1162 
WOMAN AND HOME 
From Day to Day 
Be True 
Thou must be true thyself 
If thou the truth wouldst teach; 
Thy soul must overflow, if thou 
Another’s soul wouldst reach! 
It needs the overflow of heart 
To give the lips full speech. 
Think truly, and thy thoughts 
Shall the world’s famine feed; _ 
Speak truly, and each word of thine 
Shall be a fruitful seed; 
Live truly, and thy life shall be 
A great and noble creed. 
—nORATIUS BONAB. 
* 
A reader in Connecticut wishes to ob¬ 
tain a recipe for cocoanut drop cookies. 
Will some reader send us this recipe? 
* 
A new device noted in one of the large 
stores was a bottle-holder for the baby. 
It grips the baby’s bottle securely, and 
may be fastened to the crib or carriage, 
so that if the baby has a sudden wild im¬ 
pulse to throw his bottle away, the holder 
prevents breakage. It is a simple device, 
costing 50 cents. 
* 
Have any of our readers experimented 
in dyeing immortelles, or “straw flowers”? 
One of our correspondents says that she 
has not been able to do this with com¬ 
mercial dyes, and would like information. 
We think dyes for cotton should “take,” 
but have not tided it. Of course the flow¬ 
ers should not be boiled in the dye. and 
should be prepared before the petals are 
open. The colored immortelles used by 
florists are prepared in Europe. Women 
used to color grasses and similar ma¬ 
terials used in old-fashioned Winter bou¬ 
quets, and perhaps some of them can solve 
the question of dyeing immortelles. 
* 
Do girls still read “The Wide, Wide 
World”? We have just passed the one 
hundredth anniversary of Susan Warner’s 
birth, and her first book, published in 
1851, is the most popular novel ever writ¬ 
ten by an American, except “Uncle Tom’s 
Cabin.” It was published, we are told, 
against the advice of Mr. Putnam’s critic, 
as a result of his mother’s persuasion, 
and attracted little attention at first; 
then a surprising demand began, and it 
was published in Europe in French. Ital¬ 
ian, Spanish. Russian and Swedish. Now¬ 
adays the weeping, sensitive heroines of 
“The Wide, Wide World” and “Queechy” 
seem hopelessly out of date, in spite of 
their author's sympathetic touch. Yet 
this gentle writer of stories for girls has 
exerted a powerful influence over the 
United States Army. Says the New York 
Sun : 
It was in 1800 that Miss Warner and 
her sister went to live on Constitution 
Island in the Hudson opposite West 
Point. The island, on account of its his¬ 
torical associations, had a strong charm 
for her. The little one-story house was 
partly built from the old Revolutionary 
fort, and in the Summer it was almost 
hidden by the thick growth of flowers and 
vines. Sundays she conducted a Bible 
class for the cadets—her home was the 
ouly place “off limits” that they were 
privileged to seek. Sometimes she was 
rowed across the Hudson by one of her 
old family servants and held her classes 
at the chapel. A quaint, charming little old 
woman in the poke bonnet, Indian shawl 
and silks of a generation past, she seemed 
one of the lovely, gentle characters from 
her own books. Today many gray-haired 
officers willingly acknowledge her teach¬ 
ings as one of the greatest and best in¬ 
fluences in their West Point lives. 
She was buried near the cadet monu¬ 
ment in the West Point Cemetery and 
the inscription on her tombstone reads: 
“The author of ‘The Wide, Wide World’ 
was born 11 July, 1819, and passed gen- 
tlv into the life that knows no ending 17 
March, 1885.” This woman of gentleness 
chose this military cemetery as her rest¬ 
ing place; it was among the cadets and 
officers at West Point that she made her 
strongest and most enduring friendships, 
and it was her wish that she should he 
remembered by the army which she loveJ 
and which she strived faithfully to serve. 
Notes from Vermont 
Anything to keep the boys on the farm 
is of interest to us, and ours are all in¬ 
terested in seed catalogs and gardening. 
We try several new varieties each year. 
When we began housekeeping I promised 
myself that we would have at least one 
vegetable besides potatoes every day in 
the year, but I haven’t quite done it. 
This' year May was cold and wet, and 
farmers were late in getting their work 
‘The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
August 2, 1910 
along, while June was very hot and dry. 
One afternoon a thermometer hung on 
the west end of the house in the sunshine 
registered 190 degrees, and today, July 1, 
it was 104 degrees, with a hot, dry air; 
but Sunday morning, June 29, there was 
a frost in the northern part of the town. 
We had the first early turnips today, 
Extra Early Milan, and they were three 
inches in diameter. Soon we shall have 
Scarlet Kashmyr turnip, a variety we 
especially like. The boys are much in¬ 
terested in watching the rapid growth 
of Japanese radish, said to grow three 
feet long, and the Japan turnip, said to 
weigh 10 lbs. each. The seedsman claimed 
his seed came direct from Japan, hut 
they certainly germinated well, and do 
not appear to mind a change of climate. 
I find many of the present generation 
do not know the taste of the Jerusalem 
artichoke. Yet as soon as the ground is 
thawed we are all glad of a chance to 
dig the tubers, wash, scrape and clean, 
slice thin and prepare as a vegetable 
oyster soup. 
The Colorado preserving melon is the 
best of the citron class that we have tried. 
They usually ripen seed with us. The 
garden lemon is scarce worth raising here 
in our short seasons. Chinese cabbage 
and New Zealand spinach are both all 
that is claimed for them. 
This year the oldest boy is trying pea¬ 
nuts and Mammoth pumpkin, the second 
is raising cabbage, has nearly 700 plants, 
Early Jersey Wakefield. Greenback, 
Faultless, Red Dutch and Savoy. Chives, 
whose toils are used to give a mild onion 
flavor, early in Spring, is seldom seen 
The Rural Patterns 
In ordering always give number of pattern 
and size desired, sending price with order 
34 to 42 bust. Price cents. 
10 cents. ion. Design for 
border, 1 inch wide. 
9001. Kimono 9398. Fancy Bodice, 
Blouse, 34 to 42 34 to 42 bust, l’rice 
bust. Price 15 cents. 10 cents. 
nowadays, although it is a hardy per¬ 
ennial. 
The canning season is here, and some 
complain that the vegetables put up by 
the cold pack process did not keep, but 
in every case I have inquired into the 
failure was caused either by using old 
rubbers or by not having the water cover 
the jars. Some only had the water come 
to the neck of the can. Personally I 
have never lost a can. and have tried 
greens, Summer squash, pumpkin, etc., 
as well as peas, beans and corn. Per¬ 
haps not all the beginners in canning 
know that wild blackberries are much 
better to can for pies if gathered when 
black, but not dead ripe. I can them 
when dead ripe, but an English friend 
said in England they always added a cup 
of sauce made from sour apples to each 
quart of fruit, and we find it an improve¬ 
ment. 
We have read that vegetables could not 
be canned by the cold pack process in 
two-quart cans. Has anyone been suc¬ 
cessful? One neighbor east has about a 
dozen sons. daughters, nieces and 
nephews, and a neighbor west has 10 
children, so the larger cans are preferred. 
I cannot agree with Mr. Wing that 
less flowers are found each year. Our 
town has more flowers each year. Per¬ 
haps he mentioned the reason why there 
were less flowers in his vicinity when he 
said the house was now occupied by a 
tenant, when the lady who grew the 
flowers was the owner. To me, at least, 
it has seemed sad to see the children of 
the same generation as myself care noth¬ 
ing for a home, but flit from place to 
place, until in two instances the father 
advised the young people to have a house 
on wheels. I think the tide has turned, 
and our boys who come from Over There 
will value their homes as never before, 
for they have seen our French and Ital¬ 
ian Allies, men, women and children, 
sacrificed, all they hold most dear, for 
God, for home and native land. 
May I tell a few stories to the autoist 
who asked why farm people came to talk 
when an auto stopped at the pump? We 
have learned a few things about people 
since autos came in use, and many times 
our fruit, garden stuff and poultry are 
safer if we let people know we are at 
home. For instance, one Summer our 
hens laid from 18 to 24 eggs a day if 
we were home, but if we were all away 
perhaps only two or three, and a load of 
potatoes shrunk four bushels from noon 
till six p. m., when we were gone. Three 
hens were taken from a friend’s poultry- 
yard when she was at home, because the 
front shades were down to exclude the 
sun. The auto party thought no one 
was home, and proposed to have a chicken 
dinner that night. So by bitter exper¬ 
ience we have learned that many buy an 
auto and really expect to “pick up” 
(they would be insulted if you called it 
stealing) fruit, vegetables, eggs, etc., to 
make up the cost of gasoline. Even 
gentle old “Brindle” has been milked 
many a time in different towns that fish¬ 
ing parties might drink. But many times 
we make delightful acquaintances in this 
way, and meet the same people again and 
again. Their point of view is different 
from ours, their criticism or praise is 
remembered, to be acted upon later. By 
all means let your auto callers know you 
are at home. mother bee. 
From the Farm Woman’s Viewpoint 
In looking over some clippings of my 
own writings I have saved from different 
papers I find many plans that have never 
planned. For instance: I have bought 
over 50 peach trees with my own means, 
and in another year or two I think they 
will increase my income, as nice peaches 
sell for over $1 per bushel. That was 
six years ago. We sold 20 bushels of 
peaches one year, and another year 
canned a few dozen jars. The peach 
trees have been dug up as a useless in¬ 
cumbrance of the soil, and the hopes of 
the nice profit vanished like mist before 
the burning sun of adversity. An income 
of $20 from $11 outlay, seven years of 
hard work and non-productive soil—other 
pots of gold have likewise vanished, per¬ 
haps because the end of the rainbow has 
never been reached. If the cost of pro¬ 
duction was all pooled together, the farms 
of the United States classified as one vast 
factory, and the losses made good in an 
overhead cost of production, as well as 
a fair recompense for the long hours of 
labor entailed, I believe that we might 
obtain sufficient funds from our products 
to buy a cheap pair of shoes and some 
other most needful necessities. Why 
should the farm boy labor for 16 hours 
per day at from eight and one-third to 
16 cents per hour*, and the city laborer 
receive from $3 to $10 per day for eight 
hours’ labor? Why should we house¬ 
wives be compelled to arise at three 
o’clock in the morning, prepare break¬ 
fast, feed and milk cows, skim milk, feed 
chickens, churn, do all our own canning, 
pickling, preserving, etc., carry our pro¬ 
ducts to the store and sell at the other 
man’s price for less than it cost us to 
produce? Nothing at all allowed us for 
our labor, except three hurried meals 
which we have furnished all the material 
for, except soda, sugar, coffee, pepper, 
salt, and a few more items perhaps, and 
them we hum around and pay the other 
man’s price for products that have had 
all cost of production attached, and a 
nice neat profit for each one between the 
producer and ultimate consumer. 
If there is a more useful spoke in the 
wheels of commerce than the farmer I 
have not heard of it; yet if there is one 
given less protection or given more hard 
jolts and knocks I don’t know who it 
is. Talk about the high prices paid the 
farmer! Just give it a favorable com¬ 
parison with the high prices paid by the 
farmer. We were told to produce beef. 
Now we are told that beef is down, and 
will go still lower. We were told to 
increase the production of swine, scarcity 
of meat and fats. The country is full 
of pigs; who wants them? Who demands 
the increase, and who is benefited? Not 
the farmer. 
I cannot do anything towards raising 
or controlling the price, only I consume 
every egg we can eat, and start my young 
chickens off on eggs. I advise my neigh¬ 
bors to do the same, and the drop in eggs 
crawled back up in two weeks. Young 
chickens at 30 cents per pound are starv¬ 
ation to those who sell, so rather than 
help to keep the market down I serve 
them in every way to make them go down 
our palates. If everyone else will do the 
same chickens will go up, and until we 
can buy at a reduced price we cannot 
afford to sell at one. There is only one 
way to win; keep overproduction off 
the market. It may work hardships to 
some, but we farm folks only ask for a 
square deal. We can force the issue by 
a decrease in production. We don’t have 
to be Bolsheviki, Socialists, Democrats 
or Republicans in order to obtain jus¬ 
tice. We want to be plain common- 
sense farmers, with sufficient knowledge 
of the world’s needs to know how much 
and how little to produce. We want a 
law that will protect us from foreign 
competition the same as any other manu¬ 
facturing concern. We want to null to¬ 
gether and send men to represent us 
whom we know we can depend on. In 
fact, we have borne the burden of the 
world these many years, and as our sons 
have hied and died to make the world 
safe for democracy, it is time we were 
receiving a little bit of that much 
vaunted world-saving right here at home. 
MRS. D. B. P. 
Rural Cemeteries and Neighborhood 
L J srks 
I look forward to the time when legis¬ 
lation will require country towns to 
maintain fences around rural graveyards 
in isolated districts where the early set¬ 
tlers were interred and present residents 
lack interest because their own dead are 
buried in city lots. Recently in looking 
up my own relatives of past generations 
I found the headstone of one great-grand¬ 
mother broken in two, and half missing; 
another great-grandmother lies in an un¬ 
known grave, though the farm encom¬ 
passing that unmarked spot was owned 
by her husband. Under an apple tree 
on our own farm legend tells us an en¬ 
tire family lies. The fate of the fore¬ 
going will be ours and that of our loved 
ones unless steps are taken to protect 
the last resting places by legalized fences. 
Not all our laws are enforced now, but 
it is a comfort to have a law to enforce. 
In the meantime, every neighborhood 
can do its bit towards making those 
neighborhood cemeteries the beauty spots 
of the town. An advertising granite 
dealer states: “Our city cemeteries vie 
with our parks in loveliness.” True. 
Few third-rate cities maintain parks, but 
the cemeteries of all offer inviting walks 
for resident or visitor. And there are 
more and more pressing reasons for 
suburban graveyards following suit. The 
one really justifiable reason for the neigh¬ 
borhood cemetery is its nearness to 
friends of the departed, with opportunity 
for frequent visits and ornamentation. 
Yet such visits and such adornment in 
out-of-the-way districts are the exception 
rather than the rule. No family of any 
considerable means and standing will con¬ 
sign a member to the ground without 
suitable marking in these enlightened 
days, yet after satisfying the first nur¬ 
sery canvasser by planting a stingy bush 
or two beside the slab, further attention 
is not given and the neglected grass and 
tangle of bushes present a sorry specta¬ 
cle, even though the fence may not yet 
admit roaming cattle by the herd. 
This sacred yard may be made an at¬ 
tractive place with little monetary out¬ 
lay. Strangely lacking in the artistic 
seuse is the mistress of a country home 
that affords no perennial roots, and ham¬ 
pered indeed is the owner unable to lift 
such roots for transplanting to the nearby 
cemetery. Friends will exchange an 
overplus of plants and vines, and when 
once interest is aroused others will take 
example from precedent and flowers will 
bloom where only chaos reigned before. 
Hardy flowering trees, flowers and vines 
will continue to flourish almost forever 
once they are established in their new 
environment, and many of them will 
spread and throw off fragrance and 
beauty a century after the hands that set 
them there are still. Snowball. AVeigela, 
Hydrangea, bush honeysuckle, lilacs, pur¬ 
ple or white or both, syringa, Spiraea, 
Japan quince, are only individuals in the 
panoramic group from which we may 
surely transplant one root yearly for 
every dear one we have lost. A little 
attention every Spring and Fall will be 
appreciated by tenfold returns, yet it is 
preferable to select the longest-lived 
specimens, both of hardy plants and 
shrubbery, for the main planting—those 
that will breast climatic severity and 
lack of cultivation long after our solici¬ 
tude is laid low. lillian trott. 
Canning Greens 
The United States Department of 
Agriculture gives the following informa¬ 
tion about canning greens: 
Some of the greens which may be 
canned are Swiss chard, kale, Chinese 
cabbage leaves, upland cress, French en¬ 
dive. cabbage sprouts, young tender tur¬ 
nip tops, spinach, beet tops, cultivated and 
wild dandelions, tender dasheen sprouts, 
native, Russian and wild mustard, col- 
lards, tender leaves of rape, pepper cress, 
lamb’s quarter, sour dock, smartweed, 
purslane or “pusley,” poke weed sprouts, 
marsh marigold or cowslip and tender 
spouts and leaves of milkweed. 
Greens should be canned the same day 
they are picked. “One hour from the gar¬ 
den to the jar” is a good rule. Sort thor¬ 
oughly and wash until clean, Place the 
greens in a sieve or in cheesecloth and 
blanch in live steam for 15 minutes. Re¬ 
move the greens and place in a freshly 
scalded pan and cut into convenient 
lengths. Pack into hot jars which have 
been boiled 15 minutes and add boiling 
salt water, using one tablespoon salt to 
one quart water. Put boiled rubbers on 
the jars, then the tops and partially seal 
the jars. If a steam pressure cooker is 
used, process for 35 minutes under 10 
pounds pressure. If a hot-water bath 
canner is used, place the jars on a false 
bottom in the commercial canner or wash 
boiler with sufficient water to cover. 
Process two hours one day or boil one 
hour for three days in succession. Count 
time after the water starts to boil. Re¬ 
move and seal tight immediately. Cool 
in a place free from drafts, test for leaks 
and store in a cool, dry place. 
