FEB. 44 
THE 
444 
One hundred years ago our mothers did not wor¬ 
ry over disordered sewing machines. 
One hundred years ago there were no disputes 
about the Impoliteness of street-car drivers. 
One hundred years ago “ crooked'' whisky was 
not known. Our forefathers took theirs straight. 
One hundred years ago every young man was 
not an applicant for a position as a clerk or book¬ 
keeper. 
One hundred years ago men dkl not commit sui¬ 
cide by going up In balloons and coming down 
without them. 
One hundred years ago a youDg woman did not 
lose caste by wetting her hands In dish-water or 
rubbing the skin off her knuckles on a washboard. 
one hundred years ago a physician who could 
not draw every form of disease from the system 
by tapping a large vein In the arm was not much 
or a doctor. 
One hundred years ago men were not running 
about over the country with millions of flsh eggs 
to be hatched to order Kish superintended their 
own hatching in those days. 
One hundred years ago people did not worry 
about rapid transit and cheap transportation, but 
threw their grain across the backs of their horses, 
and uncomplainingly “ went to mill." 
One hundred years ago every man cut his coat 
according to his cloth every man was estimated 
at his real value, shoddy was not known, nobody 
had struck “ He," and true merit and honest worth 
were the only grouuds for promotion.—American 
Republican. 
THE EYE-OPENER. 
Pa tent-Elec tro-Galvanlc-Medal battery Is the 
polysyllable title of a little humbug, widely adver¬ 
tised byE M. Ellas, of this city. Legion .is the 
name of the humbugs, and worse, palmed off on 
the public by gents of that name or alias, This 
looks mightily like a second edition of the Boyd 
what-you-may-call-lt.... Among those who seek 
the patronage of the public, especially of the 
farming part of It, by advertising in the papers or 
by circulars, we And the following lirms not re¬ 
commended : — N. W. limit & J. A. Roarty of 
Philadelphia; Asa K. Butts, this city; Dr. W. S. 
Jaques & Co., Cincinnati, Ohio; Kendall & Co., 
Boston, Mass; N. P. Tones, Ashland, Mass The 
Northwestern Grain Exchange, and the Chicago 
Grain and Provision Exchange, despite their high- 
sounding names, are considered unreliable by the 
Commercial Reports; 0. G. Horten, seller of a 
spurious Magic Bone Dissolvent. Better keep 
these names, for If you haven’t heard from one or 
other of them yet* you may. Better keep all the 
papers .... Another Census swindle Is gulling 
the contlding from Chicago. It calls Itself the 
“Census Information Agency,” and pockets the 
“ quarters ” of the dupes who want to he enumera¬ 
tors, and send for Information, “stamps and 
blanks.” 
It being agreed among a party of twelve that 
a disputed question should be settled by the opin¬ 
ion of tUe majority, the six ladles expressed them¬ 
selves opposed to the six gentleman, and claimed 
the victory. A gentlemen objected to this, as the 
number of votes were equal, saying, They are 
half and halt."—“ True,” replied a witty fair one, 
“ But we are the better halves." 
-» ♦ 4 - 
FLAVORING EXTRACTS. 
All of these are what are called alcoholic ex¬ 
tracts, made by extracting the flavors of the 
fruits after which they are named. Their manu¬ 
facture in America Is of quite recent date, the 
flrst made hero being an extract of lemon pro¬ 
duced In Boston In 1836. in selecting extracts 
it Is not enough that the article should be pure; 
it should be made of fruit of excellent quality. 
Vanilla extract, lor example, Is of poor quality 
whou made from sour or otherwise impaired Vanilla 
beans. This, however, Is not the chief cause of 
the poor quality which t ills ext ract is frequently 
round to possess; wbat Is sold uftcler that name 
Is not unfrequently tho extract of Tonqua or 
snuff beans, a much cheaper and inferior arti¬ 
cle which !b, still ottener, used to adulterate 
the genuine extract. Balsam Peru, rancid, 
adulterated and otherwise deteriorated oils of 
lemon, orange, rose, etc., are also used for tola 
purpose. Oils of lemon and orange are sometimes 
adulterated with the oils or seeds and nuts, and 
sometimes with spirits of turpentine, oil of Rose 
is frequently adulterated with oil of Geranium, 
etc., and these It not poisonous or Injurious are 
at least 1 nert and fraud ulent. Any person of acute 
perceptions, who is familiar with these substances 
can easily distinguish and detect them by their 
flavor and odor. The latter may bo the more 
readily perceived If a small quantity is dropped 
on blotting paper uud the spirit allowed to evap¬ 
orate. From ten to twenty per cent of water Is 
sometimes added to the flavoring extracts made 
from oils. A person familiar with proof spirit 
may judge or its strength by shaking the bottle 
and observing Lhe bead. Fine flavoring extracts 
may be kept unimpaired ror years, If boxed and 
in a moderately cool place. Exposure to the 
air, especially warm ah, is always injurious and 
should be carefully avoided. TUe extract of 
Tonqua beans given to dogs In doses ot rrorn 
seven to ten grains, have produced great and 
fatal depression: and In man, in the dose of from 
thirty to sixty grains they have caused nausea, gid¬ 
diness, depression, vomiting and drowsiness. 
There Is also In tho market what are commonly 
known os English Fruit extracts. These are ex¬ 
tensively employed for flavoring ices, jellies, 
lozenges, drops, aud for making fruit sirups. 
The most prominent are pineapple, strawberry, 
raspberry, banana, pear, etc, etc. They are en¬ 
tirely artificial, and are composed mostly' of ethers 
and acids. A very small quantity w ill sometimes 
produce nausea aud headache, and when taken 
for any considerable lime, or In large quantity, 
the effect must bo highly Injurious. They are 
manufactured on a large scale In England and 
BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
Germany, and also In Philadelphia. Where the 
risks of adulteration are so many and serious It is 
well to know how a pure article can be secured; 
and so far as our experience extends, the reputa¬ 
tion for purity the Burnett extracts nave acquired! 
Is well deserved. 
-- 
OUR PREMIUM OFFERS. 
Below we offer two very desirable premiums 
which will he awarded to any person who may 
forward us the requisite number of subscribers. 
The New Charter-Oak Lnwn Mower. 
We have selected TWO sizes of this popular 
mower for premiums. The “ standard,” or 15-lnch 
cut, (price $25) we shall give for 25 susses ieeks, 
and the smaller, 13-lnch cut—suitable for small 
places and for those who 
do not enjoy pushing a 
large mower over the 
turf—we shall present for 
a club of 16 SCBSCRIBKKS. 
its price Is $ir>. Wehave 
never before offered these 
mowers for such small 
clubs: and expect every 
one, ineluding the boys 
and girls, to have a lawn 
mower before the season 
Is over. The Ch irter-Oak 
is noted for Its beautiful finish, and strong con¬ 
struction. it Is mounted on large driving wheels, 
that run inside the frame, Independently, so that 
the mower may be turned In small space, and 
without injuring the sod. its a-bladed solid knife, 
works In patent boxes, so made that grass cannot 
wtnd around the shajl. Hill's Archlmedlan Lawn 
Mower Co., makers, Hartford, Conn. 
The Farmer’* Friend Grain nnd Fertilizer Drill. 
We offer one of these excellent drills complete; 
that is, a nlne-hoe, elghtlnch- drill, with spring 
hoes, fertilizer and grass-seeder attachments, rear- 
hoc shifter and land measurer. 
The Illustration shows the seed-cup and Its 
force-feed principle, which with the patent cone- 
gearing enables one to sow any kind of grain. In 
any condition, with perfect regularity and even¬ 
ness. We regard this as one of the best drills 
made, and shall present It for a club of iso sub¬ 
scribers, (Two or more could profitably combine 
their efforts and own the drill In common.) Its 
price at factory, (with all attachments) as offered 
by us, la $1 22 . Made by the Farmer's Friend M’f’g. 
Co., Dayton, Ohio. 
■Domestic (grotionui. 
'—' 'O 
CONDUCTED BY EXttl-T M APLE. 
GLASS OR TIN FOR CANNING TOMA¬ 
TOES? 
MARY WABER-FISHER. 
Last fall, when canuing tomatoes, my house¬ 
keeper protested against the fruit being put 
into glass j'ars, averring that it would not keep. 
When pressed for a reason, she said that they 
should be put in something non-translucent— 
that for herself, tomatoes would never keep 
more than five or six weeks in glass, and, 
moreover, that in canning factories tin always 
was used. “ For the sake of transportation,” 
I observed. And I proceeded to have all the 
tomatoes put. in glass cans holding one half 
gallon each, and using the jar known ns the 
Whitall or Melville patent. I had the jars put 
in a dark closet, with a dark curtain stretched 
in front of each shelf. Well, all the jars 
opened within the last month or six weeks, 
have proved to contain tomatoes more or less 
sour, with not a spoiled taste, but a taste like 
vinegar. The tomatoes have every appearance 
of beiug good, no fermentation being visible, 
while the cans are absolutely air-tight. Now, 
what has produced the acklitv of the tomatoes? 
I don’t feel inclined to attribute the fault to 
glass, as I see no reason in my housekeeper’s 
belief. The closet where the tomatoes are 
stored is moderately cool, at all limes, the 
thermometer not varying much I judge. Still, 
it is not a cold closet. The fruit was put up 
after being well cooked, but without season¬ 
ing. Will not experienced housekeepers give 
me the benefit of their experience iu regard ^o 
tomatoes ? Can the acid tomatoes be utilized 
in making good vinegar ? 
Concerning Fruit Jar*. 
While on tho subject of fruit cans, I have 
further remarks to make:—When I flrst begau 
to put up fruit, beginning with rhubarb aud 
strawberries, I made use of a quantity of glass 
jar6 of various patents that were in Lhe closets 
of the “ old homestead," several of which were 
Mason’s “ improved." Although some of these 
jars were comparatively new, yet I found that 
most of them were suited only for preserves, 
spiced fruit and the like, as the metal band 
which screws arouud the top, had become 
stretched enough to prevent the can from 
being made air-ti^ht. I detected the same 
fault in all cans of similar construction. In 
purchasing ne\v cans, I was obliged on one or 
two occasions to have my order filled with 
Mason’s jars, because the dealers kept those of 
no other make, saying they were the only kind 
that suited the majority of housekeepers. 
Among other jars, I used the “Couansey.” 
The fruit in them keeps well; but I foresee the 
same trouble with them as with the “ Mason." 
My experience and my judgment lead me to 
reject all cans that are secured at the top by 
means of a metal band or wire fixture that acts 
as a screw, for every tight turn upon them 
stretches them. ThiB can’t be helped. I men¬ 
tioned this fact to dealers who remarked that 
they had never thonght of this before, but 
added laughingly, “ They will last quite long 
enough, you know.” But I did not “ know.’’ 
T see no reasou why a fruit jar, if not broken, 
should not last forever, if it is properly con¬ 
structed, and the only jar so constructed that 
I have in use, is that which has a glass top, 
fitting down on a rubber bant^ and which is 
made air-tight by means of an iron clamp 
acroBs the top, through which a screw passes 
down to the center of the cover. This patent 
is sometimes called the “Whitall"or “Mel¬ 
ville." The moment the fruit i3 cool iu them, 
they can he readily tested. But after using 
dozens of them I have never found one imper¬ 
fectly sealed. So far as I can see, they are the 
best jar made, and if any housekeeper who 
reads this disagrees with me, please let her 
make her objections known, as I now intend 
to put all my “ can ” money in these cans. At 
one shop where I found 6ome, the dealer sold 
them to me for 25 per cent less than he paid 
for them. He said he was glad to get rid of 
them at almost any price. People would have 
none but the “Mason.” I have no desire to 
enrich the pockets of the maker of this jar by 
my recommendation, but only to serve the in¬ 
terests of other housewives who, like myself, 
wish to use their money in the way that will 
prove most economical and most satisfactory. 
INFANTS’ CLOTHING. 
MRS. W. V. A. 
I was greatly interested in the articles by 
“E. E. K.," and “Marguerite,” and would 
like to any something on the same subject. 
Last spring and summer I was busy preparing 
a wardrobe for an infant, and of course, I 
studied the comfort rather than the style of 
the little garments. In the first place, I ob¬ 
jected to flannel garments next to a baby’s 
skin, as I considered them irritating and weak¬ 
ening. Secondly, it appeared absurd to me to 
put little linen shirts ou one half of a child’s 
body and flannel on the other. Thirdly, I did 
not think it was quite the right thing to put 
so much clothing ou a child's chest and body 
and let its little arms and the upper part of its 
chest go so thinly clad. Readiug an article 
by Mrs. Katie Jackson, iu the “ Laws of Life,” 
I got the idea of what I wanted; high-necked 
and long-sleeved waists with buttons to button 
it’s skirts on, seemed just wbat I wanted. I 
made them of white muslin—waists and 
skirts—and others of flannel, to be worn over 
the musliu ones and next to the dress. 
My plan worked admirably until cool and 
finally cold weather came, and then I found 
that the muslin garments were not warm 
enough. My mother suggested canton-flannel, 
which I got, aud made up into little gowns or 
“slips” that come well below her feet. The 
first ones were made of fine and rather thin 
canton-flannel, but those she is now wearing 
are made of a heavier quality, and when she 
is dressed in one of these with a flannel waist 
made with loug sleeves aud high-necked and 
a flannel skirt buttoned on, aud over these 
a little “ yoke" or “ gabriel" white dress, 
I think she is as comfortably and hygienically 
dressed as any baby iu the land. Thus, I 
think I have secured my objects, a suitable 
and uniform covering, and hence au equable 
temperature of all parts of the body. 
-♦- 
COOKING FOR THE SICK. 
The flesh of young auimals, although the 
tenderest is less digestible thauthat of auimals 
of middle age. Mutton is easier to digest than 
beef. Raw oysters are nutritious and easily 
digested. Eggs should not be cooked until the 
whites hat den—neither should they| boil, but 
pour boiling water over them, cover and let 
stand from five to ten minutes. Food should 
be served in the very daintiest manner. A eup 
of tea freshly made and served with one or two 
blocks of sugar, and a few drops of cream with 
a slice of toast, even, yellow and without crust, 
delicately buttered and fresh from the tire, a 
bit of tender steak, broiled either rare or well- 
done to suit the patient, aud afresh rousted 
potato, will, if served upon whole dishes and 
clean linen, tempt the most capricious appetite. 
Beef Tea. 
Cut the meat of a rump steak into dice,and to 
a pound of meat allow a pint of cold water, add 
a little salt and with a fork squeeze the pieces 
in every direction to extract the juice. Next 
put water and meat into;a perfectly dean sauce¬ 
pan ; cover and place on the'back^of thestove 
where it will gradually beat, taking care tha t 
it does not boil. Continue this from two t o 
three hours, then bring to the boiling poin t 
strain, pressing the meat with a spoon. Re¬ 
move any fat that may arise and add a little 
more seasoning. Sick persons soon tire of 
beef tea, refusing to take it. When this is the 
case, add a very little sherry and allow it to 
get cold. If properly made it will be a jelly, 
and patients will take it in this form when 
they would not in the liquid state. Young 
children will sometimes relish the tea better if 
it be sweetened instead of salted. 
-- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Caudle. 
Mix two tablespoonaful of oatmeal in a little 
cold water and then stir into it a pint of boil¬ 
ing water. Add a few raisins and boil very 
slowly for an hour. Sweeten aud grate iu a 
little nutmeg. A small quantity of wine 
brandy is sometimes added. 
White IVine Whey. 
Slightly sweeten half a pint of new milk, 
turn into a clean saucepan and bring to a boil. 
At once pour in a small wine-glass of white 
wine. Let it boil up again and set on the side 
of the stove until the curd forMS one lump. 
Pour off free from the curd. 
Beef Juice. 
Cut lean steak into pieces three or four 
inches square, score with a sharp knife on 
either side, broil for a minute, then express 
the juice in a lemon squeezer. Add a pinch 
of salt and give either ice-cold or hot. 
Fever Drink. 
Toast the bread carefully through and 
through, then pour boiling water on it and, 
if liked, add a small piece of lemon peel. Drain 
off carefully that no crumbs remain in the 
fluid after it has got cold. 
Pour cold water on wheat bran, let boil half 
an hour, strain, add a little sugar and lemon 
juice. Mrs. M. G. L. 
Fried Fnrsnip*. 
Scrape, wash, boil and mash. When cool 
enough to handle season with salt and pepper, 
flour the hands and make into little cakes. 
Roll in flour and fry in boiling fat. Drain and 
serve very hot. 
Lemon Juice 
The juice of six lemons and the grated peel 
of two, two coffee-cupsful of granulated sugar, 
a package of Coxe’s gelatine, one quart of 
boiling water. Soak the gelatine in little more 
thau a eup of cold water for au hour, then add 
the sugar, juice audpeel, and let stand another 
hour. Pour over the hot water aud stir until 
the gelatine is all dissolved. Strain through a 
flannel bag. Pour iuto a wet mold and set in 
a cool place. Make the day before it is wanted. 
Fried Oniou*. 
Peel, wash and ent crossways so as to form 
undivided lings. Flour them and fry in beef 
drippings for five or six minuteB. Drain, 
sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with 
8t6&k< 
Boiled Salt Mackerel. 
When freshened wrap iu a clean cloth and 
simmer fifteen minutes. Take carefully out of 
the cloth and place on a flat dish. Boil two eggs 
until hard, cut into pieces, arrange around or 
on top of the fish and pour drawn butter over 
all. E. L. M. 
Sausage. 
In my judgment the following recipe for 
sausage is hard to beat:—To 40 pounds of meat 
use 12 ounces of salt, eight ounces of sugar, 
two ounces each of sage, black pepper, cinna¬ 
mon, cloves and giuger. It will require about 
three quarts of water to be added to make it 
mix readily. Nelson Ritter. 
Apple Snow. 
Make a boiled custard of two-thirds of a 
quart of milk, with the yelks of four eggs the 
whites of two, and half a cup of powdered 
sugar. Beat the remaining whites to a stiff 
froth, add a half cup of powdered sugar, and 
grate into it five large, tart apples, stirring in 
as you grate, that the coating of egg and sugar 
may prevent the apple from changing color. 
Into a deep dish pour the cold custard, and 
heap the apple meringue on top. To be eaten 
soon after making. Mrs. B. 
-♦-*-*- 
QUESTIONS AMSWERED. 
Fly Status. Cleaning Zinc. 
What will remove fly stains from paint with¬ 
out scouring; also, what will clean zinc and 
restore its new look ? Mrs. A. B. 
Ans. —1, Add a few drops of ammonia to 
warm soap-suds, and rub with a woolen cloth. 
Try a tablespoonful of ammonia to half a pail¬ 
ful of water. 2, Mix glycerine with a little 
dilute sulphurie acid, and apply. 
