Agricultural And Domestic

Twas part of my wedding portion, This spot where the old house stand, And I had the choosing of it From all my father's lands. We were young, but we were uot foolish Or wasief ui, jou may (lopend. And my motüer always taughtme Twa botter to sívo thau spend. For awLile, yon know, it was lonely With me in the house all day, And no one to come anígh me To hear what I had to say ; But when l sat wilh my baby, My boy, aeleep on my arm, I didn't much care for the neighbors Or anythmg else on the farm. There were Jack and Ben, you remember, They were all that I ever aad ; And Jack was nis mother's idol, Though Ben was a likely lad. And Wü saved wp every penny, Xor envied another's joya, For a little farm Ih a little craraped t'or a oouple of grwiug boys. X was bent on thelr haring learning, For I wanted my Jack aua Ben To be able to serve their country Whenever she nceded men. And father said I was ellly, For he never could understand The UB6 of spending money For an thiug c1b than land. But I kept to my way of thinking. And, though not overwiae, I Haw That both had a taste for study, Bat Jack had a taste for law. And [ knew that my prayers and prudenc They would after awhle acknowledge. And it paid for all tne strugle When I eutered my boye at college. I can pee that fatner is failing. And there is no streng th in his arm To swing the scythe in the meadow, Or to do the work on the farm. And Bomehow i've lost my courage, Tnough I try to calni and brve ; But what can i mother do but weep, With both her boys in the grave? The house was never so lonely, And my poor old man and I Sit oft in the chimney-corner And dream of ihe daye gone by; And when the too solemn Bilence Is broken by sudden noise, We start with the old-time gladness, And whisper, " Here come the boys !" round the Farm. The freezing of fruit irr the bud, often occasioneel by a few warm days succeeded by late frosts, may be prevented, it is said, by spreading a thick layer of frozen xnanure, or of ice or snow around the trees, in February or March, while the ground is firinly frozen. The buds will thus be kept back, since the roiind will thaw more siowly, and the roots eonvey no nutriment to the tree. When frosts are no longer to be feared the covering should be removed. Fish contain much valuable fertiliaing matter. A good method of making them available i to mix them in a heap with earth or swamp muck, and leave the compound to decomDOse. When the flsh is well rotted, the heap should be mixed by shoveling it over. It ma,y then be used aa a dressing, or be applied in the hill for corn, potatoes, or cabbage. A email shovelful is enough for each hill. If plenty ef swamp muck, or the top soil from woods is mixed with the ñsh, there will be little danger of injuring the land by their use. At a recent meeting of an English farmers' club, Prof. McBride spoke of the dificulto of administering medicine to a pig. He said : " To dose a píg, which you are snre to choke if you attempt to make him drink while squealing, halter him as you would for execution, and tie the rope end to a stake. He will pull back till the cable is slightly strained. When he has ceased his uproar and begins to reflect, approach him, and between the back part of hia jaws insert an old shoe from which yon have cut the toe leather. This he will at once begin to suck and chew. Through it pour your medicine, and he will swallow any quantity you please. The grasshopper región next spring will be developed by the flrst two weeks of dry, warm weather in the respective localities, and wiil comprise two-thirds of Minnesota, one-half of Iowa, all of Dakota, one-half of NebraFka, one-third of Kansas, and all of Colorado and Wyoming. Our investigator calculated that throughout the vast area designated every f oot of dry ground is impregnated by at least 1,000 grasshopper eggs. A piece of earth one inch in thickness and presenting a surface eix inches square yielded 3,000 healthy -looking uggs. That was in Emmett county, Iowa, on the Des Moines river. - Milwaukee Commercial. How to Prepare Eowj Botter ob Maekbt. - Care should be taken in packing and shipping. Country dealera and shippers are in the practice of sending roll butter to market in every conceivable package, including barrels, pine boxss, eto. The above-nimed packagts should be entirely avoidea, as pine will have a tendency to affect and tiavor the butter, while barrels are too large and not easily handled ; beside, the weight crushes 'the roll. New tubs or hardwood boxes are the most desirable, while half-barrels or kegs will do equally well, and these only should be used. Care should also be taken before putting the butter in packages that all the sides and ends of the packages should be lined with new white musliü, thus keeping the butter from defacement by touching the wood. Another bad practice ia in putting the butter up in paper. This should not be done, as the paper sticks to tne butter and damages the appearance. Eich roll should be separatelv placed in a piece of new muslin cloth, washed in watm water, to take out the starch, anl thoroughly wet in good brine. The rolls should also be of uniform eize, and not too large. Then, again, the roll should be of uniform color, not packing the light one fresh made with the other that has been colored. About the Honse. Com Staroh. - A splendid thing to give gloss and prevent the iron from sticking. Mftke a suds of white Castile soap, and add to your raw starch. New Yeab's Cakb.- Two and one-haif pounds butter, two and one-half pounds silgar, five pounds flour, one pint cold water, one-half ounce ammonia, one-half pound carav oy seed. CoooaïotPie.- To eight pggs use two quarts milk; grate a nutaieg line; pour over it the milk and eggs well beat en; sweeten, salt, and flavor according to taste; make ernst like a custard. Hazbl Nut Butter. - Scaldand blanch some hazel-nuts; pound them to a paste in a mortar, adding gradually a small quantity of butter. This is good to eat with wild fowl, or to flavor the most delicate sauces. Cube for Chapped Bands. - Camphorated ice (which is a combination of mutton-tallow and camphor) has given me the greatest satisfaction. Also a solution of eider vinegar and pure glycerine in equal parts will cure the most stubborn chappe i hands on even the thinnest skin. Ikdian-Meal A toacupful and a half boiliug milt poured over two teacupfuls Indian meal; wlien it cools add two cupfuls wheat flour, one of butter, one and a half of sugar, three eggs, and a tablespoonful nutmeg or cinnamon; if not stiff enough, add equal portions of wheat and moal; let it rise till very light ; roll it about half an inch thick; cuiTit inio small diamond-shaped cakes, and boil them in bot lard. To Bestoke Black Meeino.- Soak the goods in strong suft-soap suds two hotirs, then, having diseolved one ounce extract kgwood (which is the amount. required for one diess) in a bowl of warm water, add sufficient warm- not hot water to cover the goods, whicli are to be taken from the suds without wringing. Allow the goods to stand in ths logwood water over night; in the morniDg rinse in several waters without wringiug; in the last water add one pint sweet ïnilk, whioh stiffens the goods a little; iron while quite damp. It Wils pot orook, and lookw w good as aew.