beef (luring periods of the year when fresh beef does 
not keep well, and also offers a method of preserving 
part of the meat until it is needed, and thus saving 
a waste or loss of meat, since it is impossible for one 
family to use an entire beef carcass in the fresh 
state. Dried beef commands a high price on the mar¬ 
ket. It also offers a method of preserving meat for 
future use. Jex’ked beef is made in the drier regions 
of the West. The climate in New York State is not 
dry enough nor warm enough to cure it successfully, 
and it is not so palatable as dried beef. 
COKNED BEEF.—Since corned beef Is used for 
liractically the same dishes as fresh beef, only 
wholesome, untainted meat should be used for this 
purpose. Naturally, the clmicer the meat that is put 
into the pickle the bettei* will be the meat that comes 
out. The cheaper cuts of beef are ordinaril}’ used 
for corning, because the choicer cuts are more pal¬ 
atable in a fresh condition. I’late, flank, .shoulder, 
chuck, cross ribs and rump are most comanonly used 
for corning. Frozen meat should not be put into the 
brine; neither should the brine be frozen while the 
meat is in it. AA’'eigh the meat. Cut 'it in pieces about 
six inches s(pmre. Place a layer of salt at the bot- 
ttom of the vessel in which the meat is to be packed, 
cover this with a layer of meat, and sprinkle a layer 
of salt over the meat. Add alternate lajmrs of meat 
and of salt until the meat is packed. Seven to nine 
pounds of salt will usually be enough for 100 pounds 
of meat.’ Allow the meat to stand in the salt over 
night. On the following morning make a brine, using 
five pounds of sugar, ounces of baking soda, and 
three ounces of saltpeter for every 100 pounds of 
meat. Dissolve these ingredients in four gallons of 
boiling water. Allow the lu’ine to cool thox’oughly 
before pouring it over the meat. If more or less 
than 100 pounds of meat is to be cured, use these 
proportions for the brine. If four gallons of brine 
does not entirely cover 100 pounds of meat, water 
may be added. The meat should be weighted down 
with a block or a clean stone. Since any part that is 
not covered with the brine will decompose very 
(piickly. If the brine shows signs of fermentation 
in warm weather, it should be drawn off, boiled, 
strained tlu’ough a clean cloth, and, after it is thor¬ 
oughly cooled, poured back on the meat. The meat 
should be kept in a cool, dark place. At the end of 
30 days the meat will be ready for use. If the pieces 
ai-e larger than six inches s(iuare, a longer time may 
b(> allowed according to the Size of the pieces. 
PBESSED CDRNED BEEF.—After the corned 
beef, prepared as described, has been in the pickle 
ff)r the re<iuired length of time, it may be taken out 
and, after the brine is washed off, may be used in 
the same way as fresh beef. If desired, it may be 
made into pressed corned beef. This is prepared as 
follows: Remove the beef from the pickling solu¬ 
tion, wash it with warm water, and place it in a 
kettle. Keep it barely covered with water at all 
times, and boil it for two hours. Salt and pepper 
may be added while the meat is cooking, but usually 
there is enough salt in the meat from the brine. 
Take the moat from the kettle and pack it in pans 
o) in a cold meat press. Strain the broth through 
cheesecloth or'muslin several times, replace it on the 
stove, boil it down to one-half its original volume, 
pour it over the meat in the pans, and allow the 
whole to harden in a cool place. After the meat has 
hardened it may be sliced and eaten without further 
preparation. 
DRIPID BEEF.—Dried beef is u.sually made from 
the round, although any heavily muscled part may 
be used for this purpose. The inside of the round 
makes the tenderest meat. In cutting meat for 
dried beef, the muscles should be separated into 
their naturai divisions. When cured and smoked in 
this way they can be sliced across the grain, and the 
meat is much tenderer than wouid otherwise be the 
case. A jar or a barrel is the best receptacle in 
which to pack the meat when curing it. To each 100 
I)ounds of weli-cooled beef weigh out six pounds of 
tine salt, three pounds of granulated or brown sugar, 
and two ounces of saltpeter. Mix these thoroughly, 
without wetting, and divide the mixture into three 
portions. Set -two portions away for future use, and 
rub the other portion into the meat. Pack the meat 
in the jar and leave it for three days. At the end 
of the three days take the meat from the jar, but 
leave in the jar the syrup that has formed. Rub the 
meat with another portion of the mixture, repack it, 
and leave it for three days. Remove it fi’om the 
syrup, rub it with the last portion of the mixture, 
and repack it in the syrup in the jar. After three 
days remove the meat and hamg it in the smoke¬ 
house, where it should be smoked until it is dry. It 
should then be kept in a dry place until it is used. 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
The longer it is smoked and the drier it is kept, the 
longer it will remain good. 
RETAIL SAT-ES.—Where the beef is to be sold in 
smail portions the following prices would be fair for 
most parts of New York, with suitable reduction 
made for the poorer carcasses: 
Per lb. 
Porterhouse steak . 4()c 
Sirloin steak . 3,Sc 
Round steak. ;Mc 
riniek steak. 37c 
Prime rib roast. 40c 
Chuck rib roast. 3.5c 
Rumi) roast.». 3.5e 
Diamond roast. 35c 
Cross rib roast. 3()c 
A Big Ear of Coitnecticut Popcorn. Natural tSize 
Fig. (i-'iO 
Shoulder roast. 2Sc 
Beef soup bone. 20c 
Regular hamburg. 25e 
Ox tails. 15c 
Short ribs. 30c 
Plate beef. 20c 
Beef hearts. 25c 
Beef tongues. 27c 
Big Popcorn Ears 
I AM sending you a picture taken of myself and 
son cutting our popcorn. You will note how 
high it stands above our hea<l.s. our height being 5 ft. 
10 in. I also send you jwo (virs of corn, showing 
you -ihe: size of ears obtained from this corn. If you 
will notice carefully you will .see lu'ar onr feet our 
little dog Iai)po; she is now six years old and is a 
favorite with the family. Thi-ee years ago she killcal 
13 woodchuck.s. She got hold of one larger than 
1375 
herself, and if I had not appeared the woodchuck 
would have been too much for her. This field of 
popcorn was planted early in .Tune. The corn was 
not hoed by hand, and was only cultivated three 
times. The corn was grown on fertilizer which was 
placed in the hills before planting. 
I hope if you consider it a good crop and have 
room it may appear in The R. N.-Y”., so that the 
people of other States and localities may .see the 
kind of crops that may be obtained in Northern 
Connecticut. a. vail smith. 
R. N.-Y.—The photograph was too dim to make a 
clear picture, but we had one ear of the corn pho¬ 
tographed, and it is shown, exact size, at Fig. (!50. 
AVe have not seen larger ears of popcorn, and the 
quality seems to be good. 
Artificial Light in Jersey Henhouse 
V ERY much interest in artificial lighting of hen- 
liou.ses has been shown in our State during the 
past two months, and for this reason I have decided 
to conduct some very careful demonstrations along 
this line. I have .selected 10 of our prominent poul- 
tryraen located in various sections of the State, who 
are using artificial lights on laying flocks. They 
will conduct this beginning .Tanuary, on breeding 
flocks also. These records Avill be carefull 3 ' tabulated 
and other pertinent remarks will be i*ecorded. This 
should give us a pretty substantial report when com- 
I'.leted. The condition of the birds, the ultimate 
year’s egg production, the average price of eggs, the 
condition of chicks hatched from this pen, or pens, 
rather, and all those things Avill be noted. 
My experience with artificial lights to date has been 
seniewliat limited. Although I have seen houses here 
and there where these Avere being used, and where 
seemingly the birds were in ordinarilj- fair condi¬ 
tion, I have always had a prejudice against such a 
.system, but in the last two smars, so many reports are 
coming to us from the northern poultrynien who are 
quite reliable, that it seemed to me to bear investiga¬ 
tion. The object of this practice, of course, is 
to allow the birds the longer day in which to con¬ 
sume larger amounts of feed during the shorter 
Winter days, which are especially harmful In the 
Northern States and New England. It has been m.v 
experience that our heavy-producing flocks went hun¬ 
gry for an hour or two in the morning before day¬ 
light during these short days, which I believe is det¬ 
rimental to the best production. A^ei*y often we find 
the.se flocks up and in search of feed in the morning 
before there is suflicient light for them to do any¬ 
thing at all. VICTOR O. AUBREY. 
New .Tersey Experiment Station. 
Questions of a Share Farmer 
I am working a farm on shares, and I have had some 
words with the man who owns the place about Sunday 
work, lie claim.s that if hay or grain is ready to draw 
in on a Sunday and I do not do it he can, and charge 
me for the work. How much can he do. and Avhat 
would be my best course if he tries this? My contract 
states that I should keep four good work horses, and I 
have only three, as I lost one the day before I moved 
here. What can he do about that? Would he have 
any ca.se if I bought one now? J. n. M. 
New York. 
VLESS your contract specifically provides that 
if you fail to do your work in a proper manner 
he may come on the land and do it, he has no busi¬ 
ness whatever on the property. Until he legally' dis- 
posses.ses you he has no right to bother you in the 
conduct of the property. Getting in hay or grain 
on Sunday is not generally considered in these parts 
as such a necessary part of good husbandry that the 
failure of a tenant to do it would give the landlord 
the right to come on the land and get them in him¬ 
self. lie could ju.st as rightly claim that you were 
cutting the grass and grain too soon or too late, and 
that he should take a hand. If you have not lived 
up to your part of the contract he has a claim for 
damages or for dispossession. He has no more right 
to say you shall work on Sunday than to prescribe 
the number of hours you shall work each day. 
About the work horses, you should keep four as 
provided for in the contract. If he can sliow tliat 
he has been damaged by your not having four horses 
he could probably collect the damages from you. By 
getting one now you would be lessening the damage 
and would also show your good faith. If he tries 
to come on the land tell him you have riglitful pos¬ 
session, that he has no business there, and order 
him off. If he persists in working, tell him you will 
consider it gratuitous help and a gift. 
There should be no meeting of farmers this Winter 
without some sort of a discussioa of the needs of country 
people when peace iti declared. 
