OORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
I 
piarji  of  a 
DAILY  RURAL  LUR 
From  the  Diary  of  a  Centleman  near  New 
York  City. 
A  HEAVY  SHOT  EROM  TEItlESSEC. 
Jan.  4.— The  Editors  of  the  ftuTiAL  New 
YeBKEE  are  in  receipt  of  the  foUomng  letter, 
which  has  been  called  out  by  some  retnarks  of 
mine  that  appeared  a  few  weeks  since  in  this  de¬ 
partment.  Not  being  disposed  to  shirk  any  re¬ 
sponsibility  or  to  deprive  my  opponent  of  fail- 
play,  I  give  his  communiciition  entire : 
Edb.  Rurajl  New-Yobkeb:— In  your  issue  of 
Nov.  27  I  notice  that  I  am  charged  with  egotism 
and  direct  falfwjhood.  If  the  charge  had  not 
been  made  by  a  “gentleman"  I  would  not  con¬ 
descend  to  notice  it.  The  circular  which  “A 
Gentleman  near  New  York  City"  criticises  so 
severely  might.  I  confess,  have  been  worded 
differently.  It  was  intended  to  say  tJmt  I  found 
the  plant  and  determined  to  offer  it  for  sale. 
Until  I  offered  it  for  sale,  I  had  not  seen  it  ad¬ 
vertised  by  any  of  the  professional  gardeners, 
not  withstanding  I  am  In  constant  correspondence 
^vith  a  great  many. 
Iffy  circular  was  sent  mostly  to  professional 
gardeners,  and  the  botanical  name  was  given  in 
each  circular.  tVill  any  one  suppose  that  tho 
botanical  name  would  have  accompanied  the  ad¬ 
vertisement  if  deotudion  had  been  intonded  ?  1 
bad  no  intention  of  robbing  Mr.  Lixne  or  any 
other  man  of  anj-thmg  due  them.  'I'he  “gen¬ 
tleman"  sneers  at  the  idea  of  an  n^aw  having 
tmltious  xootd.  I  dosiro  to  call  his  attention  to 
the  Gardeners’  Monthly,  edited  by  Thomas  Mee¬ 
han.  On  page  90  he  vdll  find  the  following : 
“Aoaue  T'ir<7t7iicrtr. — J.  C.  O..  Knoxvi'Jh.i, 
IVnn  sends  some  “bulbs"  for  a  name,  which 
we  give  as  above.  The  plant  is  well  wortljw  of 
cultivaUon— not  for  its  beauty  CgrccmHh-\\^ito  ; 
llower)  but  for  its  curious  struclun*  and  -vory 
sweet  odor.  It  is  closely  allied,  botanica/ly,  hi  1 
tbo  tubort>bt‘^  jintl  ilH  fi'agvftticc,  tbou^b  not  (itt  I 
great  as  the  tulK;ro.se.  is  still  anggestivck  of  it.  | 
We  have  been  told  by  n  Wilmington  coruosjiond-  t 
ont  that  a  varietv  of  the  sauu!  plant  kas  been 
found  in  South  Gaxoliu/i,  with  loaves  spotted 
mth  red.  There  is  no  doubt  much  good  mate¬ 
rial  for  ornamental  gardoning  to  bo  found  in 
tlieso  wild  plants." 
Tho  plant  propagates  almost  identioidly  as  the 
tuberose,  putting  off  offshoots  at  the  bottom  of 
the  bulb.  It  is  too  much  to  say  tfcat  when  a 
nian  has  seen  one  Agava  Virginica  jilant  that  he 
has  seen  tho  whole  family.  There  are  several 
varieties  of  folUuje. 
“A  gentloinan"  says  that  an  agave  having 
bitlftotis  roots  is  certainly  somethlisg  new  in  soi- 
oiice."  It  Is  possible  (barely  so,  I  a<kmt)  that  he 
does  not  know  everythin*.  If  bo  wi»hos  to  dis¬ 
cuss  the  subject  gcientiflcalhj,  I  will  refer  him  to 
Mr.  Meeuan.  Your  correspondent  is  disposed  to 
be  witty  at  my  e.\peiiso  and  speaks  of  me  as  the 
“  oldest  man  aUve."  It  is  true  that  the  days  of 
my  childhood  have  passed,  and  tiaat  I  have  long 
been  grappling  with  tlic  stern  realties  of  life.  I 
am  not  too  old,  however,  to  remember  the  teimh- 
iugs  of  the  fireside  and  the  Simday-school,  where 
I  learned  that  to  he  a  gentleman  is  a  very  differ¬ 
ent  thing  from  b«jing  calk'd  one.  Yom-  “  gentle¬ 
man  "  may  bo  a  bravo  man,  but  he  certainly  dis¬ 
counts  his  manliness  when  he  charges  falsehood 
uprm  an  entire  stranger  without  sufficient  cause. 
Possibly  the  charge  would  not  have  been  made  if 
the  parties  had  been  face  to  face  inutead  of  hun¬ 
dreds  of  miles  apart. — John  C,  Gunn,  JL?tox- 
ville,  Tenn. 
You  confess  at  the  outset  that  the  circular  re¬ 
ferred  to  “  might  have  been  worded  differently,” 
all  of  which  is  very  true,  and  had  it  been  worded 
in  accordance  with  tlie  truth  I  should  have 
found  no  fault  with  it.  But  I  have  only  to  deal 
with  the  circular  as  it  Is,  and  not  with  what  it 
might  have  been ;  and  OS  you  distinctly  claim  to 
be  tlie  ‘^original  discoverer  and  cultivator  of' 
this  plant,"  I  suppose  you  moan  what  you  say  in 
this  case  as  well  as  when  offering  the  plants  for 
sale.  •  • 
You  start  out  by  calling  this  a  “  New  Flower,” 
and  wliile  I  admit  that  the  term  is  subject  to 
some  slight  variation  in  its  application,  it  can 
hardly  be  said  that  a  plant  well  known  to  science 
for  neaiiy  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  can  be 
called  “  new  ”  by  any  one  having  the  least  re- 
g-aid  for  the  meaning  of  words  or  truth.  It  also 
appears  that  you  did  not  know  the  name  of  this 
wonderful  plant  until  it  was  given  in  the  Gar¬ 
deners’  Monthly.  If  it  was  new,  how  came  it  to 
have  a  name,  and  how  did  the  Editor  of  the 
Gardeners'  Monthly  knovi’  what  it  was? 
Now,  you  distinctly  assort  in  the  printed  cu’cu- 
lar  I  received  some  weeks  aince  that  tho  Agave 
Virginica  is  a  “juaw  flower"  and  was  “discov¬ 
ered  a  few  years  since,"  and  further,  that  you 
aue  tlie  “  discoverer and  1  claim  that 
neither  of  the  above  assertion#  ivre  true.  I  have 
beBore  me  a  book  pubhshed  in  by  John 
Clayton,  on  the  Flora  of  Vii-ginia,  and  in  tbe 
second  part,  page  152,  the  Agave  Virginica  is 
not  only  described,  but  also  the  variegated¬ 
leaved  variety  which  the  Editor  of  the  Garden¬ 
ers’  Monthly  mentioned  as  lately  found  in  South 
Carolina  by  his  friend.  In  Thomas  Walter’s 
Flora  Garoliniana,  published  in  1781,  page  121, 
both  the  species  and  variety  are  agnui  mentioned 
and  dcscrlbeil ;  iu  fact,  they  are  referred  to  in 
nearly  all  the  old  botatuos,  flora  Linne’s  Hortue 
Clijfortanua,  published  in  1737,  down  to  the  last  | 
editions  of  Br.  Gay's  botanical  works  published  ' 
in  Now  York  City.  ' 
If  you  arc  tho  original  discoverer  of  Agave  ; 
Virginica,  as  asserted  in  your  circulai-,  then  you 
must  have  been  prowhug  about  upon  this  earth  ' 
"before  1737,  else  the  claim  is  false.  ' 
This  plant  has  not  only  been  described  in  hun¬ 
dreds  of  volumes,  but  an  occasioual  figitto  of  it 
has  been  given  to  aid  the  uovico  in  identifica-  ' 
tion.  In  CuiiTls'  Botanical  Magazine,  1808,  there 
appears  an  e.vGollout  figure  of  this  print,  accom-  [ 
panted  by  a  popular  description  of  the  same  in  : 
the  American  Agriculturist.  The  plant  is  neither 
imw  to  science  nor  cultivation,  lor  it  was  intro 
ducod  into  tho  Kew  Gardens,  England,  by  Joh.n 
Cree  in  1765,  only  one  hundred  and  ten  years 
ago. 
Tliero  is  still  another  assertion  in  yoiu’  letter 
which  is  not  exactly  clour  in  a  scientific  point  of  | 
riew.  Yon  say,  “It  is  too  much  to  say  tliat  ' 
when  a  man  has  soon  one  Agave  VirgiiLica  he 
has  seen  tho  whole  fa7nily."  Now,  will  you  be 
so  kind  as  to  tell  me  what  tho  “  Agave  family" 
ia,  and  whether  you  got  that  name  with  the  rest 
of  your  science  from  the  Gardeners’  Monthly  ?  ' 
If  my  memory  Is  not  at  fault,  a  Michael  Hoky 
of  Knoxville,  Tenn,,  offen.'d  thi#  same  plant  m 
1874  imdor  tho  name  of  “  Aniorican  Tuliei-oso 
therefore  you  are  not  alone  entitled  to  tho  credit  I 
of  disseminating  tho  old  and  well-known  plant, 
even  from  Teunessoe. 
Now,  please  beai'  iu  mind  that  I  have  not  said 
one  word  against  the  plant  under  discussion,  or 
tho  price  chai'ged  for  spe<5imons  or  seods.  but  it 
ia  tho  claim  of  being  its  discoverer  and  only  cul¬ 
tivator  which  are  offnnsivo  to  mo,  as  they  must 
bo  to  every  man  who  knows  anything  ol  the 
I  Flora  of  North  .America.  There  are  very  go.-d 
I  reasons  why  such  pliuUs  as  the  Agave  Vh'ginica 
!  are  not  offered  in  lk)rists’  catalogues,  mid  one  is, 
thek  merits  are  not  sufficient  to  create  a  d«- 
ninnd,  and  another  is  that  they  are  far  too  com¬ 
mon  over  a  region  of  cotintry  extcmliug  from  tho 
Atlantic  Oc<^n  to  tho  Missouri  Kiver  to  bo  con¬ 
sidered  a  rarity  or  really  worth  offering  for  sale. 
EORESTRY  TWO  HUNDRED  YEARS  ADO. 
Jan.  6.  —While  looking  over  the  titles  of  tho 
books  upon  my  library  shelves  this  evening,  [ 
without  any  special  objoet  in  view,  my  eyes  rest¬ 
ed  ui»n  tho  figures  1076,  and  tho  thou'ght  of  the  j 
yimr  just  clos^  ending  in  the  same  two  figures 
reminded  mo  that  two  hundred  years  had  elapsed  ’ 
since  tho  author  of  this  book  conmiitted  his 
thoughts  to  palmer.  I  have  older  books  than 
this,  but  none  on  the  same  subject  whioh  comes 
so  near  an  exact  two  centuries  since  publicatiun, 
for  tho  date  of  preface  is  Nov.  16,  1675.  But 
let  UB  look  at  these  pages,  which  are  slightly 
yellowed  by  time,  but  the  print  Is  as  clear  as 
though  the  sheets  weco  struck  off  but  yesterday. 
First  comes  tho  long  title  begimiing  with  “  'I'he 
Manner  of  Raising,  Ordeiing  and  Imprcjvmg 
Forest  Trees,  etc.,  etc.,  by  Moses  Cook,  Gar¬ 
dener  to  the  Earl  of  Essex,  Cusliiobury,  En¬ 
gland."  If  we  look  further  in  tliis  work  wo  shall 
find  very  little  that  is  of  especial  interest  to  ua  at 
tho  present  day,  beyond  the  fact  of  knowing  how 
much  was  known  of  forest  tree  culture  two  cen¬ 
turies  ago.  Btrango  as  it  may  appear,  Moses 
Cook  had  to  contend  with  much  of  the  same 
kind  of  (lum^kery  in  horticultural  mutters  as  is 
continually  coming  te  tho  surface  at  the  present 
day. 
alen  in  those  dava  had  no  doubt  asserted  Uiat 
sweet  and  sour  apples  were  proJiicTfl  by  inserting 
parts  of  two  buds  or  cions,  or  making  the  stems 
from  two  seeds  unite  lij'  compelling  them  to 
grow  up  through  a  tulie  j  but  mu*  uiimor  iiuts  nil 
I  tliis  stuff  down  as  nonsense.  Watering  seeds 
and  plants  with  colored  liuHids  iu  order  to  change 
the  color  of  the  fiowers  Is  also  (lUt  down  ns  au- 
.  other  error.  Boring  holes  in  the  stems  of  trees 
and  fiUiug  them  with  any  substance  to  change 
the  flavor  of  tlic  fruit  is.  be  says,  a  great  fallacy. 
btUl,  tho  constant  denouncing  of  tliis  titiicoss  for 
two  Imndred  yeai’s  hna  not  driven  it  out  of  exist¬ 
ence.  for  every  fmv  weeks  or  niouths  I  notice  the 
report  of  Bonio  quack  iu  pomology  who  has  saved 
his  plums  from  insect  deiircdaiions  bv  Imring 
holes  in  tJie  stems  of  his  teees  and  filluig  them 
with  sulphur,  or  i(eiha,ps  by  diiving  ruHty  nails 
into  tlio  stems.  He  also  tells  us  that  tho  iilea 
prevalent  among  the  country  people  then,  as  now, 
Uiat  the  aap  of  trees  in  winter  descends  to  tho 
roots,  is  an  eiTor ;  in  fact,  our  author  seems  to 
have  possessed  a  goodly  Hliare  of  common  sense, 
oven  though  ho  lived  two  centuries  ago. 
America  was  a  wilderness  when  Mr.  CotiK  was 
urging  upon  hi#  countrymen  the  importance  of 
raising  forest  trees,  and  klthougJi  bo  knew  noth¬ 
ing  of  onr  great  prairies,  “l>ig  trees"  of  Califor¬ 
nia.  or  of  vailrotwl  tie#  and  telegraph  poles,  still  I 
find  it  pleasant  te  have  a  hltle  chat  with  him  in 
this  our  Centennial  ycar.AiviT  the  oconrrenco  of 
which  we  feel  so  via'y  prond. 
I  am  thinking  who  or  what  kind  of  a  man  will 
bo  looking  over  my  copy  of  M'>se#  Cook's  book 
one  hnnihred  year#  from  now,  if  it  should  escape 
destruction  so  long  ?  Perhaps  his  attention 
will  bo  oalled  to  it  by  reading  this  page  of  the 
1  Rural  New-Yorker  during  our  bi-centeimial. 
I  Who  knows  ?  Ye«,  who  knows  what  may  be  one 
1  one  hundred  years  hence  ? 
IjU^inur  |nforiiration. 
THE  CONTAGION  OF  SCARLET  FEVER.  v 
-  t 
Hall’s  Journal  of  Health  has  tho  following 
suggestive  and  valuable  aiticlo  on  this  subject : 
SiBco  none  of  oiu’  coininon  (liHenses  is  more  j 
dreaded  than  scarlet  fever,  it  is  important  to  ^ 
know  what  can  bo  done  to  prevent  its  diffusion.  ^ 
To  this  end  tho  following  conditions  should  bo  ^ 
observed :  Let  tho  patient  be  ossiguod  an  upper  p 
diainber,  freely  ventilated,  comfortably  wanu  i  , 
and  reasonably  cool.  There  slumld  bo  no  carpet 
on  tho  floor,  no  curtain#  about  the  bed,  and  no 
cushioned  and  upholstered  chairs  or  sofas.  Use 
an  iron  bedstead,  and  if  possible  let  the  bedding 
be  destroyed  by  lire  as  soon  as  the  patient  is  so 
fai'  recovered  ns  to  mingle  with  the  other  mem¬ 
bers  of  tho  family.  Tho  hamllierohiefs  which  ho 
has  used  shoubl  be  burned.  It  is  belter  to  furu-  j 
ish  bits  of  old  cotton  or  hneu  in  place  of  hand-  ^ 
kerchiefs,  that  each  piece,  as  soon  as  soiled,  may  i 
be  removed  and  destroyed.  The  sjiittoon,  or  j 
other  vessel  which  riiceives  tho  expectorations,  ^ 
should  contain  a  little  water  with  carbolic  acid  ^ 
or  chloride  of  lime.  One  oi-  tho  other  of  these  ^ 
disinfectants  must  bo  ii.scd  freely  about  tlic  room,  ^ 
An  imlisjieiiHiiblo  artlele  for  the  comfort  of  tho 
patient  is  an  earth-closet.  There  arc  several  ^ 
kinds  ill  use,  but,  as  far  ns  we  have  observed, 
the  simplest  and  choapest  ri  tlic  best.  Common  , 
gaideu  soil,  pci  foctly  <lry,  should  bo  used,  or  j 
sifted  coal  ashes.  Either  of  these  Hubstaiiecs  ^ 
will  readily  deodorize  th®  intt'stiual  discharges.  ^ 
A  small  quantity  of  sulphate  of  iron— copperas-  | 
if  added  to  tho  soil  or  ashes,  will  servo  as  an  ex-  , 
coUeiit  ilisuifoctant.  i 
Nurses,  and  other#  who  come  in  contact  with 
the  patient,  should  frtspicntly  wash  Uicir  hands 
witli  carbolic  soap.  Clothing  talion  from  tlio  pa¬ 
tient.  if  not  burned,  should  be  alloiml  to  remain 
iu  water  iKuitaining  one  of  tho  above  nameil  dis¬ 
infectants  two  or  three  days  before  being  washed. 
Those  simple  suggestion#,  if  followed,  would 
result  in  a  greatly  decreaMod  muubcr  of  cases  of 
scailot  fever ;  and  if  the  means  proiiosed  were 
generally  adopted,  wo  believe  that  in  a  short 
time  tho  disease  would  be  effectually  “  stamiied 
out.” 
Wc  arc  aware  that  iu  many  famiUcs  the  course 
we  propose  is  impraeticablo.  'J’hey  have  not  tho 
room,  nor  the  nieaus.  But  they  can  follow  some 
of  our  directions.  They  can  ventilate  the  eick- 
iimd  use  disinfectants. 
It  is  possible  that  physicians,  in  treating  this 
disease,  negl<K!t,  soiuutunos,  an  important  part  of 
their  duty.  Tliey  do  not  enforce,  as  they  ought, 
the  simple  regulations  by  which  so  much  may  be 
done  toward  destrojing  the  contagion. 
■  ,  .4  «  » 
MILK  A8  A  MEDICINE. 
The  American  Journal  of  Medicine,  St.  Louis, 
says: — “  This  article,  once  lookwl  upon  with  dis¬ 
trust,  has  now  bocomo  a  valuable  agent  iu  tho 
treatment  of  disease,  and  is,  on  all  hands,  recom¬ 
mended  by  jiracliouers  of  nicdiciuo  as  being  a 
safe  and  reliable  artielo  in  tho  list  of  ctu'ables. 
Given  wann,  it  is  declared  to  bo  ahaost  a  specific 
in  diarrhcea,  stomach  ache,  iudpienl  cholera  and 
dyseiitiuy.  It  is  also  pronounced  invaluable  iu 
typhoid  fever.  ‘  Wo  believe  that  milk  iiourislies 
ill  fever,  promotes  sleep,  wards  off  delirium, 
HOolliOH  the  iiitestiiics,  and.  in  fine,  is  tho  sine 
qua  non  in  tAq'hoid  fever-’  This  gentleman  fur¬ 
ther  says :  ‘  In  scarlet  fevtr  give  uU  tho  milk  the 
patient  will  take,  even  during  tho  iMiriod  of  greate 
est  fever ;  it  keeps  up  tho  strength  of  tho  patient, 
acts  well  ni#m  tlio  stomach,  and  Is  in  every  way 
a  Itleswed  thing  in  sickness.’  Tho  authorities  in 
these  cases  say  that  the  milk  siiould  never  be 
iH'dled,  aa  that  unfits  it  for  uso." 
In  “Practical  Dairy  Husbandry,"  (by  X.  A. 
Willard,  A.  3t.,  and  published  at  tho  Bubal 
office,)  is  an  excellent  chapter  on  “The  Use  of 
Hkimmed  Milk  as  an  Exclusive  Diet  in  Di«ease," 
which  gives,  from  medical  and  other  authorities, 
several  interesting  cases  in  which  persons  were 
cured  of  various  and  dangerous  diseases  by  the 
I  Use  of  milk.  Those  of  oiu'  readers  interested 
should  refer  to  Prof.  Willabd’b  work  and  care¬ 
fully  peruse  what  i#  therein  said  and  quoted  upon 
tlie  subject. 
- - - 
DISEASE  CAUSED  BY  THE  PASSIONS. 
Prof.  R.  W.  RicnAHDsoN,  in  an  article  upon 
“  Induced  Disease  from  tho  Influence  of  the  Pas¬ 
sions,"  in  tho  Popular  Science  Monthly,  says  that 
of  all  the  pasKioriK,  as  anger,  fear,  h-atred,  grief, 
.acting  most  severely  upon  the  ]ihyftical  life,  the 
first  is  tho  most  injurious.  “  He  is  a  man  very 
rich  iiuloed  ill  physical  piwer,"  says  the  author, 
“who  can  afford  to  bo  angry. "  The  effect  of 
rage  upon  the  heart  is  to  produce  a  piinnaoent 
disorder  and  irregular  motion,  as  is  well  known. 
Tliis  Bometiinos  is  so  severe  as  to  cause  instant 
death,  and  is  inDro  to  be  avoided  than  almost 
anything  else  by  persons  having  organic  diseases 
of  the  lieart.” 
Of  the  effects  of  intense  mental  excitement 
attending  “  rerivals  ”  he  says : 
“  Probably  few  people  who  encourage  or  take 
part  in  what  are  known  as  revivals  have  any  idea 
of  the  cerebral  disorders  produced  by  these  sea¬ 
sons  of  unnatural  mental  excitement.  Tho  re¬ 
vivalist  being  a  man  of  steong  physical  organiza¬ 
tion,  passes  throngh  thu  ordeal  unharmed,  but 
heart  disease  of  moiuo  sort,  hysteria,  all  kinds  of 
nervous  diseases,  and  even  insanity,  too  often 
follow  in  his  wake.  Particularly  is  Wiis  tho  case 
among  children,  whose  sensitive  nerves  are  ex¬ 
cited  to  tho  highest  pitch  by  tho  vivid  pictures  of 
eternal  misery  or  bliss  painted  by  the  skillful 
preacher." 
Domfstic  oEtoiiomu. 
THE  POT  ON  THE  FIRE, 
There  is  one  mode  of  preparing  food  in  general 
uso  iu  many  parts  of  Euroim  which  we  should  do 
very  well  more  generally  to  adopt ;  that  ia, 
“  geiitl*  simmering."  In  every  or  almost  every 
French  household  there  is  the  pot  aufeu.  This 
peiiuauewt  “pot  on  the  lire,"  after  tlic  maimer 
of  tire  old-fashioned  “digester,"  occupies  a 
quiet  little  corner  of  the  stove  or  fire  place.  It 
can  hardly  be  said  to  boil,  but  it  simmers  on 
gently,  for  hours.  There  it  is  tlio  receptacle  of 
many  11  little  bone,  whirihcr  tho  trimmings  of 
poultry  or  butchers’  meat.  It  matters  not. 
every  little  stray  fragment  of  wholesome  moat 
finds  its  way  there.  A  bit  of  liver  is  considered 
an  inimeiiso  improvement;  ami  any  vegetables 
that  happen  to  bo  about  add  to  its  pleasant 
flavor,  whether  the  tops  of  celery,  Jerusalem  ar- 
tiohokoB  —  which,  par  exceUence,  moke  it  deli¬ 
cious — or  otherwise  carrots,  turnijm,  leeks,  etc. 
But  supposing  it  wore  to  be  made  altogether  of 
fresh  matorials — wliich,  indeed,  in  France  is 
rarely — this  would  bo  the  proper  recipe  :  Put  a 
gallon  of  water  into  a  pot ;  put  Into  this  either 
throe  or  four  pounds  of  shin  of  beef,  or  any 
Himilar  thing.  Add  to  this  an  onion  or  two,  or 
some  locks,  carrot  or  other  vcgotablo,  throe  or 
four  toaspooiifiilit  of  salt,  one  of  black  pepper, 
three  cloves.  Give  it  one  boil  up ;  skiiii  carefully. 
Now  cover  the  pot  closely,  and  let  it  cook  gently, 
for  foiu-  hours  at  least.  About  every  hour  throw 
a  winoglassfitl  of  cold  water  into  it,  to  make  it 
clear.  Taste ;  it  may  requhe  a  little  more  salt 
and  poppor,  according  to  taste.  Pour  tliis  soup 
over  toastml  crusts  of  broad.  Both  soup  and 
meat  will  bo  found  dolidous.  Tho  whole  secret 
of  this  lies  in  tho  gentle  idmmerlng  in  a  covered 
vessel,  whcroljy  tbe  flavor  Is  wholly  preserved, 
and  nothing  is  lost.  A  bullock’s  head  so  cooked 
is  excellent. 
- - 
BOTTLING  CIDER. 
A  WHITER  in  the  Now  England  Farmer  gives 
this  advioo  to  bottle  cider  that  will  keep  sweet 
and  fine  fur  years,  and  ite  excellence  is  endorsed 
by  the  editor  i — “  Leach  and  filter  the  cider 
through  pure  sand,  after  it  has  worked  and  fer¬ 
mented  and  before  it  has  soured.  Put  no  alco¬ 
hol  or  other  substances  with  it.  Be  siu’o  that 
tho  vessels  you  put  it  in  are  perfectly  clean  and 
sweet.  After  it  is  leached  or  filtered,  put  it  in 
barrels  or  casks  filled,  leaving  no  room  for  air  ; 
bimg  them  tight  and  keep  it  where  it  won’t 
freeze  till  Febinary  or  March,  then  put  it  into 
champagne  bottlDS  filled,  chive  tho  corks  and 
wii'o  them.  It  should  bo  done  in  a  collar  or 
room  that  is  comfortable  for  work.  The  best 
cider  is  late  mode,  or  made  when  it  is  as  cold  as 
can  be  and  not  freeze” 
- »»»  -■  ■- 
GOOD  BLACK  INK. 
A  GENTLEMAN  way  out  in  Idaho  says : — “  Good 
black  ink  is  not  easily  obtainable  hero,  and  the 
trash  that  passes  for  the  genuine  article  is  sold 
ut  fabulous  prices.”  For  hi#  benefit  and  others 
Hiniilarly  situated,  wo  repeat  a  recipe  taken  from 
the  New  York  Iribuno.  To  one  quart  of  strong 
decoction  of  logwood,  well  strained,  aild  threu 
ounces  of  blue  gall#  In  coarse  powder,  twelve 
I  drams  eulphate  of  iron,  one  and  one  quarter 
drams  acetate  of  copiier,  twelve  dr-ams  of  well 
1  ground  sugar,  one  and  ouo-half  ounces  of  gimi 
orabic.  Set  it  over  tbe  fire  till  it  begins  to  boil, 
then  set  it  away  imcorkod  till  it  has  tm'aed  black 
CHough  ;  add  a  few  cloves  to  keep  out  the  mold. 
It  is  a  real  pleasure  to  open  a  letter  and  find  a 
clear,  legible  chirograiihy,  in  ink  of  a  decided 
I  color. 
- - - 
WORCESTERSHIRE  SAUCE. 
[  The  Drug.  Circular  and  Chemical  Gazette 
'  gives  the  following  rcciiH)  for  making  Lea  & 
'  Perrins’  celebrated  Worcester shhe  Sauce : 
,  Wliite  vinegar,  fifteen  gallon#  ;  walnut  cat#up, 
f  '  ten  gallons ;  Madeii  a  wine,  live  gallons ;  niusn- 
I  room  catsup,  ten  gallons ;  table  Biilt,  twenty-five 
pounds ;  (Canton  soy.  four  galUinH ;  allfqiico 
powdered,  one  pound ;  coriander,  one  pound ; 
1  mace,  eight  ounces;  cinnamon,  eight  ounces; 
t  a#Hafi»ttaa,  four  ounces  disBolvwl  in  l>randy,  one 
,  ,  galloiL  Boil  twenty  {lound#  of  hog’s  liver  for 
fVclvc  hours  irith  ten  gallons  of  water,  renewing 
the  wat'.r  from  time  to  lime.  Take  out  the 
t  livei',  chop  it,  mix  it  with  water,  and  work  it 
through  a  sieve ;  mix  it  ivith  the  sauce. 
