THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1231 
''1912. 
Christmas Time in a Florida Lumber 
Camp. 
It did not seem at all like Christmas 
time to me—so far from home, and with 
the weather like late Spring. At times 
during the clear days the sun was really 
hot, but there were always those de¬ 
lightful Gulf breezes. This little hamlet 
of some 200 homes (built only for a 
few years’ occupancy) was quite at the 
“jumping off” place, if one had the in¬ 
clination, but there were too many inter¬ 
esting things to hear and see and the 
time much too short. I had already 
seen the big mill and the huge logs lifted 
from the raft or from the cars up to 
the proper position and in eight minutes 
changed to sawed and measured lumber, 
the scraps going into their respective 
places to be quickly made into laths and 
shingles, and good, respectable firewood 
sadly burned as debris. The work up 
the river was tied up for the Winter 
and the big tugboat anchored near the 
mill. Early the second day a party of 
us, seated on boxes on a flat-car, pro¬ 
ceeded in advance of a train of log cars 
out to the woods to see the real life. 
We went for 12 miles on the company’s 
track, passing through what was but a 
few years ago a famous heron rookery. 
Of course they are all gone, but eagles’ 
nests are to be seen in the highest of the 
old trees, and for the hunter there is 
yet deer and black bear. It seemed that 
we were to experience all the thrills, for 
one of the men killed a rattlesnake that 
looked quite fearful to me. 
Palmettoes were as common on the 
higher ground as maples are with us, 
and the young shoots as common as our 
dock. We ate our lunch in true camp 
style, and on one of the bent twigs over 
the fire hung a kettle, in which was 
boiled a swamp cabbage, cut out from 
the heart of a palmetto crown. The 
flavor is a combination of asparagus and 
peas. The trails are cut for the bringing 
in of the cypress logs—that is, all growth 
and small trees are cut away for a space 
perhaps 15 feet wide—and these trails 
continue as far back as there is timber 
to be cut. The skidder stands on a plat¬ 
form some feet above the railroad track. 
From it cables are stretched far back 
into the woods. On this cable is a great 
iron hand that seems to handle the logs 
as if it were a human hand. The logs, 
too, appear like immense carcasses as 
they come rushing and splashing through 
the water, up the trail, to the car. They 
were loaded, well balanced, on the 11 
cars, all without a man straining a 
muscle. After watching this fascinating 
procedure for some hours we began to 
walk through the woods, wherever we 
could find dry footing. 
We stumbled into a “homestead,” with 
its bit of cleared and cultivated land 
and the green December garden. The 
house was built without windows and 
was, for the time, forsaken. We thought 
we would, however, peep into the barn 
and see the animals, but when we opened 
the stable door we found a bedroom, 
and the same when we opened a second 
door. It was very neat and clean, pos¬ 
sibly “overflow” quarters. In the garden 
were greens, lettuce, young turnips, cab¬ 
bages, with peas and beans in blossom. 
Well, that garden did not make me one 
bit dissatisfied with my Northern home, 
for I had made these deductions during 
my short stay—that there is a wonder¬ 
ful law of compensation, and that it was 
necessary for those people to have two 
gardens each year, for the climate there 
was such that they could not keep what 
was raised. Then in June, when green 
and succulent things are growing for us, 
their gardens are drying up, and I can 
endure a Winter without tender, green 
things better than a Summer. Then our 
cold frames and hotbeds and cellars 
make it all up. 
We tramped until we were almost too 
tired to return, and we had followed 
that self-satisfied general manager until 
we had quite lost our bearings, and he 
was obliged to reinforce his directions 
with a peep at his compass before we 
were satisfied. Following him was some¬ 
what like the man who bought a cow 
and decided that the easiest way to lead 
her home was to tie a rope to the cow 
and then to himself. After a while, as 
he was traveling at great speed down 
the road, he met a man who asked him 
where he was going. “Don’t ask me,” 
he replied; “ask the cow.” 
To wind up this eventful day we rode 
home on the engine. The next day was 
filled with Christmas preparations, at 
school, Sabbath-school and in the homes. 
It soon became evident to me that snow 
or cold weather were neither essential 
to the Christmas spirit. Such buying and 
giving and going! Then, on Christmas 
Day, Sallie came forth in all her glory, 
arrayed in a “new white dress with blue 
lawn dots,” and such feats as Sallie can 
perform when she tries, and she is usu¬ 
ally in that frame of mind! She is one 
of those rare creatures who have served 
in one family for 12 years. 
“Yas’m, I’d bin dar long ’nuff. Dey 
des wouldn't ’scharge me nor tell me git 
out, so I jes’ nacherally walks right 
outen dat kitchen.” 
When Sallie cooks young turnips, 
which are sold there in bunches with 
tops, as we sell beets, she cooks the tur¬ 
nips and greens together and they are 
fine. When she has any hominy grits, 
boiled rice or mashed potato left over, 
they appear as “puffs” for the next break¬ 
fast. With the cold vegetable she com¬ 
bines milk, eggs, salt, flour and yeast 
powder, making a mixture that drops 
stiff from a large spoon. These are fried 
in deep fat as we fry doughnuts, and are 
eaten, when hot, with syrup. 
In making grapefruit salad she shreds 
the fruit, removing all hard parts. This 
is mixed with some of the inner part of 
a head of lettuce, then the lettuce head 
filled and heaped with the mixture. The 
whole is then covered with mayonnaise. 
Sallie’s oyster stews are her crowning 
achievement. She uses condensed cream 
in place of milk—perhaps of necessity. 
The oysters are drained and heated sep¬ 
arately. When the liquor is hot the 
cream and seasoning is added, and, at 
last, just before serving, a few crackers 
are broken fine into the stew and the 
hot oysters are added. l. s. 
The Rural Patterns. 
When ordering patterns always give 
number of pattern and measurement 
desired. 
The first group shows boys’ pajamas, 
6323; boys’ bathrobe, 7628. 6867, men’s 
lounging or bathrobe, 34 to 46 breast. 
6551, child's caps, 2 to 6 years; 478, em¬ 
broidery pattern for melon cap. 6861, 
men’s house coat, 34 to 44 breast. 
The second group includes 7605, sur¬ 
plice blouse with Robespierre collar, 34 
to 42 bust. 7632, semi-fitting under or 
house jacket, 36 to 44 bust, with or with¬ 
out collar. 7634, empire gown, 34 to 42 
bust. 7636, two-piece skirt with pan¬ 
nier, 22 to 30 waist. 7620, girl’s Nor¬ 
folk dress, 8 to 14 years. Price of each 
pattern, 10 cents. 
Curing Breakfast Bacon. 
Will some of The R. N.-Y. readers 
give recipe through its columns for cur¬ 
ing breakfast bacon? I want bacon such 
as commands the highest price in the 
market. n. b. 
Brown-Tail Moth Itch. 
Here is a cheap cure for Brown-tail 
moth itch: Sweet fern leaves made into 
a strong tea and used as a wash when 
cold will cure it. A neighbor told me 
about it after I had bought three bottles 
of “sure cure” at the drug store. I 
tried it and it worked well. I gave sev¬ 
eral bottles away and they all say the 
result was the same. This will stain 
the clothing brown. The juice of the 
milkweed is good for poison ivy, I have 
been told. As it does not poison me, I 
have never tried it. B. m. w. 
R. N.-Y.—Brown-tail moth itch may 
be new to readers out of the infested 
zone, but it is an additional misery in 
those places where this detestable nuis¬ 
ance is as pervasive as the plagues of 
Egypt. The itch is caused by the barbed 
hairs of the caterpillars, which crawl 
everywhere; these irritating hairs, blow¬ 
ing about from nests or cocoons, or 
from fallen caterpillars, poison the skin 
as badly as poison ivy. The simple rem¬ 
edy given is likely to be very useful. The 
sweet fern, botanically Comptonia as- 
plenifolia, contains tannic and gallic 
acids, combined with some resinous 
properties, and, being astringent, a de- j 
coction of it is sometimes used in in¬ 
testinal troubles, but we had never heard 
of it as a wash for irritation of the skin. 
There is no great trust to be placed 
in a frail and mortal man, even though 
he be useful and dear to us, neither 
should much sorrow arise within us if 
sometimes he opposes and contradicts 
us. * * * Make no great account 
who is for thee or against thee, but mind 
only the present duty and take care that 
God be with thee in whatsoever thou 
dost. Have a good conscience and God 
will defend thee, for he whom God will 
help no man’s perverseness shall be able 
to hurt.—Thomas a Kempis. 
Here’s a Gift for Father and the Boys 
One that is both appropriate and useful. A 
present that will afford constant satisfaction 
for years. A real man’s gift. 
THE HANDY WORKING KIT No. 16 
There is nothing a man or a boy Jibes better tin. n 
a kit of real tools—high quality, true edge, 
dependalrle tools that will enable him to do a 
good job when lie wants to. 
The tools in Kit No. 115 htiro been carefully selected for tlio 
needs of tl:c handy man about tlio house, or tho younpj 
amateur carpenter. Every tool Is narrmnted highest 
quality. The follonlng tools are contained In kit No. lti: 
24-inch Cross Cut Hand Saw 
8-inch Sweep Brace Bit 
1 pound Ad...^e Claw Ham¬ 
mer 
2*t>-inch cut Tinner’s Shears 
No. 4 Gimlet Bit 
5-inch Side Cutting Pliers 
Screw Driver for Brace 
Alligator Thread Cutting 
Wrench 
12 inch hy 8-inch Polished 
Steel Square 
IB-inch by 2-inch Cutter 
Jack Plane 
1-in., 3 4-in., “s-in., Ha-in., ^-in. and q-in. Auger Bits 
Tools packed in neat wood case with hinges, hasps and 
screws. When put together, makes a handy tool box. 
PRICE, COMPLETE, F.O.B. 
NEW YORK CITY. 
$4.85 
X llenmrknhlc Value in High-grade : ools. Order n Kit Today 
J.W. Scott Hardware Co.,37-R Warren St..NewYork City 
'/) More Water 
k “American” Centrifugal Pump 
than by others because the impeller 
is accurately machined to the casing, 
preventing any sudden 
change in direction 
of the water. 2Vof 
on ounce of power 
js wasted. Every 
“American” Cen¬ 
trifugal absolutely 
0 uaranteed. 
Write for new 
catalog. 
THE AMERICAN WELL WORKS 
Office and Works, Aurora, Ill. 
_First National Bank Building, CHICAGO 
350—Shot Repeating Rifle $1 
Automatic Repeating Daisy Air Rifle ; Broakdowti 
Action. Polished nickel steel. Beautiful walnut 
stock. Order today. Catalog of Dollar Bargains, 
RALPH A. YOUNG, 542 Dean St., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Anty Drudge’s Cure For 
Wash-Tired Feeling 
Anty Drudge—“I just stopped in for a minute to ask 
you and Lemuel to come over on Monday night. 
I’m going to have a party.” 
Mrs. Farmwife —“For the love of goodness, Monday 
night! Won’t you be all tired out with washing?” 
Anty Drudge —“Me tired? No, indeed, not the way I 
wash. I use Fels-Naptha Soap, and my work is 
easy and pleasant.” 
How can a woman living on a farm, 
with all the heavy work to do, help being 
tired all the time? She can’t, unless she tries 
to lighten some of her work. 
Fels-Naptha Soap makes all your work 
lighter. It makes washing easy. It starts 
and finishes your week right. It is just as 
good and as easy to use in Saturday’s clean¬ 
ing up as it is in Monday’s washing. It 
makes everything it touches clean and sweet, 
and it makes you feel rested and happy. 
That’s a good deal for a soap to do, but 
Fels-Naptha Soap does it. 
Grocers and general stores sell Fels-Naptha. Made in Philadelphia 
