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* HOW TO CHOOSE A FAMILY COWOur readers uro not all farmers, and many wero not even brought up on a farm, heneVthey may be supposed uot to kuow much about cows. Yet, as every body who oan should keep a good cow, every body should have somo dofiuite idea of what constitutes and how to rccoguizo and select such an one. How to buy oue is quito another matter. When it comes to buying, wo would much prefer to delegate the job, und ruu the risk of being cheated a little than to staud and wriggle and dicker over u few dollars, and yet it is best always to buy just as cheap as the owner will part with anything. v. If ooe has tho opportunity, he should by. all means seo tho cow ihilkcd, tako a tumblerful of miHc and let it stand to soe how much cream will riscLand if then aro sev/tJpralI of whioh ho hMtfiff choice, he would nu iircll to apply thl# test to several of the yst. A good cow will give ten to' t.vcnty quarts of uiilk a day, and one giving ton -quarts of milk, when fresh, should uiako a large quantity of butter. Tako no stra.igcr's word for what his cow will do, unless he assures you she will take down fences as last as you can put thcui up, or perform somo similar feat. If possible, seo her milked t>','ice, morning and evening, and take some of tiiC uiilt u^'tor tho milking, cxamino its color, set it for cream in a cylinder glass or in a tumbler j comparo the amount of cream with tho amount of milk ; look to the color of the crcaui, which should be yellow, nud to that of the milk, which may bo blue, but better if white. Get, if possible, a guarauteo that tho cow holds out well, that she gives uiilk iu good quan tity to withiil four to six weeks of calving. Souie cows which give a large amount of uiilk at first fall off iu their yield very rapidly a few weeks after being got with calf, aud these animals, though few in numjm - -^w, arc always for sale. Wo know of no . . certain way of detecting this bad quality L" v |fy inspection?although, according to tho V.. ^tJu'enon system, thero arc external indications which mav bo relied upon; yet it takes, we imagine, a long study of the r. luet?e!?tv.\'|Millc mixrprs" of^oqgvs to detect thoee showing tins characteristic. A ift^iohjM>fdsmnn, named Guonon, early * tho ^d ^aVforin of ifie band^lurlWw .of jnirror, or "escutcheon, as it lias at times something the shape of u shield. Asa general statement, it may be said that the larger, broader, and higher this "milk mirror" is, tin more milk a cow will give in proportion to-her size, and the longer she \^ill hold out. In buying a milk-cow, beauty is not necessarily considered, for her usefulness is what she is valued for; and, aecordiug to the old saw, "handsome is that handsome does." Still, beauty of color and form makes such an animal attractive, and adds at times many dollars to her price. Very frequently, the very best cows are absolutely ill shapen, and they arj always thiu in flesh when in full milk. In fact, one can pick out in July4.be best cows of a herd by the" ease with which their ribs may bo counted. All that is unctuous in a cow that gives ' rich milk does not go to creaui, but a c riaiti portion makes her bide pliable and soft and her hair glossy. The color of the -skin is usually an indication of richness of the milk, for it has, especially upon white spots, and where the skin is bare of hair? as close aroun 1 the eyes and within the cars?a rich golden yellow or brown color. nviiof nnl' fi nnu' ia /I i fVinnU fn determine, but it is of liltlo moment compared wit.li the number of calves she lias had. This may be accurately determined by the rings on her horns. The first calf is usually dropped when tiic heifer is cither two or three years old, and calves year by year after that, cause, of course, annual rings. Exposure during a very severe winter, or a lit of severe sickness, continued several weeks, will also form a ring. A cow is in her prime at about five years old, or after having her third calf. After she is eight years old, a marked falling oft' is usually noticeable ; yet the difference in the vigor of different breeds is greatIIealth is au important consideration, which the buyer must always beariu mind, If the cow eats hcnrtilv of common fodder: . * \ if .she gives a good quantity of milk ; if Htjjn udder is not lumpy, or caked, or hot; if she lias no cough, and docs noUgo lame, Mid is warranted sound, it is fair to suppose she is in crood, ordinary health.. The comfort of the milker, and the chances that tho cow will ha well milked, are g eatly increased, if her teats are of good size, so that they will (ill the hand when grasped, and if she milks freely. Tricks cannot he detected easily.? A Hell-milker, if in pasture, wears a yoke usually, to pre. vent her getting her head around to ,her side. One that holds up her milk or kiok^ cannot ho told except by her milker. An honest man may ofton Bell a brenchy cow 1'or a ruiy one, if she has always hoen kept on rich pastures or in company with other o >ws, for when she is alone or in a poor pasture, she iivi^* go over or through any fmce. DEVENS'S LZTTEB OF IR%TRUGTION. The Wilmington, N. C. Star says: We published a lew days since, Attorney General Devens's remarkable letter of instructions to the U. S. Marshals, in which ho advises them to continue to dischurgo the duties of their office ju.,t as they have done heretofore, and without^any reference to what Congress may have dono or left IT-J ?? unuuiiVf vuuuct iiiu^ vnvir p->jf \J uuc iiiu Attorney General's advice they ought%to nppoiut their deputies for election purpose? just as if nothing had occurred, and trust to subsequent legislation for their pay. If Congress, in its wisdom aud in tho cxerciie of itsrConstitution.il powers, refuses to mahe provision Ibti rt few jhousandjcn-jtafcuj. thousand deputies, wnjr th6n, 4his aggressive law officer of.tho Adminis' tratlfw, let the Marshals pay no sort of attention to such action, but let them. go to work to bulldoze aud corrupt voters just as if nothing had occurred, and horcafler they will get their pay. No doubt Dcvous hopes, possibly believes, that by the free use of an army of deputies the Radicals can gaiu euoutrh members of Congress to ??ivn them W - Cl " O " ^ control again, when they will vole any sum required to pay off their hcnchmcu for their dirty work. There cau be but little doubt that such is the plau aud such the real meaning of the Attorney General's letter to the United States Marshals, however veiled may be bis exact purposes or guarded his language. Does not the following passage in his letter authorize our interpretation : "Your performance of your duties, so far as the law contemplates that they are to be compensated by lees, seems to me to constitute a good ground of obligation agaiust the United States. Where the services of deputies are required and expenditures are to bo made I recoguizo the difficulty you ui<tV have to encounter. In all this matter, however, you will have to rely upon your expectation of future legislation by Congress that shall be just to you." If he does not mean what we have attributed to him wc cannot sec any necessity or senso in his letter. The Baltimore Gazette regards the advice of the letter as very dangerous. It says:- . . ..'PK;0 .u- v* u..i_ ^ j.ui9 auvioiug mo u) rciy UQ, tho future jegislatiou of Congress to- make good auy debts they *hny incur in payment of Special Deputies to control what Mr. Jiiyes calls the 'National elec'tious,' is the irfogt dangerous stretch of authority that has ever been uiade by any. Executive.? The"" Attorney General attempts *to ' tukg from Congress tho control of tho public purse lodged in their bauds by tho Constitution of the United States. After the people, through their direct representatives, have refusod to-appropriate money for tho execution of a law which they deem impolitic, and after they have further expressly forbidden the officers of the law to iucur any debt or liability on the faith of the Government, Mr. Devens advises them to go on aud run up a debt nud trust to the 'expectation of future legislation' to loot the bill. The Marshal who does this, however, takes upon himselfu responsibility of which the advice of Mr. Devens does not relieve him. He cannot plead this letter as an excuse for disobeying the will of the people declared through Congress. They aud their bondsmen may find that they are personally and pecuniarily responsible, as well IIH nffiM.illv n.wl M . ?n,t t,i? P..k, inot and the Senatorial clique will be unable to shield them from the consequence*of their acts. It is, however, the best possible issue lor the coming campaign. Thq right to hire men to vote the Republican ticket, under the pretense of keeping order at the polls, and doing this on a eredit system, in spile of the prohibition of Congress, is what Mr. Ilayt's ami the Stalwarts assert. This is precisely what this letter of Mr. D.svens claims, air*, this is a claim which the American people ure not quite ready to allow." Not a ainwlg-act,.inimical to the interest of the ex soldicr^>f the Union army has been proposed or Voted for by the ''Coufedera e brigadiers," or has been passed by this Dcmocartic Congress, or by the Democratic House of the last und next preceding Congress. On the other baud, the regular pensions have been passed to meet meritorious cases not covered by general laws, the four hojg|?8 for volunteer Union soldiers have been generously, almost muniI! . 1 ? !1.1 1 I . .1 ? uuciiuy, proviuea lor, una i>y me voios oi ex-Confcdcrate Democrats many millions of arrearages of pensions have been granted, to be distributed ahiiost exclusively in the North. Kx-Union soldiers aru not slow to compare this procedure with that of Kcpublican Congresses that liavo turned a deaf ear to their claims heretofore. .. i \ t f Mrs. (loodingtnn's grandson graduates to-day, and the old lady is quite beside herself with joy. Shoj^old us last evening, as she fanned herself witlj a feather fan, that ifho has cherished, as she says, j'nigh on to forty year," t^St "the dear hoy is a momi)"orof the flijAner class, and she is going W>ut to see him gravitated by his alum martyr." She said .sh(Thopp^it/?fqHldn't hurt the dear hoy inuch, for if anything serious should happen tohiui,sho added,"I should never forgive myself for letting hiin go to the universalis! at nil ; he'd better have no edification at nil."?fioston Transcript. TWENTY-FOUR PR0VBBfijl^@||^^5| was given yesterday. Miss cttltejJ are full df little bits of iii^r^noo that might properly be calle^ ?dliii)?y Hero are a few of,thcn?V ' ? * . * There is a greenness 10 onipna nt>d potatoes that renders thepi hsrd t\Pdigest. For health's sake put them *a iflrur ifitUf for an hour before 'cooking/; If ' Tllfi milv ki I rtt ?vitti n-Kirli ?UaN can preserve, a* uniform heotJji % sfa^psiovo ; with it you ctti*aintnicr u,,pot faf an hour, or boil it at the same rate ' "Whi^flto/l^^Mty^thMhi: best. The test of good floor is by the umouut of water it absorbs. In cooking a fowl, to ascertain when it is done put a skewer into the breast, nud if the breast is tender the fowl is done. A few dried or preserved cherries, with stones out, are the very best thing possible to garnish sweet dishes. Single cream is cream that link stood on the milk twelve hours. It is best for tea and coffee. Double crcaui stands on its uiilk twenty-four hours, and cream for butter frequently stands forty-eight hours.? Cream that is to bo whipped should uot be butter cream, lest in whipping it clunge to butter. To beat the whites of eggs quickly put in a pinch of salt. The cooler the eggs the quicqcr they will froth. Salt coOls tiid also freshens them. In boiling eggs hard put them in boiling water. It will prevent the volk from col oring black. You must never attempt to boil the dressing of a clear soup in tbe stock, for it will always discolor tbe soup. Iu mokitig any sauce put tbe butter and flour iu together, and your sauce will never be lumpy. Whenever you sec your sauce boil from tbe sides of the pau yeu may know your flour or corn starch is done. Boiled fowl with sauce, over which grate the yolk of eggs, is a magnificent dish for luncheon. Tepid .water is produced by combining tw<vthirda cold and ouc-third boili% water. " - Ttr tfiakfe-mitwc?*<MM-tend??r, putJY in .cold wator and bring it to a boil. It will then be much tnoro tender than if put iu hot water or stewed in milk. The yolk of eggs binds tho crust much better than the white. Apply it to tho edges with a brush. Old potatoes may bo freshened tip by plunging them into cold water before cooking thcui. Never put a pudding that is to be steaxed into anything else than a dry mould. N ;vcr wash raisins that are to be used in sweet dishes. It will make the pudding heavy. To clean theui wipe in a dry towel. To brown sugar for sauce or for puddings, put the sugar iu a perfectly dry saucopan. Lf the pan is 'the least bit wet, the sugar will burn aud you will spoil your saucopan. Cutlets and steaks maybe fried as w*ll as broiled, but they must bo put in hot butter or lard.' Tbe grease is hot enough when it throws off a bluish smoke. The water used in mixing bread must be tepid hot. If it is too hot (lie loaf will be full of great boles. To boil potatoes successfully. When tbe 1 I. !* . t - 1 ? . I bMii ureas* pour on me water ana ici thein (iiiisti cooking in their own steam. In making a crust of any kind do not melt the lard in the flour. Melting will injure the crust. In boiling dumplings of any kind put them in the water one at a time. If they arc put in together they will mix with each other. Steam vs. Wind.?A no-fence law is n thing so utterly at variance with the old habits of our people that It is no wonder some of our good old farmers are not ready to take it in all at once ! It is like the first introduction of steam as a propelling power. The old sea captains and the old stage drivers in Knglund thought it was Uu blarsteJ iunowutiou on (ho people's rights but the steamers were a-coming-couiiug, and kept on a-eouiing and agoing in spite of the old sea captain's pre-* dictions; and the world seemed to be moving so far ahead of his old notions, that he betrau to calculate the nrofit of chiimriiirr hi? -? o?# # i o*"n ",w old ship into a first class screw steamer, with bolii sails and steam at lia'jd to help him on. Nobody wants our good old farmers to pull down their fences any more than the old sea captains were wanted tu haul down their sails; but our good old friends will soen begin to culculate the profits of the nofence law. It is simply a matter of business calculation : Does it cost more to fence your own stock in or to fence everybody's stock out'( Nobody wants to hurry you up, but don't , blow aud fuss about it loo long. Give your sons a chance to learn how to run the steamers that are playing all around your old sail ship, nnd saving money on every trip. Give the boys a chance my good old friends ! The no-fence law is a good thing, and the sooner it gets under way the better.? Greenville Aries. tne milk graaoaHjr upoV tns floor Jt mwy l?o made free from Jumps.;l>ru the" .two mixtures together rail. WW th? Whole is just', lukewarm; I beat three eggs withthree tabl spoonfuls of *ugnr ; stiwJthcm into the pudding ; add two. Snfuls of eilt, two- of eUttj|aih0v or m i ad nutmtfg, two ef melted butter, o* , chopped floe. If the puddiog is liked' be absorbed by the raisins. Buttermilk Pudding.?Two eggs, two cups of sugar, half a cup of butter, 0110 teaspoonful of soda, three cups of buttermilk : stir tiic flour in lightly and pour into a greased tin. Hake one hour. It can be turned out. Soft Yeast.?S'e?p one handful of hops in two quarts of water, two hours. When boiling hot, add one pound of grated potatoe, two teacups of flour, one teaspoon of I salt, one tcasnoon of ginger. two tmsnnonw of white sugar. Let all be well scnW&i.? < When cool, add one teacup of good yeast, or u yeast cuke. Let it stand in a wa^ place (not too warm) twenty-four hours; then cover tight in a jar and keep it cool. Stir well every time beforo using. Oue tcaeupful will make four good-sized loaves ol bread. Potato Starch.?Those who prefer making their own starch will find this equal the best silver gloss starch that can be found in the market: Take n large grater and grate clean pared potatoes into :r tub of water. When it beeouies settled, drain the water off, putting fresh on again, pouring and changing about three times, when the starch will be ready to dry. This is done by spreading it out on paper or muslin, and it will be dry iu a very short time. A Good " Crcastr."?lit baking buckwheat and other griddle cakes, a piece of fat bacon as a "greaser" is by many thought to be almost indispensable. Those who are of this opinion will, on trial, soon learn that a turnip, divided in two, answers the same or a better purpose, as the odor?the most unpleasaut part of cake baking? c*>inc8 from the greaser, iu coutact with the hot irou, whereas with the turnip very little of this is perceptible. A Strong Cement.?A cement particularly adapted for attaching the brass work to bottle Decks, lamps, etc., is made by boiling three parts of resin with one of caustic soda and fivo of water. The composition is then mixed with half its weight of piaster of Paris. It sets firmly viu about threequarters of an hour. It is said to be of great adhesive power, not permeable by petroleum, n low eonductor )f heat, and but superficially attacked by hot water. Hair Brushes.?A few drops of hartshorn put in a little water will elean a hair brush better than anything else, and docs the brush no harm. If very dirty, rub a little soap on the brush. After cleaning, rinse in clear water, and hang the brush up by the window to dry. Do not let the bristles lay on any hard substance while wet. It is better to tie a string round the handle uud hang up. To Keep Beds from Having Bugs.?A hotel keeper says : My plan is, at this season, to have all my beds taken to pieces, to ........l. -li 1 > - 1 euuu ?ii iiiu joims ami enus witn water ana soap ami then to use atiy hard varnish lor the ends, slats, etc. I know of no other method as easy or as thorough. 1 have used this in Georgia and Florida. Shirred Egg*.?Shirred eggs arc made by buttering as many common earthen saucers as are required for each person to have one j break into each two or three eggs, set the saucers into a stovpan and put this into a well heutod stove to bake, the whites only to be done, the yolks half done. Send these to be seasoned, and eat out of the saucers. Soup for an Invalid.?Cut in small pieces one pound of beef, mutton, or part of both; boil it gently in two quarts of water, take oft' the scum, and when reduced to a pint strain it. Season with a little salt, and take a tcaeupful at a lime. Steam Pudding.?Two cups of flour, oue cup of milk, one-half cup of butter, onehalf Clin of SUirar. fine.linlf r?nn nf molna. r -- --07' ~~r " ?? sea, one cup raisius, ouo teaspoon soda.? Steam two hours and serve with a sauce. Rye Crueller*.?Use one teaspoon ful baking powder, and one-fourth pound of butter and lard to one quart of rye flour ; make into a stiff dough; knead well, roll thin, cut round, pick and bake in a quick oven. Rice Batter Cake*.?Mix one-fourths wheat flour to three fourths of rice flour ; add a little salt; raise and bake as buckwheat ca&cs. Cleaning 1) is/ten.?Dinucr dishcr and plates which have had greasy food upon them may be rubbed off with a little indian meal before putting into water. They are thus prevented from making the water unfit for continued use, while the meal, saved by itself, is good for the pig or the chickons. tk.il ^trat .wltli of?paiot frouj mahogany foVu^Ire, Smq cleanse white kill gloves. CockrosoheB and all vermin hW W .Ttoioo to of turpentine. Clrar boiling uxiter vril? remove ton* stains, and mnny fruit stains. Pour the water through the stain, and thus prevent it spreading over the fabric. Cocoanut Drt/pt.?One. cup of butter/ *?^ -< a -- j . ? - "? vitu vu|?a \ji nuui , UUU IWO U^S. X 110 CO* coanut grated. Commence to g;ate nutmegs at the stem.' part, and avoid tho opening that would otherwise be cuconntcred. . Put Salt into the water when poaching eggs, and suit in the vinegar used for coldslaw. Hartshorn will restore colors tnken out by acid. It may be dropped upon any garment (especially black) without doing harui. Lamps will have a less disagreeable smell ?f you dip your wick-yaru in strong hot' vinegar, aud dry it. A Crystallised Woman.?Another very rcuinrkublc instance, we are informed, Ins just come to light as to tho preserving or petrifying effects of nitrate of soda. A' well-known and influential City firm^'who have very cxtensivo connections wifbatiuth' American plantora, miners, &c., havo.recently received from Peru a curiosity in' the shape of what may be termed a crystallised female body, which, as their correspondents advise them, was somo short time since discovered by a set of miners at Pisagua, in that country, completely embedded in one erf tbe great nitrate ot soda deposits peculiar to the district. The body ic described as having the appearance of a petrK ficd mummy, aud is slated to be in a singular state of preservation. This curiosity has already been seen by several1 of our bestf known naturalists and scientific analysts, and it is believed that the woman, who apparently was of middle age, must have perished eitl.cr through accident or design aft a remote period of the past, probably, i\S ' some even go so far as to say, two or three thousand years ago. That her death was violent there is little room to doubt, inasmuch as when discovered the body was in a recumbent position, partly on the side, with?chcst slightly crushed, as if through a severe fall, the legs drawn up, aud the fingers and toes contracted. The hair is iu ' most perfect state, aud maintains its oontaQt1' with the skull iu a peculiarly astonishing' manner, and the mouth is opjn, displaying the teeth and tongue, which, are plainly visible. The extremities are remarkably suiall and perfect, eTcn the nails being in' their respective places. The hair on tho head, wo should add, appears to be plaited in a very peculiar munuer, and is of great length aud thickness, though in some parts detached, owing to part of tho skull having hpon dowtrnviul Tim nni-ineitw wvv>. v>v<?. vj vv*. j iiv uui ivoivjr (if j?iunt'iiu is at the offices of (lie firm who have imported it from South America, but we understand that arrangements arc being made that it shall be publicly shown at the Westminister Aquarium nt an early date.? Glasgow ( Scotland) Mai/. Lawlessness Decreasing in Texas. ?Mr. E. V. Smalley, in concluding a series of letters from Texas, writes: "It is but just to say that the reputation which still clings to Texas of being a Stato where lawlessness, violence and murder are rainpant is undeserved. Men do not carry revolvers and bowie-knives about the streets of the towns, nor is it at all unsafe to travel over the country unarmed. The desperado element, which resorts to all frontier regions, and was once peculiarly formidable and outrageous in Texas, has been thinned, out by sudden death or imprisonment in tfio penitentiary, or pushed before the advance of civilization out on the extreme verge of settlement. Some brigandage is still practiced on the Mexican frontier, in the way of looting cattle and plundering ranches, and an old-fushioned highway robbery is not unfrcquent in that sparsely-settled region, but in the agricultural sections of tho State aud in all the principal towns good order prevails, and life and property are well protected by the civil authorities and by public sentiment." The excuse of John McCarthy, of Orange, N. J., for beating his wife lately, wus a somewhat novel one. lie said he was the h ad of the family and found it necessary to administer correction to his wife occasionally to remind her of his exalted position. Ofcourso John wanted the reporters to keep his arrest out of tbo papers. ? . #?After man came woman, and she has' been aftor bim ever since.