Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-08-16
FIELD AND FAMILY.

THE early ducklings that realize such
high prices in the London markets are
said to be principally the Aylesbury va
rieiy. distinguished by their great size,
white plumage and fiesh-cOlOred bills.
Their high quality is said to be produced
by feeding the old birds largely with
sound oats placed in vessel of water.
If not allowed much room to swim, the
old will lay freely in winter then the
eggs should be Matched under hens, and
the duckling literally fed with slaked oat-
meal and fine middlings, and afterwards
with oats in water. Under this treatment
they may be made ready for the table in
less than two months.
To PRESERVE PLUMs WITHOUT THE
SKINs.-Pour boiling water over large egg
or nsags,snn boas,n plums; cover them I'M
til it is cold, then pull off the skins. Make
a syrup of pound of sugar and tea
cup of water for each pound of fruit !;
make it boiling hot and pour it over ; let
them remain for day or two, then drain
of and boil again; skim it clear and pour
it hot over the plums; let them remain
until the next day, then put them over
the fire in the syrup; boil them very
gently until clear; take them from the
syrup with skinner into the pots or
jars; boil the syrup until rich and very
thick take off any scum which may arise,
let it cool and settle, and pour it over the
plums. If brown sugar is used, which is
quite as good, except for green cages,
clarity it as directed.
SOMETIMES faint, almost impercepti-
BILE, will be foand on the chicken killed
yesterday, and meant for dinner to-day,
or on the last of the steak in the bottom
of the jar. If it is a really suspicious
tain, real decomposition, throw it away
but. IL not. it can easily be removed in
boiling. When you put it on to cook,
take cold water, into which you have put
a few Jumps of charcoal, tied up i'm thin
white cloth. After it has boiled awhile
take out the charcoal. The meat will be-
found all right. In cooking corned beef
or pork, or Loiled dinner, if the smell
annoys you, and you have to keep out of
the kitchen, it will be found effec ual to
put bit of red pepper in the boiling pot,
say twice the size of your thumb nail.
DIFFERENCE IN BUTTER.-When a
wholesale dealer is questioned as to the
proportion of really fine butter he re-
ceives in his consignments, he replies, five
per cent. A larger proportion than this
comes to market as grease. The grocer
will tell you that of all his stock good
butter is the most difficult to procure, and
costs him more time and trouble to select.
We know there is no good reason why
this should be so. Here and there scat
tered widely apart throughout the couh-
try we know farmers to make excellent
butter, which would be classed first quail
ity in the market, and next door to those
are neighbors who would make trash I'M
fit for food On the cOuntars Of countrv
stores may any day be seen rolls Of but
ter most widely different in color, Flavor
and texture. One farmer is careful and
clearly, his wife keeps her dairy sweet
and her pals and pans perfectly pure
another keeps a foul stable, milks in an
uncleanly fashion, has musty feed and
foul water for his cows, while his wife is
equally careless in her dairy. How can
the butter in these two cases be other than
widely different in quality and value?-
Ohio Farmer.