less, necessary custom of " changing works."

It was only

when serious application to the task in hand degenerated into frolic that our agricultural mentor felt called upon to protest and admonish.

Another point in the extract just given from the Almanac is the plague of destructive insects - bugs as they were, and still are, indiscriminately called in the country. The plan of breeding parasites to destroy these pestilent creatures had not yet been thought of, nor had the simpler method of applying Paris green made every potato patch a terror to people with weak nerves. In another place, however, will be found a suggestion that the bugs may be turned to good account as a substitute for Spanish flies in medicine.1

The husking inevitably suggests the spinning bee, descriptions of which are plenty as blackberries. Here is one which coincides almost exactly in date with the first appearance of the Farmer's Almanac. It relates to a spinning party which took place at Falmouth (now Portland), Maine, on May Day, 1788, and comes from the local newspaper. The tone and temper of the item suggest that it was written by the reverend gentleman at whose house the assembly was held.

On the 1st instant, assembled at the house of the Rev. Samuel Deane, of this town, more than one hundred of the fair sex, married and single ladies, most of whom were skilled in the important art of spinning. An emulous industry was never more apparent than in this beautiful assembly. The majority of fair hands gave motion to not less than sixty wheels. Many were occupied in preparing the materials, besides those who attended to the entertainment of the rest provision for which was mostly presented by the guests themselves, or sent in by other generous promoters of the exhibition, as were also the materials for the

1 See p. 186, below.

work. Near the close of the day, Mrs. Deane was presented by the company with two hundred and thirty-six seven knotted skeins of excellent cotton and linen yarn, the work of the day, excepting about a dozen skeins which some of the company brought in ready spun. Some had spun six, and many not less than five skeins apiece. She takes this opportunity of returning thanks to each, which the hurry of the day rendered impracticable at the time. To conclude, and crown the day, a numerous band of the best singers attended in the evening, and performed an agreeable variety of excellent pieces in psalmody.

The price of a virtuous woman is far above rubies. . . . She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.1

Mr. Thomas usually takes spinning for granted, and does not feel that his readers need to be instructed about so obvious a duty, but now and then there is a bit of advice on the subject, as in February, 1811: "You will see that your daughters do not want flax, &c. to keep them industrious. I fear the old fashion of spinning and weaving are going out of date. Remember to bring up your children in the way they should go, and then their good habits will accompany them through life." Most of his advice to women concerns the dairy, and shows an anxious care for neatness which seems prophetic of modern qualms.

When the Old Farmer began his career as mentor of rural New England, it was an occasional practice for women to bear a hand in the outdoor work of the farm, especially in the haying season. This practice seemed objectionable to Mr. Thomas. He regarded it as one of those crudities of which a civilized community should be ashamed, and he inveighed against it with unusual warmth:

1 Cumberland Gazette, May 8, 1788, as quoted by William Willis, Journals of Smith and Deane, Portland, 1849, p. 362, note.

All things must give way to necessity; yet what need is there for a woman to leave her domestic concerns, go into the field, and like an Amazon wield the pitchfork and the rake? 'Tis abominable! Is this the duty of a wife? Is such the tenderness of a husband? Remember she is the mistress of thy house; treat her therefore with respect, that thy children may, also. Consider the tenderness of her sex, and the delicacy of her frame. (August, 1809.)

SMALL ECONOMIES

EW miscellaneous scraps are more amusing to run

FE

over in an idle hour than those receipts for utilizing the useless or making something out of nothing in which thrifty people have always delighted. The older numbers of the Farmer's Almanack are not deficient in lore of this sort, derived from various sources - the editor's experience, the gossiping pen of the "constant reader," or even the newspapers. A few of the choicest among them are here brought together, without any attempt at classification, and with little or no comment; since for the most part they speak for themselves. A number of them are manifestly of more or less value, but the present writer cannot attach his probatum est to any, and therefore prefers to make no attempt at discriminating.

Persons who are fond of potatoes and afraid of coffee, may get comfort from the following extract from the Almanac for 1815. It is a little essay on

POTATOE COFFEE. - From a Philadelphia Paper. Frugality in domestic expenses, is a virtue, which ought to be practised by the manager of every family; but more particularly, at a time when commerce stagnates in our ports, the mechanick is thrown out of employment, and the necessaries of life at so high a price as to be obtained only with the greatest difficulty, and when the poor are precluded altogether from many of them. Every discovery therefore, that has a tendency to ameliorate the condition of the poor and the labourer, and add to their comfort, is of great value, and ought to obtain public sanction.

The article coffee, a few years back, was looked upon as unnecessary, but is now considered, from the great use made of it, as one of the necessaries of life. The price is now nearly double to what it was in the year 1811, and continues to rise; a substitute for coffee would, therefore, be a great object to society in general many articles have been tried, but, not answering the purpose, have been relinquished.

The potatoe is found to resemble coffee in taste, smell and colour, more than any substitute that has been tried; few persons can distinguish one from the other; besides which, it possesses other properties and circumstances which ought to recommend it to general use. It is one of our cheapest and most plentiful vegetables; besides its cheapness, it may be obtained in all places and in any quantity, nor are we dependent on foreign commerce for it This substitute for coffee sits light on the stomach, is nourishing and easy of digestion, and does not irritate the nerves of weak persons or cause watchfulness.

Wash raw potatoes

The following is the mode of preparing. clean, cut them into small square pieces, of about the size of an hazle nut; put them into a broad dish or pan, set them in a temperate stove, or in an oven after the bread is taken out, stir them frequently, to prevent them from sticking together, in order that they may dry regularly; when they are perfectly dry, put them into a dry bag or box secure, and they will keep for any length of time.

When they are to be used, they must be roasted or burnt in the same manner as coffee, and ground in a mill or reduced to powder in a mortar. Small potatoes are as good as large ones - the potatoes generally considered of the meaner kind are better than the mealy, and the skins and parings are best of all. It is hoped none will be so prejudiced against this recommendation as not to try it a trial will confirm what may appear to some to be doubtful.

A laudable attempt to convert tribulations into blessings appears in a communication from Mr. Thomas's own town, which found a place in the Almanac for 1807: