Rensselaer Union, Volume 10, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1878 — HOME, FARM AND GARDEN. [ARTICLE]

HOME, FARM AND GARDEN.

—.Nearly all trials with house-plants are spiders, lice, etc., and no blossoms. Frequent sprinklings and water on the stove counteracts those complaints to a large degree. —State Register. —A correspondent of the Dental Cosmos says that the beat treatment in' regard to offenaivo breath is the use of pulverized charcoal, two orthree tablespoonfuls per week, taken in a glass of water before retiring for the night. —Dark Steamed Pudding.—To be steamed two and a half or three hours. One cupful molasses, one cupful sweet milk, two cupfuls butter, four cupfuls flour, one teaspoonful soda, three-quar-ters cupful fruit; spice to suit the taste; to be eaten with sour sauce. —Meat Pies.—A good very dry crust, one pound of flour, half pound of butter, naif pound of lard; after making the paste proceed in the usual way. After rolling in the butter and lard oilce, let It stand a half-hour; then roll as above, and let it stand ten minutes in a very cool place. Roll in the remainder twice without letting it stand. --Plum-Pudding.—One half pound suet, one pound flour, half pound, dried currants, naif pound stonedraisins, two eggs, one nutmeg, half tablespoonful cinnamon, half teaspoonful cloves, half tablespoonful salt, one and a half cupfuls milk, citron if you like, spread the suet and rub it through the flour; mix the fruit and dredge flour over it; beat the eggs very light, add the milk to suet and flour, then eggs, then fruit; dip pudding-bag into cold water, turn wrong side out, flour well, turn the batter in and tie, leaving room for pudding to swell, boil constantly three and a naif hours; serve with sweet sauce.

—Let every farmer, where jt is practicable, periodically weigh his stock this winter, sheep and pigs especially, and let him rest assured, when he finds their weights at each successive weighing stationary, or nearly so, that he is losing money and wasting his feed. No animals pay that barely exist. The horse loses power and endurance, the cow shrinks her milk, the light clip of wool and the scanty number of puny lambs in the spring tell the tale of the sheep, and the poor pig, the most neglected of all, we fear, too often becomes a bag of bones. II is on behalf of the latter that we particularly plead, and more especially on behalf of his younger brothers and sisters. If we are to have thrifty pigs next spring, they must have snug pens, plentifully supplied with bedding, together with warm, nutritious diet. Warm food in winter is highly desirable, both for comfort and digestion. —Country Gentleman.