Connecticut western news., 1871-08-11
Farm. Garden and Household.


 To PREVENT BREAD FROM DRY1NG.- Keep a wet cloth around the loaf that is being cut from, and wet every time after a mea9 cThis will keep the bread inIa1 fresh state.
 CoRNED BEEF.-In cooking corned beef, at this season of the year so delic- ious, it should be put into boiling water when put on to cook, and when it is done it should remain in the pot until cold. This is the whole secret of having corned beef juicy and full-favored, in stead of the contrary.
 To KEEP BUTTER IN THE SUMNER. simple mode of keeping butter in warm weather, where ice is not handy, is to in- vert common hower-pot over the but ter, with some water in the dish in which it is laid The oritice at the bottom may be corked or not. The porousness of the earthenware will keep the butter cool.
 FARM AccoUNTs.-HoW many farmers are able to tell the cost or even the pro- uct of any of their crops? Farming is now more or less successful, as it is conducted on ordinary business princi- ples. If choice. of crops were not pernaitted3 orthe manner. of conducting a farm were immutably fixed, then 1t would not matter whether accounts were kept or not. But when it makes all the difference between gain or a loss, whether this crop or that shall be raised, it is necessary to act understandingly as to the cost of producing either of them, and their relative yields when sold or consumed. Then, in feeding the pro- duce of farm, how little is known of the relative merits of breeds of cattle to repay the cost of food and labor, or whether, this Or that species of stock is best suited to the circumstances of the farm, 5 dr dis position of the farmer him self. For instance, man of impatient or irregular disposition cannot possibly feed sheep to advantage. The perfect regularity with which all their needs must be attended to, is impossible with some men still we see or hear that this or fhat man has no luck with; sheep, and yet hep persists in keeping, or at least try ing to keep them at 9 certain toss. But he cannot tell how much he loses, or what their feed has cost, or what was the weight of any particular fleece. Until farmer keeps regular accOunt-book, and notes all those things which are necessary as basis on which to calcu- late costs and. ineGne. be is continually at the mercy of accidents, and cannot expect to realze thes tfue value of his labor.
 SHIPPING FRUIT. IT.-Inexperienced fruit growers are often surprised at the small returns they receive from firms to which they consign goods. In many cases, doabtiess, the mid le-men run up. such bill of commissions and. charges, as to effectually eat up any profit but it is often the fault of the grower in forward ing unsorted and badly picked fruit. Numerous letters have recently been forwarded to farmers in the peach grow ing districts, .edyising them. to be more particular in picking and shipping fruit. A consignment of one hundred boxs of peaches was recently sold in New York for dollar box, on which the charges amounted to ninety -one cents, thus leav- ing the grower only nine cents box, which by no means paid him for his trouble, or the interest on his invest ment. One half of these peaches are said to have been good ones, which ii packed by themselves, would have read. fly brought $3 box One fourth of the lot was soft and crushed, and the remain. der were hard and unripe. As the freight on a box of peaches or vegetables is the same whether the contents be good or bad, it is important that cnly good fruit should be sent, if any profit is ex- pected from the transaction. It is the quality, mot quantity, of fruit which brings good prices, and growers should bear this in m1nd when sending off theil goods. What is true of peaches holds good of other fruits and vegetables. A poor article badly picked will hardly bring enough to lpayifor its forwarding and selling.
 MAKING HAY.-In regard to ripe grass and hay made of grass that has already gone to seed, the Massachusetts PloaU naqa says someargue that cattle love this dr5 aQdder and that the ere ismore noilr ishment ill the hay than if the grass were cut in its green, succulent state. | so, why do not the instincts of cattle lead them to eat it when rowing in the pastures and acting their option as tt what thev will eat. d All must have ob served that when any locality in a pas ture has gone to seed, the cattle avoid it
 
 them to eat such grass. The instincts of cattle are. a pretty sure guide.--cer tainly as likely b bescorrect as the. ab stract reasonings of the minority O men. The true principle in having, VI think, is to secure the hay at 8 tim' when we can harvest the largest amour that shall be like grass in its perfec state ; this we can do when grass has at tained its growth, and before the starch sugar and gluten of the plant have gon to the formation of seed, or been con verted into woody fibre The starch ant other nutritious compounds are on tn increase so long as the plant grows bu with blossoming growth ceases, and i the time, with the least labor, to secur the greatest amount of forage in its bes
 ondihon.
 FRESH GRASS FOR HORSES. is no strange that an animal that runs vii, upon the prairies, and grazes the yea rounq in his Snatutal state, should pin wheM c0hfiled to 6 dietof hay and grain sTha stabled horse.wil do we'll for a time if not worked too hard, upon dry food But he can not endure the privation O green, sncculent food continually. Tn horses upon our city railroads averag only three and half years of service They either die in the harness, or ar prematurely broken down, and sold ot to men who slaughter them for thei hides and carcasses. This early failur is not more owing to-hard service thai to the privation of their natural food The great eagerness with which stable' horse crops grass, especially in tn spring, indicates clearly enough the foo' he should have. It is not always con venient to turn out horse for montl or two in summer, when he is mos needed for service on the farm or in tn family carriage. He should always hay his daily feed of green grass fors two o three months in the year, and if he cal not go to pasture, the, grass should b brought to thestable. A Hearb dnd Home