1902 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
759 
Women in the Grange. 
WHAT TOPICS INTEREST THEM? 
What line of subjects do you usually find 
most interesting- to the women members 
of the Grange? Do they prefer discussions 
of the practical work they meet in t'heir 
everyday domestic duties, with the view 
of studying improved methods, or are they 
more interested in topics that give a 
change of thought, and bring them in 
touch with outside interests? If you were 
laying out a list of topics to be discussed 
by women of the Grange, to which class 
would you give the larger representation? 
Pennsylvania Patrons are a class of 
busy people. Our women are very much 
occupied in helping along with the work 
on the farms and in the homes. They 
prefer for the larger part to discuss 
topics pertaining to their life work and 
life surroundings, and if I were to pre¬ 
pare a list of topics for discussion they 
would be largely of this character. 
Pennsylvania. mrs. majrie a. hill. 
Briefly they are interested in both, 
with a greater preference for wider in¬ 
terests. Naturally compulsory interest 
in household duties anywhere from 10 to 
14 hours daily make them a drug in the 
feminine mind. Some one has said the 
life of a farmer’s wife consists of “get 
breakfast, get dinner, get supper, go to 
bed.” This is probably overdrawn; still 
there are too many whose only touch 
with the world comes to them through 
the Grange, the chance visitor and the 
newspaper, and they long for news of 
the great world with an exceeding great 
:onging, No one who has not come into 
close touch with the farming community 
can understand the poverty of social 
life or the restricted intellectual life of 
the ordinary wife of the ordinary farm¬ 
er. There are many exceptions, of 
course, but I am speaking of them as a 
Class. MRS. S. V. JUDD. 
New York. 
In Michigan Granges the work re¬ 
ferred to is carried on under the head 
of lecture hour work. Each meeting of 
a Subordinate Grange uses one hour for 
programme work; these programmes 
contain topics for discussion, and both 
the men and women discuss the same 
topics. Added to that I, as State Lec¬ 
turer, have carried Grange extension 
work for the past three years into each 
programme. In my monthly bulletin 
you will note “Parliamentary Practice” 
given; the study book is Waples’, one 
chapter a month. Prior to this we 
studied Willoughby’s “Rights and Du¬ 
ties of American Citizenship.” I con¬ 
template the study of “James’ Practical 
Agriculture” for next year. I believe 
that the sisters and brothers as well, 
are gradually being led into more read¬ 
ing and more writing by the opportunity 
offered in the Grange. I do not think a 
separate course just for the women ad¬ 
visable. I do not think any motive 
that tends to separate the interest of 
man and wife, and more specially the 
farmer and wife, is for the best. That 
is one of the strong points of Grange 
work; both work, study and enjoy to¬ 
gether. In fact, the Grange is based 
squarely upon the family. Most Granges 
have libraries, and the members read 
considerable during the Winter even¬ 
ings. MRS. F. D. SAUNDERS. 
Lecturer Michigan State Grange. 
My observation has been that the wo¬ 
men members of our Granges will take 
more part in the discussions of those 
topics which relate most closely to their 
home duties. In my opinion we are able 
to touch a larger number of women 
through these subjects than by the out¬ 
side interests. I would, however, em¬ 
phasize the second part of your state¬ 
ment in my use of such topics. That is, 
I would dwell most on the “studying of 
improved methods.” This is especially 
true where we have the women alone, as 
in the woman’s section of the farm in¬ 
stitute and in the occasional woman’s 
meeting in connection with Grange 
work. Our farm women are slowly 
widening the circle of topics in which 
they take a lively interest, but it is all 
the time with the home as a vital cen¬ 
ter. What I mean is that from mere 
cooking and clothing they are coming 
to be more and more interested in topics 
of sanitation, arrangement of house and 
yards, scientific methods of preparing 
foods, and economy of time so that they 
may improve their minds and spend 
themselves in wiser ways for the broad¬ 
ening of the home life, jennie; buell. 
Secretary Michigan State Grange. 
The subjects we usually find most in¬ 
teresting to the women of the Grange 
depend largely upon the locality as well 
as temperament and education of the 
feminine members. Such questions as 
“The business relationship between the 
wife and husband”; “The kind of work 
that should be expected of a farmer’s 
wife”; “Should a farmer’s wife milk the 
cows?” “How to treat household help”; 
“Should the farmer and his family take 
an annual outing?” “Care and profits of 
poultry”; “Housw sanitation”; “Butter 
making”; “Fruit preserving”; “House¬ 
hold labor-saving appliances,” and many 
other practical domestic and economic 
questions are always discussed with in¬ 
terest. Along with the brothers they 
always manifest a lively and apprecia¬ 
tive interest in every topic calculated to 
give a change of thought and bring 
them in touch with the outside world. 
Especially are they interested in sub¬ 
jects pertaining to literature, education, 
culture and refinement. If I were laying 
out a list of topics to be discussed by 
women of the Grange I should divide 
them about equally between the prac¬ 
tical and intellectual subjects, and as¬ 
sign the subjects with care to those best 
equipped to handle them. 
MRS. CORDELIA MEEK ATKESON. 
Pomona National Grange. 
Sugar=Cured Hams. 
At a recent meeting of a farmers’ in¬ 
stitute the subject discussed was the best 
method of curing and keeping hams. All 
members agreed that the quality of the 
meat depended in a great measure upon 
the kind of hogs and the way they were 
cared for. Much better meat is obtain¬ 
ed from the purebred than the common 
scrub. In order to be perfectly healthy 
they need plenty of range, with as great 
variety of feed as possible, and plenty of 
fresh clear water. They should be kill¬ 
ed in cold frosty weather, and after 
scalding and cleaning, hung up to cool 
over night. Several methods of salting 
and smoking were presented, but the 
following, which was given by a farmer 
who, after years of experience, has 
gained the reputation of having the best 
sugar-cured hams in the county, was ac¬ 
cepted as the most satisfactory. 
Cut the meat up in the morning and 
shape the hams nicely. Salt lightly to 
bring out the blood, and allow it to re¬ 
main a day or two. Prepare a brine, 
using two pounds of salt, two ounces of 
saltpeter, two pounds of brown sugar, 
one ounce of red pepper and five gallons 
of water for each 100 pounds of meat. 
Let this brine, which should be strong 
enough to float an egg, stand until the 
ingredients have dissolved, then place 
the hams in a tight barrel and pour the 
brine over them until they are covered. 
After 10 days pour the brine off and 
cover with fresh brine prepared as the 
first was. When they have been in the 
brine a month, take them out, wipe 
them with a dry cloth, and while still 
damp sprinkle powdered borax over 
them, using a tablespoonful to 10 pounds 
of meat. A large pepper box is a great 
help in applying it. Hang them up and 
smoke with hickory chips two or three 
weeks. Slip each ham into a flour sack, 
tie the ends securely, and hang them up 
in a cool dry place until you wish to use 
them. The preservative qualities of 
borax are recognized by all who have 
tried it, and it is now used in all the 
large packing houses. The best meat is 
made of hogs weighing 180 to 200 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs.Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
pounds. It has long been a question 
among progressive farmers as to wheth¬ 
er it paid to produce hogs weighing over 
300 pounds, and we are quite certain 
that when the object is to obtain meat 
of a superior quality it does not. 
E. J. c. 
The Household Congress. 
Two Southern Recipes. —Beaten Bis¬ 
cuits: One quart of sifted flour, one 
tablespoonful of lard, one-half pint cold 
water. Put the flour and salt in a bowl, 
rub the lard in with the hands, add the 
water gradually. Work and knead until 
smooth and elastic. Then put the dough 
on a block and pound it with a mallet, 
rolling pin or ax for one hour until full 
of bubbles. The old-fashioned rule was 
to “hit it 500 licks.” Form into small 
round cakes, stick with a fork here and 
there, and bake in a moderately quick 
oven about 20 minutes. They should be 
brown on top, white on the sides, and 
extremely white inside. Sweet Potato 
Custard: One cupful mashed sweet po¬ 
tatoes, one cupful sweet milk, three- 
fourths cupful sugar, two eggs, butter 
size of egg. Mix until smooth like cus¬ 
tard, flavor with nutmeg and vanilla, 
bake in one crust. 
SOUTHERN HOUSEKEEPER. 
Curing a Leaking Pump. —It was a 
common copper pump, and the leak was 
in the pipe below the lower box. It was 
very exasperating to have to pump a 
dozen strokes before the water would 
come. The water leaked from the pipe 
on to the floor, besides. One day I took 
matters into my own hands. I let the 
pump off first, and set a lighted lamp 
near the pipe so as to dry it. I remem¬ 
bered a little roll of surgeon’s plaster 
in the house, the kind that has rubber 
in its composition and has to be heated 
before it is applied. It was about an 
inch wide and perhaps two feet long. 
There had been a “bandage” on the pipe 
before, but it had become somewhat 
loosened. Over this I put the plaster, 
heating it by the lamp, and drawing it 
as tightly as possible. I wound it 
around and around till the old bandage 
was entirely covered. Then to make as¬ 
surance doubly sure I tied some stout 
twine around outside the plaster, being 
especially careful to have it come close 
to the upper and lower edge of the band¬ 
age. The leak was effectually stopped 
and the pump goes all right now. 
SUSAN BROWN ROBBINS. 
SORE NECK - 
Take Scott’s Emulsion for 
scrofula. Children often have 
sores on the neck that won’t 
heal up. The sores may come 
and go. Parents may not 
know what’s the matter nor 
what to do. Scrofula is the 
trouble and Scott’s Emulsion 
is the medicine. 
Scott’s Emulsion heals the 
sores. But that is not all. 
Scrofula leads to consumption. 
This is the real danger. 
Scott’s Emulsion is the 
“ounce of prevention” that 
keeps off consumption. 
We'll send you a little to try, if you like. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, 409 Pearl street. New York. 
ON 30 DAYS free trial 
Ball-bearing, easy, 
running, noiseless, self- 
setting needle, self¬ 
thread ingbo bb in. 
^ We ship the best SE1V1 
* MACHINE procurable 
w any price. NEW 
PEERLES 
Drop Hoad hou 
hold Sewing P 
chine is stric 
high-grade, f 
size, made of b 
material, space unc 
arm 7 % x 5% 
Rich golden oak boi 
hand rubbed a 
polished. Has eve 
best feature. We ki 
Pric« $19.50® ,ou fr0 “.* 1S to * 
uatiaiuo. vD I OP a IHHCh 1110. 
CASH SU-l*!*!* Y &. MFO. »UO.,Dept. d Kalamazoo, 31b 
Five patent¬ 
ed features. 
Prices from 
*12.50 to 
*24.50 for cabi¬ 
net sty le, worth 
up to $48. 20 year 
warranty with 
every machine. 
Send for our 
large new cata¬ 
logue of bargains. 
, ran.i 
icotm 
A Generation Ago 
coffee could only be 
bought in bulk. The 
20th century way is the 
GOFF 
way—sealed pack¬ 
ages, always clean, 
fresh and retaining 
its rich flavor. 
Making 
Ten minutes, almost no 
trouble, a few cents, and 
r -7 the grease or fat from your 
oOliP kitchen—that’s the cost of ten 
* pounds of the best hard soap or 
twenty gallons of soft soap. 
Banner Lye 
does it. It is not ordinary old-fashioned 
lye. It is great stuff to have in the house. 
Dirt and Disease 
go together; hut germs find little welcome 
in a house that is cleaned with Banner 
Lye. Put it in your 
Cuspidors Sinks 
Garbage-Pails Drains 
Toilet Cellars 
and disease will have 
a hard time getting 
into your house. 
Banner Lye is odorless 
and colorless, easy to 
use, quick, safe, and 
cheap. It is a great 
help in house-clean¬ 
ing and washing of 
dishes and everything else. 
Write for booklet “ Uses of Banner Lye," and give 
ns your grocer’s or druggist’s name, should he not 
have It. 
The Penn Chemical Works, Philadelphia,U.S. A. 
DON’T BELIEVE IT 
till you try it and find it true that the 
SYRACUSE EASY 
WASHER. 
is the greatest labor- 
saving device yet 
produced for making 
woman’s work easier. 
Wash with it for five 
weeks, then if not satisfied 
return the washer. We pay 
the freight both ways. 
Write for price list and 
free book of modern for¬ 
mulas for laundry use. 
„„„ DODGE «fc ZUILL 
539 S. Clinton St. Syracuse, N Y. 
HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR NEIGH¬ 
BOR’S NEW SEWING 
MACHINE? 
A number of finest Five-Drawer, Drop Head 
Cabinet Sewing Machines have recently been 
shipped to families in every town in the United 
States on three months’ free trial. The prices 
are $8.95, $10.45, $11.95, and $12.85, according to 
make and style of machine. 
If you will cut this notice out and mail to us, no 
matter where you live, what state, city, town or 
country, we will immediately write you, giving 
you the names of a number of people in your 
neighborhood who are using our machines, so' yon 
can see and examine them and convince yourself 
there are no better machines made at any price. 
We will also mail you, free, our new special sew¬ 
ing machine catalogue, showing handsome illlus- 
trations, descriptions and prices of an immense 
line of machines at $5.00 to $12.85, special three 
months’ free trial offer and most liberal sewing 
machine proposition ever heard of. 
A sewing machine trust is said to be forming 
for the purpose of cutting off our supply and if 
accomplished you will no doubt be compelled to 
pay $25.00 to $40.00 for machines we can now 
furnish you at $8.95 to $15.20. Our stock is now 
complete and for catalogue, all offers and par¬ 
ticulars you should cut this notice out and mail 
to us to-day. Seaks, Roebuck & Co., Chicago. 
$4.00 Vapor Bath Cabinet 82.585 ea< 
I $5.00 Quaker " “ 8.60 e»< 
I $10.00 “ “ *> 6,10 eat 
$1.00 Face & Head Steam. Attch. 6E 
Quality best. Guaranteed, ti Boc 
I Free with all “'Quakers. 
Write for our Hew Cat* 
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Don’t miss it. Your la: 
chance. New plan, net 
prices to agents^salM 
sr,- ■ men, managers, Wonde 
ful Hellers. Hustlers getting rich. Plenty territory 
World Mf* ©o . 8 OT World Bld«. f Cincinnati, ( 
We are manufacturers, doing business direct with the consumer.^^ 
Our purpose is to save you all the profits of agents 
and middlemen. 
=||=§jp Kalamazoo Stoves, Ranges and Heaters 
{ have no superiors as cookers, bakers and heaters. To enable you to 
*1 ,/r '''/' f satisfy yourself on this point, we ship them direct to you on 
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You sin T>y shi P them back to us and are out nothingifthey arenotsatis- 
lactory. Every Cook Stove and Range supplied with new patent oven thermome- 
| ter. Send for our new catalogue. “Not the cheapest, but the best." 
B KALAMAZOO STOVF. CO.. Manufacturers, Kalamazoo, Mich. 
