Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-10-18
FARM AND FIREsIDE.

this subject:
To promote laying in the winter season,
an abundance Of warm, stimulating food
should be furnished in good variety. The
fowls should have constant access to gray
ell, to promote digestion; to fine sand, in
which to cleanse themselves and remove
lice. and to old mortar, lime, pulveriZed
oyster OF clam shells, ground bone or chalk
to furnish the material which aids in the
formation of egg-shells. These things are
kept in boxes if necessary. Water should
| be always handy, for fowls frequently suf-
fer from the want of it. If it can be so man.
aged in winter that the fowls shall not dip
their gills in it, those parts may be saved
| from freezing while wet. The lack of
clean fresh water, in connection with too
constant feeding on grain, causes costive-
J ness, and IN such cases water, warm vege-
tables and meat may be given as correc-
tlves. 70 promote good laying there must
be careful feeding, amounting almost to
nursing of the flock. Hens lay larger
number of eggs during the first two years
than ever afterward, and from the second
year steadily decline. Cocks reach their
greatest vigor in their second year, and
careful breeders change their male birds
every season, the time of moulting being
chosen to separate the old one and intro
nuce the new corners. The crop and stom-
ach Of the poultry are so formed that it
will answer to feed them once, twice, Or
three times day; but it is better to keep
food before them all the time. They should
at all events have chance to fill their
crops before going to roost for the night.
Too MUCH LANDING knew farmer
" no, ten years ago, owned one hundred
and fifty acres, and was doing well; he
now owns five hundred, and is worse off
than before. And why because this
large farm is a great bill of expense to
him; he cannot afford to keep it up in good
condition, and it hangs milestone of care
about his neck. His wife and children.
both sons and daughters, are obliged to
work hard to keep the great machine run
ming. We presume his boys declare thew
will leave home as soon as they are old
enough; and the girls say they will die be-
fore they will marry farmers. Neither
sons nor daughters are educated as thew
deserve to be: they cannot be spared from
this work on the big farm. Now, we de-
clare that such farm is curse to its DOS
SCISSOR and his family, and an injury to the
whole agricultural interest. If that man.
wants to save himself and his household.
he should sell at least one half of his land.
Improve the remainder to make it more
productive, release his children from bon
dage, and try to make his home comfort.
He will live longer, lay up as good prop
erty, and will train up more intelligent
and happier family. Aq,lcuz-
turalist.
FERTILIzING VALUE OF CLOvER.-A
speaker in Western agricultural assem-
bly, recently, referring to the exhaustion of
the prairie soil by continuous grain crop
ping, said he knew of a field that had borne
corn and wheat seventeen years without
manure, and had become so poor that the
crop did not pay for harvesting. The ow-
ner seeded it to clover, which grew WE'LL
He cut three crops of clover-hay, then re-
versed the soil, planted corn-without ma
nure-and got crop as good, or better,
than the land had ever produced in the
years OF it's greatest natural fertility. This
experiment shows that clover does have
the power to draw fertilizing material from
the air, or the subsoil, or probably from
both. It is in accord with our own expe-
rience for many years.
FAMILY PIE-CRUsT, (SHoRT).-Put a
pound of sifted flour into bowl; work
into it half pound Of sweet lard, or beef
dripping, with dessert-spoonful of salt;
when it is thoroughly mixed through, put
enough cold water to bind it together;
flour the paste slab, or table, ana rolling
pin take part of the paste and roll it to
less Than quarter Of an inch thickness.
This will be quite rich enough for health
or taste. A bit of volatile salts, the size
Of small nutmeg, dissolved in little hot
water and put into the paste with the wa
ter to bind it will make it more light and
delicate. For the upper or outside crust
OF pie, roll the paste out thin, spread a
DIT OF butter half the size of an egg over
it, fold it up roll it out again, and cover
the pie.
TOMATO PREsERvEs.-The small vel
low tomatoes make preserves equal to
those OF the West Indies. Select well-ri-
oened fruit, stem and wash well. TO ey-
sry SIX pounds Of tomatoes add five pounds
II white sugar. Put the tomatoes into a
Kettle, with just enough water to prevent
hem from burning. Steam, with TIGHT
cover over them, until the skins break
skim out the fruit and add the sugar, with
little more water, if needful, to melt it.
Boil for twenty minutes put in the toma-
'oes again, let them boil up once. and then
urn the whole into a closely-covered jar.
N the late winter slice up two lemons and
i'd to the tomatoes.
BEEF OMELET.-Three pounds of beef
hopped fine, three eggs beaten together:
TX crackers rolled fine: one tablespoonful
It salt, one tablespoonful Of melted butter.
age to the taste mix well and make Ikea
Dat of bread; put little water and bits
butter into the pan; invert another pan
yer it; haste the omelet occasionally. bake
n hour and a quarter. and when cold slice
cry thin.
SLICED SWEET POTATO P1E,-Line the
ie- tins with crust; slice boiled potatoes
cry thin, put in layer ofpotatoes. sprin-
lie well with sugar and butter, then pota-
)es and so on until the par, is full: fill