4 
life and euergy is due to its very efficient 
Secretary. He is certainly the right man in 
the right place, and Michigan and Michigan 
horticulture owe more to bis untiring euergy 
and hard labors than they at present realize; 
but he is a growing man and the time will 
come when he will be appreciated. 
J. S. WOODWARD. 
Domestic Cctraonu) 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
CHATS WITH OUT? GIRLS WHO EX¬ 
PECT TO BE HOUSEKEEPERS. 
MAY MAPLE. 
“'A floor will look cleaner after I have 
swept it than it will after Cousin Hattie has 
brushed and washed it for half a day,” said 
Elnora, while we were taking our uoon-day 
lunch in the old school-house. Elnora was 
one of my '‘large girls,” and we used to have 
regular ‘‘socials” about household matters; 1 
did not admire her boasting manner, but 
thought she would outgrow it in time, and be¬ 
come a very lovable woman. So I asked her 
to tell me how she performed the work that 
was so superior to her cousin’s. “Why,” said 
she, “I always sweep the way the boards lie, 
and iu this way I take all the dirt and lint 
that has gathered in the crevices with the 
loose dirt, when if I swept across the boards, 
half the dirt would be left in the little trenches, 
till a gust of wind came along and then it 
would go flying about, as though it had no 
abiding place. When there is a bed in the 
room I use a damp broom when I sweep be¬ 
neath it. and that keeps the fine, downy lint 
from settling on the furniture.” 
I knew by the wav my young friend talked 
that she was ambitious to become a thorough 
housekeeper, and it was pleasant to think of 
her iu the future as presiding over a well- 
ordered home. Elnora has the possibilities 
about her of becoming a noble specimen of 
womanhood. She has been taught many 
good things, and she likes to take practical 
lessons in housekeeping every day, and, girls, 
if you won’t whisper about it,I’ll tell you why: 
Farmer John calls at her father’s house rather 
oftener tliau once a month, and she knows 
that he expects to need a housekeeper—well, 
some time. But sbe has not learned that one 
may be a lady under any and all circumstan¬ 
ces, and so she is apt to sneer at those girls 
who are accustomed to refinement, and laugh 
at their dainty ways. But she will be a help¬ 
mate. for while her cousins are darning Punch 
and Judy on Java canvas, she will be darning 
socks for husband or father, so nice and 
smooth that they will look like basket-work 
embroidery; and while her schoolmates are 
doing applique- in silk and velvet, she will 
“applique” her John’s pants wherever they 
have become worn. She is just as proud of 
her large, brown hands as they are of their 
delicate ones. She has a perfect right to be 
proud of her work, for it is necessary to be 
done, and what*she does lightens the labors of 
her mother. It is a grand part of womaa- 
b#od, and girlhood as well, to be useful. But 
one need not be coai-se and rude, though she 
lives in a “dugout” and works in the field, 
and it is just as proper for a working girl to 
take care of her hands and complexion, as for 
the President’s daughter to dress in costly 
satins. To lie useful and beautiful, as far as 
in her power, should be the aim of every 
high-minded girl. And as there is no work 
more ennobling to man than that pertaining 
to agriculture, so there is uo work more befitr- 
tiug the true woman than the work pertaining 
to the household. To go into a well-ordered 
home is like entering the golden gates of 
Heaved, for there peace and contentment 
reign. 
CHATS WITH HOUSE-KEEPERS. 
EUNICE BROWN. 
Our wdUias been dry all through Autumn, 
and we have to depend largely on the water 
from a small stream near-by; so brother Phil, 
devised a filter that is at once simple and in¬ 
expensive. He bought an empty wine cask, 
placed it on end. removed the head aurl put a 
faucet near the bottom. Then he bored holes 
all over the head he had takeu out, placed 
first four clean bricksatthe bottom of the cask, 
audou these rested the perforated head. Then 
we put. in about, five inches of charcoal, finely 
cut up, and over that six inches of sand. It 
was wonderful how clear aud sparkling the 
water became after passing through this 
sieve, aud we felt quite safe to driuk it, or to 
use it for culinary purposes. Everybody has 
not got Croton water, and these devices are 
useful to know. We are such a small family 
that, any convenient household hints are use¬ 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
DEG 28 
ful to us, and I find a good way to use up 
stale bread is to soak it in milk over night 
In the morning add an egg and a little flour, 
with a pinch of salt: make a batter, and fry. 
Sometimes we make beef toast by chopping 
fine the remnant of a cold roast. Then I 
warm it up aud season it. with butter, pepper 
aud salt. Slices of bread are toasted and laid 
ou a platter, ami the beef turned on hot, with 
gravy enough to softeu the bread. 1 made 
my sausage meat into little balls this year, 
flat and round like fish balls. Then each one 
was wrapped in cotton cloth and put in a dry, 
cool place, aud I think they will keep fresh 
till we can use them up. 
ANOTHER WOMAN ? S EXPERIENCE. 
As I finished reading to my husband “A 
Farmer’s Daughter’s Experience” in the R u ral 
of Sept. 93,1 felt just like writing an approval 
of what she had written,and my husband said; 
“Tell her that I think she is a sensible girl 
and will make some man a good wife one of 
these days.” T have often thought while read¬ 
ing the excellently written articles of some of 
the correspondents of the Rural how easy 
all this seems on paper ami how different 
theory is from practice, as I think they would 
find were they situated as some of the rest of 
us are. I am obliged not only to economize 
iu my strength but iu money matters as well, 
but I have a strong woman to come once a 
week to wash aud do whatever work is heavy 
and hurrying, aud with the help of two school 
girls I get along with the work for five of us 
doing all the family sewing and I find time to 
rest myself from sterner duties by doiug a 
little *<iuey work occasionally. 
If you cannot have a large table under the 
tree by the kitchen door, you can have a high 
stool made to sit ou while ironing, washing 
dishes or preparing fruit and vegetables for 
cooking, and this you will find so much better 
than standing all the time. I often wish every 
lady knew how much eomfori. can be derived 
from having laid iu the bed. before retiring, 
a thick quilt, about one yard wide and one- 
and-one-half long, heated just hot enough not 
to scorch, and the euds folded together. 
You can then put your feet 
between the hot quilt and so get warm at 
once instead of suffering with cold feet, as we 
did before I thought of this plan. 
To wash a dark calico dreBS, take a quart 
and a half of wheat brau, pub it into a bag 
and boil for half an hour in one-and-a-balf 
gallon of soft water. Take a part to wash the 
dress in and the rest to rinse it. No soap or 
starch is needed. Iron on wrong side. e. r. f. 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
AUNT MABBY’S RIPE CUCUMBER PICKLES; 
COOKING SUMMER SQUASH. 
Pare, cut iu slices, take out center and 
seeds, let them lie in salt aud water two days, 
then rinse with boiling water. Let them re¬ 
main in this till cool. Heat vinegar to 
a boiling point; season with a teaspoouful 
of cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and 
pepper with a little sugar to taste. A little 
grated horseradish improves it, and I al¬ 
ways have plenty in the garden. I suppose 
many people who have a garden are at a loss 
to know what to do with Summer or soft Win¬ 
ter squashes. 1 have read lately about a lady 
who told her cook to prepare “scolloped” 
tomatoesand the girl took sqruash, which all 
declared on tasting to be as good as fried 
oysters. It is pared and sliced, put into a 
pudding dish with a layer of cracker crumbs, 
seasoned with butter, pepper and salt, thm a 
layer of squash and so on till the dish is full, 
with cracker crumbs on the top, and little 
lumps of butter scattered over it. Bake three- 
quarters of an hour. 
PUREE OF POTATOES. 
Ten large potatoes, peeled, boiled and 
mashed until not a lump remains. Three 
pints of hot water, one quart of hot milk, 
three spoonfuls of butter rubbed smooth in a 
little flour, pepper, salt aud minced parsley. 
Add the water to the mashed potatoes and 
simmer one hour. Then add the milk, butter 
and seasoning. Boil up aud turn into a 
tureen. 
MASHED POTATOES (A NEW WAY TO SERVE). 
Whip up hot mashed potatoes with an egg- 
beater, add a few spoonfuls of cream, the 
yolks of two eggs, a sjtoonful of butter, pepper 
and salt. Pile roughly onto u buttered pie 
tin. Cover with the whipped whites of the 
eggs, brown quickly iu the oven; with a broad 
knife transfer to a hot platter aud serve at 
once. 
POTATO CAKES. 
Take nicely-seasoned mashed potatoes, 
work in a little milk or cream, a spoonful of 
melted butter, and flour enough to enable you 
to roll out. Cut into little rounds with a 
cake cutter, bake on a greased tin, and when 
they begin to brown brush tops with the 
beaten yelk of au egg. Let the egg harden, 
then take from the oven aud serve. 
CREAMED POTATOES. 
Chop cold, boiled potatoes quite Hue, put in 
a stew pan with a very little water (this to 
keep from burning) and a cup of milk. Heat 
slowly, season with salt , a dash of Cayenne 
(black pepper makes them dark) and a spoon¬ 
ful of butter rolled in flour. When heated 
through, add a beaten egg, stir thoroughly, 
let stand one minute and turn ont. A very 
nice breakfast dish. mrs. c. 
MANGOES. 
Take ripe cucumbers, peal aud cutaloug one 
side so that the seeds may be easily takeu out, 
after removing the seeds place the cucumbers 
in a large jar and cover with weak salt wattr. 
Cover with a plate or something heavy enough 
to keep them under the brine. Leave them in 
brine one woek. Prepare a filling of equal 
quantities of cabbage, green cucumbers and 
green tomatoes, by chopping very fine. To 
this mixture may be added a few very small 
cucumbers, green ben ns, and greeu nasturtium 
seeds whole. Allow one teacupful of white 
mustard seed, one-half cup whole black jieppcr 
and oue-lutlf cup of cloves aud allspice mixed, 
to two gallons of the filling. Prepare in the 
evening and let stand over-night. Next morn¬ 
ing take the large cucumbers out to drain aud 
press the juice out of the filliug through the 
sieve. Fill up the cavities in the cucumbers 
with the mixture and wrap with au inch strip 
of thiu cotton to close t«.e openings. Place in 
a stone jar aud cover with good vinegar col¬ 
ored with turmeric and iu which one pound of 
sugar to each gallon has been dissolved. 
Cover closely and keep in a cool, dark place. 
They make splendid pickles. E. V. h. 
A NEW EXTERMINATOR FOR ANTS. 
Walking oneevening at Lake Hopntcong> 
we came upon a woman with a basket filled 
with what we supposed to be huckleberries 
or blackberries covered with leaves. Upon 
inquiry she said she had been gathering 
black walnut leaves to drive away auts. She 
nibbed the leaves on the inside of her re¬ 
frigerator aud over the pantry shelves. This 
she said, was an unfailing remedy for the little 
red ants aDd the only thing she knew of that 
would keep these pests in check. 
EASY DISHES. 
A week or two ago a lady told bow she 
made some of her ms>/ dishes. One was to 
boil pork aud potatoes ami pour them over 
biscuit brokeu up in a dish. I think I have 
an easier way than that and fust as good. 
We call it 
IRISH STEW. 
Take thin slices of salt pork, boil iu plenty 
of water for half an hour, then put in pota¬ 
toes cut in slices, and dumplings made with 
buttermilk, au egg, saleratus and flour (Hos- 
ford’s preparation will do as well, but the 
egg must not be omitted as that keeps them 
from comiug apart and the liquor from being 
starchy). Make them about tw ice the size of 
an egg and drop them in all over the top of the 
stew. Keep plenty of water on, boil half au 
hour, then take dumplings off on a plate. 
Don't leave them in the liquor or they wil] 
get heavy. Season well and have plenty of 
liquor. I make a good 
APPLE DUMPLING. 
by slicing a deep earthen dish full of apples, 
put a thick crust on top, three tablespoon fills 
of boiling water in the opening iu the top. 
Bake half an hour and serve with the apples 
dished out ou the crust, with a lump of butter 
on each, aud sugar sprinkled over all, or 
cream and sugar. A. sophik dayton. 
POTATOES FRIED WHOLE: 
Cook complained that there were so many 
small potatoes in the last barrel I bought, that 
she was at her “ wits' end" to know how to 
bring them ou to the table except as mashed. 
I told her to peel them and boil insulted water 
until almost done, then fry in hot lard and 
beef drippings mixed, W hen nicely browned, 
she took them out, druiued them on brown 
paper and sent them to the table heaped iu the 
center of a small platter with a few sprigs of 
parsley as a garnish, mrs. economy. 
0 
Conquer thyself. Till thou hast done that, 
thou art a slave; for it is almost as well to la¬ 
in subjection to another’s api>etiteas thy own. 
HorsiordU Add Plioaphate. 
Beware of Imitations. 
Imitations aud counterfeits have agaiu ap¬ 
peared. Be sure that the word “ Horsford’s’’ 
is on the wrapper, None are genuine without 
it,—.'left, 
iPissccUancou,* gidvnli.oing. 
Robust Health 
Is not always cujovcd by Those who seem 
to possess * it, The taint of corrupted 
blood may lie secretly undermining the 
constitution. In time, the poison will cer¬ 
tainly show its effects, and with all the more 
virulence the longer it has been allowed 
to permeate the system. Each pimple, sty, 
boil, skin disorder and sense of unnatural 
lassitude, or languor, is one of Nature’s 
warnings of the consequences of neglect. 
Ayer's Sarsaparilla 
Is the only remedy that can be relied upon, 
iu all eases, to eradicate the taint of hered¬ 
itary disease and the special corruptions 
of the blood. It is tin* only alterative 
that is siitfieiently powerful to thoroughly 
cleanse the system of Scrofulous and 
Mercurial impurities and the pollution 
of Contagious Diseases. It also neu¬ 
tralizes the poisons left by Diphtheria 
and Scarlet Fever, amf enables rapid 
recuperation from the cnfccblemcnt and 
debility caused by these diseases. 
Myriads of Cures 
Achieved by Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, in 
the past fortv years, arc attested, aud there 
is no blood disease, at all possible of cure, 
that will not yield to it. Whatever the 
ailments of Ibis class,and wherever found, 
from the scurvy of the Arctic circle to the 
••veldt-sores’’ of .South Africa, this rem¬ 
edy has afforded health to the sufferers 
by whom it was employed. Druggists 
everywhere can cite numerous eases, with¬ 
in tlicir personal knowledge, of remark¬ 
able cures wrought In it. w here all other 
treatment had been unavailing. People 
will do well to 
Trust Nothing Else 
than Ayer’s Sarsaparilla. Numerous 
crude mixtures arc offered to the public 
as “blood purifiers,” which only allure 
the patient with the pretense of many 
cheap doses, and with which it is folly to 
experiment w hile disease is steadily be¬ 
coming more deep-seated and difficult of 
cure. Some of these mixtures do much 
lasting harm. Bear in mind that the only 
medicine that can radically purify the 
vitiated blood is 
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, 
PREPARED BY 
Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass. 
Sold by all druggists; price $1, 
six bottles for 
PROFESSOR 
Made from Professor Horsford’s Acid 
Phosphate. 
Recommended by leading physicians. 
Makes lighter biscuit, cakes, etc., and 
is healthier than ordinary Raking Pow¬ 
der. 
la Buttles. Sold at u reasonable price. 
The Uoraford’s Almnnuc nnd Cook Hook 
sent free. 
RumfordChendcnl Works. Providence, R. I. 
II. M. ANTHONY Ag’t 100 nnd 102 Reads St.,N. Y. 
TOILET LUXURY. 
WILLIAMS’ BARBERS’ BAR SOAP 
Originally Intended for shaving. Us absolute purity 
and reinark attic Emollient qualities have led toits use 
by thousands as a 
FAMILY TOILET SOAP. 
Multitudes who have tri<sl the most expensive lm 
ported Soaps. nay that nunc have given them such 
Ki-nuinr satisfaction. For the bath or nursery, it is fai 
superior to “Castile.” aud nothing Is purer, sweeter 
or more efficacious fora 
TOOTH SOAP. 
We will mall a sample to any reader of this pupei 
on receipt of 8c. stamp, and a eake of Genuine Yankee 
Soap for 13c. 
.1. U. WILLIAMS <V. CO., 
GLASTONBURY. CONN. 
PATE NTS^-wtmo bss 
JJ ,»"■ " I Jf AtUirmiyB, Wntdiiiigtou, D. 5. 
r ull iuslrvcUona uud HttDd*.b<xik oX 1‘atcuus scut fh&a» 
HEARING RESTORED. 
Great Invention, by one who was urtlicted over 
thirty years. Circulars and testimonials free. 
Juo. Gartnorc, Glean Building, Wtw(rmaM,OMo 
