The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-04-22
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD,
Plant GOOD Potatoes.

Those who are about to plant potatoes
will do well to read the following adj
vice iroin th Kansas FdTner. Good
seed is most likely to secure good crop:
Whatever variety of pot atoes are planted
select the best tubers for seed. Plant
large, well-formed. smooth potatoes, as
il is evidence of large well-formed
variety, evidence OF soundness and
health, evidence of perfection and in
order to produce the best of anything
the surest way is TO select the best to
grow from. Small potatoes useo for
seed may, and do often, produce large.
fine tubers, but they may be small
varietv-some of them at least are liable
to he. If they do not belong to small
tuber family then the weight OF evidence
is in favor of their being imperfect and
unripe, consequently weak and un-
healthy. Such stock, either of animals
or vegetables, is not fit to propagate
from. Nature stores in the perfect
seed what is required to promote and
perpetuate the vigorous and hardy
plant. By carefully selecting the best
of everything to plant, the finest
grain, fruit, roots and other vege-
tables can be produced with reason
able certainty but if this fundamental
law is neglected the chances are in favor
of large per cent. of inferior produce.
The same natural law governs in the
vegetable that is acknowledged to be so
potent in the animal kingdom. Like pro.
duces like, and faults and imperfections
seem to be more readily transmitted
than the more desirable qualities. Very
much better crops could be raised if
farmers gave this subject more study,
and acted upon the well-established
principles of production. Many years
ago, and in a period of our agricultural
history when new varieties of any form
were extremely rare, an ob5ervant
farmer of Pennsylvania, acting on the
principle that perfect grain could only
be insured by using perfect seed, origin
ated superior variety of wheat, which
by holding the sheaves of wheat in his
hands by the butts and beating the tops
over barrel. The large, plump, perfect
grains would fly out and none Others.
This wheat was used as seed, and the
same practice to procure seed being fol-
lowed a few years, produced what
seemed to be new variety of wheat,
but which was only the result of a prac-
tical application of the natural law OF
selecting the fittest. This anecdote is a
practical illustration of using none but
the very best for seed. Unripe, small
potatoes are not fit for seed; neither are
overgrown, hollow hearted tubers. The
former are weak and imperfect; the
latter, like all abnormal monsters, un.
healthy.
CoOKIEs.-Two cups of sugar, one.
half cup of butter, one cup of sweet
milk, teaspoonful of baking powder
earaway seed if liked. and flour enough
to roll out.
| Corn MEAL PUDDING.-Quart of corr
meal, scalded to a mush, cup of sue
chopped fine, cup of raisins seeded, anC
a small teaspoonlul of salt. Boil thre,
hours In buttered steamer. Eat witt
syrup or sauce.
CHICKEN SALAD.-R.move the skin
| gristle and fat, and clop the meat quit
fine; add two thirds in quantity o
chopped celery, one-fourth as mucl
chopped cucumber, pickles and celery
rub the yolks of two hard boiled egg
and one tablespoon butter together
moisten with a little milk, mix well
add salt to taste, and garnish with eel Ter.
leaves.
SPANISH CUsTARD.-If your family
numbers six, take eight yolks of eggs
eight teaspoonfuls of sugar, beaten yer,
light, adding flavor if you like; put owe
slow fire, stirring all the time unit
quite thick; then have small saucers
either of glass or china. and pour som
on each saucer; to be served in thi
way cold; powdered almonds are yer,
delicious on it.
TEA CAKES TO each pound O
flour allow dessert spoonful O
yeast powder, one egg, half
pint of milk, two spoonfuls of melte
butter, two spoontuls of sugar. Ru'
the dry ingredients together, the
quickly mix in the milk with the but
ter, then the beaten egg; cut into bis
cult form, and bake quickly in buttere
pans.
PICS FEET.-If you have more thai
you want to use now, boil them unit
the bones drop out, then mince then
coarsely and boil in a little of the sam
water, season well, pour into crock
press down closely, and when cold cove
with vinegar and it will keep until warn
weather. 1t will be firm, like jelly, an
can be cut into slices. This is very goo
for laboring men OF those who work ou
of doors. There is no oil or grease fo
boots or shoes that can compare wit
the grease, when cold, SKINNED off tn
kettle in which pigs feet have bee
boiled. 1t is very softening, and ther
will be just enough of the gluey sui
stance In it to make a good mixture an
give a good "shine."
When TO PIow.
An experienced farmer says: l kno,
by trial that plowing land when it
very dry is nearly as hurtful as when
is very wet. But my experience is wit
heavy clay, or land in which clay is a
important constituent. Such land whe
plowed dry breaks up lumpy, and SUI
sequent rains do not dissolve the lump!
1t is my opinion that there is never
more suitable condition for blowing an
soil than when it has enough moistur
to cause the burrows to fall loosely fror
the plow with no appearance of packin
and no Jumps.
How Spectacles are Made.
The white lens in use in the ordinar
spectacle of commerce is made OF til