The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-09-08
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
C..k.ns Food for swine.


at the Fairs are all very uice, but farmer
can make better cooker for himself at one
third the cost OF these patented affairs.
Make box, of bard wood, and of the desired
capacity, ends and sides sloping. For the
bottom use piece of sheet iron, as wide as
the outside Of the box. Place the box upon
brick work Ga trench in the ground can be
made to answer the purpose) within which
the fire is placed It should have a door,
with damper beneath, to admit the air,
that the fire may be properly regulated; the
escape for smoke at the opposite eud. In the
end of the box should be D faucet or slide,
through which the box can be emptied. The
cover Is movable, and should consist of plank,
cut on bevel to correspond with the slope
of the sides and the ends of the box, and
made to fl inside. not on the top.
Place a few loose crats or supports at in
tervals in the bottom of the box, after it is
placed in position over the fre-box or trench,
and upon these supports place false bottom.
The false bottom should be perforated suffi-
Gent to allow water to pass down and up
freely, but the perfOrations should be suffi-
ciently small to prevent considerable quanti-
ties of the contents of the box from passing
down. The false bottom should be taken
out whenever the box is cleaned, in order to
prevent an accumulation of material beneath
1t. Its object is to prevent food from burning,
which it would do if upon the bottom of the
box proper.
It not only has the merit of economy in con.
struction. but of being very economical in
operation. The box will hold all that will
likely be required at one time. The fire. box
is large and roomy, and the fire can be made
argely of old chunks fit for nothingelse, or
OF long pieces of wood, and when the fire has
once got fairly underway, the dampers can
be closed, and the farmer can 60 to other
work while the cooking is proceeding, for if
the wood does not burn long enough, the bed
of Goals remaining will be sufficient for the
purpose.
In constructing such an apparatus it would
be well to make the sides of the box long
enough to admit of their being fastened to-
gether by iron bolts outside the ends to pre-
vent spreading, and the bottom might be
made foot or more longer than the oox at
one end, and in the projecting portion joint
OF stove pipe fitted TO act as chimney, and
before The bottom is nailed to its place.
heavy coat OF thick whitehead should be
smeared upon the edges of the boards that
will receive it, that the joint may be tight.
The fire-box or trench should be a little mar
rover than the bottom of the box, SO that
the fire will not act directly upon the bottom
where it Is nailed to the wood.
Such an apparatus as here described will
cook corn ad nirabIy, and would, we believe,
answer the purpose with meal, il th+ mush
were not required too thick. II corn un-
grounc is cooked long enough to become soft,
ii will probably b- found to answer all the
purposes of grinding. Such al apparatus
can also be used for soaking corn, when it is
not designed to cook it; and when hog-killDg
time comes, it will be found of great u.e as
scalding va, keeping fire under it all the
time, and reducing the temperature of the
water. when necessary. by the addition of
cold water.-NGti0ndI Liue Stock Journal.
Gatheriu2 Grapes.
Whether it be Tor the table or wine, do not
pick the grape before it is fully ripe. Every
grape will cuor be'ore ripe; some do several
Weeks before, but when thoroughly ripe the
stem turns brown and shIivels somewhat.
In the finest qualities, the sweetness and
aroma of the grape juice are fully developed
only in the perfectly matured grape; and We
consider the late ripeniDg varieties as far su-
perior, especially for wine, to the early kinds;
but, OF course only in such localities where
late grapes will mature. This noble fruit
does not ripen. like sothe other fruit. alter
being gathered. Always gather the srapes in
fair weather, and wait till the dew is dried
of before commencing in the morning. Cut
of the clusters with knife or shears, aud
clip out the unripe diseased berries, if any,
not be rubbed off, nor any of the berries
broken, If they are are to be sent to market,
or to be kept into Winter.
For packing grapes for market, shallow
boxes, holding from three to ten POUNDS, and
especially manufactured for the purpose in all
the principal grape regions, costing about one
ceut per pound, are used In packing, the
top is first nailed on and sheet OF thin
white paper put in; who'll punches are first
in ha ploooc loff lad
parts OF lunches, so that the space is occu
pied aud the whole box packed as closely and
full as possible without j.mming Another
sheet OF paper is now laid on the bottom
nailed down. By this means, when the
boxes are opened, only entire buncnes are
found at the top.
Grapes could be easily preserved for
months II you bad cool room or cellar,
where the temperature could be kept be-
tween $50 and 400. In warm, damp at
mospherP, grapes will soon rot. Mr.. Fuller
recommends for preserving grapes, to bring
them first into cool room, spread them out
and let them remain there tor few days,
until all surplus moisture has passed off;
then pack them away in boxes, placing the
punches close together, and thick sheets of
paper between each layer. When the boxes
are filled, put them away in cool place; ex-
anime them occasionally and take out the de-
CdycO UcIrIco lTOm lille u GlI06 dS tDoy ap.
pear. If the place is cool and the fruit ripe
and sound, they will keep three to four
months.
Another method by which grapes are
sometimes successfully preserved till late in
March, especially in France, is this: Cut
branch having two punches of fruit attached,
and place the lower end in a small bottle of
water, through perforated cork; seal the
upper end Of the branch and also the cork
with sealing wax. A little charcoal In the
water preserves its purity The bottles are
then placed in dry cool room, where tenn
perature is pretty even and never falls below
Interfering point, and are kept in an erect
position usually by rack made for the pur-
pose), care being taken that the clusters do
not touch each other. and that every imper-
feet grape be removed as fast as it shows
signs of falling But very few persons, how
ever, can bestow this care, and still less have
fruit room or cellar that can be kept so
COO (4Oo).-Bush & Son 6 Meisner's Cata-
lOgue.
The Old Strawberry Patch.
The CORY of the old strawberry bed is de-
part+dl Neitherthe green plants, the white
blossoms, nor the tempting scarlet fruit is
longer to be seen. In their place are trodden,
vryIf rnN wiz 4s-s- Al