Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1874 — USEFUL AND SUGGESTIVE. [ARTICLE]

USEFUL AND SUGGESTIVE.

Many cases of congestion of the brain and headache are partially or wholly caused by too tight collais and cravats. Bran, shorts, particularly those from ry®» w_ith good tame hay and roots, form a varied and excellent food for milch cows. Hasty Rusk.—Two eggs, one pint of flour, one cup of sugar, one cup of milk, one dessert-spoonful of butter, one teaspoonful of soda, two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar. To be made up and baked immediately thereafter. Rat Poison.—The following method of preparing poison for rats is said to be more effectual than moistening grain with a solution of strychnine: Make a clear solution of arsenite of potash, by boiling In a large iron kettle one part of white arsenic, one of carbonate of potash, and twenty-five of water, stirring the whole well together; add 25 parts -of water, and introduce, while warm, 50 parts of barley, wheat or oats, stirring frequently during 24 to 36 hours; then heat the grain and stir it with a paddle until it appears dry externally. For use in the house it may be advisable to color the grain by adding 1,500 parts of liquid fuchsin. Clean the kettle after use by scouring with lime. In most cities, however, the arsenite of potash can be obtained ready made, and thus the trouble and danger of preparation is saved. Puff-Pasts.—The requisites for a good pastry cook are neatness, diligence and a certain sleight-of-hand, so that it is not surprising if perfect success in the art is not an affair of every-day occurrence. That white, flaky pastry of the olden time that would melt in your mouth was dependent for its excellence rather upon the way in which it was made than upon its component parts. The proportions allowed for the finest quality of paste are a light pound of butter and lard mixed to a heaping quart of sifted flour and a teaspoonful of salt. The cooler the temperature at which it is worked the more certain will the cook be of succeeding in her effort. A. marble pasteboard is also a valuable adjunct. The more delicate the handling the better. Let a large Spoonful of the shortening be worked into a fourth part of the flour with the hands, aslightly as possible, using cold water enough to make the lump as soft as can be handled. Dredging with flour to prevent its sticking, transfer the dough to the board and roll it out as thin as you can without tearing it. Cover the whole surface over with thin slices of butter and lard. Dredge over a layer of flour. Double over and with your bread-pin roll out again until as thin as before. Repeat these processes until all the shortening is used, or at least four times; five or even se-ven t lines on ly make it more flaky and delicious. The oven in which pastry is baked should be regularly heated, but not quick enough to discolor it.— Hearth and Home.