Connecticut western news., 1871-12-08
Farm, Garden and Household. |.

Farm, Garden and Household.
 SODA CAKE IN SHEETS. cup but ter, two cups sugar, four cups flour, three eggs, one teaspoonful soda dissolv- ed in cup of milk, two teaspoonfuls cream tarter, mixed in flour.
 ELIzABETH's CAKE.-One cup butter, three cups sugar, one cup milk, four cups flour, four eggs-whites and yolks beat sn separately, two teaspoons cream tar ter, one teaspoon soda. Dark spices.
 SODA BISCUITS. pint of sweet milk, piece of shortening, the size of an egg, one teaspoonful of soda and two cream tarter, and put them in dry; lit tie salt mix very soft; roll them and cut in smal-sized biscuits /; bake in a quick oven ; they are delicious, and will suit the most fastidious taste.
 SORE SHOULDERS IN HORSES. cor respondent Of the Canada Fdymaer writes relative to sore or galIed shoulders of horses :-'' Wash them we'll every night and morning with strong solution of oak bark, made by boiling the bark in water, then rub them we'll with inseed oil. Anoint them night and morning
 
 seed oil and one part of quick lime. To make horses shoulders tough, wash the shoulders we'll twice a day, for week before working, with the oak bark sol ution."
 KEEPING FISH FRESH WITH SUGAR. A method adopted in Portugal for pre- serving fish consists in removing the viscera and sprinkling sugar over the interior, keeping the fish in horizontal position, so that the sugar may pene- trate as much as possible. It is said that fish prepared in this way can be kept completely fresh for a long time, the savof being as perfect as if recently caught. Salmon thus treated before salting and smoking possess a much more agreeable taste, a tablespoonful of sugar being sufficient for 6ve-pound fish.
 A Coop RAT TRAP.-Take barrel that will hold water, cut the head lit tie smaller than the top of the barrel, pass string through the center of the head, and hang it up so that it may hang perfectly free inside the barrel, three or four. inches below the chine, Now, put in five or six inches of water, and drop some grease on the top of the barrel head, which you must balance by tacking on some thin pieces of lead; place your trap where the rats can get at it easily, and it is ready. They come up to the grease, and in stepping on one side of the head the other naturally tips up, and in goes the rat. The head soon gains its equilibrium, and is ready for another. Sometimes, when there is considerable grease or food around where they can get it, they won't take the bait. In this case, put little anniseed in your bait. J PETS IN THE COUNTRY. correspon- dent of the Rochester DemocrH aud Chronicle in Brazil gives rather "shud- dery' description of pets in that country and says: It is quite a convenience to have anacondas in their cellars to destroy rats and mice, as they are more efficient in their work than cats. They do not have the largest sized snakes for that purpose; they are only from 10 to 20 feet long, and are seldom seen, as they live in the walls of the cellars, which are very little used. They are carried about the streets, and sold to those who have lost their pet reptile, or whoever may chance to need them. Monkeys, generally of smaller sizes, are kept as pets in thei1 houses, but to prevent their mischief they are necessarily chained. During the prevalence of the yellow fever, the summer past, the contagion was more fatal to them than to the families in whicl they were kept.
 MAKING A CHowDER.-For chowder cover the bottom of the pot the chowde1 is to be cooked in with slices of pickled pork, or, if preferred, use large spoon full of lard. Take any kind of fresI fish (cod and bass are best) and lay then over the pork or in the lard If pork Ii used, first fry it slightly in lard, made boiling hot. Strew over the fish laye of chopped onions, and layer of spli crackers, pepper and salt. Spices are used if liked, but are not essential Next add another layer of fish, thel another of onions, another of cracker: and seasoning. When all the fish is in dredge with four, and quite cover tn fish with water stew gently. Half al hour will cook a chowder of moderat. size. Take up the chowder thicker the gravy by adding tablespoonful O four to teacup of butter. Add thi to the gravy and stew two minutes. Ado wine or catsup if liked. Oyster or clan chowder may be made the same way.
 SUGGESTION FOR HoUsEKEEPERs.- Many otherwise excellent housekeeper think they can hardly cook meal with out calling into requisition the pork barrel or the lard-tub in one phase o another, and many a meal is consequent ly spoiled to delicate taste by thi means. Pork is a scrofulous, disgustin food in any shape whatever, and shoul be banished from all civilized tables Those who think fsh-chowder cannot made without pork should try the follow ing recipe: Take three pounds of fires codfsh, cut in pieces about three inche square, five or six good-sized potatoe. slice very thin, and half dozen har crackers broken & little. Put two-third of a cup of butter in the bottom of th kettle, then layer of fish, then lave of potatoes and crackers, and so on ti all is used. Sprinkle over each lave salt and pepper quite freely, and pot over it boiling water enough to cover i Cover it closely to keep in the stean Let it boil twenty minutes. add pint ( new'milk and it is ready for the table All who have eaten it pronounce it del cious. Try it, and you will say it is fa superior to chowder made with porl If hard crackers cannot he obta1ned, us common ones, but do not put them i until the chowder is nearly done cool ing, as they boil up and make it to thick.-Erchange
 ROASTING TURKEY.-Select fnt plump, yeIlow-skinned turkey, weighin from ten to twelve pounds. Examine well to see that all the pin-feathers al taken out hold 1t over blaze to sing any fine hairs that may remain wash thorougly inside and out, and rub
 over with salt. Take the gizzard, hear and liver, let them boil until tendel When done, chop them very fine. Tax stale bread, or the large Boston cracker