Domestic feonomi). 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE 
SUNDRY SUGGESTIONS. 
When a house is being plastered, if the floors 
were previously covered to the depth of half an 
inch or more with sand, a great deal of extra 
work in removing stains and cleaning could thus 
be avoided. Straw, although sometimes use cl, 
will not answer the purpose, but sawdust will, I 
think. When plastering, the wood-work is al¬ 
ways more or less spattered with lime or mortar 
which it is tedious to remove, unless oue knows 
the easiest way, which I have found to be by 
rubbing it after it becomes dry with coarse sand¬ 
paper and then with a finer quality—washing is 
then unnecessary. 
With a pair of scissora trim the frayed edges of 
Arctic overshoes every week or two, and they 
will be much more presentable. 
Housekeepers who have never used a covered 
dish of any kind for roasting turkeys, chickens, 
and other meats as well as beans, can little real¬ 
ize what a blessing to housewives are the cov¬ 
ered bakers now in use. I see no reason, how¬ 
ever, why they should be bold at such exorbit¬ 
ant prices as are those of one particular patent, 
as they are very simple, such as any tin-smith 
can make. Many of us can remember with pleas¬ 
ure the savory dishes prepared by our mothers 
or grandmothers, and baked in the old-fashioned 
Dutch oven before the .fire-place, and will hail 
with delight the advent of the ■ covered bakers 
which possess the merits of the aforesaid oven 
while being applicable to stoves. 
J ulia M. Wheelock. 
--- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Orange Puddmg, 
Three pints of milk; seven heapmg table¬ 
spoonfuls of sifted corn-starch; yelks of four 
eggs; salt, flavor and sweeten to taste. Peel 
six oranges; cut into fine pieces and remove 
the seeds; lay in the bottom of a deep pudding 
dish; sift over as much sugar as required ; 
when cool pour over the oranges the corn-starch ; 
beat the whites of the four eggs ; add two table¬ 
spoonfuls of sugar, flavor, spread oyer the top 
of the puddiug; place in the oven until the 
meringue is of a delicate brown. Although this 
recipe seems simple it requires care in putting 
the ingredients together. First, let the milk 
come to a boil; add the corn-starch which has 
previously been dissolved in a little cold milk: 
boil until it thickens; take from off the fire and 
stir in the well-beaten yelks, the sugar and 
flavoring; return to the back of the range for a 
few minutes—stirring constantly; when again 
taken from the fire, beat the corn-starch until it 
is cool enough to pour over the oranges. This 
constant heating prevents the corn-starch from 
being lumpy. The nieriugue should not be 
made until the pudding is ready for it to be 
spread over the top and placed in the oven. 
Orange Cake, 
Two cups of sugar; the yelks of live eggs; 
the whites of four-; one-half cup of water that 
has been boiled—it must be cool when used; 
one-half teaspoonful of soda and one of cream- 
of-tar tar; the grated rind and juice of one 
orange ; two cups of flour. Bake in layers. 
♦ Jelly. 
Beat the white saved from the cake to a stiff 
froth; add powdered sugar until like a stiff 
icing then stir in the j uice and rind of one orange. 
Over the top layer rub lightly with the white of 
an egg and cover quite thickly with powdered 
sugar. Mas. D. Snedeeer. 
Brooklyn. 
Ohiiken Croquettes. 
One large chicken ; two sweet-breads ; two 
ounces of butter ; one wine-glass of milk ; one 
loaf of stale baker's bread ; pepper, Balt, pars¬ 
ley, onion and two eggs. 
Boil the chicken and sweet-breads separately 
until tender—saving the chicken broth. Chop 
both together very line; season with pepper, 
salt, parsley and one toaspoonful of grated 
onion. Grate or rub bread until you have equal 
quantities of crumbs and chicken. Take as 
much chicken broth as will moisten the crumbs; 
add the milk, butter and let boil; then stir in 
the crumbs, mix with the meat and when suf¬ 
ficiently cool, stir in the two eggs, well beaten. 
Mold into croquettes ; roll in crumbs or Indian 
meal and fry in lard. 
Oysters on the Half-Shell. 
Put one pint of oysters with liquor into a 
stew-pan; add a gill of water; let come to a 
boil; take off from the iiro and strain through 
a colander. Into a sauoe-pan put two table- 
spoonfuls of butter; two and a half tablespoon- 
fnls of flour ; place over the lire and stir until 
the butter melfs; pour in half the liquor from 
the oysters and stir until it thickens; take from 
off the fire and break into it two eggs—one after 
the other quickly; season with pepper, salt and 
a teaspoonful of parsley; mix well; add the 
oysters and remaining liquor; boil one minute. 
When cool put on the half-shells ; Bprinkle with 
cracker-crumbs and bake until nicely browned. 
Potatoes. 
One and one-balf pint of mashed potatoes ; 
yelks of four eggs ; a small piece of butter ; one- 
fourth pint of milk ; season with salt, pepper 
and stir in the well-beaten whites of the four 
eggs the last thing. Bake in the oven until 
brown. 
^ Snow Pudding. 
One-half box Coopeb’s gelatine soaked ten or 
fifteen minutes in four tablespoonfulB of cold 
water ; then add a pint of boiling water, the 
juice of two lemons, and one cup of sugar. 
Strain it arid set away to cool. When cool—not 
stiff—add the well-beaten whites of three eggs ; 
mix thoroughly and pour into a mold and cool. 
Custard. 
Take the yelks and about one pint of milk 
and make a soft custard ; sweeten and flavor to 
taste, and when the pudding is turned out of the 
mold pour over the custard. 
Bavarian Cream. 
Dissolve one ounce box of gelatine in one and 
one-balf pint of milk slowly; whenscaldiDg hot, 
stir in the well beaten yelks of three eggs, four 
tablespoonfuls of sugar; let it boil ten minutes, 
then stir in the whites beaten to a stiff froth; 
add a little vanilla. Let it cool slowly in a mold. 
Eaten with wine, milk, or cream. 
Apple Jelly Cake. 
One cup of sugar, two tablespoon fuls of butter; 
two eggs; one-half cup milk ; one-half teaspoon¬ 
ful soda and one of cream-tartar; two cups flour, 
and a little salt. Bake in layers. 
Jelly for Cake. 
Two apples pared and grated, one enp of sugar, 
juice of one lemon, beaten white of one egg. 
Oocoanut Drops. 
Grate the cocoanut; weigh it; take half the 
weight in fine sugar; mix together and form 
into little balls. Bake them in a hot oven; when 
they begin to brown, they are done. Before 
baking, dip the bottoms of the balls into flour. 
Brooklyn. Mrs. Williams. 
-- 
Correction.— One-half pound of butter was 
omitted in Mrs. Bart's recipe for “ Cheap Fruit 
Cake” in the Rural of Jan. 5. 
EASTERN SHORE OF MARYLAND. 
J. W. KE RR. 
MISTAKES OF NEW SETTLERS, 
Denton, Md., Jan. 3,1878. 
In the Rural of two or three weeks back, an 
article from one of its able Western correspond¬ 
ents, Dr. Williams, presents a graphic pen-por¬ 
trait of the manner of procedure of immigrants 
from the North and East, that I have seen the 
twin-sister of here, and that, too, with feelings 
mingled with deep regret. 
Many persons coming here to settle from 
Northern and Eastern States, where the price 
of land ranges much higher than here, are far 
from content with buying what a portion of 
their available capital will pay for. The reuovo- 
tion and improvement of a run-down farm are, in 
their estimation, a matter of trifling importance 
—the greed of acquisition blinds their vision, 
and instead of purchasing one farm and paying 
for it, two will be bought, half of each paid for, 
and the balance mortgaged. Situated thuB, with 
a lot of poor land, no cash, no means to improve, 
and the time approaching for payment of mort¬ 
gages, the inevitable result soon stares them 
threateningly in the face. 
Two or three years of hard toil, followed by 
withering mental anxiety and remorse, and they 
return to their friends, wiser and poorer than 
when they left them. In some instances, fail¬ 
ures of Northern families here are attributable 
to other causes. For example, there is the hard- 
headed, practical farmer who settles among us; 
he will tell ua this book-farming is nonsense, 
“ the men who write it hardly know a calf from 
a Guinea pig,” etc., etc. He brings hiB heavy 
Northern plow along, and gives this thin, light 
soil such a thorough (?) plowing as it never had 
before. If there is any clay in the subsoil, he 
has tho benefit of four or five iuohes of it on 
top. The corn ho plants is differently educated, 
and stubbornly refuses to make ears under the 
treatment; but, sayB Mr. Hard-head, “my plan 
is right, and I’ll stick to it; this lazy, half-way 
plan of farming I never liked." And thus ho 
argues by word and work, until a depleted purse 
arouses his affections for his former home, and 
disgusted with the country and inhabitants, he 
quietly makes his exit. 
Now I believe in thorough and modern farm¬ 
ing, as practiced by tho educated, skillful, and 
successful farmers of the North and East, and 
at the same time I frankly own that the greater 
portion of (his Eastern Shore of Maryland, is 
many years behind the North in point of agri¬ 
cultural improvements aud practice; but for 
this tbere was a cause; that cause is removed, 
and onr farmers have procured tickets for the 
car of agricultural improvement and all its 
fascinating concomitants. Some are already 
seated in the substantial vehicle, others on the 
way to the station, while some are only donning 
suitable apparel to make them passable in the 
crowd; but “improvement" is the inspiring 
watchword of all, spreading, prolific, contagious 
improvement. 
-♦-*-*- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Syracuse, N. Y., Jan. 4th, 1878. 
Old January is singring;, 
And his voice is hoarse with cold 
But. hark, to the Joyous rinsing 
Of that merry shout and bold, 
'Tia the wild, free-hearted laughter, 
Of u merry gToup at play ; 
The music that followetli after. 
The toile of tlio studious day." 
Winter appears to have come at last! Yester¬ 
day morning the thermometer stood at six de¬ 
grees below zero. To-day at noon—it stands at 
22 above, wind east, aud snowing fast. There 
is a fair prospect of sleighing, which is highly 
desirable as the roads are in a horrible condition, 
and in consequence business is not lively. Up 
to the 28th of December, tbe weather, was mild 
with only slight, occasional frosts. This short¬ 
ens our winter materially, which is a great ben¬ 
efit to poor people. If farmers are not prepar¬ 
ed for winter now, it is due to their own neglect, 
as the season has been most propitious, This 
is a very important season of the year, financial¬ 
ly to us all. Payments come due, and interest 
—which “ draws harder than a blister"— must 
be provided for, taxes must be paid, subscrip¬ 
tions to tbe paper, especially for the Rural re¬ 
newed, church rates paid, insurance policies at¬ 
tended to, yearly dues to the Masonic, and other 
benevolent orders, settled, extra winter clothing 
bought, and last but not least, holiday presents 
for family and friends procured. Verily, it 
needs all of one’s wits as well as a good share of 
one’s spare cash to meet all these obligations, 
coming as they do in a lump. I think farmers 
generally are able to settle all the bills with a 
cheerful countenance, as the past season has 
been an uncommonly fruitful one. n. r. 
Howard Lake, Mlun., Dec. 29, 1877. 
Minnesota has of late, changed her weather 
tactics very materially; for contrary to her es¬ 
tablished rule for winter—which is snapping 
cold weather, aud plenty of it, with much sun¬ 
shine and few clouds, and an abundance of 
snow—she has been giving us mild, foggy 
weather, with much wind, mud aud rain, and as 
a consequence, the roads are anything but good. 
So frequent were tho rains, that the week before 
Christmas—much to the disgust of housekeep¬ 
ers—it was impossible to dry clothes in tho open 
air duriug the entire week, and many washings 
remained wet on the lino for ten days, except 
as they wore takeu into the house to dry. Such 
continuous rain has never been known here be¬ 
fore at auy season of the year. There may be, 
after all, a blessing in disguise in this warm 
weather, as the seeds of weeds aud other hardy 
plants are springing up in abundance, as if it 
were spriug-time, aud just so many less will the 
gardener have to contend with another year. 
Farmers hero generally are prosperous and 
happy, aud realized good crops of grain and 
vegetables, though to secur e them they had a des¬ 
perate fight, last spring, with young grasshop-. 
pers. Apple crop not so good as last year. 
Only a few varieties raised hero. This town is 
situated in the Maple woods, nearly forty miles 
west of Minneapolis, on the St. Paul and Pacific 
R. R. January 3, 1878, our mud is frozen and 
a light snow has fallen. B . 
University of N. C., Jan. 8. 
After a mild autumn and December—a few 
days excepted—we are at last realizing that it is 
winter. So far wo have had only a sprinkle of 
snow, but it haB been exceedingly oold for two 
days. The ice is an inch and a half on the 
ponds to-day, and the lovers of skating have had 
the first sport of the season. Owiug to the wet 
Beason, tho farmers were unusually late in sow¬ 
ing wheat. This may not prove a loss. Some 
years ago I began about the usual date and fin¬ 
ished sowing but a little while before Christmas, 
Tho first and last pieces were about equally good, 
and both much better than tho others. The ex¬ 
periment showed that the Boil and culture wore 
more important than early or late sowing. 
As an item of general interest, I will state that 
our Department of Agriculture purposes to issue 
a special number of its organ, the Farmer aud 
Mechanic, on the 17th inst., in behalf of immi¬ 
gration to this State. They will publish 12,000 
extra copies, for distribution in the Middle and 
New England States. The Governor, the State 
Geologist, the State Chemist, and other dis¬ 
tinguished gentlemen will contribute articles. 
Our State Chemist, Dr. A. R. Ledaux of New 
York, has recently brought his excellent and ac¬ 
complished bride from your city; and they, 
each and both, have taken a warm place in the 
hearts, and a high place in the esteem of all our 
community. 
May a kind Providence crowd the New Year 
with blessings to you and your readers! 
A. w. M. 
Syracuse, N. Y., Jan. 5,1978. 
I was highly pleased with the editorial, in 
Rural of Dec. 15, entitled “ When to Stop." 
We are troubled with the same class of people 
in this vicinity. When one of these long-wind¬ 
ed persons does finally stop, one feels like ex¬ 
claiming in the language of the poet: 
“ The speaker’s voice is hushed at last— 
There was no more to tell, 
Aud from the weary audience 
There arose a grateful yell.” 
But there is another class of speakers, just as 
objectionable and provoldng. I mean those per¬ 
sons—not hard to find—who see CO to sit with 
their feet well under them, ready to spring up 
aud speak upon the slightest provocation. They 
remind one of a “ Jack-in-a-box," so constantly 
are they bobbing up and down. I lately attend¬ 
ed a meeting of a State organization—no need 
to say what the organization was, or when held— 
where a man of this clasH—whom for convenience 
I shall call Mr. H.—made himself conspicu¬ 
ous. 
Notwithstanding tho faot that there were a 
score or two of good speakers, ivhorn all wished 
to hear ; this irrepressible gentleman managed 
to occupy about one-third of the time. No soon¬ 
er did a speaker resume Lis seat, than up sprung 
Mr. II., quicker by at least half a minute, than 
any one else in the room, w ith a “ Just one 
word Mr. President,” or ; “I wish to drop a sin¬ 
gle thought right here.” Presently down he 
would sit again, but always ready for another 
spring, until some one else had 6poken, then up 
he would come again, with one more thought, 
or just another word ; varying the programme 
by rising to explain wbat he had previously 
said, “ for fear that some one in the room had 
misinterpreted his meaning ; " or to “ suggest" 
that another name be added to some committee, 
etc. etc. etc. No question was, or could be 
raised upon which he could not throw some light 
no subject started that he could not instantly 
oomprohend. It is simply astonishing how 
much he knew—taking him at his own valua¬ 
tion. 
It is hard to be compelled to sit and listen to 
one of those interminable talkers, but ibis can 
be endured; while oue of these “Jumping- 
jacks," who is upon his feet one half of the 
time, and who rarely says anything worth lis¬ 
tening tc t, provokes me beyond my powers of en¬ 
durance. Nelson Ritter. 
-*>♦- 
Jonesville, Saratoga, Co. N. Y., Jan. 4,1S73. 
The weather in this vicinity has been remark¬ 
able for two mouths past. I think that the 
oldest inhabitants do not remember having seen 
so warm a December. Until within a few days 
the grouud has been frozen but slightly. 
Dec. 25-20-27, 1877, will be long remembered as 
the days of a “ frost storm.” The wind was 
northeast; the sky cloudy ; the trees, grass aud 
ground covered with white frost, and frozen 
vapor actually falling, even daring the day, upon 
the earth. The prevailing wind for three weeks 
past haB been northeast. Jan. 1, 1878 was a 
beautiful day, tho sun shining, and the weather 
warm. Yesterday, January 2, snow fell to the 
depth of four or live inches. This morning 
Jan. 3, was the coldest of the season, thus far, 
the mercury standing at 4~ below zero. 
Pricesof farm produce as foliowd : Oats 35 
cents aud 40 cents; rye 75 cents; corn 70 
cents; hay 810 to 612 per ton; potatoes 81,25 
and 81,50 per barrel; butter 25 cents per lb. 
The apple crop was a total failure, hardly a far¬ 
mer has apples in his cellar. Generally crops of 
the last season were abuudant. f. b. w. 
Pittsfield, N. H., Jan. 5,1878. 
The weather was very mild and rather moist 
during the latter part of the year ju st closed. 
Mercury did not go below teu degrees but 
once iu that titno, In central N. H. there was 
not snow enough for good sleighing, aud some 
farmers have kept stock in tho pasture all tho 
time excepting two days. All young stock 
and sheep having the choice of tilled racks aud 
pasture, have invariably chosen the latter, dur¬ 
ing tbe day, which has materially aided those 
farmers whose quantity of fodder was small. 
Tho outlook for tho hay crop next season is 
good. Live stock sells low. Lumber business is 
improving a little. No change otherwise. 1877 
died a lamb, 1878 was born a roaring lion. Two 
snow storms and merem-y six degrees thus far. 
Q. R. D. 
