1210 
The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
September 
WOMAN  AND  HOME 
From  Day  to  Day 
I  ntimacy 
These  things  are  Winter’s :  early  dusks, 
the  glow 
Of  lamplight,  and  some  far-come  friend 
who  brings 
Tidings  of  hazards  and  adventurings 
To  the  safe  harbors  that  we  landsmen 
know. 
These  things  are  ours :  the  telling  of  old 
tales, 
And  then  the  gentle  silences  that  slip 
Eloquently  between  the  heart  and  lip, 
'.Sweet  as  the  songs  of  larks  or  night¬ 
ingales. 
Frost’s  at  his  work  and  mice  are  in  the 
wall, 
Glad  of  a  place  to  huddle ;  fires  are  lit 
Against  the  night  where  fox  and  ferret 
roam, 
Where  winds  down  white,  deserted  alleys 
call.  .  .  . 
Let  us  draw  close  and  taste  the  exquisite 
Comfort"  of  understanding,  which  is 
Home. 
- LESLIE  NELSON  JENNING, 
in  New  York  Herald. 
* 
One  of  our  correspondents  passed  on 
the  following : 
I  read  so  many  good  things  in  your 
paper*,  and  as  different  women  write 
about  their  labor  savers,  I  want  to  say 
a  word  about  the  small  floor  mop.  I  say 
it  comes  next,  as  a  labor  saver,  to  my 
sewing  machine.  No  need  of  any  woman 
getting  down  and  washing  up  floors.  1 
still  hear  some  say  they  can’t  get  used 
to  mops,  but  it  is  hard  to  get  used  to 
things  until  we  are  forced  to.  I  was 
forced  to  it  through  sickness,  and  now  I 
wish  I  could  convince  every  busy  farm 
woman  how  easy  it  is  to  do  floors  with 
mops.  Next  are  the  fiber  brooms;  try 
them  in  preference  to  corn  brooms.  See 
how  much  lighter  they  are,  and  easier 
handled. 
You  can  do  much  to  keep  the  kitchen 
sink  in  good  order  by  flushing  the  drain 
pipe  every  day  with  washing  soda.  Put 
a  tablespoon  of  washing  soda  in  the  sink 
and  then  flush  with  plenty  of  boiling 
water.  The  sink  and  the  ice  box  are  not 
only  evidence  as  to  the  housekeeper’s 
standards  of  cleanliness,  but  they  are 
also  extremely  important  in  their  influ¬ 
ence  on  the  family  health. 
5k 
Tomato  toast  is  seasonable  for  break¬ 
fast,  luncheon  or  supper,  and  is  capable 
of  different  variations.  The  tomatoes 
are  peeled,  sliced  and  stewed,  flavored 
with  salt,  pepper  and  butter,  then  poured 
over  buttered  toast.  The  tomato  should 
not  be  watery,  and  if  desired  may  be 
pressed  through  a  sieve  before  putting 
over  the  toast.  Many  like  a  slight  flavor¬ 
ing  of  mace,  or  a  shred  of  onion.  A  small 
piece  of  fried  bacon  laid  over  the  tomato 
on  each  piece  of  toast  is  very  good,  or  a 
little  chopped  cooked  ham  put  on  the 
toast  before  the  tomato  is  poured  over  it. 
A  poached  egg  on  toast,  with  strained 
and  well-seasoned  tomato  poured  around 
it,  is  savory  and  nourishing. 
Catering  for  the  Thrashing  Crew 
Every  year  there  are  many  brides  and 
wives  of'  “back-to-tlie-landers”  who  are 
looking  forward  to  a  visit  from  thrashers, 
hay-pressers  and  silo-fillers  for  the  first 
time.  Perhaps  a  few  of  the  “back-to-the- 
landers”  are  filled  with  such  an  ardent 
desire  to  reform  and  improve  the  country 
customs  that  they  will  scorn  any  advice 
from  a  mere  farm  woman  as  to  the  meals 
best  appreciated  and  expected  by  men 
doing  such  work,  but  many  will  be  glad 
of  suggestions  that  will  help  them 
through  the  ordeal.  Few  farmers  marry 
girls  from  the  qity,  but  many  marry 
country  girls  who  are  no  better  trained 
for  the  position  of  a  farmer’s  wife  than 
they,  having  spent  most  of  their  lives 
away  from  home  in  school  and  college, 
idling  the  vacation  days  away  with 
friends  at  the  seashore  and  mountains, 
never  realizing  until  too  late  that  they 
should  have  spent  all  of  those  too-short 
vacations  easing  their  mothers’  burdens 
and  learning  the  art  of  housekeeping  at 
the  same  time.  Fortunately  for  the  farm¬ 
er’s  wife  the  difficulty  in  Obtaining  men 
at  the  wages  that  the  farmer  can  pay 
has  made  fewer  men  to  board.  At  least 
it  seems  to  me  that  we  now  have  five  or 
six  less  men  at  thrashing  time  than  we 
did  10  years  ago,  but  when  I  asked  my 
farmer  man  how  he  managed  to  make 
use  of  so  many  more  men  in  former 
years  than  now.  fie  only  smiled  toler¬ 
antly  at  me  and  replied.  “Thrashing  takes 
just  as  many  men  as  it  ever  did  ;  probably 
there  seemed  more  to  you  at  first  be¬ 
cause  you  did  not  know  as  much  about 
serving  meals  as  you  do  now.’’  Being  a 
meek  and  submissive  wife  I  said  nothing, 
but  T  know  he  was  mistaken,  for  our  din¬ 
ing  (able  seats  12  persons,  and  I  always 
used  to  have  a  small  table  for  the  over¬ 
flow,  and  now  10  or  12  men  seem  to  be 
the  maximum  number. 
Of  course-  in  our  own  ease,  no  doubt 
having  a  share  in  a  thrashing  machine 
and  using  the  tractor  to  run  it.  has  cut 
down  on  the  number  of  men.  This  plan 
is  being  worked  out  successfully  in  this 
section,  a  group  of  about  three  farmers 
who  own  tractors  purchasing  a  thrasher 
together  and  thrashing  their  own  grain. 
A  silage  cutter  has  also  proved  a  valuable 
investment,  for,  if  necessary,  two  men 
can  fill  a  silo  alone  when  they  are  run¬ 
ning  their  own  machine,  and  can  shut  off 
the  power  to  go  to  the  field  for  another 
load  of  corn.  We  are  now  wondering  if 
a  small  bean  thrasher  would  not  prove 
an  equally  good  investment. 
If  the  dining  room  is  large  enough  it 
is  better  not  to  seat  the  men  too  closely 
at  the  table.  If  the  loosely  woven  linen 
tablecloths  are  not  long  enough  place  two 
The  Rural  Patterns 
In  ordering  always  give  number  of  pattern 
and  size  desired,  sending  price  with  order 
1863.  Slip-on  dress 
with  V  or  bateau 
neck-line,  and  el¬ 
bow  or  full-length 
sleeves;  for  Indies 
and  misses.  Sizes 
34,  36,  38,  40,  42, 
44  and  46-in.  bust. 
Size  38  requires  2% 
yards  40-in.  ma¬ 
terial  for  skirt  and 
1%  yards  contrast¬ 
ing  material  for 
waist.  25  cents. 
1873.  Bloomer  and 
trouser  suit  for 
girls  and  boys;  con¬ 
sisting  of  slip-on 
blouse,  and  straight 
trousers  that  may 
be  gathered  to 
knee-bands  to  form 
bloomers.  Sizes  2. 
4  and  6  years.  Size 
4  years  requires.  1% 
yards  36-in.  mater¬ 
ial.  Applique  fig¬ 
ure  is  from  transfer 
No.  11040.  Suit  15 
cents,  transfer  15 
cents. 
Fashion 
1939.  Two-piece 
slip-on  dress,  with 
four  plaits  on  either 
side  forming  front 
and  back  panels, 
with  skirt  seams 
under  plaits,  con¬ 
vertible  collar  and 
long  or  short 
sleeves;  for  ladies 
and  misses.  Sizes 
34  ,  36,  38,  40  and 
42-in.  bust.  Size  38 
requires  5  yards 
40-in.  material.  25 
cents. 
1963.  Misses’  one- 
piece  slip-on  dress, 
having  collar  in  two 
styles,  long  or  short 
set-in  sleeves  witli 
cuffs,  and  with  or 
w  i  t  ho  n  t  circular 
knee-length  flounce. 
Sizes  16,  18  and  20 
years.  Size  18 
years  requires  3% 
yards  36-in.  mater¬ 
ial,  with  %  yard 
extra  for  collar  and 
cuffs.  20  cents. 
Catalog,  15  cents. 
together  rather  than  use  the  heavy  linen 
cloths  that  are  so  hard  to  launder,  for 
they  will  have  to  be  changed  almost  every 
meal  if  they  are  kept  spotlessly  clean,  as 
they  become  blackened  so  quickly  from 
the  dirt  and  grease  on  the  men’s  clothes. 
Omit  napkins,  for  they  will  not  be  used. 
Do  not  use  a  tall  vase  of  flowers  that  will 
obstruct  the  view  and  may  be  tipped 
over  in  the  hurried  serving  of  the  meal, 
but  gratify  your  desire  for  beauty  by 
placing  a  dainty  bouquet  in  a  low  vase 
in  the  center  of  the  table.  There  is  no 
objection  to  using  your  best  silver  and 
dishes,  although  when  you  are  washing 
and  putting  them  away  you  may  wonder 
if  you  could  have  done  the  everyday  ones 
in  less  time. 
Do  not  have  the  men  wash  in  your 
shiny  bathroom  if  you  are  so  fortunate 
as  to  possess  one,  for  it  will  take  you 
hours  to  clean  it  afterwards,  and  have 
them  wash  almost  anywhere  rather  than 
at  the  kitchen  sink  when  you  are  dish¬ 
ing  un  the  food.  Before  we  had  the  hot 
and  cold  water  piped  into  a  sink  in  the 
laundry  I  always  carried  pails  of  warm 
water,  wash  basins,  soap,  towels,  comb 
and  mirror  to  a  bench  out  in  the  back¬ 
yard.  thus  keeping  the  dirt  and  confusion 
out  of  the  house.  If  the  supply  of  towels 
is  limited,  wash  them  out  after  each  meal, 
but  do  not  try  to  iron  them. 
Customs  in  regard  to  thrashers’  meals 
differ  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
We  read  of  the  big  thrashing  gangs  in  the 
I  ar  est  that  take  their  equipment 
along  to  feed  and  house  their  entire  crew, 
and  a  friend  who  spent  her  girlhood  in 
the  Middle  West  tells  me  that  the  farm¬ 
ers  there  take  their  wives  along  when 
they  help  their  neighbors  thrash,  each 
family  taking  a  well-filled  basket  and 
making  a  sort  of  picnic  of  the  affair.  But 
in  New  York  State  the  general  custom, 
now  that  it  is  impossible  to  hire  day 
help  is  to  exchange  work  with  neighbors, 
each  housewife  preparing  the  meals  ar 
her  own  home.  These  meals  have  to  be 
much  more  substantial  and  hearty  than 
those  for  the  family,  using  more  meat 
and  forgetting  for  a  few  days  the  usual 
balanced  ration  of  plenty  of  fruit,  vege¬ 
tables  and  milk.  Serve  the  heaviest  meal 
or  dinner  at  noon.  The  meat  question 
should  be  settled  first.  A  roast  of  be<ff, 
either  home  canned  or  procured  at  the 
market,  is  the  easiest  to  prepare,  so  that 
should  be  the  main  standby,  served  with 
plenty  of  brown  gravy.  There  are  still 
many  people  who  do  not  can  fresh  meat, 
and  depend  so  entirely  on  salt  pork  that 
it  is  better  not  to  serve  that,  and  it  is 
an  old  saying  with  thrashers  that  they 
always  hear  the  chickens  squawk  as  soon 
as  they  drive  in  at  a  farm,  so  chicken 
should  not  be  used  often.  However  1 
always  use  it  once  in  a  baked  chicken  pie 
with  baking  powder  biscuit  crust,  which 
I  imagine  they  do  not  get  often,  for  they 
all  seem  to  think  it  is  a  special  treat. 
Old  roosters  may  be  disposed  of  this 
way ;  they  should  be  cooked  very  thor¬ 
oughly  the  preceding  day  and  the  pie 
made  in  a  large  pan,  baking  the  crust  in 
the  form  of  biscuits.  If  two  large  kettles 
of  potatoes  are  cooked  at  noon  there  will 
probably  be  enough  left  to  fry  for  break¬ 
fast  and  cream  for  supper.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  serve  one  vegetable  dished  out  in 
individual  dishes,  such  as  peas,  string 
beans  or  stewed  tomatoes,  and  one  vege¬ 
table  such  as  pork  and  cabbage  or  pork 
and  beans  in  large  tureens.  Few  men 
will  take  the  chance  of  eating  cucumbers 
when  wording  hard,  and  corn  on  the  cob 
does  not  go  well.  They  will  not  eat 
beets  when  dished  out  as  a  vegetable,  but 
will  eat  any  amount  of  whole  pickled 
beets,  also  any  other  pickles  or  chili 
sauce.  They  will  not  even  consider  let¬ 
tuce,  celery,  spinach  or  any  of  the  green 
vegetables  so  necessary  to  the  regular 
diet  to  obtain  the  correct  amount  of  vita- 
mines.  A  plain  cabbage  salad  seems  to 
be  the  only  salad  that  is  popular.  Cot¬ 
tage  cheese  is  always  liked,  and  if  the 
weather  is  cool  an  old-fashioned  johnny 
cake  is  a  treat  at  any  meal.  If  the 
weather  is  hot  sliced  raw  tomatoes  may 
be  served  in  place  of  one  cooked  vege¬ 
table,  letting  each  man  take  his  choice 
as  to  whether  he  eats  salad  dressing  on 
them  or  not.  The  rapidity  with  which 
the  bread  plates  are  cleared  wdien  filled 
with  homemade  bread  shows  that  few 
housewives  bake  their  own  bread  nowa¬ 
days.  Give  the  men  their  choice  of  cof¬ 
fee  or  milk,  and  keep  the  water  glasses 
filled.  They  eat  so  rapidly  that  before 
one  has  time  to  breathe  it  is  time  to 
clear  the  table  quickly  and  serve  the  de¬ 
sert.  ‘With  such  a  hearty  meal  one  would 
usually  expect  to  serve  a  light  dessert  of 
fruit  or  pudding,  but  the  men  would  feel 
sorely  abused  if  they  did  not  have  pie  and 
perhaps  cheese.  (If  the  weather  is  hot 
try  to  have  ice  cream  at  least  once  dur¬ 
ing  their  stay. 
These  menus  may  be  of  some  help  when 
planning  supper :  Esealloped  potatoes, 
cold  sliced  beef,  beans  that  have  been 
baked  for  hours  and  hours  with  tomato 
sauce  served  hot  or  cold,  pickles,  bread, 
cottage  cheese,  apple  sauce,  cake,  tea  and 
milk. 
Creamed  potatoes,  salmon  croquettes, 
esealloped  tomatoes,  onions  or  cabbage, 
johnny  cake,  honey,  bread,  apple  sauce 
and  cookies,  tea  and  milk. 
Macaroni  and  cheese  may  be  substi¬ 
tuted  for  meat.  With  it  serve  browned 
potatoes,  sliced  tomatoes,  esealloped  corn, 
biscuits  or  rolls,  stewed  fruit  and  sponge 
cake. 
Breakfast  is  perhaps  the  most  dreaded 
meal,  for  it  must  be  ready  very  early,  and 
must  be  as  substantial  as  the  others,  for 
the  men  have  been  up  for  hours  and  have 
a  long  forenoon’s  work  ahead  of  them. 
The  city  worker’s  usual  breakfast  at  this 
season  of  cantaloupe,  cereal  and  coffee 
would  not  be  a  taste  for  them.  The  first 
course  may  be  fruit  if  desired,  cereal 
that  has  been  cooked  the  night  before 
and  reheated.  For  the  next  course  serve 
ham  and  eggs  or  bacon  and  eggs,  fried 
or  creamed  potatoes,  bread  or  muffins  or 
johnny  cake,  honey  or  jam.  appie  sauce 
and  cookies,  coffee  and  milk. 
Of  course  these  suggestions  will  apply 
equally  as  well  for  hay-pressers  and  silo 
fillers  as  for  thrashers.  I  have  noticed 
that  one  has  to  prepare  a  larger  quantity 
of  food  for  hay-pressers  than  for  any 
other  group  of  men.  for  they  are  doing 
more  strenuous  work,  and  as  the  hay- 
press  has  an  unfortunate  habit  of  break¬ 
ing  down  they  usually  stay  longer. 
If  all  this  food  has  to  be  prepared 
by  one  pair  of  hands,  as  is  almost  always 
the  case,  the  menus  should  be  carefully 
planned  ahead,  and  the  usual  routine  of 
housework  should  be  entirely  neglected 
for  a  few  days.  The  food  should  be  pre¬ 
pared  in  the  simplest  manner  possible, 
and  still  be  palatable,  and  at  least  one 
hour’s  rest  should  be  taken  in  the  after¬ 
noon.  and  as  many  minutes  as  can  be 
spared  in  the  morning.  And  above  all 
start  things  cooking  early  enough  so  that 
you  can  have  the  first  course  on  the  table 
192.; 
The  Year‘Round 
YOU  and  your  family  can  now 
have  this  wholesome,  refresh¬ 
ing  drink  at  any  time  of  the  year  ! 
No  expensive  equipment — just  a 
small  amount  (1-10  of  1%)  of 
“C.C.C.”  Benzoate  of  Soda  put 
in  the  cider  as  it  comes  from  the 
press  will  keep  it  from  ferment¬ 
ing  and  preserve  its  fresh,  de¬ 
lightful  flavor. 
“C.C.C.”  Benzoate  of  Soda  is  a  harmless,  approved 
preservative  for  fruit  juices,  preserves  and  other 
food  products.  Its  use  is  permitted  by  the  Federal 
Pure  Food  Laws  and  the  New  York  State  Farms 
and  Markets  Law,  and  provided  for  by  the 
National  Prohibition  Act  as  a  preventive  against 
the  fermentation  or  “hardening”  of  cider. 
Only  $1.00  per  barrel! 
Send  $1.00,  cash  or  money  order,  for 
enough  “  C.C.C.”  Benzoate  of  Soda  to 
keep  sweet  one  50-gallon  barrel  of  cider. 
Sent  postpaid,  with  full  directions.  Don’t 
wait  until  the  season  opens — write  at  once  1 
Commonwealth  Chemical 
Corporation 
25  West  43d  Street,  New  York  City 
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