lomcstir d : conom]j. ^ 
CONDUCTED 3Y EMILY MAPLE 
SIFTINGS FROM THE KITCHEN FIRE. 
ANNIE L. JACK. 
I went over to neighbor Bartlett's, the other 
day, to the “ Kitchen dub" meeting, to hear 
Mrs. Nki-lir reai) a paper on“ Children's behav¬ 
ior at table." As this lady is the mother of three 
children, who are models of good behavior and 
neatness, she was considered the mentor for the 
mothers whoso children are everything else but 
pinks of propriety at meal times. After the 
reading, each one gave her method of family 
governmental this respect, and among the coun¬ 
sel were some very choice bits of wisdom, that 
arc worth repeating. 
Mrs. Wilson tcId us that her little ones were 
all supplied with rubber pinafores to wear over 
their dressos. and instructed early not to begin a 
meal without them. Mrs. Rutherfokd said 
that, when they had company, the children came 
to the table by turns, as many as there wan room 
for. In this way they ti ied their best to behave 
well, and waut of neatness was a signal for ban¬ 
ishment. I asked the mothers if they had ever 
tried giving the children a picnic in summer. 
The looks of inquiry answered my question, and 
I explained that often in the spring or summer, 
aud even during the lino autumu days, I packed 
np a lunch-basket, and sent the children into 
the orchard, within sight and call. They were 
provided with toy dishes, and amused therutelves 
and each other by this pleasant method. 
“ Please can we picnic ? ” is a common request 
at tea time, and it is quite a lesson in generosity 
when one child is deputed to share with the 
others some special dainty. Depend upon it, if 
tried, it would bo thoroughly appreciated, and 
give the childron lessons in housekeeping on a 
small scale, while helping to relieve the mother. 
There was a diversity of opinious regarding 
the practical use of this suggestion, and then 
Mrs. Price recommended that for children un¬ 
der six, a half tray he bought, and as they were 
easily’ washed and kept bright, they w’ere a groat 
saving to a table-cloth. A napkin with a blight 
border, soon took a little one’s attention, aud 
they would learn to use it with a little teaching. 
. It was also thought that the English fashion of 
a separate table for children, was good in many 
wayB, as little children without judgment, will 
seek for condiments that are injurious, and often 
given injudiciously. Mrs. Rutherford gave us 
a favorite luuoh she prepared for her children 
to take to school. It was Biaaply when baking 
to cover an apple with dough thinly drawn over 
it, putting in the slightest sprinkle of sugar. 
Bake aud when done, cover with a cloth to keep 
the crust soft. Any healthy child will relish 
this plain lunch at noon. She also recommends 
giving a child a knife and fork early, guiding 
them in their use for awli le. They soon be¬ 
come self-helpful, aud proud to be trusted. And 
so iu talking over our little cares, they seemed 
to grow less by sympathy and discovery that our 
trials are mutual. 
-- 
PUDDINGS. 
White Pudding. 
Two pounds of beef-suet; two pounds of leaf 
lard ; ten pounds of wheattloiir ; one-half pound 
of salt; two tablespoonfuls, each, of thyme, 
summer savory and black pepper; rub thorough¬ 
ly together all the ingredients and keep in a cool 
place. When wanted for use, tie the required 
amount in a cloth and boil uutil done; then re¬ 
move to the oven and brown. 
Yorkshire Pudding. 
One pint of sweet milk; four eggs; one cup¬ 
ful of raisins or currants; cue teaspoonful of 
soda and two of cream-of-tartar; a pinch of salt 
and flour enough to make a still hatter ; pour in¬ 
to a buttered pan and place in the oven under a 
roabt of beef, allowiug the drippings to fall upon 
it while baking. It requires about twenty minuteB 
to bake and should be eaten as soon as dished. 
Potato Pudding. 
Boil two medium sized potatoes, mash smooth¬ 
ly and add two beaten eggs; one piut of sweet 
milk; two tablespoonfuls of sugar; flavor with 
vanilla and bake. 
Egg Padding. 
One quart of sour milk; eight beaten eggs ; 
two teaspooufnls of soda; flour to make a stiff 
batter. Bake quickly and eat warm with cream 
and sugar, flavored with nutmeg. 
Mbs. Mary McO. 
Cocoanut Cream Cake. 
Four tablespoonfuls of butter worked to a 
cream; two cups of white sugar; one cup of 
sweet milk; the whites of four eggs, beaten to a 
froth; four teaspoonfuls of baking powder iu 
four cups of sifted flour ; bake iu four or fivo 
square tins lined with greased white paper. 
The Cream.: 
The whites of two eggs; fivo tablespoonfuls 
of sugar; one cup of sweet milk ; one-balf cup 
of cocoanut; two tablespoonfuls of corn-Btarch 
mixed with a little of the milk ; mix all together 
in a pan and set it over a kettle of boiliug water, 
stirring constantly until it thickens. When both 
the cake and cream are cool, put together; frost 
the top aud sprinkle cocoanut over it. 
Mrs. S. C. 
•» ♦ » -— 
CIDER PUDDING. 
By request of a reader, we republish Mrs. 
Sewall’s recipe for Cider Pudding, published in 
the Rural of Sept. 29, 1877: 
One piut of cider; one-half pint of molasseB; 
one teaspoouf ul, each, of ground cloves and cin¬ 
namon ; one teaspoonful of soda; one cup of 
chopped raisins; one-half cup of suet or butter; 
a pinch of salt, and flour enough to make a stiff 
batter. Boil two hours, aud serve with hot or 
cold sauce, or both, according to taste. Milk 
substituted for cider will make au excellent pud- 
dlug. 
— - 
RECIPES WANTED. 
Will you bo kind enough to give me a good 
recipe for making Clam Chowdor, in your next 
number ? You havo bo many good and valuable 
recipes, I think your Clam Chowder must bo 
extra good. Also please give a recipe for mak¬ 
ing Soda Crackers. Constant Reader. 
Clam Chowder. 
In reply to “Constant Reader," we give the 
following recipe, which we have used for years 
for either fish or clam chowder: 
Cut into ihin slices about one-half pound of 
fat, salt pork ; place in the bottom of a kettle 
and try out until the pork begins to brown; then 
add four good-sized oniens, chopped finely or 
sliced thinly, us best liked, aud partially cook 
thorn in the fat; slice eight raw potatoes, and 
about six good-sized tomatoes (if canned, allow 
one pint) ; break into small bitB one-half pound 
of crackers, and chop up forty clams; pom- the 
onions aud pork from the kettle and make layers 
of the ingredients—tbe bits of pork can be taken 
out or left in, according to taste—seasoning each 
layer with pepper, salt, ground cloves, a little 
chopped parsley and a small quantity of pow¬ 
dered thyme and summer savory; over the top 
place a few slices of lemon ; cover with water, 
aud cook from one to oue and a half hours. 
Will some of the Rural sisters please give 
“Constant Reader” a recipe for Soda < rackors? 
(tbfrglukrf. 
FACTS, NOT FANCIES FROM MISSISSIPPI. 
The • 1 Observations of a Commercial Trav¬ 
eler," iu the Rural of January 5, while pre¬ 
senting a fair picture of things as they appeared 
to him, skimming over the country on a railroad 
car, fall short of giving a correct idea of the 
condition of the people in north Mississippi at 
this time. It is indeed a deplorable one. The 
system of farming is simply execrable. The 
soil, so fertile in its virgin state, has deteriorated 
through unscientific and injudicious farming, 
uutil the “uplands” will now hardly make 
“ nubbin-corn," aud not enough cotton to the 
acre to pay for the picking. The yield is better 
in tliu “ bottoms,” but the same careless, 
thriftless methods in their regard are fast 
rendering them infertile. The amount of 
ignorance among white and black, in this part 
of the world, is absolutely appalling. Iu many 
houses the stock of books consists of a last 
year's almanac and a New Testament, and the 
poor white people are really opposed to sending 
their children to school, on the score of needing 
their services iu the farm aud household. So 
the free schools actually’ cease to operate for 
lack of scholars. 
This country, twenty-five years ago. might 
have been the “garden spot of the United 
States,” hut it is now ft paradise only for those 
farmers who have reserved capital. The largo 
land-owners live in, or near towns, rent their 
land in small lots of thirty, forty, or fifty acreB 
to poor white people aud freedmeu who, from 
one year to auother, accumulate nothing, aud 
seldom get able to “ run ” themselves, being 
fortunate indeed if able to pay their rent and 
store accounts at the end of the year. This 
“running" is undertaken by merchants who 
advance supplies at the rate of 101) per cent, lor 
such things as meat, flour, meal, shoes and 
homespun; and 500 per cent, on “notions." 
These poor white peoplo whoso grade of intelli¬ 
gence is not greatly superior to that of the 
average freedman, have a penchant for such 
“notions” as caudy, calico, lily-white aud 
snuff, the colored man is death on cheeBO aud 
crackers, “musk” aud red-top boots, while 
both regard tobacco as one of the necessaries of 
life. 
The credit and mortgage system prevails to a 
ruinous extent, and puts the poor white people 
as well as the negroes, absolutely at the mercy 
of the merchants, A very different state of 
things we find iu the country from the descrip¬ 
tion given by an enthusiastic, laud-ownor on the 
look-out for tenants. Said he: “The laud 
will bring “ vodles " of corn; cotton opens like 
an oven of pop-corn; the rivers are full of fish, 
just stir the water with a stick and you can pull 
'tin out with yonr hand; the woods aro over- 
nin with deer, turkeys aud squirrels !" Reality 
-wild turkeys as scarce as Iicub' teeth; no deer 
except *in uninhabited river bottoms ; you have 
to pay half a dollar for a great big, coarse cat¬ 
fish with a flavor of tbo nnid in which it was 
spawned; cotton in the bottoms on freshly 
cleared land, only averages from a half to a 
third of a bale per acre; and nobody ever 
makes quito enough corn to supply his own 
wants, so that the merchants import Northern 
oorn and advance it to the natives at $1.25 per 
bushel. I have known poor short-sighted 
white and black renters sell their home-raised 
oorn in the fall and winter at 50c., 60c. and 75c. 
per bushel, and pay their merchants $5 per 
barrel for meal the following summer. 
Another drawback to our perfeot agricultural 
felicity is tbe malarial affection known as 
“chills,” which keeps people shaking from 
Juue till November. To obviate this nuisance, 
quinine must form a regular ingredient of 
breakfast, taking it by the half spoonful on the 
point of your knife-blade. If you have got a 
regular “spell," you can only break it np by 
taking repeated heavy doses during the twelve 
hours preceding the expected paroxysm. 
There is a tremendous stir just now among 
the colored people in regard to going to the 
“ leiritory,” sb they call some “terra incog¬ 
nita” of the far West, where they think the 
long-expected “ forty acres and a mule ” will 
be forthcoming, evoked by a process as magical 
as the wondrous powers of Aladdin’s Lamp. 
Considering the plight the poor creatines are 
in, the unprecedentedly short crop, leaving no 
margin for a fail’ start with this new year, it is 
no wonder that both white and black in con¬ 
siderable numbers, should resolve ou “moving 
to Texas,” as you say, Mr. Editor, or even 
follow in the wake of the frantic “darkey” 
who is off for the “ territory.” 
Peble Perdue. 
-- 
NOTES FROM CALIFORNIA. 
The Orange and Lemon are the most profitable 
orchard trees iu Southern California, and that 
for many years they will remain so, there cau be 
no possible doubt. The Orange is cultivated with 
success as far north as Sacramento, some par¬ 
ties claiming that finer oranges can be raised 
just south of Sacramento than at Los Angeles, 
Sixty trees are usually set to the acre. They 
come into bearing when from six to seven years 
old. Every year after this the trees becomo more 
productive. They frequently bear from 2,500 
to 3,000 fruit when fifteen to eightceu years 
old. 
NEW ORANGE. 
To California has fallen the good luck to give 
the world the best sweet orange ever grown. 
It is known as Garey’s Mediterranean Sweet, 
and is the result of several years’ study aud 
work by Thomas A. Gabby. 
The fruit is of a fine size and very symmetri¬ 
cal shape, which, together with its magnificent 
color, makes it the handsomest orange iu culti¬ 
vation. It begins to ripen iu December and re¬ 
mains fresh and firm uutil August following. 
A finer flavored fruit could not bo desired by the 
most fastidious epicure. The tree bears early, 
fruiting at from two to three year3 from the 
timo it was budded. 
We have had a storm of wind and rain that 
was something like our old-time days in winter. 
The wind whistled around furiously for several 
days, in some localities unroofing houses and 
prostrating fences without regard to the wishes 
of tho owner. But the raiu was grand. It will 
give many a despouding arm frosh courage and 
nerve; it makes tho outlook for a good harvest 
look blighter, and with rain in the next two 
months—which cannot fail us—it will do much 
towards restoring California to her former pros¬ 
perity. It was a general raiu throughout the 
State. w. o. l. d. 
-■ - —- 
RURAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
Sijebman, Chautauqua Co., N. Y„ Feb. 1. 
SHerman is a small town situated iu the 
western part of the connty of Chautauqua and in 
a rich fanning aud dairying region. The village 
is the center of trade and attraction for sevoral 
miles around, and is the principal butter mart 
in tho county. The crops, the past season, 
have been large and the farmer has enjoyed a 
bountiful harvest. The apple crop w’as the 
largest known in this section for many years. 
Green apples sell for 75@85c. per bushel, and 
dried apples 5c. per pound; oats, 40c. per 
bushel; pork, 5o. per pound ; beef, 5@0c. per 
pound. We have had a very mild winter so far 
and with but little snow or cold weather. 
Yesterday morning, however, snow commenced 
falling fast aud the prospect now is that we 
shall have snow enough to be even deeper than 
the mud of which we have had a considerable 
quantity during the winter. m. l. d. 
Wheeler, X. Y., Feb. 4. 
We have had an open winter up to the last 
days of January. A storm which had been 
brewing for some days, came January 31. It 
commenced snowing at 9 A. M. and continued 
throughout tbe flay, and was snowing as hard as 
ever at 9 o’clock P. M. Friday morning, Feb. 
1st found us shoveling a path to the barn (not 
to the wood-pile) through over two feet of 
snow. 
The roads were broken out early in the day 
and the merry jingle of sleigh-bells now and 
then come to our hearing. We do not remem¬ 
ber as much snow fulling in so short a time, for 
a number of years. Tho lumbermen aro making 
things lively now for this place. Farmers who 
disposed of their crops during the fall and early 
winter, can now sit by the five, read their new 
almanac, and “ laugh and grow fat. 
Pork sold for 4@6c. in the fall. White wheat 
is now quoted at $1 20 ; red, do., $1.10 aud 
spring wheat at 90c.; corn, 50c.; rye, 60c.; oats, 
22@27c.; buebwheat, 40c.; bRrley, 45@50o. 
Potatoes were a good crop and mostly sold as 
fast as dug at from 20@26c. A fow rotting 
quite badly. s. s. 
Meadvillk, Pa., Feb. 6. 
We had about twenty inches of snow last 
week, which has helped business along greatly 
and has proved a great boon to our farmers. 
The dairy interest has prospered this last sea¬ 
son. We have closed out all of our cheese and 
creamery butter at good prices and dairymen 
are correspondingly happy. k. 
g^ianan. 
OUR BEES. 
MRS. A. E. STORY. 
My readers are hereby informed that we keep 
bees. Last spring we bought three hives of the 
“Head of the household"—his entire stock¬ 
taking into partnership with us a youthful 
“ Scion of the House,” who has a taste for turn¬ 
ing an boneBt penny whenever opportunity offer’s. 
We became half-owner of these bees confidently, 
with a full determination to let certain peoplo 
wo know, eee what a woman can do when she 
tries. 
We thought wo knew tho ways of bees. “ Get 
acquainted with your bees aud let them get ac¬ 
quainted with you,” say the hooks, and we began 
the acquaintance at once. It got to bo rather a 
close acquaintance at times, but, as we thought 
it might result iu mutual improvement, wo kept 
it np. Towards tho latter part of May we noticed 
that the heeB in one hive htmg underneath in a 
black mass. We shall have a swarm, aud a large 
one, early iu June, we thought. But our bees 
went out before the May did, aud we hadn’t even 
tho dissatisfaction of seeing them go. 
••A swarm of bcimln May, 
Is worth a load of hay,” 
quoted the wise ones ; but without that old say¬ 
ing wo were not likely to forget that bees do 
sometimes swarm in May. 
“Well, iu nine days wo can prepare for the 
second swarm,” was the reflection that, in a 
measure, consoled us. So we made new hives— 
no old, musty hives for our bees—and waited. 
Out they came at last, flew about long enough 
to alight twice over, then dropped down here 
and there aud all over, aud crept quietly back 
to their old quarters. 
“ Too strong a wind,” said the knowing ones 
again. The next day they came out and repeat¬ 
ed the performance, and, as this time there was 
no wind at all, the information that “ something 
was wrong with the queen or something," more 
than satisfied u*. It coincided with our own 
views exactly. “Three times and then out,” 
said my partner, as we Blood watching their 
egress from the hive, through a veil of mos¬ 
quito netting. But the ways of bees are won¬ 
derful and past finding out, The queen was 
collecting her forces on a currant bush, after 
the most approved manner, when out comes a 
swarm from another hive, and the scene is 
changed. I don't say there was a battle in 
the air, hut there was darkness and confusion 
there. A part of the new-comers took lodgings 
with the swam on the currant busli, part sought 
a hanging place of their own, while goodly num¬ 
bers of both swarms returned to the old hives. 
"We got them hived, and then all might have 
been well but for the perversity of the bees that 
