Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-29

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4 II
M I II sin to withhold. T
2" would lose Its aroma o
field lore, which has come down from ou
English forefathers of Chaucer's da,
through Carolina settlers to Kentuck,
mountain DANES:
II read with interest the late srticie'
about herb lore, and only wish such paper
could be illustrated for folk like myself
who have forgotten the little drlblets OF
botany that trickle between political econ
omy and mathematics in the regulation col
lege course. Last year was worn out Win
study and the eonyentionalities of country
not city-life in a neighborhood where
people had dragged in an ironclad code o.
etiquette, which forbade denying yourself
TO any visitor who chose to call and speno
the dav, no matter what must 60 undone,
besides the early breakfast at farming
hours and the neighborly chats that kept
one up and yawning till 10 o'clock In the
evening.
"Worn out with this sort OF thing, de.
cided to go for breathing spell to the
mountains-anywhere beyond civilization.
L found a place in the wilds Of Grayson
county, Ky. The county is noted as having
seed ticks enough TO saw 1t and snakes
enough to fence it, so the natives told me,
with very evident relish of the pun and the
Quip on zigzag rail fences.
The air was glorious and the wild. and
rocky woods a continuous delight to me,
III L. ~ abi1drar ha1Opninn In
nv boarding house were used to living out
ofdoors, led new life with them, climb
ing and jumping and tramplng about, and
as a consequence / had a most ravenous
appetite; but, alas there was nothing but
half-cooked bacon, sour cornbread, chiccory
coffee and grease-sodden potatoes to appease
ones hunger. At great expense and incon-
venience had some groceries sent me, but
when they came 1 could not eat them, sur
rounded by those hungry looking children,
who had never tasted oranges, chocolate
or any kind of preserved fruits. Some
potted soup reminded them OF cooking
weeds (sweet herbs), and from that they
proposed to take me hunting for greens.
One Learned in Herbs.
81 wanted to stay in the place, so 1 was
delighted to hear of something green and
fresh to eat. They took me TO see one of
their neighbors, who gathered roots to sell
and who knew all the wild things. Un-
this woman had a penchant for
chickens and tobacco that belonged to
other people, and as she was caught taking
some of my hosts. had but little oppor-
tunity to learn what she knew about weeds
in general, but greens in particular, which
are the first leaves that come liz spring.
"She said thai when used as meat instead
of medicins littl, of each kind should be
used, but whe desi.si as '!9tes a particular
one shouts be used for base, and other ap-
propriate ones in smaller proportions. For
instance:
For indigestion lambs tongue is sovereign,
with little wild horseradlsh, sheep sorrel,
horse sorrel and blue thistle.
For biliousness sheep sorrel, horse sorrel,
clover poke and speckled dick Tor spotted mar.
got.)
"For ulcers in the nose on the tongue and
fever blisters fern, hemlock, sweet mint and
peppermint, which, suppose, is based o1 the
fern, indicated when the nose itchss and erup-
tive pustules form.
wild lettuce and wild cabbage are sovereign
remedies for neuralgia, and dock and thistle
for rheumatism.
wild violet leaves wild mustard four kinds
of thistles and poke leaves for backache. Plan
tain is boiled with a tea and taken for leueor-
rhea A visiting preacher told US that plan
tain makes plum good green's
An Experience in Log-Bouse.
"It was a very rainy season, but 1 could
not endure being literally shut up in the
little log house which had but one two by
four feet window in each sixteen by sixteen
room. Should any of us wish to sew or
read while kept indoors the hosuess opened
an outside door and we scattered out of the
shower, and those on the edge of
the circle were kept busy drying one side
of their dresses at the great open, fire, while
the rain mist wet the other side, and in q
very few minutes the drying of the wet
clothes and the rain on the warm clothes,
coupled with the usual high temperature of
the room, filled the room with steam, which
the moist outdoor air beat back into the
room.
"But one member of this family had an
complexion, and think this way
they had of staying at home in q steamy
must have softened and whit
ened the skin as the English fog Is said to
do. OF course the warm room and the
from doors that were so swollen
they would never shut gave me a cold, and
when they noticed my hoarseness she told
me she would fix me a 'dimmyjohn' that
would square me up by breakfast
ANovel Cure for a Cold.
"At bedtime the 'dimmyjohn' vas brought
in, and must confess 1 wss surprised to
see instead of a toddy of mountain dew an
pot of sheep sorrel tea, of which
/ was directed to take half and then eat the
lambs tongue salad, made of lambs tongue
gathered fresh, boiled in salted water, then
seasoned with red pepper, cider vinegar,
brown sugar and small quantity of salt,
in fact. as much saltas sugar. This salad 1
was to eat while steaming my toes in a
piggin of hot water, well salted. after which
was to jump in the big hill of the feather
bed and drink the rest OF the tea.
Next morning my voice was clear, and I
felt as fresh as a daisy. A little streak of
sun smiled into the room that we steamed in
the night before, and O gentle little wind
rustled among the peach twigs and turned
all the little brown buds to the sun, who
enticed the little pink things out of their
muffs, although i. was a month too soon, and
the frost caught them finally.
Out Gathering Spring Greens.
"But that mild supshining and breath of
wind dried the ground, which is called hun
gry because it is sandy and absorbs water
fast, so that by 10 o'clock all the children
and 1 were out with our sunbonnets tied
under our chins and q grape basket on each
arm. To be sure, there was mud-a little
and thousand gurgling branches running
down every cowpath in the hills.
"Spring sprouts, delicious herb. was
plentiful and was clustered in thick clumps
under every tuft Of grass and every bowl
der. We gather only the young and fresh,