whalebone
Few persons know what the whalebone of commerce represents in the living animal. A writer thus describes it:

Whalebone, in fact, represents an enormous development of the gum of the whale, and exists in the living animal in the form of two rows of plates, which, like a great double fringe, hang or descend from its palate.

From one hundred and fifty to two hundred of these plates exist in the mouth of a whale, and the largest plates may measure from eight to ten or twelve feet in lenth. THe inner edges of these whalebone plates exhitib a fringed or frayed-out appearance, and the whole apparatus is adapted to serve as a kind of gigantic sieve or strainer.

Thus when the whale fills the mouth with water, large numbers of small or minute animals, allied to jelly-fishes and thelike, are ingulfed and drawn into the capacious mouth cavity.

The water is allowed to escape by the sides of the mouth, but its solid animal contents are strained off and entangled by the whalebone fringes, and when a sufficient quantity of food has been captured in this way, the morsel is duly swallowed. Thus it is somewhat curious to reflect that the largest animals are supported by some of the smallest beings. --The Youth's Companion, October 10, 1878, page 332, column 2
- posted by pioneergirl at 12:48 AM

 
this would make a good story
More missionary reporting from Reverend Stewart Sheldon, Dakota Territory:

On a recent missionary trip, in which I was favored by good foitune with the company of a young man, we were overtaken by night, and stopped at a farmhouse far out on the prairie. It was a rude structure, with kitchen, pantry, bedrooms, sitting rooms, and parlor all in one! "Can we stay over night?" we asked of the kind man who met us very smilingly at the door and followed us out to the road. Well, he would go in and ask his wife, who was not very well, and he hardly knew whether they could keep us or not. In a minute or two he returned, saying, "Drive in, and we'll do the best we can by you." Putting out our team, we went into the house, where was the good wife of the honest yeoman... the mother busied herself with preparing supper for us. She dressed a chicken and cooked it; made an English cherry pie and baked it; and brought out from the oven light hot bread made from the flour after we entered the house! All this she did in double-quick time, and we were soon eating with a hearty relish. As the hour for sleep came, we were pointed to our humble couch, and after a mutual putting out of lights, we retired for the night, in one corner of the cabin, the family occupying an opposite corner. If all parties were as tired as I was, they were soon lost in the realms of Morpheus. But we were aroused, after a little, by the barking of dogs, the howl of the coyote, the patter of rain on the dirt roof, and by and by the dripping down of water into our faces....

...There are diamonds in many a home missionary field, that need only polishing to shine with peculiar brightness. See that man of splendid physique, with sinews like steel, and muscles like hempen cord... He looks like a king. As he rests from his farm work, while the tea is in preparation, the flute or the organ is as much under his control as was the plow or the reaper that he has just left in the field. He is the life of the social circle, and not a child even escapes his notice. He leads the prayer-meeting in the absence of a minister, and is the soul of the Sabbath-school. Were he in the populous city, he would be foremost there as well. You say, in all justice, he was born to lead. His children are very like him. That daughter of fifteen years can herd and drive cattle almost equal to a Texan on his wild mustang. She can mount and ride a horse that many a man would feel was more than a match for him. See her on that little French roan, that bit and reins utterly fail to hold in check! She goes like the wind. Just twelve minutes, by the watch, and she has taken a circuit of three miles, remarking as she dismounts: "It was one of the best rides that I ever had!" The next moment she is at the organ, and her rich deep voice thrills you with its rare melody. "She is a queen, the belle of the town," you would say, to see her at the parish sociable. She is active in the Sabbath-school and at home, useful everywhere. Fancy work in the drawing-room, or culinary work in the kitchen, alike attest her skill. "Somewhat unpolished," many of you city folks might call these, yet are they jewels of the first water. And there are many like them, far out here at the front, away on these broad prairies, a dozen miles from the nearest post-office, where genuine lovers of nature may give free play to their emotions, and feel thoroughly at home. Does it not "pay," to bring the gospel into the homes and hearts of such people as these, who are fixing their own indelible impress upon these young farming communities? Years hence, the contrast in character between the cared-for and the neglected settlements will show that these home missionary efforts were worth almost any conceivable outlay of money, labor and prayer. May no degree of "hardness of the times," no absorption in other things, no blindness to the peril and the opportunity, avail to lessen the noble liberality of our fellow-Christians at the East, to whom, under God, these new States and Territories owe such a debt of gratitude.
- posted by pioneergirl at 3:01 AM

 
laid up for repairs
A letter from Rev. S. Sheldon, Yankton, Dakota Territory, dated 1878, with a note that "six Dakota winters have not frozen either the brain or the heart of our brother." Rev. Stewart Sheldon was in Dakota as part of the Home Missionary Society. In July 1876, Sheldon had been appointed General Missionary in Dakota Territory.

"I said in my last that I was like the bullock represented on an ancient medal, as standing between a plow and an alter, with the inscription, 'Ready for either.' It was the altar that the Lord had awaiting me, in the form of a severe trial. I froze my foot on a trip to Swan Lake in the early part of the winter. I had no thought of freesing, till it was too late; but I suppose my system was just right for it. I was under the care of the doctor for a month, spent several sleepless nights, applied to the unfortunate member over 100 poultices, and submitted to three incisions from the lancet. Beginning to mend, I hobbled about with a crutch; after a little, advanced to a came, and am now able to dispense with both. I wear a laced boot, limping but a little, and shall be 'all right' in a week or two. Of course I have been kept from field work save as I have done a little at Swan Lake, a town about fifty miles form Yankton, and rapidly growing. The way is now prepared for holding this place, in connection with Lincoln Center, twenty miles below the Lake, if the right man can be found. While shut up, I have corresponded with several young men with reference to Dakota as their future field of labor, and hope to secure them. I have also secured three communion-sets from Eastern friends, for Elk Point, Vermillion, and Springfield..."
- posted by pioneergirl at 7:35 PM

 
dearly loved by carrie

"It's late," he said. "The old folks say to sow turnips the twenty-fifth of July, wet or dry. But I guess old folks didn't figure on grasshoppers. And likely there will be as many turnips as you and the girls can handle, Caroline. I won't be here to do it." -On the Banks of Plum Creek, Chapter 33, "Wheels of Fire"

From Henry Hartshorne's The Household Cyclopedia of General Information. New York: Thomas Kelly, 1881.

TURNIPS: The benefits derived from turnip husbandry are of great magnitude; light soils are cultivated with profit and facility; abundance of food is provided for man and beast; the earth is turned to the uses for which it is physically calculated, and by being suitably cleaned with this preparatory crop, a bed is provided for grass seeds, wherein they flourish and prosper with greater vigor than after any other preparation.

TO PREPARE THE GROUND: The first ploughing is given immediately after harvest, or as soon as the wheat seed is finished, either in length or across the field, as circumstances may seem to require. In this state the ground remains till the oat seed is finished, when a second ploughing is given to it, usually in a contrary direction to the first. It is then repeatedly harrowed, often rolled between the harrowings and every particle of root-weeds carefully picked off with the hand; a third ploughing is then bestowed, and the other operations are repeated. In this stage, if the ground has not been very foul, the seed process generally commences, but often a fourth ploughing, sometimes a fifth is necessary before the ground is sufficiently clean. Less labor, however, is necessary now than in former times, when a more regular mode of cropping was commonly followed.

TO SOW THE SEED: The next part of the process is the sowing of the seed; this may be performed by drilling machines of different sizes and constructions, through all acting on the same principle. A machine drawn by a horse in a pair of shafts, sows two drills at a time and answers extremely well, where the ground is flat, and the drills properly made up. The weight of the machine insures a regularity of sowing hardly to be gained by those of a different size and construction. From two to three pounds of seed are sown upon the acre, though the smallest of these quantities will give many more plants in ordinary seasons than are necessary; but as the seed is not an expensive article the greater part of farmers incline to sow thick, which both provides against the danger of part of the seed perishing, and gives the young plants an advantage at the outset.

Turnips are sown from the beginning to the end of June, but the second and third weeks of the month are, by judicious farmers, accounted the most proper time. Some people have sown as early as May, and with advantage, but these early fields are apt to run to seed before winter, especially if the autumn be favorable to vegetation. As a general rule it may be laid down that the earliest sowings should be on the latest soils; plants on such soils are often long before they make any great progress, and, in the end, may be far behind those in other situations, which were much later sown. The turnip plant, indeed, does not thrive rapidly till its roots reach the dung, and the previous nourishment afforded them is often so scanty as to stunt them altogether before they get so far.
- posted by pioneergirl at 12:28 AM

 
city changes dump

The city dump grounds west of De Smet is being closed, and a new one opened a half mile east of the old creamery building, at the edge of Silver Lake, according to F. M. Andrews, mayor. The old grounds will be cleaned up as rapidly as possible and the land reclaimed for farming purposes.

The action of the city will remove one of the eye-sores of the vicinity. The old dumping ground lies along the railroad track and near a road, and is offensive to the people living in the west end of the city.

The new location is ideal – if there can be an ideal dumping ground location. It is near the outlet of the sewer disposal pipe, over the rise of ground that slopes to Silver Lake, and not near to any dwelling. The grounds is out of sight of all roads and houses, and the old bed of the drained lake can gradually be filled up with refuse. -- February 24, 1924, De Smet News

So. Six months after "draining" Silver Lake, except for the sewage, I suppose, it was demoted from becoming "hay and pasture land" to becoming the town dump. Lovely.
- posted by pioneergirl at 9:52 PM

 
peculiar, gripping and exquisitely crafted

The Love Songs of Laura Ingalls Wilder, poems by Laura McCartney. And yes, she really does title one of them "Pa's Penis". Peculiar, indeed.
http://nightwoodeditions.com/title/TheLoveSongofLauraIngallsWilder
- posted by pioneergirl at 3:01 AM

 
little house guide to life
File this under:
Want. Can't Find.

LITTLE HOUSE GUIDE TO LIFE: 101 LIFE LESSONS FROM LAURA INGALLS WILDER
by Laura Mendelsohn Kuhn (Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2006)

Contents
Guide to the Guide
If You Want to Meet Mr. Right, Better Get Busy: Little House, Birds, and Bees
1. Boys Are Different Animals
2. Cherish the Drama of Courtship
3. Like It or Not, You're a Lady, Might as Well Enjoy It
4. Always Be Ready
5. If You Want to Meet Mr. Right, Better Get Busy
6. It's a Lady's Prerogative To Change Her Mind
7. Good Couples Do Things Together
8. Don't Be Coy
9. Don't Let the In-Laws Hijack Your Wedding
10. Reality Sets In When Courtship is Over
Stick Up for Your Sister: Little House Family Values
11. Babies Are Babies, That's Why They're So Spoiled
12. Birth Order is Everything
13. Birth Order is Nothing
14. There Comes a Time You Don't Have to Blindly Obey Your Parents
15. Every Family Needs a Cat
16. Every Family Needs a Dog
17. Life Just Keeps Getting Better
18. Stick Up For Your Sister
19. Stop Blaming Everybody for Your Problems
20. Take Responsibility for Yourself
21. Go Ahead, Turn into your Mother; You Could Do Worse
22. Friendship Begins at Home
23. Big Girls Don't Cry
Other People's Nastiness Is None of Your Business: Little House Diplomacy
24. Never Heed a Know-It-All
25. We're Not As Dumb As We Look
26. You Can't Ignore a Bully
27. Bullies Build Character
28. Revenge is a Dish Served Best At Any Temperature
29. People Who Seem To Have It All Don't
30. Other People's Nastiness is None of Your Business
31. You Can Run and You Can Hide, But Your Past Will Always Find You
Pretty Is As Pretty Does: Little House Health & Style
32. Blondes Do Not Have More Fun
33. A Few Years Ago You Dressed Funny, Too
34. Wear Your Flannels
35. Sometimes a Girl's Gotta Cut Her Own Hair
36. Pretty Is As Pretty Does
37. Every Lady Needs a Black Dress
Good Food Comes to Those Who Wait: Dining à la Little House
38. Always Check Labels
39. Children and Sugar: A Lethal Combination
40. Sugar is Good
41. And a Little Little Bacon Fat Doesn't Hurt, Either
42. Treat Yourself, You Deserve It
43. Good Food Comes to Those Who Wait
Music Makes Everything Better: Little House Coping Mechanisms
44. Life on the Prairie Could Drive a Girl Mad
45. Whatever Your Complaint, We Know Someone Who's Had It Much, Much Worse
46. When All Else Fails, Follow Somebody Else's Lead
47. Get Your Priorities Straight
48. Keep It Simple, Sweetie
49. Stick to a Schedule
50. When a Situation Stymies, Lose Yourself in a Good Book
51. A Primal Scream Does a Body Good
52. Fake It 'til You Make It
53. You're a Smart Girl, You Can Handle Anything
54. Success Is a Habit
55. It's All Right to Admit When You Don't Know
56. When Things Start Looking Really Bad
57. Music Makes Everything Better
58. If the Problem is Real, Complaining Won't Solve It
Shopping iIs Fun: Little House Dollars and Sense
59. Money Can't Buy Everything
60. Gotta Make Do
61. Support Business You Can Believe In
62. Town Life Is Alluring
63. Don't Tally Up Your Bonus
64. Shopping is Fun
65. Once You Get an Upgrade
66. Recycle. It's the Right Thing to Do
You're In This Together, Might As Well Get Along: Little House Diplomacy
67. Show Some Restraint
68. Least Said, Soonest Mended
69. If You Must Threaten Someone, Be Quiet, Calm, and Reasonable
70. Don't Contradict
71. Watch Your Mouth
72. You Can Be Good, No Matter How Naughty You Feel
73. Being Good is a Kind of Naughty
74. Visit the House of Worship of Your Choice
75. You're In This Together, Might As Well Get Along
76. Be Prepared To Run Interference for Friends
77. Bureaucracy Bites
Don't Lick the Water Pump Winter: Little House Truth or Dare
78. If You Want Something Done Right, You Better Do It Yourself
79. A Lady Gets Courageous When the Lights Go Down
80. Fear is Equal Opportunity Emotion
81. You're Going to Get Caught
82. Don't Fight Authority
83. Sometimes It Works When You Wing I
84. Following the Letter of the Law Is The Best Way to Get Around the Rule 85. If You're Headed For Trouble
86. You Can Be Brave, Even When You're Scared
87. When Fear's Your Reaction, It's Time To Take Action
88. Don't Lick the Water Pump in Cold Weather
There's No Great Loss Without Some Small Gain: Little House Tools for LivingBasic Truths
89. All's Well That Ends Well
90. Call It Santa if You Must, Just Remember: Someone¿s Watching out for You
91. The End of One Thing Is the Beginning of Another
92. You Can Think Your Way Into Failure or Success
93. Some People Have All The Luck, But Who Cares?
94. You Can't Do A Thing About The Weather
95. If Everything Starts Going South, Go West
96. Wherever You Are, There You Are
97. Success is a Relative Term, One You Must Define for Yourself
98. Some Crimes Are Justified
99. There's No Great Loss Without Some Small Gain
100. Ask for Help
101. Get an Attitude of Gratitude

In Conclusion:
There Are Several Things a Lady Can't Do Without, The Little House Refresher Course
- posted by pioneergirl at 9:44 PM