The Household

The want of success that many ple experienee with house plants is , chiefly due to the improper way in , whieh they are supplied with water. Sometimes the carth in the pots becomes as dry as street dust. At other times the soil is kept in the condition of soft mud. In many cases there is no opening in the bottom of the pot or box through which the superfluous water can escape. As a consequence it remains and becomes stagnant and offensive to the smell. It is quite likely that malaria has resulted from the decay of vegetable matter in flower pots kept in living rooms. A Germán paper makes the following sensible suggestions on tli o subject: "Watering plants is one of the most important things in the culture of house plants, and very special care should te devoted to it. Plante ought not to be wet until they need it. It will be evident that they require wetting if on taking the earth from the pot it crumbles to pieces like dust. A sure sign is to knock on the side of the pot, near the middle, with the finger-knuckle. If it gives forth a hollow ring, the plant needs water; if there is a dull sound, there is still moisture enough to sustain the plant. Plants must not be wet more man once or twict; a vu mj clear days they roquire more water than on damp, cloudy days. On the other hand, the earth must not be allowed to dry out entirely, for that is also very injurious. In wetting them the water must be poured in such a way that it will run out again through the hole in the bottom of the pot. ff the earth gets too dry it is best to place the pot in water, so that the water will satúrate the dirt very gradually. They may be watered at any hour of the day, except when the sün is shining on the pot or has just left it; for the earth gets hot when the sun shines on it, and then if cold water is poured on it it will cool off too rapidly. The best time for watering flowers in summer is in theevening, and in winter noon is best. Well watei should never be used, but alwas use either rain water or brook water. -m For FollowerB of Epicurus. Molasses Cake. - One cup of molasses one cup of brown sugar, one cup o: cold water; boil together, then add í cup of butter and set asLIe to cool; floui as thick as a pound cake, add four well beaten eggs, one pound each of raisim and nnrrnnts. nne-hülf nound citrón bake two hours, French Vegetable Soup. - To a leg of lamb of moderate size take four quarts of water. Of carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cabbage and turnips, take a i teacup each, choppedfine, salt and pepper to taste. Let the lamb be boiled in this water. Let it cool, skim oñ all the fat that rises to the top. The next day boil again, adding the chopped vegetables. Let it boil three hours the second day. Fried Celery. - Gut the celery into pieces about'two inches long. Stew until quite tender, and drain. Dip each piece into beatep eggs, seasoned with salt and pepper. Roll in crackerdust and fry in boiling lard. Drain well when fried and serve very hot. Fig Pudding. - Take half poundof the best ligs, wash, them chop them fine, two tea-cupfuls of grated bread, half a cup of sweet cream, one cup of sweet niilk, half a cup of sugar; mix the bread crumbs with the cream, then stir in the flgs, then the sugar, the miik the last thing; pour into a pudding dish and steam three hours. Take a piece of beef weighing six or eiaht pounds, have the bone taken out; then rub it well with a mixtiiw imnnapr1 nf ffrnlind cloVeS. spice, black peoper and salt, one spoonful of each rubbed fine. After the mixture is well rubbed in roll it up tightly and tie it; put it into a pot half full of water, with three or four potatoes, a carrot, two turnips, if small, and two onions, and let it stew six hours. To Roast Partridges.- Pluck, singe, draw and truss them, season with salt and pepper, roast for about half an hour in a brisk oven, basting often with butter. When done placo on a dish together with bread crumbs fried brown and arranged in small heaps. Gravy should be served in a tureen apart. Brown Bread. - Scald one pint of brown flour, make it as thick as stiff mush; then put in half a cup of yeaat, and let this sponge stand over night; in the morning mix it up with white flour, and sweaten to taste. This quantity makes two small loaves. It requires longer to bake than white bread. Mock Turtle Soup.- Take part of a calf 's head, remove the brains, rinse the head in several waters, and then let it soak in cold water for an hour. Prepare four quarts of beef stock, put this in a large soup kettle, put the head in, and let this boil slowly for an hour and a half. Then take the head out, let it get cold, and then cut ali the meat from it and return bones and meat both to the soup. Fry in butter till brown a large onion which you have sliced very thin; add this to tho soup, with some pieces of carrot, turnip, parsley, if you can obtain it, some celery, and any herbs, such as sage or sumnior savory, if you like them in soup. The secret or success in making this is to cook it long enough, and it shouM be cooked slowly. Ihe soum should be skimnied off at an early stage in the preparation of the dish, and the soup must be strained bcfore it is served. One authority of this soup says that a lemon sliced and added to it a few minutes before removing from the lire is an improvement. Grahani Crackers.- Seven cups graham, one cup thick sweet cream (or butter), one pint sweet milk, two teaspoonf uls baking powder. Rub the baking powder into the flour. Add the cream with a littlo salt, then the milk; inixjvvell, and roll as thin as soda crackers; cutinanysliape; bakequickly; then leave about the stove for a few hours to dry thoroughly. Try this from the Country Gentleman: Soak a ham over night in warmish water. In the morning make a paste of rye or wheat flour and cold water, and cover the whole ham with it, end of bone and all. Put small rings, or a few skewers into the bottom of the dripping pan, so as to keep the ham an inch from the pan. Put the pan with the ham into the oven, andbakeitthreeorfourhours, according to size. It will be more accurate to weigh the ham and allow nfteen minutes to a pound for a small one, and twenty minutes for a larger one. The paste will make a hard crust around the ham, keep in all the juicea, and render it delicious. When it is done, break off the crust carefully in pieces, aud all the skin will come with it. Scatter bread crumbs and brown sugar all over the fat, sticK m a iew uioves, a little pepper, and place the ham in the oven to brown well on top. It can be servetl either liot or cold. Garnish it with sprig3 of parsley and slices of hard boiled eggs, and cold, pickled beets. Steamed potatoes.- Steamorboil dry a quart of sound potatoes; then peel and masli in a sauce-pan, and mix an ounceof bulter; set over the fire. pourino-in slovvly nearly one-half a pint of mfik, stir to prevent scorching; dish into a common earthen dish, seollop and put in quick ovento brown, set on table ín same dish. This is the most palatable tvay Of cooking potatoes especially in the spring. Lady Finge. - Rub half a pound of buttcr into a pound of flour; to this add half a pound of sugar, the juice and grated rind of one large lemon, and lastly, three eggs, the wliites and yolk beaten separately, and the whites stirred in after all the other ingrediënt are well mixed together. This dough, if properly made, will be stiff enousrh to make rolls about the size of a lady's iinger; it will spread when in the oven so that it will be of the right size and shape. If y ou wish them to be especially inviting, dip them in chocolate icing after they are baked. Take pains to see that the icing is so hard that it will not run. and set the cakes on a platter in a cool room until the icing is firni. Jelly Cheese.- ïwo sets of pigs' f eet put into hot, salted water, sufticient to cover them; boil slowly until the meat falls from the bone. Then put the feet on a dish and take out all the bones; cut the meat into small pieces and return to the kettle in which they vere boiled, with theliquor; then season with salt, pepper, sage, savory and sweet marjoram; stir all well together and let it simmer slowly twenty minutes; then put into deep dishes. When cold cut into slices, and eat cold or hot with vinegar