1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
293 
A Southern Street Market. 
A Crowded Scene. —A writer in the 
Outlook describes the street market held 
in a southern town. It was a scene of 
varied activity, very interesting to the 
visitor. Talk about a department store ! 
The biggest and most varied one in New 
York or Chicago could not compare with 
that half mile of street. On the curb 
side of the pavement, the market people 
stood before their wagons, their wares 
ranged on boards or barrel-tops. On the 
other, every store had its counters ex¬ 
tended in the same rough way to meet 
the throng. This left about three feet of 
passageway, more or less—just enough 
for a large woman, under full sail, so to 
speak, with a laden basket on each arm, 
to block completely. Luckily, most of 
the marketers were of medium size, and 
had only one basket, so there was room 
to pass, except where two friends met 
and created a deadlock by stopping to 
talk over their health and their family 
affairs. On the store side, china, cheap 
lace and ribbon, dress goods in wild pro¬ 
fusion, umbrellas, woolens, men’s fur¬ 
nishings, notions, hardware, wall paper, 
and every other manufactured article, ap¬ 
parently, that it ever entered into the 
heart of man to conceive, were tempting¬ 
ly spread. Strong-lunged men and boys 
cried the charms and values of their 
wares. 
Varied Oddities in Food. —On the 
curb side of the pavement, were the 
products of nature in truly bewildering 
variety. The study of the food of a com¬ 
munity is always interesting. “ Tell me 
what a man eats,” said the sage, “ and I 
will tell you what he is.” Evidently, in 
this happy town, men ate everything, 
which augured favorably for well- 
rounded characters as a result. On one 
stand an opossum lay cheek by jowl with 
a heap of cocoanuts—the latter, of course, 
not of indigenous growth; the next 
neighbor had great bowls of curds and 
cream, and fresh watercresses ; farther 
on were wide trays of cranberries and 
half a dozen skinned muskrats, which 
are, the spectator can testify, the most 
unearthly-looking things possible, sug¬ 
gesting flayed cats to the inexperienced 
and startled beholder. A motherly- 
looking woman, however, stopped and 
bought two, tucking them into her bas¬ 
ket with a pleased look, as if she had 
secured a treat for the family. 
On the corner, stood a man from the 
cannery (where, among other things, 
poultry is canned) with two deep pans 
full of the livers and gizzards of the tur¬ 
keys and chickens. He always had a 
crowd around him, especially of the col¬ 
ored marketers, and was pretty well 
sold out, though it was not 10 o’clock in 
the morning. But then, these market 
people get up at 3 in the morning, and 
are at their places on the curb by dawn, 
the spectator was told, so that 10 o’clock 
is the middle of the day to them, after 
all. 
Vegetables in Vabiety. —Baskets of 
turnips and potatoes were everywhere. 
Old women with herbs and eggs for sale 
stood patiently, with their shawls 
wrapped tightly around them, till their 
little stock should be disposed of. Home¬ 
made pickles and sauerkraut, mince¬ 
meat, and prepared pumpkin ready for 
the piecrust and the oven, were displayed 
in bowls and pans set on the rough 
boards. Poultry in triple strings hung 
from poles run out from the wagon 
roofs. Cabbages, green and purple, leafy 
mounds of spinach, abundance of pork 
and bacon and every other kind of meat, 
festoons of sausage, lumps of scrapple 
wrapped in corn husk, onions, sweet po¬ 
tatoes, endive and lettuce, radishes and 
celery—the sight would have satisfied 
the honest philosopher who confessed : 
Sorrow has seared my heart; but not subdued 
Is, or can be, my appetite for food! 
The Fruit Market.— One part of the 
market was really beautiful, even in 
Winter. Two cross streets intersecting 
the market street,'are always filled, for 
half a square either way, one with fruit 
and one with flowers or greens. The 
fruit street was full of oranges, grapes, 
ruddy apples, innumerable bunches of 
bananas, great greenish grapefruit, and 
Winter pears. In the Summer, it over¬ 
flows for three squares on end with 
peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, melons, 
etc , each in its season, and each sold at 
bottom prices, especially when a “glut ” 
takes place on Saturdays, as it fre¬ 
quently does. Then strawberries of the 
best sell at five cents a quart, and the 
poorest person can have a share. In the 
flower market, there are never any such 
eddies of trade, but the prices all the 
year ’round are far below the florists’. 
“ The residents all along the street— 
except the shopkeepers, of course—com¬ 
plain bitterly,” said the housekeeper; 
“they are waked before dawn by the 
wagons, and their sidewalks are left in a 
frightful litter at night, twice a week. 
They have succeeded in restricting the 
market to one side of the street, taking 
turns week about which side it shall be ; 
and they are trying hard to abolish it 
altogether. But I do hope they won’t be 
able to do it.” 
A Porto Rican Town. 
HOW PEOPLE LIVE AT AD JUNTAS. 
The Plaza. —Situated as it is in a 
valley, with mountains on all sides, Ad- 
juntas, aside from being delightfully 
healthful, is picturesque, says the New 
York Sun. The town is exceedingly 
pretty with its little square plaza in the 
center, filled with most beautiful roses 
of all kinds, palms, and all sorts of 
flowering bushes. In the center of the 
plaza is a lamppost with a lamp that is 
seldom lighted. Near one entrance is 
a little store, built like an American 
garden house, and in this can be bought 
all kinds of liquors, coffee, bread and 
fruits. At intervals around the plaza 
are placed seats, and among the flowers 
are the remains of two fountains. All 
the best stores—two—the casino or 
saloon, shoe shop, hotels, tailor shops, 
Alcaldia, and as many houses as can be 
crowded in, face the plaza. Linens and 
laces are especially cheap ; but the stores 
carry very few dry goods, as the people 
depend chiefly on the venders of small 
goods, who go through the streets with 
baskets on their heads, from whom you 
can buy anything from a baby’s rubber 
ring to a very pretty dress. 
All the saloons, or casinos as they are 
called, have gambling rooms that are 
constantly crowded, for, like France, 
this is a great gambling country. Every 
afternoon a cock fight is held, to which 
all go, both young and old, even the 
children of seven or eight betting. A 
priest here gambles, and is said to win 
more than any one else at monte. On 
nearly every corner are little stands with 
oranges, bananas and peanuts for sale at 
ridiculously low prices. Two centavos 
or a cent is the price of three oranges, 
and the little bananas, as they are called, 
sell six for a cent. 
Hotel Accommodations —The hotel 
from the outside looks like a shanty, and 
as far as building goes, it is one. Enter¬ 
ing, you find yourself in a large square 
room; in the center is a table with a 
pot of flowers, and facing the table, a 
row on each side, are rocking chairs; 
against the wall are straight-backt d 
chairs. The only other furnishings are 
a large mirror and two other tables, cne 
bare, the other with plants. This room 
opens into the diningroom, where a long 
table covered with brown oilcloth, and 
the chairs, are the only articles of fur¬ 
niture. The bedrooms are small, with 
two single beds in each, devo’d of springs 
or mattresses ; simply with sheets and 
one blanket drawn over the canvas ; but 
a canopy or mosquito bar, made of mus¬ 
lin and tied back with ribbons, is sup¬ 
plied. The only other articles are a 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup ” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
single chair and an old-fashioned wash- 
stand and dresser combined, on which is 
an agateware wash basin filled with 
water, in which both occupants are sup¬ 
posed to wash. The only redeeming 
feature is that everything is clean. 
Vegetarians From Necessity. —The 
people are dark in color ; even the Porto 
Ricans of the better class look as though 
they bad a tinge of negro blood, and a 
little Indian. The latter is seen in the 
very lowest classes, in the high cheek 
bone, sunken eyes and very straight 
black hair. The Spaniards seem purer 
blooded, more intelligent, in fact, su¬ 
perior in every respect to the Porto 
Rican. These people are not only lazy, 
but ignorant and dirty; they never 
bathe, and always appear to have on the 
same clothes. As a general rule, both 
men and women go without shoes or 
stockings, and the children often wear 
no clothes. Their chief food is plan¬ 
tains, a species of banana, which they 
boil; oranges, bread and bananas. Meat 
is so expensive that many of them have 
never tasted it, and they show it, for 
they are undersized and anaemic-looking. 
Their ignorance is sometimes surprising. 
Native Funerals. —During the cof¬ 
fee-picking season, the peons or laborers 
work, receiving 50 centavos, or about 30 
cents a day. At the end of the season, 
instead of looking for other work, they 
gamble and enjoy life until their money 
is gone ; then they begin to steal. Daily 
we are told of people dying from hunger. 
In this little town, there are sometimes 
10 funerals a day. This is the way they 
bury their dead : a rude box, shaped like 
a coffin, is made by a carpenter, or, if 
the friends have not enough money for 
this, they rent the box for the occasion. 
It has no cover, but over the body is 
thrown a sheet. Many of these boxes 
are not even painted. This coffin is 
carried sometimes on the shoulders of 
four men; oftener two long sticks are 
fastened to the sides and in this way it is 
borne by only two. Other men relieve the 
bearers when they are tired, for usually 
these funerals come many miles. The 
body is first taken to the church, and 
then to the cemetery, where, if the coffin 
is not a rented one, it is buried, but if 
the coffin is hired, the body is taken out 
and thrown, none too gently, either, into 
the grave. 
Ponies and Oxen. —The horses, or 
ponies, as they would be called in the 
United States, for they are in size and 
shape like Indian ponies, are never 
known to walk, but always go at a pace 
or gallop. They are finely-gaited little 
animals, and their motion is like a rock¬ 
ing chair. In this part of the country, 
there are no carriages, and all travel is 
either on horseback or on foot. Hauling 
from one town to another is done by 
ox-carts when the roads are passa¬ 
ble, which is. only for part of the year, 
and the rest of the time, on account of 
the frequent rains, it is only possible 
to use pack trains. 
Wild dogs exist in enormous numbers in many 
parts of Cuba and Hayti. One American soldier 
who spent some time in an Insurgent camp, esti¬ 
mates the wild-dog population of Santiago Prov¬ 
ince alone at 500,000, and predicts that, in yesrs 
to come, the raids of these animals will almost 
preclude profitable cattle-breeding in eastern 
Cuba. This would appear a serious matter for 
stock-raisers who are looking for opportunities 
in the Island. 
Jayne’s Expectorant is the most palatable and 
effectual Croup remedy I have used with my chil¬ 
dren. I keep it on hand constantly.—(Rev.) D. U 
COMANN, Franklin, N. C., Novombar 11, 1892. 
For constipation take Jayne’s Painless Sanative 
Pills.— Adv. 
DINNERSET 
or GOLD WATCH 
with 30 lbs. S. 8. Chop Tea. Lace 
Curtains, Watches, Clocks, Tea 
Sets, Toilet Sets, given away with 
$5, $7, $10 and $15 orders. Send this 
“ad.” and 15c. and we will send you 
a sample of S.S. Chop or any other 
Tea you may select. The R. N.-Y. 
The Great American Tea Co., 
31&33Vesey St. (Box 289),NewYork 
Bn ^ E£h 
new fashion catalogue 
—pictures of the newest styles ready to 
wear garments for women, misses and 
girls—shirt waists, suits, coats, capes, 
skirts, etc. 
Men’s and Boys’ Clothing. 
Tells about everything this Dry Goods 
store sells—including goods not sample- 
able, and which every woman is inter¬ 
ested in. 
Shows that we want to sell you choice 
goods—at less prices—prices that are 
bringing us greater mail order business 
every day—prices it will pay you to give 
heed to 
Over 200 pages—hundreds of illustra¬ 
tions—a book it’s to your advantage 
to have—costs you nothing—sent free, 
soon as you send your name and address 
and ask for it. 
Write for samples of choice new wash 
goods 10c., 12)^c., 15c.—styles and color¬ 
ings you’ll be pleased with, and find of 
greater importance at the prices than 
any wash goods ever sold. 
BOCCS & BUHL, 
Department C, 
ALLEGHENY, PA. 
SOLD! 
UNDER A 
Positive 
Gu 
to wash as clean as can be 
done on tho washboard, 
even to thowristbands and 
collar of the dirtiest shirt, 
and with much more ease. 
This applies to Terriff’s 
Perfect Washer, which 
will bo sent on trial at 
wholesalo price. If not 
satisfactory, money will 
be refunded. Agents 
wanted. For exclusive 
torritory, terms ifc prices, _ 
write Portland Mfq. Co. .Box 14 Portland, Mitch, 
ipiimPER 
■ Artistic homes cost no more than 
^■ordinary homes. The difference is 
in the choice of wall paper. And 
^K-ight choice does not add to the ex- 
^pensewhen selections are made from 
"our catalogue, a handsome book 
BY MAIL FREE 
containing choice selections from, 
the works of tho best wall paper! 
designers. Prices much lower/ 
than those of ordinary dealers./ 
Send for it to-day. When you write, 
tell us what rooms you plan to paper v 
Agents Wanted to sell wall paper 
from sample books. Largo commissions. 
Write for particulars. 
CHAS. M. N. KILLEN, 
1«81-12S!{ Filbert Street, 
Philadelphia, Pa. 
PETROLATU M 
On receipt of fifty (50) cents, we will 
send you, post-paid, ONE POUND can 
of PURE PETROLATUM, (com¬ 
monly called Vaseline). No family 
should be without this very useful 
medicinal and healing article. Send 
money by Post-office or Express 
Money Order or Registered Letter. 
DERRICK OIL COMPANY, 
Titusville, Pa. 
^ Victor 
set of attachments. Adapted 
or heavy work. Guaranteed 
years. 30 DAYS FREE 
$22.00 Buys a 
Church or Parlor ORGAN 
teed for 25 yrs 20 Days Free 
Catalogues Free. Address Dept. M 8, 
VICTOR MANUFACTURING CO., 
295-297 Fifth Avo., Chicago, III. 
SPRAYING CROPS : Why, 
When and How to Do It.—By Prof. Clar¬ 
ence M. Weed. Illustrated. 
This little book tells in plain, understandable 
English, just what the ordinary farmer and fruit 
grower most needs to know. It describes all the 
Insecticides and fungicides used in spraying; all 
the principal appliances used ; tells when to 
spray; what precautions to observe ; describes 
the insects and fungi against which it is neces 
sary to guard; in fact, is a complete, condensed, 
convenient handbook on the whole subject. Price 
in stiff paper covers, is but 25 cents, postpaid. 
The Rural New-Yorker, New York 
Now, complete, ready to ride. Agents Wanted. Others $17.50 
to $35.00, cash or time. Sent on approval. Guaranteed one year. 
Beautl ful 
catalog free. 
Bicycle sun¬ 
dries cheap. Get our prices before buying. Write quick. 
AMERICAN MACHINE CO., Dept. 313, Eliut, Mich. 
wp/wivv, UUUIM/ll uppiWtai. VJUUiaUb 
SOLD ON TIME. 
