The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-01-15

tio FlNtiNt " yS$A' a wiz
Nd much influence their future live,
without ever once being led to realize
the momentOusnesS of what Is before
them. They grow mp. too, without O
taste for reading, and so miss a never
failing source Of happiness, not te
| speak of mental culture and refinement
For all this, the want Of suitable book
and papers ON the farm house table is Il
be blamed. The bodily toilers come in
thoroughly wearied. and often with /,
longing for relaxation of some kind
but there is no paper and 10 interesting
volume that they can turn to, and 81
they live within themselves, as 1t were
and in too many eases sleep away theil
existence.
But just let the young farmer thinl
for IL moment of the forces, the proper
ties, principles, influences. the laws
developed and undcveloped-with which
he must come in contact, and under
stand il he would succeed. So far from
being less dependent upon the arts and
sciences than those engaged in other Oc.
equations, the farmer stands IN need OF
a far wider range of knowledge than is
requisite in almost any other business.
And farming need no prove the un-
varying round and m%OnOtOpous life it is
Gifted said to be: for every operation on
the farm is an incentive to inquiry and
stimulant to thought. Men of n idea
can not succeed in farming, and those
engaged in it, the young especially,
should lose no opportunity of adding to
their present stock of ideas by reading.
by investigating for themselves, and
through intercourse with others.-Scot
tish agricultural Gazette.
CURING MEATS.
The following is the famous recipe
used by Mrs. Henry Clay for curing
hams, several hogsheads of which Were
annually sent to Boston. where. under
| the name of ashland hams,'' they
commanded the highest price. especially
among the wealthy wings of hat city.
For every ten hams of moderate size she
took three. and one-half pounds of fine
salt, n pound of saltpetre. and two
pounds of brown sugar. and after mix
ing them thoroughly together, rubbed
the hams Herewith on either side. They
were then packed in a tight box and
placed in a cool clubhouse for about
three weeks. when the hams were taken
out and put in Il pickling-tub OF hogs
head and covered with brine strong
enough to swim an egg. After remain
ing in the pickle for about three weeks,
they were taken out, rubbed with fresh
salt, and hung up in a w~ell-ventilated
house for a few days to dry, after which
they were transferred to the smoke
house, where they were hung up and
smoked with green hickory or walnut
wood until they had acquired the color
of bright mahogany, when each ham
was sewed up in canvas, the coverings
whitewashed and hung up to dry, after
which they were whitewashed again
and packed away in hogsheads with
hickory ashes until wanted either for
home use or sending to Boston. The
Germantown Telegraph has also a ia
mous recipe for curing bacon, beef, or
mutton, which is published annually for
the benefit of its readers, and it is as
follows: To one gallon of water add
one and a half pounds of salt, one-half
pound of sugar, one-fourth ounce of
saltpetre, and one-half pound Of potash
Increasing the rates to any quantity
desired-and boil these together until
all the impurities have risen to the top
and been skinned of. Pour the same
into a tub, and when cold pour it over
the meat, covering the meat completely
with the mixture, taking care not to
thus put down the meat for ut least two
days after killing. Some omit boiling
the pickle, and find it to answer equally
as well, although it must be admitted
that the boiling purifies the pickle by
throwing off any impurities that may
be contained in both the salt and sugar.
1t is said that if this recipe is strictly
followed it only requires a trial to con-
vince anyone of its superiority over the
common method of putting down, and
the meat will be found surpassed for
sweetness and dclicacy of flavor. The
potash. unless of the purest kind. may
he omitted.