704 
Uonustit (Ktonomij. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE 
FRESH SIFTINGS FROM THE KITCHEN 
FIRE. 
ANNIE L. .TACK. 
A Substitute for Rag-Carpets. 
The article on rag-carpets in oar domestic de¬ 
partment reminds me of my own troubles in 
the past with carpets in living-rooms, and how 
the difficulty was solved. An account of the 
method may be of benefit to other housekeepers. 
After years of suffering from dust and tacking 
with the inevitable wear and tear, we decided to 
lay a floor of hard wood and selected, as a bright 
and pretty contrast, ash and cherry. So the 
boys and papa went to the woods, out down the 
trees and, without unloading them from their 
sleighs, took them to the saw-mill, where they 
were sawn into narrow boards, throe inches w ide 
by three-quarters of an inch thick. They were 
afterwards dressed, and when brought home, 
placed in the kitchen garret closely packed, on 
edge, and left to dry till spring. The carpenters 
were ordinary mechanics, and the floor was laid 
on top of the old one, care being taken, how¬ 
ever, to insert wedges wherever it was uneven. 
It is now so firm that not a board creaks and 
with a slight oiling once a year, it retains its 
pretty markings, while the weekly washing is 
very easily done. In summer a rug and a bright 
piece of matting are placed where there is most 
walking, and in winter a couple of sheep-skin 
mats and a larger rug, produce an additional 
warmth, and these things are very easily taken 
up to be shaken, while the floor gathers no dust, 
and has a pleasant glow that a carpet cannot 
give. So we do not intend to make any more 
rag-carpets for our living-rooms, bnt to continue 
our polished floors to the kitchen at some future 
day. 
Noise did you say ? Then teach the children 
to lift their chairs and not to push them, and 
oonsole yonrself with the reflection that the little 
necessary noise is nothing in the way of annoy¬ 
ance in comparison with the dust that would ir¬ 
ritate delioate lungs, covering and destroying 
every article of furnitnre in muoh-used, carpeted 
rooms. 
♦ ♦♦ 
MOP-HANDLE PAPERS.-No. 8. 
Sevebai, years ago I was a boarder in Mrs. 
L-’s family, and roamed about the whole 
house much as I would at home. One morning 
she had sent the girls, her daughters, to the 
garden to pick currants for jelly, while she went 
to the milk room to attend the butter and milk, 
leaving the breakfast dishes in the sink to await 
her return. Just as they had all got engaged in 
business, word came that several visitors would 
be there to dinner. The morning was already 
well advanced, and I had heard my landlady say 
that it was scrubbing and baking day. 
Lina, the eldest daughter, was called in from 
the garden to attend to the flue arts of making 
cake, pies and puddings. I volunteered my ser¬ 
vices to attend to the dishes in the sink, while 
Mrs. L. finished working and packing butter, 
and then came in to clean the wood-work, and 
put things to rights all about the house. For 
there was not much system about the work, and 
things often seemed to be in a general commo¬ 
tion. 
After having hunted all abont the sink for 
the dish-towels, I found them both tucked down 
in the corner of the sink in a “mop," left so 
since the preceding night by the little girls who 
usually washed the dishes. Of course, they 
were soiled and sour. A large wooden bowl was 
used for a dish-pan, and this was so slimy with 
grease as to make it almost impossible to hold it 
for an instant in one’s hand. The first thing 
to be done was to make use of plenty of soap 
and water in cleansing both cloths and the bowl. 
Then the dishes were soon put away in their ac¬ 
customed places, with smooth, shining faces. 
Nest came the iron-ware ; and I began to look 
about the stove for the necessary cooking uten¬ 
sils. The kettles, large and small, were thor¬ 
oughly cleansed and put away; only the “spi¬ 
der ” cr irying-pan remained ; the inside of this 
was soon made clean, bat the outside was—un¬ 
der the circumstances—beyond my control. 
How shall I describe its appearance ? Appa¬ 
rently the iron was about four times as thick as 
was neoessary ; and the molding was certainly of 
peculiar workmanship. But its thickness was 
not all iron. Whatever of grease, milk, gravy, 
or jnioes of any articles cooked that had boiled 
over and drained down on the outside, during 
all the years it had been in use, remained there, 
burned on, resembling the warts, both great 
and small, upon a toad’s back, only the protu¬ 
berances were black instead of brown. 
Had I been alone, I should have put that 
“ spider" upon a bed of hot coals, and left it 
there till all that accumulation had burned off. 
As it was, I scraped off the rough portions as 
best I could, and thought what a blessing it 
would be if little girls could be taught to do 
well what their hands were often obliged to do. 
If iron-ware is thoroughly washed, every time it : 
is used, there will be no accumulations though i 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
it be used for centuries. Then there will be n° 
unsightly black riDgs or Btreaks of grease stream¬ 
ing down upon the wall where it hangs. And 
though children wash the dishes, the matron 
should see to it that the work is well done, each 
time, before the child leaves the apartment. If 
this were done, if the little daughter were 
taught to be neat and systematic about all her 
work, we should not find so many slatternly 
kitohens as we now do, even though many mar¬ 
ried at the too early age of sixteen, as is fre¬ 
quently tbo case at present. I sometimes think 
that cooking schools, with a department for 
washing dishes, should be organized in every 
district, and would be, in after life, of more im¬ 
portance thau so many text-books. 
May Maple. 
-*-*-♦- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Buckwheat Oakes. 
As this is the beginning of the buckwheat 
cake season, 1 will give my experience for the 
benefit of those who have no buttermilk to put 
in them, to make them of that appetizing color 
so much desired; for. to have them good they 
must look well. To begin, I take one-half tea¬ 
cupful of good yeast and stir my cakes at night, 
addiug a spoonful of molasses in the morning. 
Bake from two to four more than are eaten ; while 
hot, pour belling water on them and let stand 
until cool; then squeeze them flue and put in 
your pitcher, where there should be one teaenp- 
ful of the batter. Add a cup of water, that it 
may not sour during the day, aDd set it in a cool 
place. If in danger of souring, pour off the 
water and add fresh when they are stirred the 
next evening. I think you will find no need of 
starting anew very often or using salaratus, un¬ 
less you let them sour. One-fourth Indian meal 
improves them or, instead of meal, what we 
call wheat middlings—fry quickly. May. 
Black and White Marble Cake. 
The White :—Three cups of white sugar, the 
whites of eight eggs beaten to a froth, one cup 
of butter, one-half cup of sour cieam, one tea¬ 
spoonful of soda, and two of cream-of-tartar, 
one cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of lemon 
extract; flour enough to make it rise nicely. 
The Black:—Two cups of brown Hugar, one 
cup of molasses, one cap of batter, one-half cup 
of sour cream, yelks of eight eggs, one-half cup 
of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two 
tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, one teaspoonful of 
cloves, one teaspoonful of allspice, and one of 
black pepper. Pnt in a layer of the black and 
white alternately till it is all in. Draw a fork 
through it two or three times to mix it a little, 
or leave it as you put it in, if you like. 
Mbs. S. V. W. C. 
Boston Brown Bread to be Baked in a Brick Oven. 
Take a quart of rye-meal, and the same of 
fine Indian meal—if fresh, do not scald it; if 
not fresh, scalding will much improve it—also a 
pint or half-piDt of white flour. Mix’with warm 
water. Take also a gill of molasses or Birup, a 
small teaspoonful of soda, a large teaspoonful 
of salt, and half a gill of yeast. Such bread is 
improved by the addition of a gill of boiled 
pumpkin or winter squash. Make it as stiff as 
oan easily bo stirred with a spoon. Grease a 
deep brown pan, thickly, and put the bread in it, 
and dip your hand in water and smooth over the 
top. This will rise faster than other bread, and 
should not be made over night in the R umm er. 
The quantity oan be doubled for two loaves. 
Bake long in brick oven—and long accordingly 
in stove. n. l, o. 
Boston Brown Bread. 
In the “ Bubal ” of the 12th, Mrs. V. F. K., 
Oil City, IV, asks some lady among the Bubal 
readers, to give her a recipe for Boston Brown 
Bread. Will not a recipe given by a Bubal 
bachelor do as well ? I will give you my sweet¬ 
heart's recipe: Four coffeecupfuls of sifted 
Iudian meal; two cupfuls of coarse flour, either 
wheat or rye; one teaspoonful of salt; one tea¬ 
cupful of molasses, and boiling water enough to 
make as thick as griddle-cake batter. When 
nearly cool, add one half cup of yeast, either 
home-made, or distillery. Put the mixture in 
an iron bakiDg dish, cover tightly, let it stand in 
a warm place until it cracks over the top, (which 
should be smoothed over with wet hands before 
it is placed to rise.) Bake it five or six hours in 
a moderate oven which will not burn the crust 
to a cinder. r. b. h. 
Jackson Co., Mo. 
Steamed Brown Bread. 
For a very small family, take half a pint of 
rye meal, not sifted, and a pint of sifted Indian 
meal, a tea-cupful of flour, a pint of sour mi lk, 
half a gill of molasses, a tea-spoonful of salt, 
and a small one of soda. Add soda last and stir 
the mixture well. Grease well a tin pan or 
padding boiler with lid, and steam the mixture 
four hours. To serve it remove the lid, and dry 
the top a few moments in the stove oven; then 
it will turn out in perfect shape. n. l. o. 
Boston Brown Bread. 
Two teacupfuls each of Indian meal, Graham 
meal, rye meal, cold water and sour milk ; one 
teacup of molasses; one heaping teaspoonful 
of soda; steam three hoars, then bake one 
hour. Emily. 
Lowell, Mass. 
- •-*-¥ - 
Small Loaves. — I wish the Domestic Economy 
department would preach the doctrine of making 
bread into small loaves. I believe the majority 
of housekeepers continue to mold their dough 
into loaves of old-fashioned bigness. 
m. w. F. 
If Ids fff t&f ©left;. 
POLITICAL. 
Monday, Oct. 28, 1878. 
in this city the Tammany party has selected 
Augustus Schell, the grand sachem of tfie organ¬ 
ization, as Its candidate for mayor at the ap¬ 
proaching election; while the anti-Tammany peo¬ 
ple have agreed upon Edward Cooper, a son of 
old Peter Cooper, as their candidate. Mr. Cooper 
Is an old democrat and, In consideration of that 
nomination having been accorded to the anti- 
Tammany democrats, the nominations for city 
Judge and district attorney were given to the 
republicans, while tfie German democratic asso¬ 
ciation was allowed to name the candidate for 
coroner, these being the four principal munici¬ 
pal unicers to be elected this year. Each party 
has also nominated candidates for Congress, the 
State legislature and the board of alderman, but 
the Interest In the struggle ror the mayoralty 
transcends that In all tne otners, inasmuch as 
the next mayor will have the appointment of the 
heads of the different municipal departments 
who control the vast and lucrative patronage of 
the City. At present each side professes to be 
confident of coming out ahead. Throughout 
the State the Interest of tne contest depends 
mainly on the elections of members of the 
legislature, for these will have to choose the 
United States Senator to succeed Mr. Conk- 
llng. At present the outlook Is that he will be 
his own successor, having apparently succeeded 
in placating nis enter opponents witniuhlsown 
party, while there does not seem to be much 
doubt but that the republicans will have a ma¬ 
jority of the legislature, unless the greenbackers 
show unexpected strength and manage to elect 
members enougn to bold the balance of power. 
The report comes from Washington that the 
President has determined to conciliate the leaders 
of his party lu order to strengthen and unite all 
elements for tne great political conflict of i 860 . 
To this end it is said Attorney-General Devens 
will retire from the Cabinet and take the vacant 
United States circuit Judgeship for New England; 
Eugcnce Hale of Maine who has been lately de¬ 
feated [or re-election to congress by his green¬ 
back opponent, will then be made Secretary of 
the Navy, Thompson, the present Secretary 
taking Devens’ place. Others say that Post¬ 
master-General Key will u Iso be provided for 
elsewhere In the public service 60 as to get rid 
of the democratic element in the Cabinet. This 
change Is Hayes’ policy Is said to be the result of 
tho intolerant spirit manifested by the democ¬ 
racy m some of the Southern States. 
miscellaneous. 
His Jersey City church has accepted the resigna¬ 
tion of the Rev. Mr. Vosburgh, who was tried some 
months ago for poisoning his wife, but he was re¬ 
fused a ‘‘character” by a vote of 19 to 13.The 
revenue yielded to Virginia during the past year 
by the bell-punch amounts to $350,000, which 
shows that they drink early and olten In the 
Old Dominion.Prairie flres have done Immense 
damage In north-eastern Nebraska, besides burn¬ 
ing to death nearly a dozen people.During 
the wuek Edison has produced a new talking ma¬ 
chine at Menlo Park, N. J.—In the shape or a flue 
twelve-pound boy. The Professor hlrnsolf has 
been laid up with a severe attack of neuralgia, 
but Is now considerably better. Ills Invention or 
a means by which electricity can be used Instead 
of gas, Has caused considerable fall In gas stocks 
across the Atlautlc, and much discussion as to Its 
practicability here. Tho gas companies declare 
such a measure Impossible, except at a much 
heavier cost thau that for gas, and that for an In¬ 
ferior light, but Edison and his friends are confi¬ 
dent of success and have organized a company 
with a capital of $300,000 to begtn operations. It 
Is said within a fortnight the town of Menlo Park, 
N. J., will be in Ibis way brilliantly lighted up. 
On the morning of the 2lst a violent storm on 
its way north from the tropics, was signaled south 
01 Florida; on the 22 i it had reached Georgia; by 
midnight of the same day It had reached Hatteras, 
on the North Carolina coast; by midnight on the 
23d, it had reached Baltimore and Philadelphia, 
and early on the morning of the 24th It struck 
this city. It was one of the severest hurricanes 
ever felt along the southern coast, and was ex¬ 
tremely violent In Baltimore, and still more so in 
Philadelphia, where It unroofed over 40 enurehes, 
blcw.off Uiu Bteeples of several or them, badly 
damaged a vast number of manufactories, depots, 
warehouses and dwellings, killed about a dozen 
persons and wounded many more by hurling fall¬ 
ing debris upon them, and destroyed $3,000,000 
worth of property. Everywhere its course was 
marked with ruin aud disaster. Many shipwrecks 
are recorded, the moat, deplorable being those of 
the ship A. S. Davis and the alcumer Maggie, 18 
lives being lost on the former, and 20 on the lat¬ 
ter.. ..Yellow fever Is dying out all over the 
8outh, since the first frost. During the first part 
of the week, the number of deaths exceeded that 
of new oases, because, aa stated here lu advance, 
the cold spell alwayslsInjurious to those actually 
sick while a safeguard to those who have hither¬ 
to escaped; latterly, however, both the new cases 
aud deaths have rapidly diminished everywhere. 
No more relief is required; indeed, It would seem 
that assistance has poured In so rapidly that the 
relief managers, here and there, will have a con- 
flderable surplus of money on hand after giving 
all necessary aid. 
The October returns to the department of agri¬ 
culture place the average condition of the corn 
crop at 96, an increase over the September aver¬ 
age, which brings the figures up to those of Au¬ 
gust.. New England and the Middle and Gulf 
States show a small decline. The south Atlantic 
States maintain their September condition. The 
State averages range trom 77 in Pennsylvania to 
116 In Maine. The average condition Is three per 
cent, less than lu October, ISIT. The out-turn of 
the crop will not vary largtly from 1,300,000,000 
bushels. The October returns do not materially 
change tho statistical aspects of the wheat crop. 
The New England and Mlddlo States Indicate a 
slight advance Upon last year’s yield. The Gulf 
States Indicate a still more decided advance, ow¬ 
ing to the very superior crop of Texas, The south 
Atlantic States aud the southern Islands show a 
very heavy decline, whlch,;however, Is more than 
compensated by the general Increase In Missis¬ 
sippi valley and on tho Pacific coast. The y leld, 
on tho whole, will be In advance of last year’s* 
and from present Indications will exceed 400,000- 
ooo bushels. Aa to oats, a preliminary estimate 
based up;n the October returns, Indicates a yield 
somewhat larger than even the very flue crop of 
1877. Nearly two-thiids of tho crop are lu 10 
States from onto to Nebraska, occupying the 
northern portion of Mississippi valley. In these 
10 States the aggregate net Increase Is about two 
per cent. Quite a number of counties in that re¬ 
gion report an exceptionally fine quality, weigh¬ 
ing in many oases 30 to 40 pounds per bushel. In 
the four southern Inland 8tar.es tho season, so 
unpropltlous to wheat, has been remarkably fa¬ 
vorable to oats, raising the general condition to 
110; in all other aectloaa the product uas fallen 
off. The present statement Is that the cotton 
crop of 1878 Is the largest ever known In the 
country. Published details do not Justify the as¬ 
sertion, but further facts may show it to be 
sound. The number of >ale3 Is put at 5,600,000. 
Gen. Sheridan has received additional reports 
of lawlessness In New Mexico. The cut-throats 
who are terrorizing parts of that State are main¬ 
ly from Texas, and are known us “ wrestlers.” 
They recently killed three citizens near old Fort 
Sumner. Two were shot and one hanged. All 
the Inhabitants for miles around have tied to the 
mountains—The California Chamber of Com¬ 
merce, on Tuesday, considered the question of 
tfie proposed new treaty with France, and passed 
a resolution opposing any reduction or the tariff 
on French wines and liquors.,...The hostile 
Cheyennes are reported to have escaped pursuit, 
and to be rapidly on tUelr way to Join Bitting 
Bull la Canada. It seems that they left their 
reservation to avoid starvation, as Gen. Miles re¬ 
ports an enormous deficiency of supplies at the 
Reno agency; so that all the deaths and destruc¬ 
tion of property during the recent Indian raid are 
due to the dishonesty, Inefficiency and misman¬ 
agement of Indian agents. 
President Hayes has certainly shown more in¬ 
terest In agriculture than any of our former 
presidents, Judging by the number of fairs he and 
many of his Cabinet attend. On Thursday, he 
received an enthusiastic reception from the 
farmers of Maryland, at the 8Lat.e Fair at Cum¬ 
berland. He was introduced by Gov, Carroll, de¬ 
livered a rose-colored speech, and aided materi¬ 
ally to make the show a success.Lately the 
Roman Catholic Church has suffered seriously by 
the death of several of her most prominent ecclesi¬ 
astical dignitaries. Quick upon the death of Mon- 
selgneur Dupanloup, bishop of Orleans in France, 
at the age of 77, comes that or Cardinal Cullen, 
Archbishop of Dublin, Ireland, which occurred 
last Thursday afternoon, at the age of 75 , while 
here, in America, Bishop Roscrans’ death has 
been caused by over-exertion at the dedication of 
a new Roman Catholic cathedral, on yesterday 
week, 
FOREIGN. 
The swindling directors of the city of Glasgow 
Bank have been arrested and aro In Jail awaiting 
trial. They were all “ uncoo ” good, saintly men, 
ranging from 60 to 75 years old, and very liberal 
to churches and to charities the names of whose 
contributors appeared In print, but with one ex¬ 
ception they all owed money to the bank they 
were mismanaging, their lndcotedness to It rang¬ 
ing from $150,000 up to $1,650,0 w. An assessment 
of jCOOO on every sh ire worth originally only xioo 
has already been made on the stockholders, and 
bankrupted most of them. There have been 
numerous other failures, too. Business Is exceed¬ 
ingly dull especially lu LancasLlre, the seal of 
cotton and woolen umnulacture. Actual hostili¬ 
ties with the Ameer of Cabul will probably be 
deferred unlit spring ; meanwhile preparations 
are being push 3d vigorously forward. 
The Emperor William of Germany has deter¬ 
mined not to resume control of affairs until De¬ 
cember. He became sovereign by the abdica¬ 
tion of his brother and probably pride alone pre¬ 
vents him from followtngthe iraternat example 
at Ills advanced age of 82. Wherever he goes the 
utmost precautions are taken against any fur¬ 
ther attempts on nis life. The members of the 
families of Bismarck and Moltke are also report¬ 
ed to be In dire terror for the safety of these emi¬ 
nent men. In Berlin the Emperor’s life Is In 
Jeopardy outsldo the walls of the palace; the 
Cro.vu Princess Is constantly worried by appre¬ 
hensions for the life of her husband. Bismarck 
always has a body of police about him and his 
residence Is strictly guarded; Von Moltke, whose 
life has been frequently threatened, takes things 
coolly, saying that the dead and the defeated 
only aro happy, as success begets Jealousy and 
enmity. Severe measures have already been 
adopted against socialism; between thirty and 
forty of Its newspaper organs have been sup¬ 
pressed aud a large number of Its local organiza¬ 
tions broken, still U is spreading secretly, it Is 
feared. The fact la that Germany is fast becom¬ 
ing infidel. When the lower orders believed in 
future reward and punishment, they consoled 
