The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1403 
est  year  Jack  and  I  ever  experienced. 
Around  here  one  farmer  will  remark  to 
another  in  midsummer:  “We  won’t  get 
many  potatoes  this  year  unless  we  get  a 
rain  ;  it  is  too  dry  for  them  to  set  well.” 
But  Mother  Nature  just  showed  them 
this  year  they  didn’t  know  it  all  yet,  and 
potatoes  are  a  splendid  crop  and  selling 
at  $1  per  bushel,  and  the  quality  is  ex¬ 
cellent.  Potatoes  and  ferns  are  helping 
out  with  money  to  buy  the  Winter 
grain,  for  corn  is  very  poor,  and  the  frost 
the  middle  of  September  hit  most  of  us. 
But  “next  year”  is  just  around  the  cor¬ 
ner,  and  the  “best  year”  hasn’t  come. 
Apples  are  scarce,  but  the  rains  have 
helped  to  increase  the  size  of  what  we 
have.  One  might  almost  say  there  were 
no  berries ;  very  few  of  any  kind  to  can, 
but  although  I  thought  I  would  have 
nothing  to  can  I  find  my  cans  will  all  be 
full.  Tomatoes  are  such  a  help ;  they 
can  be  made  up  in  such  variety,  and  then 
the  Golden  Queen  makes  such  delicious 
preserves.  The  fruit  is  always  perfect 
with  us.  Then  I  want  to  add  to.  the 
canned  'Summer  squash  item  that,  sifted 
and  the  water  drained  off,  it  makes  ex¬ 
cellent  pies. 
The  frost  in  the  air  reminds  us  of  the 
colder  weather  coming,  and  I  want  to 
tell  the  readers  who  wish  to  earn  a  lit¬ 
tle  pin  money  that  if  they  can  knit  the 
old-fashioned  double  mitten,  now  is  the 
time.  The  knitting  yarn  can  be  bought 
direct  from  the  factory.  Mother  knit  and 
sold  over  50  pairs  last  year,  and  orders 
are  beginning  to  come,  as  this  is  a  re¬ 
peating  business,  for  even  the  best  of  mit¬ 
tens  wear  out. 
'We  are  told  of  the  depredations  of  in¬ 
sects,  mice,  moles,  rats  and  red  squir¬ 
rels.  Right  here  we  have  been  remark¬ 
ably  free  from  pests.  Even  the  house¬ 
hold  fly  was  late  in  arriving  and  fewer 
in  numbers,  but  as  soon  as  one  came  we 
swatted,  for  every  fly  we  killed  meant  a 
million  less  by  Fall,  and  to  kill  2,000,000 
by  one  fell  swoop  was  much  bigger  busi¬ 
ness  for  little  folks  than  killing  two  flies. 
As  to  small  animals,  Miss  Tabitha  at¬ 
tends  to  them.  When  I  read  of  these 
pests  I  wonder  where  the  famous  old 
mouser  race  has  gone.  Miss  Tabitha  is 
a  great  grand-daughter  of  a  three-colored 
cat,  and  only  weighs  4 %  lbs.  in  her  work¬ 
ing  order,  but  a  year  ago  rats  invaded  our 
barns  and  she  caught  31  that  we  knew  of. 
This  Spring  for  a  month  she  caught  from 
one  to  five  field  mice  a  day,  usually  two 
or  three.  Then  the  mice  seemed  to  be 
scarce  and  a  week’s  game  that  she 
brought  to  me  for  praise  was  two  mice 
and  eight  chipmunks,  and  the  next  week 
nine  chipmunks.  Since  then  her  record 
has  been  fully  as  good,  as  she  has  three 
children ;  one  has  seven  toes  on  each 
front  foot. 
As  usual  I  am  “clipping,  cutting  and 
contriving,”  but  that  isn’t  anything  like 
having  no  one  to  clip  and  contrive  for. 
Also,  unlike  many  farmers,  we  hope  the 
labor  question  won’t  trouble  us  for  many 
years,  for  although  one  boy  is  21,  the 
other  five  are  all  ages  down  to  two  years. 
Have  you  ever  noticed  how  many 
pockets  rip  off  at  the  corners?  Next 
time  just  start  to  stitch  a  half  inch  from 
the  top  ofthe  pocket  and  stitch  up,  then 
turn  and  stitch  around  the  pocket,  and 
before,  breaking  off  the  thread  turn  and 
stitch  down  a  half  inch,  and  when  stitch¬ 
ing  shirts  do  the  same  thing  at  the  sleeve 
and  sides. 
Then  with  stockings  in  which  a  broken 
stitch  will  “run,”  sew  a  piece  of  thin 
cloth  underneath  where  the  garter  fasten¬ 
ing  will  come,  and  save  yourself  more 
than  the  “nine  stitches.” 
Of  course  cloth  is  high,  but  when  I 
made  a  house  dress  of  percale  the  other 
day  I  remarked  it  cost  less  than  the  cloth 
for  a  print  or  calico  wrapper  used  to  cost 
I  always  bought  10  yards  at  six  or  seven 
cents  a  yard,  and  for  this  dress  I  used 
three  yards  of  percale  at  17  cents.  And 
then  the  difference  in  the  making  and  fit¬ 
ting,  and  not  a  buttonhole  to  be  made  or 
a  button  to  come  off ! 
Aren’t  you  glad  you  are  living  these 
days?  We  remark  of  the  high  cost  of 
living,  but  I  find  myself  repeating  a  bit 
of  doggerel  read  years  ago : 
“It  costs  a  lot  to  live  these  days, 
More  than  it  did  of  yore, 
But  when  you  come  to  think  of  it, 
It’s  worth  a  whole  lot  more !” 
So  try  smiling ! 
‘Speaking  of  ferns,  one  buyer  in  town 
said  some  time  ago  he  had  already  paid 
out  over  .$30,000  this  Fall,  and  the  other 
firm  is  doing  well.  The  papers  have  had 
many  articles  about  the  fern  business, 
and  as  usual  know  many  things  that  are 
not  so.  One  paper  spoke  of  the  fe-n 
picking  here  beginning  14  or  15  years  ago. 
I  certainly  know  I  was  teaching  away 
from  home  23  years  ago,  and  a  lady  who 
is  now  my  nearest  neighbor  wrote  me  she 
had  picked  over  $17  worth  of  ferns  that 
Fall,  and  before  this  when  I  taught  on 
the  side  of  Stratton  Mountain  there  was 
an  old  man  near  us  who  picked  and 
shipped  ferns  and  bought  a  few,  paying 
three-quarters  of  a  cent  per  bunch  of  25. 
This  year  the  price  has  been  2 y2  cents 
per  bunch  since  August  1. 
Our  folks  drove  about  10  miles,  making 
a  20-mile  trip  each  day,  for  the  most  they 
picked.  Everyone,  men,  women  and  chil¬ 
dren,  were  out,  but  the  woods  are  stripped 
for  the  most  now,  except  way  back  on  the 
enormous  sides  of  Old  Stratton,  that  is 
over  3,000  ft.  above  the  sea,  and  is  a  fern 
picker’s  paradise,  except,  when  one  is 
through  picking  and  shoulders  a  basket 
containing  200  or  300  bunches,  and  starts 
on  a  two,  three  or  four-mile  hike  to  camp. 
It  is  a  great  job  for  a  person  with  a  poor 
appetite.  If  you  don’t  believe  it,  try  it, 
these  crisp  days.  mother  bee. 
Buttermilk  Pop 
On  page  1318  I  find  a  request  for  the 
“know  how”  to  make  “buttermilk  pop.” 
What  the  writer  of  the  article  refers  to 
is  “gruel,”  not  “pop.”  To  make  “pop,” 
flour  is  used ;  for  gruel,  cornmeal.  The 
“old-fashioned  pop,”  made  when  I  was  a 
boy,  I  did  not  like  very  much,  for  it  was 
lumpy ;  “gruel”  I  was  very  fond  of.  If 
made  as  my  wife  makes  both  gruel  and 
pop,  will,  I  think,  suit  anyone  who  cares 
for  such  dishes.  We  cannot  get  good 
honest  buttermilk  now,  so  do  not  have  it, 
for  which  I  am  very  sorry. 
To  make  “gruel”  for  us,  she  puts  two 
quarts  of  buttermilk  into  the  kettle  and 
when  the  milk  is  quite  warm  stirs  into 
the  milk  about  one-third  cup  of  yellow 
cornmeal  (granulated,  fine,  we  usel. 
Pour  this  into  the  kettle  very  slowly  and 
thoroughly  stir,  or  it  will  be  lumpy.  Cook 
for  20  to  30  minutes,  stirring  frequently 
to  prevent  burning  and  lumps. 
For  “pop,”  the  same  as  above,  except, 
into  a  bowl  or  pan  put  two-thirds  cup 
buttermilk,  one-half  cup  flour,  one  egg 
and  mix  thoroughly  with  an  egg  beater. 
She  uses  the  revolving  kind.  Then,  as 
the  milk  in  kettle  has  nearly  reached  the 
boiling  stage,  pour  in  and  thoroughly  stir 
the  flour  and  egg  mixture.  Cook  as  for 
gruel,  20  to  30  minutes,  stir  to  prevent 
lumps  and  burning.  Salt  and  sweeten, 
Embroidery  Designs 
M/ 
O  O  O  o 
\l/  o  \V  o  O  xl/  \|/  O 
o  *  v  *  $  *  *  |  o 
1082 
«6*J<  H  X  *  K  X  X  ^  X  X  X  X  XXX  Xjf  A  X  X  X  X  K  X*  XXXXXXj 
o’  rivft 
*.***** 
A/  XXX  V, 
+■  +  ,  +  +■  .£*■ 
11081.  Cross  stitch  border,  4%  in.  wide; 
1%  yards  in  the  pattern.  15  cents. 
11082.  Two  conventional  borders;  2% 
yards  of  border  1%  in.  wide,  and  1%  yards 
3  in.  wide.  15  cents. 
each  for  him  or  herself  when  served. 
Some  prefer  sugar,  others  molasses,  others 
prefer  neither.  The  buttermilk  should 
be  freshly  churned ;  that  is,  not  more 
than  one  day  old,  to  be  nice;  otherwise  it 
is  sour.  The  quantity  given  is  enough  for 
three.  i.  s.  w. 
You  ask  recipe  for  “buttermilk  pop,” 
and  I  inclose  one  which  has  been  used 
long  years  in  our  family.  Anyone  fond 
of  buttermilk  will  enjoy  a  bowl  of  it  for 
supper,  and  it  is  especially  good  for  one 
troubled  with  constipation  :  One  and  one- 
half  or  two  cups  wheat  flour,  one  egg  (un¬ 
beaten),  one  teaspoon  salt,  one  quart  new 
buttermilk.  When  served  (in  bowls)  add 
sugar  or  molasses  to  taste,  as  you  would 
in  cereals.  Put  one  quart  fresh  butter¬ 
milk  on  stove  to  scald.  Take  a  round- 
bottom  basin  or  mixing  bowl  and  sift  into 
it  flour  and  salt.  Make  a  little  well  in 
center  into  which  break  one  egg.  Then 
mix  or  rub  together  until  it  is  a  mass  of 
small,  irregular  lumps.  Then  as  the  milk 
gets  to  scalding  heat,  take  spoon  in  one 
hand  and  stir  while  you  drop  (slowly) 
handfuls  into  it.  It  will  cook  while  you 
are  doing  it  if  the  fire  is  brisk.  Then 
pull  back  and  let  sit  where  it  is  hot,  but 
not  cooking,  until  table  is  ready,  or  possi¬ 
bly  20  minutes.  One  can  use  one  cup 
flour  and  one-half  cup  meal  if  so  desired, 
but  as  it  is  laxative,  should  not  be  eaten 
with  too  much  fruit  or  vegetable  diet. 
Sweet  milk  pop  is  made  same,  omitting 
meal  and  using  all  flour.  This  dish  is 
very  familiar  to  the  mountain  whites,  and 
was  usually  sweetened  with  molasses 
when,  served.  Double  boilers  would  make 
the  risk  of  scorching  flour  or  milk  much 
less.  mbs.  i.  v.  t. 
"It  Keeps  Me 
Awake  Nights  ’— 
is  the  familiar  confession  of  the  tea 
and  coffee  drinker.  The  reason  is  that 
both  tea  and  coSee  contain  caffeine — 
a  drug  which  is  the  foe  of  night-time 
sleep  and  day-time  energy. 
Postum,  the  pure  cereal  beverage,  is 
delicious  and  satisfying— and  free  from 
all  the  elements  which  so  many  users 
of  coffee  and  tea  find  disturbing  to 
nerves  and  digestion. 
Postum  contains  no  stimulant  to  keep 
you  awake  nights. 
Sold  by  grocers  everywhere ! 
Postum 
for  Health 
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Your  grocer  sells  Postum  in  two  forms: 
Instant  Postum  [in  tins]  prepared  in¬ 
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boiling  water.  Postum  Cereal  [in  pack¬ 
ages]  for  those  who  prefer  the  flavor 
brought  out  by  boiling  fully  20  minutes. 
The  cost  of  either  form  is  about  one-half 
cent  a  cup. 
Made  by  Postum  Cereal  Co.,  Inc. 
Battle  Creek,  Mich. 
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Twelve  pounds  -crab  apples,  6  lbs. 
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