Oic RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
527 
Recollections from a Self-supporting Farm 
So mtich is said and written these 
days about high cost of Jiving. As far 
back as I can remember little was 
thought of this, by the farmers particu¬ 
larly. The farm in my early days was 
nearly self-supporting. Even sugar was 
not bought, in many cases only loaf sugar 
for tea or company. It was kept sacred 
for that purpose, and hidden where only 
mother knew. Maple sugar was made 
and put in tubs, soft sugar it was called, 
scraped out with a big spoon, and used 
for all cooking sweetening. Coffee was 
rarely used where I lived, tea being the 
principal drink—in war time I remember 
we browned barley and rye, which made 
a very good substitute for coffee, and 
took the place of tea in many families. 
The farmer never bought flour or 
meal; took his own wheat and corn to 
mill and had it ground. Occasionally he 
had some wheat cracked, and after being 
washed it was steamed or cooked in 
what is now called a double boiler, until 
soft. It made a most delicious dish with 
cream and sugar. There was samp too, 
made from com coarsely ground. 
Hog-killing time generally was last of 
November; there were big foiir-gallon jars 
of lard, big jars of sausage, spare ribs 
and mince meat, and big pork barrel 
full to the top. A beef was killed every 
Winter, a forequarter “corned down,” big 
chunks of the hind quarter put to dry. 
I still remember the four iron hooks that 
were in the plaster overhead in the big 
kitchen, where poles were put across. 
The pieces of beef with strings put 
through were strung on these poles. 
Sometimes there would be enough to last 
two year-s. After being properly dried 
it was taken down, cleaned and put in 
sack.s, hung in a dark room. 
The farmer’s wife canned no fruit in 
those days, but many bags of dried ber¬ 
ries, plums, pears, peaches and apples 
were carefully prepared and there was 
no lack of pies and sauce. Always there 
were apples in the cellar, with potatoes, 
turnips carrots, beets, onions and cab¬ 
bage. There were always jars of 
rich preserves, quince, pear and plum, 
also cherries, put away in “the dark 
cupboard” in the cellar. These were 
never served except for company or 
very especial occasions. Caraway seed 
took the place of spices in cook¬ 
ies; clows and cinnamon were never 
bought except for mince pies. Nutmeg 
was the only spice used for apple pies. 
Two or three cows were kept which al¬ 
ways were fresh in the Spring. Butter 
was packed in October for Winter use, 
and eggs put down in salt for WIinter, as 
hens did not know how to lay in cold 
weather those days—but they did not 
have the oare they do now. “A hen was 
a hen to lay when it was the time for 
her to lay.” There was always plenty 
fried cakes that would nial<*e your mouth 
water always were found in the big 
stone jar, cookies in another, and mince¬ 
meat made into pies stacked in piles 
(after taken from the tins and plates), 
and put away in the closet at the head 
of the stairs. They froze, but when 
thawed out in the oven they were such 
pies as we do not get now. There was 
plenty of boiled cider for sauce and an 
occasional pie. 
Every Spring a leach was set up, lye 
run off and a lot of soft soap made. I 
never heard of any other soap except 
castile; there was a cake in the spare 
bedroom. You see there was nothing to 
buy except salt and tea. Tobacco was 
not used as much as now, at least not 
where I lived, and then was smoked. 
The tallow from the beef killed was tried 
out and run into candles. It was my 
work to fill the molds with wicks, mother 
filling with the hot tallow. Soon as 
cold they were taken out and more wicks 
put in. A large box full of candles last¬ 
ed until another beef was killed. One or 
two sheep were killed in warm weather, 
as mutton was considered the Summer 
meat. Some kind of meat was found on 
the farmer’s .table twice, if not three 
times a day. Cheese was made for fam¬ 
ily use and perhaps a few to sell. There 
were no fancy dishes, but many would 
be glad to change to the old-time food 
if a chance was offered. Beans were not 
raised extensively then in Western New 
York, as they were a little later, but 
there were always plenty for the baked 
pork and beans for the Sunday dinner 
for supper it was then), and there was 
cider vinegar to put on them. 
There were no “boughten” dyes, but 
the dye pot was always ready. People 
read their Bible more in those days, for 
there wms very little reading matter— 
one religious paper of their own denom¬ 
ination, perhaps the county paper, and 
at Sunday school once a month we re¬ 
ceived “The Child’s Paper” or “The 
Young Reaper,” of which every word was 
rend by or to us. We learned six verses 
to recite every Sunday. It was the sim¬ 
ple life, but good. 
MRS. FREDERICK C. JOHNSON. 
Marshmallows and Marshmallow Filling 
Will you give me a recipe for home¬ 
made marshmallows, also for marshmal¬ 
low filling for cake? MRS. R. w. N. 
Marshmallows: Soak four ounces of 
pulverized gum arabic in a teacup of cold 
water for two hours. Put into a double 
boiler with cold water in the outer part, 
and bring it gradually to scalding point. 
When the gum is dissolved, strain through 
coarse muslin, and return to the double 
boiler with a heaping cupful of powdered 
sugar. Stir steadily until it is white and 
stiff, then remove from the fire, beat hard 
for a minute, and flavor with vanilla. 
Beat a minute longer, then pour into tins 
which have been rubbed with cornstarch. 
When cool cut the paste into squares, 
and turn these over and over in a mix¬ 
ture of three parts cornstarch and one 
part powdered sugar. Pack in a tin box. 
Marshmallow Filling.—Dissolve five 
teaspoonfuls of powdered gum arabio in 
half a cup of cold water, add half a cup¬ 
ful of powdered sugar, and boil till thick 
enough to form a soft ball between the 
fingers when dropped into ice water. 
Pour upon' the white of an egg beaten 
stiff, flavor wuth a teaspoonful of vanilla 
and a few drops of lemon juice, and 
spread on the cake with a knife dipped in 
boiling water. An easier way is to use 
the prepared marshmallows. Make a 
boiled icing by dissolving one cup granu¬ 
lated sugar in one-quarter cup water, boil 
till it threads, then stir in about a cupful 
of cut-up marshmallows. Stir till melted, 
then beat into the well-beaten white of an 
egg, like any other icing. 
Dustless Dusters 
Three-quarters of a yard of cheesecloth 
wrung out of warm water and dipped into 
a solution of three tablespoonfuls of alco¬ 
hol and one ounce of citronella, or if pre¬ 
ferred paraffin oil may be substituted for 
tlie citronella. This is the recipe given at 
the Farmers’ Institute last .January by 
the lecturer sent out by the Government. 
One question asked was, why three- 
fourths of a yard of cheesecloth? Answer 
was because that amount just absorbs the 
given quantity of oil and alcohol, 
MRS. H. c. s. 
CocOANiiT Jumbles. —Three cups of 
sugar, one cup of flour, one cup of buttei-, 
three eggs, two cocoanuts grated. To be 
dropped on greased tins and then 
sprinkled with flour. Let them get a little 
cool before taking from the pan. j. w. v. 
To Cook 
Your Breakfasts 
and Dinners 
Union Carbide Gives Your Country Home 
This Two-in-One Service 
CARBIDE LIGHTS are as brilliant as the cities* 
®®st — they shine from handsome bronze fixtures ~ 
they are commonly equipped to turn on without 
matches. 
^ CARBIDE COOKING RANGES are just like 
city gas ranges — they furnish heat on tap — instan¬ 
taneous steady — uniform heat, without kindling^ 
ashes or fuel to handle. 
Fifty pounds of UNION CARBIDE will run a 
single CARBIDE LIGHT AND FUEL PLANT 
for weeks. 
^ Without attention the plant will automatically 
f^d the range in your kitchen, and as many 
lights as you care to install in your house and barns. 
The beauty and convenience of the light will 
double the charm of your fireside hours - and the 
modern gas range will bring relief from kitchen 
drudgery to the woman who cooks your meals. 
During the past fifteen years these CARBIDE 
Lighting and Cooking Plants have been tested, by 
folks, in competition with hundreds 
of different lighting plants invented during the same 
period. 
While most of this army of lighting plants have 
fallen by the wayside, the CAR¬ 
BIDE Plant alone has survived and gained steadily 
m popularity. , 
One and all, the himdreds of thousands of CAR¬ 
BIDE Plants now in use are practically indestruc¬ 
tible - they last most a lifetime. 
Instead of daily attention, the CARBIDE Plant 
needs monthly attention — instead of constant re¬ 
pair, it needs none at all — instead of a single service* 
it furnishes double service —two in one —twice the 
value for your money. 
We would like to answer any question about the 
CARBIDE Plant you care to ask — we can send you 
too, if you wish, with our compliments, intensely 
interesting Booklets telling you why the light flame 
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hottest — why the light is called artificial sunlight — 
how it grows plants the same as sunlight - why the 
UNION CARBIDE in one himdred-pound drums 
(always colored blue and gray) is as easy to store as 
coal —why it won’t burn —why it can’t explode — 
how we sell it direct at factory prices to most a 
million users and distribute it through two hundred 
warehouses scattered all over the United States. 
Write us today for this wonder story, and ask us 
the hard question you have in your mind —just 
address 
UNION CARBIDE SALES COMPANY 
42d Street Building, New York 
Dept* 42. Peoples Gas Building, Chicago 
Kohl Building, San Francisco 
