THE YELLOW SHEETS 
sisted of dilapidated bed springs, made 
clean; supported at a convenient 
height, and covered with clean flour 
sacks seamed together. 
- As small quantities were made 
ready, they were spread on the rack,. 
one layer deep. We quit by ten o'clock. 
The frame was covered with mosquito 
netting to keep out insects, and the 
thin slices dried rapidly from both 
sides. The fundamental idea back of 
drying is the removal of surplus water. 
By conventional methods, no peeling 
and fruit in big chunks, this is a slow 
process. Chemical changes occur which 
darken the pieces; and the fruit sugar 
is somewhat changed. When the fruit 
is peeled and thinly sliced, the process 
is so fast that these chemical changes 
do not have time to proceed very far. 
When cooked the product is but little 
darker than fresh fruit, and sweeter 
than the commercially dried. 
I believe the fruit would have kept 
after the one day’s drying, but Aunt 
Kate put it out the second day in rather 
thicker layers, which she stirred occa- 
sionally. The third day it was dumped 
into a clean flour sack, which was 
closed and hung all day out in the sun 
and wind. After that, it was stored for 
winter. 
Bring ye all the tithes into the 
storehouse, that there may be meat in 
mine house; and prove me now here- 
with, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will 
not open you the windows of Heaven, 
and pour you out a blessing that there 
shall not be room enough to receive 
it.—Malachi 3:10. 
The Lord is waiting and ready to 
pour out blessings if we will only do 
our part. Paying tithes, both in spirit 
and in cash is an important part of our 
share of the responsibility. We have to 
put ourselves in harmony with the laws 
of being, to get the full benefit of those 
laws. But like a kind parent, He fre- 
quently gives us blessings that we have 
not earned, and which we emphatically 
do not appreciate. 
I've thought of this promise so often 
when looking at the weeds in our gar- 
den. Most subsoils: contain valuable 
mineral fertilizers locked in such chem- 
ical combinations that most plants can- 
not make use of them. Evidently 
weeds can to some extent. They take 
up these minerals, make them over into 
better combinations, and if properly 
handled are an important source of 
fertilizer. 
Mostly our ground has been too 
wet to hoe, but I get out and pull 
weeds. Whenever I try to have a pit 
compost heap, my | step-daughter 
promptly fills the pit with rocks and 
trash, so I collect leaky wash tubs and 
stand them out back. About half a 
bushel of leaf mat goes in first. Then 
weeds, carefully stood on end with 
roots in the air until safely dead; wood 
ashes; manure from the chicken coops 
and stable; more weeds; dead leaves, 
etc. The stuff slowly settles and more 
is added. Next year, a layer of rotted 
compost from an older collection will 
be added and this tub planted. Com- 
mercial fertilizer is used when planting. 
Next year, contents of tub will be 
ready for use. The weeds are certainly 
treasure trove for a gardener, but this 
year, the Lord is pouring out more of 
this variety of blessing than I can use. 
HARDY ROCK GARDEN PLANTS 
HARDY SEDUMS. All Sedums I 
call hardy can survive 15 below zero 
without protection. Some of them are 
hardy in the sub-Arctic. Most are fine 
for rock garden plants. Last year my 
co Co 
