1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
491 
something strong but respectable (in a child’s 
opinion, which should of course be consulted 
when possible), for a rather hoydenish little 
girl. Two months ago they seemed quite 
“worn out,” they looked so shabby, and the 
little girl thought she never could wear them 
any more. But I sewed all around where 
they were ripped, over the top around the 
foot (not around the sole—fortunately that 
remained good), and on the back of the shoe, 
replaced the missing buttons, and oiled and 
blacked the shoes. To-day they look better 
than before I did this work, though they have 
been worn a part of every day since. Last 
winter I was so successful in sewing a large 
morocco patch upon the burned side of one 
of Baby’s kid gaiters, that patching shoes no 
longer looks impossible to me. I cut patches 
from old shoes of the same quality, and sew 
them over the hole, so that they look about 
as well as a cobbler’s work. It takes very lit¬ 
tle time, but I would not recommend it to all. 
Rearing and Training of Children. 
BY MRS. E. H. LELAND, AUTHOR OF “FARM HOMES, IN¬ 
DOORS AND OUT-DOORS.” 
Never hamper and torment children with 
clothes that are “too nice” to' be anything 
but wretched in. They may be taught rea¬ 
sonable care in regard to soiling their clothes, 
but to see a child in a constant spiritual 
straight-jacket, for fear the mud-cakes, or 
the game of marbles, or the jolly romp will 
soil the knees, or “ muss ” the apron, or dis¬ 
arrange the hair, is an indication of idiotic 
parentage. There are cheap, light, half-wool 
fabrics, sold in gray, and in brown plaids and 
stripes, that—piped with bright colors—make 
up into excellent dresses or blouses for little 
folks, being just as cool as print and gingham, 
requiring no starching when washed, and not 
soiling or rumpling easily. 
Let the children have plenty of sleep. I 
have seen young children—almost infants— 
waked and made to get up two hours before 
their natural sleep was finished, merely be¬ 
cause it was thought best that they should 
“eat breakfast with the other people.” 
Imagine yourself in the hands of a giant, and 
being hauled out of bed while in the midst 
of profound and refreshing slumber, just for 
the privilege of eating breakfast with a lot of 
other giants who grin at you if you are cross, 
and perhaps vigorously spank you—some 
one of them—if you say or do anything ex¬ 
pressive of your wretched feelings. There 
are no healthy children who take more sleep 
than they need ; and yet we often see young 
boys “routed” before sunrise and set to 
work, with empty stomach and dizzy heads, 
at chores that might just as well await the 
coming of a decent hour. Let us all pray to 
be preserved from that slashing, mule-headed, 
and often ignorant farmer, who “drives” 
everything before him—including his wife 
and children ! In the long run he comes out 
a good ways behind his more efficient and 
more enlightened neighbor, who takes things 
easily and does things pleasantly, and steers 
clear of that kind of haste which makes 
waste. The first step toward making boys 
“ hate the farm ” is to cut down their right¬ 
ful hours of sleep, and make the beginning 
of every day thoroughly wretched to them. 
Children can hardly be too much in the 
“open air.” We all observe how much 
healthier and happier they are in the bright 
dry weather with which we are blessed for a 
portion of the year. With the long, cold 
rains of autumn begins the dismal time for 
birds and children ; and even we grown peo¬ 
ple, in spite of our work and our mental re¬ 
sources, feel depressed and saddened. To the 
children’s loss of soft breezes, warm sunlight, 
and the freedom of all out-doors is added the 
crushing knowledge that they “make tracks,” 
that they “litter the carpet,” and that they 
“ kill people with their noise.” In our North¬ 
ern States there will be five or six months of 
this sort of thing. Now, much of this win¬ 
ter discomfort to all parties might be saved if 
children had such clothes as would enable 
them to be out at play a part of the time, 
even in forbidding weather. No matter 
how coarse and plain the clothes if they are 
warm and stout, and as waterproof as possi¬ 
ble. An investment in thick, high-buttoned 
over-shoes, and extra cloaks and jackets, is 
of course pleasanter and less expensive than 
an investment in doctor-visits. To be sure, 
doctor-visits are not always the alternative, 
but the better the regimen under which chil¬ 
dren live, the fewer visits of this sort. As 
for “toughening” children by sending them 
half-dressed in the damp or biting air, none 
but ignorant and stupid people do such things 
—our churchyards are already sufficiently 
full of little graves. Give the children warm 
feet, something over their ears, and good 
staunch flannels between them and Jack 
Frost, and they will grow up far stronger and 
“tougher ” than the poor little shivering ones 
who have to pull their heads into their shoul¬ 
ders, and huddle together like calves in a 
winter’s storm, for lack of sensible clothes. 
It is a fact that country children suffer for 
want of pleasant and improving amusements. 
A genuine shepherd dog—a good-natured 
and a faithful animal who knows almost 
everything—would be a capital companion 
for the children in their sports and wander¬ 
ings, and very useful for watching and for 
bringing up the cows. 
Home-Made Christmas Presents. 
A Knitting Apron is a useful present, 
and it can be made as plain or tasty as the 
maker chooses. A width of material, thirty- 
two inches long, is turned up across the bot¬ 
tom to make a pocket twelve inches deep; 
the sides are hemmed, and the top gathered 
into a band ; two button-holes are worked in 
the top of the pocket, and buttons 6ewed on 
the apron to correspond. The work can be 
dropped into the pocket, and the balls kept 
together if one has to stop in haste. The 
apron is large enough to hold a large piece of 
work and materials secure from dust, which 
is quite a consideration when one is doing a 
delicate piece of knit¬ 
ting or fancy work, 
and picks it up at odd 
minutes. If the apron 
is made of figured 
calico, white, with a 
red spot is pretty, the 
pocket must be cut off 
and sewed on to make 
it right side out. If 
plain material is used, 
2-handkerchief case. a pattern can fc e done 
in chain-stitch across the top of the pocket. 
A Pretty Handkerchief-Case is made by 
crochetting in any open stich, out of single 
zephyr, a piece five inches wide, and ten 
inches long ; fold it together so as to make a 
square five inches each way, with the open¬ 
ing in the middle, across what is the top of 
the case ; crochet a scallop of contrasting 
color along each 6ide of the opening, and 
around the square ; run a ribbon along each 
Fig. 3.— the back. Fig. 4. —the front. 
side of the slit, and tie in a bow at each end. 
It makes a prettier scallop to go around the 
edge with the same color, in what is called 
“ mitten” stitch. 
A Slipper-Case makes an acceptable pres¬ 
ent for a gentleman. Cut one piece each, of 
the shape and dimensions given in figures 3 
and 4, from stiff paste-board. Cover the 
back on both sides with 
dark cambric, first putting 
a thin flat stick across 
the top, to keep it from 
warping. The front of 
figure 4 may be of Java 
canvas, with a pattern 
worked on it, or it may 
be of dark linen, with 
figures done in outline, 
in colored cruel. When 
the front is worked, over¬ 
hand it and the lining, 
which should be of cam¬ 
bric ; over-hand the front 
and back together, cover¬ 
ing the seam with a cord. 
Fasten a cord to the top of the slipper case, 
by which to hang it up. Q. R. O. 
S8aw .Jelly.—At a friend’s house, not 
long ago, we were offered at table a jelly, 
that we took to be the imported Guava, as it 
closely resembled that in flavor. We were 
much surprised to learn that it was a native 
product made from a native fruit. One of 
the Thorns, common in Georgia and other 
Southern States, furnished the raw material 
in its abundant fruit. The species is prob¬ 
ably Cratcegus glandulosus, and from the 
excellence of the jelly that it affords, it might 
well be brought into cultivation as a fruit 
tree or shrub. Has any one tried the fruit 
of any of our northern Thorns for this 
purpose? Some of them bear an abun¬ 
dance of large and pleasantly flavored fruit. 
