The democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-07-14
Farm, Garden and Household.


curing uhu HAhuAnk hAtuH
Mrs. Beecller gives some recipes for
curing and smoking hams that have
been teseted and found excellent. For
molasses.cured hams, she says: Moisten
every part OF the ham with molasses,
and then for every hundred pounds use
one quart Of fine salt and four ounces
OF saltpetre, rubbing them in very thor.
oughly in every point. Then put the
hams thus prepared in tight cask for
four days. Then rub again with mo.
lasses and one quart OF salt, and return
the hams to the cask for four days. Re.
peat this the third and the fourth time,
and then smoke the hams, This pro.
cess takes only sixteen days, while 9TH
er methods require five or six weeks.
The best recipe for brine or pickle for
corning hams, beef, pork, and hung
beef, Is MS follows: -Four gallons OF
water two pounds Of rock.salt, and n
little more Of any otherkind two ounces
OF saltpetre; one quart Of molRsses,
Mix, but do not boil. Put the hams in
barrel and pour this over them, and
keep them covered with It for six weeks.
II more brine is needed, make it in the
same proportions.
For smoking hams. she gives the fol.
lowing directions: Make n small build.
ing Of boards, mailing strips over the
cracks to conhne the smoke. Have
within cross sticks on which to hang the
hams. Have only one opening ut top,
and ono in the middle Of the floor. Set
it up so high that n small stove can be
set under it, with the smoke.pipe enter.
ing the floor. Change the position Of
the hams once or twice, that all are
treated alike. When this cannot be
done, use an inverted barrel or hogs.
head, with hole in the bottom for the
smoke to escape, and resting on stones,
md keep aemallsmouldering fire. Cobs
are best, Agiying better flavor, and
brands or chips OF walnut wood are next
best, Keeping n small fire longer time
is better than quicker smoking, as too
much heat gives the hams strong taste,
md they are less sweet.
Cabbage Enemies.
A California writer drives cabbage
lice by amounting the outside leaves
with water and kerosene, mixed in the
proportion Of q pint Of water to two
tablespoQnfuls Of oil. A gardener in
Kentucky effects the same result by
opening the leaves carefully with the
fingers and giving them a sprinkle Of
common salt. An extra advantage in
this treatment is TINT thus used the
heads grow lRrger and more solid. The
Revue Horticoie states that the cabbage
caterpillar, the larva OF Pisris Rdpr,
may be dispersed by placing the leaves
Of the common brake (Pteris aguilina)
among the plants. The leaves Of elder
and hemp have also been used abroad
for tho same purpose. We have FIRE.
quently advised the application to each
infested head OF small quantity Of
mixture composed of part carbolic
powder, 8 parts fresh air-slaked lime,
and 90 parts superphosphate OF lime
repeating three or four times during the
season, or us often rs necessary. When
manyother "remedies" failed Mr.. Quinn
used this with such success that he lost
only about 8 per cent OF his large crop
at the time when the cabbage worm was
thickest in the neighborhood Of his mar.
ket garden.
Testing Piowshare.
There are three ways Of picking n
good share. First, by sight second by
feel; and third, by sound. Have you
got good share now? II so, mark it,
break it when you arc done with it, and
note its color; or suspend it and strike
it with hammer, noting its sound,
and select your next one accordingly.
In hard share the iron is much winter
than in soft one. This is rule-the
whittier the iron is the harder the share,
and vicc versa. Again, the ringing
sound Of shares when supended and
struck, varies over several full musical
notes. So, II you know anything Of
music You can select your share by your
tuning.fork. This gives us another
rule, viz: the sharper the ring the hard.
er the metal, and rice versa. Another
unfailing method is by the feel-select
the thickest part of the share, and run
your finger over the surface Of the i'm
plement at that place. II the metal is
hard you will perceive IN evident lack
or hollow over the thick part il not
hard, this hollow will not be observed.
In selecting shAre by sound, the ring
should correspond with that OF steel
saw blade. Canada Farmer.