V 
300 
American Agriculturist, March 31,1923 
Give a Thought 
-TO 
Advertising 
We are devoting this column to 
a subject that during the past 
score of years has caused a great 
deal of comment and discussion. 
Agricultural advertising, a branch 
in the big advertising field, has 
already played a large part and 
is going to play an even larger 
part in the future. 
It may interest you to know 
that American Agriculturist is 
being, used as a laboratory test in 
the course of agricultural adver¬ 
tising now being given at the 
State College of Agriculture at 
Cornell University. The class 
made a study of the relative value 
of advertising in the issue of 
February 17 and decided that the 
best advertisements in the order 
of their merit were those of the 
Harder Silo and Dr. Hess’s 
Pan-a-ce-a. The others mentioned 
in their order as being unusually 
good ads were the following: 
ITnadilla Silo 
Koyster Fertilizers 
G. L. F. Poultry Feed 
Le Koy Plow Company 
International Harvester 
Hillpot Chicks 
Troy Chemical Company 
Melotte Separator 
Planet Jr. Seeder 
The class has already reported on an¬ 
other recent issue. The results of that 
report will be published in this column 
in the near future. 
By reading advertisements a man can 
learn the merits of different articles and 
decide which is the best for him to buy. 
He Isn’t limited to any one thing. He 
has the products of the whole country to 
choose from. The goods of the world 
are brought right to his doorstep—if he 
but reads the advertisements. 
The world knows the truth of the say¬ 
ing : “It pays to advertise,” but there’s 
another saying just as true but not so 
familiar, and that is: “It pays to read 
advertisements.” 
That’s why we’ve started this column. 
To give our subscribers a better acquaint¬ 
ance with advertising and what adver¬ 
tising does. 
For advertising plays a mighty im¬ 
portant part in every farm paper. Your 
subscription pays only a very small part 
of the cost of publishing the papers you 
get. Advertising pays the biggest part 
of the bill. If it wasn’t for the adver¬ 
tisements, your magazines and papers 
would cost about five times as much as 
they do. 
So it’s worth while to “Give a thought 
to advertising.” That’s why we gave 
this column that name. We want you 
to benefit as much as possible by our 
advertisements. 'W'’e want them’ to pay 
you as well as us. For when you come 
right down to rock-bottom facts you are 
the ones we must satisfy. We publish 
this paper for your pleasure and your 
benefit. 
And so now, every week, this column 
will be given to some thought about ad¬ 
vertising that will interest you. We 
will welcome suggestions and comments 
on advertising in general. Tell us what 
you think about it. And most impor¬ 
tant of all, tell us what you think of 
the advertising in the American Agri¬ 
culturist. Just address the Advertising 
Manager, 
American Agriculturist 
461 FOURTH AVENUE 
NEW YORK CITY 
And remember: ^7! pays to give 
a thought to advertising/* 
Hot Lunches Make Better Children 
Practical Suggestions for School Meals—Other Household Pointers 
A FEW weeks ago the Home-Makers' 
.page had a peep into the lunch box 
of little Johnnie Brown, a schoolboy 
whose mother has given much time and 
thought to putting up the lunches that 
her small son finds so “easy to eat.” 
But in spite of her skill in providing 
for hungry Johnnie, Mrs. Brown never 
felt quite satisfied that he could not 
have the wholesome hot dish which her 
common sense, as well as her study of 
food values, told her would probably 
mean an improvement in Johnnie’s re¬ 
port card as well as in his physique. 
Johnnie goes to a one-room country 
school. He eats his lunch on his desk, 
and so do the other boys and girls. 
Some bring more than others, and 
■'swapping” often destroys the “balanced 
meal” a mother has planned. Then, too, 
some of the boys and girls bring skimpy 
lunches, while a few turn up quite often 
without any. Mrs. Brown, whose 
motherliness extends outside her own 
family, decided that something should 
be done to give every child in the school 
a good hot dish at noon. 
Beginning on a Small Scale 
At first a hot dish was served only 
twice a week, for the young teacher 
wished to establish a system of cooking 
and service. She started with hot choc¬ 
olate, which the girls helped her pre¬ 
pare, and which the boys, in relays, 
passed around. The milk came from 
the fine herd of a neighbor and was 
purchased at cost. A charge of two 
cents a cup was made, and the son of a 
man who had opposed the lunch idea 
was appointed treasurer. This proved 
a wise bit of strategy! After the lunch 
the girls cleared up and the boys 
“wiped.” 
It soon proved that it was better to 
divide both boys and girls into three 
groups, each group to help for one 
week, the others to be served till their 
turn came. The second lunch of the 
first week consisted of a creamed pea 
soup, made from dried vegetables given 
by a mother; the milk was obtained 
from a farmer, and the charge was 3 
cents, making 5 cents for the week. The 
school soon ran on a daily hot dish 
basis. A charge of 15 cents a week was 
made and, in a few cases, remitted. 
The committee felt that every child 
should have the dish and that those who 
could not afford it probably especially 
needed it. 
Needless to say, it took many weeks 
to get things working smoothly; there 
were discouragement and setbacks, but 
Mrs. Brown, surveying some surprising 
figures furnished by the County Home 
Bureau on underweight and malnutri¬ 
tion among country children, felt that it 
it was worth it. The fact that one- 
third of the children of the nation are 
undernourished did not impress her 
neighbors until she showed that country 
children suffered as much as city ones, 
and that some Ohio women, working to 
make hot lunches a feature of every 
rural school, had cut the proportion of 
tea and coffee drinkers among 2,818 
children from 75% to 45%, with a cor¬ 
responding increase in milk drinkers 
and corresponding health improvement. 
The School Teacher Will Help 
Johnnie’s teacher, a young girl just 
starting in with her first school, had 
plenty of work on her hands, but con¬ 
sented to help. Some parents agreed to 
help too; others, ^las, were indifferent 
or even opposed. “What was good 
enough for us is good enough for our 
children”—that old standby of the lazy 
and self satisfied, tried Mrs. Brown’s 
patience, as it has that of many an¬ 
other. She persevered, however, and, 
turning to the Home Bureau, found her 
ammunition in ^ the shape of bulletins 
listing the required materials, stories of 
what other communities had done, and 
recipes for simple nourishing dishes. 
The cost of installing school lunches 
went largely for equipment and food 
material. Hired help was voted unnec¬ 
essary, as the children could wait on 
themselves and assist also in preparing 
the food and washing up. The teacher 
assumed the supervision to insure 
cleanliness and proper cooking. 
The equipment in the list, made up 
after careful study, included: 1 large 
kettle, to use on the stove which heated 
the school measuring cup; paring knife; 
1 saucepan or double boiler, 1 mixing 
spoon, 1 serving spoon, 2 dishpans, 6 
towels, 1 egg beater, and 1 asbestos mat. 
Pupils were to bring any extras they 
desired from home. Paper plates were 
also ordered, as an emergency supply. 
The cost of these supplies, it was esti¬ 
mated, shoul(jl not exceed $15. Donations 
of towels and a, kettle brought the cost 
down, and a knife, fork, spoon, and cup 
apiece were ordered for each child, in- 
“When a feller needs a friend”—or 
what not to pack in the lunch basket 
stead of having them supplied from 
home, as was originally intended. 
Part of the money—$6—was given in 
small contributions, the rest and a 
small extra fund was raised by a basket 
party, at which the supper boxes pre¬ 
pared by women of the community were 
auctioned off to the men. Meanwhile 
the boys of the school built and covered 
with oilcloth two shelves for utensils. 
The girls made a protecting curtain for 
them. 
Health of Children Better 
Mrs. Brown and her committee are 
now eagerly awaiting the annual physi¬ 
cal examination at which the school 
children will all be weighed. But the 
teacher tells them that they need not 
wait for the doctor’s verdict, for she 
already sees the effect. “Eleven o'clock 
drowsiness” is a thing of the past, dull 
eyes are brighter, and even the girls 
and boys thought by their parents 
“perfectly healthy” have gained weight, 
look better, and are actually more alert 
and sturdy. 
The hot dish at lunch pays in divi¬ 
dends of better, healthier children, and 
Mrs. Brown, for one, doesn’t grudge the 
small amount of time and money which 
is building brain and brawn for husky 
little Johnnie. 
it to match. Dents and holes should be 
filled with beeswax which is softened 
until like putty. Sandpaper around and 
over it. The dust will work into the 
beeswax and give it a wood finish. Two 
coats of shellac render a surface just 
right for the application of wax. The 
shellac should be rubbed with an old 
gunny sack. 
Furniture painted white is very pop¬ 
ular now and many bedrooms are fitted 
with it. If this is done be sure that 
the paint does not contain oil as it is 
almost impossible to get it dry. IJse 
inside flat white for two coats, then ap¬ 
ply one of enamel white. 
Old chairs carrying many coats of 
paint are most easily done over by 
using a ground color. "When you have 
a good, foundation covering (usually 
three coats), apply any desired stain. 
"Walnut is a favorite with me. This 
finish is very durable. 
There is a great satisfaction in do¬ 
ing this work and beholding the trans¬ 
formation. Often, old furniture sells 
for a song, but a little money and labor 
will make it well worth keeping. 
RENEWING FURNITURE 
MRS. GEORGE GRAY 
The framework of old furniture has 
great possibilities, no matter how dilap¬ 
idated and scarred the finish. Many 
garrets hold treasures which only re¬ 
quire a little labor to make them a thing 
of beauty. In fact, the older the piece, 
the greater the possibility. 
An old six-legged round table of ours 
had a most uninviting appearance. The 
color was a dingy brown, without grain 
or gloss, and it bore the scars of many 
years. After much consideration it 
was decided to remove the entire finish 
and reach the original wood. For this 
purpose a strong solution of gold dust 
was used. When all was removed, the 
table was thoroughly dried and given 
a coat of mahogany stain with varnish 
added. One of the prepared stains 
would have given the_ same results. It 
now occupies a prominent place in the 
living room and the owner prizes it 
highly. 
Not everybody would have finished 
it this way. Tastes vary and one of the 
nice things about renewing furniture 
is the variety to be had. _ Rosewood 
or cherry would have made it a lighter 
color, while oak or walnut would have 
been other alternatives. 
Many people do not care for the 
shine and gloss of varnish on the old 
pieces. A dull finish is procured by us¬ 
ing wax instead. A little wax on a soft 
flannel cloth is rubbed on the furniture, 
doing only a small surface at a time, 
and using the wax sparingly. It is bet¬ 
ter to apply it often in small quantities. 
After about five minutes, rub it with a 
soft cloth until there is a rich dull 
Should the furniture need_ repairing, 
use the same kind of wood if possible. 
If that cannot be obtained, use some- 
thinjg' with the same grain, and stain 
RECIPES USING RAISINS 
Oriental Marmalade 
2 cups dried apricots 
1 cup dried figs 
1 cup dates 
2 cups seedless raisins 
4 cups cold water 
cups brown sugar 
2 lemons 
Cut apricots, figs, dates and raisins 
in pieces. Cover with cold water and 
soak over night. Add sugar and juice 
from lemons and cook slowly until 
thick—about 40 minutes. Pour into 
sterilized glasses and seal with paraf¬ 
fine. 
Prune and Raisin Conserve 
1 cup prunes 
1 cup seedless raisins 
2 cups cold water 
1 cup brown sugar 
1-3 cup vinegar 
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
% teaspoon clove 
V 2 teaspoon allspice 
% cup chopped blanched almonds 
Soak prunes and raisins overnight 
in cold water. In the morning cook 
in the same water until prunes are 
tender. Discard pits from prunes and 
cut in pieces. Add sugar, vinegar and 
spices Cook until thick—about 45 
minutes. Add almonds and cook 5 
minutes. Pour into sterilized glasses 
and seal with paraffine. This makes 
about 6 glasses. ’ 
Fried Mush With Raisins 
% teaspoon salt 
2% cups boiling water. 
^ cup corn meal. 
V 2 cup chopped seedless raisins 
Add salt to boiling water. Add 
cereal slowly, stirring constantly, and 
allow to boil 10 minutes. Cook in a 
double boiler % hour. Add raisins 15 
minutes before it is done. Pour into 
greased loaf pan and set aside until 
cold and firm. Cut in slices. Dredge 
lightly with flour and brown in a small 
amount of hot melted fat in a frying 
pan. Serve plain or with syrup This 
is delicious and young children will 
love it for a treat at lunch or supper- 
WHOLE WHEAT HOT CAKES 
Two cups whole wheat flour, 3 heap¬ 
ing teaspoon.^ baking powder, 1% cups 
milk, y 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon mo¬ 
lasses, 1 tablespoon melted shortening, 
2 ^ 
Sift together dry ingredients; aaa 
milk, molasses and shortening to beaten 
eggs and add to dry ingredients; mix 
well. Bake on hot slightly greased 
griddle, turning only once. 
These are delicious eaten with mapl6 
syrup or honey,— Mrs. H. M., N, Y. 
Your pattern^ are the finest ! 
used, and I hfve used many.— 
A. V. B., New Jersey. 
