THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
AUG. 2 
Bomtstk (Sronomg. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY MAPLE. 
BATHS FOR FARMERS. 
m. w-r. 
One very great reason why farmers become 
“ stiff and old” before their time, is from their 
lack of bathing and thorough muscular exer¬ 
cise. The professional man who is fatigued in 
body, Beeks to restore his wasted energies with 
cold water, and the use of dumb-bells, which, 
no matter what a man’s occupation may be, 
straighten out the muscles and bring them all 
into action as nothing else does. But the far¬ 
mer, wbeu hu is fatigued, what does he do ? In 
nine cases out of ten he seeks his recupera¬ 
tion in inactivity. He goes to bed without a 
bath, and begins his day's work without a bath. 
Once a week, like Aunt Chloe, he has a clar- 
i o’ up time," by making himself clean. 
And what is true of the farmer, is, in large 
part true of the farmerine. To take a bath 
requires time and trouble. So docs everything 
else that is of value. It should not be taken 
when one is extremely fatigued at night. But 
in the morning, after a night’s rest what is 
more invigorating 1 Salt should always be 
added and with freshly-drawn water one has 
no need to go to the seaside for sea bathing. A 
sponge, or towel bath agrees with many peo¬ 
ple much better than the immersion of the 
body in a t.auk-tub. But what is very satis¬ 
factory—especially after one becomes accus¬ 
tomed to it—is the hip-bath tub, in which one 
may sit aud with a mug, or pitcher, pour the 
water over the shoulders. The largest size of 
these tubs, should be chosen, aud the material 
should be strong and well put together. Zinc 
is the best. Those of tin are not worth buy¬ 
ing. A good zinc tub costs about $6.50. If 
in daily use it will need to be takeu once a 
year probably to the tinsmith to have a small 
leakage in the bottom stopped, unless indeed, 
the owner has the happy faculty of doing his 
own “ tinkering.” To be able to solder basins 
and pots aud pans, is an accomplishment well 
worth the trouble of boys and girls to acquire, 
aud the tools necessary for the work are few 
aud inexpensive. Hair mittens are excel¬ 
lent for producing a friction on the skin, after 
a bath, but the bath towel, which is of large 
Bize, of heavy quality iu cottou. is preferable 
for every-day use. It costs from 25 to 30 cents. 
A pair of hair mittens costs $1.50. It is a 
custom iu some parts of Germauy for the head 
of the household to pay the family physician a 
certain sum per annum to keep his family 
well. Itisagoodplau. The doctor drops hi 
now aud then, asks about the diet aud sani¬ 
tary habits of the various members of the 
family and 60 has it iu his power to apply the 
ouuee of prevention. It is quite true that it 
people took half the trouble to keep iu health 
that they take iu order to get well when 
once ill, there would be comparatively little 
disease. Aud one of these sanitary ” troubles” 
is the daily morning bath, which soon be¬ 
comes a luxury. The time consumed in tak¬ 
ing it, is quickly made up by the strength and 
vigor it imparts. And if one cannot afford 
the bath tub, use a large basin that will hold 
at least six quarts. But have the tub if you 
can. One had better go without a Sunday 
suit than a bath tab. Cold water will do more 
for the religion and morals of most persons 
than will the Sunday sermon. And like obe¬ 
dience to the fifth commandment, let your ac¬ 
quaintance with it be intimate so that your 
clays may be long in the laud. 
Bryn Mawr., Pa. 
-♦♦♦- 
RASPBERRIES—CUTHBERT AND MONT¬ 
CLAIR. 
This is the first season we have had rasp¬ 
berries for family use from the new red varie¬ 
ties, Cuthbert and Montclair. Out of our forty 
or more varieties, we would select the Cuth¬ 
bert first and Montclair next, for table use. 
The Cuthbert is the firmer of the two and a 
little higher flavored, while the fruit is about 
the same size, although the Montclair is the 
darker colored, and one, so far as we can 
see, is as prolific as the other. We advise our 
lady readers to plant the above sorts, feeling 
confident that they will be pleased with the 
results, especially as they have proven them¬ 
selves thus far to be amoug the hardiest red 
raspberries in cultivation. 
Nasturtiums. 
Those of our friends who planted nastur¬ 
tiums for pickles need not feel alarmed at their 
not setting their fruit early iu the season. They 
do not usually fruit freely until the nights 
grow cool. 
-■♦♦»- 
DOMESTIC RECIPES. 
Drying Okra. 
In reply to an inquiry as to the manner of 
preparing okra for winter use, Miss Taplin 
writes as follows : The pods should be cut 
after they are fully matured, but before they 
are stringy and tough. Cut in slices and 
string on twine, and then hang in a shady 
place out-of-doors or in an airy attic. It is 
best not to place them in the sun, as that is 
apt to make them leathery. After a few days, 
when perfectly dry, they should be put away 
in paper bags. Soak in water for halt an hour 
before using. This process retains the flavor 
perfectly. 
Cleaning Silver Spoons. 
The disagreeable discoloration of egg can be 
readily taken from silver spoons by washing 
them in potato water—water iu which potatoes 
have been boiled. It is much better than salt, 
as it does not scratch the metal. 
The taste of fish may be removed very effec¬ 
tively from steel knives and forks by rubbing 
with fresh orange or lemon peel. 
Maywood, New Jersey. 
A Nice Tea Cake. 
One-half cup of butter or cream ; one of 
sugar; one egg; oue-balf cup of thick milk or 
buttermilk; a teaspoonful of soda ; handful of 
currants. Flour to the proper thickness. 
For the Toilet. 
Of white wax, oil of sweet almonds, sperma¬ 
ceti aud white 6oap each one-fourth ounce ; 
one pint of rose water or elderllower water ; 
best cologne three ounces. Cut the wax, 
sperm and soap very fine; put into an earthen 
vessel with a gill of the rose water, set into a 
dish of boiling water and let stand until dis¬ 
solved. Then add first the oil of almonds, then 
the rose water and cologne. 
Lewis Co., N. Y. Mrs. G. Collins. 
To Wash Black Calico, etc. 
To wash black calico, fawu colored lawns or 
fancy hose, wash in cold water from first to 
last, and the colors will not run or fade. Dry 
in the shade. This method was adopted by the 
old colored laundresses of the South, aud was 
the secret of their success. Grandmother. 
-♦ ♦♦- 
QUESTIONS ANSWERED. 
Corn and Beans-Saltlng Down. 
Mrs. Annie I). asks us to republish the di¬ 
rections given last winter for salting down 
green corn and beaus. Also, she wishes a 
recipe for coloring dark blue. 
Ans. —The method for preserving corn and 
beans for winter use, was contributed by Mrs. 
E. E. F., in the Rural of Feb. 8, aud is as fol¬ 
lows : “ Cut the corn from the cobs without 
cooking. Have an earthen pot ready; first 
put in a thin layer of corn, then a layer of salt, 
and so on alternately until the pot is full. 
Then cover with a plate pressed down so that 
the brine will cover it aud exclude ^11 air. 
Before the corn is used it will require to be 
freshened by soaking it over night in water. 
A teaspoouful of sugar, added in cooking, im¬ 
proves it, Beans (striug) eau be kept iu the 
same way. Though I’ve never heard of it, I 
see no reason why peas, shelled, couldn’t be 
kept too. The corn and beans must be packed 
as soon as cut, or they will spoil.” 
As you do not state whether the recipe 
should be for dying cotton or wollen, we will 
append directions for both, furnished us by a 
friend who attests their reliability. 
Blue on Cotton. 
Dissolve two pounds and a half of copperas 
in fifteen gallons of water; put iu about ten 
pounds of cloth aud boil two hours. Take 
out, rinse in clear water, refill the kettle with 
clean water and add one-half pound of prussi- 
ate of potash. Boil the goods iu this for 
thirty minutes, lift out aud slowly add oue-balf 
pound oil of vitriol, then return the goods and 
boil half an hour longer. Rinse iu cold water 
aud dry. 
Blue for Woolen. 
One gallon ot water; a wineglassful of sul¬ 
phuric acid, aud a tablespoonful or more, ac¬ 
cording to the shade required, of imperial 
blue. Stir all together, put in the cloth and 
boil from twenty minutes to half an hour. 
Wash in a weak solution of soap lather. This 
quantity will color two or three pounds of 
goods. 
If it were our own case, we should try Lea- 
mon's Aniline Dyes, because we believe them 
to be cheaper, of less trouble, aud if tbe direc¬ 
tions are stricly followed, more likely to give 
satisfactory results. 
-- 
A Test for Linen Fabrics.—T o distinguish 
cotton when woven iuto professedly linen fab¬ 
rics, it is well to know that linen fiber, when 
dipped in an alcoholic solution of rosolic acid, 
next in a concentrated aqueous solution of car¬ 
bonate of soda, and finally washed several times 
with a strong soda, aitaius a beautiful red 
color, while the cotton fibers are not dyed. 
Before testing, the dressing should lie washed 
out of the goods and a few threads raveled out 
on each of the throe sides.—M rs. Haynes. 
-♦ ♦+-* 
Cut this out to- day for use: A speedy cure 
for burns from fire-crackers or from any cause: 
Wet a cloth aud sprinkle upon it a liberal al¬ 
lowance of bi-carbonate of soda (common cook¬ 
ing soda), bind it around the wound. This will 
speedily relieve the smart aud burn. It is a 
harmless and thoroughly efficient remedy. If 
no cloth can be had promptly, wet the part and 
sprinkle some of the dry soda upon it. 
ftrtos of tjjc MmK. 
miscellaneous. 
Monday, July 2S, 1879. 
The yellow fever exodus from panic-stricken 
Memphis still continues. The number of recorded 
cases already number upwards of 140 and the 
deaths about 30. Both of these figures are doubts 
less below the reality, as In all cases within our 
knowledge, the authorities of plague-smitten cities 
are apt to be remiss In recording the early cases of 
the pestilence, through fear, sometimes, of fright¬ 
ening their own citizens, but oftener through dread 
of preventing customers from coming to the place. 
The type Is said to be milder than that which 
afflicted the place last year; more easily man¬ 
ageable, and therefore less fatal. Ordinarily 
Memphis has a population of about 48,000, of whom 
one-third, are ' ‘ colorednow the colored number 
about two-thirds of the residents. ‘'Niggers,” 
though attacked by last year’s pest, are, as a rule, 
yellow-fever-proof, and those in Memphis refuse to 
leave. The Government lias sent tents and rations 
to the neighborhood ot the city, where an encamp¬ 
ment of the poorer inhabitants Is about to be es¬ 
tablished. Trouble Is feared from the surrounding 
darkies who having heard of free rations, threaten 
to quit work and go in search of them, after their 
lazy fashion In the good old days of the Frcedincn's 
Bureau, some hint at an intention of calming 
the city and pillaging it. There will soon be hardly 
enough “ whites” there to protect the place. About 
10,000 ot the present Inhabitants recovered from 
tbe epidemics of 1807, ’73 and ’78. These are, as a 
rule, fever-proof, and will stay; but the majority 
of them are women and children. The plague has 
arisen from the germs of last year’s pestilence, 
that had not been destroyed by frost or disinfec¬ 
tion. The place has had no regular government ot 
late, as It voluntarily resigned its municipal char¬ 
acter some time back, in order to avoid tbe neces¬ 
sity of paying its debts The town therefore has not 
been properly cared for In the way of cleanliness. 
Jt would probably have been a stroke of economy 
in the end to have footed the bills. Many of tUe 
fugitive merchants have opened shops elsewhere 
and will never return; capital and population are 
kept away by bad faith and pestilence, and the 
progress of the place not merely retarded but put 
a long way back. Fugitives from the city are nor 
well received elsewhere in the South. Indeed, in 
many places a “shot-gun ” quarantine has been 
established, and then the poor wretches fleeing for 
life are apt to lose It, if they are loolish enough to 
stop irom choice or necessity. They are dying of 
the disease, here and there, where they have 
rested. It's a ticklish thing to leave a plague- 
stricken place, as one 1 k apt to carry inside him tho 
germs of the disease, which arc sure to develop 
where few or none are acquainted with the proper 
treatment, and all are afraid to give tbe persistent 
and careful nursing that Is more efficacious than 
any medical treatment. A male refugee died 
across the river In Brooklyn on Thursday last, and 
a female up-town here on Friday, both having 
fallen ill of the malady soon after their arrlvaL 
The family with whom the woman here was 
staying have been sent to quarantine, as one of 
them showed signs of having “caught” the dis¬ 
ease. Several cases have also occurred at Mississ¬ 
ippi City, down on the Gulf, but all the other 
places usually visited by the saffron demon report 
that as yet it has not made Its appearance. Every 
place—county, village, town and city—liable to 
the pest, Is taking rigid precautions against It. 
since the dispersion of Congress our politicians 
have been rather quiet; but they are again about 
to make themselves heard throughout the land. 
John Sherman has been sounding one of the “ key¬ 
notes” for the approaching Republican campaign 
up in Maine—Blaine’s State; and It Is thought a 
good stroke of policy that he should boldly invade 
the special “stumping ground” of his great rival 
for the next Presidential nomination. The Penn¬ 
sylvania Democrats held llielr convention In Har¬ 
risburg last week. Their platform, said to be 
mainly the work of that deft political carpenter, 
J udge “ Jerry” Black, Is probably a fair sample of 
what those of other “ hard-money" Democratic 
States will be. It Insists on the subordination of 
the military to the civil authorities; denounces all 
Interference with “ the right to a free ballot 
declares that Mr. llayes Is the “representative of 
a conspiracy only,” and his “ claim of right to sur¬ 
round the ballot-boxes with troops and deputy- 
marshals to Intimidate the electors,” and his abuse 
of the veto-power, “ a r. insult and a menace to the 
countryaffirms that the Democratic party as a 
whole favors a Constitutional currency of gold and 
silver, and of paper convertible into coin;” de¬ 
nounces the Republican system ol rings, subsidies, 
and misappropriation of the public moneys; re¬ 
news to the workingman the party’s expression of 
sympathy for honest labor, “ and Its promise of 
protection In Its rights;” Insists that the railroads 
of Pennsylvania must “ accept the constitutional 
amendments of 1878;” denounces the recent at¬ 
tempt made “ under the personal direction of 
ruling Republican leaders” to pay for the Pitts¬ 
burgh riot losses out of the State Treasury ; and 
declares that, the present condition of the State 
finances Is “ a sufficient UluBtratlou ot the reckless 
financial mismanagement of the Republican par¬ 
ty.” The Greenbaekers nominated a candi¬ 
date on the same, day with the Democrats, but 
it seems to be admitted on all bands that their 
vote will not tills year affect the result — 
Ben Butler is again about to put life Into Massa¬ 
chusetts politics by offering himself as a candidate 
for the Governorship. A eonventOut “friend” has 
been found to quostlon him on the matter, and 
the ex-Essex statesman declares himself once 
more In the field. It’s always splendid fun for 
outsiders to see Ben laying lustily about him In a 
melee. Communism has been curiously Illustrat¬ 
ing Its principles by the operations of the Board 
of Equalization of the city of Toledo, Ohio. The 
Nationals control a majority of the Board, and as 
soon as they got possession they went to work to 
raise the returns of personal property according to 
their fancy. According to the Cincinnati Gazette, 
the principles on which the “raising” has been 
done have been partly political and partly com¬ 
mercial, Democrats are said to be “raised” only 
slightly, unless they are such Democrats as stand 
out against both Ewing and the Nationals. Eco¬ 
nomically, the rule acted upon is to make the 
“money kings” disgorge. To show how “raising” 
works, we may mention that some of the returns 
have been altered as follows: $550 to $30,800, $500 
to $ 22 , 600 , $285 to $15,275. $8,900 to $236,473. This 
last was In the case of a national banker, a mem¬ 
ber of a class whom It was found necessary to deal 
with severely. Another Is “raised” from $3,910 to 
$100,015. Among the merchants, manufacturers 
and bankers affected a. good deal of consternation 
has been caused, and they propose to contest the 
matter In the courts. 
Bitting Bull Is across the border at the bead ot at 
least 3000 braves. lien. Miles with less than a thou¬ 
sand men In all Is bunting for him. Several skir¬ 
mishes have already taken place between the troops 
aud detached parties of redskins. It Is feared by 
many that ambition for a major-general's stars 
may Induce Miles to risk too rashly Custer’s tale. 
Storms of extreme violence have beeu unusually 
prevalent this year, doing a world of damage here 
and there throughout the oou ntry. Last Saturday 
one of them visited the valley of Bear Creek one 
of the tributaries of the Monongeliela River in 
Pennsylvania, ana iioodea the whole bottom region, 
destroying crops, fences and many houses and 
outbuildings. Several lives also were lost. At 
Pittsburgh tho river rose with extraordinary 
rapidity and enabled the shippers ot coal to send 
off upwards oi 12 , 000,000 bushels the first day of tho 
flood. Previously the water was too low to ad¬ 
mit of shipment and many of the river towns 
were threatened with a coal famine. Our read¬ 
ers will remember that social breeze raised some 
months ago by Judge Hilton’s refusal to entertain 
Jews at tbe Union hotel, Saratoga. Well there Is 
now a social hurricane raised by a very similar oc¬ 
currence. Two brothers, Corbins, ba nkers of this 
city, are the chief stockholders of a short railroad 
running from Brooklyn to Manhattan Beach, at 
Coney island, our nearest watering place, and also 
of the hotel and other accommodations for visitors 
at that place. Neitner ot the brothers likes Jews 
personally or from a business point, ot view and, 
what’s more, they are lmpnut*nt enough to say 
so. They say that they don’t want Jews at their 
hotel or about It. nor do they seek Hebrew patron¬ 
age on the railroad. They allege that Jews are 
disagreeable, aggressive, obtrusive “ nasty” folks 
who spend little and want a great deal for It and 
that Jewish pretensions and conduct generally 
are unpleasant to other guests at the hotel and to 
other passengers on the road. The Jews, of 
course, are Indignant at this wholesale defama¬ 
tion and threaten to make the bankers feel the 
effects of their wrath; but the latter say the 
Union hotel at Saratoga was never so full 
of excellent guests as it, has been since Hebrews 
were excluded. 
Canadian papers say tho harvests throughout 
the Dominion promise to be most abundant. 
William H. Vanderbilt last week purchased four 
million dollars of United States 4-per-cents, each 
bond of a value of $50,000, as an Investment for Ills 
family. E. H. Walker, the. statistician of the Pro¬ 
duce Exchange, says, as compared with New York j 
the receipts of flour aud grain at Baltimore, Phila¬ 
delphia and Boston Tor the first half of 1879, show 
a large gain as compared with 187S, the Increase 
being largely In wheat. The movement during 
the past week shows more favorably for New 
York than for several previous weeks. Bu¬ 
ford, the Kentucky murderer, who killed 
Judge Elliott a couple of months ago, because a 
verdict rendered by the court of which the Judge 
was a member, went against his sister, lias been 
found guilty or murder aud sentenced to imprison¬ 
ment for life. 
The steamship State of Virginia, 2500 tons bur¬ 
den, from New York for Glasgow, went ashore on 
Sable Island, off Nova Scotia, In a dense fog Sat¬ 
urday week, and Is likely to be a total wreck. She 
had 136 crew and passengers. When lauding Hie 
passengers on the island, four women and five 
children were dro wned. Among the lost was Mrs. 
Walker of Elmira, N. Y., who leaves a husband 
and five children. The steamer belonged to the 
State line aud was valued at $ 400,000 to $300,000, 
while the cargo was worth $350,000. Capt. Moodle, 
her commander, was 25 miles out of Ills reckoning 
when the vessel struck, It being very foggy. The 
Canadian tariff Ills started up a brisk business Iu 
smuggling all along our northern rroutler, but In¬ 
stead of being Yankees as formerly, the smugglers 
are now tricky KAUUCks. Canada has Just sent, 
out 13 farmers to Instruct the Indians Ot Hie NorUi. 
west In truing the laud. These farmers are paid 
$730 yearly salary, are rurntshed with stock and 
tools and a year’s provisions and, after that time, 
are expected to make their farms self-sustaining 
with the privilege ot turning any surplus produce 
to their own account, secretary Sherman denlea 
that Mrs. Jenks Is saddled on the Treasury Depart¬ 
ment. 
foreign. 
There seerns to be a good deal of dissension among 
the Bonapartlsts in France. With them Plon- 
Plon was never popular. Although resembling 
the Great Napoleon more closely lu face than any 
of his kindred, hu was always too liberal to suit 
their Imperialistic tendencies; and now the 
staunchest adherents of the late Prince and his 
father are either lukewarm supporters, indif¬ 
ferent onlookers, or bitter opponents of his claims 
to the position of the head of the tamlly. IDs 
young son, Victor, whom young Napoleon nom¬ 
inated as his successor, Is far more, popular, a nd ir 
the Imperialists even unite It Is probable It will be 
upon him. Meanwhile the father Is about to 
visit the ox empress at chisel hurst, so soon as her 
mourning has abated. The Republic seems to be 
showing a petty spirit in Its hostility to those 
officers of the army who manifested any special 
