Connecticut western news., 1872-03-01
Farm. Garden and Household.

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 POUND CAKE.-One pound of flour, one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, half ound raisins, and twelve eggs. Beat the butter and sugar to cream, then add the eggs, beat all we'll together, and put the raisins in the flour, and stir in lightly. Bake in a moderate oven, This makes two good. sized cakes.
 PLAIN MNcE PEs.-These may be made oi almost any cheap pieces of meat boiled till tender. Add suet or salt pork chopped very fine two-thirds as much apple as meat; sugar and spices to your taste. If mince pies are used cold it is better to use salt pork than suet. A lemon, and little syrup of sweetmeats will greatly improve them: Glove is the most important spice.
 THE BEST STABLE FLOOR. Chestnut plank would make very poor floor. being too ssft. Oak plank is cheap and durable. A good, cheap, lasting floor may be made by paving with cobble- stones and pounding mixture of coal tar and gravel or coal ashes firmly. be- tween the stones. Rats will not penetrate it, and the horses feet will not cut it up. Coal-tar is very cheap, and one barrel is enough for an ordinary stable. :.
 SOWING CIovER.-Clover, says the Agricultu1:iSt, may be soWn early in Spring. on the last snow, which on melt. ing carries the seed down into the soil : or later. by sowing on the soil when the ground is sufficiently dry to bear ashar- row, and narrowing the wheat with a Thomas smoothing harrow, which covers the clover and benefits the wheat. Tim othy may be sownz atssthe same time as the wheat the quantity should be one peck of each. - .-..'s. .-s
 SCOTCH METHOD OF WASHING WooniFsNS onisS SHAwLs.-Scrape one pound of soap, and boil it down in. sufficient water to be a thin jelly; when cold, beat it with the hand, and add three tablespoonfuls of spirits of turpentine, and one of spirits of hartshorn. Wash the articles thor oughly lit, then rinse in cold water up- til all the soap is taken of, then in salt and water. Fold between two sheets, taking care not to allow two folds of the article to lie together. Mangle, and iron with very cool iron. 5. Shawlss done. Q Gr ;,i this way look like new. Only use the salt where Mere are delicate co1ors that may strike. F -Ea' .77-'
 CUsTARD.-One quart of milk and q quarter of atpounds of four Mix the flour with some of the milk. When the remainder of the milk is boiling. stir ffri the prepared flour and milk 1t must be entirely free from lumps). Let it boil hnrd about two minutes, beat four eggs well, and stir in while hot. Add a full half pound of powdered fine sugar, some salt, and essence of vanilla, or the juice ot fresh lemon, rubbed on the sugar. Have biscuits, and when cold make an lnclslon in one side and put in the cus- tard with spoon. They are best fresh but not warm. Any one who may try these will say they are delicious.
 LETTERING THE SHEFP-YARDs ia 9 point of great importance, and renuires good judgment and experience. Sheen will lie down and rest as soon as thev have little fresh straw spread in the yard or under the shed, and this should be attended to every day but it is ex- ceedingly important not to get so much straw and manure under the sheen as to cause fermentation. Avoid the mud and dirty straw on one hand, and fermentine manure on the other. Both are inin- rious. A little straw and often is the rule. Be careful to throw the straw pulled out from the racks about the yards every day, and not let it accumu- late. A little attention to this matter will be amply rewarded. ---.ssIl-,
 How TO IMPROVE DAIRY SrooK. MT Lewis in the New York Dairymen's Con vention mentioned four methods em- ployed at present to increase the uuan- tlty of milk. 1st, by the purchase of cows 2d, by high feeding; Sd, by add ing water and 4th, by breeding. He thought that careful and iudicious breed ing was the only legitimate and satisfac tory method by which the desired i'm provement in our dairy stock can be effected. He would use, with our native cows, a thorough bred bull of that breed best adapted to our respective farms, and that particular branch of the dairy busi- ness we intend to pursue. For butter dairy, would use thorough bred Devon or Jersey bull, and raise calves from those COWS which produce the greatest amount ot butter, irrespective of the quantity of milk. For milk to sell, he would cross his best COWS with the Ayr snlre or Holsteln, raising the calves as before. On level and rich pastures. The would prefer cross with the Short Horns from good milking family. and upon such lands he was of the opinion the Short-Horns produced the greatest amount of good milk, butter, cheese and meat of any grades or full-bloods living. In conclusion, he dwelt upon the consti. tuition of the COW, which he said must be good, and this was quite as importans-as her milking qualities. I'--
 NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL, So.