574 
March 29, 1919 
WOMAN AND HOME 
From Day to Day 
The “If” of Spring 
(W ith Tlousecleaviiiff Apologies to Kip¬ 
ling.) 
If you can clean your house when all 
about you 
Are in the way, and blaming it on you: 
If you can rise at six with pail and dust 
mop, 
And be half dead at night when you get 
through; 
If you can scrub, and not be tired by 
scrubbing. 
Or. being cross and hot. keep bravely 
mum. 
Or. being hated by the family. 
Don't answer back, and yet don't look 
too glum— 
If you can treat with dirt’and trash and 
cobwebs 
And treat all those disasters just the 
same; 
If you can bear to see the rugs you've 
beaten 
Tracked up with mud, yet how to fix the 
blame! 
If you can take each glass and pictured 
token 
Down from the wall where it has al¬ 
ways lain. 
Or watch the things your mother gave 
you—broken— 
And stoop and glue the pieces ou again : 
If you can fill each swift, vexatious min¬ 
ute 
With soap and brush and all the 
strength you’ve got— 
Tour house is clean.' and everything that s 
in it.! 
And—which is more—you'll be a Pa¬ 
triot ! 
- New York Evening Post. 
f: 
One of our friends says his standard 
application for chapped hands is one part 
glycerine, one part sweet oil and one part 
household ammonia, shaken up together. 
It is very healing, and suits him better 
than glycerine and rose water. It should 
be shaken before using, as it has a ten¬ 
dency to separate. Different persons find 
different emollients suited to their con¬ 
ditions. but this is generally satisfactory. 
Household ammonia is. of course, much 
weaker than the pure article. 
* 
The burglar had entered the house as 
quietly as possible, says London Opinion. 
but his shoes were not padded, and they 
made some noise. lie had just reached 
the door of the bedroom when he heard 
someone moving in the bed. as if about 
to get up. and he paused. The sound of 
a woman’s voice floated to his ears. “If 
you don’t take off your boots when you 
come into this house.” she said, “there s 
going to be trouble, and a lot of it. Here 
it’s been raining for three hours, and you 
dare to tramp over carpets with your 
muddy boots on. Go downstairs and take 
them off this minute!” He went down¬ 
stairs without a word, but lie didn’t take 
off his boots. Instead, he went straight 
out into the night again, and the pal who 
was waiting for him saw a tear glisten 
in his eye. “I just can’t bear to rob that 
house,” he said, “it reminds me so of 
home.” 
* 
The New York Evening »S'i/h tells how 
an American Red Cross nurse serving in 
a French hospital where American wound¬ 
ed had been sent wa«s approached by a 
couple of French nurses much excited. 
“Come quickly! An American hoy has 
something the matter with his leg. Every 
time we move it ho says something, and 
we cannot understand!” 
When the nurse arrived at the bedside 
of the American there were a couple of 
orderlies, several more French nurses and 
a convalescent patient or two, all trying 
to do something to his leg, which was in a 
cast. 
“What's the matter with it?" asked the 
nurse. 
“Nothing,” he said. "For the love of 
Mike, call them off! I’m trying to tell 
them it’s comfortable." 
* 
Flowers for the Farm Woman 
There is something subtle and creative 
in the atmosphere of early Spring that 
mokes us want to get out and prepare the 
rich, mellow earth for planting seeds. The 
city woman finds relief in working up the 
soil in tiny window boxes and 10x10 back¬ 
yard gardens, while we farm women pon¬ 
der over seed catalogues and select a list 
long enough to keep one hand busy plant¬ 
ing and cultivating. God gave us the 
flowers with which to make life more 
beautiful, and we should never be too busy 
The RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
to take time to admire the beautiful things 
of life. So, when making out the seed 
order and planning the garden, let us plan 
for some of those pretty easily-cared for 
annuals which will give an abundance of 
bloom in return for little care. 
The farm woman with household cares, 
children and laundry work and many 
other duties has little time to care for 
flowers, hence she must select those that 
are easily grown, that will bloom through 
a long season, and the foliage of which 
are not tempting delicacies for the hens. 
Among this class are Gannas, Zinnias, 
marigolds, balsams. A erbenas. Petunias 
and some others. All of these are at¬ 
tractive. when planted in a large bed of 
mixed colors. Everyone admire** the trop¬ 
ical-like foliage and lovely spikes of 
bloom of the Gannas, and a bed of these 
grown from the seed will give variation 
in both foliage and flower. The seed 
must be soaked in warm water 24 hours 
and filing through the hard outer cover¬ 
ing of the seed, else the germination will 
be poor. Plant seeds in boxes the first 
of March and transplant to beds when 
danger of frost is past. 
Verbenas require about four months 
from planting of seed until blooms ap¬ 
pear. Seed should be planted in window 
boxes early and transplanted to beds in 
April. Zinnias, marigolds and Petunias 
may be planted outdoors the first of April. 
Balsams are very tender and planting 
should not be done until ground is warm, 
about the first of May. All of these 
thrive in full sunshine. Verbenas gave 
more bloom when soil is not too fertile. 
The Rural Patterns 
In ordering always give number of pattern 
and size desired, sending price with order 
9715. Dress with 
tucked skirt. 34 to 9581. Dress for 
42 bust. Price 15 misses awl small 
cents. women. perforated 
for tunic. li; and 18 
j ears. Price 15 
cents. 
Cannas thrive in deep, rich beds and like 
moisture. The scarlet sage, or Salvia, 
is worthy of a place in every yard. Set 
plants two feet apart each way and the 
dazzling spikes of rich scarlet will hist all 
Summer long. Zinnias may be had in 
such a variety of color, also in dwarf 
and tall growth, while there is a wealth 
of bloom from .Tune until cut down by 
heavy frosts. If there is an unsightly 
building, a lot. or junk pile which we 
would like to hide from view, try a hedge 
of Ricinus, or common castor beans. 
These may be had in both dark and light 
foliage, and both flowers and pods are at¬ 
tractive. while the growth is so rapid that 
by midsummer the plants reach a height 
of 10 feet. Sunflowers combine utility 
with beauty in the backyard, as the seeds 
furnish the best of food for the hens. For 
a low. temporary hedge, try the Mexican 
firebusb. The plants grow 20 to 30 inches 
high, and, set one foot apart in the row. 
will soon form a solid wall of green 
which will remain until frost. In the late 
Summer the plants take on a vivid red 
color, which gives the name. 
Everyone knows the great beauty of 
a bed of many-colored Petunias. The 
Petunia is not particular as to location, 
but will grow and bloom in almost any 
spot given it. The plants are very small 
when first coming up and beds should be 
protected from tramping. Phlox in as¬ 
sorted colors give a wealth of bloom 
through a long season, and should have a 
place in every yard. 
If there is a sunny window or porch 
where shade is needed for the long Sum¬ 
mer days, select some of the quick-grow¬ 
ing vines. Dig a trench one foot wide. 
18 inches deep, and fill with rich earth. 
Plant seeds of morning-glories, moon 
vines, cypress vines, Dutchman's pipe, or 
just common Lima beans. These will 
give a heavy shade and beans, too. The 
scarlet runner, cypress vine and balsam 
cucumbers are pretty vines for the porch. 
but of slower growth than the others. 
The Madeira vine is also a rapid grower, 
and the thick, leathery leaves give excel¬ 
lent protection from the hot sun. The 
long plumes of delicate white bloom are 
quite fragrant. This vine does not pro¬ 
duce seed, but is grown from tubers. like 
potatoes, which may be left in the ground 
and protected with a mulch of leaves or 
strawy manure. lii.i.ie heed York. 
Crumb Coffee Cake; Hot Cross Buns 
Will you publish a good recipe for mak¬ 
ing hot cross buns and crumb coffee 
cake? I believe these two recipes would 
be very much appreciated by others than 
myself, particularly so as these two ar¬ 
ticles of pastry are almost universally 
used in the home. Hits. c. b. c. , 
Crumb Coffee Cake.—One tablespoon 
butter, one-half cup sugar, one egg. pinch 
of sillt, one and one-half cups flour, three 
level teaspoons baking powder, about one 
cup milk, very little flavoring. Bake this 
in two layer cake pans. 
Crumbs.—Two tablespoons butter, one i 
tablespoon lard, melt in frying pan, then j 
add one cup flour, two tablespoons pow- 1 
dered sugar, two tablespoons granulated 
sugar, one-fourth teaspoon ground cinna¬ 
mon, pinch of salt. Mix well, sprinkle on 
batter in pans and bake. 
A quick coffee cake that will be found 
excellent in an emergency is made as fol¬ 
lows: Sift together three cups of flour, 
half a teaspoon of salt, three tablespoons 
sugar and two teaspoons baking powder. 
Rub in very lightly two heaping table¬ 
spoons butter. Beat two eggs till light, 
add two-thirds of a cup of milk and stir 
into the dry ingredients, adding more milk 
if necessary, but the batter should be 
very stiff. Grease a pan thoroughly, and 
spread the batter about three-fourths of 
an inch thick. Mix together two teaspoons 
of flour, four tablespoons granulated 
sugar, two tablespoons of butter and a 
teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix these ingre¬ 
dients until crumbly, and spread quickly 
over the top of the batter. Bake in a 
moderaately hot oven for half an hour. 
Any good recipe for buns raised with 
yeast may be used for hot cross buns. 
We often use a recipe for rusks, adding 
(purrants or raisins and candied peel 
shaved line, but no spice. The following 
is a good recipe: One and one-lialf quarts 
flour, one cup sugar, one-third cup but¬ 
ter, one cup seeded raisins, a little shaved j 
candied peel, one and one-half cups milk, 
one egg, one yeast cake dissolved in little 
water, one-half teaspoon salt. Scald the 
milk with butter in it. When lukewarm, 
add yeast, beaten egg and raisins. Raise 
over night. In morning mold as for bis¬ 
cuit. mark with cross by knife cuts, raise 
and bake when ready. To make a frost¬ 
ing for buns, cook one cup of sugar and 
one-fourtli cup water until it hairs. Re¬ 
move from fire, add one teaspoon vanilla, 
and apply to buns with brush. We do 
not frost our hot cross buns, but some do. 
Another good bun recipe is the follow¬ 
ing: Two cups sweet milk, one cup sugar, 
one yeast cake, flour to make a stiff bat- I 
ter. two teaspoons cinnamon. Raise over 
night. In the morning add one cup melt¬ 
ed butter, one cup sugar and one cup 
chopped raisins or one cup of currants, 
also flour to mold. Raise again. Mold 
into shape and raise a third time. Then 
bake. 
Other recipes for hot cross buns are the 
following: Beat a quarter cup of butter 
to a cream ; add four tablespoons of 
sugar and then add gradually a pint of 
milk tiiat has been scalded and cooled; 
add a yeast cake, dissolved, and sufficient 
flour to make a batter. Beat thoroughly. 
Stand in a warm place for about three 
hours. Then add four eggs well beaten 
and enough flour to make a soft dough. 
Knead carefully. Stand aside until very 
light and form into buns. Gut them in 
the center: brush them with sugar and 
white of egg and bake in a quick oven. 
No. 2.—Sift into a large bowl one full 
quart of flour, half a cup of sugar, and 
half a teaspoon of salt; dissolve one- 
fourth of a cup of butter in a generous 
half-pint of warm water, and add to the 
dry ingredients, with the yolks of two 
beaten eggs; add half a yeast cake dis¬ 
solved in a little water, half a nutmeg 
grated, and the whites of the two eggs, 
beaten stiff; this should make a very soft 
dough. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth, 
place it where it will keep warm and let 
it raise over night. In the morning take 
pieces of the dough the size of an egg. 
and. with a little flour, mold them into 
round cakes an inch in thickness. Place 
them on a buttered tin. leaving a little 
space between. Cover the tins and set in 
a warm place for the buns to raise; they 
should be double their original size. With 
a shap knife cut a cross in the center of 
each bun. Bake them in a moderate oven 
for about half an hour. When the buns 
are baked, brush the top with a syrup 
made of sugar and water. A few cur¬ 
rants or a little candied peel is usually 
added to this recipe. 
Cleaning Dough for Wallpaper 
A cleaning dough for wallpaper can be 
made by adding to one quart of flour two 
tablespoons of washing soda dissolved in 
enough water, ,‘o make a stiff dough. Be¬ 
gin with a piece about as large as one’s 
list or a little larger. Rub the soiled 
paper with short, downward strokes, turn¬ 
ing and kneading the dough between 
strokes to keep the surface clean. 
READER. 
No Cold Rooms 
No chilly rooms in the whole house: 
none too hot, but every one just as 
liveable as in summer—and only one 
fire to tend. That is the comfort and 
convenience afforded owners of the 
NEW IDEA 
Pipeless Furnace 
"The One You’ve Heard So Mach About" 
You can enjoy it too. and at little 
expense. The NEW IDEA costs 
but little more than one good stove 
and pays its ow n way by its big 
savings in fuel. 
For your own protection choose the 
pipeless furnace with over thirty' 
years experience behind it: the 
NEW IDEA is the best. 
Send today for New Idea literature 
and heating information. It’s free. 
UTICA HEATER CO. 
Box 50 Utica, N. Y. 
Some good territory it 
open for live agents. 
19-8 
S OLVE your papering problems with , 
one of these wall paper sample 
books. It’s Free. The book contains I 
actual samples of wall paper big enough j 
to show the patterns, with reproduc¬ 
tions in colors showing how the paper 
looks when on the wall. Late New 
York patterns, up to date and very 
attractive, with prices amazingly low, 
considering the quality. 
Write for one of these books before 
starting in your annual Spring house-clean¬ 
ing. It is a valuable book. .You can get 
many decorative ideas from it. 
Charles William Stores 
_49 Stores Building, New York- GT^y 
\V 
witk a 
FISH BRAND 
SLICKER 
Keeps o\it all tke wet 
DEALERS EVERYWHERE 
Waterproofs* ^QWEftiy 
Absolute , ' 
are Marked thus — ffsn brM^ 
A.T. TOWER CO. BOSTON 
319 J 
JUDGING FARM ANIMALS, by C. S. 
Plumb; $2.25. A Practical Manual on this 
subject. For sale by Rural New-Yorker 
