Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-12-07

DEAR SISTERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD DE-
PARrNENT:-How my fingers have ached
To seize the pen and join in the house,
hold" talks, all these weeks, but grim
necessity stood by and pointed unmistaka-
bly, to the skinner. rolling pin, dish
cloth and broom, aud so those indispensa-
bile articles have claimed nv time, and
the pen has had to wait.
wanted to thank Mrs. c. F. d for her
vigorous defense of "back places by
the way who would suppose the quiet lit
tie woman had so much vim? and !
wanted to help her too. though she did
not need any help; but our editor explain
ed himself so we'll, that there was nothing
left to fight over
If we study the lives of the prominent
men and women of the day, those who
have achieved greatness in the business
world and often in the literary world also,
we find that large percentage of them
were born and their early lives were
spent in some of these same "back places"
| know one of these little towns among
the Vermont hills, that has raised good
ly percentage of school teachers. ministers
and doctors, who have filled and are
filling prominent positions in the outside
world, and this same town, is, according
to the best au horty. the btnner town of
Vermont as the birthplace of poets
Because we do not live within a stones
throw of the railroad. is no excuse for
ignorance, or want of cultivation. have
sometimes thought that this p ,rtial isola
were. promotes the study of nature. and
of om seves-we certainly spend ess time
in trivial gossip than those in more thickly
settled places.
am afraid Polly Thorne has got her
hands full of this apron pocket business.
know all about the h,lder annoyance,
Polly, but never had pocket in kitchen
apron that wasn't a nuisance. and have
got so tired of repairing damages to my
own and the gils, that nave declared
would never make another, but if | hah
that perfect pattern of Poiy's l should
he tempted to try az lin think
Y's, Polly, lost the larger part of my
pet plants in that horrid " first freeze" |
was absent from home at the time, and
the first objects that greeted me as | le-
turned, WAS my poor shriveled plants,
frozen beyond resurrection; do you won.
Ter if had little private weep over
HEMP
think the November c1ctus that NJ. L
A describes IS the variety that called
obster cactus; | had one of this variety
that had sixty buds and blossoms on it ~
one time, in September and Dc ober, and
afterwards about Christmas time it bios
'omed again. dozen blossoms, but it l.,
no longe. mine. for Jack Frost took it.
80 fades the lovely blooming flower
Frall, smiling solace of an hour"
wonder now many of the "household "
sisters visited the mechanics fair at Bos-
on this fall, and saw the lovely flpral
devices arranged there? believe it wa,
he loveliest sight of the kind ever saw
am almost tempted to describe it, but |
should describe so poorly what was So
beautiful to the sight that it might BIZ
tedious.
Has Polly Thorne tried washing hD'
plants affected with scale-like bugs. in
strong soap suds9 C'n any one tell what
causes the brown spots on my geranium
eavesp 1t begins in small spots, usual,
near the edge of the leaf, and spreads
hence till the leaf is destroyed; am sure
1t is some tiny parasite, but never have
been able to discover anything that seemed
10 be alive. 1t is the only pest of my
zonale geranums, the green fly or aphides
that delights to ravage most of my other
plants in winter, leave the geranums
done.
Will the sisters tell through the house
hold department, what is being done in
the way of mental improvement, for the
Dong winter evenings in their respective
neighborhoods? What reading clubs
history clubs, or lyceums have been estab-
,lishcd, and the methods used to make
them interesting?
L. B. BoYCE.
rThe editor OF the household depart.
ment has secured a pattern of Polly
apron pocket, and will send it to any lazy
who desires it and sends a request for it.
The editor would take it kindly if they
would also send a communica ion for the