Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1877 — AGRICULTURAL AND DOMESTIC. [ARTICLE]

AGRICULTURAL AND DOMESTIC.

Aronnd the Farm, Paint which is put on in the fall will last or nearly quite as long again as the same grade which is applied in the spring or summer. The extreme hot weather of the summer months is otot favorable either for the preservation or the fine appearance of paint.— New England Homestead. Bomb poultry raiser, in order to de termine the comparative fecundity of ducks and hens, selected three of each, all hatched in February, and suitably fed. In the following autumn the ducks laid 222 eggs, the hens nope. In February the laying season I c-gan, and, up to August, the total number of eggs laid by the hens was 267, or 86 each, and 393, or 131 each for the ducks. A Cube fob Lumps. —A neighbor of mine had a colt hooked by a cow. It had a lump on its side as large as a peck measure and as hard as a stone. I told him to rub it with goose grease. He did so; a bucketful of matter ran out of it, and in about six weeks it had entirely disappeared. Last year I had an ox with a lump on Ids jaw-bone about as large as a hen’s egg, and as hard as a stone. I began rubbing it with warm goose grease. In about a week it became very soft, broke open and disappeared.—Correspondence Farmers' Advocate. Cultivation of Sorghum. —The cultivation of sorghum should be the same as that of corn : Plant in hills three or four feet apart, with the fertilizer in the hill; put in half a dozen seeds to the hill and thin out to three or four plants; cover the seed about half an inch, and cultivate frequently and well. Or, it may be easily grown in drills or broadcast. Its principal use in this latitude would be as a green crop. Some persons say that it will give a greater and better yield than corn will. We do not believe, however, that sorghum will pay here.—? Toronto Globe. Ebed Hayden has on his model fruitfarm at Alton, 111., thirty varieties of strawberries which he has fruited. The Downing is M»e most valuable in the list, all things considered, in this locality. Its only fault is, it is a little soft; that is, it is not so hard as the Wilson; but it is ahead of the Wilson in every other respect—better quality, more pro duotive, and stands the hot sun better. Mr. Stewart said that if he was confined to one variety he would take the Downing every time. It was a little soft, but he had shipped it to Chicago and Milwaukee in good order.— Chicago Tritane. » The Norwegian method of making hay is as follows : The grass, when cut, is hung up on poles to dry, where it remains until the wind and sun cure it. The sun does not burn it; on the contrary, it is as bright and green as when growing. In some fields strings of fences are seen, bearing thin loads of hay, several rods in length. Some farmers plant posts in the fields twelve feet apart, and in the upper part of these posts pegs are inserted about one foot asunder. On these pegs poles are laid, and on them the grass is hung, where it remains until it is thoroughly cured. The result is the very best of hay. To plant and harvest crops is attended with much care and expense; and most farmers exhibit commendable industry up to this point, but, when those crops are to be fed out, many of them do it with the greatest recklessness. Corn is thrown to the hogs in muddy, slushy yards; hay is scattered upon the ground, to be trampled in the manure by the cattle; and the cleanly sheep receive their hay and grain in the same manner. Were it otherwise, we verily believe that one-fourth more stock could be kept on the same provender, and be in better health and condition.—Colman's Rural. Value or Horse Feed.—From an exchange we take the following table upon this subject: “ The comparative value of horse feed is found by experiment to be as follows ; 100 pounds of good hay is equal in value to 59 pounds of oats, 57 pounds of corn, 275 pounds of carrots, 5-1 pounds of rye or barley, and 105 pounds of wheat bran.” Such tables, however, carefully prepared, are too indefinite to be of any practical value, and beside they are too liable to be affected by attendant circumstances to be accurate. It cannot be meant that either of the varieties of oats valued in comparison with hay would be an equivalent substitute for it.— Canada Journal. Al>out the House. Molasses Lemon Pie. —One cupful sugar, one cupful molasses, one cupful water, one and a half table-spoonfuls flour, two lemons, and one egg. This makes ofle pie. To cube weak eyes take rose leaves—the more the better—and put them into a little water, then boil; after this strain it into a bottle and cork it tight. You will find this liquid very beneficial in removing redness and weakness from the eyes. Flannel Oakes.—One quart of sweet milk, three table-spoonfuls of yeast, one tea-spoonful of salt, flour enough to make a good batter; mix it the night before; in the morning add two well-beat-en eggs and one table-spoonful of melted butter. Habd waters are rendered very soft and pure, rivaling distilled water, by merely boiling a two-ounce vial, say in a kettleful of water. The carbonate of lime and any impurities will be found adhering to the vial. The water boils very much vuicker at the same time. Grape Preserves.—The frait should be ripe, yet firm; cut each grape in two with a sharp knife and remove the seeds; to each pound of fruit a pound of sugar; put the sugar into a kettle with just enough water to dissolve it well, and let it boil five minutes; then throw in the fruit, boil ten minutes and skim out; cook the sirup until quite thick, and, when almost cold, pour over the grapes. English Plum Pudding.—Three cups of bread-crumos, one cup brown sugar, three eggs, one cup nicely-chopped beef suet, nearly one cup sweet milk, two clips chopped raisins, two teaspoons baking powder, otie chp flour; a little salt; cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to taste. Steam or boil three hours. Tomato Soup.—Make a broth of chicken, beef, or lamb; have it very rich, i. e., boil the meat two or three hours—three pounds in four quarts of water; boil it down nearly one-half; strain it; pare and cut up one quart of tomatoes, boil them in the broth half an hour; strain again; season with a table-spoonful of butter, a little salt, and parsley if desired. Scotch Collops.—Get two pounds of round of steak, chopped fine; put in a frying-pan a lump of butter half the size of an egg; melt, dredge in a little flour, brown, and then put in a cupful of water or more; stir to make a gravy; chop up an onion, put it in; then put in beefsteak; stir often, and cook twenty minutes. Fob bleeding at the nose the best remedy as given by Dr. Gleason in one of his lectures, is a vigorous motion of the jaws, as if in the act of mastication. In the case of a child.a wad of paper, should be placed in its mouth and the

child instructed to chew it hard. It is the motion of the jaws that stops the flowof Moei W Ww<~| A very excellent vinegar may be made by putting into thirty gallons of water, milk warm, three gallons of good mo lasses and one quart of yeast, such as is employed for making bread. Mix well and keep in a warm temperature with the bung of the barrel open, to give it a chance to work. The bung must be covered with gauze to keep ont flies. In due course of time it will become firstclass vinegar.