The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-07-04
FARM AND PRESIDE.

THERE are several simple but important
things necessary to make good butter. A
good breed of cows, good feeding, kind
ness to the animals, cleanliness, plenty OF
cool water for cows, milk. and vessels,
slow driving, good-humored but brisk
mixers, and cool place for milk and but
ter.
CRACKER DEssERT.-ChoOse whole soda
crackers, and lay each upon separate
small plate. Pour upon it enough boil
ing water to soak it well, and leave none
upon the plate; cover with dressing OF
good sweetened cream with spoonful OF
Jelly in the center if you choose, or dip
upon it a portion of nice fruit, canned,
stewed, or fresh, as is convenient.
GRAHAM BIscUIT.-To apint of butter
milk, add 2 eggs beaten to cream:
Crush all the Jumps in the soda, and add
a teaspoonful level full to the -four. Put
in pinch of salt, and have the batter
thin enough for pan cakes. Have the
oven moderately hot, so they will rise be-
fore forming crust.
To PRESERVE RosEBUDs.-A method
employed in Germany to keep rosebuds
fresh into the winter consists in first Gov
ering the end of the recently cut stem
with wax, and then placing each one In
closed paper, cap or cone, SO that the leaves
do not touch the paper. The cap is then
coated with glue. to exclude air, dust and
moisture. and when dry, it is stood up in
cool place. When wanted for use, the
bud is taken out of the cap and placed in
water, after cutting off the end, when the
rose will bloom in few hours.
AN inexpensive but durable method OF
painting old buildings is as follows: First
give them a coat of crude petroleum,
which is the oil as it comes from the wells,
and can be procured for about 81 to So a
barrel in almost any town or city. Then
mix one pound of metallic paint" which
is brown or red hematite iron ore finely
ground, to one quart of linseed oil, and
apply this over the petroleum coat. The
petroleum. sinks into the wood and makes
good groundwork for the iron and oil
paint. The color of the iron paint is
dark reddish brown, and is not at all disa-
greeable it is a color not readily soiled,
very durable, and is tire-proof.
CoCKRoACHEs AND BORAX.-BO ak is
the best eXterminator yet discovered.
The troublesome insect has a great aver
sion to it, and will never return where ii
has once been scattered. As the salt is
perfectly harmless to human beings, it is
much to be preferred for this purpose to
the poisonous substances commonly used.
BoraX is also valuable for laundry use, in
stead of soda. Add handful of it, pow
dered, to about ten gallons of boiling Wa
ter, and you need use only half the ordin-
airy allowance of soap. For laees, cam
brics, etc., use an extra quantity OF the
powder. 1t will not injure the texture OF
the cloth in the least.
AN English technical periodical points
out an easy way of testing whether water
is good and fit for general use. 1t says
ssGood water should be free from color.
unpleasant odor and taste, and should
quickly afford a lather with small por-
ton of soap. If half pint of the water
be placed in a perfectly clean, colorless,
glass-stoppered bottle. a few grains OF the
best white lump-sugar added, and the bot
tie freely exposed to the daylight in the
window of a warm room, the liquid should
not become turbid, even after exposure
for week or ten days. If the water be-
comes turbid, it is open to the grave sus-
picion of sewage contamination but if il
remain clear, it is almost certainly safe.
SwEET-PoTATo PUDDNGs.-To large
sweet-potato weighing lbs. allow Id. Of
sugar, ] I'd. of butter, gill of sweet cream
l gill of strong wine or brandy, / grated
nutmeg and a1ittle lemon-peel, and eggs
Boil the potato until thoroughly done
mash up fine, and while hot add the sugar
and butter. Set aside to cool while you
beat the eggs light, and add the seasoning
last. Line tin plates with puff paste an6
pour in the mixture. Bake in moderate
but regularly heated oven. When the
buildings are drawn from the fire, cover
the top with thinly sliced bits of preserved
citron or ounce marmalade. Strew thu
top thiekly with granulated white sugar
and serve, with the addition of glass O.
rich milk for each person at table. Thu
above quantity is sufficient to fill three
plates, and one quart of flour will furnish
enough pastry for so many buildings.
RHEuMADE.-Wheng green currants anC
gooseberries and the ripe summer fruit
come on. the rhubarb begins to be neg
| lected. Often the large slleculent stalk
grow and decay in the garden, which
might be put to better use. A new anC
excellent use for them is in making a sum
mer drink after the following fashion
Pull the stalks and dress them and put tx
stew after the usual fashion. As soon al
they begin to boil, drain off the watel
closely, and put by the latter to cool. X
this add an equal amount of water, if liked
and sweeten to the taste, and you will have
most refreshing drink, quite as wholesome
as the pie-plant stems used in any othel
way. It is veritable ''ade,'' not wine
called after "Rheum," the genuine nam,
of the plant, and is pleasanter to many tina,
lemonade. 1t may be improved by flavor
! ing with pineapple juice. The rhubarl
left can have as much water added as wa
taken away, and then when stewed to
sauce be as sour as most people care for
and it will besides not require SO mucl
sugar. 1t may also be canned for futur,
use.-.Scie'sce Of Health.