From January 1919 Better Farming Magazine.

Household Hints

How to Keep Boys’ Buttons On. To make button stay in place on the boy’s garments, cut the leather tabs from old shoes and from these cut circular pieces about the size of a 10-cent piece. When a button is required on a garment subject to great strain, place on of the pads on the inner side of the garment where the button is to be sewed on. Tack it securely around. Sew on the button in the usual way, always remembering to put a knot on your thread between the button and the cloth: Also to put a good winding of thread around the neck of the button as this is a source of strength. Button sewn on in this manner will never drag a hole the in the material.

A Rolling Pin Protector. Protect you rolling pin and board from dust when not in use by covers of heavy duck (canvas). For the rolling pin make a tube open at the lower end and closed at the top by a draw-string, leaving only space for the handle to slip through. Hang it by a cord or small hook in the end of the handle. For the board, make an envelope, open at the lower end, with two small slits in the upper end to correspond with two screw eyes, which should be placed in the end of the board to hang on hooks.

Removing a Cork. To remove a cork that has been pushed inside a bottle, tie a button to a short piece of twine and drop it inside the bottle. Turn the bottle upside down and when the cork enters the neck in front of the button, it can be readily extracted by a quick pull on the cord.

Aprons from Shirts. Men’s partly worn shirts can be made into attractive house aprons by using the back breath as the front of the apron, adding shoulder straps, strings, pockets, etc., made from the sleeves and trimming with braid of a contrasting color.

Save the Pineapple Cores. Put the cores and peeling of pineapple into a kettle and cover with warm water. Add a teaspoon of ginger and let simmer on the back of the stove all day. The juice when strained and cooled makes a delicious beverage.

To Clean Table Knives. When these are needed at a moment’s notice rub the blades of the knives between a fold of emery paper held firmly together. They will be finely polished with a few rubs.

THE VALUE OF MILK

Skim milk and buttermilk contain minerals which build the bones and teeth, protein which builds the body and sugar which helps keep the body warm and gives energy. They are both cheap. Cook with them. They are excellent liquids to use in baking. Buttermilk is a healthful drink as it stimulates the digestion. If you wish to be well and economical, use plenty of buttermilk and skim milk in your kitchen.

Butter is the best fat. It is expensive but is worth its cost. Butter contains a substance necessary to growth. Most butter substitutes do not contain this growth material. None of them have as much as butter. Use butter, cream or whole milk. You need the growth substance.

Cottage cheese is a healthful food. It is made from the curd of milk. It builds the muscles and blood. Use cottage cheese in some of your meals in place of meat. It is cheaper and it is just as nutritious.

Ice cream is a nutritious dessert. It is healthful for it contains much milk. Its flavor coaxes the appetite. You can end your meal in a pleasing way by serving ice cream for the dessert.

Tested Recipes.

SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

Bake three potatoes, scoop out the pulp and mash, seasoning with paprika, melted margarine and a verly little milk. Beat with a fork until light. Sift into a bowl, the large cupful each of white and whole wheat flour. Add half a teaspoonful of salt and two heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder. Rub the cold potatoes into the dry ingredients with the finger tips, adding half a tablespoonful of additional shortening and work to a dough that can be handled with cold sweet milk. Roll out on the bread board using as little flour a possible, cut into biscuits, brush over with a little mild and bake in a quick oven for twenty minutes.

RYE GINGERBREAD

Mix and sift on-half cup rye meal, three quarters cup whole wheat, one-half teaspoonful ginger, one-half teaspoonful cinnamon and on-half teaspoonful salt. Add on-half cup molasses, two tablespoonfuls salad oil and on-half cup boiling water, in which one teaspoonful of soda has been dissolved. Add one-half teaspoonful vanilla. Mix well and bake in layer-cake or muffin tins.

WASHINGTON CREAM PIE

- One-third cup butterine. (early form of margarine which may have contained some animal fat)
- One cup sugar.
- Two eggs.
- One-half cup milk.
- One and three-quarters cups flour.
- Two and one-half teaspoons baking powder.
- One-half teaspoon vanilla.

Cream the butterine, add sugar, well beaten yolks, milk and the dry ingredients which have been sifted together. Add flavoring and stiffly beaten whites. Bake in two layers. Put cream filling between layers and sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

The Housewife

If I were hanged on the highest hill, Mother o’ mine! O Mother o mine
I know whose love would follow me still, Mother o’ mine! O Mother o’ mine!
If I were drowned in the deepest sea, Mother o’ mine! O Mother o’ mine!
I know whose tears would come down to me, Mother o’ mine! O Mother o’ mine!
If I were damned of body and soul, Mother o’ mine ! O Mother o’ mine!
I know whose prayers would make me whole, Mother o’ mine! O Mother o’ mine!
—Rudyard Kipling.

FRESH AIR

Man is an air animal, not a ground hog, nor a fish. Therefore our first essential is air. Without it life cannot be maintained. This is so axiomatic and so obvious that it would seem that it would be unnecessary to reiterate it. But experience has proven that we must be constantly reminded of the fact that air is essential to sustain our lives.

For years scientists have been studying the constituents of air, its physical condition, the amount of moisture contained in it, the quantity of various gases contained therein, some of which are proper and necessary for the air, others of which are introduced by our various mechanical pursuits.

We go into the home, when things are entirely in the control of the family. There we find in a family of five, six or seven a difference of opinion as to the amount of air that should be admitted. One member of the family insists upon keeping the windows closed; another wants them open. Someone opens a ventilator, and for every person there is to open a ventilator there is another one to close It. The air must be kept moist or it affects the membranes of the nose and throat. Every stove should have an open dish of water oil top of it. The evaporation of this water will help to restore the natural moisture which has been taken from the air by the heat.

Fresh air is just as important and necessary for the baby us for the adult. Neither baby, youth nor adult can receive the full benefit of his food—in fact, it cannot be burned up—without oxygen. During the early weeks of life the air baby breathes must be warm, but always remember it must be warmed fresh air.

During the early days, say after the third week, baby should be well wrapped up with blanket and hood, tucked snugly in his bassinet or carriage, while the windows are opened wide and tile little fellow is permitted to enjoy a good airing. Even in the winter months the windows may be raised in this way for a few minutes each day, and gradually increased to four or five hours daily. All drafts should be avoided. The reddened cheeks, the increased appetite, all tell the story of the invigorating benefits of cool, fresh air.

A young baby may enjoy the fresh air in his carriage or crib oil the porch, on the roof under suitable awnings; in the yard, under the trees, and even on a fire escape.

BEST HOURS FOR AIRING

During the balmy days of summer and early autumn, after the third or fourth month, baby may spend most of the time outdoors between 7 o’clock in the morning and sunset. During the cooler days of winter and the windy days of spring, the best hours for the airing are to be found between 11 o’clock in the morning and 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

The wind shield, procurable wherever baby carriages are sold, should be a part of the outdoor equipment, as it greatly helps in the protection of the baby.

The wind should never blow in his face: neither should he lie unprotected, sleep or awake, to gaze up into the sunshine or the sky—or even at a white lining of the hood of his carriage. The lining should be a shade of green, preferably dark green. And while it may be necessary during the summer to suspend netting over his the carriage to protect from flies, mosquitoes, etc., it should never lie on his face.

It is virtually a crime to try to keep baby in the kitchen, hour after hour while the busy mother is engaged at her tasks. A hammock, a crib on casters or a carriage is just the coziest place in the world for baby—out on the porch.

THE COUNTRY BABY

And surprising as it may be, the average city baby really gets more fresh air than 90 per cent of the country babies. The country home is often only partially heated by two or three stoves. The windows are closed in summer to keep out the dust, heat and flies, in the winter to shut out the cold, and so the baby who lives in such a home has little chance to get fresh air.

Screen the windows, rural mother, and oil the roads in front of your residence and then keep your windows open. Remember that baby’s health is of more value than the meadow lot or even a fortune later on in life. Plan for a new heating plant if necessary, so that the home can be both warmed and ventilated during the winter.

When not to take baby out is an important thing to know. Here are the best rules:
1. When the weather is excessively hot take him out only in the early morning and late In the afternoon.
2. In extremely cold, below zero weather, let his airing be indoors.
3. Sharp and cold winds may do much mischief to baby’s ears, as well as blow much mischief-making dust into his nose and eyes. In the case of dust or sand storms baby remains in the house.
4. All little people enjoy the rain, and only when the raincoat, rubbers and umbrella are missing should they be robbed of the “rainy-day fun.”

JUST MILK!

Milk is the most perfect food. It contains all the things the body needs in better proportions than any other food. Milk makes strong bodies. It fights fatigue and helps make persons active. It builds strong bones and teeth. Some thing in milk makes children grow. Children must have milk. Milk is a necessity in the diet of the child and a safety in the diet of the grown person. It is easily digested. It keeps children well by building a resistance to disease. Give the child a chance to be strong and healthy. Give all children milk.

Cheese is made of the body building material of milk, it contains less water than most foods. Almost all the cheese we eat is used by the body. There is little waste to it. Cheese can be used In the place of meat. Many attractive dishes may be made by combining it with starchy foods such as potatoes, rice and macaroni. Cheese adds flavor and protein to a meal. It should be eaten only when it is ripe, for when it is green it is less digestible. Buy good health and save money by using cheese in your meals.

Ask Helen

Shall She Still Remain True to Him.

Dear Miss Helen:
I want your advice on my case with my soldier hubby. I was married to him in March and three weeks after our marriage he was sent to New York and from there, over-seas. I only knew him two month before he asked me to become his wife. Of course I loved him dearly and accepted his offer. All of my friends said I was making a big mistake in marrying him, as he Is a northern boy and I am a southerner, but I loved him dearly and he seemed to love me the same.

After going to New York, he sent for me to visit him. Of course I was glad to do so for I missed him very much. He promised to write me every week from “Over There” but he has been there ever since May and I have received only four letters from him, very short ones at that.

Be has a cousin In New Jersey who has been receiving letters from him regularly and this makes me a bit jealous. It seems to me he loves her better than he does his wife.

He has never made his allotment to me, either. Do you think he has forgotten me since leaving and that his marriage to me was only one of pretended love? Please give me your advice on this. Should I still be true to him or should I get a divorce and marry one whom I know loves me dearly? I think now, myself, that I made an awful mistake in marrying a northern boy, one I only knew for a short time, but dear Miss Helen, he is my whole life: I love him too well and he knows it. Have I made an awful mistake?
MABEL S.

Dear Mabel S.:
I don’t think he has forgotten you entirely, but he does seem to think more of his cousin than he does of you, and from all appearances you seem to have made a mistake in the placing of your affection. Of course, as you love him dearly, you will want to be very sure of what you are doing. It may be that some of his letters to you were lost and you will get them all in a bunch later on, or, his cousin may just say she has been hearing from him, as she may be jealous of you. However, It is very strange that he did not make an allotment to you. I cannot understand how any man loving his wife could neglect to do that.

I would advise that you get in touch, immediately, with the Home Service Section of the Red Cross in your town or the town nearest you, which has a Red Cross office. Each Red Cross has its legal department. You file your application for support with the legal department, the matter is then taken up with the Washington office, forwarded to the commanding officer of the soldier’s division and then taken up direct with the soldier himself, and in that way you receive what is justly due you. This form of procedure also applies to soldiers who do not write home.

If your husband has not been true to you, do not think it is due to his being born in the North. If a man’s a man he’s a man no matter where he was born, North or South. There are mighty fine gentlemen in the North and South and vice versa.

I feel sorry for you, Mabel, and hope that everything will turn out all right. But, if the developments in your case should justify you in seeking legal separation, let this experience be a lesson to you, that it does not pay to act hastily.

Dear Miss Claire:
I have seen your advice in BETTER FARMING and am in need of such good advice.

I am a girl 18 years of age. My friends say I am nice looking. I have been going with a young man of 20, a year, but do not go with him anymore, although my parents approve of him. I do not love him. I am very much in love with another young man of 20 and wish you would tell me how to win his love.

I have never been in company with this boy. Once on an occasion be asked to accompany me home, but I did not give him an answer, and was sorry afterwards. He converses freely with other girls, but when speaking to me seems to be embarrassed and blushes a great deal. He also likes to watch me when no one knows it. I have been told by my friends that he likes me best of all the girls.

Do you think he will ever care for me? I shall be very grateful if you will help me.
BLACK EYES.

Dear Black Eyes:
I think the boy you love displays all the symptoms of your already having won his love.

Perhaps he thinks you do not care for him, Inasmuch as you did not give him an answer when he asked to accompany you home. When you speak with him again, lead the conversation back to the affair you mention and tell him frankly you are sorry you did not give him an answer as you did not mean to refuse his company. Or, if you do not want to do that, to show him in a ladylike way that you do like his company, invite him over some time when you are having a few friends coming to visit you at your home. He will undoubtedly follow up your invitation with a request for your company at some occasion.