128 
July, 1891. 
/ ORCHRRD 
GARDEN 
Conducted by Martha Clark Rankin, 
Gloversville, N. Y. 
Are We Crowing Sensible? 
We bear a great deal said about the sensi- 
ble fashions of the present day, and the de- 
cided advance women have made in the 
styles of dress. Our attention is frequent- 
ly called to the plates in fashion magazines 
of forty years ago, which depict the absurd 
and ridiculous modes then in vogue. They 
do seem ludicrous, it must be admitted, 
but that is chiefly because our eyes are un- 
accustomed to them. The fashion-plates 
of to-day, we surmise, will be laughed at 
just as heartily by our daughters twenty 
years hence. 
For the amusement of our readers, we 
have placed side by side, copies of fashion 
plates for 1858 and 1891. We believe most 
women will hesitate to pronounce those of 
the later date any more sensible than the 
others. 
That waists are not compressed as for- 
merly, that the weight of the clothing is 
more ev nly distributed, that ridiculously 
high French heels have given place to com- 
mon-sense shoes, we gladly admit. Also 
that the number of women who are suffic- 
iently independent to dress in accordance 
with the laws of health is rapidly increas- 
ing; and, when thinking of them, we begin 
to feel that women have wholly emanci- 
pated themselves from the follies of fashion 
in clothes. 
But then we are confronted by the young 
woman in tailor-made gown under which 
she allows herself only a gauze undervest 
in mid-winter, lest she should not appear 
fashionably slender; as well as by those 
weak-minded ones who sweep the streets 
with beautiful and expensive gowns, letting 
5 
them drag through the mud of street-cross- 
ings and gutters, because fashion has de- 
creed that it is “the thing to do.” 
Fruit Juices. 
How many of our readers have had any 
experience in the preparation of pure fruit 
juices, either for home use or the market? 
We should be interested to hear from those 
who have succeeded in this line. Judging 
from our own observation and enquiries, 
comparatively few housekeepers know any- 
thing about this important branch of pre- 
serving. And yet fruit juice is of great 
value both in health and illness. 
Through the warm months, thirst and a 
craving for cool drinks are common to most 
people. Ice water is not only injurious, but 
it does not allay thirst. Alcoholic drinks are 
both heating and stimulating and ought 
never to be used as a beverage. When, 
however, the fruit juice has not undergone 
a chemical change, it forms a refreshing 
and beneficial drink. At present pure fruit 
juice cannot be bought outside of the large 
cities where it retails for a dollar and a half 
a bottle. Apparently the few engaged in 
the business must be making a large profit, 
as the first cost per bottle could hardly ex- 
ceed fifty cents. 
The usual method of preserving the juice 
is to add one-third water, heat it to boil- 
ing, and pour into air-tight bottles. The 
juice of grapes is considered of great value 
in fevers; that of the cherry is good for the 
blood; blackberry juice is useful in bowel 
difficulties; black currant, in throat and 
lung troubles; while it is claimed that the 
juice of the pineapple is a cure for diph- 
theria. 
Great care should be taken to select the 
best fruit, and to look it over and do it up 
with scrupulous neatness and accuracy. 
Fruit syrups and cordials are also of great 
use in the family, blackberry being an es- 
pecially valuable remedy for children in 
summer complaint. In making these, 
sugar is used, generally with a little water, 
the proportions being varied with the kind 
of fruit used and the taste of the maker. 
The syrup is boiled and not sealed uutil 
cold. A few spoonfuls in a glass of cold 
water makes a delicious drink for hot 
weather. 
We urge all our readers who are so for- 
tunate as to have an abundance of fruit, to 
preserve some of the juice either pure, or 
in the form of syrups and cordials. 
Boys and Girls. 
It is foolish to make too much difference 
in the training of boys and girls. Every 
boy ought to be taught how to make his 
bed and keep his room in order, as well as 
how to sew on a button or mend a rent in 
his clothes. In the varied experiences of 
life, he is almost sure some time to need 
this knowledge. 
Perhaps his mother, sisters, or wife are 
ill; or he may be away from home alone, 
or camping in the wilderness; the time will 
surely come, and more than once, when he 
will be filled with gratitude to the thought- 
ful mother who insisted on teaching him 
independence. 
A few simple lessons in cooking and man- 
aging a fire will not come amiss; and while 
we would do nothing towards making a 
boy effeminate, we think it a pity to allow 
him to glow up as helpless as are many 
men. 
On the other hand, a girl should be taught 
the use of tools. She can learn to drive a 
nail, to turn a screw, to saw a board or 
split a stick as well as her brother, and 
there is no reason why she shouldn’t. The 
awkwardness and inefficiency which most 
women display in all matters of carpentry 
are due to the fact that they have never 
had a chance to learn. In the last few 
years, several girls have served an appren- 
ticeship to carpenters and mechanics, and 
have proved equal and superior to men f 
their workmanship. 
Considering the many households with- 
out a man, let us have our daughters taught 
how to open a box, to mend a trunk, or to 
plane a troublesome door. They will thank 
us a hundred times for our wisdom. 
Sparrow Farming. 
Those who are troubled by English spar- 
rows about their grounds might be wise to 
follow the advice of a writer in “Kate 
Field’s Washington,” and fatten them for 
the market. It is said that they are nearly 
as nice as reed-birds and there is a constant 
demand for them by restaurant keepers in 
the large cities. 
As these sparrows often have five broods 
of young in a season with five or six birds 
in each brood, something ought to be done 
to check their increase. If they can be 
trapped, fattened, and sold for food at a 
price to make it profitable, there will be a 
good chance of keeping their ranks thinned 
out; and the industry is one in whicly. 
women might easily engage. 

What to do with Gooseberries. 
The peculiarly sharp acid which the 
gooseberry develops in cooking renders it 
one of the most difficult fruits to preserve 
