The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-15
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
NATURE PRODUCES IT WHEN MAN
NEEDS ToNlNc UP.
If the Coos WIN DO the Rest and DO IT
Properly the Value Of Eating Sea-
sonaBIe Things in Season win BE
Apparcnt-Natural Tonics.

certainly Just as soon as the lfSL
bluehird puts in an appearance. says
the New York Evening Sun. 1t comes
with the coming of the dandelions and
it fingers throughout the pleasant
days Of early spring, and whether it
Is a disease or only balancing of
the books sort Of physical correlative
Of spring housecleaning, 1T is a mighty
uncomfortable state. Oldfashioned
doctors. who put their faith in herbs
used to pres, ibe yellow puecoon. an
old plant whose more pretentlous
name is Hydrastic Candennis for that
restlessness and fever that comes
with the last days of March. The root
of it is the thing. 1t is fine. almost
fringy, of bright golden yellow, and
when fresh dug has a strongly mar
cotc smell. Drying changes all that.
The dried root is fragrant enough for
sachet Indeed few odors are
sweeter and more grateful to weak
nerves and stomachs. The taste Is
intensely bitter-not a nauseous Bit
ter, but tonic with a clean bite. and
most refreshing after-taste. Medi-
calIe. the root is at once a tonic, al
tentative. laxative and diuretic. No
wonder it was sovereign for sore
mouths-which are nothing more than
natures advertisements that the
whole digestive tract is sadly out of
kilter.
But it is in the spring vegetables
that the natural remedies and tonics
are most successfully disguised. You
may not know it, but when you begin
to long fol%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
ficient for all that
Since that spring fever comes with
the dandelions, it is easy TO see that
there Is a 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
it, and behold the cress offers it in
beautiful disguise. You may take il
crisp and fresh as a relish with bread
and butter; you may take it as a salad
or as a 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 it in a 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 discouraging than
a dish Of spinach, interlarded 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
it is very clean and you know it is
very clean, shake it from the last
water and put it over to cook. Not one
drop of water need be added beside
that which has chung to the leaves, for
the spinach will supply its own mois
ture fast enough to keep from burn
ing. The ineredulous may put a 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 a most
delicious dish Of spinach.
Onions should be eaten plentifuny
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 a fine nerve tonic. There
is much sense in eating eggs during
the spring, for in them we have q
needed dose Of sulphur.
Rhubarb is but another exhortatioI
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 and rhubarI
: jelly are among the number.
Sorrel and green mercury are two
herbs that are little appreciated. bu
the one is most valuable In bilious
disorders. while the other is a goot
anti-seolbutic. Both may be useC
many ways in cooking
The point Of the lesson natur,
strives 70 teach is. after all. eat OF
the things in season. There is an al
most eerie sympathy between all liv
ing things. The old-time herbist be
lieved this most truly, and in the root
or precious inner bark of herbs hs
found those healing remedies that tht
plants had stored up for maybe jusi
such purposes. At the time and al
the place where one particular remedy
may be in great demand. there the
herb supplying it viii be found grow
ing. You do not find blackberries