The farm cook & rule book

Next the strips of linoleum are laid on the floor; they are matched at the seams and cut to fit the room. Then by rolling one strip back half-way paste is applied to the underside to within three inches of the edges. Linoleum cement is then spread on the edges. The purpose of the linoleum paste and cement is to fasten the floor covering firmly to the floor so water cannot get underneath to rot the fiber. The paper lining keeps the expansion and contraction of the wood, due to atmospheric conditions, from causing the linoleum to bulge or crack. Weights are needed until the cement and paste are dry. A good way to secure the necessary weight is to fill a wooden box with bricks, fasten a rope to it for a handle and then pull this back and forth over the surface, particularly up and down the seams. A board weighted down can be laid over the seams for 24 hours to hold the cement firm. Then the molding is replaced. In cold weather the rolls of linoleum should be left in a warm room at least 48 hours before being laid. Putting Down Butter Before the grass is gone in the fall and while cream is plentiful, butter may be put down for winter use. Work the butter as for immediate use, making certain that all the buttermilk is removed. Pack the butter in earthenware jars to within 5 inches of the top. Make a brine from coarse salt and water strong enough that an egg will float in it. Strain through fine cloth and pour over the butter, filling the Jar. Cover the jar tightly and set in a cave or cellar. This butter will keep through the winter. Keeping Cake Fresh If several layers of cake are baked at one time and placed in a tightly covered earthenware jar, they will stay fresh many days. Just before using two or three of the layers, cover them with a cooked icing, the warmth of which steams and freshens the cake. By using different kinds of icings, the taste of the different cakes made from the same batter will be varied. Or the batter may be divided before being baked and the different layers flavored with a variety of extracts. Having this cake on hand when guests or crews of men come is very helpful. Keeping Cider Sweet The fermentation of cider may be retarded greatly by the addition of sodium benzoate, but it is doubtful if the addition of this substance or any chemical preservative at all permissible for this purpose will prevent fermentation under all conditions. Apple juice treated with 0.1 to 0.2 per cent sodium benzoate will, however, probably not undergo any fermentation within a considerable period of time if it is kept cool during storage. Benzoate of soda in amount not to exceed one-tenth of one per cent is permitted by the Pure Food and Drug's Act in juices to be sold, but its presence in the material must be indicated on the label. Making Hominy Dissolve 4 tablespoonfuls of lye in 1 gallon of boiling water. Boil the corn rapidly in this solution 30 minutes. Then drain and wash the kernels thoroughly several times in cold water to remove the lye. Eub with the hands until the husks, or covering of the kernels, are removed. Then place the corn in an enamel kettle and boil in a little water until tender. Wash again, pack in glass jars and sterilize by the cold pack method of canning, following the directions given in the chapter on canning.