$
4
l!
1'
i'
kf
V
i'
:
i
i
t
8
.?
.
?.'
r i
It
I.
k-
s
S
The Commoner.
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 2t
if...
3KAR&'
7 -SifI:
Lo mzs&h) . umpr
r " " - i ill i
."
44trff&
Concfucodfiv
llli. B 9 m t . 'C
ween wans Mi
jDeparimeni
The Real Vacation
Mental diversion, mental exhila
ration, mental release from the cares
and business worries of life, are not
only essential to healthful thought
and a healthy mental condition, hut
promoto bodily vigor and physical
well-being. It is the absence of
w healthy amusements, to a groat ex
tent, which leads to many social
evils; to many habits and practices
which ruin the moralo of our young
people in a great many cases. If
boys and girls just entering their
' teens do not find healthful amuse
ments at homo they sigh for places
whore the social longings may bo
' gratified; in response to this long
ing, the sons seek their companion
ship in the streets, the daughters
in questionable places, whero amuse
ments are to be found. Often, these
seomingly innocent amusoments are
like dead-sea fruits to their partak
' ers, leaving only a taste of ashes in
stead of the sweetness of the minute.
Employment for the mind is what
thousands of women need; after the
plodding routine required to meet
the material necessities of the
family, the exhausted body requires
the rest that is hardest of all to get
that afforded by the free action of
the Interested mind a release from
the physical in the awakening of the
mental by new thoughts, new scenes,
now labors. Thousands of women
starve, mentally, and wither and
fade for the intellectual stimulant
doniod them. The unsatisfied hun
ger and thirst render them peevish,
discontented, nagging and complain
ing; often times they become em
bittered, and ill-tempered, just as
the sleepy, hungry child becomes
fretful and unmanageable, and they
aro cruelly censuued by their un
thinking companions. There should
be more off-hand visiting, informal
calls, dropping into other homes for
a few minutos relaxation in pleasant
discussions; without form and cere
mony, families should have these
gatherings several timeB each week,
and! in all communities there should
be places where the young or old, or
both, may meet freely and joy in the
social contact with each other; not
always in attending lectures or
"meetings" but. where they can meet
each other in natural Bocial inter
course. In thus meeting arid
mingling with other minds is the
truo vacation.
Instep supporters will relievo the
pain of a broken arch if the shoe is
not too short or too narrow. Noth
ing but a wide too shoe will relievo
cramped, crushed toes.
Foot Loro
iV
The more you rub and scrub and
wash your feet, the less liable you
aro to havo corns and callouses. You
can not have your feet too clean. A
nightly scrub with warm soap and
water and a small, brush will not
only give you comfort, but will give
you the foot health and shanalinnRR.
After a hot bath and a dash of cold
water to rinse, it is advisable to rub
all the callous places with a piece of
pumico stone.
To prevent ingrowing too-nall,
take a bit of absorbent cotton, wet
with listerine, or with vaseline and
push it gently under the curled-in
portion; rub the nail with warm
vaseline, and change the plugget of
cotton every night when you take
the bath; keep the nail trimmed
squaro across.
T.00 shdrt shoos or stockings, high
French heels, and pointed toes 'will
cause untold agony, besides perman
ently deforming the feet. See that
the shoo fits the foot comfortably.
Slipping Roso Plants
Rose plants may be multiplied by
slipping any time during the sum
mer, the cuttings should bo taken
from half-ripened wood, and many
aro very successful with the stems
of blooming branches, cutting off the
bloom, and leaving three or four
eyes on the slip. It should be
severed from tho parent wood with
a sharp knife. Remove tho loaves
from all but the top eye, and cut
away tho tip of this leaf; then insert
in sand, keeping tho sand quite
moist, but not too wet. It is a good
plan to turn a tumbler over the slip,
pressing tne rim or tne glass down in
tho wet sand, and thus' retain the
moisture about the plant. Set in a
warm, shaded place; a very good
place being under the rosebush from
which it was taken. If possible, it
is better to take cuttings with a
"heel," as they are more apt to root
and mako stronger young plants, 'but
a great deal depends on the one who
cares for it. Cuttings may be taken
and at once InVerted in the soil in the
shade, but the soil must be kept
moist, and the place must be a warm
one; a good plan, If there are
several cuttings is to turn a "glass
fruit jar over tho cutting, pressing
the rim down into tho soil, and this
will preserve a moist atmosphere
about the exposed part of tho clip
ping. Tho young plant should be
shielded from tho sunshine until tho
roots are well started, then it is best
to put into prepared soil and con
tinue this as in the sand. The tiny
thread-like rootlets will not then be
disturbed, and the young plant may
bo turned out into tho border when
sufficiently grown.
Topics of Interest
At fruit preserving time, it is im
possible to know just exactly the
amount to be cooked for a number
of jars, and there is apt to be either
a little over, or a little under, the
required amount. If canning, the
vacancy in tho inr mh Uo. fiiin,i n.
boiling water; but when there are a
few spoonfuls over after filling every
jar, the small bottle is called for.
All glass bottles, and small jars, such
as vaseline, cold cream, mustards,
plclclest jellies, preserves, and the
like come in, when purchased, should
be thoroughly cleaned and put away
iui juut buuu emergencies. Many
fancy pickle and relish or mustard
bottles lend themselves to sealing
the Same as bottlfiR. nnd Ti oii
jars, or large-mouth small bottles
can be used for jellies, or jams or
preserves. Whero baby foods, or the
malted milks are used, there may be
an abundance of useful small jars
and every such jar or bottle should
be cleaned and put away, if one has
a placo for the storage.
Whero one has strong smelling
foods that must be kept cool, yet can
not be put with the other foods with
out lending an often unpleasant odor
to all tho rest, the odorous foods may
be perfectly isolated if it is put into
jars or vessels having an absolutely
tight lid. Fruit jars that no longer
serve for canning may be used for
this purpose, and pickle bottles hav
ing close-fitting lids may bo filled
with slaw, salads, and many foods
containing onions, and the like, and
nothing will bo contaminated by the
companionship.
Tho flavor of eggs varies with the
food tho hen eats; if fed a large
amount of animal food, the eggs will
havo a stronger, coarser flavor than
when hens eat only grains and
grasses. Strong-flavored vegetables,
such as onions, or green tomatoes, or
liko vegetables, will affect the taste
in a marked decree. Eggs should be
kept in a clean place, as the shell
being porous, the inside absorbs
more or less odors. Musty nests
give eggs that remain in them long a
bad flavor.
For tho Cook Lady
Ono of tho ways which economical
housewives practice for the exten
sion of meat flavors, is to cook a
small quantity of meat with each of
several other foods. Others cook,
the meat fn various ways, saving the
gravies, brpths, or drippings for use
With, other foods, and thus giving
each a distinctive flavor without en
larging the butcher'B bill. Dump
lings, crusts, borders of potatoes,
hominy, rice', or green vegetables
can be used with tho meat flavors,
giving variety as well as flavor,
Even a few scraps of meat, with &
little patience and work on the part
of the cook, can be made into deli
cious individual meat pies, turn
overs, or fritters. Where the poorly
made croquet will hardly be touched,
tho meat scraps hashed and .blended
with other materials will be' eagerly
eaten. Gristles, bones, and other
clean trimmings can bo cooked by
themselves, simmered with a little
water, and every particle of the
nutriment extracted, and tho gravy
or broth used to flavor vegetables
When buying meats, the housewife
should insist on having the trim
mings also, as she has paid for the
whole thing, and oftentimes having
the trimmings means a whole, whole
some dish which could not other
wise bo had. Sometfmes dough made
as for dumplings, or soft biscuits,
will be baked, and the broth from
the simmered trimmings in tho form
of a seasoned gravy be poured over
tho biscuits or crusts, giving a most
appetizing dish.
Putting up Fruits
When putting up fruits by cook
ing in the jar, this Is a good outfit,
if you can not afford a regular can
ning apparatus: A steamer made of
galvanized iron, twelve inches high
and a foot in diameter (or of larger
dimensions if preferred, but no
higher), cover the top and sides with
asbestos, have a movable rack or
stand in the bottom of the steamer
three Inches high, and a tight-fitting
cover for the top. About two inches
of. water below the rack or stand
will supply the steam. In prepar
ing the jars for the steamer, put in
the fruit, filling the jar; then pour
over the fruit a warm syrup made
as for other methods for canning
letting the syrup come to within one
men Deiow cne cover; lay the covers
on the jars loosely without the rub
ber rings, and bring the water to a
boil, covering tho steamer closely
One hour is usually long enough to
cook the fruit, but vegetables will
probably require more. Less time
may do for the soft fruits. Experi
ence will teach one. When tho fruit
is cooked sufficiently, set the steamer
off the fire, and set the cans out one
at a time; let the first ones stand a
moment to get tho steam out of tho
jar, which is to be filled full of fruit
taken from one of the other jars or
additional syrupj to insure a full jar
when cold. The rubbers should bo
then put on the jars, and the tops
tightened as tightly as possible.
This steamer will hold seven quart
jars. Canned fruit, by whatever pro
cess put up, should be examined
every day for two weeks. There is
reason to think that cooking in the
jar is the better way to put up nearly
all fruits as the flavor and color are
thus preserved more perfectly.
Glass-top jars are preferable for
many reasons to the metal top kind,
but if the glass top is fitted too rigid
ly, in case of fermentation of con
tents, the ferment bursts the jar.
Tho Mason, metal-top jars are not so
subject to this disaster, as the top
is more pliable under pressure. The
sharp edge of the metal top may bo
dulled by drawing a file across it;
tho slight ridge on the shoulder can
be filed down, and the rims of old
tops otherwise good can be ham
mered into shape with a light -hammer
if care is taken to securely ad
just the top to tho jar.
Spiced Fruits
For spiced peaches, either scald
them just enough for the skins to
slip off, or peel them so 'carefully
that the marks of the knife will not
show. Clingstones are to be chosen
if the fruit is to be left whole; free
stones may be used by halving and
pitting after peeling. When ready
for use, weigh the fruit and .allow
five pounds of sugar and a .pint of
vinegar to eight pounds of ,f rujt, mix
an ounce each' of, stick cinnamon,
mace and green ginger, .. and
tie in cheese-oloth; stick three
whole cloves, in eaqh peach. ,,.Make
the syrup pf sugar and vinegar, and
spices, skimming; then add the fruit
and simmer until tender, then lift
carefully and put into jars, shaking
to settle, and let the syrup boil down
until quite thick.; add a . few
cracked peach kernels to each jar
and pour the boiling hot syrup over
the fruit and seal up tightly.
Cherries may be put up with the
same proportions, but the weighing
must be done before they are pitted;
they are better made more like a
marmalade.
Small pears make a nice spiced
pickle; stems must be left on and
the peel merely wiped; the blossom
end should be cut out with a sharp
knife. Allow tho above amount of
sugar and vinegar to nine pounds
of prepared fruit. Make the syrup,
skim, and put into jars, boil down
the syrup, and pour over the fruit,
boiling hot and' seal.
Apples, green (or nearly ripe)
grapes, melons, and anything used
for making sweet pickles, may be put
up in this way. The fruit must be
as fresh as possible, free from dam
age, and whore not cored, must be
perfect inside. The best of spices
and vinegar must be used, and the
jar, top and rubber . all sterilized;
the rubbers must be new. Unless
proper care, is taken, the labor may
bo but wasted, through fruit spoiling.
Requested Recipes
Raspberry Shrub This is made
from ripe raspberries. Rinse and
drain two quarts of ripe raspberries;
there should bo enough to fill a two
quart jar, and this may call for more
than two quarts; put them in tho
jar, and over them pour enough best
cider vinegar to cover and overflow
the jar, cover loosely and let stand
for a week, then put on to cook in
a porcelain preserving kettle and
bring to a boil, then pour into a jelly
bag and let drip all night. Jn th
morning measure the juice and alio:
(Yi-O ;) .1
" -,
""gwvam'giyffciifrSMV jjr.