Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 June 1886 — RURAL TOPICS. [ARTICLE]

RURAL TOPICS.

Some Practical Suggestions for the Husbandman and the Housewife. Information for the Fanner, StockBreeder, Poulterer, Nurseryman, and Housekeeper. AGRICULTURE. - Reaper Twine. The extensive use of twine for grain harvesters is reviving the culture of hemp, the fiber of which is used in its manufacture. Hemp is very exhaustive to the soil, as the stalk contains large amounts of nitrogenous substance; but the bulk of the stalk can and should be returned to the land. Teams Resting on Sunday. During the season of hardest work teams should be given a full day’s rest on (Sunday. After plowing or dragging six days they are unfitted for even light work, and, excepting going to church for two or three hours, they should be left to rest all day. With one day’s rest, in seven a team will not be injured by work, however severe, if accompanied by good feeding and thorough grooming. Time for Ripening Grain. It is a little surprising to growers of either winter or spring grain to find* how little difference early seeding makes in the time for-ripen-ing. With winter wheat this is especially true, the ripening apparently depending more on other circumstances. A covering of snow, just sufficient to afford protection, will make winter wheat several days earlier than that sown at the same time unprotected, But if the snow covering has been excessive, so as to smother the wheat, the ripening will be delayed and the wheat will be poor. Probably all the stronger plants are destroyed, and only the weaker survive. But under ordinary circumstances a difference in seeding of two or three weeks may make as many days’ difference in the time of ripening. Late-sown spring grain usually comes to harvest within four or five days of the same variety sown two or three weeks earlier. But this hurrying up of maturity is generally at the expense of the grain, which is not so plump as that which has taken a longer season to matura The great advantage of early seeding with spring grain is that it ripens a little earlier, but requires a longer time to reach maturity..— American Cultivator. Arrangements of Stables. Any farmer Who proposes to build a stable will do well to make a careful study of the internal arrangements required The grain and ground-feed bins and chutes should be so placed as to be reliable in their delivery and handy to the place for mixing with chaff, cut fodder, and water. If forage is to be stored overhead, the floor above the stock floor should be perfectly tight, and arranged with chutes running up through for easily passing down the fodder to the mangers. Ventilation should also be attended to. This should be so arranged that the quantity of air admitted is fully at command, and yet, with .full ventilation, so that no thorough draft can strike the stock. No less important are the stalls or standingplaces for horses or cattle, as the case may be. For horses, less than eight feet" in height is not admissible, and nine feet would be better. For cattle, seven feet would be sufficient The floors, whatever the material, should not soak urine, and where there is an abundance of straw, as on a farm, there is no more economical place to use sufficient to fully soak up all moisture. In this case a dry, hard-earth floor is the perfection of comfort to the hoofs. For horses, eighteen feet in width is none too much for the stable, with a standing for each -horse of six to six and a half feet by five feet wide, and parted one from another, as to stalls, by partitions that cannot be broken. The partitions should be boarded up three feet above the manger, to prevent horses biting one another, and the mangers should be provided With rings to tie to. . These should, be so arranged that the halter may freely pass to and fro, and the end tied to a light weight that shall rest on the floor when the horse is standing still. This prevents throwing the leg over the strap and getting cast. For cattle the standing-room must correspond to the size of the animals. That is, be just so long as to accommodate the feet and allow the manure to drop into the gutter behind. For ordinary cows, five and a half feet from the manger to the gutter will be about right. The gutter should drop six inches, and be sixteen to eighteen inches wide, with a space between of three feet This, with feeding space, will require about twelve feet in all. From the width of standing given, the space should be graded to correspond to the various ages of stock down to that for calves. Notwithstanding all that has been said about the increased comfort to cattle tied each separately, stanchions are in general use. There are a number of improved forms that allow cattle to he down and get up with perfect ease, and to turn their heads to the side, for each fastening swings independently of the other. The principal advantage of stanchions is, they prevent cattle from backing up and thus fouling themselves with manure, and in stanchions cows can stand much nearer to each other without interference than when tied or fastened by bales, though three and a half feet is little enough when the comfort of the stock is taken into cons'deration. In this space there will be no difficulty, and it is of advantage to havo cattle as closely together as possible.— Chicago Tribune.

THE STOCK-BREEDER. Laying Out a Track. A tracker-exercising will ba found valua r ble in the training of any horse for road purposes and also in the breaking in-pf horses to the harness generally, since if a team becomes unmanageable it may be held to the track until it gets tired, and thus a good lesson will have been taught Often a full mile will be wanted. The following rules will enable the work to be done correctly: For a mile draw a line through the center 1,320 feet m length, setting a stake at each end. Then draw another lino on each side and exactly parallel with it arid 420 feet from it, setting stakes at either-end of them. Now f asten a line or twine to the center stake and describe a half-circle. A field of forty two acres will do. For a half-mile draw two straight lines 600 feet long, 452 feet 5 inches apart With a wire hoop find the center between these lines and drive stakes at each end. From the stake describe your half-circle for the turns, and throw them up one inch to the foot Three feet from the line will measure a full halfmile. Stock Notes and Experience. The man who pastures a meadow in the spring to save feeding hay generally saves at the little end of the horn. If you intend to sow beets, carrots, or parsnips with a view of winter feeding of stock the sowing should not be delayed beyond cornplanting time. Rutabagas may be sown not later than the middle of June. If your hogs begin to cough, look out for malignant lung troubles. If they mope and lie about their beds, intestinal difficulties may be suspected. Plenty of pure air, pure water, and varied food will scare away malignant diseases. How many farmers pay proper attention to the condition of their hogs and where they are kept? The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle says: “For twenty years or more we have written an annual article about this time advising farmers io go slow on cotton, plant food crops, live within themselves, raise live stock, take care of their implements, save the grass, etc. All other Southern editors have written about the same way. But the majority of farmers who read, and in words approve this counsel, go right along in the opposite direction.'* It isrnot the South alone that runs to specialties or farming in a haphazard way. There is yet room in the North for extension in stock-rais-ing. The Cow Pea for Forage. p. From time to time the attention of feeders in thaNorth is called tothe advantage of sowing cow peatfka a forage crop. It is well, however, to remember that the so-called cow pea, really belonging to the bean tribe,, is at home onlv ip the South Atlantic and the Gulf States, and even there its natural soil is one inclining to sand. Hence in the North, on loams ana clays, failure will result Mr. C. W. Garrett,

of Enfield, N. 0., says that, while in the South the cow pea has no, equal, it is'peculiarly a hot-weather plant, and will not grow well in any climate the mean temperature of which during iti growth is below 75 deg. Fahrenheit, and the nearer it approachei 100 deg. the better. In his climate it is not well to plant before the 20th of June to the Ist of July. But ninety days is ample time to make a good crop of both peas apd vines, and when grown for ensilage sixty days will make a full crop of vines and young peas. In this condition they make as good ensilage as at any other stage of their growth- They are, when planted in rows three feet apart, almost self-sustaiqing, and if the vines should fail, and reach the ground, it results in no injury to them whatever. The application for the North is that it is useless to sow cow-peas unless on nch, sandy soil and with at least sixty days of continuous hot weather if for ensilage, or at least ninety days of hot weather if the crop is to be ripened That is, yon must have, to use Mr. Garrett’s words, “seventy-five days of steady warm weather, ranging from seventy-five to ninety degrees. ” Then lie thinks they can be successfully raised They require a sandy loam, and even in North Carolina “the more sand the better.” Mr. Garrett further says that he thinks as much of pea-vine there as common fodder, and that it is probably worth one-third more for feeding. This is probably true as to its feeding value, but so far as corn-fodder is concerned,’in the North, even where the cow-pea will grow vigorously, double the amount of corn-fodder can be raised. Pea-vines are not regarded as being valuable for hay from the difficulty of curing. Where red clover will grow naturally it is undoubtedly more profitable for hay, as corn trill be for ensilage. South of thirty-six degrees the case Would be different -

THE DAIRY. A Question for Dairymen. We are aware that reported butter 'tests are plenty, of several breeds, and that reported milk productions of noted cows and herds are easily accessible. But we notice; too, that in nearly all of them there is a notable absence of what the cows consumed to make the milk. When we read that the Jersey cow, Mary Anne, of St Lambert’s, was induced to produce thirty-six pounds of butter in seven days, and the Holstein cow Mercedes made ninety-nine pounds six and one-half ounces of butter in thirty consecutive days, the practical farmer, waiting to decide which breed to invest in, wants to know what each cow made the butter of, and what it cost; and whether what each does is representative of the general run of cows of the same breeds. The weight of milk has but little to do in determining the matter, and the weight of the butter and cheese of individual cows but very little more. The fact that one famous cow may weigh down two other famous cows has but little to do with it, either. The square question to put to the eloquent advocates of breeds and the dispensers of cow chromos is;How many pounds of protein, carb-hydrates, fat and Bast does your cow machine need to make 100 pounds of butter or cheese? The given thing with the dairyman is his pile of hay, straw, roots, and coarse grain. It is just as important for him to know what kind of cows to feed it to as it is to know the market price of the several kinds of feed if he was going to sell them to be taken off the farm. Cow and butter tests that simply tell what a cow does withourtelling her cost of keep don’t enlighten him a bit It simply excites vague wonder. If one cow will take the pile and make 500 pounds of butter of it, and another cow can make but 250 pounds, -the farmer doesn’t want the latter for butter-making. He would like to know the facts before he pays his money for either. Hence the breeders must show up. No matter about the eighty-five pounds of milk per day, or the thirty pounds of butter per week. What has the farmer to show for the product of his farm that he sold to his cows?. That is the leading question. United States Dairyman. A Dairy Votes. An old gentleman was advised to change the old-fashioned stanchions in his cattle stables for improved fastenings, as a relief for his gout He did so, and observed to a friend afterward that it did relievo his conscience, and that made the gout endurable.The one word that embodies the entire fulfillment of the law in the handling of a cow is —comfort Whatever conduces to the comfort, health; and contentment of the cow promotes an increased flow of milk, and the reverse is just as true. — Hor<Ts Dairyman. Let the girls take care of the milk and cream. They will do it better than any one else on the farm. In this way they will get an idea of what the creamery business is, and in the future will perhaps be able to superintend the creamery.— Student's The dairy products of the United States are a potent factor in the agriculture of the country. They exceed the oat crop #350,000,000, tlie wheat crop $100,000,000, the cotton crop $220,100,000,. the product of iron bars and steel $257,000,000, and the pig-iron output $419,000,000. Adaibyman who has tried it says: Every farmer who expects to realize a maximum profit from his dairy should keep a record of—1. The quantity of milk from each cow. 2. The quality of the milk. 3. Dates of services. 4. Dates of coming in. 5. Character of offspring; males or females; size. 6. Time each cow “went dry.” 7. Ability to digest Urge quantities of food. The preparation of rennet, to insure a perfect article, begins with the treatment and care of the calf. Everything to promote tho character of a healthy animal, not pampered and not cloyed, should be adopted. On the other hand, starvation will be as objectionable as over-feeding The animal should in no case bo slaughtered until it is clear that it is a healthy, vigorous one, and this may be determined usually-soon after birth.

- 8 THE KITCHEN. How to Preserve Ham. Cut the ham in slices as usual for frying, then fry it a little and pack in a stone jar, and cover with melted lard to keep the air from it When you wish it for the table take out the necessary amount and cook as usual. In this way ham can be kept sweet through the warmest weather. ... _ Omelet. »»-- ■■ A bread crumb omelet is excellent if served with roast lamb or veal; one, pint of bread crumbs, a large spoonful of parsley, rubbed very fine, half of a tiny onion chopped fine. Beat two eggs light, add a teacupful of milk, a trace of nutmeg, anti pepper anil salt liberally, also a lump of butter the size of a small egg. Mix all together and bake in a slow oven on a buttered pie plate; when light brown turn it out of the plate and serve at once. Chocolate Caramels. ■ One cup of sweet milk, one cup of molasses, one tablespoonful of butter, half a cupful of grated chocolate. Mix all the ingredients well together and put all upon the fire in a porce-lain-lined sauce-pan. Stir constantly to prevent burning, and. let it boil until it is thick; then turn it out' on buttered plates; when it begins to stiffen, mark it in squares with a knife, so that it will break readily when cold. Vanilla flavoring may be added if desired. Stuffed Egg Plant. Cut off the stalk end nicely, sufficiently large to admit a tablespoon. Remove the inside, and boil it for fifteen minutes with a tablespoonful of water and an onion. Then chop both fine and mix with half a cup of bread crumbs and a little minced parsley, seasoning with salt and pepper; add a little butter and put the filling in the empty, shell Put a teaspoonful of butter or drippings in a small pan; place the egg plant in it, the open end on the pan, and bake half an hour in a good oven. Cream or Com Soup. One pint grated corn just from the cob, three pints boiling water, one pint hot milk, three tablespoonfuls butter, one heaping tablespoonful flour, pepper, salt, and the yelks of two eggs. Put tue coba frpm which you have removed the corn into boiling water and cook half an hour. Remove them, put in the corn, and boil till very soft, or about fifteen minutes Then put it through a sieve to reduce The corn to pnlp. Season and let simmer while you melt the butter in a saucepan, stir the flour into itTabiT then Thicken the soup with it Heat the bn the beaten yelks of' the eggs, cook one minute, -punr into the tureen, season with salt and pepper, and stir the soup into ik

THE FLORIST. The propagation of the geranium is almost universally known. Every woman knows how to slip or grow it from cutfings. But the most interesting manner is to grow it from seeds which are carefully gathered from the best varieties, and which are likely crossed, either accidentally or by scientific processes. These seeds, sown in February where they can vegetate, will in eight or ten days be up, and in three or four weeks the plants should bo transplanted, and again and again transplanted, until they can be safely planted out of doors. In order to grow strong plants, especially if we are compslled to plant them close together for lack of room, the largest leaves should be removed, which can be done without injury. After they are planted about fifteen inches apart, kept clean from weeds, and the soil well loosened, a careful observer can be already amused by observing the habits and formation of the plant and its foliage. In the latter part of July they begin to flower. The color of the seeding Virgin Bloom appears to., be brighter, the trusses larger than in the others, and thus we are apt to discover many extra properties in these little plants. The principal condition of an introduction of a new desirable geranium is a now color, a large well-formed truss over a well-pro-portioned plant, with not too largo leave-*, with round florets and round petals. Only such seedlings may be exempted from these absolute conditions which have otherwise extra properties. .The future developments of tho geranium will be such as will resemble the pelargonium variety with more distinct colors and marks on the two upper petals. ' I have planted, for several years past, about 1,000 seedlings yearly, well advanced plants. I took good care of them, watched them closely, and after they commenced flowering they gave me great pleasure. I potted about 200, discarded all of them which I deemed to be worthless, and when frost came there was only about oneeighth of them which showed no signs of flower buds.

Of the 200 seedlings I selected about fi ty which I thought were good and somewhat different from other sorts. But by more particular examination I reduced the number to twenty-four, then to an average of about ten to a year, which were worth reserving and are distinct varieties. The value of a seedling geranium cannot be established to a certainty before one year. Some geraniums bloom by crops. Often I have counted on a one-year-old plant as high as eighteen flowers in full bloom. Others, again, are all the time in bloom, while yet others have very large and distinct trusses, but are shy bloomers. If a special apartment could be devoted to geraniums all in bloom, tastefully arranged, colors well npxed, no other plant will afford a more constantly attractive show during the whole winter season than the geranium. The geranium, when grown in pots in winter in a moist temperature of from 45 deg. to 65 deg. Fahrenheit, and placed as near as possible to the glass, transplanted at least twice hr rich, loamv soil in clean pots, will undoubtedly be in full bloom all winter, even in December and January. My rule is to give them a little air in mila weather, and mix, once in a while, a little -fertilizer in their watering. Of course there must be such specimens selected as are inclined to bloom in winter, for it is certain that some varieties bloom better in summer. To keep geraniums over winter for no other purpose except to plant them out again, all the leaves should be taken off, and the roots planted in a box, close together, and placed in a dry cellar, where they will hardly need any attention, except to keep them from frost— Cor. Kingston Freeman.

THE APIARY. Bees and Sheep. The sheep-bees lawsuit in Wisconsin recently attracted considerable attention. It was claimed by the shepherd that bees drove the sheep from their feeding grounds, and caused great loss to their owner. It is the instinct of the bee to defend its hive, and its sting is its weapon of defense, and is never used away from home, except when pinched or hurt An animal soon learns to know the difference between the happy hum of industry, as it flits from flower to flower, and that of infuriated bees in defense of home. The judge in this suit wisely decided that there “was no cause of action,” and dismissed the suit If a ram had butted over a bee-hive, then there would have been damage to both parties.” Introducing Queens. The Bee Journal gives the following good plan for introducing queens: ’“ln introducing a queen, a weak or small colony is preferable to a large one. Have no accompanying bees in the cage, the queen should be alone. Young bees will accept a queen more readily than will old ones. No mading cage that transmits queens safely is suitable for an introducing cage; in fact, a cage in which bees have been shipped is certain to have an objectionable odor. A new, clean cage made of fine wirecloth should bo used. It should not be less than six inches long, and one and a half inches across, so as to give the queen plenty of freedom, and it should be placed between combs of brood. > If no honey presses against the side of the cage where the queen can feed herself, food should be placed in the cage. Noon is the best time of the day in which to release the queen. When bees are storing honey rapidly they will accept a queen more readily. A young queen is more readily accepted than an old one. Black bees accept a strange queen the most readily of any variety of bees. When the bees are walking about unconcernedly upon the cage, cartssing the queen with their antennae, and offering her fooa, it is usually safe to release her; if they are clinging to the cage Eke so many burrs, wait until they are better matured.” Extraordinary Takes of Honey. Two extraordinary takes of honey have just been made in West Surrey, England. For the last sixteen dr eighteen years a colony Of bees has-fitken possersion of a Piche between the walls of the Hautboy and Fiddle public-house, at Ockham, near Ripley. The outer walls of the building are about three feet in thickness, and the bees made choice of their storehouse at the very top of the building, which is three stories high. The landlord and landlady, with their daughters, resolved this year upon finding out the exact whereabouts of the colony. A search was made, one morning, under the roof of -the-house, and a piece of comb was found immediately below the slates, but in such a position that it could not be reached. Mr. Smith, the landlord, then descended’ to the bedroom, and with chisel and hammer removed a number of bricks from the wall, where the whole stock of bees was found. More than two feet square of the wall had to be removed, When a wonderful Sight presented itself. A large mass of comb, about two feet in thickness, filled with honey, was exposed. The bees were fumigated, after which large pieces of honey were cut out, until dish after dish were filled with a total quantity of about 120 pounds. Another and still more extraordinary take of honey has bean secured at Winter’s Hall, Bromley, the seat of Mr. George Barrett. Some men were sent to take some bees, which had got between the ceiling of the coach-house and tne granary. They succeeded in taking three hundred-weight of honey. The bees had been engaged in their novel hiding-place several years.

THE HOUSEHOLD. ——— ----- ~~ '* ' Hints About Economy. ■ It is needless to say that Americans, as a rule, dislike, and rather despise, a nice calculation of expenses. But every half-score years or so, financial depression forces us suddenly to a fit of economy, and at such aTime people of moderate income are obliged* to scrutinize ways and means very carefully. It is to people’ of this sort that we would give a few hints —some old, and, we hoipe, some new ones—as to how those two ends, that are so perverse about flying apart, should be made to meet Carlyle's Baying, that it is easier to diminish the denominator than to increase the enumerator, is one that we Americans are apt Jo disdain, and yet it is the only way to secure peace of mind—to live within one’s income. Among the many foes that assault a householder’s pocket, of course none is so deadly as the daily grocer. Smiling, ever smiling, he returns each day tothe attack, audit is or dyat the month’s end that his victim knows what a breach the enemy has effected. Keep the grocer at arm’s length—if possible, at several blocks’ length—it is your only safety. A wealthy lady of our acquaintance considerably astounded a grocer whose shop was on a neighboring corner, by tolling him that she could not possibly trade with him, because he lived so near! She found that her servants were perpetually running to his store, after

this, that or the other, and that the distant grocer was her true haven of refuge. It goes without saying that servants should never be allowed to give orders to tradesmen, for beeidea the danger of their receiving a commission, which eventually comes out of their employer’s pocket, they haVe not the same motive for economy that influences the holder of th® purse. Secondly, before visiting the grocer, orallowing him to invade your domain, it is an excellent plan to write down on a piece of paper the articles you want, and calculate their prices. Then if you find the amouht is greater than you ought to spend in one day. make up your mind what to strike off, ana don't allow yourself to be tempted by toothsome dainties to exceed your limit This is a very simple rule, but it is one the present writer has tried, and with good result If the Senius of tho kitchen understands these are le views of her mistress, she will generally try to follow suit, and not ask for too many articles on any one day. Just here it may not be out of place to say that the smaller the number or plates or (fishes you set upon your table, the smaller will be vour expense. Of course, there must be enough to make a healthful variety, but on each separate dish there will, almost unavoidably, be more or lees waste. It is an excellent plan for the mistress of the house to visit the larder at least once a day, and see for herself what odds and ends are left, servants are so apt to forget what # they have put away, until it is too stale for use. Indeed, some ♦servants will burn up food to save the trouble of warming it over; but such wanton wastefulness is, we think, rare.

We are not apt to think of bread as an expensive article of food, and yet on bread a saving of 50 per cent may be made by using the home-made article instead of the baker’s ware In other words, it costs about twice as much to buy bread as it does to make it at home, and when* one considers how much more healthful the latter article is, it seems strange that so many families are content to do without it, Almost any cook or “general houseworker” can learn without much difficulty to make good bread, especially if she understands that you will have it We wduld strongly urge the necessity of setting first a sponge, not too thick; secondly, of kneading this well a few hours later; and, thirdly, of a final, thorough kneading, before putting the bread into pans. According to our experience the functionary will shirk one kneading if she can and the bread suffer in consequence. Another advantage of using home-made bread is that the cook is less apt to waste it because she will want to save herself the trouble of making more. One thrifty housekeeper of out acquaintance always keeps the bread under her own control, cutting off a sufficient supply for the kitchen and parlor at each meal Certain it is that bread is very apt to be wasted, and we have seen, in at least one kitchen, a large drawer completely filled with old bread, the greater part of which, of course, had to be thrown away. Potatoes are also Very apt to be wasted. Many careless cooks will not take the trouble to calculate nicely how many they will need for a meal, and so which, even if warmed over, will eventually find its way to the refuse. We have found it a good’plan to note carefullyfrom the grocer’s book how long different articles of provisions should last, and then insist upon it that the tyrant of the kitchen shall make soap, sugar, etc., last their due time.— Demorest's Monthly.

HYGIENIC. Colds in the Summer. At the risk of shocking many highly respectable people, we venture to call attention to the danger of taking cold during the summer months, a danger that is only less great than in winter because we usually breathe purer air during the summon than in winter. We do not, however, generally recognize summer colds as such, because they do not always oper-*> ate like the colds of winter. It is none the less a fact that many people become enfeebled during the summer, and when cold weather sets in cut off their supply of oxygen, simnjer over a coal stove or a furnace register, and die before another spring comes round. Our nights and mornings are usually cool, and the neat the grea est at midday, yet too few people change their own clothing or their children’s to meet the exactions of the climate. To suffer from chills in the morning, to swelter at noon, and to shiver again in the night damps some people seem to regard their destiny. Half the cases of bowel trouble, the languor, and the “run-down” feelings of humanity arise from a lack of proper clothing. A draught on a heated person in summer is far more likely to produce clfiU than the sold, clear air of a tingling January day. Abram Garfield, the father of our dead President, knew better than to sit in a breeze when heated from fighting fire; yet he did it, trusting in his good health, am in three dayshis wife and four children stood by his coffin. Itrie the disagreeable, cold feeling that one experiences from damp cotton underclothing that leads many workingmen to wear flannel the year round, and has induced women to give up cotton undergarments for gauze underwear, that seems to be either warm or coo!, as occasion requires. Perhaps, owing to its open texture, perspirations pass through it, leaving it dry, or possibly its porousness saves the wearer from the perspiration that cotton induces. The gauze underwear is so cheap that if one’s time spent in making undergarments be worth anything, it is much to be preferred to garments made from cotton on the score of economy, while the washing of There are many women and girls who snould wear The long-sleeved vests ail summer, for there is no protection to the person like the protection to che limbs, and thus clothed they will not so readily fee! the sudden changes of heat and cold. Still a draught is not a trifling matter. Many a man and woman can trace pheumonia, rheumatism, and other ills to the day when, heated by ironing, cooking, cutting wood-, raking in the hayfield, or hoeing in the garden, they “cooled off too soon,” and made themselves sufferers for months or years. Chilling the stomach with iced drink is only "a; other way of "taking cold:Somebody has said: "Hoidyourhand for five nrinntewin a basin of ice-water, and then tell me what you think of pouring that chjlUng liquid into your stomach, so much more sensitive than your hand.” The ice-pitcher is said to be the bane of American life. There is no doubt the improper use of it has hurried many a man and woman into the grave. But must we wear all day the clothing necessary to keep us warm night and morning, or must we change two or three times a day as the temperature changes? No. we need do .neither, for one may carry in his - pocket all that is necessary as a rule to protecf 'Eim' agaifist colds. You dress in the morning for the day. As the mercury climbs up the glass tube and as you become heated with your work; you drop perhaps a garment, but fifteen minutes later you are sitting on the porch to shell peas for dinner, or after supper the w nd blows up while tlie family are enjoying themselves on the piazza. Take from your pocket your silk or woolen wristlets, slip them on, and in many cases you will immediately be coinfortable. Any one who knows that to cool off we have only to let water run over our wrists will at once perceive that by warming the blood at that delicate point the pulse will carry a warm' current through the whole body. Babies often suffer intolerably in the hot months, either from too much or too little clothing. We remember one dear baby we once saw clothed in a double woolen dressing--gown, and with woolen socks on its feet, a hot July day. The drops of perspiration stood thickly over his little head, and what wonder he cried for sheer discomfort? The little feet needed no covering, and the woolen wrap should have been replaced by a thin cotton or linen garment during the warm portion of the day, the dressing gown being at hand to slip on*as soon as the Air grew cool at night Underclothing pinned tightly about us in warm weather would be insufferable. . Why should we suppose it is any easier sos baby to endure it? Physicians are advising giving babies cold water at least once an hour, or rather offering it for their aqqgptance. A bit. of ice picked from a lump wiihA pin may be put on baby’s hot gums with good results, and -best perhaps of all when the little creatures grow peevish and fussy, when they are a burden to themselves and everybody else, is the plan adopted by wise mothers, big sisters and aunties, of partially undressing the Uttle bodv, wiping away the heat and dust with a soft, cool sponge or doth, in a cool shaded room, and with pleasant, cheerful talk soothing away the “tired’’ and coaxing the pilgrim to take a nap by the way. “Come now, you’ve got to have snap,” wiU rouse rebellion in almost any baby soul, but to be inducted into something nice before one knows it, ah, how we big folks enjoy it, and why shouldn’t baby?— American Cultivator.