558 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
April  7,  1923 
WOMAN  AND  HOME 
From  Day  to  Day 
“Black  UmbreHas” 
Oft  from  my  chamber  window  hist  tin 
above  the  town, 
I  .scan  the  somber  street  whene’er  the 
rain  comes  down  ; 
Gray  skies  and  gray  clouds  are  not  a 
cheering  sight, 
But  black  umbrellas  turn  day  into  night. 
If  ever  color’s  needed  ’tis  on  a  rainy  day, 
And  artist  folk  will  tell  you  a  rare  back¬ 
ground  is  gray ; 
We  need  a  dash  of  scarlet,  a  glint  of 
green  and  gold, 
’Tis  then  we  pray  for  rainbows  to  unfold. 
Oh,  why*  j|rhen  skies  are  weeping,  should 
garments  cry  aloud — 
Beneath  a  black  umbrella  gloom  clothes 
us  like  a  shroud  ; 
Why,  that’s  the  time  for  canopies  as  gay 
as  Joseph’s  coat, 
And  boutonnieres  would  lend  a  happy 
note. 
I  wish  a  swarm  of  fairies  with  paints  of 
every  hue 
Would  steal  all  black  umbrellas  and  make 
them  bloom  anew  ; 
Ah,  then  my  chamber  window,  high  up 
above  the  town, 
Would  face  upon  a  garden  whene’er  the 
rain  comes  down. 
— Harper’s  Bazar. 
* 
A  RECENT  inquiry  is  for  prune  marma¬ 
lade,  which  is  unknown  to  us.  We  should 
like  a  recipe  for  this  marmalade,  if  any¬ 
one  among  our  readers  can  supply  it. 
* 
One  of  our  readers  asks  the  name  of 
some  herb,  mild  and  pleasant  in  flavor, 
Avhich  was  used  nearly  40  years  ago  to 
flavor  pork  sausage.  It  was  not  sage, 
which  is  ordinarily  used.  Rosemary, 
sweet  marjoram  and  Summer  savory  are 
all  used  in  various  forms  of  sausage,  but 
most  home  sausage  makers  in  this  coun¬ 
try  have  used  sage  only.  We  should  like 
to  learn  what  other  herbs,  if  any,  are 
used  in  ordinary  pork  sausage. 
* 
Information  is  asked  as  to  the  follow¬ 
ing  trouble  in  canning: 
I  have  a  steam  pressure  cooker ;  when 
canning  fruits  and  vegetables  I  have 
so  much  trouble  having  the  juice  go  down 
in  the  cans.  I  fill  them  full  and  when  I 
take  them  out  of  the  cooker  the  juice  is 
down  so  the  can  is  only  about  three- 
fourths  full.  What  is  the  reason,  and 
what  can  I  do  to  remedy  it? 
Among  causes  generally  given  for  this 
trouble  are  insufficient  blanching  in  the 
case  of  green  vegetables,  and  irregular 
steqm  pressure.  What  have  our  many  ex¬ 
perienced  canners  to  say  about  it? 
* 
The  New  York  State  College  of  Agri¬ 
culture,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  has  issued  a  very 
interesting  bulletin,  “Directions  for  Col¬ 
lecting  and  Preserving  Insects,”  by  Anna 
Botsford  Comstock.  This  is  Extension 
Bulletin  59,  and  it  will  possess  great  in¬ 
terest  and  value  for  young  people  who 
wish  to  make  collections  of  insects.  The 
bulletin  is  freely  illustrated,  and  gives 
clear  directions  for  capturing,  killing  and 
preserving  the  specimens. 
* 
strip  off.  The  loosened  part  will  be  in 
long  and  short  pieces,  and  tapering ;  all 
shapes,  in  fact.  Now  take  a  knife  blade 
and  drive  it  in  a  board,  blade  tipping  a 
little  from  you  as  you  are  to  sit,  astride 
of  the  board.  Place  a  block  of  1-in.  board 
0  or  8  in.  long,  having  a  shingle  nail  in 
each  end  the  distance  from  the  knife  blade 
you  want  the  width  of  the  splint,  and  pro¬ 
ceed  to  machine  the  mass  of  pounded 
grain,  as  one  grain  deep  is  all  you  are 
supposed  to  pound  loose  at  one  revolution 
of  the  log.  Soak  all  splints  before  trying 
to  use  in  warm  water,  and  keep  them  in 
it  while  using.  It  is  better  to  soak  them 
all  the  time  until  used  tip.  day  and  night. 
Cut  the  tree  at  any  time,  and  select  a 
log  free  from  knots  and  black  seams. 
Store  the  cut  logs  in  damp  place,  but 
don’t  get  too  dry  or  too  wet,  as  too  wet 
The  Rural  Patterns 
In  ordering  always  give  number  of  pattern 
and  size  desired,  sending  price  with  order 
9802.  Girl’s  One- 
piece  Dress.  4  to  10 
years.  The  8-year 
size  will  require  2% 
yards  of  material  27 
inches  wide,  2% 
yards  30,  2  yards 
44.  20  cents. 
9798.  Dress  clos¬ 
ing  in  back,  for 
misses  and  small 
women,  10  and  18 
years.  The  10-year 
size  will  require  4% 
yards  of  material  30 
inches  wide,  4t6 
yards  44,  3  yards  54. 
20  cents. 
2118.  Long-waisted 
Dress  with  kimono 
sleeves,  34  to  42 
bust.  The  medium 
size  will  require  3*4 
yards  of  material 
40,  44  or  54  inches 
wide.  20  cents. 
9995.  Girl’s  Dress, 
0  to  12  years.  The 
medium  size  will  re¬ 
quire  2%  yards  of 
material  30  inches 
wide,  3%  yards  40, 
2%  yards  44.  20 
cents. 
Preparing  Ash  Splints 
The  ash  to  use  for  chair  seats  and  bas¬ 
kets  is  black  or  swamp  ash;  also  elm  and 
some  kinds  of  oak.  The  way  to  proceed  is 
this :  Cut  a  young  tree,  6  to  8  in.,  with¬ 
out  knots  or  limbs ;  remove  the  bark. 
Take  a  poll  ax  with  a  rounding  poll  and 
pound  the  log  lightly  on  one  side  the  en¬ 
tire  length,  and  each  year’s  growth  will 
gradually  come  loose.  Start  at  the  end  to 
pull  strips  off.  Pound  some,  more  if  it 
sticks.  Take  off  a  number  of  layers  and 
repeat  the  operation  on  other  side  of  log. 
For  the  uprights  of  a  basket,  heavier 
wood  will  have  to  be  used  than  that  used 
for  the  braiding.  Some  trees  have  a 
heavier  growth  than  others.  I  have  made 
baskets  from  four  quarts  to  two  bushels. 
Put  strips  in  warm  water  if  they  get 
stiff.  Uprights  for  baskets  shouid  be 
made  15  double  and  one  double  single  on 
one  side  and  double  on  the  other,  making 
33  all  around.  All  standards  should  be 
of  the  same  length.  Trees  can  be  cut  at 
any  time,  but  material  is  best,  in  Winter. 
Pennsylvania.  G.  b.  g. 
On  page  346  a  reader  has  asked  for  in¬ 
formation  on  preparing  ash  splints  for 
chair  seats,  etc.  It  is  the  black  ash  that 
is  used.  Select  a  log  about  6  or  S  in.  in 
diameter,  cut  about  .6  ft.  long  and  pound 
same  with  a  head  ax,  striking  one  'fair 
blow  in  a  place.  Care  must  be  used  not 
to  cut  the  fiber  of  the  grain,  causing  a 
bruise.  Keep  the  log  turning  over  as  fast 
as  you  have  pounded  across  from  end  to 
end.  'When  you  have  that  done,  that  is, 
have  been  cl^lr  around  the  Jog,  begin  to 
causes  the  grain  to  be  tender  when  pouud- 
lnS-  F.  A.  D. 
The  following  information  is  given  the 
inquirer  who  asks  about  preparing 
splints  for  seating  chairs  or  making  bas¬ 
kets,  on  page  346 :  Select  a  smooth- 
barked  black  or  water  (not  white)  ash 
tree  5  or  6  in.  in  diameter,  free  from 
knots.  Split  it  down  to  one-eighth.  Split 
out  the  heart.  On  shaving  horse  trim 
edges  and  remove  bark.  Then  commence 
pounding  it  from  the  end,  half  its  length, 
with  a  heavy  hammer  on  a  hard  block. 
Turn  and  pound  in  same  manner.  Re¬ 
peat  on  other  end.  When  this  is  done, 
leave  the  pole  to  protrude  over  end  of 
block  and  pound  edge,  turning  one  side 
up,  then  the  other.  The  stick  will  then 
come  apart  at  each  grain  or  year’s 
growth.  a.  d!  w. 
Treatment  for  Bunions 
Oh  page  1087  someone  asked  for  a  cure 
for  bunions.  If  C.  W.  M.  will  try  the 
following  treatment  I  think  he  will  get 
relief.  Soak  the  feet  every  night  in  water 
just  as  hot  as  the  feet  will  stand  it,  then 
paint  the  bunion  with  iodine  (putting  on 
enough  to  make  the  skin  a  dark  brown) 
every  other  night.  Continue  the  treat¬ 
ment  until  all  callus  will  peel  off.  It 
took  me  three  weeks  to  cure  bunions  that 
I  had  suffered  with  for  several  years.  Of 
course  it  does  not  remove  the  enlarged 
joint,  but  it  will  take  off  the  callus  and 
leave  the  skin  smooth.  ,  '  G.  A.  R. 
>*4  *  .  y  >  4 *  si  l  i IX  v  -  ' .x-  ^ 
Ordinary  Salt 
The  crystals  or  flakes  of 
ordinary  salt  are  hard 
and  slow  dissolving. 
Colonial 
Special  Farmers  Salt 
The  soft,  porous  flakes 
of  Colonial  Special 
Farmers Saltdissolve  In¬ 
stantly  like  a  snowflake 
The  strange  difference 
in  salt— how  to  judge 
Why  the  kind  that  dissolves  instantly 
and  completely  is  best  for  all  farm  uses 
Salt  is  not  just  salt.  There  is  a  world  of  difference. 
Ordinary  salt  is  made  up  of  either  hard,  granular, 
non-porous  crystals,  or  flakes.  Both  forms  are  slow 
dissolving  and  do  not  give  best  results. 
Colonial  Special  Farmers  Salt  is  the  only  salt  of  a 
soft,  porous,  flaky  texture.  That  is  why  it  is  the 
“quickes  dissolving  salt  in  the  world/’  This  is  the 
kind  that  you  should  use  wherever  salt  is  called  for. 
It  is  pure  salt,  entirely  free  from  moisture  and  its  soft 
fluffy  flakes  do  not  cake  like  ordinary  salt. 
For  Butter  Making — Cooking — Baking 
and  all  farm  uses 
Pat  up  in  70- 
lb.  bags  of 
linenized  ma¬ 
terial  that 
makes 
toweling. 
fine 
The  Ideal  Butter  Salt 
Colonial  Special  Farmers 
Salt  is  more  economical  be¬ 
cause  a  70-lb.  bag  is  as  big 
as  a  1 00-lb.  bag  of  ordinary 
salt.  Best  for  cooking,  bak¬ 
ing,  meat  curing,  butter 
making  and  table  use. 
Ask  for  Colonial  Special  Farmers 
Salt  by  name.  Dealers  every¬ 
where  who  know  the  difference 
in  salt  are  glad  to  recommend  it. 
On  request  we  will  mail  free  our 
new  booklet,  “ Meat  Curing  and 
Butter  Making  on  the  Farm.” 
THE  COLONIAL  SALT  COMPANY,  Akron,  Ohio 
Chicago  Buffalo  Atlanta 
COLONIAL  ssas  SALT 
For  Stock  Salt,  Use  Colonial  Block  Salt 
Smooth — Hard — Lasting — Won’t  Chip 
Made  of  Evaporated  Salt 
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