Year: 1871

in his company, and adding the value of
wood consumed, she had found that the
amount due. There was no doubt in tbe
mind of the Judge that her claim was an
honest one, and verdict was rendered
accordingly.


To CURE HAMs.-An Ohio woman rec
ommends the following method ITO
every one hundred pounds of pork, take
eight pounds ground Ashton salt, two
ounces saltpetre, two pounds brown sugar.
one and half ounces of potash, and four
gallons of water. Mix the above and
pour the brine over the meat, after il has
lain in the tub some two days. Let the
hams remain six weeks in brine, and then
dried several days before smoking. have
generally had the meat rubbed with fine
salt when it was packed down. The meat
should be perfectly cool before packing. s"


THE Commissioner of Patents, in his
annual report, will present an array of
facts showing the rapid advancement of
inventions in the United States, and an
increased business of the Patent Office
over former years. Additional legisla-
tion will be called for toward bringing
about some change in the system now
carried out in that office, and the atten-
ton of Congress directed to the necessity
of increased accommodations for this
branch of the public service The en-
croachments of the Patent Bureau on the
accommodations of other branches of the
Interior Department calls for the erection
of building exclusively for its use.


A NEW mill for grinding wheat by per-
cussion, while it is unsupported and fall
ing freely, or being projected through the
air, is in operation in Edinburg The
wheat, in passing through the machine, is
struck by series of bars moving at an
immense speed in opposite directions; it
is thus instantaneously reduced to state
ready for boiling, no injurious heat being
caused, and the flour produced is of much
superior quality to that obtained by or
dinary grinding, while the cost of its pro-
duction is considerably less. The advan-
tages are, the very light and rarely needed
repairs it requires compared with mill
stones; the fewer men required, and con-
sequent saving in wages; the exemption
from loss by scorching; the small ground
and space occupied; and the much less
driving power needed.


WARM CELLARs-A correspondent
writes to Hearth and Home: IF any of
our readers wish to keep their cellars
warm-not warm enough TO eat and sleep
in, but warm enough to preserve their
stores of roots from frost-they can find
no better way of doing it than by pasting
four or five thicknesses of brown paper,
or old newspaper, against the walls, and
across the joists of the floor above. All
cracks and openings in the windows should
also be carefully pasted up. 1t will not be
found an easy thing to fasten paper to
stone walls, but if plenty of good, strong
paste is used, and the walls are well swept
down previously, it can be done, and the
difficulty will only be with the first thick
ness. Paper, and old paper in particular,
has never had its proper degree of credit,
and if we knew how valuable it was we
would seldom kindle our fires with it if
anything else was to be had. 1t is an ex-
ceilent non-conductor of heat, and when
well made and of average thickness it is
among those substances which air finds it
very difficult to penetrate. Whenever,
then, we wish to keep in heat and to keep
out air, our old papers will come admira-
bly, into play. Many a poor man has
shivered through a cold winter night,
when in his room there were old news
papers, enough, if spread beneath his mis-
cradle covering, to have kept him warm
and comfortable.