The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-02-08
FARM. GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Farmers, Club Questions and Answers.

Why is wood better for handling but
ter than any other substances Why
use wooden paddle instead of metal
spoon?
There is nothing better for handling
butter than wood well soaked i'll water,
for the simple reason that the pores OF
the wood are filled with water, which
will not easily mix with oily substances
hence the butter does not adhere rs to
the metal.
Why is the preference given to tinware
over wooden vessels for milking pur-
poses
Because, unless great care is observed
in washing the latter, which shrink and
swell whenever they are wet, milk is
liable to become locked in the pores,
and so soon render the bucket unfit for
use. All wooden vessels, spoons, etc,
used about milk and butter should be
thoroughly scalded with boiling water.
After having first been washed i'll
that which is only warm they should
then be dried in any airy place, but
not--as is too often the case-in
the sun, to fall in pieces. When by
mischance they have been so dried they
should be swelled back again by being
in contact with milk or butter.
What is the difference between alfalfa
and lucerne?
Alfalfa, lucerne and Chill clover are
one and the same. In botany this plant,
which is one of the oldest known to have
been cultivated for fodder, is the medi-
cagO satira its leaflets are in threes
like the common clover; the flowers
ii, t,, hr1n
are pea shaped the seeds are held i'll
downy pods, which are twisted into two
or three twirls.
Is there any effective remedy for cab
bage worms
One correspondent says that buck
wheat flour sifted through a sieve i'll the
evening or in the morning, when the
dew is on, will eradicate them. The
usual remedy advised is an application
| of hellebore.
How long will an asparagus bed live
|. Asparagus beds will, with regular cut
ting, continue from twenty to thirty
years.
Give some suggestions for forcing
lettuce for the spring supply.
Sowings of lettuce seed intended for the
spring supply are made from December
to February twelve weeks are required
for its full development in the winter
months. The seed is sown thinly, broad
cast in hot-bed and when the plants
have made two or three leaves they are
pricked out to three or four inches apar"
in another portion of the bed. When
two or three inches high, they are finally
transplanted into yet another part of the
bed at distances corresponding with thu
size of the variety. AS the plants in
crease in size, the quantity of air SHOULD
be increased. and water should he givel
whenever the surface of the bed seem'
dry. In severe cold weather piece o
cal uiprting or ,iruilal covering should b'
placed over the glass for the further pro
lection OF the plants. Many farmer
transplant directly from the nursery bee
to where the plants are to remain
but good authorities advise the frs
method as gaining the finest lettuce.
Caring Hams.
A New York farmer gives the follow
ing rs his rule, instead of the old way q
sailing them down For preserving bee
my recipe is six gallons of water, min
pounds of salt, three pounds of sugal
one gallon of molasses, three ounces 4
saltpeter and one ounce of saleratus.
mix these ingredients and heat to boi
ing point, skimming off all the impurities
When cold / pour it on the meat. Il
! not rate the amount Of materials accort
ing to the amount of meat, but mix j
the proportions given and use enough {
the mixture to cover the meat / wis
to preserve. L find that this metho
cures the hams and leaves them tende
and Juicy They never get hard.
leave the hams i'll the pickle from four
six weeks, according to their size.
takes longer to cure large hams than
does small ones. / always move the han
after they have been in the pickle thre
days-take them out and pack them owe
This is necessary, for when they al
closely packed together some parts of ii
hams do not have a chance to be pen
trated by the pickle. keep beef in IL
same way, except that l would boil ov,
: the pickle before warm weather in Il
l spring. The finest hams We ever use
were OF a pig frozen with other fres
meat and so kept till spring, and the
D put into pickle just long enough
, ''corn through" say ten or twelve day
! when it was smoked and eaten. 1t vi
as sweet and tender as a chicken.
, Test for Quality of Milk.
:, A member of the American Farmer
, club Thought it quite as important
t butter making t. know the quality as II
S quantity of milk yielded by each co,
h One needs to know the percentage
e cream to determine the value of the CO
e for butter, and as the price of butter
o Influenced by it's color and flavor (son
S believe the color determines the flavor
! the test should give both quality al
s quantity of cream. This is easily al
d cheaply done by filling glass tumbl
|, with the milk OF each COW, and settil
}, these tumblers in a cool place for Il
G cream to rise. The transparent gla
e will show the thickness of the cream al
" its color. In this manner one has Il
Q milk of the several COWS under inspe
d tion at the same time, and can thereto
= make an accurate comparison. Bo
e nights and mornings milk should
thus tested. This testing often prov
d that the COW giving the smallest quaint
= OF milk makes the most butter. A Il
e hours time will. show the comparati
g quality of the milk given by each COW
n herd, and enable the farmer to sele
l. out those that give cream of ri
sr golden color, and make way with the !
le mainder, supplying their places wi
y others it will pay better to keep. =