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DETROIT, LIAY 12, 1885.

 

 

THE HOUgEHOLD===§tnppllememm

 

 

SOME CHARACTERISTICS OF
NEW ENGLAND LIFE.

The former article on this subject made
me say modesty, whenImeant to have
said industry. While the former was
once one of the characteristics, and is now
becoming exceedingly rare, yet I desire to
call attention to the latter topic. The
second prominent characteristic of the
New England home is industry. I know
this is an old fashioned word, hardly
suited to the demands of Young America,
but like its mate, economy, only ﬁt to
be seen in the dictionary, or used by
stingy deacons to suppress the rising star
of advancement; but there is an old say-
ing, credited I think to Isaac Watts,
which if in the Bible would be no more
true, “Satan ﬁnds some mischief still for
idle hands to do.”

Masterly inactivityl! how majestic it
sounds. How grand in theory, but how
ignoble in practice! The curse of the
present time is this eternally sitting round
waiting, Micawber like, for something to
”turn up.” The desire is for some oc-
cupation which does not require any pre-
vious preparation, and which presents
the greatest amount of compensation for
the least amount of labor. A young
man once advertised for board in a family
where his christian example would be
deemed suﬂicient compensation. A young
man so delicately organized should be
shielded from all the roughness of real
life, and be ﬂoated on a lily leaf down the
river of time to the haven of—not rest,
for how can he rest who was never tired,
say the haven of inactivity, Laziness. A
busy man is comparatively free from
temptations, for when the devil goes
about looking for recruits to do his work,
he looks among those who are standing
idle in the market place. '

The cultivation of industry soon
arouées aspirit of manly and womanly
independence. Thus early in life the
members of the New England family be-
came self supporting, and contributed
something to the general good. It may
be objected to this early assumption of
the work and care of mature years, that it
curtails the joys of childhood and youth.
There will be time enough to meet the de-
mands of active life, when these demands
are present. But the trouble is that the
knowledge of these is postponed so long
that distaste comes on, and mature life is
reached without the knowledge of the
simplest practical duties. A hired girl
must do the work which the old mother

 

had always performed with an independ—
ent pride. The mother makes the bread
and the bed, while the girl has to be in-
formed which cow gives the buttermilk.
Idleness is a breeder of mischief, and can-
not be indulged without injury to the
person so indulging.

Activity will not cover but prevent a

multitude of sins. J. E. DAY.

ARMADA .
————«o————

BLUNDERS AND SURPRISES.

 

I am eager to see the “Woman in Poli-
tics” and the woman that knows “poli-
tical economy ” from a bag of beans ut—
tering words of wisdom in these columns
—-no danger of her getting a monopoly of
them, though, good sisters, she’s too
scarce a commodity; but as for me, I’Ve
been out in the warm sunshine of this
warm April day. The sky looks “alive.”
Things gay and green are starting from
the cold, gray earth. The air is echoing
the songs of happy birds, the gurgle and
plash of ﬂowing water, and the “talk” of
the tall trees as the wind, in tenderer
mood than he has known for many
months, bends and banters their yielding
boughs and tender buds.

It was ten A. M. when I went out to see
how many crocuses were " out” this
morning. It was eleven o’clock when I
came in, and it seemed if 1 had been out
not over ten minutes. “ What was I do-
ing?” Clearing the litter from my bed of
hardy bulbs, for I found my tulips well
“started a growing.” The “litter ” was
simply dead verbena vines, and the au-
tumn leaves that they caught and held in
their meshes last fall. These I ﬁnd have
aﬁorded ample protection for the bulbs,
and this brings me to surprise No. 1.
Years ago, when I was in and of the
“ world,” I saw fragrant verbenas. The
peculiar charm of their odor I never for-
got. And verbenas were among my favor-
ites for the little ﬂoral venture of which I
have told you. But judge of my disgust
when I grew only scentless ones. I ad-
dressed a ﬂorist on this special point,
telling them that I wanted some seed that
would grow fragrant ﬂowers. The reply
was, “ We do not know of any such.
Never saw a fragrant verbena.” Well, I
knew that I had; and I hoped I might
again. Two years ago I got some verbena
seed of Mrs. Fuller, and I of course ex—
pected it would produce the regulation
scentless blooms. Great therefore was my
surprise and delight to ﬁnd that I was the
owner of abed of rank growing, profusely

 

blooming, deliciously. fragrant, allsthat-
could-be-asked-for verbenas! Thus, you
see, I have it! The breath of a ﬂower that
I breathed—let me see—sixteen years ago!‘
Mrs. Fuller said once in these columns;
“ Those who are waiting for bulbs for fall
planting, please be patient, as the bulbs
are under a mass of verbenas that I do
not like to disturb just yet,” ac. This
gave me a clew to at least one happy hit
in the succession of plants in a ﬂower
garden. It works like a charm. Igath.
ered bouquets of verbenas and chrysan~
themums late in November last. And this
brings me to surprise No. 2, (and please
note that every “ surprise ” has its attend-
ant “blunder.” Three years ago, in my
fall supply of plants from Mrs. Fuller,
there came a couple of unnamed and un-
known slips; one I set “down and out "'
for an artemesia, the other for a “ wait
and see.” This latter showed for itself
the next June that it was a scarlet trum‘
pet vine. Hi made alittle trellis for it,
which it quickly outgrew. He made an-
other “ towering ” one. It out-grew that,
and reached on up toward the shining
sky, and then the boys said they'd make
an arch over the walk. But this they have
not done, and I have my doubts as to
whether so ambitious a plant could be in~
duced to climb downward. But there i

grows, and blows, and reaches upward.
and from June till the snow is ﬂying and
the frost biting cold, it hangs out its gay
little squads of trumpeters, and the bees
and butterﬂies, and the dainty, darting
little humming birds never weary of what
the gay little trumpeters have to tell. But
the artemesia: It grew well all the next
summer; the next it grew better, and last
summer the growth was grand. But,
alas, the last of August came, and as in
previous years, no signs of bud or bloom.
Nobody seemed to be quite sure that it
was an artemesia, but if anybody knew
anything they “ guessed it would be one."
Well, Ididn’t care much for artemesias
anyway; I’d got tired watching the thing
and seeing it so idle, and I took hold of
it, resolved to tear it out root and branch,
when I saw a sign of a blossom bud. I
relented. The signs multiplied and grew
amazingly: At last. about the 10th of
October, a bud was fully opened. And
such a ﬂower! ’Twas a stranger in a
strange land, and a very beautiful stran-
ger, too.

In afew days came Harper's Monthly
for November. It contained John Thorp’s
article on Chrysanthemums. Many blos-
soms were fully out on my strange plant

 


 

THE EIOUSEHOLD.

 

:now. and in that article I found its name.
nature, habits and history. I was the
happy possessor of a Japanese Chrysan-
themum, in color the most reﬁned and
indescribable dainty yellow, and. as John
Thorp tells us, one of the “heads ” of the
Chrysanthemum family. The amount of
blossoms that the plant threw out, and
the hardihood with ,which they deﬁed
frost and cold, warrant me in saying I
have a trea=ure in the plant. I removed
the covering from it this forenoon, and
found the earth literally alive with grow-
ing slips. Will Mrs. Fuller kindly tell me
whether it is best to divide these? And
can she furnish the red, pink, and the
white varieties of this same sort? I would
be especially glad to get some of the white

; ones.

And here let the “ surprise—blunder”
story stop for the present, though there is
any amount of material on hand for its
continuation. I should have said those
ﬁrst two beds contained each 64 square
feet, instead of saying they were 16 feet
square and Bob declares that he only
made them 10 or 12 inches deep, but I
told him to make them 20, and I supposed
he did by the way my plants ﬂourished.
The soil in these beds has to be renewed
every season.

I have never had any luck with sweet
peas or lilies of any sort. But I shall try
again. E. L. NYE.

Bonn lN-THE-HXLLS.

———OO.--—

HOLD, ENOUGH!!

 

Every week the Household comes to us
as a welco ne visitor, and as I peruse its
bright and instructive pages, I am amused
to see the various opinions expressed on
a variety of subjects, but there is one
theme of which the members never tire,
i. e. rag carpets. When will that already
threadbare subject become worn out?
The carpets which the good sisters
Hwere making when the epidemic
lbroke out, must be. well worn by this
'time. If people will or must have the
(homely things, let them retire into their

'closets and rip and sew to their hearts’
‘content, but don’t, please don’t. inﬂict

them upon the entire Household. In
grain carpets are good enough for me,
andIthink that farmers’ wives can af-

‘ ford them as well as their husbands can

aﬁord the countless articles of machinery
which they buy whenever any new in-

‘wention pleases them, no matter if they

.already have those which do the work
" well. ' .
Why will farmers’ wives persist in mak-

'ing slaves of themselves, even after pros-

,perity has placed them beyond the neces-
:sity for it? Force of habit, I suppose,
’for they can give no good reason for it.
Huldah Perkins thinks farm life in sum-
:mer delightful, but sighs for more work
:in the winter. If Huldah will come
down here where we have always eight
in the family, and from twelve to eighteen
in summer, I will endeavor to give her a
icwpractical hints of what there is to do,
saying nothing of the fruit to be cared
for, sewing, mending, company to be en-
tertained, etc. After she has spent a

 

year in my kitchen, (and my work. is no
harder than many of my neighbors) I will
guarantee she will never again send forth
the cry of “what do farmers’ wives do in
winter,” or summer either.

Can any of the members tell me how to
get rid of the little brown bugs, called
bread bugs, which infest the pantry
during summer? Any information will
be thankfully received, as all my efforts
have failed to exterminate the pests.

OBSERVER.
————...———.—

NEW ORLEANS.

Larissa.

T0
(Continued).
0n the 25th we passed the Arkansas
River; the town at the junction was an
old log house. The Arkansas is quite a
wide stream, with water that compares
favorably with the Mississippi; I think it
is no muddier at least. Just before we
reached the Arkansas River we were
shown the site of Napoleon, once a
ﬂourishing town, now engulfed by the
treacherous stream. This recalls a story
of the town in its prime, when it bore the
name of being very smart, but very wick-
ed. It seemed a centre among the sur-
r )unding towns, and a stranger was ask<
ing some directions of a native. ”If I
want to go to Monticello, which is the
nearest way?" “Go to Napoleon, and
take the road south.” “ Well, if I wish
to go to Dexter?” “ Go to Napoleon, and
take the road west. “If to Laconia?”
“ Go to Napoleon, and take the road
north.” The stranger stared. “Well,
sir, if I want to go to Hades?" The na-
tive scratched his head. “Well, sir, I
reckon a right smart way would be to
take the road to Napoleon.” It is aston-
ishing what changes take place in the
river channel. Some places are shown
where the channel has moved two miles.
It will start a bar in one bend, which
may soon become an island, then part of
the mainland; then perhaps the next
ﬂood will turn this all about again, or
form a new channel through the center.
Saw some sheep on a plantation, the ﬁrst
seen since passing Cairo; also saw cherry
and peach trees in bloom. Stopped at
Arkansas City, a small town, which has
ﬁve saloons and one bakery. Easy to see
that if bread is the stall of life, whisky is
life itself. Greenville is the county seat
of Washington County, Miss. The county
has a population of 2,300 whites and 20,-
000 colored. A. merchant of the place
told one of our party that the “coons”
(negroes), know but little of money. If
one asked for a dollar’s worth of calico,
he would get from six to ten yards, ac-
cording to their estimate of his smartness;
“enough to cover a wench, anyhow.”
“How do the colored people vote?" was
asked. “ Wall, we furnish seed and
everything for working the land, and
things for them to live on, so, generally,
when the crop is raised, we own it. Nig-
gahs never have much money, so we tell
’em vote so, and we’ll give you some work,
or some favor, and generally its all right;
but, anyhow, we have the votes to count,
and we ﬁx it all right.” The white man
manages to live oﬂ the darkey’s work.

 

Here at Greenville we ﬁnd more proof
of the unsettled Mississippi. It is said
Greenville, a few years ago, stood two
miles back from the river: now some
houses stand on rollers to be moved back
as the current wears away the land. One
man who owned a 1,400 acre plantation
near here a few years ago, has no soil to
show for his warranty deed. Along the
banks we ﬁnd government work, quite
continuous, that we have seen in patches
before. It is a sort of mattress work,
formed by layers of small poles or twigs,
woven with wire,lald on the sloped bank.
A boat which carries an adjustable plat-
form at the side is used, this is covered
with Ipoles, the wire is interwoven, the
boat moves up, leaving the web on the
bank, more is adjusted, and thus it is
continued for miles. A raised bank, or
levee, is constructed for both banks,
sometimes near, at other places a mile
back, according to the level. The top of
this levee is a popular promenade all its
distance. The levees need constant re~
pair and renewal every few years. In
many places the government has con.
structed “slack water sheds,” or open
dikes, which consist of piles driven into
the sand, in suitable places and quanti-
ties, the object being to arrest the wash-
ing of the sand, and collect it where it
will keep the channel. In the afternoon
we passed Milliken’s Bend, Grant’s land-
ing place when moving on Vicksburg, and
later passed the mouth of the Yazoo river,
a rapid, but not large stream At six
o’clock we reached Vicksburg, which lies
on the steep sides of high bluffs, a very
picturesque town of 15,000 inhabitants.
We only had thirty minutes here, so no
exploring could be done. The points
occupied by Grant’s fortiﬁcations were
pointed out, but it was so nearly dark we
could get little satisfaction. But the
scenes revived historic associations, and
the evening was passed relating war rem-
iniscences. A heavy fog came on, and
we tied up to a tree on the bank, and re-
mained until morning.

On the 27th we were again under way,
but the fog thickened and we slowly
ﬂoated, sounding fog signals every minute.
About ten o’clock the fog lifted and we
proceeded. These fogs sometimes lay
boats up for days, often for hours. The
pilots run by known landmarks on the
banks, and dare not move when they are
covered with fog. After leaving Vicks-
burg, we see numerous specimens of the
gray Spanish moss, covering the trees, its
sombre ﬁbres swaying in the air, some-
times aforest of trees is covered, some-
times single specimens. Men and boys
frequent the bank, swinging long-handled
scoop nets through the water, but we
seldom see them get any ﬁsh.

A per son on board discovered a cotton
gin and asked its use. “ To take seeds out
of cotton, eh? What do they want to
take ’em out for, and what do they do
with ’em, anyway?” So much for north-
ern innocence. Another of our party
asked the darkey ﬁreman what “horse
power” the engine was. “Do’ know,
boss, hain’t got no hoss power. Couldn’t
:se bosses this am a r‘Vcr boat.” ‘

 

 


 

 

THE HOUSEHOLD

3

 

At St. Joseph we learned the history
of a plantation. A man named Wormley,
from Pennsylvania, purchased a planta-
vtion here some years ago, for $25,000, and
made $17,000 the ﬁrst year. The planta-
ntion consists of 400 acres, with a handsome
house, outbuildings and 65 neat tenant
cottages. Plantation houses are mostly
one story high, with a cupola, and wide,
encircling verandahs.

On the 25th we passed the plantation
once the home of Zachary Taylor, after.
ward the home of Jefferson Davis. The
(old buildings are in ruins, but a neat
church points its spire heavenward in the
near vicinity. At a landing further down
was a laughable scene: On a small wood-
en platform an old darkey was sawing
away for dear life on a dilapidated ﬁddle,
while three more were dancing a planta-
tion breakdown, and a fourth patting
“juba.” Some of the girls went on shore,
and were invited into a plantation house.
The owners were absent, but the colored
housekeeper showed them every atten-

tion. Everything was very neat, no
carpets, but ﬂoors as white as snow.

Bayou Sara, 8. nice little town of 1,500
inhabitants. This'bayou empties through
Lakes Pontchartrain andBorgne into the
Gulf.

We arrived at Port Hudson during a
heavy thunder storm. High bluffs,
broken with ravines, are the features of
this place. It was at this point that Ad-
»miral Farragut ran the rebel block-
ade soon after the fall of Vicksburg, los-
ing the gun boat Mississippi. The river
has changed its channel since, and boats
can no longer go very near the town.
The wharf is all awry and must soon
fall. We passed .Baton Rouge in the
evening, and could only see that it was
located on bluﬁs.

At sunrise of the 29th we were at Mt.
Thomas. The banks are lined with sugar
plantations; large mans10ns,and extensive
sugar reﬁneries attest thrift and prosper-
ity. Here we saw one hundred or more
mules in one ﬁeld. Plantation landings
are only a bank; the steamer throws out a
swinging stage, which is worked by a
pony engine, a line is carried ashore, the
stage dropped, freight thrown in a heap
on the ground, and off goes the boat
again. There are no warehouses even in
many towns, freight is piled up and cov-
ered with tarpaulins. We saw a four-
yoke ox team at one of these landings,
the yoke, a piece of plank, strapped to
their horns. It looked " right smart.”

Donaldsonville, the next point, was
named for a stepson of Gen. Jackson.
Here is Bayou La Fouche, which runs in-
to Bayou Black. The plantation opposite
was owned at one time by Wade Hamp-
ton. Next landed at Fureand’s. Darkies
of every age and sex, a huge crowd, came
trooping to the landing. Soon after we
passed the convent of the Sacred Heart,
and soon after the college which gives the
name of College Point to the landing.
Both are beautiful structures, rembowered
in trees. A nice little town is situated on
the point.

At “Gold Mine,” there are miles of level

country. with lofty forests in the back

 

ground. showing hills in the distance. It
is a strange experience to see a noble
river walled in with raised levees, while
the country back is lower than the water,
yet built up so thickly it seems like a
town, while ﬁelds green with verdure, or
dotted with lines of tender green marking
the growing cane, extend back as far as
one can see. There are cuts in the levee
in many places, guarded by gates, with
irrigating ditches leading into the ﬁelds.

An hour’s voyage, and we came upon
the Red Church, the oldest church in the
south. It is 25 miles above New Orleans,
and its front and modest spire rise from a
group of evergreens. It puts on no airs
because of antiquity. Saw the ﬁrst
orange grove to-day; also groves of mag-
niﬁcent live oak trees, which are planted
around the dwellings and grounds in pro-
fusion.

Arrived at Crescent City docks about
seven o’clock in the evening. Most of the
people went on shore to church. The
Rev. Dr. Palmer, of the First Presbyte-
rian Church, is the attraction. I preferred
to remain on board, taking in the sights
and sounds of the great city. Two United
States war vessels were anchored in mid-
stream, huge, high bulwarked, iron plated
craft, with masts and smoke strck, mark
ocean vessels,ababy steam launch ﬂitting
from boats to shore, forests of shipping
are seen as far as eye can reach, the rum-
ble and roar of business ﬁlls the ear, and
over all a full moon looks down, ﬂooding
all things with its silvery radiance. And
this is New Orleans. A. L. L.

..._._...____

A GOOD TIME COMIING.

 

I plainly foresee there is to be arevolu-
tion in housekeeping. It is always a
favorable sign for the incoming of a new
kingdom when many are inquiring the
way. It is encouraging to see so many
desiring to burst from the old thralldom,
and by some means ﬁt themselves to take
higher ground, and at last hold up their
heads in freedom, and learn how much
of worth and beauty this world holds for
those who will p ‘ e a moment and open
their minds to take it in. We have
scrupulously and persistently “ cleaned
the outside of the platter.” But what is
within? Have we not so thoroughly
given our 'nds over to preserving clean-
liness on 'ur children’s faces and our
husband’s clothes; to the distracting
whiteness of our kitchen ﬂoors and
brightness of our dishpans; in fact to the
being extremely “careful about many
things ” that the children have been forced
from home for recreation and instruc-
tion, and the husband for companionship?
May the day hasten when the good wife
shall be more afraid of dust upon her in-
tellect than on her pantry shelves, and
have a greater horror of cobwebs in her
brain than on her parlor walls. Our
husbands and fathers have been council-
i-ng :or many years to “ let things go and
not scrub our lives away.” They claim
to have a yearning desire for a little less
order and a little more comfort. Now
let us take them at their word.

Let us bury all fear of the voice of Mrs.

 

Grundy, for when our voices shall rise
in unison with the chant of the long suf-
fering men, hers will most surely be
silenced in the mighty din.

SISTER 8L ACK.
Paw Paw.

.————‘Q.___

HOUSEHOLD SUGGESTIONS.

 

The best paper-holder l have ever used
is like a section of pigeon-holes in a post-
ofﬁce; ﬁve in width and three in height is
a nice size, each pigeon hole to be 6x6
inches, made of half inch stuff, and sus-
pended by coarse picture cord. The end
pieces are inch stuff, and should project
far enough above the upper shelf, or top,
to allow of half inch holes being bored,
one near the front and one near the back
of each end for the cord. It should be
about a foot deep, so that papers folded as
they ordinarily are will not project far
from the front edge. It should be painted
the same color as the woodwork of the
room in Which it is to hang, or, if made
of black walnut, oiled and varnished.
Let the names of the periodicals taken be
cut out, and each pasted over the box it is
to occupy. The mail is brought home
and distributed, and when a certain
paper is wanted, the few minutes one has
for reading need not be spent in looking
for the desired paper. Six inches square
is about the right size for the pigeon
holes, and if a place is desired for a large
journal or magazine, leave out the two
central divisions on the lower shelf. A
handsome drapery could be hung in front,
thus making it ornamental as well as
useful. Ingenious boy. make one for

' your mother, and see how pleased she

will be.

I ﬁnd a clothes pin apron much more
convenient than bag or basket. Take
two pieces of shirting or gingham, both
sides alike, twenty inches long; place
them together, round off the lower cor-
ners, and slant off the upper corners, as
for an apron, then from one of the
pieces, cut out two pieces, shaped like a
slim capital U, bind these openings with
bias strips of the same goods, seam the
two parts together around the lower
edges, and turn, bringing the seam on the
inner side, baste them together smooth-
1y at the top, gather a little, and put on a
band long enough to reach around the
waist of the largest individual who is ex
pected to wear it, for the smaller ones,
place buttons at different intervals on
the belt, letting one button hole answer
for all.

A handy ironing board is thus made:
Take a pine board or any light wood
twenty-two inches in width, and three
feet four inches in length; nail a strip
on each end to prevent warping or split-
ting, then tack the ironing cloth smooth-
ly and ﬁrmly over the edges, leaving a
six inch space at one end of the board
bare; on this space, with a nail in each
corner, fasten an oyster can, with the
opening from you, so if it should sag
from ﬁre weight of the irons, they will not
slip off on your toes. This ﬂat rest
never gets lost, never falls off, and is
cheap withal.

Last season’s black straw hats that are

 


 

INTENTIGNAL SECOND EXPOSURE

THE HOUSEHOLD.

 

now, and in that articleI found its name,
nature, habits and history. I was the
happy possessor of a Japanese Chrysan-
themum, in color the most reﬁned and
indescribable dainty yellow, and, as John
’Thorp tells us, one of the “ heads ” of the
Chrysanthemum family. The amount of
blossoms that the plant threw out, and
the hardihcod with which they deﬁed
frostand cold, warrant me in saying I
have a treasure in the plant. I removed
the covering from it this forenoon, and
found the earth literally alive with grow-
ing slips. Will Mrs. Fuller kindly tell me
whether it is best to divide these? And
can she furnish the red, pink, and the
white varieties of this same sort? I would
be especialiy glad to get some of the white
ones

And here let the “surpriseblunder”
vstory stop for the present, though there is
any amount of material on hand for its
continuation. I should have said those
ﬁrst two beds contained each 64 square
feet, instead of saying they were 16 feet
square and Bob declares that he only
made them 10 or 12 inches deep, but I
told him to make them '20, and I supposed
he did by the way my plants ﬂourished.
The soil in these beds has to be renewed
every season.

1 have never had any luck with sweet

peas : lilies of any sort. But I shalltry
again E. L. NYE.

Home ‘\ 'rw‘ HILLS

-————99¢——-—

now), escrow:

 

Every Week the llousch ’ald comes to us
3.5 a welcc» ne visitor, and as I peruse its
bright and instructive pages, I am amused
'20 see the ”various opinions expressed on
a variety of subjects, but there is one
theme of which the members never tire,
5. e. rag carpets. When will that already
threadbare subject become worn out?
The carpets which the good sisters
'were making when the epidemic
broke out, must be well worn by this
time. If people will or must have the
homely things, let them retire into their

. I
closets and rip and sew to their hearts

content, but don’t, please don’t. inﬂict
them upon the entire Household. In
grain carpets are good enough for me,
and Ithink that farmers' wives can af-
ford them as well as their husbands can
aﬁord the countless articles of machinery
which they buy whenever any new in-
vention pleases them, no matter if they
already have those which do the work
well.

Why wili farmers’ wives persist in mak-
;ng slaves of themselves, even after pros-
oerity has placed them beyond the neces-
sity for it‘.’ Force of habit, I suppose,
for they can give no good reason for it.
‘Huldah Perkins thinks farm life in sum-
mer delightful, but sighs for more work
-_n the winter. If lluldah will Come
dowu here where we have alWays eight
.1131 the family, and from twelve to eighteen
in summer, I will endeavor to give her a
few practical hints of what there is to do,
saying nothing of the fruit to be cared
for, sewing, mending, company to be en-
tertained, etc. After she has spent a

 

year in my kitchen, (and my work is no
harder than many of my neighbors) I will
guarantee she will neVer again send forth
the cry of “what do farmers’ wives do in
winter,” or summer either.

Can any of the members tell me how to
get rid of the little brown bugs, called
bread bugs, which infest the pantry
during summer? Any information will
be thankfully received, as all my efforts
have failed to exterminate the pests.

OBSERVER.
.___...____

N E‘V ORLEANS.

t Continued).

On the 25th we passed the Arkansas
River: the town at the junction was an
old log house. The Arkansas is quite a
wide stream, with water that compares
favorably with the Mississippi; I think it
is no muddier at least. Just before we
reached the Arkansas River we were
shown the site of Napoleon, once a
flourishing town, now engulfed by the
treacherous stream. This recalls a story
of the town in its prime, when it bore the
name of being very smart, but very wick~
ed. It seemeda centre among the sur-
r )unding towns, and a stranger was ask-
ing some directions of a native. “If I
want to go to Monticello, which is the
nearest way?” “G0 to Napoleon, and
take the road south.” “Well, if I wish
to go to Dexter?“ “ Ho to Napoleon, and

Larsen.

TO

take the road west. “If to Laconia‘r”
"(to to Napoleon, and take the road
north.” The ~tranger stared. “\Vell,
sir, if I want to go to Hades?" The na—

tiVe scratched his head. “\Vell, sir, I
reckon it right smart Way would be to
take the road to Nzipolcui.” It is aston~
ishiug what changes take place in the
rchI‘ channel. 5 one places are shown
where the ch anncl has mow-d two miles.
It will start a bar in one bend. which
may soon become an island. then part of
the mainland; then perhaps the next
ﬂocd will turn this all about again, or
form a new channel through the center.
Saw some sheep on a plantation, the ﬁrst
seen since passing Cairo; also saw cherry
and peach trees in bloom. Stopped at
Arkansas City, a small town, which has
five saloons and one bakery. Easy to see
that if bread is the staff of life, whisky is
life itself. Greenville is the county seat
of Washington County, Miss. The county
has a population of 2,300 whites and 20,-
000 colored. A merchant of the place
told one of our party that the “coons”
(negroesi, know but little of money. If
one asked for a dollar’s worth of calico,
he would get from sin to ten yards, ac-
cording to their estimate of his smartness;
“enough to cover a wcnch, anyhow.”
“ How do the colored people Vote?" was
asked. “ Wall, we furnish seed and
chrything for working the land, and
things for them to live on, so, generally,
when the crop is raised, we own it. Nig—
gahs never have much money, so we tell
’em vote so, and we’ll give you some work,
or some favor, and generally its all right;
but, anyhow, we have the votes to count,
and we fix it all right.” The white man
manages to live off the darkey’s work.

 

Here at Greenville we ﬁnd more proof
of the unsettled Mississippi. It is said
Greenville, a few years ago, stood two
miles back from the river; now some
houses stand on rollers to be moved back
as the current wears away the land. One
man who owned a 1,400 acre plantation
near here a few years ago, has no soil to
show for his warranty deed. Along the
banks we ﬁnd government work, quite
continuous, that we have seen in patches
before. It is a sort of mattress work,
formed by layers of small poles or twigs,
woven with wire,laid on the sloped bank.
A boat which carries an adjustable plat-
form at the side is used. this is covered
with Ipoles, the wire is interwoven, the
boat moves up, leaving the web on the
bank, more is adjusted, and thus it is
continued for miles. A raised bank, or
levee, is constructed for both banks.
sometimes near, at other places a mile
back, according to the level. The top of
this levee is a popular promenade all its
distance. The levees need constant re-
pair and renewal every few years. In
many places the government has con.
structed “slack water sheds,” or open
dikes, which consist of piles driven into
the sand, in suitable places and quanti~
ties, the object being to arrest the wash-
ingof the sand, and collect it where it
will keep the channel. In the afternoon
we passed Milliken‘s Band, Grant’s land-
ing place when moving on Vicksburg, and
later passed the mouth of the Yazoo river,
a rapid, but not large stream At 'ix
o‘clock we reached Vicksburg, which lies
on the steep sides of high bluffs, a very
picturesque town of 15,000 inhabitants.
We only had thirty minutes here, so no
(:XpiOI'illg could be done. The points
Occupied by Grant's fortifications were
pointed out, but it was so nearly dark we
could get little satisfaction But the
scenes revived historic associations, and
the evening was passed relating war rem-
iniscences. A. heavy fog came on, and
we tied up to a tree on the bank, and re-
mained until morning.

On the 27th we were again under way,
but the fog thickened and we slowly
ﬂoated, sounding fog signals every minute.
About ten o’clock the fog lifted and we
proceeded. These fogs sometimes lay
heats up for days, often for hours. The
pilots run by known landmarks on the
banks, and dare not move when they are
covered with fog. After leaving Vicks-
burg, we see numerous specimens of the
gray Spanish moss, covering the trees, its
sombre fibres swayingin the air, some-
times a forest of trees is covered, some—
times single specimens. Men and boys
frequent the bank, swinginglongshandled
secop nets through the water, but we
seldom see them get any fish.

A person on board discowred a cotton
gin andaskcd its use. To take seeds out
of cotton, ch‘: What do they want to
take 'em out for, and what do they do
with ’em, anyway?” So much for north-
ern innocence. Another of our party
asked the darkey ﬁreman what “horse
power” the engine was. “Do' know,
boss, hain‘t got no hoss power. Couldn’t.
Lsc bosses this are a river boat."

 

 

 


 

 

THE HOUSEHOLD

    

3

 

At St. Joseph we learned the history
of a plantation. A man named Wormley,
from Pennsylvania, purchased a planta—
ition here some years ago, for $25,000, and
made $17,000 the ﬁrst year. The planta-
tion consists of 400 acres, with a handsome
house, outbuildings and 65 neat tenant
cottages. Plantation houses are mostly
one story high, with a cupola, and wide,
encircling verandahs.

On the 25th we passed the plantation
once the home of Zachary Taylor, after.
ward the home of Jefferson Davis. The
old buildings are in ruins, but a neat
church points its spire heavenward in the
near vicinity. At a landing further down
was a laughable scene: On a small wood-
en platform an old darkey was sawing
away for dear life on a dilapidated ﬁddle,
while three more were dancing a planta-
tion breakdown, and a fourth patting
“jobs.” Some of the girls went on shore,
and were invited into a plantation house.
The owners were absent, but the colored
housekeeper showed them every atten-

tion. Everything was very neat, no
carpets, but ﬂoors as white as snow.

Bayou Sara, a nice little town of 1,500
inhabitants. This'bayou empties through
Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne into the
”Gulf.

We arrived at Port Hudson during a
heavy thunder storm. High bluffs,
broken with ravines, are the features of
this place. It was at this point that Ad-
miral Farragut ran the rebel block-
ade soon after the fall of Vicksburg, los-
ing the gun boat Mississippi. The river
has changed its channel since, and boats
can no longer go very near the town.
The wharf is all awry and must soon
fall. Vie passed Baton llougc in the
evening. and could only see that it was
located on bluffs.

At sunrise of the 20th we were at Mt.
Thomas. The banks are lined with sugar
plantations; large mansrons,and extensive
sugar reﬁneries attest thrift and prosper-
ity. Here we saw one hundred or more
mules in one ﬁeld. Plantation landings
are only a bank; the steamer throws out a
swinging stage, which is worked by a
pony engine, a line is carried ashore, the
stage dropped, freight thrown in a heap
on the ground, and off goes the boat
again. There are no warehouses even in
many towns, freight is piled up and cov-
ered with tarpaulins. We saw a four-
yoke ox team at one of these landings,
the yoke, a piece of plank, strapped to
their horns. It looked “ right smart.”

Donaldsonville, the next point, was
named for a stepson of Gen. Jackson.
Here is Bayou La Fouche, which runs in—
to Bayou Black. The plantation opposite
was owned at one time by Wade Hamp
ton. Nextlanded at Fureand‘s. Darkies
of every age and sex, a huge crowd, came
trooping to the landing. Soon after we
passed the convent of the Sacred Heart,
and soon after the college which gives the
name of College Point to the landing.
Both are beautiful structures, embowered
in trees. A nice little town is situated on
the point.

At “Gold Mine,” there are miles of level

country. with lofty forests in the back

 

ground, showing hills in the distance. It
is a strange experience to see a noble
river walled in with raised levees, while
the country back is lower than the water,
yet built up so thickly it seems like a
town, while ﬁelds green with verdure, or
dotted with lines of tender green marking
the growing cane, extend back as far as
one can see. There are cuts in the levee
in many places, guarded by gates, with
irrigating ditches leading into the ﬁelds.

An hour’s voyage, and we came upon
the Red Church, the oldest church in the
south. It is 25 miles above New Orleans,
and its front and modest spire rise from a
group of evergreens. It puts on no airs
because of antiquity. Saw the ﬁrst
orange grove today; also groves of mag-
niﬁcent live oak trees, which are planted
around the dwellings and grounds in pro-
fusion.

Arrived at Crescent City docks about
seven o’clock in the evening. Most of the
people went on shore to church. The
Rev. Dr. Palmer, of the First Presbyte
rian Church, is the attraction. I preferred
to remain on board, taking in the sights
and sounds of the great city. Two United
States war vessels were anchored in mid-
stream, huge, high bulwarked, iron plated
craft, with masts and smoke strck, mark
ocean vessels,ababy steam launch flitting
from boats to shore, forests of shipping
are seen as far as eye can reach, the rum
ble and roar of business ﬁlls the ear, and
over all a full moon looks down, ﬂooding
all things with its silvery radiance. A ad
this is New Orleans. A. L. 1.

A GOOD TIME COMING.

 

tion in housekeeping. It is always a
favorable sign for the incoming of a new
kingdom when many are inquiring the
way. It is encouraging to see so many
desiring to burst from the old thralldom,
and by some means ﬁt themselves to take
higher ground, and at last hold up their
heads in freedom, and learn how much
of worth and beauty this world holds for
those who will pause a moment and open
their minds to take it in. We have
scrupulously and persistently “cleaned
the outside of the platter.” But what is
within? Have we not so thoroughly
given our minds over to preserving clean-
liness on our children’s faces and our
husband‘s clothes; to the distracting
whiteness of our kitchen floors and
brightness of our dishpans; in fact to the
being extremely “careful about many
things” that the children have been forced
from home for recreation and instruc
tion, and the husband for companionship?
May the day hasten when the good wife
shall be more afraid of dust upon her in-
tellect than on her pantry shelves, and
have a greater horror of cobwebs in her
brain than on her parlor walls. Our
husbinds and fathers have been council-
ing Lor many years to “let things go and
not scrub our lives away." They claim

to have a yearning desire for a little less
order and a little more comfort.
let us take them at their word.

Let us bury all fear of the voice of Mrs.

Now

 

Grundy, for when our voices shall rise
in unison with the chant of the long suf-
fering men, hers will most surely be
silenced in the mighty din.

SISTER SLACK.
PAW Paw.

-————§ov—-———

HOUSEHOLD SUGGESTIONS.

 

The best paper-holder l have ever used
is like a section of pigeon-holes in a post-
ofﬁcc; ﬁve in width and three in height is
a nice size, each pigeon hole to be 6x6
inches, made of half inch stuff, and sus-
pended by coarse picture cord. The end
pieces are inch stuff, and should project
far enough above the upper shelf, or top,
to allow of half inch holes belng bored,
one near the front and one near the back
of each end for the cord. It should be
about a foot deep. so that papers folded as
they ordinarily are will not project far
from the front edge. It should be painted
the same color as the woodwork of the
room in which it is to hang, or, if made
of black walnut, oiled and varnished.
Let the names of the periodicals taken be
cut out, and each pasted over the box it is
to occupy. The mail is brought home
and distributed, and when a certain
paper is wanted, the few minutes one has
for reading need not be spent in looking
for the desired paper. Six inches Square
is about the right size for the pigeon
h’liL‘S and if a plaee is desired for a large
Journal or irrigayiine. leave out the two
eentraldivisions on the lower shelf. A
handsome drapery could be hung in front
thus making it
useful.

ornamental as well as
Ingenious boy. make one for

S your mother. and See how pleased she

f Will be.
I plainly foresee there is to be a revolir :

 

    

I find a eio'hes pin apron much more
convenient than bag or basket. Take
two pieces of shirting or gingham, both
sides alike, tWenty inches long: place
them together, round off the lower con
ners, and slant off the upper corners, as
for an apron, then from one of the
pieces, cut out two pieces, shaped like a
slim capital U, bind these openings with
bias strips of the same goods, scam the
two parts together around the lower
edges, and turn, bringing the seam on the
inner side, baste them together smooth-
ly at the top, gather a little, and put on a
band long enough to reach around the
waist of the largest individual who is ex—
pected to wear it, for the smaller ones,
place buttons at dillerent intervals on
the belt, letting one button hole answer
for all.

A handy ironing board is thus made:
Take a pine board or any light wood
twenty-two inches in width, and three
feet four inches in length: nail a strip
on each end to prevent warping or split
ting, then tack the ironing cloth smooth-
ly and firmly over the edges, leaving a
six inch space at one end of the board
bare; on this space, with a nail in each
corner, fasten an oyster can, with the
opening from you, so if it should sag
from the weight of the irons, they will not
slip off on your toes. This ﬂat rest
never gets lost, never falls off, and is
cheap withal.

Last season’s black straw hats that are


 

 

4:

 

THE HOUSEHOLD.

     

 

      

faded and rusty, can be made to look
bright and new by the application of
Button’s Raven Gloss, with the sponge
that accompanies the bottle. This gloss
applied to trunks and satchels that have
grown gray in the service, improves
their appearance very much.

I think it a nice plan to give each
daughter a silver spoon on each recurring
birthday. In a few years they are thus
supplied with these very useful articles,
without feeling the pressure very heavily.
I have a cousin. the mother of two girls,
who adopted this plan a few years ago,
and she, as well as the girls, likes it very
much. The boys, too, are putting in a
plea for the same treatment. The spoons
are unlike, purposely so selected. each
has a history of its own, and is engraved
with name, or date, or both. *It is con-
venient for the mother too, at times, if her
own supply is limited.

If you want a vine for a porch or
pantry window, try Bitter-sweet. It is
acleanly vine, and arapid grower. In
the fall it can be loosened at the top,
rolled up and put down on the ground
out of the way. In the spring, unroll. trim
and fasten up, and as soon as the leaves,
start your shade is there without having
to wait for the whole vine to come from
the seed.

I’d like to ask “Aunt Nell” if it is for
convenience, economy, or style that she
recommends carpeting bedrooms in
patches.

I would like to learn the most approved
method of taking care of a copper tea
kettle. L. H. N.

Hunsox.
-————+oo——

ROSE CULTURE.

 

There are many people, in fact a ma-
jority, who consider the rose the most
perfect, the very queen of ﬂowers, but
very few who possess them, study their
needs or give them the care usually be-
stowed upon a hill of beans. After order-
ing some ﬁne varieties they set them in
some uncultivated corner, let them starve,
and then complain because the ever-
blooming roses are nearer to never bloom‘
ing. And strange as it would seem,
farmers, who realize more than any others
can, the importance of culture and fer-
tilization to vegetation, and have the
material at hand, are the most neglectful
in the line of ﬂowers or ornamental
shrubbery. I need not stop there, but I
will this time. Roses will grow and
bloom in good rich garden soil, but the
best for them is rich ﬁbrous earth, de-
composed sods, and barnyard manure. If
it is necessary to plant them where the
soil is heavy and wet, the surface should
be removed to a depth of two feet or more
and a drainage of broken brick, pebbles
etc., made, and then ﬁlled with suitable soil
in which to plant the roots. Sods and
manure, composted, prepared six months
or a year before using, is the best of ap
plications for roses and for many uses
about the garden. Fresh manure for
bulbs or roses is worse than none as all.
As with other ﬂowering plants, the beauty
and fragrance of the ﬂowers depend
solely upon their growth and vitality.

  

 

Shade as far as possible should be avoid
ed, especially that of trees and large
shrubs. Sunlight and air are essential, as
is the close pruning away all of dead
limbs and unhealthy growth; and after
blooming is well over it is better to cut
away much of the old wood. Soot from
the chimney is a good fertilizer, and good
also to prevent the attacks of insects.
When roses are planted in shade or moist
situations they are liable to mildew,
which is a deadly poison to plant life.
Stirring the soil and stimulating with
ammonia and soot, washing and dusting
with ﬂowers of sulphur are, I think, the
best known remedies.

Potted roses may be treated on the
same general plan as those for the garden;
as their main requirements are much the
same. A rule for pruning them in re-
potting is to trim away all unhealthy parts
of. roots or branches, and after blooming
cut down below the ﬂower stem to within
half an inch of the next bud. Here will
start the next ﬂower stem. In planting
shrubbery or herbaceous plants the
roots should never be allowed to become
dry while the place for them is being pre'
pared, but in some way, by wet moss,
or soil, be kept from the air and liberally
watered while covering. Shading should
never be neglected until well established,
in the case of house or garden plants
of any description. This article is in
answer to one who at the same time
Wished to know if I hai Lily-of—the-
Valley. I have an abundance and will
send at 25c per root separately, but with
orders for other roots or plants for less.
They do best in a shady situation, en-
riched with slops from the wash and lit.
ter from the barn, and should be divided
and re—set once in two or three years.

As I have said before there is no hurry
about dahlias, unless seeds are used;
those may be sown in May and trans
planted later. Such variable weather is
not to be trusted too far. If sown earlier
they must be transplanted into other
boxes. Dahlias if not forced in some
way do not sprout very early in spring.
There was such an earl and urgent de-
mand last season I 8* and got some
from a greenhouse, nicely started, and
they were planted the latter part of May,
and in aweek, on Decoration day, the
general complaint was that the dahlias
were frozen down. It would b.pleasant
to have summer begin in April and frosts
at an end, but we do not live in that de-
lightful climate, and by watching and
keeping a record, I long ago found
that tender bulbs cannot be planted out
with safety until the 10th of June.
Dahlias and gladioli may be planted a lit-
tle earlier, say the last of May, as they
are planted deep and start slowly. The
climbing bulb mentioned in my last was
madeira, my own mistake doubtless.

I have tuberoses in ﬁne condition at 10
cents each, three for 25 cents; madeira
bulbs, four for 15 cents. I have roots of
the aubrietia (Mr. Henderson sells this)
20 cents each, the seed 10 cents. I have
golden lily, perennial phlox, ﬁve best
colors, dicentra, day My, scarlet trumpet
and Halleana honeysuckle, delphinium,

 

aquilegias, adlumia vine, anemone
japonica, and spirea, achillea, pardanthus
or blackberry lily and lily of the valley,
three of the above plants for 50 cents and
seven for one dollar; twelve nice plants
for $1 50. I can tell about others for.

later planting in my next letter.

MRS. M. A. FULLER.
FENTONVILLE.

——¢oo-———
ANOTHER INDUSTRY FOR WO‘
MEN—PACKING HAMS.

 

Meeting an acquaintance in town the
other day who gave me a new idea of
earning money, I will tell the House-
hold readers, so they may go and do like-
wise if they wish. Her work was the
raising of horseradish. She grates and
bottles it (with vinegar of course) and
leaves it with a friend in town to sell..
She has ten, ﬁfteen, and twenty-ﬁve cent
bottles. She said the only trouble was to
procure the bottles, as it needed wide
mouthed bottles. She sold twenty dol-
lars’ worth last spring. There is one
thing to be gained, there is no trouble
with it only onme a year, as it will take.
care of itself the rest of the time.

I have packed hams in crooks uncooked,
with good results. I prefer small crooks,
so when you open one you can use it up

in a few days. Slice the ham as for
coosing, and pack in the crock as tightly
as possible until within an inch or two of
the top, then pour on melted lard or
drippings enough to ﬁll up full, tie a
paper over the top, and set in a Cool place
until wanted. AUNT NELL.
PLAINWELL.

IF YOU WANT
Profitable Employment.

SEND AT ONCE TO

THE NEW lAMB KNITTER 00.,

For Full Information.

An ordinary operator can earn from one to Hm.
dollars per day' 1n any community in the North“
States on our New Lamb Knitter.
100 Vaneties of Fabric on Same Machine. .
You can wholly ﬁnish twelve pairs ladies’ NIP
shaped stockings or twenty pairs socks or mitten.
in a day! Skilled operators can double this g;-
duction. Capacity and range of work double
of the old Lamb knitting machine. Address
The New Lamb Knitter 00.,
117 and 119 Main St., west, Jackson, M10].

8

 

 

 

. :{\'\

AM [5 YLE

 
 

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