Cut sugar is best for preserves which you wish to be clear and light-colored, but nice brown sugar is best for dark-colored jams and marmalades, such as those made of blackberries, raspberries, whortleberries, etc. The best peaches for preserving, brandying, or pickling, are white freestone peaches, not quite ripe enough to eat with cream. Pears and quinces also should be preserved before they are quite ripe enough for eating. They should be parboiled before eating. No fruit should be over-ripe when preserved. Damsons and blue plums should be slit lengthwise with a pen knife, and set in the sun before preserving, which will render it easy to extract the stones. Cherries also should be stoned before preserving. A piece of paper dipped in brandy and laid on top the preserves will help to keep them. I would suggest to housekeepers that they always put their preserves in glass jars with screw tops. By this means they can readily inspect it and see if it is keeping well, without the trouble of untying the jar and looking inside, as would be necessary in the case of stone jars. Set the jar of preserves, if they become dry or candied, in a pot of cold water, which allow to come gradually to a boil. If the preserves ferment, boil them over with more sugar. The great secret of making nice fruit jelly is to boil the syrup well before adding the sugar (which should always be loaf or cut), and you should allow a pound of sugar to a pint of the juice in acid fruit jellies, though less will answer for sweet fruit. By boiling the syrup well before adding the sugar, the flavor and color of the fruit are retained. Keep the jelly in small, common glasses. SWEETMEAT PRESERVES. Cut the rind in any shapes fancied (such as flowers, fruits, leaves, grapes, fish, etc.), put it in brine strong enough to float an egg, cover closely with grape leaves, and set away the jar. When ready to make the preserves, soak the rind in fresh water, changing it till all taste of salt is removed from the rind. Dissolve four tablespoonfuls pulverized alum in one gallon water. Lay the rind in this, covered closely with grape or cabbage leaves. Simmer till it becomes a pretty green, then soak out the alum by throwing the rind in soft water. Pour boiling water on half a pound white ginger, and let it stand long enough to soften sufficiently to slice easily in thin pieces (retaining the shapes of the races as much as possible). Then boil it an hour in half a gallon water, and add one ounce mace and two pounds best cut sugar. This makes a thin syrup, in which boil the rind gently for half an hour, adding water to keep the rind covered with syrup. Set the kettle away for four days and then boil again as before, adding two pounds sugar and more water, if necessary. Repeat the boiling six or seven times, till the syrup is rich and thick and sufficient to cover the rind.