1911. 
VHE RURAb NEW-YORKER 
776 
Ranch Life in Wyoming. 
Much has been written of the isolation 
of the farmer and his family. I have 
heard many of them laugh at the idea, 
A very few there are no doubt whose 
conditions are as represented, but from 
my observations in the Western States 
they are seldom met with. It is the 
fault of parents many times that the 
children are not satisfied at home. One 
case I have in mind where a good dea¬ 
con kept his three girls so closely at 
home, allowing them no company of 
young men if he knew it, but they went 
when papa was not home, or on the sly. 
Finally each one ran away and was 
married. The lesson was very clear. 
Why and who was to blame? 
Farm life and ranch life are very dif¬ 
ferent. A rancher’s wife has a few 
weeks when work is plenty. If it is a 
hay farm it is cutting and getting the 
hay in stack, employing several men and 
teams. In southwest Wyoming where 
we are located there are thousands of 
acres of Alfalfa, Timothy and wild 
grasses, mostly under irrigation. Where 
cattle and sheep are kept there is some 
help needed. The pastures are mostly 
under fence, but when the sheep run in 
the mountains they have to be looked 
after occasionally. The conditions are 
ideal for these cattle and sheep ranches. 
Indoors you will usually find a tele¬ 
phone, and although neighbors are far 
between yet the telephone brings a chat 
each day perhaps from all of them. 
There is no daily paper because the post 
office is too far away in many cases : 
as in our own, being seven miles from 
the nearest town. Schools there are, 
none nearer than the town, and where 
there are children makes it bad, but if 
one has the disposition and time much 
can be taught in the home. Nature’s 
lesson book is something wonderful in 
this country if one will only scan its 
pages. The farmer’s wife in the wheat 
and corn belt has no let-up with work 
until Winter months set in; even then 
late husking of corn or shelling keeps 
extra men oftentimes, but it is a rare 
case if the “women folks” do not have 
their driving horse and buggy to go 
where they see fit. In Nebraska, where 
we lived some years, the town and 
country women united in what they 
called the “Country Club,” and they 
had a large membership. They went in 
the forenoon and spent the day until 5 
p. m. In every case there was work to 
do. If a woman had quilts or comforts 
to make, quilt or tie, carpet rags to sew ; 
anything in that line, they did it, with 
no charge save the good dinner they 
were sure to get, a secretary being the 
only officer. Such jolly times they al¬ 
ways had. Sometimes it would be sev¬ 
eral miles in the country, but no mat¬ 
ter, they got there, often taking small 
children and babies with them. An¬ 
other club in town was the “Tea Club,” 
more exclusive, but imparting an in¬ 
fluence that was refining and good in 
many ways. Some book was read and 
discussed, or topics of the times made 
the hour pass very pleasantly until tea 
was served. 
The rancher’s family are differently 
situated many times, I can judge from 
the short time I have been here, but 
it could be made an ideal life, it seems 
to me, if rightly understood and carried 
out You do not have to be a slave to 
society, can have a mind of your own 
(women can vote in this State). Many 
of the older ranch buildings are built 
of logs, but are roomy and comfortable. 
Those coming in from the Eastern 
States (of which there are many) 
build of cement blocks or frame houses. 
In coming here over the Union Pacific 
I saw miles and miles of rocks and 
sage brush, looking as if nothing could 
ever grow on the barren soil, when a 
. big ditch came in view, and up on the 
higher land amid the sage brush was a 
big sign, “Watch our crops grow.” Yes, 
there was the key that opened the store¬ 
house, the water in the great ditches. 
Soon tents were seen where people lived 
until they could build a shanty; horses, 
mules, cows, chickens and people were 
all in sight, full of life and enthusiasm, 
starting the new home; hopes all cen¬ 
tered on the big ditch that would not 
fail them. Wonderful is irrigation. 
MRS. F. C. JOHNSON. 
Baked Ben Davis. 
I was amused in reading Walt 
Mason’s opinion of the Ben Davis apple, 
on page 464. I know how to sympathize 
with one who expects to find it as good 
an apple to eat as it looks from the out¬ 
side. It is like some people we meet 
once in a great while; they look well, 
but don’t prove as well when we come 
to know them. However, we must re¬ 
member there is “much good even in the 
meanest of mankind,” if we only know 
how to find it. So I have proved by the 
Ben Davis apple, after trying many dif¬ 
ferent ways to cook it, as it is not good 
unless cooked. If you try my plan I 
promise you will not say it “tastes like 
a mattress.” Ben Davis apple is a good 
keeper (not altogether for the reason 
that no one will eat it) and is the best 
for cooking in the Spring or late Win¬ 
ter. I have a roasting pan which has a 
close-fitting cover, what is termed a 
“self-basting pan.” The bottom does 
not set flat on the oven, but is raised 
so nothing burns. I select sound Ben 
Davis apples, wash well, cut out blow 
ends, or one can remove the core if de¬ 
sired. I do not, as I don’t think they 
are enough better to pay for the trouble. 
I fill the baker, which holds about three 
dozen medium apples, sprinkle two cups 
of granulated sugar over them, and add 
about one pint of boiling water; cover 
over tightly, and bake three or four 
hours with not too hot a fire. I do not 
remove cover until I think them nearly 
done. They will be a nice clear color, 
and juice should be like a rather thin 
syrup. Let them remain in the pan un¬ 
til cold and they will absorb most of 
the juice; then see if you do not pro¬ 
nounce them fine. If you have not a 
baker, they may be boiled in a deep 
granite stew kettle on top of stove, but 
must be watched and turned over, also 
will need water added as they boil dry. 
Never try to cook unless covered so to 
steam, and cook slowly for a long time 
or they will be a failure. Try them be¬ 
fore you condemn Mr. Ben Davis. 
R. M. 
Four Good Recipes. 
Very likely many housekeepers like 
myself often see the necessity of pro¬ 
viding wholesome meals for their family 
at little expense. It is very fortunate 
that the most nourishing food is not of 
necessity highest priced, and .especially 
is it true that those living on farms may 
prepare many a good meal representing 
but little money value. The following 
dish is one of the most nourishing and 
economical. It is properly speaking a 
stew, but is served like soup and eaten 
with crackers or bread: Mince fine a 
small piece of salt pork and two medium¬ 
sized onions. Place in kettle to fry 
slightly and brown, while preparing the 
other vegetables. Make ready six 
medium-sized potatoes, one carrot and 
a bit of cabbage. Chop these vegetables 
fine, add the pork and onions and suffi¬ 
cient water to cook. Season with salt 
and pepper. It should be served as soon 
as the vegetables are done, for all the 
ingredients are to be eaten, and the 
goodness doesn’t want to be cooked out. 
The tiny bits do not take long to cook, 
and the amber colored clear soup with 
the bits of vegetables make an attractive 
looking dish. Beef may be used instead 
of pork, but in that case the onion should 
not be friedi. Celery salt or dried 
powdered celery leaves may be added. 
Just before serving, either cream or 
tomatoes may be heated in if desired. 
Rice or other vegetables than those men¬ 
tioned are often used. The recipe is an 
old stand-by, capable of many variations. 
Sister L. said she did not care for 
gingerbread and apple sauce. They were 
served so often at the hospital where she 
was one of the nurses that she had tired 
of them. However, I had made my 
plans for supper, and it was too late to 
change them. The apple sauce was not 
made in quite the usual way. Whole 
Snow or Fameuse apples, fair and fresh 
from the orchard, were boiled whole, the 
syrup in which they were cooked allowed 
to thicken as soon as the apples were 
done. They did not keep their form 
perfectly as sweet apples do, but made 
a nice-looking dish served with the red 
jelly-like syrup around them. If you are 
unfamiliar with this dish, of apples boiled 
in their jackets, it is worth a trial. 
Sweet apples are especially fine this 
way, and a pinch of cinnamon cooked in 
the syrup adds to their flavor. The 
syrup may be made very thick and the 
apples served with cream. 
The gingerbread is another economical 
recipe made by the following formula: 
One cup molasses, one-half cup sugar, 
one cup hot water, one teaspoon soda 
dissolved in the hot water; butter the 
size of an egg; one tablespoon cinnamon, 
one teaspoon ginger, 2)4 cups flour 
(scant measure). Raisins may be added. 
The sugar may be omitted if the mo¬ 
lasses is very sweet and good. 
I think an icing made of creamy milk 
and sugar improves this plain little cake, 
and always use the following formula: 
One cupful sugar, one teaspoon corn¬ 
starch, five tablespoons creamy milk. 
Boil five minutes and stir until smooth 
and creamy, adding flavoring. Spread 
on the warm cake as soon as the icing 
thickens. Perhaps it was the country air 
that gave Sister L. a fine appetite for 
the good farm supper. At any rate she 
did ample justice to it, especially the 
gingerbread and apple sauce, and de¬ 
clared she would never say again that 
she did not care for those articles 
food. 
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When you write advertisers mention The 
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A SPOON SHAKER 
Straight From Coffeedom. 
Coffee can marshall a good squadron 
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