594 
August 6, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER.1I2.51* : 
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[ Woman and Home j 
From Day to Day. 
LINKS TO THE HEN. 
o, IL'ii ! The butchers are on strike; 
We people cannot nourish 
Without some 1’ooa that we will like 
And which will likewise nourish. 
Already comes the creeping fear 
Of feeling high-priced shackles— 
O, Hen, we bend an anxious ear 
To catch thy tuneiul cackles. 
We beg the dealers for relief— 
They do not care a button, 
And skyward goes the price of beef, 
Of pork, of veal, and mutton. 
They say they see no hopeful sign, 
No rav of sunshine—ah, cut 
Loose with that glad song of thine, 
Thy “Cut-cut-cut-cut-dali-cut!” 
And lfcc us know the eggs are fresh 
Wuen we go forth for forage, 
That we may ’scape the clutching mesh 
Of tuose who have cold storage. 
The meat man’s laying for us—you 
Can lighten all our sadness; 
If you are laying for us, too, 
’Twill till our hearts with gladness. 
O, Hen ! Your humble servant begs 
That now you will not fail us; 
The grocer tells 11 s “Eggs is eggs,” 
And other fears assail us. 
O, Hen, thy faithfulness we’ll praise, 
We’ll praise thy aunts and cousins— 
Accept this lay writ to thy lays 
Which we want by the dozens. 
—W. D. Nesblt, in Chicago Tribune. 
* 
Invisible hair nets are again in vogue, 
being used by women who are driving or 
in automobiles to keep the hair tidy. Care¬ 
fully put on, th’ey are practically invisible, 
and add much to one’s neatness. 
* 
A percaline dust ruffle inside the 
flounce of a silk petticoat adds much to 
its lasting qualities. A similar dust ruf¬ 
fle of fine lawn, matching the rest of the 
garment, should always be put inside a 
silk drop skirt. 
* 
Folding go-carts are among new con¬ 
veniences which are appreciated by those 
journeying with children. The back and 
sides fold flat upon the seat, and hinges 
in the axle permit the wheels to be 
folded flat underneath, so the whole cart 
folds like a camp stool. It only weighs 
11 pounds, and may be carried conveni¬ 
ently or packed in a trunk or suit case. 
* 
This season emerald green has become 
the most popular of all colors in trim¬ 
mings, millinery and parasols, and the 
effect of this prevailing tint is very re¬ 
freshing in the warm and dusty city. 
Plain emerald green taffeta parasols cost 
$1.50 to $3, according to quality. July and 
August are the best months to buy para¬ 
sols, and a large selection of the coaching 
style can be bought within the prices 
named; plain, striped, checked and fig¬ 
ured. Blue and white or brown and 
white, shaded or striped, makes a pretty 
and serviceable combination. 
* 
Here is a savory German dish that will 
be appreciated at any meal on a warm day. 
Jt consists of spicy rolls of fish, called 
rollemups. To prepare, select plump salt 
Holland herring; remove the backbone 
and divide lengthwise into fillets and soak 
for six hours in cold water; drain and on 
each piece lay three peppercorns, a tiny 
piece of a bay leaf, a bit of lemon-peel, 
two or three cloves and half a teaspoonful 
of chopped onion; roll up, tie with thread, 
or fasten with tiny skewers and place in a 
crock; heat sufficient vinegar to cover the 
fish and pour over it; repeat this process 
for three mornings when the rollemups 
will be ready to serve. If the vinegar is 
very sharp dilute with water to the amount 
of a third. 
* 
Handmade trimmings are a marked fea¬ 
ture of modern dressmaking, and a for¬ 
midable item in ils expense. Nun’s tucks, 
which finish skirts of voile and other thin 
materials, are merely wider than ordinary 
tucks, usually an inch or more. Bias folds 
are frequently used in place of these 
tucks. Frills or ruffles, either pleated or 
gathered, are put on in festoons, in waved 
lines, or straight. Little puffs V/ inch 
wide, gathered along each side three- 
eighths of an inch from the edge, are 
often used now, put on in festoons or 
circles; years ago such puffs formed a 
heading for flounces, being called bouil¬ 
lons. Medallions bordered with tiny shir- 
rings or narrow lace are a frequent trim¬ 
ming; such a trimming for a white or¬ 
gandy, described by the Delineator, is 
made from flowered organdy having the 
pattern in bunches of flowers. A medal¬ 
lion showing the flower design is cut out 
and edged with lace overhanded on, a 
little full, all around. Many elaborate 
gowns are trimmed with scrolls of silk 
outlined with narrow silk braid and ap¬ 
plied over Brussels net. 
* 
A telephone conversation may be quite 
unsatisfactory if the central gives a mis¬ 
leading number, as is thus related by the 
Buffalo Express: The anxious mother 
rings up what she thinks is the day nurs¬ 
ery to ask for some advice as to her child. 
She asks the central for the nursery, and 
is given Mr. Gottfried Gluber, the florist 
and tree dealer. The following conver¬ 
sation ensues: 
“I called up the nursery. Is this the 
nursery?” 
“Yes, ma’am.” 
“I am so worried about my little Rose.” 
“Vat seems to be der madder?” 
“Oh, not so very much, perhaps, but 
just a general listlessness and lack of 
life.” 
“Ain’d growing righd, eh?” 
“No, sir.” 
“Veil, I dell you vat you do. You dake 
der skissors und cut off apoud two inches 
vrom der limbs, und-” 
“Wha-a-at?” 
“I say, dake der skissors und cut off 
apoud two inches vrom der limbs, und 
den turn der garten hose on for apoud 
four hours in der morning-” 
“Wha-a-at?” 
“Turn der garten hose on for apoud 
four hours in der morning, und den pile 
a lot of plack dirt all around, und shprin- 
gle mit insegt powter all ofer der top-” 
“Sir-r-r?” 
“Shpringle mit insegt powler all ofer 
der top. You know usually id is noddings 
but pugs dot- 
"Flow dare you? What do you mean 
by such language?” 
“Noddings but pugs dot chenerally 
causes der troubles; und den you vant to 
vash der rose mit a liguid breparations I 
haf for sale-” 
“Who in the world are you, anyway?” 
“Gottfried Gluber, der florist.” 
“0-o-oh!” weakly. “Good-by!” 
Canning Vegetables. 
Would you give recipes for canning string 
beans, sweet corn and green peas? 
SEVERAL READERS. 
To can peas, fill the jars full of the 
peas, uncooked; then fill with cold water, 
and lay on the tops. Place straw 01 
boards in the bottom of the wash boiler, 
stand the jars on this, and pour enough 
cold water in the boiler to come half way 
up the jars. Put the boiler on the stove 
with the lid tightly closed, and boil three 
hours. When the jars are taken out, see 
that they are full to overflowing, and 
screw the lid on tight. Another method 
of preparing peas is to cook five minutes 
in very little water, then fill the cans, and 
place them in the boiler to cook for one 
hour. A teaspoonful of salt is added the 
last thing before sealing. String beans 
are cut in lengths, cooked with little water 
for 10 minutes, then put in the cans and 
boiled for two hours. In each case be 
sure the can is full to overflowing before 
sealing; if not fill it up with boiling water. 
For canned corn cut the kernels off 
the cob with a sharp knife, scraping out 
the pulp. Fill into the can a little at a 
time, pressing it down firmly until the 
milk overflows the can. Add a teaspoon¬ 
ful of salt. When all are filled place the 
cans in a boiler and cook half an hour 
with the covers laid loosely on. Remove 
from the fire and seal, then cook two 
hours longer. The preliminary cooking 
permits the corn to swell without endan¬ 
gering the cans, which may burst if tight¬ 
ly sealed from the first. Succotash is 
canned by first half-filling the cans with 
green Lima beans, then filling the remain¬ 
der of the can with corn, pressed down 
firmly. Add a teaspoonful of salt to each 
can, and cook like corn. 
We never have any trouble with our 
canned tomatoes, and the process is very 
simple. Scald to remove the skins, put 
in the jars whole or halved, fill up with 
cold water; stand the jars in the wash 
boiler, boil 30 minutes, and seal. Do not 
use any over-ripe or fermenting fruit. The 
main things to observe in canning vege¬ 
tables are that the jars are filled to over¬ 
flowing; that they are hermetically sealed, 
while hot, and that they are stored in a 
cool, dry place. Vegetables, like fruits, 
should be taken in their regular order and 
canned while in the best possible condi¬ 
tion. 
A Child’s Desk. 
The little desk shown herewith, repro¬ 
duced from Good Housekeeping, was 
made by a woman, of materials found at 
home, three pieces of board, a piece of 
molding for the front, cretonne for the 
top. The cretonne was put on with brass¬ 
headed tacks, and the sides stained. The 
child, sitting in his little chair, could draw 
the desk over bis lap, lay his slate or 
book on top and take comfort. 
Coal Oil Smudge. 
If there is any mishap the housewife 
encounters that gives more trouble than 
when the oil lamp smokes undisturbed a 
short while, I have not encountered il. 
At the discovery that one’s parlor ceiling, 
papered walls, draperies, pillows and bric- 
a-brac are festooned with the lightest, 
fluffiest, blackest of blacknesses, each one 
at all responsible declares that “the lamp 
was clean, was evenly trimmed, was not 
turned up too high, and that there was 
not a possibility of a draft from any 
source,” when the oil lamp was left alone 
in the room! Common sense teaches that 
some or all of these conditions have ex¬ 
isted during the time the oil smoke has 
put in its darkest work. All wicks should 
be only partially turned up when lighted, 
as the heat expansion does practically 
cause the wick to “jump.” The round 
wicks should not be turned at first over 
half the distance up the metal center; 
after burning a few minutes, and prov¬ 
ing that the wick has no points on it t-0 
make smoking most certain, gradually the 
wick may be turned, so that the blaze is 
even with tl.e top of the metal center, or 
burner. How many people crowd on all 
the blaze possible, giving a flame an inch 
or more above the center, giving a light 
unwise for the eyes, and a heat that is 
more than unwise for the cranium, of 
whoever sits by, to use the lamplight. But 
if the flame gets away, and the room is 
found full of black feathers—unless there 
is plenty of assistance, and there is a 
strong wind, and a clear night to work 
in—then just close the room and leave it 
till morning. Yon can’t brush it off; you 
can’t wash it off; it has to be blown off 
lightly, whisked off with the ureath, with 
the bellows; swinging a cloth near the 
walls and ceiling. 
“Oh, dear, oh, dear! This is the third 
time in my housekeeping that this awful 
thing has happened! There is none yet 
on the carpet, and we will put down papers 
so if any falls during the night.” It was 
a new experience to the others, and next 
days work was a curious operation. 
Draperies were taken down as gently as 
possible; to touch them on the side ex¬ 
posed to the smoke was to flatten the 
fluffy blackness into an oily smudge. The 
draperies were taken out, and carefully 
put over a line, and helped to flutter in 
the wind. In a few minutes they were 
blown clean; had they been brushed, they 
would have looked as if streaked with 
wheel grease, or, as our grandmothers 
would have said, “gudging,-grease;” and 
hot soap and water and ammonia would 
have had scarcely any effect upon them. 
One inexperienced person who believed 
that soap and water must be used, had 
her bed-spread and pillow shams in soak 
a week, and “they have never been clean 
since they were oil-smoked.” Next came 
the taking out by several pairs of hands, 
carefully placed under the silk of the 
piano scarf. It was a sight; each fiber 
had its tiny feather of black, but without 
touching its smoky surface it was taken 
through the two doors out on to the 
piazza, and blown on, and flirted, and 
shaken as it best could be, considering it 
must not be grasped, or there would be a 
black, oil smudge on its delicate surface. 
Sofa pillows were more easily balanced on 
the hands, while the upper surface was 
blown over. 
Meanwhile, all windows had been 
opened, and currents of air encouraged, 
and everything that could be whisked, and 
flaunted to make currents along the walls 
and ceilings, about the pictures and bric- 
a-brac, had been whisked and flaunted. 
1 he big bellows did excellent work among 
the nuisances on the mantel, mistakenly 
called ornaments. Glass and china could 
be taken and washed, as they, unlike fi¬ 
brous things, would not absorb the 
smudge. But they, too were taken out to 
be blown over, to make a cleaner bit of 
washing. At the best such washing is a 
foul matter. 
“Is there no way to avoid such acci¬ 
dents?” queries one recently afflicted. 
None but eternal vigilance. One never 
has full confidence in a “reformed” per¬ 
son; one always guards against the possi¬ 
bility of a lapse from virtue. So with 
lamps and oil stoves. Never neglect all 
the precautions of perfectly fitted wicks, 
cleanliness, and regular filling of the oil 
wells; keep the wells full each day; see 
to it that they are allowed when lighted 
to come to a full blaze gradually; see to 
it that there are no .dratts. The parlor 
that 1 have seen filled with smoke three 
times (not my own, please) opened as 
most do, out of the hallway, and the draft 
that sucked up the wick was attributed to 
the opening and ...g of the outer door. 
Yet the housekeeper would never listen to 
the suggestion, that then it might have 
saved a lot of “blowing of breaths,” if the 
door leading from the parlor to said hall 
should be closed when it was to be left 
untenanted, “indeed, I shall do no such 
thing; I like to see parlor doors open!” 
Such women have series of similar acci¬ 
dents. KEZIAH SHELTON. 
Drying Dishes. —It is a great help 
when one has a good many dishes to wipe 
only the silver and glass, and then scald 
the rest of the dishes, after washing them, 
and put them in a drainer to dry, on the 
back of the stove or in the sun. 
s. B. R. 
Canned Corn. —Nine cupfuls of corn, 
one cupful of sugar, one-half cupful of 
salt, one-fourth cupful of water. Cook 
10 minutes, then can while hot. When 
preparing for table, soak corn over night 
in fresh water. I used this recipe last 
year. It is very nice and not a can 
spoiled. A friend tried some, using only 
enough salt to season; it did not spoil, 
“■nd she thinks the corn better. m. j. 
