1847, 
THE CULTIVATOR. 247 
DOMESTIC 
Glass Milk Pans.—A lady of my acquaintance 
will insist that more cream will come on milk in a glass 
than in an earthen basin, before the milk sours; and 
that milk put in a glass vessel becomes very thin and 
poor. Every effect must have its cause; but I can ac¬ 
count for this, if it is true, in no other way than this. 
Most bodies have a current of electricity passing 
through them—that glass is among the few. non-con¬ 
ductors of electricity, and therefore, the milk being 
separated from this general flow, is allowed longer to 
remain uninfluenced by galvanic action than if it were in 
a basin of electric conducting material. 
It is a well known fact that heavy thunder and light¬ 
ning tends to curdle milk very soon; wherefore I con- 
elude that this accounts for the lady’s wonderful dis¬ 
covery, if it is discovered. T. G. Livingston, La. 
[Glass milk pans have been considerably introduced 
in England, and are well liked. It is often said that 
they .preserve the milk unchanged for a longer time 
than other pans. We have never used them, and can¬ 
not, therefore, say whether this is so. It is generally 
admitted that milk sours rapidly during thunder show¬ 
ers; but whether this effect is owing to the agitation 
of the milk, or to electrical currents, we will not at¬ 
tempt to decide.— Eds.] 
Premium Offered. —Bread has been called the 
staff of life ; and upon the quality of it depends the 
health of a great portion of the people of this country. 
The importance of having bread made in the best 
manner, seems not to be considered sufficiently, either 
as regards the palate, stomach, or purse. The waste 
in this country consequent upon improperly made 
bread, has been estimated by an intelligent, observing 
foreigner, to equal one-seventh of the whole consump¬ 
tion of wheat flour in it; and however much he may 
have over-estimated, there has been, and probably is, 
an abundance of half mixed, clammy, heavy, or sour 
bread, to be found in travelling through the land. 
With all the cleanness that may be used, still the 
kneading of a batch of bread with the fists is unques¬ 
tionably hard work; and unhappily for the bread-eater, 
cleanliness and industry are not always manifested in 
the persons employed to prepare his principal food. 
Why cannot labor-saving machinery be used for 
bread making as well as for churning, working butter, 
and washing, and be adapted, also, to the use of ordi¬ 
nary families ? 
I propose that a premium of $50 be offered for an 
effective machine for kneading and mixing dough, that 
shall be simple in its construction, easily cleaned, to 
occupy a small space, durable, and not to exceed 
$5.00 in cost, for one to work 5 lbs. of flour at a 
time; and I hand over $10.00 towards making the 
above sum, or any other sum that those like minded 
may see fit to extend it to. To such as take pleasure 
in lightening the necessary burdens that rest upon fe¬ 
males, I would commend a consideration of the above 
proposition. 
The qualities of the machines that may be offered 
for such a premium I should be willing to have decided 
by three good housewives, working women , to be selec¬ 
ted by the editors of the Cultivator. R. W., Jr. 
To Preserve Tomatoes for Winter Use. —In 
your Feb. number, page 59, is an article in which the 
recommendation to stew tomatoes for use in the win¬ 
ter, by some unknown person, is called an “ untried 
ECONOMY. 
experiment,” and pronounced a humbug; the evidence 
furnished, being the want of success on the part of 
some careful housewife, who followed the directions 
in the recipe. Allow me to say, that on the 22d 
day of January, 1847, I had the satisfaction of par¬ 
taking, at the table of a friend, of a dish of to¬ 
matoes, stewed plain, put up by the lady of the 
house as an experiment, to test the practicability 
of thus preserving them, which were as fresh in flavor 
and appearance as on the day they were taken from 
the vines. They were put up late in the season, after 
the hottest weather was past,— thoroughly stewed, put 
into large mouthed glass bottles, such as are used for 
pickles, sealed tight when cold, and kept in a base¬ 
ment room. I suppose the success was the result of 
the thorough cooking. They should be stewed until 
the watery parts are evaporated, and the pulp changed 
to a crimson color. Great care is necessary to pre¬ 
vent its burning. L. Milton, Middlesex Co.,N. J. ^ 
Coffee. —Nothing could be more appropriate than 
your description of the mode of preparing coffee in the 
June number of the Cultivator. From much experi¬ 
ence in drinking, if not preparing coffee,over a large 
proportion of our country, I feel safe in saying that in 
nine cases out of ten, it is really unfit to drink, and 
possesses little or none of the qualities of good coffee. 
The truth is, the burning is taken in its literal sense, 
and the coffee is literally burned, not browned , as it 
should be. Prepared in the proper way, and used 
with a sufficiency of milk and sugar, it is both a deli¬ 
cious and nutritious beverage. Many of the evil ef¬ 
fects of coffee arise from the over browning or burn¬ 
ing, giving the decoction that harsh bitter taste, which, 
although almost universal, is not its proper taste. 
Another evil attending coffee making, is, that it is 
not kept perfectly hot till the time of drinking, and cold 
coffee, whatever be its origin, is a most expressive 
phrase. For a family, nothing equals the neatness 
and perfection of a small heater, with a spirit lamp. 
This, may appear to farmers and mechanics an extra¬ 
vagance, as it did to myself, till tried. But after 
teaching your family how to make good coffee, provide 
a spirit lamp and screen of the dimensions of your 
coffee pot. As soon as this is extinguished, cover the 
wick with a tin tube, and the cost of alcohol need not 
exceed three cents per week, and this is not paying too 
dear for a good cup of coffee. 
In a country like our own, where all the substan¬ 
tial of eating and drinking are produced in greater 
abundance and perfection than in any other country in 
the world, we do not find, except as rare instances, in 
private families, hotels, or eating houses, the simple 
yet delicious beverage, good coffee. I have often 
thought that a cup of good coffee would beguile many 
a hungry and fatigued artisan and farmer, as well as 
other men, from the whiskey punch and brandy sling, 
were it as prominently put before them as the decan¬ 
ters in the bar room. H. 
Preserving Cabbages. —There are several good 
ways of keeping cabbages during winter by burying 
them out of doors. The difficulty is, it is hard to get 
at them during winter, without damage to those left. 
The following plan appears to avoid this difficulty:—■ 
Cut the head from the stump, and pack closely in a 
cask, taking care to fill up all the vacancies with chaff 
or bran, and keep in a dry cellar. 
