Hht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
February  10,  1923 
210 
From  Day  to  Day 
Wash  Day 
If  I  could  wash  my  foolish  thoughts 
And  hang  them  fresh  and  white 
Upon  the  line  across  the  yard 
To  catch  the  wind  and  light  .  .  . 
They  would  not  seem  so  dull,  I  think, 
So  weary  and  so  old, 
Once  they  had  known  the  wind’s  clean 
touch, 
The  sunlight’s  sudden  gold. 
I  think  that  I  could  put  them  on 
And  wear  them  gladly  then. 
And  teach  myself  the  way  to  laugh, 
The  way  to  smile  again. 
- A HIG AIL  CRESSON 
In  the  New  York  Herald. 
* 
Many  correspondents  have  written  us 
during  recent  months,  asking  us  how  they 
may  press  a  supposed  claim  to  some  es¬ 
tate  here  or  abroad.  Many  of  them  have 
been  approached  by  alleged  lawyers  who 
are  forming  an  association  of  “heirs”— 
and  whose  first  step  is  to  collect  fees  for 
“expenses”  from  the  supposed  heirs 
Very  rarely  the  person  approached  has 
any  idea  of  the  difficulty  of  proving  de¬ 
scent  from  an  ancestor  several  generations 
removed,  or  getting  evidence  of  a  valid 
claim.  A  recent  news  item  from  the 
London  correspondent  of  the  New  York 
Herald  may  be  of  interest : 
The  court  of  chancery  is  now  prepaid 
ing  a  list  of  “dormant  funds.”  This  un¬ 
claimed  money  amounts  to  about  £1.500.- 
000,  divided  among  more  than  10.000  dif¬ 
ferent  claims.  This  will  be  the  first  full 
list  published  since  the  war,  for  in  1917 
and  1920  only  supplementary  lists  were 
printed. 
Many  Americans  are  indefatigable  read¬ 
ers  of  these  lists,  hoping  that  some  way- 
back  ancestor  left  them  a  big  sum  of 
money.  All  the  year  round  court  officials 
are  answering  letters  from  Americans  who 
think  that  because  their  name  is  .Tones 
they  are  entitled  to  a  bequest  made  by 
some  Jones  of  long  ago.  Often  Americans 
of  the  same  name  pool  expenses  on  the 
understanding  that  if  successful  they  will 
share  the  fortune.  People  named  Hedges, 
Jennings,  Page,  Hyde  and  Drake  are  the 
most  optimistic  in  this  respect.  Ameri¬ 
cans  and  Australians  are  the  most  hope¬ 
ful. 
The  claims  are  a  source  of  income  to 
the  Government,  which  makes  more 
money  selling  stamps  for  inquiries  by 
claimants  than  it  pays  out  in  claims. 
Publication  of  the  new  list  by  the  chan¬ 
cery  court  will  occur  soon  after  March  1. 
and  the  next  few  weeks  an  extra  rush  of 
inquiries  is  anticipated.  The  copies  are 
so  continually  thumbed  by  the  curious 
that  they  have  to  be  renewed  often,  but 
the  chance  for  a  big  fortune  is  rare,  be¬ 
cause  before  an  item  appears  an  exhaus¬ 
tive  search  is  made  to  see  if  the  legitimate 
claimant  exists.  Sums  less  than  £50  do 
not  appear  on  the  list,  but  they  seldom 
amount  to  more  than  £100. 
* 
A  number  of  bills  have  been  intro¬ 
duced  in  the  New  York  Legislature  in 
which  women  are  not  only  given  all  the 
rights  of  men  under  the  law.  but  are  also 
called  on  to  share  equally  their  responsi¬ 
bilities.  The  following  are  some  of  the 
special  features  introduced  in  these  bills: 
Husband  and  wife  would  be  equally 
responsible  for  the  support  of  the  family, 
and  could  enter  into  an  express  contract 
for  that  purpose.  The  husband  could 
sue  his  wife  for  the  support  of  the  chil¬ 
dren.  Now  only  the  wife  has  a  right  to 
sue  her  husband  on  that  ground.  Married 
women  would  be  given  all  the  rights  with 
respect  to  property,  its  use.  acquisition, 
control  and  disposition  that  men  now  en¬ 
joy. 
The  husband  under  one  of  the  bills 
would  not  have  the  sole  right  of  deter¬ 
mining  the  family  domicile,  and  the  prin¬ 
ciple  that  a  woman  would  have  to  stick 
to  her  husband  in  preference  to  her  father 
and  mother  would  be  abolished. 
Another  measure  provides  that  if  a 
wife  is  injured  she  may  sue  to  recover 
for  loss  of  earnings.  Under  the  present 
law  the  husband  sues  to  recover  loss  of 
the  wife’s  services.  The  present  law 
would  be  killed. _  For  civil  injuries  in¬ 
flicted  by  a  married  woman  damages  may 
be  recovered  against  her  alone,  and  her 
husband  shall  not  be  held  responsible. 
Property  of  the  husband  or  wife,  owned 
before  marriage,  would  not  be  liable  for 
debts  of  the  other  after  marriage.  Debts 
contracted  while  living  together  for  the 
support  of  the  household  would  be  ex¬ 
cepted. 
A  married  woman  may  sue  and  be  sued 
as  if  she  were  single,  and  husband  and 
wife  may  sue  each  other,  but  this  section 
is  not  to  be  construed  as  abrogating  in¬ 
capacity  to  sue  for  differences  arising  out 
of  the  marital  relation. 
The  husband  is  deprived  of  all  rights 
now  in  the  law  to  the  services  and  labor 
of  his  wife,  and  she  may  demand  wages 
and  salary  from  her  husband  for  the 
work  she  does  in  the  home.  Women 
would  be  allowed  to  act  as  jurors  every¬ 
where  in  the  State,  and  all  discriminations 
against  women  in  being  elected  or  ap¬ 
pointed  to  public  office  would  be  elimi¬ 
nated. 
The  joint  guardianship  of  children 
would  be  given  alike  to  father  and 
mother,  and  neither  would  have  any  right 
paramount  to  the  other  in  the  holding  of 
property.  Women  would  be  looked  upon 
the  same  as  men  in  the  inheritance  of 
property  and  the  making  of  wills. 
A  State  legitimacy  act  is  asked  for  in 
one  bill.  Under  it  a  child  born  out  of 
wedlock  would  be  declared  the  legitimate 
child  of  its  natural  parents  and  entitled 
to  the  same  rights  as  a  child  born  in  wed¬ 
lock. 
The  bills  are  supported  by  the  National 
Woman’s  Party,  and  were  brought  to  Al¬ 
bany  by  Mrs.  Clarence  M.  Smith,  its  leg¬ 
islative  representative. 
Constructing  a  Dumb  Waiter 
On  page  20  you  asked  for  some  ideas 
of  built-in  kitchen  conveniences.  The  ac¬ 
companying  drawing  is  a  room-saver,  and 
if  care  is  taken  in  building  not  to  get  it 
too  loose,  it  works  well.  At  the  end  of 
china  closet  is  an  opening  in  floor,  1  in. 
from  baseboard,  1  in.  from  china  closet. 
It  is  16  in.  wide,  20  in.  long.  Save  floor 
pieces  to  fasten  on  top  of  dumb  waiter. 
Frame  floor  joists  square  and  plumb, 
and  bevel  upper  edge  of  joist  to  outside, 
so  if  water  goes  through  joint  in  floor  it 
will  run  away  from  dumb  waiter. 
Build  dumb  waiter  %  in.  smaller  than 
opening  each  way,  and  as  long  as  the 
needs  of  the  household  suggest.  Have 
door  of  car  face  the  way  most  convenient. 
On  under  end  of  car  put  a  2x4  in.  ;  center 
it  opposite  way  from  door,  and  let  project 
4  in.  from  sides  of  car.  This  is  to  fasten 
a  roue  to,  and  slide  between  two  guides. 
Now  center  the  opening  in  floor  to  match 
the  stick  under  the  car.  Take  two  pieces 
of  2x4-iu.  that  will  reach  from  under  side 
of  floor  joist  to  cellar  floor.  Set  them 
214  in.  apart  or  so.  The  stick  under  car 
will  have  iu.  play.  Be  sure  they  are 
straight  and  just  plumb  each  way.  Set 
car  in  place  and  put  the  two  guides  on 
the  opposite  side.  If  two  "’’ooved  pulleys 
about  4  in.  iu  diameter  are  now  fastened 
to  the  floor  joist  and  center  of  the  guides, 
the  car  is  ready  to  balance.  Good  quality 
sash  cord  is  strong  enough,  but  ^4-in.  rope 
will  wear  longer.  The  car  can  be  weighed 
and  cast  weights  bought  to  balance.  I 
have  used  two  pails  of  sand  successfully. 
The  weight  should  be  heavy  enough  to 
raise  the  car  a  little  when  it  is  empty. 
Set  the  car  just  even  at  top  of  floor 
joist  and  bolt  pieces  across  guides  to  hold 
it.  Put  floor  on  top  of  car  and  mortise 
in  a  flush  ring  or  pull  to  handle  car  with. 
The  car  must  be  made  long  enough  to 
allow  the  distance  from  pulleys  to  top 
of  floor  line  extra  to  space  needed  for 
use.  The  door  of  car  should  be  hung 
*4  in.  above  floor,  so  when  open  the  car 
cannot  move  up  or  down,  and  child  climb¬ 
ing  in  on  the  far  shelf  will  not  be  inter¬ 
fered  or  annoyed  with  a  trip  to  the  cellar. 
Where  space  will  permit,  this  same 
idea  can  be  installed  inside  inclosure  of 
china  closet,  only  the  car  would  be  hung 
from  center  of  top.  and  the  weight  could 
be  kept  in  cellar.  Where  a  chimney  pro¬ 
jects  into  the  room,  a  small  closet  can 
sometimes  be  built  in  line  with  chimney, 
one  or  two  shelves  at  the  top,  and  dumb 
waiter  in  lower  part. 
One  has  to  work  out  these'  ideas  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  space  the  kitchen  will  per¬ 
mit.  All  too  often  in  planning  a  home  the 
kitchen  and  bathroom  are  considered  the 
last,  and  any  old  space  cut  off  for  them 
and  given  a  name.  In  planning  a  house, 
commence  at  the  kitchen,  dining-room 
and  bath.  Have  them  convenient  and  a 
little  larger  than  actual  needs.  The  liv¬ 
ing-room  and  parlor  are  mostly  for  out¬ 
siders,  anyway.  f.  a.  burrell. 
Canning  Chicken  and  Other  Meats 
In  canning  chicken,  by  removing  the 
breastbone  and  discarding  the  back  and 
ribs,  one  quart  can  will  hold  one  chicken. 
Holding  the  jar  on  one  side,  lay  in  the 
two  drumsticks,  two  thighs,  two  wings 
and  neck,  and  on  top  place  the  breast 
meat,  liver  and  gizzard,  and,  last,  one  tea¬ 
spoon  of  salt.  The  meat  should  come 
within  three-fourths  inch  of  the  top  of  the 
jar. 
Beef,  pork  and  veal  should  be  boned 
and  cut  in  strips  nearly  as  long  as  the 
jar  and  packed  in  closely,  but  three- 
fourths  inch  must  be  allowed  for  swelling. 
No  water  is  used,  as  the  jar  fills  up  with 
meat  juice. 
When  a  wash  boiler  is  used  for  a  can- 
ner,  the  quart  jars  need  three  hours  of 
cooking,  the  pints  two  hours.  With  a 
pressure  cooker  one  hour  at  18  lbs  pres¬ 
sure  is  sufficient.  We  are  using  meat 
canned  a  year  ago,  and  I  never  have  lost 
a  jar. 
If  anyone  wants  to  ask  questions,  1 
would  be  very  glad  to  answer. 
MRS.  O.  E.  CIIEEVER. 
I  have  had  such  wonderful  success  with 
my  canned  meats  that  I  thought  some  of 
my  experience  might  help  someone.  I 
have  canned  chicken  for  three  years,  and 
have  never  lost  a  can.  The  last  two  years 
I  have  left  all  the  bones  in  the  meat  ex¬ 
cept  the  backbone  and  the  lower  leg  bone. 
It  is  much  nicer  to  serve,  and  keeps  just 
as  well  as  without  the  bones.  The  pieces 
that  I  get  off  the  backs  I  put  iu  a  separ¬ 
ate  can  and  use  for  salad. 
I  have  used  two  methods  of  canning. 
Cook  the  meat  until  tender,  then  put  it. 
in  the  can  with  a  teaspoon  of  salt  to  a 
quart,  fill  the  can  to  within  one  inch  of 
the  top  with  the  broth,  seal  tight  and 
sterilize  one  hour.  Then  take  the  can 
out  of  the  water  and  turn  upside  down 
and  let  stand  over  night.  When  the  can 
is  turned  right  side  up,  there  will  be  a 
vacuum  at  the  bottom,  but  that  does  no 
harm. 
I  have  also  canned  the  chicken  raw 
and  sterilized  it  two  hours,  but  I  think 
where  the  chicken  is  cooked  some  first  it 
has  a  better  flavor.  I  also  canned  beef 
last  Summer  with  fine  success.  I  used 
mostly  steak.  I  seared  it  over  in  the  fry¬ 
ing-pan.  to  keep  the  juice  in.  then  canned 
the  same  as  the  chicken,  and  sterilized  it, 
for  two  hours.  In  serving  either  chicken 
or  beef  I  heat  the  broth  first  and  then  put 
in  the  meat.  I  hope  this  will  be  of  use 
to  someone.  mrs.  t,  m.  lewis. 
On  page  54  you  ask  for  information 
about  canning  meat,  and  I  am  glad  to 
give  you  the  results  of  my  experiences  of 
many  years.  I  have  received  many  valu¬ 
able  helps  from  your  paper,  and  in  reply 
to  your  requests  would  state  that  I  have 
and  do  can  chicken,  beef,  veal,  mutton, 
lamb,  goose,  turkey,  pigeon  and  fish,  and, 
of  course,  sausages,  liverwurst,  tripe, 
heart  and  sweetbreads. 
When  I  first  started  I  used  the  boiler, 
then  the  steam  pressure,  and  now  I  can 
all  meats  in  the  “water  seal”  canner ; 
but  I  have  discarded  the  first  two  methods 
because  I  have  found  the  last  the  most 
successful  and  satisfactory. 
I  use  only  the  glass-top  jars,  and  pack 
all  meats  cold  with  a  teaspoon  of  salt. 
I  have  before  partly  cooked  it,  but  as  I 
have  two  canners.  tried  both  methods, 
and  found  the  cold  pack  the  best  tasting 
and  more  tender.  We  kill  a  steer  ‘and 
four  or  five  pigs,  lambs  and  mutton,  also 
40  to  50  chickens,  and  when  the  cockerels 
are  big  enough  we  do  up  a  lot.  The  cock¬ 
erels  are  left  in  under  212  deg.  F.,  one 
hour,  also  lamb,  sausage,  hamburg  steak, 
liverwurst,  tripe  and  sweetbreads.  The 
beef,  cut  in  good-sized  piece,s.  also  mut¬ 
ton,  goose  and  a  lot  of  pigeons  from  one 
and  a  half  to  two  hours,  and  turkey,  when 
not  too  old,  is  very  good  with  one  and 
one-half  hours,  and  when  taken  out  and 
fried  in  cream,  like  the  cockerels,  is  cer¬ 
tainly  delicious.  The  bones  from  the  beef 
are  cracked  and  boiled  and  the  broth 
canned  while  hot,  only  one-half  hour  in 
the  “water  seal,”  as  the  broth  is  boiled 
down  so  it  is  strong,  and  can  be  thinned 
when  used  in  Summer.  This  saves  cans 
and  rubber.  The  backbones  and  necks 
from  the  chickens  and  cockerels  are  also 
made  into  broth  and  canned.  Of  course, 
the  fat  is  taken  off  from  both  broths,  and 
the  beef  fat  used  for  soap. 
Salmon,  codfish,  eels  (pickled'  are  pro¬ 
cessed  one  hour,  the  former  two  kinds 
put  in  even  pieces  with  a  teaspoon  of  salt 
and  are  superior  to  those  bought  in  tin 
cans. 
I  have  over  a  thousand  cans  of  all  kinds 
of  meats,  fish,  fruits,  vegetables,  juices, 
mincemeat,  plum  pudding,  etc.,  and  very 
rarely  have  a  can  spoiled.  The  cause  of 
it  is  in  a  little  imperfection  on  the  mouth 
ot  the  jar  or  lid.  As  I  use  only  rubbers 
of  a  high  grade,  every  time  new,  I  am 
not  worrying  about  the  safety  of  the  cans. 
MRS.  M.  u. 
I  have  canned  meat,  never  losing  any 
cans,  beef.  milk,  etc.,  using  wash  boiler 
with  a  slat  in  bottom  of  boiler  made  of 
laths.  Raw  beef  I  pack  in  can  as  close 
as  possible,  pressing  in  hard,  fill  with 
water,  put  on  rubber  and  top,  not  putting 
clasp  down ;  wrap  each  can  with  cloth 
so  as  not  to  touch  each  other  or  side  of 
boiler.  Put  in  boiler  and  fill  with  cold 
waiter  to  shoulder  of  can  and  sterilize  three 
hours,  filling  boiler  with  boiling  water  as 
the  water  boils  away.  At  the  end  of  three 
hours  remove  boiler  from  stove  and  put 
clasp  of  lids  down  ;  let  remain  in  water 
until  nearly  cool.  Do  not  wash  outside 
of  can  when  ready  to  put  away.  When 
canning  meat  that  has  bone  attached.  I 
cook  meat  until  I  can  cut  it  from  bone, 
then  fill  cans  as  before,  usin»r  water  meat 
was  cooked  in  to  fill  cans;  sterilize  as  be¬ 
fore.  Having  never  lost  any  cans.  I  feel 
I  can  recommend  this  method. 
MRS.  S.  B.  G. 
To  Can  Beef  Tongue 
Scald  and  scrape  skin  off  tongue,  drain 
and  pack  into  jars  with  a  little  salt  for 
seasoning.  Sterilize  the  same  as  for  other 
meat,  90  minutes  at  15  lbs.  pressure.  I 
can  any  kind  of  tongue,  beef,  pork,  veal 
or  mutton.  Sometimes  I  pickle  the 
tongues  which  makes  nice  meat  for  sand¬ 
wiches  or  sliced  cold. 
Pack  tongue  in  jar  with  enough  pepper 
and  salt  for  seasoning  and  one  or  two 
‘Working  Up  llie  Winter  Apples 
