The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1862-04-25
Agritnltnral Mints.
APRIL.

least IN the older State, will be, we think,
nearly as abundant as usual, notwithstan-
ding the war. If six hundred thousand
soldiers have been raised out of twenty
millions of people, it is only one i'll thir
ty-three of the population. But at least
three fourths of this number have come
from the cities and villages, and from
other callings other than agriculture. A
number have entered the army who were
never very productive laborers, in any
calling. They are now corning more for
themselves and families than they ever
were before. In the arrangement of bus
mess incident to the war, much larger
number following other pursuits have been
thrown out Of employment than all who
have volunteered from the farming dis
tricts. 1t would not be strange, then, if
labor would be even cheaper this season
than the last.
We can see no reason, either in the
supply of labor or in its prospective re-
wards, why we should not employ as
much as usual. If it be cheaper than
usual, it will be a favorable opportunity to
enter upon some of those new projected
improvements which have been ''waiting
the good time coming" for many years.
Almost every farm has swamps and wet
land to be drained, pastures to be cleared
of rocks, brush and stumps. The pro-
duction Of such lands may be quadrupled
in most cases by wise use of labor. As
rule, we econoplse i'll the wrong place
when we refuse to hire help, in order to
save the wages. Whether we have war,
or an early peace the nation must be fed,
and all the products of the farm will
bring remunerative price.
Ribbon Gardening-This is a method
of arranging plants so as to represent rib
bons or scrolls. 1t is easily performed
by any one, and is pleasing addition to
even the humblest yard. A curved or
wavy bed is cut out of the smooth turf of
the lawn, say four feet wide and ten or
fifteen feet long. Certain suitable colors
for the ribbon having been fixed upon,
(perhaps red, white and blue, plants are
to be selected which will give these col
ors. No one set of plants is better for
this purpose than verbenas. A row of
scarlet or crimson is set on one side of
the bed and along its whole length next
a row of whites and then row of blues.
These as they grow are to be pegged
down, and confined to fixed limits, so as
to represent stripes of color. Geraniums
may be used for the same purpose, though
they make a coarser ribbon, and give only
the different shades of red, pink and
white. If used, it will be quite effective
to set either golden or silver edged va
riety on one edge of the ribbon. Petu-
Mas, Ageratums, Pyrethums, Cupheas,
etc, answer very we'll in making ribbons
Annuals may be used for the same pur-
pose, but they do not come into bloom
until late in the season. German Asters
for instance, their different colors arranged
in rows, make grand display. Portu-
lacca, Candytuft, Phlox Drummondii,
Eschscholzia, Clarkia, and others of like
habits, are quite desirable. These rib
bons, to be most effective, should be
looked down upon from above, say from
a window, OF balcony, or high porch. -
the grass around them should be kept
shorn quite short and smooth, and the
colors kept rigidly confined within their
limits.
Cocoa Cakes--Cocoa Jumbles-Mrs.
J. B., of Allentown, contributes the fol
lowing to the Agriculturist: For cake,
skin one cocoanut and CRATE fine; add lib
sugar, lib flour, I teaspoonful Of milk, 8
eggs, and spice to the tast.-For jumbles,
grated cocoanut. I teacupful flour,
teacupful butter, teacupfuls sugar, and
the whites of three eggs. Mix and drop
them on baking tins, a little distance
apart. They are very nice. These are
the same as are sold by the confectioners,
we suppose. They are very good in the
mouth, but not so in weak stomachs. We
should hardly recommend them for chill.
dren. Their digestibility depends much
on the fine grating of the cocanut, unles,
they are finely masticated by good teeth
before swallowing. The amount of but
ter used, though perhaps necessary te
their good keeping and oily taste, tends
to make the cocoanut more indigestble
ED.
French Loaf Cake--By same as above
lib -four, J fb sugar, fb rasins, lib but
ter, cup new milk, eggs, and spice t
the taste.
Swine-Feed breeding sows suculen
food, raw roots or cabbage in moderat
quantities, and provide clean pens an