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About Willamette farmer. (Salem, Or.) 1869-1887 | View Entire Issue (May 12, 1876)
WILLAMKTXE FARMER. Qood HiltH Eat Celery. We notice with satisfaction that celery 1b be coming more common and cheaper in our mar kets; its cultivation cannot be too strongly rec ommended to farmers, as by its prodnciion they not only grow a profitable plant, but confer a favor on the community, as the habitual daily use of this vegetable is much more beneficial to man than most people are aware of. A writer who Is lamiliar with its virtues says: " I have known manv men. anil wnmnn tnn. who from various causes had become so much i affected by nervousness that when they stretched out their hands they shook like a'pen leaves on a windy day, and by a moderate daily use of the blanched foolBtalks of celery as a salad they became as strong and steady in limb as other people. I have known others so ner vous that the least annoyance pat them in a state of agitation and they were in constant perplexity and fear, who were also effectually cured by a moderate daily use of blanched eel v ery as a salad at meal time. I have known v X others to be cured of palpitation of the heart. V Eveiybcdy engaged in labor weakening to the nerves should use celery daily in the season and onions in its stead when not in season." To this we may add that a prominent New York drnggist draws in winter from his soda fountain a hot extract of celery, mixed with Liebig's meat extract, under the name of ox celery. It is a nourishing dtink at lunch time, 1 far better than coffee or tea, and is doing a gnat deal in this neighborhood to promote temperance. Dl-tilled drinks are no better for -, a man than a whip is for a horse to make him work; oats are better than the whip, nobody ' will deny that, and to keep up the strength of a human being ox celery or beef tea is better than whisky, but this fact many do not ap pear to know or realize. Bat to retnrn to celery. We give it almost daily to oar canary birds and it cures them of fits; they are little animals, with very delicate nerves, easily frightened, and therefore they need such a remedy very much, and the relish with which they take it is u proof that their in stinct guides them to eat what is good for them. A manufacturer of perlumery of our ac quaintance some years ago commenoed to pre pare an extract of celery seed, put np in bot tles, and intended to give strergtb to old or exhausted persons, who, by over-indulgences, have reached such a state as to require restora tives. Boston Jour. Chemistry. Colored Light as a Cure for Insanity. Dr. Ponza, director of the lunatic asylum at Alessandria (Piedmont) having conceived the idea that solar rays might have some curative power in diseases' of the bialn, communicated bis ideaB to Father Secchi, of Home, who re plied : "The idea of studying the disturbed state of lunatics in c6nnection with magnetic per turbations, and with colored, especially violet light of the sun, is of remarkable importance." Such light is easily obtained by filtering the solar rays through a glass of that color. "Violet," adds Father Secchi, "has something melancholy and depressing about it, which, physiologically, causes low spirits; hence, no doubt, poets have draped melancholy in violet garments. Perhaps violet light may calm the nervons excitement of unfortunate maniacs." He then, in his letter, advises Dr. Ponza to perform his experiments in rooms the walls of whioh are painted of the same color as the glass panes Of the windows, which should be as numerous as possible, in order to favor the action of solar light, so that it may be admis 1 siblo at any hour of the day. The patient " 'should pass the night in rooms oriented to the '""-east and-' south, and painted and glazed as" above. Dr. Ponza, following the instructions of the learned Jesuit, prepared several rooms in the manner described, and kept several patients there under observation. One of them, affected with morbid taciturnity, became gay and affable after three hours' stay in a red chamber; an other, a maniac who refused all food, asked for some breakfast after having stayed 24 hours in the same red chamber. . In a blue one, a highly excited madman with a straight waistcoat on was kept all day; an hour alter he appeared much calmer. The action of blue light is very intense on the optic nerve, and teems to cause a sort of oppression. A patient was made to pass the night in a violet chamber; on tho fol lowing day he begged Dr. Ponza to send him home, because he felt himself cured; and; iu deed, be bas been well ever since. Dr. Ponza's concinsions from his experience are these: "The violet rays are, of all otbers, those that possess the most intense eleotrc-ihetmcal power; the red light is also very rich in cal orific rays; blue light, on the contrary, is quite devoid of them, as well as of chemical and electro ones. Its beneficent influence is hard to explain; as it is the absolute negation of all excitement, it succeeds admirably in calming the furiouB excitement of maniacs." Health Maxims. We breathe in sleep about 15 times every minute. If l he bowels are loose lie down in a warm bed, remain there and eat nothing until you are well. Do not allow yourself to read a momeut in any reclining position, whether in bed or on a sofa. Never swallow an atom of food wbile in a passion, or if under any great mental excite ment,1 whether of a depressing or elevating character; brutes won't do it. The importance of wholesome water and food sewerage to every single dwelling cannot e over-estimated, and any city neglecting this vital matter must eapect to suffer at all times, and particularly when en epidemic of any kind sweeps over the country. To be able to lie down at night and fall to sleep within ten minutes, and to know no dream or waking until the morning comes, and then to bound out of bed lull of health, fresh ness and good humor, is a blessiog well worthy the warmest outgushings of a thankful heart towards Him who giveth us all things richly to enjoy. Tne great regulator oi sieep is exercise; it is tbe best anodyne in tbe universe, and it is the only one that is always wholesome and nat ural. If you oannot take much exercise, take a little, and every second hour increase the dis tance, and soon you will be able to walk a mile more easily than you walked the first hundred yards. If an action of the bowels does not occur at the usual hour eat not an atom until they do act, at least for 36 hours; meanwhile drink largely of cold water or hot tea, spd exercise in tbe open air to tbe extent of a gentle perspira tion, and keep tbis up until things are righted; this one suggestion, if practiced, would save myriads of lives every year, both in city and country. From Dr. Ifau'i Maxims. A Doctob, on calling upon a gentleman who had been some time ailing, put a fee into the patient's hand, and took the medicine himself which he bad prepared for the sick man; be was not made sensible of his error till be found himself 111 and the patient getting better. Shampooing (Scalitno). An intelligent writer in the Chicago Tribune protests against the practice of shampooing. He says this re peated application of stimulating washes df stro)s the bair. and is almost equivalent to scalping. He is surprised that there are anv men with full heads of hair left, and advises all young men to discontinue this pernicious practice. Put some extra bedding on the foot of the bed at night to give the feet added warmth, and to be drawn np higher if needed before morning. Ihe feet need special attention, as one of the best rules of health is to keep the head cool and the feet warm. Don't encourage cold fet by wearing shoes a size too small, for this will oneek the circulation. UsEfUi. l(JfotpjvTION Things Which it is Well to Know. Imsn stew is a dish never seen in Ireland. Oat-out is not the gat of cats, but of sheep. Kid gloves are not kid, but are made of lamb skin or sheep skin. Ababio figures were not invented by the Arabs, but by the IndianB. Tube-bosk is no rose, but the tuberous paliunth fPalianlhts tuberosa). Salad oil is not oil for salads, but oil for cleaning callets or salades i. e., helmets. Slave means noble, illustrious; but the term is now applied to the most ignoble and debased. Black lead does not contain a single parti cle of lead, but is composed of carbon and iron- Tubeish baths are not of Turkish origin; nor are they baths at all. They are hot air rooms. Salt is not salt at all, and has long been wholly excluded from the class of bodies de nominated salts. Clkopatba's Needle was not erected by Cleopatra nor in honor of that queen, but by B tmeses the Qreat. Phu8ian blue does not come from Prussia, but is the precipitate of tbe salt of protoxide of iron with prussiate of potassa. Bbazilian grass does not come from Brazil, or even grow in Brazil; nor U it grass at all. It consists of strips of palm leaf, and is chiefly imported from Cuba. Wh ale-bone is no bone at all; nor does it posstss any properties of bone. It is a sub stance attached to the lower jaw of the whale, and seems to strain the water, which the crea ture takes up in large mouthfuls. Sealino wax is not wax at all; nor does it contain a single particle of wax. It is made of shellac, Venice turpentine, and cinnabar. Cin nabar gives it the deep red color, and turpen tine renders the shellac soft and less brittle. BunauNDY pitch is not pitch, nor is it manu factured or txporte'd from Burgundy. The best is a resinous substance, prepared from com mon frankincense, and brought from Hamburg; but by far the largest quantity is a mixture of rosin and palm oil. Petroleum as a Lubbicam fob Turning Tools. Considerable comment has appeared of late in foreign mechanical journals relative to.the use of petroltum as a means of facilitating the aotion of turning tools in operating upon very hard alloys. A writer in Les ilondes states that a mixture of seven parts zino, four copper and one tin, resisted all tools even when the latter were tempered to extreme hardness. As soon, however, as the cutting edges were moistened with petroleum, the alloy immedi ately yielded and was turned without difficulty. It is also said that, by using a mixture of pe troleum and turpentine, steel annealed to straw yellow, can .likewise, bis. turned.- We know -of-no direct praotical confirmation of thi, but should be glad to hear from any of our readers who may test tbe suggestion. Meanwhile we shall experiment for ourselves, and note the result as soon as perfected. Scientific Ameri can. Buttons fbou Pebbles. Immense quanti ties of buttons, manufactured from pebbles, are produced in Paris, and sent to almost every part of tbe globe. These pebbles, which are of crystallized feldspar, containing as little clay and lime, or lime salts as possible, are reduced to powder by heating them to cherry red and then plunging them iuto cold water. Tbe powder is separated from its impurities by being passed through a wire gauze sieve, and is next well stirred in water. Tbe residuum is treated with a quantity of hydrochloric acid, varying from three to 10 per cent., to free it from the oxide of iron, which would give the buttons a reddish hue in tbe baking proce-s One hundred pounds of powder are mixed with two ot chloride of sodium and four of flour paste, dissolved in five quarts of water; tbe whole is then passed through the sieve, and dried to a proper consistency for molding. Bbiobtenino Ino.v. When taken from tbe forge or rolls, the articles are placed in dilute sulpburio acid, (1 to 20,) then washed clean with water and dried with sawdust; tbey are then dipped for a second or so in nitrous acid, washed carefully, dried in saw dust, and rubbed clean. It is said that iron goods thus treated acquire a bright surface. naving a wnite glance, wnnout nnaergoing any of the usual polishing operations. It is sta ted that the action of the snlpburio acid is increased by tbe addition of a little catholic acid, but it is difficult to see what effect thia can have. To Take the Bust off a Plowsbabe. Take a quart of water and pour slowly into half a pint of sulphuric acid. Tbe mixture will btcome warm from chemical actioD; put it on tbe iron and let it remain there until it evaporates. Then wash it again. Tbe obj ct of tbis is to give the add time to dissolve the mat. Now wash with water, and you will see where tbe worst spots are. Apply some more acid, and rub on those spots with a brick. Tbe acid and the scouring will remove most of the rust. Then wash the mold-board thor oughly with water to remove the acid, and rub it dry. Brush it over with petruleum or other oil, and let it be till spring. Glass Cement. A cement to stop cracks in glass vessels, to resist moisture and 'heat, is made by dissolving casein in a cold saturated solution of borax. With this solution paste strips of hog's or bnllock's bladder, sofiened in water, on tbe cracks in the glaBs, and dry at a gentle beat. If the vessel is to be heated, coat the bladder on the outside, just before it has become quite dry, with a paste of a rather concentrated eolation of soda and quicklime or plaster of paris. Black Pippib is made by grinding the dried berry of a climbing vine native to the East Indies. White pepper is obtained from tbe same berries freed from their husk and rind. Bed or cayenne pepper is obtained by grinding the scarlet pod or seed Teasel of a tropical plant that is now cultivated in all parti of the world. Indian ob Coinese Ink is formed of carefully purified lampblack and size, or animal glue, with tbe addition of perfumes, sot necessary, however, to ita use as an ink. THe Bny. How to Improve the Herd. The Record-Union makes tbe following ob servations concerning the improvement of dair. stock: There is a great difference in the value of cows for tbe dairy. In'tbe recognition of this difference aud in tbe measures adopted to get rid of tbe poor cows ana secure a uniformity ot good ones consists one of the surest roads to successful dairying. Some dairymen (lace their reliance in the breed ot tbe cows, but the fact that some prefer one breed and some an other is pret'y good evidence that the quality of the cow lor a dairy does not depend alto gether on the breed. Tne practical aud sucoesa ml dairyman, however, does not place much confidence in breed, except bo far an to recog nize tbe general characteristics. He depeuds more upon individual selection. Whin he proves a cow to be a good milker, for the pur poses he wants milk, he keep! that cow, whether she be a thoroughbred short horn, a Jersey or a common scrub. And when be proves a cow to be a poor milker, he with equal prompt ness marks that cow for the butcher, and turns her into his fattening head, to be turned into beet at the first opportunity. The successful dairyman raises his own catvis and breaks his own heifers to milk. Tbe first point he makes in breeding dairy stock is to secure a bull in it is descended from a strain of good milkers. The best dairymen, we would not be understood as saying, give no preference to slock. We only say that while they recognize the general supe riority of thoroughbred cattle they insist on and practice upon the more important law of selection, and they apply this law of seleotion to thoroughbred as wed as to common stock to males us well as to Jemalts. There is no doubt this is tbe oorrect practice as to all do mestic animals. Look to the breed first and adopt that which, for the general purposes for wh'ch the stock is wanted, has the most favor able points, and then exercise a keen discretion in the selection of the individual animals. In this way a great improvement of a herd of dairy cows can be effected, even in two or three gen erations of the animals, and much greater in the generation or lifetime of a man. If all the dairymen of California would adopt and piao tice this plan thoroughly for the next 50 yeuiB, we hav6 no doubt that the standard of our dairies could be raised, not ouly much above their present status, but above those of any other btate in tne Union. The Position Well Taken. Tbe position, whioh the Record assumes with refeiencs to the profitability of breeding dairy stock by intelligent seleotion within tho herd, is well taken. It is the method already in practice atnoug the best dairymen. It is only unfortunate that all do not appreciate the pos sibility of building np the productiveness of thi ir herds in this way. We recall a case of this kind of practice which came under our ob servation in New York. Mr. 0. M. Morgan, of Allegany county, drew as his dividend from a cheese factory for milk delivered during tbe season of 1874, $1,419.45. Tbis milk was the yield of 16 cows, and consequently the average return per oow was $90.69. Tbis was the largest yield per cow reported for the year. To show how it compares with tbe average return of other herds, we will state that reports were received from upwards of 90 factories reoeiving milk from more than 36,000 cows. The aver age per cow of all the nnmber was $39.57, and the poorest average per oow was $14 50. Thus it appears what a difference there exists in the productiveness of different herds. We were interested to dlsoovor ,Vp w Mr. Morgan suc ceeded Jiiu.JarUi.lib,nV ehfieiedairymen of New York. The' folio wing was the metnod: Mr. Morgan is a good judge of a oow, and he does not believe that one cow is as good as another for his use. He practices a sort of natural seleotion in his herd, and thus improves it continually. He subjects each animal to a systematic test of milking, and his object is more milk. The amount he eained in 1874 is greater than ever before. He breeds for use fulness rather than name. He never sells any thing but a poor cow, and will buy nothing but a good one, even if he has to pay more, because bis experience hasj taught him that a good cow will yield him a better percentage on a large investment than a poor oow will upon a small one. Thus, by a case of actual practice, we would enforce the observations of the Record. There's mil ions in careful, intelligent and useful breed ing if the dairymen will study closely the deeds of bis cows, and aim always to reproduce the best. Rural Press. E SwifJE Y1D The Farmer's Hog. Edwin Clarke read an es ay on 'The Farmer's Hog" before a farmers' meeting in Iowa, which contains points which are worth the attention of swine growers everywhere. He writes: 1 commenced 10 years ago with Chester White which was then in fashion, and raised and fed them for two years. Tbey require more age lhan I thought I oould uffjrd to give my hogs, not fattening readily until about 18 months old. Tbe next hog that came in fashion was tbe Poland-China or Magee. This breed with me nad neither of tbe faults of tbe Cbesters; fatten ing at any age, remarkably docile and quiet, and splendid feeders, but poor mothers and nnrsen; especially is this tbe case with old sows It it was not for this fault this breed of hogs wonld be, in my es imation, "par excellence." The next on tbe programme is the Berkshire This distinguished foreigner is at present at tracting tbe attention of farmers in general, and fine stock men in particular. His compaot, neat built, muscular frame, short nose, small, e ect ear, and black, glossy skin makes bitn a perfect beauty. Their fine, muscular develop ment makes them tbe especial favorite of ship pers; the sows are Bplendid mothers and nurses, scarcely ever overlaying their pigs, as does the Poland China; but, with all their fine quali ties, they have one fault. His high strung, nervous temperament causes him, wbenallowtd to roam at will, to be uneasy and restive, and consequently renders him unfit to be raised on pasture. This trait or disposition is inherited from his ancestor, tbe wild hog of Eogland; but having been bred and fed at tbe swill tubs of Great Britain, he is decidedly tbe gentleman's hog, being finely adapted to the pens and cIobo range of our city couins. Tne course of breed ng and feeding wbicb he has undergone for generations is what unfits bim for the farmer. He will in a few' generations deteriorate and become the cat-bammed, bow-backod, long bristled, savage dispositloned wild hog of Eng land, having oo resemblance, except in color, to the neatly built, swill fed, gentleman's Berk shire which yon see in the pens of the fine stock men. Crossing. I have now looked at ejuie of tbe objections I have found to Ihree of tbe popular breed of bogs; I shall now advance a theory which I have been experimenting on for three years past, namely, the crossing of different breeds in order to get a hog suited in all respects to the wants of the farmer. I have crossed my ''oland China sows with a grade Berkshire with excel lent results. The only reason that I would ever Introdnoe a drop of Berkshire blood into tbe Poland-China is to make them better mothers and nurse', and the reason for using a grade insteid of full blood is that the first cross of any two breeds of hogs does net tend in the dirtctinn desired, as the pigs of that cross will have the appearance of one or the other of tho parents, being either Berk-hires or Poland Chinas, while we desire them to be both com bined in one. The noxt cross of oue ot these grades with the full b'ood Poland-China gives almo-t invariably the desired result, having an animal with all tbe good qualities ot the Poland-China and also good nurses and mothers, I shall now take np tbe Management ol Hogs, And give tbe course I follow. Toe hog is not a native of tbe Arctic regious, as some farmers seem to think, and conseauently requires shelter from the inolemency of our climate. Some, also, Sferu to think that the sunny side of a straw pile or manure heap Is a place good enough for a hog, bnt I must beg the privilege to differ with them. The hog wants a dry neat, not too warm, but warm enough to be comfortable, and with means for a good venti lation. Where the farmer does not f-el able to build a hog bouse with all tho necessary fix tures, a shed can be built at a cost of $3 or $4, that will shelter from 40 to 60 hogs. Set three rows of posts in the ground, etight feet apart north and south, and sir feet apart east aud west. Have the outside rows four and a half fet high, and the middle row six feet high. Board up the sides with 16 feet lumber and the north side with 12-feet lumber. Cover with slough hay, and fill up with earth eight or 10 inches to keep the water from run ning into tbe nest. Throw in some straw. This should be cleaned out once in two or three weeks and replaced with new. I should have doors so constructed that I conld close the open side of mv shed during stormy or very cold weather, leaving only an open spaoe near the top for ventilation. Give your hogs plenty of range during winter, especially brood sows. These should not be allowed to neat in large lots after one-half tho period ol gestation has passed; fonr or five are all that Bhoald nest to gether during this period. SrEE( 4ftD Wool. Tanning Young Lamb Skins. In a report of a recent meeting of the New York farmers' club, we find the following: A letter from Mr. T. O. Peters, of 209 Macon street Brooklyn, Long Islind, under date of Oo'. 25th. 1875, addressed to S. E. Todd, and iuteaded to be read at a meeting ot this olub, respecting the saving and tanuing of lamb skins with alum, for profit, by farmers and stock-raisers, was handed to me with a request to investigate tbe matter, and I therefore beg to mske the following statement. The sample of dressed lumb-skiu that accompanied Mr. Peters' letter compares exactly with tbe French okinB that are irnoorted to this (New York) market, and used for children's jackets and glove- ininn. The dressed skins, imported, are worth, in this market, from 9 to 11 cents each. Tbe raw dried skins are worth from four to eight cents eaoh. Tbe above prices are wholesale. Furriers, however, differ in their estiuiatts as to the wholesde prioe of the raw dried skins. One party estimates them at from seven to eight cents eaoh, while another, of equally good authority, holds them aalow as, tnn AnA a hulfTivinta ituh.M Tt.wrinld hA baIa. tKereforirfo estimare1bTva1trirWn-t- irom tour to eignt cents eaon, aoooraing to quality. Process of Drying. When the skin is taken off 'the lamb fresh, tbe skin of face, ears, eyes and legs is cut off, and the skin of tbe legs is left four inches long. When thus cat and trimmed, it is stretched with threo small sticks, (as boys' kites are stretohed,) and hung on a line in the shade. When the skins are thus dried, thoy are baled and sold to traders. The value of tbe skin is regulated by its condition, tbe peculiar breed and the quality of the wool. It is not likely that the producer could realize more than three or four cmts on eaoh skin. Tbe demand and sales in tbis market are limited. From all I could ascertain, the sales do not exceed 75,000 skins per annum. It is questionable that if the farmers in the Central and Eastern States, Who seldom have more than 100 or 200 sheep at a time, would find it worth their while to save their lamb skins, as it is not likely that, on a well regulated farm, under tho supervis ion of an experienced stock raiser, tbe loss ot Iambi would be three or four per cent., at most it should nut exceed five per cent., while on tbe other hand, the great wool-growers in tbe Western aud Souihw stern States, like those in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico aud Califor nia, would be likely to make it worth their while to allow tbeir shepherds to save their skins on shares, by way of a perquisite The only objection to this arrangement would be the possibility of unprincipled shepherds neg lecting tbe lambs for the sake of tbe perquisite. On the whole, it does not appear that tbe pro ducer would find it' very profitable to either save or tan tno sKlns for tnarKet, unless skilled shepherds could be interested in the saving of thd skins, which in the Western States would tie attended with difficulty owing to the wan of shade and tbe roaming nature of the flocks on the plains. The Mohair Business. Duff urn & Stockton write as follows: We shipped oar mohair, through Bailey & Co., to Now York on our own accouut; received 85 cents, unassorted, and expect to ship in tbe same way this season. Finished shearing the 2 lib of last month; hsvo a splendid lot of mo hair we suppose about 2,000 pounds. Think it advisable to place on tbe New York market as an alvertisetnent to our business, and show i hose wool buyers we have tbe mohair for sale, and we will soou have purchasers here looking after it. We have soma very heavy fleeces tbli year, I saw Gilmore'a statement in tbe papers, showing up G. B. A., and weight of fleeces, nd concluded to take note of some of our fleecer. His heaviest fleece was six and a half pounds. These are tbe weights of some of our best: EWIS. wiTUua. 1 ihtured H lbs 1 nheared 9 " 1 sheared 7X " 1 beared 1H " 1 ahetred 7 " I elicited 7U 1 sheared 6 roax BUCKS. t sheared Hi It 1 sheared ty, 1 ibeared 6 0 gride, wt. of fleee. I I no u 1 IS IS V 1 31. U k 1 31-31 7 1 (U44 eu (Tills Is a yearling, woull ruilj one root long 1 pure 1 1 pure OH 1 pure 6 1 pure ". Our heaviest flteoe from grade kid was four and a hall pounds. Yon will tee our grades, that is tbe best ot them, snear lull as wen at our pure breeds, and the wethers beat all of tbem. This khows ns whit we can do In Cali fornia ii we will only labor for it in the right way. Domestic EcofiopY. Vegetables, All green vegetables should be as fresh as possible. Put them into oold water with some salt in it, for about ten minutes, to clear from soil or insects. If not quite iresh let tbem re main in the water some time longer; drain in a colander and put them into a pan with plenty of boiling water, addii g salt and a small piece of soda; cover the pan till boiling, but not af terward; then boil quickly, and carefully re move any scum which may rise. Da not allow them to remain in the water after tbey are done, but immediately drain tbem in a colan der and finish each kind, as directed in rec ipes. Peas and spinach do not require so much water ns most other creen vegetables, bat onlv just sufficient to cover them. Cauliflowers and nrocoli require especial care in boiling, as tbe flower is easily broken and their appearance spoiled: boil them quickly for n few minutes. l aud theu moderately till tender, which may be easily ascertained Dy trying tne stem with a fork. All vessels used in cooking vegetables should bo particularly clean. Soft is Drefera- We to hard water in cooking all kinds of vege ' tables. Potatoes are in uuiversal use, nnd yet how few know how to cook them Wrlll "A well boiled potato is a thing purely ideal it has never come out of tbe pot, in the experience of living man." This is too strong; but there is very much room for, and nedof, improvement in the science of cooking a potato. To do it well, tbe.matter must be studied, and not performed by routine. Tbey differ very much, even those grown in the same field and from the same seed. A good potato, well cooked and served up, is a luxury, whicb, unfortunately, few peo ple know how to accomplish, or will not give themselves the trouble to do. Choice of Milk. Cow's milk differs greatly in quility, some being rich and other thin and watery. In ohoos ing a family cow it is well to bear this in mind, and select only those that are healthy and give the very best milk. They should also be fed on the best of food and allowed pare soft water to drink. The practice of feeding cows on gar bage, swill slops, distillery feed, and ot keeping them confined in close, filthy, unventllated sta bles, is one which seriously deteriorates the milk and should ever be avoided. Those who live in cities cannot of course keep cows, and so they must depend on the market for their supply of milk. Iu such cases insist on having the beat article and refuse to use that from distillery-fed cows, or that di luted with water. A little attention to tbis subject will enable any one to secure a good ar tide. It is tho laxity of purchasers of food in not demanding the best that makes it so easy for the dealer to palm off adulterated and in ferior articles upon thoughtless people. If the poor would do tbis it would improve tbeir own and their children's health wouderfully. The milk Bupply of a oity bas a great deal of influ ence for good or evil on tbe health of the chil dren. In England this question is getting to be a very important one. Tbe Food Journal says that " perhaps the mOBt serious and de structive change in the nutrition of the poor is their almost total privation of milk. Infantile sickness and mortality depend largely on this want." There the occupation ot mothers in factories and work shops deprives many thous ands of infants of their natural food breast milk. FiiENCit Household Economy, The French butoher separates the bones from bis steaks, and j pnass ui,w.narajnaji;wui oo -ua,aou goon. The house wife' orders jasfenbughToT'eaoh porson,' and no more, even to the coffee. If a r ohance visitor drops in, somenooy quietly re tires, and the extra cup is so provided, but nothlug extra by oarelessness of intention. When the pot has boiled, the handful ot char coal in tho little range is extingalshed, and waits for another time. No roaring stoves and red-hot covers all day long for no purpose bnt waste. Tbe egg laid to day costs a little mere lb, in the one laid last week. Values are nicely estimated, and the smallest surplus is care fully saved. A thousand littlo economies ore practised, and it is respeotable to practice them. Cooking is an economical as well as a sanitary and gustatory science. A French cook will make a frano go as far as an Auieriosn house wife will make three, aud how much further than the American Bridget nobody knows we should probably be greately astonished, could the computation be made, how much of the finanoial, recuperative power of France is ow ing to her soups and her cheap food; better living, after all than tbe heavy bread and greasy failures of our culinary ignorance. Springfield Republican. A good cook is not tbe one who uses tbe most and richest ingredients, regardless of the expense; but she who studies economy, and is able to couooct u delicious meal from scanty materials. Eoo Sandwiches. Boil fresh eggs fivo min ute; put tbem in cold water,and when quite oold peel them, and alter taking a little of the white off each end of the egga, cut tbe remainder in four slices, L ly tbem between bread and butter. Caltfodnia Olive Oil. One of tbe Now York dailies remarks that it may not be gener ally known that a considerable quantity of Ualilornia olive oil is Uncling uu appreciative market tbero, and is cotniug into quitegeneral use in hotels and restaurants. Samples of the oil were recently submitted by a prominent restaurant keeper to a party of his patrons, who were good judges of the article, for an opinion. After critically testing it, they unan imously reported it a flrat-olass article, und were much astonished on being informed that it was of California production. The urticle is put up by parties at Los Angeles in cans and oases, and fa sold in New York at a Blight reduction from tbe rales of imported oil. Gating to tbe prejadioo against home products, the agents have been obliged to label it Plagniol, a well known French brand. Enoinekmno on the Fabm, George W, Wood, of Sugar Loaf, Ind., oame very near loslns a valuable mare a few davs ago, Tbe animal walked out of a barn door directly into a well 20 feet deep. fJonsltlerauie engineering was brought into play to rescue it. Mr. Wood filled the bottom of the well with hay, whioh be pounded down so as to make a solid footing for tbe mare, end continued increasing its bigbt until he had got her within two and a half feet of the top, at which juncture she sprang out uninjured, except tbe partial rubbing of her tail, and a slight cut in her breast, cansed by a stone. The falling of animals into wells is not an unusual occurrence, and the above method of rescuing tbem is worthy ot note. The whole process oooopied two hours. Fine Gold will melt at 2,016 deg. Fab.; pare copper at 1,994 deg ; floe silver at 1,873 deg,; and pure speller at 773 deg. li (V i- ws