Connecticut western news., 1874-06-26
Farm. Garden and Household.
Kitchen Gartaen. '.

JocMOu. fs
 The hoe and rake are both necessary implements in the garden, and should be kept sharp. The wheel-hoe described in recent number of the AgTiculturist is asgreat improvement over the old form with this a man will dc twice as much work and do it better than with acommon hoe. The bayonet hoe or it's improvement, the lance-head hoe, are very useful in wedding and thinning out the rows of carrots, parsnips, etc
 Seeds of many things can be sown now and with the prospect of @ good crop. Beets sown now will make rapid growth, and even until the first of July the prospect of @ crop is good. Do not cut asparagus after the pess are plenty. Hoe over the bed occa. sionally to keep down the weeds, and if there is well-rotted manure to be had apply now.
 Continue to plant the bush sorts of beans for late snaps.
 Keepth early sorts of beets we'll hood, and thin as soon as large enough to handle. The trimmings make good "greens." Sow early sorts now for succession.
 It is not yet to late to SOW carrots, but it should be done at once. Keep the young plants free from weeds.
 Young celery plants in the seed-bed should not be crowded or allowed to become weedy.
 Egg-plants require a rich soil, and should not be planted until the ground is warm and dry. The green-worm" which attacks the tomato also preys up- on the eggplant; the only remedy is hand-picking.
 Transplant and SOW endive seeds for late crops.-AgricuIturist.
 Making Cake.
 Use none but the best materials for making cake. If you cannot afford to get good flour, dry white sugar and the best family butter, make up your mind to go without your cake and eat plain bread with Q clear conscience.
 Stir the butter and sugar to 8 cream, Cakes often fall because this rule is not followed. Beat these as faithfully as you do the eggs, warming the butter very slightly if hard. Use only silver or wooden spoon in this as in other parts of your work. I have heard of silver egg-whips, but they are not likely to come into general use except where the mistress makes all the cake, pud- ding, etc.
 Do not use fresh and stale milk in the same cake. It acts as disastrously as piece of old cloth in new garment. Sour milk makes spongy cake sweet; one closer in grain.
 Streaks in cake are caused by un- skillful mixing, too rapid or unequal baking, sudden decrease in heat be- fore the cake is quite done.
 Don't deluds yourself, and maltreat those who are to eat your cake, by try ing to make soda do the whole or most of the duty of eggs. Others have tried it before, with unfortunate re- suits. If curiosity tempt you to the experiment, you had better allay it by buying some sponge cake at the corner bakery.
 Test whether cake is done by run ming clean straw into the thickest part. It should come up clean.
 Do not leave the oven door open, or change the cake from one oven to the other, except in extreme cases. If 1t harden too fast on the top, cover with paper. It should rise to full height be- fore the crust forms.
 Except for gingerbread, use none but white sugar.
 Always sift the flour.
 Be accurate in your weights and meas ures. a
 Cream your sugar and butter, meas ure milk, spice, etc., before beginning work. For fruit cake it is best to pre- pare the materials the day before. Let your icing dry thoroughly before wrap ping up the cake, and sift your flour before measuring.-Household.
 To Produce Great Layers.
 A writer in an English journal says In every lot of hens some will be better layers than others. Let us suppose we start with six Houdans, a cock and five hens. Probably out of this five two may lay thirty eggs per annum more than either of the others-their eggs should be noticed, and only those eggt set. By following this plan for few years, very great increase in egg pro duction may be obtained. My attention was called to this subject by friend having Brahma bullet, which had laic nearly three hundred eggs in one twelve month, though valueless as 8 fancy bird, and the quality descended to sev eral of her progeny and have since found other instances which prove con clusively that a vast improvement nigh easily be effected in nearly all oul breeds, were that careful selection O. brood stocks made for this purpos, which the fancier bestows on other ob Jects. It Is to be regretted more ii not done in this way. I am perfectly cer tain the number of two hundred eggs pe annum might be attained in few years with perfect ease, were the obiec iTy theso few remarks may arouse genera attention to it among those who keel poultry for eggs only, and who cal easily do all that is necessary withou any knowledge whatever of fancy points or any attempt to breed exhibition birds.
 Look Out for the Fruit Buds.
 Often, late in the season, 8 frosty night and morning destroys the germ of all coming fruit, with peach, apri cot, plum, and cherry. The frui grower, therefore, should remember that old adage. "an ounce of proven tion is worth pound of cure, and SC remembering attend to the coming crol of fruit with this ounce of prevention And howl do you ask ? Why, simpl. by forming an artificial cloud or atmos PnoIo oA sMoho; Oy DuAOlnB ure5 II various parts of the orchard or grounds the combustible matter being mainl, composed of old rubbish, wet straw weeds, or half rotten barn yard manure in which cornstalks form part upol this pile any thick, poor oil spread vii add to the volume of smoke, and, t. keep it up long time, cover the whol with sheets of thin turf. Strict an, careful watch should be kept ever evening and night. If the sky is cleal and the thermometer shows as low a forty degrees, then the fires should b