The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-04-25
AGRICULTURAL.
Domestic Receipts,
FOR THE LAUNDRY.

FOR THE LAUNDRY.
A beautiful finish can be given TO articles
to be starched by taking One-fourtb of a
pound OF starch and working it over and
Rneading 1t wiz little water, then placing
nve or SIX pints of water in pan and adding
10 tnis very small quantity of powdered bo-
rsx, small piece of sugar and fragment OF
White wax about the size OF hazel nut and
heating the whole. The water is then added
to the starch, stirring continually, and mix
ing the two together until the whole is as
thick as desired.
@ DRY YEAST.
In a pint OF water boil handful Of hops
till one third of the water is boiled away
pour this, boiling hot, through a sieve on to
TWO tablespoonfuls of sifted flour. Stir the
mixture till smooth and add cup of fresh
yeast. When it has risen, pour it into a
bread bowl and mix it with corn meal till it
is a firm dough; cut into shapes and dry in
the shade. When thoroughly dry, put thrm
in bag and hang in a dry place. For use,
dissolve one of the cakes in cup OF water,
stir in flour to form a batter, and when light,
etsponge for bread.
HINTS ABOUT FLOWERS.
The art of arranging bouquets is very sim
pie. Having collected the flowers to be used
on tray, all the supelfuous leaves should
be stripped from the stems, and by placing
the flowers side by side you can easily see
the order in which they will be most advan-
tageousiy displayed. A very pretty hand
bouquet can be made BY taking a small,
stralgnt SUCK, not over quarter OF an inch
III diameter. Tie string to the top of it,,
and begin by fastening on q few delicate
flowers or enc large, handsome one for a CEN
Ire piece, winding the string about each stem
as you add the flowers and leaves to the bou-
quet, always place the flowers with the short
est stems at the top, preserving all those
with lor stems for the base, and finish off
the bouquet with fringe OF finely-cut foli-
AGE. Then cut all the stems evenly, wrap
damp cotton about them, and cover the
stens with prper cut in pretty ace designs.
m making bouquets from garden flowers,
such as are most easy 10 procure, the flowers
can be arranged fatty, and background
made from sprays OF evergreen.
HOW To SELECT MEATS.
Good and wholesome meat should neither
be OF a pale rose or pink color, nor of deep
purple. The first denotes the diseased con-
ditlon, the last proves the animal has died
natural death. Good meat has more of a
marble look. in consequence Of the branch
Ing OF the veins which surround the adipose
cells. The fat, especially of the inner organs
is always firm and suetY and never moist,
while in general the fat from diseased cattle
is fabby aud watery and more often resem-
bles jelly or boiled parchment Wholesome
meat will always show itself firm and elastic
to the touch, and exhibit no dampness, while
bad meat will appear soft aud moist, in fact,
often very wet, so that the liquid substance
runs out OF the blood when pressed hard.
Good meat has very little smell and dffuses
certain medicinal odor. This can be distinct
ly proved by cutting the meat through with
knife and smelling the blade, or pouring Wa
ter over 1T. Lastly bad meat has the peculiar
ity that it shrinks considerably in the boiling;
wholesome meat rather swes, and does not
lose an ounce in weight.
VI az FANNIE's DOWN EAST PUDDING.
One pint of raised bread crumbs; one pint
OF stewed apples, sweetened and spiced to
taste, with small piece of butter; the yolks
of two eggs and Ole table spoonful of sugar,
beat thoroughly and stir into one half pint of
new milk Grease pudding dish, put in layer
of bread crumbs, preserving one-half) then
put in your stewed apples and cover with the
remaining bread crumbs, then turn over your
eggs and milk, and bake in hot oven from
one-half to three-quarters of an hour. After
it is baked. cover with frosting of the whites
OF eggs and three tablespoonful of sugar,
return again to the oven and brown light
brown. Baked one-half hour before eating.