THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEC. 23 
Bomfstir (gtonomn. 
-—' <«• 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE 
HOME HABITS. 
I was glad to see the remarks on “ Dress at 
Home,” in the Domestic Economy columns of 
the Rural of November 3. It is too true that 
married ladies are apt to fall into the habit cf 
neglecting home attire. Consideration of their 
own pleasure, as well as for those around them, 
ought to prompt them to bo ahcays neatly 
dressed. I do not believe that there is one man 
in a thousand so lacking In observation that 
the dress of his wife, whether tidy or the oppo¬ 
site, escapes his notice. Calico is now so cheap 
that there are few ladies who cannot afford 
two or three dresses of that materiaL With 
that number, a clean one can be worn all of the 
time. For morning wear, those made plainly, 
in easy, wrapper-style, are the best. The pat¬ 
tern called “ Princess," so much in vogue of 
late, is pretty and becoming, and also has the 
advantage of being easy to “ do up.” 
In such a dress with the addition of something 
white—ho sure that it is white—about the neok, 
with hair neatly done up and with whole shoes 
any lady is presentable. Many are inclined to 
wear old shoes because they are easy. I do not 
mean shoes that have lost their shape or that 
have become a littlo rusty, but those actually 
ragged. If worn for economy—it ia not oconomy 
to wear those past mending—they are ruinous 
to stockings and give the wearer an awk¬ 
ward, heavy step. Ladles, persevere in keeping 
up habits of neatness in your personal appear¬ 
ance, for by so doing you respect yourselves and 
command the respect of husband, children and 
friends. Mrs. M. G. R. 
- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
To Cure Beef. 
For one hundred and thirty to one hundred 
and fifty pounds of meat well packed in a cask, 
without salt, allow from one to two pailfuls of 
water, as is needed, with common salt added to 
make a brine strong enough to bear up a good- 
sized potato. Boil the brine and add two ounces 
of saltpeter and one pint, of molasses; pour 
over the beef while scalding hot, covering with 
a cloth until cold. This will keep until March, 
when, if any remains, take out and rime in cold 
water; boil and skim the brine, adding Balt 
HUllicient to bring to the potato test again and 
pour cold over the meat. The beef may be 
taken from tho brine and cooked the same as 
fresh beef if cured duriDg cold weather, and it 
retains its juices and flavor better than by 
any other mothod. 
Sausage 
To eighty pounds of meat chopped line—not 
too fat, add two pounds of fine salt; three 
ounces of pulverized sage ; five ounces of black 
peppor; two ounces of savory; four ounces of 
allspice; four ounces of ginger; four table¬ 
spoonfuls of sugar; warm and mix without 
water. We think this the best sausage recipe 
wo have ever used. 
( Stuffing for Poultry or Fish. 
Two cups of light bread or cracker crumbB; 
one cup of mashed potatoes; one egg well 
beaten ; butter sizo of an egg ; ono small tea¬ 
spoonful of sago and savory ; ono dozen clams 
or oysters chopped; moisten with warm, rich, 
new milk, adding salt and peppor to tho taste. 
This is nice for poultry and fish; for duck, 
goose or wild game of any kind, an onion 
chopped fine and added is an improvement. 
Penn Yan. Mrs. Mary Olin. 
has failed to assimilate them, then it is proper to 
supply them direct in tho food or beverage. In 
these cases the appetito Is a very good guide, if 
not depraved with bad habits. If a little soda 
is swallowed and it effervesces and causes an 
escape of gas from the mouth, it is pretty good 
evidence that acids are not required. If no gas 
escapes, it is at least a strong hint that acids 
may do good. 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Uubana, Neosho Co., Kas., Nov. 23 , 
I saw, in your paper of the 17th inst., some 
questions asked about the Neosho Valley; and 
as I have lived in this Valley for twolve years, 
and near tho M . K and T It. 1!., I will be pleas¬ 
ed to answer any questions I can concerning this 
country. I will state, at the outset, that I am 
not interested in any laud speculation ; nor do I 
think this the beat place in the world for a man 
that is destitute of means. Our population is 
almost wholly composed of poor men, whoso 
families arc dependent on their labor for the 
meager conifortB they got. We need men with 
means to convert our products into something 
that we con afford to ship. I will give my own 
experience, first in regard to wheat: As regards 
the last eight crops that I have sown —my land 
is on the Neosho bottom—in the first five I got 
a little over twenty bushels to the acre; the 
two last were destroyed by the grasshoppers ; 
the eighth iB looking beautiful. Tho last few 
times I have sown only ono bushel to tho acre, 
and find that it produces a better yield than 
when I sowed more. 
The price for breaking prairie is from two 
and one-half to three dollars per acre. If it is 
for a fall or tho next spring crop, the ground 
should be rebroken after tho sods rot. 
As to sheep husbandry, I have been in that 
business for over two years, and find it is more 
profitable than cattle, and more pleasant to 
manage. I have over fivo hundred head that 
look very well. J. M. Allen. 
Washington Co., Ga., Deo, 10, ’77. 
We have had very pleasant weather here for 
the last two months, beautiful white frosts, for 
two weeks. Fine weather for saving pork. Most 
of onr farmers are killing their meat early on ac¬ 
count of tho short corn crop, caused by tho 
drought; potatoes were cut off also. Cottou was 
almost an entire failure. The farmers are put¬ 
ting in a larger area of grain than usual, making 
things comfortable, and busy with their prepara¬ 
tions for next year. 1 am running a stock farm 
and would be glad to get information from other 
stock farmers. (1.) How will Summer Millet do 
for cows ? ( 2 .) and what is the general yield per 
acre '< (3.) and what quantity of seed to tho acre ? 
1 killod a pig twelve months old, two weeks 
since, weighing 408 pounds gross, 434 not. (4.) 
How does that compare with tho Northern pigs ? 
Mine was a Berkshire yearling, red. (5.) What 
stock of hogs will grow tho largest and take on 
flesh tho fastest at twelve months of ago ? 
G. S. Hooks. 
Ans.— Millet, on suitable soils, makes heavy 
crops of provender and excellent hay. ( 1 .) 
Cows and all kinds of stock 6 atit with relish. (2.) 
When properly cultivated, its yield per acre ex¬ 
ceeds that of timothy, four tons to tho acre hay¬ 
ing been sometimes secured, though, of course, 
this is above the average. (3.) For hay, ono 
buBhel of seed per acre ; hut for hay and seed, 
half a bushel will suffice. (4.) Very well indeed, 
for that age. (5.) A mooted point this, which 
we prefer that others should decide. 
Syracuse, N. Y., Dec. 10,1877. 
December is one-third gone and little signs of 
winter yet. Hardly enow enough to whiten the 
ground and not frost enough to hinder setting 
out currants. For several days I have been en¬ 
gaged in clearing out briars, brush, and woods 
along my fences, and setting in black currants. 
They will soon occupy the ground to tho almost 
total exclusion of everything else. The fences 
catch a great many leaves, &c., which lie and rot, 
making the land Very rich, consequently ourrants 
do well with little manure. The black variety is 
very popular with people who once get accus¬ 
tom* * d to their use. Potatoes are selling at forty 
cents,and 1 venture to pridiet that they will reach 
81 next spring. H»y sells at $T2 to 815 per ton. 
Whole hugs *5 50 to vti per hundred. Ou the 
w hole, farmers need not feel discouraged at 
the prospects ahead. If Congress would ad¬ 
journ, aud the Legislature f. ilto meet we might 
all be happy and protperoue yet. n. b. 
PoquoNOC Bridge, N. Y., Nov. 19. 
Received Beeds to-day. Many thanks. Kind 
Rural friends, when shall we commence again 
tho delightful task of an exchango oV seeds with 
each other ? Nearly all my flowers seeded plen¬ 
tifully this year. I will name a few that, from 
various causes, failed to give a snpply. Heliau- 
thus got wormy ; my Asters nearly all wilted be¬ 
fore goiDg to seed. I cannot account for the 
Pansies 5 there wero plenty of splendid flowers, 
hut in nearly every case, empty seed pods ; my 
Sweet Peas and Cypress made a delicious feast 
for a flock of stray ducks that succeeded in mak¬ 
ing their way through the fence one night. Am 
I not lucky in having so few failures with nearly 
sixty varieties of flowers ? I think so. m. w. 
Atlanta, Ga., Dec. 3,1877. 
The weather has been delightful up to Nov. 
26—not frost enough to kill all tender vegeta¬ 
tion ; in fact, the Geraniums and Madeira vines 
adorned our homes up to that date, when three 
cold days destroyed everything of that kind— 22 ^ 
above zero. The corn crop has been above an 
average, and in selling at G5o. per bush. Cotton 
averaged about 66 per cent, of a fair crop. Tho 
sweet potato crop was late, but very good, bring¬ 
ing 50c. per bushel.; tho vines wero but partly 
saved, as tho weather was so damp aud warm 
that where they were hung ou poles to dry thoy 
were still growiDg in that position after ten days. 
We are now sowing fall grain, planting onion 
sets, setting out strawberry plants and digging 
potatoes. c. d. 
Houston, Texas, Dec. c, 1877. 
We had several pretty stinging night frosts 
rather early for this locality, in ono of which 
tho thermometer marked 26°; this has put 
the glory of flower gardens to a sudden end. 
Wo are digging second-crop Irish potatoes which 
turn oat considerably well. Many of tho sweet 
ones are in the ground yet, though the vines 
are all dead: through the raining w eather people 
were deterred from digging them. They sell 
from 30 to 50 cents per bushel. a. m. 
Williamsville, N. Y. 
The Pelargonium seed you sent me, last year, 
grow nicely, and I have several beautiful plants 
now. I had also one nice Zinnia. The others 
were not so good. o. f. a. 
5ainj Ijustmntit'ir. 
COLORING BUTTER. 
A Subscriber ,—You recommend the uso of 
annatto in buttor, and say that it should he cut 
with an alltali. I have used it, but know no way 
of mixing it except with warm water, which is 
quite tedious and has to be done every time. 
Please tell us, through the Rural how-, aud with 
what to dissolve it, bo that wo may keep it in a 
fluid state all winter. 
Ans. —There are several methods employed by 
old and experienced dairymen for'preparing 
annatto lor coloring butter, only a fow of which 
space will permit us to give hero: Melt about, 
say, a pound of butter, so that the heavy part 
may sink to tho bottom, and pour tho light, 
dew fat on the top iuto another dish. Into tho 
fat poured off, put a piece of annatto, about the 
size of a walnut, wrapped up in a linen cloth, 
and place tho vessel again over the fire. Tho 
coloring matter strains through the cloth, aud 
turns tho butter brown-red, when it should he 
allowed to cool off. When the butter is to be 
colored, some of this is melted, salted and mixed 
very carefully into tho butter after washing. The 
quantity to be mixed will depend on the shade 
of color the maker wishes to impart to bis but¬ 
tor, and a little praetioo noon enables him to take 
the right quantity. Great caio should, of course, 
be taken to work the butter thoroughly, as, if 
streaked or marbled it will, most probably, fetch 
a lower price in the market than it would if un¬ 
colored. The better way is to use the annatto 
in the cream, and then during tho process of 
churning, it becomes perfectly incorporated with 
the mass and gives an even shade throughout 
the butter without any trouble. A simple recipe 
for cutting the annatto tor this purpose is as fol¬ 
lows : Dissolve a half pound of concentrated 
potash in live quarts of water, by heating and 
stirring. Pour off tho lyo from tho sediment, 
add one pound of the best annatto aUd dissolve 
it. Boil gently for tweuty-fivo"minutes, by 
placing tho mixture in a kettle surrounded by 
water, so as to prevent Bcorcfiitig or burning. 
Then let the mixture settle ; rack it off, aud 
strain through a fine cloth, and bottle for me. 
By measuring the quantity of cream and the 
proportion of annatto for tho de»ited shade, a 
uniform color for different churnings may be ob¬ 
tained. When the annatto is eut by an akali, 
like potash, the coloring sometimes gives a 
slightly reddish tinge to the butter, while it ia 
claimed that annatto prepared in the following 
manner produces a golden hue : Take two 
ounces of best basket annatto and dissolve it in a 
quart of soft, cold water. It should lie shaken 
well in order that the annatto may be thoroughly 
dissolved 3 then strain the liquid through a cloth 
SHIRT IRONING. 
Experience and observation have long ere 
this tanght me that the ironing of shirts is no 
small item among the duties of tho wife, mother, 
daughter or sister. It has been the cause of 
many weary heads, aching backs, and tired arms, 
aud if at such times, when the ironer has done 
her best, tho mon-folks, unmindful of the amount 
of patience and labor expended upon them, grum¬ 
ble because thoy do not look better, how very 
trying it is ' If the result of my experience can 
be of any assistance to others, 1 most willingly 
give it. 
An easy way, I have found, is to dissolve tho 
starch in a little cold water; then pour on hot— 
not boiling—water, say half a pint to two tean 
spoonfuls of starch. Wet the bosoms in this, 
roll them up, lot them lie two or three hours, 
and iron in the usual way. 
But when cuffs, collars, or shirts are to be 
ironed, so they can he worn some little lime 
without becoming soiled, similar to laundry 
work, it requires more time aud labor. 
I have kuown one shirt—when “done up” as 
follows, to outlast two or three ironed the oaBier 
way; Dissolve two tablcspoonfuls of starch in 
cold water; then pour on about a quart of boil¬ 
ing water, stirring all the time; add a piece of 
spermaceti tho size of a large hickory-nut, (or 
some nice clean tallow), and let it boil until clear. 
Use as hot as possible, as it soaks in better. The 
cuffs and collars can be put into the hot starch 
with a spoon until cool enough to use the bands. 
Rub the starch in well, wring but little and hang 
up to dry. If tho clothes are starched after they 
have been dried, thoy will absorb more starch 
aud be much stiffer. When again dried, I usually 
wet them in some thin boiled or unboiled starch 
—as described above; then roll tightly —the 
cuffs and collars rolled in a dry doth, dampened 
a little on the outside—and leave all over night 
before ironing. If the shirts aro not wanted 
quite so stiff, wet them in hot water instead of 
thin starch. If any part is too dry in the morn¬ 
ing, dampen with a wet cloth first, then rub all 
the wrinkles, if any, to the edge of the bosom, 
or under the plaits, loosening the plaits and 
ironing in tho usual, way. 
To polish after ironing, moisten tho surface 
with boiled starch and iron briskly with a 
smoothing iron—l mo a uickle-platod one. 
Cuffs, and collars are treated similarly; but I 
usually lay a dry cloth over them and iron on 
the wrong side first. If they aro not yot stiff 
enough, rub in while ironing more thick starch, 
cold or hot, and polish them as directed. When 
done. Up the iron and draw the edge back aud 
forth over tho inside ot the cuff or collar, which 
will round it to tho shape of the aim or neok. 
The linen part of turn-down collars should bo 
finished first, thou the other part ironed on the 
wrong side, as it will turn over better. Any 
time when ironing, little specks or soiled spots 
can be rubbed off with a damp cloth. It will no 
doubt require souio practice to do the above sat¬ 
isfactorily, but l trust that labor and paUence 
will be rewarded with success. 
Will not others fa vor us with criticisms and 
suggestions ? One Wiio Tries to Learn. 
wmiarnsvllle, Eric Co., N. Y. 
Iggitnit Information, 
CIDER AS A MEDICINE. 
BY S. B. PECK. 
That this beverage has wrought some remark¬ 
able cures, is susceptible of the most positive 
preof. Its hourly, or even daily use as the 
most common drink is not what I hero refer to. 
but its use iu certain cases of debility, derange¬ 
ment of tho liver, and chronic diarrhea, has, in 
many cases, had a most marked effect. F.spe- 
t.ally iu the long lingering debility that follows 
intermittent and remittent fevers, has it boen 
used with decided success. It has even boon 
said that good health depends mainly, so far as 
what is taken into tho stomach is concerned, in 
the proper eupply of acids aud alkalies. Tho 
acids of cider aro mainly malic, but i have good 
authority for saying that it contains lactic, which 
is the acid of milk. It is at least a singular coiu- 
denco that some perceive the same effect upon di¬ 
gestion from cider and milk. The writer was wit¬ 
ness to the cure of a case of tho most obstinate 
chronic diarrhea, effected in one day by a pint 
*of hard eider administered in two doses, while 
another Buddon and violent attack in another per¬ 
son, was cured the same day by a small dose of 
bi-carbonate of soda. Two other cases of remark¬ 
able cures from cider I will rolato. Mrs, H., as 
reported to me by herself, had a lingering cough 
with loss of appetite, and a general declino, and 
was supposed by herself and friends to bo rap¬ 
idly approaching her end, with consumption. Ou 
a visit to her father, she saw him come from the 
cellar with a pitcher of cider, and asked for a 
drink, which had 60 good an effect that she con¬ 
tinued its use for a fow weeks, iu which time she 
fully recovered. This and tho following were 
doubtloss cases of affections of the liver. 
Some 15 years since, iu my walk from my res¬ 
idence to my place of business, I met S. M., 
whom I knew to have lately roturned from the 
army. His countenance Bhowod a bad condi¬ 
tion of the liver, his gait showed great de¬ 
bility, and I looked forward to the day when I 
should meet him no more. In answer to my in¬ 
quiries, he said ho had been treated by several 
physicians without benefit. I advised him—(not 
professionally, oh, no!)—to try some hard cider, 
but to be very cautious, for 1 thought he was 
far gone. Meeting him two days after, and asking 
bim of the effect of his new medicine, lie replied, 
“First-rate ! I drank a full glass of what yon 
brought me with a keen relish, went to lied and 
slept soundly all night, a thing I have not done 
before for months.’' He then told me llmt nis 
case was one of chronic diarrhea, contracted in 
the army. I hai the satisfaction of seeing him 
fat and hearty in a few weeks, and of hearing 
that his physician said to him, “ It was the cider 
that cured you ; I had done all I could for you,” 
It ia not claimed that either- this remedy or 
alkalies will be effectual iu all cases. Acids in 
the stomach are necessary to healthy digestion, 
and when the food for a long timo has failed 
to supply them, or the stomach, from disease, , 
