e 
carefully the sctim as it rises; let the meat gently 
simmer until tender. Send to the table with as¬ 
paragus sauce and a boiled longue. 
Asparagus Sauce .—Boil a dozen heads of as¬ 
paragus in salted water till tender; drain and 
chop them. Have ready a piDt of drawn butter, 
with two eggs beaten into it; add the asparagus 
and season, then squeeze iuto it the juice of half 
a lemon. The drawn butter must be hot, but do 
not cook after putting in the asparagus heads. 
Cake Syllabub. —Half fill a glass bowl with 
thin slices of sponge-cake or almond cake. Pour 
on Hiitticient white wine to dissolve the cake; 
then mb off, on pieces of loaf-sugar, the yellow 
rind of two lemons, and dissolve the sugar in a 
pint of rich cream. Squeeze the juice of the 
lemons on some powdered sugar and add it grad¬ 
ually to the cream; beat the cream to a stiff 
froth, and then pile it on the dissolved cake in 
the glass howl. Ornament the top of the sylla¬ 
bub with a circle of roses. 
Hhubarb Meringues .—Wash and skin the rhu¬ 
barb. cut it into inch lengths, and put it over the 
fire in a porcelain-linod saucepan in which is 
plenty of sugar (do not add any water) ; when 
tender, thicken it with a little corn-starcli made 
smooth in cold water. Have ready deep pie- 
piates, lined with a rich biscuit crust, (rolled 
thin,) pour iu the rhubarb and bake in a quick 
oven. When done, remove from the oven; when 
oold, cover the tops wit h a meringue of beaten 
whites of eggs and powdered sugar, flavored 
with lemon extract.. In making a meringue, the 
usual proportion is the whiles of four eggs to a 
pound of powdered sugar -but half the sugar I 
have found answers very well. When the pies 
are covered with the meringue, return them to 
the oven until they are a delicate brown, which 
will be in a minute or two. Try the biscuit crust, 
lady readers ; it is far more wholesome than or¬ 
dinary paste. Mks. Rustic. 
will be very nearly the interest in cents at six 
per cent. By this rule you calculate only 360 
days in a year, and the result on §1,000 for a 
year will be 83 cents too much. 
IF. A .—There are di(Terences of opinion rela¬ 
tive to the condition of the earth’s interior. Hir 
Wm. Thompson, at the British Association at 
Glasgow last Sept., said the greatest depth of 
examination of underground temperature is less 
than a mile, and that wo may be sure the earth 
is solid, except in some volcanic regions where 
inconsiderable Bpaccs are still occupied by liquid 
lava. But the general belief of scientists is that 
the earth, with the exception of a crust about 
thirty miles iu thickness, is an incandescent 
mass, gradually cooling toward the center. 
the case, then tho doses prescribed for infants 
three months old contain an equivalent of ten 
drops of laudanum. No wonder infant mortality 
is great, when such nostrums are in general use. 
George B. Atkins. —The making of a will re¬ 
vokes and annuls all others that may have been 
made before it, and the destroying of it by the 
maker does not prevent it having been bis last 
will. In the case you mention, if it can bo proved 
that a will was made and legally executed subse¬ 
quent to the one presented, the estate must be 
settled as if no will had ever been made. 
IF. ,/. A. No contract relative to tho purchase 
aud sale of real estate, in the State of Now York, 
is binding unless m writing, and consideration 
given therefor. 
Interest. —Usury laws apply to the hiring and 
renting of money only. For the uso of any other 
property such compensation may be paid and re¬ 
ceived as tho parties may agree upon. If A. loan 
B. live thousand dollars with which to buy a 
farm, he may receive but seven per cent, interest 
on tho loan ; hat if A. buys the farm, he may 
rent or loan that to B., and receive a higher price 
than §350 a year, without violation of any law. 
Scribe. The glossy appearance of the ink with 
which your letter is written is doubtless due to 
tho presence of gum arabic or sugar. If to com¬ 
mon ink you add a little white sugar, the Bame 
glossiness will appear. It is objectionable, how¬ 
ever, as it. will not flow so f reely from the pen. 
IU. J. B .—A degree of longitude is 69)/ miles 
only at the Equator. At the latitude of New 
York it is only about 53 miles. The length of a 
degree of latitude varies but little from 69)^ miles 
anywhere. 
Pawtucket .— There is no donht Room Will¬ 
iams, the founder of Rhode Island, was a Welsh¬ 
man, hut very little is known of bis early life. 
One of that name graduated at Oxford, and an¬ 
other at Cambridge, and there is difference of 
opinion aB to which was tho one who afterward 
came to America. 
Blackberries. —In cutting out the dead canes 
in my Kittatinny blackberries, I found a great 
many running blackberries, and the question oc¬ 
curred to my mind, Do upright blackberries ever 
revert to the running kind ? It may seem, to 
those acquainted with the habite of these ber¬ 
ries, a very foolish question ; but I am mistaken 
if there will not bo more than one mind set at 
rest by your answer. 
Anh.—N o; tho upright blackberries never re¬ 
vert to the trailing, aB they are distinct species, 
and we would as soon expect to get crab apples 
from tbn seed of a Baldwin as a dewberry from 
a Kittatinny. But tho dewberry or trailing black¬ 
berry is so common, all over the country, that it 
often gets into gardens and among the upright- 
growing sorts, unless care is exercised iu keeping 
them out. 
Mary T ).—Black ants have been the house¬ 
keeper’s plague since housekeeping was invent¬ 
ed, or perhaps we should say evolved. We have 
heard of many devices for (heir destruction, but 
somehow they don't Benin to bo universally pro 
dnetive of desired results. What succeeds iu one 
place fails in another. We have found that they 
are not food of pineapple, and have driven them 
from certain shelves and cupboards by laying 
pieces of that fragrant fruit about. For econ¬ 
omy’s sake we only use the peelings. Wo arc 
now subjecting them to a regimen of powdered 
borax, which, as it has been immensely fatal to 
roaches, water bugs, moths and othei vermin, 
we hope will prove efficacious. 
Edward Elter. — The large bulbous plant 
which is found quite abundantly in the low 
grounds and swamps of the Southern States is 
probably Crininn A mericannin, It belongs to 
the Amaryllis family, and the flowers are very 
pretty, although not particularly showy. We 
have received bulbs which bloomed very freely 
in the open ground, but. of course, they are ten¬ 
der and require protection in winter up here in 
the frozen North. 
Earth -The higest latitude recorded reached 
by a vessel, is 82' 2F— the Alert having made 
that point in 187C. A sledge expedition, sent 
out under Commander Mahkham, reached 83 c 
20' 26"—the farthcrest north any explorers have 
boon, so far as we know. The Bulans, in i Lux’s 
expedition sailed to 82 16'. Kane reached near¬ 
ly to 81°, and Haves to nearly 82°. 
IF. B. J. —Where the land of Ophir, from 
which gold was procured by Solomon, was situa¬ 
ted is not known. It is highly probable that it 
was some large island off the eastern coast of 
Africa, or possibly a portion of the main land 
which has suuk out of sight. 
Wilson Billings .—The highest range of moun¬ 
tains in the world iB the Himalayas, between 
HindoBt&n and Thibet, in Asia, of which Mt. 
Everest has an elevation of 29,002 feet. Mt. St. 
Elias, in Alaska, is the highest mountain in 
North America, being 19.500 feet. 
Johnson.— If you multiply a number of dol¬ 
lars by the number of days it has been at inter¬ 
est and divide the product by 60 the quotient 
®|c (Qitmsf 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
II B. P .—The large brown beetle you have 
sent us (shown in the accompanying illustra¬ 
tion), is the common May Beetle (Lachnoslerna 
guercina'). Its larva is generally called the 
White Grub. This has a brown bead, aud iu- 
fests gardens and meadows, usually feeding 
upon tho roots of grasses, jl, 
strawberry plants and many % 
other kinds of field and gar- J . 
don crops. It infests uncul- >3 jSjpsi $ 
tivated more than cultivated 
laud, as instinct leads the 
female to deposit her eggs ft j K ™ 'wL t 
in positions where her off- # fi f$|| | j jpfl w 
spring will not bo likely to at J ||| 1 
be disturbed. But as this /■ ratHt jfflpPv j 
insect lives in the larval state i J 
some three years, neglected n&r M 
gardens or old meadow lands Jfc Jf} 
are liable to bo infested by Jr 
them some time after being * | 
broken up. It is for this * 
reason that wo have frequently warned our read¬ 
ers against, choosing old, rich meadows or swards 
of any kind for strawberry beds, as the white 
grubs are partial to the roots of the strawberry, 
aud frequently destroy large plantations sot out 
upon Huoh soils. We usually speak of the White 
Grub and May Beetles as though there was hut 
one species, although there are over fifty inhab¬ 
iting tho United States. Some of these are found 
only in the extreme South, others in California, 
Oregon and further north, but their habits are 
so nearly the same that, for all practical pur¬ 
poses, we may speak of them as one. Birds, and 
especially crows, oat the grubs with avidity, and 
others consume largo quantities of the beetles. 
The perfect insects or beetloB, when abundant, 
are also destructive to trees, as they feed on the 
leaves. 
Albert Wells. —We cannot, and would not if we 
could, refer you to a trustworthy party who haB 
the “ fixtures and machinery for making oleo- 
margargarine for wo do not desire to encour¬ 
age the manufacture of this article, unless it is 
for the purpose of making soap-grease. There 
is poor butter enough already iu the market, 
without resorting to oleomargarine. 
M. IF.—The objection to leaving geraniums 
in the pots and plunging the latter in the ground, 
is that sufficient moisture does not reach the 
roots to insure vigorous growth. The better 
way is to take them out of tho pots, spread out 
tho roots, and then, iu the absence of nuns, 
water thorn freely for tho first week after plant¬ 
ing. If the soil is too hard, as you say, put in 
more leaf mold, rotten manure, sand, or any¬ 
thing which will lighten it up and prevent bak¬ 
ing in dry weather. If you have grass about the 
place, cut some and mulch the plants with it; 
this will keep the surface loose and prevent dry¬ 
ing. Our climate is really too dry for many of 
the most showy bedding plants, and artificial 
watering is required. 
E. S. P .—The drone cells, in honey combs, are 
considerably larger than those of the workers 
and this is the principal mark for distinguishing 
the two. Lanosteoth, many years since, gave 
very good illustrations of the queen, drone and 
worker cells ; and observed that, some old hives 
become so full of drone comb that they brood a 
cloud of useless consumers instead of thousands 
of industrious bees. Wo believe that Haeiuson 
and some other apiarians claim that drones are 
sometimes reared in the smaller worker cells, as 
well as in those constructed for the males. 
E. S. P. -The different varieties of corn are 
originated from seed, in the same way as apples, 
pears and oilier fruits, and perpetuated by selec¬ 
tion aud isolation from other sorts until the 
peculiar characteristics of each variety are said 
to be fixed. In looking over your corn,"next fall, 
if you find an ear, or even a kernel, which is dis 
tinct in color or form from the gcnoral type of 
the variety planted, then, if you wish to preservo 
tho specimen, plant it the following spring, at a 
distance fiomall other sorts, and the next fall 
select tho very purest ears, or those coming 
nearost to the one planted, and proceed in this 
manner one, two or more years, until the char¬ 
acteristics which first attracted your attention 
become bo fixed that they are perpetuated with¬ 
out variation, and the variety may he considered 
well established. 
J. G. Clark .—It would be difficult to send eggs 
by mail from New York to Arkansas and have 
them arrive in good order for hatching. Wo 
have plenty of trustworthy poultrymcn who 
would be pleased to receive your orders for eggs 
by express, and pack them in a manner to ensure 
safe carriage. 
Mother. —An analysis of Mrs. Winslow’s Sooth¬ 
ing Syrup, as published in the Druggists’ Circu¬ 
lar some time since, shows that one ounce of the 
syrup contains one grain of morphia. If this is 
(Mono mu 
LEAVES FOR GARNISHING FRUIT 
Tnn London Garden, iu speaking of the use 
of leaves for garnishing fruit, says that 
some kinds of loaves are more suitable than 
others for tins purpose. Strawberries, for in¬ 
stance, look best associated with their own fo¬ 
liage ; grapes may ho laid on their own leaves, 
but there are others which suit them quite as 
well. One of tho best plants for furnishing 
leaves for garnishing all kinds of fruit, is the 
Curled Mallow, an annual of which I make three 
sowings in tho year in rich soil—tho first early in 
April, the second about the beginning of May, 
and the third about the same time in Juno. The 
leaves are about the size of small vine leaves, 
and beautifully frilled. Wherever fruit has to be 
garnished, this plant should always be grown. 
The Ice-plaut also furnishes good leaves for sum¬ 
mer garnishing, its glistening, icy appearance 
having a cool and pretty effect on tho table. It 
should be sown in a pan or box, in heat, in the 
first or second week in April, and planted ont in 
the open border in Slay. These are the only 
plants which I grow for garnishing fruit in sum¬ 
mer and autumn. In winter and until this time, 
variegated Kale and Bay leaves answer tho pur¬ 
pose. Bay leaves are rather stiff for grapes, but 
for oranges, apples, &c., they may always be 
used with good effect. 
DYSPEPSIA 
The operations of the organs of digestion, of 
which the stomach is chief, are very complex, 
and their successful working is necessary to tho 
well being of the whole organic structure. But 
notwithstanding their complexity mid the inter¬ 
dependence of one part upon another—glands 
and veins and ducts, whose minuteness almost 
defies the investigating power of the microscope, 
working in perfect harmony with the larger ves¬ 
sels—there is no machine invented by human 
skill that will withstand half the abuse that this 
will without failing to perform its accustomed 
labor. 
But the stomach—by which word the digestive 
organs as a w hole are usually described—will not 
stand everything. It can bo worn out by extra 
and unnecessary work ; burnt out by alcoholic 
files or eaten out bv any one of the multitude of 
poisons administered in the vain hope of arrest¬ 
ing disease. But no matter by wliat means the 
trouble comes, when it, does come the digestive 
processes are interfered with and indigestion and 
its result, Dyspepsia, are the consequence. 
If wo were asked to answer the questiou, 
“ What is Dyspepsia—in what manner does it 
manifest itself ?” wo should give up in despair. 
There is scarcely an ache or a pain or au ill that 
flesh is heir to, that may not have its origin in 
imperfect digestion. Pandora’s Box was nothing 
to it. And beside affecting the physical organs, 
the mental cornu in for their full ehare. Tell 
tne, you who suffer from the bines, the hor¬ 
rors. the vapors—or by whatever name you may 
know the ailment—what physical suffering is 
equal to it ? One of the most experienced prac¬ 
titioners with and writers on Insanity, gives it as 
iiis opinion that its origin in every case, whether 
it be with tho patient himself or with some of 
his ancestors, is a diseased stomach. 
•• A fellow feeling makes us wondrous kind,” 
and our sympathies go out to tho&e who are 
“ struck in the brain,’’ having suffered untold 
agony in that way for mouths, without suspect¬ 
ing the cause. Apparently, our great difficulty 
in dealing with Dyspepsia, is that tho attack is 
made on the outposts rather than the citadel, 
and an endeavor is made to cure the disease 
without removing the cause. Dr. Wood, the 
author of " Wood’s Practice of Medicine,” says: 
“ The most, prolific source of Dyspepsia (aud 
consequently of its results) is probably the com¬ 
bined influence of sedentary habits and errors of 
diet.” Now it would be reasonable to suppose 
that the proper treatment in such a ease would 
be increased exercise and a correction of the 
dietary, and it is true thi is touched upon ; but 
iu addition, he gives the nameB of more than a 
hundred drugs, most of them poisons, which are 
recommended to be administered variously, as 
the trouble manifests itself in various ways. A 
narcotic would doubtless bring sleep to one whose 
mental faculties were afl cted to such an extent 
by indigestion as to render him wakeful; but 
ORIGINAL AND SELECTED RECIPES. 
To Slew Old Potatoes .—Pare aud quarter, if 
large. Soak in cold water ono hour. Put the 
potatoes into a kettle with enough cold salted 
water to cover them. When almost done, turn 
off the water, add enough sweet milk to oover 
them, and bring them to a boil; then stir iu a 
heaping tablespoon fill of butter, a little salt, a 
handful of minced parsley, and thicken with 
flour previously made smooth in cold milk. Boil 
one minute, and pour all into a deep dish. Serve 
very hot,. 
Buttered Crab or Lobster. —Slice quite small, 
or pull into flakes with a silver fork, the flesh of 
either fish; put iuto a saucepan with a few bits 
of good, sweet butter lightly rolled iu flour, and 
heat it slowly over a gentle fire; tlien pour over 
and mix thoroughly with it from one to two lea- 
spoonfuls of mode-mustard smoothly blended 
with a tahlespoonful or more of common vine¬ 
gar; add to it a seasoning of cayenne and salt; 
grate in a little nutmeg, and when the mixture 
is well heated, servo immediately, either in the 
shell of the crab or lobster, or in scollop-shells. 
To Cook Terrapins .—Put the terrapins alive 
in a pot of boiling water, where they must re¬ 
main until they are quite dead .- then divest them 
of their outer skins and toe-nails aud, after wash¬ 
ing them in warm water, boil them again until 
they become tender, adding a handf ill of salt to 
the water; then take off the shells and clean the 
terrapins very carefully, removing the sand-bag 
and gall without breaking them; then cut tho 
meat iuto small pieces and put them into a sauce¬ 
pan, and season with salt and pepper to your 
taste, adding a quarter of a pound of butter to 
each terrapin and a handful of flour for thicken¬ 
ing. After stirring a short time, add four or live 
tablespoonfuls of cream and hall a pint of good 
Madeira to every four terrapins, aud serve hot 
in a deep dish. 
To Fry Plaice or Flounders .—Sprinkle them 
with salt, and let them lie for two or three horns 
before they are dressed. Wash and clean them 
thoroughly, wipe them very dry, flour them well 
and wipe them again with a clean cloth; dip 
them iuto egg aud fine bread-crumbs, aud fry in 
plenty of rendered suet. If the fish be large, 
raise the flesh in handsome fillets from the bones 
and proceed as above. 
Plaice is said to be rendered less watery by 
beating it gently with a paste-roller before it is 
cooked. 
Stewed Fillet of Veal .—A small and delicately 
white fillet should be selected for this purpose. 
Bind it round with tape ; after having washed it 
thoroughly, cover it well with cold water aud 
bring it gently to a boil; watch, and clear off 
