060 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Woman and the Home 
From Day to Day 
IN THE COOL OF THE EVENING. 
In the cool of the evening, when the low, 
sweet whispers waken. 
When the laborers turn them home¬ 
ward, and the weary have their 
will; 
When the censers of the roses o’er the 
forest aisles are sffaken, 
Is it but the wind that cometh o’er the 
far green hill? 
For they say ’tis but the sunset winds 
that wander through the heather, 
Rustle all the meadow grass and bend 
the dewy fern ; 
They say ’tis but the winds that bow the 
reeds in prayer together, 
And fill the shaken pools with fire 
along the shadowy burn. 
In the beauty of the twilight, in the gar¬ 
den that He loveth, 
They have veiled His lovely vesture 
with the darkness of a name! 
Through His garden, through His gar¬ 
den, it is but the wind that 
moveth. 
No more! But oh, the miracle, the 
miracle is the same. 
In the cool of the evening, when the sky 
is an old story. 
Slowly dying, but remembered, aye, 
and loved with passion still * * * 
Hush! * * * the fringes of Ilis garment, 
in the fading golden glory, 
Softly rustling as He cometh o’er the 
far green hill. 
—Alfred Noyes. 
* 
Tiie chestnut season will soon be here, 
and boiled chestnuts will be found desir¬ 
able served as a vegetable, or as a sup¬ 
per dish. Wash the chestnuts, picking 
out any weevily ones, make two cuts 
crossing one another in the broad end of 
the shell (a penknife is best for this) ; 
tie in a cloth, and boil until soft but not 
mushy. Shell, dress with butter, pepper 
and salt, and serve either hot or cold. 
* 
If the cucumber crop is a good one, try 
stewed cucumbers in the Italian style. 
Parboil two small cucumbers; peel and 
cut into halves. Remove the seed, then 
cut into small even pieces. Put in a 
pan ; add a pint of milk, two ounces of 
butter, a dessertspoonful of very finely 
chopped onion, white pepper and salt to 
taste, and half a teaspoonful of grated 
nutmeg. Stew slowly until the cucum¬ 
ber is soft, stirring frequently and add¬ 
ing more milk if required. Put in a hot 
dish, pouring the milk over it. 
* 
The following paragraph is from “So¬ 
cial Welfare” in New Zealand, by If. II. 
Lusk. The view there expressed is one 
that now merits the consideration of 
thoughtful Americans: 
Americans are wont to speak of the 
burdens the Civil War threw on the 
country and of the losses it entailed, but 
among the losses it has not been usual 
to reckon that of the simple and natural 
life of a people content to live as their 
fathers had lived, and to develop their 
country by living and working on the 
land, as their fathers had done. It has 
not occurred to them that the greatest 
burden of all left by the war was the 
creation of a millionaire class, and the 
consequent introduction of new and de¬ 
based ideals of well being, and the thous¬ 
and evils, social, political and national, 
that have sprung from it. 
* 
Among Fall hats already shown in 
the New York shops a great many are 
combinations of black and white—a nat¬ 
ural reaction from the brilliant colors 
that prevailed earlier in the year. Huge 
butterfly bows of net or ribbon are a pre¬ 
ferred trimming, perched on at any angle 
found most becoming. These butterfly 
bows can be bought readymade. There 
are some imported outing hats of patent 
leather faced with colored suede. Among 
the black and white effects one hat of 
black moire faced with velvet had a 
crown studded with white gardenias. 
The same black and white effect is to be 
prevalent in costumes. 
* 
The North Borneo Herald tells about 
the winged creatures of that tropic land 
as follows: 
In Borneo winged creatures are en¬ 
countered where one would least expect 
them. Flying fish, the size of herrings, 
are found in all the waters, and there is 
the flying fox, the well-known fruit-eat¬ 
ing bat, which the Malays call “kruang.” 
They may be seen almost any evening 
winging their steady flight often at a 
great elevation well out of range of a 
shotgun. The flying squirrel, as evening 
twilight comes, is also seen. They glide 
down from one lofty tree to tin* base of 
another, up which they scramble to the 
level they started from. Wide expan¬ 
sions of skin between the fore and hind 
limbs act in parachute fashion and sus¬ 
tain them in their glide. They are of 
some size, but are quite harmless. The 
flying lizard is seen in the heat of the 
day in the jungle gliding down with a 
flash in much the same manner as the 
squirrel. But he is much smaller and 
it requires a quick eye to detect him. 
The natives kill him with a clay ball 
shot from their blowpipes. 
Those flying lizards give quite a sound 
foundation for the old legends of dragons. 
Indeed, no red and gold paper dragon car¬ 
ried in a Chinese procession was ever any 
more grotesque than the dragon-like mon¬ 
sters of the Jurassic period, whose “coun¬ 
terfeit presentments” may be seen in 
geological books or museums. 
Using Wild Plums. 
Will The R. N.-Y. publish ways of 
using wild plums; how to can or make 
jelly, etc? M. It. C. 
This request comes from Central New 
York, but we infer that the wild plums 
would be similar in quality to the Beach 
plums of the Atlantic coast. These are 
very acrid, needing plenty of sugar, but 
have a sprightliness of flavor that is 
generally liked. A number of coastwise 
housekeepers sent us recipes for using 
them, some of which we reprint below: 
For a delicious rich Beach plum pre¬ 
serve use the largest fine plums, not over¬ 
ripe. Do not scald, as that removes the 
slight bitter taste which many like. Al¬ 
low three-fourths pound sugar to one 
pound plums and a little water. Make 
syrup, boil and put in plums, let boil a 
very short time, and when plums begin 
to wrinkle skim out carefully, drain and 
boil syrup down till almost as thick as 
jelly. Put in plums, simmer a few min¬ 
utes and fill pint cans. To can, use one- 
half pound sugar to one pound plums, a 
little water, and do not boil syrup down. 
They are good to use on table or make 
into pies. They are fine made in a sweet 
pickle, and make a beautiful clear jelly 
by following any good jelly rule. It is 
best not to have the fruit too ripe. 
To preserve the Beach plum whole, pit 
the plums the same as cherries. A cherry 
pitter is a big help again. Preserve the 
same as cherries. It is better to cook 
them in the preserving kettle, rather than 
to cook them in the jars. Another way 
is the spiced Beach plum, which excels 
spiced grapes and currants. Pit plums; 
to every seven pounds of fruit use three 
pounds of granulated sugar, a tablespoon 
each of ground allspice, cloves and cinna¬ 
mon, and one-half pint vinegar. Put 
spices in bag, boil slowly all together 
four to five hours. Put in stone crocks 
or jelly glasses. 
Care of Canaries. 
What is the proper treatment for 
canary birds? It has been years since 
I have had a canary, and here in the city 
they seem to treat birds different from 
in the country. Here for the bird they 
feed a pepper which they call moulting 
pepper, and it is the cayenne pepper. 
Wouldn’t it be all right to put a whole 
red pepper in the cage? It seems to me 
that in the country if they had a bird 
they kept a pepper in the cage for the 
bird to help himself. A suhscriher. 
It is common practice to keep a dried 
red pepper where the bird can get at it, 
usually fastened to the wire. It is con¬ 
sidered a benefit, and the bird is not 
likely to take enough to hurt it. The 
first requisite in the care of any cage bird 
is cleanliness, the floor of the cage being 
so arranged that it may be easily cleansed 
and strewn with coarse sand. Light, 
sun and freedom from chill or exposure 
in cold weather are all necessary. Fresh 
water, both for drinking and bathing, 
must be given daily. Proper mixtures of 
seed, which usually include Summer 
rape, millet, canary seed and cabbage 
seed, are put up by expert dealers, and 
the birds must also have green stuff— 
lettuce, groundsel, or water-cress, which 
should always be well washed before 
given them. In the Winter a slice of 
apple is appreciated. When fed seeds 
only, especially an excess of the richer 
seeds, such as hemp, they are likely to 
fail in health. Occasionally, in the Win¬ 
ter, a little bread soaked in milk and 
then pressed dry may be given; this is 
considered good for a bird whose voice 
is lost after moulting. It is very neces¬ 
sary that a canary should never be fright¬ 
ened by loud noises, rough handling, or 
sudden jarring of the cage; they are 
sensitive, affectionate little creatures, 
and a shock of any kind may cause ill¬ 
ness, or even death. 
The Rural Patterns. 
When ordering patterns always give 
number of pattern and measurements de¬ 
sired. 
The first group shows 7051 cutaway 
coat, 34 to 42 bust. 7953 belted coat for 
misses and small women, 14, 1G and 18 
years. 7942 three-quarter loose coat, 34 
to 42 bust. 7955 girl’s draped coat, eight 
to 14 years. 7930 child’s coat, two to 
six years. 437 embroidery design. 
The second.group includes 77S1 fancy 
blouse, 34 to 42 bust. 784S tucked 
blouse, 34 to 42 bust. 7871A semi-prin- 
cesse gown, 34 to 42 bust. 7929 girl’s 
dress, eight to 14 years. 7789 girl’s cos¬ 
tume, 10 to 14 years. Price of each pat¬ 
tern 10 cents. 
Midsummer Bouquets. 
If you are ambitious to have flowers 
for the table, or to give away, or to sell 
after the hardy peonies, Iris, early pinks 
and their sisters of June are gone, and 
if you prefer perennials as representing 
the minimum of care and labor, you must 
needs study and experiment. It is, of 
course, possible to prolong the Iris sea¬ 
son considerably, making it last well 
through June, by planting some of the 
later flowering sorts. A stand of Siberian 
Iris I have had these 10 years gave me 
fewer blossoms than usual this season 
because moved and divided last Autumn, 
but they are as hardy, if not quite as 
floriferous, as the more common German 
types. Mine are not especially choice, a 
purple veined with white, for I bought 
an inexpensive beginning out of a stock 
of bulbs and roots in a department store. 
Last Fall when ordering Narcissus and 
tulips I included a dozen English Iris 
August 23, 
(Anglica). Their cheapness had often 
attracted my notice, but I had feared 
they might not be hardy, or perhaps 
worth growing. They have proved them¬ 
selves to possess all three virtues. The 
resemblance to my Siberian Iris is close 
except in leaf, these have a narrower, 
more rounded blade. They are also 
lower—mine growing only about a foot 
high. There were two colors, a lavender, 
almost white, and a delightfully clear, 
deep blue. White and splashes of yellow 
at the center made the flowers extremely 
pretty, but are not we flower-lovers ever 
like young men, pleased with a new face? 
I shall try more of these English Iris 
this Fall, for I believe their inexpensive 
price is but a matter of being little 
known and so not in much demand. 
But by July I was brought to de¬ 
pending for cut flowers upon snap¬ 
dragons. Hall’s honeysuckle and 
Latliyrus with hardy Coreopsis and 
feverfew for rivals in bouquet effects. The 
snapdragons (Antirrhinums) were but 
that which had wintered over from the 
Government seeds sown the year before. 
There were three or four different colors 
and by taking only the tallest stalks 
at one time the lower ones were en¬ 
couraged to push up and the blossoming 
season made to last many weeks. As 
the buds continued to open after pick¬ 
ing these made bouquets very worth 
gathering. The white feverfew or 
honeysuckle was pretty with them, hut 
the yellow Coreopsis spoiled their quaint 
pinks and old-fashioned tints. This year 
I must be sure to sow seeds, for some 
of the choicest strains of Antirrhinums, 
for nothing can be prettier for the vases 
in July. Feverfew is next to no trouble 
at all, but cuttings should be rooted in 
fresh places in the garden each season, 
or it will deteriorate into the single 
sort which spoils its clear whiteness. It 
roots readily and is perfectly hardy 
with us in southern New England if 
water does not stand at its roots. 
Latliyrus, or Everlasting pea is 
charming in the white variety. It is 
also a permanent possession, gathering 
fertility as other leguminous plants do, 
and nobly able to hold its own when 
once established. Nothing can be in 
better taste upon the center of the dining 
table than a blue or green bowl filled 
with these clear white flowers relieved 
by a few sprays of their own foliage, nor 
are they out of place in the grandest par¬ 
lor. An embroidered linen piece in spot¬ 
less white used under a vase of flowers 
will usually bring out the color values 
of the blossoms as no other arrangement 
will, yet white or pale tinted flowers have 
a peculiar charm seen against a back¬ 
ground of polished mahogany. It is 
perhaps the colored table covers and 
draperies that most seriously cheapen and 
spoil nature’s more skilful handiwork. 
“Those will grow anywhere,” said the 
friend who was giving me some Gail- 
lardia among other plants, and certainly 
they came through the Winter all right 
and have already bloomed enough to 
prove that they give tone and variety 
to a vaseful of Coreopsis. For mid¬ 
summer bouquets, they will prove very 
useful, particularly if combined with any 
white flowers. Gypsophila, that most in¬ 
dispensable of hardy white blooms, will 
be ready soon after the middle of July 
to furnish a cloud of delicate support 
for Gaillardia or any other flowers that 
may hover like butterflies in its meshes. 
Indeed midsummer in the hardy border 
is not so poor a season as the fading 
of the earlier perennials made it seem, 
for then Madonna lilies add their fra¬ 
grance and matchless beauty where one 
is fortunate enough to keep them in 
health, and the Auratums or mammoth 
gold-banded lilies will follow in their 
wake. Hardy Phlox may be depended 
upon to give armfuls of bloom and 
Dahlias, once considered a late Fall 
flower, are easily made to begin blossom¬ 
ing in July. Even if you do not aim 
to have a collection of these reliable 
standbys it is worth while to make a 
choice of one or two varieties for noth¬ 
ing is surer to give bowlfuls of blossoms, 
and to own a good yellow and a white 
sort is to have an almost endless suc¬ 
cession of effective bouquets. If a 
Dahlia is not exactly a hardy plant its 
tubers winter so well in the potato bins 
as to make it almost' as permanent if 
given the needed but slight attention. 
PRUDENCE PRIMROSE. 
