Year: 1872

ter of a pound of butter into three pounds of flour, and rub them in well with the hands. Make into stiff dough with iced water, roll it out into thin cakes, and bake them on foured tins in quick oven.

 CELERY.-Celery that is not sufficiently blanched when cool nights come on, and there is danger of frosts, should be banke up to the topmost point of the leavesn then cover with straw or boards. Whed the ground begins to freeze, dig up, and place all in a narrow trench, in some dry and convenient place, where it can be protected from frost and still be gotten when wanted for use. Pure sand is better than soil to pack in among the roots and stems for winter preservation.

 To MAKE WH1sKEY P1oKLEs.-Tn these degenerate days we often get hold of whiskey that will eat up cucumbers speed- fly. Better leave such liquor for the hu- man stomachs which crave it and buy alcohol pure. It is just as cheap, for it can be reduced with water according to its strength. 1 have used gallon of alco- hol to five or six of soft water. Pick your cucumbers, wash them carefully, so as not to praise them, and put them in as fast as they are collected. Stir them up from the bottom every day, and stir in the scum that rises as they work. This pro- cess soon makes good pickles and sharp vinegar. The sun or fire hastens the pro cess. The pickles are nicer if small.- Ohio Farmer.

 IMPORTANT FACT IN GRAPE CULTURE. We would mention a fact which has come within our observation and expert ence, which if generally true, is of some importance. It is this That the fruit bud from the base of the past years cane throws ont larger and better developed grapes than either the first or second. The grapes from these buds seem also better favored, and generally superior to those on the first or second. In &C., cordance with this hint, we have adopted the plan of cutting the cane at such lengths as to leave the thir bud, generally, and sometimes tue fourth, when good strong one, and then rub ping off the first and secor1 buds, and leaving the third and fourth for fruit. The number of fruit buds left on the vine must depend on the age and strength of the vine. If the vines arc strong and vigorous at three years, from two to three punches of grapes may be allowed to mature on each branch with out injury.-Pacifc Rural Press.

 HOURS FOR FARM LABoR.-A paper on this subject was read at meeting for discussion of the Bucks County (Penn.) Agricultural Society, by W. C. Blackfan. He thought ten hours day fair allot- ment for farm hands, but with the con- tingencies of weather this could not al- ways be exactly arranged, and it is more in his opinion than is accomplished on the average. He offered the following suggestion, which is worthy of attention by others "I do not see how this mat ter of farmers working on time is ever to be brought about. We must make and prepare our crops while the sun shines, and arrange our work for dull days within our buildings ; and if your hands work oyer time, give them leisure day or half day occasionally, and let them know what it is for. They will general ly appreciate it, and you will gain more than you will lose. It will make them feel far greater interest in their work, which will be to your advantage. This has been nay arrangement with my hands and have never heard them say any, thing about working on time."

 HAPPENING Hoas.-A writer in the Prairie Farmer gives his experience as follows: "I was just beginning to farm, and I was desirous of knowing the best way of fattenlng hogs, determined to try the different plans, and also how much pork barrel of corn will make. made @ 1oored pen and covered it in. Weighed three hogs and put them in the pen. I also weighed three of the same size and put then in 8 dry lot-average weight, one hundred and seventy-five pounds I fed six barrels of corn to the six hogs. They were forty days eating the corn, with plenty of salt and water. Their average gain was seventy five pounds. The hogs in the lot gained the most. One that was fattened in the lot gained eighty eight pounds One in the pen eightyfour pounds; the other four were not so thrifty. These hogs were about fourteen months old when slaughtered. put them up the 25th of October. There was good deal of sleet and snow during the month of November, winch gave the hogs in the pen an advantage they would not have had if the weather was favorable : they ate the same quantity of grain in the same time. It also showed that one bushel of corn will make fifteen pounds ot pork"

 DELICIOUS BLACK FRUIT CAKE.-Two pounds of raisins, two pounds of currants, one pound of almonds, one pound of citron, one pound of sugar, one pound of butter, onepOund of flour, one dozen eggs, one tea spoonful of mace, one tablespoonful of cinnamon, one nutmeg, one wine-glass- full of brandy and one of wine. Cut up the fruit, but not too fine. Roll it in flour to separate it. Then beat it into the eggs after they are beaten perfectly light, also the butter and sugar after they are creamed together. Let the rest ot the four be lightly stirred in just before put, ting the cake in the oven. Put embers under it, and let it rise tor three hours. Bake slowly for three hours, or until, by trying with straw, you find it quite done. Then draw the oven away from the fire, and let the cake soak at least two hours, or. if it is very large, leave it in the chimney corner all night. Do not cut the almonds more than three times at most, and reserve portion of the citron to be sliced and stuck in the cake after it is pnt in the mould ready for baking In sticking, it in, let the pieces go down in the dough out of sight, or they will be thrown out in the rising of the cake. The above minute directions, as will be ob served, are peculiarly adapted to cooking by an open fireplace; yet the receipt ha: been so we'll tested by fine managers that I Thought it best not to alter it, but allow each person to accommodate it to tht working of their own cooking apparatus as may easily be done by any one possess ing moderate degree of experience il the art of cake baking.

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