THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FES. 4 
ftclus of f|c IMt 
Monday, Jan. 27,1879. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Joseph N. Sturtevant, horn April 1, 1844; died 
January 19,1S79. lie has appeared before the pub¬ 
lic as one ol the authors of “The Dairy Cow, 
Ayrshire,” as one of the editors of the " North 
American Ayrshire Register,” and as contributor 
to our various agricultural papers, under several 
noms de plume, such as J. N. S., Xelco. Alex. B., 
etc. His writings, the work of a few well moments, 
in a life which struggled with ill-health from Its 
commencement, have made an Impress upon agri¬ 
cultural thought which shall continue, even If the 
originator be unrecognized and forgotten. Honest. 
In thought asln action, caring nothing for applause, 
a true philanthropist in all that constitutes the 
word, a careful thinker, considerate towards the 
opinions of others, and yet possessing a posltlve- 
ness of character which came through conviction, 
his advice was often sought and seldom unheeded. 
Without personal vanity, as delicate as a woman 
towards the rights of others, with a mind trained 
to goodness for Its own sake, one who believed In 
good because of the good, and haled evil because 
or the evil, he has left, behind him many sorrowing 
friends beyond the circle of Ills intimate associates. 
The tilo at. Wahshakum Farm is now broken. 
Three brothers purchased the farm and formed one 
life In 1867, and for eleven years there have been 
harmonious thought and action—and now—and 
now—a wearying sense of desolation, which elicits 
our warm sympatliy. 
There were killed and marketed In the United 
States last year forty million fat hogs. The Senate 
committee on judiciary has agreed to report a hill 
deilulng polygamy, and providing that any person 
believing In polygamy shall be disqualified from 
Jury duty. Silkworms of the value of $l,Goo,ooo 
have just passed over our Pacific railroad, on their 
way from China to France. Caleb Cuslfing left 
property estimated as worth $1,000,000. Prominent 
orchardists from various parts of Iowa, report that 
the cold weather has killed the fruit buds on cher¬ 
ry, plum and peach trees, and killed all the grape 
vines, except the Concords, which are also badly 
damaged. Fltzhugh, the “ bigger man than old 
Grant.” Is doorkeeper of the Texas Senate, where 
he is trying to be a “bigger man than old Hub- 
hard.” The OU City Derrick’s report of petroleum 
production shows the total outputs of the year 
1878 to have reached the enormous figure of 
13,752,156 barrels. 
The Memphis Appoa 1 notices that while there 
are 20 , 000,000 acres of land in Tennessee unocc u- 
pled and untitled, strong men are begging from 
house to house In that city for employment. The 
California Beet-Sugar c ompany are now working 
up sixty-four tens of beets per day. They expect 
to run through this working season not less than 
19,000 tons of beets, in 1869 the United states Im¬ 
ported paper te the amount of $527,465, and export¬ 
ed none worth mentioning. The last yearly sta¬ 
tistics give only $135,487 worth of Imports against 
$1,103,318 of exported paper. Thus far twenty-two 
persons alleged te have been members of the Mol¬ 
ly Maguire order have been sentenced te death In 
Pennsylvania, and of the number nineteen have 
been executed. There were 193 deaths from scarlet 
fever In Now York city during the past week, 
against 273 the week before. This decrease Is due 
te the efforts of the health department In lsolat- 
lng cases and keeping the Infection out of the 
schools. 
It Is reported, doubtless correctly, that the Ber¬ 
lin mission has been tendered to Hon. Andrew D. 
White of the Cornell University, and Is now held 
uuder advisement by him. It would be difficult, 
for the a dministration te find. In this country, a 
man who Is better fitted, by culture and character, 
to be the successor of Bayard Taylor. Castor oil 
is becoming an Important product In British India. 
Last year there were 67 ,000 acres devoted te it In 
Madras. It has been cultivated with success in Iowa 
Iroquois County, Ill., has 200 artesians wells, all of 
small bore, within a radius of twenty miles. No 
one or them exceeds 75 feet in depth aud they 
yield a total dally supply of 53 , 500,000 gallons. 
Beechwood Is one of the best materials lor mak¬ 
ing butter boxes for grocers’ uses. They are made 
by the million, and sold at from twenty to seventy 
cents per hundred, according to size. 
It is estimated that the pension arrearages hill 
which Congress has passed, and which was 
signed by the President on Saturday last will 
take from fifty to one hundred million dollars 
out of the Federal Treasury. Frank Work’s noted 
trotter, Modoc, bought for *9,006 In Lanslngburg 
four years ago, fell dead In Central Park, Monday. 
The miserable band of Cheyenne Indians that 
escaped from Fort Robinson as related last week, 
have all been killed or captured. They declared 
they would rather die than return to the Indian 
Territory and the paternal superintendence of the 
Indian agent, and all except seventeen, chiefly 
squaws aud papooses, have Kept their word. The 
Committee of the House, who have been Investiga¬ 
ting the advisability of the transfer of the Indian 
Bureau from the Interior te the War Department, 
are evenly divided In opinion—half of them strong¬ 
ly advocate the transfer while the other half oppose 
It, hut put It in the President’s discretion te so 
transfer turbulent tribes temporarily. 
The amount of cider made this season In New 
England Is unprecedented, the yield In western 
Massachusetts being calculated at 150,000 barrels, 
and some of the cider mills are still running. What 
to do with the liquid Is a puzzle te the farmers. 
The use of what are called “ grater ” mills, which 
cut the apples Instead of crushing them, Increases 
the yield of cider, but Is said to lower the quality. 
The average quantity of apples necessary to make 
a ban-el of cider Is ten bushels, and the mill charge 
Is thirty cents a barrel. The present price of good 
cider Is $2.50 at the mills. Some farmers have 
used their cisterns for storage, in the Massachu¬ 
setts Legislature a bill is under consideration 
which provides that tramps shall he punished by 
Imprisonment at hard labor for one year, and that 
••any tramp who shall enter any dwelling house or 
any unoccupied building, or kindle any fire in the 
highway or on the land of another, without the 
consent of the occupant or owner thereof, or shall 
be found carrying any firearms or other dangerous 
weapon, or shall threaten to do any Injury to the 
person or property of another, shall be punished 
by Imprisonment at hard labor In the house of cor¬ 
rection or State workhouse for not more than two 
years.” The enactment Is not applicable to any 
female, to a minor under 16 years of ago, to any 
blind person, nor any person who has a certificate 
of respectable character from the Selectmen of the 
town of which lie was last an Inhabitant. Lega¬ 
tion 01 somewhat the same nature Is urgently re¬ 
quired In other States also. 
A Waslfington correspondent says there have 
been distributed during the year drawing te a 
close from the Department or Agriculture over fifty 
thousand young tea plants, and as many more will 
be distributed during the coming year, commis¬ 
sioner Leduc is sangulue that tea can be cheaply 
and profitably grown In the Southern States. 
Judge James u. McKean, whose hatred of polyg¬ 
amy gained lor him the name of “ the Mission J ur- 
lst,” died In Salt Lake City the other day. It was 
Judge McKean who first refused the right of citi¬ 
zenship to Mormons believing In plural marriages, 
and who gave the alimony to Ann Eliza Y'oung. 
His death Is a misfortune te those who are begin¬ 
ning a great fight against the Mormon power in 
Utah, for he would have been a leader. 
FOREIGN. 
Across the Atlantic distress Is still growing In 
England. One after another the discontented strik¬ 
ers are forced to resume work at reduced wages 
by hard times and starvation. Many ol the most 
prominent statesman are urging emigration as a 
remedy for the surplus of labor. A very large 
number of the landlords are returning from ten 
to fifteen per cent te their tenants on the half 
year’s rent,and lowering rents for the next year. As 
If in mocking contrast te the spectacles ol penury 
and want everywhere seen throughout the land, 
fashion and wealth never Indulged In more ex¬ 
pensive freaks than at present. The papers that 
detail In one column, starvation and misery 
among the vast body of operative, devote the 
next couple of columns te “ htralutln" accounts of 
the extravagant doings of the “upper crust.” 
The opposition to free trade Is. growing stronger 
dally, especially among the agricultural classes, 
who find their labors unprofitable on account of 
foreign competition. American grain and meat 
can be put down In England at lower figures than 
those at which they can be produced at home, so 
that the farmer’s occupation Is in danger of col¬ 
lapsing. If the present laws continue In force It 
may be that the land in England will become 
merely a market garden lor the supply of perisha¬ 
ble vegetables, with here and there vast parks for 
the amusement and digulty of the great aristoc¬ 
racy and plutocracy. 
In France a compromise has been effected be¬ 
tween the Administration and Republican party 
who threatened to upset the Cabinet. The latter 
has, accordingly, obtained a vole of confidence by 
a heavy majority, only the Radical republicans 
voted against them. Gambetta took no part in the 
struggle openly, hut his forbearance was the cause 
of the Government’s success. Six of the chief gen¬ 
erals, who command divisions of the army In as 
many departments, are to be put on the retired 
list. They are men known to be In favor of the 
restoration of the Empire, and their places will be 
filled by pronounced republicans. A laige number 
of civil functionaries wbo have retained their 
offices from the days of Napoleon the 111. and 
are still friendly to his son, will also be re¬ 
placed by men of decidedly republican opinions, 
in Germany Bismarck is bald to be losing some 
part of his vast influence, on account of his re¬ 
actionary measures, lie seems determined te force 
upon the country a protective tariff, and has ap¬ 
pealed to the agricultural community to support 
him In levying a tax on all lorelgn agricultural 
products In order to raise the price of their own. 
such a measure wouid seriously hurl our trade in 
grain with the P'atherland. He Is also seriously 
resolved on an act authorizing the opening of all 
letters crossing the frontier from lorelgn countries. 
In Turkey financial distress Is becoming more dan¬ 
gerous dally. A definite treaty has been concluded 
with Russia, and now only awaits the approval of 
the Czar and the Sultan. The Island ol Cyprus, 
It Is reported, Is to he sold outright to Great Britain 
for $5,000,060. 
The plague is spreading rapidly throughout 
Asiatic Russia, and an International Convention 
has just been held in Vienna with a view to con¬ 
cert measures to prevent its spread into Europe. 
Austria is te establish a strict quarantine against 
Eastern Russia, aud Germany has 80,000 troops 
ready to form a cordQn along the Muscovite fron¬ 
tier, so as to prevent all intercourse, should such a 
measure become necessary, v akoob Kban has not 
yet fled, as reported last week, but his turbulent 
chiefs are rapidly deserting bis standard, and when 
spring allows the renewal of active warlike opera¬ 
tions, ills probable that no opposition will be made 
to the British. The Ameer Is hid from public sight 
and knowledge somewhere in the vast regions of 
Asiatic Russia. 
A few years ago the French Government bought 
seven small railways, one management now takes 
the place of seven, the force Is better organized, 
sinecures have been abolished, and the general ex¬ 
penses have been reduced by $ 200,000 a year. The 
trial of Passanante, the would-be assas sin of King 
Humbert, has been postponed to February, on a 
plea of emotional insanity, in order that the doc¬ 
tors may examine the state of his mind. The Geo¬ 
graphical Society of Parts has taken the Initiatory 
steps toward forming an emigration society, which 
will give information to those desiring to emigrate, 
regarding all sections of the civilized world. It will 
describe the advantages and disadvantages of emi¬ 
gration In detail. Over 10,000 unsheltered sheep 
were killed by the recent storms In Scotland. The 
Indirect taxes of France yielded 2,025,770,000 francs 
In 1878, an Increase of 77,672,400. 
Jlomfstir (gronoinu. 
> -o 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
SOUTHERN ECONOMY IN KITCHEN AND 
DINING-ROOM. 
If the friends of the Rural would contribute 
more to these columns, not only of suggestions 
and queries as to their conveniences aud ne¬ 
cessities, but of results actually accomplished, 
it wouid make this Department much more at¬ 
tractive and profitable. I thank Mrs. Annie L. 
Jack and May Maple for what they have done, 
but there is still a great want, especially for us 
dependent Southerners, which has not yet been 
fully reached. In anie~beUwn days w r e had. in 
a great measure, the labors of the house and 
kitchen done for us. but now, to a great ex¬ 
tent, we must do them for ourselves, or rather, 
they must be done by our wives aud daughters, 
who, God bless them ! are accommodating t hem¬ 
selves to the changed condition of affairs with 
a cheerfulness and will worthy of all praise. 
Indeed, they are so willing that we •• men 
folks” are ashamed that we do not know how 
to furnish them with all the necessary conven¬ 
iences aud appliances for saving labor and 
toil. But it is an old saw that necessity is the 
mother of invention, and we have found it to 
be true. After the war. our servants, wishing 
to test and enjoy their freedom, very generally 
refused to hire, aud uuder the old regime, all 
our out-door conveniences—our kitchen,smoke¬ 
house, well, and wood-pile—were a consider¬ 
able distance away from the “ big house"—as 
the negroes called the family dwelling. So, 
it was no small labor for the wife and daughter 
to make the daily, aye. almost the hourly cir¬ 
cuit of these buildings. 
In this extremity ray wits came to my aid, 
aud I moved up for my “ folks ” a double 
framed cabin which had been a servants’ 
house, to the rear of my dwelliug, for a family 
dining-room and cook room, making a covered 
passage-way from the one to the other. To 
tiie side of this I built a shed room, with doors 
opening into dining-room and kitchen, to be 
used as a pantry and general store-room. In 
the cook room I made a tank for water to be 
used during the day, to be filled from the out¬ 
side ; a sink for kitchen purposes ; and put up 
a common farmer’s boiler for heating water 
for washing, or any other purpose wanted. 
Between the cook room and the dining-room, 
on one side of the double chimney, I construct¬ 
ed a dumb-waiter, made in the shape of a 
long, shallow box, about eighteen inches wide, 
and three feet long, so that it could be easily 
elided from oue room to the other, ou a frame, 
through an opening in the partition, so that 
when the cook dished the meal, it could be 
easily aud most conveniently transferred to 
the dining-room and placed upon the table, 
thus securing a hot meal, and dispensing with 
the necessity of a servant or two. 
But in the dining-room was my most happy 
expedient. It was a dining table, the like of 
which may have been in use elsewhere, but I 
never had seen or heard of one. It is a round 
table, with another round table or leaf about 
five inches above the first, and made to revolve 
on an axis going through the middle of the 
lower table, and terminating in a socket in a 
piece of thick board fastened across the bottom 
of the lower table. The first table is six feet 
in diameter, and the top four feet, leaving 
room on the first table for the empty plates, 
knives and forks, cups, goblets, etc., there be¬ 
ing a space all round of two feet, and room 
under the top table for storing the soup plates 
after they have been used, and for receiving 
other table “ fixings," so as to make room for 
the dessert. 
Now for the modus operandi. The cloth is 
made with a hole in the middle, with a slit 
from the hole, so that it can readily be put on 
without removing the top table. On the latter, 
which should be of walnut or mahogany, mats 
for the dishes can be used, or an oil-cloth cut 
round aud a narrow band round it, can be 
made, and answers the purpose well. After 
the cloth is laid, the tabic can be fully set, 
and there is no further necessity for auy wait¬ 
ing. The soup can be dished by the mistress, 
placed upon the revolving table, and passed 
round to every guest much more easily and 
handily than by any other process, and at the 
same time the viands are passed in review be¬ 
fore every one. After soup is through with, 
the empty plate is simply shoved under the re¬ 
volving table, out of sight, and each guest i6 
ready to help himself to anything that suits his 
condition or appetite, without the necessity of 
anything being pressed upon him. In the 
same way the plates can be removed and the 
dessert served, and a waiter need not be in the 
room during the whole course of dinner. 
A table, such as I have described, will com¬ 
fortably seat twelve persons, and, if very 
round, will give them plenty of elbow-room, 
a desideratum always felt upon sitting down 
to a good dinner ; for a fair start and elbow- 
room are all that one wants on such an oc¬ 
casion. But there is still another excellence 
about this table which commends itself at 
once to our lady friends—it makes a most 
beautiful center table for a wedding, or other 
festive collation. Place two tables as wings, on 
opposite sides, and ornament the center with 
silver, glass, china, etc., and place on them 
fruits, flowers and other delicacies, such as 
will at once occur to our fair friends, and the 
effect is charming. 
Now, Mrs. Maple, 6ince we are all in the 
family again, we need not feel any sensitive¬ 
ness in opening our back doors and showing 
our friends about in our back yards. You see 
how I have done this, and I do hope that soure 
one or more of your readers will follow my 
example, and tell us how we may improve our 
mode of living. Tell us what conveniences 
you have to save time aud severe toil, and to 
make the drudgery of the kitchen more bear¬ 
able. Do tell us how you live below stairs. 
With high life above stairs wc all affect, at 
least, to be well acquainted, but very few pre¬ 
tend to know about the kitchen, while the 
kitchen and its affairs make up oue half of our 
lives, and are provocative of more domestic 
disquietude than all other causes put together. 
Glenn Springs, S. C. J. Wist S. 
-■ - - 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Brussels-Sproats 
Wash and look over very carefully ; put on 
with plenty of boiling water and a little salt 
and cook twenty minutes, after the water 
again boils; drain well aud pile high upon a 
dish with drawn butter poured over them. 
Garnish with poached eggs. 
Parsnips with Cream Sauce. 
Scrape, boil and slice lengthwise. Put into 
a frying-pan two tablespoonfuls of butter 
with pepper and sail. When the butter melts 
put in the parsnips, shake and turn until very 
hot; take out the slices upon a dish; add to 
the butter in the pan, half a teacupful of 
cream; boil up and pour over the sliced pars¬ 
nips. 
Beet’s Heart. 
Wash well, lay in salt and water for an hour, 
take out aud wipe dry. Prepare a force-meat 
of bread crumbs, seasoned with pepper, salt, 
minced onions and salt pork; stuff the heart 
with this mixture and sew up in a thin cloth. 
Boil slowly for an hour and a half—the water 
should be allowed to boil away so there will be 
only enough left for gravy ; take up, undo the 
cloth and put into the oven to finish. Baste 
often aud turn the heart around as it browns. 
Thicken the gravy with a spoonful of butter 
mixed with the same quantity of flour; boil 
up, season, add the juice of a lemon and pour 
over the heart. Mart B. 
Split Pea-Soup. 
Soak a pint of split peas in water over night; 
in the morning turn off and add warm water ; 
throw this off after an hour aud cover the peas 
with four quarts of cold water; add two 
pounds of beef, with some bones well cracked 
and two or three stalks of celery cut fine; boil 
or simmer four hours; then strain through a 
colander, rubbing the peas, celery and meat 
through the holes until nothiug more will pass ; 
season with pepper aud salt; add the juice of 
a lemon ; return to the kettle, boil up and pour 
into the tureen over bits of toasted bread 
_ E. M. 
Canned Apples. 
I saw an estimable lady lately putting stewed 
green apples into cans. While the fruit retains 
its full flavor, she prepares the apples, stewing 
as for sauce, and putting into cans without 
sweetening. She tells me they are excellent 
in the spring for pics, tasting fresh and new, 
while the apples in the cellar are partly de¬ 
cayed, rendering them poor for cooking. 
_ Aunt Em. 
Carpet Sweepers. 
M y husband gave me a sweeper for a Christ¬ 
mas present, or as Gertie 6ays, “Santa Claus 
brought it!” With this much experience, I 
can say it is a magical labor-saving affair. It 
runs quietly and easily, and takes up all dirt 
except in corners, where a broom is needed to 
brush out for a few inches. I cannot say 
whether it is hard upon carpets, but I know it 
is not on the back. It saves much valuable 
time in the morning, besides it does away with 
the layer of dust on everything, to say nothing 
of what oue inhales when a broom is used. 
Mrs. M. L. 8. 
-♦♦♦- 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
Reader wants a recipe for coloring dark 
brown, durable on cotton ; also, one for red. 
Ans. —For brown: take four pounds of cutch, 
five ounces of blue vitriol, and nine ounces of 
bichromate of potash for twenty pounds of 
cloth; boil the cutch in as much water as will 
cover the goods, and when the cutch is well 
dissolved, add the blue vitriol; put the goods 
in aud let stand all night: in the morning dis¬ 
solve one-half of the bichromate in hot water, 
put the goods into it and let stand for fifteen 
