The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-20
THE HOME.
COUNTRY LIVING.

| says a writer in the New England Farm
er, many extraordinary stories have come
to my oars of the way in which we people
OF The country live.
In the first place, we will consider some
OF the foods we eat. OF course you are
all ready to speak of "pie.'' 10 be sure
we eat pie-so do city people; else why
are they all so anxious to know how to
make pun, plain, chopped, cream and al
the list of pasties But city people do not
eat pie three times day. Neither do we.
IL would be just as unusual for the coun
Try housewife to serve pie for breakfast az
lor the City matron. The times have past
When the country housewife sets aparl
one day in the week for a baking day
and makes enough pastry to last unit
the next baking day. Neither does she
let her children lunch on pastry between
meals. Mary Wilkins's story of the little
girl who went to visit her country cousin
and was fed on five kinds of pie-or was
1t seven-and butternuts and maple sup.
ar, and then pie again, was a very good
story and made me sorry for the poor
child; but it did not prove to me that
truth is stranger than fction," or that
authors take their stories from life. It is
quite possible that country people can
| make better pies than city people. and
| that may be the reason why they like
them better; but they do not like them
SO well that they eat nothing else. When
| dinner is to be packed for the men to
take to the woods or shops you will find
pie In good generous pieces. But it by no
means constitutes thu whole meal. I
think that you will find the same true of
| the city dinner pals, with the execution
| that they are not filled SO generously.
We are supposed to live on pork in the
country, and | think probably in winter
the sum total OF farmers eat more pork
Than any other meat. But suppose that
some OF you make an investigation of
boarding houses in and around Boston.
ASK the city landladies how often they
serve pork to their Doarders All the
world knows of Boston baked beans, and
you like them favored with salt pork.
Let me tell you the difference between
country and city in regard to this meat.
Your pork comes to you from the West,
you don't know where; it has been fed
on something, you don't know what.
You do know that the pig has the reputa-
tlon OF eating anything that comes in it's
way. No wonder that those of you who
read at all on the subject of foods ex-
pect that pork will bring to you every
Kind of disease. On the other hand, the
farmer raises his own hogs; he gives
tEem specified diet, usually skim milk,
bran, Indian meal and vegetables, and
ene vegetables are washed and boiled be-
lore they are given to the hog. In the
winter he kills one of these hogs and
pronounces the pork good eating The
housewife tries OUT the lard and with
good sense considers it superior to cotto.
ieDe or any other manufactured products
on the market. In the summer the farm
or DOESN'T eat PORK, with the exception
OF the salt pork with his beans OF green's
ana an occasional dish of ham which he
sailed down in the winter. In the sum
mer, like all other CIVILIZED beings, he
eats beef, lamb, chicken, fish, fruit and
vegetables. And such vegetables and
fruits! do not wonder that city people
are not v7getarians when you have to eat
the poor, wilted, dusty, detected looking
are placed before you in your markets.
Here az least the farmer has the adyan-
tage over you in the matter of diet.
lie might have the advantage over you
also in the matter of milk, cream and
eggs, but am sorry to say that he do es
not usually take it. After all he ought
not to be blamed SO much These things
all mean money to him. If eggs are
worth 40 cents a dozen to the city man
Ghey are worth the same to the farmer.
The city man sells some sugar and buys
the eggs; the farmer sells the eggs and
buys the sugar. So don't say again that
the farmer can better afford to use plenty
of these things. Perhaps he can and per-
maps he can't. 1t depends on the state of
~ ans E. 49, I
mas the cream and eggs on his farm.
nope that poor appetite may never
become as fashionable in the country as
1t is in the city. 1t really seems to be
quite the thing for city school girl to
say she didn't feel like eating, so went to
school without any breakfast That sell
dom happens in the country. The out of
door life does away with it.
Il suspect that the out door life does
much to help in digesting the foods
which we eat which might prove indi-
gestible in the confined life of the CITY.
Every nation has diet distinctively its
own, and to each people it's own is best.
The same is true of city and country. We
think ours best, you think yours best. I
really wish, however, you would look
into the facts OF the.case and see that you
have them right before casting so many
slurs on our way of living.
The country is well known to be more
healthy. than the city, but do not be-
lieve that it is wholly due to its pure
air, gently blowing zephyrs, bubbliug
brooks, warbling birds, green meadows.
fragrant woods, fields of waving grain or
daisies and buttercups. nor to any of
these things that the poets love to sing
of, but to the prosaio potatoes, beans and
cabbage which furnish US food. In other
words, to the fact that our digestive or
gans ara not taxed with medley of high
ly seasoned dishes, which tend to weaken
their action. but are given a plain diet
which they are quite able to take care of
Simple diet is best, for many dishes
bring many Diseases" wrote Pliny al
most 1900 years ago. and the fact is no
less true now.
RUSTY DRESS MA
TERIALS.
When black materials begin to look
gray or rusty, brighten them by spong-
ing on the right side with equal parts Of
alcohol and water. and while damp iron
on the wrong side. Mud will often leave
\ stain, which may be removed with
naphtna after it Las been allowed to be- |
come thoroughly dry. Black silk wrap |
goods will shine as they wear, and expose
l1Ak liz +l,,,o- !,