90 
March, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
DOMESTIC ECONOMY. 
CHURNING BUTTER. 
Eds. Cultivator. —I have seen and read tl Mary’s ” 
complaints about not getting her “ butter to come,” 
with much interest; and although I may not be able to 
point out the cause of failure in her case, I believe she 
may obviate it in future, by a different management, 
both in feeding “ Brindle ” and taking care of her cream. 
I have been equally unfortunate with Mary—having 
failed “ five successive times ” in getting the butter, 
and gave it up in despair; but not until the patience of 
every one was tired out with churning. Until with¬ 
in the last three winters, I generally had much trouble 
in churning, and when the butter did come, it was al¬ 
most colorless, bitter, and anything but in proper order 
for printing. 
Since then, my husband has entirely changed his plan 
of feeding—from hay to corn fodder,—[which I am in¬ 
formed is cut and ground up by machinery, stalks and 
all, at the rate of fifteen hundred to two thousand 
bushels a day,] fed dry in the troughs, [after the cows 
eat their meal—corn and oats ground together,] at the 
rate of 1 to li bushels, pressed measure, for each cow 
at a feed.* Since adopting this plan, and while so fed, 
I have no difficulty in churning; the butter is of the best 
quality, and a fine rich color; indeed, the difference is 
so plain from a change in the feed, that I am not satis¬ 
fied after the grass is gone, until I hear that a good 
stock of fodder is prepared—the winter season being my 
harvest for selling butter—selling then at nearly double 
price, if a nice article. 
I keep the cream in a warm pantry, (adjoining the 
chimney, where a constant fire is kept,) in which the 
temperature is nearly equal to summer heat; and think 
it much better than setting it near the fire; where it is 
almost certain to get too warm; and then insipid, white 
butter is the consequence. I hope Mary may succeed bet¬ 
ter in future; and am satisfied she will, if the above 
plan is adopted and persevered in. 
Yours respectfully, Ann. 
Timely Hint—Soot in Chimneys. —Towards the 
latter part of winter, it often happens that the soot 
in chimneys has become much accumulated, and large 
fires built in windy weather caused it to take fire and 
burn with violence, throwing out from the top of 
the chimney large masses of flame and smoke, and 
many sparks and burning flakes of cinders fall on 
the roof. If the shingles are dry, the danger is iminent, 
and many house-burnings doubtless originate in this way, 
more especially if this happens to take place in the 
night. To remove the difficulty and danger, burn out 
the soot in calm wet weather, by setting fire to straw 
properly placed in the chimney for this purpose. 
Correction. —Under the head of u Domestic Eco¬ 
nomy,” in our January number, is a recipe for making 
u Soap for washing White Clothes,” in which, by mis¬ 
take, [of the printer, of course,] 11 one ounce ” of sal- 
soda is given, instead of one pound. 
* I think the cows would give more milk if the meal and fodder 
were mixed together and moistened; but the men say this takes too 
much time; and if mixed without moistening, the fodder is thrown 
out by the cows, to find the meal. I use the old fashioned barrel 
churn ; but my “ old man” has promised me one of Kendall’s, which 
he says is the best constructed churn he has ever seen; not any 
more objectionable in the point alluded to by Mary, if proper care 
is taken to clean it after use so as to prevent the iron parts from 
rusting, 
Russian mode of using Buckwheat. —The seed is 
first pressed through a mill, by which process the ker¬ 
nel is freed from the hull, and each seed is divided into 
two or three parts. The ordinary mode of cooking it 
is as follows :—A common earthern pot or pipkin, gen¬ 
erally unglazed, of a size corresponding to the number 
of persons intended to partake of its contents, is filled 
about two-thirds full with the grain, and the remaining 
third nearly filled with fresh water; the pot or pipkin is 
then placed in an oven sufficiently heated to make the 
water boil slowly, and to keep it boiling till the whole 
of the water has disappeared and the grain begins to 
dry, when the heat of the oven may be diminished; the 
contents thus bocome gradually sodden; it swells and 
commonly projects over the top of the pot, when it forms 
a thick dark-brown crust. When this appears to be 
dry and begins to crack, it is ready for use, and being 
covered with a plate or saucer, should be sent to the 
table in the pot, as it has been prepared. When u£ed, 
the crust should be first removed, and a piece of butter 
and a small quantity of salt added to the grain, and the 
brown crust broken up and mixed with the pottage be¬ 
low. Thus prepared, it forms a most agreeable, sub¬ 
stantial, and nutritious article of food. It is a favorite 
and daily dish with the peasantry and working classes of 
Russia, who would not exchange it for any other article 
of food.—[ Condensed from Dr. Keir’s communication in 
the London Farmer’s Magazine .] 
To boil Salt Meat Tender. —The Amer. Agri¬ 
culturist says, “ Put the meat over the fire in cold wa¬ 
ter, and never suffer it to boil faster than a gentle sim¬ 
mer, or it will be hard and tough.” Placing it in cold 
water and heating gradually is an excellent recommen- 
tion; but what is the object of boiling it so carefully 
with a gentle simmer? Water, if it boils at all, or if 
it boils as violently as fire can make it, is equally and 
at all times at 212 degrees, (under ordinary circum¬ 
stances,) and the meat must consequently cook precise¬ 
ly as fast in one case as in the other. 
Salsify or Vegetable Oyster. —We could never 
perceive much resemblance in the taste of this vegeta¬ 
ble to the real oyster; but we know a person who cooks 
it in such a manner that every one that tastes it, pro¬ 
nounces it delicious. The mode is as follows:—Salsify 
is scraped and washed; then cut into thin pieces across 
the roots, boiled, in just sufficient water to cover them, 
till they are very tender. When done, they should be 
dressed with vinegar, pepper and salt, and a little but¬ 
ter; or instead, a dressing of eggs and flour beaten to¬ 
gether and poured over them. 
To cook Parsnips. —Persons who have never eaten 
parsnips cooked according to the following mode, have 
no idea what an excellent dish they are:—Scrape the 
parsnips, wash and slice them lengthwise; boil in just 
water enough to cover them till thoroughly done. Then 
put in a piece of butter, with a little salt and pepper. 
Beat up an egg with a spoonful of flour, and pour over 
them; they are then ready to dish up. Parsnips are 
likewise very good, split once and roasted with pork in 
the dripping-pan. 
To Remove Dust from the Eye.— Immerse the 
affected eye in a vessel of clear cold water, and then 
rapidly open and shut it a few times, when the dust 
will be washed away. 
