Pare, and cut in several pieces, three large Jackson White potatoes. Remove all dark specks. Boil in a quart of water. Keep a nice porcelain-lined or tin sauce-pan for this purpose. When the potatoes are soft, put them into a pitcher that will contain three pints. Then add to the water in which they were boiled a small pinch of hops, and boil ten minutes. (If you take too many hops, the water will be of a dark color; whereas it should be but slightly colored.) Meanwhile, mash the boiled potatoes smooth with a silver spoon. (An iron spoon would black them.) Next stir in half a cup of flour, and then the same of white sugar, and a tablespoonful of salt. Put the pitcher on the stove-hearth, and set a fine strainer in the top of it. Dip the hop-water as it boils upon the potato. When you have poured in one or two dipperfuls, stir till the flour is smooth; then add the rest of the hop-water. It boils away more at some times than at others; and, should the mixture seem thick, pour in a few spoonfuls of boiling water, - enough to make it like a very thin batter.

Set away to cool; and when warm to your finger, but not hot, add half a cup of lively yeast, and put the pitcher in a warm place. The yeast will rise rapidly. When it begins to foam, stir once or twice. This will make it still lighter.

One cup will raise a sponge for five or six loaves. Keep the pitcher in a cool place, covered with a saucer. Never put it into a bottle or jug. In warm weather, your refrigerator is the best place. It will keep sweet two or three weeks. Always reserve a half or whole cup to raise your yeast the next time. Make double the quantity if you have a large family.

A sponge set early in the morning with this yeast will, in warm weather, be ready to knead in two or three hours, and the bread light enough to bake before noon.

This has, for many years, proved a never-failing rule.