Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-12-01
FARE AND FIRESIDE.

1
.eat. To construct hot-bed, eXcavate
pit of the desired length, . feet deep, anu
6 feet wide the sides OF the pit are some.
times bordered up with rough boards, and
should be raised above the surface IL
inches at the back, and II inches at the
front Strips are stretched across on which
the sashes rest.
The heating material should be horse
manure fresh from the stable. Tnls should
be thrown lightly in heap and IN few
| days the mass will commence fermentation,
which is indicated by the escape OF vapors
1t should then be shaken up and thrown IN
a pile, and allowed to ferment second
time, which will usually be in two or three
days 1t may then be placed in pit, and
beaten down and covered with about three
inches of earth. At first the temperature
raises to ninety-fve, or perhaps one nun
dred and fvc degrees. Wait few days.
When the heat is about ninety degrees.
which can be ascertained by the thermome-
ter the mass should be covered with SIX
;nches of earth which should be very line,
free from stones, and rich with phosphates,
one thousand pounds being used to the acre.
Sometimes old window sashes are used for
hot.beds, in which case there should be
notch cut in the cross bars for the water to
drain off. otherwise the sash will decay
The hot-bed is used principally for forcing
cabbage, lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, toma-
toes, cauliAower and sweet potatoes.
Cold frames have no pit The ground
should be thrown up rough in order to ab.
sorb heat. 1t should be covered the last OF
antum with leaves and straw, in depth sui
fcient to keep from freezing, SO that it may
be got at and planted by the last OF Febru'
ary or the first of March. Then the sashes
should be put on, If the ground is dry, be-
fore Sowing it should be sprinkled. For
protection against frost either fine shutters
or straw mats are used. These mats may
he made by almost any one out ofrye straw.
| The distance of the rows in hot-bed should
be five or six inches.
Every Seed as general rule, should be
covered three times its own thickness with
earth, and this earth should be packed, in
order that it may remain during rains that
seeds may not be washed out Tomatoes
can be grown half inch apart in the rows,
peppers one-third of of an iach, and lettuce
one.fourth. Tomatoes should be started
about the last of February or first of March,
and they will be ready to 60 out by the time
| the ground outside is warm.
Plants grown IN hot-bed must be
hardened before they are set out this must
he done BY gradually accustomcg them to
the outside air by removing the sashes a
short distance at first and increasing the dis
lance according to the strength of the plant.
The sashes should always be placed on at
night, until the last two or three nights
| Maine Farmer.
TURKEY TO RoAsT.-Dress in the usual
way, but remove the crop with the fingers
at the neck without cutting. Cut
as small place as will do to remove
the inwards. Prepare stufing by cutting
in small pieces half of the neck-bone, liver,
gizzard, heart, and slice of pork boil half
an hour in quart of water and season with
salt and pepper; add to this half loaf Of
wheat bread sliced thin and rubbed fine
Wash the fowl, and while wet rub salt and
pepper over it with your hand. Tie the
neck and put the stuhing in at the other
opening, pushing enough Of it through into
the crop to FILL When full sew up the open.
ing, put the fowl in dripping pan with q
pint Of water, roast in the oven about two
hours, turning carefully once or twice, and
dipping the water over it frequently. An
old turkey or hen should be cooked about
half day.
How TO EXTRACT CoEFEE.-If coffee, az
ter roasting, were made as fine as Hour by
pounding in a mortar, it could be extracted
SO much better as to require no more than
two-fifths as much as if it were only coarse
ly ground. An equally strong extract can
be made by allowing water to stand on the
grounds, as by giving it boil or by filter,
ing thorough it. The latter method is the
true one for retaining all of the aroma. -
When coffee beans are roasted, an empyreu-
matte oil is produced, which, beng very
volatile, is expelled if the coffee extract be
boiled. 1t is better to make the grounds
as fine as -four, and to extract by alteration
, and never to boil.
TOMATOES FROM CuTr1Nss.-George Hen
8 ming, Saratoga, N. Y, plants his tomato
seeds in January and February, and when
the plants are FIVE or six inches high, cuts
: off the tops just above the seed-leaves, and
sets them out in a properly prepared hot
bed, where they take root and grow in
e April they are transplanted to cold frames
and finally set out in the open ground
Mr.. Henning claims that by this Treatment
i the plants have better roots than when al
: lowed to retain their original ones, and tina
9 they bear earlier and are more productive
FLOUR PUDD1Na.-Fake one quart o
sweet milk, one teaspoonful salt, half tea
0 cup of sugar mix, boil and thicken wit
j. one teacup of wheat -four, wet With col
g milk and stir until it boils again, then re
/. move from the fire. When half cold ado
n two well-beaten eggs. and favor with nut
= meg or lemon. Add raisins if you choose
II Bake half an hour To be eaten cold, witt
0 or without sweetened cream.
It BISCUIT FOR INvALIDs. Melt three-quar
y tiers of pound Of butter in pint of new
o milk. and pour it on three-quarters of
.s pound of loaf sugar when cool, put in hal
r a dessertspoonrul of yeast, and whole on
d of caraway seed add -four sufficient to max
o il into stiff paste to roll out very thin
b prick and cut it with tin shape, and bak
them.
USE OF GERANIUM LEAvEs.-It is no
W generally known that the leaves OF gera
r mum are an excellent application for cuts
70 where the skin is rubbed of, and othe
~ c,, -, LID Ono ar tmo loo no