Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1874-06-12
OLE stal..tom Ii,.oitator.
FARM AND FIRESIDE.
RATE


| FLoRICULTURE.-The extreme mildness
of the past winter, has caused great
many of the late spring plants to bloom
somewhat earlier than usual, and as q
! consequence there will be more work in
potting this monththan usual.
Camelias have almost done Towering,
and such as need it should now be shifted
into larger pots. A good soil, suitable for
them, is, two parts loan to one of decaYed
leaf mould and sand. Be sure to give
plenty of drainage place them in a close
warm atmosphere, and keep moist, till
| they begin to throw out roots.
| Azaleas are now in fall bloom and should
have plenty of light they are easily grown
from cuttings. and should be potted in
compost of sandy loan and decayed vege-
table matter. Achimenes, Tydeas, Gala
diums, Amaryllis, Gloxinias, &c, &C.,
should now be started into growth; give
them water sparingly until they have sent
| out good supply of roots. Geraniums
and Fuchsias shonld be shifted into larger
pots, especially the Fuchsias; never let
them get pot-bound until they commence
to show flower an occasional watering of
liquid manure will keep them wonderfully.
Putinto the propagating bed such cuttings
as are needed, and don't fail to syringe
every morning; the red spider will now
commence to make its appearance. good
supply of water will keep it down.
FumigaUe every week with tobacco,
| r. l,r 4Lo G,,ett 7
much as possible, and when the weather is
very mild discontinue it's use entirely. Sow
all seeds needed for planting there is still
plenty of time. 1t is very necessary to re-
arrange the plants in the greenhouse every
ten days, turning those that have grown to
the light with their backs to the sun; give
those plants that have bloomed plenty of
light and room to make good wood for next
years show; it is a bad habit to throw
them under the stage because they are
done for this year. r1i..
USEFUL HINTS. lady writing to the
Country Gentleman, thus recapitulates
some of the valuable suggestions she has
had the good sense to learn from her
oOI V etHU SlAlo. toil0 DdyO
The other day Mary was ironing and
asked for piece of sand-paper to rub her
irons on. I was astonished that L had
never thought of it before; it is so nice,
removes every bit of starch OF anything
else and makes them so smooth.
One girl taught me that old corsets
makes the best stove cloths. Just one-half
at a time is a convenient size. They are
ready made and much better, when I'M
folded, to take hold Of anything with, than
a made holder, and much easier to wash.
Just throw them in with the brown towels,
as many as you happen to get during the
week, and they come out clean and ready
to use again.
Another girl pours hot water on the
blades only of steel knives and they wipe
easily and do not need drying.
Another one told me the best way to
keep hams and dried beef was to pack it
in dry salt. We have tried it several years,
with perfect success. An old salt barrels
convenient. Set it i'll some cool, dry place;
pieces of dried beef, if you have any, for
chinking cover with salt, then hams and
salt again, till the barrel is full. There is
not the least danger from insects, if the
hams are smoked and the beef dried and
put away early, before the flies come
around and they are much nicer to ham
die than when put in ashes Oh oats, orany-
thing of that kind.
Coal ASHES ABOUT PLUM TREEs.-I
had very pretty plum tree in my yard
year ago last summer. 1t had but few
plums on it. 1t looked healthy but the
fruit fell off until seven very imperfect
plums remained. That fall I dug around
the tree, cut the grass away, and spread
coal ashes from the stove around it for two
or three feet, and two or three inches deep
and tramped the ashes lightly down. The
following spring the tree leaved out nicely,
was full of plums, and nearly all remained
ON until ripe-so full were the branches
that had to tie them up to support the
weight. The fruit was quite perfect in
size and shape. I am sure the manner of
treatment was the cause of the improve
ment- / think fruit trees could be i'm
proved in this manner, both in the quality
and the quantity of the fruit they would
produce William II. Wooden.
CATERPILLARs.--The tent caterpillar,
the eggs of which encircle the small twigs
in rings Of 400 OF 500 each, is most easily
destroyed before it matches, or early in the
spring. Cut off and burn them. On an
extensive farm we had an active man to
pass over it early in the spring and clear
them out. He destroyed about 5000 nests
in two days, thus preventing the Matching
of over a million of eggs-more than all
the birds in the township would have
done, after hatching.' In some parts of
the country they are abundant this year,
and the sooner they are looked after the
better
The BEST WINTER CABBAGEs.-Peter
I. Quinn states in the New York "Tri-
bune" that the Jersey market gardeners
put the Jersey Wakefield at the head of
the list for an early and reliable sort; next
the Early Flat Dutch, between the early
and late-much better than Early Win,
ningstadt. The pure Flat Dutch is the
best late sort, the Marblehead being far in
ferior. This conclusion is made after
planting thousands of each sort side by
side.
CoCoANUT CAKE.-Four cups of flour,
three cups of sugar, one cup OF milk, five
/ eggs beat separately, one cup OF butter,
two tea-spoonsful of cream of tartar, one
tea-spoonful of soda, the half of cocoa
nut grated and put into the cake, and the
other half nut with the whites of three