THE RURAL MEW-YORIER. 
Boracsfit €ronomj), 
CONDUCTED 3Y EMILY MAPLE 
PITHS. 
Novcr n bo a fine comb. 
Apply lemon juice to corns. 
Hellebore will kill roaches. 
Never cat too much—never go hungry. 
Carpets having small figures are fashionable. 
Kitchen floors, when oiled, will not show 
grease. 
May-weed blossoms pul into alcohol make a 
superior liniment. 
The sick-room Bhould be the lightest and 
brightest in the houso. 
Pure orris-root powder is a harmless and 
agreeable tooth-powder. 
Raisins are rendered quite digestible if boiled 
or steamed before using them in cakes or pies. 
A delicious sirup is made by meltiDg one pound 
of maple sugar with two pounds of white sugar. 
To sweeten (bo breath, pour a few drops of 
tincture of myrrh into a wiuo-glasa of water and 
gargle the mouth thoroughly with it. 
An Idea for Mothers: Haste a piooo of needle¬ 
work on the bottom of children’s cloaks; this 
takes the place of a white dress in the street, 
and is far more cusy to do up. 
-• 
SIFTINGS FROM THE KITCHEN FIRE. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
THE SUNDAY DINNER. 
The “ Kitchen Club ” held its meetings at our 
house yesterday. It is an informal gathering to 
talk over domestic matters, and is dubbed 
“kitchen ” becauso no fancy work, or anything 
outside of the real work of everyday life is al¬ 
lowed in its discussions. “ Thoroughly practi¬ 
cal” is our motto. Sometimes wo take for our 
Bubjeet the troubles of the kitchen lire, and 
plans for preventing smoke, or had regulating. 
At other times the various ways of preparing 
our simplest meals. This week, the subject was 
Sunday dinners, and there was such a variety of 
opinion that, the summing up was as hard us 
it would be to pick out the prettiest pattern in a 
patch-work quilt, made uf a traveler’s samples. 
Mrs. John Jessup advocated that as Sunday 
w as a day of rest, cooking should not bo done on 
that day. Cold perk and beaus, with plenty of 
pie, wore good enough for any Chtkutuu. Mis. 
Ronald Huturreord went to the other extreme 
and stated that as tho Sabbath was a day of tchI 
from labor and from play, both husbaud and 
children had more time to digest a good dinner 
thanon any other day in the week. With our good 
cooking conveniences, no one need bo kept from 
church to prepare the dinner, if the tire was 
kept up by the person remaining in charge of 
the house; a good joint would cook partly 
through, to ho basted and finished off while tho 
vegetables were boiling. There was nothing 
pleasanter than a good warm dinner in cold 
weather, when tho family can gather together 
with leisure to eat it, and quietly enjoy each 
other’s society, without any of the haste of overy- 
day life. 
“But,” spoke up little Mrs. Lennox, “ we are 
as busy ou Sunday as any other day ; what witli 
Sunday-school and the two services, and pray¬ 
er-meeting aftowards, wo see loss of our family 
than on any other day.” Then Delia Dewell 
rose and gave her opinion, “ I am an old maid, 
I suppose,” said she, “ and not supposed to 
know much about such matters. Hut I often 
think when I see the hurry of the Lord’s Day in 
many families, oven though it he crowding in a 
good cause, that wo cannot, as a people, lay off 
our restless hurry and enjoy the day as we 
ought.” 
It had been settled at the last meeting that I 
should give on paper, details of a good, warm, 
easily-prepared dinner, which could do away with 
the cold pork and beaus of (Saturday, and yet 
take only as long to finish after church as is usu¬ 
ally allowed tor tublo-uottiny, and other small, 
hut necessary preparations. Ho I give my read¬ 
ers the benefit of the bill of fare, merely stating 
that tho pudding reolpo was given by mo to tho 
“ Dining-room Magazine,” nearly two years ago. 
My ideas read as follows: “ Take a good 
roast of beef, sirloin is best; pour over it a cup 
of boiling water when placingiuto tho oven,which 
will check tho escape of tho juices if your 
oven is really Iwl as it should be. If the tiro ia 
kept even and a quarter of an hour allowed to 
the pound, you will know how early to put it in. 
Half an hour before the time for duiuor, put on 
your potatoes, which are none the worse if peeled 
the night before, or early in tho morning ; and i 
allow five minutes less if you boil a Hubbard 
sqnash, which, however, is very sweet and wholo- ] 
some when baked slowly in the oven all morn- i 
mg. Served with good pioldos, horse-radish, t 
or other condiment this forms a very good, sub- \ 
stantial dinner, with choose and apples and our 
favorite puddiug. 
But into a deep dish enough apple sauce (or if 
none is at hand, a jar of canned fruit) to till it 
about half full. Make a batter of flour with a 
little baking powderaud salt, and as much cream 
slightly sour as will make it rather stiff. Beat 
smooth, aud pour over the fruit- It will hake 
while the potatoes aro cooking, and it is extra 
nice in summer when fresh fruit can bo used, 
although apple sauoo will bo found very palata¬ 
ble.” Such was the plain dinner submitted to 
the “Kitchen Club," and approved by them. It 
has been tried many times in om- own house, 
with economy in time and trouble. 
All these things, my fellow Domestic Econo¬ 
mists, aro of vastly more importance to our hap¬ 
piness than many of the small nearnesses w t o aro 
Upt to call by that name; and I found from the 
opinions of tho “Club" that uo subject calls 
forth such Opposite opinions as tho regulation of 
The Bunday Dinner. 
-- 
CRYSTALLIZING GRASSES. 
Dissolve one and one-fourth pounds of alum 
in one quart of water by heating aud stirring, 
set oil until cooled to “ blood-heat,” then dip in 
a small handful of grass, for a moment aud 
take out; if not quite as you would like, dip 
agaiu. ir the solution should bo a little too 
warm when you begin, it will soon cool. It must, 
be watched closely, as one ought to bo able to 
dip three or four bunches of grass before reheat¬ 
ing the solution. 1 [eat as many times as desired 
and let each succeeding bunch remain a few nm. 
incuts longer at each dipping, as the alum de¬ 
creases. 
After ohtainiug all the white crystals yon care 
for, add a very little indigo or other coloring 
material, that you may have a variety of colors. 
After all tin's, ouc can add more water and heat 
the mixture, then draiu through a cloth, and use 
lor children’s stocking yarn or carpet rags, if 
you wish to color red, and do not wish to throw 
away the alum. Home grasses are much prettier 
for erystalizlng than others, hut this can bo told 
by experience only. If I knew the names of tho 
many wild grasses of our State, which I think 
aro more interestingly beautiful than those T have 
seen in any other State, I could tell what kind 
are best for that purpose, f, ho waver, reject 
“ timothy not wild—wheat, aud the wild 
grasses which resemble wheat, and do not often 
try oats. There are several kinds which resem¬ 
ble Hriza maxima, some of tho largest of which 
aro exceedingly lovely crystalizod, while the 
smaller ones are marvels of beauty wf£n color¬ 
ed and mixed with the former. Grasses Bhould 
always be well dried beforehand, for this pur¬ 
pose, aud all tho blades removed at tho time of 
picking, as one will break mauy stems if left 
until dry. Aunt Floba. 
Minnesota. 
I)airji ijnsbank)). 
AMERICAN DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION, 
thirteenth annual convention. 
BUTTER AND CHEESE. 
Cleveland, Jan. 8-to, 1S78. 
The Thirteenth Annual Conveuliou of tho 
American Dairymen’s Association was field 
at Cleveland, Ohio, January H, 9, and 10, in 
connection with the Ohio and Western Reserve 
Associations. It was admitted, on all bands, to 
have been the best meeting Uf the kind over 
held in this country. There was an unusual 
amount of scientific knowledge as wall as practi¬ 
cal experience and business energy embodied in 
the men who took active part in tho proceedings. 
I he only poticeahlo defect in the convention 
was in tho' comparative smallness of the number 
of dairy farmers, as compared with that of 
cheese aud butter makers and those engaged iu 
the dairy trade. 
It was a Bad mistake of the farmers who stayed 
at homo, on the supposition that tho discussions 
and addresses would bo but of little interest to 
them ; whereas, in fact, much of what was said 
was designed for their especial benefit—aud 
nearly all the topics were such as they ought to 
be more familiar with. It is such neglecting of 
opportunities for gaining information that keeps 
farmers perpetually iu the background. 
BUTTER VS. OLEUMARQARINE. 
This was one of the first and most interesting 
topics discussed. Mr. Reader, a member of the 
Pennsylvania State Hoard of Agriculture, com¬ 
menced tho discussion, speaking of the growing 
magnitude of tho manufacture and sate of oleo¬ 
margarine, and of tho effects of the sale of the 
spurious butter in depreciating the price of gen¬ 
uine, and tho difficulty, on tho part of common 
people, in distinguishing between them. Ho 
read extracts from j of. Arnold and Dr. Mott, 
showing that theMo two articles differed some¬ 
what iu their chemical ingredients, and espeoi- I 
ally in the essential oils which gave flavor; 
though prominent physicians had pronounced 
the oleomargarine a healthful article of diet. 
IIo thought the main question was, “What shall 
wo do to protect ourselves, as dairymen, from 
this form of competition ?” As far as he was 
concerned, he was w illing that each article should 
stand on its own merits, only protecting the con¬ 
sumers from deception in the matter. 
The next speaker was Dr. H. A. Mott. Jr., of 
New 7 York. I to said lie was not in any way con¬ 
nected with either of the manufacturing estab¬ 
lishments of oleomargarine, though he hud bad 
much to do iu perfecting the methods and appa¬ 
ratus fur the patentees of the invention. He 
then went on m defense of oleomargarine, show¬ 
ing from chemical analyses, that the fat of steers 
from which it is made, is essentially the same as 
that in milk or butter; and that when the man¬ 
ufacture is rightly conducted, tho product is as 
pure and wholesome as dairy butter, and 
as acceptable to tho taste of tho majority of con¬ 
sumers—even more so than the average quality 
of the butter sold in nnr cities- and it could bo 
afforded at half the average price, lloncc, ho 
could not see why tbero should be any popular 
outcry against the article as au imposition on 
the public. 
lie claimed that the nicest chemical analyses 
bud shown that the kinds of oils or fats iu butter 
made from milk were all found in tho fat or 
beef; but tbero was probably some difference in 
their proportions which analyses bad not yet ex¬ 
plained. iIc said tho export demand for our 
beef was lessening tho supply of dairy butter, 
aud consequently the price of this product w r as 
becoming too high for the mass of our city peo- 
plo to buy; and now this new article was step¬ 
ping in to supply tho demand, and tbo people 
W'cro showing their willingness to accept it; 
houco dairymen might as well make up their 
minds to endure the competition, and perhaps 
it will bo as well for some of the dairy farmers 
to give their attention to raising beef cattle, in¬ 
stead of killing off all their calves. Ho said the 
Now York and Now Jersey Companies bad used 
over eight mllllion pounds of fat up to March 
3, 1877, and in. the year 187G-7 they sold in one 
contract 3,29.7,000 pounds of the artificial butter. 
In 1877 contracts were offend to them lmt not 
accepted, for 3,000,000 pounds annually for five 
years; and large offers are now pending. 
LEGISLATIVE ACTION-OLEOMARGARINE. 
At a subsequent stage of tho proceedings Mr. 
It. T. Cannon, President of tho Ohio Dairymen’s 
Association, made a motion that the dairymen of 
Ohio petition the legislature of that Statu to 
pass a Jaw similar to that recently enacted in 
New York, and that is also asked for iu Pennsyl¬ 
vania, requiring the manufact urers aud dealers 
in Oloomargariuo to so mark of brand the pack¬ 
ages containing this article, that purchasers and 
consumers can lmow what they are getting—and 
to impose a lino on these who may sell the arti¬ 
ficial compound as dairy-butter. This gave riso 
to quite a lively debate. Professor Arnold bad 
no objection to tho proposition on tho part of 
the Ohio dairymen, but hoped it would not be 
regarded as t he action of the American Associ¬ 
ation. Mr. Btbaioht and others of Ohio said 
they wero^piitu willing tho spurious butter 
should come into fair competition with the gen¬ 
uine, and they believed it would have the effect 
of stimulating the dairy Imlter-makers to fur¬ 
nish a hotter quality fur ibo markets; but they 
wished to have every tub stand on its own bot¬ 
tom, and they knew that at. present much of the 
spurious article was palmed off as genuine but¬ 
ter, uud prices of the latter wore thereby re¬ 
duced. Dr. Mott said Hie manufacturers only 
complained of such legislative action because U 
was calculated to create public prejudice 
against their product. They wore quite willing 
tho article should stand on its own merits, as it 
cuidd certainly do. They would only ask as an 
act of fairness, that iu the passage of such laws 
as proposed, a clause should be appended pre¬ 
venting the dealers in poor dairy batter from 
labelling it. Oleomargarine. 
The motion asking for action on the part of 
the Ohio legislature was passed by a large vote. 
It, was stated that a company with large capital 
is about starting a manufactory of Oleomargar¬ 
ine at Cleveland, and also at Cincinnati. 
PROSPECTS OF THE DAIRY TRADE. 
Mr. J. H. Reall, well known as a leading 
butter and chouse dealer of New York, gave an 
excellent address ou the past, present and fu¬ 
ture of tho butter and ebeoso trade. It, was 
quite hopeful iu tone as to the future of tho 
dairy business in this country, but reflected se¬ 
verely upon the course of many of the cheese- 
makers, especially of Ohio, iu that they had 
lowered tho standard Of quality of their cheese 
for tho sake of a little temporary gaiu, by re¬ 
sorting to skimming the milk so generally for 
butter, t lion making a second-rate cheese, not 
suited for the foreign markets, and at tho same 
time discouraging home consumption. Ho 
urged the cheese-makers to skim less, or none 
at all, and also to use all the best, appliances and 
knowledge for tho purpose of improving the 
quality of their cheese. lie said there was a 
gradual increase of the foreign domad for good 
cheese, and he was sure the home con¬ 
sumption would also increase if a good and 
wholesome articlo was generally furnished, 
lie said “If consumers of all classes un¬ 
derstood that cheese at any price under 
double tbo cost of moat, was a third the 
cheaper while much more w holesome and nutri¬ 
tious, treble tbo quantity would bo used iu this 
country. Unfortunately, through avarice, wo 
have always given the most inferior cheese we 
produce to the homo trade, going so far as to 
practice this short-sighted policy with the very 
people who furuish milk from which the cheoso 
is inode—hence it is only from sheer com¬ 
pulsion that our ow n nation oat any cheese at 
all. If we gave them the best, which, by the 
way, the foreign consumer gets as cheaply as 
our own people do tho rejections, wo should 
soon have such a demand for cheese in America, 
that we should uot depend so largely upon the 
foreign trade for a market. Our people like 
line, full-cream cheese as well as do our English 
cousins, and they should no longer ho put off 
with skimmed and lialf-skimmed goods. If wo 
give them a fine article, they w ill soon learn that 
cheese is a most digestible food, and that it 
is a want of quality which makes the kind they 
have been used to eating, lie like grindstones 
upon their stomachs." 
OLEOMARGARINE CHEESE. 
Of the new process of making olieoso by skim¬ 
ming off all tho cream, and substituting a little 
beef fat, Mr. Reall said it was the invention of 
Mr. Henuy O. Freeman, bonce called Free¬ 
man's Frocess. The nnlk Is set in tho usual way, 
where creamery butter is made,at about fifty de¬ 
grees temperature, and hold from twenty-four to 
thirty-six hours, when it is skimmed, heated to 
a temperature of ninety-two degrees, aud sweet, 
clean beef suet raised to the same temperature is 
substituted for the cream, and sufficient rennet 
is used to cause coagulation in from ten to 
twelve miuutea. Every particle of the cream 
ia taken from tho mi Ik, that it is possible to obtain, 
and the fat in used to enrich tho thon almost 
useless curd. Tho product is a good, wholesome 
article of food, and 1 regard tho process as one 
of great value to the public, siuce a larger sup¬ 
ply of fine butter is imperatively needed, while 
the milk would otherwise be worthless, for when 
made into cheese it has only a commercial value 
of from two to four cents per pound, aud none 
as food. It is by this process converted into a 
palatable and nutritious cheese, worth double to 
quadruple tbo price it would otherwise command. 
Tho produet meets with favor liotti m this coun¬ 
try and iu Europe, but is mainly exported. As 
there is uo adulteration or deception practiced, I 
approve the system, and favor radical skimming, 
if skimming must lie done, but 1 givo tho prefer¬ 
ence at all times to full-cream cheoso. The own¬ 
ers of this process do not claim to make as good 
an articlo as line, full-creain cheese, hut to 
greatly enhance tho value of skimmed milk.” 
CREAMERY VS. DAIRY BUTTER. 
After speaking of the low juices of butter 
during the jiast season and tho reasons therefor. 
Mr. Real i. said we mast produce more line but¬ 
ter uud market it while fresh, and by increas¬ 
ed attention to winter dairying, whiob has 
proven the most .profitable branch, be prepared 
to bupjily it fresh at all seasons of the year. Tlio 
preference for fresh butter has become so great 
that in tbo winter, when the stock cannot bo bad 
sufficient for all, the massua take late made but¬ 
ter, however oharaclotiess, in jireforenco to tbo 
finest early made New York dairies, which for¬ 
merly commanded much the highest juice, in 
winter, of any kind. The time when New York 
dairy butter would bring from five to fifteen 
centB j>or jiouiid more iu tho winter than iu the 
summer when made, has gone by, and instead 
of yielding a profit by holding it, generally pro- 
duces a loss. The time to market butter, there¬ 
fore, has come to bo when it is fresh. 
Tho creamery system of making butter must 
sujiplant the dairy plan to a very large extent, 
and tbo result will be a groat saving in waste 
and labor to the milk producer, besides yielding 
him a larger return. 
Tho price of creamery butter last year will 
probably average thirty cents per pound ; Now 
York dairy, say twenty cents, aud all dairy not 
over fifteen cents; for tho poor farmer of tho 
far Western Htates only realized ten to twelvo 
cents for his prod uot throughout (ho summer. 
It wifi thus ho seen that there is a large differ¬ 
ence iu judeed in favor of creamery butter; but, 
beyond all this, is the fact that all classes of our 
people should have the opportunity to obtain 
first-class food of all kinds at reasonable prices. 
On tho subject of churning the entire milk 
instead of cream only, Dr. Mott quoted tbo 
opinions of several authorities in its favor, hut 
admitted there was need of more facts as results 
of actual experience, lie said:—“ In my opin¬ 
ion, tho view's advanced aro at best only theo¬ 
retical, as they aro not based on actual trial. I 
