Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-01-11
Farm, Garden and Household.

FROZEN PoTEToFs, says the Scientific
Press, if not permitted to thaw before
being cooked, can be bdhcd so as to be
as good as if never frozen. They can't be
boiled, however, nor even baked if sub
mitted to the usual cleansing process of
washing.
PREVENTING BEES FROM MIGRATING
The Scientific Press says: One Of our
bee-keepers prevents his swarms from
leaving his premises by killing all the
"queens" but one in each hive and then
clipping one wing of each. If they then
attempt to leGve, they go no faster than
the queen travels on foot, and are consc.
quently easily hived We are not sure
whether this "cruel dodge" is new or
not.
Do BEES NEED SALT.-B. J. Wat
kins, in Bee-keepers' Journal, says -
q salt my bees whether they require it
or not, and here is my method Fill a
vessel, trough. bucket, or anything that
will hold water, with water, shavings
and salt, and set in the yard. They will
soon find it, and through May and
June, and all through the breeding sea-
son, the vessel will be covered with bees.
II beo-keepers would do this, their bees
would not be losing time in hunting for
salt-iish heads and salt cucumbers.'
FRENCH MODE OF FRYING POTATOES.
Gut them in whatever shape you wish,
above bowl of cold water, so they will
drop into it. Then drain and wipe them
dry. This must be done quickly so as
not to allow the potatoes to become red
dish. Have coarse towel ready, then
turn the potatoes into colander, sprin-
kle salt on them, and serve hot. If you
wish them light OF swelled, leave the
potatoes in the colander only about half
a minute, then put them back in the
very hot fat, stir for about a minute,
and then put them again in the colan-
der. If the fat is very hot, when drop
ped into it for the second time, they
will swell.
THoRoUGH FARMING ALONE Is PROFIT
Albeit is very certain that thorough
preparation of the ground is necessary
to produce abundant crops. And as Just
now is a favorable time to prepare
ground for spring crops, we would adj
wise farmers to lose no present oppor-
tunity of blowing the whole of their
ground to be sown with oats or barley or
turnips, or planted with tomatoes. A
thorough farmer has his ground not only
well prepared, but he sows his crops in
good season, and he is far more literally
compensated than one who cannot find
time to do this in a proper manner, or
at proper time. Barley and oats with
lis have never failed of giving fair
yield, when sown early, on fall plowed
and manfred land; but we have often
reaped half crop when we have by
neglect failed to get them in in that
manner
How TO CURE HAMS. Here is J.
Howard McHenry's recipe: The meat
after being cut out, must be rubbed
piece by piece, with very tinely-powder-
ed saltpeter, on the flesh side, and where
the leg is cut off, tablespoonful mot
heaped) to each ham, dessert spoon
full to each shoulder, and about half
that quantity to each middling and jowl;
this must be rubbed in. Then salt it by
packing a thin coating of salt on the
flesh side of each piece, say one half inch
thick, pack the pieces on scaffolding,
or on floor with strips of plank laid a
few inches apart all over il (that is, I'M
der the meat;l the pieces must be placed
skin side down, i'll the following order
First layer, hams second, shoulders;
third iowls; fourth, middlings-take the
spare ribs out of The middlings. The
meat must lie in this wise Six weeks
if The weather is mild, eight if very cold
the brine being allowed to run off
freely.