medicines, held in such great esteem in Germany that, according to the
German folk-lore, men should take off their hats in the presence of an
elder-tree. In Denmark there is a legend to the effect that the trees
are under the protection of a being known as the Elder-Mother, who has
been immortalised in one of the fairy tales of Hans Andersen.

The berries of the elder-tree are not palatable enough to be used as a
common article of food, but in the days when nearly every garden boasted
its elder-tree few housewives omitted to make elderberry wine in due
season.

It is not permitted to "food-reformers" to make "wine," but those
readers who are fortunate enough to possess an elder-tree might well
preserve the juice of the berries against winter coughs and colds.


_Preserved Fruit Juice._

The following is E. and B. May's recipe for preserving fruit juice. Put
the fruit into a preserving-pan, crush it and allow it to simmer slowly
until the juice is well drawn out. This will take about an hour. Press
out the juice and strain through a jelly-bag until quite clear. Put the
juice back into the pan, and to every quart add a quarter of a pound of
best cane sugar. Stir until dissolved. Put the juice into clean, dry
bottles. Stand the bottles in a pan of hot water, and when the latter
has come to the boil allow the bottles to remain in the boiling water
for fifteen minutes. The idea is to bring the juice inside the bottles
to boiling point just before sealing up, but not to boil it. See that
the bottles are _full_. Cork _immediately_ on taking out of the pan,
and then seal up. To seal mix a little plaster of Paris with water and