Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 83, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 April 1918 — Page 3

The Housewife and the War

(Special Information Service, United States Department of Agricultural FULL DINNER PAILS FOR SCHOOL KIDDIES.

If Any of the Family Is Entitled to Immunity From Food Regulations It Is the Growing Child Who Eats a Meal Away From Home Each School Day.

LUNCH HOUR FOR SCHOOL KIDDIES

Government Food Specialists Discuss Various Foods for Children. SUGGESTED BILLS OF FARE Meals for Youngsters Is ? Not a Necessary War Measure and Is Inadvisable—Metal Boxes Most Favored. The school lunch has always had Its for the mother who Is eager to provide a wholesome noon repast for her school kiddies. Almost always the school lunch Is a hurriedly arranged Item among the mother’s early morning duties, and it is sometimes difficult to give this meal the attention? It deserves. War’s food conservation problems have not helped in the matter of SChool-luneh preparation, but If any of the family is entitled to some immunity to food regulations, It Is the growing child who eats one of his meals away from home each school day. In the opinion of the food experts of the United States department of agricul- . ture, skimping meals for the youngsters is not a necessary war measure and Is Inadvisable. The food special. Ists have discussed In a publication of the department of agriculture the foods that should make up the school lunch, the preparation and packing of lunches, and serving lunches partly or wholly prepared at schools. Some suggested bills of fare for the basket lunch are given tn another column. Number of Foods Carried. The number of foods that can be (easily carried has been enlarged of ilate by the possibility of using paraffin (paper and parchment paper, In which moist foods can be wrapped so as to ■prevent them from sticking to other (foods. Paper oups, jelly glasses and jso on, are also a help, for in them sliced raw fruits, stewed fruits, cusitards, cottage cheese and other halfsolid foods can be carried. The quality of the bread used in the basket lunch Is especially Important because It Is commonly served in the form of sandwiches and is, therefore, to be considered not only as a food in Itself but also as a means of keeping other much-needed foods tn good and appetizing condition, or of serving them in attractive ways. Variety in breads, too, Is more Important at this than at other meals because of the danger of monotony. Wheat bread, whole-wheat bread, com, rye, or oatmeal breads; nut, raisin, and date breads; beaten biscuit, rolls, crisp baking-powder biscuit, or soda ‘biscuit, ami toast, zwieback and crackers may be used In turn to give variety. 'Boils hollowed out can be made to •hold a large amount of sandwich Alling. which is an advantage at times. Advantage of Boxes. Many kinds of lunch boxes, palls, and baskets are now on the market. The chief advantage of most boxes and palls Is that they are made of metal ,and can, therefore, be easily cleaned and scalded to keep them In safe condition. Some boxes have the advantage over pails that they can be folded when empty and strapped with the echool books. Baskets are ventilated and for this reason {suitable for carrying moist foods which are likely to spoil. There is no reason, however, why small holes cannot be punched in metal boxes or palls to let in the air. Baskets can, of courae, be washed or scalded, but not so easily aa metal

containers, and they should be frequently cleansed. There should, in fact, be no part of any food container that cannot be cleaned. For this reason the simplest boxes and baskets are often better than the more elaborate ones with compartments in which to keep dishes, knives, forks and spoons. With the fffcrease in automobile travel, well-constructed boxes and baskets which can be easily cleaned have come on the market with compartments for keeping food hot or cold and for holding liquids. These are, of course, suitable only for children who ride back and forth, and particularly suitable where several lunches are put up in one household.

SOME BILLS OF FARE FOR A SCHOOL LUNCH

1. Sandwiches with sliced, ten- ■ der meat for Alling; baked apple, ; cpokles or a few lumps of sugar. 2. Slices of meat loaf or bean ; loaf; bread and butter sandwiches; stewed, fruit; small ’ frosted cake. 3. Crisp rolls, hollowed out ! and Ailed with chopped meat or ■ Ash, moistened and seasoned, or ’ mixed with dressing; ; orange; applet a mixture of sliced fruits, or berries; cake. 4. Lettuce or celery sand- : wiches; cup custard; jelly sandwiches. 5. Cottage cheese and chopped ( green-pepper sandwiches or a pot of cream cheese with bread- ( and-butter sandwiches; peanut sandwiches; fruit; cake. 6. Hard-boiled eggs; crisp bak- • ing-powder biscuits; celery or ' radishes; brown-sugar or maplesugar sandwiches. 7. Bottle of milk; thin corn bread and butter; dates; apple. 8. Raisin or nut bread with butter; -cheese; orange; maple ' sugar. 9. Baked bean and lettuce sandwiches; apple sauce; sweet chocolate.

Gas Kilis Greenhouse Pests. Hydrocyanic-acid gas is the best weapon to use against Insects infesting the foliage of ornamental plants in greenhouses. It Is cheaper and more effective than any other means and It is successful against nearly all Insects. It is explained in a new publication of the United States department of agriculture, “Fumigation of Ornamental Greenhouse Plants With Hydrocyanic-Acid Gas,” that In greenhouses containing a lafge variety of plants slight Injury may result to the tender growths of some plants even when the fumigation is properly done. This Injury is not permanent, however, and such plants will show new vigorous growth in a short time. In fact, the growth of many plants Is stimulated by this gas. Cyanide is a very poisonous substance and extreme care must be used in Its handling. Mashed Potato Dishes. Most housekeepers know how delicious mashed potatoes can be made by beating them until light with hot milk, butter or other good fat, and salt and pepper, four tablespoonfuls of hot milk and one teaspoonful of the fat for every medium-sized potato. To make the mashed potatoes a little "different,” they can he turned into 4 potato souffle by adding the beaten white of eggs (two eggs to six medium-sized potatoes), piling lightly In a baking dish and baiting In the oven till brown. Grated cheese added to this souffle Is good. Won’t Boil Over. A fruit pie will not boil over if the sugar is put under the fruit

THK -EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER. IND.

HOW TO GROW

IRISH POTATOES.

The culture qf the Irish potato Is familiar to almost everyone who has ever had a garden. In brief, the potatoes should be planted as soon as the ground can be worked in spring, two weeks before the average date of the last killing frost being none too early. The tubers should be cut so that each piece contains from one to two- eyes, and the pieces planted in rows from 24 to 30 inches apart, and from 10 to 15 inches apart In the rows, depending on the variety. Cultivation should be frequent and thorough. It is an excellent idea to work soil up to the plants as they develop, so that there will be plenty of soil to cover the potatoes as they form. * Early potatoes in the central and southern sections of the country will mature In sufficient time for the gardener to grow a crop of sweet corn, late cabbage or turnips on the same ground. It is often possible to plant the second crop between the potato rows before the potatoes are dug. Early potatoes may be used as soon as large enough, an old rule being to begin using them when they are as large as a hen’s egg. The usual method Is to dig them as needed, leaving - the main part of the crop to develop to maturity. In the central portion of the United States the late crop may be planted from June 15 to July 1, but in the northern sections the main crop' Is planted earlier than this,* no attempt being made to produce early and late potatoes, as In many sections the growing season is too short for the production of but one crop. Late potatoes are allowed to grow until they mature or until the frost kills the vines. The cultivation of the late crop “is similar to that employed in the case of the early crop. SWEET POTATOES. The sweet potato thrives best In the southern part of the country, as it is a tropical plant. It cannot be successfully grown in the extreme northern sections of the country. The plants are started in hotbeds by bedding potatoes in sand and allowing them to sprout. The plants are broken off the parent potato as soon as they have formed a few leaves and a root system of their own, and as soon as the ground In the open is well warmed up. This will be one month after the date of the last killing frost. Sweet potatoes are a heat-loving plant, and cannot withstand cool weather. In setting them in the open, the usual method is to throw the soil up in ridges-about 4 feet apart. The plants are set in a row on top of these ridges some 12 or 14 Inches apart Sweet potatoes thrive best in a sandy soil that is well fertilized throughout It is a good plan to open furrows where the row is to be, fill these furrows with manure and turn the soil back on top of the manure. This should be. thoroughly mixed with a shovel plow or cultivator, as too much manure in one spot under the hole will produce a large growth of vines at the expense of the potatoes. Sweet potatoes may be dug at any time after they become large enough to use, "but improve in quality as they approach maturity. They should be dug as soon; as the vines are killed by frost.

SNAP BEANS. Bush and pole beans are among the most valuable and dependable crops of the garden. "When in doubt what to plant—plant Beans thrive be|J in a rather warm sandy loam, but may be grown on almost any kind of soil. For the best results the soil should not be too rich in nitrogenous matter, or the plants will run to foliage and stems at the expense of the crop. Beans will not withstand frost, and the Arst plantings in the spring should not .be made until about two weeks after the average date of the last killing frost. The soil should be .in good condition and the rows should be laid out perfectly straight so as to make cultivation easy. One pint of the seed of most varieties of snap beans Is sufficient for a 100foot row. 1 When the cultivation is to be done by horse, the rows should be from 30 to 36 Inches apart. When hand cultivation Is to be employed, the rows should be from 18 to 24 Inches apart. It requires from 40 to 60 days for snap beans to be ready for use if the weather conditions are favorable. , . Successive plantings of string beans should be made at intervals of. ten days to two weeks throughout the growing season. By following this scheme a constant supply of tender beans will be assured.

EARLY CABBAGE.

When set in spring, the cabbage plants should be started in the window box or in hotbeds some six weeks before the average date of the last klllj Ing frost in the particular locality. They may be set in the gardens as soon as the ground is in condition. For horse cultivation the rows should be from 2% to 8 feet apart and. the plants from 12 td 20 Inches apart in the rows. Cabbage requires a rich warm soil for early maturity, a loam constituting a good type of soil for the purpose. It is an -excellent plan to put a shovelful of compost-under each plant Fjrly cabbage must be used as soon u It reaches maturity, or the heads are liable to burst and be lost It is m excellent plan to grow early cab>

bage for summer kraut making, as It has been found that kraut may be made at the time that early cabbage matures and will keep successfully. It is much easier to produce early Cabbage than the later varieties for this purpose. SQUASH. There are two typed of squash—the bush varieties, which may be planted 5 and 6 seeds to the hill in hills 4 or 5 feet apart each way, and the running varieties which require more room for their development. Squash may properly be grown tn the garden, as three or four hills will produce all that is required for the average family. They require a rather rich soil, preferably one that is well mixed with rotted manure. Squash for summer use should be planted as soon as the ground is thoroughly warmed up, which will be about one month after the last killing frost. Such varieties as the Hubbard for fall and w-inter use may be planted at any time during the spring after the ground is thoroughly warmed up, and ; will grow the entire season. They should be gathered in fall, as soon as hard frosts occur. They may be kept in a storage room in the basement, or in any cool, dry place. It is necessary to handle them carefully to avoid bruising, or rot is liable to occur.- ■ TURNIPS. The turnip requires a rich soil and may be grown either as an early or late crop. For an early crop, sow the seeds in drills 12 to 18 Inches apart as early in the spring as the condition of the soil will permit. A half-ounce of seed is sufficient for a 100-foot row. After the plants appear thin to about 3 inches apart. The roots will be ready for use before hot weather. For late turnips, the seeds are usually sown broadcast on land from which some early crop has been removed, arid for this- reason the turnip is a good crop to grow for storage for winter. They are quite hardy, and the roots need not be gathered until after the first frosts. They may be stored in banks or pits or in the out-door cave or cellar, and keep best when kept rather cool. The turnip is a good crop for interplanting between rows of late corn of late beans.

EGGPLANT. The seed for eggplfint should be sown In the hotbed about six weeks before the time to set the plants In the open. The eggplant is a heat-lov-ing plant and cannot be successfully planted until the ground has become warm and the weather settled. The soil best adapted to the eggplant Is a rich, sandy loam, well drained. The plants should be set inrows 3 feet apart, with the plants 2 feet apart in the rows. Cultivation should be frequent and thorough. Fresh manure should not be used on eggplant, but well-rotted manure may be applied freely. In fact, there is little danger of getting the ground too rich. Eggplants may be used as soon as large enough and cannot be kept for any length of time. OKRA. Okra Is- a delicious vegetable that deserves a better acquaintance with the home garden than It now possesses. Say "Chicken Gumbo, Southern Style” to the initiated; that is all.the argument needed in favor of growing this crop. It thrives on any good soli, and the seeds should be sown in rows 4 to 5 feet apart after all danger of frost is past, or about the same time as tomato plants are set In the open. The plants should be thinned until they stand about 2 feet apart in the rows. The edible portion of the okfa is the. pods, which must be gathered while young. They are used in soups or as a stewed vegetable.

Simple Test for Soil.

A simple test to determine when garden soil is ready for plowing or working Is to take a handful of earth from the surface and close the Angers tightly on it If the earth compacted In this way is dry enough for cultivation It will fall apart when the hand is opened. This test Is applicable only to comparatively heavy soils, but It is these which receive the most injury if they are worked when wet.

Apple Tree.

.There is little doubt that where appie trees are fertilized highly the fruit tends to be green and not “«>lor up” well. This seems quite reasonable.

Don't Let Roots Waste.

Don’t let any cabbage or other roots go to waste. Tie a stout string around the roots; of several cabbages, and hang them in the henhouse so that the hens cafajust reach them nicely.

Convert Waste Into Food.

Poultry is the only class of dome*tic aniipal which is suitable for converting the kitchen waste, right where it is produced in the city, into wholewine and nutritious food.

Means of Reducing Pests.

Collect and bum all dried, rotten fruit that remain on the trees or that has fallen. This is a means of reducing disease and insect , pests next summer.

Level Garden Soils.

Perfectly level gardens please th* eyes but are not always well drained.

New Fabrics for New Suits.

Complain no more, my lady, at the soaring prices of good wool materials, but turn your attention to new and beautiful, sturdy weaves in silk. Manufacturers are looking facts in the face and making substitutes to take the place of the dependable wool goods which have gone heretofore, by the millions of yards, into tailored suits. There are heavy, crinkly crepes and rough, sheer weaves in silk, made for suits for street and sports wear. Silk jersey and moire contribute further aid in the emergency of wool conservation and no yardage limit compels the designer to think twice before indulging his fancies in these handsome clothes. Besides, some'new weaves in wool are rough and open, making handsome fabrics in which a little yarn goes .a great way. This, used in the yardage limit, may be worn with a clear conscience. Silk jersey has the support of the best talent for suit-making. It is adapted to new fancies that are* revealed among imports this season; as the fad for placing the fullness In a coat, or tunic, mostly at the front of the garment, or the liking for belts that are

Every Day Coiffures and Others.

Perhaps it is because hats continue to be close-Atting and set well down on the head that the coiffure for everyday remains simple. There appears to be only one feature that is insisted upon as a style element of the coiffures of today and that Is, that the ears are to be covered or nearly covered by the hair. The brow may be bare, with the hair combed directly back, and this is the ru ,e for youths* l faces, or it may be partially covered, but no coiffure shows more titan the lobe of the ear. Loosely weaved hair looks especially well tn these simple styles in hair dressing, whether the hair is combed straight back or shows a shallow parting. Sometimes a parting is indicated at the middle of the forehead where a small Strand of hair Is drawn back and the remainder pulled a little forward over the brows and ears as shown In the coiffure to the left of the picture. When a wide parting is more becoming, .as it Is to many faces, a Shallow part is placed either to the right or left of the brow, whichever is found the more becoming. A part to the right appears in the other coiffure pictured. Quite often the hair la arranged in a long puff just above the ears and this Is spread r-' as to partially cover ttyem and pinned to place with invisible wire pins. The |a»ir over the ears tai about all of it that

extended into sashes that tie at tM front. Both these peculiarities of the new styles appear in the suit of silk Jersey at the left of the picture above. At the right a spring model tn poiret twill manages- to achieve an ideal street suit within the prescribed limit of goods allowed. The plaits that form the panels in the skirt—-one in the front and one at the back, are very shallow. Braid outlines the silt pocket and the short half-belt, and It serves for the neat decoration of the sleeve. The coat fastens at the waistline with two buttons. Its collar of white wash satin is almost Indispensable this season. In a suit It ■sometimes happens that the coat outwears the skirt In this case a new skirt in plaid, to be worn with the left-over coat points out one path to economy. It takes little altering to convert a last year’s coat into this year’s style.

Natives of Hawaii- niake a kind of twine from the inner bark of a tree that is related to the cotton plant

will be visible with the new millinery. N’o such simplicity of styles governs hair dressing for formal dress ar.d evening wear. Except Where th*.’ plain and simple coiffure is more becoming than any other, the hair Is always waved ami usually dressed high when its glory is not to be obscured by a hat. Puffs and short curls add their very potent and feminine charm to the everpresent waves.

For Ankle Beauty.

If the Aesh of the ankles is U) be reduced, apply camphorated oil, rubbing it in, while the skin Is soft and the pores open from a bath, with strong, vigorous strokes. Then bind the ankles tightly with a linen that ban been soaked in oil. TIHs bandag* should be drawn as close as possible, but care must be taken to avoid stopping the circulation. When the ankle* are too slender for beauty, after taking the hot foot bath massage their surface gently with cod liver or sweet almond oil anti bind then; tightly in a linen soaked in the same solution. It jOU are not satisfied with the shape of your ankles, follow this method carefully and see if the results are not worth the effort.