YES 1 r.KACOX GEMS F( )K YOU. Beacon Gems for YoU; OR, / THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSEKEEPING Sojfntijif and |ractirHl IHaniml FOR ASCERTAINING THE ANALYSIS AND COMPARATIVE VALUE OF ALL KINDS OF FOOD, ITS PREPARATION FOR THE TABLE, THE BEST ARTICLES OF DIET FOR THE SICK AND WELL, THE PROPER CARE OF HEALTH, REMEDIES IN SICKNESS, AND THE ^ INTELLINGENT AND SKILLFUL PERFORMANCE f^ OF EVERY HOUSEHOLD OFFICE, WITH -^ J A FULL APPENDIX OF RECIPES. REVISED AND EDITED BY CHAS. W. GREENE, M. A., M. D., luthor of" Birds, their Homes and Habits," "Animals, their Homes and Habits, A Series of Practical Dictionaries, etc., etc., ^^JliN 8 1C33 y PHILADELPHIA, ^^^i^OpJ/^ CALYPSO PUBLISHING CO 1888. / V COPYRIGHTED BY W. H. LEWIS, iS PREFACE, The single aim in writing the present volume has been to prodnce a book which should instruct the young housekeeper, the young wife, the 3'oung mother, in the performance of the all important duties required of her. The volume contains, it is believed, such matter as every house- keeper will find of dailj^ practical value. The recipes at the end of the volume are the choicest gleanings of years of observation and practical experience. There was a time when the prevailing philosophy taught that wisdom and virtue consisted in despising the body and keeping it under, in robbing it of sleep, in ignoring the healthful demands of the stomach, in inuring the physical frame to hardship and ex- posure, and in compelling stern and rigid obedience to a set of arbitrary rules which claimed to secure the highest interests of the soul, without regard to its connection with the body. But the world has grown wiser. And now we cultivate the body, giving it abundant rest, and convenient food, and sufficient clothing, and proper exercise, in order that its tenant, the soul, may in nothing be shorn ot ^its power, but having a perfect instrument with which to perform its varied work, may realize the highest condition of humanity, the perfect soul in the perfect body. It is hoped that the pre.sent volume, if studied and followed will render the wife and mother sagacious, able, well-informed, ready, skillful, tasteful, and accomplished in whatever makes HOME the center of our dearest comforts, and the fountain of our purest delights. Chas W. Gkeexe. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. THE ALIMENTARY PROCESS. I>aty of Woman in the domestic relation. Compared with man in this respect. Knowledge required by her. She should be well ac- quainted with the organs and processes by which the human frame is nourished. Amount of waste and of supply in twenty-four hours of a human life. Vigor depends upon aliment. General description of the alimentary canal. Its divisions and various digestive juices. Two grand reasons why we eat. To secure warmth and to create strength. Division of food into tissue-making and heat-producing. The demand for a variety of food. Function of the mouth and the saliva. Description and oflSce of the stomach. What conditions are required to secure easy digestion. Digestibility of food varies. Oily matters in the stomach. Different foods benefit the body in various ways. Duty of a housewife to adapt food to persons whose age, health, and occupations differ. The table as a place for the cultivation of taste, 15-2S CHAPTER II. THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. The division ot food into that which makes heat, and that which gives strength. The chemical difference consists mainly in the presence or absence of nitrogen. Proportion of different chemical elements in an ordinary dinner. Three groups of alimentary substances. First, those in which nitrogen is the chief element; second, those in which carbon abounds ; and third, those in which the two are blended. The relations of blood and food chemically stated. Among heat-producing articles, the value of starch considered. The analysis of starch. Starch the chief element in sago, tapioca, arrow-root, etc. These articles of food discussed. Why they are suitable for the sick and aged and for children. Table showing the amount of starch in different kinds of grain. The difference in flour produced by different modes of grinding and bolting. Su- periority of coarsely ground meal. Characteristics of the best wheat flour or meal. Oil as an element of food. Fixed and volatile oils. Table sliowing the quantity of oil in articles most used as food. V VI CONTENTS. Oiemical composition of various oil.-* or fats used as food. Iiic office of oil in tlic system. Its digestibility. The connection be- tween oily food and bile in the stomach. The mischief produced by an oily diet. Yet such food is necessary when it is very cold. Dr. Kane on Arctic diet. Corn bread suitable as winter food. People in general consume far too much oil. Ditference in the digestibility of oils. Very much depends upon the manner in which it is in- troduced into the stomach. The amount of oil in milk a good ex- ample for the cook. Sugar as a constituent of food. Proportion of sugar in various substances used as food. Sugar in moderate quantities is not injurious. Difference between cane sugar and grape sugar. Two practical conclusions for the house-keeper de- rived from this difference. Pectin ACEOUS foods. Vegetable jellies and acids. Their function in the system. Chemical salts in the body and in food. Phosphorus, Sulphur, Iron, Lime and Salt. Fluorine, Magnesium, and Potash, 26-54 CIIAFIER III. NUTRITIVE POAVKU OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD. ADAP- TATION OF FOOD TO VARIOUS PHYSICAL DEMANDS. The two great classes of food, muscle-making and heat-producing, are blended in every proper diet. The diet of the Irish nation an in- stance. Reason why the Irish require but little lime in their food. The English, Italian, and other national dishes viewed in this light. The complementary value of difierent substances, a matter of great importance. The house-keeper should be acquainted with the nu- tritive powers of different dishes. Three important questions as re- gards every article of food. Pirst, its value for giving strength ; second, its heat-producing qualities ; third, the facility with which it is digested. Four tables given. Table I. Quantity of nitrogen or strength-giving power iu articles most used as food. Table II. Quantity of carbon or heat-producing quality in most articles of food. Table III. Time in which various articles of food are di- gested. Table IV. Articles which in themselves supply most of the wants of the body. Various articles of food considered in the light of these tables. Roasted venison and boiled rice. Salt pork and boiled cabbage. "Wheat bread and butter. The bean as an article of food for laboring men. Cabbage, oatmeal. The potato as an article of food. The onion as an economical vegetable. Importance of the question of the economical value of different vegetables. Milk considered as an article of food. AVliy milk is not of itself a perfect aliment. Dishes jiroduced by blending other articles with milk. Value of sour milk and butter-milk as compared with sweet milk. Eggs as articles of food. What eggs contain. Their di- gestibility depends upon the mode of cooking. Eggs should not be eaten with animal fat. Different sorts of bread considered. A meat diet. An exclusively animal diet implies two conditions of CONTENTS. VH barbarism. Liebig on tliis point. The vegetarian theory examined. The tendency of true civilization in respect to diet. Wliy flesli diet is stimulating, 55-82 CHAPTER IV. GASTRONOMY. The proper import of the word Gastronomy. Importance of under- standing the subject. Analysis of a good breakfast. The different dishes discussed. Importance of variety. Suitable breakfast dishes ; several given. The demands of cold weather. Breakfast for a winter morning, and reasons. A good winter dinner with discus- sion of the different dishes. A word about soup. In what respects the summer dinner should vary from the winter dinner. Four es- sential requisites in a feast. Reference to Eve's hospitalities in Paradise, 83-98 chaptp:r v. SELKCTION, PRESKUVATION, AXD COOKKRl' OF MEATS. The superiority of a flesh diet. Americans by nature a flesh-consuming people. No other way of economizing the grass of our great plains. Pork objected to. The selection of beef. Choice cuts in an animal. How to broil steaks. Roast beef. Beef d-la-mode. To make a beef stew. To make a soup or broth. To bake beef in a Dutch oven. Mutton for the table. Its rank among other articles of food. Special directions in butchering mutton, and the reasons. Three modes of cooking mutton chops. To " prepare" a leg of mutton. Toboilaleg of mutton. To roast a leg of mutton. To roast or bake fowls. To broil a chicken. To stew an old turkey or goose. Of the preserva- tion of meats. The objection to salted meats. Dr. Morgan's new method. An excellent rule for preserving hams. The Maryland receipt. To keep fresh meats for some weeks. 1st. By the use of snow. 2d. By the use of sugar. 3d. By the use of oatmeal. 4th. With chloride of lime. Directions for the preservation of eggs and of milk, 101-130 CHAPTEE* VI. FISH AND ITS PREPARATIONS. Itank offish as nutritive food. Peculiarity of fish as diet. Suitable for many invalids and for sedentary persons. It reduces the weight of fleshy people. Directions for the cleansing of fish. To fry mountain trout. To cook all kinds of small fish. To broil fresh shad, salmon, and mackerel. Directions for baking fish. Mr. Blot's rule. To fry large fish. To cook salt mackerel. Two ways of cooking salt codfish. Boiled codfish. Oysters stewed, scalloped, broiled on the shell, 131-140 VIII CX)NTENTS. CIIArTER VII. VKOKTAHLES, AND HOW TO DRESS TIIEM. Thfi distinction botweon fruits and vegetables. Tlic tables and practical conclusions of I'rofessor Loomis as to the value of vegetables for food. Combination of vegetables with stronger food. Potatoes, how to boil or steam them. Sweet potatoes, how to cook and serve. Fried potatoes. Potato cake. How to cook onions. How to cook beans. Tomatoes, raw, stewed, baked, and fried. Tomato toast. Egg plant. Time of boiling the various garden vegetables. The cereal grains as vegetables. How to cook cracked wheat. Rule for making samp and hominy. How to prepare oatmeal mush, and its excellence as food. Kice considered as an article of diet. Di- rections for cooking it, 141-156 CHAPTER VIII. BREAD. The accomplishment of bread-making characterized. Superiority of wheat bread and of wheat-consuming nations. Bread as a civil- izer. Navy bread contrasted with tlie finest quality of raised bread, l^ffect of leaven or yeast. In what the skill of the domestic baker consists. The best quality of wheat flour described. Bread-making cliemically considered. Various kinds of yeast considered, witli rules for making hop yeast. Minute directions for making hop- yeast bread. Potato yeast. How to make it and use it. Jlilk-yeast or salt-rising bread. Adulterations in baker's bread. Graham bread. 3Iinute directions for making it. Rye bread, and how to make it. Rye and Indian, or Boston brown bread, with minute directions. Should bread be oaten cold or warm ? Some hot bread much less injurious than others. Reason of this. Recipes for Jolinny cake, egg bread, corn-batter bread, breakfast corn cakes, Missouri corn cakes, 157-179 CHAPTER IX. TPIE PRESERVATION OF VEGETABLE FOOD AND FRUITS. A distinction between vegetables and fruits. Difference in vegetables as to keeping. Directions for wintering potatoes in the best manner. The preservation of winter apples. Some of the leading varieties mentioned. Proper mode of gatliering and stoning. Grapes, and how to keep them. Three general methods of preserving fruits by expelling the air, by drying, and by combining with sugar. Di- rections for canning peaches, strawberries, and other fruits. General rules for preserving. Special directions for peaches, quinces, brandy peaches, plums, cherries, etc. Directions for quince marma- /aiU', (luince jelly, raspberry and blackberry jam, and for jellies of the CONTENTS. iX currant, blackborrj', raspberry, and grape. To preserv'e pears and apples. General remarks about pickles, with special directions for pickling cucumbers in four ways. Tomato pickle. Pickled peaches, mangoes, 173-1'Jl CHAPTER X. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Gardening proceeds on the same principles as good house-keeping. The first step to secure preservation of all fertilizing products of the house. Minute directions, with plan. Directions with regard to draining and subsoiling a garden. How a garden should be laid out. Importance of planting currant, raspberry, and blackberry bushes. AVhat vegetables are best in a Laborer's or farmer's garden. Directions for the onion bed. Suggestions with regard to cabbages, and the best mode of raising them. A word about peas, beans, and the roots commonly cultivated in gardens. Importance of keeping gardens entirely free of weeds throughout the season, . . 192-200 CHAPTER XI. cows, HENS, AND BEES. In what forms of industry should the house-keeper employ her timet Practical thoughts on this point. The care of a cow not laborious, well suited to the strength and temper of a female. Various sugges- tions with regard to the keeping of cows and the care of milk. The experience of Zadoc Pratt referred to. One very common rea- son why so much butter is ill-fiavored. Directions as to the working, salting, and moulding of butter. How to keep milk sweet for some time. Use to be made of buttermilk and clabber or coagulated milk. The care of POiiLTnY. How much a woman may accomplish by moderate care and industry in this line. Directions about keeping HKNS. The proper number. Their yard or range. Roosting-place, arrangement for laying and setting. Practical suggestions with regard to the food for fowls. Reasons why they must have animal food in order to lay well. Grain food best for them. Young cliick- ens. A common error about feeding aiul t.aking care of them. How to prevent and cure the gapes. Directions about turkeys, ducks, and the saving of the droppings of all fowls. Bees. As yet very little kept in this country. Some remarks of Mrs. Tupper quoted. General directions about keeping bees. Hives, wintering, etc. The profits of this form of industry, 207-232 CHAPTER XII. CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES. Delicacies and luxuries are in universal use. They form an index of tlic degree of civilization. They are not likely to be dis- CONTENTS. pensed with. The reason why cake is indigestible and at the same time delicious. How cake can be made digestible. Sponge cake. The essential difficulty to be overcome in this respect. The importance of Ihc thorough blendinj; of all the ingredients. Best form of cake pan. Puddings. The distaste of the French for this dish and the fondness of the English. How Mr. Blot explains the difference. A short English stanza on pudding. What Hume says. The true principle to be observed in puddings. Pastry. Kot rec- ommended because indigestible. Pastry requires uncommon care in making. Pies. Some precautious and facts to be remembered in making pies. Instructions for making and cooking them. Ice Cream. A luxury not beyond the means or the skill of most countrj' families. The dishes necessary for making it with minute directions for each Btep ..... 2.33-248 CHAPTER XIII. children's food. Two scientific truths at the bottom of right conceptions on this subject. These truths stated and illustrated. A thought about fruit in connection with children. The subject summed up in eight rules for the diet of children, 249-253 CHAPTER XIV. FOOD FOU THE SICK AND AGED. Important to know the nature of the disease before proscribing diet. A sure and excellent recipe for making gruel, by an ac- complished and remarkable nurse. Kecipe for beef tea. Toast water. Flax-seed tea and egg brandy. Dishes proper in convales- cence, with recipes for milk punch and egg nog. The difficulties of digestion and nourishment with the aged. The best dishes for them and the most suitable beverages, 254-260 CHAPTER XV. BEVERAGES. Three infusions in common use among different nations for drink. Lie- big's discovery with regard to them. Tea, coffee and cocoa, specially adapted to the human system. Their use not likely to be dispensed with. Americans, as a nation, are coffee-drinkers. The true differ- ence between Java, Mocha, and Rio, and how this difference arises. Reason of the superiority of Mocha and of the inferiority of Rio. Coffee the proper beverage for the inhabitants of moist, warm cli- mates. Effect of coffee on the bile. Difficulty of making delicious coffee. Specific directions for roasting the berry. How coffee should CONTENTS. XI be ground. Different arrangements for making coffee. The Fecia and Old Dominion coffee-pot. Excellent coffee can be made witliout them. Minute directions given. A perfect cup of coffee described. Weak coffee as objectionable as strong coffee. Coffee better for a summer than a winter drink. Tea and its varieties. Difference be- tween black and green. Tlie testimony of Lieblg in favor of tea and coffee. Chocolate and how it should be prepared. Recipes for spring beer, ginger beer, , . . 261-276 CHAPTER XVI. CLOTHING IX GENERAL. Importance of purchasing and making up clothing in the best manner. Amount of clothing should be according to the temperature. Why the fabric worn next the skin should always be of the same material. The principal fabrics mentioned. Characteristics of linen. Objec- tions to it. Cotton fabrics. Animal wool. Why preferable to every other material for clothing. Peculiarly adapted for farmers, for all who lead lives of exposure, for females, and for children. Best time to purchase and make up flannel. Best way of cutting children's under flannels. All compression of the body to be avoided, 277-282 chaptp:r XVII. THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. Practicability of making at home nearly all the garments worn in the family. Saving thus made both of expense in money and time. Illustrated by figures. Directions for cutting out a pair of pants. First step in making them up. Next steps in succession until they are finished. Directions for cutting out a vest. What to do first in making it. What next, etc., until it Is done. Making of children's clothing. Making shirts — first steps, second, third, last. Full direc- tions for cutting and making a man's s.ack or business coat, and over- coat. Minute instructions for fitting and making ladies' dresses, 283-303 CHAPTER XVIII. ECONOMIES OF DRESS. Effects of the war on different classes of our population. City influence upon country people. Necessity for studying economy of dress. Two fundamental principles stated. The poor economy of purclias- ing inferior clotiis. The care that should be taken of garments. Dress should be suited to the occasion. In purchasing, regard should be had to the various uses to which a piece of cloth may be put. Gaiters and shoes recommended for men, instead of boots. The manufacture of quilts and rugs, with special directions and XII CONTENTS. piigraviiif;s. Suggpstions as to tlie covering of KEEPING. puddings, and ure easy of digestion, but not a nourisliiug kind of food. In an ordinary tapioca or corn-starch pudding, there is an abundance of carbon, for it composes nearly half the starch, and a considerable part of the eggs and butter. What little plastic or tissue- making power such dishes have, must come from the nitrogen in the curd of the milk, and in the albumen of the egg. Liebig sa^'s that children fed upon arrow-root, sago, or any kind of starchy food which does not contain insrredients fitted for the formation of bone and muscle, become fat ; their limbs appear full, but they do not acquire strength, nor are their organs properly developed. This class of nutriments is often prescribed for the sick and aofed, because it is the least stimulating: of food, and because it goes directly to keep up the animal heat, which is reduced by feeble respiration and sedentary habits. In a healthy stomach, sago and tapioca are digested in an hour. As stated above, starch is found in all the farina- ceous substances that compose man's diet, but there is nearly twice as much of it in some grains as in others. The following table, b}' Professor Youmans, shows the percentage of starch in the grains which form the chief food of man : — THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 33 Per ct. Starch, In rice flour, 84 to 85 In Indian meal, 77 to 80 In oatmeal, 70 to 80 In wheat flour, 39 to 77 In barley flour, . . . . . . 67 to 70 In rye flour, 50 to Gl In buckwheat, 52 In pea and beau meal, . . . . 42 to 43 In potatoes, which contain 75 per cent, of water, . . . . . • . 13 to 15 It will be observed that iii this table Avheat flours are said to vary iu the quantity of starch they con- tain, in round numbers, from 40 to 80 per cent. ; that is, some are twice as rich in starch as others. When it is remembered that starch contains no element that is strictly luitritive, — for carbon is not a plastic or tissue-making substance, — it will be apparent that a flour that is rich in starch must be proportionally poor in gluten, oil, sugar, and gum. Now, there is some difierence in difierent specimens of wheat, but in general that difierence is only about five per cent. That is, of some forty kinds of wheat examined, the starch av;is found to vary from 67 to 73 per cent. The above difi*erence of from 39 to 77 per cent, in Professor Youmans' table, is the result of difier- ent modes of grinding and bolting. When the grinding and bolting are so conducted as to bring 34 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. to the flour-barrel only the middle parts of each kernel, as is commonly the case in the manufacture of "Superfine" and "A Xo. 1 Family,'' the product "will he snow-white, dr\', and powder-like, and makes a delicate bread, which seems to melt in the moutli. Such flour is usually much esteemed, and commands a liighcr price than pale, straw-colored flours, that arc a little gummy to the touch, and give a firm and slightly dark-colored bread. Yet the latter variety of bread and of flour is actually the best, though not so much esteemed in market. Flour that is very Avhite, and makes a delicate "melting" bread, abounds in starch, and the glu- tinous parts which contain the most nitrogen, and hence the most nutrition, were removed in the bran. When the gluten is so abundant in wheat, and so well retained, by proper grinding, in the flour, that the nitrogen stands to the carbon as one to five, such flour, and the bread made from it, is extremely valuable as an aliment. The heat-makinir and the O muscle-making elements are both present in due proportions. Such food is easily digested, promptly assimilated, and is "with propriety called "the staff oflifo." The clement of food next in importance to starch, and serving much the same purpose in the body, is OIL. It is valuable, mainly, for its carbon or heat- THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 35 producing qualities. lu suet, which is so largely used in the kitchen, there are (neglecting the frac- tional divisions) eighty parts of carbon, ten of hydrogen, and ten of oxygen. The most general division of oil is into fixed and volatile. Those which, when smeared upon paper, produce a grease- spot that time and heat do not remove, are called fixed. Those which under such circumstances leave no stain, are called volatile. It is only the former or fixed oils, that are of much importance as an element of food. The fixed oils which compose a part of most food are butter, lard, and the fat of beef. The oil contained in various nuts, as the walnut, filbert, and butternut, need only be alluded to. Their compo- sition is nearly identical with the oils in ge'ieral use. The following table, prepared by Pereira, shows the oil or fat yielded by a hundred pounds' weight of the following substances in common use for food : In 100 pounds of Indian meal, 9.0 lbs. of oil. " " yolk of eggs, 28.75 " " " ordinary lean meat, 14.3 " " " ox liver, 3.89 " ** " cow's milk, 3.13 " «♦ " bones of ox-head, 11.54 " " " rj'e flour, 3.5 " « " wheat flour, 1 to 2 " S6 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. 11 100 pounds oatmeal, 6.0 lbs. ofoiL " barley, 2.0 " " " rice, 0.8 «' 82.170 11.2.02 6..002 do. 79.774 10.570 9.122 do. 76.1 12.4 11.5 none. 65.6 17.6 16.8 none. 70.098 11.14(3 9.756 none. 78.996 11.700 9.304 none, The followin2' table sIionvs the ultimate or chem- ical composition of some of the fixed oils or fats : — Carbon. Hydrogen. Oxyppiu Liquid olive oil, 70.036 11.545 12.008 Traces of nitrogen. Solid olive oil (or margarine), 82.170 TValnut oil. Train oil, Butter, Hog's lard, Mutton suet, From these tal)les it appears, that while most of the fats contain about eighty per cent, of carbon, butter is much less concentrated, having only sixty- five jDer cent. A great difference can be noticed, also, in the flour of diflierent grains. Thus, Indian meal has nine per cent, of oil, while wheat has a little more, and rice a little less, than one per cent. As the office of oil, when taken in any form as food, is, mainly, to give warmth and not strength, it is diff^'uilt to see why it should be made to usurp the place of starch, by employing it to any great extent. It r'iffers from starch in this important respect, that, (\'hile oil is one of the most indigesti- Dic and refractory substances that can be taken into the stomach, starch is one of the easiest of digestion. Melted butter is converted into chyme (a fluid rescm- THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 37 bling miik) in the stomach in three and one-half hours, the fat of mutton in four and one-half hours, the fat of beef in five and one-half hours, while lean venison is digested in an hour, and rice, and other substances abounding in starch, in about the same time. In warm and temperate climates the animal oils are used in quantities much larger than the science of chemistry or physiology would suggest as neces- sary or Avise. In fact, recent discoveries in physi- ology go to show that a diet abounding in oils, and especially such a concentrated fat as hog's lard, actually perverts and deranges the digestive pro- cess. In a sound and normal stomach, where only bread and lean meat have been habitually presented, it is doubtful whether bile is found. Dr. Beaumont, who has investigated this subject as thoroughly as any other man, says that bile is found in the stomach only under peculiar circum- stances. "I have observed," he adds, "that when the use of fiit or oily food has been persevered in for some time, there is generally the presence of bile in the gastric fluids." The popular notion, then, that such substances cause bile in the stomach, is by no means groundless. The reason is this : oil of any sort and in any form, but especially when badly combined, is slowly and with great difficulty 4 38 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-ICEEPING. acted on by the gastric juice, but bile, being alkaline in its properties, greatly accelerates its stomach digestion ; but the presence of bile in the stomach produces an uneasiness which resembles hunger in feeling, though not in its cause. It promotes, also, the secretion of saliva ; and food is taken in conse- quence of the craving or uneasy sensation thus induced. As a matter of fact, the saliva, unblended with food, and the bile, are both in the nature of reinforcements, sent, one from the upper and the other from the lower regions of the alimentary canal, to aid the stomach in the mastery of a i-efrac- tory subject. Thus the whole process of digestion is interfered with ; and the mischief is only increased Avhen the uneasiness thus produced is mistaken for hunger, and more food, and perhaps more oily food, as rich cake, is introduced to the already overtasked stom- ach. The influence of heat on fatty substances effects various chemical changes in them, whereby they are rendered more difficult of digestion, and hence more obnoxious to the stomach. On this account, no food that has been cooked by frying in hot oil is harmless. Doctor Pereira says that the use of oil for food will be found the reason of most of the dyspeptic diseases. "In some more or less obvious or con- THE CHEMISTIIY OF FOOD. 39 cealeJ form," says that eminent authority, "I believe it will be found the offendini]^ insrredient in nine- tenths of the dishes "svhich disturb weak stomachs. jNIany dyspeptics who have most religiously avoided the use of oil or fat in its obvious or ordinary state, as fat meat, marrow, butter, and oil, unwittingly employ it in some more concealed form, and have suffered in consequence. Such individuals should eschew the yolk of eggs, livers, and brains, all of which abound in oily matter. Milk, and especially cream, disagree with many persons, or, as they term it, 'lie heavy ^u the stomach,' in consequence •of the butter they contain. Hich cheese, fried dishes of all kinds, buttered toast, pastry, marrow pud- dings, suet puddings, are all, for a like reason, obnoxious to the stomach." There is but one condition that justifies the copi- ous use of oil in the daily diet, and that is, exposure to excessive cold. A pound of fat goes as far iu heating as 2.4 pounds of starch, or 7.7 pounds of muscular flesh. Hence, in polar regions, when the thermometer remains for Aveeks below zero, and often sinks to — 50*^, and sometimes to — 70^, the diet of the natives is olea2:inous to a dcOTee that sounds revolting and almost incredible to a person that rarely sees ice more than six inches thick. Dr. Kane, in reporting on the diet of polar voy- 40 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. agers, says : " Our journeys have taught us the •wis- dom of the Esquimaux appetite ; and there are few among us who do not rehsh a slice of raw bhibber or a chunk of frozen walrus beef. In Smith's Sound, where the use of raw meats seemed almost inevitable, from the modes of living of the people, walrus holds the first rank. Certainly, its finely- condensed tissue and delicately permeating fat — oh, call it not blubber! — is the very best kind a man can swallow. It became our constant com- panion whenever we could get it. " When the cold is such that the water of the breath is converted to ice as soon as it leaves the lips, and* freezes in beads and pendants on the beard of a traveller or axe-man, the air, deprived of all watery vapor, is very pure. That is, it contains a large percentage of oxygen, and this should be met Ijy an abundance of carbon at the lungs. This demand is soonest satisfied by oil, as it is much cheaper and less bulky than its equivalent of carbon in the form of bread. But, as above stated, there is a great difference in the flour of difierent grains. Corn- bread, for instance, contains nine per cent, of oil, while common wheat-bread, from fine flour, has only one per cent. Hence, the Hudson's Bay traders have found, according to Sir John Richardson, that corn-bread is decidedly more supporting than wheat. THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 41 But in temperate climates and among people of civilized habits, the cold of winter is so far resisted by increase of clotliing and warmth of apartments, that practically the most of our time is spent in an atmosphere of from 60'' to 70"^. For brief expos- ures of a few hours or a single day, to a freezing temperature, there is fat enough in the blood to meet the demand for carbon. But where the suffer- ing from cold is lengthy and constant, as when sol- diers or sailors are exposed to long, cold storms, or in the case of pilots, helmsmen, drivers, and travel- lers, who cannot increase the bodily warmth by free motion of the limbs, the diet should be considerably modified by the free use of fat beef, the yolks of eggs, and a generous allowance of butter. There is, however, considerable difference in the digestibility of different oils in common use as food. Butter, containing, as it does, but sixty-five per cent, of carbon, — while lard contains eighty, — and grateful to the palate and stomach on account of delicate flavors which characterize good butter, is the least oljjectionable of all the fats. The fat of salt pork, and especially that of smoked bacon, is for some reason much less injuri- ous than fresh animal fats. The salt and the smoke produce some effect not well understood, but easily appreciated at the table, which deprives the suet of 4.* 42 THE ririLOSoniY of house-keeping. its most noxious qualities. In many cases of dys- pepsia, bacon fat is digested with perfect ease, when articles apparently much more appropriate oj)press the stomach. The manner in which they are combined with other alimentary principles also makes a great dif- ference in the ease w^ith which animal oils are man- aged in the stomach. They should be eaten in connection with substances Avhich contain a large share of starch, as, for instance, rice, "mealy" po- tatoes,, and bread made of fine wheat flour. The oil should, moreover, be thoroughly blended with the substances with which it is eaten. Thus, an ounce of lard added to a pound of flour, and well com- bined by stirring and kneading, makes a loaf of bread somewhat more palatable and hearty than the union of flour and Avater, and for most stomachs equally as digestible. The same amount of fat com- bined with a pound of Indian meal would make a compound fit only to be eaten by a wood-chopper when the thermometer is at zero ; for corn meal contains nine percent, of oil, which, being of vege- table origin and intimately blended with the starch and gluten, is easily digested in most healthy stomachs. While the free, or at least the excessive use of oil, and especially the fat of hogs, is opposed by all THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 43 the known principles of physiology, it must be remembered that the oils have a part of considera- ble importance to discharge in the animal economy. In cold weather, a fatty diet is required by those who are much exposed, and at all times the adipose and nervous tissues must derive their oily or fatty constituents from the blood, and the blood must find them in the food. The thing principally to be borne in mind by one who has charge of the diet of her family, is that oils are easily digested only when they are carefully and intimately blended with a large bulk of some other alimentary principle. Nature has given us a pattern here in the composition of milk. In a hun- dred drops of new milk there are but three and one- half drops of oil. Let the cook employ the same wise temperance, the same sagacious moderation in blending the constituents of her cakes, her pastries, and desserts. SuGAii is contained in greater or less quantities in most of the ves^etable substances used for food. The instinct of children, who show universally a fondness tor sugar, is not without a just foundation in nature, for it is ^contained in the mother's milk in a quantity nearly double that of butter. By the analysis of French chemists, the percentage of 44 THE PHILOSOPIir OF IIOUSE-KEEPIXG. sii'^ar ill Avom.'ui's milk "Wiis found to be six iind one-half. Dr. Pcreira lias prcparctl a table, by comparing the analyses of various French and German chem- ists, in which he shows the proportion of sugar in various substances much used for food, as follows : — • Proportion of sugar iu barley meal 5.21 per ct. " " oatmeal, S.Cj " " " wheat tlour 4.2 to S.-13 " " " wheat bread, 3.0 " " " rye meal, 3.28 " " " ludhm meal, 1.45 " " " rice, .33j " «' " peas 2.00 " « " figs, • C2.00 " " " ripe green-gage plums, . . . .11.01 " " " pears, ripe and fresh, .... C.-J5 " " " " kept for some time, . . .11.52 " «« '' ripe cherries, IS.OO " " " ripe apricot, 11.01 " " " ripe peach, 13.43 " " " beet root, 5 to 9 " " " cow's milk, 4.77 " " " woman's milk, 0.50 " " " goat's milk, 5.28 " " " juice of sugar-cane, . . . 12 to 13 " It thus appears that our most delicious fruits, as the fig, pear, chcny, and peach, owe their attract- iveness to the sugar they contain, a ripe peach con- taining as much of it as an equal weight of cane- juice. More than half the substance of the fig appears to be sugar ; and the effect of keeping fruits THE CHEMISTllY OF FOOD. 45 is seen in the case of the pear, where the difference between those fresh from the tree and those kept for some time was fomid to be an addition of live per cent, to the su2;ar. There is no evidence that sugar, when taken in moderate quantities, lias any injurious effects. Its composition is found to be very similar to that of starch, a hundred grains of sugar containing a little over forty grains of carbon, the balance being water. Accordins; to Liebio: and Dumas, susrar is an ele- ment of respiration ; but tliere is evidence that it is first converted into animal fat, for there is no trace of sugar in healthy blood. An English v/riter on the plants of Jamaica says that " during the sugar season in the West India Islands, everj^ negro on the plantations, and every animal, even the dogs, grow fat." That it is not to any great extent a heat-producing substance is shown b}' the fact that the Esquimaux do not care for it, their children sput|;ering it out Avhen put into their mouths as though it were so much sand, but devouring a candle with as much avidity as the children of warm and temperate climates eat candy. A part of the sugar ordinarily eaten passes into lactic acid in the stomach, and aids digestion. If too much of this acid is j)roduced, it is said to sour on the stomach, and the effect is to retard d^srestiou. 46 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. There is no evidence that sugar goes to build up any of the important tissues of the body. Persons confined to sugar (as the crew of a vessel laden Avith sugar, that Avas shipwrecked) as their sole diet, perish from hunger almost as soon as those who eat nothing. In commerce, there arc a variety of sugars, known as "brown," "refined," "double refined," "crushed," etc., but, chemically speaking, there are but two varieties of sugar. Cane sugar, which comprises eleven-twelfths of all the sugar of com- merce, and includes that made of cane, maple-sap, juice of beets, corn-stalks, etc., is one kind, and grape sugar is the other. The chemical difference Jn these two sugars, and also their difference in solu- bility and sweetening power, is of importance to every house-keeper, and is well stated by Professor Youmans, as folloAvs : — "Those plants and fruits which possess sour or acid juices yield grape sugar, while those which contain little or no acid in their saps contain, gen- erally, cane sugar. Grape sugar may be produced by art, Avhile cane sugar cannot. " Sugar, like starch, consists only of carbon and water ; but these two sugars differ in the propor- tion of these elements. While cane suijar contains twelve atoms of carbon to eleven of water, grape THE CHEMISTKT OF FOOD. 47 sugar contains twelve atoms of carbon to fourteen of water. Grape sugar is, therefore, less rich in carbon than cane sugar, and cane sugar may be transformed into grape sugar by the addition of chemically combined water. It is an essential })rop- erty of sugar, that under the action of ferments they are decomposed, converted into carbonic acid and alcohol. Grape sugar is most i^rone to this change ; and cane sugar, before it can undergo fer- mentation, must first be changed into grape sugar. Cane sugar passes into the solid state much more readily than grape sugar, taking on the form of clear, well-defined crystals of a constant figure ; gi'ape sugar, on the contrary, crj^stallizes reluctantly and imperfectly, without constancy or form. Crys- tals of cane sugar are regular, six-sided figures, while those of grape sugar are ill-defined, needle- shaped tufts. "Pure cane sugar remains perfectly dvy and un- changed in the air, while grape sugar attracts atmos- pheric moisture, becoming mealy and damp. Yet cane sugar dissolves in Avater much more readil}^ than grape sugar. While a pound of cold water will dissolve three pounds of the former, it will take up but two-thirds of a pound of the latter. Cane sugar will, therefore, make a much thicker and stronger syrup than grape sugar, dissolving, also, 4Cf THE THILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. more freely in the juices of the mouth, — a property upon M'hich taste depends. " Cane sugar possesses a higher sweetening power than the other variety. Powdered grape sugar has a floury taste wlien placed on the tongue, and very gradually becomes sweet and gummy as it dissolves. Two pounds of cane sugar are considered to go as far in sweetening as, five of grape sugar. Therefore, five of grape should cost as much as two of cane sugar ; and the mingling of the two is a serious deterioration." Two practical conclusions may be drawn from this statement, of much value to the house-keeper. 1st. The fine, floury substance sold as "powdered sugar" by the grocers is to a great extent grape sugar, and even when pure it requires five pounds of it to be equal to two of pure cane sugar. 2d. When a quan- tity of broAvn sugar has stood for some months, a chemical change takes place throughout the mass, and it desrenerates into a substance of less than half the value of pure granulated sugar. Hence the experience of a great immber of purchasers may be summed up in the sentence, that "it is always cheap- est in the end to buy the best white sugar." Aside from these three leading alimentary princi- ples that do not contain nitrogen, there are three or four others which should be mentioned. Of these. THE CHEMISTRY OF FOOD. 49 the most important is that described by Pereira under the name pectin aceous. By this terra, he and other chemists refer to vegetable jelly. Pectine and pectic acid are most extensively dis- tributed in the vegetable kingdom. Most pulpy fruits contain vegetable jelly ; as, currants, apples, pears, quinces, tomatoes, and various berries. "While unripe, these fruits contain but a very small portion of pectine, but in the process of ripening the vegetable acids, acting on the pulpy matter of the fruit, produce pectine. These acids, as the malic, citric, and tartaric, are enclosed in little cells, which, while the fruit is green, are imbroken ; but ripening is the process of bursting these cells, by which the acids become diflused through the mass of the fruit. By subjecting fruit to heat, these cells are burst, and the roasting or baking is, in fact, only a rapid artificial ripening. By the union of sugar with vegetable jelly, a va- riety of delicate articles of food is prepared ; such as currant jelly, apple, strawberry, and raspberry jellies, and apple and quince marmalade. These preparations derive the most of whatever nutritive qualities they possess from the sugar employed in their preparation ; but they are very easil}^ digested, and, Avhen properly made, are agreeable, cooling, and delicious articles for the table. In febrile and 50 THE PHILOSOPHY OF nOUSE-KEEPING. inflammatoiy complaints they ure peculiarly grateful to a patient. In preparing jellies, it should be borne in mind that if the jnicc is boiled too long, the action of the heat takes away the power of gelatinizing; and the result is a Uiick paste, that lacks the flavor of well-made jelly. Aside from the substances abova described, which make up the chief part of humaw food, there are certain chemical or inorganic sal^s which are de- manded by the constitution of man, and which must exist, to a greater or less e/tent, in a perfect diet. The first of these is phosjyhorus,^ which occurs in the blood, and in various tissues <;f the body gen- erally, in the form of phosphate of L'me, or of phos- phoric acid. It is well knoM'U that phosphorus is an important element in the brain and nerves, and that high mental activity and nervous exci^'^ment produce a waste of phosphates in the system, and a demand in the diet for articles rich in phosphj.nis. About thirty years ago a French savan thought he had made a wonderful discovery witli. regard to the presence or a1)sence of this element in the tissue of the brain as a measure of mental soundness and power. He said he found twice as much phos- phorus in the brains of sensible people as in the THE CHEJnSTRY OF FOOD. 51 brains of fools ; while the heads of insane persons had more than a proper share of this remarkable salt. More recent and accurate analyses have failed to corroborate these views of Couerbe ; but it is pretty well established that nervous and mental activity demands food that is rich in this salt, and that con- tains it in such a form as can i^adily be assimilated. This latter condition is of more importance than the mere presence of phosphorus in the stomach. This is the reason why such food as beans and peas, though well suited to supply muscular waste, is not adapted to the requirements of those who live by brain-toil. The food that a man craves, who leads an intense life amid the exhausting demands of a city, is not the same that will best sustain the quiet farm- labi^rer. Eggs abound in phosphorus, as also fish of most kinds, especially oysters, lobsters, and crabs. Game is richer in this salt than ordinary flesh, and cheese contains a great deal of it, — three times as much, according to Berzelius, as the whites of eggs. Among the culinary vegetables, the potato is found to be the best supplied with phosphorus. Now these are just the substances most esteemed for food by city people, Avho lead lives of excite- ment, and by the dissipated, whose waste of nervous energy is the most rapid and reckless. 52 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Another important mineral, which should be found in a healthy diet, is sulphur. The system requires it in the formation of bone and cartilage, in the growth of the hair and nails. There is a little suliDhur in the saliva also, and in other gastric juices. This salt is supplied by most articles of diet. There is so much of it in the yolk of eggs, when boiled, that a silver spoon is discolored by the formation of sulphuret of silver, if left in con- tact with the egg. The curd of milk is rich in sulphur, and it is this which gives the strong smell to old cheese. Sulphuretted hydrogen is the prin- cipal element of that disgusting odor that arises from animal substances Avhen decaying. Iron is another mineral always present in healthy blood. In fiict the chief difference in the blood of a vigorous, Avell-fed person, as contrasted with -the blood of one who is pallid and strengthless, consists in the quantity of iron which they respectively con- tain. For this reason, nothing is so good for many persons in low health as to drink water strongly impregnated with iron ; and hence chalj-^beate springs are often places of resort. Most articles of food contain some iron ; it is quite abundant in the juice of flesh, in eggs, and in milk ; hence these substances should be freely given to convalescents who have lost blood from wounds, THE CHEMISTRY Or FOOD. 53 or whose blood has beeu greatly deranged by acute fever. Lime and salt are also constant ins^redieuts of our food, the former being demanded in the forma- tion of bones, and the latter being indispensable to the creation of the digestive juices. Lime is found in most of the substances largely consumed as food. The cereal grains, and especially wheat, contain it in the form of subphosphate. In the same form it is a considerable element in milk. On this account it can be seen why milk and wheaten bread is such a suitable dish for the nursery. Children need a large allowance of lime in their food for the produc- tion of their growing bones. Salt exists in small quantities in many articles of food, but not enough is thus taken into the system to supply its demands. The hydrochloric acid of the stomach, and the soda in the blood and in the bile, must both come from salt. Liebig has pointed out the remarkable coinci- dence that exists between the ash of the plants that compose man's food, and the ash of his blood. Many of the vegetables and meats consumed as food yield in their ash a little fluorine, and sometimes considerable amounts of potash and magnesia. These salts are all in demand for some part of the body. Fluorine is required for the teeth, and 54 THE nilLOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEnXO. small quantities of magnesium and potassium are found in other parts of the system. When muscle is burned, some potash is found in the ash. Now, it makes no practical difference whether a muscle is brought to an ash in a crucible, or worn out in bodily activity. There is in each case a liberation of potash ; and when this con- sumption has taken place in the human system, it must be replaced by the ingredients of food. Among the vegetables, few contain more potash than the potato ; and this accounts for the well- known circumstance that heavy muscular labor, as the constant use of the shovel by Irishmen, is con- nected with a large consumption of potatoes. Thus chemistry has given us a good scientific reason for the choice we make of a great variety of articles of food. The blood and the whole economy are daily consuming a list of substances, some of which are by no means abundant in nature ; and a special appetite or fancy for this or that dish is often nothing less than the voice of nature assert- ing herself and calling for some subtle and hidden element which she demands, for perfect success in the rare and wonderful chemistry by which human life is sustained. THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 55 CHAPTER III. THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD. Whoever possesses the skill tlint comes of prac- tice and of proper instruction may become a good cook ; but the competent housewife should have a higher and more A^'lluable knowledirc than the sim- pie art of making a palatable dish. There is, in the diet of every nation at all remark- able for vigor and development, an habitual blend- ins: of the two o^reat classes of food described in the for going chapters, — a due and skilful mixing of the heat-making with the muscle-making elements. Thus, for instance, the Irish, as a nation, eat but very little meat ; yet Irishmen are larger, stronger, and more capable of muscular toil, than any other people on the face of the earth. In bodily develop- ment, the average of the size, M'eight, and height of a hundred Irishmen will be found very near that standard which physiologists have determined upon as the nearest approach to perfection. Professor Quitelet came to the conclusion, that the model man should weigh a hundred and fifty-four pounds. This is found to be the averasre weisfht of Irishmen. 5G THE PHILOSOPIir OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Now, how docs it happen that a nation so remark- ably vigorous are yet almost exclusively vegeta- rians in their diet? Because their national diet is so largely nitrogenous. They consume, in great amounts, those vegetables which are richest in muscle-making power. Potatoes, oatmeal, cabbage, and milk are the grand staples of their food. The cabbage excels all the plants of its class in the amount of nitrogen which it contains. The potato is abundantly supplied with potash ; and as this mineral is found in the ash of muscle, it follows that it is particularly adapted to the production of muscular strength. The oat is richer than wheat, or any other grain, in nitrogen ; and this is also largely found in the curd of milk. Another circumstance, more remarkable still, must be considered, in explanation of the fact of the large osseous development of the Irish race. None of the kinds of food above mentioned are par- ticularly rich in the phosphates which are required for bone growth. The question, where the Irishman gets the lime necessary for perfect development, is thus answered by Professor Johnston: "The hu- man body requires a certain proportion of lime to be contained in, or mixed Avith, its food. If the common diet do not contain a sufficient proportion of this mineral ingredient, the common water of the THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 57 country may supply the deficiency ; and tlius a national mode of living may spring up, the salutary properties of which depend partly upon the food, and partly upon the water. In another district or country, where the drinking water is different, the same solid food, eaten alone, may be unsuited for the maintenance of health. Ireland presents us with a case in which this state of things appears to exist. Potato has become, in a sense, the national food of Ireland. In 1854, one million acres on that island produced potatoes. This root contains lai-ger proportions of potash and soda, but much less of lime and other necessary ingredients, than either wheat or oats, which are the staples of English and Scottish life. But the greater part of Ireland is covered with a broad limestone formation, which impregnates with lime the springs and other waters employed for domestic purposes ; so that the min- eral contents of Avhat they drink supply the natural deficiency in what they eat. In this wa}^ it will appear that the reasons for the adoption of a peculiar national diet may lie much deeper than political economy can generally go." In the same wa}^ and for a similar reason, the Englishman eats bacon, which is heat-producing, with beans, which are highly nitrogenous ; and to 58 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. rice, which is rich only in starch, adds milk, eggs, and butter. The macaroni of the Italian, which is very sim- ilar to rice in its properties, is eaten with rich cheese, to obtain the benefit of the oil and curd, both abounding in substances demanded by the body. Dry wheat bread is everywhere eaten with some kind of oil. Now, it is precisely this skill in blend- ing of foods — this art of balancing the defects of one article by the abundance of the lacking elements in another article of food — this knowledsre of the complementary ya\\iq of different substances eaten — that is most required. The voice of nature is al- ways strong, and, if she has an abundant supply from which to choose her election, except in the case of morbid appetite, is always just and wise. In the rudest diet, as well as in the luxuries of refined gastronomy, the main cravings of animal nature are never lost sight of. " Aside from the first taste in the mouth," says the chemist whose words we have just quoted, "there is an after-taste of the digestive organs which requires to be satisfied. An indifferent cook may gratify the first ; he is no mean physiological chemist who can at the same time fully satisfy the second." In order to know how to blend alimentary prin- THE NUTRITIVT: rOAVER or FOOD. 59 ciples, the house-keeper should be familiar with the nutritive powers of the different articles which are brought most frequently upon tables. "When a substance is brought before the physio- logical chemist, and his opiuion asked as to its value as an article of food, his inquiries will be directed to three main points : — 1st. What is its value as a plastic or strength- giving substance ? 2d. What are its heat-giving or respiratory qual- ities ? 3d. With what facility is it digested in a healthy stomach ? As an answer to these main lines of inquiry, four tables have been prepared, — the first two arranged so as to give the highest position to those substances which are most abundant in strength-giving quali- ties and in heating power ; the third presenting the most digestible substances ; and the fourth giving the most convplementary food, by which is meant those which by themselves contain the greatest variety and the best proportion of alimentary elc/- ments. GO THE THILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. TABLE I. Giving the quantity of Nitrogen, or tissue-making Ele- ment, in certain Foods, mostly on the authority of Bous- singault. Various Kinds of Food. Quantity of Nitrogen. Animal albumen, or white of eggs, . 15.9 part 5 in lyO. Vegetable albumen, from wheat, . . 15.9 (1 Animal fibrine, 15.8 (1 Vegetable fibrine, . 15.8 " Animal caseine (prepared from beans), . 15.7 " Vegetable caseine (from milk), . 15.6 <( Gluten (separated from wheat), 15.9 (( Roasted flesh of roe deer, . 15.2 (C " " ofbeef, . . . . 15.2 <( Dried ox blood, . 15.0 (( Dried beef, 15.0 (( Roast veal, . 14.7 l< Horse beans, dried at 212°, 5.5 " Lentils, dried at 212°, .... . 4.4 (( "White kidney beans, 4.3 <( Peas, dried in vacuo at 230°, . 4.2 (( Cabbage, white, dried at 212", . 3.7 (( Wheat, dried at 230°, .... . 2.3 (( Oats, dried at 230°, 2.2 (C Barley, dried at 230°, .... . 2.0 (f Carrot, dried at 212°, . . . . 2.4 (( Turnips, dried at 212°, .... . 2.2 << Indian corn, dried at 212°, 2.0 «( Potatoes (fresh), dried at 212°, . . 1.8 (( Rye, dried at 212° 1.7 i( Jerusalem artichoke, dried at 230'', . 1.6 <( Rice, dried at 230°, 1.3 (( Potatoes, kept ten months, and dried, . 1.1 t( THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 61 TABLE II. Giving the quantity of Carbon, or respiratory and heat- producing Element, in certain ividely used Articles of Food. Various Kinds of Food. Quantity of Carbon. Authoritjr. Hog's lard 79.0 part s in 100. Chevreul. Mutton fat, .... . 78.9 do. Olive oil, 77.7 Saussure. Butter, . 65.6 Berard. Animal albumen (white of eggs). 55.0 Scherer. Animal fibrine, .... . 55.0 do. Animal caseine (from fresh milk). 54.8 do. Vegetable albumen (from wheat). . 55.0 Jones. Vegetable fibrine, .... 54.6 Scherer. Vegetable caseine, . . 54.0 do. Gluten, from wheat. 55.2 Jones. Venison, roasted, . , . 52.6 Boeckmann. Beef, roasted, .... 52.5 Plaj-fair. Veal, roasted, .... . 52.5 do. Ox-blood, fresh, .... 10.3 do. " dried. . 51.9 do. Alcohol, 52.0 Fremy. Oats, dried at 230°, . . 50 7 Boussingault. Acetic acid, 47.0 Peligot. Cane sugar (anhydrous), . . 47.0 Peas, dried at 230°, 46.5 Boussingault. Pectine, or jelly from sour apples. . 45.8 Fremy. "Wheat and rye, each dried at 230°, 46.0 Boussingault. Pectine, or jelly from sweet apples , 45.1 Prout. Black bread, dried at 210°, . 45.4 Boeckmann. "VYheat starch, dried at 350°, . . 44.0 « . do. Arrow-root starch, dried at 212°, 44.4 do. Gum arable, dried at 240°, . 45.0 Mulder. " dried at 212°, . 41.0 Prout. Sugar candy, .... . 42.0 Sugar of milk, . . , . 40.0 Prout and Liebig, Potatoes, fresh . 12.2 Boussingault. 62 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Various Kinds of Food. Quantity of Carbon. Authority. Potatoes, dried at 230°, . , 41.0 parts in 100. Boussingault. Turnips, fresh, .... 3.0 " do. Turnips, dried at 230°, . . . 42.0 " do. Jerusalem articholie, dried at 230°, 43.0 " do. Beans, 38.2 " I'layfair. Lentils 37.5 " do. Peas, 35.7 " do. Wheat bread, fresh 30.0 " Liebig. TABLE III. Showing the time in which various Articles of Food are digested. Prepared by Dr. Beaumont. How Time of Article of Food. Prepared. Digestion. U. M. Kice, Boiled, 1 00 Pig's feet (soused), Boiled, 1 00 Tripe (soused), Boiled, 1 00 Eggs, whipped Eaw, 1 30 Salmon trout, Boiled, 1 30 Salmon trout, Fried, 1 30 Barley soup, 1 30 Apples, sweet and mellow, . . . Raw, _ 1 30 Venison-steak, Broiled, 1 35 Brains of animals, Boiled, 1 45 Sago, Boiled, 1 45 Tapioca, Boiled, 2 00 Barley, Boiled, 2 00 Milk, Boiled, 2 00 Liver of beef, fresh, .... Broiled, 2 00 Eggs, Raw, 2 00 Codfish, cured, Boiled, 2 00 Apples, sour, mellow, .... Raw. 2 00 THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF TOOD. Article of Food. Cabbage, with vinegar, Milk, .... Eggs, Wildturkej', . Turkey, domestic, Gelatine, .... Turkey, domestic. Goose, wild. Pig, sucking. Lamb, fresli, . Hash, meat and vegetables. Beans, from pod. Cake, sponge, Parsnips, . Potatoes, Irish, . Cabbage-head, Spinal marrow of animal, Chicken, full-grown, . Custard, .... Beef, with salt only, . Apples, sour and hard, . Oysters, fresh. Eggs, fresh, . Bass (striped), Beof, fresh, lean and rare. Beef-steak, . Pork, recently salted, Mutton, fresh. Bean soup, How Prepared. Time of Digestion. 11. M. Raw, 2 00 Raw, 2 15 Roasted, 2 15 Roasted, o 18 Boiled, 2 25 Boiled, 2 30 Roasted, 2 30 Roasted, 2 30 Roasted, 2 30 Broiled, 2 30 "Wanned, 2 30 Boiled, 2 30 Baked, 2 30 Boiled, 2 30 Roasted, 2 30 Baked, 2 30 Raw, 2 30 Boiled, 2 40 Fricaseed, 2 i5 Balvcd, 2 45 Boiled, 2 45 Raw, 2 50 Raw, 2 55 Soft boiled. S 00 Broiled, 3 00 Broiled, 3 00 Broiled, 3 00 Raw, 3 00 Stewed, 3 00 Broiled, 3 00 Boiled, 3 00 , , . 3 00 64 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPIXn. Article of Food. Chicken soup, Apple-dumpling, Corn-cake, . Oysters, fresh. Pork, recently salted Mutton, fresh. Corn-bread, Carrot (orange), Sausage, Flounder, fresh. Catfish, fresh, Oysters, fresh, Beef, fresh, lean, and drj' Beef, with mustard, Butter, melted, . Cheese, old, and stron; Mutton soup. Oyster soup, . Wheat-bread, Turnips, Irish potatoes. Eggs, Eggs, . Green corn and beans, Beets, . Salmon, salted. Beef, fresh, . Veal, fresh, Fowls, domestic. Ducks, *' Beef soup, with vegetables, How Prepared. Time of Digestion. H. M. 3 00 Boiled, 3 00 Baked, 3 00 Roasted, 3 15 Broiled, 3 15 Roasted, 3 15 Baked, 3 15 Boiled, 3 15 Broiled, 3 20 Fried, 3 30 Fried, 3 30 Stewed, 3 30 Roasted, 3 30 Boiled, 3 30 . 2 30 . . 3 30 . 3 30 . ■ . 3 30 Fresh baked 3 30 Boiled, 3 30 Boiled, 3 30 Hard boiled. 3 30 Fried, 3 30 Boiled, 3 45 Boiled, 3 45 Boiled, 4 00 Fried, 4 00 Broiled, 4 00 Boiled, 4 00 Roasted, 4 00 Roasted, 4 00 , . 4 00 THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 65 . ^. , ^„ . How Time of Article of Food. Prepared. Digestion. II. I\r. Heart of animal, .... Tried, 4 00 Beef, salted, old and hard, . . . Boiled, 4 15 Pork, recently salted, . . . . Fried, 4 15 Soup of marrow-bones, 4 15 Cartilage, Boiled, 4 15 Cabbage, Boiled, 4 30 Pork, recently salted, .... Boiled, 4 30 Veal, fresh, Fried, 4 30 Ducks, wild, Boasted, 4 30 Suet, mutton, Boiled, 4 30 Pork, fat and lean, .... Roasted, 5 15 Tendon, Boiled, 5 30 Suet, beef, fresh, .... Boiled, 5 30 TABLE IV. Comjylementary Articles of Food, such as in themselves supply the loants of the body. Articles of Food. Their Composition. ' Contains water, 87 per cent. ; butter, 3 per cent; caseine and insoluble salts, 5 per cent. ; milk-sugar, 4 per cent. In final analysis, albumen, caseine rich iu nitrogen, oil and sugar rich in carbon, chlo- ride of potassium and sodium, and the phos I phate? of soda, lime, magnesia, and iron. Milk, < 6* 6G THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Article ol Food. Eggs, Wheat, Kye, Corn, Oats, When m^le into bread, or otherwise -^ prepared for . food, Their Composition. The vhite consists of water, SO per cent. ; albumen, 15.5 per cent. ; mucus, 4 per cent. The yolk, — Avater, 53.7; albumen, 17.4; yellow oil. 28. 7 per cent. In final analysis, the egg contains albu- men rich in nitrogen, yellow oil rich in car- bon ; while the ash is found to contain sulphur, phosphoric acid, chlorine, potash, soda, lime, magnesia, aud their carbonates. The composition of the yolk and white together is as follows : — Water 74.0 parts in 100. Albumen, .... 14.0 " Fat, . ■ . , . . 10.5 " Mineral salts, . . .1.5 " '' Contain of starch about GO per cent. ; of gluten about 12 per cent. ; with sugar, gum, oil, and a mineral ash, which consists of phosphoric acid, potash, soda, magnesia, oxide of iron, and common salt. In final analysis, the substances of which bread is usually made yield nitrogenous matter in proportion to carbonaceous nearl)' as one to five, and the}^ contain the most of the salts required bj' the body. J Consists of water, about 74 per cent. ; of al- Muscular flesh I bumen, or fibrine, about 20 per cent. ; of of the ox, deer, ^ gelatine, G per cent., — giving nearly 27 per sheep, and hog, I cent, of nutritive matter, of which more i. than one-half, or 15 per cent., is nitrogen. With these tables before us, it is easy to select those articles of food which are, on the whole, the most perfect ; and any dish which combines the I THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 67 merits of each of these tables, must possess high vaUie as an article of food. For instance, from the first table, suppose we take venison, or the roasted flesh of roe-deer. It is found to contain more than fifteen per cent, of nitrogen, the element which is needed to give strength. It also contains, according to the second table, fifty -two per cent, of carbon, or heat-producing element. That is, the strength-producing power of venison is to its heat-produciug power, as fifteen to fifty-two, or as one to three and a half. But in perfect food this ratio ought to be as one to four, or one to five ; hence, there should be eaten with venison some article rich in carbon, as, for instance, Avheat bread, which contains thirty per cent, of carbon ; or oat- cake, which contains fifty per cent, of carbon ; or potatoes, the dry part of which contains forty-four per cent, of carbon ; or rice, which is known to be very rich in starch. Suppose the latter farinaceous dish is selected, and a person dines on broiled venison and boiled rice. Let iis now turn to the third table, and see in what time these articles will be digested. The rice will l)e converted into chyme in an hour, the venison in thirty minutes longer. If, in connection with this dish, a mellow apple should be eaten, it would digest at the same time with the venison. Thus, it appears, that no articles 68 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. can be selected from the above tables, on which so perfect a meal could be made, as broiled venison and boiled rice, followed by an apple. This is an ex- planation of the well-known fact, that no people arc equal in hardihood, vigor, and strength to the Rocky Mountain hunters, who subsist almost en- tirely on fresh venison. For a man who takes a great amount of exercise, venison alone would for a long time satisfy all the demands of his system, l)articularly if the w«ter he drank contained, in solution, phosphate of lime, and some other mineral elements, in small quantities. Let us take, now, the old standard farmer's din- ner of salt pork and boiled cabbage. The cabbage contain?, nearly four per cent, of nitrogen, standing next t^ beans and peas as strength- supporting vegetables. The pork is richer than any other meat in carbon, or heat-producing power, and the oil from the fat meat penetrating the cab- bao;e renders it easier of digestion, unless too much pork is used. Thus the dish seems to be very proper for a laboring man, particularly in cold weather. Now, if we look in Table III. for its digestibility, we find it near the bottom of the list. It remains four and a half hours in the stomach before it is reduced to chyme. Hence its propriety as a dinner dish. It should be eaten many hours t THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 69 before sleep ; whereas the hunter may sink to the most perfect repose in a little more than an hour after eating his venison supper. Beef is jDrecisely like venison in composition ; that is, it has fifteen per cent, of nitrogen, and over fifty-two per cent, of carbon ; but it remains un- changed in the stomach two full hours after veuisou is wholly digested. Wheat bread contains, according to Boussingault, thirty-nine per cent, of carbon, and a little less than two per cent, of nitrogen. The butter which is commonly eaten with it contains sixty-four per cent, of carbon, but no nitrogen. Hence large quantities of this food are necessary, in order to give the muscular strength for hard labor. Some kind of meat, having fifteen per cent, of nitrogen, should be eaten with bread by persons in active life. An examination of these tables will show why certain vegetables are so extensively used for food among vigorous and industrious populations. The bean, on account of its capability of being thoroughly dried, is the standard vegetable for soldiers, sailors, and remote laborers, as lumbermen and miners. In Table No. I., it is found standing immediately after the meats as plastic food, containing, according to the variety, about four and a half per cent, of 70 THE PHILOSOrHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. nitrogen. Next stands the cabbage, and close upon it oats, Avheat, and barley. By another analysis, the oat is fonnd considerably snperior to ^vheat in jDlastic power. Now, these vegetables are precisely those most consumed in Northern Europe and the United States, where there is greatest amount of activit}^ of both mind and body, and where the labors of progressive civilization afford the highest displays of both men- tal and muscular force. So, also, the potato, which probably stands next to wheat among civilized nations as an article of food, contains, when fresh and mealj', nearly as much nitrogen as barley and Indian corn ; that is, about two per cent., the balance being starch}^ or heat-producing. Horsford, by analysis of the dry matter, which is one-fourth of the weight of the potato, found the amount of nitrogenous element to be one-tenth, or two and a half per cent, of the whole potato. This would make its nutritive pow- ers nearly equal to wheat. The analysis of Pro- fessor Johnston, of England, makes the result as follows : Of starch, sixty-four per cent. ; of sugar and gum, fifteen per cent. ; of nitrogenous matter, nine per cent. ; of fat, one per cent. ; of fibre, eleven per cent. "The dry potato, therefore, is about equal in nutritive value to rice, and not far behind THE NUTRITIVE POAVEK OF FOOD. 71 the average of our liner varieties of wheat aud flour." When it is remembered, that in cookins: rice and wheat, we add a largo amount of Avater, whereas in cooking potatoes a portion of the water is expelled, it will be seen that a dozen large-sized potatoes are about equal to a pound of wheat flour, made into bread. According to the experiments of Boussingault, a field that yields three thousand four hundred pounds in wheat, will produce thirty-eight thousand pounds of potatoes. If these products should be reduced to ashes, the wheat would aflbrd ninety pounds, and the potatoes three hundred and twenty-three pounds. These figures arc a sufficient explanation of the value of the potato as an article of diet, as it is doubtful whether, by the cultivation of any other crop, so large an amount per acre of wholesome and nutritious food can be produced. The onion is also a very valuable vegetable, and contains a high j)ercentage of nitrogen ; one analysis showed that the dry parts of the onion }'ield nearly thirty per cent, of plastic material. If this be so, one onion is equal to three potatoes of the same size. A very obvious lesson to be derived from these and similar tables is a knoAvledge of the plants which are the most economical for the gar- dens of the poor. If a family have, for instance, a fourth of an acre of fertile soil, how can they plant 72 THE PIIILOSOPIIY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. it in such a way us to }ield them the largest aiiiouut of nutrition ? Those wlio are poor, but industrious, eat not for enjoyment, but to repair the strength which is Avasted by daily toils. Yet, as exercise is the best condiment, "the bread of the laboring man is sweet." It will be seen that the plastic or nitrogenized foods are, in general, the most ditficult to be ob- tained. For instance, the most perfect nitrogenous food, venison, is, in the nature of things, a luxury difficult to be obtained, except l)y hunters, or by those whose means enable them to command every delicacy. In Europe, this is true, to a great extent, of beef. It must be, therefore, from the vegetable kingdom that the great bulk or major part of the nitrogen consumed by the activity of the race must be derived. And, Avhere land is expensive, the question is one of immense importance, — What vegetables will furnish, from a given surface, the largest amount of nitroijen? AVitli this in view, science informs the owner of a few square rods of ground, that he had better plant it in onions, j^ra^, beans, cabbage, turmj)s, jwiatoes. If his breadth of land admits of a cereal crop, let it be oatSy barley, or ivheat. It is remarkable to observe how closely long ex- l)crience has arrived at results justified by the most THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 73 refined analysis of chemistry ; for the garden of a thrifty and hard-working man will be almost sure to have all these vegetables growing in it. Let us turn, now, to the fourth table, and discuss some of those articles of food Avhich in themselves supply the bodily wants, and which are, for that reason, adapted to be, for considerable periods, a sole diet. At the head of the list we find milk, which is, on some accounts, the most perfect of all substances for food. There is not a single element demanded by the body (unless it be very small quantities of sulphur and fluorine) , that is not con- tained in this primal, and well-nigh universal, ar- ticle of food. AYe need water in large quantities. Eighty-seven per cent, of milk is water. We need a small amount of oil. In the form of butter, milk yields this oil at the rate of three parts in a hun- dred. Sugar is always found grateful and whole- some as a part of our food, and of it milk contains four parts in a hundred. The curd of milk is caseine, identical in composition with vegetable albumen, and the albumen of eggs, blood, and mus- cular flesh ; while, in final analysis, there are found in milk the phosphates of soda, lime, magnesia, and iron, all of Avhich are necessary to the growth of bone, and other tissues. Wh}^ then, is not milk as suitable and perfect an aliment for the adult, as 7 74 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. it is for the child? First, because nature, by giv- ing us teeth, has designed that a large part of human food should be solid, not liquid ; and, second, because the stomach, and other parts of the alimen- tary canal, are prepared to receive and digest food which contains a large amount of starch, albumen, and some woody fibre. Hence, though milk in sufficient quantities would nourish the body so as to preserve its health, its use as the sole food would be followed by a de- rangement of the stomach and bowels, more or less acute. Dyspepsia and constipation would be the first mischief. Milk would be an insufficient diet, also, from its lack of both nitrogenous and carbona- ceous elements, as it contains but three per cent, of oil, and four per cent, of caseine. But some im- portant hints as to the mixture of the alimentary substances may be derived, by observing its com- position. For instance, the moderate amount of oil which milk contains is thoroughl}^ interfused and blended with the mass. Thus should it be Avith all dishes which contain oil. It should enter the stomach as butter does, when we drink milk ; there is no evi- dence that oils and fats begin to yield any aliment until the digestive juices have wrought them into a fluid resembling milk, which is called an emulsion. THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 75 By blending ^Y^th milk other substances which contain the elements which are lacking, very per- fect articles of food can be formed, — dishes which can alike delight the palate and satisfy the inner man. Thus, by adding eggs, rich in albumen, and rice, which consists mostly of starch, and some sugar, rice pudding is the result ; a dish Avhich, for its nutritive power, and the ease with which it is digested, is surpassed by few others in the whole range of culinary art. By noticing the mineral ingredients of each, it will be seen why wheaten bread and milk is a dish so universally grateful and wholesome for children. The milk and the wheat are both quite rich in phos- phate of lime, which is precisely what a child wants ibr bone growth ; while the curd of the milk, and the gluten of the wheat, go to make up muscular M'aste, which, on account of the perpetual activities of childhood, is always great. The nutritive power of milk is but little dimin- ished by the separation of the three per cent, of butter which it contains. The whole of the curd remains in both skimmed milk and buttermilk, and their sourness is due to the formation of lactic acid, which, like the acid of fruits, though less agreeable, is entirely wholesome. There is no drink, in summer time, more suitable for laboring 76 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. men than buttermilk. It directly reinforces the wastins: muscular tissue with its curd, Avhich is rich in nitrogen ; and the sugar and salts which it con- tains are also nutritions. It is extensively used as an article of food in Ireland and in Germany, and forms an agreeable, cooling beverage in febrile and inflammatory cases. Milk and eggs may be regarded as in their nature fruits which the animals yield us ; and eggs, in particular, are among the most perfect articles of food which Ave have. They contain fourteen parts in a hundred of albumen ; and hence, weight for weight, are almost as valuable for tissue and •strength-makiug, as muscular flesh. They contain ten and a half -pev cent, of fat, and one and a half of mineral salts, such as sulphur, potash, chlo- rine, lime, magnesia, and i^hosphorus. By reference to Dr. Beaumont's table of the time of digestion of various articles, it will be found that the mode of cooking has much to do with the diges- tibility of eggs. When prepared by beating alone, an egg is equalled by very few articles in the promptness wath which it is reduced to chyme. An hour and a half suffices. But when fried, it remains three hours and a half before the work of diofestion is complete. When soft-boiled, the Avhite only being coagulated, three hours are required. By THE NUTltlTlVE POWER OF FOOD. 77 comparing the percentage of oil with that of albu- men, it will be seen that the proportion of carbon is much higher than it should be in perfect food. This indicates that eggs are a proper diet in cold weather, and that they should be eaten, as they generally are, in connection with dishes in which starch abounds. Though health could be enjoyed, for a great length of time, on a diet of eggs only, there would be danirer of the same derani^cmcnt of the diixestive orofans that is likely to occur where milk only is eaten. The mass of food taken into the stomach would be so small that the organs would become feeble and languid from inaction, and severe constipation ensue. On this account, eggs should be eaten with food that is coarse and bulk}^ or with such as contains much starch. The large amount of oil in the yolk of eggs ren- ders the blending of animal fats, such as lard or butter, with eggs, as in rich pound and fruit cake, and most other compounds of similar description, altogether unwholesome. The kind known as sponge cake contains little or no butter, and is, on that account, much less objectionable than the other varieties. The breads made of the cereal grains, and par- ticularly from wheat, rye, corn, and oats, differ but /8 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. slightly ill ultimate analysis. Corn -meal is a little richer in oil, and correspondingly poorer in nitro- gen ; oatmeal is richer than any of the others in nitrogen. The blending of the elements in wheat, "where it is coarsely ground, and the peculiarly tough and gummy nature of its gluten, render it better adapted for bread than any other grain. Wheat bread, alone, has supported life longer, probably, than any other single article of food, ex- cept animal flesh. The ratio of the nitrogenous to the starchy element is about in the ratio of one to five. For a sedentary 23erson this is, perhaps, the best proportion. Hence the bread and Avater of the prisoner, though cheerless diet, is yet quite Avell suited to the main demands of the system. The last-mentioned substance in our list of com- l^lementary foods is the muscular flesh of the ox, deer, sheep, and hog. To this may be added the flesh of foAvls and of some Avild animals. The nutritive power of the flesh of these difierent ani- mals is almost the same : fifteen parts in a hun- dred, of muscular flesh, as a rule, are nitrogenous ; but the difierence in the facility with which various meats are digested is very great. By reference to Table III., we find roasted venison as easy of diges- tion as almost anything that can be taken into the stomach, being reduced in an hour and a half; while THE NUTRITIVE POWER OF FOOD. 79 roaslfed pork, fat and lean, requires more than five hours for its reduction. The digestibility varies, also, with the age of the animal, the circumstances under which it was slaughtered, and the manner in which it was cooked. But, when man lives on flesh alone, he takes into his stomach a much larger amount of muscle-making and force-producing power than the ordinary demands of civilized life require. Hence, a diet of meat only, implies two conditions of barbarism or semi-barbarism : first, sparse ness of population; for "a nation of hunters on a limited space," says Liebig, "is utterly incapable of in- creasing its immbers be^'^ond a certain point, which is soon attained;" and, second, a great amount of useless or unnecessary movement ; for, says the same eminent authority, "man, Avhcn confined to animal food, respires, like the carnivora, at the ex- pense of the matters produced by the metamor- phosis of organized tissues, and just as the lion, tiger, hyena, in the cages of a menagerie, are com- pelled to accelerate that waste of the organized tissues by incessant motion, in order to furnish the matter necessary for respiration, so the savage, for the very same object, is forced to make the most laborious exertions, and go through a vast amount of muscular exercise. He is compelled to consume 80 THE PlIILOSOPJIY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. force, merely in order to supply the matter for res- piration." Since, in the nature of things, the Cre- ator has made a carnivorous diet incompatible -with the highest civilization, it is but a natural conclu- sion, that, as man ascends from savage to cultivated life, he will eat less flesh and more bread, imtil his diet is regulated by strictly scientific principles. Many writers, noticing this tendency, have argued from it the arrival of a time when man will cease to consume flesh. But this is not a just inference ; for man is made throughout, in his teeth, and in the whole alimentary canal, for a diet partly of flesh. The true tendency is to a condition of things where man will draw his plastic or muscle-making food from the best sources of such food, and his heat- producing food from the best materials of that character. Flesh diet is often called stimulating. This is a proper term, when employed to indicate the fact that animal food imparts a force which is not fell from even the best selected vegetable aliments. This force-giving or stimulating power of flesli arises from two sources, which should be distinctly understood. First. Flesh diet is stimulating, be- cause it contains a mixture of peculiar and complex products ; and as the chief object of nitrogenous food, at least, is to produce flesh, it is quite natural THE XUTltlTIVE POWEll OF FOOD. 81 that no other preparation shonlcl do this with such promptness, and such perfection, as flesh itself. Suppose, for instance, a Kocky Mountain hunter passes through a region nearly destitute of game, and walks for fifty miles without eating. During the latter part of his march he will move by con- suming his oAvn flesh, it being eaten up by oxygen at the lungs. If now he kills a deer, and eats two pounds of venison, he will continue his march, con- suming the flesh of the deer, in his movements, instead of, as before, wasting his own body. Flesh is nearest to blood ; its ingestion increases the pro- portion of fibrine, and the activity of nutrition. In the first place, the heart, the source and centre of vigor, itself a powerful muscle, is reinforced in its own tissue, so as to act with increased force on the mass of fluid life which every four minutes pours through it. So, also, the Avhole volume of blood is promptly reinforced, by which all parts of the body, as they are visited by it, are spurred to activity, by the constant infusion into the circulat- ing system of fresh vitality. In this way, the more violent and executive propensities of man are heightened. Second. When the juice of flesh is analyzed, it is found to consist of albumen, and lactic and phos- phoric acids. It also contains a small quantity of 82 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. creatinine, a substance not fully understood, but ■which is known to be a powerful organic base, of similar nature with the active clement of coffee and of tea. Hence it is that men of active, restless, and rovin"^ dispositions become attached to a diet purely of flesh. "With these suggestions as to the general nutri- tive and stimulating powers of various foods, Ave pass, in our next chapter, to a consideration of clue and just combinations of articles in common use on the table. ON GASTKONOMY. 83 CHAPTER IV. ON GASTRONOMY. The common idea conveyed to an American mind, by the word gastronomy, is the art of delighting the palate by fine flavors and savory dishes. Webster defines it as the art or science of good eating. In the present chapter, we use it in a sense broader than either the common meaninsf or the sisfnification given by the dictionary, but not beyond the original and legitimate scope of the word. The proper import of this term is, a knowledge of the laws that control the stomach, and the art of selecting, combining, and preparing food, so as to conform to those laws. Everybody knows the sensation that is given by eating a good breakfast or a satisfactory dinner; they have experienced the genial warmth, the kindly glow that follows a perfect adaptation of food to the demands of the system. Those, also, who labor have frequently found that certain dishes have peculiar power to sustain muscular vigor in the interval between meals, or to restore the strength wasted by toil ; yet how small is the number of those who have ever reasoned sufficiently upon the 84 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. subject to arrive at valuable conclusions, or Avho can analyze the different courses and various dishes of a good dinner, and tell why soup is generally eaten before the roast, why desserts and fruits are brought on last, and why supper should, in the nature of things, be a lighter repast than either breakfast or dinner. Yet wdiat knowledge is more thoroughly practical, or what conduces more directly to the comfort and })hysical well-being of her family, than a proper familiarity on the part of a housewife with all these topics ? No person can be a good engineer without a knowledge of the steam-producing value of different kinds of fuel. He should know when he Avants fat j)ine, and when he wants ash under his boilers, and when inferior wood wall give as much motive-poAvcr as he requires. In like manner, she Avho provides for a family their daily food, or who studies the comfort and delight of her guests, should know what makes the best dinner for laborers, how winter fare should vary from summer fare, how to brace the s^^stem to endure the cold, how to repair the waste of nerve-force produced by excitements and over-activity, how to fortify the constitution when there is frequent exposure to malaria, and Avhen the nectar of delicious fruits and the gratification of toothsome viands may be freely indulged in. ON GASTRONOMY. 85 Beginning with the morning meal, which, in a great majority of families, is eaten, in smnmer, about seven o'clock, let us take what would be considered a good bill of fare, and analyze it, to see how it corresponds Avith the established and scientilic prin- ciples of hygiene, as deduced from chemistry and physiology : — Broiled Steak ; Boiled Eggs ; Coffee, with milk and sugar; Wheat Batter Cakes ; Graham, or Boston Brown Bread ; Baked Apples. As our society is constituted, the greatest amount of physical and mental vigor is concentrated within the hours that intervene between the first and second meals of the day. We come to the breakfast-table hungry, for more than twelve hours have elapsed since the last food was taken. The frame is re- freshed with the repose of sleep, and there are before us seven hours of strenuous exertion of some kind, of toil of the hands or of the brain. It is obvious, then, that a breakfast should not load the stomach with a large amount of rich and bulky food. It is not a time for puddings or pastries, or for oily meats. The demand is for strength-giving or muscle-making food, and, of the various dishes 86 THE nilLOSOPIIY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. which hiivc this power, none is more valuable or effective than beef-steak. Take a slice of the lean flesh of a bullock, of the size and thickness of the four fingers, dress it with pepper and butter, and lay it over hot coals on a gridiron, — one of Avire is the best, — turning it three times. Eat -svhile hot, salting to taste. This amount of tender and well-cooked flesh will reinforce the blood more promptly than anything else, and fortify the system for the work of the morning. The eggs have nutri- tive powers very similar to those of steak, but thc}^ are less exciting. While the fibrine of the flesh and the albumen of the cg'^ yield all that is required to the muscles, provision must be made for the lun"-s, which require a supply of carbon for heat- producing purposes, that varies with the season of the vear and the exposure to the external air. The starch of wheat flour and of bread aflbrd this carbon in a form easily digested and universally palatable. If the wheat cakes are of fine flour, the bread should be of materials more coarsely ground, because the gastric juices can act upon the surface only of what is presented in the stomach, and large particles of crushed grain do not form lumps, as is apt to be the case with cakes made of fine flour. In the baked apple, a small amount of mild, vegetable acid is blended with the other viands, and, aside from their Olf GASTRONOMY. 87 grateful taste, active and kindly digestion is thus promoted. If coffee is indulged in at all, it should he drank in the morning, so that its stimulating effect upon the nerves may pass away hefore the hours of relax- ation and repose. A single cup of well-made coffee, which has not boiled more than five minutes, — thus giving, not a decoction, but an infusion of the Ara- bian berry, — will rarely prove injurious to a great majority of constitutions ; and in hot climates, or hot weather, especially where heat and moisture are combined, it acts, according to Liebig, directly upon the liver, and checks the tendency to bilious derangements. "When a person is travelling, or expecting to travel, and is thereby exposed to great vicissitudes of temperature and sudden changes, the cup of coffee at breakfast is of nearly as much importance as any article of food. The wagoner or teamster, who leaves the house perhaps at da}'- liirht in winter, and does not see it again till ni^jht- fall, let liira not go out from the place he calls home, no matter how humble the cottage or cabin may be, without having his stomach fortified b}^ a good, smoking cup of Avell-boiled coffee. It is bet- ter for him fiir than a drink of whiskey, as any man who has tried them both will testify. Although the above is very nearly perfect as a 88 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. bill of f;ire for breakfast, it is by no means practi- cable to have beef- steaks, or eggs, or baked apples upon the table every morning, nor, in fact, does any person "wish to have i^recisely the same food for breakfast three hundred and sixty-five days in a year. Change is not only desirable for the palate, but necessary to meet the various demands of the body. One part or another of the economy is in want to-day of a little more phosphorus, to-morrow of anotlier grain of iron ; another organ is clamorous for potash ; and the bones, particularly in youth, are perpetually calling out for phosphate of lune. These various though subtle chemical wants are met only by a proper variety of dishes. A man wishes to range through the whole gamut of cookery, and l)ring upon his table representatives of all the zones and continents. But however the breakfast or the dinner may be varied, in the former meal wo should never fail to give a due ascendancy to dishes of a highly nutritious or muscle-making character. Ham may very properly take the place of beef- steak, and boiled or baked j^otatoes of the wheat batter cakes, apple-sauce being sulistitutcd for baked apples, and milk or buttermilk for c5iFee. In the country, particularly in spring and summer, the question often puzzles the housewife what she shall prepare for breakfast. Let us suggest a few ON GASTRONOMY. 89 dishes that are eminently suitable for that meal. For six persons, for instance, take from quarter to half a pound of dried beef, cut into thin slices, and, after trimming off the edges and tough ends, soak in a jjint of soft water. If a little soda or borax is added to the Avater the dish will be improved. When the fire is burning, put on the beef, in a stew-pan, in the water in which it has soaked. Let it boil ten minutes. By that time much of the water will be evaporated. Now, add half a pint of milk, and, when that is boiling, beat six eggs and add them, stirring constantly till the eggs are nearly stiffened. Pepper according to taste. This dish is especially suited to hot weather, as it supplies plas- tic material from the llesh, the egg, and the curd of milk, with but a moderate amount of animal oil in the yolk of the eggs. Eaten with good wheat bread, it forms an excellent breakfast. Cold sliced tongue, treated in a similar way, is very good ; or it may be eaten separately, and the eggs poached and served on a slice of dry toast. Fish of some kind is very largely eaten by most families at breakfast. The cod and mackerel are to be had in' nearly every grocery in the country. In general, fish contains from half to two-thirds as much nourishment as flesh, pound for pound. But, on account of the salt used in curing them, and the 8* 90 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. oil they contain, lish create a thirst which makes them unsuitable for warm weather. Some fish as a relish, and because the system can derive the re- quired phosphates from it, is very well ; but for nutrition, no variety of fish will compare with beef, mutton, and eggs. In northern climates, and in winter, food is taken for the purpose of supplying the animal warmth, as well as for strength ; and this should be kept in view by the housewife when she jirepares her break- fast. The oils and fats are the substances that are richest in carljon, the element required in lung- combustion ; and the problem for the cook and pur- veyor is how to introduce these substances into the stomach in such a way as not to impede digestion. The mode of blendins: the animal oils with various other substances that come on the table requires special skill and attention on the part of the house- wife. Butter is the animal oil which is most readily assimilated in the stomach. The smoking of hams, and the saire and other seasoning used in making sausages, are found to have some effect, the reason of which is not understood, in making the fat of pork digestible and wholesome. Let us take now a bill of faro for breakfast in winter, and see how it meets the demands of the system in that season : — • ON GASTR0N03IY. 91 Fried Sausages, with Potatoes ; Cold boiled Tongue ; Indian jNlush, fried ; Buckwheat Batter Cakes ; Pickled Cucumbers. The sausages yield an abundance of animal fat, that, combined with the potato, which is almost wholly starch, is taken into the stomach in a form to be easily attacked by its juices. The lean parts of the meat in the sausage, which should ex- ceed the fat parts by one-half, give muscle-making elements. The tongue is wholly muscular and flesh-producing. The Indian mush, fried, is heat- producing, but in a lower degree than the fat of the sausage. It contains gluteil, which affords the ele- ments of muscle. The buckwheat batter cakes are also rich in carbon, but poor in nitrogen ; this is the reason why they are generally eaten in winter ; and, as they give but little strength, are ill suited to the laborer, and should be combined with substances rich in plastic material. The acid, a little of which should accompany every meal, especially one so rich in carbonized materials as this, is supplied by the cucumber and vinegar. A breakfast like this is very well adapted to a cold winter's morning, when the male members of the family expect to be out all day sledding, or 92 THE nilLOSOPIIY OF IIOUSE-KEEPIXG. otherwise engaged in the open air, bnt not at hard ^vork. If a man is to chop, or thresh, or shovel, lu! should eat more of muscle-making food, as the heat required "will come from the combustion of muscle in active exercise. But where one has to endure cold passively, — that is, without the ability to move freely and vigorously, as in teaming, — there should be a generous allowance of carbonized materials in the diet. Approaching, now, the most important meal of the day, let us take, first, a good dinner in cold weather, the bill of fare running, for instance, as follows : — Barley Soup ; Roast Beef, with Cranberry-sauce ; Potatoes, Parsnips, Ruta Baga; Dressed Celery ; Baked Indian Pudding ; Apples. "What are the characteristics of a good soup, and why are soups universally eaten as the first dish? No soup is good, or fairly entitled to the name, that is not essentially the essence of some nutritious meat, properly dissolved in water, and duly cooked. When we sit down at two o'clock, having eaten nothing since an early breakfast, what is the condi- tion of the system? There has intervened .since ON" GASTRONOMY. 93 breakfast a period of six or seveu hours, during which there has been a constant draught upon the muscles and the nervous system. Probably the greater part of a day's work is accomplished. The loudest clamor is made by the stomach, where the digestion of strength-giving food takes place, and the first call of nature is for something that will repair as quickly as possible the wasted muscular tissue. Nothing will do this so quickly or so effect- ually as to present the juice of flesh, properly pre- pared. Let a soup, then, be made by taking any good piece of flesh, whether of ox, sheep, or fowl, and putting it in soft, tepid water, and apply heat gradually. The Avarm water will favor the extrac- tion of the juices of the meat ; and the process will, of course, be facilitated by cutting the piece into small slices or fragments. After this extraction has continued two or three hours, then increase the heat, and add various ingredients to flavor the soup. It comes to the table hot, and the chief flavor should be that of the meat used in making it. Barley, rice, or vegetables may be used singly or in combina- tion. Barley alone, in a soup made of the lean flesh only, gives a fine color and a pleasant flavor. Why is such a soup as this so grateful to the stomach of a hungry man ? Because the absorbents of the stomach can take up the elements of muscle 94 THE PHILOSOrilY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. from this juice of flesh, and thus reinforce the blood witli the greatest promptness. In other words, the uneasiness of hunger can be more quicl^ly removed by " a hasty plate " of good soup, than by any other variety of food. But our digestive organs are not fitted to operate on liquids alone ; their soundness and vigor depend on their having solid matter upon •which to act. Hence the impropriety of swallowing any great amount of soup. After a few spoonfuls, eaten with a little stale Avheat bread, we jjass on to what the French very properly call the piece da resistance, or that upon which the hunger wears itself down, and becomes nearly satiated. This is roast beef, eaten with cranberry-sauce, the usual vegetables, and a little dressed celery. Up to this point, the meal has abounded in the plastic rather than the heat-giving elements. But the long, cold night of winter is soon to follow, durins: which there will be little or no muscular exercise to aid in keeping up animal heat. Hence the propriety of closing the meal with some dish in which carbon abounds in a form easily digested. This is found in most of the puddings, which are composed of some of the grains or starchy roots, combined with sugar and butter, and agreeably fla- vored with spices or an aromatic oil. The juices of the apple quench thirst, aid in diges- I ON GASTRONOMY. 95 tiou, aud act beneficially upon all parts of the ali- mentary canal. Thus we see, in the various dishes of an ordinary family dinner, not a fashionable code, not a chance arrangement, but a true and rational order, a just and normal method, suggested by every enlightened appetite, and endorsed by the last and most valu- able conclusions of animal chemistry. IIoAV should this bill var}- in summer, to suit the demands of the system in that season ? Chiefly in the omission of highly carbonized or heat-making dishes, and the substitution of the ripe vegetables and wholesome fruits which are then in season. Thus, for Indian pudding, tapioca, suet, and rich plum puddings, use blanc-mange, frozen pudding, snow pudding, velvet cream, cold custard, whortle- berry jjudding, apple pie, gooseberry pic, currant, and cherry pie. AVhat are — we may properly discuss in the clos- ing paragraph of this chapter on the science of good eating — what are the essential requisites o^ n feast? What points should the gastronome, the gourmand, or the lady who aims to delight her guests, bear in mind ? Shall we enumerate them in order? First of all, she should consider the probable condition of those who come to her table, asking herself how long it 96 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. has been since they may have eaten, and how they have been enfraircd in the interval. If a company of vigorous men approach her table, ■who have been chasing a fox, or surveying land, or rowing, or rolling ten-pins, or ploughing, or hoeing, or chopping wood, they will want the materials for making up muscular waste, and should find au abundant supply of juicy flesh. If, on the other hand, her men are only white-handed, carpet knights, each one of Avhom is to be sandwiched be- tween two ladies, their fastidious appetites are to be enticed by variety and flattered by novelties. She should then resfard the season and the amount of exposure to the cold. Thus a party who have been out sleidrh-ridins: will relish nothing so much as a highly carbonized dish ; while those who have been exposed to continued heat will be delighted with cooling fruits and acids, and require lean meats only for repairing the waste of tissue. Third ; let her consider the digestibility of her dishes, remembering that some meats require three hours lonsjer ^o become assimilated than others, and that a diflerence of two hours in the digestion of an ^oo is produced by the mode of cooking. Above all, and perpetually, let the cook bear in mind that animal oil is a curse, a burden and night- mare in the stomach, unless duly and skilfully ON GASTRONOMY. 97 blended with coarse and starchy material, and that nature can, with far greater ease to herself, derive carbon from starch than from crude quantities of fat. Fourth ; the chief delight of the palate comes from delicate flavors ; but the richness of flavor is no sign of the value or digestibility of an article as food. The delight of flavors is given in two ways ; first, by preserving in the greatest perfection the natural flavor of the flesh or the fruit, as in cooking a beef-steak or a shad, or in serving strawberries ; and, second, giving foreign flavors to dishes natu- rally insipid, as when nutmeg is grated over rice, or th3^me and garlic are added to soup. The old Persians had a maxim, that hunger is the best sauce ; but none relish a fine flavor better than those whose appetite Avould enable them to eat of a dish though unpalatable. The laborer, accus- tomed to a diet of fried pork, boiled potatoes, cold cabbage, and baked beans, is just as able to appre- ciate a pineapple, a Bartlett pear, or Italian cream, as the professional epicure. The reputation of a meal is often made by the farewell flavor left by the last delicacy. On that account, let the hostess reserve some rare and highly-flavored fruit for the conclusion of the meal ; 9 98 TPIE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. as, for instance, canned peaches, strawberries, or cherries, grapes, pears, or a pineapple. Tlie pleasure that may be given by a careful re- gard to all these principles of gastronomy, is as rational and as noble as any human delight, except those which flow from the exercise of the highest faculties and the cultivation of the celestial virtues. In that rarest and richest picture of the hospitali- ties of the sinless creatures whom God placed in the primeval garden, we read that, — " with despatchful looks, in haste Eve turns, on hospitable thoughts intent "What choice to choose for delicacy best. What order, so contrived as not to mix Tastes not well joined, inelegant; but bring Taste aftertaste upheld with kindliest change. From many a berry and from sweet kernels pressed, She tempers dulcet creams : nor these to hold "Wants her fit vessels pure ; then strews tlie ground "With rose and odors from the shrub infumed." 1. Sirloin. 2. Rump. 3. Edge Bone. 4. Buttock. 5. Mouse Buttock. 6. Veiny Piece. 7. Thick Flank. 8. Tliin Flank. 9. Lesr. 10. Fore rib : Five ribs. 11. Middle rib : Four ribs. 12. Ciiuck: Three ribs. 13. Shoulderor leg-of-mutton Piece. 14. Brisket. 15. Clod. 16. Neck, or Sticking Piece. 17. Shin. 18. Cheek. 100 SELECTION AND COOKERY OF MEATS. 101 CHAPTER V. SELECTION, PKESERVATION, AND COOKERY OF MEATS. The more Nature is interrogated by Science, in- quiring into the all-important subject of Human Food, the more uniform and emphatic the testimony becomes as to the superiority of a flesh diet for giving strength and vigor to the frame. Some vegetarians have reached advanced years, but there is no reason to suppose that beefsteaks would have shortened their days. All the more vigorous nations of the world are large consumers of lean flesh. The rice-eating millions of Asia are governed by the beef-eating thousands of England. New York City consumes a larger proportion of beef to her population than any other city in the world ; and where on the face of the earth can be found a million of people more vigorous, more ener- getic and enterprising, than in the metropolis of the New World ? "The influence of diet over muscular fibre," says Dr. Chambers, a popular English writer on Phys- iology, " is an important social question ; for thews and sinews have always ruled the world, in peac© 9* 102 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. and in "war, in a proportion quite equal to brains. Indeed, it is a question which the present writer is disposed to answer in the affirmative, whether, nationally , muscular and mental energy do not al- ways run in couples, and whether the first is not the cause of the second. It does not appear that any diet, so there be plenty of it, is incapable of fitting a man to get through his daily work in a fashion; but the best specimens of the species in their several sorts, hunters, agriculturists, or citi- zens, are those nations icho get most Jlesh-meat. A collateral advantage of a meat diet to a nation, is the difficulty of obtaining it ; for the truth, prob- ably, is, that the mode of procuring food has as great an influence over mind, manners, and mus- cles, as the nature of the food itself. He that is satisfied with what he can pick up, ready grown, degenerates either into a starved New Hollander, where food is deficient, or into an effeminate creature like the old inhabitants of the West Indies, where it is abundant ; while a civilized people, with a care for their meat and diet, will have thought about it, labored for it steadily, advanced science, and ran- sacked nature, to improve it, and obtained their reward in the search itself. " In the configuration of this continent, nature seems to have fitted it up as the home of a vigorous SELECTION AND COOKERY OF MEATS. 103 and po\\crful race, who should have greater facili- ties for supplying themselves with flesh for food than any great nation that has ever figured in his- tory. The vast region lying in the centre of the continent reaching from the great lakes to the Rio Grande, and from the Mississippi to the bases of the Rocky Mountains, is designed by the Creator as the grazing field for America, Millions and mil- lions of beeves and of muttons can be produced at but a trifling cost, and made to feed all the inhab- itants of the Central Valley and of the Atlantic Coast with food more perfectly calculated than any other to the development of strength and the sup- ply of mental and muscular waste. By resorting to the bullock and the sheep for a considerable part of our food, wc are really making a more economical use of the earth than if the race lived only on seeds and roots. In this way the grasses of the great prairies and the wide plains which stretch for a thousand miles eastward from the mountains are transmuted into food fn- man. The ox takes grass, which man cannot eat, and con- verts it into the albumen, the fibrine, and the gela- tine, which man can use directly, and with the greatest facility, in repairing his wasting tissues. These animals may be considered as moving labora- tories, fitted up with all the necessary apparatus for 104 THE nilLOSOPIIY OF UOUSK-KKKl'lNG,- transmuting the nourishing properties of grass into a form suited to hmnan uses. It is somewhat re- markable that the juices of flesh are peculiarly useful in repairing muscular waste. We crai get our warmth from wheat and corn, oats and pota- toes ; but, in swallowing a few mouthfuls of juicy and tender steak, we are taking into our circulation a fund of life and vigor, which could not be derived from a pound of bread alone. As a nation, the Americans make far too constant and universal use of pork. The flesh of the hog has none of the juicy and stimulating properties of beef, and is far more difficult of digestion than mutton. The fat of the hog is the heaviest and most unmanageable of the animal oils taken into the stomach. He is fattened almost wholly on roots and grains, which might Avith much better economy be consumed at first-hand as food by man. The labor of the ox and the milk of the cow rank them among the most valuable of animals before they are brought to the shaml)les. But the hog is a filthy, useless, and often diseased brute, that would not be tolerated near the haunts of civilized man, were he not fiittened and brought upon the table. SEr.KCTION AND COOKERY OF INIEATS. 105 THE SELECTION OF BEEF. The first rule, then, that should govern in the selection of animal food, is to choose the red, or muscular flesh of clean beasts. Among these, the ox has the same preeminence that wheat has among the edible grains. As to which affords the best beef, the ox or the cow, the age at which a bullock should be brought to the slaughter-house, the food upon which the animal is fattened, as affecting the flavor of the meat, these are matters of importance to the drover, the butcher, and the epicure ; but the experience of the housewife begins at the market-house, and the earliest of her duties is to know, when she approaches a butcher's stall, or stands over the meat- cart, what part to choose, what are the characteris- tics of rich and juicy, and what the signs of jejune, tough, and unsavory flesh. The first thing to be observed in buying l)eef, is its color and general appearance. The muscular parts should be of a fine carnation red, and the suet, or fat, of a clear white. Much depends, also, on the fibre or grain of the meat. Heifer beef is generally of a closer grain, and a little paler in color. In choice beef, there is a blending of fat /OQ THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. with Iho muscular parts, which gives a somewhat mottled appearance. If the muscle is of a heavy red, without any graining or streaking of fat, you cannot expect fine flavor. The animal was poor, and probably old, and you will get no satisfaction from the purchase, no matter ho'.v you dress it. As a general thing, it does not pay to buy much bone with the meat. Many people, in limited cir- cumstances, think it economy to buy a hock, or shin, to boil for soup, or to make a stew. lu gen- eral, the butcher does not niako sufficient deduction for the weight of bone. That tough, sinewy part, has very little nutriment in it. The gelatine will not give strength, and hardly supports life. The fat is useful only as a juice for the muscle, and then its quantity should be small, except in the coldest weather. Eemember, that what you want is red, savory juice, in tender muscle. The mere muscle, after all the juice is washed and pressed from it, has no virtue at all. Even a dog will refuse it. There is no juice in the l)one, or in the tendons and cartilasfes. The choice cuts of beef arc, first of all, the sirloin, marked 1, in the cut at the head of this chapter, and the rump, marked 2. From these }'ou may have steaks cut, or it may be roasted or baked SELECTION AND COOKEUT OV ^lEATS. 107 whole, ill a piece weighing from ten to llftecn pounds. The buttock, marked 3 and 4, is often called the round, and steaks cut from it are called round steaks. At most stalls, if you call for steak, you will have three kinds or grades offered you, — tender- loin, OV porter-house, as it is called in the New York market, sirloin, and round. The tenderloin steaks are a few choice cuts from near the point where the sirloin merges into rump. You may knoAv this part by the shape of the bone that goes Avith it, which resembles the letter T. The flesh on the upper or larger side is not quite equal to that on the under side. This last is, by the French, cut from the bone, and cooked in small, delicate slices, or tit- bits. This part of the animal is the tendercst, but its flavor is not so rich as that of some cuts from the rump. If the animal is young, and well fattened, that is, a bullock or heifer three years old, and killed as soon as fully grown and in good order for the butcher, the round is likely to prove well- flavored, and sufficiently tender. But an old ox, or cow will never give choice cuts from the but- tock. The thickness of the steak is a matter of much importance ; and most butchers will require an instruction on that point. You may not want more than a pound or two for a single meal. In 108 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. that case, if he cuts a thin slice from the Avhole face of his round-piece, you cannot hope for good eating from it. It will shrink to a dry, leathery morsel, which no additions of butter, or pepper, or sauce, can make toothsome. Call nothing a steak that is not as thick, at least, as the palm of your hand ; and on no account allow your meat-man to serve you anything thinner. With regard to roasting pieces, your choice as to size must depend, mainly, upon the number of per- sons who surround your dinner-table. For a family of twelve, seven or eight pounds is none too much. For roasts, the sirloin is the first choice, but the ribs of the fore-quarters marked 10, 11, and 12, in the cut, are very good. For beef a-la-mode, the proper part is the round, and six or seven pounds are generally bought for that form of cookery. The inferior pieces, from the fore-quarters, neck, and head, marked 13, 15, 16, and 18, are good only for stews, soups, or to chop fine for mince-meat, and beef sausages. DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING BEEF. How to Broil Steaks. — As above in dicated, the thickness of a steak should be from half to three- quarters of an inch, and uniform. It ought to be cooked as soon as possible after it is cut from the SELECTIOX AND COOKERY OF MEATS. 109 rump or sirloin. Trim each steak neatly. A proper fire should be prepared beforehand. If you are burning anthracite coal, let the contents of the grate burn down so as to emit little or no blue flame. Then lay on the top of this bed a few pieces of charcoal ; and when they are fairly ignited, have the steak read}-. The best gridiron, is one made of wire; in all cases the bars of a gridiron should be small. Apply a little melted Inittcr to the sur- face of the steak, and a slight sprinkling of black pepper, but no salt. The fire should be hottest at first ; or, what amounts to the same thing, the meat should be held nearer at the first than at the latter part of the broiling. Shall I give you, now, a good reason for this? If so, the direction will be much better remembered. Bear in mind that the juice of flesh, and particularly of beef , is the all-important part, and the fibre is of no importance, except as a vehicle for conveying the juice in a proper condition into the stomach. This juice of flesh has very nearly the same constituents as the contents of an egg ; and the efiect of heat is to coagulate, and ren- der it hard, just like the white of an egg, hard- boiled. AVhen this coagulated albumen of flesh is taken into the stomach, it requires twice as long to digest it ; just as it takes over three hours to digest 10 110 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. a hard-boiled egg, whereas one cooked in the best manner can be assimilated in an hour and a half. Now, if a sharp fire is applied to the surface of a steak, the juice near the surface becomes immedi- ately stificned or coagulated. This locks in the remaining part of the juice, and it is not necessary that this should be coagulated. All it requires is to be thoroughly heated, in order to take off the raw taste of the flesh. Two or three minutes is long enough to cook the surface of each side of a steak, and it should remain over the fire a minute or two longer, according to the intensity of the fire, or the thickness of the steak, so that in all, from eight to ten minutes is enough for most palates, and too long for those who like their meat decidedly rare. There is a diflcrence in the practice of the most skilful cooks, as to the number of times a steak should be turned while cooking. Some say but once, others every two minutes, making three or four times in all. Let the plate or jjlatter upon which the steak is to be served be heated, and carry the dish immediately from the fire to the table. There is no dish in the world that so rigidly re- quires to ])e eaten hot, as steak. A cold cup of cofiee, cold batter cakes, " the cold shoulder," and "a cool reception," are all tolerable, — we can use philosophy, and forget them; but a cold steak is II SELECTION AND COOKERY OF MEATS. Ill abominable, — it is barbarous. A good steak, duly and artistically cooked, requires no sauce at all ; like peaches, it should be eaten in its own juice ; if 3'our butter is truly first-class, fragrant, and delicate, use a little of it, nor is there any objection to two or three drops of lemon-juice ; but Worcestershire, tomato, walnut, mushroom, I would as soon think of pouring them over a Bartlett pear as over a first- class, fragrant, juicy, savor}', smoking beefsteak. There is hardly [iny dish so universal on Ameri- can tables everywhere as what is called beefsteak ; yet for one properly cooked specimen, the traveller will eat nine hundred and ninety-nine scraps of tough, juiceless, leathery meat, sometimes swim- ming in hog's lard, sometimes drenched with bad butter, and anon smothered and recking in bits of stewed onion. If you arc using wood as fuel, draw out upon the hearth a bed of hard- wood coals, and place the grid- iron directly over them. Turn once in the course of three minutes, and then reduce the heat In' sprinkling ashes upon the coals, otherwise the out- side will burn before the interior is cooked. Roast Beef. — This fine old English dish is at present very little used in this country. AVhat Ave call roast beef, is cooked by baking in a stove oven. But if one has an open fire in the kitchen, 112 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. there is no better Avay of cooking a sirloin than as folloAvs : — After washing tlie piece in cold water, hang or oth- erwise place it before the fire with a dripper beneath containing a pint of cold water. The heat should not be such as to scorch the outside. Turn fre- quently, and baste every fifteen minutes, until the meat has been before the fire nearly two hours. Then remove and baste thoroughly, and sprinkle it with flour. Returning it to the fire, allow it to brown and froth all over till done. About two and a half hours are necessary to roast a sirloin or rib- piece of ten or twelve pounds' weight. Beef a-la-mode. — This is almost the only French style of cooking beef that has become fairly natu- ralized in this country. There are several ways of preparing a-Ia-mode, of which the following, recom- mended by Monsieur Blot, is certainly as good as any, and probably the best : — Take eight or ten pounds of round, rump, or the inside of the sirloin, called by the French the fillet, • — the round or buttock is the most suitable, — and, after removing the bone, if any comes with it, cut several deep gashes in the flesh, and fill them with salt fat pork. Then put into a crockery stewpan half a calf's foot, a handful of parsley, a bay leaf, a little garlic, a sprig of thyme, two onions Avith a few SELECTION AND COOKERY OF MEATS. 113 cloves stuck in them, half a carrot, half a pound of fat pork cut into little square pieces, cover with a gill or more of good cider vinegar. Place the beef npon this mixture, and set over a slow fire or in a moderately heated oven, and let it cook about five hours. The heat should be just enough to keep it simmering gently. When done, strain the same, taking oft* some of the fat and pour it over the beef laid in the centre of a large salver or platter. For a small family who wish to avoid the labor of frequent and labori- ous cookery, this mode of preparing beef is very well suited. When hot, the dish is savory, and makes a good dinner with little else. When cold, it is almost as good ; and, in cool weather, will keep a week. Another style of a-la-mode is, to chop fat pork with bread crumbs, using most of the above season- ing, and forcing or stuffing the mixture into the gashes cut in the beef. Put it into a saucepan, with the rind of a lemon, four large onions, three or four carrots and turnips cut into little squares. Pour over all half a pint of good vinegar ; stew over a slow fire six or seven hours, turning the beef several times. Half an hour before the dinner hour, take out the piece and the vegetables, skim oft" the fat, strain the sauce, thicken it with a little 10* 114 THE rHILOSOrilY of HOUSE-KEEPmO. « flour mixed smooth in water, add a teacupfid of port wine. Hctuni all to the saucepan, and, as soon as it hoils, take up and serve. To maJce a Beef Stew. — Take three or four pou..ds of the muscular flesh, — it may be from the neck or a leg, — and slice it thin. Cut a quarter of a pound of pork into little square pieces ; put them into a ste^vpan, with a little water. Lay the meat in, and set over a brisk fire for fifteen minutes. Take oif and remove the meat from the stewpan, both beef and pork. To the sauce add a lump of butter of the size of a walnut, and a little flour, stir- ring constantly with a wooden spoon. Then return the meat, and with it half a wineglass of tomato (atsup, four onions, a bay leaf, some allspice, two or tliree carrots cut fine, a little parsle}^ a little th3'me, and some salt. Keep over a slow fire for five hours ; skim ofi" the fat, and serve. Here let us indicate one almost universal error in American cookery. We cook hy too hot a five. With the exception of steaks, all other ways of pre- paring beef require a slow fire. To make a Soup, or Broth. — In preparing soup, begin betimes, and allow full five hours for the pro- cess. Cut the meat small, and put it in cold water. The fire should be very gentle, so the water shall be only a little hotter than the hand can bear for SELECTION AND COOItERY OF MEATS. 115 • tour hours. By this time the juices of the meat will be Avell dissolved in the water. Now add rice, barley, vegetables of various kinds, and increase the fire so the soup will boil from half an hour to an hour. To Cook Beef in a Dutch Oven. — In many jDarts of the country, particularly the South, stoves and ranges are very little used ; and it often becomes a question how to use the old-fashioned oven to the greatest advantage. Let no housewife despair of the most brilliant success with her roasts if she has nothing else to depend upon. Only let her begin in time. Immediately after breakfast prepare your roasting-piece, and let the oven be scrupulously clean. Put it in the corner of the fireplace, and lay in, first, a few slices of pork, and some chopped onions and summer-savory. Cover with water, and add a little vinegar. Then lay in the beef, and put hot coals under the oven. In an hour baste and turn, increasing the fire a little, and adding a little hot water, if necessary. So continue, putting on the lid and covering it with hot coals, the heat being all the time increased to the full roasting tempera- ture, which should be kept up an hour and a half or two hours, according to the size of the roast. These are all the directions that are deemed neces- sary for one to meet the chief demand of the Amer- 116 THE PHILOSOPHY OP HOUSE-KEEPING. ican palate. A housewife who can prepare n\t the above dishes laell may regard herself an act om- plished cook, so far as the flesh of oxen is concer:ied. MUTTON AND ITS COOKERY. The flesh of the sheep is by no means as highly esteemed for food by our people as it deserves to be. There are thousands who have an absurd and ill-founded prejudice against it, simply because it is "sheep meat," and oth«rs who dislike it and seldom or never eat it, because "it tastes of wool." Mutton is superior to beef in the amount of nutri- tion it contains, pound for pound, and its digesti- bility is considerably greater. Mr. Brande, in his Manual of Chemistry, gives the following table of the CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF VARIOUS MEATS. 100 parts of Muscle of Water. Albumen, or Fibrine. Gelatine. Total of Nutri- tive Matter. Beef, . . . . 74 20 6 26 Veal . . 75 19 6 25 Mutton . . . 71 22 7 29 Pork . . . 76 19 5 24 Chicken . . .73 20 7 27 Cod . . . . 79 14 7 21 Haddock . . 82 13 5 18 Sole . . . 79 15 6 21 If Mr. Brande is right (and he has always be^M SELECTION AND COOKERY OF MEATS. 117 regarded as an excellent authority), the value of mutton is to that of beef as eleven to ten ; so that eleven ounces of one are equal to ten of the other. By the same table, it is seen to compare with cod, in the amount of albumen and fibrine, in nearly the ratio of three to two ; that is, two pounds of lean mutton will go as far as three of codfish. The great objection to mutton among the Ameri- can people — its peculiar flavor, that reminds them of wool — is due, in great measure, to the mode of killing; and a practical suggestion on this point may be of very great value. When a mutton is butchered, it is of the first importance to remove the entrails and the skin as rapidly as possible. But, contrary to the usual custom, the entrails should come out the Jirst thing, and afterwards the skin stripped off. An attention to this simple rule I have known to produce such an effect as to remove at once a life-long prejudice to this excellent flesh. The reason for this rule I conceive to be as fol- lows : When any animal is killed, the surface cools first, and then there is a radiation of internal heat from the region betAveen the ribs outward. This heat is, in fact, a moist vapor that carries with it some degree of flavor or odor. Now, if the skin is taken off first, the surface cools a great deal faster, and much more of this offensive vapor from the en- 118 THE PHILOSOniY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. trails passes through the flesh, impairing its flavor. It is clear, then, that the first step should be to arrest, as quickly as possible, this transportation of objectionable flavor through the flesh. It is well, on this account, to cool the interior cavity, as soon as the bowels are removed, by dashing through it two or three buckets of cold water. Let the skin bo removed rapidly, and the carcass soon placed in some cool, dark room. The leg and loin are the superior joints. The si^rns to be observed in selectinof mutton at the butcher's are very similar to those that indicate good or bad beef, with this difference, that too great fatness is an objection in mutton. This flesh is rather a summer than a Avinter meat ; and in summer there is no reason and no health in swal- lowing animal fat of any kind. It is advisable, therefore, to trim away nearly all the fat from mut- ton, and cook only the red flesh. Yet the best- flavored mutton is that which comes with the most fat upon it ; this is the flesh of the wether, which is always superior to that of the ewe. On the leg of the wether there is commonly a large, firm mass of fat, but only a white membrane, with a little fat attached, on the leg of the ewe. The following recipes, or instructions, are taken, with a few modifications, from the excellent treatise SELECTION AisD COOKERY OF 3IEATS. 119 of Monsieur Blot, called , " What to Eat and How to Cook It." Mr. Blot is a thoroughly educated French co(jk and gastronome. It may be well to say, by way of explanation, that a chop is the part of a mutton that corresponds to the sirloin of beef and the roasting-pieces. It is the upper end of the rib and part of the spine, with the muscle adjacent. Chops Broiled. — Sprinkle salt (not much of it, however) and black pepper on both sides. Dip the chops in melted butter ; lay on the gridiron (one of wire is the best) , and set on a sharp fire, and turn two or three times. Arrange them tastefully on the dish, the curves being all the same way. Serve hot, and eat at once. AnotJier Style. — After sprinkling pepper and a little salt, dip in melted butter and roll in pounded cracker or bread-crumbs crushed fine. Place upon the gridiron, and allow about twelve minutes, if the fire is brisk, turning several times. Chops Fried. — Put a piece of butter of the size of a butternut in a stewpan, placed over a slow fire. When melted, lay in the chops, and turn two or three times Avhile cooking. W^hen done, take out and keep warm. Add to the gravy in the pan half a teacupful of broth, a sprig or two of parsley, and two green onions chopped, and two pickled cucumbers, and a pinch of allspice. Allow to boil. 120 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Then pour over the chops, ushig, also, lemon-juice as a sauce. IIoio to Prepare and hnprove a Leg of Mutton. — ■ In order to make it tender and exquisite, keep it from four to eight days in winter, and from two to four in summer, according to the heat ; then place it in a tureen, with one salt-spoonful of pepper, one teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and two table- spoonfuls of sweet oil, the whole spread all over; leave thus one day in winter, and from six to twelve hours in summer. This process improves it very much. Boiled Leg of Mutton. — Take the leg of mutton and dust it with flour, all around (after having been prepared as directed above, if ^-ou have chosen so to do), envelop it in a clean towel, after having bent the smaller bone ; throw it thus in boiling water, with a little salt, pepper, a bay leaf, two sprigs of thyme, two of sweet basil, and a pinch of scraped nutmeg ; move it gently now and then with a wooden spoon, and, Avhen properly cooked, serve it on a Avhite or caper sauce. Tlie same. Roasted. — Improve it as above di- rected, if you choose. Place it on the spit before a sharp fire, baste often with the drippings, and, when cooked, serve it with the gravy only, or with white kidnev beans cooked in water, and fried five I Blanc-Mange. Mayonnaise oi' L.i. .-'.': Dish of Oysters. SELECTION ANT> COOKERY OF MEATS. 121 minutes in butter. It will take al^out one hour and a half to cook it well. Many persons lard the leg of mutton Avith fillets of garlic. TO ROAST OR BAKE A FOWL. A turkey, goose, or large hen should be cooked in this way. Smaller birds are best when broiled. The fowl should hang two or three days in cool Aveather, and one day in Avarm Aveather. Prepare a dressing by chopping st^de bread AA'ith a little fat pork ; season Avith suninier-savory, sage, salt, and pepper. Fill the inside, and close AAdth three or four stitches. Bend the legs doAAni and tie them. Hub the outside AAdth melted butter, and sprinkle Avith flour. If the hen is old, or in cooking a goose, Avet Avith A^negar, and use A'inegar in Avet- tiug the stuffing. Pour a pint or a pint and a half of Avater into the pan and place in the oven. The boat should be uniform, but not very high. Two hours is the rule ; to be extended to tAvo and u half if the fowl is A'eiy large or tough. TO BROIL A CHICKEN. It should hang a day or two. Split open on the back, rub over Avith melted butter, and sprinkle Avith black pepper before laying on the gridiron. The lire must be carefully regulated so as not to 11 122 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEKPING. burn, and yet he hot. A charcoal fire is tlic best. Eat while hot from the fire, ^vitli good potatoes or toasted wheat bread. TO STEW AN OED TUP.KEY OR A GOOSE. If not fat, lard Avell. Put in a large stewkettle half a pound of bacon cut in slices, four ounces of knuckle of veal, three sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, a bay-leaf, six small onions, a carrot, three cloves salt, and pepper, and then the fowl ; wet with half pint of vinegar, same of broth ; cover as nearly air-tight as you can ; place in a moderately heated oven or over a slow fire, and let it simmer, not boil, two hours and a half. Then turn it over and put back on the fire and cook for another two hours and a half. Dish the turkey, strain the sauce and boil it down to a jelly. It is as good eaten cold as warm, and may be cooked the day before 2 grand dinner. PIIESERVATIOX OF MEATS. It is a characteristic of all highly nitrogenized food that it perishes very rapidly. It is on this ac- count, as much as any other, that all the meats are more expensive than the starchy foods. No discovery would have a greater effect upon the markets and the diet of the Avorld than some inven- SELECTION AND COOKERY OF MEATS. 123 tion by "svhicli animal food could bo transported from one part of the world to another, with the same ease that wheat and sugar are conveyed, and Avith as little deterioration. Salt is universally employed in the process of curing or preserving nearly all kinds of meat. But the grand objection to salt is, that, Avhen used in sufficient quantities as to be effectual, it almost wholly destroys the flavor, and greatly impairs and reduces the nutritive properties of muscular flesh. There has been discovered by a Dr. Morgan, an English chemist and physician, a method of preserv- ing all kinds of animals used for food, which bids fair to supersede every other method. He calls it the infiltrating process, and it may be described, in brief, as a method of expelling A\\ the blood from the body of the animal immediately after being killed, and infusing in the room of the blood, a preserving liquid of greater or less strength accord- ing to the time during which the flesh or body is to be kept. In this way a bullock may be slaughtered at any seaport near the great plains of South America, and taken entire to London or New York, and the flavor and the richness of the meat so little impaired as to be hardly distinguishable from that which has been killed but one day. For meats that are to be kept 124 THE rillLOSOPlIY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. 1)ut a short time, and in cool weather, no more salt is required for the intiltratiiiy the uniform testimony of all who have eaten it, the least nutritious of the grains we consume. It is almost pure starch, with no proteine or mus- cle-making constituents, or so small as to require the swallowing of enormous quantities of it to give strength enousrh to labor. 15G THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Rice is iisotul !is an absorbent of oils, and for giv- ing the reqnisitc dilntion and meclianical separation to rich and concentrated foods. Hence it is well to cat it with fat roast beef, with eggs and sngar, in the form of rice pndding, and blended with rich meats in the form of rice cnrry. To Boil Rice. — Throw it into boiling water, and, as soon as done, drain out the moisture, and let it stand near a hot lire till quite dr^'. BREAD. 157 CHAPTER VIII. BREAD. The accomplishment of bread-making is a funda- mental virtue in a good housewife. Like truth- telling among the social traits, like the rose among flowers, like corn among the useful plants, the art of making perfect bread, and keeping her table con- stantly supplied with this stafl" of life, outweighs every other domestic merit, and outshines all the sisterhood of housewifely graces. Experience, as well as chemical analysis, shows that bread made of wheaten flour is more perfectly adapted than any other single article of diet to meet the demands of adult life. It is, indeed, for the man, when well compounded and thoroughly baked, what milk is to the infant ; we might almost say, what grass is to the ox. It is a remarkable fact, that those climates which are adapted to the development of the finest races of men are also abundant producers of wheat. The hopeless and stationary millions of Asia are rice-consumers ; while Europe, with her restless blood, her active, analytical brain, and her world- u 158 THE rillLOSOPIIY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. "wide commerce, relies upon wheat as her great sta- ple of food. The wisest of our geographical WTiters has re- marked it as a iniiversal distinction between semi- civilized and fully civilized nations, that the former eat boiled rice, while the latter feed on wheat bread. As the greater portion of our American States are peculiarly adapted to the growth of the best quality of wheat, may we not, from this fact alone, infer that they are designed by Providence as the home of a race presenting the highest type of manhood, and the noblest results of civilization? If, then, wheat is so regal and typical among all the plants to which man looks for food, wheat bread must oc- cupy a position among all the articles of diet, of corresponding dignity and importance. As woman is the great civilizer, perhaps in no one part of her realm does she possess a more effective influence for good, than in keeping her family supplied with the best quality of bread. The crudest form of bread is a simple mixture of flour and water, worked to a stiff paste, spread thin, and baked hard. Under the name of navy-bread or hard-tack, this constitutes the nutritious but homel}- fare of the sailor and the soldier. Between this rude, though cftcctive means of sustaining life, and BREAD. 159 the light, sweet, fragrant, and delicious loaf, resting beneath the snowy napkin, beside the ball of golden butter, around which the family gather at their evening meal, there is a contrast as wide as between the roughness and hardships of the camp and the forecastle, and the sancity, the purity, the taste, and the rest of home. The difference between these two compositions of wheat flour is not mechanical merely. In the per- fect bread, there are mingled with the flour those elements which will develop from it all its most nutritious and palatable qualities. In other words, the efiect of leaven or yeast is to convert the gluti- nous mass of wet flour into a porous, spongy substance, in which starch, sugar, carbonic acid gas, and alco- hol are in process of development. The skill of the domestic baker consists in mins^lins; these ele- ments in just proportions, and in arresting the process of fermentation, at precisely the right mo- ment, by the heat of her oven. No domestic art requires the exercise of more judgment, or requires it more constantly. There is no such thing as pre- scribinoj an infallible rule for makins: bread, for success depends upon at least four variable elements, which cannot be embraced under any one formula. These are the quality of the flour, the strength of the yeast, moisture, and heat. 160 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. It seldom happens that two successive barrels or bags of flour, brought into the family store-room, will bear the same treatment. Wheat raised on different soils is composed of varying constituents. The amount of gluten or adhesive matter is much greater in some Avheat than in others. Where the proportion of this element is large, a sweeter and more nutritious, but not so snow}' -white an article of bread can be made from it. The flour made from such wheat is of a pale cream color, and, for making into light bread, requires a longer time in fermentation, and should remain a little longer in the oven. In judging of flour, if, upon opening the barrel or sack, the color is, as above described, not perfectly white, but of a very pale straw or cream color, and a little of it when compressed in the hand retains the stamp of the fingers, and does not fall immediately apart, you have a sweet and nutritious article. If it also passes the tests of smell and taste, you may, with application of proper skill, be sure of good bread. Bread-making, chemically considered, consists in evolving, l)y fermentation, from the constituents of flour, and distributing uniformly through the mass carbonic acid gas, and then arresting fermentation at precisely the right point. It is this gas which BllEAD. 161 has given good bread the spongy appearance which always characterizes it. This is done by incorporating witli moistened flour a certain amount of yeast. According to Mitsclier- lich, a German chemist, wlio brought the science of the laboratory to the investigation of culinary art, flour made from fresh, sound wheat contains no sugar. By the addition of ferment, — hop yeast being generally used, — this is further increased at the expense of the starch in the process of fermenta- tion ; and the grape-sugar thus produced is con- verted into alcohol and carbonic acid. It is on ac- count of this chemical change of a part of the gluten into su2:ar that dough which has been mixed two or three hours is observed to be sweeter to the taste and less sticky to the touch. The carbonic acid gas formed everywhere throughout the mixture is entangled and retained by the tenacious gluten ; and the dou«:h is thus rendered lis^ht and cellular. When submitted, in an oven, to a baking heat, the outer surface becomes roasted, assuming a brown color ; the alcohol developed in fermentation is driven off" ; f., part of the water evaporates ; the starch, a principal constituent of gluten, is rendered more sohible, and, in short, by the continued appli- cation of heat, all the elements in the flour arc made palatable and easy of digestion. U* 162 THE PIIILOSOniY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. The process of fenneiitation is induced. by various kinds of yeast. That most iu use is brcAver's or hop yeast, which is at once the most certain in its operation and the most effective, while at tlie same time it contains notliing deleterious. It is made by boiling a handful of hops in two quarts of water, with six or eight peeled Irish potatoes. When they arc soft, mash the whole ; pour the mixture, while hot, uj^on two quarts of sifted wheat flour. Add a cup of brown sugar, and two tablesi^oonfuls of salt. When nearly cool, add a pint of brewer's yeast or yeast made from cakes. ]Mix thoroughly. When it is well risen, thicken with either corn meal or ■wheat flour to a very stiff paste ; cut into cakes two inches square, and dry by the fire or an open win- dow, but not in the hot sun. Put away in an earthen jar, in a cool place, and keep well covered. A few hours before you Avish to make bread, dis- solve one of these cakes in half a pint of water ; stir in flour till it becomes a thick batter ; put in a warm place till it rises. Now sift about three quarts of flour into a bread-bowl, pour in the yeast, add two tablespoonfuls of salt, and suflicient Avarm milk or warm water to make a stiff dough. Set in a Avarm place. In about three hours it may be exj^ected to be liffht enouo^h for Avorkins^ over. If no sic^ns of fermen- tation appear, a longer time must be allowed it. When BREAD. 163 well risen, knead thoroughly, and put into baking- pans, setting them in a warm place. In from half to three-quarters of an hour they are ready for the oven, where they should remain an hour, more or less, ac- cording to the size of the loaves. If, when the bread is ready to be worked over, it should be acid in any degree, sufficient saleratus or soda should be dissolved and added to correct the acidity. If the oven is not hot enough to arrest the process of fermentation, the bread will sour after being placed in the oven ; if it is too hot, the crust formed over the surface of the loaf will impede the escape of the various gases evolved and liberated in the process of baking, and prevent the bread from having as much lightness and sweetness as it other- wise would possess. Experience alone can instruct the housewife fully, in this as well as in other de- partments of the bread-making art. Judgment and skill must be employed, at every step, to secure the most perfect results. In cool weather, yeast prepared as above, Avithout being thickened, may be kept in a tightly corked bottle or jug, in the cellar, when it is ready for im- mediate use ; or potato yeast may be used as a sub- stitute for hops. Bread made from this kind of yeast is Avhiter and moister than that made from hops, and it rises more readily. In summer, it is 164 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. not recommended, on account of its liability to ^^.^r. It is prepared in the following manner : — Boil f .iiree or four Irish potatoes till soft ; then peel an(l mash them fine, and mix thoroughly with them a p nt of sifted flour ; pour upon the whole a quart of boiling water ; when cool, add two tablespoonfuls of salt, half a cup of sugar, and a cup of yeast or a piece of raised dough dissolved in a cup of water. "When well fermented, pour into a bottle, and set in a cool place. A cupful will raise three or four loaves of bread. Perhaps no bread, is more suited to the digestion of invalids and young children than that made from milk yeast, or, as it is frequently called, salt-rising. It requires, however, more skill and more time than the two varieties above described, but when per- fectly made is superior to them both, and is a very pleasant change for an appetite that craves variety. To make the yeast, put in a perfectly clean and sweet earthen pot a pint of new milk; pour upon this a pint of boiling water ; stir in a tablespoonful of salt ; add flour imtil it is a thick batter ; cover the pot with a saucer or plate, and set it where it Avill retain the same temperature that it has after the flour is stirred in, for six hours, when, if all the conditions are complied with, it will begin to rise. Have flour ready to make three good-sized loaves, BREAD. 165 and wheu the yeast is riseu pour it into the flour, and add warm milk or water sufficient to moisten the flour. Knead but a short time ; place the loaves in pans, and set them by the Are, to rise. When risen, put in an oven, not too hot, and bake till done. In this kind of yeast, the three processes of fer- mentation — the saccharine, the vinous, and acetous — may be very perfectly and distinctly traced. When the yeast has set for two or three hours, little bubbles of air appear around the sides of the pot, and the batter has a perceptibly sweet taste. This is the first stage. As the fermentation ad- vances, the taste resembles that of cider a day or two old, and the yeast begins to rise. Now it has reached the second stage, or vinous fermentation. Xf not arrested here, it will soon become sour, or pass into the third or acetous fermentation. The skill of the baker is exercised in seizing the precise moment — before the vinous fermentation ceases, and the acetous begins — to compound his loaves. Though the acidity of the bread may be neutralized by soda, it cannot pass the vinous fermentation without losing some of its nutritive qualities. If he does not wait long enough, fermentation will not be sufficiently advanced, and heavy bread will be the woful result ; if he waits too long, it will be sour, 166 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. and soda 'will be needed. What skill, what judg- ment, what experience, is required to make a loaf of perfect bread ! When hop yeast, salt-rising, or potato yeast is used, the product may very properly be called nat- ural bread. When jiroperly made, it contains no substances that may not assimilate kindly and per- fectly with the blood, without detriment to the coats or liquids of any part of the digestive tract. The adulterations of baker's bread are often affected by the use of substances that are in the hii^hest de^rree deleterious. The flour used by bakers is seldom of the best quality, and, if made into bread in the manner above described, would produce an article less white than is demanded by most consumers. To remedy this defect, alum is the chemical most in use ; yet few substances that could be mixed wnth food are more thoroughly noxious. The leading property of alum is its power of retaining substances with which it is combined in an unchanD BEES. 21.5 "VThen it is desirable to keep milk Bweet for seF- eral days, without reference to butter or cheese- making, it can be done by putting the milk in deep, narrow cans, and setting them in cold water or on ice, or on the wet bottom of a cool cellar. Be reiy careful not to jar or disturb it in any way. The animal heat should be removed from milk as quickly as possible, by placing the pail in cold water. Where the care prescribed above has been em- ployed in skimming the milk, and looking after the cream, the buttermilk will be sweet and agreeable. There is no better drink, in summer, for laboring men. In like manner, milk from which the cream has been removed before the souring proceeds too jGir, — that is to say, before the whey separates from the curd, — is a very palatable dish, served in various ways. Pour the coagulated milk on a fine sieve, and let the whey run off. Then lay in a soup-plate. Serve with crushed sugar and cream ; or, hang in a muslin bag, and allow it to drip, and become hard. Serve with cream and sugar. Pot cheese is made by heating coagulated mUk, draining off the whey in a bag, and then mixing with the curd, salt, and sometimes a little sage or some other herb, as a flavoring, and then making it into little balls or cakes. In order that such cheese should be palata- ble, the coagulated milk must not be bitter in taste. 216 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. A little creuin added to the curd, when it is Avorked over, improves the taste very much. THE CARE OF POULTRY. There is no form of out-door industry in which a little care and attention will bo followed by such satisfactory results, as the study of the habits and Avants of the domestic fowls. The foundation of good living and good cookery is an abundant sup- ply of eggs. Ten eggs, of the average size, weigh a pound. There is as much nutriment in these ten eggs as in a pound of the choicest " porter-liouse " or venison steak. Aside from their nutritive power, eggs can be used in combination with other, and less concen- trated, articles, to an extent not equalled even by milk. Where chickens have a good range, and receive proper attention, they will gi'owfrom the shell to the weight of from two to three pounds, in five months, and to a size suitable for broiling, in three months ; and the amount of food that need be supplied to them is too small to deserve an estimste. Geese require no feeding while there is green grass in sight, and in winter they will subsist on the odds and ends of the cellar, devouring the outside leaves of cabbage, potato-peelings, chopped pumpkins, and cows, HENS, AND BEES. 217 other cheap vegetables ; but some corn should be fed them in the coldest -weather. The same may be said of ducks, except that a pond or marshy ground, not far from the house, is necessary for their comfort. Turkeys are much more delicate than other fowls, and demand much attention and skill in raising. But they abundantly repay pains bestowed on them, in the rich flavor and high value of their flesh. With poultry at its present prices, there is no way in which a woman can earn, in cash, or save in family expenses, from fifty to one hundred dollars annually, Avith so much ease and pleasure to herself, as by surrounding her premises with thrifty families of the feathered tribes. If she has hens, it is but a little additional trouble, while looking after her eggs and chickens, to attend to a dozen or two geese, a dozen ducks , and a small troop of turkeys . A variety, also, prevents discouragement, and repairs disasters. If she has bad luck with chickens, a family of gos- lings may grow to geese, and be fit for the oven be- fore corn is ripe. If her ducks wander ofi*, and the vermin devour their little ones, she may look with mingled pride and satisfaction on a platoon of gob- blers parading through her grounds, and awakening in the mind of every beholder the most toothsome 19 218 THE PIIILOSOniY OF IIOUSE-KEEriXG. anticipations of Thanksgiving and Christmas din- ners. It is not practicable for most families to keep more than fifty or sixty hens. If larger poultry- yards are wanted, special and somewhat extensive preparations must be made for them. "With this number, two or three dozen eggs, each week, can be sent to market during more than half the year, and ten dozen chickens grace the domestic ta])le, or enrich the contents of the market-wagon, during the autumnal months. But in order to have this degree of success with poultry, one must have a thorough knowledge of their requirements, and be able to supply them with everything they need for their comfort, thrift, and health. It is not best to keep hens, nor any of the domestic fowls, strictly confined. They should have a poultry -house, where they roost every night, and where they can find dark, soft places for their nests. The most successful lady I ever knew, in poultry- raising, who often had fifty young turkeys for market in the fall, and could broil a chicken for her break- fast every morning in the year, had her garden enclosed with a high picket fence, and kept her hens, geese, ducks, and turkeys in a very large back yard, where were a pond of water and a large num- cows, HENS, AND BEES. 219 bcr of trees and bushes. On the trees she fastened boxes, old casks, and barrels, the side down, and half filled them with straw or hay. Clumps of bushes were left near the margin of the water, and here the ducks and geese had their nests, while the hens and turkeys sought out the boxes and barrels. A good dog was kept in the same yard, and he pro- tected all the tender broods from vermin and strag- glers. A small patch in the back side of the yard was several times in the summer turned over with the plough to disclose the worms and bugs, and, for a part of each day, the adult animals, and especially the turkeys, were permitted to "wander at their own sweet will " about the farm. But all had stated and unchanging roosting-places at night. This plan is not always practicable, especially in villages. But, in keeping hens, bear in mind that there is no profit or satisfaction from them unless they can be made quite comfortable and cheerful. They need a sunn3% south exposure in which to bask. They must have soft, fine earth or ashes to shake through their feathers, small, hard gravel- stones, and access either to lime, or food that con- tains it, in order to make shells when laying. "With regard to the food of hens and turkeys, it is easy to see, that when a laying hen has an egg to make every day, besides her own living to pick up, 220 THE riiiLOSoniY of house-keeping. she must have lood that cuiitains the elements of an egg. Now, there is as raueli hearty, nitrogenous food in an egg as there would be if you should blow out the cont(Mits, and fill the shell with chopped ham or tongue. A largo egg Aveighs a little less than two ounces, and the shell, composed almost wholly of lime, weighs a fifth of an ounce. On this account, no hen ought to be expected to lay regularly, imless she gets, over and above what she needs to sustain her own life, two ounces of meat, or of grain containing nitrogen. The compo- sition of an egg is nearly the same as that of human blood and muscle. Hence, anything that we like for food, the hens like. This is the reason wh}' hen-food should be varied as much as our own. Tor a steady diet, there is nothing better for poultry, in cold weather, than mush, made by boiling the meal of corn, rye, and oats together, throwing in refuse bread, potatoes, pumpkin, and all the bits, ends, and trimmings of fresh meat or fish. As a grain to scatter for them, there is nothing cheaper or better than oats. They arc better than corn, be- cause richer in nitrogen. For six or eight months of the year, hens that have free range in the country find au abundance of animal food in Avorms, bugs, beetles, flies, and grasshoppers. This is the principal reason why cows, HENS, AND BEES. 221 they do most of their laying in summer. They have then an abundance of uitrogenized food from "which to make up the albumen, fat, and salts found iu eggs. If their winter diet was equally hearty, they Avould lay all the year as Avell as they do in April and INIay, or September. The great poulterers near Paris, some of whom send a million of eggs to market annually, take the horses and dogs, as soon as they die iu the city, cut them up, and boil them in a big kettle in the poultry-yard, and feed them to the fowls, thickening the water with meal, and thus economizing all the nutrition in the carcass. In the country, there are, with us, coons, wood- chucks, and other vermin, that might be converted into eggs, in the same way that the French utilize dead horses. "While it is not practicable to give hens much ani- mal food in midwinter, they miglit have an abun- dance in the fall, if the entrails of slaughtered animals were saved and cooked for them, and in January and February their grain food should be rich in ni- trogen. Wheat and oats are much better for them, on this account, than corn, rye, or buckwheat ; and, of the vegetables, potatoes, onions, and cabbages are the best. As to rearins: broods of chickens, little need be 222 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. said beyond two suggestions. First, many kind souls make the same mistake in feeding young chickens that is made with babies. They feed them too much and too soon. When a chicle comes from the shell, he carries with him a part of the yolk enclosed in his stomach ; and this is enough for bis sustenance for several days. The eyes of very young chickens are so directed that they literally '' cannot see beyond the end of their nose," and this peculiarity lasts till nature pro- vides for the newly awakened appetite for food, by improving their vision. As to what is best for them, the instinct of the hen is better than the wis- dom of man. It is easy to see, however, that as, in its earliest days, its life is sustained by animal food alone, it would not be best to make a sudden transition to a diet Avholly vegetable ; yet this is done when the little crop of an infantile chick is stuffed with dough. The hen should not be strictlj' confined for a few days. Let her have the liberty of a yard of moderate size, where, by scratching, she can disclose small worms and insects ; for these are the most appropriate food for her tender brood. Chickens grow fastest when supplied, or rather when allowed to supply themselves, with animal food. As they increase in size, they will natu- rally take a wider range ; but this roving temper COAVS, HENS, AND BEES. 223 should not be suffered to lead them too far from the protection of the yard and the guardianship of man. They have many enemies. Snakes are lurking in tlie grass to swallow them ; hogs will sometimes devour them at a mouthful ; and when the sunny days of August come, and the enterprising brood venture into the meadows and pastures in pursuit of grasshoppers, the hawk, wheeling his great cir- cles in the summer sky, Avill bolt upon them with a terrific swoop. Hence they are safest when Avithin call of the mistress's voice, and not beyond reach of her watchful eye. Millions of little chicks perish every summer by wandering in the early morning, on cool, "wet days, in tall grass, where they become thoroughly wet and chilled. In unfavorable weather they should be confined in a dry enclosure, or at least kept from the grass. There is but one disease that is much to be feared in a feathered nursery, and that is the " gapes ! " YfHien you notice a little chick opening the mouth in a singular way, and, at night, coughing with a peculiar, choking sound, you may know that ho or she is suffering from this terror of the chicken- coop. The remedies should be promptly applied. Catch the tiny sufferer, and dip a feather about six inches 224 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSP>KEEPING. long into a mixture of melted butter and grouud pepper. Open his mouth, and carry the feather down his throat, turning it around so as to swab out the little windpipe quite thoroughly. Two or three such applications will generally give permanent re- lief. Here, as in the maladies of the unfeathered bipeds, prevention is far easier than cure. Mix a little vinegar and a little black pepper with the dough that is thrown to them, and you will probably never be called to treat a single case of the gapes. Young turkeys are more delicate than chickens, and require more care and thought. They are fonder also of animal food, and, for a number of days, should have an egg boiled and chopped for their fare. They must not be allowed to frequent the thick woods too much, as there is always a tendency in turkeys to relapse into their original wildness. But their range should be dry as possible, for tall, tangled grass is quite sure to be fatal to some mem- bers of a tender brood. On account of their natural fondness for thickets, they are more likely than chickens to expose them- selves to the attack of the weasel, the polecat, and other insidious foes. They do not consume much more food than a chicken, and are worth twice or thrice as much in the fall. In fattening turkeys for the market or the tal>*-Q, cows, HENS, AKD BEES. 225 some kind of oily seed is the best. Those fed on pecans have the best flavor. Flax-seed is good for them, but should be mixed with other grain. Wheat, oats, and corn, coarsely ground, and made into a pudding with some milk, is the best of turkey food. So also is buckwheat, and the seeds of the sun- flower. "When ducks are being fattened, if they eat fish or refuse of any kind, of which they are quite fond, it affects the flavor of the flesh. Hence, during the last week or two of the life of a duck or a goose, let them be restricted in range, and fed only on corn or some clean, delicate grain. All kinds of poultry should lodge at night on roosts, or in sheds suitable for them, and so arranged as to permit all the droppings to be scraped together and saved. Guano is nothing more than the droppings of sea birds that have never been leached by rain. A domestic guano can be made, almost as rich, by saving all the excrement of fowls, and mixing it with wood-ashes or dry peat. Attention to this point pays better than in the case of larger animals, and the fertilizer thus obtained is concen- trated, and may be removed to much greater distances than the heavier composts of the cattle yard. 226 THE PHILOSOPHT OF HOUSE-KEEPENG. BEES. As yet we are vciy much behind the European people in the care we bestow on these curious and profitable little animals. Costing nothing for their support, consuming nothing in the collection of their nectar, and yielding a substance delicate in flavor, and of constant value as an article of food, grateful to every palate alike, and at all seasons, why have we so far neglected the production of honey that there is, upon an average, but a little more than one and a half hives to the square mile in that one of the United States where the most l)ees are kept? And how is it that we have so far lost the lore of the ancients, that Ave take but a little over thirteen pounds, on an average, from each hive, while the Greeks obtained an average of thirty pounds ? The chief reason is this : Our men have been too busy in clearing land, ploughing, mowing, and threshing, to give the time and the delicate and kindly attention that bees require ; and it has not; occurred to one in a thousand of our women that they could learn the mysteries of the industrious little creatures, and manage them so as to supply their table with the most delicious of all syrups. A lady in Iowa has of late made the most valu- able contribution, as yet otfered I)}' any American cows, HENS, AND BEES. 227 woman to agricultural science, in an admirable little treatise on bee-keeping. From the close of Mrs. Tupper's essay, which our readers will find at page 458 of the Eeport of the Department of Agriculture for 1865, we take the following interesting para- graph : — "The ancients called the honey-bee 'Deborah, or she that speaketh.' Would that its gentle hum might now speak to many women in our land, and awaken an interest in a pursuit so interesting, and, at the same time, so profitable ! The quick observa- tion and gentle handling, so requisite in the business, belong particularly to women, and there is no part of it which is laborious, or that may not be appro- priately performed by them. "It has proved to me of great benefit. I came West twelve years ago, under sentence of speedy death from one of New England's best physicians, yet now rejoice in perfect health restored. More than to all other causes, I attribute the change to the interest- ing occupation which has kept me so much of the time in the open air, and ^;aiJ me for being there. I most heartily recommend it to others, who are seeking either health or a pleasant and profitable employment." The common impression, on the minds of most persons, with regard to bees and bee-keeping, is 228 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. that some danger and much difficulty must be ex- pected in any endeavor to regulate or control the affairs of a colony of bees. Others, again, are under the impression that the modern improvements in the structure of hives liave been so great, that, with some of the patents, the bees "will keep them- selves, not requiring any management. Both these views are incorrect. The bees will permit a person who approaches the hive gently, and with whose touch and presence they are familiar, to do almost anything with them ; and, so far from its being true that the patent hives are decidedly the best, some of the most successful honey-producers in the coun- try use nothing but a hollow tree, sawed off at a proper length, and cleared out within ; a cover being fitted to the top, and cross-pieces being inserted in the middle. In commencing to keep bees, we will suppose that you have bought a hive in the latter part of winter, about the first of March, when the bees are still tor- pid with cold. The first question is, what to do with it. Select a sunny exposure, protected from wind, away from any large body of water, and fenced from all possible intrusion of larger animals. The grass should be kept clean cut around it ; shrubs cows, HENS, AND BEES. 229 and low trees 111:13^ be in the vicinity, but no high trees. As soon as spring flowers open, you Avill see in- dications of activity. Every now and then a honcj'- bee will rise, and fly slowly around the hive in circles, apparently taking note of the surroundings, and then start ofi" " in a bee-line " for her work. You will soon know somethino- of the stren^-th of the hive, as it is called, and you will take precautions against the moth or miller, that is a mischievous enemy of the bee. All the movements around a hive must be gentle and slow. It is well to visit it every morning, and gently raising it, first on one side and then on the other, an inch or two, look for moths, and, if any are seen, remove them with a small brush, and kill them. The most experienced bee-keepers are now in fa- vor of not allowing new colonies to swarm, but they colonize new hives by removing a part of the bees from a strong hive, taking a queen bee with them. Generally speaking, the new colony, as they issue from the parent hive, proceed but a little way, alighting on a bush or shrub, where they can be re- moved to a new hive. But if always left to swarm for themselves, some will betake themselves to the forest, and be wholly lost. After the swarming time is over, the colonies address themselves to the 20 230 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. great business of the summer, that of providing for the young, and laying up a store for themselves for winter. In the amount made, there is no regularity one year with another, and there are great differ- ences in hives. If the weigh to fthe hive is known, when nearly empty of honey, the robbing, as it is called, may be exactly regulated. As a rule, thirty pounds ought to be left in a large hive for the win- ter's store. Bees consume much less honey when protected from severe cold. Hence, in the dead of winter, for three months it is best to take them into a large, dry cellar. If this is not practicable, make straw ropes, and swathe all around the hives, or otherwise protect them as much as possible. "When the busi- ness is carried on extensively, a bee-house is built, and made as snug as possible, and dark. It should not be used for any other purposes, as bees are dis- satisfied with a situation that is not quiet and safe. Unless a great many bees arc kept, they will find flowers enough on any flu-m where there is the usual amount of clover and of apple-trees. The maple is a favorite with them, but this lasts only for a short time. The chief reliance of the bee is upon clover and buckwheat. The former makes the nicest honey, and the latter that upon which the bees are to winter. cows, HENS, AND BEES. 231 Xo matter what form of hive is choseu, — and prob- ably Longstretli's are the best, — there should either be a long, narrow door, which may be opened from lime to time, or, a glass inserted, so that the opera- tions of the summer may be watched, and the habits and eccentricities of this wonderful little animal made a delightful study. No part of bee-keeping requires labor or strength. Any lady, who can be in the open air an hour daily, may take care of fifty or even a hundred hives. To show how surprisingly profitable this form of industry may bo made, we subjoin the following statement by Mrs. Tupper : — "E. G. McNiel, of Tipton, Iowa, says, — 'I shifted six colonies of bees out of logs into the Longstreth hive for a gentleman, in May, 1859. That year he increased to twenty-four, and took off five hundred pounds of hone}'. The next spring he began with eighteen weak colonies, and increased to forty-six. This year (1860), he took off one thousand pounds of honey. In 1861, he increased to sixty colonies, and took off two thousand two hundred pounds of honey. In 1862, he increased to one hundred and four stands, but, it being a poor season, he obtained only one thousand five hundred pounds. In 1863, he increased to one hundred and sixty, and took off three thousand pounds of hone3^ Thus he obtained 232 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. eight tbousjind two liundred pounds of honey, and one hundred and fifty-four colonies, in five working seasons.' "I am not prepared to give an accurate statement of each year's gains, either in honey or stock, since I commenced bee-keeping; but, in the spring of 1859, I purchased four hives for twenty dollars, two of which died before the flowers came. In the autumn of 1865, I was offered one thousand five hundred dollars for my stock of bees, but declined selling, as they are worth much more than that to me. Thus we have, in six seasons, an increase from ten dollars to one thousand five hundred dollars in the capital alone, with no account of honey sold each season, or of bees sold repeatedly. "During the summer of 1864, 1 sold from twenty- two hives, four hundred and nine dollars and twenty cents' worth of honey. Tw^o of these seasons are called the poorest ever known in Iowa. What branch of agriculture or horticulture pays better than this?" CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES. 233 CHAPTER XII. CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES. This toothsome chapter treats of articles which can hardly be considered as the necessary constitu- ents of daily food, though found to a greater or less extent on every good table. They are the poetry of nutrition ; they are the melodies among sounds ; concessions made by the stomach to the gustatory nerves. Bread, meat, vegetables, milk, eggs, and fruit are able, when taken in due proportions, at proper times, and well cooked, to supply all the constituents of perfect blood. But the delicacies and luxuries of the table are universal among all the enlightened races, and, like the careful and skilful adaptation of clothing to changes of temperature, they are at once a type of the progress, and an index of the degree to which civilization has advanced. No matter how much reformers may inveigh against all dainties, as unnecessary and injurious, their continued use is a foregone conclusion, assured by all the past of culinary art, and by an ineradicable taste in human nature for styles of cooking, which not only suppl}^ the great demands of nature, but 20* 234 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. which tempt the appetite, delight the palate, and adorn the liospitable board. "When Lidies, hy common consent, dispense with ribbons and laces ; when pianos and melocleons are banished from parlors ; when books that seek merely to instrnct are the chosen companions of all honrs, and have usurped the places of the novelists, the rhetoricians, and the poets, — then we may expect mankind generally to be satisfied with a diet such as is prescribed to the United States' soldier by the army regulations, and hard-tack, baked beans, and boiled rice form the grand staples of universal food. But, in the present state of civilization, the lady who seeks to entertain in her parlor by the charms of her manner, and by the sweetness of music, will be equally ambitious to grace her table with food that is not only wholesome, but by all the arts of cookery rendered delicious. The constituents of cake — flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and flavoring ex- tracts — are all of them suitable articles of food. They are highly nutritious, and are calculated to supply both demands for which food is taken, — the production of tissue, and the evolution of heat. But the very reason that makes cake delicious, the concentration and blending of a great many pleasant tastes, renders it, at the same time, harder of diges- tion than common food, as it presents to the gastric CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES. 235 fluids but a small surface upon which they may act. In this case, the palate and the stomach are in an- tagonism, and the skill of the cook is displayed in so blending the constituents as to render this an- tagonism as small as possible. This she does by creaming the butter, and working it in very thor- oughly with the other elements, by beating the eggs for a long time, by having her flour very dry, and thus producing as much porosity as possible, so that the cake, to use a common expression, will "melt in the mouth," and thus, entering the stomach in a semi-fluid state, be more easily acted upon by the digestive juices. With this explanation, it is easy to sec wh}'' sponge cake is more wholesome than pound cake, and why fruit cake, the most concen- trated, and perhaps the most delicious of all, is the most indiijestible. The universal fashion of crowd- iuGT the dinner table yvhh. desserts and relishes, and placing upon the tea table only light and easily digested food, is thus seen to be justified by sound principles of physiology. The concentrated desserts and puddings, mingling with the coarser viands which are first eaten, are deprived of much of their power of doing mischief in the stomach. We must not be understood as advocating the undue or common indulgence in rich food, whether cakes, pies, or desserts. They are under no circum- 23G THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. stances the most wholesome diet ; but us people will eat them, and as good housewives will make them, and take a pride in making them, Ave would give all the suggestions possible for rendering the dyspeptic punishment, that must to a greater or less extent overtake them, as light as it may be. Probably the most difficult thing in making good cake and pies is the proper incorporation of the oily matters with other ingredients. Oil of any kind taken unmixed into the stomach is simply a physic ; imperfectly mixed with food it may be considered a specific for producing dyspepsia. But, as it is in- dispensable to the production of animal heat, it is a component, in larger or smaller proportions, of nearly all kinds of good food, and enters very largely into the composition of cake. Other things being equal, that cake will be the most delicious and the least unwholesome in which the butter is most thoroughly incorporated with all the other elements. In order to this, it should be put into the flour, not in a melted state, for then it will make a paste, or in a very solid state, for then it will Avith difficulty be rubbed in with the flour, but moderately soft, so that the warmth of the hand will cause it to mingle easily with the other ingredients. The eggs and sugar must be made perfectly fine by beating and rolling, so that the atoms Avhich compose them may CAKES, DESSERTS, AXD DELICACIES. 2o7 be intimately blended with the atoms of the butter and the sugar. To accomplish this result, beating and stirring are of prime importance in making good cake. If time is of importance to the housewife, if her cares are multiplied, if her fingers are busy with other affairs, let the mysteries and subtleties of cake-making be jDostponed to a more convenient season. The goddess of cuisine is not to be success- fully wooed by votaries whose breasts are panting, and whose cheeks are flushed. She dwells in per- petual calm ; she revels in abundant leisure, and bestows her sweetest smiles only upon those who approach her in the same spirit. Cake-making, like cake-eating, should never be regarded as a duty to be done, but as a pleasure to be enjoyed. It is the festivity of the kitchen ; the flower-plot of the garden ; the rose of cookery. GENERAIi DIRECTIONS FOR JUAKIXG CAKE. Fiist of all, let the materials be each in their kind first-class. Lard is never at any time a good substitute for butter ; and good cake cannot be made with jpooi' butter. The sugar need not neces- sarily be crushed loaf, or perfectly white. A good article of cake can be made of liofht-brown su<2;ar ; but, if a delicate and snowy cake is desired, then it must be pure white, and only the whites of eggs 238 tup: philosophy of house-keeping. used. The quality of flour is also of importance, as Hour which will make palatable bread "will iif;t always make good cake. It should be sifted and perfectly dried. The eggs should be well beaten, and the cake will be nicer if the yolks and whites arc beaten separately. The fruit should be carefully prepared. If raisins are used, they should be seeded and chopped fine, then rubbed in flour, and dried, which will prevent their sinking to the bottom of the loaf. If dried currants are used, they must be washed in several waters, floured, and dried. If citron, it must be cut into small, thin slices. Al- monds should be blanched. This is done by putting them in boiling water till the skins rub off easily. They must then be pounded fine, with rosc-'vvater. The materials must all be collected, and set in a warm room, some time before mixing together. An earthen bowl is the best article to mix cake in. It should be stirred until it is ready to be placed in the oven. The order in Avhich the inirredients are mixed is a matter of great importance, though it is varied to produce different effects. Generally the butter and sugar are stirred together till white ; then the eggs are added ; then the flour ; then the spice ; then the saleratus is dissolved and added. If cream tartar is used, it had better be sifted with the flour. Put in the fruit last. Have the pans well buttered, CAKES. DESSERTS. ^i^J) DELICACIES. 2o9 or, what is preferable, lined with white buttered joaper. Meve the cake as little as possible, and by no means' jar it while baking. Most kinds of cake require a fjuick oven ; but fruit cake is best with a moderate heat, and baked for a long time. When cake is done, a broom-straw stuck in the thickest part of" the loaf will not shoAV any of the cake adher- ing to it. The form of the cake pan is a matter of some importance. When the cake is to be cut in slices a long narrow pan is the most desirable to bake it in. If it is to be frosted or cut in sections from the cen- ter of the cake to the outside, let the pan be round with a conical projection of tin in the center, reach- ing to the top of the pan. The cavity in the cake can be filled with crumbs of the same when it is frosted. PUDDINGS. The gastronomical tasto of the French and of the English is in fierce antipathy on the matter of pud- dings. The Gaul abliors tliem, tlie Briton revels in them. That scientific gourmand, Monsieur Blot, accounts for the difference as follows: " Puddiug- eatincr is an English custom; but before following 240 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. the custom of another country, people ought to con- sider if that custom or fashion (whatever it is) has not been introduced in that country by necessity, which is the case for pudding-eating in England, and in some parts of Holland. " In England, where the fog is perpetual, or nearly so, in many parts, and where it exists eight or nine months of the year in others, the stomach requires to be filled with something very heavy, something that will stay there till the next meal, and very often longer than that. It is well known that, in England, farm hands, or other persons work- ing in the open air, eat six times a day, and have pudding at least three times ; they drink home- brewed beer, which is very heavy and very rich also ; let any one here, in this pure, clear atmos- phere, eat six times a day, have pudding three times, with a pint of home-brewed beer every time, and see how he will feel in the evening. We beg of all that may doubt our observations to try the experiment." On the other hand the English muse has thus im- mortalized the national dish : — CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES. 241 " O Puddin', Brown Puddin', Puddin' in a pan ; Boiled Puddin', Baked Puddin', Beat 'em if you can." While the greatest of her philosophical histoiians has alluded to the effect of the gastronomical prefer- ences of his country in the following paragrapl) : — " It is not in human nature to be quiet on an empty stomach, and while the English nation vaunts herself for Magna Charta and the Bill of Rights, the more sagacious observer will give to j^lum pudding no small share in the affection of the Britis*h stomach." As our climate and the characteristics of our peo- ple are said to be a happy medium between the vivacity of the French and the stolidity of the Saxon, we have displayed in this country a moder- ate and chastened appetite for puddings, neither eschewing them entirely with the French, nor chew- ing them so constantly as their graver neighbors on the other side of the channel. By referring to Chapters II. and III. of this work it will be easy to arrive at the true philosophy of puddings. They should be composed of constituents of oppo- 21 242 TiiK riiiLosopiiY of house-keeping. sito qualities ; rice, for instance, which is almost pure starch, should be combined with eggs and milk, whicii are muscle-making. If this principle is not observed, but those grains or fruits which are in themselves rich in carbon and oily are combined with butter or suet, the compound will be indigesti- ble and unfit to be taken into the stomach, except when the climate reminds us of " the pitiless coast of Labrador." Rich puddings are suitable only in winter ; in summer their place on the table should be supplied with some of the varieties of cream or fruit. PASTRY. Most of the indigestion from whicli thousands of our people suil'or, and by which, in many cases, health is wholly destroyed, is produced by eating freely of badly made pies. They are the least wholesome of any of the dishes in common use among our people, unless it be fat pork. It is by no means easy, in the nature of things, to make pies, and especially pie-crust, in such a way that they will be at the same time both palatable and Avholesome. If you put in lard or butter enough to make the crust short, you produce an indigestible paste. If, on the other hand, you omit the animal oil, your pie-crust will remind those who eat it, of army "hard- CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES. 243 tack." There are processes hy which a moderate amount of suet or butter can be combined with flour, and pie-crust, which is qviite tender, be the happy result. But it requires skill and care to insure suc- cess. The utmost cleanliness and nicety must be observed in making pastry ; the paste-slab must be free from all old paste ; the rolling-pin and cutters also. The flour and sugar must be of the best quality, dried and sifted. Butter free from coarse particles of salt, and of good quality, is essential to first-rate pastry. Lard may be used in place of butter, but the paste will not be as light or as whole- some as when made by the latter. Puff paste should always be rolled from you. Paste should be baked as soon as possible after it is made, otherwise it will become dull and heavy. Good baking is very important to secure good pastry. If the oven is too hot the pastry will not rise well ; if not hot enough, it will become sodden, heavy, and lack color. Raised pies require more heat than the other varieties. Be sure the oven is brushed and wiped out clean before pies are put in it, else they may acquire an unpleasant flavor from articles previously leaked in the oven. Be careful to pour out the juice of a pie if it begins to run over, so as to prevent a steam in your oven, which would make tlie pastry heavy. 244 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. PIES. In making pies of berries, apples, and other fruits, it is desirable to have the pastry and fruit so pre- pared as to require the same time each to be -well baked. If for instance, you place hard, green apples in rich puff paste, the latter will be done some time before the former. The same is the case with green currants and some other fruits. The pastry should be removed from the oven as soon as it is done, but it does not injure fruit to remain there even after it is well cooked. The cook must therefore exercise her judgment as to when fruit shall be stewed before placing it in the paste. Ripe currants, and some other berries, juicy and fully ripe apples, do not require longer for cooking than will suffice to bake the paste. When fruit is stewed before being made into pies, it should be allowed to become perfectly cold before being put on the paste, otherwise heavy and sodden under crust will almost certainly be the unhappy result. It is a good plan, when you intend to make pies, to prepare the fruit beforehand, and be sure that your oven will be hot by the time your pies are ready to go into it. Bake them on the bottom first, and put over them a piece of paper to prevent burning on top, if the oven should be too hot. ^. CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES 245 You can always know by the looks of a custard or cquash pie when it is done. If it is risen up all over, and especially in the middle, you may remove it at once to the shelf. The same remark applies to all baked puddings in which eggs and milk enter largely as ingredients. Another mode of telling w.ien pies, puddings, and cake are sufficiently baked, is this : Take a straw from the broom, and pierce the pie or cake in the thickest part ; if the straw is perfectly clean when withdrawn, the dish is done. Thorough cooking is indispensable in this depart- ment of the culinary art, as it aids materially in lessening the indigestion which too great indulgence in these rich dishes is liable to produce. ICE CREAM. During the summer months there is no after dinner delicacy so prized as ice cream. In order to make it in the best manner and with the least trouble, some machinery for turning the freezer in the ice is necessary. In large establishments where hun- dreds of gallons are manufactured daily, a small engine is employed for this purpose. But most fam- ilies in the country coiild enjoy this luxury with a very small outlay. All they must buy is the freezer 21* • 246 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KKEPIXG. which is nothing more than a long round tin dish with a tight fitting lid. A tinner can make one for fifty cents. Any deep tub or long firkin will serve to contain the packing of ice and salt. Ice cream is nothing more than frozen custard, with this difference that more cream can be used than when a custard is boiled or baked. With eggs and milk at country prices, the materials for a gallon of ice cream, cost a dollar, for a quart twenty-five cents. The following minute directions will enable any country family that has ice and coarse salt, to make their own ice cream. . • Take two quarts of rich cream and one quart of rich milk ; put the milk on the fire ; cut up a vanilla bean in small pieces, and throw it into the milk, letting it boil half an hour. Beat up a table- epoonful of flour or powdered arrow-root in some cold milk, and stir it gradually into the boiling milk. Beat up three eggs well, adding a little cold milk to them, and pour them into the boiling milk ; boil it all together, a few minutes stirring it all the time. Take it off the fire and strain it through a fine sieve. Add the two quarts of cream, and three pounds of sugar; stir it until the sugar is dissolved. When cold put it in the freezer ; place the freezer in a deep pail, which is partly filled with Compote of Apples. Compote of Pears. Christmas Plum Pudding. Salmon garnished with Crayfish. IJuck and Green Feat. Shrimps. CAKES, DESSERTS, AND DELICACIES 247 pounded ice, and surround it with coarse salt and ice, in alternate layers. Shake the freezer by turn- ing the handle all the time. Every ten minutes open the freezer and cut down the cream as it con- geals around the sides, beating the cream well each time, alco digging it out from the bottom. A little iron or tin spade with a strong handle is the best for the purpose. If the ice is to be kept after it is frozen, the water must be let off from the bottom of the pail by a hole that is stopped with a cork, and a woollen cloth put on the top of the freezer to exclude the air. When the freezer is opened the edges should be carefully wiped with a towel to prevent the salt from getting in. When the frozen cream is to be turned out, apply a cloth wrung out of boiling water to the bottom and sides of the freezer. If you wish to flavor it with lemon instead of vanilla, take a large lump of sugar, before you powder it, and rub it on the outside of a large lemon till the yellow is all rubbed off upon the sugar. Then, when the sugar is all powdered, mix with it the juice. Do the same for orange. For strawberry ice cream, mix with the powdered sugar the juice of a quart of ripe strawberries squeezed through a linen bag. 248 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. The proper time for eating cake, puddings, pies, and all luxurious desserts is at dinner time, a good many hours before sleep. Thus ample time will be afforded for full digestion. Composed as these ar- ticles are of rich and concentrated materials, they should be mingled with plainer and coarser food, so that the stomach shall not require to digest a com- pound, not easily attacked and assimilated by its juices. It is easy to understand why late suppers, where rich cake and similar delicacies tempt the appetite are so injurious to health. In sleep, witli the j'est of the body, the stomach also should repose from its functions, but when forced into ill-timed activity by late suppers, it retaliates in retributive dreams of fear and liorror, and if reformation comes not soon, visits upon tlie unhappy violator of hygienic laws, dyspepsia witli all its long train of woes. If the stomach must be overtaxed, let it be done in waking hours, and the last meal before sleep be plain and simple. % children's food. 249 CHAPTEE XIII. children's food. Directions are given, in a, subsequent chapter on Infancy, for the regulation and selection of the food of infants. This chapter treats of the diet of grow- ing children, from the time the lirst teeth appear till adolescence. There is not a great deal to be said under this head, but the su2:2:estions we have to make are so important that we ask every father and mother, and every keeper of boarding-schools into whose hands this book may fall, if they only glance at the other chapters, to peruse this. There are two scientific truths that lie at the foun- dation of sound knowledge on this subject, and if these are steadily borne in mind important errors will not be committed. First, the child eats jjartly to supplj' to his sys- tem the means of growth, while the adult takes food merely to prevent his liody from wasting. Hence, though his stomach is somewhat smaller than a man's, the active and healthy boy of from seven to twelve years needs almost as much food as a grown person, but his meal hours should not be precisely the same. 250 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. It is the nature of fjrowinij thinijs not to intermit in the absorption of their food. The tree draws sap constantly from the ground during the growing season. A stallv of corn does not cease to grow from the first sprout till maturity. The unborn infant draws its food from its mother's blood at all hours till the embryo state is ended. For some time after birth it requires its natural food at intervals of about two hours, by day and at night. During childhood this tendency to frequent feeding is natural and should not be repressed. The stomach of a child is not deranged, like that of an adult, by lunches and irregular snatches of bread and butter. Too much of this there should not be, for as the child becomes a youth there is a tendency to settle upon the usual intervals between the times of takins: food. "VVe have all of us knoAvn some strenuous and sys- tematic mothers, who with even little children have put down their foot on what they call dietetical irregularities, and laid down the family law, — no eating between meals, — and believe they are doing the stomach of a youngling a real fiivor by making him repress all expressions of hunger, from a seven o'clock breakfast till a two o'clock dinner. This is not the voice of nature. This is not the true law for the period of growth. A very careful children's food. 251 and judicious English doctor, who has written a good book ou the management of cbildien, says tbc}' should have food at intervals of about four hours. Another hiAV of growth, too obvious to need dwelling upon, is that the growing creature requires food that contains the elements of the body ; in other Avords, food that abounds in albumen, fibrine, gelatine, and the earthy salts. Now, referring to the tables in chapter second, what substances do we find richest in the constituents of perfect food? Flesh, milk, eggs, and wheat bread. Since, then, children require tissue-making food, for the double pm'pose of repairing muscular waste and fur growth, "what substances can be more suitable than such as contain the plastic elements in greatest abundance? Another scientific truth should be alluded to. For some reason, the cause of which has never been discovered, the animal heat of children is higher than that of adults, and this without reference to the character of the food consumed. The blood heat of an adult is about 98'^, while that of a boy or girl of seven is often three or four degrees higher, ranging at 100'' and 103®. Hence it follows that children have not the same need of carbonized, that is, fatty dishes, even in the coldest weather. This accords with nursery experience. Give a hearty 9.',9. THE nilLOSOPIIY OF HOUSE-KEEPIXG. boy a supper ot baked beans and pork, the pork some^Yhat in excess. His father "will eat it with impunity ; but the boy's stoniacli will be likely to reject it in a few hours. So with rich pie-crust, cake abounding in butter, and other fatty dishes. They should never be given to children, for children never need them, and they are worse than useless in their stomachs, — they are noxious. There is in the minds of thousands of anxious mothers a o;reat clread of fruits of all kinds as beino^ dangerous diet for the young. Not a particle more so for the healthy child than for the healthy adult. The difficulty and prejudice arise not from the in- jurious qualities of ripe sound fruit of any kind, but because children will not discriminate between that which is ripe and that which is nearly so, and because, they are likely to eat fruits of all kinds to excess. Perhaps the subject cannot be summed up in a better or more available form, than by condensing the results of personal experience, and the testi- mou}' of several medical writers on this point into the following IIULES FOR THE DIET OF CHILDREN. 1. Children should have a full supply of muscle children's food. 253 and bone making food, because they are growing and because their habits are active. Wheat bread and crushed wheat, oatmeal, pota- toes, onions and cabbages, milk, eggs, and red or muscular flesh are the substances best adapted to their requirements. 2. Grease of all kinds is less useful and more injurious to children than to grown folks. 3. Sugar, sugar candy (if uncolored), molasses, and honey are not bad for children, if eaten mod- erately. They do not injure the teeth. 4. Cakes and rich pastries are bad for children, not because they are sweet, but because they are greasy. 5. From four to six hours is lono^ enouo-h for a child to go without food It is better for children to eat four times a day rather than three. 6. A low and imperfect diet is a great curse to a child. It blunts the feelings and dwarfs both mind and bod}-. 7. It is easy to give a child too much rich food, but not easy to give an active child too much strong food. 8. Children should do the most of their eating in the early and middle part of the day, and sleep, not on an empty stomach, but an hour or two after a light mesl 254 TIIE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. CHAPTER XIV. FOOD FOR THE SICK A^D AGED. It is of great importance to know, Avith reference to the cookery of the sick-room and of convales- cents, Avhether the invalid is suffering from a spe- cial affection of some part of the alimentary canal, or whether the disease is of a different character, and the stomach is delicate only from sympathy. In the past generation, and still among some old- school doctors, the low-diet system has been quite too much employed with the sick. ]\Iany diseases impoverish the blood, and the patient needs building up with food that is strong yet easy of digestion. Hundreds of patients are made to laniruish through a slow convalescence on boiled rice and a baked apple, when a piece of broiled chicken or a tender steak would be very much better. While an acute disease is upon the patient, his diet should be prescribed by the doctor; and, if he is skilful, too strict a compliance with his instruc- tions is impossible. In some diseases, the whole question of recovery depends on the quality of food taken into the system. FOOD FOR THE SICK AND AGED. 255 In ordinary fevers and derangements of the bow- els, the safest as well as the most palatable dish is gruel, cither cornmeal or oatmeal. In many cases, the diet should consist of this, and nothing else, for several days, sometimes for weeks ; and the comfort of tlie patient greatly de- pends on the skill Avith which this dish is com- pounded. There are few accomplishments of a domestic nurse more important than the ability to make good gruel. I am sure the following recipe, if strictly fol- lowed, will produce a dish that will be eagerly taken in the pallid hands, and light up a gleam of joy "in eyes that had forgotten to shine." The lady from whom it was learned, than whom a more perfect nurse never bent over a suffering mortal, — vigilant, prompt, firm, obedient, self- possessed, her presence a balm, her step soft, her eye like Ma}^ morning, her voice a lullal)}', — was thus complimented by the physician that regularly practised in her family: "Ah, madame, that por- ridge-kettle of yours saves your husband many a dollar on my bills ! " To maJce Gruel. — Pour a quart of hot water into a clean earthen or tin vessel, over a brisk fire. When it boils, take two large tablespoonfuls of corn or oat meal ; mix it smooth in just water enough to 256 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. make it a thin paste ; put a small lump of butter into the water, and when melted add the meal, and stir frequently for about half an hour ; then add a gill of sweet milk, and, when it boils again, throw in the upper crust of hard-baked bread, cut in small pieces ; let boil some time, and then add a little black pepper, some salt, a pinch of grated nutmeg, and, a little more bntter, and a tablespoonful of French brandy. Tliis makes a palatable and harm- less dish, in most cases of moderate sickness. When the case is serious, the butter, spices, and brandy should be omitted. As the case improves, and ap- petite returns, increase the milk and the crusts of bread, and stir in the yolk of an egg, boiled hard and mashed. By varying these ingredients, a dish of various de<2:rees of strenijth can be made to suit the condition of the sufferer. It often becomes necessary to support life through the crisis of an acute distemper, or when the strength is greatly reduced, by giving small quantities of hi2:hlv concentrated nourishment. There is nothing so good, at such times, as the juice of flesh. This can be made by the following Recijpefor Beef Tea. — Take a pound of the red or muscular flesh of beef; cut it flne, and put in a bottle ; cork tightly, and put into a kettle of warm water ; increase the heat till it boils ; remove the FOOD FOR THE SICK AND AGED. 267 bottle, and pour out the contents. A liquor, or tea, "will have been extracted from the flesh which has a rich, brothy smell. Salt a little, and give a spoon- ful every hour, or more frequently, as the physician may direct. Toast Water. — Toast thoroughly, but not to burn, half a slice of stale wheat bread ; pour over it a quart of water which has been boiled and Aen cooled ; let it stand two hours, and pour off; flavor with lemon or orange peel. Flaxseed Tea. — An ounce of flaxseed, not bruised ; a little liquorice-root, pounded ; pour in a pint of boiling water that is soft, or rain-water, and place the jug or vessel containing these ingredients near but not on the fire for four hours ; strain through a linen or cotton cloth ; make fresh every day. An excellent drink in fever accompanied by a cough. In some fevers, especially the typhus, there is a low or sinking stage, when something that is at once food and stimulus must be given. The best prepa- ration of this kind is Egg Brandy. — Take the yolks of two eggs ; beat them well, adding half an ounce of fine white sugar, a little cinnamon-water, and two drops of the oil of cinnamon ; mix thoroughly, and add, by little 22* 258 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. and little, a -wineglass of best French brandy. Give frequently, a teaspoonful at a time. In convalescence, as above remarked, much de- pends on the nature of the disease that has been vanquished, or the injury recovered from. In general, and unless a physician gives special instructions, the following dishes ^vill bo found saf(*: Boiled rice, l;aked apples, tapioca pudding eaten with little or no butter ; mealy potatoes, boiled or baked ; soft-boiled eggs, dry toast, lean baked mutton, boiled chicken, tender beef-steak, broiled without the fat. As nourishing and strengthening beverages, suit- able especially in the later stages of convalescence, there is nothing better than a combination of brandy or rum with e2:gs and milk, as follows : — Milk Punch. — A teaspoonful of sugar, and enough water to dissolve it. Pour in two gills of milk, and then, in a small stream, stirring constantly, a table- spoonful or two of brandy or rum. Egg Nog. — Teaspoonful of sugar well beaten with an Q^g\ add a gill of milk, and then, by de- grees, one or two tablespoonfuls of good French brandy ; spice wath grated nutmeg. THE FOOD OF OLD PEOPLE. In the interval between thrcescore-and-ten and FOOD FOR THE SICK AND AGED. 259 th^ tiiMG Avlieii "the golden bowl is broken," there sometimes intervenes a period of time when "their strength has become weakness," and " desire fails, and the grasshopper is a burden." One of the more frequent annoyances and infirmities of age is a loss of appetite. With the aged, the reverse occurs of what we observed in children as to the warmth of the body. Their heat is lower than that of middle life, and they are quite liable to be carried away by a sudden fall of temperature, against which they are not duly protected. For this reason they should not sleep in cold rooms, nor live on the north side of a house, nor dress in any material but flannel. Their food should be starch}^, and the milder ani- mal oils, especially butter, should be indulged in as freely as is consistent with digestion. The eflect of tea and coffee, especially tea, is to aid in digestion, and to prevent the wearing away of tissue under in- sufficient nutrition. Hence the fondness of the asred for these beverages, and the propriety of their in- dulging in them ; for they to a degree supply the place of food, which, if taken into the system, would not be digested. Potatoes are relished as long as any vegetable by the old. Hence pains should be used to obtain such as arc mcah' and well preserved. 260 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. Baked apples arc also peculiarly grateful in dc- cliuiiiG; years. A broth made of cbickcu, well boiled, or from good juicy beef, and thickened with rice or barley, can be diijestcd when nothinu' else would be rel- ished. The loss of the teeth is generally but a type of the decay and relaxation which extends to all j)arts of the digestive apparatus. Thus the stomach as well as the mouth is unable to manage toush food, and the necessity arises of introducing substances, as nutritious as can be found, which do not require chewing. An egg, soft-boiled, answers this de- scription ; and many advanced persons sustain life in surprising vigor, after the allotted period, by eating freely of eggs, and using mildly stimulating drinks. BEVERAGES. 261 CHAPTER XV. BEVERAGES. Of the three infusions in common use among dif- ferent nations, for drink, it is somewhat remarkable that each contains the same peculiar principle. This fact was pointed out by Liebig, about forty years ago, who also discovered that the active principle in each has a striking similarity to some of the most important constituents of bile. Hence the inference that tea, coffee, and cocoa are in some way specially adapted to the needs of the human system. How- ever this may be, it is idle, now, to attack the al- most imiversal custom of serving one or, frequently, two of these beverages, at the morning and evening meal of the American people. Two hundred years ago, coffee was spoken of as a rare and mysterious Eastern drug. Now it is consumed, on the North American continent, at the rate of six pounds annu- ally to every man, woman, and child in the land. A vast deal more, according to the population, is drank by us than by any other people in the world, not even excepting the Arabs, in whose hot and sandy land it attains its greatest perfection. Since, then, coffee is so much used as to be almost the 262 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. iiatioual beverage of America, no housewife can af- ford to be ignorant of the best modes of selecting and preparing this infusion for the table, as well as those temperaments with which coffee is congenial ; the circumstances under which it may be indulged in, and w^hen it should be avoided. When the house-keeper goes to her grocer, to make purchase of family supplies, and orders, among other things, a package of coffee, she is met by the question whether she will have Rio or Java. Noth- ing is more proper than that the good lady, thus in- terrojrated, should be able to make an intelliijent choice, and to give, if need be, a reason of the faith that is in her. What, now, is the difference be- tween "Java," "Mocha," and "Rio," and how does this diflference arise ? The coffee-plant is a native of Arabia, and, as it is a perennial, can flourish only in those countries which are not visited by frost. It grows to the height of fifteen or twenty feet, commences to pro- duce on the third year after planting, and continues to bear fruit for sixteen or seventeen years. As it is strictly a tropical plant, it has no appointed time for flowering or for fruitage. Blossoms, half-grown berries, and the ripe fruit may be plucked at the same time from the same tree. When the berry is ripe, it is about as large as a cherry, the pulp sweet I BEVERAGES. 263 and quite pleasant ; while at the centre are found two seeds, or kernels, or rather one seed in two hemispheres, the flattened sides of which face each other. If the berry is allowed to remaiu until the pulp perishes or dries away, the seed continues to ripen, and acquires a more rich and delicate flavor the longer it remains on the tree. As Arabia is sel- dom visited by rain or violent storms of Avind, the ccffee-planters of that country permit the fruit to remain until the pulp dries up or drops ofl", and the seeds attain the most perfect maturity. When they are gathsred, all that is necessary is to get rid of the dried pu^p which envelops them, and see that the berries are entirely dry before being shipped. The Java cofice is produced in a manner quite similar. The climate of that island has, hoAvever, this disadvantage as compared with that of Arabia : it is subject to frequent and violent storms, which beat the ripe berries off the bush. On this account, the Java planter can never wait until all his seeds are ripe. A portion of what he gathers is imma- ture, and none of the berries remain so long upon the tree as in Arabia. The world looked to these two countries for its supplies of coffee until the earl}'' part of the present century, when the inexhaustible soil and perpetual summer climate of Brazil were found to be admir- 264 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. ably suited to its growth and culture. Within a generation, Rio Janeiro has risen to be by far the largest exporting city, for this article of commerce, of any in the world ; and more than half of all the coffee consumed is raised in Brazil, and takes its name from the city where it is shipped. As this is a slave country, — slavery being still supported by law, — the kind of labor applied to the production of coffee is rude and nnskilled in the last degree. A time is selected when there is the largest number of ripe or nearly ripe berries npon the shrubs ; and then, instead of picking only those that are ripe, the limbs arc stripped, and the ripe and unripe together are subjected to several successive processes, the effect of Avhich is to remove the pulp and the tough membrane which envelops the seed. Though the plant thrives in South America, and produces largely, the delicate flavor and the fragrant oil which char- acterize the Arabian berry cannot be produced in the hot and moist climate of the New World. Thus Rio coflee is inferior to either of the other commer- cial varieties above named, in respect to that fine aroma which comes only by reaching full maturity in a rainless climate. This difference is easily per- ceived in the size and color of the kernels, the genu- ine Arabian berry being of a pale straw color, and large in size, Avith very few crushed or broken kernels. BEVERAGES. 265 Rio, on the other hand, is of a pale green color, the berry smaller and harder, from being gathered while unripe, and having a greater proportion of woody fibre. The appearance and characteristics of the Java are intermediate between those of the other two varieties. Mocha and Java, particularly the former, are greatly superior to Rio in the delightful fragrance which they exhale, and in their soothing and nutri- tive effects. The berry, when fully ripe, contains a quite large proportion of gluten ; so that the Arabs drink their coffee and eat the grounds, as Ave do chocolate. Rio makes a nuich more bitter infusion, less aromatic, and far less soothing ; but to compen- sate, it seems to surpass the infusion made from the Arabian berry in stimulating qualities, and enables the person wdio drinks it to resist the miasmatic in- fluences of tropical and semi-tropical climates. Growing as it does exclusively wathin the tropics, coffee seems to be designed by nature as the proper beverage of the inhabitants of warm and moist cli- mates. In the southern regions of the United States, tea is very little used as a beverage, while coffee is found upon many tables two and three times a day. On the lower Mississippi, ever since the settlement of the country, it has been the prac- tice, in most families, to have served a cup of strong 23 266 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. coffee the llrst thing upon awaking, and before a person leaves his bedroom. Its effect, thus taken, is to neutralize the malarious influence of the early morning air, especially in low and miasmatic situa- tions. The universal preference for Rio coffee, in this region, would seem to indicate a lar2:er admix- ture of those elements Avhich make coffee the most proper beverage for hot and moist climates. This peculiarity is explained by the discovery made by Liebig of the identity of caffeine, the active element of coffee, with one of the constituents of bile. AYe know that the first organ to suffer, when a person of the Caucasian race commences to live in a tropical cli- mate, is the liver ; and coffee owes its universal pop- ularity, in such climates, to the fact that, while it is a grateful and fragrant beverage, it acts, at the same time, as a corrective to derangements of the liver resulting from climate. Understanding thus the properties of the different varieties, a house-keeper will regard the demands of those for W' horn she prepares the infusion. If she would delight her guests and her family, and supply her breakfast-table with a beverage at once fragrant, soothing, grateful, and enlivening. Mocha Avill be her choice. If, on the other hand, the drink is de- signed for persons exposed to cold, or suffering hardships of any sort, — such as laborers, watch- BEVERAGES. 267 men, soldiers, or travellers by night, — she will find in a strong cup of Rio those qualities most needed. For ordinary family use, a mixture of Java and Rio will be found at once the most salu- brious and a2:reeable. But no variety of this plant, Avhether Rio, jNIara- caybo, Java, or even the unrivalled Mocha, will answer to her expectations, or afford the gratifica- tion she desires to give, whether festive or hygienic, unless every step in the preparation for the table is taken with skill, care, and judgment. A child can pour hot water on a handful of tea-leaves, and make a palatable infusion ; but let no nursling lay inex- perienced fingers on the cofiee-pot ! If there is a spirit that presides over beverages, — a genius into whose nostrils the fumes of the fragrant bowl rise more grateful than Arabian frankincense or myrrh, — his presence should be sought, his aid invoked. The first thing to be done is to j)ick over a small quantity, as half a pint, of the grains, rejecting all that are imperfect or much discolored, and all for- eign substances. The first stage of the roastin<>- should be over a moderate fire, and conducted slowl}', the object being simply to expel moisture. Then increase the heat, and stir constantl^^, till the kernels are of a dark-brown color, like the peel of a chestnut, taking care that none are charred or 268 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. l)lackeneJ. AVlieu properly ro:istod, the grains are twenty per cent, lighter and fifty jx'r cent, larger than in the raw state. Just Lefore they are done, a shining appearance indicates that a delicate and fragrant oil, that is contained in minute cells just below the surface, has been driven to the outside by the heat. If the roasting is continued two or three minutes, this oil is expelled and lost, b}- which the flavor and fragrance are greatly impaired. Too much care cannot be exercised in rcmovins: coflee from the fire at precisely the right moment. It is very desirable that the last part of the roasting process should be conducted in a close vessel, so as to retain the odor. Two or three different designs of coffee-roasters have been patented, all of which are calculated to secure a constant agitation of the roasting kernels, and j^et confine the aroma. After roasting, the most perfect infusion is made b}^ grind- ing and pouring on boiling water as speedily as pos- sible. That which is not used at once should be kept in a canister with a close-fitting cover. In this way, much of the aroma is reabsorbed, which would be entirely dissipated if the coffee "were freely exposed. Fine grinding is best. Now, as to the process of extraction : The full strength of the ground coffee is best obtained partly by boiling, and partly by dripping, or leaching. Nei- BEVERAGES. 269 tber process alone is so effectual as a combination of both. Tlie French arrangement, known as the hccla, or dipper, and the pot, of Yankee contrivance, called the Old Dominion, are each an attempt, in different "vvays, to combine these two processes. In the hands of a skilful person, a very superior article can bo made with them. But as they are easily deranged, require constant vigilance, and consume a greater quantity of coffee, in order to give the same amount of the infusion, than the vessel generally used, the common pot is not likely to be superseded on the great majority of tables, especially as it is capable, by the observance of two or three directions, of giving very satisfactory results. Allow for every large cup to be filled a table- spoonful of ground coffee ; mix, in the pot, with a small quantity of cold water, adding a little of the white of an egg or a crushed egg-shell ; beat the whole together with a spoon, for a minute; then add scalding water, and continue the boiling heat for fifteen minutes, the lid being carefully closed, and a small opening only allowed for the escape of steam; scald the milk, and have, also, a cup of sweet cream on the table ; stir the hot milk and sugar together in the bottom of each cup, and add a teaspoonful of cream. These should fill the cup one-third full. Now add the coffee, pouring slowly. 23* 270 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. If the parching -was properly done, and enough white of Qgg used, the liquid "will pour off clear, of a rich dark color, — transparent as amber, fragrant as ambrosia, delicious as nectar. The stimulus of one large cup such as is here de- scriljed is as much as most constitutions can safely indulge in. This should be taken with the first meal of the day, that its effects may wholly cease their action before the hour for repose arrives. Af- ter a hearty dinner, especially if the food is rich iu animal oil, a small cup of strong black coffee, drank without milk, but w^ith a liberal allowance of sugar, is found to promote digestion and a lively flow of spirits. No French dinner is considered complete without this crowning cup of cc(fe noir. Nothing is gained, in economy, health, or satis- faction, by diluting this infusion. One small cup of strong coffee is as much more healthful as it is more agreeable to the taste than a large cup of weak coffee. Neither this beverage, nor others in com- mon use, should be employed to dilute the food of a meal as it is taken into the mouth. When much liquid of any kind is drank M'ith food, its effect is to retard the process of digestion, by mixing with the gastric juices, and rendering them less effective. As coffee is a native of hot countries, it Avill be found more grateful and healthful as a summer than BEVERAGES. 271 as a winter drink. For the same reason, it is likely never to attain the same popularity in the northern as in the southern portions of the Union. In high regions, where cold Avinds abound, and in a climate cool and moist as that of England, tea will generally be preferred ; and in such places coffee is more in- jurious. A similar observation may be made of different temperaments. Wrth persons of black or dark hazel eyes and olive complexions, coffee is al- most invariably found to be a congenial and favorite beverage, while tea is the preference of blue-eyed and fair-complexioned people. The aid coffee af- fords the liver in the performance of its functions accounts for these differences in taste. Though the varieties and different brands of tef are more numerous than the kinds of coffee, the, chief distinction known among consumers, in this country, is that of green and black. This difference is produced mainly by the way in which it is harvested and prepared for market. The best class of green teas are those that are made by rolling up the young leaves into small and nearly spherical shape. On the other hand, the black teas are those which are picked after the leaves have at- tained lari^er fi^rowth. Hence in black teas there is more woody fibre than in green teas. There is, also, in the young leaves of which the green teas 272 THE PHiLOsoriir of house-keeping. are made, a larger proportion of the volatile oil, wliieh contains the greater part of the active element of tea. This is the reason why green tea is found stronger than black tea. It contains more of those elements or qualities which make all teas more or less injurious to the nervous system. That greatest of organic chemists, Liebig, has made a very thorough analysis of tea and coffee, lie finds the active element of each, which he calls theine in tea, and caffeine in coffee, identical, and he has discovered, also, a remarkable connection between taurin, a jieculiar compound in the bile, and the two substances above named. He says that "two and eight-tenths grains of caffeine (theine) can give to an ounce of bile the nitrogen it contains in the form of taurin. If an infusion of tea contain no more than the tenth of a grain of caffeine or theine, still, if it contribute in point of fact to the formation of bile, the action of even such a cjuantity cannot be looked upon as a nullity." The conclusion to which this distinguished authority has been led by his investigations is, that tea, as well as coffee, has two effects upon the human system, — one upon the nervous tissues, and the other upon the bile ; the latter effect bein2: to render these beverages to a considerable extent substitutes for exercise, and for that portion of food which would be consumed by BEVERAGES. 273 muscular activity. Tliis is the reason why these drinks are so popular with the sedentary, students, persons advanced in life, and with those who are too poor to buy food of the best quality, and in suffi- cient abundance. To the poor sewing-woman, in her garret, cut off from the Avholesomc exhilaration of country walks, and subsisting upon bread and potatoes, the cup of tea is at once a necessity and a luxury. The same is true of the aged, whose in- firmities condemn them to the easy-chair and the chimney-corner. Though tea and coffee are not, properly speaking, nutriments, they have in the system all the effects of nutritious substances, by checking the waste of tis- sue, and by aiding in the formation of bile. AVhen drank very strong, however, and in improper quanti- ties, these beverages are drafts upon the future, like the alcoholic drinks, consuming the vigor of to-mor- row in the duties of the passing hour. Chocolate, as prepared by the Mexicans and Spaniards, directly from the bean of the cocoa-tree, is the most nutritious of all the decoctions used as drinks. Its active principle, theobromine, is very similar to the essence of tea and of coffee, and its other constituents are very similar to those of milk. But the great objection to chocolate is, that hardly any of those in this country, who grind the beau and 274 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. sell the 2)aste, give a pure article. Sugar and rice flour are freely used, and often coloring agents that are highly deleterious. The proper Avay of prepar- ing this charming dish, which is at once food, drink, and stimulus, is by grating the chocolate-cake into boiling milk and "water, allowing the same amount of the grated powder for each cup as would make a good cup of cotfcc, — that is, a large spoonful. Take, say, a pint of hot water, and add a pint of milk. "When the mixture boils, put in the chocolate. It should boil twenty minutes, or half an hour. The aroma, as well as flavor and nutritive qualities, will depend almost wholly on the purity of the article bought for chocolate. If you have been so fortunate as to obtain a genuine paste of crushed cocoa-beans, the l)everage will be found entirely wholesome and highh' nutritious. If you are drink- ing a mixture of cocoa, rice flour, burnt sugar, annotto, and red lead, it Avill be found indigestible, if not poisonous. The shells of the cocoa-beans are often dried, and boiled like tea. The infusion is pleasant, and has the eftect of Aveak chocolate. It is a cheap and harmless drink. r.ECIPES. , To MaJce Sj)ring Beer. — Gather a quantity of BEVERAGES. 275 sweet fern, sarsaparilla roots, winter-green leaves, the roots and tender leaves of sassafras, and a little black-birch bark. Boil them for four hours in three or four gallons of water. At the same time boil in another vessel two ounces of hops in a gal- lon of water, adding three potatoes cut in slices. Each should be strained and mingled, allowing a quart of molasses to three gallons of beer. Cut up half a common-sized loaf of bread into thin slices ; brown them thoroughly, and put into the liquor. When the beer is nearly cool, put in a pint of good yeast, that has not been salted. The air should not be entirely excluded. The root of yellow dock is often added to make the beer a tonic. Ginger Beer, — Pound well one ounce of ginger- root, of which make a quart of strong tea. Add water to make four gallons. In this, dissolve four pounds of brown sugar, one ounce of cream tartar, add and thoroughly mix one pint of good 3'east. After standing twenty-four hours, strain careful!}-, and bottle tightly, tjdng down the corks. In forly- eight hours from the time of bottling, it is tit for use, and makes a delightful drink for hot weather. To Make Mead. — Beat to a strong froth the whites of three eggs. Add them to sixteen quarts of strained honey diluted with six gallons of water. Flavor with the thin or yellow part of the rind of 276 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. two dozen lemons. Boil and skim for three-quarters of an hour. Pour into a clean tub of oak or hem- lock (as pine imparts a disagreeable flavor), and when nearly cool, add a gill of good, fresh yeast. Cover and leave to ferment. When it has done working, transfer to a clean barrel. In six months it may be bottled. CLOTHING IN GENERAL. 277 CHAPTER XVI. CLOTHING IN GENERAL. As so large a portion of the housekeeper's time is occupied in the purchase or manuflicture of clothing for her family, in making it up, and keeping it in order, it becomes a matter of the greatest impor- ance to know how each of these processes shall be performed in the best manner. Before entering upon the practical details of this subject, it may be proper to present some of the facts and conclusions, elicited by modern observa- tion and science, as to the best materials for dress. That the amount or weight of the clothing should be regulated according to the temperature, and with the changing seasons, is so obvious that only a pass-, ing allusion to it is necessary. A question of the highest importance, as relates to health, is what shall be the immediate covering of the skin ? The first and principal rule on this subject is that the fabric or garment next the skin should be always of the same material. In all variations of climata and latitude the vital heat is about 98*, and it is but reasonable to suppose that the best characteris- 24 278 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. tic of all clothing is that it shall presei-ve in the best manner this uniform temperature. Nature here gives us a valuable hint. The cover- ing of the sheep is always wool, — not wool in winter and hair in summer. So also of other ani- mals who furnish clothing to man. The thickness of the coat of wool, hair, or feathers, varies with climate, but the material is unchanged. The fabrics in use among civilized nations for this purpose are of Ihien, cotton, silk, and wool. Let us examine these substances, and determine which of them, from its nature, is best adapted for the im- mediate covering of the skin. As to linen — the material generally regarded, at least amonsr ladies, as the most desirable — its chief characteristic is that it is too rapid and facile a con- ductor of heat, while it absorbs and retains the in- sensible perspiration and the humors of the body. Feeling cool, as it always does to the touch, it is grateful only in excessive heat, when the thermome- ter rises above OG'*. But even then it is an unsuit- able and unwholesome material, for the moment it becomes damp from perspiration, evaporation from its surface is very rapid, and it produces a chill wherever it touches the surface of the body. In addition to this objection, on account of its retaining^ perspirable matter, it becomes, when soiled, the CLOTHING IN GENERAL. 279 most intolerable of all fabrics used for clothing:. One can wear soiled flannel without discomfort twice as loni]; as soiled linen. For these reasons all modern writers upon health and physiology pro- nounce luien the most unsuitable of all substances in use for under-clothing. For the past thirty years, since cotton has become so abundant in this country and in England, its use for garments naxt the person has superseded, to a very great extent, that of linen. Its surface is much more furry than that of linen, making it a less rapid conductor of heat ; and it ab- sorbs less from the skin. Ilencc it mav be recrarded as on the middle ground between linen and flannel; better than the former and not so good as the latter. Being, however, a vegetable substance, it cannot compare with wool in its adaptation to all the de- mands of the skin. It retains perspired matter less readily than linen, but more so than wool, and fre- quent changes become more necessary. Animal wool has this for its first recommendation, that it is the general covering of such animals as most resemble men in their structure. A slow con- ductor of external heat to the body, its porous tex- ture allows the transmission of perspirable matter from the body more readily than any other fabric. 280 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE- KEEPING. Its peculiiir merit, in which it excels all other ma- terial, is that it keeps the vessels of the skin con- stantly open, stimulates them to free perspiration, and protects them from the chilling effects of exter- nal moisture. Thus, if violent exercise is taken in a flannel shirt, the perspiration which follows, instead of be- ing absorbed, as it would be by a linen garment, passes off through the pores of the woollen fabric, and the skin remains dvy and comfortable. Hence, it follows that flannel is l)y far the best material for the clothing of laborers, especially such as are ex- posed to frequent changes, and whose ac'ivity varies at different times in the day. Of all the industrial class, none probably require the use of flannel so universally as farmers. The diseases to which farmers are liable are to a great extent the result of a sudden check to copious pev- spiration, and the wide differences of temperature and situation in which their work is performed, and nothing would tend to counteract the mischief of these exposures so effectually as the wearing of flan- nel next the skin. All other persons who lead lives of exposure, as fishermen, mariners, soldiers, and travellers, should adopt flannel under-garments. Females, also, who by the retiracy and refinement CLOTHING IN GENERAL. 281 of their daily lives, cannot enjoy the vigorous health t'jat comes of free exercise and exposure, should, for that very reason, be completely encased in flan- nel garments. The objection made to this fabric, that it irritates the skin, is removed by the con- sideration that such irritation is healthful, and may be entirely allayed by friction of the skin ■when the woollen garments are removed upon retiring, as they invariably should be. A little persistence in this practice will inure the skin to its new covering, after which no inconvenience will be felt. As a clothing for children, flannel cannot be too highly recommended. It protects them, as nothing else can, from the thousand ills and maladies to which they arc constantly exposed from their thoui^htlessncss and i2:norauce. The most kindly and genial of the old French monarchs once expressed the wish " that every one of his subjects were rich enough to have a chicken for his Sunday dinner." Even more kindly, and in the direct line of their highest physical welfare Avould have been the wish, that every man, woman, and child in his kingdom might be encased in a complete suit of flannel. Contrary to the usage of most families, the best time for the purchase and making up of flannel is in the spring. By repeated Avashings a fabric that is 24* 282 THE nrrLOSOPiir of iiouse-keepixg. thin, and thus suited to summer "wear, iDecomes fulled and warmer for Avinter use. In making up flannels for children thai are over two years old, it is an excellent plan to cut the garment whole, reach- ing from the neck to the ankles. This fashion re- lieves the Avaist of mischievous compression or weight, and ffives the utmost freedom of movement to all the limbs. It possesses also the d()ul)le ad- vantajjo of economizing both time and material. Ample allowance should always be made for shrink- age in all flamiel goods. If three 3'ards of domestic would bo sufficient f:ir a garment of any description three and a half or four of flannel should be allDwed. All garments next the person should be as loose as possible, and, in particular, compression at the waist and neck should be provided against. THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 28?^ CHAPTER XVII. THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. With the present facilities for sewing, it is prac- ticable for every house-keeper to cut out and make up all the articles worn by the different mem- bers of her family, with the exception, perhaps, of dress-coats and overcoats. The saving which she may thus make will more than pay the wages of a domestic, who Avill perform all the drudgery of a household, such as washing, cleaning, ironing, sweeping, etc. In this way, a housewife, who undertakes the manufacture of the family clothing, may not only command the time and strength necessary for this enterprise, but may secure for herself more leisure than she otherwise could have for the improvement of her own mind, the culture of her children, and the society of her friends. Let us, for illustration of this subject, take a look at figures. Suppose 3'our family consists of five persons, of whom two are adult males. To keep up their external wardrobe, at least three pairs of pantaloons and three vests each will be required in the course of every year, besides loose summer 234: THE PHILOSOPHY of house-keepenq. coats, and under clothing. Xow, the average diller- cnce in the cost of a pair of woollen pantaloons, pur- chased of a tailor or at a ready-made clothing store, as compared with the same garment made up at home, the buttons, lining, etc., being supplied from material on hand, and costing nothing, will be from four to six dollars. Three yards of cassimere or doeskin, Avhich, if of single width, can be bought at about two dollars a yard, is a full pattern for a man six feet high. His pantaloons, then, may cost him six dollars, and he will thus have a belter and more durable article than he coidd buy at a clothing store for ten. On every vest she makes, she saves two dollars ; on every shirt, at least a dollar, and on other articles of a man's wardrobe in the same proportion. Thus, fifty dollars per annum judiciously expended for material, made up by the housewife herself, will furnish a man a better wardrobe than a tailor would supply to him for one hundred dollars. On the supposition made, that there are two adult males in the famil}', a saving of lift}'- dollars on the dress of each, amounts to a hundred dollars. A girl, capable of performing all the household drudger}', can be hired at, say, five dollars per month or sixty dollars a year. Forty dollars will cover the cost of the food she consumes. Thus, by taking THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 285 full charge of the wardrobe of the males in the fam- * ilj, the housewife can save the cost of a servant. To this must be added the amount saved in the making of articles for other members of the family, beside the satisfaction of feeling that her family wardrobe is, by her skill and industry, kept in good condition. The first enterprise for a lady who proposes to manufacture at home those articles of dress com- monly made by tailors, is to provide herself with good patterns. These may be obtained by cutting a paper pattern from some garment that fits well, and is of fashion- able shape, or the gentleman may procure patterns cut by a tailor. In cutting out a pair of pants, first smooth out your patterns with a warm flat-iron, and spread your cloth on a table that gives you ample room. Pin the patterns down smoothly on the cloth, which should be folded double, so that both legs may be cut out at the same time. Take care that your pat- terns are laid the right way of the cloth, so the nap will run down the leg. Your patterns should be arranged so as to cut the cloth at the greatest advan- tage, and leave the remnants in pieces as large as possible, out of which you will easily find sufficient for the facings and waistband. Even thin, woollen 286 THE nilLOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. pants are better if lined from the waistband six or eight inches down. The first step in malting up pants is to sew the facings on for the pockets. Tlien press these down and insert the pockets. Now make the upper front part, or what is called the "dress." Next, baste to- gether the legs, sew the long seams, and press them. Stitch the legs together on the back scam, baste on the waistbands, and sew them ; add the triangle at the l:)ack, and the strap and buckle. Sew on the buttons, and the garment is now completed, except around the foot. This is the most difHcult part, and you will best learn how it is finished by examining carefully a ueatl}^ fitting pair, made by a good tailor, taking pains to have the buckram fit nicely, and stitching it on so the work will not show through. Very much depends on the pressing of pants. Your iron should be heavy and quite hot, and should be allowed to stand upon the seams, Avhich are to be dampened with a sponge, before the iron is applied, until they are perfectly smooth and fiat. However difiicult the feat may appear to a novice, she will find, after one or two successes, that the difficulties are easih' overcome. Two days of mod- erate application, aided by a good machine, will suffice for the cutting out and making a pair of pantaloons, and the economical wife may solace her THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 287 industiy with the thought that she, may be savmg her husband four dollars by the task. In cutting a vest, pin your patterns smoothly upon the cloth folded double, as in cutting pants, taking care to have the nap run the right way. After the fronts are out, cut from the pieces the collar, facings, and pocket-welts. Then cut your back, linings, and pockets.. Before removing the patterns from the fronts, mark carefully with chalk or a thread the places of the pockets and of the buttons and button-holes, remembering that the button-holes of a vest, when on the person, come on the left side, and the buttons on the right. Yery much of the ease and success in making a vest depends upon the order in which the various parts are put together. This is much more impor- tant than in making pantaloons. First, stitch up and press the little gore beneath the pocket. Cut the places for pockets, sew on the welts, and insert the pockets, and press. Next, upon the right side, baste a strip of strong brown linen , under the places for the buttons, and sew them on strongly. Then sew on the lining of the collar to the outside front of the vest. Stitch on the facings down the front and bottom, and press them. Now sew the outside of the collar to the lining of the vest, and baste upon it whatever padding or buckram you wish to 288 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. insert. Next fit the lining and the outside neatly together, and sew all around with the facing-stitch. The right, or button side, is now done. Proceed in the same way with the other side, except the button-holes, which are wrought last. What remains is to prepare the l)ack, make and baste on the buclvle-straps, sew the l)ack and fronts together at the shoulder and under the arms, sew the collar (the lining and outside separately) to- gether at the back of the neck, and face the collar down upon the back lining. If any lady of common skill with her needle will follow these directions, at the same time examining a well-made vest, she will find that what seemed a task quite beyond her powers, has become simple, successful, and satisfactory. As to children's clothing, patterns are easily pro- cured through the courtesy of a friend or by copy from a well-fitting garment of suitable size. The garment may be ripped up and carefully pressed before cuttSig a pattern from it. Boys' pants are made in the same general order as men's ; and the rules for jackets are the same as those given for vests, with such modifications as are readily suggested to a person of good sense. After a housewife has made a vest and pants for a man, the difficulties of boys' clothing will disap- THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 289 pear. It is always best to line, their clothing throughout ; and in selecting the material, gray, brown, and the neutral colors in general, will prove most suitable. In making shirts, the order of putting together the different parts conduces materially to the ease >vith which the work is accomplished. In making the sleeve, for instance, the first thing to be done is to hem the opening by the wrist, gather the sleeve and sew on the wristband, after which the seam of the arm may be sewed up. In making the body of a shirt, the facings of the sleeves should be put on first ; then put in the bosom ; then attach the front and back breadths by the seams down the sides, hem the flaps, and insert the flap-gussets. Next, put on the yoke, which is always lined or double ; sew in the sleeves. Now you approach the most hazardous and difficult part of your task, the collar and its attachment to the binding. Here, all the ingenuity of genius, all the resources of experience, and the combined skill of the sex have again and again signally failed. In treating upon this fastidious subject, it should be borne in mind that the circumference of the mascu- line neck varies at difterent points, and at diflerent times, and the style of cravat and vest collar has much to do with the fittinsf of a shirt. 25 290 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. If a militaiy vest is Avorn, fitting closely under the chin, the binding and collar must be wider than with a vest of the ordinary pattern. If the cravat commonly worn is narrow the binding must be uar^ row ; if the style of vest is low in the neck the bosom and binding of the shirt must vary to corre- spond. Patience and a judicious use of the scissors will in the end achieve success and satisfaction below the most obstinate and refractory chin that ever wore beard. Probably the housewife will not find her skill and patience called into greater requisition in making any article of apparel so much as in the manufac- ture of a gentleman's coat. If she is a novice in these matters, usually given over to a professional tailor, let her essay her skill first in producing a sack coat. The patterns of this she may ol)tain either of a tailor or by rij)ping up a well-fitting dress or frock coat, and from it cut patterns herself. It is important that about the neck and shoulders the coat fit well, but the fulness and length of the body are matters of taste and fashion. If she is making a coat for a tall man, let the skirts be ample and of sufiicient length, whatcA^er the dictum of fashion may be. The most becoming coat to any man should be aimed at, no matter what the Parisian tailors may say about it. Cut out the body of the THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 291 coat first, then the sleeves, and from the pieces the collar and facings may be made. Cut out the lin- ings in like manner. Now, with the old coat before you, proceed in the following order : First sew up the little openings at the top of the coat around the neck, press them, and sew the buckram or stif- fening on to the lappels and press them. Then sew up the seams on the shoulder, the back, and under the arm, and press. . Then fit in nicely the stifien- ing in the front of the coat, and sew the buttons on to the right side. Under each button there should be sewed to the stifiening a strong piece o' brown holland, to keep the button from tearing out. Mark the button-holes corresponding to the buttons, but they need not be worked till nearly the last thing is done. Then prepare the lining, padding, and quilting, as in the coat you use for a model, and fit the lining to the outside, basting it carefully to every edge, and sew it neatly on the shoulder. Then make the sleeves and insert them, taking care to have the fulness come on the shoulder or under the arm, and press smoothly on the edge of your pressboard. Face the lininsf of the sleeve on to the lining of the coat. Now prepare the collar ; sew the inside of the collar, with the buckram sewed on to it, just as it is on the lappels, to the outside of the coat, and 292 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPESTG. the outside of the collar to the lining of the coat ; baste the seams together around the neck, on the inside, so that the lining and outside will be firmly fastened together ; then turn the collar over as it is intended to be worn, and baste it around the edge ; then take the binding, after it has been well scalded, to prevent shrinking, and, beginning at the opening in the skirt at the back seam, baste it all around the coat, ending where you began ; sew it down, and press ; work the button-holes, and your coat is done. If the coat contains outside pockets, these must be inserted immediately after the lappels are finished. When one has once made a sack coat, it will be comparatively easy to accomplish the manufacture of frock or dress coats, especially if a model is at hand to examine at every step in the process. It will frequently happen that the lining of an old coat will be good enough, when washed and pressed, to put into an every-day business coat. In purchasing cloth for linings, it may be well to remember this, as thereby many stitches may often be saved, as well as many dollars. In this way a very respect- able every-day coat may be gotten up, with no ex- penditure but for the outside cloth, the binding, and buttons, which five or six dollars will cover, and be every way as good-looking and last as long as a THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 293 coat from the furnishin2;-store or the tailor's costinj; twelve or fifteen. It cannot be expected that a person unskilled in the art of tailoring should undertake the making of heavy beaver-cloth overcoats, as these require a heavier " goose " to i3ress them properly than a wo- man's arm can easily wield ; but the housewife who has made a sack coat need not fear to undertake the manufacture of a sack overcoat. Let the same pat- terns be used as for the coat, enlarging each pattern a half inch or more. The lining can be wadded and quilted, and all the parts put together as in the sack coat. It may be well to remark in regard to the collar, which is quite the most difficult part of the whole to do in a workmanlike manner, that when it is sewed on to the coat the middle of the collar must correspond to the back seam of the coat, and each end be pinned to the point at the angle of the lappel and collar, and the fulness of the coat, if there is any, be evenly distributed along the collar. "When the seam is pressed, both sides will seem of the same fulness, and there will be no puckering of the cloth. In every stage of tlie work, particular attention must be given to the pressing ; for in this respect, more than any other, clothing made at the tailor's is superior to that of home manufacture. If the housewife has a sewing-machine, and is 25* 294 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. willing to undertake the making of all the clothing of her family, she would find it economy to hire a capable domestic to do the housework ; to procure a "goose," and get her husband to assist her in the heavy pressing. In this way she could easily save enouirh in one week to cover the cost of the raw materials, of the food of the house-girl, and her monthly wages. Where the occupation of a gentleman is seden- tary, or confines him much of the time wnthin doors, a dressing-gown will be found equally promotive of comfort and economy. Let it be made after the style of the sack coat, varying from that according to taste, and, in summer, of thin material, calico or de-laine. The lining and outside should be cut exactly alike, the front facings sewed on to the lin- ing, the two fitted and basted together, and bound all around with binding either corresponding with the color of the gown or forming a pleasant contrast W'ith it. For a winter dressing-gown, it is better to make the lining of heavy red flannel than to have a thinner lining, with cotton padding tacked to it, as the garment can be more readily washed, and re- tains its shape better, and a good lining will wear out two or three outsides. The wife may sometimes find, in her winter ward- robe, a worn de-laine, or merino, or alpaca dress, THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 295 from the skirt of which she may make for her hus- band a very serviceable gown, which, trimmed with some pleasing color, may be made even handsome, at a trivial expense. In ripping np old coats, or garments of any de- scription, save all the linings and other pieces. They will be found useful for boys' caps, for slip- pers, for patches, for carpet-rags, and rugs. Have them rolled up in bundles, and put away where they can be easily found when you have occasion to use them ; and in a family everything comes in use at least every seven years. "Women's clothing is far more easily made than men's ; yet to how many is it a vast midertaking to make even a calico or de-laine dress, simply because they do not know how to cut it out and put it together. For such, and for those especially who by the mu- tations of fortune are reduced — we might more properly say exalted — to the necessity of making their own clothing, the following suggestions and directions are given : For a lady of ordinary height, ten yards of calico are required to make a dress, and of merino seven or eight of double width will be sufficient ; while of silk, especially if it be narrow, from twelve to fif- teen yards are none too much. But whatever the material be, let the quality be good ; for it is never 29G THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. economy to piirchfiso nn}tlnng of un inferior kind, no nKitter licnv cheap it may be. A good, strong though coarse gingham will be far more serviceable for a working dress than a cheap thongli showy cal- ico. And one handsomely printed calico, in fast colors, tastefnlly made and neatly fitting, is of far more real value to the wearer than three of a low grade carelessly made and ill-shaped. For the mother of a family, whose duties frequently call her into the kitchen, and who is surrounded by chil- dren, there is no dress so suitable as a calico, for none other is so easily cleansed of spots and odors necessarily contracted in the ordinary routine of her family life. Every time it is thoroughly washed, starched, and ironed, it is a new dress, fresh and sweet. Let it bo of a cheerful tone, ample and be- coming ; and when its term of service as a dress is ended, it may be permitted, for long years, as a quilt, to recall to the chiklrcn whose little fingers often clutched it in infancy and childhood, sweet reminiscences of the nurserj', — of the loving and tender care of the mother, and the innocent enjoy- ments of the early days of life's spring-time. It is well for a mother to consider, when purchasing for herself, whether, after she has done with the gar- ment, it can be wrought over for her family ; and, if she is in moderate circumstances, it will be economy I THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 297 to buy goods that will answer to make over for her little gh-ls. Children should always wear small figures, or goods of a solid color, trimmed with braid, or some other material of a contrasting hue. A neutral tint may be brightened by a crimson or scarlet trimming, while for bright, decided colors, white or black trimming is most suitable. In buying an expensive dress, as a thibet or silk, which with care may be made to last handsomely for many years, it is always best to purchase three or four yards more than is required for the first making up. Lay it and all the pieces left, care- fully folded, away in a safe place, where they may be free from soil of any kind ; and when, either by accident or change of fashion, the dress requires re- newal, the means Avill be at hand. If a lady can have but one silk dress in a series of years, she will find a black silk will be of more use to her than any other color. Black is becoming to every complexion, and a black silk may be worn at a wedding, a party, a funeral, or to church. It is nowhere out of taste except in the kitchen. It may be made gay with bright trimmings, or severe with those of the same color. It can be worn with hat and wrappings of every hue, and is never out of fashion. If the silk is figured, let the figure be small, the same on l)oth sides, with no up or down 298 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. to it ; so that Avlicii Avorn at the bottom it can bo turned upsideclown, and when soiled outside, it can be turned inside out. Be careful, too, that the figure is well -woven in, and no long threads left on the surface. These Avill catch in everj^thing, and be soon worn off or frayed out so that no care or skill can restore a new appearance to the dress. If the silk be plain, let it be of excellent quality, not stiff and inflexible, but soft and pliable, and, when pulled in bias folds, easily returned to its former shape. Suppose, now, that, all preliminaries ended, the dress is purchased, the next thing is how it shall be made up. Let the skirt first be measured, either by holding the fabric to the bottom of the back waist, and determining its length, or by measuring a dress that just suits in this respect. Be sure and allow enough for the waist and sleeves. In tearin"^ off the breadths for the skirt, have regard to the stripe or figure, to make each match its mate if de- sirable. Allow enough in the Icn£i:th of the skirt to permit two or three inches to be turned in at the top, so if it wears out at the bottom you can let it down ; and if you are making a calico, allowance should be made for the hem. If the skirt is to be faced, let the facing be cut out and laid with the breadths. These you can run together any time, as THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 299 any one can make a skirt. It may be "well, how- ever, to add, here, that in running or basting on the facing, it must be held next to you, so that if there is any excess of fulness it shall be in the focing, rather than in the skirt. A facing may be fulled on to a skirt, and not injure its appearance, but the reverse is impossible. Be careful, too, that all the breadths run the same way as to figure, and sew them up, beginning at the bottom, so that any un- evenness in length may be at the top. After the facing is put on, or the hem made, braid should be sewed all around the bottom of the skirt. If the braid is scalded and dried before being put on, shrinking will be prevented. For making the waist and sleeves you must have patterns. Few have an eye so good as to be able to cut this part of a dress without a guide. If you cannot procure patterns from a dress-maker, take a neatly-fitting clress, and, after pinning newspaper very carefully to all the seams in the front, first, and then to those in the back, cut out a pattern yourself, making due allow- ance for all the seams. Smooth out your patterns, and pin them nicely to the lining for the dress. Be careful not to cut out the neck or the arm-size too much, and to make the waist considerably longer than the pattern. It is easy to trim off, but difficult to piece on. If you are doubtful about your pat- 300 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. terns fitting well, l)astc up the lining, and try it on. You can thus easily make any changes that arc re- quired. When you have everything to suit you in the lining, unless your patterns are exactly right, it will be best to throw them aside and cut out new, so as to have them all ready next thne. The task of making a dress Avill seem very sensibly dimin- ished, when you know that at any time you can cut one out and be sure of a good fit. "When your lin- ing is all right, sew on first the hooks and eyes. This will make it much easier to tr}^ on. Then baste the lining on to the outside, taking care to match the stripe or figure, and have it run the samo way in front and back. If there is a fold or stripe in the goods, let it run down the middle of the back ; then baste up the darts in front, the seams on the shoulder and under the arm, and try it on. If any changes are required, you can noAV make them be- fore stitching up the seams ; then baste on the belt and the band round the neck, and sew them on ; Make the cord for the sleeves, and baste it around the arm-size ; cut out your sleeves, make them, baste, and stitch in. The waist is now ready for the skirt to be sewed on. When this is ready, try on the body, and measure the length from the front, side, and back of the waist, making the skirt longer or shorter, according to your taste or the fashion. THE FITTING AXD IVIAKING OF CLOTHING. 301 Turn down the skirt thus measured ; lay in plaits, if it is a -woollen dress, or, if calico, gather it ; sew it firmly to the body ; insert a pocket, sew on a loop to hang it up by, and it is done. Be careful to keep the skirt, -waist, and sleeves nicely folded while yet unmade, unless you are sewing on them. "Wrinkles and folds in the wrong place make a ncAv dress seem shabby. After making one garment, the second Avill be quite easy, and the third give very little trouble. • For working-aprons, tAvo breadths arc always bet- ter than one. Tear one breadth in two, and sew the halves on to each side of the other breadth, so as not to have any seam down the middle. Sew on a binding, and have a bib sewed on the apron. This is a piece three or four fingers -wide, and one and a half long. Let it be ample, so as to cover the front of the waist. As a rule, the housewife should al- ways wear an apron, except when at church, visit- ing, or in the street. Very pretty dress-aprons may be made of white muslin, and trimmed round the edjre with a fold of another color, or of French cal- ico, bordered with a graceful stripe. It is unnecessary to give directions with regard to female under-clothing ; but it may be well to suggest that for little girls the chemise may be superseded by a neatly fitting -svaist, upon wdiich the drawers 26 302 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. may be buttoned. A single breadth of sheeting ■will make the waist. Let it be torn off so as to come several inches below the belt. Cut out the arm-size, gather the top, and make the band fit round the shoulders just right, gather and sew on the belt, hem the part below the belt, make and sew in some short sleeves, put on the buttons and trim- ming, and it is done. For very little girls, espe- cially in summer, this little Avaist will be found quite convenient, and may be worn until they are twelve years old. Their skirts, too, may be buttoned to it in summer, thus diminishing the amount of cloth- ing around the waist, and, as they outgrow it, the length may be increased by moving the belt an inch or two lower. The preparation of the clothing of the family has, from the beginning of time, been deemed woman's ap- propriate duty. Formerly, and within the recollection of our mothers, the manufacture of cloth was carried on in every farm-house by its female inmates ; and noAv that machinery has relieved the housewife of this heavy and tedious task, and most effectively aids her, too, in the making up of garments for her household, she can find little to excuse her from so pleasant a task. Let the same ingenuity and devo- tion be displayed in this most important department as we see constantly manifested in those purely orna- THE FITTING AND MAKING OF CLOTHING. 303 mental, and how few families would need the assist- ance of the tailor or dress-maker ! How many young ladies, who waste their time over novels and small embroideries, would, by aiding their mothers in the dress-making and tailoring of the family, fit them- selves to become excellent wives, and, l)y their in- genuity and skill, make the fifteen hundred or two thousand a year whicli may constitute a young man's income, easily and pleasantly cover the ex- penses of two instead of one ! By the knowledge of the accomj^lishments treated in this chapter, " soli- tary ones may be set in families," and many a bache- lor, who cannot afford to marry, find that he cannot afford to remain single, — that economy dictates to him to secure a capable, industrious, and accom- plished partner for life. Any wife who can make herself mistress of the needle and the scissors, to the extent above de- scribed, may bring her husband's expenses for wardrobe within fifty dollars a year, even at pres- ent prices, and yet keep him, if he takes reasonably good care of his clothes, well protected from the changing skies, and presentable in appearance. And it is not likely that a young lady thus capable "will be permitted to remain long without being in- vested with the highest honors and the truest digni- ties of her sex. 304 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. CHAPTER ZVIII. ECONOMIES OF DRESS. One of the effects of the war which has just closed has been to bring onr American society into much closer resemblance to the European civiliza- tion. It has exaggerated the differences between the upper and the lower classes, making the rich richer, and the poor poorer. By this means, the large middle class, Avhose fortune in life was a realization of Agur's prayer, when he asked that he might have neither poverty nor riches, has been greatly diminished. A fraction of it has been raised above the modest independence, which they formerly enjoyed, to the possession of wealth and the indul- gence in luxury ; while by far the larger portion, with incomes but little increased, and prices often more than doubled, have a far harder struggle to make the ends meet than the}' had ten years ago. At the same time, the city, Avith its extravagance and fashion, its factitious splendors and its social ambitions, has intruded upon the quiet country, and is imposing its arbitrary distinctions upon our rural population. For these reasons, which are substantial and per- ECONOMIES OF DRESS. 305 manent, likely to increase rather than diminish, there is a growing necessity for the study of the art of deriving from a limited income the largest amount of comfort, both actual and apparent. The two fundamental principles which should regulate economy of dress, are, — I. To take care that the purchases of fliraily cloth- ing are of the most appropriate and durable mate- rials, and that they be preserved in tlie best con- dition, and for the longest time. II. To employ skill and judgment in extracting from the material on hand, both old and new, the fullest and most varied service they can be made to render. In the purchase of cloths, the error which besets a person who feels committed to economy is that she cannot afford first-class articles of any sort, but must content herself with a second quality. The result is, that clothing thus purchased, even when new, cannot give the wearer the look of being well dressed; and, as soon as the new appearance has worn away, the dress becomes shabby, and must soon be replaced with new, unless all thought of keeping a presentable appearance is relinquished. A little more money invested in the purchase of a first-class article, at the outset, would have been saved several times over, by making a person look 26* 306 THE nilLOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPIXG. well dressed as long as it lasted, and by its lasting three or four times longer than an inferior article. A rich man or woman can afford to l^c mistaken in the quality of a piece of clotli. Not so witli the poor. He must get the worth of his money, or remain ever poor. There is no economy and gen- erally no success for him but in buying goods that are at once handsome and lasting. He may think he cannot afibrd to buy a good article ; the truth is, lie cannot afford to buy a jjoor one. "When sound judgment has been used in the pur- chase of cloths, and articles of an excellent quality are ready for nse, the attention should then be directed to their preservation in the best condition for the lon2:est time. The secret of making: a cloak, a shawl, or a coat retain its new appearance is by keeping all folds and wrinkles out of it except such as must inevitably be produced by careful wearing. Very much depends upon the practice of the careful folding or hanging up of such articles of dress the moment they are removed from the person. How very common it is, upon entering a warm room, to throw off one's wrappings upon a piano, a bed, or across a chair, instead of folding them at once, and lajdng them away in a closet, a drawer, or a trunk ! No matter how excellent the materials, or how thor- ough the making up of a garznent, it treated thus, ECONOMIES OF DRESS. 307 it soon has a tumbled and wrinkled appearance, which no subsequent care can remove. This is par- ticularly true of silks, and woollen goods of all kinds, in which it is desirable to retain as lon the logwood in an iron vessel, the vitriol in brass. economip:s of dress. 317 Bring both to a boiling heat ; dip the cloth into the vitri(51-water first, then into the logwood-water, then alternately from one into the other till it has been dipped in each three times. Then dry, and Avash in strons; suds and rinse in soft cold water and press when damp. This coloring is proper for lace, silk, worsted, and cotton, and does not fade. Deejp Blue. — To a common indigo dye add a tablespoonful of madder to one ounce of indigo. Silh a rich Brown. — Boil chipped logwood in pure w^ater one hour. Put in the silk and stir fre- quently for half an hour. Dry, wash in strong soap-suds and iron when damp. To Color ivith Tea. — Boil a tablespoonful of tea in two quarts of water. Dissolve a bit of copi^eras as large as a walnut in a quart of water. Dip the articles into the copperas-water first, and then into the tea and let them remain, lifting them up and down frequently until the color is as deep as you wish it to be. Hang out to dry, and iron w^hile damp. It produces a pale slate color and is suit- able for cither cotton or woollen. 27* ■318 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. CHAPTER XIX. INFANCY. Theke is many a draught of sweetness in the mingled chalice of life ; some hours of perfect happi- ness given to woman to cheer and strengthen her along the dusty thoroughfare of existence ; many a beam "ot purest ray serene," to illumine the dark- ness which at times shrouds every human path^vay ; but she who has passed through life without know- in2r the unutterable blessedness of maternal love has missed the most delicious draught ever pressed to the lips of woman. The deep, unconscious delights of a joyous childhood may have been hers ; she may rejoice in the rich endowments of rare woman- hood, fortunate alike in the bloom of its May-time and in its autumnal fulness ; the sweet charities of daughter, sister, Avife, may make her life a happy one ; but if the crowning grace and joy of mother- hood is not given to her she goes to her grave Avith- out having won the tirst honors on the arena of the world, Avithout a taste of life's richest and reddest wine. For the happiness of every woman Avho may con- sult these pages, the author may here be allowed to INFANCY. 319 express the wish that she may turn to this chapter with a motive deeper and more earnest than mere curiosity. "When she feels that the comfort and well-beinsr of the sweet little creature entrusted to her care is entirely dependent upon her own skill and knowledge of its requirements ; when she real- izes that an error of judgment or the lack of the knowledge required in a special emergency may en- tail a life-long sorrow upon her own heart, and make existence but a heritage of pain to her offspring ; with what deep and studious solicitude will she re- sort to every source from which the all-important instruction may be obtained ! Suppose, for instance, the young mother falls into that very natural and frequent error of supposing tliat the first sign of discomfort that a babe exhib- its, the first wail that conies from the darkened chamber, is an indication of hunger, and crams the little stomach with food not supplied by nature. Does she in this commit the simple error of over- feeding a child? Far graver. Nature, Aviser than any art, has in most cases provided a slender but sufficient supply for the very small demands of in- fantile life at this early stage. Within the first three days, when the tiny stranger requires scarce anything but sleep and quiet, she may lay the foundation for an infancy tormented by 320 THE PHILOSOPHY or HOUSE-KEEPING. colic, and a mature life cursed "with dyspepsia. Every physician who has been much in families will testify that Avhcre one has, during these first days of life, suffered for lack of nourishment, ten have been injured by over-feeding. So deep and constant is the anxiety that springs up in the mother's breast, and ever keeps pace with her love, that it is very uncommon for infants to suffer on account of nec^lect. The danger is not from doing too little, but from doing too much. There is many a grave, no more than a span in length, decked Avith white roses and pansies, and marked by a tiny slab, where if the true epitaph were recorded we should read the words, — "lAiIIeli initl) lunlincss." Many a child is rendered peevish and sickly by the natural effect of perpetual anxiety and worry on the part of the mother. Let the mother remember that the law of the child's being is growth, and that the infant itself will, by the tone of its wail, if she can but under- stand it, and maternal love makes her ear very quick, indicate its real wants. The cry as often proceeds from a bandage too tight, from slight over- feeding, from the prick of some malicious pin, from remaining too long in one position, or some other slight discomfort, as from hunger, and no treatment can be more ill-judged or more injurious than to INFANCY. 321 cram food into a stomach, already perhaps over- loaded, in the hope of quieting the child. The mere act of crying is not injurious to an infant, un- less it is excessive and prolonged, and if the mother notices every note of discomfort, the child will soon learn to exact mere attention and tending than are really beneficial to it. When all its wants are sup- plied, unless it exhibit signs of illness, let not the mother be worried if the baby still frets. It is as important for the well-being of the child that the mother preserve an equable and cheerful frame of mind, as it is that its clothing should be properly attended to, or its hunger satisfied. The crying of a young infant is frequently caused by improper food eaten by the mother ; by her drinking exces- sively of cold water ; by her exposure to opposite degrees of temperature ; by anxiety, anger, fear, or over-work. The same principle that applies to all lactiferous animals, applies equally well to the mother, whose breast furnishes a babe its natural and most perfect aliment. Where cows are kept for dairy purposes only, great care is taken by the skilful dairyman that they be provided with an abundance of rich, juicy food, plenty of water, and, in particu- lar, that they suffer no hardships, annoyance, or un- kind treatment, as this will inevitably diminish the quantity and deteriorate the quality of their milk. 322 TIIK rilTLOSOTMIV OF IIOUSK-KEKPIXG. For llic same reasons must llio mother care for her physical well-1:)eing, since any departure from the laws of health ■will immediately show itself in the effect of her milk upon the child. The following table ^hows the composition of cow's milk and woman's milk, according to Ilad- lein's analysis : — Cow's Milk. Woman's Milk. Butter, 3.0 2.35 Sugar of milk and salts soluble in alcohol, 4.6 3.75 Caseine and insoluble salts, 5.1 2.90 Water, 87.3 90.50 The following arc analyses l)y Henry and Cheva- lier : — Cow's Milk. AVoman's Milk. Butter, 3.13 3.55 Milk Sugar, 4.47 G.50 Caseine, 4.48 1.52 Salts, CO .45 Water, 87.02 87.98 By examining these tables, it will be seen that cow's milk contains far more caseine or curd than woman's milk, somewhat more butter, and consider- ably less sugar. If, therefore, the mother must call in the assistance of the cow in nourishing her young, she nnist cause such alterations in the milk as to make it most resemble woman's milk. This is done by adding to coav's milk Avater and sugar, thus decreasing the proportion of curd in a given INTANCY. 323 quantity of the diluted milk, and increasing that of sugar. For a very young child, let four tablespoon- fuls of water be added to one of milk, and if cream is used instead of milk, as is practised by man}^ judicious mothers, add proportionately more water, according to the richness of the cream, remembering that it is better to add too much water than too little. If the mother always prepares her babe's food her- self, and is careful to observe how it is digested, she will soon learn just what agrees best with the tender stomach of her infant and how to adapt food to its requirements. If milk cannot be obtained, as occurs at some seasons of the year in the -country, water in which cracker or good -wheat bread has been soaked with sugar added to it is very nutritive and digestible. Hear Dr. Pereira on this point : " As milk is the only food furnished by nature for the growth of the young child, it is found to con- tain all the elements necessary for the nutrition and irrowth of the body. Out of the curd of the milk are formed the albumen and fibrine of the blood, and the muscles and sinews. The butter serves for the formation of fat, and contributes wilh the sugar to support the animal heat, by yielding carbon and hydrogen- to be burnt in the lungs. The earthy salts are necessary for the development of the osse ous system ; the iron is required for the blood cor- 324 THE PIIILOSOriLY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. puscles and the hair ; while the alkaline chloride furnishes the hydrochloric acid of the gastric juice." Arrow-root, tapioca, sago, potato starch, sugar, butter, and other fatty bodies go to produce heat in the lungs, and fat ; but they do not contain the ele- ments of Iwnc, muscle, ligament, and cellular tissue "which are found in the curd of milk, and are conse- quently less suited to the wants of the infant stomach than food made from the cereal grains, as wheat, barley, and oats. As the child grows older it may have its milk thickened with a little wheat flour, and as its teeth increase in number its food should be gradually changed from fluid to solid. Broth and soup, des- titute of oil, may be given it, thickened with rice or bread. Potato is always a safe and healthy food for quite young children ; but it should bo mealy, and thoroughly mashed and moistened Avith a little cream or milk. As the habits of activity increase, the food should be more and more nitrogenous or muscle-making. Of this class of foods the lean and red parts of beef and mutton, the dark flesh of fowls, and eggs, are best. The subject of children's food is treated in chapter thirteen of this volume. The dress of an infant should be simple and per- fectly comforta1)le, preserving uniformity of temper- INFANCY. 325 aturc over the -whole body us far as possible. Let a bandage of soft flannel be snugly pinned about the abdomen, reaching to the hips. It should be tight enough to prevent rupture of those parts from crying, and yet not obstruct the circulation, or cause the infant any discomfort. Over this put a shirt of knit lamb's wool (directions for knitting one will be found at the end of this chapter) , or of soft flannel. Then come the foot-blanket and the long flannel skirt ; over all a slip of white muslin. For very young babies, dresses with belts are in- convenient and unsuitable. Let the slip be made with a band about the neck, and flow loosely down. It is the fashion for babies to wear low-necked dresses and short sleeves ; but opposed to this, as well as to many other absurd and wicked fashions, which destroy the health and lives of women and children, the almost unanimous opinion of the med- ical profession is, that babies should have their necks and arms protected with flannel. Passing at once from a climate of tropical warmth, where the thermometer never ranges below 98°, how can the little creatures resist the cold of a Labrador? It is very difficult to keep one's room always at the same degree of heat, or to avoid draughts and sud- den changes of temperature ; therefore let the tender human bud be so protected that its lifo and health 28 326 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. may not be at the mercy of ohancc or a careless nurse. Sacks may be made of rose or sabiion col- ored merino, or knit of zephyr or lamb's wool, that will be at once tasteful and warm. It will be far better for both mother and child to be Avarmly clad, and let the temperature of the room be moderate rather than the reverse. An atmosphere above 70° is less conducive to vigorous health than one at or below that point. The utmost care must be taken that at all times the clothinir of an infant be kept scrupulously clean. All wet and soiled clothes shoukl be removed, and the whole body be bathed thoroughly in tepid water at least once in every twenty-four hours. If the whole head and f;ice be first wet, the baby will not complain so much of cold or chilliness. Fine, pleasant soap should be used, and, if at any point the tender skin is reddened or chafed, a little corn starch or rice flour will remove the difficulty. After the bath, let the surfoce be thoroughly dried, and then with the hand rub the body and limbs until Ihey are warm and rosy. This will promote the circulation and give strength and vigor to the child. Then, when it is dressed, let it have a full supply of food and be kiid in the cradle for a long morning nap, during which the mother may have quite an interval to devote to domestic affairs. If the INFANCY. 327 ■weather permits, let the morning walk precede the iiap, and be as regularly taken as the skies will allow. Many mothers have' an idea that babies must on no account be permitted to breathe the open air, and so the little innocents are kept shut up in close rooms, with double windows and an air-tight stove or hot-air furnace, and, as an English writer vigor- ously expresses himself, they fear the sweet breath of heaven " as though it was laden with the poppies of eternal sleep." Errors of this sort are most frequently committed by those who have buried young children. The infant should certainly be protected from cold, but it should as sedulously be guarded from impure air, and supplied with that Avhich is wholesome and fresh. Those little lungs have just commenced their action ; the blood, when it begins to circulate, if the mother is healthy, is entirely pure ; and the most perfect pictures of absolute health that we ever meet with in this world are seen in cradles and in nurseries, before the anxieties of life, the wear of the passions, and the waste of the brain have abated the pristine vigor of the constitution. What in- justice, then, what unspeakable damage and detri- ment does the mother impose upon her olFspring by refusing the opportunity to keep that blood pure 328 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. and normal ! What seeds of disease arc thus im- planted at the threshold of life ! As soon as children are old enough to run about, if their natural activity is not cruelly restrained, they will, to a great extent, take care of themselves in this respect, and be certain to have enough fresh air. It is for the little ones that we plead, — the nurslings who sleep in cradles, and who have no voice but a cry, — the innocents, the darlings ; and we say to the over-anxious mother, who will not allow a breeze of even summer air to blow through her nursery, that by running clear of Scylla she is cer- tain to plunge into Chary bdis ; the child may be screened from the efiects of cold, but at such a loss of vigor and elasticity that the first onset of disease of any kind will pierce to the vital centre, and lay the bud, wilted and crushed, in an untimely grave. Very few children in this country, except in poverty-stricken families, sutler for want of food. Thousands, tens of thousands, die annually from the lack of flannel and fresh air. Many a tender- hearted mother, who would cry her eyes out if she thought her child did not have enough to eat, will yet innocentl}' take its life by defrauding it of the other requisites of healthful life, the ^\o()llen gar- ments and the vital air. All human beings, from the cradle, are creatures INFANCY. 329 of routine, and no service can be of more impor- tance to a child than to impress upon it good phys- ical habits at an early stage in its existence. This regularity of habits is, moreover, a great con- venience to the mother. Let the child have stated times for eating, sleeping, bathing, and taking the air. Thus, for instance, in mild weather, Avhile the mother is busy, as every good housewife must be, with morning duties, let the baby ride in its car- riage in the open air, or be carried in the arms of a nurse or older sister. After breakfast let the mother bathe the child, feed it, put it for a while in the open air, and then lay it in the cradle for a long forenoon sleep. This routine once established can easily be kept up, and conduces greatly to the vigor and cheerfulness of the child. So also, in the after part of the day, let the evening walk, the food, and the length of the afternoon nap be so regulated that the infant will be sleepy at dark in summer and at six-o'clock in winter, and be undressed and put asleep at a prescribed time. There is no need of an hours annoyance with rocking, and pacing the nursery floor, and lullabies, and perhaps Mrs. Wins- low's soothing syrup, in order to secure quiet at the right time and for the night, if the mother will begin betimes to train her baby into proper habits. The first disorder that disturbs the quiet of the 28* 330 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. nursery is gcnenilly the colic, uiid this will bo ul- niost sure to visit the baby if during the first three daj'S of its life it luis suilered from over-feeding. Some children are constantly tormented with colic for the first three or four months of their life, but probably a proper attention to clothing and food from the beginning Avill prevent these unpleasant visitations. Simple remedies will frequently re- move the malady. Give the baby two or three tea- spoonfuls of hot water, with a little sugar in it. Place a warm flannel over the bowels, and be sure that the feet and hands are warm. Colic is often caused in infants simply by cold extremities. oNIove the child gently, pressing the warm hand over the bowels so as to disengajife the wind in its stomach, if possible. If this fails, a few teaspoonfuls of warm catnip tea may be effectual. A teaspoonful of gin mixed with three or four of hot water will sometimes relieve. A warm foot-bath gives ease to the little sufferer, or an injection of warm water. And here it may ho proper to remark, that every mother should be provided with a small syringe, so that if her baby has irregularities in its daily pas- sages, she may relieve any temporary constipation by an injection of warm water with a little sweet oil or soap in it. This is far better than to drench its stomach Avith castor-oil. If the baby still cries from n INFANCY. 331 colic or some oilier cause, by no meaus give it pare- goric : this most noxious druof should be banished from the nursery, and counted among medicines to be administered only under the advice of a physi- cian. The influence of any preparation of opium upon the brain of an infant is very deleterious, and many a mother who relies upon poppy-leaf tea or the paregoric bottle to quiet her crying child, Avill do it a far less injury if she suffers it to cry itself still than by administering a drop of what the great opium-eater himself calls "angelic poison." If the mother has been exposed to great extremes of tem- perature, as for instance, going from a Avarmroom into a cold one and becoming chilled, or if in sum- mer she has drank freely of ice-water, or eaten too much sour fruit, or other unwholesome vegetables, or heated her milk by over- exertion, she must ex- pect her baby to cry. One of the earliest maladies that afflict little babies is the snuffles, or difficulty of breathing through the nose, caused by a slight cold iu the head. A simple remedy, and one that will usually be found effective, is a liniment made of two parts of sweet oil and one of S[)irits of hartshorn mixed together. Rub the liniment under and upon the baby's nose, and let it breathe the ammonia a little through its nostrils, but not enough to produce strangling. This will gen- 832 THE rillLOSOPIIY OF IIOUSE-KEEPIXG. erully relievo alnio.st imiiiediately. This liniment is also excellent to remove all irritation and soreness or swelling caused by the bites of mosquitoes, wasps, or other poisonous insects, and should always be kept in the nursery closet. If the lungs of the baby are affected by cold, and it coughs much, gi^'c it five or six drops of syrup of ipecac in a little water. This is a dose for a baby two or three months old, and should bo re- peated every three hours until the cough is relieved. Where the cold becomes well seated and congestion threatens to take place, the following mode of treat- ment will be found effective. It was practically tested in the family of the author, a few months since, Avith the happiest results. This treatment was originally prescribed by one of the most emi- nent physicians on this continent, and it is so simple thtit any mother may apply it. The little patient was only two months old, and during a long, severe spell of wintry weather a deep cold settled on her luns^s, and thev became some- what congested. The family physician was called in, and prescribed a shirt made of oiled silk reaching from the neck to the knees, with sleeves of the same material extending Lolow the elbow, and a plaster of mustard and flour in about equal propor- tions, wet with water, and extending around the INFANCY. 3C3 entire body. This ^vas kept on until the little suf- ferer showed signs of great uneasiness, when it was removed. At the same time seven drops of syrup of ipecac in a little water were administered to the patient, and her feet placed in hot water for fifteen minutes. A blanket was spread all around mother's lap, in which the baby sat, and the foot-tub, to keep in all the heat and the steam, and prevent the air from coming at all in contact Avith the exposed sur- faces. The ipecac and the foot-baths were given every three hours-, day and night, and the mustard plaster was put on when the cough became at all worse, Avhich it generally did towards morning. The little patient was kept in the same room all the time, and as equable a temperature as possible pre- served day and night. After a day or two a small bit of soda, half as large as a peppermint drop, was dissolved in half a glass of water, and the ipecac given in a little of this water. This corrected the acidity produced in the stomach of the infant by the syrup, so that no derangement of the bowels re- sulted. This treatment was found entirely success- ful, and, as health returned, the foot-baths and ipecac were given at longer intervals, until the}^ were dis- continued altogether. The little silk shirt was kept on until at length it began to drop to joieces, and was then taken off. 334 THE riiiLosoriiY of house-keeping. In whooping cough, these remedies are probably as good as any that can be used. Let the foot-baths and ipecac be given at intervals of three hours dur- ing the day, and particularly at night, when the child is put to sleep, and the silk shirt be Avoni as long as the cough continues. In an ordinary cough the foot-baths Avill always be of benefit, and may cure Avithout other remedies, and if the infant is dis- posed to be restless and sleepless they will soothe and quiet. Infants who are nourished at the breast of a healthy mother seldom have derangements of the bowels, except when teething, while those Avho use the bottle or spoon will frequently sutler from acidity of the stomach, and consequent irregularity. The proper remedy here is to remove the cause. Let the milk the infant drinks be thoroughly scalded, and the bottle or cup be entirely sweet, and the process of digestion will become normal and proper again. In warm weather, especially, the mother will carefully guard the child from drinking milk that is not perfectly sweet. Many people are not aware that milk just on the point of turning sour is less wholesome than that which has become a little acid. During the process of cutting teeth, all children suffer more or less, and require constant attention INFANCY. 335 to keep them in good health. Let the infant be kept perfectly clean, if possible, and pass many hours every day in the open air ; let its milk, if it requires to be fed, be scalded, and let it sleep sufficiently, and be amused when it is awake. If its bowels are loose, a teaspoonful of chalk mixture, or of spiced syrup of rhubarb, is always harmless, and gener- ally proves effective. These ma}^ be procured at any apothecary's, but must be purchased in small quan- tities, as they are apt to sour and arc then worthless. In the country, where wood is used as fuel, a very excellent tea, both for mother and child, may be made of soot. Take the sweepings of the chimney, or soot from the stove-pipe, pour scalding water on it, strain and sweeten, and you Avill have quite a palatable drink, which is at once tonic and cor- rective. The young mother, in her anxiety to do every- thing for her babe, will be told of some new remedy, by every visitor, for any little malady the child may be suffering from, and there may be made a dozen prescriptions for the same thing. She will hear of snakeroot, and bayberry, and chamomile, of penny- royal, ginseng, and lobelia; and all these may be very good at the proper time ; but let her beware how she drenches the stomach of her infant with 336 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. hcrb-tca, and doses it uilh nostrums at the recom- mendation of every chance visitor. AVho has not noticed the newly married woman, while yet the flush of bridal happiness is upon her brow and in her eye, quietly embroidering the edge of a piece of flannel, working the border of a tiny shirt, or knitting a liliputian sock ! If any such young expectant mother, about to have the J03' of the nursery superadded to the delight of the wife, is reading this nineteenth chapter of our treatise, she ma}' deem it a favor to know precisely Avhat articles of Avardrobc the little stranger will require upon its fir&t advent into this breathing world. She may expend a large amount upon the infantile ward- robe, or she may, by the exercise of skill and taste, provide one ample and suitable at a small expense. We suggest only the articles that a baby must have to be comfortable ; to these the mother will add, as her means will allow. Two flannel pinning or foot blankets, three-quarters of a 3'ard in length, and laid in plaits at one end for five inches, so as to form a waist or band ; two flannel skirts, three-quarters of a yard long, and with bands of linen or cotton five fingers long. In the front of this band plaits may be laid so as to reduce its size until the infant grows to require the full length. It will take four yards and a half of flannel for these, and another INFANCY, 337 half yard will make two bands for the lower part of the baby's body. The little dresses should be six in number, a yard in length, and made of dimity, nainsook, or cross- barred muslin. Let them be simple in their make, with a band at the neck, and little sleeves inserted. Two yards will make a dress, The sacks should be of soft blue or rose-colored flannel or merino, and delicately embroidered on the edge. A j^ard will make two, or they may be crocheted or knit of zephyr or lamb's wool. Let there be three or four night-wrappers, high in the neck, and with long sleeves. Two or three calico double wrappers will be found very serviceable ; let them be cut sack-shaped, and button up to the throat. Two yards of fine flannel, a yard in width, will make a couple of blankets. In cold weather two or three pairs of socks may be added, accord- ing to the taste and circumstances of the family. Two or three dozen napkins or diapers will be indispensable ; if purchased new, let them be huck- aback or Russia, twice their width in length, and hemmed at each end. Three yards of blue or scarlet flannel, or all-wool de-laines, lined with the same amount of white flan- nel, will make a cloak, which may have a little hood of the same material fastened into the band around 29 338 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. the neck, in the shape of a red riding-hood. This will aHow the child to be taken out into the open air. With an. outfit such as has been described a child may be kept perfectly clean and comfortable. Cleanliness and sweetness in a baby should always be placed higher than embroideries. Let the flan- nel be washed frequently, if need be, and the dresses snowy. One of the first difiiculties that an inexpe- rienced house-keeper meets with is in the discolor- ation and shrinking of her baby flannels ; indeed, it is true of most flannels that they are seldom washed in the best manner. The following mode of cleans- ing them has been tested, and found eminently suc- cessful. For convenience, I have arranged the directions in three rules : — 1st. Never apply soap directly to any woollen fabric. Make a strong hot suds and plunge the garment in it. 2d. Never dip a flannel in cold, or even cool water, but always in hot. Wash first in hot suds, and rinse in hot water made very blue. 3d. Dry flannels as quickly as possible. Wring dry from the second water, and hang either in the hot sun or before a brisk fire. When nearly dry, press with hot iron. It may also be remarked that none but soft water should be used upon flan- INFANCY. 339 nels, and resin soap is much inferior to common soft soap, as it hardens the fibres of -woollen. RULE FOR KNITTING A BABY's SHIRT. Cast eighty-one stitches on small bone needles, — lamb's wool is preferred, — and to enlarge add ten stitches for every scallop. At the beginning of every row knit two together and three plain. Then from this point, which we mark K., knit the rest of the needle. Make one, knit one, make one, knit three plain, narrow twice, knit two plain. Repeat from R to the end of the needle, always ending with a narrowed stitch. Repeat these rows, or knit across in this manner thirteen times, then rib two and two for forty-three rows. Knit one row plain ; next row knit one stitch ; put the thread over twice and narrow the next two stitches ; put thread over twice, and so on through ; knit two plain rows and finish oS. This makes one side ; knit the other in the same manner, and sew them togetlier. For the sleeve, cast on forty-one stitches ; knit one row plain, one seam, another seam ; then begin the pattern as in the shirt, knit four rows without narrowing at the cnas, a plain row, then holes as in the shirt, and bind ofi". When the shirt is made up 340 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. a white ribbon may be run through the holes round the top of the shirt and tied in front. The mother will find it very convenient to be supplied with a basket, especially devoted to the infantile toilet. Any common basket, of a pleasant size, may be covered with muslin ; have a little paste- board box fastened to one side and contain a pin- cushion, a sponge, a cake of fine soap, a starch bag, and a soft brush. In the basket may be laid at night the clothes as they are taken from the baby, so that at the morning bath the mother will have only to get the basket to be all read}^ to make the infant's toilet for the day. Above everything, and of vastly more importance than all the herbs and all the embroideries, let the spirit of the mother be perpetually joyous and serene ; her temper unclouded sunshine, — perennial June. Thus will the starry calmness of her soul find a perfect mirror in those wells of fathomless joy and love, the all-sunny eyes of her happy child. Accepted in this spirit, motherhood becomes, not a burden to be unstrapped, like a soldier's knap- sack, at the first halting-place ; not a thing for com- miseration and sufierance and protest ; but the sweetest, the tcndcrcst, the holiest of earthly ties. DOMESTIC HVGIENEI 341 CHAPTER XX. DOMESTIC HYGIENE. In these latter days of science and the general diffusion of all useful knowledge, it may be presumed thJrt every housewife will be acquainted with those primary and fundamental laws of health which re- late to food, clothing, ventilation, and cleanliness. Ignorance of the laws of nature on these subjects is a radical defect, for which she may suffer the loss of health herself, or the loss of lives dearer than her own. It is not proposed in this chapter to set forth anything new or original, but simply to give, in a compact and practical form, the results of the best wisdom of modern times on these subjects. In pre- vious chapters the whole question of food and of clothing has been so fully treated that in this con- nection these topics may be dismissed with a few summary directions. As regards food, it may be said that hygiene re- quires that it should be suited to the age and employment of the different members of the family, carefully selected and skilfully prepared ; that, as all food is divided into muscle-making and heat- producing constituents, the proportions of the food 29* 342 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. of each kind should lie blended according to the necessities of the family and the season of the year; a larger proportion of oily substances being fur- nished in winter, and the vegetable and farinaceous viands predominating in summer. In regard to clothing, Ave have seen that for the immediate covering of the skin no material is so ■wholesome as flannel ; and that other parts of tbc dress should be carefully varied, to correspond with changes of temperature and moisture. The proper ventilation of the rooms in constant family use is a matter of the most vital importance. Carelessness and ftiilurc here will inevitably result in the slow but certain and fatal undermining of the health of the family, and especially of its younger and more delicate members, who, during the most of the cold season, are within doors. Let it be con- stantly borne in mind that an adult person consumes air at the average rate of three hundred cubic feet per hour. As an illustration, confine a man to an apartment of the usual dimensions of a bedroom, — say twelve by fifteen, and eight feet high, — and suppose the external air perfectly excluded. In about five hours he would breathe over all the air of the room, and the whole -would be infected with carbonic acid gas, evolved in the process of respira- tion. If he still continues to breathe this noxious DOMESTIC HYGIENE. 343 air, he will be coustantly taking back into his lungs the poisonous gas which it is the office of these or- gans to separate from the blood and throw off. The first effect of this slow poisoning will be drowsiness, followed by headache, utter prostration of the strength and spirits, and finally by dealh. The reason why results so appalling seldom or never oc«ir in ordinary life is because our rooms are never air-tight, and, by the opening of doors and the infiltration of pure air through the crevices, the noxious atmosphere is to a greater or less extent purified. A few evenings since the writer called upon a neighbor, and found a family of five assembled in a sitting-room of moderate proportions and low ceil- ing. As the night was somewhat cool, a fire had been made in an air-tight, cast-iron stove, the damper of which w^as closed, as well as all the doors and windows of the room. One member of the family w-as suffering from a very violent cold. The immediate effect upon entering this apartment was a feelinof of suflbcation, and thougfh I had ji'oue with the intention of passing the evening, I had not been seated ten minutes before I be2:an to cast about in my mind for some excuse for leav- ing. In fifteen minutes I began to have all the symptoms of a violent cold, and the friend who 344 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. went with mo was similarly affected. In short, the room to lis, who came from Avell-veutilated apart- meuts and the open air, was simply intolerable, and we improved the first opportunity to make our escape from an atmosphere so loaded with carbonic acid gas as to be really poisonous. This is by no means an exceptional case. In a small room, heated by a close stove, the tendency to this noxious condition of the atmosphere is so great as to require vigilant attention. Suppose a child living constantly in a room as close as the one described above, of an age so ten- der as not to be trusted away from the eye of its mother. What now must be the physiological effect? Breathing always a vitiated air, its blood never becomes really jDurified by the contact of a proper amount of oxygen in the air-cells of the lungs. Thus circulating, even with the vital fluid, is the poison which the lungs would throw off in a purer air and the poison which the child constantly inhales from the noxious air in which it lives. All the functions of the body must suffer. The child will become "delicate," which is only another name for sickly. Should an acute disease attack it, as croup, scarlet fever, or diphtheria, which maladies are invited by such a course of treatment, the phy- sician finds no constitutional vigor upon which to DOMESTIC HYGIENE. 345' operate with his remedies, and all the probabilities are against recovery. Every intelligent physician can cite cases that occur in his daily practice, where the fatal result can be directly traced to the causes above described. Many a heart-broken mother mourns over Avhat she calls the mysterious and, inscrutable dispensations of Divine Providence, wh^i, in fact, it was mistaken tenderness and ig- norance of the fundamental laws of health which have left her childless. I have a friend, of much more than ordinary intel- ligence and knowledge of books, whose maternal anxiety for her offspring seemed to be summed up in a fear of exposing them to fresh air, lest they should take cold. Though well formed at birth, and inheriting no distemper, none of her three chil- dren reached the as^e of five. No doubt exists in the minds of her friends that their lives were pre- maturely shortened by confinement in ill-ventilated apartments, and rigorous exclusion from the open air. Some thirty years ago a physician in the eastern part of Massachusetts, after losing his wife and sev- eral children by consumption, determined to rear the remaining daughter in a manner totally different from the fatal regime to which her elder sisters had been sacrificed. She had constitutional defects, and 346 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. hereditary tendency to Avcakness of the lungs. He put her in a costume favorable to the utmost freedom of movement, and encouraged her to engage in all kinds of out-door sports. While the girls of her aire Avere bendins: over their tasks of algebra and French in a close school-room, she was romping in the -woods hunting squirrels, rowing on the lake, or swimming in its waters, riding horseback, •en- tering with zest into every species of athletic amuse- ment- Let us look, now, at the splendid result of this truly sensible mode of educating a delicate child. The tendency to consumption was quite eradi- cated. She grew to splendid and vigorous young womanhood, her mind and her spirits alike free, elastic, and joyous. The beautiful world of art at- tracted her ; she entered the lists of competition for the highest prizes of genius, and to-day America has not among her daughters a brighter name than that of Harriette Hosmer. There is no likelihood that the civilized world will ever return to the general use of the old open fiieplace. The economy and convenience of stoves and furnaces more than compensate, in the minds of most people, for the cheerful glow and free ven- tilation of the fireplace ; but it should be borne in mind that fiir greater care is now requisite to secure DOMESTIC HYGIENE. S4T the purity and Avholcsomencss of rooms heated by stoves or hot-air furnaces, than our ancestors -were called upon to observe. The problem in ventilation is how to introduce a sufficient amount of fresh air, and yet avoid sudden changes of temperature and the deleterious effect of exposure to draughts. Most colds are taken by the unequal exposure of different parts of the body to currents or jets of cold air. A column of air that can pass through the key-hole of a door, or through the crevices of a window, upon a person sitting in a warm room, will often lay the foundation of a disease which may result in death. Full exposure of the whole person in a cold at- mosphere seldom produces mischief; but any varia- tion of temperature which does not affect all parts of the body alike should be carefully guarded against. No question in architecture is more im- portant, and yet more troublesome, than how to secure a simple, inexpensive, and effective system of ventilation. This subject is more fully treated in the chapter on domestic architecture. Almost the whole business of the housewife may be said to consist in providing for and disposing of the waste of the body. When, for instance, she ventilates a room, she is merely getting rid of the effete particles of the blood thrown from the lungs 348 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. ill the process of respiration. This waste takes place constantly day and niglit. AVorn-out particles are all the time being removed and replaced. The frequent and thorougli removal of these particles of dead matter constitutes cleanliness, — a virtue "which ranks in the Bible next to godliness. The housewife should bear in mind that any arti- cle of clothing, and many pieces of furniture, such as carpets and curtains, are continually absorbing either sensible or insensible perspiration from human bodies, carbonic acid 2:as from the luniis, as avcU as odors produced by cooking and otlier household ofBces. Xo system of house-keeping can be pro- nounced thorough and complete, which does not provide for the removal of all these impurities. A department of household cleanliness Avhich is very much neglected, even by those Avho in other respects are good house-keepers, is the proper airing of bed-chambers and bed-clothing. The desire of a thrifty and energetic house-keeper, to have her rooms in order and the family work done up at an early hour in the day, causes her, througli mistaken notions of order and neatness, to allow far too little time for the effectual purifying of her beds and bed- clothing. When a bed-chamber is left in the morning, its window^s and doors should be thrown open, the DOMESTIC HYGIENE. .349 blankets, coverlids, and counterpane so placed as to allow the freest access of' pure air to every part, so that the atoms of insensible perspiration, which have been absorbed durhig sleep, may be entirely purged and blown away. They should be left to this process for two or three hours. Then, as often as once in a week, bedding which is in constant use should be carried into the open air and exposed for half a day to the sun and the wind. Where a bedroom has southern or eastern exposure, which is very desirable, this may be clone by laying them over a chair near the window. Un- less bed-clothing is thus frequently and thoroughly aired, it becomes loaded with animal exhalations, unpleasant alike to the touch and the smell, render- ing sleep beneath them far less wholesome and refreshing. In like manner the rugs and carpeting of cham- bers, when of woollen materials, should b(^ frequently shaken and laid out for airino;. As the carbonated matter exhaled from the lunsrs is a little heavier than the air, it settles in a sleeping room, and is retained by any woollen substance with which it comes in contact. In this circumstance \\'e see the reason why it is better to sleep on beds that are raised some distance from the floor. The most perfect race of men, phj'sically, that ever lived upon 30 350 THE rillLOSOPIIY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. the planet, seem to have understood this matter, as well as the importance of frequent bathing ; for Homer, whenever he refers to the sleep of his Greek heroes, describes them as " ascending the perforated couch." Closely connected with cleanliness of the clothing and the bedding is the matter of personal cleanli- ness, which involves the subject of bathing. Bath- ing may be resorted to for the purpose of cleanliness alone, or for the tonic effect resulting from cold- water applications. When used for the former pur- pose, the frequency of washings must depend on the character of the daily employment, and the season of the year. As a general rule for cool weather, a full bath twice in a week will be found sufficient to secure the highest degree of health and comfort. As to whether cold or moderately warm water is the most conducive to health, no general rule can be indicated. The degree of animal warmth, and the power of reacting from the shock that cold water produces, as well as the natural fondness for water, are very difierent in persons of unbroken health. It may be said, in general, that we should never vio- late the instincts of nature in this respect ; that is, if a child or a grown person habitually shrinks from the application of cold water, they should be in- DOMESTIC HYGIENE. 851 dulgecl in the use of water of .in agreeable temper- ature. Since the remarkable degree of attention that has been of late years devoted to this subject, there is danger of the too frequent use of cold water, es- pecially with young children. In washing babies and children under three, I am satisfied that nothing is gained by the use of cold water, unless it is par- ticularly prescribed by a judicious doctor. In the period of highest vigor, — between the years of, say, fifteen and thirty, — with most people there is a prompt reaction after cold bathing, and a delightful glow succeeds. "With such persons, the pleasurable sensation is such that the daily bath is not likely to be omitted. But where, for any reason, this agree- able animation and increased activity of the circula- tion does not follow cold bathing, tepid Avatcr should be used. After uncommon fatigue, or stress of mental ac- tivity, it will be found that a rapid bath with a rough towel, followed by brisk friction, is very soothing, and conduces to deep and refreshing sleep in the early part of the night. It may be added that the beneficial efiects of bathing will always be much enhanced by wiping the surface perfectly dry and subjecting it to vigorous friction. With regard to daily exercise, which is, on all 352 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. hands, agreed to be neecssuiy to health, the great difficulty with American women is that they are not sufficiently in the open air. The daily routine of the household may be suf- ficient to produce muscular fatigue, yet it does not afford that relaxation of mind and that brisk circu- lation of the blood which are the soul of all salutary exercise. Every Avoman should spend, if possible, an hour or two daily iu the open air, — walking, riding, cultivating a garden, playing croquet, or throwing grace-hoops. She will thus forget the an- noyances of servants, and rise above the fatigue and ennui of the needle. The hj^gienical eflccts of a rapid and cheerful walk cannot be overstated. The most convenient of all kinds of exercise, it is, at the same time, the best. One of the most eminent of the physicians of New York, who for a long professional career has enjoyed a remarkable immunity from every species of illness, Avas asked lor a practical rule for the preservation of such uul)roken health. "I can give none better," was his reply, "than that Avhich I haA^e observed for the last thirty years, — to let no day pass Avithout Avalking from four to six miles." Professor Draper, in his admiral^le Avork on Phys- iology, has stated the truth as the result of many DOMESTIC HYGIENE. 353 experiments, that the average strength of woman is to that of man as two to three. The above rule of the Kew York physician, as applied to woman, would then be, to let no day pass withont walking from two to four miles. "With regard to sleep, the rules of modern phys- iologists differ from those advanced twenty years ago. Then the amount of sleep supposed to be necessary was two or three hours less than is now deemed indispensable. The late doctrine is no doubt the true one. Abundant sleep is the best of all restorers after severe mental activity ; and those whose nervous waste is great, whether occasioned by pressing anxieties or by hard study, require far more sleep than persons whose weariness is simply that of the muscles. Ever since the days of Poor Richard, the maxim of "Early to bed, and early to rise, will make a man healthy, wealthy, and wise," has been the best possible summary of the laws relating to sleep. The perfect housewife will see to it that her meals are so regulated as to permit all the members of her fjimily to retire at an early hour, and yet place a sufficient interval betAveen the last meal of the day and the hour 'of sleep. One-third of our lives, or eight hours in twenty- four, for sleep, is doubtless the period required by 30* 354 THE rillLOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. jthegreatestmimber of persons. Some constitutions are better suited by nine hours of sleep, "while others find six and seven sufficient. In general, all nervous, anxious, and active-minded people should take all the sleep they can. With such there is no danger of excess. Servants, laborers, and others who lead an irresponsible and mechanical life, require less than those whose business it is to plan and direct labor. The refreshing power of sleep does not depend upon the number of hours passed in bed, so much as upon several other circumstances, such as the pleasantness of the bed, the completeness of di- gestion, the purity of the air in the dormitorj^, and the portion of the night given to sleep. As to the agreeableness of the couch, despite the eloquence that has been lavished on hard beds, the experience of the great majority of people is that a bed that is thoroughly comfortable is by far the most refreshinof. O The objections urged against feather beds, excejjt in midwinter, are doubtless valid ; but it stands to reason that a couch which will yield to the pressure of the bod}^ and conform in some measure to its shape, is vastly more agreeable and healthful than the soft side of a pine plank, even though covered with a common straw mattress. A A^ery perfect DOMESTIC HYGIENE. 355 and delightful resting-place is made by placing upon a good set of steel or copper springs a shuck mattress, over which, at least in cool Aveather, a thinner bed of wool, hair, or feathers is laid. When a person eats a moderate supper, at six in the evenmg, by nine or ten o'clock the digestive process is so far advanced as to permit of sound and refreshing sleep, where the conscience is clear and the mind at ease. The practice of eating just before going to bed, and indulgence in late and rich suppers, cannot be too severely reprobated. It is very desirable that sleeping-rooms should be of large size, with high ceilings, furnishing an abun- dance of pure air of uniform temperature. But as this is generally impracticable, on account of the moderate dimensions of most houses, it becomes a matter of some difficulty to give a proper and whole- some ventilation to. bedrooms. Where it can be done, the windows should be lowered from three to twelve inches, according to the season of the year and the direction of the wind. A still better plan, where children are asleep, is to open the door of an adjoining room in which a window has been raised. In all cases, care should be taken that no draught or current of cold air passes across the bed. At all hours, this is a perpetual source of that most uni- 356 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. versal of all maladies, a cold ; yet the exclusion of fresh ah- from a small sleeping-room will render a person very susceptible to contract a cold upon the first exposure, and sleep under such circum- stances can never prove refreshing. It cannot be too often repeated, or too earnestly pressed upon the attention of every thoughtful per- son, that the habitual breathing of bad air is as fatal to fine health as any catarrh or consumption ; the chief difference being that one is slow and insidious in its operations, while the other manifests itself promptly. The habit once formed of sleeping in a well-ventilated room is one which cannot with im- punity be encroached upon. The lungs will cry out for their accustomed supply of oxygen, and a dull headache, upon waking, is only the protest of the blood against the slow poisoning jDrocess of the night. As to the portion of the hours of darkness which is best devoted to sleep, the universal testimony of wise observers, in all time, is, that the half before midnight is by far the best. The familiar maxim, "one hour before midnight better than two after," does not overstate the im- portance of securing the early part of the night for the pillow. For two or three hours before the usual time for DOMESTIC HYGIENE. 357 sleep, the mind .sbould be entirely relaxed, and all studies or iraius of thought of an animating or ex- citing nature should be carefully avoided. Mothers, and all persons who have ths young in charge, will find the observance of thi^ r'lle of the utmost im- portance, in securing health «ir.d tho normal devel- opment of the mental as well as the physical organ- ization of those whose habits they are assisting to form. The most healthful as Avell as the most suc- cessful mental labor is always accomplished in the morning. Midnight, indeed, has its excitement; but it is hot and morbid. Don Juan, Manfred, Festus, and all those great labors of misguided ge- nius, whose function it is to harrow the sensibili- ties, without either informing the mind or purifying the heart, are the product of late hours, — of false and wasteful excitement. But all the w^ritings that we love to call immortal, — w'hose blessed office it has been to inspire successive generations of poets and thinkers, to elevate and instruct mankind or " charm their pained steps over the burnt soil of the world," — were composed while the shadows of the trees all pointed westward, and the dew still spar- kled in the meadow. In Homer and Virgil, in Shakespeare and Milton, we seem ever to breathe the fragrance of the early morning, and catch a re- 358 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. fniin from the inimitable trill of the heavcn-soarins: lark. Let us suppose, now, that a child has been reared in conformity with the Avell-established hygienic laws referred to in this chapter. He has, from the cradle, breathed pure and wholesome air ; he has been protected from the vicissitudes of climate by clothing of material the most suitable and always sufficient in amount ; his food has been wholesome, and skilfully adapted to his age and condition ; his muscles and entire phy- sique have been developed by vigorous and varied exercise ; an abundance of refreshing sleep has suc- ceeded the moderate fatigue of one day, and strength- ened him for the labors of the morni)ig; which fol- lowed. If we presume that, in addition to this, his mind has been disciplined by liberal culture, and his heart imbued with the love of virtue ; what bet- ter gift can a mother make to her race than such a son ? — capable of enjoying all that is worth enjoy- ing in this life, and fitted to achieve whatever de- gree of success is worth striving for in the arenn of the world. J DOMESTIC KEMEDIES. 359 CHAPTER XXI. DOMESTIC KEMEDIES. Every housewife is necessarily, to a greater or less extent, a physician, in her own family, and, if her knowledge is good npon these subjects, she will frequently have it in her power to be of great bene- fit to her neighbors and others in distress. The maladies to which the wife and mother will most frequently be called upon to administer may be con- sidered under two heads : first, such as, from their moderate and simple character, admit of domestic cure ; and, second, alarming injuries and acute at- tacks of disease which demand prompt treatment before a ph3'sician may have time to arrive. Those slight disturbances of health, which a well- informed house-keeper can, if taken in time, treat successfully without calling in medical advice, may nearly all be embraced under two divisions : those "which result from a derangement of the alimentary canal, or digestive process, and those which result from taking cold. It may be remarked, here, that as the general duties of the housewife relate to the food and clothing of her family, so the maladies for which she is called to prescribe arise, in most cases, 360 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. from the effects of unwholesome or ill-digested food, and insufficient or unsuitable clothing. Pain in the stomach and bowels generally pro- ceeds either from having eaten some crude fruit or unwholesome food, or from a disease of some part of the alimentary tract more or less acute. In the former case, nature can, for the most part, be left to her own j^rocess of relief. The pain thus occasioned is sometimes quite sharp, and, though no medicine may be required, the sympathies of the friend or the mother may urge the application of something that will assuaofe the suffering. O C5 o The first thing to be done is to give the person thus in suffering some hot and moderately stimulat- ing drink. Ginger is an article almost alwaj's at hand. Pour a half-pint of boiling water upon two teaspoonfuls of ground ginger ; add sugar and milk, if desired, and let the patient drink it as hot as can be swallowed. Of the spirituous liquors, none per- haps is better in such cases than gin, which should be diluted with hot water, and sweetened. Exter- nal applications may be made at the same time. A flannel Avrung out from hot water, and laid upon tlie seat of the pain, will, in connection with hot drinks, generally afford relief. If the pain con- tinues, and some irritation of the stomach appears, a mild emetic may be ventured upon, consisting of, ' DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 361 say, a teaspoonful of the syrup of ipecac, for a child half-grown, the close to be repeated in half an hour. If the case is still refractory, and the pain increases, such potent remedies as camphor, opium, and calo- mel may be necessary ; these, however, should be administered only by a medical man, except in cases where a certain dose of medicine has been found a specific in former attacks very similar to that from which the patient is now suffering. Domestic remedies, in an attack of colic, unless effective in two or three hours, may be regarded as inadequate, and the physician shoidd be called. After such an attack the patient of course needs a regulated diet. This subject is fully treated of under the head of "Food for the Sick," in a pre- ceding chapter ; but a few articles may very properly be alluded to here, as they are proper in all derangements of the bowels : home-made yeast bread, browned to a crisp ; rice parched and made into a drink like coffee ; boiled milk, thickened to a porridge with scorched flour ; soft-boiled eggs, cooked by breaking into a shallow dish of hot water. Diarrhoea and dysentery, into Avhich it passes, are the results of irritations, more or less acute, of the lining membrane of the bowels. Taken in its earlier stages it will generally 3'ield to simple remedies ; 31 362 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. neglected and suffered to run on, it reaches a stage at which the utmost medical skill is baffled. The object of the treatment in general should be to re- move from the system whatever acrid matters there may be in the bowels, to heal the corrosion they may have produced, and to incite to normal action all parts of the digestive apparatus. "VYhen the diarrhoea arices from acidity of the con- tents of the stomach and bowels (and this is gener- ally the difficulty with children), there is no remedy so simple or effective as the preparation sold by all the druijofists, known as "chalk mixture." It is a cheap, harmless medicine, and Avill seldom or never ao-o-ravate when it fails to relieve a patient. A tea- spoonful Avill generally give relief in slight cases, which, if allowed to run, would become serious. The presence of acrid matter in the stomach and bowels Avill at length bring on an inflammat'on of the lining membrane, which it may be found very difficult to allay. I have found it an excellent plan to have always in my closet a syrup of home manufacture, of which the following is the recipe : One-quarter of a pound each of hemlock, bay- berry, and black poplar bark ; boil for two or three hours, and have a gallon when done. Then add, while hot, an ounce of pulverized bitter almonds DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 363 or peach-meats, one and a half pounds of loaf-sugar ; scald them together without boiUng. "When cold, add one quart of pure brandy, and put it away in a tightly corked demijohn. Dose for a child from two to four years old, half a gill three times a day. Repeat the dose more frequently if the case is stub- born. An adult should take a wineglassful before each meal. Another very excellent syrup for diarrhoea or weak digestion is made in the following manner : Take two teaspoonfuls of powdered cinnamon, two of allspice, one of cloves, one large nutmeg, one-half pound of nice raisins, chopped fine, with the seeds, one-half pound of white sugar, one pint of the best brandy, one-half pint of water. Put all the ingre- dients in a l^ottle, and set it in a Avarm plac3 near the stove, or in the sun for a day, when it will be ready for use. Dose, a tablespoonful for an adult and a teaspoonful for a child, half an hour before each meal. Both these preparations have the merit of being easily obtained, agreeable to the taste, and they contain nothing that can damage the most delicate organs or impair the constitution. By the use of chalk mixture and these syrups, and particularly the former, I have been able to 364 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPINTG. manage all diseases of this character without calling in the physician. The most frequent of all the complaints which the housewife or mother is called on to relieve, is that universal and protean malady, a cold. This affection, if taken in time, can be cured with very little trouble and the most simple medicines; neglected, and allowed to fasten upon an important organ or part of the body, results the most disas- trous to health and fatal to life ensue. A malady so slight that medical skill ought not to be required in treating it, a cold is, in a fearful number of cases, allowed to become a2:2:ravated till it passes the skill of the most accomplished doctor. It is necessary to remember, that as colds are generally produced by a check to the insensible jjer- spiration, or the sudatory function of the skin, so the first thins: to be done in treating a cold is to re- store the proper functional activity of the surface. This is best dene by confining the body to a strictly uniform temperature, and drinking a hot infusion of sage, pennyroyal, pepper, mallows, or other shrub whose effect is to produce perspiration. AVhy is this way of doctoring a cold, which is familiar to everybody, and almost universally practised in this country, unsuccessful in so many cases? Mainly for two reasons. The process is not commenced DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 365 soon enough, or it is not sufficiently persevered in. The great difficulty with the strenuous, restless, health-sacrificing people of America is that they can never find time to be cured of a cold ; they prefer to run the risk of contracting a slow, painful, and maybe fatal disease rather than to devote thirty-six or forty-eight hours to getting well. After the employment of these remedies, the pores, having been excited to unusual activity by the action of sudorifics, are more susceptible than before, and the person is more liable than ever to sufier from their sudden closing. Hence the imperative necessity of remaining in the same temperature as that in which the remedies were employed, until the surface has returned to its normal condition. A boy, for instance, has con- tracted a severe cold m winter. At nightfall his mother commences to treat him. He is seated by a warm fire, drinks one or two cups of sage or penny- royal tea, and has his feet plunged in a hot bath. By bedtime the symptoms are very much aljated, the irritation of the lining membranes has subsided, and the surface is warm aid moist. In a warm bed, Avith a hot soap-stone at his feet, he falls into a pleasant sleep, and wakes in the morning feeling and appear- ing quite well. Now comes the critical period of the treatment. If the mother yields to the natural 31* 366 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. restlessness of the lad, find lets him go out with his skates and sled, his pores all open with the treat- ment of the night before, his susceptibility to the disease thus doubled, his body warmly clad, but his feet damp and cold, and his hands in the snow ; the probabilities are that at nightfall all the symp- toms of the day previous will reappear greatly aggravated, the cough hard and unyielding, the skin feverish, the face flushed, with some complaint, perhaps, of pain in the chest. The I'emedies of the evening before are now unavailing. Sage tea and a hot brick fail to restore the skin to a proper con- dition. After some anxious hours of unavailing experi- ment, a physician is summoned, who finds what he calls a fairly developed case of pneumonia. It may seem superfluous to add that a confine- ment of a day or two to the sitting-room would have given the little suflerer back to his delightful sports, in a condition to defy the rigors of the winter. For want of a little precaution, he is now condcnmed to weeks of pain and pallor, and his parents to many anxious hours and wearisome vigils! With some children, the first notice the mother receives that a cold has been contracted is in the peculiar and ap- palling cough coming from the child's sleeping- DOMESTIC IlEMEDIES. 367 room, which announces the presence of that terror of the nursery, — the croup. Like the alarm of the rattlesnake, the sound of the croup cough once heard can never be forgotten or mistaken. The croup cough is sharp, dry, and ringing, coming apparently from a narrower tube than the windpipe in its ordinary condition, and the inspiration that follows is constricted and painful in sound. The little patient's voice is frequently thin, and of an ominous hoarseness. The A'cry first note of this character that reaches the ear of the mother or nurse is a summons to the utmost promptness in the application of remedies. The enemy that she has now to battle with is, es- sentiall}^ an acute and rapidly progressive inflam- mation of the Avindpipe. This inflammation, if not arrested, is speedily followed by the formation of a tough mucus or membranous clog which, if not re- moved, will soon fill the throat, and death by suffo- cation is the terrible result. There are three modes of contending with this fearful malady of children, which may be employed successfully by the domestic practitioner. One is by the application of counter-irritants to the surface ; another is by relaxing the whole system Avith emetics ; and the third consists in the use of remedies 368 THE rniLosoPHY of house-keeping. whicli arc supposed to act directly upon the lining of the windpipe. In severe and advanced attacks, all three may be necessary to aflbrd relief; but in the great majority of cases, prompt applicatiw'ii of counts r-irritants will suffice. At the moment this peculiar cough assails the ear of the mother, she should prepare three napkins, wring them out of cold Avater, laying one upou the chest, another at the back, pin togetlier on each shoulder, and wrap the third about the thi-oat. Then cover them in thoroughly with flannel, so that no external air will prevent them from becoming rap- idly Avarmed by the heat of the body. Those who believe in the hydropathic treatment of the disease contend that the most obstinate cases can be con- trolled in this manner. Another similar and excellent remedy, which is a very good one to begin with, is to apply flannel cloths, wrung out of hot saleratus-water, to the breast and throat, changing them as often as they get cold. Instead of changing the flannel cloths, it is an excellent plan to have two or three cotton cloths kept hot and applied, one after the other, above the flannel, thus keeping the air from ever coming in contact Avith and cooling the skin. A much severer application, which must be re- sorted to if the above fail, is mustard in the form of DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 369 plasters upon the chest and throat, and also upon the soles of the feet, and around the wrists. A mustard plaster, suitable for children, is made by taking flour and mustard in equal quantities, mixing them with water so as to make a thin paste, then spreading it upon a piece of light muslin ; a layer of delicate linen or cambric should intervene be- tween the skin of the child and the paste. The last resort, among this class of remedies, is to a maistard bath, Avhich is made by adding a table- spoonful of mustard to every gallon of water, heated to as high a temperature as the patient can bear. He should be kept immersed in this for a lew minutes, and then wrapped in a warm woollen sheet, and placed in bed. At the same time internal remedies should be ad- ministered, as the croup is an enemy so deadly and powerful that he should be fought both on land and by sea. The simplest relaxing remedy is probably a dose of ipecac ; a favorite syrup for the croup consists of a mixture of the syrup of ipecac with the syrup of squills. Vomiting is almost certain to afford relief, and many begin by giving an emetic at once. An old-fashioned remedy, that relieved the suffering of our grandparents, was goose-grease mixed with snuff, spread upon a piece of flannel and pinned around the neck. The oil was supposed "TO TIIK rillLOSOPIlY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. to produce a relaxing" cficct upon tlic throat, and the sniifl' Avas employed as a counter-irritant. Another old-fashioned dose, and often very cfTcctual, is ten drojjs of spirits of turpentine in a tcaspoonful of mo- lasses, for a child six or seven years old. Pepper- tea, Avith lobelia, is also employed ; but it is with ditSculty administered to young children. The most formidable variety of croup is that known as meml)ranous, in which a tough Avhite membrane forms in the upper part of the windpipe ; but a malady so fearful as this is bcA^ond the reach of domestic remedies. Summon a physician as soon as possible. A peculiarity of the croup is that the ])aroxysm, though relieved the first night, may be expected to return on the two following nights. Unless the patient has been carefull}^ guarded in the interval, the second attack is likely to prove more severe than the first. On the third night it is comparatively mild. The cough Avhicli succeeds is seldom obsti- nate, and yields to ordinary remedies. When a cold is very severe, or has been neg- lected for some time, it may be accompanied by pain in the chest or under the shoulder-blades. This s3-mptom should be considered alarming, for a few hours of neglect will suflice to bring on pleurisy or pneumonia. The proper remedy is by the em- DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 871 ployment of counter-irritants more or less powerful. The patient should be placed in bed, covered "Nvarmly, and hot flannels applied to the seat of the pain. "Woollen cloths, wrung from hot whiskey and water, are very effectual. These, if not relieving the pain, should be followed by mustard plasters. Dry cupping is an excellent remedy, and as this operation gives great relief in many forms of in- ternal inflammation, it may be well to describe it particularly. Take two or three common glass tumblers, with perfectly smooth edges, and prepare a half dozen or more tapers of thin and highly in- flammable paper. Light one end of the paper, place the lighted end iu the bottom of the glass, and invert the whole quickly upon the skin, pressing the glass down and fitting it snugly. The taper will exhaust nearly all the air in the glass and go out. To fill the vacuum thus produced the skin and flesh rise in a convex form within the glass, and there is a flow of blood to that part of the surface, which very frequently relieves the pain within. For pain in the chest, this application is generally made upon the shoulders and upper part of the back, and continued five or six times. The following recipe for a cough syrup is confi- dently recommended as one of the best that can be compounded. It is particularly effective in that 372 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. hacking cough that often comes on just after retiring at night : — Take One ounce of slippery elm, One ounce of liquorice root, One ounce of thoroughwort, or boneset, And one ounce of flax-seed. Put the herbs in a quart of water and steep for several hours, not allowing the decoction to boil. Then strani the liquor, and add a pint of good mo- lasses and a pound of loaf-sugar ; return to the fire, and boil slowly for half an hour. When cool, bottle, and take a swallow every hour, or oftener, if the cough does not abate. The proper treatment of whooping cough, and also of measles, is given in the chapter on Infancy. The housewife will frequently have complaints brought to her of simple local pains, such as head- ache, toothache, and earache. Though not alarming symptoms, or indicating the presence of any disease, she M'ill feel inclined to make an application of some remedy, as physicians are not generally called to such cases, unless the pain is very acute and of long duration. Headache proceeds from various causes, among which may be enumerated excessive heat of the sun, close air, indigestion, or disordered stomach, want of exercise in the open air, extreme fatigue, DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 873 or mental excitement and exhaustion. By removing the cause, the suffering will generally be relieved. For sun-headache, nothing is better than cloths wet in cold water, frequently changed and laid upon the brow and head, a recumbent posture in a darkened room, and perfect quiet. /Sick-headache com- monly results from great fatigue and the loss of a customary meal, especially when the cup of tea or coffee, to the use of which one may be accustomed, is missing. "When the illness is coming on, it may often be arrested by a cup of coffee and a little dry toast. When it has lasted several hours, the stomach will reject food, and the only cure is sleej>. The sufferer should have stillness and a dark, but not close, room as soon as possible. Placing the feet upon a stone, or bottle of water, as hot as can be endured without pain, will aid in relieving the head. The only sovereign and effective remedy for toothache is the forceps. But it generally occurs that considerable pain is endured before the sufferer makes up his mind to have the tooth extracted ; and there are tens of thousands of our people who never employ a dentist. Alum and salt, in equal parts, pressed firmly into the cavity, will often give relief. If that fails, moisten a small lock of cotton, dip it in morphine, and press into the cavity, taking care not to swallow 32 374 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPIXG. the saliva. Laudamiiu, applied in the same Avay, generally stops the pain ; so, also, does a drop of chloroform, or a drop of creosote, applied on cotton- wool. The oil of cloves is another remedy often used, and a little sack filled with red pepper and crowded into the cavity, is frequently effectual. Counter-irritation often relieves toothache. Apply a brick, or stone, or a smoothing-iron, as hot as the sufferer can bear, to the cheek ; or, rest that side of the face on a bag of hops just taken from hot water. JEarache, when not produced by tumors in the head, may generally be relieved iu the following manner : Take Avarm soap-suds and a syringe, and inject the water for some time, — the ear being held down so the water can run out. "When the inner surface of the ear is quite dry, mix two drops of sweet oil with one of chloroform, and of this mix- ture apply one or two drops, allowing it to ruu down into the ear, and tie up the head with warm flannel. When this does not relieve, apply a small blister, or a strong mustard plaster, say an inch square, just back of the ear. Domestic surgeri/ is principally confined to the treatment of slight cuts, bruises, scalds, and burns; but, during the life of every housewife, she may bo r»0:MKSTIC REMEDIES. 375 called scYcriil times to act "svitli promptness and judgment, in cases of severe injuries, before a sur- geon can reach the patient. In the case of a broken limb, a woman can do comparatively nothing. She may place the sufferer upon a lounge or bed, and administer some stimulating drink in case of great prostration. While awaiting the arrival of the sur- geon, she may prepare bandages by sewing together strips of cotton to the length of several j'ards. Bandajjes for the lower limbs should be about three inches wide ; for the arm or head, an inch narrower. In cuts or lacerations of the flesh, where the bleeding is profuse, the character and color of the blood will determine whether an important blood- vessel has been severed. If the color is bri2;ht scarlet, and comes leaping in jets from the wound, it proceeds from an artery, and the promptest action may be required to save life. Fold a strong silk or linen handkerchief crosswise ; tie it tightly around the limb between the wound and the heart, to check the flow of blood to the extremity. The knot of the ligature should be placed on the line of the severed artery and pressed firmly down. When the flow is somewhat checked, press a tent of lint or raw cotton into the wound, lay a cloth over it, and keep the parts constantly wet with cold water. Where there is any probability that an artery has 376 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPiNG. been severed, none but a skilful surgeon should luidcrtake the lirst dressino'. In severe hums and scalds, it is important to know Avhat application is safe and Avill afford the most im- mediate relief. If the skin has been destroyed, the first thing is to exclude the air from the exposed surface. Several substances are used for this pur- pose, some one of "which is almost certain to be at hand. Tar gives immediate relief. Molasses is not quite as good as tar, because it often contains a little of the acid of the cane-juice. In cases that occurred in oiu* oAvn family, we have used, with the best results, raw linseed oil. A thin muslin is laid over the burn, and the oil ap- plied upon the cloth with a feather. When the smart iug is allayed, a little white lead should be mixed with the oil, and applied. This prevents the formation of "proud flesh." The sore that follows should be washed two or three times a day with castile soap. A camel 's-hair brush, a soft shaving brush, a bit of fine old sponge, or a piece of worn linen damask, are best for this purpose. The parts afiected should be perfectly dried before the appli- cation of oil is again made. "When inflammation sets in, a poultice of mush, bread and milk, or mashed potato moistened with milk, is the most DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 377 suitable. If "proud flesh" appears, spriukle a little burnt alum on the poultice. To burn alum, lay it on a shovel or other iron plate, and hold it over the fire till it ceases to bubble. When cool it "will crush to a powder between the fingers. An excellent liniment for burns and scalds is made by filling a two-ounce phial a third full of stronij lime-water and the remainins: two-thirds Avith sweet oil. Shake well before applying. Beside tar and linseed oil, above mentioned, other substances have been found of great value as first applications to a burn or scald. Finehj carded wool, laid thick upon the wound, is an excellent remedy. Cotton-wool may be used ; but it is not quite as good as sheep's wool. It would be advisable to have on hand a few ounces of soft wool, and the moment any one suffers a burn or scald, if the injury is deep, so that the skin will be removed, the arnica tincture should be diluted with water, and the parts at once covered in with wool. A deep burn is liable to putrescence. The best remedy f;r this is vinegar ; but when used it must bo largely diluted with water if the sore is raw. In slight burns, where the skin is not removed, as well as for all manner of small cuts, bruises, 32* 378 THE PHILOSOPHY OF IIOUSE-KEEPIXG. bumps, .-iiid contusions, wlilcli coustituto tlic afflic- tions of childhood, and cv^crmore demand relief from the mother, nothing will compare, as a universal panacea, Avith arnica. The tincture can be obtained of a druggist, or it can be made at home by putting five cents' worth of arnica flowers into half a pint of whiskey. In a family of children, the arnica phial should no more be permitted to stand empty than the su2:ar bowl. Its effect is magical, not only in allaying pain, but in loreventing soreness and discoloration. Where the flesh is not much bruised, or the cut is a clean one, the gash or rent should be drawn together and the parts held in place by strips of sticking-plaster. A firm bandage will check the bleeding. Care should be taken that no dirt or other forciirn sub- stance enters the Avound, as the healing; is much delayed by this means, and inflammation is some- times produced. If there is no adhesive plaster at hand, the skin of the inside of an egg-shell, mois- tened with the white, is an excellent substitute. In case of a cut not very deep, nothing else need be done. For poisonous stings of all kinds, and even for the bites of venomous snakes, a liniment made of hartshorn and sweet oil, in equal proportions, is a necessity in every famdy. A drop rubbed upon a DOMESTIC REMEDIES. 870 mosquito bite allays the itching, and the sting of a wasp or bee is greatly soothed and soon entirelj^ cured by repeated applications. With a phial of this mixture, and the arnica bottle, a housewife may feel herself armed against all the minor disasters of the nursery. The sting of poisonous insects may be greatly allayed and the poison nearly all extracted by sucking the part immediately after the sting has been inflicted. When a person has been bitten by a deadly ser- pent, like the rattlesnake, the adder, or the copper- head, the first thing to be done is to procure and swallow a pint or more of ardent spirits, as brandy or strong whiskey. Alcohol neutralizes the poison. At the same time rub the bite constantly with harts- horn- and sweet oil. No poisonous bite is deadly when these remedies can be promptly used. When by a fearful mistake, or from the impulse of suicidal mania, poison has been swallowed, the first question is to know the general character of the substance taken into the stomach, whether it is ved to reach every depiirtmcnt of house- keeping, and to suit the routine of every family. The time and pains taken in writing them out, and teaching them, will he abundantly remunerated in the greatl}' increased facility and zest with which the girl will perform her tasks, and the fact of the rules being thus prescribed will make her far more careful and efficient. She will have the added satisfoction of knowing exactly how her mistress is to be pleased by the manner in which the work is done, and she will rec- ognize the justice of a correction when, by careless- ness or neglect of some of the written rules, the work is badly done. The time spent in doing over the ill-performed work of a young servant would be again and again saved by preparing such catechisms, and in the end a great amount of vexation spared both to the girl and her mistress. Except in households where economy is not of necessity a study, the mistress of the house must work, cither with her muscles in actual performance of the labor, or with her brains in regulating and superintending the unskilled labor of others ; and there is for a vast number an election as to Avhether they will pass a considerable part of each day in bondage to the dish-pan, the broom, and the wash- TRAINING OP SERVANTS AND CHILDREN. 457 tub, or undertake the training, and bear with the inexperience of raw help. A conscientious and benevolent Avoman will easily see, that by choosing the latter she may very mucli enlarge the boundaries of her usefulness by send- ing out from her doors, every few years, a skilful, faithful, and thorough house-keeper ; able to com- mand the highest wages if she remains in service, fitted to enter upon the true and appropriate sphere of woman as the mistress of her own household, the centre of her own home. The suofCTestions here made with rcirard to the employment and discipline of servants proceed upon the supposition that every lady who consults these pages for practical aid in her duties has at least some knowledge of the best manner of doing all ordinary household work. This knowledge she may have acquired after mar- riage only by a series of annoying mistakes and mortifying blunders on her part, resulting in dis- comfort and disappointment to her husband ; or she may have gained it far more pleasantly, as well as thoroughly, from the instructions and example of a mother who took pride in seeing her daughters ac- complished in every department of domestic econ- omy. In either case, how natural will be her wish to see her own daughters, if she has them, enter 39 458. THE PHILOriOPHy OF HOUSE-JiEEPING. upon these duties fully prepared, — fitted to super- intend in the best manner the labors of servants, or to put her own hands to the wheel and navigate the family ship in all waters. Such are the mutations of fortune, in this coun- try, that it is impossible to foresee the station in life that any young lady may be called upon to fill. Born in a cabin, she may live to preside in a palace; and, on the other hand, nursed in affluence, she may be so overtaken by social disasters as to be com- pelled herself to discharge the duties she formerly exacted of servants. Vicissitudes, such as these, are illustrated in ten thousand families throughout the southern portion of our Union, who have been overwhelmed in the wide-spread desolations and radical changes of our great civil conflict. At a very early age a girl may commence to learn how a family is kept in comfort and order, by wait- ing on her mother, and helping her in the routine of domestic duties. As she grows older, she may be held responsible for certain tasks, or for a special department in the house-keeping. As she reaches the years of Avomanhood, she may assume charge of the round of household duties in turn. For in- stance, during one week she may have entire control of the laundry department ; the next week be at the head of the cooking ; and the next be respon- TRAINING OF SERVANTS AND CHILDREN. 4t"9 siblc for the order and cleanliness of the entire house. If there are more young ladies than one in a fam- ily, it is an excellent plan to have them alternate in these responsibilities. There are three or four simple rules of universal application, whether to servants, children of both sexes, or the house-keeper herself, which, if strictly observed, will greatly facilitate all the labors of the household. I. A TUIY. FOR EVERYTHING, AND EVERYTHING IN ITS TI3IE. II. A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING, AND EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE. III. Once well done is twice done. IV. Whatever is w^orth doing at all is WORTH DOING AVELL. An adherence to these four maxims will create system and order in every family, and fix habits which are invaluable to either men or women, in every station in life. Much has been and will continue to be written on the duty of training daughters to be good wives, while we hear nothing of the reciprocal and equally important duty of training boys to be good hus- bands. Whatever accomplishments the wife may possess, 460 THE PHILOSOPHY OP HOUSE-KEEPING. the success and happiness of the family, as such, depend, to a great degree, upon the domestic ideas and fireside habits of its head. If a boy has been raised where he saw the water lugged, the wood brought in, the cows milked, by the females of a house ; if he has not been in the habit of putting away his own clothing, or of bearing a ready and apt hand to whatever tasks he sees going on within doors ; however good his intentions, or however strong his affections, no matter how admirable his character as a man, he will make, in many respects, a poor husband. A boy should, from the nursery, be required to have a place for his toys, his cap, and his clothing generally, and to keep them in it. If he is habit- uated to rendering assistance, according to his ability, in the setting of tables, bringing in of Avood and w^ater, and everything of like nature, he grows up a far more agreeable and useful inmate of any family, and capable of becoming, in time, an excellent and exemplary husband, fitted, by his domestic antece- dents, if he cannot raise his wife above the neces- sity of daily household work, to materially lighten her tasks, prevent her from lapsing into a family drudge, and keep her industry always confined to woman's legitimate and appropriate sphere. HOW TO MAKE HOME HAPPY. 461 CHAPTER XXV. HOW TO MAKE HOME HAPPY. The foundation for a liappy home is a perfect mar- riage. The true basis of marriage is love ; love which " hath its seat in reason, and is judicious," no less than warm and" passionate ; love which embraces the entire being of its object, — physical, intellectual, moral, and spiritual. On this foundation rests the perfect home. Built on any other, no matter what resources of wealth or culture may be expended, the soul will be wanting, and the structure, however adorned with whatever of costly and rare, ^vill be as "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal." Having love as the foundation of tlie home edifice, the " fruits of the spirit" follow in their order, — " joy, peace, long- suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," — for Bil)le truth applies not alone to so- called spiritual things, but to all the underlying prin- ciples of social, domestic, and civil life. Among the secondary requisites in the building of a happy home may be named industry, order, cleanliness, economy, and taste. Labor and rest are inseparably associated in this 39* 462 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. world, and evading the one we lose the otlier. Tlicre is no sauce for food like Imngcr; tliere is no provoca- tive of hunger and sleep like lahor. Riches have little to do with happiness at home, as many find to their sorrow, for only that which makes home happy in poverty, makes it happy in wealtli. Yet the re- sources of happiness at home may be greatly enlarged by the culture wealth can bring when it does not relax the sinews of industry and purpose. Order and cleanliness are inseparably connected with our ideals of the perfect home. They are ministers of grace to the household, not tyrants imposing severe and im- practicable laws. The best good of cacii member and of the whole is the law of the family life, and this can sometimes be most perfectly secured by infringing upon the stated order of the household and by whole- some laxity in respect to Pharisaical cleanliness. There are housekeepers with whom it is a pain to live, they are so rigidly scrupulous witli respect to cleanliness, so terribly severe in their regularity a»d system. There are housekeepers with Avhom it is a pain to live, they are so negligent and untidy, so irregular and unsystematic. Happy are they so for- tunate as to attain the golden mean ! Those families where the children are from early years accustomed to bear a part in the household HOW TO MAKE HOME HAPPY. 463 duties and to busy themselves daily with some useful occupation are far happier than those in which the children are required to do notliing. There are a great many ways in which childish fingers and child- ish skill may contribute to the adornments of home. Little girls and boys at an early age may be taught the arts of worsted embroidery, card-board work, tidy- making, and the like. Boys of ten and twelve may learn to manage a scroll saw and do beautiful work with it ; to cultivate small fruits and flowers, and thus contribute to the common fund of enjoyment. There is a great deal of wliat is called drudgery to be done in this world, and it is good for a child to learn to bear this yoke in his youth ; but the yoke should be proportioned to his strength. While regu- lar work may be allotted him in the nature of drudg- ery, he should also have what may with propriety be termed play- work. The wise parent may contrive that this play-work shall be tasks a little above the capacity of the child to perform ; as, for instance, allowing a little girl, as a reward for doing plain sewing neatly, to try a bit of fajicy work ; or for washing dishes quickly and well, to make a loaf of cake. In this way boys and girls may be instructed at their own motion in almost all the arts of house- hold industry. It is an excellent plan to make the 4G1 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEKPING. tasks of boys and girls to some extent interchange- able ; to teach the boys how to cook, wash dishes, wash and iron ; to have the girls split the wood, work in the garden, take care of the cow and liorsc. This mutual acquaintance with each other's duties makes both parties appreciative, forbearing, and jjaticnt with each other, both when they are young and when tliey are grown to maturity. If the wife knew just liow worn and tired the husband is at the close of a day of toil, she would more readily forget her own fatigue in trying to soothe his. If the husband knew what it is to be all day over the ironing table or the cook- stove, with babies to care for and constant calls here and there interrupting the tasks in hand, he would be sympathetic and tender rather than fault-finding and morose. Perfect mutual understanding is tlie grand preservative of peace in every home. Then again, in these days of mutation, enterprise, and progress, it is not possible to foresee what variety of accomplishment may be demanded by the exigen- cies of life. Many a delicately nurtured woman is called on to assume all tlic labor and responsil)ilities of both father and mother to her family. Many a man is thrown into circumstances wliere the knowl- edge of what are considered feminine tasks may prove his salvation. So far as mav be, we would have the HOW TO MAKE HOME HAPPY. 465 sexes educated together, both in schools and families, so that each may be well fitted to supplement and aid the other in all the labors of life ; so that each may- bear the other's burden, and thus make 11 fb one long, happy day of mutual ministration and mutual helpful- ness. It is not possible for too close an intimacy to exist between parents and children. From very early years children may be so taken into the counsels of their parents and feel themselves so identified with all the family interests, that they will be ready to sacrifice their personal desires for the family good, and that the good of the whole family shall be dearer to each than any mere personal gratification. The text of family life is given us by St. John : " Little children, love one another," but more specifically by St. Paul : " That the members should have the same care one for anotlier. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honored, all the members rejoice in it." This is a high ideal of family life, but is it an impossible one ? It implies, in the first place, that the husband and wife are dearer than self to each other, that children are received with thanksgiving as the most precious gifts of God, and that they are loved, not blindly, but with due regard to their best temporal and eternal interests. 466 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. The questions connected with family government require of every parent serious and careful considera- tion. The enforcement of the fifth commandment and of the precepts of the New Testament with respect to the submission of children to their parents are essential to the happiness of home ; yet this may be accomplished, and should be accomplished, in the spirit of love. The parent is to the child in the place of God, and the child is taught love to God and obedi- ence to God first by being taught love and obedience to his parents. By the time a child is five years old its moral natui-e should be so developed by instruction in the Scriptures and parental training that )io physi- cal punishment for disobedience or misdemeanor should be necessary. Children of all ages love recreation, and ample means of enjoyment should be provided to gratify this natural love. Play is as necessary as labor, as neces- sary as food for the liarmonious development and sus- tenance of the physical and intellectual nature. Men and women who do nothing but work break down or grow wooden and lifeless ; children who have no plays grow np dull and stolid. Far from repressing the spirit of fun-making and merriment in our families, we need to cultivate it as an antidote to the intense HOW TO MAKE HOME HAPPY. 467 practicalism and laboriousness of the generation now living. The intelligent love and nsc of books is essential to the ideally happy liome. As a safeguard against the allurements of vice, there is none more effectual than a love for the writings of noble and learned men. He who has this need never want for the best society. No mother who has carefully formed in her son a taste for wholesome, nutritious, skillfully-cooked and dainti- ly-served food, fears that when away from her he will voluntarily eat that which is unhealtliful and unclean. No mother who has carefully formed in her son a taste for pure, elevating, and noble literature, need fear that he will find pleasure in society that is de- basing, either of men, women, or books. Knowledge is the food and clothing of the mind, and as we lay in stores of food and clothing for the body, so should we provide for the demands of that part of our nature which is not physical ; to which the physical is but a minister. A happy home comes not by accident or chance. It must be built with care and skill at eveiy stage, and being built, it needs constant care and renewal to keep it in perfect condition. Whatever openings there may be in the future, in art, in politics, in the profes- sions and trades, for woman, the time will never come 468 THE PHILOSOPHY OP HOUSE-KEEPING. when it will not be her highest and holiest function to preside at the home circle, and to be the center from which all that is dearest to the heart of humanity radiates. "No office can compare in importance with that of training the child," and she who " undertakes so to mingle the earthly and celestial elements of in- struction for that child's soul that lie shall be fitted to discharge all duties below and to enjoy all blessings above" — herself needs preparation for the work. Therefore, in the training of boys and girls, direct and constant reference should be continually had to preparing them for becoming good husbands, good wives, good fathers, good mothers, so that each may in turn become the centers of ideal homes, and whether they marry or remain single, their presence in the domestic circle may bring suushiue and glad- ness. TABLE SETTING AND SERVING. 469 CHAPTER XXVI. TABLE SETTING AND SERVING. The dinner-table is the test of refinement in every family. Here skill, taste, and culture combine to produce the flower of domestic and social refinement. We have volumes of " Table Talk " by the learned, the literary, the wise ones, who are never so brilliant, so interesting, so overflowing with wit and wisdom, as when every sense is stimulated and gratified by the delights of the festive board. The culmination of physical, domestic, and social enjoyment is found in the daily reunions at the table. The dining-room should be cheerful, cool in sum- mer, with a bright carpet, walls of a warm, cheerful tint, hung with pictures, and with flowers in the windows. An oval table gives the finest effects when tastefully set, and it should be so adjusted that the folds of the. table-clotli will be exactly parallel with the sides of the room. A table out of line is a great offense to all persons wlio have a correct eye for par- allel lines. The cloth should be clean, white, and nicely ironed. For daily use, and to prevent stray crumbs and drops of tea and coffee from soiling the cloth, scarlet and white napkins may be laid under 40 470 THE PllILOSOPIiY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. each plate. These give a warm and bright appear- ance to the table, and by their use much laundry work may be saved. Whether the napcry is coarse or fine, the tableware of silver and china or of dclf, is of far less consequence than that both be scrupulously clean and arranged in set order. In most American fami- lies, the dinner consists of two courses : the first cora^ prising meats and vegetables, the second, puddings or ^ome other kind of dessert. In setting the table for such a dinner, the plates are usually put in one pile at the head of the table. At the place of each diner is a napkin, a glass, a small plate for butter, two knives and forks, and if soup is served, a spoon. The napkin, which should be unstarched, may have a roll laid upon it, but it is more usual to serve the bread upon one plate and pass it round. Queen Victoria set the fashion of putting the whole loaf on the table with a bread-knife beside it, and having each guest served according to his request. Between every third plate there should be a small saltcellar, and at oppo- site sides of the table, butter, pepper, and sauces. In the center of the table should stand a vase of flowers or fruit, and if there is room on the table, the dessert may be arranged around it. If tliere is not room, the dessert will set on the sideboard or a side table until it is served. Soup is always given out by the hostess. TABLE SETTING AND SERVING. 471 fish by the host, unless there are two kinds, when he serves the boiled fish, and she the fried. At the top of the table is placed the roast, at the bottom the stew. "Wlicn there is one principal dish, it is served by the host. If there are three, one is placed before him, the others opposite each other near the bottom of the table. Vegetables and other dishes occupy positions between tlie principal dishes. When dessert is served, every dish lioldingfood is removed from the table, except those containing bread and butter, and the crumbs are brushed from the cloth. Glass dishes for fruit should be used if pos- sible. Puddings and pies are generally served by the liostess. When coffee and tea are served, they are placed in a waiter at the end of the table occupied by the hostess, the coffee cups and saucers at her right, those lor tea at her left. The slop-basin and milk-pitcher are at her right, the cream and sugar at her left. In front of her are the tea and coffee, in urns or pots, where they are not likely to burn the hands of those sitting near. The very look of a well-set table is appetizing, and when, in addition to this, the food is skillfully prepared, the air of the dining-room is sweet, the walls are dec- orated with pictures, the chairs are comfortable, the 472 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. hostess is lovely, swect-voicccl, and hospitable, the most languid appetite is stimulated, and every sense is gratified. In some of the best families in the South, breakfasi and tea are always served without a cloth, on a liand- somely-polishcd mahogany or black-walnut table. Under each plate is a napkin, fringed and worked in cross-stitch with scarlet cotton wdicrc the fringe ends. Mats of white crochet with scarlet edges receive the dishes and contrast handsomely with the dark bright- ness beneath them. A great deal depends on the mistress of the house as to wliether refinement and propriety sliall give the law to the talkie, or grossness and vulgarity prevail at meal-time. If she is exact in the observance of table punctilio, if the most scrupulous cleanliness, order, and punctuality is insisted on by her in the prepara- tion and serving of the meals, a law of politeness and style will be imposed on those who partake of the viands before them. At a dinner-party, it is said that tlie number of per- sons should never bo less than tliat of the Graces or more than that of the Muses. Brillat Savarin fixes the limit at twelve, and these "should be so selected that their occupations shall he varied, their tastes analogous, and witli such points of copJact that there shall be no necessity for the odious formality of pre- TABLE SETTING AND SERVING. 473 sentations." Invitations to dinner-parties are sent a week or ten days beforehand, and designate the day and hour on which the party is to take place. They should be answered immediately, so that the dinner- giver may be able to count upon her guests. Full evening costume is worn at dinner-parties, and the host and hostess are careful not to outshine their guests in the matter of dress. Etiquette requires strict punctuality to the dinner-hour. The guests are received in the drawing-room by the host and hostess, and address the latter first ; introductions are made if any present are strangers to each other, but if this is not done there should be no hesitation on the part of any one guest about conversing with all the others as occasion offers. When dinner is announced, the host gives Ids rigid arm to the chief lady guest and leads her to a place at the table on his riglit, the hostess takes the arm of the chief gentleman guest and gives him the place on her right, she being opposite her husband at the table. The rest follow according to age, and are so seated that each gentleman has a lady on either side. At wedding and formal breakfasts, the bride and bridegroom lead tlic procession to the breakfast- table, and are followed by the rest, according to rank and age. 40* 474 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. CHAPTER XXYII. WASHING — IRONING — HOUSE-CLEANING. The weekly cleansing of the family linen brings the hardest day's work of the week to the house- keeper. Monday is the American wash-day, but in many respects there is no doui)t that Tuesday would be a much better day, especially for those women who do their own work. On Monday the supply of food cooked on Saturday is well-nigh used up, and the house-mother must either stop her work long enough to prepare a comfortable breakfast and dinner, or set before herself and her family the scraps that may be left over from Sunday. The latter, as is well known, is the usual alternative adopted, for Monday dinners are proverbial. Yet there is no day in the week when the housekeeper needs to take more comfort in eating than on washing day. Some ambitious women pride themselves on getting their clothes all out Ijy " sun-up ; " but long observa- tion convinces us that this practice is unwise. To rise at three or four o'clock in the morning, when the electrical conditions of the air are most depressing, to work on an empty stomach three or four hours, or upon a full meal taken at tliat hour of llic niglit, por- WASHING — lilONING — HOUSE-CLEANING. 475 duces far more fatigue and exhaustion than results from conducting the process after aii early breakfast has been taken. The facilities for washing, in the form of washing- machines, wringers, detersive soaps, and bleaching fluids, have robbed washing-day of many of its terrors. Not only so, they save their own cost many times over in preventing the wear of fabric that was inevitable under the old system of rubbing clothes on the wash- board, and thus make the labor of the seamstress in- definitely less ; for clothes washed by the liest ma- chines are not W'Orn out while passing through the cleansing process. The ease with which the labors of washing-day may be performed depends largely upon the skill with winch the campaign is planned. As white flannels require special treatment to keep them white, soft, and unshrunken, it is well to wash them first, and have them drying upon the line before any other of the clothes are wet. They should be put into strong boil- ing-hot suds, washed till clean, then passed quickly through the wringer, plunged into scalding w^ater till thoroughly rinsed and scalded, then passed again through the wringer and hung at once upon the line to dry. If two tablespoonfuls or more of s]iirits of ammonia are added to the suds in which they are 476 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. washed, llic cleansing will be quicker and more per- fect, and it" Ijluing is added to tlie water in wliicli lluy are scalded, their wliiteness will be presei'ved. Cleansed in this way, all-woul tiauncls will retain their whiteness and their texture until they are quite worn out. The soap used in washing flannels should not have a particle of rosin in it, as rosin hardens tho fibres of wool. The white clothes, if convenient, should be put to soak in wai'ni water over-night, the nicer portion by themselves, and those coarser and dirtier by themselves. If the water they are put to soak in is hard, borax should be added to soften it, and a fow drops of am- monia to dissolve the dirt in the clothes and make it come out easily. So soon as the flannels are on the line the fine white clothes should be washed and put over the fire to scald, then the coarser clothes ; after- ward, the colored clothes may be washed. It is a good plan to put to soak all clothes that will not fade or shrink, as this saves much time and labor in cleansing them. A great deal of the clearness and whiteness of linen and muslin depends upon the rins- ing. The last water should l)e entirely clear, and free from all soapiness, as this will inevitably turn clothes yellow. Wo have found, too, that the dryer clothes are wrung when hung upon the line the clearer they are. WASHIiVG — IRONING — HOUSE-CLEANING. 477 In warm weather, tlie white clothes, instead of being scalded, may be laid in the sun on the grass and bleached clean. Many families in the South u^e no hot water in washing from May to October, yet keep their linen snow-white by bleaching. We have tried this method for years together, both South and North, with unvarying success. It is an excellent plan to have a drying-room for use in Winter and in stormy weather. More women take cold in Winter while hanging out clothes, than at any other one time. They leave the hot, steamy wash-tub, and often with sleeves rolled to the elbow, and only partially protected from the cold, go out to hang up clothes, and by this exposure lay the founda- tion of diseases, — coughs, rheumatisms, and the like, — that last them all their lives. Then, a drying-room makes it possible for washing to be done on a regular day without regard to the weather; and during Spring and Fall, when the winds are high, it saves great wear and tear to the clothes. When the clothes are dry, if the person who takes them from the line will put the starched clothes together, fold the sheets, towels, and such plain articles smoothly, instead of cramming them heterogeneously into the clothes-basket, the ironing will be made much easier. It is cnstomary with most housekeepers to starch 478 THK IMIILO ^OI'IIV OK llOUoE-KEEPIXG. clothes "wlicii they come from the last rinse water. The starch is made by dissolving a half cnpful, more or less, of starch in cold water, pouring boiling water on the mixture until it is of the proper consistency, boiling it for a minute, adding a little soap, or white wax, or butter, or gum arable, or a lump of white sugar, to keep it from sticking. If shirt-bosoms are starched on the right side, they will not blister when ironing. A few hours before they are ironed, they should be dipped in thin cold starch, and rolled tightly. If they are to be polished, they should be ironecT in the usual way, then laid on a piece of smooth Iward, with a single cover of old muslin over it, a moist cloth passed over them, and then I'ubbcd wnth the polishing iron. This may be bought at almost any hardware store for a dollar, or less. In ironing, much labor may be saved by the follow- ing process. Spread down on the ironing sheet the sheets, pillow-cases, towels, and all goods that can be folded smoothly, the largest at tlie bottom. Then begin and iron the top piece, fold it and lay it by, iron the next one, and so on. While ironing each piece, the one below is partially smoothed, and all below are, in effect, " mangled." At first, the depth of cloth is a little embarrassing, but it becomes less and less so, and those who are accustomed to this method of i WASHING — IRONING HOUSE-CLEANING. 479 smoothing clothes cannot be induced to try any other. There is scarcely any work more fatiguing than iron- ing, as it requires one to stand in the same position for hours together. A high, broad-seated chair may be used to great advantage by the ironer, and if a child can fetch and carry the flatirons to and from tlie stove, much weariness will be saved the housekeeper. Twice a year, in Spring and Fall, the task of house- cleaning claims attention. By skillful management on the part of the mistress of the house, very much of the confusion and disorder incident to this semi- annual labor may be avoided. There should always be one room kept free fi-om invasion, where the family may rest in peace. " From the top down, from the front back," is the rule among good housekeepers. Begin first and put all tlie trunks, bureaus, and chests in the house in order. Then commence in tlie attic, clean and arrange that ; in each room begin with the closets. Then take down the pictures, wipe them clean and lay them away, all ready to go up again. Move out the furniture, take up the carpet, sweep the floor. Then wipe down the Avails with a broom wrapped in a soft cloth. Hard-finished Avails may be washed ; spots can be removed from them by rubbing with pumice stone. Clean the paint, tack the carpet down, wipe the furniture, or,' if necessary, wash it in 480 THE PHILOSOPHY OF IIOUSL-KKKPIXO. soapsuds, wipe dry and rul) with a cloth wot with kerosene. This evaporates very (piiekly, and tlic odor soon passes away. Ammonia-water cleans paint very nicely, or a soft cloth dipped in wliiting will answer. Cold tea is the best thing for washing grained and varnished doors and casings. Bedsteads should be taken apart, washed in hot soapsuds, and their crevices filled with insect-powder, pulverized alum, salt, or washed witli corrosive sublimate, or with salt and kerosene. A dirty bedstead is one of the native breeding-places of the bed insect, and though by acci- dent this pest may get into one's house, it can stay there only when the housekeeper is careless as to its extermination. It is well to clean one room at a time, and put it all to rights, before beginning on another. When kalsomining and painting are to be done, the room should be first emptied, then cleaned, then kalso- mined, then painted. If the walls are inclined to be damp, a solution of two-thirds of a pound of Castile soap to a gallon of water laid on as a wash, and next day followed by another Avash of alum-water — two ounces dissolved in a gallon — will cure the inconve- nience and prevent any recurrence of it. Various I'ecipes for cleansing, kalsomining, etc., will be found at the end of this volume. MISCELLANEOUS. 461 CHAPTER XXIX. MISCELLANEOUS. The wife and mother may properly be considered as tlie custodian of the happiness and physical well- being of her family. Ignorance of or inattention to the fundamental laws of life, health, and harmless pleasure, results in the positive discomfort and some- times the serious illness of those dearest to her, and most dependent on her care. Inattention, for example, to the prime necessity of furnishing to every person in the house an abun- dance of fresh air, at all times in the day and niglit, — in how many thousand instances has it been the means of undermining the constitutions of young children, and inflicting upon an entire household serious inconvenience and discomfort ! The same may be said of indifference to the diet and clothing of children. So, also, with respect to beds and bedding. As by an imperative law of nature, one- third of an existence is passed in a state of uncon- sciousness or semi-consciousness, how important is it that everything which can conduce to our comfort and well-being, and make the hours of sleep answer 40 482 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. tbcir original end, should be thoughtfully anticipated and carefully secured ! In a former chapter, the importance of ventilating all })arts of a house, and especially the sleeping- rooms, has been fully discussed. ]\Iuch has been urged by a certain class of hygi- enical writers on the sui3erior advantages of a hard bed. It is said by those authors that half the ills that flesh is heir to may be averted by refusing meat, eating coarse bread, and sleeping on a straAV pallet. While strenuously advocating strict obedience to the laws of health, Ave beg leave to withhold our admiration from a system that so much resembles prison discipline. In advocating the use of a comfortable bed, we are sure that health not less than mere enjoyment is jis etiectually secured as by a diet which is at once palatable and wholesome. Here, as elsewhere, the true philosophy of life consists in securing, con- jointly Avitli the highest degree of health, the largest amount of happiness, and the greatest lunnber of pleasurable sensations. The happiest regulation of the tabic is that where conformity with sound rules of health is imited with well-flavored cook- er}', and a tasteful arrangement of all the appoint- ments and surroundin2:s of a dinini>-room. So, MISCELLANEOUS. 483 also, with respect to beds and sleeping apartments. An arrangement which secures compliance with the rules of hygiene, and at the same time restores the wearied frame, soothes the distracted nerves, repair- ing all the wastes of life, and knitting up "the rav- elled sleeve of care," is not one of the luxuries which wealth only can furnish. Modest means, employed with judgment, taste, and skill, may se- cure these results as perfectly beneath the lowly cottage roof as imder the shining cupola of the palace. In primitive times, our grandmothers considered a bed comfortable when upon a network of cords was placed a straw tick, and upon that a thick feather bed, spread with coverings appropriate to the season. Upon a cold winter's night this ar- rangement was certainly not uncomfortable ; but for any temperature above the freezing-point such a couch is decidedly objectionable. Tlie difficulty with a corded bedstead is, that it wnll always settle more or less in the middle, and form a valley, or hollow, into which the sleeper rolls. Feathers are the softest, though not the most elastic, of any of the materials in common use for beds. The objec- tion to their use is, that the person sinks into a downy and yielding mass which promotes and at the same time absorbs perspiration till it becomes 484 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING, lojided with cfletc animal matter not easily removed. An indolent and languid habit of body is thus in- duced Avhich counteracts to a great degree the re- freshment sought in sleep. To such an extent have feathers been, of late }'ears, discarded, that they cannot be said to be in general use, except for pil- lows and bolsters, for Avhich purpose no pleasant substitute can be found. Yet such have been the resources of modern invention that oin* couches are fully as comfortable as they were a century ago, and far more healthful. Tlie network of cords has been to a great extent abandoned, and springs substituted in its place. Straw is still used ; but feathers have given place to mattresses filled "with wool, hair, cotton, husks, l^ahii-leaf, oak splits, and Spanish moss. The order in which these materials are named is that of expensiveness and comfort, a good wool mattress being at once the most costly and the most desirable for all seasons. Hair ranks next to wool, and is the substance of which most first-class beds are composed. Husks, palm-leaf, and oak splits make beds which are about alike in softness, and all equally wholesome and durable. Probably there is no material which makes so economical and at the same time so comfortable a bed as husks, or shucks, as they are called in some parts of the coun- MISCELLANEOUS. 485 liy. Tlie}^ have also the advantage of being very easily obtained ; so that almost 3very house-keeper in the country can prepare and make her own beds, at a very small expense. The labor of children may be successfully employed in sorting and splitting the shucks, and removing all ends and fragments of the stalk that are found adhering. A mattress- needle may be purchased for twenty-five cents. The cost of ten 3^ards of ticking is from three to five dollars, according to the quality ; so that, by labor that would otherwise be unproductive, or nearly so, and an expenditure of about four dol- lars, almost any house-keeper can readily produce a mattress comfortable, durable, new, fresh, and wholesome. It must be admitted, however, that only w^ool and hair mattresses make an entirely comfortable bed without either springs beneath them or a softer sub- stance above. The ordinary spiral coils, which make the best springs, may be obtained at any upholstery estab- lishment, at about seventy-five cents per dozen, and five dozen are sufficient for the longest bed. A per- son moderately skilled in the use of tools can bore the holes, and fasten them to the slats of an ordi- nary bedstead. With proper usage, they will last a lifetime. 486 THE PHILOSOPHY OP HOUSE-KEEPING. Thus it may be seen that, by the exercise of a little skill and thrift, a family may, at a very trifling expense, be provided with beds in the last degree pleasant, refreshing, and healthful. In cold weather, a thin feather bed or a light cotton or wool mattress spread upon the shuck mattress, upon springs, will conduce to the warmth and ai^-reeableness of the couch. With regard to the bolster of a bed, it is as fre- quent, perhaps, to err on the side of fulness as in the opposite direction. The design of a bolster is to raise the head so as to be on a line with the spine, as it is when a person is standing. If the support of the head is so thick as to turn the head up, when lying on one's side, the efiect is as pain- ful as sleeping without a pillow or bolster. Men with broad and high shoulders require fuller bolster- ing under their heads than a lady or child. One large pillow will generally be found sufficient to se- cure the most comfortable attitude. A bolster of moderate thickness, and a jjillow of the usual size, will secure the same result. If feathers cannot be obtained for the stuffing of bolsters and pillows, hair is found to be a very good substitute for one, and cotton or wool for the other. The soldier, fatigued by a long march, may find a knapsack, a pair of boots, or even a brickbat soft cnouirh to secure for MISCELLANEOUS. • 487 him sound sleep ; but in the ordhuuy walks of life the experience of the majority of mankind is, that, tiie conscience being clear, and other circumstances propitious, the softer the pillow the sweeter the sleep. As to the covering of beds, vastl}- more depends on the quality than the quantity of the clothing used. The object to be attained is a sufficient de- gree of warmth with the least possible weight of bed- clothes. In cold weather it is difficult and often impossible to enjoy the most comfortable and the most refreshing sleep under a pile of common thin quilts ; and if a great number are iiscd, their Aveight will be oppressive. A double rose-blanket, thick and warm, is the most perfect covering for a bed in cold weather. Xo other substance will compare with tine wool in the property of retaining warmth, and yet feeling light and agreeable. If a double blanket is too expensive, a single one will be found less charming, indeed, but far better than to allow a quilt or comfort to come next the upper sheet. But if a lady is ambitious to fit up a nice bed, where the conditions of the most comfort- able and refreshing sleep may be secured for regu- lar members of her family, or for her guests, let 488 TiiR piiiLOsoPHr of house-keeping. fier not rest content "with any arrangement short of a set of spiral springs under a good mattress, and a double rose blanket for covering. As, however, the great majority of people sleep under what are known as " comforts," or two sheets of calico with a layer of cotton matting between, it may be well to remark, that one of these articles that is thick is better fan two thin comforts or quilts. The preference that so many house-keepers show for linen sheets, rather than cotton, is not supported by sound rules of health. In the chapter on mate- rials of clothing, the advantages of cotton over linen are fully discussed. Sheets of fine bleached cotton, costing not more than half as much as linen, are more comfortable in cool weather, nearly as much so in warm, are washed and ironed with greater fa- cility, and are wholly unobjectionable on grounds of health. Linen retains its whiteness longer than cot- ton, is somewhat more durable, and in the hottest weather is cool and soothing to the touch. But for pillow-slips, linen is decidedly, and at all times preferable, being whiter, pleasanter to the touch, smoother, and more lasting. The more perfectly free of absorbed animal matters all the articles of bed-clothing are kept, the more comfortable and luxurious, as well as wholesome, will be the couch. MISCELLANEOUS. 489 This is especially true of blankets, which cannot be too frequently or thoroughly exposed to fresh air. Even those made of the finest wool, if constantly used without careful airing, will cease to afford that delicious warmth, and to be the luxurious covering that they are when new. When washed, they should be dried as rapidly as possible, and the nap raised by going over them with a fine and short- toothed wool-card. By this means, the newness of feeling may be retained in blankets and other woollens as long as they are worn, and their warmth greatly increased. When sheets are perfectly dried and laid away from the ironing table, if sprigs of lavender, or some other pleasant perfume, as little perfume bags of powdered orris-root, are laid between their folds, the luxury of the bed will be very much increased. If they are commonly kept in a deep drawer, a few drops of the oil of lavender poured on the wood will penetrate the linen and perfume it sufiiciently. By such inexpensive and tasteful arts, the happi- ness and refinement of a home, and the enjoyment of all its inmates, are greatly enhanced. Another important respect in which the lady of the house finds the cheerfulness and comfort of her home, especially under her control, is in the selec- tion and management of stoves and fuel. 490 THE PHILOSOPHY of h ju.se-kf.epixg. Ill nil parts of the c(Mintiy, where fuel is abun- dant, and of moderate price, there is no reason why the luxury of an open lire in the sitting-room of a family should not be indulged in. On many a flour- ishing farm, where from twenty to fifty cords of wood are sold yearlj', the wife and daughters will be found for six months in close companionship with a small, square cast-iron box, stamped with strange patterns, and filling the room Avith a volume of close, scorched air, the sole recommendation of which is that it keeps the atmosphere at a high tem- perature. The allowance of an extra cord of oak or hickory would have afforded this family a cheer- ful, open fire, in a grate or a Franklin stove, casting a ruddy glow to every corner of the room, main- taining a constant supply of fresh air, and changing entirely the tone and the comfort of the apartment. It is impossible for any close stove, no matter how ornate its pattern or how perfectly it may utilize the gases of wood or coal, a;id apply them to heat- ing the apartment, to rival an open fire in cheer- fulness, comfort and health. The economy of consuming a cord of wood less in a season by the use of cheap and fuel-saving stoves is not true thrift. It is penny wise and pound foolish. The cookinij-stove has been brousht, iu America, to a wonderful degree of jjerfection. But for warm- MISCELLANEOUS. 491 mg apartments, where cooking is not carried on, it is doubtful whether, in the hundred and twenty years since Franklin gave his drawings to his friend, the iron foundo^-, we have made any true advance. In families where a strict and searching parsimony is necessary in every department of expense, it may be fortunate that ten dollars Avill set np, in the spare room, an arrangement for heating the air; but if a generous spirit can be indulged anywhere, let it be in making the fireside a place of brightness and cheer, Avhere a ruddy flame is reflected from pol- ished brass, where, of a Avinter's night, the oak back-log hisses, and the hickory fore-stick glows till an infectious warmth pervades the family circle, and January seems no less joyful than June. The question of the kind of fuel to be purchased is one that varies with every locality, and Avith changes in the means of transportation. At mod- erate distances from the mines, nothing will compare with hard coal for 3'ielding the largest amount of heat from a given weight of fuel. There is no great difference between a cord of seasoned hard wood, and a ton of anthracite, for family use. The heat of anthracite is more concentrated, and often greater than the comfort of an apartment, or the necessities of cooking, require. If used with 492 THE PHILOSOPHY OF HOUSE-KEEPING. care and skill, a ton of hard coal can he made to go much farther tlian any cord of wood. An almost imivcrsal error, in the use of this kind of coal, con- sists in the practice of filliijg a stove full, and al- lowing it to consume slowly for several hours. In this way, a large amount of heat-producing gas is driven ofl*, and passes up the flue without being ig- nited. Where the draft is checked, and coal-gas thrown into the room, the result is, in the highest deut in tlie a])ples, iii;d let tlicin cook slowly until tender and clear, then remove them with a spoon, -'o as not to break them. Boil down the syrup till just enough i? lett tor APPENDIX. 531 rhc pies. When cold, put the apple-! in tlic plate, around which a double rim ot" puff paste liaj bcc^u placed, bru.vh it ail with the white of an egg, and tin wh'.te sugar over it. Bake till done. Apple Pie (3). Qiiarler, peel, and core a^s many apples as 30U want; put them in pas"e in a tin pan or plate ; add sugar and spice to taste, and set into a warm oven. Twenty minutes af.er, make a few holes in the top crust to let the vapor out, and return to the oven till done. Some kind of apples require longer than others to cook. Dust the pic with sugar when you take it from the oven, and serve either hot or cold. Any other fruit pies are made in the same way. Pumpkin Pie. Peel the pumpkin, and take out the seeds, tlien ste# in as little water as possible, and strain thi'ough a colander or sieve. Allow thi'ee or four eggs to a quart of milk, or, if eggs are scarce, one egg to a pie will do. Sweeten with sugar or molasses, and sea- son with ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little salt. Bake without an upper crust in a hot oven until the centre of the pie is raised in an arch. It will settle back when cool. Carrot Pies are made like pumpkin pies. Peel or scrape, stew and sift through a sieve. Squash Pies are made like pumpkin pies. Custard Pie. Allow three well-beaten eggs to a pint of milk, in which a stick of cinnamon or a bit of lemon-peel has been boiled. Add a little salt and nutmeg, and pour the custard into a deep plate lined with thick paste. Bake one hour or till done. Potato Pie. Peel and boil Irish or sweet potatoes, and strain them through a sieve. Add to four ounces of potato one quart of milk and four eggs, with sugar and flavoring to taste. Cocoanut Pie. Grate the white part ot the cocoanut ; mix it with milk, and let it simmer ten minutes over the fire. Allow a quart of milk to a pound of cocoanut. Beat eight eggs thoroughly, and mix them with fear tablespoonfuls of white sugar and a glass of wine. Then stir this into the milk ; add two teaspoonfuls of melted butter, a small cracker, and half a nutmeg. Turn the whole into deep pie- plates lined with paste. Bake immediately. Cocoainu Cheese Cakes. Stew till tender six ounces of grated co- coanut and six ounces of white sugar with two tablespoonfuls of cocoanut milk. When coo!, add live eggs, beaten to a froth, and strained, and the grated rind of half a lemon. Line patty-pans with paste, put in the mixture, and bake from twelve to fifteen minutes- 5o2 APPENDIX. LciiKM Cheese Cakes. Kusp tlie rind of a Icinon witli four ounces of fine sugar, then crush and mix it wuh the yoilis of three eggs and h.uf the whites, wcil beaten. Mix these together thoroiigh.y, and add tour tal)lesi)oonfiils of cream, four ounces melted bult^'r, the juice of the lemon, strained, and stirred in quickly by degrees ; a little orange-tiower brandy. Line some patty-pans with thin paste, pour on the mixture, and bake half an lionr in a moderate oven. Lemon Pie (1). Grate the rind of two lemons; peel off the white skin, and chop the lemon up fine. Add two cups of sugar, beat up two eggs, and stir it all together. Bake in a pan, with under and upper crust of thin paste, about twenty minutes. Lemoit Pk {-). Koll and cut one lemon; add one-half cup of mo- lasses, the same of sugar, one tablespoonful of flour, and one cup of water. Mix well, and boil all together. When cold, pour into a pan lined with pa.ste. This makes one pie, and must be baked thoroughly. Lemon Pic (o). Grate the rind of one lemon, and mix with it one cup and a half of sugar, one cup of water, the juice cf the lemon, and thicken the whole with one tablespoonful of flour. When cold, add the beaten yolks of three eggs. Line a pan with paste, put in the mixture, and bake. When nearly done, spread over it the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth, and mixed with a tablespoonful of white sugar. This makes one small pie. Lemon Pie (4). Dissolve one tablespoonful of corn starch in a little cold water, and jjour on it a cupful of boiling water ; when it boils up pour it on to one cup of sugar and a teaspoonful of butter. When cool, add one egg, well beaten, and the peel and juice of one Jemon. This is a very palatable and cheap pie when truit is scarce. Mince Pies (1). Three and a half pounds of good chopped beef, a pound of suet, three and a half pounds of raisins, half of them stoned and chopped, the other half left whole ; the same quantity of currants as of raisins, seven pounds of chopped apples, one pound of candied citron cut in thin slices, two pounds of sugar, one ounce of nutmegs, one quart Madeira wine, one pint best brandy, one pint golden syrup or best molasses. These ingredients, put down in a close jar, will keep all winter. Cider mav be substituted for the wine and brandy. Mince Pies (2). Minee finely eight large apples, a pound and a half of stoned raisins, half a pound of orange-peel, a pound and a half of fresh beef. Mix with these, four ounces of sweet almonds, ]iound- ed to a paste with a little wine, half a grated nutmeir, a quarter of an ounce of pepper, a little clove and a little pounded cinnamon, one APPENDIX. 533 pound of brown sugar, and a pint of wine or brandy. Mix these ingredients thorouglily, and pack down closely m stone jars, carefully covered. Mince Pies (3). Take a neat's tongue, rub it with salt, and let it lie three or four days, then boil it till a broom straw will go through, skin, and mince line. With this, mix two pounds of fresh sirloin beef, boiled tender and chopped fine ; two pounds of raisins, stoned and chopped ; half an ounce of mace, quarter of an ounce of cloves, tlie same of black pepper, a large nutmeg, four pounds of apples chopped fine, one pound of brown sugar, and half a pint of sj.rup or good molasses. Pack it in jars. When made into pies, add citron cut fine, wine or cider, and preserved orange-peel. The syrup of pre- served pickles, cherries, and strawberries enriches and improves juince pies. ADDITIONAL MISCELLANEOUS RLCIPES. To cook Muccaroni. Simmer a quarter of a pound of maccaroni in plenty of water, until it is tender. Strain off the water, and add a pint of milk or cream, an ounce of grated cheese, and a teaspoonful of salt. Mix well together, and strew over the top two ounces of grated cheese and crumbs of bread. Brown it well in baking, on the top. It will bake in half an hour. Pickled Walnuts. Take a hundred nuts, an ounce each of cloves, allspice, nutmeg, whole pepper, race ginger and horseradish, half a pmt of mustard seed, tied in a bag, and four cloves of garlic. Wipe the nuts, prick with a pin, and put them in a pot, sprinkling the spice ever them as you lay them in. Add two tablespoonfuls of salt. Boil vinegar enough to cover them and pour it over the nuts and spice. Cover the jar close and in a year the pickles will be ready for use. Scotch Marmahide. Take equal quantities in weight of Seville oranges and loaf sugar ; cut the oranges into halves, take out the pulps, and put the rinds into cold water; boil them till tender, changing the water once or twice, and when cold remove the white from the ]:eel ; mash the orange pulps and squeeze it through a cloth, adding a little water the second time or squeezing ; then shred the peel fine, add the juice and sugar, and boil fwcnty minutes over a slow fii-e. To cook Pigpom. Stuff them like turkeys, put them in a pot breast downwards, and cover them with salted water an inch above the top, 534 APPENDIX. and simmer them two honr'^ if teiKL'r nnd thrt^e if tough. "When nearly done, stir in a bit of Ijut er the size of a goose egg, for every dozen pigeons. Take them up and add a little flour paste to the gravy, with salt and pepj)er, pour some of it over them and juit the rest in a gravy dish. Stniwhernj Vincyar. Put four pounds very ripe strawberries, nicely dressed, to three quarts of the best vinegar, and let them stand three or four days. Then drain the vinegar through a jelly-bag, and j.c^ur it on to the same quantity- of fruit. Repeat the process in three d.iys a third time. Then to eaeli pound of liquor thus obtained, add one pound of white sugar. Bottle it and let it stand covered but not tight corked, a week, then cork it tightly, and set it in a dry, cool place, where it will not frieze. Raspbcny vinegar can be made in the same way. Milk Lemonade. Pour a pint of boiling water on to six ounces of loaf-sugar, add a quarter of a pint of lemon juice and half the quan- tity of good sherry wine. Then add thrce-iiuarti r : of a pint of cold milk and strain the whole to make it nice and clear. Wi7ie Whiy Set half a pint of milk in a pan over the fire and pour into it, when hot, port or sherry wine, stirring it all the time, until the curd separates from the whey and gathers into a ball on the side of the dish. This is a very palatable, nourishing and harmless drink for invalids. Oyster Sauce. Take a pint of oyster juice, add a little salt and pep- per, and a stick of mace, boll it ii\ c minutes, then add two teaspoon- fuls of flour, wet up in h ilf a teacup of milk. Let this boil two minutes, then put in the oysters and a l)it of butter the size of an egg. In two minutes it will be done and should be taken up. Cold Cream. With two ounces of oil of almonds mix one ounce of spermaceti, one drachm of white wax, melt them togetlier and per- fume with rose-water. Cologne Water. One drachm each, oil of lavender, oil of lemon, oil of rosemary and oil of cinnamon. Add two drachms oil of bcr- gamot, mix in a vial and add a pint of alcohol. Simple Cerate. Melt together equal quantities of white wax and spermaceti, then add an equal qu.antity of sweet oil. Best remedy for burns. Pound and sift wood soot, mix it with sweet lard, spread on linen rags and apply. If the skin is ofi^, the air should be carefully excluded from the surface. If the burns are large and b.id, "ive a mild cathartic. APPENDIX. 635 Seidlilz Powders. Two drachms of Rochelle salts and two scruples of bicarbonate of soda, in a white paper, thirty live grains of tartaric acid in a blue one. Dissolve that in the wliite paper in half a L^lass of water and add the other powder dissolved in another half glass of water. It is a gentle laxative. SOUPS, MEATS, FISH, AND MADE DISHES. Crab Soup. Scald the crabs to kill them. Then open them and remove the parts not edible; put the fat in a dish by itself. Place the crabs over the fire and stew about an hour, adding a little salt, pepper, rice, and two or three pods of okra cut in slices. When nearly done put in the fat, boil five or ten minutes and serve. Mullagatawny Soup. Take four pounds of a breast of veal, cut it in pieces an incli long by two inches wide, put the trimmings into a stew pan with two quarts of water and a dozen black peppercorns, and the same number of allspice berries ; skim frequently and let it boil an hour and a half; while it is boiling fry the bits of veal with onions in butter a nice brown, and when they are done pour the broth over them, and set the whole over the fire, skimming it clean as it boils for half an hour. Then mix two spoonfuls of curry and of flour smoothly in water, add this to the soup with salt as needed, simmer gently till the veal is quite tender and serve. Fowls or rabbits may be used instead of veal, and other seasonings than pepper and allspice used if preferred. Beef Soup. Crack the joints of beef well, put them into cold water, let the water come to a boil and skim Avell. Let it simmer slowly till the meat is done, closely covered. About five hours is the right time. Then set it away to cool. When cold remove all the fat, and into the clear liquor put vegetables, onions, carrots, turnips, celery, cabbages, cut in dice. Th^^ne, sage, and pepper make good seasoning. Thicken the soup with rice, barley, or flour. Clam Soup. Open forty or fifty clams, chop them fine, with an onion, a bunch of minced c lery, and a salt-spoon each of mace and pepper. Put all, with the liquor of the clams, in a saucepan, thicken it with two tablespoonfuls of butter rolled in floiir, and add a little, milk. Simmer twenty minutes; stir in the beaten yolks of five eggs, put bits of toasted bread into the tureen and serve. Bean Soup. Pick over the beans, wash them, parboil them, ])onr off the water and put them on in fresh water with a few slices of 586 APPENDIX. ham or beef. Boil them all to rags, strain tlirouf,^h a colander, return to the pot and add a little chopped celery, an onion, a bunch of herbs, and boil slowly half an hour. Strain and serve. (lumho. Take a nice fat hen or two chickens, cut np and put into a pot and fry ; when it is fried brown, not scorched, put in two quarts of finely sliced okra (the white is preferable), four large tomatoes, and two onions, peeled and chopped fine. Keep covered with water, and have the kettle tightly closed. Add boiling water as it wastes, and boil without intermission, but slowly, three hours; add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice, boiled dry. Duck to lioast. There is no better way to roast ducks than to fol- low the directions for roast goose. Green peas are the epicure's de- light with hot roast duck. Celery .sauce is served with cold roast duck. Gihiet Pie. Take the feet, necks, wings, gizzards, livers, and heart, and heads, if you wish, of ducks or geese, boil till tender, place thera in a deep dish, season with pepper and salt, and cover with paste not too rich, and bake till the cover is done. It may be eaten cold or hot. Roast Sucking Pig. The pig should be three or four weeks old, and baked the day or the day after it is killed ; after the first day it loses, every hour it is kept, some of the flavor and firmness of the meat. For stufting, take five ounces of grated bread, two ounces of powdered sage, and a large onion, chopped fine; season with pepper and salt, and mix them together with an egg. After having cut off the toes and wrapped tlie skin about the ends of the legs, put in the stuffing, sew it up and put it to bake, with a pint of water and a tablcspoonful of salt. When it begins to roast, flour it well and baste with the drippings. Bake till the eyes drop out, — about three hours. For sauce, scald and skin the tongue, and boil it with the feet, liver, and heart; when done, mince fine, season, add an onion chopped fine, parsley, and sweet herbs. Boil all together, thicken with flour rubbed up with butter, and serve in a sauce boat. Roast Lamb. For a fore-quarter of ten pounds' weight, two hours' time will be required ; for a hind-quarter of the same weight, two aud- a-half hours. Neither lamb nor veal is agreeable when underdone, and should not be taken from the fire until the gravy which drops from it is perfectly colorless. Prepare forcemeat by taking a quarter of a pound each of finely -minced suet and grated bread, add finely- chopped parsley, sweet maijoram, some grated lemon jieel, a very small slice of onion minced vi'ry fine, a little pepper and salt, and mi.K APPENDIX. 637 the whole togetlicr with ouc or two wellbeatcn eggs. Place the forcemeat between the bone and the fiesh and all underneath the kilnev. Koast slowly, baste well, and serve with green peas and mint sauce. ^ansaije Meat Six pounds of fresh pork, two of lean beef, four tcaspoonfuls of black pepper, eight of salt, and six of powdered sage and summer-savory. Chop fine, and put in skins or cases made of old muslin. Bojs' Heart Sausages. Ten pounds of hogs' hearts, five pounds of fat pork, six ounces of salt, three ounces of black pepper, sage and other aromatics to taste. Chop fine, and put in ^kins. Scnipple. Take all the odd bits of lean, the faces of the porkers, a small portion of the liver, and boil them all together till the bones drop out. Pick out the bones and evei'vthing not eatable, chop the meat fine, drain all the liquor back into the pan and remove all the fat ; thicken the liquor with Indian meal, and boil it till it is as thick as batter, then put in the chopped meat, sage, salt, and pepper, boil all together, and take out into pans. When cold, cut in slices and fry for breakfast. Singed K(j(js. Boil the eggs hard, cut them in two lengthwise, and renu)ve the yolks, which chop, adding to them some cooked chicken, lamb, veal, or pickled tongue, chopped fine; season the mixture, and add enough gravy, or the raw yolk of an egg, to bind them ; stuff the cavities, smooth them, and press the two halves together ; roll them in beaten egg and bread crumbs twice. When just ready to serve, dip them, in a wire basket, into boiling lard, and when they have tjiken a delicate color, drain. Serve ou a napkin, and garnish with pai-sley or any kind of leaves, or serve with a tomato sauce. 2. Boil the eggs hard and cut them in two ; take out carefully the yolks, which mash well, adding a little finely-minced onion, chopped parsley, pepper, and salt. Mash also double the quantity of bread, which has been snaked in milk; mix bread, yolks, etc., together; then bind them with a little raw yolk of &gg. Taste to see if they are properly seasoned. Stuff the eggs with the mixture, so that each half has the appearance of containing a whole round yolk; smooth the remainder of the mixture on the bottom of a pie pan ; arrange the halves sym- meirically in this bed ; brown a little in the oven. ToisIkI Cheese, Cut a slice of bread half an inch thick ; pare off the crust, and toa.st it very lightly on one side, so as just to brown it. Cut a slice of good fat mellow cheese, a quarter of an inch thick, 538 APPENDIX. and half an inch each way less than the bread ; pare off the rim and remove all specks, lay it on the toasted bread in the cheese toaster ; take care that it does not burn, and stir it with a spoon to prevent a pellicle forming on the surface. Have ready good pepper, mustard, and salt. If these directions are followed, the cheese will eat mellow, and will be uniformly done, and the bread crisp and soft, and will well desen'e its ancient appellation of a "rarebit." It must be eaten as soon as it comes to the table. Prairie Chickens. If they are young, they are delicious fried a nice brown ; if old, take some fat bacon cut fine, a few cloves, two or three onions, pepper and salt to taste, and stew until the meat comes off the bones; thicken with a little flour, and you have a most excel- lent dish. Roast Turkey. Do not allow turkeys to be fed for a day or two before they are killed, which in cold weather should be a week before they are cooked ; this makes them much more tender than they would otherwise be. In drawing, leave all the fat in the fowl, wash and rinse well, drying inside and out with a clean towel. For the stuffing of a turkey weighing fifteen pounds, allow half a loaf of bread, fifty oysters, with their liquor, half a pound of butter, pepper, salt, sum- mer savory and thyme to taste. Boil the oyster liquor and strain it over the bread, add the seasoning, and if more moisture is needed, add boiling water. When this mixture is cool, add the oysters, taking care not to break them. If the turkey is not to be roasted the day it is stuffed, the dressing must be entirely cold, as it will sour if ser^'cd up warm. Allow four or five hours for a fowl of this size, in a slow oven, basting frequently, and salting when half done. The gizzard, liver, and heart should be boiled, chopped fine, and with their broth, added to the gravy, which is to be thickened with flour. Serve with cranberry sauce. To Droll Shad. Eemove the roes, clean and dry thoroughly, wrap in buttered jjaper and place over a good fire; turn over two or three times, and when done take the paper off and serve. Fish when thoroughly done feels firm and elastic under the pressure of the finger. [Note. — We always succeed best in broiling shad when we sit down with one hand on the handle of the broiling-iron, and look at it every minute while it is cooking, turning it when it begins to brown too much on one side, and so adjusting it over the fire that every jmrt shall be done alike. There is nothing that will insure perfect success APPENDIX. 539 like giving one's whole mind to Lroilinp; fish or Ktenk. If they, either of them, are served with a divided heart wiiile over the fire, they re- venge themselves on tlie cook by being irregularly done, or scorched, or tough, or sodden. Fish, like steak, should not be salted till it is nearly cooked. Salt hardens the fibre, and draws out the juices, which sliould be retained until the meat is done. | Fried Shad. Divide the two halves into pieces two or three inches wide, and lay them in boiling fat ; fry a rich brown on both sides, and serve hot. Cook the flesh side first, the skin side last. The roes may- be fried in the same way. Stewed Shad. Clean and prepare the fish, ])lace it in a fish-kettle, with parsley, thyme, an onion chopped, a pinch of allspice, salt, and pepper ; cover with water, and boil gently till cooked ; then take from the kettle and place on a dish ; put two ounces of butter in the kettle, and when melted and mixed with the sauce, thicken with a table- spoonful of flour; stir with a wooden spoon till of a proper thickness, strain on the fish {which has been kept warm), and serve. If there is any left for the next day, warm it, but do not allow it to boil. Scalloped Clams. Chop the clams, fi'l a well-buttered dish with alternate layers of clams and powdered crackers, season with pepper, and a very little mace or nutmeg; finish with a layer of cracker crumbs. Bake a light brown. Lobsters. Put into boiling water, and boil fifteen minutes for every pound in weight. Remove from the kettle, and when cool, crack the claws and remove the meat ; open the body and take out the meat. There is a dark vein running through the body, which should be taken away. When cold cut the meat in small pieces, put it with butter, pepper, salt, and a tablespoonful of vinegar, or lemon juice, in a frying pan ; heat all together thoroughly, and serve with Mayon- naise sauce. Smelts. Draw them through the gills and wipe them with a soft cloth, but do not wash them ; dip them into the yolk of an egg, then roll them in very fine bread crumbs, mingled Avith flour; fry them four minutes in hot fat. Lay them in the dish, head and tail alternately ; serve with melted butter, and garnish with pareley. Salt HfcicL-ercl. Put a mackerel to soak over night in plenty of ■water, with the flesh down and the skin up. In the morning drain and wipe it dry ; broil over hot coals, and serve with melted butter. Or, soak till dinner time, then roll it in a cloth, put it in plenty of boiling water, and boil half an hour. Drain from the water and l.iy 640 APPENDIX. it on tli« j)latter, iiiid cover with a sauce made as follows : " Take a piece of Ijiittcr tlit! size of au egg, mix with it smootlily a tablesjiooii- ful of flour, ]>our over the whole a half pint of boihng water, stirring till the gravy is smooth; let it boil three or four minutes, iheiu jjour over the fish; garnish with slices of lemon. Xo recipe we have ever tried for cooking salt mackerel is so good as this. Fried Oysters. Drain them well, sprinkle on them pepper and salt, and let them stand in a cold place half an hour before cooking. Then roll each oyster in bread crumbs and dip it in an egg beaten up with half a cup of milk, roll it again in bread crumbs, and fry a light- brown in boiling lard. Garnish with lemon, chopped pickles, or chow-chow. Canned Salmon. Prepare thin slices of buttered toast ; on these spread the salmon, after heating it and sea,souing it with pepper and salt ; place a jjiut of milk over the fire, and when hot thicken it with flour and butter stirred together and cooked ; pour tliis over the salmon, and serve. Codjish Balls. After cutting the codfish in pieces, soak it an hour in luke-warm water. Eemove all the skin and bones, pull into shreds, and put over the fire in cold water. When it boils change the water ; repeat this process a second time, but do not boil the fish, as boiling only toughens it. Boil potatoes tender, mash while still hot, add a little butter, and mix the two, having half as much codfish as jjotato, before either has had time to cool. This is the important element in having them good — that they be mixed together while hot. Form into balls and fry them in boiling lard, or saute them in hot butter They may be made the night before serving, but are better if fried as soon as made. Garnish with parsley. Soft Shell Crabs. Remove the spongy substance and the sand bag, dry them, sprinkle on pepper and salt ; mix a gill of milk with one well-beaten egg ; add pepper and salt, roll the crabs in flour, then dip them in the egg, then in bread or cracker crumbs, and fry in boiling lard. Potted ilackerel. Cut off the heads, take out the roes, clean the fish thoroughly, rub them inside with a little salt, put back the rocs, season them with allspice, black pepper, and salt, lay them in a pan, cover with equal quantities of vinegar and water, tie over the pan strong white paper, doubled, and bake them for an hour in a slow oven. They will keep two weeks. Other fresh fish are good prepared in the same way. APPENDIX. C41 Veal Loaf. Three poiimls of vcal-cutlot, one-quarter of a pound of fat pork, chopped line as mince meat, add bread crumbs till it is stiff, break in two eggs, add one tabiespoonful of salt, the same of black pepper, a teaspoonful of cayenne, and one nutmeg. Work it all together in loaf-shape, break an egg on top, and rub it all over the loaf, sprinkle bread crumbs over it, put it into a baking pan with water and bake three hours, basting frequently. It is not good warm, but is to be eaten cold as a supper dish. The bread crumbs are made of stale bread, browned in the oven and rolled fine. They are better than crackers for sea!lo])cd oysters, and many other culinary purposes where cracker-crumbs are generally used. Beef Tomjiie. It it has been dried and smoked, soak it over night; but if only pickled, soak it five hours. Put it in a pot of cold water, and let it set over a slow fire for an hour before it comes to a boil, then simmer it gently for three or four hours till it is done. When done a broom straw will pierce it readily. Peel it, rub it over with the yolk of an egg, strew bread crumbs and finely-chopped herbs over it; baste sligiitly with melted Imtter, and brown it in the oven for a few minutes. Surround the root with a paj)cr frill, and serve. Round Steak Stuffed. Take a steak weighing two or three pounds, spread over it a layer of stufiing made of bread crumbs and beef suet, in equal quantities, seasoned with sweet herbs, and mixed together with a couple of eggs. Roll this up and tic it, sprinkle salt over the top, and bake it, basting often. Serve with tomato sauce around it. Make a gravy of the drippings, season well, and pour it over the meat when served. Carve by slicing neatly off the end of the roll. Sweetbreads. Veal sweetbread.s are best. They spoil very soon, As soon as they come from market they should be put into cold water for about an hour ; then lard them, (that is, with a larding needle draw through them strips of fat pork or bacon,) put them into salted boil- ing water, or into stock, let them boil about twenty minutes, or until they are thoroughly done ; throw them into cold water for only a few moments. They will now be firm and white. Remove carefully the skin and little pipes, put them in a cool place till you wi.sh to fry them. Then cut them in even-siz d pieces, sprinkle over pepper and salt, egg and bread-crumb them, and fry them in hot lard. When done, put them on a hot dish, pour out the lard, leaving in the pan half a tea- spoonful, into this stir a teaspoonful of flour, and when brown pour in a cupful of milk ; stir constantly till done, season Avith pepper and salt, and pour over the sweetbreads. If green peas are on the table. 542 APPENDIX. scn^e the sweetbreads ■without gravy, ])uttlng the peas in the center of the dish, and the sweetbreads arotuul them. Tiiey are often served ■whole with cauliflower or .asparagus heads, when the cream sauce is poured over both ; or they are iiici-ly piled in the centre of the dish ■with macaroni cooked, with cheese placed around them, or with stufit(id tomatoes alternating with the sweetbreads on the dish. Vtal Cutlets. Cut tliem into pieces equal in size, beat them with a knife into shape, dip them first into egg and then in bread crumbs, and fry them slowly in hot Cat; ■vvhen done lay on a dish, pour off nearly all the-fat from the frying pan, stir into what remains a little flour, iidd a little water, salt, pejjpcr, and leiuon juice; pour this gravy o^cr the cutlets and serv(!. Boiled Corned Derf. Into enough boiling water to cover it ])ut the beef, and boil it very slowly, for every jiound three-quarters of an hour. When done cut off what is needed for immediate use, and let the rest remain in tlie liquor in which it was boiled until cold. This will render it much more juicy and ])aiatablc than if it were cooled out of the liquor. Potted Beef. Salt three pounds of lean beef witli half a pound of common salt, and half an ounce of saltpetre for two or three days. Divide it into pieces of a pound each, and put it into an earthen pan just large enough to contain it; pour in half a pint of water, cover it close with ])astc made of flour and water, and set it in a very slow oven for four hours ; then remove the paste, jiour the gravy into a bowl, shred the meat fine, moisten it with gravy, pound it thoroughly in a marble mortar with fresh butter till it becomes a fine paste, sea- son it with black pepper, allspice, clovers, and nutmeg, ])ut a weight on it and let it stand all night ; when (juite cold, cover it with clarilied butter and tie it over with a ])aj>er. A nice dish for travelers to carry along for lunch. Roust on the Pot. Select .a ])ieee of the round or neck, put it with a nice piece of fat and the tough ])arts of steak, cover partly with hot ■water and simmer very slowly two or three hours, till every drop of the water is boiled away and the meat is perfectly tender. Let it brown a little in the hot fat, then take out the meat. Stir into the f;it a handful of flour and let it brown, then add boiling water till the gravy is of the right thickness. Very tough meat may be rendered delicious when cooked in this way, if taken from a sound and well- fiavored animal. To Cook St((ik Tiuder. Cut the steak on both sides with a sharp APPENDIX. 643 knife in little squares a quarter of an inch in size, and two or three lines deep; then place it in the frying pan, having the latier hot, and with a bit of melted butter in it, put a cover over the frying pan to confine the ifteam. When cooked on one side, turn it over on the other ; when nearly done, remove the cover and brown a little. Take it up on a warm platter, salt it and serve at once. Treated in this way, steak is much more juicy and tender than when pounded, and * better suited for those whose teeth are not good, than when cooked by the common method. BREAD. Oatmeal Bread. Stir into one quart of fresh oatmeal two quarts of water, and let the mixture stand over night In the morning add a tcaspoonful of fine salt, half a cup of sugar, and one quart of Graham floui', with which two teaspoonfuls baking powder has been thoroughly mingled. Put into pans without kneading, and bake in a quick oven. If the dough is too stifi", add more water. Gems. 1. Into a quart of Graham flour stir enough water to make a thick batter ; add salt to taste ; put in gem pans already hot and well oiled, and bake in a hot oven. 2. Beat an egg light ; stir it into a quart of Graham flour with a tcaspoonful of sugar, a tcaspoonful of salt, a pint or more of buttermilk or sour milk, and a tcaspoonful of soda dissolved in a little water. Wa^ffles. To one pint of lukewarm milk add four tablespoonfuls of baker's yeast, one tcaspoonful of brown sugar, one tablespoonful of melted butter, .a little salt, and flour to make a batter of the con- sistency of thick cream. Let it rise over night; in the morning, just before baking, add two avcU beaten eggs. If any flour is added after the batter is raised, the waffles wi'.l be sure to be tough. A little difference in the consistency of the batter will affect them very much. If they seem leathery, use less flour next time. Eusks. Di.ssoive two ounces cacli of butter and sugar in half a pint of warm milk; into this stir a pound of flour, two well beaten eggs, and a tablespoonful of good yeast ; sift a quart of flour into the bread bowl, make a well in the middle, pour in the batter, cover it with the flour and let it rise for an hour or longer ; then knead it into a firm, smooth dough, cut in small shapes, let them rise ; when light, bake fifteen minutes in a slow oven ; when (]uite cool, put them in u cool oven and dry thera for half an hour. Keep them in a tin box in a warm place. 544 APPENDIX. French EoUs. Rub two ounces of butter into a pound of flour . add milk to make a stiff dougb, also the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth, a tablcspoonful of strong yeast and a tcas]j()()nfiil of salt. Mix all well together, cover and set iu a warm place till Rglit. Then cut into small rolls and bake about ten minutes in a quick oven. Dip each roll in melted butter aud it will not stick to its neighbor. Bread. Boil three potatoes ; when soft, mash them through a sieve with one quart of boiling water; when cool, add one cup of yeast, flour to make a batter, and a little salt. Let it rise over night, and in the morning add one tablcspoonful of lard, the same quantity of sugar, and flour enough to make a dough stiff' cnougli to knead. Knead half an hour, cutting with a knife. Let it rise again, and after dinner cut out the dougli in biscuit shape, and let it rise till tea time. Bake the rest in loaves. This makes a large .sheet of bis- cuit and two loaves of very excellent bread. Rice Waffles. Two cups flour, three eggs, a cup aud a half of soft boiled rice, with milk sufficient to make a muffin batter ; add a little salt, beat it well, aud bake in waffle irons. Tea Biscuit. One quart of sweet milk, one small teacup of butter, one small teacup of sugar, one gill of good yeast, flour to make a sponge. Mix over night ; when light, stir in more flour till the dough is of the proper consistency ; press the knuckles firmly into the dough till they reach the bottom of the bowl, and when it rises to a uniform oval, it is ready to be worked over into biscuit. Knead twice, and when light the third time ; bake in a quick oven about twenty minutes. Vienna Bread. For four pounds of flour, take one and three-quarter ounces of Fleischmann's yeast, one-half ounce of salt, and tlire(^ pi its of milk and water, in equal portions. Dissolve the yeast and salt in the liquid and make a very thin sponge in the middle of the flo; r. Let it stand tliree-quarters of an hour, then stir in the rest of the flour. Let it stand two and a half hours. Then take it upon the board, cut it into pound pieces, knead a little, then cut each pound ])iece into twelve pieces, form into circular balls of dough, and bake fifteen minutes in a very hot oven. Parker-House Foils. Take two quarts of wheat flour, make a hole in the cetiter, put iu a ])ieee of butter the size of an egg, a little salt, a tablcspoonful of white sugar ; pour over this a pint of milk pre- viously boiled, and cold, and one-half teacuji of yeast. When the sponge is light, mould for fifteen niiuutes. Let it rijC agaiu, aud cut APPENDIX. 645 in round cakes ; when light, flatten each cake with the rolling-pin, put a sniail ])icce of butter on top, and fold each over on to itself. 1 ut iu pans to ri.se, and when light, bake in a (juick oven. VEGETABLES. Polalo Salad. Boil the potatoes with the skins on till they are just done, not till they fall to pieces. Peel off the skins while hot and slice them thin. For every quart of sliced potato allow one table- spoonful of salad oil or melted butter and two of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, a small onion, chopped very fine, and a good-sized apple, chopped very fine. Asparaijvs Salad. Boil the asparagus till done, about twenty min- utes, drain, season with salt and pepper, cover with vinegar; when cool, pour off the vinegar, baste with melted butter, and serve. Spinach. Pick it over carefully, removing all stems and withered leaves, wash well, and put into salted boiling water enough to cover it. Boil till tender, drain, and press through a colander. Then put it in a saucepan, with salt, pepper, and butter, and heat it over the fire a few minutes. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs, cut in slices, or lay it on buttered toast after the manner of asparagus, and garnish with sliced hard-boiled eggs. Poke Weed Greens. Cut off the young shoots when ten or twelve inches long, pick over carefully, wash well, put in boiling water and boil twenty minutes ; pour off the water, add boiling water enough to cover, and a handful of salt, boil forty minutes longer, and serve as spinach or dandelion greens. Maple Pods. The pods of the soft maple, when cooked like green peas, are as palatable. Saratoga Potatoes. Slice the raw potatoes vcrj-thin with a cabbage cutter, having first peeled them, throw the slices into ice- water for a few minutes, dry them on a towel, and throw them into boiling lard ; when they are nicely browned, drain carefully from the fat, s])read on a hot dish, salt at once, and set in the oven till enough are prepared for the meal. The dish must not be covered, as that would destroy their crispness. Parsnip Cakes. To eight ounces of grated raw parsnip add eight ounces of bread crumbs, half a pint of milk, four well beaten eggs, six tablespoonfuls of flour, and a little salt; fry in butter, or nice drippings. Rice. Wash in several waters, then to each cup of rice t.ike four 5i6 APPENDIX. Clips of water and a little salt, put in a ])nn and set over the fire Boil slowly wiiliout stirring till the rice is dry, wiien it will be done Serve with rich meat gravy. Artic/iofces. Take off the outer leaves, clean them nicely and put them in boiling water; when the le.ives come off easily they are cooked; when done, take them from the water and turn them upside down to drain. The base of the leaf is the jiart eaten. It may be dipped in a mixture of pepper, salt, and melted butter. Jerusalem Artic/wkes. Pare them and boil them in milk and water, being careful to take them up the moment they ai-e done. Cabbage with ^lilk. Shred the cabbage fine, put it in a saucepan, pour boiling hot water over it ; cover tightly and stew for ten minutes. Then pour off the water, and for every head of cabbage pour over a pint of rich milk. When it boils, thicken with a little flour, salt to taste, and serve. Cooked in this way, cabbage is almost as good as cauliflower. Caulifloiver. Remove the outer leaves, and put the cauliflower into boiling water, well salted. As soon its it is tender, drain it from the water and serve with sauce made as follows: In two tab'.espoonfuls of butter, cook thoroughly a tablespoonful of flour, then add milk or cream till a gravy is made, season to taste; when the gravy is cooked, ])our it over the car.liflower and serve. Ers slip out the pulps and put the skins by themselves ; then .stew th« pulp till it is soft a' d readily separates from the seeds ; strain it through a coarse towel ; make a thick syrup, allowing a pound of sugar to a pound of grapes, and put your skins and strained pulp into the syrup ; cook thoroughly. S/iictd Wdd Grapes. To five pounds of grapes and four jjounds of sugar, add a pint of vinegar and two tablespoonfuls of cloves, cinnamon and allspice respectively. Boil slowly two hours. Uoiiie-Mude Cr)erry Wine. Into a vessel with a faucet, put ripe blackberries, and pour enough boiling water over them to cover them ; as soon as the* are cool enough, bruise the berries with the hand thoroughly, cover them, and in three or four days, when the berries rise to the top, draw off the clear liquid into another vessel. To every ten (piarts of liquor, add one pound of sugar, stir it well in, and let the mixture stand a week or ten days, to ferment, and then strain it through a jelly bag. For every gallon of the li(iuor take four ounces of isinglas.s, dissolve it in a pint of the liquor for twelve hours, boil it slowly till dissolved, then put it into the sweet wine, boil all together, let it stand a few days, and bottle. This is excellent in affections of the bowels. Cherry Bounce. Fill a jug with wild cherries, and cover them with French brandy till the coi'k is wet. Seal tightly, and in six months it will be ready for use. Pour off the licjuor, and keep it well corked. For a dose, mix a teaspoonful with two teaspoonfuls of water, and a little sugar, three times a day. This is an excellent cure for bowel complaint. Corn Beer. One qiuii't of dry Indian corn, one qunrt molasses, two large tablespoonfuls of })ure ginger, tied in a thin cloth, four gallons of soft cold water; put the whole in a stout keg or stone jug, not APPENDIX. 655 fillinf^ quite full, cor]< tight, shake well, .and set in the cellar; fit for use in eight or ten days ; if desirous to have a bitter flavor, steep and strain a small handful of hops, and add the liquor to the otiier in- gredients; the corn ■will answer for a second hrewinj^ hy adding the other materials. PICKLES, SAUCES, SALADS, ETC. French Pickles. Take one large head of cabbage, six green peppers, six large onions, one-half peck of green tomatoes, chop all together till very fine ; put in two tablespoonfuls of black pepper, two of cloves, two of allspice, one of salt, h.ilf a pound of white mustard seed. Cover with vinegar and boil two hours. Pickles in Alcohol. Into a clean crock or tub pour one cpiart of alco- hol; to this add four quarts of soft water; cut from the vines small, firm cucumbers, cover with boiling water, let them stand till cool, then wash, rinse, and dr.iin them, put them into the mixtui'C, cover with a cloth, and put on a weight to keej) them under tlie liquor; leave them in a warm room, and as soon as tlie scum begins to rise take the cloth off every day and rinse it ; when through working, put into a cool place secure from dust. To Pickle Clams. Scald the clams in their own liquor, or in water with a little salt. Take them out with a skimmer and throw them into cold water. Take whole allspice, black pepper, and mace, and boil it up in the liquor in which the clams were boiled ; when it tastes enough of the spices take it off. Drain the clams on a sieve ; when the liquor is cold, add vinegar to taste, and then put in the clams. Commercial Pickles. To one gallon of cider vinegar add half a pound of salt, quarter of a pound of onions or garlic, quarter of a pound of ginger, two ounces of pepper, two of yellow mustard seed, and half an ounce of cayenne pepper ; boil all together. Into a jar that will hold eight quarts put a quarter of a pound of allspice, and pour on it the hot pickle. "When cold, put in freshly-gathered asparagus, cauli- flower, beans, currants, gooseberries, unripe apjjlcs, radish pods, nas- turtiums; and as the pickle wastes renew it with the sameprejjaration of vinegar and spice. This recipe was obtained from a house cele- brated for their pickles. Martynias. 1. Gather them when they arc rather small, and so tender that you can run the head of a pin into them. Wipe off the down and put them into a cold, weak brine. Keep them in brinCnine days, changing it every other day. Make a pickle of vinegar, allspice. 550 APPENDIX. '■loves, mace, imtmrf^s, ami cinnamon. Take tlic mnrtynias out of the biiue ; wipe tlu-ni and lay them into a stone jar; pour the mix- ture of vinegar and spice, boiling hot, over them ; cover tlieni close, let them stand one month, ajid they will be fit for use. 5. Pick the jiods when soft enough to be penetrated by the thumb nail ; put them into brine strong- enough to bear an egg-; they will be ready for pick- ling in ten days. Take them from the brine, wash in cold water, and soak in vinegar two or three days. 'J'hen add one pound of sugar to one gallon of vinegar, with cloves, allspice, and other spices to taste ; tie the spices in a bag, and let them soak in the vinegar till their strength is extracted; heat the vinegar to the boiling point, pour it upon the martynias, which should ]n'eviously have been removed from the vinegar in which they were soaked. Ready for use in a few days. Fruit Pickle. For seven pounds of pears or peaches, not quite ripe, take four pounds of sugar and one pint of cider vinegar. Cook the fruit iu water enough to cover it. As soon as it is tender add the sugar, the vinegar, and au ounce each of whole cinnamon and cloves. Bring all to the boiling point and remove from the fire. This will keep the year round. Pickled Red Cahbaje. Cut up six cabbages, put them iu your jar, layers of cabbage aud salt alternating; let stand over night, then drain the cabbage, scald some spices iu the vinegar, and pour it over the cabbage boiling hot. To six common-sized cabbages allow two ounces each of cloves, cinnamon, aud allspice, and white mustard seed, if you like. To Pickle Walnuts. Gather the luUs before the inside shell is hard, which may be known by trying them with a pin ; lay them into s:ilt aud water nine days, changing the liquor every three diiys ; then take them out aud dry them in the air ou a sieve or mat ; they should not touch each other, and should be turned so that every side may become black alike ; then put them in a jar. When half the uuts are in, put in an onion with about thirty doves stuck into it, and add the rest of the nuts. To one hundred walnuts allow half a pint of mustard seed, one-quarter of an ounce of mace, one half an ounce of pepper-corns, and sixty bay-leaves ; boil all the spice in some good common vinegar, aud pour it boiling- hot upon the nuts, taking care to have them covered entirely; stop the mouth of the jar with a cloth, and when cold cover it with bladder or leather. In about six weeks they will be fit for use, whcu they should lie examined, and if thev have absorbed the vinegar so as to APPENDIX. 6o7 leave any of the nuts dry, more should be added, but it need not be boiled. Lfttuce Salad. Rub the yolks of two hard-boiled egj^s to a powder, add one teaspoonful of white sugar, one of pepper, one-half tcaspoon- ful of salt, two of salad oil, one-half teaspoonful of mustard, and mix all well together. Then beat in four tal)lespoouful.s of vinegar. Cut up two or three heads of white lettuce and nn"x with the dressing. Chicken Salad. Boil a chieken, take the meat from the bones and chop pretty fine. Mix with it two large heads of celery or some let- tu- e, also chopped. Make a dressing of the yolks of five hard-boiled eggs, powdered, one and one-half tablespotmfuls dry mustard, one dessertspoonful salt, one-half bottle of oil, or one-half cup melted butter, one tablespoonful Worcestershire sauce, and vinegar enough to make it stir like cream. Top Dressing. Beat the yolks of one or two eggs with a fork for a few moments, then drop in a teaspoonful of oil slowly, stirring all th« time, add salt, then a teaspoonful of vinegar, and one half a teaspoon- ful of mustard. This dressing should be of the consistency of cream. Cold Slaw. Shred fine with a cabbage-cutter half a head of white cabbage and put it in a deep dish ; stir together the juice of a large lemon, or half a cup of cider vinegar, with two teas])Oonfuls of cold water, and mix it with the cabbage. Then sift evenly over it four tablespoon fuls of granulated sugar. Let it stand half an hour before serving. Tumato Catsup. Peel and stew the tomatoes, strain them through a sieve or fine colander, and to each gallon thus prepared, add three heajjing tablespooufuls of salt, three uf ground mustard, lialf a dozen pods of red pejiper, aiuT a quart of vinegar; stew slowly till it is re- duced one-third ; bottle tightly. Mus/iroom Calsnp. Put in an earthen vessel layers of mushrooms and thin layers of salt and allow them to stand half a day, or until the salt has penetrated them somewhat. Then nuish them and keep them standing another whole day, frequently stirring them uj) from the bottom. To each gallon of mushrooms add an ounce of pepper- corus, an ounce of cloves, and one of allspice. Set the jar -in cild water and let it come to a boiling heat. Simmer gently for two hours then strain, and reduce by boi'.ing to ouc-half, skimming carefully When it has settled, strain it into small liottles for use, adding a tea spoonful of brandy to each bottle, and seal. Kcej) in a dry place. Walnut Catsuj). Take a peck of green walnut .shells, put them in 558 APPENDIX. a tub, bruise and mash them, anrl throw on two pounds of snlt, with water enough to cover tlicni. Let ili('ni stand six days, masiiin.if and mixing them till they become soft and pnlpy. Drain ont tlie juice by jetting the tub stand on one side a little, with the shells in tlie elevated part. As often as it needs, turn out tiie liijnor and continue; to do so as long as there is any ; there will be five or six (juarts. Then boil it in iron as long as scum I'ises; then aild a quarter of a jjound of jiinger and allspice, two ounces of pejiper and cloves, and let it boil slowly for half an hour. The spices should be powdered, and ati eijiial quan- tity of tliem should go into cacli bottle. Cork and set away in a cool, dry place one year before it is used. Sauce ^lollanda'se. Put a i)iece of butter the size of a pigeon's egg into a saucepan, and when it bubbles, stir in wiili an egg whisk an even tablcspoonful of flour; let it continue to bulible until the flour is thoroughly cooked, then stir in half a pint of Ijoiling water, or, better, of veal stock ; when it boils take it from the fire and stir into it grad- ually the beaten yolks of four eggs ; return the sauce to the; fire for a mii.ute to set the eggs, without allowing it to boil ; again remove the sauce, stir in the juice of half a small lemon, and fresh butter tJie size of a walnut, cut into small pieces to facilitate its melting, and stir well with the whisk. Spanish Sauce. Take four ounces of onions, slice them thin, and fry them brown in a saucejjan with two ounces of marrow, su(;t, or liccf- drijipings. Wlien brown, add one and a-half pounds of any kind of beef cut in pieces, an ounce of parsley, the same of celery, five ounces sliced carrot, a teaspoonful of powdered thyme, or half a bunch, and one leek. Lay the beef on the onions, and the other ingredients on top of the beef; cover tightly, and let it stay on one side of the fire half an hour. This will draw ,out the juices of the beef. Then .'•tir in three ounces of dry flour, tlien ])our over three pints of cold watto a boil, and boil tliree hours. Strain, and serve with chicken and potato croquettes. This recipe is from the New York Cooking School. Mai/onnaise Sauce. Beat well the yolks of two raw eggs, add one teaspoonful of salt, one scant teaspoonful of mixed mustard, one-h-.lf pint of sweet oil, drop by drop, lieating constantly. Put the vinegar in last, five or more tablespoon fuls, according to taste. A little lemon juice added before the vinegar improves it. Beat all well togetluT, and it is ready for use It is excellent for lobster or chicken salad, or to pour over cold chopped veal, adding lettuce or celery, if desired. APPENDIX. /"SD Gravy. Mince au onion finely, fry it in butter to a dark brown, then add three-quarters of a pint of good stock, pepper and salt to taste, a small piece of ham minced finely, a sprig of thyme, one of parsley, and a little Worcestershire sauce ; let the whole boil five or ten minutes, put it by till wanted, then strain it into a sauce hont. Ilorse-nidtsh Sauce. To a coffee cup of grated horse radish add two tabiespoonfuls of cream, a teaspoonful cacli of made mustard and salt; a half cup of the best vinegar, and mix tlic; whole tlior- oiighly. For the spring of the year this is a very fine sauce. Note. — It is said that a teaspoonful of horse radisli grated, mixed with a wine glass of cider, and taken three times a day, will cure parah'sis in its earlier stages. The remedy is iiarmless, siiould it prove ineffective. Rlnibarb Vuipgar. Crusli with a pestle thirty six stalks of rhubarb, of the usual size, in a strong keg ; add fifteen gallons of soft water ; let it stand a day; strain and add twenty seven pounds of brown sugar and a pint of brewer's yeast, let it stand a month where the temperature will not fall below 60° ; strain, and let it stand until it becomes vinegar. MISCELLANEOUS. Rag Carpets. For one yard, half a pound cotton twine, and one and a half pounds of prepared rags arc requisite. Twine made of hemp or jute; will not wear well. Common wrapping twine of good size makes a good warp, or if a fine one is de^sircd, tid}' yarn. Better still is a yarn sometimes made at factories of twenty or more threads of 'fine warp, twisted into one round, strong and flexible cord. Any one of these is prel'('ral)le to that commonly made for the jjurpose. Rufj-i. Th(^sc sliould be of good material, eitlier pieces of new cloth or the better jjortions of worn-out garments. Headings from woolen factories make good rags at a trifling cost. Fine soft cloth is prefer- able, but cottons and soft woolens an.swer a good ])ur])ose. The rags should be cut of uniform size, and when twisted tightly with the fingers should be four times the size of the warj) twine. This will re- quire the thin rags to be cut wider than the thick. They should be cut previous to dyeing, for if of a loose texture they will become rough by raveling, and will tangle and waste. Sewing them together should be avoideil. Whatever the size or shape of a ])ieee, cut it in a con- tinuous Irngth ; the angles made by this methoil can he clipped or rounded, and are less ol)j,>ctioiial)le ihau the irregularities by lai.piug 660 APPENDIX. ami sewing. When this is neccssjxn' hvp them one-ioiirth of an inch, anil take tv\o or three stitches in the niiddle throuf^h tiieni both. Wind tliem liglitly into a ball, each color l)y itself. Dyriiig. New cotton goods, cither twine or rags, should lie boiled \n water three or four hours previous to dyeing, to expel all the air Croni the minute cells oC the cotton. All goods should be perfectly clean. The warp dyed half one color, and half another, and stri])ed an inch wide, has a pretty effect. It is better to divide the rags for ilyeing into three or four parts, giving one the deepest and brightest color by dipping it first into the dye and afterward introducing, one after another, the other portions, thus securing several shades of the .same color for blending. All goods dijed with spirits of aiiif kind, or acids, should be well washed hffoie they are dried. Plenty of dye, allowing tlie goods to float freely in it, is a good security against spotting. Having them wet before being dipped in the dye also promotes evenne.-s of color. Arrangement of Co'ors. Nature abounds in lessons on tliis. With her, harmony is the nile, contrast the e.\ce])tiou. Her browns and greens are miniHed in endless variet}', forming a sombre but ])leasiiig ground, which is studded with bright blos.soms of manifold tints. Even her ever-recurring shadows give form and beauty to every ob- ject. The surpassing loveliness of the rainbow is enhanced l)y the dark and heavy drab of the clouds in its background. Heeding her teaching, we make two-thirds of our carpet grouud color, seeking to combine the tints of our fancy stripe in a quiet and uaosteut itio s manner, avoiding harshness or abruptness, and securing an even anuft', two yellow, two light green, two dark green, two dark blue, two liglit blue, two dark ruby, two light ruby, a stripe of the ground color an inch wide, and the stripe repeated. Red on Wool with Lac. Four ounc(!S of lac to one ])ouiid of wool. Steep the lac twenty-four hours in strong hydrochloric acid, stirring it from time to time ; add sufficient water to cover the ;:oods, enter them and let them remain thivse-qitarters of an hour, handling tlK.ni neatly and rapidly ; wash in clear hot water thoroughly. APPENDIX. 561 To Color Cotton Yellow. For every three pounds ©f cottxju, take six ounces sugar of lead dissolved in hot water in a vessel of brass or tin. In a wooden vessel dissolve three ounces of bichromate of potassa in cold water. Dip the goods first in one vessel, and then in the oilui-. until the color suits. For orange, dip the cotton in strong liu.*^ water. To Dye Snarlet. For one pound of yarn use one of cochineal, one of cream tartar, and two ounces solution of tin. Warm the water, stir in tlic cream tartar, grind the cochineal fine, put it in tiie water and stir it well. Add the solution of* tin, then let it come to a scald- ing heat Wash tlie goods thoroughly in soapsuds, and rinse in clear soft water before putting them into tlie dye. Let them scald t\vo or three hours, stirring occasionally as in all dyeing. KemoNe fronj the dye and rin.se in clear water. To Di/e Wool Yellow. Boil it for an hour with about onesixtli of its weight of alum ; then plunge it in water containing as much quercitron bark as equals the weight of alum used. Keep tvirniag it in tlie water till the color grows as deep as you wish. This will be increased by stirring in of clean jwwdered chalk, a quantity equal to the hundredth part of the weight of the cloth, and boiling eight or ten minutes longer. If a very bright golden yellow is desired, use oxide of tin instead of alum. For a greenish yellow, add a little cream tartar, and for orange a little cochineal. T« Dge Red. Purchase twenty-five cents' worth of rose aniline, put it into a thin muslin bag and then into a tin vessel, pour a quart of boiling water on it, let it stand several hours, or overnight, when it will be pretty Avell dissolved. Pour the dye into the shallow vessel above named, which should be of tin, brass, or wood, not of iron, adding a tablespoonful of muriate of tin. Let the goods remain in the s covered furniture should he taken outdoors in the bri;:;ht sunshine twice a year, and thoroughly whipped with switches until all the dust is out. If ])Ossi- blc, it should he taken ajjart, anil if while the stuffed ])ortion is being sunned, the wood part receives a coat of varnish, there need he no fear of moths. For Mahinrj Cloth Water proof. In ten gallons of water dissolve two pounds and four ounces of alum. Dissolve the same quantity of sugar of lead in the same quantity of water, then mix the two together. Pour off the clear liquor, immerse the cloth in it for an hour, take it out, dry it in the shade, wash in clear water, and dry again. Cold Soap. Twenty-two jwunds of jiotash, twenty jjounds of grease, and three-fourths of a jjound of rosin. This quantity will make a barrel of soap. Keep the grease tried out and str.iined so as to he ready for use when the requisite (luantity is gaiueil. Select the gray looking potash, put it into the soaj) barrel, jiour on it hot soft v/ater to facilitate dissolving; when softened ])ut in the grease, reserv- ing two or three pounds to melt the rosin in ; keep adding hut water till it stirs readily, and when nearly to the toj) y,i\t in the melted rosin and fat. This soap is good and strong, will keep any leugtli of time, and be free from insects. When warned lor use dip out a quantity and add a third of soft water to it. The dark ])otash is apt to stain the clothes in washing. To Wash Lace Curtains. Lace curtains are washed like other laces, starched with thin starch or gum-aralnc water, and carefully jnnned over a mattress with a sheet over it imtil they are dry. Those who make a business of doing up lace curtains, have a fixture resembling a quilt in quilting-frames, on which the curtains are carefully laid and pinned in shape to dry. INDEX. America, why thi best country for the poor, Animal heat of cliildren, Acidity in stomachs of children, to prevent, Airin? of rui^s and carpeting, Airing of beds, A hop pillow, A healinii; salve for sores, Albumen, elements of. America, a wheat-tirowin^ country. Animal substance, elements of Apples, why eateu at dinner Apple preserve, Apple-" to keep, ' Arrowroot, composition of and value a'< food, Ash of plants used as food, com- pared with ash of blood, Assortment of medicines for fami- ly use, A winter sitting-room, Baby's basket, to make " shirt, rule for knitting. ... Bacon and beans, why eaten to- gether Bad economy of buying poor cloth. Bathing of infants," Bathing when fatigued, Baker's bread, " compared wiih home made. Beans, how to cook*. B^;ans and peas, why not suited to brain toil Beds, of what made, Bed springs Beds most suitable for sleeping on, Beds, comfortable, recommended.. Beef, various parts of " roasting pieces, " to cook in a Dutch oven " choice cuts of " to preserve " tenderloin " must be cut thick, " tea, recipe for " good, characteristics of " a la mode " stew Bee keeping in this country " " general diroofions,. . " " its profitableness, Bees in winter 230 Bees, increase and profit of. 442 Best white sugar the cheapest, 48 Beverages, 261 Bile, derangements of produced by fatty diet, 37 Blue, deep, to color with, 317 Blood, composition of and relation to food, 23 Bolting and grinding, how wheat is afl'ecled by 34 Bolster 480 Books in the homo 4(i7 Bottles should be labeled, 381 Boys, training of 4G0 Boston brown bread, 1(J9 Brackets for side of a room, 427 '• how to make 424 Bread, hot, why injurious 170 Bread, hot corn, why not injurious, 170 Bread making 157 " '• full directions 163 " " chemically considered, 160 " of various cereal grains, val- ue for food, 78 Breakfast dishes,. 89 " winter, analyzed 5*1 " corn cakes,. 171 " a good one described, ... Sj " requirements, S.") Broken limbs, 37.5 Burns and scalds 37fi Buttermilk, its uses, 21.5 Butter making 211 " how worked, 213 '• how to salt and mould 214 Butternut dye 316 Butternut frame 418 Buvimr of flannel, tinm for 981 Cake eatinar, proper time for 218 '' pan, form of. 9-39 " general directions for making 2'?7 Cakes, desserts, and delicacies, .... 2-'W Cane, susrar, composition of, 47 " " sweeter than c-rape,.. 48 " " effect of air on 47 Care of clothing 306 Carbon in food, table of. 61 Chambers, Dr., on flesh diet 161 Cherries, Drcscrvod 183 Chemical knowledge necessary for the housewife.. 5S 508 INDEX. Choap carpetiu":, 403 •• beds,.. " 4(« " paint lor lonccf , 498 Cliickeus and bees, cuse of cariug lor, 440 I Chickens, young, directions for,. .. 221 to broil, 121 ; Children, efl'ect of feeding on 1 stiirchy food, ' 32 Children's food, 249 Chilblain?, 5U4 Chocolate 273 " how to make, 274 Chloride of lime to preserve meat, 129 Clothing in general 277 " suitable for traveling, .. . 307 Codfish, boiled, 138 " salt, to cook, 137 Coflee, a tropical beverage, 270 " to make, 209 " pots 268 " to roast 207 " choice of, 206 " Mocha and Java compared, 265 " Rio, 263 " Java, 203 " plant, description of, 262 " and tea, what Licbig thinks of them 272 " in wet and cold weather,. . . 87 " should be drank in the morning, 87 Colds, treatment of, 364 Colic in infants, treatment of. 330 Comparative strength of man and woman, 3.52 Comparative wages of men and women , 43(! Complementary food required 58 Congestion of ihe lungs, treatment of. 332 Constituents of perfect food, 251 Convulsions in children, 388 Cora-starch, composition and value as food, 31 Com batter bread, 171 Coal as fuel 491 Cost nf home-made and ready-made clothing compared 283 Cotton, as a covering for the body, 279 t'ouL'h syrup, recipe for, ". . 372 Covering of beds 487 " the feet 312 Cows, and the butter-making w^o- man's work, 208 Cows, projicr care of, 210 Crab apples. 182 ("'-.•irkod wheat, 154 Cream cheese, 215 Croup and its treatment, 307 Crving in infants. 390 encumbers, to pickle 185 to salt down, 180 " .sweet pickle, ISC Currant jelly I83 Cuts and uimncis, ;i';5 Danger of over-leeding very young babies. ;j]9 Daughters, how trained to work,. . 4,58 Decoration of rooms, 411 Design of corner bracket 426 " " card receiver, 419 " " a cross, 420 " " basket of flowers, 421 " No. 1 of bracket, 412 " of vase 415 " " picture frame,. .. 417 Desserts, reasons for 94 Diarrhoea and dysenterv, treatment of, ". 361 Diarrhoea syrup, recipe for 302 Diet of children, rules for 252 '• during long exposure to cold, 41 " influence of over muscular liber. 101 " adjnstedtoclimatc and season, 84 Digestion in stomach 18 " in intestines ... 24 Directions for making rugs 311 Disinfecting fluids, and Low to use them .m3 Dinner in summer 95 bill of fare 92 Division of foods into heat-produ- chig and tissue making, 26 Domestic remedies, 359 " architecture and orna- mentation 389 " surgery,... 374 Domain of the housekeeper, 495 Draining 109 Drain and cesspool for a garden,... 194 Drudgery, too much done by our women £08 Dress of babies 324 Drowning, v hat to do in case of, . . .'87 Ear-ache, remedy for, 374 Economy of fuel 406 Economies of dress. 304 Economy of hiring help. 284 Effect of a dose room on children, 344 Eggs, value of as food, 70 how they should be cooked, 76 " how to preserve, 129 Esg bread 171 '• plant 152 " producing, possibilities of. .. . 441 " nog, to make, 2.58 " brandy, to make 257 Embroideries for pin-money, 447 Etiquette at dinner parties, 473 Family covernment, 406 FatteninL' cflec ts of sugar, 45 Fat of s.Tlt pork and bacon 41 Felt for soles 809 Feast, requisites of. 95 Fermentation in bread, how in- duced, 1(52 INDEX. >G9 Fcrmontation!?, the three, 105 Fcrtiliziu;;inattei-, how besteaved, 11)3 Fish, and its prepaiaiious, 131 " half way between vegetables and flesh 131 " peculiarity of, absence of blood, 131 " as a diet, 132 " fi-esli water, how to fry, .... 131 " how to choose, 133 " how to clean, 133 " to take, i:3o " to fry large, 136 First law of a child's growtli, 24!) Flax seed tea, to make, 257 Flesh diet, superiority of, 101 " " economical 103 " " alone implies barbar- ism W " " stimulating for two rea- sons, 80 " of different animals as food, 78 '^ diet easily produced in America, 103 Fiber, elements of in animals, 141 Fibrine, elements of 113 Flour, which is best, 34 " to judge of, 11)0 Food, variety of, why required,... 19 " complementary table of, 65 " most perfect kind of, 67 " table showing digestion of different kinds, 62 " howsoonitbeginstonourish, 22 " divided into three groups,.. 27 " required by the city man, ... 51 " in winter, eaten for two pur- poses, 90 " difference in time of diges- tion 22 " meets two great demands,.. 18 " of old people 258 " of convalescents, 258 " for babes 323 " for the sick and aged, 254 For convulsions in children, 503 For the sting of a nettle, 503 For sprains and bruises in horses,. 505 For a carbuncle 383 For a thorn or splinter, 382 For nursing sore mouth or sore mouth in infants, 504 Fowl, to roast, 121 Frost bites, treatment of, 386 Fruits, constituents of, 141 " and vegetables, distinction between, 141 Fruit for children, 2,52 Fruit-growing for women, 412 Furniture polish 479 Gapes in chickens, how to prevent, 223 Garden, its thorough culture de- scribed 399 how tn lav out, 200 Garden, plan of, with cut and de- scription i:)2 Gardening not unsuitable for women, 102 Gastronomy, proper meaning of the word 83 Gelatine, elements of, 143 Gentleman's dressing-gown, to make, 291 Gentlemen's coats, to make, 290 Ginger beer, to make 275 Goo'd baking, importance of, 243 Oraham's views on bread, 167 Graham bread, to make 163 Grains, cereal as vegetables, 1.53 CJrapcs, their preservation, 177 Grape and cane sugar, difference between 46 " sugar, composition of, 47 " " effects of air on, 47 '• culture for woman, 443 Graining rooms 409 Gruel, recipe for making 255 Ilarrictte llosmer, relefoncc to,... 318 Hams, rules for preserving, 125 Headache, treatment of, S72 Heat-producing food, 26 Hen's eggs, 506 Hominy 154 Hot-air furnace 492 IIow children may adorn home 463 How children may be taught house- work, 463 How to draw a house-plan, 390 House-cleaning, . 480 Infancy, 318 Infant's w ardrobe, 336 Ink pow-der, 502 Intervals between children's meals, 250 Intimacy between parents and children, 465 Intoxication, antidote for, 380 Irish, physical development of as a nation, 55 " food of, 56 " why so fully developed in the osseous system, 56 Irishmen, average weight of, 55 Iron, food containing it, 52 " in the system, 52 Ironing 479 Jam, blackberry, 183 " raspberry, 183 Jellies, nutritive qualities of, 49 Jelly, blackberry, 183 grape, 184 " raspberry, 184 Johnston, Prof., on the formation of Ire kind, and the food of Irishmen , .57 Johnny cake, 171 Keeping up repairs 495 ICitcnen. planning of, 891 Knowledge necessary in house- keeper, 24 570 INDKX. Late Piippers", why Injurious 248 Lilo of luaii couiparud to a lamp, . . IT Lime required in lood, 5;j supplied by water. : . . 5(i " required ill the system M\ Linen as a coveriiif,' of tlie l)ody,.. 2';! Liniment for sprains and bruises,. ySJ '■ for weak back, 3.S'i Liquid blacking 502 Loomis oil chemical constituents of food, 1-13 Loomis on chemical constituents of blood 14.3 Lo-s of teeth in old age 2ii0 Love, the corner-stone of home. . . . 461 Macaroni and cheese, why eaten tojrcthcr 58 Mackerel, salt, ~to cook, 1.37 Mangoes 187 Mattresses, 4S4 Maxims, four, for the housewife,. . 45!) Mead, to make 275 Meats, selection, preservation, and cooking of, 101 " preservation of, 122 composition of, IKi Mental activity to be avoided before slL'cping .357 Milk punch, to make, 25S Milk, woman's and cow's com- pared, 322 " how it should be eaten, 74 ' ' how to preserve 130 " yeast bread, to make, 104 " proper care of, 211 " time for skimming 211 " its constituents "and value for food, 73 " how to keep sweet, 215 Missouri corn cakes, 172 Morgan's method of preserving meat 123 Mountain trout, how to prepare, . . 1.33 Mortification, 504 Mutton and its cookery, 116 " common objections to, how removed 117 " how it should be butchered, 117 " best parts of, 118 Mutton chops broiled, 119 " fried, 110 " leg, how to prepare, 120 '• boiled 120 " roasted, 120 " to preserve, 127 Navy bread, 158 Necessity of exercise in the open air .352 Nitrogen must be found in the food _ of poultry. 220 " its proporiicn to carb u in ^ood wl'.ent Hour 34 " chief element in tissne- malving food 27 I Nitrogen in food, table of, Nitrogenous foods menliouv.d, .... Nutrilive power of diiiercnt kinds of food, . Nurse, a iierfect, Oatmeal, for food " to ])reserve meat Oil, not required in corn bread, . . " use of in animal economy, " in milk, pattern for cooks, .... " as an clement of food " amount of in substances used as food, " office of in the system, " its elfect (;n bile " when demandeti in the system, " in the stomach, hurtful " should be carefully mixed with ot'iicr substances, " in com and wheat Oils, manner of combination afl'ect- in. VuiiiiKiirs division of, 40 Sulphur, required in tlie t^ystein,.. 52 in wtial food found, 52 Supply of water in liout^e:?, Hid System, its condition when we sit down to dinner, 93 Taste and nia-iners, how cultivated at table, 25 Tastes two. to be satisfied, 58 Tea, to color with 317 " L'reen ami black, 271 " and cotiee, efiect of on the a-ed, 259 Teething 3:3-1 The d ning -room, 46!) The drying-room, 477 The site of7i house, how to decide on 403 Tissue-making food 26 Toast water, to make, 257 Toothache, treatment of, 373 Tools recommended, assortment of, 496 Tomatoes, stewed, 151 toast, 151 fried, 152 " baked, 152 " to pickle, 187 To cure insect bites, L09 To refasten knife and fork handles, 501 To clean decanters 501 To destroy the smell of fresh paint, 501 To prevent the ill-eflects of char- coal, 501 To purify river or muddy watei- 501 To prevent mold in books, ink, paste, and leather, 502 To prevent whitewash from rub- bing off. 502 To prevent hinges from creaking,. 502 To remove grease spots from car- pets 506 " " ink spots from linen,. 506 To dye black, 316 To inake a dress, directions for,... 298 To treat a boil ... 383 To remove fcetid smell from sores, 383 To stop lilecdiug at the nose, 504 To prevent dogs from going mad,. 506 To cure erysipelas, 505 To remove warts, 505 To clean paint 498 To cure itch 505 To remove lice 505 To remove grease spots from floors, 499 To remove ink stains from linen or cotton 499 To remove grease from books 499 " •' " silk or woolen, 499 " " tallow or sperm from clothing and carpets, 499 " " paint and putty from window glass, 500 To extract ink frcm floors 500 To take paint from cotton, silk, or woolen, .500 To take rnst from steel .... 500 To clean plate 500 I To cure sheep poisoned by eating laurel, 503 I To remove proud tlesh, 503 To take out mildew, 506 j To keep cutlery from rust, 506 1 To prevent bruises from turning black, 507 To make under waist for a little girl, 301 To separate beeswax from the comb, 502 To sew on glazed cloth, 502 To cure black tongue, 504 To clean door j)lates, 501 To take out fruit spots 506 To take grease out of silk, 506 Tools, to preserve, 497 '■ how to keep in place, 496 Training of servants and children, 448 Turkeys, young, care of. 224 Turkey or goose, to stew, 122 Tnpper, Mrs., her testimony as to bee keeping, 227 Two classes of maladies mothers may treat 359 Value of dift'erent woods for fuel,.. 493 " " food reduced to three main points, 59 Variety of dishes required, 88 Vegetable food the best 69 Vegetables, time of boiling 152 and how to dress them. 141 " ccnstitnents of, 142 " various in the garden,. 204 " best for a kitchen gar- den, .'.. 202 Vegetables, chief distimtion in,.. 173 Venison, to preserve 127 its value as loocl 72 Ventilation of rooms, 342 Vests, directions for making 287 ^Yashing day 474 •' facilities for 475 " of while flannels, 475 " of white clothes, 476 " bv the sun • 477 Walking rapid and cheerful, efl'ects of, 44 Waste and supply in human body each dav ^6 Ways of n;aking pin-money 436 Weight of model man 55 Wheat bread, its merits. 69 Wheaten bread 175 Whitewash for fences 498 for inside walls 498 Whooping cough, treatment of,..., 334 Woman at hom e 469 Woiran's duty when she becomes a wife and mother, 15 Working dresses, 293 " aprons 301 Woolen pieces, to use up, 310 Woolens, to wash 338 Wool as a covering, 279 " its superiority as a covering, 331 Wounds on cattle, 506 Yeast in bread, 159 Yeast, potato, how to make 164 INDEX TO APPENDIX. A good dish for tired people 552 Artichokes, 546 Beef tongue . , 541 Best remedy lor burus, 53t Blackberry wine, 554 Bread, , 544 Breakfast shawl, to crochet £.03 Cabbage with milk, 54B Cake, bride.. 511 caraway 515 currant 514,515 " cup 512 '• colTce 513 " cocoanut 513, 54S " composition 510 '* chocolate 513,548 " French loaf 517 " fruit 511 " gold 517, 543 [ '• Bard times molasses 517 : " hard molasses 517 " hickory nut cake, 548 " honeymoon, 510 " honey 514 " ice cream 547 " johnny,..: 548 " lady, 512 " lemon 513 •• Madeira 518 '■ marble 513,547 '• molasses cup 517 molasses, 518 " plum or wedding 511 '■ pound 510 '■ queen 516 '• railroad 512 " republican, 512 *' raised 510 '■ nee 514 '• Sai;v Luiin 514 ' seed, 516 siiVcr 548 '• Sister Anna's, 54S *• Sister Amy's, 548 " Scotch .512 '• ppon;je. 510. 549 '• sugar 511 '• tip-top, 512 " ■W.isbington 512 '■ white 515 ' without eggs 517 Canned salmon, 540 Carpets to cleanse 564 .Cauliflower, 546 Catsup, tomato, 558 mushroom, 558 " walnut 5!i8 Cement for broken cuina 564 CharloUc Russe, 519 '• •• apjiles i.i, 519 Cherry bounce, 555 Chicken tea 552 Cocoanut jumbles, 515 cheese cakes, 531 Codfish balls 540 Cold soap 566 '• crcim 5.34 " slaw 557 CoIoi;ne water, 5.34 Comfi.rters, 5S5 Corn 1 eer, 555 Corned beef, boiled 512 Cream, Italian, 520 snow, 520 " lemon, 520 " raspberry or currant 520 " velvet, 520 '• almond 520 a la vanille, 521 " chocolate 521, 52i apple 521 cofl'ee, 521 " tapioca, 550 " puffs, 516 Crullers, 515 ( ucnmbers, 516 Custard, almond, 523 baked 522 boiled. , 522 " rice 522 " arrowroot, 522 " coffee. .. 523 " chocolate 55i gooseberry or apple, .... 521 '■ cocoanut, 55i Doughnuts, 5l3 " rai'cd 547 Dveinsr 5.">!) 1 Egg plant 5l6 I Kve water 664 I Floating i^laiHl -521 I Formakintr cloth waterproof... .. 66(5 Fi-ench rolls 5(4 ' Frogs' legs, ■. 54o 6T4 INDEX. Gem? 543 Giblut p:e, 5o6 Ginger bread, b/J fc^naps* 51(J Grape preserve, 5.,;j Gravy, 558 Giuiibo, 500 Honic-macie cream candy 554 Ice creaui, 245, 550 " strawberry, 523 " pineapple 5:2:j " currant, 53;J Ink gtains, to remove, 500 " black, to make, .'^GT Jackson jnmbles, 5I5 Jelly, i^niava, 5.::j peach 55,; " rice 51;-> " strawberry, Cr,,'; " table Olf, '' tapioca, 51; " wine, 51;; Jenipalem Artichokes, 5: ' Kisses 51 , • Lace curtains to wash, SCO Lobster 5:.;) Lockjaw, to prevent, oGg Macaroons, 51g Macaroni, to cook, 5o;; Maple pods, 54." Marmalade, Scotch, 5o:o " orange, oOg MeriniTUCP 51n Milk lemonade, 534 Mincc-mcat, Christmas 55i Moss blanc-mange, 5^1 Oatmeal bread 54;j Oysters, fried ^h Parker House rolls, 545 Parsnip cakes, 54(; Pnstry, to glaze or ice 5is Paste', fine French puft' 5£S " Aunt Smith's recipe 5i<) " crisp 5::<) " fnr family pies, S;.;) " rice 5C0 " rich short 6%) " rich puff 5vj A. Mr. BluiV 5:i0 Pickles, French, 5.1-5 in alcohol 5.",") " commercial 55(5 Pickled clams, 555 fruit 5.:g " niartynias 55G Pickled red cabbage, 550 Pickled walnuts 533, 557 Pic, apple 5:>o '• carrot 5"1 " cocoanut 5T1 " cream 551 " custard 531 " lemon . 532, 552 " Lent 552 Pie. niiiicn ..532, 533 " potato 5:j1 " pumpkin 531 " squu.-h 531 Pigeons to cook, 5C3 I'hish lurniture, to cleanse 5G6 Poke-weed greens, 643 Pop-corn balls, 551 Putted beef, 542 Potted mackerel, 540 I'rah-io chickens, 53S Pudding, Abcrandell 5:24 " ' almond 627 " baked Indian 627 " baked batter S-iu " baked apple 525 " blackberry ambrosia. . . . 549 bird-nest 525 boiled nour 524 bf,;icdbaticr 524 boiled Indian 524 boiled English plum 525 h:ead 5:£S " cranberry ro.l 52fi " cocoanut 52S corn starch 524 " cotta;;e 524 " custard 527 fuit 549 " plain 526, 52S " pGta;o SatJ queen's 524 " rice 52G ioly-;H,ly 549 " sago and apple 525 " snow 523 " squash 527 strawberi-y custard 550 '• sweet potato 524 " tapioca 528 '• tapioca, 'v.iih apples 549 " trausparer.t 525 " sauce 52G. 5i7, 549 vanity 628 Eag cai-pets, 558 arraugmient of colors in 561 Pairs 559 Phubarb vinegar, 659 Kice 540 l^ice waffles, 544 Koast, duck to 536 lamb, 536 '• on the pot.. 542 " turkey 538 '• sucking pig 536 Pound steak stufled, 541 PuL's, chenille 561 Pu=ks, 543 Salad, asparagus 645 chicken 557 " lettuce. 557 " potato 543 INDEX. 575 Salt maciserel, 539 Saratoga polutofg, 545 Sauce, holiandaise 55S " Spanish 558 " mayonnaise 559 " oyster 5.U " liorse-radisti 55!) Sausnge meat, 5o7 Sausages, lion's lieart 537 Scidlitz powders 5oo Scalloped clams, 5:30 Scrapple 537 Shad, fried 530 " stewed 530 Sheepskins, to make 563 Simpb cerate, 534 Silk, to clean 5C3 Sliced potato, 547 Smelts, 530 Soft-shell crabs, 540 Spinach 545 Spiced wild grapes, 553 Sonp, crab 585 '* mu'lagatawny 535 " beef 535 " clam 535 Soup, bean 535 Steaks, to cook tender, 543 Straw berry vinegar, 534 Sning beans, 54G Slutted eggs, 537 Sweetbreads, 541 Tea bi>cuit 544 Tlie Good Samaritan liniment, 51)3 Toasted cheese, , 537 Tomatoes, scalloped, 5 !6 Top-dressing, 557 To can corn , 547 To crochet a breakfast sliawl, 503 To knit gloves, 502 To dry sweet corn, 517 To dye sea green, 501 Veal loaf, 541 " cutlet 542 Vienna bread, 544 Wattles 614, 543 Wall paper, to renovate, 503 Water ices 523 Whitewash, brilliant 566 Wine whey 534 " nnfermented, 554 Wounds, remsdy for aching Sfri LIBRARY OF CONGRESS