4:26 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
was glad to find that my care of my neighbor’s new 
baby, while its mother was unable to dress it, called 
out the same tender, motherly, and worshipful feel¬ 
ing toward the innocent new-comer, that I had felt 
for each of my own babes. 
WHAT IS THE MATTER ? 
I have noticed a great difference in the crying of 
children. Some babies, and some older children, 
when they cannot have what they want, or when 
they feel unwell, keep up such a moderate kind of 
“ boo-lioo-hoo ” that no one is much affected there¬ 
by. Other babes cry with all of their might, going 
so nearly frantic if their pain of body or mind is 
not allayed, that all in the vicinity are nearly driven 
frantic also. This difference depends much upon 
temperament, but sometimes it seems to be the re¬ 
sult, in considerable measure, of different methods 
of baby-culture. But, oh dear ! how can we know 
just the right way each time ? A baby is such a 
complex thing ! It has in it the blood of so many 
ancestors, all of which may modify its mental and 
physical constitution in ways we little dream of— 
for I have little faith in the rather common latter- 
day doctrine, that parents are wholly responsible 
for the peculiar organizations of their children. 
“ What is the matter with that child, that it cries 
so?”—“Firstly, is it a sticking pin ? ”—-“No.”— 
“ Has it been hurt in any way ?”—“ No.”—“ Is it 
colic !”—If so, it draws up its legs and inclines to 
double itself together while crying, and perhaps its 
feet are cold at the same time. Warmth, by external 
application of warm cloths over the bowels, or simp¬ 
ly a warm hand underneath, as the little one lies face 
downward, is the simplest and best cure for colic, 
and a gentle patting upon the back at the same time 
may help on the cure. Don't try the various teas 
so generally recommended. If you begin on one, 
you will probably have to follow it up with another. 
Not a drop of any kind of “herb tea” have any of 
uiy babies taken. 
But what is the matter with the screaming baby? 
Ear-ache perhaps, as several times with mine after 
hot windy weather lately. Get a piece of cotton¬ 
wool—pull it out of a bed-quilt or comfortable if 
you have no other—and wet it with sweet oil or 
glycerine, and stuff it into each ear of the sufferer 
to soften the wax, the hardening of which, from 
undue exposure to cold or wind causes the ache. 
If the baby is teething, and its gums are trouble¬ 
some, it may be best to call the doctor, but look 
carefully to its diet, and keep its nerves as quiet as 
possible. If you can not find the source of its 
trouble, and it still cries, wet a clean napkin or soft 
towel in cool (not cold) water, and lay that gently 
over its head and forehead, and possibly it will stop 
crying at once, and drop asleep in a few minutes. 
I have tried this more than once, with success. 
After all, perhaps the baby was only hungry, and 
having asked in vain, by all the pretty ways of ask¬ 
ing that it knows, it has cried out in despair or rage, 
or earnest entreaty, while it has been tossed, and 
trotted, and chirruped to, and sung to, and dosed, 
perhaps, all for nothing. You thought it was not 
time for it to be hungry, but its last meal may have 
been spoiled in some way, so that it got little, or 
was obliged to throw it up almost as soon as swal¬ 
lowed. But do not offer it the breast until you are 
sure that something else is not its trouble. It may 
be suffering from too much food already. 
It is not a very simple and easy thing to bring up 
a modern baby in the midst of modern civilization. 
Nevertheless, it is the most interesting work and 
study that I know of at present. 
POISON IN GREEN WALL PAPERS. 
The Agriculturist has already warned its readers 
of the danger lurking in the bright green of 
paper-hangings, but the matter should not be lost 
sight of. Medical authorities state that this is 
quite a common cause of illness, especially among 
children. Arsenic is generally used in the green 
coloring, and so poisonous is it, that many persons, 
both young and old, have been made positively and 
dangerously sick by living or sleeping in rooms 
where the wall-paper was green, or largely of this 
color. Others have suffered in less degree from 
this poison, and a decided change for the better, 
following a removal from rooms so papered, or a 
removal of the suspected paper from the walls. 
Never give bits of green paper or green cloth to 
small children who will be likely to suck or chew 
them, or serious poisoning may be the result. 
While on this subject, let us speak also of the visit¬ 
ing and other cards with enameled surface, made 
shining by the use of poison white lead, very 
dangerous in the hands of young children. 
WARM UNDER-CLOTHING. 
Whether it shall be made of flannel or not, who 
shall say ? Some strongly advise flannel next the 
skin for all seasons of the year, others advise it 
only for winter, and others think flannel too irritat¬ 
ing to be wo mi immediately next the skin of the 
whole body at any time. Having decided this mat¬ 
ter for ourselves, according to our own best light 
upon the subject, the most important thing is to 
pursue an even course, not wearing a flannel under¬ 
shirt one week, and a cotton one the next, with no 
special reference to the time of year and its proba¬ 
ble changes. The skin gets accustomed to either 
cotton or wool, so different in their texture and 
feeling, and changes from one to the other require 
considerable judgment. Careless changes from 
woolen under-garments to cotton ones may cause 
diseases of the lungs or of the digestive organs. 
It is certainly reasonable that warmer clothing 
should be worn in winter than in summer, and it 
will be time, when the Agriculturist for November 
is at hand, for mothers to be putting winter gar¬ 
ments on the children. The little boys should all 
have warm under-drawers of woolen or of cotton- 
flannel. These may be cut by the long trowsers 
pattern, but without any seam at the sides, and 
with more fullness around the body, as the two 
legs need not be sewed together, except a part of 
the way in front. Such drawers should button to a 
warm-sleeved under-waist, or be attached to the 
same when made. They should be gored at the 
ankle, both on the inside seam and on the fold op¬ 
posite, so that they may fit well under the stock¬ 
ings. Left open at the bottom a few inches, ey 
lap over more smoothly. Some mothers cu' 's&?- 
under-garments of their small children like light 
drawers, or with waist and drawers in one i iece 
If short trowsers are worn, warm under-drainers, 
reaching to the ankle, should surely form a pai c f 
the same costume, and leggins or high-top boc is 
should be added in cold weather. A fundamental 
principle is, “keep the extrernities warm." Many 
children, perhaps the majority of the little folks, 
are stunted in their growth by insufficient clothing, 
especially upon the lower limbs during winter. 
Consider the barbarism shown in the winter¬ 
clothing of little girls. Imagine yourself walking 
to school, with the thermometer in the neighbor¬ 
hood of zero, or lower, and nothing covering your 
flesh between your shoe-tops and the bottom of 
your dress skirt—a space of several inches perhaps 
—except one thickness of stocking. Woolen 
stockings perhaps :—you may have thought your 
duty done when you substituted home-knit woolen 
stockings for sale ones of cotton. But just think 
how little protection that really is, and, as I said 
before, imagine yourself, or your husband, dressed 
in that style in cold weather. Your skirts, at least, 
afford you some warmth, but look at the little girl’s 
skirts. They seldom protect even her knees from 
the blast, and when she sits down hurriedly upon a 
cold bench or chair, there is often but one thick¬ 
ness of cotton between her flesh and the freezing 
board. It is not uncommon to see little girls, un¬ 
der four years of age, sitting upon the cold floor, 
with their skirts spreading out in such a way as to 
leave only their drawers for protection from cold 
beneath them. Very little dependence should be 
placed upon skirts except for ornament, while 
drawers and trowsers should be well looked after 
as actual protection from exposures of all kinds. 
It will not answer to leave our little girls without 
long under-drawers, because they wear leggins, 
when out of doors. One thickness of stocking on 
the lower part of the leg is really not enough for 
in-door wear. Put yourself in the little girl’s 
place, and how would you like it ? 
Don’t tell me that little girls have dressed in that 
way these many winters, and it hasn’t hurt them. 
All that talk about this and that thing not having 
done hurt, because one has managed to live in spite 
of it, does not convince me. Why is it that more 
than half of the children die under the age of five 
years ? Why have we no healthy women ? 
The clothing should be evenly distributed over 
the body. The average school-girl under ten years 
of age, has perhaps four, possibly five, thicknesses 
of cloth upon her waist—supposing that she wears 
a high apron and a low-necked chemise and skirt 
waist. Probably she has not more than three 
thicknesses between her elbow and waist, the lined 
dress sleeve and the apron above. Between her 
waist and knees we will suppose four or five thick¬ 
nesses, lower than that, above the shoe, only one 
thickness. Is it reasonable ? Dare you risk it an¬ 
other winter while diseases of all sorts are abroad ? 
They usually make their victims of such persons as 
have prepared their bodies to take diseases, by lower¬ 
ing the vitality in some way. Of course, then, all 
of us who have given thought to the subject, will 
straightway provide long warm under-drawers for 
all of our children. While we are about it, let us 
put them upon ourselves ; for every woman needs 
them. 
Something About Soups, 
Our correspondent, “ Rell,” sent us some time ago 
an account of Prof. Blot’s manner of making soup. 
The recent death of Prof. Blot gives them especial 
interest. He was earnestly engaged in the attempt 
to teach our people better and more economical 
use of food, than is generally practiced, and his 
loss is greatly to be regretted. 
Pot-au-feu. —“Six pounds of fresh beef (ribs, 
knuckles, or loin) in a crockery kettle, with five 
quarts of cold water, salt, and a little pepper, on a 
slow fire. Take off the scum carefully when it 
rises. Add two white onions with one clove in 
each, a small parsnip, a carrot, two middling-sized 
turnips, half a head of celery, two leeks, two sprigs 
of parsley, one of thyme, a clove of garlic, a bay leaf, 
and a little caramel to color it. Simmer five or six 
hours. Dish the meat with the parsnips, turnips, 
and leeks around it, to be served warm after the 
soup or kept for the next day. Strain the broth, 
skim off the fat at the top, put back on a good fire, 
and at the first boiling pour on croutons in the 
soup-dish and serve.” 
Thus endeth the Professor’s recipe. Observe, 
firstly, that you must use a “ crockery kettle ”— 
that is some good soup-kettle. Many are the hus¬ 
bands who expect as good home-made soup as they 
get at first-class restaurants, and many are the dis¬ 
couraged wives who would gladly cook to please 
their husbands, but who neither of them dream 
that anything better than a common iron kettle is 
necessary in which to make nice soup. So, nine 
times in ten, the soup is more or less flavored with 
iron. Prof. Blot always says “a crockery kettle” 
or “a stew-pan ” when he mentions the utensil for 
cooking any dish, meaning the glazed or enameled 
ware. Marian Harland tells us never to cook 
onions in an iron kettle. 
Observe, secondly, that you are to “simmer” 
your soup “ for five or six hours.” To simmer is 
to boil gently, yet the boiling should not cease for 
a moment during those five or six hours. 
Observe, thirdly, that you must skim off all of 
the fat. Many people imagine that the melted 
tallow gives richness to the soup, but all the best 
cooks agree in saying “take off all of the fat”— 
and so, I think, says every educated stomach. 
Croutons. —Gut slices of the soft part of bread, 
either round, square, oblong, or star-shaped, and 
about a quarter of an inch in thickness. Have hot 
butter in a frying-pan, on a sharp fire, place the 
slices of bread in it, turn over when fried on one 
side, and take off when both sides are of a fine color; 
drain them as dry as possible, and they are ready 
for use. These are excellent in pea and bean soup, 
but as some may object to them, it is best to serve 
J in a separate dish, to add to the soup in the plate. 
