The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume], September 12, 1905, Page 7, Image 7

About The progressive farmer and the cotton plant. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1904-1905

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
7
OUR SOCIAL CHAT
All lctten InUndtd for this department
honld b addressed to "Aunt Jennie," care
of The Progressive Farmer, Raleigh, N. O.
Aunt Jennie 8 Letter.
I regretted my inability to at
tend the Woman's Session of the
Fanners- Convention here last week,
Imt as it is against common sense to
weep over milk that is already spill
ed, 1 trust and believe 'that those
who eame were, greatly benefited.
Then- were several things I should
have liked to discuss with you, for
in "unity there is strength," but a
lost opportunity never returns. We
are sisters in sympathy if not by
birth. I, too, was raised in the
country and can appreciate your ad
vantages and disadvantages. You
have rural free delivery and enjoy
talking to your neighbors over a tele
phone, and we had neither; so you
see that you are nearer in touch with
your fellow-beings than wo were.
Xews of important events reaches
your ears before a week has elapsed
ami you feel a greater interest in and
anxiety for your country's welfare
in every crisis than we could feel,
because the crisis had oftentimes
passed before we were awaro that it
had existed. Your schools aro bet
ter than ours were. You and yours
have many avenues open to you by
which you may become intelligent
citizens if you keep both eyes and
oars open.
I was wondering this morning if
many of you realize that you ought
to be the happiest women on earth.
You know so little of the world and
its sins. You must work, but what
is work but pleasure if you have
perfect health and willing hands ?
If you are weak and nervous, any
task seems hard and you naturally
shrink from it; but when you are
well and strong you wonder at the
ease with which you perform the
same work. Our fault, (or one of
the many) lies in our persistent
belief that when a thing must be
done, it must be accomplished as
soon as possible. Not all of us are
guilty of thus compelling ourselves
to over-exertion, but some of us are
and some have been, as their va
cant chairs mutely testify. Over
work has killed many a woman whose
constitution might have sustained
her until old age had she been pru
dent in her work. I know men are
apt to see the dollars in every trans
action, but women are not made
that way. Real rest to an over
worked woman is real recreation,
while to an idle woman it affords
an opportunity for indulgence in
pretty but harmful gossiping or
meddling with other people's affairs.
"An idle brain is Satan's workshop,"
you know; but how thlnnkful we
should be, that with some of us at
least, he finds no place for his shop,
if he does try to leave many of his
most dangerous utensils where they
will prove harmful. I once heard
a woman boast that she meant to
give His Satanic Majesty a hard
chase to catch her. The assertion
shocked me, for I realized the help
lessness of human effort in either
facing or eluding him unaccom
panied by that Other and stronger
force. '-When God is for us who can
be against us?"
Our letters need no comment; they
speak for themselves, and we appre
ciate them.
ATOTT JENNIE.
About Florida.
Dear Aunt Jennie: Before I
came to the "Land of Flowers" I had
an idea tj,at Fiorida was one tangle
f beautiful trees, vines and flow-Crs-
1 was mistaken, as we have
most of the wild flowers in Eastern
Carolina, and, a good many more
besides.
Around here there are very few
vines, and almost all the trees we
have at home. Even the cabbage
palmetto, as we all know, grows as
well in Wilmington as it drws ViArp
There is one thing we have here
tnat 1 hope will never get to North
Carolina, and that is the saw pal
metto. It is a most troublesome
thing. Its trunk seems never to get
over a foot or two high, though 'tis
always growing. They keep their
heads up, but the body stays on the
ground. They grow over each other
and send down millions of roots
about the size of your finger, almost
to China. They are awful to grub
out, and for two or three years, the
land will not produce anything.
They do have luscious looking fruit,
but only a few people eat them on
account of their vile taste. Hogs
grow very fat off them and can be
killed out of the woods.
People have burned the woods so
often to improve the range for cat
tle that they have about destroyed
the beauty and fertility of those por
tions of the State with which I am
acquainted. My knowledge of the
flora of Florida is rather limited,
however and I speak only of what I
have seen.
The woods here around Sarasota
are different from the Key across the
bay wjiere we moved from.
It is pine with an' undergrowth of
saw palmetto intersected by what
are known as "bay heads." In them
are found oak, bays, kickory, iron
wood, and several other kinds. There
are ponds, too, which are generally
fringed with cabbage trees. Far
ther into the interior they say it is
different.
Around here the scenery is unin
teresting with the exception of our
beautiful bay, with its numerous
changes and its boats and fishes; it
is picture that one never tires of.
My subject is too long for one let
ter. The next time I will tell of
some of the flowers and fruits we
have and try to correct some of the
wrong conceptions that a great
many people have of Florida.
MARGARET.
Manater Co., Fla.
A Few Tricks Learned in the School
of Experience.
Dear Aunt Jennie: Let me tell
you of a few little tricks I learned
in Experience's school. You, my sis ter,
the small farmers wife, who
own no patent appliances, these hot
days, when butter is in no demand,
and you have a stock of soft, stale
butter on your hands, let me learn
you one of these aforesaid tricks.
Weigh your butter and put into your
churn, with as many gallons of cold
fresh well water (or better still, ice
water) as you have pounds of butter,
and a tablospoonful of salt to each
gallon of water, and churn thirty
minutes. You will be surprised to
see how firm and sweet and how very
fresh smelling your old butter has
become. Do this first before send
ing to market if you can.
Another think I want to tell you
about is how to make apple butter.
You know we have many recipes for
boiling hours and hours. But I like
my process better. Use sour, grainy,
mellow armies. Peel, slice and steam
very soft. Run through a sieve, or I-
else marsh fine, so as to have no
lumps. Measure your pulp. Omit
the juice. Weigh your sugar and al
low half as much as you have fruit.
Put your sugar in your boiler and
wet with just enough water to pre
vent scorching. Let it boil until it
will spin a thread. Now add your
apple pulp and boil together until
wVipti p.old. Flavor with
any spices desired. This can be cut
down in slices like souse meat and
is a beautiful clear colored butter.
- Lastly, a few words about funeral
wreaths. Do you know that sprigs
of asparagus and parsley make a
beautiful back-ground and that white
clover, and milk weed bloom, alder,
haw-bloom and many others of our
home shrubs and plants can be used
where the more rare flowers are not
to be had? Only last week a tiny
baby near us died, and the mother
wanted flowers so badly, but there
were none she could get. So I made
a wire cross and covered it with
the dainty tender plumes of aspara
gus and filled it out with the tiny
white summer chrysanthemums, and
it was really very pretty ,and the
mother was satisfied. I think this a
beautiful custom putting our fair
est and brightest flowers on the
bosom of our dead. Typical of the
life in death and of the love of God.
Well, no more at present as my
John is calling and I must go. .
SINCERE. ,
Mecklenburg Co., N. C.
Canning Corn.
Dear Aunt Jennie: 1 will send
you my recipe for canning corn as
Miss R. M. wants one. I know she
will be pleased with it when she
tries it.
Prepare corn just as if you were
going to use immediately, only leave
off your seasoning. I use tin cans
only, and they must be free of rust.
Cook your corn in a porcelain ket
tle and don't have them very juicy.
For two quart corns add a half
teaspoonful of salt; also add soda
about one-third as much as salt;
then when you have them done fill
your cans, solder them perfectly air
tight, and then put your cans in a
large pot or boiler. -Keep them cov
ered with water and boil five hours
very hard. . Then your corn will
keep perfectly nice and sweet as if
fresh. If you fail to get them sol
dered good they will puff up and
burst the can.
I have tried this recipe two years
with good results.
I have been a reader of The Pro
gressive Farmer twenty years. I like
it very much, but I have never writ
ten a line for it before. I enjoy
the letters written to Aunt Jennie.
I live in the western part of North
Carolina where we have fine water,
fine lands, mountains and valleys;
raise all kinds of fruits, melons. and
cantalopes. We have a very good
market for everything we raise; we
also have good churches and schools
in our county.
A FARMER'S WIFE.
Caldwell Co., N. C.
me to be among the correspondents '
that think cooking is "the dirtiest
drudgery of anything, and has to be
done three times a . day in the, 3G
days." I like t cook very much,
and don't think it drudgery.
I agree with Rosabelle about wo
man's dress. She voiced my senti
ments exactly. I would like to see
her. Bye, bye.
GREY EYES.
Robeson Co., N. C. x
Chocolate Cake. .
Two cups sugar, one-half cup of
butter, three eggs, one cup of sweet,
milk, three cups of flour, two tea
spoonfus baking power. - Bake as
for jelly cake.
Filling for same: One cup of
sweet milk, one cup of sugar, one
third cup of water, butter the size
of a small egg, four tablespoonfuls
grated chocolate. Boil all together
till thick like taffy. Cool and flavor
with vanilla.
B. & O.
A Cake Recipe.
Dear Aunt Jennie: Here I am
again. It has been several weeks
since I wrote. Somebody asked for
a chocolate cake recipe. I am send
ing mine. Hope whoever wanted it
will try it and tell through Social
Chat with what success.
Guess all the boys and girls are
getting ready to go to school. It
makes my heart ache to see all the
rest going and I can't. I will have
to stay home and help mamma, as
her health is not good, and the
younger brothers and sisters will
have to . go. It seems hard, but I
can only hope that "all things work
together for the best."
I admire Pansy's letters so much.
She must be a noble girl or woman.
I wish the cousins would tell their
ages. Aunt Jennie, don't you think
it would be nice ? Before many more
days I will be twenty. I want to
know if any girls my age write.
Cousin Jennie Deans, some of the
housekeepers haven't an ideal steam
er, and what is worse, some have very
poor stoves. But don't understand
Those who pay enough at
tention to this notice to send,
will have the most extraordi
nary chance to get 60c all
wool, silk striped Ghallis at
25c any store ever offered.
Bought the surplus stock of
a large jobber of Ghallis and
bought it way under any price
he ever thought he would take
for the goods because he was'
"stuck" and had to sell.
These are Ghallis that
always sell for 60c a yard
and can be had in three good
colors Old Rose, Pink, Black.
Send for these. If you buy
$5.00 worth of Goods these
or any other kinds of goods
we prepay transportation
charges within 500 miles.
BOGGS & BUHL,
ALLEGHENY, - - PENNSYLVANIA.
11
Grapes, Apples, Peaches
and Damsons.
TRIUNE FRUIT AND PRODUCE CO.,
(INCOBPOBATKD) "
Qeneral Commission Merchants,
24 Roanoke Dock, Norfolk, fa.
!
Drop us a card and we will put yon onto
something with whloh yon can turn your
neighbor green with envy by catching dead
loads of them In streams where he has be
come disgusted trying to catch them the
old-fashioned way. It's something new and
cheap. It catches at all seasons something
no other tackle win do. It will tickle you to
see It catch house and musk rats. Illustrat
ed catalog of prices and testimonials for the
asking.
EUUEKA FISH NET CO., Griffin, Ga.