MAV IS 
CORE'S RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
339 
latroit ami ^ouc L reign. 
A GREETING FROM TENNESSEE. 
Eds. Rural New-Yorker As an old 
reader and admirer of the Rural, I write 
you from this far-off “ Switzerland of Ameri¬ 
ca,” East Tennessee. Perhaps a short note 
from this part of the agricultural world may 
not be uninteresting to your many readers, 
coming as it does from a “ Granger,” Aud 
inasmuch as our Order claim it as part of 
their work to restore kindly feeling, and 
build up “a more perfect union” upon 
agriculture as the foundation stone between 
the North and South we send this as a kindly 
greeting to all Patrons whose eyes it may 
chance t* fall under, and invite you to come 
and make your homes with us. 
Come aud find wives for your sons, and 
husbands for your daughters, among our 
sons and daughters. Come and help m 
develop this highly-favored land—its agri¬ 
cultural and mineral resources. We have 
already some Jersey and New York farmers 
in our midst, but not enough ; we have also 
some from t he West and Northwest; hut we 
want more. Come, we have a generous 
climate, as well also as a generous people, 
who will welcome you to their homes and 
firesides, and who are willing aud anxious to 
sell you some of their superfluous lauds at 
reasonable prices. 
While you are now driven in doors with 
snow from nine to eighteen inches deep, and 
ice from two to seven feet in thickness, we 
are busy out-doors with our oat sowing and 
gardening. The song of the blue bird is 
heard and the turtle dove is cooing to its 
mate the love song of nest building. The 
hyacinth is shedding its delicate fragrance 
on the balmy air, and the buttercups and 
Jonquill stand full blown to receive the glad 
sunshine. The wheat fields and meadows 
have already donned their brightest green, 
and the meadow lark gladdens the morning 
with his cheerful song. But the gloom of a 
great shadow rests upon us now. We have 
recently been visited with a destructive 
flood. Our rivers and creekB, which at low 
water are the pride and boast of this portion 
of the State, from the late tremendous rains, 
became maddening torrents sweeping every¬ 
thing in their path. An immense amount of 
property has been swept away and destroyed, 
consisting of grain, stock, buildings and 
fencing, amounting to more than a million 
of dollars in value. 
For fear I may trespass on valuable space 
I wilt close, promising if acceptable to give 
you, in a future letter, some items in detail 
of our mode of farming and home life. 
John M. Meek. 
Fancy Meadow, Jefferson Co., Tenn. 
---- 
THE RISE AND WONDERFUL FROORESS 
OF THE P. OF H. 
The N. Y. Sun says Past Master Wright of 
California, author of the “Declaration of 
Purposes of the National Grange,” and 
Worthy Lecturer Thompson were enter¬ 
tained recently by Knickerbocker Grange, 
No. 154, Patrons of Husbandry. Among the 
entertainers were Worthy Master Moop.e, 
Editor of the Rural New-Yorker, Past 
Masters Wells vnd Munday, Overseer 
Wilson, Secretary Naughton, Prof. Hal- 
leck, Brother C. Edward Lester, author of 
“ The Glory and Shame of England,” and 
Sisters Halleck, Naughton, and Benedict. 
Grand Lecturer Thompson said : 
I see before me a brother and a sister— 
Professor and Mrs. Halleck—who became 
Grangers at the same time that I did, in ’6b, 
wnen there were only twenty Granges iu 
the united States, and a connection with 
the infant Order was almost disgraceful. 
American farmers, until recently have ig¬ 
nored the principle tint is moving the world 
—tne principle of association. Their indi¬ 
vidualization was the cause of their subjec¬ 
tion to almost every other interest. Six 
years ago no manufacturers dealt with us 
directly ; no elevators or warehouses were 
owned by us, and no banks or insurance 
companies were controlled by Us. Now, in 
one State alone, there are thirty-eight lire 
insurance companies; and more than half of 
tne elevators and warehouses iu Iowa and 
Wisconsin are under our control. Further¬ 
more, we have agents in every section of the 
country to whom we ship our products, and 
irorn whom we receive prices forty or fifty 
per cent, higher than those we used to get 
irom local buyers. In consequence of the 
fairness of our treatment ny these agents, 
who are bound by tne ties of W jod 
ana heavy money oor.d* *•- Matrons of 
UJUin 13,1 ar.o, . .Ming to -i •- - ,i <miica- 
tiona, wil. sa- at !r*a-t c 2 v-vu,0U’ -u 1S75. 
aixyears ago there were ten Granges : the 
tw* VC ’r l - irjre were thirty-eight; then xt, 
nno ty v iae: , tlie next > 10 . i the next, 20,- 
there are Steen Granges joining 
our ranks daily, and we number 1,500,000. 
Our experience is pointed proof that women 
are worthy members of every union. IVe 
have 400,000 of them among us, aud we 
ought to be qualified to give an opinion of 
this kiud. 
Past Master Wright said : 
1 heartily endorse what our Worthy Lec¬ 
turer has said. The Grange movement be¬ 
gan in California two years ago, yet we 
nave accomplished some important results 
in behalf of agriculture. Our State Grange 
was formed when there were only 4,500 sub¬ 
ordinate Granges in the whole country. We 
now have 243 subordinate Granges, with a 
membership of 20,000. We have saved be¬ 
tween $4,000,000 a id 35.000,000. The Granges 
have also brought neighbors together, who, 
although living only r few miles apart, were 
almost strangers. We have, the 1 Grangers’ 
Bank of California,” with a capital of $.5,000,- 
000, which is doing good service ; and the 
“ Farmers’ Fire Insura nee Company,” which 
insures our property at one-third of the 
former rates. We are completing a busi¬ 
ness association on a basis of $1,000,000. We 
do nob expect these corporations to manage 
all our affairs, but mere y to establish healthy 
competition. We have done much to reunite 
the sections sundered by the war. 
NEWS AND NOTES FOR PATRONS. 
Lewis H. Clark of Sod us, Wayne Co., 
and Samuel B. Street of Avooa, Steuben 
Co., have been appointed General Deputies 
of the P. of H. for this State. 
The Master of the National Grange and 
the Master of the Missouri State Grange be¬ 
fore their election served as Masters of the 
same subordinate grange. 
The Brookfield, Mass. Grangers have 
started a store and the Southbridge Sover¬ 
eigns are going to have one. 
South Branch Grange, 1,010, Kansas, 
opposes all degress higher than the fourth as 
fertile sources of caste feeling and division. 
The Granges In Mississippi pledge their 
protection to all bona fide settlers. 
RECIPES IN SEASON. 
CUCUMBERS, PICKLES, LETTUCE, TOMATOES, &C. 
BY AUNT LOU. 
As so many recipes appear in the papers, 
just after the fruits or vegetables to which 
they refer are quite done, I will send these 
in advance of the crop. They are mostly 
about cucumbers, winch are so seldom used 
except as pickles or sliced in vinegar when 
fresh. 
Fried Cucumbers .—Rub the cucumber well 
when washing; slice lengthwise • lay the 
slices on a cloth or drainer ; sprinkle with 
salt, and leave for a half hour. Then, having 
Rome butter or lard boiling hot, dip in flour 
your slices and fry until brown. The butter 
must, be kept to the boiling heat all the time. 
To be eaten as soon as possible after taken 
from the Are. 
Stewed Cucumbers .—Pare and slice ; sprin¬ 
kle with salt and leave standing in a drawer 
one hour ; then stir in a little water until 
done. Drain off the water and season with 
butter, cream and pepper. 
Mixed Pickles ,—These do not consist of 
Cucumbers alone but of beans, radish pods, 
martynias, cauliflowers and young corn when 
very small, each gathered arid stored away 
in time, to which a small portion of alum has 
been added. The cucumbers are used after 
they are grown and have become yellow. 
Pare, slice lengthwise and cut in any fancy 
shape, sprinkle with salt and a very little 
alum—say a teaspoonful to a pint of salt. 
Let stand twenty-four hours ; then, having 
freshened the other articles, place all togeth¬ 
er in a jar ; pour on hot vinegar ; let stand 
one week ; then drain this off and add fresh 
vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed and pep¬ 
per. 
The full grown cucumber is also used as a 
sweet pickle, but I cannot say I fancy the 
dessert when we have so many better arti¬ 
cles. It is also good in making up chow- 
chow. After having taken the slices of cu¬ 
cumber from the salt, wash and chop fine ; 
chop also green tomatoes, beans, (corn when 
quite small,) &e,, all having been salted 
tweuty-four hours at least, or kept in brine 
Bince gathering—the salt removed by soaking 
iu fresh water, however. These should all 
be chopped fine a* possible and scalded in 
strong vinegar. Let stand a week in this ; 
then add the mustard seed, celery seed, gin¬ 
ger, cloves, cinnamon, to fresh vinegar ; also, 
a tablespoonful of sugar to eaoh pint of vin- 
gar. (This should be done in all pickles.) 
Drain the vinegar from the chow-chow ; mix 
thcr 'i-.ghh with the spices In the fresh vine¬ 
gar, and store away. T use jugs ; it is a little 
difficult to take the chow-chow from these ; 
bat it keeps ro much better, can be sealed so 
much easier, that, it pays well. 
Cucumber Pickles.—Every one knows how 
to make these, of course ; but here’s a space 
left, on ray paper that must be filled, Pick 
and wash the cucumbers when not more 
than three days’ growth ; pack io a keg or 
jar in close layers ; over each layer place a 
layer of salt in which alum—a tablespoonful 
to each pint of salt—has been well mixed ; 
do not add any water, as the water drawn 
from the cucumbers will cover them. When 
wanted, freshen them and scald in strong 
vinegar, spiced to taste; add to it a table¬ 
spoonful of sugar to each pint of vinegar. 
Drain the pickles dry and cover with the 
fresh vinegar, and you have the best of 
pickles. 
Doubtless, some will consider my pickles 
rather expensive on account of waste of vin¬ 
egar and use of sugar ; hut the vinegar 
which is first poured over the pickle will im¬ 
bibe too much of the salt to be agreeable to 
the taste, and will sooner or later loBe its 
strength, while the fresh vinegar poured 
over the. pickles already sour, has nothing to 
do but. keep the pickles from losing any of 
its strength, while the addition of sugar 
keeps the vinegar in full strength all the 
time ; and as there is enough wastage In 
every family arising from soured fruit or 
from the rinsings ol' preserve dishes, jelly 
glasses aud other sweet and sour viands to 
keep up a. good supply of good vinegar all 
the time, the expense thus increased is very 
small. 
Lettuce is another of our garden products 
which is capable of many changes as to prep¬ 
aration for the table. An excellent dish 
may be prepared as follows : First, have nice 
heads of lettuce, tender and crisp : wash and 
cut into shreds or, if preferred, into quart- 
el's ; have ready some cream to which a 
small bit of butter aud some salt and pepper 
have been added : heat this to the boiling 
point and pour over the lettuce, covering for 
a few moments. This is almost a dish of 
green peas, which comes in long before we 
can have those favorites of the table. 
Fried Tomatoes is another excellent dish. 
Slice rather, thickly ; salt, pepper and roll in 
flour ; then fry brown in butter kept to a 
boiling heat all the time. 
Another good way to prepare tomatoes is 
to add a little flour and sweet cream to stew¬ 
ed tomatoes, just before dishing them. No 
crackers or bread is needed ; pepper, salt 
and butter, as in other dishes, constitute the 
seasoning. 
Now. I’ll Uuish this sheet with my Ameri¬ 
can Yorkshire l’udding. When scraps of 
bread, and such meat as is no longer avail- 
aide only as “hash,” have accumulated, chop 
the meat finely, soften the brood with boiling 
water, then mix meat, aud bread together, 
add an egg or two, some salt, pepper and 
sago ; bake in an ordinary baking pan. Thus 
you save bread and meat and have an excel¬ 
lent dish that isn’t hash ! 
TO SETTLE COFFEE WITHOUT EGOS. 
“ Put the ground coffee (two tablespoon¬ 
fuls or more, according to the size of the 
family,) to soak over night in about a tea^ 
cupful of water. In the morning add more 
water aud put it over to boil, boiling 15 or 
20 minutes ; then fill in what water is neces¬ 
sary and put the coffee pot on the stove 
hearth ; iu 15 minutes or so the coffee will 
pour off clear as amber-colored claret. If 
any be left after the meal is over, it can be 
heated again with better result, than if it 
had been settled with eggs in the beginning.” 
The above recipe, which appeared in the 
Rural New-Yorker, April 10, is an excel¬ 
lent one to extract the flavor and strength 
of the coffee, but it does not leave the liquid 
clear by any means. By putting the coffee 
pot on the hearth for 15 minutes or more, 
the coffee will become nearly cold, and it is 
never so good when heated the second time. 
I think I have improved upon tin’s recipe by 
simply using the white of an egg, well beaten 
and mixed up with the grounds and liquid 
before removing the coffee-pot from lhe fire ; 
it then becomes amber, clear, or the color of 
dark brandy. The veclpe, however, is a good 
one, as it saves at least one-third of the quan¬ 
tity generally used. 
At the present price of coffee this method 
saves in twelve months about three subscrip¬ 
tions to the Rural New-Yorker. I mean 
the quantity required for one person alone. 
If others will try the above plan I am cer¬ 
tain that it will prove successful and will 
also convince them of the economy of sub¬ 
scribing to a good paper. r. k. u 
Oakburn, N. Y., April, 1875. 
Jnformation. 
TEA DRINKING.—THE OTHER SIDE. 
Mr Moore Being a constant reader of 
your most valuable paper. I have seen in 
the number of April the 10th an article 
entitled “ Tea Drunkards,” iu which Dr. 
Arlidoe, one of the Pottery Inspectors of 
Staffordshire, says that “Tea Drinking, in 
anything beyond moderate quantities is as 
distinctly a narootlc poison as is opium or 
alcohol,” and that “ tea drinking is capable 
of ruining the digestion, of enfeebling and 
disordering the heart’s action and of general¬ 
ly shattering the nerves.” 
In answer to the above T would like to tell 
the readers of your paper that, such is not 
the case as thorough experience in drinking 
loamy self for over twelve years will show. 
During my stay in the northern parts of 
China, I used to drink tea at an average of 
about 35 to 40 teacups (of common size) daily, 
and I never felc better in iny life than 
during that time. I never had cause to 
complain a single day, and I have known 
others who drank tea t,o the same extent, 
and may be more, for a longer period, and 
those likewise were in perfect health. Like 
myself nobody ever experienced* disorder 
of the. heart’s action, or a shattering of the 
nerve, on the contrary tea strengthens the 
digestion, in anybody either a strong and 
healthy, or weak and sickly constitution. 
Much tea drinking, in a longer period of 
time, will purify the blood and strengthen 
the system ; itexcitos the brain, if the tea is 
of an unusual strength, but that is all. Tea 
has many properties beneficial to the human 
system too numerous to mention hero. If a 
good quality of tea can he procured it is 
cheaper for the. poorer classes of people, than 
any other beverage, and many others drink 
tea, either for a change or for Its delicious 
flavor. 
Should these facts be suitable for your 
paper you very likely would oblige many of 
your readers by giving such information. 
E. Mashkoff. 
Fort Hall, Idaho, April 21,1875. 
BORAX. 
SOME OF ITS REMEDIAL PROPERTIES. 
It may be interesting to some to know that 
a weak solution of borax water snuffed up 
the nostrils, causing it to pass through to the 
nasal passage to the throat, then ejecting it 
from the mouth, will greatly relieve catarrh, 
and iu cases not too obstinato or long-stand¬ 
ing, will, if persevered in, effect a permanent 
cure, It is also of great value in case of in¬ 
flamed or weak eyes. Make a solution (not 
too strong), and bathe the eye by opening 
and shutting it two or three times in the 
water. This can be done by means of an eye 
cup, or equally well by holding a handful of 
the water to the eye. Auother difficulty, 
with which many persons are afflicted is an 
irritation or inflammation of the membrane 
lining the cavities of the nose, which becomes 
aggravated by the slightest cold, often caus¬ 
ing great pain. This can be greatly relieved, 
if not entirely cured, by snuffing borax 
water uj» the nostrils two or three times a 
day. The most difficult cases of sore throat 
may be cured by useing it simply as a gar¬ 
gle. As a wash for the head it not only 
leaves the scalp very white and elean, 
but renders the hair soft and glossy. 
It has also been found by many to 
be of invaluable service in case of nervous 
headache. If applied in the same manner as 
in washing the hair the result is wonderful. 
It may be used quite strong, after which 
rinse the hair carefully with clear water ; 
let the person thus suffering remain in a 
quiet, well-ventilated room until the hair is 
nearly or quite dry, and, if possible, indulge 
in a short sleep, and there will hardly remain 
a trace of the headache. If clergymen, 
teachers, and others, who have an undue 
amount of brain work for the kind and 
quality of physical exercise usually taken, 
would shampoo the head in this manner 
about once a week, and then undertake no 
more brain work until the following morning, 
they would be surprised to find how clear 
and strong the faculties had become, and 
there is reason to hope there would be much 
less premature decay of the mental facul¬ 
ties. As a toilet requisite it is quite indis¬ 
pensable. If used to rinse the mouth each 
time after cleaning the teeth it will prevent 
the gums from becoming diseased or un¬ 
cleanly. In short, in all cases of allaying 
inflammation there is probably nothing 
better in materia medica. The average 
strength of the solution should be a small 
teaspoonful to a toilet glass of water. 
