D£$ 27 
862 
Cilaunj. 
A NEW BOOK. 
ORCHIDS. 
Wk have before us a new departure in holi¬ 
day books: “Orchids, the Royal Family of 
Plant*,” by Harriet Stewart Miner. It is a 
very handsome volume, in sumptuous and 
artistic hind log, while paper, printing, and 
general get-up leave nothing to bo desired. It 
contains twenty-four full page Illustrations in 
colors, each 10 x 14 inches, reproducing some 
of the best known members ol' this gorgeous 
family. With each plant figured is some well- 
selected quotation, poetical and otherwise. To 
the illustrations, we cannot fairly give un¬ 
qualified praise. The drawing is very good, 
though the artist has not always chosen good 
specimens of the varieties represented, but the 
coloring is, with few exceptions, untrue to 
nature. This may be said especially of the 
foliage; in most cases there is a decidedly 
yellow oast, giving the plant an unhealthy 
look, while in Cypripedium niveum uud C. 
Hayualdianum (Plates XXII and XXIII) 
there is a most ubnormal bluish tinge in the 
leaves, ha ving a very unpleasing effect. This 
same bluish tinge mars the flowers in most 
cases; it is very marked in the Cattleyas, 
while Lmlia autuiu nails, (Plate IX) iu nature 
shading from purple to rosy lilac, Is here rep 
resented a bright rose pink. Oncldlum Barker- 
ii, (Plate XIII) and Odontogldssum triumph- 
auo (Plate XV11) are perhaps the best of the il¬ 
lustrations, the flowers are excellent, though 
the loaves are unhealthy in tone. It is much to 
be regretted that the lithographer has not 
done his part as well as the artist, for though 
the inaccuracy in coloring is instantly detect¬ 
ed by the trained eye, it is apt to give errone 
ous impressions to amateurs. The reading 
matter, though apparently the work of a non- 
pr of ess-ion al, is in the main correct, and the 
selections with each plant are charming and 
appropriate. 
It is Inaccurate, however, to allude to the 
Masdevallias as beariug their flowers in ra 
comes (p. 22.) The majority of the genus 
throw up erect scapes, bearing solitary flow¬ 
ers, the few exceptions being borne iu spikes, 
rather than racemes. The plants figured are 
flue representatives of the class, though it is 
surprising to find the nobly-beautiful Espiri- 
tu Santo, or Dove Orchid (Perlsteria elata) 
ignored. The book does not greatly add to 
our information on this subject, but, its heau- 
tiful binding, irreproachable typography, and 
pleasant little chat about each plant make the 
volume a sumptuous floral offering, as the 
publishers describe it, and it will doubtless be 
well received by the largely increasing class 
of amateur Orchid lovers. It is published by 
Lee & Shepard, Boston; cloth, full gilt, 815; 
Turkey morocco , 825. _ 
ior lUonini. 
CONDUCTED BY MISC RAY CLARK. 
CONTENT WITH HER LOT. 
Sewing she sat., and sitting she sewed. 
Ail her life long. 
While others duneed and walked and rode, 
And Joined In merry song. 
This was her fate, for she was lame, 
Early or late, ‘t was all the same; 
But no repining at her lot 
Was heard within the little cot. 
A plant, upon the window-sill. 
Bloomed with flowers of richest dye. 
She said. ’‘It docth good while sitting still, 
And so may I." 
LETTERS. 
MAY MaPLE. 
“How I wish our friends would write often- 
er.” said a frieud, “and write about them¬ 
selves. Of course, it is all nice to read or hear 
about that part of the country in which they 
reside, and the builditig up of towns and vil¬ 
lages and the marriuge of young men and 
maidens, also of the addition to families: and 
a letter would scarcely be a news message 
without, these items. Of course, I don't want 
these bits of gossip left out; but sometimes I 
would like to know if they have wushed 
dishes, baked bread, washed or iroued, etc., 
and if they always have good bread; if they 
have » way of making butter that never con¬ 
tains numerous white curds when taken from 
the churn. Do they walk off the steps from 
absent-mindedness and go to the bottom of 
the cellar by force of gravitation? It is the 
every day lives of our friends that would in¬ 
terest us most. X' hatever one does to make 
life pleasant might help to make another one's 
life more endurable. Wo learn so much of 
our fellow mortals. I would not always write 
complaints, but sometimes I would like to 
know if others have reasons for discourage¬ 
ment, Are the children always paragons of 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
perfection; if they are not, what are their 
particular faults, and how does the mother 
manage her children, and is she successful In 
guiding aright? To those of us who are far 
away from the friends of our youthful days, 
there are so many items of interest within the 
family circle, about which volumes might be 
written, that. I wonder that so many go miles 
away from home to pick up a few new items 
with which to fill a tiny sheet of note paper.” 
As she ceased speaking, I wondered how 
many of our Rural sisters, had felt the same 
desire; and how many were in the habit of 
writing all about home affairs. 
Our lives are made up of trifles; therefore 
the little things thut interest us to-day affect 
not only ourselves but all who come in con 
tact with us, and if these are jotted down, 
while fresh in onr minds, and posted to some 
far away friend, who may receive the letter 
next week, there may be a tetter tone given 
to a life that seems for the time filled with 
nothing but bitterness. What one has en¬ 
dured another may pass through. And those 
messages that contain notes of victory over 
some besetting fault, how like gleams of 
golden sunshine they are where all seemed 
darkness and gloom. Now that postage is so 
trifling, it does seem that these tokens of 
friendship should be more frequent, and the 
missionary work of letter writing be wide 
spread. Rural readers, are there not, many 
hearts you might cheer with the sweet, conso¬ 
lation that they are not forgotten? 
WHAT AILED THE TURNIPS? 
Having wearied of farming with no one to 
superintend or feel an individual interest in 
out-door affairs but hired help, 1 at length 
yielded to one of several applicants, and let 
the farm, reserving not only my house and 
yard, the young fruit trees my own hand had 
planted, but a plot of ground for a garden. I 
must have a place to exercise with hoe and 
spade, for I was bora and reared on a farm, 
and my love for the soil was a part of my in¬ 
heritance. Seeds sent, from the Rural office 
were carefully planted and gave good results. 
Though living back on the hills, “BIi»s’s 
American Wonder Pea” was ready for the 
table July 1st. My beets could not be 
beaten, and what few beans escaped the 
freeze, come on nicely. Cabbage is usually 
cheap, but I must, have a few early heads; 
and sweet turnips I must surely cultivate. 
Those I had bought of late, and though 
smooth and fair, yet they were lacking in 
sweetness and not in the least like those my 
father used to grow. The ground was rich 
and mellow, and with proper care they could 
not fail, eo I iuvasted 15 cents in a goodly 
sized package of seeds of the “Russian,” or 
“Sweet White Swede,” put up by I). M. 
Ferry & Co., Detroit, Mich. I sowed a small 
quantity for my own especial care, then re¬ 
quested the tenant to sow what be chose of 
the remainder, lie did so, but luckily a 
heavy shower caused water from the highway 
to overflow and it swept nearly every seed he 
had planted from the field, which was then 
sowed to corn. But how my turnips grew! 
Such loaves! 1 verily believe some of them 
were nearly' or quite a yard in length. One 
day Mrs. H. called on me, in my garden, and 
after udmiring my thrifty, promising vege¬ 
tables, said, “Miss B., 1 think your turnips 
will be a failure. They grow just as ours and 
those of a near neighbor's did last year—they 
are all tops. We had our plants,” she con¬ 
tinued, “of our mutual acquaintance, who 
has worked at gardening, and who says there 
are no seeds as reliable as those D. M. Ferry 
sends out.” “Precisely,” 1 said; “beets, 
onionsand cucumbers are from the same seeds¬ 
man, and are they not fine?” The pea-vines 
were pulled and the ground sowed to tlie 
Purple Top White Globe, a variety of the 
flat turnip. Late in September I left home 
and my garden iu the care of others. When 
I returned, November 1 st, everything was 
nicely stored. The small turnips were really 
large, but my Sweet Swedes! Alas for all 
my labor and fond anticipations! Nothing 
had grown beneath the surface, except a few 
tough, fibrous roots, not one among them all 
that resembied the picture on that seed pack¬ 
age. Those turnips reminded me very forci¬ 
bly of some of the immense “swells” among 
mankind, and not a few among womankind, 
who make a great spread in the world, and 
who upon a more intimate acquaintance are 
found to be all outside, without depth of 
either pocket or brains. 1 like to read the 
experience of others in gardening, and would 
like still better to know- if others have suc¬ 
ceeded where I have failed. malthea. 
HINTS FOR THE SEASON. 
It is an excellent plan to wear inside stock¬ 
ing-legs, reaching to the tops of boots, during 
the fall season and Winter too, unless heavy 
under-flannels take their place; Fashion or 
custom leaves the extremities less protected 
than any part of the body, and it oughtnot so 
to be * * * Vigorous rubbing or slapping of 
the body, when a chilly sensation predicts a 
cold, will often ward it off, by bringing the 
circulation to the surface again; bnt if a cold 
is really fastened on one, go without eating- 
one, two, or three meals—keep quiet, and 
breathe pure air. When will people learn 
that cold air is not necessarily pure air? Let 
down the top of sitting-room window, one 
inch, while you are at dinner. In houses heat¬ 
ed by a furnace, open doors and windows 
throughout to admit a current of outride air 
for two or three minutes before retiring 
(avoid the draft 3 -ourself), and your rest will 
be tbe sweeter and more refreshing. Wash 
the neck, throat and chest in cold water every 
morning, drying quickly on a towel; do not 
be more than one minute about it, and a sore 
throat will rarely trouble you. Set tbe fash¬ 
ion, or follow it, of always taking off outside 
garments when making calls. There is no 
surer way of laying the foundation of a serious 
illness than by sitting in a hot room with a 
cloak on; simply loosening it at tbe neck does 
not answer the purpose at all; it should be 
taken off to be of benefit outof-doors; then 
when you rise to go, go; and calling will be a 
pleasure even in Winter, and not, as now, a 
thing to be dreaded. The same rule holds 
good for vestrys and halls, though the sensible 
custom is gaining ground of taking a shawl 
for extra wrap after services. * * A pair of 
flannel drawers put on extra before going out 
and laid aside on returning are very comfort¬ 
able. “An ounce of prevention is worth a 
pound of cure," especially in regard to taking 
cold. RIVERSIDE. 
Dxnncstic (Dccmomt) 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
A FARMER’S D AUGHTER’S DOMESTIC 
REVERIES. 
CHARITY SWEETHEART. 
Father asked me the other day if the 
Rural folks had got tired of my scribbling. I 
thought by that he wasn’t so ill pleased to 
have me write now and then, so I made up my 
mind that if I had the mending done by 
Friday, I would write on Saturday afternoon 
when the work was all done up. I suppose 
the reason ho thought of it was because they 
were busy agaiu with the winter pork, and I 
and just got through the iard trying. I 
thought this year I would make believe I 
liked it, aud 1 cut and cut till my arms 
ached, and the grease spattered and now 
and then it burned my fingers, and tbe smell 
was in my throat, but I didn’t like it, and 
set it down among the unpleasant duties, 
for I am trying to learn to take the bitter 
with the sweet, aud I find it by far the best 
way to cure myself of discontent. 
The next pleasant, thing is Christmas; not 
that we make very much of it at home, but 
tbe papers do, aud the Christmas stories and 
poems are all so lovely. I often wish 1 could 
be blessed by some kind Santa Clans, or some 
lost undo would turn up at the nick of time 
to make me feel a* if Christmas was real; 
but they never do, and though 1 have tried 
hanging up my stocking l always had to take it 
down limp and empty in the morning, ever 
since mother was taken from us. Sbealwa}'s 
rememtered us, and made it a pleasant day; 
but father doesn’t, seem to mind us. and I’m 
not ashamed to tell now that I used to cry to 
myself for years when 1 saw other children 
anticipating so much, while at our house all 
went on like auy other day. But now it is a 
little different; 1 always give the boys and 
father some little tiling that I have worked 
for them, and thej r seem pleased to find it on 
their breakfast plate, and we say “Merry 
Christmas!” in a half-hearted sort of way. 
This year, with the money father has given 
me, 1 have bought a new set of furniture for 
my own room, I got it uupaiuted at the 
factory, staiued it brown with a little umber, 
and have made bands of pale brown where 
required, and painted some leaves on it to 
brighteu it a little, and if I can get a few new 
books aud some of the periodicals I shall take 
some comfort iu my little den. Then another 
pleasant thing about Christmas is getting the 
pretty cards that are sent c ut. Some of the 
gil ls get lovely ones, but. my supply is alwaj s 
limited, and any that are not scribbled on at 
the back, I generally send away next year to 
some one who will enjoy them. Yes, Christ¬ 
mas has many pleasures for me yet, though it 
is the happy day for children, it seems to me. 
Burt has had a bad stye on his eye; he came 
to me the other day, aud said he had heard 
that a gold ring rubbed on tbe spot would 
cure it; but I told bim it was au exploded su¬ 
perstition, for it w T as simply the friction and 
pressure that excited the vessels of that part 
of the eyelid and caused the absorption of the 
effused matter. I nibbed it gently with a 
handkerchief, and washed it with warm water 
in which poppy seed had been steeped, giving 
him a little rhubarb as a medicine. He made 
fun of me all the time—called me a “little 
quack,” and asked me if I had teen studying 
on the sly all the big medical wordR in the dic¬ 
tionary, in order to overwhelm him. But he 
owned, when it was cured, that even a “little 
quack” was useful sometimes. 
Old Aunt Bertha Brown, who lives in our 
neighborhood, has great faith in poppy seed; 
she grows a lot of the flowers in her garden, 
and is always willing to give to any one who 
requires it. We take about four ounces of the 
heads, break them to pieces, empty out the 
seed, put them into about a quart of water, 
boil a quarter of an hour, and straiu through 
a fine cloth. It can be warmed, or weakened, 
as required, aad is very soothing as a decoc¬ 
tion for fomentation. I have saved all the 
“days” of my Emerson calendar, and shall 
paste it toget her and make it do next year. I 
had no Idea Emerson said such nice things till 
that unknown friend sent me tbe calendar. I 
used to think he was a sort of a dry Radical 
that nobody could understand; but some of 
the sentences are simple enough for a child, 
and always to the point. To-day be says, ‘ No 
hope so bright, but is the beginning of its own 
fulfillment.” So now good-bye, R.ubal, for 
this year at least. Yon have scolded me, 
through your contributors, and I think 1 must 
have deserved it when so many agreed. But 
Christmas is coming, the time of “good will 
to all,” and 1 have just teen reading a beauti¬ 
ful poem, which says some things we all may 
take to heart: 
“Sweet friend, perchance both thou and I 
Ere love is pant forgiving, 
Should take the earnest lesson home 
Be patient with the living 
To-day’s repressed rebuke may save 
Our blinding tears to morrow, 
Then patience e'en when keenest edge 
May whet a natn less sorrow." 
CBRYSTMAS TH0UGHT8. 
As that good old time, “Merrie Christmas” 
draws near, many friends are busy planning 
gifts for their loved ones; and, if at one time 
more than another, wealth seems most desira¬ 
ble, it is now, when they long to show to those 
near and dear to them the love they tear 
them, not merely by words but by some more 
tangible form of expression Aud since it 
has been often written that it is not the value 
of the gift which shows the heart of the giver, 
many are encouraged to lay their little home¬ 
made gifts upon tbe alter of affection, while 
they wait patiently yet another year for their 
“ships to come home.” 
Last year I made some pretty slipper cases 
out of brown or wood-colored pasteboard; 
to make them strong and durable, I lined the 
board with seurlet cotton, after pinking the 
edges of the several pieces and pinning on 
small clusters of pressed ferns, I covered them 
with spatter-work; this left very handsome 
impressions of the ferns. One case consisted 
of three pieces, the back being about four¬ 
teen inches) in length, aud wide enough to 
hold a pair of slippers. The fronts were about 
three or four inches shorter and hollowed out 
at the tops to show the slipper heels when in 
place. The pieces were put together by bows 
of scarlet ribbon, leaving a loop at th» top to 
bang up by. MRS. j. E. E. 
--- 
RAMBLINGS. 
Yes, “Grandmother,” I must s^r you talk 
well and to tbe point in the Rural of Nov. 29. 
What is the “Woman’s Sphere" of which we 
hear so much? Is it to make the most of the 
blessings we have, and as maidens, wives and 
mothers, strive to do our duty in the position 
in which God has placed us? Oh, no! Those 
who use this as their battle-cry have no wish 
to do thus; they want to step out into the 
world and make for themselves a name, a 
something beyond the ordiuary run of women. 
Some few do succeed iu gaining true great¬ 
ness; but most only obtain a dubious notor¬ 
iety from which any true woman would shrink. 
I often think of a couplet I ouce saw as the 
text of a book on this subject: 
"Honor and fame from no condition rise, 
Act well your part, there nil the honor lies." 
I am sure I have always found enough in 
the position I am placed in life to occupy 
fully every talent given me by God, and I 
have led a quiet home life, striving to do my 
duty in my family, and bring up my children 
to be useful—if not brilliant—members of 
society. I, for one, want no sphere save the 
one 1 have. Of course, I often get discour¬ 
aged at the never ending round of duties aud 
hard work; but a little reflection soon con¬ 
vinces me that 1 am well off in comparison 
with thousands of women, and I know each 
and every one can look around her and find 
many a one with whom she would be loath to 
exchange lots in this world; then why reach 
out after what is to many so unattainable—a 
sphere which will make them famous? 
Now for a recipe I have used for many 
