1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
775 
THE GARDEN 
INDOORS AND OUT. 
I N this latitude, the gardens are still 
gay with hardy chrysanthemums, in 
spite of several sharp frosts. Where 
there is danger of injury to the flowers, 
a little protection may be given at night 
by covering with some coarse cloth. In 
sheltered nooks, we shall find bloom for 
a week or two yet, unless there be a 
severe storm. When flowering is over, 
the tops may be cut down, but not even 
with the ground ; leave three or four 
inches of stem to catch and hold the 
mulch. A little well-rotted manure 
may be put over the bed, but little pro¬ 
tection is needed by the hardy varieties. 
Some of the little pompons are especially 
satisfactory, such as Bob, crimson ma¬ 
roon; Mile. Marthe, white; Golden Quill, 
yellow. Of the larger flowers, Geo. S. 
Conover is an especially good yellow, 
very free blooming, hardy and hand¬ 
some. 
The outdoor bulbs for spring bloom¬ 
ing should all be planted by this time : 
tulips, hyacinths, crocus and narcissus. 
But they should not yet receive all their 
winter covering; the heaviest mulch 
should go on only at the approach of 
really severe weather. A quantity of 
strawy manure is not advised ; it forms 
a favorite refuge for field mice. When 
the weather begins to moderate in early 
spring, the mulch must be removed by 
degrees; if it be all left on until the 
final removal, the leaves grow up 
blanched and spindling, and they are 
easily scalded by sun and wind. 
We like tulips and hyacinths planted 
in masses of separate color in the flower 
beds ; but the crocuses should be dotted 
through the grass, where their little 
yellow and lavender cups make a most 
attractive feature. When in a bed, they 
are likely to become draggled and mud- 
bespattered by wind and rain. The 
narcissus find a congenial place as a 
border for shrubs, where they may re¬ 
main undisturbed. 
The hardy phlox and similar plants 
are now prepared for winter. While 
they may be cut over to some extent, 
to avoid untidy raggedness, they should 
not be trimmed down to the ground; 
the stems catch and hold the snow, 
which forms a valuable mulch, and, in¬ 
deed, the snow-covered branches form 
an attractive feature in the winter 
landscape. All the vacant flower beds 
should be neatly raked free of litter, 
and a dressing of manure spaded in ; 
some very neat gardeners cut a quantity 
of evergreen branches, and lay them 
over the empty beds, thus giving a touch 
of green through the barren months. 
Pansies, which were sown last August 
and transplanted into slightly raised 
beds, should now be covered with a 
mulch of dry leaves, held in place by 
evergreen branches. They should win¬ 
ter admirably in this way, blooming very 
early in the spring. They are put in 
slightly raised beds to avoid danger from 
ice and stagnant water. 
Indoors, the window garden is a little 
bare of bloom yet, though the Zanzibar 
balsam, one of our most useful house 
plants, is covered with buds. Ferns and 
palms must now be watered with extra 
care, as their root action is not so vigor¬ 
ous during the cold months. The former 
must never be sprayed over the leaves, 
water being given at the roots only, and 
the drainage should be perfect. Never 
allow the pot to stand in a saucer of 
water. The palms should be carefully 
sponged over once a week with water 
containing a small amount of ammonia ; 
this will keep the leaves clean and glossy. 
Look carefully for scale insects ; they 
often appear on the central leaf iust 
pushing out. A slender stick with a bit 
of soft sponge on the top will be found 
MOTHERS .—Be sure to use “ Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup ” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best —Adw. 
useful in rubbing them off. The pres¬ 
ence of ants should be severely discour¬ 
aged, as they carry the scale insects 
about. 
In cold frames, violets should now be 
blooming freely ; the single California 
and Luxonne, the double Marie Louise 
and Lady H. Campbell. The frames 
should be opened each day for a good 
airing, closing as it grows chilly in the 
afternoon, to hold the sun heat. As the 
nights grow colder, an ample covering 
of mats and shutters must be provided, 
and in severe weather, the frames are 
opened only when a very bright, sunny 
day gives the opportunity. The winter 
crop of violets will be produced from 
cool houses, with facilities for heating, 
for, though the violet is very impatient 
of a high temperature, our climate is too 
severe for us to dispense with heat in its 
winter culture. 
SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTMAS 
GIFTS. 
H ANDSOME handkerchief boxes are 
crocheted of macrame cord, and 
molded upon a block of wood of the 
proper size and shape. Make the bottom 
of the box and one inch of the sides of 
some very close pattern. Crochet the 
next inch in open spaces, so that a rib¬ 
bon, an inch wide, may be woven in 
and all around the box. The last 1% 
inch is crocheted close again. The lid 
is made like the bottom of the box, and 
one inch deep, or if preferred, leave a 
space all around the top and one inch 
from the edge for ribbon, just as de¬ 
scribed for the side of the box. Rub 
stiff flour starch into the work, draw it 
over the mold, pull out the edges evenly, 
and in good shape. Set in a warm (not 
hot) oven to dry. Then take it off the 
mold, and give it two or three coats of 
varnish, allowing each coat plenty of 
time to dry. Line with blue, pink, or 
red satin, and run ribbon of the same 
color as the lining through the spaces 
left for it. A collar and cuff box may 
be crocheted in the same way. The 
bottom should be round, about seven 
inches in diameter, and crocheted very 
close. When you begin on the side, 
crochet four rows of solid short stitch. 
Then open spaces for ribbon, and after 
that, four rows of short stitch. Make 
the lid an inch deep, crochet a ring and 
fasten it to the lid to lift it by. 
To make a slipper case, cut a piece of 
pasteboard in the shape of a shield, 16 
inches long and 12 inches wide for the 
back. Cover the front with plush, vel¬ 
vet or broadcloth, and the back with 
cambric. Cut two pieces of cardboard 
the proper size and shape for the front 
parts. Cover just as you did the back, 
and join them to it, neatly rounding 
them so that the slippers can be put in. 
A narrow quilling of ribbon or braid 
finishes all the edges, and silk cord 
and tassels are used to hang it by. Em¬ 
broider a bunch of daisies and leaves in 
lx writing to advertisers, please always mention 
The Rural New-Yorker. 
The Woman, 
l The Man, 
And The Pill. 
She was a good woman. He 
loved her. She was his wife. 
The pie was good; his wife 
made it; he ate it. But the 
pie disagreed with him, and 
he disagreed with his wife. 
Now he takes a pill after pie 
and is happy. So is his wife. 
The pill he takes is Ayer’s. 
Moral: Avoid dyspepsia 
by using 
Ayer’s 
Cathartic Pills. * 
their natural color with Roman floss on 
each of the front parts, and near the top 
of the shield. 
Pretty thermometers are made by cut¬ 
ting a piece of pasteboard about three 
inches longer and wider than the ther¬ 
mometer, which should be removed from 
the tin frame. Cover with plush, velvet 
or linen upon which you have embroid¬ 
ered a design of golden rod. Fasten the 
thermometer to it with strong glue, or 
by piercing each corner with an awl and 
sewing it to the plush. 
For a waste paper basket, use a willow 
one of any size desired. Line the bot¬ 
tom and sides with dark blue silkaline. 
Get a piece of golden brown felt about 
eight inches wide, and just long enough 
to reach around the basket. Cut the 
lower edge in squares, then cut off the 
corners of the squares, making them 
pointed. Embroider a design in outline 
just above the points, with blue Asiatic 
twisted embroidery silk. Crochet 
wheels of the same silk, and tie heavy 
silk fringe in the lower part of the 
wheel, making a tassel. Fasten a 
wheel to each point of the felt, allow¬ 
ing the fringe to fall below it, then join 
the felt neatly around the top of the 
basket. 
A pretty pen rack may be made of an 
old horse shoe ; make four pins of wood 
to fit into the nail holes, cover with 
tinsel or tin foil, and hang it up with 
cord and tassels of zephyr or with 
ribbon. A letter case is made of two 
pieces of cardboard, one round for the 
back, and the other crescent shaped for 
the front. Cover both pieces with silk, 
and paint a spray of flowers on each 
piece. Join the outer edges of the two 
pieces with invisible stitches, and fasten 
narrow ribbons to hang it by. 
If your friend drives a great deal, a 
laprobe of golden brown felt or broad¬ 
cloth would be a very useful present. 
Stamp a large conventionalized or scroll 
design in the center, work the heaviest 
lines with Asiatic mediaeval silk, using 
a dark shade of brown, and lighter lines 
with Asiatic twisted embroidery silk in 
seal brown. Line it with dark brown 
flannel, or a heavy, dark gray blanket. 
KANSAS HOUSEKEEPER. 
last water, drain, put two pounds of 
granulated sugar and 1% quart of boiling 
water in a preserving kettle ; boil and 
skim. When perfectly clear, put in the 
pumpkin, and cook gently until you can 
pierce it with a wooden skewer or straw. 
Then lift carefully with a skimmer; 
spread it out on a platter, and stand it 
for a day in the hot sun. Add the grated 
rind of one lemon and the juice of three 
to the syrup, with one ounce of ginger 
root cut into fine slices. Boil this down 
to a syrup. When the pumpkin and rind 
are cold and a little hardened by the 
sun, put into glass jars. Bring the syrup 
again to the boiling point, strain it over 
the pumpkin, and when cold, fasten. 
Your chimney has as much 
to do with your light as your 
lamp has. 
The Index tells what Num¬ 
ber to get; sent free. 
“ Pearl top ” or “ pearl 
glass.” 
Geo A Macbeth Co 
Pittsburgh Pa 
..STEAM.. 
ENGINEERING 
( Stationary, Marine, 
and Locomotive.) 
Mechanical Drawing 
Electricity 
Architectural Drawing 
Plumbing Sc Heating 
Civil Engineering 
Surveying Sc Mapping 
English Branches 
Book Keeping 
TO WORKINGMEN 
PROFESSIONAL MEN 
YOUNG MEN 
and others who cannot 
afford to lose time from 
work. Send for Free 
Circular and Referencea 
Stating the Subject you 
wish to Study, to 
The International 
Correspondence Schools, 
Box DIG, Scranton, Pa. 
Wanted-An Idea 
Protect 
Write 
Who can think 
of some simple 
tiling to patent? 
t your Ideas; they may bring you wealth. 
JOHN WEDDEKBURN & CO.. Patent Attor¬ 
neys, Washington, D. C.. for their $1,800 prize otter 
and list of two hundred Inventions wanted. 
U/Cpif | V yearly, no experience rc- 
*»LLI\LI ijuired, failure impossible: our 
scheme a new one; particulars tree. Address 
S.S.Ware Co Box 530#.BostonJrIass 
All kinds of news- |g| f f> g ■ ] xper clipping ,„d 
Mqu.lntanosnsniM.YVt a J | »&0 a thousand. Par- 
ticulars for stamp. NEWS CLIPPING CO., Dept. J Is . 304 W. 13Sth 8t.,ri.Y. 
All kiuds N. «s O I I O D I M ft O and m-quailituiiiv. iiauu-i 
bouslit. tin lULirnilUy tbi"i*»nd. Particular*for 
stamp. ADVERTISERS NEWS CO., Dept. „ Produce Ex., New York. 
Pumpkin Preserves. —Some one has 
discovered a way to make preserves of 
pumpkin, it seems. It reads very well. 
Let some one try it. Pare the pumpkins, 
cut into halves, remove the seeds, and 
divide each half into pieces two inches 
square. Now, with a fine knife, shred 
the pumpkin, throw the bits into cold 
water ; to each five pounds of pumpkin, 
allow a cupful of salt, cover and stand 
aside five hours ; drain, and cover with 
fresh water, soak two hours. The water 
may be changed once or twice. Bring 
the pumpkin to the boiling point in the 
ISId LANDS 
EOR SALE AT LOW PRICES AND 
ON EASY TERMS. 
The Illinois Central Railroad Company oilers for sale 
on easy terms and at low prices, 150,UC0 acres of choice 
fruit, gardening, farm and grazing lauds located In 
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 
They are also largely Interested In, and call especla 
attention to, the 000,000 acres of land in the famous 
Yazoo Valley of Mississippi 
lying along and owned by the Yazoo and Mississippi 
Valley Railroad Company, and which that Company 
offers at low prices and on long terms. Special in¬ 
ducements and facilities offered to go and examine 
these lands both in southern Illinois and in the 
“ Yazoo Valley,” Miss. 
For further description, map and any information, 
address or call upon E. P. SKENE, Land Commis¬ 
sioner. No. 1 Park Row. Chicago. Ill. 
Dietz Reflector Lantern. I 
TERR is an all-"aroundness” about the goodness of this Lantern 
that is noteworthy. In fact, it has too many virtues to crowd into 
this space. It gives a surprising volume of light, which is rendered 
specially intense by the concentrating powers of the Reflector and Hood. 
It will not blow out, is absolutely safe, and can be used for driving 
darkness while you are driving horses, having a simple arrangement to 
attach it to any vehicle. The U. S. Life-Saving Service uses it for a patrol 
Lantern—as the fierce coastwise gales cannot extinguish it. 
The U. S. Government buys wisely—take a hint from it, and insist 
on your dealer giving you the “ Dietz” goods. 
We make an endless variety of Lanterns, Lamps, etc. established in 1840. 
R. E. DIETZ COMPANY, 60 Lalght Street, New York. 
Our Catalogue, a nice little one, mailed free, will further illuminate you 
HANDY REPAIRING OUTFIT 
THE BEST IN THE MARKET. 
Thirty-eight full-sized good substantial articles, including stand, four sizes movable 
iron lasts, four packages nails, awls, two pair taps, hammer, thread, etc. Every 
farmer should have this kit, and do his own repairing. Complete Set, delivered at 
your railroad station, for S3. Eirst order in each neighborhood at wholesale price, and 
secures agency. Send for Circular. 
HEESEN BROS & CO., TECTJMSEH, MICH. 
Permanently cured by usinK DU WHITEHALL’S RHEUMATIC CURE The latest, surest and best Sam ole 
eont free on mention of this Magazine. Till: Jilt. WHITEHALL MEGliUtTINE CO., South Mend, 2nd, 
