THE CULTIVATOR. 
31 
■earthy elements of a soil—they render it more retentive of mois¬ 
ture and manures, and improve a light or sandy soil for most of the 
valuable crops in husbandry. 
GATE FASTENING. 
Fig- 7, 
B. Mather, Esq, 
•of Schaghticoke, 
has described to us 
a gate fastening, in 
■extensive use in 
his neighborhood, 
which for simplici¬ 
ty and cheapness, 
and convenience, 
we have not seen 
surpassed. We will 
try to make our 
readers acquainted 
with it, by the aid 
of the annexed cut. 
The gate is con¬ 
structed like the 
one figured in our 
last volume, with 
its principal weight 
towards the heel, a strong bar on the top, and so hung that it shuts 
readily by the force of gravity. The latch is a piece of hard wood, 
about 2 ft. long, 2^ inches broad, and thick, or it may be made 
of iron. It is suspended by a small chain attached to the upper 
bar, as shown at (b,) so that when it strikes the bevel of the 
catch, on shutting the gate, it falls back, fastens, and when at 
rest, passes to the opposite side of the catch, behind the shoulder. 
It is so adjusted as to allow of little or no play, except lengthwise. 
Tire catch, (a,) may be also made of a piece of hard wood or of 
iron, and driven into an augur hole in the post. It is like a com¬ 
mon door catch, except that the bevel is towards the gate, and not 
above. It has a substantial shoulder, which serves to hold the 
latch when it passes behind the bevel. This fastening may be 
made by any farmer, and the chain may be made of stout°wire. It 
has the advantage of always becoming fastened whenever the gate 
is shut. The latch in the cut should have been four inches lower, 
near the upper s'at. 
AMBLER’S 
MOWING MACHINE. 
Fig. 8. 
Annexed we give the 
drawing of a mowing 
machine, which has 
been recommended to 
our notice, but which 
we have not seen in 
operation. The grass 
is cut by a scythe ex¬ 
tending along above 
the teeth or comb, 
feet long, which has an 
alternate movement to 
the right and left when 
the machine is in mo¬ 
tion. It cuts a swath 5 ft. wide, and about an inch and a half above 
the surface of the ground. The grass is left upright where it grew, 
which facilitates its drying, and saves the labor of spreading; and it 
is said the machine can be used upon all surfaces where the revolv- 
mg horse rake can be used. It is furnished with three spare scythes, 
which may be shifted at pleasure in two minutes. About 100 acres 
of grass were cut with the model machine last season, in Columbia 
county, and at the rate, it is stated, of an acre in two hours. The 
machine is drawn by two horses, which travel on the mown grass. 
The price is from $60 to $70. Any further information may be 
had by addressing Mess. Beale Et Griswold, Spencertovvn, Colum¬ 
bia county, who are the proprietors of the patent right in the conn 
ties east outlie Hudson, including Long Island, and in Massachu¬ 
setts and Connecticut. Gentlemen in whose opinions we repose 
confidence, assure us, that the machine is a valuable acquisition to 
our husbandry. 
Let nothing foul or indecent, either to the eye or the ear, enter 
those doors where youth inhabits.— Juv. 
THE HOUSEWIFE. 
A good housewife is one of the first blessings in the economy of 
life. What we mean by good is, that she possesses those qualifi¬ 
cations, and exercises them, which are essential to the good order 
and economy of a family, the tidy appearance, good manners and 
respectability of the children, and the comfort andenjoyment of the 
domestic circle. She should understand, practically, every branch 
of household duty, so as to be able to perform it on an emergency 
—and these emergencies are liable to occur to all—and at all times 
be able to superintend and direct. Depend upon it, men put a 
great value upon the housewife qualifications of their partners, 
after marriage, however little they may weigh with them before $ 
and there is nothing which tends more to mar the felicities of mar¬ 
ried life, than a recklessness or want of knowledge, in the new 
housekeeper, of the duties which belong to her station. We ad¬ 
mire beauty, and order, and system, in every thing, and we admire 
good fare. If these are found in their dwellings, and are seasoned 
with good nature and good sense, men will seek for their chief en¬ 
joyments at home,—they will love their home and their partners, 
and strive to reciprocate the kind offices of duty and affection.— 
Mothers that study the welfare of their daughters, will not fail to 
instruct them in the qualifications of married life; and daughters 
that appreciate the value of these qualifications, will not fail to ac¬ 
quire them. To aid them in doing this, we shall occasionally make 
some extracts that we deem in point, and perhaps proffer some 
hints of our own, particularly in the art and mystery of cooking; 
not that we would encourage epicurism, but that we think there 
is great room for improvement, both as regards comfort and econo¬ 
my, in the fashion or practice of the day. “A fundamental error 
in domestic life, of very serious extent,” says the authority which 
we are about to quote, “involving no less the comfort than the 
health of the family, arises from the ignorance, or mistaken no¬ 
tions, of the mistress of the house upon the subjects of diet and 
cookery.” We begin with the following extracts. 
“Boiling. —Put your meat into cold water, in the proportion of 
about a quart of water to a pound of meat: It should be covered 
with water during the whole process of boiling, but not drowned 
in it; the less water, provided the meat be covered with it, the 
more savory will be the meat, and the better will be the broth. 
“ When the pot is coming to a boil, there will always, from the 
cleanest meat and clearest water, rise a scum to the top of it, pro¬ 
ceeding partly from the water; this must be carefully taken off as 
soon as it rises. When you have skimmed well, put in some cold 
water, when it will throw up the rest of the scum. 
“The water should be heated gradually, according to the thick¬ 
ness, Etc. of the article boiled. For instance, a leg of mutton of 
ten pounds weight, should be placed over a moderate fire, which 
will gradually make the water hot, without causing it to boil, for 
about 40 minutes; if the water boils much sooner, the meat will 
be hardened, and shrink up as if it was scorched: by keeping the 
water a certain time heating, without boiling, the fibres of the meat 
are dilated, and it yields a quantity of scum, which must be taken 
off as soon as it rises. Water never becomes any hotter than boil¬ 
ing heat, 212°, though it boil ever so hard, if the steam or vapor 
can escape. 
“ Two mutton chops were covered with cold water; one boiled 
a gallop, while the other simmered very gently for three quarters 
of an hour: the chop which was slowly simmered was decidedly 
superior to that which was boiled; it was much tenderer, more 
juicy, and much higher flavored. The liquor which boiled fast was 
in like proportion more savory, and when cold had much more fat 
on its surface. This explains why quick boiling renders meat 
hard, Etc., because its juices are extracted in a greater degree. 
“ The old rule of 15 minutes to a pound of meat, from the time 
boiling commences, we think rather too little: the slower it boils, 
the tenderer, the plumper, and whiter it will be. 
[These rules apply particularly to dried codfish. To have this 
well cooked, the water should not be suffered to boil, but merely 
to simmer .] 
“ Let the covers of your boiling-pots fit close, not only to pre¬ 
vent unnecessary evaporation of the water, but to prevent the es¬ 
cape of the nutritive matter, which must then remain either in the 
meat or broth; and the smoke is prevented from insinuating itself 
under the edge of the lid, and so giving the meat a bad taste. 
