THE GARDhiN AND FIELD. 285 



® Home NTotes. ® 



November, 1918 



where the oil Rland is, on the back 

 near ihc tail: then the head ami face 

 are twisted nhont \ iKorousIy upon the 

 place wluTc tin- oil has been squeezed 

 out l>y the beak; next the head and 

 face, well annoinlod witli the grease, 

 arc applied tfo the part nf the plumage 

 whidi is to be preeneil, and there the 

 head and face are again rnbl)od about 

 vigorously, just as they were over tiie 

 oil-gland. The way the fowl is 

 ai)le to lay its head upon its back and 

 twist it about there, shows the free- 

 dom of movement of the head of the 

 bird, owing to the skull being jointed 

 to the spine at only one place. 



Kver noticed a fowl drink with the 

 beak pointing towards the water; as 

 soon as the beak dips into the water 

 tthe head is thrust forward until the 

 beak is as nearly horizontal to the 

 surface" as the fowl can hold it. It ap- 

 pears as though the tongue is relied 

 upon to feed when the tip of the beak 

 has reached the surface. The fowl 

 never dashes its beak down into the 

 water. The hesitating way the fowl 

 approaches the surface of the water 

 with the tip of its beak seems to ac- 

 cord with the suggestion that the 

 position of the eyes renders the fowl 

 incapable of distinct binocular vision. 

 As soon as the fowl has its beak as 

 nearly horizontal as it can get it, 

 with the greater part of it immersed, 

 it works the lower mandible, and 

 probably the tongue too, in such a 

 way that some water is made to 

 trickle into the bottom of the enlar- 

 ged part of the mouth behind the ton- 

 gue. Then the fowl raises its head 

 upright to let the water run down the 

 gullet mechanically. 



Don't forget to provide shade. 

 A wheat bag on a frame is better 

 than nothing, two wheat bags 

 opened out and fixed up wigwam 

 fashion are better. Anway, let 

 there be a current of air under 

 whatever contrivance you fix up. 



Natural shade is best. Any va- 

 cant pens or unused ground should 

 be sown with maize, sorghtim, mil- 

 let, etc. If -there are no vacant 

 pens sow some of the strong 

 climbing beans around 'the sides 

 and train them over the top. "We 

 saw some climbing cucumbers used 

 fori the purpose once and they were 

 a great success. If yo)U prefer 

 beauty to utility try a few seeH 

 of Mina Lobata. 



The cackle of the hen may not 

 be musical, according to accepted 

 canons, btit the notes heri efforts 

 produce always pass current with 

 the grocer. 



Canning Vegetables. 



Tlic preliminary care for canning 

 vcgetalilcs nuist l)egin in the picking 

 and handling in the garden, and the 

 necessary directions will be given vvitii 

 the recipes — but the preparations in the 

 kitchen are the same for all and can be 

 given here. 



This kind of canning is merely steri- 

 lizing food stored in sealed jars, and 

 once the contents has licen thoroughly 

 .sterilized there is no likelihood of spoil- 

 ing for several years if the sealing is 

 intact, except under one condition and 

 that condition is so important, so under- 

 rated, so generally ignored that 1 can 

 hardly place too great a stress upon it — 

 and that is clean jars, chemically clean 

 jars. How many times do women can- 

 ning use a jar stained by previous con- 

 tents? Never use a jar or cover that 

 is stained. If hot soap suds does not 

 remove the stain, soak the jar for 24 

 hours in strong solution of washing 

 soda, if that fails use comercial hydro- 

 chloric acid one part water, two parts 

 (can be used over and over again) or 

 try sapolio, bon ami or dutch cleanser — 

 and if all these fail use the jar for 

 pickles or throw it away. 



Never use a rubber ring a second 

 time. Buy the best you can get. They 

 should be soft, flexible, not too thick, 

 and should not stretch in the boiling. 



Never touch or handle the cover or 

 rubber on a sealed jar. The steamed 

 juices in cooling form a delicate cement 

 between the cover and rubber, and this, 

 if broken hy turning or handling is liable 

 to start a leak and admit air. Always 

 lift a jar hy the jar itself, never l)y the 

 cover. Keep your jars in a cool, dry, 

 dark place after canning. 



Provide the following utensils : ( 1 ) A 

 l)oiler or kettle with flat bottom and 

 with a close cover. The kettle should 

 be deep enough to take pint or quart jars 

 and yet leave an inch of space above 

 them. An ordinary tin wash boiler such 

 as is used for clothes is the best when 

 a number of jars are to be done— but 

 when I have only one or two I use a" 

 soup ketle. 



(2) Provide a piece of expanded 

 metal lath, or galvanized wire netting 

 having yi or [ inch mesh cut to fit the 

 bottom of the boiler. Or have a wooden 

 rack made to fit the boiler. Either 

 should lie flat. The object is to lift 

 the jars from the bottom of the Ijoiler 

 to prevent them from pumping when the 

 water boils hard. 



(3) Plenty of new good rubbers. 



(4) One or two extra jars for emer- 

 gencies. 



(5) Boil one or two gallons of water 

 for ten or fifteen minutes after it comes 

 to a boil. Cover it while cooling and 

 keep it covered until used as shown later. 

 The objects in boiling the water are 

 threefold: (1) To sterilize; (2) To ex- 



pel the air absorbed in it; C'l) To throw 

 down tlu' hmr if tile water is liard. 



With clean jars, rui)burs, covers, and 

 the above utensils one is ready to try 

 tile first vegetable. 



— Peas. — 



it is labor lost to can old peas. Peas 

 for canning are better picked when best 

 for the table, !)ut better too small than 

 too large. 



.'\s peas ripen the development of 

 starch makes them difficult to keep when 

 canned. Canning also emphasizes any 

 tendency tlicy may have to a mealy 

 flavor. Peas should be picked in the 

 early morning wlien they are cool. If 

 tlie pods are dirty or the pickers of 

 questionable cleanliness, xvasli the pods 

 before shelling. 



Fill a pint jar half full of the steril- 

 ized water (if the water is put in first 

 air is not imprisoned in the space be- 

 tween the peas, to cause trouble in boil- 

 ing). "With clean Iiands shell the peas 

 directly into the jar until it is full. Add 

 half teaspoon of salt. Lay on carefully 

 washed rubber ring, then the cover 

 loosely fastened. When all jars are 

 ready place them in the boiler on the 

 wire or wooden rack. Now pour in 

 cold water until it comes to two-thirds 

 the height of jars, cover and put the 

 boiler on the stove and boil two and a 

 half liours from the time the water boils. 

 Quarts should boil three hours. As 

 soon as the period is up turn the fire out 

 and without delay as quickly as possible 

 lift the jars out one at a time and 

 tighten the cover before lifting another 

 to tighten. One bushel of peas makes 

 10-12 pint jars. 



Never, never, never, lift a cover off 

 the jar, as that would admit infection of 

 moulds and ferments. Let me repeat 

 again, do not delay in tightening or seal- 

 ing covers as soon as the water ceases 

 to boil; if you do you can in a few 

 minutes hear fresh unsterilized air 

 ,carrying all sorts of germs of moulds 

 and ferments sucking into your jar to 

 rujn your work. I consider this and 

 the question of clean jars and covers and 

 good rings the crucial points of the 

 whole process. Everything depends on 

 them. 



— Asparagus. — 



Wash and trim the asparagus. Cover 

 it with boiling water, Ijoil fifteen min- 

 utes, drain, cool, and arrange it neatly, 

 heads up, in wide mouthed jars; adjust 

 the rubbers, fill the jars to overflowing 

 with water that has been boiled and 

 cooled; add a half-teaspoonful of salt 

 and lay on the tops loosely. Cook the 

 jars in the boiler one and one-half hours 

 as directed for peas and finish in the 

 same way. 



— Beans. — 



Beans should be picked before the 

 dew falls in the evening, or after it is 

 dry in the morning, and kept in a cool 

 place covered with a cloth or wet p,aper 

 to keep them crisp. String and cut 

 the beans as for the table, throwing 



