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THE RURAL WEW-YORKER. 
:?30V!4 
for i\)t 1)omrfj. 
YOUTHS’ HORTICULTURAL CLUB 
OF THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER . 
TWELFTH REGULAR DISCUSSION. 
Topic: Convenient, Things Farmers' Boys 
and Girls Can Make. 
(Concluded .) 
John Applegate: —Last year I planted 
seeds of 10 different varieties of gourds some 
of them (Hi well, and some did not. I had 
some long handled Dipper Gourds, some 
short-bundled ones, some Egg Gourds and one 
Hercules Club Gourd, and I bad six vines of 
the Sugar Trough Gourd, the other kinds 
didn't amount to much. When 1 saw the 
Discussion announced, I thought I would tell 
you of the handy things 1 have made out of 
those gourds. When I gathered them I 
sawed open the large ones while they were 
green; the seeds were ripe, but the shells were 
green, I cut them open in all sorts of different 
ways Of the Dipper Gourds I cut the ends 
off leaving them shaped like a tunnel, or cut 
the aide off to leave them like a dipper; some 
dippers 1 cut deep and some shallow, The 
Sugar Trough Gourds were line und large, for 
I gave them extra care and rich ground to 
grow' in. 1 sawed them apart in different 
ways, the same as the Dipper Gourds; the Egg 
Gourds and the Club I did not open, but put 
them where they would dry: the others I left 
out-of-doors where they would freeze so the 
pulp could bo taken out. Then 1 forgot all 
about them until last, Spring when the snow- 
melted. 1 hadn’t much to do out of school 
time; we had sawed and split wood enough 
early in the winter to last through, so I cleaned 
some of the Gourds; some of the Sugar Trough 
Gourds held as much as a bucket aud I fast¬ 
ened bucket, bails to them and we use than at 
the barn. I cleaned several fer use in the 
house by scraping them with an iron spoon 
inside, and a knife on the outside, 1 cleaned a 
little one for salt, one for eggs and on a large 
one I cut the outlines of different things with 
my pocket knife to make it look fancy, aud 
gavo it to mother to keep carpet rags in. 1 
had cut the bottoms off of several,lea ving them 
looking like asortof low tent. 1 cut windows 
in these and nailed them to boards for bird 
homes, und put them up around the house. 
1 get laughed at because 1 have found so many 
uses for my gourds, but it isn’t the kind of 
laughing that makes a fellow feel mean; for 
those who laugh at, me like to make use of the 
gourds. The Egg Gourds make good darning 
balls; the Club Gourd I keep as ft curiosity, it 
is such u lurgeone; 1 pinched off all the rest 
from the vine when they were small, so this 
one would be larger, und it is a tine big one. 
We put the gourds to other uses, for holding 
soft soap aud dry beaus, etc. We have hung 
one up with papers of seed in it, that we saved 
from the Garden Treasures; but 1 am afraid 
I am takiug more than my share of space. 
Bertha KnoWltoN:— When the Discus¬ 
sion was lirst spoken of I thought: “ Why, 
dearie, met that’s an easy thing, to tell of 
something handy l can make; but the self- 
conceit is quite taken out of me since. 1 have 
racked my brain for two weeks to think of 
something big und tine that I could tell about, 
and now 1 come meekly forward to tell you 
of a few commonplace articles which any one 
can make, lu the first place, 1 will describe 
what we call our “ hour-glass” stand, because 
it is so much the shape of an hour-glass. The 
skeleton-work consists of an old cheese-box 
nailed upside down to a good, stout stick or 
upright, the right bight for a stand. It must 
be nailed right in the center, and at the other 
end of the upright a round piece of wood 
several sizes smaller than the box, will serve as 
the bottom. It must be heavy enough so there 
will be no danger of upsetting. Then, with 
the box for the top,the covering can be planned 
of whatever material nr color you like. To 
knowhow much you will need, measure across 
the box und from top to bottom of' the stand, 
allowing length enough to bring the material 
closely about the rod at one point—just as we 
belt in our "Mother Hubbards. 1 ’ We have 
ours covered with red calico, with a hand of 
black about the top and bottom, und a black 
baud where it is belted in. By choosing 
colors to correspond with other furniture iu a 
bed-room, it makes u pretty table, and is very 
convenient, too. 
We would be broken up without ours, which 
has stood iu a certain corner of our room for 
a long time. W nen one cover becomes faded, 
another cun be put right over it. 1 always 
like to make such things, for most of the work 
can l»e done with hammer and tacks, aud 
that sounds so business like. 
Stand number two, before it is transformed 
is a prosaic dry goods box turned on end. 
The only care is to have it a convenient bight. 
Then buy your calico—a plain brown I like 
best—enough to plait on about, the top of the 
box and bang down quite full. Leave an 
opening at the side or middle, where the cur¬ 
tain may lie pushed aside so that shoes or what¬ 
ever you please, may be kept inside the box— 
or I should say stand now. The top may be 
covered with the same material, or a strip of 
cretonne will add to the effect. Just as you 
please about that. Such a stand is prettiest 
just lor wash bowl, soap-dish, etc., as it is 
hardly large enough for general purposes. If 
you can prevail upon your big brother to put 
some shelves inside the box it will add much 
to its usefulness. For my part l can never 
make a shelf go in right, and decided long ago 
that I am no eaqjentcr. I do wish some of 
the boys would tell us bow they make the 
shelves stay in any thing like u box. 
1 have before now transformed the crown 
of some coarse straw hat into a modest little 
work basket. The crown can be lined with 
whatever material you like—a few little 
pockets stitched on for buttons, thimble, 
thread, etc.., and a bow of narrow ribbon here 
aud there, to suit your own taste, will make a 
real cunning and convenient work basket. 
But the best thing is a work box constructed 
from a cigar box. With a good tbiu paste 
put on a cover of dark plain calico—percale 
or something substantial. A warm iron passed 
over just after it is pasted on will make it 
perfectly smooth, and if you are careful not 
to daub the goods it will look as well as though 
made to order. The inside should be lined 
with silk or something finer than the outside. 
I used a well worn brown silk handkerchief 
for mine, and it looks well. On the inside of 
the lid construct a cushion of some sort. The 
easiest und best way is to lay a piece of flannel 
over some appropriate stuffing—hair or moss 
—and paste goods like the lining aliout it 
leaving the cushion square or oblong. Be 
sure not to soil the goods in pasting, and 
wherever it Is possible pass a warm iron over 
the freshly pasted cloth. It is convenient in 
size and shape and just the the thing for com¬ 
mon use. 
There are many other common things to be 
made, but I will not describe more to-day. 
in fact, 1 don’t know of many but what all 
the rest of you know too. I hope some of the 
girls will tell what they can make, for it is 
so nice about Christmas times to know’ how to 
make those "handy things.” 
Nellie 8.— Mittens made of yarn worn 
or rough wont on the farm, wear out so 
soon that I have made a pair for each of my 
brothers and for myself, out of dark canton- 
flannel. They are comfortable and neat, as 
well as strong. The pattern, I cut from 
the hand it is intended for, cutting the 
thumb and hand in one piece. The mittens 
must be cut considerably larger thun the out¬ 
line of the hand, as its thickness must lie con¬ 
sidered; to In; sure of fitting the hand, a mit¬ 
ten may be made of muslin or cambric basted 
up and tried on, aud if it fits, used as a pat 
torn; the cuffs cut long and fastened with 
small buttons make a very Riiug, complete 
mitten, and the soft side of the canton flannel 
next to the hand is warm aud comfortable 
Thes# can be made in a very short time, and 
are so cheap and serviceable, no one need go 
with cold fingers to drive, saw wood, or do the 
feeding and milking. I have made mittensof 
this pattern of soft cloth, ornamented the 
backs and cuffs, and worn them to school. 
A butter marker made from a potato usual¬ 
ly goes over my rolls of butter before 1 put 
them away. 1 make it by peeling a potato, 
usually taking the peeling off in pretty thick 
slices, leaving a square piece, on one side of 
which 1 cut grooves one way and then the 
other way, across the first, at. right angles. 
This makes a neat little figure on the rolls; 
putting it on diagonally at short, intervals, 
gives a fancy appearance to the roll of butter, 
and 1 always feel more pleased with my work 
if it looks nice. 
The most convenient inspiration I ever had 
was to buy two dozen hooks for our closets, 
and to get, the nail box aud hammer and drive 
up as many nails where they were needed, and 
I labeled several of the nails so each might bo 
used lor the purpose for which i t was intended, 
lu tile summer-kitchen six nails were labeled 
respectively : "lantern,” “ blacking brush,” 
"mop,” "scrublng brash,” "work uprons ’ aud 
"dust pan.” The nails were in one corner 
where they would show the least. Whenever 
one of them was empty, I looked about for its 
load and put it back wherever found, unless 
it was in use. The labels were of red paper 
with the names written over them, und one 
pasted over each nail. Over the dish- 
table were nails for the dish-pan, draining- 
pan and steel dish-rag. I drove all the nails 
without pouuding my fingers once, though 1 
broke several nails before I learned to strike 
them squarely. Those nails were my especial 
care until the boys and father and mother 
learned what each oue was for; now they are 
not often empty, and we all find it saves a 
great deal of time to know just where to look 
for things. 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle Mark:— The Garden Treas¬ 
urer frame up plentifully, can you tell me the 
name of the pretty plant having red veins in 
the leaves? PI ‘ase tell me how to plant 
hyacinths and tube roses for a Winter garden. 
1 have a little sled with a box nailed on it. I 
fill the box with chips, bitch my Angora goat 
to it. and haul all the kindling we need. Your 
nephew, corns higgkns, J r. 
Johnson Co., Mo. 
[One variety of Cannahas red-veined leaves; 
I cannot tell whether that is the name of your 
plant or not, from knowing only that one fact. 
I do not. think you could grow tuberoses in 
the Winter, unless you bare a very warm, 
sunny room where the tempe'atnre can be 
kept very even nil the time. Hyacinths, how¬ 
ever, are not qnito so particular: but they 
muot be kept from freezing and given sun- 
shin'- part of each dav. The bulbs should ba 
planted in rich soil mixed with sand. After 
they are set out. water them au l set the pots 
iu the dark for two or three weeks; the bulbs 
will make roots while they stand in ihe dark, 
and w hen brought to the sunlight will push up 
strong healthy tops. uncle mark.] 
, -*♦*- 
Uncle Mark:—You have a great many 
nephews and nieces, but I thought you would 
like to get acquainted with another one. My 
father has taken the Rural for 15 years. W e 
received the seed last Spring. This is a little 
too far north for the corn. My father sowed 
the wheat and rye this Fall. We have 100 
sheep. 100 cattle und 10 horses. One of the 
yearling horses is mine; it is part Norman, 
We have a pair of Norman horses. We milk 
21 cows. We have 300 seres of land, two pas¬ 
tures, oue hus 80, the other 40 acres. I have 
herded cattle until this Fall; my father has 
now made a pasture to keep the cows in. 
Lust Thursday we all went waluuting; we 
gathered 20 bushels in the forenoon Friday 
morning when I went to take the cows to the 
pasture, the horse slipped down and hurt my 
leg very badly. I think one of the bones is 
broken; I cannot step on it yet. 
I have six sisters, aud we have 18 swarms of 
bees, the hoes make a good deal of honey. 
Yours truly, 
Humboldt Co., la. orris french. 
[[ am very sorry you were hurt, but hope 
that the bone was not broken in your leg, and 
that you are aole to walk again bv this time. 
UNCLE MARK.] 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I will endeavor to 
write a longer letter for you this time, as you 
did not see fit to print the other but sent it to 
the waste basket. I have hud the misfortune 
of losing one of my eyes by the explosion of a 
bottle of powdor.since 1 wrote to you before. 
1 did not get to teud my cabbage very much. 
The curl leaf variety did not do very well for 
us this Hummer. Our Garden Treasures are 
nine. One sunflower stalk lmd 250 flowers; 
this scorns like a big story, but mamma couut 
od them. Hhe has eight Niagara grape vines 
living, they have grown nicely this Summer. 
The tomatoes are splendid und are the admi¬ 
ration ol all who see them. Worms are de¬ 
stroying some of our bees this Fall. 1 attend¬ 
ed our county fair two days this fall, there 
were some fine horses exhibited and some 
nice Holstein and Jersey cattle. Pa took 
samples of his Shumaker and Fultzo-Clawsoc 
wheat but received no premiums. 
Kosciusko Co., lnd. HARRY c. WRIGHT. 
[I uu very sony that yon have lost an eye 
but. bow fortunate that you did not lose both. 
What a magnificent plant your sunflower 
must have been. Do you use the seeds as 
chicken feed? uncle mark.] 
-m- 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I would like to have 
my name added to the long list of Cousins, 
or rather put in t he place of my sister Jessie’s 
(under nomde plume Brownie), who has mar¬ 
ried and gone to Ohio. I will take her nom 
de plume also. I am 13 years of age, live on 
a farm of 80 acres, which is set out mostly to 
apple, peach, pear aud cherry trees. There 
w as about one fourth of a crop of apples this 
year. We had no peaches, a full crop of 
cherries, andu very few pears. 
Father attempted to build adum in a little 
brook that runs on the eastern part of our 
place, but there came a heavy rain and washed 
away what he had built. An agricultural 
fair was held at Scottville the 25ib and 26th, 
which was pronounced the b*st held in any 
county in this State. 11 don’t see how they 
knew.) Scottville is a little village of about 
900 inhabitants, and situated about the center 
of the county on the F. and P. il. R JR... und 
two State roads running through the village. 
It goes bv three names, " Sweet.land,” "Mason 
Center,”'and " Scottville,” Sweetland was 
the original name givea it, because a man by 
that name first settled there. 1 study reading, 
spelling, writing, geography, grammar and 
civil government, also music. W ell, 1 will 
close with the promise to try and write a 
longer and more interesting letter next time. 
Yours truly. 
Mason Co., Mich. " brownie.” 
[We are very glad to have some oue to take 
our first Brownie’s place if she must marry 
and leave us, send her U ncle Mark’s very best 
wishes, be has been in Ohio, aud thinks she 
will enjoy living there. uncle mark.] 
$mplemcnt.$i and Parhincry. 
EVERY FARMER HIS OWN MILLER 
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THE HALLADAY 
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As used for 
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Corn, Grind¬ 
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corn at the rate of iU bush¬ 
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n a TCIilTCT Thomas F. Simpson, Wash- 
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