The successful housekeeper. A manual of universal application, especially adapted to the every day wants of American housewives ..

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HouseKeeper

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ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE EVERY DAT WANTS OF
AMERICAN HOUSEWIVES;

EMBRACING

SEVERAL THOUSAND THOROUGHLY TESTED AND APPROVED RECIPES, CARE

AND CULTURE OF CHTLDREN, BIRDS, AND HOUSE PLANTS; FLOWER

AND WINDOW GARDENING, ETC.; WITH MANY VALUABLE

HINTS ON HOME DECORATION.

DETROIT, MICH.
M. W. ELLSWORTH & COMPACT.

1883,

COPYRIGHT BY

M. W. Ellsworth and F. B. Dickerson,

) TO (

WHO DELIGHT

IN MAKING HOME A PLACE OF PEACE, COMFORT

AND ENJOYMENT,

THIS BOOK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Bride's Cake,
Christmas Cake,
Wedding Cake,
Floating Island,
Coquettes op Rice,
Christmas Plum Pudding,
Eggs a la Bonne Femme,

MUaSHROOMS,

Potato Pie,
Section of Bullock,

" Beef,

" Sheep.

" Lamb,

" Calf,
Aitchbone of Beef,
Brisket of Beef,
Ribs of Beep,
Sirloin op Beep,
Roast Quarter op Lamb,
Leg of Mutton,

Back,
Fowl, to. Carve,
Goose, "
House Pests,
Sleep,

Aquarium in Window,
Tank,

Tank (2) .
Marine Aquarium,
trelli8ed window,

Creepers,
Window Garden,

Ferneries,

42
50
75
90
107
120
154
184
234
272
273
273
273
275
277
278
280
281
290
294
295
316
317
358
447
489
490
491
495
510
514
516
526
527

PREFACE.

;N the compilation of this work, we have striven to give the
greatest amount of information possible, consistent with the
plan adopted, and to so arrange it that any subject sought can
be easily and quickly found; and, when found, that it shall contain
just the information sought. The tendency of the age is toward
the practical, and he who would gain the attention of the public
must be concise and to the point.

Our aim is to assist in the management of the household, but
especially would we enter our plea for improved cookery. Ill-
cooked meals are a source of discomfort. Bad cooking is waste —
waste of money and loss of comfort. Among the "common things "
which educators should teach the rising generation, this should not
be overlooked. It is the commonest and yet the most neglected of
the branches of female education.

In this department we have endeavored to give only those recipes
which have stood the test of actual use and received the endorse-
ment of the best cooks and caterers of the day, and all of them can
be depended upon as being just what they purport to be.

We have considered it unnecessary to add the names of the con-
tributors, as most of them would be nearly or quite unknown to the
reader, and, therefore, would carry no weight of authority with
them, and would serve but to occupy space, which is better used
for additional recipes.

vi PREFACE.

The greater part of human labor is occupied in the direct pro-
duction of the materials for human food. All these articles — corn,
beef, mutton and such like — are handed over to the female half of
the human species to be converted into food for the sustenance of
themselves, their husbauds, and their families. How do they use
their power ? Can they cook ? Have they been taught to cook ?
Is it not a fact that, in this country, cooking is one of the lost
or undiscovered arts ?

The most worthless unit in a family is an ill-managing wife, or an
indolent woman of any sort. If she knows nothing of her kitchen,
and is at the mercy of the cook, the table will soon become intoler-
able— bad soup, soft and flabby fish, meat burned outside and raw
within. The husband will soon fly from the Barmecide feast, and
take refuge in his club, where he will not only find food that he
can digest, but at the same time escape from the domestic discord
that usually accompanies ill-cooked victuals at home.

In short we want common sense in cookery, as in most other
things. Food should be used and not abused. Much of it is now
absolutely wasted — wasted for want of a little art in cooking it.

The advancement of a people is measured by its proficiency in
the cuisine. Vice and crime consort with foul living. In those
places demoralization is the normal condition. There is an absence
of cleanliness, of decency, of decorum — all tending to foster idle-
ness, drunkenness and vicious abandonment.

Besides the cooking recipes, we have added such other informa-
tion as is of importance to every housekeeper. In its completeness
we now present The Successful Housekeeper to a discrimin-
ating public, with the hope that it may make easier the burden and
more pleasant the cares of the over-burdened wives and mothers of
our land.

THE

SUCCESSFUL HOUSEKEEPER,

CHAPTER I.

BREAD MAKING.

'F it be true that bread is the staff of life, no one can be insensible
to the statement which has been made by authors on the sub-
ject so many times of late, that we make a great mistake, from
a dietetic point of view, in the kind of flour which we select for
making bread. The most nutritious bread is not the whitest, but
rather the reverse, since the branny portion of wheat, which is sys-
tematically rejected, contains very valuable substances and salts
that, taken into the body, go to form bone, flesh, and nerve, as well
as to assist in the digestion of starchy matters. The central por-
tion of wheat, or that portion which forms the ordinary flour of
commerce, consists solely of starch, which is not a flesh-forming
substance, but a heat-giving principle of food. The bran con-
tains phosphates, of which bones and nerves are so largely made
up; gluten, or flesh-forming substance; and cerealine, a peculiar
body which has the character of a ferment, changing starchy mat-
ter in such a way as to be more readily absorbed and utilized by
the system in the act of digestion.

It stands to reason, therefore, that flour made from the entire
wheat contains the very substances which are needed to make it
nutritious, and that the removal of the bran in the making of flour,

8 BREAD MAKING.

as ordinarily practiced, entails the loss of very important items of
diet. Further, it is clear that the physiologist is right in recom-
mending the use of whole grain flour, provided that there is no
special drawback on account of its physical character. But this is
just what has been the case hitherto. When the bran is mixed with
the ordinary flour and taken, it is found to be difficult of digestion,
and, in some cases, to irritate; the latter result being due to the
mechanical action of the bran scales upon the intestines, and hence
there has been a real difficulty in extending the consumption of
brown bread. But recent improvements in milling machinery have
to a great extent overcome these difficulties, and as a consequence,
the consumption of wheat in its many and various preparations is
correspondingly increased.

For good bread three things are essential — good flour, good
yeast, and great care.

Yeast that will not Soub.
Good bread cannot be made from poor yeast, and here is a recipe
that will not sour: One bowl of flour, one bowl of sugar, one cup
of salt, one tablespoonful ginger. Take a double handful of hops
and pour over them five quarts of water, boil an hour, and have as
much water on at the last, and pour scalding hot through a strainer
on to the other ingredients, stirring briskly; when cold add a cup
of good yeast and let rise thirty-six hours, pour into a perfectly
sweet jug, and keep in a cool place. A cupful of this added to a
quart of lukewarm water, with flour enough to make a stiff batter,
will make two loaves of bread. Set this at night and knead in
more flour the next morning, keep in a place where it will be of
even temperature, raising it as fast as possible; when raised again,
knead a good deal, using but little flour, and put into bread pans;
when well raised bake slowly three-fourths of an hour. Part of
this taken out and raised once or twice, with sufficient butter or
lard, and the white of an egg added, makes excellent rolls for tea.

BREAD MAKING. 9

A Good Reliable Yeast.

Steep slowly, in a porcelain or bright tin kettle, one large hand-
ful of hops, tied in a cloth, boil six large potatoes, sliced thin, in
two quarts of water; when done very soft, mash till smooth and
creamy. Have ready one pint of flour, wet and rubbed to a smooth
paste; pour into this the potato water, boiling hot, stirring
smoothly; let it boil a few minutes, stirring all the time; add the
hop water and potatoes, two tablespoonfuls of salt, and one cup of
white sugar; stir thoroughly, and set away to cool. When milk
warm, stir in one cup of yeast; let it rise in a warm place twelve
hours; put it into an air-tight vessel, previously well scalded, and
set in the cellar. This will keep from four to six weeks. Always
make new yeast before the old is gone, in order to have some to
start with. Be very particular with every new batch of yeast, to
have the vessel in which it is kept well cleaned, and scalded with
hot saleratus water. Much depends upon keeping this sweet and
clean.

Another Good Yeast.

Boil two potatoes with a good handful of hops, tied in a bag;
mash the potatoes when done, in the yeast dish, and add two tea-
cupfuls of flour, and scald with the potato water; when cool, add
a yeast cake soaked in warm water. Dry hop yeast can always be
found at grocery stores.

Good Home-made Bread.
The superiority of good home-made bread has long been acknowl-
edged, yet how few know how to make a really good article of
bread, therefore so many housekeepers depend on the baker, which
is at least very expensive, to say nothing of the injury the constant
use of baker's bread causes to the health of delicate persons and
children, as all baker's bread contains alum, which causes the loaves
to increase in weight, as it makes the flour absorb more water.
Therefore a pound loaf of baker's bread will contain less nourish-
ment than a loaf of home-made bread of equal weight. Economy,

LO BREAD MAKING.

therefore, should make every housekeeper her own bread maker, as
baker's bread dries and becomes stale much quicker than home-
made.

To make first-rate bread, the sponge should be set over night in
a warm place and raised and kneaded three times; the first time
from fifteen to twenty minutes — the more the better. If this rule
is followed the bread will present an even surface when sliced off,
and not the loose, crumbly appearance which is so often seen in
bread.

Take three quarts of good flour, sift and warm; make a cavity in
the center, add a large teaspoonful of salt; take one pint of new
milk, or water boiling hot, pour into this and stir quickly; cool off
with one quart of cold milk or water; add one cup of yeast; mix
well together; then cover well and set in a moderately warm place
(if in cold weather) ; this will be ready to knead up before break-
fast, if set over night. Slashing the dough with a sharp knife adds
to its lightness and texture. When well kneaded the first time cover
tightly, watch closely, and as soon as light knead as before, but be
very careful not to work in much flour; only keep enough on the
board to prevent sticking, as all the flour that is added after the
first kneading only makes the bread hard and dry. As soon as it
is light the second time divide into loaves and reserve a portion for
biscuit so that the bread will not be cut till cold. Mold smoothly,
put into tins, let rise fifteen or twenty minutes in a warm place;
bake half an hour in moderately hot oven. When done, set on
hearth, cover with double thick cloth five minutes, turn out on
same cloth; let stand until cool; put in stone jar and keep covered.
Always keep a cloth folded in the bottom of the jar to take up
the dampness which naturally collects.

Yeast Bread.

To three quarts water add one teacupful of yeast, stir into
enough sifted flour to make a stiff batter; do this in the evening
and set in a warm place. In the morning mix stiff; it will soon,

BREAD MAKING. 11

rise, then mold out into the tins. No certain time can be given for
the time of rising, as that depends on the temperature.

Potato Bread.
Pare and boil six good-sized potatoes, drain off the water, mash
fine and pour over them about three pints of cold water and run
through a colander; add flour until this is a thin batter, then put
in a coffee cup of yeast from the jug; let stand until it rises, then
stir into it flour as much as you can with a spoon and let it rise
again; work in enough more flour to make stiff enough for bread,
and then let rise the third time; when light this time, work int<7
loaves and let rise. All the flour must be sifted.

Another.
Boil four potatoes to the loaf; mash when done and add two tea-
cupf uls of flour and scald with the potato water; when cool add the
yeast and let stand till bed time, then sponge and knead in the
morning; make quite stiff and knead fifteen or twenty minutes; let
rise again and mold into loaves.

Milk Sponge Bread.
Put a pint of boiling water into a pitcher with a teaspoonful of
sugar, one-fourth teaspoonful of salt, and the same of soda; let it
stand till you can bear your finger in it, then add flour to make a
thick batter; beat it hard for two minutes. Now place the pitcher
in a kettle of hot water — not hot enough to scald the mixture; keep
the water at the same temperature till the emptyings are light. If
set early in the morning and carefully watched they will be ready
by eleven o'clock to make a sponge the same as for other bread,
with a quart of very warm milk. Let this sponge get very light,
then make into loaves and set to rise again, taking care that they
do not get too light this time before putting into the oven, or the
bread will be dry and tasteless. The emptyings pitcher and bread
pan or tray must be perfectly clean and sweet. Scald them out
with saleratus or lime water.

12 BREAD MAKING.

Salt Rising Bread.

In the evening scald two tablespoonfuls of corn meal, a pinch of
salt and one of sugar, with sweet milk, and set in a warm place till
morning; then scald a teaspoonful of sugar, one of salt, half as
much soda, with a pint of boiling water, add cold water till luke-
warm, then put in the mush made the night before, and thicken to
a batter with flour; put in a close vessel in a kettle of warm water
(not too hot); when light, mix stiff, adding a little shortening;
mold into loaves. It will soon rise, and will not take as long to
bake as yeast bread.

Salt Rising Bread, No. 2.
In the morning take a quart dish and scald it out, then put in a
pint of warm water; put in a teaspoonful of salt and a little pinch
of soda, two or three tablespoonfuls of corn meal, and flour enough
to make a thick batter. Stir well, and set the dish in a kettle of
warm water, and keep at the same temperature (just so you can
bear your hand in it). If water rises on the top, stir in briskly one
or two tablespoonfuls of flour, and put back into the kettle. If the
flour is good the emptyings will be light within three or four
hours; then take flour enough in a bread pan to make three or four
loaves of bread, make a hole in the center, put in the emptyings,
and fill the same dish with warm water; add a little salt, stir it in
with a spoon, mix a thick sponge and cover it with some of the
flour, f»ud set in a warm place to rise. When light, mold it into
loaves and set to rise again (it does not require as much kneading
as yeast bread). Bake from a half to three-fourths of an hour.
Railroad emptyings are made in the same way, of middlings instead
of flour.

Corn Bread.
One pint sweet milk, one pint sour milk, one pint flour, two pints
meal, one teaspoonful syrup, one teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful
soda. Steam three hours.

BREAD MAKING. 13

Corn Bread, No. 2.

Two eggs well beaten, one cup sugar, half cup butter, one cup
sweet milk, half cup sour milk, half cup wheat flour, one and a half
cups corn meal, two teaspoonfuls of any good baking powder.

Corn Bread, No. 3.

One pint buttermilk, two eggs, one pint corn meal, two table-
spoonfuls melted butter, a little salt, and one teaspoonful soda.

Corn Bread, No. 4.

One pint corn meal, one pint flour, one pint buttermilk, one tea-
cupful molasses, one teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful salt. Bake
just two hours.

Grandmother's Indian Bread.

Three cups sweet milk, three cups corn meal, one cup wheat
flour, one half cup molasses, one teaspoonful of soda, one teaspoon-
ful salt. Put into a buttered bake-dish, and set in a steamer and
steam three hours.

Quick Graham Bread.

One and a half pints sour, milk, two-thirds cup cooking molasses,
a half teaspoonful salt, two even teaspoonfuls of saleratus dissolved
in a little hot water, and as much Graham flour as can be stirred in
evenly with a spoon. Put into a well-greased pan, and bake imme-
diately. It will require from an hour and a half to two hours to
bake.

Baking Powder Graham Bread.

One and one-half pints Graham flour, one-half pint flour, one
tablespoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, two teaspoonfuls
baking powder; mix with a pint and a half of milk, or equal parts
of milk and water. Sift together Graham, flour, sugar, salt, and
baking powder; add the milk, or milk and water, mix rapidly into
a soft dough, put into a greased tin, bake in rather hot oven for
forty minutes. Protect the loaf with paper the first fifteen minutes.

14 BREAD MAKING.

Beowx Bread of Graham Flour.
Take one cup of milk; add hot water to warm; thicken with
sifted flour, suflicient to make a sponge; stand over night in a
warm place; in the morning add half a cup of milk, with a cup of
hot water, one cup molasses, one cup butter, one teaspoonful salt;
mix in Graham flour till thick, and smooth with a spoon; pour into
bread pans half full; let stand in a warm place until the pans are
nearly full; bake an hour in a moderately hot oven. Keep a steady
fire.

Graham Bread.

To a scant quart of. warm water add a heaping teaspoonful of
salt, a good half cup of brown sugar; stir in a pint of the sponge
made of flour for potato bread; add as much Graham flour as
can be stirred in; put into baking pans and let rise until light;
bake in a moderate oven, and when done wrap in a damp towel
until cool.

Graham Bread, No. 2.

Take one and two-thirds cups of water or milk and a small piece
of butter or lard; mix quite thick with Graham flour or Arlington
wheat meal, which is better; add half a cup of good yeast and set
to rise over night. In the morning dissolve one-half teaspoonful
soda in a little water and add one-half cup of molasses; stir this
into the bread, mix quite soft and put in baking tin to rise. Bake
thoroughly. A nice rye and wheat loaf may be made in the same
way, using one and one-half cups sifted rye and the rest wheat
flour. If you wish a light colored loaf use only one cup of rye and
sweeten with sugar.

Brown Bread.

Take two quarts of corn meal; scald with one quart of boiling
milk or water; when cool add one quart of Graham flour, one large
spoonful salt, one cup brown sugar or best molasses, one cup home-
made yeast, one cup flour. Mix with warm water as stiff as can
easilv be stirred; put in deep basins; steam two hours and bake

BREAD MAKING. 15

one. Before baking baste with a few spoonfuls of sweet cream or
milk; this makes a soft, tender crust.

Biscuit is made from the same dough as the bread, rolled out and
spread with a small quantity of lard, which must be very fresh and
sweet. Double the dough together, roll and spread again three
times; then cut in small biscuits; place on buttered tins; let stand
half an hour; bake fifteen minutes until a very light brown. Cover
with cloth a few minutes and slip off on the same until ready for
use. All bread, biscuit, loaf cake or doughnuts made from yeast
should rise after being mixed before being baked; if put into the
oven or fried directly they are never light, as the dough has no
chance to recover its elasticity.

Brown Bread, No. 2.

One pint of rye meal sifted, one pound of coarse yellow Indian
meal sifted, one quart of sour milk, salt, half cup of molasses or
less, one heaping teaspoonful of saleratus dissolved in a little hot
water. Steam three hours and-a-half in a tin pail set in a kettle of
boiling water.

Boston Brown Bread.

Flour one-half pint, one pint corn meal, one-half pint rye
flour, one teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful brown sugar
two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one-half pint water; sift flour,
corn meal, rye flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together
thoroughly; peel, wash, and well boil two mealy potatoes, rub
them through the sieve, diluting with water. When this is quite
cold use it to mix the flour, etc., into a batter like cake; pour it
into a well-greased mold, having a cover (a tin pail will do), place
it in a kettle or sauce pan half full of boiling water, when the
loaf may steam or simmer one hour; then take off the cover and
bake in the oven a half hour.

Rye Bread.
Make a sponge as for wheat bread, and let it rise over night;
then add two-thirds cup molasses, one teaspoonful salt, one quart

16 BREAD MAKING.

milk and water — equal parts — and mix with rye flour, not as stiff
as wheat bread, and bake.

Rye and Indian Bread.
Scald two quarts Indian meal by pouring over it just boiling
water enough to wet it, one quart rye meal or flour, one-half tea-
cupful molasses, two teaspoonfuls salt, one of soda, one cup of
yeast; make as thick as can be stirred with a spoon, mixing with
warm water, and let rise over night; put in a bake tin, let stand a
half hour, and bake from four to six hours.

Rye Bread with Baking Powder.

One pint rye flour, one-half pint corn meal, one-half pint flour,
one teaspoonful sugar, one teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls
baking powder, one tablespoonful lard, nearly one pint milk. Sift
together rye flour, corn meal, flour, sugar, salt and powder, rub in
the lard cold, add the milk and mix into a smooth batter, as for
cake; pour into a well greased tin, and bake in a moderate oven
three-quarters of an hour; protect with a paper the first quarter.

Hoyleton Bread.

Five cups Indian meal, seven cups wheat flour, two cups rye
meal, four cups buttermilk, two cups sweet milk, one-half cup
molasses, two teaspoonfuls salt, two teaspoonfuls soda. Put it in a
three quart pail that has a cover; let it stand near the fire thirty
minutes with the cover off, to rise, then put on cover, and bake or
steam four hours.

Norwegian Bread, for Dyspeptics.

One pint barley meal, one-half pint Graham, one-half pint flour,
one teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one pint
milk. Sift together barley meal, Graham, flour, salt and powder.
Mix into a firm batter with the milk, pour into a greased tin, and
bake in a moderate oven forty minutes; cover with a greased paper
the first twenty minutes.

BREAD MAKING. 17

Oat Meal Bread.

One-half pint oat meal, one and-a-half pints flour, half teaspoonful
salt, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, three-fourths pint milk;
boil the oat meal in one and-a-half pints salted water for one hour.
Then dilute it with the milk. Set aside to get perfectly cold. Sift
together flour, salt, powder, and when the oat meal preparation is
cold place it in a bread bowl; add to it the flour, etc.; mix smoothly
together, pour from the bowl into the greased tin, and bake in a
moderate oven three-fourths of an hour; protect the loaf with paper
the first twenty minutes.

Rice Bread.

Boil one cupful of rice in a pint of water; when tender, add one-
half pint milk; when cold, add one and-a-half pints flour sifted, with
a teaspoonful sugar, half teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls baking
powder; mix together smoothly, pour into greased tin3 and bake
forty minutes.

CHAPTER II.

BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES.

Light Biscuit.
[N kneading bread, set aside a small loaf for biscuits. Into
this work a heaping tablespoonful of lard and butter mixed,
and a teaspoonful of sugar. The more it is worked, the
whiter it will be. As it rises, mold it down twice before making
into biscuit. Roll out and cut with a biscuit cutter. The dough
should be quite soft.

Butter Biscuit.
Sift one quart of flour into a pan, and make a hollow in the center
large enough to admit a pint of milk and a coffee-cup of yeast; mix
into a sponge, set it to rise; in the morning add one pound of
melted butter, and knead as much flour as will, with another pint
of warm milk or water, make a soft dough ; make out the biscuit in
pans to rise; when sufficiently light, bake in a well-heated oven.
Soda Biscuit.
One quart of sifted flour, an even teaspoonful of soda dissolved
in a pint of buttermilk, or sour milk, heaping tablespoonful of lard,
a pinch of salt. Bake in an oven — not too hot — after raising fifteen
or twenty minutes. If sour cream is to be had, use it instead of
milk, leaving out the shortening.

Dixie Biscuit.
Three pints of flour, two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of lard, one
small cup of yeast, one cup of milk; mix at 11 o'clock, roll out at
4 o'clock, and cut with two sizes of cutters, putting the smaller one
on top; let rise until supper. Bake twenty minutes.

BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 19

Baking Powder Biscuit.

To begin with, have a hot oven; have the flour sifted, and roll
dough as soft as it can be handled. Then more baking pow-
der is needed than is usually given. For each teacupf ul of flour
use a teaspoonful of powder; butter the size of a hen's egg is suffi-
cient for a quart of flour; after rubbing powder and butter into the
flour, mix soft with cold water or milk, stirring with a spoon; roll
lightly and bake at once.

Cream of Tartar Biscuit.

One quart flour, a tablespoonful of butter, and a tablespoonf ul of
lard, a half teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of soda, two tea-
spoonfuls of cream of tartar. Sift the flour and cream of tartar
together, rub the butter and lard very thoroughly through it; dis-
solve the soda in a pint of milk or water (if water, use more short-
ening); mix all together. Roll out, adding as little flour as possi-
ble; cut with a biscuit cutter, and bake immediately in a quick
oven.

English Biscuit.

One and a-half pints of flour, one coffee-cup full corn starch, three
tablespoonfuls sugai', a large pinch of salt, two large teaspoonfuls
baking powder, three tablespoonfuls lai'd, one egg, one-half pint
milk, one-half cup currants, one tablespoonful coriander seed (if
desired). Sift together flour, corn starch, sugar, salt, and baking
powder; rub in the lard cold; add the eggs beaten, milk, currants
well cleaned; mix into a smooth dough soft enough to handle, flour
the board, turn out the dough, roll it out to half an inch thickness,
cut out with a round cutter, lay them on a greased baking tin, and
bake in a rather hot oven twenty minutes; rub over with a little
butter on a clean piece of linen when taken from the oven.

Graham Biscuits.
Take one quart water or milk, butter the size of an egg, three
tablespoonfuls sugar, half cup yeast, and a little salt; take enough
white flour to mix a batter with the water; add the other ingredi-

20 BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES.

ents, and as much Graham flour as can be stirred in with a spoon;
set it away until morning; then grease a pan, flour hands, take a
lump of dough the size of a hen's egg, roll lightly between the
palms; let them rise twenty minutes, and bake in a rather hot oven.
Cold Biscuits.
Three pints flour, two tablespoonfuls sugar, one teaspoonful salt,
two heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder, four tablespoonfuls
lard, two tablespoonfuls caraway seeds, two eggs, one pint milk.
Sift together flour, sugar, salt and powder, rub in lard cold, add the
seeds, beaten eggs, and milk; mix into a smooth, firm dough, flour
the board, turn out the dough, givelt a few quick kneadings, and
roll out to the thickness of a quarter of an inch, cut into large bis-
cuits, prick with a fork, lay on a greased tin. Bake in hot oven
fifteen minutes; when cold, store for use.

Bunns.

Break an egg into a cup, and fill the ciq) up with sweet milk;
mix with it a half cup yeast, half cup butter, one cup sugar, enough
flour to make a soft dough; flavor with nutmeg; let rise till very
light, then mold into biscuits with a few currants; let rise the
second time and bake, and when nearly done glaze with a little
molasses and milk.

Bunns.

One cup butter, one cup sugar, half cup yeast, half pint milk,
make stiff with flour, and mold into biscuits; when light, bake.

BuNNS.

One cup yeast, one egg, one tablespoonful molasses, flour to make
a batter; let it rise, then add one pint milk, one pint sugar dissolved
in the milk, half pint butter, two eggs; stir in flour stiff enough to
make the buns, and let them rise in the pans before baking.
Cinnamon Cake.

Take yeast bread dough when light, knead and roll out three-
fourths of an inch thick; put thin slices of butter on the top,
sprinkle with sugar, and then with cinnamon; let rise, and bake.

BREAKFAST AND TEA CAKES. 21

Graham Cakes.
To one quart Graham flour add one teaspoonful of salt, five
tablespoonfuls molasses, three tablespoonfuls yeast, or a yeast cake
dissolved in warm water. Stir as thick as pound cake; let stand
over night; when ready to bake, add a well beaten egg, a table-
spoonful lard and a teaspoonful of soda. Bake in cups half an hour.

Rye Drop Cakes.

One egg, two cups rye flour, two cups flour, half a cup sugar, a
teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, one teaspoonful
soda — or three teaspoonfuls baking powder, — a tablespoonful melted
butter, and one of lard, one and a half cups milk; drop from a spoon
and bake half an hour.

Corn Cakes.

One pint sour milk, two cups Indian meal, one cup flour, one egg,
two tablespoonfuls molasses, one teaspoonful salt, one teaspoonful
soda; mix thoroughly and bake twenty-five minutes in shallow
pans.

Johnny Cake.

One quart corn meal, one quart milk, two eggs, two tablespoon-
fuls shortening, half cup sugai*, teaspoonful salt, three teaspoonfuls
baking powder — or substitute one quart sour milk and a large tea-
spoonful soda.

Newport Breakfast Cakes.

Three eggs, three spoonfuls sugar, one and-a-half pints milk,
half cup butter, three teaspoonfuls baking powder. Stir stiff with
flour and bake in loaves, like cakes.

Potato Cakes.
Peal enough good sized potatoes for a meal for the family, grate
on a coarse grater, and stir in from three to five eggs, salt and mix
stiff enough to mold into cakes, and fry in hot lard or drippings.

22 GRIDDLE CAKES.

GRIDDLE CAKES.

Stale Bread Griddle Cakes.
Soak one pint bread crumbs in warm water, when soft drain oft
the water and add one pint sour milk with a teaspoonful soda
stirred in, half teaspoonful salt, a beaten egg, and thicken with
flour to make a batter.

Corn Meal Griddle Cakes.
One pint corn meal, one of sour milk or buttermilk, one egg, one
teaspoonful soda, one of salt. Bake on a griddle.

Rice Griddle Cakes.
One and one-half pints boiled rice, the same of flour, one-half
teacupful sour milk, one teacupf ul sweet milk, one teaspoonful soda,,
salt, three eggs, and butter the size of a walnut.
Flour Griddle Cakes.
Make a thick batter with one quart of sour milk and flour. Let
it stand over night and in the morning add two well-beaten eggs,
salt, and a teaspoonful of soda dissolved in a tablespoonf ul warm
water. Bake immediately.

Green Corn Griddle Cakes.
Six ears grated corn, two eggs, one pint milk, one pint flour, one
tablespoonf ul butter, a little salt. Bake on a griddle.

Hominy Griddle Cakes.
To one pint warm boiled hominy add a pint of milk, or milk and
water, and flour enough to make a thin batter; beat up two or
three eggs and stir them into the batter with a little salt. Fry as
other griddle cakes.

Crumb Corn Cakes.
Soak a quart of bread crumbs in a quart of sour milk over night;
in the morning rub through a colander and add four well-beaten
eggs, a heaping teaspoonful soda dissolved in a little warm water,

GRIDDLE CAKES. 23

one tablespoonful shortening, and corn meal to mix into a nice
batter. It is better to beat yolks and whites of eggs separately,
stirring the whites in lightly just before baking.
Flannel Cakes.

Three eggs, one quart sweet milk, one quart sifted Hour, with
three teaspoonfuls baking powder, a small spoonful salt; beat the
yolks and half of the milk, salt and flour together, then the
remainder of the milk, and last, the whites of the eggs, well beaten;
a teacup of boiled rice improves them.

Buckwheat Cakes.

Take, of equal parts of buttermilk and water, one quart, half cup
yeast, a little salt; stir into a batter with buckwheat flour, let rise
over night; in the morning add half teaspoonful soda dissolved
in a little water. Bake on a hot griddle.

Graham Griddle Cakes.

One pint Graham flour, half pint corn meal, half pint flour, one
heaping teaspoonful sugar, half teaspoonful salt, one egg, one pint
buttermilk, one teaspoonful soda.

Squash, Pumpkin and Apple Griddle Cakes.
Cold stewed squash, pumpkin or apple, rubbed through a colan-
der, half pint; mix with two well-beaten eggs and half pint milk.
Sift together half pint Graham flour, half pint corn meal, half tea-
spoonful salt, heaping teaspoonful baking powder. Mix smooth and
thoroughly into a batter and bake on a hot griddle.

Berry Griddle Cakes.
Take of huckleberries, blackberries, or raspberries a half pint,
one and one-half pints flour, one teaspoonful salt, one tablespoonful
brown sugar, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, two eggs, and one
pint milk. Sift together flour, sugar, salt and powder; add beaten
eggs, milk and berries; mix into a batter; have the griddle hot
enough to form a crust as soon as the batter touches it. In order
to confine the juice of the berries turn quickly in order to form a

24 GRIDDLE CAKES.

crust on the other side; turn once more on each side to complete
the baking.

Egg Cracknels.

One quart flour, one-half teaspoonful salt, five tablespoonfuls
sugar, one teaspoonful baking powder, four tablespoonfuls butter,
and five eggs. Sift together flour, sugar, salt and powder; rub in
the butter cold; add the eggs beaten, and mix into a firm, smooth
dough. Flour the board, turn out the dough, and give it a few
minutes' rapid kneading; cover with a damp towel fifteen minutes;
then roll it out to the thickness of one-eighth of an inch. Cut out
with biscuit cutter. When all are cut out, have a large pot of
boiling, and a large tin pan of cold water. Drop them a few at a
time into the boiling water. When they appear at the surface
and curl at the edges, take them up with a skimmer, and drop them
in the cold water. When all are thus served, lay them on greased
baking tins and bake in a fairly hot oven fifteen minutes.

Oatmeal Crackers.
One pint very fine oatmeal, one-half pint Graham flour, one-half
teaspoonful salt, one-half teaspoonful sugar, one-half teaspoonful
baking powder, one-half pint cream. Sift together the oatmeal,
Graham, salt, sugar and powder; add the cream and mix into
a dough, rather too soft to handle. Let it stand half an hour, by
which time it will have absorbed the extra moisture, and handling
it will be easy. Flour the board with Graham, roll out to the
thickness of one-third inch, prick with a fork, lay on greased bak-
ing tin, and bake in a moderate oven ten minutes. They must be
watched during baking, as they burn quickly, and when baked
handled with care; they break easily.

Graham Crackers.

Sift together one quart Graham flour, one tablespoonful sugar,

half teaspoonful salt, half teaspoonful baking powder; mix with

two tablespoonfuls butter and a good half pint milk, into a smooth

dough, and knead well for five minutes; roll it to the thickness of

GRIDDLE CAKES. 25

one-quarter inch, cut into crackers round or square. Bake in rather
hot oven ten minutes; when cold store for use.

Crumpets.
Mix together thoroughly while dry one quart sifted flour, two
heaping teaspoonfuls haking powder, a little salt, then add two
tab] cspoonfuls melted butter and sweet milk enough to make a thin
dough. Bake quickly in muffin rings or patty pans.

London Crumpets.
Sift together one and one-half pints flour, one-half teaspoonful
salt, one teaspoonful sugar, and two teaspoonfuls baking powder;
add one beaten egg, a scant pint of milk and cream in equal parts,
a little ground cinnamon or a teaspoonful extract of cinnamon; half
fill greased muffin rings, place on a hot, well-greased griddle. Bake
on one side only. Serve hot with cottage cheese.

Kentucky Corn Dodgers.

Place your griddle where it will heat, for this is much better
than a bread pan, there being less danger of scorching at the bot-
tom. Take an even pint of sifted meal, a heaping tablespoonful of
lard, a pinch of salt, and a scant half pint of cold water; mix well
and let it stand while you grease your griddle and sprinkle some
meal over it. Make the dough into rolls the size and shape of
goose eggs, and drop them on the griddle, taking care to flatten as
little as possible, for the less bottom crust the better. Place in the
oven and bake until brown on the bottom. Then change to the
grate, and brown on top, taking from twenty to thirty minutes for
the whole process. Eaten while hot with plenty of good butter,
they are better than any other bread.

The same amount of meal, lard and salt mixed with boiling
water, till of the consistency of thick batter, will give you delight-
ful hot cakes, to be cooked like any other batter bread.

26 FRITTERS.

FRITTERS.

Green Corn Fritters.

Grate green corn from, the cob, and allow an egg and a half for
every cupful, with a tablespoonful of milk or cream; beat the eggs
well; add the corn by degrees, beating very hard; salt to taste.
Put a tablespoonful of melted butter to every pint of corn; stir in
the milk, and thicken with just enough flour to hold them together
— say a tablespoonful for every two eggs. You may fry in hot
lard, as you would fritters, or cook upon a griddle like batter cakes.
Eaten at dinner or breakfast, these always find a cordial welcome.
Greex Corx Fritters, No. 2.

Two cups of grated corn, two eggs, one cup of milk, flour for
thin batter, a pinch of soda, salt, one tablespoonful melted butter.
Mix and fry as you would griddle cakes.

Apple Fritters.

Beat three eggs very lightly, then stir in one teaspoonful of salt,
one-half cup of sugar, one pint of milk, two cups of chopped apple
and two cups of flour. Flavor with nutmeg. Stir all well together
and fry in lard as pancakes. Sift sugar over them and send to the
table.

Celery Fritters.

Boil some thick but tender stalks of celery in salted water; when
done dry them on a cloth, cut them in equal lengths about one and
a-half inches; fry them in batter to a golden color, sprinkling fine
salt well over, and serve.

Oyster Fritters.

Drain them thoroughly, chop fine, season with pepper and salt.
Make a batter of eggs, milk and flour; stir the chopped oysters in
this and fry in hot butter; or fry them whole, enveloped in batter,
one in each fritter. In this case the batter should be thicker than
if they were chopped.

FRITTERS. 27

Clam Fritters.

Twelve clams, minced fine; one pint milk; throe eggs. Add the
liquor from the clams to the milk; beat up the eggs and put to
this, with salt and pepper, and (lour enough for thin batter; lastly,
the chopped clams. Fry in hot lard, trying a little first to sec if the
fat and batter are right. A tablespoonful will make a fritter of
moderate size. Or you can dip the whole clams in battel- and
cook in like manner. Fry quickly, or they are apt to be too greasy.
Lobster Fritters.

Put one lobster in two quarts boiling water with half a cup salt;
boil twenty-five minutes; when cold remove the meat and fat, cut
into small slices; put one tablespoonful butter, one tablespoonful
flour, one cup cream, a little celery, salt, thyme, white pepper, and
a salt-spoon of parsley, into a stew-pan; let boil two minutes; add
yolks of four eggs, and the lobster; mix and set it back to simmer
five minutes; pour it out on a well-greased dish and set it away to
get firm by cooling; cut into slices, dip into common batter and fry
to a light brown in hot lard. Serve on the fritters a few sprigs of
parsley, quite dry, fried in the lard fifteen seconds.
Rtce Fritters.

Boil one cup of rice in one pint of milk until soft; add the yolks of
three eggs, one tablespoonful sugar, two tablespoonf uls butter, two
tablespoonfuls Hour; when cold add the whites of the eggs whipped
to a stiff froth; drop in spoonfuls in plenty of hot lard and fry to a
light brown color. Serve with cream, wine or lemon sauce.

Blackberry Fritters.

Mix one cup blackberries with one and a-half cups common
batter and drop by tablespoonfuls into hot lard.

All berry fritters can be made as directed for the above and
served with spiced sauce made as follows: Set on the fire three-
fourths pint of water, one cup sugar; boil twenty minutes, remove
from the fire and add one teaspoonful each of extract cloves, mace,
and ginger.

28 GEMS.

GEMS.

Graham Gems.
One pint milk, one pint Graham flour, salt-spoonful salt; beat
well; heat the gem pan hot, butter it and drop the dough into the
sockets with a spoon, filling each one-half full.
Graham Gems, No. 2.
One pint buttermilk, one teaspoonful soda, a little salt, one egg,
one-half cup sugar, tablespoonful lard; thicken with Graham flour,
and bake in gem tins.

Graham Gems, No. 3.
One pint milk, one cup flour, one cup Graham flour, one egg, a
little salt. Have the irons hot before using.
Cold Water Gems.
Take cold water, Graham flour, and a little salt, make rather a
stiff batter; heat and grease the irons, or tins, and bake twenty
minutes.

Mixed Gems.
One-half pint Graham, half pint corn meal, half pint rye flour,
half pint buckwheat flour, one teaspoonful salt, two heaping tea-
spoonfuls baking powder, one pint rich milk; mix into a thin
batter, then half fill well-greased gem pans. Bake in hot oven
fifteen minutes.

Cor:nt Gems.
One pint corn meal, one pint flour, one teaspoonful salt, two
large teaspoonfuls baking powder, one pint milk; mix into a firm
batter, two-thirds fill well-greased gem pans and bake in a hot oven

fifteen minutes.

Oatmeal Gems.

Soak one cup oatmeal over night in one cup water; in the morn-
ing add one cup sour milk, one teaspoonful soda, one cup of flour,
a little salt, bake in gem irons. If on trial they are a little moist or
sticky, add a little more flour.

MUFFINS. 29

MUFFINS.

To one quart of milk add two well-beaten eggs, a lump of butter
half the size of an egg, a little salt, and flour enough to make a
stiff batter; stir in half a pint of yeast. Let them stand until they
are perfectly light and then bake on a griddle in rings made for the
purpose. These are merely strips of tin three-fourths of an inch
wide, made into rings two and a half or three inches in diameter,
and without bottoms, the ring being simply placed on the griddle
and the batter being poured in to fill it.

Muffins, No. 2.

One pint flour, one cup milk, two eggs, two teaspoonfuls baking
powder, butter the size of an egg; beat the yolks of the eggs with
the butter, then add the whites well beaten. Sift baking powder
with the flour, and mix all together into a batter. Bake in muffin
rings.

Muffins, No. 3.

One pint new milk, one egg, one tablespoonful sugar, one table-
spoonful butter, half teaspoonful salt, one cake yeast (or better,
half cup home-made yeast) ; mix with flour until a very stiff batter
is formed; leave in a warm place over night and bake in the morn-
ing in rings.

Rice Flour Muffins.

One and one-half cups rice flour, two cups wheat flour, one pint
milk, one egg, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, a little salt, a
small piece of butter. Bake as usual.

Rice Muffins.

One pint sifted flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder
and a little salt. Thoroughly mix together; then add one cup cold
boiled rice, two eggs, one tablespoonful butter, and enough sweet
milk to make a thick batter. Bake immediately.

30 MUSH.

Graham Muffins.
Two cups sour milk, one teaspoonf ul saleratus, two eggs, a little
salt, butter half the size of an egg, three cups Graham flour. Bake
in rings.

Graham Muffins, No. 2.
Two cups Graham flour, one cup sweet milk, one-third cup sugar,
one egg, butter the size of an egg, two teaspoonf uls baking powder.
Bake in rings twenty or thirty minutes in hot oven.

Corn Meal Muffins.
One and one-half cups of corn meal, the same of flour, two heap-
ing teaspoonfuls baking powder, one-half cup sugar, one-half tea-
spoonful salt, one tablespoonful butter, two eggs, and milk enough
to make a stiff batter.

MUSH.

Corn Mush.

Take boiling water (soft water is preferable), salt to the taste,
add meal very slowly so as to prevent any lumps being formed;
cook thoroughly.

Oatmeal Musii.
Put four tablespoonfuls oatmeal into one quart cold water; add
one teaspoonful salt, let it cook slowly for from one to two hours,
addino- hot water when needed; just before serving stir in one
teaspoonful butter, or soak the meal over night and add boiling
water and cook in the morning.

Cracked Wheat Mush.
To one quart salted water add three-fourths cup cracked or
rolled wheat, and boil two hours; or it may be soaked over night
.and boil one hour.

PUFFS. 31

Cracker Wheat Musri, No. 2.
Moisten one and one-half cups cracked wheat with cold water,
add one-half teaspoonful salt, place in a muslin bag, leaving half
the space for the wheat to swell; put into a small colander and
place in a kettle of water and keep boiling from three to four
hours. Serve with syrup and butter or cream and sugar. It is
nice sliced and fried when cold.

Fried Mush for Breakfast.
Night before, stir into two quarts of boiling water a little salt
and one pound of farina, boil for ten minutes, and pour it into
a shallow dish to cool ; next morning cut it into slices, and fry in
lard light brown. This is far superior to corn meal mush.
Hominy.
Take one cup hominy to one quart salted water and soak over
night and boil three-fourths of an hour. Serve with milk and
sugar. Slice and fry when cold.

PUFFS.

Puffs.
Two eggs, two cups of milk, two cups of flour, and a little salt.
Pour into hot roll pans and bake in a quick oven. Fill the pans
about half full.

German Puffs.
Two cups of sweet milk, two cups of flour, three eggs, and a
little salt.

Graham Puffs.
One egg, one pint sweet milk, one pint Graham flour, and a pinch
of salt; beat the eggs thoroughly; add the milk, then the flour
gradually; beat the whole mixture briskly with an egg-beater; pour
into cast-iron gem pans, well-greased, and hot; bake in very hot
oven; this mixture is just sufficient for twelve gems.

32 PUFFS.

Oatmeal Puffs.

Sift together one-half pint oatmeal, one-half pint Graham, one-
half pint flour, one teaspoonf ul sugar, one-half teaspoonful salt, and
two teaspoonf uls baking powder; add three beaten eggs and one
pint milk; mix into a thin batter; half fill well-greased gem pans
and bake in hot oven ten or fifteen minutes.
Potato Puffs.

To each two cupfuls of mashed potatoes take one tablespoonful
of melted butter and beat to a cream; put with this two eggs
whipped light, and a cupful of milk, salting to taste; beat all well;
pour into greased baking dish and bake quickly to a light brown.
Serve in the dish in which it is cooked.

Cream Puffs.

One-half pint boiling water, one cup of butter, two cups of flour.
Let the water and butter boil, then stir in the flour; let it cool; add
five eggs well beaten; beat all well; drop in muffin rings; bake
thirty minutes. Boil one pint of milk; beat together one cup of
flour, one cup of sugar, and two eggs; add this to the boiling milk
and boil three minutes; cut a hole in the top of each cake and fill
with cream, putting the piece of crust back.

Puffets.
One quart flour, one pint milk, two eggs beaten light, butter size
of an egg, three tablespoonfuls sugar, three teaspoonfuls baking
powder; bake quickly.

Proverbs.
One cup rich milk, one egg, two cups flour, one teaspoonful
baking powder, a little salt; beat together thoroughly, fill buttered
cups half full and bake in a hot oven.

Pocket Books.
One quart warm water or milk, two eggs, three teaspoonfuls
sugar, one cup yeast, four tablespoonfuls melted butter, add flour
to make a sponge, and set to rise; when it is risen work it over and

ROLLS.

set to rise again; when light put in a piece of soda the size of a
bean ; roll out, spread the surface with butter, cut in squares and
double over to form a pocket book shape; put in a pan and let stand
till light, then bake.

ROLLS.

How to make Rolls.
"When mashing potatoes for dinner, put a tablespoonful of it into
one pint of the water they were boiled in, and set aside till bed-
time; then strain it through a colander, add one pint of milk, one
large spoonful nice lard, one large spoonful white sugar, one tea-
spoonful salt, one penny-worth of yeast, and flour to make a stiff
batter. Leave it in a moderately warm place. In the morning add
flour enough to make a soft dough, working it well. Let it rise
again, roll out half an inch thick, cut into round cakes, fold
together, drawing a buttered knife through as you fold them. Let
them rise again for half an hour, or until light; bake in a quick
oven for fifteen or twenty minutes. In cold weather the milk
should be luke-warm; in hot weather the milk should be scalded
and cooled. The potatoes must be pared before boiling, and the
kettle in which they are boiled must be perfectly clean.

Rolls No. 2.
Take a piece of bread dough when molded; roll out half an inch
thick; spread with butter, and sprinkle with sugar; roll up and
cut off the size you want; let rise and bake.
Parker House Rolls.
Two quarts flour, one cup yeast, one pint milk, boiled, then
cooled to milk-warm, one tablespoonful of shortening, one of sugar;
lay a sponge, leaving out enough flour to mix in when rolling out;
if for tea, mix in the morning; bake as soon as ready.
Cinnamon Rolls.
Take light dough, as for bread; mix in shortening, an eggy and a

34 • ROLLS.

little sugar; roll out to about one-quarter inch in thickness; spread
with butter, then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon; roll up and cut
as you would a jelly cake; put in pans like biscuit; set to rise.
When light, put a little lump of butter, and sugar and cinnamon
x>n each one, and bake.

"White Mountain Rolls.

Sixteen cups of flour, half cup of sugar, cup of butter, cup of
yeast, the whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and four cups
of boiling milk; melt the butter and sugar in the milk, have the
milk blood warm and mix the bread, adding the whites of eggs
after mixing in part of the flour; knead stiff and let rise in a warm
place over night. In the morning knead into rolls and let rise till
light; rub the beaten white of an egg over the tops of rolls, and
bake thirty minutes.

Vienna Twist Rolls.

Break pieces off dough (as prepared for common rolls) the size
of an egg, and divide each piece into two unequal pieces, the largest
piece form with the hands into a plain roll tapering at each end;
lay them, thus formed, on a greased baking tin so as not to touch
each other; flatten each a little and wash over with milk; divide
the remaining pieces each into three, roll the pieces out under the
hands into strips a little longer than the roll already made, and
braid them; then lay each braid, as soon as formed, on top of the
plain roll; when all are made, wash over with milk. Bake in a hot
oven twenty minutes — a very handsome roll for a dinner party.

Oatmeal Rolls.

Sift together one-half pint oatmeal, one-half pint Graham, one
pint flour, one teaspoonful salt, two teaspoonfuls baking powder,
and mix with three-fourths pint milk into a smooth dough; turn
out and give one or two quick kneadings to complete its quality;
roll out to the thickness of half an inch, cut out with large round
cutter, fold through the centre laying one half over on the other,

ROLLS. #>

lay them on a greased baking tin so they do not touch, wash over
witli milk and bake in a good hot oven fifteen minutes.

Italian Rolls.
Take a piece of bread dough and one-fourth the amount of
butter, work the butter thoroughly into the dough and roll out to
about one-half an inch in thickness; cut into strips about six inches
long; sift over them fine corn meal, place them, separated, on a
buttered baking tin, and when light bake in a quick oven.

Graham Breakfast Rolls.
Take six potatoes, boiled and pressed through a colander, one pint
warm water, one-half cup sugar, one-half teaspoonful salt, one-half
cup yeast; mix into a stiff dough with Graham flour, and let rise
over night; in the morning mold into rolls and bake when light.

French Rolls.

Into one pound of flour rub two ounces of butter and the whites
of three eggs well-beaten; add a tablespoonful of good yeast, a
little salt, and milk enough to make a stiff dough; cover and set in
a warm place till light; cut into rolls, dip the edges into melted
butter to keep them from sticking together, and bake in a quick
oven.

Tremont House Rolls.

Take two quarts of flour, add one teaspoonful salt; make a hole
in the middle and put into it one tablespoonful of sugar, butter
about the size of an egg, one pint of boiled milk, and one teacupful
of yeast. Do not stir, but put them together at night, and set in
a cool place until morning. Then mix all together and knead
fifteen minutes. Set in a cool place again for six hours, and roll
out about one-half an inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter;
moisten one edge with butter, and fold together like rolls; lay in
the pan so that they will not touch, set for half an hour in a warm
place to rise, and bake in a quick oven.

36 RUSKS.

Rosettes.
To three eggs, the yolks beaten very light, add one quart of milk,
a piece of butter the size of an egg cut in little pieces into the milk
and eggs, three coffee cups of flour, a little salt, three teaspoonfuls
of baking powder, and lastly the whites of the eggs beaten very
light and stirred quickly into the mixture. Bake in a quick oven.

RUSKS.

Sweet Rusks.

In one large coffee cup of warm milk dissolve one cake of com-
pressed yeast; then add three eggs and one cup of sugar, and
beat all together; use only flour enough to roll out, to which
add two ounces of butter; let it rise. When very light, knead,
mold into shape, and set in a warm place. When light, bake in a
hot oven; when done, cover the top with sugar dissolved in milk.
Sweet Rusks, No. 2.

One pint of warm milk — new is best — one-half cup of butter, one
cup of sugar, two eggs, one teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls
of yeast; make a sponge with the milk, yeast, and enough flour to
make a thin batter, and let rise over night. In the morning add the
sugar, butter, eggs, and salt, well-beaten together, with enough
flour to make a soft dough. Let it rise again, then make into
round balls, and rise a third time. Bake in a moderate oven.

Rusks.
Half pint of sweet milk, one teacup of yeast, two eggs; mix
with sufficient flour for a stiff batter and raise; then add one cup of
butter, half cup of sugai-, one teaspoonful of soda, and a little nut-
meg; let rise, and knead out into biscuits; let rise and bake. Just
before taking out of the oven beat up the white of an egg and rub
over the top, then sprinkle with sugar; put into the oven again for
a moment, and serve hot.

RUSKS. 37

Baking Powder Rusks.

Thoroughly mix" with one quart sifted flour, two neaping tea-
spoonfuls baking powder, and one teaspoonful salt; then mix the
beaten yolks of three eggs with a half cup butter and one cup
sugar; now stir up the flour prepared as above with water, making
a dough of the proper consistency for bread; then add the eggs,
butter and sugar, and mix all well together. Form into little cakes
and rub the tops with sugar and water, and then sprinkle dry sugar
over them and bake immediately.

Scones.

Thoroughly mix one quart sifted flour, two heaping teaspoonfuls
baking powder; then rub into one-fourth pound butter and enough
sweet milk to make a smooth paste; roll out the paste to one-fourth
of an inch in thickness and cut it into triangular pieces, each side of
which is about four inches long; put them into a greased tin and
bake immediately in a very hot oven; when half done, brush them
over with sweet milk.

Scotch Scones.

Sift together one quart flour, one teaspoonful sugar, one-half
teaspoonful salt, two heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder; rub in
a large tablespoonful lard cold; add two beaten eggs and nearly
one-half pint milk; mix into a smooth dough, knead up quickly and
roll out to one-third of an inch in thickness, cut out with a knife
into squares larger than soda crackers, fold each in half to form
three-cornered pieces, bake on a hot griddle eight or ten minutes;
brown on each side.

Sally Lunn.

One quart of flour, a piece of butter the size of an egg, three
tablespoonfuls of sugar, two eggs, two teacups of milk, two tea-
spoonfuls of cream of tartar, one of soda, and a little salt. Scatter
the cream of tartar, the sugar and the salt into the flour; add
the eggs, the butter melted and one cup of milk; dissolve the

38 SANDWICHES.

soda in the remaining cup, and stir all together steadily a few
moments. Bake in two round pans.

Sally Lunx, No. 2.

Sift together one quart flour, one teaspoonful salt, two teaspoon-
fuls baking powder; rub in two-thirds cup butter cold; add four
beaten eggs, one-half pint milk; mix into a firm batter like cup
cake, pour into two round cake tins, and bake twenty-five minutes
in a pretty hot oven.

Plain Short Cake.

One quart flour, one saltspoonful salt, two heaping teaspoonfuls
baking powder; mix thoroughly; then add one-quarter pound
butter, and one-eighth pound lard, and enough cold water to make
a thick paste. Roll out about a quarter of an inch thick, and cut
into squares; prick with a fork and bake immediately.

Scotch Short Cake.
Sift together one and a half pints flour, four tablespoonfuls sugar,
one-half teaspoonful salt, a heaping teaspoonful baking powder;
rub in four tablespoonfuls butter cold, add three beaten eggs, nearly
one cupful milk, a teaspoonful extract of orange, or lemon; mix
into a smooth dough without much handling, and roll out to the
thickness of a quarter inch, and cut into shajie of small envelopes;
wash over with milk, and lay on each three thin slices of citron,
and a few caraway seeds. Bake in a moderate oven twenty
minutes.

SANDWICHES.

Ham Sandwiches.
Take well-boiled ham, one-third fat and two-thirds lean, chop it
until it is as fine as paste, then stir in the yolk of an egg. To one
teaspoonful mustard, mix one tablespoonful Worcestershire sauce.
Use this or more in such proportions as you may require.

SANDWICHES. 39

Egg Sandwiches.

Take slices of buttered bread and grate hard-boiled eggs on
each slice with a coarse grater, sprinkle with pepper and salt; then
lay two slices together.

This sandwich may be varied by grating a layer of cold smoked
tongue or ham over the egg on one slice and not on the other.
These require a light and dexterous hand to keep the egg from
being crushed.

Sardine Sandwiches.

Open a can of sardines, remove the skin and bones, lay bits of the
fish on well-spread bread and butter; squeeze lemon over it; lay a
slice of buttered bread on top.

School Lunch Sandwiches.

Beat three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of milk, saltspoonful of
salt, and a dash of pepper; fry it as you would a griddle cake, and
lay between buttered bread or biscuit, or slice hard-boiled eggs or
nice stewed codfish left cold, and lay between slices of bread and
butter.

Oyster Sandwiches.

Chop one quart raw oysters very fine, season with pepper, salt,
a little nutmeg; mix with one-half cupful melted butter, the same
of rich cream, whites of three eggs beaten, and eight powdered
crackers. Heat them over steam in an oatmeal boiler or over the
fire until a smooth paste; set away until very cold; then cut and
lay between buttered slices of bread.

Tongue or Ham Sandwiches.
Chop fine the lean of cold boiled tongue or ham, season with
prepared mustard and black pepper; add melted butter and sweet
cream until smooth like a paste, then spread between buttered
slices of bread.

40 TOAST

TOAST.

Cream Toast.

Take slices of stale bread, one quart of milk, three tablespoonf uls
butter, whites of three eggs beaten stiff, salt, and three tablespoon-
fuls flour. Toast the bread to a golden brown, have a dish half
full of boiling water in which a tablespoonful of butter has been
melted; as each slice is toasted dip it in this for a second and lay-
in the deep heated dish in which it is to be served. Have ready,
by the time the bread is all toasted, the milk scalding hot, but not
boiling; thicken this with the flour; let simmer until cooked; put
in the remaining butter, and when this is melted the beaten whites
of the eggs; boil up once and pour over the toast, lifting the slices
that the cream may run between; cover closely; set in the oven a
few moments before sending to the table.
Breakfast Toast.

Mix two tablespoonfuls of sugar, a little salt, and a well-beaten
egg, in one-half pint of milk. In this mixture dip slices of bread
and fry them on a buttered griddle until they are light brown on
each side.

Cheese and Egg Toast.

Put a cupful of cheese crumbs into half a pint of rich milk; boil
until it melts. Have two eggs well beaten. Season the milk with
salt, pepper and butter to taste; turn in the eggs; stir rapidly for
a few minutes; remove from the fire and spread it over some hot
slices of toasted bread. Cut them in halves and quarters and serve
on a hot platter.

Ham Toast.

Melt in a stew pan a small piece of butter till it is browned a
little; put in as much finely-minced ham as will cover a round of
buttered toast, and add gravy enough to make moist. When quite
hot stir in quickly with a fork one egg. Place the mixture over
the toast, which cut into pieces of any shape you may fancy.

WAFFLES. 41

Spanish Toast.
Beat three eggs to a foam; toast a few slices of bakers' bread;
dip them in the egg, and fry them to a light brown.

Fkied Bread.
Take dry bread, dip it in hot water quickly, and lay on a hot
pancake griddle, which has some lard or butter melted, salt; when
nicely browned on one side, turn on the other and brown; add
more butter when needed. Some prefer the bread dipped in egg
first.

WAFFLES.

One quart of sweet milk, warm, four eggs, a piece of butter the
size of an egg, one teaspoonful of salt, teacup of yeast, flour enough
to make a stiff batter; let it rise three hours. Bake in waffle-irons.

Waffles, Xo. 2.

Four eggs, whites beaten separately; two tablespoonfuls short-
ening, one quart milk, one teaspoonful soda, salt; add the whites
last; add two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar to flour enough to make
thin batter.

Waffles, No. 3.

One pint sour cream (or part milk), two eggs, one spoonful soda,
half spoonful salt; then make same as above.
Waffles, No. 4.

One pint of buttermilk, flour enough to make a thin batter, one
tablespoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of soda; mix your milk, flour
and salt, then sift the soda over the batter; break the white of one
egg in a plate and put the yolk in the batter; beat in well; now
whip the white of the egg to a stiff froth and stir in thoroughly —
do not beat it in. Have the waffle-iron smoking hot and grease
with lard or other grease, which should be free from either water

42 WAFFLES.

or salt, as both make the waffles stick. If the milk be very sour,

use more soda to sweeten it. Sour batter will stick to the irons, too.

Bread Waffles.

Crusts and pieces can be put in a pitcher and milk poured over
them; when needed, add more milk, and a little flour, to make the
rio-ht consistency; enough soda to make sweet, salt, and make waf-
fles, or pancakes.

Rice Waffles.

One and one-half cups of boiled rice, the same of flour, one cup
sour milk, a scant teaspoonful soda, a little salt, three eggs, and
butter the size of a walnut.

Graham Wafers.

Put a pinch of salt into one-half pound of Graham flour; wet it
with one-half pint of sweet cream; mix quickly and thoroughly;
roll out as thin as possible; cut in strips, prick, and bake in a quick
oven.

Sweet Wafers.

One pint flour, one cup sugar, three eggs, one tablespoonful
butter; flavor with lemon; mix into a batter with a little milk to
the consistency of sponge cake, and bake in wafer-irons.

1

CHAPTER III.

CAR K .

^ Almond Cake.

*'^OTTR cups sifted flour, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, two
^ cups powdered sugar, one cup butter, ten eggs (the yolks and
**)]!) whites whipped separately, the yolks strained), one-half
pound sweet almonds blanched and pounded, one tablespoonful
orange-flower water, nutmeg. Beat butter and sugar until they are
like whipped cream, add the strained yolks, rub the baking powder
into the flour and add alternately with the whites, then the almond
paste in which the nutmeg and orange-flower water have been
mixed; beat well and bake as "snowballs" in small, round, rather
deep pans, with straight sides; when done cover with almond frost-
ing. Very rich.

Almond Cake, No. 2.
One and one-half cups sugar, half cup butter, four eggs, half cup
milk, two cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder; bake in
sheets. Icing — whites of three eggs beaten stiff, three tablespoon-
fuls white sugar, one cup chopped nut meats; flavor to taste and
put these between and on top of layers.

Adelaide Cake.
One cup butter, one and one-half cups sugar, four eggs, one pint
flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one cup dried stoned
cherries, one-half cup milk, one teaspoonful vanilla; mix smoothly
into a firm batter by beating the sugar, butter and eggs together,
and adding the flour with the baking powder and the other ingredi-
ents. Bake about forty minutes.

44 CAKE.

Apple Cake.

Two eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, one and one-half

cups sugar, scant three-fourths cup butter, half cuip sweet milk,

three cups flour, one teaspoonful cream of tartar sifted in the flour,

one-half teaspoonful soda in the milk. Bake in jelly tins or cut for

dressing.

Dressing for Same.

Three good sized sour apples grated, the juice and grated rind of
one lemon, one egg beaten, one cup sugar. Cook all together three
minutes and spread between the layers.

Angels' Food.

Take the whites of eleven eggs, one and one-half tumblerfuls of
granulated sugar, one tumblerful of flour, one teaspoonful of
vanilla, and one teaspoonful of cream of tartar; sift the flour four
times, then add the cream of tartar, and sift again; but have the
right measure before putting in the cream of tartar. Sift the sugar
and measure. Beat the eggs to a stiff froth on a large platter; on
the same platter add the sugar lightly, then the flour very gently,
then the vanilla; do not stop beating until you put it in the pan to
bake; bake forty minutes in a very moderate oven, try with a
Straw, and if too soft, let it remain a few minutes longer. Turn
the pan upside down to cool, and when cold, take out by loosening
around the sides with a knife. Use a pan that has never been
greased, and there must be on the edge three projections of tin an
inch or two deep, so that there will be a space between the pan
and the table when it is turned upside down. The tumbler for
measuring must hold two and one-quarter gills.

Andalusia Sponge Cake.
Three eggs, well beaten, one cup white sugar, one cup flour, and
one teaspoonful baking powder; flavor to suit the taste. Beat
quickly and bake at once.

Black Fruit Cake.
Two pounds raisins, one pound currants, one-half pound citron.

CAKE.

4.3

four cups sugar, two cups butter, one cup molasses, eight eggs, two
teaspoonfuls soda, one wine glass brandy, spice to taste. Half of
this receipt makes two small loaves.

Bride Cake.
The whites of sixteen eggs beaten to a stiff froth, one pound of
sugar, one pound of flour, one-half pound of butter. Flavor with
almond. Mix the butter and sugar to a cream, then add the eggs,
then the flour.

Bride Cake, No. 2.
One and one-half pounds butter, one and three-fourths pounds
sugar (half New Orleans sugar), two pounds eggs well-beaten, four
pounds raisins seeded and chopped, English currants, thoroughly
cleaned, five pounds, citron shaved fine two pounds, sifted flour
two pounds, two nutmegs, and an equal quantity of mace, one gill
^ of alcohol, in which are put fif-

teen drops of oil of lemon. Cut
the butter in pieces and put it
where it will soften; stir it to
a cream, then add the sugar
and work till white; next beat
the yolks of the eggs, and add
them to the sugar and butter;
have the whites beaten to a
stiff froth and add them to
jthe mixture, then the spices
'and flour, and last of all the
fruit except the citron, which
is to be put in in about three layers, one an inch from the bottom,
one an inch from the top, and one between; smooth the top of
the cake by putting on a spooonful of water. Bake three or four
hours.

Bread Cake.
Four cups light dough, two cups sugar, one cup butter, three
eggs, one cup raisins, a little nutmeg, one-half teaspoonful cloves,

46 CAKE.

the same of cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful soda, dissolved in hot
water. Let it rise a short time before baking, then put in the
raisins and bake in a very slow oven.

Black Cake.
Two cups brown sugar, one cup butter, one cup molasses, one
cup sour milk, in which dissolve one teaspoonful soda, the yolks of
eight eggs, four cups of browned flour, and spice to your taste.

Bridgeport Cake.

One cup butter, two cups brown sugar, one cup sour milk, three
and one-half cups flour, four eggs, one teaspoonful saleratus, one
cup raisins, spice and one glass brandy.

Butternut Cake.

One and one-half cups sugar, one-half cup butter, two cups flour,
three-fourths cup sweet milk, one cup meats of nuts, whites of four
eggs, and two teaspoonf uls baking powder.
Boston Cream Cake.

One-half pint water, one-fourth pound butter, six ounces flour,
five eggs. Boil the butter and water together, adding the flour
while they are boiling; when thoroughly stirred take it from the
fire; when it is cold add the eggs, one at a time, beating the
mixture until it is entirely free from lumps. "Wet the baking pan
with a little soda water, drop the mixture qnto the pan. by spoon-
fuls. Bake twenty minutes in a hot oven; avoid opening the oven
door while baking. When the cakes are cool, open them on one
side and fill with the following mixture: One cup sugar, one-half
cup flour, two eggs, and one pint milk. Beat the eggs, sugar, and
flour together, and stir them into the milk while it is boiling, stir-
ring constantly until it thickens; when cold, flavor to suit the taste.
X Cocoanut Cake.

Two beaten eggs, one cup sugai-, rolled fine, one-third cup butter,
one-half cup milk, two cups flour, sifted with two teaspoonf uls
baking powder. Bake in layers and put together with frosting

CAKE. 47

and a layer of desiccated cocoanut which has been previously-
soaked in milk; frost the top of the cake and sprinkle thickly with
the cocoanut.

Cocoanut Cake, No. 2.

One cup butter, three cups sugar, whites of six eggs, four and
one-half cups sifted flour, two and one-half teaspoonfuls baking
powder, one grated cocoanut, and one cup milk. Rub the butter
and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of the eggs, then the milk; mix
the baking powder with the flour by sifting. After all are mixed
together put in the cocoanut, mixing thoroughly, and bake imme-
diately. This cake will keep for some time, retaining its freshness.

Chocolate Cake.
One-half cup butter, two cups sugar, four eggs, one cup sweet
milk, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, one teaspoonful soda, one
teaspoonful vanilla. Bake in layers^

Paste for Same. — One-half cake chocolate warmed in the oven
ten minutes, one heaping teaspoonful white sugar, one teaspoon-
ful cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful ground cloves, a pinch of ginger,
and two teaspoonfuls vanilla. Pour a little water on the sugar, put
it on the chocolate, heat on the stove and put in the spice when
boiled.

Corn Starch Cake.

Take whites of three eggs, one cup white sugar, one-third cup
butter, one-half cup milk, one cup flour, one cup corn starch, one
teaspoonful soda and two of cream of tartar; flavor with lemon or
vanilla.

Corn Starch Cake, No. 2.

Whites of six eggs, beaten to a stiff froth, one cup butter, two
cups sugar, one cup sweet milk, one cup corn starch, two cups
flour, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, one teaspoonful soda; flavor
to suit the taste.

48 CAKE.

Coffee Cake.
Take two eggs, well beaten, one-half cup buttei*, one-half cup
sugar, one cup molasses, one cup strong cold coffee, one teaspoonf ul
cinnamon, one teaspoonful cloves, one teaspoonful allspice, one
teaspoonful soda stirred into the molasses, one cup of raisins, flour
to make of the consistency of pound cake.

Chocolate Eclairs.

Make a batter as for " Boston Cream Cake," form it with a spoon
on the baking pan into long narrow cakes, leaving a space between;
when baked and cold make an opening in the side and put in the
cream, which must also be cold. Make the cream as follows:
Break, dissolve, and mix smoothly one ounce of chocolate with three
tablespoonfuls warm water in a bowl; set over a boiling tea-kettle,
add gradually a cup of milk and leave it to scald; beat one egg and
add to it one-half cup of sugar, and two tablespoonfuls corn starch;
mix well and stir into the scalded milk, then put the whole into the
bowl over the boiling water, and stir till it is much thicker than
boiled custard; add a very little salt and half a teaspoonful of
vanilla; after filling the cakes with the custard, frost with hot
icing with two ounces of chocolate dissolved in it. Vrost the top
only.

Charlotte Cachee.

One thick loaf of sponge or plain cuj) cake, two kinds of fruit-
jelly, tart and sweet, whites of five eggs, one heaping cup of pow-
dered sugar, juice of one lemon. Cut the cake into horizontal slices
of uniform width; spread each with jelly — first the tart, then the
sweet — and fit into their former places; ice thickly with a frosting
made of the whites, sugar, and lemon-juice; set in a sunny window
or slow oven, to harden. The former is the better plan.

Cider Cake.
One cup of sugar, half cup of butter, one egg, well-beaten, one
large cup of cider, one teaspoonful of soda, flour sufficient to make

CAKE. 49

it as thick as pound cake. One cup of raisins can be added if
desired.

Cakk Without Eggs.

One cup butter, three cups sugar, one pint sour milk or cream,
three cups flour, one pound raisins, one teaspoonful saleratus; spice
to taste.

Cream Puffs.

Melt one-half cup of butter in a cup of hot water, and while
boiling beat in one cup of flour. Take it from the fire and when
cool stir in three eggs, one at a time, without beating them. Drop
the mixture on tins in small spoonfuls and bake in a moderate oven.

Custard for the Filling. — One and one-half cups of milk, two
eggs, four tablespoonfuls of flour, sugar to the taste, and flavor
with vanilla. Beat up the eggs and sugar and stir in the milk with
the flavoring, and when it comes to a boil stir in the flour, previ-
ously mixed smooth in a little milk. Cool and fill the puffs by-
opening them a very little.

Citron Cake.

One cup of butter, two of sugar, three of flour, four eggs, one
cup of milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two of cream of tartar, and a
pinch of salt Make the cake as above, put in the pan, cut the
citron thin and put in the cake endways; push down until the
batter covers the citron, and this will prevent the citron from falling
to the bottom of the pan.

Cream Cake.

Three eggs, one cup of sugar, one cup of flour, one teaspoonful
of baking powder, one-half cup of sweet cream. Bake like jelly
cake. Put one cup of pulverized white sugar into one-half cup of
very thick sweet cream, and spread between the cakes; flavor both
the cake and cream to suit taste. This is delicious.
Chocolate Cake, No. 2.

One cup white sugar, one-half cup sweet milk, one-half cup
melted butter, whites «f four eggs beaten stiff, one and one-half

50 CAKE.

cups flour, with three teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted in.
Bake on three tins. Take whites of two eggs and make a frosting
as- for any other cake; add one teaspoonful vanilla and two-thirds
cake of German sweet chocolate grated. Spread between layers
but not on the top one. Take white of one egg to ice the top and
sides. Do not frost the cake until cool. The same cake recipe may
be used for cocoanut.

Christmas Cake.

Take five pounds of flour, mix with it a dessert-spoonful of salt,

rub in three-quarters of a pound of butter and one pound of lard.

-a^X2^^^L^ Put m na^f a pint of ffood

■r"lu ?| Bilk. fresh brewers' yeast, and

knead as for common bread.
If there is any difficulty
about the yeast, baking pow-
der may be used, allowing
a heaped teaspoonful of ordi-
nary baking powder for every
pound of material. If yeast
is used, let the dough rise
lgp===^gss'-~ before adding the other in-
Christmas Cake. gradients. Mix in three

pounds of currants, one and one-half pounds of moist sugar, a
whole nutmeg, a quarter of a pound of candied lemon peel finely
minced, a tablespoonful of brandy, and four eggs, well-beaten.
Butter the mold and bake in a moderate oven for about two
hours.

Cinnamox Cake.
Three-fourths of a cup of butter, a cup of white sugar, one and
one-half cups flour, four eggs (yolks and whites beaten separately),
a tablespoonful of sweet milk, one and one-half teaspoonfuls baking
powder, lemon, and a little salt. Rub the baking powder into the
flour.

CAKE. 51

Cinnamon Cake.
One cup sour cream, one cup sugar, one-half cup melted butter,
one egg, one-half teaspoonful soda. Mix as for cookies, roll out,
and spread ground cinnamon over the top; then roll up as a roll
jelly cake and slice off with a sharp knife and bake. Any good
cookie recipe will do.

Cup Cake.

Rub to a cream one cup of butter and two cups of sugar, add
four beaten eggs, and three cups of flour, into which one and one-
half teaspoonfuls of baking powder have been sifted, season with
extract of almonds; mix into a smooth batter and bake in well-
greased cups or muffin pans.

Cocoaxut Pound Cake.
Beat half a pound of butter to a cream; add gradually one pound
of powdered sugar, four well-beaten eggs, one pound of flour sifted
with two tablespoonfuls baking powder, a pinch of salt, a teaspoon-
ful of grated lemon peel, one-fourth pound of prepared cocoanut,
and a cup of milk; mix thoroughly, butter the tins, and line them
with buttered paper; pour the mixture in to the depth of one and
one-half inches, and bake in a good oven; when baked spread icing
over them. Return the cake to the oven a moment to dry the icing.

Clove Cake.

One pound of brown sugar, one pound of flour, one pound of
raisins, one-half pound of butter, one cup of milk, two large tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder stirred well into the flour, one table-
spoonful of cloves, one tablespoonful cinnamon, one tablespoonful
of nutmeg, four eggs; chop the raisins. For less quantity divide
proportionately.

Delicate Cake.

One and one-half cups of granulated sugar, one cup of butter,
two-thirds cup of milk, whites of six eggs beaten to a stiff froth,
three even cups of flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder pif

52 CAKE.

in the flour and mixed; stir butter and sugar well together, to them
add the milk, then put in the flour, and last add the beaten eggs;
flavor with lemon. Stir the whole mixture well.

Delicious Cake.
Two cups of white sugar, one cup of butter, one cup milk, three
eggs, one teaspoonf ul soda, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, three
cups of sifted flour. Stir butter and sugar together, then add the
beaten yolks of the eggs, then the beaten whites; dissolve the soda
in the milk, rub the cream of tartar into the flour and add; flavor
with extract of bitter almond.

Drop Cake.
One pound of sugar, three-fourths of a pound of butter, one and
one-fourth pounds flour, five eggs. To be dropped by the table-
spoonful on buttered pans and baked.

Dough Cake.
Two cups light dough, two cups sugar, one cup butter, half cup
milk, two eggs, one and a half cups flour, one teaspoonf ul soda, one
cup raisins; flavor with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Dover Cake.

Rub to a cream one cup of butter and two cups of sugar, add six
eggs, two at a time, beating five minutes between each addition,
one cup of milk, one and one-half pints of flour, sifted with two
teaspoonfuls baking powder; season with one teaspoonf ul each of
extract of cinnamon and orange; bake in rather hot oven forty
minutes.

Dundee Cake.

Whip to a cream one and one-half cups of butter and the same
amount of sugar; add eight eggs, two at a time, beating five minutes
between each addition, one-half cup of cream or milk, one and one-
half pints of flour, sifted with two teaspoonfuls baking powder,
one-half of a lemon peel cut in thin slices, one cup of washed,
picked, and dried currants, one and one-half cups sultana raisins,

CAKE. 53

one teaspoonful each of extract nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla; mix
into a firm batter, pour into a shallow, square cake pan; chop one
cup of almonds coarsely and sprinkle over the top; then bake one
hour in a moderate oven.

Dried Apple Cake.

Two cups of dried apples, chopped fine and soaked in water over
night, then cook in one cup of molasses until soft; add one cup
each of butter, sugar, and sour milk, two teaspoonfuls of soda, one
teaspoonful each of cinnamon, cloves and lemon extract, one nut-
meg. A cup of raisins may be added. Bake in a greased cake
dish in a moderate oven.

Election Cake.

Beat one and one-half cups of butter and two cups of sugar to a
white, light cream; add three eggs, beating a little longer, one and
one-half pints of flour sifted with two teaspoonfuls baking powder,
two cups of raisins, stoned, one cup of currants well cleaned, one-
half cup chopped citron, one-half of a lemon peel, chopped, one-half
cup of almonds, blanched and cut into shreds, one teaspoonful each
of extract of vanilla and of bitter almonds, one cup of milk; mix
into a consistent batter, put into a paper-lined tin and bake in a
moderate, steady oven one and one-half hours.

Everyday Fruit Cake.
One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, two cups of sour milk, two
cups of raisins, five cups of flour, one teaspoonful saleratus, salt,
cinnamon, cloves, citron and wine to suit the taste.

Egoless Cake.
One and one-half cups of sugar, one cup of sour milk, three level
cups of flour, one-half cup of butter, one teaspoonful of soda, one-
half teaspoonful of cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful of grated nut-
meg, and one cup of chopped raisins.

English Christmas Cake.
Sift five pounds of flour; mix with it one tablespoonful of salt,

54 CAKE.

one and one-half pounds of butter and half a pint of fresh brewer's
yeast, or five teaspoonfuls of baking powder; if yeast is used, allow
dough to rise before adding other ingredients; mix in three pounds
of washed currants, one and one-half pounds of " A " sugar, one
nutmeg grated, one-fourth pound of chopped candied lemon peel,
one wine glass of brandy, and four well-beaten eggs; butter the
tins and line them with buttered paper; bake in a moderate oven
for two hours. The quantity of brandy recommended will serve to
keep these cakes fresh for an indefinite time.

Fkuit Cake from Dough.

Two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, one pint of dough, two
eggs, one teaspoonf ul of soda, as much fruit as you wish, spices to
suit the taste; use flour enough to make as stiff as common fruit
cake; set in a warm place to raise. When light bake in a moderate
oven.

Fruit Cake.

One pound of sugar, one pound of butter, one pound of flour,
eight eggs, two pounds of raisins, one pound of currants, one-fourth
pound of citron, one tablespoonful of molasses, one cup of sour
milk, one teaspoonful of soda, and spices of all kinds. Bake two
hours in a moderate oven.

Fruit Cake, No. 2.

One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three and a half cups of
flour, one cup of molasses, one cup of cream, four eggs, one pound
<>f raisins, citrons and currants according to taste, one teaspoonful
of saleratus, spice to taste. Warranted to keep a year.
Fruit Jelly Cake.

Two cups of sugar, two-thirds cup of butter, same of sweet milk,,
four eggs, three cups of flour, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder;
stir together, then divide into three equal parts. Into one part stir
one tablespoonful of molasses, one cup of chopped raisins, one tea-
spoonful each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake, and put
together with jelly or frosting.

CAKE. 55

Favorite Lemon Jelly Cake.

Take two cups of sugar, one-half cup of butter, one cup of milk,
three eggs, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of
soda, three cups of flour; mix and bake in hue, thin layers. For
the jelly grate' the rind of three small or two large lemons and add
the juice of the same with one cup of sugar, one eggf one cup of
water, one teaspoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of flour; mix
with a little water and boil till it thickens, then place between the
layers of the cake. Make befoi'e needed for use.

Fig Cake.

Three cups of sugar, one cup each of butter and sweet milk, four
cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, twelve beaten
eggs; bake in layers. Take one pound of figs, boil till smooth
and put between each layer with or without frosting. Frost
the top.

Fig Cake, No. 2.

A large cup of butter, two and one-half cups of sugar, one cup of
sweet milk, three pints of sifted flour, with three teaspoonfuls of
baking powder, the whites of sixteen eggs, one and one-fourth
pounds of figs cut into strips like citron and well floured.

French Loaf Cake.
Two cups of sugai-, half cup of butter, one-half cup of sweet milk,
teaspoonful of soda, two of cream of tartar, three eggs, three cups of
flour; flavor with lemon.

Feather Cake.
Beat to a cream one-half cup of butter, add to it two cups of
sugar and beat well together; one cup of milk with one teaspoonful
of soda dissolved in it; beat well together; then add one cup of sifted
flour with two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar previously rubbed
into it; add next the well-beaten yolk of three eggs, beat the whites
separately until stiff, add them and then two more cups of flour;

56 CAKE.

beat well between each successive addition; butter two middle-sized
tins, put in the cake and bake for twenty minutes or half an hour
in a moderate oven.

Feather Cake, No. 2.

One cup of white sugar, one teasj>oonful of melted butter, one
egg, two-thirds cup of milk, two even cups of sifted flour, two even
teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one of soda; flavor with lemon; sift
cream of tartar and soda into the flour. You will be surprised when
you come to make this cake, it is so delicious.
Gold Cake.

The yolks of eight eggs, two cups of sugar, one cup of butter,
one-half cup of sweet milk, three cups of flour, two teaspoonfuls of
baking powder; flavor with orange extract.

Gentleman's Favorite.

Seven eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, two cups of
sugar and one-half cup of butter worked to a cream, one table-
spoonful of water, two teaspoons, level full, of baking powder, two
cups of flour, one-half teaspoonful of salt; bake in jelly-cake tins.

Jelly for Same. — One egg, one cup of sugar, three grated apples
without the peelings, one lemon; stir till it thickens. Cool before
using.

Ginger Drop Cake.

Two cups of sugar, one cup of New Orleans molasses, one cup of
butter, six cups of flour, one cup of hot water, two teaspoonfuls of
soda, one teaspoonful of ginger, and one of cinnamon. Drop in
hot tins and bake in a hot oven.

Gingerbread Loaf.

One cup of butter, one of molasses, one of sugar, half of cold
water, one tablespoonful of ginger, one tablespoonful of cinnamon,
one of soda dissolved in boiling water; melt the butter, slightly
warm the molasses, spice and sugar, and heat together ten minutes;
then put in the water, soda and flour; stir very hard and bake in
three loaves. Brush them over with syrup while hot, and eat fresh.

CAKE. 57

Ginger-Bread.

One pint of molasses, one glass of sour milk or cream, one table-
spoonful of soda, one-half pint of melted lard; put the soda into
the milk and molasses and beat to a foam. Make the dough very
soft.

Soft Ginger-Bread.

One cup of sugar, one cup of butter, one cup of sour cream, one
cup of New Orleans molasses, four cups of sifted flour, one table-
spoonful of ginger, one teaspoonful of soda, the grated rind of one
lemon, three eggs, well beaten; stir the butter and sugar together,
then add eggs, milk and flour.

Soft Ginger-Bread, No. ?..

One coffeecup each of sugar, molasses, and butter, four cups- of
flour, one cup of sour milk, two large teaspoonfuls of ginger, two
teaspoonfids of cinnamon, one-half teaspoonful of cloves, one tea-
spoonful of saleratus dissolved in the sour milk; stoned raisins may
be added. Bake in sponge-cake tins.

Ginger Cup Cake.

Mix two cups of powdered sugar with two cups of warmed
butter; add three well-beaten eggs, a cup of molasses, four heaping
cups of flour, a tablespoonful of fresh-ground ginger, one teaspoon-
ful of dissolved saleratus; mix thoroughly and pour into buttered
molds or patty pans; bake in a moderate oven.
Groom's Cake.

Ten eggs beaten separately, one pound each of butter, white
sugar, and flour, two pounds of almonds blanched and chopped fine,
one pound of seeded raisins, one-half pound of citron shaved fine;
beat the butter to a cream, add the sugar gradually, then the Avell-
beaten yolks; stir all till very light, then add the chopped almonds;
beat the whites stiff and add gently with the flour; take a little
more flour and sprinkle over the raisins and citron, then put in the
cake pan, first a layer of cake batter, then a layer of raisins and

58 CAKE.

citron, then cake, and so on until all is used, finishing off with a.
layer of cake. Bake in a moderate oven two hours.
Graham Cup Cake.
Rub to a light cream two-thirds cup of butter and one cup of
sugar; add two beaten eggs, one-half cup of cream, two cups of
Graham flour, one heaping teaspoonful of baking powder, one tea-
spoonful of extract of lemon; mix into a moderately thin batter;
bake in well-greased cups, or muffin pans, in a moderate oven.

Hickory-nut Cake.
Two cups of white sugar, one-half cup of butter, three cups -of
flour, three-fourths cup of sweet milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda
dissolved in the milk, one teaspoonful of cream of tartar put into
the flour, the whites of eight eggs. Just before baking add two
cups of hickory-nut meats.

Hickory-nut Drop Cake.
"Whites of six eggs beaten to a stiff froth; add one pound of
rolled sugar, one cup of hickory-nut meats, one teaspoonful of
baking powder, with flour to stiffen so as to drop. Drop by spoon-
fuls on a buttered tin and bake in a quick oven.

Huckleberry Cake.

Rub together one cup of butter and two cups of sugar; add four
beaten eggs, one and one-half pints of flour sifted with two tea-
spoonfuls baking powder, one cup of milk, two cups of huckle-
berries, one teaspoonful each of extract of cinnamon, cloves and
allspice; put in a paper-lined bake tin and bake in a quick oven
fifty minutes.

Honey Cake.

Mix together one cup of honey and one cup of sugar; add one-
half cup of melted butter, two beaten eggs, one pint flour sifted
with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one teaspoonful of cara-
way seeds. Mix into a smooth batter and bake in a hot oven
thirty minutes.

CAKE. 59

Imperial Cake.

One pound each of sugar and flour, three-fourths pound of butter,
one pound of almonds blanched and cut fine, one-half pound of
citron, one-half pound of raisins, the rind and juice of one lemon,
one nutmeg and ten eggs.

Ice-Cream Cake.

To the whites of five eggs, lightly beaten, add two cups of sugar.
one cup of butter, one cup of milk, three cups of flour, and three
teaspoonfuls of baking powder; bake in thin layers and use as a
cream, to spread between, two and a half cups of sugar and one-
half cup of water boiled together; beat the whites of three eggs to
a stiff froth, and when the syrup will hair, pour it into the whites
and stir as fast as possible; flavor with lemon or vanilla and spread
between the layers and over the topO

Jellt Cake.

Beat to a cream three-fourthV-©«p of butter and two cups of
sugar; add five eggs, two at a time, beating five minutes between
each addition, one and one-fourth pints of flour sift'd with one and
one-half teaspoonfuls of baking powder, one cup of milk; mix to a
smooth batter and bake in jelly-cake tins; spread with currant or
other fruit jelly.

Jelly Rolls.

One cup of sugar, one cup of flour, three eggs, one teaspoonful
baking powder. Stir well and spread thin on a long baking tin or
dripping pan. Bake quickly, turn out on a cloth, spread with jelly
and roll up.

Kaffee Kuchen.

OneLpound light raised dough, one ounce of sugar and three of
butter, one agg; cream the butter and beat well with the sugar and
the egg; add the dough and mix thoroughly with the hand; put it
iu a warm place to rise; when light, pour it in a small dripping pan
(when baked it should not be more than two-thirds of an inch thick)

lusrar.

A*

60

CAKE

K

s

and let it stand ten or fifteen minutes; put in the oven and while
baking prepare this icing:

Blanch two almonds and shred them; add to the beaten whites
of two eggs one cup of sugar; stir in the almonds, and when the
cake is baked cover it with the icing and dry in the oven. The
almonds may be browned a little if liked.

Knickerbocker Cake.

Beat one-half pound of fresh butter to a cream; add one-half
pound of powdered sugar, three-fourths pound of sifted flour, a
tablespoonful of orange-flour water, and one of brandy, and four
ounces of washed currants; add five well-beaten eggs, and beat the
mixture until very light. Line some shallow cake tins with but-
tered paper, pour in the mixture until they are one-half full, and
bake in a quick oven. _^

Lemon Cake.

Five eggs beaten with three cups of sugar and one of butter, one
cup of milk, five cups of sifted flour, one lemon rind grated, half a
teaspoonful soda dissolved well in the milk, and one teaspoonful of
cream of tartar in the flour; after all is well beaten, add the juice
of the lemon and bake immediately.

Lemon Cake, No. 2.
To four well-beaten eggs, add two cups sugar, two tablespoonf uls
butter, one-half cup of milk, two cups of flour sifted with two tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder; bake in jelly tins and put together
with a frosting made of the white of one egg, the juice and grated
rind of one lemon, and sugar enough to stiffen.

Lemon Jelly Cake.

Beat together two eggs, one cup of sugar, one-third cup b€ butter,
one-half cup milk, two cups flour sifted, with a heaping teaspoonful
baking powder; bake in jelly-cake tins.

Jelly for Same. — Two-thirds cup of water, one cup sugar, the
juice and grated rind of one lemon; mix together and let boil; then

CAKE. 61

Btir in two well-beaten eggs. When cold, spread between the
layers of cake; also upon the top, or the top may be frosted.

Lady Cake.
Rub to a cream two-thirds cup of butter and three cups of sugar;
add one cup of milk, one pint flour, one-half teaspoonful of baking
powder, one teaspoonful extract of bitter almond; then add the
whites of eight eggs whipped to a froth; when thoroughly mixed,
put into a paper-lined tin and bake in a steady oven forty minutes,
When cool, ice the bottom and sides with white icing.

Lunch Cake.

Beat thoroughly two cups of butter and two cups of sugar; add
two cups of egg well beaten, one and one-half pints of flour sifted
with a heaping teaspoonful baking powder, one gill of wine, one
teaspoonful each of extract of rose, cinnamon and nutmeg; mix into
a smooth batter and bake in a moderate oven one hour; when cold,
ice with white icing.

Light Cake.

Beat six eggs, yolks and whites separately; beat with the yolks
one pound white sugar, and three-fourths pound of butter; add one
pound of flour sifted with a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and one
cup sweet milk with one-half teaspoonful of soda, one pound raisins,
a little citron, and lemon peel, then the whites of the eggs beaten
to a froth. Bake in a paper-lined cake tin one hour in a moderate
oven.

Loaf Cake.

Six cups of bread dough, five eggs, three cups of sugar, one cup
of butter, two teaspoonfuls of ground cloves and cinnamon mixed,
and half of a nutmeg, one and one-half pounds of raisins. Bake in
a moderate oven.

Marbled Cake.

Light part: One and one-half cups of white sugar, one-half cup
of butter, one-half cup of sweet milk, one half teaspoonful of soda,

62 CAKE.

one teaspoonful cream of tartar sifted with two and one-half cups
flour, whites of four eggs; beat and mix thoroughly.

Dark part: One cup of brown sugar, one-half cup of butter, one-
half cup of sour milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda, two and one-
half cups of flour, yolks of four eggs, one-half teaspoonful each of
cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

With a spoon drop the two batters alternately into a papered
cake-tin.

Mountain Cake.

One cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, one-half cup of sweet
milk, one-half cup of corn starch, one cup of flour, whites of six
eggs, a little vanilla, two teaspoonfuls baking powder. Bake in
layers.

Frosting for Above. — Whites of five eggs, twenty tablespoon-
fuls sifted sugar, beaten very light, and a little vanilla. Spread
between layers and on the outside of the cake.

Madeira Cake.

Beat together two and one-half cups of butter and two cups of
sugar; add seven well-beaten eggs, one and one-half pints flour
sifted with one heaping teaspoonful baking powder; mix with one
gill of Madeira wine into a smooth batter and bake in a paper-lined
cake-tin in a steady oven about one hour, and ice with transparent
icing.

Molasses Cake.

Beat together one cup of butter and one cup of brown sugar; add
one-half cup of molasses, one cup of milk, one egg, one and one-half
pints of flour sifted with one and one-half teaspoonfuls of baking
powder; mix into a consistent batter and bake about forty minutes.

Molasses Cake.
Beat together one-half cup of sugar, a piece of butter the size of
an egg, and one egg; add one-half cup of molasses, one-half cup of
sour milk, one-half teaspoonful of soda, two cups of flour, sifted,
spices to suit the taste, and a cup of chopped raisins. Bake in a
moderate oven.

0

CAKE. 63

Marbled Chocolate Cake.
One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, three cups of flour, four
■well-beaten eggs, one cup of milk, two teaspoonfuls of baking
powder; take out one cup of this batter and mix with four table-
spoonfuls of chocolate dissolved with a little cream; cover the
bottom of the pan with the white batter and drop upon it in places
a spoonful of the chocolate, forming rings, then another layer of
the batter, and so on until all is used. Bake in a moderate oven.

Moreton Farm Cake.
Two pounds of butter, softened throughout, but not melted; add
two pounds' of nice, white, soft sugar, and mix together until
•creamed; take out one-half and reserve it in a separate bowl until
wanted. To the rest add one quart of pretty warm, sweet milk;
stir in gradually four pounds of flour, then mix in very thoroughly
a teacupful of lively, home-made yeast. Let it stand in a warm
place until very light, which will take about four hours; then add
the remainder of the butter and sugar, and a little more flour if
needed; add two pounds of raisins nicely stoned, a little pulverized
mace, and, if at hand, some candied lemon peel; let it rise again,
and when well raised mix it well, using the hands, and proportion
it off into well-buttered pans; let them stand in a moderately warm
place until beginning to rise ; put them into a steady oven and bake
them fully an hour, or longer if only one or two pans are used.
There are no eggs used in this cake — none are needed. It is an
excellent cake for economical housekeepers to make in winter, when
eggs are scarce and high-priced. If the top and sides are frosted
it will "keep moist for a long time. Brown paper is nice to wrap
cake in before putting it into the cake box.

Nut Cake.
One cup of butter, two cups of white sugar, four cups of flour,
one cup of sweet milk, the whites of eight eggs, three teaspoonfuls
of baking powder, and two cups of chopped nut meats.

64 CAKE.

Nut Cake, No. 2.

Two eggs, one cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter; beat together
and add one-half cup of sweet milk, one and one-half cups of sifted
flour, two teaspoonfuls baking powder, one large cup of chopped
walnuts; frost when baked; mark in squares and put half a nut
meat on each square.

White Nut Cake.

Whites of twelve eggs beaten to a froth, one cup of butter, two
cups of sugar, three and one-half cups of flour, teaspoonful of yeast
powder. After the butter is well mixed add one large cocoanut,
grated; one large tumblerful of the kernels of pecans, and one
tumblerful of blanched almonds, the almonds to be slightly
mashed in a mortar.

Neapolitan Cake.

Black: Take one cup of butter, two cups of brown sugar, one
cup of molasses, one cup of strong coffee, four and a half cups of
sifted flour, four eggs, two teaspoonfuls of soda, two of cinnamon,
two of cloves, one of mace, one pound of raisins, one of currants,
and a quarter of a pound of citron.

White: One cup of butter, four cups of white sugar, two cups
of sweet milk, two cups corn-starch mixed with four and-a-half
cups of sifted flour, whites of eight eggs, two tablespoonfuls of
baking powder, one-half teaspoonful of extract of bitter almonds.
Bake the cakes in round jelly pans with straight edges; the
loaves should be one and a-half inches thick after baking. When
the cake is cold, each black loaf should be spread with a thick coat-
ing of lemon and sugar, made as follows: The white of one egg
thoroughly beaten, the grated rind of two and the juice of three
lemons; powdered sugar enough to make a thick frosting; lay a
white loaf on each black one and frost as you would any other cake.
Lady Fingers.

Rub half a pound of butter into a pound of flour; add half a
pound of sugar; grate in the rind of two lemons, and squeeze in the

CAKE. 65

juice of one; then add three eggs; make into a roll the size of the
middle finger; it will spread in the oven to the size of a thin cake;
dip in chocolate icing.

Orange Cake.

Two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, one cup of sweet milk,
three cups of flour, yolks of two eggs and whites of five, three tea^
spoonfuls baking powder, grated peel and juice of one orange.
Bake in four layers. *

Filling.— Whites of three eggs, juice of one orange, fifteen table-
spoonfuls of sugar. Beat together, spread between the layers and
on the outside of cake. Pare and divide in small sections two
oranges and put on top of cake.

Orange Cake, No. 2.

Three eggs, one tablespoonful of butter, one and a-half cups of
sugar, two cups of flour, with two teaspoonfuls of baking powder
sifted with the flour, one-half cup of rich milk, a very little salt,
orange juice, or some extract of lemon. Bake on jelly-cake tins.

Jelly for Orange Cake. — Take two good oranges, grate a part of
the rind of one, then peel them and grate them all; remove the
seeds and add one cup of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of water, and
scald in a tin pail set in a kettle of hot water. Take one table-
spoonful of corn starch, mix smooth with a few spoonfuls of cold
water and stir into the orange and cook just enough to cook the
corn starch; when nearly or quite cold, beat the whites of two
eggs and add powdered sugar for frosting; leave out a little of
this for the top of the cake if you like, and stir the rest into the
orange, and you will have a jelly that will not run off or soak into
the cake.

Perfection Cake.

Three cups of sugar, three cups of flour, one cup of butter, one
cup of milk, one cup of corn starch, the whites of twelve eggs
beaten to a «tiflp froth. Before sifting the flour put in three tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder; sift all together. Dissolve the corn

66 CAKE.

starch in the milk and add it to the hutter and sugar well beaten
together; then add the flour and whites of the eggs. Never beat
in a tin dish.

Pokk Cake.

Take one pound fat salt pork free from lean or rind, chop as fine
as to be almost like lard, pour upon it one-half pint of boiling
water- add two cups of sugai', one cup of molasses, one teaspoonful
of soda stirred into the molasses, one pound of raisins, one-fourth
pound of citron shaved fine; stir in sifted flour enough to make of
the consistency of common cake batter; season with one spoonful
each of nutmeg and cloves and two teaspoonf uls cinnamon. Bake
in a moderate oven.

Portuguese Cake.

Beat together one and one-half cups of butter and four cups of
sugar, add eight eggs, two at a time, beating five minutes between
each addition, one pint flour sifted with a heaping teaspoonful of
baking powder, three cups of almonds blanched and pounded to a
paste °with a little water, one cup of seedless raisins, one cup of
currants; season with nutmeg; mix into a batter and bake in a
well-papered tin in a steady oven for one and one-half hours.

Puff Cake.
Two cups of sugar, three eggs, one cup of butter, one cup of
sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, one teaspoonful of
soda, and three cups of flour. Bake in a quick oven.

Piste-Apple Cake. ,
One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, one cup of milk, three cups
of flour, whites of six eggs and yolks of four, three teaspoonfuls of
baking powder well mixed through flour; bake in jelly-cake pans;
grate a pine-apple; sprinkle with sugar, spread between the layers;
pine-apple jam may be substituted; frost the outside; beat two
tablespoonfuls of the pine-apple into the frosting.

CAKE. 67

Pound Cake without Soda.
One pound of powdered sugar, one-half pound of butter, eight
eggs, whites and yolks, beaten separately and well, ten ounces flour,
one nutmeg. Bake one hour.

Cocoanut Pound Cake.
Beat one-half pound of butter to a cream; add gradually one
pound of sugar, one pound of flour sifted with two teaspoonfuls of
baking powder, a pinch of salt, one teaspoonful of grated lemon
peel, one-fourth pound of prepared cocoanut, four well-beaten eggs,
one cup of milk; mix thoroughly; butter the tins and line them
with buttered paper; pour the mixture in to the depth of one and
one-half inches, and bake in a good oven; when baked, take out,
spread icing over them and return to the oven to dry the icing.

Pound Cake.
One and one-half cups of flour, one cup of butter, one and one«
half cups of sugar, one-half teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat
butter and flour to a cream; beat four eggs and sugar very light;
put all together and add the baking powder.

Plum Cake.
Beat together two cups of butter, one cup of sugar, two eggs, one
cup of molasses, one cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful each of
allspice, cinnamon and mace, one gill brandy, two pounds each of
currants and raisins, one-half pound citron, one-half teaspoonful
soda. Flour to thicken.

Quincy Cake.
One cup of butter, three cups of powdered sugar, four cups of
flour sifted with one and one-half teaspoonfuls cream of tartar, one
cup of sweet milk, one teaspoonful of soda, the juice and rind of
one fresh lemon, whites of ten eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Bake
one and one-half or two hours in a pan.

68 CAKE.

Queen Cake.
One pound of sugar, one pound of flour sifted with a heaping
teaspoonful of baking powder, three-fourths of a pound of butter,
five eggs, one gill of sweet cream, one teaspoonful of extract of
nectarine, one tablespoonful of water, and one grated nutmeg; beat
the sugar and butter to a cream, add the eggs beaten very light,
then the cream and flour, and lastly the flavoring.

Railboad Cake.
One cup of sugar, one cup of flour, three eggs, one teaspoonful of
cream of tartar, one-half teaspoonful soda, or one and one-half tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder, a little salt; beat all together as for
sponge cake, and spread on two square tins to bake.

Reception Cake.

Beat together two cups of butter and two cups of sugar; add ten
beaten eggs, one quart of flour sifted with two teaspoonf uls of baking
powder, two cups of currants, one cup of shaved citron, one-half of
an orange peel cut fine, one-half cup of blanched almonds cut fine;
season with allspice and cinnamon; put into a paper-lined cake tin
and bake in a moderate oven.

Rice Cake.

Beat together one-half cup of butter, two cups of sugar, and four
eggs; add one-half cup of sweet cream; sift together one and one-
half cups of rice flour, one and one-half cups of flour, and one heap-
ing teaspoonful of baking powder; mix all together and season
with lemon extract. Bake in patty pans in a hot oven.

Rochester Jelly Cake.
Three eggs, whites and yolks beaten separately, two cups of
sugar, one-half cup of butter, one cup of sweet milk, three cups of
flour, one tablespoonful of baking powder. Take one-half of the
above mixture and bake in two square pans, then add to the
remainder one cup of stoned and chopped raisins, one-fourth

CAKE. 69

pound of citron shaved fine, one teaspoonful cinnamon, one nutmeg,
one-half teaspoonful each of cloves and allspice, one tablespoonful
each of molasses and flour. Hake in like pans and place in alternate
layers with raspberry jam or any kind of jelly.

The same put together with frosting is called Ribbon Cake.

Silver Cake.

Heat to a froth the whites of six eggs; add two cups of sugar,
two-thirds of a cup of butter; beat well together and add one cup
of sweet milk with one teaspoonful of soda, two cups of flour
gifted with two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar; flavor with any
extract.

The same made by substituting the yolks for the whites makes
a nice gold cake.

Snow Cake.

One cup of sugar, one and one-half cups of flour, one heaping
teaspoonful of baking powder. Sift all together through a sieve
and add the whites of ten eggs beaten stiff. Bake in a quick oven.

Swiss Cake.
One-quarter cup of butter, one and a half cups of sugar, two and
one-half cups of flour, one cup of sweet milk, two eggs, one tea-
spoonful of cream of tartar, and one-half teaspoonful of soda. Stir
the butter and sugar to a cream; add the eggs, well beaten. Mix
and flavor with lemon. This makes a good and inexpensive cake.

Delicious Sponge Cake.
Twelve eggs, one pound of sugar, twelve ounces of flour, a pinch
of salt; flavor. Beat the whites to a very stiff froth, the yolks till
the bubbles look fine. , When the yolks are beaten enough add the
sugar and beat till sugar is dissolved; then add the whites, and
lastly the flour, and bake immediately in brick-shaped tins. This
will make two loaves. You will find your cake so much nicer if
baked in a paste. Make with flour and water only; roll out on the
board same as pie crust, line your greased tins all over inside with

70 CAKE.

the paste and pour in the batter. Bake nearly an hour. Do not
break off the paste till you want to use it. Your cake will be more
moist and keep longer; indeed, the cake will be much better a day
or two old.

Sponge Cake with Hot Water.

One cup of sugar and two eggs, well beaten together, one tea-
spoonful of baking powder sifted with one cup of flour; stir well
together, then stir in one-third cup of boiling water or milk; bake
quickly in a buttered tin. If these directions are followed the cake
will be very nice.

Sponge Cake.

Beat together the yolks of four eggs and one cup of sugar ten
minutes; add to it one cup of flour sifted with one-half teaspoonful
baking powder, one teaspoonful extract of orange; then add the
whites whipped to a stiff froth, and bake in a well-greased cake
mould in a steady oven thirty minutes.

White Sponge Cake.

Sift together one cup of flour, one-half cup of com starch, one
teaspoonful baking powder; add one cup of sugar, one teaspoonful
extract of rose, then add the whites of eight eggs whipped to a
stiff froth; mix thoroughly and bake in a well-buttered cake tin in
a quick oven thirty minutes.

Sultana Cake.

Beat together one and one-half cups of butter and one and one-
half cups of sugar; add six eggs, two at a time, beating five
minutes between each addition, one and one-half pints of flour
sifted with one teaspoonful baking powder, one-half cup of thick
cream, four cups of Sultana raisins, one-half cup of chopped citron;
mix thoroughly and put in a paper-lined cake tin well buttered.
Bake in a moderate oven one and one-fourth hours, When done,
spread with transparent icing.

CAKE. 71

)\ Spice Cake.

Beat together one cup of butter and two cups of sugar; add two
beaten eggs, one cup of milk, three cups of flour with two tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder, one-half cup each of seeded raisins
and currants; season with nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.

Seed Cake.
Beat together one cup of sugar, one-third of a cup of butter, and
two eggs; add one-half cup of milk, and two cups flour sifted with
two teaspoonfuls of baking powder; stir in one tablespoon ful of
coriander seed and season with nutmeg. Bake in a loaf or in
patty tins.

Tunbridge Cake.

Bake a plain sponge cake in a cylinder-mould; when cold cut it
in thin slices, lay the bottom piece on a plate, spread over any kind
of fruit jelly and two tablespoonfuls of any kind of wine; repeat
this until all the cake is used; prepare a meringue paste of the
whites of four eggs beaten stiff, with two cups of sugar; use it to
entirely cover the top and sides of the cake; sift sugar plentifully
over it and place it in an oven to brown just a fawn color; when
ready to serve slide it off the plate into a glass dish and pile round
it one pint of whipped cream. Flavor with any extract to suit the
taste. Nice for tea or for dessert.

Taylor Cake.

Seven eggs beaten separately ; beat with the yolks two pounds of
sugar, one and one-half pounds of butter (less butter will do);
then add seven coffeecups of flour sifted with two and one-half tea-
spoonfuls of baking powder, one pound of currants, one pound of
seeded raisins, three nutmegs, a tablespoonf ul of cinnamon, one pint
of milk, and lastly the beaten whites of the eggs.
Wedding Cake.

First procure the following ingredients : One pound and a half of
flour, the same of butter, half a pound of candied lemon, half a

72

CAKE.

pound of candied orange, half a pound of candied citron, one pound
of dried cherries, one pound and a half of currants (or if the cher-
ries cannot be readily obtained, use a pound more of currants),
eight ounces of almonds, eight eggs, the rind of four oranges, or of
two lemons rubbed upon sugar, half an ounce of spices, consisting
of powdered cinnamon, grated nutmeg, and ground cloves in equal
proportion, a teaspoonful of salt, and a small tumblerful of brandy
(if objected to, the brandy may be omitted and another egg added).

Wash, pick and dry the
3g|jy currants, cut the cherries

into moderate sized pie-
ces, slice the candied peel
into thin shreds, blanch
and pound the almonds,
or cut them into very
small pieces, and crush
the flavored sugar to pow-
der. Put the butter into
a large bowl, and beat it
to cream, either with a
wooden spoon or with the
hand. Add very gradu-
ally the sugar, flour, and
eggs, and when they are
thoroughly mixed work
in the rest of the ingredients. Put them in a little at a time and
beat the cake between each addition. It should be beaten fully
three-fourths of an hour. Line a tin hoop with double thicknesses
of buttered paper, pour in the mixture, and place it on a metal
baking-sheet with twelve folds of paper under it, and four or five
on top, to keep it from burning. Put it into a moderately heated
oven, and keep the oven at an even temperature until it is done
enough. If the cake is to be iced, first prepare the almond part:
Take half a pound of almonds, throw them into boiling water, and

CAKE. 73

skin them. Pound them in a mortar with a few drops of orange-
flower water, one pound of fine white sugai', and as much white of
egg as will make a soft, stiff paste. Spread this over the top of
the cake, and keep it from the edge as much as possible. Put it in
a cool oven or in a warm place, till it is dry and hard. To make
the sugar icing, put two pounds of icing sugar into a bowl and
work it into the whites of two, or if necessary, three, or even four,
eggs. The whites must not be whisked, but thrown in as they are.
Work the mixture to a stiff, shiny paste, and whilst working it add
occasionally a drop of lemon-juice. Be careful to obtain icing
sugar. If a drop of liquid blue is added it will make it look whiter.
The icing will need to be worked vigorously to make a paste that
will not run, and the fewer eggs taken the better. The cake ought
not to be iced until a short time before it is wanted, as it may get
dirty. The icing should be spread evenly over with the hand
wetted with cold water, then smoothed with an ivory knife, and it
should be put into a gentle oven to harden. It may be ornamented
with little knobs of icing placed round the edge; and on the day of
the wedding a wreath of white flowers and green leaves may be
placed round it by way of ornament. If anything more elaborate
is required, a pretty center ornament may be made with glazed
white card board, silver paper, and orange blossom; or a stand and
a drum, with artificial flowers, may be hired of the confectioner.
Time to bake the cake, about six hours.

Wedding Cake, No 2.

Six cups butter, four cups sugar, sixteen eggs, three pints flour,
six cups currants, washed, dried, and picked, three cups sultana
raisins, three cups citron, two cups candied lemon peel, two cups
almonds, blanched and cut in shreds, one-half pint brandy, two
ounces each nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon, one tablespoonful each
cloves and allspice.

Prepare all these ingredients in the following manner: Place the
butter and sugar in a large bowl; break the eggs into a quart mea-
sure or pitcher; cover a small waiter with a clean sheet of paper,

74 CAKE.

and on it lay the sifted flour, fruit, citron, and lemon peel cut into
shreds, the almonds and spices, with the brandy measured at hand;
also get ready a large cake tin by papering it inside with white
paper, and outside and bottom with four or five thicknesses of
coarse wrapping paper, which can be tied on.

Having thus prepared everything, and the fire banked up to last,
with the addition from time to time of just a shovelful of coal, by
which means you will not reduce the oven heat, proceed to beat to
a very light cream the butter and sugar, adding the eggs, two at a
time, beating a little between each addition until all are used; then
put in contents of the waiter all at once with the brandy; mix very
thoroughly, and smooth; put it into the prepared cake tin, smooth
over the top, put plenty of paper on to protect it, and bake eight
hours, keeping the oven steadily up to a clear, moderate heat;
watch it faithfully, and you will produce a cake worthy of the occa-
sion; remove from the oven very carefully, and suffer it to stay on
the tin until quite cold; the next day ice it with a thin coat of
White Icing, both the top and the sides; and place in a cool oven
to dry the icing. Now spread a second coat of icing, which will
prevent any crumbs or fruit being mixed up with the icing when
you are icing to finish; now with a broad knife proceed, when the
first coat is dry, to ice the sides, then pour the icing on the center
of the cake, in quantity sufficient to reach the edges, when stop;
decorate with a vase of white, made flowers, etc., to taste.

Vanilla Cake.
One cup of butter, two cups of pulverized sugar, one cup of sweet
milk, three cups of flour, one-half cup of corn starch sifted with two
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, four eggs, two teaspoonfuls extract
of vanilla.

Washington Cake.

Three- fourths pound of butter, one and one-fourth pounds of
sugar beaten together; add four beaten eggs, one pint milk, one
and one-fourth pounds of flour, with two teaspoonfuls baking pow-

CAKE. 75

der, one and one-half pounds of seedless raisins, one. and one-half
pounds of currants, one glass brandy; spice to taste.

Wine Cake.
Beat together one and one-half cups of butter and two cups of
sugar; add three beaten eggs, two cups of flour with one teaspoon-
ful baking powder, one gill of wine; mix into a firm batter and
bake in a moderate oven. Frost.

Webster Cakes.
Beat together thoroughly one cup of butter, three cups of sugar,
and two eggs; add five cups of flour sifted with two teaspoonfuls
of baking powder, one and one-half cups of milk, two cups of seed-
less raisins, one teaspoonful each of extract of bitter almonds and
vanilla. Bake in a quick, steady oven forty-five minutes.

Watermelon Cake.

White part: Two cups of pulverized sugar, two-thirds cup each
of butter and sweet milk, three cups of flour sifted with one table-
spoonful baking powder, and the whites of five eggs; flavor.

Red part; One cup of red sugar sand, one-half cup of butter,
two-thirds cup of milk, two cups of flour, one heaping teaspoonful
of baking powder, whites of five eggs, and one-half pound of raisins.

In filling the cake pan put the white part outside and the red part
inside; drop in the raisins here and there where they belong for

White Cake.
Whites of eight eggs well whipped, three cups of pulverized
sngar, one cup of butter, one cup of milk, four cups of sifted flour
with one teaspoonful cream of tai'tai-, one-half teaspoonful of soda
dissolved in the milk, juice of one lemon. Bake one hour in a
moderate oven.

Yule Cake.
Rub together two and one-half cups of butter and three cups of
sugar; add ten beaten eggs, four cups of flour with two teaspoon-

76 COOKIES, JUMBLES AND SNAPS.

fuls baking powder, four cups of currants, two-thirds cup of
chopped citron, one teaspoonful each of extract of nutmeg and
cloves, one gill brandy. Bake in a well-greased, paper-lined tin, in
a moderate oven, two and one-half hours.

Crullers.
One-half pint of buttermilk, one cup of butter, two cups of
sugar, and three eggs; beat up the eggs and add the sugar and
milk. Dissolve half a teaspoonful of saleratus in a little hot water;
add to the mixture, with a teaspoonful of salt, one-half nutmeg
grated and half a teaspoonful of fresh ground cinnamon. Work in
as much flour as will make a smooth dough; mix thoroughly;
dredge the board, rolling-pin, and dough with flour; roll it out and
cut it in rings or fingers and fry in hot fat.

Crullers, No. 2.

Three eggs, one cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, one cup of
milk, three teaspoonfuls of baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and
lemon juice, or extract to taste; flour sufficient to stiffen. Cut in
strips and fry in lard.

Crullers, No. 3.

Six eggs, one cup of butter, two cups of sugar, one-half cup of
milk, and flour to roll out easily. They should be rolled out about
one-half inch thick; cut with a jagging iron or knife in strips about
one-half inch wide, and twist so as to form cakes. The fat
should boil up as the cakes are put in and they should be constantly
watched while frying. When brown on the underside, turn them;
when brown on both sides they are sufficiently done.

COOKIES, JUMBLES AND SNAPS. 77

COOKIES, JUMBLES, AND SNAPS.

Almond Cookies.
Half a pound of butter, same of sugar, one-and one-fourth pounds
of flour (or half corn starch), one good teaspoonful baking powder,
two eggs; flavor with extract of almond, and mix into a smooth
dough to roll out with a little milk; roll quarter of an inch thick,
and cut in any shape; wash them over, when cut, with a little
water and sprinkle with chopped almonds, and sift over a little fine
sugar.

Almond Cookies.

Two pounds of butter, three pounds of sugar, one pound of
shelled almonds, one dozen eggs, one teaspoonful of ground cinna-
mon, one-half teaspoonful of soda, a cup of boiling water, one
lemon grated; mix butter, sugar, yolks of eggs, lemon, cinnamon,
and hot water; beat the whites, take three parts, mix also one-half
of the almonds, and as much flour as it will hold; roll them, and
brush with the whites of eggs. Before putting in the almonds and
sugar, almonds must be scalded, dried and cut fine. Bake in a
moderate oven.

Cocoanut Cookies.

Two cups sugar, one cup butter, two eggs, one teaspoonful soda
dissolved in a tablespoonf ul of milk, one cocoanut, and flour enough
to roll.

Cookies.

One quart flour sifted, three teaspoonfuls baking powder, two
eggs, one cup of sugar, half a cup of butter, three tablespoonfuls
of milk; mix soft and roll; flavor with any extract.

Cream Cookies.
Two cups sugar, two eggs, one cup sour cream, one cup butter,
one teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful lemon extract or one-half a
nutmeg grated; flour enough to make a dough as soft as it can be
rolled. Delicious.

78 COOKIES, JUMBLES AND SNAPS.

Cookies, No. 2.

One cup sugar, one-half cup lard or butter, one-half cup sour
milk, one-half teaspoonful soda, just flour enough to roll, baking
quickly. Add any flavoring you wish. No eggs are required.
These are very nice if grated or prepared cocoanut is added.
Cookies, No. 3.

One cup of butter, two cups sugar, four eggs, four cups flour,
three tablespoonf uls milk, three teaspoonfuls baking powder. Rub
the flour and butter thoroughly together, cream the butter and
sugar, beat the eggs separately; add to the above, with a little nut-
meg or cinnamon, or any seasoning preferred. Sift in the flour and
baking powder, and add enough flour to mold and roll out. These
cookies will keep fresh two weeks, and if the milk is left out, a

month.

Cookies, No. 4.

One and one-half cups of white sugar, four eggs, one cup of lard,
half cup of butter, three tablespoonf uls of water, one teaspoonful
soda, a half grated nutmeg; roll thin; dust over with sugar and roll
down lightly. Bake quickly.

Eggless Cookies.

Two cups sugar, one cup sweet milk, one cup butter, one-half
teaspoonful soda. Flour enough to roll. Use vanilla, lemon or
nutmeg for seasoning. They are very nice.
Ginger Cookies.

One cup sugar, one cup molasses, one cup shortening, two beaten
eggs, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in four tablespoonfuls of but-
termilk, one tablespoonful ginger. Stir with a spoon until stiff
enough to mold with the hand; roll and bake in a quick oven.
Graham Cookies.

Two cups of sugar, one cup of sour cream, one-half teaspoonful
of soda; mix quickly, roll and bake. These require less heat and
more time in baking than when white flour is used.

COOKIES, JUMBLES AND SNAPS. 79

Molasses Cookies.
Three cups of New Orleans molasses, one cup of lard, a half cup
butter, four teaspoonf uls soda dissolved in ten tablespoonf uls boil-
ing water; one tablespoonf ul ginger, one teaspoonf ul cinnamon.
Sugar Cookies.
Two cups of sugar, one cup of butter, one-half cup of milk, two
•eggs, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one teaspoonful soda, a
tablespoonful caraway seeds. Mix soft and roll.
Hickory-nut Cookies.
Take two cups of sugar, two eggs, half a cup of melted butter,
six tablespoonfuls of milk, or a little more than a third of a cup,
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, half a teaspoonful of soda and
one cup of chopped meats stirred into the dough.

Sand Tarts.
Rub together two pounds of sugar, two pounds of flour, one and
a quarter pounds of butter beaten with three eggs; mix smooth and
roll out and cut into cakes. Place hickory-nut or almond meats
over the top. Wet over with the whole of an egg beaten, and
sprinkle with cinnamon and fine sugar.
Jumbles.

Three eggs, one and one-fourth cups sugar, one cup butter, three
tablespoonfuls sour milk, one-quarter teaspoonful saleratus, flour to
mix hard. After it is kneaded and rolled out, sift sugar over the
top. Season if you like.

Jumbles, No. 2.

One cup of butter, two cups of sugar, one cup of milk, five eggs,
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and half a teaspoonful of soda.

Ginger Snaps.
One cup of sugar, one cup of molasses, one cup of butter, one
teaspoonful soda, one teaspoonful ginger, one egg.

80 COOKIES, JUMBLES AND SNAPS.

Ginger Snaps, No. 2.
One cap molasses, one-half cup lard, one teaspoonful soda, salt
and ginger to taste; mix hard.

Ginger Snaps, No. 3.
One colfeecup New Orleans molasses, one cup butter, one cup
sugar; place them on the stove, and let it come to a boil, then take
off immediately, and add a teaspoonful of soda, and a tablespoon-
ful of ginger. Roll thin and bake quickly.

Doughnuts.

Two beaten eggs, one cup of sugar, four tablespoonfuls melted
lard, one cup of sour milk, one teaspoonful of soda, a little salt,
seasoning to the taste; flour to make a soft dough to roll out; fry
in hot lard.

Doughnuts Without Eggs.

Two quarts of flour, one pint of milk, one heaping cup of sugar,
and a piece of butter the size of an egg. Scald the milk, and when
tepid add the sugar, the butter, a half cup of yeast, and a half tea-
spoonful of soda. Pour this all into the center of the flour, using
enough of flour to make a sponge. Let it rise all night in a warm
place. In the morning sprinkle in whatever spice you want; then
knead in the rest of the flour; let it rise again until light; knead
again and roll them. After they are cut out let them stand five
minutes. Fry in boiling lard.

Doughnuts, Raised.
Make a sponge, using one quart water and one cake yeast; let it
rise until very light, then add one cup of lard, two cups of sugar,
three large mashed potatoes, two eggs, season with nutmeg; let rise
again until very light. Roll and cut, or pull off bits of dough and
shape as you like; lay enough to fry at one time on a floured plate
and set in the oven to warm; drop in boiling lard and fry longer
than cakes made with baking powder.

COOKIES, JUMBLES AND SNAPS. 81

Cream Doughnuts.

Beat one cup each of sour cream and sugar, and two eggs,
together; add a level teaspoonful of soda, a little salt, and flour
enough to roll.

Fried Cakes.

Seven tablespoonfuls of sugar, three tablespoonfuls of melted
lard, three tablespoonfuls of melted butter, three eggs, one cup of
milk, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of sream of tartar;
flour enough to roll out soft. Roll in pulverized sugar when half
cold.

Snow Balls, White.

One cup of sugar, six tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two eggs,
one cup of sweet milk, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, one of
soda, a very little nutmeg, one teaspoonful of salt; mix middling
soft and roll out, and cut with a small round nutter. Your tea
canister top may be just the right size. Fry ir hot lard. Have
ready a small bowl with a little fine white sugar in it. As you
take them from the lard drop them in the sug^* and roll around
quickly until the surface has a very thin coat of sugar all over it,
then lay carefully on a plate. Repeat with eac} cake separately,
adding a little fresh sugar occasionally.

CHAPTER IV.

CREAMS AND CUSTARDS.

ri3> Apple Snow.

fUT twelve tart apples in cold water over a slow fire; when
soft skin and core. Mix in a pint of sifted white sugar, beat
the whites of twelve eggs to a stiff froth, then add to the
apples and sugar. Put in a dessert dish and ornament with myrtle.
It will be found much better if frozen.

Almond Ckeam.
Take three ounces of sweet and one ounce of bitter almonds,
blanch them; put them in a pan over the fire, stirring them con-
tinually. As soon as they have acquired a fine yellow color, take
them off the fire, and when cold pound them into fine pieces; then
add a pint of cream or rich milk, nearly boiling, and three or four
heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one-half package of gelatine
which has been dissolved in a little water. Put it upon the ice, and
when about to thicken stir it until it is very smooth, then stir in
lightly a pint of whipped cream and put it into a mold.

Apple Float.
One cup of pulverized sugar, one cup of cream beaten to a stiff
froth, five eggs beaten light, one lemon, four large apples grated,
three tablespoonfuls of gelatine dissolved in warm water. Fills one
quart bowl.

Bavaeoise.
One pint of milk; add four tablespoonfuls of ground coffee; cook
until well mixed, and strain through a jelly-bag; add the beaten

CREAMS AND CUSTARDS. S3

yolks of four eggs, a cup of sugar, and cook as for a custard; set in
a cold place, and when cool add a pint of whipped cream in which
has been stirred one-third of a box of dissolved gelatine, and stand
in a cool place until it thickens.

Blanc Mange.
Take four ounces of sweet almonds and one-half ounce of bitter
almonds, blanched; pound them in a mortar, moistening them occa-
sionally with orange-flower water; mix this with one quart of fresh
cream; set the cream and almonds on the fire, stirring constantly;
when it comes to a scald pour in one-half box of gelatine which has
been previously dissolved by soaking in half a cup of cold water
one hour.

Cream a la Mode.

Put half a pound of white sugar into a deep glass dish; the juice
of one large orange and one lemon; to one ounce of isinglass or
gelatine add one pint of water; let it simmer down one-half, and
when cool strain it into the glass dish, and by degrees add one and
one-half pints of whipped cream; stir till cool, and place it on ice to
stiffen.

Coffee Cream.

Sweeten one pint of rich cream rather liberally; roast two ounces
of coffee kernels; when they are lightly browned throw them into
the cream at once, and let the dish stand an hour before using;
strain, and whip the cream to a stiff froth. A teaspoonf ul of pow-
dered gum arabic dissolved in a little orange-flower water, may be
added to give the cream more firmness, if desired.
Bavarian Cream.

Whip one pint of cream to a stiff froth, and set in a colander
one minute to allow the un whipped portion to drip away; boil one
pint of milk and one-half cup of sugar; flavor with vanilla, and add
one-half package of gelatine dissolved in water, remove from
the fire, and cool; add the well-beaten whites of four eggs. "When
the mixture has become quite cold add the whipped cream gradually

84 CREAMS AND CUSTARDS.

until it is well mixed; put into individual molds a teaspoonful of
some bright jelly or jam, then pour the mixture and place in an
ice-chest until wanted. This cream may be flavored in any way
desired.

Chocolate Bavarian Cream
Can be made as the preceding by adding two cakes of sweet
chocolate, soaked and stirred smooth in two tablespoonfuls of water,
to the yolks of the eggs.

Caledonian Cream.
Two ounces of raspberry jam or jelly, two ounces of red currant
jelly, two ounces of sifted loaf sugar, the whites of two eggs put
into a bowl and beaten with a spoon for three-quarters of an hour.
This makes a very pretty cream, and is good and economical.

Charlotte Russe Elegante.
One-half package of gelatine dissolved in a very little water;
one quart of whipped cream, flavored and sweetened to taste.
Line a mold with sponge or white cake; stir the gelatine into
the cream and pour into the prepared mold. The cake may be
soaked in a little wine if preferred.

Charlotte Russe.
One pint of cream well whipped; beat five tablespoonfuls of sugar
*rith the yolks of four eggs; simmer together one-half pint of milk
and one-half ounce of isinglass or gelatine till the gelatine is dis-
solved, then mix with the beaten yolks and the sugar, then the
whites of the eggs well beaten, then the whipped cream; flavor
with one gill of wine and set it aside to cool; pour it into a mold
which was previously lined with pieces of sponge cake. When it is
stiff and solid turn out into a dish and sift sugar over the top.

Charlotte Russe, No. 2.
One box of gelatine soaked in milk one-half hour; while it is
soaking make a soft custard with the yolks of seven eggs, one pint
of milk, and one-half pound of crushed sugar. When the custard

CREAMS A.ND CUSTARDS. 85

begins to boil pour in the gelatine and it will dissolve; when dis-
solved, strain the custard through a sieve and add one gill of cold
cream; then let it cool a little, but not enough to thicken; whip a
good quart of thick cream, add vanilla or any flavoring to suit the
taste, add this to the custard, set it in the ice chest and stir occa-
sionally until it begins to thicken. Then beat the whites of the
seven eggs to a troth, adding two tablespoonfuls of powdered
sugar, and stir into the custard and cream, stirring occasionally
very gently until it is thick enough to turn into the molds which
have been lined with sponge fingers or slices. Set them back in
the ice chest.

Fruit Charlotte.
Line a dish with sponge cake; place upon the bottom, in tho
centre of the dish, grated pine-apple; cover with a whipped cream
blanc mange. Keep back a little of the cream to pour over the top
after it is poured out of the mold.

Genoese Cream.

One pint of milk, one tablespoonful of flour, one tablespoonful of
sugar. Boil until it thickens; add the yolks of three eggs and a
piece of butter the size of an egg; flavor with lemon or vanilla.
Cover the bottom of the dish with sponge cake, spreading one side
of the cake with currant or other jelly. Pour on the cream and
dust the top with sugar.

Italian Cream.

Put one ounce of soaked isinglass, six ounces of loaf sugar, and
one pint of milk, into a sauce pan; boil slowly and stir all the time
until the isinglass is dissolved; strain the mixture, and, when cool,
mix it with a pint of thick cream; flavor with one teaspoonful
of extract of bitter almond, and one gill of rose water. Beat
thoroughly until it thickens; pour into a large or into individual
molds and put into an ice box until wanted.

86 CREAMS AND CUSTARDS.

Manioca Cream.
Three tablespoonfuls of manioca, one pint of milk, three eggs,
vanilla and sugar to taste; soak the manioca in water till soft; boil
the milk; while boiling stir in the manioca and the yolks of the
eggs beaten with the sugar; when cooked sufficiently pour into a
dish to cool; when cold, add the vanilla; beat the whites of the
eggs until stiff, sweeten and flavor them and stir part into the
cream, putting the rest on top.

Russe Cream.

One-half box of gelatine soaked in a little water one hour, one
quart of milk, one cup of sugar, and four eggs. Mix sugar, milk,
yolks of eggs, and gelatine together; put in a pail, set in a kettle
of water and boil twenty minutes. Beat the whites of the eggs
stiff, and stir into the custard after taking off the fire. Flavor with
vanilla and pour into molds. Serve with sugar and cream or with
custard.

Rock Cream.

Boil rice until quite soft in new milk, sweeten with powdered
loaf sugar. Pile it in a dish and lay on it in different places lumps
of currant jelly, or any kind of preserves; beat the whites of five
eggs to a stiff froth; add flavoring and a tablespoonful of thick
cream; drop it over the rice forming a rock of cream.

Spanish Cream.
Make a soft custard of one quart of milk, the yolks of six eggs,
six tablespoonfuls of sugar. Put one box of gelatine dissolved in
one pint of water over the fire; add the custard; flavor with vanilla.
Strain into molds and set in a cool place.

Tapioca Cream.
One cup of tapioca soaked for eight hours in milk enough to
cover; then take one quart of milk, place on the stove, and when it
boils add the beaten yolks of two eggs and the tapioca; let it boil up,

CREAMS AND CUSTARDS. 87

then stir the beaten whites very thoroughly through it. Sweeten
and flavor to taste. Eat cold.

Whipped Cream.
To one quart very thick whipped cream, add powdered sugar to
taste and a glass of wine. Make just before ready to use.

Whipped Cream Sauce.

Mix a plateful of whipped cream (flavored with vanilla), the
beaten whites of two eggs and pulverized sugar to taste, all together;
pile a bank of this mixture in the center of a platter and form a
circle of little fruit puddings (steamed in cups) around it, or it is
nice for corn starch, blanc manges, etc.

Single cream is cream that has stood on the milk twelve hours.
It is the best for tea and coffee. Double cream stands on its milk
twenty-four hours, and cream for butter frequently stands forty-
eight hours. Cream that is to be whipped should not be butter
cream, lest in whipping it change to butter.

Almond Custard.

One pint of new milk, one cup of pulverized sugar, one-quarter
pound of almonds (blanched and pounded), two teaspoonfuls rose
water, the yolks of four eggs; stir this over a slow fire until it is
of the consistency of cream, then remove it quickly and put into a
dish. Beat the whites with a little sugar added to the froth, and
lay on top.

Apple Custard.

One pint of mashed stewed apples, one pint of sweet milk, four
eggs, one cup of sugar, and a little nutmeg. Bake slowly.

Boiled Custard.
Allow five eggs to one quart of milk, a tablespoonful of sugar to
each egg, set the milk in a kettle of boiling water until it scalds;
then, after dipping a little of the milk on to the eggs and beating
up, turn into the scalded milk, and stir until it thickens. Flavor
to taste.

88 CREAMS AND CUSTARDS.

Baked Custard.
One quart of milk, five eggs, a pinch of salt, sugar and flavor to
taste, boil the milk; when eool, stir in the beaten eggs and sugar,
pour into cups, set them in pans of water, and bake ; if baked too
long, will become watery.

Chocolate Custard.
Make a boiled custard with one quart of milk, the yolks of six
eggs, six tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one-half cup of grated vanilla
chocolate. Boil until thick enough, stirring all the time. When
nearly cold, flavor with vanilla. Pour into cups, and put the whites
of the eggs beaten with some powdered sugar on the top.

Coffee Custard.

One-half pint of rich cream, one-half cup cold coffee, four eggs,
sugar to taste.

Corn Starch Custard.

Most persons know how to make a corn starch custard. A rich
one can be made as follows: One quart of milk with five beaten
eggs in it; sweeten and flavor to choice, adding one-fourth pound
of corn starch; place over the fire, stirring quickly to avoid burn-
ing to the bottom, until it begins to thicken. Or, can take less egg
by using more corn starch, as follows : One quart of milk, two eggs,
sugar and flavor to taste, one-half pound of corn starch. If this is
too much starch and it becomes too thick, take it off the fire, add a
a little milk, stirring till smooth. A custard is best made in a
vessel placed in boiling water, as there is no risk of burning.
Custards require to be stiff er for filling cream puffs, chocolate eclares,
charlotte russes, etc. The above receipts are thick enough for any
of the purposes, and, if required for simple custard, less starch
will do.

Cocoanut Custard.

To one pound of grated cocoanut, allow one pint of scalding
milk and six ounces of sugar. Beat well the yolks of six eggs and

CREAMS AND CUSTARDS. 89

stir them alternately into the milk with the cocoanut and sugar.
Pour this into a dish lined with paste and bake twenty minutes; or,
if preferred, treat the milk, cocoanut, eggs, and sugar as for boiled
custard, and serve in cups.

Cold Cup Custard.
One quart of new milk, one pint of cream, one-fourth pound of
fine white sugar, three large tablespoonfuls of wine, in which
rennet has been soaked. Mix the milk, cream and sugar together,
stir the wine into it, pour the mixture into custard cups, and set
them away until the milk becomes a curd. Grate nutmeg on top
and eat them with cream that has been kept on ice.

Caramel Custard.

Put two dessert-spoonfuls of crushed sugar into a tin pan; let it
stand on the stove till it begins to brown, then stir constantly till it
is a thick, black syrup. Pour it into a quart of scalding milk; add
six ounces of white sugar and the yolks of six eggs. Beat and
pour into cups, set in a pan of hot water in the oven and bake
twenty minutes.

Lemon Custard.

Four eggs (leave out the white of one), one cup of sugar, one cup
of cold water, one grated lemon, a small piece of butter, one table-
spoonful of corn starch; bake as custard; after it is baked, cover it
with the beaten white and pulverized sugar; return to the oven;
bake a light brown.

Moonshine.

Beat the whites of six eggs into a very stiff froth, then add grad-
ually six tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, beating for not less
than fifteen minutes; then beat in one heaping tablespoon ful of
preserved peaches cut in tiny bits. In serving, pour in each saucer
some rich cream sweetened and flavored with vanilla, and on the
cream place a liberal portion of the moonshine. This quantity is
enough for seven or eight persons.

90 CREAMS AND CUSTARDS.

Floating Island.
Set a quart of milk to boil, then stir into it the beaten yolks of
six eggs; flavor with any extract liked and sweeten to taste; whip
whites of eggs to a stiff froth. When the custard is thick, put
into a deep dish, and heap the frothed eggs upon it. Place pieces
of currant jelly on top and serve cold.

Floating Island, No. 2.
Into three-quarters of a pint of cream, put sugar to make it very
aweet, and the juice and rind of a lemon grated. Beat it for ten

minutes. Cut French rolls into
thin slices, and lay them on a
round dish on the top of the
cream. On this put a layer of
apricot or currant jam, and some
more slices of roll. Pile upon
this, very high, a whip made of
damson jam, and the whites of
four eggs. It should be rough to imitate a rock. Garnish with
fruits or sweetmeats.

Irish Moss.
Soak a scant handful of Irish moss in strong soda water until it
swells; then squeeze the moss until it is free from water, and put it
in a tin bucket which contains six pints of sweet milk. Set the
bucket in a large iron pot which holds several pints of hot water;
stir seldom, and let it remain until it will jell slightly by dropping
on a cold plate. Strain through a sieve, sweeten and flavor to
taste. Rinse a mold or a crock with tepid water; pour in the mix-
ture, and set it away to cool. In a few hours it will be palatable.
Eat with cream and sugar — some add jelly.

QlT AJONG CtTSTAED.
Three cups of milk; yolks of four eggs, reserving the whites for
the meringue ; one-half package gelatine; six tablespoonfuls of
sugar; vanilla flavoring; juice of one lemon for meringue. Soak

CREAMS AND CUSTARDS. 91

the gelatine two hours in a cup of the col<l milk. Then add
to the rest of the milk, which must be boiling hot, and stir until
dissolved. Let it stand a few minutes, and strain through muslin
over the beaten yolks and sugar. Put over the fire and stir five
minutes, or until you can feel it thickening. Stir up well when
nearly cold, flavor, and let it alone until it congeals around the
edges of the bowl into which you have poured it; then stir again,
and put into a wet mold. Set upon ice, or in cold water until firm.
Turn it, when you are ready for it, into a glass bowl. Have a
meringue made by whipping the whites stiff with three tablespoon-
fuls of powdered sugar, and the lemon juice.
Orange Snow.
Peel sweet oranges, slice and lay them in a glass dish with alter-
nate layers of grated cocoanut and powdered loaf sugar, leaving a
layer of cocoanut on top. Pour over the whole a glass of orange
and lemon juice mixed. Place on ice until ready to serve.

CHAPTER V.

CONFECTIONERY.

General Directions.
RANTILATED sugar is preferable. Candy should not be
stirred while boiling. Cream of tartar should not be added
until the syrup begins to boil. Butter should be put in when
the candy is almost done. Flavors are more delicate when not
boiled in the candy.

Almond Candy.
Proceed in the same way as for cocoanut candy. Let the almonds
be perfectly dry and do not throw them into the sugar until it
approaches the candying point.

Almond Creams.
Three cups of sugar, one and one-half cups of water, one-half
teaspoonful of cream of tartar, flavor with vanilla. Boil until drops
will almost keep their shape in water, and add a cup of blanched
almonds chopped fine, then pour into a bowl set in cold water; stir
steadily with a silver or wooden spoon until cool enough to bear
the hand; then place on a platter and knead to a fine even texture.
If too hard, a few drops of warm water may be stirred in. If too
soft, it must be boiled again. When well molded, cut in squares
or bars. Almond cream is very nice flavored with chocolate.

Bon Bons.

Take some fine fresh candied orange rind or citron, clear off the
sugar that adheres to it, cut it into inch squares, stick these singly
on the prong of a fork or ozier twigs, and dip them into a solution
of sugar boiled to the consistency of candy, and place them on a

CONFECTIONERY. 93

dish rubbed with the smallest possible quantity of salad oil. When
perfectly cold put them into dry tin boxes with paper between each
layer.

Butter Scotch.

One cup of molasses, one cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter.
Boil until done.

Boston Caramels.

One pint bowl of grated chocolate, two bowls of yellow sugar,
one bowl of New Orleans molasses, one-half cup of milk, a piece
of butter the size of a small egg, and vanilla flavor; boil about
twenty-five minutes; this should not be so brittle as other candies.
Pour in buttered tins and mark deeply with a knife.

Cream Cocoanut Candy.
One and a half pounds of sugar, one-half cup of milk; boil ten
minutes; one grated cocoanut added; boil until thick; put on
greased pans quite thick; when partially cold cut in strips.
Cocoanut Caramels.
Two cups of grated cocoanut, one cup of sugar, two tablespoon-
fuls of flour, the whites of three eggs beaten stiff; bake on a but-
tered paper in a quick oven.

Cocoanut Candy.
Four cups of water, two and a half cups of fine white sugar, four
spoonfuls of vinegar, a piece of butter as large as an egg; boil till
thick about three-quarters of an hour. Just before removing st>
in one cup desiccated cocoanut and lay in small flat cakes on but-
tered plates to cool and harden,

Chocolate Caramels.
One cup of sweet milk, one cup of molasses, half a cup of sugar,
half a cup of grated chocolate, a piece of butter the size of a walnut;
stir constantly, and let it boil until it is thick; then turn it out on
to buttered plates, and when it begins to stiffen mark it in squares,
80 that it will break readily when cold.

94 CONFECTIONERY.

Chocolate Cream Drops.
Mix one-half cup of cream with two of white sugar, boil and stir
full five minutes; set the dish into another of cold water and stir
until it becomes hard. Then make into small balls about the size
of marbles, and with a fork roll each one separately in the choco-
late, which has in the meantime been put in a bowl over the
boiling tea kettle and melted; put on brown paper to cool; flavor
with vanilla if desired. This amount makes about fifty drops.

Chocolate Kisses.
One pound of sugar and two ounces of chocolate pounded together
and finely sifted; mix with the whites of eggs well beaten to a
froth; drop on buttered paper and bake slowly.

Fruit Candy.

One and one-half pounds of granulated sugar, wet with the milk
of a cocoanut; put into a sauce-pan and let it heat slowly; boil
rapidly five minutes, then add one cocoanut grated very fine, and
boil ten minutes longer, stirring constantly. Try a little on a cold
plate, and if it forms a firm paste when cool, take from the fire.
Pour part of it out on to a large tin lined with greased paper; then
add to the remaining cream one-fourth pound of stoned raisins,
one-half pound of blanched almonds, one pint of pecans, one-half
cup of chopped walnuts. Pour over the other cream, and when
cool cut into bars and squares.

Hickory-nut Candy.
Boil two cups of sugar, one-half cup of water, without stirring,
until thick enough to spin a thread; flavor; set the dish off into
cold water; stir quickly until white, then stir in one cup of hicko-
ry-nut meats; turn into a flat tin, and when cool cut into squares.

Horehound Candy.
Prepare a strong decoction, by boiling two ounces of the dried
herb in a pint and a half of water for about half an hour; strain

CONFECTIONERY. 95

this, and add three and one-half pounds of brown sugar; boil over
a hot fire until it reaches the requisite degree of hardness, when it
may be poured out in flat tin trays, previously well gi-eased, and
marked into sticks or squares with a knife, as it becomes cool
enough to retain its shape.

Lemon-Cream Candy.

Six pounds best white sugar, strained juice of two lemons, grated
peel of one lemon, one teaspoonful of soda, three cups clear water.
Steep the grated peel of the lemon in the juice for an hour; strain,
squeezing the cloth hard to get out all the strength. Pour the
water over the sugar, and, when nearly dissolved, set it over the
fire and bring to a boil. Stew steadily until it hardens in cold
water; stir in the lemon; boil one minute; add the dry soda,
stirring in well; and, instantly, turn out upon broad, shallow dishes.
Pull as soon as you can handle it, into long white ropes, and cut
into lengths when brittle.

Vanilla cream candy is made in the same way, with the substitu-
tion of vanilla flavoring for the lemon-juice and peel.

Lemon and Peppermint Drops.
Take of dry granulated sugar a convenient quantity; place it in a
saucepan having a lip from which the contents may be poured or
dropped. Add a very little water, just enough to make, with the
sugar, a stiff paste; two ounces of water to a pound of sugar is
about the right proportion. Set it over the fire and allow it to
nearly boil, keeping it continually stirred. It must not actually
come to a full boil, but must be removed from the fire just as soon
as the bubbles, denoting that the boiling point is reached, begin to
rise. Allow the syrup to cool a little, stirring all the time; add
strong essence of peppermint or lemon to suit the taste, and drop
on tins or sheets of smooth white paper. The dropping is per-
formed by tilting the vessel slightly, so that the contents will run
out, and with a small piece of stiff wire the drops may be stroked
off on to the tins or paper. They should be kept in a warm place

96 CONFECTIONERY.

for a few hours to dry. In the season of fruits, delicious drops
may be made by substituting the juice of fresh fruits, as straw-
berry, raspberry, lemon, pineapple or banana, or any of these
essences may be used.

Molasses Candy.

Into a kettle holding at least four times the amount of molasses
to be used, pour a convenient quantity of Porto Rico molasses;
place over a slow fire and boil for a half hour, stirring all the time
to diminish as much as possible the increase of bulk caused by boil-
ing, and checking the fire or removing the kettle if there is any
danger of the contents running over. Be very careful not to let
the candy burn, especially near the close of the boiling. When a
little, dropped in cold water, becomes quickly hard and snaps apart
like a pipestem, add a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, free from
lumps, to every two quarts; stir quickly to mix, and pour on greased
platters to cool. When the candy is sufficiently cool to handle
without burning the hands, it is pulled back and forth, the hands
being rubbed with a little butter (do not use flour) to prevent the
candy from sticking to them. The more the candy is worked, the
lighter it will be in color.

White Molasses Candy.

Take two pounds of refined sugar (termed by grocers " Coffee
C "), one pint of pure sugar-house syrup, and one pint best Porto
Rico or New Orleans molasses. Boil together until it hardens, as
above described, add one teaspoonful of carbonate of soda, and
work in the usual manner.

Peanut Candy.

One scant pint of molasses, four quarts of peanuts, measured
before they are shelled, two tablespoonf uls of vanilla, one teaspoon-
ful of soda. Boil the molasses until it hardens in cold water, when
dropped from the spoon. Stir in the vanilla, then the soda, dry.
Lastly, the shelled peanuts. Turn out into shallow pans well
buttered, and press it down smooth with a wooden spoon.

CONFECTIONERY. 97

We can heartily recommend the candy made according to this
receipt as being unrivaled of its kind.

The molasses should be good in quality, and the peanuts freshly
roasted.

Pop-Corn Balls.

Add one ounce of white gum arabic to a half pint of water, and
let it stand until dissolved. Strain, add one pound of refined sugar
and boil until when cooled it becomes very thick, so much so as
to be stirred with difficulty. To ascertain when it has reached this
point, a little may be cooled in a saucer. A convenient quantity of
the freshly popped corn having been placed in a milk pan, enough
of the warm syrupy candy is poured on and mixed by stirring, to
cause the kernels to adhere in a mass, portions of which may be
formed into balls by pressing them into the proper shape with the
hands. Ordinary molasses, or sugar-house syrup may be used as
well, by being boiled to the same degree, no gum being necessary
with these materials. Corn cake is prepared in a similar manner.
This mass, while warm, is put into tins and pressed by rollers into
thin sheets, which are afterwards divided into small, square cakes.

Taffy.

Either of the two kinds of molasses candy, if poured from the
kettle into tin trays without working, will produce a fine plain
taffy. It may be left in one sheet the size of the tray, or, when
slightly cold, may be marked off in squares.

Efferton Taffy.
This is a favorite English confection. To make it take three
pounds of the best brown sugar and boil with one and one-half
pints of water, until the candy hardens in cold water. Then add
one-half pound of sweet-flavored, fresh butter, which will soften
the candy. Boil a few minutes until it again hardens and pour it
into trays. Flavor with lemon if desired.

7

98 CONFECTIONERY.

Vinegar Candy.

Three cups white sugar; one and one-half cups clear vinegar; stir

the sugar into the vinegar until thoroughly dissolved; heat to a

gentle boil, and stew uncovered until it ropes from the tip of the

spoon. Turn out upon broad dishes, well buttered, and cool, and,

as soon as it can be handled, pull. It can be pulled beautifully

white and porous.

Vinegar Candy, No. 2.

To one quart of good New Orleans molasses, add one cup of
good cider vinegar; boil until it reaches the point where a little
dropped into cold water becomes very hard and brittle. Pour into
shallow platters until cool enough to be handled, and form into a
large roll, which may be drawn down to any size and cut off in

sticks.

Walnut Candy.

The meats of hickory-nuts, English walnuts, or black walnuts
may be used according to preference in that regard. After
removal from the shells in as large pieces as practicable, they are
to be placed on the bottoms of tins, previously greased, to the
depth of about a half inch. Next, boil two pounds of brown sugar,
a half pint of water, and one gill of good molasses until a portion
of the mass hardens when cooled. Pour the hot candy on the
meats and allow it to remain until hard.

Meringues.
Take one pound of powdered sugar, and add to it the beaten
whites of eight eggs (slowly), until it forms a stiff froth; fill a
tablespoon with the paste, and smooth it over with another spoon
to the desired shape; sift a little sugar over a sheet of paper, drop
the meringues about two inches apart; dust a little sugar over
them, and bake in a quick oven with the door left open part way,
so they can be continually watched; when fawn colored, take
them out; remove them from the paper with a thin knife; scrape
out of each a little of the soft part. They may be neatly arranged

CONFECTIONERY.

99

around a dish of whipped cream, or filled with ice cream. If
whipped cream is used, they would be improved by the addition of
a little bright jelly inside each meringue.

Cream Meringues.

Four eggs (the whites only), whipped stiff, with one pound pow-
dered sugar, lemon or vanilla flavoring. When very stiff, heap in
the shape of half an egg upon stiff letter-paper lining the bottom of
your baking pan. Have them half an inch apart. Do not shut the
oven door closely, but leave space through which you can watch
them. When they are a light yellow-brown, take them out and
cool quickly. Slip a thin bladed knife under each; scoop out the
soft inside and fill with cream whipped as for charlotte russe. They
are very fine. The oven should be very hot.
Macaroon.

Pound in a mortar one pound of blanched sweet almonds and one
and one-fourth pounds of lump sugar until they are fine; then add
one-half pound of corn starch, one-fourth pound of rice or wheat
flour; mix into a fine smooth batter with the whites of about eight
eggs. Drop the mixture in small quantities through a cornucopia
on a sheet of paper, dust with sugar, and bake in a steady oven.
They should be baked a fawn color.

Bachelor Buttons.

Rub two ounces of butter into five ounces of flour; add five
ounces of white sugar; add one beaten egg;\ flavor; roll into small
balls with the hands; sprinkle with sugar. Bake on tins covered
with buttered paper.

Corn Starch Rateffes.

One-fourth pound sweet and the same of bitter almonds, one-half
pound corn starch, one-fourth pound of rice flour, one and one-
fourth pounds of pulverized sugar, the whites of eight eggs. Pro-
ceed the same as for macaroons, only drop one-fourth the size.
Do not dust with sugar, and bake in a hotter oven.

CHAPTER VI.

CATSUPS.

^OOD home-made catsup is a most valuable addition to the
store-room, and a good housekeeper will always look with
pride upon it as it stands upon the shelves in closely-corked
bottles, neatly labeled, feeling, as she may, that she possesses close
at hand the means of imparting a delicious flavor to her sauces and
gravies without at the same time placing any deleterious compound
before her friends. Though excellent preparations are no doubt
sold by respectable dealers, the superiority of catsup when made at
home is undisputed, and the comfortable certainty attending its use
is so great, that we would earnestly recommend every lady who has
the time and opportunity to do so, to superintend personally the
manufacture of that which is used in the kitchen. It is not well,
however, to make a very large quantity, as it is rarely improved by
being long kept. Catsup should be stored in a cool, dry place; the
corks should be covered with resin, and the liquid should be exam-
ined frequently, and if there are the slightest signs of fermentation
or mold, it should be re-boiled with a few pepper-corns, and put
into fresh, dry bottles. Always select perfect fruit, and cook in a
porcelain-lined kettle.

Currant Catsup.

Boil five pints of ripe currants in one pint of vinegar until soft;
strain all through a sieve, then add three pints of sugar, and one
tablespoonful each of cinnamon and allspice; boil about one hour.

CATSUPS. 101

Cucumber Catsup.
Take one-half bushel of full-grown cucumbers, peel and chop
them, sprinkle them with salt, aud put them in a sieve and let them
stand over night; add two dozen onions, cut up small, one-half
pound white mustard seed, one-half pound of black mustard seed,
two ounces of black pepper, ground. Mix well with the best cider
vinegar, making it the consistency of thick catsup, and fill your
jars, tying up closely. It requires no cooking.

Gooseberry Catsup.
Ten pounds of gooseberries, six pounds of sugar, one quart of
vinegar, three tablespoonfuls cinnamon, one tablespoonful each of
allspice and cloves. Mash the gooseberries thoroughly; scald and
put through the colander; add the sugar and spices, and boil fifteen
minutes, then add the vinegar; bottle immediately. Ripe grapes
may be prepared in the same manner.

Plum Catsup.

To three pounds of fruit put one and three-fourths pounds of
sugar, one tablespoonful of cloves, one tablespoonful of cinnamon,
one tablespoonful of pepper, a very little salt; scald the plums and
put them through a colander; then add sugar and spices, and boil
to the right consistency.

Tomato Catsup.

Take sound ripe tomatoes, slice and cook until done enough to
put through a sieve; then to every gallon of the pulp and juice add
one cup of chopped onion, one-half cup of black pepper, four pods
of red pepper, cut fine, one-half cup of ground ginger and mustard
mixed, one ounce celery seed, one-half cup of allspice, nutmeg and
cinnamon, mixed, one-half teaspoonful cloves, two cups of sugar,
and sufficient salt to taste distinctly, one pint strong cider vinegar;
put all together and cook two hours, or longer if not thick enough.
It must not be thin or watery. Bottle and seal while hot, and
in a good cellar it will keep two years.

102 CATSUPS.

Tomato Catsup, No. 2.
One bushel of good ripe tomatoes, one-half gallon of cider vine-
gar, one-fourth pound of allspice, two ounces of cloves, three
tablespoonfuls of black pepper, six large onions or two heads of
garlic, one pint of salt, four large red peppers; cook thoroughly,
and strain through a sieve, then boil till it is thick enough, and
add the vinegar.

CHAPTER VII.

DESSERTS.

Puddings.
ITHOUT pretending to make a skillful cook by book, we
VL believe that any intelligent beginner may compound a good
pudding by attending to the following simple rules and
plain directions: Attention is all that is required, and a little
manual dexterity in turning the pudding out of the mold or cloth.
Let the several ingredients be each good and fresh of its kind, as
one bad article, particularly eggs, will taint the whole composition
Have the molds and pudding cloths carefully washed when used
the cloths with wood ashes, and dried in the open air. Lay them
aside sweet and thoroughly dry. Pudding ought to be put into
plenty of boiling water, which must be kept on a quick boil; or,
baked, in general in a sharp but not scorching oven. A pudding in
which there is much bread must be tied loosely, to allow room for
swelling. A batter pudding should be tied up firmly. Molds
should be quite full, well buttered and covered with a fold or two
of paper floured and buttered. Eggs for puddings must be used
in greater quantities when of small size. The yolks and whites, if
the pudding is wanted particularly white and nice, should be
strained after being separately well beaten. A little salt is neces-
sary for all potato, bean, or pease puddings, and all puddings in
which there is suet or meat, as it improves the flavor. The several
ingredients, after being well stirred together, should in general
have a little time to stand, that the flavors may blend. A frequent
fault of boiled puddings, which are often solid bodies, is being

104 DESSERTS.

underdone. Baked puddings are as often scorched. Puddings
may be steamed with advantage, placing the mold or basin in the
steamer and keeping the water boiling under it. When the pud-
ding-cloths are to be used, dip them in hot water, and dredge them
with flour; the molds must be buttered. When a pudding begins
to set, stir it up in the dish, if it is desired that the fruit, etc.,
should not settle to the bottom; and, if boiled, turn over the cloth
in the pot for the same reason, and also to prevent it sticking to the
bottom, on which a plate may be laid as a preventive. The time
of boiling must be according to size and solidity. When the pud-
ding is taken out of the pot, dip it quickly into cold water. Set it
in a basin of its size; it will then more readily separate from the
cloth without breaking. Remember that sugar, butter, and suet
become liquids in boiling; it is from their excess that puddings
often break. Be, therefore, rather sparing of sugar; for if you
have much syrup you must have more eggs and flour, which make
puddings heavy. It is often the quantity of sugar that makes
tapioca and arrowroot, boiled plain, troublesome to keep in shape
when molded. Rice or other grain puddings must not be allowed
to boil in the oven before setting, or the ingredients will separate
and never set; so never put them in a very hot oven. As a rule,
we may assume that such flavoring ingredients as lemon — grate or
juice, vanilla and cocoanut, are more admired in modern puddings
than cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Care must be taken to mix
batter puddings smoothly. Let the dried flour be gradually mixed
with a little of the milk, as in making starch, and afterwards, in
nice cookery, strain it through a coarse sieve. Puddings are lighter
boiled than baked. Raisins, prunes, and damsons, for puddings
must be carefully stoned; or, Sultanas may be used in place of
other raisins; currants must be picked and plunged in hot water,
rubbed in a floured cloth, and plumped and dried before the fire;
almonds must be blanched and sliced; and in mixing grated bread,
pounded biscuit, etc., with milk, pour the milk on them while hot,
and cover the vessel for an hour, which is both better and easier

DESSERTS. 105

than boiling. Suet must be quite fresh and free from fiber. Mut-
ton suet for puddings is lighter than beef; but marrow, when it
can be obtained, is richer than either. A baked pudding, for com-
pany, lias often a paste border, or a garnishing of blanched and
sliced almonds about it, but these borders are merely matters of
ornament; if molded, puddings may also be garnished in various
ways, as with bits of currant jelly. The best seasoning for plain
batter puddings are extracts of orange or lemon, or orange-flower
water. The sweetness and flavor of pudding must, in most cases,
be determined by individual tastes. Sugar can be added at table.

To Young Housekeepers.

All young housekeepers should learn as soon as possible how to
prepare dishes for dessert which can be made on very short notice,
that they may not be annoyed in the event of unexpected company
to dinner. In summer, fruit answers every purpose, but at other
seasons, and particularly if the first course is not very elaborate,
she will need to have something more substantial. A delicious
pudding can be made in a few minutes by taking one pint of milk
and stirring into it half a cup of cassava, half a cup of cocoanut, two
eggs, a little butter, salt and sugar to taste; flavor with vanilla.
€ook this as you would boiled custard. When cooked and put in
the dish in which it is to be served, pour over the top the white of
one egg beaten to a stiff froth, with a tablespoonful of pulverized
sugar added. Set it in the oven for a short time to brown. This
may be eaten warm or cold, with jelly or preserves or without.
Another dish which is easily made and which is economical as well
as palatable, is to take slices of cake which are a little dry and pour
over them while hot some boiled custard; cover the dish quickly,
and the hot custard will steam the cake sufficiently. Raisin cake
steamed and served with some pudding sauce is good. Velvet
cream, to be eaten with cake, is made in this way: Beat the whites
of four eggs to a stiff froth; add two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two
tablespoonfuls of currant jelly, two tablespoonfuls of raspberry

106 DESSERTS.

jam; beat all well together; cream may be added or not, as you
choose. Oranges cut up, with sugar and grated cocoanut sprinkled
over them are also nice for cake.

Arrowroot Pudding.

One quart milk, three and one-half tablespoonfuls arrowroot, four
eggs, one cup sugar, one teaspoonful each of extract nutmeg and
cinnamon.

Boil the milk, add the arrowroot dissolved in a little water,
and the sugar; let reboil; take from the fire; beat in the eggs,
whipped a little, and the extracts; pour in a well-buttered earthen-
ware dish, and bake in a quick oven one-half an hour; a few minutes
before taking from the oven, sift two tablespoonfuls sugar over it,
and set back to glaze. This pudding is generally eaten cold.

Almond Pudding.
Two egg muffins, one cup almonds, blanched — pouring boiling
water on them till the skin slips easily off — and pounded to a fine
paste, one and one-half cups sugar, four eggs, one and one-half
pints milk, one teaspoonful each of extract bitter almonds and rose.
Cut off the top crust from muffins very thin; steep them in the
milk; beat the yolks of the eggs and sugar with the almonds, then
add the steeped muffins squeezed a little dry; dilute with the milk,
add the extract, and put it thus prepared into a well-buttered
earthenware dish; then stir gently in the whites beaten to a dry
froth, and bake in a moderately quick oven about one-half hour.

Pie-Plant Charlotte.
Wash and cut the pie-plant into small pieces, cover the bottom
of a pudding dish with a layer of pie-plant and sugar, then a layer
of bread crumbs and bits of butter, or thin slices of bread nicely
buttered, and so on until the dish is full. Bake three-quarters of
an hour in a moderate oven. Allow a pound of sugar to a pound
of fruit. If preferred, turn over the charlotte a boiled custard
when ready for the table.

DESSERTS. 107

Croquettes of Rice.

Put a quarter of a pound of rice, one pint of milk, three table-
spoonfuls of finely-sifted sugar, a piece of butter the size of a small
nut and the thin rind of a lemon, into a saucepan. Any other
flavoring may be used if preferred. Simmer gently until the rice
is tender and the milk absorbed. It must be boiled until thick
and dry, or it will be difficult to mould into croquettes. Beat it
thoroughly for three or four minutes, then turn it out, and when it
is cold and still, form it into small balls; dip these in egg, sprinkle
a few bread crumbs over
them, and fry them in clar-
ified fat till they are lightly
and equally browned. Put
them on a piece of clean j V
blotting paper, to drain the
fat from them, and serve
them piled high on the dish. If it can be done without breaking
them, it is an improvement to introduce a little jam into the middle
of each one; or jam may be served with them. Time, about one
hour to boil the rice, ten minutes to fry the croquettes.
Bombes au Riz.

Take half a pint of rice, put in three pints of boiling water, and
salt. Let it boil fifteen minutes. At the end of that time drain
the rice, pour on milk enough to cover it; put it on the back part
of the stove, where it will not burn, and let it absoi'b the milk; put
in enough milk to make the rice soft. While the milk is being
absorbed add four tablespoonfuls of sweetening and one teaspoonful
of flavoring. When the rice is thoroughly tender take it from the
fire and add the yolks of three eggs. If the rice is not hot enough
to thicken the eggs, put it back on the fire; stir constantly and let
it remain just long enough to thicken, but don't let it burn. As
soon as it thickens put it on a dish and rub with salad oil; then put
it where it will get very cold. As soon as cold it is ready to use

108 DESSERTS.

for rice croquets or bombes. Take a tablespoonful of rice in
your hand and flatten it; put a plum or any sweetmeat in the
center, roll the rice round the sweetmeat, roll in cracker dust, dip
in egg, then roll in the cracker dust again. Fry in smoking hot
lard and, serve hot or cold.

Green Corn Pudding.
A most delicious accompaniment to a meat course. Take one
quart of milk, five eggs, two tablespoonfuls melted butter, one
tablespoonful white sugar, and a dozen large ears green corn; grate
the corn from the cob; beat the whites and the yolks of the eggs
separately; put the corn and yolks together, stir hard and add the
butter, then the milk gradually, beating all the while, next the
sugar, and a little salt, lastly the whites. Bake slow at first, cover-
ing the dish for an hour; remove the cover and brown nicely.

Cottage Pudding.

One cup milk, two of flour, three teaspoonfuls baking powder,
two tablespoonfuls melted butter, one egg, one cup of sugar. Steam
three-quarters, or bake one hour. Serve with sauce.

Cranberry Roll.

Stew a quart of cranberries in just water enough to keep them
from burning. Make very sweet, strain, and cool. Make a paste,
and when the cranberry is cold, spread it on the paste about an inch
thick. Roll it, tie it close in a flannel cloth, boil two hours and
serve with a sweet sauce. Stewed apples or other fruit may be used
in the same way.

Delmonico Pudding.

One quart scalded milk, three tablespoonfuls corn starch, moist-
ened with a little cold milk; stir into the boiling milk the yolks of
six eggs well beaten, four tablespoonfuls sugar; stir all together.
Take it off the fire, flavor it, and put into a pudding dish. Then
beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, spread over the top, and
brown in the oven.

DESSERTS. 109

Eve's Pudding.
Take equal quantities of flour, fresh butter, and sugar, six ounces
Df each; beat the butter to a cream, and beat the sugar and flour
into it. Separate the yolks from the whites of four eggs, beat them
until light, and add the yolks first, then the whites, to the batter,
and lastly half a dozen almonds, blanched and pounded, and the
grated rind of a lemon. Beat well, and fill small cups to about
half; then set before the fire to rise. In five minutes put them into
the oven and bake for half an hour.

Fig Pudding.

Half a pound figs, half cup suet, half a pound bread crumbs, one
tablespoonful sugar, three eggs, one cup milk; chop the suet and
figs fine, add some cinnamon and nutmeg, and a glass of wine, if
you choose, or leave it out if you prefer. Boil it three hours —
sauce.

Fruit Pudding.

Take one cup each sweet milk, suet (minced), raisins, currants,
and molasses. Stiffen with bread crumbs and a little flour, having
added three teaspoonfuls baking powder to the flour and crumbs;
boil or steam till done. This pudding is equally as good the second
day as the first.

Baked Farina Pudding.

Stir into a quart of milk when boiling one-half pound farina, cook
it five minutes and set it aside to cool, meanwhile stir four ounces
of butter to a cream, grate the rind of a lemon and add the yolk of
six eggs, one cup each of sugar, raisins, and currants, and mix all
well together with the cooked farina. Beat the whites of the eggs
to a froth, stir it into the batter, and bake slowly for an hour.

Plain Fruit Pudding.
Take one and a half cups of flour, one cup of bread crumbs, one
cup of raisins, half a cup of currants, two nutmegs, one cup of suet
chopped fine, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, four eggs, a wine glass

110 DESSERTS.

of brandy, a wine glass of syrup, and a little milk if necessary. Mix
very thoroughly; tie it in a cloth as tight as possible, and boil fast
for five or six hours. Serve with wine sauce.

Florentine Pudding.
Put a quart of milk into your pan, let it come to a boil; mix
smoothly three tablespoonfuls of corn starch and a little cold milk;
add the yolks of three eggs beaten, half a cup of sugar, flavor with
vanilla, lemon, or anything your fancy suggests; stir into the
scalding milk, continue stirring till of the consistency of starch (ready
for use), then put into the pan or dish you wish to serve it in; beat
the whites of the eggs with a cup of pulverized sugar, and spread over
the top ; place in the oven a few minutes, till the frosting is a pretty
brown. Can be eaten with cream, or is good enough without. For
a change, you can bake in cups.

Gelatine Pudding.

One ounce gelatine, one pint cold milk; set on range, and let
come slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally; separate the yolks and
whites of six fresh eggs; beat the yolks well and stir slowly into
hot milk; add half a pound of granulated sugar; when quite cold,
stir in a quart of whipped cream; flavor with vanilla and lemon
extract mixed; have the whites of the eggs beaten very stiff, and
stir in the last thing; pack on ice.

Ginger Pudding.

One egg, one cup of molasses, half a cup butter, half a cup of
fruit, half a cup of hot water, one tablespoonful of ginger, one
teaspoonful of soda. Stir stiff and steam one hour.

Sauce for Ginger Pudding. — One egg, one cup sugar, one-third
of a cup of butter, one tablespoonful of flour, one and one-half
tablespoonfuls of lemon. Pour boiling water in and make like thin
starch.

Honey Comb Pudding.

Three cups flour, one cup beef suet, one cup milk, one cup

DESSERTS. Ill

molasses, one cup raisins, currants or whortleberries in the season,
one teaspoonful soda, a little salt. Boil or steam three hours —
sauce.

HUCKLEBERRY PuDDrNG.

One cup sugar, one-half cup butter, two of milk, two eggs, two
cups of berries, one teaspoonful of soda, two of cream of tartar, salt.
Mix stiff as gingerbread. Boil two hours in a tin pail. Serve with
sauce.

Hen's Nest.

Make blanc mange, pour in egg shells and set to cool; when cold,
break the egg shells, place in glass dish, cut strips of lemon peel
and let boil in syrup of sugar and water till tender, and sprinkle on
the egg shapes, and make custard and pour over the nest.

Indian Pudding.

Stir a pint of com meal into a quart of boiling milk; melt four
ounces of butter; mix it first with a pint of molasses, and then,
very gradually, with the meal. Flavor with nutmeg and grated
lemon peel, or cinnamon, and as soon as the mixture has cooled,
add, stirring briskly, six well-beaten eggs. Butter a dish and bake
at once.

Apple Pudding.

A loaf of stale bread, steamed twenty minutes before dinner,
sliced, spread with stewed apple, and a little butter, strewn with
sugar and browned lightly in a quick oven, makes as good a pud-
ding as any one would like, with either hard or liquid sauce.

Apple Batter Pudding.
Six or eight fine juicy apples, pared and cored, one quart of milk,
ten tablespoonfuls of flour, six eggs, beaten very light, one table-
spoonful butter — melted, one saltspoonful of salt, one-half tea-
spoonful soda, one teaspoonful cream of tartar. Set the apples
close together, in the baking dish; put in enough cold water to half
cover them, and bake, closely covered, until che edges are clear, but

112 DESSERTS.

not until they begin to break. Drain off the water, and let the
fruit get cold before pouring over them a batter made of the ingre-
dients enumerated above. Bake in a quick oven. Serve in the
baking dish, and eat with sauce.

Apple Float.

To one quart of apples partially stewed and well mashed, put the
whites of three eggs well beaten, and four heaping tablespoonfuls
loaf sugar; beat them together fifteen minutes, and eat with rich
milk and nutmeg.

Apple Slump.

One quart flour sifted with three teaspoonfuls baking powder;
shorten with one teaspoonful butter rubbed into the flour. Mix
with cold milk or water, the same as for biscuit. Put two
quarts of pared, sliced or quartered apples with one pint of water
into the dish in which the slump is to be cooked. Roll the crust
about an inch thick, cut into quarters and with it cover the apples
in the dish ; then cover the whole with a close fitting cover, and
boil or steam till done. Take out on a platter and grate nutmeg
over the apple. Serve with a sweet sauce or sugar and cream.

Baked Apple Dumplings.
To one quart flour add two heaping teaspoonfuls baking powder,
and the usual quantity of salt. Thoroughly mix while dry and
sift. Then take one tablespoonful lard and one tablespoonful but-
ter and chop them into the flour prepared as above. Then mix
with sweet milk to a thin dough, just stiff enough to handle
Roll it out half an inch thick and cut into squares.

Apples Surprised.
Peel, core, and slice about five nice cooking apples, sprinkle the
slices with a spoonful of flour, one of grated bread, and a little
sugar. Have some lard quite hot in a small stew-pan, put the slices
of apple in it, and fry of a light yellow; when all are done, take
a piece of butter the size of a walnut, and a good spoonful of grated

DESSERTS. 113

bread, a spoonful of sugar, and a cup of milk; put into the pan,
and when they boil up throw in the apple slices, hold the whole
over the fire for two minutes, when it will be ready to serve.

Amber Pudding.
Six eggs beaten light, one cup of cream, creamed with one-half
cup of butter, juice of a lemon, and half the grated peel, a good
pinch of nutmeg, puff paste. Mix sugar, butter, eggs, together;
put into a custard kettle, set in hot water, and stir until it thickens.
Stir in lemon and nutmeg, and let it get cold. Put a strip of paste
around the edge of a pie plate; print it prettily; pour in the cold
mixture, and bake in a steady, not too hot oven. Eat cold.

Ambrosia.
Eight fine oranges, peeled and sliced, one-half grated cocoanut,
one-half cup of powdered sugar. Arrange slices of orange in a
glass dish; scatter grated cocoanut thickly over them; sprinkle this
lightly with sugar, and cover with another layer of orange. Fill
the dish in this order, having a double quantity of cocoanut and
sugar at top. Serve soon after it is prepared.

Apple Omelette.

Six large pippins or other large tart apples, one tablespoonful of
butter, three eggs, six tablespoonfuls of white sugar, nutmeg to the
taste, and one teaspoonful of rose water; pare, core, and stew the
apples, as for sauce; heat them very smooth while hot, adding
butter, sugar, and flavoring; when quite cold, add the eggs, beaten
separately very light; put in the whites last and pour into a deep
bake-dish previously warmed and well buttered. Bake in a mod-
erate oven until it is delicately browned. Eat warm — not hot. A
wholesome dish for children.

Apple Charlotte.

Butter your pudding dish, line it with bread buttered on both
sides ; put a thick layer of apples, cut in thin slices, sugar, a little
cinnamon and butter on top, then another layer of bread, apples,

114 DESSERTS.

sugar, cinnamon and butter last. Bake slowly one and a half
hours, keeping the pan covered until half an hour before serving;
let the apples brown on top.

Bancroft Pudding.
One tablespoonful melted butter, one cup sugar, one egg well
beaten, one pint flour, two teaspoonf uls cream of tartar, one of soda,
one cup sweet milk; beat well and bake thirty minutes.

Bread Pudding.
One pint fine bread crumbs to one quart of milk, one cup sugar,
yolks of four eggs, well beaten, grated rind of lemon, piece of
butter size of an egg. Don't let it bake till watery. Whip the
whites of the eggs with one cup sugar to a stiff froth, and put into
this the juice of the lemon; spread over the pudding a layer of
jelly or other sweemeat; then spread the whites of eggs over this,
and replace in the oven and bake lightly.

Banana and Apple Tart.

Make crust of fine flour and fresh butter. Make little crust, but
make it good. Slice apples fine and put in dish with three or four
bananas sliced, only adding sugar and perhaps a little syrup, if you
have got it. Cover crust over fruit; brush a little melted butter
over top, strew white sugar on and bake twenty minutes or more,
as required.

Bird's Nest Pudding.

Pare, quarter and core nice tart apples; butter a pie tin and slice
the apples in it; make a batter of one cup cream (sour and not very
rich), one teaspoonful soda, one egg, a little salt, and flour enough
to make a stiff batter. Pour this over the apples and bake; when
done turn bottom side up and spread thickly with good sweet
butter and sugar. To be eaten warm.

Bird's Nest Pudding, No. 2.
Take eight or ten nice apples, pare whole and core; place in a

DESSERTS. 115

pudding dish; fill the cores with sugar and nutmeg. Make a cus-
tard of five eggs to one quart of milk, sweeten to taste; pour this
over the apples and bake half an hour.

Cabinet Pudding.

In making it use one pint of milk, six eggs, and a quantity of
stale cake — stale bread could be used. The tin must be carefully
greased with butter, and around the inside place bits of fruit. For
this, citron, cherries, currants, or any kind of dried fruit, could be
used. Over this is put a layer of light colored cake, sponge cake
perhaps, and the center is filled to near the top of the dish with
broken up pieces. Upon this is poured the custard made of the
eggs and milk thoroughly beaten up and flavored to suit the taste.
The dish is then placed in a kettle of boiling water, the water
coming up within about two-thirds of the way to the top. The pot
is covered and boiled until done thoroughly.

Cream Batter Pudding.

Take one cup of sour cream and rub with one cup of flour until
smooth; then pour in one cup of sweet milk, three eggs — the yolks
and whites beaten separately, a little salt and two-thirds of a tea-
spoonful of soda. Bake in a quick oven. To be eaten with cream
and sugar.

Cracker Pudding.

Four crackers pounded and sifted, small piece of butter, one and
one-half pints milk, scalded and poured on the cracker and butter,
four eggs, sugar to sweeten, nutmeg.

Chocolate Puddtng.
One quart of sweet milk, three ounces grated chocolate. Scald
the milk and chocolate together; when cool, add the yolks of five
eggs and one cup sugar. Bake about twenty-five minutes; beat
the whites from the top; brown in the oven; eat cold.
Charlotte Pudding.
Remove the crust from a loaf of bread, dip in milk, and spread

116 DESSERTS.

the slices with butter. Pare and cut apples very thin. Lay the
bread in a buttered dish, spread over the apples, sweeten and flavor
with the juice and grated rind of a lemon. Bake till the apples are
tender.

Cottage Pudding.

Warm two and one-half tablespoonfuls butter, stir in a cup of sugar
and two eggs well beaten, two teaspoonfuls cream of tartar in one
pint flour, one teaspoonful soda dissolved in one cup milk, flavor
with nutmeg or lemon. Bake three-quarters of an hour and serve
hot with sauce.

CuSTAKD BBEAD PUDDING.

Two cups fine dry crumbs; one quart of milk; five eggs, beaten
light; one tablespoonful corn starch; one teaspoonful of salt, and
one-half teaspoonful of soda, dissolved in milk; flavor to taste.
Soak the crumbs in the milk, and heat in a custard kettle to a boil.
Add the corn starch wet with cold milk, cook one minute, turn out
and beat hard. When smooth and almost cold, whip in the yolks,
the flavoring, lastly, the whites. Boil in a buttered mold an hour
and a half. Eat hot with sweet sauce. It is excellent.
Cocoanut Pudding.

Take sufficient stale bread to make a pudding, the size you
require; pour boiling water over it. After it is soaked well, take a
fork and see that no lumps of bread remain; then add half a cup of
grated cocoanut, make a custard of one quart of milk, and four
eggs, flavor with nutmeg (of course you will sweeten it with white
sugar) ; pour over and bake immediately.
Ceeam Pudding.

One quart of milk; one cup of hot boiled rice well cooked but
not broken; one cup of sugar; one heaping tablespoonful of corn
starch; five eggs; one-fourth teaspoonful of cinnamon and the same
of grated lemon peel. Heat the milk, stir in the corn starch wet
up with cold milk; then the beaten yolks and sugar. Add to these
the heaping cup of boiled rice. Stir until it begins to thicken, add

DESSERTS. 117

the seasoning, and pour into a buttered bake-disk Bake until well

"set;" spread with a meringue of the whites and a little sugar,

made very stiff. When this has colored lightly, take from the

oven. Make on Saturday, and set on ice until Sunday. The colder

it is the better.

Crumb Pudding.

Three egg yolks, one ounce of sugar, one ounce of bread crumbs,
half a teaspoonf ul of cinnamon. Beat the egg-yolks, sugar, crumbs,
and spice in a basin for five minutes. Add the three egg-whites
beaten to a white snow (not too firm), bake in a buttered shallow
tin or dish, and when quite cooled turn into a flat dish with the
lower side upward, pour over it a glassful of wine boiled with a
little sugar and spice, and serve while hot,
Irish Rock.

A sweet for dessert, Wash the salt from half a pound of butter,
and beat into it a quarter of a pound of finely powdered sugar;
blanch a pound of sweet almonds and an ounce of bitter; pound
these in a mortar, reserving enough of the sweet almonds to spike
for ornamenting the dish when sent to table; add the butter and
sugar, with a quarter of a glass of brandy, and pound until smooth
and white; when, after having become firm, it may be molded
into a large egg-like shape, and stuck full of almond meats. It
should be placed high on a glass dish, with a decoration of green
sweetmeats and a sprig of myrtle, or garnish with any green fruits
or sweetmeats.

Jelly Rice.

Mix four ounces of rice flour smoothly and gradually with a quart
of cold milk; put them into a sauce pan, with a quarter of an ounce
of clarified isinglass, the thin rind of half a lemon, four bitter
almonds, blanched and pounded, and four ounces of sugar. Boil
and stir briskly until quite thick; take out the lemon rind and pour
the mixture into a damp mold. When it is firmly set, turn it on a
glass dish, pour melted currant jelly, or any fruit syrup, round it,
and send a dish of cream to table with it.

118 DESSERTS.

Jelly Custard.
One quart of milk, six eggs — whites and yolks, one cup sugar,
flavoring to taste, some red and yellow jelly, — raspberry is good for
one, orange jelly for the other. Make a custard of the eggs, milk
and sugar; boil gently until it thickens well; flavor when cold; fill
your custard glasses two-thirds full and heap up with the two kinds
of jelly — the red upon some, the yellow upon others.

Jelly Tartlets.
Make the paste the same as for pies ; line small patty pans, prick-
ing the paste in the bottom to keep it from puffing too high; bake
in a quick oven and fill with jelly or jam.

Kiss Pudding.

Beat the yolks of three eggs and half a cup of sugar till light,
add one and a half tablespoonf uls of corn starch, stir in one pint of
boiling milk, stir on the stove till thick, pour in a pudding dish;
beat the whites of the eggs with half a cup of sugar, spread over
the top and brown.

Lemon Pudding.

One lemon grated, rind and pulp, one cup of sugar, one cup of
water or sweet milk, four eggs, three tablespoonfuls of melted
butter, two tablespoonfuls of flour. Line a deep dish with pastry
crusts, pour the custard in, bake thirty minutes. Beat the whites
of three or four eggs to a stiff froth, sweeten, spread over the top
of the pudding, and let brown slightly.

Lemon Trifle.

Two lemons — juice of both and grated rind of one, one cup
sherry, one large cup of sugar, one pint cream well sweetened and
whipped stiff, a little nutmeg. Strain the lemon juice before adding
the wine and nutmeg. Strain again and whip gradually into the
frothed cream. Serve in jelly glasses and send around cake with
it. It should be eaten soon after it is made.

DESSERTS. 119

Lemon Pudding.

Two eggs, four tablespoonfuls of flour, one-half cup sweet cream,
one cup sweet milk, one tablespoonf ul butter, one cup sugar, grated
rind and juice of one-half lemon. Bake in a moderate over.
Meringue Rice Pudding.

Take a cup of rice to one pint of water; when the rice is boiled
dry add one pint milk, a piece of butter size of an egg, and five
eggs. Beat the yolks, and grated rind of a lemon, and mix with
the rice. Butter a dish; pour in the mixture, and bake lightly.
Beat the whites to a stiff froth; add a cup of sugar and the juice of
a lemon. When the pudding is nearly done, spread on this frosting,
and bake in a slow oven till the top is light brown.
Malagan Pudding.

One-third cup rice, one cup sugar, two eggs, one pint milk, half a
lemon and salt. Soak the rice over night. Beat the yolks of the
eggs with one tablespoonful of the sugar, and grate in the lemon
rind; add the rice and milk. Bake one hour. Take the whites of
the eggs and beat to a stiff froth with the rest of the sugar, then
add the lemon juice. Pour it over the pudding after it is baked,
and brown it in the oven two or three minutes. To be eaten cold.
Mitchell Pudding.

One cup raisins, one cup chopped suet or butter, one cup molasses
— some like one cup sugar Avith two spoonfuls molasses better — one
cup sour milk, one , teaspoonf ul soda, salt, flour to make a stiff
batter. Steam three or four hours. Sauce.
Maud's Pudding.

Six eggs, ten tablespoonfuls flour, butter the size of an egg, salt;
mix to a light batter with sweet milk and baking powder in flour —
it will rise high, bake in ten minutes in a quick oven— put into the
oven just as dinner is being served so it will not fall before coming
to the table. Serve with cream flavored with lemon or other
extract to taste.

120 DESSERTS.

Orange Pudding.
Soak the crumbs of a French roll in milk, let it drain in a colander
for half an hour, break it with a spoon in a basin, add two ounces
of sugar, grated, one ounce of butter, warmed, the yolks of four
eggs, the juice of four oranges, the grated rind of one, and finally
the four egg-whites beaten (not too stiffly) on a plate with a knife,
and bake in a buttered dish in a quick oven. The pudding will be
equally good' boiled in a mold for an hour and a half, and served
with a sweet sauce.

Christmas Plum Pudding.
Shred finely three-quarters of a pound of beef suet, and add to it
a pinch of salt, one pound and a half of bread crumbs, half a pound
of flour, three-quarters of a pound of raisins, three-quarters of a
pound of currants, picked and dried, two ounces of candied lemon
and citron together, and half a large nutmeg. Mix these thor-
oughly, then add four eggs
and milk enough to moisten
it, but not too much or the
pudding will be heavy. Tie
in a pudding cloth, well
floured, and boil for five or
six hours; or, we think bet-
ter when boiled in a mold'
which should be well buttered before the mixture is put in. The
mold should not be quite full and should be covered with one or
two folds of paper, buttered and floured, and then with a floured
pudding cloth.

Plum Pudding.
One pound of raisins, one of currants, one of suet chopped fine,
and add three-quarters of a pound of stale bread crumbs, one-
quarter pound of flour, one-quarter pound of brown sugar, rind of
one lemon (chopped fine), one-half nutmeg grated, five eggs, one-
half pound mixed candied peel, one-half pint of brandy; mix well

DESSERTS. 121

the dry ingredients; beat the eggs with the brandy; pour this over
the other things and thoroughly mix; to be boiled in a basin or
mold for six hours at the time of making, and six hours when
wanted for use.

English Plum Pudding.

One pound beef suet, three-quarters pound bread crumbs (not
flour), three-quarters pound raisins, three-quarters pound currants,
two ounces sweet almonds, with two or three bitter ones, eight
eggs, well beaten, one quarter pound citron, a glass of brandy and
one of sherry wine; grate in one-half of a nutmeg, and sweeten to
your taste; mix all these ingredients well; boil six hours in a bowl
or cloth. When turned out and ready for the table, pour over
brandy, set on fire and carry to table surrounded by blue flame.
This quantity will be dessert for six persons. Two or three times
the quantity may be made, boiled five hours, and set away for use
New Year's, Easter, or any intervening birthday. It will be good
at the end of twelve months. When wanted to use, boil two hours
longer.

Plum Pudding.

One coffeecup of molasses, one coffeecup of milk, one coffeecup
of chopped suet, one coffeecup of chopped raisins, four coffeecups
of flour, one teaspoonf ul of salt, three teaspoonfuls of baking pow-
der, and one egg. Boil or steam three hours. Flavor with wine,
or extract of orange, on sauce.

Rich Plum Pudding.
Beat up eight eggs, yolks and whites separately, and strain; mix
them with a pint of thick cream; stir in half a pound of flour and
half a pound of bread crumbs rubbed through the colander; when
well mixed beat in one pound of beef suet, chopped very fine, one
pound of currants, one pound of finely chopped raisins, one pound
of powdered sugar, two ounces of candied lemon, and two of citron,
and a nutmeg grated; mix up all with half a pint of brandy or of
wine; boil in a cloth for six or seven hours. Any of these Christ-

122 DESSERTS.

mas puddings may be kept for a month after boiling, if the cloth in
which they are made be replaced by a clean one, and the puddings
be hung to the ceiling of a kitchen or any warm store-room; they
will then be ready for use, and will require only one hour's boiling
to heat them thoroughly.

Baked Plum Pudding.

One and a half cups of suet, chopped fine, one cup of raisins, stoned,,
one-half cup of milk, one cup of currants, one teaspoonful of
saleratus, one-half cup of citron, chopped, one-half teaspoonful each
of spice and salt, one-half cup sugar, one-half cup of molasses, two
eggs, flour enough for a stiff batter. Bake two hours and serve
with sauce.

Poor Man's Pudding.

Take one quart of milk, six eggs, six tablespoonfuls of flour, and
a little salt. Bake half an hour. Use butter and sugar dip.

Raisin Puffs.
Two eggs, one-half cup butter, three teaspoonfuls baking powder,
two tablespoonfuls sugar, two cups of flour, one of milk, one of
raisins, chopped very fine. Steam one-half hour in small cups.

Roly Poly Pudding.
The pastry for this favorite pudding may be made in several
different ways, according to the degree of richness required. For
a superior pudding, mix a pound of flour with half a pound of very
finely shred suet, freed from skin and fibre; add a good pinch of
salt, an egg, and nearly half a pint of milk; roll it out to a long thin
form, a quarter of an inch thick, and of a width to suit the size of
the saucepan in which it is to be boiled; spread over it a layer of
any kind of jam, berries, or fruit, and be careful that the sauce
does not reach the edges of the pastry. Begin at one end and roll
it up, to fasten the fruit inside, moisten the edges and press them
securely together; dip a cloth in boiling water, flour it well, and
tie the pudding tightly in it; put it into a saucepan of boiling

DESSERTS. 123

water, at the bottom of which a plate has been laid to keep the
pudding from burning, and boil quickly until done. If it is neces-
sary to add more water, let it be boiling when put in, or the pud-
ding may be steamed. Marmalade, sliced lemon or orange and
sugar, chopped apples, or currants, may be used for filling. If
boiled, it will require from an hour and a half to two hours to
boil.

Rice Pudding.

One quart of milk, one cup of rice (boiled), three eggs, two
tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one teaspoonful of extract of lemon,
vanilla, or orange.

Sago Pudding.

One quart rich, sweet milk, four tablespoonfuls of sago, four
eggs, one cup sugar, and flavoring; soak sago over night in water;
then beat yolks of eggs, sugar, and sago together; add milk and
flavoring; set a basin in the steamer, pour in the mixture and
steam one hour; beat whites with one tablespoonful of sugar to a
stiff froth; spread over pudding and brown in oven five minutes;
stir while steaming or the sago will settle to the bottom.

Suet Pudding.
One small cup of suet cut fine, one cup of molasses, one cup
chopped raisins, one cup sour milk, half a teaspoonful each of
cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, and one teaspoonful of soda. Stir
thick with flour, and put in pudding bag, leaving room to rise, and
boil three hours.

Steamed Pudding.
One cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, three eggs, one cup of
milk, three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and three cups
of flour; steam one hour.

Snow Pudding.
Pour one pint of boiling water on half a box of gelatine; add
juice of one lemon and two cups sugar; when nearly cold, strain it,
add the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, then beat all

124 DESSERTS.

well together again, put it into a mold to shape it, and let it cooL
Take the yolks of these eggs, one pint milk, and one teaspoonful
corn starch, flavor with vanilla; cook this like any soft custard, put
the hard part of the pudding into a dish, when you want to serve it,
with the custard round it.

Steamed Pudding.
One cup sweet milk, two-thirds cup butter, one cup molasses, one
cup chopped raisins, three cups flour, two-thirds teaspoonful soda.
Put into a covered pail and steam three hours.

Strawberry Short Cake.

Rub into one quart of flour five ounces of lard, a pinch of salt,
and three tablespoonfuls of baking powder; add gradually enough
milk to make a soft dough; divide into four parts; roll one part
out lightly; cover a straight-sided Vienna cake tin with it. Roll
out another part and lay it on top of the first. Proceed in the same
way with the other two parts, using another baking tin. Bake
quickly, and when done, while hot, lift the upper part from each
pan, butter the inner surfaces, and place between the two crusts a
layer, an inch thick, of fresh berries, mashed and sweetened. Serve
immediately, with cream. A raspberry shortcake may be made
with the same pastry.

Custard to pour over Strawberry Shortcake. — One cup sugar, one
tablespoonful corn starch, one egg, and one pint of milk. Flavor
and cook as custard.

Stkattberrt Shortcake, "No. 2.
Mix a saltspoonful of salt with a pound of flour; chop in three
tablespoonfuls of butter; dissolve a teaspoonful of soda in a little
hot water, and add with a well-beaten egg to a large cup of sour
cream or rich " lobbered " milk, and a tablespoonful of sugar. Put
all together, handling as little as possible, and mix as soft as can be
rolled. Roll lightly and quickly into two sheets, and bake in round
tins, well greased, laying one sheet on the other. When done,

DESSERTS. 125

separate, they will part where they were joined. Lay on the
lower sheet a thick layer of strawberries, and dust with powdered
sugar. If desired, strawberries can be placed on top and sugared
as before. Serve with sweet cream. If the strawberries are just
heated a little and crushed lightly, with a spoon and then put
between the crusts, it is much improved.

Tapioca Pudding.
Put a cup of tapioca and a teaspoonful of salt into a pint and a
half of water and let it stand a couple of hours where it will be
quite warm and not cook. Peel six tart apples, take out their cores
and fill them with sugar in which is grated a little nutmeg and
lemon peel, and put them in a pudding dish. Over these pour the
tapioca, first mixing with it a tablespoonf ul of melted butter and a
little cold milk. Bake one hour. Eat with sauce.

Tapioca Pudding, No. 2.
One cup tapioca, soaked in water an hour, one quart milk, three
eggs, one cup sugar. Bake.

To Cook Rice.

To cook rice so that the grains will be whole and tender, wash it
in cold water until the water looks clear, then cook it rapidly in
boiling water for fifteen minutes, after which drain and place the
covered saucepan on the back of the stove to steam until the grains
crack open and are tender, which will be about fifteen minutes
longer.

Vegetable Pudding.

Half a pound of carrots, half a pound of cold, mashed potatoes,
the same of flour, suet, sugar, four ounces candied lemon peel, one-
quarter of a pound of currants. Boil slowly for two hours.

Whipped Syllabubs.
One pint of cream, rich and sweet, one-half cup sugar, powdered,
one glass of wine, vanilla, or other extract one large teaspoonful.

126 DESSERTS.

Sweeten the cream, and, when the sugar is thoroughly dissolved,
stir in the wine carefully with the flavoring extract, and churn to a
strong froth. Heap in glasses and eat with cake.

Yankee Pudding.

One cup of molasses, one cup of sour milk or buttermilk, one-half
cup sugar, two teaspoonf uls of butter, two teaspoonfuls of saleratus,
one teaspoonf ul of ginger, same of cinnamon, five of flour, one egg;
bake in a shallow pan.

Sauce. — One pint of milk or cream, half cup sugar, white of one
egg, beaten lightly, one teaspoonf ul of corn starch; flavor with
nutmeg. Boil one minute.

Pudding Sauce.
A nice and easily made sauce for plum and all kinds of rich pud-
dings may be made as follows: Beat the yolks of two eggs, and
add four ounces of powdered sugar and half a pint of Madeira, and
set it upon a slow fire and stir until it becomes smooth, and
thickens. Serve in a sauce-tureen.

Sweet Sauce.

Sweeten a little good, melted butter, and flavor it with grated
lemon rind, nutmeg, or powdered cinnamon, strew a little of the
grate over the top, and serve in a tureen. A little wine or brandy
may be added at pleasure. This sauce is suitable for almost all
ordinary boiled puddings.

Fruit Sauce.

Boil fruit (almost any kind may be used) with a little water until
it is quite soft; rub it through a fine sieve; sweeten to taste; make
it hot, and pour over boiled or steamed puddings.

Fruit Pudding Sauce.
One-half cup butter, two and one-half cups sugar, one dessert-
spoonful corn starch wet in a little cold milk, one lemon — juice and
half the grated peel, one glass of wine, one cup boiling water.

DESSERTS. 127

Cream the butter and sugar well; pour the corn starch into the
boiling water, and stir over a clear fire until it is well thickened;
put all together in a bowl and beat five minutes before returning to
the saucepan. Heat once, almost to the boiling point, add the
wine, and serve.

Arrowroot Sauce.
Mix a tablespoonful of arrowroot smoothly with a little cold
water; add a third of a pint of water, a glass of wine, the juice of
a lemon, and sugar and flavoring; stir the sauce over the fire till
it boils. This sauce may be varied by omitting the wine, and using
milk with the arrowroot. The juice of almost any fruit, too, may
be boiled with the arrowroot.

German Custard Sauce.
Four yolks eggs, two ounces powdered sugar, grated rind of a
lemon, a glass of sherry, and a little salt. Beat it sharply over a
slow fire, until it assumes the appearance of a light, frothy custard.
It is a good sauce.

Pudding Sauce.
Two eggs, two cups sugar, and one cup butter, one glass of wine;
beat all well together till creamy, and set over the fire a few
minutes to scald through once, or set it in the tea kettle top to heat
through.

Puff Paste.

Use for each pound of butter one pound of flour. First the
butter should be worked or kneaded with the hand until all the
buttermilk or water which may be in it is squeezed out. Wet the
hand and the molding board with cold water. The butter must
not be put in with the cracks in it, which you will see on breaking
it, for these make the pastry full of flakes. By working with the
hand a smooth even paste can be made Avithout melting the butter.
After working, wrap in a towel dusted with flour and put in a cool
place. Mix one pound of flour, the yolk of one egg, one teaspoon^
ful of butter, the juice of a lemon, and a saltspoonful of salt, with

128 DESSERTS.

cold water enough to make a paste as soft as bread dough. The
lemon juice is for making the dough tender, and the egg is used
simply to give a yellowish appearance to the crust. This is the
French method of preparing paste. The pastry is worked to mix
the gluten with the water to make, first, a slightly tough dough to
hold the butter; the lemon juice afterward makes it tender. It
should be kneaded about five minutes. You can always tell when it
is kneaded enough, because it will then pull away from the hand
and not stick. Roll it out about the size of a large dinner plate,
lay in it the butter, fold the sides over, turn it over and roll into a
strip three times as long as it is wide, square at the corners, and
one-quarter of an inch thick. Fold one-tbird over the middle and
the other third over that, making three layers; roll again into a
strip three times as long as it is wide. Fold a second time and roll
out again in the same way. Fold again and wrap in a cloth, place
it in a pan and set where it will get very cold. This is called
giving the pastry " one turn." When it is made by fine confec-
tioners it usually has six " turns."

Pie Ckust.

Into one quart sifted flour, thoroughly mix two heaping tea-
spoonfuls baking powder, and sift again. Weigh out three-quar-
ters of a pound good butter. Take half of it and chop into the
flour until it is very fine. Then add enough cold water (ice water
is the best) to make a stiff dough. Roll out into a thin sheet and
baste with one-third the remaining butter, then roll it up closely
into a long roll, flatten and re-roll, then baste again. Repeat this
operation until the butter is gone. Then make out your crust. Do
it all as quickly as possible. The quantity of butter may be
increased or decreased to suit the taste, following the other direc-
tions as stated.

Good and Cheap Pie Crust.

One quart sifted flour, one teaspoonful salt, two heaping tea-
spoonfuls baking powder; mix thoroughly together while dry, and

DESSERTS. 129

sift. Then add cold sweet milk enough to make a stiff dough, and
roll out as usual. Use the " Pie Crust Glaze " on both the bottom
and top crusts, as per following recipe. Some prefer less of the
baking powder in the pie crust. A trial will determine what quan-
tity best suits your taste.

Pie Crust Glaze.

To prevent the juice soaking through into the crust and making
it soggy, wet the crust with a beaten egg just before you put in the
pie mixture. If the top of the pie is wet with the egg it gives it a
beautiful brown.

Pie Crust for Four Small Pies.

One and a half cups lard, one cup cold water, three and a half
oups flour, mix lard and flour together; add water last.

Tart Crust.

One cup of lard, one-half teaspoonful of salt, the white of an egg,
one-quarter teaspoonful of cream of tartar, one tablespoonful of
sugar, one-eighth teaspoonful of saleratus, three tablespoonfuls of
ice water; flour to roll; mix lard with one cup of flour; add salt,
sugar, and cream of tartar; beat egg; mix with water and saleratus,
all together; keep the dough cold; add flour to roll, one-quarter of
an inch thick. The above makes, eighteen tarts.

Icing Pastry.

When nearly baked enough, take the pastry out of the oven and
sift fine powdered sugar over it. Replace it in the oven, and hold
over it a hot salamander or shovel till the sugar is melted. The
above method is preferred for pastry to be eaten hot; for cold,
beat up the whites of two eggs well, wash over the tops of the pies
with a brush, and sift over this a good coating of sugar; cause it
to adhere to the egg and pie crust; trundle over it a clean brush,
dipped in water, till the sugar is all moistened. Bake again for
about ten minutes.

130 DESSERTS.

Puff Paste with Beef Suet.

When you cannot obtain good butter for making paste, the fol-
lowing is an excellent substitute: Skin and chop one pound of
kidney beef suet very fine, put it into a mortar and pound it well,
moistening with a little oil, till it become as it were one piece,
about the consistency of butter.

Apricot Pie.

Pare, stone, and half the apricots; place them in a pie dish, piling
them high in the center, strew over them a little sifted sugar, and
a few of the kernels, blanched and chopped fine. Cover them with
a good, light crust and bake in a moderate oven.
Apple Pie.

Fill the pie crust with sour, juicy apples, pared and sliced thin,
put on the upper crust and bake until the apples are soft, then
remove the upper crust, adding sugar to taste, a small piece of
butter, and a little grated nutmeg; stir this well through the apple
and replace the crust.

Apple Custard Pie.

Peel sour apples and stew until soft and not much water left in
them, then rub them through a colander, beat three eggs for each
pie to be baked, and put in at the rate of one cup of butter and one
of sugar for three pies. Line the pie tins with paste, put in the
apples first, spread the beaten eggs, butter and sugar, flavored with
nutmeg over it. Bake as pumpkin pie.

Boiled Cider Pie.

A boiled cider pie may be a novelty to some one. Take four

tablespoonfuls of boiled cider, three tablespoonfuls each of sugar

and water, two tablespoonfuls of flour, and one egg; beat all

together. Bake in a deep plate and with upper and under crusts.

Banana Pie.

Slice raw bananas, add butter, sugar, allspice, and vinegar, or
boiled cider or diluted jelly. Bake with two crusts.

DESSERTS. 131

Cracker Pie.

Soak ten crackers in one and one-half cups* of boiling water, add
one cup of molasses, one cup sugar, one cup butter, one cup raisins,
two-thirds cup of vinegar, one-half nutmeg, one-half teaspoonful
ground cloves, one teaspoonful cinnamon. Bake with two crusts.

Chocolate Pie.

One coffeecup milk, two tablespoonf uls grated chocolate, three-
fourths cup sugar, yolks of three eggs. Heat chocolate and milk
together; add the sugar and yolks together, beaten to cream.
Flavor with vanilla. Bake with under crust. Spread meringue of
the whites over the top.

Cocoanut Pie.

Open the eyes of a cocoanut with a pointed knife or gimlet, and
pour out the milk into a cup; then break the shell and take out the
meat and grate it fine. Take the same weight of sugar and the
grated nut and stir together; beat four eggs, the whites and yolks
separately, to a stiff foam; mix one cup of cream and the milk of
the cocoanut with the sugar and nut, then add the eggs and a few
drops of orange or lemon . extract. Line deep pie-tins with a nice
crust, fill them with the custard, and bake carefully one-half an
hour.

Jelly Custard.

To one cup of any sort of jelly, add one egg and beat well
together with three teaspoonfuls cream or milk. After mixing
thoroughly, bake in a good crust.

Custard Pie.
Line a deep plate with pie crust and fill with a custard made of
one pint of milk, three eggs, three tablespoonfuls of white sugar
and a pinch of salt; flavor with nutmeg; bake until firm in the
center; this you can tell by inserting the handle of a teaspoon; do
not let the oven get hot enough to boil it.

132 DESSERTS.

Cream Pie.
Pour a pint of cream upon a cup and a half of powdered sugar;
let it stand till the whites of three eggs have been beaten to a stiff
froth; add this to the cream, and beat up thoroughly, grate a little
nutmeg over the mixture and bake as custard pies.

Cream Pie, No. 2.
Three eggs, one cup sugar, one and one-fourth cups flour, juice
and grated rind of lemon, half teaspoonf ul soda dissolved, and one
tablespoonful cold water, stirred in the last thing. Bake in round
sheets.

Custard for Cream Pie.
A little more than half pint milk, half cup flour, one cup sugar,
two eggs. Boil, when cold, spread on the cakes and lay them
together. This receipt makes two pies.

Delicate Pie.

To stewed apples sufficient for four pies, one-half pound of

butter, six eggs, beaten separately, one pound of sugar; flavor with

lemon, the apples being quite cold before adding the eggs. Bake

as a tart pie.

Lemon Pie.

One cup of hot water, one tablespoonful of corn starch, one cup of
white sugar, one tablespoonful of butter, the juice and grated rind
of one lemon. Cook for a few minutes, add one egg, and bake
with a top and bottom crust.

Fruit Pie.

Line a soup plate with a rich paste, and spread with a layer of
strawberry or raspberry preserves; over which sprinkle two table-
spoonfuls of finely-chopped almonds (blanched of course), and one-
half ounce of candied lemon peel cut into shreds. Then mix the
following ingredients: One-half pound white sugar, one-quarter
pound butter, melted, four yolks and two whites of eggs, and a few
drops of almond essence. Beat well together and pour the mixture

DESSERTS. 133

into the soup plate over the preserves, etc. Bake in a moderately
warm oven. When cold, sprinkle or sift a little powdered sugar
over the top. A little cream eaten with it is a great addition.

Lemon Pie, No. 2.

The juice and grated rind of one lemon, one cup of white sugar,
the yolks of two eggs, three tablespoonfuls of sifted flour, and suf-
ficient milk to till a plate. Make with undercrust, but not the
uppercrust. Bake till nearly done and then add a frosting made of
the beaten whites of two eggs, and two tablespoonfuls of powdered
sugar, and set back in the oven and brown slightly.
Mince Meat.

One pint of chopped meat, two pints of chopped apples, one pint
each of molasses and vinegar, two pints of sugar, one tablespoonful
each of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, a cup of chopped suet or
butter, a little salt, and a little brandy if liked. Add raisins when
the pies are baked.

Mince Meat.

Two pounds of lean beef boiled; when cold chop fine; one pound
of suet minced to a powder, five pounds rof juicy apples, pared and
chopped, two pounds of raisins, seeded, two pounds of sultanas or
seedless raisins, two pounds of currants, one-half pound of citron,
chopped, three tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls of
mace, one tablespoonful of allspice, one tablespoonful of fine salt,
one grated nutmeg, three pounds of brown sugar, one-half gallon
of sweet cider. Mince meat made by this recipe will keep till
spring.

Mince Pie.

It is supposed you have your meat ready for the paste. Make
the paste by rubbing into a quart of your best flour one-third
of a pound of sweet lard; chop it in with a broad knife, if you have
time; wet up with ice water; roll out very thin and cover with
dabs of butter, also of the best; fold into a fight rolF; flatten with
a few strokes of the rolling-pin, and roll out into a sheet as thin as

134 DESSERTS.

the first; baste again with the butter; roll up and out into a third
sheet hardly thicker than drawing paper; a third time dot with
butter and fold up closely. Having used as much butter for this
purpose as you have lard, set aside your roll for an hour on ice, or
in a very cold place; then roll out, line your pie plates with the
paste, fill with mince meat, put strips across them in squares or
triangles and bake in a steady and not dull heat.

Mince Pie, No. 2.
Boil a piece of beef weighing six pounds, and a beef's tongue
weighing six pounds, six hours. Then skin the tongue, chop it and
the beef fine; add five pounds beef suet chopped fine, five pounds
raisins stoned, three pounds dried currants, one and one-half pound
citron, four pounds brown sugar, one pint good molasses, one quart
brandy, one quart wine, or, omit these, and add in their place
boiled cider; half a cup each of salt, cinnamon, allspice and cloves,
three nutmegs and a tablespoonf ul of mace. Mix all well together,
and let it stand over night. Mix apples stewed when you make
the pies, as the meat keeps better without apple. Keep it in a
stone jar. You should have about a third as much apple as you
have of the mince meat for a batch of pies.

Mince Meat Without Meat.
Take nine lemons, squeeze out the juice, boil the rinds and pulp
(remove seed) in three or four waters till bitterness is out and
rinds quite tender; beat them to a pulp; two and one-half pounds
beef suet after it is picked from the skins, two pounds currants
after they are picked and washed, one and one-half pounds raisins
after they are stoned, two ounces almonds, two pounds sugar, one-
half pound citron, a glass of brandy, and one of any kind of sweet
wine; mix all these ingredients well together with the juice from
the lemons, and as many sweetmeats as you please.

Marlborough Pie.
Grate six apples, one cup sugar, three tablespoonfuls melted

DESSERTS. 135

butter, four eggs, juiee and grated rind of a lemon, two tablespoon-
fuls brandy or wine, if you choose; if not, omit it. Bake in an
under, but without top crust.

Orange Pie.

Take four good-sized oranges, peel, seed, and cut in very small
pieces. Add a cup of sugar, and let stand. Into a quart of nearly
boiling milk stir two tablespoonfuls of corn starch mixed with a
little water, and the yolks of three eggs. When this is done,
let it cool, then mix with the oranges. Put it in simply a lower
crust. Make a frosting of the whites of the eggs and one-half cup
sugar. Spread it over top of pies, and place for a few seconds in
the oven to brown.

Cream Peach Pie.

Pare ripe peaches and remove the stones; have your pie dishes
ready lined with a good paste, fill with the peaches; stew these
with sugar; lay the upper crust on lightly, slightly buttering the
lower at the point of contact. When the pie is done, lift the cover
and pour in a cream made thus: One cup (small) of rich milk,
heated; whites of two eggs, whipped and stirred into the milk;
one tablespoonful of sugar; one-half teaspoonful of corn starch wet
up in milk. Boil three minutes. The cream must be cold when it
goes into the hot pie. Replace the crust, and set by to cool. Eat
fresh. :

Pine-Apple Pie.

One granted pine-apple, its weight in sugar, half its weight in
butter, five eggs, the whites beaten to a stiff froth, one cup of
cream; cream the butter and beat it with the sugar and yolks until
very light; add the cream, the pine-apple and the whites of the
eggs. Bake with an under crust. To be eaten cold.
Pumpkin Pie.

Pare the pumpkin and take out the seeds without scraping the
inside; stew and strain through a sieve. To every quart of milk
add five eggs, and stir the pumpkin into the milk and eggs until

136 DESSERTS.

the proper consistency; sweeten with sugar or the best syrup;
molasses makes it too strong. Add some salt, powdered cinnamon,
powdered ginger and the grated peel of lemon. Bake in either deep
or shallow dishes in a hot oven.

Potato Pie.
One pound mashed potato, rubbed through a colander; one-fourth
pound of butter, creamed with the sugar; six eggs, whites and
yolks beaten separately; one lemon, squeezed into the potato while
hot; one teaspoonful of nutmeg and the same of mace; two cups
of white sugar. Cream the butter and sugar; add the yolks, the
spice, and beat in the potato gradually until it is very light. At
last, whip in the whites. Bake in open shells of paste. Eat cold.

Sweet Potato Pie.

A plate deeper than the common pie plate is necessary. Bake
medium-sized potatoes, not quite done. Yams are best. Line the
plate with good paste; slice the potatoes; place a layer upon the
bottom of the plate; over this sprinkle thickly a layer of good
brown sugar; over this place thin slices of butter and sprinkle with
flour, seasoning with spices to the taste. A heaped tablespoonful
of butter and a heaped teaspoonful of flour will be suflicient for one
pie. Put on another layer of potatoes, piled a little in the middle.
Mix together equal quantities lemon juice and water, or vinegar
and water and pour in enough to half fill the pie; sprinkle over the
potato a little flour and place on the upper crust, pinching the
edges carefully together. Cut a slit in the center and bake slowly
an hour.

Sweet Potato Pie, No. 2.

Boil potatoes until tender, pare and put through a colander or
sieve. To one pint of potato add one pint of milk, three eggs, and
from one to two cups sugar, to suit taste; flavor with ginger or
lemon.

DESSERTS. 137

Apple ok Peach Meringue Pie.

Stew the apples or peaches and sweeten to taste. Mash smooth
and season with nutmeg. Fill the crusts and bake until just done.
Put on no top crusts. Take the whites of three eggs for each pie
and whip to a stiff froth, and sweeten with three tablespoonfuls
powdered sugar. Flavor with rose water or vanilla. Beat until it
will stand alone, then spread it on the pie one-half to one inch
thick, and set back into the oven until the meringue is well " set."
Eat cold.

Peach Pie.

Peel, stone and slice the peaches; line a pie plate with crust and
lay in your 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 cross-bars of paste across the top.

Quince Pie.
Pare, slice, and stew six quinces till soft; press them through a
sieve; add to them one pint milk and four well-beaten eggs.
Sweeten to taste, and bake in a bottom crust three-fourths of an
hour in a moderate oven.

Cream Raspberry Pie.
Line a pie-dish with puff paste, and fill with raspberries, sweet-
ened bountifully. Cover with a paste crust, but do not pinch this
down at the edges. Also rub the edge of the lower crust with
butter to prevent adhesion. Bake in a good oven. While it is
cooking, heat a small cup of rich milk, putting in a pinch of soda;
stir into it half a teaspoonful of corn starch, wet in cold milk, one
tablespoonful of white sugar, and cook three minutes. Take it off,
and beat in the frothed whites of two eggs. Whip to a cream, and
let it get cold. When the pie comes out of the oven, lift the top
crust and pour in the mixture; replace the crust and set aside to
cool; sift sugar upon the top before serving.

138 DE8SEKT&

Raisin Pie.

One lemon — juice and yellow rind, one cup of raisins, one cup of
water, one cup of rolled crackers; stone the raisins, and boil in
water to soften them.

Rhubarb Pie.

One and one-half bunches rhubard, one and one-quarter cups
sugar. Cut the fruit in small pieces after stripping off the skin,
and cook it very fast in a shallow stewpan, with sugar. Line a pie
plate with the paste; wet the rim; add the rhubarb, cold; lay
three bars of paste across, fastening the ends; lay three more
across, forming diamond-shaped spaces; lay round a rim, wash
over with egg, and bake in a quick oven fifteen minutes.

Ric^ Pie.

For two pies, take two tablespoonfuls of rice; wash and put it
into a farina boiler with a quart of milk; cook until perfectly soft.
Let it cool; add three eggs, well beaten, with three tablespoonfuls
of sugar and one of butter, a little salt, cinnamon and a few stoned
raisins. Bake with undercrust.

Squash Pie.

Pare the squash and remove the seeds; stew until soft and drj;
then pulp it through a colander; stir into the pulp enough sweet
milk to make it thick as batter; spice with ginger, cinnamon, nut-
meg, or other seasoning to taste; sweeten with sugar and add four
beaten eggs for each quart of milk. Fill a pie plate lined with
crust and bake one hour.

Vinegar Pies.

One and one-half cups good vinegar, one cup of water, lump of
butter size of an egg, sugar enough to sweeten to the taste; flavor
with lemon; put in stewpan on stove; take five eggs, beat the yolks
with one cup of water and two heaping teaspoonfuls of flour;
when the vinegar comes to a boil, put in the eggs and flour, stirring
till well cooked; have ready crust for four pies, put in the filling

DESSERTS. 139

and bake. Beat the whites with two teaspoonf uls of white sugar
to a froth, spread on the pies when done, and color in the oven.
These are excellent.

Tarts.
Use the best of puff paste; roll it out a little thicker than the pie
crust, and cut with a large biscuit-cutter twice as many as you
intend to have of tarts; then cut out of half of them a small round,
in the center, which will leave a circular rim of crust; lift this up
carefully, and lay on the large pieces. Bake in pans, and fill with
any kind of preserves, jam, or jelly.

CHAPTER VIII.

DRINKS.

Co

FFEE.

INCE Pasquet Rossee opened the first coffee-house in Europe
in Newman's Court, Cornhill, London, in 1652, its popularity
has constantly increased until to-day those who use it embrace
the whole world, and its annual consumption is measured by
millions of pounds. But as common as is its use, it has not been
a common occurrence in our experience to have set before us a
really good cup of coffee. This fact convinces us that there is
still much need of information on this subject.

The following, by H. K. & F. B. Thurber & Co., is so appropriate
that we quote it in full :

"Nothing is more generally desired or appreciated, nothing
harder to find than a uniformly good cup of coffee. Its production
is usually considered an easy matter, but it involves the observance
of a considerable number of conditions by a considerable number of
persons, and a volume might be written about these and still leave
much to be said. We will, however, briefly state the most import-
ant requisites.

" The wholesale dealer must exercise care and judgment in his
selections, as there is almost ,as much difference in the flavor of
coffee as there is of tea; this is especially true of Mocha, Java,
Maracaibo, and other fancy coffees, of which frequently the bright-
est and handsomest looking lots are greatly lacking in the flavor
and aroma which constitute the chief value of coffee, and which
can be ascertained only by testing carefully each invoice purchased.
It should be roasted by a professional roaster, as this is a very

DRINKS. 141

important part of the programme, and requires skill, experience and
constant practice. Expert roasters are usually experienced men and
command high salaries. A bad coffee roaster is dear at any price,
as the coffee may be ruined or its value greatly injured by an error
in judgment or an instant's inattention. Owing to these circum-
stances, in addition to the fact that in order to do good work it is
necessary to roast a considerable quantity at a time, none of the
small hand machines produce uniformly good results, and they are
only to be tolerated where distance makes it impossible for the
retail merchants to obtain regular and (when not in air-tight pack-
ages) frequent supplies of the roasted article. Sow much it should
be roasted is also an important part of the question. For making
" black " or " French " coffee it should be roasted higher than usual
(the French, also, often add a little chicory), and some sections are
accustomed to a higher roast than others, but as a whole the cus-
tomary New York standard will best suit the average American
palate. Retail dealers should buy their roasted coffee of a reliable
house that has a reputation to sustain, and that cannot be induced
to cut down prices below what they can afford to furnish an article
that will do them credit. Do not buy much at a time (unless in
air-tight packages), a week or ten day's supply is enough, and if
you are situated so you can buy it twice a week, so much the
better. Keep it in a dry place and, if possible, in a tin can which
shuts tightly, never in a pine box or' bin, for the smell of the wood
is quickly absorbed by the coffee. Get your customers in the habit
of buying it in the berry, or, if they have no mill at home and want
you to grind it for them (every grocer should have a mill), grind it
pretty fine, so that when used the strength is readily extracted, but
do not sell them much at a time, as it is a necessity to have it
freshly ground.

" Consumers should adopt the above suggestions to retail dealers
— buy of a reliable dealer who will not represent an inferior article
as 'Java;' buy in small quantities and buy often; keep it dry in a
tightly closed tin can or in a glass or earthen jar. Have a small

142 DRINKS.

hand coffee mill and grind only when ready to use it, and if, during
rainy weather, the kernels become damp and tough warm them up
in a clean pot or skillet but do not scorch them; this drives off the
moisture, restores the flavor and makes it grind better. The
grinding is an important feature; if ground too coarse you lose
much of the strength and aroma of the coffee; if too fine it is hard
to make it clear, but of the two the latter is the least objectionable;
both the strength and the flavor of the coffee, however, is a neces-
sity, and if a little of the finely powdered coffee flows out with the
liquid extract it is clean and will hurt nobody. It is better, how-
ever, to grind it just right, which is that the largest pieces will be
no larger than pin heads."

We now come to the important part of making coffee. For this
there are many receipts and formulas, including a large number of
new and so-called improved coffee-pots, but we have never seen any
of the new methods which, in the long run, gave as satisfactory
results as the following old-fashioned receipt:

Grind moderately fine a large cup of coffee; break into it one
egg with shell; mix well, adding just enough cold water to thor-
oughly wet the grounds; upon this pour one pint boiling water;
let it boil slowly for ten to fifteen minutes, and then stand three
minutes to settle; pour through a fine wire sieve into coffee-pot,
which should be first rinsed with hot water; this will make enough
for four persons. Coffee should be served as soon as made. At
table, first rinse the cup with hot water, put in the sugar, then fill
half full of hot milk, add your coffee, and you have a delicious
beverage that will be a revelation to many poor mortals who have
an indistinct remembrance of and an intense longing for an ideal
cup of coffee. If you have cream so much the better; and in that
case boiling water can be added either in the pot or cup to make up
for the space occupied by milk, as above; or condensed milk will
be found a good substitute for cream.

General Remarks. — We have thus briefly indicated the points
necessary to be observed in obtaining uniformly good coffee,

DRINKS. 143

whether made from Rio, or Java, and other mild flavored coffees.
In the Eastern and Middle States, Mocha, Java, Maracaibo, Ceylon,
etc., are most highly esteemed and generally used; but at the west
and south more Rio coffee is consumed. The coffee par excellence,
however, is a mixture of Mocha and Java together, and thus
thoroughly blended. Mocha alone is too rough and acrid, but,
blended as above, it is certainly delicious. In all varieties, how-
ever, there is a considerable range as to quality and flavor, and, as
before stated, the best guide for the consumer is to buy of a reli-
able dealer and throw upon his shoulders the responsibility of fur-
nishing a satisfactory article.

Hotels and restaurants that desire good coffee, should make in
small quantities and more frequently. It is impossible for coffee to
be good when it is kej)t simmering for hours after it is made.

Coffee Substitutes.

French cooks, who are celebrated for making good coffee, mix
three or four different kinds, and recommend as a good proportion,
to add to one pound of Java about four ounces of Mocha and four
ounces of one or two other kinds. It is said that from three parta
of Rio, with two parts of Old Government Java, a coffee can be
made quite as good, if not superior, to that made of Java alone.

Wheat coffee, made of a mixture of eight quarts of wheat to one
pound of real coffee, is said to afford a beverage quite as agreeable
as the unadulterated Rio, besides being much more wholesome. It
is probably known to many that a very large per cent, of the
ground coffee sold at the stores is common field pease, roasted and
ground with genuine coffee. There are hundreds of thousands of
bushels of peas annually used for that purpose. Those who are in
the habit of purchasing ground coffee can do better to buy their
own pease, burn and grind them, and mix to suit themselves.
Novel Mode of Making Coffee.

Put two ounces of ground coffee into a stewpan, which set upon
the fire, stirring the powder around with a spoon until quite hot,

144 DRINKS.

when pour over a pint of boiling water; cover over closely for
five minutes, when strain it through a cloth, rinse out the stewpan,
pour the coffee, which will be quite clear, back into it, place it on
the fire, and when near boiling, serve with hot milk.
Tea.

We find the following eminently sensible lines in Household
Hints :

One of the most surprising things one constantly meets is to find
that the people who have the same duties to perform, day after
day, or year after year, do not improve in their method or even
once blunder into the right way of doing them. Nothing is more
easily made than good tea, and yet how seldom, away from home,
does one enjoy delicately fragrant tea which Hawthorne calls " an
angel's gift " and which Miss Mitf ord said she could be awake all
night drinking. The first thing needed is a clean tea-pot; it is
useless to try to make good tea in a rusty pot, or one in which the
leaves have been allowed to remain all night. The water should
be boiling but the tea itself should never boil. I wish these words
could be painted on the wall of every hotel and restaurant kitchen
in the United States. After the boiling water has been poured
over the tea set the tea-pot on an extra griddle on the back of the
stove. All that is good in the tea will be gradually extracted from
it; then when brought to the table one may well echo De Quin-
cey's wish for an " eternal tea-pot," though not inclined to follow
his example of drinking it from eight o'clock in the evening until
four o'clock in the morning.

The most satisfactory steeper I ever used is an old-fashioned
brown earthern tea-pot. This may be kept perfectly clean with
almost no trouble. Whatever may be said of the hurtfulness of
tea, when immoderately used, a cup of the afternoon tea so fre-
quently mentioned in novels and essays is an unpurchasable luxury.
Hamerton says in "The Intellectual Life:" " If tea is a safe stimu-
lant it is certainly an agreeable one; there seems to be no valid
reason why brain workers should refuse themselves this solace."

DRINKS. 145

Iced Tea.

The tea should be made in the morning, very strong, and not
allowed to steep long. Keep in the ice-box till the meal is ready
and then put in a small quantity of cracked ice. Very few under-
stand the art of making iced tea, !»>.., pour the scalding hot tea on a
goblet of ice lumped in, and as the ice melts the tea is weak, insipid,
and a libel on its name. Iced coffee is very nice made in the same
way. Too much ice is detrimental to health and often causes
gastric fever; so beware of it when in a heated state, or do not
drink of it in large quantities.

A Good Summer Drink.
Two pounds Catawba grapes, three tablespoonfuls loaf sugar,
one cup of cold water. Squeeze the grapes hard in a coarse cloth,
when you have picked them from the stems. Wring out every
drop of juice; add the sugar, and when it is dissolved, the water,
surround with ice until very cold; put a lump of ice into a pitcher,
pour out the mixture upon it, and drink at once. You can add
more sugar if you like, or if the grapes are not quite ripe.

Cottage Beer.
Take a peck of good wheat bran and put it into ten gallons of
water with three handfuls of good hops, and boil the whole
together until the bran and hops sink to the bottom. Then strain
it through a hair sieve or a thin cloth into a cooler, and when it is
about lukewarm add two quarts of molasses. As soon as the
molasses is melted, pour the whole into a ten-gallon cask, with two
tablespoonfuls of yeast. When the fermentation has subsided,
bung up the cask, and in four days it will be fit to use.

Ginger Beer.
Boil six ounces of bruised ginger in three quarts of water, for
half an hour; then add five pounds of loaf sugar, a gill of lemon
juice, quarter pound of honey, and seventeen quarts more of water,

146 DRINKS.

and strain it through a cloth. When it is cold put in the whole of
an egg, and two drachms of essence of lemon. After standing
three or four days, it may be bottled.

Spruce Beee.

Take four ounces of hops, boil half an hour in one gallon of
water; strain it; add sixteen gallons of warm water, two gallons
of molasses, eight ounces of essence of spruce dissolved in one quart
of water; put it in a clean cask, shake it well together, add half
pint of yeast, let it stand and work one week; if warm weather,
less time will do. When drawn off, add one teaspoonful of molasses
to each bottle.

Iced Buttermilk.

There is no healthier drink than buttermilk, but it must be the
creamy, rich buttermilk to be good. It should stand on the ice to
cool, though if very rich and thick a little ice in it is an improve-
ment.

Claret Cup.

Put into a bowl three bottles of soda water, and one bottle of
claret. Pare a lemon very thin and grate a nutmeg; add to these,
in a jug, one pound of loaf sugar, and pour over them one pint of
boiling water; when cold, strain and mix with the wine and soda
water; a little lemon juice may be added.

Fruit Cup.
Pare the yellow rind very thinly from twelve lemons; squeeze
the juice over it in an earthern bowl, and let it stand over night if
possible. Pare and slice thinly a very ripe pine-apple, and let it lay
over night in half a pound of powdered sugar. Crush one quart of
berries, and let them lay over night in half a pound of powdered
sugar. If all these ingredient cannot be prepared the day before
they are used, they must be done very early in the morning,
because the juices of the fruit need to be incorporated with the
sugar at least twelve hours before the beverage is used. After all

DRINKS. 147

the ingredients have been properly prepared, as above, strain off
the juice, carefully pressing all of it out of the fruit; mix it with
two pounds of powdered sugar and three quarts of ice water, and
stir it until all the sugar is dissolved. Then strain it again through
a muslin or bolting-cloth sieve, and put it on the ice or in a very-
cool place until it is wanted for use.

Cream of Tartar Drink.
Two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar, the grated rind of a lemon,
half a cup of loaf sugar, and one pint of boiling water. This is a
good summer drink for invalids, and is cleansing to the blood.

Jelly Drinks.
A little jelly or fruit syrup dissolved in a goblet of water with a
little sugar is a refreshing drink. Lime juice squeezed into lemon-
ade gives it a tart but pleasing flavor. A little orange juice is also
an improvement in nearly all summer drinks.

Simon Pure Lemonade.
Take thin-skinned lemons; roll them on the table until very soft;
slice very thin with a sharp knife into a large pitcher, averaging
one lemon to a person, thus allowing them two glasses apiece. Put-
in the pitcher with the sliced lemon a cup of white sugar to five
lemons (or more if you want it sweeter) and pound all well together
with a potato masher; put in a lump of ice; let it stand a few
minutes and fill the pitcher with ice water. This makes lemonade
that is lemonade, and the peel in the pitcher is delicious.

Jelly Lemonade.
Pare the yellow rind thinly from two oranges and six lemons
and steep it four hours in a quart of hot water. Boil a pound and
a half of loaf sugar in three pints of water, skimming it until it is
clear. Pour these two mixtures together. Add to them the juice
of six oranges and twelve lemons, mix and strain through a jelly-
bag until clear; keep cool until wanted for use. If the beverage is

148 DRINKS.

to be kept several days, it should be put into clean glass bottles and
corked tightly. If for a small party, half of the quantity will be
sufficient.

Ginger Lemonade.
Take a half cup of vinegar, one cup of sugar, two teaspoonf uls
ginger; stir well together, put in a quart pitcher and fill with ice
water. If one wants it sweeter or sourer than these quantities will
make it, more of the needed ingredients may be put in. It is a
cooling drink and almost as good as lemonade, some preferring it.

Berry Sherbet.
Crush one pound of berries, add them to one quart of water, one
lemon sliced, and one teaspoonful of orange flavor, if you have it.
Let these ingredients stand in an earthen bowl for three hours; then
strain, squeezing all the juice out of the fruit. Dissolve one pound
of powdered sugar in it, strain again, and put on the ice until ready
to serve.

Excellent Mead.
Three pounds brown sugar, one pint of molasses, one-fourth
pound tartaric acid; mix, pour over them two quarts boiling water,
stir till dissolved. When cold, add half ounce essence sassafras
and bottle. When you wish to drink it, put three tablespoonfuls
of it in a tumbler, fill half full with ice water, add a little more
than one-fourth teaspoonful soda. An excellent summer beverage.

CHAPTER IX.

EGGS AND OMELETTES.

GGS of various kinds are largely used as food for man, and it
is scarcely possible to exaggerate their value in this capacity,
so simple and convenient are they in their form and so mani-
fold may be their transformations. They are exceedingly delicious,
highly nutritious and easy of digestion, and when the shell is
included they may be said to contain in themselves all that is
required for the construction of the body. It has been claimed for
them that they may be served in about six hundred ways, although
it is generally found that the more simply they are prepared the
more they are approved. Although other eggs besides birds' eggs
are eaten it is generally agreed that the eggs of the common fowl
and of the plover possess the sweetest and richest flavor. The
eggs of ducks and geese are frequently used in cookery, but they
are of too coarse a nature to be eaten alone. The eggs of the
turkey and of the peahen are highly esteemed for some purposes-
The weight of an ordinary new-laid hen's egg is from one and a
half to two and a half ounces avoirdupois, and the quantity of solid
matter contained in it amounts to two hundred grains. In one
hundred parts about ten parts consist of shell, sixty of white and
thirty of yolk. The white of the egg contains more water than the
yolk. It contains no fatty matter but consists chiefly of albumen
in a dissolved state. All the fatty matter of the egg is accumulated
in the yolk, which contains relatively a smaller proportion of nitro-
genous matter and a larger proportion of solid matter than the
white. Therefore, in an alimentary point of view the white and

150 EGGS AND OMELETTES.

the yolk differ considerably from each other, the former being,
mainly a simple solution of albumen, the latter being a solution of
a modified form of albumen together with a quantity of fat.

Raw and lightly boiled eggs are easy of digestion. It is said
that raw eggs are more easily digested than cooked ones; but this
may be doubted if the egg is not over-cooked. A hard-boiled egg
presents a decided resistance to gastric solution, and has constipa-
tory action on the bowels.

Breaded Eggs.
Boil hard and cut in round, thick slices; pepper and salt and dip
each in beaten raw egg, then in fine bread crumbs or powdered
cracker crumbs and fry in butter, hissing hot. Drain off every
drop of grease and serve hot.

Egg a la Mode.
Remove the skin from a dozen tomatoes, medium size, cut them
up in a saucepan, add a little butter, pepper and salt; when suffi-
ciently boiled, beat up five or six eggs, and just before you serve,
turn them into the saucepan with the tomato, and stir one way for
two minutes, allowing them time to be well done.

How to Bake Eggs.

Butter a clean, smooth saucepan, break as many eggs as will be
needed into a saucer, one by one. If found good, slip it into the
dish. No broken yolk allowed, nor must they crowd so as to risk
breaking the yolk after being put in. Put a small piece of butter on
each, and sprinkle with pepper and salt. Set into a well-heated
oven, and bake till the whites are set. If the oven is rightly heated,
it will take but a few minutes, and is far more delicate than fried
eggs.

Egg Baskets.

Boil quite hard as many eggs as will be needed. Put into cold
water till cold, then cut neatly into halves with a thin, sharp knife;
remove the yolk and rub to a paste with some melted butter,

EGGS AM) OMELETTES. 151

adding pepper and salt. Cover up this paste and set aside till the
filling is ready. Take cold roast duck, chicken, or turkey which
may be on hand, chop fine and pound smooth, and while pounding
mix in the paste prepared from the yolks. As you pound moisten
with melted butter and some gravy which may have been left over
from the fowls; set this paste when done over hot water till well
heated. Cut off a small slice from the end of the empty halves of
the whites so they will stand firm, then fill them with this paste;
place them close together on a flat, round dish, 'and pour over the
rest of the gravy, if any remains, or make a little fresh. A few
gpoonfuls of cream or rich milk improves this dressing.

To Pickle Eggs.
Sixteen eggs, one quart of vinegar, one-half ounce of black
pepper, one-half ounce Jamaica pepper, one-half ounce of ginger;
boil the eggs twelve minutes; dip in cold water and take off the
shell; put the vinegar with the pepper and ginger into a stew pan
and simmer ten minutes; place the eggs in a jar, pour over the
seasoned vinegar boiling hot, and when cold tie them down with a
bladder to exclude the air; ready for use in a month.

Scrambled Eggs.
Heat the spider and put in a little butter; have the eggs broken
into a dish, salt and pepper them; add a small piece of butter;
beat up just enough to break the eggs, then pour into the buttered
spider; scrape them up from the bottom with a thin knife to
prevent their cooking fast. Do not cook too dry.

To Poach Eggs.
Have the water well salted, and do not let it boil hard. Break the
eggs separately into a saucer, and slip gently into the water; when
nicely done, remove with a skimmer, trim neatly, and lay each egg
upon a small thin square of buttered toast, then sprinkle with salt
and pepper. Some persons prefer them poached, rather than fried,
with ham; in which case substitute the ham for toast.

152 EGGS AND OMELETTES.

Stuffed Eggs.

Boil the eggs hard, remove the ■ shells, and then cut in two either
way, as preferred. Remove the yolks, and mix with them pepper,
salt, and a little dry mustcrd — some like cold chicken, ham, or
tongue chopped very fine — and then stuff the cavities, smooth them,
and put the halves together again. For picnics they can simply be
wrapped in tissue paper to keep them together. If for home use,
they can be egged, and bread-crumbed, and browned in boiling
lard; drain and garnish with parsley.

Omelette.

First have fresh eggs, not omelette eggs (in restaurants all eggs
that will not in any way do to boil, are put aside for omelettes),
break the eggs in a bowl and to every egg add a tablespoonful of
milk and whip the whole as thoroughly as you would for sponge
cake. The omelette pan must be so hot that butter will melt almost
brown in it but not quite. Then run the whipped egg and milk
into the pan and put it directly over the fire. Take a thin-bladed
knife and run it carefully under the bottom of the omelette so as to
let that which is cooked get above. If the fire is right the whole
mass will swell and puff and cook in just about one minute. Watch
carefully that it does not burn. It is not necessary to wait till the
whole mass is solid as its own heat will cook it after it has left the
pan, but begin at one side and carefully roll the edge over and over
till it is all rolled up, then let it stand a moment to brown. Turn
out on a hot plate and serve immediately.

Omelette, No. 2.

Six eggs, one tablespoonful of flour, one cup of milk, a pinch of
lalt; beat the whites and yolks separately; mix the flour, milk and
salt, add the yolks, then add beaten whites. Have a buttered
spider very hot; put in. Bake in a quick oven five minutes.

EGGS AND OMELETTES. 158

Apple Omelette.

Eight large apples, four eggs, one cup of sugar, one tablespoon-
ful of butter, nutmeg or cinnamon to taste. Stew the apples and
mash fine; add butter and sugar; when cold, add the eggs, well
beaten. Bake until brown, and eat while warm.

Baked Omelette.

Set one-half pint of milk on the fire and stir in one-half cup of
flour mixed with a little cold milk and salt; when scalding hot, beat
the yolks of six eggs and add them; stir in whites and set imme-
diately in the oven. Bake twenty minutes and serve as soon as
done.

Oyster Omelette.

Allow for every six large oysters or twelve small ones, one egg;
remove the hard part and mince the rest very fine; take the yolks
•of eight eggs and whites of four, beat till very light; then mix in
the oysters, season and beat all up thoroughly; put into a skillet a
gill of butter, let it melt; when the butter boils, skim it and turn
in the omelette; stir until it stiffens, fry light brown; when the
under side is brown, turn on to a hot platter. If wanted the upper
side brown, hold a red-hot shovel over it.

Omelette Souffle.

Stir five tablespoonfuls of sifted flour into three pints of milk,
strain through a sieve; add the yolks of eight eggs, beaten very
light, and, just as it goes into the oven, the whites beaten stiff.
Bake quickly.

French Omelette.

One quart of milk, one pint of bread crumbs, five eggs, one table-
spoonful of flour, one onion chopped fine, chopped parsley, season
with pepper and salt. Have butter melted in a spider; when the
omelette is brown, turn it over. Double when served.

154

EGGS AND OMELETTES.

Omelette with Ham.
Make a plain omelette, and just before turning one-half over the
other, sprinkle over it some finely chopped ham. Garmsh with
small slices of ham. Jelly or marmalade may be added in the same
manner.

Eggs a la Bonne Femme.
Take six large eggs, boil them ten minutes; when cool, remove the
shells carefully; divide them equally in halves, take out the yolks, and

cut off from each the pointed
tip of the white, that they
may stand flatly. Make tiny
dice of some cold chicken,
ham, boiled beet root, and
the eggs. Fill the hollows
with these up to the brim,
and pile the dice high in the center — two of ham and chicken, two
of boiled beetroot, and two with the hard yolks. Arrange some
neatly cut lettuce on a dish and place the eggs amongst it.

CHAPTER X.

FRESH FRUITS.

Pine Apples.
JLICE on a slaw cutter, or very thin with a knife; mix with
g finely-powdered sugar. Set on ice till ready to serve.

A Nice Way to Prepake Apples.
Pare a dozen tart apples, take out the core, place sugar, with a
small lump of butter, in the center of each apple, put them in a pan
with half a pint of water, bake until tender, basting occasionally
with the syrup while baking; when done, serve with cream.

To Stew Apples.
One pound sugar boiled in one quart of spring water and
skimmed, one pound of the largest pippins, cut in quarters and the
cores taken out. Have the syrup boiling; when you put them in
let them stew till they are quite tender, then add the juice of two
large lemons, and the peel cut small; give them a few more boils
after the lemons are put in. If you want them to keep all the year,
the syrup must be well boiled after the apples are taken out. As
you peel the apples fling them into cold water.

Bananas and Cream.
Peel, slice, and heap up in a glass dessert-dish, and serve raw,
with fine sugar and cream.

To Crystallize Fruit.
Pick out the finest of any kind of fruit — leave in the stones;
beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth; lay the fruit in the

156 FRESH FRUITS.

beaten egg, with the stems upward; drain them and beat the part
that drips off again; select them out, one by one, and dip them into
•o- cup of finely-powdered sugar; cover a pan with a sheet of fine
paper, place the fruit on it, and set it in a cool oven; when the
icing on the fruit becomes firm, pile them on a dish, and set them
in a cold place.

To Keep Grapes.

Select nice fresh clusters, and cut the end of the stem smooth
and dip it into melted sealing wax; then put it in cotton batting;
pack them away in wooden boxes; keep them in a dry cool place.
In this way they will keep fresh all winter. Another way — Take
full bunches, ripe and perfect; seal the end that is cut from the
vine so that no air can get in, or the juice of the stem run out, and
let them stand one day after sealed, so as to be perfectly sure they
are sealed (if not they will shrivel up) ; then pack in boxes of dry
sawdust and keep in a cool place; they will keep nicely all winter
without losing their flavor; in packing, do not crowd the bunches;
sprinkle the sawdust over the bottom of the box, then lay the
grapes carefully, a bunch at a time, all over the box, then sawdust
and grapes alternately until the box is full.

Melons.
Melons are much nicer if kept on ice until time for serving. Cut
off a slice at each end of the water-melon, then cut through the
center; stand on end on platter. Cantaloupe melons should have
the seeds removed before sending to the table. Eat with a spoon-
ful of strained honey in each half of melon.

Oranges.

Slice, mix with powdered sugar, and strew grated cocoa-nut over

the top. Are also nice served whole, the skins quartered and

turned down. Form in a pyramid with bananas and white grapes.

Candied Cherries.

Two quarts large, ripe, red cherries, stoned carefully; two pounds

loaf sugar, one cup water. Make a syrup of the sugar and water

FRESH FRUITS. 157

and boil until it is thick enough to " pull," as for candy. Remove
to the side of the range, and stir until it shows signs of granula-
tion. It is well to stir frequently while it is cooking, to secure this
end. When there are grains or crystals on the spoon, drop in the
cherries, a few at a time. Let each supply \ie in the boiling syrup
two minutes, when remove to a sieve set over a dish. Shake gently
but long, then turn the cherries out upon a cool, broad dish, and
dry in a sunny window.

Stewed Pears.
Peel pears. Place them in a little water, with sugar, cloves,
cinnamon and lemon peel. Stew gently, and add one glass of cider.
Dish up cold.

Glace Cherries.

Make as above, but do not let the syrup granulate. It should
not be stirred at all, but when it " ropes " pour it over the cherries,
which should be spread out upon a large flat dish. When the
syrup is almost cold, take these out, one by one, with a teaspoon,
and spread upon a dish to dry in the open air. If nicely managed,
these are nearly as good as those put up by professional confec-
tioners. Keep in a dry, cool place.

Candied Lemon-Peel.

Twelve fresh, thick-skinned lemons, four pounds loaf sugar, a
little powdered alum, three cups clear water. Cut the peel from
the lemons in long, thin strips, and lay in strong salt and water all
night. Wash them in three waters next morning, and boil them
until tender in soft water. They should be almost translucent, but
not so soft as to break. Dissolve a little alum — about half a tea-
spoonful, when powdered — in enough cold water to cover the peel,
and let it lie in it for two hours. By this time the syrup should be
ready. Stir the sugar into three cups of water, add the strained
juice of three lemons and boil it until it "ropes" from the end of
the spoon. Put. the lemon-peels into this, simmer gently half an

158 FRESH FRUITS.

hour; take them out and spread upon a sieve. Shake, not hard,
hut often, tossing up the peels now and then, until they are almost
dry. Sift granulated sugar over them and lay out upon a table
spread with a clean cloth. Admit the air freely, and, when per-
fectly dry, pack in a glass jar.

CHAPTER XI.

CANNING FRUIT.

CS

OR the benefit of those thrifty housewives who have fruit of
their own which they wish to save, or who think that any
preparation of food made outside of the home kitchen, and
branded " factory make," should be considered " common and
unclean," we append a few recipes which will be found in every
way satisfactory.

The canning industry has grown within the few years of its
existence to such enormous dimensions and includes so great a
variety of articles, and competition is so sharp among the different
firms who make it a specialty, that in point of expense it is cheaper
to buy on the market than to purchase the fruit and be to the
trouble and further expense of canning it at home.

There is, probably, no one thing which has done more to drive
stern winter beyond the threshold than this simple but late-discov-
ered process of keeping fruit fresh by excluding the air, and there
is genuine satisfaction in contemplating the rows of cans filled with
the different kinds of fruit, showing clear and distinct through the
glass, and we are conservative enough to hope that the time will
not come when the business of canning fruit shall be relegated,
entirely, into the hands of the mercenary factory owner with his
tin can with its overdrawn label.

General Directions.
First. See that the cans and elastics are perfect and that the
screw fits properly. Second. Have fruit boiling hot when sealed.

160 CANNING FRUIT.

Have pan on stove in which each empty can is set to be filled after
it is rolled in hot water. Fill can to overflowing, put on the top
quickly, screw tightly; as contents cool, screw again and again, to
keep tight. Third. Use glass cans, and keep in a cool, dark, but
dry place. Light spoils them.

Table foe Canning Fetjit.

Time for Quantity
boiling of sugar
fruit. per qt.

Apricots 10 min. 8 oz.

Sour Apples 10 " 6 "

Crab Apples. .. . 25 " 8 "

Blackberries 6 " 6 "

Gooseberries 8 " 8 "

Raspberries 6 " 4 "

Huckleberries 5 " 4 "

Strawberries 8 " 8 "

Cherries 5 " 6 "

Currants 6 " 8 '

Wild Grapes 10 " 8 "

Sour Pears, whole 30 ' 8 "

Bartlett Pears 20 " 6 "

Peaches, in halves 8 ' 4 "

Plums 10 " 8 "

Peaches, whole 15 ' 4 "

Pine-apple, sliced 15 " 6 "

Tomatoes 30 " 0 "

Quinces 30 " 10 "

Rhubarb 10 " 10 "

Apple Sauce.
Ready for table use or for pies may be kept till apples are out of
the market by putting it into hot jars and sealing at once.

Canned Pine-apple.
Pare the fruit and be very particular to cut out the eyes; chop
fine and weigh it; add to it the same weight of sugar; mix thor-
oughly in a large crock; let it stand twenty-four hours, then put

CANNING FRUIT. 161

into cans, filling them full, and seal tight. After leaving them
about two weeks it is well to see if there are any signs of working;
if bo, pour into a kettle and heat through and replace in the cans.

Canned Pine-apple, No. 2.
Three-fourths pound of sugar to one pound of fruit, allowing one
cup of water to a pound of sugar. Pick the pine-apple to pieces
with a silver fork; scald and can hot.

Canned Berries.
Heat slowly to boiling in a porcelain kettle; when they begin to
boil, add sugar according to table above. Before doing this, how-
ever, if there is much juice in the kettle, dip out the surplus and
save for jelly; it will only increase the number of cans. Leave the
berries almost dry before putting in the sugar, this will make syrup
enough. Boil all together and can.

Canned Pears.
Prepare a syrup, allowing a pint of water and one-fourth pound
of sugar to one quart of fruit. While this is heating peel the pears,
dropping each as it is pared into a pan of clear water. When the
syrup has come to a fast boil, put in the pears carefully and boil
until they look clear and can be easily pierced by a fork. Have the
cans ready rolled in hot water; pack with the pears and fill to over-
flowing with the scalding syrup, which must be kept on the fire all
the while, and seal. The tougher and more common pears must be
boiled in water until tender, and thrown while warm into the hot
syrup, then allowed to boil ten minutes before they are canned.

Canned Peaches.

Pare, cut in half and stone, taking care not to break the fruit;

drop each piece in cold water as soon as it is pared. Allow a

heaping tablespoonf ul of sugar to each quart of fruit, scattering it

between the layers. Fill your kettle and heat slowly to a boil.

Boil three minutes, until every piece of fruit is heated through.
11

162 CANNING FRUIT.

Can and seal. Put a cup of water in the bottom of the kettle
before packing it with fruit, lest the lower layer should burn.

Dried Peaches.
Peaches, as usually dried, are a very good fruit; but can be made
vastly better if treated the right way. Last season, the recipe
which had quite a circulation in the papers, of drying the fruit by
a stove after halving it, and sprinkling a little sugar into the cavity
left by the extracted pits, was tried in our family. The fruit was
found to be most excellent; better to the taste of nine out of ten
persons, than any other peach preserves, by far. The peaches,
however, were good ones before drying; for it is doubtful whether
poor fruit can be made good by that process or any other.

CHAPTER XII.

ICES AND ICE-CREAMS.

!SE only the best materials for making and flavoring if good
ice-cream is desired, and avoid using milk thickened with
arrow-root, corn starch or any other farinaceous substance.
Pure cream, ripe natural fruits, or the extracts of the same, and
sugar of the purest quality, combine to make a perfect ice-cream.
In the first place secure a good ice-cream freezer. Of these several
are made. Without recommending any particular make, we would
suggest one be secured working with a crank and revolving dashers.
Next secure an ice tub not less than eight inches greater in diame-
ter than the freezer. See that it has a hole in the side near the
bottom, with a plug, which can be drawn at pleasure, to let off
water accumulating from melting ice. Get a spatula of hard wood
— not metal — with a blade about twelve inches long and four or
five inches wide and oval shaped at the end. This is used to scrape
off cream which may adhere to the sides of the freezer in the process
of freezing, also for working fruits and flavorings into the cream.
A smaller spade is also necessary for mixing ice and salt together,
and for depositing this mixture in the intervening space between
can and ice tub. Ice must be pounded fine in a coarse, strong bag.
To freeze the cream after it has been flavored, first pound up ice
and mix with it a quantity of coarse salt, in the proportion of one-
third the quantity of salt to the amount of ice used. Put freezing
can in center of tub, taking care that the lid is securely fastened on,
and pile the mixed ice and salt around it on inside of tub to within
three inches of top. First turn the crank slowly, and as the cream

164 ICES AND ICE-CREAMS.

hardens increase the speed until the mixture is thoroughly con-
gealed and the revolving dashers are frozen in. Remove the lid,
take out the dashers, cut away the cream which has adhered to the
sides and proceed to work the mixture with the spatula until it is
smooth and soft to the tongue. Re-insert the dashers, cover the
can again, and work the crank until the entire contents are hard
and well set. It is now ready to be served.

Berry Cream.
Any kind of berries may be used for this, strawberries being the
nicest. Mash with a potato masher in an earthen bowl, one quart
of berries with one pound of sugar; rub it through the colander;
add one quart sweet cream and freeze. Very ripe peaches or
mashed apples may be used instead of the berries.

Burnt Sugar Ice-Cream.
Take one-half pound of sugar, burn half of it in a sauce-pan or
skillet; stir in sufficient water to bring to a liquid state; add the
other sugar with one pint of milk containing four eggs well beaten.
Flavor strongly with lemon, proceed as with other ices.

Chocolate Ice-Cream.
Use three or four ounces of the common unsweetened chocolate
to a gallon of cream, or boiled custard. Boil the chocolate in some
milk and sweeten to taste; strain it into the cream and flavor with
vanilla. Beat the ice-cream to make it bright and rich colored.
Melted chocolate cannot be mixed at once in cold cream as it sets
and makes trouble. It must be considerably diluted first.

Coffee Ice-Cream.

To three quarts of pure, sweet cream add one pint of a decoction

of very strong clear coffee. Sugar as usual — eight ounces to the

quart.

Lemon Ice-Cream.

This is made with the same proportion of cream and sugar and
one lemon; grate the lemon rind into the sugar; this extracts the

ICES AND ICE-CREAMS. 165

oil; then add the juice and the raw cream; strain and freeze imme-
diately. Lemon cream sours more quickly than any other.

Peach Ice-Cream.
Take one quart of milk, two eggs, sugar to taste, one quart of
peaches pared and stoned — mash and add to the custard. Proceed
as usual.

Pine-Apple Ice-Cream.
Take two cans of pine-apples, two pounds of sugar, two quarts
of cream (the cream must be nearly frozen, else the pine-apple pulp
or syrup, upon being added, will immediately curdle it). Beat all
thoroughly and finish freezing.

Orange Ice-Cream.
Make a custard same as for vanilla; add orange pulp, or simply
flavor with orange, if preferred.

Strawberry and Raspberry Ice-Cream.

Bruise a pint of strawberries or raspberries with two large
spoonfuls of fine sugar; add a quart of cream and strain through a
sieve and freeze it. If you have no cream, boil a teaspoonful of
arrowroot in a quart of milk, and if you like, beat up one egg and
stir into it.

Vanilla Ice-Cream.

One quart of cream, half a pound of sugar, granulated, half a
vanilla bean. Boil half the cream with the sugar and bean, then
add the rest of the cream; cool and strain it. If extract of vanilla,
or any other extract is used, do not boil it, but put it in the cream
with the sugar and freeze. Make it strong with the flavoring, as it
loses strength with freezing.

Cocoantjt Ice-Cream.
Same as vanilla, omitting vanilla flavoring, and adding chopped
cocoanut.

166 ICES AND ICE-CREAMS.

Feozen Tapioca Custaed.
Soak six or seven ounces of tapioca in one quart of milk; when
soft, boil two quarts of milk sweetened with one and one-fourth
pounds of sugar; then add the tapioca and let it cook fifteen min-
utes; then stir in two ounces of butter and eight beaten eggs and
take the custard immediately off the fire; cool and flavor with
vanilla or lemon and freeze like ice-cream; when nearly finished,
add one cup of whipped cream and beat well.

Feozen Rice Custaed.
Wash six ounces of rice in several waters and cook it in milk;
then proceed as in tapioca custard, using cinnamon or any other
flavoring desired.

Feozen Sago Custaed.
Soak the sago in cold milk first, it will then cook in a few
minutes; then proceed as in tapioca custard.

Watee-Ices.
These are made with the juices of ripe fruits, sweetened and
frozen like ice-cream; but it must be remembered that if the juices
are sweetened excessively they will not freeze. It is therefore
generally necessary to test them with an instrument called a
saccharometer. This applies equally to ice-creams and all drinks
to be frozen; and for water-ices clarified sugar should be used,
which may be prepared in the following manner: To a quart of
water add three pounds of sugar and half of the white of an egg
well beaten up. This should be boiled ten minutes and skimmed.

Cheeey Watee-Ice with Nut Ceeam.
Two freezers will be required. For the cherry ice take two
quarts of sweet cherries, one quart of water, one and one-half
pounds of sugar. Pound the raw fruit in a mortar so as to break
the stones and strain the juice through a fine strainer into the
freezer. Boil the cherry pulp with some of the sugar and water to

ICES AND ICE-CREAMS. 167

extract the flavor from the kernels, and mash that also through the
strainer; add to the remainder of water and sugar and freeze. No
eggs are needed and only beat the ice enough to make it even and
smooth.

For the nut cream, use one pound of either pecan or hickory-nut
meats, three-fourths of a pound of sugar, one quart of rich milk
or cream, one tablespoonf ul of burnt sugar for coloring. Pick over
the kernels cai-efully, that there be no fragments of shells to make
the cream gritty, then pound them in a mortar with part of the
sugar and a few spoonfuls of milk. Only a few can be pounded
effectually at a time. Mix the milk with the pulp thus obtained,
the rest of the sugar and caramel coloring, enough to make it like
coffee and cream, and run it through a strainer into a freezer.
Freeze it as usual and beat smooth with a spatula, then pack down
with more ice to freeze firm. Line the moulds with cherry ice and
fill the middle with the cream, or dish the ice as a border in shallow
glasses with the cream piled in the center.

Strawberry Water-Ice.
To a pound of ripe strawberries and half a pound of currants add
a pint of clarified sugar. If desired, a little coloring may be used.
The whole must then be strained through a hair sieve and frozen.

Raspberry Water-Ice.

This may be made the same as strawberry water-ice by merely
substituting raspberries for strawberries.

Burnt Almond Ice Cream and Orange-Ice.

First make the almond candy as follows: Take one pound of
sugar, three-fourths pound of sweet almonds, two ounces of bitter
almonds. Blanch the almonds, split them and put them in a slow
oven to dry and acquire a light yellow color; put the sugar in a
kettle on the fire, without any water, and stir it until it is all melted
and of the color of golden syrup; then put in the hot almonds, stir
gently to mix and pour the candy on a platter. When cold, pound
the candy quite fine, put it into three pints of rich milk, set it on

1()8 ICES AND ICE-CREAMS.

the fire, and when it boils add the beaten yolks of ten eggs. Strain
the burnt almond custard thus made into a freezer, and freeze as
usual and beat well.

For the orange ice: Take three pints of water, one pound of
sugar, five or six oranges, according to size, juice of one lemon, if
the oranges are sweet, whites of four eggs. Make a thick syrup of
the sugar and a very little water. Peel half the oranges, divide
them by their natural divisions and drop the pieces of oranges into
the boiling syrup. Grate the yellow peel of the other three oranges
into a bowl and squeeze in the juice, then pour the syrup from the
scalded orange slices also into the bowl through a strainer and keep
the slices on ice to be mixed in at the last. Add the water and
lemon juice to the orange syrup in the bowl, strain and freeze.
Beat in the whipped whites as usual, and when finished stir in the
sugared fruit. Use the burnt almond cream and fill with the
orange ice.

Biscuit Glaces.

To half a pound of powdered sugar add the yolks of four eggs;
flavor with vanilla; beat well, then take two quarts of whipped
cream and mix with the sugar and yolks; color some of it red and
spread on the bottom of paper capsules and fill up with fresh cream.
Then put them in a tin box with cover and pack well up on all sides
with pounded ice and salt and let stand for two hours; it is then
ready for use.

Rateffe Biscuit Cream.

Make the same as vanilla; when nearly frozen add one-half pound
of rateffe biscuit and finish freezing.

Tutti Frutti.
"When a rich vanilla cream is partly frozen, candied cherries,
chopped raisins, chopped citron or any other candied fruit chopped
rather fine are added; add about half the quantity of fruit that
there is of ice-cream; mold and imbed in ice and salt; or make also
two quarts of orange ice in another freezer, add the white of egg»

ICES AND ICE-CREAMS. 169

in the usual manner and beat it up white and smooth, then spread
it evenly over the insides of two or three melon molds to coat them.
Imbed the molds in the freezing mixture, and when the coating of
orange ice is frozen firm fill up with the tutti frutti. Spread the
orange ice also on top, put on the lids, secure with a number of
rubber bands, close all spaces securely with butter and place the
molds in the freezing mixture to remain two or three hours. When
to be served wash the outsides with a cloth dipped in tepid water,
earefully turn out the tutti frutti on to a folded napkin on a dish,
lay a decoration of gelatine paste upon the white surface and serve.

Gelatine Paste for Ornamenting Ices.
Make clear jelly in the usual manner, then reduce it by slow
boiling to little more than half, color it as desired, filter again,
flavor, and cool it on large platters. Stamp out leaves, fern leaves,
flower shapes, etc., and have them ready to place on the molded
ices as soon as they are turned out.

Pine-Apple Sherbet.

Take two cans of pine-apples or the same amount of ripe pine-
apples, two pounds of sugar, two quarts of water, whites of six
eggs. Strain the juice from the cans into the freezer. Make a
boiling syrup of the sugar and one quart of water. Chop the pine-
apples small, scald it in the boiling syrup, then rub it through a
colander with the syrup and the remaining quart of water into the
freezer. Freeze and add the whites of four eggs, and beat it per-
fectly white.

To Color Ice Cream or Water Ices.

For Green, use juice of spinach or beet leaves. Vegetable green,
already prepared, can be bought at the druggists.

For Yellow, saffron soaked in warm water.

For Red, take cochineal, which can be had at any druggists, or
made as follows: One-quarter ounce cochineal, pound finely and add
one-half pint boiling water, one-half ounce cream of tartar, one-quar-

170 ICES AND ICE-CREAMS.

ter ounce alum, and one-quarter ounce salt of tartar. Let it stand
until the color is extracted, then strain and bottle.

For Purple, mix a small quantity of cochineal and ultramarine
blue.

For Brown, use powdered chocolate.

Other colors can be used, but these are all good, showy and quite
harmless.

CHAPTER XIII.

ICINGS.

QjTOR icing cakes use only fresh eggs and sift your pulverized
sugar.

Almond Icing.

Whites of three eggs, whisked to a standing froth, three-quarters
pound of powdered sugar, one-half pound of sweet almonds,
hlanched and pounded to a paste. When beaten fine and smooth,
work gradually into the icing; flavor with lemon juice and rose
water. This frosting is delicious. Dry in the open air when this
is practicable.

Boiled Icing.

One and one-half cups of sugar; put to this two tablespoonfuls
of water; let it boil on the back of the stove until it is waxy, or
stringy; then add whites of two eggs.

Boiled Icing, No. 2.
Whites of four eggs, beaten stiff; one pint of sugar, melted in
water and then boiled; add to it the eggs, and beat until cold.

Chocolate Icing.
Take the whites of two eggs, one and one-half cups powdered
sugar, and six large tablespoonfuls of chocolate.

Chocolate Icing, No. 2.

One-half cake of chocolate grated fine, two-thirds of a cup of
sugar, one-half cup of milk or cream; boiled and stirred to a paste.

171

172 ICINGS.

Chocolate Icing, No. 3.
One-half cake chocolate; warm in the oven ten minutes; add one
heaping cup of sugar, one teaspoonf ul cinnamon, one-half teaspoon-
ful cloves, the same of ginger, two teaspoonf uls of vanilla; pour a
little water on the sugar, put it on the chocolate, heat on the stove,
melt it to a smooth paste, stir in the spices.

Clear Icing, for Cake.
Put one cup sugar into a bowl with a tablespoonful lemon juice
and whites of two eggs. Just mix together smooth and pour over
the cake; if the cake is not hot enough to dry it, place it in the
mouth of a moderately warm oven.

Icing for Cakes.
Whites of four eggs, one pound of pulverized sugar, flavor with
lemon; break the whites into a broad, cool, clean dish; throw a
small handful of sugar upon them and begin to whip it in with
long, even strokes of the beater. A few minutes later throw in
more sugar and keep adding it at intervals until it is all used up.
Beat until the icing is of a smooth, fine and firm texture; if not
stiff enough, put in more sugar; use at least a quarter of a pound
of sugar for each egg. To spread it, use a broad-bladed knife
dipped in cold water.

Tutti Frtttti Frosting.
One-half cup of water, three cups of sugar, whites of two eggs;
boil sugar and water until very thick and waxy; beat the whites of
eggs to a stiff froth, and pour the syrup over them, beating all till
cool; then add one-half pound of almonds, chopped fine; one small
half cup of large white raisins, and a little citron, sliced thin.
Very nice for sponge cake.

Lemon Icing.
Whites of two eggs, two cups of sugar, juice and a part of tb#
rind of two lemons.

ICINGS. 173

Ornamental Icing.
Fill a paper cone with the icing, and work upon the cake, by
■lightly pressing the cone, any design you may choose.

Yellow Icing.
Yolk of one egg to nine heaping teaspoonf uls of pulverized sugar
and flavor with vanilla, or lemon.

Rose Coloring.
Mix together one-fourth ounce each of powdered alum and cream
of tartar, one ounce cochineal, four ounces loaf sugar, a saltspoon-
ful of soda. Boil ten minutes in a pint of clear, soft water; when
cool, bottle and cork for use. This is used for jellies, cakes, ice-
eream, etc.

CHAPTER XIV.

JAMS AND JELLIES.

rN making jam, the first thing to be looked after is the fruit. As
a general rule, this should be fully ripe, fresh, sound, and
scrupulously clean and dry. It should be gathered in the
morning of a sunny day, as it will then possess its finest flavor.
The best sugar is the cheapest; indeed, there is no economy in
stinting the sugar either as to quality or necessary quantity, for
inferior sugar is wasted in scum, and the jam will not keep unless a
sufficient proportion of sugar is boiled with the fruit. At the same
time too large a proportion of sugar will destroy the natural flavor
of the fruit, and in all probability make the jam candy. The sugar
should be dried and broken up into small pieces before it is mixed
with the fruit. If it is left in large lumps it will be a long time in
dissolving, and if it is crushed to powder it will make the jam look
thick instead of clear and bright. The quantity to be used must
depend in every instance on the nature of the fruit. Fruit is gen-
erally boiled in a brass or copper kettle uncovered, and this should
be kept perfectly bright and clean. Great care should be taken
not to place the kettle flat upon the fire, as this will be likely to
make the jam burn to the bottom. Glass jars or cans are much the
best for jams, as through them the condition of the fruit can be
observed. Whatever jars are used, however, the jam should be
examined every three weeks for the first two months, and if there
are any signs of mold or fermentation it should be boiled over
again. If you do not use the patent glass jar, the best way to cover
jam is to lay a piece of paper the size of the jar upon the jam, to

174

JAMS AND JELLIES. 175

stretch over the top a piece of writing paper or tissue paper which
has been dipped in white of egg, and to press the sides closely-
down. When dry, this paper will be stiff and tight like a drum.
The strict economist may use gum Arabic dissolved in water instead
of white of egg. The object aimed at is to exclude the air entirely.
Jam should be stored in a cool, dry place, but not in one into
which fresh air never enters. Damp has a tendency to make the
fruit mold, and heat to make it ferment. Some cooks cover the
jam as soon as possible after it is poured out, but the generally-
approved plan is to let the fruit grow cool before covering it. In
making jam continual watchfulness is required, as the result of five
minutes' inattention may be loss and disappointment.

Apkicot Jam.

Pare three pounds of fresh, sound apricots, halve them, and take
out the stones. They should be ripe enough to halve with the
fingers. Place them in a deep dish, and strew over them one pound
of finely sifted sugar. Let them remain for eight hours. Then
place them with the syrup that will have oozed from them in a
preserving-pan; add a few of the kernels blanched and sliced, and
another pound and a half of sugar. Let them boil very gently,
and, when done, put them into glasses or jars and cover closely with
gummed paper.

Marmalades and Jams.
In making marmalades, jams, etc. — If put up in small quantities
and for immediate use, three-quarters of a pound of sugar to one
pound of fruit is sufficient; but if desirable to keep them longer, a
pound of sugar to a pound of fruit is a better proportion. As in
preserves, the best sugar should be used.

Apple Jam.
Peel and core the apples, cut in thin slices and put them in a
preserving kettle with three-quarters of a pound of white sugar to
every pound of fruit; add (tied up in a piece of muslin) a few

176 JAMS AND JELLIES.

cloves, a small piece of ginger and a thin rind of lemon ; stir with a
wooden spoon on a quick fire for half an hour.

Blackberry, Raspberry, Currant or Strawberry Jam,
May be mac1 ; by putting into a preserving kettle and boiling
fifteen or twenty minutes, stirring often and skimming off any
scum that may rise; then add sugar in the proportion of three-
fourths pound of sugar to one pound of fruit. Boil thirty minutes
longer stirring continually; when done pour into small jars or jelly
glasses. A good way is to mix raspberries and currants in the pro-
portion of two-thirds of the former to one-third of the latter.

Grape, Gooseberry, or Plum Jam.

Stew the berries in a little water, press through a coarse sieve or

colander; then return to the kettle and add three-fourths pound of

sugar to one pound of the pulped fruit. Boil three-fourths of an

£ hour, stirring constantly. Pour in jars or bowls and cover as

directed for other jams.

Apple Marmalade.
Peel and slice the apples; weigh and put into a kettle and stew
until tender; wash fine and add sugar in proportion of pound to
pound; let them cook slowly, stirring very frequently; be careful
not to allow it to scorch; when the mass has a jellied appearance it
is done. About half an hour will generally be found sufficient for
making the marmalades after adding the sugar.

Orange Marmalade.
Eighteen sweet, ripe oranges, six pounds best white sugar. Grate
the peel from four oranges, and reserve it for the marmalade. The
rinds of the rest will not be needed. Pare the fruit carefully,
removing the inner white skin as well as the yellow; slice the
orange; remove the seeds; put the fruit and grated peel in a por-
celain or enamel saucepan and boil steadily until the pulp is reduced
to a smooth mass; take from the fire and rub quickly through a

JAMS AND JELLIES. 177

clean, bright colander, as the color is easily injured. Stir in the
sugar," return to the fire, and boil fast, stirring constantly half an
hour, or until thick. Put while warm into small jars, but do not
cover until cold. This is a handsome and delicious sweetmeat.

Pine-Apple Marmalade.

Pare, slice, core, and weigh the pine-apple; then cut into small
bits; make a syrup of a cup of water to two pounds of sugar; melt
and heat to a boil; heat the chopped pine-apple in a vessel set
within one of boiling water, covering it closely to keep in the
flavor; when it is smoking hot all through, and begins to look
clear, add to the syrup; boil together half an hour, stirring all the
while, or until it is a clear, bright paste.

Peach Marmalade.

Pare, stone, and weigh the fruit; heat slowly to draw out the
juice, stirring up often from the bottom with a wooden spoon; after
it is hot, boil quickly, still stirring, three-quarters of an hour; add,
then, the sugar, allowing three-quarters of a pound to each pound
of the fruit; boil up well for five minutes, taking off every particle
of scum; add the juice of a lemon for every three pounds of fruit,
and the water in which one-fourth of the kernels have been boiled
and steeped; stew all together ten minutes, stirring to a smooth
paste, and take from the fire; put up hot in air-tight cans, or, when
cold, in small stone or glass jars, with brandied tissue-paper fitted
neatly to the surface of the marmalade. A large ripe pine-apple,
pared and cut up fine, and stirred with the peaches, is a fine addi-
tion to the flavor. ,

Quince Marmalade. •

Such quin«es as are too knotty and defective to make good pre-
serves may be pared and cored, cut into small pieces and put into
^he kettle with three-quarters of a^pound of sugar to each pound of
fruit; put a small cup of cold water in first to prevent bui-ning.
When the quince begins to soften; take a potato masher and mash it

12

178 JELLIES.

to a pulp, without taking it from the fire; let it boil gently from
fifteen to twenty minutes, not longer than twenty. Take from the
fire and put into jars.

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes all make nice
marmalades.

Plum Marmalade.

Choose plums that are fully ripe; scald them till the skins peel
off, and take out the stones. Allow a pound and a half of sugar to
a pound of fruit; let them lie in the sugar a few hours, then boil to
a smooth mass.

Pumpkin Marmalade.

Take ripe, yellow pumpkins, pare and cut them into large pieces,
scraping out the seeds with an iron spoon; weigh the pieces, and to
every pound allow one pound of white sugar, and a small orange or
lemon; grate pieces of pumpkin on a coarse grater, and put,
together with the sugar, into a preserving pan, the yellow rind of
the orange, grated, and the juice, strained. Let all boil slowly,
stirring it frequently and skimming it well till it is a smooth, thick
marmalade; put it warm into small glass jars or tumblers and lay a
double round of tissue paper with a bladder or waxed paper.

JELLIES.

Apple Jelly.

Slice the apples, skins, cores and all; put them in a stone jar with
a small quantity of water to keep them from sticking; then place
the jar in water and let them remain boiling until perfectly soft;
then strain and to one pint of the liquor add three-quarters of a
pound of loaf sugar; boil and clear with the whites of two or three
eggs beaten to a froth. When it jellies pour into the glasses to
cool and seal them.

JELLIES. 179

Blackberry Jelly.

Take blackberries before they are ripe, when they are turned red,
put them into a porcelain kettle and cook until reduced to a pulp;
then strain them and to a pint of juice add one pound of sugar.
Boil to a jelly.

Cranberry Jelly.

Stew the cranberries until they are tender, then pour into a jelly-
bag and let drip over night; take one pound of sugar to each pint
of juice; let the juice boil five minutes, then pour in the sugar and
stir until thoroughly dissolved.

Crab-Apple Jelly.
Boil the fruit whole in water enough to cover it until perfectly
soft, then pour into a coarse linen bag and let it drip until it ceases,
then press it a little. Allow one pound of sugar to each pint of
juice. If you choose add the juice of a lemon to each quart of
syrup. Boil the juice first, then skim it; heat the sugar in a dish
in the oven and add it as the juice boils up. Boil gently twenty
minutes and pour in tumblers or molds.

Currant Jelly.
From the Home, Messenger we copy the following: This recipe
is the only one which we will warrant to make good jelly against
odds. We have made jelly by it on the fifth of July and on the
fifteenth, and each time it was a perfect success. While we recom-
mend all persons to make their jelly from fresh fruit, early in the
season, we can still assure those who are behindhand that they need
not despair of jelly that will set firm and hard later in the season.
Run the currants through your hand picking out the leaves and
any stray thing that may adhere to them but leaving the currants
on their stems. Weigh the fruit, being accurate in remembering the
number of pounds. Put a pint of water into your preserving kettle
and add a bowl or two of currants, mashing and pressing them till
you have sufficient juice to cover the bottom of the kettle; then

180 JELLIES.

add the remainder of the currants; let them come to a boil and boil
at least twenty minutes, of course stirring and pressing them from
time to time that they may not burn. Have a three-cornered
bag of thin but strong unbleached cotton that has been well
scalded and wrung till almost dry; hang it up and pour the boiled
currants into it. Let it drip into ^ stone crock all night, but by no
means squeeze it, the currants will drain perfectly dry. In the
morning pour the strained juice into the preserving kettle without
measuring; let it come to a boil and boil thorougly for three or
four minutes, then pour in half as many pounds of sugar as you
had pounds of currants. For instance, a peck of currants will
probably weigh twelve pounds; therefore use six pounds of sugar.
The moment the sugar is entirely dissolved the jelly is done. To
make sure of the sugar being entirely dissolved see that it begins
to jelly on the ladle. It will look thick and drop thick and a little
stringy, but if let heat beyond this point it will loose its thickness
and not jelly nearly so well and always disappoint you if you lose
faith in your instructions and insist upon ' letting it come to a boil.'
All the boiling is done before you put in the sugar.

Currant Jelly.

One pound of granulated sugar to each pint of juice. Squeeze
the currants and boil twenty minutes, then add the sugar, which
should be heating while the juice boils; stir well together until the
sugar is well dissolved.

Grape Jellt.

Put the grapes into a preserving kettle and heat, bruising them
meantime with a potato masher, until the juice runs freely, then
strain through a sieve or thin cloth and measure one pint of juice
for one pound of sugar. Boil the juice fifteen or twenty minutes
before putting in the sugar; after adding the sugar let it boil from
three to five minutes. All fruit will form more readily into a jelly
if not quite ripe.

JELLIES. 181

Pkacii J jelly.
Crack one-third of the kernels and put them into the jar with the
peaches, which have been wiped, stoned and sliced. Heat in a pot
of boiling water, stirring occasionally until the fruit is well broken;
strain, and to every pint of peach juice add the juice of a lemon;
measure again and to every pint of juice allow one pound of sugar.
Heat the sugar very hot and add when the juice has boiled twenty
minutes. Let it come to a boil and take instantly from the tire.

Pie-Plant Jelly.
Stew the stalks until tender in a preserving kettle; strain through
a jelly-bag; flavor with extract of lemon. To each pint of juice
add a pound of sugar; boil until it jellies on the skimmer; remove
it from the fire and put into jars.

Quince Jelly.

Peel, cut up and core some fine, ripe quinces; put them in suffi-
cient cold water to cover them and stew gently till soft, but not
red; strain the juice without pressure, weigh, and to every pound
of juice allow one pound of crushed sugar; boil the juice twenty
minutes, add the sugar and boil again until it jellies — about a quar-
ter of an hour; stir and skim well all the time; strain through thin
cloth into your jelly glasses, and when cold, cover it. The
remainder of the fruit can be made into marmalade with three-
quarters of a pound of sugar and a quarter of a pound of juicy
apples to every pound of quinces, or it can be made into compotes
or tarts.

Quince Jelly, No. 2.

Take the cores and parings of the quinces, put them in enough
cold water to cover them, and boil until they are soft; squeeze, and
add the juice to the water, and any syrup which may be left from
the quince preserve, and strain it; to each pint of juice allow a
pound of sugar; spread the sugar in pans, put it in the oven to
heat, it must be watched and stirred to prevent burning. Let the

182 GELATINE JELLIES.

juice boil for five minutes, then pour in the hot sugar, stirring until
it is entirely dissolved, and skimming any scum that may rise.
There will be very little. Let it come to a boil, then take from the
fire and put in jars or glasses; the jelly will be clear, of a good
color and keep well. All kinds of jellies can be made in this way,
and it saves much labor in the time of boiling the juices and the
trouble of skimming.

GELATINE JELLIES.

Coffee Jelly.

One box gelatine soaked for an hour in just water enough to
cover; take one quart of strong coffee, made as for table use;
sweeten it to taste; have the coffee hot and add the dissolved gela-
tine; stir well and strain into a mold that has just been rinsed in
cold water. Set on ice or in a cool place, and when cold, serve
with whipped cream.

Lemon Snow Jelly.

Dissolve one box of gelatine in nearly a quart of boiling water,
then add the juice of five lemons and enough of sugar to sweeten
to taste; strain and set aside until nearly cool. Beat the whites of
five eggs and whip into the jelly; turn into a dish and let it set
until cool. After it becomes solid, decorate with pieces of red
jelly.

Lemon Jelly.

One ounce of gelatine, red is the best, one pound of sugar, one
quart of boiling water, and four lemons; cut the lemons into slices
and bruise them, then add the sugar and gelatine, and pour upon
the whole boiling water; set the vessel containing them upon the
stove and stir until the gelatine is thoroughly dissolved; then pour
into molds and set to cool.

GELATINE JELLIES. 1S3

Oraxge Jelly.

Take two ounces of gelatine and pour on hot water enough to
cover it, and let soak until it is dissolved; boil together one quart
of water and one-half pound of sugar, and add the dissolved gela-
tine; add the juice of five oranges and one lemon and the whites of
two eggs, well beaten. Boil a few minutes and strain through a
jelly-bag; turn into molds and set to cool.

Any jellies may be colored by using fruit coloring, which may be
obtained at the bakeries.

Wine Jelly.

One box of gelatine dissolved in just water enough to cover it,
one pint of wine, one pint of boiling water, one pint of granulated
sugar, and juice of three lemons.

Mouldiness.
Fruit jellies may be preserved from mouldiness by covering the
surface one-fourth of an inch deep with finely pulverized loaf sugar.
Thus protected, they will keep in good condition for years.

CHAPTER XV.

MUSHROOMS.

HE peasants of a great portion of Europe eat mushrooms raw
with salt and dry bread, and wholesome and good they are.
The true flavor of mushrooms, nevertheless, is greatly height-
ened by cooking; and cook
them how you may — a broil, a
stew, or a fry, with the simple
addition of butter, salt, and
pepper, and they are excellent.
There is one rule that should
always be observed in what-
ever mode they are cooked,
and that is that they should be
served up quickly and hot.
The following modes of cook-
ing mushrooms may prove use-
ful:

Mushrooms au Gratin.
Take twelve large mushrooms about two inches in diameter, pare
the stalks, wash, and drain the mushrooms on a cloth; cut off and
chop the stalks. Put in a quart stewpan an ounce of butter and
half an ounce of flour; stir over the fire for fwo minutes; then add
one pint of broth; stir till reduced to half the quantity. Drain the
chopped stalks of the mushrooms thoroughly in a cloth ; put them
in the sauce with three tablespoonfuls of chopped and washed

184

MUSHROOMS. 185

parsley, one tablespoonful of chopped and washed shalot, two
pinches of salt, a small pinch of pepper; reduce on a brisk fire for
eight minutes, put two tablespoonfuls of oil in a saute pan; set the
mushrooms in, the hollow part upwards; fill them with the fine
herbs, and sprinkle over them lightly a tablespoonful of raspings;
put in a brisk oven for ten minutes and serve.

Mushrooms a la Provencale.
Take mushrooms of good size; remove the stems and soak them
in olive oil; cut up the stems with a clove of garlic and some pars-
ley; add meat of sausages, and two yolks of eggs to unite them;
dish the mushrooms, and garnish them with the forcemeat; sprinkle
them with fine oil, and dress them in an oven, or in a four de

campagne.

Mushrooms a la Creme.

Trim and rub half a pint of button mushrooms, dissolve two
ounces of butter rolled in flour in a stewpan, then put in the mush-
rooms, a bunch of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful
each of white pepper and of powdered sugar, shake the pan round
for ten minutes, then beat up the yolks of two eggs, with two
tablespoonfuls of cream, and add by degrees to the mushrooms; in
two or three minutes you can serve them in the sauce.

Baked Mushrooms.

Peel the tops of twenty mushrooms; cut off a portion of the

stalks, and wipe them carefully with a piece of flannel, dipped in

salt; lay the mushrooms in a tin dish, put a small piece of butter

on the top of each, and season them with pepper and salt. Set the

dish in the oven, and bake from twenty minutes to half an hour.

When done, arrange them high in the centre of a very hot dish,

pour the sauce round them and serve quickly and as hot as you

possibly can.

Breakfast Mushrooms.

Chan a dozen or so of medium size; place two or three ounces of
nice, clean beef-dripping in the frying pan, and with it a table-

186 MUSHROOMS.

spoonful or more of nice beef gravy. Set the pan on a gentle fire,
and as the dripping melts place in the mushrooms, adding salt and
pepper to taste. In a few minutes they will be cooked, and being
soaked in the gravy and served upon a hot plate, will form a capital
dish. In the absence of gravy, a soupcon of "extractum carnis "
may be substituted.

Cuerizd Mushrooms.
Peel and remove the stems from a dish of full-grown mushrooms,
sprinkle with salt, and add a very little butter; stew them gently
in a little good gravy or stock. Add four tablespoonfuls of cream,
and one teaspoonful of curry powder, previously well mixed with
two teaspoonfuls of wheat flour; mix carefully, and serve on a hot
dish, with hot toast and hot plates attendant. Mind the "curry
stuff " is good, says an Indian friend, and not too much of it. The
word "curry,"' by itself, it seems, being merely the Tamul word for
"meat." The large horse mushroom, when half or three parts-
grown, and curried in this fashion, will be found to be delicious.

Mushrooms kn Caissh.

Peel the mushrooms lightly, and cut them into pieces. Put them
into eases of buttered paper, with a bit of butter, parsley, green
onions, and shalots chopped up, salt and pepper. Dress them on
the gridiron over a gentle fire, and serve in the cases.

Mushroom Catsup.

Mushroom catsup is more highly esteemed and more generally
useful than anv other. It is best when made of large mushroom
flaps, fully ripe, fresh, and perfectly dry — that is, gathered during
dry weather. If this point is not attended to the catsup will not
keep. Do not wash nor skin the mushrooms, but carefully remove
any decayed, dirty, or worm-eaten portions: cut off about half an
inch from the end of the stalks, then break the rest into small
pieces, put them into an earthen jar, and strew three-fourths of a
pound of salt amongst twO gallons of mushrooms, scattering the
larger portions on top. Let them remain all night, and the next

MUSHROOMS. 187

day stir them gently with a wooden spoon, and repeat this three
times a day for two days. At the end of that time put the jar into
a cool oven for half an hour, then strain the liquid which flows from
them through a coarse cloth, and let it boil for a quarter of an hour.
Do not squeeze the mushrooms. To every quart of the liquid put
a quarter of an ounce each of Jamaica ginger and black pepper, and
a drachm of mace. Boil again till the quantity is reduced one-
half. Pour it out, and let it stand until cool, then put it into per-
fectly dry bottles, being ^careful to leave the sediment, which will
have settled to the bottom, undisturbed. Seal the corks and keep
in a cool, dry place.

Mushrooms en Ragout.
Put into a stew-pan a little stock, a small quantity of vinegar,
parsley, and green onions chopped up, salt and spices. When this
is about to boil, the mushrooms being cleaned, put them in. When
done, remove them from the fire, and thicken with yolks of eggs.

Mushrooms with Bacon.
Take some full-grown mushrooms, and having cleaned them,
procure a few rashers of nice streaky bacon, and fry it in the usual
manner. When nearly done, add a dozen or so of mushrooms, and
fry them slowly until they are cooked. In this process they will
absorb all the fat of the bacon, and with the addition of a little salt
and pepper, will form a most appetizing breakfast relish.

Mushroom Stems.
If young and fresh, make a capital dish when the supply of
mushrooms is limited. Rub them quite clean, and after washing
them in salt and water, slice them to the thickness of a shilling,
then place them in a sauce-pan with sufficient milk to stew them
tender; throw in a piece of butter and some flour for thickening.
and salt and pepper to taste. Serve upon a toast of bread, in a hot
dish, and add sippets of toasted bread. This makes a light and
very delicate supper dish, and is not bad sauce to a boiled fowl.

188 MUSHROOMS.

To Stew Mushrooms.
Trim and rub clean a half pint large button mushrooms; put into
a stew-pan two ounces of butter; shake over the fire until thor-
oughly melted; put in the mushrooms, a teaspoonful of salt, half as
much pepper, and a small piece of mace pounded; stew till the
mushrooms are tender, then serve them on a hot dish. They are
usually sent in as a breakfast dish, thus prepared in butter.

To Pot Mushrooms.

The small open mushrooms suit best for potting. Trim and rub
them; put into a stew-pan a quart of mushrooms, three ounces of
butter, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and half a teaspoonful of Cayenne
and mace mixed, and stew for ten or fifteen minutes, or till the
mushrooms are tender; take them carefully out and drain them
perfectly on a sloping dish, and when cold press them into small
pots, and pour clarified butter over them, in which state they will
keep for a week or two. If required to be longer preserved, put
writing paper over the butter, and over that melted suet, which
will effectually preserve them for many weeks, if kept in a dry, cool
place.

Mushrooms and Toast.

Peel the mushrooms, and take out the stems. Fry them over a
quick fire. When the butter is melted take off the pan. Squeeze
the juice of a lemon into it. Let the mushrooms fry again for some
minutes. Add salt, pepper, spices, and a spoonful of water, in
which a clove of garlic, having been cut into pieces, has soaked for
half an hour; let it stew. When the mushrooms are done make a
thickening of yolks of eggs. Pour the mushrooms on bread fried
in butter, and laid in a dish ready for them.

Mushrooms on Toast.
Put a pint of mushrooms into a stew-pan, with two ounces of
butter rolled in flour; add a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful
of white pepper, a blade of mace powdered, and half a teaspoonful

MUSHROOMS. 189

grated lemon; stew till the butter is all absorbed, then add as much
white roux as will moisten the mushrooms; fry a slice of bread in
butter, to tit the dish, and as soon as the mushrooms are tender
serve them on the toast.

To Pickle Mushrooms.
Select a number of small, sound, pasture mushrooms, as nearly as
possible alike in size; throw them for a few minutes into cold
water; then drain them; cut off the stalks, and gently rub off the
outer skin with a moist flannel dipped in salt; then boil the vin-
egar, adding to each quart two ounces of salt, half a nutmeg sliced,
a drachm of mace, and an ounce of white pepper-corns; put the
mushrooms into the vinegar for ten minutes over the fire; then
pour the whole into small jars, taking care that the spices are
equally divided; let them stand a day, then cover them.

Another Method.
In pickling mushrooms, take the buttons only, and while they are
quite close, cut the stem off even with the gills, and rub them quite
clean. Lay them in salt and water for forty-eight hours, and then
add pepper and vinegar, in which black pepper and a little mace
have been boiled. The vinegar must be applied cold. So pickled
they will keep for years.

CHAPTER XVI.

PICKLES.

pICKLES are made of fruit or vegetables preserved in vinegar,
and may be used as accompaniments to cold meat, to garnish
dishes, and to flavor hashes and sauces. It is generally
understood that they can be bought cheaper than they can be made.
Nevertheless, there is always a certain amount of satisfaction in
using home-made preparations, as by this means the quality of the
article can be assured beyond all question, and many ladies take
great pride in their store of home-made pickles. A great outcry
was raised some years ago about the unwholesomeness of pickles,
and attention was called to the fact that most of those ordinarily
sold were positively pernicious, because the vinegar used in making
them was boiled in copper vessels. This evil has now been, to a
great extent, remedied; and it may be reasonably assumed that
pickles which are sold by respectable dealers have been properly
prepared. At the same time, for safety's sake, the rule should be
laid down that all pickles which are beautiful and brilliant in color
and appearance should be avoided, as this is a certain sign that the
vinegar used has been boiled in a metal pan. In making pickles,
care must be taken that the vegetables and fruit used for the pur-
pose are procured at the right season, that they are perfectly sound,
not overripe, and have been gathered on a dry day. They should
be trimmed and wiped before they are used, and not washed, unless
they arc afterwards to be partially boiled or soaked. The vinegar
must b<- of the best quality. White wine vinegar is generally
recommended, for the sake of the appearance, but it is not as

PICKLES. 191

wholesome as the best cider vinegar. Metal utensils should never
be used in making pickles, as the vinegar acting upon the metal
produces a poison. Enameled or stone vessels and wooden spoons
should therefore be used; and the best method that can be adopted
is to put the vinegar into a stone jar, and heat it on a stone or hot
hearth. Pickles should be kej^t in glass bottles, or unglazed earthen
jars, and should be closely corked, and the corks sealed down,
or covered with wet bladder. They should be stored in a dry
place. As the vinegar becomes absorbed more should be added, as
it is important that the vegetables should be covered at least two
inches above the surface with vinegar. If any of the vinegar is
left after the pickle is used, it should be boiled up with fresh spices,
and bottled for flavoring sauces, etc. It should be remembered
that to boil vinegar is to decrease its strength. If it is wished to
basten the preparation of the pickles, partially boil the vegetables
in brine and let them cool and get quite dry before the vinegar is
poured over them.

Pickled Artichokes.

Boil your artichokes in strong salt and water for two or three
minutes; lay on a hair sieve to drain; when cold, lay in narrow-
topped jars. Take as much white wine vinegar as will cover the
artichokes, and boil it with a blade or two of mace, some root
ginger, and a nutmeg grated fine. Pour it on hot, seal and put
away for use.

Pickled Butternuts and Walnuts.

Gather them when soft enough to be pierced by a pin; lay them
in brine five days, changing this twice in the meantime; drain, and
wipe them with a coarse cloth; pierce each by running a large
needle through it, and lay in cold water for six hours. To each
gallon of vinegar allow a cup of sugar, three dozen each of cloves
and black peppers, half as much allspice, and a dozen blades of
mace. Boil five minutes; pack the nuts in small jars and pour over
them scalding hot. Repeat this twice within a week; tie up and
.set away. They will be good to eat in a month.

192 PICKLES.

Pickled Beasts.
The beans should be gathered young. Place them in a strong
brine of salt and water; when turning yellow, which will be in a
day or two, remove them and wipe them dry. Boil the vinegar
with a little mace, whole pepper, and ginger (two ounces of pepper
and one ounce each of ginger and mace to each quart of vinegar) ;
pour this over the beans. A small bit of alum, or a teaspoonf ul of
soda will bring back the color. Cover them to keep in the steam
and reboil the vinegar the next day; throw over hot as before.
Cover, but do not tie down till cold.

Pickled Beets.

Take the beets, cleanse and boil two hours. When cold peel

and slice, put into a jar and cover with vinegar prepared in the

following manner: Boil half an ounce each of cloves, pepper-corns,

mace and ginger in a pint of vinegar, when cold add another pint.

Pickled Bkocoli.

Choose the finest, whitest and closest vegetables before they are
quite ripe. Pare off all green leaves and the outsides of the stalks.
Parboil them in well-salted water. When drained and dry pull off
the branches in convenient sized pieces and put them into a jar of
pickle prepared as for onions. Time to parboil, four or five
minutes.

Bottled Pickles.

Wash and wipe small cucumbers; put into a stone jar and cover
with salt — allowing a pint of salt to a half bushel of cucumbers —
and pour over them boiling water enough to cover. Place a gallon
at a time on the stove, cover with vinegar, and add a lump of alum
about the size of a hickory nut. Put on the stove in another kettle
a gallon of the very best cider vinegar, to which add half a pint of
brown sugar; have bottles cleansed and placed to heat on stove in
a vessel of cold water; also have a cup of heated sealing-wax.
Have spices prepared in separate dishes as follows: Green and red

PICKLES. 193

peppers sliced in rings; horse-radish roots washed, scraped and cut
in small pieces; black and yellow mustard seed if liked, each pre-
pared by sprinkling with salt and pouring on some boiling water,
which let stand for fifteen minutes and then draw off; stick of
cinnamon broken into pieces and a few cloves. When pickles come
to boiling point, take out and pack in bottles, mixing with them the
spices. Put in a layer of pickles, then a layer of spices, shaking
the bottles occasionally so as to pack tightly. When full, cover
with the boiling hot vinegar from the other kettle (using a bright
funnel and tin cup), going over them a second time and filling up,
in order to supply shrinkage, for the pickles must be entirely
covered with vinegar. Put in the corks, which should fit very
snugly; lift each bottle and dip the corked end in the hot sealing-
wax; proceed in this manner with each bottle, dipping each a
second time into the wax so that they may be perfectly secure.
Glass cans, the covers of which have become defective, can be used
by supplying corks. Pickles prepared in this way are superior to
imported pickles.

Mary's Pickled Blackberries.
Three quarts blackberries, one quart vinegar, one quart sugar.
No spice is required; put all together at the same time into your
kettle and boil ten or fifteen minutes. After standing a few weeks
they are very nice.

To Put up Cucumbers in Brine.
Leave at least an inch of stem to the cucumbers, and wash well in
cold water. Make a brine of salt and water strong enough to bear
an egg; put your cucumbers in this as you gather them each day
from the vines. Cut a board so as to fit inside of your barrel; bore
holes here and there through it, and put this board on the cucum-
bers with a weight sufficient to keep it down. Each day take off
the scum that rises. When wanted for use, take out what is
necessary and soak them two or three days, or until the salt is out

194 PICKLES.

of them, and then pour boiling spiced vinegar over them. A red
pepper or two is an improvement if one likes hot pickles.

Pickxed Cabbage.

Select solid heads, slice very fine, put in a jar, then cover with
boiling water; when cold, drain off the water, and season with
grated horse radish, salt, equal parts of black and red pepper, cinna-
mon and whole cloves.

Pickled Cauliflower.

Choose such as are firm, yet of their full size; cut away all the
leaves and pare the stalks; pull away the flowers in bunches, steep
in brine two days, then drain them, wipe them dry, and put them
in hot pickle, or merely infuse for three days three ounces of curry
powder in every quart of vinegar.

Pickled Cauliflower, No. 2.
These should be sliced and salted for two or three days, then
drained, and spread upon a dry cloth before the fire for twenty-
four hours; after which they are put into a jar, and covered with
piced vinegar.

Picked Cabbage, No. 2.
Slice red cabbage very thin; put on it a little coarse salt, and let
it rest twenty-four hours to drain; add sliced onions, if you like^
them. Boil four spoonfuls pepper, and four of allspice in a quart
of vinegar, and pour it over.

Pickled Cucumbers.
Wash with care your cucumbers, and place in jars. Make a
weak brine (a handful of salt to a gallon and a half of water).
When scalding hot, turn over the cucumbers and cover; repeat this
process three mornings in succession, taking care to skim thor-
oughly. On the fourth day have ready a porcelain kettle of
vinegar, to which has been added a piece of alum the size of a
valnut. When scalding hot, put in as many cucumbers as may be
sovered with the vinegar; do not let them boil, but skim out as

PICKLES. 195

soon as scalded through, and replace with others, adding each time
a small piece of alum. When this process is through, throw out
the vinegar, and replace with good cider or white wine vinegar; add
spices, mustard seed and i'ed pepper. Sort the pickles and place
them in stone or glass jars, turn over the hot spiced vinegar; seal
and put away the jars not wanted for immediate use. Pickles thus
prepared are fine and crisp at the expiration of a year. Those that
are kept in open mouth jars may be covered with a cloth, which
will need to be taken off and rinsed occasionally.

Chow-Chow.

Two quarts of tomatoes, two white onions, half-dozen green pep-
pers, one dozen cucumbers, two heads of cabbage, all chopped fine;
let this stand over night ; sprinkle a cup of salt in it. In the morn-
ing drain off the brine, and season with one tablespoonful of celery
seed, one ounce of turmeric, half teaspoonful of cayenne pepper,
one cup of brown sugar, one ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of all-
spice, one ounce of black pepper, one-quarter ounce cloves, vinegar
enough to cover, and boil two hours.

Chow-Chow, No. 2.

Two heads of cabbage, two heads of cauliflower, one dozen
cucumbers, six roots of celery, six peppers, one quart of small white
onions, two quarts of green tomatoes; cut into small pieces and boil
each vegetable separately until tender, then strain them. Two
gallons of vinegar, one-fourth pound of mustard, one-fourth pound
of mustard seed, one pot of French mustard, one ounce of cloves,
two ounces of turmeric; put the vinegar and spices into a kettle
and let them come to a boil; mix the vegetables and pour over the
dressing.

Pickled Cherries.

Take the largest and ripest red cherries, remove the stems, have
ready a large glass jar, fill it two-thirds full with cherries, and fill
up to the top with best vinegar; keep it well covered and no boil-

196 PICKLES.

ing or spice is necessary, as the cherry flavor will be retained, and
the cherries will not shrivel.

French Pickles.
One peck of green tomatoes, sliced, six large onions, sliced;
sprinkle over them one cup of salt; let them stand over night; in
the morning drain and boil for fifteen minutes in two parts water
and one part vinegar; drain again; take two quarts vinegar, one
pound sugar, one tablespoonful each of cloves, cinnamon and all-
spice; boil together for fifteen minutes and pour over the pickles.

Pickled Grapes.
Fill a jar with alternate layers of sugar and bunches of nice
grapes, not too ripe; fill one-third full of good, cold vinegar and
cover tightly.

Pickled Grapes, No. 2.
When grapes are not quite ripe, but dark colored, pick from the
stem and wash; put in bottles; in a dish put sugar and vinegar,
and boil a few minutes; add spices to taste; boil a few minutes,
pour over the grapes and seal up the bottles.

To Harden Pickles.
After they are taken out of the brine take a lump of alum and a
horse-radish cut in strips; put this in the vinegar, and it will make
them hard and crisp. When you wish to make a few cucumber
pickles quick, take good cider vinegar; heat it boiling hot and pour
it over them. When cool, they are ready for use.

Lemon Pickles.
Wipe six lemons, cut each into eight pieces; put on them a pound
of salt, six large cloves of garlic, two ounces of horse-radish, sliced
thin, likewise of cloves, mace, nutmeg, and Cayenne, a quarter of an
ounce each, and two ounces of flour of mustard; to these put two
quarts of vinegar. Boil a quarter of an hour in a well-tinned sauce-
pan; or, which is better, do it in a strong jar, in a kettle of boiling

PICKLES. 197

water; ox* set the jar on the hot hearth till done. Set the jar by,

and stir it daily for six weeks; keep the jar close covered. Put it

into small bottles.

Mangoes of Melons.

Take green melons and make a brine strong enough to bear up
an egg; then pour it boiling hot on the melons, keeping them under
the brine; let them stand five or six days, slit them down on one
side, take out all the seeds, scrape them well in the inside, and wash
them clean; then take cloves, garlic, ginger, nutmeg and pepper;
put all these proportionately into the melons, filling them up with
mustard seed; then lay them into an earthern pot, and take one
part of mustard seed and two parts of vinegar, enough to cover
them, pouring it on scalding hot. Keep them closely covered.

Imitation Pickled Mangoes.
Large cucumbers, or small melons, are split so that a marrow-
spoon may be introduced, and the seeds scooped out; they are then
parboiled in brine strong enough to float an egg, dried on a cloth
before the fire, filled with mustard seed and a clove of garlic, and
then covered with spiced vinegar. Real mangoes are pickled in the
same way.

Pickled Nasturtiums.

Soak for three days in strong salt and water; then strain and
pour boiling vinegar over them, omitting the spice. Vinegar for
any pickle should never be allowed to boil over one minute.

Pickled Onions.

Small silver-skinned onions; remove outer skin so that each one

is white and clean; put them into brine that will float an egg for

three days; bring vinegar to a boiling point, add a little mace and

whole red peppers and pour hot over the onions, well drained from

the brine.

Pickled Onions, No. 2.

Peel the onions and let them lie in strong salt and water nine
days, changing the water each day; then put them into jars and

198 PICKLES.

pour fresh salt and water on them, this time boiling hot; when it is
cold, take them out and put them on a hair sieve to drain, after
which put them in wide-mouthed bottles and pour over them
vinegar prepared in the following manner: Take white wine
vinegar and boil it with a blade of mace, some salt and ginger in it;
when cool, pour over the onions.

Pickles.
An excellent way to make pickles that will keep a year or more
is to drop them into boiling hot water, but not boil them; let them
stay ten minutes, wipe them dry, and drop them into cold, spiced
vinegar, and they will not need to be put in salt and water.

Stuffed Peppers.
Chop a large cabbage finely, add one large spoonful grated horse-
radish root and one ounce of white mustard seed; mix all this well;
cut pieces out of the stem ends of large green peppers, large as a
silver dollar; fill with the filling and sew the piece in again with
cotton thread; then take vinegar enough to cover; spice with
cloves, mace and allspice, whole; boil, and when nearly cold, pour
over the peppers; no salt is to be used. Mangoes are pickled and
stuffed in the same manner.

Mixed Pickles.
One quart raw cabbage chopped fine; one quart boiled beets
chopped fine; two cups of sugar, tablespoonful of salt, one tea-
spoonful red pepper, one cup of grated horse-radish; cover with
0old vinegar and keep from the air.

Mixed Pickles, No. 2.
Three hundred small cucumbers, four green peppers sliced fine,
two large or three small heads cauliflower, three heads of white
cabbage sliced fine, nine large onions sliced, one large horse-radish,
one quart green beans cut one inch long, one quart green tomatoes
sliced; put this mixture in a pretty strong brine twenty-four hours;
drain three hours; then sprinkle in one-fourth pound black and

PICKLES. 199

one-fourth pound of white mustard seed; also one tablespoonful
black ground pepper; let it come to a good boil in just vinegar
enough to cover it, adding a little alum; drain again and when
cold put in one-half pint ground mustard; cover the whole with
good cider vinegar; add turmeric enough to color if you like.

India Pickles.
Take three quarts of vinegar, quarter pound mustard, half
ounce of black pepper, one ounce cloves, one ounce allspice, one
ounce turmeric, one ounce ginger, one ounce Cayenne pepper, hand-
ful of salt and the same of sugar; boil for twenty minutes. When
cold put in the vegetables, cucumbers, onions, cauliflower cut up
small, and cover closely.' If the liquid should seem thin, boil again
and add more mustard in three weeks after making.

Pyper Pickles.
Salt pickles down dry for ten days, soak in fresh water one day;
pour off water, place in porcelain kettle, cover with water and
vinegar and add one teaspoonful pulverized alum; set over night
on a stove which had fire in it during the day; wash and put in a
jar with cloves, allspice, pepper, horse-radish, onions or garlic; 'boil
fresh vinegar and pour over all. Ready for use in two weeks.

Ragan Pickles.
Two gallons of cabbage, sliced fine, one gallon of chopped green
tomatoes, twelve onions, also chopped, one gallon best vinegar,
one pound of brown sugar, one tablespoonful of black pepper, half
an ounce of turmeric powder, one ounce celery seed, one table-
spoonful of ground allspice, one tablespoonful of ground cloves,
one-quarter pound white mustard, and one gill of salt. Boil
all together, stirring well, for two hours; take from the fire and
add the spices, then put in air-tight jars; set in a cool, dry place,
and this delicious pickle will keep all winter.

Sweet Pickles.
To every seven pounds of fruit allow three and one-half pounds

200 PICKLES.

of sugar and one pint of cider vinegar, two ounces whole cloves,
two of stick cinnamon. This is for peaches, pears, apples or musk
melons. Peaches, pears, and apples should be pared only, not
divided. Then in each stick two whole' cloves. The cinnamon
should be boiled in the vinegar. Put the prepared fruit into a jar
and pour the vinegar, scalding hot, over it. Repeat this for three
mornings. These sweet pickles will be found delicious, and will
keep any length of time. The melons should be cut in strips as if
to serve fresh on the table, and should not be too ripe. Simmer
them thirty minutes slowly in the prepared vinegar, and they will
need no further attention except to keep them closely covered, and
they will keep good a year.

Sweet Apple Pickle.

Pickled sweet apples can be made by taking three pounds of
sugar, two quarts of vinegar, one-half ounce of cinnamon, one-half
ounce of cloves; pare the apples, leaving them whole; boil them in
part of the vinegar and sugar until you can put a fork through
them; take them out; heat the remainder of the vinegar and sugar
and pour over them. Be careful not to boil them too long or they
will break.

Sweet Tomato Pickle.

Seven pounds of ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced, three and a
lalf pounds of sugar, one pound of mace and cinnamon mixed, one
ounce of cloves, one quart of vinegar. Mix all together and stew
an hour.

Green Tomato Pickles.

Slice one peck of tomatoes into a jar and sprinkle a little salt
over each layer; let them stand twenty-four hours, drain off the
liquor; put the tomatoes into a kettle with a teaspoonful of each
of the following spices: Ground ginger, allspice, cloves, mace,
cinnamon, a teaspoonful of scraped horse-radish, twelve small or
three large red peppers, three onions, a cup of brown sugar; cover
all with vinegar; boil slowly for three hours.

PICKLES. 201

PlCALILLI.

One peck green tomatoes, one large cabbage, one dozen onions;
add half pint Bait; after the above have been chopped line let it
stand over night; in the morning drain off the brine and scald in
weak vinegar; drain this off and stir in ground spices to suit the
taste; add six red peppers and a little horse-radish root; pack in a
crock and cover with strong vinegar; a few small cucumbers put
in whole are quite an addition.

PlCKLETTE.

Four large crisp cabbages chopped fine, one quart of onions
chopped fine, two quarts of vinegar, or enough to cover the cabbage,
two tablespoonf uls each of ground mustard, black pepper, cinnamon,
turmeric, celery seed, and one of allspice, pulverized alum and mace.
Pack the onions and cabbage in alternate layers with a little salt
between them. Let them stand until next day. Then scald the
vinegar, sugar and spices together and pour over the cabbage and
onions. Do this three mornings in succession. On the fourth put
all together over the fire and heat to a boil; let them boil five
minutes. When cold pack in small jars. It is fit for use as soon as
cold and will keep well.

Spiced Vinegar for Pickles Generally.

bruise in a mortar two ounces black pepper, one ounce ginger,
one-half ounce allspice, and one ounce salt. If a hotter pickle is
desired, add one-half drachm Cayenne, or a few capsicums. For
walnuts add also one ounce shallots. Put these in a stone jar, with
a quart of vinegar, and cover them with a bladder wetted Math the
pickle, and over this a piece of leather. Set the jar near the fire
for three days, shaking it three time a day; then pour it on the
walnuts or other vegetables. For walnuts it is used hot; for
•cabbage, etc., cold.

Pickled Peaches.

To fourteen pounds of peaches peeled, put three pounds of brown

202 PICKLES.

sugar, three tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, same of powdered cloves,
to one quart of strong cider vinegar. Let the vinegar, sugar,
and spices boil a very little while; then put in your peaches and let
them scald enough to stick a straw through them with ease. Take
them out and put them in an earthen jar, seeing that the vinegar
covers them well, which must be poured over the packed peaches.
Put a cover over them lightly the first day; the second pour off the
vinegar, heat and pour it boiling hot over the fruit. Repeat till
the fruit is ready for use. Four or five times heating will generally
cure them. Watch closely and if any fermentation occurs pour off
the vinegar and scald it, .skimming off any scum that arises.

Pickled Peaches that will Keep.
Four pounds sugar, one pint vinegar, to twelve pounds of fruit;
put sugar and vinegar together and boil; then add the fruit and let
it come to a boil; the next day drain off the liquor and boil again;
do this three times and your pickles are delicious; add cinnamon to
the liquor and stick two or three cloves in each peach.

To Pickle Plums.
For eight pounds of fruit take four pounds of sugar, two quarts
of vinegar, one ounce cinnamon, and one ounce cloves; boil the
vinegar, sugar, and spices together; skim, and pour scalding hot
over your fruit; let it set three days, pour off the syrup, scald and
skim and pour over again, and continue this process every three
days till you have scalded it three times, after which it will be fit
for use. Plums prepared in this way we think superior to the old
method of preserving with sugar alone.

Geee^ Tomato Soy.
Two gallons of green tomatoes sliced without peeling; slice also
twelve good sized onions ; two quarts of vinegar, one quart of sugar,
two tablespoonfuls each of salt, ground mustard, and ground black
pepper, one tablespoonful of cloves and allspice. Mix all together
and stew until tender, stirring often lest they should scorch. Put
up in small glass jars. A good sauce for all kinds of meat or fish.

PICKLES. 203

To Keep Tomatoes Whole.
Fill a large stone jar with ripe tomatoes, then add a few whole
cloves and a little sugar; cover them well with one-half cold
vinegar and half water; place a piece of flannel over the jar well
down in the vinegar, then tie down with paper. In this way toma-
toes can be kept a year. Should mildew collect on the flannel it
will not hurt them in the least.

Pickled Tomatoes.
Let the tomatoes be thoroughly ripe and let them lie in strong
salt and water for three or four days; then put them down in
layers in jars, mixing with them small onions and pieces of horse-
radish; then pour on vinegar, cold, after having spiced it. Use
plenty of spice, cover carefully, and let stand for a month before
using.

CHAPTER XVII.

PRESERVES.

Preserved Apples for Tea.
f AKE a ni^e syrup of sugar and water, and put in some small
pieces of ginger root or the yellow of orange peel; have
some good firm apples pared and halved — pippins are best —
and when the syrup has boiled up three or four times and been
skimmed, drop in the apples and cook until transparent, but they
must not go to pieces. Let them be quite cold before eaten, and
good cream greatly improves it.

Apple Preserves.
Take three-fourths pound of sugar to each pound of apples; make
a syrup of the sugar and water, and a little lemon juice or sliced
lemon ; skim off all scum and put a few apjdes at a time into the
syrup and boil until they are transparent; skim out and put in a
jar. When all are done, boil the syrup down thick; pour boiling
hot over the apples and cover closely. Well-flavored fruit not
easily broken should be selected.

Apricot Preserves.
Proceed the same as for preserving peaches, save that apricots,
having a smooth, thin skin, do not require paring.

Citron Preserves.
Pare and take out the seeds and cut them in pieces one inch thick
and two inches in length; weigh them and put into a preserving
kettle and cook them until they are clear, or steam them, then

204

PRESERVES. 205

make a syrup of their weight in sugar with water and add two
sliced lemons for each pound of fruit; put the citron into the syrup, a
part at a time, and boil about fifteen minutes; skim out and put into
a jar. When all has been thus cooked, boil the syrup down thick,
and pour over it. Cover closely with paper which the air cannot
penetrate, or use air-tight jars.

Citron Preserves, No. 2.
First, peel and cut the citron in pieces an inch square; then boil
in water until soft; drain off the water and add one pound of sugar
to each pound of citron; to every five pounds of the preserve add
one pound of raisins, one lemon sliced, half an ounce of white
cloves, one ounce of stick cinnamon; dissolve the sugar, and when
hot, add the fruit and simmer slowlv for two hours.

(JUBKANT PRESERVES.

Take ten pounds of currants and seven pounds of sugar; pick the
stems from seven pounds of the currants and press the jufce from
the other three pounds; when the juice and sugar are made into a
hot syrup, put in the currants and boil"until thick and rich.

Brandied Chekries or Berries.
Make a syrup of a pound of sugar and a hal£ gill of water for
every two pounds of fruit. Heat to boiling, stirring to prevent
burning, and pour over the fruit while warm — not hot. Let them
stand together an hour; put all into a preserving kettle, and heat
slowly; boil five minutes, take out the fruit with a perforated skim-
mer, and boil the syrup twenty minutes. Add a pint of brandy for
every five pounds of fruit; pour over the berries hot, and seal.

Lemon Preserves.
One pound of pounded loaf sugar, quarter pound of butter, six
eggs and the whites of four, well beaten, the rind of two lemons,
grated, and the juice of three. Mix together and let it simmer till
of the consistency of honey. Be careful to stir all the time or it
will burn.

206 PRESERVES.

Preserved Oranges.
Take any number of oranges, with rather more than their weight
in white sugar. Slightly grate the oranges and score them round
and round with a knife, but do not cut very deep. Put 'them in
cold water for three days, changing the water two or three times a
day. Tie them up in a cloth, boil them until they are soft enough
for the head of a pin to penetrate the skin. While they are boiling
place the sugar on the fire, with rather more than half a pint of
water to each pound; let it boil for a minute or two, then strain it
through muslin. Put the oranges into the syrup till it jellies and
is a yellow color. Try the syrup by putting some to cool. It must
not be too stiff. The syrup need not cover the oranges, but they
must be turned, so that each part gets thoroughly done.

Preserved Pine-Apple.

Pare, cut into slices, take out the core of each one, and weigh,
allowing pound for pound of sugar and fruit. Put in alternate
layers in the kettle and pour in water, allowing a cup to each pound
of sugar. Heat to a boil; take out the pine-apple and spread upon
dishes in the sun. Boil and skim the syrup half an hour. Return
the pine-apple to the kettle and boil fifteen minutes. Take it out,
pack in wide-mouth jars, pour on the scalding syrup; cover to keep
in the heat, and, when cold, tie up, first putting brandied tissue
paper upon the top.

To Preserve Plums or Cherries.
Make a syrup of clean, brown sugar, and clarify it; when per-
fectly clear and boiling hot, pour it over the plums, having picked
out all the unsound ones and stems. Let them remain in the syrup
two days, then drain it off; make it boiling hot, skim it, and pour
it over again; let them remain another day or two, then put them
into a preserving kettle over the fire, and simmer gently until the
syrup is reduced, and thick or rich. One pound of sugar to each
pound of plums. Small damsons are very fine preserved, as are

PRESERVES. 207

cherries, or any other ripe fruit. Clarify the syrup, and when
boiling hot, put in the plums; let them boil very gently until they
are cooked, and the syrup rich. Put them in pots or jars the next
day; secure as directed.

Purple Plums Preserved.
Take an equal weight of fruit and nice sugar. Take a clean
stone jar and fill it with the fruit and sugar in layers. Cover them
and set the jar in a kettle of water over the fire. Let them stand
in the boiling water all day, filling up the kettle as the water boils
away. If at any time they seem likely to ferment, repeat this pro-
cess. It is a simple and excellent way of preserving plums.

To Preserve Pears.
Pare them very thin, and simmer in a thin syrup; let them lie a
day or two. Make the syrup richer and simmer again. Repeat
this till they are clear; then drain and dry them in the sun or a cool
oven a little time; or they may be kept in the syrup and dried as
wanted, which makes them richer.

Brandy Peaches.

Drop the peaches in hot water, let them remain till the skin can
be ripped off; make a thin syrup, and let it cover the fruit; boil
the fruit till they can be pierced with a straw; take it out, make a
very rich syrup, and add, after it is taken from the fire, and while
it is still hot, an equal quantity of brandy. Pour this, while it is
still warm, over the peaches in the jar. They must be covered
with it.

Peach Preserves.

Take any nice peaches that will not cook to pieces, pare them
and take out the pits; take their weight in sugar, or, if they are
to be canned, three-fourths pound of sugar to each pound of fruit, and
a coffee-cup of water to each pound of sugar. Boil part of the pits in
the water until the flavor is extracted, then remove the pits; add
about as much water as has evaporated, then add the sugar; skim

208 PRESERVES.

thoroughly, then add a small quantity of fruit at a time, cook slowly
for about ten minutes, skim out into a jar, then add more. When
all are done, pour the boiling syrup over them. The next day
drain off the syrup and boil again and pour back; do the same for
two or three days, then make them air-tight with paper as directed
for jellies; or, if to be sealed in cans, the first boiling is sufficient.
Cling stone peaches are preserved the same way, whole, except that
they must be cooked longer.

Quince Preserves.
Pare and core the quinces, and cut into halves or quarters, as suits
the size of your jars; let them stand over night in enough cold
water to cover them; in the morning put them in the kettle with
the same water and let them cook gently until you can just stick a
fork in them; take the fruit out with a skimmer, weigh it and to each
pound of fruit allow a pound of sugar; put the fruit and sugar into
the kettle, with enough of the water to make a good syrup, and let
them boil gently until they are clear; take out carefully with the
skimmer and put into the jars; fill the jars to the top with the
syrup. If there is a large quantity of fruit, and the kettle is not
large, it is best to put the fruit in the syrup a little at a time.

Preserving Strawberries.
Select the largest and finest strawberries. Hull them, weigh and
allow to each pound one pound of the best double refined loaf sugar
finely powdered. Divide the sugar into two equal portions. Put a
layer of strawberries into the bottom of a preserving kettle and cover
them with a layer of sugar, until half the sugar is in; next set the
kettle over a moderate fire and let it boil till the sugar is melted;
then put in, gradually, the remainder of the sugar, and, after it is all
in, let it boil hard for five minutes, taking off the scum with a silver
spoon; but there will be little or no scum if the sugar is of the very
best quality. Afterwards remove the kettle from the fire and take
out the strawberries very carefully in a spoon. Spread out the
strawberries on large, flat dishes, so as not to touch each other, and

PRESERVES. 209

set them immediately in a cold place or on ice. Hang the kettle
again on the fire, and give the syrup one boil up, skimming it if
necessary. Place a fine strainer over the top of a mug or pitcher,
and pour the syrup through it. Then put the strawberries into
glass jars or tumblers; pour into each an equal portion of the syrup.
Lay at the top a round piece of white paper dipped in brandy.
Seal the jars tightly.

Raspberries may be preserved as above; also large ripe goose-
berries. To each pound of gooseberries allow one and a half pounds
sugar. Bury them in a box of sand, or keep in a dark, cool place.

Green Tomato Preserves.
Eight pounds small, green tomatoes; pierce each with a fork;
seven pounds sugar, juice of four lemons, one ounce of ginger and
mace mixed; heat all together slowly and boil until the fruit is
clear; remove from kettle with skimmer and spread upon dishes to
cool; boil the syrup thick; put the fruit in jars and cover with hot
syrup.

Ripe Tomato Preserves.

Seven pounds round yellow or egg tomatoes, peeled, seven
pounds sugar, juice of three lemons; let them stand together over
night, drain off the syrup and boil it, skimming well; put in the
tomatoes, and boil gently twenty minutes; take out the fruit with
a perforated skimmer and spread upon dishes; boil the syrup down
until it thickens, adding, just before taking it up, the juice of three
lemons; put the fruit into the jars and fill up with hot syrup.
When cold, seal up.

Spiced Currants.

Four quarts ripe currants, three pounds brown sugar, one pint
cider vinegar, one tablespoonful each of allspice and cloves, and a
,ittle nutmeg and cinnamon. Boil one hour, stirring occasionally.
Spiced Gooseberries.

Six quarts of gooseberries, ripe or green, nine pounds of sugar,
one pint of vinegar (not too strong), one tablespoonful each of

210 PRESERVES.

cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Put the berries in the kettle with
half the sugar and a little water; boil an hour and a half. When
nearly done, add the rest of the sugar; set it off the fire and add
the spices and vinegar.

Spiced Grapes.
Five pounds of grapes, three of sugar, two teaspoonfuls of cin-
namon and allspice, half teaspoonful of cloves; pulp grapes; boil
until tender; cook pulps and strain through a sieve; add to it the
spices, put in sugar, spices and vinegar to taste; boil thoroughly
and cool.

Spiced Nutmeg Melon.

Select melons not quite ripe; open, scrape out the pulp, peel and
slice; put the fruit in a stone jar, and, for five pounds of fruit take
a quart of vinegar and two and a half pounds of sugar; scald vin-
egar and sugar together, and pour over the fruit; scald the syrup
and pour over the fruit for eight successive days. On the ninth,
add one ounce of stick cinnamon, one of whole cloves, and one of
allspice; scald fruit, vinegar and spices together, and seal up in
jars. This pickle should stand two or three months before using.
Blue plums are very nice prepared in this way.

Spiced Peaches.
Five pounds peaches, two of brown sugar, one quart vinegar, one
ounce each of cinnamon, cloves, and mace. Wipe the peaches and
boil until done in the vinegar and sugar, then take out, put in spices,
boil well and pour over.

Spiced Plums.

Spiced plums are delicious with cold meat. Cook the plums in a
little water until they are soft; then, so far as possible, remove the
stones, sweeten and spice to your taste, and boil until thick; put in
large-mouthed bottles and seal, or can in the usual way.

PRESERVES. 211

Spiced Plums, No. 2.
Nine pounds blue plums, six pounds sugar, two quarts vinegar,
one ounce cinnamon; boil vinegar, sugar and spice together, pour
over plums, draw off next morning and boil; pour back on plums;
repeat the boiling five mornings, the last time boiling the fruit about
twenty minutes.

CHAPTER XVIII.

VEGETABLES.

'HE following excellent remarks on the cooking of vegetables
are from the pen of Miss Corson:

Spinach is an excellent dish when well cooked; take two
quarts, wash, boil for two minutes in salted boiling water, drain,
chop and heat in a frying-pan for two minutes with an ounce each
of butter and flour; half a pint of meat broth is added, the com-
pound is stirred and heated for five minutes, and served with
small pieces of fried bread. Second only to spinach are beet
sprouts; we all know them boiled, but after they are boiled they gain
in flavor by being fried for two or three minutes in butter. New
cabbage scalded for five minutes in fast boiling water, coarsely
chopped, sprinkled with flour, salt and pepper, and gently stewed
for five minutes with milk or cream enough to cover it, is good.
So, too, is red cabbage sliced, thrown for fifteen minutes into
scalding salted water and vinegar, then drained and fried five
minutes with butter, and served with a little hot meat gravy. Let-
tuce, which seems devoted to "salad days," is excellent stuffed; it
is well washed in salted cold water, the roots trimmed off, two
tablespoonfuls of cooked force-meat of any kind, or chopped cold
meat highly seasoned, inclosed within the leaves, which are bound
together with tape or strips of cloth; several heads thus prepared
are placed in a saucepan, covered with broth or cold gravy well
seasoned, and set over the fire to simmer about five minutes ; the
tapes are then removed and the lettuce heads and sauce are served
hot. A link between cabbage and lettuce are Brussels sprouts,

212

VEGETABLES. 213

those tender, baby cabbages, which, stewed in cream, or quickly
fried in butter, almost incline one's thoughts to vegetarianism.

Beets are familiar enough boiled and sliced, either served hot
with butter, pepper and salt, or pickled, but a novelty is a beet
pudding, made by mixing a pint of cooked sugar beets, chopped,
with four eggs, a quart of milk, a little salt and pepper, a table-
spoonful of butter, and baking them about half an hour. Cold boiled
beets sliced and fried with butter are palatable; to cook them so
that none of their color shall be lost, carefully wash them without
breaking the skin or cutting off the roots or stalks, and boil them
until tender, about an hour, in boiling salted water.

Turnips, either white or yellow, stewed in gravy, are excellent.
Choose a quart of small, even size; peel them; boil fifteen minutes in
well salted boiling water; drain them; put them into a frying-pan
with sufficient butter to prevent burning; brown them; stir in a
tablespoonful of flour; cover them with hot water; add a palatable
seasoning of salt and pepper, and stew them gently until tender.
Or peel and cut them in small regular pieces; brown them over the
fire with a little butter and a slight sprinkling of sugar; add salt
and pepper and boiling water enough to cover them, and gently stew
them until tender; serve them hot.

Parsnips are not sufficiently appreciated, perhaps because of their
too sweet taste; but this can be overcome to a palatable extent by
judicious cookery; they are excellent when sliced, after boiling, and
warmed in a sauce made by mixing flour, butter and milk, over the
fire, and seasoning it with salt and pepper; as soon as warm they
are served with a little chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon
juice. For parsnips fried brown in an old-fashioned iron pot with
slices of salt pork and a seasoning of salt and pepper, several good
words might be said.

Carrots boiled and mashed and warmed with butter, pepper and
salt deserve to be known; or sliced and quickly browned in butter;
or tossed for five minutes over the fire wdth chopped onion, parsley,
butter, seasonings and sufficient gravy to moisten them; or boiled,

214 VEGETABLES.

quartered, heated with cream, seasoned, and, at the moment of
serving, thickened with the yolk of eggs.

Onions are capital when sliced and quickly fried in plenty of
smoking hot fat, or roasted whole until tender, and served with
butter, pepper and salt; or chosen while still small, carefully peeled
without breaking, browned in butter, and then simmered tender with
just boiling water enough to cover them; or boiled tender in broth
and then heated five minutes in nicely seasoned cream.

Oyster plant, scraped under cold water, boiled tender in salted
water containing a trace of vinegar, and then heated with a little
highly seasoned melted butter, is excellent; the tender leaves which it
often bears make a nice salad. Somewhat like oyster plant are
Jerusalem artichokes, which are good and cheap in this market.
Like oyster plant, they must be peeled under water, boiled tender,
and then served with melted butter, or quickly browned in butter,
either plain or with chopped herbs, or served with an acid sauce of
any kind.

Celery we know best in its uncooked state, but it is very good
stewed in any brown or white gravy or sauce, or rolled in fritter
batter and fried brown.

Squash and pumpkin are very good either boiled, sliced, and
broiled or fried, or made into fritters like oyster plant.

Potatoes, most important of all hardy vegetables. Lives there
a cook with soul so dead as not to be willing to expend all the
powers of fire, water and salt to produce mealy potatoes ? If so,
the writing of her epitaph would be a cheerful task. And if
cold ones are left they can rehabilitate themselves in favor by
appearing chopped, moistened with white sauce or cream, and
either fried in butter or baked quickly, with a covering of
bread crumbs. Steam-fried, that is sliced raw, ]3ut into a covered
pan over the fire, with butter and seasoning, and kept covered
until tender, with only enough stirring to prevent burning, they are
capital. To fry them Lyonnaise style they are cooled in their
jackets to keep them whole, sliced about a quarter of an inch

VEGETABLES. 215

thick, browned in butter with a little sliced onion, sprinkled with
chopped parsley, pepper and salt, and served hot. Larded, they
have bits of fat ham or bacon inserted in them, and are baked
tender. Note well that the more expeditiously a baked potato is
cooked and eaten the better it will be.

Boiling is the ordinary mode of cooking vegetables. The rule is
to throw them (whether the roots, flowers, foliage, or unripe seeds)
into cold water, after trimming or other preparation; to let them
lie there, if shriveled or drooping, until they have recovered their
natural crispness; then to throw them into soft water, or, if hard
water, made soft by the addition of a small pinch of carbonate of
soda; to keep them boiling without the lid (with roots this is imma-
terial, though it is one means of keeping greens a good color) ; to
remove all scum as it rises; to cook them enough; and to take them
up as soon as they are done through, instead of leaving them to
seethe, and lose their natural juices in the water.

To this there are exceptions. Peas and beans may be thrown
into cold water when they are dried, but when green are best not
thrown into cold water; and the former should be boiled in the
least quantity of water possible. Potatoes require different treat-
ment, according to their kind and the soil in which they grew.
Very mealy or large potatoes, if thrown into boiling water, will fall
to pieces outside, while still raw in the center; while small, firm, or
waxy varieties are best thrown into boiling salt water. If you buy
of the grower, he will often tell you what treatment suits them.
At any rate, an experiment both ways will soon settle the difficulty.
But the qualities of potatoes vary, not only with soil and kind,
but also with the period in the season. We have known potatoes,
waxy and watery when first dug up, become light and floury in
February and March, after the eyes have sprouted three or four
inches. The reason is plain: Superabundant moisture had been
drawn off, and the starch, which forms one of its component ele-
ments, had had time to mature itself.

216 VEGETABLES.

How to Cook Potatoes.
It is well known that a good potato may be spoiled by bad cook-
ing; and by good management a bad one may be rendered com-
paratively good. In fact, no vegetable depends more on the cooking
than a potato. In the first place, if the skin is taken off them
before boiling, it should not be peeled, but scraped, for the follow-
ing reasons: If peeled, it is reduced in size considerably; besides,
the outside removed is the very best part of the root. An iron
saucepan is preferable to a tin one for cooking them, as it prevents
their boiling so fast; but the best way is, first to wash them very
clean, then to put them on the fire with just cold water enough to
cover them; when it has begun to boil, throw in a handful of salt,
and add a pint of cold water, which checks their boiling and gives
them time to be done through, without allowing them to crack.
As soon as done, rather under than over, which may be ascertained
with a fork, pour the water off from them, and replace the pan on
the fire for a short time, until the remaining moisture is evaporated.
If not immediately wanted, do not place the lid upon them, or the
steam will be confined, but cover them with a cloth. New potatoes
require great caution not to over-boil them, or they will be tasteless

and watery.

Artichokes (Jerusalem), Fried.

Pare and cut the artichokes into slices about an eighth of an inch
in thickness, and fry them in sufficient boiling oil or lard for them
to swim in until they are a rich brown. Strew a little salt over
them, pile high on a dish, and send to the table hot.

They may also be peeled and cut pear-shaped and stewed in a
little salt water, to which a little butter has been added, and used
as a garnish for a dish of mashed potatoes.

Asparagus, Boiled.
Choose bunches of asparagus which have been cut fresh and the
heads straight. If the cut end is brown and dry, and the heads
bent on one side, the asparagus is stale. It may be kept a day or

VEGETABLES. 217

two with the stalks in cold water, but is much better fresh. Scrape
off the white skin from the lower end, and cut the stalks of equal
length; let them lie in cold water until it is time to cook them; put
a handful of salt into a gallon of water, and let it boil; tie the
asparagus into bundles and put them into it; toast a slice of bread
brown on each side, dip it in the water, and lay it on a dish. When
the asparagus is sufficiently cooked, dish it on the toast, leaving the
white ends outward each way. Serve with melted butter.

Asparagus, Fricasseed.
Wash twenty-five heads of asparagus, cut off the tender portion
and lay them into cold water until they are required. Drain them
and chop them with a young head of lettuce, half a head of endive
and a small onion. Put a piece of butter the size of an egg into a
saucepan, melt it, then mix with it smoothly a dessert-spoonful of
flour, and half a pint of stock. Add the chopped vegetables, with
pepper and salt, and let all stew gently until the sauce is thick and
good. Serve hot. Time to stew, half an hour.

Egg Broccoli.

Take half a dozen heads of broccoli, cut off the small shoots or
blossoms and lay them aside for frying; trim the stalks short and
pare off the rough rind up to the head; wash them well, and lay
them in salt water for an hour; then put them into plenty of boil-
ing water (salted) and let them boil fast till quite tender. Put two
ounces of butter into a saucepan, and stir it over a slow fire till it is
melted; then add gradually six or eight well-beaten eggs, and stir
the mixture until it is thick and smooth. Lay the broccoli in the
center of a large dish, pour the egg around it, and having fried the
broccoli blossoms, arrange them in a circle near the edge of the
<iish.

Beets and Potatoes.

One of the most delicious ways to serve these early vegetables is
this: Take new potatoes and young beets, boil until done in sepa-
rate kettles, then slice into the dish in which they are to be put on

218 VEGETABLES.

the table; first put a layer of potatoes, sprinkled with pepper and
salt and little lumps of butter, then a layer of beets, treated in the
same way, and so on until the dish is full, then pour over all a very
little sweet cream or milk.

Lima Beans.
Shell, wash, and put into boiling water with a little salt; when
boiled tender, drain and season them, and either dress with cream
or large lump of butter, and let simmer for a few moments.

String Beans.

Choose fine young beans, and be careful they are the right sort.
The best kind is the case-knife, because they have no strings and
need only to be broken in two and not cut. Should these not be
obtainable take the youngest that can be procured; remove the
thread or string that runs along the pod, then cut them in a slanting
direction lengthwise in very thin slices, throw them into boiling
water well salted, and to preserve their color boil without the lid of
the saucepan. When tender, drain in a colander, put in a small piece
of butter and a dash of pepper, and give the whole a shake. This
dish may be varied in a great many ways and with great success.
Cold beans, with oil and vinegar, make an excellent and refreshing
salad. They may also, when cooked and drained, be mixed with
some good brown gravy, and served alone as a course after the
meat.

Brussels Sprouts.

Pick, trim, and wash a number of sprouts. Put them into plenty
of fast boiling water; add a tablespoonful of salt, keep the sauce-
pan uncovered and boil very fast for fifteen minutes. Drain as
soon as done and serve with melted butter.

Stewed Carrots.
Scrape and boil whole forty-five minutes. Drain and cut into
round slices a quarter of an inch thick. Put on a cup of weak
broth — a little soup if you have it — and cook half an hour. Then

VEGETABLES. 21&

add three or four tablespoonfuls of milk, a lump of butter rolled in
flour, with seasoning to taste. Boil up and dish.

Celery.

Wash, trim, and scrape the stalks, selecting those that are white
and tender. Crisp by leaving in ice cold water until they are
wanted for the table. Arrange neatly in a celery glass. Pass
between the oysters and the meat.

Fried Celery.
Boil the celery entire until tender; drain it, divide into small
piecesand fry in dripping until lightly browned.

Stewed Celery.

Clean the heads thoroughly. Take off the coarse, green, outer
leaves. Cut in small pieces, and stew in a little broth. When
tender, add some rich cream, a little flour, and butter enough to
thicken the cream. Season with pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg
if that is agreeable.

Cream Cabbage.

Beat together the yolks of two eggs, one-half cup of sugar, one-
half cup of vinegar, butter size of an egg, salt and a little Cayenne
pepper. Put the mixture into a saucepan and stir until it boils;
then stir in one cup of cream; let it boil, and pour over the cabbage
while hot.

Cabbage a la Cauliflower.

Cut the cabbage fine as for slaw; put it into a stewpan, cover
with water and keep closely covered; when tender, drain off the
water; put in a small piece of butter with a piece of salt, one-half
a cup of cream, or one cup of milk. Leave on the stove a few
minutes before serving.

Boiled Cabbage.

Cut off the stalk, remove the faded and outer leaves, and halve,
or, if large, quarter the cabbages; wash them thoroughly and lay

220 VEGETABLES.

them for a few minutes in water, to which a tablespoonf ul of vin-
egar has been added, to draw out any insects that may be lodging
under the leaves. Drain them in a colander; have ready a large
pan of boiling hot water, with a tablespoonf ul of salt and a small
piece of soda in it, and let the cabbage boil quickly until tender,
leaving the saucepan uncovered. Take them up as soon as they are
done, drain them thoroughly and serve. Time to boil: young sum-
mer cabbages, from ten to fifteen minutes; large cabbages, half an
hour or more.

Baked Cabbage.

Cook as for boiled cabbage, after which drain and set aside until
cold. Chop fine, add two beaten eggs, a tablespoonf ul of butter,
pepper, salt, three tablespoonf uls rich cream; stir well and bake in
a buttered dish until brown. Eat hot.
Hot Slaw.

One small, firm head of cabbage, shred fine, one cup of vinegar,
one tablespoonful of butter, one tablespoonful of sugar, two table-
spoonfuls of sour cream, one-half teaspoonful of made mustard, one
saltspoonful of pepper, and the same of salt. Put the vinegar and
all the other ingredients for the dressing, except the cream, in a
saucepan and heat to a boil; pour scalding hot over the cabbage;
return to the saucepan, and stir and toss until all is smoking again;
take from the fire, stir in the cream, turn into a covered dish and
set in hot water ten minutes before you send to the table.
Cauliflower.

This favorite vegetable should be cut early, while the dew is still
upon it; choose those that are close and white, and of medium size.
Whiteness is a sign of quality and freshness. Great care should be
taken that there are no caterpillars about the stalk, and to insure
this, lay the vegetable with its head downward in cold salt and
water for an hour before boiling it; or, better still, in cold vinegar
and water. Trim away the outer leaves, and cut the stalks quite
close. Cauliflowers are in season from the middle of June till the
middle of November.

VEGETABLES. 221

Cauliflower a la Francaise.
After preparing as above, cut the cauliflower into quarters and
put into a stewpan and boil until tender; drain and arrange it
neatly on a dish. Pour over it melted butter.

Cauliflower with Stuffing.

Take a saucepan the exact size of the dish intended to be used.
Cleanse a large, firm, white cauliflower and cut it into sprigs; throw
those into boiling salt water for two minutes; then take them out,
drain, and pack them tightly with the heads downwards, in the
saucepan, the bottom of which must have been previously covered
with thin slices of bacon; fill up the vacant spaces with a stuffing
made of three tablespoonfuls of finely minced veal, the same of
beef suet, four tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, a little pepper and
salt, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, a teaspoonful of minced
chives, and a dozen small mushrooms, chopped fine. Strew these
ingredients over the cauliflowers in alternate layers, and pour over
them three well-beaten eggs. When these are well soaked, add
sufficient nicely-flavored stock to cover the whole; simmer gently
till the cauliflowers are tender, and the sauce very much reduced;
then turn the contents of the saucepan upside down on a hot dish,
and the cauliflowers will be found standing in a savory mixture.
Cauliflower with Sauce.

Boil a large cauliflower — tied in netting — in hot salted water,
from twenty-five to thirty minutes; drain, serve in a deep dish
with the flower upwards and pour over it a cup of drawn butter in
which has been stirred the juice of a lemon and a half teaspoonful
of French mustard, mixed up well with the sauce.
Corn, for nYixter Use.

Cut the corn from the cob (raw) before it gets too hard; to each
gallon of cut corn add two scant cups of salt, pack tightly in a jar
(don't be afraid of getting the jar too large), cover with a white
cloth, put a heavy weight to keep the corn under the brine which

222 VEGETABLES.

soon forms; now the most important part is to wash the cloth every
morning for two weeks, or the corn will taste queerly. If the corn
is too salty, freshen before cooking. This is as good as canned
corn, and is much easier put up. Put tomatoes in jugs and seal
with good corks and sealing wax; get a large funnel, and you can
put up as fast and as much as you please.

Baked Corn.
Grate one dozen ears sweet corn; one cup milk, small piece but-
ter; salt, and bake in pudding dish one hour.

Green Corn on the Cob.
Take off the outside leaves and the silk, letting the innermost
leaves remain on until after the corn is boiled, which renders the
corn much sweeter. Boil for half an hour in plenty of water, drain,
and, after removing the leaves, serve.

Corn Oysters.
Eight ears of sweet corn, grated; two cups of milk, three eggs,
salt and pepper; flour enough to make a batter. Put a tablespoon-
ful of butter into a frying pan and drop the mixture into the hot
butter — a spoonful in a place; brown on both sides. Serve hot for
breakfast or as a side dish for dinner.

Stewed Corn.
Stew one quart of canned corn in its own liquor, setting the
vessel containing it in an outer one of hot water; should the corn
be dry, add a little cold water; when tender, pour in enough milk
to cover the corn, bring to a boil, and put in a tablespoonful of
butter rolled in flour, and salt to taste. Stew gently, stirring well,
three or four minutes and turn into a deep dish. Keep the vessel
containing the corn closely covered while it is cooking; the steam
facilitates the process and preserves the color of the corn.

Stewed Cucumbers.
Cut the cucumbers fully half an inch thick right through; put

VEGETABLES. 223

them in a saucepan, just covering them with hot water, and let them
boil slowly for a quarter of an hour, or until tender, but not so as
to break them; then drain them; you want now a pint of good cream,
and put your cream, with a teaspoonf ul of butter, in a saucepan,
and when it is warm put in the cucumbers; season with a little salt
and white pepper, cook five minutes, shaking the saucepan all the
time, and serve hot. It is just as delicate as asparagus, and a very
nice dish indeed.

Celery.

This vegetable imparts an agreeable and peculiar flavor to soups,
sauces, etc. It is generally eaten raw, the brittle stalks with salt;
but there are many ways in which it may be nicely prepared, and
when cooked it is more digestible and equally palatable. When
the roots are not to be had, the pounded seed is an excellent sub-
stitute for flavoring. It is in season from October to February, and
is better when it has been touched by the frost.
Fried Celery.

Cold boiled celery will answer for this purpose. Split the heads
and dip them into clarified butter, or dip them into a batter, and
fry a light brown. Garnish the dish prettily with parsley.
Carrots.

This vegetable should be served with boiled beef. When the
carrots are young they should be washed and rubbed, not scraped,
before cooking, then rubbed with a clean, coarse cloth after boiling.
Young carrots need to be cooked about half an hour, and full grown
ones from one hour and a half to two hours. They are excellent
for flavoring, and contain a great amount of nourishment.
Carrots Boiled.

Wash and prepare the carrots. Throw them into plenty of
boiling water with salt. Keep them boiling till tender, and serve
with melted butter; or they may be boiled with beef and a few
placed round the dish to garnish, and the rest sent to table in a
tureen.

224 VEGETABLES.

Dandelions.
Cut off the leaves, pick over carefully, wash thoroughly, put into
boiling water and boil a half hour; drain well and put into salted
boiling water and boil till tender. When done drain in a colander,
season with butter, salt and pepper; or they may be boiled with
salt pork or corned beef, omitting the butter. They are good from
early spring until they blossom.

Endive Stewed.

Strip off the outer green leaves from the heads of endive. Wash
thoroughly, soak in salted water to dislodge the insects; then drain
and boil for twenty-five minutes in water salted slightly. Have
ready a stewpan with an ounce of butter, drain the endive and put
it into the pan, and add a saltspoonful of salt, pepper, and a gill of
cream. Serve hot.

Egg Plant.

Pare and cut in slices half an inch thick; sprinkle with salt; cover
and let stand for an hour. Rinse in clear cold water; wipe each
slice dry; dip first in beaten egg, then in rolled cracker or bread
crumbs. Season with pepper and salt, and fry brown in butter.

Egg Plant, No. 2.

Boil until quite tender, then mash and add bread crumbs, pepper,
salt, onions and butter or lard; put in a pan and bake until brown.
You can put in all these things to your own taste, then you can
boil and mash as before; season with salt and pepper, and add a
little flour or meal as you like best. Make into little cakes and fry.
These are nice. They should be picked when full grown, but
before they are ripe.

Fricasseed Egg Plant.

Having peeled and sliced the egg plants, boil them in water with
a saltspoonful of salt, until they are thoroughly cooked. Drain off
the water, pour in sufficient milk to cover the slices, and add a few

VEGETABLES. 225

bits of butter rolled in flour; let it simmer gently, shaking the pan
over the fire till the sauce is thick, and stir in the beaten yolks of
two or three eggs just before it is served.

Stuffed Egg Plants.
Halve and parboil. When soft enough to stick with a fork
remove from the water and let cool. Then cut out the inside, being
careful not to break the skin. Next take bread that has been
previously soaked in water. Squeeze as dry as possible and mix
with the pulp of the vegetable. Add to that a good sized tomato,
the juice of an onion, a little parsley and two or three eggs, season
with pepper and salt, and the filling is ready for use. Before
putting into the stove sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs. An-
other and quicker way to make the stuffing is to mix the pulp with
the juice of an onion, a tomato and a couple of eggs. Thicken with
boiled rice and season to taste.

Garlic.
Garlic requires to be used most judiciously, or it will spoil what-
ever is cooked with it. If used carefully, however, it will impart a
most delicious flavor to salads and sauces; but it is so strong that,
for many dishes, all that is necessary is to rub the dish which is to
be sent to table sharply round with a slice of it; or, better still, to
rub it on a crust of bread, and put the bread into the soup, etc., for
a few minutes. A very general prejudice exists against garlic,
probably on account of its being used in the same way as an onion.
If it is desired to diminish the strength of the flavor, this may be
done by boiling the garlic in two or three waters.

Greens, Stewed.
Take a bunch of fresh greens, wash in several waters ; drain them
well and throw them into plenty of fast boiling water, salted and
skimmed, and boil them for ten minutes. Take them up, press the
water from them, and throw them into cold water for half an hour;
drain them, cover with stock, and add a bunch of herbs, an onion,

15

226 VEGETABLES.

one clove, a slice of fat bacon, and a little pepper and salt. Stew-
very gently until tender. Serve with mutton, lamb, or veal.

Horse-radish as Garnish.
Wash and scrub the horse-radish thoroughly; let it lie for an hour
in cold water; then scrape it very finely with a sharp knife; arrange
it in little bunches around the dish, or, if there is gravy with the
meat, put it in a small glass dish near the carver.

Lettuce.
There are two sorts of lettuces, the cabbage and the cos. They
are chiefly used for salad, but may be also boiled or stewed, and
served as a vegetable. They may be had all the year, but are in
full season from Aprilto September.

Lettuce, Stuffed.
Wash four or five large heads of lettuce; boil them in plenty of
salt and water for fifteen minutes; throw them at once into cold
water, and afterwards let them drain. Open them, fill them with
good veal forcemeat, tie the ends securely, and put them into a
stewpan with as much good gravy as will cover them, a teaspoonf ul
of salt, half a teaspoonf ul of pepper, and a teaspoonf ul of vinegar.
Simmer gently for another fifteen minutes, remove the strings,
place them on a hot dish, and pour the gravy around them.

Macaroni.
Three long sticks of macaroni, broken in small pieces; soak in a
pint of milk two hours; grate bread and dried cheese. Put a layer
of macaroni in a pudding dish; add pepper, salt and butter; then
sprinkle the bread and cheese crumbs over it, and so continue until
the dish is filled. Bake until brown.

Macaroni as a Vegetable.
Simmer one-half pound of macaroni in plenty of water till tender,
but not broken; strain off the water. Take the yolks of five and
the whites of two eggs, one-half pint of cream, white meat and ham

VEGETABLES. 227

chopped very fine, three spoonfuls of grated cheese; season with

salt and pepper; heat all together, stirring constantly. Mix with

the macaroni; put into a buttered mold and steam one hour.

Macaroni with Oysters.

Boil macaroni in salt water, after which draw through a colander;

take a deep earthen dish or tin; put in alternate layers of macaroni

and oysters; sprinkle the layers of macaroni with grated cheese;

bake until brown.

Macaroni with Tomatoes.

Boil one-half pound of macaroni till tender, pour off all the
water, then add one-half cup sweet cream, one-third of a cup of
butter, pepper and salt; let simmer for a short time, but be careful
that it does not become much broken; turn into vegetable dish;
have ready one pint stewed tomatoes, season with butter, salt and
pepper, pour over the macaroni.

Stewed Macaroni.
Boil two ounces of macaroni in water, and drain well; put into a
saucepan one ounce of butter, mix with one tablespoonful of flour,
moisten with four tablespoonf uls of veal or beef stock, one gill of
cream, salt and white pepper to taste; put in the macaroni, let it
boil up, and serve while hot.

Boiled Onions.

Skin them thoroughly. Put them to boil; when they have boiled
a few minutes, pour off the water and add clean cold water, and set
them to boil again. Pour this away, and add more cold water,
when they may boil till done. This will make them white and
clear, and very mild in flavor. After they are done, pour off all the
water, and dress with a little cream; salt and pepper to taste.

Boil in two waters, drain, and if they are large, cut into quarters
and pour over them a cup of scalding milk in which a pinch of soda
has been stirred; set over the fire, add a tablespoonful of butter,
half teaspoonful corn starch wet with milk, a little minced parsley,
with pepper and salt. Simmer and pour out.

228 VEGETABLES.

Boiled Okra.
Put the yoi. j,nd tender pods of long, white okra into salted
boiling water in a porcelain or tin-lined saucepan (as iron discolors
it), boil fifteen minutes, take off stems, and serve with butter,
pepper, salt and vinegar if preferred; or, after boiling, slice in
rings, season with butter, dip in batter and fry; season and serve;
or stew an equal quantity of tomatoes and tender sliced okra, and
one or two sliced green peppers; stew in porcelain kettle fifteen
or twenty minutes, season with butter, pepper and salt and serve.

Onion Ormoloo.
Peel ten or twelve large white onions, steep them an hour in cold
water, then boil them soft. Mash them with an equal quantity of
boiled white potatoes, adding half a pint of milk and two or three
well-beaten eggs. Stir the mixture very hard, season it with
nutmeg, pepper and salt, and bake it in a quick oven; when half
done pour a little melted butter or gravy over the top.

Scalloped Onions.

Boil till tender six large onions; afterward separate them with a
large spoon ; then place a layer of onion and a layer of grated bread
crumbs alternately in a pudding dish ; season with pepper and salt
to taste; moisten with milk; put into the oven to brown.

Wash but do not peel the onions ; boil one hour in boiling water
slightly salt, changing the water twice in the time; when tender,
drain on a cloth, and roll each in buttered tissue paper, twisted at
the top, and bake an hour in a slow oven. Peel and brown them;
serve with melted butter.

Vegetable Oyster.
One bunch of oysters; boil and mash. One pint sour milk, half
a teaspoonful soda; flour to make a batter; add two eggs, beaten,
and the oysters. Fry in hot lard — drop in spoonfuls.

VEGETABLES. 229

Mock Stewed Oysters.
One bunch oyster plant, eight teaspoc if uis butter, a little flour
or corn starcn, vinegar and water for boiling, pepper and salt, one-
half cup milk. Wash and scrape the oyster plant very carefully; drop
into weak vinegar and water, bring quickly to a boil, and cook ten
minutes; turn off the vinegar water; rinse the salsify in boiling
water; throw this out and cover with more from the tea-kettle; stew
gently ten minutes longer; add pepper and salt and two tablespoon-
fuls of butter; stew in this until tender. Meanwhile heat in a
farina kettle the milk, thicken, add the remaining butter, and keep
dry until the salsify is done, then transfer it to this sauce; pepper
and salt; let all lie together in the inner kettle, the water in the
outer at a slow boil, for five minutes ; pour into a covered dish.

Parsley.
The foliage of parsley is of use in flavoring soups, etc.; it is
nutritious and stimulating.

Crisp Parsley.

This is used for garnishing dishes. Pick and wash young parsley,
shake it in a cloth to dry it thoroughly, and spread it on a sheet of
clean paper and put in the oven. Turn the bunches frequently
until they are quite crisp. Parsley is much more easily crisped
than fried.

Parsley, Fried.

Wash and dry the parsley thoroughly; put it into hot fat and let

it remain until it is crisp; take it out immediately and drain it in a

colander. If the parsley is allowed to remain in the fat one moment

after it is crisp it will be spoiled. Parsley is best fried in a frying

basket.

Parsnips.

Parsnips may be dressed in the same way as carrots, which they
very mueh resemble. When boiled, they are generally served with
boiled meat, or boiled salt fish; when fried, with roast mutton. If

230 VEGETABLES.

young, they require only to be washed and scraped before they are

boiled. If old and large, the skin must be pared off, and the roots

cut into quarters. Carrots and parsnips are often sent to the table

together. It should be remembered that parsnips are more quickly

boiled than carrots.

Fried Parsnips.

Boil until tender in hot water slightly salted; let them get almost
cold, scrape off the skin, and cut in thick, long slices; dredge with
flour and fry in hot dripping, turning as they brown ; drain very dry
in a hot colander; pepper and salt to serve.
Parsnip Stew.

Three slices of salt pork, boil one hour and a half; scrape five
large parsnips, cut in quarters lengthwise, add to the pork and let
boil one-half hour, then add a few potatoes, and let all boil together
until the potatoes are soft; the fluid in the kettle should be about
a cupful when ready to take off.

Canned Pease.

Open a can of pease an hour before cooking them, that there may
be no musty, airless taste about them, and turn into a bowl. When
ready for them, put on a farina-kettle — or one saucepan within
another — of hot water. If dry, add cold water to cover them, and
stew about twenty-five minutes; drain, stir in a generous lump of
butter; j)epper and salt.

French Way of Cooking Pease.

Put your pease in a nice dish, where they will not turn black in
cooking. Cut up fine one small head of lettuce; put in a few sprigs
of parsley, tied up; salt and pepper; enough of water to cover the
pease. Cook gently until tender, one and three-quarters of an hour,
then drain off most of the water; dissolve one full teaspoonful of
flour in water and stir in; add one-half tablespoonful of butter,
one-half cup of sweet milk and one lump of sugar; cook about ten
minutes; just before serving stir in one yolk of an egg, previously
beaten with a little water.

VEGETABLES. 231

No. 2. — Put some thin slices of bacon in a skillet and brown a
little on both sides; then put in your pease, with one large onion cut
in four, one head of lettuce, and a few sprigs of parsley, tied up,
water enough to cover them; salt and pepper (not much salt, as the
bacon salts them); cook one hour. Ten minutes before serving
sprinkle a little flour to thicken the gravy. Remove the bunch of
lettuce and parsley.

Green Pease.

Boil a quart of young, freshly-gathered pease in slightly salted
water until they are tender; then drain them in a colander. Melt
two ounces of fresh butter over the fire, mix smoothly with a dessert-
spoonful of flour, and add very gradually a cup of thick cream,
or, failing this, use new milk. When the sauce boils, put in the
pease, stir them until they are quite hot, and serve immediately.

Potato Balls.
Bake the potatoes, mash them very nicely, make them into balls,
rub them over with the yolk of an egg, and put them in the oven
or befoi'e the fire to brown. These balls may be varied by the
introduction of a third portion of grated ham or tongue.

Browned Potatoes.
While the meat is roasting, and an hour before it is served, boil
the potatoes and take off their skins; flour them well, and put them
under the meat, taking care to dry them from the drippings before
they are sent to the table. Kidney potatoes are best dressed in
this way. The flouring is very essential. They should always be
boiled a little before being put into stews, as the first water in
which they are cooked is thought to be of a poisonous quality.
Potatoes when boiled, if old, should be peeled and put whole upon
the gridiron until nicely browned.

English Potato Balls.
Boil some potatoes very dry; mash them as smoothly as possible;
season well with salt and pepper; warm them, with an ounce of

232 VEGETABLES.

butter to every pound of potatoes, and a few spoonfuls of good

cream; let them cool a little, roll them into balls; sprinkle over

them some crushed vermicelli or macaroni, and fry them a light

brown.

Southern Baked Potatoes.

Parboil, or take the cold ones left over from dinner; place in a

deep pie pan; between each layer sprinkle sugar; over the top drop

small drops of butter and more sugar, about one small cup of sugar

and one spoonful of butter to a plate of potatoes. Then pour over

all one-half cup of butter and set in oven to bake. The common

pumpkin is delicious prepared in the same way, using, instead of

sugar, syrup or molasses. The pumpkin must be thoroughly

steamed before baking, and requires two hours' baking. Some

cooks add spice.

Cream Potatoes.

Pare and cut the potatoes into small squares or rounds, cook
twenty minutes in boiling water and a little salt. Turn this off,
add a cup of milk, and when this bubbles up a tablespoonful of
butter, with a teaspoonful of water, wet up with cold milk; also a
little chopped parsley; simmer five minutes and pour out.
Potato Croquettes.

Take six boiled potatoes, pass them through a sieve; add to them
three tablespoonfuls of ham grated or minced finely, a little grated
nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste, and some chopped parsley; work
into this mixture the yolks of three or four eggs, then fashion it
into the shape of balls, roll them in bread crumbs, and fry in hot
lard, and serve with fried parsley.

Potato Cake.

Take potatoes, mashed ones are best, but boiled ones can be
mashed, immediately after dinner, before getting too cold; add
about an equal amount of flour and a small piece of butter or lard;
rub thoroughly together, roll out and cut as for biscuit — not too
thick — and bake in a rather quick oven. When done to a light
brown, cut open, butter and eat warm.

VEGETABLES. 233

Fried Potatoes.
Take cold boiled potatoes, grate them, make them into flat cakes,
and fry them in butter. You may vary these cakes by dipping
them in the beaten yolk of an egg and rolling them in bread crumbs,
frying them in boiling lard.

Fried Potatoes, No. 2.

Raw potatoes, peel, cut in rings the thickness of a shilling, or
cut in one continuous shaving; throw them into cold water until
you have sufficient; drain on a cloth; fry quickly in plenty of hot
fat, and with as little color as possible; dry them well from the
grease, and sprinkle with salt. When nicely done, and piled up
properly, they make a fine side dish, which is always eaten with
great relish.

Or cut a potato lengthwise the size and shape of the divisions of
an orange, trim them neatly and fry them; they are an excellent
garnish for meat. Cold potatoes may be cut in slices somewhat
less than an inch thick, and fried in like manner. They can also be
fried with onions, as an accompaniment to pork chops, sliced cod,
red herring, or with a rasher of bacon.

Another nice way is to boil them and let them become cold, then
cut them into rather thin slices. Put a lump of fresh butter into a
stewpan, add a little flour, about a teaspoonf ul for a moderate-sized
dish; when the flour has boiled a short time in the butter add a
cup of water and a little cream; boil all together; then put in the
potatoes covered with chopped parsley, pepper and salt; stew them
for a few minutes, and then take them from the fire and send to the
table.

Mashed Potatoes.

Steam or boil potatoes until soft, in salted water; pour off the
water and let them drain perfectly dry; sprinkle with salt and
mash; have ready some hot milk or cream in which has been melted
a piece of butter; pour this on to the potatoes, and stir until white
and very light.

234 VEGETABLES.

Potato Surprise.
Scoop out the inside of a sound potato, leaving the skin attached
at one side of the hole, as a lid. Mince finely the lean of a juicy-
mutton chop with a little salt and pepper; put it in the potato,
fasten down the lid, and bake or roast. Before serving (in its skin)
add a little hot gravy if the mince seems too dry.

Potato Puff.
Take two cups of cold mashed potato, and stir into it two table-
spoonfuls of melted butter, beating to a white cream before adding
anything else. Then put with this two eggs whipped very light
and a cup of cream or milk, salting to taste. Beat all well, pour
into a deep dish, and bake in a quick oven until it is nicely browned.

Potato Pie.
Butter a shallow pie dish rather thickly. Line the edges with a
good crust, and then fill the pie
with mashed potatoes, seasoned
with pepper, salt, and grated nut-
meg. Lay over them some marrow,
together with small lumps of but-
ter, hard-boiled eggs, blanched almonds, .sliced dates, sliced lemon and
candied peel. Cover the dish with pastry, and bake the pie in a
well-heated oven for half an hour or more, according to the size of
the pie.

Puree of Potatoes.

Mash them and mix while quite hot with some fine white gravy
drawn from veal, together with butter and cream. The puree
should be. rather thin and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Potato Loaves.

These are very nice when eaten with roast beef, and are made of

mashed potatoes prepared without milk, by mixing them with a

quantity of very finely-minced raw onions, powdered with pepper

and salt; then beating up the whole with a little butter to bind it,

VEGETABLES. 235

and dividing it into small Loaves of a conical form, and placing
them under the meat to brown; that is, when it is so nearly done as
to impart some of the gravy along with the fat.

Saratoga Potatoes.

Pare and cut into very thin slices four large potatoes (new pota-
toes are best) ; let stand for a few minutes in cold salt water, then
take a handful of the potatoes, squeeze the water 'from them, dry
in a napkin, and separating the slices, drop into a skillet of boiling
lard, taking care that they do not stick together; stir till they are
of a light brown color, take out with a wire spoon, drain well and
serve immediately.

Lyonnatse Potatoes.

Boil the potatoes with their jackets on and allow them to cool in
order to have them solid. Peel and cut into slices about a quarter
of an inch thick; slice an ordinary sized onion for half a dozen
potatoes. As soon as a tablespoonful of butter has melted in the
pan, and the onion begun to color, put in the slices of potatoes.
Stir them a little; season with salt and pepper; fry the potatoes
until they are a golden brown, and then chop up a tablespoonful of
parsley and sprinkle it over them just before taking them out.

Old Potatoes.
These can be made to look like young ones in this way: Wash
some large ones and cut them into as many small slices as will fill a
dish; boil them in two or three waters about three minutes each
time, the water being put to them cold; then let them steam until
tender; pour a white sauce over them. Potatoes prepared in this
way have been mistaken for young ones.

Tossed Potatoes.
Boil some potatoes in their skins; peel them and cut into small
pieces; toss them over the fire in a mixture of cream, butter rolled
in flour, pepper and salt, till they are hot and well covered with the
sauce.

236 VEGETABLES.

Sweet Potatoes.

Sweet potatoes require more time to cook than common potatoes.

To Boil. — Take large, fine potatoes, wash clean, boil with the
skins on in plenty of water, but without salt. They will take at
least one hour. Drain off the water and set them for a few minutes
in a tin pan before the fire, or in the stove, that they may be well
dried. Peel them before sending them to the table.

To Fry. — Choose large potatoes, half boil them, and then, hav-
ing taken off the skins, cut the potatoes into slices and fry in butter,
or in nice drippings.

To Bake. — Bake as the common potato, except give them a
longer time.

Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Select those which are nearly of a size, not too large; steam them

until nearly done, and then bake them until they are soft at the

heart.

A Farmer's Dainty Dish.

Peel and slice thin potatoes and onions (five potatoes to one small
onion) ; take half a pound of sweet salt pork (in thin slices) to a
pound of beef, mutton or veal; cut the meat in small pieces; take
some nice bread dough and shorten a little; line the bottom of the
stewpan with slices of pork, then a layer of meat, potatoes and
onions, dust over a little pepper and cover with a layer of crust;
repeat this until the stewpot is full. The size of the pot will
depend on the number in the family. Pour in sufficient water to
cover, and finish with crust. Let it simmer until meat, vegetables,
etc., are done, but do not let it boil hard. Serve hot. This we are
assured by one who knows is a dish fit to set before a king.
Rice as a Vegetable.

It should first be picked over, washed, and dried. Then put in
boiling water, and salt and boil twelve minutes. There should be
plenty of water. At the end of ten or twelve minutes, pour off the
water, cover up the rice, and set on the back of the stove on a

VEGETABLES. 237

brick; let it steam there for fifteen minutes; if it has been in a
sufficiently hot place to steam it will now be done, and every grain
will be distinct ; pour off the water, and, for every cup of rice, add
half a cup of milk and stir. The milk is better warmed before add-
ing it to the rice.

Succotash.

Ten ears green corn, one pint Lima beans; cut the corn from the

cob, and stew gently with the beans until tender. Use as little

water as possible. Season with butter, salt and pepper — milk, if

you choose. ,

Spinach.

When cooking spinach, substitute a little piece of bacon for the
salt pork usually cooked with it to season it. The nicest way to
serve it is to put a bit of the bacon in each dish. Hard-boiled
eggs, sliced when cold, are also liked with the greens.

Ceeam of Spinach.

Take the leaves of spinach — no stalks — wash thoroughly; put
them into enough salt boiling water to cover them. When boiled
tender, take them out and put them into cold water to fix the fresh
green color. Let them remain until cold and then rub them
through a colander with a potato-masher. The spinach is then
ready for table use.

Winter Squash.

Pare, cut up and cook soft in boiling water and a little salt.
Drain, mash smooth, pressing out all the water; work in butter,
pepper and salt, and mound in a deep dish.

Stufeed Squash.
Pare a small squash and cut off a slice from the top; extract the
seeds and lay one hour in salt water; then fill with a good stuffing
of crumbs, chopped salt pork, parsley, etc., wet with gravy; put on
the top slice; set the squash in a pudding dish; put a few spoonfuls
of melted butter and twice as much hot water in the bottom; cover

238 VEGETABLES. ■

the dish very closely and set in the oven two hours or until tender;
lay within a deep dish and pour the gravy over it.

Turnips.
Pare and cut into pieces; put them into boiling water well salted,
and boil until tender; drain thoroughly, and then mash and add a
piece of butter, pepper and salt to taste, and a small teaspoonful of
sugar. Stir until they are thoroughly mixed, and serve hot.

Mashed Turnips.
Pare, quarter and cook tenderly in boiling water; a little salt.
Mash and press in a heated colander; work in butter, pepper and
salt; heap smoothly in a deep dish and put pepper on top.

Tomatoes a la Cream.

Pare and slice ripe tomatoes — one quart of fresh ones or a pound
can; stew until perfectly smooth, season with salt and pepper, and
add a piece of butter the size of an egg; just before taking from
the fire, stir in one cup of cream, with a tablespoonful of flour
stirred smooth in a part of it; do not let it boil after the flour is
put in. Have ready in a dish pieces of toast; pour the tomatoes
over this and serve.

Browned Tomatoes.

Take large round tomatoes and halve them, place them, the skin
side down, in a frying-pan in which a very small quantity of butter
and lard have been previously melted, sprinkle them with salt and
pepper, and dredge well with flour. Place the pan on a hot part
of the fire, and let them brown thoroughly; then stir, and let them
brown again, and so on until they are quite done. They lose their
acidity, and their flavor is superior to stewed tomatoes.

Baked Tomatoes.
One can of tomatoes, stale bread crumbed fine, one tablespoonful
of butter, pepper, salt, a little chopped parsley, and white sugar.
Drain off two-thirds of the liquor from the tomatoes (the rest can

VEGETABLES. 239

be saved for to-morrow's soup). Cover the bottom of a bake-dish
with crumbs; lay the tomatoes evenly upon this bed; season with
pepper, salt, sugar, and parsley, with bits of butter here and there.
Strew bread crumbs over all, a thicker layer than at the bottom; put
tiny pieces of butter upon this and bake, covered, about thirty-five
minutes. Take off the cover and brown upon the upper shelf of the
oven. Do not let it stay there long enough to get dry.

Baked Tomatoes, No. 2.
Cut in slices good fresh tomatoes (not too ripe) ; put a layer of
them in a dish suitable for baking; then a layer of bread crumbs
over them, salt, pepper, and plenty of butter, another layer of
tomatoes, and so on until the dish is full. Bake one hour.

Broiled Tomatoes.
Cut large tomatoes in two, crosswise ; put on gridiron, cut surface
down; when well seared, turn, and put butter, salt and pepper on,
and cook with skin-side down until done.

Fried Tomatoes.

Cut the tomatoes in slices without skinning; pepper and salt

them; then sprinkle a little flour over them and fry in butter until

brown. Put them on a hot platter and pour milk or cream into

the butter and juice. When boiling hot, pour over the tomatoes

Scalloped Tomatoes.
Butter an earthen dish, then put in a layer of fresh tomatoes,
sliced and peeled, and a few rinds of onion (one large onion for the
whole dish), then cover with a layer of bread crumbs, with a little
butter, salt and pepper. Repeat this process until the dish is full.
Bake for an hour in a pretty hot oven.

Stuffed Tomatoes.
Choose a dozen large, round tomatoes; cut them off smooth at
the stem end ; take out the seeds and pulp ; take- a pound of lean
steak and two slices of bacon; chop them fine, with the inside of

240 VEGETABLES.

the tomatoes; season with a finely-chopped onion, fried, a dessert-
spoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of white pepper, as much
Cayenne pepper as you can take on the end of a knife and a table-
spoonful of finely-chopped parsley; add four rolled crackers, and if
too stiff, thin with stock, water or cold gravy; fill the tomatoes with
this forcemeat, packing tight; sift cracker crumbs over the top,
and bake for an hour in a moderate oven.

French Batter for Frying Vegetables.
Moisten a little flour with water, and add to it a small quantity
of salt, a tablespoonful of olive oil, and a spoonful and a half of
French brandy. Beat up the mixture thoroughly, and, when you
are ready to use it, beat into it the white of an egg previously
beaten to a strong froth. This batter may be used for frying
sweet entremets, in which case sugar must be used instead of salt.

Rules for Cooking Them.
Green vegetables should be thoroughly washed in cold water and
then dropped into water that has been salted and is beginning to
boil. There should be a tablespoonful of salt to each two quarts of
water. If the water boils long before the vegetables are put in, it
has lost all its gases, and the mineral ingredients are deposited on
the bottom and sides of the kettle, so that the water is flat and
tasteless, then the vegetables will not look well or have a fine flavor.
The time for boiling green vegetables depends much upon the age
and time they have been gathered. The younger and more freshly
gathered the more quickly they are cooked. Below is a very good
time-table for cooking vegetables:

Potatoes boiled, thirty minutes.

Potatoes baked, forty-five minutes.

Sweet potatoes boiled, fifty minutes.

Sweet potatoes baked, sixty minutes.

Squash boiled, twenty-five minutes.

Green pease boiled, twenty to forty minutes.

Shelled beans boiled, sixty minutes.

VEGETABLES. 241

String beans boiled, one to two hours.
Green corn, thirty to sixty minutes.
Asparagus, fifteen to thirty minutes.
Spinach, one to two hours.
Tomatoes, fresh, one hour.
Tomatoes, canned, thirty minutes.
Cabbage, forty-five minutes to two hours.
Cauliflower, one or two hours.
Dandelions, two or three hours.
Beet greens, one hour.
Onions, one or two hours.
Beets, one to five hours.
Turnips, white, forty-five to sixty minutes.
Turnips, yellow, one and a half to two hours.
Parsnips, one or two hours.
Carrots, one or two hours.

CHAPTER XIX,

FISH.

m

ISH, when considered with reference to the nourishment which
they contain, appear to rank between animals and vegetables.
When fish is consumed as the principal article of food, larger
quantities are required than when meat is used, owing to the smaller
amount of nourishment that it contains. From this cause, and, also,
because fish is so much more easily digested than meat, food is
required much sooner after a meal of fish than when animal food is
taken. Owing to its greater digestibility than meat, fish is better
adapted to invalids, more especially as it does not produce feverish-
ness like meat diet.

The most digestible kinds of fish are those with white flesh, such
as the cod, turbot, sole, whiting, haddock and flounder, the flesh of
all these presenting a whitish appearance. Of the fish just men-
tioned, the whiting, haddock and flounder are easiest of digestion.

The flesh of fish when in good condition is always fleshy and
opaque; when it is of a bluish color, or appears slightly transparent
after being boiled, it proves either that the fish is out of season, or
vof inferior quality.

Sometimes fish have been found to exert a poisonous action on
the system, producing headache, giddiness, and an eruption on the
skin resembling that produced by being stung with nettles. In
some cases, even death has been caused by this means. Although
it may be true in some cases, that the ill effects produced by fish
may be due to the bad condition of health in which the patient
happens to be at the time, yet in most cases it can only be attrib-

FISH. 243

nted to some poisonous principle developed in the fish. This may
be due to their being eaten in a season when the fish is out of health,
and, therefore, unfit for food, or it may be produced by the poison-
ous nature of the food on which the fishes lived.

Oysters, when fresh and in season, are very nutritious; when,
however, they have a bluish appearance, they are liable to produce
affections of the bowels. Salmon contains much nourishment, which
is due to the oily matter which its flesh contains; and for this reason
this fish is less suited for invalids than the white kind.

Most kinds of fish lose their flavor soon after being taken from
the water. The cod and one or two others are exceptions to this
general rule. Fish are fresh when the eyes are clear, the fins stiff,
the gills red, and without bad odor. Fresh shad have gills of quite
a crimson red, bright scales and a firm body; and shad are unfit to
eat when the gills are a whitish blue and the eyes are sunken. In
a good salmon, when cut, the flesh should appear quite red, solid
and flaky. The Dutch and French bleed the cod, which accounts
for the better quality and whiteness of their codfish. All large
fish, in fact, should be bled as soon as caught.

Almost every kind of fish is either boiled, broiled or fried. Any
small fish of the size of a smelt, or smaller, is better fried than pre-
pared in any other way. Fish like salmon trout are best when
baked and some fine sauce poured over them. A cup of diluted
cream, in whieh is stirred two tablespoonfuls of melted butter and
a little chopped parsley, makes an excellent sauce for salmon trout.

Bass weighing from one-half pound to a pound are best fried;
those weighing from one to three pounds are best broiled, and
larger sizes are best when boiled. , Very large bass are dry eating.

They should be thoroughly cleansed, washed, and sprinkled with
salt.

Before broiling fish, rub the gridiron with a piece of fat, to pre-
vent its sticking. Lay the skin side down first.

The earthy taste often found in fresh-water fish can be removed
by soaking in salt and water.

244 fish

Most kinds of salt fish should be soaked in cold water for twenty-
four hours — the fleshy side turned down in the water.

Baked Fish.
Stuff it with plain dressing; put in a pan with a little water; salt,
pepper, and butter. Baste while baking. A fish weighing four
pounds will cook in an hour. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and
parsley, and serve with drawn butter or egg sauce.

To Boil Fish.
Sew them in a cloth, and put in cold water, with plenty of salt.
Most fish will boil in thirty minutes.

Boiled Fish.

For four or five pounds of fish, nearly cover with water, and add
two heaping tablespoonfuls of salt. Boil thirty minutes and serve
with drawn butter.

Baked Black Fish.

Rub a handful of salt over the surface, to remove the slime pecu-
liar to the fish. For the stuffing, two ounces of beef drippings, two
tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley^ and one ounce of salt pork; put
in a saucepan and fry brown; then add a teaspoonful of chopped
capers, half a saltspoonful of white pepper, one-haif teaspoonful of
salt, five ounces of bread, and one gill of broth; then stir until
scalding hot; place inside the fish; cut a quarter of a pound of
pork in thin slices and lay on either side of the fish, holding in
place by twine around it — a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper
completing it for the baking pan. Bake in a hot oven one-half
hour, and serve on slices of fried bread with a sauce made of stock
seasoned with one tablespoonful each of walnut and Worcestershire
sauce, one tablespoonful of chopped capers, and one tablespoonful
of parsley.

Brook Trout.

If small, fry them with salt pork; if large, boil, and serve with
drawn butter.

FISH. 245

Flounders.
These may be boiled or stewed; but we hold that they never do
themselves so much credit as when making their appearance really
well fried.

Halibut.

Of all flat fish, a halibut is the largest, measuring sometimes
about seven feet in length, and weighing from three hundred to
four hundred pounds. In its proportions, the halibut is rather
longer than other flat fish. The flesh has not much flavor, but is
light and wholesome. To boil halibut plain, after scaling the skin
on both sides, salt it for six hours, and (unless the piece is very
large) plunge it in boiling water. The time of boiling, of course,
will depend on the size. Serve, accompanied by white sauce made
with milk instead of water, liberally dosed with butter and slightly
seasoned with salt and a small pinch of scraped horse-radish.
Shrimp or anchovy sauce goes well with it. Where there are the
means and skill of frying well, halibut, cut into steaks of the proper
thickness, and so prepared, is both sightly and palatable garnished
with fried parsley. Some well-buttered sauce is desirable, to
obviate its natural dryness. Slices from the middle of a halibut
may be divided and trussed into convenient sized cutlets, by cutting
them into equal halves directly through the vertebra. The same
plan may be adopted with slices from the thick part of other large
fish (cod, over-sized pike, and salmon), which it is customary to
dress as steaks. We have never heard or read of halibut being in
any way served whole.

Perch, Eels and Small Pike

Are excellent fried.

Potted Eels.

After cleaning your eels and cutting off their heads, cut them
into pieces about two inches long. Put them into a brown earthen
pot, to which, if there is not an earthen cover, have a tin one.
Season them with salt, pepper, allspice, and a few sprigs of parsley

246 fish.

and thyme. Pour over the eels a little more vinegar and water
than will cover them; put on the lid and set the pot into a slow
oven. They should not be too much done. As soon as the flesh
will come away from the bones they are done enough. Herrings
may be potted in the same way.

Collared Eels.
These, though a little more trouble than potted eels, make a very
good and handsome dish. For this, the larger the eels the better;
quite small eels can hardly be collared. Clean the eel, cut off the
head, open it on the under side the whole of its length, wash it,
take out the backbone, tearing the flesh as little as possible. Dry
it by pressing it with a coarse cloth. You will then have a flat
strip of eel flesh, broad at one end and narrow at the other. Season
the inner surface of eel by dusting it with salt, pepper, and allspice.
Then roll it tightly upon itself, as you would a ribbon, beginning
at the broad end, until you have rolled it into a lump something
like a short, thick sausage, blunt at both ends; tie it with broad
tape (not with string, which would cut into the flesh when cooked)
to keep it from unrolling, and then cook in an earthen pot with a
lid exactly as you do potted eels.

Sturgeon.
There are few people so poor that they will consent to eat stur-
geon, yet this fish, if properly cooked, affords, it is said, a luxurious
meal. Get a few slices, moderately thick, put them in a pot or pan
of water, and parboil them to get rid of the oil ; then roll in crumbs
of cracker and egg, just as you would a veal cutlet, and fry. This
makes a veal cutlet that beats the original by far, and you are sure
that it is "full six weeks old," as the butcher always certifies in
regard to the veal.

Cods' Head.

In some places, fishmongers take the heads off their codfish before
they cut up the rest of the fish to retail it by the pound. In that
case the heads are sold cheap; and when they can be thus had they

fish. 247

are well worth the buying. We have enjoyed many a cheap fish
treat with a dish of cods' heads, which contain several of the tit-
bits prized by epicui-es, namely, the tongue, the cheek-pieces, and
the nape of the neck. After taking out the eyes, wash the heads,
drain them, and, if you can let them lie all night with a little salt
sprinkled over them, they will be none the worse for it. Put
them into a kettle of boiling water and boil from fifteen to twenty
minutes, according to size. Dish them on a strainer, if you can,
and help with a spoon.

For sauce, drawn butter is good.

For sharp sauce, take a few tablespoonfuls of the cods' heads
boilings; put them in a saucepan with a lump of butter or dripping
and a tablespoonful of vinegar; thicken with a little flour and keep
stirring in one direction till they are all raised smooth and come to
a boil. Both these sauces go well with any boiled fish. To these
we will add a third which will be found equally simple and good.

For brown sauce, put a good lump of butter or dripping into a
saucepan. Set it on a brisk fire, shake it around now and then, and
keep it there until it is browned, not burnt. Take it off the fire
and stir into it a good tablespoonful of vinegar. When they are
well mixed, pour into your sauce-boat and serve. The mixing of
the vinegar with the hot fat had better be done out of doors, on
account of the quantity of vapor that arises when they are put
together.

Any meat remaining on the cods' heads after a meal should be
separated from the skin and bone before it gets cold. This rule
applies to all other fish. Arrange it neatly on a plate and dust a
little pepper and drop a little vinegar over it. It will furnish a
nice little delicacy when cold, or you may warm it up with mashed
potatoes, adding any sauce that may be left; or, after putting on it
the cold sauce left, or a little butter, you may cover with mashed
potatoes and sprinkle over it bread crumbs; pour over it beaten
egg and brown in the oven.

248 FISH.

Fresh Codfish.
Cut it in slices and fry or broil; if fried, roll it first in flour.

Salt Codfish.

Pick the fish up fine and let it soak for two hours, then rinse, and
if fresh enough, cook in a little milk thickened with flour; add two
tablespoonfuls of butter, and eggs to taste. The eggs may be
beaten and stirred in, or dropped into boiling water, and then put
into the codfish gravy whole, or laid on a platter and have the fish
poured over them. It may also be boiled and served with a gravy
made of melted butter and flour.

Scalloped Codfish.
One quart of pickled codfish, one pint of bread crumbs, or rolled
crackers, one-half pint of cream, four ounces of butter, one tea-
spoonful of pepper; wash and freshen the fish. When ready, put
it into a baking dish with the crumbs in alternate layers, with a
little butter and pepper; have the top layer of crumbs and cover
with beaten egg, then pour the cream over all and bake half an
hour.

Codfish Balls. '

Pick the fish fine, and freshen. Boil potatoes and mash them;
mix fish and potatoes together while potatoes are hot, taking two-
thirds potatoes and one-third fish. Put in plenty of butter; make
into balls, and fry in hot lard.

Salt Mackerel.
Soak for a day or two, after taking out of the brine, in cold
water, or buttermilk; lay in a pan with the flesh side down, and
change the water occasionally. Just before cooking, lay it into a
shallow dish and cover with hot milk, which removes the strong
taste. Take it out of the milk and wipe dry with a napkin. Then
lay on a gridiron and broil the same as fresh fish and serve with
sauce with lemon juice.

FISH. 249

Baked Cod.

When purchasing a four-pound cod ask your fishdealer to send
you three or lour codfish heads. Rub a little salt on the fish, chop
the heads into six pieces each, and sprinkle a little salt over them.
Place them in the center of the baking-pan (to be used as supports
for the fish), with two ounces of butter, one carrot, a turnip, a
potato, and one onion cut into slices, two blades of mace, a tea-
spoonful of white pepper, one tablespoonful of celery seed, six
cloves, and a cup of red wine. Set the pan in the oven while you
prepare the cod. Soak in cold water until soft a sufficiency of
bread to fill the fish; drain off the water and pound the bread to a
paste; mix with it two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, two raw
eggs, a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce, with salt and pepper
to taste. Put this stuffing inside the fish and sew it up; place the
cod in the pan with two or three pieces of butter on the top, and
baste it frequently; when it is cooked lay the fish on a hot platter,
and garnish with fried oysters if convenient. Add two tablespoon-
fuls of prepared flour to the pan, a wineglass of sherry; mix and
strain the gravy into a sauce-boat.

Boiled Pike.
If the fish is sent home split through the underside sew it up.
Then run a thread through the fish so as to draw it into the shape
of a letter S. Tie it fast, and then tie it up in a cloth. Not having
any fish kettle, lower it into the pot of boiling water if it is
small or a small piece, if a large fish put it into cold water. If a
large fish is put into hot water the outside cooks first, but in cold
Avater it cooks evenly through. While boiling add a tablespoonful
of salt, a slice of lemon or a half cup of vinegar and a few cloves.
When done lift the fish from the pot upon a platter, untie the cloth,
and by gently scraping the skin down the sides, from the top of the
back, you can take the whole fish from the shell and place upon a
dish for the table.

250 FISH.

TlJRBOT.

Take a fine large whitefish, steam until tender; take out the bones
and sprinkle with pepper and salt. For the dressing heat one quart
of milk and thicken with a half or two-thirds of a cup of flour.
When cool add two eggs and a quarter of a pound of butter; put
in the baking-dish a layer of fish, then a layer of sauce, until full.
Season with garlic, parsley and thyme. Cover the top with bread
crumbs and bake three-fourths of an hour.

To Fry White Fish.

One of the best ways to fry white fish, or any other fish, is to
first fry some slices of salt pork, then roll the pieces of fish in fine
Indian meal, and fry in the pork gravy. About three slices of pork
for a medium-sized fish. White fish needs less fat than almost any
other. Fish needs to be cooked a long time and very slowly to
make it flaky and white.

Salmon.

A delicious way to cook salmon is to boil it and serve with a
gravy made of butter, flour, pepper, salt, and plenty of oysters.
Cook the oysters in a very little water, then stir into the sauce..
You may prepare canned salmon in this way.

CHAPTER XX.

SHELL FISH.

Clams.
(O judge whether clams and oysters are fresh insert a knife, and
if the shell instantly closes firmly on the knife the oysters
are fresh. If it shuts slowly and faintly or not at all they
are dying or dead. When the shells of raw oysters are found
gaping open they are not good.

Cla.m Bake.

Lay the clams on a rock, edge downward, forming a circle; cover
them with fine brush, cover the brush with dry sage, cover the
sao-e with larger brush; set the whole on fire, and when the brush
and sage are a little more than half burnt look at the clams by
pulling some out, and if done enough brush the fire, cinders, etc.,
off; mix some tomato or cauliflower sauce or catsup with the clams
after being taken out of their shells; add butter q,nd spices to taste
and serve.

Clam Chowder.

Put in a pot some small slices of fat salt pork, enough to line
the bottom of it; on that a layer of potatoes cut in small pieces;
on the potatoes a layer of chopped onions; on the onions a layer of
tomatoes in slices, or canned tomatoes; on these a layer of clams,
whole or chopped (they are generally chopped), then a layer of
crackers. Season with salt and pepper, and other spices if desired.
Then repeat this process, layer after layer, in above order, seasoning
each, until the pot is full. When the whole is in, cover with water,

252 SHELL FISH.

set on a slow fire, and when nearly done stir gently, finish cooking
and serve.

When done, if found too thin, boil a little longer; if found too
thick, add a little water, give one boil and serve. Fish Chowder
is made exactly like clam chowder, except that fish are used instead
of clams.

Clam Fritters.

Twelve clams, minced fine, one pint of milk, three eggs; add the
liquor from the clams to the milk; beat up the eggs and add to this,
with salt and pepper and flour enough for a thin batter; lastly add
the chopped clams. Fry in hot lard, trying a little first to see if
fat and batter are right. A tablespoonful makes a fritter of
moderate size. Fry quickly and serve hot.

Fried Clams.

Take large soft-shell clams, dry them in a napkin, and dip them
first in beaten egg and then powdered cracker or bread crumbs, and
fry in sweet lard or butter or both mixed.
Clam Pie.

Take a quantity of clams, if large chop them, put in a saucepan
and cook in their own liquor, or, if necessary, add a little water;
boil three or four medium-sized potatoes until done, then cut in
slices; line a pudding-dish half way up its sides; turn a small teacup
bottom up in the middle of the dish to keep up the top crust, put
in first a layer of clams and then a few potatoes, season with bits
of butter and a little salt and pepper and dredge with flour; add
another layer of clams, and so on till the dish is filled; add the
liquor in which the clams were cooked and a little water if neces-
sary. There should be as much liquid as for chicken or other meat
pie. Cover with top crust, cut places for steam to escape and bake
three-fourths of an hour.

Clam Stew.

Put the clams in a stewpan with about the same quantity of
water as the juice of the clams. Boil twenty-five or thirty minutes;

SHELL FISH. 253

remove all the scum that rises, and season with butter, salt and
pepper.

Clam Soup.
Take the required number of clams, chop them f.ne, then cook in
a little water with butter, pepper and salt; when almost d.me put
in milk or cream, and in soup enough for four persons put one cup
of rolled crackers. Serve hot.

Crabs.

To fit them for the table, living crabs require to be boiled in salt
water; they are either placed in cold water which is then made
hot or put at once into boiling water; crabs cooked by the latter
method are found to have the finest flavor. The male crab is the
most valuable for the table, and may be distinguished by possessing
larger claws. In purchasing crabs in the living state preference
should be given to those which have a rough shell and claws.
When selecting a crab which has been cooked it should be held by
its claws and well shaken from side to side. If it is found to rattle,
or feels as if it contained water, it is a proof that the crab is of
inferior quality. The crab may be kept alive, out of water, two or
three days.

Soft Crabs.

Many will not eat hard-shell crabs, considering them indigestible,
and not sufficiently palatable to compensate for the risk they run in
eating them. And it must be owned that they are, at their best,
but an indifferent substitute for the more aristocratic lobster. But
in the morning of life, for him so often renewed, his crabship is a
different creature, and greatly affected by epicures.

Do not keep the crabs over night, as the shells harden in twenty-
four hours. Pull off the spongy substance from the sides, and the
sand-bags. These are the only portions uneatable. Wash well and
wipe dry. Have ready a pan of seething hot lard or butter and fry
them to a fine brown. Put a little salt into the lard; the butter
will need none. Send up hot, garnished with parsley.

254 SHELL FISH.

Scalloped Crab.

Pick out all the meat of the crab and mix thoroughly; add to it
one-third its quantity of bread crumbs, a good lump of butter,
divided into little bits; season with salt and pepper, a dust of
grated nutmeg and a dessertspoonful of vinegar or lemon juice
sprinkled over the mass. Mix all equally together. Clean out the
bottom shell of your crab, and fill it with the mixture; what is left
you may put into scallop-shells or tins. Set them into a moderately
hot oven. When hot through and slightly browned on the surface
they are fit to serve on a dish covered with a napkin, the crab-shell
in the middle and the scallop-shells around it, garnished with sprigs
of parsley.

Frogs.

Scald the hind quarters in boiling water, rub them with lemon
juice and boil for three minutes, wipe them, dip them first in
cracker dust, then in a mixture of two beaten eggs in half a cup of
milk seasoned with pepper and salt, then again in cracker crumbs.
When they are well covered with crumbs fry in a mixture of hot
lard and butter.

Lobster Croquettes.

Chop the lobster very fine; mix with pepper, salt, bread crumbs
and a little parsley; moisten with cream and a small piece of butter;
shape with your hands; dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs and fry.

Lobster Cutlets.
Mince the flesh of lobsters fine; season with salt, pepper and
spice; melt a piece of butter in a saucepan; mix with it one table-
spoonful of flour; add lobster and finely-chopped parsley; mix with
some good stock; remove from the fire, and stir into it the yolks of
two eggs; spread out the mixture, and, when cold, cut into cutlets,
dip carefully into beaten egg, then into fine baked bread crumbs;
let them stand an hour, and repeat, and fry a rich brown. Serve
with fried parsley.

SHELL FISH. 255

Fried Lobster.

If, when making a salad, you have more lobster than you wish to
use for that, keep it in a cool place and fry in butter and bread
crumbs for breakfast.

Lobster Patties.

Make some puff -paste and spread it on very deep patty pans.

Bake it empty. Having boiled well two or three fine lobsters,

extract all the meat and mince it very small, mixing it with the

coral smoothly mashed, and some yolk of hard-boiled egg, grated.

Season it with a little salt, some Cayenne, and some powdered mace

or nutmeg, adding a little yellow lemon rind, grated. Moisten the

mixture well with cream, fresh butter, or salad oil. Put it into a

stewpan, add a very little water, and let it steam till it just comes to

:a boil. Take it off the fire, and the patties being baked, remove them

from the tin pans, place them on a large dish, and fill them up to

the top with the mixture. Similar patties may be made of prawns

or crabs.

Lobster Rissoles.

Extract the meat of a boiled lobster; mince it as fine as possible;
mix it with the coral pounded smooth, and some yolks of hard-
boiled eggs, pounded also. Season it with Cayenne pepper, pow-
dered mace, and a very little salt. Make a batter of beaten egg,
milk and flour. To each egg allow two large tablespoonfuls of
milk, and a large teaspoonf ul of flour. Beat the batter well, and
then mix the lobster with it gradually, till it is stiff enough to make
into oval balls about the size of a large plum. Fry them in the
best salad oil, and serve them up either warm or cold. Similar
rissoles may be made of raw oysters minced fine, or of boiled clams.
These should be fried in lard.

Lobster Salad.

Pick the meat from the shell, cut into nice square pieces, cut up
some lettuce and mix. Make a dressing of four tablespoonfuls of
oil, two of vinegar, one of mustard, the yolks of two eggs and pep-

256 SHELL FISH.

per and salt to taste; rub smooth together, forming a creamy look-
ing sauce, and cover the lobster with it. Garnish with sliced
cucumber pickles, egg-rings, parsley and cold beet cut in fancy
shapes.

Broiled Lobster.
Cut the tail part of a lobster in two, rub a little sweet oil over
the meat and broil. When done, brush a little butter over it with
the juice of half a lemon and a very little Cayenne. Place the meat
back into the shell and send to the table with a dish of broiled
tomatoes and a fresh baked potato.

LOBSTEES EN BrOCHETTE.

Cut up the tail of a lobster in square pieces; take a few thin
slices of bacon and cut into lengths to match the lobster; place
them on a skewer alternately and broil; baste as in broiled lobster
and send to the table on a bed of water-cresses.

Roasted Lobsters.

When lobsters are half cooked, remove from the water and rub

thoroughly with butter; lay before the fire; continue basting with

butter until it has a fine froth and the shell becomes a dark brown.

Place on a dish and serve with plain melted butter in a sauce-boat.

Gratin of Lobster.

Take out all the meat from a large lobster, then wash the body,
tail, and shells, if the lobster is first cut in halves down the back,
then dry and butter them and sprinkle with bread crumbs; chop
the meat fine, with a little parsley and shallot, a few drops of
essence of anchovies, a spoonful of vinegar, Cayenne pepper and salt,
a little bechamel sauce, and boil all well together, add a yolk of
egg, put it to cool, then fill your shells or paper cases, cover with
bread crumbs and some pieces of butter; brown them in the oven,
and dish on a napkin.

Broiled Oysters.

Drain select oysters in a colander; dip them one by one into

SHELL FISH. 257

melted butter, to prevent sticking to the gridiron, and place them
on a wire gridiron. Broil over a clear fire. When nicely browned
on both sides, season with salt, pepper, and plenty of butter, and
lay them on hot buttered toast, moistened with a little hot water.
Serve very hot, or they will not be nice. Oysters cooked in this
way and served on broiled beefsteak are nice.

Oyster Chowder.

Fry out three rashers of pickled pork in the pot you make the
chowder; add to it three potatoes and two onions, both sliced; boil
until they are nearly cooked; soak two or three dozen crackers in
cold water a few minutes, then put into the pot half a can of oys-
ters, one quart of milk and the soaked crackers. Boil all together
a few minutes; season with salt, pepper and butter. Fish chowder
can be made the same way by using fresh fish instead of oysters.

Oyster Croquettes.
Take the hard end of the oyster, leaving the other end in nice
shape for a soup or stew; scald them, then chop fine and add an
equal weight of potatoes rubbed through a colander; to one pound
of this add two ounces of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, half a
teaspoonful of pepper, half a teaspoonful of mace, and one-half gill
of cream; make in small rolls, dip in egg and grated bread, fry in
deep lard.

Fricasseed Oysters.
Drain the liquor from a quart of oysters, strain half a pint and
put in a porcelain kettle, and when it boils put in the oysters.
Have a tablespoonful of flour rubbed M^ell into two tablespoonfuls
of butter. When the oysters begin to swell, stir in the butter and
flour, cook until the oysters are white and plump; then add a gill
of cream and pepper and salt.

Fried Oyster \
Take large oysters, wash and drain. Dip them into flour; put in
a hot frying pan with plenty of lard and butter; season with salt

25b' SHELL FISH.

and pepper; fry brown on both sides. Fried in this -way,, they are
similar to broiled oysters.

Fried Oysters, No. 2.
Drain, remove all bits of shell, and sprinkle with pepper and salt,
and set in a cool place for ten minutes. Then, if the oysters are
small, pour them into a pan of crackers, rolled fine; add liquor, mix
well and let stand five minutes; add a little salt and pepper, mold
into small cakes, with two or three oysters in each, roll in dry
crackers and fry in lard and butter. Serve hot in a covered dish.

Chicken and Oyster Pie.

Parboil a chicken; cut up and place in a pie dish; cover with
oysters and season to taste; add two hard-boiled eggs cut into
slices, with a piece of butter, size of an egg, in the center; dust the
whole with flour, and pour on one-half pint of milk; put on a puff-
paste crust and bake about three-quarters of an hour in a moderate
oven.

Scalloped Oysters.

Prepare stale bread-crumbs, season to taste with pepper and salt;
butter a deep dish; cover the bottom with the crumbs; add a layer
of large-sized oysters, with butter; fill the dish alternately with
oysters, crumbs and butter. Bake in a hot oven until cooked
entirely through; if they become too brown on the top, cover with
paper. If preferred, scallop the oysters separately and serve in the
shells, observing that the shells are well cleaned. Instead of crumbs
use slices of well-buttered bread, if you like, or bake with a crust
of puff-paste.

Park Row Oyster Stew.

Put the oysters into a stewpan with a little liquor to cover them;
add a little butter, pepper and salt; stir every now and then while
on the fire, and when poured into the dish, put in about a table-
spoonful of milk to every ten oysters.

Oyster soup is made in the same way, except that more liquor is

SHELL FISH. 259

added, and a tablespoonful of pounded butter crackers; add plenty
of milk the last thing when the oysters are cooked, and let it boil
up once.

Maryland Stewed Oysters.
Put the juice into a saucepan and let it simmer, skimming it care-
fully; then rub the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs and one large
spoonful of flour well together, and stir into the juice. Cut in
small pieces a quarter of a pound of butter, half a teaspoonful of
whole allspice, a little salt, a little Cayenne, and the juice of a fresh
lemon; let all simmer ten minutes, and just before dishing, add the
oysters. This is for two quarts of oysters.

Plain Stew.
One quart of oysters with liquor, pint and a half of milk, piece
of butter size of egg, pepper and salt; boil all together until done.

Oyster Sauce.

Set the oysters in their liquor over the fire for a few minutes;
then remove them from the liquor and stir into it some flour and
butter well rubbed together, add salt and pepper, and when it
has boiled well for five minutes put in the oysters and serve
immediately.

Oyster Pie.

Make a rich puff paste; roll out twice as thick as for a fruit pie,
for the top crust — about the ordinary thickness for the lower. Line
a pudding dish with the thinner, and fill with crusts of dry bread
or light crackers. Some use a folded towel to fill the interior of the
pie, but the above expedient is preferable. Butter the edges of
the dish, that you may be able to lift the upper crust without
breaking. Cover the mock pie with the thick crust, ornamented
heavily at the edge, that it may lie the more quietly, and bake.
Cook the oysters as for a stew, only beating into them at the last,
two eggs, and thickening with a spoonful of fine cracker crumbs or
rice flour. They should stew but five minutes, and time them so

260 SHELL FISH.

that the paste will be baked just in season to receive them. Lift
the top crust, pour in the smoking hot oysters, and send up hot.

Many consider it unnecessary to prepare the oysters and crust
separately; but experience and observation go to prove that if the
precaution be omitted, the oysters are apt to be wofully overdone.
The maker can try both methods and take her choice.

Pickled Oysters.
One ounce each of allspice, mace, cinnamon and cloves, one quart
vinegar; scald all together, then put in the oysters, waiting until it
is cool; next day scald all together.

Oyster Patties.
Line small patty-pans with puff paste; into each pan put six
oysters, bits of butter, pepper and salt; sprinkle over a little flour
and hard-boiled eggs, chopped (allowing about two eggs for six
patties), cover with an upper crust, notch the edges and bake; serve
either in the pans or remove them to a larger platter.

Oyster Pot-Pie.

Have ready nice light-raised biscuit dough, cut into small squares.
Season the oysters well with butter, pepper and salt, and thicken
them with a little flour; drop in the pieces of dough and boil till
done. This may be baked in the oven in a pudding-dish, allowing
the dough to brown on the top.

Roasted Oysters.

Take oysters in the shell, wash the shells clean, and lay them on
hot coals; when they are done they will begin to open. Remove
the upper shell, and serve the oysters in the lower shell, with a little
melted butter poured over each.

Oysters, Fancy Roast.

Toast a few slices of bread, and butter them; lay them in a
shallow dish; put on the liquor of the oysters to heat; add salt and
pepper, and just before it boils add the oysters; let them boil up
once, and pour over the bread.

SHELL FISH. 261

Oyster a la Poulette.

Scald a dozen oysters in their own liquor; salt and remove the
oysters; add a tablespoonful of butter, the juice of half a lemon, a
gill of cream, and a teaspoonf ul of flour. Beat up the yolk of one
egg while the sauce is simmering; add the egg and simmer the
whole until it thickens. Place the oysters on a hot dish, pour the
sauce over them, sprinkle a little chopped parsley on the top and
serve.

Raw Oysters.

For a party, serve on a handsome block of ice in which a cavity
has been made with a hot flat-iron. Set the ice on a plater and
garnish the edges with slices of lemon. Have pepper, salt and
vinegar on hand; also serve with lemon juice.

Oysters with Toast.

Broil or fry as many oysters as you wish, and lay them on but-
tered toast; salt and pepper; pour over them a cup of hot, rich
cream; keep them perfectly hot until eaten.
Oyster Flavor.

A German cook has discovered a way to have oyster flavor all the
year round. Take fresh, large, plump oysters, beard them and
place them in a vessel over the fire for a few moments in order to
extract the juice, then put them to cool, and chop them very fine
with powdered biscuit, mace, and finely minced lemon peel; pound
them until they become a paste; make them up into thin cakes,
place them on a sheet of paper in a slow oven and let them bake
until they become quite hard; pound them directly into powder,
and place the powder in a dry tin box, well covered ; keep in a dry
place, and it will be very much appreciated when the true oyster
flavor is imparted to fish, sauces and dishes. This makes a delicious
sauce for fresh cod.

New Way of Preparing Oysters.

The ways of preparing oysters are not many. This method.

2b2 SHELL FISH,

however, is not widely known: Take two dozen oysters and throw
them in a large deep dish; then take a small bunch of parsley
chopped fine, a little lemon rind grated, half a nutmeg grated, and
the crumbs of a stale French roll, also grated; let the latter be well
incorporated, adding some Cayenne. Have in readiness the yolks
of three fresh eggs beaten up into a foam; dip each oyster sepa-
rately into the eggs and roll them into the bread crumbs until they
are all covered with a good coat. Put a quarter of a pound of
butter in the oven till it is melted while arranging the oysters in
the pan, then turn them continually until they assume a perfect
brown and crusty appearance. When fully cooked serve them with
some celery, salt and thin slices of Graham bread and butter.

Scallops.
The heart is the only part used. If you buy them in the shell,
boil and take out the hearts. Those sold in our markets are gen-
erally ready for frying or stewing. Dip them in beaten egg, then
in cracker crumbs, and fry in hot lard. Or, you may stew them
like oysters. The fried scallops are generally preferred.

Terrapins, or Water Turtles.
Land terrapins, it is hardly necessary to say, are uneatable, but
the large turtle that frequents our mill-ponds and rivers can be
converted into a relishable article of food. Plunge the turtle into
a pot of boiling water, and let him lie there five minutes. You can
then skin the under part easily, and pull off the horny parts of the
feet. Lay him for ten minutes in cold salt and water; then put
into more hot water salted, but not too much. Boil until tender.
The time will depend upon the size and age. Take him out, drain
and wipe dry; loosen the shell carefully, not to break the flesh; cut
open also with care, lest you touch the gall-bag with the knife.
Remove this with the entrails and sand-bag. Cut up all the rest of
the animal into small bits; season with pepper, salt, a chopped
onion, sweet herbs, and a teaspoonful of some spiced sauce, or a
tablespoonful of catsup — walnut or mushroom. Save the juice that

SHELL FISH. 263

runs from the meat, and put all together into a saucepan with a
closely-fitting top. Stew gently fifteen minutes, stirring occasion-
ally, and add a great spoonful of butter, or a teaspoonful browned
flour wet in cold water, a glass of brown sherry, and lastly, the
beaten yolk of an egg, mixed with a little of the hot liquor, that it
may not curdle. Boil up once and turn into a covered dish. Send
around green pickles and delicate slices of toast with it.

CHAPTER XXI.

GAME

To Select Game.
|HEASANTS. — A young cock pheasant will have short and
blunt spurs, while an old one will have them long and sharp.
A hen pheasant may be known by its plumage, and its flavor
is preferred by many, though not by all, except when almost ready
to lay.

Grouse. — These are judged of the same as pheasants.

Woodcock. — When these are fat they will feel thick and firm,
and a streak of fat will appear on the side of the breast. Fresh
birds will have supple feet, and the head and throat clear; whereas,
when stale, the feet are stiff, and the head and throat nasty.

Pigeom. — Tame pigeons, when fresh and in good order, are
plump, and have their feet pliable and of a dusky white. Wild
pigeons are not reckoned so good as tame, but they improve with
keeping. They are not so fat but are to be chosen by the same
rules as the others.

Hares. — An old hare does very well for soup, but for ordinary
purposes it is by no means desirable. It will be distinguished by
its dry, tough ears, its blunted claws and its widely-parted lips. A
young hare has soft and tender ears, sharpish claws, and the parting
of the lip close.

Rabbit. — An old rabbit will have long, rough claws, and fur
often inclining to grey. When fresh, the body will be rather stiff
and the flesh dry and pale; but if stale, it will be limper and the
flesh dark colored.

GAME. 265

Venison. — Choose the dark-colored meat, not the black, but the
rich reddish-brown, with fine grain, and well coated with fat.
Keep it hung up in a cool, dark cellar, covered with a cloth, and
use as soon as you can conveniently.

To Pot Birds.

Prepare them as for roasting; fill each with a dressing made as
follows: Allow for each bird the size of a pigeon one-half of a
hard-boiled egg, chopped fine, a tablespoonful of bread crumbs, a
teaspoonful of chopped pork; season the birds with pepper and
salt; stuff them and lay them in a kettle that has a tight cover.
Place over the birds a few slices of pork, add a pint of water,
dredge over them a little flour, cover, and put them in a hot oven.
Let them cook until tender, then add a little cream and butter. If
the sauce is too thin, thicken with flour. One pint of water is suf-
. ficient for twelve birds.

Reed Birds.

" These delicious lumps of sweetness, as they are appropriately
called, are always acceptable, but to thoroughly appreciate a reed
bird dinner one must mingle with the gunners on the Delaware
river as guest or member of one of the many clubs whose houses
are situated within a few hundred yards of the hunting grounds.
After the judge's decision as to who has high boat, the birds are
plucked (and at some of the club houses drawn), arranged neatly in
a dripping-pan with bits of fresh country butter between them.
They are allowed to cook on one side a few minutes, and with a
long-handled spoon are turned over to brown on the other side. A
little salt is added and they are then placed on a hot platter en
pyramide and the gravy poured over them; they are then sent to
the table with fried chipped potatoes."

Reed Birds a la Lindenthorpe.
On " ladies' day " the members of this club are more particular
than on " member's day." They prepare the birds by drawing the
trail and removing the head; they then take large sweet or Irish

266 GAME.

potatoes, cut them in two, scoop out the insides, and put an oyster
or small piece of bacon inside of each bird and put the birds inside
the potatoes, tie them up with twine and bake until the potatoes are
done. The common twine is then removed and the potatoes are
tied with a narrow piece of white or colored tape in a neat bow-
knot and sent to the table on a napkin.

Roast Prairie Chicken.

The bird being a little strong, and its flesh, when cooked, a little
dry, it should be either larded or wide strips of bacon or pork
placed over its breast. A mild-seasoned stuffing will improve the
flavor of old birds. Dust a little flower over them, baste occasion-
ally and serve.

Pheasants may be managed in the same way.

Prairie Chicken.

Clean nicely, using a little soda in the water in which they are-
washed; rinse them and drain, and fill with dressing, sewing them
up nicely, and binding down the legs and wings with cord. Put
them in a steamer and let them cook ten minutes; then put them in
a pan with a little butter, set them in an oven and baste frequently
until of a nice brown. They should brown in about thirty-five
minutes. Serve them in a platter with sprigs of parsley alternated
with currant jelly.

Partridges and quails may be cooked in the same manner.

To Roast Partridges, Pheasants or Quails.
Pluck, singe, draw and truss them, season with salt and pepper;
roast for about half an hour in a brisk oven, basting often with
butter. When done, place on a dish together with bread crumbs
fried brown and arranged in small heaps. Gravy should be served
in a tureen apart.

Quail on Toast.
Pick and clean, cut in the middle of back, fry in butter to a nice
brown, salt and pepper; now put in an earthern or porcelain-lined

GAME. 267

dish, one tablespoonful of nice butter and the same of floury stir on
a slow fire until butter is dissolved; then pour in slowly two-thirds
glass of water and the same quantity of wine; salt and pepper; put
in your birds that are nicely fried, simmer slowly one-quarter of an
hour; toast some thin slices of bread (one toast to each bird); put
in the dish you wish to serve, laying the birds on top; pour the
gravy over all; serve very hot.

To Broil Quail or Woodcock.
After dresssing, split down the back, sprinkle with salt and pep-
per, and lay them on a gridiron, the inside down. Broil slowly at
first. Serve with cream gravy.

Pigeon Pie.

Dress and wash clean, split down the back, and then proceed as
for chicken pie.

Roast Pigeons.

When cleaned and ready for roasting, fill the bird with a stuffing
of bread crumbs, a spoonful of butter, a little salt and nutmeg, and
three oysters to each bird (some prefer chopped apple). They must
be well basted with melted butter, and require thirty minutes of
careful cooking. They are best in the autumn, and should be full
grown.

To Roast Pigeons.

They should be dressed while fresh. If young, they will be
ready for roasting in twelve hours. Dress carefully, and after
making clean, wipe dry and put into each bird a small piece of
butter dipped in Cayenne. Truss the wings over the back and roast
in a quick oven, keeping them constantly basted with butter.
Serve with brown gravy. Dish them with young water-cresses.

Pigeon Compote.
Truss six pigeons as for boiling. Grate the crumbs of a small
loaf of bread, scrape one pound of fat bacon, chop thyme, parsley,
an onion and lemon — peel fine — and season with salt and pepper;

268 GAME.

mix it up with two eggs; put this forcemeat into the craws of the
pigeons, lard the breasts and fry brown; place them in a stewpan
with some beef stock and stew them three-quarters of an hour,
thicken with a piece of butter rolled in flour. Serve with force-
meat balls around the dish and strain the gravy on to the pigeon.

Wild Duck or Mallard.
This is one of the best of wild fowl. Truss it as you would a tame
luck, but it is not usual to stuff it. As soon as you have plucked
ind emptied it, boil down the giblets with a little bit of beef, to
make savory brown gravy, flavored with lemon juice and wine.
Wild duck is better served a little more under-done than tame
duck. Some carvers slice the breast, and dose it with Cayenne,
lemon juice and its own roast gravy — a mode of dressing admissible
only when everybody likes high seasoning. The bones of the wild
duck are smaller than those of the tame. The teal, the jewel of
water fowl, if fat, should be laid each on its slice of toast, roasted
before the fire; turn it over now and then, and serve on the toast.
The coot, on account of its black and very downy skin, is best
flayed cut into joints, and stewed with wine as a matelote. It
then becon^s sxcellent eating.

Wild Goose,
When to be had, is a treat for lovers of wild fowl; and yet,
strange to say, there is a prejudice against it, as fishy. Some few
species of geese may indeed graze on seaweed, and perhaps even
swallow a few shell-fish when they happen to alight on the shore,
hard pressed by hunger; but, as a rule, there is no cleaner feeding
bird than the goose, feeding upon herbs or grain, but preferring the
former as the staple of its diet. We know of no wild goose which
is not excellent to eat, when obtained at the proper age and in good
condition.

Wild geese are roasted and served in the same way as wild ducks.

A satisfactory combination is made by taking a little bone, some

cartilage or tendon for the sake of its gelatine, sufficient fat — to be

GAME. 2by

supplied, if the meat has none, from white bacon or fresh pork —
and plenty of the flesh of whatever constitutes the pate. Pack
these closely together, filling the interstices with minced fresh pork
or veal, season well, but not in excess; flavor with bay-leaf, chopped
shallot or onion, and lemon peel; with bits of truffle (when possible),
hard egg, and button mushrooms interspersed here and there
through its substance, and half a tumbler of wine, with a little
catsup poured in to prevent too much drying up. Bake this in a
gentle oven, and let it stand at least twenty-four hours before
cutting it up. It will keep some time, especially if untouched, and
will be found improved and ripened at the end of three or four days.

Roast Hare.
Broil the hare slightly over the coals, to give firmness to the
flesh, then cover it with slices of fat pork from the neck to the legs.
Then roast it for an hour, and serve it with sauce piquante prepared
with the crushed liver.

A Nick Way to Prepare Cold Hare.
Remove the flesh from the roast hare, and cut it in strips. After-
ward break the bones and cook with them some butter and flour,
onions, parsley, thyme, chives, salt, pepper, red wine, and stock
broth; boil them down to one-fourth, and having strained the gravy,
put the slices of hare into it and serve it up without again boiling it.

Roast Rabbit.
Rabbits are roasted in the same manner as directed for hare.

Rabbit with Herbs.
Cut a rabbit in pieces and place it in a stewpan with butter,
parsley, chives, mushrooms, bay-leaves, and thyme, chopped fine.
When done add a spoonful of flour to thicken it.

Venison Chops.
Broiled and served with currant jelly are not to be despised.
Trim the ends as you would a French lamb chop.

270 GAME.

Venison Epicurean.

Cut a steak from the leg or a chop from the loin of venison about
an inch and a half thick. Put a walnut of butter, salt, and pepper,
into a chafing-dish; light the spirit-lamp under it, and when the
butter melts put in the chop or steak; let it cook on one side a few
minutes, then turn it over, and add a wineglassf ul of sherry or port
and a tablespoonful of currant jelly. Simmer gently about seven
minutes if it is to be eaten rare, and allow twelve minutes' cooking
if required well done.

Venison Patties.

Make a nicely-flavored mince of the remains of cold roast venison;
moisten it with a little sherry or gravy, and warm it in a saucepan;
fill the patty-shells with the meat and serve, as oyster patties.

CHAPTER XXII.

MARKETING.

'EFORE going to market it is a very good rule to determine
what shall fie purchased and in what quantity. This is
|t(jf especially needful when the butcher is to be visited. An-
other rule is to deal at shops where good articles only are sold, and,
If possible, to take your money with you, because a ready-money
^customer will, as a rule, be the best served. It is not always safe
to let the butcher, poulterer, fishmonger, or other provision dealer,
choose for you, because he may be over anxious to sell what is not
in the best condition, or what is from some other cause hardly
salable. Experienced persons will not fail to observe carefully
the quality of what they buy, and they will reflect upon the quan-
tity of bone, gi'istle or other waste in it. They will also consider
the requirements of the family and the uses to which they can put
what is not consumed as soon as cooked. At the butcher's see the
meat cut and weighed and placed ready to be sent home; you will
then know what you have bought. Always buy good meat rather
than inferior, and if possible from the best parts of the animal. To
aid the inexperienced we will now enter somewhat into detail.

Beef. — Young and well-fed ox beef is the best. It may be known
by the lean being of a fine, smooth or open grain, and the fat of a
yellowish white. When the fat is either a mottled yellow or white,
the meat is doubtful. The suet, however, must be very white.
Cow beef is inferior, its fat is whiter, the lean closer in the grain
and not of so bright a red. Bull beef has white and shining fat,

272 MARKETING.

close-grained lean of a dark red, and a stronger smell than other
beef.

The principal parts are as follows:

SECTION OF BULLOCK.

1. Cheek. 10. Surloin.

2. Neck or Sticking Piece. 11. Thin Flank.

3. Clod. 12. Rump.

4. Shin. 13. Aitch-bone.

5. Shoulder or Leg of Mutton Piece. 14. Round or Buttock.

6. Chuck Ribs. 15. Mouse Bullock.

7. Middle Ribs. 16. Veiny Piece.

8. Fore Ribs. 17. Thick Flank.

9. Brisket. 18. Leg.

Besides the above there are the kidneys, heart, tripe, sweet-
breads, tongue, and palate.

Good beef is more elastic to the touch than that which is old
or in bad condition, so that when pressed with the finger the
impression will not be permanent. In poor meat, the lean is usually-
dark, the fat skinny, and the sinewy portions distinctly shown,
especially a horny texture in the ribs. Beef should be perfectly
sound, sweet and fresh, as taint rapidly spreads, and if frosted it
will not cook properly. It is, perhaps, scarcely needful to say, that
several of the joints which are enumerated above, are readily and
commonly divided by the butcher and sold in portions for the
convenience of small families and slender purses. If, at any time,
more is bought than is wanted for present use, care should be taken
to let it be from such parts as may be cut into two, the one for

MARKETING.

273

roasting and the other for salting and boiling; or let it be such as
may be easily warmed a-fresh, or otherwise presented hot again at

A. Rump.

B. Mouse Buttock.

C. Leg or Hock.

D. Buttock or Round.

E. Aitch-bone or Top.

F. Surloin.

G. Fore Ribs.
H. Middle Ribs.

I. Chuck Rib.

J. Neck, Clod, or Sticking Piece.
K. Shin.

L. Shoulder or Leg of Mutton Piece.
M. Brisket.
N. Thin Flank.
O. Thick Flank.
P. Veiny Piece.

table, which will be the case with such parts as are stewed, and
such cheap portions as the heart, and cold roasted ox-heart cut into
slices and warmed in gravy is as good as when first cooked.

SECTIONS OP SHEEP,

OR LAMB.

Leg.

5. Best end of loin.

Shoulder.

6. Best end of neck.

Breast.

7. Chump end of loin

Scrag end of neck.
18

8. Head.

274 MARKETING.

Mutton. — Good mutton, of whatever breed, is known at a glance ;
the ham, dark, bright, crimson red; the fat, white and firm, and
never too deficient in quantity according to the joint. Bad mutton
is of an unsightly brownish color, and has a bad smell with a little
fat, and that flabby and yellowish, often, but not always, the car-
cass looks as if the beast had been devoured by consumptive lean-
ness. If you can get a sight of the liver, its state will sometimes
tell you tales of the creature's healthfulness or the reverse.

Pork. — Pork, more than any other meat, requires to be chosen
with the greatest care. The pig, from his gluttonous habits, is
particularly liable to disease, and if it is killed and its flesh eaten
when in an unhealthy condition, those who partake of it will prob-
ably have to pay dearly for their indulgence. It is generally
understood that dairy-fed pork is the best. Where it is possible,
therefore, it is always safest to obtain pork direct from some farm
where it has been fed and killed. When this cannot be done, it
should either be purchased from a thoroughly respectable and
reliable person or dispensed with altogether. Pork is best in cold
weather. It is in season from November to March. It should be
avoided during the summer months. The fat should be white and
firm, the lean finely grained, and the skin thin and cool. If any
kernels are to be seen in the fat, the pig was diseased at the time
it was killed. Pork should not be allowed to hang more than a day
or two before it is cooked, as it will not keep unless it be salted.
If cooked quite fresh, however, it will be hard. The head, heart,
liver, etc., should be cooked as soon as possible. Care should be
taken that the pork be thoroughly cooked.

Veal is best when the animal is from two to three months old.
Veal, like all young meat, has a tendency to turn very quickly. It
is both unpalatable and most unwholesome when it is at all tainted,
and it cannot be recovered, as brown meats sometimes can, by the
use of charcoal. Therefore it ought not to be kept more than two
days in summer and four in winter. If eaten quite fresh it is apt
to be a little tou^h.

MARKETING.

275

If there is any clanger of the veal becoming tainted, wash it, and
put it into boiling water for ten minutes. Plunge it into cold water
till cool, wipe it dry, and put it into the coolest place that can be
found. No meat is more generally useful for making soups and
gravies than veal.

1. Loin, chump end.

2. Loin, best end.

3. Neck, best end.

4. Neck, scrag end.

5. Fillet.

6. Hind knuckle.

SECTIONS OF CALF.

7. Fore knuckle.

8. Breast, brisket end.

9. Breast, best end.

10. Blade-bone.

11. Head.

Turkeys. — A young cock-turkey is the best, and may be known
by its smooth, black legs and short spurs. The spurs must be
closely looked into, because it is an old trick of the dealers to cut
and scrape them in order to get rid of old birds as young ones. If
in good condition the eyes will be bright and full and the feet soft
and pliable; whereas where stale the eyes will be dim and sunken
and the feet stiff and dry. The beak of a young turkey is some-
what soft, but hard and rigid in an old one. The legs of an old
hen-turkey are red and rough. In other respects a hen-turkey may
be judged of as a cock-turkey, spurs excepted.

Fowls. — A young cock will have short spurs, which will require
the same inspection as turkeys. A fine bird will have a smooth
comb, a full fat * breast, and a large rump. The skin should be
delicate and transparent. Pullets are best when about to lay, at
which time they have partially formed eggs inside. Fowls with
black legs are best roasted. Game birds should, also, be roasted.

276 MARKETING.

Young Dorking, Spanish and Cochin should be provided for boil-
ing. For broth, an old hen will do, if well cooked.

Geese. — A young goose will have its beak and feet yellow with a
very few bristles about them; but an old bird will have the feet
and bill red and bristly. When fresh, the feet are pliable, but
stiff and dry when stale. The fat of a young bird is whiter and
softer than that of an old bird, and the breast is plump, as is the
case with all poultry in good condition; knowing which the dealers
have a trick of breaking the breast bones to deceive their custom-
ers, and foist upon them old birds for young ones.

Ducks. — The feet and legs of a fresh killed duck are pliable and
soft, but those of a stale one are stiff and dry. Freshness of the
eye is an indication of a fresh bird. A wild duck has rather small,
reddish feet, while those of a tame duck are a dusky yellow, and
somewhat large. An old duck should be kept hanging a few days
before it is cooked; it will generally be lean and thin as compared
with a plump young bird.

CHAPTER XXIII.

MEATS.

Beep, Aitchbone op, to Carve.

|N carving an aitchbone of beef it is necessary that it should be
cut across the grain. In order to do this the knife should
follow the line A to B in the illustration. The meat should be
cut of a moderate thickness, and
very evenly. Cut the lean and the
fat in one slice, and if more fat is
wanted it should be taken horizon-
tally from the side. Before proceed-
ing to serve, a slice of about a quarter of an inch in thickness should
be cut from the top, so that the juicy part of the meat may be
obtained at once.

Brisket of Beef Stewed.

Take six pounds of beef, and, before dressing it, rub it over with
vinegar and salt; place it in a stewpanwith stock or water sufficient
to cover it. Allow it to simmer for an hour, skimming it well all
the time. Put in six each of carrots, turnips, and small onions ; and
allow all to simmer until the meat is quite tender, which will
require about two hours more. As soon as it is ready the bones
should be removed. Boil for a few minutes as much of the gravy
as will be required with flour and a little butter, and season it with
catsup, allspice and mace. Pour a little of it over the brisket, and
send the remainder to the table in a separate dish.
Making Tough Steak Tender.

Take one teaspoonful of salad oil, two teaspoonfuls of vinesrar

277

278 MEATS.

and a very little Cayenne pepper. Lay the steak upon it and let it
remain one hour; then turn it over and let it lie an hour. Then fry
or broil as usual. The vinegar softens the fibre and the oil keeps it
soft. Steak may stand over night this way if turned about ten
o'clock. Pounding steak is a great mistake; it breaks up the fibre,
but drives out the juice and destroys much of its nutriment.

Beef, Beisket or, to Carve.
The accompanying engraving represents the appearance of a

brisket of beef ready for the table. There is no difficulty in

carving it. The only thing to
observe is that it should be cut
cleanly along the bones, in the
direction indicated by the dot-
ted line, with a firm hand, in
moderately thick slices. Cut

it close down to the bones, so that they may not have a rough and

jagged appearance when removed.

Broiled Steak.
Never put salt on a steak until after it is cooked. After trim-
ming on each side equally, dress to taste with sweet fresh butter,
pepper and salt, and add, if preferred, a teaspoonful of lemon-juice.

Broiled Beefsteak.

To cook a good, juicy beefsteak, never pound it, but slash it
several times across each way; have a nice bright fire and broil as
quickly as possible, without burning; if the coals blaze from the
drippings, sprinkle on a little salt, which will instantly extinguish
the flames. Steak should be turned constantly while broiling, and
to be rare should not cook over three minutes ; butter and salt after
taking up. This should be served very hot.

Rorp Steak with Oyster Sauce.

Let your oysters give a turn or two with plenty of butter in a
frying-pan, then add pepper and salt, a little flour, and the juice of

MEATS. 279

half a lemon, with enough water to make up the quantity of sauce
you want, stir till the oysters are done, and serve with the steak
broiled in the usual way.

To Fry Steak, or Cook in Frying Pan.
If you have not a broiler, steak may be cooked nearly as well by
heating the frying pan very hot and just greasing it with a little
butter, or a little of the chopped suet, and lay in the steak and keep
turning until sufficiently cooked; then transfer to a hot platter and
season with salt and pepper, and cover with butter and serve.

German Way of Frying Beefsteak.
Pound the cut steak a little, salt it and fry quickly with hot lard on
both sides; pour off the lard and place the steak on the dish; put
into the pan some fresh butter and fry with it some finely cut
onions and pour this over the steak.

Beefsteak Smothered with Onions.
Melt a lump of butter in a frying pan; cover the bottom of the
pan with onions sliced very thin; then lay the steak over them.
When the onions are fried until they are tender, put the beef on
the bottom of the pan and cover it with the onions; add butter or
lard as you need it. Liver cooked in this way is nice also. When
it is done, lay it on a platter and heap the onions on the meat. A
very little gravy made in the pan in which you have cooked the
meat and onions is an addition, but make only a little and turn over
the meat, seasoning it well with salt and pepper.

Beefsteak Pie.
Cut the steak into pieces an inch long, and stew with the bone
(cracked) in just enough water to cover the meat until it is half
done. Line a pudding dish with a good paste. Put in a layer
of the beef, Avith salt and pepper, and a very little chopped onion;
then one of sliced boiled potatoes, with a little butter scattered
upon them, and so on until the dish is full. Pour over all the

280

MEATS.

gravy in which the meat is stewed, having first thrown away
the bone and thickened with flour. Cover with a crust thicker than
the lower, leaving a slit in the middle.

Ribs of Beef, to Carve.
The rib should be cut in thin and even slices from the thick end

towards the thin. This can
be more readily and cleanly
done, if the carving-knife is
first run along between the
meat and the end and rib
bones.

To Roast Ribs of Beef.
The best piece to roast is
the fore-rib, and it should be
hung for two or three days
before it is cooked. The ends of the ribs should be sawn off, the
outside fat fastened with skewers, and the strong sinew and chime
bones removed. The joint should first be placed near the fire, and
after a short time it should be drawn back and roasted steadily.
Baste freely with clarified drippings at first, as there will not be
sufficient gravy when first put down; keep basting at intervals of
ten minutes until done. Care must be taken not to allow it to
burn, as it is easily spoiled. Serve with horse-radish sauce.
To Roast Sirloin of Beef.
Take out the suet and lay it thickly over the fillet. Tie the flap
under the fillet ard make all firm before it is put into the oven.
Should the oven be very hot place a paper over the meat while yet
raw, in which case it will need very little basting; or turn the rib
side up toward the fire for the first twenty minutes. The time it
will take in cooking depends entirely upon the thickness of the
joint and the length of time it has been killed. Skim the fat from
the gravy and add a tablespoonful of prepared brown flour and a
glass of sherry to the remainder.

MEATS.

281

Sirloin of Beef, to Carve.

A sirloin should be cut with one good, firm stroke from end to
end of the joint, at the upper portion, making the cut very clean
from A, B to C. Then disengage it from the bone by a horizontal
cut exactly to the bone, B to D, using the tip of the knife. Bad
carving bears the hand away to the rind of the beef, eventually,
after many cuts, peeling it
back to the other side, leav-
ing a portion of the best of
the meat adhering to the
bone. Every slice should be
clean and even, and the sirloin
should cut fairly to the very
end. Many persons cut the
under side whilst hot, not reckoning it so good cold; but this is a
matter of taste, and so is the mode of carving it. The best way is
■first of all to remove the fat, E, which chops up well to make pud-
dings, if not eaten at table. Then the under part can be cut as
already described, from end to end, F to G, or downwards as shown
by the marks at H.

Beef Balls.

Mince very fine a piece of tender beef, fat and lean; mince an
onion, with some boiled parsley; add grated bread crumbs, and
season with pepper, salt, grated nutmeg and lemon peel; mix all
together and moisten it with an egg beaten; roll it into balls, flour
and fry them in boiling fresh dripping. Serve them with fried
bread crumbs.

Fillet of Beef.

This is to be larded and dressed with a brown mushroom sauce.
Trim the fat off a tenderloin of beef, and if you are going to dress
it for dinner trim off the corners somewhat. It wants to be the
shape of a fillet whole. A whole fillet is usually too large for a
family dinner. Trim down the loin so it is smaller at each end.

282 MEATS.

Save the jneces of meat trimmed off, cut up in bits an inch square
and make a stew with a few mushrooms or potatoes. Never by
any means throw them away. After the fillet is trimmed lard it by
inserting little strijjs of fat salt pork over the upper surface with a
larding needle. After larding lay on a baking-pan with thin slices
of salt pork under it, and put buttered paper over it to prevent
burning the pork. Bake or roast it. It is usually served rare ; then
it should roast fifteen minutes to a pound. If it is to be well done
it should roast twenty minutes for each pound. Season when
brown, not before, with pepper and salt.

A Good and Cheap Way to Cook Beef.
A cheap dish can be made of a brisket or flank of beef. Cut a
slice eight inches long and an inch thick, season highly, spread a
stuffing of soaked bread highly seasoned over it, tie it up and lay
in water enough to cover, and cook slowly a long time. This
makes a very nice dish and should be served with red cabbage.
Cut up the cabbage as for cold slaw. Put in a saucepan one table-
spoonful of sugar, one of butter, half a cup of vinegar, half a
dozen pepper corns, and half a dozen cloves; then put in the cab-
bage, cover tight and set on the back of the stove and let it steam
an hour, when it will be tender. The beef may also be
served with red beets, boiled till tender without breaking,
peeled and laid around the dish of meat. A nice way to
bake beef is to put in the pan under it a bed of vegetables and
scraps of pork, a tablespoonful of carrot, turnip, sprigs of parsley,
a half dozen cloves and a half dozen pepper corns; add a bay-leaf,
if you wish, and a teaspoonful of onion. You will find that all
these will give a nice flavor not only to the meat but also to the
gravy made from the drippings.

Beep a la Mode.
Take a round of beef, remove the bone from the middle, also all
the gristle and tough parts about the edges. Have ready half a
pound of fat salt pork, cut into strips as thick and long as your

MEATS. 283

finger. Prepare a nice dressing the same as for stuffing a turkey.
With a thin sharp knife make perpendicular incisions in the meat
about half an inch apart, thrust into them the pork, and work in
with them some of the dressing. Proceed thus until the meat is
thoroughly plugged. Put it into a baking pan with a little water
at the bottom; cover tightly and bake slowly four hours; then
uncover, and spread the rest of the dressing over the top, and bake
until a nice brown. After taking up, thicken the gravy and pour
over the beef. It should be sliced horizontally. Is good either hot
or cold.

Pounded Beef.

Boil a shin of twelve pounds of meat until it falls readily from
the bone; pick it to pieces; mash gristle and all very fine; pick out
all the hard bits. Set the liquor away; when cool, take off all the
fat; boil the liquor down to a pint and a half. Then return the
meat to it while hot; add pepper and salt and any spice you choose.
Let it boil a few times, stirring all the while. Put into a mold
or deep dish to cool. Use cold and cut in thin slices for tea, or
warm it for breakfast.

Beef Coquettes.

Use cold roast beef; chop it fine; season with pepper and salt;
add one-third the quantity of bread crumbs, and moisten with a
little milk. Have your hands floured; rub the meat into balls, dip
it into beaten egg, then into fine pulverized cracker, and fry in but-
ter; garnish with parsley.

Deviled Beef.

Take slices of cold roast beef, lay them on hot coals, and broil;
season with pepper and salt, and serve while hot, with a small lump
of butter on each piece.

Beef Sausages.

To ^hree pounds of beef, very lean, put one and one-half pounds
of suet, and chop very fine; season with sage in powder, allspice,
pepper and salt; have skins thoroughly cleaned, and force the meat
into them.

284 MEATS.

Beef au Gratin.
Take cold beef, either boiled or roasted, and cut it in thin slices.
Grease a tin pan with butter, dust with bread crumbs, put in a little
chopped parsley, and lay on the slices of beef. Put salt, pepper,
and parsley on top, dust with bread crumbs, drop on lemon- juice,
and a little broth, just to cover the bottom of the pan, and place it
in the oven.

Beef Heart.
Wash it carefully and stuff it nicely with dressing as for turkey;
roast it about one and a half hours, and serve with the gravy,
which should be thickened with some of the stuffing. It is very
nice hashed.

Dried Beef in Cream.

Shave your beef very fine; pour over it boiling water; let it
stand for a few minutes; pour this off and pour on good rich cream;
let it come to a boil. If you have not cream, use milk and butter,
and thicken with a very little flour; season with pepper, and serve
on toast or not, as you like.

Beef Omelette.
Three pounds of beefsteak, three-fourths of a pound of suet,
chopped fine, salt, pepper, and a little sage, three eggs, six Boston
crackers, rolled; make into roll and bake.

Broiled Beef Tongue.
Put a fresh tongue on the fire with just cold water enough to
cover it, and with it a carrot, an onion, a bay-leaf, a couple of slices
of lemon, some black pepper, salt and a little garlic. Let it simmer
gently for about two hours till quite tender. Skin and trim it.
Either serve it whole or cut it in slices, and arrange in a ring with
the following thick sauce in the center: Strain the liquor in which
the tongue was cooked (this should be reduced by simmering to a
mere gravy) ; brown a large tablespoonf ul of flour in a good sized
piece of butter; braize two or three cloves of garlic, and let them

.MEATS. 285

steam a little while in the browning; then add the strained gravy
by degrees, stirring it quite smooth. Add a little lemon-juice or
vinegar; and whether it be served whole or sliced, dish the sauce
with the tongue. If garlic is objected to, make a sauce of grated
horse-radish, a carrot bruised fine, capers and a little wine. Gar-
nish with lemon slices and parsley.

To Boil Beef.
Put fresh beef into boiling water (unless you wish to make soup,
then it should be put into cold water) and bring quickly to a boil,
then set on back part of the stove and simmer gently till done.
Corned beef, if very salt, should be soaked over night, then put
into lukewai'm, not boiling, water. Simmer from the time of boil-
ing till it is served up. Skim the pot thoroughly and turn the
meat twice during the simmering. The meat will be much better
if allowed to cool in the liquor in which it is cooked.

Tongue Roasted.
Parboil a tongue that has been salted about ten days; roast,
baste with red wine, and cover it at last with butter. Serve with
a rich gravy and sweet sauce.

Tripe.
This may be served in a tureen, stewed tender with milk and
onions, or fried in bits dipped in butter. In both the above ways
serve melted butter for sauce. Or cut the thin parts in oblong bits
and stew in gravy; thicken with butter rolled in a very little flour,
and add a spoonful of mushroom catsup. Or boil it tender in milk,
and serve in milk-white sauce.

Tripe a la Lyonnaise with Tomatoes.
This economical dish, which is in reach of every family, is also
very fine. Take two pounds of dressed and boiled tripe, cut into
small strips two inches long and put into a saucepan. Parboil and
drain off the first water; chop a small onion fine, and let all stew
twenty minutes; add half a cup of thickening and then stir in half

286 MEATS.

a can of tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. This dish has
become very popular in all the hotels throughout the country.

Bullock's Heart, Roasted.
Wash the heart in several waters, clean the blood carefully from
the pipes, and put it to soak in vinegar and water for two hours or
more. Drain it and fill it either with ham forcemeat or sage and
onion stuffing. Fasten it securely, tie it in a cloth, put into a pan
of boiling water, and let it simmer gently for two hours. Take off
the cloth and roast the heart while hot, basting it plentifully with
good dripping for two hours longer. Serve with good brown
gravy and currant jelly. The stewing may be omitted and the
heart simply roasted for three or four hours, but the flesh will not
then be so tender.

Calf's Heart, Roasted.

"Wash the heart very clean, soak it in vinegar and water, fill it
with a forcemeat made of four ounces of bread crumbs, two ounces
of butter, two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, half a teaspoonful
of finely-minced lemon rind, and a little salt and Cayenne. Fasten
the heart securely and bake for two hours. Serve it with good
melted butter, mixed with a tablespoonful of lemon-juice or vin-
egar. A calf's heart is improved by partially boiling before it is
roasted.

Calf's Heart, Fried.

Wash and soak the heart, cut it into slices about a quarter of an
inch thick and fry these in a little hot dripping or butter. About
five minutes before they are done, put a slice of bacon into the pan
for each slice of heart and when they are sufficiently cooked, serve
on a hot dish and cover each piece of heart with a slice of bacon.
Boil two or three tablespoonfuls of thin flour and water in the pan
in which the meat was fried. Season it with pepper and salt; add
one tablespoonful of red currant jelly and serve as hot as possible.
The slices of heart will fry in fifteen minutes.

MEATS. 287

Sheep's Heart. Baked.
Wash two or three sheeps' hearts in lukewarm water, fill them
with veal forcemeat, and skewer them securely. Fasten a rasher
of fat bacon around each, place them in a deep dish, and with them
a little good stock, and an onion stuck with two cloves. Bake in a
moderate oven for two hours; draw off the gravy; thicken with a
little flour and butter, and season it with salt and pepper and a
tablespoonful of mushroom or walnut catsup. Put the hearts on a
hot dish, pour the gravy over them, and send red currant jelly
with them to the table.

Sweetbreads.

Sweetbreads should be chosen as fresh as possible, as they very
quickly spoil. There are two sorts — heart sweetbreads and throat
sweetbreads. The heart sweetbreads are the best. In whatever
way sweetbreads are dressed, they should first be soaked in luke-
warm water for a couple of hours. They should then be put into
boiling water and simmer gently for five or ten minutes, according
to size, and then taken up and laid in cold water. Sweetbreads are
quite as frequently employed as ingredients in sundry made dishes
as served alone, and as they do not possess a very decided natural
flavor, they need to be accompanied by a highly seasoned sauce, or
they will taste rather insipid. They are in full season from May
to August.

Sweetbreads Fried.

Prepare them as usual. Cut them in slices, egg and bread-crumb
them, dip them in clarified butter, bread them again, and fry in
plenty of hot fat till they are brightly browned on both sides.
Drain them, and then dish on toast. Serve with cucumber sauce.

Sweetbreads Baked.
After preparing the sweetbreads as above, brush them over in
every part with beaten egg, roll them in bread crumbs, sprinkle
clarified butter over them, and bread-crumb them again. Put them

288 MEATS.

in a baking-tin with about two ounces of butter, and bake in a well-
heated oven; baste them till they are done enough and brightly-
browned. Take as many slices of hot toast as there are sweetbreads,
put them in a dish, lay the sweetbreads upon them, pour brown
gravy round, but not over them, and serve immediately.

Sweetbreads Broiled.
Take moderate-sized sweetbreads and prepare them in the usual
way. Stew them in good stock till they are done enough. Then
drain them and press them between two dishes till they are cold.
Split them in halves and trim them neatly; brush them over with
butter, and broil them over a clear but very gentle fire. Have a
plate with clarified butter on it near the gridiron and keep dipping
the sweetbreads in it, turning them frequently. When they are
brightly browned all over they are done enough. Dish the slices
in a circle, and send brown sauce, flavored with lemon-juice, to
table in a tureen.

Sweetbreads and Cauliflowers.
Take four large sweetbreads and two cauliflowers. Split open
the sweetbreads and remove the gristle. Soak them awhile in luke-
warm water; put them into a saucepan of boiling water, and set
them to boil ten minutes. Afterwards lay them in a pan of cold
water to make them firm. The parboiling is to whiten them.
Wash, drain and quarter the cauliflowers. Put them in a broad
stewpan with the sweetbreads on them; season with a little Cayenne
and a little nutmeg and add water to cover them. Put on the lid
of the pan and stew one hour. Take a quarter of a pound of fresh
butter and roll it in two tablespoonfuls of flour; add this with a
cup of milk to the stew, and give it one boil up and no more. Serve
hot, in a deep dish. This stew will be found delicious.

Tomato Sweetbreads.
Cut up a quarter of a peck of fine ripe tomatoes; set them over
the fire, and let them stew in nothing but their own juice till they

MEATS. 289

go to pieces — then strain them through a sieve; have ready four or
five sweetbreads that have been trimmed nicely and soaked in warm
water. Put them into a stewpan with the tomato juice, and a little
salt and Cayenne; add two or three tablespoonf uls of butter rolled in
flour. Set the saucepan over the fire, and stew the sweetbreads till
done. A few minutes before you take them up, stir in two beaten
yolks of eggs. Serve the sweetbreads in a deep dish, with the
tomato poured over them.

Kidneys, Broiled or Roasted.
Split the kidneys in two without separating the halves; peel ofl1
the thin outer skin. Season them with salt and pepper; broil them,
laying the flat sides first on the gridiron, to keep the gravy in; or,
fry them the same. Or place them with the flat side upwards in a
baking dish and put them in the oven. When done, serve in the
same dish in which they were baked. Immediately before serving,
put on each half -kidney a piece of butter and a little finely-chopped

Stewed Kidneys.
Split the kidneys and peel off the outer skin as before; slice them
thin on a plate; dust them with flour, pepper and salt; brown some
flour in butter in a stewpan; dilute with a little water; mix smooth
and in it cook the sliced kidneys. Let them simmer, but not boil.
They will cook in a very short time. Butter some slices of toast
and lay on a hot dish and pour over it the stewed kidneys, gravy
and all.

Fried Liver.

Cut one pound of liver into slices one-fourth inch in thickness,
and dredge some flour over them. Take an equal number of slices
of bacon; fry the bacon first, and when it is done enough remove
from the fat and place them on a hot dish. Fry the slices of liver
in the same fat, and when lightly browned on both sides, dish bacon
and liver in a circle, a slice of each alternately. Pour the fat from
the pan and dredge a little flour into it; add a quarter of a pint of

19

290 MEATS.

broth, a little salt and pepper and a tablespoonful of mushroom
catsup. Stir smoothly together until the sauce boils, and pour into
the dish with the liver. Garnish with sliced lemon. If liked, a
tablespoonful of finely-minced gherkins or pickled walnuts may be
added to the sauce.

Fried Liver, No. 2.
Take one egg to one pound of liver; cut the liver thin, scald with
hot water and wipe dry; beat up the egg, dip the slices of liver
into the egg, then into powdered cracker, and fry brown.

Roast Quarter of Lamb.
Trim the joint and skewer three or four slices of bacon securely

to the outer side, brush three ounces of clarified butter over the

inner part and strew upon it a thick covering of finely-grated bread

crumbs seasoned with pepper,
salt and a little finely-minced
parsley. Put in the oven, and
when nearly done remove the
bacon and baste the meat with
the beaten yolk of egg mixed
with the gravy, throw some
more bread crumbs over it and

let it remain until nicely browned. If liked, squeeze the juice of a

lemon over it and serve with mint sauce.

Lamb Chops, Fried.
Cut a loin or neck of lamb into chops from half to three-quarters
of an inch in thickness. Dip each one into beaten egg and after-
wards into bread crumbs, flavored as follows: Mix three ounces of
finely-grated bread crumbs with a saltspooirful of salt, half a salt-
spoonful of pepper, a tablespoonful of finely-chopped parsley and a
quarter of a teaspoonful of finely-mixed lemon rind. Fry the chops
in good drippings until lightly browned on both sides. Serve on a
hot dish and garnish with slices of lemon or crisped parsley.

MEATS. 291

Lamb Chops, Broiled.
Cut the chops about half an inch thick, trim them neatly, remov-
ing the superfluous fat, place them on a hot gridiron over a clear
fire and brown them nicely on both sides. Season them with salt
and pepper, and serve as hot as possible. Garnish with parsley.
Mashed potatoes, asparagus, green pease, or spinach, are usually
served with lamb chops.

Stewed Lamb with Green Pease.
Take two pounds of lamb, put it into a stewpan and cover with
cold water; after removing the scum add a little pepper and salt,
then let the meat stew for an hour and a half or nearly two hours;
now add some boiling water (to make gravy); add your green
pease (half a peck before shelling) ; let these cook about twenty
minutes; stir up a tablespoonful of flour into half a cup of milk
and mix with the stew. Let this cook two minutes.

Lamb Cutlets.
Trim the slices free from fat, beat up the yolk of an egg with
rasped bread or crackers, seasons with pepper and salt, dip in the
cutlets and fry in butter gently, until thoroughly done.

Boiled Breast of Mutton.

Take out the bones, gristle, and some of the fat; flatten it on the
kneading-board, and cover the surface thinly with a forcemeat
made of bread crumbs, minced savory herbs, a little chopped
parsley, pepper, salt and an egg. The forcemeat should not be
spread too near the edge, and when rolled, the breast should be
tied securely, to keep the forcemeat in its place. If gently boiled,
and served hot, it will be generally liked. Serve with good caper
sauce.

Haunch of Mutton a la Venison.

Mix two ounces of bay salt with half a pound of brown sugar;
rub it well into the mutton, which should be placed in a deep dish

292 MEATS.

for four days, and basted three or four times a day with the liquor
that drains from it; then wipe it quite dry, and rub in a quarter of
a pound more of sugar, mixed with a little common salt, and hang it
up, haunch downwards; wipe it daily till it is used. In winter it
should be kept two or three weeks and roasted in paste, like ven-
ison. Serve with currant jelly. The paste (made with flour and
water) should be removed fifteen minutes before serving.

Breast of Mutton with Pease.
Cut about two pounds of the breast of mutton into small square
pieces. Put them into a stewpan with about an ounce of butter, and
brown them nicely, then cover with weak broth or water, and stew
for an hour. Remove the meat from the stewpan, and clear the
gravy from fat. Put the meat into a clean stewpan, add an onion
or shallot sliced finely, a bunch of sweet herbs, some pepper and
salt, and strain the gravy over all. Stew for another hour, then
put in a quart of young pease, and serve in about twenty minutes.
Macaroni may be used in the place of pease.

Mutton Curried.
Put four ounces of butter into a stewpan, and chop fine, or pound
in a mortar four onions; add the onions to the butter with an ounce
of curry powder, a teaspoonful of salt, a dessertspoonful of flour,
and half a pint of cream; stir until smooth. Fry two pounds of
mutton — cut in neat pieces without bone — to a light brown color.
Lay the meat into a clean stewpan, and pour the curry mixture
over; simmer until the meat is done.

Mutton Chops.
First select well-fed mutton, but not too fat, and get the chops
evenly cut; if not, beat them into shape with the chopper. Not
more than one-third of the chop should be fat. Put an ounce of
butter or lard into the frying-pan; when it is entirely melted seize
the chop at the bone end with a fork, and dip it for half a minute
into the fat, then turn on one side, sprinkle with salt and pepper,

MEATS. 293

and if liked, finely-chopped shallot or onion, and savory herbs. In
three minutes turn, and serve the other side the same; equalize the
cooking by frequent turning, but give the chop altogether not more
than ten minutes. A piece of garlic, if the flavor be approved,
may be rubbed across the dish when hot, or it may be rubbed
lightly across the chop. Serve with plain or maitre d'hotel butter.

Mutton Cutlets a la Minute.
The mutton for these cutlets should be cut from the middle of
the leg, and sliced thin; season slightly with salt and pepper. Fry
the meat quickly over a brisk fire, to make it crisp, turning it often.
Let the cutlets be kept warm in the oven while the gravy is pre-
paring. Have ready some mushrooms, chopped with a shallot, a
sprig or two of parsley and thyme, minced fine. Stew these in the
butter for a few minutes, and season with salt and pepper; add flour
and water, strain and serve round the cutlets.

Mutton Cutlets and Puree of Potatoes.
Boil or steam two pounds of mealy potatoes, mash them smooth,
put them into a stewpan with two or three ounces of butter, two or
three tablespoonfuls of cream or broth, pepper and salt; make them
hot, and pile them in the center of a hot dish. The cutlets may be
bread-crumbed and fried, or, if preferred, broiled and served round
the puree.

Boiled Leg of Mutton.
Cut off the shank bone, put it into a large stewpan or kettle, with
as much boiling water as will cover it. When restored to its boil-
ing state, skim the surface clean, and set the stewpan back and
allow the contents to simmer until done. Allow for a leg of mut-
ton of nine or ten pounds, from two and a half to three hours from
the time it boils. Boil very young turnips for a garnish, also boil
larger turnips to mash. Place the young turnips, which should be
of equal size, round the dish with the mutton and send the mashed
ones to the table separately. Melted butter, with capers added,

294

MEATS.

should accompany the dish. The liquor from the boiling may be
converted into good soup at a trifling expense.

Mutton Kebbobed.
Take a loin of mutton; joint well; take the following dressing
and put between each joint: Two tablespoonfuls chopped parsley,
a little thyme, a nutmeg grated, a cup of bread crumbs; mix well
with two eggs; roast one hour. If there is a large flap to the loin,
some of the dressing may be put in and then skewered securely.

Leg oe Mutton, To Carve.
The leg of mutton comes to the table as shown in Fig. 1. Take
the carving fork, as usual, in your left hand, and plant it firmly in
the joint, as shown by A, in Fig. 1, placing it rather over to the
other side of the joint, and drawing the leg over toward you on the
dish about one-third, which brings the position of the fork from A
to B. Cut straight down across the joint at the line marked C, not
quite to the bone. Make the second cut a little on the slant, as
shown in D, and take the piece out; continue cutting from each
side slantingly as the line marked D, either from the thick or the

knuckle end, ac-
cording to the
taste of the per-
son to be helped.
A very small
piece of the fat
ehould be given
with each slice
of meat to those
who like it. The
knuckle, if any
one asks for it,

is first cut off in a lump, as shown by the circular line at F, and after-
wards in slices. Mutton should be cut thick, but it should not be
cut to the bone; the slice in the centre should not penetrate so far

MEATS. 295

as the circular kernel of fat found there, and called the "pope's
eye," which is generally considered best to leave for hashing.

The hack of a leg of mutton is not generally cut until cold, when
it is best sliced lengthwise, as shown in Fig. 2 ; the meat is still cut
thick, but not quite so thick as in the cuts previously described.
Cold mutton should be served with mashed potatoes and pickles,
and the re-
mains hashed,
as there is
much left on

the bone that
does not cut
up well hot or
cold. There is

a part called H

the " crump bone " in a leg of mutton, which may be removed by a
circular cut from H to J in Fig. 2; it is usually relished cold. Fig.
2 shows the joint when turned three parts over, held by the fork as
previously described, and the dotted line at J indicates the direc-
tion of the first cut.

Roast Leg of Mutton.
Get a leg of about eight pounds, which has hung at least a week,
weather allowing. During hot summer weather this joint gets
quickly tainted. Rub it lightly with salt, and put it at once into
a hot oven for the first few minutes, then allow the oven to cool,
and roast more slowly until done. Baste continually with a little
good dripping until that from the joint begins to flow. When
within twenty minutes to being done, dredge it with flour, and
baste with butter or dripping; and when the froth rises serve on a
hot dish. Make a gravy and pour round the meat, not over it.

Mutton Cutlets with Provtncale Sauce.
Use one-fourth of ;i medium-sized onion, tablespoonful of butter;
put over the fire and gradually add a spoonful of flour, cup of

296 MEATS.

water, one-half cup thyme, season with pepper and salt and stir
constantly; add the yolks of two raw eggs and cook until about as
thick as cream. This sauce can be used on cold meats, or in cook-
ing raw meat. When used in cooking cutlets or other meats, the
meats should be very slightly cooked on both sides in a hot skillet,
then have a pot of fat large enough for the meat to swim in. Dip
the cutlets in the sauce and put them in the boiling fat. Take
them out and roll in cracker dust and bread crumbs; put them
back, and do this occasionally until the meat floats on top of the
fat. They are then done.

Pork — To Keep Fresh in Summer.
Take pork, when killed in the early part of the winter, and let it
lie in pickle about a week or ten days, or until just sufficiently
salted to be palatable; then slice it up and fry it about half or two-
thirds as much as you would for present eating; now lay it away
in its own grease, in jars properly covered, in a cool place, as you
would lard. Re-fry when ready to use.

Pork, to Cook.
Large pork, such as portions of the shoulder, loin, or spare-rib,
of large bacon hogs, may be cooked as follows: Rub the joint
with pepper and salt, and put it into a large saucepan with a closely-
fitting lid. When nearly done, add two or three onions and carrots,
with half a dozen sticks of celery, four sage leaves, a bunch of
parsley, a small sprig of marjoram and thyme, and as much stock
or water as will cover the whole. Let the liquors boil up; skim
carefully; then set back and simmer gently for three or four hours,
according to size of joint. When the pork is done enough, lift it
out, put the vegetables round it, strain and thicken a portion of the
gravy, and pour it boiling hot over the pork. When the pork is
removed from the table, trim it neatly and place on a clean dish to
be eaten cold, or thicken the rest of the gravy and pour over the
meat to be warmed over.

MEATS. 297

Pork, Belly Rolled and Boiled.
Salt a belly of pork — young meat is the best — by mixing a salt-
spoonful of powdered saltpetre with two tablespoonfuls of common
salt, sprinkle the mixture over the pork, and let it lie for three days.
When ready to dress the meat, wash it in cold water, and dry it
with a cloth. Lay it, skin downwards, on the table, remove the
bones, and cover the inside with pickled gherkins cut into thin
slices. Sprinkle over these a little powdered mace and pepper.
Roll the meat tightly and bind securely with tape. Put it into a
saucepan with two onions stuck with six cloves, three bay-leaves,
a bunch of parsley, and a sprig of thyme. Bring the liquid slowly
to a boil, skim carefully, draw it to the back of stove, and simmer
gently till the meat is done enough. Put it between two dishes,
lay a weight upon it, and leave it until quite cold. The bandages
should not be removed until the meat is ready to be served. Time
to simmer, half an hour per pound.

Pork Brawn.
Take a small pig's head with the tongue, and two pig's feet. Clean
and wash them, sprinkle two tablespoonfuls of salt over them, and let
them drain until the following day; dry them with a soft cloth and
rub into them a powder made of six ounces of common salt, six
ounces of moist sugar, three-quarters of an ounce of saltpetre, and
three-quarters of an ounce of black pepper. Dry the powder well,
and rub it into every part of the head, tongue, ears, and feet; turn
them over and rub them again every day for ten days. Wash the
pickle from them, cut off the ears, and boil the feet and ears an
hour and a half; then put in the head and tongue, cover with cold
water, and boil until the meat will leave the bones. Take them up,
drain, cut the meat into small pieces; first remove all bones, and
skin the tongue. Season the mince with a teaspoonful -of white
pepper, three saltspoonfuls of powdered mace, one saltspoonful
each of powdered nutmeg and Cayenne. Stir all well together,
press the meat while warm into a brawn tin, and lay a heavy weight

298 MEATS.

on the lid. Put it in a cool place until the following day; dip the
mold in boiling water, turn the brawn out, and serve with vinegar
and mustard.

Pork Chops, Broiled.
Cut the chops rather less than half an inch thick. Have a clear
fire; make the gridiron hot before putting the chops on it; pepper
the chops, and when nearly done sprinkle salt, and a little powdered
sage over them. Let them be done through, turn frequently, and
serve hot. Tomato sauce eats well with pork chops.

Pork Chops, Fried.

Cut pork chops a half an inch in thickness; trim them neatly;
sprinkle them on both sides with a little salt and pepper. Melt a
little butter in a frying-pan, put the chops in it and fry them until
they are thoroughly done. If liked, a little powdered sage may be
sprinkled over them before serving. Send apple sauce to table with
them.

Pork Cutlets, Broiled.

Pork cutlets are best taken from the neck or fore loin of small
dairy-fed pork, not very fat. Neatly trim them. Score the skin at
regular intervals and flatten the cutlets with a cutlet-bat. Brush
them over with oil, season with salt and pepper, and place them on
a hot gridiron over a clear fire. Turn them occasionally, that they
may be equally browned on both sides, and let them be thoroughly
cooked. Put them on a hot dish, and send tomato, piquant or any
appropriate sauce to table with them.

Leg of Pork, Good as Goose.

Parboil a leg of pork and take off the skin. Make a stuffing as
folloAvs: Mince two ounces of onion very finely; mix with it half a
chopped apple, four ounces of bread crumbs, half a dozen chopped
sage leaves, an ounce or butter, and a little pepper and salt. Bind
the mixture together with the yolk of an egg. Make a slit in the
knuckle, put the stuffing into it, and fasten securely. Put the pork
into the oven and baste liberally. Half an hour before it is taken

MEATS. ?99

up, sprinkle over it a savory powder made of two tablespoonfuls of
bread crumbs mixed witb one tablespoonful of powdered sage, and
a little pepper and salt. Do not baste the meat after the powder
is put upon it. Serve with good brown gravy and apple sauce.

Pork Cutlets, Fried.
Melt two ounces of butter in a saucepan, and stir into it a tea-
spoonful of chopped parsley, a teaspoonf ul each of chopped sage,
and minced shallot. Move these ingredients about for a few
minutes, then add a little salt and pepper, and two well-beaten
eggs. Dip the cutlets first into this mixture, then into finely-grated
bread crumbs, and let them stand ten minutes. Melt a little butter
in a frying-pan, fry the cutlets in it, and when thoroughly done,
serve with a good brown sauce.

Boiled Leg of Pork with Pease Pudding.

Take a leg of pork and rub it over with salt; put it into a vessel
and cover with salt and let it stand for ten days. At the end of
that time boil it in soft water, and serve with cabbage all round it,
and a pease pudding made as follows: Take a quart of dry pease,
wash them, tie them in a clean bag, and boil with the pork. When
the pease are done, strain them through a colander, put in a large
lump of butter, some salt, and two yolks of eggs, and put back into
the bag, and boil again for half an hour. The pease must be put into
cold soft water for two hours before being boiled, otherwise they
will never boil tender.

Pork Pies.

Make a crust as for chicken pies. Cut the meat into pieces the
size of a small nut, and keep the lean and fat separate. Season the
whole with pepper and salt and a teaspoonful of powdered sage.
Pack the fat and lean closely into the pie in alternate layers until it
is filled; put on the top crust and ornament according to taste; brush
over with well-beaten egg, and bake in a slow oven as the meat is
solid and requires to be cooked through, the outside pieces will be
hard unless cut very small and pressed closely together. Take the

300 MEATS.

bones and trimmings of the pork and stew them to make gravy;
boil it until it will jelly when cold, strain, thicken and flavor, and
when the pie is done raise the top crust and fill it with the gravy,
and send the balance of the gravy to table in a tureen.

Roast Loin of Pork.
Score the skin of a fresh loin of pork at equal distances about a
quarter of an inch apart. Brush it over with salad oil, season with
salt and pepper, and place in a moderate oven. Baste liberally with
butter or dripping at first, and when done serve on a hot dish, and
serve with brown gravy and apple sauce. If liked, a little sage and
onion stuffing may be served on a separate dish.

Pork Cake.
Cut the meat, fat and lean, from a cold joint of roast pork, and
mince it very finely; mix with it a couple of large potatoes freshly
boiled and mashed, a little salt and pepper, a chopped onion, and a
little powdered sage. Add two or three eggs, a little milk, suffi-
cient to make a very thick batter. Fry the cake like an omelet, or
bake in a buttered dish. Serve with pickled onions or gherkins.

Pork Sausages.

Have two-thirds lean and one-third fat pork; chop very fine.
Season with nine teaspoonfuls pepper, nine of salt, three of pow-
dered sage to every pound of meat. "Warm the meat so that you can
mix it well with your hands, do up a part in small patties, with a
little flour mixed with them, and the rest pack in jars. When used,
do it up in small cakes, flour the outside and fry in butter, or alone.
They should not be covered, or they will fall to pieces. A little
cinnamon to a part of them will be a pleasant addition. They
should be kept where it is cool, but not damp. They are very nice
for breakfast.

Pork and Beans.

Take two pounds side pork, not too fat nor too lean, and two
quarts of marrowfat beans; put the beans to soak the night before

MEATS. 301

you boil them in a gallon of milk- warm water. ' After breakfast,
scald and scrape the rind of the pork, and put on to boil an hour
before putting in the beans; as soon as the beans boil up, pour off
the water and put on one gallon of fresh water; boil until quite
tender, adding more water if necessary; great care must be taken
that they do not scorch. When nearly as stiff as mashed potatoes,
put into a baking-dish, score the pork and put in the center; brown
in the oven one hour. If preferred use corned beef instead of pork.

Pressed Head.
Boil the several parts of the entire head and the feet, in the same
way as for souse. All must be boiled so perfectly tender that the
meat will separate easily from the bones. After neatly separated,
chop the meat fine while warm, seasoning with salt, pepper, and
other spices, to taste. Put it in a strong bag, place a weight on it
and let it remain till cold. Or put it in any convenient dish,
placing a plate with a weight on it to press the meat. Cut in
slices, roll in flour, and fry in lard.

Boiled Pig's Feet.
Take the fore feet, cut off the hocks, clean and scrape them well;
place two feet together and roll them up tightly in common mus-
lin; tie or sew them so that they will keep in perfect shape, and
boil them seven hours on a moderate fire — they will then be very
soft; lift them out carefully and let them cool off; then remove the
muslin and you will find them like jelly. Serve with vinegar, or
split them and roll in bread crumbs or cracker dust, and fry or
broil them. Serve with a little tart sauce.

Pig's Foot Cheese.
Boil the hocks and feet of equal quantity loose in a pot till the
meat will fall freely from the bones; season well with pepper and
salt; put into a pan while hot and press it. Cut in slices and serve
with vinegar or Worcestershire sauce. Both of the above are
great delicacies if properly cooked.

302 MEATS.

To Roast a Sucking Pig.

If you can get it when first killed this is of great advantage
Let it be scalded, which the dealers usually do; then put some sage,
a large piece of stalish bread, salt and pepper in the inside and sew
it up. Observe to skewer the legs back, or the underpart will not
crisp. Lay it to a brisk fire till thoroughly dry; then have ready
some butter in a dry cloth and rub the pig with it in every part.
Dredge as much flour over it as will possibly lie, and do not touch
it again till ready to serve; then scrape off the flour very carefully
with a blunt knife, rub the pig well with a buttered cloth, and take
off the head while at the fire; take out the brains and mix them
with the gravy that comes from the pig. Then take it up and cut
it down the back and breast, lay it into the dish and chop the sage
and bread quickly as fine as you can, and mix them with a large
quantity of melted butter, that has a very little flour. Put the
sauce into the dish after the pig has been split down the back and
garnished with the ears and the two jaws; take off the upper part
of the head down to the snout. In Devonshire it is served whole,
if very small, the head only being cut off to garnish with as above.
It will require from an hour to an hour and a half to roast, accord-
ing to size.

To Cure Hams.

Take coarse salt, with a sprinkle of saltpetre, pepper and sugar;
powder and mix; rub this in well a few times; smoke and wrap closely
in paper of four folds or more; pack in dry ashes four inches thick
around each ham. They will keep through the hottest of weather
and be as good as new.

Ham Pie.

Make a crust the same as for soda biscuit, line your dish, put in
a layer of potatoes, sliced thin, pepper, salt, and a little butter, then
a layer of lean ham; add considerable water, and you will have an
excellent pie.

MEATS. 303

Boned Ham; Fine Substitute for Turkey.
Take a good salted but unsmoked ham, remove the bone so as to
leave the meat as solid as possible. In place of the bone put
dressing made same as for turkey, and bake. It is good hot or cold.

Baked Ham.

Make a thick paste of flour (not boiled) and cover the ham with
it, bone and all; put in a pan on a spider or two muffin rings, or
anything that will keep it an inch from the bottom, and bake in a
hot oven. If a small ham, fifteen minutes for each pound; if large,
twenty minutes. The oven should be hot when put in. The paste
forms a hard crust around the ham and the skin comes off with it.
Try this and you will never cook a ham any other way.

Smoked Meat on Toast.
Take a cold smoked tongue or ham that has been well boiled,
and grate it with a coarse grater or mince it fine, mix it with cream
and beaten yolk of egg, and let it simmer over the fire. Prepare
some nice slices of toast, butter them rather slightly, lay them in a
flat dish that has been heated over the fire, and cover each slice
with the meat mixture, which should be spread on hot. Place on the
table in a covered dish, for either breakfast or supper.

Ham and Eggs.

Cut the ham into thin slices and broil, and spread over it a little
butter. Poach the eggs in salted water and lay neatly upon .the
ham.

Boiled Ham.

Soak twenty-four hours; put into a pot with cold water and boil
gently for five or six hours; take it off the fire and let it remain in
the water until cold. Peel off the skin and sprinkle with bread or
cracker crumbs, and brown in the oven. Slice very thin for the
table.

304

MEATS.

Ham Balls.
Take one-half cup of bread crumbs and mix with two eggs well
beaten; chop fine some bits of cold boiled ham and mix with them.
Make into balls and fry.

Ham Garnishing and Ornamenting.
The usual way of finishing a ham, when it is not glazed, is to

draw off the skin carefully,
dredge bread raspings all over
the fat, and put the ham in the
oven to become brown and crisp.
Fasten a frill of white paper
round the bone, and garnish
with parsley or cut vegetables.

To Glaze Hams.

Remove the rind by caking hold of the thick end first. Trim it
neatly, put it in the oven for a few minutes; and press a cloth over
it to dry it; brush it over with a paste brush dipped in glaze (a
strong clear gravy boiled down as thick as syrup). To melt the
glaze, put the jar which contains it into a saucepan of boiling
water, and stir until dissolved. Brush the ham with two or three
coats.

Collared Breast of Veal.

Bone a breast of veal; lay it on the table and spread on it a thick
layer of oyster forcemeat (See oyster forcemeat) ; roll the veal as
tightly as possible, and bind it with a tape. Put it into boiling
water; let it boil up once; skim the liquor carefully; set the sauce-
pan back and simmer the contents gently until done; put the bones
into a separate saucepan with a moderate-sized onion, a bunch of
sweet herbs, and a little pepper and salt; let them simmer till the
liquor is strong and pleasantly flavored; strain it, thicken with a
little flour and butter, and stir into it two or three tablespoonf uls
of thick cream, or, if milk has to be used, beat into it the yolk of

MEATS 305

an egg. Serve the meat on a hot dish with the sauce poured over.
This dish may be garnished with forcemeat balls, and with the
sweetbreads cut into slices, egged, and bread-crumbed and fried;
or a little parsley and sliced lemon may be used instead. The meat
may be baked instead of boiled, and then a little weak stock should
be put into the pan with it, and it should be basted frequently.

Boiled Breast of Veal.

If the sweetbread is to be boiled with the veal, let it soak in water
for a couple of hours; then skewer it to the veal. Put this into a
saucepan, with boiling water to cover it; let it boil up, and care-
fully remove the scum as it rises; add a handful of chopped
parsley, a teaspoonf ul of pepper-corns, a blade of mace, and a little
salt. Draw it back, and then simmer gently until done enough.
Serve on a hot dish, and pour a little good onion sauce or parsley
sauce over it. Send boiled bacon to the table on a separate dish.
The sweetbread may, of course, be dressed separately.

Ragout of Breast of Veal.
Take off the under bone, and put the veal into a stewpan with as
much boiling stock as will cover it; let the liquor boil up, then add
a large carrot, sliced, three onions, a blade of mace, a bunch of
sweet herbs, the thin rind of a lemon, and pepper and salt; skim
the gravy and simmer it gently until the veal is quite tender-
Thicken the gravy till it is of the consistency of sauce, and stir into
it the strained juice of a lemon and a glass of sherry or Madeira.
Put the veal into a dish, pour the gravy over it, and garnish with
savory forcemeat balls and slices of lemon.

Roasted Breast of Veal.
If the sweetbread is retained, skewer it to the back; season and
cover with a buttered paper. Put it into a moderate oven and
baste liberally till it is done. When it is roasted about an hour and
a half, remove the paper, flour the joint and let it brown. Serve
on a hot dish with melted butter poured over. Garnish with sliced

306 MEATS.

lemon. Forcemeat balls may be served with the veal and mush-
room sauce sent to the table with it. Time, twenty minutes to the
pound.

Bubble and Squeak of Veal.
Take the remains of cold veal; cut the meat into neat slices; fry
them in hot fat; put them where they will keep hot. Take some
boiled spinach, fry this, also, and when it is quite hot, pile it on a
dish and arrange the pieces of meat around it. Send tomato or any
kind of piquant sauce to table with it.

Veal Cake.

Butter a plain earthenware dish or mold; fill it with alternate layers
of hard-boiled yolks of eggs, chopped parsley, and veal and ham,
minced, seasoned highly, mixed thoroughly and beaten to a smooth
paste. Pour a spoonful or two of seasoned stock upon the meat,
cover the pan closely and bake in a gentle oven. When done
enough, press firmly into the mold, put a plate with a weight upon
it, and let it remain untouched until cold. Turn it out, garnish
with parsley, and serve for luncheon or supper. Time to bake,
about one hour.

Veal Scallop.

Chop fine some cold veal, and put a layer in the bottom of a
pudding dish, and season with pepper and salt. Next put a layer
of finely powdered crackers, and strew some bits of butter over it
and wet with a little milk; then more veal, seasoned as before, and
another round of cracker crumbs with butter and milk. When the
dish is full, wet well with gravy or broth, and spread over all a thick
layer of cracker, seasoned with salt, wet into a paste with milk and
a beaten egg or two, and stick bits of butter thickly over it, and
cover and bake a half or three-quarters of a hour; then remove the
cover and brown nicely.

Calf's Head, Boiled.

Take a calf's head, cut it in two, and take out the brains; wash
the head in several waters, and let it soak in warm water for a

MEATS. 307

quarter of an hour. Place it in a saucepan of cold water, and when
the water comes to the boil, skim carefully; season when nearly
done. Half a head, without the skin, will require from an hour and
a half to two hours. It must stew gently till tender. If you wish
it full-dressed, score it superficially, beat up the yolk of an egg,
and rub it over the head with a feather. Powder it with a season-
ing of finely-minced or dried and powdered winter savory, thyme,
or sage, parsley, pepper and salt, and bread crumbs, and brown in
the oven; when dry, pour melted butter over. You may garnish
the dish with broiled rashers of bacon.

Calf's Brains a la Ravigotb.
Wash the brains in several waters, and free them from skin and
fibre; boil them for ten minutes in salt and water mixed with a
tablespoonf ul of vinegar, and when they are firm, cut them in slices,
dip them in a batter, and fry them to a light brown. Place them
in a circle on a hot dish with a little fried parsley in the centre, and
send ravigote sauce (See Savory Sauces) to table with them.

CHAPTER XXIV.

POULTRY.

Chicken Saute, a la Marengo.
AREFULLY pick and singe the chicken. Clean it with a wet
towel, as washing takes away much of the nutriment. Cut the
bird in pieces beginning with the wing. Cut a small piece of
the breast out with the wing. This distributes the white meat with
the wing, otherwise the wing is a poor part. Next cut off the wing
side bone and then the legs, cutting the upper joint in two near the
middle, and the lower the same, dividing the second joint, which
many think the best part of the chicken. This is better than giving
all the best meat to one person. Next cut through the ribs, first
one side then the other, taking the breast bone off and cutting it in
three equal parts, trimming off the ends of the rib bones. It will
then be easy to remove the entrails. Then break the neck and cut
the backbone in two pieces. Save the heart, liver and gizzard; cut
out the little sand-bag from the latter, and remove it all, instead of
splitting it open and leaving the skin. In removing the gall take a
part of the liver to make sure of no accident. Then place all these
pieces in a saucepan, moistened with salad oil. As soon as the
chicken begins to be browned put in a tablespoonful of flour; stir
together and let the whole become brown by cooking. Then cover'
the whole with hot water, and season well with salt and pepper.
If too much salt should be added it may be counteracted by a little
vinegar and sugar. If it is desired, olives or button onions may be
added. If so, put them in when the hot water is put in and cook
slowly. After the flour and water are added, stirring is necessary,

308

POULTRY. 309

and it should be done with a flat wooden stick, which will not
scratch the pan like metal. White pepper is better than black, as
it is more digestible and has not the hard pieces of shell. An
apple corer can be used to take the stones out of the olives, but a
more economical instrument is a small sharp knife with which the
olive can be peeled off the stone. The onions should be used whole,
carefully relieved of the dry shell. When the chicken is sufficiently
cooked, add a glass of sherry or Madeira wine, but the wine should
not be added until ready to serve. If the wine and olives are not
used, you have a nice brown fricassee. Those chickens are the best
which have small bones, short legs, and clean, white-looking flesh.
Chickens with white legs should be boiled, those with black legs
roasted. The flesh of chickens is generally considered more
digestible than any other animal food.

Capo?t Ranaqtte.
Use a capon or nice chicken. Have it carefully picked, singed
and wiped with a wet towel; cut off the legs just below the joint;
split down the back, and take out the crop; then bone the capon,
which is done in this way: Cut down the middle of the back all the
way; take out the crop, without breaking the skin of the neck;
turn back the skin and cut the joint of the wing; then cut along
close to the bone, until you have reached the leg joint, which twist
out of joint where it joins the body; cut down the side until you
have reached the edge of the breast bone, taking care not to cut
the entrails; then go up the other side of the chicken in the same
manner that you came down. Leave the leg and wing bones in;
replace the bones taken out by stuffing, and sew up the carcass.
For boned chicken, remove all bones from the inside. To stuff a
capon you can use enough fresh pork and veal, in equal quantity,
chopped fine, to fill up the place in the carcass. For every pound
of forcemeat use one glass of wine and one whole egg; one tea-
spoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of mixed ground spice, one-half
saltspoonful of pepper. In the place of the spices you can use
sweet herbs. You can use in the place of this forcemeat a nice

310 POtLTRY.

stuffing of bread. When finished bake slowly about two hours.
To make the stuffing use fresh pork and veal in equal quantities,
chopped fine. If you have a five-pound chicken three pounds of
forcemeat will be enough. Make two-thirds the weight of the
chicken. Lean veal and lean pork, both raw. For one pound of
forcemeat use one glass of wine — sherry or Madeira, one egg, one
teaspoonf ul of salt, one teaspoonf ul of mixed ground spice, and one-
half saltspoonful of pepper. The spice may be cloves, allspice, and
nutmeg, and any sweet herb you wish — thyme, summer savory, or
sweet marjoram. A regular boned chicken should be boiled, stuffed
and sewed up. For the Ranaque, stuff, then sew up. Leave long
ends in sewing so they will be easy to remove when it is done.
Push the legs up to the breast as far as possible. Run a trussing
needle through with a cord attached, which tie around the chicken.
Then run a cord through the breast and wings, and pass it under
the back and tie. A skewer may be used. Bake slowly two hours.
It may be well to tie a slice of pork over the breast.

Fricasseed Chicken.
Cut up chicken, and boil with a slice or two of bacon in sufficient
water to cover till quite tender. Fry some pork, and, when cooked a
little, drain the chicken and fry with the pork till brown. Then take
out and pour the broth into the frying pan with the pork fat, and
make a gravy thickened with browned flour, season well with butter,
and put the chicken into the gravy. Be sure and have the fat quite
hot when the chicken is put in, so it will brown readily.

Chicken Pie.
Take two full-grown chickens, or more, if they are small, disjoint
them and cut the backbone, etc., as small as convenient; boil them
with a few slices of salt pork in water enough to cover them; let
them boil quite tender, then take out the breast bone. After they
boil and the scum is taken off, put in a little onion, cut very fine,
not enough to taste distinctly, but just enough to flavor a little;
rub some parsley very fine, when dry, or cut fine when green— this

POULTRY. 311

gives a pleasant flavor. Season well with pepper and salt, and a
few ounces of good fresh butter. When all is cooked well, have
liquid enough to cover the chicken; then beat two eggs and stir in
some sweet cream. Line a five-quart pan with a crust made like
soda biscuit, only more shortening, put in the chicken and liquid,
then cover with a crust the same as the lining. Bake till the crust
is done, and you will have a good chicken pie.

Frying Chickens.
Many people prefer chickens fried to any other way. Dissect,
salt, and pepper; roll the pieces in flour and fry in lard. When
done, pour off the lard and put in a quarter of a pound of butter, a
cup of cream, a little flour, and some parsley, scalded and chopped
fine for the sauce.

Chicken Salad.
Cut the meat from two chickens, or one, if you want a small dish.
Add an equal quantity of shred lettuce, after you have cut the
chickens into narrow shreds two inches long; stir in a bowl. Pre-
pare a dressing thus : Beat the yolks of two eggs, salt lightly, and
beat in, a few drops at a time, four tablespoonfuls of oil; then, as
gradually, three teaspoonf uls of hot vinegar, and half a teaspoonful
of best celery essence. The mixture should be thick as cream; pour
over the chicken, mix well and lightly; put into a salad dish and
lay sections of two hard-boiled eggs on top, with a chain of sliced
whites around the edge.

Chicken Croquettes.
One cold, boiled chicken, chopped fine; then take a pint of sweet
milk, and when the milk is boiled, stir into it two large tablespoon-
fuls of flour, made thin in a little cold milk; after the flour is well
cooked with the milk, put in a piece of butter the size of an egg,
add salt and Cayenne pepper; stir all well into the chicken; roll up
with your hand, and dip first into an egg beaten up, then into
crackers rolled fine, and fry in hot lard, or lard and butter.

312 POULTRY.

Baked Chicken.
Split open in the back, season with salt and pepper, and plenty of
butter; pour a little water into the pan, and, while baking, baste
often, turning the chicken so as to nicely brown all over. When
done, take up the chicken; thicken the gravy with a little flour
and serve in a gravy boat. Chickens are nice stuffed and baked in
the same manner as turkey.

A Nice Way to Cook Chicken.

Cut the chicken up, put into a pan, and cover with water; let it
stew as usual. When done, make a thickening of cream and flour.
Add butter, pepper and salt. Have ready a nice shortcake, baked
and cut in squares, rolled thin as for crust. Lay the cakes on the
dish, and pour the chicken and gravy over them while hot.
Chicken Ptoding.

Cut up the chickens and stew until tender. Then take them
from the gravy, and spread on a flat dish to cool, having first well-
eeasoned them with butter, pepper and salt. Make a batter of one
quart of milk, three cups of flour, three tablespoonfuls of melted
butter, one-half teaspoonf ul of soda, one teaspoonful of cream of
tartar, and a little salt. Butter a pudding dish and put a layer of the
chicken at the bottom, and then a cup of the batter over it. Pro-
ceed till the dish is full. The batter must form the crust. Bake
an hour, and serve the thickened gravy in a gravy boat.
Jellied Chicken or Veal.

Boil a chicken in as little water as possible, until the meat falls
from the bones; chop rather fine, and season with pepper and salt;
put in a mold a layer of the chopped meat and then a layer of
hard-boiled eggs, cut in slices; then layers of meat and egg alter-
nately until the mold is nearly full; boil down the liquor left in the
pot one-half; while warm, add one-quarter of an ounce of gelatine,
and when dissolved, pour into the mold over the meat. Set in a
cool place over night, to jelly.

POULTRY. 313

Scalloped Chicken.

Mince cold chicken and a little lean ham quite fine; season with
pepper and a little salt; stir all together, add some sweet cream,
enough to make it quite moist, cover with crumbs, put it into
scallop shells or a flat dish, put a little butter on top, and brown
before the fire or front of a range.

Chicken Pot-Pie.

Cut and joint a large chicken; cover with water, and let it boil
gently until tender; season with salt and pepper, and thicken the
gravy with two tablespoonfuls of flour mixed smooth in a piece of
butter the size of an egg. Have ready a nice, light, bread dough;
cut with a biscuit-cutter about an inch thick; drop this into the
boiling gravy, having previously removed the chicken to a hot
platter; cover, and let it boil from one-half to three-quarters of an
hour. To ascertain whether they are done or not, stick into one of
them a fork, and if it comes out clean, they are done. Lay on the
platter with the chicken, pour over the gravy, and serve.
Broiled Chicken.

Only young, tender chickens are nice broiled. After cleaning
and washing them, split down the back, wipe dry, season with 3alt
and pepper, and lay them inside down on a hot gridiron over a bed
of bright coals. Broil until nicely browned and well cooked
through, watching and turning to prevent burning. Broil with
them a little salt pork, cut in thin slices. After taking them from
the gridiron, work into them plenty of butter, and serve, garnished
with the pork, slices of lemon and parsley.

Ducks a la Francaise.
Lard the breast of a duck with bacon and put it in the oven for
an hour, and then put it into a stewpan of gravy previously pre-
pared in the following manner: To one pint of beef gravy add two
dozen chestnuts, roasted and peeled; two onions, sliced and fried
in butter; two sage leaves, and a sprig of thyme; pepper and salt.

314 POULTRY.

When the duck has stewed till tender put it on a dish, add a
quarter of a pint of port wine to the gravy, a little butter, and flour
to thicken; pour it over the duck and serve.
Pressed Chicken.
Boil two chickens until dropping to pieces; pick meat off bones,
taking out all skin; season with salt and pepper; put in deep tin
mold; take one-fourth box of gelatine, dissolved in a little warm
water, add to liquid left in kettle, and boil until it begins to
thicken; then pour over the chicken and set away to cool; cut in
slices for table.

Duck a la Mode.

Take a couple of ducks, divide them into quarters and lay them
in a stewpan with a sprinkling of flour, pepper and salt. Put a
large lump of butter divided into pieces at the bottom of the stew-
pan and fry the ducks until they are a nice light-brown color.
Remove the frying-pan and put in half a pint of gravy and a glass
of port; sprinkle more flour and add a bunch of sweet herbs, two or
three shallots minced fine, an anchovy, and a little Cayenne when
the ducks have stewed in the gravy till tender, put them on a dish,
take out the herbs, clear off any fat, and serve with the sauce
thrown over them.

Baked Duck.

To cook a duck satisfactorily boil it first, until tender; this can
be determined by trying the wing, as that is always a tough part of
a fowl. When tender take it out, rinse it in clean water, stuff and
put it in the oven for about three-quarters of an hour, basting it
often.

Braised Ducks.

Prepare the ducks exactly like chickens for the dressing, which
should be seasoned with butter, sage and onions, as well as salt and
pepper. Put them in a pot with some chopped onions, a little
butter and water enough to steam. Let them stew gently with the
lid on, and then let the water evaporate and then brown them.
Serve with green pease and jelly.

POULTRY. 315

Braise of Duck with Turnip.

Prepare a domestic duck as for roasting. Line a small pan, just
large enough for the duck, with slices of bacon; strew over the
bottom a little parsley, powdered herbs, and lemon peel; lay in the
duck, and add a carrot cut into strips, an onion stuck with a few cloves
and a dozen whole peppers; cover with stock and add a tablespoon-
ful of strong vinegar; baste frequently and simmer until done.
Fry some slices of turnip in butter to a light-brown, drain and add
them to the stewpan after removing the duck, which should be kept
hot. When the turnips are tender remove them, strain the gravy,
thickening if necessary with a little flour or arrow-root; put the
duck on a dish, turn the hot gravy over it, and garnish with the
turnips.

Fricasseed Duck.

Most people think a duck must be roasted, but try this once
instead: Cut a mallard or red duck into four quarters; chop an
onion fine, and put all into a pot; cover with water, and add more
as it boils away. Stir a little celery seed, or celery chopped up fine,
three or four strips of salt pork, and when nearly done add a table-
spoonful of Worcestershire sauce. Build a mound of mashed potatoes
around your dish and carefully lay the contents of the fricassee in
the center. Season with salt and pepper. This makes a juicy and
delicious dish.

Mock Duck.

Take a round of beefsteak; salt and pepper; prepare a dressing
as for turkey and lay it in the steak; sew up; lay two or three slices of
fat pork upon it and roast; baste often and you cannot tell it from
duck.

Minced Fowls.

Remove from the bones all the flesh of either cold, roast or boiled
fowls. Clean it from the skin, and keep covered from the air until
ready for use. Boil the bones and skin with three-fourths of a pint
of water until reduced quite half. Strain the gravy and let cool.

316 POULTRY.

Next, having first skimmed off the fat, put it into a clean saucepan
with a half cup of cream, three ounces of butter, well mixed with
one tablespoonful of flour. Keep these stirred until they boil.
Then put in the fowl, finely minced with three hard-boiled eggs,
chopped, and sufficient salt and pepper to season. Shake the mince
over the fire until just ready to boil. Dish it on hot toast, and
serve.

To Carve Roast Fowl.
Insert the knife between the leg and the body, and cut to the
bone; then turn the leg back with the fork, and, if the bird is not
old, the joint will give way. The wing is next to be broken off,
Q^mutm^ #> and this is done in the direction

of A to B, only dividing the joint
with a knife. The four quarters
having been removed in this way,
take off the merry-thought and
the neck bones; these last are to be removed by putting the knife
in at C and pressing it, when they will break off from the part that
sticks to the breast. Next separate the breast from the body of the
fowl by cutting through the tender ribs close to the breast, quite
down to the tail. Turn the fowl now back upwards; put the knife
into the bone midway between the neck and the rump, and on
raising the lower end it will separate readily. Turn the rump from
you and take off very neatly the two sidesmen, which completes
the operation. The breast and wings are considered the best parts
of a roast fowl, but in young fowls the legs are most juicy. In the
case of a capon or large fowl, slices may be cut off the breast.

Croquettes.
Chop fine any cold pieces of cooked meat or chicken, or whatever
you may wish to use, first removing all fat, bone, etc. ; add half the
quantity of fine bread crumbs, one egg, pepper and salt; make into
balls and cook in a buttered spider; serve hot.

POULTRY. 317

To Carve Roast Goose.
Begin by turning the neck end of a goose toward you, and cut-
ting the whole breast in long slices, from one wing to another.
(See the lines A B.) To take off the leg, insert the fork in the
small end of the bone, pressing it to the body; put the knife in at
A, turn the leg back, and if
the bird be young it will
easily come away; if old, we
will not answer for it. To
take off the wing, insert the
fork in the small end of the
pinion, and press it close to the body; put the knife in at B and
divide the joint. When the leg and wing are off one side, attack
those on the other; but, except when the company is very large, it
is seldom necessary to cut up the whole goose. The back and lower
side-bones, as well as the two side-bones of the wings, may be cut
off; but the best pieces of a goose are the breast and thighs, after
being separated from the drumstick. Serve a little of the seasoning
from the inside, by making a circular slice in the apron at C.
Should there be no stuffing, a glass of wine, a little orange gravy
or vinegar, may be poured into the body of the goose at the open-
ing made at the apron by the carver.

To Boil Goose.
Pick and singe a goose carefully. Let it soak in lukewarm milk
ind water for eight or ten hours. Stuff and truss it securely; put
it into a saucepan with as much cold water as will cover it; bring
to a boil, and let it simmer gently till done enough. Send good
onion sauce to the table with it. Time, from an hour to an hour
and a half after it has boiled.

Roast Goose.
Pluck the goose, carefully remove the quill-sockets and singe off
the hairs; cut off the neck close to the back, leaving the skin long

318 POULTRY.

enough to turn over. After drawing, wash and wipe the bird both
inside and out, and cut off the feet and pinions at the first joint;
pull out the throat and tie the end securely; beat the breast-bone
flat with a rolling-pin; draw the legs up closely, and put a skewer
through them and through the body; cut off the end of the vent
and make a hole in the skin large enough for the rump to go
through. This will prevent the seasoning from escaping. Make a
stuffing of bread crumbs, onions and potatoes cut fine; season with
pepper, salt, sage, and butter the size of an egg; fill the goose and
tie down the wings; roast two hours and a half. Boil the liver and
heart and add to the gravy, which must be thickened with flour.
Send to table with apple sauce and mashed potatoes.

Stuffing with Sage and Onion.
Boil four large onions until tender; drain them from the water,
and mince them finely with four fresh sage leaves, or six dry ones,
four tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, a teaspoonful of salt, a tea-
spoonful of made mustard, and a teaspoonful of moist sugar, one-
half teaspoonful of pepper, a large apple, pared and cored, and a
quarter of a nutmeg, grated, may be added, if approved.

Turkey.

The turkey is highly esteemed and usually commands a high
price, especially at Christmas, when most extravagant prices are
often demanded and obtained for large and well-fed birds. Turkeys
are in season from September to March, and are at their best in
December and January. If the weather is suitable they should be
hung fully a week before being dressed. In very cold weather
care must be taken that they are not frozen in hanging, and if this
is the case, they should be brought into a warm place for some
hours before being cooked, or they will be spoilt. The hen bird is
considered the best.

" The turkey is the largest and, if not the most delicate, at least
the most savory, of domestic poultry. It enjoys the singular
advantage of assembling around it every class of society. When

POULTRY. 319

■our farmers regale themselves on a winter's evening, what do we
see roasting before the kitchen fire, close to which the white-clothed
table is set '? A turkey. When the useful tradesman or the hard-
worked artist invites a few friends to an occasional treat, what dish
is he expected to set before them ? A nice roast turkey, stuffed
with sausage meat and Lyons chestnuts. And in our highest
gastronomical society, when politics are obliged to give way to
dissertations on matters of taste, what is desired, what is awaited,
what is looked out for at the second course? A truffled turkey.
In my ' Secret Memoirs ' I find sundry notes recording that on many
occasions its restorative juice has illuminated diplomatic faces of
the highest eminence."

Carving of Turkey.
The breast of a turkey is so large that slices taken neatly from it
and from the wings generally suffice for all the company. They
should be taken from each side alternately, beginning close to the
wings, and a little forcemeat and a small portion of liver should be
served to each guest. When it is necessary that the legs should be
used, they should be sepai-ated from the body with a sharp knife
and cut in slices, but it should be remembered that they, with the
gizzard, will make an excellent devil.

Boiled Turkey or Capon.
When the poultry is plucked quite clean and singed, see that it is
neatly trussed, and, before finally closing the vent, stuff the bird
inside with as many raw oysters of the best quality as can be pro-
cured, adding to the same a lump of fresh butter, and a portion of
bread crumbs from a stale loaf. Remove the turkey or capons into
a clean cloth, fold them up carefully, place them into a saucepan
of cold water, and let them boil over a moderately-heated fire until
they are thoroughly done. Have a stick of white blanched celery
at hand and chop it up very small; place it in a quart of new milk
in a saucepan, and let it boil gently with a few black pepper corns,
till the quantity is reduced to one pint; keep stirring the esculent

320 POULTRY.

up with the milk until it assumes the character of a consistent pulp.
Thicken the whole with the yolk of a fresh egg, well heaten up,
with half a cup of fresh cream. Have upon the table a sauce-boat
of strong veal gravy.

Roast Turkey.
A young turkey, weighing not more than eight or nine pounds,
is the best. Wash and clean thoroughly, wiping dry, as moisture
will spoil the stuffing. Take one small loaf of bread grated fine,
rub into it a piece of butter the size of an egg, one small teaspoon-
ful of pepper and one of salt; sage, if liked. Rub all together, and
fill only the bi-east of the turkey, sewing up so that the stuffing
cannot cook out. Always put the giblets under the side of the
fowl, so they will not dry up. Rub salt and pepper on the outside;
put into di-ipping-pan with one cup of water, basting often, and turn-
ing it till brown all over. Bake about three hours. Have left in the
chopping-bowl a little stuffing; take out the giblets and chop fine.
After taking out the turkey, put in a large tablespoonful of flour;
stir until brown. Put the giblets into a gravy-boat, and pour over
them the gravy.

Roast Turkey, No. 2.
Rinse out the turkey well with soda and water, then with salt,
lastly with clear water. Stuff with a dressing made of bread
crumbs, wet up with butter and water and season to your taste.
Stuff the craw and tie up the neck. Fill the body and sew up the
vent. We need hardly say that the strings are to be clipped and
removed after the fowl has been roasted. Tie the legs to the lower
part of the body that they may not " sprawl " as the sinews shrink.
Put into the dripping-pan, pour a cup of boiling water over it, and
roast, basting often, allowing about ten minutes' time for every
pound. Be careful not to have your oven too hot — especially for
the first hour or so. The turkey would, otherwise, be dry and
blackened on the outside and raw within. Much of the perfection
of roasting poultry depends upon basting faithfully. Boil the

POULTRY. 321

giblets tender in a little water. When the turkey is done, set it
where it will keep warm; skim the gravy left in the pan; add a
little boiling water; thicken slightly with browned flour; boil up
once and add the giblets minced fine. Season to taste; give another
boil, and send to table in a gravy-boat.

Boiled Turkey.
Stuff the turkey as for roasting. A very nice dressing is mad*
by chopping half a pint of oysters and mixing them with bread
crumbs, butter, pepper, salt, thyme, and wet with milk or water.
Baste about the turkey a thin cloth, the inside of which has been
dredged with flour, and put it to boil in cold water with a tea-
spoonful of salt in it. Let a large turkey simmer for three hours.
Skim while boiling. Serve with oyster sauce, made by adding to a
cup of the liquor in which the turkey was boiled the same quantity
of milk and eight oysters chopped fine; season with minced parsley,
stir in a spoonful of rice or wheat flour wet with cold milk; a table-
spoonful of butter. Boil up once and pour into a tureen.

Turkey Dressed with Oysters.

For a ten-pound turkey take two pints of bread crumbs, half a
cup of butter cut in bits (not melted), one teaspoon ful of powdered
thyme or summer savory, pepper, salt, and mix thoroughly. Rub
the turkey well inside and out with salt and pepper, then fill with
first a spoonful of crumbs, then a few well-drained oysters, using
half a can for a turkey. Strain the oyster liquor and use to baste
the turkey. Cook the giblets in the pan, and chop fine for the
gravy. A fowl of this size will require three hours in a moderate
oven.

Deviled Turkey.

The legs, back, gizzard and rump of cold dressed turkey may be
used for this dish. Score the meat along in a cross at regular dis-
tances, three-quarters of an inch apart, and three-quarters of an
inch deep. Rub into the gashes a well-mixed seasoning made of a
saltspoonful of white pepper, a saltspoonful of salt, a quarter of a

322 POULTRY.

saltspoonful of Cayenne, and the strained juice of a lemon, and
cover with freshly-made mustard. Brush the pieces of meat over
with butter or oil and broil over a clear fire till they are brown and
crisp without being at all burnt, and turn them over that they may
be equally done on both sides. Send to table on hot dish with
little pieces of butter on them. Dry toast may be served as an
accompaniment. The devil will be all the more savory if it is pre-
pared some hours before it is broiled. If liked, half a clove of
garlic may be minced and mixed with the seasoning.

Turkey Scallop.

Pick the meat from the bones of cold turkey, and chop it fine.
Put a layer of bread crumbs on the bottom of a buttered dish,
moisten them with a little milk, then put in a layer of turkey with
some of the filling, and cut small pieces of butter over the top;
sprinkle with pepper and salt; then another layer of bread crumbs,
and so on until the dish is nearly full; add a little hot water to the
gravy left from the turkey, and pour over it. Then take two eggs,
t wo tablespoonf uls of milk, one of melted butter, a little salt, and
cracker crumbs as much as will make it thick enough to spread on
with a knife, put bits of butter over it, and cover with a plate.
Bake three-quarters of an hour. About ten minutes before serving,
remove the plate and let it brown.

Plain Stuffing.
Take stale bread, cut off all the crust, rub very fine and pour
over it as much melted butter as will make it crumble in your
hands; salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Stuffing.
Take half a pound of the pulp of tart apples which have been
baked or scalded; add two ounces of bread crumbs, some powdered
sage, a finely-shred onion; season well with Cayenne pepper. For
roast goose, duck, etc.

POULTRY. 323

Potato Stuffing.
Take two-thirds bread and one-third boiled potatoes, grated,
butter size of an egg, pepper, salt, one egg and a little ground sage;
mix thoroughly.

Chestnut Stuffing.
Boil the chestnuts and shell them; then blanch them and boil
until soft; mash them fine and mix with a little sweet cream, some
bread crumbs, pepper and salt. For turkey.
For other stuffings, see " Forcemeats"

CHAPTER XXV.

SALADS.

Anchovy Salad.
ASH six anchovies in water, remove the bones and the insides,
and also the heads, fins, and tails. Put them on a dish with
two large heads of lettuce, cut small, half a dozen young
onions, a saltspoonful of chopped parsley, and a sliced lemon. Pour
over them the juice of a lemon mixed with salad oil, and send to
table.

Artichoke Salad.
Wash thoroughly and quarter some very young artichokes, and
serve them with salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. They make a nice
relish.

Beetroot Salad.
To some nicely-boiled and well-sliced beetroot, lay alternate rows
of onions, also sliced, and pour over them any salad sauce, or
simply oil and vinegar. Garnish with curled parsley.

Celery Salad.
Cut nice blanched salad very small. Wash clean and dry it;
pour over it a Mayonnaise sauce (See Savory Sauces), or any salad
dressing, and garnish with green celery leaves. *

Chicken Salad.

Use the white meat of two good-sized chickens, and celery

enough to make the proportion one-third chicken and two-thirds

celery; boil ten eggs hard, rub the yolks perfectly smooth Avith a

silver spoon, adding gradually four tablespoonfuls of olive oil, one

SALADS. 325

tablespoonful of made mustard, two teaspoonfuls of salt, one tea-
spoonful of black pepper, half a teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper,
and one tablespoonful of sugar; add sweet cream by degrees until
about the consistency of batter. Just before sending to the table,
mix the dressing with the chicken and celery, and moisten with
sharp vinegar. The juice of two lemons is an improvement.

Chicken Salad, No. 2.

Boil the white meat of two large chickens; cut it coarse, and
add the white part of celery, cut coarse; a little more chicken than
celery.

Dressing. — Three yolks of eggs, well beaten; one pint of oil
added drop by drop, and beaten; the juice of two lemons, one tea-
spoonful of dry mustard, a little Cayenne peppei-, a little salt. If
not moist enough, beat the whites of two eggs and add to it.

Cabbage Salad.
To a dish of chopped cabbage, four teaspoonfuls of celery seed,
or one bunch of celery. Put in a bowl, yolks of two eggs, one tea-
spoonful of sugar, one teaspoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of
pepper, one teaspoonful of salt, one teaspoonful of made mustard,
one-half cup of vinegar. Set the bowl into hot water, and stir care-
fully until it begins to thicken. Let it get cold, and pour over the
cabbage. If it does not moisten it enough, put in a little more
vinegar.

Fish Salad.

This consists of cold fish of any kind, mixed with well-dried
salad, pickled gherkins, or any other green pickle. Oysters or
shrimps may be added to the other fish, which should be separated
neatly into flakes, and the whole moistened with a salad dressing.
Garnish with some slices of lemon and parsley.

Hot Egg Salad.
Put a tablespoonful of salad oil in a pan and let it get hot.
Break in three eggs; stir a little with r fork, but not enough to

326 SALADS.

mix the yolks and whites; these should be kept separate. Put the
eggs out on a dish, and put over them a tablespoonful of chopped
pickle and a tablespoonful of grated lemon rind. Make a salad
dressing of one tablespoonful of lemon- juice, three of salad oil, a
saltspoonful of salt, and one-quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper.
Much of the niceness of this salad depends on its being served hot.

Endive with Winter Salad.

An ornamental and wholesome dish of salad may be made in
winter principally by the aid of this plant. Only a little cress,
celery, and beetroot will be necessary to form a striking contrast to
the crisp, blanched leaves of the endive, which may be arranged
{en bouquet) in the centre, or interspered with other materials,
through the dish. Endive may be had good from November till
March.

Lettuce Salad.

Wash and dry nice leaves of lettuce, and pour over a salad
dressing, and garnish with slices of hard-boiled eggs.

Lettuce Salad, No. 2.
Wash, dry, and shred nice leaves of lettuce, and put them in a
salad bowl. Cut four ounces of bacon into dice; fry these with a
finely-minced onion, and do not allow them to burn, add a little
salt, if needed, half a teaspoonful of pepper, a tablespoonful of
vinegar; pour all over the lettuce and mix thoroughly. Serve
immediately.

Lobster Salad.

Pick the meat from the body of a lobster, take out the tail part
in one piece, and cut it, with the contents of the claws, into slices
a quarter of an inch thick. Chop the whites of two hard-boiled
eggs small, and rub the yolks smooth. t)o the same with the spawn
or coral of the lobster, but mix the soft part and any bits with the
sauce. Pour the sauce into the bowl, put in a layer of shred lettuce
and small salad, and place the slices of lobster, with hard-boiled eggs

SALADS. 327

quartered and interspersed, with sliced beetroot, cucumber, etc.,. on
the top. Repeat in the same manner till the bowl is full, sprinkling
the egg and coral over and between the layers. To ornament,
reserve some of the hard-boiled eggs, yolks and whites, arrange
these with the coral, beetroot, and sliced lobster, so that the colors
may contrast well. Before serving, pour some Mayonnaise sauce
over the top.

Game Salad.

Take the remains of cold cooked game, pick up fine, and cover
with a dressing made as follows: Take the yolk of a hard-boiled
egg and mix it smoothly with a tablespoonf ul of salad oil ; stir in a
little salt and pepper, a little made mustard, a dessertspoonful of
walnut catsup, and three dessertspoonfuls of vinegar.

Orange Salad.
A very simple dish made of tart oranges. Some peeled and
sliced and some sliced unpeeled, garnished with one tablespoonful
of lemon-juice, three tablespoonf uls of salad oil and a little Cayenne
pepper. This is a nice dish for breakfast, or with game or cold
meats. The oil, lemon, juice and pepper should be mixed in a dish
and poured over the oranges.

Potato Salad.
Take some cold boiled potatoes and slice very thin; add to them
three hard-boiled eggs, also sliced thin; chop one small, fresh onion.
In a glass bowl or salad dish put a layer of potatoes, then a layer of
eggs, and sprinkle over them a little chopped onion, salt and pep-
per. For dressing, take the yolk of a raw egg and stir into it half
a teaspoonful of made mustard. Beat into it, drop by drop, three
tablespoonf uls of sweet cream; add one tablespoonful of strong
vinegar and the white of the egg beaten to a stiff froth. If needed
for supper make at noontime. Flakes of cold boiled salmon, cod,
or halibut, substituted for the eggs, or added with them, will
improve the salad.

328 SALADS.

Salmon Salad.
One can of fresh salmon, four bunches of celery; chop as for
chicken salad; mix with the salmon, and pour salad dressing over it.

Summer Salad.
Cut up a pound of cold beef into thin slices, and half a pound of
white, fresh lettuce; put in a salad bowl, season with a teaspoonful
of salt, half that quantity of pepper, two tablespoonf uls of vinegar,
and four of good salad oil. Stir all together lightly with a fork
and spoon, and when well mixed it is ready to serve. Chaptal, a
French chemist, says the dressing of a salad should be saturated
with oil, and seasoned with pepper and salt, before the vinegar is
added; it results from this process that there can never be too much
vinegar, for, from the specific gravity of the vinegar compared
with the oil, what is more than useful will fall to the bottom of the
bowl, the salt should not be dissolved in the vinegar, but in the oil,
by which means it is more equally distributed throughout the salad.

Russian Salad.

Any three kinds of vegetables may be used — carrots, turnips
and beets; string beans, carrots and turnips; or carrots, turnips
and parsnips. The vegetables should be cut in slices about one
and a half inches thick. These slices should be cut into cylin-
der-shaped pieces. This could be done with an apple-corer or with
a knife. These pieces should be put in dishes, keeping each vege-
table separate. As they are cut throw the pieces into cold water;
take from the cold water and put into boiling water containing a
spoonful of salt to a quart of water. Boil each vegetable by itself
and boil until tender; drain off the juice and put the pieces into
cold water until they are thoroughly cold. They are then ready to
use for the salad. Beets must not be peeled or cut. When boiled
tender the skins should be taken off by rubbing in a towel as soon
as cool enough to handle, and then cut in pieces like the other
vegetables. The pieces left after cutting out what is wanted can

SALADS. 329

be saved by putting them in cold salt water. Pease, beans, spinach,
and all vegetables, can be kept green by boiling and putting them
in salt cold water until wanted to use. The dressing for the
Russian salad is made plain, like that of orange salad, being a table-
spoonful of lemon-juice or vinegar, three tablespoonfuls of salad
oil, salt and Cayenne pepper. It is best not to put on the dressing
until ready to serve.

Sidney Smith's Receipt for Salad Dressing.
Two boiled potatoes, strained through a kitchen sieve,
Softness and smoothness to the salad give;
Of mordant mustard take a single spoon —
Distrust the condiment that bites too soon;
Yet deem it not, though man of taste, a fault,
To add a double quantity of salt.
Four times the spoon, with oil of Lucca crown,
And twice with vinegar procured from town;
True taste requires it, and your poet begs
The pounded yellow of two well-boiled eggs.
Let onion atoms lurk within the bowl,
And, scarce suspected, animate the whole;
And lastly, in the flavored compound toss
A magic teaspoonful of anchovy sauce.
Oh, great and glorious! oh, herbaceous meat!
'T would tempt the dying anchorite to eat;
Back to the world he'd turn his weary soul,
And plunge his fingers in the salad bowl.

Vegetables and Salads.
Upon the washing of green vegetables for salads much of their
excellence depends; they should be shaken about without breaking
in a large pan of cold water well salted, since the action of the salt
will destroy all the minute inhabitants of their fresh green coverts,
and, once dead, from sheer force of gravity they will fall to the
bottom of the water. When the salad plants are free from sand

330 SALADS.

and insects they should be shaken without breaking their leaves, in
a colander, a wire basket, or a dry napkin until no moisture adheres
to them; then they may be used at once or kept until wanted in a
very cold, dark place.

Water- cress Salad.
Gather the water-cress when young, cleanse it thoroughly in salt
and water, and serve as fresh as possible. Place it in a bowl, either
alone or mixed with other salad plants, and toss in lightly a simple
salad sauce. When served at breakfast, water-cress is best sent to
the table as it is, fresh and crisp.

Salad Dressing.
Take half a pint of vinegar and let it get hot; then beat up two
eggs, half a tablespoonful of flour, half a tablespoonful of sugar,
one teaspoonful of mustard, a little salt and pepper, and four table-
spoonfuls of melted butter; stir this in the vinegar and let the
whole boil up till it is like custard, then mix it with whatever you
have for a salad. It is good for potatoes, meat or fish.

Salad Dressing, No. 2.
Yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, rubbed very fine and smooth, one
teaspoonful English mustard, one of salt, the yolks of two raw egg&
beaten into the other, dessertspoonful of fine sugar. Add very
fresh sweet oil, poured in by very small quantities, and beaten as
long as the mixture continues to thicken; then add vinegar till as
thin as desired. If not hot enough with mustard, add a little
Cayenne pepper.

CHAPTER XXVI.

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

Soups.
HERE is no part of cookery which is so imperfectly understood
by ordinary cooks as the preparation of- a soup. Amongst
S£& the wealthy it is considered a necessity, and, as a matter of
course, forms part of the dinner. Amongst the middle classes it is
more usually served than it used to be, and is, year by year,
increasingly appreciated; but amongst the lower classes it is all
but scorned; and mistresses of small households will testify that
the maid-of-all-work, who, when at home is half starved instead of
being properly fed, will consider herself most hardly used if part of
the provision of the day's dinner consists of a portion of wholesome
soup. This opinion is, of course, a sign of ignorance. Soup is both
nourishing and wholesome, and it may also be prepared economi-
cally. With attention and a little trouble, it may be made from
very inexpensive materials, and considering that when soup has
been served, smaller inroads are made into the joint, the frugal
housekeeper who has once calculated the difference in cost of a din-
ner consisting of an economically made soup, meat and vegetables,
and one of meat and vegetables only, will never object to the
introduction of soup at her table on account of the expense. Soup
may be made of a large variety of different articles, including meat
of all kinds, bones, game, and poultry; fish, shell-fish, all kinds of
vegetables, herbs, and farinaceous articles, milk, eggs, etc. The
basis of all soup is stock. Instructions in making this will be
found in its proper place, and it will, therefore, not be considered

331

332 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

here. Directions for making various soups will be found under
their several headings; nevertheless, it may be found useful if a
few rules of universal application are here given as an assistance in
their manufacture.

There are three kinds of soups — celery soup, thick soup and
purees. A puree is made by rubbing the ingredients of which it is
composed through a sieve. A thick soup is stock thickened by the
addition of various thickening ingredients. These soups are best
suited to the winter season. Clear soup is thin and bright, and
adapted for use in the summer months. In making soup it is most
important that every culinary article used should be perfectly clean.
The inside of the covers of saucepans, the rims and the handles
particularly require attention. The lid of the saucepan should
never be removed over a smoky fire. The meat used should be
freshly killed, and should be as lean as it can be procured; it should
never be washed. The bones should be broken up into small pieces.
Cold water should be put upon fresh meat and bones; boiling water
(a small quantity at a time) upon meat or vegetables that have been
fried or browned. As it is very important that no fatty particles
should be left to float on the surface of the soup, this should be
made, if possible, the day before it is wanted, so that the fat may
be removed after it has grown cold. Soup should be simmered very
softly till it is done enough. A large fire and quick boiling are the
great enemies of good soup. In flavoring soup, the cook should be
careful to add the seasoning ingredients in moderation and grad-
ually, especially such things as garlic, onions, shallots, spices, herbs,
salt and Cayenne. An overdose of salt has spoilt many a dish of
soup, while a deficiency thereof has again and again nullified the
effect of the most delicate combination of flavors. As a general
rule, two ounces of salt will suffice for a gallon of soup stewed with
large quantities of vegetables; an ounce and a half only will be
needed if the vegetables are omitted, or if a small quantity only is
used. It should be remembered that salt and all seasonings can be
added when they cannot be taken out. For flavoring purposes,

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 333

aromatic seasoning of herbs, and spices, and herb-powders for
flavoring soups, will be found of great use. Whatever ingredients
are added to soup, whether farinaceous articles, such as rice, ver-
micelli, macaroni, etc., or vegetables, all should be partially boiled
in plain water before they are put into the liquor. This will insure
their being perfectly clean and bright. The flavor of rich brown
soups will be brought out better if a small piece of sugar be added
to it. This must not be used for white soups. Cream or milk,
when put with soups, should be boiled separately, strained, and
added boiling. If, instead of cream, milk and the yolk of an egg
are used, the egg must on no account be boiled in the liquor.
Either it must be mixed thoroughly with a little of the soup which
has cooled for a minute, then be stirred into the rest, or, better
still, it must be put into the soup tureen, a spoonful of the soup
mixed with the milk stirred into it, and the rest added gradually.
If soups are to be kept for a few days they should be boiled up
every day, according to the state of the weather, put into freshly-
scalded dry earthenware crocks or pans and kept in a cool place;
cover with a piece of gauze. Soup should never be kept in metal

Stock.
Stock is the basis of all meat sauces, soups and purees. It is
really the juice of meat extracted by long and gentle simmering,
and in making it, it should be remembered that the object to be
aimed at is to draw the goodness of the material out into the liquor.
It may be prepared in various ways, richly and expensively, or
economically. All general stock, or stock which is to be used for
miscellaneous purposes, should be simply made, that is, all flavoring
ingredients should be omitted entirely until its use is decided upon.
The stock will then keep longer than it would do if vegetables,
herbs, and spices were boiled in it, besides which the flavoring can
be adapted to its special purpose. To ensure its keeping, stocks
should be boiled and skimmed every day in summer, and every
other day in winter. The pan and lid used in making it should be

334 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

scrupulously clean. A tinned iron pan is the best for the purpose.
Those who wish to practice economy should procure a digester,
which is a kind of stock-pot made with the object of retaining the
goodness of the materials, and preventing its escape by steam,
when ready stock should be kept in an earthenware vessel, and
never allowed to cool in a metal pan. Before being used, skim off
all fat. Excellent stock is constantly made with the bones and
trimmings of meat and poultry, with the addition or not of a little
fresh meat, or a portion of extract of meat. In a house where meat
is regularly used, a good cook will never be without a little stock.
Broken remnants of all kinds will find their way to the stock-pot,
and will not be thrown away until, by gentle stewing, they have
been made to yield to the utmost whatever of flavor and goodness
they possessed. When fresh meat is used it is better for being
freshly killed. The liquor in which fresh meat has been boiled
should always be used as stock.

Bean Soup.
Soak one and a half pints of beans in cold water over night. In
the morning drain off the water, wash the beans in fresh water and
put them into a soup kettle with four quarts of good beef stock,
from which all the fat has been removed. Set it where it will boil
slowly but steadily until dinner, or three hours at the least. Two
hours before dinner slice in an onion and a carrot. Some think it
improved by adding a little tomato. If the beans are not liked
whole, strain through a colander and send to the table hot.

Asparagus Soup.
Select about two dozen of good asparagus stalks; boil these
thoroughly in enough water to cover them; a quarter of an onion
boiled with the asparagus is an improvement. When tender, take
the asparagus out of the water, saving the water, and removing the
onion; cut the asparagus into small pieces, of course only the
tender part, and put them in a mortar, adding a little of the water;
must be pounded until perfectly smooth; now take some sifted

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 33d

flour, a dessertspoonful, a bit of butter as big as an egg, and a very-
little pulverized sugar; mix well, and then put on the fire until it
melts, stirring all the time; add this to the pounded asparagus and
the rest of the water; when it has boiled a iew minutes, mix the
yolk of one egg with a tumblerful of cream, and add this; if
properly made, it wants no straining; use salt and pepper to taste,
and a very little nutmeg; one stalk of asparagus may be left, which
may be cut in thin slices, and added last.

Beef Soup.
Boil a soup bone about four hours; then take out meat into a
chopping-bowl; put the bones back into the kettle. Slice very thin
one small onion, six potatoes, and three turnips into the soup; boil
until all are tender. Have at least one gallon of soup when done.
It is improved by adding crackers, rolled, or noodles, just before
taking off. Take the meat that has been cut from the bones, chop
fine while warm, season with salt and pepper, add one cup of soup,
saved out before putting in the vegetables; pack in a dish, and slice
down for tea or lunch when cold.

Common Soup.
Take shank or neck of beef or meat of fowls; cut fine; crack the
bones; put in a pot and stew slowly several hours, until all the
meats are cooked to shreds. Pour on a little boiling water and
keep boiling until nearly ready to serve; skim off all grease; add
vegetables, potatoes, carrots, barley or rice as you may prefer — the
vegetables having been previously cooked by themselves — and then
add a little butter to give it richness.

Clam Soup.
Select five large, plump clams, and after chopping them finely;
add the liquor to the meat. To every dozen allow a quart of cold
water, and, putting meat, liquor and water into a clean vessel, allow
them to simmer gently, but not boil, about one and one-half hours.
Every particle of meat should be so well cooked that you seem to

336 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

have only a thick broth. Season to taste aud pour into a tureen in
which a few slices of well-browned toast have been placed. If
desired, to every two dozen of clams allow a cup of new milk and
one egg. Beat the latter very light, add slowly the milk, beat
hard a minute or so, and when the soup is removed from the fire,
stir the egg and milk into it.

Corn Soup.
Twelve ears of corn scraped and the cobs boiled twenty minutes
in one quart of water. Remove the cobs and put in the corn and
boil fifteen minutes, then add two quarts of rich milk. Season with
salt, pepper and butter, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of
flour. Boil the whole ten minutes and turn into a tureen in which
the yolks of three eggs have been well beaten.

French Vegetable Soup.
To a leg of lamb of moderate size take four quarts of water. Of
carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cabbage and turnips, take a cup
each, chopped fine; salt and pepper to taste. Let the lamb be
boiled in this water. Let it cool; skim off all fat that rises to the
top. The next day boil again, adding the chopped vegetables.
Let it boil three hours the second day.

Egg Soup.
Boil a leg of lamb about two hours in water enough to cover it.
After it has boiled about an hour and when carefully skimmed, add
one-half cup of rice, and pepper and salt to taste. Have ready in
your tureen two eggs well beaten; add the boiling soup, a little at
a time, stirring constantly. Serve the lamb with drawn butter,
garnished with parsley and hard-boiled eggs cut into slices.

Chicken Soup.

Boil a pair of chickem with great care, skimming constantly and

keeping them covered with water. When tender, take out the

chicken and remove the bone. Put a large lump of butter into a

spider, dredge the chicken meat well with flour, and lay in the hot

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 337

pan ; fry a nice brown, and keep hot and dry. Take a pint of the
chicken water, and stir in two large spoonfuls of curry powder, two
of butter and one of flour, one teaspoonful of salt and a little Cay-
enne; stir until smooth, then mix it with the broth in the pot.
When well mixed, simmer five minutes, then add the browned
chicken. Serve with rice.

Cabbage Soup.

Put into your soup kettle a couple of pounds of sweet bacon or
pork that has not been too long in salt. Add, if you like, a bit of
knuckle of veal, or mutton, or beef, or all three; skim well as they
come to a boil. Shred into a pail of cold water the hearts of one
or two cabbages, some carrots, turnips, celery and leeks. When
the soup boils, throw all these in. When the vegetables are tender
without falling to pieces, the soup is done. You may thicken with
a few mashed, boiled potatoes. Simmer the meat two hours before
adding the vegetables.

Green Pea Soup.

Boil a pint of green pease in water with salt, a head of lettuce,
an onion, a carrot, a few leaves of mint, and a strip of parsley, some
pepper and salt to taste, and a lump of sugar. When thoroughly
done, strain off the liquor and pass the pease, etc., through a hair
sieve; add as much of the liquor as will bring it to the right con-
sistency; put the soup in a saucepan with a small pat of fresh
butter; let it boil up, and serve with dice-shaped bread fried in
butter.

Gumbo Soup.

Cut up a pair of good-sized chickens, as for a fricassee; flour
them well, and put into a pan with a good-sized piece of butter,
and fry a nice brown; then lay them in a soup-pot, pour on three
quarts of hot water, and let them simmer slowly for two hours.
Braid a little flour and butter together for a thickening, and stir in
a little pepper and salt. Strain a quart or three pints of oysters,

338 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

and add the juice to the soup. Next add four or five slices of cold
boiled ham, and let all boil slowly together for ten minutes. Just
before you take up the soup, stir in two large spoonfuls of finely-
powdered sassafras leaves, and let it simmer five minutes, then add
your oysters. If you have no ham, it is very nice without it. Serve
in a deep dish, and garnish the dish with rice.

Plain Gumbo Soup.
Take a piece of ham half the size of your hand, and a knuckle of
veal; put them in a pot with two quarts of cold water; simmer
slowly two or three hours, then add two quarts of boiling water.
Twenty minutes before serving, put in one small can of okra and as
many oysters as you please. Season to taste.

Lobster Soup.
One lai'ge lobster; pick all the meat from the shell and chop fine;
take one quart of milk and one pint of water, and, when boiling,
add the lobster, nearly a pound of butter, salt and pepper to taste,
and a tablespoonf ul of flour. Boil ten minutes.

Macaroni Soup.

Six pounds of beef put into four quarts of water, with one large
onion, one carrot, one turnip, and a head of celery, and boiled three
or four hours slowly. Next day take off the grease and pour into
the soup-kettle, season to taste with salt, and add a pint of macaroni
broken into small pieces, and two tablespoonfuls of tomato catsup.
Half to three-quarters of an hour will be long enough to boil the
second day.

Macaroni, or Vermicelli Soup.

Two small carrots, four onions, two turnips, two cloves, one
tablespoon ful salt; pepper to taste. Herbs — marjoram, parsley and
thyme; any cooked or uncooked meat. Put the soup bones in
enough water to cover them; when they boil, skim them and add
the vegetables. Simmer three or four hours, then strain through
a colander and put back in the saucepan to re-heat. Boil one-half

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 339

pound of macaroni until quite tender, and place in the soup tureen,
and pour the soup over it — the last thing. Vermicelli will only-
need to be soaked a short time — not boiled.

Mock Terrapin Soup.
For the mock terrapin soup, take one and one-fourth pounds of
calf's liver and put in salt boiling water for half an hour; add small
herbs, one-half dozen grains of pepper, one teaspoonful of cloves, a
few slices of onion, carrot, etc. When the vegetables are done,
take them out and mash by putting them through a colander
or sieve. Make a Spanish sauce of salt pork or bacon, fried
enough to get the fat out of it; put into the fat a little slice of
onion, a little celery, one-half dozen peppers, one-half cup of tomato,
and cook brown. Take a teaspoonful of salad oil, a yolk of a hard-
boiled egg, dust of Cayenne pepper, roll to paste, and make into
small, round balls; put these into Spanish sauce, then put the sauce
into the soup. When they come to the top, skim them out. Put
in the tureen a glass of wine and slice of lemon, and pour in the
soup; then cut the calf's liver into small bits and add it.

Mock Turtle Soup.
Clean a calf's head well and let it stand in salt and water two or
three hours; then soak it in fresh water. Put it to boil in cold
water, and when sufficiently cooked, separate the meat from the
bone. Strain the broth, cut the meat in small pieces, and add it to
the broth; season with salt and Worcester sauce, both of which are
particularly suited to this soup. Next take one pound of suet, and
two pounds of veal, chopped fine, with sufficient bread crumbs. Sea-
soning as above, make some forcemeat balls and fry them in butter;
chop three hard-boiled eggs fine, add these and a glass of wine.

Mutton Soup.
Boil a leg of mutton from two to three hours, and season with
salt, pepper and about a tablespoonful of summer savory rubbed
fine; add rice or noodles as desired.

340 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

Mushroom Soup.
Take a good quantity of mushrooms, cut off the earthy end, and
pick and wash them. Stew them with some butter, pepper, and
salt in a little good stock till tender; take them out, and chop them
up quite small; prepare a good stock as for any other soup, and
add it to the mushrooms and the liquor they have been stewed in.
Boil all together and serve. If white soup be desired, use the
white button mushrooms and a good veal stock, adding a spoonful
of cream or a little milk, as the color may require.

Noodles for Soup.
Beat one egg light; add a pinch of salt, and flour enough to make
a stiff dough; roll out in a very thin sheet, dredge with flour to
keep from sticking, then roll up tightly. Begin at one end and
shave down fine, like cabbage for slaw. .

Okra Gumbo.

Cut one chicken; wash, dry and flour it thoroughly; salt and
pepper; fry very brown in a skillet with a lump of lard large as an
egg. Put it into your soup kettle with five quarts of water; add
one onion cut up, and let it boil two hours; add two dozen okra
pods, and let it boil another hour. Season to taste and serve with
rice.

Ox-Tail Soup.

Take two tails, wash, and put into a kettle with about one gallon
of cold water and a little salt; skim off the broth. When the meat
is well cooked, take out the bones, and add a little onion, carrot
and tomatoes. It is better made the day before using, so that the
fat can be taken from the top. Add vegetables next day, and boil
an hour and a half longer.

Oyster Soup.
Two quarts of oysters, three pints of new milk, three ounces of
butter, one and one-half ounces of flour, salt and pepper to taste,

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 341

and mace, if liked. Put the milk over boiling water; drain the
oysters and put the liquor in a saucepan on the stove; wash the
oysters and remove every particle of shell that may adhere to them.
When the milk is hot add the butter and flour, rubbed smoothly
together and thinned with a little of the milk; let it cook, stirring
slowly, until slightly thickened; the liquor, which must be well
boiled, skimmed and hot, may then be added, and after that, the
drained oysters. As soon as they are well puffed and the edges
somewhat curled, serve the soup. Half a pint of rich cream is a
great improvement and may be used instead of the butter. Serve
with them a plate of small crackers, crisped in the oven.

Potato Soup.

Boil a half dozen potatoes, and mash thoroughly, mixing with it
a quart of stock, seasoning with salt and pepper; boil it for five
minutes, removing scum; add to this a tumblerful of milk last, and
serve after the soup has come again to the boil; must be perfectly
smooth.

Turkey Soup.

Take the turkey bones and boil three-quarters of an hour in
water enough to cover them; add a little summer savory and celery
chopped fine. Just before serving, thicken with a little flour
(browned), and season with pepper, salt, and a small piece of
butter.

Southern Gumbo Fela.

Take an onion and cut it up fine; have the lar\ quite hot, then
drop the onion in and let it fry a light brown; dust in two table-
spoonfuls of flour and stir all the time to keep from burning, and in
a few minutes it will be brown; pour in boiling water as much as
will serve the family, allowing for boiling down; have a nice fat
chicken cut up, put it in the pot and let it boil until tender; take fifty
oysters from th liquor and strain it to remove all pieces of shell;
put the liquor in a stewpan, let it boil up once, then skim and put
the liquor in the pot, season with salt, black and red pepper, also a

342 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

small piece of garlic; after letting it boil some time, add the
oysters; take two tablespoonfuls of fela and dust in, stirring all the
time; as soon as it boils once it is ready to serve; always serve with
boiled rice.

Fela is prepared by our Indians, and is simply the young leaves
of the sassafras, dried in the shade, and pulverized with a few
leaves of the sweet bay. In the summer, young okra pods are
used in place of fela.

Tomato Soup.

Seven good-sized tomatoes to two quarts of milk; stew and sea-
son tomatoes highly with salt and pepper; have the milk hot; break
into it a few crackers; stir in a large lump of butter; pour into a
tureen, and just as you take to the table, add tomatoes, mixing
them well together.

Tomato Soup, No. 2.
One quart of tomatoes, one onion, two ounces of flour, four ounces
of butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two of salt, one-third of a
teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper, three pints or water, one-half pint
of milk. Boil the tomatoes and onion in water for three-quar-
ters of an hour. Add salt, pepper, sugar, butter, and flour; rub
smoothly together like thin cream; boil ten minutes; boil milk
separately. When both are boiling, pour the milk into the toma-
toes, to prevent curdling. Serve with squares of toasted bread.

Greex Turtle Soup.
A glass of Madeira, two onions, bunch of sweet herbs, juice of
one lemon, five quarts of water. Chop up the coarser parts of the
turtle meat with the entrails and bones. Add to them four quarts
of water, and stew four hours with the herbs, onions, pepper and
salt. Stew very slowly, but do not let it cease to boil during this
time. At the end of four hours strain the soup, and add the finer
parts of the turtle and the green fat, which has been simmered for
one hour in two quarts of water. Thicken with browned flour;
return to the soup-pot, and simmer gently an hour longer. If there

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. i*43

are eggs in the turtle, boil them in a separate vessel for four hours,
and throw into the soup before taking it up. If not, put hi force-
meat balls; then the juice of the lemon and wine; beat up once and
pour out. Some cooks add the finer meat before straining, boiling
all together for five hours; then strain, thicken, and put in the
green fat, cut into lumps an inch long. This makes a handsomer
soup than if the meat is left in. For the mock eggs, take the yolks
of three hard-boiled eggs, and one raw egg well beaten. Rub the
boiled eggs into a paste with a teaspoonful of butter, bind with a
raw egg, roll into pellets the size and shape of turtle eggs, and lay
in boiling water for two minutes before dropping into the soup.

Soyer's Cheap Soups.
Soyer, in his " Culinary Campaign," has given recipes for making
palatable soups, which he says will not cost more than a cent a
quart in London. Here is one of them: Take two ounces of drip-
ping, quarter of a pound of solid meat, cut into pieces one inch
square; quarter of a pound of onions, sliced thin; same of turnips
(the peel will do) or a whole one cut into slices; two ounces of leeks
(green tops will do) sliced thin; three ounces of celery; three-
quarters of a pound of common flour; half a pound of pearl barley,
or one pound of Scotch; three ounces of salt; quarter of an ounce
of brown sugar; two gallons of water. First put two ounces of
dripping into a saucepan capable of holding two gallons of water,
with a quarter of a pound of leg-beef without bone, cut into
square pieces of about an inch; and two middling-sized onions,
peeled and sliced; then set the saucepan over the fire, and stir the
contents around for a few minutes with a wooden or iron spoon
until fried lightly brown. Have then i*eady washed the peelings of
two turnips, fifteen green leaves or tops of celery, and the green
part of two leeks (the whole of which, I must observe, are always
thrown away). Having cut the above vegetable into small pieces,
throw them into the saucepan with the other ingredients, stirring
them occasionally over the fire for another ten minutes; then add
one quart of cold water and three-quarters of a pound of com-

344 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

*ion flour, and half a pound of pearl barley, mixing all well together;
then add seven quarts of hot water, seasoned with three ounces
>f salt, and a quarter of an ounce of brown sugar, stirring occasion-
ally until boiling, and allowing it to simmer gently for three hours;
at the end of which time the barley will be perfectly tender. The
above soup has been tasted by numerous noblemen, members of
Parliament, and several ladies, who have lately visited my kitchen
department, and who have considered it very good and nourishing.
The soup will keep several days when made as above described;
but I must observe, not to keep it in a deep pan, but within a flat
vessel, when the air could act freely upon it. Stir it now and then
until nearly cold, or otherwise the next day it will be in a state of
fermentation. This does not denote the weakness of the soup,
because the same evil exists in the strongest of stock, or sauce, if
not stirred or confined in a warm place — a fact known to every
first-rate cook. The expense may come to three farthings per quart
in London; but as almost every thing can be had at less cost in the
country, the price of the soup will be still more reduced. In that
case, a little additional meat might be added. By giving with this
a small portion of bread or biscuit, better support would be given
to the poor at a trifling cost; and no one, it is to be hoped, here-
after, would hear of the dreadful calamity of starvation.
Soup, No. 2. — Same Cost.
Quarter of a pound of beef cut into pieces one inch square; two
ounces of dripping, or melted suet, quarter of a pound of turnips,
or carrots, cut into fragments half an inch square, four drops
essence of meat, one and a half pounds of maize flour, three ounces
of salt, quarter ounce of brown sugar, one teaspoonful of black
pepper, ground fine. Take two ounces of either drippings, Amer-
ican lard, or suet, to which add the turnips and carrots; fry for ten
minutes; add one quart of cold water, and the meal, well mixed,
and moisten by degrees with seven quarts of hot water; boil five
hours, and season with three ounces of salt, one-quarter ounce of
brown sugar, one teaspoonful of black pepper, two drops of essence

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 345

of garlic, one drop of essence of mint, a little celery; stir quickly,
and serve directly.

By adding a pound of potatoes to this, a superior soup will be
the result.

Aspic Jelly for Garnishing.

Take two pints of nicely-flavored stock, of a clear, firm jelly;
put this into a saucepan with a blade of mace, a tablespoonful of
vinegar and a glass of sherry. Let it boil; then stir into an ounce
of the best gelatine, which has been soaked in a little cool water.
When again cool, add the whisked whites of two eggs; let it boil;
then set back to settle; strain through a jelly-bag until quits clear,
and pour it on a dish which has been standing in cold watei. Cut
it into dice for garnishing.

Aspic Jelly, Stock.

Put a knuckle-bone of veal, a knuckle-bone of ham, a calf's fooc, a
large onion with four cloves stuck in, one large carrot, and a bunch
of savory herbs, in two quarts of water, and boil gently till it is
reduced rather more than half; strain, and put it aside to cool.
Very carefully remove every particle of fat or sediment, and place
the jelly in a saucepan with a glass of white wine, a tablespoonful
of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and the whites of two eggs;
keep stirring until it nearly boils, which may be known by its
becoming white; then draw it back and let it simmer gently for
fifteen or twenty minutes; put on the cover, let it stand to settle,
and strain through a jelly-bag until it is quite clear. Put it into a
mold.

Bechamel Sauce.

As white stock is the foundation of this sauce, it must be pre-
pared first. Boil down an old fowl, two or three pounds of the
knuckles of veal and three of very lean ham, with four carrots, two
onions, one blade of mace, some white pepper-corns, two table-
spoonfuls of salt and an ounce of butter, in four or five quarts of
water. Cut up the fowl and veal, and put them with the ham to

346 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

simmer in a small quantity of water till the juices are extracted;
then put in the full quantity of water, about three and one-half
quarts, to the other ingredients. Let the liquid simmer from four
to five hours; skim and strain till clear, when it is ready for the
bechamel. Mix a tablespoonful of arrowroot with a pint of cream,
and when well blended, let it simmer in a carefully cleaned pan for
four or five minutes. Make one pint of the stock hot and pour it
to the cream; simmer slowly for ten minutes, or until it thickens.
If too thick, add a little stock.

Anchovy Sauce.
An easy way of making anchovy sauce is to stir two or three
teaspoonfuls of prepared essence or paste of anchovy (which may
be bought at your grocers) into a pint of melted butter; let the
sauce boil a few minutes and flavor with lemon-juice.

Bread Sauce.
Take one pint of white stock; boil with an onion, a little mace,
pepper-corns and salt; strain and pour it over six ounces of bread
crumbs; boil for ten minutes and add three tablespoonfuls of
cream.

Brown Sauce.
Melt two ounces of butter in a small saucepan and add one ounce
of flour, stirring until it is of a brown color. Then add sufficient
boiling stock to render it of a cream-like consistency, and season to
taste with salt and pepper.

Cucumber Sauce.
Take three young cucumbers, slice them rather thickly, and fry
them in a little butter till they are lightly browned; dredge them
with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, and simmer them till tender
in as much good brown gravy as will cover them. White sauce or
melted butter may be substituted for the gravy if these are more
suitable to the dish with which the cucumber sauce is to be served.
Time, about a quarter of an hour to simmer the cucumbers.

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 347

Chili Sauce.
Twelve ripe tomatoes, pared, two large peppers, chopped line,
one large onion, chopped fine, two cups of vinegar, one tablespoon,
ful salt, one cup brown sugar, one teaspoonful each of allspice,
nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Boil all together.

Caper Sauce.

Two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of flour; mix
well; pour on boiling water until it thickens; add one hard-boiled
egg, chopped fine, and two tablespoonfuls of capers.

Celery Sauce.
Put two ounces of butter into a saucepan, melt it, and add two
heads of celery cut up into inch pieces; stir the celery in the pan
till it is quite tender; add salt and pepper, with a little mace. Mix
a tablespoonful of flour in a cup of stock and simmer half an hour.
A cup of cream may be used instead of stock.

Egg Sauce.
Take yolks of two eggs, boiled hard; mash them with a table-
spoonful of mustard, a little pepper and salt, three tablespoonfuls
of vinegar, and three of salad oil. A tablespoonful of catsup
improves this for some. This sauce is very nice for boiled fish.

Fish Sauce.
One-quarter of a pound of fresh butter, one tablespoonful of
finely-chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper, and the juice of two
lemons. Cream the butter; mix all well together.

The Hollaxdaise Sauce.
For one pint: one tablespoonful of salt, same of butter and flour;
put them in a saucepan and put over the fire, and stir until the
butter is melted. Add gradually one pint of hot water, about half
a cup at a time, and stir each time for a minute while it is boiling;
season with white pepper, nutmeg, and make sure it is cooked.

348 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

One great difficulty with sauces is they are raw. This makes the
white sauce, which is the basis of many sauces. Add the yolks of
two or three eggs, one tablespoonful of lemon-juice, or vinegar;
three tablespoonfuls of salad oil. These may be added by putting
them together in a separate dish and dipping a few spoonfuls of
the white sauce upon them and stirring thoroughly, and then pour-
ing back into the sauce. In this consistency the sauce makes a fine
dressing for lobster or chicken salad. This sauce is suitable for
any kind of boiled fish.

Hot Sauce for Meats.
Four onions, two cups of sugar, thirty-two tomatoes, one quart
of vinegar, four peppers, two tablespoonfuls of salt, two tablespoon-
fuls of cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls of cloves, three tablespoonfuls
of red pepper; cook, strain and bottle.

Horse-Radish Sauce.

Two teaspoonfuls of made mustard, two of white sugar, half a
teaspoonful of salt and a gill of vinegar; mix and pour over
grated horse-radish. Excellent with beef.

Mushroom Sauce.

To make a pint of mushroom sauce for the fillet of beef, use one
tablespoonful of butter and one of flour; put over the fire and stir
until brown. Then put in half a pint of water or chicken broth
and half a pint of essence of mushroom or the liquor found in a can
of mushrooms; stir till the sauce is perfectly smooth, season with a
saltspoonful of salt and quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper. Put
in the mushrooms and boil two minutes; take off, put in a glass of
sherry or Madeira wine, and pour around the fillet of beef.

Mint Sauce.
Mix one tablespoonful of white sugar to half a cup of good vin-
egar; add the mint and let it infuse for half an hour before sending
to the table. Serve with roast lamb or mutton.

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 349

Mustard Sauce.
One cup of sugar, one cup of vinegar, one tablespoonful of but-
ter, four eggs and one tablespoonful of mustard; beat the eggs
well; mix all together; turn into a new tin pail or basin and boil in
water same as custard, only to a cream, not thick. Strain through
a thin cloth and it is done.

Prepared Mustard.

Two tablespoonfuls of mustard, one of flour; mix thoroughly

while dry. Have a cup two-thirds full of strong vinegar ; till with

water, stir the flour and mustard into it and let it boil until as thick

as custard; remove from the tire and add a tablespoonful of sugar.

Made Mustard.

Pour a very little boiling water over three tablespoonfuls of
mustard; add one saltspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of olive oil,
stirred slowly in, and one tablespoonful of sugar; add the yolk of
an egg; beat well together, and pour in vinegar to taste. It is best
eaten next day.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

A mixture of egg yolks, oil, vinegar or lemon-juice. The prin-
cipal point to be attended to in preparing this sauce is the mode of
mixing, which demands time, patience and care. Break the yolk
of a fresh egg into a bowl with a saltspoonful of pepper and
salt mixed. Beat it till thick, then add from time to time
during the mixing, two or three drops of the best olive oil until
about four ounces have been used and the mixture is thick and
yellow. When eight teaspoonf uls of oil have been used, stir in one
teaspoonful of white wine vinegar, and continue adding oil and
vinegar in these proportions until all the oil is used. The yolk of
one egg would be sufficient for a pint of oil and vinegar in propor-
tion. The addition of a few drops of lemon-juice makes mayon-
naise look creamy. Mayonnaise will keep a long time if bottled
closely and kept in a cool place.

350 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

Maitre d'Hotel Butter.

Knead together (on a plate with the point of a knife) equal

quantities of chopped parsley and fresh butter. Add pepper, salt

and a little lemon-juice. Keep in a cool place. When a dish is

said to be a la Maitre d'Hotel it is generally served with this butter.

Maitre d'Hotel Sauce.
Melt two ounces of fresh butter in a small enameled saucepan,
and stir to it, by degrees, two tablespoonf uls of flour; continue stir-
ring five or ten minutes, until the butter and flour are well blended,
when add, also by degrees, a quarter of a pint of boiling cream and
a quarter of a pint of good veal stock, also boiling; add a few
spoonfuls of each at a time and stir well, allowing the sauce to
simmer a minute or two between each addition. When perfectly
smooth, put in the strained juice of a lemon, or, if preferred, a
tablespoonf al of Chili vinegar, a little pepper, a pinch of salt, and
a tablespoonf ul of chopped parsley. The yolks of two eggs are a
great improvement to this sauce, and are almost necessary when it
is served with fish; but in that case only half the quantity of flour
should be used, as the eggs help to thicken it.

Oyster Sauce.
Prepare some nice drawn butter; scald the oysters in a little
water and mix them with the butter; mix well and let the sauce
come nearly to a boil, after which serve with oyster crackers.

Old Currant Sauce for Venison.
Boil an ounce of dried currants in half a pint of water, a few
minutes; add a small cup of bread crumbs, six cloves, a glass of
port wine and a bit of butter. Stir it till the whole is smooth.

Piquant Sauce.
Dissolve an ounce and a half of butter in a small saucepan over a
moderate fire. Throw in a tablespoonful of chopped onions, and
stir them about for two minutes, sprinkle a teaspoonful of flour over

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 351

them, and beat it with a wooden or iron spoon to prevent it from
getting into lumps. Add half a pint of stock or broth, a small
bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, and a quarter of a
teaspoonful of Cayenne. Simmer gently for twenty minutes, then
lift out the herbs, pour in half a wineglassf ul of vinegar, and add a
little pepper and salt if required; let all boil up together and serve.

Tomato Sauce.
Nine ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut small, red pepper chopped
fine, one cup of vinegar, two tablespoonf uls brown sugar, one table-
spoonful of salt, one teaspoonful ginger, one of cloves, one of all-
spice; put vinegar in last; stew one hour.

Almond Forcemeat.
Beat up the yolks of three eggs with a quarter of a pint of good
cream, and flavor with a little nutmeg. Blanch and pound in a
mortar three ounces of sweet almonds, using white of agg to
moisten. Add these with three-quarters of a pound of light bread
crumbs, and three ounces of butter broken into small bits, to the
egg mixture. Stir in, lastly, the whites of the eggs whisked to a
solid froth, and fill either capon or turkey.

Forcemeat Balls.
Chop a quarter of a pound of beef suet, a little lemon peel, and
parsley. Mix with a basin of bread crumbs, and flavor with pep-
per, salt, and nutmeg. Moisten with the yolks of two eggs, roll in
flour, and make up into small balls. Bake in a hot oven, or fry till
crisp. This recipe will do for fowls. The addition of a little ham,
chopped or pounded, will be found a considerable improvement.

Chestnut Forcemeat.
Remove the outer skin from some chestnuts (they should be ripe
and sound). Boil them for two or three minutes to get off the
inner skin. Peel them, and to preserve their color throw them into
cold water; drain and weigh them. Stew six ounces of them
gently for about twenty minutes in veal gravy. Let them get cold,

352 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

pound them till smooth with an equal quantity of butter, or half
their weight in fat bacon, and add two ounces of bread crumbs, and
a little salt, lemon rind, and nutmeg. Bind the mixture together
with the unbeaten yolks of two eggs. If this forcemeat is formed
into cakes, these should be dipped into flour before being fried.

Forcemeat for Fish, Soups and Stews.

r'ound the flesh of a medium-sized lobster, half an anchovy, a
piece of boiled celery, the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, salt, pepper,
and Cayenne to taste. Mix these with a tablespoonful of bread
crumbs, two ounces of butter, and two of raw eggs. Make into
small balls, and fry a pale brown in butter. Two or three oysters
may be added.

Forcemeat for Game.

Take the livers of the game and pound them with half their
weight of beef suet and good fat bacon, mixed together; season
with salt, pepper, and ground cloves. Use a little of the meat of
the game if enough of the livers cannot be obtained; moisten with
cream, and bind with the yolks of two eggs. If the forcemeat be
required stiff, stew over a gentle fire, keeping it constantly stirred
until the proper consistency is gained.

Forcemeat for Turkeys.

Take equal quantities of lean veal and pork, and mince them finely
together; also cut into pieces a parboiled veal sweetbread, and mix
with about three-quarters of a pound of each of the former meats.
Add half a pound of bread, soaked, and the same amount of warm
butter. Flavor with a little nutmeg, salt, pepper and half an ounce
of grated lemon rind. Bind with three beaten eggs, and fill the
turkey.

Mushroom Forcemeat.

Procure four ounces of young, fresh mushrooms. Peel them, cut
off the stems. Dissolve two ounces of butter in a stewpan, and let
them simmer very gently over a slow fire, with a slight flavoring of
mace and Cayenne. Spread them over a dish placed in a slanting

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 353

position to drain away the moisture. When cold mince them, and
add four ounces of fine bread crumbs, a small seasoning of salt,
Cayenne, mace, and nutmeg, a piece of butter, the yolks of two
eggs. Put in as much of the mushroom gravy as will make the
forcemeat of the proper consistency. Make into balls, poach and
throw into soup; or fry, and serve round a dish of roast fowl or
minced veal. It is also a good stuffing for boiled fowls.

Oyster Forcemeat.
Get fresh oysters and cut them into quarters. Grate bread
enough to fill half a pint, and one ounce and a half of finely shred
suet or butter, which should be broken into bits. Mix all these
ingredients together with a good flavoring of herbs, and a seasoning
of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Add two well-beaten eggs.
This forcemeat is for boiled or roast turkey. It may be made into
balls and used as a garnish. Twenty oysters are sufficient for one
turkey.

CHAPTER XXVII.

FURNITURE.

Furniture Covers.
[OTHING gives so dismal and unhospitable an appearance to a
room as to have the chairs and sofa or couch covered with
stiff unfriendly-looking linen; but pretty furniture that is
used every day must be protected in some way, and there are many
coverings which are really ornamental. For instance, a couch may
be kept from fading by taking a piece of Turkish toweling the
required length — that is, a little longer than the couch, so that it
will fall over the ends, and not slide down and wrinkle; put scallops
of flannel on the edge. A border or centre-piece, or simply a vine
worked in some bright color across the ends, make a pretty addi-
tion to it. Tidies that are very serviceable may be made of brown
linen with an applique stripe of cretonne flowers. The easiest and
most satisfactory way to prepare cretonne for transferring is to first
work the figure which is to be cut out with the .button-hole stitch,
and then cut around that. When it is placed upon broadcloth, or
any material which will not require washing, sew it with long
stitches on the wrong side; but when transferred to linen, sew it
firmly, so that it will keep its place when washed. The tidies may
be finished by putting fringe or yellow lace across the ends; turn
down and hem on the sides, and feather-stitch with worsted or
working cotton or silk.

The Use op Varnish.
No one knows until she has tried it how much she may change
the aspect of things about the house by using a little varnish. On

FURNITURE. 355

a sunshiny day take the old chairs and tables out on the porch, or
by an open door, and after thoroughly dusting and wiping off with
a damp cloth, apply a thin coat of varnish, and so cover up scratches
and marred spots of all kinds. It will dry in a very short time, and
you will be surprised to see how much good you have done. A
flannel cloth wilh a very little linseed oil is good to rub furniture
with, but the greatest care must be exercised to prevent any oil
being left on the wood to attract dust. It must be rubbed until
you would not know, except by the improved appearance, that any
oil had been used.

How to Make an Ottoman.
A neat and useful ottoman may be made by taking a box in which
fine-cut tobacco is packed, and covering it with cretonne. The top
may be taken off and put on without difficulty if, after covering, a
narrow ruffle to fall over the edge is tacked on. An ottoman of
this sort is convenient in the bedroom, where it may serve as a
receptacle for stockings. If one does not care to buy cretonne, bits
of carpet may be used for the covering. Burlap also makes a pretty
cover, worked in some simple but showy pattern.

To Render New Mahogany like Old.
This is of service in the case of furniture repaired, or when
lacquered handles have been changed for mahogany ones. Soap and
water will darken to some extent; but if darker is required, use oil;
or for very dark, use lime-water.

To Clean Furniture.
The cleaning of furniture should depend on the mode in which
the furniture was originally polished. The method at present most
generally adapted is French polishing and in such cases a little
spirits of turpentine should be employed, which will clean off grease
and dirt without softening the varnish; it should, however, be
rapidly done. If the furniture was originally polished with furni-
ture paste (composed of bees'-wax dissolved in spirits of turpentine

356 FURNITURE.

by means of heat, and a little copal varnish, or finely-powdered
rosin, with a little Indian red added) it should be renovated by the
same means. In the case of furniture polished with oil, renovating
should be effected by means of linseed oil, slightly colored by a
little alkanet root, which dissolves in oil, aided by slight heat.

Dirty or Stained Furniture.
If the furniture is in a bad state, but not stained, it will be suffi-
cient to clean it by washing it well with spirits of turpentine, and
afterwards polishing with linseed oil colored with alkanet root.
When, however, the furniture is stained or inky, it should be
washed with sour beer or vinegar, warm; afterwards rubbing the
stains with spirits of salts, rubbed on with a piece of rag, which
will remove all the stains. The wood may then be polished, either
with linseed oil colored with alkanet root, or with bees'-wax dis-
solved in turpentine, with a little cold varnish or rosin added.

To Clean Paint.
Provide a plate with some of the best whiting to be had, and
have ready some clean warm water and a piece of flannel, which
dip into the water and squeeze nearly dry; then take as much
whiting as will adhere to it, apply it to the tainted surface, when
a little rubbing will instantly remove any dirt or grease. After
which, wash the part well with clean water, rubbing it dry with a
soft chamois. Paint thus cleaned looks as well as when first laid
on, without injury to the most delicate colors. It is far better than
using soap, and does not require more than half the time and labor.

To Make Glue.
The glue, as bought, should be broken up small, first cov-
ered with cold water, and allowed to soak for a few hours. It
should then be placed near the fire, and allowed to simmer. The
addition of a few drops of linseed oil will improve it; and, when
made, it should be kept in a dry place, as damp will destroy its
tenacity and render it useless.

FURNITURE. 357

To Revive Gilt Frames.
One ounce of soda beaten up with the whites of three ounces of
eggs. Blow off the dust with a pair of bellows from the frames,
then wash them over with a brush dipped in this mixture, and this
will render them fresh and bright.

Magic Furniture Polish.
Half pint alcohol, half ounce rosin, half ounce gum-shellac, a few
drops aniline brown; let stand over night and add three-fourths
pint of raw linseed oil and half a pint of spirits turpentine; shake
well before using. Apply with cotton flannel, and rub dry with
another cloth.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

HOUSE PESTS,

Camphor, a Remedy for Mice.
Any one desirous of keeping seeds from the depredations of mice,
can do so by mixing pieces of camphor gum in with the seeds.

HOUSE PESTS. 359

Camphor placed in drawers or trunks will prevent mice from doing
them injury. The little animal objects to the odor, and keeps a
good distance from it. He will seek food elsewhere.

Rats — To Drive away Alive.

If you choose to drive them away alive, take potash, pulverized,
and put quite plenty of it into all their holes about the house. If
the potash is pulverized and left in the air, it becomes pasty; then
it can be daubed on the boards or planks, where they come through
into rooms.

How to Deal with Rats.

A writer in the Scientific American says: "We clean our prem-
ises of these detestable vermin by making whitewash yellow with
copperas and covering the stones and rafters in the cellars with it.
In every crevice in which a rat may go we put the crystals of the
copperas and scatter in the corners of the floor. The result was a
perfect stampede of rats and mice. Since that time not a footfall
of either rats or mice has been around the house. Every spring a
coat of the yellow wash is given the cellar, as a purifier, and a rat
exterminator, and no typhoid, dysentery or fevers attacks the
family. Many persons deliberately attract all the rats in the
neighborhood by leaving fruits and vegetables uncovered in the
cellar, and sometimes even the soap is left open for their regale-
ment. Cover up everything eatable in the cellar and pantry, and
you will soon starve them out. These precautions, joined to the
service of a good cat, will prove as good a rat exterminator as the
chemist can provide. We never allow rats to be poisoned in our
dwelling, they are so apt to die between the walls and produce
much annoyance."

To Destroy Bed Bugs, Moths, and Other Vermin.

Dissolve alum in hot water, making a very strong solution; apply

to furniture or crevices in the walls with a paint brush. This is sure

destruction to those noxious vermin, and invaluable because easily

obtained, is perfectly safe to use, and leaves no unpleasant traces

360 HOUSE PESTS.

behind. When you suspect moths have lodged in the borders of
carpets, wet the edges of the carpets with a strong solution; when-
ever it reaches them, it is certain death.

Hellebore, rubbed over with molasses, and put round the places
that cockroaches frequent, is a very effectual poison for them.

Arsenic, spread on bread and butter, and placed round rat or
mouse holes, will soon put a stop to their ravages.

Quicksilver and the white of an egg, beat together, and laid with
a feather round the crevices of the bedsteads and the sacking, is
very effectual in destroying bugs in them.

To kill flies, when so numerous as to be troublesome, keep cobalt,
wet with spirit, in a large shallow plate. The spirit will attract
the flies, and the cobalt will kill them very soon. Black pepper is
said to be good to destroy them; it should be mixed, so as to be
very strong, with a little cream and sugar.

Great care is necessary in using the above poisons, where there
are any children, as they are so apt to eat anything that comes in
their way, and these poisons will prove as fatal to them as to ver-
min (excepting the pepper).

The flour of sulphur is said to be good to drive ants away, if
sprinkled round the places that they frequent. Sage is also good.

Weak brine will kill worms in gravel walks, if kept moist with it
a week in the spring, and three or four clays in the fall.

Cedar chests are best to keep flannels, for cloth moths are never
found in them. Red cedar chips are good to keep in drawers,
wardrobes, closets, trunks, etc., to keep out moths.

To Prevent Red Ants.
Put one pint of tar in an earthen vessel, pour on it two quarts of
boiling hot water, and place it in your closet.

How to Get Rid of Flies.
A clergyman, writing from Ireland, says: "For three years I
have lived in town, and during that time my sitting room has been
free from flies, three or four only walking about my breakfast table,

HOUSE PESTS. 361

while all my neighbors' rooms were crowded. I often congratu-
lated myself on my escape, but never knew the reason of it until
two days ago. I then had occasion to remove my goods to another
house, while I remained on for two days longer. Among other
things moved were two boxes of geraniums and calceolarias, which
stood in my window, the latter always being open to its full extent
top and bottom. The boxes were not gone half an hour before my
room was as full of flies as those around me. This, to me, is a new
discovery, and perhaps it may serve to encourage others in that
which is always a source of pleasure, and which now proves also to
be a source of comfort, viz., window gardening."

Mosquitoes.

Mr. Ivers W. Adams writes from Bathurst, N. B., to Forest and
Stream, that he tried a dozen prescriptions for repelling mosquitoes,
flies, and similar pests, and found none of them effective until he
came across the following, which are dead sure every time:

"Three ounces sweet oil, one ounce carbolic acid. Let it be
thoroughly applied upon hands, face, and all exposed parts (care-
fully avoiding the eyes) once every half hour, when flies are
troublesome, or for the first two or three days, until the skin is
filled with it, and after this its application will be necessary only
occasionally. Another receipt, equally efficacious, is: Six parts
sweet oil, one part creosote, one part pennyroyal. Either of these is
agreeable to use, and in no way injui'ious to the skin. We have
both of these in our camp with us, and all flies keep a safe distance."

CHAPTER XXIX.

TOILET.

Cleaning Gloves.
N excellent preparation for cleaning gloves can be bought for a
small sum at any drug store: Get one quart of deodorized
benzine, one drachm of sulphuric ether, one drachm chloro-
form, and two drachms alcohol. Cologne water can be added if
desired. Pour a little of this into a clean bowl, and wash the gloves
in it as you would wash anything. After the dirt is nearly out,
rinse in more of the clean fluid. Usually one rinsing is enough, but
if the gloves are very much soiled, rinse the second time. If the
gloves are of cheap kid it is best to dry them on the hands, but a
nice glove, after having been rubbed with a soft cloth to smooth out
the wrinkles, may be hung on a line to dry. This preparation is an
excellent thing to keep in the house, not only for cleaning gloves,,
but for taking out grease spots from carpets and clothing, and for
sponging coat collars and felt hats.

Hair Receivers.
The little Japanese parasols, which can be bought for four or five
cents, make very pretty hair receivers. Open them about half their
extent; if necessary to make them stay half open, catch them with
a few stitches. Put a loop of ribbon around the handle and hang
them up.

Toilet Cushions.
Pretty covers for toilet cushions can be made of bits of muslin
and lace that are not large enough to do anything else with. First
make the cushion; fill it with sawdust which has been heated until

TOILET. 363

it is perfectly dry, otherwise the sawdust will shrink and the
cushion be spoiled. Sawdust is preferable to bran, for there is
danger of mice destroying the cushion if it is filled with bran.
Cover the cushion with silk, or even pretty cambric or cashmere
will do. Then make a square of the little pieces of lace and muslin
and put over. Finish the cushion with a muslin ruffle edged with
narrow Italian lace, which costs a few cents a yard.

Shaving Cases.
The prettiest shaving cases I have ever seen are made by using
for a foundation little Japanese paper fans. Cover the fan with
silk or silesia, or combine; cut a piece of pasteboard the size of the
fan, and, as this is to be the outside of the case, cover it with silk
or satin, trim the edge with narrow lace or with plaited ribbon,
ornament it with a bow, or paint a spray of flowers on it, or put on
neatly a pretty transfer picture, or an initial, according to the
means and taste of the maker. Fasten the paper leaves which may
be pinked to the fan part, and then put on the cover, catching it
with silk to the upper part of the fan near the handle. Put a loop
of ribbon or chenille at the end of the handle to hang it up by.
This is an acceptable gift for a gentleman.

To Clean Haie-Beusiies and Combs.

Dissolve potash in boiling water, and rub the brush with soap;
dip the brush into the solution, and draw it through the comb
frequently, taking care to keep the wood dry. Lastly, rinse the
hair in cold water, and dry; or, use spirits of ammonia and hot
water; wash them well and shake the water out, drying on a coarse
towel ; they will look white and clean as new. Little or no soap is
needed.

To Clean Jewelry.

"Wash in soap suds; rinse in diluted alcohol, and lay in a box of
dry sawdust to dry. As simple as this seems, it is the very nicest
way possible to clean gold chains or ornaments of any kind.

364 TOILET.

Cologne Water.

One drachm oil lavender, one drachm oil bergamot, two drachma
oil lemon, two drachms oil rosemary, fifty drops tincture of musk,
eight drops oil of cinnamon, eight drops oil of cloves, one pint of
alcohol.

Cologne Water, No 2.

Take of essence of bergamot and of citron each five drachms,
essence of lemon four drachms, essence of rosemary two and one-
half drachms, essence of orange flower three drops, alcohol one
quart; mix together. Those who prefer a fuller perfume may add
five drachms of lavender.

Cold Cream.
Take of the oil of almonds two ounces, of spermaceti half an
ounce, and white wax half an ounce. Put them in a close vessel,
and set the vessel in a skillet of boiling water. When melted, beat
the ingredients with rosewater until cold. Keep it in a tight box,
or wide-mouthed bottle, corked up close.

Lip Salve.
Dissolve a small lump of white sugar in a tablespoonful of rose-
water (common water will do, but is not so good). Mix it with a
couple of large spoonfuls of sweet oil, a piece of spermaceti, of the
size of half a butternut. Simmer the whole well together eight or
ten minutes, then turn it into a small box.

Lavender Water.
Take one pint of spirits of wine, one-half ounce of lavender oil,
one-half ounce of bergamot, one shilling's worth of musk; mix all
together in a bottle, and shake it occasionally. The longer it is
kept the better it becomes.

To Clean Gold Chains.
Let the article required to be cleaned, stand for some time in a
solution of caustic potash, until all the adhering dirt is removed.

TOILET. 365

It should then be taken out of the water with a piece of stick, and
rinsed in a large quantity of cold water, and placed on a soft clean
cloth to dry. This method must not be used for rings or other
articles that contain jewels, either gems or paste, or the silica,
which is the principal ingredient in their composition, would be
corroded by the potash.

To Clean Gilt Jewelry.
Wash the brooch, earrings, etc., with soap and water; rinse, and
with a small, soft brush wash the article with spirits of hartshorn.

To Remove a Tight Ring.

If the finger on which the ring has been placed has swollen, and
there seems a difficulty of removing the ring, pass a needle and
cotton under it, pull the cotton up towards the hand and
twist the remaining cotton round the finger several times until
it reaches the nail. By taking hold of the end nearest the hand it
is generally an easy matter to slide the ring off the finger, however
much difficulty there may have appeared in doing so before the
experiment was tried.

Grease Eraser.

Benzine, alcohol, ether, equal parts; mix; apply with sponge
(patting the spot) ; put a piece of blotting paper on each side and
iron with a hot flat iron.

Cure for Chapped Hands.
Glycerine applied over the hands at night is an excellent remedy.
This remedy is very much employed in Russia during the preva-
lence of severe frosts, to protect the skin of the face when exposed
to the weather.

Care of the Teeth.
The teeth require to be kept particularly clean, rather than the
application of mouth washes and elaborate dentifrices. The more
simple the ingredients used, the better. Unless recommended by a

366 TOILET.

good dentist, all tooth powders reputed to have heautifying effects
should be used with caution. Washing the teeth night and morn-
ing is the best preservative of their beauty and soundness.

Offensive Feet.
Take one part of muriatic acid to ten parts of water. Rub the
feet every night with this mixture before retiring to bed.

For Freckles.

One quart rain water, one ounce benzoin, one ounce aqua ammo-
nia, one ounce rosewater, two ounces glycerine; mix well; shake
before using.

Care of the Nails.

The finger-nails should be trimmed to the shape of the fingers'-
ends, leaving them moderately long, but not projecting beyond the
tips of the fingers. Nails should not be cleaned with sharp-pointed
scissors and pins — a soft nail brush is the right means. If the
hands and nails have become unusually soiled, they should be
rubbed with a little sweet oil or pomatum before washing with
soap, and afterwards cleaned in tepid water. In wiping the hands
the " crescent " of the nails should be preserved by gently pushing
it back with the towel.

CHAPTER XXX-

KITCHEN.

Care of Silver.
HEN putting away the silver tea or coffee pot, which is not
used every day, lay a little stick across the top under the
cover; this will allow fresh air to get in and will prevent
mustiness. It will then be ready for use at any time, after having
first been thoroughly rinsed with boiling water.

Nothing is better to clean silver with than alcohol and ammonia.
After rubbing with this, take a little whiting on a soft cloth and
polish. Even frosted silver, which is so difficult to clean, may be
easily made clear and bright.

New Kettles.
The best way to prepare a new iron kettle for use is to fill it with
•clean potato peelings, boil them for an hour or more, then wash the
kettle with hot water, wipe it dry. and rub it with a little lard;
repeat the rubbing for half an dozen times after using. In this
way you will prevent rust, and all the annoyances liable to occur in
the use of a new kettle.

To Purify Water.
A large spoonful of pulverized alum sprinkled into a hogshead of
water (the water stirred round at the time), will, after the lapse of
a few hours, so purify it that it will be found to possess nearly the
freshness and clearness of finest spring water. A pailful containing
four gallons may be purified by a single spoonful; or a mixture of
one part chalk and two of alum will be still better.

367

368 KITCHEN.

Washing Dishes.
Dishes should always be rinsed in clear, hot water after having
been washed in soap suds. Nothing is more unpleasant at the table
than to notice a certain stickiness that the soap is likely to leave.
It is necessary also from n sanitary point of view; the caustic alkali
is corrosive and unwholesome, and the grease is often impure.

Cleaning Tinware.
Do not set apart one day on which to clean your silver or scour
your tinware; there is danger of its not being done at all. Have
your cleaning material ready, and when you are " doing up " the
dishes after each meal, clean and polish the silver or tin you have
been using. This is a good habit to cultivate.

To Make Hard Water Soft.

Fill the wash-boiler or tank with hard water; then put half a cup
of wood ashes into a woollen bag; cover this with cotton cloth to
prevent ashes sifting out; let this lie in the water until that is
warm enough to use.

The Griddle.

Rub your griddle with fine salt before you grease it, and your
cake will not stick.

When walnuts have been kept until the meat is too much dried
to be good, let them stand in milk and water eight hours, dry
them, and they will be as fresh as when new.

Coal Ashes Good to Scour With.
The fine, soft coal ashes which are found in the pipe in the
spring, and which sift under the pan, will clean and brighten tin-
ware. Take a piece of old flannel, dip lightly into soft soap, and
rub, afterwards using a clean piece of flannel to polish with.

How to Triumph over Absent-Mindedness.
Many of the difficulties arising from absent-mindedness in hired
help may be removed if the mistress of the house has a habit of

KITCHEN. 369

making a regular programme for the day's work. A bit of personal
experience may not be amiss. I had a girl who was one of the
most obliging persons I ever saw, but she could not remember the
common and usual order of the morning's work. Things were
always going wrong, unless at just such an hour I appeared in the
kitchen and directed that the vegetables be prepared for dinner,
etc. At last we hit upon the plan of hanging a written programme
of the work to be done, and the order in which it ought to be done,
over the sink. This worked so well that when without help I keep
up the practice, for I confess to the fact that when I am out of the
kitchen my mind is out of it too, and I have wasted some valuable
time standing around in corners of the pantry and kitchen trying
to reproduce the conditions which gave rise to thoughts of work
that ought to be done; but with the help of the programme made
out the night before, and changed as circumstances seem to require
next morning, have been able to do many things which otherwise
would have been forgotten, or remembered when it was too late or
very inconvenient to do them.

An Economical Crumb-Cloth.

A red table-cloth that is too much faded to be used on the table
makes a good crumb cloth. Starch it as stiff as you can easily,
iron perfectly smooth, taking care to pull the edges straight and
even, pin it to the carpet instead of tacking it, as then it will not
be so much trouble to take it up, and you will wash it just as soon
as it needs it. It will keep clean a long time, and, even if you can
afford a handsome cloth, it is convenient to use this when the other
is up to be cleaned.

ScRAprNG Kettles.

A clam shell is more convenient for scraping kettles and frying
pans than a knife. It does the work in less time.

How to keep Lamp Chimneys Clean.
After the lamps are filled and the chimneys cleaned and put on
the shelf, take pieces of newspaper and roll in the form of a chim-

370 KITCHEN.

ney and slip over chimney and lamp. It will protect from dust and
flies, and when the lamps are lighted one will be rewarded by find-
ing them as clean and bright as when first put in order.

How to Start a Fire.
Keep the kerosene can in the wood-house. If you have no kind-
ling, and feel that oil must be used to start the fire, try this method:
Take a small paper bag, pour a little oil into it, and run with it to
the stove; in this way you can start a fire quickly without dropping
oil on the floor, or endangering your life. It would be better not
to use oil at all for this purpose.

To Make Fire Kindlers.
Take a quart of tar and three pounds of resin; melt them, bring
to a cooling temperature, mix with as much coarse sawdust, with a
little charcoal added, as can be worked in; spread out while hot
upon a board. When cold, break up into lumps of the size of a
hickory-nut, and you have, at a small expense, kindling material
enough for a household for a year.

How to Polish a Stove Easily.
If a little vinegar or some cider is mixed with stove polish it will
not take much rubbing to make the stove bright, and the blacking
is not likely to fly off in fine dust.

How to Use the Oil Stove.
A few suggestions in regard to the use of the oil stove may be of
value to some one who does not succeed well in using it. Com-
plaints are frequently made that a meal can not be put hot upon
the table if cooked on the single oil stove. My plan is this: If I
am to get breakfast by it, the first thing is to boil the water for
coffee, have the coffee in the pot, with some soft paper stuffed in
the nose. "When the water boils, pour a little on the coffee, cover
closely, and set it one side. Then warm the potatoes; when thor-
oughly cooked, cover them and set one side. If beefsteak is pre-
ferred to cold meat, cook that; the stove being very hot, it will

KITCHEN. 371

cook quickly. Then as you take the steak off with one hand,
with the other set the potatoes back on the stove. While you are
preparing the steak for the table, the potatoes will be getting hot;
while taking them off, set the coffee-pot back on the stove. Of
course, one must be very quick in her movements. Dinner may in
the same way be put smoking on the table, and the housewife, cool
and fresh, will enjoy the meal as well as any member of the family.
Any one who keeps plants in a room where there is no fire at night,
or in a bay window, may prevent their freezing by lighting the oil
stove and placing it near them. Canned fruit and vegetables may,
also, in this way be kept from freezing. One who has never tried
it will be surprised to notice how much heat is given out.

Blacking Stoves.
Every woman owes it to her family as well as to herself to
simplify her work as much as possible, and not to do things that
are unnecessary; for instance, it is a waste of time and strength
and blacking to black and polish the top of the kitchen stove after
each meal is prepared; and yet there are women who will be
shocked to read this assertion. Other parts of the stove can be
kept nice with very little trouble; and, if the top is kept clean till
her fire is out for the day, that ought to satisfy the most pains-
taking woman. A convenient arrangement for washing the top of
a hot stove is to have a smooth, round stick, with a soft cloth tied
securely to it. A cloth is better than a brush for cleaning corners.

How to Clean Mica.
Every woman who has been obliged to spend half a day several
times during the winter cleaning the mica in her coal stove, usually
by taking them out and washing them in soap-suds, will rejoice to
know there is a much easier way to clean them, and that there is no
need to take them out or let the fire burn very low in order to do it
successfully. Take a little vinegar and water and wash the mica
carefully with a soft cloth; the acid removes all stains, and if a
little pains is taken in cleaning the corners and in wiping them dry,

372 KITCHEN.

the mica will look as good as new. It is a great care to see that
Btoves are kept in pr p r order, and not many servants can be
trusted to do it as it shoiud bo done. The task might be made
somewhat easier by choosin ■ stoves which are not too highly orna-
mented. Unless the trimmings are kert absolutely spotless and
bright, which is a very difficult thing to accomplish, they cannot
lay the least claim to being ornamental; indeed, a stove which, by
reason of its excessive decoration, is rendered the most prominent
feature of the room, demanding attention the moment one enters, is
certainly in bad taste. A clean, well-polished stove, with graceful
shape, which fulfills the end of its being by heating the house, is all
that a stove should be. The fire may be, as it has been called, the
soul of the room, but it ought not to ask too much attention to its
body.

To Clean Knives.
Scrape at one end of the knife-board a little heap of Bath brick;
rub on a piece of red flannel some yellow soap; lay the knife flat
on the board; dip the soaped flannel in the brick-dust, and rub it on
the knife. When clean, wash the knives in warm water, but be
careful not to let it touch the handle. This method saves the
knives as well as the labor of cleaning in the usual way.

To Keep a Kitchen Table Clean.
A cook should always keep a piece of oil cloth ready, to put her
saucepans and stewpans on when necessary; the oil cloth can be so
much more easily cleaned than the table. A few common straw
mats are also very handy in a kitchen, to save the table from being
soiled.

CHAPTER XXXI.

THE LAUNDRY.

To Clean Colored Fabrics.
EARLY all colored fabrics stain the suds used to clean them,
and that without losing their own brightness in any way.
No article of a different color must be plunged into a rinse or
wash so stained, but must have fresh ones; and no colored article
must be rinsed in blued suds. Scarlet is particularly prone to color
a wash.

Different colors are improved by different substances being used
in the wash or rinse; sugar of lead has the credit of fixing all colors
when first cleaned, and may be used to those likely to run. To
brighten colors, mix some ox-gall; but, of course, the quantity must
be regulated by the quantity of suds in the wash and rinse. For
buff and cream-colored alpaca or cashmere, mix in the wash and
rinse some friar's balsam. For black materials, some ammonia.
For violet, ammonia or a small quantity of soda in the rinsing
water. There are some violets and mauves that fade in soda. For
green, vinegar in the rinse, in the proportion to two tablespoonfuls
to a quart of rinse. For blue, to one dress, a good handful of
common salt in the rinse. For brown and grey, ox-gall. For
white, blue the wash with laundry blue.

Dresses, mantles, shawls, opera cloaks, underskirts, articles
embroidered Math silk, self-colored or chintz-colored damask cur-
tains, moreen and other woollen curtaining, may all be cleaned as
specified so far. Blankets should be cleaned in the same way.
Pull them out well, whilst wet, at both sides and both ends, between

374 THE LAUNDRY.

two persons. When half dry, it is a good plan to take them off
the line, and pull them again; when quite dry just give them a
little more pulling out. This keeps them open and soft. Blankets
are not blued so much as flannels, presently described. Never use
soda to them, and never rinse them in plain water, or rub on soap.
The dyers and cleaners have a mode of pressing articles which
gives to many of them, such as damask and moreen curtaining and
paisley shawls, a superior appearance to anything that can be
achieved at home; but some of them will press articles at a fixed
price for persons cleaning them at home.

Muslin Dresses,

Even of the most delicate colors, can be cleaned in ten minutes
or a quarter of an hour, without losing their color. Melt half a
pound of soap in a gallon of water, empty it in a washing tub;
place near two large tubs of clean water, and stir into one a quart
of bran. Put the muslin in the soap, turn it over and knead it for
a few minutes; squeeze it out well, but do not wring it, lest it get
torn; rinse it about quickly in the bran for a couple of minutes.
Rinse again well for a couple of minutes in clean water. Squeeze
out dry and hang it between two lines. A clear, dry day should be
chosen to wash muslin dresses; half a dozen may be done this way
in half an hour. The last rinse may be prepared the same way as
the rinses for woollen fabrics. A colored pattern on a white ground
must not be blued. The bran may here be dispensed with.

When the dress is dry, make the starch; for a colored muslin
white starch, and unboiled, but made with boiling water, is best.
Stir the starch with the end of a wax candle. Dip the dress. Hang
it again to dry. When dry, rinse it quickly and thoroughly in
clear water. Hang it to dry again. Sprinkle and roll it up; after-
wards iron it with a very hot iron. Hot irons keep the starch stiff.
This rinsing after starching is called clear-starching; none of the
stiffness, but much of the unsightliness of the starch is removed in
this way.

THE LAUNDRY. 375

All kinds of white muslins, lace curtains, cravats, etc., may be
"washed in a thick ley of soap as described, well rinsed, blued, and
starched, like the muslin dresses above named. Use blue starch to
white. Book muslin should be very slightly blued as blue-looking
muslin is very unbecoming to the complexion; a slight creamy tinge
is preferable.

Morning cambric dresses may be washed the same way as muslin
dresses; but they do not generally clean so readily, and, perhaps,
may need rubbing a little in places that are soiled.

The advantage of thus cleaning dresses instead of washing them
is, first, if colored, the process is so rapid that there is not time for
the colors to run. Secondly, the fabric is not rubbed, and there-
fore not strained and worn out. Thirdly, the process saves nearly
all labor, and is so quickly done, that any lady may manage it for
herself in the absence of a laundry-maid.

Many ladies make a strong solution of sugar of lead; stir it well
when dissolved, and let the dress, muslin or cotton, soak a couple
of hours to set the colors before washing it the first time. It does
not need to be repeated. Those using sugar of lead should be care-
ful not to do so if they have any scratches, abrasions, or wounds
about their hands.

Chintz may be cleaned the same way as muslin and print dresses.
Laces.

Laces of all kinds can, with a little care, be rendered equal to
new. Make a strong solution of soap, as described for woollen
materials. The laces may all be put in at once. Squeeze them in
and out. They generally become free from dirt by once passing
through. They may then be thoroughly rinsed, blued, and starched;
but if at all discolored and bad looking, must first be boiled. Soap
each article thoroughly all over; fill a basin or jar with water
as blue as possible, and lumps of soda and soap; put the lace in
the basin; put the basin in a saucepan of water just large enough
to hold above by the rim (like a glue-pot), and put the saucepan
lid on the basin. Boil two or three hours, taking care the water

376 THE LAUNDRY.

does not boil out of the saucepan and let it burn; if need be,
replenish it; turn out the lace in the basin; rinse it well; blue it
with the finest blue that can be procured, but not much; get a
bottle of the best drawing gum in solution from an artists'
colorman (common liquid gum will not do); put a teaspoonful
of this to a pint of water; stir it well; stiffen the laces in it;
squeeze them dry; lay them on a clean dry towel; fold them up
till most of the moisture is absorbed. While still dry, pin out each
piece of lace by each point, stretching it equal to new, but not
straining any part, on a cushion which has first been covered with a
clean cloth. The right side of the lace should be up. Leave it till
quite dry, which will probably not be till the next day. If it is
Cluny lace with raised spots, take a pin and raise all the spots as it
lies on the cushion. Remove all the pins, and pick out every part
and corner of the lace with the fingers. If raised, raise it by draw-
ing it over the thumb-nail. Brussels lace and Honiton lace look
better ironed whilst a little damp, instead of being pinned out in
this way. Arrange these, also, with the finger, both before and
after ironing. Crochet may be pinned out, or left to dry, pulled
out with the fingers only, or pulled out whilst still damp and
ironed. It is, also, a matter of fancy whether it is starched or not.

To Bleach Lace, Etc.
After washing and boiling let it lie all day in excessively strong
blue- water; lay it out all night on the grass to dry. Boil again
with soap, without soda or blueing; rinse well. It must not, how-
ever, be forgotten that too much soda turns linen, etc., yellow.

To Stiffen Lit^en,
Such as cuffs that require to be very firm, boil the starch after
mixing it cold. Into a pint of starch drop a bit of white wax half
the size of a small hazle-nut and a teaspoonful of brandy. The
spirit is to retain the stiffness and increase it, the wax to save the
starch from sticking to the iron. "When an iron sticks to starch,
soap the bottom of the iron.

THE LAUNDRY. 377

To Clean Cloth.
A contemporary recommends the following plan: Moisten a
sponge with pure water, press it in a clean towel till it becomes
nearly dry; then sponge, one place after the other, the cloth; all the
dust will enter the sponge; wash the sponge afterwards with water.
This method of cleaning wears cloth out less than brushing. Many
spots also disappear with pure water.

To Clean Black Silk.
Take entirely to pieces the dress, jacket, etc., and well shake each
piece; then spread over a table and over it spread a newspaper, or
sheet of clean paper, and on it lay a breadth of the silk. Brush it
well both sides with a fine soft brush — a hat-brush would very well
answer the purpose. Shake it again; fold together in half, and
place it on one side of the table. In the same manner shake, brush,
and shake again, each piece of silk. Remove the paper, and place
on the table a clean sheet. On the paper again place a breadth of
the silk, and into a clean quart basin pour a half pint of cold water
adding a half pint of good sweetened gin, which is better for the
purpose than unsweetened, as the sugar stiffens the silk. These
are the proportions for any quantity required. Have ready a piece
of black crape, or black merino, about a half yard square; dip it
well into the liquid, and thoroughly wash over the best side of the
silk. Be careful that it be well cleaned, and, if possible, wash it
from edge to edge, and wet it well all over. Then fold over the
silk in half; then again, till the folds are the width of those of new
silk. Place it in a clean towel, and clean each piece of the silk in
the same manner, laying one piece on the other; and remembering
by a mark which is the last piece done, as that must be the last
ironed. Let the silk be folded in the towel till a large iron is well
heated; but be careful that it is not too hot; try it first on paper,
or a piece of old dampened silk. Use two irons. Open the towel
when the iron is ready, and place the piece of silk that was first
cleaned on an old table-cloth or sheet folded thick; iron the wrong

378 THE LAUNDRY.

side quickly, from edge to edge, until dry. Fold the silk over
lightly to the width of new silk, and place it on one end of the table
till all are done. This simple process stiffens, cleans, and makes
the silk look new.

To Clean Black Merino, or any Woollen Stuff.

Purchase at a drug store two cents worth of carbonate of
ammonia. Place it in a clean quart basin, and pour upon it a pint
of boiling water; cover it over with a clean plate, and let it stand
till cold. Then proceed the same as directed for cleaning black
silks. Gentlemen's clothes can thus be cleaned without taking to
pieces, or ironing, unless quite convenient. Vests and coat collars
are thus easily renovated, the color is revived, grease spots and
white seams removed.

To Renovate Crape.

Brush the crape well with a soft brush, and hold tightly over a
wide-mouthed jug of boiling water, gradually stretching it over the
jug. If a strip of crape, it is very easily held tightly over the
water, letting the portion done fall over the jug until all is com-
pleted. The crape will become firm and fit for use, every mark
and fold being removed. White or colored crape may be washed
and pinned over a newspaper, or towel, on the outside of a bed,
until dry. Crape that has been exposed to rain or damp— veils
especially — may be saved from spoiling by being stretched tightly
on the outside of the bed with pins, until dry; and no crape should
be left to dry without having been pulled into proper shape. If
black crape, lace, or net, is faded or turned brown, it may be dipped
into water, colored with the blue-bag, adding a lump of loaf sugar
to stiffen, and pinned to a newspaper on a bed.

Washing Clothes.
If pipe clay is dissolved in the water, the linen is thoroughly
cleaned with half the labor and a saving of one-fourth of soap; and
the clothes will be improved in color equally as if bleached. The
pipe clay softens the hardest water.

THE LAUNDRY. 379

Washing Chintzes.
These should always be washed in dry weather, but if it is very
cold, it is better to dry them by the fire than risk spoiling the
colors from freezing in the open air. It is better, if possible, to
defer their washing till the weather is suitable.

To Remove Spots of Wax.
Place a piece of soft soap on each spot and warm it slightly
before the fire, or in the sun (if hot). Wash the spot afterward
with soft water, and it will disappear..

Another Recipe.
Cover the spot with spirits of wine or turpentine, and rub the
place gently with a soft rag. Continue the same process until the
spot disappears.

To Clean Carpets.

When the carpet is well beaten and free from dust, lay it tightly
down, and scrub it with soap, dissolved in soft water mixed with
bullock's gall — about four gallons of water to a pint of gall. This
will restore the colors of the carpet to their original brightness, and
make it look almost like new. The brush employed should be of
soft character, with long bristles.

For Bleaching Cotton Cloth.
One pound chloride of lime, dissolved and strained; put in two
or three pails of water; thoroughly wet the cloth and leave it over
night; then rinse well in two waters. This will also take out mil-
dew, and is equally good for brown cotton or white that has become
yellow from any cause, and will not injure the fabric.

To Clean Light Kid Gloves.
Magnesia, moist bread, and India rubber, are all of them good to
clean light kid gloves. They should be rubbed on the gloves thor-
oughly. If so much soiled that they cannot be cleaned, sew up the
tops of the gloves, and rub them over with a sponge dipped in a

380 THE LAUNDRY.

decoction of saffron and water. The gloves will be yellow or
brown, according to the strength of the decoction.

To Clean White Silk Lace.

The lace is stretched over small clean slips of wood to keep it
evenly spread out, laid over night in warm milk, to which a little
soap has been added, rinsed in fresh water, laid for the same length
of time in warm soap-lye, and finally rinsed without any friction.
Linen lace is best cleaned by covering the outside of a large glass
bottle smoothly with stout linen or white flannel, upon which the
lace is sewn in a number of coils, and over the whole some coarse
open tissue is secured. The bottle thus dressed is allowed to soak
for a time in lukewarm soft water, and the outside wrapping is then
rubbed with soap and a piece of flannel. After this the bottle is
laid to steep for some hours in clean soft water. It is then rolled
between dry towels, dipped in rice water, and rolled again. Finally
the damp lace is unfastened from the bottle and ironed between
linen cloths.

Starch Polish.

White wax, one ounce; spermaceti, two ounces; melt them
together with a gentle heat. When you have prepared a sufficient
amount of starch, in the usual way, for a dozen pieces — put into it
a piece of the polish the size of a large pea; more or less, according
to large or small washings. Or, thick gum solution (made by
pouring boiling water upon gum arabic), one tablespoonful to a pint
of starch, gives clothes a beautiful gloss.

Washing Fluid.
Dissolve in a gallon of hot water one pound of concentrated lye,
one-half ounce salts of tartar, one-half ounce liquid ammonia; when
cool, bottle for use. Soak the clothes over night; wring out and
add a cup of the fluid to a boiler of water; put in the clothes and
boil one hour; rub them as much as is necessary, and rinse well in
two waters, with a little bluing in the last. But little rubbing is
necessary, and this method will certainly save clothes, time, and

THE LAUNDRY. 381

labor. Lace curtains may be washed in the same way. Starch
them and press out all that is possible in a towel; pin sheets on the
carpet; spread out the curtains carefully, shaping every scallop on
the sheets; pin them in place and leave them until dry.

Gem Washing Fluid.
One pound salsoda, one ounce borax, one ounce salts of tartar,
one ounce ammonia, three quarts of rain water. Put the rain water
over the fire, then put in the salsoda, borax, and salts of tartar. Do
not put in the ammonia until it gets cold. Put one cup into the
boiler when you boil your clothes.

Hard Soap.

It is a simple matter to make hard soap, which is not only agree-
able to use, but which has the great m rii of cleanliness. To seven
pounds of tallow use three pounds of rosin, two pounds of potash,
and six gallons of water; boil for three houro, or, better still, for
five; turn from a kettle into a wash-tub; let it stand all night. In
the morning cut into bars, and lay them on a table or board in the
sun to harden for two or three days. This quantity will last a
family of four persons a year, if used for ordinary household
purposes.

Soft Soap.

Take six gallons of soft or rain water, add three pounds of best
hard soap (cut fine), one pound salsoda, four tablespoonfuls of
hartshorn; boil the whole till perfectly dissolved; pour into vessels,
and when cold it is fit for use. This makes fifty pounds of fine
jelly soap.

How to Wash Flannels.

There are many conflicting theories in regard to the proper way
to wash flannels, but I am convinced, from careful observation, that
the true way is to wash them in water in which you can comfort-
ably bear your hand. Make suds before putting the flannels in,
and do not rub soap on the flannel. I make it a rule to have only
one piece of flannel put in the tub at a time. Wash in two suds if

382 THE LAUNDRY.

much soiled; then rinse thoroughly in clean, weak suds, wring and
hang up; but do not take flannels out of warm water and hang out
in a freezing air, as that certainly tends to shrink them. It is
better to dry them in the house, unless the sun shines. In washing
worsted goods, such as men's pantaloons, pursue the same course;
only do not wring them, but hang them up and let them drain;
while a little damp, bring in and press smoothly with as hot an iron
as you can use without scorching the goods. The reason for not
wringing them is to prevent wrinkles.

How to Keep Black Gloves from Crocking.

Black cotton gloves will not crock the hands if scalded in salt
and water before wearing. The salt prevents fading. When
almost dry, one should put them on, in order to stretch them and
keep them in good shape.

Some one may wish to know how to wash a linen duster in such
a way that it will not look faded. All old colored linen should be
washed in lukewarm water. If there are any grease spots, use a
little hard soap, or, better still, remove them with benzine. Rinse
thoroughly in water in which a third of a cup of salt has been dis-
solved; the last water must be very blue, and a small handful of
starch put in. Hang in a shady place; and, as soon as the duster is
dry, take it down, so that the wind will not blow the starch out.
If dampened with warm water, it will soon be ready to iron.

To Remove Scorches.
Spread over the cloth a paste made of the juice pressed from two
onions, one-fourth ounce white soap, two ounces fuller's earth, and
one-half pint vinegar. Mix, boil well, and cook before using.

"Washing Towels.

Towels with handsome, bright borders should never be boiled,

or allowed to lie in very hot water; they should not be used till

they are so much soiled that they need vigorous rubbing to

make them clean. It is better economy to use more towels than

THE LAUNDRY. 383

to wear out a few in a short time. A gentle rubbing in two suds,
and then conscientious rinsing in warm water and then in cold,
ought to be all that is required.

How to do up Shirt Bosoms.

" Take two ounces of fine white gum arabic powder; put it in a
pitcher and pour on a pint or more of boiling water, according to
the degree of strength you desire, and then, having covered it, let
it stand all night. In the morning pour it carefully from the dregs
into a clean bottle, cork, and keep it for use. A tablespoonful of
gum water stirred in a pint of starch, made in the usual manner,
will give to lawn, either white or printed, a look of newness, when
nothing else can restore them after they have been washed."

If your flat-irons are rough and smoky, lay a little fine salt on a
flat surface and rub them well; it will prevent them from sticking
to anything starched, and make them smooth.

CHAPTER XXXII.

SEWING ROOM.

Saving Thread.
HEN raveling out a fringe on mats or tidies made of Java or
fjj^ honeycomb canvas, save the threads. You may use them to
feather-stitch bands of white cotton cloth for trimming.
They are serviceable on children's underwear, at the top of Ham-
burg ruffles, and will last longer than insertion.

Window Shades.
Scarlet holland shades, trimmed across the ends with antique lace,
are very pretty and serviceable for a dining-room, giving a soft
and warm light to the room.

Scrap-Bags.

It is a good plan to have pretty scrap-bags in sitting-room, bed-
room, and dining-room, and to hang one near the sewing-machine.
They may be ornamental, and are certainly useful. Since trying
this I have saved paper rags enough to buy all the new tin-ware
needed in the house, and have occasionally bought a broom also.

Every bit of cloth, every postal-card and circular, that would
otherwise have been put into the stove as not being worth the
trouble of a walk to the regular rag-bag, finds its way into the little
scrap-bag.

It is a good plan to keep your different kinds of pieces, tape,
thread, etc., in separate bags, and there is no time lost looking for
them.

Pretty bags are made of perforated paper, with a simple vine

SEWING ROOM. 385

worked around the top, the bottom of the bag being of silk or
merino, and the top finished with a crocheted scallop; or they may-
be made of Java canvas, with wire around the top to keep it in
shape; a piece of old hoopskirt may be used for this purpose.

Sewing on Buttons.
When sewing buttons on children's clothes where there will be
much strain on the button, the danger of tearing the cloth out will
be greatly lessened by putting a small button directly under the
larger outside button. This applies, of course, only to buttons with
holes through them.

Marking Handkerchiefs.

A plain hem-stitched pocket-handkerchief can bd ornamented
prettily by putting a row of feather-stitching, in white or colored
working cotton, just above the hem. This is a good way to mark
handkerchiefs for the wash, providing, of course, that the washing
is done at home.

Table Covers.

Simple and tasteful table covers for bed-rooxns may be made of
pale blue Canton flannel, trimmed with antique lace, or with velvet
ribbons feather-stitched on, and finished with fringe made of blue
split zephyr or Shetland wool. Table covers made of blocks of
cretonne are very handsome. If two or three persons wish to make
them, they can buy the materials to better advantage. Let each
one get several kinds of cretonne, a quarter of a yard of each kind;
then they can arrange to have each block different. Stitch the
blocks on a lining made of unbleached cotton or of colored cam-
bric. Then, when the blocks are joined, sew on narrow braid,
which can be bought at any furniture store, or use narrow black
velvet, worked in fancy stitches, or common black dress braid,
feather-stitched with canary-colored silk. When cutting out the
blocks, if a little care is exercised in placing the pattern on the
cloth, strips will be left with a suitable figure which can be sewed

25

386 SEWING ROOM.

together to make a lambrequin. Have the strips about five inches
wide. One thing should be thought of when beginning to do fancy
work, and that is, if you have not time to do it well, do not under-
take it; it cannot be slighted or hurried over without entirely
spoiling the effect. In making the spread, unless the blocks are
exactly square, and the edges not stretched, your spread will not
hang well on the table.

Taking Care of Stockings.
Before the children's stockings begin to be thin at the knees and
to need darning, put a piece of cloth under and sew with fine
stitches, so that they will not show. Soft flannel, or pieces of old
stockings which are strong enough to be worth using, are better
than any heavier cloth. By taking the trouble to do this, the
stockings can be made to last twice as long as without it.

Putting away Stockings.
When putting away summer stockings, see that they are clean
and whole. It is a great comfort to find them ready for use in the
spring. Have a calico or cambric bag to hold the stockings of each
member of the family. Label each one, in order to save time, and
not be obliged to look into each to find the ones you wish to use.
In summer keep the winter stockings in them.

To Preserve Old Stockings.
Pale blue stockings which have faded can have the color restored
by dipping them into hot water in which common bluing has been
poured, and some lumps of alum dissolved. Old white stockings
can be colored in this way, and do a good deal of service.

Home-made "Work-Baskets.
Pretty little work-baskets may be made of — what do you think?
the paper pails used to carry oysters home from the market in ! I
saw one a few days ago; it was lined with pale pink silk, the soft
silk used for linings. The silk was turned over the outer edge and
shirred around it. The wire handle was taken off, and a narrow

SEWING ROOM. 387

strip of canvas used in place of it. This was covered with silk
and ornamented with a tiny bow. On each side of the pail was
pasted a pretty picture. One would not guess of what the basket
was made.

Harmonious Color Contrasts.
The following list of harmonizing colors will be found very useful
in selecting wall decorations or colors for any purpose. Red with
green, blue with orange, yellow with violet, black with warm
brown, violet with pale green, violet with light rose, deep blue with
golden brown, chocolate with light blue, deep red with gray,
maroon with warm green, deep blue with pink, chocolate with pea
green, maroon with deep blue, claret with buff, black with warm
green.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

DYEING, ETC.

e?

VERYTHING should be clean. The goods should be scoured
in soap and the soap rinsed out. They are often steeped in
soap lye over night. Dip them into water just before putting
them into preparations, to prevent spotting. Soft water should be
used, sufficient to cover the goods well — this is always understood
where quantity is not mentioned. When goods are dyed, air, rinse
well, and hang up to dry. Do not wring silk or merino dresses
when scouring or dyeing them. If cotton goods are to be dyed a
light color, they should first be bleached.

Silks.
Black. — Make a weak dye as for black on woollens; work goods
in bichromate of potash a little below boiling heat, then dip in the
logwood in same way; if colored in blue vitriol dye, use about
same heat.

Brown on Silk or Cotton — Very Beautiful. — After obtain-
ing a blue color as above, run goods through a solution of prussiate
of potash, one ounce, to water, one gallon.

Crimson. — For one pound goods — alum, three ounces; dip at
hand heat one hour; take out and drain while making new dye by
boiling ten minutes, cochineal, three ounces, bruised nut-galls, two
ounces, and cream of tartar, one-fourth ounce, in one pail of water;
when little cool, begin to dip, raising heat to boil; dip one hour;
wash and dry.

Green — Very Handsome. — For one pound goods — yellow oak

DYEING, ETC. 389

bark, eight ounces; boil one-half hour; turn off liquor from bark
and add alum, six ounces; let stand until cold; while making this,
color goods in blue-dye-tub a light blue; dry and wash; dip in the
alum and bark dye. If it does not take well, warm the dye a
little.

Light Blue. — For cold water, one gallon, dissolve alum, one-half
tablespoonful, in hot water, one cup, and add to it, then add chemic,
one teaspoonful at a time to obtain the desired color — the more
chemic, darker the color.

Old Gold. — Take green horse-radish leaves, steep them in water
and make a strong dye. After dipping the silk or satin into the
dye thoroughly, wash in soft soap-suds. Iron while damp, laying
a cloth over the silk or ribbon. This should always be done when
ironing silk or ribbon, even if it has not been washed, but simply
sponged. Black silk may be sponged with cold coffee and
ammonia.

Orange. — For one pound goods — annotto, one pound; soda, one
pound; repeat as desired.

Purple. — For one pound goods. First obtain a light blue, by
dipping in home-made dye-tub; then dry; dip in alum, four ounces,
with water to cover when little warm. If color is not full enough,
add chemic.

Skv Blue on Silk or Cotton — Very Beautiful. — Give goods
as much color from a solution of blue vitriol, two ounces, to water,
one gallon, as it will take up in dipping fifteen minutes, then run it
through lime water. This will make a beautiful and durable sky
blue.

Yellow. — For one pound goods — alum, three ounces; sugar of
lead, three-fourths ounce; immerse goods in solution over night;
take out; drain and make a new dye with fustic, one pound; dip
until required color is obtained.

390 DYEING, ETC.

Woollen Goods.

Blub — Quick Process. — For two pounds goods — alum, five
ounces; cream of tartar, three ounces; boil goods in this one hour,
then put goods into warm water which has more or less extract of
indigo in it, according to the depth of color desired, and boil again
until it suits, adding more of the blue if needed.

Chrome Black — Best in Use. — For five pounds goods — blue
vitriol, six ounces; boil a few minutes, then dip goods three-fourths
hour, airing often; take out goods, make a dye with three pounds
logwood, boil one-half hour; dip three-fourths hour and air goods,
and dip three-fourths hour more. Wash in strong suds. This will
not fade by exposure to sun.

Green. — For each pound of goods — fustic, one pound, with alum
three and one-half ounces; steep until strength is out, and soak
goods until a good yellow is obtained; then remove the chips and
add extract of indigo or chemic, one tablespoonful at a time, until
color suits.

Madder Red. — To each pound of goods — alum, five ounces; red,
or cream of tartar, one ounce. Put in goods and bring kettle to a
boil for one-half hour, then air them and boil one-half hour longer;
empty kettle and fill with clean water; put in bran one peck; make
it milk-warm, and let it stand until bran rises, then skim off the
bran and put in v/ne-half pound madder; put in goods and heat
slowly until it boils and is done. Wash in strong suds.

Orange. — For five pounds goods — muriate of tin, six tablespoon-
fuls; argal, four ounces; boil and dip one hour, and add again to
the dye one cup madder; dip again one-half hour. Cochineal,
about two ounces, in place of madder, makes a much brighter
color.

Pink. — For three pounds goods — alum, three ounces; boil and
dip the goods one hour; then add to the dye, cream of tartar, four
ounces; cochineal, well pulverized, one ounce; boil well and dip the
goods while boiling until the color suits.

DYEING, ETC. 391

Scarlet — Very Fine. — For one pound goods — cream of tartar,
one-half ounce, cochineal, well pulverized, one-half ounce, muriate
of tin, two and one-half ounces; boil up the dye and enter the
goods; work them briskly for ten or fifteen minutes, then boil one
and one-half hours, stirring goods slowly while boiling. Wash in
clear water and dry in the shade.

Snuff Brown — Dark. — For five pounds of goods — camwood one
pound; boil it fifteen minutes, then dip goods for three-fourths hour;
take out goods, add to the dye, two and one-half pounds fustic; boil
ten minutes and dip goods three-fourths hour; then add blue vitriol
one ounce, copperas four ounces; dip again one-half hour. If not
dark enough; add more copperas.

Another Method — Any Shade. — Boil goods in a mordant of
alum two parts, copperas, three parts; then rinse them through a
bath of madder. The tint depends on the relative proportions of
the copperas and alum; the more copperas the darker the dye.
Joint weight of both should not be more than one-eighth of weight
of goods. Mixtiu-es of reds and yellows with blues and blacks, or
simple dyes, will make any shade.

Wfte Color. — For five pounds goods — camwood, two pounds;
boil fifteen minutes, and dip goods one-half hour; boil again and
dip one-half hour; then darken with blue vitriol one and one-half
ounces; if not dark enough, add copperas, one-half ounce.

Crimson. — Work for one hour in a bath with one pound cochi-
neal paste; six ounces dry cochineal; one pound tartar; one pint
protochloride of tin. Wash out and dry.

Dove and Slate Colors of all Shades. — Boil in iron vessel a
cup of black tea with teaspoonf uls of copperas, and sufficient water.
Dilute till you get the shade wanted.

Purple. — For each pound goods — two ounces cudbear; rinse
goods well in soap suds, then dissolve cudbear in hot suds — not
quite boiling — and soak the goods until of required color. The
color is brightened by rinsing in alum water.

392 DYEING, ETC.

Salmon. — For each pound goods — one-fourth pound annotto;
one-fourth pound soap; rinse goods in warm water, put them into
mixture and boil one-half hour. Shade will be according to amount
of annotto.

Yellow — Rich. — Work five pounds goods one-half hour in a
boiling bath with three ounces bichromate of potassa and two
ounces alum; lift and expose till well cooled and drained, then
work one-half hour in another bath with five pounds fustic. Wash
out and dry.

Cotton Goods.

Black. — For five pounds goods — boil them in a decoction of
three pounds sumac one-half hour, and steep twelve hours; dip in
lime water one-half hour; take out and let them drip one hour; run
them through the lime water again fifteen minutes. Make a new
dye with two and one-half pounds logwood (boiled one hour), and
dip again three hours; add bichromate potash, two ounces, to the
logwood dye and dip one hour. Wash in clear cold water and dry
in shade. Only process for permanent black.

Green. — Dip goods in home-made blue; dye until blue enough
is obtained to make the green as dark as required; take out, dry
and rinse a little. Make a dye with fustic, three pounds, logwood,
three ounces to each pound goods, by boiling dye one hour; when
cooled so as to bear hand, put in goods, move briskly few minutes,
and let lie one hour; take out and thoroughly drain; dissolve and
add to the dye for each pound of cotton, blue vitrol, one half ounce,
and dip another hour. Wring out and let dry in the shade. By
adding or diminishing the logwood and fustic, any shade may be
had.

Orange. — For five pounds goods — sugar of lead, four ounces;
boil few minutes; when a little cool, put in goods; dip two hours;
wring out; make a new dye with bichromate potash, eight ounces;
madder, two ounces; dip until it suits; if color is too red, take
small sample and dip into lime water and choose between them.

DYEING, ETC. 393

Red. — Muriate of tin, two-thirds cup; add water to cover goods;
raise to boiling heat; put in goods one hour; stir often; take out,
empty kettle, put in clean water with nicwood, one pound, steep
one-half Jiour at hand heat; then put in goods and increase heat
one hour — not boiling. Air goods and dip one hour as before.
Wash without soap.

Sky Blue. — For three pounds goods — blue vitrol, four ounces;
boil few minutes, then dip goods three hours; then pass them
through strong lime water. A beautiful brown can be obtained by
next putting goods through a solution of prussiate of potash.

Yellow. — For five pounds of goods — seven ounces sugar of lead;
dip goods two hours; make new dye with bichromate of potash,
four ounces; dip until color suits; wring out and dry. If not yellow
enough, repeat.

Coloring Cotton Carpet Rags.

Blue. — For five pounds of cloth, take five ounces of copperas,
with two pails of water in a tin or copper boiler; set it over the
fire till the copperas is dissolved and it begins to heat, then put in
the cloth, stirring it frequently till it boils, one-half or three-fourths
of an hour; then remove the cloth where it can drain; pour away
the copperas water and take two ounces of prussiate of potash in
about two pails of water in the same vessel; when it is well dis-
solved and hot, put in the cloth from the copperas water, stirring
it thoroughly till it boils, one-half an hour, then remove the cloth;
add (with care and caution, on account of the spattering which
ensues) one tablespoonful of oil of vitrol, and stir it well in the
dye; replace the cloth, stirring it briskly till it has boiled one-half
an hour. Should be well rinsed and washed in clear water to pre-
vent the dye from making it tender after coloring.

Yellow. — For five pounds of cloth dissolve one-half pound of
sugar of lead in a tub of warm water and twelve ounces of bichro-
mate of potash in another tub of cold water; soak, rinse, and wring

394 DYEING, ETC.

the cloth in the lead water first, ,then in the other, and return from
one to the other, till the right shade of color is obtained.

Orange. — Dip the yellow colored cloth into strong lime water;
if it should not turn, boil it; rinse all well.

Green. — Put your blue cloth in the yellow dye in the same
manner as for coloring yellow. Old calico will take a darker shade
of blue or green in the same dye with the white cloth.

To Remove Stains.

We shall commence by dealing with the most common stains,
namely:

Ink Stains in Woollen Table-Covers and Carpets may be
removed by washing the spots with a mixture of a teaspoonf ul of
oxalic acid in a cup of warm water, after which the places must be
rinsed with clean cold water to take out the acid.

Another Method. — Pour milk upon the ink directly and rub it
with a damp flannel; repeat until the ink disappears. Then wash
with flannel and water, and rub dry. When milk is at hand, place
a plate under the ink spot and pour milk on the ink. Allow it to
lie in the milk, and when removed from the table, if not free from
ink, dip it in a cup or basin of milk and rinse in cold water.

To Remove Ink Stains from Floors or Mahogany. — Rub on
with a cork a little spirits of wine, and wash it off with water.

To Remove Stains of Port Wine. — Wet the stain with sherry
or bleaching liquid.

To Remove Mildew. — Wash in bleaching liquid.

Stains in Silk. — Stains in colored silk dresses can often be
removed by pure water.

Acid, Tea, Wine, and Other Stains. — Stains caused by acids,
tea, or fruits, can often be removed by spirits of hartshorn, diluted
with an equal quantity of water. To remove tar, pitch, or turpen-
tine the spot may be saturated with sweet oil, or a little tallow may

DYEING, ETC. 395

be spread upon it, after which it must remain for twenty-four
hours. If the article is of linen or cotton, it must be washed in
the usual way; but if silk or worsted, it is to be rubbed with ether
or spirits of wine. Pure spirits of turpentine will remove recent
spots of oil-paint by rubbing. Wax and spermaceti should be
scraped off and the places where they have been should be rubbed
with spirits of wine, spirits of turpentine, or mephuric ether.
Grease spots can commonly be taken out of silk by means of French
chalk as follows: Scrape a little chalk upon the spot and place
underneath a warm iron or water plate filled with boiling water.
The heat melts the grease, which is absorbed by the chalk and it
can be removed by rubbing or brushing. It may be needful to
repeat the process. A very good stain mixture is made with half
an ounce of salts of tartar, half an ounce of sal-ammonia and half a
pint of soft water. Places to which this is applied should be
washed afterward in clean water. The mixture of oxalic acid and
water above described will remove ink stains and iron mould from
linen and calico. The article must be wetted with it and held over
the steam of hot water, after which it must be washed with pure
water. If necessary the process may be repeated; but it must be
noted that the preparation is highly poisonous.

Stains Caused by Scorching. — For whitening scorched linen,
it is often sufficient to wet it with soap-suds, and lay it in the hot
sun. Another method, where milk is plentiful, is to put one pound
of white soap into a gallon of milk and boil the scorched article in
it. Another plan is to squeeze out the juice of two middle-sized
onions, which is boiled in half a pint of vinegar, with one ounce of
white soap and two ounces of fuller's earth; the mixture is applied
cool to the scorched part, and when dry, washed off with pure
water.

How to Restore Stained and Discolored Muslins. — Dis-
colored muslins may be whitened if they are laid in a flat dish with
suds made of white soap, and set out in the sun. This takes time
and the suds have to be renewed daily. In the country, away from

396 DYEING, ETC.

the smoke of towns, white linen may be bleached by being wetted
with soap-suds and spread out upon the grass in the sun.

Stains Caused by Mildew. — Mildew is removed in several
ways from linen. Some dip the article in sour buttermilk, lay it in
the sun to whiten, and then wash in clean water. Others apply
soap and chalk, or soap and starch, adding half as much salt as
there is starch, and the juice of a lemon.

Linen. — Stains in linen can often be removed by rubbing them
with soft soap, after which a starch paste is put on and the articles
are dried in the sun. This process may need to be repeated several
times. The soap and starch are to be washed off with pure cold
water.

Stains on Mahogany, Etc. — The marks made by cups of hot
water on varnished tables may be taken out with a little oil which
must be rubbed on, after which a little spirits of wine must be also
rubbed in. A teaspoonful of oil of vitriol in a tablespoonf ul of
water, or the mixture of oxalic acid and water, above described,
will take ink stains out of mahogany. The application is to be
made quickly with a brush, or piece of flannel, and then washed off
with milk.

Silver and Electro-plate Stains. — The obstinate dark stains
upon silver and electro-plate may almost always be removed by
means of a little diluted sulphuric acid. Pour the acid into a
saucer, and, with a linen cloth wetted in it, rub the stain till it is
gone. The article should afterwards be treated to a coat of fine
whitening and spirits of wine. Let this remain on for half an
hour; then wipe it off with a silk cloth and polish with soft wash-
leather or a plate-brush.

To Take Ink Stains from Mahogany. — Oil of vitriol with
water, in the proportion of about one of the former to two of the
latter, may be used for this purpose. Dip a feather into it, just
touch the stains with the end of the feather, and at once rub it
quickly off. In most cases the ink stains will be removed with it;

DYEING, ETC. 397

if this, however, should not be the case, repeat the process. If the
vitriol is not at once removed, there is a probability of its merely
substituting one defect for another — a white mark for a dark stain.

Oil Stains. — Oil stains in floors and carpets may be treated with
a paste made of fuller's earth and water, which will have to be
applied several times. If this paste is applied to colored textures,
the addition of a little ox-gall will preserve the colors from injury.
The paste, when dry, can be removed with a brush.

en

CHAPTER XXXIV-

ODDS AND ENDS.

How to Protect the Dress.
ADIES who do their own work will find that, in addition to a
long apron, a pair of calico sleeves, with a rubber cord at
the top, is a dispenser of happiness. One can slip them on
over cuffs and nice dress sleeves, get tea, and even wash the tea
dishes, without injuring the dress.

Ptttttstg Up Curtains.

When putting up curtains, which are draped, in a low room, put
the cornice to which the curtain is to be fastened close to the ceiling,
even if the window is put lower down, as it gives the effect of
greater height to the room. The curtains meeting at the top will
conceal the wall.

Window Gardens.

Pretty window gardens may be made by taking the tin boxes in
which mackerel is put up, paint them green or scarlet, and put in
some plants that grow well together. When watering them do not
use more water than will be absorbed during the day. A few
experiments will soon enable one to judge correctly in regard to
the amount, and it is surprising to see how the plants will thrive in
utter defiance of all the wise things that are said about drainage.
The tin or zinc cases in which thread is packed will also, when
painted and placed in a stand, make very good window gardens.
Water in which gridiron and frying-pan have been washed is an
excellent fertilizer.

ODDS AND ENDS. 399

To Keep Boys and Girls at Home.
An excellent and well-tried recipe for keeping boys and girls out
of mischief in the long winter evenings is to give them something
suitable and interesting to do. Set them to making scrap-books.
If there are two or three children, let each one take a subject, and
see what and how much each can collect upon that for his book.
For example, we have what we call an " Animal Scrap-Book," in
which is pasted every fact, incident, and anecdote we can find
relating to animals. We have a dog department, a horse depart-
ment, etc. It is a valuable book for purposes of illustration or
reference.

Lining Stair Carpets.

It is a common practice to use bits of old carpet as a lining for
stair carpets, but a much better way is to take strips of an old bed-
quilt, have them not quite the width of the staircase, wash and dry
first, then put smoothly over the stairs, tacking in a few places. It
is softer than old carpet, and will not wear the outer one nearly so
much. Of course this is a hint for those who cannot afford the
nice linings that are made on purpose.

Putting Away Woollen Clothes.
Great care must be exercised in putting away winter clothes.
Clean paper sacks, or old cotton or linen pillow cases, will do to
hold them, providing there are no holes in them. Take the gar-
ments that are to be laid away out doors on a summer day, let
them hang on a line for several hours, brush and beat all the dust
out, then put into the bags; tie them up so that no moth can get
in, then lay them on clean, dry shelves, or hang them up.

Pretty and Simple Ornaments.

A pretty decoration for the corner of a room is a bunch of ripe

wheat tied with a bright ribbon; or divide the wheat across the

stems, tie, and hang over a picture. The beauty of common things

is now fully established; cat's-tails, sunflowers, and dandelions are

400 ODDS AND ENDS.

at length appreciated. Acorns may also be used to good advantage
for trimming fancy baskets for waste paper; take a piece of wire
and fasten around the stems, and you can arrange them in any way
to suit yourself. They are pretty bronzed, or may be used in the
state of nature, as they were picked up in the woods. To bronze
them, get a little bronze powdered at a drug store, mix it with
varnish, and apply with a soft cloth. The powder must be used
very quickly after mixing with the varnish, or that will harden so
that it will be impossible to use it.

How to Make an Old Japanese Umbrella Useful.

Shut it partly together, then put a wire around the top, tie a
ribbon to the handle, and use it for a scrap-bag or a waste-paper
bag.

To Remove Paint and Putty from Window Glass.

Put sufficient pearl ash into hot water, to make a strong solution;
then saturate the paint which is daubed on the glass with it.
Let it remain till nearly dry, then rub it off hard, with a woollen
cloth. Pearl ash water is also good to remove putty before it is
dried on the glass. If it dries on, whiting is good to remove it.

To Preserve Natural Plotters.
Dip the flowers in melted paraffine, withdrawing them quickly.
The liquid should be only just hot enough to maintain its fluidity,
and the flowers should be dipped one at a time, held by the stalks
and moved about for an instant to get rid of air bubbles. Fresh-
cut flowers, free from moisture, make excellent specimens in this

way.

Eggs — To Preserve for Winter Use.

For every three gallons of water, put one pint fresh slaked lime,

and common salt, one-half pint; mix well, and let the barrel be

about half full of this fluid, then with a dish let down your fresh

eggs into it, tipping the dish after it fills with water, so they roll

out without cracking the shell, for if the shell is cracked the egg

will spoil.

ODDS AND ENDS. 401

Charcoal for Flowers.
It is an ascertained fact that powdered charcoal, placed around
rose bushes and other flowers, has the effect of adding much to
their richness.

To Revive Gilt Frames.
Take white of eggs, two ounces; chloride of plaster or soda, one
ounce; mix well; blow the dust from the frame, and apply with a
soft brush.

Floor-cloths.

Do not put carpets in your closets; oil cloth or matting is much
better, and can be easily kept free from dust. Matting after being
swept should be wiped with a damp cloth. Hot salt and water will
thoroughly cleanse it and will not discolor it.

To Pot Butter for Winter Use.

Mix a large spoonful of salt, a tablespoonf ul of powdered white
sugar, and one of saltpetre. Work this quantity into six pounds of
fresh made butter; put the butter into a stone pot, that is thor-
oughly cleansed. When you have finished putting down your
butter, cover it with a layer of salt, and let it remain covered until
cold weather.

To Prevent Rust.

To prevent metals from rusting, melt together three parts of lard
and one of rosin, and apply a very thin coating. It will preserve
Russia iron stoves and grates from rusting during summer, even in
damp situations. The effect is equally good on brass, copper, steel,
etc. The same compound forms an excellent water-proof paste for
leather. Boots, when treated with it, will soon after take the usual
polish, when blacked, and the soles may be saturated with it.

Paste.
How many little things are left unmended for the want of some
ready-made paste in the house. Liquid glue is often not strong
enough to hold thick material together; but dextrine answers all pur-

402 ODDS AND ENDS.

poses. It is very cheap, is mixed with cold water, and keeps better
than paste till next wanted. Keeping some of the powder in the
house and a special pot or jar for mixing, will be found most
convenient. It can be made thick or thin, to suit what it is
required for.

French Polish.

Boil in a quart of liquid, consisting of two parts of vinegar, and
one part of water, one-fourth pound of glue and the same quantity
of logwood chips, with about the sixth part of an ounce of the
following ingredients: Soft soap, isinglass, and finely-powdered
indigo. When boiled for a quarter of an hour it should be strained
off, and when cold be fit for use. It should be applied with a
piece of soft rag or sponge, the shoes being quite dry and free
from dirt.

To Preserve Steel Articles from Rust.

Paint the articles over with white beeswax dissolved in benzole.
The benzole rapidly evaporates, leaving the steel covered with a
thin coating of the wax. As the solution is very volatile it should
be kept in a bottle tightly corked.

To Preserve Flowers.

Take a jar sufficiently large to contain the flower to be preserved,
and in the bottom place a lump of clay or some similar substance
in which the flower must be stuck upright. Then pour in carefully
fine dry sand till the flower is completely embedded in it. This
must be done very slowly and cautiously so as not to disturb the
leaves of the flower. Dried in this way, flowers preserve their
form and much of their color for months, and are interesting and
pretty for the winter decoration of rooms.

Incombustible Dresses.

Ladies' dresses, even of the lightest and most inflammable nature,
may be rendered almost completely fire-proof by being dipped in a
solution of Jhe chloride of zinc. When they are thus treated, it
will be found almost impossible to make them blaze by contact

ODDS AND ENDS. 403

with flame; or either of the following will, answer the same pur-
pose:

Dissolve half an ounce of alum or sal-ammoniac, and mix it with
the water in which the dress is rinsed.

Half the weight of whiting mixed with the starch will render
lace, net, muslin gauze, or any other light stuff, perfectly unin-
flammable.

Home-Made Table Syrup.

Take one pint and a half of water, four pounds of sugar, one
teaspoonful of pulverized alum, put in a kettle and boil three
minutes. Strain while hot. For maple syrup, one quart of water
for four pounds of sugar.

The Chromograph.

The copygraph, chromograph, and a variety of other names have
been given to the simple arrangement by which letters, drawings,
plans, music, etc., can be copied at a slight cost. The process has
been patented in England, but in advance of any patent in this
country, a number of persons have made the article and advertised
it for sale at prices varying from three dollars to seven dollars and
fifty cents, according to size, in either case allowing very handsome
profits. A tablet of gelatine is prepared thus: Take one part by
weight of gelatine (glue will do just as well), soak in two parts of
water till melted, to which add four parts of glycerine, with a few
drops of carbolic acid, and sufficient whiting or white lead to give
the whole a milky appearance. Pour the mixture into a shallow
zinc or tin dish, and it will be ready for use in about twelve hours.
The use of the whiting or white lead is to show up the writing on
the composition, and to enable the washing off to be observed more
easily. The ink used is made of one part violet methylated aniline
(Hoffman's purple), seven parts distilled water, and one part alcohol;
but acetic rosaniline, boiled down in alcohol till it does not run in
writing, forms a capital red ink. To use the process, write on a
hard-finished paper with the ink, taking care that the writing is

404 ODDS AND ENDS.

thick enough to show a green lustre when dry. When thoroughly
diy place it face downwards on the jelly, rub it gently to bring it
well into contact, and leave for three minutes, then peel it off. It
will leave a portion of the ink neatly transferred to the jelly; then
place the paper to be printed on the writing and pass the hand
over, bring it well in contact as before, peel it off, and it will bring
away a perfect copy of the original. In this way sixty to eighty
copies may be made; by using a thick pen and plenty of ink one
hundred good copies may be taken. If the original still shows a
green lustre, another transfer may be made. When exhausted, wash
off the ink from the jelly with a sponge and cold water. A layer of
the compound one-quarter of an inch thick would give five thousand
copies at least, if not twice that number. If the jelly is injured it
can easily be melted down over a spirit lamp or in an oven. After
melting, and in the first instance after making, the surface should
be washed with cold water.

Lime Water.

One of the most useful agents of household economy, if rightly
understood, is lime water. Its mode of preparation is as follows:
Put a stone of fresh unslacked lime about the size of a half-peck
measure into a large stone jar or unpainted pail, and pour over it
slowly and carefully (so as not to slacken too rapidly), a teakettle
full (four gallons) of hot water, and stir thoroughly; let it settle,
and then stir again two or three times in twenty-four hours. Then
bottle carefully, all that can be poured off in a clear and limpid
state.

XJses. — It is often sold by druggists as a remedy for children's
summer complaints, a teaspoonful being a dose in a cup of milk,
and when diarrhoea is caused by acidity of the stomach, it is an
excellent remedy, and when put into milk gives no unpleasant taste,
but rather improves the flavor.

When put into milk that might curdle when heated, it will pre-
vent its so doing, and can then be used for puddings and pies. A

ODDS AND ENDS. 405

little stirred into cream or milk, after a hot day or night, will pre-
vent its turning when used for tea or coffee.

It is unequalled in cleansing bottles or small milk vessels, or
babies' nursing bottles, as it sweetens and purifies without leaving
an unpleasant odor or flavor.

A cupful, or even more, mixed in the sponge of bread or cakes
made over night, will prevent it from souring.

Preserving Autumn Leaves.

These may be easily preserved and retain their natural tints, or
nearly so, by either of the following methods: As they are gath-
ered they may be laid between the leaves of a magazine until the
book is full, and left with a light weight upon them until the mois-
ture of the leaves has been absorbed; two or three thicknesses of
paper should intervene between the leaves. If the leaves are large
or in clusters, take newspapers, lay them on a shelf and use in the
same manner as above. Then dip the leaves into melted wax (such
as is used for moulding fruits, etc.), into which you will have to
put a few drops of turpentine and lay upon newspapers to harden
perfectly. This will make the leaves pliable and natural, and give
sufficient gloss. Great care should be taken that the wax is of the
right temperature. This can be ascertained by the first leaf which
is dipped in. Draw out gently over the pan both sides of the leaf
and hold it up by the stem. If the wax is too hot, the leaf will
shrivel — if too cool, it will harden in lumps on the leaf.

Another method is to iron each leaf with a middling hot iron
until the moisture is all out of them. Are best without varnish.

Skeleton Leaves.
Boil the leaves in equal parts of rain water and soft soap until
you can separate the pulp from the skin; take them out into clear
water; lay the leaf to be cleaned on glass, the upper side of the
leaf next to the glass; then with a tooth brush remove all pulp and
skin, turn the leaf and repeat the process; when thoroughly done
put the leaf to bleach in this solution: One pound sal soda, dis-

406 ODDS AND ENDS.

solved in five pints rain water; one-half pound chloride of lime, in
three pints water; allow twenty-four hours for the latter to dissolve.
Strain out the sediment, and pour out the clear solution of lime into
the solution of sal soda. The result will be a thick buttermilk
solution, otherwise the lime was not strong enough. Filter this
until it is perfectly clear. For leaves, use one part of solu-
tion to one part of water; for ferns, use the solution full
strength. When perfectly white, remove to clear water; let
stand for several hours, changing two or three times; the
last water should be a little blue; float out on paper, press in
books when nearly dry. In mounting use mucilage made of five
parts of gum arabic, three parts white sugar, two parts of starch;
add a very little water, boil and stir until thick and white.

To Restore Frozen Plants.
As soon as discovered, pour cold water over the plant wetting
every leaf thoroughly. In a few moments it will be crystallized
with a thick coating of ice. In this state place it in the dark, care-
fully covered with a newspaper. The ice will slowly melt, leaving
the plant in its original state of health.

For Crystallizing Grass.

Take one and one-half pounds of rock alum, pour on three pints
of boiling water; when quite cool put into a wide-mouthed vessel,
hang in your grasses, a few at a time. Do not let them get too
heavy, or the stems will not support them. You may again heat
alum and add more grasses. By adding a little coloring it will
give variety.

Frosting for Windows.

To shut out a disagreeable view from a back window, the glass
may be rendered ornamental, and the obnoxious objects shut out,
by a very simple plan, which makes a fair imitation of ground glass.
By washing the glass over with a hot saturated solution of Epsom
salts, or sal-ammoniac, or Glauber's salts, or blue stone, very beau-
tiful effects of crystallization can be obtained by which the above

ODDS AND ENDS. 407

purpose is served and the window has also a very ornamental
appearance. By a saturated solution is meant one containing as
much of the salt as the water will dissolve. The solution must be
applied while hot and with a brush.

Black Tracing Paper.

Rub smooth a little lampblack and mix with sweet oil. Paint
over the paper, and dab it dry with a fine piece of linen. Put this
under the pattern, and upon the material to which you wish the
pattern transferred, and go over the lines with a hard point of
wood or metal. If you wish it, the transferred lines may be fixed
by using a pen with a kind of ink composed of a little stone-blue
well mixed with water in a cup, with a small piece of sugar added
to it.

Sympathetic Ink.

One of the best known kinds of sympathetic ink consists of a weak
solution of chloride or nitrate of cobalt. Writing executed with
such a solution is invisible until warmed, when it appears green or
bluish, disappearing on exposure to moist air.

Valuable Cement.

Two parts, by weight, of common pitch, and one part gutta
percha, melted together in an iron vessel, makes a cement that
holds together, with wondei'f ul tenacity, wood, stone, ivory, leather,
porcelain, silk, woollen, or cotton. It is well adapted to aquariums.

Cement for Rubber or Leather.
Dissolve one ounce of gutta percha in one-half pound chloro-
form. Clean the parts to be cemented, cover each with the solu-
tion and let them dry twenty or thirty minutes, warm each part in
the flame of the candle, and press very firmly together till dry.

Diamond Cement.
Dissolve thirteen ounces of white glue in a glue-pot containing a
pint and a half of soft water; when the glue is dissolved, stir in

408 ODDS AND ENDS.

three ounces of white lead, and boil till well mixed; remove from
the fire, and, when cool, add half a pint of alcohol; bottle imme-
diately and keep well corked.

Weights and Measures.
Ten eggs are equal to one pound.

One pound of brown sugar, one pound of white sugar, pow-
dered or loaf sugar broken, is equal to one quart.

One pound of butter, when soft, is equal to one quart.

One pound and two ounces Indian meal is equal to one quart.

One pound and two ounces of wheat flour is equal to one quart.

Four large tablespoons are equal to one-half gill.

Eight large tablespoons are equal to one gill.

Sixteen large tablespoons are equal to one-half pint.

A common-sized wineglass holds half a gill.

A common-sized tumbler holds half a pint.

Four ordinary teacups of liquid are equal to one quart.

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CHAPTER XXXV.

THE SICK ROOM.

E find the following excellent article in Common Sense in the
Household :

" The sick chamber should be the most quiet and cheerful
in the house — a sacred isle, past which the waves of domestic toil
and solicitude glide silently. This is not an easy rule to obey.
Whoever the invalid may be, whether the mother, father, or the
sweet youngling of the flock, the foundations of the household seem
thrown out of course while the sickness lasts. You may have good
servants and kind friends to aid you, but the hitch in the machinery
is not to be smoothed out by their efforts. The irregularity does
not annoy you; you do not notice it if the attack be severe or
dangerous. All other thoughts are swallowed up in the all-absorb-
ing, ever-present alarm. You count nothing an inconvenience that
can bring present relief, or possible healing to the beloved one;
disdain for yourself, rest or ease while the shadow hangs above the
pillow crushed by the helpless head. But when it passes, when the
first transport of thankfulness has subsided into an abiding sense of
safety, the mind swings back to the accustomed pivot, and your
eyes seem to be suddenly unbound. You find, with dismay, that
the children have run wild, and the comfort of the whole family
has been neglected during your confinement to the post of most
urgent duty; with displeasure, that the servants have, as you con-
sider, taken advantage of your situation to omit this task, or slur
•over that — in fine, that nothing has been done well, and so many

435

426 THE SICK ROOM.

things left altogether undone, that you are worried out of your
senses — a phase that too often signifies out of your temper.

" And it is just at this juncture — when you are called to fifty
points at once, and are on the verge of despair at the conglomera-
tion worse conglomerated arising before you; fidgeting to pick
up dropped stitches in the web you were wont to keep so even —
that the invalid becomes most exacting. ' Unreasonable,' you name
it to yourself, even though it be John himself who calls upon you
every third minute for some little office of loving kindness; who
wants to be amused, and fed, and petted, made generally comfort-
able, as if he were a six-months-old baby; who never remembers
that you must be wearied out with watching and anxiety, and that
everything below-stairs is going to destruction for the want of a
balance-wheel. The better he loves you the more apt is he to fancy
that nobody but you can do anything for him; the more certain to
crave something which no one else knows how to prepare. And
when you have strained muscle and patience a little further to get
it ready, and with prudent forethought made enough to last for
several meals, it is more than probable that his fickle taste will
suggest something entirely different for 'next time.' 'Just for a.
change, you know, dear. One gets so tired of eating the same
thing so often! '

" He might be more considerate — less childish — you think, turn-
ing away that he may not see your change of countenance. When
you have taken so much pains to suit him exactly ! It is harder yet
when he refuses to do more than taste the delicacy you hoped would
tempt him.

" ' It is very nice, I suppose, my love,' says the poor fellow, with
the air of a martyr, ' but it does not taste right, somehow. May be
the children can dispose of i\ If I had a lemon ice, or some wine
jelly, such as my mother used to make, I am sure I could relish it.
I always did detest sick people's diet!'

"If he is very much shaken as to nerves, he will be likely to say,

THE SICK ROOM. 427

"'I am fairly wild!' said a loving wife and mother and thrifty
housekeeper to me one day, when I called to see her.

"She had just nursed her husband and three children through
the influenza. All had been down with it at once. That form of
demoniacal possession is generally conducted on the wholesale
principle.

" ' I am fairly wild!' said the worthy creature, with tears in her
eyes. ' I cannot snatch a minute, from morning until night, to put
things straight, and yet I am almost tired to death! I was saying
to myself as you came in, that I wouldn't try any longer; I would
just sit still until the dirt was piled up to my chin, and then I would
get upon the table! '

" How often I have thought of her speech since, sometimes with
a smile — more frequently with a sigh. But with all my pity for
the nurse and housekeeper, I cannot conceal from myself — I would
not forget, nor let you forget for a moment — the truth that the
sick one is the greater sufferer. It is never pleasant to be laid
upon the shelf. The resting-place — falsely so-called — is hard and
narrow and uneven enough, even when the tramp of the outer
world does not jar the sore and faded frame; when there is no
apparent need for the sick person to be upon his feet, and for aught
that others can see, or he can say, he might just as well stay where
he is for a month or two. But when, the rack of pain having been
removed, the dulled perceptions of the mind re-awaken to sensitive-
ness, and there comes to his ear the bugle-call of duty — sharp,
imperative; — when every idle moment speaks to him of a slain
opportunity, and the no longer strong man shakes his fetters with
piteous cries against fate, do not despise or be impatient with him.
He is feverish and inconsiderate and capricious, because he is not
himself. You see only the poor wreck left by the demon as he tore
his way out of him at the divine command. Gather it up lovingly
in your arms and nurse it back to strength and comeliness. The
sick should always be the chief object of thought and care with all
in the household. If need be, let the dirt lie chin-deep everywhere

428 THE SICK ROOM.

else, so long as it is kept out of that one room. There be jealous
in your care that nothing offend sight or smell.

" There should be no smell in a sick-room. To avoid this, let in
the air freely and often. Cologne water will not dispel a foul
odor, and disinfectants are noisome in themselves. Bathe the
patient as frequently and thoroughly as prudence will allow, and
change his clothing with the bed-linen, every day. Do not keep
the medicines where he can see them, nor even let him witness the
mixing of that which he is to swallow. As soon as his meals are
over, remove every vestige of them from the room. Even a soiled
spoon, lying on table or bureau, may offend his fastidious appetite.
Cover the stand or waiter from which he eats with a spotless nap-
kin, and serve his food in your daintiest ware.

" My heart softens almost to tearfulness when I recall the hours,
days, weeks, I have spent in the chamber of languishing, and the
ingenuity of tenderness that, from my babyhood, has striven to
cheat the imprisonment of weariness, and make me forget pain and
uselessness. The pretty surprises daily invented for my entertain-
ment; the exceeding nicety with which they were set out before
me; the loving words that nourished my spirits when the body was
faint unto death, — these are events, not slight incidents, in the book
of memory. "When I cease to be grateful for them, or to learn
from them how to minister unto others of the like consolation, may
my heart forget to beat, my right hand lose her cunning.

" Do not ask your charge what he would like to eat to-day. He
will, of a surety, sicken with the effort at selection, and say,
' Nothing.' But watch attentively for the slightest intimation of a
desire for any particular delicacy, and if you are assured it cannot
hurt him, procure it, if you can, without letting him guess at your
intention. Feed him lightly and often, never bring more into his
sight than he can safely eat. A big bowl of broth or jelly will
either tempt him to imprudence, or discourage him. ' Am I to be
burdened with all that? ' cries the affrighted stomach, and will have
none of it. While he is very weak feed him with your own hand,

THE SICK ROOM. 429

playfully, as you would a child, talking cheerily of something
besides his food, and coaxing him into taking the needed nutriment
as only a wife and mother can, or as nobody but John could beguile
you to effort in the same direction.

" Study all pleasant and soothing arts to while away the time,
and keep worry of every kind away from him. A trifle at which
you can laugh will be a burden to the enfeebled mind and body,
and he has nothing to do but lie still and roll it over until it swells
into a mountain. When he can be removed without danger, let
him have his meals in another room, changing the air of each when
he is not in it. Every one who has suffered from long sickness
knows the peculiar loathing attendant upon the idea that all food
is tainted with the atmosphere of the chamber in which it is served,
and if eaten in bed tastes of the mattrass and pillows. The room
and all in it may be clean, fresh, and sweet, but fancy cannot be
dismissed. And it is wiser to humor than to reason with most sick
fancies.

" A hired nurse is a useful, often a necessary thing, but while
you are upon your feet, and mistress of your own house, delegate
to no one the precious task of catering for the dear sufferer. It is
an art in itself. I hope a practical knowledge of it will be taught
iu Women's Medical Colleges, when they are an established ' insti-
tution ' with us."

Panada.

Two thick slices of stale bread half an inch in thickness; cut off
the crust, toast them a nice brown, cut them into squares of two
inches in size, lay them in a bowl, sprinkle a little salt over them,
and pour on a pint of boiling water.

Arrow-Root Jelly.

One cup boiling water, two heaping teaspoonf uls of best Bermuda

arrow-root, one teaspoonf ul lemon-juice, and two teaspoonf uls white

sugar. Wet the arrow-root in a little cold water, and rub smooth.

Then stir into the hot water, which should be on the fire and

430 THE SICK ROOM.

actually boiling at the time, with the sugar already melted into it.
Stir until clear, boiling steadily all the while, and add the lemon-
juice. Wet a cup in cold water, and pour in the jelly to form.
Eat cold with sugar and cream, flavored with rosewater.

Beef Tea.

Cut all the fat from a pound of fresh beef, then cut the lean meat
into small dice-like pieces; add one pint of cold water to draw out
the juices; boil twenty or thirty minutes, skimming it carefully,
then strain, and salt to taste.

Another, better for the very sick, or for weak stomachs: Put the
cut beef, prepared as above, into a wide-mouthed bottle, cork it so
no water can enter; place it in a kettle of cold water; prop it so
that it will stand firmly, and boil one hour; then set the kettle
aside to cool. When cold, you can safely remove the bottle, and
you have the simple juice or essence of beef.

Beef Tea, No. 2.
To one pound of lean beef add one and one-half tumblers of cold
water; cut the beef in small pieces, cover and let it boil slowly for
ten minutes, and add a little salt after it is boiled. Excellent.

Chicken Panada.

Skin the chicken and cut it up into joints; 'take all the meat off
the bcnes, a^ cut up into small pieces; put it into a jar with a
litt'e sat, tie it down, and set it in a saucepan of boiling water. It
sh-nu4 boil from four to six hours; then pass it through a sieve
with a little of the broth. It could be made in a hurry in two
hours, but it is better when longer time is allowed. Do not put
the wings in the panada.

Egg Cream.

Beat a raw egg to a stiff froth; add a tablespoonful of white
sugar, and half a glass of home-made blackberry or black cherry
wine; beat well; add half a glass of cream; beat thoroughly and
use at once. This is a full meal for an invalid, and is especially

THE SICK ROOM. 481

good where trouble of throat, mouth or stomach prevents solid
food being used.

Soup for an Invalid.

Cut in small pieces one pound of beef or mutton, or a part of
both; boil it gently in two quarts of water; take off the scum, and,
when reduced to a pint, strain it. Season with a little salt, and
take a teacupf ul at a time.

Gruel.

MLv a tablespoonful of corn meal with a little cold water; add a
small pinch of salt, and stir it smoothly into a pint of boiling water,
and let it boil; being constantly stirred for six or eight minutes.
If sugar is desired, put it in with the cold meal and water, but add
any flavor, as nutmeg or cinnamon, after removing it from the
stove. Gruel should be very smooth, and should not have the
faintest suspicion of a scorch about it. Always serve it neatly.
Egg Gruel.

Boil eggs from one to three hours until hard enough to grate;
then boil new milk and thicken with the egg, and add a little salt.
Excellent in case of nausea.

Gruel for Infants.

To make a gruel for infants suffering from marasmus, take one
pint of goat's milk and the yolks of two eggs boiled sufficiently
hard to reduce to an impalpable powder; add a pint of boiling
water, a little salt or sugar, and administer by a nursing bottle.
Beef Jelly for Invalids.

Three small onions, three small or one and one-half large carrots,
a few whole cloves and black pepper, one small teaspoonful of
sugar, one slice of ham, two calf's feet, one and one-half pounds of
beef. Put in the onions and other ingredients in succession. Place
the ham on top, then the calf's feet, and lastly the beef; no water;
put on the side of the range, and let is stand until reduced to a soft
mass, then add a quart of water and let it boil one hour; strain and
let stand until cold, then take off the fat. Use by dissolving a
little in hot water.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

HEALTH ITEMS.

Receipt for Cold.
|NE pound of liverwort put into four quails of water and boiled
down to one quart; add, while warm, a quarter pound of ball
liquorice and a quarter pound of loaf sugar; when cool add a
half pint of gin. Dose — half a large wineglass half an hour before
each meal.

Cough Mixture.
Two ounces of gum arable, one ounce of paregoric elixir, two
ounces of sugar, juice of one lemon; mix with six glasses of hot
water. One wineglass to be taken morning, noon, and night.

To Remove Warts.
A daily application of either of the three following remedies is
effective in dispersing warts; Touch the wart with a little nitrate
of silver (lunar caustic) ; or with nitric acid or aromatic vinegar.
The lunar caustic produces a black, and the nitric acid a yellow
stain, which passes off in a short time; the vinegar scarcely dis-
colors the skin. Sparks of frictional electricity, repeated daily, by
applying the warts to the conductor of an electrical machine, have
been also successfully employed as a cure for these troublesome
and unsightly excrescences.

To Prevent Natl Growing into the Toe.
If the nail of your toe be hard, and apt to grow round, and into
the corners of your toe, take a piece of broken glass and scrape the
top very thin; do this whenever you cut your nails, and, by con-

HEALTH ITEMS. 433

stant use, it makes the corners fly up and grow flat, so that it is
impossible they should give you any pain. Do not fail to try this.

To Prevent the Nightmare.

To prevent the nightmore, mix together ten grains carbonate of
soda, three drachms compound tincture of cardamoms, one drachm
simple syrup, and one ounce peppermint water. Repeat for several
nights in succession; afterwards use for a few weeks the tonic
aromatic mixture. Also a little Cayenne in scullcap tea will pre-
vent an attack. Those who are habitually subject to nightmare
should not sleep in a room alone, but have some person near them
to arouse them when attacked with it. A person is most liable to
nightmare when sleeping on his back; in fact, it rarely occurs in
any other posture. * Those subject to it should therefore avoid
sleeping in a bed which is hollow in the center, as this induces the
sleeper to lie on his back. The bed should be level and not too
soft, and the pillow moderate in thickness, so that the head is not
raised too high.

The Use of a Raw Egg.

How often we hear women who do their own work say that by
the time they have prepared a meal, and it is ready for the table,
they are too tired to eat! One way to mitigate this evil is to take,
about half an hour before dinner, a raw egg, beat it until light, put
in a little sugar, flavor it, and drink it down. It will remove the
faint, tired-out feeling, and will not spoil your appetite for dinner.
Plenty of fresh air in the kitchen does a good deal to relieve this
trouble, and you do not then take your dinner in " at the pores," as
Dickens's old Joey declared he took in the wine.
How to Make a Sand-Bag.

Get some clean, fine sand, dry it thoroughly in a kettle on the
stove. Make a bag about eight inches square of flannel, fill it with
the dry sand, sewing the opening carefully together, and cover the
bag with cotton or linen cloth. This will prevent the sand from
sifting out, and will also enable you to heat the bag quickly by

434 HEALTH ITEMS.

placing it in the oven, or even on the top of the stove. After once
using this no one will ever attempt to warm the feet and hands of
a sick person with a bottle of hot water or a brick. The sand holds
the heat a long time, and the bag can be tucked up to the back
without hurting one. It is a good plan to make two or three of
these bags, and keep them ready for use. Children with toothache
can be put to sleep many a time with one.

Worm Remedy.
One of the simplest and best remedies to be given to children, if
they are troubled with worms, is poplar bark. A well-known phy-
sician has used this for years with marked success. It can be
bought at any drug store, and a little paper, costing five cents, will
often prevent sickness, and possibly save a large doctor's bill. If a
child looks Avhite around the mouth, with flushed cheeks and bad
breath, it is safe to infer that he is afflicted with worms. Take a
little pinch of the bark, about as much as one would naturally take up
on the point of a penknife, and give it before breakfast; it has a clean,
bitter taste, and there is no difficulty in getting a child to take it if
you explain what it is for. A good way to regulate a child's
stomach and bowels is to give him a little bowl of oatmeal and
milk every day, for breakfast or dinner; see that it is well salted,
as salt promotes digestion. The ailments of a child who is in a
normal condition almost always proceeds from the stomach, and
much may be done for our children by paying some attention to
their diet, and so avoid giving medicine as much as possible.

Sleep as a Medicine.
A physician says that the cry for rest has always been louder
than the cry for food. Not that it is more important, but it is often
harder to obtain. The best rest comes from sound sleep. Of two
men or women otherwise equal, the one who sleeps the better
will be the more healthy and efficient. Sleep will do much to cure
irritability of temper, peevishness, and uneasiness. It will restore
vigor to an over-worked brain. It will build up and make strong a

HEALTH ITEMS. 435

weak body. It will cure a headache. It will cure a broken spirit.
It will cure sorrow. Indeed, we might make a long list of nervous
and other maladies that sleep will cure. The cure of sleeplessness
requires a clean, good bed, sufficient exercise to promote weariness,
pleasant occupation, good air, and not too warm a room, a clear
conscience, an avoidance of stimulants and narcotics. For those
who are over-worked, haggard, nervous, who pass sleepless nights,
we commend the adoption of such habits as will secure sleep.

New Cure for Wounds.
As soon as a wound is inflicted, get a little stick — a knife. or a
file-handle will do — and commence to tap lightly on the wound.
Do not stop for the hurt, but continue until it bleeds freely and
becomes perfectly numb. When this point is reached you are safe
— all that is necessary is to protect it from dirt. Do not stop short
of the bleeding and the numbness, and do not on any account close
the opening with plaster. Nothing more than a little cerate on a
clean cloth is necessary. We have used and seen this used on all
kinds of simple punctures for thirty years, and never knew a single
instance of a wound becoming inflamed or sore after treatment as
above. Among other cases: A coal -rake tooth going entirely
through the foot, a bad bite of a sucking pig, several instances of
file-shanks through the hands, and numberless cases of rusty nails,
awls, etc., but we never knew a failure of this treatment.

A Mustard Plaster.
How many people are there who really know how to make a
mustard plaster? Not one in a hundred at the most, perhaps, and
yet mustard plasters are used in every family, and physicians pre-
scribe the application. The ordinary way is to mix the mustard
with water, tempering it with a little flour. Such a plaster as this
makes is abominable. Before it has half done its work it begins to
blister the patient, and leaves him finally with a flayed, painful
spot, after producing far less effect in a beneficial way than was
intended. Now, a mustard plaster should never blister at alL If

436 HEALTH ITEMS.

a blister is wanted, there are other plasters far better than mustard
plasters. Then use no water, but mix the mustard with the white
of an egg, and the result will be a plaster that will " draw " per-
fectly, but will not produce a blister on the skin of an infant, no
matter how long it is allowed to remain on the part.

A Cure for Diphtheria.
Dr. Chenery, of Boston, has lately discovered that hyposulphite
of soda is the specific remedy against diphtheria — that so much
dreaded ailment, which of late years has carried off many valuable
lives. He reports a very large number of cases (one hundred and
fifty within his own practice) saved by the use of this remedy.
The dose of the hyposulphite is from five to fifteen grains or more
in syrup, every two to four hours, according to age and circum-
stances. It can do no harm, but if too much is given it will purge;
as much as the patient can bear without purging is a good rule in
the severer cases. The solution or mixture can be used in doses of
five drops to half a drachm in milk.

Bilious Headache.
Dissolve and drink two teaspoonf uls of finely-powdered charcoal
in one-half a tumbler of water. It will relieve in fifteen minutes ;
take a Seidlitz powder one hour afterward.

A Remedy for Cold Feet.
Every night on going to bed, dip the feet in shallow, cold water,
two or three times quickly, then rub briskly with a coarse towel till
dry; then take hold of each end of the towel and draw it back and
forth through the hollow of the foot until a glow is excited.

The Opium Habit.
An eminent New York physician writes to the Sun that the only
sure cure for the opium habit is in "tapering off," diminishing each
dose by infinitesimal deductions, so that the system may adapt
itself to the change. He cured himself in this manner, and haa
discovered that many of the advertised remedies proceed on the

HEALTH ITEMS. 437

same principle. His habit was to put thirty grains of morphine in
an eight -ounce bottle, and take a teaspoonful of the mixture, con-
taining one grain of morphine, four times a day. In his next bottle
he put but twenty-nine grains, in the next but twenty-eight, and so
on. The change was very gradual, and caused no shock to the
system; and the habit never returned.

Antidotes for Poison.

Soda, salt, vinegar, chalk, raw eggs, mustard, sweet oil, soap, and
milk, are powerful remedies for poisons, and are in every house.
Send for a doctor, but do not wait for doctor or druggist; go to
work. If the poison is an alkali, vinegar is a remedy. Freely
drinking of new milk, continuing to drink even when the stomach
returns the milk, will destroy even arsenic poisoning.

If sulphuric or oxalic acid has been taken, swallow a quantity of
chalk; the whites of raw eggs stirred up and swallowed, taking six,
eight or more successively as fast as possible, will destroy poisons,
as corrosive sublimate; mustard, stirred in soft water and freely
drunk, will cause vomiting and destroy poison. Any kind of oil,
as olive, linseed or common lard oil, will also destroy poison.

Phosphorus, as when children suck matches, give a tablespoonful
of magnesia and then freely gum arabic water; less magnesia if
only a little phosphorus is taken.

Opium, as laudanum poisoning, needs a strong emetic; a table-
spoonful of mustard in a glass of warm water, or a half teaspoonful
of powdered alum in as little water or coffee as will carry it down,
and repeat the dose.

Strychnine also demands a very quick emetic, as above, or a heavy
dose of ipecac. Opium poison needs also friction, fanning, shak-
ing, cold water on the head, and all efforts to arouse the patient.

Nitrate of silver needs warm salt water until a free vomit.

Ammonia taken raw by accident; give new milk, olive oil, in ice
bits, bind ice on the throat.

Sugar of lead needs lemon- juice, vinegar, raw tomatoes, and
finally a good dose of Epsom salts.

438 IIEALTn ITEMS.

Prussic acid, or fruit-stone jjoisoning, demands a good emetic,
and administer freely ammonia and water.

Antimony is corrected by very strong green tea, and alum water.

After all these remedies, empty the stomach by a clear, warm-
water emetic, and keep the patient in bed on a raw-egg diet for
thirty hours.

External Use of Castor Oil.

The London Medical Journal gives reports from various prac-
titioners who have found purgative results follow the inunction of
castor oil. One writer states that he has frequently applied this oil
to the abdomen, under spongiopiline or other waterproof material,
in cases where the usual way of administering by the mouth seemed
undesirable, and with the most satisfactory consequences. In a case
of typhoid fever, also, half an ounce of castor oil was applied in
this manner, under a hot water fomentation, the effect of this being
as represented, to relieve the constipation and tympanitic distention
that had been present, without undue .purging or irritation of the
bowels.

Treatment op the Supposed Drowned.

Dr. Benjamin Howard, in a lecture delivered before the British
Medical Association on the " Direct Method of Artificial Respira-
tion for the Treatment of the Supposed Drowned," gives some very-
useful hints for this emergency. Dr. Howard, finding that the
directions recommended by the Royal Humane Society worked
unsatisfactorily, were in many respects difficult for other than
medical men to follow out and required the co-operation of at least
two persons, investigated the whole question of the treatment of
the apparently drowned, and sets forth his objections to the whole
system, and his arguments in favor of that proposed by himself.
His rules are short and simple, being as follows: Instantly turn
the patient downwards with a large roll of clothing under stomach
and chest. Place one of his arms under his forehead so as to keep
his mouth off the ground. Press with all your weight two or
three times, for four or five seconds each time, upon the patient's

HEALTH ITEMS. 439

back, so that the water is pressed out of lungs and stomach, and
drains freely out of the mouth. Then quickly turn patient's face
upwards, with roll of clothing under back, just below the shoulder
blades, and make the head hang back just as low as possible.
Place patient's hands above his head, kneel with patient's hips
between your knees, and fix your elbows firmly against your hips.
Now — grasping lower part of patient's naked chest — squeeze his
two sides together, pressing gradually forward with all your weight
for about three seconds, until your mouth is nearly over mouth of
patient; then, with a push, suddenly jerk yourself back. Rest
about three seconds; then begin again, repeating these bellows-
blowing movements with perfect regularity, so that foul air may
be pressed out and pure air be drawn into the lungs about eight or
ten times a minute, for at least one hour, or until the patient
breathes naturally. These directions must be used on the spot, the
first instant the patient is taken from the water. A moment's delay,
and success may be hopeless. Prevent crowding around the patient;
plenty of fresh air is important. Be careful not to interrupt the
first short natural breaths. If they be long apart, carefully con-
tinue between them the bellows-blowing movements as before.
After breathing is regular, let patient be rubbed dry, wrapped in
warm blankets, take hot spirits and water in small occasional doses
and then be left to rest and sleep.

Cure for Burns.
The following cure was successfully tried by a lady upon one of
her own children, who was severely burned by a little companion:
She wrapped it up completely with cotton wool or wadding, so that
not a breath of air could touch the body, and night and day kept it
saturated with vinegar, which caused the pain to cease immediately.
She persevered until the fresh young skin had formed a sufficient
covering of its own underneath. Her husband, who did not enter
quite so readily into her system, lifted a little of the wadding from
the cheek one day when she was out, and was charmed to see the

440 HEALTH ITEMS.

new skin growing so well; but the spot on the cheek was the only
scar the child had when quite recovered. A quill leading to the
mouth served for it to breathe and be fed by.

Grandmother's Salve for Everything.

Two pounds of rosin and half a cup of mutton tallow after it is
hard, half as much beeswax, and half an ounce of camphor gum;
put all together into an old kettle, and let it dissolve and just come
to a boil, stirring with a stick; then take half a pail of warm water,
just the chill off, pour it in and stir carefully until you can get your
hands around it. Two persons must each take half and pull like
candy until quite white and brittle; put a little grease on your
hands to prevent sticking, and keep them wet all the time. Wet
the table, roll out the salve, and cut it with a knife. Keep it in a
cool place.

Cholera Remedy.

Mix in a small bottle equal parts of tincture of opium (lauda-
num), rhubarb, capsicum, camphor, spirits of nitre, and essence of
peppermint, double strength. Shake well, and cork tight. Dose:
From five to thirty drops every fifteen minutes. Dose for children :
From two to ten drops.

Fig Paste for Constipation.
One-half pound of good figs chopped fine, one-half pint of
molasses, two ounces powdered senna leaves, one drachm finely-pow-
dered coriander seed, one drachm finely-powdered cardamom seed.
Put the molasses on the stove and let it come to a boil, then stir in
all the rest and bring to a boil again. A teaspoonful once in a
while is a dose. It will keep, when covered, for a year.

'* Cure for Chilblains.
Place red hot coals in a vessel, and throw upon them a handful
of corn meal; hold the feet in the dense smoke, renewing the coals
and the meal, till the pain is relieved. This has been known to
make very marked cures when all other remedies had failed.

HEALTH ITEMS. 441

For Canker Sore Mouth.
Burn a corn cob and apply the ashes two or three times a day.

Cure for Corns.
The strongest acetic acid, applied night and morning, will cure
hard and soft corns in a week.

Ring Worm.
Put a penny into a tablespoonful of vinegar; let it remain until
it becomes green, and wash the ring worm with this two or three
times a day.

Cure For Rheumatism and Bilious Headache.
Finest Turkey rhubarb, half an ounce; carbonate of magnesia, one
ounce; mix intimately; keep well corked in glass bottle. Dose:
One teaspoonful, in milk and sugar, the first thing in the morning;
repeat till cured. Tried with success.

For Felon.

As soon as the pulsation which indicates the disease is felt, put
directly over the spot a fly blister about the size of your thumb
nail, and let it remain for six hours, at the expiration of which
time, directly under the surface of the blister, may be seen the
felon, which can be instantly taken out with the point of a needle
or a lancet.

For Felon, No. 2.

Take common rock salt, as used for salting down pork or beef,
dry in an oven, then pound it fine and mix with spirits of turpen-
tine in equal parts; put it in a rag and wrap it around the parts
affected; as it gets dry put on more, and in twenty-four hours you
are cured. The felon will be dead.

Toothache.
At a meeting of the London Medical Society Dr. Blake, a distin-
guished physician, said that he was able to cure the most desperate

442 HEALTH ITEMS.

case of toothache, unless the disease was connected with rheuma-
tism, by the application of the following remedy: Alum reduced to
an impalpable powder, two drachms; nitrous spirits of ether, seven
drachms; mix and apply to the tooth. Tried with success.

Cure eor Neuralgia.

A friend who suffered horrible pains from neuralgia, hearing of a
noted physician in Germany who invariably cured the disease, went
to him, and was permanently cured after a short sojourn. The
doctor gave him the remedy, which was nothing but a poultice and
tea made from our common field thistle. The leaves are macerated
and used as a poultice on the parts affected, while a small quantity
of the same is boiled down to the proportion of a quart to a pint,
and a small wineglass of the decoction drank before each meal.
Our friend says he has never known it to fail of giving relief, while
in almost every case it has effected a cure. God gave herbs for the
healing of the nations.

Tincture of Iodine on Corns.
Dr. Bajis states that corns may be rapidly cured by the applica-
tion of the tincture of iodine; the corn disappearing in the course
of a few days, if touched with the tincture several times a day. If
the corn be situated between the toes, it should be covered with a
piece of linen steeped in a mixture of the tincture and glycerine.

Smallpox Remedy.

The following remedy a friend tried in Ohio in a case of con-
fluent smallpox, when the doctor had little hope of saving the
patient, and it saved the ! woman's life. The remedy is sure in
scarlet fever. " I herewith append a recipe which has been used
to my own knowledge in a hundred cases. It will prevent or cure
the smallpox, even though the pittings are filling. When Jenner
discovered cow pox in England, the world of science hurled an
avalanche of fame upon his head, and when the most scientific
school of medicine in the world (that of Paris) published this pan-

HEALTH ITEMS. 443

acea for the smallpox, it passed unheeded. It is as unfailing as fate,
and conquers in every instance. It is harmless when taken by a
well person. It will also cure scarlet fever. Take sulphate of zinc,
one grain; fox glove {digitalis) one grain; half a teaspoonful of
water. When thoroughly mixed, add four ounces of water. Take
a spoonful every hour, and either disease will disappear in twelve
hours. For a child, smaller doses, according to age."

For Hydrophobia.
Franklin Dyer, a highly respectable farmer of Galena, Kent
County, Md., gives the following as a sure cure for the bite of a
mad dog. He has tested it with most gratifying results: Elecam-
pane is a plant well known and found in many gardens. Imme-
diately after being bitten, take one and a half ounces of the root of
the plant, the green root is preferable. The dried, to be found in
drug stores, will answer; bruise it, put it in a pint of fresh milk,
boiled down to half a pint, strain, and when cold drink it, fasting
at least six hours afterwards. The next morning repeat the dose,
fasting, using two ounces of the root. On the third morning, take
another dose prepared as the last, and this will be sufficient. After
each dose, nothing to be eaten for at least six hours. I had a son
who was bitten by a mad dog eighteen years ago, and four other
children in the neighborhood were also bitten. They took the
above, and are now alive and well. I have known many who were
cured. It is supposed that the root contains a principle, which,
being taken up by the blood in its circulation, counteracts or neu-
tralizes the deadly effect of the virus of hydrophobia. I feel so
much confidence in this simple remedy that I am willing you should
give my name in connection with this statement.

Flannels for Fomttntatton.
Fold the flannel the size to fit over the top of a pot of boiling
water, and cover with a lid; in a few minutes it will be hotter than
if wrung out of boiling water and yet dry at the corners; roll it up
covered, and convey quickly to the patient.

444 HEALTH ITEMS.

Foe Hoarseness.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in a pint bowl, add loaf sugar
(two tablespoonfuls), one teaspoonful of glycerine, and one table-
spoonful of whiskey; pour over this boiling hot water to nearly
fill the bowl, and drink hot just before going to bed.

For Sore Throat.
Cut slices of salt pork or fat bacon; simmer a few moments in
hot vinegar, and apply to throat as hot as possible. When this is
taken off, as the throat is relieved, put around a bandage of soft
flannel. A gargle of equal parts of borax and alum, dissolved in
water, is also excellent. To be used frequently.

Healing Lotion.

One ounce glycerine, one ounce rose-water, ten drops carbolic
acid. This preparation prevents and cures chapping of the skin,
and at the same time bleaches it. It is also excellent for sore lips
and gums.

To Prevent Contagion from Eruptive Diseases.

Keep constantly, in plates or saucers, sliced raw onions in the
sick room, if possible. As fast as they become discolored, replace
by fresh ones. During any epidemic of skin diseases that are
eruptive, onions, except those taken fresh from the earth, are
unsafe, as they are peculiarly sensitive to disease.

For Toothache.
Of powdered alum and fine salt, equal quantities; apply to the
tooth and it will give speedy relief.

For Headache.
Pour a few drops of ether on one-half ounce of gum camphor
and pulverize; add to this an equal quantity of carbonate of ammo-
nia pulverized; add twenty drops peppermint; mix and put in an
open-mouthed bottle and cork.

HEALTH ITEMS. 445

To Stop Bleeding.
A handful of flour bound on the cut.

To Restore from Stroke op Lightning.
Shower with cold water for two hours; if the patient does not
show signs of life, put salt in the water, and continue to shower an
hour longer.

Salve for Chilblains.
Fry out nicely a little mutton tallow; into this while melted, and
after it is nicely strained, put an equal quantity of coal oil; stir
well together while it is cooling.

To Remove Discoloration from Bruises.
Apply a cloth wrung out in very hot water, and renew fre-
quently until the pain ceases. Or, apply raw beefsteak.

Cure for Wasp Sting.
Apply a poultice of saleratus water and flour, and bind on the
sting. Apply slices of raw onion for a bee sting.

Cure for Summer Complaint.
Two ounces tincture rhubarb, one of paregoric, one-half of
essence of peppermint, one-half of essence of anise, one half of
prepared chalk. Dose for adult, one teaspoonful in a little water;
take as often as needed.

The Best Deodorizer.
Use bromo-chloralum in the proportion of one tablespoonful to
eight of soft water; dip cloths in this solution and hang in the
rooms; it will purify sick rooms of any foul smells. The surface
of anything may be purified by washing well and then rubbing
over with a weakened solution of bromo-chloralum. A weak solu-
tion is excellent to rinse the mouth with often, when from any
cause the breath is offensive. It is also an excellent wash for sores
and wounds that have an offensive odor.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

Sleep.
N infant in sound health will sleep almost continually during
the first four or five weeks of its life. All that is necessary
in the interval is to guard against accidents likely to create
disturbance. Of these injurious incidents, deficiency of warmth,
want of cleanliness, and over-fatigue, are the most liable to occur,
converting the happiest period of development into a restless state
of being, alike pernicious to parent and child.

As though to indicate the necessity for this lengthy repose, the
sense of hearing in a new-born babe is very dull. Ordinary con-
versation does not disturb an infant's slumbers, although loud,
sudden noises may have that effect. In most instances, a babe does
not appear to be conscious of sounds until about the fifth or sixth
week of its existence. In the meantime the necessary disturbances
are confined to being suckled, washed, and changed; for which
duties occasion should be taken during the short wakeful intervals
which happen when hunger prevails.

So valuable is the repose which sleep affords throughout the
whole period of early childhood, that too much pains cannot be
taken to cultivate the habit from the earliest moment; for, be it
observed, sleep is essentially a habit of our nature, and its recur-
rence depends chiefly on regulai-ity of living and good health. At
appointed times, and certain places, infants should be encouraged
to submit to sleep. Let them understand that, after food and
exercise, it is time to go to bed; and a lesson will have been learned

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 447

which will require no undue force to put into practice during the
term of nursery life.

Infants born in the winter and during the cold months of spring,
require to sleep at the mother's side for the first few weeks; accord-
ing to one authority, " for the first few months, as it requires the

warmth of another person's body, especially in winter." But the
strength of the child, as well as the weather, must carry their due
weight in determining the length of the time. Doctors differ on
this point. At all events, it should lie alone when sufficiently strong

448 CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

to bear it; when sleeping with the mother it should not, on that
account, be the oftener suckled; the mischief of the latter habit
does not end with the over-taxed digestion of the child. Few
mothers are able to stand the drain thus made upon their strength,
and in consequence, "nursing" has to be given up much sooner
than would otherwise be necessary.

The natural time for slumber, in very early life, is immediately
after taking food. As the young of almost all creatures show this
disposition, there can be no harm in following the dictate. Oppor-
tunity, then, should be taken to lay the child in its bed, whether
awake or not, after having been fed. A little later in life, when
digestion is stronger, and the stomach is better able to dispose of a
heavy meal, an interval is necessary between taking nourishment
and going to sleep.

The utmost vigilance is generally necessary to prevent the habit
of sleeping in the nurse's arms from being contracted. Most nurses
enjoy a doze in front of the fire — a luxury well earned by, perchance,
a broken night's rest; but with infants no such necessity is felt.
Still, if they are once allowed to feel the soothing influence of the
fire's warmth, combined with the soft and pleasant mechanical
movement of the nurse's knees, they speedily get rebellious against
attempts to make them lie alone in the crib. In engaging a nurse,
it is advisable to have it clearly understood that the babe is not to
be nursed on the lap when asleep.

The best-trained child, however, will not return peacefully to its
cot if the bedding is not perfectly dry and comfortable. After the
child has been lifted out, " changed," and fed, the pillow and mat-
tress should be well shaken and, if necessary, wet blankets replaced
by dry ones. Having put the infant back, the light should be par-
tially screened or extinguished. These arrangements require to be
made in a very methodical manner, and will have to be repeated a
few times to be fully understood by the child. If, at the outset, a
cry of resistance should be heard when it is time to go back to bed,
a wise mother will conceal herself from sight, and turn a deaf ear.

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 449

Sooner or later this breaking-in will have to take place, and the
longer it is delayed, the greater will be the trouble. \

About the age of three months, an infant does not usually require
night-feeding more frequently than when the mother retires to rest,
and again toward five or six in the morning. At this age the
faculty of observation begins generally to show itself, and affords a
golden opportunity to convey right impressions to the plastic infant
mind. The first objects of which a child takes notice are those
which are employed in supplying its personal wants. Thus the sight
of a nursing-bottle will genei-ally set a child to crying for food. In
like manner it is a good plan to appropriate certain coverings to
the use of an infant when " sleeping-time " is in question. The
writer has known a gaily-colored knitted rug to set the tiny inmates
of a nursery yawning from the mere associations which the familiar
wrapper suggested. Each infant in turn had been enveloped in
that rug preparatory to going to sleep, and they had not a thought
of resisting its influence.

The habit of taking a mid-day nap may be advantageously
observed till the age of three or four years has been attained.
Even if the child be not sleepy it is advisable to let it lie in its cot
for a certain time after having taken exercise, and before dinner.
If any inducement is necessary, there is no reason why a few toys
or a picture-book should not be allowed in bed. Pretending to
hush a doll to sleep, for instance, will often send the child itself to
sleep, and is as good a ruse as can.be adopted.

Before putting the inmates of a nursery to bed, the room should
be darkened, and the nurse should betake herself, if possible, to an
adjoining room for any occupation she may have to fulfill.

Care is needed not to arouse a child too suddenly from its
slumbers. Allow it, on all occasions to waken of its own accord.

A notion is prevalent that much sleeping by day lessens the
power of sleeping by night; but this is an error. As a general rule
the more a child sleeps the more it wants to sleep. Wakefulness
is generally caused by over-fatigue and excitement, and is a posi-

450 CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

tively painful state to the sensitive organism of a young child.
This description of suffering admits of no alleviation but from
sleep; reprimands and additional food only increase the sufferer's
torment.

It ought not to be necessary to point out the danger of giving
narcotics to young children. But so long as such remedies as
" teething powders," etc., are recommended, we must not be sup-
posed to ignore the fact that the true nature of such drugs is, not
to facilitate the process of cutting teeth, but to lull restless infants
into an unnatural sleep. Long before any disturbance of a child's
health is likely to occur from teething, these compounds are apt to be
administered simply to secure a quite night's rest. The restlessness
complained of arises, nine times out of ten, from flatulence and
indigestion. A fit of sleeplessness may, in very many instances, be
terminated by wrapping the infant in a warm covering, and exer-
cising it in an apartment of lower temperature than the nursery.

In more advanced childhood than we have hitherto spoken of,
the importance of sleep is undiminished, and should be observed
with regularity. No invariable rule can be laid down for general
observance, but most children between the ages of four and seven
years require, at least, twelve hours' sleep. Ten hours are supposed
to be needful for school boys, and eight for adults. Few children
under ten years of age can be kept out of their beds after ten
o'clock without injury to their health. When once awake in the
morning, they should be accustomed to rise at once.

Most parents go to their childrens' rooms before retiring. The
chief object in these visits is to see whether the little ones be suffi-
ciently covered, and that no draughts be felt from open windows
and doors.

In the winter, a few hours after being put in bed, most young
children require a little additional covering, owing to the body
having lost some of its warmth during sleep. Another precaution
to be taken is, that the children's heads be sufficiently raised to
prevent their breathing the air emitted from their lungs. This

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 451

habit, if not necessarily fatal, is certainly liable to lay the seeds of
a consumptive state, and to produce an impaired constitution. A
single small pillow is generally sufficient. One blanket should
always be placed with the selvage ends across the bed, in order to
allow plenty of room to turn in under the mattress. Children
generally sleep more comfortably, and suffer less from cold feet,
if their bedding be slightly raised at the foot.
Exercise.

During the first few weeks of life, the disposition to sleep indi-
cates the necessity for avoiding anything like excitement to prema-
ture activity. With limbs and muscles undeveloped, and mental
powers unformed, the only exertion to which a very young child
should be subjected is that which is occasioned by being washed
and dressed. Gentle chafing of the limbs before a fire may be
practiced morning and evening with benefit and pleasure to the
babe. Not until an infant voluntarily seeks movement, or the
dawning intelligence evinces pleasure in passing objects should any
attempt be made to disturb the order of things established by
nature. This change may generally be observed about the third
month. In the meantime, the more tranquil an infant can be kept,
both in mind and in body, the greater are the chances of unchecked
development at the proper period.

The practice of too many nurses is at variance with these simple
rules. Uninformed, generally, respecting the structure of the
human frame, they are apt to apply principles of exercise totally
unfitted to the tender organism of infancy. Hence the objection-
able habit of jog-trotting on the knee, together with the pernicious
practice of inducing the babe to support its head before the spine
is strong enough to bear the weight. The period when it is safe to
encourage an infant to sit upright is at the age of seven months.
Previously to that time the body should be held only in a semi-
erect posture, either by resting across the nurse's shoulder, or by
placing the distended palm of her hand against the child's chest.
It is more necessary to observe these precautions against spinal

452 CAKE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

weakness in time, because children who may have been injuriously
managed at the outset become restless when it is attempted to keep
them in a reclining posture.

An exercise very congenial to the inclination of a baby consists
in spreading cushions upon the floor for it, upon which to spread
itself. If no cushion be at hand, a clean cot mattress will answer
equally well. All little ones revel in freedom from the restrained
posture of the nurse's arms. The above exercise is the firs? step
toward learning to creep — the most healthful and natural mode of
progression in babyhood. Some over-anxious parents check this
habit, lest it should bring the infant into danger. Harm, however,
seldom results, provided common precautions be taken. • Another
prejudice sometimes entertained against creeping is that, if a child
finds how easy it is to get along on the hands and knees, it will not
try to walk. Here, again, the fears are unfounded. All children
are anxious to get upon their feet as soon as they feel themselves
strong enough to do so; but many children do not walk before they
are from twelve to fourteen months old. In the meanwhile creep-
ing brings every limb into play in manner proportionate to an
infant's strength. The best dress for the creeping age is the one in
which little French children are usually attired — a sort of Knicker-
bocker suit, warm and loose, with trousers and vest all of one piece.

The stage at which infants begin to walk demands the exercise of
a considerable amount of self-control on the part of the parents,
inasmuch as falls are inevitable. These appear to a looker-on to be
of a more serious nature than they really are. Provided a child
does not fall from a greater elevation than his own height, injury
very seldom occurs from these tumbles. The most dangerous falls
are those from spring mattresses and seats. The suddenness of the
jerk prevents a child from saving itself by the exercise of the
momentary instinct which is usually displayed in other cases of
impending danger. Left to themselves, little folks generally fall
neatly, and manage to keep their heads uppermost. The cry which
is heard after these accidents arises from surprise and mortification,

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 453

and the trouble is best treated as a joke. If, instead of catching
the child up in her arms and smothering it with caresses, accompa-
nied with expressions of sympathy, the nurse said, in a cheerful
voice, "Jump up, and see where you sat last," the child's mind
would be diverted, and braced to fresh exertions.

As soon as the child is able to leave the house, it should pass as
much of the time as possible in the open air. Even sleeping out of
doors does no harm provided proper clothing be worn. Warm
clothing for the chest, arms, legs, feet, and loins is essential. The
head should be kept cool, and the face covered with a light gauze
material only. As a general rule, the head-gear of an infant should
admit of the free passage of the air inhaled and exhaled both by
day and by night.

Perambulators, under careful guidance, are a real boon to both
nurse and child, If the babe be healthy, and the weather suitable,
there is no reason why infants should not, almost from the com-
mencement, take daily exercise in a perambulator. Children from
the age of a year old thrive better when exercised in the open air
in a perambulator than when carried in the nurse's arms. Less
fatigue in carrying ensures less risk from nurse sitting down to
rest. It is seldom that cold is taken when passing briskly through
the air; standing still in draughty places is always most carefully
to be guarded against. Two little ones can be exercised in a double
perambulator at an age when two nurses would be required to
afford separate exercise to each child.

When the exercise of walking ceases to be a pleasurable excite-
ment, some inducement is needful to get little folks along. The
daily walk consequently becomes a trial of patience to nurse and
child. The best way to obviate this difficulty is to make the walk
a secondary object, and some attendant amusement the ostensible
one, such as playing at horses, etc.

Muscular exercise, adapted to more advanced childhood, has
received an important accessory in the form of gymnastic appa-
ratus, of great variety and simplicity. They are made for different

454 CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

classes of strength, and are designed to bring every muscle into
play. There are also very many valuable courses of exercise for
which no apparatus of any kind is necessary.
Food.

The most suitable food for infants is that of Nature's own pro-
viding— mother's milk. In very exceptional instances is this supply
short-coming during the first few weeks after child-birth. If,
unhappily, the contrary should be the case, a delicate infant can
seldom be successfully reared without the aid of a wet-nurse. The
only circumstances which should prevent a mother from suckling
her offspring are a too excitable temperament, or a consumptive
state of constitution. Ordinary debility, consequent or recent con^
finement, is rarely an impediment to the fulfillment of one of the
highest instincts of human nature, and one no less productive of
mox*al than of physical benefits. During the time 'a child receives
nourishment at its mother's breast the earliest bond of sympathy,
destined to influence a lifetime of parent and child, is naturally
formed.

Whatever changes it may be found necessary to make in the
dietary of an infant after the age of six weeks, absolute necessity
alone should induce the substitution of artificial in lieu of natural
food. The first milk is of a purgative nature, and is admirably
adapted to cleanse the system of a new-born babe. In this par-
ticular, the most desirable wet-nurse might fail to prove a fitting
deputy for the mother. Likewise, throughout the period of nursing,
it is a point of great importance that the quality of the nourish-
ment should be proportionate to the age of an infant. If the ser-
vices of a wet-nurse are inevitable, it should be sought to engage
one who has been a mother about the same length of time as the
parent of the infant to be brought up. In selecting a wet-nurse a
medical man is the proper medium.

During the first two or three weeks, an infant, if awake, may be
suckled at intervals of from one to two hours. The sooner, how-
ever, the babe can be brought into the habit of being fed once in

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 455

two hours the greater will be the benefit derived from the nourish-
ment, and the more speedily will the mother be enabled to regain
her own strength. A determination to attain regularity in feeding
is all that is needed. When this plan is steadily pursued, the
digestion of a child will work with the precision of the clock by
which its meals are regulated. All cries should not be supposed to
arise from craving for food. Numberless cases of irritation may
occasion a fretful cry — cold feet, pressure of clothing, wet linen, or
other discomforts. Instead, therefore, of giving food instantly, it
is advisable to open the clothes, warm the tiny feet, chafe the
limbs, or, if possible, take the infant for a little walk out of doors.
If, after having tried similar remedies, the fretfulness continues,
the cause should be sought in the condition of the child's stools.
If signs of griping pains, or colic, be evident, less food should be
given, and the intervals between his meals lengthened.

Sometimes a cry of continual distress prevails, from the mother's
milk being not sufficiently nourishing to satisfy the appetite of the
babe. In such cases it is advisable to give, every night and morn-
ing, a meal of cow's milk and water, prepared in the following
manner: Fresh milk and warm water, of each, one-quarter of a
pint; sugar of milk, one teaspoonful. The latter should first be
dissolved in the warm water, then the milk, unboiled, mixed with
it. Sweetening with sugar of milk, instead of lump sugar, makes a
greater resemblance to the mother's milk. Possibly the infant may
take but half the above quantity; we only give the recipe to show
the right proportions. An older child might require all at a meal.

The practice of giving thickened food to infants at too tender an
age is a source of endless trouble. Dr. Edward Smith remarks that
the feeding of young infants on bread, biscuits, flour, and other
substances than milk, " is a constant source of derangement of the
liver, and a frequent cause of fits." As a general rule a baby
ought to be entirely nourished on milk until the first tooth appears.

"Up to six or seven months of age infants have not the power
of digesting farinaceous or fibrinous substances." After that age

456 CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

many descriptions of farinaceous food may be used, and are to be
strongly recommended. Beef tea, veal, chicken, or mutton broth
are apt to turn acid and cause flatulence or sickness, and should
not be given without medical advice. Care should be observed in
every change of infants' diet, especially if teething be in operation.

A very necessary treatment after a meal consists in lifting the
babe across the nurse's left shoulder, whether awake or asleep, and
gently patting the infant's back until the wind displaced by the
food is thrown off the stomach. Wherever this precaution is used
gripes and windy colic are seldom heard of.

The period of weaning is one of great anxiety. Make the change
gradually. A little self-restraint in keeping out of sight when the
child may naturally be supposed to be hungry, is the greatest act
of kindness to the little one. The most favorable time for weaning
is in warm weather, when the infant can be amused and kept much
out of doors.

The utmost cleanliness should be observed in every detail con-
nected with the keeping of all utensils for nursery use. When
removed from the bottle, the India-rubber top should be immedi-
ately placed in a glass of clean water, and the bottle cleansed of
every trace of food, and twice a day rinsed out with tea-leaves and
water. When not in use the bottle should be hidden from the
infant's sight.

Rice Jelly.

One-half cup whole rice, well washed and soaked two hours in a
little warm water; then added, with the water, to that in the kettle
three pints cold water, one small pinch of salt, put into the water.
Sweeten to taste with loaf sugar. Simmer the rice half an hour;
then boil until it is a smooth paste, and the water is reduced one-
half. Strain through double tarlatan, sweeten, and give to the
child. This is an admirable preparation for an infant suffering
with weakness of the bowels. If there be no fever, you may put
one-third part milk, 'boiled with the rice. Give a few spoonfuls
every hour or half hour.

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 457

Arrowroot.

One cup of boiling water, one cup of fresh milk, two teaspoonfuls
best Bermuda arrowroot, wet with cold water, one small pinch of
salt, two even teaspoonfuls white sugar, dissolved in the milk.
Stir the arrowroot paste into the salted boiling water; stir and boil
five minutes or until it is clear; add the sweetened milk, and boil
ten minutes, slowly, still stirring. If the child has fever, or cannot
digest milk, substitute hot water for it. It is, however, a dangerous
experiment to forbid milk altogether for an infant. It would be
better to diminish the quantity, putting in, say, one-third or one-
fourth as much as the receipt names, and filling up with boiling
water.

Milk and Bread.

One-half cup boiled milk, two tablespoonfuls stale Graham bread,
a very little sugar. Crumble the bread into the boiled milk,
sweeten, and when cool enough, feed to the child with a spoon.

Wiieaten Grits.
Four tablespoonfuls grits (cracked wheat) soaked in a little cold
water one hour, and then put into the kettle; one quart boiling-
water, one cup milk, a pinch of salt. Boil the soaked grits in the
quart of water one hour, stirring up often; add the milk and boil
half an hour longer. Sweeten to taste, and if the child is well,
pour cream over it. This is designed for children over a year old.
It is slightly cathartic; especially if the milk be omitted, and is
most useful in regulating the bowels. When this can be done
without drugs, it is far better.

Hominy and Milk.
One-half cup small hominy, one scant quart of cold water, pinch
of salt. Boil one hour, stirring often. While hot, mix some soft
with new milk, sweeten to taste and feed to the baby with a spoon.
This is also relaxing to the bowels, and should not be given if the
child is disposed to summer complaint.

458 CAKE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

Graham Hasty Pudding.

One cup Graham flour, wet up with cold water; one large cup
boiling water and same quantity of milk; one saltspoonful salt.
Stir the wet flour into the boiling water, slightly salted. Boil ten
minutes, stirring almost constantly; add the milk, and cook, after
it has come again to a boil, ten minutes longer. Give with sugar
and milk for breakfast.

Eaten with cream, nutmeg, and powdered sugar, this is a good
plain dessert for grown people as well as children.

Rice Flour Hasty Pudding
Is made as above, substituting two heaping tablespoonfuls rice
flour for the Graham.

Milk Porridge.
One tablespoonful Indian meal, one cup of white flour, wet to a
paste with cold water; two cups boiling water, two cups milk, a
good pinch of salt. Boil the paste in hot water twenty minutes;
add the milk, and cook ten minutes more, stirring often. Eat with
sugar and milk, stirred in while hot.

Mush and Milk.
One cup Indian meal, wet up with cold water; two quarts cold
water; salt to taste. Boil two hours; stirring often with a wooden
spoon or a stick. To be eaten hot with milk and sugar.

Condensed Milk.
This is perhaps the safest substitute for the " good milk from one
cow," which few mothers in town can procure. Keep the can in a
cool place and mix according to directions.

Moral Influence — Obedience.
In the preceding pages we have described the mode of manage-
ment best adapted to the bodily wants of young children, but it is
also necessary to suggest means for the healthy culture for the
mental and moral faculties of childhood. For, though the growth

CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN. 459

of the mind may not make visible progress in the same proportion
as is seen in the tiny frame, the same steady development toward
maturity is, nevertheless, taking place continually, resulting in a
healthy or unsound condition of mind, according to the amount of
culture bestowed. For this culture, the long period of helplessness
which characterizes babyhood is especially favorable. A mother,
as the being nearest and dearest to the almost unconscious infant,
should act not only as the appointed guardian of its bodily welfare,
but should also extend her care and effort to the development and
culture of its mind. By its parent's smile or frown an infant reads,
as from a book, signs of approval or rebuke of every act com-
mitted. Instinctively, little children turn toward their mothers on
all occasions of doubt, and, unhesitatingly, they guide their course
by the mute expression they observe on her face.

This golden opportunity of maintaining a natural influence is too
valuable to be lightly regarded, or carelessly risked. From the
commencement, therefore, it is desirable that a mother should seize
every occasion of turning it to good account. In all her actions
toward her babe, she should ever bear in mind that example is the
most impressive mode of teaching, and that if she constantly does
what is right in the presence of her child, a true principle of con-
duct is imparted without any need of verbal explanation.

It is commonly believed that no harm can come of letting a child
have its own way, so long as it is a mere babe. But this is a serious
delusion. As soon as a child is of an age to express its wants,
whether by one means or another, it is old enought to be brought
into habits of obedience. Obedience is the first lesson to be taught,
and very sensible are all well-managed babes of its meaning. No
harsh words, no impatient gestures, need be added to enforce the
rule, which consists simply in not doing what the babe demands, if
it is not the right time and the proper place for the desired gi-atifi-
cation.

Take food as an example. If children were left to themselves
they would be eating and drinking perpetually of whatever came in

460 CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

their way, till the stomach could no longer retain the improper
substances. Wholesome food would be rejected for more palatable
sweets and dainties. Before long, depraved tastes would be con
firmed. Much the same misfortune sometimes befalls over-fed
children of the wealthy, notwithstanding the care bestowed in other
respects on their nurture; and an impaired constitution is th^
result. Food, then, becomes alike a means of bodily nourishment
and of discipline of the mind. The quality of the food, and the
hour at which it is taken, are matters for the parent to decide to
the best of her judgment. Having done so, any fretful impatience
on the part of the child should be unheeded. If, in a fit of passion,
the usual meal should be refused, no attempt at persuasion should
be wasted, but, after a reasonable time for recovery from any dis-
appointment experienced, the objectionable repast should be put
aside, and the child's attention turned to something else. Hunger
is an eloquent pleader, and if the refusal has merely sprung from,
disappointment at not having something else, signs of a craving
appetite will soon appear. Then it will be time to re-offer the
original nourishment, which, in all probability, will be greedily
consumed. If, upon observation, it is found that the repetition of
the same kind of food is repulsive, the reason should be sought in
the health of the child, or in the mode of preparing the meal.
With respect to the time of feeding, irregularity should be guarded
against by not giving children scraps to eat between meak; neither
should they be exposed to the sight of tempting food at unsuitable
times.

Another early opportunity of implanting a spirit of obedience
will be found in the impulsive habit which little children have of
seizing whatever they desire to possess. This habit requires great
firmness in checking, and a determination on the parent's part to risk
a flood of tears rather than to let the coveted article remain in the
child's possession. Added to the danger which results to little
children from letting the habit of snatching have sway, the destruc-
tion of property is liable to be very great. Consequently, a mother

CARE AND CULTURE OP CHILDREN. 461

should be on the watch to convey a notion that certain prohibited
articles are hurtful. By shaking her head, looking gravely, and
saying slowly, "No, no," at such times, a child will soon learn that
something is wrong. If the child ceases in its attempts it will have
understood the meaning of a very important word. If, however,
the intelligence is not sufficiently strong, the object should be
removed out of sight, the mother firmly reiterating the refusal, and
looking the child in "the face while she does so. By repeating this
process a very few times, the meaning will become plain, and you
will see that the child understands it. Should the cl#ild, however,
repeat the attempt, the prohibition should be repeated, and the
consequences of the child's taking the responsibility should be suf-
fered to appear. Touching fire, candles, heated irons, kettles of
hot water, and innumerable articles of a similar nature, can hardly
be prevented in a nursery; therefore, if, after a fair understanding
of the prohibition, a child persists in the attempt, a slight burn, or
bruise, or scald, may prove a merciful suffering. On such occasions
sympathy at the infant's pain should be tempered with reproof,
making him understand that when he was told not to do the deed,
you knew it would hurt him. By the above and various other
simple means, obedience receives practical and easy illustration,
even in infancy.

With children of more advanced age, the force of reasoning
should be employed to render acts of obedience less painful to
perform. Those who have charge of the young should bear in
mind that they are dealing with beings liable to be impelled by
impetuous passions into acts of danger, of which, from want of
experience, they do not realize the extent. Adults, having passed
through the ordeal of youth, know the punishment which an
uncurbed spirit is apt to bring on its possessor. They have bought
their experience dearly, perchance, from having no guiding hand
to direct their course. The result of this experience should be to
caution young people against preventable danger. In all warnings
— especially where schoolboys are concerned — the truth should be

462 CARE AND CULTURE OF CHILDREN.

plainly spoken, right and wrong made unmistakably clear, and for-
giveness freely given, whenever, from waywardness or indiscretion,
the youthful wanderer has diverged from the right. Children
that from their cradles have been accustomed to look upon their
parents as their truest and most indulgent guides, are seldom want-
ing in confidence toward them, when, through disobedience, they
have unhappily become entrammelled in difficulties.

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE DINING ROOM.

HE family dining-room should receive especial attention in
regard to location. It should be so situated that it may-
have the full benefit of the morning sunlight. Its furnishing
must not be fussy or light; everything must be dark, solid, and
massive. The colors must be those deep, marked tones — the rich
crimsons, dark blues, soft olives, and such permanent tints, that
always keep their original shades despite time and wear.

For the dining-room, situated on the sunny side of the house,
the walls ought to be in wainscot of different colored woods, oak,
walnut, cherry, maple, etc., and fashioned in the Old English rustic
designs, with the panels carved in emblems of the chase. The
ceiling should be designed in rustic squares, or medallions; either
corresponding to, or contrasting with the wainscoting, in wood
colors.

In the modern dining-room, the doors leading to the china closet,
dumb waiter, and butler's pantry, are half French mirrors, which
has the effect of taking away the appearance of a door, and adding
greatly to the beauty of the walls.

The floor must be laid in choice designs of bright- colored woods,
or tile. The centre of the floor may be covered with a rug in cor-
responding colors to the window drapery, with a border of vagrant
sprays of heliotrope, or vinca (periwinkle), which harmonizes with
the majority of shades as a bordering.

The extension-table should be low, square-cornered, and heavily
carved; and, when not in use, should be covered with a cloth cor-

464 THE DINING ROOM.

responding in shade to the rug and window drapery, and may be
embroidered in contrasting colors with the bordering of the rug.
The shelves of the side-table must be covered in the same style.

The dining-room chairs must be in the square, solid style,
upholstered in either plain or embossed leather, with brass or
silver nails; but the plain leather is more preferred by people
of good taste, for the object in selecting the dining-room chair
should be comfort, not display.

The sideboard of the modern dining-room is built in the wall,
and of the same kinds of wood as the wainscoting, the doors and
drawers being carved after the same patterns.

The upper part contains a centre mirror and sconce, with narrow
racks and shelves on either side extending to the cornice. These
are only used for china ornaments, placques, etc. Very little silver
and glassware are kept on the sideboard in these aesthetic days. It
has given place to living flowers, in majolica vessels of every con-
ceivable shape and design.

The next object of importance is the fire-place, with its clear
polished grate and shining brasses. The square massive fender is
again in vogue. The broad and curved mantle shelf has given
place to the high and narrow one, with its complement of airy brass
or silver racks, and tiny mirrors. The large mantle mirror has been
superseded by the mantle sconce, with its heavy bevelled edges. It
is placed in the center above the shelf, and on each side of it, are
the highly-polished brass or silver racks, each lined with a tiny
mirror, reflecting the heterogeneous oddities that would be sadly
out of place in almost any other room, yet, on the dining-room
mantle shelf, are quite en regie.

It has been the custom to deck the dining-room walls with
pictures of the chase, fish, fruit; and these were not stinted either
in size or number; but in these later days, aesthetic taste confines
the walls to only two or three very small fruit pieces, and one or
two small placques of fish or game.

A fire screen is not always an acquisition to a dining-room; but

THE DINING ROOM. 465

often it is quite necessary, for the table is generally placed so that
some one must be seated near the fire; but if the room is otherwise
heated the fire screen is out of place. The three-leaf folding
Japanese screen is the kind most used for this purpose.

The lamp shade should be of some soft lace, lined with crimson
silk, and finished with a heavy deep crimson fringe.

The curtains, whether of light or heavy fabric, are more conven-
ient hung on rods; for then they may be easily pushed back to
admit the light or drawn to exclude it.

Sliding screens, rich in stained glass, should be attached to the
dining-room windows, they may be placed in any position, high or
low in the casement, and the light penetrating through them, tints
the room in many mellow hues, giving it a look of elegance and
solid comfort.

Decoration of the Dinner Table.

It is quite impossible for the average female mind to confront
unmoved the delightful possibilities to-day afforded by the service
of a dinner table. Times have changed since the mistress of a
household thought it necessary to set before her guest a feast like
the day-dream of Ichabod Crane, where " the pigeons were snugly
put to bed in a comfortable pie, and tucked in with a coverlet of
crust; the geese swimming in their own gravy, and the ducks
pairing cozily in dishes, like snug married couples, with a decent
competency of onion sauce." The now universal dinner a la Russe,
with its airy hints, suggestions, innuendoes of ministry to the coarser
needs of human nature, has limited each course to the one dish
offered at a time, with its companion sauce or vegetable.

Dinner giving is an art which only an individual of fine culture
and Aesthetic tastes can be successful in, and dining is an accomplish-
ment in which only an epicure can excel.

" Giving a dinner-party " in days gone by meant a good deal of
hard work for the housewife and her coadjutors, generally the
daughters or sisters of the family, it meant hours of seclusion in a

466 THE DINING ROOM.

pantry with curls tucked up under a pastry cap, and dress obscured
by a gingham apron, weighing, measuring, egg-beating, almond
blanching, icing, garnishing, seasoning, tasting, and invariably
gossiping! — all this and much more, till the lavish banquet was
ready and waiting the guests.

The march of civilization and modern degeneracy have materially
lessened the labors of dinner-giving in the present. As a mere
matter of contrast it might be well to picture the hostess of latter
days, who, having bidden her guests, and consulted with her cook
or caterer, abandons all concern until an hour before the coming of
the guests. The absolute work of arranging cloth, silver, crystal,
and steel devolves upon the well-trained servant; but there are
graceful finishing touches which no hand but the mistress' may
give. There are sprays of smilax to be trailed over piles of rosy
fruit, and flowers to be grouped in studied carelessness beside each
plate. Dinner cards, and the mighty question of places, must be
settled; bon-bons, little cakes, and crystallized fruits must be
arranged. Lamps and candles must be reviewed, the temperature
of the room regulated, screens set, and portieres drawn for the com-
fort of the company. A word of admonition to be given to the
servant about the warmth of the soup, the chill of the oysters, etc.,
before the mistress vanishes into her dressing-room, soon to re-ap-
pear and take her place, watchful, gracious, yet unconscious, as
hostess of the feast!

Until recently, table-cloths have been restricted to an ornament
arising merely from the gloss obtained by various distributions of
the warp and woof in weaving. The specimens of British and
Saxony table-damask are almost satin-like in texture. From
Dresden has lately come a table-cloth quite new in conception,
representing a dance of cupids amid garlands of flowers, encircling
the centre-piece; but the profiuent tide of color and aesthetic taste,
have invaded even this stainless snow, although in reality it is only
the old arts reviving.

THE DINING ROOM. 467

The Germans are credited with being the first in imitating table-
cloths after the old Renaissance linen, bearing the design of the
Royal Meissen China — the " Zwiebelmuster " or " onion pattern " in
colored borders. Since then, scarlet and blue re-appear in mono-
gram and crest, and in other traceries wrought by hand upon the
damask.

The fancy for color is shown in the decorated table-linen now
often used for large dinner tables, as well as the smaller tables
for teas and luncheons. Large cloths are made of white momie-
cloth, with borders of drawn-work in open lace-like patterns that
show a rich color — most often cardinal red, or crimson — beneath it,
and there are gay decorative clusters of inner borders wrought in
South Kensington embroidery. Sometimes these devices represent
fruit and flowers, while others are quaint little bits of landscape
done in etching. The edges of the cloth are heavily fringed. The
napkins and doyleys are etched in the same colors as the cloth, and
in very small patterns. A wide stripe of crimson plush may be
laid down the middle of dining-cloths, and borders of plush are set
beneath the open figures of the drawn-work. Small cloths for five
o'clock teas, and luncheon cloths, have the etching done in a single
color, and each small table should have a different etching, which
gives the whole a pleasing effect.

The handsomest damask linen cloths for party dinners, or com-
pany dinners, despite innovation, retain their pure whiteness, while
colors are introduced in the smaller cloths for breakfast, supper
and lunch tables.

We use Macrame lace and other table-linen decoration, under the
fond impression that it is " something new," but the drapery of the
table, in Paul Veronese's picture of "Jesus in Simon's House," has
this identical Macrame trimming, and in one or two other old
paintings, the table-cloth is bordered with cut-work that all are
learning to make to-day.

Some carry tbe art to such an extent that the sideboard cover,
side-table cover, table-cloth, and napkins, are decorated to match,

468 THE DINING ROOM.

with a handful of scarlet poppies dropped almost anywhere, while
here and there may be seen a vagrant yellow sunflower, with inter-
woven texts wrought in either German or Old English characters.

Variety thus laid upon the foundation stones of the dinner-table,
appears throughout. The changes of plates are kaleidoscopic.
You take your soup in Sevres, your entrees in England, or Dresden,
and so on, till you come to fruit in China or Japan. It is quite
en rhgle, in these aesthetic times, to turn your plate over, with the
sapient air of a connoisseur, and study the marks thereon inscribed.
But it is well to avoid the catastrophe which befel an absent-
minded man, who, forgetful that he had been helped, reversed his
plate, and bestowed one of Delmonico's bouchees d la reine upon
his neighbor's satin petticoat.

The use of heavy silver pieces has been very generally super-
seded by exquisite little bits of porcelain or glass, bearing tribute
of fruit and flowers. This is in reality an economy, as well as a
pretty fashion, for a lady may select from her cabinet or shelf a
Venice glass, an iridescent vase or two, and group her own flowers,
without resorting to the costly structures sent in by her florist.

A new fancy is to use but one kind of flowers upon the table, as
for instance, Jacqueminot, Marshal Neil or Gloire de Paris roses,
these being among the most expensive; but this fancy, happily is
only confined to a few wealthy aesthetes. For bouquets offered at
each plate, there are charming horn-shaped holders in Italian straw,
flat basket to hang with ribbons to the waist, and horseshoes made
of German violets, and used in similar fashion.

One phase of the dessert at a recent dinner may prove sug.
gestive; especially as the general effect resulted more from an
harmonious assembling of colors than from a lavish display of
wealth. The centre-piece was a glowing pyramid of scarlet poin-
settia leaves, and white camellias, cut with long stems and their
glossy, dark-green foliage. The shell-shaped dessert dishes, finger-
bowls, and ice-cream plates were all of ruby Bohemian glass. The
doyleys were etched in red silk in tiny Japanese designs. The

THE DINING ROOM. 469

candelabra used were of clear crystal, the bobeches of ruby glass, and
the red wax candles had each one a little jaunty cap, or shade, of
scarlet silk.

It ought to be quite a consideration to our country (cousins)
friends who have been so long sighing for the luxury of gas, that
candles again play a prominent part in decoration. Sideboard,
mantle-shelf and wall sconces glow with a subdued luster.

Then the French moderator or the student's lamp, burning soft
under a shade of antique lace, lined with crimson silk, makes so
becoming a chiaro-oscuro, that if is doubtful whether they will be
allowed to go out of vogue again.

Among dinner-table adornments, there can be nothing more
beautiful and seductive to the housekeeper, than the modern glass,
now imported in quantities, and at prices within the reach of mod-
erate purses. What variety of form and tint in the modern Venice
glass. Amber, topaz, opal, sea blue, ruby, and bottle-green, make
a beautiful radiance on a snowy cloth.

In the Bombay striped glass, introduced into England by the
Prince of Wales, after his visit to India, and since largely repro-
duced, there are beautiful specimens of fruit dishes, flower vases,
and ice-cream plates.

Bohemian and English enamelled glass appear in such beautiful
guise, that it seems impossible for them to be excelled. From all
these, and much more, to select from, the dame chatelaine need not
be at a loss to adorn her dinner table.

Company Dinner.
The table should be covered with a fine damask table-cloth
laid with the inside fold down the center of the table, whether
the damask has been ironed or not, on the right side; it is
indispensable to observe that the creases are on the top. Some
prominent design in the damask generally indicates the center of
the cloth, which must be laid in the center of the table, over which
the epergne or center-piece is placed, and from which all the other
dishes are regulated in regard lo their respective positions. The

470 THE DINING ROOM.

plates should be well dusted before they are laid, the silver polished
to the utmost brightness, and the salt-cellars filled with clean sifted
salt. Two forks should be placed on the left hand, and a knife
and spoon on the right. Large spoons should be crossed at each
corner of the table, and in the center of each side; tumblers and
wine-glasses on the right hand, from three to five in number,
according to the different wines used; the napkin folded square,
with one-half turned back, and laid on the right hand or directly in
front of the plate. The soup-ladle, gravy-spoon, and carving-knife
and fork go before the hostess; the fish-trowel, gravy-spoon, carv-
ing-knife and fork also before the host — and each should be an
expert in the art of cai-ving and helping gracefully and easily.

The side-table should be laid with white cloth; the silver, plates,
finger-bowls, glasses, needed during dinner, should be arranged
neatly and tastefully on it. The wine-coolers can be placed beneath
this table or at its side. A stack of fresh napkins, ice broken and
ready to serve, and bottles of sauce ready to serve, should all be
there in readiness for immediate use.

When the soup is on the table, the butler or waiter will announce
that " dinner is served " and the hostess will then lead the way to
the dining-room with the most distinguished male guest, while the
host takes the lady of the greatest social position, and the other
guests pair off according to preference, or a hint from the hostess.

When the soup-course is over, the waiters remove the plates
quietly, and the fish is instantly served upon a hot plate, which is
placed before each guest. There are no vegetables served with
fish, but a salad is allowable. If the fish be boiled, a plate of
sliced lemon should be handed about to be squeezed upon the fish
unless fish-sauce, soy, or other condiment is preferred. With
salmon, thinly cut slices of cucumber, dressed with pepper, salt,
and vinegar, should be served. If the fish is served from the
dining-table, before it is removed, the fish-trowel and spoon should
be taken away on a small tray. When a guest wishes to have his
plate removed, he is supposed to rest his fork on the plate. A well-

THE DINING ROOM. 471

trained servant observes no other rule in making the change; sadly
to the chagrin of the inexperienced diner who unwittingly drops
his fork.

In breaking bread it is not considered well-mannered to break
bread with both hands, as there is no occasion to relinquish the
fork until a change of plate is desired ; but between the courses the
bread may be divided with the hands without breach of etiquette.

Sherry is the wine usually drunk with soup and fish. There is
little ceremony in drinking wine at the table now; it is not even
necessary to bow to your neighbor, on raising the glass to your
lips; still, it is a graceful deference to an old custom.

Gentlemen do not drink their wine until the lady accompanying
them is helped. A slight inclination to your escort, or your host or
hostess, is always in good taste.

After the fish, game may be served, to be followed by meats,
after which the plates and silver are removed, and crumbs deftly
brushed into a crumb tray, and the dessert is placed on the table —
a large epergne of mixed fruit and flowers in the center, with fruit-
knives, finger-bowls, colored doyleys and fruit plates. If coffee is
required, it may be handed from the sideboard; but the more
gracious and hospitable way is for the hostess to send it from a
tray placed before her, while a waiter hands the cream and sugar
to each guest.

The polished mahogany of olden times has been superseded by
the more comfortable dessert spread, or by retaining the white
dinner cloth to the end of the feast. A tiny knot of flowers at
each plate or in the finger-bowl is always observed at company
dinners.

A dinner roll may be folded in each napkin, with either a Jacque
or Bon Silene rose placed in the upper fold, or the bread may be
handed to the guests on Wedgewood bread-plates.

The following bill of fare may prove suggestive, and may be
varied according to individual preference. It is a simple dinner,
yet contains enough viands to satisfy the most fastidious appetite.

472 THE DINING ROOM.

Menu fob Company Dinner.

Oysters on the half shell.
Soup h la Reine.
Sherry. Salmon with green pease or cucumbers, sliced.

Filet de Boeuf and Mushrooms.
White wine. Fried Potatoes. '

Champagne. Salad of Lettuce or Tomatoes.

Cold Chicken.
Madeira. Olives.

Ices and Jellies, Cheese.
Sherry. Fruits.

Coffee.
Cordials.

Party Dinner.

The table should be laid with a fine white damask cloth, with
napkin of the same design and texture.

The epergne should be placed in the center of the table, filled
with choice fruits and flowers with drooping ferns and trailing
smilax. The mirror-pond placed under the epergne, is very effective.

The mirror-pond may be bordered with a wreath of smilax or
vinca.

Small glass or moss-ware flower-stands, filled with fine cut
flowers and trailing vines, should be interspersed throughout the
table, and these should always be set on small mirror-ponds.

Cut-glass dishes of different shapes and tints, filled with bon-bons,
little cakes, crystallized fruits, or anything that taste may suggest
and custom sanction; must be set at effective distances from the
flower glasses. Colors to contrast should be studied; but to pro-
duce a graceful effect, the dishes should blend in color, and consist
of various sizes and shapes.

The plates laid for the guests should not be too crowded. A
fork is laid at the left of the plate, the right side uppermost. The
knife is laid at the top of the plate, with the handle to the right
and edge towards the plate. The spoon is laid at the right. A

THE DINING ROOM. 473

small cut-glass water-bottle with its tumbler is set at the right
hand side of the plate, also five or more wine-glasses according to
the number of wines used. The finger-bowl with a rosebud or
some single flower placed in it should be set on the right, only a
little further back on the table. The dinner napkin is folded in a
smooth square, with two edges, turned back; this forms two com-
partments, one is for the square of bread, the other is for the small
bouquet of flowers.

It is customary now to place the napkin on the table along with
the dinner card.

If candles are used for the table, the candle-sticks, or candelabra
may be ornamented with smilax or ground ivy.

When a dinner is served d la Russe the table is laid as described.
No eatables are placed upon the table save bon-bons, which are
used with fruit and flowers to decorate the dinner-table. All else
is handed round, having been previously carved at the sideboard or
in the butler's pantry.

The dinner a la Russe, Russian style of dinner-giving, is a most
enjoyable meal when well served, for the reason that the host and
hostess are left at full liberty to entertain their guests by joining
freely in the conversation; but no method of serving a dinner is
more dependent on the efficiency of servants — ordinary domestics
are not equal to the task.

The order of guests going in to dinner is the same in general
society — viz., the lady of the house or her representative takes the
head of the table, and the master of the house the same. The
most distinguished lady of the company is conducted to the table
by the master, and is placed at his right hand, having on his left
the lady next in distinction. The same rule is observed with regard
to the lady of the house, the two gentlemen it is designed to honor
most, are placed on her left and right hand.

During the interval that elapses between the assembling of the
company and going to table, the hostess quietly designates to the
gentlemen guests the ladies whom she wishes them to conduct

474 THE DINING ROOM.

to the dining-room. If it should happen that the guests are
strangers to each other, an introduction from the hostess is neces-
sary. When dinner is announced, the host should rise and offer
his arm to the lady he is to lead to the dining-room, and the rest of
the company follow his example. The last to leave the drawing-
room are the hostess and the gentleman who escorts her. The
reason is ohvious: It is the duty of the lady of the house to see all
her guests on their way to the dining-room before she leaves the
drawing-room herself. It greatly facilitates the ease of seating
company, when the names of guests are placed in their plates, as it
is by no means an easy task for a hostess to remember the exact
place assigned to each guest without some aid of this kind.

The butler calls the names and seats the guests. Serving a din-
ner occupies two hours or more. Strong black coffee, without
sugar or milk, is served after dessert, and half an hour later, tea is
served in the drawing-room.

A dinner consists of courses, removes, entrees, and dessert; but
removes now are separate courses. We append a bill of fare of
the different courses in the order in which they should be served.
It may prove suggestive, and can be varied according to preference
and the season of the year.

Courses.

Oysters on the half shell.
Mock Turtle Soup.
Sherry. Fish, Olives, Sliced Cucumbers.

Mushrooms on Toast.

Entrees.

Champagne.

Filet de Bceuf.

Potatoes a la Reine, Green Pease.

Boiled Turkey, Oyster Sauce.

Potatoes a la Duchess, Celery Salad.

Red wines.

Haunch Venison.

Claret.

Currant Jelly, Lettuce Salad.

THE DINING ROOM. 475

Quail on Toast.

Potato Croquettes, Dressed Salad.

Chicken Salad.

Pate of Sweetbreads, Cheese Crackers.

Bisque.
Brown Pudding with Brandy Sauce.

Dessert.

Sherry. Pastry.

Ices, Wine, Jellies, Fruits.

Nuts, Raisins, Bon-Bons.

Cake, Confectionery.

Black Coffee.

Cordials.

A Word to the Guest.

When using the knife and fork, never embrace the air with your
elbows, to the annoyance of your neighbors.

Never make a clattering noise with either knife or fork. The fork
is held in the right hand, and is used like a spoon, but the end only
is proper to convey food. People in good society do not devour
their food, nor fill their mouth to such an extent that speaking is
impossible. It is ill-mannered to load the fork with different kinds
of vegetables at the same time. Pease should be taken separately,
then potatoes, and so on. Never play with your food or dissect it
with knife or fork, as if you expected to find something. Pie and
cheese are eaten with a fork; the cheese is broken with a fork and
can then be taken lightly in the fingers. Fish is eaten with the fork
only; the old fashion of holding a bit of bread in the left hand to
asssist the fork is now obsolete.

To point your fork at any dish or object is very ill-bred, as it is
to twirl it in conversation; to touch a piece of bread with it is also
a direct breach of table etiquette. To rap on your goblet or wine
glass with it is equally improper.

476 THE DINING ROOM.

Jelly, asparagus, game dressing, melted butter, and sauces are
conveyed to the mouth on the fork, jelly and sauces with the
meats.

Never scrape your plate with either knife or fork. Elegant
eaters are noiseless in the use of table cutlery.

Finger-bowls are served at all well-appointed dinner tables, and
are used merely to dip the extreme tips of the fingers in before
drying them on a napkin. It is quite customary, when finger-bowls
are not on the table, to use the goblet, but the practice is not in
accordance with etiquette. Colored or decorated bowls are most in
favor now. A slice of lemon or a few drops of perfume added to
the water makes it refreshing to the lips and palms of the hands;
doyleys are used to wipe the finger-tips on.

It is almost impossible to commit any dangerous rudeness with
the spoon, as with the fork and knife; but there are little observ-
ances in handling it which belong to grades of society, and which
distinguish the person using it, as either well versed or deficient
in the rules of table etiquette.

It is both convenient and customary to take soup from the side
of the spoon. Tea is sipped in the same way. The point of the
spoon should never be turned to the mouth. Never drink tea or
coffee from a cup with a spoon in it; lay the spoon in the saucer, if
there is one, if not, the liquid must be sipped with the spoon; it
should never be taken from the tea to use in ices or sweetmeats.
If a second spoon is not served, ask the waiter for one in a quiet
way. At dinners a spoon is sometimes placed with the fork to
assist in using sauces, or liquid entrees; but it should not be used
for anything where the service of a fork will answer.

The napkin should be laid in the lap, never tucked under the
chin, or spread across the breast. A gentleman should lay it across
the right knee; when he has finished, he lays it without folding
beside his plate. As soon as a guest is seated at table, he removes
his gloves, and unfolds the table napkin partially without any
awkward flourishes, and spreads it on his knee. This is done while

THE DINING ROOM. 477

conversing with his partner, or his vis-d-vis in a matter-of-fact
manner. Nothing else is touched until the soup is served. Never
use the table napkin to wipe off the face.

In handling a wine glass it should be taken by the stem, with
two or three fingers delicately poised, and sipped quietly. No well-
bred person drinks wine at the dinner table; it is only sipped, and
the glass should never be emptied.

When a gentleman asks a lady to take wine, he expects her to
name the kind she prefers, of which he also will partake. It is not
proper to say, port wine, sherry wine, or Madeira wine. It is
simply spoken of as port, sherry, or Madeira.

It is now a disputed question whether waiters should be thanked
by guests when served or not, but this has always been observed in
the best society, either verbally, or by a slight inclination of the
head.

Home Dinner.

The neatness and taste with which a dinner table is arranged
adds greatly to the comfort of a dinner. Excessive display at a
private dinner table is not in good taste, and renders the meal
uncomfortable. Great edifices of plated ware, huge bouquets and
flower-stands, have given place to beautiful china, and dainty
bouquets, and fragile cut-glasses, and low banks of mosses and
ferns.

All the napkins used should be folded square and of pure white,
monograms and colored markings being considered vulgar.

If any garnishing is done, parsley, celery, fine lettuce, water-
cress, and slices of lemon may be used. The use of the large castor
is becoming almost obsolete. The castor is seldom used now, but
simply a vinegar and oil cruet.

The table may be laid as previously described. The plates may
be placed in a pile in front of the carver or one at each seat. The
latter is more generally observed. When the glasses are filled and
the bread handed around and only the family are present, the

478 - THE DINING ROOM.

services of waiters are dispensed with until the course is to be
removed and the dessert is placed on the table.

A dinner service consists of a covered soup-tureen and ladle, soup
plates, dining plates, fish and meat platters, deep vegetable dishes
with covers, covered casseroles, gravy-tureen, salad bowl, sauce-
boat, cheese tray, different kinds of dessert dishes, etc.

White dishes are out of style for private tables. Dresden, French
ohina, Japanese, are the wares now in vogue ; these are exceedingly
handsome, and can be purchased at very reasonable prices, also the
Matt blue, Doric blue, coral, and flowing blue porcelains, are used
very much, chiefly for breakfast sets.

Some kind of salad should be placed on the table with the roast,
and cheese accompanies the dessert. No table is considered en regie
if wanting the orthodox epergne. On either side toward the ends
of the table, put well-filled celery glasses, and disperse about the
table small dishes of chow-chow, jellies, pickles, crackers, and any-
thing in keeping that fancy may suggest.

At a private dinner table a number of side dishes are dispensed
with, as this disturbs the harmony of the table. Although it is the
common practice to hand dishes around and let each guest help
himself to what he pleases, yet there are some housewives who like
to have everything on a side-table, and dispense the side dishes
themselves; but it looks more hospitable and less formal to see the
host and hostess at the table enjoying themselves with the guests.
An ideal hostess is one who presides without any of the unpleasant
flurry and nervousness peculiar to some women. She must be
unconscious of all except her guests and their individual comforts;
" Mistress of herself, though china fall."

Bread for the dinner table should be cut in thick squares, if rolls
are not used, and placed in the fold of the napkin, or it is quite
customary to place it on the table in a bread tray. Soup is the
first course. All should accept it, even if they let it remain
untouched, so that the servant will not serve one before the rest.
Fish follows soup, which may be declined if one chooses, and after

THE DINING ROOM. 479

this come the meats and side dishes. These rules are safe to
follow, being the rules generally observed both in Europe and
America.

The head of the table is generally the position farthest from the
door, and the foot is opposite. The mistress of the house sits at
the head of the table and the master at the foot, with the sideboard
at his back.

If two kinds of soups are given, the clear or white soup is placed
opposite the hostess. Boiled meats and puddings are likewise
placed opposite her, and the roasts, joints, and pastry are served by
the host.

Whatever sauces, vegetables, or accompanying relishes, may be
desired, with certain meats, should be placed on the table, previous
to the principal dish itself, at small dinners — thus if mock turtle
soup be in question, cut lemons should be placed previously on the
table; if roast beef, horse-radish dressed; if lamb, mint sauce; if
boiled turkey, oyster sauce; if roast turkey, cranberry sauce, etc.,
with appropriate gravies. In removing dishes from the table the
accessories or small dishes are taken away first and the principal
dish last.

It is no longer considered necessary, even at the plainest dinners,
to have more than one dish on the table at a time — unless the party
is large.

According to the present custom, fish is not placed on the table
till the soup is removed; and the joints are not kept waiting under
cover as formerly, till the made dishes are handed round. In these
later days, each dish with its accompanying vegetables and gravies
constitutes a course. The plan is very sensible, and tends greatly
to the successful production and enhanced enjoyment of every kind
of dish. Custom now only sanctions two kinds of vegetables with
each dish.

A word to the uninitiated: From an eminent writer on dinner-
giving: " Give dinners within your means. Do not make experi-
ments. Either use the dishes in which you excel, or engage a good

480 THE DINING ROOM,

cook to give you a variety. Never apologize for a dish; if it is not
good keep it off the table. Always invite people of congenial
tastes and friendly feelings. Do not give large parties if you want
your guests to enjoy themselves. In the arrangement of the table
a spotless cloth, clear glasses, and shining cutlery, feasts the sight
before the substantial meal begins."

Coffees and Luncheons.

Coffees, or afternoon receptions, as they are now called, are very
fashionable of late, and are very charming in forming social enter-
tainments, and have been in great demand during the past season
among ladies. The custom ( Coffee K latch) has been hitherto con-
fined to the Jewish and German ladies, who entertain afternoon
callers with coffee, cake (Kucheii), and ices. Of late, the custom
has been adopted by the American ladies, and sometimes is carried
on on a very grand scale.

The term kettledrum, or afternoon reception, is used for the
formal invitation, which is written or engraved on a large square
card, embellished in one corner with some appropriate design, such
as a coffee urn, cup and saucer, or a wonderful fat-looking teapot
hospitably steaming. The form of wording is generally thus:

Thursday, February 14.
40 Cruickshank Lane. Coffee at 3 o'clock.

4<f. <ofe/e-t o^W^,,
Saturday, Dec. 3.
38 Spedina Ave. Tea at A o'clock.

Gentlemen are sometimes included in the invitations. Artists,
authors, musicians, and literary savants; but they should not be
invited in any professional sense for the purpose of entertaining
the guests. It is not in good taste to urge people to sing, play, or
read at such gatherings, when it is their business to do these things

THE DINING ROOM. 481

in public. They are supposed to attend for recreation and pleasure.
It is not well mannered for one guest to invite or urge another
guest to play, sing, or read. All such requests should come from
the hostess.

At a kettledrum, the time is passed in greeting friends, discon-
nected fragments of conversation, listening to music, or recitations,
and, the best of all, in partaking of good cheer from the groaning
refreshment table.

The table should be laid out in good taste, with graceful flowers,
elegant china, and good eatables.

At one kettledrum, they drink coffee or chocolate, at another
tea, and sometimes beef tea is also served, but this is optional with
the hostess. The menu generally consists of salads, bisque, sweet-
breads, oyster pates (these are served on paper shells), pickles,
tongue, biscuits, cakes, with a full accompaniment of fruits, ?;>on-
bons, and ices.

At these receptions no two pieces of china should be alike, and
when every piece is of different style and pattern, the china is con-
sidered a perfect success. Whole sets of china can be purchased
(in these aesthetic days) all in odd pieces.

Guests, if seated, eat at small tables, which are served from the
large one ; but when the hostess wishes to be more formal, the
guests eat from the large table, while standing. The bonnets are
not discarded and only one hand is ungloved. The experienced
guest hardly ever remains more than an hour, when she makes her
adieux to the members of the family, and drops in, after a day or
two, to make a ceremonious call of a few minutes. The dress worn
at an afternoon reception should consist of a calling costume.

Evening receptions are conducted on the same principle, with the
exception of the dress being more conventional, the carriage dress
being usually worn.

Gentlemen wear dress-coats, light trousers, and light kids. Good
music is generally furnished, and occasionally impromptu dancing
is engaged in. The guests go into the dining-ivom in couples or

482 THE DINING EOOM.

groups, while the reception lasts, which is usually from eight to
eleven.

The form of the card has the name of the hostess and the lady
who receives with her, or any lady guest stopping at her house, and
the guest who cannot attend will send regrets, if the card bears the
letters " R. S. V. P." (Bepondez sHl vous plait) in the corner; but
if they are omitted, the invited guest will simply enclose a card in
an envelope and send it.

Luncheons.

Invitations to luncheons are less formal than those to a dinner,
but should be answered as readily, so that the hostess may be
assured of her number of guests. Ladies go in elegant street dress,
with the addition of gay bonnets and fresh gloves. Knots of
natural flowers, such as Jacque, and Bon Selene roses, Boston buds.
The aesthetic Sunflower and Tiger lily are worn in accordance with
the present custom of floral decorations.

At an important luncheon, the bonnet; but not the gloves are
retained. Where the guests are all well acquainted, a pleasant and
enjoyable affair is passed.

One waiter, if experienced, should be enough for a small lunch
party, as the hostess and young ladies of the house always assist
in serving guests on such occasions.

The table should be elegantly laid out and dressed appropriately
with seasonable flowers, roses, if it is in June; autumn leaves and
flowers in the fall; and exotics in mid- winter; small flat crosses of
croquelle glass, half moons, stars, and lucky horse-shoes, may be
placed on the table corners, filled with cut flowers. In the center
an elaborate piece de resistance of either fruit or flowers, or both
mingled artistically. The bill of fare for an elegant luncheon is
varied with the season; but the following may prove very sug-
gestive:

Raw Oysters on half shell.

Brouillon in cups.

Sherry.

Chicken in scallop shells.

THE DINING ROOM. 483

Celery Salad, Champagne.

Fried Oysters garnished with Chow-Chow.

Potato Croquettes.

French Pease.

Sweetbreads with Tomato Sauce.

Cream Cheese and Toasted Biscuit.

Bisque in shells.

Chocolate with Whipped Cream.

Wine Jellies, Harlequin.

Fruit.

Confectionery.

Fancy Cakes.

Luncheon, when handed around to the guests, is much simpler,
consisting of cups of coffee or chocolate, with sliced cold meats,
olives, cake and fruit, ices and bon-bons.

Menu for Company Dinners.

JANUARY.

Oysters on the half shell.

Julienne Soup.

Halibut a la Royale. Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce.

Potatoes a la Duchess. Celery.

Jugged Rabbit. Roast Beef.

French Beans Sautes. Salad.

Crackers and Cheese.

Mince Pie. Bisque Cream. Fruit. Coffee.

FEBRUARY.

Oysters on the half shell.

Turtle Soup.

Boiled Cod, Sauce Hollandaise. Stewed Pigeons

Potatoes in Jackets. Green Pease.

Roast Duck. Filet de Bceuf. Celery Stewed.

Salad.

Cheese and Wafers. Cabinet Pudding.

Harlequin. Cream. Fruit. Coffee.

484 THE DINING ROOM.

MARCH.

Clear Soup.

Oyster Pie. Smothered Chicken. Green Pease.

Celery.

Venison Steaks. Beef & la Mode.

Lettuce Salad. Baked Tomatoes.

Crackers and Cheese. Sliced Apple Pie.

Turret Cream. Fruit. Black Coffee.

APRIL.

Oysters on the half shell.

Mock Turtle Soup.

Baked Shad. Pate of Sweetbreads.

Spinach and Eggs. Sweet Potatoes.

Snipe on Toast. Celery.

Boiled Leg of Mutton. Caper Sauce. Salad.

Scalloped Cauliflower.

Pudding. Lemon Ice. Fruit. Coffee.

MAY.

Noodle Soup.

Boiled Bass, with Mushrooms. Roast Sweetbreads.

Boiled Sweet Potatoes. Green Pease.

Broiled Squabs Roast Lamb, Mint Sauce.

Asparagus on Toast. Tomato Salad.

Strawberry Short-cake and Cream.

Chocolate Blanc Mange. Fruit and Ices. Cafe Moie.

JUNE.

Green Pea Soup.

Boiled Salmon. Lamb Chops.

Potatoes a la Reine. Stuffed Tomatoes.

Broiled Chickens. Beef Tongue.

Mushrooms on Toast. Green Pease.

Snow Custard. Ices. Fruit and Dessert. Strawberries. Coffee.

THE DINING ROOM.

485

JULY.

Soup.

died Mackerel.

Fried Chicken

Raw Cucumbers.

Salad.

Salmi of Ducks.

Roast Beef.

Boiled Corn.

New Potatoes,

Raspberry Pie.

Bisque.

Fruit.

Crackers and Cheese.

Coffee.

Fillets of Halibut.
Chicken Pate.

Broiled Woodcock.
Green Pease.

AUGUST.
Clear Soup.

Potatoes a, la Reine.
Deviled Tomatoes.
Boiled Tongue.

Stuffed Egg Plant.

Peach Pie.

Melons. Crackers and Cheese.

Ices.

Coffee.

SEPTEMBER.

Raw Oysters.

Baked Fish. Carserole of Rice, with Chicken and Tongue.

Pototoes au Maitre d'Hotel. Deviled Crabs.

Mock Quails. Roast Lamb.

Spinach & la Cr6me. Salad. Cream Squash.

Pudding. Peach Ice-Cream. Coffee. Fruit.

Oyster Pate.

OCTOBER.

Raw Oysters.

Mock Turtle Soup.

Fricassee of Calf's Tongue.
Potatoes a la Duchess.
Chickens and Mushrooms.

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.
Creamed Cauliflower. Sweet Potatoes,

Amber Pudding. Sponge Cake.

Fruit. Bon-Bons. Ices. Cafe Noir.

486 THE DINING ROOM.

NOVEMBER.

Chicken and Cream Soup.

Panned Oysters. Roast Turkey, Cranberry Sauce.

Celery Salad Potatoes 0, la Reine.

Fricassee of Grouse. Roast Saddle of Mutton.

Potatoes a la Duchess. Salsify Saute.

Sliced Bread and Butter. Apple Meringue Pie.

Tartlet9. Wine Jellies. Bon-Bons. Ices. Coffee.

DECEMBER.

Oysters on the half shell.

Mock Turtle Soup.

Lobster Croquettes. Stewed Pigeons.

Potatoes k la Reine. Lima Beans.

Boiled Turkey with Oyster Sauce.

Roast Haunch of Venison. Potatoes a la Duchess.

Currant Jelly. Lettuce Salad. Green Pease.

Boiled Beef Tongue. Sauce Piquant.

Sweet Potatoes. Oyster Salad.

Roast Duck.

Chicken Salad. Potato Chips.

Quail on Toast. Crackers and Cheese.

Mince Pie. Wine Jellies. Bisque Cream.

Fruits and Ices, Bon-Bons. Coffee.

Garnishing. Christmas Holly.

Allowance of Supplies for an Entertainment.

In inviting guests, it is safe to calculate that out of one hundred
and fifty, but two-thirds of the number will be present. If five
hundred are invited, not more than three hundred can be counted
upon as accepting.

Allow one quart of oysters to every three persons present. Five
chickens (or, what is better, a ten-pound turkey, boiled and minced),
and fifteen heads of celery, are enough for chicken salad for fifty
gnests ; one gallon of ice-cream to every twenty guests ; one
hundred and thirty sandwiches for one hundred guests; and six to

THE DINING ROOM. 487

ten quai'ts of wine jelly for each hundred. For a company of
twenty, allow three chickens for salad; one hundred pickled
oysters; two moulds of Charlotte Russe; one gallon of cream; and
four dozen biscuits.

Cold Lunches for Washing Days, or Other Days of Extra
Labor.

Lunch, No. 1. — Cold corned beef, nicely sliced, baked potatoes, bread, but-
ter, and pickles. Dessert — mince pie and cbeese.

Lunch, No. 2. — Chicken pie, baked potatoes, rolled bread or biscuit.
Dessert — cake and custard.

Lunch, No. 3. — First course: Raw oysters, with lemon and crackers.
Second course: Cold veal, with jelly and Saratoga potatoes; bread and butter.
Dessert — cherry pie with cheese.

Lunch, No. 4. — Casserole of fish, with mushroom catsup, bread and butter.
Dessert — Pie and cheese.

Economical Dinners.
Sunday.— Roast Beef, potatoes, and greens. Dessert— pudding, or pie,

Monday. — Hashed beef , potatoes, and bread pudding.
Tuesday. — Broiled beef, vegetables, apple pudding,

Wednesday. — Boiled pork, beans, potatoes, greens, and pie or rice pudding.
Thursday. — Roast or broiled fowl, cabbage, potatoes, lemon pie, cheese.
Friday. — Fish, potato croquettes, escalloped tomatoes, pudding.
Saturday, — A la mode beef, potatoes, vegetables, suet pudding and mince
pie, cheese.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

THE AQUARIUM.

HAT happens, when we put half a dozen goldfish in a globe?
The fishes gulp in water and expel it at the gills. As it
passes through the gills, whatever free oxygen the water
contains is absorbed, and carbonic acid given off in its place;
and in course of time, the free oxygen of the water is exhausted,
the water becomes stale, and at last poisonous, from excess of car-
bonic acid. If the water is not changed, the fishes come to the
surface and gulp atmospheric air. But though they naturally
breathe air (oxygen) as we do, yet they are formed to extract it
from the water; and when compelled to take air from the surface
the gills, or lungs, soon get inflamed, and death at last puts an end
to their sufferings. Now, if a fish globe be not over-crowded with
fishes, we have only to throw in a goodly handful of some water
weed, such as the Brook Starwort, for instance, and a new set of
chemical operations commences at once, and it becomes unnecessary
to change the water. The reason of this is easily explained. Plants
absorb oxygen as animals do; but they also absorb carbonic acid,
and from the carbonic acid thus absorbed they remove the pure
carbon, and convert it into vegetable tissue, giving out the free
oxygen either to the water or the air, as the case may be. Hence,
in a vessel containing water-plants in a state of healthy growth, the
plants exhale more oxygen than they absorb, and thus replace that
which the fishes require for maintaining healthy respiration. Any
one who will observe the plants in an aquarium, when the sun
shines through the tank, will see the leaves studded with bright
beads, some of them sending up continuous streams of minute

THE AQUARIUM. 489

bubbles. These 1 tends and bubbles are pure oxygen, which the
plants distil from the water itself, in order to obtain its hydrogen,

and from carbonic acid, in order to obtain its carbon. Thus the
water, if the due proportion of its animal and vegetable tenants be
observed, need never be changed.

490 THE AQUARIUM.

This is the true Aquarium, which aims to imitate the balance
of Nature. By this balance the whole organic world is kept living

and healthy. For animals are
dependent upon the vegetable
kingdom not only for all their
food, but also for the purification
of the air, which they all breathe,
either in the atmosphere or in the
water. The divine simplicity of
this stupendous scheme may well
challenge our admiration. Each living thing, animal or plant, uses
what the other rejects, and gives back to the air what the other
needs.

The balance must be perfect, or all life must expire, and vanish
from the earth. This is tho balance which we imitate in the aqua-
rium. It is the whole law of life, the whole scheme of nature, the
whole equilibrium of our organic world, inclosed in a bottle.

When we speak of an aquarium, we mean a vessel holding from
eight to thirty gallons of water. A large tank should be about two
feet long by eighteen inches wide and eighteen inches deep, and
holding about twenty gallons. Smaller and very pretty tanks may
be made fifteen inches long by twelve inches wide and twelve deep.
Great variety in form and elegance may be adapted to various
situations.

Any vessel that will hold water can, of course, be readily con-
verted into an aquarium. But as we want a clear view of the con-
tents at all times, glass is the best material, and since glass globes
refract the light irregularly and magnify and distort whatever is
within them, we shall find an advantage in having the sides parallel
and the form rectangular. As the weight of the aquarium, when
filled with water, is enormous — far more than we should at first
imagine — it follows that it must be capable of resisting pressure
both from above and from within. The floor and stand, the frame
and joints, must be strong and compact, and the walls of plate or

THE AQUARIUM.

491

thick crown glass. The bottom should be of slate; and if it is
designed to attach arches of rock-work inside to the ends, they, too,
should be of slate, as cement will not stick to glass. The frame
should be iron, zinc, or well-turned wood; the joints closed with
white lead putty; the front and back of glass. There is one objec-
tion to having the side

which faces the light
of transparent glass,
and that is that it
transmits too much
glare of sunlight for
the health of the ani-
mals. In Nature's aquarium the light enters only from above, and
the fish and delicate creatures have always, even then, the shady
fronds of aquatic plants or the shelter of rocks — as well as the
power of seeking greater depths of water, where the light is less —
to protect themselves from too intense a sunshine. It is, therefore,
sometimes desirable to have the window side of the aquarium made
of glass stained of a green color. It is desirable that all aquarial
tanks should have a movable glass eover to protect them from dust,
impure gases, and smoke.

The tank being prepared and well seasoned by being kept several
weeks alternately full and empty, and exposed to the sun and air
so that all paint, oil, varnish, tannin, etc., may be wholly removed;
the next thing is to arrange the bottom and plant it. Some rough

fragments of rock, free
from iron or other
metals that stain the
water, may be built
into an arch with ce-
ment, or piled up in
any shape to suit the
fancy. The bottom should be composed entirely of pebbles, well

492 THE AQUARIUM.

washed. Common silver sand, washed until the water can be
poured through it quite cleai', is also suitable.

Mould, or soil adapted to ordinary vegetation, is not necessary
to the aquatic plants, and is, moreover, worse than useless, since it
necessitates the frequent changing of the water for some time, in
order to get rid of the soluble vegetable matter, and promotes the
growth of conf ervae and other low forms of vegetation, which are
obnoxious. Aquatic plants of all kinds have been found to root
freely and nourish in pebbles alone, if their roots be covered. The
plants should be carefully cleared of all dead parts; the roots
attached to a small stone, or laid on the bottom and covered with a
layer of pebbles and sand.

The bottom being planted, the water may be introduced through
a watering-pot, or poured against the side of the tank, so as to
avoid any violent agitation of the bottom. The water should be
pure and bright. River water is best; spring water will do, but
must be softened by the plants for some days before the fishes are
put in.

Sunshine is good for the tank at all seasons of the year. The
fresh requires more than the salt-water aquarium. The amount of
oxygen given off by the plants, and hence "their growth and the
sprightliness of the fishes, are very much increased while the sun
is shining on them.

There are two kinds of aquaria, the fresh and salt water; the one
fitted for the plants and animals of ponds and rivers; the other for
the less known tenants of the sea. They are best described as the
River and the Marine Aquarium, as they differ somewhat from each
other. We shall speak first of the fresh-water aquarium.

In selecting plants for the aquarium, some regard is to be paid to
the amount of oxygen they will evolve, and to their hardiness, as
well as to their beauty. When it is desired to introduce the fishes
without waiting long for the plants to get settled and to have given
off a good supply of oxygen, there is no plant more useful than the
Brook Starwort. It is necessary to get a good supply, and pick off

THE AQUARIUM. 493

the green heads, with four or six inches only of stem; wash them
clean, and throw them into the tank without planting. They
spread over the surface, forming a rich green ceiling, grow freely,
and last for months. They are continually throwing out new roots
and shoots, and create abundance of oxygen. Whenever desired,
they can be got rid of by simply lifting them out.

The Tape Grass, common in all our ponds, is essential to every
fresh-water tank. It must be grown as a bottom plant, and
flourishes only when rooted.

The Nitella is another pleasing variety. The Water-Crowfoot is
to be found in almost every pond in bloom by the middle of May,
and continues so into the autumn. It is of the buttercup family,
and may be known as a white buttercup with a yellow center. The
floating leaves are fleshy, the lower one finely cut. It must be very
carefully washed, and planted from a good joint, allowing length
enough of stem to reach the surface. Some of the blossom heads
may also be sprinkled over the surface, where they will live and
bloom all through the summer.

The Frog's Bit, the Water Plantain and the Water-Cress are also
easily obtained, hardy and useful as well as pleasing. Many rarer
and more showy varieties may be cultivated; we have given only
the most common and essential. All the varieties of Chard are
interesting to the microscopist, as showing the phenomenon of the
circulation of the sap or cyclosis.

Of the living tenants of the aquarium, those most interesting, as
well as of the highest organization, are the fishes. And among
fishes, the carp family are the best adapted to our purpose; for we
must select those which are both hardy and tamable. The Prus-
sian carp is one of the best; it will survive even if the water should
accidentally become almost exhausted of oxygen. It may be taught
also to feed from the hand. None of the carp are very carnivorous.
The goldfish is one of the most ornamental objects in an aquarium.
Bat the minnow is the jolliest little fish in the tank. He is the life
of the collection, and will survive the severest trials of heat

494 THE AQUARIUM.

and cold. The chub, a common tenant of our ponds, is also a good
subject for domestication. The tench and loach are very interest-
ing, but also very delicate. Among the spiny-finned fishes, the
stickle-backs are the pi-ettiest, but so savage that they often occa-
sion much mischief. For a vessel containing twelve gallons the
following selection of live stock is among those recommended: Three
Gold Carp, three Prussian Carp, two Perch, four large Loach, a
dozen Minnows, six Bleak, and two dozen Planorbis. Some varie-
ties of the Water-Beetles, or Water-Spiders, which the fishes do not
eat, may also well be added. The Newt, too, is attractive and
harmless.

All may go on well, and the water remain clear; but after the
tank has been established several weeks, the inner sides of the glass
will show a green tinge, which soon increases and interferes with
the view. This is owing to the growth of a minute confervoid
vegetation, which must be kept down. For this purpose the snail
is the natural remedy, being the ready scavenger of all such nui-
sances. Snails cling to the sides and clean away and consume all
such vegetable growth. The Lymnea is among the most efficient,
but unfortunately is destructive, by eating holes in the young
fronds of the larger plants, and thus injuring their appearance. To
this objection some other variety of snails are not open. The
Paludina and Planorbis are the only kinds which are trustworthy.
The former is a handsome snail, with a bronze-tint globular shell;
the latter has a spiral form. These will readily reduce the vegeta-
tion. And to preserve the crystal clearness of the water, some
Mussels may be allowed to burrow in the sand, where they will
perform the office of animated filters. They strain off matters held
in suspension in the water, by means of their siphons and ciliated
gills. With these precautians a well-balanced tank will long retain
all the pristine purity of Nature.

Specimens for the river aquarium may be readily obtained in
almost any brook or pool, by means of the hand-net or dredge. It
will be astonishing to see the variety of objects brought up by a

THE AQUARIUM.

495

Aquarium.

Hexagonal Aquarium.

Wardin Case.

Aquarium, with Grotto.

49« THW AQUARIUM.

successful haul. Small fish, newts, tad-poles, mollusks, water-
beetles, worms, spiders, and spawn of all kinds will be visible to
the naked eye, while the microscope will bring out thousands more
of the most beautiful objects.

A very different style of appearance and of objects distinguishes
the salt-water or Marine Aquarium.

As the greater part of the most curious live stock of the salt
water aquarium live upon or near the bottom, so the marine tank
should be more shallow, and allow an uninterrupted view from
above. Marine creatures are more delicately constituted than fresh
water ones; and they demand more care, patience, and oversight to
render the marine aquarium successful.

Sea-sand and pebbles, washed clean, form the best bottom for the
salt-water aquarium. It must be recollected that many of the
marine tenants are burrowers, and require a bottom adapted to
their habits. Some rock-work is considered essential to afford a
grateful shelter and concealment to such creatures as are timid by
nature, and require a spot in which to hide. This is true of many
fishes. Branches of coral, bedded in cement, may be introduced,
and form beautiful and natural objects on which plants will climb
and droop gracefully.

Sea-water, dipped from the open sea, away from the mouths of
rivers, is, of course, the best for the marine aquarium. If pure, it
will bear transportation and loss of time before being put into the
tank. It may, however, not always be possible to get sea-water,
particularly for the aquarium remote from the seaboard, and it is,
therefore, fortunate that artificial sea-water will answer every
purpose.

The composition of natural sea-water is, in a thousand parts,
approximately as follows: Water, 964 parts; Common Salt, 27;
Chloride of Magnesium, 3.6; Chloride of Potassium, 0.7; Sulphate
of Magnesia (Epsom Salts), 2; Sulphate of Lime, 1.4; Bromide of
Magnesium, Carbonate of Lime, etc., .02 to .03 parts. Now the
Bromide of Magnesium, and Sulphate and Carbonate of Lime, occur

THE AQUARIUM. 497

in such small quantities that they can be safely omitted in making
artificial sea- water; and besides, river and spring water always con-
tain a considerable proportion of lime. Therefore, according to
Mr. Gosse, we may use the following formula: In every one hun-
dred parts of the solid ingredients, Common Salt, 81 parts; Epsom
Salts, 7 parts; Chloride of Magnesium, 10 parts; Chloride of Potas-
sium, 2 parts; and of water about 2900 parts, although this must
be accurately determined by the specific gravity.

The mixture had better be allowed to stand several days before
filling the tank; for thus the impurities of the chemicals will settle,
and the clear liquor can be decanted off. The specific gravity
should then be tested with the hydrometer, and may safely range
from 1026 to 1028, fresh water being 1000. If a quart or two of real
sea water can be obtained, it is a very useful addition to the mix-
ture. It may now be introduced into the tank through a filter.
But no living creature must be introduced until the artificial water
has been softened and prepared by the growth of the marine plants
in it for several weeks. Thus, too, it will be oxygenated and ready
for the oxygen-using tenants. It is a singular fact, that water
which has been thus prepared, with only four ingredients, will,
after being a month or more in the aquarium, acquire the other
constituents which are normally present in minute quantities in the
natural sea water. It must derive them from the action of the
plants or animals, or both. Bromine may come from sponges, or
sea wrack, perhaps. Thus artificial water eventually rights itself.
The tank having been prepai'ed and seasoned with the same precau-
tion used for the river aquarium, and having a clear bottom and a
supply of good water, is now ready for planting. Many beautifully-
colored and delicately-fringed Algae and sea wracks will be found
on the rocks at low tide, and will sadly tempt the enthusiast to
consign their delicate hues to the aquarium. All such temptations
must be resisted. Green is the only color well adapted for healthy
and oxygenating growth in the new tank. A small selection of the
purple or red varieties may perhaps be introduced and successfully

498 THE AQUARIUM.

cultivated at a later day, but they are very delicate; while the
olives and browns are pretty sure to die and corrupt the water. It
must be remembered, too, that the Algae are cryptogamous, and
bear no visible flowers to delight the eye or fancy. Of all marine
plants the Sea Lettuce is first and best. It has broad light-green
fronds, and is hardy and a rapid grower, and hence a good giver of
oxygen. Next to this in looks and usefulness comes the Entero-
morpha Compressa, a delicate, grass-like Alga. After a while the
common Carrageen Moss may be chosen and added. These ought
to be enough for some months, as it is not safe to add too many at
once.

After a few hardy plants are well set and thriving for a week or
two, and the water is clear and bubbly with oxygen, it will be time
to look about for the live stock of the marine aquarium. Fishes,
though most attractive, must be put in last; for as they are of the
highest vitality, so they require the most oxygen and food, and
should not be trusted until everything in the tank is well a-going.
The first tenants should be the hardy varieties of the Sea Anemones.

The Anemones require but little care; they do not generally need
feeding, though the Daisy and Plumose Anemone greedily take
minced mutton or oyster. But as a rule, there are enough infusoria
for their subsistence; and it is safer not to feed them, as any frag-
ments not consumed will decay, and contaminate the water.

Next in order of usefulness, hardiness, and adaptability to the
new aquarium, come the Mollusks. And of these, Snails and
Periwinkles claim our respectful attention, as the most faithful,
patient, and necessary scavengers of the confervoid growths, which
soon obscure the marine aquarium.

"It is interesting," says Mr. Gosse, "to watch the business-like
way in which the Periwinkle feeds. At very regular intervals, the
proboscis, a tube with thick fleshy walls, is turned inside out to a
certain extent, until a surface, having a silky lustre, is brought into
contact with the glass. This is the tongue; it is moved with a
short sweep, and the tubular proboscis infolds its walls again, the

THE AQUARIUM. 499

tongue disappearing, and every filament of conferva being carried
up into the interior from the little area which had been swept.
The next instant, the foot meanwhile having made a small advance,
the proboscis unfolds again, the tongue makes another sweep, and
again the whole is withdrawn; and this proceeds with great regu-
larity. I can compare the action to nothing so well as to the man-
ner in which the tongue of an ox licks up the grass of the field, or
to the action of the mower cutting swath after swath."

Of Crustacea, the Prawns and the smaller kinds of crabs may be
admitted to the aquarium, though but sparingly. They are rude,
noisy, quarrelsome, and somewhat destructive — but, for the same
reason, amusing tenants of the tank.

The great class of Zoophytes can be introduced, but many vari-
eties of them will be found already within the aquarium, in the
company of their more bulky neighbors. These peculiar creatures,
or things, form a boundary where the last gleam of animal life is so
feeble and flickering as to render it doubtful whether they belong
to the animal or vegetable kingdom. Agassiz calls them Protozoa
— Primary Existences. Many of them are microscopic, and belong
to the class of animalculae called Infusoria.

A very remarkable quality which the Infusoria possess — one very
useful for the aquarium, and one which would seem to settle their
place in the vegetable kingdom — is that they exhale oxygen like
plants. This has been proved by Liebig, who collected several jars
of oxygen from tanks containing Infusoria only.

A piece of honeycomb coral is easily found, and, when well
selected and placed in the aquarium, may continue to grow there
by the labors of its living infusorial tenants; they are not unworthy
rivals of the Madrepores, or deep-sea coral-builders of warmer
latitudes. The walls of its cells are not more than one-thirtieth of
an inch in thickness, and each cell has its occupant. So closely
are they packed, that in an area of one-eighth of an inch square, the
orifices of forty-five cells can be counted. As these are all double,
this would give five thousand seven hundred and sixty cells to the

500 THE AQUARIUM.

square inch. Now, a moderate-sized specimen will afford, with all
its convolutions, at least one hundred square inches of wall, which
would contain a population of five hundred and seventy-six thou-
sand inhabitants — a very large city.

Finally come the fishes, many of which are of similar genera to
those recommended for the fresh-water tank. The Black Goby
is familial*, tamable, but voracious; the Gray Mullet is very hardy,
but also rather savage; the "Wrasses are some of the most showy
fish — called in some parts of the country Cunners — and of these
the ancient Wrasse, covered with a net-work of vermilion meshes
on a brown and white ground, is the most elegant.

Some points of general management are so important, and some
dangers so imminent, that we cannot pass them by unnoticed. The
aquarian enthusiast is very apt to be in too great haste to see every-
thing going on, and commits the common error of trying too many
things at once. The aquarium must be built up slowly and tenta-
tively, object by object; plants first, and of the simplest kinds; and
not until they are well settled, and the water beaded with oxygen
bubbles, should we think of introducing living creatures — and even
then only the hardiest kinds of actinias, mollusks, and crabs. All
delicate animals must be entrusted one by one to their new home,
and carefully watched for deaths and decay, which, whether arising
from dead plants or animals, ruin everything very quickly, unless
they be promptly removed. For sulphuretted hydrogen even in
very minute quantities, is sure death to all these little creatures.

The emanations from paint and putty are often fatal in new
tanks. Several weeks' exposure to water, air, and sunlight is
necessary to season the new-made aquarium.

A certain natural density of the sea-water must also be preserved,
ranging between no wider limits than 1026 and 1028. And in the
open tank evaporation is constantly deranging this, and must be
met by a supply from without. As the pure water alone evaporates,
and the salts and earthy or mineral constituents are left behind,
two things result: the water remaining becomes constantly more

THE AQUARIUM. 501

dense; and this can be remedied only by pure fresh water poured
in to restore the equilibrium. Hence, the marine aquarium must
be replenished with fresh water, until the proper specific gravity,
as indicated by the hydrometer, is restored.

The aquarium may be found some morning with a deep and per-
manent green stain discoloring the water. This unsightly appear-
ance is owing to the simultaneous development of the spores of
multitudes of minute Algse and Conferva?, and can be obviated by
passing the water through a charcoal filter.

When any of the fishes give signs of sickness or suffocation, by
coming to the surface and gulping air, they may be revived by
having the water aerated by pouring it out repeatedly from a little
elevation, or by a syringe.

The fishes are sometimes distressed, also, when the room gets
too warm for them. A temperature of sixty degrees is about what
is required for them. And they will stand cold, many of them,
even to being frozen with the water into ice, and afterwards revive.

The degree of light should be carefully regulated by a stained
glass side or a shade. Yet it must be borne in mind that sunlight
is indispensable to the free evolution of oxygen by the plants. And
when the sun is shining on the water, all its occupants appear more
lively, and the fishes seem intoxicated — as they doubtless are — with
oxygen.

A novice is apt to overstock his aquarium. Not more than two
moderate-sized fishes to a gallon of water is a safe rule. Care, too,
must be taken to group together those kinds of creatures which are
not natural enemies, or natural food for each other, or a sad scene
of devastation and murder will ensue.

Cleansing cannot always be entrusted to snails. But the sides
may be scrubbed with a soft swab, made of cotton or wick-yarn.
Deaths will occasionally take place, and even suicide is said to be
resorted to by the wicked family of Echinoderms.

To procure specimens for the aquarium requires some knack and
knowledge. The sea shore must be haunted, and even the deep sea

502 THE AQUARIUM.

explored. At the extreme low water of new or full-moon tides the
rocks and tide-pools are to be zealously hunted over by the aquarian
naturalist. Several wide-mouthed bottles and stone jars are neces-
sary; and we would repeat, that no plant should be taken unless its
attachment is preserved. It is often a long and difficult job to get
some of the Alga? with their tender connections severed from the
hard rock, which must be chopped away with the chisel, and often
with the blows of the hammer deadened by being struck under
water. It is by lifting up the overhanging masses of slimy fuci,
tangles and sea-grass, that we find the delicate varieties, as the
Chrombus, with its metallic lustre, and the red Algae, or the stony
Corallina, which delights in the obscurity of shaded pools.

The sea weeds will be found to be studded with Mollusks, as
Snails and Periwinkles of many queer vai-ieties.

Anemones, of the more common kinds, are found clinging to
smooth stones, Crabs, on the sand, Prawns, Shrimps, Medusas, and
fishes of many species, in the little pools which the tide leaves
behind, and which it will require a sharp eye and a quick hand to
explore with success. But the rarer forms of Actini, as Star-fishes,
Sepioles, Madrepores, Annelida?, and Zoophytes, of a thousand
shapes, live on the bottom, in deep water, and must be captured
there.

For this purpose, we must dredge from a boat, under sail. The
naturalist's dredge is an improved oyster-dredge, with each of the
two long sides of the mouth made into a scraping lip of iron. The
body is made of spun yarn or fishing-line, netted into a small mesh.
Two long triangles are attached by a hinge to the two short sides
of the frame, and meeting in front, at some distance from the
mouth, are connected by a swivel-joint. To this the dragging-rope
is bent, which must be three times as long, in dredging, as the
depth of the water. This is fastened to the stern of the boat under
sail, and thus the bottom is raked of all sorts of objects; among
which, on emptying the net, many living creatures for the aquarian
are found. These may be placed temporarily in jars; though

THE AQUARIUM. 503

plants, Mollusks, Crustacea, and Actiniap, may be kept and trans-
mitted long distances packed in layers of moist sea-weed.

For all this detail, labor, and patient care we may reasonably
find two great objects: first, the cultivation and advancement of
natural science; second, the purest delight and healthiest amuse-
ment.

In the aquarium we have a most convenient field for the study of
natural history; to learn the varieties, nature, names, habits, and
peculiarities of those endless forms of animated existence which
dwell in the hidden depths of the sea, and at the same time to
improve our minds by cultivating our powers of observation.

The pleasure derived from the aquarium comes from the excite-
ment of finding and collecting specimens, as well as from watching
the tank itself. There can be no more pleasant accompaniment to
the sea-side walk of the casual visitor or summer resident of a water-
ing place, than to search for marine plants and animals among the
fissures, rocks and tide-pools of the sea-washed beach or cape.

Nature is always as varied as beautiful. Thousands of strange
forms sport under the shadow of the brown, waving sea-weeds, or
among the scarlet fronds of the dulse, which is found growing in
the little ponds that the inequalities of the beach have retained. It
is down among the great boulders which the Atlantic piles upon
our coast, that we find endless varieties of life to fill the aquarium,
though not those more gorgeous hues which distinguish the tenants
of the coral reefs on tropical shores. Yet even here nature is
absolutely infinite; and we shall find ourselves, day after day,
imitating that botanist who, walking through the same path for a
month found always a new plant which had escaped his notice
before. So, too, in exploring the open sea, besides the pleasure of
sailing along a variegated coast, with sun and blue water, we have
the constant excitement of unexpected discovery; for, as often as
we pull up the dredge, some new wonder is revealed.

Words fail to describe the wonders of the sea. And all that we
drag from the bottom, all that we admire in the aquarium, are but

504 THE AQUARIUM.

a few disconnected specimens of that infinite whole which makes
up their home.

So, too, in watching the aquarium itself we shall see endless
repetitions of those " sea changes " which Shakespeare sang. An-
cient mythology typified the changing wonders of aquatic Nature,
as well as the fickleness of the treacherous sea, in those shifting
deities, Glaucus, Proteus, who tenanted the shore. The one the
fancy of Ovid metamorphosed from a restless man to a fickle sea
god; the other assumed so many deceptive shapes to those who
visited his cave, that his memory has heen preserved in the word
Protean. Such fancies well apply to a part of Nature which shifts
like the sands, and ranges from the hideous Cuttle-fish and ravenous
Shark to the delicate Medusa, whose graceful form and trailing
tentacles float among the waving fronds of colored Algae, like

" Sabrina fair,
Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave
In twisted braid of lilies knitting
The loose train of her amber-dripping hair."

CHAPTER XL.

CARE OF CANARIES.

TUNEFUL, sweet-voiced canary bird is one of the choicest
and most delightful pets that a cultured lady can possess.
It is a source of much refined pleasure and amusement, and
well repays the care necessary to make it a hardy, happy and melo-
dious member of the household.

The following simple instructions in the care of canaries will be
found useful to all lovers of the feathered songsters.

Choosing the Birds.

Don't be particular as to color; brown or mottled birds often
prove the best singers. Avoid birds with red eyes; they are deli-
cate and not easily kept in song. Tameness is not a sign of excel-
lence; a bird that is moderately shy and spry will be likely to turn
out best. Look for melody and sweetness rather than shrill, loud
tones, if the canary is intended for a private house. Be sure the
little fellow's legs and feet are clean and perfect — and when you
buy a bird, take it home yourself, and not leave it for the deale<
to send. Thus you will be sure to get the one you select. Fg
singing, get a male bird. The sex may be determined in a browl
containing both male and female, by comparing the birds. The
male's plumage is brightest in color; his head is larger and louger;
his body more slender; his neck longer; his legs longer and
straighter than those of the female, and the feathers about his
temples and eyes are brighter than elsewhere upon his body.

505

506 CARE OF CANARIES.

Taming.
Carry your bird home carefully and gently. Have its cage ready
and furnished with seed and water. Let it step of its own accord
out of the temporary cage into its new home. Place a light in
front of the cage, and without going too near or seeming to watch
the bird, chirp or whistle to encourage it. The chances are that it
will begin to sing at once. If it sulks a little at the start, so much
the better; but if the shyness continues after the first day, catch
the bird and immerse it in the water of its bath-tub; then leave it
to itself. In drying and smoothing its feathers it will forget its
homesickness and make itself comfortable.

Cages.
The wire bell-shaped cage is best for song birds. Brass is better
than painted wire. In addition to the bath-tub and seed-cup, the
cage should have two or three perches, of cane or hard wood,,
made round and smooth. These should be placed across the cage
in such positions that one will never be exactly over another to
catch the litter. Keep the perches clean by frequent washings
with yellow soap and water, and never return to the cage until
thoroughly dry. At least twice a week, the bottom of the cage
must be taken off and washed, and the bottom covered with fine
sand or gravel. Be careful never to use salt water sand. Never
hang the cage in a draft of air (as in an open window), or in the
hot sun, without protecting the bird by some sort of shelter on the
windy side and at the top. Never hang the cage out of doors in
wet weather. In the winter, never leave the cage in a room with-
out a fire. Don't leave the care of your bird and cage to servants-

Baths.

Let the water be fresh daily. Canaries will not bathe in stale or

dirty water. The bath-tub should be of such size that it will pass

easily through the cage door — and it should be removed as soon as

the bird has bathed. If you have a wire cage with a bottom that

CARE OF CANARIES. 507

hooks on, a good plan is to fill the bath-tub and set it on the floor,

or on an old table. Then unhook the bottom of the cage, and place

the rage with the bird in it over the bath-tub. The bird will soon

come down from its perch and use the bath — and when the bottom is

replaced the cage will be perfectly clean and dry. If you put the

bath-tub in the cage, dry up all splashes of water after the bird has

finished bathing.

Food and Water.

Simple diet is better for song birds than dainties, like cake, sugar,
and other " goodies." A mixture of rape and canary, with a little
hemp seed (less of the latter in summer than in winter). If the
bird is young the hemp seed should be cracked before using. In
summer the cage should be supplied with green food, such as
cabbage, turnip tops, chick-weed, plantain stems, celery, water-
cress, etc. In winter use a little sweet apple, and occasionally a
trifle of boiled carrot or cauliflower, without salt. Birds also enjoy
pieces of water cracker or pilot bread suspended in the cage, and
particularly a cuttle-fish bone, which is useful to them for the lime
it contains. The seed box of the cage should be filled at night, for
the bird's day is from sunrise to sunset and he wants breakfast
early, before you are up in the morning. Always see that the cup
is well filled. Birds frequently suffer intolerably from thirst after
haviug scattered and wasted the water.

Breeding Canaries.

Breeding cages should be of polished wood with one end and one
side of wire. The floor should be covered with oilcloth or stiff
paper which can be removed, cleansed and re-sanded as required.
A small box for nests so fastened that you can take it out at will
should be placed near the wooden corner of the cage about half
way up; and material for nest, such as soft moss, wool, feathers,
new cotton or hair, should be attached loosely to the wires where
the bird can get them. Canaries pair about the middle of March
or April. Select a vigorous, handsome pair, and having first kept
them in separate cages within sight of each other for a few days,

508 CAKE OF CANARIES.

put them in the cage. Place the cage in a light, airy room with
even temperature, and out of draughts of cold air. In case the hen
forsakes her nest after having laid her full number of eggs and begun
to sit on them, remove the nest and put in a fresh one and let her
take a new start. Canaries usually lay from four to six eggs, and
they sit for thirteen days. While the bird is sitting she should
have plenty of food; and on the day the hatching is expected, put
into the cage a little grated bread soaked in water and pressed dry,
and part of a finely-chopped hard-boiled egg should also be put in
the cage. These viands are for the young birds. They should be
placed in the cage at night or early in the morning, and great care
should be taken to change them often enough so that they will not
get sour. Healthy young birds will look red, and their crops will
be full. If they seem pale and emaciated, it is time to suspect
vermin, and you should change the nest at once, smoothing out the
new one before putting the infants into it by rolling a hot hen's
egg about in it. When twelve days old the young canaries begin
to get feathers of their own and help themselves; and when they
are a month old they may be taken from the parent cage to another
near at hand and within sight. Their cage should never be without
green food. Fresh hard-boiled eggs and grated bread, dipped in
water and pressed, is the best food for them. Give them a chance
to bathe daily; sprinkle them gently with water from a brush if
they refuse to get into the tub; and let them have as much soft
(not too hot) sunshine as possible. While in the sun there should
always be a shady nook in the cage — a leafy branch or two, making
a trembling shadow, is the best. If possible, let them have plenty
of green food, and some insects, ants' eggs, etc. When the young
birds are two weeks old, their parents often begin to get ready to
prepare for the next brood; and if indications of such a state of
things are seen, a new nest box and materials should be put in the
breeding cage. The male will take care of the young birds while
the mother busies herself with preparations for an increase of
family.

mn?mvw wm<&®mm£^*

CHAPTER XLI.

FLORICULTURE.

3

IfN large towns and cities, the houses of the upper classes have
almost invariably their windows and areas tastefully decorated
with plants and flowers. The floral profusion which adorns
the windows and balconies of the wealthy, is generally purchased
at large expense, and to obtain a similar result by the same means,
would be impossible for those whose incomes are limited. But this
is no reason why not only the windows, but also the back yards
and confined localities about the houses of the lower, middle, and
working classes, should be debarred from the inexpensive adorn-
ment of living and refreshing foliage, such as is to be produced by
climbing and creeping plants.

An inobtrusive little house, placed in the most uninviting situ-
ation, with narrow street and city dust, may be rendered pretty and
attractive, and shielded from the scorching rays of the mid-summer
sun, with pretty vines — morning glories, scarlet runners, honey-
suckle, woodbine, and climbing roses; these can be trained around
the windows, over the doors, and against the walls.

"I have seen," says. Dickens, "a small house, in a dusty street,
with a bit of garden in front; over its windows and doors pretty
vines climbed; crimson carnations, bright roses, and honeysuckles,
lighted up the dark, sad cloud of poverty that hung about the place.
Though they were of no economical value as food, drink, or cloth-
ing, they gladdened the minds of the laborers who passed to and
from their work morning and night."

510

FLORICULTURE.

Trellised Windows.

Ornamental climbing and creeping plants should be employed to

some extent in all kinds of gardening, as they furnish an element

of grace differing widely from, and not attainable by, plants of a

compact and self-supporting habit. Unquestionably most of these

plants never appear to such
advantage as when associ-
ated with rustic architecture,
ruins — natural or artificial,
— or a portion of a garden
broken up into banks and
dells, with rock-work intro-
duced as a characteristic fea-
ture. Thus employed, and
allowed to ramble unrestrain-
edly, they, in a few years,
attain the appearance of
free, natural grace that must
be appreciated by all lovers
of the beauties of nature.
Nevertheless, there are very
few of them which may not
be used in the trimmest and most artificial of gardens, with good
and in many cases, charming effect.

The climbers most adapted for a trellised window, such as quick-
growing ivies, morning-glories (convalonlus major), tall or running
nasturtium, canary creeper, cobcea scandens, etc., are annuals, or
must be treated as such for employment out of doors — that is, they
must be raised from seed annually; and the best way to secure an
early, abundant, and continuous display of bloom, is to sow them
in pots of nice soil in February or the beginning of March, giving
them a warm position, and as soon as large enough put them singly
into five-inch pots; they will then be strong enough for planting

FLORICULTURE. 511

out in May. When there is not the convenience for doing this,
they may be sown out of doors, from the middle to the end of
April, according to the weather. .They all want a nice light soil to
start in when planted out or sown, and should have sunny positions
and may be employed wherever floriferous climbing plants are
desired.

The illustration, Fig. 1, on page 510, shows how, with a few
simple appliances, a window may be at the same time sheltered
from the sun and rendered pretty; A, is a frame work of a few
laths nailed together, which, by means of rings or staples at its two
upper corners, may be hung upon hooks, driven into the wall,
during the summer, and removed during the winter. Its projection
should be from eighteen inches to two feet. Two or more brackets,
B B, are fastened on either side of the window sill to receive flower
pots or boxes, and between these and the frame-work, nails are
driven into the wall so that copper wire can be fastened upon them
to form a kind of lozenge-shape trellis- work. The brackets, wires,
and frame work should all be painted green, and a further improve-
ment can be made by carrying the wires, as at C, from the top of
the frame work to a hook driven into the wall above. This arrange-
ment can also be adapted to a doorway.

Make the boxes six or seven inches deep, the length and width of
which should fit the brackets, and should be at least twenty inches
wide. There are many ways of decorating the outside of boxes,
and we will give a few that are most generally used, by way of
suggestion. Some are painted in patterns to imitate tiles. Some
are covered with oilcloth in small checked and very bright colored
patterns. Others may be covered with wall paper, in palm trees and
tropical designs, with the orthodox stork, which seems to be a
general favorite in the decorative category. The paper may be
pasted or glued on the box, or, if preferred, tacked on neatly with
a narrow bordering put around the top, sides and bottom. Others
are made of rustic work, the interstices being covered with a mix-
ture of acorns, cones, and ground shells. Cut the acorns lengthwise

512 FLORICULTURE.

and cover the parts to be ornamented with thick furniture varnish,
glue, or putty, lay the acorns flat side down in any design that
fancy may suggest, then scatter «ome cherry pits between, and sift
the powdered shell over all.

Boxes for stone or gray houses look well made in imitation of
stone fences. The half shells of horse chestnuts, and whole hick-
ory-nuts glued on the box in thin, straight rows, one near the top,
one in the center, and one near the bottom also look well. Fasten
the tendrils of the common woodbine in a close zigzag; this repre-
sents a vine; then give the whole a coat of common varnish, and
sift the sand over all. A box made in this way looks very pretty,
and stands the weather well.

Another method of making boxes, is to stain the box, and put
around the top and bottom a bordering of wall paper, or a small
wall-paper bordering, to imitate any kinds of wood preferred.
Give this several coats of varnish and it will stand the most severe
weather.

Pretty and durable boxes may be made by splitting small twigs,
about an inch thick, in two, and fastening them on the box with
small tacks, in perpendicular strips. If the strips are rough and
knotty they will look more rustic and much prettier. A grape, or
any kind of a trailing vine, can be split in halves, and tacked over
these strips in irregular shape, in imitation of a natural growing
vine.

Leaves, berries, and all kinds of shapes that fancy may suggest,
can be made out of soft putty, into which any colors of paints may
be mixed to imitate the desired shades. Spread the putty out into
a thick sheet, and take a natural leaf of the species to be imitated
for a pattern. Lay the veined or under surface of the leaf on the
putty, pressing it down with the fingers to get the impression; then
take the leaf off, and indent the markings deeper in the putty,
cut the leaf out with a sharp pen-knife, and make the stems and
tendrils of putty by rolling between the palms of the hands. Fasten
the putty leaves, stems, and tendrils on the vine with small gimp

FLORICULTURE. 513

tacks. When the putty dries it will be as hard and durable as
wood, and may then receive a coat or two of thick varnish. These
boxes are meant for out-door use, and may be lined with either
zinc or tin, if desired; if not, a coat of paint is indispensable.

Put a thick layer of broken rock in the bottom of the box for
drainage; over this put a layer of broken bones mixed with minced
leather; then fill the box with light soil, and set the plants in at
two or three inches apart, according to the density of the foliage of
the plants.

Morning-glories, climbing-roses, Madeira vine, toboea scandens,
common woodbine, tall nasturtium, and such densely foliaged and
full-flowering climbers require more space in planting than climbers
that have scantier foliage, such as the cypress vine, canary creeper,
etc.

The morning-glory has full foliage, showy, bell-shaped flowers of
various bright colors, is easy of culture, and suitable for covering
arbors, trellises, old stumps, trees, etc. It is so perfectly hardy as
to grow in almost any soil, and without care will soon cover the
most unsightly places if support be given to the vines. The finest of
noisette, or climbing monthlies, are the Marshal Neil, of yellow, fine
form, and noted for its exquisite fragrance; James Sprunt, a fine
bright crimson, valuable as a pillar rose; La Marque, Gen. Wash-
ington, Caroline Manais, Glorie d'Dijon woodland sprite; these and
many more belong to the family of climbers. They are well
adapted for verandas, balconies, trellises, and walls. They thrive
well in almost any out-door situation. They require a rich soil, two
parts yellow loam, old field compost, leaf -mould, and sand in equal
parts.

The cobaca scandens is a fine, rapid-growing climber, with hand-
some foliage, and large, bell-shaped flowers, green at first, but
rapidly changing to a beautiful, deep, violet blue. Seeds should be
started in clean pots, and in rattier dry light soil, as they are rather
apt to rot in open ground. It makes a beautiful drapery for a trel-
lised window.

614

FLORICULTURE.

The tall nasturtium is cultivated both for use and ornament.
Its richly colored orange blossoms serve as a garnish for dishes, the
young leaves are excellent for salad, and the green seed-pods, pre-
served in vinegar, make a pickle greatly esteemed by many. It is
admirably adapted for a window or conservatory in winter, is a
very rapid grower, and strikes freely from cuttings, but seeds
sparingly. The flowers are large, trumpet-shaped, and in some
species, are very brilliant and of many shades, from scarlet to black.
It is a magnificent climber, running up to twenty or more feet high.
Its chief glory is in covering arbors, trellis, and rustic work.

Canary vine is a beautiful climber, with its charming little canary-
colored blossoms bearing a fancied resemblance to a bird with its

wings flopped. The plant
has a fine, luxuriant, ram-
bling character, and is well
adapted for window or door
trellis. It will run twenty
feet high, and blossom from
July till hard frost comes.
The cypress vine is a
most beautiful and fragile
looking climber, with deli-
cate, dark green feathery
foliage, and an abundance
of bright star-shaped, rose,
scarlet, and white blos-
soms, which, in the bright
sunshine, present a mass
of beauty. It is particularly for trellised windows, doors, and
verandas, and, if trained properly, there is no vine prettier.

Abboes and Rockeeies.
In Fig. 3, on page 516, we see a small temporary arbor made
with pots of climbing plants, placed at a little distance apart, but

FLORICULTURE. 515

may, if desired be brought closer together, or there may be two
rows of them, so as to form a close wall of foliage. The construc-
tion is very simple. A piece of wood is placed across the yard
from wall to wall, and from the centre of this a hoop is suspended
by copper wire or strong cord (but the wire is preferred) ; from the
hoop the wires radiate downward and outward to a circle of pots
placed upon the ground and containing the climbers. It will be
seen that the whole of the materials required will cost the merest
trifle.

A small yard may also, if desired, be roofed in during the sum-
mer time by wires drawn across the top and overrun with creepers.
Arcades and arbors of different forms may be made in the same
manner, the materials costing but little. The chief outlay required
is only a little agreeable labor. Temporary arbors are only used in
ornamenting small gardens. A very effective ornament for a
limited space is the skeleton of an old umbrella, its handle length-
ened to a desired height, and placed in the centre of a cii*cle of pots
containing climbers. The vines will twist in and out through the
frame in a graceful profusion of leaves and blossoms. The cypress
vine, canary-bird flower, sweet-pea, nasturtium, and the morning-
glory in its many gorgeous hues, are well adapted to this garden
ornament. Partially decayed tree-stumps, small barrels, and rustic
chairs, look exceedingly pretty when mantled with some bright
flowering members of the creeping family.

The rustic w^all pocket is a late innovation to the garden, and is
a charming acquisition, with its flowing grasses, trailing vines, and
showy flowers, when placed against some grand old forest tree; but
as these are rarely to be met with in a small garden, it looks very
pretty with a pillar support.

The pocket may be lined with green mosses, and filled with light
soil and leaf -mold, petunias, oxalis, fuchsias, geraniums, and plants
that harmonize in color and foliage, with a bordering of smilax,
arbutus, fine-leaf ivies, vinca ; any of the trailers are appro-

516

FLORICULTURE.

priate, and a generous sprinkling of woodland ferns makes it " a
thing of beauty and a joy forever."

For t;ellised arbors the Clematis is very desirable, and is a genus
that furnishes many species and varieties. It has the advantage,
besides many other attractive qualities, of blooming late in summer
when other flowering vines are generally past their bloom. It holds
a foremost place among the family of climbers, for it hardiness,
easy culture, and adaptability to any form of training, and for the

gorgeous richness of coloring of the flowers of many of the varieties,
ranging from pure white to the most intense blue, and various
shades of purple. They all like a moderately rich soil, which
should be aided by a top-dressing of manure annually, and applied
in spring, when the growth commences; they should have an open,
sunny position, and when so placed that they may be allowed to
ramble about freely, require no pruning or other attention. When
used for the decoration of arches, pillars, trellis fans, or arbors, or

FLORICULTURE 517

for any purpose where order and neatness are required, it is
necessary to cut out all the dead wood early in spring, and as the
young growth progresses, to tie it into positions until it has covered
its allotted space; but too hard tying should not be practiced, as
it detracts from the natural grace of the plant. The following are
among the best for general uses : Jnckmanii, noted for its gorgeous
purple flowers. Pitcheri, for its elegant habits, neat foliage and
exceedingly pretty bright red blossoms. Virginana (virgin's bower)
for its rapid climbing, and white blossoms, growing twenty feet in
one season, hardy, dying down in winter, but starting up again in '
spring; it is equally remarkable when in fruit, the long feathery
tails of the fruit separating like long tufts of wool. Verticellata is
noted for its charming blue flowers, lasting from June to Septem-
ber. FUimmida, a luxuriant climber with clusters of small, white
flowers of most delightful fragrance; it is sometimes known as
sweet virgin's bower.

The next in the march of magnificent climbers is the Wistaria
sine?isis. Its growth is somewhat slow until it gets well established
in good rich soil. It will then grow from fifteen to twenty-five
feet in a season. This elegant vine is considered almost perfect as
a climber, its rich grape-like clusters of light-blue, purple, and pale
cerulean flowers appearing profusely in spring, and sometimes
during the summer and autumn, its graceful foliage retaining a
light, beautiful green till pinched by frost. Thrives best if in a
south situation.

The Japanese honeysuckle is a pretty evergreen climber, the
leaves being beautifully veined with gold; of no value for its
flowers, but may be used in any form or position. Pegged down in
a line it makes a pretty permanent edging for a flower-bed or
around the base of an arbor, and, if allowed to grow unchecked, will
quickly cover a large space. Its foliage shades beautifully among
other creepers.

Magnolia grandiflora, an elegant evergreen arbor plant, with
large laurel-like leaves of a leathery texture and waxy look, their

518 FLORICULTURE.

under surface being brown, and upper surface a glossy light green,
producing freely its magnificent clusters of creamy white blossoms
of the sweetest fragrance. Should have a sunny situation, and light
rich soil.

The Virginia creeper is a rapid growing, diciduous vine, clinging
firmly by its tendrils to any support; it requires no nailing or tying
and will cover the whole face of a house in a few years, and will
outgrow in time every support that can be provided for it, climbing
to the house-tops, running along the eaves and over the chimney-
tops and finally wreathing itself heavenward in the most prodigal
profusions. This vine is often called the American ivy, and is
much admired for the luxuriant foliage of its rich green summer
mantle, and the gorgeous scarlet and crimson of its autumn robe.

That " Rare old plant, the Ivy Green," as a permanent evergreen
climber, must be first, for, " Creeping where no eye is seen," in
sunshine or shade, in strong rich soil, or in poor stony gravel, it
will put up with almost any ill-treatment, and positively thrives
best when neglected. Of course, if it is required to put on an
orderly appearance, such as when clothing the face of a dwelling-
house, covering summer-houses, arbors, and fences, some attention
must be given to it, particularly to the large-leaved varieties; for, if
allowed to grow unchecked to any great height on a vertical face,
the loose, overhanging branches form a receptable for snow in
winter, the weight of which will tear down great breadths of it.
In such positions ivy should never be nailed to the wall after. the
first season, if it can anyhow be avoided; it will be a saving of
time in the end to wait till the ivy clings naturally to the wall. To
this end all loose branches should be cut off about the end of April
or the first week in May, and it is at this time that walls that are
already covered require annual attention. The whole face of the
ivy should then be gone over with a pair of shears, cutting off all
loose branches, and the greater portion of the foliage of the large-
leaved kinds. As this is the time when the plant is on the point of
breaking into its new growth, its denuded appearance will only last

FLORICULTURE. 519

about a fortnight, when the whole surface of the wall will be again
covered with a surface of fresh green leaves, and all branches
formed near any uncovered portions of the wall, from the vigor
induced by pruning, at once firmly cling to it. This annual prun-
ing will cause the wall to be covered by a felt-like growth of
branches, firmly attached, so that no violence of wind or weather
will disturb it.

The best quick-growing variety to cover a wall is the common
Irish (hedera hibemica), a large-leaved kind. Another kind, suit-
able for the same purpose is the hedera ercegnerlan; it does not
make such a close, compact growth, but possesses fine, large, leathery
foliage, quite distinct. The English ivy {hedera helix) is a small-
leaved, close, compact-growing kind, having a very neat appear-
ance, but of much slower growth. This is about the best green-
leaved variety for covering banks or rock-work, for which purpose
the small-leaved varieties should always have the preference.
Hedera helix aurea maculata, hedera elegantissima, hedera japonica
argentea, are varieties with variegated leaves suitable for rock-work,
or covering dwarf walls, but all the variegates are of much slower
groAvtb, and the markings are much better developed when in an
open position. There are many other varieties, but those named
are of the freest habita.

Rockeries.

A rockery, if well constructed and placed in a proper position,
should look like a charming bit of Nature's architecture. If the
grounds are large this can be carried out to better advantage. A
secluded nook should be selected, and the rockery constructed in
the form of a terrace, with an opening at one end made purposely
for ferns. A due regard should be given for good-sized crevices
and pockets for the disposition of plants. Very pretty rockeries
may be arranged against rustic walls to represent old ruins. The
larger rocks, as a general thing, should be placed at the base, but
an occasional large and angular stone may project here and there

520 FLORICULTURE.

with good effect for some vagrant creeper to hang from. A mas-
sive piece of blue granite makes a good finish at the top for the
support of some climber, the preference of which is invariably
given to the American ivy.

A large rockery looks out of place in a limited space. For a
small garden a pretty arrangement of rocks can be constructed
with very good effect around an old stump.

The pockets should be filled with leaf mold, rich, light soils,
sandy loam, and soils adapted to the different species of plants
which are intended to be grown in them.

In planting the rockery, all plants but low-growing, lithe and
graceful ones, should be avoided. Plants that are stiff or woody
are not desirable. Some simple wild things are more generally
adapted to this style of cultivation.

Wood ferns, squaw-berry vine, with its waxy red berries, trailing
arbutus, robin-run-the-hedge, money-wort, old English ivy, Vir-
ginia creeper, with its gorgeous autumn tints, and the Alpine
plants, are especially adapted for such purposes. They require
light, sandy loam and peat, with abundant drainage. With this
foundation of creepers laid it can then be embellished with delicate
bloomers. The modest violet, lily of the valley, and the faithful
forget-me-not, are worthy of the quiet nook. The dianthus, alpinus,
saxifraga, sedum, and a host of others, are worthy of a place. The
maiden-hair fern is an exquisite plant for the rockery, and a min-
gling of wild and cultivated ferns make a charming group, in con-
nection with clusters of wild pansies. If the situation is cool and
damp all these plants will thrive admirably.
Indoor Gardens.

The boxes for indoor gardens are ornamented in all styles of art
decorations — from characters that have figured on and off since the
days of heathen mythology, to the present aesthetic designs of the
renowned sunflower and lily. Slap on anything or everything and
it is sure to be in vogue. We give a design in leaf work, which we
think quite unique.

FLORICULTURE. 521

The art of decorating cabinets, boxes, and many other wooden
articles, with pressed and dried leaves is very old, and, like Rip
Van Winkle, has slept for many years, but has lately waked up.

The effect produced by leaf decoration is always pretty and
pleasing, and the process generally simple and easy.

It consists in arranging and fastening dried leaves to the face of
the woodwork in such patterns and borders as fancy may suggest.
These, when varnished over, are permanent, and when arranged
with judgment and good taste are very effective.

The fittest woods for decoration are simple deal or pine, stained
black; pine is best, as being most even in its grain, and as being
susceptible of receiving the finest stain.

The best method of staining the wood black, so as to give it a close
resemblance to ebony, is with a decoction of logwood and iron dis-
solved in vinegar. The leaves best suited to this purpose are those
which are symmetrical in form, and which are most pleasing in out-
line. Deeply serrated leaves are better than those which more
nearly approach a plain oval. Very large leaves should be avoided,
and even those of medium-size should be used sparingly; in decor-
ating a folding-screen or similar wide surface, they may look well,
but generally, and always for small articles, leaves of a small size
look best and most readily combine into shapes and patterns. The
selection of the kind of leaves to be employed is, however, rather a
matter of individual taste. Many, though not all, should be gath-
ered in the autumn, when deep red and golden hues prevail, for the
bright greens of spring and summer cannot be preserved, and the
leaves gathered at those seasons will fade to a pale brown tint, not
unpleasing in itself, but still needing to be enriched with deeper
and warmer tones. The leaves selected should be free from any
fracture and perfectly dry; they should then be laid between sheets
of blotting paper, and placed under some heavy weight for drying
— heavy books answer the purpose; but they should never be laid
between the pages of a good book, as the moisture from the leaves
is sure to destroy the parts, and the bindings will be strained and

522 FLORICULTURE.

forced out of place. Blotting paper, on account of its porous and
absorbent nature, should always be used for drying.

It is well that a considerable number of leaves should be pressed
before beginning to fasten them to the wood, that there may be a
good variety to select from, and by spreading on the table a sheet
of paper as large as the surface to be decorated, and arranging the
leaves upon it, it is easy to alter their positions till a pleasing
pattern is produced. When the eye is quite satisfied with the
arrangement, they may be taken up one by one, the back brushed
over with a soft camel's hair brush dipped in gum arabic, and the
leaf transferred to the same relative position on the box to be
decorated; then it can be pressed down and any superfluous gum
absorbed by a pad of blotting paper. The leaves, it must be
remembered, are fragile, and require careful handling. After the
whole of the leaves composing the pattern have been neatly and
securely fastened on, and the gum has become dry, a coat of copal
varnish must be laid with a soft camel-hair brush lightly over the
surface and the work will be complete. This makes a charming
flower-box, if the work is done artistically.

The box should then be set on rollers and lined with zinc. A
thick layer of broken rock and some charcoal for drainage should
go in first. Then fill with a rich, light loam to within half an inch
of the top, and set the plants in it.

A window with a south situation has the best advantage, and the
next best is a west or east window. Before the plants are set in, it.
should be well secured against frost.

Plants should have more heat during the day than at night, from
twelve to fifteen degrees being the difference in temperature; but
authorities differ on this point, some maintaining that ten or twelve
degrees is the proper difference. If plants are in a room where the
heat is entirely shut off at night, and are in danger of freezing,
they may be protected by covering them with thick paper, or some
light woollen fabric.

FLORICULTURE. 523

Plants should be well secured against cold draughts, as this
invariably is a fatal injury to them. Frozen plants, as soon as
discovered, should have cold water poured on them, wetting every
leaf thoroughly; they will soon be coated with ice, and in this
state put them in a moderately cool place and cover with a news-
paper. They should be left in this situation for several days, till
they regain their normal condition.

Different species of plants to thrive well must have situations
suited to their various habits; but they should all have the morning
sun if possible, as plants so exposed are more vigorous of growth and
richer in bloom. "All the exposures for plants that vary from the
east to the west, and even a little to the northwest, may be included
as available for window culture. The east and south, with the
exposures between them, are of course the best, but western win-
dows and those even somewhat to the northwest have been used
with much success. A northern window is useful chiefly for ferns,
colens, some fuchsias, and to winter shade-loving plants."

In western windows, with stove heat, may be grown such plants
as fuchsias, cacti, wax plant, calla, geraniums, heliotrope, Chinese
primrose, periwinkle, pansies, tulip, hyacinth, lilium, rose-geranium,
pinks, German ivy, ameranthus, etc.

From a southern to an eastern exposure may be grown: monthly
roses, iris, calla, oxalis rosea, hyacinths, cyclamens, azalea, ciner-
aria, auratum, daphne, Chinese primrose, heliotrope, jessamine, etc.,
but some of those plants will flourish and bloom in any of those
exposures. Moisture is one of the most essential elements in house
culture; plants can be kept moist by setting vessels containing
steaming soap-suds near them, two or three times a week, and is
very efficacious in destroying parasites.

Watering the plants is another operation of much importance,
and one that requires some judgment, as some plants require much
more water than others. Plants of an aquatic habit require more
and more frequent watering than the Alpine family of plants, and
what would be food for one would be death to the other.

524 FLORICULTURE.

In watering plants the roots and bulbs should receive a thorough
soaking, as a slight watering does little or no good. Plants in bud
or blossom require more frequent watering than those only in foli-
age. Tepid water should always be used in plant watering, and
should be applied in as fine a spray as possible. The leaves of
plants should be washed at least once a week, as this keeps the
plant free from insects.

For fertilizers, an old authority recommends a small portion of
the essence of night-soil in three pints of water, and this to be used
once or twice a week; also a few drops of liquid ammonia in a
quart of soft water is good for the plants.

The best compost for pot plants is one part leaf -mold, one part
rich loam, one part river sand, and one part peat, mixing the whole
thoroughly together.

Pots for house plants should not be too large, as it is allowed
that plants which grow in small pots are the best bloomers. The
pot should be well washed before using it, and thoroughly dried in
the sun. Two or three pieces of broken crock with a little char-
coal should go in the bottom for drainage. Pots should not be
filled to the edge with soil, as room should be left for watering.
Care should be taken not to pile the earth around the neck of the
plant, as it is injurious to most plants.

The begonia is a very popular house plant and is becoming more
of a favorite every year, with its elegant foliage and profuse waxy
flowers of scarlet, pink, and white. The rex is the handsomest and
the richest of the begonia family, with its grand imperial leaves of
enormous size tinged with crimson and ornamented with blotches
of green and white and zones of silver. It requires an even tem-
perature of from sixty to seventy-five degrees, and considerable
moisture. It is easily blighted, and the leaves should not be
allowed to touch a cold window-pane. The leaves sell from twenty-
five to fifty cents apiece, according to the size.

The fuchsia, known by the vulgar name of " lady's ear-drop," is
very popular as a house plant. It is quite hardy, not requiring

FLORICULTURE. 525

much heat, and will even bear a little frost without injury; but to
keep it in good condition as to leaf and flower, a temperature of
sixty or sixty-five degrees is necessary. It also requires plenty of
light and air, and good rich soil is essential, with a humid atmos-
phere. It is easily raised by propagation, and can be trained as a
dwarf creeper, or made of a broader shape by pruning the end or
terminal shoots till the side branches grow. The fuchsia drops its
leaves veiy readily, probably from being such a victim to the red
spider. The only remedy for these minute insects is an occasional
syringing of the plants, or smoking them with tobacco.

" Mignonette, though humble, is not to be despised. An orna-
mental window-box filled only with this low-growing, violet- scented
annual is a desirable addition to any room. A pot of mignonette
and another of sweet alyssum cost nothing, and yet few things will
be found more pleasant and attractive in the winter season. Plants
that appear unimportant, almost insignificant, and entirely eclipsed
by more ambitious rivals, when the garden is ablaze with its sum-
mer glory, sometimes prove to be very queens of beauty when
transferred to the sitting-room or bay window."

There are many varieties of this plant. The crimson-flowered
giant, of robust habit with very large spikes of handsome crimson
flowers, of exquisite fragrance; Parson's white-flowering giant,
flowers almost a pure white, of great fragrance; dwarf compact, a
distinct and very desirable variety. It forms a dense semi-globular
bush about ten inches high and eighteen inches in diameter, of
robust vigorous branches, which are said to be produced without
intermission from spring till late in autumn. Miles hybrid spiral,
is said to be superior to any in cultivation. It is of dwarf -branch-
ing habit, the flower spikes attaining a height of eight to fourteen
inches.

Bouvardias are free-bloomers with proper care, bearing generous
clusters of rose, crimson, scarlet, and white flowers, and beginning
to bloom when only two or three inches high. Beginning to bloom
in August, they continue till frost. The new Alfred Nemer,

526

FLORICULTURE.

Davidsonii, elegans Mentha, are the chief varieties. The David-
sonii, the flowers of which are rather larger than the single flower-
ing, and composed of three perfect rows of petals of the purest
waxy white color, each floweret resembling a miniature tuberose.
The trusses are large and perfect, and are freely and without inter-
ruption produced even on the small side-shoots, which generallv
make no flowers on the single one, and according to authority in
observation and experience, it will bloom more freely and constantly
than the single variety.

The heliotrope is a great favorite from cottage to palace, not only
for the garden, but for the house as well. Its delicate sprays of
flowers, in various shades of purple and its exquisite fragrance,
make it very desirable for bouquets. It likes plenty of light and a
good rich soil. It should be well watered. It grows from cuttings
as readily as the fuchsia, but the old plants are the best growers.

With all these and many more to select from, the window and its
surroundings may be made very effective. A window extending
from floor to ceiling is well adapted for this style of gardening,

FLORICULTURE.

527

and should be filled with plants growing in boxes or pots and set
on high brackets on each side of the casement; if the window has a
sliding screen of stained glass in it the effect will be so much better.
The climbers may be lophospermum, a beautiful evergreen climber
with purple and violet blossoms, Maderia vine, Alpine woodbine,
and all or any kind of ivies, while smilax, vincas and arbutus
droop and trail. Bright colored flowers may be scattered around
in graceful Wedgewood, Wedgewood jardinieres forming a lovely
•contrast with the green background. Small brackets holding pots

r

of carnations, bouvardias and heliotropes may be placed among the
vines in the window. Hanging baskets and wall pockets may also
find a place there with good effect.

Wall pockets are becoming now more fashionable than hanging
baskets. Cut a thin board in the shape of a shield to form the back.
Bore a hole in the centre near the top to suspend it from a nail,
then bore small holes all round the edge about half an inch apart.
The pocket is made with ordinary brass or white wire, which is
passed through the holes from side to side and carefully fastened at

528 FLORICULTURE.

each end. The same process is repeated from top to bottom of the
shield and the wires fastened together. The receptacle is then
lined with mosses and filled with wood earth. Arbutus, partridge
vine, wintergreen, etc., mingled with ferns, will all take kindly to
these novel quarters if kept constantly moist.

Almost anything may be converted into a hanging basket. Line
it with moss with a little soil attached, and place in the center some
showy plant of upright habit, fill up the surrounding space with
rich woods and old hot-bed soil, fill in with plants of a climbing or
trailing habit, when the center plant fades it may be replaced by a
fresh one. In filling a basket, select plants of similar habits, those
of like shape and moisture — fuchsia, lobelia, geraniums, wax plants,
vinca, and wild and cultivated ferns. For hanging-baskets nothing
can compare with the sedum seboldii, oxalis, creeping Charlie, etc.
Very handsome hanging-baskets are made from glass dishes set in
silk or satin bags decorated with fancy pictures, or else embroidered;
they are hung by three silken cords, place at equal distances in
. order to balance the dish. Ivies and ferns look pretty in this arrange-
ment, or a sweet potato, with its pretty foliage and quickly climb-
ing habit, grows nicely in it.

Ferns and ivy mingled will fill a hanging-basket very prettily,
but the ivy for this purpose should be the small leaved kind, which
sends out graceful, compact sprays to twine around the wires by
which the basket is suspended, and to droop over the edges. The
sweet-pea has been successfully cultivated in a hanging-basket, and
the Convolvulus Mauritanicus, a beautiful morning-glory with pink
and blue flowers, having a white star in the center, will grow and
blossom equally well. A very good effect is produced with pressed
ferns and ivy growing in bottles. Two or more ounce phials are
used, and wrapped around with cotton to keep them firm and pre-
vent them from jarring each other.

Hanging-baskets require frequent watering, for which, with due
regard to the carpet, they have to be taken down from their perches,
and then hung somewhere else to dry; but this trouble may be

FLORICULTURE.

529

avoided in another ingenious way, which is to fill a bottle with
water and put in two or more pieces of woollen yarn, leaving one
end of each piece outside. The bottles should be hung just above
the basket, and the water allowed to drip which will keep the earth
moist enough for winter.

Within the last few years the exquisitely beautiful and graceful
fern tribe has become quite a household favorite; so much so, in
fact, that a drawing-room would now be scarcely considered com-
pletely furnished without its one or more cases, each containing
specimens of the tribe. This is not at all surprising, as, besides the
great beauty of the plants and the facility with which they may be
applied to household decoration, they are very easily grown, and
require but little attention when once the cases are gotten into good
order. Besides this, however, there is the interest attached to the
careful study of the growing plants, which would alone repay the
little expenditure of time and trouble involved in their cultivation.

530 FLORICULTURE.

There are three essential conditions necessary in order that the
culture of fern plants may be successful: namely, abundance of
water, shade, and shelter. It is true that some varieties will flourish
independently of some of these conditions, but when judiciously
combined they will admit of the successful cultivation of the whole
species. One of the most important considerations is the supply of
water. The roots of the plants should always be well supplied with
this, and it should on no account be allowed to remain stagnant.
It is then necessary to provide for the thorough drainage of the
fern case.

These ferneries are made in different styles. The illustration on
preceding page shows a small rustic pattern with a hanging basket
to correspond. In this illustration the intention is to provide in
the fern case a kind of rustic frame through which the beautiful
forms of the plants may be observed, instead of the ordinary
square and inelegant lines in which they are usually enclosed.

The design is merely offered by way of suggestion; and it will
be better for the constructor to decorate according to his own taste
than to work to any pattern.

Most of the fern tribe grown indoors are raised in Wardian cases.
In starting a fernery, the first thing to be observed is laying a
foundation of small pieces of rock mixed with charcoal in the bot-
tom; if the case is large enough to admit it, a small or tiny rockery
may be placed in the centre with good effect. It is maintained by
good authority that equal parts of sand, loam, and leaf -mold is the
proper soil for ferns. If woodland ferns are put in, they should
have a generous portion of native soil left at the root. The fernery
proper should have all wild things in it. The pretty partridge-vine,
with its tiny evergreen leaves and red, waxy berries, sanguinaria,
hepatica, trailing arbutus, and lycopodium, all grow charmingly in
the fernery, and with the wild ferns and mosses make a happy
family. The plants should have a sprinkling before the case is
closed, and must be kept in a shady situation for several days.
Fernery plants do not require frequent watering; once in every

FLORICULTURE. 531

three or four weeks should be sufficient. As long as the glass has
moisture on it, the plants require no water. If too much watering
be given, the plants will mold and die; these should be replaced
with fresh ones. The plants should be gracefully arranged, the
low-growing vines in front and the ferns at the sides.

Fern baskets look pretty hung over the plants, if the dimensions
of the fern case admit it. They can be made in any conceivable
design and look exceedingly beautiful when filled with low-grow-
ing ferns and drooping trailers. (See illustration, page 527.)

Hardy ferns are found in various situations, and consequently
require various modes of treatment. Some- grow on rocks in
exposed situations, others in boggy, moist ground; some grow on
hedge-banks and shady woods, whilst others, again, grow near
waterfalls where the spray keeps them constantly moist. To
succeed in cultivating all these in one place, an approximation must
be made to the circumstances in which they are found wild. A
low, moist soil, at the foot of a bank of rock- work, will suit those
found in a similar situation. The lower part of rock will suit those
found on hedge-banks. Those found in shady woods may be
planted on the north side of the rock-work near to the ground,
while those that grow wild on exposed rocks and old walls, may be
placed near the top of the rock-work in chinks between the stones.
The most difficult to manage are those found within the reach of
the spray of a waterfall. The only way to succeed tolerably with
these is to place them so that they can be covered with a hand-glass
on the shady side of the rock and to keep them moist by sprinkling
them every day through the rose of a watering-pot, protecting them
in winter by a covering of matting thrown over the hand-glass in
frosty weather.

Any species of fern that sends out stolons, or creeping stems,
under ground, readily increases by division. This requires consid-
erable care. They should never be divided till the parts to be
separated have a portion of roots to each. Turn the plants out of
the pots, and with a sharp knife divide the plants into as many parts

632 FLORICULTURE.

as they have roots and a small ball; put them into pots only a little
larger than the little ball, drain them well, give a gentle watering,
and set them in a shady place till they begin to grow again and
send up fresh fronds. Several species produce miniature embryo
plants on the fronds. These should be pegged down in a pot filled
with proper soil, and placed so near the parent plant as to allow the
fronds to remain attached to it. When the buds have made root
into the new soil, and pushed forth some new fronds, they should
be detached from the parent, and potted in two and a half inch
pots, gently watered and placed in a shady place. Some new kinds
have those buds or knobs so strongly developed, that they may,
when in a sufficiently forward state, be cut off and potted at once.

Several of the finest ferns cannot be increased by division, or if
they can, several years elapse. If right means are followed, they
may be raised by seed. This requires a constantly warm, humid
atmosphere, and little if any sunshine. Procure a wide earthen
pan, a hand or bell-glass that will go within it and rest on the
bottom, and a shallow wide pot that will stand within the glass and
above the rim of the pan two or three inches. Fill this half full of
potsherds and upon them a sufficient number of small pieces of
turfy peat, mixed with small pieces of sandstone about the size of
peas, to come up to the pot. Then take the f ronds of any fern that
is full of spores or seeds, and, with the hand, brush them off upon
the prepared pot, set it in the pan, place the glass over the pot, and
nearly fill the pan with water. Place the whole in a warm situa-
tion, shading it from the sun. The small pieces of turf and stone
can be easily separated, and the seedlings on each put into small
pots, without any danger of destroying them by the process of
potting. In the moist atmosphere of the orchid house, several
pieces of fern will come up spontaneously in the pots, baskets, and
upon the blocks. These may be carefully detached as soon as they
are large enough, and potted in small pots, placed for a time in
shady situations, and they will soon make nice bushy plants.

The soil best adapted to the fern tribe is a compost of sandy,

FLORICULTURE. 533

fibrous peat two parts, turfy loam one part, and leaf mold one
part, with a free admixture of sand. The best time for potting
is early in March, small plants may be potted twice, the second
time the first week in July. Ferns are like heath, if they once
get thoroughly dry they will perish, therefore keep them con-
stantly well watered, more especially when the pots are full of
roots. Should they by any chance appear to be suffering severely
from drought, take such and let them stand in a vessel of water
that will cover the top of the pot for an hour or two. This will
thoroughly wet every part of the ball, and often recover the plant.
If such a convenience is at hand, the smaller ferns, like other green-
house plants, will be greatly benefitted by a few weeks' sojourn in
the middle of summer in a deep, cold pit. Here they should be
well supplied with water, and nearly every afternoon, about three
o'clock, have a gentle syringing, shutting them up close afterwards.
As soon as the nights begin to get cold in September, they should
be removed to the green-house and given a temperature of sixty
degrees maximum and fifty-five degrees minimum by day, fifty-two
degrees by night. During this season less water will be required.
Remove all decayed fronds and give them a top-dressing in
December. This will carry them through till the potting season
arrives in March. The green fly and thrip will frequently appear
on them. Smoking with tobacco wR -destroy them both.

CHAPTER XLII.

THE PICNIC.

HIS method of being amused is as useful to human beings as if
it were ordered by a physician at a guinea a prescription. To
be sure, it may be made humdrum, heavy, over-dressed, and
even uncomfortable and wearisome; but it need not be. The real
delight of such an outing is found in small, congenial parties of a
dozen or so of young persons, with one or two sedate friends to
give tone, balance, and character to the entertainment. The genu-
ineness of that evasive thing which we call pleasure, is sure to
be established if it leave a pleasant remembrance. If it be an alto-
gether agreeable event in our recollection, it may properly bear the
seal, named happiness.

Thoughtlessness is pardonable in youth, but its occurrences and
consequences are often avoided by the presence of an experienced
or worldly-wise elder. A sympathetic friend, who has seen her
years drift by her, without forgetting that they were strewn with
trifling pleasures just as the meadows are with cowslips, and who
recalls them with satisfaction, is just the one to choose to accom-
pany a party of al-fresco amusement-seekers. Perhaps this sen-
tence should have its reversal, as indeed, it sometimes does, when
this agreeable friend, with her years of happy and wholesome
memories, herself plans for the picnic and invites a properly
assorted company of young people to join in a day's excursion to
the hills or woods, which she wisely and unselfishly directs and
arranges for their personal comfort and conduct.

THE PICNIC. 535

If the party is to drive or ride, let not the distance be too great.
There should be a stream of spring or pure water, materials for a
fire, shade intermingled with sunshine, and a reasonable freedom
from tormenting insect-life. Charming as is the prospect of pic-
nicking in some grand dell, upon some lofty peak, or in some
famous cave or legendary ruin, there are also other considerations
which should not be forgotten. One does not feel too comfortable
when banquetting in localities where Dame Nature has had her
queer moods, and has left imprinted certain too observable evi-
dences of her freakiness. Such places may be included within the
excursion itself, but let the feast and the frolic take place where
weird effects are not the prevailing characteristic of the locality.

Be careful to dress for the entertainment, after consulting the
barometer and the thermometer, and after learning the geography
of the objective point of the day. A woollen dress that is not too
heavy nor yet too new, or a cotton one that is not too thin, with
short, trim skirts, and no fly-away draperies to entangle and to
bother; thick, solid, easy shoes, that have a friendliness for the feet
because of prolonged intimacy with them; pretty, but not too fine
or thin stockings; a hat that has abroad brim; a large sun-shade or
a sun-umbrella; at least two fresh handkerchiefs; some pins, and a
needle and thread stowed away in one's portemonnaie or chatelaine-
pocket; easy castor, kid or suMe gloves, with ample wrists; a
jacket to wear when returning home; and a rug or travelling-shawl
to spread upon the ground at dinner-time, are among the requisites
of personal comfort and prettiness.

Two or three hammocks, provided the picnic be in a forest; a few
closely-folding camp-chairs, and a spirit lamp or two for extra tea
or coffee, are comforts that require no space worth considering, and
only a little remembrance when packing up, while they really
increase to a large degree the agreeable flavor of a day in the
woods.

Don't forget two or three books that have brief, bright poems or
narratives in them, for inactive or half-dreamy members of the

536 THE PICNIC.

party, upon whom the spirit of romance and rhythm is sure to fall
after dinner, provided they do not drop asleep entirely.

When providing food for the party, pray do not forget to supply
at least double the quantity which would be served at home for the
same number of people, and then be sure to add a little more. To
be hungry, ravenously hungry, while in the woods, proves to us
that fresh air is wholesome and that nature encourages vigorous
appetites. Therefore, even if they were convenient of transport,
soups would not be a necessary stimulant to digestion.

Of fish, cold boiled salmon, upon which a mayonnaise may be
served at pleasure from a wide-mouthed bottle; or sardines, accom-
panied by sardine-scissors, are the easiest to manage, and altogether
the most satisfactory — but don't forget their intimate friends, the
lemons.

About meats, there are many varieties that may be served in the
woods, but they should always be such as can be arranged for
finger, rather than fork, eating. Nature did not make forks, as is
frequently asserted; and, therefore, a picnic a la fourchette is not
just that agreeable sort of free and easy entertainment that is the
most charming to people who are already wearied with pomps and
forms, ceremonies and things generally spectacular, and who flee to
the woods in print dresses and plain uniforms, in order to escape
such exactions for a little while. In fact, they long to eat food by
the aid of their fingers. Tiny lamb or veal chops, closely and care-
fully trimmed, dipped in egg and then in crumbs and delicately
browned, after which their stems are ruffled with paper — en
papillote, as the Parisienne calls them — are delicious when cold,
and are easy to manage. Chickens, cut up after roasting or broil-
ing, are excellent and appropriate, but they are not so dainty or
convenient to handle as the papered chops.

The best and most convenient of all out-of-door edibles, is the
sandwich. Not the one with slips of meat laid between slices of
buttered bread, so that when a bite of bread is taken, all the
enclosed meat is dragged out, unless a serious contest takes place

THE PICNIC. 537

in its behalf between the teeth and fingers, which, to confess the
truth, is not an attractive conflict, as every one will attest who ever
saw a party of railway-travellers, each at war with one of them, as
the train moved out from a way-station where the conductor had
cried out "five minutes for refreshments!" To make sandwiches
that leave none but pleasant memories and provoke no temper while
in transit from the basket to the gastric regions, always grind the
meat or chop it when cold to very near a pulp. Make a thick
mayonnaise, and mix it with the meat until it is about the consist-
tency of marmalade. Store and carry this most agreeable prepara-
tion in a covered dish or close jar. If it be rich with good oil, no
butter is needed. Sometimes, however, butter is beaten in with the
meat before it is married to the mayonnaise, which gives to the
sandwich a delicious flavor. Carry along with the meat biscuits or
uncut loaves of good bread, with sharp knives to slice them evenly
and thinly; and don't fail to remember what intensity the appetite
may possess by mid-day, nor yet that, when it is appeased at that
hour, it frequently renews its strength and comes back again about
four o'clock in the afternoon and is as exacting as if it had not been
appeased for a whole week. These best-of-all sandwiches ai-e made
ready when they are wanted. They are thus preserved from that
taste of staleness that comes over them when they have made a
journey after the meat was joined to the bread. Cold tongue, cold
roast veal, cold roast beef, and cold ham are all of them excellent
for sandwiches, but the flavoring of salt, mustard, etc., is varied to
suit the peculiar qualities of each. Tongue and ham possess decided
qualities of their own, but the other two meats require toning-up to
suit the palate. Grated pineapple-cheese, mixed with a thick may-
onnaise and placed between very thinly cut slices of bread, is very
much liked by gentlemen. Olives, pickles and jellies are easily
carried, and prove agreeable additions.

For desserts, there are many things, but beware of articles that
will not bear travelling without looking dejected and sullen. Can-

538 THE PICNIC.

died fruits, with macaroons, sponge or pound cakes, are about the
most agreeable of all the sweets which are adapted to journeys.

Small sugared fruits may be purchased of the confectioner, but
grapes, currants and oranges are easily prepared at home after the
following manner: Take one cup of sugar and one of water, boil
them slowly together for thirty minutes, add the juice of one small
lemon, and then place the vessel in a basin of hot water to prevent
the syrup from getting stiff. Dip ripe fruits into it, and lay them
upon a buttered plate until cold. Currants may be dipped by
holding them by their stems. Grapes are taken up on the point of
a long pin, dipped in the sugar, and laid carefully aside to dry.
Oranges are removed from their skins and pulled apart into as small
pieces as one likes, and then dipped with the assistance of the pin,
after the fashion of the grapes. These articles of delicacy are not
only delicious but decorative. The sections of orange may be
arranged prettily about the plate, and built up into a cone for the
table at home; but at a picnic, one depends for beauty mostly upon
the landscape. Fresh fruits are also agreeable at an out-door feast,
without coating them with sugar.

For drinking, tea that has been made, seasoned while hot and
then bottled directly, is delicious. So also is coffee; but both these
liquids may be made fresh by the fire, if one is built in gypsy
fashion. For lemonade, roll the fruit in granulated sugar that is
spread upon a marble or other hard surface, then squeeze them over
the sugar and remove their seeds. The juice, thus obtained, may
be bottled for the journey and added to water at pleasure. If ice
must be carried, select a clear, solid piece and wrap it in a heavy
flannel. Carry an ice-pick with it, so that it may be broken up
when needed, with as little waste as possible.

One really requires no wine at an al-fresco feast, even if accus-
tomed to use it at a home dinner. The exhilaration of the air is
quite sufficient for the needs of digestion. If wine must be carried,
claret is best, because it is never served with ice, the most fastidious

THE PICNIC. 539

of wine-tasters insisting that its flavor is injured if it is not drank
while of the same temperature as the atmosphere.

For the feast, forget not the napkins, forks, spoons, and lunch-
eon-cloth. Also carry tumblers, plates, salt, pepper, sugar, and a
bottle of cream or a can of condensed milk. Cups with handles,
but no saucers, are desirable for tea and coffee.

After a banquet of this delightful sort, the reflection presses itself
upon the housekeeper and the house-mother, that we have over-
much service, too extended paraphernalia, and most tiresome formal-
ities that consume our forces every day of our lives, and that they
are as beautiful as they are utterly needless. From the height of
our intellects we look contemptuously down on them, but when we
once more return to these fashions of our living, we bow down to
them with a sort of fetish reverence. To escape their burdens,
arrange a picnic once a week so long as the sunshine invites you to
sit under its beams and the trees have the least array of foliage left
to wave over you.

CHAPTER XLIII.

GARDEN PARTIES.

»/

lw XCEPT that it is arranged out-of-doors, a garden party would
seem to be no relation to the picnic. The truth is, they really
are cousins and represent the two extremes in the fashions of
feasting or of being amused and entertained. One is an escape
from etiquette and Philistinism, while the other is carrying hospit-
able display and social observances to an almost unreasonable
extreme.

Sometimes garden parties are excesses of extravagance. For
those who are able to afford such hospitalities, they are all right
enough, because to the caterer, the florist and the laborer, both male
and female, they give extra employment. They disburse money
through a community which might be otherwise lying idle. On the
whole, costly garden parties are a blessing to business people, a
pretty spectacle to guests, and perhaps one of the least objectionable
of the many methods by which the rich indulge their fanciful tastes.
If the fortunate had no caprices of this sort, the country would very
soon lack many of its present industrial activities and prosperities.
"The occasional lavishness of the millionaire is the letting free of
imprisoned capital," says the political economist. This process is
somewhat akin to the habits of royalty, which, in some countries,
whenever a great and satisfactory event transpires in its favor, sets
at liberty certain numbers of prisoners.

The garden party requires a shaven lawn, shade trees, and seats
with rugs and hassocks in front of them for delicate feet that have
become wearied. Marquees in gay colors, or fancy awnings that

GARDEN PARTIES. 541

have no sides, but only pretty hanging borders to flutter in the
summer air, may be placed at proper intervals. A dancing floor is
often laid beneath such a shelter, for those who don't wish to make
the occasion altogether rural by dancing upon the velvety turf.
Perhaps this distaste for whirling and gliding upon the lawn itself
after the fashion of the peasant maiden, is because waltz and
redowa, polka and cotillion are less easily performed upon a soft
surface, <*nd because the slippers of my lady of luxury have no
affinity with the tidy and sensible buskin of the country girl.

Umbrella awnings, planted here and there upon the lawn, are
bright and tasteful in their different colors. With seats beneath
them for two or more persons, they are not only beautifying to the
garden, but they afford charming retreats where a tZte a tete may
be enjoyed within sight of mamma or a chaperone, but hapily not
within hearing. Thus really kind in spirit is a fashionable etiquette
that is security itself in all its formalities. It is an autocracy, tem-
pered with the sweetest and gentlest of tolerance and even with
mercy itself.

If there is no arbor hedge or natural cluster of shrubberies, be-
hind which the musicians may be hidden, it is customary to arrange
for them a temporary retreat of freshly cut pine or hemlock branches
fixed in the earth. Care is taken that the performers be not arranged
too close to the guests, because dancing music should not interrupt
the conversation of those who are not disposed to dance. If the
selections to be played at intervals are classic or romantic, distance
adds to their charms. Of course, the best possible musical talent is
secured for a, fete champMre, and the rendering of the varied com-
positions will be agreeable to cultivated ears.

Arrangements are made for serving refreshments in the house,
for those, who prefer to partake of them within doors, and also to
provide for the exigencies of the weather. Indeed, the house is
also placed in order for dancing, should a shower occur; and, usually,
the verandas have awnings attached to the eaves, to be let down
as enclosures, in case of untoward winds or rains making the grounds

542 GARDEN PARTIES.

disagreeable. If the day is fine, refreshments are carried by
domestics to the groups that prefer the open air, and tea-poys from
the house or little portable garden tables are placed near groups of
guests for the reception of their cups, plates, etc.

The hours appointed are usually from three o'clock till seven,
although when very rich and elaborate tables are to be spread, and
the grounds are arranged to be illuminated, or there is a full moon,
the guests are invited for from four or five o'clock until ten or
eleven.

A caterer usually supplies the meats and drinks for such occa-
sions. If the lady chooses to have them provided from her own
larder, she endures much anxious thought, unless she is one of those
rarely fortunate hostesses with a trained butler and a chef who is a
genuine cordon bleu.

If the party is to be from three o'clock until seven, the hostess
provides only delicacies and light refreshments. There are salads
of various kinds served in fancy paper cups or in orange skins, sweet
bread and mushroom patties also in crimped paper cups, with deli-
cate biscuits or little sandwiches. Then there are small breaded
lamb-chops en papillote, fancy breads, meringue d la creme, souffle
aux marrons, Charlottes, cream-ices and sherbets, fancy cakes, and
fruits au natural or sugared, with tea, coffee, chocolate, and some
times bouillon for drinks, the latter served in suitable bowls set upon
plates or in coffee-cups, with one or two Italian breads laid in each
saucer, but no spoon. It is considered in good form to drink this
clear soup as one would take tea from the cup itself.

Of course, it adds largely to the labor in a private home for this
entertainment to be so varied, but it does not increase its actual
cost. There is elegance in a widely differing menu, and it requires
study to make it harmonious and pleasing, but it is just as inexpen-
sive to have the salads of three varieties for a hundred guests as it
is to make the same quantity of a single group of materials.

As to other drinks, the good sense of the hostess will determine
whether she should have stronger liquids than lemonade and sher-

GARDEN PARTIES. 543

"bet for her guests, or, at the most, a claret punch with perhaps a
flavoring of Chartreuse or Champaigne in its ruddy coolness.

If the entertainment be fixed for late hours, then cold salmon
with mayonnaise is usually added to the above list, and so are
chicken wings that include parts of the breast and are called ailes de
volatile. These can be lifted by the fingers. Smoked breasts of
ducks that are imported all prepared for eating, and pate defois gras,
etc., are quite frequently provided. There are many Winter edibles
which are not served in Summer time, such as oysters, turkeys,
grouse, venison, etc. Some of these foods are unattainable in Sum-
mer, and some of them are unwholesome or unsuited to hot-weather
digestion.

The refreshments are served both in the house and out of it, to
gratify the convenience. Elderly people prefer the house, while
younger ones delight in out-door feastings. Moon-lighted senti-
ment harmonizes wonderfully well with birds' breasts and tutti
frutti.

The hostess sends out her invitations about ten days in advance
of the time she has selected for her party. Acceptances or regrets
should be returned immediately.

The costumes for such a party should be as airy and gay as pos-
sible. Short dresses are the prevailing style, but trails are not for-
bidden to those who are willing to accept the burden of care that
is necessary to prevent their injury and to keep them from such
unconscious feet as will trip in them. An inadvertent step by a
gentleman will sometimes spoil his evening's pleasure.

White mulls, French batistes, satins, Surahs, etc., with gay
flowers and ribbons, are the favorites, although quaintly printed
foulards, bedecked with cream-white or colored laces, or perhaps
with embroideries, are also popular. Pongee in its natural hues,
trimmed with embroidered bands of the same, or with ombre Surah,
is lovely and fashionable, and, besides, the soiled hems of this silk
may be washed without revealing the fact. Fancy cashmere over-
dresses, with short skirts of black velvet or satin, have been used

544 GARDEN PARTIES.

as garden-party costumes for several seasons, and they are still con-
sidered as fashionable as ever. All the changes that have been
made in them, and they are many, are discoverable in the hues of
the over-dress, its much altered form, and its decorations.

The accessories of these dresses are sure to change from season
to season. This year the bouquet de corsage is very large, and is
worn low upon the breast, at the belt, or as a garland about the
waist or neck. Field flowers are the present favorites. Clover-
blossoms, purple, red or white, according to the tint of the dress or
the complexion of the wearer, are among the fashionable lady's
present delights. Ox-eyed and dusky-hearted daisies vie with
each other for favor. Brown-headed grasses and meadow-lilies are
also popular with tall ladies, who wear dark dresses that are en
train. For the garden party, however, if the ground be adorned
with many growing flowers, it is in better taste to wear large, flat
bows of plain or ombre satin or satin Surah ribbons, than flowers
that hang their heads, and perhaps wither altogether in the presence
of their more fortunate ungathered companions.

The hostess usually receives upon her veranda, or if her hall be
large, she may welcome her guests at this place. It is quite proper
for the visitor to leave her wraps, if she have need of such articles,
in the care of her coachman or with her maid, who may, perhaps,
accompany her to care for them. It has become as much an
approved style for a lady in grand toilette to ride without a bonnet
to a garden party, as it is in Cuba for a lady of fashion to take all
her summer airings with no other protection for her head than a
parasol. Of course, this party must needs be in the country, where
there are not so many persons to stare impertinently at a lady who
rides forth in the day-time clothed for a fete.

If a guest leaves early, or very much before the hour mentioned
on her invitation card, she does not take leave of her hostess, but
goes away quietly, in order that she may not suggest departure to
other guests.

GARDEN PARTIES. 545

The call of ceremony after a garden party is as imperative as if
the entertainment had been a grand and formal dinner, or an even-
ing of dancing and full toilette.

Garden parties are a branch of the more comprehensive " at
home," and are especially adapted to inhabitants of suburban villas
and country residences. They seem to us to be the revolt of our
natures to the close confines of the house and the desire to get out
into the sunlight and the air — to be the simple picnic hampered
with the code which fashion imposes upon those of wealth and
position.

CHAPTER XLIV
CAMPING OUT.

POOR woman, whose tired ears could not distinguish one
tune from another, and who had been taught that when she
became immortal her only occupation would be to sing
hallelujahs, exclaimed in an ecstacy of delight, " In Heaven I shall
do nothing forever and ever!" This feeling is not uncommon to
wearied people who are not poor, and they believe firmly that they
also would be happy in doing " nothing forever and ever." Of
course, this is but a temporary craving and remains only while they
are tired out with the excesses and burdens of civilization. These
are they who should fly to the wilderness, taking along with them
only those individuals without whom life would not be life at all;
or, better still, who should make a brief and wholesome separation
even from the dearest, and go away among strangers, just to find
uses for awhile for another class of sympathies. Such an arrange-
ment is quite equal to changing shoulders when a burden has
become too heavy for the one who is bearing it alone.

If you dwell by the sea, choose some inland spot of lonely loveli-
ness. If your home is upon a lowland, climb a mountain when
your welcome hour for camping and freedom has arrived. Make a
literal and positive translation of your localit)', occupations, modes
of dressing, eating, sleeping, and reading. If your ordinary exis-
tence is spent among books, take to boating, climbing, and even to
cooking, rather than carrying along your habits of prying into
scientific mysteries or of searching after the deep roots of a dead
and dusty language. If you desire to read, you must choose novel*

CAMPING OUT. 647

that are composing, natural, and end up agreeably. You will dis-
cover many a devoted story-reader who will tell you what books to
procure. Those with sweet, steady-going characters, that do not
harrow up your wearied and over-sensitive nerves, are the best
healers and composers of the jangle which has fallen upon your
system or your brains. If your adviser is an habitual devourer of
fiction and expresses a distaste for certain books because they are
flavorless, take our advice, and, whether you are man or woman, be
sure to make choice of these very novels, because they are just
what you really require under the circumstances. They lead you
away from yourself through agreeable and slumberous by-ways
into perfect tranquillity, which in your working seasons you might
possibly consider only another name for semi-idiocy.

The man who is to plunge into the woods and really forget his
worn-out self, should be sure not to forget his worn-out clothes.
See that your trowsers are easy, neatly mended, strong as to but-
tons, and not too dark nor yet too light, lest your sense of the value
of cleanliness make intimacies with mud too unpleasantly noticeable.
Try to imagine that you are getting nearer to Mother Nature and
are another Thoreau, always excepting his egotism, which Heaven
forbid should ever fall upon the brain of another mortal.

Should picturesqueness be a pleasure to your senses, select low,
easy shoes, with Avide, thick soles, and flat heels. Wear red or blue
stockings of worsted, a gray mixed flannel shirt or blouse, and a
broad, red or blue belt, according to your hosiery. Then get a gray,
soft felt hat with a wide brim, a water-proof Mackintosh and a
woollen ulster, and you are dressed. Of course, you may carry
rubber boots with high tops, and a water-proof cap with an attached
Havelock, so that you can defy Jupiter Pluvius and even the deluge
itself if it come back and you have not been chosen to re-enact the
drama of Noah and his Ark.

If you are a woman, your oldest winter dress, abbreviated at its
hem, re-bound neatly and firmly, and loosened at its waist, should
be taken along for scrambles over muddy places, and for boating,

548 CAMPING OUT.

when bailing out the craft becomes one of the formalities. On
rainy days will this gown also prove its loyalty and efficiency for
your needs. Then you must have a fresh costume for beauty's
sake, and so that your guide and cook (a combination of accom-
plishments seldom or never dissociated) will write limp-footed and
ill-spelled verses to you, that shall combine, in about equal propor-
tions, maudlin sentimentality and poor grammar. These droll apos-
trophes, generally inscribed on birch bark, will do you no end of
good. You will think better of yourself, and will the easier over-
look many little culinary mistakes which your wilderness adorer
will be sure to make semi-occasionally.

A gray pressed flannel that is clearly a mixture of black and
white, a deep green that is dark-hued and a first cousin to the oak-
leaf, a brown that learned to be pretty from the deepest brown of
the chestnut, and a blue which the sailor dearly loves, are the
proper colors for gowns during a forest loitering. They may be
made as gay as a robin red-breast, or even an oriole, with a pro-
priety that would turn upon itself in amazement in a less free and
deliciously barbaric life. Indeed, it is not in the least extravagant,
when preparing for camp, to remember how Helen Douglas was
clothed when she rowed Fitz-James across the Scottish waters.
Plaids, the real tartan, in flat bands about the skirt, and a scarf or
sash tied or pinned ornamentally to the back of the left shoulder,
are always comely; and a highland bonnet, with a heron's, a cur-
lew's or a peacock's feather, is as easy to the head as it is pretty to
the eyes. Upon gray and blue cloths, a cactus-red, an old-gold or
a cardinal band of flannel may be arranged about the skirt; and a
loose girdle of the same, ravelled at its ends and bunched into a
tassel, or else hanging flatly, is a charming addition to the dress,
and may be worn as a much-wrinkled belt about the waist-line of a
blue blouse. Instead of an extra belt over that much and justly-
admired blouse, which is indiscriminately called a Norfolk blouse
and hunting jacket, this mountaineer's sash is very charming. A
hat like the dress goods, with a soft Derby crown and a brim that

CAMPING OUT. 549

is cut in sombrero fashion, with a sufficient number of rows of
stitching about it to hold it in proper but not stiff position, is both
fashionable and comfortable. Gloves of wash-leather, long and
loose-wristed, are a comfort and a prettiness; and, if they be of
the natural yellow of their material, they will not be inharmonious
with any shade of dress or decorations. The best gown is the din-
ner and Sunday toilette of a wild-wood outing.

A rubber cloth waterproof, with a hood of the same; an Ulster
for cold days and nights (it is not unusual to sometimes draw this
garment on over a flannel night-gown); heavy woolen shawls pr
traveling rugs for extra lowering* of the mercury; stout, low, flat-
heeled shoes for climbing; and top-boots of rubber for those occa-
sional rainy days that will come to mortals even in the most fasci-
nating of Arcadias; and little more is needed, save a sensible supply
of flannel, more or less thick, according to latitude, longitude and
altitude. Fresh collars and handkerchiefs must be numbered accord-
ing to the domestic accomplishments of the man-of -all-work.

Of course, it is not against the law to take a serving-woman, but
such f eminines are liable to demand more conveniences and languish
wnth more vehement discontent in the absence of civilization than
the mistress herself. Indeed, domestic appendages of this descrip-
tion not infrequently revolt determinedly or disappear altogether
from the most fascinating of game and trout dinners served d la
hemlock plank, and from couches of aromatic pine-needles and
blankets. Yes, a man is the best helper in the woods, and, as a
general thing, he really likes it.

Two tents are required, if there be ladies in the party — and this
article is written especially in their interest. Rubber pillows, to be
blown up at will, and folding camp-cots and camp-chairs, are luxuries
that belong to civilization; and few and happy are they who are
willing to forego them. Ingenious and inexpensive inventions are
busy superseding fresh resinous twigs for bedding, and " more's the
pity." Hammocks are for those who can keep themselves awake
during the entire camping season in order that they may not fall

550 CAMPING OUT.

out of them while they are asleep. These articles are considered
great luxuries, and certainly they are picturesque, or at least picto-
rial wherever they are seen swaying between sun and shade under
the great green trees. A tent umbrella, for peripatetic camping,
fishing or sketching, is a comfort during hot days, when one must
needs go away from the shade of the woods.

For six people, the following kitchen articles are required: A
camp-kettle with cover, for hot water; a three- quart coffee-kettle
and a two-quart tea-pot; two bake-pans, one frying-pan, one water-
pail, two cooking-forks and two cooking-spoons of tinned iron; and,
if the party be very fastidious, a gridiron will be a boon. To broil
a bird or a fish, a pointed stick is the woodman's chief joy. Tin
cups, to serve coffee, tea and water, are capable of combining these
uses nowhere else but in the woods, so it is claimed; and tin plates
need not be numerous, because a dinner eaten by a camp fire is a
marvel of simplicity and convenience as to the order and formality
of its courses of food. Knives, forks and spoons should be an
individual matter, each person of the party carrying and afterward
caring for his own personal table-cutlery, just as he looks after his
own toilette-articles. The big meat-knife and fork serve as the
carver and fork, and a whet-stone, which improves the hatchet
that cuts and splits the fuel, is as good and better than a pearl-
handled steel for impi-oving the edge. A tin or hard-wood pepper-
box, with a salt-box of the same material and perforated in the
same way is very convenient. A large box of pulverized charcoal
for filtering water after rains is a real luxury, which will add safety,
as well as satisfaction to drinking water. Matches should be kept
in corked bottles, and there should be rubber-cloth sheets for use
during a storm that refuses to keep out of the tents while one is
making the most of a sleeping season. Spread upon the ground,
when one desires to lie prone upon one's back and enjoy long inter-
vals of dreaminess, with eyes wide open and turned upward to the
blue that flickers through the foliage of the trees, a rubber sheet is
a great comfort

CAMPING OUT. 551

These things seem to be many in their enumeration, but, after all,
they are far less in number and cost than the gathering together of
annual pomps that are novel and vanities that are expensive, when
one is going to a resort of fashion at Midsummer. And besides,
except one's wardrobe, all these articles remain in stock for yeara
to come. They may be compactly arranged and safely and cheaply
stored with the guide; and if another locality be chosen in other
years, these Summer needs may be quickly transferred by order
and for a trifling outlay of expressage to some less familiar place.

You notice that it is assumed as an undoubted certainty that,
having camped out one season, other summers are sure to be spent
in the same delightful, care-forgetting, health-restoring, brain-
repairing manner.

The long rambles over beautiful wild spaces, and, if within reach
of water, the long and strong pull upon the oars; the delicious airs
that blow from the points of the needles; the forest balms; the rest
from toilsome, albeit beautiful, toilettes; and the calm, cool nights
of slumber that bring back youth and beauty, and with these things,
revive an interest in living — all these are the reanimating blessings
of a summer life in the depths of the forest !

CHAPTER XLV.

DAUGHTERS.

HERE is no mistake that a mother can make, so fatal to a
daughter's happiness or to her chance of genuine success in
everything she has to do, as to educate her to look down with
contempt upon the occupations of her parents, or indeed upon any
honest industry.

A mother may see the disadvantages of her husband's employ-
ment, and may endeavor to bias the minds of her sons toward other
tastes and sympathies, but that does not involve the expression of
contempt for their father's toil. The latter may be difficult, uncer-
tain, or, perhaps, insufficient in remuneration, but nothing that is
useful is insignificant or dishonorable, while the line between the
respectable and contemptible is a distinction that should be care-
fully marked.

To the daughter, no sentiment of disapproval need be expressed.
That which has provided bread and shelter for her should be held
in reverence, even though she may wish it were by other means
that her infancy was nourished. To regret and to despise are not
at all the same. One may be inevitable, the other is not. If the
father's toil be disfiguring, the mother should teach the daughter
by example to maintain a tidiness and sweetness in all the house-
hold belongings, and always have in readiness the means for
refreshing the toiler and for removing the outer soilings of his
labor.

No honest occupation needs to bear an intellectual, spiritual or
moral stain, and an earnest spirit of industry and an innate dainti-

DAUGHTERS. 553

ness are quite capable of elevating the commonest of homes up into
Sympathy with the best refinements of living. A bit of chintz to
cover a chair may be fitly chosen, an illuminating print may adorn
the wall, and the window-hangings may be both clean and graceful
with very little extra cost. The table-spread may be fresh and
wholesome. The arrangement of the simplest of food may be
orderly and attractive to the eye. A pot of flowers, blooming in
the window, gets the sunshine and air without money, and tidiness
consecrates and makes attractive the plainest of apartments. Pov-
erty is never dishonorable. Uncleanliness and disorder are a dis-
grace for which sickness is the only apology. Not only teach this
early to the daughter, but show her by example how to charm a
small income to appear as if it were plenty.

This urgent appeal is the consequence of a recent experience, the
like of which makes good mothers tremble, provided they are able
to see the end from the beginning. It occurred in a fashionable
shop, at an hour of the day when but few demands were being
made upon the young woman-clerks. She was a very pretty girl,
with her rich hair banged, a gilt comb in her coil, not too few and
not too fresh ribbons all a-flutter upon her cheap but showy dress,
with ear-rings, bangles, and gaudy, cheap, and crumpled artificial
flowers that served her as a bouquet de corsage. She was posed
with crossed hands and curved wrists, while she related to her
scarce less unattractively dressed but equally pretty companion, her
experience of the night before.

" Oh ! it was just too awfully mean for anything. We were kept
here over time last night, you know, and I had accepted an invi-
tation from you know who, to go to a regimental promenade con-
cert. Don't know who? Of course you do; just as well as I do,
which isn't saying much. He told me to call him Charley, though
I heard some of the fellows speak to him as Frederick, but I wasn't
going to anger him by letting him know that I heard it — not I. I
am too glad to have such a nice fellow to take me out and feed me
on cream and fetch me gloves and candy.

554 DAUGHTERS.

" Well, as I was telling you, we were kept here so late that when
Charley came for me to go, I had not even dressed my hair, and he
knocked at our apartment door, somebody having sent him up
stairs. Here he was, and do you believe it, he had come for me in
a coop {coupe), and coop and all was waiting; and what were we
to do but to ask him to come into our rooms; and they are always
in such a state, you know, like other poor folks, I suppose; and I
was mortified to death. The table looked just awful, and mother
was trying to get the baby to sleep, and father was cross and not
washed up, and there was not a chair empty in the room. I just
wished I was dead and buried, but I had to get ready all the same,,
and when I went out of that bouse in my blue silk dress and white
bonnet, nobody but Charley would have suspected my father
worked in the gas-house — indeed they wouldn't, and I don't mean
that they shall find it out, if I can prevent it.

"Wasn't it too bad that Charley should find out? But then he
was nice about it and did not say anything until I said how morti-
fied I was because father would do such low work. Mother hates
it too, and its no wonder she don't care how she looks and how the
house looks. Father will go to the saloon when supper is over.
He says he hates a house that is always in a rumpus — but it isn't,
any more than the gas-house where he stays all day. If he had
any pride, he would do something nice, such as keeping a livery-
stable, or a billiard saloon, and then his hands wouldn't be black
and his clothes dirty, and Charley wouldn't be ashamed to know
him. Charley said I needn't live in that bedlam if I didn't want
to, and I don't, and I said so, but he didn't say how he meant to
change my circumstances, but I can guess, can't you ?"

" Why, he means to marry you, of course."

" I suppose so, but he hasn't said so yet."

Poor little idiot ! He will never say it, or, if he does, he will
fail to keep his word. When girls do not respect themselves and
their homes, they must not look for respect from others. If the
mother had kept a tidy home, the daughter would not have been

DAUGHTERS. 555

ashamed to invite any person to enter it. She would not have
opened the way for expressions of an insulting, and perhaps, fatal
sympathy. She would not have spent her earnings in a fanciful
dress and bonnet if she had been taught to divide her income with
the home purse, and to lend touches of refinement and useful evi-
dences of thrift to the household. If the mother expressed no
contempt for the father, the daughter would have nourished none;
and one requires no spirit of prophecy to discover the doom of that
girl in the very near future.

To make the most of what one has and is, is the surest and safest
way of growing up to something better and higher. There is no
such certain and speedy road to ruin for daughters, yes, and for
sons also, as to educate them in a manner that will give them false
pride. A genuine development of the mind and heart has very
different results. It is in a superficiality of many acquirements that
danger lies, and it is through a paltry pride that girls learn to play
the piano badly, paint trashy pictures, and sing cheap songs in a
cheap style, when a little serious instruction in something within
their mental capacities and their purses would have been certain to
provide them with positions of respect and usefulness.

In these days of highly finished artists in all the accomplishments,
it is money thrown away to half -learn anything. The result only
exhibits how little, rather than how much, a girl knows. She feels
a contempt for herself when in the presence of her superiors in
attainments, and they feel a contempt for her because she attempted
what she failed to finish.

If there were no false standards of living, no false estimates of
the dignity of labor, these things could not be. What woman, who
has reached an age when she can judge of the values of things,
would not rather be a skilled dressmaker, or an accomplished
milliner, than a young person who teaches the rudiments of music
to insubordinate children, or gives ill-paid lessons, in an almost as
poor a style, in china-painting ? The latter calls and probably
deems her toil intellectual, but there are no such miserable drudges

556 DAUGHTERS.

within the bounds of civilization as half-educated instructors in
what is called the fine arts.

If you teach your daughters to aim high, be altogether certain
that they are possessed of the power to reach their object, and
equally sure that you will have the means to complete what you
undertake for them. If they are carefully educated in all those
practical things which a woman should know, and their school life
be not shortened for vanity's sake, or for some short-sighted esti-
mate of what is desirable, and there really is talent or genius in
their brains, the mother need give herself no anxious thoughts
about it, because superior capacities will surely find methods by
which to express themselves. Be content with that certainty.
They may smoulder for a time, but they will blaze at last.

CHAPTER XLVI,

HOUSE PAINTING.

I HE following receipts and directions are condensed from a
practical English work on the art of house painting. They
are principally designed for the inexperienced and those who,
living at a distance from the cities, have great difficulty in
obtaining first-class workmen.

To make work satisfactory, it is very necessary for the workman
to have very clean all the vessels, brushes and cans he may require
in the course of his work, such as the various pails, pots or vessels
in which he mixes or from which he uses his colors. These are
sometimes bought at the shops, handsomely made of stout tin,
and such are easily kept clean, and save their expense in color,
which is readily brushed down their smooth sides. He will also
require a marble slab and muller, to grind the finer colors used in
painting. Sometimes a small cast-iron mill is useful not only to
grind colors, but to pass the tinted color through, so that it may be
more thoroughly mixed.

It is presumed the workman will know what brushes he will
require, according to the work he has in hand.

In preparing to paint a good dwelling, after having obtained the
necessary colors and brushes, see that you have a few pounds of
good pumice stone, a quire or two of assorted sand paper, to
smooth the inequalities of the work; some twenty pounds of putty,
to stop up after the first coat in every part of the house; a suffici-
ency of fine slacked lime, and a proper number of large and small

558 HOUSE PAINTING.

vessels in which to mix the colors, and from which to use them; a
few pounds of soaked glue, &c.

If the wood-work he new, and no wall-work required, you will
go over it carefully with a small brush and some of the glue size,
colored with red lead, covering what knots and stains may appear
in the wood, after which the priming coat of almost all oil and
good white lead, tinted with Indian red, should be evenly brushed
over the work; and, as soon as dry, the putty knife and putty
should follow, to stop all the cracks and nail holes. Then should
follow the second coat, with a little spirits of turpentine in the oil,
and the color slightly tinged with blue black. This is generally
thought sufficient for the attic and third stories. But the rest of
the house is usually finished with old ground white lead, thinned
with spirits of turpentine. The roof, if covered with tin, should
be painted once in three years. There are many different methods
in use. Some paint with raw oil, dry Spanish brown and a little
red lead, to dry it, for fear of a rain; others, with Spanish brown,
more red lead, and half whale oil with the linseed oil; others use
yellow ochre and black, mixed in the same oils; others use a paint
made by boiling paint skins and whale oil, and carefully straining
them while warm, reserving the remaining skins, to stop the leaks
around chimneys and dormer windows. This last mentioned paint
is probably serviceable from its elasticity. In the country, many
paint their roofs and outbuildings in the same way, using some-
times Venetian red from its brightness.

Many complaints are continually made that white lead and colors
composed thereof do not endure, and are quickly beaten off by
exposure to the sun and rain. This difficulty occurs as much from
the mariner of using the paint as from its quality. As this occurs
in outside work, it is to be attributed, first, to the condition of the
work to be painted, being generally in such a state as to absorb the
oil from the first coat, thereby leaving it in a dusty state, and liable
to be washed off by the first rain. This can be guarded against
only by filling the old work, in painting two thin coats over it, one

HOUSE PAINTING 559

upon the other, as soon as dry, and finishing it with one thicker
coat, to protect it and shed the rain. A fourth coat, if the imme-
diate expense is not heeded, will repay its cost in additional service
and beauty.

The white lead can be procured of any requisite quality at the
.color stores. It is thought that the best article is the most econom-
ical, as it works out with more ease, and repays the difference of
.cost in its appearance. Linseed oil is also better for having due
Age, for the same reason as the white lead, working with softnesa
and advantage after parting with the water which is generally com-
bined with new oil.

The quality and fineness of the white lead used adds materially
to the work, and that which is well ground, and has such mellow-
ness from age as will cause it to work smoothly under the brush in
connection with good linseed oil, will certainly repay any reasonable
additional cost. The first coats should always be mixed with clear
linseed oil; the fourth coat may be used with boiled oil and one-
quarter part spirits of turpentine.

Putty is best purchased at a good color store, where you can
depend upon its being made of good dry whitening and linseed oiL
It should be carefully and freely used after the work has had one
coat of paint, for the fresh paint holds the putty very firmly.

Harmony of Colors. — Red looks well with black, white or yel-
low. Blue harmonizes with white or yellow. Green with white,
black or yellow. Gold with black or brown. White appears well
with any color.

MIXING PAINTS.

A Beautiful White Paint. — For inside work, which ceases to
smell and dries in a few hours. Add one pound of frankincense to
two quarts of spirits of turpentine; dissolve it over a clear fire,
strain it, and bottle it for use; then add one pint of this mixture to
four pints of bleached linseed oil, shake them well together, grind
white lead in spirits of turpentine and strain it, then add sufficient

560 HOUSE PAINTING.

of the lead to make it proper for painting; if too thick in using,
thin with turpentine, it being suitable for the best internal work on
account of its superiority and expense.

Fob a Pure White Paint — Nut oil is the best; if linseed oil
is used, add one-third of turpentine.

To Mix Common White Paint. — Mix or grind white lead in
linseed oil to the consistency of paste, add turpentine in the pro-
portion of one quart to a gallon of oil; but these proportions must
be varied according to circumstances. Remember to strain your
color for the better sorts of work. If the work is exposed to the
sun, use more turpentine for the ground color to prevent its blis-
tering.

For Knotting. — Mix white or red lead powder in strong glue
size and apply it warm.

Common Flesh Color. — Stain your white lead with red lead, and
mix with oil and turps.

Fine Flesh Color. — It is composed of white lead, lake and
vermilion.

A Beautiful Color for Carriages, &c. — Mix carmine lake
with black japan.

Cream Color. — This is a mixture of chrome yellow, the best Eng-
lish Venetian red, white lead, and red lead in oil.

Pearl Gray. — White lead, with equal portions of Prussian blue
and lampblack, mixed with oil and turps.

Fawn Color. — Grind some burnt and raw terra sienna very fine.
Two or three pounds of this is sufficient to stain white lead for a
large building. This color is of a superior shade, and very excel-
lent for inside work.

Blue. — Grind Prussian blue in turps; other blue very fine in
linseed oil, and mix it with white paint to the tint required.

Buff. — This is a mixture of French yellow, chrome yellow and
white lead, tinged with a little Venetian red, oil and turps.

HOUSE PAINTING. 561

Straw. — A mixture of chrome yellow and white lead, oil and
turps.

Drab. — Raw and burnt umber and white lead, with a little Vene-
tian red, linseed oil and turps. Another. — Burnt umber and white
lead, with a little Venetian red, oil and turps, as before.

Steel. — Mix white lead, Prussian blue, fine lake and verdigris,
in such proportions as to produce the required color.

Purple. — White lead, Prussian blue and vermilion, or lake with
oil and turps.

Violet. — Is composed of vermilion, mixed with blue-black and a
little white.

French Grey. — White lead and Prussian blue, tinged with ver-
milion; and for the last coat substitute carmine for the vermilion.
Mix with oil and turps.

Silver. — Use white lead, indigo, and a small portion of blue-
black, as the shade may require.

Gold. — Mix Naples yellow or patent yellow with a small quantity
of orange chrome and a little Spanish white.

Dark Chestnut. — Mix red ochre and black. Use yellow ochre
when you require to lighten the color, in oil.

Salmon. — White lead, tinged with the best English Venetian
red, oil and turps.

Peach Blossom. — White lead, tinged with orpiment; mixed with
oil and turps.

Drab. — White lead with a little Prussian blue and French yellow,
linseed oil and turps. Another. — White lead with a little French
yellow and lampblack, linseed oil and turps. Another. — White
lead with a little chrome green and blue-black.

Lead. — This is a mixture of lampblack and white lead, with a
little litharge.

562 HOUSE PAINTING.

Chocolate. — Mix lampblack and Venetian red with a little red
lead, or litharge, to harden the color and give a drying quality.
The colors must be ground, and mixed with boiled oil and a little
turps.

Dark Red, fob Common Purposes. — Mix English Venetian red
in boiled oil with a little red lead and litharge, to give a drying
quality.

Orange. — Mix red lead and French yellow with linseed oil and
turps, or use deep chrome yellow.

Bright Yellow for Floors, Etc. — White lead and linseed oil
mixed with some French yellow, and a little chrome yellow to
brighten it; some red lead, burnt white vitrol and litharge added
to it to give it a very drying quality. This color mixed with equal
parts of boiled oil and turpentine, and used very thin.

Dark Yellow. — Mix French yellow in boiled oil, adding to it a
little red lead and litharge, to give the paint a drying quality.

Light Yellow. — This is a mixture of French yellow, chrome
yellow and white lead, with oil and turps. Another. — French yel-
low, white lead and red lead. Another. — Grind raw terra sienna
in turps and linseed oil; mix with white lead. If the color is
required of a warmer cast, add a little burnt terra sienna ground in
turps.

OLrvE Green. — A suitable, cheap, and handsome color for out-
side work, such as doors, carts, wagons, etc.

Grind separately Prussian blue and French yellow in boiled oil,
then mix to the tint required with a little burnt white vitrol to act
as a drier. Another. — Black and blue mixed with yellow, in such
quantities as to obtain the colors or shades required. For distemper,
use indigo and yellow pink mixed with whiting or white lead pow-
der. Another. — This is a mixture of Prussian blue, French yellow,
a small portion of Turkey umber, and a little burnt vitrol. Ground
the same way. Another in oil. — Mix Prussian blue and chrome

HOUSE PAINTING. 563

yellow. Grind the same. Another shade. — A mixture of Prussian
blue and French yellow, with a small quantity of white lead and
Turkey umber and burnt white vitriol. Grind the same.

Light Green. — White mixed with verdigris. A variety of
shades may be obtained by using blue and yellow with white lead.

Grass Green. — Yellow mixed with verdigris. Another. — Mix
one pound of verdigris with two pounds of white lead. Walnut
oil is the best for this purpose.

Invisible Green, for Outside Work. — Mix lamp-black and
French yellow, with burnt white vitriol. These colors mix in boiled
oil. Burnt vitriol is the best drier for greens, as it is powerful and
colorless, and consequently will not injure the color.

To Paint a Bronze. — Grind good black with chrome yellow and
boiled oil; apply it with a brush, and when nearly dry use the
bronze powder at certain parts and the edges also; the effect will
be a brassy hue.

A Good Imitation of Gold. — Mix white lead, chrome yellow,
and burnt sienna, until the proper shade is obtained.

Tar Paint for Fences, Roofs, Etc. — Common tar mixed with
whiting. Venetian red or French yellow, according to the color
required. This should be warmed in a large iron kettle in the
open air, and applied with a large painting brush. It is an excel-
lent preservative of the wood, and looks well for rough work.

Paint Driers. — Litharge. — This is a useful drier, and may be
used in all kinds of paints, except greens and very delicate colors.
White Vitriol or Copperas. — This turns into water, especially when
used in black paints; and is almost useless for any color till the
water of crystallization is evaporated, and then it become a power-
ful dryer, and maybe used for every delicate color, as it is perfectly
transparent; but when used in its raw state in white paint, has the
effect of turning it yellow. Sugar of Lead. — This is a very useful
and transparent drier, not so powerful as white vitriol, but it may
be used with it to advantage.

564 HOUSE PAINTING.

Milk Paint fob Indoor Work. — The quantity for one hundred
square feet: One quart of skimmed milk, three ounces of
lime, three ounces of linseed or poppy oil, one and a half
pounds of Spanish white or whiting. Put the lime into a
clean bucket, add sufficient of the milk to slake the lime,
add the oil a few drops at a time, stirring the mixture with a
flat stick till the whole of the oil is incorporated in the mass; then
add the remainder of the milk, and afterwards the Spanish white
or whiting, finely powdered, and sifted gently over the mixture by
degrees. Curded milk will do for the purpose, but it must not be
sour. One coat of this will do for ceilings and stair-cases in gen-
eral; two coats or more for new wood. Where color is required,
you may use powdered umber, ochres, chromes, greens, blues, pinks,
etc., etc., ground in milk. For particular work, strain the color
through a hair sieve.

Lime Whitewash. — Lime whitewash is made from lime well
slaked. Dissolve two and a half pounds of alum in boiling water,
and add it to every pailful of whitewash. Lime whitewash should
be used very thin, and when it is sufficiently bound on the wall by
means of alum, two thin coats will cover the work better. Most
whitewashers apply their wash too thick, and do not mix a propor-
tionate quantity of alum to bind it, consequently the operation of
the brush rubs of the first coat in various parts and leaves an uneven
surface, and the original smooth surface of the wall is entirely
destroyed.

Italian Marble.— This looks bold, and is well adapted for
columns, etc., and is easy to imitate. The ground a light buff.
For the graining colors, prepare a rich, warm buff, made in the
following manner. Mix stiff in boiled oil, white lead and good stone
ochre, and tinge with vermilion, then grind some burnt terra sienna
very fine in boiled oil, and put it into another pot; mix some pure
white stiff in oil, and keep this separate. Thin these colors with
turpentine, have ready a brush for the buff and another for the
terra sienna. Proceed to work as follows: Take the brush intended

HOUSE PAINTING. 565

for the buff moderately full of color, and dab it on freely and care-
fully in different patches, some of them larger than others, and
varying them as much as possible. When these are laid on, take
the other brush and fill in with the terra sienna the spaces between;
as soon as this is done, take a dry duster or softener and blend the
edges together, making it appear as soft as possible. Proceed in
this manner till the whole is finished, then take a hair pencil and
draw a few thin white veins over the work, varying them as much
as is necessary; take another pencil for the terra sienna, and run a
few thin lines intermixing with the whole; varnish when dry.

To Imitate Granite. — For the ground color, stain your white
lead to a light lead color, with lampblack and a little rose-pink.
Throw on black spots with a graniting machine, and fill up with the
white a little before the ground is dry.

A Cheap Oak Varnish. — Two quarts of boiled oil, one and a
half pounds of litharge, three-quarters of a pound of gum shellac.
All boiled together and stirred up till dissolved, then take off the
fire and add two quarts of turps. When settled, strain into a bottle
and cork for use.

Common Oil Varnish. — Take one gallon of quick-drying oil,
two pounds of resin, and one quart of turpentine; put the resin
with the drying oil into a varnish kettle, and let it dissolve in a
gentle heat; take it from the fire and gradually pour in the spirits
of turpentine. If too thick add more of the turpentine.

Transparent Varnish for Pictures. — Take the white of four
eggs and two ounces of loaf sugar; beat them up in lime water to
the proper consistency of varnishing.

For Varnishing on Wood, Unpainted. — Quarter of a pint of
wood naphtha, quarter of a pint of spirits of wine, four ounces of
benzoin, four ounces of orange shellac, added all together. If not
thick enough with those ingredients for your purpose, add more of
the gums benzoin and shellac.

066 HOUSE PAINTING.

Waterproof Varnish, for Linen or Calico. — One pint of tur-
pentine, one and a half pints of linseed oil, seven ounces of litharge,
one ounce of sugar of lead. Strain it, apply with a brush, and dry
in the sun or in a warm place.

Instructions. — Oil of turpentine deadens the color of paints;
varnishes, copal, etc., brighten the color.

CHAPTER XLVII.

THE CARE OF THE HAIR.

HE hair, to be beautiful, must not only be thick and long, but
fine, silky and glossy — effects that are only produced by con-
stant care. Women, who do not possess the crowning glory
of a fine head of hair, are the ones who most quickly notice the
great ornament it is to other women, so that one cannot but wonder
that they do not attempt to improve that which they have, or try
the sensible French expedient of making the best of it. Too often
beauty is lost because it is not cultivated, for if it were developed
as far as possible, ugly girls would soon grow to be exceptional. Each
nation could tell the seeker after the beautiful some recipe by which
they gained the admiration of the world for the specialty in form,
figure or coloring that has become synonymous with their woman-
kind.

Physiologists say that each hair is a bulb, having in its center a
hollow tube, through which it is probable common atmospheric air
passes. At the bottom of the bulb, the nucleus of which is a sort of
bag, there is an opening connected with very minute vessels resem-
bling roots. Each bulb possesses a separate minute artery of its
own, and consequently a vein and a nerve. When a hair is pulled
out, pain is produced, which shows the bulb is in direct communi-
cation with a nerve and consequently with an artery. So, as the
hair springs from the skin and is nourished therefrom, one of the
greatest helps towards having beautiful hair is to keep the skin in
good order. If the skin is in an unhealthy condition, the hair falls
out and breaks easily; but if a healthy vascular action is maintained,
the hair is strengthened.

568 THE CARE OF THE HAIR.

Sometimes the epidermal scales are allowed to accumulate until
they are difficult to remove, and they then become the greatest
enemy of lovely locks. To prevent this, a stiff brush should be
freely employed two or three times a day, and the use of a fine
comb should be avoided. A wash that will remove this growth
(commonly called dandruff) is as follows: Beat the yolks of two
eggs up with the juice of a lemon, and have the mixture well rubbed
into the head with the fingers, until a slight redness is apparent.
Wash the mixture off thoroughly with lukewarm water. Much
care must be exercised in preparing this, so that none of the white
of the egg be allowed to enter in the compound, for it will make
the hair stiff and be found very troublesome to remove.

When the hair is lost by sickness or becomes thin and dry from
some unknown cause, no greater mistake can be made than having
it shaved off. Much questioning has proved the fallacy of the belief
that it will grow in again fine and thick; the growth is usually
slow, and the hair seldom attains the length it had before. The
heat of the cap worn during the time it is short has doubtless much
to do with this result, but even if a cap is not worn, it is not advis-
able to shave the hair. Instead, let it be cut tolerably short, the
skin of the head kept in a healthy condition and no false hair worn
to impede the growth by heating the head.

The Germans, who usually have handsome hair, attribute it to the
fact that they never cut a child's hair, but simply trim the ends and
•allow it to hang for a long time in soft, smooth braids. The Geor-
gians and Greeks plait the hair, and, as soon as it is sufficiently long,
attach an iron weight to each braid, increasing the size of the
weight as the hair grows. They have hair of wonderful length,
and as the head is carried very erect, in consequence of the weight,
a graceful, dignified carriage is attained. A few drops of ammonia
— that household fairy — in the clear water used in washing the hair
will be found to keep the ends from splitting. If, however, the
hair falls out, trim it frequently and apply a stimulant. One that
can be recommended by experience is easily prepared: Camphor,

THE CAKE OF THE HAIR. 0b9

one drachm; borax, one drachm; spirits of wine, two teaspoonfuls;
tincture of cantharides, two teaspoonfuls; rosemary oil, four drops;
rosewater, half a pint. Dissolve the camphor and borax in the
spirit, add the oil, and then shake all up gradually with the rose-
water.

Do not wrap anything around the head when retiring, and always
arrange the hair as carefully for sleep as you do for the day; part
it smoothly in various places, brush carefully, and then braid it in
plaits, which should be allowed to hang loose. If the hair becomes
knotted, rather than tear it out by attempting to disentangle it, take
the scissors and cut the knot out. Do not wear too much false hair.
Do not use heavy hair-pins, and if you wear your hair crimped, use
rubber pins or bands to put it up on. They will not break the hair
so easily nor hurt the head so much, nor be so likely to become
undone during the night.

There are few women who do not crimp, curl or wave the hair in
some way, and yet if they knew how lovely the hair looks, when it
is healthful, drawn smoothly from the face and twisted in a knot
behind, one cannot but think that smooth hair would prove the rule
and not the exception. A wondrous picture shows the head of a
woman who is sleeping — the eyes are closed, so that you can only
guess at their color and depth; but the shape of the head has been
a study for all the art-loving world for a long time. Could this be
seen if the hair were arranged in crimps or frizzes? Oh! no. And
yet it is wonderful hair, too. Black, glossy .and thick, drawn back
from the wide brow and coiled in the way in which Venus coiled
hers.

This does not mean to all the world, " Go, fix your hair perfectly
plain; you, who need the framing of soft waves or coquettish curls,
cast them aside, and fix your locks as did the ancient goddesses :"
but it does mean, " Study the shape of your head, and if you can
afford to have it fully displayed, do so."

The blessed rule which governs hair-dressing to-day, that the
" most suitable is the most fashionable," means just what has been

570 THE CARE OF THE HAIR.

said, and the wise woman will think of it and know how to arrange-
her hair properly. Do not attempt to dye your hair, for if Mother
Nature has been so beneficent as to crown you with silver threads,,
be thankful to her for her great love for you. Many, whose faces
would otherwise be commonplace and inexpressive, are made ta
have a striking individuality by the possession of just such gray-
locks as Marie Antoinette gained when she powdered her hair, or as
came to her after the " night of terror." No matter how young
you may be, prize your gray hairs as you never would golden ones,
and as their possessors never do. A frequent wail among " golden
locks" is that their hair will always remain that shade or else fade
into a neutral tint, the bliss of respected gray hairs being denied
them.

The change produced by a hair dye is usually palpable to the
world at large, and she who uses the dye is generally laughed at.
It will neither suit your complexion nor your eyes, and if a striking
contrast is achieved, it will only be pleasing for a short time. As-
tonishing things grow to be very tiresome when they are often
seen. And just so it is with feminine beauty; we love best that
which pleases evenly — not once with a great wonder and unbounded
delight, but that which is always pleasing. And to the attainment
of this beauty, the crowning ornament of beautiful hair becomes
necessary; poets sing of it, and yet it is generally braided hair,
long hair, or locks in picturesque disorder. One is certain that all
womankind would be willing to sleep a hundred years, if, like Ten-
nyson's Princess, they could be sure that in time some prince would
find them and some poet-laureate describe them, truthfully saying,
" Year after year unto her feet,

She lying on her couch alone,
Across the purple coverlet

The maiden's jet black hair has grown,
On either side her tranced form

Forth-streaming from a braid of pearl,
The slumbrous light is rich and warm,

And moves not on the rounded curl. "

CHAPTER XLVIII.

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

|;T is related of one of England's greatest statesmen, that some
one calling to see him unexpectedly on grave political affairs,
found him, not absorbed in state papers and official documents,
but on all fours in his nursery, with his children romping upon and
around him. And of another eminent man, the late Earl of Derby,
it has been recorded, in a graceful tribute paid to his memory, that
while at times he would seek recreation from political labors in
the translation of Homer, at others he loved to find it in

"Making some wonder for a happy child."

The dark evenings of winter and early spring call into request
games for round parties, and we shall devote the present paper to
some of these. To commence with a very simple one, we will
describe a game of German origin, known as

The Ball of Wool.
The party are seated round a table, from which the cloth must be
drawn. A little wool is rolled up into the form of a ball, and
placed in the middle of the table. The company then commence
to blow upon it, each one trying to drive it away from his own
direction, and the object of all being to blow it off, so that the per-
son by whose right side it falls may pay a forfeit. The longer the
ball is kept on the table by the opposing puffs of the surrounding
party, the more amusing the game becomes, as the distended cheeks
and zealous exertions of the players afford mirth to lookers-on as
well as to themselves.

572 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

Similar to this is a game called " Blowing the Feather," in which
a small feather set floating in the air answers the same purpose as
the ball upon the table. The forfeit falls to the individual whose
puff is ineffectual in keeping the feather afloat, or who suffers it to
drop when it reaches him.

Of a different character, and still more comic in its results, is a
game called

Shadows.

This game, sometimes called " Shadow Buff," is productive of
much amusement in a round party. It consists in the detection of
the individuals who compose the company by their shadows; but
these they are at liberty to disguise as much as possible. The
following is the method pursued: A white tablecloth or sheet is
suspended on one side of the apartment, and at a short distance
before this sheet, one of the party, chosen for the purpose, is seated
upon either the floor or a low stool, with his face directed towards
the cloth. Behind him, on the farther side of the apartment, the
table is placed, and upon it a lamp or taper, all other lights in the
apartment being extinguished. Each of the company in turn
passes before the lamp and behind the person who is gazing upon
the cloth, which thus receives a strong shadow. If the individual
seated can name the person whose shadow is thus thrown, the
latter has to pay a forfeit, or to take the place of the guesser, as
may be agreed upon.

The Messenger.
The party are seated in line, or round the sides of the room, and
some one previously appointed enters with the message, "My
master sends me to you, madam," or " sir," as the case may be,
directed to any individual he may select at his option. " What
for?" is the natural inquiry. "To do as I do;" and with this the
messenger commences to perform some antic which the lady or
gentleman must imitate — say he wags his head from side to side,
or taps with one foot incessantly on the floor. The person whose

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS. 573

duty it is to obey, commands his neighbor to the right or to the
left to "Do as I do," also; and so on until the whole company are
in motion, when the messenger leaves the room, re-entering it with
fresh injunctions. While the messenger is in the room he must see
his master's will obeyed, and no. one must stop from the movement
without suffering a forfeit. The messenger should be some one
ingenious in making the antics ludicrous, and yet kept within mod-
erate bounds, and the game will not fail to produce shouts of
laughter.

Another game, of much the same character, is known by the
title, "Thus says the Grand Seignor." The chief difference is that
the first player is stationed in the centre of the room, and prefaces
his movements, which the others must all follow, by the above
words. If he varies his command by framing it, " So says the
Grand Seignor," the party must remain still, and decline to follow
his example. Any one who moves when he begins with " So," or
does not follow him when he commences with " Thus," has to pay
a forfeit.

Magic Music.

In this game a player is seated at the piano, and one of the
others leaves the room, while the company decides what the last-
mentioned is to do on his return. When called in, he is given a
hint, but only a hint, of what he is expected to do. We will
suppose that he is told that he is to " make an offering to a certain
lady." He is left to himself as to what the offering may be, but
he must guess the lady to whom it is to be offered, and offer to
each in succession until he discovers the individual selected. The
musical part of the performance is this : When he re-enters the
room, the person at the piano commences to play some piece, with
a moderate degree of vigor. As the guesser approaches the right
lady, or the right thing to be done, whatever its nature, the music
becomes louder or quicker; but if he appears to be going farther
and farther from his appointed task, the music becomes softer and
softer, until it is scarcely heard. This gives him a clue as to

574 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

whether he is on the right scent, or otherwise. If there be no piano
in the room, the " magic music " may be of another character. It
may consist in the tinkling or clashing together of any articles that
will emit either a harmonious or a discordant sound, according to the
degree of hilarity or boisterousness to which the age and other cir-
cumstances of the company dispose them. But, played with a little
tact, the game in any of its forms will be found amusing.
The Cottrtters.

One of the company is selected to be king or queen, and occupies
a chair in the center of the room, the rest being seated round the
sides of the apartment. Whatever movement may be made by the
monarch must be imitated by the courtiers; and it is the gist of the
game that this should be done without any one losing that assump-
tion of decorous gravity which becomes the scene. The monarch may
yawn, sneeze, blow his nose, or wipe his eye, and the courtiers must
all do the same; but if any one of them is so deficient in self-control
or so presumptive as to grin or to laugh, he or she must pay the
penalty of a forfeit. It is rarely, however, that penalties are few
or far between.

The Dumb Orator.

This is a very amusing performance, enacted by two persons for
the benefit of the rest of the company. One of the two recites a
speech, or any popular piece of declamation — "My name is Norval,"
or the like — keeping all the while perfectly motionless, and without
a quiver upon his countenance, while the other, standing silent by
his side, gesticulates furiously, according to the emotions called up
by the passage recited. Of course, the more closely he follows and
burlesques the action natural to the words throughout, the greater
the amusement created. There is another way of performing the
same oratorical show, namely, by the two players enveloping them-
selves in the same cloak or wrapper, and the arms of the one — which
are all the company are allowed to see of him — keeping up an action
suited to the narrative of the other; but this is more awkward in
the performance, and less effective than the method first described.

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS. 575

Speaking Buff.
At this game, the eyes of one of the players are bandaged, as in
** blind man," and he is seated in the center of the room, the party
then taking their places, " Buff " holds a wand or stick in one
hand, and, when all are seated, he points with this to one side of
the room, or touches one of the players, at the same time uttering
three words according to his fancy. The person towards whom he
points must then repeat these words; and if "Buff" can discover
his or her identity by the tones of the voice, he is released from his
position, and the person detected takes his place.

TriE Shopkeepers.
This is a good game to exercise a knowledge of the various pro-
ductions of nature. Each person in the company represents a shop-
keeper or merchant, who has some goods on hand which he wishes
to dispose of; but no two persons may choose the same trade. Any
one may start the game — say, for instance, the draper — and he com-
mences, we will suppose, by observing to his next neighbor, " I have
some silk for sale; is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?" To this the
reply would be, " Animal, for it is the production of the silkworm."
The correct answer having been given— -we will assume by the chemist
— the latter turns to the person next him, with an inquiry suited to
his trade; say, "I have some glycerine for sale; is it animal, vege-
table, or mineral?" The rejoinder may be, "Either animal or
vegetable, for it may be obtained from either vegetable or animal
fat." The merchant, in his turn, may say, " I have some shell-lac
for sale; is it animal, vegetable, or mineral?" and should receive
the reply, " Animal, for it is obtained from an insect." So the
game goes on, the ingenuity of each, as it proceeds, being taxed to
mention some article of his stock, the origin of which may not be
within the knowledge of the person addressed. A round or two of
the game will rarely proceed without some of the company- finding
that they have added to their store of general knowledge, as well
as derived amusement.

576 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

Twirling the Trencher.

This is a brisk game, requiring activity without ingenuity.
A circle is formed in the room, and a good space is left
clear in the midst. A trencher or round wooden platter is
obtained, or, if such a thing is not available, a small round
tray or waiter will best answer the purpose. When all
the party are seated, one of the company stands up in
the center and twirls the tray round upon the floor, at the
same time calling out the name of any other person present, who
must rise and pick up the trencher before it falls to the ground,
otherwise he or she pays a forfeit. The person who twirls the
trencher returns to his own seat immediately, and the one who
picks it up, or has been called upon to do so, has the privilege of
making a call afterwards.

Proverbs.

Proverbs is a gam^ of a more intellectual character. In this, one
person volunteers, or is chosen by the company, to leave the room,
and in his or her absence a proverb is fixed upon by the remaining
party. The person outside is then called in, and the first person
whom he addresses with any remark or inquiry, is bound to reply to
him with an answer in which the first word of the proverb is intro-
duced. The second person to whom he goes must reply in such a way
as to bring in the second word; and so on until the proverb has been
repeated. He is then informed that he need not proceed further,
and is left to guess the proverb chosen. If he fails in three attempts,
he must again retire, and his ingenuity is tried by the selection and
repetition of another proverb. Any one making an answer in which
the right word in turn is not introduced, pays the penalty of a for-
feit, and the company are, therefore, on the watch to see that each
person addressed duly performs the part. The great art of the
game is in so wrapping up the word in the course of the reply as to
made it difficult for the guesser to discover the proverb which was
chosen. Some proverbs, are far more easy of detection than others,

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS. 577

from the forcible or peculiar words comprised in them, or the diffi-
culty which the answerers find in concealing the words which fall to
them in rotation. " Still waters run deep " may be taken as an
example of the class difficult of concealment, for " waters " and
" deep " are awkward words to introduce, and will easily connect
themselves in the mind of the guesser, who is on the watch for his
clue ''Where there's a will there's a way "is more capable of
disguise, but " will " and " way " will reveal themselves to a person
quick of apprehension. None of the proverbs chosen should consist
of very many words, or the guessing may become tedious. When
the proverb is detected, the guesser is entitled to claim that some
one else shall take his place, and may, if he pleases, select for that
purpose the person whose insufficient disguise of the allotted word
gave him his first clue. Or he may name any one else in the com-
pany for the purpose. If the guesser tries his skill two or three
times without success, he may claim relief from his office, and some
one else may be appointed. In this, as in all other games, it must
be remembered that when weariness on any side commences, amuse-
ment is at an end; and where there are symptoms of a game reach-
ing that point, it should be relinquished for another.

The Newspaper.
This may be played either as a forfeit game, or otherwise. One
of the party is appointed to " read the newspaper," the others,
seated before him, assume to be members of different trades and
professions — lawyer, doctor, draper, grocer, etc. The reader takes
up any paper that may be at hand, and selects some passage for
perusal. The peculiarity of the game is, that whenever he pauses
and looks at any member of the company, that person must make
some suitable observation appropriate to his particular trade— the
more incongruous to the narrative or dissertation which is being
read by the first player, the better. The penalty of a forfeit may
be exacted from any person who does not reply when appealed to,
or who makes a remark not connected with his own pursuit.

578 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

To give our readers a clear idea of the mode of playing the game,
we will suppose the reader lights upon a narrative of the visit of
the Duke of Edinburgh to Calcutta. He proceeds thus —

"A guard of honor composed of" (here he looks, say, at the
Oilman) —

Oilman — " Tallow candles "

" Was drawn up on the quay, and his Koyal Highness on landing
was received with a round of" —

Butcher. — " Marrow bones,"

" Delivered in true British fashion. A salute of twenty-one guns
was fired from the" —

Draper. — " Band-box,"

" And the ships and forts hoisted their" —

Lawyer. — " Affidavits."

" Every house in the vicinity was decorated with" —

Grocer.—" Treacle,"

" And the windows were filled with elegantly dressed" —

Surgeon. — " Compound fractures."

"Escorted by the Governor General, his Royal Highness pro-
ceeded to the"—

Confectioner. — " Mince-pies,"

" And gracefully bowed his acknowledgments to the" —

Ironmonger. — " Fire-shovel."

So the reading continues, until each member of the company has
responded, or the paragraph is closed, when another extract may
be commenced. The passages most suited for perusal are those
which possess some degree of gravity in tone, without being too
serious to serve as a foundation for the ridiculous interpolations to
which the game will naturally give rise.

Comical Combinations.

This is a game which can be made a source of considerable
amusement by a party of young people who have some skill, how-
ever slight, in drawing. It is not known under any especial name,

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS. 579

and is played in the following way: Those engaged in it sit round
the table, and each is supplied with a piece of writing paper folded
into three parts, and a lead pencil. In the first place each sketches
a head and neck — that of a man or woman, or that of some inferior
animal, taking care that his neighbor does not see what he has
done, then each refolds the paper, so as to hide his or her sketch,
but leaves indications of where the neck is on the blank part of the
paper which is folded over it. The papers then change hands all
round, and each proceeds to sketch a body for the head he has not
seen. When this has been accomplished the papers are again
refolded as before; another change takes place; and all proceed to
supply legs to the bodies they have not seen, just as before they
supplied bodies for the heads they had not seen. When all this
has been done, another change of papers takes place, and then each
writes the name supposed to belong to the figure thus curiously
compounded, after which the papers are unfolded, and the result is
usually bursts of laughter at the address or the absurdity of the
combinations.

Another game, very like this, is for each to write a line of poetry,
folding it under as before, passing it to the next and telling him
the last word of the line written, to which he must write a line
which will rhyme. Upon being read it will be found that many of
the stanzas will have a very amusing construction.

Br/z.

This is a forfeit game, and partakes of the nature of an arith-
metical exercise. The party repeat in order any number of figures,
from one to fifty, or one to one hundred, as may be agi-eed upon,
but every seven that occurs, and every multiple of seven, is repre-
sented by the word " Buz !" Thus, the first player says " One," the
next " Two," and so on until the seventh, who must say " Buz !"
instead; he who has "fourteen " in his turn must also repeat "Buz,"
and the same with those who come to seventeen, twenty-one,
twenty-seven, etc. It is not so easy to avoid mistakes, when the

£>S0 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

fio-ures arc being quickly repeated round the circle, as may be
imagined. Every time seven occurs as part of the number, as in
twenty-seven and thirty-seven, the players may be sufficiently on
their guard; but they will generally be found tripping thoughtlessly
as the multiples of seven, such as forty-two and fifty-six, come in
order, and so there will be no lack of forfeits. Seventy-one is called
Jt Buz-one," and seventy-seven " Buz-buz."

The Knight of the Whistle.

This is a sort of modified " blindman's buff," played, however,
without a bandage over the eyes, and without the romping element
which sometimes makes that well-known game objectionable. A
small whistle is suspended from the coat collar or the dress of one
of the party by a piece of twine or thread, about half a yard long,
which hangs down between the shoulders. The "knight" or the
" lady " of the whistle, as the case may be, then stands in the centre
or walks slowly round the circle of the company; some one, watch-
ing an opportunity, seizes the whistle and blows it shrilly, when
the knight immediately turns to detect the offender, and if he hits
upon the right person, the latter must take his place. As the
player turns to find out one whistler, another gives a blow, and
thus the game proceeds merrily, until some one, less dexterous than
the rest, is caught.

Catch the Ring.

This is another modern invention, which is considered an im-
provement on the boisterous game of "hunt the slipper," and is,
therefore, taking its place. The players are seated in a circle or
semi-circle, and hold a string, on which a finger-ring is placed. One
of the company undertakes the task of finding this ring, which is
passed rapidly along the string from hand to hand, as the players
see an opportunity of moving it unobserved. If the first player
can at any moment pounce upon the ring, the person in whose
possession it may be is called on to take his place, and, if so agreed
on, to pay a forfeit in addition.

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS. 581

Scandal.

Tliis is a more intellectual game, and while amusing enough,
serves al the same time to point a moral, as it illustrates the
growth of scandal, or the variations which arise in a story, when
commonplace facts are repeated from mouth to mouth. The player
scaled at one end of the room whispers something to his next
neighbor, who repeats it as nearly as he can remember it, and again
in a whisper, to the person seated by his side. So the tale passes
from end to end of the room, and when it reaches the last person,
the latter has to repeat the story aloud; the first player then gives
his original version, and much amusement is usually created by the
difference between the two. In starting the tale, it is well to
introduce some word or words which are capable of being taken in
more senses than one, as this affords the more opportunity for
variation.

The Wild Beast Show.

A screen must be placed at the end of the room; behind it is
placed a large mirror and a light. The showman stands before the
screen, and offers to exhibit his wild animals to any person who
will promise not to describe what he has seen when he comes out.
Then the person who gives the promise and demands admittance is
asked what animal he wishes to see. On his naming one, the show-
man proceeds to describe it. The description should be very witty,
and should have some application (either complimentary or satirical)
to the person who wishes to see the show. The person is then
admitted behind the screen, and is shown himself in the looking-

The Genteel Lady Always Genteel.
For this French game, which is a very funny one, you must have
a certain number of spills, or twisted pieces of paper, intended to
represent horns. Whoever makes a mistake in the game, which is
really difficult, has for each mistake a paper horn stuck in her hair,
so placed that it will shake when she moves.

582 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

The game begins by one of the party saying to her right-hand
neighbor, " Good-morning, genteel lady always genteel. I, a gen-
teel lady always genteel, come from that genteel lady always gen-
teel (here she points to the young lady on her left hand), to tell
you that she owns an eagle with a golden beak."

The next player bows, turns to the one on her right hand, and
says, " Good-morning, genteel lady always genteel. I, a genteel
lady always genteel, come from that genteel lady always genteel,
to tell you that she has an eagle with a golden beak and silver
claws."

The young lady bows and turns to her neighbor, saying, " Good-
morning, genteel lady always genteel. I, a genteel lady always
genteel, come from that genteel lady always genteel, to tell you
that she owns an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, and a lace
skin."

It is very likely that this speaker will make one or two mistakes
in repeating the sentence. If so, she must be dressed in one or two
paper horns, and the next speaker has to say, "Good-morning,
genteel lady always genteel. I, a genteel lady always genteel,
come from that two-horned lady always two-horned, to tell you
that she owns an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, lace skin,
and diamond eyes."

Probably this speaker will make several mistakes, and receive
four paper horns on her head.

Then the speaker after her must say, " Good-morning, genteel
lady always genteel. I, a genteel lady always genteel, come from
that four-horned lady always four-horned, to tell you that she owns
an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, a lace skin, diamond
eyes, and purple feathers."

Each of these sentences goes round the entire circle, always tak-
ing in more "horned ladies," till at last the sentence will become:

" Good-morning, four-hoimed lady, always four-horned. I a
three-horned lady always three-horned, come fiom that two-horned
lady always two-horned (pointing to her left), to tell you that she

HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS. 583

owns an eagle with a golden beak, silver claws, lace skin, diamond
eyes, and purple feathers."

Every mistake (even the difference of a word, or omitting to point
to the left, or to bow after each speech) incurs a horn. The best
plan for playing this game is to let the same player commence each
fresh sentence — for instance, to send " the eagle with the golden
beak " round first, then the " silver claws," and so on. No lady
must be called "genteel" who wears the paper horns, and any
mistake in the number she wears incurs another horn for the
blunderer. At the end each horn is ransomed, as forfeits are.
Dumb Crambo.

Half the company leave the room. While they are absent, the
others fix on a verb which the absent ones are to guess and per-
form. By-and-by, when their decision is made, they call in the
lender of the outside party, and say, "The vei'b we have chosen'
for you rhymes with pie" (or any other word chosen). The leader
retires, and discusses with her followers what the verb can be. It
is best to take those which will rhyme with the noun given, in
alphabetical order. "Buy" would come first for" pie." The.
party enter and begin to buy of each other. If right (that is, if
"to buy" was the word chosen), the spectators clap their hands; if
wrong, they hiss. Speech on either side would entail a forfeit. If
hissed, the actors retire, and arrange what next to do. " Cry "
would be the next in rhyme, or "dye," or "eye," or "fly," or "hie,"
or " sigh," or " tie," all of which are acted in turn, till the clap of
approval announce that the guess is a successful one. Then the
spectators go out, and become in their turn actors, in the same
manner. A great deal of the fun of this game depends on the
acting and on the choice of the verbs; but it is almost sure to cause
great amusement.

Tin-: Giantess.

This is a very amusing deception. A tall young lad is dressed
in a petticoat. Then a large umbrella is covered over its silk ribs
with a gown and cloak; a ball, for a head, is tied on the point of

584 HOUSEHOLD AMUSEMENTS.

the umbrella-stick above the dress, and a bonnet and thick veil
put on it. The umbrella is partially opened, so that its sticks set
out the dress and cloak as a crinoline does. The player gets under
it, and holding the handle up as high as he can grasp it, appears
like a gigantic woman. Somebody knocks at the hall door to pre-
tend that there is an arrival; and a minute or two afterwards the
footman is to open the drawing-room door and announce "Miss
Tiny Littlegirl." The giantess then walks into the drawing-room,
to the amazement of the company, bows, etc. It has a good effect
to enter holding the umbrella-handle naturally, and then to raise it
by degrees, which will give a comical appearance of growth. We
have seen the giantess thus appear to rise till she peered over the
tops of the highest pictures in the room. The effect is exceedingly
funny. She may talk to the company also, bending her head down
towards them, and speaking in a shrill tone of voice. In clever
hands, the giantess causes a great deal of fun.

A Blind Judgment.
A young lady is blindfolded. The leader of the game then
brings the players, one by one, up to her, and requires her opinion
of them. She is not restored to sight until she has given a just
opinion of some one in accordance with the judgment of the com-
pany. Those presented must be quite silent, and endeavor to step
lightly, so as not to let her guess whether she is giving her opinion
of a young lady or a gentleman.

CHAPTER XLIX.

FOLDING NAPKINS.

M

§LMOST any amount of fancy or ingenuity can be displayed in
folding serviettes or table-napkins. To make them look well,
or even to succeed in the more elaborate styles of folding,
napkins are required very fine, exactly square, not too large, to be
starched, and folded quite damp, every fold creased in place with
a clean hot iron. The pantry or housekeeper's room is the place
for folding the napkins, which may then be brought to table on a
tray; but a lady may place a board covered with flannel on a small,
light table, put the iron stand upon it, and shift it down the outside
of the dinner-table as she folds, so as to place each napkin as it is
done on a plate. A second iron must be heating to exchange with
the one in use, for, unless very hot, the napkins will not be stiff
enough. The shell and the Victoria Regia and the basket require
them very stiff. If at any time the folding of a napkin is unsatis-
factory, on no account attempt to refold the same; it is impossible
to succeed with one already creased. Throw it aside to be
re-damped or re-starched, which will take but a few moments, and
meanwhile proceed with fresh ones.

Napkins folded in alternate patterns down a table look well, such
as mitres and shells, and there may be flowers placed in the shells.
Figs. 31, 13, 4 and 32 — the mitre, the cornucopia, the pocket and
the shell — are perhaps the best of these designs. The commoner
kinds of folding can be achieved without the aid of starch, or even
without an iron, although they look much better so assisted. The
very simplest folds look extremely pretty if carefully done. They

5«6

FOLDING NAPKINS.

are not folded after they have been once used; when for the family
the same are likely to come to table again, a ring is placed beside
each person, and the article rolled and slipped into it after use the
first time, and brought to table again in the ring, the mark on the
ring distinguishing the napkin of each person.

The Pocket. — One of the simplest styles is to fold the napkin
twice, lengthways; then, like Fig. 1, keeping the whole of the fold

Fig.

at the top and the edges at a a and b b; roll up the ends at b to a,.
one at a time, as in Fig. 2, but roll them the reverse way to Fig. 2
— that is, under, not over. When both ends are rolled up as close
as e, with a twist of the hard bring the ends of the rolls, d, to the
point c, like Fig. 3. Then lay the part shown in Fig. 3 flat on the
table, and set up the diamond-shaped fold at the top with the

FOLDING NAPKINS.

587

hands; slip the dinner roll or slice of bread into the hollow. Before
the bread is put in, Fig. 4 represents the form of the folded napkin.

Crown Pattern. — This requires the damask to be very stiff.
Halve and quarter it each way, like Fig. 6; bring all the corners
very exactly to the centre, like Fig. 7; bring the four corners of
Fig. 7 also to the centre, and smooth them at the crease; then form
it into the crown by folding the corners at a a in Fig. 7, and slip-
ping them into similar folds at B b, bringing the napkin round
and upright in the form of a crown (Fig. 8).

The Flower, — To make this way of folding resemble a flower,
copy Fig. 6 and then Fig. 7; bring all the corners of Fig. 7 nearly,

III

Fig. 8.

Fig. 11.

Fig. 12.

but not quite, to the centre for the second fold; finish it as before,
and then curl up the four centre points, like Fig. 9.

The Cornucopia looks very pretty down a long dinner-table.
Fold the napkin in a half, lengthways; then fold it like Fig. 10, the
hems at the broad end. Take the corners a and b, bring them
back again to the corner c, like Fig. 11. Double Fig. 11 together
down the centre. This represents Fig. 12. At d, in Fig. 12, three
folds exist, two Outer and one inner. Set Fig. 12 upright, over the
dinner roll with three of these folds to one side. Shape it nicely,
keeping the space from e to p close. To carry out the idea of the

588

FOLDING NAPKINS.

cornucopia, a few flowers and leaves may be placed in the manner
shown in Fig. 13, the stalks slipped under the edge, but must not
be done too profusely. AVhen the napkins are removed by the
guests, the flowers will be taken away by the waiter on the plates,
and can be transferred to the finger-bowls.

The Cocked Hat is made by folding the napkin first in halt
one way, and then in half the other way, and once more in half,
lengthways, in the way illustrated by Figs. 14 and 15. Then make

A, J .''..I V

zi

Fig. 16.

Fig. 15.

Fig. 18.

fill

i; Ifcyii

Fig. 17.

Fig. 14

Fig. 19.

Fig. 20.

a fold still lengthways, turning one one way and one the other, not
quite to the top. This fold is shown by aaaa in Fig. 16. The
napkin is supposed, in this diagram, to be laid flat on the table, the
dotted line in the centre marking the fold, which is shown in Fig.
17 by the line at b. The lines in Fig. 16 from a to a and a to a,
are the folds to be made lengthways, not quite meeting the top,
with the hemmed edges upwards where the lines are marked. The
napkin is supposed to be doubled in half again in Fig. 17, with the
hems outside at the line a, on each side of it; then fold as in Fig.

FOLDING NAPKINS. 589

17, first one side and then the other, and iron down the crease; then
partly unfold one side, as shown in the diagram, Fig. 18. The
dotted lines mark the creases in the unfolded part, and c and c
show how the piece marked c, in Fig. 17, is turned down. The
piece raised is now folded down again, the dotted line, creased,
passed over the other side, and the ends tucked in and creased
down flat. The napkin now resembles Fig, 19. Arch it nicely
over the dinner roll, and put a spray of flowers at the top to
resemble the feather in a cocked hat, in the manner shown in
Fig. 20.

The Basket. — Fold a napkin twice, like Figs. 14 and 15, once
longways, and the second time across. This is to reduce its size.

L

B

Fig. a.

Fig. 24.

Fold the four points to the centre, like Fig. 7; turn it over on the
other side, and again fold the four points to the centre; again turn
it face downwards, and, with the other side up, turn back the four
corners, Fig. 21; fold it from a to b. Fig. 21, and c to d, both folds
to be made keeping the part uppermost outwards. Open the last
fold from c to d, and bring the shoulder b to the shoulder d by a
fold at the dotted line between e. Repeat the same fold as that at
e all round. The napkin will now stand on end as a basket, by
standing it on its legs at e and the other three corners, and opening
it back at f, in the way shown by Fig. 24. Fill the spaces with a
few flowers, or cut the roll in four, put a portion in each, and just
a flower or two. This pattern placed the reverse way on the plate

590

FOLDING NAPKINS.

also looks well, the dinner roll in the centre outside, Fig. 23; it
requires the napkin to be very stiff, and exact in the folding. In
Fig. 22 the bread is to be placed underneath.

The Mitre. — First fold the napkin in half; then fold down the
corners as shown in Fig. 25; turn these corners down again, to
meet in the middle, which is indicated by a dotted line. The nap-
kin now looks like Fig. 20. Fold this in half at the dotted line in
the centre, bringing the two points back to back, for the fold is

Fig. 27.

Fig. 28.

Fig. 22. Fig. 23.

made outwards. Fig. 27 is the result. Fold over the two ends a
and b, and produce Fig. 28. Let down the point c in Fig. 27, and
fold the corners inside it; fold back c in its place again, turn the
napkin over, and let down the point like c on the other side.
The napkin now resembles Fig. 29. Fold it down at the dotted
lines, turning the points a and b towards c. Fig. 30 is the figure
now represented; d is the point let down; turn it up again to e;
slip the hand inside the hollow underneath the napkin, and shape
the mitre nicely, and then place it over the dinner roll, like Fig. 31.

FOLDING NAPKINS.

591

The Shell. — This is another very pretty and marked device.
Lay the napkin flat on a table, and fold two sides to meet in
the centre lengthways, like Fig. 36; fold it across the centre, and
bring the side a a to meet the side b b. The hems are kept inside
in this fold. The long narrow piece thus formed must be folded
in six equal pieces, and pressed close. It now resembles Fig. 44.
Partly open it, and turn down the tops of the folds all along where
the fold is double, in the manner shown by Fig. 35. Some can
turn these down better if the lower end is kept close like a fan.
When these corners are turned down, draw the end together, and
pinch it firmly as a fan, and then set it upright on the plate, the
two end folds level with the plate, like Fig. 32. If properly done,

Fig. 44.

Illiilll

II 1 1

III

iiiiiii

Fig. 3G.

it stands well. It is a very pretty addition to put alternately in
each scallop of the shell a small flower and a leaf. Scarlet gera-
niums look exceedingly well.

The Victoria Regia.— Fold a napkin in half, and again in
half, lengthways, keeping the hems to the edge; fold it a third
time, also lengthways; then set it in twelve folds, like Fig. 44, as
the shell was made, only the napkin is now only half the width,
and there are twice as many folds. The corners are turned down
(Fig. 35) as they were for the shell, beginning with the first hem;
undoihe plaits as little as possible; turn the first hem completely
back, to make the first row of petals; turn back the second hem the
same way, not quite so far; then turn down the first fold, which

592

FOLDING .NAPKLSS.

comes next, to form petals to meet those already made. The last
fold is not turned down (see Fig. 40). Bring the two ends of the
napmn together to form a round; the inner edges are thus forced
up as a heart. A rosette is the figure formed, and the rosette rep-
resents the Victoria Regia (Fig. 33). A few small flowers, or even
a small rose, look well arranged in the centre. This shape is diffi-

Jr%se\

Fig. 40.

Fig. 58.

s\ B

A

L &J

Fig. 31

Fig. 33.

celt to make, and requires very stiff damask. The petals need to
be nicely set with the fingers, to resemble it.

To fold Fig. 58. Fold the napkin four times lengthways. Fold
down one end as observed at a in Fig. 34 — not to the centre by a
couple of inches. Fold again at the dotted line b. Roll the end A
as shown at c. Fig. 48 illustrates the process. Fig. 58 shows the
complete design.

FOLDING NAPKINS.

593

The Tiara. — Double the napkin four times lengthways. Fold
down each corner, as shown in Fig. 39. Then fold by the lines
across c d, and represent Fig. 53. Push the folds close together.

Fig. 53.

Fold in half at the centre line and tuck in the corners. Open the
design by placing the hand inside. It must resemble Fig. 52 when
complete.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN COOKING.

Aspic— A savory jelly.
Assiettcs.— Small entrees not more than
a plate will contain.

Atelet.— A small silver skewer.

Au Bleu.— A French term applied to fish
boiled in white wine with flavors.

An Gras.— Dressed with meat gravy.

Au Jus.— In the natural juice, or gravy.

Au Naturil.— Plain, simple cookery.

Baba.— Very light plum-cake, or sweet
French yeast cake.

Bain -Marie.— An open vessel which has a
loose bottom for the reception of hot water.
It is used to keep sauces nearly at the boil-
ing point without reduction or burning.

Barde.— A thin slice of bacon fat placed
over any substance specially requiring the
assistance of fat without larding.

Batterie db Cuisine.— Complete set of
cooking apparatus.

Bavaroise a l'eau.— Tea sweetened with
syrup of capillaire, and flavored with a little
orange-flower water.

Bavaroise au Lait.— Made in the same
way as the above, but with equal quantities
of milk and tea.

Bechamel.— A rich white French sauce.

Beignet, or Fritter (see Fritter).

Bisque.— A soup made of shell-fish.

Blanc— White broth used to give a more
delicate appearance to the flesh of fowl,
lamb, etc.

Blanch.— Placing anything on the fire in
cold water until it boils, and after straining
it off, plunging it into cold water for the
purpose of rendering it white. Used to
whiten poultry, vegetables, etc.

Blanquette.— A fricassee usually made of
thin slices of white meat, with white sauce
thickened with egg yolk.

Blonde db Veau.— Double veal broth used
to enrich soups and sauces.

Boudin.— A delicate compound made of
quenelle forcemeat.

Bouilli. — Beef which has been boiled in
making broth.

Bouillie.— A French dish resembling that
called hasty pudding.

Bouillon.— The common soup of France.

Bouquet of Herbs.— Parsley, thyme, and
green onions tied together.

Bouquet Garni.— The same thing as Fa-
got, which see.

Bourguignote.— A ragout of truffles.

Braise.— Meat cooked in a closely-covered
stewpan to prevent evaporation, so that the
meat retains not only its own juices, but
those of any other articles, such as bacon,
herbs, roots and spice put with it.

Braisiere.— A saucepan with ledges to the
lid, so that it will contain firing.

Brider.— To truss fowls with a needle and
thread.

Brioche.— A sponge cake similar to Bath
buns.

Buisson.— A cluster or bush of small pastry
piled on a dish.

Callipash.— The glutinous portion of the
turtle found in the upper shell.

Callipee.— The glutinous meat of the
turtle's under shell.

Cannelons.— Small rolls or collars of
mincemeat, or of rice and pastry with fruit.

Capilotade.— A hash of poultry.

Casserole.— The form of rice to be filled
with a fricassee of white meat or a pur6e of
game ; also a stewpan.

Civet.— A dark, thickish stew of hare or
venison.

Compiegnb.— Sweet French yeast cake,
with fruit.

Compote.— Fruits stewed in syrup. There
are also compotes of small birds.

CoNFiTURES.-Sweetmeats of sugars, fruits,
syrups, and essences.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN COOKING.

595

Consomme.— Strong, clear gravy obtained
by stewing meat for a considerable length
of time.

Coulis.— A rich, smooth gravy used for
coloring, flavoring, and thickening certain
soups and sauces.

Croquettes.— A savory mince of fish,
meat, or fowl, made with a little sauce into
various shapes, rolled in egg and bread-
crumbs, and fried crisp.

Couronne, En.— To serve any prescribed
articles on a dish in the form of a crown.

Croustaclbs.— Also known as Dresden
patties. They are composed of mince en-
cased in paste, and moulded into various
forms.

Croustades.— Fried forms of bread to
serve minces or other meat forms.

Crooton.— A sippet of bread fried, and
used for garnish .

Cuisine Masquee.— Highly seasoned or
unusually mixed dishes.

Cuisson.— Method of cooking meats, or
the liquor in which they have been boiled.

Dariole.— A sweet pate baked in a mould.

Daube.— Meat or fowl stewed in sauce.

Daubiere.— An oval stewpan.

Dejeuner a la Fourchette.— Breakfast
with meats, wines, etc.

Desosser.— To bone.

Dorure.— Yolks of eggs well beaten for
covering meats and other dishes.

Entree. — A corner - dish for the first
course.

Entremet.— A side-dish for the second
course.

Escalopes.— Collops.

Espagnole.— A rich brown Spanish sauce.

Fagot. — A small bunch of parsley and
thyme tied up with a bay -leaf.

Farce.— Forcemeat.

Feuilletage.— Puff paste.

Financiere.— An expensive, highly fla-
vored mixed ragout.

Flamber.— To singe fowl or game after
picking.

Flan.— A French custard.

Flancs.— The side-dishes of large dinners.

Foncer.— To put in the bottom of a sauce-
pan thin slices of veal or bacon.

Fondue.— A light and pleasant prepara-
tion of cheese.

Fricandeaux may be made of any boned
pieces of veal chiefly cut from the thick

part of the fillet, and of not more than two
or three pounds weight.

Fricassee. — Chickens, etc., cut in pieces
in a white sauce, with truffles, mushrooms,
etc., as accessories.

Fritter— Anything encased in a covering
of batter or eggs, and fried.

Gateau.— A pudding or baked cake.

Gauffres.— A light, spongy sort of biscuit.

Glaze.— Stock boiled down to the thick-
ness of jelly, and used to improve the ap-
pearance of braised dishes.

Godiveaux.— Various varieties of force-
meat.

Gras.— With, or of meat; the reverse of
maigre.

Gratin.— A.u Gratin.— A term applied to
certain dishes prepared with sauce and
baked.

Gratiner.— To cook like a grill.

Haricot.— So called from the French
word for beans, with which the dish was
originally made. Now understood as any
thick stew, or ragout of mutton, beef, or
veal, cut in pieces, and dressed with vege-
tables and roots.

Hors-d'osuvres. — Small dishes of sar-
dines, anchovies, and other relishes.

Lardiniere.— Vegetables stewed down in
their own sauce.

Lardon.— The piece of bacon used in lard-
ing.

Liaison.— The mixture of egg and cream
used to thicken white soups, etc.

Lit. — Thin slices in layers.

Luting.— A paste to fasten lids on pie-
pans for preserving game.

Madelienes.— Small plum cakes.

Maigre.— Without meat.

Marinade.— The liquor in which fish or
meat is steeped.

Mask.— To cover meat with any rich sauce,
ragout, etc.

Matelote. — A rich fish stew with wine.

Mayonnaise.— Cold sauce, or salad dress-
ing.

Mazarines, or Turbans.— Ornamental en-
tries of forcemeat and fillets of poultry,
game, or fish.

Menu— The bill of fare.

Meringue. — Light pastry made of sugar
and the white of .eggs beaten to " snow."

Mignonnettb Pepper.— Coarsely ground,
peppercorns.

596

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN COOKING.

Miroton.— Small thin slices of meat about
as large as a crown piece made into ragouts
of various kinds, and dished up in a circular
form.

Mouiller.— To add broth, water or other
liquid while the cooking is proceeding.

Nouoat. — Almond candy.

Nouilles.— Strips of paste made of eggs
and flour.

Panada.— Soaked bread used in the pre-
paration of French forcemeat.

Paner.— To cover with bread-crumbs fried
or baked food.

Papillote, En. — The pieces of paper
greased with oil and butter, and fastened
round a cutlet, etc., by twisting it along the
edge.

Pate.— A small pie.

Paupiettes.— Slices of meat rolled.

Piece de Resistance. — The principal
joint of the dinner.

Pilau.— A dish of meat and rice.

Piquer.— To lard with strips of bacon fat,
etc.

Poelee.— Stock for boiling turkeys, fowls,
vegetables, instead of water, so as to render
them less insipid.

Potage. —Soup.

Printaniers.— Early spring vegetables.

Profiterolles.— Light pastry creamed
inside.

Puree.— The name given to soup, the in-
gredients for thickening which have been
passed through a sieve, then thinned with
broth to the proper consistency. Meat and
fish are cooked and pounded in a mortar,
roots and vegetables are stewed till soft in
order to prepare them for being thus con-
verted to a smooth pulp.

Quenelles.— Forcemeat of various kinds
composed of fish or meat, with bread, yolk
of egg, and some kind of fat, seasoned in
different ways, formed with a spoon to an
oval shape, then poached in stock and used
either as garnish to entrees, or to be served
separately.

Ragout.— A rich sauce, with sweetbreads,
mushrooms, truffles, etc., in it.

Releves.— The remove dishes.

Remoulade.— Salad-dressing.

Rifacimento. — Meat dressed a second
time.

Rissole.— A mince of fish or meat en-
closed in paste, or formed into balls and
other shapes. Used either as side-dishes or
garnish. (See also Fricassees.)

Ruti.— Roast meat.

Roux.— A mixture of butter and flour
used for thickening white soups and gravy _

Salmi. — A hash of game cut up and
dressed when only half roasted.

S anton.— To dress with sauce in the sauce-
pan by keeping it in motion.

Sauce Piquant.— A sharp sauce in which
lemon and vinegar predominate as a flavor.

Saute-pan.— A thin-bottomed, shallow
pan for quick frying.

Sauter.— To toss over the fire in a saute-
pan with a small quantity of fat only.

Serviette, a la. — Served in a napkin.

Sippets.— Small pieces of bread cut into
various shapes, either soaked in stock,
toasted, or fried, to serve with meats as
garnishing or borders.

Souffle.— A light pudding.

Stock.— The broth of which soups are
made.

Tamis or "Tammy."— A strainer of fine
woollen canvas, used for straining soups and
sauces.

Timbale.— A sort of pie made in a mould.

Tourte. — A tart baked in a shallow tin.

Trifle. — A second-course dish, made of
sponge cake, macaroons, jams, etc., brandy
or wine, and liqueurs.

'Trousser.— To truss a bird.

Turbans (see Mazarines).

Vanner, To.— To make a sauce smooth by
rapidly lifting it high in large spoonfuls.and
allowing it to fall quickly again for some
time.

Veloute.— Rich sauce used to heighten
the flavor of soups and made dishes.

Vol-au-vent.— A light puff paste, cut
round or oval, enclosing any delicate mince-
meat.

CONTENTS.

I. Bread-Making.

Bread

Yeast that will not sour .

A good reliable yeast

Another good yeast

Good home-made bread .

Yeast bread

Potato bread (2)

Milk-sponge bread

Salt-rising bread (2).

10

11

11

12

Corn bread 12

Corn bread (3) 13

Grandmother's Indian bread 13

Quick Graham bread 13

Baking-powder Graham bread 13

Brown bread of Graham flour 14

Graham bread (2) 14

Brown bread 14

Brown bread 15

Boston brown bread 15

Rye bread 15

Rye and Indian Bread lf>

Rye bread with baking-powder 16

Hoyleton bread 16

Norwegian bread for dyspeptics 16

Oatmeal bread 17

Rice bread 17

n. Breakfast and Tea Cakes.

Light biscuit 18

Butter biscuit 18

Soda biscuit 18

Dixie biscuit 18

Baking-powder biscuit 19

Cream of tartar biscuit 19

English biscuit 19

Graham biscuit 19

Cold biscuit 20

Buns (3) 20

Cinnamon cake 20

Graham cakes , 21

Rye drop cakes 21

Corn cakes 21

Johnny cake 21

Newport breakfast cakes 21

Potato cakes 21

Griddle Cakes.

Stale bread griddle cakes 22

Corn meal griddle cakes 82

Rice griddle cakes 22

Flour griddle cakes 22

Green corn griddle cakes 22

Hominy griddle cakes 22

Paob

Crumb corn cakes 22

Flannel cakes 23

Buckwheat cakes 23

Graham griddle cakes 23

Squash, pumpkin, and apple griddle

cakes 23

Berry griddle cakes 23

Egg cracknels 24

Oatmeal crackers 24

Graham crackers 24

Crumpets 25

London crumpets 25

Kentucky corn dodgers 25

Fritters.

Green corn fritters (2) 26

Apple fritters 26

Celery fritters 26

Oyster fritters 26

Clam fritters 27

Lobster fritters 27

Rice fritters 27

Blackberry fritters 27

Gems.

Grahamgems (3) 28

Cold water gems 28

Mixed gems 28

Oatmeal gems 28

Muffins.

Muffins (3) 29

Rice flour muffins 29

Rice muffins 29

Graham muffins (2) 30

Corn meal muffins 30

Mush.

Cornmeal mush 30

Oatmeal mush 30

Cracked wheat mush 30

Cracked wheat mush 31

Fried mush for breakfast 31

Horainy 31

Puffs.

Puffs 31

Graham puffs (2). 31

Oatmeal puffs 32

Potato puffs 32

Cream puffs 32

Puffets 32

Proverbs • ■ 32

Pocket books ■ • •• 32

598

CONTENTS.

Rolls.

How to make rolls (2)

Cinnamon rolls

Parker House rolls

White Mountain rolls

Oatmeal rolls

Vienna twist rolls .

33

34

34

34

Italian rolls 35

Graham breakfast rolls 35

French rolls 35

Tremont House rolls 35

Rosettes 36

Rusks.

Sweet rusks (2) 36

Rusks 36

Baking-powder rusks 37

Scones 37

Scotch scones 37

Sally lunn 37

Sally lunn 38

Plain short cake 38

Scotch short cake 38

Sandwiches.

Ham sandwiches

Egg sandwiches

Sardine sandwiches

School lunch sandwiches

Oyster sandwiches

Tongue or ham sandwiches.

Toast.

Cream toast

Breakfast toast

Cheese and egg toast.

Ham toast

Spanish toast

Fried bread

Waffles.

Waffles (4) 41

Bread waffles 42

Rice waffles 42

Graham wafers 42

Sweet wafers 42

TTT Cake.

Almond cake (2) 43

Adelaide cake 43

Apple cake 44

Angel's food 44

Andalusia sponge cake 44

Black fruit cake 44

Bride cake (2; 45

Bread cake 45

Black cake 46

Bridgeport cake 46

Butternut cake 46

Boston cream cake 46

Cocoanut cake 46

Cocoanut cake 47

Chocolate cake 47

Corn starch cake (2) 47

Coffee cake 48

Chocolate eclaires 48

Charlotte cachee 48

Cider cake 48

Page

Cake without eggs 49

Cream puffs 49

Citron cake 49

Cream cake 49

Chocolate cake 49

Christmas cake 50

Cinnamon cake 50

Cinnamon cake 51

Cup cake 51

Cocoanut pound cake 51

Clove cake 51

Delicate cake 51

Delicious cake 52

Drop cake 52

Dough cake 52

Dover cake 52

Dundee cake 52

Dried apple cake 53

Election cake 53

Every-day fruit cake 53

Eggless cake 53

English Christmas cake 53

Fruit cake from dough 54

Fruit cake (2) 54

Fruit jelly cake 54

Favorite lemon jelly cake 55

Fig cake (2) 55

French loaf cake 55

Feather cake 55

Feather cake 56

Gold cake 56

Gentleman's cake 56

Ginger drop cake 56

Ginger-bread loaf 56

Ginger-bread 57

Soft ginger-bread (2) 57

Ginger cup cake 57

Groom's cake 57

Graham cup cake 58

Hickory-nut cake 58

Hickory-nut drop cake 58

Huckleberry cake 58

Honey cake 58

Imperial cake 59

Ice cream cake.. 59

Jelly cake 59

Jelly rolls 59

Kaffee Kuchen 59

Knickerbocker cake 60

Lemon cake (2) 60

Lemon jelly cake 60

Lady cake 61

Lunch cake 61

Light cake 61

Loaf cake 61

Marbled cake 61

Mountain cake 62

Madeira cake 62

Molasses cake (2) 62

Marbled chocolate cake 63

Moreton farm cake 63

Nut cake 63

Nut cake 64

White nut cake 64

Neapolitan cake 64

Lady fingers 64

Orange cake (2) 65

Perfection cake 65

Pork cake 66

Portuguese cake 66

Puff cake 66

CONTENTS.

599

Paoe

Pineapple cake 66

Pound cuke without soda 67

Cocoanut pound cake 67

Pound cake 67

Hum cake 67

Quincy cake 67

Queen cake 68

Railroad cake 68

Reception cake 68

Kir, rake 68

Rochester jelly cake 68

Silver rake 69

Snow cake 69

Swiss cake 69

Sponge cake, 1 >elieious (ill

Sponge cake with hot water 70

cake 70

Spongecake, white 70

Sultana cake 70

Spice cake 71

Seed cake 71

Tunbridge cake 71

Taylor cake 71

Wedding cake 71

Wed, ling cake 73

Vainlla cake 74

Washington cake 74

Wine cake 75

Webst er enke 75

Watermelon cake 75

White cake 75

Yule cake 75

Crullers (3) 76

Cookies. Jumbles, and Snaps.

Almond cookies 76

Almond cookies 77

Cocoanut cookies 77

Cookies (8) 77

Cream cookies 77

Cookies (2) 78

Eggless cookies 78

Ginger cookies 78

< irabam cookies 78

Molasses cookies 78

Sugar cookies 79

Hickory-nut cookies 79

Sand tarts 79

Jumbles (2) 79

Ginger snaps (2) 79

Ginger snaps 80

limits 80

Doughnuts without egg 80

Doughnuts raised 80

('Tram doughnuts 80

Pried cakes 81

Snowballs, white 81

FV. Creams and Custards.

Apple snow 82

Apple Boat 82

Almond cream 82

Bavaroise 82

Blanc mange 83

Cream a la mode 83

Coffee cream . . 83

Bavarian cream 83

Chocolate Bavarian cream 84

Caledonia cream 84

Page

Charlotte Russe elegante 84

Chariot te Russe (2) 84

Fruit Charlotte 85

Genoese cream 85

Italian cream 85

Manioca cream 86

Russe cream 86

Rock cream 86

Spanish cream 86

Tapioca cream 86

Whip] >ed cream 87

Whipped cream sauce 87

Almond custard 87

Apple custard 87

Boiled custard 87

Baked custard 88

Chocolate custard 88

Coffee custard 88

Corn starch custard 88

Cocoanut custard 88

Cold cup custard 89

Caramel custard 89

Lemon custard 89

Moonshine 89

Floating island (2) 90

Irish moss 90

Quaking custard 90

Grange snow.

91

V. Confectionery.

General directions 92

Almond candy 92

Almond creams 92

Bon Bons 92

Butter Scotch 93

Boston caramels 93

Cream cocoanut candy 93

Cocoanut candy 93

Cocoanut caramels 93

Chocolate caramels 93

Chocolate cream drops 94

Chocolate kisses 94

Fruit candy 94

Hickory-nut candy 94

Horehound candy 94

Lemon cream candy 95

Lemon and peppermint drops 95

Molasses candy 96

White molasses candy 96

Peanut candy 96

Pop corn balls 97

Taffy 97

Efferton taffy 97

Vinegar candy (2) 98

Walnut candy 98

Meringues 98

Cream meringues 99

Macaroons 99

Bachelor buttons 99

Corn starch rateffes 99

VI. Catsups.

Currant catsup 100

Cucumber catsup 101

Gooseberry catsup 101

Plum catsup 101

Tomato catsup 101

Tomato catsup 102

Mushroom catsup (See " Mushrooms.")

600

CONTENTS.

VII. Desserts. Page

Puddings 103

To young housekeepers 10o

Arrowroot pudding 106

Almond pudding 106

Pie-plant Charlotte 106

Croquettes of rice 107

Bombes au riz 107

Green corn pudding 108

Cottage pudding 108

Cranberry roll 108

Delmonico pudding 108

Eve's pudding 109

Fig pudding 109

Fruit pudding 109

Baked farina pudding 109

Plain fruit pudding 109

Florentine pudding 110

Gelatine pudding 110

Ginger pudding 110

Honeycomb pudding 110

Huckleberry pudding Ill

Hen's nest Ill

Indian pudding Ill

Apple pudding Ill

Apple batter pudding Ill

Apple float 112

Apple slump 112

Baked apple dumplings 112

Apple surprised 112

Amber pudding 113

Ambrosia 113

Apple omelette 113

Apple Charlotte 113

Bancroft pudding 114

Bread pudding 114

Banana and apple tart 114

Bird's nest pudding (2) 114

Cabinet pudding 115

Cream batter pudding 115

Cracker pudding 115

Chocolate pudding 115

Charlotte pudding 115

Cottage pudding 116

Custard bread pudding 116

Cocoanut pudding 116

Cream pudding — 116

Crumb pudding 117

Irish rock 117

Jelly rice 117

Jelly custard 118

Jelly tartlets 118

Kiss pudding 118

Lemon pudding 118

Lemon trifle 118

Lemon pudding 119

Meringue rice pudding 119

Malagan pudding 119

Mitchell pudding 119

Maud's pudding 119

Orange pudding 120

Christmas plum pudding 120

Plum pudding 120

English plum pudding 121

Plum pudding 121

Rich plum pudding 121

Baked plum pudding 122

Poor man's pudding 122

Raisin puffs 122

Roly poly pudding 122

Page

Rice pudding 123

Sago pudding 123

Suet pudding 123

Steamed pudding 123

Snow pudding 123

Steamed pudding 124

Strawberry short-cake (2) 124

Tapioca pudding (2) 125

To 300k rice 125

Vegetable pudding 125

Whipped syllabubs 125

Yankee pudding 126

Pudding Sauces.

Sweet sauce 126

Fruit sauce 126

Fruit pudding sauce.. . 126

Arrowroot sauce 127

German custard sauce 127

Pudding Sauce 127

Pies.

Puff paste 127

Pie crust 128

Good and cheap pie crust 128

Pie crust glaze 129

Pie crust for four small pies 129

Tart crust 129

Icing pastry 129

Puff paste with beef suet 130

Apricot pie 130

Apple pie 130

Apple custard pie 130

Boiled cider pie 130

Banana pie 130

Cracker pie 131

Chocolate pie 131

Cocoanut pie 131

Jelly custard 131

Custard pie 131

Cream pie (2) 132

Custard for cream pie 132

Delicate pie 132

Lemon pie 132

Fruit pie 132

Lemon pie 133

Mince meat (2) 133

Mince pie 133

Mince pie 134

Mince meat without meat 134

Marlborough pie 134

Orange pie 135

Cream peach pie 135

Pine-apple pie 135

Pumpkin pie 135

Potato pie 136

Sweet potato pie (2) 136

Apple or peach meringue pie 137

Peach pie 137

Quince pie 137

Cream raspberry pie 137

Raisin pie 138

Rhubarb pie 138

Rice pie 138

Squash pie 138

Vinegar pie 138

Tarts 139

CONTENTS.

601

vm, Drinks. Page

Coffee 1 W

Coffee substitutes 148

Novel mode of making coffee 148

Tea 144

Iced tea 145

A good summer drink 145

Cottage beer 146

(linger beer 145

Spruce beer 148

Iced buttermilk 146

Claret cup 146

Fruit cup 146

Cream of tartar drink 147

Jelly drinks 14?

Simon-pure lemonade 147

Jelly lemonade 1 17

Ginger lemonade 148

Berry sherhet MS

Excellent mead 148

IX. Eggs and Omelettes.

Remarks 149

Breaded eggs 150

Egg a la mode 150

How to bake eggs 150

Egg baskets 150

To pickle eggs 151

Scrambled eggs 151

To poach eggs 151

Stuffed eggs 152

Omelette (2) 152

Apple omelette 153

Oyster omelette 153

Omelette souffle 153

French omelette 153

Omelette with ham 154

Eggs a la bonne femme 154

X. Fresh Fruits.

Pine-apples 155

A nice way to prepare apples 155

To stew apples 155

Bananas and cream 155

To crystallize fruit 155

To keep grapes : 156

Melons ir,6

Oranges 156

Candied cherries 156

Stewed pears 157

Glace cherries 157

Candied lemon-peel 157

XI. Canning Fruit.

General directions 159

Table for canning fruit 160

Apple sauce 160

Canning pine-apple 16J

Canning: pine-apple 161

Canning oerries 161

Canning pears 161

Canning peaches 161

Dried peaches 162

XII. Ices and Ice-Ckeams.

Remarks 163

Berry cream 164

Burnt sugar ice-cream 164

Pagh

Chocolate ice-cream 164

Coffee ice-cream 164

Lemon ice-cream 164

Peach ice-cream 165

Pine-apple ice-cream 165

Orange ice-cream 165

Strawberry and raspberry ice-cream .. . 165

Vanilla ice-cream 165

Cocoanut ice-cream 165

Frozen tapioca custard 166

Frozen rice custard 166

Frozen sago custard 166

Water-ices 166

Cherry water-ice and nut cream 166

Strawberry water-ice 167

Raspberry water-ice 167

Burnt almond ice-cream and orange ice. 167

Biscuit glaces 168

Rateffe biscuit cream 168

Tutti frutti 168

Gelatine paste for ornamenting ices. . 169

Pine-apple sherbet 169

To color ice creams or water-ices 169

XTTI. Icings.

Remarks 171

Almond icing 171

Bi >iled icing (2) 171

Chocolate icing (2) 171

Chocolate icing 172

Clear icing for cake 172

Icing for cakes 172

Tutti frutti frosting 172

Lemon frosting 172

Ornamental icing 173

Yellow icing 173

Rose coloring 173

XTV. Jams and Jelijes.

Remarks 174

Apricot jam 175

Marmalades and jams 175

Apple jams 175

Berry or currant jam 176

Grape, gooseberry, or plum jam 176

Apple marmalade 176

Orange marmalade 176

Pine-apple marmalade 177

Peach marmalade 177

Quince marmalade 177

Plum marmalade 178

Pumpkin marmalade 178

Apple jelly 178

Blackberry "jelly 179

Cranberry jelly 179

Crab-apple jeily 179

Currant jelly 179

Currant jelly 180

Grape jelly 180

Peach jelly 181

Pie-plant jelly 181

Quince jelly (2) 181

Coffee jelly 182

Lemon snow jelly 182

Lemon jelly 182

Orange jelly 183

Wine jelly 183

Mouldiness 183

602

CONTENTS.

XV. Mushrooms. Page

Remarks 184

Mushrooms au gratin 18-1

Mushrooms a la provincale 185 '

Mushrooms a la creme 183

Mushrooms, baked 185

Mushrooms, breakfast 185

Mushrooms, curried 186

Mushrooms en eaisse 186

Mushroom catsup 186

Mushrooms en ragout 187

Mushrooms with bacon 187

Mushroom stems 187

Mushrooms, to stew 188

Mushrooms, to pot 188

Mushrooms and toast (2) 188

Mushrooms, to pickle (2) 189

XVI. Pickles.

Remarks 190

Pickled artichokes 191

Pickled butternuts and walnuts 191

Pickled beans 192

Pickled beets 192

Pickled broccoli 192

Bottled pickles 192

Mary's pickled blackberries 193

To put up cucumbers in brine 193

Pickled cabbage (2) 194

Pickled cauliflower (2) 194

Pickled cucumbers 194

Chow-chow (2) 195

Pickled cherries 195

French pickles 4 196

Pickled grapes (2) 196

To harden pickles 196

Lemon pickles 196

Mangoes of melons 197

Imitation pickled mangoes 197

Pickled nasturtiums 197

Pickled onions (2) 197

Pickles 198

Stuffed peppers 198

Mixed pickles (2) 198

India pickles 199

Pyper pickles 199

Ragan pickles 199

Sweet pickles 199

Sweet apple pickles 200

Sweet tomato pickles 200

Green tomato pickles 200

Picalilli 201

Picklette 201

Spiced vinegar for pickles generally — 201

Pickled peaches 201

Pickled peaches that will keep 202

To pickle plums 202

Green tomato soy 202

To keep tomatoes whole 203

Pickled toqj&toes 203

XVII. Preserves.

Apple preserves (2) 204

Apricot preserves 204

Citron preserves 204

Currant preserves 205

Citron preserves 205

Lemon preserves 205

Brandied berries or cherries 205

Page

Preserved oranges 206

Preserved pine-apple 206

Preserved plums or cherries 206

Preserved purple plums 207

Preserved pears 207

Preserved peaches 207

Brandy peaches 207

Quince preserves 208

Preserving strawberries 208

Green tomato preserves 209

Ripe tomato preserves 209

Spiced currants 209

Spiced gooseberries 209

Spiced grapes 210

Spiced nutmeg melons 210

Spiced peaches 210

Spiced plums 210

Spiced plums 211

XVIII. Vegetables.

Remarks 212

Potatoes, how to cook 216

Artichokes, fried 216

Asparagus, boiled 216

Asparagus, fricasseed 217

Egg broccoli 217

Beets and potatoes 217

Beans, Lima 218

Beans, string 218

Brussels sprouts 218

Carrots, stewed 218

Celery 219

Celery, fried 219

Celery, stewed 219

Cabbage, cream 219

Cabbage a la cauliflower 219

Cabbage, boiled 219

Cabbage, baked 220

Hot slaw 220

Cauliflower 220

Cauliflower a la Francaise 221

Cauliflower with stuffing 221

Cauliflower with sauce 221

Corn, for winter use 221

Corn, baked 222

Corn, green on the cob 222

Corn oysters 222

Corn, stewed 222

Cucumbers, stewed 222

Celery 223

Celery, fried 223

Carrots 223

Cairots, boiled 223

Dandelion 224

Endive, stewed 224

Egg plant (2) 224

Egg plant, fricasseed 224

Egg plant, stuffed 225

Girlie 225

Greens, stewed 225

Horse-radish as garnish 226

Lettuce 226

Lettuce, stuffed 226

Macaroni 226

Macaroni as a vegetable 226

Macaroni with oysters 227

Macaroni with tomatoes 227

Macaroni, stewed 227

Onions, boiled 228

Onions, ormaloo 228

CONTENTS.

603

Page

Onions, scalloped 228

Okra, boiled 228

Vegetable oysters 228

Mock stewed oysters 289

Parsley 229

Parsley, erisp 2~!9

Parsley, fried ~J!)

Parsnips 229

Parsnips, tried 230

Parsnip stew 230

Pease, canned 230

Pease, French way of cooking 230

Pease, green 231

Potato Imlls 231

Potato balls, English 2S1

Potatoes, browned 231

1'otatoes, southern baked 232

IS, cream 232

Potato croquettes 232

Potato cake 232

Potatoes, fried (2) 233

Potatoes, mashed 233

Potatoes, surprised 234

Potato puff 834

Potato pie 234

Potato, pur6e of 234

Potato loaves 234

Potatoes, Saratoga 235

Potatoes, Lyonnaise 235

Potatoes, old 235

Potatoes, tossed 235

Potatoes, sweet 236

Potatoes, sweet, baked . , 236

A farmer's dainty dish 236

Eice as a vegetable 236

Succotash 237

Spinach 237

Spinach, cream of 237

Squash, winter 237

Squash, stuffed 237

Turnips 238

Turnips, mashed 238

Tomatoes a la creme 238

Tomatoes, browned 238

Tomatoes, baked 238

Tomatoes, baked 239

Tomatoes, broiled 239

Tomatoes, fried 239

Tomatoes, scalloped 239

Tomatoes, stuffed 239

French butter for frying vegetables 240

Rules for cooking vegetables 240

XIX. Fish.

Remarks 242

Fish, baked 244

Fish, to boil 244

Fish, boiled 244

Fish, baked black 244

Trout, brook 244

Flounders ' 245

Ealibut 245

Perch, eels, and small pike 245

Eels, potted 245

Eels, collared 246

Sturgeon 246

Cod's head 246

Codfish, fresh 248

Codfish, salt 248

Codfish balls 248

Page

Mackerel, salt 248

Cod, baked 249

Pike, boiled 249

Turbot 250

Whiteftsh, to fry 250

Salmon 250

XX. Shell Fish.

Clams .' 251

Clam bake 251

Clam chowder 251

Clam fritters 252

Clams, fried 252

Clam pie 252

Clam stew 252

Clam soup 253

Crabs 253

Crabs, soft 253

Crabs, scalloped 254

Frogs 254

Lobster croquettes 254

Lobster cutlet 254

Lobsters, fried 255

Lobster patties 255

Lobster rissoles 255

Lobster salad. . 255

Lobster, broiled 256

Lobsters en brochette 256

Lobsters, roasted 256

Lobsters, gratin of . .' 256

Oysters, broiled 256

Oyster chowder 257

Oyster croquettes 257

Oysters, fricasseed 257

Oysters, fried 257

Oysters, fried 258

Oyster and chicken pie 258

Oysters scalloped 258

Oyster stew, Park Row 258

Oysters, Maryland stewed 259

Oysters, plain stew 259

Oyster sauce 259

Oyster pie 259

Oysters, pickled 260

Oyster patties 260

Oyster pot-pie 260

Oysters, roasted 260

Oysters, fancy roast 260

Oysters a, la Poulette 261

Oysters, raw 261

Oysters with toast 261

Oyster flavor 261

Oysters, new way of preparing 261

Scallops 262

Terrapins, or water turtles 262

XXI. Game.

Game, to select 264

Birds, to pot 265

Birds, reed 265

Birds, reed, a la Lindenthorpe 265

Prairie chickens, roast 266

Prairie chicken 266

Partridges, pheasants, and quails, to

roast 266

Quail on toast 266

Quail, or woodcock, to broil 267

Pigeon pie 267

Pigeon, roast (2) 267

Pigeon compote 267

604

CONTENTS.

Page

Duck, wild 268

Goose, wild 868

Hare, roast 269

Hare, a nice way to prepare cold 269

Rabbit, roast 269

Rabbit, with herbs 2fi9

Venison chops 269

Venison, epicurean 270

Venison patties 270

XXH. Marketing.

Remarks— beef 271

Sections of bullock 272

Sections of sheep and lamb 273

Mutton 273

Pork 274

Veal 274

Veal, section of 275

Turkeys 275

Fowls 275

Geese 276

Ducks 276

XXHI. Meats.

Beef, aitchbone of, to carve 277

Steak, to make tough tender 277

Beef, brisket of, to carve 278

Steak, broiled (2) 278

Steak, rump, with oyster sauce 278

Steak, to fry 279

Steak, German way of frying 279

Steak smothered with onions 279

Steak pie 279

Beef, ribs of, to carve 280

Beef, ribs of, to roast 280

Beef, sirloin of, to roast 280

Beef, sirloin of, to carve 281

Beef balls 281

Beef, fillet of 281

Beef, a good and cheap way to cook . . . 282

Beef a la mode 282

Beef pounded 283

Beef croquettes 283

Beef, deviled 283

Beef sausages 283

Beef au gratin 284

Beef heart 284

Beef, dried, in cream 284

Beef omelette 284

Beef tongue, broiled 284

Beef, to boil 285

Beef tongue, roasted 285

Tripe 285

Tripe a la Lyonnaise with tomatoes 285

Bullock's heart, roasted 286

Calf's heart, roasted 286

Calf's heart, fried 286

Sheep's heart, baked 287

Sweetbreads 287

Sweetbreads, fried 287

Sweetbreads, baked 287

Sweetbreads, broiled 288

Sweetbreads and cauliflower 2SS

Sweetbreads, tomato 288

Kidneys, broiled or roasted 289

Kidneys, stewed 289

Liver, fried 289

Liver, fried 290

Lamb, roast quarter of 290

Lamb chops, fried 290

Page

Lamb chops, broiled 291

Lamb, stewed with green pease 291

Lamb cutlets 291

Mutton, boiled breast of 291

Mutton, haunch of, a la venison 291

Mutton, breast of, with pease 292

Mutton, curried 292

Mutton chops 292

Mutton cutlets a la minute 293

Mutton cutlet and pur6e of potatoes 293

Mutton, boiled leg of 293

Mutton kebobed 294

Mutton, leg of, to carve 294

Mutton, leg of, roast 395

Mutton cutlets with Provencale sauce. . 295

Pork, to keep fresh in summer 296

Pork, to cook 296

Pork, belly, rolled and boiled 297

Pork brawn 297

Pork chops, broiled 298

Pork chops, fried 298

Pork cutlet's, broiled 298

Pork, leg of. good as goose 298

Pork cutlets, fried 299

Pork, boiled leg of, with pease pudding. 299

Pork pies f 299

Pork, roast loin of 300

Pork cake 300

Pork sausage 300

Pork and beans 300

Pressed head 301

Pig's feet, boiled 301

Pig's feet cheese 301

Pig, to roast a sucking 302

Hams, to cure 303

Ham pie 302

Ham boned 303

Ham baked 303

Ham and eggs 303

Ham boiled 303

Smoked meat on toast 303

Ham balls 304

Ham garnished and ornamented 304

Ham, to glaze 304

Veal, collared breast of 304

Veal, boiled breast of 305

Veal, ragout of breast of 305

Veal, roasted breastof 305

Veal, bubble and squeak of 306

Veal cake 306

Veal scallop 306

Calf's head, boded 306

Calf's brains a la ravigote 307

XXIV. Poultry.
Chicken saute a la Marengo. . .
Capon ranaque.

310
310
311

Chicken f ricass6ed

Chicken pie

Chicken, frying

Chicken salad 311

Chicken croquettes 311

Chicken, baked 312

Chicken, a nice way to cook 312

Chicken pudding 312

Chicken or veal jellied 312

Chicken scalloped 313

Chicken pot-pie 313

Chicken broiled 313

Ducks a la Francaise 313

CONSENTS.

605

Page

Ducks a la mode 314

Ducks, baked 314

Ducks, braised 314

( hieken, pressed 'ill

Ducks braised with turnips 815

Dud;.--, fricasseed 815

Ducks, mock :S1">

Fowls, minced 815

Fowls, roast, to carve 816

Croquettes 816

Goose, roast, to carve 817

Goose, to boil 817

Goose, roast 817

smiling 818

Turkey 818

Turkey, carving of 819

Turkey or capon, boiled 819

Turkey, roast (2) 320

Turkey, boiled 321

Turkey dressed with oysters 321

Turkey, deviled 321

Turkey scallop 322

Stuffing, plain 322

smiling, apple 322

Smiling, potato 323

Stuffing, chestnut 323

XXV. Salads.

Salad, anchovy 324

Salad, artichoke 324

Salad, beetroot 324

Salad, chicken 324

Salad, chicken 325

Salad, cabbage 325

Salad, fish 325

Salad, hot egg 325

Salad, endive with winter 326

Salad, lettuce (2) 326

Salad, lobster 326

Salad, game 327

Salad, orange 327

Salad, potato 327

Salad, salmon 328

Salad, Russian 328

Salad, summer 328

Salad, Sidney Smith's dressing for 329

Salad and vegetables 829

Salad, water-cress 330

Salad dressing (2) 330

XXVI. Sauces, Soups and Forcemeats.

General remarks 331

Stock 333

Soup, bean 334

Soup, asparagus 334

Soup, beef 335

Soup, common 335

Soup, clam 335

Soup, corn 336

Soup, French vegetable 336

Soup, egg 336

Soup, chicken 336

Soup, cabbage 337

Soup, green pea 337

Soup, gumbo 337

Soup, gumbo, plain 888

Soup, lobster 888

Soup, macaroni (2) 338

Soup, mock terrapin 339

Soup, mock turtle 339

Page

Soup, mutton 339

Soup, mushroom 340

Soup, ox-tail 340

Soup, oyster 340

Noodles for soup 340

Okra gumbo 340

Soup, potato 341

Soup, tomato 341

Southern gumbo fela 341

Soup, tomato 342

Soup, turkey 342

Soup, green turtle 342

Soup, Soyer's cheap 343

Soup, Soyer's cheap 344

Aspic jelly for garnishing 345

Aspic jelly, stock 345

Sauce, bechamel 345

Sauce, anchovy 346

Sauce, bread 346

Sauce, brown 346

Sauce, cucumber 346

Sauce, Chili 347

Sauce, caper 347

Sauce, celery 347

Sauce, egg 347

Sauce, fish 347

Sauce, Hollandaise 347

Sauce, hot, for meats 348

Sauce, horse-radish 348

Sauce, mushroom 348

Sauce, mint 348

Sauce, mustard 349

Mustard, prepared 349

Mustard, made 349

Sauce mayonnaise 349

Sauce maitre d' hotel 350

Butter maitre d' hotel 350

Sauce, oyster 350

Sauce, piquant 350

Sauce, tomato 351

Forcemeat, almond 351

Forcemeat, chestnut 351

Forcemeat balls 352

Forcemeat for fish, etc 352

Forcemeat for game 352

Forcemeat for turkey 352

Forcemeat, oyster 353

XXVII. Furniture.

Furniture covers 354

Use of varnish 354

How to make an ottoman 355

To render new mahogany like old 355

To clean furniture 355

Dirty or stained furniture 356

To clean paint 356

To make glue 356

To revive gilt frames 357

Magic furniture polish 357

XXVin. House Pests.

Camphor a remedy for mice 358

Rats, to drive away alive 359

Rats, how to deal with 359

To destroy bed bugs, moths, and other

vermin 359

To prevent red ants 360

How to get rid of flies 360

Mosquitoes 361

606

CONTENTS.

XXIX. Toilet. Page

Cleaning gloves 362

Hair receivers *~

Toilet cushions 362

Shaving cases..... • fM

To clean hair-brushes and combs *'

To clean jewelry 36o

Cologne water (2) £«*

Cold cream *4

Lip salve *j

Lavender water g«*

To clean gold chains 364

To clean gilt jewelry 365

To remove a tight ring goo

Grease eraser 3fa5

Cure for chapped hands 365

Care of the teeth 3b5

Offensive feet 366

For freckles *

Care of the nails 366

XXX. Kitchen.

Care of silver 367

New kettles 367

To purify water 367

Washing dishes 368

Cleaning tinware »)S

The griddle 363

Coal ashes good to scour with 368

How to triumph over absent-mindedness 368

An economical crumb-cloth 369

Scraping kettles 369

How to keep lamp chimneys clean 369

How to start a fire 370

To make fire kindlings 370

How to polish a stove easily 370

How to use the oil stove 370

Blacking stoves 371

How to clean mica 371

To clean knives 372

To keep a kitchen table clean 372

XXXI. The Laundry.

To clean colored fabrics 373

Muslin dresses 374

Laces 375

To bleach laces, etc 376

To stiffen linen 376

To clean cloth 377

To clean black silk 377

To clean black merino, etc 378

To renovate crape 378

Washing clothes 378

Washing chintz 37'9

To remove spots of wax (2) 379

To clean carpets 379

For bleaching cotton cloth 379

To clean light kid gloves 379

To clean white silk lace 380

Starch polish 380

Washing fluid 380

Gem washing fluid 381

Hard soap 381

Soft soap 381

How to wash flannels 381

How to keep black gloves from crocking 382

To remove scorches 382

Washing towels 382

Bow to do up shirt bosoms 383

XXXH. Sewing Room. Page

Saving thread 384

Window shades 384

Scrap bags 384

Sewing on buttons. 385

Marking handkerchiefs 385

Table covers 385

Taking care of stockings 386

Putting away stockings 386

To preserve old stockings 386

Home-made work baskets 386

YYXTn Dyeing, Etc.
Remarks 388

Silks-
Black 388

Brown— very beautiful 388

Crimson 388

Green — very handsome 388

Light blue 389

Old gold 389

Orange 389

Purple 389

Skv blue 389

Yellow 389

Woollen goods-
Blue— quick process 390

Chrome black— best in use 390

Green 390

Madderred 390

Orange 390

Pink 390

Scarlet— very fine 391

Snuff brown— dark 391

Snuff brown— any shade 391

Wine color 391

Crimson 391

Dove and slate 391

Purple 391

Salmon «. 392

Yellow— rich 392

Cotton goods-
Black 392

Green 392

Orange 392

Red. 392

Sky blue 393

Yellow 393

Cotton carpet rags-
Blue 393

Yellow 393

Orange 394

Green 394

To remove stains —

Ink stains (3) 394

Port wine stains 394

To remove mildew 394

Stains in silk 394

Acid, tea, wine, and other stains. ... 394

Stains caused by scorching 395

How to restore stained muslin 395

Stains caused by mildew 396

Linen 396

Stains on mahogany, etc 396

Silver and electro-plate stains 396

To take ink stains from mahogany. . 396
Oil stains 397

CONTENTS.

607

XXXIV. Odds and Ends. Page

How to protect the dress 398

Putting up curtains 3!)H

WindOV gardens 39N

To keep boys and girls at Lome 899

Lining stair carpets 399

Putting away woollen goods 399

Pretty and simple ornaments 399

IIow to make an old Japanese umbrella

useful 400

To remove paint and putty from win-
dow glass 400

To preserve natural flowers 400

Eggs, to preserve for winter use 400

Charcoal for flowers 401

To revive gilt frames 401

Floor-cloths 401

To pot butter for winter use 401

To prevent rust 401

Paste 401

French polish 402

To preserve steel ornaments from rust. 402

To preserve flowers 402

Incombustible dresses 402

Home-made table syrup 403

The chromograph 403

Lime water 404

Preserving autumn leaves 405

Skeleton leaves 405

To restore frozen plants 406

For crystallizing grass 406

Frosting for windows 406

Black tracing paper 407

Sympathetic ink 407

Valuable cement 407

Diamond cement 407

Cement for rubber or leather 407

Weights and measures 408

XXXV. The Sick Room.

Remarks 425

Panada 429

Arrowroot jelly 429

Beef tea (2) 430

Chicken panada 430

Egg cream 430

Soup for invalids 431

Gruel 431

Egg gruel 431

Gruel for infants 431

Beef jelly for invalids 431

XXXVI. Health Items.

Recipe for cold 432

Cough mixture 432

To remove warts 432

To prevent nails growing into the toe. . . 432

To prevent the nightmare 433

The use of a raw egg 4.33

How to make a sand bag

Worm remedy 4:54

Sleep as a medicine 1 : ; 1

New cure for wounds 435

A mustard plaster 455

A cure for diphtheria 436

Bilious headache 436

A remedy for cold feet 436

The opium habit 436

Antidotes for poisons 437

Page

External use of castor oil 438

Treatment of the supposed drowned 438

Cure for burns 439

Grandmother's salve for everything 440

Cholera remedy 440

Fig paste for constipation 440

Cure for chilblains 440

For canker sore mouth 441

Cure for corns 441

Ring-worm 441

Cure for. rheumatism and bilious head-
ache 441

For felon (2) 441

Toothache 441

Cure for neuralgia 442

Tincture of iodine for corns 442

Small-pox remedy 442

For hydrophobia 443

Flannels for fomentations 443

For hoarseness 444

For sore throat 444

Healing lotion 444

To prevent contagion 444

For toothache 444

For headache 444

To stop bleeding 445

To restore from stroke of lightning 445

Salve for chilblains 445

To remove discolorations from bruises . 445

Cure for wasp stings 445

Cure for summer complaint 445

The best deodorizer 445

XXXVH. Cake and Culture of Children.

Sleep 446

Exercise 451

Food 454

Rice jelly 456

Arrowroot 457

Milk and bread 457

Wheaten grits 457

Hominy and milk 457

Graham hasty pudding 458

Rice flour hasty pudding 458

Milk porridge 458

Mush and milk 458

Condensed milk 458

Moral influence — obedience 458

XXXVTJJ. The Dining-Room.

General remarks 463

Decoration of the dinner table 465

Company dinner 4?9

Menu for company dinner 472

Party dinner 472

Menu for party dinner 474

A word to the guest 475

Home dinner 477

Coffees and luncheons 480

Luncheons 482

Menu for company dinner for each

month 482

Allowance of supplies for an entertain-
ment 486

Cold lunches for wash days, or other

days of extra labor 487

Economical dinners 487

608

CONTENTS.

XXXIX. The Aquarium. Page.

Fresh water aquarium 4.c8

Marine aquarium 496

XL. Care of Canaries.

Remarks 505

Choosing the birds 505

Taming 506

Cages 506

Baths 506

Food and water 507

Breeding Canaries 507

XLI. Floriculture.

Remarks 509

Trellised windows 510

Arbors and rockeries 514

Rockeries 519

Indoor gardens 520

Ferneries 529

XLLT. The Picnic

XLILT. Garden Parties 540-45

XLIV. Camping Out 546-51

XLV. Daughters 553-55

XLVI. House Painting.

Remarks

Mixing paints—

A beautiful white paint

For a pure white paint

To mix common white paint

For knotting

Common flesh color

Fine flesh color

A beautiful color for carriages, etc.

Cream color

Pearl gray

Fawn color

Blue

Buff

Straw

Drab (2)

Steel

Purple

Violet

French gray

Silver

Gold

Dark chestnut

Salmon

Peach blossom

Lead

Chocolate

Dark red for common purposes

Orange

Bright yellow for floors, etc

Dark yellow

Light yellow

Olive green (4), ,,,,,,,,..,

Page

Olive green 563

Light green 563

Grass green 563

Invisible green for outside work 563

To paint a bronze 563

A good imitation of gold 563

Tar paint for fences, etc 563

Paint driers 563

Milk paint for indoor work 564

Lime whitewash 564

Italian marble 564

To imitate granite 565

A cheap oak varnish 565

Common oil varnish 565

Transparent varnish for pictures . . . 565
For varnishing on wood, unpainted, 565
Waterproof varnish for linen or

calico 566

Instructions 566

XLVII. The Care of the Hair 567-70

XLVHI. Household Amusements.

Remarks 571

The ball of wool 571

Shadows 572

The messenger 572

Magic music 573

The courtiers 574

The dumb orator 574

Speaking buff 575

The shopkeepers 575

Twirling the trencher 576

Proverbs 576

The newspaper 577

Comical combinations 578

Buz 579

The knight of the whistle 580

Catch the ring 580

Scandal 581

The wild beast show 581

The genteel lady always genteel 581

Dumb crambo 583

The giantess 583

Ablind judgment 584

XLIX. Folding Napkins.

Remarks 585

The pocket 586

Crown pattern 587

The flower 587

The cornucopia 587

The cocked hat 588

The basket 589

The mitre.. 590

The shell 591

The Victoria regia 591

To fold fig. 58 592

The tiara 593

Glossary 594