Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1873-04-12
USEFUL KNOWLEDGE.

DERBY SHORT CAKE.-Rub half a
pound of butter into one pound of -four,
and mix one egg, a quarter of a pound
of sifted sugar, and as much milk as
will make a paste. Roll this ont thin,
aud cut the cakes with any fancy
shapes, or the top of a wineglass.
Place on tin plates, strew over with
sugar, or cover the top of each with
icing and bake for ten minutes.
An INDEL1ABLE RED INK.-Dr. Els
ner states that an indelible red ink can
be prepared as follows: Equal parts
by weight of copperas and cinnabar,
both in fine powder and sifted, are rub
bed up with linseed oil with a muller
and finally squeezed through cloth
The thick paste can be employed for
writing or stamping wooden and cotton
goods, and the color remains fast after
the goods have been bleached. The
reds usually employed are not fast
colors, and do not resist the action of
bleaching agents.
BREAD.-It is stated that twenty
seven pounds of good bread have been
made of fourteen pounds of -four, and
half a pound of rice, as follows Tie
up the rice in a thick linen bag, allow
ing it ample room to swell, Boil it
three or four hours, until it becomes a
smooth paste. Mix this, while warm,
with the -four, adding the usual guam
tity of yeast and salt !; allow the dough
to rise near the fire, divide in into
loaves, and bake it. 1t is said that the
flour thus treated will yield fifty per
cent. more bread than by the ordinary
method.
To CLEAN SmvER.-Dr. Elsner says
that hot water poured off potato par
ings or boiled potatoes is admirably
adapted to clean silver. The objects
can be easily rubbed by the fingers
with the settings of potato meal, and
they become as bright as they usually
do ween rubbed with tripoli. The pro,
cess is particularly advantageous for en-
graved and raised objects, the powder
4 is liable to collect in the cavities. Ger
man silver and plated ware can b.
cleaned in the same way. Potato watel
which has become sour by long stand
ing can be substituted for acids to clear
copper vessels.
New TANNING MATERIA1.--A either
of Vermont has made o discovery il
tanning leather, which he claims vii
revolutionize the business. The ma
terial he uses is dye from forest leaves
He has been experimenting with leavei
/ for the past two months, and the result
is said to be entirely satisfactory. ON
, ton of leaves will tan as much leathei
; as five cords Of hemlock bark, and vii
) do the work in one-half the time. b.
mixing the leaves and bark in equa
2 proportions, one-fourth of the time il
saved. The leather tanned by This pro
cess is smooth and more flexible, anC
yet retains the strength Of the raw
hide in a greater degree than that tan
t ned by bark.
: RAT PRooF CRHs.-The following il
J given as In efectual plan for excluding
rats from cribs Make your stills square
7 say ten inches; saw into and block ou
from these so that the joists will b,
even, or face with the top the foo.
r then rests on these stills so that there il
no place 10 stand TO cut his way through
: the floor. And as a further preventive
have your posts upon which the hous'
is to rest three feet long; sink then
into the ground six inches above ground
at the top Of the post tack around
strip of tin, six or eight inches wide
the tin being hard and smooth, tn,
miscellaneous little Iascals can not climl
over Il, and are completely banked
The posts may be round or square, ant
lsl1 Ain~aushe ssad- hat nav Il nrefer