Connecticut western news., 1873-07-18
Farm, Garden and Household.
Curing and Smoking Hams.


 Mrs. Beecher gives some recipes fo1 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- lassss 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 oth- CT methods require five or six weeks.
 The best recipe for brine or pickle for corning hams, beef, pork, and hung oeet, IS as follows: Four gallons of water two pounds of rock-salt, and a little more of any otherkind two ounces or saltpetre; one quart of molasses. Mix, but do not boil. Put the hams in barrel and pour this over them, and keep them covered with 1t for six weeks. If more brine is needed, make it in the same proportions.
 For smoking hams, she gives the fol-
 
 ing of boards, mailing strips over the cracks to confne the smoke. Have within cross sticks on which to hang the hams. Have only one opening at top. and one in the middle of the floor. Set it up so high that 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, and keep asmall smouldering fire. Cobs are best, as giving a better flavor, and brands or chips of walnut wood are next best. Keeping 8 small fire longer time IS better than quicker smoking, as too much heat gives the hams strong taste, and they are less sweet.
 Cabbage Enemies.
 California writer drives cabbage lice by annointing the outside leaves with water and kerosene, mixed in the proportion of pint of water to two tablespoonfuls 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 that thus used the heads grow larger and more solid. The ReUue H0rticole states that the cabbage caterpillar, the larva of Pieras Rapg, may be dispersed by placing the leaves of the common brake (Pteris uoatiZi,ao) among the plants. The leaves of elder and hemp have also been used abroad for the same purpose. We have ire quently advised the application to each infested head of small quantity of mixture composed of part carbolic | powder, 3 parts fresh air-slaked lime, and 20 parts superphosphate of lime repeating three or four times during the | season, or as often as necessary. When | many other "remedies" failed Mr. Quinn used this with such success that he lost | only about per cent of his large crop at the time when the cabbage worm was thickest in the neighborhood of his mar ket garden.
 Testing a Plovshare.
 There are three ways of picking a good share. First, by sight second by feel; and third, by sound. Have you got good share now? If so, mark it, break 1t when you are done with it, and note its color; or suspend it and strike It with hammer, noting it's sound, and select your next one accordingly. In hard share the iron is much whiter than in a soft one. This is rule-the winter the iron is the harder the share, and vice versa. Again, the ringing sound of shares when supended and struck, varies over several full musical notes. So, if 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 CT the metal, and vice verso. Another Gnfailing method is by the feel-select the thickest part of the share, and run your finger over the surface of the inn plement at that place. If the metal is hard you will perceive an evident lack or hollow over the thick part; if not hard, this hollow will not be observed. In selecting share by sound, the ring should correspond with that of steel saw blade.-Ca,sodaF Farmer.