1300 
Housekeeping on the Pacific Coast 
The term “Pacific Coast” applies to 
the strip of country lying directly adja¬ 
cent to the ocean, and influenced by the 
warm Japan current and to the higher 
land of the Cascade Range. In the region 
near the ocean we find a Tather even 
temperature obtaining all through the 
year; in Northern States, as Washington, 
Oregon and Northern California the Win¬ 
ter being rainy and seldom very cold. In 
Southern California there is such surety 
of absence of frost that semi-tropical and 
some tropical fruits are grown. In the 
eastern part of these States the high alti¬ 
tude gives a climate similar to that of 
the East with cold Winters, but never 
with the extreme heat of Eastern Sum¬ 
mers. 
The high altitude here affects methods 
of cooking so that an Easterner coming 
to the Cascade Range will find new prob¬ 
lems with which to deal. Water does 
not boil at 212 degrees as it does at sea 
level, and so longer time must be given 
to the cooking of vegetables, cereals and 
the boiled foods. The boiling point is 
lowered one degree F. for every 600 feet 
increase in altitude, and so that in 
Eastern Oregon water boils at 205 de¬ 
grees F. (4,200 feet elevation). By cook¬ 
ing in salted water and with a close-fit¬ 
ting lid one can increase this point several 
degrees. I have tried to boil strong 
flavored vegetables by cooking them in a 
pan without a cover—such a method car¬ 
ries off the strong odors to a large de¬ 
gree—but this method is not successful. 
The high altitude affects baking by in¬ 
creasing the expansion of the gases in 
the dough, so that less baking powder or 
other leavening agent is necessary. For 
biscuit two level teaspoons of baking pow¬ 
der are sufficient for two cups of sifted 
Venison from an Oregon Hunt 
flour, and in a plain cake using the same 
amount of flour and two eggs, a teaspoon 
and a half of baking powder is sufficient. 
An old chef lecturing on batters and 
doughs declared that “the light air helped 
to make them light.” Be that as it may, 
it remains a fact that a little baking 
powder goes a long way in the moun¬ 
tains. 
During the hunting season game is 
brought to the markets that is not often 
obtained in the Eastern markets. Wild 
birds, such as duck, goose, quail, phea¬ 
sants, are easily obtained, und deer and 
bear are not infrequently procured in 
season. As w'ild game has a much 
stronger flavor than domesticated ani¬ 
mals, the method of preparing them is a 
little different from that of the domesti¬ 
cated game or meat. 
Wild duck or goose is most frequently 
roasted with a pared and quartered apple 
and an onion in it. The apple seems to 
draw out the strong flavor and the onion 
covers it up with its distinctive flavor. 
Some cooks soak the dressed birds in a 
mixture of equal parts of vinegar and 
water for 24 hours and then roast them 
with dressing. 
Venison is prepared as is fresh beef, 
but should always be served rare. It is 
generally accompanied by a tart sauce 
and currant jelly. Jerked venison is 
similar to dried beef, and should be pre¬ 
pared by parboiling for a few moments in 
hot water. It can then be prepared in 
any manner desired. 
Bear meat, being very fat, must be 
carefully trimmed before cooking it. As 
the fat cooks out of the meat during the 
process of cooking, broiling will be found 
to be the best method of preparing steaks. 
While pan-broiling bear meat drain off 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
the fat that cooks out at frequent inter¬ 
vals. Bear meat, like venison, should be 
served with a tart sauce and jelly, such 
as currant, wild plum or Loganberry. 
The Loganberry is a native of the Paci¬ 
fic Coast. In appearance it resembles 
the red raspberry in color and the black¬ 
berry in size, but it has a distinctive 
flavor of its own, and is very tart. The 
housewives in this region make very good 
jam from it, using equal parts of crushed 
berries and sugar, mixing well and can¬ 
ning it without cooking. 
Many staple foods which are manufac¬ 
tured in the East are more expensive 
here in the West. One often sees in read¬ 
ing the advertisements in the papers and 
magazines the price of the article given 
as a certain amount “Except in the Far 
West.” This is due to the high freight 
rates existing in mountainous regions. 
No long freight trains can be brought 
over the mountains, and what to an 
Easterner seems to be a short train must 
be provided with two and sometimes three 
engines, depending on the grade. Where- 
ever the railroad goes there the people 
can have all the necessities of life and 
most of the luxuries. 
HELEN PLUMB THOMAS. 
The Truth About the Robin 
On page 1182 there is a short, letter 
entitled “A Defense of the Robin,” in 
which are contained more mis-statements 
than are contained in any other article 
that I have ever seen published in the 
columns of The R. N.-Y. I believe that 
all 'birds have more or less of both good 
and bad qualities, and the robin is no ex¬ 
ception to this rule. Often local con¬ 
ditions have an influence in determining 
whether the balance falls on the good or 
evil side, and this may be true, in some 
instances, in the - case of the robin. 
It is true that the* robin is one of our 
sweetest songsters, as well as one of the 
handsomest of our birds. To a certain 
extent it endears itself to us by its do¬ 
mestic and _ almost affectionate habits. 
We admire it for the love and affection 
that it bears to each member of its own 
family, and its agonized cries when dis¬ 
turbed excite our sympathy. There are 
a dozen other minor characteristics of 
which we approve, and it may be that 
these, combined, are sufficient to turn 
the balance in its favor. These are 
aesthetic or sentimental qualities, of 
which I am not going to speak. But. 
economically, the robin is an unmitigated 
nuisance with scarcely one single redeem¬ 
ing feature. In its food habits it may 
be called omnivorous, but it has very de¬ 
cided preferences. It arrives in the North 
very early in the Spring, and at a time 
when food is very scarce, and, at this 
time, it may destroy seeds of certain 
noxious plants that have wintered upon 
the stalk. When other food is scarce, it 
may destroy a few harmful insects, but 
only to escape starvation and always 
under protest. Its favorite animal food 
is the angleworm, said by naturalists to 
be highly beneficial, and. when this is to 
be had. the robin will eat no other worm 
or insect. The writer alludes to the 
habit of the robin of hopping about the 
lawn in search of cutworms. This is all 
bosh. Cutworms do not inhabit lawns 
and, even if they were to be found there, 
the robin would not touch them. Find 
the nest of the robin in some barn or 
outbuilding. Place a box of earth near 
the nest. Put angleworms, cutworms, 
white grubs, or caterpillars and worms 
of a dozen different sorts on the earth, 
and watch results. I have done so many 
times. The robins will eat the angle- 
worms, and will feed them to its young, 
but will go and hunt for more of this sort 
rather than touch any other kind that I 
have ever offered. It may eat them rather 
than starve, but it will not do so volun¬ 
tarily. 
September 6, 1919 
The writer speaks of chipmunks eating 
peas. The chipmunk cannot be starved 
into eating peas. I had some once in a 
cage, and tried them thoroughly. Neither 
will the English sparrow eat them. But 
the robin will break open a pod, eat one 
pea, and allow the others to waste. He 
speaks of the habit of the mole of eating 
potatoes. Examine the mouth and teeth 
of a mole and see how ridiculous this 
story is. A mole could not eat a potato 
no matter how much it might wish to 
do so. 
I do not know of a single edible berry 
that the robin will not eat. and as soon as 
the berries and small fruits begin to ap¬ 
pear, it will leave its diet of worms and 
subsist wholly upon these foods. It will 
eat a few varieties that are of little or 
no economic importance, but its great fa¬ 
vorite is the Early Richmond cherry. 
This it will attack before it is half ripe, 
and peck a little hole in it. thus spoiling 
it, or, just out of pure meanness, it will 
carry the fruits away and drop them upon 
the ground. It will do the same with 
raspberries and currants. Mulberries af¬ 
ford no protection, except, possibly, as a 
diversion. When the berries are gone, it 
will attack the small grains, more espe¬ 
cially wheat, in much the same manner. 
Summing it all up, the robin is a bird 
that, economically, should be banished 
from the face of tbe earth. Sentimentally 
and aesthetically, it should be protected 
and encouraged by every possible means. 
You can pay your money and take your 
choice. c. o. ormsbee. 
The teacher was giving the class a 
natural history lesson on Australia. 
“There is one animal,” she said, “none of 
you have mentioned. It does not stand 
up on its legs all the time. It does not 
walk like other animals, but takes funny 
little skips. What is it?” And the class 
yelled with one voice: “Charlie Chap¬ 
lin.”—Vancouver Daily Province. 
Is'Your House Smaller In Winter? 
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CAUTICA! 
D OES the lack of proper heating limit you 
to the use of only two or three rooms; with 
parlor, hall and bed rooms so cold as to be al¬ 
most unliveable ? 
Why not make every room attractively warm ? 
You can do it with less fuel than you are now 
burning. Putin a New Idea Pipeless Furnace! 
It means getting rid of lugging coal for several 
stoves, of the dirt that carrying ashes through 
the house always causes. Burn hard or soft coal, 
wood or gas, and accomplish it all with the 
greatest economy. You can install a 
NEW-IDEA 
Pipeless Furnace 
“The One You’ve Heard So Much About” 
in one day because there are no alterations to make, no net-work of pipes to erect. 
A New Idea will cost you about what you’d pay for a good stove (our present 
prices are materially reduced from War Time Prices) but it will do the work of 
halt a dozen, save you a lot of labor, keep the house cleaner, and the cellar cool, 
so that fruit and vegetables may be stored there safely. 
You should know all about this neAv, ideal heating that is now being installed in 
all parts of the country 
Many Important Patented Features 
-v-N- L “ 1 
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The New Idea is the Leading Pipeless Heater be¬ 
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the frameless feed door construction alone puts 
the New Idea in a class by itself—no dust—no 
gas—no ashes ! 
Every New Idea Pipeless Furnace is sold under a 
positive and absolutely binding written guarantee. 
Write for catalog and name if 
dealer in your neighborhood. 
UTICA HEATER COMPANY 
Also Manufacturers of “ Superior” Warm Air 
Furnaces and "Imperial” Steam and 
Hot Water Boilers. 
BOX 50, UTICA, N. Y. 
Excellent proposition for the right 
kind of agents 
18-19 
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