto be reminded of its presence through 
the dark hours ; for however much may be 
flood Johnny Cake. —Beat up one egg with said in its praise in all other respects, I can 
one-third of a cup of sugar, add one table- testify from my own experience, that It is 
spoonful of melted butter, and one pint of too noisy a bedfellow for real comfort, 
sweet milk, t wo and a half cups of meal,half | My pen lingers before taking up the sub- 
cup of flour, teaspoonful of cream-of-tartar j ec t ,,f dress as it relates to the question 
and half teaspoon fill of soda. before us. Alas, poor human nature I Pride 
Grandmother's Gingerbread. —Cup and a- is so warm a companion, that 1 hesitate to 
half of molasses, cup rich sour cream, tea- suggest any other. I have known a pair of 
spoon saleratus, tablespoonful ginger ; mix bracelets, or a necklace, to be sufficient pro- 
a little stiff. tection against many a chilling wind, and a 
-- _ - basque of alapaca, with a thin lining, to 
(Wjv ♦ ♦ CHI ft .« answer every purpose for a shopping expe- 
D mimic ^ntormatum. dition, when the thermometer stood at zero. 
Let. us defy Dame Fashion for once, 0, my 
sisters. Let ua be brave enough to be com¬ 
fortable. Warm sacks, or even blanket 
shawls, are better than coughs and sore 
throats; even though “everybody wears 
suits.” Thick soled boots, and “Arctics,” 
are conducive to clear voices, and unimpaired 
constitutions, if they are not handsome. In 
our changable climate there is scarcely one 
who can afford to dress without flannels, 
and however one may argue for cotton hose 
woolen is undoubtedly the best and safest. 
Every lady should have a flannel wrapper ; 
red flannel is the best and prettiest, and 
though it may cost what may seem a large 
sum—I write now, for those who are obliged 
to count the dollars and cents—when it is 
once made, you will not be willing to be 
without one again, though you use it only 
for a dressing gown. 
Lastly, in all your preparations, do not 
forget the little children. See to it that 
their tender bodies are protected from the 
frosty air. No matter how homely their 
garments, have them so made that children 
shall be kept from exposure to the chilly 
winds. A pair of red flannel gymnastic 
drawers with elastic tape at waist and 
ankles to put on when they play out of doors 
will save the little girls many a severe cold. 
Let us fight the weather and be happy. 
HOW SHALL WE KEEP WARM? 
nv A. ZALIA 
“ How I do dread the cold weather." is a 
remark that frequently greets our ear, and 
the question “ How shall we keep warm?” 
becomes one of special interest to all who do 
not take flight, like the birds, to a milder 
climate. Changeable as our weather is, and 
cold and dimgreeable as our winters are, 
there are yet rnuny devices, easy of adoption 
by which we may rob winter of half its 
terrors, if we will study to that effect. Aud 
I speak uow, not to those favored children of 
fortune who dwell iu palaces, whose rooms 
are made delightful with a never failing 
warmth ; who entertain vague ideas of the 
furnace, or steam pipes, but know nothing 
further than that Patrick takes care of the 
fires, and understands his business. Does 
not the Rural New-Yorker knock at 
many 
a door whose panels are kept clean and 
bright by its mistress ? Does it not sit down 
at numberless firesides kindled and kept 
burning by no other hand than the willing 
one of the house mother ? It is to such only 
that 1 wish to unfold my plans for cheating 
old Winter, and keeping away his icy Angers 
from our hearths. 
Happy are those who can boast a wood 
pile, and a goodly supply of wood stoves. 
Some of your subscribers desire to know the They remain in blissful ignorance of coal 
best way to cook oatmeal. We have always ashes and chapped hands. I shall pass them 
used a great quantity of it, as my wife, being bv, for I believe that tho majority of my 
of Scotch descent, always had it at home, and readers are those who find it easier and 
we consider it not only healthy but very dc- cheaper to burn coal, and I hope they are 
licious and quite indispensable in a family tho happy possessors of stoves with anti- 
where there are children. We make it as clinker grates, whose fires, once kindled, 
follows: scorn to retire from active duty till spring 
First, be sure to get new, fresh oatmeal, as appears. Do not stare, gentle reader. A 
if it becomes damp or old it is bitter. Put good stove, if properly cared for, will keep 
one quart of water into a tinned stew pan ; fire all the winter long ; I know, for I have 
salt sufficient to be paRtable ; ssir in care- tried the experiment in the best stove ever 
fully, so as not to have it lumpy, three or made. Think of a stove which abides pa 
four handfuls of oatmeal. Put it over the tiently at home while its mistress makes a 
fire and stir continually until it has swollen three days’ visit, and comes back to find it, 
all it will, using care not to have it burn like Casabianm, at its post, surrounded by 
HOW TO OOOK OATMEAL 
HYGIENIC N0TE8, 
Wart Remedy. —Take oil of vitriol and a 
feather, or anything that you can apply it 
with, touch the wart with ever so little and 
in one or two seconds apply oil or any soft 
grease, and I will warrant the war. to leave 
slowly and not be very sore. This is good to 
take warts off horses. Tt is the best I have 
ever used. Try it.—A. Donald. 
Remedy for Diphtheria. —Bake. Irish pota¬ 
toes, turn them out. of their skins, strew 
thickly with salt, moisten with strong 
spirits of camphor, apply ro the throat as 
hot as can be borne. This simple remedy 
has cured severe cases of this disease.— A 
Reader. 
