Connecticut western news., 1876-11-17
FARM. GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Domestic Helps.


 To CLEAR EouP.-Let it cool; then beat up the whites of two or three egg !; stir them into the cold soup with the broken shells of the eggs; set the soup over the fire and keep stirring until the scum rises. Let it boil four or five minutes, then take it off set it aside until it settles; then strain it and serve hot. t%
 FLASHED BEET. Slice and brown one large onion with small piece of butter in an iron saucepan; then add one tea spoonful of moist sugar, which also brown we'll. Mix in small cup des- ssrtspoonfu1 of flour with little water Pour this into the saucepan, mix we'll, and add breakfastcupful of good plain beef or veal gravy, stirring occasionally. Out your cold beef into thin slices, pep per it, and put into saucepan with a bunch of sage. Let the whole stew un- til it boils. Serve up, garnished with pieces of toast.
 FIRST RATE CoFFEE.-Take 0 coffee cupful of the best Java coffee, browned to the color of chocolate, ground not too fine, and mix with it half an egg. Put this into coffee pot or boiler and pour over it one quart of boiling water, stir ring as you put the water in; boil slowly for fifteen minutes; then stand the boil CT on the back of the range for ten min utos to settle; turn all coffee off from the grounds at once into an urn or cof- tee pot, that can stand upon the stove to keep hot. Coffee loses the flavor by standing on the grounds longer than half an hour, and should be very hot to be good. Put into the cup teaspoon ful of condensed milk and some boiled milk and turn the coffee into it. No French coffee is any better. z COOKING POTATOES. Potatoes and all vegetables, is place of boiling, should be cooked by, steam, else they must be more or less water soaked. The simplest and cheapest steamer is easily had by having steamer made to fit the large iron kettle that every kitchen has. The steamer, of tin, made to fit the kettle, the sides fitting down, say one inch, a snug, perfect fit; one inch from this rim is bottom with holes cut in it, half an inch in diameter and one inch apart The steamer, like basin with straight or perpendicular sides, nine inches deep, tin cover to fit perfectly tight, the cover made to run up higher in the middle two or three inches. This steamer can be made for $1. 50, prob ably. When stewing fruit, put 1t in an earthen dish; set dish and all in the steamer. The fruit then does not waste It's flavor as when stewed with water. Steam puddings, instead of boiling, if you would retain the flavor. ----
 Ffuit Garden.
 PLANTING should be done early this aF not ln good condition heel in the plants in sheltered place.
 STRAwBERRIEs.-C the soil of the beds with straw or leaves, just before tue ground freezes hard let the cover ing over the plants themselves be slight or they may be injured.
 CURRENTS AND GoosRBERREs.- bushes when crowded should have the old branches thinned out, and the new growth shortened one-half or one-third The prunings of new wood may be made into cuttings six inches long and set out at once.
 BLACKBERRIES AND RAsPBKRRIEs.-I the old fruiting canes have not been cut out and burned as directed last month do it now. While the ground remains open, 1t is better to set out plants as they start early in the spring, as the shoots are apt to be broken of if moved then. -... -.--
 TRE1LIsEs are repaired, or new ones made, more conveniently now than ir spring. Use the most durable wood Chestnut is durable in some soils red cedar lasts we'll j; locust is the most durable, and where this is scarce pieces three feet long may be set tw, and half feet in the ground and up rights of pine or other lumber spiket to them,
 GRAPEvINEs.-Beginners make grea mistake ill setting out old vines. w see offered ia the city markets stems al inch or two in diameter without as mucl root as a good year old vine shoul, nave. Young vines, one or two year old, with abundant fibrous roots are pre- ferable to old ones. Gut back the ster to 8 foot, plant in good, not over-ricl soil, spreading the roots well, and the cover tho surface with litter. It is nc practicable to give directionsfor prunin frulting vines, as all depends upon pre- ylous treatment and present condition It must be borne in mind that the beal ing shoots came from theHbuds now vis able. and one must leave buds wher shoots are wanted. Most varieties ma be propagated from cuttings made fror canes of last seasons growth. Cut tn canes removed in pruning into length of two or three buds, tie into punches label, and put away in earth in 8 COG cellar.-Agriculturist. -.... ..-
 Laying Out an Orchard.
 Mr. R. Peters, an extensive nursery . man of Delaware, recommends the fo lowing plan of planting young orchards now adopted by many of our most sut cessful fruit growers