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â€"W: ll the Farm. IMfiM‘Qâ€" â€"W®%° PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE 0F FARM WORK. Common sense teaches us farmers «that we must devote, our time exclus- oa the kitchen fire after the cooking is done. In [extra expense. This hot water poured onto other compounds in the barrel will warm slops ration‘ enough .for a goodly number of hogs. ‘W’arm pig house and plenty of dry bedding are also necessary for winter economy. Think of the vast amount of feed it [will take. if the hog must sleep_ in the open air, with poorly arranged shel- ter, and drink its sloops at 3;\ degrees. il'ell' to our V30?!“ 0“ the farm; or “'9 \Varm the slops and. save the feed. will suffer loss writes Elias F. Brown. For instance, one farmen told me the other day that he had some extra work _â€"_â€"â€" l A CHEAP HOG SHELTER. Comparatively fewi farms have good, ‘to look after last summer and thathe warm and dry shelter for hogs in win- was foolish enough to hire an extra ter. Nearly every farm has- shelter of, man to do his farm work while he gal- some. kind, but many hog houses are so loped down the I'OJd looking after some ,open and exposed to the weather and one else's work. Now it. might appear Icold drafts particularly, that. the hogs thita person could make a fairly good thing if he earns $40 to $50 per month at something besides farming, whena common farm hand can be hired for $15 to $18 per month. The difference between $18 and $50 is quite a nice little sum, yet when we come to count in the extras which the $18 man has to have and which} must be supplied from the $50 salary it equalizes things considerably. Still I do not think here is where the great difference lies. Every true farmer has some partiâ€" cular method which no hired man cares to foilow except while in sight of the “boss,” and ,it sometimes hap- pcns that all the interests of the farm do not get the attention they would if the owner was dong the. work himself, as was the case of the farmer alluded to at the beginning of this article. This Eilrmcr said he tried his best to teach the man that 'was doing. his work how to cultivate corn, but. it was practical- ly out of the question. He simply went over the field as a machine would, regardless of the requirements of the soil. As a result a shrinkage of 15 bushels per acre was experienced. A machine man on the farm is worse than an unruly animal, for they, the animals, can be tied down. with the assurance that they will come to time, but with the other, fellow nothing can be done. Corn, like all other crops in .one respect, has to be well cared for from the very beginning to get best results. Some; placesin the field may need deep cultivation, while others m:.y require shallow, and if a man is so ab- sorbed in something else that he does not notice this difference in these places he is not on the road to success- ful farming. Thus it may be easily scenthit, usually speaking, if a man understands the rlquiremcnt‘s of his farm itiwould surely pay him as well, if not better, to‘ stay at home- and do his own work. or take the place of the $18 man instead of accepting $50 a month elsewhere. ' SUCCESS \VI’I‘H CEMENT. Before putting down a cement floor he sure that the building is wheru’ it is always to -stand,. for the flood can- not bc removed says M. C. Thomas. Use the very best material. Do not use any of the cheap grades of cement. I prefer the Portland above allothers, as cold or heat does not affect it. To begin, put down a layer of clean gra- vel six inches deep, slightly moistened and tamped down as firme as pos- sible. After this is done, commence on the floor. This should be laid in' sec- tions about three feet wide, so that a person can trowel across them. Pro- cure a scantling six inches wide and two inches thick. Begin on one side of the barn and for a horse stall give it one-half inch fall from manger to hind feet. Stake and. level the scantiâ€" ing, then apply the concrete, which is made by using six parts of clean,sharp gravel and one part ccmcnt, thorough- ly mixed and just dampened enough to pack well. \\ heel this in‘ and have it five inches thick when it is thoroughly tamped. 'l'hc tampmg must be. thorâ€" oughly done. how put on the top coat, which should be one inch thick. and is made of two parts of sharp, clean sand and one part cement. thoroughly mixed and tempcred and oflhe right consistency to spread nicely. In smoothing itoff, use a straight (edge at first, and after it his commenced to dry. use a trowel to give it a smooth, glossy appearance. In putting on the top, smooth it off with aslittle. work as possible, as too much work will Cause the water and sand to coin.- to the surfac.~, making a bad job. If you wish to corrugate it, use a beveled board and strike it gently with a hatchet. After this reâ€" move the scanthtig and procmd as be- fore. For it cow stable or hog-house, thi- concrete need not be ovcr three inches thick and the top t‘uill onc-half inch thick. and for achicken house, still has After the floor is l.iid. kt‘t‘ll everything off until it thoroughly set. and in ten“ days or will ho ready for any kind of stock. WAR.“ THE SLUI’SIN WINTER. For (‘()I.\'t‘l1l!‘ll(“ purchase an oillmr- rel. 5t) gils size. saw one end off. oiirh fasten cap on with strong hinge. so it: can be opened and shut at will. To prevent. freezing, ii'.‘ a box around the barrel, pack wcil with sawdust or chany manure. lo bitter cold weather. hang a lantern in thc btrr.-l by inscrting a sun” hook in the middle of cap. also makrt a few gimlei holes for vcntilwtion. If the hog could take its choice of warm or cold slop in low mercury We..thcr, it would very readily. through its instinct, pick out the warm. To winter swine as cheaply- as possible, it is necessary to warm. the ration in cold weather. This can Very easily be done by placing three or four pails of Irate: in the wash boiler and heating inches from top, [WU weeks: it , are. uncomfortable and consequently unprofitable. A shelter for 25 or 30 head can be made very cheaply of straw and rails. It answers the purpose very well and in the saving of feed and. the comfort of hogs will many times repay its cost, which is only the labor neces- sary to erect it. A double. pen, one inside the other, is built of fence rails, two rail-lengths long and one wide, and 3 or 4 ft. high. 'lhe space between the two pans, 12 or 15, in. is filled with straw and well trumped. Other rails are laid across on top. On these the straw roof is placed. The straw is dampened, so that it will pack well. It is built well out over the ‘. sides of the pen, which should 'stand on dry ground. The door on the leeward side usually needs lno protection. Nothing more is neces- gsary except an occasional fresh bed of u - straw. I WOMEN OF GRIT. A company of California women is building a railway from Summerville to Stockton, a distance of sixty odd miles. The majority of the stockholders are women, the directors are women, and the control of the building contracts is in the hands of women. Mrs. Annie Kline Rickert is the pro- sident of the Stockton and Tuolumne , County Railroad, which is better known [as “the woman’s railroad.” Mrs. Rickert, in addition to being a railway president; is an owner of mines. l During the five years in which she lhas been riding and driving between Stockton and the mines, she has studiâ€" ed the needs and possibilities of the country with comprehensive eye. Along the mother lode there are 1thousands of tons of ore, and on the other side of it in the timber belt there are thousands of feet of lum- ber to be carried to tidewater at Stock- ton. Apropos of the railway under- taking, Mr. Rickert tells this story :â€" “If we are women we know a little more about materials than the direc- tors of the Valley Road did when they started. On a requisition sent in one of the items for the Valley Road was fish plates. A director gravely cross- ed it out with the remark, ‘\Ve haven’t a directors' car yet, so I guess the men can get along without fish plates.‘ On the woman's road it is an understood thing that the fish plates will be of steelâ€"not of china.” Seventeen years ago Mrs..Rickert was left a widow without means, and with a little girl to care for. Mrs. Rickert i lbought a tent, and pitched it in' the Mojane. desert. One day she was out prospecting in l company with her little daughter, when she heard the latter cry, "Mamma, momma, I have ft und some rock exactly like the specimen Mr. Pearson had at San Bernardino. That was how Mrs. Rickert came to own a gold mine that produced as much as £2,000 to the ton. ’ A LAND OF BEGGARS. _â€" You Are Held lip at livery Turn to Sunny italy. The destitution of the Italian poor is not to be matched outside of Ireland, and the sufferers bear it. with the same pathetically grateâ€" stnallest contribution, writes I. Zangwill. Beggars, blind, crippled, or with hideous growths, placed at ever point of vantage along the. grand tourist highway, undo much of the good the sight of the. beautiful works upon the spirit. In the. more paying situations there is keen competition. Nowhere are de- formcd bi gga rs more numerous and inâ€" sistent than at Assisi. with its touchâ€" ing reminiscences of St. Francis, preacher to Illt' birds, whose humble shrine naturally tends to soften thr- purse strings. l’he Italian beggar holds out or [‘USIIJS forward hzs deformity as if it were for sale. At any rate, it is on viewâ€"at a fee. lf the ltaiian Govern atom, which owes so much of its scanty revenue to its American, English, and . (ix‘l‘lll‘lll vi~i:ors, had any consideration for their fcclings, ll would pension (-fi its lxggrirs, even if it had to chargi- the stranger a pauper-tax on entry which would cover all claims. _ The human misfits are not the only lbeggars. It might be roughly said ‘llll all ll'tly lives on tips. liven the sweet resignation, ful for the comparatively respectable classes hav. become corrupted by thc tourists;quit. a. “ell-dressed young lady, conning llt‘i prayer book in St. l’elcr's, suddenly startled me. by demanding an alms l'herc is no possible thing that can b. done for you which you are allowed it do for yourself, and nothing whicl. can be divided into-two duties is a‘ lowed to be done in one. Wu.- to th- ltalian who by doing too much inter- feres with tip the second or tip 1h third' this way there will be no. I v l gfilhe Home FOR. A WINTERS TEA. Escalloped Oysters, old style -three lpints of oysters carefully looked over for fear of shells. Put one layer of rolled crackers in baking dish, then one of oysters; with dots of butter. pepper, and salt on each layer of the first, with considerable of the oys. ter liquor and a few spoonfuls of rich cream over the t0p. Bake in a not too hot oven. _ Fried Oystersâ€"Drain oysters first in a sieve; no salt added. Roll in bread crumbs first, then dip in egg, then roll in cracker crumbs, well seas~ oned. Fry in a deep bath of fat. Fried Chickenâ€"Take chicken cut in pieces, boiled first, if not perfectly tender, dip in batter of egg and waâ€" ter, then salt and dip in either bread oE‘ fcracker crumbs, and fry in a bath 0 at. Have coffee, tea, or chocolate, serv- ed with whipped cream;-imperial rolls not biscuit, or buttered toast; olives or some kind of relish. If there is some one to serve the meal, the second course should be on a side-board, or side table, as it crowds the large table, For this, if preserves or ice cream are not used, lemon jelly is very nice, made as follows :â€" Lemon nglyâ€"Dissolve 1-2 box gels:- tine in a little water, or by putting it dry into a small vessel set in one of boiling water. Juice of 3 lemons, adding enough water to make a pint. Strain through sieve, adding sugar to taste, taking care not to get it too sweet. Put in mold to harden. If one wants this jelly richer, add, when half hardened in mold, any kind of nut meats and figs chopped, or mereâ€" ly the nuts. These must be inserted all through the mold. For orange jelly substitute for lemons 3 oranges and half a lemon. Or. try the juice of 3 oranges and 1 lemon, using 1-6 box gelatine and pour mixture over slicâ€" ed «bananas. Serve with any of these dishes one or two kinds of cake, one preferable. Hickory Nut Cakeâ€"One cup butter, Zcups sugar, 1cup sweet milk, whites of 5 eggs, well beaten, 31-2 heaping cups flour. Add, after mixing well, 1 full cup hickory nut meats. Or, take the same recipe as for plain layer cake, except instead of the 31-2 cups flour, take 3 cups. Put icing be- tween the layers and on top. On each layer press the half kernels of common or English walnuts, figs chop- ped coarse, or sprinkle with fine can- dies; or, use the cake plain or the icing colored pink by using pink sugar, with almond or vanilla flavoring. Boiled Icingâ€"Boil 2 cups granulat- ed sugar with 4 tablespoons water, one kettle within another, containing boiling water, until it drops from the spoon in threads. Have ready the beaten whites of 2 eggs and pour the syrup slowly into them, beating all the time. Flavor, and spread on cake while warm. Thisfar excels the old method. Have. a small dish at each end of the table, of confections or salted alâ€" monds. If a large number of guests are presentthey should be served at small tables, each carefully set, and with flowers if possible. Salted alâ€" monds are easily prepared at home. First blanch the almonds by pouring boiling watcr‘over them. 'lhen place in dripping pan, with a lump of but- ter and well salted, and set in oven. \Vatch and stir carefully till done. STORE AND KITCHEN CLOSETS. Shelves covered smoothly with white marbled oil cloth are easily kept cleanâ€"something to be appreci- ated when ajar of preserves fermenls and explodes or a bottle of oil is broken. Tins common as they are for holding all sorts of things, from pepâ€" per to bread, are not the best boxes. Highly glazed crockery jars with closely fitted covers are better. in every instance. There IS no possible action of china upon food, as there is of the metal compound, and the crock- ery is, besides, much more. easily kcpt clean. Ctha spice boxes, crockery lea caddies, (oifec, boxes, bread and cake boxes, are by all odds the best. Of course, in the store room, as everyâ€" where else, the most east reached sngives should be devoted to the most often needed goods. A small pair of scales on a Slli‘lf, a"grot'rry wantcd' slate inside the door, and an casin cleaned nil cloth floor covering will all .:=ld to the comfort of the store room. 011 the floor of the hitch-n closet and on its shelves aISo oilcloth will tic found a labor >aving institution, .Ail- though, of course, no pots or tins should evcrbc put init in‘such a con- iiiion as to soil the most immaculate- ly kept wood. Stzll, accndcnts do happen, and oil cloth makes them easier to bear. I’O’ll. DESSERT. \Vhippcd Cream.â€"I’ut a good half- pint of thick double cream into a has- ln with two table-spoonfuls of fine white sugar, one tablespOonful of fresh lemon ,fuicu, a light seasoning ofsalt, and the white of a large fresh egg beaten to a froth; then set the basin in a how. of very cold water. and whisk orisk-y until a firm froth rises to the ~urface; rcmove this with a slice and 1y it on a sieve to drain, then continue .vhlsking so long as any froth can be «Dining-d. Whm thoroughly drained it Ls ready for use. l WW _WI Fgg Scornâ€"Beat the whites of two or three fresh eggs to a firm froth. with a. light seasoning of sdt and a plcasani flavoring of some favorite essence; then have ready about a pint of new mi k, also seasoned and flavored, sun when it boils dtop .n the frothed egg about a tablespconful at a tlmczwhcn set, remove the pieces of snow. with a slice to drain; then when quite cold use as required. Fancy Rings or Croutonsâ€"Take. soul. slices of Siale bread or spongecake about half an inch thick, and stamp them out with a proper cutter. into either fancifuilyâ€"shaped croutons or rings; soak these in a good uncooked custard, which has been seasoned and flavored according to taste, then dram them well, and fry them in hot clari- fled fat until colored a dainty golden brown; after which drain carefully, brush the surface of each over with white. of egg, and sprinkle alternately With finelyâ€"chopped pistachios and alâ€" monds, or ornament in some pretty dt.L vtce w1th tiny strips or rings of ange- lica and candied cherries. These fortn a very effective decoration for a from solid or a compote of fruit. USES FOR BEEF. Knowledge is power in marketing as in other things, and quite as satisfacâ€" tory a cut may be obtained at less cost, then personally selected, as the butcher would deliver if left to himself. This rule applies to the farmer's wife who buys from a travelling dealer at her door, as well as to the housekeeper who has a wide range of choice in the city markets. To Fry Steakâ€"In these days of oil, gas and gasoline cooking ranges it is sometimes necessary to fry steak. If properly done the meat may be made digestible; if poorly fried, the saints preserve usl \Ve shall need their aid to live through the effort to assimilate the mass. A safe rule is to have the. spider very hot and well greased, usâ€" ing suet or drippings; butter burns too quickly. Put in the meat and turn frequently, Do not cover, or the juices will simmer out, stewing and toughen- ing the meat. Serve on hot platter with bullter, pepper and salt added after taking up. Add half a pint of hot water to the brown contents of the frying pan and thicken with a little flour. Serve in a. gravy boat. Steak with Smolhered Onionsâ€"Have ready a sufficient quantity of sliced onions, and when the steak is removed from the spider turn the onions into it at once, covering it closely to let the vegetable cook in the grease and their own juices. Set the platter of meat into the oven to keep warm. The - onions will cook in five minutes and may then be turned over the meat on the platter. Send to the table at once. Another way is to cook the onions while the. steak is broiling, then put the meat into the spiderrsimmer five minutes andserve, using plenty of butter or dripping with the onions and adding salt and pepper to suit the taste. Braized Beef.-â€"-Use a piece of solid meat from the rump or shoulder. Alâ€" low twenty-five minutes to the pound for cooking. Put into a. covered dripp- ing pan, one onion one turnip, and one carrot, slicing them. Lay the meat on top of vegetables, add one quart of hot water, cover the pan and put into a very hot oven. \V'hen half done salt to suit, and then haste every quarter of an hour. After the meat is taken out put a pin‘t of water into the pan, let it; boil up and strain it. In another pan melt and brown two tablespoonfuls of butter, add two tablespoonfu‘ls of flour, stirring until smooth. Pour over it. the hot water from the other pan, add a tablqspoonful of “'orcestcr or Tabasco sauce, with salt and pepper to suit, and pour over the meat. Rib of beef are sometimes braized. Shaved Beef. â€"Freeze the desired quantity of the best round of beef solid enough to shave thin with a sharp knife. Put into an iron kettle over a brisk fire and let the merit stew in its own juice. “'hen the redness dis- appears it is done: then .add butler, pepper and salt and dredge in a little flour, using a small quantity of boil- ing water. Served with biked potatoes (Chipped Becf.â€"Onc~half pound dricd beef chipped fine, four level talilcspomi- fuls entire wheat flour, four level titblcspmnfuls butter, one pint hot llfilkn, adash of cayenne pepper and clu‘lll Sllrt'tltll'd wheat Liscuiis. Alt-ll the. butter in a saucepan, add bet-f, cayenne and flour: stir briskly. adding the. hot. milk a lilile at a tiinc, cooking until thick and smeoih. Pit-pare lb.» biscuits l.y dipping,r quickly in Clld milk, draining ih iroughly then warm- ing in a. buttered pin in :1 Ir»! ovr-n. Covering the part. Put the llmlcd birt- cuil on a hot dish and send to the tablr with the beef in a sepirate dish ll, no added in sching. COST OI“ I'IUROI’ES FLEI-I'I‘S AND AllMll'ZS. It is estimatcd that Europe pays yearly for the miimc-nzincc of its fleets and armies £325,0(Nlfl00 and m-zir 'y as much again in thc guise of inter» cat on debts contracted for thz- put-c- cution of forcign wars. The. dain 12‘;â€" penditure needed for a conflict in which the five Continental Great Powers: were engaged would amount to £l,l{l5.li (l Over and above this sum it would la- necessary to expend on the fitmlies of ihe soldiers about £198,441). In other acids, the annual coat. 0' this Euro pean war. exclusive of indirect losses would, according to the cilrulatmn of M. Bliokh, a Polish pulili'ist. ruacb the fantastic total of £l,7~l7,l'.lt,,.t,0. fâ€"Oâ€"Oâ€"O-§â€"."Oâ€".-.â€".- w". .’ Young Folks. sâ€"eâ€"eâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"oâ€"o GAMES WITH WORDS. In the game of “The Stranger on. the island‘ the lender asks a number of questions which must be answered by the players in turn with words each beginning with the same letter of the alphalet. Here are the questions, and fine set of answers are given as an illustration. Let A represent the lead- er, and B. C, D, E, and F, the other players: A. There is a stranger on the 18' land: what brings him here? .8. Anxiety to see his friends, A. What has he brought with him! C. AmLer. A. ’What will he take with him? D. Alligators. A. Where does he come from? E. Asia. A. Where is he going! 11‘. Albania. When the list of questions is ex- hausted, then it is gone over again. and the answers must all begin with B. A gorfeit should be the penalty of n blun~ er. Rhyming words in puptomime is a charming pastime. All taking part must be seated in a circle, in order that each player have a clear view of all the other players. One of the comâ€" pany must be selected to‘ begin the grime. He must think of some word which can be easily rhymed by other words, and tell what word it rhymes With, saying, for instance, "I have thought of a word that rhymes with cat; can any of you guess it 7" The players must not speak in an- swer to the leader‘s question, but who- ever thinks of a word to rhyme must strive to act it out in pantomime, as plainly as possible. The leader Watches the player who is acting the. word, and as soon as he guesses what the person acting is trying to present, if over thinks of sword to rhyme must say, “It. is notâ€"" calling out the word ‘reprcsented. “ that I thought of,” and so on. As each player sets out a word the leader must call out the word repro- sented until the right word is acted. The leader must then resign his place, and the person who acted out. the right word must be the leader, and think of a word, giving out the word to be rliymed with. Suppose the person who first: selects ,a word chooses "sting,"and gives out “fling” to be rhymed with. One of the persons makes a motion with his hands of ringing a bell.” Another play- er will by signs indicate a ring on :thc finger.” The leader exclaims, “ It is not a finger ring." One of the. players will imitate wringing of clothes. The leader siys, “It is not wring." Anoth- er represents singing, and is told. " It is not sing.” A player will, perhaps, indicate a bee stinging. "Sting is the word; I resign my place to you.” DICKIE'S SURPRISE. “bird dog." He at good disposition, communications Dick was a great was naturally of but; "Evil corrupt good manners,“ and following the lead of a. neighbor’s cross dog, Master Dick fell into one bad habit. At sight of a wandering pussy, he would fly af- ter it. with such an uproar that the frightened creature would shoot up into the nearest tree, with her tail like a. feather boa. It was with much mis- giving, therefore, that I one day ac- cepted the gift of a pretty, half- grown blue-and-whitc cat. Cutter had been raised in a shed be- hind a. grocery, and seen no dog save an. old toothless cur, with whom she had been on the most familiar terms. In fact, Cuttcr's great characteristic was trustfulncss. It seemed as if she knew nothing of bad treatment, and so knew nothing of fear. According- ly, when Dick found her on a. chair in the house, and started for her with a terrifying bark, she simply lo-pt on washmg her face. He stopped, evi- dently puzzled, and obeyed at once when I ordered him out. But after dinner canto thc. surprise. Dick went to sleep on a largo rug in the sitting-room, after curling him- self round so that thcrc was a little vacant; circle betwacn his body and his legs. The cat, who had been playing at my feet, grew tired, and looked abont. for a. sleeping-plume. Suddenly she. spied Dick, and her in- decision vai.i.licd. With the greatest deliberation sho curled herself up in the circle of his h-gs, and wont to sleep. I sat. looking at the prctly pic- ture, more intcrt-stcd in the outcome of the sci-nu than in my book. l’rcscntly llick :twokc. He raised. his head lazily,aud wasabout to drop it. again, when he. caught. sight of tho cat. I shall never forget the comical look that came into his cycs. No hu- man counta-nanco over expressed utâ€" t.-r astonishmcnt more plainly than Dick's. For several mon‘r tits ho gaz- ed at the cat, as if doubting lllu ovi- dcncc of his senses, too much bewildâ€" trctl to bark. ’lh In has slowly rcuchcd chr and gently nippld llm cat’s var. Cutter gavc hvr lit-ad a rhakc, as if to dislofgo a fly, and slept on. 'llivn Dick, who .St't'lll‘d to be I-xprrimcniing gave iln- car a harder nip. 'l‘hlza limo Cutter :dnllvtl out of lwr shwp. rais- cd her h.a:l, coinprclmndwl the cause of her trouble. promptly clawed the dog's llflllu with one little paw. and .tmightway resumed h--r h‘lccp. l-‘or the next fivu minutm liick’n loco was u. study, as hr lay looking at her. l'hvn. evidently giving up lhc puzzle. he lay down again and i-lcpt, loci. Aftvr that then: was not the hem! fear that Dick would hurt (.‘uttcr. Not that he summed to develop any decided :llfnlitll'fll for her. but Ilt'r [wrfect n3- sllranca in climbing over him. ulcer» 'ng on hYm. or playing with his tail. ~1an to "Hump" him, as our boys . ill, and hi- subtnittml to her friendly ":uuiliaritiee with a very funny air of ‘wufl'll‘f and perplexit], but always without demur. ..... Wm... . ... M.â€"â€"â€"â€". ~............ 0.. . {MM-4..- .. F A-.. . -_, .. "a..- ...