1458 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
From Day to Day 
The Christmas Chant 
Within an ancient tome I read this thing, 
That on the eve of Christmas angels sing 
And hearken ever for our answering, 
Gloria in excelsis Deo! 
And hear but faint and broken echoes rise 
From us against the ramparts of the skies 
Beyond which mount the chants of para¬ 
dise, 
Gloria in excelsis Deo! 
Sometimes I needs must wonder whether 
we 
Will ever lift to far Infinity 
As with one voice this praiseful litany, 
Gloria in excelsis Deo! 
O Thou that rulest over tide and time. 
Hasten the hour when as in rune or rhyme 
All earth shall join the ecstasy sublime, 
Gloria in excelsis Deo ! 
—cu.NTON scollaro, in New York Sun. 
% 
Filling a new pillow ticking with 
feathers from an old one is a disagree¬ 
able task as ordinarily done. Here is a 
new and up-to-date method: Remove the 
dust bag 'from a vacuum cleaner, and 
attach the new pillow ticking in its place, 
and then, attaching the suction part to 
a small hole in the old pillow, suck the 
feathers through into the new cover. 
One of our readers says that when a 
ham is cut. but not used up immediately, 
she prevents molding by coating the cut 
surface with melted paraffin. It is easily 
scaled off when the ham is used. 
Who knows how to make old-fashioned 
rye and cornmeal dumplings? One of 
our readers tells us that her grandmother 
always made them to go with a chicken 
dinner, but would never tell just how she 
did it. The dumplings were steamed in 
a kettle—we infer with a chicken potpu*. 
Perhaps some one else has inherited such 
a recipe. A good many fine old-fashioned 
cooks had a habit of keeping special 
recipes secret even from members of 
their own family, and the present gener¬ 
ation is the poorer for it. 
This season shows wool stockings again 
very popular, as they were last year. 
Worn with sensible flat-heeled Oxfords, 
they are comfortable and smart-looking. 
There are smooth cashmere weaves as 
well as the ribbed styles. It is necessary 
to be careful as to fit; some of the cheaper 
grades are seamless and not full-fash¬ 
ioned. and these are likely to wrinkle at 
the ankle in an awkward manner. In 
our experience the ribbed stockings wear 
better than the cashmere. Heather mix¬ 
tures are especially popular, but we see 
some of the sport stockings in sand color, 
white, jade green, peacock, etc. Colored 
clocks, hand embroidered, are in favor. 
Some very smart ribbed white woolen 
stockings had black clocks, while the dark 
heather and Lovat combinations have yel¬ 
low. red or pale blue clocks. These sen¬ 
sible wool stockings are fashion’s protest 
against the flimsy silk worn by women 
and girls of all classes, at all times and 
seasons. 
Spongy and Creamy Taffy 
A recent question refers to porous mo¬ 
lasses candy. The trick by which one 
makes the candy porous or spongy is not 
a special commercial process, I think, but 
a very simple performance. I have made 
it many times, and find it is made “porous 
or spongy” if a quarter teaspoon of bak¬ 
ing soda is stirred in the mixture just be¬ 
fore it is ready to pour into the pan. 
K. G. R. 
On page 185S you say a reader has 
asked for a recipe of molasses candy that 
is porous or spongy. The one I am send¬ 
ing is not molasses candy, but is the most 
delicious creamy taffy I have ever eaten, 
and I believe it will satisfy the inquirer: 
Two cups granulated sugar, one tea¬ 
spoon of flour, one-half teaspoon of vine¬ 
gar. one-half cup cold water, a little 
vanilla. Mix the sugar and flour, add 
vinegar to the water and stir into the 
sugar and flour. Boil until it snaps, but 
do not stir after putting it on to boil. 
Pour on a buttered plate. Pull as soon 
as cool enough, and pull as long as you 
can. Gut into bits with scissors and put 
the candy into an airtight pail as soon as 
it cools, and it will be more creamy. If 
it is not put into an airtight container it 
forms a floury texture rather than a 
creamy one, so for variety I always leave 
a few pieces outside. 
As Christmas is nearing I would like 
also to pass on my recipe for butter¬ 
scotch candy: One cup sugar (granulat¬ 
ed). one-fourth cup molasses, one table¬ 
spoon vinegar, two tablespoons boiling 
water, one-half cup butter. Boil ingre¬ 
dients until when tried in cold water the 
Home-grown Sweets 
One formula is the basis of most of my 
candy-making. At Cornell they call this 
foundation candy fondant. To make it. 
put sugar, a pinch of cream of tartar and 
hot water into a saucepan. The propor¬ 
tion of water to sugar is about 1 :4. or 
one-half cup to two cups of sugar. Boil 
the mixture without stirring till it 
“clinks” in water. In order to prevent 
crystals from forming on the edge of the 
dish. I keep it covered until the syrup 
boils. When it is done, flavor, remove 
from the fire and allow to cool slowly 
without being jarred. Ten or 15 minutes, 
according to quantity, is sufficient time. 
Then beat until creamy, add nuts or 
cocoanut if you like, and fi rm into wafers 
or bonbons or sheets on waxed paper. In 
case the fondant hardens before you have 
finished, you may either knead with the 
hands or heat in a covered dish over hot 
water. The latter is generally necessary 
in making cream mints. 
Various kinds of candy may be made 
from the same syrup by dividing the 
amount as you remove from the fire, and 
previous to adding flavor or color. One 
person can attend to two varieties by 
arranging one dishful to cool more slowly 
than the other. 
Chocolate and cream candy is made 
by adding grated chocolate and vanilla to 
one portion of the hot syrup and flavoring 
the other portion with wintergreen or 
peppermint. As soon as one dishful is 
beaten enough, it is spread in a flat 
sheet on waxed paper, and the second 
variety (on being beaten) is spread over 
it. Mark in squares immediately. Some 
time, when I have plenty of help for the 
stirring, I am going to make some with 
three or four layers of different colors 
and flavors, like Neapolitan ice cream. 
Maple-nut 'fondant tastes good to the 
home folks, for it grows right here on the 
farm. While the maple sugar is melting 
on the back of the stove, I crack a tin of 
butternuts, and then pick out the meats 
while the syrup cooks. These are added, 
broken up. after the fondant has been 
stirred about enough. When maple sugar 
is scarce I use white sugar with it to 
stretch the quantity. 
Cocoanut creams are fully as good as 
they sound, with almond flavoring for the 
fondant. .Orange creams long delicious if 
colored with a few drops of butter-color. 
T.emon drops are best with vinegar, 
instead of cream of tartar, to supply the 
acid—two tablespoons to each cup of 
sugar. The method, in other respects, 
is like that used in the preceding recipes. 
Pralines also follow the same line of 
procedure, though they are supposed to 
be made of light brown sugar. I have 
used both white cane and maple, how¬ 
ever. My recipe calls for three cups light 
brown sugar, one tablespoon vinegar, one 
cup boiling water. When the syrup 
reaches the soft-ball stage, it is flavored 
with vanilla and set aside to cool. Beat 
until creamy, and add one-fourth tea¬ 
spoon cinnamon, one cup chopped nuts. 
Drop in small piles on waxed paper. 
VIPA M. BATES. 
Clean Out the Chimneys 
On the farm, where wood is used for 
fuel (and it is used principally, on most 
farms), do fell them all to keep their 
chimney flues cleaned down, and to re¬ 
move the soot after it has been cleaned 
from the chimney and fallen to the bot¬ 
tom. fl'lie use of wood for fuel (and it 
is the best fuel) causes much soot to 
accumulate in the pipes and chimneys. 
No chemicals, or old zinc, salt or any 
such, ever cleaned them out. according 
to my knowledge. Nothing will do a 
good job in a chimney, only a man with 
a long pole; and we have found that to 
nail old leather boot legs, or tops of 
leather shoes, cut off close down to the 
soles, a pair of these nailed criss-cross 
across the end of the pole, and the pole 
worked up and down inside the chimney, 
will clean it efficiently. The leather is 
stiff enough to remove the hard clinging 
chunks of soot, yet not stiff to injure the 
brick or the mortar. 
Never let a chimney “burn out.” First, 
there is danger of the house burning, too; 
and if that escapes destruction, the ex¬ 
cessive heat cracks the bricks and loosens 
the mortar, thus rendering the chimney 
unsafe. 
After the chimney is thoroughly cleaned 
down, slip the stovepipes from the en¬ 
trance, and dip out the last bit. every 
vestige of the soot in the bottom of the 
chimney. For if that soot is left there, 
a spark may at any time ignite it. and 
tlm fire smoulder until the intense heat 
sets fire to the surrounding woodwork, 
and the first thing anyone knows the 
house is on fire, and perhaps too late 
even to save it. and sometimes too late 
to save even one’s clothing. 
Three large, commodious farmhouses, 
most substantially built, burned in this 
county within a few days in November, 
and it is almost a foregone conclusion 
[hat every fire came from the chimneys. 
One fire at least was known to have done 
so. and the burning soot was smelled for 
10 to 12 hours before the blaze became 
apparent. As it came in the “wee sum’ 
hours.” both the families who occupied 
this house were asleep. One child was 
taken from a bed in a room which was 
in flames across one end. and the bed 
there in that end also in flames, which 
were fast eating their way to the little 
boy’s bed. One man. in order to save 
their clothing, threw it from the second- 
story window, and then jumped out. as 
the stairs were cut off by flames. A few 
moments later the floor fell. 
Although some insurance was on these 
properties, it was but little, according to 
their value, as it would cost many thou¬ 
sands of dollars to replace these dwell¬ 
ings. or even to build something any¬ 
where near as good. And. too. nearly 
everything in the houses and cellars were 
also burned, and some cellars had the 
season’s crop of potatoes, being held for 
a sale later on, also the supplies for tin 1 
families. The owners were ill able t<> 
bear these losses, as they were hard¬ 
working people, some in debt on their 
farms. 
December 17, 1021 
Fire is terrible; and it fairly crazes 
oim sometimes, for the time being. Be 
careful; keep the chimneys clean, also 
the stovepipes, and but few fires would 
be, where ma ny now are. mrs. d. b. 
Tennessee Notes 
Ralph, my eldest grandson, fell a vic¬ 
tim to that nread disease, diphtheria. He 
was such a lovable little fellow, and liked 
to stay with grandma; it is hard to 
realize that I shall never see his smiling 
face or hear his lisping voice saying “I’se 
tome to stay all night wif you. dan’ma.” 
He was subject to tonsilitis, and medical 
assistance was called too late. All the 
young folks who had been exposed before 
we knew the nature of the disease have 
been given an injection of antitoxin, so 
no more have taken it, and God forbid 
that I should ever see another child suf¬ 
fer such agony. I am telling this by way 
of warning. If a child is feverish and 
complains with its throat, have it cared 
for while there is yet time. 
Me have had a dry Fall, scarcely 
moisture enough to sprout the grain. It 
is a curious sight to see some of the 
apple trees, which are quite full of a 
second crop of apples, ranging in size 
from a pea to a guinea egg. We wonder 
if these trees will bear fruit the coming 
year. We surely hope they will. I have 
seen only eight ripe apples this year, and 
they were sent by some R. N.-Y. friends 
from Massachusetts. 
I have been doing some of the old- 
fashioned tufted work. For a bedspread, 
a medium weight, double width, un¬ 
bleached sheeting is best. One can lay 
off any design ; the most simple are made 
by using a diamond-shaped pattern. Half 
a pound of single cotton thread will more 
than tuft a full-sized bedspread. I dou¬ 
ble the thread eight or 10 double, and 
then double in a large-sized darner; this 
makes the cord or stand 10 or 20 thread. 
Then pick three or four threads on top 
of design about [4 inch space apart. Too 
short a stitch will pull through when you 
clip the threads between short stitches. 
After the design is all outlined with the 
short and long stitches, clip the long 
stitches and boil the spread several hours 
in a good, strong, soapy solution. Rinse 
well. blue, and hang out to dry. press on 
wrong side while moist. To allow it to 
freeze several nights helps in the bleach¬ 
ing process. When completed you have 
a bedspread that will last for years and 
that laundering will not spoil. The re¬ 
sult is a raised pattern in a thick vel¬ 
vety pile. This work can be used for 
table spreads, bureau scarfs or spreads, 
or for children’s dresses. 
We are making very good progress 
with our home teaching, though sickness 
has. interfered several times. We are 
hoping for a schoolhouse next year, but 
it is going to take quite a bit of prodding 
to accomplish anything. In regard to 
the article on modern education. I wonder 
how it is that the farmer is the only 
business man who has produced, and con¬ 
tinues to produce, below the cost of pro¬ 
duction? Within my own point of per¬ 
sonal observation T find the majority of 
those who find farming doesn’t pay. and 
hang on. are the ones without any educa¬ 
tion or ability to take up any other line 
of work. Just as long as the farmer is 
content to work 16 hours a day for less 
than the poorest paid menial in the shops 
and factories, just so long will the intelli¬ 
gent. the capable and the most ambitious 
leave the farms. Self-preservation is the 
first law of nature, and who can blaine 
the boy who becomes dissatisfied with 
work that begins before daylight and con¬ 
tinues until dark for the magnificent sum 
of 75 cents or 81 per day. the present 
wages here? And our own as well as 
others have gone to the fields ever since 
it was light enough to see to tie fodder. 
Yet I surely agree that our methods are 
lacking. What our country school sys¬ 
tems need is more and better methods for 
teaching the children the things they need 
to know. Instead of high school we 
should insist on practical training. If 
you will think for a moment, our school 
laws and systems have been written and 
planned by the city learned: they no 
doubt have given us a system that is best 
for the city boys and girls. It is only 
ourselves to blame if we fail to change 
or have installed that which is best and 
most essential for our country lads and 
lassies. 
If we would only pull together, find 
out what we want and go after it! We 
grope and grope, and berate a system that 
it is up to us to improve. That’s why T 
think an education so very essential to 
every farm boy and girl. We need some 
one to lead us to better things, some one 
to break down the bars of isolation and 
weld us together in one big chain whose 
every link is for better farm conditions. 
_MRS. D. B. P. 
Wild Crab Apple Jelly 
I wonder how many of the readers 
know a very nice jelly can be made from 
the wild crab apple? The boys found 
some on one of their rambles and brought 
a basket of them home. I found they are 
hard to wash on account of a gum that 
seemed to cover each apple on putting 
them in water, but this I found could be 
washed off by using warm water and 
soap. Rinse the soapy water off, quarter 
and core, and put on to cook with enough 
wafer to cover. When done pour off the 
juice and add the sugar and boil the same 
as for any jelly. The fruit can be put 
through a vegetable press and sweetened 
to taste and made into a ver ygood fruit 
butter. mrs. A. G. c 
