LIBRARY Of CONGRESS. 
 
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 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
 
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 OHIO FARMER'S 
 
 HOME#GUIDE 
 
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 BOOK 
 
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 A complete manual of practical instruction in every 
 department of household economy, including the 
 kitchen, the laundry, the dining-room, the par- 
 lor, the sleeping rooms, fancy work, home 
 decoration, parental duty, etc., etc. 
 
 1 
 
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 (K 
 
 FEB 27 I88i j X 
 
 THE OHIO FARMER 
 
 Cleveland, - Ohio. 
 
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A* 
 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1888, 
 
 By M. J. LAWRENCE & BRO. 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 This book is a compilation of the best practical 
 articles, receipts, hints and suggestions that have 
 appeared in the Household Department of The 
 Ohio Farmer during the past few years, with the 
 addition of new matter from other sources, to 
 make the book the complete home manual desired. 
 The selections were made and the articles rewritten 
 and arranged by Mrs. Eva A. Season, a lady 
 thoroughly competent for the task. The book 
 is sent forth with the hope that it may be of 
 genuine assistance to the wives and mothers of 
 America in their arduous and responsible duties. 
 
home: 
 
 This word has a comparatively narrow signification in 
 this country; generally it is used to denote a "dwelling 
 place." The English attach a far deeper meaning to it. 
 To them it means "the place where the heart is/' the one 
 place on earth where, above all others, the affections are 
 centered — father, mother, brother, sister, are all concentra- 
 ted in that one word. To make our dwelling place a home 
 it must be made attractive; it need not be fashionable; it 
 must be neat. Do not shut out the sunshine; it may fade 
 the carpet, but it will preserve the health of the inmates, 
 and give an air of cheerfulness all through the house. Do 
 not be afraid of a little fun. If you want to ruin your sons, 
 let them think that all mirth and social enjoyment must be 
 left on the threshold when they come home at night 1 When 
 once a home is regarded as only a place in which to eat, 
 drink and sleep, the work is begun that ends in gambling- 
 houses and reckless degradation. Young people must have 
 fun and relaxation somewhere; if they do not find it at their 
 own hearth-stones, it will be sought at other and perhaps 
 less profitable places. Therefore let the fire burn brightly 
 at night, and make the homestead delightful with all those 
 little arts that parents so perfectly understand. Do not re- 
 press the buoyant spirit of your children. Half an hour of 
 merriment around the lamp, in the firelight of a home, blots 
 out the remembrance of many a care and annoyance of the 
 day; and the best safeguard children can take with them 
 into the world is the blessed influence of a bright little 
 domestic sanctum. 
 
— 6 — 
 
 Encourage your children to bring their companions 
 home with them occasionally, say once a month; allow 
 them a cheerful room, well-lighted and warmed. Encour- 
 age them in vocal and instrumental music, in parlor games 
 and other innocent recreations. And although it is well to 
 look in upon them sometimes, to know them, do not remain 
 to be a restraint upon them, but let them enjoy themselves 
 in their own way. The fact that you take an interest in 
 them, and try to make them happy, will be sufficient to 
 keep them from becoming too boisterous, and will teach 
 them moderation and self-control. Let cheerful conversa- 
 tion be encouraged, and the children invited to join in and 
 ask questions. Children hunger perpetually for new ideas. 
 They will learn with pleasure from the lips of parents what 
 they deem drudgery to study in books, and even if they 
 have the misfortune to be deprived of many educational 
 advantages, they will grow up intelligent if they enjoy in 
 childhood the privilege of listening daily to the conversa- 
 tion of intelligent people. We sometimes see parents, who 
 are the life of every company they enter, dull, silent and 
 uninteresting at home among their children. If they have 
 not mental activity and mental stores sufficient for both, 
 let them first use what they have for their own household. 
 A silent house is a dull place for young people, from which 
 they will escape if they can. Instead of swallowing your 
 food in sullen silence, or brooding over your business, or 
 severely talking of others, let the conversation at the table 
 be genial, kind, social and cheering. Do not bring disa- 
 greeable things to the table in your conversation, any more 
 than you would in your dishes. The more good company 
 you have at your table, the better. Hence comes the in- 
 telligence, refinement, and appropriate behavior of a family 
 that is given to hospitality. In your own conversation 
 never lose sight of the fact that the first essential thing is 
 truth — the next, good sense — the third, good humor — and 
 the fourth, wit. 
 
— 7 — 
 
 Boys are more boisterous than girls; it is natural to 
 them, and they should not be unduly restrained, or it may 
 crush out that fine manly spirit and elasticity which enable 
 the man to surmount all diffculties. Boys and girls should 
 be brought up together, as companions; in this way boys 
 are more gentle, pure minded and conscientious than those 
 educated wholly with their own sex. So girls brought up 
 with boys are always more vigorous in thought and action, 
 less vain and frivolous, than when under the care of 
 women alone. In domestic happiness the wife's influence 
 is much better than the husband's, for (the one first cause, 
 mutual love and confidence, being granted) the whole com- 
 fort of the household depends upon trifles more immediately 
 under her jurisdiction. By her management of small sums, 
 her husband's respectability and credit are created or 
 destroyed. No fortune can stand the constant leakages of 
 extravagance and mismanagement; and more is spent in 
 trifles than women would easily believe. The one great 
 expense, whatever it may be, is turned over and carefully 
 reflected on, ere incurred, the income is prepared to meet 
 it, but the pennies imperceptibly sliding away do the mis- 
 chief, and this the wife alone can stop, for it does not come 
 within a man's province unless he be of intemperate habits. 
 It is not in economy alone that the wife's attention is 
 so necessary, but in those niceties which make a well-reg- 
 ulated house. An unfurnished cruet-stand, a missing key, 
 a buttonless shirt, a soiled tablecloth, a mustard pot with 
 old contents are really nothings, but each can raise angry 
 words and cause discomfort. Depend upon it there is a 
 great deal of domestic happiness about a well-cooked mut- 
 ton-chop or a tidy breakfast table. Men grow sated with 
 beauty, tired ot music, are often too wearied for conversa- 
 tion however intellectual, but they can always appreciate 
 a well-swept hearth and smiling comfort. Better submit, 
 then, to household tasks, however repugnant they may be 
 to your tastes, than doom yourself to a loveless home. A 
 
— 8 — 
 
 good appetite is essential to good digestion, but a snow- 
 white tablecloth is a great promoter of a good appetite. 
 No one can eat in comfort if any member of the family ap- 
 pears at the table in slovenly dress, with unkempt hair, 
 showing a breadth ot black under the finger nails, with a 
 hawking and spitting, and a blowing of the nose, and asso- 
 ciated habits. But the spotless napkin, the most splendid 
 roast, and faultless concomitants, all amount to little if sad- 
 ness is written on the face of the wife, if an angry scowl 
 gleams from the corrugated brow of a morose husband, or 
 a dissatisfied look comes from a child's eye, and the meal is 
 partaken ot in ominous silence. 
 
 Rather let the family table be the place of glad reunions, 
 let courtesies more than courtly phrases be ever cultivated, 
 let smiles wreathe every face, let light hearts, and cheery 
 words, and obliging acts, and watchful attentions be the 
 order of the day. These are the promoters of a healthy 
 digestion, and these are the things which largely help to 
 make happy homes, and good hearts and generous natures. 
 
 Dr. Geo. H. Cantwell. 
 
 HUSBANDS AND WIVES. 
 
 There is an old saying that is very true: "A woman can 
 throw out in a spoon as fast as a man can bring in with a 
 shovel." Some women take pride in telling how much they 
 have used for this or that, instead of how little they could 
 have used and obtained the same or better results. If a 
 woman understands perfectly the platform on which she and 
 her husband are standing, in nine cases out of ten she will 
 be a much better wife than she would be if he never en- 
 trusted her with the many ups and downs in business life 
 which are attached even to the life work of a farmer. A 
 
— 9 — 
 
 good husband will procure every convenience which his 
 means will permit and a good wife will ask nothing un- 
 reasonable. And so it is if their interests are one, instead 
 of "this is mine" and '"that is yours," life will be prosper- 
 ous and when old age comes it will not find them depen- 
 dent upon their friends, but they can enjoy the fruits of 
 their labors, which they have garnered in past years. It is 
 our duty to teach our children to be "diligent in business, 
 and fervent in spirit, serving the Lord," and then, and not 
 until then, will they be fitted to enter the work which will 
 open to them. * 
 
 When a young couple enter the matrimonial state, the 
 heavens are very bright, not a single cloud appears to 
 obscure the bright vision which looms up before their 
 young eyes, but if they have not been brought up to rely 
 upon themselves in part and have* not been taught to 
 thoroughly understand business matters, they will not make 
 a success. One word to the young people: Go no faster 
 than your means will admit. If a friend has a much nicer 
 carriage than you, if his horses can pass yours at any time, 
 be contented; be industrious, be honest, and the time, ; n 
 all probability, will come when all of these and much more 
 will be yours. Benhartina. 
 
 WOMAN ON THE FARM. 
 
 I think of her often, "toiling on, toiling on," without 
 rest or recreation, year after year, from the beginning of 
 her married life until death comes and leads her out into the 
 "great beyond." Poets have sung her praises, and sages 
 have extolled her virtues, but, while there is virtue, little ot 
 poetry does woman find on the farm. "Seek to be good, 
 but aim not to be great" is perhaps the poetic sentiment 
 
— 10 — 
 
 with which she is most familiar. A good minister of the 
 gospel, who has had extensive experience in country par- 
 ishes thus testifies: "I know of no class of women in this 
 country which works so hard and receives so little in re- 
 turn as farmers' wives. In many instances they are almost 
 isolated from society. They are deprived of books, of pic- 
 tures, indeed of every luxury, and I fear of many comforts." 
 
 Is this an over-drawn picture ? Is it possible that with 
 all that has been done for the past three centuries to ele- 
 vate and better the condition of our race, American 
 farmers' wives are left so far behind as to be only objects 
 of pity and commiseration ? Does Dryden's prophecy; 
 "By day the web and loom, and homely household task shall 
 be her doom," prove true in this age of progress and machin- 
 ery ? God forbid ! But may not even the faithful, hard- 
 working farmer's wife rise in the might of her moral and 
 intellectual strength, and free herself from the shackles that 
 too long have bound her ? The time when the good house- 
 wife needs to "rise in the night and give meat to her house- 
 hold," or "seek wool and flax, and lay her hands to the 
 spindle and take hold on the distaff," has passed away. But 
 I think I hear one exclaim: "There is still enough left to 
 be done I work all the time and hardly see how I can do 
 less and keep my iamily comfortable." This is true and, 
 perhaps, all too true, but could you not by good manage- 
 ment leave some things undone that you now do, and still 
 keep your family comfortable? If the desired result is 
 achieved — making the family comfortable — why be so par- 
 ticular as to methods ? 
 
 Asking some intelligent lady triends what I should write 
 that would prove helpful to farmers' wives, one says: "Tell 
 them no- to work so many hours in a day." Another says: 
 "Teh them to be independent and not let their husbands 
 control every penny of money that comes into the house;" 
 while still another bids me say that "they are not to dress 
 their children like city children, but dress them plainly and 
 
— 11 — 
 
 neatly, and take the rest of the money and invest it in good 
 books, and then sit down with their children and read and 
 talk over with them what the books contain." As all these 
 suggestions seem so good, I have made a note of them, and 
 will supplement them with my own suggestion that, above 
 all things else, you keep your minds fresh. Feed them with 
 good thoughts obtained by reading works of the best 
 authors. The broken hearts, the shipwrecked lives that 
 have resulted from the lack of good, pure, fresh thoughts, 
 are known only to Him who readeth and knoweth the 
 secrets of all hearts. The writer has passed many a lonely 
 hour on the farm, but she was blessed with the companion- 
 ship of good books. If she was despondent and thought 
 herself the most unhappy of women, she recalled the tact 
 that others had suffered and were unhappy. She recalled 
 the fact, too, that in many cases the greatest benefactors of 
 the race had been the«greatest sufferers. 
 
 Mrs. J. E. Snow. 
 
 SUCCESS IN HOUSE-KEEPING. 
 
 Success in all branches ot business depends largely upon 
 the force of thought and skill exercised in applying labor. 
 The business of house-keeping covers a broad field of 
 industry, and to be a good house-keeper, requires as much 
 study and training as it does to fit a person for a profession. 
 When a woman can rightfully lay claim to the title ot a 
 skilled and competent house-keeper, she certainly proves 
 that her time and thoughts have been spent to some pur- 
 pose. It is not the amount of strength one possesses that fits 
 her for success, but it is the knowledge of how and when to 
 apply strength that brings the best results. A weak, frail 
 woman may be able to accomplish wonders in the line of 
 
— 12 — 
 
 work, but such a woman will always be found to possess tact, 
 foresight, and a concentrative power of mind that enables her 
 to arrange and classify a great amount of work, keeping 
 hands, feet and brain busy at the same time. 
 
 A good housekeeper is usually a quiet worker. She 
 never blusters, or skips from one piece of work to another, 
 as if she has lost her reckoning. Her voice is sweet and 
 soothing as a gentle lullaby, and quiets a rebellious spirit 
 as if by magic. Acting upon the conviction that "order is 
 Heaven's first law," she has a place for everything, and 
 keeps everything in its place; the home over which she pre- 
 sides is a model of neatnesss and regularity. There is one 
 point which every house-keeper, and especially inex- 
 perienced ones, will do well to consider, and that is, whether 
 or not she is performing the work in hand in the easiest, as 
 well as in the most effectual way. By saving one step in 
 every minute, we save 720 steps in 12 hours, and most of 
 housekeepers know the time more often extends to 15 hours 
 per day. We thus find an aggregate of 262,800 steps saved 
 in one year's time; in 25 years, 6,570,000. If the human 
 frame was like a bar of iron, and could be moulded over 
 when worn, it would not matter, but such is not the case, 
 and mankind must pay the penalty if physical laws are 
 transgressed or broken. No matter in what cause, or by 
 what act, the transgression is made, the penalty is sure to 
 follow, heavy or light, according to the constitution of the 
 transgressor. In view of this important truth, is it not well 
 to study economy of strength, as well as time, when per- 
 forming the duties of every day life ? 
 
 There is always plenty of washing to do; 
 
 Beds to be made, and garments too; 
 
 Meals to be got, and clothes to mend, 
 
 And just for diversion(?) the babies to tend. 
 
 No matter how well these duties are done, 
 
 They come again, with to-morrow's sun; 
 
 A never ending circle it swings, 
 
 Happy the woman who works as she sings. 
 
— 13 — 
 
 This thought is worthy of note for a cheerful, contented 
 and happy spirit is one of the most powerful auxiliaries to 
 happiness in the "household. No work performed, however 
 continuous, if it results in bringing comfort and domestic 
 harmony into the home circle, need be termed or deemed 
 work in vain. Dot. 
 
 WOMAN'S MISSION. 
 
 Girls, did you ever ask yourselves what your "mission" 
 is ? This means the duty you are sent here to perform; the 
 duty you owe to yourself and those around you. You are 
 placed here to fill some position in life, and whatever it 
 may be, strive to fill it well. Improve your spare moments 
 in study and reading. Set a good example before your as- 
 sociates by your kindness and fidelity. This is a duty you 
 owe to yourself. 
 
 What is the duty you owe to those around you ? You 
 see that tired, wan-looking face, don't you, almost dragging 
 herself around to fulfill her duties ? Do you ever go to her 
 and say: "Mother, sit down or lie down and rest, I will 
 do this?" If you did, you noticed that grateful look she 
 cast upon you, and how, when a neighbor came in you 
 heard her speak your praise, and say she "could never get 
 along without her" and it made you happy, didn't it ? Do 
 you ever care for the smaller ones, wait upon them, talk 
 with them, and humor their childish caprices ? If so, you 
 will notice how they love you; how they will sing your 
 praise to other children a*s one of the best of sisters, end if 
 a word should be spoken against you, it raises their ire. 
 Such loyalty is worth all the kindness you can bestow. 
 You do not forget your father, do you ? When he came in 
 tired at night, if you got his slippers and easy chair, and 
 
— 14 — 
 
 read to him if he wished, or sang to him, you noticed how 
 proud and pleased he seemed over you. He thinks to him- 
 self that a better daughter can not be found all the world 
 over. A kind word spoken, a good deed done, may not 
 seem much to you, but they are what makes you great, and 
 much happier, and the world is better for your being 
 in it. 
 
 What is a wife's mission? Half the world does not 
 realize the great duty that is given her to perform. She 
 was created the weaker vessel, with a higher spirit of 
 morality, more endowed with pity, love and refinement; 
 a^d it is her good influence that leads man to a better life. 
 Her kind words, love and sympathy spur him on with a de- 
 termination to make a greater success of life. She is his 
 guardian angel. Man worships a pure, noble woman 
 more than he does his creator. Then does it not be- 
 hoove you to exert good influence? Be the kind loving 
 wife, companion and helpmate that he thought you would 
 be, cheerfully sharing his fortunes and misfortunes. You 
 remember that wild speculation that he went into and he 
 became the loser. You had predicted as much, and how 
 keenly you felt it. You did not care for yourself but the 
 children. You had hoped to give them better advantages 
 for an education. You had hoped to do much more for 
 them. But now it could not be; you did not murmur or 
 complain; the thing was done and could not be undone, 
 but you hoped it might be a lesson. He knew that you felt 
 this, and your quiet resignation went to his heart more than 
 all your railings. Then your first-born was taken from you, 
 the hope and pride of the household. Oh, those were dark 
 days. You took your trouble to a higher power, while he 
 leaned more upon you for sympathy. 
 
 What is a mother's mission ? This is the greatest of all 
 when we realize the fact that it is a "woman's hand that 
 rules the world." Mothers, enlighten yourselves; teach 
 your children in the way they should go. Your good ex- 
 
— 15 — 
 
 ample, influence and teachings mould the character of 
 those children. And if they are as they should be, in after 
 years, when they pass from your domain, they will fondly 
 cherish your memory. Your wise teachings and good in- 
 fluence have made them kings among men. Woman's is a 
 noble mission, and I have only portrayed a few of the most 
 important duties that she is sent here to perform. If she 
 performs these well, she can not feel that she has lived in 
 vain. 
 
 Ella. 
 
 Wood County, O. 
 
 Mother, watch the little feet, 
 Climbing o'er the garden wall; 
 Bounding through the busy street; 
 Running through the shed and hall. 
 Never count the moments lost, 
 Never mind the time it cost; 
 Little feet will go astray ; 
 Guide them, mother, while you may. 
 
 Mother, watch the little hand, 
 Picking berries by the way ; 
 Making houses in the sand, 
 Tossing up the fragrant hay; 
 Never dare the question ask, 
 Why to me the weary task ? 
 For those little hands may prove, 
 Messengers of light and love. 
 
 Mother, watch the little heart, 
 Beating soft and warm for you; 
 Wholesome lessons now impart 
 Keep, oh, keep that young heart true, 
 Extricating every weed, 
 Sowing good and precious seed ; 
 Harvest rich, you then may see, 
 Ripening for eternity. 
 
— 16 — 
 CARE OF BABY. 
 
 Mothers, do not forget the comfort of your little ones, 
 if you are busy. I know your thoughts have to be in many 
 places at once, but take time to give baby proper care, 
 even if the work has to be neglected. Babies seldom cry 
 unless they are sick, uncomfortable or want something. Do 
 not let them lie in one position too long, they get tired and 
 cannot sleep; turn them gently when they begin to get 
 restless and they will sleep as long again. Loosening their 
 clothes, laying them across your lap and smoothing their 
 backs with the palm of your hand will often quiet them 
 when fretful. Above all things, do not neglect to give them 
 water often. A good rule is to offer them a drink when you 
 take one yourself. I have known babies under two weeks 
 old to cry for water, just as if they had colic. Give them a 
 teaspoonful at a time until they have enough. Catnip tea 
 made fresh every day is a good drink for babies that are 
 subject to colic, and the best remedy I ever tried is three 
 or four drops of good brandy given in a teaspoonful of 
 water; repeat the dose in fifteen minutes if necessary. Hate 
 the water warm. 
 
 If you go away from home it is best to take such rem- 
 edies with you as are liable to be needed. If a baby rubs 
 its ears and cries, it has ear-ache. Warm a few drops of 
 olive oil and drop into the ear; or, if subject to it, put a 
 level teaspoonful of powdered opium into two ounces of 
 alcohol, shake well, then let it settle; put sixteen drops of 
 this into half an ounce of best olive oil; shake well each 
 time before using; drop two or three drops into the ear 
 whenever an attack comes on. I have seen it used twice a 
 day, or more, in bad cases. Often after the ears ache a 
 t'.i~k matter will run from them, which makes them raw 
 and sore and causes intense itching. For this, wash with 
 white Castile soap, dry thoroughly and dust lightly with 
 corn starch. After washing, be sure to wipe them perfectly 
 
— 17 — 
 
 dry. Be very careful not to leave the insides of the ears 
 wet, as this frequently is the cause of their aching. Take 
 a small hairpin, fold a soft cloth over the round end, press 
 gently around on the inside of the ear. This is a good way 
 to wipe them. Let the child sleep in white flannel night- 
 caps and wear cotton ones in the daytime, if they are thus 
 afflicted in winter. I never knew the hearing to be affected 
 when treated as above. 
 
 Make baby's underwear of the finest white flannel; 
 never use colored flannel next to them, as it often poisons 
 them and causes sores and pimples all over the body and 
 limbs. Make flannel shirts with sleeves to cover the wrists. 
 Let them wear their shirts wrong side out so the seams 
 will not hurt them. For the young infants it is generally 
 better to have little short-sleeved undershirts of very thin 
 white cotton goods. Have soft, loose, white wool stock- 
 ings. For dandruff and scales on the head, put six drops 
 camphor into a pint of warm rain water; use just a little fine 
 soap (Colgate's, Babbitt's or Ivory is best,) and wash the 
 head with this, then dry with soft cloth and put on a night- 
 cap until the head becomes perfectly dry. This prevents 
 taking cold. When babies chafe and get sore around the 
 ears, and under the arms, wash with rain water with some 
 new milk in it; dry carefully, and dust with corn starch. 
 Put starch in a little bag made of thin white cloth, so it 
 will sift out easily. But the very best remedy I ever used 
 was "petroleum ointment," prepared by the family physi- 
 cian for bed sores. Aunt Catherine. 
 
— 18 — 
 
 THE DISPENSARY. 
 
 HINTS FOR THE SICK ROOM. 
 
 BY E. P. MILLER, M. D. 
 
 Whoever attends in the sick room should see to it that 
 all the little needful attentions are given to the comfort of 
 the patient, without the least thought or care on the part of 
 the sick one. If in cold weather and in the country where 
 wood is used, be sure to keep the fire replenished so that an 
 even temperature of about 70° may be maintained. A ther- 
 mometer should always hang in the room, as people in 
 general are so uneven in feeling, that it is not best to trust 
 to any one's judgment. If coal is used, keep a clear clean 
 fire, and see that no gas escapes into the room. If the 
 room is heated by a furnace, the register must be nicely 
 managed so that no more heat than is necessary shall be 
 admitted. Except in very cold localities, or upon very 
 cold days, a little out-door air should be constantly ad- 
 mitted, but trom a point whence no uncomfortable draught 
 shall reach the patient. Ventilating by a window in an ad- 
 joining room, with the door open between, is always desir- 
 able. An open fire-place is preferable to any other method 
 of heating, as it aids in securing perfect ventilation. If 
 water is kept upon the stove, be sure that the basin or urn 
 is clean and the water frequently renewed, as the smell of 
 a burning basin or a drying urn is very offensive as well as 
 hurtful. If the patient must be left alone at times, place a 
 small bell or cane close at hand whereby attention may be 
 called if needed. This gives a feeling of safety to the pa- 
 tient, and of relief from constant anxiety to the attendant. 
 
 The sick-room should never be made a family room; 
 however much the patient may desire it, it is not for his 
 good that family arrangements should be discussed, or 
 family topics argued in his presence. One visitor at a 
 time, and this at intervals, even of the family, should be 
 the rule. No one can realize except by experience, the 
 
— 19 — 
 
 effect of company or conversation upon sensitive nerves, 
 even though the patient is a babe or a very young child, 
 whom many people think cannot be injured by company 
 because it does not know what is said, never allow conver- 
 sation or unusual noises in its hearing. The little nerves 
 are often more sensitive than those in adult life, and every 
 stir is a jar from which it shrinks. Many a mother has often 
 unwittingly injured her child by permitting a garrulous 
 neighbor to sit and chatter with her, while she sought in 
 vain to sooth her moaning babe. 
 
 The care of the sick by night is often made a more 
 arduous task than necessary. If the patient is very low, 
 night-watchers are, of course, essential, but as a general 
 thing they had better be dispensed with. A talkative 
 watcher harms the patient, and a talkative patient harms 
 himself by the opportunity which a night-watch affords, of 
 talking by night as well as day. No visitor whatever 
 should be admitted after night fall and everything should 
 tend to quiet and repose. All the little preparations for the 
 night should be attended to as soon as twilight comes, and 
 as early as nine o'clock the lights extinguished, and the 
 household at rest, for the knowledge that no noise will disturb 
 is soothing to the tired nerves of the patient. The attend- 
 ant should be near, but it is better to have a separate bed 
 or lounge upon which to lie, and sometimes this may be 
 in an adjoining room. All the appointments for striking a 
 light quickly should be at hand. A candle or wax taper is 
 better than a lamp. A kerosene lamp should never be 
 turned low for any one, sick or well, as the gas then emit- 
 ted is very poisonous. Kerosene is better than gas, because 
 it does not flare up with such a strong and sudden light, 
 and can be changed from place to place. If a light must 
 be kept burning, if possible put it in an adjoining room. In 
 some way screen the light from the patient's eyes. An 
 open fire should also be screened. 
 
 No physician will want a patient disturbed at night, or 
 
— 20 — 
 
 when sleeping at any time, as no treatment, no potion, no 
 application, is so effectual as sleep in the restoration of 
 health; therefore never awaken a patient to administer 
 anything, unless by a special order from the physician.. 
 When it is absolutely necessary to have night watchers, as 
 sometimes in acute diseases, or when death draws nigh, be 
 sure they be quiet, restful, self-poised, watchful of changes, 
 but not timid or easily alarmed. Never rattle a newspaper,, 
 or rustle the leaves of a book, or write with a pen in the 
 sickroom at night, for these sounds will make a nervous 
 person almost wild. Do not sit and sew or rip in the 
 patient's sight, as the drawing through, or clipping, of the 
 thread is often very trying to the nerves. I have known 
 the darning of a stocking in the sight of a sensitive patient 
 to bring on severe cramps in the stomach, and for days 
 afterward the thought of the darning would produce pain. 
 The nurse should never seat herself, or allow a visitor to 
 be seated, nor any object to attract attention to be placed 
 in such a position as to strain the patient's eyes to look at 
 it. A chair should be placed half way down from the 
 head to the foot of the bccl. In this position neither 
 patient nor visitor receives the other's breath, and neither 
 eyes nor ears need be strained for sight or sound. Over- 
 sensitive ears may require a greater distance, but of this 
 the nurse should have knowledge and should remove the 
 seat to the requisite distance. The nurse should also not 
 fail to gently notify the visitor when the call has been pro- 
 longed as far as is for the patient's good. Every little item 
 I have mentioned should be thoughtfully and regularly- 
 attended to, without the patient's ever having to think about 
 it, much less remind the attendant of it. Remember, it is 
 the little things that make up the comfort or discomfort of 
 the patient, and keep the mind, and with it the body, at 
 rest or irritated. 
 
— 21 — 
 
 A FEW WELL-TRIED REMEDIES. 
 
 MR. BAUDER'S GREEN SALVE. 
 
 Take 1 lb. of yellow resin; 1 lb. burgundy pitch; y* lb. 
 "honey; ^ lb. common turpentine; \y 2 lbs. lard; 4 oz. 
 beeswax; 1 lb. verdigris finely powdered. Melt the ingre- 
 dients together, but do not put the verdigris in till nearly 
 cold, then keep stirring all the time till cold to prevent the 
 verdigris from falling to the bottom. This is one of the 
 best salves for wounds, and especially for old ones. Take 
 lukewarm sweet milk, or soft water (milk is best) and wash 
 the wound clean; put the salve on a white muslin rag, very 
 thin. Use castile soap. 
 
 SALVE FOR CRACKED HANDS. 
 
 Take 7 oz. of white resin; ^ oz. beeswax; y 2 oz. mut- 
 ton tallow; melt together in a clean pan, pour into cold 
 water. When cold enough, take out and pull as you would 
 taffy. The more you work it the better. Pull out long 
 and cut in sticks. Be exact in weighing ingredients. This 
 is a splendid salve for cuts, bruises or burns. 
 
 BALM OF GILEAD OINTMENT. 
 
 Mutton tallow, ^ lb.; balm, gilead buds, 2 oz.; 
 white pine gum, 1 oz.; red precipitate, -J oz.; hard soap, 
 -£oz.; white sugar, 1 tablespoonful. Stew the buds in the 
 tallow until the strength is obtained, and press out or strain; 
 scrape the soap and add it with the other articles to the 
 tallow, using sufficient unsalted butter or sweet oil to bring 
 it to a proper consistence to spread easily on cloth. When 
 nearly cool stir in the red precipitate, mixing thoroughly. 
 
22 
 
 MULLEIN TEA FOR CONSUMPTION. 
 
 J. E. S. tells us that our pioneer housewives had faith 
 to believe that a pretty serious case of consumption could 
 be cured by the liberal use of mullein tea, and gives us the 
 formula thus:— Half an ounce of dried mullein leaves well 
 steeped in a pint and a half of hot water. Strain off and to 
 the liquid add four tablespoonfuls of honey. Let these 
 two ingredients come to a boil, then add the juice of half 
 a lemon. When cool, put into a bottle and cork well. Take 
 a tablespoonful three times a day. 
 
 HOP SYRUP FOR COUGH. 
 
 Two quarts water; four handfuls hops; boil down to one 
 quart, strain, then add 1^ lbs. white sugar, and juice of two. 
 lemons. Stir well, and bottle for use. 
 
 REMEDY FOR GOITER. 
 
 Dr. R. Mitchell, connected with a large medical com- 
 pany in Detroit, gives this remedy: — Take Iodine, put into 
 a bottle, say half full, and place in the sun. Add a little 
 Ammonia every day until the Iodine becomes colorless^ 
 Apply this twice a day. He states that he has never failed 
 to cure with this, if taken in time. 
 
 REMEDY FOR EARACHE. 
 
 A Spanish physician recommends a liniment composed 
 of camphorated chloral, two and a half parts; oil of sweet 
 almonds, ten parts. This is to be well mixed and put into 
 a bottle having a rubber cork. A pledget of very soft 
 cotton is to be soaked in the liniment, and then introduced 
 as far as possible into the affected ear, applying twice daily. 
 Rub well with this preparation each day behind the ear. It 
 is asserted that the pain is almost immediately relieved* 
 
— 23 — 
 
 VERMIFUGE OIL. 
 
 Oil of worm seed, ^ oz.; oil of turpentine, 2 drs.; oil of 
 ricini, H ozs.; fluid extract pink, ^ oz.; hydrastin, 10 grs.; 
 syrup peppermint, -J oz.; dose — To a child 10 years of age, 
 a teaspoonful three times a day, one hour before each 
 meal; if it purges too freely, give less, often. Prof. Z. Free- 
 man, who gives this formula, writes that this is an excellent 
 vermifuge tonic and cathartic, and has never failed to 
 eradicate worms if any were present. If none are present, 
 it answers the purpose of a tonic, correcting the condition 
 of the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, im- 
 proving the appetite and digestion, and operating as a mild 
 cathartic. 
 
 DIARRHEA DROPS. 
 
 Mix tincture of rhubarb, and compound spirits of laven- 
 der, of each 4 oz.; laudanum, 2 oz., cinnamon oil, 2 drops. 
 Dose, one teaspoonful every three or four hours, accord- 
 ing to the severity of the case. 
 
 CURING HEADACHE. 
 
 Severe headaches may be relieved by holding the head 
 down and having another person pour a pitcher of water as 
 hot as can be borne upon the back of the neck at the base 
 of the brain. More than one pitcher full should be used, ac- 
 cording to the severity of the case. Bromides of potassium 
 and sodium are very useful, and any quantity can be ob- 
 tained of a physician. 
 
 FOR' PAINLESS CHILD BIRTH. 
 
 Take of blue cohosh root, 4 oz.; ladies slipper, 1 oz.; 
 
 spikenard, 1 oz.: sassafras and clover, 1 oz. Macerate and 
 
 simmer two hours in two quarts of boiling water. Strain 
 
 and add 1 lb. white sugar. The dose is one wine-glass 
 
 full twice a day for four to six weeks before confinement. 
 
 H. L. Spence, m. d. 
 Kent, O. 
 
24 
 
 CARPETS AND CARPETING. 
 
 Very many persons know little of the different grades 
 and qualities of carpets. Unprincipled dealers will often 
 recommend a very inferior article, because more profit is 
 made upon it than upon one thoroughly first class. As 
 carpets cost something, it behooves us to look well to the 
 quality when buying. In this day we frequently find the 
 homes of farmers as well furnished as those of their city neigh- 
 bors, and often it can be better afforded. What to buy in 
 the line of furnishings has puzzled many a woman. In the 
 line of carpets any good reliable dealer will tell you that 
 the " Hartford Carpet Company" manufacture the best 
 Moquettes, Wiltons, Body Brussels and Imperial Three- 
 plys in America. They operate over 400 looms, and have 
 manufactured these goods for fifty years. They do not 
 advertise, but every dealer knows their real worth. Their 
 patterns, as well as those of the Lowell Ingrain Company, 
 are largely copied in very inferior goods. A carpet of 
 Lowell Ingrain will last a lifetime. I know of one in con- 
 stant use for twenty-three years, and the colors are as rich 
 and bright to-day as when first put down, and it is very 
 little worn. Among well principled dealers the Lowell is 
 the standard Ingrains. This firm has been in operation 
 for over fifty years, and while 'the reduction in prices has 
 caused other manufactures to decline in quality, these goods 
 are, so far as the weight, durability and fineness of the 
 fabric are concerned, the same as in our grandmothers' 
 days. This cannot be said of any other firm in America, 
 in this line of goods. A hollow stick was the trade-mark in 
 1847 as well as 1887. 
 
 > Rag carpets.— Planning the quantity of rags depends on. 
 your weaver, as some call for a pound and a half of rags to 
 the yard of carpet, and others only ask for a pound and a 
 
— 25 — 
 
 quarter. It is well to have plenty. Six knots of warp are 
 needed to a yard, and brown, I think, is the best color. 
 Use the Union Warp, manufactured at Troy, N. Y., as it is 
 much less liable to fade and is very strong. If you have 
 plenty of brown, red, and old calico (folded or twisted right 
 side out when wound), and a little orange yellow, green and 
 black, there is no reason why you should not have a hand- 
 some carpet. Some buy orange prints, instead of coloring. 
 If you have old indigo blue dresses, and think that blue i,s 
 not pretty in carpet, just dip it in your dye when coloring 
 yellow, and you will have a very good dark green. 
 
 In making a carpet of the hit-and-miss style, use caution. 
 Have plenty of bright colors (reds and yellows), but do not 
 use either one in too great quantity in one spot. Have the 
 colors unequal as much as you can; that is, do not let the 
 same colors occur at regular intervals. This covers a floor 
 more warmly and handsomely, as far as appearance goes 
 at least, and is much easier to match if after a time you 
 wish to renew worn places, than if you had made a set 
 design. Have plenty of rich, dark colors also, and about 
 the same of light ones. Perhaps as good an effect as can 
 be wished for may be had by dividing the colors into four 
 divisions — very light shades, very dark, very medium or 
 neutral, and very brilliant. Put white with the first lot, 
 black with the second, and let the last lot consist only of 
 most brilliant shades of reds and yellows. Have your rags 
 thus assorted before you begin, and sew them together hit- 
 -or-miss, without the slightest attempt at regularity. 
 
 There are many ways to sew rags, but the most expe- 
 rienced carpet makers and weavers tell me that they prefer 
 this method: Lap your pieces well over each other, fold 
 •double lengthwise, have stout thread without any knots at 
 the end, run the length of about three-fourths of an inch 
 from right to left, and then back again slightly below or 
 above "the first line of stiches, and cut the thread without 
 any fastening-off process. 
 
— 26 — 
 
 Smyrna rugs. — You are supposed to have gathered up 
 some rags in times past and have them ready. See that 
 they are all clean and assorted in packages or boxes, accord- 
 ingto colors. They must be all woolen rags, to make a hand- 
 some rug, and of as uniform thickness as possible That is, 
 they should be all medium in weight, and not so heavy as for 
 rag carpet. Cut them in strips three fourths of an inch wide 
 without deviation. The pieces may be long or short, but they 
 are not to be sewed together. Have a needle threaded with a 
 strong flax thread just five yards long, and enough extra for 
 a knot at each end. Take the rags hit-or-miss, first from 
 one colored pile, then another, and gather them through 
 the center, onto your thread, shirring them up close as you 
 go, until your five yard thread is well filled. Lap each 
 piece a little way over the last one, as you gather, so there 
 will be no gaps in the weaving, but there must be no knots 
 or joints to make ugly lumps or thick places in the strings. 
 The rugs are to be woven in the same way that rag carpets 
 are; and carpet weavers will undertake the job. You can 
 scarcely tell just how many rags it will take for a certain 
 sized rug; it will depend upon the thickness of the rags and 
 other reasons. You must experiment till you find out. 
 These rugs, if carefully made, are extremely handsome, and 
 will pay you well, both in service and beauty, for the time 
 and care you bestow upon them. They should be woven 
 by a thoroughly good weaver, and then they will look (if 
 the rags have been cut and gathered as directed) as pretty, 
 and be warmer and thicker than Smyrna carpet rugs. They 
 will be very thick, and alike on both sides. The rags being 
 shirred so full, the warp or chain will not show when fin- 
 ished, and the effect is very rich. One thing you may be 
 sure of is that it will take a great many rags to make a rug 
 one yard by three-fourths, and your best way is to try a 
 smaller one first on which to experiment. 
 
 Yarn Rug. — Cast ten or twelve stitches (according to 
 the size of the yarn) on a needle, using two needles; knit 
 
-27- 
 
 plain back and forth in strips as long as you like. Take 
 the two edges of the strips you have knit and sew them onto 
 a piece of old bed ticking, beginning in the center and 
 turning square corners. After sewing the edges to the 
 cloth, take your scissors and cut the strips through the cen- 
 ter, then with the fingers ravel them down to the edge 
 sewed on. Sew the rows just far enough apart so that 
 when raveled they will cover the cloth nicely. After knit- 
 ting the strips they must be dampened and pressed before 
 sewing on, so they will be crinkled when raveled down. If 
 you have a variety of colors you can put them in hit-and- 
 miss, if only three or four, put some pretty color in the 
 center, and arrange the others in borders around that. 
 When it is large enough, knit some pretty edge for a border, 
 or if you use some old ball or tassel fringe, it looks very 
 pretty. 
 
 COLORING RECEIPTS. 
 
 Brown, for Cotton Rags. — For 10 lbs. of goods take 
 \\ Ihs. japonica; dissolve in hot water; 1^ oz. blue vitriol, 
 dissolve well; put together in a tub; put the rags in and let 
 them stand 15 minutes. In another tub with enough warm 
 water to cover the goods, dissolve 2 oz, of bichromate of 
 potash; dip the rags in and let them stand 15 minutes. 
 Wash in soap suds. 
 
 Brown with Catechu. — For five Hbs. of rags, take 1 lh. 
 of catechu; 2 oz. of blue vitriol; and 2 oz. of bichromate 
 of potash; boil the catechu until dissolved, then stir in the 
 vitriol and dip the goods in; let them stand overnight, then 
 put the goods in clear bichromate water and boil fifteen 
 minutes. 
 
— 28 — 
 
 Copperas. — This is only suitable for cotton, as it "eats" 
 woolen goods. Take for one pound of copperas, two pail- 
 fuls of rain water, or enough to cover the goods, tie the 
 -copperas up in a sleazy cloth or small salt bag; boil the 
 water until the copperas is all dissolved; use an iron kettle. 
 If you want a bright yellowish color, your goods must be 
 pure white. Have them clean and rinsed, and steep in the 
 copperas water 15 or 20 minutes; then have a kettle or 
 crock of hot weak lye, run off from an old leach, or made 
 from boiled ashes, put the goods into this for 15 minutes, 
 stirring and lifting frequently, both in the dye and the lye. 
 When taken from the dye the goods will be of a greenish 
 color, but after going through the lye and being hung up in 
 the air and sunshine they will be a rich yellow. By repeat- 
 ing the process, or steeping longer you may color a light 
 brown. When partly dried rinse well and dry again. You 
 can make a dark slate color by steeping copperas and 
 extract of logwood together. 
 
 Dyeing yellow. — For five pounds of goods dissolve one 
 pound of sugar of lead in water enough to thoroughly 
 cover the goods, and half a pound of bichromate of pot- 
 ash in the same quantity of water in a separate vessel. Dip 
 the goods well, and drain in each alternately, until the 
 desired shade is secured and then rinse and dry. If an 
 orange is desired, dip the yellow rags in strong hot lime 
 water before rinsing. 
 
 Dove and slate. — Dyes of all shades (for woolen) of 
 these can be made by boiling in iron vessels a teacupful of 
 black tea, a teaspoonful of copperas, and sufficient water. 
 Dilute until you get the shade wanted. 
 
 Salmon. — For each pound of goods take £ lb of annotto, 
 ^ lb of hard soap, rinse goods in warm water, put them 
 into the mixture and boil half an hour. The shade will be 
 according to the quantity of annotto. 
 
 Black for Woolens. — For five pounds of goods take 
 of blue vitriol six ounces, boil a few minutes, then dip the 
 
— 29 — 
 
 goods in three-fourths of an hour, airing often; take out the 
 goods, make a dye with three pounds of logwood, boil half 
 an hour, dip three-fourths of an hour, airing often; and 
 leave in three-fourths of an hour more. Wash in strong 
 suds. This will not fade by exposure to the sun. It is the 
 best receipt in use. 
 
 CONVENIENT HOUSEHOLD ARTICLES, 
 
 Table Extension. — It very frequently happens that 
 the ordinary table used in kitchens is not large enough to 
 accommodate all the persons one would like to seat at one 
 time. A very good extension table can be made with little 
 trouble, which can be used on the ordinary table, greatly 
 enlarging its capacity as Occasion requires. To make this 
 extension, a board 18 inches wide is needed. Measure the 
 table to which you wish to fit it, getting the width with the 
 leaves extended. Cut the board of such a length as to 
 match this width. You will want two of these pieces, one 
 for each end. Then mortise two holes in the end of the 
 table frame, as shown in Fig. 2. Cut two pieces of wood, 
 
 rrzr 
 
 tzr 
 
 Fijr. 
 
 hard wood is best, about three feet in length, and make 
 them fit snugly in the holes. Fasten one end of these to 
 the lower side of the boards, taking care to have them as 
 far apart as the holes are, into which they are to be slipped. 
 If they do not fit exactly, they may "bind" when you want 
 
— 30 — 
 
 to use the extension, causing much vexation in adjusting 
 them properly. They should be made to work easily, but 
 snugly, and if proper care is taken in getting them just 
 where they belong on the board, there will be no trouble in 
 putting the extension in place. If these pieces do not fit 
 snugly the extension will not be firm. 
 
 Extensions of this kind, added to each end of a table, 
 will add at least one-third to its capacity. When not 
 required they can be set aside in some convenient place. 
 Often one is all that is needed. But it is as well to make 
 
 Fig. i. 
 
 two while you are about it. They should be well oiled. 
 When in use they are covered by the table-cloth, so it 
 does not matter if they do not look like the rest of the table. 
 These little home-made articles do not cost much; do not 
 require much skill in their construction, and are often of 
 great use. I should like to encourage the boys of the family 
 to undertake their manufacture. It is always well to 
 encourage a boy to make himself familiar with the use ot 
 the saw and planes, even if he does not intend to be a 
 carpenter. Eben. E. Rexford. 
 
 A MUSIC CABINET. 
 
 Somewhere among the stores you can find an empty box 
 about four feet long, two wide, and a little over a foot in 
 depth. Fit three shelves across the upper part. These are 
 for books of music, musical magazines, catalogues of 
 
— 31 — 
 
 •music, etc. At the bottom fit a drawer, for old defaced 
 pieces of music, which have seen their best days, but 
 which are too good or too highly prized to be thrown 
 away. Between the drawer and the shelves fit six upright 
 pieces, making seven divisions such as you will see in desks 
 and book-cases for the reception of ledgers and large books 
 of that class. These are for sheet music. At the bottom 
 of each division in front, are the letters, W. M. P. S. T. S. 
 and O. These stand for waltz, march, polka, schottish, 
 transcription, song and opera. In putting away music, each 
 class can be put in its proper place, and you al ways know 
 just where to find it when wanted. 
 
 When you have the shelves, etc., in their proper places, 
 stain the inside with a wash of burnt umber, which gives a 
 dark brown color. The outside, and the edges of the 
 shelves, the drawer and the upright pieces may be painted 
 black, using the prepared paint which comes in small tin 
 cans, and is put up for carriage worker's use. It is a 
 
32 
 
 smooth, fine paint, which gives a good firm body when 
 two or three coats have been applied. After it is thorough- 
 ly dried, decorate the sides and front drawer with fine lines 
 of gold, using for this purpose the liquid gilding which can 
 be bought at any store where materials for fancy work are 
 sold. This gilding is easily applied with a fine camel's 
 hair brush. Finish with a coat of varnish, and the result 
 will be a very pretty article of furniture. Add a little rail- 
 ing to the top and gild it, and bric-a-brac of various sorts 
 will find a place there. Casters should be attached to the 
 bottom for easier movement, If desired, a curtain can be 
 hung across the front. One on a small brass pole would 
 look well. Such a curtain can be made of felt or other 
 heavy material, with bands of velveteen or embossed plush 
 at top and bottom, and it will not only add much to the ap- 
 pearance, but will be useful to keep out dust. The curtain 
 should only come to the top of the drawer, and should have 
 a nice fringe on its lower edge. A cheaper curtain can be 
 fashioned with a pole of pine, painted as the cabinet is. 
 
 Ellen Rexford. 
 
 WAITER OR ELEVATOR. 
 
 CELLAR BOTTOM. 
 
This is a very useful article for any home, and does 
 away with the necessity of carrying articles to and from the 
 cellar. B is a box 2 feet high, 2 feet long, and l^wide, in- 
 side measure. S S are standards 1J inches square, ex- 
 tending from cellar bottom to top of box B, nailed in each 
 corner of platform. K and M are connected by eight 
 pieces 2\ x ^ inch, and 2 feet long. They are shown nailed 
 to the platform, one on each side of the standard as guides, 
 S S. The dotted lines O P are cords secured to edge of 
 platform M running up to the kitchen over pulleys, thence 
 in any direction to the wall over another pulley, below 
 which weights are attached. This can be inclosed. 
 
 FOLDING TABLE. 
 
 Any one, almost, can make a folding table de- 
 signed for a porch or place where it is not convenient to 
 have an ordinary table. It is made by hinging the table 
 with its back edge to the wall, and supporting its front 
 edge upon flat legs, the lower ends of which rest against the 
 junction of floor and wall, below the table, the legs be- 
 ing hinged to the outer edge of the table. When not in use 
 the table is folded upward against the wall, and held to its 
 place by a hook. 
 
 PORTABLE CLOSET AND BOOKCASE. 
 
 Many persons seem to think that a room cannot be 
 furnished comfortably and conveniently without a great 
 deal of expense. In this they are mistaken. Expensive 
 articles of furniture are not always convenient ones. The 
 cut shows a sort of closet and book-case combined, which 
 can be easily made, and will be found extremely useful in 
 the bed room, or any other room, for that matter. 
 
 The lower part is made out of a dry-goods box, of such, 
 size and proportions as best suit the wants or taste. 
 
34 
 
 Shelves are fitted across the upper part, with hooks below 
 them on which things can be hung. A curtain is hung 
 across the front, which slides on a pole, to which it is 
 attached by rings. Curtain poles of neat design in walnut 
 or brass can be purchased very cheaply, or if it is desirable 
 to avoid expense, a pole can be made at home, with rings 
 fashioned out of stout wire. On top of this box a narrow 
 one is placed at the back, fitted with shelves for books. A 
 light railing can be added to the top if desired, and articles 
 of china or anything else in the ornament line can be 
 placed there. If "the boys ,, have a bracket saw, they can 
 cut out narrow strips of fret-work from which a pretty rail- 
 ing can be made. The boxes of which this piece of furni- 
 ture is made can be covered to suit the taste of the maker. 
 Easter Souvenir. — The materials are empty egg-shells, 
 bright-colored tissue paper, mucilage, and a lead pencil. 
 Make a face on the egg-shell, drawing eyes, nose and 
 mouth; then paste on a high-crowned "Martha Washing- 
 ton" bonnet of paper, and finish the bottom with a full 
 plaited "Martha Washington" collar of white tissue paper. 
 They are quaint looking when tastefully made and delight 
 the little ones. 
 
— 35 — 
 FANCYWORKAND HOME ORNAMENTATION. 
 
 There is no harm in spending a portion of one's time at 
 fancy work, painting, art embroidery, and other ornamen- 
 tal work of which we are iond. It is a relief from monotony 
 and drudgery, prolongs life, adds to its enjoyment, and makes 
 us better every way. The objection, as with every other 
 pleasure, lies in its abuse. If we neglect our duty to 
 others and to ourselves, by indulging in pleasure, it becomes 
 a sin. Keep something constantly on hand, that is not 
 too intricate to rest the mind, during one's tired intervals 
 from heavy work. 
 
 Directions for Stamping. — For colored material or 
 dark goods, you will find the tube paints of Winsor & 
 Newton (silver white or flake white) by far the best material 
 in use for such purposes. Apply with a thin table knife or 
 palette knife, as very little paint is required in stamping. 
 Clean the pattern as soon as possible after using, by apply- 
 ing gasoline with a soft cloth. It will not soften or injure 
 the pattern in the least; The above will apply to velvet or 
 plush, and all material in dark goods. 
 
 Stamping Powder. — For light goods: — Equal parts of 
 pulverized gum arabic, white resin, and ultramarine blue, 
 well mixed. Apply with a piece of felt, or pouncet, to the 
 smooth side of the pattern, remove pattern carefully, place 
 a paper over the stamping, and press with a rather warm 
 Iron. 
 
 Curtains. — Beautiful curtains are made of cheese cloth 
 stenciled; nun's veiling, part silk, is richer, if economy is 
 not of moment, and if it is wide enough, better still; if not, 
 make the seam as invisible as possible. Cheese cloth and 
 Turkey red in alternate stripes, trimmed with antique lace, 
 are pretty. For stenciling, use the metallic luster paints, or 
 gold paint, being careful to fill all points in the pattern. If 
 you cut the material a foot longer than from the top of the 
 window to the floor, turn it down at the top, formingalam- 
 
— 36 — 
 
 brequin. Finish the edge ot this, also the bottom, with 
 gold fringe, making several rows of feather-stitching with 
 gold floss above the fringe. 
 
 Unbleached muslin curtains may be made pretty -by a 
 spatter-work design with diamond dyes. Very beautiful 
 vestibule curtains are made of white tarletan, cut enough 
 larger than the glass to allow a hem one inch wide all 
 around. Take satin finished cretonne flowers, leaves and 
 butterflies, if possible; cut them out nicely, and with a thin 
 starch paste put them on in sprays, wreaths, or promiscu- 
 ously, as preferred; press from the wrong side with a warm 
 iron to dry. They have the effect of being painted as the 
 light shines through them. They will be pretty a long 
 time. 
 
 Wall Paper. — It is not impossible to have artistic 
 walls at a trifling expense. A really charming wall paper 
 can be made by tacking up the thick, dull-colored papers 
 that are used under the carpets. These papers have small 
 patterns pressed into them, and when on the wall give the 
 effect of embossed plaster, and the subdued coloring is in 
 excellent taste for almost any sort of room. A handsome 
 way to make a frieze, is to place a strip of common mold- 
 ing around the wall, as many inches from the ceiling as de- 
 sired, then place another strip on the ceiling as many 
 inches as desired from the wall, and then take the corru- 
 gated card-boards that come as wrappers to wine bottles, 
 and fit them into place between the moldings. This forms 
 an arched frieze, hides the angle of wall and ceiling, and 
 makes a fine effect. This was first seen in the studio of a 
 New York artist. 
 
 Arranging Worn Carpets. — Along the middle breadths 
 where busy feet most often pass, a thin place is coming in 
 the carpet. The threads are beginning to show long, and 
 foretell the time when an ungainly hole will come into 
 prominence, and a patch will be needed. Perhaps by the 
 doorway the frayed and worn look suggests the need of car- 
 
— 37 — 
 
 pet darning. When the carpet is taken up, mend all such 
 places, then rip the middle seam and bring the outer 
 breadths together. The changed appearance will repay- 
 all trouble, for the carpet will seem to have renewed its 
 youth, while all mended portions will come at the sides or 
 in obscure corners, under the friendly shelter of a table, 
 lounge or some other piece of furniture. 
 
 Changing Draperies. — At the time of fall cleaning it 
 is a good plan to dispense with all light-colored or wash- 
 able articles, as curtains, chair and cushion covers, tidies, 
 etc., and as far as possible substitute dark worsted or woolen 
 ones. It not only saves the need of great care in keeping these 
 things clean, but the effect is much cosier, warmer and 
 richer. It is pleasant to lay away the clean light curtains, 
 etc., knowing that with their aid the rooms will be made 
 attractive and fresh in the spring. 
 
 Minor Hints. — If you have a shabby waste basket 
 (provided it is not much broken), cover it with mucilage, 
 and while still damp strew it with rice, barley or sago. 
 When thoroughly dried, either bronze or gild it. Line it 
 with bright-colored cambric to match other decorations, 
 and put a ribbon bow where there happens to be a break. 
 Wall pockets, old picture frames, small brackets, etc., can 
 all be treated similarly, only do not have too many objects 
 of the same style in one room. If your feather duster is 
 old and no longer fit to leave in sight,take an old straw hat or 
 bonnet, no matter of what color, and rip it up. Sew the 
 braids together funnel-shape, long and large enough for a 
 duster holder. Bind the top and bottom with bright braid, 
 and have a bow and loop to hang it by. 
 
 A Barrel Wall Pocket. — Take a small barrel or keg 
 hoop, and cover it with burlaps or coffee sacking, and gild 
 or bronze it. Make a crescent to fit it, of pasteboard, and 
 cover it with some of the pretty scraps of silk, satin or 
 plush you have saved up. You can make two small pieces 
 answer that. Make the crescent-shaped piece slightly 
 
— 38 — 
 
 larger than the back, so that when you put them together 
 the front will droop forward a little so as to allow room to 
 slip newspapers, or what you will, into the pocket. 
 
 Drapery. — If you wish to have your rooms look pretty 
 and stylish with little expense, use baize in whatever color 
 you desire, for hangings in a doorway. You can have poles 
 of pine or any cheap wood, -stained or oiled. The pins and 
 rings are cheap and pretty, and it is but little trouble to 
 fasten the curtains to them. Baize costs a little more than 
 cotton flannel, but keeps its color better, and can be 
 washed and utilized for other purposes when not needed for 
 curtains. 
 
 Lamp Shade. — A very handsome lamp shade can easily 
 be made by <=ewing alternate stripes ot lace insertion and 
 bright-colored s° tin ribbon together till you have a piece 
 the width ot the distance round base of porcelain shade 
 (the strips running downward). Finish at top by shirring 
 this on to " wue ring lo fit, and at bottom by sewing on 
 tassels or balls to the end of each strip, first lolding each 
 strip into a poipt. 
 
 Ornamental Scrap Bag. — Take a strip of linen or 
 woolen stuff, the size of an oidinary chair back; embroider 
 it at one end or fringe it, turn over the other end and work 
 it to match, so that two rows of work and fringe appear, 
 one above the other. Sew a piece of muslin at the 
 back to make the bag, and some rings at the top through 
 which to run a cord; hang it on the wall of the sewing room 
 for scraps. In lieu of the embroidery, flowers may be cut 
 from a piece of cretonne and appliqued on with embroidery 
 silk or wewsted, in the usual manner; or simply pasted on 
 and pressed with a warm iron, laying a cloth between the 
 iron and the work when pressing it. I made mantel and 
 table lambrequins in this manner for two chambers. In 
 one room they were of heavy crash, in the other of thick 
 white grain bags. The material was fringed three inches 
 in depth the edges button-holed with light blue zephyr of 
 
— 39 — 
 
 one, the other scarlet zephyr, three rows of drawn work 
 above, about one -third of an inch in depth, and the same 
 distance apart, the open work lapped with the worsted, a 
 lovely vine of roses, lilies and morning glories above the 
 work. Allowance must be made for these zephyrs in the 
 drawn work. Olive Chesney. 
 
 A Night Dress Case in the shape of a large envelope, 
 of white cloth, ruffled and tied with bright ribbon, is a very 
 handy adjunct to the guest chamber, to keep a night dress 
 in. 
 
 Lambrequin. — A handsome lambrequin was made of 
 red felt, one-fourth of a yard deep. It had a band of 
 narrow black velvet at the top to hide the tacks which held 
 it in place. The design, worked the whole length of the 
 lambrequin, is a grape-vine and fruit in outline. The 
 grapes are done in purple silk, the tendrils and leaves in 
 olive green, and the stems in brown. The design was taken 
 from the end of a towel. Fasten the towel, or whatever 
 the design is on, to a board or table. Over this pin a piece 
 of white tissue paper, then with a pencil trace the outlines. 
 After this is complete, baste the tissue to some foolscap 
 paper and follow the outline by running through the sewing 
 machine with an empty needle. You can use this with 
 stamping powder, just as you would any pattern for which 
 you might pay twenty cents. By folding the foolscap you 
 can have several patterns of the same. 
 
 Table Scarf. — Use dark cardinal plush or felt; make 
 it the length and width that is becoming to your center 
 table, and in one end of scarf work a design of cat-tails, 
 water-lilies, leaves and buds; opposite these a large stork 
 that appears to be wading in water to reach a butterfly 
 about to settle on a lily. On the other end work a cluster 
 of golden rod, cockscomb and sun flower. Work the 
 flowers in plush stitch, the leaves in Kensington. If you use 
 perforated patterns you will find it easier to mark off by 
 fastening pattern on scarf and sew through it with the sew- 
 
— 40 — 
 
 ing machine. Use silk thread. Tear off pattern and it will 
 be ready to work. This will stand more handling than 
 when stamped with powder. Finish by adding fringe to the 
 ends, about seven inches deep, of a lighter shade than the 
 cloth. 
 
 Laundry Bag. — It is made ofecru linen or drilling, and 
 the size in accordance with its requirements; made in form 
 like a bag, with one side longer than the other, to form a 
 folding lap to come over the top, and fasten to the front 
 side, pocket-book style. Design, embroidered in outline 
 upon it, is a woman's basket of clothes hanging on line to 
 dry. Motto: "Oh my! Will these clothes never dry?'* 
 Another: Two little girls and a basket of clothes. Motto: 
 "We don't mind wash day, do we?" 
 
 Case for Umbrella. — Made of same material as laun- 
 dry bags, cut tapering, length Irom 30 to 36 inches, width 
 five or six inches at the top, tapering to three or four at the 
 bottom, and with a gusset on each side, the front piece 
 about one inch narrower than the back, and several inches 
 shorter, (it is hung up by the back). Appropriate designs 
 are as follow: Leafless vine with miniature umbrellas 
 hanging to branches. Motto: "Every cloud has a silver 
 lining.'' Another has the point of a compass. Motto: 
 "Weather-wise.'' These cases are trimmed with a red 
 braid and are both useful and pretty. They would make 
 nice presents for gentlemen. 
 
 Cheap Mirror Frame. — Some of the young girls may 
 want to know how to make an inexpensive, handsome 
 mirror. Get a good glass, size you wish, beveled, if you 
 can afford it. They are much cheaper if bought unframed. 
 Have your carpenter make for it a plain pine wood frame, 
 quite broad; cover this with plush, any color, on which 
 you have embroidered a spray of woodbine, clematis, or 
 some other graceful flower or vine, or embroider this ap- 
 propriate motto in quaint old Roman letters, in gold or 
 flosses: 
 
— 41 — 
 
 "Be to my virtues ever kind. 
 Be to my faults a little blind." 
 
 Or you can quote the phrase from Richard III : 
 "That I may see my shadow as I pass." 
 
 A bow of satin ribbon attached to one corner will add 
 much to its beauty. 
 
 Etching on Lichen. — Those who are interested in 
 drawing or etching, will find the common lichen a most 
 beautiful thing tr*- work upon, and it makes a handsome 
 present. You can find them in the woods, on old logs or 
 stumps, where the land is rich and moist. The way to 
 work them is to take a large, pointed needle, or a small 
 hand-saw file is better; sharpen the small round end; this 
 is easier held in hand than the needle. Get the lichens 
 that have a white surface on the under side, and use needle 
 or file same as pencil, working the object in surface. The 
 deeper you work the darker shade you will have. Land- 
 scapes are very nice when properly worked. These make 
 a fine ornament for a corner bracket or mantel; also a 
 curiosity for our city cousins when they visit us. It re- 
 quires patience, as well as any other work of this nature. 
 
 MINOR HINTS. 
 
 Toilet bottles make a very pretty present. Take a 
 ■square bottle and cover it with satin; make it so as to come 
 some distance below the bottom, and gather. Fringe, or 
 trim around the top with lace and ornament the front with 
 painting or embroidery. 
 
 A work box is both useful and ornamental. Procure 
 a large wicker baskc , such as grocers keep oranges in. 
 Gild it with gold pair... Run a crimson ribbon through 
 the open spaces at the top and bottom Or better still, 
 
— 42 — 
 
 make a band of plush of some pretty color, and embroider,, 
 in ribbon work, some daisies. Be sure to get a tall 
 basket. 
 
 A pretty "handy board" is made of a small rolling pin 
 Gild the handles, cover the center with plush or velvet, 
 fasten a row of hooks on one side of the roller, which is to 
 be hung up by satin ribbon fastened to the handles. Hang 
 on the hook all such losable articles as button-hooks, keys, 
 etc. 
 
 A pretty whisk-broom holder is made of a piece of paste- 
 board, palette shaped. Cover with garnet or blue plush, then 
 sew across the centre a piece of satin ribbon to match, just 
 loose enough to allow the broom to pass through without 
 falling out. 
 
 Pretty napkin holders are made of clothes-pins painted 
 snow white. Paint on them a small design of flowers and 
 tie a ribbon around at top. 
 
 A pair of spectacle wipers is very handy. Cut two 
 pieces of chamois leather any shape you wish (egg-shape is 
 pretty), cover one side with bright leather, bind with nar- 
 row ribbon, and attach the two pieces with a bow. 
 
 For your school children, make each a "pen wiper," 
 or little book of chamois, or some bright leather, tied with 
 ribbon, with the name on back in bright ink, or a dainty 
 flower drawn or painted. Bits of flannel or cloth cut in 
 circles and folded twice and set on a round base with a 
 covered button to put on the center. 
 
 Match scratches are made of pieces of "backing 
 board" in circles, ovals, or panel-shape. If you are handy 
 with pen or brush, decorate one side and paste sand paper 
 on the other, and suspend with ribbon. Or if you can not 
 do that, cover one side with cloth, felt, velvet or satin, and 
 put on it a pretty picture. By padding the board with 
 cotton before putting on the outside you get a better effecU 
 These make pretty ornaments without the sand paper. 
 
— 43 — 
 
 A rich and handsome table cover may be made of aida 
 canvas, square or in scarf style, with a wine-colored plush 
 square in the center, fastened on with feather stitching in 
 yellow silk. The edge of canvas should be raveled out, and 
 knotted into fringe, about three inches from which feather- 
 stitch a band of plush, and above this may be a design 
 worked in crewels, if it is a scarf, or if square, in each 
 corner. 
 
 Crazy silk patchwork bands are pretty for decorating 
 table covers, curtains and chair covers. The pieces must 
 be small and of elegant silk, satin and velvet. 
 
 A simple and pretty table cover for a bed-room lamp- 
 stand may be made of pale blue canton flannel trimmed with 
 antique lace, or with black velvet ribbon feather- stitched 
 on with yellow floss, and the edge finished with a fringe of 
 blue worsted tied in. One similar to this, of cardinal, all- 
 wool, canvas or basket flannel, is pretty for the sitting 
 room. 
 
 Neat and pretty bureau or wash-stand covers are made 
 of scrim or dotted muslin in scarf shape, trimmed with 
 deep lace, and lined with pink or blue silesia. 
 
 FANCY KNIT ARTICLES. 
 
 Infant's Knitted Shirt. — Use white saxony, and two- 
 medium sized knitting needles. The shirt is knit from the 
 bottom up. Cast on ninety-seven stitches, and knit across 
 plain. 1. Knit three, thread over, knit one, thread over, 
 knit three, slip one, knit two together, knit one, draw the 
 one slipped over the other two; repeat until all the stitches 
 are off the needle. 2. Seam across. 3. Same as first, 
 only knitting two together at the beginning and end. 4, 
 Seam across. 5. Like first, only knitting two together at 
 
— 44 — 
 
 beginning and end. 6. Seam across. 7. Like first, only 
 knitting two together at beginning and end. 8. Knit 
 across plain. 9. Seam across. 10. Knit across. Knit the 
 above five times. Now, knit two, seam two, knit two, seam two 
 across, adding a stitch at the end to make an even number. 
 Next row, knit two, and seam two across; repeat this until five 
 and one-fourth inches in length. Then knit two together, 
 thread over, knit two together, thread over, etc. Next knit 
 across plain, and then bind off. This is one side. Knit 
 the other like it. Sleeve. — Cast on seventy-five stitches. 
 Knit two rows or points like the first part of the pattern. 
 Then knit two and seam two each time across, taking care 
 to put the saxony over the needle before the first stitch 
 each time, to form the gore. Knit and seam the gore the 
 same as the other part of the sleeve. Knit and seam an 
 inch, and then divide the sleeve in three equal parts. Knit 
 and seam the two sides as before, but the middle, knit two 
 together, thread over, etc., for the holes. Then knit plain 
 across, and bind off. Sew the parts together with saxony. 
 In joining the sleeve and body, care should be taken to 
 have the last hole in the sleeve opposite the last in the body, 
 so the ribbon will run through easily. 
 
 Ladies' Knit Skirt. — Get two ounces of scarlet Ger- 
 mantown wool, and five or six, as the length requires, of 
 any color you wish. First, put the wool in a basin and 
 pour boiling water over it, let stand until cool, then wring 
 out and hang to dry; this shrinks the wool and you will 
 find it very soft. Use needles, a trifle smaller than an or- 
 dinary pen-holder. Knit your skirt in two breadths. 
 Front breadth set up one hundred and fifty stitches. 1. 
 Knit plain across (red worsted). 2. Seam two,* knit three 
 plain, thread over, knit one, thread over, knit one, knit two 
 plain, then seam three together; repeat from * until last two 
 stitches on needle, seam those. 3. Seam (this means 
 purl). 4. Same as second row, which is fancy row. This 
 and the seaming back forms your pattern until you have it 
 
— 45 — 
 
 deep enough to please. Be sure, at commencement of fancy 
 row to always seam two together, then go from * to *. This 
 makes your border. Now put on your other color, and 
 knit eight plain, eight seam, and so on, making a plaid; do 
 six rows of blocks (eight rows making the square), then 
 change, and seam three and knit three until half a finger 
 from the top: this knit plain. In narrowing, commence 
 after you finish plaid, and narrow every other row, begin 
 ning and end of needle, when the plain part is reached. 
 Also narrow in the front by dividing the stitches that are on 
 the needle in three parts, and narrow in two places in the 
 middle part, making as it were, two gores in front. When 
 you have your length, bind off. Make shorter than you 
 wish, as in wearing the skirt will grow longer. For the 
 back breadth, put on one hundred and fifty stitches. Knit 
 as above, only no narrowing; knit to match length of front; 
 then sew them neatly together, put on a small yoke or band 
 to suit your waist, and you will have a pretty and durable 
 skirt. 
 
 Knit Money Purses. — Cast on 100 stitches. Needles, 
 No. 20. Slip one, knit one, pass the slipped edge over it, 
 bring the silk forward, knit one, bring silk forward, purl one; 
 repeat to the end of the row. Every succeeding row is the 
 same. Three skeins of coarse netting silk are required. It 
 forms a gentleman's strong purse. 
 
 Herring-Bone Stitch Purse. — Cast on any number of 
 stitches that can be divided by four. Needles, No. 20. 
 About eighty stitches will be required. 
 
 1. Pass the silk over, slip one, knit one, pass the 
 slipped stitch over it, knit one, bring the silk forward, purl 
 one; repeat to the end of the row. Every row is the same. 
 Three skeins of second sized silk will be required. 
 
 Purse with Beads. — Second sized purse twist, and' 
 needles No. 20 are required. Cast on sixty stitches in net- 
 ting silk. 1. Knit one, bring the silk forward, knit two to- 
 gether, bring silk forward, pass on a bead, placing in be- 
 
— 46 — 
 
 hind the needle, knit two together; repeat to the end of the 
 row, placing a bead every alternate pattern. 2. Same as 
 first row without beads. 3. Knit one, bring silk forward, 
 pass on a bead, knit two together, bring silk forward, knit 
 two together; repeat. 4. Same as first row without beads. 
 Commence again at first row. 
 
 Clover-Leaf Spread or Tidy. — 1. Cast on one 
 stitch. 2. Thread over, knit one. 3. Thread over, knit 
 two. 4. Thread over, knit one, thread over, knit one, 
 thread over, knit the rest. 5. Thread over, knit one, purl 
 three, knit the rest. 6. Thread over, knit three, thread 
 over, knit one, thread over, knit the rest. 7. Thread 
 over, knit two, purl five, knit the rest. 8. Thread over, 
 knit five, thread over, knit one, thread over, knit the rest. 
 9. Thread over, knit three, purl seven, knit the rest. 10. 
 Thread over, knit seven, thread over, knit one, thread over, 
 knit the rest. 11. Thread over, knit four, purl nine, knit 
 the rest. 12. Thread over, knit nine, thread over, knit 
 one, thread over, knit the rest. 13. Thread over, knit 
 five, purl eleven, knit the rest. 14. Thread over, knit 
 eleven, thread over, knit one, thread over, knit the rest. 
 15. Thread over, knit six, purl thirteen, knit the rest. 16. 
 Thread over, knit thirteen, thread over, knit one, thread 
 over, knit the rest. 17. Thread over, knit seven, purl 
 fifteen, knit the rest. 18. Thread over, knit eight, slip and 
 find, knit eleven, narrow, knit the rest. 19. Thread over, 
 knit eight, purl thirteen, knit the rest. 20. Thread over, 
 knit nine, slip and bind, knit nine, narrow, knit the rest. 
 21. Thread over, knit nine, purl eleven, knit the rest. 22. 
 Thread over, knit ten, slip and bind, knit seven, narrow, 
 knit the rest. 23. Thread over, knit ten, purl nine, knit 
 the rest. 24. Thread over, knit eleven, slip and bind, 
 knit five, narrow, knit the rest. 25. Thread over, knit 
 eleven, purl seven, knit the rest. 26. Thread over, knit 
 twelve, slip and bind, knit three, narrow, knit the rest. 27. 
 Thread over, knit twelve, purl five, knit the rest. 28. 
 
— 47 — 
 
 Thread over, knit thirteen, slip and bind, knit one, 
 narrow, knit the rest. 29. Thread over, knit thirteen, purl 
 three, knit the rest. 30. Thread over, knit fourteen, slip 
 and bind, knit the rest. 31. Thread over, knit fourteen, 
 purl two, knit the rest. 32. Thread over, knit fifteen, slip 
 a.nd bind, knit the rest. 33. Thread over, knit across 
 plain. 34. Thread over, knit plain. 35, 36 and 37 same 
 as 34. 38. Thread over, knit plain. 39. Purl across. 40. Nar- 
 row, thread over, narrow, thread over, narrow, so continue 
 across. 41. Narrow, purl across. 42 and 43. Narrow, 
 knit plain. 44. Narrow, purl across. 45 and 46. Nar- 
 row, knit plain. 47. Narrow, purl across. 48. Narrow, 
 thread over, narrow, thread over, so continue across. 49. 
 Narrow, purl across. 50 and 51. Narrow, knit plain. 52. 
 Narrow, purl across. 53 and 54. Narrow, knit plain. 55. 
 Narrow, purl across. 56. Narrow, thread over, narrow, 
 thread over, continue so across. 57. Narrow, purl across- 
 58 and 59. Narrow, knit plain. 60. Narrow, purl across. 
 61 and 62. Narrow, knit plain. 63. Narrow, purl across. 
 64. Narrow, thread over, thread over, thread over, so con- 
 tinue across. 65. Narrow, purl across. 66 and 67. 
 Narrow, knit plain. 68. Narrow, purl across. 69 and 70. 
 Narrow, knit plain. 71. Narrow, purl across. 72. Nar- 
 row, thread over, narrow, thread over, narrow, thread over, 
 until only one stitch remains. When you have knit four 
 squares, sew together, with the four leaves in the center. 
 This is the handsomest pattern ever published. 
 
 KITCHEN NOTES. 
 
 In preparing vegetables for the table, it saves time to 
 pare them into the bucket reserved for tne refuse for the 
 cows and pigs. Trimmings that are not fit for food or 
 fertilizers, should be put immediately into the fire. If possi- 
 ble, clear up as you work; it is both economy of time and 
 
— 48 — 
 
 strength. It is much easier to wash out the vesseis in 
 which food is cooked, as soon as their contents are re- 
 moved. If this is not feasible, fill them with cold water, to 
 soak, as heat increases tbe difficulty of cleaning them. 
 Wiping with soft paper will in a great measure absorb 
 grease from pans and dishes, where water ?s scarce, as is 
 sometimes the case. A tablespoonful of ammonia or of wash, 
 ing soda added to the water, lightens the labor by half. 
 Kitchen or mineral soap, or pumice stone, is also invalua- 
 ble. It is excellent for removing stains from white handled 
 knives, and the discolorations of crockery or baking dishes. 
 Tins may be kept in fine order if always washed in clear 
 hot suds and rubbed with this soap. An easy method of 
 removing soot from vessels used over a wood or kerosene 
 fire is to use this soap and a stiff brush. It is a good plan 
 to soak granite ware for half an hour in boiling soda water, 
 then rub with stiff brush or wire dish cloth. This will re- 
 move stains. The musty taste of an old coffee-pot will be 
 lost if filled with water and a live coal is dropped into it. 
 A new tin coffee pot should not be washed on the inside 
 with soap; rinse thoroughly with cold water, and set on the 
 back of stove to dry. When dry, rub with a clean dry 
 cloth. Always leave it open. 
 
 Knives and forks with ivory, bone or wooden handles, 
 should not be put in hot water. In cleaning silver, kerosene 
 may be used to advantage. Salt will remove the stain 
 caused by egg upon silver; it must be applied dry. 
 
 To prepare butter bowls or ladles for immediate use, 
 wet them in warm water, then rub them thoroughly with 
 fine salt. Always wash butter bowls in weak brine, using it 
 hot; never wash in soap suds. If a strip of iron is put un, 
 der a crock or pan when it is put on the stove, it will keep 
 the contents from burning down, with far less stirring, es- 
 pecially when making apple, pear or peach butter, or in 
 heating milk. An old case knife blade is good; any flat 
 and long piece of iron will answer. 
 
— 49 — 
 
 Dinners. — The appointments of a table help a poor 
 dinner, and make up a splendid one. A clean tablecloth, 
 fine napkins, clear glass, bright silver and china, and pretty 
 salt-cellars at each plate, neat little dishes for pickles, etc. 
 can all be made useful on any simple country table. The 
 bunch of flowers in the middle of the table, and the fruit 
 carefully set forth with green leaves, also add much. The 
 soup always begins the dinner. Never insult a guest with 
 greasy soup. Let the stock be made the day before, and 
 the vegetables or seasoning put in on the day of serving. 
 A white soup is delicious in summer. Every lady should 
 learn how to make an asparagus or pea soup, and to add 
 sorrel to her clear or her creamy soup, to give a spring like 
 effect to this beginning of her dinner. Following the soup 
 comes the fish. In country neighborhoods this is some- 
 times difficult to get, and a lady can make very good 
 croquettes from canned lobsters. However, the many ways 
 of transporting fish make it possible to give a fish dinner 
 anywhere. After the fish the first entree is in order. This 
 can be of chicken croquettes, sweet breads with green peas, 
 of simply a vegetable. After this comes the roast, and with 
 this should be passed one or two vegetables. Do not have 
 too many vegetables. There should be choice for a variety 
 of tastes, but no more. After the roast comes another en- 
 tree, perhaps birds on toast or asparagus served alone, or 
 cauliflower with parmesan cheese or macaroni. Then 
 olives are handed around and cheese, and then the salad. 
 
 It must be a part of evtry lady's education to know 
 how to dress a salad. Fresh lettuce and chiccory are good 
 foundations for salad, also the cold potatoes and vegetables 
 left from yesterday's dinner. Tomatoes make an admira- 
 ble sa ad, and should be skinned whole, by dropping into 
 hot water, and taking out to cool slowly, by dropping into 
 very cold water. After making the mayonnaise, put both 
 salad and dressing into some cold place, until just before 
 serving, for they should be cold. Some ladies serve a cold 
 
— 50 — 
 
 fowl with mayonnaise dressing in summer. A bit of cold roast 
 ham is a delicious accompaniment to the salad. In speak- 
 ing of entrees it is proper to state that oysters are allowed to 
 appear at all stages of a dinner. They are neither fish, 
 flesh nor fowl. They may be served as soup, precede the 
 soup on the half shell, or come in as an e?itree at any stage 
 of the dinner, fried or scalloped. They are always welcome 
 with the salad, fried. Ladies living far from market should 
 provide themselves with smoked tongues, canned meats and 
 plenty of well-cured hams. A smoked tongue, boiled and 
 served hot with a white sauce, cut lengthwise in- 
 stead of crosswise, is one of the most delicate dishes. With 
 fresh vegetables this makes an admirable summer dinner 
 when guests are not too hungry. 
 
 Attention to the little elegancies of the table goes far 
 toward making up for lack of elaborate cooking. Nothing 
 is more unpleasant than to sit down on a hot summer day 
 to a greasy piece of roast beef, with no relief of fruit, 
 flowers, salads or entrees. Some ladies can get nothing else 
 from market. If she can get a knuckle of veal, a woman 
 can make her soup the day before, flavoring it with celery 
 seed. On the day for using she puts beaten eggs and a 
 little cream into the soup just before dinner. She makes 
 from her canned stores a dish of salmon or lobster cro- 
 quettes. Then she boils a large quantity of potatoes, and 
 of some she makes a salad, seasoning with a little onion, 
 and garnishing with parsley. The roast beef can be carved 
 in the kitchen and sent in on hot plates. Then the waiter 
 should be neat-handed, "shod in silence," and an adept in 
 handling things. The waiter should be trained every day 
 to serve the dinner gracefully, or she cannot do it when 
 company comes. Never urge guests to eat more than they 
 want. No one should ask to be helped twice to soup. It 
 is, however, proper at a country or informal dinner for a 
 person to ask for another slice of the roast if the dinner is 
 not profuse m entrees, and the hostess may tell her guest 
 
— 51 — 
 
 this fact if she sees that he hesitates. Young men are 
 generally hungry, and, unless she has an elaborate dinner, 
 she should ask her young friend if he will not be helped 
 again to the roast. At dessert, hot puddings and pies should 
 be passed before the rices and jellies. A very elegant din- 
 ner demands a cabinet pudding with sauce; then come the 
 ices, charlotte russe, and jellies. But the hostess of to-day 
 is very apt to offer only a fruit ice, or a form of chocolate 
 or vanilla cream, which is about all one can enjoy after a 
 dinner of four courses. The proper service with this is a 
 basket of cake, strawberries in their season, or other 
 berries. Unless you have fresh cream to offer with berries, 
 this is a favorite way of serving them. Have plenty of 
 clean plates and place one before each guest as his plate is 
 removed. There it no surer sign of an ill-trained waiter 
 than leaving a guest without a plate before him. 
 
 Black coffee, clear and strong, served in little cups, and 
 with small teaspoons, should be served after dinner, and 
 with it small lumps of sugar and cream also for those who 
 like it. Filling glass bottles with ice water saves the spill- 
 ing of water from a pitcher, and is a great saving of 
 trouble. All Americans like ice water at every stage of the 
 dinner. These glass bottles are called carafes, and one 
 should be placed with the glass at every plate. A little at- 
 tention to the proper garnishings of plain dishes, the study 
 of salads and entrees, which can be easily learned, will soon 
 make a woman independent of her surroundings. While 
 all other meals may be treated with a certain sort of liberty, 
 dinner, even with your own family, should be a well-regu- 
 lated meal, and served with precision. 
 
 Silver needs care, as nothing adds to a table more than 
 a fine show of silver, well kept, but if chased or engraved 
 it must be carefully brushed when cleaned. Avoid cheap 
 flashy ware. Nothing detracts more from the fine appear- 
 ance of a table than cheap single or double plate which is 
 flaked or worn off in places. In selecting silver, if you 
 
— 52 — 
 
 cannot afford solid, get the quadruple plate which is war- 
 ranted. That manufactured by E. G. Webster & Bros.;: 
 and Wm. Rogers & Son, is said by all to be much the best, 
 either firm being reliable. 
 
 Dip for Cleaning. — In 3 gallons of soft water dissolve 
 1 pound of cyanide of potassium, chemically pure. This 
 should be kept in a covered earthen or stone jar properly 
 labeled, as it is a deadly poison. Simply rinse the articles 
 to be cleansed in this solution. (Do not leave them in it, 
 as the cyanide acts on the silver.) Then thoroughly wash 
 them in clean water and dry with soft cloths. Cyanide, 
 chemically pure, costs one dollar per pound. If it cannot 
 be obtained at home, you can get it at any silver ware 
 manufactory. 
 
 Soups and Broths. — Care is required in seasoning 
 soups, and indeed all dishes, for upon it depends largely 
 the favor which it meets. If too faint, it has a flat 
 unpalatable taste, but this is the lesser fault as one may add 
 condiments until the palate is suited, but over-seasoning is 
 worse. Where there is an excess of pepper it may be miti- 
 gated by adding a little warm milk, and too much salt may 
 be obviated by adding a teaspoonful of sugar and a table- 
 spoonful of vinegar to each quart. Soup should be eaten 
 from the side of the spoon. Never put the point of any 
 spoon into your mouth. It is not etiquette now to crumb 
 bread or crackers into your soup. Take the slice into your 
 hand and bite from it. 
 
 Delicious clam soup is made by putting thirty hard 
 clams into a pot containing two quarts of water, and boil- 
 ing gently for two hours. Remove the clams, chop them 
 fine, add a little mace, and twelve peppercorns; return to 
 the pot and boil another hour. To two tablespoonfuls of 
 flour,. add a small tablespoonful of butter; mix perfectly 
 smooth; have ready one pint of boiling milk, into which 
 stir the mixture until smooth, which is easily done if the 
 milk is added gradually. When the clams are sufficiently 
 
— 53 — 
 
 cooked, strain the soup into the tureen, and stir in the hot 
 thickened milk. Olive Chesney. 
 
 "Topsy's" Beef Soup. — Boil the beef tender; then 
 take out into a baking pan with a little broth, and put into 
 the oven; covered; then chop fine a pint of cabbage, three 
 large potatoes, and two onions; put these in the broth to 
 cook while you set the table, then add three tablespoonfuls 
 of cold rice, and last of all one cupful of flour, into which 
 break an egg and rub together fine; when this is stirred in, 
 if it is too thick, add a little water; salt and pepper to 
 taste. When it has boiled well, it is ready for the table. 
 
 Noodle Soup. — Boil beef or chicken with plenty of 
 water; take one egg to a person, mix in flour as long as 
 you can. It should be so stiff that it will be difficult to 
 roll out. Then roll out; leave on a moulding board or 
 table to dry. Keep turning the cakes as they will dry 
 faster. When dry roll and cut in threads as fine as possi- 
 ble. Five minutes before dinner put the noodles into soup 
 stock; let it boil about three minutes; add parsley, salt and 
 pepper to taste. 
 
 "Pepper Pot." — Put into soup stock about one quart of 
 raw sliced potatoes and make a dough as for noodles, only 
 taking two eggs and a little water. When dry cut in half inch 
 squares or smaller. When the potatoes are done put these 
 in and let it come to a boil. Add finely cut parsley, it 
 possible to obtain it, to all soups. 
 
 Another. — Take two eggs, rub flour into them until you 
 have fine rubs; boil a few minutes and it is ready to serve. 
 
 Rice Soup. — About one teacupful of rice boiled in soup 
 stock is all that is used for rice soup. 
 
 Vegetable Soup. — Time, 9 hours. — Take 5 lbs. of shin 
 of beef, 1 quart of water to each pound of meat, 1 head of 
 celery, 1 onion, 4 small or 3 large carrots, 2 turnips, a bunch 
 of sweet herbs, pepper and salt. Cut the meat from the 
 bone; put the bone into a stew pan with water, let it boil 
 slowly 4 hours; then strain into a large basin; when cold, 
 
— 54 — 
 
 remove the cake of fat; cut the meat into small pieces, put 
 them into a stew pan with the strained gravy, the herbs tied 
 together, celery, onion, carrots and turnips; let all simmer 
 slowly for five hours; season with pepper and salt to taste. 
 When done, take out herbs and serve. 
 
 Bean Soup. — Soak one quart of white beans over night; 
 in the morning pour off the water; add fresh, and set over 
 the fire until the skins will slip off easily; throw them into 
 cold water; rub well, and the skins will rise to the top 
 whence they can be removed. Boil the beans until perfect- 
 ly soft, allowing 2 quarts of water to 1 quart of beans; 
 mash the beans, add flour and butter rubbed together, also 
 salt and pepper. Cut bread into small pieces, toast and 
 drop on the soup when you serve it. 
 
 Tomato Soup. — One quart of canned tomatoes must 
 be strained through a sieve to remove seeds. Have 1 quart 
 of sweet milk in a separate dish, and add 1 tablespoonfull 
 of sugar, \ teaspoonful of salt, 1 tablespoonful of butter. 
 Let each come nearly to a boil; just before mixing stir a 
 small pinch of soda into the tomatoes, pour the milk very 
 slowly into the tomatoes, stirring constantly. Serve im- 
 mediately, with crackers or toasted bread. 
 
 Milk Soup. — Peel and cut into quarters, 4 large pota- 
 toes, slice 1 onion, put them into 2 quarts of boiling water 
 with 2 oz. of butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Boil till 
 done to a mash. Strain through a colander, rub the vege- 
 tables through with a spoon, return the pulp and soup to 
 the sauce-pan, add 1 pint of milk, when it boils sprinkle in 
 by degrees 3 tablespoonfuls of crushed tapioca, stirring 
 well all the time. Boil 15 minutes, keeping it well stirred; 
 serve very hot. 
 
 Potato Soup. — Boil 6 or 8 good sized potatoes m 
 about 2 quarts of water, slice up 4 or more onions if you 
 like them, put in a lump of butter the size of egg, season to 
 taste with pepper and salt. When the potatoes and onions 
 have cooked five minutes, add a pint of sweet milk; and a 
 
— 00 — 
 
 few bread crumbs or crackers; serve hot. 
 
 Oyster Stew. — Put 1 quart of oysters, and \ pint of 
 water into a kettle; let it boil till the oysters are done, 
 which will be in about five minutes. Then strain, putting 
 the oysters in a soup tureen, and the liquor back into the 
 kettle; add to it 1 pint of milk; heat boiling hot, season 
 with pepper and salt. Add to the oysters a piece of butter 
 the size of an egg, lastly pour the hot liquor over the 
 oysters. 
 
 Stewed Lobster. — Cut the lobster in pieces about an 
 inch square. Place them in a stew pan and over them pour 
 a cupful of water; put in butter the size of an egg, pepper 
 and salt to taste. Mix also with it the green dressing of 
 the lobster, and stir it 10 minutes over the fire. Just before 
 taking off add two wineglasses of port or sherry. Let it 
 scald but not boil. 
 
 Broiled Fish. — Clean, wash and wipe dry. Split so 
 that when laid flat the backbone will be in the middle. 
 Sprinkle with salt and lay inside down upon a buttered 
 gridiron over a clear fire until it is nicely colored, then 
 turn. When done, put upon a hot dish, butter plentifully 
 and add pepper. Put a hot cover over it and send to the 
 table. 
 
 Boiled Fish. — Put plenty of water into the pot. Add 
 ■J cupful of vinegar, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 onion, 1 dozen 
 peppercorns, and 1 blade of mace. Sew up the fish m a 
 piece of clean net or muslin, fitted to shape. Heat slowly 
 tor the first half hour, then boil 8 minutes at least to each 
 pound, quite fast. Unwrap, and pour over .t a cupful of 
 drawn butter, with a little of the liquor which the fisn was 
 boiled in, with the juice of half a lemon stirred into it. 
 
 Baked Fish. — A fish weighing 4 to 6 pounds is of good 
 size to bake. It should be cooked whole to look wen. 
 Make a dressing of bread crumbs, butter, salt, and a lutie 
 salt pork chopped fine; mix this with one egg. Fill the 
 body, sew it up, lay into a large dripper, put across u some 
 
— 56 — 
 
 strips of salt pork for flavor, Put a pint of water and a 
 little salt into the pan. Bake 1^ hours. Baste frequently. 
 After taking up the fish, thicken the gravy and pour over 
 it. To make a cream gravy for baked fish, have ready in a 
 sauce pan 1 cupful of cream, diluted with a few spoonfuls 
 of hot water; stir in carefully 2 tablespoonfuls of melted 
 butter and a little chopped parsley; heat this in a vessel of 
 hot water. Pour in the gravy from the dripping pan of fish. 
 Boil thick. 
 
 Fried Fish. — Clean the fish and let them lie singly in a 
 dry towel: season with salt and a little pepper, roll in corn 
 meal, and fry in ^ butter § lard. Have the grease very hot. 
 Serve hot. 
 
 Cod Fish Balls. — Put the fish in cold water, set on the 
 back of the stove. When the water gets hot, pour off and 
 pour on cold again until the fish is fresh enough. Then 
 pick it it pieces. Boil some potatoes and mash them; mix 
 the fish and potatoes together while the potatoes are hot, 
 taking § of potatoes and J of fish. Put in plenty of butter; 
 make in balls and fry in plenty of lard. Have the lard hot 
 before putting the balls into it. 
 
 Clam Chowder. — Take 25 clams, ^ it) of salt pork, 
 chopped fine, 6 potatoes sliced thin, and 4 onions sliced 
 thin. Put the pork into a kettle; after cooking a short time 
 add the potatoes, onions, and the juice of the clams. Cook 
 2^ hours, then add the clams; 15 minutes before serving 
 add 2 quarts of milk. 
 
 Scalloped Oysters. — Take 1 quart of fine oysters, 1 
 coffee cupful of pounded or rolled crackers, 2 teaspoonfuls 
 of butter, J cupful of rich milk or cream; pepper and salt 
 to taste. Butter a baking dish and cover the bottom pretty 
 thickly with rolled crackers; wet with oyster liquor and a 
 few spoonfuls of cream, next lay the oysters 1 deep closely 
 over these. Sprinkle with pepper and salt and small bits of 
 butter, then another layer of crumbs, wet as before, then a 
 layer of oysters, and proceed in the same way until the 
 
— 57 — 
 
 dish is full, having crumbs on top with butter strewed over 
 it. Set into the oven, invert a plate or tin over dish; bake 
 until the juice bubbles to top; uncover, and set upon upper 
 grating of oven to brown. Serve in the same dish. Pass 
 sliced lemon after it. Oysters, like fish, follow immediately 
 after soup and are a course by themselves. 
 
 Fried Oysters. — Select the largest and finest oysters; 
 strain and wipe them by spreading on a cloth, laying 
 another over them and pressing lightly. Roll each in 
 beaten egg, then in cracker crumbs which have been mixed 
 with a very little pepper. Fry in a mixture of equal parts 
 of butter and lard, and serve very hot. 
 
 MEATS. 
 
 The rules for roasting meat apply to broiling, except 
 that instead of cooking in the oven it is placed on a 
 gridiron over hot coals, and browned first on one side then 
 on the other; removing a little away from the fire to finish 
 cooking. It requires 20 minutes to broil meat an inch 
 thick. Season with pepper, salt and butter after it is 
 cooked. 
 
 Boiling and Stewing. — Fresh meat for boiling should 
 be put into boiling water and cooked gently about 20 
 minutes for each pound of young beef. Add salt to suit 
 the taste. A little vinegar in the water in which tough 
 meat is boiled makes it tender. Save all the broth 
 for soups, stews and gravies. Simmering and stewing 
 meats means to not have them boil hard; simply bubble 
 slowly, but all the time. Put salt meat over in cold water, 
 which as soon as it boils, should be replaced by fresh 
 water. The water should be changed until the meat is 
 
— 58 — 
 
 fresh enough to be palatable. Salted and smoked meats 
 require about 30 minutes of very slow boiling to each 
 pound. Vegetables may be boiled with them (many so 
 prefer) also herbs for seasoning. If they are to be served 
 hot, set the kettle containing them where it will not boil» 
 but keep hot until required. If the meat is to be served 
 cold, let it cool in the liquor in which it was boiled. Very 
 salt meats, or those much dried in smoking, should be 
 soaked over night in cold water before boiling. 
 
 Frying. — There are two distinct methods of frying; one is 
 to have very little fat in the pan, and both pan and fat should 
 be very ^ot before the meat is put into it. The chop, steak, 
 etc., should be quickly put into the pan with only sufficient 
 fat to keep it from sticking; brown quickly on one side, 
 then on the other. The other method consists of entirely 
 immersing the article to be cooked in smoking hot fat, and 
 keeping up that degree of heat until the food is nicely 
 browned. 
 
 Roast Beef. — Rib roasts are best. Have the butcher 
 saw off about half the bone; cut the ends of ribs clear of 
 meat, fold the flap neatly around to the thick part, and se- 
 cure with skewers. The trimmings are yours, as the meat 
 is weighed first; take it all; it will make good material for 
 soups or gravy. Put the beef into a dripping pan, pour a 
 cupful of boiling water over it; rub a little salt into the fat 
 parts, and roast 15 minutes for every pound. Bake faster 
 as soon as the juice begins to flow. If meat has much fat 
 on top, cover the fatty portion with a paste made of flour 
 and water. When nearly done remove this, dredge the 
 beef with flour, and baste well with gravy. Sprinkle salt 
 over the top, and serve. Pour the fat from the gravy, re- 
 turn it to the fire, thicken with browned gravy, season, and 
 boil up once. Roast most other meats in the same way. 
 
 A Choice Steak. — It you want a good steak that is not 
 like an old rubber shoe sole, have a clear hot fire, set a 
 clean empty pan on the stove, cover it up, then pound the 
 
— 59 — 
 
 steak, and when the pan is very hot lay the steak in and 
 cover quickly. As soon as it is crisped enough to let go its 
 hold on the pan, turn over and cover quickly; turn again as. 
 at first, and continue to do so about every two minutes, un- 
 til it has been turned six or eight times. Have a hot but- 
 tered dish ready for it, and lay it in; add a sprinkling of 
 pepper, salt and sugar, and cover tightly. If you wish a 
 gravy put a bit of butter into the pan; when hot rub in a 
 pinch of flour, add a small teacupful of boiling water, let it 
 boil a few minutes, then put it into a gravy boat, instead of 
 over the steak to draw out the juice. 
 
 Warming Beef Steak Over. — If a cold beef steak be 
 covered with sweet cream, and put into a moderately heated 
 oven, it will renew its departed goodness and make a very 
 relishable dish for even an epicure. In fact, sweet cream 
 will make a nice dressing to any kind of fresh meat, either 
 warmed over or just cooked, if poured over the meat and 
 put into the oven to crisp, or set on the back of the, stove 
 to simmer till thoroughly heated through. If cream is used 
 on newly cooked meats, it must not be added till the meat 
 is done, then put it into a clean spider; lay the slices of 
 meat so as to cover the bottom of the dish, then pour 
 the cream over and crisp in an oven, or cover closely and 
 put it to simmer slowly till ready to serve. Dot. 
 
 Cooking a Steak. — Get a round steak an inch thick,; 
 cut out the bone and with a darning needle and twine take 
 a stitch or two in the cut; then sprinkle both sides with salt 
 and pepper. Moisten half a common sized loaf of stale 
 wheat bread with a cuplul of hot water, then chop it fine 
 with about one fifth as much salt pork, season with two 
 heaping teaspoonfuls ot powdered sage, and a half tea- 
 spoonful each of pepper and salt, spread this dressing 
 evenly over one side of the steak, using a little hot water if 
 the dressing is too dry. Cut a piece of butter,half the size of 
 a large egg y into bits and place it round on the dressing, 
 roll the meat up, wind it with twine, and take a stitch or two 
 
— Co- 
 in the ends of the roll, to retain the dressing. Place it in a 
 dripping pan with two or three cupfuls of boiling water, 
 and bake until done. Baste several times while baking. 
 When done, do not remove the string, but send the roll to 
 the table whole and cut slices from the ends. If you want 
 it to slice cold, press under a weight until cold. When 
 oysters are in season, we sometimes use a pint of oysters in 
 the dressing, leaving out the pork and sage. Fanny Field. 
 
 Smothered Beef Steak. — When one is tired of steak 
 cooked in the ordinary way, it is very nice "smothered." 
 Prepare a seasoning of bread crumbs mixed with a very 
 little minced onion, a small piece of butter, pepper and 
 salt; spread it on the steak, roll and tie with a string. 
 Place in a sauce pan with a slice of salt pork and a £ pint 
 of water; stew until tender, which can be ascertained by 
 plunging a fork into the meat. 
 
 Tough Steak. — When we get hold of an uncommonly 
 tough steak, we do no.t spend our time pounding it, but put 
 it into the chopping tray and chop it fine. Then we flour 
 our hands and make the meat into flat cakes, as we would 
 sausage meat. Next we fry the cakes quickly in a very hot 
 skillet, buttered just enough to prevent the meat from stick- 
 ing too close. Take them out on a hot platter, put a piece 
 of butter on top of each cake, put a little salt, pepper, 
 butter and a cupful of hot water into the skillet, let it boil 
 a minute, then pour over the meat. Beef that is not steak 
 can be cooked that way, and is excellent. If you have 
 steak or roast beef left over, chop the pieces fine with a 
 little onion, mix with J as much bread crumbs, season with 
 pepper and salt; moisten with hot water (unless you happen 
 to have some gravy left over) make into flat cakes, spread a 
 layer of cold mashed potato on both sides, lay them on a 
 well-buttered dripping pan, put a bit of butter on top of 
 each cake set into the oven till hot through, and brown on 
 the top. These cakes are handy ior breakfast, and they 
 can be prepared the night before. 
 
— 61 — 
 
 Mutton Roast. — Place in a kettle with sufficient water, 
 cover closely, boil until about half done, then add salt enough 
 to season, and boil till done; put into a dripping pan, 
 sprinkle with black pepper, set into a hot oven, and let it 
 bake to a crisped brown on top. The water in which it 
 was boiled will make a nice gravy, or you can boil potatoes 
 in it, and it will flavor them. 
 
 Roast Lamb. — Lay the meat in a dripping pan, dash a 
 cupful of cold water over it, and roast in the oven; time 10 
 minutes to a pound. Baste often and treely, and after half 
 an hour cover with a sheet of buttered paper. Five min- 
 utes before taking up remove this dredge with flour; as it 
 browns bring to a froth with butter. Do not send the gravy 
 to the table if you use mint sauce. 
 
 Mint Sauce. — Take 2 tablespoonfuls of green mint,, 
 chopped fine, 1 tablespoonful of white sugar, and 1 cupful 
 of best cider vinegar. Put the vinegar and sugar into a 
 sauce boat and stir the mint in; let it stand 15 minutes be- 
 fore serving. 
 
 Souse. — Clean pig's feet and ears thoroughly, soak them 
 a number of days in salt and water, boil tender and split 
 them. They are good fried. To souse them cold, pour 
 boiling vinegar over them seasoned with mace and 
 pepper-corns. Cloves give them a dark color, but improve 
 their taste. If a little salt be added, they will keep good, 
 pickled for a month or two. 
 
 Veal Cutlets. — Flatten with the side of a hatchet, 
 pepper, salt, dip into raw beaten eggs, then into cracker 
 crumbs, and fry in a little butter, turning as they brown. 
 Dish, and pour over them some drawn butter in which has 
 been cooked a large spoonful of tomato catsup. 
 
 Curing Hams. — For curing hams there are two receipts 
 which are sure to give a good result. The first requires 
 for 100 lbs. of meat 7 lbs. of salt, 2^- lbs. of brown sugar or 
 1 qt. of molasses, 2 oz. of saltpetre, 1 oz. of pepper and 2^ 
 oz. of cloves; mix these two hours before using. The salt- 
 
— 62 — 
 
 petre may easily be dissolved by pouring hot water on it in 
 a small bowl, and afterward adding it to the brine. Add 
 sufficient water to the above preparation to cover the meat 
 which has been packed as close as possible in a cask. 
 
 The second receipt is given in the right quantity for 75 
 lbs. of meat as follows: Three cupfuls of fine salt, 1^ cup- 
 fuls of brown sugar, 1 tablespoonful each of ground cloves, 
 black pepper and saltpetre; mix these ingredients thoroughly 
 together, and as soon as the hams are cut, give them a 
 thorough rubbing all over with the mixture, taking great 
 care to rub it in thoroughly about the joints. Repeat 
 this process three days apart and hang up the meat to 
 drain, after last application. When dry it may be smoked. 
 The quantity given is enough for three applications. 
 
 Boiled Ham. — Boil it 3 or 4 hours, according to size, 
 then skin the whole and fit it for the table, then set into 
 the oven for half an hour; cover thickly with Qgg yolk 
 mixed thick with bread crumbs, then set it back for half an 
 hour longer. Boiled ham is always improved by setting 
 into the oven for nearly an hour, till much of the fat dries 
 out, and it also makes it more tender. 
 
 Remnants of Ham. — If you have boiled a rare fine 
 ham, do not suffer it to return to the table meal after meal, 
 until its very name becomes a jest, and the most robust 
 appetite fails and turns away in disgust. Make an egg 
 omelet, and sprinkle a little powdered ham over it, just be- 
 fore you boil it. For this you can use the dry under parts, 
 or chop up some of the softer parts in small dice and to every 
 cupful add a well seasoned scrambled eggi that is, heat them 
 up together. Broil some slices and send to the table dressed 
 with good hot tomato catsup, that is, when ready to serve, 
 have your catsup hot and pour a little on each slice as you 
 take it off the coals. Mix chopped ham with rice previously 
 boiled and made into croquettes; or try the Southern rule, 
 spreading very thin slices with mustard, pepper,or curry pow- 
 der, and frying them brown, pouring off any superfluous 
 
— 63 — 
 
 grease. Add to the gravy a small pinch of sugar. Fry, bake, 
 boil or roast fresh ham, or that which has been boiled, and 
 add to it a flavor of any kind of meat sauce you may fancy, 
 such as curry, Lee and Perrin's,Worcestershire, or any you 
 may have made at home. Pour a little on the meat while 
 still in the pan, and let it heat through with the meat be- 
 fore coming to 'able. This is known as "barbecued" ham. 
 
 Reliable. 
 
 Cold Fried Ham. — When the house-keeper has scraps 
 of cold fried ham left over from meals, a good way to use 
 them up is to chop them fine as for hash, and beat up one 
 or two eggs, stir in the meat and fry them like scrambled 
 eggs. They are good when one wishes a warm dish for tea. 
 
 Dried Beef. — Housekeepers who live where fresh meat 
 can only be had once or twice a week, are often at a loss 
 to know how to provide a variety of meat in warm weather. 
 We always keep a piece of dried beef on hand, and when we 
 do not know what else to get, we cut as much as we want into 
 thin shavings, put into the skillet, pour hot water over it, 
 let it stand a minute, pour off the water, add a piece of 
 butter, (for a family of five and the quantity of beef re- 
 quired, it will need butter half the size of an egg,) pepper, 
 break three or four eggs into it, and stir around until the 
 eggs are cooked. The skillet and beef should be quite hot 
 and over a quick fire when the eggs are put in. Another 
 nice way to prepare dried beef is to shave it thin, place it 
 in the dish in which it is to be served, and pour over it 
 hot gravy made of half cream and half sweet milk 
 thicken with a little flour, wet with cold milk and seasoned 
 with pepper. Dried beef thus prepared and poured over 
 toasted bread, makes a nice breakfast dish. 
 
 Fanny Field. 
 Pickled Beef. — Have a clean barrel, put a false head 
 in the bottom; to 1 bbl. of beef take 10 lbs. of salt, 10 lbs. 
 of white sugar, and { lb. of saltpetre. Pulverize the salt- 
 petre and mix the three thoroughly. Put a sprinkling on 
 
— 64 — 
 
 the bottom, lay in one layer and pound it down thoroughly;, 
 one cannot pound it too much, then another layer, and so 
 on until full. Put the drying beef on top. Pound all 
 thoroughly, and put the salt and sugar that are left on top. 
 Make no brine, as on the third day it will be covered with 
 brine. As the meat is taken out, put a weight on to keep- 
 the meat under the brine. It will keep till August. 
 
 L. Munson. 
 . Fried Salt Pork. — If the pork is side meat, cut *t 
 into medium thin slices, put into a spider; cover with cold 
 water, set on the back ot the stove until freshened; but do 
 not let it boil. Flour both sides, drop in a small quantity 
 of hot lard or fat, sprinkle with pepper, fry till brown on 
 both sides, and serve immediately. 
 
 Boiled Salt Pork. — Boil a piece of salt pork till 
 nearly done, (if very salty, change the water,) then place on 
 a pan, score the rind, as if you were slicing it for the table, 
 just cutting through the rind, dust with pepper and roast 
 one hour in a hot oven. 
 
 Fresh Sausage. — Put into a frying pan, if stuffed, turn 
 a little water on it, and let it boil dry, add fat enougn to 
 fry. For pickled sausage, boil half an hour, then roast one 
 hour in the oven. 
 
 Making Sausages. — Have f lean and £ fat pork, 
 chopped or ground very fine; 1 lb. of salt, J lb., of pepper 
 and a teacupful of powdered sage to 40 lbs. of meat. Warm 
 the meat so that you can mix it well with the hands. Da 
 up a part in small patties, with a little flour mixed wnn 
 them, the rest pack in jars or cases. They should be kept 
 where it is cool, but not damp. To prevent those sturTe.l 
 in cases from bursting while cooking, never make a hole in. 
 them with a fork when turning. 
 
 Head-cheese. — After the heads are boiled and chopped, 
 season with pepper, salt and sage to taste; put into a kettle 
 heat it hot, then put it into a thin muslin bag and hang np 
 to drain. 
 
— 65 — 
 
 Pig's Feet. — Wash them clean and scrape, place in a 
 deep pan, and pour scalding water over them, take them 
 out, light a piece of paper and burn off" the hairs; then 
 place them in warm water, boil slowly till tender, then put 
 them into vinegar, let them simmer very slowly for 
 half an hour; fill a small muslin bag with equal parts of all- 
 spice and cloves, the bag to be of the size of an egg for 12 
 pig's feet; tie up and drop into the feet and vinegar, let all 
 boil for 10 minutes; salt to taste. 
 
 Caper Sauce. — Take 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, 1 of 
 flour, and mix well; pour on boiling water until it thickens; 
 add 1 hard boiled egg chopped fine, and 2 tablespoonfuls 
 of capers 
 
 Oyster Dressing. — Take 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, 
 and 2 of butter; brown the butter and flour in a dripper; 
 add water to make it thin for gravy; boil; add one pint of 
 oysters chopped; pepper and salt to taste. 
 
 Drawn Butter. — Take -J cupful of butter, 2 table- 
 spoonfuls of flour, rubbed thoroughly together, then stir into 
 a pint of boiling water : a little salt; parsley if wished. 
 
 Mustard Relish. — Take 4 tablespoonfuls of English 
 mustard, 2 teaspoonfulc of salt, 2 teaspoonfuls of white 
 sugar, 2 teaspoonfuls of salad oil, 1 teaspoonlul of pepper, 
 and vinegar to make a smooth paste — that from celery or 
 onion pickle is best. Rub the mustard, sugar, oil, pepper, 
 and salt together. Wet by degrees with the vinegar, beat- 
 ing very hard at last, when the proper consistency has 
 been gained. This will be found much superior to mus- 
 tard as usually prepared for the table. 
 
— 66 
 
 COOKING POULTRY. 
 
 Roasting a Turkey. — Grate a small loat of stale 
 bread; chop an onion fine and fry it in a little butter until 
 light brown, taking care that it does not burn. Mix it 
 with the bread crumbs; add a coffee cupful of melted but- 
 ter, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a quart of oysters 
 drained of their liquor, and pepper and salt to suit the 
 taste. Stuff the bird with this dressing; tie the wings and 
 legs close to the body, so it can be easily turned while in 
 the pan, and also present a nice appearance on the table. 
 Rub with salt, drop bits of butter over it and place it in a 
 rather hot oven. After it is slightly browned, the heat 
 may be decreased. Be sure to keep the bottom of the 
 dripping pan covered with water, or it will burn the gravy 
 and make it bitter. Baste the fowl every ten minutes at 
 least, with its own drippings. A turkey weighing 10 pounds 
 when dressed will require three hours to roast. Have the 
 giblets boiled tender, chopped fine, and return to the 
 saucepan with the water in which they were boiled. When 
 the turkey is done remove to a platter, pour off the surp;as 
 fat from the pan, and set it on top of the stove. Rub ;nlo 
 the fat left in the pan, a tablespoonful of dry flour, add .lie 
 giblets and more water if necessary, a little salt and pepper 
 Let it boil a few minutes and serve in a gravy bowl. The 
 oyster liquor scalded, skimmed, strained and added to the 
 gravy while cooking is an improvement. Never stick a 
 fork into a turkey while roasting, as it lets the juice escape. 
 Always choose a bird less than a year old to roast. 
 
 L. S. F. 
 
 Roast Goose or Duck. — Singe, draw and truss the 
 fowl; if an old one parboil it. The best stuffing for a 
 goose is made with sage and onions; if a strong flavor of 
 onions is liked they should be chopped raw; if not they 
 should be boiled in one or two waters, and mixed with 
 
— 67 — 
 
 bread crumbs, powdered cage; salt and pepper to taste. 
 Fill the bird with stuffing, sew up with coarse thread, 
 sprinkle salt over, and set in a dripping pan with a little 
 water. Baste frequently, and do not take from the oven 
 until thoroughly done. 
 
 Roast Chicken. — Singe and truss carefully. "Broil- 
 ers" are better without stuffing unless very large. Season 
 with salt, put small bits of butter over the meat, and place 
 in a pan with a little water; baste occasionally and dredge 
 with flour before taking from the oven. Spring chicken 
 cooked in any style is good. 
 
 Broiled Chicken. — After the young chicken is dressed 
 properly, put to boiling in soft water, salted to suit the 
 taste. When boiled until tender, and there should only 
 enough water be left to keep the meat from burning, lay the 
 pieces in the spider, spreading them evenly over the sur- 
 face, then pour the soup over the meat, and add to it a 
 bowlful of rich sweet cream; set the spider into the oven, 
 and crisp it brown; then serve hot. - dot. 
 
 Another Way. — Take a nice, fat young chicken, clean 
 and cut in such pieces as you wish. Some fried potatoes 
 cut in small dice are boiled with the chicken. When near- 
 ly done (be sure to have plenty of water) take half a tea- 
 cupful of flour, put in sweet milk enough to stir smooth; 
 stir it in the chicken and potatoes, which have previously 
 been seasoned with salt and pepper to suit the taste; let it 
 cook a few minutes and serve. Thresher's Wife. 
 
 Chicken Pie. — Take 2 full grown chickens, or more if 
 small, disjoint them, etc., :,c small as convenient. Boil 
 them with a few slices of salt pork in water enough to cover 
 them, let it boil quite tender, then take out the breast bone 
 After they boil, and the scum is taken off, put in a very 
 little onion cut fine, (not enough to have it taste distinctly, 
 but just flavor a little,) rub some parsley very fine if dry, 
 (chop it fine if green,) this gives pleasant flavor, season well 
 with pepper and salt and a few ounces of good butter. 
 
— 68 — 
 
 When all is cooked well, have liquid enough to cover the 
 chicken, then beat 2 eggs, and stir in some sweet cream. 
 Line a five-quart pan with crust made like soda biscuit, 
 only using more shortening, put in the chicken and liquids, 
 cover with a crust the same as the lining. Be suie to make 
 a good large hole in the top crust for gas to escape. Bake 
 until the crust is done. The eggs and cream can be ielt 
 out if desired. 
 
 Boned Chicken. — Boil a chicken in as little water as* 
 possible, until the meat will fall from the bones; remove 
 all the skin, chop together the light and dark parts, season 
 with pepper and salt. Boil down the liquid in which the 
 chicken was boiled, with a large spoonful of gelatine dis- 
 solved Slice hard boiled eggs, and line a tin with them,, 
 bottom and sides, put the meat in carefully, pour the liquid 
 on top, and set away in a cool place until thoroughly cold. 
 Then turn it out on a platter, and send to the table whole. 
 Slice in thin slices at the table. This is a most tempting 
 dish, both to the eye and palate. 
 
 Baked Pot-pie. — Cook the chicken until tender, then 
 season and thicken the gravy a little. Take out into a. 
 dripping pan or spider, stir up some baking powder biscuit, 
 and drop spoonfuls on top, bake until the biscuits are a 
 nice brown. Be sure to have plenty of gravy. 
 
 Meat Pies. — A veal shank, a shoulder of a pig, or 
 tender fowl makes nice suitable stock for a pot pie. Use 
 for dumplings the same receipt as for soda biscuit, 2 cup- 
 fuls of sour milk or buttermilk, 1 cupful of thin sour cream, 
 1 teaspoonful of salt, and 1 of soda, roll thin and cut in 
 squares. Put into the soup a cupful of cold cream before 
 adding the dough. Be sure you have all at boiling point 
 when the dough is put in. Do not uncover the pot 
 after the dough is put in until done. Be careful to have 
 the water boil over each piece, so that they will not stick 
 together. Do not put the lid on after you serve the first, 
 or after once taken off, as it makes the dough heavy. This 
 holds good in boiling any kind of dumplings. 
 
— 69 — 
 
 HOW TO COOK EGGS. 
 
 Omelets. — Take six eggs, beat the yelks and whites 
 •separately, very light; 1 cupful of milk, 1 large spoonful of 
 flour, mix the flour smooth with part of the milk, then 
 add the yelks, and the whites last, salt and pepper. Put 
 lard and butter into the skillet, put in part of the mixture 
 {'always being sure to lift up well from the bottom,) when 
 browned, turn half over; when done serve immediately. 
 
 Omelet No. 2. — Take a slice of salt pork about three 
 inches square, freshen and fry in the usual way, then cut up 
 into small pieces; beat 3 eggs, then add 3 tablespoonfuls of 
 flour and stir until smooth, add 24- cupfuls of milk and a 
 little salt, turn this over the meat while it is very hot, and 
 let it fry until it is a nice brown, then cut into'large pieces, 
 turn, and brown the other side. 
 
 Fried Eggs. — Break eggs into hot salt fat, (ham fat is 
 best,) put a lid over the skillet and let the fat sputter until 
 the eggs are done, do not turn them over. 
 
 Poached Eggs. — Nearly fill a frying pan with boiling 
 water, (grease the bottom first,) add a little salt and vine- 
 gar. Break the eggs one at a time into a wet saucer, slip 
 from this on the surface of the water, cook slowly three 
 minutes, take up with a perforated skimmer, and lay on 
 buttered toast or a hot platter. 
 
 Surprise Eggs. — Boil eggs hard, and after removing 
 the shells carefully, remove the yelks through as small an 
 opening as possible and fill the whites with finely minced 
 chicken. This is "chicken in the egg." 
 
 Egg Toast. — Toast half a dozen slices of good bread, 
 and butter well; take the yelks left from "surprise eggs" 
 and rub fine; sprinkle each piece thickly, pile in a dish, and 
 pour over it a pint of cream gravy. Send to the table 
 smoking hot. 
 
— 70 — 
 
 Mock Eggs. — Make up dough as for doughnuts, cut it 
 in egg shapes, (if you have no oval cutter, press a small 
 powder box into shape,) fry and when done, ice them, and 
 dry in a cool oven. Cut the shapes of dough a little thicker 
 than ordinary doughnuts, and do not spare the icing. 
 
 Hen's Nest. — Take half a head of cabbage and shred 
 clear around to make them long. Season and color with 
 yelks of 2 eggs, beaten up with 2 spoonfuls of thick cream, 
 and one of vinegar. This is the straw, which must be 
 arranged nest-fashion on a low flat glass dish. For the 
 eggs, use pickled eggs, half of them colored in beet jar. 
 This makes a palatable as well as ornamental dish, and is 
 relished by big people as well as little ones. 
 
 Cold Deviled Eggs. — Boil a number of eggs very 
 hard; when cold remove the shells and cut each egg in 
 halves lengthwise; take out the yelks and mash them fine, 
 with a little pepper and salt, and a pinch of dry mustard; 
 moisten with a little butter and vinegar. Fill the empty 
 whites cut in halves, with this mixture, and arrange on a 
 platter garnished with parsley, for lunch or tea. 
 
 SALADS. 
 
 Cabbage. — Chop enough cabbage fine for one meal for 
 your family; salt and pepper, and put into a vegetable dish. 
 Take half a teacupful of good vinegar, a piece of butter 
 the size of half an egg and one teaspoonful of sugar, put 
 them into a basin and set on the stove and boil; break one 
 egg into a teacup, and beat one tablespoonful of flour in it, 
 then add half a cupful of sweet milk; turn in the vinegar, 
 and cook until it is a smooth gravy. Keep stirring all the 
 time; turn it over the cabbage, mix thoroughly, and turn a 
 plate over it till wanted. 
 
— 71 — 
 
 Potato Salad. — Slice about a dozen cold boiled po- 
 tatoes very thin; place them on a platter and pour over 
 them a dressing made as follows: — One cupful of vinegar, 
 1 teaspoonful of English mustard. 1 teaspoonful of salt, and 
 1 egg; place on the stove, let it come to a boil, then stir the 
 egg in, add 2 teaspoonfulsof olive oil, or 2 tablespoonfuls of 
 thick cream. Use " Durkee's Salad. Dressing," instead of 
 the mustard, if you have it. A few slices of onion im- 
 prove it. Do not let the dressing boil after putting in the 
 last ingredients. 
 
 Mrs. Grace Smith. 
 
 Cucumber and Onion Salad. — Pare cucumbers and lay 
 in cold water 1 hour; do the same with onions, in another 
 bowl. Then slice in the proportion of 1 onion to 3 large 
 cucumbers; arrange in a salad bowl, and season with vinegar, 
 pepper and salt. 
 
 Lettuce Salad. — Use one-third as much salad oil as 
 you do vinegar; pepper and salt to suit the taste. Cut up 
 young lettuce with a sharp knife, pile into a salad bowl; 
 sprinkle with sugar, pour the rest of ingredients mixed to- 
 gether over the salad, and stir up with a fork to mix well. 
 
 COOKING VEGETABLES. 
 
 Have the vegetables cooked on the same day they are 
 gathered, if in summer; wash well, cut out all decayed 
 parts, lay in cold water sometime before using, and let the 
 water boil before you put them in. Potatoes require 
 about half an hour to boil; turnips, 40 minutes to 1 hour; 
 cabbage y 2 hour to 1 hour, in salted water; beets about 2 
 hours, then put into cold water and the skins will slip off; 
 boil onions in two waters; add milk to the first water and 
 also to the second, if liked; string beans require 1 hour; 
 shell beans \y 2 hours; boiled green corn 20 minutes. 
 
— 72 — 
 
 Potatoes. — First boil some small potatoes with their 
 jackets on; the moment they are done take them out of the 
 water; do not let them get soft as they will not keep their 
 shape; remove the skins; have ready some boiling lard as 
 for frying cakes; drop the potatoes in and fry until a light 
 brown, turning them gently from side to side. 
 
 Saratoga Potatoes. — Pare and slice thin, lengthwise, 
 large potatoes; wash and drain, have hot lard in a kettle 
 as for doughnuts; put in part of the potatoes, in a wire 
 sieve or basket if you have it, if not put in a few loose and 
 stir frequently; when brown, lift and put in a dish and serve 
 immediately, salt them after they are fried. 
 
 Potato Cakes. — These are extremely nice for break- 
 fast. To make them take 1 pint of mashed potatoes, 1 pint 
 of flour, 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, a little salt, milk suf- 
 ficient to make a thick batter, and half a teacupful of fresh 
 yeast. Mix the ingredients, and let the batter rise until it 
 is light; bake in muffin tins or gem pans. Serve in a veget- 
 able dish. 
 
 Warmed up Potatoes. — Put potatoes into a dish large 
 enough to admit of beating in two or more eggs and a lit- 
 tle flour; add a little more salt, then dip them into a pan 
 of hot butter and lard mixed (the same as you would use 
 for fried potatoes), with a spoon, and when the little cakes 
 thus formed are fried to a nice light brown, you will find 
 you have not enough for supper. 
 
 Boiled Cabbage. — Boil cabbage till tender, dr ain dry, 
 chop fine, season with salt, add a teacupful of cracker or 
 bread crumbs, rolled fine, a cupful of sweet cream, and 
 three well beaten eggs. Mix well and fill a buttered pud- 
 ding dish with it. Bake 20 minutes, and serve hot. 
 
 Cauliflowers. — Steam the head whole; — when tender 
 immerse in a hot gravy made of one pint of sweet cream, 
 seasoned with pepper, salt and butter, brought to the boil- 
 ing point, then poured over the cauliflower, and serve hot. 
 
— 73 — 
 
 Hot Slaw. — Cut a hard white head of cabbage into 2 
 pieces, shave 1 piece as fine as possible, and put it into a 
 stew pan with a piece of butter the size of an egg, 1 small 
 teaspoonful of salt, and nearly as much pepper; add half 
 a teacupful of water, and 1 teacupful of vinegar. Cover 
 the stew pan, and cook the cabbage until it is tender, stir- 
 ring it often while cooking. 
 
 Celery. — Choose that which is white and tender; put 
 it into cold water until wanted, and serve between the oys- 
 ters and the meat. 
 
 String Beans. — Take off the tops and tails, and the 
 strings on both sides; cut into short pieces. Cook tender 
 in boiling water, add a little salt; when done pour in a cup- 
 ful of cream, (or milk, and a large piece of butter), let it 
 Doil up, thicken the gravy slightly, if desired, and serve 
 hot. 
 
 Slccotash — Take 4 ears of sweet corn cut from the 
 cob, 1 pint of lima beans, 1 tablespoonful of floured butter, 
 pepper and salt, 1 cupful of milk. Boil the beans an hour, 
 then add the corn, and boil 15 minutes; serve hot. 
 
 To Can String Beans. — Prepare the beans as for cook- 
 ing, then to one gallon of beans add about half a pint of 
 salt, then pour on water enough to cover and boil until 
 thoroughly cooked, then can as you would tomatoes or 
 fruit. When wanted for use, if for dinner, open the can in 
 the morning, pour fresh water over, changing two or three 
 times, or until sufficiently free from salt, then season as 
 you would new beans. 
 
 Mrs. T- F. C. 
 Canning Corn. — Take 1 ounce of tartaric acid to six 
 quarts of corn; cut the corn from the cob, put on sufficient 
 water to cook, or nearly to cover it. Dissolve the acid in 
 a little boiling water while the corn is cooking, stir this in and 
 put into tin cans. To prepare for the table; pour off the 
 sour water and save it, put in enough fresh water to cook the 
 corn, add to every quart of corn one small teaspoonful of 
 
— 74 — 
 
 soda and let it stand a few minutes before cooking. While 
 cooking put in one teaspoonful of sugar. If the corn turns 
 yellow there is too much soda; pour back some of the sour 
 water until it turns white again. When done, season. 
 
 Another Way. — Use the Mason jars: Take the ears. 
 of corn and run the knife through every row of kernels. 
 In cutting from the cobs make three slices, after which 
 scrape the cobs. This makes the corn fine and juicy and 
 is quite essential to its keeping qualities. Fill the cans 
 well, press down and let the juices run off; fill again with the 
 corn until the can is well packed, but not too tight, as room 
 must be allowed for expansion, else the cans will burst 
 when heated. Turn the covers on about half way, next 
 prepare your boiler with twigs or a folded towel in the bot- 
 tom, set the cans in; put clean clothes between them to pre- 
 vent their rubbing together, and pour cold water into the 
 boiler until it touches the rim of the covers. Cover the 
 boiler; put it'over the fire and let it boil three hours. Be 
 particular about that. Then take out the cans, screw the 
 covers down tight and put away in a dark, dry, cool place. 
 This process is extensively used in some sections, and is 
 pronounced a success. 
 
 Baked Beans. — Pick over and wash two quarts of white 
 beans, and put them to soak in cold water over night. In 
 the morning put them into a kettle with fresh cold water, 
 and a teaspoonful of soda, let them come to a boil and 
 cook fifteen minutes. Drain off the water, put in a pound 
 of salt pork, a teaspoonful of salt, half a cupful of molasses, 
 half a teaspoonful of soda, and boiling water enough to 
 cover the beans. Put a cover on the pan or kettle in which 
 you bake the beans, and bake with a steady moderate heat 
 about 5 hours. They should be stirred two or three times 
 while bakiug, and if the water dries away before the beans 
 are done, more should be added. Pork that has a streak 
 of fat and a streak of lean, is the best for baking with 
 beans, and it should be buried in the beans, not placed on 
 
— i o — 
 
 top. When the beans are done they should "be dry, - but 
 not too dry, and so tender that they will mash easily when 
 stirred. You can leave them in the oven an hoUr or so 
 with the door ajar, and it imoroves the taste. 
 
 Fanny Field.. 
 
 Cooking Tomatoes. — Tomatoes should not be cooked 
 in iron; it injures the color and spoils the flavor. Tin 
 may be used, but the tomatoes should not be allowed to 
 stand after they are removed from the fire. Porcelain or 
 granite is the best. To peel tomatoes pour boiling water 
 over them, and let them stand a few minutes; the skins will 
 slip off easily. 
 
 Sliced Tomatoes. — Peel and slice; remove all green 
 portions; boil slowly half an hour; season with salt, pepper 
 and butter to taste; a little sugar if you like; cook 15 min- 
 utes longer, turn into a vegetable dish, and serve hot. 
 
 Another Way. — To a quart of tomatoes add one small 
 onion chopped fine; boil half an hour, season, add half a 
 teacupful of cracker crumbs, cook ten minutes longer and 
 serve. 
 
 Tomatoes and Corn. — Cut the corn from the cob as 
 for succotash, mix with an equal quantity of tomatoes; sea- 
 son with salt, pepper and butter. 
 
 Baked Tomatoes. — Take large round ones, cut a small 
 piece from the top of each, remove the insides and fill with 
 a mixture of cracker or stale bread crumbs, boiled sweet 
 corn, and onion chopped fine and seasoned. Place the 
 filled tomatoes side by side m a covered baking pan with 
 a little water and butter, and bake in a moderate oven 30 
 minutes. 
 
 Vegetable Oysters. — Scrape vegetable oysters and 
 throw them into cold water to prevent discoloring. When 
 you have sufficient, cut them in pieces half an inch long, 
 and boil, in just water enough to cover, till tender. Dram 
 oft the vrater, add a quart of milk, butter the size of an egg. 
 and a little salt. Thicken with a tablespoonful of flour 
 
— 76 — 
 
 made smoo h in a little cold milk. Have ready a pan of 
 nice biscuits; split them open on a platter, turn the oysters 
 over, and serve. Or boil the roots whole, slice lengthwise, 
 and fry in butter, as you would parsnips. 
 
 MAKING PICKLES. 
 
 Salt Cucumbers. — Gather them when of suitable size ; 
 wash and drain ; then pack in a cask with plenty of rock 
 salt. Fit a cover to put on top of the cucumbers, and 
 weight it down to keep them under the brine. Do not put 
 in any water; the cucumbers will make their own brine. 
 
 A better way is to take one gallon of ater, one quart of 
 vinegar and one pint of salt ; scald and skim. You will 
 -then have to ireshen them only a very short time before 
 putting them into vinegar for use. 
 
 Green Tomato Pickle. — Slice green tomatoes, sprinkle* 
 salt over each layer, and let them stand over night. In the 
 morning drain them into scalding vinegar, and scald about 
 five minutes ; then skim out and pack into glass fruit cans, 
 putting a dessert-spoonful of whole cloves and the same 
 quantity of cinnamon bark into each can. Take fresh vine- 
 gar, add a teacupful of sugar to each quart, heat Doihng 
 hot, fill the cans full and seal. They should stand at least 
 two months before using. 
 
 Tomato Pickle No. 2. — Take one gallon of sliced toma- 
 toes, the greener the better, salt them in layers, and lee them 
 stand overnight. In the morning drain well; slice lour 
 large onions, put a layer of tomatoes in the jar, then a x'ew 
 slices of onion, and proceed in this manner until they are 
 all put in. Cut six green peppers very fine and spread over 
 the top ; take one tablespooful of black pepper, one of 
 allspice, two of cloves, three of mustard ; put into a bag 
 
— 77 — 
 
 and boil in the vineger till the strength is extracted, then 
 put the bag on top of the pickles and pour on boiling 
 vinegar enough to cover them. Cover the jar tightly and 
 let it stand three weeks before opening. 
 
 Pickled Peppers. — Take large green peppers, cut off 
 a piece of the stem end take out the seeds without break- 
 ing the outside of the pepper, and lay the peppers in salt 
 water — half a teacupful of salt to one quart of water — for 
 three days, changing the water every day. Then fill the 
 peppers with chopped cabbage, or equal parts of chopped 
 cabbage and tomatoes ; tie on the pieces cut off, and pack 
 in a jar with a few pieces of horseradish, and pour hot. 
 vinegar on them. Weight them down to keep them covered 
 with vinegar. Add a little chopped onion if desired. 
 
 Hodge Podge. — Take 2 heads of cabbage, 2 dozen 
 large green cucumbers. 1 peck of green tomatoes, and as. 
 many onions as you want. Chop the tomatoes, cucumbers 
 and onions, sprinkle with salt and drain 12 hours ; chop 
 the cabbage and mix all together ; pour cold vinegar over 
 and let it stand 24 hours ; drain 12 hours. Take 2 quarts of 
 vinegar, -J pound of white mustard seed, 1 tablespoonful of 
 allspice, 1 each of cloves, cinnamon, ginger, ground must- 
 ard, and -J tablespoonful of cayenne pepper. Put all 
 together, boil 15 minutes, more or less, as you wish. 
 
 Clara T. Spellman. 
 
 Favorite Pickle. — Take equal parts of chopped cab- 
 bage and green tomatoes ; to eight quarts of this mixture 
 add one quart of chopped onion, one pint of chopped green 
 peppers and one quart of salt. Mix thoroughly and let it 
 stand over night. In the morning drain until juice no- 
 longer drips ; then scald for five minutes in good cider 
 vinegar* pack into glass cans; fill up with hot vinegar and 
 seal. For immediate use, scald a little longer, pack in stone 
 jars with a little horseradish to prevent molding, and a 
 weight to keep the pickles under the vinegar. 
 
 Sweet Pickles. — One pint of sugar, a dessert-spoonful 
 
— 78 — 
 
 each of whole cloves, broken cinnamon bark, and whole 
 allspice, to every quart of good cider vinegar. Heat scald- 
 ing hot, put in the fruit, steam until about half done or 
 soft enough to be pierced with a broom straw, then skim 
 the fruit out, pack in cans, fill up with the syrup and seal. 
 Ripe cucumbers, watermelon rinds, sweet apples, pears 
 and peaches can all be made into sweet spiced pickles. 
 Watermelon rinds should be pared and only the firm part 
 next the outer skin used. Cucumbers must be pared, and 
 all the soft parts scraped away. Apples, pears and peaches, 
 ripe, but not mellow, should be pared, and halved or 
 quartered. When peaches are used, a few of the pits, 
 bruised and put into the cans, will give the pickles a deli- 
 cious flavor. Cucumbers and watermelon rinds are im- 
 proved by soaking in weak brine over night, and scalding 
 in weak alum water (two teaspoonfuls of alum to a quart of 
 water) before scalding in the syrup. 
 
 Fanny Field. 
 
 Mixed Pickles. — Shave fine several heads of new cab- 
 bage, sprinkle over them a tablespoonful of salt to each pound 
 of cabbage; pack in a crock and pour over it a syrup made 
 of one quart of maple syrup and one quart of best cider 
 vinegar, boiling hot, and seasoned with a tablespoonful 
 each of cloves; cinnamon, pepper, mace and white mustard 
 seed, all unground. Let it stand two days, then turn off 
 and heat again, adding more vinegar; syrup too, if wished. 
 Soak green tomatoes and cucumbers in salt and waer 24 
 hours, then chop them not too fine; cook the tomatoes till 
 they can be pierced with a splint, then drain thoroughly, 
 both the cucumbers and tomatoes, and add them to the 
 pickled cabbage, making more juice if necessary, as they 
 must be covered. A few pieces of horseradish will preserve 
 the pickles. Dot. 
 
 Mangoes. — Take small green muskmelons, cut a piece 
 out of one side, remove the seeds and fill the 
 cavity with a mixture of chopped cabbage, green 
 
— 79 — 
 
 tomatoes, onions, peppers and whole nasturtion pods; 
 put a few whole cloves, allspice berries, bits of 
 cinnamon, and a little white mustard seed in each 
 mango. Sew in the piece taken out, pack the mangoes in 
 a jar with a few pieces of bruised horseradish, and pour 
 scalding vinegar over them; let it stand three days, then 
 pour off the vinegar; heat with a cupful of sugar to every 
 two quarts of vinegar, and return to the pickles. Weight 
 them down. 
 
 Pickled Onions. — Take the smallest onions, peel and 
 scald in a jar, with water enough to cover, and salt enough 
 to season them. Then scald in vinegar enough to cover 
 them, to which you have added a few bird peppers. Then 
 put into a jar, throwing the hot vinegar over them. Let 
 them stand a few days and they are fit for u^e. Do not let 
 them cook too long, or they will be soft. 
 
 Tomato Catsup. — Take one peck of ripe tomatoes, 
 scald, peel, cut in pieces, remove the green portions and 
 cook until done. When cool enough, rub through a sieve; 
 put back into the kettle ( not iron ) add half a teacupful of 
 salt, 1 tablespoonful each of ground cloves, allspice, cinna- 
 mon and ground mustard, and 1 teaspoonful of cayenne pep- 
 per. Boil until quite thick, taking care not to scorch; then 
 add a pint of good cider vinegar, and boil half an hour 
 longer. Put into bottles while hot; cork tight, cut the 
 corks off even with the tops of the bottles; cover with seal- 
 ing wax, and keep in a cool place. 
 
 Chili Sauce. — Take 6 large ripe tomatoes, 4 green pep- 
 pers, 1 onion, 1 tablespoonful of sugar, 1 of salt, and 1| 
 cupfuls of strong vinegar, chop the peppers and onions and 
 boil one hour. 
 
 Spiced Gooseberries. — Use a porcelain kettle, as in 
 cooking all fruit Prepare the fruit as for preserving. TaKe 5 
 lbs. of fruit, 3£ pounds of light brown sugar, a quart of vine- 
 gar, £ ounce of whole cloves, and bits of cinnamon. Tie 
 spices together in a cloth; put the vinegar, sugar and spices 
 
— 80 — 
 
 into the preserving kettle; let them boil about ten minutes,, 
 then put in the gooseberries. Let them cook until the 
 liquid is quite thick, and then can up hot. This is nice 
 with meats. 
 
 Spiced Currants. — Take 7 pounds of currants, 4 lbs., 
 ot sugar, 1 pint of vinegar (medium strength), 1 table- 
 spoonful of cinnamon, 1 of cloves, and one teaspoonful of 
 allspice. Boil slowly two hours or more. 
 
 Pickled Apples. — Take one quart of vinegar, 6 cupfuls 
 of brown sugar, 1 teaspoonful each of cloves, cinnamon, 
 and allspice; boil the vinegar and sugar together; skim it, 
 then add the spices. Boil in this syrup, sweet apples cut in 
 halves (but not pared) till soft, but not till they break. 
 
 CANNING, PRESERVING, ETC. 
 
 In the directions for canning fruit in glass cans, one is 
 always meeting with various instructions for preventing 
 breakage. The only precaution necessary is wetting the 
 can to be filled, and setting on a wet cloth. When the 
 cans are emptied, they should be washed, scalded, and 
 thoroughly dried, the rubber and top put in their proper 
 places and the can set away. When again wanted the cans 
 are clean and each one is already fitted with its own 
 individual rubber and top. Tin canned goods, when 
 opened should be immediately transferred to glass or 
 earthenware dishes. Recent investigations show that cases 
 of poisoning from eating canned goods have arisen from the 
 acid of the canned tood attacking the solder of the tins,. 
 and sometimes from decomposition, accelerated by an 
 electrical action between the solder and the iron of the 
 tin. Never leave canned fruits, meats, or fish, in opened 
 tin cans. 
 
— 81 — 
 
 Canning Grapes. — Pick the grapes carefully and fill 
 the cans, being careful to place them as compactly as pos- 
 sible without breaking the skins; fill with boiling syrup as 
 sweet as desired. To keep grapes without canning, boil a 
 thick molasses from sugar, and pour boiling hot oyer the 
 grapes. They will keep in this way and are ready for use 
 any time. 
 
 Keeping Gooseberries. — Pick gooseberries when fully 
 ripe; for each quart take a J pound of sugar and a gill of 
 water; boil together into a syrup, then put in the fruit and 
 continue to boil gently for fifteen minutes. Put into stone 
 jars and cover them closely when cold. Keep them for 
 making tarts and pies. Gooseberries, and pie plant can be 
 successfully kept by filling the cans and covering with pure 
 cold water and corking tightly or sealing as desired. 
 
 Canning Strawberries. — Put alternate layers of sugar 
 and fruit into a stone jar in a cool place over night; next 
 morning add a very little water, bring to a boil and can like 
 other fruit. Strain the juice left, boil down to half, add as 
 much sugar as juice and boil till it will jelly. 
 
 Cooking Cranberries. — Pour over one quart of ber" 
 ries a quart of boiling water, let it stand till cold, drain off 
 the water and stew like any fruit; sweeten to taste. The 
 boiling water removes the bitter taste. 
 
 Maple Syrup. — In canning syrup place in each can a 
 piece of alum about the size of a pea; this will prevent crys- 
 tals torming in the bottom of the can, and makes no differ- 
 ence in the flavor of the syrup. 
 
 Citron Preserves. — Pare and remove the seeds, re- 
 jecting all but the solid part of the melon. Cut in such 
 pieces as you choose. Weigh the pieces and boil in water 
 till you can easily run a splinter through them. Remove 
 the fruit and add sugar to make the syrup, allowing one 
 pound of sugar to each pound of citron. When it boils put 
 in the fruit and boil slowly one hour. When cold add lem- 
 on, allowing one lemon for two pounds of citron. One large 
 
— 82 — 
 
 teacupful of water is the rule for one pound of fruit. 
 
 "Martha's method " is to pare, take out seeds, cut into 
 small squares, and boil in clear water till they can be pierced 
 with a fork. Add 10 pounds of white sugar to 10 pounds 
 of fruit; cook 5 minutes; skim the fruit into a jar, putting 1 
 dozen sliced lemons with it. Boil the juice until thick, and 
 pour it over the fruit. This will keep without sealing. 
 
 Quince Marmalade. — Pare, quarter and core the 
 quinces, cut them into little pieces, measure them and al- 
 low an equal quantity of sugar; place in a porcelain kettle, 
 with just enough water to cover them, simmer gently until 
 the fruit is tender, then skim it out, and add the sugar to 
 the water. Let it boil and skim thoroughly, as the clear- 
 ness of the syrup depends on this; after skimming drop the 
 fruit into it. Do this carefully to preserve the shape of the 
 fruit; let this boil gently for 15 minutes, then put it into 
 jelly molds or glasses The syrup is like jelly and the fruit, 
 if it is cooked right, will not be too much broken to distin- 
 guish it, and makes a very ornamental dish. May S. 
 
 Preserving Raspberries. — The fruit should be gather- 
 ed in the middle of a very warm day in dry weather. Strip 
 from the stems immediately; weigh and turn it into a pan; 
 bruise it gently and mix with an equal weight of fine, dry, 
 sifted sugar, and put at once into wide neck bottles; cork 
 these firmly without delay, and tie bladders over the tops. 
 Keep in a cool place or it will ferment. The mixture 
 should be stirred only enough to blend the sugar with the 
 fruit. The bottles should be perfectly dry, and the blad- 
 ders moistened with a little brandy on the side next the 
 cork. 
 
 Grape Jam. — Pick the fruit off the stems, wash, then 
 boil gently until soft and strain through a sieve. To a pint of 
 the liquid add a pound of sugar, boil down till thick, like 
 apple butter. 
 
 Currant Jam. — To every two bowlfuls of currants take 
 one of seeded raisins. Weigh, allowing one pound of sugar 
 
— 83 — 
 
 to one of fruit, and boil till thick. 
 
 Blackberry Jam. — Weigh the berries and allow § lb. 
 of sugar to 1 lb. of berries. Cook the berries in a little 
 water for half an hour, then add the sugar and boil for ten 
 or fifteen minutes longer, stirring all the time. Seal in cans. 
 Half a teaspoonful of ground cloves to every pint of berries 
 is a great improvement. 
 
 Gooseberry Jam. — Pick the berries just as they begin 
 to turn; stem, wash and weigh. To 4 pounds of fruit add 
 -£ teacupful of water; boil until soft, and add 4 pounds of 
 sugar and boil until clear. If picked at the right stage, the 
 jam will be amber-colored and firm, and much nicer than if 
 the fruit is preserved when ripe. 
 
 Strawberry Jelly. — Take a pint of strawberry juice, 
 made by cooking the berries until very soft, and then strain- 
 ing. Soak a box of gelatine in a little cold water for two 
 hours. Then add to it the juice of two lemons, and sugar 
 if liked. Pour over the whole a quart of boiling water and 
 let it come to a hard boil. Take it off and fill a mould 
 half full with it; set on ice and keep the rest of the jelly in 
 a warm place. When that in the mould is hard enough, 
 place it on some large strawberries, then pour on it the 
 rest of the jelly that has been kept liquid. 
 
 Currant Jelly. — Boil the currants 20 minutes; strain 
 the juice and measure 1 pound of sugar to each pint of 
 juice. Boil the juice two minutes, then add to the sugar 
 and boil the whole together one minute. This is very 
 nice. A good jelly is made by taking equal parts of cur- 
 rant and raspberry juice; boil and skim; add sugar in pro- 
 portion of one pound to a pint of juice, and boil from five 
 to fifteen minutes. 
 
 Blackberry Jelly. — Use only perfect fruit; boil till 
 tender in enough water to keep from burning; strain through 
 a flannel jelly-bag, pressing out all the juice. Strain two 
 or three times through a clean cloth, return the juice to a 
 clean preserving kettle and for every pint of juice allow one 
 
— 84 — 
 
 pound of sugar and the beaten white of an egg for the 
 whole. Boil rapidly 20 minutes, counting from the time it 
 begins to boil. It is well to test it by putting a few drops 
 in a tin on ice. When done run through the jelly-bag ; if 
 not clear, run through until it becomes so. Put the jelly 
 into glasses, and when it has become firm, cut out little 
 papers to fit the top, dip them in brandy and put over the 
 jelly. Place over these, larger papers dipped in the white 
 of an egg, pressed close against the sides of the glass to 
 exclude the air. 
 
 Cranberry Jelly. — To every pint of berries take one 
 pint of sugar; boil the sugar to syrup, then put in the berries; 
 boil twenty minutes, stirring briskly all the time; just before 
 taking off the fire, add one teaspoonful of vanilla to every 
 quart. This is to be eaten with meat. If put into teacups 
 to cool, three turned on a plate are enough; if in large 
 moulds one is sufficient. It is to be passed around the 
 table, and cut with a silver knife. 
 
 Harlequin Jelly. — Wash a jelly mould with white of 
 an egg, melt a little currant jelly, pour it in, let it cool; melt 
 some plum jelly, pour this in, and let it cool, and so on in 
 layers of various colors. 
 
 Delicious Wine Jelly. — Take one box of gelatine one- 
 half pint of cold water, one and one-half pints of boiling 
 water, one pint of sherry, one pint of sugar and the juice 
 of one lemon. Soak the gelatine two hours in the cold 
 water, then pour in the boiling water and stir until dissolved. 
 Add the lemon juice, sugar and wine; strain through a nap- 
 kin, turn some of it into a mould, harden a little, put in a 
 layer of strawberries, and pour in jelly to set them. After 
 they have set, add another layer of the jelly, then another 
 of berries, and so fill each mould, alternating the jelly and 
 berries. 
 
— 85 — 
 
 BREAD AND YEAST. 
 
 Bread, biscuit, rolls, and pie crust, are all greatly im- 
 proved in flavor and color, if they are lightly brushed over 
 with milk just before they are put into the oven. A little 
 sugar dissolved in the milk is an addition. 
 
 Dry Yeast. — Take six good sized potatoes, boil until 
 done in one quart of water; also take a large handful of 
 hops, tie in a bag and boil till the strength is extracted, -n 
 one quart of water; then take two pints of flour, scald with 
 the hop water, and cool, and thin with the potato water. 
 When lukewarm, add enough good yeast to start it; let it 
 rise until perfectly light; beat down and let it rise again. 
 Take corn meal enough to mix so it will break in pieces 
 the size of hickory nuts; spread to dry in the wind. Do 
 not let the sun shine on it, nor dry it by the fire as that 
 sours it. When thoroughly dry, put into a bag and hang in 
 a cool dry place. This receipt will make a gallon and a 
 half of good yeast. Eudora. 
 
 Soft Yeast. — The following is a very nice soft yeast 
 which keeps a long time in winter, and makes nicer bread 
 and in less time nan with dry yeast. For half a gallon, boil 
 two large potato's in two quarts of water, with a handful 
 of hops tied in a sack. Put a tablespoonful of flour, a tea- 
 spoonful each of salt, sugar, and ginger into a crock or pan, 
 stir to a paste with coM water, then scald with the potato 
 water, adding the potatoes, well mashed. After it has be- 
 come lukewarm put in half a pint of yeast; when light, jug 
 it up and put it in a cool place, where it will not freeze. 
 
 Potato Ball. — Take one quart of mashed potatoes, 
 and one quart of flour, scald with the potato water; 
 when cool add one tablespoonful of brown sugar, half a 
 tablespoonful of salt, and some good yeast to ferment it. 
 Save a cupful of this yeast for next making. Second mak- 
 ing: Take two quarts of mashed potatoes, add water until 
 
— 86 — 
 
 they are much thinner than for the table use (leave out the 
 flour); when cool add one tablespoonful of salt, two of 
 brown sugar, and the cupful of saved yeast. In an hour or 
 so it will be light, then save a cupful for next making. Now 
 you have the genuine potato ball, and always proceed ac- 
 cording to directions for second making. To what remains 
 alter taking out the cupful, add two quarts of warm water 
 in the evening, and one or two of hot water in the morning 
 when you set the bread, and proceed in the usual manner 
 of bread making. The bread rises quickly, and is light 
 and sweet. If not successful at first try it again. 
 
 Mrs. J. W. E. 
 
 Good Bread. — Bread, to be really good, should be 
 white, spongy, and tough, with a dark red crust that melts 
 in the mouth with an indescribable sweetness. To make it 
 only two things are necessary; good flour, and good yeast. 
 No one can afford to use poor flour, for it absorbs so much 
 water, that it will not go half as far as flour of a better 
 grade. The next requisite is good, home-made yeast. The 
 dry kinds in market are not always reliable, and seldom 
 fresh; while yeast is so easily made and so easily kept, that 
 it is poor policy to buy it. The following receipt is known 
 to be good: 
 
 Take four potatoes, two handfuls of hops one tablespoon- 
 ful of ginger, two of salt, half a cupful of sugar, and half a 
 cupful of good fresh yeast. Boil the potatoes and hops to- 
 gether, and scald half a cupful of flour with the water. As 
 soon as sufficiently cold, add the yeast, sugar, salt, and gin- 
 ger, and ferment twenty-four hours, and then bottle. It 
 will keep six weeks in the hottest weather. Half a cupful 
 will make from 4 to 6 loaves. The bread should be set 
 over night, and thoroughly kneaded in the morning; the 
 longer the better. Bake well, and just beiore taking from 
 the oven, wet the tops of the loaves with cold water to in- 
 sure that dark red glaze so dear to the good bread lover's 
 heart. Never use a particle of butter or lard in bread, for 
 
— 87 — 
 
 it destroys the crustiness. N. H. 
 
 Another Receipt. — In the evening of the day before 
 you wish to bake, take five or six little potatoes for each 
 loaf ol bread, wash them clean, and boil with their jackets 
 on. When done, mash them jackets and all, and add as 
 much water as necessary for the number of loaves you wish 
 to make. When cool enough, add one cupful of yeast, a 
 little salt, and one cupful of flour; stir well, wrap up warm, 
 and set to rise over night. In the morning strain through 
 a colander and add enough flour to make a stiff batter, beat 
 until smooth; keep warm and in one hour the rising will be 
 light as seafoam. Then mix up and manage the same as 
 for bread made in the usual way,and you will have bread fit to 
 set before a king. In making bread in this way you can 
 utilize the little potatoes. There is also something in the 
 potato skins that assists in the rising process. 
 
 Another Receipt. — This takes a dozen common sized 
 potatoes; pare and cook; when well done mash in the water 
 in which they were cooked, add to this one tablespoonful 
 of salt, two ot sugar, three of flour, and enough water to 
 make two quarts of the yeast. Scald these together and 
 run through a colander; when nearly cold, add two cakes 
 of dry yeast ("magic " yeast cakes are always good) that 
 have been soaked in warm water. Let this stand in a warm 
 place until it has risen, then set away in a cool place and 
 it will keep until it has been used up. When ready to make 
 bread, make a sponge, using two cupfuls of yeast to every 
 three loaves of bread, and it will be up in a couple of 
 hours; sometimes in less. Eudora. 
 
 Salt-Rising Bread. — Take one teaspoonful of salt and 
 one of sugar, dissolve in water enough to make a quart of 
 sponge; have the water quite warm; stir it into the flour 
 until it is about like yeast sponge; set the vessel containing 
 it in another one containing warm water and keep it warm, 
 being careful that it does not scald. Set the sponge as 
 early in the morning as convenient. When perfectly light 
 
— 88 — 
 
 make up into quite a soft dough, adding more warm water 
 if needed. Add salt and shortening as for yeast bread (if it is 
 liked) make out into loaves and place into rather deep pans 
 to rise, as this kind of bread needs to be very light before 
 baking, or it will be close and stiff when baked. If the 
 baking pans are not pretty deep the bread will run over. 
 Do not bake it quite as much as yeast bread. Have it done 
 without a hard crust, or it will get dry soon. 
 
 Corn Bread No. 1. — Three cupfuls of sweet milk, two 
 cupfuls of sour milk, one cupful of molasses, one teaspoon- 
 ful of salt, two large teaspoonfuls of soda, four cupfuls of 
 meal, two cupfuls of flour. Steam three hours and bake 
 three-fourths of an hour. 
 
 Corn Bread No. 2. — Two cupfuls of sour milk or but- 
 termilk, two level teaspoonfuls of soda, a little salt, half a 
 teacupful of molasses or brown sugar, one teacupful of 
 white or brown flour, and corn meal to make a medium 
 stiff batter. Steam two hours, and bake twenty minutes. 
 The same receipt, using graham flour only, and baked in a 
 medium oven about three-fourths of an hour, makes a good 
 brown loaf. 
 
 Corn Bread No. 3. — To one pint of sweet milk add one 
 well-beaten egg, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a teaspoonful 
 of salt, two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two teaspoonfuls 
 of baking powder, well mixed with one cupful of flour, and 
 corn meal enough to make the batter a trifle thicker than 
 griddle cake batter. Fill common pie tins half full, and 
 bake in a quick oven. 
 
 Corn Bread No. 4. — Take two quarts of Indian meal, 
 one teacupful of sugar or molasses, and salt. Scald this 
 with boiling water, then set it away to cool; when cool, put 
 in a pint of bread rising; that is, hop risings that have been 
 set the night before. If it should be sour put in a little soda, 
 then thicken this up with flour a little thicker than for johnny 
 cake; set where it will keep warm until very light, and bake 
 slowly. 
 
— 89 — 
 
 Corn Bread No. 5. — Some morning when baking, save 
 out one and a half cupfuls of sponge, then bring one quart 
 of sweet milk to boiling, and stir in enough corn meal to 
 make a batter of the consistency of mush. When cool 
 enough add the sponge; then add two well-beaten eggs, 
 three tablespoonfuls of sugar, two of butter, and enough 
 wheat flour to make a soft dough. Let it rise until it is 
 light, then work out into small loaves and let it stand again 
 until light, but not too light. Bake in a moderate oven 
 fifty minutes. 
 
 Graham Bread. — Take three cupfuls sour milk and three 
 or four large spoonfuls of thick sour cream, one-half cup- 
 ful of corn meal, one half cupful of wheat flour, one-halt 
 cupful of molasses, three teaspoonfuls of soda, and a pinch 
 of salt; thicken with graham flour and bake one hour. Do 
 not stir the batter very stiff. One who does not like this, 
 does not know good graham bread when eaten. 
 
 Brown Bread. — To one quart of warm water add one 
 cupful of yeast, one-half cupful of sugar, and salt; stir in 
 graham flour to make a stiff batter; put in tins, set in a warm 
 place to rise and bake in a moderate oven. When done 
 wrap in a damp towel till cold. 
 
 Graham Rolls. — Take one pint of graham flour, one of 
 white flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one ot salt, 
 one tablespoonful of lard, and three-quarters pint of milk; 
 sift together the graham flour, flour, salt and powder; rub in 
 the lard, cold, mix the whole into a smooth dough, not too 
 soft: form into rolls, wash with milk to glaze them and bake 
 in hot oven ten or twelve minutes. 
 
 Graham Gems. — Take half a cupful of milk; half cupful 
 of sweet cream, 2 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 2 table- 
 spoonfuls of sugar, and graham flour to make a thick 
 batter. 
 
 Graham Muffins. — Take one quart of graham flour, 
 one tablespoonful of brown sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, 
 three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one egg, one pint of 
 
— 90 — 
 
 milk; sift together the graham, sugar, salt, and powder; add 
 the beaten egg and the milk, mix into a batter like pound 
 cake, nil the muffin pans, well greased, two-thirds full and 
 bake in a hot oven fifteen minutes. 
 
 Oatmeal Muffins. — Take one cupful of oatmeal, one 
 and a half pints of flour, one teaspoonful of salt, two tea- 
 spoonluls of baking powder, one tablespoonful of lard, two 
 eggs, and one pint of milk. Sift together the oatmeal, flour 
 salt and powder, rub in lard, cold, add the beaten eggs and 
 milk, mix smoothly into a batter rather thinner than for cup 
 cake* fill the muffin pans two-thirds full and bake in a hot 
 oven fifteen minutes. 
 
 Rye Muffins. — Take a pint of rye flour, one-half pint 
 of corn meal, half a pint of flour, one teaspoonful of sugar, 
 one teaspoonful of salt, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, 
 1 tablespoonful of lard, 2 eggs and one pint of milk. Sift 
 together the rye flour, corn meal, flour, salt and baking 
 powder; rub in the lard, cold, add the beaten eggs and milk 
 and mix into smooth, rather firm batter. The muffin pans 
 must be cold and well greased; fill two-thirds full, and bake 
 in a hot oven fifteen minutes. 
 
 Corn Gems. — For these take a pint of corn meal, one 
 pint ot flour, one teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls of 
 baking powder, one-third pint each of milk and water, and 
 mix into a firm batter, fill well greased cold gem pans two 
 thirds full and bake in well heated oven fifteen minutes. 
 
 Corn Muffins. — Take one pint of flour, one of Indian 
 meal, one-third cupful of sugar, one teaspoonful of soda, 
 two of cream tartar, two eggs, one pint of milk, and one 
 tablespoonful of melted butter. Mix the dry ingredients 
 together, and sift them, beat the eggs light, add the milk to 
 them, stir in the dry ingredients, and bake twenty minutes 
 in buttered muffin pans. This makes two dozen muffins. 
 
 Baking Powder. — Take eleven pounds of best cream 
 tartar and four pounds of soda. Sift the soda two or three 
 times to make it fine, then sift the soda and cream tartar 
 
— 91 — 
 
 together twice, and put into tight cans so it won't lose 
 strength. A finer baking powder never was made. If one 
 does not care to make so much, reduce each in proportion 
 to the amount wanted. One does not need to use as much 
 of this as of other baking powders. Keystone. 
 
 Biscuits. — Mix three teaspoonfuls of baking powder 
 thoroughly with two quarts of flour; then rub in half a tea- 
 cupful of butter, and mix w r ith sweet milk until just stiff 
 enough to handle on the board. Bake in a quick oven. 
 
 Crackers. — The following has been used for thirty 
 years : Into fourteen cupfuls of flour sift four teaspoonfuls 
 ot cream tartar and two of soda; stir in one cupful of short 
 ening (half butter, half lard) with a fork, and add slowly one 
 cupful of cold water. Donot put in more water, but knead 
 in the flour until the dough is smooth and glossy. One 
 can make only half the receipt at one time, as it is all that 
 can be baked in a common sized dripping pan at once, and 
 be nicely dried off before getting cold. The measure cup 
 holds just nine tablespoonfuls of water. It seems to be 
 very little wetting, but a few trials will convince any one 
 that it is enough for the other ingredients. 
 
 P. C. Cushman. 
 
 Graham Crackers. — Take one quart of best graham 
 flour, one tablespoonful of sugar, one-half teaspoonful of 
 salt, one-half teaspoonful of baking powder, two table- 
 spoonfuls of butter, and a little more than one-half pint of 
 milk. Sift the dry ingredients together, rub in the butter, 
 cold, add the milk, and mix into smooth dough. Flour 
 the board, turn out the dough, and knead five minutes. 
 Roll out to the thickness of one-quarter inch and cut with 
 a knife into small envelope-shaped crackers. Bake in a 
 rather quick oven with care (as they burn readily) ten 
 minutes. Handle carefully while hot. 
 
 Oat Meal Breakfast Cakes — Mix equal parts of fine 
 oat meal and water, pour into a pan about one-third of an 
 inch deep and bake half an hour, or until crisp and slightly 
 
— 92 — 
 
 brown. Or make half an inch thick and bake like johnny 
 cake. If the oven is not hot enough, pour it into a frying- 
 pan, cover tight and bake on top of the stove, dishing up 
 when well browned on the bottom. It is a splendid dish 
 for an early breakfast, late supper or when one is in a 
 hurry. It is not good cold; if any is left, warm over. 
 Eaten with sweet cream, fresh butter or stewed fruit it is 
 excellent. 
 
 Waffles. — To make these, take 1 quart of flour, ^ tea- 
 spoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful of sugar, 2 teaspoonfuls of 
 baking powder, 1 large tablespoonful of butter, 2 eggs, 
 and 1| pints of milk. Sift the dry ingredients together; 
 rub in the butter cold, add the beaten eggs and milk, and 
 mix into a smooth batter that will run easily from the 
 mouth ol a pitcher. Have the waffle-iron hot, and care- 
 fully greased each time; fill it two-thirds full and close it 
 up; when brown, turn over. Sift sugar on them; serve hot; 
 eat with maple syrup or honey. 
 
 Pancakes. — An excellent way to use up dry pieces of 
 bread is to pour hot water over them, and when soft make 
 it fine with the hand. To a pint of this mixture add a pint 
 of sour milk, two eggs, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful ot 
 soda. Stir in flour until it is just thick enough to bake 
 well. With a reasonably hot griddle, these cakes brown 
 nicely, and when served with butter and sugar, or nice 
 syrup, make a dish "fit to set before the king." The 
 author prefers to soak the bread soft in the sour milk, in- 
 stead of water, using the rest of the receipt as it is given. 
 
 Eggless Pancakes. — Take 4 teacupfuls of good rich 
 buttermilk, 1 teaspoonful of salt, and 2 teaspoonfuls of soda; 
 dissolve the soda in a little boiling water; stir enough flour 
 in to make a batter a little thicker than egg pancakes. 
 
 " Middling " Pancakes. — Pancakes made of "shorts'' 
 or middlings are more wholesome and economical than 
 buckwheat. They are made as follows : Mix 1 pint of shorts 
 and the same of Hour, a little salt and 1 teaspoonful of soda 
 
— 93 — 
 
 in good buttermilk until the batter is of the right consistency. 
 One can prepare them in five minutes' time. Locia. 
 
 Buckwheat Cakes. — Take 1 quart of buckwheat flour 
 and 1 teaspoonful of salt; stir in water to make a thin 
 batter; beat thoroughly, and add 4 tablespoonfuls of home- 
 brewed yeast. Set the batter in a warm place, and let it 
 rise over night. Add 1 teaspoonful of soda in the morning. 
 If any cakes are left, cut them up fine, put them back in 
 the dough (if any is left) and make more sponge the follow- 
 ing night or whenever wanted. 
 
 Corn Griddle Cakes. — For a family of six, take 
 almost a half pint of new milk, the evening before, 1 well- 
 beaten egg, a little salt, and stir in corn meal, and about a 
 handful of wheat flower. Let it stand till morning; just 
 before baking add a teaspoonful of soda. Aunt Mat. 
 
 PASTRY HINTS. 
 
 Always sift flour just before it is to be used, otherwise it 
 may become lumpy or heavy. Baking powder should be 
 thoroughly mixed with the flower in a dry state. Avoid 
 using baking powders bought in bulk, as often deleterious 
 substances are used. Always avoid powders also, the 
 manufacturers of which are continually drawing com- 
 parisons. One may be sure that their money goes into 
 extensive advertising, instead of excellent quality of ingre- 
 dients. There are several excellent powders in the market, 
 which are sold upon their merits only. First among them 
 we consider the "Forest City" the best, and housekeepers 
 may always rely upon its being the very best, for fine cakes 
 particularly. Butter and sugar for a cake should always be 
 beaten to a cream. Beat the yelks of eggs until one can 
 
— 94 — 
 
 take up a spoonful, whip the whites to a stiff froth and stir 
 them into cake with the flour, the last thing before putting 
 into tins. 
 
 Crust for pies, tarts and puddings should be made with 
 clean hands. Dip first into hot, then into cold water 
 before beginning. If the oven is too cold, the crust will be 
 heavy; if too hot it will burn. Bake a small piece of crust 
 first to try it. Always make a hole in the top of meat pies 
 to let out the gas. 
 
 An ordinary oven requires about one hour to heat evenly 
 with a steady heat. The baking is of the greatest impor- 
 tance, and should be carefully provided for. Place all the 
 necessary ingredients at hand, place the butter where it 
 will soften but not melt, have the baking pans ready, place 
 a piece of well greased paper (white) in the bottom and 
 sides, and use fresh lard for greasing. An earthen dish 
 should be used for mixing cake. Break the eggs, separat- 
 ing yelks from whites, beat the yelks a little, then the whites 
 until a stiff froth is formed. Set the dish in a cool place 
 till needed. Beat butter and sugar together until the mass 
 is soft and light, then add the yelks, spices or flavoring, 
 then the milk; stir well after putting in each ingredient. 
 Mix the baking powder in the flour by sifting, next put in 
 the whites of eggs, and lastly the flour, then put into the 
 oven. Do not move except with greatest care. Should 
 the oven be too hot, and the cake incline to burn, set a 
 cupful of water into the oven. To ascertain if the cake is 
 done, insert a splint or thin knife blade; if no dough ad- 
 heres, it is ready to remove from the oven. 
 
 Be sure to use the same sized cup for all measurements. 
 Some experience is necessary to insure just the right quan- 
 tity of flour for any cake; if too mnch is used the cake will 
 be dry, and if too little it will be heavy. If just the right 
 quantity it will be light and airy. A little cream of tartar 
 in frosting will hasten the hardening process. 
 
 If one should forget the flavoring of a cake, pour a little 
 
— 95 — 
 
 on the hands and rub on the outside. Nuts used in cake 
 are much improved by blanching. This is done by throw- 
 ing them into scalding water a few minutes. Almonds have 
 so tough skins that they cannot be used in cake without 
 blanching. Walnut skins are bitter, and although more 
 trouble, blanching must be done, especially if they are put 
 into a light-colored cake, without molasses or spice. A 
 delicious and easy way to flavor a cake that is to be iced, 
 is to grate part of the peel of an o.range or lemon over the 
 cake before putting on the icing. 
 
 Sponge Cake. — I want to tell about some new tins I had 
 made. One is for baking cookies, the other for various 
 purposes. In fact it takes the place of a sheet iron drip- 
 per, and is as much superior as a silver spoon is better than 
 a brass one. In shape and size it is similar to the iron pan, 
 15^ by 10^ inches, and 2\ inches deep. It is made of XX 
 tin and wired all around the top, with handles at the ends. 
 It will hold three medium sized loaves of bread. It is just 
 right for sponge cake made from the following receipt: Two 
 eggs, a coffee cupful of granulated sugar, one of thin sweet 
 cream, three cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, two 
 of cream tartar; season with lemon, vanilla, or nutmeg. 
 Put all the ingredients together, then beat thoroughly for 
 five minutes; pour the mixture into the tin bake pan, and if 
 the oven is rightly heated, it will be done in fifteen minutes 
 or less, as it bakes very quickly. When done, frost well 
 and sprinkle cocoanut over the top. This cake rises so 
 light, it is very difficult to bake one in common-sized tins 
 without its running over. This was the reason of my order- 
 ing the above mentioned tin. I wanted to get one sufficient- 
 ly large to hold the cake as it is too good to lose half in the 
 oven when baking. Dot. 
 
 Grand Sponge Cake. — Beat 4 eggs and 2 cupfuls of 
 sugar, 2 cupfuls of flour, and 2 heaping tcaspoonfuls of bak- 
 ing powder; flavor with lemon. Do not heap or pack the 
 flour, but take it just as it is sifted, then stir in two-thirds 
 
— 96 — 
 
 of a cupful of boiling water and bake. 
 
 Another Sponge Cake. — Take one coffee cup full of 
 white sugar, two eggs, a cupful of sweet milk and cream, 
 half and half, a pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of cream tar- 
 tar, half as much soda and two cupfuls of sifted flour; beat all 
 thoroughly, pour into a dripping pan, and bake in a moder- 
 ate oven. For frosting use the whites of two fresh-laid eggs, 
 a teacupful of powdered sugar, and a cupful of prepared 
 cocoanut. Spread the frosting over the cake while hot. 
 No cake is easier made, or more sure of being right every 
 time; it will keep moist a week or more if shut away from air. 
 
 Quick Sponge Cake. — Take four eggs, one and a half 
 cupfuls of granulated sugar, two cupfuls of flour, one heap- 
 ing teaspoonful of baking powder, a teaspoonful of extract 
 of lemon, a pinch of salt, and three-quarters cupful of boil- 
 ing water. Beat the eggs to a froth, add the sugar, then the 
 flour, baking powder, and salt, sifted together; mix well 
 then add the boiling water and extract. 
 
 Berwick Sponge Cake. — Take six eggs, three cupfuls 
 of sugar, four cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking 
 powder, one cupful of cold water, a pinch of salt and one 
 teaspoonful of extract of lemon. Beat the eggs and sugar 
 together five minutes; add the flour, sifted with the salt and 
 powder, water and extract; bake in a shallow, square cake- 
 pan, in a quick steady oven thirty-five minutes. Frost with 
 clear icing. 
 
 Almond Sponge Cake. — Take one and a half cupfuls 
 of cut sugar, eight eggs, one and a half cupfuls of flour, half 
 a teaspoonful of baking powder and one teaspoonful of ex- 
 tract of bitter almonds. Boil the sugar in one and a hilf 
 gills of water until on taking some up on the end of a spoon 
 handle, it breaks brittle, when at once pour it on the eggs, 
 previously whipped ten minutes; continue the whipping 
 twenty minutes longer; add the flour sifted with the powder 
 and extract. Bake in a well buttered cake mould in a 
 rather quick oven thirty minutes. 
 
— 97 — 
 
 Wedding or Bride's Cake. — Butter, one and a half 
 pounds; sugar, one and three quarter pounds, half of which 
 is Orleans sugar; eggs well beaten, two pounds; seeded and 
 chopped raisins, four pounds; English currants, nicely 
 washed and picked out, five pounds; citron cut fine, two 
 pounds; sifted flour two pounds, two nutmegs, and as 
 much mace in bulk, alcohol one gill to one half pint, in 
 which a dozen or fifteen drops of oil of lemon have been 
 put Weigh the butter and cut it in pieces, pat where it 
 will soften, not melt. Next, stir the butter to a cream, 
 then add the sugar, work until white. Next, beat the yelks 
 of the eggs, and put them with the sugar and butter. Mean- 
 while another person should beat the whites to a stiff froth, 
 and put them in. Then add the spices and flour, and last 
 of all the fruit, except the citron, which is to be added in 
 about three layers, the lower layer about one inch from 
 the bottom, the top one an inch from the top and the other 
 in the middle. Smooth the top of the cake by dipping a 
 spoonful or two of water upon it for that purpose. Bake it 
 in a pan about thirteen inches across the top and five and 
 a half or six inches deep, (without scallops), and two three- 
 quart pans also which it will fill. Bake slowly from three 
 to four hours. To ascertain if it is done, try with a broom 
 splint, and if no dough adheres, it is done. Line the pans 
 with white well-buttered paper. 
 
 Confectioner's Fruit Cake. — One pound of pulver- 
 ized sugar, one pound of butter, twelve eggs, one pound of 
 flour; brandy and spices. The fruit must consist of raisins, 
 currants and citron, all mixed. Use one pound of fruit to 
 one and a half of dough. 
 
 Sponge Layer Cake. — Beat three eggs thoroughly, add 
 five tablcspoonfuls of cold water, one cupful of sugar, two 
 cupfuls of sifted flour, into which mix two teaspoonfuls of 
 baking powder. Flavor with vanilla, and bake in three 
 tins. For filling, make a fine custard and spread while 
 warm. 
 
— 98 — 
 
 White Fruit Cake. — Take one cupful of butter, two 
 cupfuls of sugar, one scant cupful of sweet milk, the whites 
 of five eggs, one grated cocoanut, one pound of almonds, 
 blanched and cut fine; three and one half cupfuls of sifte 1 
 flour, and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder; flour 
 the fruit and add it the last thing. 
 
 Washington Fruit Cake, (1780). — Take two cupfuls 
 of butter, three cupfuls of sugar, four cupfuls of flour, two 
 teaspoonfuls of baking powder, five eggs, one cupiul of 
 milk, one cupful of stoned raisins, one-half cupful of 
 currants, one quarter cupful of chopped citron and one 
 teaspoonful of extract of nutmeg and cinnamon. Bake in a 
 shallow square cake-pan in a steady oven one and one half 
 hours. Frost. 
 
 Webster Fruit Cake. — Take one cupful of butter, 
 three cupfuls of sugar, two eggs, five cupfuls of flour, one 
 teaspoonful of baking powder, two cupfuls of seeded raisins, 
 one teaspoonful of extract of bitter almonds, one and one- 
 half cupfuls of milk. Rub the butter, sugar and eggs 
 smooth, add the flour sifted with the powder, raisins, milk 
 and extracts; mix into a medium batter and bake in a 
 steady oven forty-five minutes. 
 
 Raisin Cake. — Add to three eggs, three cupfuls of 
 brown sugar, one scant cupful of butter, one cupful of cold 
 coffee, two and a half teaspoonfuls of soda, three and one- 
 half cupfuls of flour, one cupful of raisins, two teaspoonfuls 
 of cinnamon, one of cloves and nutmegs. 
 
 Bread Cake. — On baking day, take from the dough, 
 after its second rising, two cupfuls of risen dough.- Have 
 ready, two cupfuls of white sugar, one cupful of butter 
 creamed with the sugar, three eggs, one teaspoonful of soda 
 dissolved in hot water, two tablespoonfuls of sweet milk 
 (cream is better) half a pound of currants washed and 
 dredged in flour, one teaspoonful of nutmeg, and one of 
 cloves. Beat the yelks very light; add the creamed butter 
 and sugar, the spices, milk, soda and dough. Stir until 
 
— 99 — 
 
 all are mixed, put in the beaten whites, lastly the fruit. 
 Beat hard five minutes. Let it rise twenty minutes, in two 
 well-buttered pans; bake half an hour, or until done. 
 
 Bread Cake No. 2. — Take four cupfuls of light dough, 
 two cupfuls of sugar, one cupful of butter, three eggs, one 
 teaspoonful of soda, one nutmeg, and raisins. This makes 
 two loaves. 
 
 Raisin Cake, Without Eggs. — To one and one-half 
 cupfuls of sugar, add one cupful of sour milk, one-half cup- 
 ful of butter, one teaspoonful of soda, one cupful of raisins 
 chopped and floured, one teaspoonful of allspice and cinna- 
 mon, one-half teaspoonful of cloves, and flour to make a 
 medium stiff batter. Bake in a long pan. When done, take 
 the white of one egg, beat light, three tablespoonfuls of 
 sugar, one-quarter pound of chocolate, grated, and one tea- 
 spoonful of vanilla. 
 
 Pound Cake. — Break eight eggs into a crock, then add 
 one pound of sugar, one-quarter pound of butter, one tea- 
 cupful of sour cream (not too rich) one scant teaspoonful 
 of soda, a pinch of salt, and one pound of well-sifted flour; 
 beat all thoroughly together, and bake in a slow oven one 
 hour. Turn a pie-pan over the stem of the cake-pan the 
 first half hour, that it may not bake too fast on top. 
 
 Pound Cake No. 2. — Take one and a half cupfuls of 
 butter, two cupfuls of sugar, seven eggs, one and a half 
 pints of flour, one teaspoonful of baking powder, flavor with 
 nutmeg. Rub the butter and sugar to a cieam, add three 
 of the eggs, one at a time, and the rest two at a time, beat- 
 ing five minutes between each addition; add the flour, sifted 
 with the powder; add the extract, and bake m a paper-lined 
 cake tin in a steady oven fifty minutes. 
 
 Gold Cake. — Mix three-quarters of a cupful of butter, 
 two cupfuls of sugar, the yelks often eggs, one and a half 
 pints of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one cup- 
 ful of thin cream, one teaspoonful of extract of lemon, and 
 nutmeg. Add the yelks three at a time, beating a little 
 
— 100 — 
 
 after each addition, add the flour sifted with the powder,. 
 
 the thin cream, and extracts; bake in a steady oven fifty 
 
 minutes. 
 
 Gold Cake No. 2. — To two cupfuls of sugar, add one 
 
 cupful of butter, one cupful of sweet milk, four cupfuls of 
 
 flour, the yelks of five eggs, and two teaspoonfuls of baking 
 
 powder. 
 
 Silver Cake. — Use the directions for gold cake, using 
 
 the whites instead of the yelks of eggs. 
 
 Chocolate Cake. — Take two cupfuls of sugar, one of 
 sweet milk, two whole eggs (or the whites of four, if you 
 wish your cake to be white) two tablespoonfuls of butter, 
 four teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and two heaping cup- 
 fuls of flour. Sift the flour and powder together. Bake in 
 layers, or in a square tin, having the cake about two inches 
 thick when done; spread the chocolate over the cake, half 
 an inch thick. Or, if you prefer, bake in layers, spreading 
 chocolate between, and on top of the cake. 
 
 Chocolate Frosting. — Two cupfuls of crushed sugar, 
 with a little water to dissolve it, boil to syrup till it will 
 thread fine on the spoon. When the sugar is boiled, put 
 into it the whites of two eggs, beating all the time, then put 
 in chocolate to taste and color nicely; add a small pinch of 
 tartaric acid and a little corn starch. Stir the corn starch 
 into the eggs before adding them to the sugar. 
 
 Chocolate Cake No. 2 — Take half a cake (or one- 
 quarter pound) of Baker's chocolate, dissolve it in one-half 
 cupful of milk, add one cupful, of sugar, and the yelk of one 
 egg; place on the stove and stir until well dissolved, then 
 stir until cold to prevent lumping; add one teaspoonful of 
 
 vanilla. 
 
 Batter for Cake. — One cupful of sugar, one-half cup- 
 ful of butter, two eggs, yelks of two more, one-half cupful of 
 milk, three cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking- 
 powder, flavor to taste. Mix the chocolate and barter to- 
 gether thoroughly, and bake in layers, putting jelly or icing, 
 between. 
 
— 101 — 
 
 Chocolate Cake No. 3. — Take one egg, one cupful of 
 sugar, one cupful of milk, one tablespoonful of butter, two 
 cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of soda, and two of cream 
 tartar. Bake in three layers; take half a cake of chocolate, 
 the white of one egg, and eleven teaspoonfuls of white 
 sugar; put all together (after beating the whites of the eggs 
 to a stiff froth) and cook until it will harden; put between 
 the layers and on top of the cake. 
 
 Chocolate Leopard Cake. — Light Part. — Two eggs, 
 one cupful of sugar, one half cupful of butter, one-half cup- 
 ful of water, one cupful of flour, one teaspoonful of cream 
 tartar, one-half teaspoonful of soda. Dark Part — One egg, 
 one half cupful of brown sugar, two tablespoonfuls of melted 
 butter, two tablespoonfuls of water, two of grated chocolate, 
 three-quarters of a cupful of flour, one teaspoonful of cream 
 tartar, one-half teaspoonful of sodr,; put in the dough 
 alternately, a spoonful of white, then one of dark, till the 
 pan is full. It will look like marble cake when done. 
 
 Marble Cake. — Use any white cake receipt, coloring 
 half the batter with strawberry color, or red sugar sand 
 Sprinkled over a spoonful of dough; alternating the white 
 and red, as for any marble cake. For dark and light mar- 
 ble cake, use a common cake batter; save out half, into 
 which mix spices, then alternate the mixtures when putting 
 into the cake pan. 
 
 Marble Cake. — For the white part, take one and one- 
 half cupfuls of white sugar, the whites of four eggs, three- 
 quarters of a cupful of sweet milk, one-half cupful of butter, 
 three cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; 
 flavor with lemon. For the dark part, take one and one- 
 half cupfuls of dark sugar, the yelks of four eggs, and one 
 whole one, one-half cupful of butter, three-quarters of a cup- 
 ful of sweet milk, three cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of 
 baking powder, one teaspoonful of cinnamon, one of cloves 
 one half a nutmeg. 
 
 Cocoanut Cake. — One cupful of cocoanut, one of but- 
 
— 102 — 
 
 ter, two of sugar, four and a half of flour, four eggs, two 
 teaspoonfuls of baking powder; flavor with lemon. 
 
 Cocoanut Cake, No. 2, — Take half a cupful of butter, 
 two cupfuls of sugar; rub together with the hands till smooth; 
 half cupful of milk, two of flour, four eggs, 2 teaspoonfuls 
 of baking powder. Beat the yelks and whites of eggs sep- 
 arately. Bake in three layers; spread* frosting mixed with 
 grated cocoanut between. 
 
 Jelly Cake. — Take one and a half cupfuls of sugar, 
 butter the size of an egg, half cupful of milk, the .whites of 
 four eggs, one and a half cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls 
 of baking powder. Bake in layers. For the frosting take 
 the whites of four eggs, and four cuptuls of sugar; pour half 
 a pint of boiling water on the sugar, and let it boil until it 
 waxes hard by dropping into cold water; pour it on the 
 beaten eggs, stirring hard all the time, till it is a perfect 
 cream; put in a piece of citric acid as large as a pea; flavor 
 while hot, and spread when nearly cold. Place lumps of 
 nice jelly on the frosting between the layers. For another 
 kind, use this cake receipt for two layers, and put fruit and 
 pink sugar into the middle layer. 
 
 Roll Jelly Cake. — Take one and a half cupfuls of 
 flour, one cupful of sugar, one teaspoonful of soda, in a 
 quarter pint of sour milk, two eggs, yelks and whites beaten 
 thoroughly. Mix the sugar, the yelks, the milk, soda and 
 flavoring, then stir in the flour, and lastly when the oven 
 is just right, and the long tin nicely greased, stir in quickly 
 the whites of the eggs and bake. In about fifteen minutes 
 it will be ready to turn out on a thick brown paper or towel. 
 Spread with jelly and roll. 
 
 Layer Jelly Cake. — Take one cupful of granulated 
 sugar, five tablespoonfuls of butter, one egg, one cupful of 
 sweet milk, one heaping teaspoonful of cream tartar, one 
 level teaspoonful of soda, and two cupfuls of flour. Spread 
 jelly between the layers. 
 
 Roll Sponge Cake. — Beat together two eggs, one cup- 
 
— 103 — 
 
 ful of sugar, two good tablespoonfuls of water, one cupful of 
 flour, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Bake in a 
 dripping pan, in a well heated oven; turn out; spread jelly 
 on the rough side and roll up. Myra. 
 
 Martha Washington Jelly Cake. — Take one cupful 
 of sugar, one of sweet milk, two of flour, two heaping tea- 
 spoonfuls of baking powder, two tablespoonfuls of butter, 
 and one egg. Bake in three layers. Beat the sugar, butter 
 and egg to a cream, then add the milk, sift the powder with 
 the flour, and add the last. 
 
 Surprise Jelly Cake. — Take one whole egg and the 
 yelk of another, two teacupfuls of sifted sugar, three tea- 
 cupfuls of sifted flour, measured after sifting with two large 
 teaspoonfuls of baking powder stirred in; one cupful of 
 sweet milk, one tablespoonful of soft butter; flavor to taste. 
 Bake in three large jelly tins. Spread with some tart jelly. 
 This makes a large cake and if done with good material 
 will surprise the baker. Use B or extra C sugar, which are 
 better than granulated. 
 
 Hickorynut Cake — Take one cupful of broken nuts, 
 one and a half cupfuls of sugar, half a cupful of butter, two 
 cupfuls of flour, three-quarters cupful of milk, two teaspoon- 
 fuls of baking powder, and the whites of four eggs well 
 beaten; add the hickory-nuts last. 
 
 Hickorynut Cake, No. 2 — Take one-half cupful of 
 butter, one and a half cupfuls of sugar, three eggs, two and 
 a halt cupfuls ot flour one and a half teaspoonfuls of bak- 
 ing powder, half a cupful of milk, and one cupful ot hickory 
 nut meats. Bake in a paper lined tin thirty-five minutes. 
 
 Hickorynut Cake, No. 3 — To one cupful of sugar, 
 add half a cupful of milk, two cupfuls of flour, one teaspoon- 
 ful of cream tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda, one large 
 cupful of raisins, one cupful of nuts broken up. and two 
 eggs. Any other nuts can be substituted. 
 
 Hickorynut Cake, Without Eggs. — Take one cup- 
 ful of white sugar, one of hickorynut meats, half a cupful of 
 
— 104 — 
 
 butter, one cupful of new milk, fresh, two heaping table- 
 spoonfuls of corn starch, one teaspoonful of cream tartar, 
 half a teaspoonful of soda, season with lemon, either grated 
 rind or good extract, and two cupfuls of flour. Bake in a 
 moderate oven. Frost well before cold. 
 
 FANCY CAKES. 
 
 Angel Cake. — By carefully following all details you 
 will have a most beautiful cake: —Take the whites of eleven 
 eggs beaten to a stiff froth, nine and a quarter ounces of 
 sugar, five and three-quarters ounces of flour, one teaspoon- 
 ful of cream tartar sifted with the flour, and one teaspoon- 
 ful of extract of vanilla. Do not butter the tins. Bake 
 forty minutes. Keep a pint dish of hot water in the oven 
 while baking. Do not open the oven door for twenty min- 
 utes after putting the cake in. Avoid jarring the oven. 
 When the forty minutes have passed take out the tin, turn 
 bottom side up, and allow the cake to fall out itself. 
 
 Maggie. 
 
 Pan for Angel Cake. — This is a tubed pudding pan, 
 eleven inches in diameter on top, eight and a quarter inches 
 on bottom, height four and a quarter inches. It has three 
 legs at equal distances apart, to project one and a half 
 inches above top ol pan, and riveted to the outside. The 
 tube is five and an eighth inches long. Use this dish for 
 no other purpose. 
 
 Peach Blossom Cake. — Take one cupful of pulverized 
 sugar and half a cupful of butter stirred together until it 
 looks like thick cream; one teaspoonful of soda dissolved 
 in half a teacupful of sweet milk; beat the whites of three 
 eggs, and put them in with two teaspoonfuls of cream tartar 
 mixed with a teacuplul of flour; stir and add half a tea- 
 
— 105 — 
 
 spoonful ot corn starch. Flavor strongly with extract of 
 peach. Bake in two square tins, in a moderately quick 
 oven; when done sandwich with finely grated cocoanut and 
 pink sugar. Frost and sprinkle with pink sugar. 
 
 Wild Rose Cake. — Take one and a half cupfuls of but- 
 ter, one and a half cupfuls of sugar, the whites of five eggs, 
 one and a half pints of flour, one and a half teaspoonluls 
 of baking powder, one cupful of milk; flavor with extract 
 of rose and strawberry. Bake in two jelly tins one inch 
 deep. Sandwich with pink icing, and put the same on top. 
 When you have put the last layer of pink icing on top, sift 
 very lightly over the top, granulated white sugar. 
 
 Lady Cake. — For this take two-thirds of a cupful of 
 butter, three cupfuls of sugar, the whites of eight eggs, one 
 pint of flour, one-half teaspoonful of baking powder, one 
 cupful of milk, twenty drops of extract of bitter almonds. 
 Rub the butter and sugar to a cream, add the flour sifted 
 with the powder, milk and extract; mix into a smooth bat- 
 ter; then gently mix the whites ot the eggs whipped to a 
 dry froth; when thoroughly mixed put into a shallow 
 papered cake-pan, and bake carefully forty minutes. When 
 •done ice the bottom and sides with wjhite icing. 
 
 Lemon Jelly Cake. — Take three eggs, one cupful of 
 white sugar, four tablespoonfuls of butter, four tablcspoon- 
 fuls of water, one teaspoonful of soda, two of cream tartar 
 and one cupful of flour; beat the eggs thoroughly. Use 
 lemon jelly to put between the layers. Take the juice and 
 grated peel of one lemon, one cupful of sugar, one egg, 
 mix together, steam or cook in a stoneware dish, spread be- 
 fore quite cold. 
 
 Orange Cake. — Take one-half cupful of butter, two 
 cupfuls of sugar, five eggs, one pint of flour, one and one- 
 half teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one teaspoonful of ex- 
 tract of orange, and one cupful of milk. Rub the butter 
 and sugar to a cream, add the eggs, two at a time, beating 
 five minutes between each addition; adJ the flour sifted 
 
— 106 — 
 
 with the powder, the milk and extract, mix into a fine 
 smooth batter, put into a paper lined cake tin, bake in a 
 moderate oven thirty minutes. When cool cover the top 
 with the following preparation: Whip the whites of three 
 eggs to a dry froth, then carefully mix in four cupfuls of 
 sugar, the juice, grafed rind, and soft pulp, free of white pith 
 and seeds, of two sour oranges. 
 
 Soft Gingerbread. — Put two-thirds of a cupful of but- 
 ter, warmed a little, into a bowl, and add one cupful of 
 sugar; beat to a cream, then stir into this a cupful of good 
 thick buttermilk (sour); add a cupful of New Orleans molas- 
 ses and a tablespoonful of ginger; stir in two heaping cup- 
 fuls of flour and two well-beaten eggs; lastly, beat in another 
 heaping cupful of flour, in which is mixed a teaspoonful of 
 soda (three cupfuls of flour in all). Bake at once on two 
 round tins in rather quick oven. The cup used holds halt 
 a pint, and the eggs are large. Mrs. Voorhees, 
 
 Ginger Cookies. — Take two teacupfuls of New Orleans 
 molasses, seven teaspoonfuls of soda dissolved in eight 
 tablespoonfuls of boiling water, twenty tablespoonfuls of 
 melted lard, two teaspoonfuls of crushed alum, dissolved in 
 three tablespoonfuls of hot water, one tablespoonful of 
 ginger, and a little salt, stir well; four teaspoonfuls of 
 cream tartar mixed thoroughly in a pint of flour. Make 
 the dough soft as can be rolled; cut in round cakes and 
 bake in a quick oven. All ginger cakes should be rubbed 
 with yelk of egg before putting into the oven. 
 
 Molasses Cookies. — Take a teacup, put in one tea- 
 spoonful of soda, one of ginger, three tablespoonfuls of hot 
 water, four of melted shortening, then fill up with New 
 Orleans molasses. One can use coffee in place of hot 
 water; it will make them richer yellow. 
 
 Ginger Snaps. — Mix one pint of molasses, one cupfu. of 
 sugar, one cupful of lard, and boil fifteen minutes; when 
 cool, add one tablespoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of 
 soda, and flour to roll; roll very thin and bake in a hot oven. 
 This receipt will make 269 cookies. Alice. 
 
— 107 — 
 
 Ginger Snaps. — Take one cupful of molasses, one of 
 sugar, one of shortening, one-half cupful of made coffee, one 
 teaspoonful of ginger, and two of soda; mix stiff, roll thin 
 and bake in a quick oven. Aunt Midget. 
 
 Cookies. — Mix one cupful of butter, two of sugar, one 
 egg, four tablespoonfuls of milk, one teaspoonful ot soda, 
 and flour enough to roll well. 
 
 Excellent Cookies. — Mix half a cupful of butter, one 
 cupful of sweet cream, one and one-half of white sugar, 
 one egg, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, a little salt, and 
 flour according to judgment; roll thin and sprinkle with 
 granulated sugar. 
 
 Eggless Cookies. — Mix one cupful of sour cream, one 
 cupful of sugar, one level teaspoonful of soda, caraway 
 seed or any other flavor, and flour to roll rather stiff. 
 
 Eva. 
 
 Raised Doughnuts. — Set a sponge in the middle of 
 the afternoon for frying next morning. Take one quart of 
 water, one cupful or one cake of yeast; let it rise until very 
 light (about five hours); add one coffee cupful of lard or 
 butter, two cupfuls of white sugar, three large mashed pota- 
 toes, and a small nutmeg. Mix thoroughly, and let stand 
 over night. In the morning shape and fry. Lay enough 
 for one frying in a floured plate and set into the oven to 
 warm. When they are put in to fry, set more in the oven. 
 
 Doughnuts. — Mix well one-third of a cupful ot butter, 
 one of sugar, one-half of buttermilk, one teaspoonful of 
 soda, one egg, and flour to roll well; cut out and fry in 
 boiling lard. 
 
 Fried Cakes. — Take two eggs, well-beaten, one cupful 
 of sugar, one of sweet milk, three tablespoonfuls ot melted 
 butter, a pinch of salt, two teaspoonfuls (heaped) of baking 
 powder, stirred into one pint of flour. 
 
 Finger Cakes. — These are fried without sugar. Take 
 two eggs, well-beaten, lard the size of two eggs; one small 
 teacupful of water, mix with flour as thick as possible, and 
 
— 108 — 
 
 roll out thin; cut into squares, then cut the squares into 
 strips like fingers (do not cut quite off at ends), twist the 
 fingers and pinch two together, so it will be somewhat in 
 the shape of a hand; drop into hot lard and fry. They are 
 of a delicate color and delicious. 
 
 Fritters. — Beat six eggs, then add three-quarters of a 
 cupful of sweet milk, a little salt, three tablespoonluls oi 
 flour; stir well, drop from a spoon into hot lard, and 
 sprinkle with powdered sugar when taken out. Serve hot. 
 
 ICING FOR CAKE. 
 
 Boiled Icing. — Take one cupful of white sugar, two 
 tablespoonfuls of water, put into a pan, set on the stove and 
 let it boil until it hardens in cold water, or threads from 
 the spoon. Do not stir it while boiling. Have the white 
 of one e<rg beaten to a stiff froth; pour the boiling syrup 
 on it, slowly at first, and faster at last, till it is all used up. 
 Do not stop beating from the time you commence until it 
 is almost cold; the harder the better. E. C. H. 
 
 Clear Icing. — Put one cupful of sugar into a bowl, with 
 a tablespoonful of lemon juice and the whites of two eggs. 
 Mix together smooth and pour over the cake; if the cake is 
 not hot enough to dry it, place it in a moderately warm 
 oven a few minutes, leaving the door open. 
 
 White Icing. — Take the whites of four eggs, one and a 
 half pounds of white sugar dust, one-halt of a teaspoonful 
 of acetic acid (or the juice of half a lemon), one-quarter 
 ounce of extract of rose. Place the whites with the sugar 
 in a bowl with the cream tartar and extract. Beat with a 
 wooden spoon until on letting some run from the spoon, it 
 maintains the thread-like appearance for several minutes, 
 when it is ready for use. 
 
— 109 — 
 PUDDINGS. 
 
 Boiling a Pudding. — Dip the bag into hot water, and 
 rub the inside with flour before putting in the pudding. 
 When done, dip the bag into cold water and the pudding 
 will slip out easily. Always put a plate on the bottom of 
 the kettle to prevent the pudding from burning. 
 
 To Steam a Pudding. — Put it into a tin or earthen 
 vessel, tie a cloth over the top and set it into a steamer. 
 Cover the steamer closely; allow a little longer time than 
 you do for boiling. 
 
 Corn Meal Pudding. — Take two quarts of sweet milk, 
 heat almost to boiling; remove it from the fire, and stir in 
 two teacupfuls of sifted corn meal, a heaping teaspoonful 
 of cinnamon, one cupful of molasses, one cupful of sugar, 
 an even teaspoonful of salt, and four well beaten eggs. 
 Cover whatever you bake it in, and bake in a moderate 
 oven four or five hours. Serve with sweetened cream. 
 Set your pan on an iron ring, or something to raise it from 
 the bottom of the oven, else the bottom of the pudding 
 will be burned before the rest is done. 
 
 Fanny Field. 
 
 Baked Indian Pudding. — Boil three pints of sweet 
 milk, and while hot, stir into it one pint of yellow corn 
 meal, one teacupful of sugor, one heaping teaspoonful of 
 allspice, half a teaspoonful of ginger, and half a teaspoon- 
 ful of salt. Thin the pudding with cold milk to the con- 
 sistency of thick cream. Have ready a buttered pudding 
 dish, or crock, pour the pudding into it and strew bits of 
 butter over the top. Bake this pudding three hours. It is 
 important that it be baked the full time, to make it jelly. 
 This is an old receipt which was in use during old-time 
 training days, and used by one family fifty years. 
 
 Suet Pudding. — Take one cupful of butter, one cup- 
 ful of sugar, half a cupful of molasses, one and a half cup- 
 fuls of milk, half a cupful of cream; one cupful of chopped 
 
— 110 — 
 
 suet, one cupful of raisins and currants chopped fine, half a 
 cupful of candied oranges, or citron, four e'ggs well beaten, 
 two grated nutmegs, one teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, 
 half a teaspoonful of ground cloves, and two teaspoonfuls 
 of baking powder, adding one teaspoonful of soda with the 
 flour to sweeten the molasses. Beat the butter and sugar 
 to a cream, and add flour enough to make a good medium 
 batter. Steam in a two quart basin three and a half or four 
 hours. 
 
 Sauce. — Use a cupful of butter and one of sugar, stirred 
 to a cream; one pint of boiling water, two teaspoonfuls of 
 corn starch, and a little vinegar; flavor with cinnamon, nut- 
 meg or lemon. Cut the pudding into slices, and pour the 
 sauce over while hot. 
 
 Suet Pudding, No. 2. — Take one cupful of sweet milk, 
 one of chopped suet, two-thirds of a cupful of molasses or 
 sugar, one cupful of currants and raisins mixed, one-half 
 cupful of citron, the same of sweet cream, two eggs, three 
 cupfuls of flour, one teaspoonful of baking powder, and 
 add one teaspoonful of soda, for the molasses. Steam two 
 hours, or bake slowly three quarters of an hour. 
 
 English Plum Pudding. — Take two cupfuls each of 
 stoned raisins, currants (washed and picked), beef suet, 
 chopped fine, and coffee sugar, three cupfuls of grated muf- 
 fins or bread, eight eggs, one cupful each of chopped citron 
 and almonds, blanched by pouring boiling water over them 
 so the skins will slip off, one lemon peel and a large pinch 
 of salt. Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl, put into 
 a well buttered mould; set into a sauce pan with boiling 
 water to reach two-thirds up its sides. Steam thus five 
 hours, and turn it out carefully on a dish. Serve with 
 brandy poured over it, and brandy sauce m a bowl. When 
 about to serve on the table set the brandy on tire. 
 
 Fruit Pudding. — To a pint of fruit (fresh or dried), 
 take a pint of flour, half a teacupful of sugar, one cupful oi 
 sweet cream, one egg, one teaspoonful of baking powder, 
 
— Ill — 
 
 and a little salt. Put the fruit into a tin dish; spread the 
 batter over the fruit and put into the oven to bake. Eat it 
 warm with sweet cream. Dried fruit should be stewed be- 
 fore using. 
 
 Orange Pudding. — Mix the yelks of three eggs, one 
 tablespoonful of corn starch, one cupful of sugar, one pint 
 of sweet milk, and boil two or three minutes. Slice five 
 oranges into a vegetable dish, with sugar sprinkled over 
 each layer. Pour the custard over the oranges while hot. 
 Make a meringue ot the whites of eggs with two tablespoon- 
 fuls of sugar. Set into the oven a few minutes. 
 
 Delicate Apple Pudding. — Mix two tablespoonfuls of 
 arrowroot into a pint of cream, with two large tablespoon- 
 fuls of sugar, and a little salt. Let this boil gently for five 
 minutes, stirring all the time. Have some highly flavored 
 tart apples cut into thin slices, with sugar sifted over the 
 layers, small bits of butter between them, and a little nut- 
 meg or cinnamon. Pour the cream over them, letting it 
 stand a few minutes then put in the oven and bake about 
 half an hour. Cover with a meringue of the whites of two 
 eggs, two tablespoonfuls of white sugar beaten very light 
 and flavored with lemon. It is very nice without the mer- 
 ingue. 
 
 Corn Pudding. — Select twelve ears of corn having the 
 tops of ihe grains cut off, and the remainder scraped out, 
 (or grate the corn off), to this add three eggs, three cupfuls 
 of milk, one iron spoonful of flour, butter of the size of an 
 egg, salt and pepper; put into a three-pint or two quart 
 pudding dish, or tin pan; and bake about one hour. 
 
 Fruit Pudding. — Prepare dough as for short cake; 
 divide into halves, roll out and cover the plate, then fill 
 thickly with the fruit. If canned fruit is used, such as 
 cherries or strawberries, save out the juice. Roll ou f the 
 dough for the top, cutting holes for the escape of steam; 
 cover and place in a steamer. It will be done in half an 
 
— 112 — 
 
 hour. Use cream and sugar for sauce, or the juice prev- 
 iously saved. 
 
 Mountain Dew Pudding. — Mix three crackers, rolled, 
 one pint of milk, the yelks of two eggs and a small piece 
 of butter. Bake half an hour, then beat the whites of the 
 eggs to a stiff froth, add one cupful of sugar, put it on the 
 top and bake fifteen minutes. 
 
 Rolled Pudding. — Make a nice crust as for pies; take 
 any kind of fruit; roll crust out long on the moulding board 
 and about ten inches wide, spread the fruit on the crust r 
 and commence at one end and roll over, until it is all roll- 
 ed up. If you like it boiled, sew it up in a clean cloth and 
 boil one hour. It is best when baked one hour. 
 
 Sauce. — Take one egg, one tablespoonful of butter,, 
 three of sugar, and two of flour; beat the egg well, then add 
 the sugar, flour, and outter; when all are beaten up and no 
 lumps are left, pour over it one pint ot boiling water. Add 
 lemon, or nutmeg to taste. 
 
 Steamed Pudding. — Take one cupful of molasses, one 
 cupful of sweet milk, one cupful of chopped suet or half a 
 cupful of butter; one cupful of raisins, or dried berries, 
 three cupfuls of flour, two teaspoonfuls of soda, one tea- 
 spoonful of salt, and half a teaspooniul of different kinds 
 of spices. Steam two and a half hours. Eat warm with 
 sauce. 
 
 Graham Pudding. — One and one-half cupfuls of 
 graham flour, one-half cupful of molasses, one quarter 
 cupful of butter, one-half cupful of sweet milk, one egg, 
 one teaspoonful of soda, one-half cupful of currants, one- 
 half cupful of raisins, a pinch of salt and a little spice. 
 Steam two and a half or three hours, and serve with sour 
 sauce. Eva. 
 
 Rice Pudding, No. 1. — To half a cupful of rice, add 
 one and one-half pints of milk, half a cupful ot sugar, a 
 large pinch of salt, and one tablespoonful of lemon rind 
 chopped fine. Put the rice, washed and picked, sugar, salt 
 
— 113 — 
 
 and milk into a quart pudding dish; bake in moderate 
 oven two hours, stirring frequently the first one and a quar- 
 ter hours, then finish cooking undisturbed. Eat cold with 
 cream. 
 
 Rice Pudding No. 2. — Take a cupful of rice, one quart 
 of milk, four eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, one cupful of 
 sugar, and a pinch of salt. Boil the rice in one pint of 
 milk until tender, then remove from fire; add the eggs, 
 sugar, salt and milk, beaten together, mix, pour into pud- 
 ding dish; break the butter in small pieces over the top and 
 bake in a steady oven thirty minutes. 
 
 Plain Boiled Pudding. — To one cupful of loppered 
 milk or cream, add half a cupful of molasses, one-half cup- 
 ful of butter, melted, two and one-half cupfuls of flour, two 
 even teaspoonfuls of soda dissolved in hot water, and a 
 little salt. Mix the molasses and butter together, and beat 
 until very light. Stir in the cream, or milk, and salt, make 
 a hole in the flour and pour in the mixture. Stir down the 
 flour gradually until it is a smooth batter. Beat in the 
 soda water thoroughly, and boil at once in a buttered 
 mould, leaving room to swell. Eat hot with a good sauce. 
 
 Boiled Lemon Pudding. — To two cupfuls of dried 
 breadcrumbs, add one cupful of powdered beef suet, four 
 tablespoonfuls of prepared flour, one-half cupful ot sugar, 
 one large lemon, all the juice and half the peel, four eggs, 
 whipped light, and one large cupful of milk. Soak the 
 bread crumbs in the milk, add the suet, beat eggs and sugar 
 together, and these well into the bread. To these add the 
 lemon, lastly the flour, with as few strokes as will suffice to 
 mix all into a thick batter. Boil three hours in a buttered 
 mould. Eat hot with wine sauce. 
 
 "Nigger Head" Pudding. — Take three cupfuls of flour, 
 three eggs, one cupful of raisins, two cupfuls of currants, 
 half a cupful of butter, one cupful of sweet cream, three 
 teaspoonfuls ot baking powder, one teaspoonful each ot 
 cinnamon, cloves and allspice, one-half cupful of sugar, 
 
— 114 — 
 
 and one-half cupful of molasses. Steam three hours. 
 Serve with any rich sauce. 
 
 Sago Pudding. — For one quart of milk take lour table- 
 spoonfuls of sago, boiled in the milk until soft; set the dish 
 into a kettle of hot water and let the sago swell gradually. 
 Beat three eggs and stir into the milk and sago, adding 
 salt and sugar to taste. Put into the oven and bake very 
 lightly. Sauce. — Use two-thirds of a cupful of butter, 
 beaten to a cream. Stir in sugar till quite thick. To a 
 cup of boiling water, add cornstarch mixed with cold water, 
 until it is of the consistency of thin starch; mix this with 
 the butter and sugar, pour half of it over the pudding while 
 warm, and the other half just before serving, after adding 
 one teaspoonful of any desired flavor. 
 
 Tapioca Pudding. — One cupful of tapioca, soaked in 
 one quart of cold water over night, one cupful of sugar, 
 one and one-half pints of milk, and four eggs. Beat all to- 
 gether, and pour into a buttered mould with bits of butter 
 on the top; bake in a steady oven thirty minutes. Use the 
 sago sauce. 
 
 Tapioca Snow Pudding. — Take three tablespoonfuls of 
 tapioca, soaked over night, add some water, and boil one- 
 half hour; add one quart of milk, half cupful of sugar, half 
 teaspoonful of salt, the beaten yelks of three eggs, flavor 
 with lemon or vanilla. As soon as it thickens like custard, 
 remove from the fire, and stir in the whites of three eggs 
 beaten stiff; turn into a dish for the table, and set to cool. 
 
 Apple Tapioca Pudding. — Soak one cupful of tapioca 
 over night, or put it to soak early in the morning in warm 
 water. Fill a pudding dish or crock nearly full of quart- 
 ered tart apples. Sprinkle half a cupful of sugar over, then 
 the soaked tapioca, bake steadily three-quarters of an hour. 
 
 Boiled Indian Pudding. — Take two cupluls of Indian 
 meal, one pint of milk, one cupful of flour, half a cupful 
 of suet, half gill of molasses, two cupiuls of dried apples, 
 and salt to taste. Boil the milk and pour it scalding over the 
 
— 115 — 
 
 meal, add the flour, chop the suet fine, soak the apples in a 
 little warm water to swell them, and mix them in the 
 molasses, add the other ingredients, tie in a pudding cloth, 
 allow room to swell one third, and boil or steam five 
 hours. 
 
 Cabinet Pudding. — Mix with one-half pound of stale 
 sponge cake, one-half cupful of raisins, half a cupful of 
 canned peaches, four eggs, and one and one-half pints of 
 milk. Butter an oval pudding dish, lay in some of the cake, 
 mie third of the raisins, and one third of the peaches; 
 make two layers of the remainder of the cake; raisins and 
 peaches, cover with a very thin slice of bread, then pour 
 over it the milk beaten with the eggs and sugar, set into a 
 sauce pan with boiling water two-thirds up the side of the 
 mould; steam three quarters of an hour; turn out carefully 
 and serve with peach sauce. 
 
 Cottage Pudding. — Add to one cupful of sugar, one 
 cupful ot milk, one egg, a lump of butter the size of an 
 egg, one pint of flour, salt and two heaping teaspoonfuls of 
 baking powder. Sauce. — Mix one cupful of sugar, one egg, 
 one teaspoonful of flour, a small piece of butter, then add 
 boiling water, and let it come to a boil. Flavor to taste. 
 
 Cup Puddings. — Take one pint of flour, two teaspoon- 
 fuls of baking powder, and sweet milk enough to make a 
 batter that will drop from a spoon. Grease five cups, put 
 in each a spoonful of batter, then some fresh fruit, then, 
 more batter. Leave room to rise. Steam half hour; to be 
 eaten with cream and sugar. Aunt Midget. 
 
 Minute Pudding. — Put as much milk into the keitle as 
 you wish, salt, and when it boils stir very thick with flour. 
 Eat with sweetened milk. 
 
 Bread and Butter Pudding. — Take small slices of 
 bread, and butter enough to fill a medium sized pudding 
 dish, put fruit between the slices, make a custard of one 
 pint of milk, four eggs, one large cupful of sugar,, flavor with 
 nutmeg, pour over, and bake. 
 
— 116 — 
 
 Apple Dumplings. — Make nice dough as . for biscuit^ 
 wet up with milk; pare good mellow cooking apples, and 
 take out the cores; roll out the dough in pieces large 
 enough to cover one apple, place in a baking pan and put 
 into the oven. When they have baked a little on top, and 
 are a little brown, take a cupful of hot sweetened water 
 grate a little nutmeg into it, then pour it over the dump- 
 lings and bake until done. There will be a nice gravy 
 around them. When ready to serve eat with sugar and 
 cream Aunt Peggy. 
 
 Apple Pot-Pie. — Make rich biscuit dough; line a baking 
 dish; put in a thick layer of apples, sprinkle with sugar, 
 cinnamon and a little butter; then another layer of dough, 
 then apples, cinnamon and butter, as before, and cover 
 like a pie. Put in two or three tablespoonfuls of water 
 and bake till done. To be eaten with sweet sauce, or cream 
 and sugar. 
 
 PIE MAKING. 
 
 Tor one pie take one double handful of flour, lard a 
 little larger than a good-sized egg, a pinch of salt, mix 
 thoroughly with the hands; pour cold water on, a little at a 
 time, and mix, using just water enough to make it stick to- 
 gether and roll nicely. The drier the paste is mixed the 
 more nakey and less liable to soak it will be. Roll and 
 cover the plate. Trim the edges even with the plate, put 
 in the fruit, seasoning, etc., wet the edges of the crust all 
 around with cold water, put on the cover, trim the edges, 
 pinch down the crust tightly, and wet all around again, to 
 keep from boiling out while baking. Always rub a little 
 flour on the bottom crust before putting in the filling, it will 
 not soak. 
 
— 117 — 
 
 Mtnce Meat. — Use six pounds of beef, three pounds of 
 suet, four pounds of raisins, three pounds of currants, and 
 one pound of citron. Boil the beef till very tender, season 
 with salt. Peel and chop good tart apples, allow two bowl- 
 fuls of apples to one of meat, (meat and suet must be 
 chopped very fine). Mix all in a large bowl, sugar and 
 spice to suit the taste Add a little molasses and cider, boiled 
 or otherwise. Bake one pie, and add more sugar, spices, etc., 
 if needed. When just right, pack in a large jar, tie up, and 
 it is ready for use at any time. The currants and citron 
 can be left out, if not at hand. 
 
 Lemon Pie. — Provide one lemon for two pies; grate the 
 peel on a plate, pare nicely so as to leave no white, put 
 the crust on a tin, spread one cupful of sugar over the 
 bottom, cut the lemon over the sugar, mix three teaspoon- 
 fuls of flour, with enough water to pour easily all over the 
 sugar and lemon, sprinkle on some of the grated rind, put 
 on the top crust and bake. 
 
 Lemon* Pie No. 2. — For three pies take one lemon, one 
 and one-half cupfuls of sugar, two eggs, two cupfuls of 
 water, four tablespoonfuls of flour, a bit ot good butter in 
 each pie, and cover with a crust. 
 
 Lemon Pie No. 3. — One large sour apple, one lemon 
 grated, one and a half cupfuls of sugar, and three eggs, 
 (reserve the whites of two eggs for the top), half a tea- 
 spoonful of tartaric acid, and one teaspoonful of butter. 
 Bake with a tender crust. Make a meringue for the top. 
 
 Lemon Custard Pie. — Moisten a heaping tablespoonful 
 of corn starch with a little cold water, then add a cupful 
 of boiling water, stir over the fire till it boils and cooks the 
 corn starch, say two or three minutes; add one teaspoon- 
 ful of butter, and one cupful of sugar; take off the fire, 
 and, when slightly cooled, add an egg well beaten, and the 
 juice and grated rind of a fresh lemon. Bake with one 
 crust. Make a meringue for the top. 
 
— 118 — 
 
 Crust for Berry Pie. — Take three cupfuls of flour, 
 one cupful of butter or lard, or half a cupful of each; a 
 level teaspoonful of baking powder, a pinch of salt, if lard 
 is used, ancLone cupful of cold water. Mix the flour, salt 
 and baking powder, rub in the butter or lard cold, then add 
 the water. 
 
 Blackberry Pie. — Line the plate with crust, prick it 
 with a fork to prevent its baking out of shape; cut out a 
 top crust somewhat larger than the other; put it over the 
 other, pressing it tightly at the edge, prick and bake. When 
 done remove the top crust carefully, fill the lower crust with 
 berries, sugar and spice to taste, cover with the top crust 
 and return to the oven just long enough for the fruit to 
 steam through. Berry pies made in this way are much 
 better, more wholesome, and retain more of the natural 
 taste of the berries than when crust and berries are baked 
 together. 
 
 Apple Pie. — Take the parings and cores of the apples, 
 put them over the fire, with sufficient water to cover them, 
 add a little cinnamon and mace, let them stew until very 
 soft, then take from the fire, let the syrup drain from them, 
 and stir in half a glass of quince jelly. Line a deep dish 
 with a nice paste and plenty of tart apples, with a generous 
 allowance o» sugar and grated lemon peel, then pour over 
 the syrup, cover with an upper crust and bake slowly. 
 
 Apple Pie No. 2. — Fill a pie plate or tin with nice cook- 
 ing apples, adding water enough to cook, cover with a good 
 rich crust, a trifle thicker than for ordinary pie. Bake and 
 turn bottom side up on a large plate, and season with but- 
 ter and sugar (maple is best) and cream. It is best when 
 warm. 
 
 Custard Pie. — Beat three eggs until very light and 
 frothy, then add one pint of milk, half a cupful of sugar, 
 and a pinch of salt. Flavor with nutmeg or lemon. Line 
 a pie plate with crust, put in the custard, and bake in a 
 moderately hot oven. Be careful not to bake too long, for 
 
— 119 — 
 
 if overdone the custard will whey. If you use brown sugar, 
 use a little more than half a cupful. Fanny Field. 
 
 Peach Pie. — Peel, stone and slice the peaches. Line a 
 pie plate with crust and lay in the fruit, sprinkling sugar 
 liberally over them in proportion to their sweetness. 
 Allow three peach kernels chopped fine to each pie; pour 
 in a very little water and bake with an upper crust, or with 
 bars of paste across the top. 
 
 Corn Starch Cream Pie. — Take one pint of milk, 
 scalded, two tablespoonfuls of corn starch, three table- 
 spoonfuls of sugar, the yelks of two eggs. Wet the starch 
 with a little cold milk. Beat the eggs and sugar until light 
 and stir the whole into the scalded milk. Flavor with two 
 teaspoonfuls of lemon. Line a pie plate with pie crust and 
 bake. Fill with the cream and cover it with frosting made 
 of the whites of the two eggs beaten with two tablespoon- 
 fuls of sugar. Set into the oven a few minutes to stiffen. 
 
 Cocoanut Pie. — Take half a cupful of sugar, half a 
 cupful of flour, and one egg; beat the egg, stir in the sugar 
 and flour, then stir in half a pint of boiling milk, and two 
 tablespoonfuls of cocoanut. Frost the top, and sprinkle 
 thickly with cocoanut. 
 
 Pumpkin Pie. — Take a large-sized pumpkin, firm, of 
 deep color, wash and boil with the skin on; when thorough- 
 ly cooked pass through a sieve; clearing it of all lumps, 
 etc. Take one cupful of brown sugar, one cupful of 
 molasses, and mix well together. Beat the whites and 
 yelks of four eggs well together, and mix with the pumpkin 
 thoroughly, then add the molasses and sugar, a pmch of 
 salt, four teaspoonfuls of best ginger and one teaspoonful 
 of ground cinnamon. Take one quart of milk and mix all 
 together. This is intended to make six pies. Should the 
 pumpkin not be a large one, use less milk so as not to get 
 it too thin. Bake in a deep plate lined with plain pastry. 
 
 Pumpkin Pie No. 2. — One quart of sifted pumpkin, four 
 tablespoonfuls of sugar four tablespoonfuls ot flour ; one 
 
— 120 — 
 
 egg, £nd one quart of good sweet milk. This will make 
 four pies. Bake thoroughly. 
 
 Cherry Pie. — Three cupfuls of cherries, stemmed and 
 stoned, and one cupful of sugar. Line a plate with paste, 
 wet the edges, add the cherries and sugar, sprinkle over it a 
 little flour,cover and bake in a steady quick oven, twenty-five 
 minutes. 
 
 Cranberry Pie. — Three cupfuls of cranberries stewed 
 with one and a half cupfuls of sugar, and strained. Line 
 a pie tin with a paste, put in the jam, wash the edges, lay 
 three narrow bars across, fasten at edge, then lay three 
 more across, forming diamond-shaped spaces; lay a rim 
 around and bake in a quick oven, till the paste is cooked. 
 
 THE LAUNDRY. 
 
 Soft Soap. — I put up my leach as early in spring as 
 practicable and run off the lye; I put the soap grease into 
 empty lard barrels; pour the lye, as it runs from the leach, 
 over the grease, stirring frequently, until the whole is incor- 
 porated. I save out a quantity of the strongest lye, per- 
 haps fifteen or twenty gallons, to use when boiling the 
 soap. From the time I make the lye until I make the soap, 
 several weeks may elapse; meanwhile I frequently stir the 
 grease, giving the lye time to cut it and thus shorten the 
 process. I use two large kettles which can be raised or 
 lowered, thus regulating the boiling. I fill the kettles half 
 full of the mingled lye and grease, and bring to a boil, 
 then test it by dipping out with a long handled spoon, say 
 four spoonfuls, adding a spoonful of cold water; if it 
 thickens in cooling and looks like nice soap, it is ready to 
 come off, and will stand twenty per cent, of water. If the 
 addition of water makes it sloppy, it is too weak. Then I 
 
— 121 — 
 
 add of my strong lye and boil until the desired result can 
 be obtained. I pour from the kettle into the barrel, through 
 a coarse sieve, which strains out all bits of grease, uncooked 
 meat and bones. Then I add the twenty per cent of water 
 and stir well through. In this way I have, unaided, with 
 two kettles, made in one day, as much as 100 gallons of 
 choice soap, worth twenty-five cents a gallon, cleaned up 
 the kettles and put everything away. I arrange to have 
 several pailfuls of strong lye left which I put into a very 
 large stone jar with a close-fitting lid, and set in the cellar, 
 into which all the soap grease of the summer is put, and 
 frequently stirred, to prevent flies and worms from doing 
 their destructive work. J. M. H. 
 
 Hard Soap. — Take six and a half pounds of clean grease, 
 (lard or tallow) and melt in an ordinary pan or kettle. Set 
 it aside and let it cool till lukewarm. While the melted 
 grease is cooling, take one can of Tomson's Red Seal lye 
 or potash and dissolve the contents in two and one-halt 
 pints of cold water in an earthen or iron vessel. When the 
 potash is at about summer temperature, pour it slowly into 
 the grease; stir until the grease and potash are thoroughly 
 combined (but not too long or they will separated, then 
 pour into a mould or wooden box, cover it up and set in a 
 warm place for a day or so, when it can be cut in any desired 
 shape. 
 
 Toilet Soap. — Dissolve one can of concentrated lye 
 and one ounce of borax each in a quart of warm water (do 
 not boil). When thoroughly dissolved, warm and stir 
 together with five pounds of melted grease. Add two table- 
 spoonfuls of ammonia and perfume with anything desired. 
 Stir until commencing to grain, then pour into moulds 
 This must stand several days before it is ready for use. Ai 
 first it will smell quite strongly of ammonia, but this will 
 wear away in a short time J. B. Richards. 
 
 Washing Fluid. — Take one pound of sal soda and one- 
 half pound of unslaked lime, put them in a gallon of water, 
 
— 122 — 
 
 boil twenty minutes, let it stand until cool, then drain it off 
 and put into a jug. Wet the soiled clothes — or soak them 
 over night — wring out and rub on plenty of soap in a boiler 
 of clothes, well covered with water; add one teacupful of 
 the washing fluid, boil one-half hour briskly, then wash 
 them through one suds, rinse, and the clothes will look bet- 
 ter than by the old way of washing twice before cooling. 
 
 Washing Fluid No. 2. — Take one box of potash, one- 
 half ounce of carbonate of ammonia, one-half ounce of salts 
 of tartar; put the potash into one gallon of boiling water; 
 when cool add the ammonia and salts of tartar. When 
 cold put into a jug and cork. On washing day fill the boiler, 
 put in a cupful of the fluid, and put the clothes in, having 
 rubbed soap on places most soiled. Put the clothes in 
 immediately while the water is cold; let all boil about half 
 an hour, wash out and put through two rinse waters, blue- 
 ing the last. 
 
 Bleaching Muslin. — For thirty yards of muslin, take 
 one pound of chloride of lime, dissolve in two quarts of rain 
 water; let the cloth soak over night or enough to get 
 thoroughly wet; wring out and put into another tub of very 
 warm rain water, in which the lime solution has been poured 
 (the hotter the water the better). Let it remain about 
 twenty minutes, lifting the cloth up and airing every few' 
 minutes. Rinse several times in clear rain water. This is 
 much less troublesome than bleaching on the grass, and 
 will not injure the cloth in the least if directions are fol- 
 lowed closely. 
 
 Iron Rust. — Three cents worth of oxalic acid in one 
 pint of soft water is just strong enough to remove iron rust, 
 fruit stains and tea stains from white goods without injury 
 to the fabric; wet the spots with it and lay in the sunshine. 
 
 Bleaching Flannel. — Wash the flannel, and while wet 
 hang it in a barrel over a dish of coals; throw some sul- 
 phur on the coals, holding the breath that the sulphur 
 fumes may not be inhaled; cover the barrel tightly, and 
 
— 123 — 
 
 leave for an hour. If, on examination, the articles are not 
 found sufficiently bleached, treat them to another sulphur 
 hath. 
 
 Several Hints. —The use of ammonia in washing will 
 not fade colors, but rather brighten them. To keep 
 colored articles from fading, wash, rinse and dry in sun- 
 shine as quickly as possible. Do not let the colored 
 clothes hang in the sunshine any longer than necessary to 
 dry thoroughly. If there are streaks in the white clothes 
 that will not rub out, lay them on the grass and let the sun 
 and dew take the streaks out. • Table linen and other 
 articles liable to be stained, should be carefully examined 
 before washing and such spots removed by soaking in 
 milk, or dipping into melted tallow. Fruit stains disappear 
 when equal parts of kerosene and soda are applied. Cover 
 wine discolorations with dampened salt. 
 
 A tablespoonful of black pepper to a pail of water, will 
 set the colors of buff or gray prints. 
 
 Mildew can be removed with bar soap and powdered 
 chalk Wet the cloth, rub on the mixture, and lay in the 
 sunshine. 
 
 Doing up Linen. — A large polishing iron is needed and 
 it must be clean, and just hot enough not to 13urn. When 
 ironing a shirt, begin at the neck band, then fold the back 
 through the middle and iron it, then the sleeves, lastly the 
 bosom. Wet the bosom once with a damp cloth, and iron 
 hard and briskly with a polishing iron. It must be ironed 
 on a bosom board, like collars and cuffs. Iron a collar 
 first on the wrong side lightly, then turn and iron hard and 
 briskly on the right side until it has a high polish and is 
 perfectly dry. Cuffs are ironed likewise. Cambrics should 
 always be ironed on the right side to give them a new, 
 glossy appearance. Iron calicoes on the wrong side to 
 preserve anew fresh look. Isinglass, or rice water, makes 
 a delicate starch for lawns or fine muslins. 
 
— 124 — 
 DELICACIES FOR INVALIDS. 
 
 Milk Porridge. — To three pints of milk, or milk and 
 water, use two tablespoonfuls of Indian meal or wheat flour, 
 or part of each. Boil a cupful of raisins in the milk and a 
 stick of cinnamon if liked. Stir into it one dessert- spoonful 
 of sea moss or corn starch, and season with salt and sugar 
 
 Oat Meal Gruel. — One small cupful of oat meal, stir 
 in cold water and let it stand awhile. Then put into it one 
 quart of boiling water and cook for three-quarters of an 
 hour Add a little salt, and eat either hot or cold. 
 
 Indian Meal Gruel. — To one quart of water salted a 
 little, add two tablespoonfuls of Indian meal. Boil one- 
 half hour, then add one teaspoonful of farina, and one well 
 beaten egg if desired. 
 
 Beaf Tea. — To one pound of good steak cut rather 
 fine, put one quart of cold water and let stand one hour. 
 Then put to boil in the same water, and while heating, press 
 the iuice from the meat. When it has boiled up once or 
 twice add to it one teaspoonful of sea moss or corn starch, 
 and a attle salt, and boil five minutes. 
 
 Mutton Broth. — To one pound of meat allow one 
 quart of water; add salt and pepper. Boil slowly until in 
 pieces; add a little thickening and a glass of milk or wine 
 
 Chicken Broth. — Cut up a medium-sized chicken, and 
 crack the bones; put it into a kettle with two quarts of 
 cold water, a little salt and a small red pepper pod; let it 
 boil until it is in pieces. Strain it off and to the two 
 quarts add one tablespoonful of farina and boil ten minutes. 
 Add, it you wish, a little rice, either before or after it is 
 strained. 
 
 Cream Toast. — Toast the bread quickly, but do not 
 burn it. Have ready a cupful of cream in which has been 
 dissolved a little corn str.rch or farina. Add a little salt and 
 pour over the bread. 
 
— 125 — 
 
 Cooling Drinks. — Cranberries cooked and broken, 
 currant jelly, tamarinds, or lemons, boiled in water, strained 
 and cooled, make pleasant drinks. 
 
 Cough Tea. — To a quart of water put two ounces each 
 Oj figs, raisins and licorice. Boil well and add to it one 
 dessert-spoonful of sea moss and lemon juice. 
 
 Keeping Wine. — To prevent wine or ale in bottles, used 
 a little at a time, from becoming stale and flat, immerse the 
 bottle, cork end down, in a dish of water, which prevents 
 further entrance of air. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS RECEIPTS. 
 
 Grease Spots. — To take grease spots Out of silk, of any 
 color that water will not injure, take wheat flour and mix 
 with water to a thin batter., spread on the grease spots and 
 dry in the sun, or by the fire, until quite dry and crisp, so 
 that you can crush it like dry leaves, then brush it off with 
 a brush. Do not use an iron. This is much better than 
 any chemical preparation and does not leave anything to 
 show where the spot was. 
 
 Crystalizing Grasses. — Take two pounds of pulver- 
 ized alum and five pints of water, put into an earthen dish, 
 and let it come to a boil, stirring it occasionally, to dis- 
 solve it. Then set away until you can bear a finger in it. 
 Tie the grasses in a bunch and suspend in the solution. 
 Keep them m four or five hours, then hang up to drip. 
 
 Silver Plating Fluid. — Put into a glass vessel, one 
 ounce of nitrate ot silver, two ounces ot cyanuret of potassa, 
 four ounces of prepared Spanish whiting and ten ounces ot 
 rain water. Clean the article to be plated, and apply with 
 a brush. Finish with a chamois skin, or a burnisher. 
 
— 126 — 
 
 To Bleach Beeswax. — Mold or roll thin and lay- 
 between glass, in the hot sun, turning often till it is white, 
 or as light as required. 
 
 Cement for Aquariums. — One part by measure of 
 litharge, one of plaster of paris, one of dry, white sand, and 
 one-third part of finely powdered rosin. Sift and keep 
 tightly corked. When required for use it must be made into 
 a putty by mixing in boiled linseed oil, with a little patent 
 dryer added. Never use after it has been mixed with the 
 oil for more than fifteen hours. This cement will resist the 
 action of salt or fresh water. The tank may be used lm 
 mediately, but it is best to let it dry three or four hours. 
 
 Paste That Will Keep. — Mix smoothly flour and water 
 then pour on boiling water till it is of the proper con- 
 sistency. Add a teaspoonful of pulverized alum and a few 
 drops of carbolic acid and oil of cloves. Strain through a 
 sieve, and put into wide mouthed glass bottles with tight- 
 fitting covers. This will always be ready for use. Enough 
 can be made at one time to last a year. 
 
 KENSINGTON PAINTING. 
 
 This work is really very simple, and requires no artistic 
 training; any one who can use a pen, can master it. The 
 art may appropriately be applied to any fabric usually 
 decorated with embroidery. The materials necessary are 
 paints, pen, palette and knife, turpentine, and megilp foi 
 felt. The stamped material and a board on which to tack 
 it, must be drawn over a drawing board smoothly and 
 tacked securely. Colorado pens No. 1 are best for wide 
 daisy strokes, but tor all other work use Colorado pens No. 
 2. Tube paints are used just as they come in the tubes. 
 Holding the pen bottom up, take up some paint in the hoi- 
 
— 127 — 
 
 low of the pen, and wipe the back of the pen with a piece 
 of cloth. Draw the pen, with back to the material, over the 
 outlines first, then fill in the design; shading as the taste 
 dictates. Begin at the edge, and paint toward the center. 
 To accomplish this, scratch the design over with the pen's 
 point or a needle, remembering to make the lines run to 
 ward the center. Use the following colors: Medium cin- 
 nabar green, Caledonian brown, burnt sienna, orange 
 chrome, king's yellow, burnt umber, crimson lake, scarlet 
 lake, rose madder, Chinese vermilion, flake white, ivory- 
 black, Naples yellow, yellow ochre, Antwerp blue and 
 megilp. 
 
 In this kind of painting there are two terms used: "daisy 
 strokes" and "rolls." To do the daisy stroke, scoop up the 
 paint on the inside of the pen, then touching the point to 
 the end of the petal, flatten out the pen a little, and draw 
 it down to the centre of the flower, thereby leaving a roll 
 of paint on each side of the petal. Rolls are made by 
 taking the paint in a little roll on the edge of the pen 
 nearer the outer edge of the petal or leaf, and bringing the 
 point down on the stamped edge, leaving it there in a roll. 
 The paint has to be taken sometimes on the other accord 
 ing to the side of the leaf or petal to be rolled. The fol- 
 lowing little table, made out by an artist, may help in 
 mixing the tints. 
 
 If you mix dark green and purple you obtain bottle 
 green. Mix white and medium yellow, and you have buff. 
 Mix red, black and blue, and you get dark brown. Mix 
 bronze blue and lemon yellow and black, and you have 
 dark green. Mix white, medium yellow and black, and 
 you have drab. Mix white, lake and lemon yellow, and 
 you have flesh tint. Mix lemon yellow and bronze blue, 
 and you have grass green. Mix white and black and you 
 have gray. White and purple, and you have lavender. Red, 
 black and medium yellow, make maroon. Lake and pur- 
 ple make magenta. Medium yellow and purple make olive 
 
-128 — 
 
 green. Medium yellow and red make orange. White, 
 ultramarine blue and black make pearl tint. White and 
 lake make pink. Ultramarine blue and lake make purple. 
 Orange, lake and purple make russet. Medium yellow, 
 red and white, make sienna. White and ultramarine blue 
 make sky blue. Ultramarine blue, black and white, make 
 slate. Vermilion and black make Turkey red. While, 
 yellow, red and black make umber. Blue and yellow make 
 green. Blue and burnt sienna make green. Green and 
 purple make russet. Green and orange make olive. 
 
 Shades for leaves; green No. 1 and king's yellow. 
 Green No. 1 and yellow ochre. Green No. 1 and burnt 
 sienna, king's yellow and burnt sienna. Blue and yellow, 
 ochre for apple leaves. White and rose madder or scarlet 
 lake for pink roses and light pinks. Scarlet lake and ver- 
 milion for poppies. Shade with crimson lake. King's 
 yellow for yellow roses and butter-cups. Crimson lake 
 and vermilion for deep red roses and dark pinks. Burnt 
 sienna, green and yellow for undersides of rose leaves 
 Broken and turned leaves of yellow ochre. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Aquarium Cement 120 
 
 Baby, care of 16 
 
 Baking Powder 90 
 
 Beef, dried 63 
 
 Pickled i ... 63 
 
 Bleaching 122 
 
 Bookcase, portable 33 
 
 Bread 86 87 
 
 Biscuits 91 
 
 Corn 88 89 
 
 Crackers 91 
 
 Gems 90 
 
 Graham 89 
 
 Muffins 90 
 
 Pancakes 92 93 
 
 Waffles 92 
 
 Yeast 85 
 
 Cabbage, cooking 70 72 
 
 Cabinet, music 30 
 
 Cakes, angel 104 
 
 Bread 93 99 
 
 Chocolate 100 101 
 
 Cocoanut 101 102 
 
 Cookies 106 107 
 
 Doughnuts 107 
 
 Fritters 108 
 
 Fruit 97 98 
 
 Gingerbread 1 06 
 
 Ginger cookies 106 
 
 Ginger snaps 106 107 
 
 Gold 99 100 
 
 Hickorynut 103 
 
 Jelly 102 103 105 
 
 Lady 105 
 
 Laver 97 
 
 Marble 101 
 
 Orange 105 
 
 Peach Blossom 104 
 
 Pound 99 
 
 Raisin 99 
 
 Silver 100 
 
 Sponge 95 96 102 
 
 Wedding 97 
 
 Wild Rose 105 
 
 Canning, preserving, &c 80 
 
 Citron 81 
 
 Cranberries 81 
 
 Gooseberries 81 
 
 Grapes 81 
 
 Jams 82 83 
 
 Jellies 83 84 
 
 Maple syrup 81 
 
 Quince 82 
 
 Strawberries 81 
 
 Raspberries 82 
 
 Caper Sauce 64 
 
 Carpets, &c 24 
 
 Coloring 27 28 
 
 Dispensary 18 
 
 Childbirth 23 
 
 Cough syrup 22 
 
 Diarrhoea 23 
 
 Earache 22 
 
 Goiter 22 
 
 Headache 23 
 
 Ointment 21 
 
 Salves 21 
 
 Tea, mullein 22 
 
 Vermifuge 23 
 
 Eggs, Cooking 69 70 
 
 Elevator, Kitchen 32 
 
 Fancy work, &c 35 
 
 Carpets 36 
 
 Curtains 35 
 
 • Draperies 37 38 
 
 Etching, on lichens 41 
 
 Lambrequin 39 
 
 Lampshade 38 
 
 Laundry bags 40 
 
 Minor hints 41 
 
 Mirror frame 40 
 
 Scrap bag 38 
 
 Stamping 35 
 
 Table scarf 39 
 
 Umbrella case 40 
 
 Wall paper 36 
 
 Wall pocket 37 
 
 Fish, cooking 55 57 
 
Grasses, crystallizing 125 
 
 Grease spots 125 
 
 Hams, curing 61 
 
 Headcheese 64 
 
 Household conveniences 29 
 
 Housekeeping, success 11 
 
 Husbands and wives 8 
 
 Icing, for cake 108 
 
 Invalids, delicacies for....l24 125 
 
 Kitchen notes 47 
 
 Knitted articles 43 
 
 Infant's shirt 43 
 
 Purses 45 
 
 Skirt, ladies' 44 
 
 Spread 46 
 
 Tidy 46 
 
 Laundry 120 123 
 
 Linen, doing up 123 
 
 Meats, boiling 57 
 
 Frjiog 58 
 
 Hams, boiling 62 
 
 Pies 68 
 
 Pork, salt 64 
 
 Potpies 68 
 
 Roasting 58 61 
 
 Steaks 58 59 60 
 
 Smse 61 
 
 Vealcutlets 61 
 
 Miscellaneous receipts 125 
 
 Mustard 64 
 
 Omelets 67 
 
 Painting, Kensington 126 
 
 Paste 126 
 
 Pastry hints 93 
 
 Pickles 76-80 
 
 Apple 80 
 
 Catsup 79 
 
 Chili Sauce 79 
 
 Currant 80 
 
 Cucumber 76 
 
 Gooseberries 79 
 
 Hodge Podge 77 
 
 Mangoes 78 
 
 Mixed 78 
 
 Onions 79 
 
 Peppers 77 
 
 Sweet 77 
 
 Tomatoes 76 
 
 Pies 116-120 
 
 Apple 118 
 
 Blackberry 118 
 
 Cocoanut 119 
 
 Corn Starch 119 
 
 Crust 11 > 
 
 Custard 118 
 
 Lemon 117 
 
 Lemon Custard 117 
 
 Mince 117 
 
 Peach 119 
 
 Pumpkin 119 
 
 Potatoes, cooking 72 
 
 Poultry, cooking 66 
 
 Boned 68 
 
 Broiled 67 
 
 Chicken pie 67 
 
 Chicken, roasting 67 
 
 Duck, roasting 66 
 
 Goose, roasting..... 66 
 
 Turkey, roasting 66 
 
 Puddings 109-116 
 
 Apple Ill 
 
 Boiled 113 
 
 Boiling 109 
 
 Bread and butter 115 
 
 Cabinet 115 
 
 Corn 109 111 
 
 Cottage 115 
 
 Cup 115 
 
 Dumplings 116 
 
 Fruit 110 111 
 
 Graham 112 
 
 Indian 109 114 
 
 Lemon 113 
 
 Minute 115 
 
 Mountain Dew 112 
 
 Niggerhead 113 
 
 Orange Ill 
 
 Plum 110 
 
 Pot pie 116 
 
 Rice 112 113 
 
 Rolled 112 
 
 Sago 114 
 
 Steamed 112 
 
 Steaming 109 
 
 Suet 109 110 
 
 Tapioca 114 
 
 Rugs 20 
 
 Salads 70 71 
 
 Sausages 64 
 
 Sick-room hints 18 
 
 Soups and broths 52-54 
 
 Bean 51 
 
 Beef, Topsy's 53 
 
 Milk *. 54 
 
 Noodle 53 
 
 Pepper-pot 53 
 
 Potato 51 
 
 Tomato 54 
 
Vegetable 53 
 
 Soap, hard 121 
 
 Sou 120 
 
 Toilet 121 
 
 vVashing fluid 121 
 
 Vegetables, cooking 71 
 
 Beans, baked 74 
 
 Beans, string 73 
 
 Cabbage 72 73 
 
 Cauliflower, 72 
 
 Celery 73 
 
 Corn 73 74 
 
 Potatoes 72 
 
 Succotash 73 
 
 Tomatoes, 75 
 
 Vegetable Oysters, 75 
 
 Woman's Mission, 13 
 
 On the farm, 9 
 
 Yeast 85