Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-09-23
THE GRANDMOTHERS.
Observer Learns Lesson When He
Visits Grandma.
(By Observer"


Did you ever visit in the home of
che of those motherly old souls
those grandmothers whom We call
0 Observation-Disclosures aged women
whom the poets always have had in
mind when they dedicated their
most tender words to Mother?
1t was my good fortune to spend
a couple of hours in such a home
near DEBORAH short time ago, and,
aside from the visit giving me real
pleasure, it actually furnished me
what l consider valuable informa-
ton. and it is this information l am
going to give you.
| stopped at the home for no 9TH
er reason than to get a drink of
water, but, the time having ap-
preached the dinner hour, l was
prevailed upon to stay for dinner"
and | will admit the invitation was
very agreeable to me. AS is always
the case with these good grandma
theirs, the woman at once went
about getting up something extra,
because she was going to have COM
pany. Her frequent trips from the
kitchen to a nearby building which
she called her "smoke-house," at
tracted my attention, and at the
risk of appearing to be ''nosy," i
made a visit to the Smoke house
myself-and only to find just what
l had expected to fnd The walls
and ceiling hung with little paper
bags; turned yellow with age; row
upon row of empty fruit jars and
cans, jelly glasses, etc. But the
paper bags claimed all of my atten-
ton. They called up reveries of just
such smoke houser as my own
grandmother used to have--and
that was so long ago that its lining
of yellow bags is about all the re-
mains in my memory. From my own
parents | learned the bags were
filled with various kinds of SEEDS
leaves, herbs and roots, which
grandma" always kept-some for
replanting the following year, some
for sale to residents of the commu-
! nifty who did rot care to take the
trouble Of preserving them, them
selves, but most of all the bags con-
tanned roots, seeds or leaves which
the family used for medci pur
roses or for seasoning vegetables
or other foods when cooking.
purposely brought up the sub
iect at the dinner table, for | had
decided it was sometimes a glorious
thing to be a little old-fashioned,
and | was going to have some paper
bags hanging around my own home
this fall-for the pleasure brought
by the sweet memories of my youth,
# for no other reason. ! found the
hostess to he a living encyclopedia
on the subject of roots, herbs and
leaves and only too glad to give out
any information asked. Having first
70 make my collection, | inquired as
to the proper time for gathering the
articles, and here is what l was told:
Leaves-should be gathered when
the plant is in blossom; spread or
hang them in a current of air, that
they may dry quickly and thorough
ly. When dried, keep them in a
glass or tin alright receptacle.
Roots gather them either in the
spring before the sap rises, or in the
fall after the leaves have dried.
Keep them in barrels or wooden cas-
es after they have thoroughly dried.
gather in early spring or
late fall; remove the outer portion
of the bark and keep in a dry place.
Seeds and flowers gather when
well ripe and keep in a shady, dry
place.
Herbs-if a plant to be used for
medicinal purposes, gather while the
plant is in bloom, which always will
be before frost; dry them in the
shade.
This woman also gave me a wealth
CO information as to what plants
and vegetables are good in aleviat-
ing human ills, and l find myself
just old-fashioned enough to put
credence in them. At
some future time, perhaps, will
give this information to the readers
of the Public Opinion.
hiSGntun (fnnnnnn..