1009. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
681 
Grape Juice and Cucumber Pickle. 
On page 374 I notice under “Successful 
Canning.'’ Mrs. S. F. S. M. speaks of put¬ 
ting up grape juice and cucumber pickle, 
all of which kept well. Would she give 
the two recipes so that others could be 
benefited? s. t. m. 
Sweet Pickles.—Eight pounds fruit; 
four pounds best brown sugar; one 
quart vinegar; one cup mixed whole 
spice; stick cinnamon, cassia buds, all¬ 
spice and cloves; less of latter than 
former, according to taste. Tie the 
spices in a bag and boil with the vin¬ 
egar and sugar. . Skim well and add the 
fruit. Cook ten minutes or till scalded 
and tender. Skim out the fruit and 
put in stone jars. Boil syrup five min¬ 
utes and pour over fruit. Next day 
pour off syrup and boil down again. 
Do this for three mornings keeping 
bag of spice in the syrup. This syrup 
can be used for any kind of sweet pick¬ 
le. Take ripe cucumber, peel and cut 
in pieces, sprinkle salt over them and 
cover with water. Let stand over 
night, rinse and drain, then cook them 
in the syrup till tender and transparent. 
Cook a few at a time, cooking as many 
as the syrup will cover well, after they 
are in the jars. 
Grape Juice.—Prepare grapes and 
cover them with water. Cook them 
about half an hour until done. Strain 
(I always strain them and get all the 
juice out) thin, strain again to make it 
clear. (I do this with my jellies also, 
instead of dripping and then making 
second quality of jelly.) The rule is 
a pound of sugar to a quart of juice, 
but we do not like it quite so sweet. 
I use about 6(4 pounds to 10 quarts of 
juice. This makes it very rich and is 
usually diluted when used. (But my 
husband says it is plenty good enough 
for him without being diluted.) Set 
bottles in a pan of hot water, and fill 
when juice is boiling hot. Seal at once. 
I use the bottles that have the rubber 
stoppers, and fasten like the Lightning 
fruit jars. The quart bottles are a dol¬ 
lar a dozen. mrs. s. f. s. m. 
Bird Notes. 
The article, “Birding in Early 
Spring,” on page 343, interested me 
very much. Birding at all times of the 
year is a delight to me. During Spring 
and in Autumn we may see many kinds 
of birds which will only stay with us a 
few days or a week or two. before 
passing on to their breeding grounds in 
the North, or when returning to their 
Winter home. During Summer we may 
learn much of the habits and charac¬ 
teristics of the birds of our own fields, 
orchards and woodlands, especially in 
June, when birds and flowers are all at 
their best, and it is a pleasure just to 
drop our work, even for a few minutes, 
to go out in the open air. In Winter 
we are not entirely deserted, and w'm 
can help but admire the brave little fel¬ 
lows who face the coldest weather, and 
always seem so cheerful ? 
I wonder how many of those living 
on farms have even a “bowing ac¬ 
quaintance” with any but the very com¬ 
monest of our birds? Here where op¬ 
portunities for studying them are so 
plenty and where knowledge of them 
might bring so much of interest and 
pleasure, they seem least appreciated. 
Even the busiest, by making good use 
of their eyes, and never missing an op¬ 
portunity, could soon learn to know the 
names and songs of quite a goodly num¬ 
ber. Many build their nests in our or¬ 
chards and fields and even in the trees 
about the lawn. If we are so fortunate 
as to have a few evergreen trees near 
the house, the number of birds we may 
see during the season will be greatly 
increased; so many birds seem to have 
a fondness for these trees. Put a shelf 
up in a sheltered corner of the porch 
for phoebes, and carefully observe their 
ways for one season and I am sure you 
would feel well repaid for your trouble, 
and the birds will return to the same 
nest year after year and you will take a 
personal interest in them and will feel 
as if greeting an old friend when they 
return to you in the Spring. 
Orioles seem to prefer building their 
nest near the house if a tall tree is con¬ 
venient. Did you ever watch an oriole 
building its nest? If it spies a bit of 
string anywhere, how hard it will try to 
secure it! If you will place some pieces 
of twine on the clothes-line or the lower 
branches of a tree, the bird will not be 
long in finding it, and you will be sur¬ 
prised at the quantity of string she will 
take if you keep her supplied. The male 
bird seems to think himself rather too 
fine to work. I have never seen him 
assist in the nest building. The female 
bird will soon become quite tame, and 
will come down in the tree quite near 
you, and will seem to scold you all the 
while you are putting up the string for 
her. Perhaps she is just saying, 
“Thank you, you are so kind,” and if 
her voice sounds rather fretful we can 
readily forgive her, for it must require 
much patience and labor to build so 
beautiful a home. One year when I 
put out string for my oriole a kingbird 
came and took nearly all of it. I don’t 
know whether she used any of it in her 
nest or not. She was not so skilful in 
handling it as the oriole, and would get 
it all tangled up in the branches of the 
spruce where she would alight. One 
May morning when I was -busy at work 
I heard a new bird note out in the 
spruce trees. I left my work and hur¬ 
ried out to see what new arrival it could 
be. I saw a pair of bronzed grackles. 
1 never had heard one before. Such 
notes from a bird! They sounded about 
as musical as the filing of a saw. Have 
you ever read Burrough’s delightful 
books? If you lack enthusiasm, and 
can see no pleasure in bird study, read 
the last chapter of “Wake Robin.” I 
have read the book more than once, and 
can read it again and again with plea¬ 
sure. 1 have found the colored Perry 
pictures a great aid in identifying a 
bird new to me, and they are inexpens¬ 
ive. Taking notes of your observations 
is of great value and adds much to your 
pleasure. It is interesting to keep a rec¬ 
ord of the return of the birds each 
year. If you see a new bird write in 
your note book the best description of 
it that you can, and if you cannot iden¬ 
tify it the first or second time you see 
it do not be discouraged. Observe it 
carefully, and if success does not re¬ 
ward your efforts this year, perhaps 
you will have a chance to study it again 
next year. From your note book you 
can tell about what time to look for it. 
Each new bird which you see and 
identify is like making a new discovery. 
Once you become interested you will 
always be on the alert. A new charm 
will be added to each walk and drive, 
or to whatever occupation takes you out 
of doors, and you will be surprised at 
the number of birds new to you which 
you will see. The field is wide, the 
pleasure is life-long; become interested 
in something out of doors. Open your 
eyes to the beauty which lies about you, 
and see if you don’t think less of the 
drudgery and lonesomeness of farm 
life, and more of a better, brighter side. 
A BUSY farmer’s WIFE. 
Mrs. Spraker Talks. 
“I’m trying to economize on wood,” 
I said as I put a stick in the stove. “It 
seems to take so much to keep a fire 
going. 1 suppose it is because I am 
used to burning coal.” 
Mrs. Spraker smiled. “If you are 
trying to economize I wonder why you 
don’t do it.” 
I must have looked blank. 
"The way you are doing,” she said, 
“you don't save wood and you don’t 
keep the room warm- either. Look at 
your stove—drafts all wide open, and 
one solitary stick burning as fast as it 
can and most of the heat going up 
chimney.” 
“Well,” T said, “what can I do? It 
will go out if I have the drafts shut.” 
“Of course it will,” agreed Mrs. 
Spraker. 
“Will you show me?” I asked. 
Mrs. Spraker put down her sewing 
and went to the stove. She put in sev¬ 
eral small sticks, then came back to 
her chair. 
“You haven’t changed the drafts,” I 
said, “I don-'t see-” 
“I’m not through yet,” she said 
calmly. 
Pretty soon the fire began to roar, 
but she kept on sewing, but in a few 
minutes she got up, took off a cover, 
gave the fire a poke, then filled the 
stove as full of wood as she could 
pack it. Then she shut all the drafts 
tightly, watched the stove a minute and 
nodded approval. “A good stove,” she 
said, “some would smoke.” 
“That is economizing wood, is it?” 
I asked a bit sarcastically. “You’ve 
put in ’most as much wood as I would 
use in half the afternoon.” 
Mrs. Spraker looked at the clock. 
“You see if you have to put in any more 
before it is time to get supper. Of 
course I didn’t have anything hut one 
stick to start with, so it took more. 
Don’t wait till it is all gone out before 
you fill it up again, but when you find 
there is a good bed of coals, put in 
vour wood and keep the stove shut. 
In that way you get the good of your 
fuel, you keep your stove hot, you don’t 
have your fire roaring up the chimney, 
and you don’t have to keep tending it 
and coaxing it to burn. Of course 
when you want to cook, that is another 
matter, you have to put on draft 
enough then to get the right heat.” 
“T’ll try your way,” T said, half con¬ 
vinced. “Perhaps you are right.” 
“I am,” said Mrs. Spraker with con¬ 
viction. SUSAN B. ROBBINS. 
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For over 65 years the women of 
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The Eddystone Mfg. Co., Philadelphia 
Established by Wm. Simpson, Sr. 
Three generations of 
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M 
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CURES 
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A real pocket-knife—an all¬ 
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mm KUTTCR 
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This illustration shows 
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SIMMONS HARDWARE COMPANY 
(Incorporated) ’ 
(..SIMNon 
rnn 
mm 
