Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 May 1869 — USEFUL MECIPES, ETC. [ARTICLE]

USEFUL MECIPES, ETC.

Am experimenter found that five bushels of corn-mush, boiled, made eighty four pounds of pork, while three bushels of meal aud five of potatoes nAde seventy-two and a half pounds. -i- - - - -4Liebig says: “Every former who takes a sack of corn or a bushel of potatoes to town, ought, like the Chinese coolie, to carry back an equal <>r a greater quantity of the mineral constituents of* the produce sold, and restore them to the field from which they have been taken.” Japanning Old Tea Thayh.-First clea-.i them thoroughly with soap and water and a little rotten stone ; then dry them by wiping and exposure by the fire. Now get some good copal varnish, mix with it some bronze powder, and apply with a brush to the denuded parts. Alter which set the tea-tray in an oven at a heat of 212 degrees or 300 degrees until the varnish is dry. Two coats will make it equal to new. How to Keep Egos for a Year Take perfectly fresh and sound eg ;s and then pure water For every tbi*. < gallonsof water pat in one pint - f fresh slaked lime, and of common mlt one-half pint Mix well and let the barrel be half full of this liquor; then, with a dish, let down the fresh egga into it, tipping the dish after it fills with water, so that they may roll out without cracking the shell; for if the shell should be cracked, the egg will spoil.— Exchange According To Knaffl, zinc may be given a fine black color by cleaning its surface with sand and sulphuric acid, and immersing it for an instant in a solution com' posed of four parte of sulphate of nickel and ammonia in forty parts of water, acidulated with one part of sulphuric acid, washing and drying it. The black coating adheres firmly, and takes a bronze color under the brasher. Brass may be stained black with a liquid containing two parts of arsenious acid, four of hydrocholoric acid, and one of sulphuric acid,' >in eighty parts of water. A Btoby with a Moral —“ Once upon a time a man went collecting for a benevolent purpose. He came upon a large estate ; there were many laborers and many teams at work—or rather they were just quitting work. The proprietor was berating his hired man because he had left the hempen traces of the harness exposed to the rain; the traces had become hard and stiff, and were injured for present use at least. The collector, hearing the reprimand, became down hearted, and fe ired that from such a close man as this seemed to be nothing could be obtained for charity. He ventured, however, to make his errand known, and great Was his surprise to receives very large donation.” Waste brings want; economy, thrift and the means of doing good. To Raise Blackberries.—A writer in tbd Practical Fanner says : “To insure good crops requires close attention; the canes should be kept thin and well headed back; and on poor land an occasional dressing of manure, muck or fertilizers of some kind, adds to the quantity and quality of the fruit. There is no likelihood of the market being overstocked with the fruit, as it pays well to make it into wine. Three quarts of blackberries and three pounds of sugar, with the addition of a little water, will make a gallon of wine , highly recommended for its medicinal properties, worth 12 per gallon while new; and its value increases with age. All the poor berries, those that are too ripe to ship to market, may be properly converted into wine at home; and only the finest and most perfect fruit sent to market, which Will always command a fair price.” An exchange says a superb crop of potatoes was raised in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia in this wise : “ The soil was a sandy Ipam, covered with a thick sod of many yeais’standing. This sod was turned over four inches deep, with a heavy threehorse bar shear plow. The seed was dropped in every other farrow, and covered by the inverted sod of the succeeding furrow. As soon as the planting was finished, light harrows '"were run over the surface until it was level and smooth. After the potatoes were well up, another harrowing was given, and then one more working-with cultivators made as fine a crop as we ever saw. Now, here was a process differing very materially from that laid down as the proper one to be pursued in the cultivation qf -potatoes. We give it. heie, not as worthy of imitation, but simply as an agricultural fact of more or less value. The area cultivated was a largeone—fifty acres—and time was wanting to give the ground a thorough preparation, The secret of success probablv, in this instance, was a loose bed, formea by the decaying sod, and an uncommonly good season. Fifty bushels of gypsum was the only manure used.” ' Bee Keeping.—A correspondent of the California Farmer thinks that every owner of a rural home ought to have a few swarms of honey-makers, and he gives the fidlowing suggestions as to where they should be kept and how managed : “ First, on dry soil, and, if convenient, in some quiet spot away from the busy routine of the domestic circle. It should be shaded by trees to relieve the little occupants from the rays of the burn.ing sun, and shield them from too much exposure to strong winds The best bee house that was ever used is the shade of a tree and a good hive. The hive should always face the south east if posssible, so your bees get the morning sun, and fewer storms come from that direction. Let it be located where it can be readily seen in swarming time ft om some door «r Window, from the kitchen if possible, so that the women may give the alarm. The grass should be kept short by occasional cutting All ant-hills in the- immediate neighborhood of the apiary should be destroyed, as also spider-webs and the like. I recommend the planting of trees, whete you are not already favored with them, and setting one or two hives under each tree, always avoiding a bee-house or room, as there is no place like the open air.”