The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1393 
Human Interest Notes 
Salt and the Negro 
I was interested in what the Hope 
Farm man says about salt and the negro. 
I do not know how it is with the younger 
generation, but it is a well-known fact 
about the older ones; they do not want 
salt in their bread Most of these old- 
school cooks will take out the corntneal 
or dough, whichever it is they are making 
for the ‘‘white folks’ " dinner, and bake 
theirs separate and without salt. It al¬ 
ways impressed me as a queer taste: l 
never before connected It with a racial 
characteristic. F. 
Georgia. 
The reference was made to a new book 
by Prof. Armitage, entitled “Diet and 
Race.” The author discusses the effect 
of salt upon color, and in order to make 
his point clear, discusses the diet and 
physical character of many different 
races. Most of our American negroes 
trace hack to Africa, and it seems that 
there are many various tribes or races. 
They differ in size and general character, 
even more widely than the nations of 
Europe, Some of these nations in the 
interior have no access to salt and rarely 
eat it, while others are located near salt 
mines or deposits. Many or most of the 
American negroes came originally from 
the west coast of Africa—brought down 
from tile interior by slave-drivers. 
Armitage seems to make it dear that 
some of these slaves came from regions 
where salt was hard to obtain. Tn some 
cases the people dislike salt, and will not 
eat it willingly. We have no doubt some 
of the American negroes have inherited 
this habit. 
A Short Course in Agriculture 
I notice you advise other people in 
trouble, so I am asking for a little of 
your advice. I am a young man, will 
soon he 20. and have only a country school 
education. I live on a general stock and 
fruit farm with my parents. I intend 
to make farmiug my business, so I 
would like lev attend tin* university 
short course in agriculture, but m,v father 
objects, as he says I could not learn 
enough of practical value in the short 
course to be worth the money it would 
cost mo. I have about $000 saved, nud I 
expect it would take about $500 tn see 
me through, so I am not hindered finan¬ 
cially. Do you think I could learn enough 
of practical value to make it worth while 
attending, and would you advise me to 
go? p. 
Yes. we think you could, hut it will de¬ 
pend more on you than on the university. 
We hesitate to give direct advice in cases 
of this sort. We do not know the hoy— 
his personality or tixity of purpose, and 
we do not like to appear as opposing his 
father. Most fathers know their own 
hoys better than other people onn, al¬ 
though it must be said that some parents 
never seem to understand what their chil¬ 
dren need. We have had charge of many 
children, and have already sent six of 
them to college. There are several more 
who want to go. If we had a boy who 
was willing to work and invest his own 
money in education, we should feel that 
we were doing him a wrong in opposing 
him. 
Twenty years from now the untrained 
man or woman will he at a great disad¬ 
vantage in trying to live what we may 
call a good life. There are t<» be so many 
wonderful changes in industry that only 
a trained and reflective mind can appre¬ 
ciate them. We see all about us men and 
women struggling through life confused 
and disappointed because they cannot 
seem to comprehend what life really is 
and what its purpnsa may be. The col¬ 
lege training may not. and, in fact, it 
does not. always givo a man aud woman 
the power In go out at once and make ex¬ 
tra money. It does more than that—it 
may give a peace and charm to life which, 
without interfering with a man’s power 
to create and earn, shows him how to 
lead the good life. 
If we could go back to youth once more 
and take with us the record of a rather 
strenuous life, we should by all means 
plan for a college course of some sort. 
\\’e do not believe that the work done at 
most of the agricultural colleges is as 
practical or useful as it might, be. There 
are many undesirable influences at any 
college, but there is always the chance 
for a clean, earnest young man to get 
what he needs and get it without loss of 
character. If one of our own boys asked 
this question, we should by all means 
say—go! 
A Caterpillar Weather Prophet 
What do you know about telling what 
kind of a Winter we will have by look¬ 
ing at a caterpillar? There is a woman 
here who claims she can tell, but she does 
not tell how. c. H. B. 
Connecticut. 
Wo do not pretend to be able to do it, 
but we understand the theory on which 
these prophets work. They say that 
nature looks ahead for a hard Winter 
and prepares for it by providing plants, 
animals and insects with thicker clothing. 
When the corn husks are extra thick and 
heavy, or when there is an ^stra crop 
of nuts, it is claimed that nature is pre¬ 
paring for a hard Winter. When animals 
put on a thick and heavier Winter coat 
of hair. that, is regarded as tu sure *ign. 
Very likely this woman has worked out 
some sort, of observation for insects, and 
figures from it about the severity of Win¬ 
ter. 
Possibilities in Vaudeville 
What do you know about the people 
v. ho advertise for amateurs for the vaude¬ 
ville stage? They claim that there is a 
great demand for actors ami actresses in 
vaudeville, and for a few dollars they 
will teach anyone how to get on the stage 
and what to do after they get there. They 
say it is easily learned and enormous sal¬ 
aries are being paid. It seems to me 
that if it is easy and the pay is extra, 
the field would be overcrowded. Theri 
are some very simple acts performed on 
the vaudeville stage, and it seems evident 
that these actors wouldn’t, get very big 
pay. and that they wouldu’t be in 'much 
demand. On the other hand, if a person 
has a gift, a beautiful voice or tremendous 
strength, so he can do astounding things. 
or if he is inventive and can contrive 
something very interesting or comic, it 
seems evident that he would not have any 
trouble getting on the stage, (’an you 
tell me how an earuest person (who 
would like to become an actor 1 should 
proceed to get. on the vaudeville stage? 
Canada, o. B. 
We know very little about such people, 
but we believe they are simply trying to 
get your money without giving fair equiv¬ 
alent. The great development of the mov¬ 
ing-picture business has hurt the vaude¬ 
ville, and there is now comparatively little 
demand for such “artists.” The life is 
not a desirable one, and only a few gifted 
people can ever hope to earn large sal¬ 
aries. Our advice is to let the stage 
severely aloue. If anyone chance to show 
superior talent for such work, he will 
have little trouble in attracting attention. 
“Friend Hubby” in the House 
Your suggestion to the woman who 
complains of her husband locking up a 
room, to use an ax, is just another case 
of taking it for granted that the woman 
is in the right all the time. The writer 
knows of a case of a woman who. to all 
appearances a “nice little woman,” is 
really a fiend as far as friend hubby is 
concerned. . B. c. 
In the case mentioned we felt con¬ 
vinced that the woman was right. There 
may be cases where the man does not get 
his rights, but, generally speaking, the 
imposition is put on the woman. Perhaps 
there may be cases where “friend hubby” 
needs the attention of a “friend” to stir 
him up to duty. 
The papers tell of a case ?u the State 
of Washington wher** a man was brought 
into court to tell why his children were 
not in school. He frankly admitted that 
his wife was the boss, and that he had 
very little to say in his home. We can 
hardly conceive of any such man nailing 
up the door of a room. 
Bees and Fruit 
I have read item, “Bees a Nuisance on 
r ruit, and am writing this in defence of 
the bees. We bare about all kinds of 
fruit, from strawberries to apple, peach 
aud pear trees; also 10 colonies bees. I 
have come to believe that the bees are a 
necessary adjunct to fruit growing. It 
may be that occasionally bees will suck 
juiee from fruit that has started to de¬ 
cay or is left on trees until overripe and 
cracks open, but I shaM have to have fur¬ 
ther proof before I will believe that bees 
ever start the trouble by puncturing or 
breaking skin of sound and healthy fruit 
of any kind. There is no question but 
what the bees are a great benefit to the 
fruit grower in pollinating the blossoms. 
Connecticut. FRANK c. DOWD, 
Electric Lights Lengthen the Short Winter Days 
The farmer spends much of his time in 
winter around the farm buildings feeding and 
caring for his stock, and making the needed 
repairs of his farm machinery in preparation 
for the planting season. 
It’s during these short dark days that he 
has a real helper in the Westinghouse Light 
and Power Plant that will supply him with 
safe and convenient light around the bam 
and with power for his grindstones, water 
pump, feed grinder and the other machine 
tools he uses. 
The Westinghouse Light and Power Plant 
will work for you day and night, winter and 
summer. It is easy for you or anyone else 
on the farm to operate. It’s so simple in 
design and mechanism. And it’s easy to 
own, as well, for it more than pays for itself. 
Send us the coupon below and we’ll tell you 
more about it. 
Sestinghouse 
Light 
and 
Power 
Plant 
Easy to 
Operate 
Farming Section, Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. 
Fast Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Send me complete information about the Westinghouse Light 
and Power Plant. 
Name .. 
(*, O. Address ... ,,,,,, R.N.Y.-24 
