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Bakers' and Cooking Department
BACK-WOODS PRESERVES -- Moderately boil a pint of molasses, from 5 to 20 minutes, according to its consistency ; then add 3 eggs, thoroughly beaten, hastily stirring them in, and continue to boil a few minutes longer ; then season with a nutmeg or lemon.
Do not fail to give it a trial.
Merchants' and Grocers' Department
EGGS -- TO INCREASE THE LAYING -- 'For several years past I have spent a few weeks of the latter part of August on the Kennebec river, in Maine. The lady with whom I have stopped is a highly accomplished and intelligent housewife. She supports a 'hennery' and from her I derived my information in the matter. She told me that for many years she had been in the habit of administering to her hens, with their common food:
'Cayenne pepper, pulverized, at the rate of 1 tea-spoon each alternate day to 1 dozen fowls.
'Last season, when I was with her, each morning she brought in from twelve to fourteen eggs, having but sixteen hens in all. She again and again experimented in the matter by omitting to feed with the Cayenne for two or three days. The consequence invariably was that the product of eggs fell off five or six per day. The same effect of using the Cayenne is produced in winter as in summer.' -- Boston Transcript
Saloon Department
ALE, HOME-BREWED -- HOW IT IS MADE -- The following formula for the manufacture of a famous home-brewed ale of the English yeomanry, will convey a very clear idea of the components and mixture of ordinary ales. The middle classes of the English people usually make their ale in quantites of two barrels, that is, seventy-two gallons.
For this purpose a quarter of malt, (8 bushels) is obtained at the malt-house -- or, if wished to be extra strong, nine bushels of malt -- are taken, with hops, 12 lbs. ; yeast, 5 qts.
The malt, being crushed or ground, is mixed with 72 gals. of water at the temperature of 160 degrees, and covered up for 3 hours, when 40 gallons are drawn off, into which the hops are put, and left to infuse. Sixty gallons of water at a temperature of 170 degrees are then added to the malt in the mash-tub, and well mixed, and after standing 2 hours, sixty gallons are drawn off. The wort from these two mashes is boiled with the hops for 2 hours, and after being cooled down to 65 degrees, is strained through a flannel bag into a fermenting tub, where it is mixed with the yeast and left to work for 24 or 30 hours. It is then run into barrels to cleanse, a few gallons being reserved for filling up the casks as the yeast works over. When the yeast is worked out it must be bunged.BEERS --ROOT BEER -- For each gallon of water to be used, take hops, burdock, yellow dock, sarsaparilla, dandelion, and spikenard roots, bruised, of each 1/2 oz ; boil about 20 minutes, and strain while hot, add 8 or 10 drops of oils of spruce and sassafras mixed in equal proportions, when cool enough not to scald your hand, put in 2 or 3 table-spoons of yeast ; molasses 2/3 of a pint, or white sugar 1/2 lb. gives it about the right sweetness. . . .
Keep these proportions for as many gallons as you wish to make. You can use more or less of the roots to suit your taste after trying it ; it is best to get the dry roots, or dig any other root known to possess medicinal properties desired in the beer. After all is mixed, let it stand in a jar with a cloth thrown over it, to work about two hours, then bottle and set in a cool place.TOMATO WINE -- Express the juice from clean, ripe tomatoes, and to each gallon of it, (without any water,) put brown sugar 4 lbs.
Put the sugar immediately, or before fermentation begins -- this ought to be done in making any fruit wine. Something of the character of a cheese press, hoop and cloth, is the best plan to squeeze out the juice of tomatoes or other fruits. Let the wine stand in a keg or barrel for two or three months; then draw off into bottles, carefully avoiding the sediment. It makes a most delightful wine, having all the beauties of flavor belonging to the tomato, and I have no doubt all its medicinal properties also, either as a toned in disease, or as a beverage for those who are in the habit of using intoxicating beverages, and if such persons would have the good sense to make some wine of this kind, and use it instead of rot-gut whiskey, there would not be one-hundredth part of the 'snakes in the boot' that now curse our land. It must be tasted to be appreciated. I have it now, which is three years old, worth more than much pretended wine which is sold for three or four shillings a pint.
Miscellaneous Department
TALLOW CANDLES -- For Summer Use. -- Most tallow, in summer, is more or less soft and often quite yellow, to avoid both:
Take your tallow and put a little bees-wax with it, especially if your bees-wax is dark and not fit to sell; put into a suitable kettle, adding weak lye and gently boil, an hour or two each day for 2 days, stirring and skimming well; each morning cutting it out and scraping off the bottom which is soft, adding fresh lye (be sure it is not too strong) 1 or 2, or 3. gals., according to the amount of tallow. The third morning use water in which alum and saltpetre is dissolved, at the rate of 1 lb. each, for 30 lbs. of tallow ; then simmer, stir, and skim again ; let cool, and you can take it off the water for use.
They may be dipped or run in moulds ; for dipping, allow two pounds for each dozen candles.
Saltpetre and alum are said to harden lard for candles; but it can be placed amongst the humbugs of the day. But I will give you a plan which is a little shorter for hardening tallow . . .
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