786 
©Tie  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
May  20,  1910. 
The  Babies  on  the  Farm 
By  “Mrs.  Pastoral  Parson” 
The  Mother  of  Four. — This  is  a  sub¬ 
ject  I  am  deeply  interested  in,  and  hope 
this  article  will  be  a  help  to  all  mothers 
who  read  it.  We  have  four  children,  the 
oldest  a  'boy  of  12  years  and  the  youngest 
— our  only  girl — aged  four.  We  are  very 
fortunate  in  not  having  lost  any.  But 
the  dreadful  experience  T  had  with  the 
first  one  might  be  as  helpful  to  you 
mothers  as  anything  1  could  write.  Later 
on,  in  another  article.  1  will  tell  of  some 
things  to  be  done  when  the  little  ones  are 
from  three  years  up  to  12. 
The  P’irst  Baby. — It  was  found  after 
four  weeks  that  I  could  not  nurse  my 
baby.  This  grieved  me  terribly,  but  I 
finally  had  to  give  in  and  put  the  little 
one  on  the  bottle.  When  I  hear  young 
mothers  refuse  to  nurse  their  babies  I 
can’t  understand  it.  They  are  not  tit  to 
bear  the  name  of  ‘‘Mother.”  Don't  let  the 
new  ideas  get  the  bettor  of  your  common 
sense.  I  know  a  young  mother  who 
wouldn’t  nurse  her  baby  because  it  would 
tie  her  down,  and  she  could  not  go  out  to 
parties  so  often.  I  hope  the  time  will 
come  when  the  girls  will  make  up  their 
minds  they  are  not  getting  married  in 
order  to  “gad”  about,  but  to  make  a  good 
home  for  the  husband  and  a  mother  of 
his  children  that  he  can  be  proud  of. 
Condensed  Milk. — Our  doctor  thought 
the  best  brand  of  condensed  milk  would 
be  the  best  to  start  the  baby  ou.  He 
considered  it  about  tbe  cleanest  food  baby 
eon  Id  have,  but  said  it  must  only  be 
given  three  months.  Condensed  milk  only 
fattens  and  does  not  make  bone.  So 
many  mothers  feed  this  to  their  babies 
until  they  are  over  a  year.  The  fat — 
when  it  is  fed  so  long — is  not  good  fat. 
and  puts  the  baby  in  a  condition  to  catch 
almost  anything  that  comes  along.  Three 
different  ones  prepared  this  food  for  my 
baby,  which  was  a  great  mistake.  The 
one  who  expects  to  have  most  of  the  care 
of  the  baby  should  be  the  one  to  prepare 
the  food.  We  learned  our  lesson  when 
it  was  too  late. 
When  Trouble  Started. — The  baby 
was  nearly  three  months  old.  One  day 
he  was  taken  sick,  vomiting  curds  the 
size  of  a  half  dollar.  From  that  time  on 
for  four  months  we  had  a  dreadful  time. 
His  little  stomach  had  gotten  so  upset  it 
seemed  impossible  to  get  it  back  into  its 
normal  condition.  You  see  where  so 
many  fixed  the  milk,  tbe  fjuality  was  dif¬ 
ferent  each  time.  Every  two  weeks  a 
new  food  was  tried,  and  between  times 
rice  water  was  used.  At  last  a  food  was 
found  that  agreed  perfectly,  and  we  went 
camping  for  a  week.  He  gained  in  that 
week  three-quarters  of  a  pound !  That 
seemed  quite  wonderful  to  us. 
Let  Well  Enough  Alone. — We  had  a 
church  picnic  on  hand  at  the  beginning 
of  the  next  week,  and  thought  it  would 
not  do  if  we  did  not  go.  So  we  broke  up 
camp  and  came  home  to  go.  After  that 
the  weather  became  terribly  hot.  and  our 
dear  baby  came  down  with  cholera  in¬ 
fantum.  We.  of  course,  regretted  ever 
after  that  we  hadn’t  known  enough  to 
stay  in  camp  with  our  baby.  The  poor 
little  fellow  hadn’t  any  flesh  on  his  bones 
anyway,  and  this  last  trouble  came  near 
being  the  end.  The  doctor  said  if  be 
could  live  to  get  to  the  seashore  that 
would  be  the  only  thing  to  save  him.  So 
to  the  shore  we  went. 
“You  will  never  raise  ihni  baity!” 
That  is  what  everyone  seemed  delighted 
to  tell  me.  My  baby  had  gotten  so  thin 
that  you  could  count  every  rib,  and  at 
six  months  he  only  weighed  six  pounds. 
For  six  weeks  after  going  to  the  shore  his 
life  simply  hung  by  a  thread.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  are  a  few  of  the  things  that  had 
to  be  done  for  him  every  day.  Bub  with 
hot  olive  oil  twice  a  day,  the  oil  as  hot  as 
could  be  borne.  But  spice  bandages  on 
bowels  every  two  hours.  Give  medicine 
and  brandy  every  two  hours.  Wash  out 
bowels  with  warm  castile  soapsuds  twice 
a  day,  and  peptonize  his  food.  At  the 
end  of  the  six  weeks  we  came  home. 
From  that  time  on  he  began  to  mend,  and 
by  the  end  of  his  first  year  we  had  the 
baby  you  see  in  the  picture. 
Wool  On  Babies. — This  is  very  es¬ 
sential.  When  my  baby  had  gotten  well 
the  doctor  told  me  not  to  be  in  a  burry 
to  take  off  his  flannels.  lie  said  most 
mothers  took  it  off  their  babies  too  soon, 
and  when  they  began  teething  trouble  be¬ 
gan.  I  have  followed  liis  advice,  and  my 
babies  cut  their  teeth  without  the  least 
trouble.  If  the  baby  is  kept  warm  and 
Shelley  Tingle  Gilbert — Age  One  Year 
on  the  proper  diet,  the  teeth  will  come 
without  any  trouble.  Everyone  told  me 
I  would  have  to  look  out  when  the  second 
Summer  came,  and  the  teeth  formed  in 
the  gums ;  that  I  would  have  more 
trouble  like  the  first.  I  didn’t,  however, 
for  I  took  good  cure  that  be  lmd  simple 
food  and  kept  his  bowels  and  chest  warm. 
Tbe  second  Summer  passed  without  the 
slightest  trouble. 
When  You  Wean  The  Baby. — Don’t 
think  a  baby  is  going  to  be  strong  and 
healthy  if  you  give  him  all  kinds  of  stuff 
to  eat  after  you  have  weaned  him.  I 
heard  a  young  father  say  once,  when  I 
commented  on  the  stuff  thpy  were  feeding 
their  two-year-old  :  “My  child  is  not  go¬ 
ing  to  be  a  hothouse  plant.  She  is  going 
to  eat  ham  and  cabbage  whenever  sic 
wants  it.”  I  find  that  is  the  idea  so 
many  people  have.  It  is  very  surprising. 
The  Diet. — Start  them  on  a  good 
cereal,  a  soft  boiled  egg  once  a  day  and 
potato,  That  is  all  any  little  child  needs. 
Lead  up  gradually  to  other  things  after 
they  are  three  or  four  years  old.  But 
never  give  tea  or  coffee.  It  makes  very 
nervous  children.  It  would  surprise  you 
how  many  mothers  laugh  at  you  when 
you  toll  them  these  things.  If  they  eouhl 
only  be  convinced  that  their  children 
would  be  rosy  and  good-natured,  on  the 
proper  diet.  I  think  perhaps  they  would 
heed  the  advice  given. 
Ignorance  of  Mothers. — One  mother 
brought  her  baby  to  me  and  said  :  “What 
can  I  do?  I  have  scraped  and  scraped 
Geraldine’s  tongue  with  a  knife,  and 
can’t  get  this  white  stuff  off.”  This  was 
her  second  child.  Now  what  do  you  think 
of  that?  She  was  much  surprised  when 
T  took  some  absorbent  cotton,  fixed  up  a 
solution  of  boric  acid  water  and  washed 
the  mouth  until  the  tongue  was  clean. 
Then  I  told  her  to  give  the  baby  a  dose  of 
castor  oil.  In  a  few  days  I  had  the  baby 
straightened  out. 
What  to  Keep  on  Hand. — Absorbent 
cotton,  sterilized  gauze,  boric  acid,  castor 
oil,  sweet  spirits  of  nitre  and  syrup  of 
ipecac.  The  boric  acid  is  used  as  a  wash 
for  the  mouth,  eyes  and  sores  of  any 
kind  ;  a  teaspoonful  to  a  cup  of  water  is 
the  proportion  generally  used.  And  al¬ 
ways  remember  when  washing  the  eyes, 
mouth  or  cuts  with  it,  never  put  the  used 
cotton  back  into  the  solution.  Always 
take  a  fresh  piece.  The  sweet  spirits  of 
nitre  is  for  fever.  Don't  give  it,  though, 
unless  the  fever  goes  to  a  hundred  or  so. 
Quite  often  a  fever  will  come  from  a 
little  indigestion,  and  a  dose  of  castor 
oil  will  carry  it  right  away.  Keep  on 
hand  a  good  clinical  thermometer.  The 
syrup  of  ipecac  is  used  for  croup  aud 
hard  colds.  Any  of  the  above  taken  in 
time,  can  often  ward  off  having  the  doc¬ 
tor.  Since  the  experience  with  my  first 
baby,  although  a  bitter  one.  I  have 
learned  a  great  deal. 
The  Value  of  Vinegar. — A  very  sim¬ 
ple  remedy  for  cuts  is  vinegar.  Every 
farmer’s  wife  has  good  vinegar  in  the 
house.  It  takes  out  tbe  poison  and  stops 
the  How  of  blood.  Tbe  young  girl  who 
lives  with  us,  chopped  her  foot  with  tbe 
ax.  cutting  an  artery.  For  a  minute 
there  was  a  regular  fountain  of  blood.  I 
poured  the  vinegar  right  on  the  open  cut 
and  then  bound  it  up.  It  was  not  long 
before  tbe  flowing  stopped,  and  it  was  all 
right  till  thp  doctor  could  come  to  take 
tbe  stitches.  Vinegar  is  also  splendid  for 
any  kind  of  a  poisonous  bite  or  sting. 
For  Croup. — This  is  something  we 
have  never  had.  but  I  think  the  reason  is 
because  I  take  care  of  the  colds  right  off. 
Keep  on  hand  a  good  poultice,  and  that 
with  the  castor  oil  and  ipecac  will  prac¬ 
tically  always  break  up  quite  a  bad  cold. 
Give  the  oil  on  an  empty  stomach,  poul¬ 
tice  the  throat  and  chest.  Give  four  to 
five  drops  of  the  ipecac  every  two  or 
three  hours.  Of  course,  the  ipecac  must 
he  given  according  to  how  had  the  cold 
is.  If  it  is  slight,  once  in  three  or  four 
hours  is  often  euough.  If  the  child 
vomits  from  the  first  dose,  lessen  the 
number  of  drops.  These  remedies  I  have 
found  very  successful. 
The  Bottles. — I  went  into  a  house 
not  a  great  while  ago  to  see  a  mother 
who  was  having  a  great  deal  of  sickness 
among  her  children.  Her  baby,  about 
eight  months  old.  was  very  cross.  She 
looked  all  worn  out.  and  the  baby 
The  Baby  Objects  to  His  Dose 
thrashed  around  in  her  arms  every  min¬ 
ute.  It  was  impossible  to  talk  with  any 
degree  of  comfort.  At  Iasi  she  asked  one 
of  the  older  children  to  find  the  baby's 
nipple.  Where  do  you  suppose  he  found 
it?  Bight  on  the  dirty  floor.  Was  it 
thoroughly  cleansed  before  ghing  it  to 
the  baby?  Not  a  bit  of  it  !  The  mother 
took  it  and  put  it  right  into  the  baby’s 
mouth.  You  can  imagine  my  surprise. 
In  the  first  place,  it  is  a  had  thing  to  let 
a  baby  suck  the  empty  nipple.  sa.\  ing  noth¬ 
ing  about  the  <lirt  lie  got  off  of  it.  In  the 
second  place,  if  he  had  been  properly  fed 
he  would  not  want  the  nipple.  When  a 
baby  sticks  on  a  pacifier  all  the  time,  it 
causes  all  sorts  of  trouble.  The  bottles 
must  be  kept  thoroughly  clean,  too.  \\  ash 
them  well  with  dean  suds,  rinse  with 
clear  water  and  then  scald.  Let  the 
scalding  water  stay  in  until  the  food  is 
made.  I  always  had  as  many  bottles  as 
there  were  feedings  during  the  day. 
Bight  after  breakfast  I  would  prepare 
the  food  and  put  it  in  the  bottles.  Put 
absorbent  cotton  iu  the  mouth  of  the 
bottles.  This  keeps  out  the  germs  and 
lets  the  air  iu.  Keep  in  a  cool  place.  A 
good  place  for  a  farmer’s  wife,  who 
hasn’t  any  ice.  is  to  put  the  bottles  into 
a  pail  that  will  hold  them  easily  and  hang 
down  the  well.  Boil  the  nipples  every 
morning,  and  after  they  have  boiled  let 
stand  in  water.  I  put  baking  soda  in  the 
water  for  the  boiling  and  also  iu  the  cold 
water  they  are  kept  iu.  When  warming 
the  milk  for  the  baby  don’t  test  it  by  put¬ 
ting  tbe  nipple  iu  your  mouth.  Let  a 
drop  go  cm  your  wrist  aud  if  it  feels  hot 
then  you  will  know  it  is  too  warm  for  the 
baby.  Never  use  a  bottle  that  has  a  tube 
attached  to  the  nipple.  This  kind  can 
never  be  thoroughly  cleansed,  and.  of 
course,  would  upset  tbe  baby’s  stomach. 
Handling  the  Small  Baby. — So 
many  mothers  trot  their  little  babies  on 
the  knee  in  a  sitting  position.  This  is 
very  injurious.  A  baby  should  not  sit  up 
so  that  its  spine  has  the  eutire  weight  of 
the  head,  before  it  is  four  months  old. 
The  head  is  the  heaviest  part  of  a  small 
baby.  {By  small  I  mean  young  baby.) 
I  wish  the  mothers  could  realize  this. 
Never  force  your  baby  to  sit  Up  nor 
walk.  If  properly  cared  for  he  will  do 
both  when  the  right  time  comes.  My 
first  baby  was  22  months  old  before  he 
took  a  step.  People  would  tell  me : 
“Aren’t  you  awfully  afraid  your  baby 
will  never  walk?"  This  I  had  poked  at 
me  everywhere  I  went.  Naturally  I  be¬ 
gan  to  worry.  Tbe  doctor  said:  “Don’t 
worry,  he  will  walk  when  bis  strength 
comes.  Don’t  force  him.”  ITe  did  walk 
all  right  and  has  a  pair  of  good  straight 
legs  because  he  wasn’t  forced.  Some  chil¬ 
dren  are  more  forward  than  others.  I 
only  have  one  that  walked  as  young  as 
20  months,  while  1  have  a  cousin  whose 
children  walked  in  less  than  a  year.  The 
ones  who  are  slow  about  it  get  into  less 
mischief  than  the  others,  so  give  me  the 
slow  ones. 
The  Pet  Pig 
Mrs.  Bay  .Tones  of  Steuben  County, 
N.  Y.,  sends  us  the  little  picture  shown 
below.  This  shows  one  of  her  little 
boys  and  his  pet  pig-  We  get  many  such 
pictures,  and  it  would  seem  that  the  pig 
is  a  favorite  farm  pet  or  animal  for  the 
farm  hoys.  The  hog  is  under  ordinary 
circumstances  a  good-natured  animal,  and 
as  a  rule  there  is  not  much  danger  to 
children  in  having  him  about  them.  M  hen 
he  gets  as  large  as  the  one  shown  in  the 
picture,  however,  we  are  a  little  careful 
about  letting  children  get  too  close  to 
them.  The  hog  is  good-natured,  aud 
usually  kind,  but  he  is  greedy,  sometimes 
gets  excited,  and  a  big  one  is  clumsy  as 
well.  If  this  big  fellow  should  start  sud¬ 
denly  and  throw  this  little  boy  off  bis 
back,  there  might  lie  trouble  with  tramp¬ 
ling  or  pushing  the  boy  one  side,  and  we 
question  the  wisdom  of  letting  a  small 
child  get  off  alone  with  a  big  animal  of 
this  kind.  Several  cases  have  been  re¬ 
ported  to  us  where  incidents  have  oc¬ 
curred  which  put  the  child  into  great 
risk.  Much  the  same  tiling  is  true  of 
children  who  ride  on  cows  or  steers,  or 
even  bulls.  Dialer  ordinary  circumstances 
these  good-natured  animals  would  never 
think  of  banning  a  child,  yet  iu  case  of 
sudden  excitement  they  will  be  quite  lia- 
A  Boy  and  His  Farm  Friend 
ble  to  throw  the  child  off  and  by  accident 
trample  on  him  and  hurt  him  quite  se¬ 
verely. 
Corn  Griddle  Cakes. — Pour  two  cup¬ 
fuls  of  boiling  milk  (or  milk  and  water, 
half  and  half)  over  one  cupful  of  yellow 
corn  meal  which  has  been  mixed  with  one 
tablespoouful  of  flour  and  one-third  tea¬ 
spoonful  of  salt.  Beat  hard  meanwhile, 
and  continue  to  bear  for  three  minutes, 
adding  one  tablespoon ful  of  butter,  one 
tablespoonful  of  sugar  (may  he  omitted). 
When  cooled  to  lukewarm  add  one  tea¬ 
spoonful  of  baking  powder  mixed  in  one 
tablespoonful  of  flour  and  two  eggs  beat¬ 
en  very  light.  Thin  with  milk  to  con¬ 
sistency  preferred,  If  wanted  very  thin 
a  cupful  or  more  of  milk  may  be  used. 
