1901 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
539 
A Reading Course for Farm¬ 
ers’ Wives. 
The Cornell Farmers’ Reading Course 
has awakened so much interest in New 
York State that a similar course was 
suggested for women, and a circular let¬ 
ter sent out, asking for opinions on the 
matter. The suggestions and opinions 
received in response to this resulted in 
the publication of two bulletins known 
as reading lesson supplements, the first 
being devoted to saving steps, and the 
second to home sanutation. Here are 
some ideas from farm bousekeepers, 
suggested in the first bulletin; 
“As a rule, we farmers’ wives do our 
own washing, ironing, taking care of the 
milk, meat, chickens, which women of 
other callings do not do. If you can 
make us understand that it is just as 
necessary to rest the body by using the 
mind a little to read—if the fioor doesn’t 
get scrubbed so often—you will do 
much good. 
“Before beginning to get a meal, stop 
and think how many things one will 
need from the cellar, and bring up as 
many as possible at one time, and not 
cii'mb the stairs as many times as there 
are articles needed.” 
“I think that many of the unnecessary 
steps I take are caused by forgetfulness; 
another cause of extra steps is putting 
up things that some one else has left out 
of place. I find a great saving in having 
the stove near the sink and cupboards.” 
“When we visit a neighbor and she 
gives us about three times as many 
kinds of food as we need, what is there 
left for us to do when she visiits us?” 
“I tried to count my steps while get¬ 
ting breakfast this morning. I traveled 
alxnit two miles while preparing this 
meal, doing the dishes, preparing 
chicken feed, pig feed, and waiting on 
the children, for I have five small ones.” 
“What housekeeping needs is just 
what farming has needed—the applica¬ 
tion of thorough scientific knowledge 
and methods.” 
“My kitchen is off from the main part 
of the house about seven feet, and there 
are two steps for me to go up and down. 
I often wondered just how many times 
1 went back and forth in a day. One 
morning I counted 20 times.” 
“It is wealth to the farmer whose 
wife’s steps are made few, and every¬ 
thing about the house as convenient as 
possible, securing her health in order 
that she may be the helpmeet of her 
husband.” 
“Build the sink and tables high to 
avoid stooping. A high stool should 
stand in every kitchen, upon which the 
mistress can sit while compounding 
foods, washing dishes, and cleaning 
vegetables.” 
The editor, Miss Van Rensselaer, in 
reviewing these letters, gives some wise 
hints. For the housekeeper who now 
has to carry waste water to an outside 
door, down a flight of steps and to a safe 
distance from the house before throw¬ 
ing It on the ground, a tiled drain 
should be constructed. Tile can oe had 
for four cents a foot; the drain should 
be laid according to the situation of the 
well. If the work is done by the farm 
help, the actual cost will be about $6.25 
for a permanent means of carrying off 
the waste water used in the kitchen. 
An ice-box should be constructed and 
this can be homemade. The provisiion 
saved in one season by the use of a re¬ 
frigerator more than pays the expense 
of one, and saves the housekeeper many 
trips to the cellar. A large ice house at 
the creamery may answer for a com¬ 
munity, and the patrons who bring the 
milk may carry away the ice needed for 
their own homes. A window cupboard 
in dining room or pantry saves many 
steps. In a small kitchen a drop shelf 
is an advantage, and zinc-covered tables 
are helpful. 
Miss Van Rensselaer states that near¬ 
ly 6,000 women in the State of New York 
are enrolled In this Women’s Reading 
Course. The old farmhouse as it was Is 
described in the bulletin on sanitation. 
A brook fiowing through the farm acres 
may bring dangers from above or ac¬ 
quire them here and transmit poison to 
the lands below. At the side door for 
many a year a woman has appeared sev¬ 
eral times a day to fling the contents of 
a dishpan as far from her as possible. 
Here, too, the water from washing 
clothes, hands, and milk cans, joins to 
make a soil rich In bacteria, and in 
similar (^ses this too often is near the 
well. Other wrong conditions discussed 
by this bulletin are the unused parlor 
and spare room, the clothes-line at an 
exposed' corner of the house, and the cel¬ 
lar which is not properly drained. Many 
^ to 12 yrs. 
improvements with smali outlay of 
money or labor are suggested, such as 
good drains, a drilled well, a cement 
floor in the cellar. Sanitation usually 
appeals more strongly to women than 
to men, and much depends on them, al¬ 
though in many cases it seems impos¬ 
sible to overcome the difficulties. 
The Rural Patterns. 
Dainty frocks with many tucks are 
as much in style for little girls as for 
their elders. The charming little model 
illustrated is suited to many materials 
and has the merit of being childish and 
simple at the same time that it is effec¬ 
tive in the extreme. 'The original is of 
fine, sheer mull with Valenciennes lace 
threaded with narrow black velvet rib¬ 
bon; but lawn, batiste and all the long 
list of white and colored washable 
fabrics might be substituted, or any one 
of the simple silks and wools. The 
waist is tucked to yoke depth and falls 
in folds below, and the novel sleeves 
show tucked caps. The skirt is simply 
straight, gathei’ed at the waist, and can 
be made with the fiounce or plain as 
preferred. The trimming of lace inser¬ 
tion is applied to form Vandyke points 
and to cross the yoke in becoming fash¬ 
ion. To cut this dress for a girl eight 
years of age, 8^^ yards of material 21 
inches wide, 5^/4 yards 27 inches wide, 
4^/^ yards 32 Inches wide, or 3% yards 
44 inches wide, will be required, with 17 
yards of insertion and two pieces of vel¬ 
vet ribbon to trim as illustrated. The 
pattern No. 3869 is cut in sizes for girls 
4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years of age; price 10 
cents from this office. 
The very complete assortment of 
stocks and belts here given includes the 
soft bow, four-in-hand and butterfly 
ties, plain, draped and bodice belts, and 
will enable any deft needlewoman to 
make half a dozen for the cost of one 
ready-made. T'he materials for the 
originals are dotted silk, louisine silk, 
white mull and white piqu6; buit almost 
anything and everything is used, and 
there is ample opportunity offered for 
individuality in the choice both of ma¬ 
terials and color. The foundation for 
all the stocks is the same. The plain one 
in the center is shown with the butterfly 
tie that appears separately just below. 
The four-in-hand model is trimmed with 
stitched bands and has the tie joined to 
the back edges, where it crosses and 
passes round to the front. The bow in¬ 
cludes turn-over portions, but is the 
same familiar friend. The belts are well 
fitted and curve to the figure to give a 
graceful outline. The plain and the 
draped ones are eminently simple, but 
are stylish as well. The laced bodice is 
cut in sections and fits to a nicety, and 
can be closed at back or front as pre¬ 
ferred, made pointed or cutaway as il¬ 
lustrated. To cut the stocks with ties 
in the different styles, % yard of ma¬ 
terial 32 inches wide will be required. 
"To cut the belts, one yard 21 inches wide 
will be required. The pattern No. 3861 
Is cut in one size (medium) only; price 
10 cents from this office. 
Rural Recipes 
Pineapple Short Cake.—Make the cake 
with a short baking powder biscuit 
dough; peel and grate the pineapple and 
add a cup of granulated sugar (more 
may be added if it is very acid); let it 
stand two or three hours before needed; 
When the cake is done (it should be 
baked in two parts, with softened butter 
between the cakes) separate the cakes, 
butter and spread each layer with the 
prepared fruit; for the top layer make a 
meringue with the whites of two eggs 
beaten stiff with two tablespoonfuls of 
pulverized sugar added; brown lightly 
in the oven with door open. Serve hot. 
Pickled Cherries.—Five pounds of 
cherries, stoned or not, as preferred; 
one quart of vinegar, two pounds of 
sugar, one-half ounce of cinnamon, one- 
half ounce of cloves, same amount of 
mace, all ground. Boil the sugar, vine¬ 
gar and spices (tie the laJtter in a bag) 
together, and pour hot over the cherries. 
Gillespie Relish.—^One peck ripe toma¬ 
toes, two cupfuls celery, six large 
onions, seven red peppers. Run the 
peeled tomatoes and the onions through 
a meat grinder. Chop the celery and 
the peppers fine. Add two ounces of 
mustard seed and ground cinnamon, 
one-half cupful of salt, three pints cider 
vinegar and two pounds of light brown 
sugar. Mix and seal. Do not cook. It 
is claimed that this will keep perfectly 
3861 Stocks and Belts, 
Medium Size. 
for five years, and it is very appetizing 
and universally liked. 
Pepper Hash.—Wash and dry five 
large green peppers and one red one, re¬ 
move seeds and chop shells quite firm; 
chop fine a good-sized cabbage, and 
place with the peppers in a bowl, mixing 
well. Add two tablespoonfuls of brown 
mustard seed, three tablespoonfuls of 
salt and enough good cider vinegar to 
cover the whole. Stir well together and 
put into pickle bottles. Ready for use 
in two days, or will keep for Winter use. 
Egg-plant Rissoles.—Wash and cook 
a large eggplant in boiling water for 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use“Mrs.Wins- 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Aav. 
half an hour; cut in halves. Scoop out 
the inside, mix it with two beaten eggs, 
one cupful bread crumbs, a teaspoonful 
of salt and two dashes of paprika. Form 
into small oblong rolls and fry to a deli¬ 
cate brown. 
Baked Egg Plant.—Select one that is 
firm and fresh, peel it and cut it into 
quarters. Let it lie half an hour in salt¬ 
ed water. Put it into boiling water with 
a teaspoonful of salt. Cook until it can 
be easily pierced with a fork. While 
the plant is cooking cut one medium¬ 
sized onion into small pieces and cover 
it with salt water. In 10 minutes pour 
off the water and put the chopped onion 
into a hot pan, with a tablespoonful of 
butter. Cook until it Is thoroughly ten¬ 
der and brown. Drain the egg plant in 
a colander, put into a bowl, stir with a 
silver fork until it is broken up, but not 
mashed. Mix with it an equal quantity 
of rolled bread crumbs, add the browned 
onion and one well-beaten egg. Season 
with a dash of salt, two dashes of pep¬ 
per, and add a dessertsiwonful of butter. 
Put the mixture into a well-buttered 
earthen dish, bake just long enough to 
be nicely browned. Serve hot in the 
dish in which it is baked. 
S’tuffed Tomatoes.—Cut the tops from 
six large tomatoes and remove the in¬ 
side pulp. Mix two tablespoonfuls 
bread crumbs, one of cliopped parsley, 
one-quarter pound of finely minced ham, 
one-half tablespoonful butter, juice of 
half a lemon, a dash of cayenne, the 
well-beaten white of one egg and the 
pulp of the tomatoes. iStuff the toma¬ 
toes with this mixture, replace the tops, 
lay them in a well-buttered baking dish 
and bake one-half hour. Lay each one 
on a slice of toast well buttered and 
garnish with parsley. Serve very hot. 
Hot Chicken Loaf.—Mince fine two 
cupfuls of cold cooked chicken, one 
pound of lean veal and one-fourth pound 
of fat salt pork. Work in these three 
beaten eggs, a cupful of seasoned and 
strained tomato sauce, one teaspoonful 
of grated lemon peel, one teaspoonful 
of salt, one-fourth teaspoonful of pap¬ 
rika and enough cracker crumbs to mold 
with the hands. Press firmly into a 
large wet bowl, invert carefully into a 
buttered baking pan, removing bowl. 
Add one cupful of water and one table¬ 
spoonful of butter to the pan. Sift but¬ 
tered crumbs lightly over the loaf and 
cover the top and sides with carefully 
peeled and sliced lemons. Bake 1^4 
hour in a moderate oven, browning it 
nicely before serving. Baste frequently 
with the liquor. Serve garnished with 
lemon slices and parsley. 
Life is a long chaplet of little miser¬ 
ies, which the philosopher shakes with 
a laugh.—^Dumas. 
The offender’s sorrow brings but 
small relief to him who wears the sU'ong 
offence’s cross.—Shakespeare. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“asquare deal.” See our guarantee 8th page. 
NO MORE SPOILEO FRUIT-.^trnr.;;! 
by usinK my Standard Patent Self- Melting Self- 
Sealing Wax Strings. Very convenient and econom¬ 
ical. Inquire of your dealer or send me his name 
and 45 cents In stamps for lUU strings by mall. 
Mention thU paper. C. C. FOUT8, Middletown, Ohio. 
The University oi Notre Dame, 
NOTRE 1>AMK, INDIANA. 
Classics, Letters, conoiulcs and History, 
.Tounialisii', Art, Science, Pharmacy. Law, 
Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, 
Ar<-hite<duie. 
Thorough Preparatory and Commercial 
Courses. Eccle-siastical students at special rates. 
Rooms Eree. Junior or Senior Year, Collegiate 
Courses. Rooms to Rent, moderate charge. 
St. Edward’s Hall, for boys under 13. 
The 68th Tear will open September 10,1901. 
Catalogue Free. Address 
REV, A. MORRISSEY, C. S. C., President. 
ST.MARY’S ACADEMY 
NOTRE DAME, INOI.-VN.V. 
(One mile west ol *ho IfnlversUy of Notre Dame.) 
Conducted by the Sisters of the Uoly Cross. Char¬ 
tered 18.5f>. Thorough Kngllsh and Classical educa¬ 
tion. Kegular Collegiate Degrees. 
In Preparatory Department students carefully 
prepared for Collegiate Course. Physical and Chem¬ 
ical Laboratories well equipped. Conservatory ot 
Music and School of Art. Gymnasium under direc¬ 
tion of graduate of Boston Normal School of Gym¬ 
nastics. Catalogue free. Address 
DIRECTRESS OF THE ACADEMY, 
St. Mary’s Academy, Notre Dame, Ind. 
