r 
324 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
iiomrstir (Eronomg. 
CONDUCTED 37 EMILY MAPLE 
I =- 
DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 
This titlo naturally suggests an economy of 
meami, a Having of money and literally that in 
what I do moan ; for what I wish to advocate is 
a Having of time and strength; and thin in the 
end is one of tho greatest savings of dollars and 
cents. 
How many women there are, with only small 
families to do for, who adopt such hard ways to 
do their housework that it is impossible for 
them to enjoy any leisure. They insist that 
they cannot visit their friends, not having the 
timo ; neither can they read periodicals or books 
from tho same cause; nor “fixup" any little 
adornment, tho making of which would consume 
but little timo and tho result be a lasting jov 
perhaps for years if net forever. Yet. should 
company he expected to tea, these same house¬ 
wives, who have no time for anything else 
besides haul work, will overturn the house from 
garret to cellar, although the same process msy 
have been gone through with, only a week or bo 
before. Cakes and pastry must be manufactured, 
of which there are almost enough to feed a 
regiment, and at last when the guests arrive, 
the weary housewife instead of enjoying her 
friends’ company, frets all tho time they are 
present through fear that all may not come up 
to their oritical standard. 
Now, this class of housekeepers are very exas¬ 
perating to the members of their own family. 
If anything happens to bo put out of its place, 
if the least dirt b unavoidably brought into the 
house or any other mishap occurs, scolding and 
fretting ensue, or else things are put to rights 
with such an injured air that the members of 
tho family almost Wish they had no homo. 
Happily there is a way of doing housework 
not half as laborious as many make it. To be¬ 
gin with, all things appertaining to domestic 
work should he arranged as conveniently as 
possiblo, then use the brain as well as hands 
and feet and when goiug to or coming from the 
storeroom or cellar, carry as many things as you 
convenionily can, which you know require to be 
brought to or taken from there, thus saving your¬ 
self extra trips. This saving of steps applies to 
all house work, hut one must have her wits 
about her and not work like a machine, if who 
wishes to spare herself. Work, for the sake of 
living. Do not live for the sake of working. 
Do work well which requires to bo done; hut. do 
not expend your strength on unnecessary labors 
tho doing of which is beneficial neither to your- 
Belf nor family. 
Provide a plaiu, substantial, jet not extrava¬ 
gant fare at all times and let visitors feel as if they 
were members of tho family and not company. 
Give yourself proper rest; for rest and recreation 
incite a faster and hotter discharge of duties. 
I do not believe that any one ever gained, at. 
least fur any Jougth of time, by turning night 
into day, thus crowding two days' labor into one. 
This dragging around when one is weary and 
worn, mechanically going through tho day’s 
duties is a painful contrast to the vigorous step 
and cheerful movements of one who thoroughly 
enjoys her work. Loretta E. K. Turner. 
- - 
SOUR-KROUT. 
Mu. Albert J. Bonesali, of Philadelphia, 
wishes information as to the manner in which 
sour- krout is made. 
I havo never made sour-krout myself, but give 
tho following as tho gist gleaned from va¬ 
rious persons who havo: — Free the cabbage from 
all imperfections, wash and cut very flue, aud 
rub salt, enough through the cabbage so that dis¬ 
solving it makes a brine RiifiiolCiit to cover it. 
Any tight, sweet cask, tub or butter-firkin will 
answer. Wash and scald tho tub used, after 
which pour in tho cabbage salted as above. Pro¬ 
vide a circular board a little smaller than the 
tub, and press down tho cabbage underneath the 
board with a hen tv/ weight—the brine should 
cover the cabbage two or three incheH. As the 
cabbage ferments, tho scum should bo taken off. 
Bland away in a cool place until freezing 
weather, then removo to tho cellar. The krout 
will be ready for use in from four to six w eeks 
--»-» ♦- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Roast Beef. 
The sirloiu is tho best for a roast, though 
there is a cut from tho round, that answers very 
well. Havo a brisk fixe; sprinkle tho beef with 
salt, pepper aud Hour; put three muftin-rings in 
tho dripping-pan and place tho beef on these, 
that it may not come in contact with the pan. 
Pour in water to tho depth of hal f an inch and 
as it evaporates, add hot water. Baste frequently 
—this is important. Allow fifteen or twenty 
minutes to each pound of beef. Take up on a 
warm platter. The water remaining in the pan, 
can ho thickened with flour and seasoned to 
serve with tho beef. Many persona prefer tho 
clear juico that settles on the platter. Acid 
jellies or cranberries are nice with roast beef. 
Jf any of tho roast is left from dinner, it may bo 
sliced oold, for breakfast. The fragments that 
would not look well on the table, can ho added 
to tho bones for soup. 
Beef Steak. 
Always broil it. Havo it cut half an inch or 
more in thickness. If not tender, pound it; 
see that there are plenty of hot coals, and broil 
quickly upon a gridiron, turning often. My 
rule is to broil twelve minutes turning five or 
six times. Use beef-tongs to turn with as a 
fork will let out the juioes. Take up on a hot 
platter, putting a little salt and butter on each 
side of tho steak. Bi-rvo immediately. 
Beef Soup. 
Put tho hones of a roast, with a little of the 
lean beef {not a particle of tho fat) into two 
quarts of cold water. Let It simmer, not boil, 
until tho meat adhering to I ho hones falls off 
If necessary to add more water, it must he broil¬ 
ing. Take off the soum aB fast as it rises and 
half an hour before taking up put in One-half 
teacupful of rice, and at tho same time put in 
tho salt and other seasoning. Make soup in 
porcelain or bright, new tin. 
Cottage Pudding. 
One teacupful of white sugar; one-half tea- 
cti| ful of butter (or a little less); one teacupful 
of sweet milk; ono egg; a little nutmeg; one 
pint of Hour into which stir thoroughly three 
teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub the butter 
sugar and egg together until light; add tho 
nutmeg And milk ; then tho flour. Bake in a 
quart basin. Bring to tho table hot and cut like 
c*ko and servo with sauce, made as follows: 
Bub one tablespoon ful of flour in a Jit tie cold 
water till smooth, then turn it into one pint of 
boiling water; let it cook five minutes, stirring 
constantly, and then add sugar, salt aud nutmeg 
to suit the taste. This is excellent. 
Lyons, Iowa. Mrs. m. G. Rand. 
oygtnur Information. 
CONSUMPTION. 
BY DR. OOODENOUon. 
No other disease can, year after year, count so 
many victims as that popularly called consump¬ 
tion or “ tho decline,’’ and technically known, 
chiefly by the name of phthisis. Statistics show 
that the population of Great Britain, France, 
Germany and Russia numbers nearly 200,000,000, 
and that of these, death claims about 0,000,000 
every year, of whom 070,000 die of this disease. 
It prevails to a greater or less extent all the 
world over, and of all tho inhabitants of tho 
globe at least0,000,000 perish annually from this 
malady. In this country it has been calculated 
that ono death hi every six iH duo to this cause; 
aud yot, despite Its fatal frequency, a great deal 
of misapprehension exists with regard to its na¬ 
ture aud treatment. 
The seeds of consumption aro little, hard, 
roundish bodioB or granulations which, from 
their resemblance to millet seeds, are commonly 
known as miliary tubercles. These are scattered 
through the lungs in little patches of greater or 
less extent. With only rare exceptions, how¬ 
ever, they affect at Aral, the upper part of ono 
lung, but shortly afterward, tho upper part of 
tho other is likewise invaded, and as the disease 
progresses, ibty extend irregularly downward 
after variable intervals. At the stait, they are 
semi-transparent, hut they soon become opaque, 
of a grayish or yellowish color, and soften to 
tho consistence of cheese. Later on, they change 
into a thick, jGllowieli liquid, resembling pus, 
and in this form are spit out of tho mouth, leav¬ 
ing those parts of tho lungs from which they 
have beet! drawn honey-combed with cavities, 
irregular In shape, and frequently communicat¬ 
ing with each other. In tins way tho substance 
of the lungs is gradually destroyed piecemeal, 
until enough of their structure docs not remain 
to perform their allotted functions, aud then the 
patient dies. 
The first symptom is generally a slight, dry 
cough, which, after a variable period, grows 
stronger and is accompanied by expectoration. 
Sometimes spitting of blood is the first sign, and 
is apt to occur repeatedly at variable intervals. 
When the spitting is frequent and profuse, 
statistics show that tho disease either advances 
Very slowly or not at ali, so that this lucmorrliage 
has a favorable effect on the progress of the dis¬ 
ease, A stitch-like pain at the amount of the 
chest, irregularly recurring chills, a frequent 
pulse, a rise of the temperature of the body, an 
accelerated respiration, especially after ai y ex¬ 
ercise, heavy night sweats, paroxysms of hectic 
fever, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, dropsical swel¬ 
lings of tho feet and lower limbs, and extreme 
emaciation mark the progress of tho malady. 
Its duration in fatal cases is extremely va¬ 
riable. Occasionally it ends in a few weeks, and 
is then called “galloping consumption;” while 
in other cases it lasts ten or even twenty years; 
hut its average period is not more than two. 
Tho popular belief that it is generally caused 
by “taking cold” is hardly supported by investi- 
gal ion, except in cases where there is a predispo¬ 
sition to it. Contrary to tho usual opinion, too, 
statistics show that persons with narrow chests 
urn not. on that account,, specially liable to it. 
Hereditary influence is strongly provocative of 
it, and those whose parents or grandparents 
havo been consumptive are far more likely to 
die of this disease than others It is most fre¬ 
quent, in humid climates, and in those subject to 
frequent alternations of cold and heat. It is 
most prevalent among those whoBO occupations 
aro of a sedentary nature, aud dissipation and 
irregular ty of life frequently lead to it. A high 
altitude affords a protection against it, and it is 
scarcely known among those living at an elova- 
tion of, say *1.000 feet. 
Despite the multitude of nostrums advertised 
for the euro of this ailment, there is no known 
speei/tc remedy for it. There cannot, indeed, be 
any absolute euro, because, when a part of the 
lung is (tnee destroyed, its restoration is as im¬ 
possible as that of a lost limb. It happens, not 
very infrequently, however, that the progress of 
the disease is arrested spontaneously before the 
lungs aro greatly damaged, and the patient re¬ 
covers with a certain amount of permanent in¬ 
jury which is only felt at moments when tho 
respiratory organs are unusually taxed by active 
exercise. In checking the progress of this mal¬ 
ady, attention to diet and hygienic practices is 
far more important than any medicine. Tho 
food should bo abundant and as nutritive as pos¬ 
sible, and tho more fatty ingredients the pa¬ 
tient’s appetite will tolerate, Ihe better. Living 
out of doors, aw much as possible, in all kinds of 
weather, is a highly important part of successful 
treatment. A consumptive person is no more 
liable to take cold than another, although it is 
generally thought so, from the fact that some of 
tho symptoms of the disease closely resemble 
those of a severe cold. 
There is no more deceptive disease than con¬ 
sumption. Before its victim has become con¬ 
scious of its presence, it very frequently has fas¬ 
tened its gaunt grasp relentlessly up< n him. 
Except in the very last stages, there is little pain. 
Tho appetite seems good, tho intellect bright, 
and the slight occasional pain is due to pleurisy 
which is developed as a complication of the 
pulmonary disorder. Tho lungs being scantily 
provided with nerves, give hut littto uneasiness. 
While each tuberculous patch is softening and 
until its matter Is entirely expectorated, tho 
symptomatic feelings continue, hut when the 
matter is wholly spit out, the cough abates and 
tho patient feels on the road to rapid recovery, 
until another patch is similarly affected. Hence, 
in nearly every caHe of consumption there aro nu¬ 
merous alternations of apparent health and real 
sickness, while it is characteristic of tho malady 
that tho patient should, even in advanced stages 
Of it,entertain confident expectations'of recovery. 
Are these ever realized ? Rarely, very rarely in¬ 
deed. Change of climate and appropriate treat¬ 
ment may lengthen the duration of tho disease, 
but in nearly every case w here it has once secured 
a hold on its victim, it never relaxes its grasp 
until the arrival of death. To it belongs, em¬ 
phatically, tho iron hand in a velvet glove. 
Scifiitifir anil Useful 
ACIDS. 
BY ENOCH SPENCER. 
Acid is a chemical term applied to a class of 
compound substances, most of which possess 
several distinctive characteristics. They all have 
ono essential property, Unit of combining 
chemically with alkalies which, in this connec¬ 
tion, aro termed bases and thereby forming 
new compounds called units, to which tho word 
neutral is generally prefixed, because they have 
neither tire properties of acids nor of alkalies. 
Tho majority of adds have a sour taste; are 
readily soluble in water; change the blue color 
of vegetables to red, aud if these colors have 
been previously lurned to a green by alkalies, 
the acids restore them to their natural hue. The 
vegetable blues generally employed for this 
purpose, aro tincture of litmus and syrup of 
violets or radishes, which have, in this connec¬ 
tion, obtained the name of re-agents or tests, 
because, by their means, tho presence of an acid 
can, in almost all cases, be detected In any sub¬ 
stance. There ure several acids, however, which 
can only he distinguished by their property of 
uuitiog with alkalies, and thus forming salts. 
Of these, sfiioa, or pure silicious saud or flint, is 
the l es t known. 'Plus is insoluble in water, de¬ 
void of taste, and has no action on vegetable 
coloring mutter; yet it is a true acid, because 
when heated with soda or lime, it forms the com¬ 
pound, glass, which Is chemically a salt of silicic 
acid. 
The combination of oxygen with elementary 
substances was formerly considered the origin 
of acids—honce, the name, oxygen, which is 
composed of two Greek words signifying acid- 
generator—but later researches have discovered 
a number of compounds containing hydrogen, 
hut entirely destitute of oxygen, yet possessing 
acid properties j hence this element is now con¬ 
sul red moro truly the generator of acids than 
oxygen. 
Borne acids, when nnoombined with other sub¬ 
stances, are gaseous, as carbonic acid; others 
fluid as sulph uric acid; and others solid, as hora- 
cic acid. Several hundred acids are already known 
most of. them belonging to the organic, king¬ 
dom, and chemists aro constantly discovering 
new ones. If the same element bo compounded 
with different proportions of the acidifying prin¬ 
ciple, in this way forming different acids, tbo 
most powerful of these derives its name from 
the clement and terminates in ic, as sulphuric 
acid ; the name of the weaker is formed in the 
same Way, but ends in otis, as sulphurous acid. 
Those most important in tho structure of plants 
are carbonic acid, sulphuric acid, phosphoric and 
silicic arid, either by themselves, or combined 
with other substance* with which they form 
salts, and are then known by tho names of car¬ 
bonates. sulphates, phosphates, and silicates. 
(blm'iiluljrrf. 
c © o 
CROPS IN NORTH CAROLINA. 
BY A. W. MANQUM. 
Dear Rural:— Even so near the end of the 
first autumnal month, wo can slid report that 
wo have not had frost enough to affect vegeta¬ 
tion. We are still using Tomatoes from tho 
vinos in the garden. The grass and clover aro 
still green and growing. The Rose-hushes aro 
decked with May-like bloom presenting, with 
tho autumn flowers around them, a beautiful in¬ 
stance of tho harmony of the seasons. Tho 
foliage is slowly changing—as if weary of wait¬ 
ing for tho chilling blasts. Our forests are sur¬ 
passingly lovely at this season. Tho abounding 
Cedars and Pines furnish tho evergreen; and 
the Poplar or Tulip-tree, tho Gum, the Dog-wrod, 
the Maplo, Ac., give a rich and charming variety 
Of colors. 
Our Flora can probably furnish some desirable 
aperies that you do not have in New York; and 
I have thought of sending you some seeds. For 
example, in my borders there is a kind of Con¬ 
volvulus that I have seldom, if at all, seen any¬ 
where but in this vicinity. It is, as to the bloom, 
very small—about half an inch iu diameter, it 
is a dark pink, does not yield to the sun, as other 
varieties do, seems very hardy, and produces a 
multitude of flowers. Trained to a bush or 
frame, it grows very luxuriantly. There is also 
a white variety that does not Boem so vigorous 
and flourishing, aud is not so frequently found. 
The farming year lias dosed witli tho avorago 
of an extraordinary fulfillment of tho rich prom¬ 
ises of spring aud summer. Burely our pooplo 
onglit to bo grateful to a beneficent Provideuco. 
The crops of grass, grain, roots, cotton, fruits, 
—everything are, taken together perhaps un¬ 
precedented. Last week tbo State fair eamo off 
at Raleigh. It was probably the best in all es¬ 
sential respeots that liaB been held in the State. 
The weather w'as delightful, the attendance was 
very large, tho display magnificent, and tho 
spirit of all parties hopeful and triumphant. 
Perhaps much of its success was duo to the ef¬ 
forts of tho Commissioner and other attaches of 
the State Department of Agriculture. Jlou. Mr. 
Wilson, of tho Agricultural Department at 
Washington, was present, giving tho encourage¬ 
ment and counsel that aro due from his position. 
By the way, I think tho new Commissioner of 
Agriculture, Mr. Lk Duo, is infusing now life 
into the Department. Tho old institution is cer¬ 
tainly pulsating with unwonted vigor. Tho Sep¬ 
tember report of the Commissioner of our State 
Department of Agriculture is just received, and 
I furnish Home of its items: 
Late heavy rairm damaged corn and cotton iu 
the lowlands. There is an increase in tho 
acreage devoted to the cereals. Wheat and 
Grapes have done so well in the eastern counties 
as to encourage increased efforts to produce 
them there. An incomplete tabular statement 
shows that from September 1st. to October 7ib, 
our railroads shipped, from our own depots, 
over 3 , 100,000 pounds of dried fruit. This is 
a growing interest in onr Ntate. There is, con¬ 
nected with the Agricultural Department, a Mu¬ 
seum iu which special space is provided for a 
display of the mineral and agricultural products 
of each couuty. The average report of Septem¬ 
ber from all the counties hut fourteen, and of 
twenty-one different products, is considerably 
above 101. Millet is put at lie. Much interest 
