The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-02-20

and grasses. Corn is usually losing
crop ON such Land, yet how often We see
it put upon ii. One Of my neighbors
the past season put two fields in corn,
one on clay upland, the other on river
flats, both sod turned down and treated
alike. That ON the bill failed ~ come
aud the land was put TO grain; the other
produced seventy bushels Of shelled corn
10 the acre and grew O large crop Of
pumpkins besides. There was drainage
and warm soil in the one case, cold and
wet In the other. On the same range Of
upland, drained soil produced good corn.
The difficulty with undrained land ispar-
ticularly felt in the spring, belating the
work two or three weeks, and should
rain follow, longer still. Much Land Is
thus put of till too Late TO SOW, and then
10 given to buckwheat. Had it been
underdained ii would have been one OF
the earliest TO SOW, and rain would have
had but transient effect in putting of
the work. This il invariably the case
where understanding has been well
done. Grass and winter grain are
also much less affected, generally
not any, whereas before, especially with
clover, the mischief done by the frost
was immense, whole fields were laid
bare by the effects of freezing and thaw-
ing. the water in the soil being the
means Of expansion and contraction.
That out, the plants remain firm, and
plowed soil is easily dry and mellow and
it should then, with the first mellowness,
be sown. When undetermined il is also
moister in drouth and cracks less;
works mellow among hard crops, will
grow wheat excellently, whereas, before,
it would have been a loss in most cases
and failure in a few. Orchards in @
drained soil become thrifty and healthy.
Our clay farms, rs q whole, are doubled
in value, and some of them much more,
by understanding. The farmer il mex.
cusable who neglects it. But let him dc
his work well, for clogged drain is nc
drain at all. IL he has not the proper
knowledge, let him get the directions Of
one who has, as it is an important under.
taking, tho with his own labor in the
fall or winter the expense will be less
felt. The drainage is not to be confined
to swamps; that is the smallest part Of
it. All the heavy clay lands needs it,
tho it may seem to be dry enough, and
some seasons does well. The spring
usually tells in the long stay of the frost
and the wet in it; also water remaining
in post-holes. The great improvement Of
our American agriculture lies in under.
draining, and the sooner this is done the
better. 1t means doubling the value OF
large proportion of our land.
Recipes.
INDIAN PULDNG.-One quart boiling
milk poured on to thee tablespoonfuls
of meal, let the milk curd, add three
eggs, sugar, spice, and salt to taste.
DoUGHNuTs.-One cup of sugar, two
eggs, one cup of milk, nutmeg, two tea
spoonfuls cream tartar, one teaspoonful
OF saleratus, piece of butter the size OF
an egg. ..
CREAM CANDY.-A pound of sugar, O
half teaspoonful of water, half tea
spoonful of vinegar, tablespoonful OF
butter; boil fifteen minutes, and stir il
up only once at first.
BROWN BREAD.-One cupful of Indian
meal, one cupful of -four, one cupful OF
molasses, two cupfuls of Graham meal,
three cupfuls of water, one teaspoonfnl
saleratus, also little salt. Steam three
hours. 1t is quite thin before steaming.
STEwHD PoTAToEs. Boil the potatoes
and cut in thick slices; take half table
spoonful of -four, little salt and butter
and chopped parsley, ETC.; teacupful
of milk; put them all together in q
SAUCEPAN and let them stand about
twenty minutes.
WHITE FRUIT CAKE.--One cup of but
ter, two cups of white sugar, three cups
-four, one half cup-sweet milk, one tea.
spoonful of cream of tartar, one half tea
spoonful of soda, whites of eight eggs,
one pound of radsins, and one quarter of
pound of citron, chopped.
POP Corn BALLs.-These are easily
made. One gallon of pop corn take half
a pint of molasses or sugar, put into a
skillet and let it boil up at once; and then
pour it over the corn; grease your hand
with sweet butter, and make the whole
into balls of such size as You please.
WHIPPED CREAM.-Take one pint of
thick cream, sweeten it with very sweet
sugar and orange flower water; boil it.
Beat the whites of ten eggs with little
cold cream, strain it, and when the cream
is upon the boil, pour in the eggs, STIR
ring it well till it comes to thick curd;
then take it up and strain il again through
a hair seive. Beat it well with spoon
until it is cold, then place it in dish in
which you wish to serve it.