Food and Drink for Warm Weather® 
148 
successively any two or three of our hardiest 
laborers. The Arab, with his camel’s milk, 
and the wild Cossack of the steppes of Cen¬ 
tral Asia, on mare’s milk, will endure fatigue 
which would exhaust the most inveterate beef 
and pork eater. Notwithstanding these ex¬ 
amples, we are decided advocates for the use 
of meat in moderate quantities, but are satis¬ 
fied there is altogether too much of it used 
in this country, either for health, economy, 
or comfort. Though inflexible advocates for 
three regular meals a day, under ordinary cir¬ 
cumstances, we are satisfied when the break¬ 
fast is taken early in the morning, and sup¬ 
per late in the evening, hard-working men 
require a lunch between meals. This should 
be light in quality ; not meat, or hearty cake, 
or other rich food; but simple bread and but¬ 
ter, or something light and easy of digestion 
and moderate in quantity, and so timed that 
it shall leave a good appetite for the regular 
meals. With the lunch, a moderate quantity 
of drink should be taken, and hardly any will 
be required at any other time. It is much 
better when the stomach is empty and craves 
something, to take a cracker, or some bread 
and cheese, and a light draught of some li¬ 
quid, than to attempt to satisfy the craving 
entirely with drink of any kind, unless it be 
milk, which is itself a food. Excessive drink¬ 
ing weakens and disorders the stomach, and 
should never be indulged in; and if the pro¬ 
per kinds of food be used, it will not be craved. 
A little self-denial or discipline will do much 
to lessen the desire for drink. Some never 
drink except with meals, and not being ac¬ 
customed to this indulgence, find no incon¬ 
venience in doing without; but we deem such 
a habit hardly possible with the excessive 
perspiration to which laboring men are fre¬ 
quently subject. 
But to the kinds of drink. After excluding 
alcohol in all its various shapes and disguises, 
whether ardent spirits, wine, strong beer, or 
cider, and we would add, strong tea and cof¬ 
fee, the last of which we deprecate as espe¬ 
cially injurious to the stomach and nervous 
system, we would allow the taste or conve¬ 
nience of each to select for himself. Of water, 
pure, unadulterated, unmixed water, might be 
said, as the primitive legislators of Connec¬ 
ticut said of the Bible,'—they would use the 
laws of God till they found time to make 
something better. Like air and light, it is of 
universal prevalence, and with these and all 
other works of their great Author, it is best 
suited to answer the general purposes of its 
creation. An addition to it, however, may 
be made, and perhaps with advantage, of 
ground ginger, vinegar, and molasses. We 
have used this beverage during summer for 
the last few years, with a large number of 
hands, and never found any inconvenience 
from it. It is better to stand two or three 
hours, or longer, after mixing; and water 
should in no instance be drunk immediately 
after being taken from the spring or well, es¬ 
pecially if the person be warm. When heated, 
and it is desirable to drink immediately, a 
stream of water poured on the wrists or palms 
of the hands, will soon reduce the tempera¬ 
ture so that one can drink with impunity. 
Successive mouthfuls of cold water, held in 
the mouth till it becomes warm and thrown 
out again, will mitigate thirst, reduce the 
heat of the body, and can never do injury to 
the stomach. When water is impure, such 
as is taken from stagnant ponds or filthy 
streams, or charged with mineral substances, 
as is much of it which the occupants of new 
lands are obliged to use, it should invariably 
be boiled ; and if then insipid, may be mixed 
with milk, sugar, vinegar, or jellies from 
some of the fruits and berries which the care¬ 
ful housewife may supply for this purpose, 
with little trouble to herself, and great com¬ 
fort to her household. Light beers, as ginger 
beer, mild hop and root beer, are economi¬ 
cally made, palatable, not injurious, and with¬ 
in every one’s reach. We give some original 
receipts in this present number, of such as 
are without objection. But of all the forms 
of drink, we consider milk, with which every 
farmhouse is or ought to be abundantly sup¬ 
plied, mixed with water, one of the most 
wholesome. When it does not agree with 
the stomach, boiling will usually render it 
acceptable. Oatmeal mixed with water, and 
allowed to remain a few hours, is a long- 
practised and favorite Scotch beverage, grate¬ 
ful to the palate, and invigorating and bracing 
to the stomach. 
The above are brief hints, hurriedly thrown 
together, and may be enlarged upon by each 
person for himself; but if strictly followed 
out, we will agree to pay for every lost day, 
and doctor’s bill, incurred in consequence of 
practising them. 
Farming Tools.— There seems to be a 
fashion among the manufacturers of farmers’ 
implements, that varies from time to time, not 
simply in the form and style of the article, 
but in the quality and durability also. These 
changes occur to such an extent, as some¬ 
times seriously to incommode the farmer. 
