The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-04-11
DINNER TABLE MEDICINE
NATURE PRODUCES 1T WHEN MAN
NEEDS ToNlNc UP.
Properly the value of Eating Sea-
sonnble Things in Season VIII lie
Apparent--N Natural Tonfcs

mat every one expects more or less
| certainly just as soon as the first
oluebird puts in an appearance, says
| he New York Evening Sun. 1t comes
with the coming OF the dandelions and
| t fingers throughout the pleasant
| lays of early spring. and whether 1t
IS a disease or only balancing of
:he books sort of physical correlative
Of spring housecleanlng, it is a mighty
| uncomfortable state. Old-fashloned
| loctors, who put their faith in herbs
1sed to prescribe yellow puccoon, an
Did plant whose more pretentious
| name is Hydrastic Candennis. for that
restlessness and fever that comes
with the last days Of March. The root
of 1t is the thing. 1t is fine. almost
tringy of bright golden yellow, and
when fresh dug has a strongly mar
| cotlc smell. Drying changes all that.
| The dried root is fragrant enough for
a sachet. Indeed few odors are
| sweeter and more grateful to weak
nerves and stomachs The taste Is
intensely bitter-not nauseous bit
ter, but tonic, with clean bite. and
u Mtui-
cally, the root is at once a tonic, al
tentative, laxative and diuretic. No
| wonder 1t was sovereign for sore
| mouths-which are nothing more than
| natures advertisements that the
whole digestive tract is sadly out of
kllter.
But it is in the spring vegetables
hn nj fnc
| are most successfully disguised. You
may not know 1t, but when you begin
| TO long for crisp salads that is only
| natures little way of getting you to
take your dose of iron and sulphur
! and phosphates which she has pre-
pared, ready for the demand. The
| doses are pleasant, but they are eff
| hcient for all that.
Since that spring fever comes with
the dandelions, 1t is easy to see that
there Is Il connection between the two.
No matter how you have lived through
| the winter. whether lavishly or spar
| ingly, there is certain to be much that
needs remedying, and the remedy is
| sure to be at hand if only you know
how to recognize it. In dandelions
| there Is the cure for dyspepsia and
for that lack of appetite that proves
the system Is out of order. Spring
onions, radishes and lettuce are all
| great natural medicines. Watercress.
especially of the bronZed variety, is
| one of the best of the list. Your
| blood is out of order. You must have
a dose of iron and sulphur to correct
1t. and behold the cress offers it in
beautiful disl-Nise. You may take it
crisp and fresh gs relish with bread
and butter; you may take 1t as a salad
or as soup. Watercress soup is of
the best.
| Spinach ought to put in a frequent
| appearance on the table. 1t contains
more iron than almost any other vege-
table or fruit and offers 1t in most
agreeable form. Eaten frequently,
| spinach is sure to improve a muddy
complexion, through its work of ton
Ing up the system. But spinach, like
every other sort of greens, needs
thorough and vigorous treatment in
preparing it for cooking. There are
few things more discouraglng than
dish Of spinach, interlaided with
grit. The vegetable should be picked
over carefully, then washed in hot
water before it is put through the
subsequent baths in cold water. When
1t is very clean and you know it Is
very clean, shake it from the last
water and put Ii over to cook. Not one
drop of water need be added beside
that which has clung TO the leaves, for
the spinach will supply its own mois-
lure fast enough to keep from burn
ing. The incredulous may put q table
spoonful of water in the bottom of the
kettle, just to ease their own minds
but none Is needed. Cover the kettle
and when done, you will have most
delicious dish OF spinach.
Onions should be eaten plentlfully
during the spring. Those crisp little
top onions eaten with bread and but
ter at bedtime do much toward en-
couraging sound slumbers. Onions
are really fine nerve tonic. There
Is much sense In eating eggs during
the spring. for in them we have a
needed dose OF sulphur.
Rhubarb is but another e:;hortation
to eat of the things in season. 1t is
an inexpensive and thoroughly whole
some article of diet that lends itself
to many delicious preparations. Rhu-
barb pie, rhubarb tarts ana rhubarb
jelly are among the number.
Sorrel and green mercury are two
herbs that are little appreciated, but
the one is most valuable in bilious
disorders, while the other is a good
anti-scorbutic. Both may be used
many ways in cooking.
The point of the lesson nature
strives to teach is, after ALL eat of
the things in season. There is an al
most eerle sympathy between all liv-
ing things. The old-tlme herbist be-
lieved this most truly, and in the root
or precious inner bark OF herbs he
found those healing remedies that the
plants had stored up for maybe just
such purposes. At the time and at
the place where one particular remedy
may be in great demand, there the
herb supplying II will be found grow
ing. You do not find blackberries
ripening in April. There is no need
for them then. but in their own time
they have most beneficial effect
upon the digestion. But in the spring,
1t Is the spring onion, the cress, dan
delion and spinach that the system de