Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1893-10-07
USES OF CORNCOBS.
TIL" Various Ways in which They Way
Serve the Uses of Man

TIL" Various Ways in Which They Way
Serve the Uses of Man
CorncobS are useful to make pipes
for the men, as shoppers to bottles thar
have miSlaid their corks, to crowd into
the bunghOlc of the cider barrel to
throw at the hens when they scratch
the young onions, to curl hair on, to
hold up windows, to ferrule the chill
dren with. to grease the griddle in
place of the time-honored half of Il
turnip, to wind basting ravelings for
future use, to stop up any kind of Il
chink, to drive away red ants and to
found fortune The last two state
mcnts may seem to challenge remark
but they can bear the light of the best
tallow dip ever run in a candle mould
One steps on corncobs when entering
the pantry and joggles the cream into
the pickle dish. On inquiry one finds
that red ants don't like corncobs
don't wonder. Neither do l. AS for
the fortune, a man who once lived not
ten miles from Springfield laid tn"
foundations of a fortune so large that
though he died II years ago the law
yers have not yet done fighting over
his will, solely by carrying loads of
corncobS hither and yon and selling
dren find both fun and sorrow in corn
cobs. They make pretty dolls, to b.
sure, but if the masters of the Inqui-
sition could have been provided with
corncobs sufficient to allow one for
the mouth of each prisoner, they
would have abandoned all other modes
of torture. 1t is a most enlightenng
sight to enter "destrict" school and
see row of little culprits standing
behind the stove, a corncob in each
mouth and the silent tears of agony
rolling down the chubby cheeks. A
corncob smudge is said to give ham
and bacon a most perfect and delcat"
flavor. A concob put on a pole, sat
urated with kerosene and set blazing
will destroy any worms nest into
which it is thrust during the early
morning of June's rare days. A corn
cob slightly creased and set in the can
dleStick has been known to burn half
an hour, and to save bringing in the
lantern from the barn in order to light
the children to bed. Without the
grease it would if very dry, bur
slowly and perfume the air in a way
that showed itself an excellent substi-
tute for jOss-sticks. The ancient nurs,
in the rural district uses them to pur,
ify the atmosphere of the sick-room,
and considers that, together with wool
len rags, they are far ahead of any dis
infectant favored by the medical fra
ternity. The country damscl prepar-
ing for the social fray has been known
to blacken her brows with a burnt
cob. When children object too siren
ously to having their teeth secured
with SCOT from the teakettle, an indul-
gent parent may make compromisa
on the black powder from burnt
cob. In many places the jetty stuff
is supposed even to have medicinal
power, and Miranda swallows a guam
tity in order have a sweet breath-ah,
tell-tale plan-when Ferdinand comes
a-wooing. You can black boots with
corncobs. You can shell corn by rub
bing cob on grain. A corncob makes
an excellent scrubbing brush. A wo-
man with a soul for ingenuity once
hung out a large wash with clothes
pins manufactured from left corn
cobs.-Minneapolis Housekeeper