The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-06-05
ITEMS FOR FIELD AND HOUSE.

A WRITER in the London Garden finds
that the cracking of pears is prevented
by grating more than one variety on
the same stock. He is very positive
about it.
COMMISSIONER LIE Due is more hope
full of corn and sorghum than of beet
roots as the plants which are to aid the
success of our sugar producing industry.
MANY places along the sunny sides
of fences might be utilized by the plant
ing of sunfowers. The large headed
kinds are very profitable for feeding to
poultry. The seeds are coarse and full
of oil. Feed the sunfower seeds with
cracked corn and rye.
CHAR the ends of your posts before
putting them into the holes. They will
last much longer. They may be charred
a little higher than the ground, al
though that is likely to make them a
little unsightly. There are farmers who
even after charring make an application
of thin tar.
Use only grains from the middle of
the ear, rejecting the butts and tips.
Experience shows that ears from the
butts are short and thick, while those
from the tips have fewer rows and thin
stalks. The grains from the middle of
the ear have larger germs and more SUBJ
stance to nourish the sprouts.
BoRACIC acid is the best antiseptic
agent for preserving milk sound for un-
usual lengths of time. With the tenn
perature at eighty degrees Fahrenheit
one part of boracic added to five hun
dred parts of milk caused it to remain
sweet for fifty hours. At this tempera-
ture natural milk soured in twenty to
twenty-five hours.
GREAT care should be exercised in
making the change from hay to grass
diet. A good plan is to turn cattle into
home pasture for few hours day
for two or three weeks, feeding also hay !;
they will thus be prepared for living on
grass alone, and having become accus-
toned by moderate exercise to walking,
they will drive more readily.
A HANGING garden of sponge is very
pretty window ornament. Take good
sized sponge and SOW it full of rice, oats
or wheat, placing it for week or ten
days in shallow dish containing water.
The sponge will absorb the moisture,
and the seeds will begin to sprout before
many days. When this has fairly
taken place the sponge may be sus-
pended by cord from hook at the
top of the window, SO as to swing free
where it will get little sun. 1t will
thus become living mass of green, and
require but little moisture.
No insect which usually infests the
house and crawls over the floors or wood
work can live under the application of
hot alum water. 1t will destroy red and
black ants, cockroaches, spiders and
chintz bugs. Take two pounds of alum
| and dissolve it in three or four quarts
| of boiling water. Let it stand on the
| fire until the alum is all melted; then
| apply it with brush (while nearly
boiling hot, to every joint and crevice
in your closets, bedsteads, pantry.
shelves, etc. If, in whitewashing a
ceiling, plenty of alum is added to the
whitewash, it will keep off insects.
AS soon as wound is inflicted get a
little stick-a knife or file handle will
do-and commence to rap gently on the
wound. Do not stop for the hurt, but
continue until it bleeds freely and be.
comes perfectly numb. When this point
| is reached you are safe-all that is nee.
essary is to protect it from the dirt. Do
not stop short of the bleeding and the
numbness, and do not, on any account
close the opening with plaster. We
have used, and seen this used, on all
kinds of simple punctures for thirty
years, and never knew single instance
of wound becoming infamed or sore
after treatment as above.
SWEET pickles: Take good, sount
fruit, apples, peaches or pears, and part
them stick into each one or more cloves
fill three gallon jar full of fruit; TAXI
one gallon of good apple vinegar, si1
pounds sugar, pulverize tablespoonful
of spice, one of cinnamon, one of mace
and one or two nutmegs; tie this il
muslin and put it into the vinegar ant
sugar; boil and skim; pour into the ja
of fruit; let it stand until next day
drain off; boil and pour back on tn
fruit; the third day boil altogether un
til the fruit is we'll scalded; take it ou
into the jar and boil the vinegar ant
sugar into a thin syrup; pour over tn
fruit and put away, and you hav
splendid pickles that will keep lon|
time. Sweet pickles are very mic
picked in this way.