THE BUBAL WEW-YQBKEB. 
Domestic (fronomtr. 
s —' Gq 
OONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPL E. 
LITTLE REPAIRS. 
MR8. M. O. HAND. 
Now is the time, before cold weather comes 
upon us. to make little repairs about the bouse 
aud premises. If neglected until winter, when 
the short days are crowded with work, they 
will be imperfectly made, if made at all. If 
the gentlemen of the household have no me¬ 
chanical skill, the services of a carpenter will 
be necessary. Before he comes, however, 
some member of the family should go through 
the house on a visit of inspection, and a memo¬ 
randum should be made of whatever defects 
are discovered. Then, when the carpenter 
comes, he eau commence work at once, and as 
soou as he completes one piece of work, he 
can, without useless delay, begin another, as 
the employer dictates. Having the work 
planned previously, will prevent a loss of time 
and patience on the part of the carpenter. It 
is a saving of time aud money also to those 
who employ workmen, to furnish them always 
with some systematic plan for work. 
The proper time for making email repairs, 
is just before the fill house cleaning. Every 
door aud window, and the fastenings of each, 
should be examined, aud if found out of order, 
“ make a uote of it.” There are many houses 
in which the doors and windows have settled, 
so that they can be opeued and closed ouly 
with difficulty. And they are allowed to re¬ 
main in that condition year after year, because 
the owners lack order aud perseverance. The 
best-built house will sometimes settle, but it 
will not, as a rule, regulate, itself. Persons 
stopping at hotels will see cards of “Regula¬ 
tions” fasteued to the inside of the doors of 
sleeping apartments. One of the rules is that 
the occupant of the room shall "holt the door,” 
to insure safety. But even in hotels, the bolt 
does not always strike right. The writer has 
seen a trunk rolled to the door to do duty in 
place of au imperfect bolt that might have 
been put in working order in five minutes’ time. 
If the front gate is out of order, now is the 
time to “ fix” it. It is common to see a gate- 
latch so useless that a piece of rope must be 
used in place of the latch. Other gates have 
to be lifted bodily, because tbe hinges have 
given out, while others are down entirely, so 
that where cattle have free range, they find 
pasturage in front yards. The gate tells its 
own story. The surroundings of a home— 
gates and feuces included—give an insight 
into the character of the possessor. 
DISAGREEABLE AND AGREEABLE HOUSE¬ 
KEEPING. 
LORETTA E. K. TURNER. 
I believe I have as much liking and admira¬ 
tion for neatuess and cleauliness as any house¬ 
keeper ; but there is an unpleasant style of 
neat housekeeping I neither like nor admire, 
where everything is put away and considered 
too good to be used, and where one is pursued 
with broom and dusting b~ush, from morning 
until nigbt, while the housewife’s high-pitched 
voice is incessantly bemoaning the awful 
amount of work she has to do. Now, if any 
one can be comfortable in such an establish¬ 
ment, she must be very insensible to the words 
of its mistress. I never knew one of these ex¬ 
cessively neat housekeepers that was not a 
scold and a fault-finder—usually a thorough¬ 
bred virago. 
I heard a lady once say that she liked to visit 
people who were extremely neat, for she went 
home inspired to do her own work more thor¬ 
oughly. But 1 always feel uncomfortable for a 
month afterwards for fear I had set a chair out 
of its place,or left an unnecessary crease when 
folding my napkin. Then, imagine my horror 
whensuch people visit me,andp»ke around into 
corners andclosetsand out-of-the-way places to 
discover something amiss, and woe to me if a 
spider has spun his web since my last visit with 
the broom ! 
Pray do uot think that I am an enemy to 
order and neatness; for I truly admire both, 
and believe in keeping everything as clean as 
possible in a quiet, uuobtrusive way,and letting 
well enough alone. Have home pleasant 
enough for oue to rest in without continually 
thinking of the labor it takes to keep it in 
order, so that one can relish his food without 
swallowing with each mouthful a protest that 
it has been prepared at the expense of so 
much streugth. I have thought sometimes I 
would rather go with one meal a day—and that 
a crust. 
These extra-nice housekeepers so seldom get 
their work done,and sit down for a quiet, rest¬ 
ful time ! With au old, faded-out calico dress 
on—their dresses arc always faded—sleeves 
rolled up aud a distressingly homely apron on, 
they work from morning until night, cleaning 
where it is clean. 
The other extreme in housekeeping is far 
more disgusting, where the breakfast table 
stands uncleared in the middle of an un¬ 
tidy, unswept room until the middle of the 
forenoon, and the one whose business it is to 
look after things standB or lounges around, 
; looking out of the window or reading cheap 
novels, while she is adorned with a greasy, 
soiled dress, slippers down at the heels, and 
hangs done up in papers. While idling away 
the time, she knows she will have to do the 
work when it must be done, aud suffers more 
in dreading it tbau in performing it, for it is 
harder to look forward to than to do. 
If work is done when it ought to be,and done 
properly, a woman of ordinary abilities, with 
reasonable health, ought to keep house for a 
small family and have many hours of rest, 
ease and comfort. 
•» » • 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
__ » 
Beef Steak. 
I think there is no way of cooking beef-steak 
like the following: Pound it, if you choose, 
but it is not necessary. Place it in a frying 
pan over uot too hot a fire, and let it 6team, 
hating it covered closely. Do not add any 
water. After half an hour, or more, remove 
the cover, salt; add a good lump of butter, 
and fry until done. Care must be taken not 
to burn it while frying. 
Soup. 
The richness of soup6, should depend upon 
the stock, that is, the jelly obtained by boil¬ 
ing the meat, and not at all upon the fat, 
which should be carefully removed. Many 
people would as soon think of eating a tallow 
caudle, as soup with grease floating on top. 
It seems fully as palatable to a civilized 
palate. All sorts of vegetables may be added 
to the soup, according to the taste of those 
who are to eat of it Onions are extremely 
disagreeable to many people, and turnips are 
to others. The vegetables are chopped fine 
and boiled till well done. Soups may be 
thickened with rice, barley or vermicelli. 
Force JYIent Bulls. 
Chop lean veal fine, together with a little 
raw pork ; season the meat with salt, pepper, 
curry powder or cloves. Make it up into 
balls the size of half an egg. Boil part in the 
soup fifteen minutes, aud fry the remainder 
and serve up in a separate dish. 
Quick Cake. 
A favorite cake of ours is made in the fol¬ 
lowing way: One cap of sugar; one egg; one 
half cup of sour milk ; a little Over oue cup 
of flour; one teaspoonful of soda aud one of 
cream-of-tartar. Bake iu a quick oven. This 
is nice for jelly-cake, when baked in tkiu cakes 
aud excellent when chopped raisins are mixed 
witli the jelly. Or, it may be put together 
with a rich custard, but I often bake in one 
loaf. Raisins may be added to the loaf if de¬ 
sired. 
Scalloped Oyster*. 
One quart of oysters to two quarts of rolled 
crackers; a good quantity of butter, and salt 
and pepper. Enough oyster juice to moisten 
them well. Bake until brown. l. e. k. t. 
Flat Jacks. (Griddle Cakes.) 
For rnauy years I tried in vain to get some 
“Flat Jacks” that would taste like my mother’s 
did some fifty years ago ; but never felt that 
I succeeded till a week ago. 
I thiuk the secret is this: I now put in the 
mixing milk about one third of good cream, 
and for a small dishful I add one egg. One 
should be careful uot to get too much flour in 
them, as that will impair tbe nice flavor. 
There is such a difference iu flour, that I would 
not dare to give, tbe measure for a certain 
measure of milk, as some flour does not swell 
as other varieties do. A cook must have some 
experience as well as common sense in order 
to make good cakes. The best of flour, too, 
makes tbe beet cakes—uot the finest by any 
means. Aunt Flora. 
-- 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
A subscriber wishes recipes for polishing a 
rosewood piano and walnut furniture. 
Ans. —To polish the piano: —Saturate a piece 
of chamois skin iu sweet oil aud apply faith¬ 
fully to every part. Then, with a dry skin 
rub well, renewing the pieces as they beeomu 
greased with the oil. It will require oue hour, 
or even longer, of constant rubbing to give it 
the gloss desired. 
Polish for Walnut Furniture:— Take three 
partB of linseed oil to one part of spirits of tur¬ 
pentine. Put ou with a woolen cloth and when 
dry, rub with wooleu. The polish not ouly 
covers the disfigured surface, but restores the 
wood to it6 original color aud leaves a lustre 
upon the surface. 
Dement for Lamps. 
Mrs. M. L. wishes a recipe for a cement for 
kerosene lamps. 
Ans— Throe parts resin, one of caustic soda 
and five of water. Mix this composition with 
half its weight of plaster-of-Paris. It will set 
firmly in about three-quarters of au hour, 
The cement commonly used is simply plaster- 
of-Paris, which is porous and quickly pene¬ 
trated by the kerosene. The above mixture is 
said not to have this defect. 
BRIEFLETS. 
The Western Rural thinks that a pair of rapid 
walkers (horses) will pay the farmer far better 
than a pair of fast trotters, so far as his own 
work goes. . The farmer will find more 
profit in breeding carriage horses than he will 
in breeding trotters. . . It will uot pay once 
in a hundred times to breed trotters. . . “It 
is significant of much," says the London Ga¬ 
zette, "that the two greatest novelties in dairy¬ 
ing—the deep-setting of milk and the patent 
separation of cream by machinery—should be 
foreign and not English discoveries." . . 
Why do we not hear more of the Beurrd Coit 
Pear? . . Give us, foremost, agriculture 
and horticulture; then we will talk of politics 
and all lesser topics, if we have time. . . 
Our “Monitor" churn was thought well of at 
Islington. . . Prof. Caldwelf states, in the 
N. Y. Tribune, that parsnips appear to rank 
first in value for horses. Iu some parts of 
France this root is substituted for oats. 40 
pounds being given in a daily ration. Tbe 
horses maintain a good condition and tbe 
parsnips cost only a fourth as much as oats. 
. . Middlemen —Prof. Sheldon calls them 
vampires betwe,en producer and consumer. . . 
As seen on the grounds of Mr. Cobleigh (Ge¬ 
neva, N. Y.), Mr. Thomas Meehan would put 
the Brighton at the head of table Grapes. . . 
Poor Abies Menziesii! We had grown to 
prize its steel-colored leaves and peculiar 
looks in connection with Menzies. Dr. Engle- 
mann says we must drop it. If Colorado 
Menziesii, then we must call it Picea pungens ; 
if Pacific Menziesii, then we must call it Picea 
Sichtensis. The worst of it all is that Abies 
are Piceas, and vice versa. How scientists do 
keep things in an uproar! . . Mr. Talbot 
says: “Graft a pleasant Apple upon a very 
sour apple tree, and the wood will be different 
from either stock or cion." . . Mr. Wood 
6ays: “Theplauof ennobling fruit trees pro¬ 
ceeds on the principle of grafting on superior 
stocks.” . . The Germantown Telegraph 
says that there is no bird we have among us 
that destroys more insects infesting farms aud 
gardens than the English sparrow. . . Not¬ 
withstanding all the modern improvements of 
husbandry, the matrimonial harvestis still gath¬ 
ered with the cradle and thrashed by hand—To¬ 
ronto Graphic. . . By tbe way, why should not a 
circus have a chaplain just as well as Congress ? 
Modern Argo. Or the Agricultural Fair ? . . 
A Dutchman makes use of electricity instead 
of tobacco smoke with his swarms of bees 
from which he wishes to take honey. The 
bees, choked by the electricity, revive in from 
ten minutes to eight hours. But none are 
killed. . . Fifty patent cow-milkers aud yet 
milking done by bund! . . The Cal. Farmer 
recommends one-stroy dwellings for the de¬ 
lightful climate of California. These will save 
a deal of time, trouble and streugth in run¬ 
ning up aud dowu stairs. “ Besides, one-slory 
dwellings don't shake rknon iu au earthquake as 
easily as the lofty ones." . , Marshall P. Wilder 
thinks the Beurre d’Anjou the best aud most 
profitable very late pear with which he is ac¬ 
quainted. . . According to the American 
Rural Home, Mr. Hayden, of Middlebury, N. Y. 
took from teu hives this season 1,100 pounds 
of box-honey. . . Many a politician who re¬ 
sembles a sturdy Oak iu his native town, when 
he is telling his constituents what policy he 
proposes to pursue, becomes a mere Willow 
when he reaches Washington aud mingles 
with our great American statesmen—Herald 
... It is oue of the hardest things to make 
these Brieflkts fresh and interesting. . . It 
is not feathers of a standard color we want 
from poultry, but eggs and tender, juicy meat. 
. . The best way of getting a milking sire is 
to go to any good herd and bespeak tbe bull 
calf of their best dairy cow—London Gazette. 
, . Every farmer who owns a “ sugar bush,” 
should uot neglect to tap his Maples the com¬ 
ing spring aud make sugar and molasses; it 
is thought that the supply is less than one- 
teuth of the demand. . . Be sure that your 
bees have a liberal supply of good sealed 
honey for winter. . . Leave no more combs in 
the hive than tbe bees can cover. . . With 
due protection a hive may wiater as well out¬ 
side as in-doors. . . Use honey wherever you 
eau iu place of sugar and sirup. . . Equal 
parts of borax aud salicylic add. dissolved in 
25 times their weight of distilled water, are a 
cure for foul brood. . . The price of fruit is 
rising, procure your winter supply at once. 
. . M. Waromin, a European mieroscopist, 
is reported to assert that club-foot in cabbages 
is caused by a fungus, which he calls Plas- 
modiophora brasic*. . . Wo overheard one 
of two traveling ageuts (who had just returned 
from a “drumming" trip) say to the other: 
•• The • boom’ extends all over the country. 
If you have anything to sell, you can sell it 
now.” . . The Country Gentleman says that the 
exportation of dried fruit will not improbably 
exceed in future all other departments of the 
trade. . . Soot has been used to prevent the 
depredations of wire-worms with success. . . 
E. L. 8. says, in Land and Home, that cooked 
food and care aie better than uncooked food 
and no care. He finds no evidence worthy of 
the name, that cooking increases the digesti- 
bilty of cattle food. - - Pres. Abbott, says 
the last-quoted journal, is trying to find the 
best man for Professor of Agriculture in place 
of Prof. Ingersoll who was recently captured 
by Purdue University, We think Pros. Abbott 
has fouud him, and we hope he will not let him 
escape. . Mayor Freas considers the Dana’s 
Hovey a superb fruit, possessing an aroma he 
has never found iu any other pear. . . The 
Housekeeper asks, “ What shall we do with 
our daughters ? . . Professor Bessey of the 
Agricultural College of Iowa, has met with 
success iu growing Lima beans without poles. 
He made them bush by the pinching pro¬ 
cess. . . There is nothing better than milk 
for fowls. . The Weeping Willow (Salix 
Babylonica) is probably a native of China or 
Japan. The trees upon which the captives of 
Israel hung their harps were probably Pop¬ 
lars of some kiud. , . Land aud Home truly 
says that it is a lamentable fact that too many 
rural homes, too many farmers’ houses lack 
many adornments, make the lcitcheu the 
center of all things, almost the only room 
for the wakiug hours, while their occupants 
uot merely work to live, but apparently live 
to work. 
Hfins of tbe (HotIt. . 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Mon dat, November 17, 1879. 
Speculation Is raging here beyond all recent 
precedent. The mlsrortune Is that when the reac¬ 
tion comes, as Come it must, it will not only affect 
these reckless gamblers, but will also fall upon 
the productive industries. For although the lat¬ 
ter are In noway engaged tn the madness when 
disaster follows, the money market will be every¬ 
where disturbed, and general credit be damaged. 
Prudent men will keep clear of the maelstrom 
which almost inevitably destroys the majority of 
those who ever enter Into Its wild current. The 
cry lor water goes up from many and various 
parts ol the country. In some farming regions 
cattle are driven long distances to drink, or water 
Is hauled Hi barrels lor all purposes Indoors 
and out. In many cities and villages active 
measures are being taken to relieve present want 
and guard against future drought. 
Four persons formerly United .States senators, 
ran for local offices in the West this fall. Ex-Sena- 
tora Jones and Dodge, democrats, were defeated 
In Iowa, in Minnesota ex-Unlted states Senator 
Wilkinson (rep.) was elected county attorney and 
ex-Unlted States senator Rice county treasurer, 
on Lhe Republican ticket. The Postmaster Gen- 
aral says lottery companies may expect no mercy, 
as It Is the settled policy ot the government to 
prosecute them to the extent of the law. The 
following Is the condition of cotton, wheat, to¬ 
bacco, uud corn, as issued by the Department of 
Agriculture on Saturday last, the l&th Inst.: 
Cotton .—There was a decided increase In the 
condition of cotton during the mouth of October. 
Unfavorable weather was reported In Georgia and 
Alabama; In all the other States It was ravorable. 
The returns ludlcate a yield per acre of no pounds 
lint, against 191 last year. This yield, estimating 
the area planted at 2 per cent, more than last year, 
would make a deffell in this year’s crop ot 290,000 
bales of 450 pounds each. All the South Atlantic 
States show some decline. Texas falls off 35 per 
cent. All the states bordering on the .Mississippi 
River show' decided gains. 
Wheat .—The returns of Nov. l to this depart¬ 
ment show an Increase In wheat of 2t», 000,000 bush¬ 
els over that of last year. This great Increase is 
the result ot the very large yield In all the States 
bordering on the Ohio River and Missouri. The 
North-western States show little variation from 
last year. Kansas and California both decline In 
yield. Texas, of all the southern states. Is the 
only one that falls off In yield this year. 
Tobacco. —The Indicated produce for the entire 
country is 98 per cent, of that of ls78. The gala 
has been greatest In Tennessee, Connecticut, and 
New-York, the loss greatest In Ohio, Missouri, 
and West Virginia, with a material decrease also, In 
Maryland, Illinois, aud Indiana. In general, the 
quality Is better than that of the previous crop, 
though damage to some extent from *• house-burn” 
is reported from Kentucky and Virginia, and 
from frost in Ohio. 
Corn.—According to the returns of Nov. l the 
corn crop promises an Increase of over 200 , 000,000 
bushels, or nearly 15 per cent over last year. The 
Atlantic aud Gulf coast states notes some de¬ 
crease, but the other portions of the Union have 
greatly Increased their yields. The .Southern in¬ 
land States increased neurly 30 per cent, and the 
other parts ot the Mississippi Valley uearly 20 . 
The Puelffe States report about the same yield 
as last year. 
The New York grain trade board has decided not 
to carry Into effect the cental system of measuring 
grain. With the advent of good times, prices of 
goods are going up. A table covering the prices of 
all the staples January 1 , 1379 , and October 18, 
published by the New York Commercial Bulletin, 
shows an average increase of 28 percent. Tex¬ 
tiles are omitted from the list, as the. fluctuations 
have been small during the last nine months, or 
for a longer period. Durlug the year ending No¬ 
vember l, the national bank circulation Increased 
{15,000,000, one-half of which was In the last two 
mouths. The increased demand was almost en¬ 
tirely from the East. From January 1, 1874, to 
January l, i«78, the bank circulation decreased 
$ 50 , 000 , 000 , then It was stationary for awhile, now 
it la rising again on account of the demand for 
tnouey. 
New Orleans Is considering a thorough system of 
sewerage, whlcti will cost, according to the plans, 
