American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-10-16
HOME, FARM AND GARDEN.

Pounded alum will purify water
One teaspoonful of alum to four gallons
of water will cause precipitation of the
impurities.
Lemon Custard Cake.-Four cupfuls
of flour, six eggs, two cupfuls of sugar,
one teaspoonful of cream of tartar, one
teaspoonful soda, one cupful of butter, one
cupful of milk; bake same as Il jelly-cakc;
put custard between each layer.
To make honey cakes, mix quart of
strained honey with half pound of pow
dered white sugar, half a pound of fresh
butter and the juice of two oranges or
lemons. Warm the ingredients slightly,
just enough to soften the butter, and then
stir the mixture very hard, adding a graf
ed nutmeg. Mix in gradually two pounds
or less of sifted flour, make it into a dough
just stiff enough to roll out easily, and beat
it well all over with n rolling-pl then
roll it out into a large sheet half an inch
thick, cut it into round cakes with top of
"A tumbler, dipped frequently in flour, lay
them in shallow tin pans, slightly buttered-
and bake them.
Preserved Tomatoes.-TO every pound
of little, pear-shaped, yellow tomatoes al
low three-quarters of a pound of white
sugar; prick each one with a coarse nee
die in five or six places; put the sugar on
the fire in a preserving kettle, with a tea
cup of boiling water to six pounds of SUI
gar; stir over slow fire until dissolved,
then put the tomatoes in and cook until
clear; when half done add the juice and
rind cut very fine of two large, fresh lem
ons. When the fruit is clear take it out
carefully and put it in small jars, filling
them two-thirds full; boil the syrup fast
for six minutes more, then fill up the Jars
and let them stand a day; cover closely
and keep in cool place.-Anaerican Farm
Journal.
Small farms make near neighbOrs;
they make good roads; they make plenty
of good schools and churches; there is
more money made in proportion to the
labor; less labor is wanted; everything is
kept neat; less wages have to be paid for
help; less time is wasted; more is raised
to the acre; besides, it is titled better;
there is no watching of hired help; the
mind is not kept in a worry, a stew, fret,
all the time. There's not SO much fear of
a drought of weather, of frost, of small
prices. There's not so much money to be
paid out for agricultural implements. Our
wives and children have time to read, to
improve their minds. A small horse is
soon curried-and the work on a small
farm is always pushed forward in sea
son. Give us small farms for comfort
ay, and give us small farms for profit
Exchange.
There is no good reason why farmers
and their families should eat SO much salt
pork, leaving all the fresh meat to the in
habitants of cities and villages, when the
following method will keep meat fresh
for weeks even in the warmest weather. /
have tried it for several years: AS soon
as the animal heat is out of the meat,
slice it up ready for cooking. Prepare
large jar by scalding it well with hot salt
water. Mix salt and pulverIzed saltpeter.
Cover the bottom of the jar with sprinkle
of salt and pepper. Put down layer of
meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper the
same as if it was just going to the table
and continue in this manner until the jar
is full. Fold a cloth or fowl and wet in
strong salt and water in which little of
the saltpeter is dissolved. Press the cloth
closely over the meat and set it in cool
place. Be sure and press the cloth in
tightly as each layer is removed, and your
meat will keep for months. 1t is good
plan to let the meat remain over night,
after it is sliced, before packing. Then
drain off all the blood that ooZes ffonhit.
1t will be necessary to change tHe cldf
OCCASIONALLY, or take it off and wash it
first in cold water then scald in salt water,
as at first. In this way farmers can have
fresh meat all the year round. l have
kept beef that was killed the 18th of
February till the 21st of June. Then l
packed large jar of veal in the same
way during the dog-days and kept it six
weeks. This recipe alone is worth the
price of any newspaper in the land.-Cor.
InteT-Ocedn.