New-York tribune., 1903-02-23
AUSTRALIAN HOUSEKEEPING.
The Eating Problem in the Back Country
Forty Miles from q Town.

keeper, not nine miles from a lemon" but ten
miles from anything. She lives in an immense
sheep raising district IN New South Wales, Aus
tralia. Her husband keeps store at cross
roads. and IN spite of the isolation, does gooo
business for the two roads the main thorough
fares of the district; station managers. wool
classers. stockmen boundary riders, drovers and
shearers are continually passing In a letter 10 d
friend she recently said The nearest town is
forty miles away; that means telegraph ONCE
bank. postofce doctor. grocery and drygoods store
at that distance. The mail is left at the door
twice week by the passing mail coach NOW as
to the housekeeping 1t must be recolected that
the climate in Australia is more important FACTOR
in housekeeping difficulties than it is anywhere
else. almost. In the temperate weather the house
Keeping has certain obstacles arising from the Pc
culiar conditions of the country, but during four
months Of the year it is simply futile to try to
keep house properly in this part of Australia
For four months at a stretch the sky is a dome OF
perfect. cloudless. deep blue. Every morning the
sun rises like ball of fire, and the temperature
mounts steadily until the thermometer registers
100, 10 and even us degrees Fahrenheit in the
shade. and it looks if the mercury must ulti-
mately burst the tube. Then. indeed. the house
wife is in straits. Unless exceptionally strong
and wiry. she gives up contest altogether. and
the men of the household take the direction of
affairs.
Even If she is used to the heat and is strong
and energetic it is only in the early morning and
late afternoon that she can do anything. All the
middle of the day is spent in dsha bile lying in
a hammock and trying to keep cool. The only way
to keep water cool is to put il in canvas water
bag and hang it in draught. The children pant
ing and exhausted. with only the scantiest of
clothing on, lie about the floor. About the only
compensation is you feel of not having callers
The whole district is under cover. trying to keep
cool one but a madman would venture out into
the blazing
1T is in this weather that a dainty salad or
fresh fish would be boon-both are impos-
sibilities here, though Luckily one needs a mini
of food in this temperature. Sometimes
biscuit and drink of water form the luncheon and
dinner, just before sundown, there Is moth
ing very solid.
Among the great inconvenience of this hot
weather is the impossibility of making bread for,
of course here every bakes her own. The in
tense heat seems spoil the flour while in the bag.
and the bread made from it drives housekeepers
to despair, l overcome the trouble partially ny
putting the -four needed for batch into a oucket
and hanging it down the well for several hours
prior to using And when the bread Is mace
II Is impossible to keep it fresh for any length
Of time. The hot. dry air, do what you Will. gets
at it. and in a few hours after leaving the oven
1t is hard and tasteless. cracking in your hanos
like toast 1 sometimes keep 1t at least little
moist by wrapping it in towels and suspenoing II
in tin down the well
But the acme of misery seems to come at Chrlst-
mas time, when than at any other time the
flesh pots ought be in evidence l remember
one Christmas that would not again underg0 @ LOT
kings ransom. One of the unpleasant leatares ftr
heightened period Of dry weather very often a
high wind will spring up and blow the ssT sepIacs
barrier against it-into the most sheltered corners
Useless to to close DOORS or aad @ bo1rs the air becomes
thick to breathe pleasantly and eXery1ning gets
sweep or brush it all away-there is no moisture % to
mek6 We had sPendld Wd Sd turkey which
scale at sixteen pounds. cooked it the day before
success MY reason for cooking it then was to
have it cold-anything hot, except tea? with me me
atl1ra of is o. /
Sixteen little fresh potatoes had been brought up
but good. "A homemade pudding. suet bel being .. unobs
tainable, OF the question. so had a timed
one / did make sauce, for no one could have
We're So SO bad that the moment the table was spread
second cloth had to be spread on top OF every
thing and kept there throughout the meal. I'D
principaiiy for the chiidren@completed the scanty
meTq, T5o nea+ tnougb # was : in the evening,
been raging all day was still blowing a hard @ so the a
down the table the perspration was dripping
from our faces and of course, we had no aPpe-
fetnt eating something. but there was sad
lack Of the nal {oy @ ana and b9e fesyy e the
fair supply of pudding they arose 10 the the oeea
Indifferent the flies and dust in the jam My
husband, who is good bushman, though he did
traian MISUNDERSTANDING hot tea-down mis- threat.
but fn STG etBe bs tel p is easily kept
i
tfully tender and delicate In favor and texture
But continual mutton, even if 1t be the very best,
at last pals; one feels at times as if is peGis
OF scrag ggiest old ever slaughtered would
be delicious change But all the stations around
US are sheep stations. At these places some
times many, 250,ooo are kept In fey fey. in n
generally worth its weight In gold.
For months at a time the only milk l see is
condensed milk. In times of drouth even the
mutton fails The poor sheep grow thinner and
thinner, and when killed and dressed are guiltIesS
of fat I think l could easily take prize as an
expert in cooking mutton. We have 1t IN al
iisguises; hot. cold. stewed minced fried and In
pies Some day l shall write book 1t will be
Mutton: How Cook It AT first l sent to
the town occasionally for piece of beef, but 1t
was nearly always unfit for use by the time |
got it. think. though that feel the want
of a good supply of fresh milk and butter the
most. The butter has to be first brought to the
town from the neighboring State Victoria) and
hy the time 1t reaches 1t always has lost its
freshness. and | feel that | am lucky indeed If
il is not rancid. It's cost. too. about so cents a
pound. makes 1t seem luxury. though it is a
necessity in the back country.
lone of my great standhys is Jam Without it
do not know what should do with the children.
Timed fruits :.lso. though expensive on account count
of the heavy freight charges, L use in a great
measure. The only timed meats ! can stand are
tongue and ham. The others have been general
lied here under the striking name of timed dog,
and they really look like it and taste like 1T after
the sixth tin