May 9.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
87 
homing farmers to procure milk ou the cheapest terms. 
New milk is always dear, and is by no means necessary— 
good , unadulterated skimmed-milk from a farm is quite 
sufficient for general purposes, and for the means of 
those who are struggling for life. Let this always ho 
home in mind—it is a great assistance to us in domestic 
economy. 
Milk, thickened with Hour, and carefully boiled, is ex¬ 
cellent either hot or cold, in which latter case it becomes 
ajelly; and if flavoured with bay-leaf, and sweetened with 
lump-sugar, it is almost as delicate as blancmange. The 
proportions are live tablespoonsful of flour to a quart of 
milk. The flour and milk must be mixed together in a 
basin, until as smooth as cream, and then poured into 
a delicately clean saucepan. It must be stirred one 
way, without ceasing, until it boils; if left to itself an 
instant, it either burns or becomes lumpy, and it should 
be as smooth as possible when properly done. It should 
be boiled until the underdone-smell of flour is quite 
gone, which will be easily understood by a little ex 
perience; the bay-leaves must be boiled in it, and taken 
out, of course, before it is served up. When done, it may 
be poured into a pie-disli, soup-plates, or small basins, if 
to be eaten hot; or into moulds to be turned out when 
cold ; and in either case it is excellent. Sugar or treacle 
may be eaten with it. 
This mode of preparing milk is so simple, that it may 
not have occurred to those who have enjoyed the 
luxuries of life; but even in that case I have known it 
eaten for breakfast, by a gentleman, who preferred it to 
any other delicacy for his morning meal. More or less 
flour maybe used according to fancy, but the proportion 
given is the medium. 
Rice is a very useful article in a family. There is a 
cheap and excellent kind sold as “ broken rice,” at 2d 
and 2Idper pound, which is quite as good as the whole 
rice sold at 3d and Id. It is white and. delicate, but it is 
sold cheap because it has been broken in the carriage, 
and is therefore sifted from the perfect rice, and sold by 
itself. It makes puddings, rice-milk, &c., and thickens 
soups as well as the unbroken grains would do. 
Carolina rice is large, and white and fine, and swells 
quickly ; but it is much dearer than the East India, or 
Ratna rice, as it is sometimes called, and does not boil 
so light and dry when required for curry, and to eat with ! 
fruit or preserves. 
Then there is another and still cheaper kind, but it is 
unblanched, and therefore not so delicate to the eye, 
although quite as good to the taste. This rice is sold at 
Id. and ljd per pound, and if bought in large quantities 
it becomes even cheaper; for home consumption the 
colour is of little consequence. This rice requires a 
great deal more care in washing and picking than the 
finer sorts ; but its only difference consists in retaining 
the skin, which is very much like that of tiro almond, 
before it is blanched. It is a most valuable food for the 
poor, and has been largely distributed among them since 
the failure of potatoes; but very frequently the poor are 
strongly prejudiced against that to which they have not 
been accustomed; and l know, in some instances, that 
they have received without much gratitude some pounds 
of brown rice, instead of the usual gift of potatoes. 
Others again, thankfully acknowledge its value; and say 
that a dish of plain boiled rice, with a little salt, and 
perhaps an onion, is a most comfortable meal, and a great 
help in their families; and not only “ saves the bread,” 
but satisfies the children sooner, and nourishes them too. 
East India rice does not swell so readily as the Carolina, 
and should be laid to soak in water as long as possible 
before it is dressed, when required for halted puddings ; 
a day and a night will not be too long, but it is not 
always possible to give it so much time. 
Rice should be purchased in large quantities when it 
is used freely in a family. By the cwt. or k cwt. it will 
be laid-in much cheaper than when a few pounds only 
are bought at a time. 
Rice-milk is an excellent food for children; so is rice¬ 
pudding, both baked and boiled, with which treacle may 
be used instead of sugar. The three fine healthy children 
of a near relative of my own, were brought up entirely 
upon milk and rice, sago, &c., until they were four or 
five years’ old. They never cared for meat, it is true; 
and children in general would probably prefer a more 
simple diet, if they were not, from their earliest years, 
accustomed to animal food. But in the instance to which 
I now allude, where means were small, and principle 
was strong, the boys were brought up in the simplest 
way ; and their healthy appearance and milk-white teeth ! 
were the admiration of all who saw them, and bore I 
ample testimony to the nutritious quality of their sweet j 
and wholesome food. 
Oatmeal is of too heating a nature for general use. It 
frequently produces eruptions and irritation of the skin; 
and I have known such effects arise from its use in gruel, 
if taken daily for a very short period. It is best even in 
gruel to employ flour ; and this is a very good substitute 
for thick milk, if the stomach will not bear the latter, 
although of course not quite so agreeable to the palate. 
The occasional use of oatmeal cannot be objected to, 
but taken frequently, it often disagrees. Elour is so 
simple and wholesome, and so cheap, that we can scarcely 
substitute a better or more reasonable article for it; 
and when there is any possibility of injury arising to 
the health—that most important earthly blessing—we 
had better not attempt to try any experiments. I will, 
however, subjoin the method of making oatmeal por¬ 
ridge, used by the poorer classes of the Scotch and Irish, 
because it may be relished as an occasional meal. Oat¬ 
meal must be stirred into boiling water with a stick, a 
little salt added to it; and it must then boil on the fire 
for about ten minutes, being stirred all the time. If 
sufficiently done it will become like thick pudding, and 
should be eaten with milk. A little practice will dis¬ 
cover the proportions, as I find receipts lamentably 
deficient in quantities; but an experienced pierson will 
judge very accurately on these points. 
THE DOMESTIC riGEON. 
In the endeavour to obtain for our readers trustworthy in¬ 
formation relative to the varieties and management of 
domestic pigeons, we have found that those who possessed 
the requisite information were either unwilling or too idle 
to make it public. In this dilemma we referred to works 
which have been published in this country, and without a 
single exception, not one is in any of its departments satis¬ 
factory. In foreign literature we find works relative to the 
pigeon much superior, and from among these we have 
selected one which is the joint production of a practical 
manager of pigeons and of a naturalist, not unknown to 
fame. This work contains not only the history, descriptions, 
and drawings of each variety, but also enters fully into the 
particulars of their management, diseases, and other details 
most useful and most interesting to the pigeon fancier. It 
is entitled, “ Pigeons of the Dove-cot, or the Natural History 
and Description of Domestic Pigeons ; with the mode of 
establishing Dove-cots, of rearing and mauaging Pigeons.” 
By M. M. Boitard and Corbie. The first of these gentlemen 
was for many years manager of the dove-cots aud poultry 
establishments of the Duchess de Berry. We now commence 
a translation of this work. 
GENERAL HISTORY OF riGEONS. 
The pigeons combined with the turtle-doves form a nume¬ 
rous tribe of species in the systematic arrangement of birds, 
bewildering to naturalists. Thus, Linnseus classed them with 
the sparrows (passercs); Brisson, Pennant, Temminck, and 
Latham, formed them into a distinct order; whilst Cuvier and 
others have united them with the domestic fowl, making 
them a division of the Gallinaceous birds. Macgillivray 
has made them the single family in a separate order, that of 
Gcmitorcs, or Cooers. 
