Buckeye cookery

After smoking four weeks take down, sprinkle with ground black pepper, tie tightly, in whole paper sacks, hang in a dry, dark, cool place, watching closely for fear of mold. Or, wrap in paper, sew in a. coarse, cotton bag, whitewash on the outside and hang near the roof in the garret; or, wrap in brown paper, and cover with dry ashes (dry leached ashes are best); or, pack without sacks, hock end uppermost, in oats or shelled corn, or in clean, sweet hay, before flies come. Cover box or barrel closely, and keep in a dry, cool place. If there is any danger from flies, take direct | from smoke-house and pack immediately. Brine for pickled pork should have all the salt it will dissolve, and a peck or half bushel in bottom of barrel. If pork is salted in this manner it will never spoil, but the strength of the brine makes it necessary to salt the hams and side meats separately. Pork when killed should be thoroughly cooled before salting, but should not remain longer than one or two days. It should never be frozen before salting, as this is as injurious as salting before it is cooled. Large quantities of pork are lost by failing to observe these rules. If pickled pork begins to sour, take it out of the brine, rinse well in clear, cold water, place a layer in a barrel, on this place charcoal in lumps the size of a hen’s egg or smaller, add a layer of meat and so on, until all is in the barrel, cover with a weak brine, let stand twenty-four hours; take meat out, rinse off the charcoal, put it into a new strong brine, remembering always to have plenty of salt in the barrel — {more than the water will dissolve). If the same barrel is used, cleanse it b placing a small quantity of quicklime in it, slake with hot water, add as muc salt as the water will dissolve, and cover tightly to keep the steam in; let stand for a few hours or over night, rinse well, and it is ready for use. This is an excellent way to cleanse any barrel that has become impure. The pork must not be salted in whisky barrels; molasses barrels are the best. The whisky is said to injure the bacon.—D. Buzton. HOW TO OUT AND CURE MEATS. 437 HINTS ON BUTTER-MAKING. No sloven can make goog butter. The one thing to be kept in mind, morn. ing, noon, and night, is neatness, neatness, neatness. The milking should be done in the cleanest place that can be found, and the cows should be kept as cleari as possible. Wash the teats and udders thoroughly with plenty of cold water, and wipe with a cloth or towel.. Never wash with the hand moistened with milk from the cow. The least impurity taints the cream, and takes from the sweetness of the butter. Milk perfectly clean (as the last quart is twice as rich in butter as the first), and the quicker the milking is done the more milk is obtained. The milk-room should be clean and sweet, its air pure, and temperature about 62 degrees. As soon as a pail is filled, take to the milk-room and strain the milk through a fine wire-cloth strainer, kept for the purpose, and not attached to the pail (the simple strainer being more easily kept clean). Never allow milk to stand in the stable and cool, as it absorbs the foul odors of the place. The pans (flat stone crocks with flaring sides are- better than tin pans. In winter hot water should be poured into them while milking is being done, and poured out just before straining the milk into them) should be set on slats, rather than shelves, as it is important to have the milk cooled from the animal heat as ‘soon as possible. Skim each day, or at longest within twenty-four hours.