I486 
Wit RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
A Modern King Canute 
The people who lived in the 
good days of the wise King 
Canute thought he had the 
power to make the ocean 
recede at a mere word of com¬ 
mand. Today the Bell Tele¬ 
phone Company finds itself in 
a position not unlike that of 
the ancient king. Its mere 
word will not hold back an 
ocean of expense. 
Rigid economy and the most 
modern methods of operation 
have made it possible for the 
Bell Company to keep its rates 
at a far lower level than that 
of the commodities which it 
must use in construction and 
upkeep. But it has felt the 
rising tide of costs just as cer¬ 
tainly as has every business 
and every family. 
The one source of revenue 
of the Bell Company is the 
price you pay for service. If 
this price fails to cover fair 
wages and necessary materials, 
then both you and your tele¬ 
phone company must suffer. 
For one year the Bell Com¬ 
pany was under Government 
control. The Government 
analyzed methods and costs; 
and established the present 
rates as just. All the Bell Com¬ 
pany asks is a rate sufficient 
to provide satisfactory service 
to every subscriber. 
American Telephone and Telegraph Company 
And Associated Companies 
One Policy One System Universal Service 
The Farmer 
His Own 
Builder 
BY 
H. ARMSTRONG ROBERTS 
A practical and handy 
book of all kinds of build¬ 
ing information from con¬ 
crete to carpentry. 
PRICE $1.50 
For aale by 
THE 
RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 Weit 30th Street, New York 
“My, what a relief! 9 9 
T hat rheumatic twinge doesn’t bother 
you long after you’ve had the ach¬ 
ing part bathed with the old stand¬ 
by—Sloan’s Liniment. You just put a 
little on—it doesn’t stain the skin—gently 
pat it, and it penetrates, sending a warm, 
soothing glo*w through the tortured part. 
It stands alone in promoting quick relief from after- 
offects of exposure, lumbago, sciatica, muscle and joint strain!, 
fain strains, and stiffness, neuralgia, bruises. There’s • 
successful record of 38 years back of Sloan’s Liniment. 
Keep a bie bottle ready for use—ii may be any 
minute. The bi£ bottle bolds six times as much 
as the small one. 35c.. 70c., SI.40. 
Sloan's 
Liniment 
• He e/> ii handy 
INTERESTING GARDEN BOOKS 
A Woman’s Hardy Garden—By Mrt. 
H. R. Ely . . . ... , $1.75 
Old Time Gardena—By A. M. Earle 2.50 
Flowers and Ferns in Their Haunts— 
By M. O. IVright .... 2.00 
Plant Physiology—By Duggan • . 1.60 
For sale by Rural New-Yorker, 333 W. 30th St., N. Y. 
|| When you write advertisers mention The R. N.-Y. and you'll get a 
quick reply and a “square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
THE MAILBAG 
Scholarship for Soldiers’ Grandchild 
Would you toll me whether a veteran 
of the Civil War has the privilege of ob¬ 
taining a scholarship for one of his grand¬ 
children for an academic course, and to 
whom should I apply ? M. A. c. 
New York. 
We are unable to find any law, rule or 
traditions which would ever grant any 
such scholarship. No one can tell what 
may happen in the future along such 
lines, but at present there is no such law. 
Burning a Straw Stack 
Eight years ago I burned a stack of 
wheat straw, plowed arid planted potatoes, 
j All crops since, Alfalfa, potatoes and 
beans, were fully twice as good on the 
place where the stack was. How do you 
explain it? The soil is heavy clay loam. 
Oneida Co., N. Y. F. II. T. 
The straw contained lime, potash, phos¬ 
phoric acid and nitrogen. The fire drove 
off the nitrogen, but the other plant food 
remained. The heat of the fire* also made 
some of the potash in that clay soil more 
available, and it acted upon the soil to 
make it more productive. We think that 
soil may have been sour and deficient in 
lime and potash. This was supplied by 
the ash of the straw, while the lime and 
the fire sweetened the soil and made it 
better fitted to grow the crops you men¬ 
tion. This would be our suggestion as to 
the good results from burning the stack. 
Failure of American Beauty Rose 
Whv is it that the American Beauty 
roses grow up very tall and seem very 
strong, but do not blossom at all, while 
the Rambler roses right next to them 
will bloom luxuriantly? This is the sec¬ 
ond year this has happened, so would like 
to know the reason for same. The soil 
is sandy, but has five inches of good loam 
on top. MRS. F. ii. s. 
Gilmauton Iron Works, N. II. 
While “American Beauty” (Mine. Fer¬ 
dinand Jamiu) is a fine forcing rose for 
the specialist, it is worthless out of doors 
except in favored locations. We should 
never advise it for your locality, where it 
would only continue to disappoint you. 
If you will ask the horticulturist at. the 
State Experiment Station, Durham, 
N. H., he would doubtless give a list of 
desirable roses for your latitude; some of 
those satisfactory in the latitude of New 
York may not endure the New Hampshire 
Winters. 
Composition of Gelatine 
What does gelatine consists of, and is 
there any animal matter in it? s. A. M. 
New York. 
Gelatine is a substance derived from 
bone and cartilage by treatment with 
boiling water. Its most characteristic 
property is that of dissolving in water at 
a high temperature, and solidifying to a 
jelly on cooling. Commercially it is pre¬ 
pared mainly from bones, which pass 
through many processes. First the fat is 
removed, then the mineral is dissolved by 
acid, the bones are bleached, and the gel¬ 
atine extracted. Impure gelatine is called 
glue, while a pure form of fish gelatine is 
called isinglass. What are called vege¬ 
table gelatines are prepared from various 
seaweeds. A form familiar in domestic 
use is carrageen or Irish moss, while an 
Asiatic seaweed known as Ceylon moss is 
the source of agar-agar, used in science as 
a culture medium for bacteria. A Siamese 
sea moss forms the gelatinous edible 
birds’ nests esteemed by Chinese epicures. 
The form of gelatine especially esteemed 
in cookery is that made from calves’ feet. 
One who wishes to avoid animal gelatine 
will find Irish moss desirable, though 
there is a slight sea taste that is not al¬ 
ways relished at first. 
Preparing Eels 
Cut off the head and clean by rubbing 
with salt; then when insides are removed, 
the eel is cut in pieces three inches long 
and washed until all the slimy substance 
is removed. 
Green Eels.—Put the pieces, prepared 
as above, in a casserole with salt, and, if 
handy, half a dozen fresh sage leaves; 
cover with boiling water and cook until 
tender. A few allspice and peppercorns 
may also be added. In a bowl over hot 
water put a large spoonful of butter, also 
flour; let this melt and blend together. 
Put the eels in the serving dish and now 
mix the butter and flour with the gravy 
and let boil well. Strain, add a handful 
of chopped parsley aud put over the eels. 
Eels in jelly, or sour eels, can be kept 
in a crock for a long time, and be handy 
for supper on a hot day, or for unexpected 
company. Prepare eels as before. In 
this case I boil the eels in water in which 
I also add a whole onion, bay leaf, all¬ 
spice and peppercorns. When done I 
pack the fish in the crock and cover until 
the pickle is done. Boil the liquid with a 
October 11, 1919 
cup of vinegar added, and clear with the 
white of an egg beaten with a little water. 
Let boil again and strain over the eels. 
Shake the crock so the liquid will be 
evenly distributed, and when cold the eels 
are ready for use. 
Do not skin eels; it takes away the 
flavor, and skin can easily be left on the 
plate when eating, as it rolls off with the 
aid of the fork. 
I have never done so, but should think 
it would work well to put the “sour eels” 
in quart cans to store for further use. 
We never had so many at one time as to 
practice this. mbs. l. g. 
Controlling Canada Thistles 
On page 1296 a question is asked about 
<be best way to eradicate Canada thistles. 
I have had several patches of Canada and 
other thistles on my farm, both in culti¬ 
vated and pasture laud. I find they thrive 
well under moderate cultivation, while 
those in my pasture gave me very little 
trouble. Cutting them with a scythe a 
few times when in blossom killed them. 
Cut them as close as possible and do not 
let them go to seed. A. B. T. 
New York. 
H. B. G. asks on page 1296 how to 
eradicate Canada thistles. My father’s 
practice, and mine, following his, is to 
mow them when in full bloom, or when 
the stalks become hollow, not allowing 
the seed to get ripe. When cut at this 
stage the roots all die. Cutting at this 
stage of development seems entirely to 
destroy them in two or three years. If 
I had such a piece to seed I would go 
over it late in the Fall with a cutaway 
disk and follow seeding in the Spring 
with a smoothing harrow. j. 
New York. 
Try a Few Melons 
The picture at Fig. 476 might tempt 
some farmers to plant a few rows of 
watermelons for the next season. No 
farm that can grow them should be with- 
A Jersey Melon Crop 
out watermelons during the Summer. 
Very little effort is required to produce 
enough for the farm family. Very often 
a sufficient number can be sold to cover 
the expense of growing the entire crop. 
There are plenty of good varieties that 
can be grown. One never makes a mis¬ 
take in growing Kleckley Sweet. If you 
want to hold the children on the farm, a 
good crop of watermelons might help. 
New Jersey. mobbis eisenbebg. 
Three Bits of Experience 
When darning men’s work socks, use 
the soft cord taken from the sugar and 
the salt sacks. 
Heavy unbleached muslin feed sacks 
make good erad|e ticks. 
Pear Pudding.—Cover one pint of 
canned pears with a custard made of one 
pint of scalded milk, two tablespoons of 
cornstarch, one-half cup of sugar, yolks 
of two eggs, pinch of salt and one tea¬ 
spoon of vanilla. Then heat the whites 
with two tablespoons of sugar, cover the 
custard and brown in the oven. This 
will serve six and is delicious. 
Wellsboro, Pa. mbs. J. P. 
Egg-eating Hens 
I notice in a recent issue G. R. M. has 
trouble with egg-eating hens. This remedy 
is positive, notwithstanding M. B. D.’s 
statement to the contrary, for I have tried 
it for years and never knew it to fail. 
Put several china eggs in nest and on 
floor, and the criminals will tumble over 
each other to get them. Next he sure all 
eggs are kept gathered in, so there will 
he none for the hens to break. This will 
take a little time, hut five days will do 
the trick, and is more profitable than 
killing a number of good layers. One 
has got to be persistent and keep the eggs 
gathered, as the chinas nearly cause the 
hens to think all eggs are hard shell, but 
if they find one good one during the five 
days all is off. Give plenty of oyster 
shells, also animal food and green stuff, 
to make good shelled eggs, and have hens 
enter nests from side and not jump down 
from top. A. M. S. 
Meuauds, N. Y. 
