266 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[July, 
best. It gets hard after several months’ use, but 
it is only a half-hour’s task to pick up the hair and 
tack it in again. It is horrible to sink an infant’s 
head in a soft, feather pillow, as cradle-babies are 
often treated. My babies have never seemed to 
need any pillow at all on a good mattrass ; and, as 
I often sleep very comfortably without one myself, 
I am not inclined to give them pillows so long as 
they seem contented without. High pillows are 
always objectionable; producing round shoulders 
and curved spines. A straight position of the body 
in lied is essential to the healthy action of the lungs, 
heart, and stomach during sleep. I can remember 
how I used to curl up almost double in order to 
keep warm on winter nights. I used to throw my 
woolen dress and skirt on the outside of the bed 
over my shoulders, and then draw up my feet to 
get them under its warmth, while all of the time 
extra quilts and blankets lay piled in the closet 
close by. Of course such a position is not good 
for the circulation of the blood, or for its purifica¬ 
tion by the free introduction of fresh air to the 
lungs. Children should not be allowed to go to 
bed with cold feet. It is a foolish habit to rely on 
a soapstone or flat-iron in bed; and there will be 
no need of it if flic feet are warmed before going to 
bed, especially if warmed by exercise. Much 
“toasting” is not good for any part of the flesh. 
Cold feet often result from indigestion and lack of 
exercise. Tight shoes and tight gaiters also cause 
cold feet by preventing a free circulation of the 
blood. A cool foot bath (not cold, but comfortable) 
and a good rubbing afterward, before going to bed, 
are better than a soapstone to keep tiie feet warm. 
Not only should sleeping rooms and beds be well 
aired daily, but the rooms should always be venti¬ 
lated during the night. It is best to have two open¬ 
ings on different sides of the room, so arranged 
that the bed does not stand in the draft; but any 
opening through which fresh air can get into the 
room is better than none. In a part of the coun¬ 
try where mosquitoes abound, it pays, in every way, 
to have netting in at leastone sash of each window. 
If you cannot do better, frames can be made of 
pieces of lath nailed together with the netting 
tacked on with tape (or narrow strips of cloth) and 
small tacks. As it grows dark all the mosquitoes 
that get into the room fly towards the light, and you 
can easily kill them on the netting before bringing 
a lamp into the room. Healthy sleep is almost 
impossible whe-rc insects of any kind have a chance 
to worry and devour. 
Nothing would drive me so near despair (as a 
house-keeper) as to find that bed-bugs had got a 
lodging in the walls of my house. In a part of the 
country where they arc common among you>r neigh¬ 
bors (and let all movers into a new locality take 
warning) “ eternal vigilance is the price of” ex¬ 
emption from the nuisance. They come in books 
and papers that you lend, and they come in the gar¬ 
ments of your visitors. Bats bring them too ; and 
t his is another reason for keeping netting in the 
windows when bats arc abroad. Kerosene oil is a 
good poison for these insects, applied to the joints 
of tlie bedstead. So is a strong brine of salt and 
water; or corrosive sublimate; but kill every one 
you sec, and look sharp. 
"When we get thoroughly civilized I believe we 
shall all have a good bed apiece, and never habit¬ 
ually sleep even two in abed ; but three in abed arc 
always too many, even when one is a baby— especi¬ 
ally when one is a baby; it is quite too much for 
the little one. 
Old people almost always awake earlier than 
young persons do, and arc apt to feel quite out of 
patience with the morning naps of later sleepers. 
It is unfair ; for the growing boys and girls who are 
in their teens seem to need more sleep than any 
other class, except the very little ones. If they 
must rise early they should be particular to go to 
bed early. Late suppers interfere very much with 
refreshing sleep. I don’t mean party suppers, with 
their rich cakes and confectionery, — but farmers’ 
suppers, which are often deferred until the day’s 
work is ail done, witli an idea of saving t ime. The 
body is then so weary and the stomach so exhaust¬ 
ed that good digestion is almost impossible; and 
yet this late meal is usually heavier than an earlier 
supper would have been. Broken rest, bad dreams, 
nightmares, and bad tastes in the mouth on awaken¬ 
ing, are the natural results of late or heavy sup¬ 
pers. If the stomach gets through its hard work 
and can rest during sleep, there is no trouble about 
lying on the back. Sick headaches may often be 
traced to heavy meals when the body was too much 
exhausted to digest them property. With an early 
breakfast and dinner at twelve, supper should come 
as early as half-past five or six o’clock at the latest. 
Nearly all physicians agree that there is no more 
fruitful source of disease and death than intemper¬ 
ance in eating. It makes a great deal of difference 
w hat we eat, but quite as much difference to our 
good health how we eat; and I think it is the plain 
duty of parents to look after their children’s habits 
in this respect. Those children are fortunate who 
early get accustomed to plain fare and regular 
meals. With three meals a day there is no neces¬ 
sity for any extra lunches. If any mother thinks 
her children an exception to this rule, it would be 
well for her to experiment a little. Have it under¬ 
stood that nothing but plain, unbuttered bread is 
to be eaten between meals or away from the table, 
and very likely the child who eats little at the table 
and gets hungry for cookies and pieces of pie be¬ 
tween meals, will go hungry until the next meal 
rather than to eat bread alone. And yet there is no 
cruelty in this; for genuine hunger can be satisfied 
by plain bread. I have seen this tried, and think 
it a good way to break up a bad habit and save our 
children from dyspepsia. 
There has been considerable talk in the health 
journals lately, about drink at meals—whether 
warm drinks or cold water was best. I have 
wanted to put in my word, and here it is. There 
is very seldom any necessity for drinking at all at 
meal times. We have learned this pretty thorough¬ 
ly, and quite accidentally. When we “ set up 
house-keeping,” one half of our family of two was 
accustomed to use tea and coffee. The other 
half had an aversion to them. Neither was willing 
to be a law-maker for the other, but the subject 
was often pleasantly discussed. I was willing to 
make tea and coffee for my husband as long as he 
believed in their use ; but he never felt quite com- 
fortable taking these beverages alone. I could not 
conscientiously join with him, I saw so many mis¬ 
eries in the future as possible results of such a 
habit, and besides, we needed to economize. “Then 
let us drink water,” said my husband. Soon after 
this decision, our little round table became some¬ 
what crowded by an additional plate, and we began 
to set the water-pitcher and tumblers on an adja¬ 
cent stand. I noticed that when I passed the wa¬ 
ter to one of my companions it seemed to suggest 
thirst where none had been previously felt; and, 
knowing that it is always unhealthy to wash down 
our food instead of chewing it thoroughly and 
mingling it well with the secretions of the mouth 
provided for the purpose of aiding digestion, I 
concluded to offer no one water until it was called 
for. This wrought a speedy change in our habits, 
and we were all surprised but well satisfied. For 
several years we have not been in the habit of drink¬ 
ing anything at meals, and think nothing about it. 
Between meals we drink water as thirst requires. 
When we have no outsiders with us, we never 
think of putting water on the table, though in the 
way of variety we often have milk, and once in a 
great while, tea or coffee. I notice that when I 
put water on the table for one person, others are 
immediately seized with thirst; but no young per¬ 
son stays with us long without unconsciously form¬ 
ing the habit of eating without drinking. I think 
our children will thank us, by and by, if we teach 
them to eat slowly, without drinking, and to chew 
their food thoroughly. 
It goes far towards making food “set well” to 
eat it with no fear of evil results. Some people 
faucy that the chief reason why dyspeptics suffer 
from their food is their constant worry lost this or 
that will hurt them. There is some truth in it; but 
how can the poor sufferers help worrying at many 
of our tables, where healthful food is Seldom found? 
I have known dyspeptics who could get along very 
comfortably at home, but who felt a great dread of 
taking a meal away from home, lest the only bread 
should be hot, shortened biscuit, and nothing else 
to satisfy hunger but rich cakes and preserves. 
We ought always to have plain, cold bread on our 
tables, and other food plainly cooked. For my own 
part, I feel responsible for most of the “general 
health ” of those who eat at our table. If any of 
them suffer from indigestion in any way, I cannot 
help studying upon the ease to find the probable 
cause and the most natural dietetic cure. There is 
nothing more wholesome than good, ripe fruit, 
taken with our meals. People suffer from eating 
fruit because they do not realize that it is food ; and 
they load the stomach aud tax the bowels with it 
when they are not iu the least need of food, merely 
to gratify the taste. 
Dear, American Agriculturist girls, if you could 
only for one moment realize your power to help 
this nation, and save its people from sickness and 
suffering, I am sure you would henceforth do your 
best to become strong and healthy, and try to learn 
every way of promoting the real benefit and com¬ 
fort of those associated with you. Don’t think of 
getting married, or of going to house-keeping, until 
you have studied physiology and household chem¬ 
istry —some practical works on the subjects. I want 
to recommend Catherine Beecher’s excellent works 
on Domestic Economy. There is one “old maid,” 
at least, whose children (in domestic knowledge) 
all over the land “rise up and call her blessed.” 
--»«-—« •o— - 
Cui'i'iiiit .Belly.—There is probably no jelly 
that we so seldom see of a fine quality as currant. 
One difficulty arises from allowing the fruit to be¬ 
come over-ripe. The constituent of the fruit which 
causes the juice to solidify into a jelly is most abun¬ 
dant as soon as the berries are fairly ripe. If left 
until later, a long boiling is required, which injures 
the color and flavor. The following process is 
commended by Mr. Harrison. “Boil the strained 
juice in a bright saucepan and skim until no more 
scum rises ; while hot, strain quickly through a fine 
flannel bag, stir in rapidly one pound of finely 
sifted, white sugar for every pint of juice, and as 
soon as thoroughly 7 dissolved, pour into cups. 
AVhen cold, paste on paper covers, and set iu a cool, 
dark, dry place. 
Fruit .¥nices.—The juices of raspberries, 
pineapples and other fruits, are useful for flavoring 
ice-cream and similar purposes. The juice can be 
readily preserved by bottling. Express the juice 
and put it in bottles; set the bottles in a cold boil¬ 
er with a board or grating under them to prevent 
contact with the bottom of the boiler. Heat up the 
water and contiuuc at the boiling point until the 
contents of the bottles are heated through. Cork 
the bottles while hot, seal and keep iu a cool place. 
The bottles should not be so large as to contain 
more juice than enough to use at once, as it will 
not keep long after being opened. 
Aromatic Mustard. — Our request for 
recipes for preparing mustard after the manner of 
the Germans and other Europeans, has been re- 
plied’to by several. The following is from Mvs. 
“W. S. K.,” Rochester, N. Y.: “To 1 quart pure 
cider vinegar, add 2 tablespoonfuls each of ground 
allspice and cinnamon, 1 do. of cloves, 3 do. brown 
sugar, 4 do. salt, and 3 large onions cut fine. Boil 
until the strength is well extracted, say or % of 
an hour; then strain the vinegar, boiling, on to 1 Jb 
best English mustard, and stir until it is perfectly 
smooth. If not thin enough, put more vinegar to 
the same spices, boil, and mix.” This keeps well 
in a fruit jar, and improves by age. Boiling the 
vinegar for the length of time directed above would 
weaken it very much. The flavor of the spices 
would be extracted equally well by keeping the 
mixture nearly boiling hot in a covered vessel- 
Another formula is given by Mrs. “ E. D. C.,” 
Meadvillc, Pa.: “4 tablespoonfuls of ground mus¬ 
tard, 1 do. flour, 1 do. sugar, 1 teaspoonful salt, 
1 do. black pepper, 1 do. cinnamon, 1 do. cloves. 
Mix smoothly with boiling vinegar and let stand 
several hours before using. It may be thinned 
with cold vinegar. Will keep any length of time.” 
