The Lincoln Times

FARM NEWS

N. C. State College Store

Answers Timely

Q. How can I increase my milk profits?

A. John Arey suggests that you give your cows plenty of good pasture and roughage, and add grain according to each cow's ability to produce. Accurate records of each cow's production are needed. Build good permanent pastures and also seed supplemental pastures. Cut hay early and save it carefully. Breed the cows to better bulls, because high production helps to lower the cost of a gallon of milk.

Q. Should I increase my poultry flock at the present time?

A. For about 99 per cent of the poultry growers the answer is a great big "No" because a surplus of both eggs and poultry is anticipated for 1946. Prof. Roy Dearstyne, head of the Poultry Department at State College, says that this is the time to put first things first in poultry production, striving to lower costs of production in every reasonable way possible; building up production per bird through better management and feeding, and through disease control; and culling the flock systematically so as to allow no loafers to remain in the pens.

Q. Can you give me a sausage recipe?

A. Two popular sausage recipes are given in Extension Circular No. 262, which describes the butchering, cutting and curing of pork. It contains 10 good photographs showing how to cut up a hog. Here is one of the sausage recipes. For 50 pounds of pork, three-fourths lean and one-fourth fat, use 1 pound of table salt, 2 1/2 ounces of finely ground black pepper, and 2 ounces of sage. A copy of this circular may be obtained by writing the Agricultural Editor, State College, Raleigh.

State College Hints to Farm Homemakers

By RUTH CURRENT

North Carolina State College

Before buying equipment for cleaning, the homemaker should analyze her budget and decide whether she really needs the equipment and can afford it. She should consider frequency of use, efficiency, cost of upkeep, repairs, replacement of parts, length of service, and storage in her home. It is the wise housewife who buys good equipment, keeps it in repair, and uses it for a long period.

Wash brooms occasionally, shake out water, hang with handle down.

Various kinds of brushes are needed for dust removal. The toilet bowl brush is more sanitary if the fibers are twisted in wire rather than bound in a tight head. Wash, rinse and shake after use. Hang with brush end down. Fiber scrub brushes should be tufted close to the edge to clean corners. Wash, rinse and shake after use. Dry with bristles down.

For a wet mop choose a loose head, cotton mop for easy cleaning. Wash, bleach and disinfect, and air and dry after use. Shake the dry mop after use. Occasionally wash thoroughly, disinfect, dry, and re-condition with oil.

Use lintless cotton dusters and keep them clean.

Choose good-quality, cotton cleaning cloths for heavy work.

Wash the chamois and sponge with soap and water after use, and rinse in clear water, and dry. Rub the chamois between hands to soften.

Have two pails in cleaning, one for suds and one for clear water.

Store carefully.

For roast turkey choose a young, tender bird, with a generous coating of fat under the skin. Other clues to roasting quality are well-rounded body, a well-fleshed breast, few blemishes, and few pinfeathers.

Draw and groom the bird, and sprinkle the inside of the body cavity with salt. Then put in the stuffing, being careful not to pack it too tightly-it will need room to expand as it absorbs juices that cook out of the bird.

A shallow uncovered pan is best for cooking a young turkey. And don't put water in the bottom of the pan because steaming breaks the skin and forces juice out of the meat. When the turkey is young and tender, steaming is not necessary. Place a rack under the bird to keep it from sticking and to allow hot air to circulate. The broiling tray and rack of some ranges can be used, though the size of the tray interferes with the circulation of air and is likely to slow down cooking time. When using a very shallow broiler tray, pan drippings must be poured off from time to time as they cook out of the bird. Start the turkey cooking breast down. Cook at a moderate temperature; the larger the turkey the lower the temperature is a good rule of thumb. A 10 to 13 pound bird will take about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours at 300 degrees temperature. A larger bird, 14 to 17 pounds, requires 5 to 6 hours at 275 degrees.

Farm Kitchen Plans Studied By Agents

Each home demonstration agent of the State College Extension Service in North Carolina is studying plans and suggestions for remodeling or building a modern farm kitchen, which is quite different from the make-shift kitchen found in so many rural homes.

These home agents are in position to give expert suggestions on plans for floor and wall space; for windows and doors that provide plenty of light and cross-ventilation; for special work, food preparation, business, and dining centers; for special storage compartments for canned food and other supplies; for proper working surfaces for all kitchen jobs; and for proper wiring and lighting.

The home agents studied the many problems for the construction of a modern kitchen at the recent annual conference of the Extension Service in Raleigh. Pauline E. Gordon, Extension specialist in home management and furnishings, has given the agents many practical suggestions which may be incorporated in the remodeling of an old kitchen or the building of a new one.

Prof. David S. Weaver and his assistants in the Department of Agricultural Engineering at State College have also contributed many valuable suggestions to these plans for a modern farm kitchen, where the housewife spends so much of her time. The kitchen on the farm must be different from that in the city because it has to provide for many more special jobs.

"The kitchen is the most important room in the farm home," says Miss Gordon. "A bright, colorful kitchen, arranged to save steps and stoops, can save both the time and the energy of the homemaker. The kitchen can be made a mighty pleasant place in which to work, if it is properly located, planned, and equipped."