NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
3 3433 03134526 1



LENOX LIBRARY
an
FAC
AUCTOR
PRETIOSA
Duyckinck Collection.
Presented in 1878.



ANNEX
ANNEX











TRANSETT FROM
Max,


REVISED EDITION
REVISED EDITION
OP 'THE
WAVERLEY NOVELS,
For Ten Dollars!!!
The Publishers have now the pleasure to offer to the public
· A COMPLETE EDITION of I
OF THE
NOVELS AND TALES,
BY THE AUTHOR OF WAVERLEY,
WITH
HIS LATEST CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS,
at a price so low as to place them within the reach of every one.
When it is taken into consideration that the whole of the latest
Edinburgh edition is now comprised in Five Volumes, well printed
on good paper, at the unprecedentedły low price of
TEN DOLLARS,
the public will be able to appreciate their endeavours to furnish
the writings of so highly popular an author at less than ONE-SIXTH
of the price of the original edition.
TEIE WAVERLEY NOVELS,
Complete in Five large Octavo Volumes, :|
A PORTRAITS OF THE AUTHOR.
:: CONTENTS.",
Waverley, . The abbet;' :..; • The Highland Widow,
Guy Mannering : Kenilworth, :. ••, Tun Drovers, ,
Antiquary,' . ; The Pirate,.My Aunt Margaret's Mirror,
Rob Roy,
Moririnds of Nige), · Tapestried Chamber,
Black Droarf,
Peveril of the Peak, The Laird's Jock,
Old Mortality, Quentin Durward, Fair Maid of Perth,
Heart of Mid-Lothian, St. Ronan's Well, Anne of Gierstein,
Bride of Lammermoor, Redgauntlet, Count Robert of Paris,
Legend of Montrose, The Betrothed, Castle Dangerous,
Ivanhoe,
The Talisman, The Surgeon's Daughter.
The Monastery, Woodstock, Glossary.


SIR WALTER SCOTT'S
MISCELLANEOUS PROSE WRITINGS.
IN TEREX VOLUMES, OCTATO.
PRICE SEVEN DOLLARS.
KLATLY JOUND IN BUBOS SED IUILIR.
CONTENTS.
| Paul's Letters to his Kinsfolk, Life of Napoleon,
Essay on Chivalry and Romance, History of Scotland,
Sermons,
Life of John Dryden,
Life of Swift,
Demonology and Witchcraft,
Tales of a Grandfather-Four Series ;
AND -
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF
Samuel Richardson, Robert Bage,
Henry Fielding,
Charlotte Smith,
Tobias Smolletty. ... :: Sir.Ralpha Sadler,
Richard Cumberland, : : :John Leyden,
Oliver Goldsmith,... : : ... Miss Anne Seward,
Samuel Johnson, Daniel De Foe,
Laurence Sterne, :... : :Late:Duke of Buccleugh
Henry Mackenziej :::::..:: and Queensbury,
Horace. Walpole,
Lord Somerville,
Clara Reeve,
King George the Third,
Mrs. Ann Radcliffe, Lord Byron,
Le Sage,
The Duke of York, ;
Charles Johnstone.


SIR WALTER SCOTT'S ENTIRE WORKS,
For Twenty Dollars.
1
E. L. CAREY AND A. HART,
PHILADELPHIA,
HAVE JUST PUBLISHED
A COMPLETE EDITION OF THE WORKS OF
SIR WALTER SCOTT.
COMPRISING
The Waverley Novels, complete. | Tales of my Grandfather, Four
Poetical Works, including The Series.
Minstrelsy of the Scottish | Life of Napoleon.
Border.
Essays on Chivalry, Romance, ' |
Lives of Swift and Dryden.
&c.
una bryaen.
Lives of the Novelists.
o
Demonology and Witchcraft.
History of Scotland.
| Paul's Letters lo his Kinsfolk.
Sermons, &c. &C.
THE WHOLE REVISED AND CORRECTED BY HIMSELF.
TO WHICH 18 ADDED,
HIS LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE,
EDITED BY
1. 6. 'LOCKHART.:: ;
Forming the only complete and uniform edition of the writings of
the “ Magicia, of the North"rever. published in America.
THE WHOLE CO É'R YS ED
IN TEN LARGE OCTAVO VOLUME 8,
WITH A FINE PORTRAIT ENGRAVED ON STEEL.
Price, elegantly bound in embossed cloth, and lettered, $20.


ADVERTISEMENT TO THE AMERICAN EDITION
OF THE
Complete Works of Sir Walter Scott.
The writings of Walter Scott will be referred to hereafter as
marking an era in English literature. With a genius expansive
as the broad field of letters, his was the intellectual capacity to
master every subject it approached. Familiar with the accumu-
lated knowledge of dead ages, he brought to his task, whatever
were its nature, a mind richly stored with all that was beautiful
and apt for illustration, description, or analogy.
Criticism has failed in its attempt to confine the acknowledged
superiority of Scott to any distinctive range of subjects. The
reader who finds surpassing beauty and thrilling pathos in the
“ Lay” and “Marmion," before he records his admiration will
recall the graphic force and splendid imagery of “Waverley” and
“ Ivanhoe.”—Though in the simple and natural sketches of the
“ Lives of the Novelists,” he becomes entranced by the wizard
power of the writer, yet will be not forget that the historic page
which tells of Bruce, or Napoleon, bears an evidence of the
writer's genius equally brilliant and enduring.
Scott's great and peculiar merit is admitted to be his invincible
truth to nature. In the regions of poetry and romance, with an
imagination that never slumbers, and which gives light and life to
every picture of its creation, there is still a naturalness that wins
upon the heart, till fiction becomes reality. It is here that the
magician's power is felt, though the arm that.lifts. the wand is un-
seen. On the busy, life-like pages of biography; his deep know-
ledge of human character, and universal benevolence of disposition,
are alike discernible. Charity temper: the justice of all his infer-
ences, and there is ever a pouring forth of that spirit of kindness
which“ delights to praise, but filters to condemn.” It is perhaps
on the graver themes of history, that the triumph of Scott's genius
is most remarkable. So irresistible are the charms of style which
he throws around historical subjects, that what in other hands is
dry and uninteresting detail, comes from his pen with the force of
truth, adorned with all the attractive grace of fiction.
The works of an author like Scott cannot be too extensively
diffused. No one can rise from the perusal of his writings with-


ADVERTISEMENT TO SCOTT'S WORKS.
out having been instructed as well as amused. The cause of reli-
gion, and virtue, and morality, finds an advocate on every page;
vice will seek encouragement from the same source in vain.
It has been well observed by an able and eloquent American
critic, that " if ever writer deserved universal citizenship, it was Sir
Walter Scott. He was the poet of nature, the delineator of his
species in every climate and on every soil; so that, wherever his
works were known, there was he to be regarded as a native and a
denizen.”
It is in this spirit that the publishers of the American edition of
Scott's complete works have undertaken to present them to the
American people. They have supposed that they could not render
a better or more acceptable service to the great mass of readers,
than by placing such a publication within their reach. The revised
uniform Edinburgh edition, from which this is reprinted, comprises
eighty-eight volumes, the cost of which is one hundred and twenty-
five dollars. The American edition now published contains the
entire matter, with the addition of “ Lockhart: Life of Scott,”
with the latest emendations, in ten octavo volumes, stereotyped,
and printed on excellent paper. The price of this edition is
above one hundred dollars less than that of the Edinburgh.
The text of the “ Life of Napoleon” was revised by Sir Walter
himself. It contains copious editorial notes, with brief notices of
many distinguished men who acted a prominent part in the event-
ful wars which followed the French revolution.
- - In addition to the likeness of the author, engraved from a paint-
ing by Newton, which accompanies the first vokurae, will be found
a beautiful medallion portreit to preface the seventh volume.
- The publication price affixed to this work is less, in reference
to the quality of materials and style of execution, than that of any
other production of the press in Europe, or America. The invest-
ment and expenditures começted with this undertaking are much
greater than usually attend" å republication ; and it will be appa-
rent that the publishers must rely on an extensive sale for their
remuneration. They appeal with entire confidence to the Ameri-
can public, for a just and liberal support in their endeavours to
disseminate the means of an enlightened and rational enjoyment.
'E. L. CAREY AND A. HART. ,
Philadelphia, October, 1838.


THE HISTORY
... OF THE
FRENCH REVOLUTION,
BY M. A. THIERS,
LATE PRIME MINISTER OF FRANCE,
gujith Xllustratſde Anecdotes and Notes,
From the most authentic Sources,
INCLUDING
Mirabeau,
Duchess D’Abrantes, Lacretelle,
Mignet,
Joseph Bonaparte, Necker,
Lafayette,
Sir Walter Scott, Clery,
Dumourier, Madame de Stael, Madame Roland,
Lavallette, . Lucien Bonaparte, Biographe Moderne,
Bourrienne, De Moleville, The Moniteur,
Abbe Edgeworth, Las Cases,
Alison,
Louis XVIII. Carnot,
&c. &c.
Now first added,
BY FREDERICK SHOBERL, ESQ.
In Three Volumes, 8vo.
1.6M. Thiers has acquired great reputation as an historian. His History |
of the French Revolution has become a standard work, and needs no
eulogy. The translation of it seems worthy of the original. It is enriched
by useful notes and striking illustrations, and will prove a very valuable
addition to our literature." Courier.
“A translation of M. Thiers's History is a work that has long been
wanted. It is unquestionably the best that has yet appeared on the sub-
ject of the French Revolution, being shrewd, dis passionate, and scrupu-
lously accurate in its details. We are glad, therefore, to see this transla-
tion, which is very ably rendered, and has the additional advantage of
being eopiously illustrated with notes, and anecdotal reminiscences illus-
trative of the private and public characters of the early leaders of the
Revolution. We ate all of use intimate with the names of Mirabeau,
Danton, Egalité, Robespierre, Márat, &c, but few of us know any thing
about their private characters: the present work will supply this defi-
ciency. Thus recommended, we will not permit ourselves to doubt for
an instant of the success of this work Sun.
s No man was better qualified for the task of writing this history than
M. Thiers, who, independent of his own personal observation, has had
access to various sources of a Qthentic triformation, which previous writers
on the subject were unable to command. He has with singular impar-
tiality entered into the causes, which produced such memorable results,
and traces the progress of the Revolution itself in a most masterly man-
ner."'--Sunday Times.
“One of the chief features in this history is the impartiality with which
it is written, a quality of itself to entitle the work to the popularity it has
attained. M. Thiers's history of this eventful period will be found to
abound in detail, and to present views of that tremendous event, of the
actors, and their motives or their impulses, under which they acted, which
can be met with nowhere else, and will consequently be found to contain
a vast deal of information new even to those who are already well read
in the history of the French Revolution." -Scotsman.
he success of this
for the task of owl observation


CAREY & HART
HAVE JUST PUBLISHED
THE NINTH EDITION
or
DIRECTIONS FOR COOKERY,
IN
ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES.
BY
. MISS LESLIE.
WITH IMPROVEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY RECEIPTS.
AMONG ITS CONTENTS ARE
:
Almond ice-cream,
Almond pudding,
Apple butter,
Apple jelly,
Apple pot-pie,
Apple compote, .
Beef à la mode,
Beef, to dry and smoke,
Beef steak pudding,
Bologna sausages,
Bread, to make,
Black cake,
Bran bread,
Butternuts, to pickle,
Calf's head soup,
Cantelopes, to preserve,
Citrons, to preserve,
Cream cheese,
Chicken salad,
Charlotte russe,
Chowder,
Cherries, pickled,
Cider cake,
Clam soup,
Cocoa-nut cakes,
Cocoa-nut pudding,
Carrageen blanc-mange,
Chicken curry,
Curds and whey,
Corn pudding,
Egg-plant, to stew,
Egg-plant, to fry,
Election cake,
Eve's pudding,
Family soup,
Fricasseed chickens,
Force-meat balls,
French green peas soup,
Gingerbread, (wbite,).
Grape jelly,
37*


LESLIE'S COOKER
Gravy soup,
Gumbo soup,
Halibut cutlets,
Hams, (directions for curing)
Hams, (Westphalia,) to imitate,
Ham, to roast,
Honey ginger cake,
Indian muffins,
Indian pound cake,
Jelly cake,
Lady cake,
Larding,
Lemon custards,
Lemon cream,
Lettuce or salad, to dress,
Lobster, to dress cold,
Lobster, potted,
Maccaroni, to dress,
Maccaroons, to make,
Marmalade cake,
Mangoes, to pickle,
Meg Merrilies' soup,
Mince meat,
Mock oysters, i
Molasses cand
Moravian sugar cake,
Mustard, (French,)
Orange pudding,
Ochra soup,
Oyster soup,
Oysters, fried,
Oysters, pickled,
Oyster pie,
Paste, (the best plain,
Paste, (fine puff,)
Peach marmalade,
Peach leather,
Pine apples, to preserve,
Plum pudding,
Pork and beans,
Pork cheese,
Pumpkin chips,
Queen cake,
Quince jelly,
Raspberry charlotte,
Reed birds, to roast,
Rice cakes,
Rye and Indian bread,
Salmon cutlets,
Sausages, (fine)
Sweet potatoe pudding,
Tennessee muffins,
Terrapins, to stew,
Tomatoes, (preserved,)
Waffles,
Watermelon rind, (to preserve
Washington cake,
&c. &c.
.-
4


Companion to Miss Leslie's Cookery.
THE
HOUSE BOOK:
OR,
A MANUAL OF DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
BY
Slika
MISS LESLIE,
AUTHOR OF “A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF COOKERY,” “SEVENTY-FIVE
RECEIPTS," ETC.
CONTAINING DIRECTIONS FOR
LAUNDRY WORK,
REMOVING STAINS,
LIGHTS AND FIRES,
CLEANING FURNITURE,
WAITING ON COMPANY,
CARVING,
HOUSE-CLEANING,
MAKING UP LINEN,
DRESS-MAKING, ETC.
KITCHEN AFFAIRS,
PHILADELPHIA:
CAREY & HAR T.
1840.


PREFACE.
The design of the following work is to impart to novices in
house-keeping some information on a subject which is, or ought
to be, important to every American female, so that they may
be enabled to instruct unpractised domestics, or, in case of
emergency, to assist personally in forwarding the indispensable
work of the family. More than nine-tenths of these receipts
are entirely original; all are expressly adapted to the meridian
of our own country; and though they generally refer to the
condition of families in what is termed genteel life, a large
number of them may be found useful in houses where close
economy is expedient.
It has been the design of the author to make her directions
as plain and intelligible as possible, and therefore she has
thought it best to explain every particular with unusual minute-
ness, as if addressed to persons who were totally ignorant of
the subjects in question. In this, as in her Cookery Book, she
has not scrupled, when necessary, to sacrifice the sound to the
sense; repeating the same words when no others could be found
to express the purport so clearly; and being always more
anxious to convey the meaning in such terms as could not be
mistaken, than to risk obscuring it by attempts at refined
phraseology or well-rounded periods.
Complaints are incessantly heard of the deterioration of ser-
vants; but may not one source of this growing evil be traced
to the deterioration of mistresses in the knowledge and practice
of all that is necessary to a well-ordered household. A great
change has certainly taken place since the days when, during
the presidency of her husband, Mrs. Washington, followed by
a servant-man with a basket, went daily to Philadelphia mar-
ket; and when the all-accomplished daughters of Mr. Jefferson
made pastry and confectionary in a room fitted up for that pur-
pose in their father's mansion at Monticello.


PRE FACE.
While we regret the present system of education, in which
all things are taught (or rather attempted) except that which
to every American female must at some period of her life be
absolutely necessary, we would not have our young married
ladies discouraged if, on first assuming the charge of a house,
they find themselves subjected to much perplexity and incon-
venience from ignorance of their new task. A competent
knowledge of household affairs is by no means difficult to
acquire, and is within the reach of every woman of tolerable
capacity, who has a proper conviction of its utility, and an
earnest desire to profit by all opportunities of improvement in
its pursuit. It is a homely but a true saying, that " where
there is a will there is a way."
A neat and well-conducted house, with fires and lights
always as they should be; and a table where the food is invit-
ing, from being good both in material and cooking; also clothes
well washed and ironed, are comforts that are not lightly prized
by any married man; and it is but just that he who perhaps
labours hard in his business or profession to procure the means
of obtaining them, should not be disappointed in their applica-
tion; particularly when the deficiencies are caused by the
inertness or the mismanagement of the woman who should
consider it her especial care to render his home agreeable to him.
Should this book have any effect in directing the attention
of her young countrywomen to a subject of far more importance
to their married happiness than the cultivation of showy accom-
plishments, or the unavailing pursuit of studies that to females
are always abstruse; should it, on trial, be found a useful aux-
· iliary to practised house-keepers, in furnishing them with addi-
tional hints, or new and easy modes of doing things that have
always been done, its object will be accomplished ; leaving
the author with the gratification of knowing that she has not
written in vain.
Pkiladelphia, February 19A, 1840.


CONTENTS.
.........
LAUNDRY WORK:—Washing, Ironing, Clear-starching, Doing
up Lace, &c........
.......... 7
Removing STAINS AND GREASE:—Taking out Ink, Lamp-oil,
Paint, Acids, &c...
.........
DOMESTIC DIES.........
Country MANNER OF DYEING YARN.....................
INSECTS, Rats, Mice, &c. ................................ 105
FUEL, FIRES, &c.:-Management of wood and coal Fires in
Grates and Stoves..........
............ 121
Lights:-Management of Lamps, Tapers, Candle-making, &c. 155
FURNITURE:- Cleaning Carpets, Curtains, Mahogany, Silver,
Glass, Knives and Forks, Brass, &c.................. 171
THE KITCHEN :-Its Furniture and Utensils................. 227
THE DINING-ROOM :—Table Furniture, Waiting on Table,
Carving, &c....
BED-CHAMBERS:-Bed-room Furniture, Keeping it clean, &ç. 296
HOUSE-CLEANING :—White-washing, Cleaning Paint, Scrub-
bing, Preparing Rooms for Summer, Packing Furni-
ture, &c....
......... 336
MISCELLANEOUS ARTICLES: Keeping a Cow, Poultry, Bees,
Making Inks, Making Colours, &c................... 355
SEWING WORK:-Making up Linen, Hints on Dress-making. 382
1*
.......... 250
........





THE
HOUSE BO O K.
THE LAUNDRY.
No large house should be without a laundry, or place ap-
propriated to the work connected with washing and ironing.
A back kitchen may easily be fitted up for this purpose. It
should have a large fire-place for the convenience of boiling
several kettles of water at a time, if necessary, and for heating
the irons. A pump or hydrant should either be within the
laundry or close to the door: also a sink for disposing of the
dirty water. All the water used for washing must be soft,
otherwise the clothes cannot be made clean. Soap, instead of
dissolving and forming a suds, will always curdle and float on
the surface of water that is either hard from being impreg-
nated with lime or other mineral substances, or brackish from
its vicinity to the sea. The best way of softening hard water,
when no other can be obtained, is to mix with it a large quan-
tity of strong lye, (in the proportion of one gallon of lye to
three or four of water,) or to stir into it a little potash, which
last must be sparingly used, or it will injure the clothes by
making them so tender that they will soon go to pieces.
In places where all the pump or well-water is hard, and the


THE HOUSE BOOK.
running water saltish, it is usual to save rain-water for wash-
ing purposes, by catching it in cisterns, casks, or tubs, placed
under the water-spouts. Rain-water casks should always
have covers to prevent impurities from getting into the water.
They should stand on feet, and be furnished with a spigot for
drawing the water when wanted. Unless you have abundance
of water, it is impossible to wash the clothes clean, or to
make them of a good colour; and where a sufficiency can be
obtained, no good washer will be sparing in the use of it.
Washing in dirty suds is of very little avail.
In America most families have their washing done once a
week. This is much better, in some respects, than the Euro-
pean custom of monthly or quarterly washes, as the clothes
derive great injury from lying in their dirt; and also a quantity
of clothing, often inconveniently large, is requisite when the
intervals between the washes are so very long.
May we be allowed to suggest that Tuesday (though con-
trary to the usual custom) is a more convenient day for wash-
ing than Monday; as some previous preparation is always ne-
cessary the afternoon or evening before; such, for instance,
as looking out and assorting the clothes, putting some of them
in soak, ripping certain things apart, and replacing buttons,
hooks, and strings that have been broken off; not to mention
the probability that some articles, which were put on quite
clean on Sunday, might very well be worn one day more;
though it would not be considered worth while to keep them
out of the wash till next week. When it is done weekly, it
is rarely necessary to devote more than one day to washing,
and another to ironing; and we opine that, in general, it is bet-
ter those two days should be Tuesday and Wednesday, rather
than Monday and Tuesday. When it can be deferred, wash-
ing should never be done on a rainy day, for many reasons.


THE LAUNDRY.
For instance, it is not well to have the clothes lying all night
in the tubs, neither will starch take effect in damp weather.
At all events, the coloured things and the muslins should be
left till it clears up. If the family is large, it is best not to
have the small muslins, laces, &c., done with the general
wash. Blankets, chintz curtains, and other large extra things
should always be washed at extra times, and at a season when
the days are long and bright. Where there are many muslins
and laces, it is frequently more convenient to devote a morn-
ing expressly to the purpose of doing them up, than to put
them in the general wash.
It is a great convenience to have in the laundry a large deep
closet for holding the utensils necessary for the process of
washing. For instance, the kettles, tubs, buckets, clothes-
baskets, starch-pans, lines, pegs, washing-boards; and also the
ironing apparatus.
Each of the women engaged in washing should be provided
with one of the well-known grooved or fluted boards, which,
by standing them up in the tub of suds and rubbing the clothes
upon them, will greatly save the hands and expedite the work.
They cost but a trifle, and can be procured wherever wooden
ware is sold. I
The best and most durable clothes-lines are those of horse-
hair, or of twisted sea-grass. Let them always be wiped
before they are put up, and taken down as soon as all the
clothes are brought in. There should be a sufficient number
of cleft wooden pegs to secure the clothes on the lines.
There should be tall posts along the yard, at a convenient
distance from the fence or wall, for the purpose of fastening
the lines, which may also be propped in the middle by long
forked sticks, the largest end resting on the ground.
The laundry should be furnished with broad stout benches


10
THE HOUSE BOOK.
of a convenient height, to hold the tubs when the women are
standing at them.
It is well to have a lye-barrel at hand, that lye (which is
good for so many purposes) may be ready at any time. Also
a barrel of soft soap, and a tin or iron ladle for dipping it out.
The large wooden folding frames called clothes-horses are
indispensable in a laundry; either for the purpose of drying
wet clothes by the fire when necessary, or for spreading out
the clothes after ironing, to free them from all remaining damp-
ness. These clothes-horses should have broad substantial
feet, so that they may not be easily overset.
In summer the perfect drying of the ironed white clothes
may be completed by hanging them out in the sun.
· There should be large tubs for soaking the uncoloured
clothes over night. In soaking coarse heavy clothes, mix two
quarts of lye in the water of a large tub.
You should have a long round hickory stick, somewhat flat-
tened at one end, to stir the clothes while boiling—and a long
stout hickory fork, with which to lift them out of the hot water
without scalding your hands.
Either the oval tin cups that hook on to the edge of the tub,
or small wooden or earthen bowls, should be provided for each
of the washers to put their soap in; it will waste greatly if
they keep it all the time in the tub, and if they lay it beside
them on the sloppy bench it will be continually slipping
down.
The indigo bag for blueing the rinsing water should be
made of new white flannel. The usual form is square, sewed
all round at the edges, leaving a small opening at the top to
put in the indigo; which opening must always be sewed up
after replenishing the bag with a fresh supply. When you
use it, hold the bag in the water, pressing it with your fingers


THE LAUNDRY.
11
till you have squeezed out sufficient blue to give a very light
tinge. Then paddle your hand through the water to diffuse
the colour equally.
Have large strong bags to put the dirty clothes in as
you take them off. The bags should be of substantial brown
Jinen, or else of ticking, with a string of strong tape sewed
to the side-seam a little below the hem at the top. If the
clothes are left lying loose in the bottom of a closet (as is
the custom in many houses,) they may be injured by the nib-
bling of mice or of cockroaches. Let there be a separate
bag for the small muslins, &c.
In the laundry closet should be kept all the articles neces-
sary for washing and ironing. Among them, a black bottle
containing ox-gall, which will be found most useful for co-
loured things, as it will greatly add to the clearness of their
colours. A gall can be procured from the butcher for a trifle,
(generally six cents,) and no house should be without it. It
should be poured through a funnel into the bottle, and kept
closely corked. During the process of drying, the air will
entirely dispel the odour of the gall: but, if you choose, you
may scent it in the bottle by adding a little tincture of musk.
A large brass or copper kettle is an indispensable article for a
laundry; as an iron pot will stain the clothes. Where there is a
great deal of washing, two kettles will be found very convenient.
· For a laundry, a large fire-place is better than a stove, as the
latter will make the room intolerably hot in the summer. In
English wash-houses there is always a great copper kettle set
in brick and mortar, with a place for fire underneath. This is
a good contrivance, and saves the trouble of lifting the large
kettle on and off: and of course precludes any danger of its
oversetting. We are glad to find that this apparatus is coming
into use in America.


12
THE HOUSE BOOK.
Ironing tables should at least be large enough for two persons
to iron on at a time, and should stand facing the light, that the
women may see perfectly what they are about. There is a
very convenient ironing-board, which, when not in use, turns
up, and forms a high back to a bench or settle : which bench
should have a drawer beneath it large enough to contain the
blanket, sheet, holders, &c.
The best iron-stands are those with feet and handles. If a
mere ring, they are likely to scorch the blanket, and to burn
the fingers in removing them.
Holders should be made of square folds of clean old flannel,
covered with calico and sewed at the edges. They should on
no account be stuffed or interlined with wadding or cotton, as
these substances, being very inflammable, will cause the holders
to blaze up in a moment, if a spark should touch them in taking
the iron from the fire.
Old soft towels, or pieces of old sheets or table-cloths, make
excellent iron-wipers. They should be kept entirely free from
grease or wet, and never used for any purpose but the proper
one.
The ironing blanket should be large, smooth, and thick, as
well as the sheet that is to be spread over it when used. There
must not, in either, be any holes or patches, as those defects
will cause the surface to be uneven, and prevent the clothes
from ironing smoothly.
Bits of bees-wax should be kept at hand to rub (for an instant)
over the irons as they are taken from the fire, to remove any
smoke or roughness that may adhere to them.
It is well to have a strong bag always hanging in the laundry
to contain the bees-wax, indigo bag, bits of spermaceti, and
other little things belonging to washing and ironing.
There should be regular white cotton cloth kept exclusively


LAUNDRY WORK.
for the purpose of straining starch: always washing it out and
drying it before it is put away.
· A mangling machine, for the purpose of smoothing table and
bed linen and various other things, will be found well worth its
cost, in saving the time and trouble of ironing these articles,
and in the superiority which it gives to their appearance.
Skirt-boards are very convenient for ironing the skirts of
dresses. Also bosom-boards for shirts.
When the washing is over for the day, the tubs, buckets, &c.,
should be make clean and turned up to dry; all the articles
used should be put away in their proper places, and the floor
wiped up with a mop or cloth.
Tubs, buckets, barrels, churns, and other utensils of cooper-
work, should never be left out of doors when empty: as the
sun and air will contract the wood and open the seams, causing
the vessel to leak.
All these things will last much longer if painted on the out-
side.
In Philadelphia it is very customary for families, as well as
single persons, to put out their washing. There are many
excellent washerwomen who take it by the month or quarter, at
a very reasonable price; and if the washing only is put out,
and the clothes brought rough-dried to be ironed at home, the
expense will be found scarcely, if at all, to exceed that of hav-
ing it done in your own house; and you are relieved from the
trouble and inconvenience of a washing-day.
TO MAKE LYE.-For this purpose hickory ashes is the
best: but good oak ashes will do very well. Ashes of anthra-
cite coal cannot be used for lye.
For very fine lye of moderate strength, the ashes must be
sifted or riddled through a strong wire sieve, to free it from bits


14
THE HOUSE BOOK.
of cinder. To two quarts of hickory ashes, or three quarts of
oak, allow a gallon of soft water. Boil the water by itself;
and then, when scalding hot, pour it on the ashes ; let it stand
till quite cold. Afterwards, strain the lye through a clean
coarse cloth into another vessel. It should be quite clear.
Another way of making lợe is to put into a kettle two quarts
of hickory or three quarts of oak ashes. Pour on four quarts
of cold soft water; boil it; and when it comes to a hard boil,
take it off the fire, and put it aside to settle. Then pour it from
the dregs or sédiment through a clean coarse cloth, and
strain it.
In boiling white clothes, put a large tea-cupful of clear lye
into the wash-kettle. This is the proper proportion to two
buckets of water.
· In washing black worsted clothes, such as bombazines,
bombazets, black merinos, &c., put a tea-cupful of lye into the
first water. It will make the black colour look bright and fresh.
Lye will set the colour of new nankeen. Before it is made
up, thë nankeen should be soaked all night in a tub of clear
lye, moderately strong. If the nankeen is of real Chinese
manufacture, and not the imitation that is made in Europe, soak-
ing it in lye before it is cut out, will prevent it from fading ever
after.
TO KEEP SOAP-FAT FROM MOULDING.- When
you have collected a large quantity of kitchen fat, you may
prevent it from spoiling in the crocks, and have it ready at any
time for soap, by making a weak lye on purpose, and boiling
the fat in it till it is thoroughly melted. The fat will rise to
the top of the kettle. Set it away in the kettle to cool. When
quite cold, you may take it off in a round cake. Wrap the
cake closely in clean brown paper, (so as entirely to exclude


LAUNDRY WORK
the air,) and keep it in a dry place. This is an excellent way
of preserving the fat through the summer, to be made into soap
in the autumn.
ANOTHER WAY.-Some good housewives who keep a
perpetual lye-barrel, keep also a covered tub half-filled with
lye, into which they throw, every day, whatever kitchen fat is
proper for soap making. This will effectually preserve it from
moulding, till you wish to use it for soap. An old meat-tub
will answer very well for this purpose. It must be kept covered.
TO MAKE SOFT SOAP.-Soft soap is a most useful
article in washing heavy clothes, and in scrubbing floors.
When using it, keep it beside you in a tin pan. It can easily
be made in any house where wood is burned, though in cities
it is the usual custom to exchange fat and ashes for hard soap.
You should keep in the cellar large earthen crocks as recep
tacles for all the grease and fat that comes from the kitchen,
such as bits of the fat of meat, bacon skins, drippings, &c.
The fat of beef and pork makes the best soap. The crockş
should have tin or wooden covers. There should be a separatę
place in the cellar for the wood ashes, and great care is neces.
sary in putting it away, to see that there are no bits of hot coal
among it; as houses have taken fire from a neglect of thiş
precaution. For making soạp, the ashes should be as fresh
and new as possible; and of good oak, with a small mixture
of hickory: for instance, one-fourth. It can be made, however,
though not quite so good, with oak ashes only. I
You must have an ash-tub or barrel, which should be tall
and high: but is best of a funnel shape, narrowing down
towards the bottom; and in the bottom should be a hole not
larger in diameter than a half dollar. The ash-tub should stand


16
THE HOUSE BOOK.
on wooden skids or legs, high enough to admit a large common
tub underneath. Lay several bricks inside the bottom round
the hole. The bricks are for the purpose of keeping up the
ashes. Then cover both bricks and hole with a layer of straw,
through which the lye is to filter. Then fill the barrel with
five or six bushels of ashes packed down hard, (but not quite
full to the top,) and set a large clean tub underneath. Pour in
sufficient boiling water (about two or three buckets full) to
moisten the ashes throughout; as beginning with hot water is
a very quickening process in making the lye. It will be a great
improvement to mix with the boiling water about two gallons
of slacked lime, or one of unslacked. Then pour in a gallon
or more of cold water, about once an hour for a whole day. .
Next day try the lye that has dripped into the tub beneath.
The first will be very strong, but it will gradually become
weaker. The proper strength for beginning the soap is when an
egg placed in the lye-tub will continue at the top with only about
the size of a ten cent piece appearing above the surface of the
lye. If nearly the whole egg, or indeed the half of it keeps
above, the lye is too strong. If the egg sinks entirely below
the surface, the lye is quite too weak. If you find it impos-
sible otherwise to get the lye of sufficient strength, you must
empty out all the ashes, fill the barrel afresh, and go through
the whole process again, as weak lye will never make soap.
When you find that the lye is of the proper quality, take
away the tub, and place another one under the barrel to catch
the weaker drippings, which you must keep to fill up the soap-
pot when necessary.
To begin the soap ;-allow about three pounds of fat to a
bucket of lye. Put the fat by itself into a very large kettle
over a hot fire, and melt it; stirring it well with a round stick
flattened at one end. When the fat has all melted, pour in the


LAUNDRY WORK.
strong lye by degrees; stirring it well, (and always one way,)
till the fat and the lye are thoroughly incorporated. Then
moderate the fire, and boil it slowly and steadily all day, till
it becomes thick and ropy, stirring it occasionally. A piece
of lime thrown in while boiling, will improve it. If it boils
too hard, it will go over. If not boiled enough, the soap will
turn again to lye. If, in boiling, the fat disappears entirely
from the top, add more fat, as there should be some indication
of it on the surface. If there should happen to be too much
fat, it can be skimmed off when the soap is cold. As it boils,
continue to fill it up with lyę till the soap becomes of a proper
consistence. If the lye is too strong, it will not unite with it,
Try the soap by occasionally taking out some in a dish or
ladle, and setting it in the open air. It should be of a bright
brown colour, and clear, and thick as a jelly when cold.
When done, pour it off into tubs or buckets, and carry it
into the cellar to cool. When cold, empty it into a barrel :
keep it in a dry place, and stir it frequently with a long stick
during the first three or four days. It will then be fit for use.
You should make your soap in the spring or autumn. If good
it will keep more than a year.
If you intend to make two kettles full of soap, divide thọ
strong lye and reserve one half for the second kettle.
COMMON HARD SOAP.-Having made from hickory
ashes, or the best oak, a sufficient quantity of lye, which must
be strong enough to bear up an egg, allow to each gallon three-
quarters of a pound of clean kitchen fat of the best kind, (that
has been clarified by melting it with water,) and a bit of lime
the size of a large hickory nut. Put it into a large kettle, boi?
it very fast, and stir it frequently. It must boil hard for several
hours. Try it by taking out a little and cooling it on a plate:


18
THE HOUSE BOOK.
When you find that it becomes a thick jelly, and no grease
appears about it, stir fine salt into the kettle, allowing a pint
of salt to three gallons of the soap. Let it boil for ten minutes
after the salt is in. Then take it out of the kettle and put the
soap in tubs to cool, and wash the kettle clean. Next day cut
the soap out of the tubs, and melt it again, and cool it in wooden
moulds, if you have them. When it is firm, cut it into square
pieces, of convenient size for washing, and place it on shelves
to harden, not allowing the pieces to touch each other.
The best kitchen fat for soap is that of beef and pork or
bacon. Should any pork or bacon skins be among it, you must
allow a pound of fat to each gallon of lye.
If, in trying it in the plate, before putting in the salt, you find
the soap too liquid, add a little water to that on the plate, for
the purpose of making it jelly. You will then be able to
ascertain how much cold water must be added to that in the
kettle for the same purpose ; it being evident that the lye is too
strong. This must be done before the salt is put in.
· A larger quantity of lime, put in while boiling, will make
the soap still harder.
You may harden it also, by adding, while the soap is boil-
ing, a little sulphate of iron. This will give it a marbled or
mottled appearance.
· FINE HARD SOAP.-Take fifteen pounds of the best
lard, or of clean fresh suet. Put it into a large kettle, hang it
over a moderate fire, and make it boil. Have ready a quantity
of excellent clear lye, five gallons of which must be strong
enough to bear up an egg. Add with a ladle, a very little at a
time of this lye to the fat in the kettle, and put it in slowly
for a while at first; otherwise, it will instantly cause the fat to
rise up so high as to overflow, and perhaps endanger the person


LAUNDRY WORK.
19
that is making the soap. When this tendency to effervesce
seems to diminish, the lye may be poured in by larger quanti-
ties. Keep the kettle boiling thus (and well skimmed) till all
the five gallons of strong lye have been put in. Then add
another gallon of lye, weakened by an equal quantity of water.
The whole will then have the appearance of liquid soap. Then
try a small quantity by putting it into cold water, and if no
particles of grease appear on the top, it will be in a fit state to
receive the salt which is to harden it. If you see any grease,
add some more lye, and give it another boil up. When you
find it in proper order, stir in gradually three quarts of fine salt.
Then try the soap by taking out a small portion, and setting it
to cool. If it does not seem/sufficiently stiff, or likely to harden
well, add another quart of salt, and give it another boil up.
The soap will now be all towards the top of the kettle, and
the lye beneath it at the bottom. Skim off the soap, taking
care not to stir it so as to mix in the lye through it. Put it
into square pans or moulds, and set it away to harden thoroughly.
The lye that remains at the bottom of the kettle should be
saved for washing coarse clothes.
· When your soap has become quite hard, take it out of the
moulds or pans and lay it on boards to dry thoroughly. The
above quantity of ingredients will, if properly managed,
produce thirty-five pounds of firm, close, fipe soap.
If your lard or suet is not of the very best quality, take it off
after it is all melted, strain it, and return it to the kettle, before
you begin to put in the lye. .
To perfume it, take a portion and melt it over again, first
cutting it into small pieces. Then, while liquid, beat it in a
mortar with tincture of musk, oil of bergamot, oil of almonds,
palm oil, or any other essential oil that has a fine scent, and is
not so pungent as to irritate the skin. Then, when it is


20
THE HOUSE BOOK.
thoroughly imbued with the perfume, put it into small square
tin moulds, and set it in a cold place to harden.
STARCH OF HOME MANUFACTURE.-Take a peck
of unground wheat of the best quality; pick and wash it care-
fully. Next put it into a tub; pour on sufficient clear soft
water to cover it, and then set it in the sun. . Be sure to
change the water every day: keeping it in the sun as much as
possible, or in an equally warm place in the house, should the
weather prove unfavourable. When all the grains of wheat
have become quite soft, rub it well in your hands, and separate
it from the husks, which must be thrown into another tub.
Let the soft wheat settle into a mass; and then pour off the
water, and put on fresh. Stir it well, and let it settle again.
Repeat this every day, till the last water comes off clear and
colourless. Then pour the water finally off. Take the starch
out of the tub, collect it into a thin bag, and hang it for a few
days in the sun; after which, spread it on dishes to dry.
TO PREPARE COMMON STARCH.-Put a sufficient
quantity of dry starch (for instance from two to three table-
spoonfuls) into a bowl, and mix it gradually with just enough
of clear cold water to make it a thin paste, pressing out all
the lumps with the back of the spoon till you get it perfectly
smooth. Then pour it into a clean pipkin or skillet. Have
ready a kettle of boiling water, and by degrees add some of it
to the starch, stirring it well. You may allow from a pint to
a quart of the hot water, according as you wish to have the
starch thick, thin, or moderate. Set it on hot coals, and boil
it well for half an hour. If not well boiled, it will not be
glutinous. When it has boiled about fifteen minutes, stir it a
few times (merely for a moment each) with the end of a sper-


LAUNDRY WORK.
maceti candle. This will prevent its being sticky; but take
care not to stir it too much. If you have no spermaceti, sprin-
kle in a little salt, (about a tea-spoonful to a pint of starch,)
which will answer a similar purpose, or throw in a lump of
loaf sugar. Finish by stirring it hard with a spoon.
· Strain the starch through a white cloth into a large pan, and
squeeze into it a very little blue from the indigo bag; but it
must be but a very little.
For common coloured dresses you may make the starch with
fine flour mixed as above.
GUM ARABIC STARCH.-Get two ounces of fine white
gum arabic, and pound it to powder. Next put it into a
pitcher, and pour on it a pint or more of boiling water, (ac-
cording to the degree of strength you desire,) and then, hav-
ing covered it, let it set all night. In the morning, pour it
carefully from the dregs into a clean bottle, cork it, and keep
it for use.
· A table-spoonful of gum water stirred into a pint of starch
that has been made in the usual manner, will give to lawns
(either white or painted) a look of newness to which nothing
else can restore them after washing.
It is also good (much diluted) for thin white muslin and
bobbinet.
COFFEE STARCH.-This is excellent for mourning
chintzes, or for any thing that is very dark; the common
starch giving a whitish, ashy, or dusty appearance to these ar-
ticles. Make, in the usual manner, a tea-cupful of strong
coffee; mix it with an equal quantity of cold water, and then
boil it. In the mean time, mix two table-spoonfuls of the
finest dry starch with enough of cold water to make it a


22
. THE HOUSE BOOK.
smooth paste. There must both together be a pint, when
the starch paste is added to the diluted coffee. When the cof-
fee is boiling hard, put in the starch gradually, and stir it well.
After it is all in, let it boil well for ten or fifteen minutes, and
give it a stir with a spermaceti candle. Put it into an earthen
pan, and when cool run the dress through it, squeezing it well.
GLUE STIFFENING.–This is used for dark chintzes or
calicoes. Take a piece of glue about the size of the palm of
your hand; break it up, and put it into a vessel, with from
three quarts to a gallon of soft water. Set it on the fire, and
let it boil till the glue is entirely dissolved. Then take it off,
pour it into a large pan, and when it is of a lukewarm heat
(not cooler) it is fit for use. Put the dress into it, and work
it about till it has thoroughly taken the glue water. Then
squeeze it well, open it out, and dry it as fast as possible.
Afterwards, sprinkle, roll it up, and iron it.
WASHING WHITE CLOTHES.—The white clothes
are always to be washed first. They will wash the easier if
put to soak the preceding night in large tubs with a mixture
of lye and milk-warm water; allowing a pint of lye to three
buckets of water. Stockings particularly should always be
put in soak. Early in the morning, heat a sufficiency of water
for what is called firsting and seconding the clothes. When
put into the tubs, dilute with enough of cold water to make it
just warm enough to bear your band in—if too hot it will
rather set the dirt into the clothes than take it out. For linen,
muslin, &c., do not make a lather with the soap before you
put in the clothes, but rub the soap on the article as you pro-
ceed; taking the most pains with the dirtiest places. Have
ready beside you a second tub with warm water, and throw


WASHING.
into it the things, one by one, as you wash them out of the
first. Or when two women are washing together, let one
take the first water, and the other the second.
There should be on the fire a large brass or copper kettle
filled with water for boiling the clothes, and they will look
whiter and better if you mix with the water in the kettle a
tea-cup full of strong clear lye. After washing them well
through the first and second warm waters, put the bed-linen,
table-linen, and white towels into the kettle, and take them out
as soon as they come to a hard boil; or boil them slowly half
an hour—a longer boiling will injure them. Stir them fre-
quently with the long round hickory stick kept for the pur-
pose. The shirts, chemises, night-gowns, handkerchiefs and
other muslins must not be boiled, but scalded by putting them
into a clean tub and pouring hot water upon them; for instance,
from a larger kettle with a spout. No coloured clothes should
ever be boiled or scalded, as it will destroy the colour; neither
should white things with coloured borders.
In boiling clothes, see that there is all the time plenty of
water in the kettle. If the water gets too low, the clothes
will scorch or burn.
When the things have boiled properly, take them out,
put them into a tub of cold water, and wash them through it
without soap-—and then throw them into another tub of cold
water and rinse them well. Lastly, rinse them in a tub of
cold water tinged with a little blue by squeezing into it the
indigo bag. The things that have been scalded must also be
put through three cold waters, the last one slightly blued.
In taking them out of every water the clothes should be
wrung hard. After rinsing in the blue water, hang them on
the lines to dry in the sun, securing them with the clothes pegs.
Let them all be brought in at the close of the afternoon, if


24
THE HOUSE BOOK.
not before ; as after sunset they will dry no more. If still not
dry, spread them out on the wooden clothes-horses, or hang
them on lines in a garret, back kitchen, or in any convenient
room, if you have not a laundry.
-
WASHING WITH SODA.-This method can only be
pursued with white clothes, (that is, linen and cotton :) it is
injurious to woollen, and to coloured articles of every de-
scription. If done with great care, it answers very well for
bed-linen, table-linen, &c., making them white and clean
without the labour of rubbing, except in a few places that may
be particularly soiled. The things to be washed must all
be laid in soak the night before, in cold soft water. Early in
the morning, put into the wash-kettle, a mixture in the pro-
portion of six gallons of soft water, a pound of hard soap cut
into small pieces, (or a pint and a half of soft soap,) and two
ounces of sub-carbonate of soda, which can be obtained at the
druggist's for a trifle. Hang the kettle over the fire, and make
it boil. In the mean time, lift the clothes out of the soaking
tubs with the clothes-stick, and rub a little soap on those parts
that are unusually dirty. When the mixture in the kettle is
at boiling heat, put in the clothes, and boil them one hour: (not
more.) Then take them out with the clothes-stick and drain
them, by laying them across an old clothes-basket turned
bottom upwards in a large tub. See that they are thoroughly
drained; then rinse and wring them through a tub of warm
water; and, lastly, through a tub of cold water tinged with
blue from the indigo bag. Wring them well, and hang them
out to dry.
Care must be taken not to have more than the proper pro-
portion of soda, (two ounces to five gallons of water,) and that
it is the precise article required-sub-carbonate of soda. In


WASHING.
25
,
sending for it to the druggist's, it is well always to write its
exact name on a slip of paper. Also, the clothes must not
boil too long, and they must be thoroughly drained and rinsed.
Some washerwomen and servants are in the habit of putting
in more than the allotted quantity of soda, thinking to increase
the whiteness of the clothes in a shorter time: but too much
soda has the effect of making them what is called tender, and
causing them very soon to slit and drop to pieces. This prac-
tice (together with the long boiling) has excited much prejų-
dice against the use of soda in washing; and it is an abuse
that it is difficult to guard against, when the washing is not
done under your own immediate inspection. Nevertheless, if
you are careful not to put in more than the due proportion, the
soda will be found to lighten the labour of the washers. .
Such, however, is the care and exactness required in wash-
ing with soda, and so injurious its effects when used impro-
perly, that we think it should only be intrusted to persons
who are themselves particularly interested in the preservation
of the clothes. If you have not perfect confidence in your
washerwomen or servants, it is safest to have your whitę
clothes made clean in the usual manner, by washing through
two warm lathers, and boiling them afterwards but a very short
time.
TO WHITEN CLOTHES.–After they are well washed,
spread them in the sun on the grass for two or three days;
bringing them in after the sun declines, lest they should be
mildewed by the evening damp...
L EIF
Small muslins should always be laid on the grass to whiten
after washing, except in winter; and then they should be
pinned to towels, and hung on a line exposed to the sun. )


26
THE HOUSE BOOK.
TO BLEACH A FADED DRESS.- If you find that à
coloured muslin or chintz with a white ground has faded very
much in washing, you may discharge the colour entirely, and
wear it as a white dress, provided it has not been sewed with
coloured silk. For this purpose, having first well washed it in
hot suds, boil it till the colour seems to be gone; then wash it out
of the boil, rinse it, and dry it in the sun. Then, if not quite
white, lay it on the grass where the sun is very hot, and bleach
it for several days. If still not quite white, repeat the boiling.
SPRINKLING AND FOLDING.–When your clothes
are quite dry, and you have brought them to the house in the
baskets, spread them one at a time on a large clean table or iron-
ing-board, and sprinkle them well by dipping your hand in a
pan of clean cold water. Then pull and stretch them, and fold
or roll them tightly. Put the small muslins all together, and
roll round them a large clean towel.
In folding shirts, turn inwards the collars, bosoms, and
wristbands; rolling up the shirt tightly, with the back
outside.
Dresses must be folded with the bodies and sleeves inside.
The collars of loose gowns should be turned inwards; also the
rufiles or trimming of pantalets.
· IRONING.- If you have not a laundry-room separate from
the kitchen, it is best on ironing days to arrange the dinner
so as to have nothing to roast before the fire; as unless the fire-
place is extremely large, ironing and roasting cannot go on
together, on the same hearth, without inconvenience.
For ironing, have a clean well-swept hearth, and a large,
clear, broad fire, with plenty of bright hot coals, as they heat


. IRONING...
97
!
the irons much better than a blaze. Chunks of wood will
blacken and smoke the irons.
Your ironing table should be large, and used only for that
purpose, or for sprinkling and folding clothes. At least no
greasy work should be done on it; but if that is unavoidable,
it should be well scoured afterwards. It should have a com-
modious drawer or drawers for the blanket and the sheet, the
wipers, holders, iron-stands, bees-wax, &c. It is well to have
always at hand a piece of bees-wax or the end of a spermaceti
candle. This if rubbed on the iron the moment it is taken from
the fire, and wiped off instantly, will add greatly to its smooth-
ness. If you find that the iron scorches or burns the wiper, it
will also scorch the clothes : therefore stand it aside on a cool
part of the hearth, or set it out of doors on the brick pavement,
and try another iron while it is cooling. The thinner the
article that is to be ironed, the less heat it will require.
For every person occupied in ironing, there should be an
allowance of three irons at least. If one person is ironing
alone, there should be four irons. It is a loss of time to wait
idly for want of an iron that may be hot enough or cool enough;
which must always be the case if the number in use is too
scanty.
There should be a large clothes-horse at hand, on which to
hang the things as they come from the ironing table, that all
dampness may be thoroughly dried out of them, before they
are put away. For laces, muslins, and other very slight things
that dry completely in the process of ironing, you should have
a broad basket and lay them lightly in it, as you finish them.
In summer, sheets and table-cloths may after ironing be hung
out on the clothes-line in the hot sun; turning them often.
Before using an iron for lace or thin muslin, smooth over
with it one or two kitchen towels, or some other small thick


28
THE HOUSE BOOK.
article. Be careful in ironing lace, ribbons, or any long nar-
row strips, not to stretch them crooked, but do them slowly,
straight, and evenly; and with the point of the iron press out
'every scollop separately. Always iron lace and needle-work
on the wrong side. In ironing collars, do them first length-
ways, and then crossways—and take care not to stretch one
half of the collar larger than the other. Pleated frills never
look so well as when the pleats are laid down with the fingers ;
and skill in pleating is only to be acquired by practice. Care
should be taken to make all the pleats exactly of the same size
and perfectly straight. Crooked, uneven, or slanting pleats look
very badly. A ruffle with a very narrow hem pleats much
more easily than one with a broad hem. On a small frill,
crimping the edge with a straight knife may be substituted for
pleating.
In ironing a night-cap, do the crown first, and then the bor-
der; lastly, the strings and bands.
* Ribbons and silks should be smoothed with an iron just
warm enough to press out the creases. A hot iron will change
the colour. Green ribbons always change in ironing: blues
and pinks become darker. Silks should be sprinkled, folded,
and rolled up tightly an hour or more before they are ironed.
They should always be done on the wrong side where prac-
ticable. S i
Sheets and table-cloths should be ironed double, with a large
iron pressed on them hard and heavily.
All coloured things must be done with an iron rather cooler
than for white clothes, as too great heat will injure the colours.
Iron them always on the wrong side, wherever the manner in
which they are made will allow it.
: When about to iron a frock or gown, if you have not ample
space on the table, sét a chair in a convenient place to receive


IRONING.
29
the sleeves or any part that may hang down, so as not to let
them touch the floor. Begin at the body: next do the sleeves ;
and then the skirt, commencing at the top or upper part. A
skirt-board is an excellent thing. It should be made wide at
the bottom, narrowing gradually towards the top. It can be
obtained from the stores where wooden ware is sold; or a car-
penter can be directed to make one. Cover it first with blan-
keting and then with sheeting, both sewed tightly and smoothly
over it. This board is to slip into the skirt of the dress, which
may thus be ironed without a crease. Puffings or gatherings
in the sleeves should be folded or creased in half, along the
middle, and ironed out like a flounce or ruffle.
In ironing petticoats, double them from the two sides, and
not behind and before; as that will make a fold down the front
which will stand out awkwardly when on.
When you iron a shirt, begin at the bosom; then do the
collar, then the sleeves, and lastly the back. A small board,
on a similar plan to that recommended for the skirts of dresses,
will be found very useful to slip under the bosoms of shirts
when ironing them.
Whenever you begin a thing, iron it as fast as you can, (pro- .
viding always that you do it carefully,) and avoid quitting the
table while the article you are doing is unfinished; for if you
leave it, there is danger of its becoming so dry that it will be
impossible afterwards to iron it smoothly. .
· You may heat a few irons in the oven of a close stove; on
a footman or iron shelf hooked on in front of a coal-grate ; or
by setting them on the bars of a charcoal furnace.
FLUTING WITH A PATENT ITALIAN IRON.-
This looks very well for any frilling or ruffling that is not of
worked muslin or lace, and it keeps in place much longer than


30
THE HOUSE BOOK.
pleating, resisting even damp weather. It cannot, however
be done well if the frill is more than half a finger deep. A
patent iron costs but a trifle, and will be found very useful for
fluting the ruffles of gingham, chintz, or painted muslin
dresses and pelerines. These irons are fixed to a stand, and
have smooth tubes diminishing towards one end which is close,
and open at the other to admit the heater. There are always
two heaters; they have long handles and somewhat resemble
a poker. While you are using one, the other is heated by put-
ting the thick end into the fire till it becomes nearly red-hot.
It is then slipped into the hollow tube, over which you stretch
the frill, a little at a time, holding it tightly with both hands
between the thumb and finger, and as you go along pinching
it down at the sides close against the iron, taking care to keep
it quite straight. The gathered part of the frill must go upon
the point of the iron. .
: When ruffles are to be fluted, they must first be starched and
dried, and then sprinkled very damp.
Take care to have one of the heaters always in the fire, so
that it may be hot by the time the other has become too cool
for use. If too hot, the tube will scorch the frill, and burn
your fingers.
TO IRON VELVET.-Having ripped the velvet apart,
take each piece separately, and holding it tightly in both
hands, stretch it round a warm, stove-pipe, the wrong-side of
the velvet against the iron. This will remove the creases,
and give the surface of the material a fresh and new appear-
ance. Velvet cannot be ironed on a table, as when spread out
on a hard substance the iron will not go smoothly over the
pile or shag.
6 Another way, is to heat a smoothing iron, and then to cover


• WASHING.
it with a wet cloth and hold it under the velvet-passing it to
and fro beneath. For this process, the velvet must be stretched
over a vacant space between two tables, and well secured to
each, by weights or something that will keep it fast. The va-
pour arising from the heated iron and the wet cloth, will raise
the pile of the velvet, while, at the same time, another person
brushes it up with a whisk.
Velvet has greatly the advantage of all other silk fabrics in
the facility with which it can be joined, or sewed together
without leaving any external appearance of the seam.
TO IRON SILK.-Silk cannot be ironed smoothly so as
to press out all the creases, without first sprinkling it with
water and rolling it up tightly in a towel-letting it rest for an
hour or two. If the iron is the least too hot it will injure
the colour, and it should first be tried on an old piece of the
same silk.
Bright coloured silks or ribbons, such as pinks, blues, yel-
lows, greens, &c., always change colour on the application of
an iron. Blacks, browns, olives, grays, &c. generally look
very well after ironing.
Silks should always be ironed on the wrong side.
.
TO SHRINK NEW FLANNEL.-New flannel should
always be shrunk or washed before it is made up, that it may
be cut out more accurately, and that the grease which is used
in manufacturing it may be extracted. First, cut off the list
along the selvage edges of the whole piece. Then put it into
warm (but not boiling) water, without soap. Begin at one end
of the piece, and rub it with both hands till you come to the
other end. This is to get out the grease, and the blue with
which new white flannel is always tinged. Then do the same


32
THE HOUSE BOOK.
through another water. Rinse it through a clean lukewarm
water; wring it lengthways, and stretch it well. In hanging,
it out on a line do not suspend it in festoons, but spread it along,
the line straight and lengthways. If dried in festoons, the
edges will be in great scollops, making it very difficult to
cut out. It must be dried in the sun. When dry, let it be
stretched even, clapped with the hands, and rolled up tight and
smoothly, till wanted.
ANOTHER WAY.—If the flannel is intended for petticoats,
cut it at once into the requisite number of breadths, as it can
then be shrunk with much more convenience than when in one
long piece. For other flannel articles of dress, it is well, before
shrinking, to divide it into as many straight pieces as the thing
to be made will allow. .
Lay the flannel all night in a tub of cold soft water. In the
morning, pour off the whole of the water, and drain but do not
wring the flannel. Make a light suds, of water quite warm,
(but not hot,) and of white soap or whitish Castile. Wash
the flannel thoroughly through this suds, and wring it out
as dry as possible. Then having shaken it, stretched it, and
folded it smoothly down on a clean table to make it straight
and even, hang it out immediately. When about half dry, go
to it, stretch, shake, and turn it. Take it in while it is still
damp, fold it smooth, cover it with a clean towel, and after it
has lain half an hour, iron it with a rather cool iron.
We consider this the best way of shrinking new flannel.:
TO WASH FLANNEL.– Flannel should always be
washed with white soap: otherwise, it will neither look well
nor feel soft. The water must be warm but not boiling, as it
shrinks flannel to scald it. Wash it in clean water, and


.: WASHING.”
.
entirely by itself. Rub the soap to a strong lather in the water,
before the flannel is put in; for if the soap is rubbed on the
flannel itself, it will become hard and stiff. Wash it in this
manner through two warm waters, with a strong lather in each.
Rinse it in another warm water, with just sufficient soap in it
to give the water a slight whitish appearance. To this rinsing
water you must add a little blue from the indigo bag. Cold
rinsing water is found to harden the flannel. When you have
rinsed it thoroughly, wring it hard, shake it well, and spread
it out on the clothes-line. While drying, shake, stretch, and
turn it several times. It should dry slowly.
Flannel always washed precisely in this manner, will look
white and feel soft as long as it lasts, retaining a new appear-
ance and scarcely shrinking at all. But if once badly washed
with scalding water, rubbed with brown soap, and rinsed in
cold water, it will never again look well. .
If you are willing to take the trouble, flannel washed ac-
cording to the above receipt, will look beautifully if put into à
dry clean sheet or towel while it is wrung, and afterwards
(while drying) held between two persons and shook all the
time. This may be worth while for very fine new flannel, or
such as is worn by infants. It is often practised in the south,
where servants are numerous.
WOOLLEN STOCKINGS.-These are to be done as fast
as possible, and washed precisely in the same manner as flannel.
It is best to dry them on the boards made for the purpose in
the shape of legs and feet, over which the stockings are to be
stretched to keep them from shrinking. The boards are to be
hung up by a string to the clothes line. If you have no boards,
stretch and pull the stockings when half dry.


THE HOUSE BOOK.
BLACK WORSTED STOCKINGS. These should
always be washed before they are worn. Lay them all night
to soak in cold water. Wash them next day by themselves,
through two waters, warm, but not hot, the soap being previ-
ously rubbed into the water so as to form a lather before the
stockings are put in; and mixing with the first water a table-
spoonful of gall. Then rinse them, first in lukewarm water,
and then in several different cold waters, till the dye ceases to
come out, and the last water is colourless. Stretch them, and
hang them out immediately in the air, to dry as fast as possible.
Then iron them on the wrong side.
Any dark-coloured worsted stockings may be washed in this
manner. When you hang them out, it is well always to stretch
them on drying boards. : :
WOOLLEN YARN.—After the yarn is spun, whether
white, gray, or coloured, it should be well washed to get out
all the grease that may remain in the wool. It must be done
in soft water, made warm but not hot; allowing to each bucket
of water, a large tea-cupful of lye. Use no soap; but wash
the yarn through two warm waters with lye in each. Next
rinse it through several cold waters, till the last comes off quite
clean; and then spread it out to dry, as open as possible..
All woollen yarn should be washed both before and after
dyeing: the first washing to remove the grease; the second to
prevent the colour from rubbing off.
TO WASH BLANKETS.--The best time for washing
blankets is in the summer, when the days are at the longest.
It is well to commence them early in the morning, that they
may be dry by evening, and they should be done in clear
bright weather. Washing blankets is very laborious work for


w? WASHING. :I
35
:
women, and in the country they are sometimes done by servant
men. In this case, the first suds may be put into a clean bar-
rel, and when the blanket is quite steeped, the man may beat
it with a large wooden beetle. Or if it is in a tub, he may
step in and trample the blanket with his feet. This is a rough
way but a good one.
Blankets should always be washed one at a time; first in
a strong suds; then in weaker suds; and then a third time
through another suds quite weak. Wring them slightly: pull
them as straight and even as you can, and then hang them up
in the sun to drip. If not quite dry at evening, take them
down from the line, fold them, put them into a large basket,
and next day (if the weather is clear) hang them out again.
If the day is damp or cloudy, dry them in the house. Fold
them smoothly, and put them away in a large chest, sprink-
ling tobacco between the folds, or laying bits of camphor
among them.
· TO WASH CLOTH CLOTHES.-In economical fami-
lies it is very customary to have the cloth coats and pantaloons
of the gentlemen converted into jackets and trowsers for little
boys; previous to which it is proper that they should always
be washed.
Brush them well before washing. It is best to rip out the
pockets of the pantaloons, and also the linings of the waist-
bands, lest they should communicate lint to the cloth. Wash
them through two warm lathers of brown soap (soft soap is
best) with a half tea-cupful of lye in the first suds. Do not
wring them; but pull and stretch them well, and roll them up
tight, and press out the water against the washing-board, or
against the side of the tub. Then lay them (rolled up) on a
clean table, and press and squeeze out the remaining suds,


36
THE HOUSE BOOK.
setting a tub underneath to catch the droppings. Afterwards,
rinse them in two light lathers (a little warm) rolling them up
and pressing out the water, as before, after each rinsing,
Wringing in the usual way will cause them to be shrivelled
and streaked. When all the water has been pressed out, stretch
and pull them well, and hang them up by the waistband on a
clothes-line. When perfectly dry, sprinkle them, roll them
very tight in a thick damp towel, and let them lie all night.
Iron them on the wrong side till they are perfectly dry, other-
wise they may still shrivel.
Pantaloons and waistcoats of light cassimere must be washed
in suds of white soap without any lye; and in rinsing them
the lathers should be very light, the last one scarcely tinged
with soap. Iron them on the right side, and place a thin fine
cloth between them and the iron, which must be rather cool
than hot.
TO WASH A WOOLLEN TABLE-COVER.—A bright
windy day is best for this purpose. Having first taken out all
the grease-spots and stains, put the table-cover into a tub with
a clean suds of white soap and clear water, warm, but not hot,
(in which has been mixed about two table-spoonfuls of ox-
gall,) and wash and squeeze it well. Then wash it through
a second lather somewhat weaker, of soap, but without any
gall in it. Afterwards rinse it through a light lukewarm suds,
just tinged with soap. Instead of wringing, (which will shrivel
it,) press out as much of the water as you can with your hands ;
then fold it up in a tight long fold, and roll and press it hard
with both hands on a clean ironing table, having set a tub to
catch the water that drips from it during the process. Roll it
always from you, towards the end of the table. When the
water ceases to come from it, shake and stretch it well; and


WASHING...
dry it as soon as possible; but not by the fire. Go to it fre-
quently while drying, and stretch and shake it. While it is
yet damp, take it in, spread it on an ironing sheet, and iron it
on the wrong side, pressing it hard.
If there is grease on the table-cover, it is best, the day before
washing, to cover all the spots with scraped Wilmington clay
wet to a stiff paste with a little water, repeating the clay till
the grease comes out. Or you may remove them with very
clear spirits of turpentine, put on with a sponge. To the stains,
if there are any, you may apply hartshorn weakened with a
little water.
· A WOOLLEN SHAWL.—This may be done precisely
according to the above receipt, taking care to pull and stretch
the fringe well, while drying. After ironing, the appearance
of the shawl will be improved by folding it smoothly, and
pressing it for a few days between a bed and the sacking.
In buying a plaid or tartan shawl, avoid choosing one that
has any white in it. Even the smallest portion of white (for
instance, two or three threads in the figure) will, by immediately
showing the dust, give the shawl (though almost new) a dirty,
dingy appearance.
· TO WASH COLOURED DRESSES. – Have ready
plenty of clean soft water. It spoils coloured dresses to wash
them in the dirty suds left of white clothes ; though this is a
very common practice with bad washers. The water must be
warm, but by no means hot, lest it injure the colours. Rub
soap enough into the water to make a strong lather before you
put in the chintz, (adding a table-spoonful of ox-gall,) and then
wash it well. For the second water, put it into another soap-
suds, colder and weaker, and wash it through that. Then throw
.


38
THE HOUSE BOOK.
the dress into pure cold water, and rinse out all the soap.
Lastly, put it into a second rinsing water, with a very little
blue from the indigo bag in it, and a tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol
or a handful of salt to set the colours. Wring it well. .
Have ready a large earthen pan filled with weak starch tinged
with a little blue. Painted lawns or muslins will be much
improved by mixing a little gum arabic water with the starch:
for instance, a table-spoonful. Put the dress into it, and run
it through the starch. Then squeeze it out, open it well, clap
it, and hang it immediately out to dry in the shade; taking the
sleeves by the cuffs and pinning them up to the skirt, so as to
spread them wide and cause them to dry the sooner.
If coloured clothes continue wet too long, no precaution can
prevent the colours from running into streaks. This will cer-
tainly happen if they are allowed to lie in the water. They
must always be done as fast as possible, till the whole process
is completed. If the colours are once injured, nothing can re-
store them; but by good management they may always be
preserved, unless in coarse low priced calicoes; and many of
them wash perfectly well.
As soon as the dress is quite dry, take it in; but, unless it is
wanted immediately, do not sprinkle it, lest in lying damp the
colours should be impaired. It should not be sprinkled over
night, if not to be ironed till next day. When perfectly dry,
roll it up in a large clean towel, and put it away by itself till
two or three hours before you iron it.
Chintzes, &c., should always be washed in fine weather :
but if it is intensely cold, it is better to dry them at the fire
than to risk the spoiling of the colours from their freezing in
the open air. But it is still better to defer their washing till
the weather is sufficiently moderate to allow them to be hung
out of doors.


HP WASHING. :?
Take care not to use too much oil of vitriol, lest it corrode the
dress and cause it to drop in holes. If you can procure pyro-
ligneous acid or vinegar of wood, a large spoonful of that may
be used to set the colours without any risk of injury.
In laying by muslin or chintz dresses till next season, let
them be washed and dried, but neither starched nor ironed :
but roll up each dress closely in a linen towel. If put away
dirty or with any starch in them, they will tear or crack when
you do them up again.
Bran water is excellent for washing light calico dresses.
Boil a sufficiency of wheat bran in a large kettle; strain off the
water, and use it for the dress, cooling it to a lukewarm heat
with a little cold water. It will require no soap, and will pre-
vent the colours from running. Wash the dress through two
bran waters. Then rinse it in cold water.
Another way of setting the colours of a dress, is to grate
eight raw potatoes and mix them with a gallon of cold water.
Put a portion of the potato mixture into each of the waters
through which you wash the dress.
Another way, (for a light coloured dress,) is to tie up in two
muslin bags a half-pint of rice, and boil it in two quarts of
water till perfectly soft. Mix the rice water with that which
you use for the dress. Take no soap, but rub on the rice in
the bags, using one for the first, and one for the second water.
· MOURNING CHINTZ, OR VERY DARK CALICO.-
Put into a tub some clear soft water, (warm, but not hot,) and
mix with it a table-spoonful of ox-gall to set the colour.
Then rub in sufficient soap to make a strong lather. Put in
the dress, and having washed it well, wring it out, and prepare
a second tub of clean water, (not so warm as the first,) with
another table-spoonful of ox-gall stirred into it, and a weaker


40
THE HOUSE, Booк.
lather of soap. Wash the dress through this; rinse it well
through two cold waters, (putting into the last a handful of
salt,) and wring it out immediately. No coloured dress must
on any account be left lying in the water, as it will certainly
cause the colours to run into streaks.
· Having wrung the dress out of the rinsing water, starch it
immediately, and then dry it in the shade. By making the
starch with coffee instead of water, you will prevent the whitish
look which is often so disfiguring to dark or mourning chintzes,
after they are washed. You may use for this purpose coffee
that has been left at breakfast. Strain the coffee, and mix the
starch with it in the usual manner, pressing out all the lumps
with the back of the spoon, and making it very smooth. Allow
about a table-spoonful of raw starch to a pint of liquid coffee.
Boil it well, and to prevent stickiness, stir it while boiling with
the end of a spermaceti candle; or, what is still better, boil
with it a lump of spermaceti (about the size of a small chesnut)
broken off from the bottom of a candle.
When the starch has boiled, put it to cool in a large deep
earthen pan, and pass the dress through it; seeing that every
part imbibes the starch thoroughly. Then squeeze out the
dress, open it well, clap it, and hang it to dry in the shade.
When dry, roll it up tightly; but do not sprinkle it, unless you
are going to iron it in two or three hours, as allowing it to
remain damp too long may cause the colours to spread.
It is well not to wash a coloured dress except on a fine day,
when it can be hung out and dried at once. But if it is abso-
lutely necessary to wash one in extremely cold weather, it is
better to dry it by the fire than to hang it out of doors, as freeze
ing will certainly fade the colours.
Coloured things should on no consideration be boiled, scalded,


WASHING.
41
or put into hot water: neither, as we have said, should they be
allowed to remain long in any water.
A tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol, or a table-spoonful of pyro-
ligneous acid, (vinegar of wood,) or a handful of salt mixed
in the last rinsing water, will assist greatly in setting the
colour.
Another way (and a very good one) of stiffening a dark
chintz, is to use glue instead of stareh; allowing a pièce of
glue about as large as the palm of your hand, to three quarts
or a gallon of soft water, according to the degree of stiffness
you desire. Having boiled the glue in the water, till it is en-
tirely dissolved, let it become lukewarm, and then pass the
dress through it, squeezing it well. Then dry it as fast as
possible; and when dry, roll it up tightly, but do not sprinkle
it, unless you intend to iron it in two or three hours.
* In ironing a chintz dress, do the skirt on the wrong side, and
as much of the sleeves as you can conveniently. The body
and some parts of the sleeves cannot be ironed otherwise than
on the right side; but, to prevent their looking glazy, spread a
thin white handkerchief smoothly and evenly between them
and the iron, changing its place as you proceed.
* A MERINO DRESS OR A MOUSSELINE DE LAINE.
:~Take the dress entirely apart, if there are any pleats in it;
as nothing that is made with pleats can either be washed or
ironed to look well. Lest any of them should be lost, tack all
the small pieces together with a needle and thread. Shake and
brush the dress to remove whatever dust may have lodged
within the pleats or gathers. Make a strong lather with white
soap and soft water, (warm, but not hot,) and stir into it a large
table-spoonful of ox-gall. Wash the merino well through this,
and then wring it out. Have ready a second and much lighter
4
*


THE HOUSE BOO K.
suds, made with very little soap, and water not more than
lukewarm; adding a handful of salt, or a small tea-spoonfu]
of oil of vitriol. If the colour of the dress is light, or bright,
or very delicate, the vitriol will be the best. Salt will answer
well enough for a dark or plain coloured merino. Having
washed the dress well through the second suds, wring it
very dry, shake it out, and pull and stretch it straight and
even. It must not be rinsed. Hang it out immediately to
dry, pinning all the pieces carefully to the line. Before it is
quite dry, (when you find it what is called ironing-damp,)
take it in, fold it smoothly without sprinkling, and let it rest
for about a quarter of an hour wrapped in a clean towel.
Then have your irons ready, and iron it on the wrong side, or
the side that is to be the wrong one when the dress is put
together again.
Wash a chaly in the same manner; and a bombazine also,
except that for a black bombazine it is best to put a tea-cupful
of lye in the first suds rather than to use ox-gall.
Dresses that have any wool or worsted should not be under-
taken, unless they can be washed and ironed at once; 'as re-
maining damp will shrink and shrivel them.
Unless the wadding of a merino cloak or pelisse has been
basted between two linings, it will be found scarcely possible
(even with washing) to remove the downy particles of cotton,
that will adhere to the inside when the merino is taken apart
to be turned. Therefore, we recommend always a double
lining; the inner one of something very thin and slight.
A PAINTED MUSLIN DRESS.—Make a lather of white
soap and lukewarm water, and wash the dress carefully through
it. Then rinse it through two cold waters. You may put into


WASHING.
the last a small tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol to set the colours,
or a table-spoonful of pyroligneous acid ; (vinegar of wood.)
Spread the dress well out, and hang it immediately to dry,
but not in the sun.
For the stiffening, pick and wash a pint and a half of rice,
and boil it an hour in a gallon of clear soft water. Then strain
the rice-water into a clean bucket or a deep earthen pan. Pass
the dress well through the rice-water, and then squeeze it as
dry as you can. Do not clap it, but open and stretch it out in
every part as well as possible.
Fix up two lines, at a convenient distance from each other,
(they may be of stout twine or new tape,) and pin the dress
across both lines, so that it may hang spread open between
them. While drying, go to it frequently, pull it both ways,
and stretch it even all over.
Having pulled and stretched it thoroughly, sprinkle it
slightly, and roll it up in a clean towel. Do not let it remain
longer than an hour without ironing.
If there is any thing about it that is to puff out, double the
full part along the middle, and iron it as you would a gathered
ruffle.
A BOOK MUSLIN DRESS.–A dress of book muslin,
if always well done up, will not require frequent washing. In
buying a new one, avoid getting such muslin as has a blueish
cast. It is very unbecoming to every complexion; and never
looks well till after it has been washed. When a good white,
it is best to wear it a few times before it is washed. They
require much care in doing up.
Make a strong suds with white soap and warm water. Put
in the dress, and wash it well; squeezing and pressing rather
than rubbing it; as book muslin tears easily, and, without great


THE HOUSE BOOK.
care, will not last long. Wash it through a second suds, and
then pass it through two rinsing waters; adding a very little
blue to the last. Then open out the dress; and, while wet,
run it through a thin starch, diluted with water either warm or
cold. Stretch it, and hang it in the sun to dry. Afterwards,
sprinkle it and roll it up in a clean fine towel ; letting it lie for
half an hour or more. Then open it out, stretch it even, and
clap it in your hands till clear all over. Have irons ready, and
iron it before it is too dry, on the wrong side, whenever prac-
ticable. Take care that the irons are not too hot, as it will
scorch easily. When done, do not fold the dress, but hang it
up in a commode or wardrobe.
In ironing, be very careful to get the hem even. Many per-
sons, previous to having them washed, rip out the hems of their
thin muslin dresses, afterwards running them over again. This
is a good plan, if you are willing to take the trouble; which,
however, is not much.'
: GOLD OR SILVER MUSLIN.—These muslins should
not be worn till they are much soiled, as they must be washed
very delicately, first taking them apart. Make a strong lather
of filtered or very clear soft water, and fine white soap in which
there must be no perfume. The water should be warm, but not
hot. Then with your hands turn the muslin about in it till it
is thoroughly saturated with the suds. Squeeze it well, but do
not wring it. Repeat this through two other lathers, each a
little weaker and cooler. Then rinse it lightly through two
waters; squeeze it, shake it out, open it well, and hang it in
the sun to dry as fast as possible. When you iron it, have a
linen cloth over the blanket; take a rather cool iron, and go
over it carefully on the wrong side; yet unless the sprigs of
gold are very small, it is best not to iron it at all, but to stretch


WASHING
· 45
it well in every part. You may brighten each sprig by rubbing
every one separately with a bit of white or crimson velvet of
the best quality. Unless the velvet is very good, and dyed
in grain, the colour may come off and leave a stain around each
sprig. The trouble of burnishing the gold in this manner, will
be repaid by its increased brightness.
A dress of gold or silver muslin should be kept carefully
folded and pinned up in a linen cloth.
As in the stores you can buy only what is called a dress
pattern, consisting of a limited number of yards, it is well
when you purchase one of these muslins, to send at once a
sample to India, with an order for a sufficient quantity for
a new body and sleeves when the make of the first is no longer
fashionable.
Another way of brightening the flowers of gold or silver
muslin, is to rub every sprig with a bit of fine white flannel
slightly wet with warm spirits of wine, replacing the bit of
flannel very frequently by a clean one.
TO CLEAN GOLD LACE.- Burn some roche alum;
then powder it very fine and sift'it. Dip a clean soft brush
into the powdered alum, and rub the gold lace with it. After-
wards wipe it with a clean soft flannel, Gold embroidery may
be brightened in the same manner.
TO WASH BLACK SILK.—To a sufficient quantity of
ox-gall add enough of boiling water to make it warm. Spread
out the silk on a large kitchen table, and dipping a clean sponge
in the gall, go over the whole of the article with it, on both
sides. Then squeeze it well out, and repeat the application of
the sponge, having added more boiling water to the gall so as
to heat it again. Rinse the silk in clear cold water, and repeat


46
THE HOUSE BOOK.
the rinsing (changing the water each time) till the last water
appears perfectly clean. Then stretch it, and dry it quickly in
the air, and afterwards pin it out on a table.
To give it the consistence of new silk, dissolve in boiling
water a little glue or gum arabic; mix it with sufficient cold
water, and sponge the dress all over with it. This must be
done on the wrong side. Then dry it, sprinkle it slightly, and
roll it up tightly in a towel : let it lie a few hours, and then iron
it, taking care that the iron is not too hot, as silk scorches' very
easily.
You may perfume the last application of ox-gall by mixing
with it a little musk.
. Unless the silk is of very good quality, it will not be worth
while to take the trouble of washing it.
Previous to washing a black silk dress, rip the skirt from
the body, and the sleeves from the arm holes.
" A bombazine dress may be washed in the same manner, but
after washing, it must not be stiffened.
BISHOP'S LAWN.-Put it into a lather of hot soap-suds,
(white Castile soap is best,) and wash it through that and á
second water of the same. Then boil it a quarter of an hour.
When you take it out of the boil, rinse it in warm water, and
then throw it into cold water and rinse it. Afterwards put it
into another rinsing water, very slightly tinged with blue. Have
ready some thin starch, in which mix a little gum arabic water,
in the proportion of a table-spoonful of gum water to a pint of
starch. The gum arabic used for this purpose should be of the
whitest and finest kind, and pulverized before putting it into the
water, which should be warm. It must be prepared the day
before; or, rather, it is well to keep a bottle of gum arabic water
always in the house, as it is useful for many purposes.


WASHING.
· Put the starch into a large earthen pan, and pass the lawn
through it, squeezing it well. Then stretch, clap, dry, and iron
it. It will have the appearance of new lawn.
Fine lawn or cambric handkerchiefs should be washed in this
manner, making the starch very weak.
FINE BROWN LINEN.-Brown French linen of very
fine quality, is frequently used for ladies' travelling dresses in
the summer, and for gentlemen's round jackets. To prevent it
from fading, it should be washed with hay, as should also
brown holland aprons and petticoats. Two large handfuls of
hay will suffice for one dress. Wash the dress first in cold
water, without any soap; having first boiled the hay in suffi-
cient water to cover it well. When the hay has boiled hard
for half an hour, strain off the water, and dilute it with cold
water, till it becomes nearly the colour of new brown linen.
Then wash the dress in it, still without soap, having saved
some of the hay-water for rinsing. Rinse it through two hay-
waters, and in the last put a table-spoonful of pyroligneous
acid, or vinegar of wood, (to be obtained at the druggist's,) or
a small tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol. Hang the dress out im-
mediately to dry in the shade; and when dry, do not sprinkle
it, unless you intend to iron it the same day.
Provided that the ground is tea-coloured, olive, drab, or pale
brown, any chintz or painted muslin may be washed to great
advantage with hay. If there is white in the figure, the hay-
water should be more diluted, and the rinsing-water should
have none of the hay.
Hay-water is much employed by the French laundresses.
The fine brown grass-cloth used for travelling dresses and
bonnets, should be washed with hay; and squeezed rather than
rubbed,


A8
THE HOUSE BOOK.
· WASHING A GINGHAM BONNET.-A drawn or
sherred gingham bonnet may be washed without opening the
casings or taking out the cane or whalebone; but it is best to
rip off the frilling, bows, and strings, and wash and iron them
in the usual way. The bonnet, divested of its trimming,
should then be placed on a wooden bonnet-block, (if you have
one,) otherwise stretch the crown on the bottom of an inverted
stone jar. Then make a lather of white soap and lukewarm
water, (adding a tea-spoonful of gall to set the colours,) and
with a clean brush (a new tooth-brush will do) go carefully
over the whole of the bonnet, washing well in between the
cases. Repeat this with a second clean suds, but without gall,
and then rinse it off with clear cold water put on with a clean
sponge or a soft white rag. The bonnet must then be immedi-
ately set out in the air, and dried upon the block or jar; going
to it occasionally and stretching and pulling the brim to make
it dry, straight, and even. Then having washed, starched, and
fironed the trimmings, put them again on the bonnet. . .
. A white cambric muslin bonnet may be washed in the same
manner.
NANKEEN.—To prevent nankeen from fading, the colour
should be set when it is quite new, in the piece, before it is
made up. To do this, put some good oak or hickory ashes
into a clean barrel or bucket, and pour on sufficient soft water
to make a moderately strong lye. Then draw or strain it off,
very clear, into a tub. Lay the piece of nankeen in the tub of
lye, and let it remain all night. Next day wring it out, (with-
out rinsing,) and dry it in the shade. When dry, sprinkle it,
roll it up, and iron it. We have seen nankeen thus soaked in
lye while quite new, retaining its full colour till the article
made of it was worn out.


**,, WASHING. .
* In washing nankeen, after it has been worn, take care not to
have the water too hot. Use soft soap for it, in preference to
hard. Wash it through two lathers, putting a tea-cupful of
dye into the first. Rinse it through two waters with a slight
tinge of soap in each. Iron it on the wrong side..
· FURNITURE CHINTZ.-The articles of furniture chintz
that you intend washing, mụst be taken apart, and the dust
well shaken out of each piece. ..
Boil some rice (in the proportion of two pounds of rice to
two gallons of water) till quite soft. Strain it from the kettle
into a tub, and let it stand till about the warmth generally, used
for coloured cottons. Then put in the chintz and wash it till
all the dirt appears to be out, using instead of soap some of
the boiled rice tied up in a muslin bag.
· In the mean time, have boiling the same quantity of rice and
water as before; but when it is done, strain it, and having tied
the rice in a bag, put it in a tub of warm clear water. Wash
the chintz in this till you are sure of its being perfectly clean,
still using the rice as soap. Afterwards, rinse it in the water
in which you boiled the last rice, (and which should be saved
in a tub for the purpose,) mixing with the water a few spoon-
fuls of pyroligneous 'acid. Stretch it even, and hang it on the
lines to dry. After it is dry, stretch and fold it, spread it on
an ironing-board, but instead of an iron, rub it all over on the
right side with a smooth stone. ...i love
It is still better to have it mangled in a machine, or
calendered. The greater the gloss, the longer it will keep clean.
.. Chintz bed-spreads should be washed in this manner...
: SMALL MUSLINS.-Soap the muslins the night before,
and put them to soak in cold water. Next morning wash them
5


WASHING...!
51
- When you take the iron from the fire, rub it with a piece of
bees-wax, and then wipe it quickly; and before you use it for
the muslin, smooth over a coarse towel with it.
Then iron the cape or collar carefully on the wrong side,
pressing out the scallops one by one.
· If the article has no ornamental needle-work, but merely a
plain hem or ruffle, iron it on the right side.
Clear-starching should always be done on a bright dry day,
If the weather is damp and gloomy, the things will be too
limber and of a bad colour.
The thicker the muslin, the less clapping will be necessary.
Collars or capes of bobbinet may be done up in this manner,
also gauze or crepe-lisse. :
No articles of muslin or lace should (when out of use) be
put away with starch in them. For instance, when laid aside
during the term of mourning, they should be soaked and
washed clean; then well rinsed in plain cold water, stretched
even, dried, and rolled up, but not ironed. Afterwards, put
them into an old pillow-case or something of the sort, or wrap
them closely in a fine towel, keeping them in a safe place till
they are wanted again for use. They will then require wash-
ing in warm water, and whitening on the grass. After they
are well bleached, proceed to do them up as usual.
· If put away with starch in them, they will crack and split
to pieces, when you go to prepare them again for wearing.
BOBBINET OR COTTON LACE.-Having ripped off
the lace, roll it round a black bottle covered with white linen
or muslin, sewed on smoothly. Then fill the bottle with
water; cork it tightly, and suspend it with a string in a kettle
of cold soap-suds, made with Castile soap. Boil it mode-
rately till the lace looks perfectly white, which it will in about


62
THE HOUSE BOOK.
an hour and a half. Then drain off the suds, and set the bot-
tle in the sun, till the lace dries on it.
When dry, have ready in a basin some very weak gum
arabic water, and pass the lace through it, squeezing it well.
Then stretch it out evenly, and clap it in your hands to
clear it while drying. Lay it on an ironing-sheet, and iron it
on the wrong side with rather a cool iron, taking care to press
out all the scollops. When you put it away, wind it round a ,
ribbon block, which should be a little wider than the lace.
Bobbinet quilling may be done up in the same manner.
Care should be taken to have it no stiffer than when new.
*: Instead of quilling bobbinet lace, it will save much trouble
to sew it on permanently, and fute it over a patent Italian iron.
It should be gathered full, allowing thrice the quantity that
would be sufficient to go round the collar if sewed on plain.'
'THREAD LACE.-Having ripped the lace from the article
to which it was attached, and carefully picked out the loose
bits of thread, roll the lace very smoothly and securely round
a clean black bottle, which has been covered with old white
linen sewed on tightly. Tack each end of the lace with a
needle and thread, to keep it smooth; and in wrapping it round
the bottle, take care not to crumple or fold in any of the
scollops or pearlings. Pour into a saucer some of the best
sweet oil, and with a clean bit of sponge wet with it the lace
thoroughly, after it is on the bottle. The oil must penetrate to
the inmost folds of the lace.
Have ready in a wash-kettle, a strong cold lather made of,
very clear water and white Castile soap. Having filled the
bottle with cold water to keep it from bursting, and corked it
well, stand it upright in the suds, and tie a string round the
neck, and secure it to the ears or handle of the kettle, to pre-


WASHING.
63
vent its knocking about and breaking while over the fire. Let
it boil in the suds for an hour or more, or till the lace is clean
and white all through. Then take it out, drain off the suds,
and stand the bottle in the sun, for the lace to dry on it. When
it is quite dry, remove the lace from the bottle, and roll it round
a wide ribbon-block, if you have one; otherwise lay it in long
.folds, place it within a sheet of smooth white paper, and press
it in a large book for a day or two. . .
· By this simple process, in which there is neither rinsing,
starching, nor ironing, the lace will acquire the same consist-
ence, transparency, and tint that it had when new, and the
scollops at the edge will come out perfectly even. We can
safely recommend this as the best possible method of doing up
thread lace, and as the only one which gives it a truly new
appearance.
It is well not to put the oil on the lace till the soap-suds is
ready in the kettle, so that the bottle may go in immediately;
as, if allowed to stand, much of the oil will run down and
drip off.
If you wish the lace to look of a dead white, and not to have
the peculiar appearance of that which has never been washed
at all, omit the sweet oil; but wind it on a bottle, boil it in
soap-suds, and dry it in the sun without rinsing, just as directed
above. When dry, take it off the bottle and roll it on a ribbon-
block till you want to use it."
ANOTHER WAY TO WASH LACE.-Get a black
bottle : a square one is best; for instance, the kind that is used
for sarsaparilla. Sew all over it a piece of thick linen or cotton
rag. Then wind the lace smoothly round the bottle, securing
the ends, and taking care that no part of the edge is crumpled
. or turned inward, Next, sew another piece of rag all over the
5*


84
THE HOUSE BOOK.
outside, so as entirely to cover the lace. Make a strong lather
of white soap, and cold clear soft water, (filtered water is best,)
and put it into a large stone jar or crock, standing the bottle
upright in the suds. Place the crock on a hot stove or over a
charcoal furnace, and let it boil an hour or more. Then take
out the bottle, throw away the suds, wash the jar, and fill it
with clear cold water in which you have mixed a table spoon-
ful of starch. Replace the bottle, and let it again come to a
boil. When you take out the bottle, remove the outside cover-
ing, and let the lace dry on the under linen, placing it in the
sun. When dry, take it off the bottle, and smooth it over with
a cool iron, carefully pressing out each scollop of the edge.-
Some persons take the trouble to insert a little minikin pin
in every loop or pearling along the extreme edge of the lace,
fastening it to dry on a pillow. This is to keep the loops open, .
so that the edge may look as much as possible like new lace
that has never been washed.
It is well to keep two bottles ready covered with linen, for
the purpose of washing lace; a large bottle for broad lace, and
a small one for narrow.
WHITE SILK LACE OR BLOND.--Having sewed on
a black bottle a covering of clean linen or thick muslin, wind
the blond round it, (securing the ends with a needle and thread,)
not leaving the edge outward, but covering it as you proceed.
Then set the bottle upright in a strong cold lather of white
soap and very clear soft water, and set it in the sun, having
gently with your hand rubbed the suds up and down on the
lace. Keep it in the sun every day for a week, changing it
daily into a fresh lather, and always rubbing it slightly, when
you renew the suds. At the end of the week, take the blond
off the bottle, and (without rinsing) pin it backward and for-


WASHING...
55
.
ward on a large pillow covered with a clean case put on tightly.
Every scollop of the blond must have a seperate pin; or more,
if the scollops are not very small. The plain edge must be
pinned down also, so as to make it straight and even. The
pins should be of the smallest size. Let the blond dry on the
pillow. When quite dry, take it off, but do not starch, iron,
or press it. Lay it in long loose folds, and put it away in a
pasteboard box.
Thread lace may be washed in the same manner.
*. In France they have for the purpose of pinning out and dry,
ing lace, large pillows or cushions set in wooden frames, and
standing on feet. Some American ladies send their blond to
Paris purposely to be washed, and when returned it looks as
if quite new.
· A WHITE LACE VEIL. Make a strong lather with
white soap and very clear or filtered water. Put the veil into
it, and let it simmer slowly for a quarter of an hour. Take it out,
and squeeze it well, but be sure not to rub it. Rinse it in two
cold waters, with a drop or two of liquid blue in the last. .
Have ready some very clear and weak gum arabic water, or
· some thin starch, or some rice water. Pass the veil through it,
and clear it by clapping. Then stretch it out even, and pin it
to dry on a linen cloth, making the edge as straight as possible,
and opening out all the scollops, fastening each with pins.
· When dry, lay a piece of thin muslin smoothly over it, and
iron it on the wrong side. ..
. Every time you put it away, fold it differently, as lace veils
have been known to crack in squares from being always folded
the same way.
White lace sleeves may be washed in the above manner.


66
THE HOUSE BOOK.
A BLACK LACE VEIL.-Mix bullock's gall with suffi- ;
cient hot water to make it as warm as you can bear your hand
in. Then, pass the veil through it. It must be squeezed,
and not rubbed. It will be well to perfume the gall with a
little musk. Next rinse the veil through two cold waters,
tinging the last with a little blue. Then dry it. Have ready
in a pan some stiffening made by pouring boiling water on a
very small piece of glue. Put the veil into it, squeeze it out,
stretch it, and clap it. Afterwards pin it out to dry on a linen
cloth, making it very straight and even, and taking care to open
and pin the edge very nicely. .
· When dry, iron it on the wrong side, having laid a linen cloth
over the ironing blanket.
Any article of black lace may be washed in this manner..
· TO WASH RIBBONS, SILK HANDKERCHIEFS, &c.
-None but ribbons of excellent quality, of one entire colour,
and of a plain unfigured surface, will bear washing. A good
satin or mantua ribbon may be made to look very well by
washing it carefully, first in cold water, to which add a few
drops of spirits of wine: then make a lather of white soap
and lukewarm water, and wash the ribbon through that; after-
wards rinse it in cold water, pull it even, and dry it gradually.
When dry, stretch out the ribbon on an ironing-table, (securing
it to the cloth by pins,) and sponge it evenly all over with a
very weak solution of isinglass, that has been boiled in clear
water and strained; or if you have no isinglass, rice-water will
be a tolerable substitute for restoring the stiffness and gloss.
To iron the ribbon, lay it within a sheet of clean smooth letter-
paper, (the paper being both under and over it,) and press it
with a heated iron moved quickly.
If the colour is liląc, add a little dissolved pearlash to the


WASHING."
57
rinsing-water.” If green, a little vinegar in which you have
steeped a few cents. If pink, or blue, a few drops of oil of
vitriol. If yellow, a little tincture of saffron. Other colours
may be set by stirring a tea-spoonful of ox-gall into the first
water. If white, à salt-spoonful of cream of tartar mixed with
the soap-suds.
It is seldom worth while to take the trouble of washing rib-
boni, unless you have a tolerable quantity to do. Unfigured
silk handkerchiefs and scarfs may be washed and ironed in the
above manner. The proportion of spirits of wine, is about a
table-spoonful to a gallon of water. • ,
WHITE SILK STOCKINGS.-Soap them, and let them
soak all night. In the morning, wash them through a strong
lather of white soap and warm soft water, and then boil them
ten minutes in another lather of the same. If not quite clean,
wash them through another warm suds. Then rinse them
through two cold waters. If you wish them a blueish white,
mix a drop or two of liquid blue with the last water, and
let them lie in it a few'minutes. Then squeeze and dry them.
If you wish them a pale flesh colour, mix a very little rose-
pink with the last water, which should be very slightly tinged
with soap. When they are dry, stretch and pin them on the
ironing-sheet, but do not iron them, as it is best to smooth them
by hard rubbing with the end of a clean piece of flannel formed
into a tight roll. Silk stockings, when ironed in the usual
way, never look new.
· Wash and smooth white silk gloves in the same manner.
· If the stockings or gloves have open or lace work about them,
and are consequently of delicate texture, do not rub them in
washing, but merely squeeze and press them with your
hands.


58
THE HOUSE BOOK.
· BLACK SILK STOCKINGS.--Cut some white soap into
thin bits, and boil it in soft water till thoroughly dissolved.
Then mixa little of it in cold water, adding a tea-spoonful of
gall. Having turned the stockings on the wrong side,
and rubbed a little of the boiled soap on the dirtiest places,
wash them well through the lukewarm suds. Repeat the
washing, in fresh suds and water, till they are quite clean.
Then rinse them through two cold waters, adding to the last
a little blue from the indigo bag. Then squeeze them well,
stretch them even, and hang them out inmediately. While
still damp, turn them right side out, stretch and pin them on
an ironing blanket, and with the end of a bit of rolled up flan-
nel, or a smooth stone, rub them hard and quick one way, till
they are quite dry, and look smooth and glossy, This is bet-
ter than to iron them, which always gives silk stockings an
old appearance. .
· Black silk gloves may be washed as above; if they have
open work, do them with great care.
TO TINGE SILK STOCKINGS A PALE PINK. The
stockings of course must be originally white or flesh-coloured.
Previous to dyeing, wash them in the usual manner, in two
lathers of warm water and white soap, squeezing and pressing
rather than rubbing them. Rinse them through two cold
waters, and then stretch and dry them. Before you put them
into the dye, steep them in cold water and squeeze the water
out. They must go into the dye wet.
To make the dye, gather a large tea-cupful of the fresh
flowers or blossoms of the bergamot plant. Put them into a
china bowl, press them down hard, and pour on sufficient boil-
ing water to cover them. Then cover the bowl closely with a
plate, and let the bergamot stand an hour or more to infuse.


WASHING.
59
When the liquid is well coloured, strain it, dilute it with cold
water to the desired shade, and add five or six drops of oil of
vitriol to set the colour. Then take the stockings, one at a
time, immerse them thoroughly and evenly in the dye, and
squeeze them through it. Afterwards, when all the liquid is
squeezed out, open and stretch them well, and hang them up
in the shade. While still a little damp, pin them, well-stretched,
upon the ironing-cloth, (they must be right side out,) and rub
them till quite dry with the end of a clean flannel formed into
a tight roll, or with a smooth stone. This will give them an
appearance of newness, which they will not have if ironed
in the usual way.
Instead of oil of vitriol, you may set the colour with half a
dozen drops of vinegar of wood.
WHITE FRENCH THREAD GLOVES AND STOCK- .
INGS.—These articles are so delicate as to require great care
in washing, and they must on no account be rubbed. Make a
lather of white soap and cold water, and put it into a saucepan.
Soap the gloves or stockings well, put them in, and set the
saucepan over the fire. When they have come to a hard boil,
take them off; and when cool enough for your hand, squeeze
them in the water. Having prepared a fresh cold lather, boil
them again in that. Then take the pan off the fire, and as soon
as the water is cool enough for you to bear your hand in it,
squeeze them well again. Then rinse them through two cold
waters, stretch, dry, and iron them on the wrong side.
It is well to soap them a little over night, and lay them to
soak in cold water till next day.
UNBLEACHED STOCKINGS. AND GLOVES. If
the brownish colour of unbleached cotton or thread stockings


THE HOUSE BOOK
is allowed to fade, they will look like very dirty white, which
is by no means desirable. After washing and rinsing them in
the usual manner, squeeze and open them out. Strain into a
basin some cold coffee, (any that has been left at breakfast will
do,) and when the stockings have been squeezed and opened
out from the rinsing water, put them wet into the coffee, and
work them about in it, till they have thoroughly taken the
colour. Then squeeze them out, and dry them in the shade.
Iron them on the wrong side. They will look as if new. -
If you have not much coffee, you need only immerse the
feet of the stockings in it, and the leg as far up as the calf.
With strong coffee you may make them a beautiful light brown
colour.
WASH-LEATHER GLOVES.—Gloves of what is called
wash-leather, should first have the grease-spots taken out, by
rubbing on them either magnesia, cream of tartar, or Wilming-
ton clay scraped to 'powder. Then make a lather of white
soap and lukewarm water; (hot water will shrink them ;)
wash and squeeze them through this: and then squeeze them
through a second suds. Rinse them first in lukewarm water,
and then in cold, and stretch them to dry before the fire or in
the sun.
ANOTHER WAY.-Having removed the grease-spots,
you may wash the gloves (one at a time on your hands) by
rubbing them with a clean sponge wet with lukewarm soap-
suds. Then wash off the suds with another sponge dipped in
clear water. Afterwards pull and stretch them well, and hang
them to dry before the fire or in the hot sun. When almost
dry, put them again on your hands, and keep them there till
quite dry, which will prevent them from shrinking.


! .: WASHING.
61
COLOURED KID OR HOSKIN GLOVES. -Have
ready on a table a clean towel földed three or four times, à
saucer of new milk, and another saucer with a piece of brown
soap. Take one glove at a time, and spread it smoothly on the
folded towel. Then dip in the milk a piece of clean flannel,
rub it on the soap till you get off a tolerable quantity, and
then with the wet flannel commence rubbing the glove. Begin
at the wrist, and rub lengthways towards the end of the fingers,
holding the glove firmly in your left hand. Continue this
process till the glove is well cleaned all over with the milk and
soap. When done, spread them out, and pin them on a line
to dry gradually. When nearly dry, pull them out evenly,
the cross-way of the leather. When quite dry, stretch them?
on your hands.. i :.. .
White kid gloves may be washed in this manner, provided
they have never been cleaned with India rubber.
In mending the seam of a kid glove that has been ripped,
always sew it backwards; otherwise, it will stretch out of 1
shape.:.:
· WHITE KID GLOVES.--Stretch the gloves 'on a clean
board, and rub all the soiled or grease-spots with cream of
tartar or magnesia. Let them rest an hour. Then have ready
a mixture of alum and fuller's earth, (both powdered,) and rub;
it all over the gloves with a brush, (a clean tooth-brush or ;
something similar,) and let them rest for an hour or two. :
Then sweep it all off, and go over them with a flannel dipped
in a mixture of bran and finely powdered whiting. · Let'them
rest another hour; then brush off the powder, and you will
find them clean.
On no consideration clean g!oves with turpentine, as you
will be unable to wear them on account of the smell. Turpen-


62
THE HOUSE BOOK.
tine should never be applied to any article that cannot be
thoroughly washed before it is used.
· Leather of the natural colour (a saddle, for instance) may be
cleaned by means of oxalic acid dissolved in water, and
rubbed on with a sponge, washing it off immediately.
· GENTLEMEN'S WHITE LEATHER GLOVES.-A.
gentleman may clean his white leather gloves to look very
well by putting them one at a time on his hands, after he has
done shaving, and going over them thoroughly with his shave-
brush and lather, then wiping them off with a soft clean
handkerchief or sponge, and drying them on his hands by the
fire; or hanging them before the fire or in the hot sun; and,
while still damp, putting them on his hands till quite dry, to
prevent their shrinking.
TO SHRINK WIDE BOBBINET.-It is best to shrink
new bobbinet before it is cut out; otherwise it will be neces-
sary to make the cap or collar too large at first, lest it should
become too small by shrinking after being washed. Dip the
piece of bobbinet into a pan of cold water, and take it out
immediately. Squeeze it hard with your hands till the mois-
ture ceases to drip from it; then open and stretch it, till you
get it as straight and even as possible. Afterwards, fold it
up, and lay it between the folds of a clean fine towel. By the
time you have heated an iron, the bobbinet will be in a state to
smooth over. Try the iron first on some other thin thing: for
if the least too hot, it will discolour the bobbinet.. . .
If sprigged, iron it on the wrong side. . . "
TO SHRINK COTTON CORD.-Cord intended for a
chintz or muslin dress, should be shrunk before it is used.-


• WASHING..
63
Otherwise, it will, after washing, contract in its covering, and
pucker the seams, bands, &c., by shrinking more in proportion
than the materials of which the dress is made. To prevent
this, open or unwind the hank of new cord, and having laid it
loosely in a bowl, pour on a sufficiency of boiling water. Let
it set in the scald till the water becomes cold ; then take out
the cord, squeeze it hard, and spread it to dry. When quite
dry, wind it on a card, and it will be ready for use.
A SWAN'S-DOWN CAPE OR TIPPET.-Make a
strong lather of the best white soap and lukewarm water; hot
water will shrink the skin of the swan's-down. Work and
squeeze the swan’s-down through the suds, but do not rub it.
Then do the same through a second lukewarm suds, and per-
sist till you see that the article looks clean and white. After-
wards rinse it through two waters, (the first lukewarm, the
second cold,) squeezing it carefully. Then shake it out and
dry it in the sun or by the fire, holding it in your hands and
shaking it all the time, to prevent its looking matted or in
tufts. You may wash a swan's-down bonnet in this manner;
first removing the lining. .
• Marabout or down feathers may be washed in a similar way.
When but little soiled, you may clean swan’s-down in the
following manner, without washing it. Powder some plaster
of Paris as finely as possible, sift it through a fine sieve, and
then heat it over the fire. When the powder is quite warm,
but not burning hot, lay the swan’s-down in a large .clean
metal pan, (heated also,) and sift the powder over it through a
sieve, turning the swan’s-down about, and seeing that the
powder is dispersed well through it. Repeat the process till
the swan’s-down looks very white. Then take it out and shake
off the loose powder. ;


64
THE HOUSE BOOK.
CLEANING MARABOUT OR DOWN FEATHERS.
-Make a strong lather of fine white soap, and soft lukewarm
water. If the water is not perfectly clear, it must be filtered.
Take the feathers separately, and immerse them in the suds
till they are quite full of it. Then wash them, one at a time,
by drawing them through your hand; changing the water
when necessary, till the last suds remains quite clean, and the
feathers look perfectly white and nice. Have ready some
moderately stiff, and exceedingly smooth starch, made with
cold water, and a very little blue from the indigo bag squeezed
into it. This starch 'must not be boiled. Pass the feathers
separately through it, and then drain them well. Next, take
them, one at a time, in your hands, and shake them out in the
sun and air; continuing to shake till they are quite dry. A
bright windy day is best for this purpose.
· If dried by the fire, they will not be so good a white.
Ostrich feathers may be cleaned in the same manner. To
curl them, hold them near the fire while damp, and if you
have not the proper instrument, (a long sort of bodkin made
for the purpose,) you can substitute a pair of dull scissors.
Take each fibre of the feather separately between the points
of the scissors, and give it a twitch or turn inwards, holding
it in that position a moment, to give it the proper set. :
Black feathers, when straightened by damp weather, may
be curled in the above manner. :3
· White feathers should never be worn when the weather is
damp. . . . . . . . . . .
WASHING BED FEATHERS.-New bed feathers, in
consequence of retaining the animal oil, are damp, heavy, and
have a peculiar smell. To remedy. this inconvenience, they
should, before they are used, have a thorough cleansing in lime-


... WASHING.
65
water; but if this has not been effectually done, they must be
taken out of the ticks, and subjected to the proper process, as
it is not only disagreeable, but unwholesome to sleep on them
in their oily state.
Prepare some lime-water, in the proportion of half a pound
of quick-lime to a gallon of soft water. Put it into a tub or
tubs, and having stirred it well, let it stand all night; then
pour off, for use, all the lime-water that is perfectly clear: the
lime having settled to the bottom. Put the feathers into a
large deep tub, and pour on as much lime-water as will cover
them about three or four inches, after they have been well
immersed, and stirred about in it with a stick. When they
have stood two days, and been frequently stirred, pour off the
lime-water, and replace it with a new supply. Let them stand
two days longer, still stirring them at times. Afterwards, take
them out, (squeezing the dirty water from them,) and wash
them well in a tub of clean water without lime. Then squeeze
them out, a handful at a time, and spread them to drain on
sieves. The best way of drying them, is by suspending them,
exposed to the sun and air, in nets whose meshes are about
the size of those of cabbage-nets. Shake them frequently in
the nets, and collect all the feathers that fall through the
meshes. They must always be brought in doors when the
weather is damp, and may take about three weeks to dry
thoroughly. If you have no nets, spread them on the floor of
an empty garret or loft; stirring and turning them frequently,
and picking out the hard quills and stripping the down from
them.
When they are all clean and dry, put them into large coarse
bags in the form of a tick; lay them on a floor, and beat them
on all sides with long sticks like broom handles, till the
feathers are perfectly light and lively. ..
6*


66
THE HOU $ É BO'O K.
• Old feathers may be greatly improved by emptying the tick,
(which should also be washed,) and washing them through
several lathers of strong soap-suds. Rinse them well in cold
water, drain them on sieves, and spread them to dry as above
on the floor of an empty garret. Their drying may be accele-
rated by sewing them in a coarse sheet, and putting them into
the oven on a baking-day, after the bread is drawn, and letting
them remain there till next morning. This should be several
times repeated. Then put them into bags and beat them.
Fresh feathers that have been newly plucked from the geese,
should be laid loosely in large baskets, placed in the garret,
and stirred very frequently.
“The smell of new feathers in a bed or pillows, may be some-
what remedied, by ripping the seams in a few places, and
putting in lumps of camphor; afterwards sewing them up
again immediately.
In the middle states the usual time for picking geese is in
August, as at that season they moult or shed their small fea-
thers, which, if allowed to drop about of themselves, will be
lost or wasted. The person that performs this business should
put on a coarse tow apron, and holding the goose on her lap,
with one hand should carefully pick out all the small loose
feathers with the other, and put them into a large basket or tub
placed beside her for the purpose. Geese-picking is generally
done in a porch or out-house; but a dry, warm, calm day
should be chosen for it, that the feathers may not be blown
about by the wind. Let it not be done if the weather is damp or
cool, as the geese may catch cold from the loss of their feathers.
" RENEWING MATTRASSES.When mattrasses have
been long in use, the hair or wool with which they are stuffed
becomes clodded or knotted in lumps, making it impossible to


CLEANING ARTICLES OF. DRESS, ETC.
67
sleep on them with any degree of comfort. They should then
be carried into a spare garret or out-house, and taken to pieces.
The stuffing should be carefully picked apart by hand till it
becomes thoroughly loose and open, throwing it, as it is done,
into large baskets. Afterwards a new tick should be made,
and filled with the stuffing; as the old one will scarcely be
worth using again for the same purpose; but it may be washed
and converted into floor-cloths, &c. .
· When the new tick is filled, stitch it through with pack-
thread or fine twine, and a long mattrass needle, (which
may be procured at a hardware store,) securing every stitch
with a little bit of buckskin run on the needle.
Hair mattrasses are much better than those of wool, which
are not sufficiently cool for summer.
· Mattrasses will generally require taking apart and picking
about once in three years, if they are in continual use.
Straw mattrasses should be occasionally emptied and filled
with fresh straw. When straw becomes old, it has a musty
smell, which makes the mattrass unwholesome to sleep on;
also, it will produce feas.
TO CLEAN A STRAW OR LEGHORN BONNET.
Having separated the crown from the brim and the cape or
neck-piece, and removed the lining and wire, the next thing
is to take out whatever stains may be found in the bonnet, the
crown of which should be put on a wooden block. For grease,
rub on with your finger some powdered Wilmington clay, or
a little magnesia; and in an hour or two brush it off, and renew
the application, if necessary. For other stains use either
cream of tartar or salt of sorrel, put on a little wet. If salt
of sorrel, it must be washed off again almost immediately, lest
it injure the straw by remaining on it. Afterwards (keeping


68
THE HOUSE BOOK.
.
the crown still on the bonnet-block) go over the whole surface
of the bonnet with a brush dipped in a weak solution of pearl-
ash in lukewarm water, (a tea-spoonful to a quart.) Then
scour it off at once, with a strong lather of brown soap and
cold water, put on with a clean brush. When all the bonnet
is well cleaned, rinse it in cold water, and hang it in the sun
to dry. Bonnet cleaning should never be undertaken in damp
weather. When the bonnet is perfectly dry, you may proceed
to whiten it. Fill a chafing dish or portable furnace with burn-
ing charcoal ; carry it into a small close room or into an empty
press or closet, and by a line suspended across, hang the bon-
net over the charcoal, at a safe distance, so that it will be in no
danger of scorching. Then strew over the coals an ounce or
two of powdered brimstone, and immediately go out and shut
the door, seeing that no air whatever can get into the room.
After the bonnet has hung in the vapour six or seven hours,
throw open the door, (having first left open an outside door or
window, so as to admit immediately the fresh air,) and go into
the room as soon as you find you can do so without incon-
venience from the fumes of the charcoal and sulphur. Then
bring out the bonnet, and hang it in the open air till the smell
of the brimstone has entirely left it. If the day is windy, so
much the better ; but the bonnet must on no account be hung
out if the weather is damp, and it must be brought in before
sunset. If it is not sufficiently white, repeat next day the
process of bleaching it with charcoal and brimstone,
· The next thing is to stiffen the bonnet. To make the stiffen-
ing, boil in two quarts of soft water, a quarter of a pound of
vellum shavings, (the vellum of buffalo's hide is best,) filling
it up occasionally, if it seems to be boiling too dry. It must
boil or simmer slowly for six or seven hours. Then, when you
take it from the fire, let it stand a while to settle ; after which,


CLEANING ARTICLES OF D'RESS, ETC. 69
pour it off into a basin, and it will become a thick jelly. To
the sediment left in the pot, you may add a second two quarts
of water; and after a second boiling, it will form another jelly
or sizing, strong enough for similar purposes. When you are
going to use it for a bonnet, melt up a pint of this jelly, and
mix with it a small half-tea-spoonful of oxalic acid, (not more,
or it will injure the straw,) and then with a clean sponge or
-brush go all over the bonnet, inside and out, with the sizing.
Dry the bonnet; and when quite dry, go over it again with a
second wash of the stiffening. Dry it again, and then spread
over it a wet piece of jaconet muslin; or damp the bonnet all
over with a sponge and lukewarm water, and then cover it with
à fine white handkerchief, while you press it hard and evenly
with a warm box-iron, exerting all your strength. The crown
must be pressed while on the bonnet-block; the brim may be
done on an ironing-table. Afterwards expose the bonnet to the
air, till it becomes perfectly dry; and next day it will be ready
. for putting together, lining, and trimming; first mending what-
ever defective places may be found in it.
The front of a bonnet will keep its shape much better if the
wire is thick and stout. In lining a bonnet, the best way for
a novice in the art, is to pin a large sheet of thin soft paper on
the outside of the brim, and (having fitted it smoothly) cut it
of the proper shape and size, allowing a little for turning in at
- the edge.' Then pin the paper into the inside of the brim, and
if it fits perfectly smooth, cut out the silk lining by it. A piece
of oiled silk sewed all round the inside of the crown, at the
- joining place, and extending down a little upon the the brim,
will prevent the stain from perspiration, that so frequently
disfigures that part of a bonnet...
· 'Without'a regular cleaning in the preceding manner, a dis-
-coloured straw bonnet may be improved in appearance, if


THE HOUSE BOOK. .
is
previous to putting on a fresk trimming, you stretch the bonnet
on a block, (or something that will answer the purpose,) and
go all over it with a sponge dipped in lukewarm water, in
which has been dissolved pearl-ash, in the proportion of a
small tea-spoonful of pearl-ash to a pint of water; afterwards
rinsing it off, wiping it hard with a flannel, and drying it well.
Next, go over it with a clean sponge dipped in strong rice-water,
which will be the better for having dissolved in it a half-tea-
spoonful of sugar of lead. Then dry the bonnet, and having
damped it all over with a wet sponge, cover it with thin mus-
lin, and press it hard with a heavy and moderately warm iron.
TO TAKE CARE OF BEAVER HATS.-A hat should
be brushed every day with a hat-brush; and twice a day in
dusty weather. When a hat gets wet, wipe it as dry as you
can with a clean handkerchief, and then brush it with a soft
brush, before you put it to dry. When nearly dry, go over it
- with a harder brush. If it still looks rough, damp it with a
sponge dipped in vinegar or stale beer, and brush it with a
hard brush till dry.
A good beaver hat should always, when not in constant use,
be kept in a hat-box, with a hat-stick extended inside of the
crown
TO CLEAN GOLD ORNAMENTS.For chains, ear-
rings, and other articles of gold jewelry, make a lather of fine
white soap and warm water, adding to it from ten to twenty
drops of hartshorn. Wash the articles in this with a clean
sponge, and (if very much tarnished) boil them in it for five
or six minutes. Have ready a deep plate of magnesia powder,
that has been heated before the fire. Immediately on taking
the articles out of the suds, lay them in the warm magnesia,


CLEANING ARTICLES OF DRESS.
71
and let them remain in it till they are quite dry. Then rub them
bright with a fine soft flannel; using a very small soft brush for
the parts that are chased'or embossed. If there are stones in the
jewels they must not be washed or boiled, but simply rubbed
with the magnesia and flannel.
CLEANING PEARLS.-If allowed to get wet, pearls
soon become dull and discoloured. Pearl rings (and all rings
that have stones in them) should always be taken off the fin-
gers when the hands are washed, and not resumed till they are
perfectly dry. The beauty of jewelry is also injured if worn
in warm weather, when the skin perspires. Pearls should be
frequently brightened by rubbing them carefully with a bit of
white pin-paper made into a little roll, and using the point or
end of the roll.
· TO CLEAN AND MEND TORTOISE-SHELL.-When
tortoise-shell looks dull, its lustre may be revived and a fine
polish given to it, by first washing it clean in soap-suds, and
then, after wiping it perfectly dry, rubbing it with sweet oil,
mixed with rotten-stone finely powdered and sifted through
thin muslin. Let it rest an hour; then wipe off the rotten-
stone; cover the tortoise-shell with magnesia powder, and
after a while, finish with a silk handkerchief. It will look as
well as new, if, instead of the magnesia, you rub on a very
little of the reddish brown powder that the silversmiths call
rouge. . . . . . . .
To repair a tortoise-shell comb from which a tooth has been
broken, have ready a new tooth rather longer than the old
one, (and having wet it with water,) soften the upper or
broadest end of the new tooth by holding it in a pair of hot
pincers. The part of the comb from which the old tooth was


72
THE HOUSE BOOK. , ..)
.
,
broken must be wet and softened in the same way. Then lay the
vacant part of the comb and the broad end of the new tooth to-
gether while soft, (one over the other,), and pinch or squeeze
them with the pincers to unite them smoothly. When cold, the
new tooth will be found firmly welded in its place. . ,.
This is a very nice operation, but can be performed in such
a manner that the join is quite imperceptible. If in a city, it
is best to have it done by a comb-maker. As it shows no ap-
pearance of ever having been broken, it is of course very su-
perior to the old-fashioned method of mending a comb with a
silver rivet. There must be no grease about it... . .
TO CLEAN HEAD AND CLOTHES BRUSHES.
Put a table-spoonful of pearl-ash into a pint of boiling water.
Having fastened a bit of sponge to the end of a stick, dip it,
into the solution, and wash the brush with it; carefully going
in among the bristles. Next pour over it some clean hot water,
and let it lie a little while. Then drain it, wipe it with a cloth,
and dry it before the fire. ;
TO CLEAN COMBS.–Tie one, end of a strong silk
thread to the handle of a wash-stand or bureau drawer. Sit
down before it with a towel spread on your lap, and holding
the other end of the silk tightly in your left hand, take the
comb in your right and pass it hard and carefully along the
thread, which must be made to go in between all the teeth
separately, so as to remove or scrape down all the impurities.
Then rub the comb with a comb-brush, or a soft cloth; rinse
it in warm soap-suds, and wipe it dry, i vi!,
CLEANING BOOTS AND SHOES. First with your
hard brush remove all the dirt. When they are perfectly


CLEANING ARTICLES OF DRESS, ETC. 73
clean, stir up the blacking with a stick, put a little on your
blacking-brush, and spread it lightly and evenly over the
boots or shoes ; then, with your polishing brush go quickly
and lightly over them, and in a few minutes they will have
a fine polish. When done, if you find any brown spots, (which
will happen if the blacking has not been put on evenly,) go
lightly over the dull places a second time with your blacking-
brush.
You must have three brushes for cleaning boots and shoes;
and your blacking should always be of the best kind.
TO MAKE FINE BLACKING.–For this you must have
one quart of sour beer or porter, (the latter is best :) eight
ounces of ivory black: three ounces of molasses : one ounce of
powdered sugar-candy, or of loaf-sugar: half an ounce of pow-
dered gum arabic: half an ounce of oil of vitriol: and one ounce
of sweet oil. Having warmed the beer, dissolve in it the gum
arabic, mix the molasses with the vitriol and sweet oil, (the
vitriol is to give the polishing quality, and the oil is to prevent
the vitriol from injuring the leather,) add by degrees the ivory
black : rubbing the mixture smoothly together, and seeing that
no lumps are left in it. Then pour all the ingredients into a
jar. Stir them hard, and let the mixture stand three days,
stirring it with a round stick three or four times each day. It
will then be fit for use. If you find it too thick, (so that it
will not be sufficiently liquid even when warmed at the fire,)
add a little more beer. Put it into bottles, and cork it tightly.
BLACKING THAT WILL PRESERVE THE LEA-
THER.—Mix together four ounces of spermaceti oil and
twelve ounces of molasses. · Add by degrees twelve ounces
of ivory black, mixing it in smoothly, and rubbing it well, so


74. ^
'THE HOUŠE BOOK.
as to leave nó lumps; then dilute it gradually with a quart of
the best white wine vinegar. If you find it too thick, add
more vinegar; stir it hard, and let it stand in the jar three
days, stirring it frequently with a round stick; then bottle it
for use. If still too thick, even when warmed at the fire,
dilute it by stirring in a little more vinegar.
FRENCH POLISH FOR BOOTS, SHOES, AND HAR-
NESS.-Mix together two pints of the best vinegar, and one
pint of soft water; stir into it a quarter of a pound of glue
broken up: half a pound of logwood chips: a quarter of an ounce
of finely powdered indigo: a quarter of an ounce of the best
soft soap: and a quarter of an ounce of isinglass. Put the
mixture over the fire, and after it comes to a boil continue the
boiling for ten minutés or more.' Then strain the liquid, and
bottle and cork it. When cold it is fit for use.
Before you apply this polish to boots, shoes, &c., remove
the dirt with a sponge and water. Then put on the polish
with a clean sponge. Should you find it too thick, hold it near
the fire to warm a little, and the heat will liquefy it suf-
ficiently.
.
• Stir
WASH FOR WHITE BOOT TOPS.—Mix together one
ounce of oxalic acid: two ounces of finely powdered and sifted
pumice-stone: and two tea-spoonfuls of cream of tartar. Stir
them into a quart of soft water. Apply it to the light-coloured
tops of riding-boots, to prevent their turning brownish. Hav-
ing first brushed off all the dust and dirt from the leather, rub
on the mixture with a clean hard brush. Then sponge it well
with cold water, all one way, and put the boots to dry gradu-
ally in the sun, or at a good distance from the fire. This
preparation may be used also for leather saddles.


CLEANING ARTICLES OF DRESS, ETC.
75
· BRUSHING AND FOLDING A COAT.-A gentle-
man's coat cannot be conveniently freed from dust without a
coat-horse, on which to hang and extend it. It should be
whipped hard with a rattan, taking care not to strike the but-
tons, lest they be scratched or broken. If the coat is wet or
muddy, hang it to dry in the sun or by the fire, before you
attempt to beat or brush it. When perfectly dry, take the cloth
between your hand and rub off the mud-spots before you put it
on the coat-horse.
After it has been well beaten with the rattan, spread the
coat at its full length on a table, the back being uppermost.
Take the collar in your left hand and a clothes-brush in your
right, and first brush the back of the collar: then between the
shoulders: then the sleeves and cuffs: then the farthest lappel
and skirt: and then the near one, always brushing according to
the nap of the cloth, as it runs towards the skirts.
To fold a coat,--Having spread it, as before, on a table,
double the left sleeve from the elbow towards the collar: the
other the same way: then the left lappel over the sleeve as far
as the back seam, and the other in the same manner. Next
turn up the left skirt so that the end may touch the collar: do
the same with the right skirt. Give it a light brushing all
over: and then turn one-half the coat exactly even over the
other half. Folded in this manner, the coat may be put into a
trunk, and will keep smooth during a journey of any length.
TO FOLD A LADY'S DRESS.--Place the dress upon a
bed, spreading it out wide and smooth, with the back part
uppermost, and laying the hem even at the bottom. Take the
two outer sides of the skirt, and fold them over, so as to make
them rather more than meet: lapping over down the middle of
the back-breadth. Then place your left hand and arm under


76
THE HOUSE BOOK.
i
the folded skirt, and with your right hand double it somewhat
more than a quarter of a yard underneath the dress; and next fold
forwards (so as to lie above it) the upper part of the skirt where
the gathers join the body; leaving the back uppermost. Then
turn back the sleeves, and if they are long, fold them inwards
from the elbow ; letting them rest on the back of the body,
the cuffs crossing each other. Finally, take all at once, in your
left hand, that part of the folded dress where the cuffs, neck,
and upper fold of the skirt come together and lie on each other;
and lifting it up carefully, let fall from under it the lower part
of the skirt that has been turned up underneath. When the
tail has thus fallen, spread it up over the whole, smoothly and
evenly, to preserve the body and sleeves from being crushed.
The dress may then be laid in a drawer or packed in a
trunk, without any danger of tumbling. It may be made to fit
into a narrower space by lapping the sides of the skirt still
more over each other, when they are folded upon the middle of
the back-breadth.
After folding a dress of white satin or white silk, pin or sew
it up closely in two large sheets of thick brown paper, one
below, and one above. The turpentine used in the composi-
tion of this paper will tend to preserve the whiteness of the
satin. You may place a blue paper between the satin and the
brown.
In putting away dresses in a press or commode, hang
each dress on two hooks or pegs, suspending them (back out-
wards) by the shoulders of the sleeve holes.
When travelling, it is well to carry in your trunk a large
curtain of check, brown linen, or thick calico, with a drawing-
string run through a case at the top. By means of this, you
can cover your dresses and screen them from dust when you
are obliged to hang them up against the wall of your chamber.


CLEANING ARTICLES OF DRESS, ETC.
77
TO FOLD A LADY'S CLOAK.-In making a cloak, it
is best to have the cape so finished at the neck, that it can
easily be taken off when preparing to put it away for the sum-
mer, or to pack it for travelling; otherwise it will be impossi-
ble to prevent its getting rumpled.
Having taken off the cape, spread the cloak (right side out)
on a bed, and fold it lengthways all down the back-breadth;
first in half, and then laying it over so as to make it four
double. Next put your left hand and arm under the whole of
the lower part, and with your right hand turn it up about one-
third of the length of the cloak. Then double the middle back-
ward, and the upper part forward, so as to make three equal
crossway folds, (all of course four double,) leaving the gather-
ed or neck part uppermost, and the collar out at the top.
Next turn back the collar, (still doubled lengthways,) and
let it rest on the upper, or gathered part of the cloak. .
Take the cape (right side out) and fold it lengthways;
first in half, and then four double. Next, turn it backward,
(crossways,) letting the upper or gathered half rest on the
lower. Then lay the cape on the top of the cloak; and folded
in this manner the whole will keep perfectly smooth. .
In putting away for the summer a merino or cloth cloak,
strew between its folds an ounce or two of camphor, broken
into small bits; and pin it closely up in a large linen cloth.
A strong.loop of galloon or doubled ribbon, large enough to
go over a peg or hook, should always be sewed firmly under
the back of the collar, exactly behind, for the purpose of hạng-
ing up the cloak when in daily use.


78
o
.
REMOVING STAINS, GREASE, &c.
TO REMOVE STAINS OF WINE OR FRUIT FROM
TABLE LINEN.-A wine stain may sometimes be removed
by rubbing it (while wet) with common salt. It is said, also,
that sherry wine poured immediately on a place where port
wine has been spilled, will prevent its leaving a stain. A cer-
lain way of extracting fruit or wine stains from table-linen is
to tie up some cream of tartar in the stained part, (so as to form
a sort of bag,) and then to put the linen into a lather of soap
and cold water, and boil it a while. Then transfer it wet to a
lukewarm suds, wash and rinse it well, and dry and iron it. The
stains will disappear during the process.
Another way, is to mix, in equal quantities, soft soap, slacked
lime, and pearl-ash. Rub the stain with this preparation, and
expose the linen to the sun with the mixture plastered on it.
If necessary, repeat the application. As soon as the stain has
disappeared, wash out the linen immediately, as it will be
injured if the mixture is left in it.
A small stain will sometimes disappear by wetting the spot
with cold water, and holding over it, at a safe distance, a lighted
brimstone match. It may be necessary to repeat it with a
second and third match.
You may also remove a small stain, by stretching that part
of the linen ove the top of a mug of hot water, and rubbing
on with your finger, some oxalic acid or some cream of tartar,
or the mixture of both that is sold as salt of lemon. Then
wash it out immediately.
Some stains will disappear by wetting them with warm
water, and rubbing on magnosia.


STAINS, GREASE, ETC.
79
TO REMOVE FRUIT STAINS FROM SILK.--The
stain of sweetmeats or syrup may generally be removed from
silk or merino with very little trouble if done immediately. It
is merely to wipe the spot with the corner of a soft clean linen
(an old napkin or a handkerchief) dipped in cold water ; re-
peating it till the stain is erased, and taking care not to rub
crossways of the stuff, lest you should fray it. The sugar in
sweetmeats neutralizes the acid, and causes the stain to come
out more easily than that of raw fruit. We know an instance
when, by a strange accident, the crown of a Leghorn hat was
covered with the syrup of preserved plumbs. By wiping it,
immediately, with a clean wet napkin, not the slightest stain
was left.
· Fruit stains on silk may sometimes be removed, by wetting
them with hartshorn diluted with a little water, repeating the
application several times. When it fails, it is owing to some
peculiarity in the dye of the silk, but it is always worth a trial.
It will generally take off the reddish marks left on blue-black
silks, by wine, tea, or lemonade. If the hartshorn does not
succeed, and the silk is black, nothing better can be done than
to cover these red marks with ink laid on with a large camel's
hair brush.
TO RESTORE BLACK SILK SLEEVES.- When the
sleeves of a black silk dress have been stained by perspiration
in warm weather, mix in a large cup, equal quantities of strong
spirits of hartshorn, and soft water. Dip a clean sponge into
this liquid, and with it go carefully over the sleeves, first
spreading them out on a table. Then dry them; and if the
colour is not restored, repeat the process, making the mixture
a little stronger of hartshorn. Afterwards iron them.
This application of hartshorn and water will generally


80
THE HOUSE BOOK.
.
remove the reddish stains by which black silk sleeves are so
frequently disfigured in summer; and will much improve their
appearance, even if it does not restore them exactly to the
criginal black.
If you can take the sleeves out of the dress, or indeed rip
them all apart, you will be able to sponge them with much
convenience and efficacy.
This application will frequently remove stains of tea, lemon-
juice, &c., from coloured silks.
What is called blue-black silk, is much more liable to stain
than that which is jet-black. India silķs rarely stain at all.
TO EXTRACT GREASE FROM A SILK OR WORS-
TED DRESS.-Small grease-spots on a dress that cannot be
washed, may frequently be removed by the immediate applica-
tion of the corner of a fine napkin, wetted in cold water, and
rubbed on the straightway of the texture; changing several
times to a clean corner dipped in fresh water. This also, if
done immediately, will frequently take out the stain of sweet-
meats or any very sweet thing dropped on a dress. A piece
of pin-paper rolled up and rubbed with the rough end, on the
wrong side of a fresh grease-spot, will often remove the blem-
ish from silk. Fine French chalk scraped to powder and
rubbed on the wrong side of the spot, brushing it off in about
an hour, and repeating the application, is another remedy for
accidental grease. But the most efficacious is to scrape down
some of a Wilmington clay ball, (to be obtained for a trifle at
the drug-stores,) and to rub the powder on the wrong side
of the grease-spot. In an hour or two hours, rub off the
powder, and repeat the application. We have never known
it fail.


STAINS, GREASE, ETC.
81
TO REMOVE SPOTS OF TAR, PITCH, OR TUR-
PENTINE.-Carefully scrape off as much of it as you can;
next, wet the place thoroughly with good salad oil, and let it
rest till next day. Then (if linen or cotton) wash it out in
strong warm soap-suds; if woollen or silk, rub on some ether
or spirits of wine to take out the grease.
If the stain is of tar, you may remove it (after it has been
scraped and wiped) by using cold tallow, instead of sweet oil.
Take a small lump of good tallow, rub and press it well on
the tar spot, and leave it sticking there till next day. Then
proceed as above.
TO EXTRACT LAMP OIL FROM A DRESS. If
lamp oil is spilled on a dress that will not be injured by wetting,
lay it immediately in a small tub of cold water. A portion of
the oil will shortly be seen to rise to the surface; then pour off
the water, replace it with fresh, and still more oil will be seen
floating on the top. Again pour off the water, and fill the tub
anew; repeating the process till no more oil can be discovered
on the surface. Then take out the dress, wring it well, and
dry and iron it. No washing is necessary. We know an in-
stance of a lamp with its whole contents, being overset into
the lap of a young lady, and by immediately resorting to the
above-mentioned mode of extracting the oil from her new and
very handsome dress of pink French gingham, she appeared
in it next day with its beauty and colour untarnished, and no
vestige of the accident in the slightest degree apparent.
If lamp oil or any other grease is spilled on a white dress,
it can of course be eradicated by washing and boiling in the
usual manner.
To take lamp oil from a silk dress, or any one that should
not be wetted, nothing is better than to turn the gown on the


82
• THE HOUSE BOOK.
-wrong side, and cover the place with powdered Wilmington
clay ; rub it on with your finger the straight way of the threads,
to prevent the silk from fraying. At the end of an hour, brush
off the clay, and put on some fresh. By repeating the appli-
cation a few times, the oil will disappear.
TO TAKE LAMP OIL OUT OF A SOFA, &e.-Cover
the spot, however large, with powdered or crumbled Wilming.
ton clay. Then pin down over the place a sheet of soft thin
paper, (blotting-paper, for instance,) and let it rest several hours.
Then brush it off, and renew the clay and the paper. By re-
peating the application the oil will be entirely extracted. We
have known this remedy to take out all traces of oil from a crim-
son damask sofa, over which a lamp had leaked so as to leave
a spot as large as a dessert plate. - ri
The same process will take out oil or other grease from a
carpet. If Wilmington clay cannot readily be obtained, (it is
well to keep a supply of it always in the house,) mix together
in equal quantities, ox-gall and powdered fuller's earth or pot-
ter's clay, (for instance, a table-spoonful of each ;) dilute the
mixture with water sufficient to wash the grease-spot repeatedly,
rubbing it on hard. While it is drying, pin a thin paper closely
over it, to prevent the dust from sticking to the place. When
the grease is all out, wash the spot with cold water. . .,
If the accident has happened to a table-cover, hearth-rug, or
any thing that can be hung out, it is best to dry it in the
open air.
TO EXTRACT LAMP OIL FROM A FLOOR.-Take
immediately some fuller's earth, (which you can procure for a
trifle at any pottery, also at the grocery and drug stores,) and
scrape it to powder with a knife. Pour some warm water on


STAINS, GREASE, ETC.
83
the boards that are greased with the oil, and then spread on it
the fuller's earth'; mixing it into a paste, and plastering it on
with a small flat stick. If you spread it on with a knife, the
floor will be stained with iron mould. Let it remain thus two
days. Then scrape off the paste, and renew the application
with more warm water and fresh potter's clay. Two days
after, repeat it again, and persist till the oil is entirely re-
moved. Then let the place be scrubbed with soap and water
in the usual manner.
TO TAKE OU'T STOVE-PIPE STAINS, OR SOOT.
FROM A FLOOR.-Wash the place with sulphuric acid
very much diluted with water. If you find that the stain does
not come out, add a very little more of the sulphuric acid, to
make the mixture somewhat stronger.
TO TAKE LAMP OIL OUT OF A CARPET.-Loosen
the carpet, and turn up the part that is greased. Rub the floor
underneath with finely powdered pipe-clay, or with scraped
Wilmington clay. After it has lain two or three hours, brush
it off, and repeat the clay till all the grease is extracted. In
the mean time, (having laid a piece of thick paper between the
greasy part of the carpet and that which is clean,) cover the
oil-spot with the pulverized clay, and pin a piece of blotting-
paper over it. Let it rest two or three hours, and then repeat
the application. By persevering, you will succeed in extract-
ing the oil both from the floor and carpet. The same remedy
will remove any other grease.
TO EXTRACT GREASE-SPOTS FROM BOOKS OR
PAPERS.–First you must gently warm the greased or spot-
ted part of the book or paper, and then press on it bits of blot-


84
THE HOUSE BOOK..
ting-paper, one after another, so as to absorb as much of the
grease as possible. If the grease is fresh, the blotting-paper
will be very serviceable. Have ready some fine clear essen-
tial oil of turpentine, heated almost to a boiling state; warm
the greased leaf a little, and then with a soft clean brush
dipped in the heated turpentine, wet both sides of the spotted
part. By repeating this application the grease will be ex-
tracted. Lastly, with another brush dipped in rectified spirits
of wine go over the place, and the grease will no longer
appear, neither will the paper be discoloured.
It were well to finish by pressing the paper all over with a
moderately heated iron, laying a sheet of tissue paper between.
TO REMOVE GREASE FROM WALL-PAPER.-
Scrape some Wilmington clay to powder ; wet it with a little
cold water mixed with ox-gall, and plaster it on the grease-
spots. Pin a blotting-paper carefully over it. Let it rest two
or three hours, then brush it off and renew the application :
repeat it till the grease disappears.
If you have no Wilmington clay, you may substitute
magnesia.
TO TAKE OUT PAINT FROM A DRESS.–After a
paint-spot has dried, it is extremely difficult to remove it.
When fresh, (having wiped off as much as you can,) it may be
taken out by repeated applications of spirits of turpentine or of
spirits of wine, rubbed on with a soft rag or a flannel. Ether
also will efface it, if applied immediately. If the paint has
been allowed to harden, nothing will take it off but spirits of.
turpentine, rubbed on with perseverance.


STAINS, GRE A SE, ETC.
85
TO TAKE FRESH PAINT OUT OF A COAT.-Take
immediately a bit of cloth and rub the wrong side of it on the
paint-spot. If no other cloth is convenient, part of the inside
of the coat-skirt will do. This simple application will gene-
rally remove the paint when quite fresh. Otherwise rub on
with your finger some ether, or dip a bit of sponge or flannel
in the ether, and wipe the paint-spot with it as hard as
possible.
TO TAKE WAX OUT OF CLOTH.-Hold a red-hot
iron (a poker, for instance) within an inch or two of the cloth
till the wax has disappeared. Then rub the cloth with some
soft clean rag.
Wax droppings may be removed in the same manner from
velvet.
TO TAKE OUT SPERMACETI.-First scrape off the
drops of spermaceti nicely with a knife. Then lay a thin soft
paper over them, and press on a warm iron which must not be
hot enough to injure the colour. Afterwards rub the place
with spirits of wine.
If the spermaceti has fallen on an article of which you can
conveniently get at the wrong side, first scrape off as much of
the grease as stands on the surface, then rub the under-side of
the spot with Wilmington clay-ball scraped to powder, and let
it rest for an hour or two: then repeat the application.
TO REMOVE WATER STAINS FROM BLACK
CRAPE.—When a drop of water falls on a black crape veil
or collar, it leaves a conspicuous white mark. To obliterate
this, spread the crape on a table, (laying on it a large book or
a paper-weight to keep it steady,) and place underneath the


86
. THE HOUSE BOOK. :
:
stain a piece of old black silk. With a large camel's hair
brush dipped in common ink, go over the stain; and then wipe
off the ink with a little bit of old soft silk. It will dry im-
mediately, and the white mark will be seen no more.
TO REMOVE DUST OR MUD FROM A DRESS.-
Take a small broom-corn whisk and (having shaken the
dress) brush it carefully between the pleats or gathers. If
there is mud on the skirt, rub it off with a piece of stout
worsted stuff formed into a roll; or with a clean coarse towel.
A plush-block is an excellent thing for brushing silk or merino
dresses. To make it, get a small square block of wood, and
sew tightly all over it in the manner of a pincushion) a
covering of saddler's plush.
TO TAKE INK OUT OF A COLOURED TABLE-
COVER.–For a large ink-stain, dişsolve a tea-spoonful of
oxalic acid, in a tea-cup of hot water. Pour it into a bowl,
and dip into it the part that is stained by the ink; rubbing it
well in the solution. If the ink does not come out well, mix
some fresh oxalic acid and hot water, and add it to the first.
Rub the stain a while longer; and when the ink has all come
out, dip the part immediately in water that is warm but not
hot. Rub it well in the water, to get the oxalic acid entirely
out; for if allowed to remain in, it will corrode the article.
Then wash the table-cover, directly, in the manner described
in a former receipt.
If these directions are carefully followed, the ink will be
extracted, and the colours of the table-cloth not in the least
disturbed.
If ink is spilled on white clothes, apply the oxalic acid, as,
above, and then put the article at once into the boil. This


STAINS, GREAS E, ETC.
87
application of oxalic acid, used very carefully, will also remove
ink spots from coloured dresses. And it will take out stains
of tea, even from a buff-coloured article, on which a tea-stain
has turned blackish.
Oxalic acid and hot water will also remove iron-mould.
After applying it according to the above directions, place the
article in the hot sun for about a quarter of an hour.
Though a powder, it is best to keep oxalic acid in a bottle
tightly covered ; taking care that the word “Poison” is written
conspicuously on the label. The mistress of the family should
not allow it to go out of her own possession.
TO REMOVE INK-SPOTS FROM WHITE CLOTHES.
--This must be done before the clothes are washed. Pick
some tallow from the bottom of a clean mould candle. Rub
it hard on the ink-spots, and leave it sticking there in bits, till
next day, or longer. Then let the article be washed and boiled;
and if it is merely common ink, the stain will entirely disap-
pear. Of course, this remedy can only be used for white
things, as coloured clothes cannot be boiled without entirely
fading them. We know it to be efficacious. The tallow must
be rubbed on quite cold.
TO TAKE OUT MARKING INK.-Wet some chloride
of lime with warm water, and rub it on the mark with your
finger; repeating it till the ink disappears. Wash out the
place immediately; as, if left in, the chloride of lime will
injure the linen. Oxalic acid or salt of sorrel, rubbed on after
the mark has been wetted with warm water, will also take it out.
TO REMOVE FRESH INK FROM A CARPET.-As
soon as the ink has been spilled, take up as much as you can


88
THE HOUSE BOOK.
with a spoon, and then pour on cold water repeatedly, still
taking up the liquid with the spoon. Next, rub the place with
a little wet oxalic acid or salt of sorrel, and wash it off imme-
diately with cold water.
TO TAKE INK OUT OF UNPAINTED WOOD.-
When a desk or bench or floor is stained with ink, cut a lemon
or a lime in half, and rub the spots with it. Then wash it off
with warm water.
Vinegar is a tolerable substitute for lemon-juice, in removing
ink-stains from boards.
TO TAKE INK OUT OF MAHOGANY.-Mix a small
tea-spoonful of oil of vitriol with a large table-spoonful of soft
water; dip into it a bit of clean flannel, and rub it on the ink-
spots lightly and quickly, till they disappear. Then wash it
off with a little milk, and rub it dry.
Or you may wet a little salt of tartar or oxalic acid and rub
it on the ink-spot, washing it off immediately after the ink has
disappeared.
TO REMOVE HEAT MARKS FROM A TABLE.-
If a whitish mark is left on a table by carelessly setting on it
a pitcher of boiling water, or a hot dish, pour some lamp oil
on the spot, and rub it hard with a soft cloth. Then pour on
a little spirits of wine or Cologne water, and rub it dry with
another soft cloth. The white mark will thus disappear, and
the table look as well as ever.
TO RESTORE MILDEWED LINEN.-Clothes some-
times become mildewed from remaining damp too long before ·
they are ironed, or from other causes. If they are clothes that


STAINS, GRE A SE, ETC.
89
have no dye or colouring about them, let them be dipped in
very sour buttermilk, and then spread on the grass in the sun.
When they are dry, wash out the buttermilk in cold water,
and repeat the process till the mildew disappears.
Another way of removing mildew, is to soap the spots, and
then, while wet, to cover them with fine chalk scraped to pow-
der. Rub it well in, and then expose the article to the sun.
By repeating the application the mildew will disappear.
Another way, is to mix some soft soap with powdered
starch, adding half as much salt as you have of the starch, and
* also the juice of a lemon. With this mixture cover the mildew
on both sides, and lay the article on the grass; keeping it out
night and day till the stain disappears.
TO RESTORE SCORCHED LINEN.-If linen has been
scorched in ironing, and the mark did not go entirely through
so as to damage the texture, it may be removed by the follow-
ing process :—Take two onions, peel them, slice them, and
extract the juice by squeezing or pounding. Then cut up half
an ounce of white soap, and two ounces of fuller's earth, mix
with them the onion-juice and half a pint of vinegar. Boil
this composition well: then spread it, when cool, over the
scorched part of the linen, and let it dry on. Afterwards wash
out the linen.
TO WHITEN LINEN THAT HAS TURNED YEL-
LOW.-Cut up a pound of fine white soap into a gallon of
milk, and hang it over the fire in a wash-kettle. When the
soap has entirely melted, put in the linen, and boil it half an
hour. Then take it out; have ready a lather of soap and warm
water; wash the linen in it, and then rinse it through two cold
waters, with a very little blue in the last.
8*


90
THE HOUSE BOOK.
TO RESTORE LINEN THAT HAS LONG BEEN
STAINED.-Rub the stains on each side with wet brown
soap. Mix some starch to a thick paste with cold water, and
spread it over the soaped places. Then expose the linen to
the sun and air; and, if the stains have not disappeared in
three or four days, rub off the mixture, and repeat the process
with fresh soap and starch. Afterwards dry it, wet it with
cold water, and put it in the wash.
TO KEEP SILK.—Silk articles should not be kept folded
in white paper, as the chloride of lime used in bleaching the
paper will probably impair the colour of the silk. Brown or
blue paper is better : the yellowish smooth India paper is
best of all. Silk intended for a dress should not be kept in the
house long before it is made up, as lying in the folds will have
a tendency to impair its durability by causing it to cut or split,
particularly if the silk has been thickened by gum. We knew
an instance of a very elegant and costly thread-lace veil being
found on its arrival from France cut into squares (and therefore
destroyed) by being folded over a paste-board card.
A white satin dress should be pinned up in blue paper,
with coarse brown paper catside, sewed together at the edges.
The best way of keeping ribbons is to roll them round the
blocks made for the purpose, and then wrap them in soft
paper. You can easily obtain a few blocks from the stores
where ribbons are sold. The block should be a little wider
than the ribbon, that the edges may not be injured. When
you have wound it smoothly round the block, secure the end
of the ribbon with a little minnikin pin. A large pin will
leave holes, and perhaps green ones.
In rolling two pieces of ribbon round the same block, place
the first end of the second piece under the last end of the first


STAINS, GRE AS E, ETC.
91
piece, otherwise there will be a ridge where the two come
together. Take care, in rolling, not to make the slightest crease.
Never wrap silk or ribbon, or indeed any thing that is to be
worn without washing, in a printed paper, as the printing ink
will rub off and soil it.
TO CLEAN WHITE SATIN SHOES.- Rub them
lengthways of the satin, with a piece of new white flannel
dipped in spirits of wine. If slightly soiled, you may clean
them by rubbing with stale bread.
White satin shoes should be kept in blue paper closely
wrapped, with coarse brown paper outside.
To keep your thin light slippers in shape, when you put
them away, fold them over lengthways or sideways, and tie
the strings round them. You should have a covered box pur-
posely for your shoes.
STAIN MIXTURE.-Take an ounce of sal-ammoniac, (or
hartshorn,) and an ounce of salt of tartar: mix them well, put
them into a pint of soft water, and bottle it for use, keeping it
very tightly corked. Pour a little of this liquid into a saucer,
and wash in it those parts of a white article that have been
stained with ink, mildew, fruit, or red wine. When the stains
have by this process been removed, wash the article is the
usual manner.
Another stain mixture useful for removing ink-spots, is to
dissolve half an ounce of oxalic acid in a pint of soft water;
then bottle and cork it for use, shaking it well. To use it,
stretch the ink-stain over a bowl of hot water, and rub it with
a sponge dipped in the oxalic solution. Then wash and dry it.
CLOTHES BALLS.-Take four ounces of fuller's earth,
dried so as to crumble into powder, and mix with it half an


92
· THE HOUSE BOOK.
ounce of pearl-ash. Wet it with a sufficiency of lemon-juice
to work it into a stiff paste. Then form it into balls, and dry
them in the sun, or on the top of a moderately warm stove.
When quite dry, put them away for use. They will be found
efficacious in removing grease spots and stains from articles of
clothing, first wetting the spot with cold water, and then rub-
bing on the ball; afterwards drying the place in the sun or by
the fire, and then washing it off with a sponge and clean water.
SALT OF LEMON.—This is the popular but erroneous
name of a mixture very efficacious in taking out stains from linen,
or from the hands. To prepare it, pound together in a mortar,
equal quantities of oxalic acid and cream of tartar, (say an
ounce of each,) mixing them thoroughly. Or the druggist of
whom you buy the two articles, will have them pounded for
you. Put it into small boxes, and keep it closely covered, and
free from damp. When used, it must be moistened with a
little water. If your hands are stained with ink, fruit, or
indeed with any thing, dip them in water, and then rub on the
stained parts a little of this powder; afterwards washing it off
with fine soap.
· A piece of lemon or the half of a lime, rubbed on hard, will
also remove stains from the hands.
WILMINGTON CLAY BALLS.—These are excellent
for extracting grease, and may be had in Philadelphia, at most
of the drug-stores, and of Mrs. Norris, South Second street,
west side, a few doors above Chesnut. They cost but a trifle,
and no house should be without them. They are made entirely
of a peculiar sort of clay, found at Wilmington, Del.; and to
use them, they must be scraped down, and the powder rubbed
on the grease-spot.


DOMESTIC DYES.
REMARKS.
All articles to be dyed at home, should, if they are not quite
new, be well washed and boiled, so as to make them perfectly
clean before they are put into the dye; otherwise the colour
will be dull and dingy, and the dirt will appear through it.
Previous to going into the dye-kettle, they should be immersed
either in lye, alum-water, or plain water; then well squeezed
and shook out, and put into the dye wet all through ; otherwise
the colour will spot or run in streaks. If they have been
originally of another colour, that colour must be boiled out as
much as possible, before they can take the new dye smoothly
and evenly. White things, or those of a very pale pink, or
pale blue, take a dark or black dye much better than when
their colour was previously dark.
If the shade is not deep enough the first time, dip them again
in the dye.
While the things are in the dye-kettle, keep them well
opened out, lifting them up and down occasionally, and stirring
them about with a stick.
The dye for light colours should be made in earthen, tin, or
brass vessels, and generally set with alum. Dark colours
should be boiled in iron, and usually set with copperas.
Before you put in the article to be dyed, it is best to try the
colour upon a waste bit of the same material; or by dipping
in a piece of white paper.


94
THE HOUSE BOOK.
PINK DYE.—Take a sufficient quantity of flowers of the
bergamot plant; pick them clean, and boil them in clear soft
water; making the dye stronger or paler as you choose. When
well boiled, strain the liquid, and add to it a few drops of
oil of vitriol; more or less in proportion to the quantity of dye.
There must be just enough of the vitriol to give the liquid a
slight acid taste; but if there is too much, it will injure
the texture of the article to be dyed. This article (it should
always be a white one) must previously be well washed in hot
soap-suds to make it perfectly clean. Then rinse it in cold
water, squeeze it, shake it out, and put it wet into the dye.
When it is thoroughly imbued, rinse it in cold water. Lastly,
dry and smooth it with a stone, or with a very cool iron.
This is a beautiful pink dye for white silk scarfs, handker-
chiefs, &c, For those articles a little gum arabic water (for
instance, a table-spoonful or more) should be mixed with the
rinsing water. The fringe at the edges should be nicely
pulled out and shook while drying.
· The bergamot flowers, if carefully dried and put up in white
papers, will answer very well for the dye, at seasons when no
fresh ones are to be had.
RED.—Having boiled in brass or earthen, two gallons of
clear soft water, half a pound of wheat bran, and three ounces
of powdered alum; strain it, return it to the kettle, and put in
half an ounce of cream of tartar, and half an ounce of cochi-
neal ; each tied in a separate thin muslin bag. Boil it about
a quarter of an hour. Then dip in the article to be dyed, and
proceed in the usual manner.
If you wish a deeper red, use a smaller proportion of water,
and more of the cochineal.


DOMESTIC DYES.
95
L. YELLOW.-Procure from a drug store, a sufficient quantity
of temerech or turmeric powder; tie it up in a muslin rag, and
boil it in alum-water, or in skim milk. Have ready the article
to be dyed, (which, if not quite new, must be made perfectly
clean by washing.) When the turmeric liquid has arrived at
the tinge you wish, take out the bag, put in the article, (which
must be previously wet thoroughly,) and give it a boil. Then
squeeze it out, and stretch, dry, and iron it as quickly as
possible.
· Turmeric will give a beautiful yellow colour to white silk
handkerchiefs, scarfs, or ribbons. Also to muslin for curtain-
linings; and to the thin muslin used for covering gilt frames,
lamps, &c., in the summer.
The flowers of the French marigold, picked to pieces, and
boiled with a bit of alum, will dye a fine lemon yellow. The
article to be dyed must be white, washed very clean, and then
steeped in cold water. After the marigold dye has been boiled
and strained, put the article in wet, and boil it till well coloured,
· Another yellow may be dyed, by tying some saffron in a thin
muslin bag, and boiling it in alum water, in an earthen vessel.
Then strain it, and when cool, put in the article.
Peach leaves will make a yellow dye. Also onion skins.
BLUE.—Boil gently together in clear soft water, a pound
of woad, half a pound of indigo, and two ounces of alum.
Then strain it, and add an ounce of pyroligneous acid or
vinegar of wood. Take the article to be dyed, (which must
be white,) and if dirty, wash it well. Then soak it in clean
water, wring it very well, and put it wet into the dye. Keep
it in till you perceive that it has thoroughly taken the colour,
stirring it about with a stick. Then dry it, and afterwards
wash it out in warm soap-suds.


93
THE HOUSE BOOK.
BLUE COMPOSITION.- This is a compound of indigo
and vitriol, and can be obtained at the druggists in a phial.
The cost is twelve cents an ounce, and it colours silk a fine
blue; but must not be used for cotton. The proportion for a
light blue, is ten or fifteen drops of this composition, mixed in
a quart of warm soft water, and then stirred and strained. If
you wish it darker, add more of the blue compound. Immerse
in it the article to be dyed, (first wetting it,) and when it has
taken well, wring it out, and dry it. When quite dry, wash
it in cool soap-suds, and dry it again. This will prevent its
being injured by the vitriol.
DARK BLUE.-Boil four ounces of copperas in two gal-
lons of water. Having wetted the article, dip it into the cop-
peras dye while hot. Then rinse it through cold water. Have
ready a strong decoction of logwood boiled and strained, and
dip the article through that till it has taken a fine dark blue.
Dry it, and then wash it in soap-suds.
GREEN.—Make first a fine yellow dye of turmeric, tied up in
thin muslin, and boiled in soft water, with some pieces of alum.
Having thoroughly wet the article to be dyed, put it into the
dye, (after it has become tepid or lukewarm,) and stir it about
till it has taken. Then open it out, and dry it. Afterwards
stir into the yellow dye a sufficient quantity of the druggist's
blue indigo-composition, (a little at a time,) to make it the tint
of green you require. Then put into water the article that is
already dyed yellow; and when well soaked, squeeze it out,
and put it wet into the green dye. When it has taken the
green thoroughly, (perhaps in fifteen minutes,) dry it, and
smooth it with a stone. A warm iron will injure the colour.
This dye must not be used for cotton.


DOMESTIC DYES.
- A good proportion of the ingredients for a bright green dye,
is two ounces of turmeric to four gallons of water, with four
ounces of pulverized alum; and for the blueing, half a table-
spoonful of the indigo' compound. For a more yellowish
green," use more turmeric; for a more blueish, a larger pro-
portion of the indigo mixture.
For a dark or bottle green, take twelve ounces of fustic, and
three ounces of bruised alum, and boil them in three gallons
of water. Then stir in (by degrees) the indigo composition,
till you get the colour as dark as you wish.
AN EXCELLENT BUFF DYE.- For about twelve
yards of white cotton or thick muslin, prepare in a brass kettle
two gallons of soft water, into which put a large tea-cupful
of pot-ash sewed up in a flannel bag: After the pot-ash has
entirely dissolved in the water, hang the kettle over the fire,
and let it become scalding hot; but do not allow it to boil.
When almost at the boiling point, take out the pot-ash' bag,
and put in an ounce of anatto or aronetta-powder, sewed up in
a linen bag. Let the anatto bag simmer in the water about
half an hour, till the kettle is almost at a boil. Then have
ready the article, which must be previously washed in a strong
warm pot-ash water. Remove the kettle from the fire; put
into it the wet muslin' that has been washed in the pot-ash
water, and work it about in the dye; rinsing it up and down,
till the whole of it has taken the colour thoroughly and evenly!
Do not let it boil, as that may injure the tint. Then wring
it well, open and shake it, stretch it evenly, and hang it out to
dry immediately. After it has entirely dried, wash it well in
soap-suds, hang it out again, and iton' it while damp. ' .
This will be found a very handsome colour for linings, bed-
spreads, vallances, and common curtains.” For the latter


98
THE HOUSE BOOK.
purpose, it should have a fringe or a binding of black, dark-
green, brown, purple, or crimson, Aronetta alone, makes a
well known salmon colour; but this addition of pot-ash gives
it a beautiful bright buff tint, such as is generally called bird of
paradise colour. It will bear repeated washings, without
fading.
: For a more yellowish tinge, use a larger portion of pot-ash;
for a more reddish, increase the quantity of aronetta,
This dye may be made of a deep nankeen colour, if
desired.
COMMON ARONETTA DYE.-Tie up some aronętta or
anatto powder (for instance, twelve cents worth) in a thin
muslin bag, and rub it into a strong lather, (good soft soap is
best for this purpose,) or into weak lye. Having soaked the
article in cold water, wring it out, open it, and boil it in the
dye. Then dry it in the shade, and iron it.
, This quantity is sufficient for twelve yards of thick muslin,
which will be found very useful for linings and other
purposes. - ti, liza s i ...
The proper name of this dye-stuff is anątto or arnotto, but
its popular appellation is aronetta. ..tics : 1
FINE SALMON COLOUR.Make a strong lather with
very good, soap. Tie up in a thin muslin bag a sufficient
quantity of anatto or aronetta powder, (not lệss than six cents
worth,) and rub it into the lather: then give it a boil for a
quarter of an hour. Haying wet the article to be dyed very
thoroughly with alum-water, put it into the dye, and let it boil
for half an hour or more, in proportion to its size and thickness.
Then take it out, dry, and iron it. : ii :,!.'
This quantity will dye şix yards of silk or muslin. z' ,4


. ÞÓMESTIC Dyes."
99
- NANKE EN COLOUR.“Take sufficient quantity of
birch bark, split it small, and tie it up in a thin cotton cloth.
Put it into à brass or tin kettle with soft water and a few bits
of alum. When it has boiled till you get the right colour, let
it cool a little, and put in the article to be dyed, having first
wet it thoroughly.
ŚLATE COLOUR.-'This may be obtained by the very
simple process of boiling in vinegar with 'a bit of alum,
some pieces of the thick purple paper that comes round sugar-
loaves." Then strain it, and return it to the kettle, which must
be of iron. Having first boiled all the original colour out of
the articles to be dyed slate, and steeped them in cold water,
squeeze them out, open them, put them wet into the new dye,
and boil them till thoroughly coloured. Theń dry them, and
Jách thom
wash them in soap-suds.
niandietiden til
den i
BLACK:--First, in hot soap-súds boil out as much as pos-
sible the previous colour of the article to be dyed, and then
wash it in soft water. Have ready a dye made in the propor-
tion of 'a gallon of vinegar to a pound of ground logwood,
chipped small and tied up in a thin bag. Let it stand all
night. In the morning add a piece of copperas half the size
of an egg, (or larger, according to the quantity of dye,) and boil
the whole for an hour; then strain it. Having made the article
to be dyed thoroughly wet by soaking it in lukewarm water,
squeeze it, sháke it out, and immerse it in the dye'; boiling it
á quarter of an hour or more in proportion to its size, and stir-
ring it about with a stick. Take it out, dry it, wet it all
through again, and give it another boil in the dye. Repeat
this a third time. Afterwards, to soften it from the harshness
left by the black dye, wash it in tepid soap-suds, and let it lie


100
THE HOUSE BOOK.
in the lather about a quarter of an hour. Rinse it first in clear
water, and then (if the article is silk) pass it through a weak
gum arabic water. Stretch it well, dry it in the shade, and
then press it. . ,:
This dye will be found useful for silk articles. A dress
must be taken entirely to pieces before it is dyed.
To obtain a jet black; make first a strong decoction of green
walnut husks; and after it has boiled an hour, strain it, and
put in the silk, which must first be steeped in luke-warm water.
Then take it out from the walnut liquor, dry it, and having
soaked it in water, a second time, put it into a kettle of black
dye made, (as before-mentioned,) with logwood, vinegar, and
copperas, and proceed according to the directions, t he
CINNAMON BROWN. Take half a pound of ground
camwood, tie it in a thin bag, and put it into a brass or tin
kettle with two gallons of soft water. Boil it a quarter of an
hour. Then strain it, and put in the article, wet thoroughly in
water. Dip it carefully, and repeat the dipping till it takes
the colour completely. ..
.- .
With the dye that is left, you may obtain different shades
of brown by adding, in small quantities, more or less copperas ;
giving it another boil i s ''. !! cita.? .?
OLIVE COLOUR.--Boil together fustic, and walnut or
yellow-oak bark. For a bright olive use more fustic, for a dark
one more walnut bark. When the liquid is well coloured,
strain it, and put in the article wet; adding, for a light tint a
little vitriol; for a dark one a little copperas, to set the colour.


S
and
101
COUNTRY MANNER OF DYEING
.:.. WOOL OR YARN. Hy
REMARKS"
11';..
All wool or woollen yarn should, before dyeing, be well
washed or scoured in strong warm soap-suds, so as to free it.
entirely from grease : otherwise it will not take the dye. It
should then be opened out, and dried ; and before it goes into
the dye, it should be made thoroughly wet with cold water, and
then squeezed out and opened. When it comes out of the dye,
and has taken the colour properly, it must be put in the open
air to dry. If raw, wool, spread it on boards; if yarn, hang it
on lines. When it is quite dry, take a bucket of warm water
(not hot) and mix with it a tea-cup full of lye. Wash the
article through two of these warm lye-waters, and rinse it in
cold water till the colour ceases to come out." Then dry it
again. i,
$
Raw wool should be carefully picked and opened before
washing for the dye.
All dye-stuffs must be strained before using. The kettle
should then be washed, the dye-stuff returned to it, and the
article to be coloured put in. ; ;
The barks used in dyeing should be taken from the trees in
April or May, when the sap is in them.
to be coiouicu puoi
ci iii 3
)
BROWN.-In the spring when the sap comes 'up, take a
sufficient quantity of bark from the white walnut tree. Spread'
in a tub or in a half barrel a plentiful layer of this bark, and a
9*


102
THE HOUSE BOOK.
thin layer of picked wool, alternately, till the tub is two-thirds
full. Then pour on enough of cold soft water to cover the
whole. Lay stones on the top to keep it down. Let it stand
some days in the sun and air, till the water becomes a very,
dark brown. Examine the wool to see if it is thoroughly
coloured. Then open it out, and spread it on boards to dry.
When dry, if you find it not dark-enough, repeat the process.
It is best to do it in warm weather.
,, Another shade of brown may be obtained by mixing with a
large quantity of the white walnut bark, a small portion of the
bark of sour sumach.
A light brown may be produced by boiling, in a brass kettle,
some bark of the white maple with a lump of alum. “1.S
;
.
BUFF COLOUR.—Take in the spring some birch bark.
Put it into a brass kettle, and pour on sufficient water to cover
it. Then add a proportionate piece of alum, (for instance, about
half the size of an egg or larger,) and let it boil half an hour.
Strain it, and return it to the kettle, which must previously be
washed clean. Then having thoroughly wetted the article by
dipping it in weak lye, and squeezed and shook it out, put it
into the dye, and let it boil till it has taken the colour' com-
pletely. If, when dry, you find it too pale, repeat the dyeing.
ORANGE COLOUR.–Put into a brass or copper kettle
some black-alder bark (taken in the spring) and a sufficiency
of soft water to cover it. Boil and skim it till you have a
strong fine colour, and then strain it. Have ready a rather
strong lye and dip the wool or woollen into it, then squeeze it
out, and put the article into the dye while warm, letting it
remain in it till the liquid gets cold. Afterwards squeeze it,
open it out, and dry it in the air...


COUNTRY MANNER OF DYEING.
103
RED.-Steep five pounds of Brazil wood for a week in rain
or river water : then boil it in a sufficient quantity of water to
cover the yarn you intend dyeing. First soak the yarn in
alum-water só as completely to saturate it. Then (while wet)
boil it in the dye, which must be previously strained. Then
open it out and dry it. .
Afterwards take a bucket of warm (not hot) water without
soap, and mix with it a tea-cup full of lye. Wash the yarn
thus, through two warm waters, and rinse it till the colour
ceases to come out. This must always be done with dyed
yarn. . :!:o :' ,
YELLOW.-Boil together two-thirds of black oak bark and
one-third of hickory, with sufficient water to cover the yarn,
which must first be steeped in alum-water. When the two
barks have boiled together till they produce the colour you
want, strain the liquid, and put the yarn into it wet.....
The bark of the sweet apple tree will dye a good yellow.'
· BLUE AND GREEN.-A week before you wish to dye
the article, get two ounces of indigo and four ounces of oil of
vitriol : mix them together in a clean bottle, cork it tightly,
and let it stand to infuse : shaking it several times every day.
This, if used by itself, will make a blue dye diluted with
water to any tint you wish. When added to certain barks, it
will make a green, as follows:
Take two-thirds of black oak bark and one-third of hickory
bark, (stripped from the trees in April or May,) and boil them
together in soft water for twelve hours. After which strain
the liquid, and mix with it the infusion of indigo and oil of
vitriol which you have made a week previous. Then dip the
yarn into alum-water, and while wet steep it in the dye. The


104 . THE HOUSE BOOK.
above quantity of ingredients will colour sufficient yarn for
two coverlets. ..
When the yarn has taken the colour completely, open it out
and spread it to dry in the shade.
BLACK.—Make a decoction of blue Aleppo nut-galls by
bruising them coarsely, and then pouring on them boiling
water in the proportion of a gallon of water to a pound of nut-
galls. Let the decoction stand for three or four days or more,
stirring it frequently. Prepare at the same time, in another
vessel, a decoction of a quarter of a pound of chipped logwood;
and four ounces of green copperas, to two quarts of boiling
water, and let it stand also three or more days, stirring it often.
Afterwards strain the decoction of gall-nuts into a brass or
copper kettle, put into it the woollen or yarn, and boil it two
hours. Then take it out; empty and wash the kettle, and
strain into it the decoction of logwood and copperas. Put in
the yarn again; hàng it over the fire, and keep the dye for two
hours at a scalding heat, but do not let it come to a boil; fre-
quently taking out the yarn and exposing it a little while to
the air, which will give it a better black. When it has
thoroughly taken the dýe, spread it out to dry, and afterward's
wash it in warm water mixed with a little lye, and then rinse
it well.
' .
.


..s
105N;
INSECTS, RATS, MICE, &c.
REMEDIES FOR BED-BUGS OR CHINCHES.-In
new houses, where the habits of the family are neat, and a gene-
ral attention is paid to cleanliness throughout, there will be
little danger of bed-bugs; but on removing to an old house
which has had various occupants, these disgusting and intolera-
ble insects frequently make their appearance with the com-
mencement of the warm weather (and sometimes before) from
having been unpardonably allowed to get possession even of the
crevices of the wood-work on the walls ; and if the chambers
are papered, they often contrive to effect a lodgment between
the edges of the paper and the plastering. In this case the
most efficient remedy is to have the paper torn off, (first loosen-
ing it by washing it all over with a broom or brush dipped in
water,) and the walls purified by white-washing or painting.
If bugs are found in the crevices of the surbase or wash-board
of an old house, their haunts should be well washed with a
strong decoction of tobacco boiled in water, or with a decoction
of red peppers. If these washes (which by frequent repetition
generally succeed) should fail to destroy them, the crevices, as
a last resource, should be rubbed with quicksilver beaten up
with white of egg; and afterwards filled up with putty or wad-
ding, or with quick-lime mixed with water.
If on moving into a house, it is found to be free from bugs or
other vermin, the utmost care should be taken to keep it so;
remembering always the homely proverb that “an ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cyre." ' , ,


106
THE HOUSE BOOK.
An absurd idea is strangely prevalent that bugs never origi-
nate in a mahogany bedstead. Nothing can be more false.
There is no wood of which a bedstead can be made that pos-
sesses any quality which is inimical to them. : Old bedsteads
are of course more likely to be infested with bugs than new
ones; and therefore it is not advisable to buy them at auction
or in any second-hand way. "Cot bedsteads are, of all others,
the most productive of bugs. The old-fashioned press-bed-
steads (which were made to open out when wanted at night, and
during the day were turned up and shut within folding doors
so as to resemble a ward-robe press) could never even with
the greatest care be kept free from them. We have heard the
same objection made to the sofa-beds, which have been tried
by persons who desired to use the same room both as a parlour
and a chamber. We believe that in our American climate, no
bedstead or bedding, which during the day is shut up entirely
from the air, can long continue free from thesë insects.
- För boarding-schools, hospitáls, barracks, prisons, and all
places where the sleeping apartments are small, or where many
persons sleep in the same room, no bedsteads are comparable
to those made entirely of iron; which, however, should always
be painted to prevent their rusting.' .. . ..!!!
Bugs will not only infest bedsteads, but also couchés, sofas,
cribs, cradles, easy-chairs, ward-robe-presses, and other arti-
cles of furniture that are kept in bed-rooms; therefore great
care should be taken to inspect these things frequently. We
have heard even of bugs getting into pianos that were kept in
boarding-school chambers. Hair trunks should never be placed
in bed-rooms, as they are apt to collect bogs, fleas, and moths.
It is well not to use hair trunks at all. If those of leather are
considered too expensive for common purposes, it is better to
substitute strong wooden boxes, painted on the outside, and


INSECTS, RATS, MICE, ETCT
107,
.
furnished with hinges, handles, and a lock and key. These
boxes are excellent for travelling, and also to hold articles at
home. By, bespeaking them of a carpenter, or cabinet-maker,,
they, can be obtained with little trouble and expense.
Servants (who in general sleep too soundly to feel. mych
annoyance from any thing) are very apt to neglect the care of
their beds, and frequently deny the existence of bugs in them,
till they become infested to a degree that is difficult to remedy.
When this is the case, it is a chance if the nuisance does not,
spread to the apartments of the family, the insects being con-,
veyed thither on the clothes of the servants. A good house-
keeper will guard against this evil in time, by personal inspec-,
tion of the servants’ apartments, and by insisting on the
excellent practice of spreading out all their bed-clothes on
chairs, every morning as soon as they are up, and also on
raising the window-sashes, for the purpose of ventilating the
room; even in the coldest weather.
If, however, their bedsteads, are actually, infested, they
should be taken apart, carried into the yard, and the joints and
pins first scalded with hot water, and then washed with cold
strong soap-suds : as also the sacking-bottom; the servants, if
necessary, sleeping on the floor for one night, till the whole
has had time to dry thoroughly. Before the bedstead is pụt
together again, the joints should be well rubbed with strong
mercurial ointment; or with some of the other applications
recommended for the destruction of insects. A servant's bed-
stead can hardly be considered safe, unless it is taken down
and cleaned once a month during the warm weather; and the
mistress of the house should see that it is done.
It is not well to place bedsteads with one side against the
wall. This increases the heat, obstructs the free circulation of
sir, and adds to the difficulty of keeping them free from bugs.
LAS


108
HOUSE
THE THE ÀOUSE BOOK
'be
Even in a small room, 'some sacrifice of space should be
made for the purpose of having the bedstead to stand out in
the floor; so that only the head may be against the wall.'
It is an excellent custom to have all the bedsteads washed
at the joints with cold suds made of brown or soft soap, regu-
larly once a week, (for instance, on Friday,) spreading a
coarse cloth under or round the feet, to catch the droppings of
the water. After the bedstead is washed, the bedding should be
kept all day spread about the room, or in a back balcony, and
the bed not made up till towards evening.'
* If proper precautions are observed, there is little danger of a
well managed family being troubled with insects in their bed-
steads ; unless, ás remarked above, they chance to move into
an old or ill kept house. It will be well then, as a preventive,
to cover all the cracks or joints of the bedstead with strong
mercurial ointment, rubbing it in with the finger. A small
box of this ointment may be found useful in travelling, to rub
on the bedstead before you retire to it." "*
One of the best remedies and preventives for bed-bugs, is to
procure from a druggist an ounce of quicksilver, and beat it in
a mortar to a strong froth, with the whites of two eggs; or if
you wish it very powerful, and thick like an ointment, use the
white of one egg only. "If liquid, spread it with the feather
of a quill: or, what is still better, with a large old camel's
hair brush, all over the cracks and pins of the bedstead, (not
forgetting the under side of all the joints,) and see that it pene-
trates thoroughly. If you have made an ointment of it, rub it
on with your finger. This is considered a still better remedy
than the common mercurial ointment, but cannot always be as
promptly obtained.“
To wash the joints and pins of the bedstead frequently with
wiie ! !; ; : i c itite hinnad.


INSECTS, RATS, OMICE, ETC.
109
sweet spirits of nitre is a tolerable remedy for bugs when they
are not numerous. * ;' indi 'ss's die 'ai
Corrosive sublimate, mixed with spirits of wine, and rubbed
into' all the cracks, will also destroy them; but it must be
repeated frequently, washing it well into the cracks with a quill
feather, or a soft brush. ii. id odio
i n s istie's
A very good way of keeping bedsteads free from búgs, is;
after a weekly washing with cold soap-suds, to take a sponge
and wet every joint and pin with a mixture made as follows.
Put into à quärt bottle equal quantities of spirits of wine and
spirits of turpentine, adding a large table-spoonful of oil of
vítriol, and an ounce of powdered camphor. Cork it tightly,
and keep it for use. This should be applied every week, beál
ginning the first of March, and continuing til November.
A most effectual remedy against bugs is to have all the bed
steads in the house taken down every spring, (in March, for
instance,) and after washing the joints with cold water and
brown soap, to have the whole bedstead completely varnished
(even on the inside of the joints) with varnish procured from
a cabinet-maker'; or getting a cabinet-maker's man to come!
and do it. The expense will be small in comparison to the i
benefit. 3. Is ; codicissors "
* Also, carefully stop up with putty all the cracks and crews
vices, however small, of the wash-board and surbase. "
Or for stopping the cracks, you may use quick-lime made
into a ďough with water, and plastered into all the crevices
with a knife. T i dl . is in no se
COCKROACHES. -Every house should be provided with
cockroach traps:". They are made of brown earthenware, and
are to be bought for a trifle at the pottery shops, or in the
10


110
,5T THE HOUSE BOOK...I
.
Philadelphia market. Bait them with molasses mixed with a
little water, and set them about at night, when the lights are
removed..... . . .. ..!! ;)
& Cockroaches should not be allowed to increase, or they will:
soon become an intolerable nuisance; and when very nume
rous, it is extremely difficult to get rid of them. It is best, as
soon as the first one makes its appearance, to resort immedi-
ately to effective measures for their destruction ; for if taken
in time, they are easily extirpated. Let every cockroach that.
is found on the stairs be immediately killed; for if they once
get into the upper part of the house there is danger of their
creeping into the beds, and finding their way into trunks, band-
boxes, and clothes+presses, where they will eat holes in articles
of clothing, if not discovered in time. , ; .'.
The hellebore plant, laid in large quantities in places that
they frequent, will sometimes expel them, īsi sl
bA pound of chloride of lime mixed with a quart of water,
and placed where they abound, is destructive to them.... !
Another remedy for cock-roaches is to boil the roots of the
pokeberry plant till quite dissolved in the water, and then mix
it with molasses, and set it about in old saucers. T J L .
The following is a good remedy:—Take six cents worth, or ;
more, of powdered white lead, (you may obtain it at a paint or
drug store,) put it on an old plate, and mix it with Indian meal,
and coarse brown sugar or molasses. Then with a little water
make it into a paste, using for the purpose a broad-bladed :
knife, or an iron spoon. Spread it on old plates or saucers, and
set it about wherever you have seen cock-roaches. They will
eat it readily, and it will destroy them. It is best to mix it
fresh every day till the cock-roaches disappear. } 's
Arsenic powder strewed among bread., and butter-crumbs,


INSECTS, RÄTS, MICE, ETC.
111
and laid at night about their haunts, will effectually destroy
them. As it is a deadly poison, take care to shut out your cat's
and dogs from the rooms in which you have placed it! i': 011 9
Scalding with a hot decoction of tobacco the holes and cracks
from which the cock-roaches issue, will greatly diminish their
numbers.
.riisi l in.':. L :
-- FLEAS.-Fleas are often brought to a house by cats and
dogs; for which reason those animals should be kept very
clean. In the country, if pigs are allowed to be near the
house, they will soon cause it to abound in fleas. So also
will the immediate neighbourhood of a stable. Shavings,
if permitted to accumulate and lie about, will also produce
them. To prevent their originating in blankets and other
woollens that are put away for the summer, it is well to
spread among the folds numerous sprigs of penny-royal.
Shreds or flakes of tobacco are also good for this purpose ; -80
· are lumps of camphor, broken small. I robisz?
In catching fleas the best and surest way to kill them is to
put them instantly into a basin of water. . ,:3
Sprigs of wild myrtle, or penny-royal, or small flat camphor-
bags dispersed about your under-clothes, and conveniently fast-
ened, will keep fleas from molesting your person during the
day.
At night, let penny-royal be scattered over the bed-covers,
and laid under the pillows and bolster; strewing a large quan-
tity between the sacking and the mattrass.' Wash yourself
before going to bed in water that has had essence of pennyi
royal mixed with it. . . "
,!!..
: Fumigation with brimstone will destroy fleas; l'exposing to
the vapour of the burning sulphur all the articles that are
infested with them. ! :">, ...
"" "


112
THE HOUSE B00K, 'L A MI
» When fleas, are found on cats, dogs, &c., they may be extir-
pated by rubbing the animal all over with common snuff, taking
care that it does not touch the eyes, i 6
;
tudo,sinta Insika' i vole s v .
1 CRICKETS.--To destroy crickets, put snuff into the holes
and cracks from whence they come out.
1. FLIES.-Flies may be destroyed by the following prepara-
tion: Dissolve four drachms of extract of quassia, (to be pro-
cgred at the druggists,) in a pint of boiling water, and then mix
in a little brown sugar or molasses. Set it about on old
saucers., 1 s 1 .. .. ...i is.
• Fly-traps (which are two flat broad pieces of wood, shaped
into handles at the bottom, and united at the back by a leathern
hinge,) are used in some houses. They must be spread
open, smeared with molasses on the inside, and stood up or
hung in a convenient place. When filled with flies, shut the
trap hard, so as to kill them. w ill. ;!;'.
63 Cold green tea very strong, and sweetened with brown
sugar, will, when set about in saucers, attract the flies and
destroy them.,Farb.. ?"). S
.
- Bunches of indigo weed, or of penny-royal, stuck about the
harness is said to keep flies from horses. ..iii
-
: MUSQUITOES.-The common opinion that musquitoes
are attracted by the light, we believe to be erronegus. Out of
doors they are much more numerous in dark shady places than
in open sunshine; and the time that they get into the houses,
is in the dusk of the evening, before the candles or lamps are
lighted. They are very quick-sighted as to the approach of
danger, and in trying to kill them on a wall, it is best not to
attempt to strike them with the palm of your hand, but merely


INSECTS! RATS, MICE, ETC.
113
with your finger as they are less likely to perceive the impend.
ing blow. . . ! !
· Musquito nets are somewhat of safe-guards from the incur-
sions of this tormenting insect, and in the south they are coni-
sidered indispensable. But where the musquitoes are not very
numerous, it may be well to omit the use of nets, as they cause
an uncomfortable feeling of confinement and oppression in a
warm night, from their impeding the free circulation of air
around the bed. Also a few stray musquitoes will generally
contrive to get within the net before you let it down, and
cause you much annoyance. Terrible, and, indeed, fatal acci-
dents have happened from the musquito net catching the flame
of the candle, and setting the bedding on fire..???
Musquito nets are made of millinet, coarse leno, or coarse
bobbinet. They are thrown over the tester or top-rail of the
bed, and hang on all sides quite down to the floor. - A musquito
bar is the net stretched on a frame of wood, so as to screen
a low post bed, from the incursions of these insects... ?
:· It is said that you may get rid of musquitoes for the night,
by carrying into your room a shovel or chafing-dish of 'hot
coals, and having thrown on it some brown sugar, close all the
windows and doors, and let it burn till the smoke has died away.
If you put some eau de cologne or spirits of camphor in a
basin of cold water, and wash yourself well with it previous
to going to bed, the musquitoes will be less likely to trouble
you. ii 12 mij isi "p1" ]
Take a light in your hand, carefully search the walls of your
room all round, the last thing before you lie down, and kill
every músquito you see. If you are unwilling to stain the wall,
you can catch and destroy them with the corner of a towel or
handkerchief taken between your thumb' and finger. Persons
who have had practice can do this very dexterously: '1,29 sy't
10*


114
THE WH QUSE BOOK. AI
.
- If you have sufficient resolution to refrain from rubbing-a
musquito bite, and your blood is in a good state, it will seldom
inflame or continue troublesome.. If, however, the bites do
-inflame, and cause you much inconvenience, it will be well to
cool and purify your blood by taking a wine-glass, or more, of
dissolved epsom salts, about: day-light every morning, for
awhile. To have this always at hand, put a quarter of a
pound of salts, in a clean quart bottle: fill it up with water,
(either warm or cold) cork it tightly, and keep it in a closet
in your room, .
?
...),
- We know no better remedy for mysquito bites than salt and
vinegar, which if applied immediately, and before the skin is
broken by rubbing, will speedily extract the venom, allay the
irritation, and cause the swelling to subside without leaving
any mark or trace. In músquito season, it is well to keep in
your closet a little bottle of vinegar, and a cup of salt, with a
small plate or saucer to mix them on. Moisten some of the
salt with sufficient vinegar to form a paste, (it must not be
thin or liquid,) and then plaster it on thick all oyer the: bite.
Let it stay on till it falls off of itself, and then if necessary,
renew the application. ..., D O O 10!!.19,!
v It is said that a paste of salt and vinegar, if immediately
applied, has been known to extract the poison from the bite of
a snake. At least it may be well to try it, till other remedies
can be procured. ,!.'":"",.,.,.' ,,,!
Washing musquito bites with lead-water is a good remedy.
So also is bay-rum, ,
P . 1.!;! *
w ?"., 1.7 T.T...!!'*". ',
ANTS.-Few insects are more difficult to exterminate than
the little red ants with which many houses are infested. They
may be kept under, by frequently scalding with boiling water,
the cracks and places from which they issue. To smear the


INSECTS, RATS, MICE, ETC.
115
118
cracks of the closets between the shelves and the wall with
corrosive sublimate will destroy them; but as it is a deadly
poison, it must be used with 'caution. Dishes and jars.con-
taining articles that the ants seem to like, should be set in pans
of salt and water, and the pan should be surrounded with a
ring of salt. If they infest the sideboard, let the feet be set
constantly in tin or iron cups filled with salt and water. ; 3
s: A circle of tar spread round each foot of the bench that
holds the hives, will prevent ants from reaching the bees and
destroying the honey. ' .. :;'> ' * i.
;; rii, iar apoi
!" itirisi
, MOTHS. Many persons érroneously suppose that the best
way to prevent moths from getting into woolléns or furs, is
occasionally through the summer to hang these articles out in
the sun and air. This is a great mistake, as it is by such ex-
posure that the moths are most likely to get into them. On
the contrary, in the spring, when the season is over for furs
and woollens, they should be well shaken and brushed, and
then wrapped up tightly in linen, laying among them lumps
of camphor; handfuls of fresh hops ; shreds of good tobacco,
or cuttings of Russia leather; or strew among them ground
black pepper or cedar shavings; all of which are preventives to
moths; but the camphor is .by far the best, and most certain,
particularly for furs. For blankets and carpets, you may use
the best chewing-tobacco pulled to pieces, or tobacco stems.
All woollens, &c. should be kept during the summer,
unopened, in dark closets, presses, or chests. If by any chance
or neglect, a press or closet should become infested with moths,
let it be well scalded with a strong decoction of tobacco and
repeatedly sprinkled with spirits of camphor. If this does not
expel these troublesome insects, it is better to give up keeping
woollens in that press, and to appropriate it to some other use.


116
: THE HOUSES BOOK.- 37. I
.
s Chests of camphor wood (for which many persons send to
India) are excellent for keeping woollens, and well worth the
cost. If muffs and tippets are kept always closely shut up in
their own boxes, with lumps of camphor, and shreds of tobacco;
continually interspersed about the fur, they will be in no dan-
ger from the moth. Furs had best be put away for the season
as early as March.', ;;;;::ini ja .)
* Cedar presses are preferable to all others, for keeping cloth
clothes or other woollen articles. ', ,
..1.
Hair trunks rarely fail to introduce mothe. Im Bucas
The best time for putting away the woollens is in April,
unless the season is so backward as still to require the use of
them. One blanket for each bed should be kept out, and "left
in the chamber-closet, that it may be at hand in case of an
uncomfortably cool night in the summer. iia' i}i!!...!!
Flannels should never be put out of the way entirely : as in
a climate so variable as ours, they may be needed occasionally
even in July and August. : !!:vorimontas, print,'!
pela, ;.in
.it 11, ," ,;
· REMEDIES FOR 'STINGS OR BITES OF INSECTS.
-If stung on your hand or foot, plunge it directly into cold
water, (strong salt and water is better still,) and hold it there
till some other remedy is prepared. A sting in any place will
be much relieved by plastering on it iṁmediately some clay or
earth, mixed'with a little water to the consistence of thick mud.
Powdered chalk moistened with water is good." A paste of
salt wet with vinegar is excellent. "" wil niet." piso
A slice of raw onion is said to allay the pain from the sting
of a wasp or bee; or you may wet the part, and rub a piece
of indigo upon it. It is also very good to bathe the wound
with laudanum, or with hartshorn, or with spirits of camphor,
or with sweet oil. . 1,56 bo si present is csin


INSECTS, RATS, MICE, ETC.
1:17
01. All the above applications should be repeated till the inten-
sity of the pain subsides. If the sting shows a disposition to
inflame, keep the place constantly wet with a rag soaked in a
solution of Prussian blue and soft water. A poultice.of cold
lead-water and bread-crumbs, is also a very soothing remedy.
If there seems to be danger of the sting becoming a sore, »
-(which is sometimes the case when the blood is in a bad state,
or if the stings are numerous,) take a dose of salts, and refrain
from animal food. It may be well also to lose some blood. :
Another remedy, is to hold the part that is stung in pearl-ash
and water, moderately strong. ', ; .rrrii,vril , ..
· The pipe or hollow end of a key, pressed hard upon the
wound, will allay the pain of a sting. ;..',.'. .!
* It sometimes happens that a wasp or bee is accidentally swal-
lowed: you may in that case kill the insect immediately, by
taking a tea-spoonful of salt dissolved in a little water; this
will also prevent the sting from inflaming your throat. ; }
If bees swarm upon your head, hold an empty hive over it
and smoke a segar or a pipe. The vapour of the tobacco will
drive them all upwards into the hive.o .,Lt, job
The pain caused by the sting of a nettle may be much allayed
by rubbing: the part with balm, rosemary, mint, or 'sage
leaves.com.m p 3 .run Das ir spor i ans,
- RATS AND MICE...There is much difficulty in getting
rid of rats and mice, when they once have found their way
into : a house. A good cat is one of the best remedies for
mice, but some cats are afraid to encounter a rat. * &?!.
- To keep out rats, the cellar and kitchen windows (if the
kitchen is in the basement story) should, at once, while the
house is finishing, be provided, both back and front, with wire
gratings for the windows. Rats and mice always get in from


118
..T.I THE HOUSE BOOK. :1.1
"out of doors and from the neighbouring houses ; and if the base-
ment windows i have merely iron bars, they will easily slip
between them. No cellar door should be kept open' after
sunset; indeed, we have more than once seen a rat going
down into an open cellar in broad daylight. 1, :: .
· When any holes are found about the walls, they should be
immediately and effectually stopped up; with brick and mor-
tar if outside, and if inside, by filling them with putty or
wadding, or waste newspaper, and nailing over them bits of
board; or rather sheet-lead or tin. Lucris ..ept?
In travelling, it is well to examine your chamber before you
go to bed, and if you find any holes, stop them up for the night,
by stuffing in, as tightly as possible, old newspaper, rags, or
any thing you can conveniently obtain for the purpose. 'A hole
in the floor may be covered by placing your trunk upon it. It
is a good plan to have'among your baggage a small mouse-trap,
(carefully wrapped up, so that the roughness of the wires
may not injure any other article,) and to bait it and set it on the
floor of the room in which you sleep. This, by catching the
mice, will prevent your being disturbed with their running
about the room, and perhaps over your bed. :)
• The common cage-traps are the best, and may be bought for
a trifle at the hard-ware stores. There are spring-traps so con-
structed as to kill the mice at the moment they are caught; but
these are difficult to fix, and very soon get so much out of order
as to be useless. Bait the trap with toasted cheese, bread and
butter, or sweet-cake. You 'may, as a decoy, lay a train of
crumbs from the mouse-hole to the trap. Mice soon learn to
know a trap when they see it, and consequently avoid going.
near 'it; therefore set it in a dark place, and cover it as much as
possible with rags, waste paper, hảy, or any thing that wil
effectually conceal from them all but the entrance; the scent


INSECTS, RATS,, MICE, ETC. 119
only being sufficient to entice them to the bait. The most
humane manner of destroying a mouse that has been thus
caught, is to put the trap, without opening it, into a tub or,
bucket of water. divi bili besini;
When mice and rats have become numerous, the most effec-
tive way of clearing them off, is by poison. Bits of broken
glass, bottles pounded to powder and mixed with mush, or with
cold Indian meal and water, and laid about their haunts on old
plates, will, very generally destroy them.
It is said that the plant called dog's-tongue, (botanically the
cynoglopum officinale,) which grows abundantly in the fields,
will cause them to disappear, when spread profusely in the
places that they infest. For this purpose, it should be gathered
at the time when the sap is in full vigour, and should be bruised
with a mallet or hammer.info niste 987 bly ..
Another remedy, is to mix a large table-spoonful of flour
with equal quantities of the seeds of hemlock or cicuta, and
the scrapings of strong old cheese, pounding them together till
quite fine. Set it about on old plates in places where the mice
have appeared, but take care not to put it where provisions or
any articles of food are kept. The same ingredients, mixed in
larger quantities, will of course destroy rats.
Powdered arsenic, spread on bread and butter, or sweet-cake,
is certain destruction to rats and mice; but great care should
be taken to keep young children, and cats and dogs, out of the
way of it, lest they eat it in mnistake. All papers containing
arsenic, should be labelled “ Poison," and carefully locked up
by the master or mistress of the house.
To free a room from the smell of a dead mouse or rat; take
a small earthen vessel, in which put a little pounded salt-petre,
(more or less according to the size of the room,) and pour on a
sufficient quantity of oil of vitriol to saturate or wet it all


120
"I THE HOUSE BOOK."' ?41
F
through profusely. Then place it where the unpleasant smell
is most powerful, and leave it in the room; shutting the doors!
and windows closely when you go out. In an hour or two,
the effluvia from the dead animal will be no longer per-
čeptible.
. .'"', iii, in sicer i
TO PREPARE RABBIT OR SQUIRREL SKINS.-
Mix a sufficient quantity of salt and water, strong enough to
bear up an egg; and add to it a large lump of alum, broken
small. Warm this mixture over the fire, but do not let it
come to a boil. When about blood-warm take it off, and put
into it the rabbit-skin, (which should be quite fresh, )'and let it
soak twenty-four hours or more. Then take it out and spreadi
it on a board; (the fur inwards;) fastening it with small tack
nails. Scrape the skin with a knife, and a thin membrane
Will come off. Next, having warmed up the liquor'a second
time, put the skin again into it; and let it remain steeping for
five or six hours more. Then take it out, and nail it on the
board to dry, the fur inwards as before. When dry, rub it
well with whiting and pumice stone, and expose it to the air
for a week or two. i ise eilweist is, is j y .
,' .es sa is, a 1958.:
ini...
. Loenen - Intro to edi:
Fr... ; ;'.:.),
.!. !.! .,..
istoire de
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.


oa : 121)
dr.
:: 1 :
FUEL, FIRES, &c.
...in
WOOD. The best time to lay in wood, for winter fuel, is
in the summer, as at that season the price is comparatively
i low; and if you buy it green, it will become dry enough before
the cold weather sets in. If, however, you have occasion to
buy wood during the winter, get the dryest: you can find; as
green wood makes a very bad fire in a cold day, and is at no
time good for cooking. There is, however, some economy in
. buying a few loads of large green wood purposely for back-
1 logs; as there is much inconvenience in a dry back-log con-
suming too rapidly. These green logs should be piled in a
place by themselves, and not mixed with the other wood.
- The best wood for fuel is hickory, and the next is oak.
Locust is also very good ; so are walnut, beech, and maple.
Birch is tolerable. Chesnut: wood is extremely unsafe from
its tendency to snap and sparkle, and to throw its small coals
all round. Pine wood is of little value as house fuel. It
blazes freely at first, but when its resinous qualities have ex-
haled, (which is almost immediately,) the sticks turn black,
and seem to moulder away without emitting any heat. Pine
,,chips, however, from the rapidity with which they ignite, are
excellent for kindling. .. .in , " W e Doutora:
Some families are in the practice of buying all their wood in
large logs, and having them split up at once to a convenient
size as soon as they are :sawed, and before they are' piled;
engaging a wood-splitter to come with the sawyer and piler.
This we know to be an excellent plan. A load of large fine


122
THE HOUSE BOOK.
hickory or oak logs will, when split up, (reserving always a
sufficient number for back-logs,) yield a much larger quantity
of fuel, than if originally in small separate round sticks, and
will therefore go farther. Also the cost of splitting is but a
trifle, and bears no comparison to the advantage and conve-
nience. In buying wood, the smaller and more crooked it is,
the less you have in arload ; on account of the numerous
Vacancies between the numerous sticks.
- The generality of servants are extremely wasteful in regard
to fuel. In summer afternoons they frequently make up as
large a fire to boil the tea-kettle, as they have had to cook the
dinner; rendering the kitchen so hot, that they are obliged
themselves to take refuge in the yard. They should be made
- to understand that in summer, the fire seldom requires addi.
- tional wood after dinner; a few chunks being sufficient to boil
the kettle, if it is hung on in time. T i d " ::18.
. .. . ..wi
11!1.
:: WOOD FIRES.To make a wood fire in an 'open fire
place, begin by removing the andirons, and taking up all the
sashes of the preceding night, and sweeping the hearth very
clean. It is well to wash the hearth every morning before the
new fire is made. Then bring forward whatever chunks or hot
coals are found remaining from the fire that was covered up the
night before; leaving sufficient space to put on a large back-
log, on the top of which place another log somewhat smaller.
Lay a large fore-stick across the andirons, and upon it, place
the live coals and chunks for kindling; adding, if necessary,
some chips, or bits of small wood. Then pile on two or three
other sticks, (placing the smallest at the top) take the bellows,
and blow the fire into a flame till the wood is well ignited..
. If you wish a very large fire, pile two logs on the back-log,
which ought to be of great size; and lay a large middle stick


FUEL, TIRES, ETC.
123
between the back-log and the fore-stick. Put on plenty of live
coals and kindlings, and add three or four good-sized sticks,
(always placing the smallest at top,) and then blow the fire
well.
, ;,,Donds to
be
: If you place the small sticks underneath, they will shortly
bụm in two, and fall apart; bringing the upper'ones down with
them, and causing confusion and trouble. ' got
At night, before you go to bed, take off any long sticks that
may happen to be on the fire at that time, and carry them out
into the yard, throwing them on the ground, or pouring water on
to extinguish them completely. This is safer and better than
to stand them up in the chimney corner, and to water them out
there, where they may chance to take fire' again. Having rew
moved the sticks, place the chunks and hot coals on the back,
log, and throw over them ashes by shovel-fulls, till you have
buried them entirely. This will keep the fire in till morning,
when you uncover it to kindle with. . ons!!
For burning wood in a sitting-room or chamber, there is
nothing better than a Franklin stove, which should always be
provided with a fender to fit exactly round, that the floor may
not be endangered by the coals and chunks rolling off the
hearth.ni In a Franklin stove a soap-stone slab, by way of under
back-log, will be found extremely convenient and economical;
as when the iron becomes thot, it consumes a large wooden
back-log very soon. These soap-stone logs can be procured
from the stone-cutters, who will fit them exactly to the stove
or fire-place, first sending a man to take the measure. The
expense is trifling, and the advantage great.: ...I lot.
:: There should be a thick iron bar to lay across the andirons,
in front of the wood, to prevent the sticks from rolling forward.
If the tongs become twisted, (as is often the case,) you may
elle, $1 mi ells? : 1 oi , o ! i


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
125
bum in the hearth a quantity of waste paper or straw. This,
by producing a current of warm air in the cold chimney, will
open the draught, and prevent the new fire from smoking.
1 CLOSE STOVES.Of these, there are various sorts, and
each sort has its partizans. The most common for burning
coal, are those generally called cannon stoves, from their cylin.
drical form. Those of sheet iron are the lowest in price, and
heat a room very rapidly. They are excellent where only a
temporary or occasional fire is wanted. Small ones may be
had in Philadelphia for four or five dollars. For a constant
fire, these are somewhat troublesome, as without frequent
replenishing, they retain the heat but a short time. Stoves of
the same form, but made of cast iron, continue hot much longer;
and, though of higher price are cheapest in the end, as being
the most durable. jova's Hai, Stil:.
Wherever a close stove is used, the fire place should be
closed up with a tight-fitting chimney board, having a round
hole cut in it to admit the stove-pipe into the chimney. This
hole must be well edged with a broad binding of sheet iron or
tin, nailed: on both sides of the board, to prevent its catching
fire from the heat of the pipe ;- an accident that will certainly
happen if this precaution is not attended to. The pipe should
be taken down every week, carried into the yard, and thoroughly
cleaned out in ou r best tout des part ies,
* If there is no fite-place in the room, a hole must be cut in
the chimney wall to admit the pipe ; 1 or a pane may be taken
out of one of the windows, and replaced with a square of tin,
having a hole in the centre. 1.'This last method, however, is
liable to the inconvenience of not drawing well when the wind
is high, the smoke being then blown back, for which the only
remedy is to have a móvéable double elbow or joint at the very
11*


126
THE HOUSE BOOK.
extremity of the pipe. A large sheet of iron should always
be closely nailed down under and around the stove, to prevent
the floor from catching fire or scorching by falling coals, or by
the heat of the stove feet. ----
If you have a close stove on the hearth of a nursery, let it
be well guarded by a very high' fender of a semi-circular form,
the ends hooking to loops or staples 'driven into the wall.
These fenders may be made of thick ironi rods, and will prevent
accidents from children running or falling against the stove.
If of close small wire, they will look the handsomer; but may
exclude too much of the heat, and are also less lasting than
when of iron rods. i
js .; ::
? On the top of every close stove, (whether the fire is of coal
or wood,) a large pan of water should be constantly kept; re-
plenishing it as the water evaporates. These i pans are best of
block tin: if of earthen or china, the heat will split them.
The moisture produced by this vessel of water, will temper the
dryness of the atmosphere caused by the close heat of the
stove, which may otherwise occasion vertigo, faintness, or other
inconveniences. :D siis':', .
? For each stove there should be a shovel, poker, and tongs:
likewise a coal-scuttlé always at hand : for if an anthracite
fire is allowed to get too low, it cannot be revived without
clearing out the whole contents of the stove, and resorting to
fresh kindlings, &c. Have also, hanging by a loop in a con-
venient place, a small calico or worsted' holder, with which to
guard your fingers from burning, when opening the door of
the stove. i 1.ii
.to Hen
t et 2017
$? Of the numerous varieties of cooking stoves, and of the
mode of managing each, it is impossible to attempt a descrip
tion. They all find favour in some kitchens, and lose it in
others, according to the taste and habits of the family and
1


EU EL, FIRES, ETC.
127
the cooks. We have heard of the very same apparatus succeed-
ing admirably in one house, and failing entirely in another. :)
We can, however, speak with certainty of the excellence of
a wood stove of the common ten-plate form, but having at the
far end of the top or upper plate, beyond the oven, a round
hole to which a griddle is fitted as a cover. There is also
another cover, but the cook may stand upright beside the
stove, and bake on this griddle batter cakes or any thing of the
kind. When the griddle is no longer wanted, it may be re-
placed, or the hole covered by a large block tin boiler, with a
steamer on the top. On the hearth of the stove is a place
where a gridiron for broiling can be set. Any thing may
be baked in the oven; and in a tin roastet, placed beside the
stove when hot, allowing it a longer time than when before an
open fire, meat or poultry can be roasted. With this stove
there is never the slightest difficulty, and no cook ever objects
to it, it being simple, manageable, and sure. The price (in-
cluding boiler and griddle) is generally from fourteen to twenty
dollars, according to its size. N .; . : i į sody
: CHARCOAL.Anthracite cannot be ignited without the
assistance of charcoal or of chips of dry wood. For this pur-
pose charcoal is much the best, and should always be used in
preference, when you live in a place where it can be easily
procured. If you are obliged to buy it in rainy weather, let
some of it for immediate use be dried before the fire, as if damp
it will not kindle well. Chips-of wood cannot at all times be
conveniently obtained, and the frequent use of them will cause
soot to collect in the chimney; which spot, if allowed to accu,
mulate, may catch fire. In sortir le
rú
Servants should not be allowed to waste the charcoal : it is
only necessary to use it once a day, at the first kindling of the


128
THE HOUSE BOOK.
fire ; and for that purpose three or four pieces are amply suffi-
cient. Two barrels of charcoal, if properly managed, will be
quite enough for each ton of coal.
Charcoal is extremely useful to burn in portable furnaces for
making sweetmeats, and cooking various little things. In
French cooking it is of great importance. • Bo'.. "
· The best portable furnaces are those of cast iron, being not
liable to crack, like those of clay or earthen, and not easily
overset; also in price they are but a trifle higher, while in
convenience and durability they are of tenfold superiority.
With a charcoal furnace sweetmeats may be made out of doors,
in the yard, or on the hearth of a chamber. Wherever charcoal
is burnt, the fresh air should be freely admitted, by keeping a
window-sash raised all the time; the vapout being so delete
rious, in a room closely shut up, as to cause certain death by
suffocation. The fumes of charcoal in a close apartment have
frequently proved fatal in a few minutes. The first sensation
is that of slight, but increasing weakness, followed by a giddi-
ness in the head and flush in the face and neck. The person
thus attacked should immediately escape into the open air, or
he will be seized with a drowsiness, followed by a sense of
suffocation ; and if speedy relief is not obtained, death will
soon ensue. The usual remedies are, to throw cold water on
the head, and to take a quantity of blood immediately: also
applying mustard or hartshorn to the soles of the feet.....44
In places where much charcoal is burnt, it is well to keep a
large tub or bucket constantly filled with lime-water, which
will rapidly absorb the gas. The lime-water must be renewed
as soon as it becomes impure. This impurity will be known
by the carbonate of lime falling to the bottom. '


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
129
- ANTHRACITE COAL.-In buying anthracite coal, (as in
most other things, that of the best quality is eventually the
cheapest. It goes further, lasts longer, gives out more heat,
with less waste from slate-stones and ashes, and leaves better
cinders when it is extinguished ; and good cinders may always
be turned to account by burning them over again.', ami
Endeavour to obtain coal that is hard, bright and clean-look-
ing. When it appears soft, porous, of a rough, dull, and dirty
surface, and covered with a profusion of damp black dust, it is
never good, and will give out comparatively little heat, being
always choked with its own ashes; also the cinders will be
found so flaky and slaty as to be nearly useless. .. i
The most convenient size for coal is that which is called the
broken and screened; it making the best and handsomest fires.
The egg coal and nut coal (which is small) may be used in
close stoves, and in spring and autumn, when much heat is not
required.
Three tons of the best anthracite will generally (if well ma-
naged) be found sufficient for one fire during the season; at
least in the middle States. In the northern and eastern section
of the Union, where the winters are longer and colder, a larger
allowance will be requisite.. ami i. : ; .
- The ashes of anthracite is of no use in making lye or soap.
When the ash-hole is full, a cart should be obtained to remove
and carry away its contents. is Iri; ;:....,
ANTHRACITE COAL GRATES.-The best anthracite
coal grates for draught and comfort, are those that are set with
only one aperture. Some grates are set with holes or openings
to convey the dust and ashes up the chimney or down into the
cellar. By, this means the draught is interrupted or divided,
and the result is generally a dull, cheerless fire, and a difficulty


130
THE HOU'S E BOOK.
in kindling it. There should be no aperture except that at the
top, which in width ought not to exceed two inches and a half;
if wider, it will not draw so well. Broad shallow grates do not
heat the room as 'thoroughly as those that are deep.' The
deeper the body of coal, the more perfectly it ignites, and the
more warmth it produces. The grate should not hang too low,
or its heat will soon burn bút the pan beneath. The bars
should be rather straight than curved or bowed out, and not too
close together. Beads or knobs between the lower bars are
extremely inconvenient when it is necessary to use the poker,
to which they are such an impediment that they render it almost
impossible to clear out the ashes properly. "Fortunately for
those who had to clean them, brass ornaments on coal grates
are now entirely exploded. They are only found on old-fash-
ioned grates, and then it is well to paint them black. The best
grates are of cast iron ; being more durable and retaining the
heat longer than those of sheet iron.
* Every coal-grate should be furnished with a poker, shovel,
and tongs, (a blower of course,) a hearth-brush, and also a coal-
scuttle. A block tin bucket or deep iron pan for carrying away
the ashes will also be found indispensable, unless an old coal-
scuttle is used for this purpose. Ashes should never be put
into a wooden vessel, as there may be heat enough remaining
to set it on fire. There are ash-buckets of iron, with a strainer
or iron sieve fitting in about halfway up, for sifting the cinders
at once.
Care should be taken that the blower does not warp, or burn
into holes, by being kept on too long. It should not stand in
the yard, as the damp will certainly rust it. When taken off
the grate, it will do no injury if placed at once against the
wall in the nearest passage or entry. A blower-holder of cloth
or calico should be kept always in a convenient place, to


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
131
prevent the handle of the hot blower from burning the hand.
For want of a proper holder, we have known a newspaper or a
handkerchief caught up to remove a very hot blower; and the
consequence was that the paper took fire, or the handkerchief
was irreparably scorched. The best and least inflammable
holders are made of folds of old flannel, covered with woollen
cloth, sewed round the edges, and slightly quilted or, stitched
through. i.' 'a .. .
A large coarse thick cloth of canvas, tow, woollen, or of some
very strong fabric, should be provided for the servant to lay
down in front of the grate before he makes the fire. This will
greatly assist in keeping the carpet clean, and on it he should
place his scuttle and other apparatus. The cloth should have
a stout, heavy binding all round, to make it lie, smoothly and
keep its place.
• We have seen in some houses the hearth-rug turned wrong
side up to prevent the colours from fading from the heat of the
fire. This is not a good practice, as (independent of its very
bad appearance) the colours will be much more injured by the
dust and ashes that will unavoidably get under the rug, and be
thus ground into the nap of its right side, i s'',
The dross or crust that collects at the back of the grate
should be every morning scraped off with the tongs or poker ;
otherwise it will accumulate so as to become very inconvenient,
and very difficult to remove. . Preve n ti ,
The dryness of atmosphere caused by the heat of anthracite,
is to many persons à source of great inconvenience. It may
* easily be remedied by having a long deep narrow vessel of
sheet iron, lined with block tin, made to fit exactly the shelf
or top of the grate, and kept constantly filled with water. It
should be three inches or more in height, and may be painted
**black on the outside. i '. in 1. iii,


132
THE HOUSE BOOK.
. If you find the room very warm, and wish to increase the
'evaporation of the water, you may do so by plunging into it
a red-hot poker. i. i als we is.. .
3 The utensil generally called in England a footman, is very
convenient to hang in front of a coal grate, for the purpose of
heating any little thing that may be required in an eating-room,
nursery, or chamber. There are common ones made of iron, and
a better sort of brass. They hook on to the bars of the grate,
and can be drawn out by a handle to the requisite distance
from the fire. Smoothing irons may be heated, a saucepan
boiled, water warmed, bread toasted, apples roasted, and a tea,
or coffee-pot, or a small kettle kept hot on a footman. The
expense of this article is a trifle, and the convenience great.
We highly recommend it. ' ,' '.in !...,,,,
7COAL GRATE FÍRES.-Previous to making the fire,
remove the hearth-rug, and spread down in front of the grate a
Targé coarse cloth kept for the purpose. : il. ..
4. The fire having been entirely extinguished over night, (or at
least long enough for the grate to become quite cold,) empty.it
completely of all its contents ; first raking out the ashes by
inserting the poker underneath, between the bottom bars. Then
i take out all the cinders, either with the songs or with your
hands: the latter is the easiest way and the most expeditious,
and your hands may be defended by a pair of coarse, thick
gloves. As you take out the cinders, lay them aside for use :
you need not, of course, save those that prove to be pieces of
slate or stone, or that are only soft spungy flakes. If the coal
is of the best kind, very few bad cinders will be found among
it. . If the weather is extremely cold, it will be well when the
grate is empty, to burn in it an old newspaper or some straw;
this will heat the chill air of the chimney, and the warm cur-


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
133
fent will, by improving the draught, cause the fire to ignite the
sooner. »
When the grate is entirely emptied, sweep it out clean with
a hearth-brush; and once a week at least, wash it out with a
wet cloth. Remove the portable iron hearth from underneath,
and empty the ashes into an iron pan, or an old scuttle brought
for the purpose.
To build the fire.-First put into the bottom a very slight
layer of fresh hard coal from the scuttle, selecting pieces about
half the size of an egg, or rather smaller; this will prevent the
charcoal from falling through as it burns. Lay upon this
flooring of anthracite, a large shovel-full of bright live coals
from the kitchen fire. They should be selected with the tongs,
(so as to be free from ashes,) and carried in an iron fire-pan
with a lid, to prevent their spilling on the way. No house
should be without these fire-pans. .
Having put on the live coals or kindlers, place over them
three or four good pieces of charcoal, laying their points or
ends together, so as to form a sort of pyramid. At the sides
and back of this charcoal put a few rather small pieces of an-
thracite; and when that has ignited, fill up the grate, placing
hard coal in front and disposing of the cinders behind. Place
the largest pieces of anthracite on the top, and heap it up as
high as the back wall of the grate will allow. Afterwards,
put on the blower, (taking care that it fits in closely at the
bottom,) and let it remain till all the fuel in the grate is lighted,
and till blazes issue from between the coals at the top.
Let the servant that makes the fire employ himself about the
room or in its vicinity, till it is time to remove the blower, lest
he should forget and leave it up too long; in which case it
will become red-hot, and bend and warp, or perhaps break;
also the intense heat will burn and bend the bars of the grate,
12


134
THE HOUSE BOOK."
and exhaust the coal too soon. If red spots begin to appear
on the blower, it should be taken down immediately. When
on ' removing the blower, the mass of coal is found to have
sunk in consequence of the charcoal burning down, some more
large pieces of anthracite should be laid on the top. It may
then be left to itself, till the usual hour for replenishing it;
but the fire should not be permitted to sink below the second
bar ; whenever it does so, it begins to deaden. If an anthracite
fire is allowed to get very low, it is extremely difficult to
revive; and there is generally no other way than to empty the
grate completely, and to kindle an entirely new fire, as in the
morning. .
In winter, an anthracite fire should be replenished at least
every six hours; and if the weather is very cold, and the grate
not large, it will require still more frequent attention. Gene-
rally, with a grate of good size it will be sufficient (the fire
having been made up early in the morning) to clear out the
ashes, and put on fresh coal about eleven o'clock; then at six
in the afternoon. Whenever the fire is to be replenished, first
put up the blower to screen the mantel-piece and surrounding
furniture from the dust and ashes, and then rake underneath with
the poker till all is cleared out but the live coals. Then, with
the poker, work the cinders about over the holes of the upper
hearth, to let the ashes fall through into the under one; and
rake between all the bars, so as to let down the burning coals,
and prevent hollows and large vacancies in the body of the
fire. Next, take off the blower, and put on the fresh coal. If
you have cinders, throw them on behind the hard coal, as they
disfigure the fire when placed in front. In putting on fresh
coal, slope it upwards from the top bar, so as to form a hill
behind, against the back wall. If the grate and coal are both
good, and the fire has not been allowed to get too low, you need


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
135
not, on replenishing it, put up the blower; as, after a while, it
will burn very well without it: and by using the blower too
often, or too long, you exhaust the coal, and diminish its heat.
Let the hearth be swept every time that the fire is touched,
An ashy hearth is a slovenly and disagreeable object, giving an
uncomfortable aspect to the whole room.
In keeping up a good coal fire, regularity is indispensable.
Even if it does not look low, it should always be punctually
replenished at the stated hours; and the servant should be
made to understand, that it is his business to do so, without
farther telling; otherwise, there is much chance of its being
frequently neglected and forgotten. Except at the time for
regularly replenishing it, there is rarely any necessity of touch-
ing an anthracite fire. Injudicious poking and stirring will
put it out, instead of improving it.
To extinguish it completely at night, take the tongs, and lift
off the largest and best coals, one at a time, and lay them
in the hearth. Then rake up on each side, the live coals that
remain in the body of the grate; so as to form a deep hollow
in the middle, like a valley between two hills. By this last pro-
cess, (which is best effected with the point of the shut tongs,)
the most glowing fire will gradually blacken and die out in a
quarter of an hour; and the grate will become quite cold ; so
that in the morning, it can be conveniently emptied, previous
to building the new fire.
If you wish a good fire in your chamber very early in the
morning, let it be extinguished in the above manner about
seven in the evening. About ten, or when all the cinders are
cold, let a servant clear out the grate completely, and build up:
the morning fire, as before directed ; leaving the blower and the
scuttle in the room. If the grate is good, and the draught as
it should be, the whole of the fuel may be laid on at once, even


136
: THE HOUSE BOOK,
to piling on the fresh coal at the top. Some waste paper or
shavings should be put in with the charcoal. At daylight, the
occupant of the chamber can light the fire himself, by applying
a bit of paper to the flame of the night-lamp, or with a lucifer
match. Then, putting up the blower, he may return to bed,
and remain there till the fire is in successful progress; which
will be in a very short time; and on removing the blower, he
will have a warm room for washing and dressing himself.
The practice that prevails in many families of never allow-
ing their coal fires to be extinguished during the whole winter,
is not a good one. If the object is to save charcoal, we think
it will be found, on calculation, that the additional anthracite
required to keep up the fire all night, will more than balance
the expense of fresh kindling every morning; and besides a per-
petual fire is almost perpetually dull and ashy. Also, the unre-
mitting heat produces cock-roaches, and other disgusting in-
sects; and in summer, if a coal-fire is kept up all night in the
kitchen, it will add greatly to the general warmth of the house;
making the chambers in the vicinity of the kitchen unwhole-
some and almost intolerable. Another, and very palpable objec-
tion is, that unless a coal-grate or stove is completely cleared out
once a day, by removing every particle of cinders and ashes,
and sweeping out the whole inside with a brush, no poking or
raking that can be done, will prevent the fire from looking all
day, choked and ashy at the bottom, and there will be very
little glow even at the top, unless for a short time directly after
the removal of the blower; and of course the fire will not
throw out half as much heat as when burning clear and brightly
all through.
Coal, to burn well in a grate, should not be smaller than an
, egg, or larger than a moderate-sized orange. A skillful fire-
maker will fit in the large and small pieces, so as to consume


'
137
FUEL, FIR
FUELFIRES, ETC.
, both to advantage. We have known this done by servants
who took great pride in the excellence of their parlour fires;
for instance, a coloured man, who always assorted his coal,
and brought it up separately in two scuttles, reserving his
finest pieces for the front of the fire, and calling them his
facers.
Coal should not be thrown on from the scuttle. "It is best
to put on the pieces with the hand, or with the tongs. There
are small iron tongs made for the purpose. There should be a
coal-scuttle for every fire-place.
Use the cinders as you go along, and let every grate consume
its own cinders, which may be freed from the ashes by working
them about with the poker or tongs on the upper or perforated
hearth. It will not then be necessary to carry them out to be
sifted ; and the servants will not then have a chance of throw-
ing them away to avoid the trouble of sifting. In some fami-
lies, however, where the servants can be depended on, it is the
custom (and a very good one) to have the cinders taken into the
yard and washed in an old bucket, pouring on water and then
draining it off. This makes them look black, and causes
them to burn better.
When the heat of an anthracite fire is too great, (for instance,
late in the spring or early in the autumn,) it can be diminished
without extinguishing, by taking the tongs or poker and press-
ing down hard the coals on the top; or by taking off a few of
the largest pieces; or by throwing on, towards the back of the
grate, a small quantity of the fine powdered coal-dust, com-
monly called slack. Many persons, to diminish the heat, have
a thick paste of ashes and water prepared in the cellar, and
spread with a shovel over the top of the grate-fire. It forms a'
crust, under which the fire will burn dimly all day. '
In making a fire for the first time in the season, there is
I 12*


138
THE HOUSE BOOK.
mostly a difficulty from the coldness of the chimney. This
may always be remedied, and the draught opened, by filling
the grate with old newspapers or other waste paper, (as before
mentioned,) and setting them on fire; or, if more convenient,
you may make a blaze with a few handfuls of straw or shavings.
Anthracite fires, if managed exactly according to the preced-
ing directions, will be found more comfortable, more economi-
cal, handsomer in appearance, and in every respect more satis-
factory than if conducted in any other manner. This we know
by experience.
· When the practice is persisted in of keeping up the fire all
night, the bottom should be raked and fresh coal put on the
last thing before going to bed. Some persons have the scuttle
left in the room, that they may replenish the grate at any time
in the night. Early in the morning, it should be well raked
with the poker, to clear out as much of the ashes as possible,
and then filled up to the top with fresh coal. Afterwards put
up the blower, and let it remain till all is well ignited. If, in
the morning, the fire that has been burning all night is found
very dull and low, it will be difficult to revive it without putting
on some bits of charcoal or small wood, and letting them burn
a while before the hard coal is added.
Never at any time put on fresh coal without first raking out
the bottom of the grate and between the lower bars with the
poker. You may, during the day, dispose of the ashes by
raising the upper part of the iron hearth, and letting them fall
down into the under part below. Then replace the upper or
perforated hearth evenly, and sweep it clean.
Upon no occasion (whether the fire is of wood or coal)
should the hearth be allowed to remain dirty or disfigured with
ashes. It will give a slovenly and miserable look even to the
most elegantly furnished apartment, while a clean, well-swept


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
139
hearth imparts an air of cleanness, neatness, and gentility to a
room of very moderate pretensions. An ever-dirty hearth, and
a grate always choked with cinders and ashes, may be taken aş
almost infallible evidence of bad housekeeping.
COAL STOVE FIRES.–To make a good new fire in a
close coal stove, begin by completely clearing oụt the pan or
place that holds the fuel, leaving no remains of cinders or ashes,
Put at the bottom a slight layer of small fresh coal, and then
a shovelful of clear, bright, glowing coals from the kitchen,
seeing that there is no ashes among them. On these live coals,
you may lay three or four pieces of charcoal and some good
cinders, and then fill up the pan or pot with fresh hard coal,
heaping it on the top. The coal for a stove should be the egg
or nut size. Shut the large door of the stove, (leaving the little
one open,) and you will soon have a fine fire.
After a while it will sink, in consequence of the charcoal
having burned down: then directly put some more hard coal
on the top; and be careful that the fire never gets too low, lest
it be found impossible to revive it without clearing out the
whole, and building it entirely anew.
If you cannot obtain charcoal, you may kindle with pieces
of dry wood split small, and laid on the hot coals with a hand-
ful of shavings or waste paper.
You may somewhat diminish the heat by closing the little
door, and thereby lessening the strength of the draught; and
you may lessen it still more (and indeed gradually extinguish
the fire) by setting the large door wide open. You may, if
expedient, put out the fire, almost immediately, by parting it
on the top with the poker or tongs, so as to leave a deep hollow
in the centre.
In a small room, it is well to surround three sides of a close


140
THE HOUSE BOOK.
stove with one of the thick block-tin screens made for the pur-
pose. It will prevent the heat from injuring the wall or the
furniture.
A stove, as well as a grate, should be thoroughly cleared
out at least once in twenty-four hours. What is called a per-
petual fire, or such as many persons boast of continuing unex-
tinguished all winter, is wasteful of coal, and is never so bright
and strong as that which is entirely renewed every day, without
any remains of the old fire. If you wish a fine fire early in the
morning, let the stove be entirely emptied over-night, and the
new fuel laid or arranged in the manner described, the whole
being built at once, putting some shavings or waste paper with
the charcoal. Then, with a match lighted at a night lamp,
you may ignite it at dawn, or whenever you please; and you
will have an excellent fire and a warm room to wash and dress
in, while the water in the tin pan on the top will have gradu-
ally become hot enough to use for any needful purpose.
If, however, you prefer keeping up the fire all night, having
raked the ashes well from the bottom, fill up with fresh coal
before you go to bed, and have the scuttle at hand to replenish
it, if you think proper. In the morning, rake it well out at the
bottom, and add fresh coal. If you find the fire very low and
dull, put on some charcoal, or chips, before filling it up with
the anthracite.
Be very careful that the joints of the stove-pipe fit tightly.
Should they happen to open or gape apart in the night, when
there is fire in the stove, the vapour escaping from the coal
may have the most deleterious effect (even to suffocation) on
persons sleeping in a close chamber.
On such occasions, when life is not entirely extinct, and a
physician cannot be procured immediately, animation may be
restored by promptly resorting to the following remedies.


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
141
Open instantly the doors and windows, and allow the air to
pass freely over the face of the patient; but keep his body
covered with the bed-clothes, under which let his skin be
rubbed hard, first with the hand, and then with warm cloths as
soon as they can be procured. Make him swallow as soon as
possible a half-tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper, mixed in a tea-
cup of boiling water, and administered whenever it is cool
enough to be taken without scalding the mouth. As soon as
he can eat, he should have food seasoned with plenty of pepper
and mustard. If he is made to inhale oxygen gas, he will
recover the sooner.
The pipe of a coal-stove should be taken down about once
a fortnight, for the purpose of clearing out the ashes that have
been drawn up into it; and which, if allowed to remain, will
-impede the draught, and prevent the fire from burning well.
The coal for a close stove should be small. For a large
stove, the egg coal; for a small one, the nut.
BITUMINOUS OR ENGLISH COAL.-Coal found in
the western section of the United States, is generally bitumi-
nous; so also is that imported from England. It is much
softer than the anthracite, emits more smoke, produces more
dust and ashes, and the heat is far less intense, though the blaze
is very bright. The grates used for burning it should be set
open, with the whole space vacant from the bars upwards,
instead of filling it up with fire brick, and leaving only a nar-
row slip or aperture, as for anthracite. To kindle the fire in
the morning, having cleared out the grate, spread a few good
cinders over the bottom; then bring some hot coals from the
kitchen, and lay on them a few slips of pine wood : afterwards
fill up the grate with fresh coal from the scuttle, and blow with
a pair of bellows till the fire is well ignited.


°142
THE HOUSE BOOK.
Or you may kindle it without live coals, by applying to the
pine sticks lighted brimstone matches.
A fire of bituminous coal 'must be replenished much more
frequently than one of anthracite. When it looks dull and
has burnt hollow, stir it underneath with the poker, and then
have some fresh coal put on. If you wish to keep it burning
slowly all night, throw on the top a sufficient quantity of slack
or coal-powder from the cellar.
To extinguish it at night, take off the best coals, and then
rake out all the rest with the poker. If necessary, throw on
some water.
In English houses, the servant that kindles the kitchen fire
is always provided with a tinder-box of tin, having on the lid
a socket which holds a piece of candle. This lid is made to
come off; and in the cavity of the box beneath, is kept a quan-
tity of tinder made from rags; a flint, and a piece of steel with
a handle to it; also a few sulphur matches. Before daylight
in a winter morning, the fire-maker (having taken the tinder-
box up stairs with her) strikes out with the flint and steel a
few sparks, which, catching the tinder, enable her to ignite a
match, by which she lights the candle; and with the candle
she goes down and kindles the fire, by applying lighted matches
to some little slips of wood, which she places at the bottom of
the grate.
. In this manner a fire of bituminous coal may be made, if
wanted, at any time in the night.
1
COKE.—This is the state in which the coal used in manu-
facturing gas is left, after the bituminous matter has been
extracted. It remains in large, light, porous, black lumps, and
is a very convenient and economical fuel for spring and autumn,
and for rooms where only a moderate heat is required. It has


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
143
less vapour than any other coal; (being not oppressive even to
delicate lungs,) and can be ignited sooner; making a bright,
glowing, and cheerful fire, so similar in appearance to that of
anthracite, that few persons (unless they are told) can perceive
any visible difference. Though excellent for spring and autumn,
(as we know from experience,) and for the few chilly wet days
that occasionally occur in summer, we do not recommend coke
in those sections of the Union where the climate is severe: as to
keep up a large steady coke-fire in extremely cold weather, all
day and all the evening, will require the grate to be replenished
with as much as it can hold six or seven times, at least: and
still more frequently in a close stove. For the first early
autumn or late spring fires, one grate full of coke will be suffi-
cient for the day; or for the evening, (if made on at dusk,)
heating the room so well at first, that it continues comfortable
long after the fire has died out. In families where an open
grate or range for coal, is used in the kitchen, coke has been
found very good fuel to cook with in the summer, causing much
less heat than anthracite in the lower part of the house; and
it is so soon ignited in the morning, that its incapability
of burning all night without replenishing, is little or no
disadvantage. .
In Philadelphia (where coke is very cheap) it can be
obtained by application at the office of the Gas Company in
the Franklin Institute, paying always in advance. It is well
to order a cart-load at once, as the price for hauling from the
gas-works is the same for ten bushels as for fifty.
• To make a coke fire, let the grate be cleared completely,
raking out all remains of the last fire, and sweeping it clean
with a hearth brush. Then cover the bottom of the grate with
a slight layer of small bits of coke, (cinders will do,) and
place thereon a shovel full of bright, clear, live coals for


144
THE HOUSE BOOK.
kindling. On these coals lay three or four pieces of charcoal,
(a very little will suffice,) or a few pieces of dry kindling wood,
split small. If you use wood instead of charcoal, it is well to
add a few shavings or some waste-paper. Then fill up the grate
at once with coke, and put up the blower, fitting it closely in at
the bottom. In five minutes you may remove the blower,
without any risk of the fire not igniting well; but if you leave
it up eight or ten minutes, you will, on removing it, find the
whole of the coke in a bright glow, and the room will be very
warni immediately.
· With coké, as with anthracite, (unless you intend it to die
out,) you must take care not to let the fire get too low in the
grate. In replenishing it, after filling up the grate with fresh
coke, rake between the bars, and then put on the blower for a
few moments, while you rake well at the bottom, till the ashes
is thoroughly expelled: then empty the iron hearth into the
ash-pan beneath, and remove the blower, as the fire will no
longer require it.
To extinguish the fire, lift off with the tongs any large pieces
of coke that may still be burning; lay them on the hearth,
where they will die out immediately, and save them for cinders
to burn next day. Next, with the tongs or poker beat down
the mass of hot coals, and then part them in the centre, leaving
a deep hollow down to the bottom of the grate; or, if they are
but few, work and stir them about a little, and they will soon
go out.
In winter, if you have both coke and anthracite, it is a good
way to make the earliest or morning fire of coke, (as it ignites
80,soon,) and then, when it has burnt down below the upper
bar, replenish with anthracite, continuing the hard coal during
the day and evening.
On an iron footman or shelf, hooked on to the grate,


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
· 145
you may soon boil a tea-kettle or sauce-pan before a coke
fire.
TO HEAT A BRICK OVEN.-Ovens should be heated
with light dry wood. Chesnut is best; but if it cannot be
procured, you may substitute pine. It must be split up small;
not a stick being left thicker than your wrist. Faggots, or
bundles of dry slender branches gathered up in the woods, are
used for ovens when nothing else can be obtained. The oven
wood should be all ready the evening before it is wanted for
baking, that the oven may be heated early. In putting in the
wood, place it near the mouth or door of the oven, (for there
the draught is strongest,) and lay the sticks across each other
in a square pile, as children do when they play at building
houses. Put in sufficient oven wood at once; for instance, a
large arm-full or more. The door of the oven must be left
open all the time the fire is burning. Kindle the wood with
some live coals and waste-paper, or shavings. After it has
been burning well for about a quarter of an hour, with a long
stick or pole push the fire farther back towards the centre of
the oven, and stir and quicken it occasionally. When the fire
is reduced entirely to a. bed of coals, and when the coals look
dull and whitish, as if dying out, remove them from the oven
with a large shovel or scraper. Next, take a long stick, to one
end of which is fastened a coarse wet cloth, (a wet mop is still
better,) and with it wipe out the floor of the oven. Then let it
rest for about five minutes. To try the heat, throw in a piece
of paper; and if it burns instantly, the oven is too hot, and you
must wait a little longer. A thermometer, held for a minute
within the oven, is a good regulator; but, after all, experience
is the best. The things to be baked should be quite ready by
the time the oven is hot. You must have a peel, or long-han-
13


140
THE HOUSE BOOR:
dled, broad, wooden shovel, to slip under them when you set
them in or take them out, that the heat may not burn your
hands. As soon as they are in, shut closely the door of the
oven. Pies and large loaf-cakes (except gingerbread, which
burns easily) require a hotter oven than bread. It is best to
bake the bread by itself; for it may be injured by letting in
the cold air, if you open the oven door to put in or take out the
other things. Once only will be sufficient to look at the bread
while it is baking. If the loaves contain a quarter of á peck
of flour each, they will require two hours at least to bake.
During that time, it will be only necessary to look at them
once, (which should be at the end of the first hour,) and then
turn them round, that they may bake evenly; otherwise those
parts of them that are nearest to the fire-place at the side of the
oven, will be done too much in proportion to the rest. It is
best always to bake bread in iron pans, sprinkled with flour,
or slightly buttered. When they are taken out of the oven,
wrap each loaf in a clean, coarse, wet towel, and stand them
up on end to cool gradually. This will prevent the crust from
becoming too hard.
If you are baking little cakes or tarts, look in at them in ten
minutes after they are put into the oven, to see if they are
nearly done. A large plum-cake or fruit cake will require
six or seven hours to bake; and it should not be taken out till
the oven has grown quite cold. Indeed it will be the better
for staying in all night, keeping the oven closed. If a fruit
cake cools too fast after baking, it will become doughy and
heavy. Keep it covered with a cloth till quite cold.
The floor of an oven is best of tile, it being smoother than brick.
CHIMNEYS ON FIRE. When you have reason to sup-
pose that a chimney is dirty, keep the fire low, as a large blaze


FUEL, PIRES, ETC.
147
will be very likely to ignite the soot. Should it, nevertheless,
take fire, you will be immediately apprized of it by the loud
roaring noise, and the falling down of flakes of burning soot. If
there is no water in the room, have a bucket-full brought imme-
diately, so as to put out all the fire in the hearth ; and while
waiting for the water, throw on all the salt that may be at hand;
or, what will be still better, a handful of flour of sulphur, as soon
as you can obtain it. The sulphur will frequently extinguish
even the fire in the chimney, if it has not yet become large. As
long as it is burning, take care to keep all the doors and windows
tightly shut, and hold up closely before the fire-place a blanket
or some other woollen article, for instance, a table-cover or
hearth-rug, so as to exclude the air.
If the roof is dry, let some persons go out at the trap-door,
carrying with them buckets of water to pour all round, so as
to prevent its catching from the sparks that issue from the
chimney.
In Philadelphia, any person that allows his chimney to get
on fire, is liable to a fine of five dollars; it being one of the
regulations of the city, that all chimneys where wood is burnt
shall be swept once a month."
ACCIDENTS FROM FIRE.-Do not allow yourself to
contract the inexcusable habit of reading in bed at night. It
never fails to injure the eyes; but there is a still greater evil
attending it, the probability of your insensibly falling asleep,
and the light catching the bed clothes, and consequently,
endangering your own life, and perhaps setting the house on
fire. The head of the family should see that no one of its
members ever indulges in this senseless and sometimes fatal
practice.
In escaping from a room on fire, creep or crawl along with


148
THE HOUSE BOOK.
your face close to the ground, as near the floor the air is purest,
and there is less danger of being suffocated with the smoke.
Persons frequently are saved by letting themselves down from
the window, by means of a knotted rope, or by sliding down
a sheet secured at one of the upper corners.
Children may be saved from the flames of a burning house,
by means of large, coarse woollen bags, with a strong rope
attached to each: these bags should be kept constantly in the.
sleeping-rooms, and in case of fire, a child may be put into
each, (leaving only a small breathing place open at the top,)
and then lowered down from the window.
When a house is on fire, beds should be placed under the
windows, to receive the persons who are compelled to save
themselves by leaping out.
Children, in winter, should be dressed entirely in clothes of
woollen or worsted, as these are. less liable to catch fire and
blaze, than linen or cotton. Even their aprons should be of
worsted; for instance, bombazet or merino. Small children
should never be left alone in a room in which there is fire; and
their sleeping apartments should, on no account, have the doors
locked. Every winter, we have at least one instance of a little
child perishing horribly, by the mother leaving it alone, tied in
a chair, and placed near the fire, while she is engaged in a
distant part of the house, or perhaps gone out on some errand.
· This is a practice too dangerous for any circumstances to
excuse. So is that of the parents going out in the evening,
locking up the house, and leaving all the rest of the family in
bed. Such parents, on coming home, may find their house
on fire, and their children perishing in the flames.
If the dress of a female catches fire when she is alone, if she
cannot extinguish it by squeezing it in her hands, let her im-
mediately ring the bell violently, or knock on the floor; but,


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
149
if possible, avoid opening the door to run out, as admitting the
air, will increase the flame. She should throw herself directly
on the floor, and endeavour to smother the fire by wrapping
the hearth-rug closely round her, or by tearing up a part of the
carpet, if there is no woollen cloth at hand.
In some families a large piece of baize is kept in every room,
for the purpose of extinguishing accidental fire; and the prac-
tice is a good one. In a chamber, a blanket can be immediately
snatched from the bed, and used for this purpose. A man may
smother out fire in the dress of a female, by taking off his cloth
coat, and wrapping it round her.
Children should be early taught how to squeeze or press out
a spark, when it happens to reach any part of their dress, and
also that running out into the air will cause it to blaze imme-
diately. They should also learn, that it is the nature of flame
to ascend or run upwards.
The first application to a burn should be sweet oil, putting
it on immediately, till other remedies can be prepared. Cotton
should never be applied. It increases the pain and inflammation.
For a slight burn or scald, some raw potato scraped fine, and
tied on the place, (renewing it at intervals,) is an excellent
remedy, and a very agreeable one to the sufferer.
It is extremely difficult to get a horse out of a stable that is
on fire. It is said, that the best way is to accoutre him, as
speedily as possible, in the harness or saddle he is accustomed
to wearing, and when he feels it on him, he will think he ought
to go; at the same time blindfolding him, by bandaging his
eyes, or throwing a blanket, a coat, or something of the sort
entirely over his head. Some years since one of the principal
livery stables in Philadelphia took fire, and all the horses (we
believe fifty in number) were saved by blindfolding them,
Unless their eyes are covered, so that they cannot see
13*


150
THE HOUSE BOOK.
the fire, they will run into it in the wildness of their
terror.
BURN SALVE.—Take equal quantities of Burgundy pitch,
yellow bees-wax, and sweet oil; simmer them together over
the fire till quite melted, stirring the mixture frequently. Put
it into a salve box, and do not use it till cool. Spread some
of it on a soft linen rag, and apply it to the burn, securing the
rag with a string or bandage. By repeating the application,
it will be found an excellent cure for a burn or scald; and
it will be well to keep some of this salve always in the
house.
TO EXTRACT A SPARK OF COAL FROM THE
EYE.-In travelling on rail-roads, particles of cinder from the
chimney of the locomotive frequently fly into the eyes of pas-
sengers, causing intolerable pain, and, if not very soon extracted,
producing inflammation. A trifling spark may sometimes be
expelled from the eye, by pulling down with your fingers the
lower eyelid, and at the same moment blowing your nose very
hard. If this does not succeed, at the first stopping-place
procure a bristle from a sweeping-brush, and tie its two ends
together with a thread, so as to form a loop. Then let some
one who has a steady hand insert this loop under your eyelid,
and pass it carefully all round the eye. The loop will catch
the particle of cinder and bring it out. If not successful at the
first attempt, persist in it, and it will, in almost all cases,
eventually extract the spark.
Another way (but a less easy one) is, after wrapping the corner
a soft cambric handkerchief round the head of a pin, to let some
efficient person (a medical man, if one is at hand) insert it care-
fully beneath the eyelid, and with it sweep all round the inside of


FUEL, FIRE S, ETC.
151
the eye. This (repeating it, if necessary) will most probably
bring out the bit of cinder.
An eye-stone (to be obtained at the druggist's) will also
remove troublesome substances.
If the eye inflames afterwards, it will be well to have the
lower part of the eyelid punctured on the inside with a lancet,
so as to draw blood from it; and to have a small blister imme-
diately applied behind the ear, for the purpose of exciting a
counter-irritation. Also to take a dose of cooling medicine.
It is best, however, to have recourse as soon as possible to a
physician.
To avoid these painful and sometimes dangerous accidents,
ladies should always travel with veils; holding them closely
down over their faces, if they find the sparks from the locomo-
tive likely to be troublesome.
· FIRE-SCREENS.—Where there is a grate or an open
stove, fire-screens are indispensable to comfort, and no room
should be without one. The best are those with three slides.
They are tall, upright frames of mahogany or other handsome
wood, with heavy feet, moving on castors. The three compart-
ments are square or rather oblong frames, covered with fluted
or radiated silk. Two of these compartments are made to slide
out from the sides of the principal frame, so as to add to the
, breadth of the screen when necessary: the third one slides
upward to give it additional height. If the covers are of silk
or damask, the colour should correspond with those of the
curtains and other furniture.
The most usual parlour screens are upright frames of ma-
hogany, standing (as all fire screens should) on heavy substan-
tial feet, to prevent accidents from oversetting. The screen
part, which extends about halfway down, is a square frame


152
THE HOUSE BOOK..
covered with silk, fluted or radiated; and along its base is a
shelf broad enough to hold a book or a few sewing imple
ments.
Instead of silk, fire-screens for libraries and chambers may
be covered with varnished maps, pictures, comic drawings or
prints, riddles, conundrums, &c.
A plain, cheap fire-screen for a bed-room, nursery, or kitchen,
may be made of common wood, (any carpenter will do it,) and
you can furnish it yourself with a cover of green moreen, or
any other stuff that is dark and durable. It must be a tall
upright frame, about a yard and a half high and a yard in width,
made exactly like a large towel-horse, with ends or knobs
rising above the top bar. There should be another cross bar
about halfway down, to strengthen the frame. The cover
should be a double piece of stuff, made to slip over the frame,
and of sufficient length to descend to the floor, sewed at the
sides about halfway down; the remainder hemmed and left
open, so as to form two large flaps, which can be fastened up
at pleasure with strings of ribbon or worsted ferret, or with
loops and buttons, when you wish the warmth of the fire to
reach your limbs. Again ; if, in sitting very near the grate,
you desire to guard your dress from the danger of being dis-
coloured by the heat, you can let down the two flaps, and have
your whole person protected by it. When not wanted as a
fire-screen, you may remove the cover, and use the frame as a
clothes-horse for drying muslins and other small articles.
It is always best to stand the fire-screen in a sideway posi-
tion. It can be so placed as to shelter you effectually from the
heat, without being itself exposed to the injury it may sustain
from standing with its full front in face of the fire.
Hand-screens should not be forgotten in furnishing a room.
They should be large enough to shade the face completely, and


FUEL, FIRES, ETC.
153
may be made very handsome by a young lady of good taste and
well skilled in drawing. The usual foundation for such hand-
screens is very thick pasteboard or very thin wood. The
covers are of fine paper, ornamented with drawings, and pasted
on very smoothly, the edge being finished with a border or
binding of gold paper. We have seen beautiful fire-screens,
having in the centre an excellent oval drawing in Indian ink,
encircled with a wreath of flowers done in colours, which
looked the brighter from being contrasted with the darkness of
the centre-piece. There are very amusing hand-scrreens,
covered with a variety of comic drawings, or with conundrums,
&c., handsomely and legibly written. All paper screens
should be coated with transparent varnish, otherwise they will
soon become soiled and discoloured...
Large feather fans are good substitutes for hand-screens.
CHAIR-SCREENS.—To make a very good chair-screen,
get a large sheet of the thick stiff pasteboard used by bookbind-
ers and trunk-makers, (of whom it can be obtained,) and with
a knife pare off the edges and trim it to the required size. It
should ascend sufficiently above the back of the chair to screen
the neck and shoulders of the sitter. Make a double case (like
a pillow-case) of dark chintz or moreen, open at one end, to
slip over the pasteboard. At each of the lower corners, sew a
strong string of stout ribbon or worsted tape, and place two
other strings about half a yard farther up, on the side edges or
seams of the cover. When the cover is finished, slip it over
the pasteboard, and sew it along the bottom edge, to keep the
board from falling out. When ready for use tie it by the
strings to the outside of the back of the chair. Three or
four of these screens will be found very convenient in dining-
rooms, to screen from the heat the backs of those persons who


154
THE HOUSE BOOK.
sit on the side of the table next the fire. Also, they will save
the chairs from being scorched and blistered.
You may have slighter chair-screens, by simply making
cases of thick moreen, without pasteboard; leaving the lower
end open to slip down over the chair-back.


155
LIGHTS, &c
LAMP OIL.—The best lamp oil is that which is clear and
nearly colourless, like water. None but the winter-strained
oil should be used in cold weather. Thick, dark-coloured oil
burns badly, (particularly if it is old,) and there is no economy
in trying to use it. Unless you require a great deal every
night, it is well not to get more than two or three gallons at a
time, as it spoils by keeping. Oil that has been kept several
months will frequently not burn at all. When that is found to
be the case, it is best to empty it all out, clean thoroughly the
can or jug that has contained it, and re-fill it with good
fresh oil.
There are large oil-vessels with cocks, and keys belonging
to them.
CLEANING AN OIL-CAN.-Having thoroughly emptied
it of the dregs of the oil, fasten a rag to the end of a stick, and
with it scrub or wipe round the inside and bottom, till you
have got out all the sediment. Next, wash out the can, by
pouring in a lather of brown soap and warm water, rubbed
about with a clean rag on the stick; and having rinsed it well
with cold water, turn it up to drain.
Clean the outside of the tin with whiting wet with water,
and rubbed bright with a rag. Then fill it with clear fresh oil.
ANOTHER WAY.–After emptying the oil-can, and remove
ing the sediment from the bottom, as above, by means of a rag
'.


156
THE HOUSE BOOK.
fastened to a stick, fill the can with warm water, in which a
large table-spoonful of pearl-ash has been melted. Put on the
cover, and let it stand all night. Then rinse it out with two
or three warm waters, and put it to drain. Then fill it anew.
If the inside of an oil-can is allowed to collect sediment
without frequent cleaning out, it will spoil the fresh oil that is
put in, and cause it to burn badly.
· Always keep the oil-can on an old waiter, or something of
the sort, to receive whatever grease may come from it.
· ASTRAL LAMPS.-In buying astral lamps for the table,
choose the shades of plain ground glass, as they give the clear-
est and steadiest light, and are best for the eyes, particularly
when employed in reading, writing, or needlework. Lamp
shades painted in bright colours are now considered in very
bad taste, and are nearly exploded in genteel houses. The
fashion of having the shades decorated with flowers or other
devices, cut on the glass and left transparent, is also on the
decline: and most fortunately, as it is a very bad one for lamps
that are intended for useful rather than ornamental purposes ;
though it may do well enough for mantel-lamps and lustres.
The transparent flowering breaks and distracts the light, and
its scattered brightness glitters in the eyes, and is eventually
very pernicious to them, though it may not seem so at first;
also the irregularity with which it falls renders the light much
less easy for reading or sewing than the soft, steady, uniform
rays from a shade of plain ground glass. For lighting up pic-
tures, flowered shades should on no account be used, as they
will destroy the effect of the painting.
To buy table astral lamps of inferior size, is by no means
advisable. They only give light in proportion to their magni-
tude; and when they are small and low, the effort of seeing by


LIGHTS, ETC.
157
them is so teazing to the optic nerve, that the eyes, however
strong originally, seldom fail to become weak in consequence.
It is also false economy, to diminish the light, by keeping the
lamp low, for the purpose of saving a little oil; as many have
discotered, when too late; after their eyes were irreparably
injured by this foolish practice.
MANAGEMENT OF ASTRAL LAMPS.-Use none but
the best oil, as that of inferior price and quality will be found
more inconvenient than economical. Except in warm weather,
the winter strained oil is the only sort that is fit for lamps, as
it is not liable to chill; and when chilled, no oil will burn. It
should look clear and limpid like water. Do not buy too much
oil at once, as it frequently spoils by keeping, so as to become
useless. For filling the lamps, have a covered tin pot or can
with a long spout turned upwards at the point, lest it should
drip after pouring. Keep a distinct oil-can for the parlour lamp.
Choose firm light-woven wicks, fine in texture, and with even
edges. Coarse, flimsy, loosely-woven wicks, absorb more oil
than the flame will consume; and consequently, the cup or
reservoir being too full of oil, the air-holes are choked, and the
flame blazes out at the top of the glass chimney, so as to en-
danger its cracking. Keep the wicks in a place where they
will be clean and dry; and always have in the house some extra
lamp-glasses or chimneys, to be ready in case of accidents.
They also should be perfectly dry.
No one should trim lamps with damp fingers.
It is well to have a small basket for the purpose of contain-
ing whatever is necessary for trimming the lamp. Across the
top of the basket, (which should have side handles,) let there
be fastened two tight strings of thick twine, to support the
shade or globe of the lamp when you take it off. The lamp-
14


158
THE ILOUSE BOOK. '
scissors should be very sharp, or it will be impossible to trim
the wick properly.
A lamp that is nightly in use should be trimmed and
replenished regularly every morning, otherwise there will be
no certainty in its burning, and it will go out unexpectedly at
any time in the evening, leaving the room in darkness. After
you have removed the shade and the glass chimney, raise the
wick by turning the screw towards the right hand, and cut off
with the lamp-scissors, or nip off with your thumb and finger
the edge of the wick that has been burning the night before;
but do not trim it too closely, or you will find it difficult to
light again. It is sufficient, barely to cut off the rim of the
brown crust. When you find that the wick is reduced by
burning, to only about an inch and a half in length, it is time
to take it out and put in a new one. In winter, a new wick
will be required once a week; in the short summer evenings,
it will of course last longer. Always do the wick before the
qil. Clean out every morning, the cup or candlestick part that
catches the droppings. Wipe out with a clean soft cloth, (for
instance, an old napkin, or old silk handkerchief,) the glass
chimney, and the shade ; and dust well their outsides, and also
every part of the lamp. Then replace it on the table to be
ready for evening.
When you light it, remove the shade and the chimney, and
ignite the wick with a paper match, a supply of which should
always be kept in some convenient place. They should be
made of waste writing paper cut into long slips, and folded,
and creased very hard. If of newspaper or any other that is
not stiff enough, the flame will run along them so fast as to
endanger your fingers. As soon as the wick is ignited all round,
put on the chimney and the shade, turn the screw to the right,
and raise the light at once to the height at which it is to


· LIGHTS, É'Tc.
159
continue through the evening. The practice of keeping the
wick low for a considerable time after it is lighted, is a bad
one, as by doing so a crust forms round it which dims the light
for the whole evening. Take care, however, not to raise the
light so high as for the flame to blaze out at the top of the chim-
ney, as that will certainly crack the glass, unless it is let down
immediately by turning the screw to the left. When you
wish to extinguish the lamp entirely, turn the screw to the left
as far as it will go.
When you are about lighting an astral lamp, see that your
fingers have no wet or damp on them.
Once a week the chimney and shade of the lamp should be
washed out well with luke-warm soap-suds, then rinsed in
clean water, and wiped and dried thoroughly.
The lamp should be taken to pieces, and undergo a complete
cleaning once a month. To clean it: after it is all taken apart,
empty the reservoir over the kitchen sink, throwing out what-
ever oil is in it. Have ready, in a pitcher, a pint of warm
water, in which has been dissolved a large table-spoonful of
pearl-ash. Pour this into the reservoir, and let it stand about
three hours, shaking it round frequently. Then pour it out,
and rinse the reservoir several times with clean warm water;
for if any of the pearl-ash remains, it will form with the oil a
sort of soap, and prevent its burning. Drain the reservoir tho-
toughly, by turning it upside down, and letting it stand a while
ön a plate. Take care that the pearl-ash touches no part of
the outside of the lamp.
If the frame and stand of the lamp is plated, clean it but sel-
dom, and then use powdered whiting of the finest kind or pre-
pared chalk, made into a paste with whiskey, and rubbed on
with a soft flannel. Then finish with a buckskin, and brush
out the rough or embossed parts with a clean tooth-brush.


160
THE HOUSE BOOK..
If the stand or frame of the lamp is of bronze, clean it by
merely rubbing it well with a soft dry cloth. The same if it
is gilt.
When every part has been thoroughly cleaned, replenish it
with fresh oil and fresh wick, and put the lamp together.
When all your lamps (mantel, &c.) have been in use for
company, they should next morning be emptied completely of
oil and wick, and washed out with luke-warm pearl-ash and
water. If the oil and wick are left in them, verdigrease will
accumulate, which, when they are lighted again, will cause
them to smoke instead of burn. The oil that is taken from
these lamps should be put into a can and saved to use for the
kitchen. On the day of your next company, (and not till then,)
* replenish them anew. Unless a lamp is used nightly, no oil
and wick should be left in it, even for a single day.
ENTRY LAMPS.-Entry lamps should be trimmed every
morning, and lighted as soon as the sun has set; as at that time
the ball or entry is always so dark, that no one can find their
way through it without difficulty. Where the drawing-room
is up stairs, there should be a second lamp, to light the stair-
case and the upper passage.
After the large entry lamp is extinguished, on the family
going to bed, a small brass lamp should be kept burning all
night, on a table in the passage, or landing-place of the lower
stairs, that a light may always be at hand, in case of any per-
son being taken suddenly ill.
;
In houses that stand somewhat back from the street, with a
little garden in front, it is well (particularly when visiters are
expected) to place a lamp on a shelf fixed for the purpose, in
the fan-light over the front door. This will light the guests
on their way from the gate to the door-step, and is a great con-


LIGH
161
LIGHTS, ETC.
venience on a dark or wet night. Most of the best houses have
permanent lamps at the foot of the door-steps.
Hall lamps of stained glass are very elegant, their colours
throwing a beautiful tint on the walls and floor.
LAMP-RUGS.—These are small square rugs, to prevent
the feet of the lamps from marking the table. The cheapest
are made of oil-cloth, lined underneath with green baize, and
bordered with a very thick worsted fringe, which may be
bought, by the yard, at the trimming stores. The handsomest
lamp-rugs are worked on canvas with crewels of different
colours; the centre done in cross-stitch or queen-stitch, and the
edge decorated with a standing border, or wreath of flowers
ingeniously made of crewel. Some have a high close border
all round, imitating velvet or plush. This is made by working
the crewel over a mesh, or straight slip of wood, (like a ruler,)
about an inch and a half broad, so as to form successive rows
of long loops, with an interval of two or three threads of canvas
between each row. When all is done, the loops are cut by
running scissors through them; and then the surface is evenly
sheared, so as to resemble very thick velvet. The needles used
for this work should be large and blunt-pointed, like bodkins,
and the crewel should be put into them three or four double, in
very long needlefuls. Hearth-rugs worked all over in this
velvet stitch, on very coarse canvas, are extremely rich and
beautiful, and of the greatest durability.
In doing worsted work, you will find very convenient a
receptacle for the needles, as you must have a separate needle
for every shade of the crewel. A very simple contrivance for
this purpose, is to take a gallicup, or something else that has
a ridge round the top, and tie over it a bit of canvas. Keep
this beside you to stick your needles in while at work.
14*


162
THE HOUSE BOOK.
CHAMBER LAMPS.--Small japanned lamps are the most
convenient for carrying up and down stairs, and for lighting to
bed. They should be regularly replenished every morning, by
unscrewing the top and filling them up with oil, first adding a
new wick, if necessary. The wick should be about a quarter
of a yard in length; and unless the lamp is kept burning all
the evening, it will not require renewing for three or four days.
The wick is put in by drawing it through the socket, and
should be pulled up at the top with a pin to a convenient
height for lighting. The grocers sell it in balls.
Every evening before dusk, as many of these bed-lamps as
may be wanted by the members of the family, should be ranged
on a japanned waiter, with a brass lamp of larger size burning
in the middle, and a few paper matches placed on one side.
The waiter of lamps should be kept on a small table (or on
shelves connected by a frame) at the first landing-place of the
stairs, or in a recess or retired part of the hall or entry below.
By this convenient arrangement, every person that wants a
lamp can supply himself at once, without waiting to ring
for a servant to bring one, and can light it conveniently without
coming into the parlour for the purpose. Lighting a small one
at an astral lamp requires more dexterity and more nerve than
falls to the lot of many persons; as, when the match is inserted
into the glass chimney, the flame runs up instantly to the hand,
and there is danger of dropping it on the carpet, before it can
be carried to the hearth. All this difficulty is obviated by
keeping a lamp-table in a place convenient to the parlour, with
a lamp always burning, by which to light the small ones when-
ever they are wanted.
The long or ball wick used for common lamps may be much
improved by cutting it into pieces several yards long, steeping
them in a cup of vinegar, then spreading them out to dry, and


· LIGHTS, ETC.
163
when quite dry winding them on a card. The steeping in
vinegar will cause the wick to give a clearer and better light,
and when blown out it is extinguished inmediately, leaving
no smoke or disagreeable smell.
KITCHEN LAMPS-Should be of brass or block tin,
with broad bottoms like chamber candlesticks. They also
should be kept clean and replenished every day.
LANTERNS.—Every house should be provided with one
or more lanterns to carry out of doors at night, or to take into
a stable, barn, or any other place where an uncovered candle
or lamp might be dangerous.
Lanterns with glass sides are so easily cracked that we do
not recommend them. They are much better when glazed
with horn, or perforated all over with small holes. If they
have lamps in them, care should be taken to trim and replenish
these lamps daily, that the lantern may always be ready if
wanted at night. It is best to get a lantern with a socket at
the bottom, so that either a lamp or a piece of candle can be
placed in it, as may be most convenient. The piece of candle
must not be very long, or it will heat the top of the lantern só
as to burn the fingers of the person that carries it.
The small lamps used for placing in the sockets of lanterns
are like those without bottoms or stands, that are made to place
in broad kitchen candlesticks.
FLOATING TAPERS.–To burn all night in a chamber,
no lights are so cheap and so convenient as floating tapers.
In travelling, it may be found of great advantage to put in
your trunk a small box of them, containing also the float, or


164
THE HOUSE BOOK.
.
little apparatus of tin and cork, that supports them in the oil.
When you stop for the night, ask for an old tea-cup or some-
thing of the sort filled with lamp-oil, on the top of which place
the float with a taper on it. Set the light in the chimney, and
if you are incommoded by its beams, faint as they are, it is
easy to accustom yourself to sleep with a silk handkerchief or
a broad ribbon tied over your eyes. In the morning remember
to take the float out of the cup, wipe it, and return it to the
taper-box, that you may have it ready for the next night. The
little tin pliers or tweezers, that come in the box, are used for
taking the tapers off the float.
The best floating tapers (as we have found) are those with
wooden bottoms, and of the smallest size. They come in
boxes with a London mark. The box contains a little pair of
pliers, a float, and tapers enough to burn every night for several
months: the cost is generally but twenty-five cents, and no
light consumes so small a quantity of oil.
As it is not well to waste any thing, however cheap, we
recommend, in families who find it necessary to 'economize
in trifling expenses, that the wooden bottoms of the floating
tapers shall not be thrown away in the morning after the light
is extinguished. Let them be saved in an old box kept at hand
for the purpose, and when a box full is thus collected, they
can be used over again by furnishing them with fresh wicks,
made as follows:
To renew floating tapers.—Having saved a sufficient quan-
tity of old bottoms belonging to tapers that have been used,
wipe them clean one by one, and spread them out on a sheet
of coarse paper. Melt some white wax, and take some of the
very finest or smallest white cotton cord, such as is scarcely
thicker than a coarse thread. Having melted the wax, dip the
cord into it while hot, so as to cover it completely with a coat-


. LIGHTS, ETC.
165
ing of the liquid. Then dry it in the open air, and when quite
dry and stiff, cut it into pieces of equal size about an inch in
length, and put them through the holes of the old taper-bot-
toms, leaving a little bit beneath or on the under side to be
turned up, and pressed hard against the wood with your finger,
80 as to stick fast and secure the wick from slipping out.
Put the tapers into a box, and keep them for use.
NIGHT LAMPS.—There are a variety of lamps for burn-
ing all night in chambers; an excellent custom, which fre-
quently prevents much inconvenience, particularly in cases of
sudden illness. In every house it is well to have a lamp
burning the whole night, in at least one of the rooms. Many
persons are unwilling to sleep in a lighted room, thinking that
the sight of the objects all around will disturb them, and that
none of the shaded lamps sufficiently obscure the light. To
obviate this objection, we know of no better contrivance than
a floating taper placed in a cup of oil, and shut up in a small
dark lantern; such as may be purchased at a tin-store for fifty
or seventy-five cents. If there is a socket in the bottom of the
lantern, it had best be taken out, that the oil-cup may set
steadily on the floor. A little six-cent tin cup is the best thing
to hold the oil; with which having filled it, place on the sur-
face one of the cork-floats that come in the taper-boxes, and
every night set a taper on the float.
After the taper is settled in the centre of the cork float, ignite
it by holding a lighted paper-match to its side; place the cup
of oil on the floor of the dark lantern, (which should set on the
hearth,) and shut up the door. There will be a sufficient glim-
mering through the air holes at the top, just to show where it
is, and if at any time in the night you should want a larger
portion of light, you can open the door of the lantern or slide


166
THE HOUSE BOOK.
up one of the tin shutters at the side. If you have occasion
to light a candle or lamp from the floating taper, take the oil-
cup out of the lantern and set it on a small plate or saucer kept
on the hearth for the purpose, and apply a paper match to it.
A supply of paper matches should be kept in every room.
· 'In the morning blow out the taper, and let the oil-cup be put
away on the plate, for if lifted in the lantern it may spill.
If there is no chimney in the room, and the weather will not
permit a window-sash to be raised, the vapour of any night
light will be unwholesome to sleepers--therefore set it outside
of the room-door on an old waiter.
You may remove oil-grease from a hearth, by covering it
immediately with thick hot ashes or with burning coals. When
thus swept off, if the oil is not quite gone, spread some more
hot ashes, or a little Wilmington clay.
VERY CHEAP FLOATING TAPERS.-From a ball of
common lamp-wick unwind a yard or two, of which you must
take three threads. Have ready a piece of wax about the size
of a large walnut, either common bees-wax, or the ends of
wax candles heated a little and squeezed together into a solid
lump. Take a tin cup or a small sauce-pan filled with water
that is boiling hot. Throw into it the lump of wax, and when
it is melted and floats on the top of the water, dip in the wick,
curling it about in the melted wax. When the wick is suffi-
ciently coated, withdraw it, and hold it up to drain and con-
geal; then lay it on a plate. When quite cold, cut it, with
scissors, into bits about three-quarters of an inch in length,
(not larger, or they may smoke,) and put them away in a box.
For using these wicks you must have one of those large
circular cork floats, that are covered all over the surface with
tin to keep the cork from burning. They come in some of the


LIGHTS, ETC.,
167
imported boxes of floating tapers. Put the wick through the
small hole in the centre of the float, pressing or plastering the
lower end against the under side of the cork, to prevent its
slipping out through the bottom. Set this taper in a cup of the
best oil, and it will burn well all night. Next night put a
fresh wick into the float.
· This will be found the most economical of night lamps.
CANDLES.— Candles improve by keeping for a few
months; those made in winter are the best. The most econo-
mical as well as the most convenient plan, is to purchase them
by the box, keeping them always in a cool dry place,
If wax candles become discoloured or soiled, they may be
restored, by rubbing them over with a clean flannel, slightly
dipped in spirits of wine.
Candles are sometimes troublesome to light. They will
ignite instantly, if, when preparing them for the evening, you dip
the top in spirits of wine, shortly before they are wanted.
Light them always with a match, and do not hold them to
the fire, as that will cause the tops to melt and drip. Always
hold the match to the side of the wick, and not over the top. -
If you find them too small for the candlesticks, wrap neatly
round the bottom end a small piece of white paper, not allowing
the paper to appear above the socket. Cut the wicks at once to
a convenient length for lighting, (nearly close,) for if the wick is
too long at the top, it will be very difficult to ignite, and will
also bend down, and set the candle to running.
Glass receivers for the droppings of candles are very con-
venient, as well as ornamental. These are to be had at the
principal china stores, and those that are of cut-glass are ex-
tremely elegant. They have a hole, through which the candle
is passed when they are placed on the socket of the candlestick


168
THE HOUSE BOOK.
or branch; and projecting all round in the form of leaves or
shells, they receive the droppings of the wax or spermaceti.
The pieces of candle that are left after burning an evening,
should be laid in a tin box kept for the purpose, and used for
bed-lights. Even if the pieces are tolerably long, they should
not again be introduced as parlour lights, for in genteel families
it is not customary to commence their evening with half-burnt
candles.
TO MAKE COMMON MOULD CANDLES.–For this
purpose, you will require a set of tin moulds, containing tubes
for four or six candles ; a strong straight stick about half a yard
long, to go across the top; and six or eight wooden pegs. You
must have also, a ball of clean cotton candle-wick; and a suffi-
cient quantity of fresh raw mutton suet. Lamb fat must not be
mixed with it, as it will cause the candles to run.
To prepare the wicks, cut the cotton into double lengths,
somewhat longer than the tin moulds. With a bodkin or some-
thing of the sort, draw the wicks (double) through the moulds,
leaving a loop at the top of each, and a piece coming out at the
bottom. Run the stick through these loops at the top; and
secure the wicks where they come out at the bottom of the
moulds, by wrapping them tightly round the wooden pegs, so
as to prevent the tallow from running out when it is poured in.
· Cut up the suet; put it into a pot over the fire, and melt it
thoroughly, skimming it well. Then strain it through a coarse
cloth, into a mug with a spout, and pour it hot into the moulds,
filling them completely. Set them out of doors for the candles
to cool; or, what is still better, stand the moulds in a ves-
sel of cold water; or put a little ice or snow round them if
you are in haste to get them cold. Freezing will make them
white. When you are certain that the tallow is quite cold and


LIGHTS, ETC.
169
þard, dip the moulds for a moment into warm water, to loosen
the candles; and then, pulling them upwards by the cross stick
at the top, draw them carefully out. If you draw them too
soon, the wicks will come out and leave the tallow. Trim off
the ends of the wicks at the bottom and top, and the candles
will be fit for use next evening.
From a quarter of fine mutton, (including the leg and loin,)
you may cut off sufficient fat or suet, to make four large mould
candles. After they are made, (if the season is winter,) put
them out of doors a night or two, that they may freeze white.
SMALL WAX CANDLES — Or bougies, for sealing
letters, may be made in a manner similar to the above. You
must procure from a tinner a set of very small moulds. The
wicks should be of fine smooth cotton, and thinner than for large
candles. The wax (either white or coloured) you can obtain
from the druggists. Melt it thoroughly. As it is already refined,
it requires no straining previous to pouring it into the moulds.
FINE HOME-MADE CANDLES.--For these the ingre-
dients are in the following proportion :—Take ten ounces of
fresh mutton fat or suet, a quarter of a pound of bleached white
wax, a quarter of an ounce of camphor, and two ounces of
alum. Cut or break up all these articles, and then melt them
together; skimming them well. Have ready the wicks,
(which should be previously soaked in lime-water and salt-
petre, and then thoroughly dried,) fix them in the moulds, and
pour in the melted liquid, proceeding as in the receipt for com-
mon inould candles.
Candles made in this manner of the above materials, are
hard and durable, and will not run; burning also with a very
clear light.
poi "in. 15 :,:Lirik


170 - THE HOUSE BOOK.
[ DIP CANDLES.—These may be made of the fresh suet
or fat of either mutton or beef. Melt the tallow in an iron pot,
and then strain it into a deep pan or crock. Cut the wicks
into single lengths, tying the upper end of each over a stick,
or strong straight rod. Then dip them all together repeatedly
into the pan of hot tallow, letting them cool awhile between
each dipping. More and more tallow will stick to them every
time. You may shape them evenly by filling an iron spoon with
the tallow, and pouring it on the candles wherever they seem
to want it most. When they are sufficiently large and thick,
place them out of doors to harden. By keeping them out all
night in cold weather, they will become white by freezing.
RUSH LIGHTS.-Rush lights are much better than small
dip candles, and in country places where the rushes grow, the
expense of making them is almost nothing:
When the meadow rushes have attained their full substance,
but are still green, cut them and bring them home Trim off
both ends of the rush, and leave the prime part, which should
be about a foot and a half long. Then take off all the green
skin that surrounds the pith, leaving only about one-fifth in a
perpendicular strip running all the way up from bottom to top
of the rush; this strip is to hold the pith together all the way
along.
Have ready some melted tallow, and pour it liquid into a
tall crock, or something as high as the length of the rushes.
Then stand up the rushes in the grease, and let them soak in it
thoroughly. Afterwards carry the crock into the yard, take
out the rushes, and stand them up to cool against the wall or
round a large tree. If allowed to freeze, they will be the
whiter.
Rush candles give a clear and pleasant light for a sick room.


171
.
FURNITURE, &c.
WALLS.-When the inside walls of a new house are to be
painted, the plastering is hard-finished, as it is called, to pre-
pare them for it; but the paint should not be put on for a year
at least, (it would be better still to wait two years,) as before
that time the plastering will not be in a state to receive it pro-
perly. Painting the walls of rooms has now become very
.customary in new houses, and though more expensive at first,
has advantages over papering that have brought it greatly into
use; being more durable, more easily cleaned when soiled, not
loosening with the damp, and showing the furniture to greater
advantage; particularly the curtains, mirrors, and pictures.
The ceiling, of course, should be white; otherwise it will look
low and gloomy, unless in a very splendid apartment, where
it has been finely painted by an artist. With such a ceiling,
it is usual to have the walls of the room painted in compart-
ments, by the same hand. We have seen walls that were
painted to imitate bas reliefs of white marble; the ceilings
corresponding, and made to look as if coved or vaulted.
Nothing can be in worse taste, than a painted ceiling with a
papered wall, however expensive and elegant the paper.
The colour of the walls should, on no account, resemble that
of the furniture, but should rather present a decided contrast.
To give a good effect to a room, there should, as in a picture,
be a proper and harmonious distribution of light and dark tints
throughout all the objects; every one assisting to bring each


172
THE HOUSE Boo κ. .
other out. If there is nothing in the room either very dark or
very light, the aspect of the whole will be indistinct and con-
fused. If the furniture is as light-coloured as the walls, the
whole will look weak and insipid. If both walls and furniture
are dark, the effect will be heavy and gloomy; and the rooms
will light very badly at night. .
If you have fine pictures, (oil-paintings,) they will be worth
taking every means of showing to advantage. Therefore, as
bright colours around them would overpower their tints, let
the walls be one uniform shade of a quiet and sober colour,
something like pale gray, or stone colour, or pale olive; but
on no account any thing of a blue, red, green, or yellow tinge.
On each side of all the principal pictures it is well to place a
bracket supporting a lamp; thus doing justice to the work of
the artist, and assisting at the same time to light the room.
Where there are no pictures, or only engravings, the walls may
be painted of a very pale pink or blossom colour, an extremely
delicate light green or blue, or of any buff or yellowish tint
that will not interfere with the gilding of the mirror frames, &c.
Generally, however, the safest colour to set off the furniture is
one of the various tints of gray, including light stone-colour
and dove-colour. The curtains, &c., should always be darker
than the walls; otherwise the effect will be dull and insipid,
for want of contrast.
Light blue looks extremely well for an entry and stair-case.
In choosing wall-paper, avoid that which has a variety of
colours or a large showy figure, as with such a paper no furni-
ture whatever can appear to its best advantage. The wall,
whether painted or papered, should never be so conspicuous as
to interfere with the objects of which it forms the background.
The most tasteful papers, and those which best set off the gilt
frames, lamps, &c., are those whose simple and unobtrusive


FURNITURE, ETC.
173
figure is formed by different tints of the same colour, as shaded
grays, &c. All wall-papers should be very light. For a bor-
dering round the top, let the predominant colour correspond
with that of the curtains. A deep rich bordering gives a very
handsome finish to a papered wall.
Large figured papering makes a small room look still smaller.
· It is now much out of use.
CARPETS.-The carpets most used in America are the
Saxony, Tournay, and Brussels, for the best apartments of
handsomely furnished houses. Inferior to these are the Wilton,
the Imperial, Kidderminster or Ingrain, Venetian, and Scotch;
which last is the lowest in price, and worst in'quality. Turkey
carpets are now very rare. They are made square, all in one
piece, and are extremely thick, heavy, and durable; but their
colours and patterns have no beauty, and they accumulate
much dust, and are so cumbrous as to be extremely difficult
to shake.
Wilton carpets, though looking very handsomely when quito
new, are less durable than any others; the surface, notwith-
standing its rich and velvet-like appearance, wearing off almost
immediately; every sweeping bringing away a portion of the
wool. Persons who have had no experience of them can
scarcely believe in how short a time a Wilton carpet or hearth-
rug becomes thread-bare.
Venetian or striped carpets are rarely used, except for stairs
and passages. They (as well as Imperial and Ingrain carpets)
are made to be put down with either side outwards.
In buying a carpet, as in every thing else, those of best qua-
lity are cheapest in the end. As it is extremely desirable that
they should look clean as long as possible, avoid buying a
carpet that has any white in it. Even a very small portion of
16* *


174
TIE HOUSE BOOK.
white interspersed through the pattern, will in a short time
give a dirty appearance to the whole; and certainly no carpet
can be worse for use than one with a white ground. A carpet
in which all the colours are light, never has a clean, bright
effect, from the want of dark tints to contrast and set off the
light ones. For a similar reason, carpets whose colours are
all of what artists call middle tint, (neither dark nor light)
cannot fail to look dull and dingy, even when quite new. The
caprices of fashion at times bring these ill-coloured carpets into
vogue; but in apartments where elegance is desirable, they
always have a bad effect. For a carpet to be really beautiful
and in good taste, there should be, as in a picture, a judicious
disposal of light and shadow, with a gradation of very bright
and of very dark tints ; some almost white, and others almost
or quite black. The most truly chaste, rich, and elegant car-
pets are those where the pattern is formed by one colour only,
but arranged in every variety of shade. For instance, we have
seen a Brussels carpet entirely red; the pattern formed by
shades or tints varying from the deepest crimson (almost a
black) to the palest pink, almost a white. Also, one of green
only, shaded from the darkest bottle-green, in some parts of
the figure, to the lightest pea-green in others. Another, in
which there was no colour but brown in all its various grada-
tions, some of the shades being nearly black, others of a light
buff. All these carpets had much the look of rich cut velvet.
The curtains, sofas, &c., of course, were of corresponding
colours, and the effect of the whole was noble and elegant.
Carpets that present a great variety of different and gaudy co-
lours, are much less in demand than formerly. Two colours only,
with the dark and light shades of each, will make a very hand-
some carpet. A very light blue ground, with the figure of
shaded crimson or purple, looks extremely well; 80 does a


176
THE HOUSE BOOK..
the same time, but not so as to form a ridge. Each stitch must
be taken behind or at the back of the last; passing the needle
backwards and forwards, so as to point it alternately, first from
your chest, and then towards it; and taking care not to hold
one side of the selvage lower than the other, and not to draw
your thread too tightly. If properly done, the seams will tread
down perfectly flat. If you find, as you proceed, that you have
puckered any part of the seam, pick it out, and do it better; as
the slightest incorrectness in matching the pattern will disfigure
the whole carpet. :
When the seams are completed, bind the edge all round with
regular carpet-binding.
A carpet-fork (to be obtained at the hardware stores) is an
article of almost indispensable convenience for putting down
carpets. It is to be stuck by a strong hand into the extremities
of the carpet, after it is laid on the floor, so as to stretch it to
the utmost, and make it fit tightly and evenly all over; while
another person pulls it straight and smooths it. The tack-nails
must not be too small, or they will fail in securing the carpet
firmly. It is well to have ready a sufficient number of little
bits of soft buckskin or kid leather, to stick on each tack, close
under the head, which may otherwise fray or injure the carpet.
An extra breadth, tacked down in front of the sofa, will
assist greatly in saving that part of the carpet from wearing
out; and by taking care to match the figure exactly, it can be
so fixed as to escape notice.
In an eating-room, the carpet should be protected from crumbs
and grease-droppings by a large woollen cloth kept for the
purpose, and spread under the table and the chairs that surround
it; this cloth to be taken up after every meal, and shaken out
of doors; or else swept off carefully as it lies. It will also
require occasional washing. A crumb-cloth may be of drugget,


FURNITURE, ETC.
177
finished round the edge with carpet-binding; of thick green
baize; or very strong, stout brown linen.
Have always a regular tack-box, for the purpose of contain-
ing new tacks, and receiving those that come out of the carpets
when they are taken up. Your hammer should of course have
a claw or cleft for getting out nails. Take care to leave no
loose tacks lying about the floor; as, if accidentally trodden
on, they may cause great injury to the foot..
In putting away carpets for the summer, after they have been
well shaken and beaten, fold them up, and lay among the folds
a large quantity of shreds of tobacco, interspersed with bits of
camphor. Wrapping them up closely in linen sheets or table-
cloths, will prove an additional security against the moths.
The linen should be pinned or sewed tightly round them.
To prevent the back of a sofa or a piano from rubbing against
the wall, and defacing it with marks, prepare two narrow slats
of heavy wood, about a foot long, and in thickness and breadth
three or four inches. Cover them with carpeting of the same
as that on the floor, and set them between the wash-board and
the back feet of the sofa, which will thus be imperceptibly
kept off from the wall.
A large, heavy, square foot-cushion of coarse linen, stuffed
hard and firmly with hair, or with upholsterers' moss, and
covered with carpeting, is a very usual and excellent accompa- .
niment to a rocking-chair. These cushions must be made só
compact and substantial, that they cannot be moved unless
intentionally. If lightly and loosely stuffed, (as you will
generally find those that are offered for sale ready-made,) they
will be continually shoving from under your feet, and kicking
about the room. It is well always to bespeak them yourself,
and have them made to order. There is no foot-stool so com-
fortable and convenient as these heavy carpet-cushions, parti-


178
THE IIOUSE BOOK.
cularly for chambers, sitting-rooms, and libraries. In hand-
somely furnished parlours or drawing-rooms, the foot-stools are
generally of mahogany, and covered with the same material as
the sofas, &c.; but they should always be heavy, so as not
easily to overset.
A large brick, covered with a piece of carpeting sewed
smoothly all over it, is a simple but good contrivance for plac-
ing against the door to keep it open when necessary.
· BED-ROOM CARPETS.—The carpet on a chamber will
last and look well much longer if there are extra pieces to lay
round the bed, taking them up and shaking them every day.
In front of the washing-stand, and some distance beneath, it is
well to have a breadth of oil-cloth nailed down upon the carpet,
which will thus be saved from much injury by the splashing
of water in emptying pitchers and basins.
The custom of carpeting chambers all over in summer, though
very general in American houses, is not a good one. It seems
to add to the heat of the room, is very uncomfortable to the feet
when the shoes and stockings are off, and causes an accumula-
tion of dust which seldom fails to produce insects, and is in
every respect a great sacrifice of convenience to show. Also,
the carpet of course will not last half as long if in use all the
year. In England, though the summers are much cooler than
ours, the chamber floors, when not covered with matting or oil-
cloth, have in the warm season no other carpets than three
small ones that surround the bed, and are removed every morn-
ing before the bed is made. These bed-side carpets come in
sets, are frequently very elegant, and are manufactured expressly
for the purpose, each having a border and middle-figure. We
could wish they were universally introduced into America,


FURNITURE, ETC.
179
nothing being more easy to sweep and wash than the board
floor, from which they can be removed in a minute.
In families that are unwilling to go to the expense of matting
for their chambers in summer, we recommend that the carpet
shall nevertheless be taken up and put away before the warm
season commences; substituting for the above-mentioned regu-
lar bed-side carpets, three pieces of carpeting finished with
worsted binding
STAIR-CARPETS.—Having the stairs painted white (a
custom now greatly in use) will save much trouble in scrub-
bing them. When painted, all they require is to be washed
down occasionally with a flannel and cold water. The white
paint on each side adds much to the effect of a handsome
coloured stair-carpet. Observing the pains that are taken by
many persons to prevent their wearing out, one might suppose
that a stair-carpet was of all articles of furniture the most costly.
Some are guarded by a covering of brown linen, which almost
immediately becomes soiled, and after washing looks fit only to
be cut up into kitchen towels. Others are covered all the way
up the middle with a strip of drugget, (which is rather better;)
and others are disfigured by slips of oil-cloth nailed along the
ledge of every step. All recourse to these unsightly methods
of saving a stair-carpet may be avoided, by simply purchasing
at the beginning a yard and a half or two yards more of the
carpeting than is actually required by the measure of your
stairs. In putting down the carpet, let this additional yard be
folded smoothly under, either at the head or the foot of the
stairs, or partly at both. Whenever the stair-carpet is taken
up to be shaken and beaten, (which ought to be at least once
a fortnight, as the dust accumulating underneath grinds and
wears it out,) the position of the extra quantity at the end


180
THE HOUSE BOOK
should be changed. By this means, the same part of the car-
peting will not be all the time wearing against the stairs; and
what was last upon the ledge, will be now against the flat part.
We know that by this easy plan of buying at the beginning
a small extra quantity, a good stair-carpet has been made to
last ten years, without looking in the least amiss, and without
the expense, trouble, and disfigurement of any covering or
guard whatever.
For a long or loſty staircase, it is best to get two additional
yards of the carpeting.
An entry or hall carpet will last much longer, for having a
large mat at every door that opens into it.
Immediately within the street door, the vestibule (if not of
marble) should be covered with oil-cloth. Also, oil-cloth at the
back door, and at the head of the kitchen stairs.
A stair-carpet should never be swept down with a long broom,
but always with a short-handled brush, and a tin dust pan held
closely under each step of the stairs as you proceed; sweeping
carefully the corners and between the bannisters, which should
afterwards be wiped and rubbed with a cloth. If they are
mahogany, they should occasionally be cleaned and polished
in the same manner as mahogany furniture.
After a stair-carpet is taken up to be beaten and shaken, the
staircase should be swept very clean, preparatory to scrubbing:
unless it is painted, and then, as before mentioned, it need only
be washed down.
TO SWEEP CARPETS.—Previous to sweeping a carpet,
pick up whatever shreds or clippings may be lying about, as it
will be found easier to remove them at once, than to be pushing
them from place to place, all over the room, while you are
sweeping it. Then sprinkle the carpet with some damp tea-


FURNITURE, ETC.
181
:
leaves, which should always be saved for that purpose, by
putting them into a jar, as soon as the tea-pot is emptied. The
tea-leaves absốrb the dust, and cause the carpet to look cleaner
and brighter. Then go over the carpet with a corn broom
briskly and lightly; for hard heavy sweeping, will wear off
the surface of the wool. Having first swept one half, remove
all the chairs, &c., to that part of the room, and then go over
the remainder; carefully sweeping under the sofas and other
fixtures. When you have reached the door that opens into the
entry, have ready there, a tin dust-pan with a short-handled
brush; collect in it all the sweepings of the carpet, and carry
them away at once, to be thrown into the dust-hole.
Drawing-room carpets of the finest and most costly descrip-
tion, should be swept with a hair broom. For a very rich car-
pet on a small apartment, a clean hearth-brush may be used.
BEATING A CARPET.When a carpet is taken up to
be beaten, let it be carried out by two men into a large open
place, (a green, for instance,) and well shaken. Then suspend
it, wrong side out, on a stout line between two trees; or spread
it over a fence. It should then be beaten very hard, by two or
four men, (according to its size,) each person having a pliable
stick or rattan, the end being strongly tied round with cloth so
as to form a sort of knob, which, by blunting the sharpness of
the blows, will prevent the carpet from being frayed, and the
seams from splitting. After it has been well beaten on the
wrong side, let it rest a while, till all the dust has blown away;
and then turn it on the right side, and give it a thorough beat-
ing. When no more dust issues from it, lay the carpet on the
green, fold it conveniently, and carry it back to the house.
Before it is laid down again, examine it all over, and darn
or mend any parts that may need it; using for the purpose,
16


182
THE HOUSE BOOK.
carpet-yarn of the respective colours that compose the figure;
a needle-full of each as it may be required. Also, if any of
the binding is loose, see to repair it.
While the carpet is getting beaten, the floor of the room
should be swept and scrubbed.
A carpet in constant use will require beating four times, if
down the whole year.
· A half-worn carpet may be made to last longer, by ripping it.
apart, and transposing the breadths ; so as to make those that
look thin and threadbare, go to that part of the room where they
will be least observed. "Or the best part may be taken out, and
made into a carpet for a smaller room.
· TO WASH A CARPET.-Having first removed the
grease-spots, by the repeated application of Wilmington clay,
scraped to'a powder, and made into a paste with a little water,
and having taken out the stains with hartshorn diluted with
water, take up the carpet, (saving all the tacks, by putting them
into a box,) and have it carried to an open place, to be well
shaken and beaten thoroughly with rattans, so as to get out
the dust. Then let the floor of the room be swept and scrubbed.
When the floor is dry, bring back the carpet, and nail it down
again, stretching it well with a carpet-fork. Afterwards, let it be
well scrubbed all over, a little at a time, with a long scrubbing
brush, soap, and cold water in which has been mixed a tea-
cup full or more of ox-gall, to preserve the colours. Then
wash off the suds with plain cold water, and finish with a dry-
ing cloth, with which it must be made as dry as possible.
Afterwards, raise the window sashes, lock the door, and do
not let the room be used till the carpet is quite dry.
: An ingrain, imperial, or Brussels carpet washed in this man-
ner, will look very much like a new one. A Wilton carpet,


FURNITURE, ETC.
183
or any one in which the pile or wool is chiefly on the surface,
cannot be scrubbed, or it will rub off, leaving the texture
thread-bare.
Those parts of the carpet that are most soiled may be at any
time scrubbed with a small hand-brush, when it is not consi-
dered necessary to undertake a general washing of the whole;
always adding a little gall to the water to preserve the colours.
· OIL-CLOTHS OR PAINTED CARPETS.-In buying
an oil-cloth for a floor, (and there is nothing so good for the
hall or vestibule of a house,) endeavour to obtain one that was
manufactured several years before; as the longer it has been
made previous to use, the better it will wear, from the paint
becoming hard and durable. We have seen an English oil,
cloth that, not having been put down till five years after it was
imported, looked fresh and new, though it had been ten years
in constant use on an entry floor. An oil-cloth that has been
made within the year is scarcely worth buying, as the paint
will be defaced in a very little time, it requiring a long while
to season.
• An oil-cloth should never be scrubbed with a brush; but,
after being first swept, it should be cleaned by washing with
a large soft cloth and lukewarm or cold water. On no account
use soap, or take water that is hot; as either of them will cer-
tainly bring off the paint. When it has dried, you may sponge
it over with milk, which will brighten and preserve the colours ;
and then wipe it with a soft dry cloth.
For a kitchen floor that is not painted, there is no better
eovering than a coarse, stout, plain oil-cloth, unfigured, or all
of one colour; for instance, dark red, blue, brown, olive, or
ochre yellow. These common oil-cloths are almost universal
in the English kitchens and laundries. They save the trouble


184
THE HOUSE BOOK.
of scrubbing the floor, it being only necessary to wash them
off with a wet cloth; and as they are impervious to damp, or
to cold from open cracks between the boards, they make the
kitchen as dry and warm as it could be rendered by a woollen
carpet; and they have the advantage of collecting and retaining
no dust or grease. It is surprising that these common oil-cloths
have not been more generally introduced into American kitchens.
STRAW MATTING.-In buying matting for a summer
covering to the floors of your best apartments, do not get that
which is checkered or figured with two colours. The effect is
never good, and it gives a common and ungenteel appearance
to the rooms. If figured matting is used at all, it should only
be in the inferior parts of the house. Thin, low-priced matting
should also be avoided, as it cuts in streaks, and wears out so
soon that it will be found in the end more expensive than that
of the best quality. In fitting it to the floor, do not allow it to
encroach on any part of the hearth ; as that will preclude the
convenience of your having a fire, should the weather be unex-
pectedly cold after the matting is put down, or before it is taken
up for the season. In the middle and eastern sections of Ame-
rica, it is best not to put down the matting, and arrange the
rooms for summer, before the middle of June; and it should
be taken up and replaced with the carpets before the middle of
September; certainly previous to the cold rains which we
always expect about that season. If you have occasion for a
fire while the matting is still down, lay the rug before the
hearth.
Straw matting should be washed but seldom, as much damp-
ness is injurious to it. When it is necessary, however, to clean
a floor mat, do it by washing with a large coarse cloth dipped
in salt and water; and as you proceed, wiping it dry with an-


FURNITURE, ETC.
185
other coarse cloth. The salt will prevent the matting from
. turning yellow.
If, in putting down a floor mat, you have occasion to join it
across, ravel about an inch at the end of each breadth, and tie
or knot the lengthway threads two together. Then, turning
all these knotted threads underneath, lay one edge over the
other of the pieces to be joined, and tack them down to the
floor with a row of very small tacks; each tack having a little
bit of buckskin on it, to prevent the head of the nail from injur-
ing or wearing out the mat. This ravelling the ends of the
breadths, and knotting and turning under their threads, obviates
the inconvenience of a thick conspicuous ridge if the edge
of the matting is folded under in its full substance.
Worsted binding is generally used for matting; but as this
is sometimes destroyed by moths, it is safer to secure the edge
of the mat with the sufficiently durable binding of coloured
linen or thick cotton broad tape, to be had of all colours at the
carpet stores.
Straw matting is not advisable for a stair-case. It wears
out very soon against the ledges of the steps, and is, besides,
too slippery to be safe for those that go up and down, particu-
larly if they have to carry articles that may be broken. Oil-
cloth is also too slippery.
For a stair-case there is no better covering (at all seasons)
than a good carpet. If the principal stair-case has been painted
all over white, and the others dark gray, no covering will be
needed in the summer season, at which time it is expected that
all the furniture then in use shall be as light and as little
inconvenient as possible.
RAG CARPETS.-Though we highly disapprove of put-
ting rag carpets on kitchen floors, in consequence of the dirt
16*


186
THE HOUSE BOOK.
and grease with which they soon become saturated, they may -
be advantageously used in an ironing-room; a servants' sitting-
room; as bed-side carpets for domestics; or for other purposes
in families where much economy is necessary. They are made
of old cloth; for instance, of coats, pantaloons, &c., that can
no longer be worn. After it has been well brushed and beaten,
rip the cloth apart, and with very large scissors cut it into
straight, even strips, about two inches wide, laying them in a
basket as you proceed. Then with coarse, strong, brown
thread sew together the ends of all the strips, and wind them
into large balls. You may add strips of old carpeting, green
baize, or red flannel. When you have collected a sufficient
quantity, send them to the weaver and have them woven into a
carpet, which, though certainly far from handsome, will be
thick, strong, and durable.
Rag rugs are sometimes made entirely of old ingrain car-
peting.
PICTURES.-In purchasing specimens of the fine arts,
select only such as are good. A small and excellent collection
is of far more intrinsic value, and evinces better taste than a
large number of bad, or even tolerable pictures, that, instead
of ornamenting your walls, and adding interest to your apart-
ments, only degrade and disfigure them.
Do not mix engravings and oil-paintings on the walls of the
same room. Drawings in crayons and in water-colours may,
however, be placed with prints. Take care to hang none of
them so high as to be seen to disadvantage. Those that are
small should be placed quite low, and judiciously interspersed
among the larger ones. Each of the largest and finest oil-pic-
tures ought to be lighted by a pair of lamps, placed on brackets,
one at each side.


FURNITURE, ETC.
187
· To prevent the necessity of driving nails into the wall, it is
now very usual, in handsome apartments, to have a brass rod
fixed all round the cornice, just below the ceiling; and to this
rod, are fastened long ribbons, (all of the saine colour,) to
which the pictures are suspended, with a handsome bow at
each ring. Even where there is not a brass rod, it is better to
hang the pictures by long ribbons, from brass-headed nails or
hooks, driven at the height of the cornice, than to have nail-
marks dispersed all over the walls.
For halls and libraries, maps on rollers are more appropriate
than pictures.
In getting engravings framed, see that the glass is as clear as
possible; for a greenish or reddish tinge will cause the print
to look badly. The effect of an engraving is greatly improved,
by leaving round it a large margin of the white paper.
To brighten the glass, rub it with a buckskin and whiting,
made a little damp; and then wipe it with a silk handkerchief.
On no account wash it, or the water will get in beneath, and
stain the engraving.
When an oil-painting is soiled, smoked, or in any way
defaced, (also when it wants varnishing,) it is best to send it
to a regular picture-cleaner; as an inexperienced person may
do it irreparable injury; and few of the receipts for those pur-
poses are to be depended on.
If an oil picture is hung over a mantel-piece, the canvas is
liable to wrinkle with the heat.
To keep clean the gilding of picture-frames, dust them with
a soft feather-brush; or go lightly over them with a loose bit
of the inside of wadding, or of carded cotton.
When much soiled, the best remedy is to send them to be
gilt anew; as the usual receipts for cleaning gilt frames will
be found, on trial, rather injurious than beneficial.


188
THE HOUSE BOOK.
: CURTAINS.Unless the chairs, sofas, &c., are covered
with satin-hair, the curtains should, of course, always correspond
with them in colour, if not in material. Also with the carpet.
As we have before observed, the colour of the curtains should
contrast that of the walls, always being darker and entirely
different. With regard to the fringe, lace, or bordering of the
curtains, if the colours do not harmonize or contrast agreeably,
and according to the dictates of good taste, the effect will be bad,
no matter how rich or expensive the materials. For instance, two
dark colours or two light ones should not go together. Scarlet
curtains trimmed with blue or yellow do not look well; but bright
scarlet has a good effect with dark green or black. A rich, deep
crimson contrasts finely with an extremely light and beautiful
blue; or with a golden yellow. Curtains of a full blue, may be
trimmed with black, dark brown, orange, or bright yellow. Light
blue curtains look extremely well with purple trimmings, or with
rich brown. Brown curtains appear to advantage trimmed with
light blue or pink. Dark grey or slate-colour may also be trimmed
with very pale pink or blue. For green curtains, light lilac trim-
ming looks well; also golden yellow. Curtains of buff, orange
colour, or bright yellow, may be trimmed with purple, brown,
black, deep crimson, or light blue. Curtains of a rich purple,
trimmed with orange, or golden yellow, have a magnificent effect.
A very light blue trimming also assimilates well with purple.
In handsomely furnished houses, the most usual materials
for curtains, are silk and worsted damask, figured satin, and
merino cloth; always with shades or inside draperies of mus-
lin, which should be taken down and washed several times
during the season. Chintz curtains are now seldom seen in
America, except for bed-rooms.
It is not a good custom to keep the curtains up during the
summer, as it fades them, and covers them with dust; besides


FURNITURE, ETC.
189
which, they seem to increase the heat of the rooms, and impede
the free entrance of the air. Venetian and linen blinds are the
best shades for windows in summer time.
TO CLEAN CURTAINS.—This should always be done
before they are put away for the summer. Having taken
down the curtains, and shaken them well, brush them with a
small long-haired brush, so as to get off all the dust, particu-
larly from between the gathers, pleats, or flutings. To do this
conveniently, the different parts of the curtains should be sepa-
rated. Prepare a sufficient quantity of good wheat bran; put
it into a large pan, and place it before the fire to dry; stirring
it frequently with your hands while drying. Afterwards, if
the curtains are of silk, mix with the bran an ounce or more of
finely powdered indigo blue. Having provided several pieces
of clean soft flannel, spread the curtains (a piece at a time) on
a large table, and sprinkle them with the bran, a handful at a
time. Next, take a bit of the flannel, and with it rub the bran
round and round on the curtains, letting it rest a while, before
you brush it off. As you proceed, take clean bran and a fresh
piece of flannel, and continue till you have gone sufficiently
over the curtains, which by this process will be much bright-
ened and improved in appearance. Then fold them lightly and
smoothly; and if they are of merino, worsted damask, or cloth,
lay among them numerous bits of camphor to preserve them
from moths, and pin or sew them up closely in old linen
sheets or table-cloths. Then put them away in a chest or
closet.
· If glazed chintz curtains are cleaned regularly in this manner,
when they are taken down towards the close of spring, they
will not require washing for several years.
· Ottomans and sofas, whether covered with cloth, damask, or


190
THE HOUSE BOOK.
chintz, will look much the better for being cleaned occasionally
with bran and flannel.
VENETIAN BLINDS.-As they are intended for conve-
nience rather than for ornament, it is not necessary that Vene-
tian blinds should, like curtains, have a conspicuous effect in
the room. On the contrary, it is better that their colour should
as nearly as possible match that of the wall. Green Venetian
blinds are getting out of favour, as that colour fades very soon,
spots with wet, and shows the dust too plainly. Venetian
blinds should every day be dusted with a small brush or å
turkey wing, and wiped with a soft dry cloth.
LINEN WINDOW BLINDS.--These blinds, as they
soften the glare of the sun without excluding the light, are
extremely useful in sitting-rooms and libraries. It is best to
have them of fine white linen : if coarse, the light that comes
through them will not be clear, the thick, uneven threads dis-
turbing or confusing it. Brown holland blinds darken the room
too much. You can procure linen wide enough to make each
blind without a seam. They should be sufficiently long to
reach from the top of the window to the bottom, a little below
the sill; and it is well to make them full large at first, as they
will shrink in washing. They are furnished with pulleys,
tassels, &c., and are fitted up by the upholsterers. Care must
be taken that the little wheels or pivots over which the cord
is made to run, are not grooved too shallow, as that defect will
cause the cords to slip off so continually as to render them
nearly useless.
PAPER BLINDS.—These very cheap blinds are made of
wall-paper lined with thick domestic muslin, and bound with


192
THE HOUSE BOOK.
ends of tape to wrap tightly round the nails which fasten the
blind on each side to the window frame.
There should be two sets of blinds, as they will frequently
require washing. It is well always to starch them a little.
MAHOGANY FURNITURE.-The handsomest and best
mahogany is generally used for furniture that is not carved.
As the beauty of the wood shows to no advantage in carving,
that of the best quality is reserved for plain furniture. If not
well-seasoned, new mahogany will warp and crack, particularly
if kept in a warm room. It is best always to buy it from a
cabinet-maker of established reputation. New furniture that
is offered for sale considerably under the usual price is, in most
cases, found to be a bad bargain. Furniture made in the win-
ter, and brought immediately from a cold ware-room into a
warm apartment, is very liable to crack. It is well to place
your principal table so that the grain of the wood shall be
across the fire-place rather than lengthways or with the end of
the grain towards the heat. Observing this precaution has
prevented many a table from cracking. If possible, it is always
best to have your new furniture made in the spring, that it may
have several months for seasoning, before the commencement -
of fires.
If a mahogany table becomes very much defaced by scratches,
hackings, or scorchings, let it go to a cabinet-maker's to be
planed and polished. It will then look as well as new.
· Tables, &c., with marble tops, though the most costly at
first, will be found, perhaps, cheapest in the end. They are
easily kept clean, by merely wiping them every day with a
soft cloth, and washing them once a week with cold water,
soap, and a flannel; they require no cloth to cover them, and
there is no danger of their splitting or warping with the heat.


FURNITURE, ETC.T
193
ROSE-WOOD.This is the wood of the amyris, a small
West Indian tree. Its colour is not red, but of a dark rich
brown, and it is now much used for veneering handsome furni-
ture. Chairs, sofas, &c., of rosewood, should not be covered
with a dark-coloured material. Sky-blué, orange-colour, or
bright green harmonize extremely well with it. . '.
P .,
"To keep rose-wood furniture in good order, it should be
rubbed gently every day with a clean soft cloth, and this will
be sufficient. Preparations of wax, oil, &ca, cannot be applied
without injuring its appearance. soos is .. .!!
CURLED MAPLE.—This is a very pretty wood, is easily
kept in order, and never changes colour. It is extremely suit-
able for chambers, libraries, and for dining-room chairs. It is
seldom used for drawing-room furniture, being considered too!
light, and not sufficiently rich. For a sofa, or for chairs with
stuffed bottoms, maple should always be contrasted with a very
dark colour, (for instance, black, brown, purple, or deep crim-
son,) its effect being bad with light blue, green, yellow, &c.
Curled maple furniture requires no other cleaning than rub-
bing with a dry cloth. I' m not the one
BLACK WALNUT WOOD. This is now much in use
for furniture, and looks extremely well when not opposed to a
very dark colour. Where the wood is black walnut, the sofas,
cushions, &c.,, look best of sky-blue, grass-green, scarlet, rose
crimson, or bright brown. None of these colours, however,
should be too light, or the contrast will be too great. Dark
brown, dark crimson, dark green, or purple, have a very gloomy
and heavy effect when united with black walnut, hubri non
Clean it as you would mahogany. P r i de
.. . .m in. in 17 .:. : .':,,


194
THE HOUSE BOOK.
ROCKING-CHAIRS. The practice of swaying backwards
and forwards in a parlour rocking-chair, is considered obsolete
in genteel society; and justly so; as it is a most ungracefuli
recreation, particularly for a lady, (to say nothing of its ten-
dency to cause dizziness in the head,) and very annoying to
spectators, who may happen to be a little nervous. Rocking-
chairs are now only used for the purpose of reclining in with
ease and convenience, to which the rockers add greatly, as by
their means, the chair can be tilted and kept stationary in any
position that is desired, provided always there is a footstool or
heavy cushion in front, to rest the feet on; and without such
an accompaniment, no chair of this description can be com-
pletely comfortable. '
Parlour rocking-chairs are best of mahogany and black satin:
hair, no other covering keeping clean so long, and being so
cool in summer. Those that are covered with cloth, worsted
damask, or cut velvet, will be found uncomfortably rough, and
also too warm.
For common chambers, rocking-chairs of curled maple and
cane net-work are very good, being light, cool, and cheap. In
winter, or for invalids, they may be improved in comfort, by
furnishing them with cushions for the bottom, the back, and
the two arms; the cushions made of coarse linen, stuffed with
feathers or hair, covered with chintz, and tied on with strings.
FLOWER-STANDS.-There is a very pretty flower-stand
called a jardinière. It is made in the form of a small maho-
gany table, with a top like a dinner tray: Into this tray fits
a painted block-tin pan of the same size, with a movable wire
cover of trellis-work, the net large and open. This pan is filled,
with wet sand, and the trellis-work cover is then laid on.
Take your flowers (the stalks cut all of a length) and stick


FURNITURE, ETC.
195
them firmly down through the wire netting into the sand be
neath. The flowers should be tastefully arranged, with the
largest in the centre, and the smallest round the edges; and
there must be a sufficient quantity of them to form a mass or
close bed. Or you may have the central flowers taller than the
others, which should gradually diminish in height all around
them, till the small ones near the edge are but just above the
rim of the frame. Arranged in this manner, they will look
like a bank of flowers. - it, .
The jardinière has a loose extra top of mahogany, which fits
in, and converts it into a complete table when not in use for
flowers.;
; ; se
· In forming bouquets 'or nosegays, always put the largest,
fullest, and most substantial flowers in the centre, (for instance,
roses, dahlias, camellias, &c.) and those that are smallest,
lightest, and most branchy, on the outside.
Flowers may be placed very handsomely in green baskets
filled with wet sand. '
SCRAP-JARS.It is a great convenience to keep standing
on the floor, in a corner of the room, a very large jar, for the
purpose of receiving bits of waste paper or clippings, which
there may be no immediate way to get rid of. If of china, one
of these jars will add a handsome ornament to the parlour.
For a library (where they are particularly useful) you may get
from a grocer, a very large raisin-jar of unglazed earthen, and
have it painted all over in oil, so as to imitate china, afterwards
varnishing it. For a chamber, or a common sitting-room, we
have seen these earthen jars decorated all over with flowers,
&c., cut out of furniture chintz, pasted on securely, and after.
wards coated with varnish. If done with taste, they look ex.
tremely well. From the form of these jars, and being small


196
THE HOUSE BOOK.
at the mouth, their contents are not observed, unless purposely
looked into, and they will be found excellent receptacles for
tefuse paper, &c., particularly in summer, when there is no fire
to consume these scraps. .. . Dagens: * yn
· CLIPPING BAGS.- In a room where any sewing is done,
a clipping bag will be found very useful to hang in a conve.
nient place, for the purpose of receiving shreds, shapings, &c.,
of the articles cut out and sewed there. The very smallest bits
and scraps of linen, cotton, or silk (even ravellings) are useful
to the paper-makers; and nothing that is useful should be burnt
or destroyed. If all the females of our country made a principle
of saving in this manner the whole of their shreds and clippings,
and also all their rags, there would be less necessity for importo
ing tags from Europe: which is constantly done to a very large
amount, in consequence of the scanty supply to be obtained in
America. W: ?? ! ! !
A clipping bag may be made very handsome and ornamental,
in which case it should always be put away in a closet while
the room is being swept. · When this bag'is full, let it be
emptied into the large general rag-bag which should be kept
in every house. Though the price given for a pound of rags
is but a few cents, still even that is something, and will at least
buy some needles, or pins, or a cotton-spool; and if a lady
chooses, she can give the money to the servant who conveys
the rags to the rag-man.' ; sedejos an n i . L' IN
ein,, inspi 6 4 ore ves č.:..9..,'
- TO CLEAN VARNISHED MÁHOGANÝ FURNI-
TURE. - Take rotten-stone very finely powdered, sift it
through book-muslin, and mix it with sweet oil. Then, with
a clean, soft, linen or cotton cloth, rub it very hard on the ma-
hogany. Next take a clean cloth, dip it in wheat flour, and


FURNITURE, ETC.
197
with it rub off the rotten-stone. Afterwards dust off the flour
with a clean silk handkerchief. The furniture will be found
to look beautifully. It is only necessary to clean it in this
manner about once in three or four months; but it should
every day be dusted with a soft cotton cloth.
TO CLEAN UNVARNISHED MAHOGANY TABLES.
-Wipe the table all over with a clean damp cloth. Then take
a thin, broad, flat furniture cork, and rub it hard on all the
white spots or other stains. Next take a brush with a little
bees-wax on it, and rub the table very hard, going aecording
to the grain of the mahogany. Afterwards rub off the wax
with a flannel cloth, and finish with a soft cotton cloth. .
* Have a basket or a large coarse bag to contain all that is
necessary for the mahogany rubbing: brush, cork, bees-was,
cloths, &c. Before using it warm the wax a little.
: TO POLISH DINING-TABLES.-Take cold-drawn line
seed oil, and rub it on for a long time with a very soft cloth.
This is the best way to prevent dining-tables from being marked
by the hot dishes.
WAX POLISH.-Melt bees-wax 'in spirits of turpentine,
with a very small proportion of rosin. When it is entirely
dissolved, dip in a sponge and wash the mahogany lightly
over with it. Immediately afterwards, rub it off with a clean
soft cloth. For the carved work, spread on the mixture with
a small soft brush, and rub it off with another brush a very
little harder.
TABLE MIXTURE.-Mix well together two ounces of
spirits of turpentine. four table-spoonfuls of sweet oil, and one
17*


198
THE HOUSE BOOK.
quart of milk. Put it into bottles, and cork it closely. When
large tables are unusually soiled and stained, (for instance,
after a dinner or supper party,) shake up the mixture, pour
some of it into a saucer, dip into it a clean sponge, and rub
your table all over with it quickly and evenly. Then dry it
with a clean flannel, and afterwards rub it hard with a clean
soft cloth. ; ; ; ; ;', ., ',:.
SOFAS AND MAHOGANY CHAIRS. With your hand
beat the dust out of the backs, bottoms, and cushions. Then
with: a painter's bristle-brush, that has never been in paint,
brush over all the mahogany, to get the dust out of the carving:
This should be done every day in tooms that are continually
in use. When it is necessary to give the chairs, &c., a greater
cleaning, use (if the mahogany is varnished) sweet oil, rubbed
on with a flannel, and finished off with a silk handkerchief;
or, what is still better, finely powdered and sifted rotten-stone,
mixed with sweet oil. If the mahogany is not varnished, have
ready two ounces or more of bees-wax, scraped down and put
into a jar with as much spirits of turpentine as will cover it:
This must stand till the wax is entirely dissolved.' Put a little
on a flannel, or on a bit of green baize, rub it on the chairs, and
polish them with a brush. . . !! .:
In buying or bespeaking a sofa, see that the seat is not too
high and narrow, that the stuffing of the back does not project
too far forward, and that the arms are not too low; with these
defects any sofa will be uncomfortable..'., .
Chairs whose backs incline forward are extremely inconver
nient, as they allow little more than their edge to the sitter,
who is also obliged to keep bolt upright, and remain stitily in
the same position. .


; FURNITURE, ETC.
199
TO CLEAN ALABASTER---Make a mixture in the prot
portion of two ounces of aqua-fortis to a pint of cold rain or
river water, which ought first to be filtered, as it is important
that the water used for this purpose should be perfectly clear.
Dip a clean brush in this liquid, and wash the alabaster with
it for five minutes or more. There should be a brush small
enough to go into the most minute parts. Then rinse it with
cold clear water, and set it in the sun for two or three hours
to dry. ' 1 .''; son, se m . . .?
** The aqua-fortis will make the alabaster very white; and,
being so much diluted, will do it no injury. Soap should never
be used for alabaster, as it will greatly discolour it.'si :
Alabaster ornaments ought to be cleaned in the above man
her, previous to covering them up for the summer. If kept
always uncovered, they will require cleaning with aqua-fortis
and water twice a year, spring and autumn : rid
WHITE MARBLE_White marble door-steps should be
washed every morning (except in freezing weather) with cold
water and soap. This is the custom in Philadelphia. Grease
may be removed from them, by rubbing on some fine marble
dust (procured from the marble-cutters) mixed into a paste with
cold water, and put on with a brush; repeating the process,
till the grease disappears. sodi . 'rii
•s, Marble tables may also be washed with cold water and soáp.
The white marble 'used for vases, busts, and very elegant
mantel-pieces or tables, being of the finest quality, and highly
polished, cannot be washed with soap and water without injury.
The best way to keep it clean and bright is, by rubbing it daily
with a soft dry cloth, or a clean silk handkerchief. Stains and
grease-spots may be extracted from it by rubbing them well
with salt of sorrel, salt of tartar, or magnesia finely powdered.


200
THE HOUSE BOOK,
Let the powder remain two or three hours on the spot; then
wipe it off, and renew it till the mark disappears...
· COLOURED MARBLE. -Black, gray, or variegated
marble may be made very clean, by rubbing on it with a brush
a paste compound of a jill of ox-gall, a jill of strong soap-suds,
and half a jill of turpentine, all mixed together and thickened,
with finely powdered pipe-clay. You should have a second
brush, small enough to go into the fluting, &c. Having applied
this paste to the marble, let it remain undisturbed for two days.
Then wipe it off; and if you do not find the marble perfectly
bright and clean, repeat the mixture a second or a third time,
and it will certainly succeed by repetition. .
· Grease-spots (even those of lamp-oil) may be removed from
a marble hearth, by covering the place thickly with scraped
Wilmington clay, wiping it off, and renewing it every two or
three hours.
• Grease may also be taken out, by rubbing the stone with a
mixture of pearl-ash, lime, and water, made into a paste of
mortar; leaving it on several hours; then wiping it off, and
repeating it.
Iron stains may be removed from marble, by wetting the
spots with oil of vitriol, or with lemon-juice; or with oxalic
acid diluted in spirits of wine, and after a quarter of an hour,
rubbing them dry with a soft linen cloth. The same applica-
tions will take out other stains from marble.
The general appearance of a gray marble hearth will be
greatly brightened and improved, by rubbing it occasionally
with a flannel wet with linseed oil. The oil must be rabbed
in very hard, so as not to come off and grease any thing that
may afterwards touch it. Next day go over it with a clean
dry cloth.


FURNITURE, ETC.
201
:
* STONE HEARTHS._Hearths of free-stone or of brown
sand-stone, should first be washed clean in hot soap-suds, and
then rubbed with a paste or mortar, made of the powder or dust
of the same stoné, (to be obtained at the stone-cutter's,) mixed
with a little water. Leave it to dry on, and then brush it off.
A kitchen hearth-stone may occasionally be rubbed all over
very hard with lamp-oil; next day washing it well with soap
and warm water.
BRICK HEARTHS.-Brick hearthis should be painted
either red or black; or with the back part black, and the front
part red. They will require new painting at least twice a year.
If not painted, it is best to keep the hearth clean by daily
Washing; as both the redding and blacking mixturės sometimes
used for hearth's are troublesome from their liability toʻrub off,
and from their too frequently requiring a renewal. I !
* OLEANING SILVER.—The articles necessary for this
purpose should be kept by themselves in a basket or box. You
will want clean flannels, sponges, buckskins, old silk handa
kerchiefs, and plate-brushes of two or three different sizes;
among which, one resembling a soft tooth-brush will be found
useful for the minute parts of the chasing, and to rub between
the prongs of the forks. None of the brushes should be hard,
lest they scratch the plate. Silver that is in daily use should
be cleaned once a week, (for instance, every Thursday,) but
plated-ware not so often, 'as the plating will wear off if rubbed
too frequently; a brush should never be used to it... ?
* Both silver and plated-ware should be washed with a sponge
and warm soap-suds, every day after using, and wiped dry with
a clean soft towel. Always before you give them their regular
cleaning with powder, see that they have been washed perfectly


202
• THE HOUSE BOOK.
free from grease or any like impurity; otherwise they cannot
be made to look bright and well when finished.
The most common method of cleaning silver, is with pulve-
rized whiting and whisky: or with spirits of wine, which is
better. The whiting must be made as fine as possible; for if
there are any coarse or rough particles among it, they will
scratch the silver. You may powder it very finely, either by
pounding it in a mortar, or by tying it up in a clean rag, laying,
'it down on the hearth, and beating it with a hammer; after
which, spread it thinly over a large plate, and place it before
the fire to dry. Then sift it through a piece of coarse book-
muslin or leno. Mix the whiting into a paste or cream, with
whisky or spirits of wine ; and by dipping a flannel or sponge
into it, coat the silver all over with the mixture; after which,
lay all the articles in the sun to dry; or place them on an old
japanned waiter, before the fire, but not very near it. The paste
must become so dry on the articles, that you may dust it off
them like flour, with a soft cloth... Afterwards, with the small-
est brush, rub between the prongs of the forks, and go over all
the minute or delicate parts of the silver. The plain or unorna.
mented parts are best rubbed with flannel, as they show the
most trifling scratches. Next, polish with a buckskin or
a shammy leather;, and finish with a soft silk handkerchief.:
The above mode of cleaning (if done weekly) will be suffi-
cient for silver that is in common use, and will keep it always
bright. Its appearance may be improved, and a look of new-
ness given to it, by employing occasionally (but not very often)
the reddish powder called plate-rouge, as a substitute, for
whiting and whisky. This powder is to be obtained from the
druggists, and should be used in very small quantities. After
the silver has been well washed in warm soap-suds and dried
perfectly, rub on a little of the rouge with a soft buckskin,


FURNITURE, ETC.
203
using a brush for the crevices. Let it rest about ten minutes;
then wipe it all off with a soft rag, and polish with a clean
buckskin; finishing with a silk handkerchief.
When silver has become much tarnished, spotted, or dis-
coloured, it may be restored by the following process. Having
dissolved two tea-spoonfuls of powdered alum in a quart of
moderately strong lye, stir in a jill of soft soap, and remove
the scum or dross that may rise to the surface. After washing
the silver in hot water, take a sponge and cover every article
all over with this mixture. Let the things rest about a quarter
of an hour, frequently turning them. Next wash them off in
warm soap-suds, and wipe them dry with a soft cloth. After-
wards brighten them with rouge-powder, or with whiting and
spirits of wine.
- Another, and a very excellent way of cleaning silver, is
with what is called prepared chalk, which is rather better than
whiting, and requires no sifting. Mix together in a tin pan, pre-
pared chalk and spirits of wine, till they are as thick as cream.
Rub it on the silver with a soft flannel, and then rub it off with
a buckskin. Take a small brush for the chasing or embossed
work, and finish with a very soft cloth and a silk handkerchief.
· Another way, and which is said to preserve the polish better
than any of the usual modes of cleaning silver, is, after it has
been washed with hot water, to go over it with a paste made
of fine hartshorn powder (well sifted) and spirits of turpentine,
rubbed on with a leather and not wiped off till it has dried.
Then polish with a clean buckskin ; and set the plate in the
sun and air to dispel the smell of the turpentine.
Chests, or closets constructed for the purpose of containing
plate, should be placed in the dryest part of the house, and
lined all through with green baize or other woollen cloth. It
is well to have them of iron, and made fire proof. Plate


204
THE HOUSE BOO K.
baskets should also be lined throughout with green baize. If
silver is kept in a damp place, it is liable to tarnish and spot
continually. ..
i is, niin
TO REMOVE MEDICINE STAINS FROM SILVER
ŠPOONS.-Silver spoons frequently become discoloured by
using them in taking medicine. These stains (even that of
nuriate of iron) may be removed by rubbing the spoon with a
rag dipped in sulphuric acid, and afterwards washing it off in
soap-sups, and then cleaning the spoon in the usual manner.
· A FINE PLATE MIXTURE._Take one pound of the
best whiting, or of prepared chalk, and rub it to a fine powder.
Then sift it. Mix together four ounces of spirits of turpentine :
two ounces of spirits of wine: one ounce of spirits of cam-
phor, and half an ounce of spirits of hartshorn. Then add the
whiting gradually to the liquid, stirring in a little at a time,
and mixing the whole thoroughly till it is of the consistence
of cream: put it into a very close vessel, (a large bottle, or a
white jar,) and cork it tightly, tying down a leather over the
cork. To use the mixture, pour out a sufficient portion into a
bowl or pan, and with a soft clean sponge cover the silver with
it so as to give it a coat like white-wash. Set the silver aside
for ten minụtes or more till the paste has dried into a powder.
Then brush it off, and polish first with a buckskin, then with a
silk handkerchief.'. ' . . .
· It will be found very convenient to keep this mixture always
in the house. It makes the plate look beautifully new.. in
| ANOTHER PLATE MIXTURE.-Pulverize an ouce
of lump camphor, mix it with fifty drops of sweet oil, and
dissolve it in a pint of whisky, Put it into a bottle and keep


206
THE HOUSE BOOK,
SILVER AND PLATED CANDLESTICKS.–To re-
move wax or spermaceti from silver or plated candlesticks,
pour on them a little warm (not boiling) water, and when it
has melted the grease, wipe it off with a flannel. To loosen
the grease by scraping with a knife will scratch the silver,
Then wash the candlesticks well with a sponge dipped in warm
soap-suds, taking care not to wet the green baize that is
cemented under the bottom, lest the moisture should loosen it.
Wash the candlesticks one at a time, and wipe each one dry
before you wash another. Then clean them with fine whiting
or prepared chalk and whisky, in the usual manner, or with
whiting and sweet oil.
Plated candlesticks should be cleaned but seldom with any
sort of powder, and never with a brush. Their utmost rubbing
should be with a soft flannel. But every morning let the wax
or spermaceti be melted off with warm water, and then wipe
them clean with a soft cloth.
GERMAN SILVER.–Forks of this composition are mạch
in use; and when very good it has a resemblance to genuine
silver, and is equally durable. It is by no means costly, and
when properly taken care of, and kept bright, it looks very well.
After using, it should be put immediately into hot water, washed
well, and wiped dry with a soft cloth. Once a week let it be
washed in soap-suds, and then cleaned with very fine whiting
or prepared chalk, mixed with whisky or spirits of wine, so
as to make a paste, which should afterwards be brushed off..
Should this metal become discoloured or spotted by vinegar or
other acids, wash it first, and then clean it with sweet oil and
powdered rotten-stone.
* Spoons of German silver are useful for many common pur-
poses, particularly when making sweetmeats, &c.


FURNITURE, ETC.
207
* BRITANNIA METAL. Powder, as fine as possible, half
a pound of lump whiting, and sift it well. Then mix with it
a wine-glass of sweet oil, and a table-spoonful of soft soap, or a
bit of yellow soap melted in a little water. Add to this mixture
sufficient rum, whisky, or spirits of wine to make it the con-
sistence of thick cream. Dip into it a soft sponge or a flannel,
and rub it quickly and evenly on the article; wipe it off with
an old linen or cotton cloth, and polish it by rubbing with a
buckskin.
Britannia metal is frequently manufactured with so large a
portion of copper as to render the use of the article extremely
unwholesome. Tea and coffee-pots of this metal have been
known to give the liquid contained in them so strong a taste
and smell of copper, as to render the drinking it almost equal
to swallowing poison. When an article of Britannia metal is
found to contain too much copper, the use of it should be imme-
diately given up, as no process whatever can render it otherwise
than deleterious.
The safest, and in every respect the most pleasant tea-pots,
are those of china. Wedgwood ware is very apt, after a while,
to acquire a disagreeable taste.
1 BLOCK TIN DISH COVERS, &c.—Having washed the
block’tin articles quite clean in warm water, rub the inside with
soft rags moistened with fine wet whiting. Then take a soft
linen cloth, and go over the outside with a little sweet oil.
Next rub it all over with fine whiting, powdered and sifted,
and put on dry. Afterwards finish with a clean dry cloth.
Block tin dish covers cleaned in this way with oil and whiting,
will preserve their polish, and continue to look new, provided
that they are always wiped dry as soon as they are brought


208
THE HOUSE BOOK,
-
from table, and no steam or other damp is allowed to remain
on them.
Common articles of block tin, such as kettles, sauce-pans,
&c., may be cleaned with whiting and water only. You may
clean pewter in the same manner.
COMMON TINS.—Throw some wood-ashes into a wash-
kettle, pour on water till it is two-thirds full, and then let it
boil. Or make a strong lye. Dip in the tins when it is boil-
ing hot; and, if they are very dirty, leave them in about ten
minutes. Take them out, and cover them with a mixture of
soft soap and the very finest sand. This must be rubbed on
with a coarse tow-cloth. Then rinse them in a tub of cold
water, and set them in the sun to drain and dry. When dry,
finish by rubbing them well with a clean woollen cloth or flan-
nel. They will look very nice and bright.
You may clean pewter in the same manner.
CLEANING JAPANNED WAITERS, URNS, &c.
Rub on with a sponge a little white soap and some luke-warm
water, and wash the waiter or urn quite clean. Never use hot
water, as it will cause the japan to scale off. Having wiped
it dry, sprinkle a little flour over it; let it rest a while, and then
rub it with a soft dry cloth, and finish with a silk handker-
chief. If there are white heat marks on the waiters, they will
be difficult to remove. But you may try rubbing them with a
flannel dipped in sweet oil, and afterwards in spirits of wine.
Waiters and other articles of papier maché, should be washed
with a sponge and cold water without soap, dredged with
flour while damp, and after a while wiped off, and then po-
lished with a silk handkerchief.


210
THE HOUSE BOOK.
soft buckskin; rubbing well into all the cavities, if the glass
is cut.
· Wine-glasses and tumblers should be washed in the same
manner with cold soap-suds and a glass-brush, finishing them
as above.
Common glasses that are in daily use, may be washed sim-
ply with cold water; drained, wiped, and then finished with a
fine dry towel.
Glass cloths should be of fine quality, that there may be as
little lint as possible.
For cruets from the castors, it will be necessary to have the
water warm: but not hot, as glasses break when hot water is
poured into them. After the cruets are emptied of their con-
tents for the purpose of washing, fill them, as far as the neck,
with warm water ; shake them, and let them stand a while to
soak. Then proceed as directed for decanters.
Boiling water should never be poured suddenly into glass,
particularly in frosty weather. Besides the danger of its crack-
ing in hot water, it looks brighter and clearer when done in cold.
TO LOOSEN GLASS STOPPERS.-When there is.
difficulty in removing a glass stopper, pour round it a little
| sweet oil, close to the mouth of the bottle. Then lay it near
the fire with the mouth towards the heat, and when it gets
quite warm, wrap a thick cloth round the end of a stick, and
strike (but not too hard) first at one side of the stopper, then
at the other. This will soon loosen it. Or you may set the
bottle in a vessel of warm water, previous to striking at the
stopper.
CLEANING CUT GLASS.—Having washed your cut-
glass articles, and let them rest till thoroughly dry, rub them


FURNITURE, ETC.
211
with prepared chalk, and a soft brush, carefully going into
all the flutings and cavities. Then finish with a clean soft
buckskin.
TO WASH VIALS.—In most families are gradually collected
a number of vials that have been used for medicine. It is well
to have a basket purposely to keep them in, and once in a while
to wash them all, that they may be ready to send to the drug-
gist's when new medicine is wanted. Put into a wash-kettle
some sifted ashes, and pour on it a sufficiency of cold water.
Then put in the vials, (without corks,) place the kettle over
the fire, and let it gradually come to a boil. After it has boiled,
a while, take it off, and set it aside ; letting the vials remain
in till cold. Then take them out, rinse, drain them, and wipe
the outsides.
You may wash black bottles in the same manner.
If you have occasion to wash a single vial or bottle, pour
into it through a small funnel either some lye, or some luke.
warm water in which a little pearl-ash has been dissolved ;
shake it, and let it stand a while to soak. Then rinse it well
in cold water, two or three times. If it still smells of the
former contents, soak it in more pearl-ash water, (with the
addition of a little lime,) or in more lye.
CLEANING LOOKING-GLASSES. - First wash the
glass all over with clean luke-warm soap-suds and a sponge.
When dry, rub it bright with a buckskin and a little prepared
chalk, finely powdered. Finish with a silk handkerchief.
This is also an excellent way to clean the inside of windows;
it makes the glass beautifully clear.
Another very good way of cleaning a mirror, is to wash it
first with a sponge and cold water, and afterwards with a soft


212
THE HOUSE BOOK.
fannel dipped in whisky or spirits of wine, which will effect-
ually remove from it all smears and Ay-marks. Then, having
wiped it dry with a soft linen cloth, rub over it with a soft
flannel a little powder-blue, or else fine whiting. Let it rest a
while, and then rub it off with a silk handkerchief. 1.3
· In cleaning looking-glasses, take care that no moisture,
touches the gilding of the frame. To clean a burnished gilt
frame, nothing is better than to go over it lightly with bits
of soft cotton wool, or a piece of the inside of new wadding ;
having first dusted it with a feather brush."
- A mahogany frame should be first well dusted, and then
cleaned with a flannel dipped in sweet oil; using a small brush
for the carvings, if there are any, and finishing with a silk
handkerchief. The frame should be cleaned previously to the
glass.
I
TO CLEAN GILT LAMPS, CHANDELIERS, CAN-
DLE-BRANCHES, &c.—Having first wiped off the dust from
the articles to be cleaned, make a strong suds of the finest white
soap (palm soap will do) and soft luke-warm water, and, dip-
ping into it a clean sponge, wash carefully every part of the
gilding. Then, with a small soft brush, (a tooth-brush, for
instance,) go lightly into all the hollows, crevices, and most
delicate parts of the work with the soap-suds, taking care not
to rub hard. When you find that the water has become dirty,
replace it with clean suds. Finish by drying the articles with
an old silk handkerchief.
Unless your servants are unusually careful, do not intrust
this work to them, lest they break off some of the minute orna-
ments, or rub so hard as to deface the gilding.
This mode of cleaning will not succeed with the frames of
pictures or mirrors. For them there is no safe remedy, when


FURNITURE, ETC.
213
they are soiled and discoloured, but to have them newly
gilt.
Chandeliers should be dusted at least once a week, (or
oftener if necessary,) with one of those long-handled, soft fea-
ther brushes made for such purposes. Great care is requisite
in dusting them, (even in this manner,) as the drops and other
ornaments must be touched with the utmost delicacy. This
work, also, should not be intſusted to any but the most careful
domestics.
· Bronzed chandeliers, lamps, &c., should be merely dusted
with a feather brush or with a soft cloth. Washing them will
take off the bronzing.
CLEANING KNIVES AND FORKS.-It is an excellent
way to have, at dinner-time, on a side-table, a deep, tall, japanned
or painted mug or can, filled with sufficient hot water to cover
the blades of the knives and forks, but not enough to reach to
their handles, which the hot water would split or loosen. As
the plates are taken from the table, the servánt who waits
should at once stand the knives and forks upright (blade down-
wards) in this vessel of warm water, which will prevent the
grease from drying on them, and make them very easy to wash
when dinner is over. Afterwards, let them be carried out in
the knife-basket, which should be lined with tin. Then wash
them with water, warm, but not hot, and a soft cloth ; and wipe
them dry on a clean towel, always turning the back or dull
edge towards your thumb. Besides the washing, as many as
are wanted for use should be cleaned, previous to every meal,
on a board with brick-dust; otherwise they will neither be
bright nor sharp.
- The knife-board should be of soft pine, free from knots, five
or six feet long, and made with standers or feet at the ends,


214
THE HOUSE BOOK.
like a bench. It will last much longer if the part' most used
is covered with leather. A yard is a good height for a knife-
board. At one end have a small box, to contain the leathers,
-bricks, fork-sticks, &c. What is called Bath brick is the
proper sort for cleaning knives; it is whitish and soft. Rub
the brick up and down on the board till you have got off a suf-
ficiency of powder; or you may take a brick in each hand and
rub them together. Then, taking one knife at a time, hold the
handle firmly in your hand, and with a quick motion - rub the
blade (on both sides) in the brick-dust, taking care not to bear
on too hard, lest you break it. By practice, you may learn to
clean two knives at once, holding one in each hand, back to
back. As you do them, lay them aside till you are ready to
wipe them off. Replenish the board with fresh brick-dust as
you go on. When they are all rubbed bright, wipe off the
knives with a clean cloth, and put them into your knife-box,
which should be previously wiped out quite clean. " If you
have steel forks, rub their backs on the brick-dust board till
they are very bright. Havé by you a small flat stick of pine
.wood, shaped like a knife-blade, about the length of your mid-
dle finger, and covered with leather. Dip it into the brick-dust;
and rub it between the prongs of the forks, to clean and brighten
them. Then wipe them carefully with your knife-cloth, stick-
ing the forks through its corners, to get out all the brick-dust
from between the prongs.
Another way to clean steel forks 'is, to keep always beside
the knife-board a box or a small keg, filled with chopped hay
or straw and fine sand, in alternate layers, pressed down very
hard, and having sand mixed with brick-dust at the top. The
contents must all be packed closely, and kept damp by occa-
sional wetting. Plunge the steel part of the forks a few times
into this; then wipe them afterwards with a clean cloth,


216
THE HOUSE BOOK.
way of rubbing them on a board with brick-dust; but as it will
not keep the knives sharp, they must be frequently whetted on
a knife steel, or on a whetstone.
· TO CLEAN FIRÉ-IRONS. Mix together a tea-spoonful
of oil of vitriol, a table-spoonful of sweet oil, and half a pint
of spirits of turpentine : put them into a bottle, and cork it
tightly. When you want to use it, mix this liquid with suffi-
cient finely-powdered rotten-stone to make a soft paste; and
with a coarse woollen cloth rub it on your shovel, tongs, poker,
&c., or on the bars of your grate if you wish to brighten them.
Having rubbed it on well, wipe it off with a soft cloth of linen
or cotton, and then polish with dry rotten-stone and a piece of
leather. :
Another way to clean fire-irons is to rub them with a piece
of flannel dipped first in oil, and then in emery powder of the
quality called No. 3. Rub hard and quick, and then polish
with a leather and some powdered rotten-stone.'
You can get emery powder at the iron stores or at the paint
stores. The coarse is best for some purposes, the fine for
others.
BLACKING FOR STOVES. -Take half a pound of
black lead finely powdered, and (to make it stick) mix with it
the whites of three eggs well beaten ; then dilute it with sour
beer or porter till it becomes about as thin as shoe-blacking.
Having stirred it well, set it over hot coals, and let it simmer
for twenty minutes. When cold, pour it into a stone jug, cork
it tightly, and keep it for use. It must be rubbed on the stove
with a soft brush; and then polished off quickly with a clean hard
brush, as you would a boot. It should be put on when the
stove is cold, first removing the ashes, and then wiping off all


„FURNITURE, ETC.
217
the dust with a cloth. Till it is quite dry do not sweep the
hearth or replenish the fire.
You may buy at the stores where stoves and grates are sold,
or at the paint-stores, an excellent black varnish to be put on
with a large bristle brush when the iron is cold. No dust or
ashes must be allowed to get to it till the varnish is perfectly
dry; otherwise you will have to do it all over again. Wash
the brush afterwards, in spirits of turpentine, and then in
warm water.
TO PREVENT FIRE IRONS FROM RUSTING.-
When you are going to put your fire irons away for the sum-
mer, have ready some fresh mutton suet melted; and while
hot, smear it all over the irons. Next dredge or sprinkle them
well with unslacked lime, powdered and tied up in a thin
muslin rag. Then wrap them tightly all over in thick brown
paper, so as entirely to exclude the air, securing the paper with
twine. Keep them in a dry place; and previous to again
taking them into use, wipe them clean, first with old flannel
and then with soft rags.
TO TAKE RUST OUT OF STEEL.-Rub the steel
well with a piece of flannel dipped in sweet oil. Then cover
it with slacked lime, put it into a dry place, and let it rest for
two days. Afterwards wipe it clean, and then rub on soľne
whiting finely powdered. Finish with dry whiting and a
buckskin.
Rust may also be removed from steel by rubbing on a mix-
ture of sweet oil and emery laid on with a bristle brush, or
with a bit of spongy green rod split fine at the end. Let the
steel rest in the emery for two or three days, then wipe it off.
*** sove... . 19 .


218
THE AOUSE BOOK.
POLISHED IRON.-Polished iron work may be preserved
from rust by going lightly over it with copal varnish, mixed
with nearly an equal quantity of spirits of turpentine, and as
much sweet oil as will give the mixture a little greasiness.
Lay on this mixture with a bristle brush, (which must after-
wards be washed directly in warm water,) and see that no dust
or ashes gets to it while drying. The varnish may be obtained
from a paint-shop or from a chair-maker's.
TO CLEAN BRASS.—Dissolve in a pint of soft water an
ounce of oxalic acid, (which is poisonous and should be well
taken care of,) and keep it in a bottle labelled “Poison."
Always shake it well before using it. Rub it on the brass with
a flannel, and then take a dry flannel to polish it. Use this
solution twice a week, and next day have ready some pulve-
rized rotten-stone, sifted through a muslin rag, and mixed with
oil of turpentine, so as to be liquid. Rub this on with a buck-
skin, let it fest ten minutes, and then wipe it off with a
cloth.
Brass cleaned in this manner looks beautifully.
For cleaning brasses belonging to mahogany furniture, either
powdered whiting or scraped rotten-stone mixed with sweet
oil, and rubbed on with a buckskin, is excellent. Let it rest a
little while, and then wipe it well off, seeing that none of the
mixture lodges in the hollows of the brass. In cleaning brass
handles, hold the handle firmly with one hand, while you clean
with the other, otherwise the handles will soon become loosened
by the unsteadiness of the friction. Lay underneath an old
newspaper, to catch the droppings.
Oxalic acid being poisonous, care must be taken that none
of the liquid gets into the eyes, when used for rubbing. Should
this by any accident happen, immediately get a bowl full to


FURNITURE, ETC.
219
the brim of cold water, and hold the eyes open in it, till the
pain abates; repeating it at intervals during the day.
Holding the eyes open in cold water will frequently relieve
them from an engine spark, or a mote, or particle of any sub-
stance that has flown in accidentally. Eye-glasses for this
purpose are to be obtained at the apothecaries'.
To remove the stain of oxalic acid from a dress, rub the spot
with a sponge dipped in hartshorn diluted with a little water ;
this will cause it almost immediately to disappear.
CLEANING STAIR-RODS.-Pulverize some rotten-stone,
and when the powder is made very fine, mix it with sweet oil.
Then, with a woollen cloth, rub it well on each stair-rod.
Polish with a soft buckskin, on which must be rubbed a little
dry rotten-stone finely powdered. Any other brass may be
cleaned to advantage in this manner.
CLEANING A BRASS KETTLE. A brass, bell-metal,
or copper kettle should always be cleaned immediately after
using. Even when not used, it will require occasional cleaning;
otherwise it will collect rust or verdigrease, which is a strong
poison.
To clean it properly, after washing it out with a cloth and
warm water, put into the kettle a large tea-cupful of vinegar,
and a large tea-spoonful of salt, and hang it over the fire. Let
it get quite warm; and then take it off, dip in a clean rag, and
wash the whole inside of the kettle thoroughly with the salt
and vinegar; after which, wash it well with warm water.
Next, take wood-ashes and clean rags, and scour it well.
Afterwards, wash it with hot soap-suds, and finish, by rinsing
it with cold water, and wiping it with a dry cloth, both inside
and out.


220
THE HOUSE BOOK.
These kettles should be kept always clean, that they may be
ready for use at any time they are wanted. So also should
every vessel of brass or copper.
· PORCELAIN OR ENAMELLED KETTLES.—These
kettles, which are of cast iron, lined all through with a coating
of coarse white china, have now (in all places where they can
be procured) superseded the use of bell-metal and brass for
preserving and pickling, and for many nice purposes. They
are more easily kept clean than any other vessels for cooking,
and of course preclude all danger of rust from liquids or acids.
Those of German manufacture are the best. It is well in every
kitchen, to have several of these excellent utensils of different
sizes, from a large preserving kettle down to a small saucepan.
Great care must be taken, not to have a fierce blaze under
them, or round them. This, however, is not necessary in that
sort of cooking for which they are particularly useful. To
guard against any accidental danger of the porcelain cracking
by too hot a fire, it is well to toughen them (as the cooks call
it) as soon as they are brought home from the shop. For this
purpose, first wash your kettle well in warm water. Then fill
it with equal quantities of bran and cold water, set it over a
moderate fire, and let it continue on it half an hour or more after
the mixture has come to a boil. Then take the kettle off the fire,
and let it stand till the water is cold. Throw out this water,
and repeat the process with fresh bran; and after it has boiled
sufficiently, take it off, and let it stand till next day. After
which, throw out the bran, and wash the kettle well with clear
warm water, and it will be fit for use.
Always after using the kettle for preserving or pickling, give
it a boiling with wood-ashes and water, and then wash it clean.
It is said that any articles of new china or earthen are


FURNITURE, ETC..
221
rendered less liable to break, if, previous to using them, they
are boiled, as above, in bran-water, which is considered to
strengthen the glazing.
TEA-KETTLES.-A tea-kettle should on no account be
used for any other purpose than for boiling water. Some cooks
have a foolish practice of always boiling their potatoes in the
tea-kettle. Let this be positively forbidden, as it will give a
peculiar and disagreeable taste to the tea-water that is boiled
in it afterwards. The tea-kettle should be washed out every
day, to remove the sediment deposited in it by the water. If
this is neglected, it will become coated on the inside with a'
sort of dirty fur. Once a fortnight, at least, the kettle should
be thoroughly cleaned, by scouring it first with sand or wood-
ashes, and then with soap-suds ; rinsing it off with cold water,
and wiping it dry.
In boiling a kettle, care must be taken to put on the lid
closely, so as not to leave the smallest crevice. If the lid is in
the least brok n or bent, it is best to get a new one; otherwise
the water is liable to be smoked and rendered unfit for use,
communicating a most disagreeable taste to the tea.
See that the water is actually boiling hard at the time it is
poured on the tea; otherwise it will not draw out the strength,
and the tea will taste weak and flat, however large the quantity
put into the pot, which also should be previously scalded twice.
We do not recommend copper tea-kettles. The tin lining
soon begins to wear off; and, if not renewed impediately, the
copper will render the water extremely unw.40!esome, and the
tea almost poisonous. To set on a chafing-dish or furnace,
when the tea is made in the parlour, a bright block tin kettle
will look sufficiently well. .
If you us8 an um, the heater must be put into the fire about
19


222
THE HOUSE BOOK.
å quarter of an hour before tea, and not taken out till it is red-
hot. Then lift it with the tongs, and slip it into the cylinder;
the um being previously filled with hot water from a boiling
kettle. The inside of the urn (including that of the lid) should
be washed out every day, and the outside wiped with a soft cloth.
TO WASH TEA-THINGS.-For this purpose have a large
tin or earthen pan, with warm water, and a clean, thick, soft
towel, a yard long; huckaback is best for this purpose. Put
the saucers first into the water, wash them round in it, and then
take them out, one by one, and turn them up to drain along the
side of the japanned waiter. Do the same with the cups.
Then wipe them all very dry.
* You will find it convenient to have near you, all the time, a
hot kettle, for the purpose of replenishing the pan with clean
warm water when necessary: and you may probably require
two towels.
When the cream-jug is empty, fill it with hot water, and let
it stand till you have done the cups; then wash it. .
Having completely emptied the tea-pot, (and saved the tea-
leaves in a' jar, for the purpose of strewing on the carpets when .
about to sweep them,) fill it with hot water, and let it stand a.
while; then rinse it round, pour out the water, and wipe the
outside. If any tea-leaves are allowed to remain in it, they
will injure the taste of the next tea..
If the tea-things are numerous, you will require clean warm
water for the small plates, &c. Be careful to wash every article
'clean, and to wipe it dry, so as to leave no stickiness..
Before throwing out the dirty water, put your hand down to
the bottom of the pan, to feel if any tea-spoons are remaining
there. Tea-spoons are often lost by being carelessly thrown
out with the cup-water. ? .


FURNITURE, ETC.
223
* In washing tea-things, it is a great saving of the hands to
use a little cup-swab or mop, such as are made by the society
of Shakers, and are to be obtained wherever their wares, are
sold. Taking one of these by the handle in your right hand,
and dipping the woollen or thrum end into the water, you can
wash the things very clean while holding them at the edge
between the thumb and finger of your left hand.
• WASHING PLATES AND DISHES, &c.—Unless there
is a regular boiler kept always on the kitchen fire, the cook
should hang on a large pot of clean water at the time of every
meal, as soon as she has sent in the dishes for the table, that
it may be hot when she is ready to wash them. Large deep
baskets, lined with tin, are very convenient for the purpose of
receiving the dirty plates to be carried into the kitchen. Con-
veyed in this manner, they are much less liable to be broken
than when piled on a tray or waiter: particularly if they are to
be taken down stairs. .
For dish-washing there should be two tubs, one of hot water
and one of cold; also two large cloths and a thick clean towel.
A wooden plate-rack, to stand them in, separately, while drain-
ing, is a great convenience; otherwise they are generally
drained by laying them bottom upwards, one a little over the
other, in the sink, which should previously be washed down,
that it may be quite clean for the purpose. Unless the dish-
water is very hot, the grease will not come off well, and the
things will look smeared and feel sticky. Put the plates into
the tub of hot water, and wash them first, using the dish-cloth
to each, and putting each as you do it into the tub of cold water
to rinse. When the water becomes too greasy, pour it out and
replenish with fresh. Before you wash the dishes and sauce-
boats, scrape off from them with a knife all the thickest of the


FURNITURE, ETC.'
225
If it is of wood or tin, fill it with cold water, and stand it all
day in the air.
The best and most durable buckets are those of tin, painted
white on the inside, and green (or any other colour) outside.
All tin buckets should have covers.
TO REMOVE THE TASTE OF ROSIN FROM NEW
TIN.--Take a hot live coal from a wood fire, or a piece of
burning charcoal. Put the coal into the tin vessel, and shake
it about a while. Repeat this, (if necessary,) with a fresh coal
each time. Then wash out the vessel with warm water.
Or boil in the tin some pot-ash melted in water. Afterwards
wash out the vessel, and boil plain water in it.
: TO REMOVE THE TASTE OF NEW WOOD.-A new
keg, churn, bucket, or other wooden vessel will generally com-
municate a disagreeable taste to any thing that is put into it,
particularly if of cedar. To prevent this inconvenience, first
scald the vessel well with boiling water, letting the water
temain in it till cold. Then dissolve some pearl-ash or pot-ash
in lúke-warm water, adding a little bit of lime to it, and wash
the inside of the vessel well with this solution. Repeat it, if
necessary. Afterwards scald it well with plain hot water, and
rinse it with cold before you use it.
If you cannot conveniently obtain pot-ash or pearl-ash, you
may season a new wooden vessel by scalding it repeatedly
with hot lye, and afterwards with boiling water; but this
method, though frequently successful, is less certain than the
former.
Utensils of oak are far preferable to those of cedar.
Wooden vessels should never be allowed to stand out of
doors, unless they are full. If empty, the sun and air will


226
THE HOUSE BOOK.
shrink the staves, open the seams, and loosen the hoops and
bottoms, so that they will leak when used.
TO SWEETEN AN OLD CASK.-Having first scalded
it well with boiling water, (letting the water stand in it till
cold,) fill it with cold water, and throw in a large quantity of
live coals from a wood fire, leaving the cask uncovered. By
repeating this, the cask may be made perfectly sweet, provided
that it has at no time contained fish. A fish-barrel can never
be used for any other purpose, as it is impossible to expel the
taste and smell of the fish.
Scalding an old cask repeatedly in strong lye, and then with
clear water, will generally sweeten it. So will boiling water
in which pot-ash and lime have been dissolved.
Second-hand casks or kegs can frequently be purchased at a
grocery or liquor store; and if they have contained nothing
that can give them a disagreeable taste, and are tight and in
good order, they are preferable, for many purposes, to those that
are new.
Another way to sweeten a cask, is to melt some brim-
stone, and dip into it a piece of coarse linen cloth. When
cold, take a slip of the brimstone cloth about an inch broad,
and five or six inches long, and having set fire to one end, put
it in at the bung-hole; fastening the other end under the bung,
which must be driven in tight. The head of the cask must be
on, that all the vapour of the sulphur may continue inside. :
Let it remain a few hours—then open the cask, and expose it
to the air.


227
THE KITCHEN.
REMARKS.
As it is a self-evident truth that much of the comfort of a
family depends on the kitchen, it is of great importance that
the kitchen itself should be comfortable, and well supplied
with every thing that is necessary for enabling the domestics
to perform their work properly and expeditiously. Few good
servants (cooks particularly) are satisfied to remain long in a
place where they are denied these advantages. There are
unfortunately too many houses where (while much expense is
lavished on the drawing-rooms or parlours) the kitchen is bare
and comfortless in its aspect, and scantily supplied with the
utensils indispensable to the efficient execution of its business.
At the same time, a good housekeeper will endeavour to
impress on her domestics the necessity of taking care of all the
articles provided for the convenient performance of their work,
by keeping them clean, unbroken, and in their respective places.
Unless she is blest with excellent servants, she will find
herself unable to depend upon them, in this or in any other part
of their duty, without frequent personal inspection from herself.
Few houses can go on well unless the mistress or her repre-
sentative visits the kitchen at least once every day, and that
not always at the same hour. :
In Philadelphia, the largest assortment of household articles
is to be found at the extensive stores of Gideon Cox, Nos. 335
and 337 on the north side of Market street, just below Ninth.
To ladies preparing for housekeeping, we particularly recom-
mend a visit to this large and well-arranged establishment,


228
THE HOUSE BOOK.
where they will be able to supply themselves at once with all
the utensils' necessary for doing the work of a family, in its
various departments; and with many things of whose existence
they were not perhaps previously aware, but whose utility and
convenience they will immediately perceive.
KITCHEN FURNITURE.-In furnishing a kitchen, we
do not recommend that the floor be covered with a woollen
carpet, whether woven of yarn or of strips of cloth. The grease
that such a carpet cannot fail to imbibe in a place where cook-
ing is done, is seldom attended to immediately, and perhaps
not at all: and its stickiness collects and retains the dust. The
consequence is, that the carpet (besides looking very dirty)
soon acquires a disgusting and unwholesome smell, which
pervades the atmosphere of the whole apartment. As it is far
more difficult to sweep than a smooth floor, it is in all probabi.
lity neither swept so often nor so thoroughly as cleanliness
requires; and (produced by its heat, grease, and dirt) cock-
roaches not unfrequently accumulate round the edges and
corners of a kitchen carpet. Also, all kitchen floors should be
washed at least once a week in winter, and twice a week in
summer. The best covering for a kitchen (as we have saiờ
before) is a coarse, thick, unfigured oil-cloth, painted all over
of one colour, (for instance, dark red, blue, or brown,) and made
to fit exactly. This is a carpet that has the advantages of being
cool in summer and warm and dry in winter; as it effectually
covers the cracks of the floor, and excludes all dampness: and
it requires no scrubbing; nothing more being necessary than
to wash it off with cold water and a cloth. As a substitute for
an oil-cloth, the floor may be painted all over with several coats
of common paint; yellow ochre being the cheapest, but slate-
colour the best. If the floor is used too soon after painting, the


KITCHEN FURNITURE.
229
paint (not being sufficiently hardened and incorporated with the
surface of the wood) will rub or scale. off. It is also well to
paint the kitchen stairs and passage. We do not advise oil-
cloth for any stair-case, as its being somewhat slippery may
cause persons to fall down, and not only hurt themselves, but
break what they are carrying. On a level surface, however,
there is no danger of slipping on an oil-cloth.
There should be a large kitchen table, chiefly for the use of
the cook; and a smaller one for the domestics to sit round of
an evening. If you have an ironing-board in the kitchen, it is
best to have it fastened against the wall, (under the windows,)
to be raised and let down with hinges, and, when wanted for
use, supported by bracket-legs that can be drawn out from
underneath. These are very convenient; as, when not in use,
they occupy little or no space. We have seen excellent
kitchen settles, large enough to seat four persons, and having
the appearance of a high-backed settee. The back can, when
necessary, be extended outwards, so as to form an ironing-table;
and under the seat are drawers to contain the ironing-blanket, &c,
If you have your ironing done in the kitchen, it will be well
on ironing days (particularly in winter, when the sashes are
closed) to avoid having any thing cooked that causes a power-
ful smell. Also, to have no coffee roasted or batter cakes baked
on that morning. The clean clothes will become so saturated
with the odour of these things, that they will retain it even after
being put away in the drawers. A boiled dinner is every way
most convenient for ironing days.
• There should be, in a well furnished kitchen, half a dozen
common chairs, two low ones, and two or three wooden stools
or crickets. A cheap rocking-chair would no doubt be consi-
dered a great comfort for the cook to rest in, after she has done
her work.
20


230
THE HOUSE BOOK.
A cheap and convenient kitchen foot-stool may be made, by
laying together four bricks, (two at the bottom, and two at the
top,) and keeping them firm, by fastening tightly round them
some strong tape or listing. Then cover the whole block of
bricks, by sewing on it some coarse tow linen, and afterwards
put on the top a thicker layer of shavings, straw, or southern
moss, pressed down hard, like the stuffing of a pincushion.
Then sew over the whole an outer covering of coarse carpeting.
When completed, it will be a substantial and useful footstool,
not easily overset.
We do not recommend a looking-glass, as it is a temptation
for the domestics to comb or arrange their hair in the kitchen.
In houses where there is a kitchen looking-glass, hairs are fre-
quently found in the dishes that come to table. All the comb-
ing and dressing of the servants ought to be done in their own
sleeping-rooms; and it is best to give them no facilities of per-
forming this business in any other part of the house.
Listing the kitchen doors will produce much increase of
comfort in winter.
A kitchen with white-washed walls will look far more clean
and light than if coloured with yellow-ochre. The windows
(if in a cellar kitchen) should be secured on the outside with
wire nettings, to prevent the entrance of rats from without.
If the kitchen is built back of the house, it is well to have
window-blinds of common muslin or green stuff, to prevent
curious persons from looking in. On the inside of the door
have, for general use, a wooden roller, with a coarse towel of
crash or tow linen about three yards long, and sewed together
at the ends. The roller should be taken down every morning,
and replenished with a clean towel.
On a broad bench near the sink, keep one or two block tin
basins, and a little tin soap-cup, to be convenient for washing


232
THE HOUSE "BOOK.*
* If you burn wood, you must have a bellows for the kitchen.'
The duties of the domestics (particularly those of the cook)
cannot be regularly performed without a kitchen clock. It is
well, before you make a final purchase of such an article, to
take it a month on trial; for if it does not keep time correctly,
and if it is continually getting out of order, it will not be worth
having, and cannot but prove a dear bargain, however low the
original cost. Of wooden clocks, many are excellent; others
are complete frauds. In some families they have a kitchen
watch. A clock is better; for a watch is liable to accidents
from falling: is frequently broken or put out of order by the
meddling of servant boys, (if you have such;) and also it can
be stolen and carried away very conveniently.
We know an instance of a wooden clock, made in Connecti-
, cut, that seemed to go very well, except that it always stopped
in nine hours after being wound up. On examination by the
gentleman who had purchased it for his kitchen, it was found
that a piece of shaving had accidentally lodged behind one of
the wheels, probably in putting the clock together when finished.
The shaving was removed, and the clock turned out an excel-
lent one,
A marble table for making paste soon defrays its cost by
what it saves in the expense of obtaining pastry from the con-
fectioner's. Paste that is tough and heavy is unfit to be eaten ;
and without a marble table, or some extraordinary conveniences
for coolness, it is difficult to make it light in warm weather.
Also, whenever butter is made, a marble table is of great
advantage for working, pressing, and dividing it after it comes
from the churn. The cost of a new kitchen table with a marble
top, is from twelve to fifteen dollars in Philadelphia. An old
marble hearth, that has been taken up to be replaced by a
new one, will make a very good top for a pastry table.


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
233
d
Where the extent of the house will allow it, there is great
advantage in having a room in the lower part fitted up purposely
for making pastry, cakes, sweetmeats, and other nice articles
of like description.
A marble mortar is the best for all purposes connected with
cooking; being cool, lasting, easily kept clean, and incapable
of imbibing any part of the substances pounded in it. The
next best is a mortar of lignum vitæ, a wood that is very hard
and durable. Mortars of white earthen composition-ware are
easily broken, and only fit for little things that are to be rubbed
with the pestle rather than pounded. The common wooden
mortars absorb much of the things that are pulverized in them,
and are apt to communicate the taste of one article to another.
Iron mortars lined with tin are cheap and very good. As soon
as the tinning of the inside begins to wear off, it must imme-
diately be renewed at a tinner's; otherwise every thing pounded
in the mortar will turn black.
KITCHEN CROCKERY.-Brown earthen pans, both deep
and shallow, and of different sizes, are articles of essential use
in all kitchens. Eggs should always be beaten in a shallow
earthen pan, and butter and sugar in a deep one. Tin pans are
inconvenient for these purposes, as the coldness of the metal
prevents the things from becoming light. You will want large,
tall earthen crocks for holding various articles of provision;
each crock should have a cover: also coarse brown jugs, bowls,
and dishes, to save better ones. Of white crockery, or common
queensware, you will require plates, dishes, and pitchers for
the use of the kitchen; and probably pudding moulds and
blanc-mange moulds : also cups, saucers, salt-cellar, pepper-
box, &c., for the table of the domestics, and a few common
glass tumblers.
20*


234
THE HOUSE "BOOK.
Stone-ware also will be wanted for many purposes. It is
exceedingly strong, and there are few things that do not keep
well in it. It is best, in buying stone jars, pots, and boxes, to
get those that have handles and lids; covers of the same ware
being far better than corks. In consequence of the thickness
of the waré, cold water will keep cool longer, and hot water
will keep warm longer, in a stone jug than in any other vessel.
Its coolness may be increased in summer by wrapping round
it a thick wet cloth, fastened securely.
IRON WARE.-For an open fire-place you must have a
crane and pot-hooks; and you will require a nest of pots of
different sizes, and a long iron fork to lift things out of them ;
large and small gridirons; a frying-pan; one or two Dutch
ovens, or iron bake-pans, as they are sometimes called; trivets;
a skillet, or what is termed a spider, standing on legs; a
waffle-iron; two griddles, if your family is large, as warm
cakes come in but very slowly when there is but one griddle to
bake them on; square iron baking-pans, for bread and other
purposes; ladles; a perforated skimmer; iron skewers; a
toasting-iron to set before the fire; a coffee-roaster; a large
tea-kettle, (which should be well tinned inside,) with a falling
handle, that, if necessary, it may be boiled in a stove. Kettles
for preserving and pickling should be of iron, lined with porce-
lain, or enamel, as it is sometimes called : those of brass or
bell-metal ought never to be used for this purpose, as the action
of acids on them is poisonous, and has produced the most dele-
terious and even fatal effects. Indeed, utensils lined with
porcelain may be used to great advantage in every sort of
stewing or boiling. Those of German manufacture are the
best. Care must be taken not to have too fierce a fire in using
porcelain-lined vessels, or the lining will crack and scale off;


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
235
but with proper attention they will last many years, and are
more wholesome and more easily kept clean than any other
cooking utensils. It is well to have small skillets and sauce-
pans of porcelain. There are also large kettles of this descrip-
tion for boiling hams, and others for fish.
If copper vessels are used in a kitchen, they should be well
tinned on the inside ; and they will require new tinning at least
once a year, or still more frequently if the tin appears to be in
the least wearing off.
Portable furnaces (to be heated with charcoal) are better of
iron than of clay, as they will last always, and are not liable
to crack or get out of order. With these you may stew and
boil, and make sweetmeats out in the yard. If used in the
kitchen, a door or window must be kept open all the time, or
the vapour of the charcoal will be suffocating.
Coffee-mills that are made to fasten against the wall are far
more convenient than those that must be held on the lap.
There should be a mill purposely for grinding spices, &c.; as,
if the same mill is used for both, the coffee will taste of spice
and the spice of coffee. Spice should be ground a little at a
time, accordingly as it is wanted. It is well to have a pepper
mill also.
You will want some strong, stout knives and forks; a kitchen
cleaver for cutting through the bone of meat; a chopper for
mincing; a steel for sharpening knives; besides a whetstone,
and a claw-hammer for driving and extracting nails. A box
containing nails of different sizes, and a ball of twine, should
be provided for every kitchen. A pair of sugar-nippers are
indispensable, for breaking small the loaf-sugar, after it has
been cracked with a stout knife and a mallet or hammer. It
should then be kept in a closely covered tin or wooden box.
There should be a box also for brown sugar.


236
THE HOUSE 300 K. :
Iron spoons for the kitchen are much better than those of
pewter, as they neither bend nor break. Strips of leather, nailed
along the edge of the dresser-shelves, are very convenient recep-
tacles for spoons or similar articles that are in constant use.
TIN WARE.--Of tins for preparing cookery you may have
deep round pans of different sizes ; large and small patty-pans
for shells or empty paste; pie-dishes of block tin with broad
rims; (the pastry to be removed from these dishes when cool, and
transferred to china ;) cake-pans, some square and shallow, and
some round and deep. For large thick cakes it is best to get
pans with straight or perpendicular sides, as those that slant
inward (narrowing towards the bottom) are very inconvenient
for a cake that is to be iced. Also, large cake-pans are best
with a hollow tube in the centre, to admit the heat into the
middle of the cake, that it may bake evenly all through. Have
likewise two or three dozen small round or oval tins, for little
cakes; also a dozen muffin rings. You will want a covered
tin vessel for keeping lard; a butter-kettle, and a similar tin
kettle for berries or small fruit; a small block tin tea-kettle for
small purposes, and a little block tin sauce-pan. A double
block tin kettle, for stewing with all the water outside, is a
useful contrivance. It consists simply of an inner kettle, about
three or four inches each way smaller and less deep than the
outer one, inside of which it is suspended by means of two
small iron rings just below the rim of the smallest kettle, and
tied with twine to two corresponding rings placed on the inside
of the large kettle, about two or three inches below the top.
Both kettles have close lids, and falling handles over them.
They are excellent for boiling puddings or custards; stewing
apples and other fruit; making beef tea, &c.; and are on the
same principle as the utensil called a Bain Marie, so much


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
237
employed in French cooking. The inner and outer kettles may
be used separately.
For roasting, there is nothing better than what is commonly
but absurdly called a tin kitchen. It may be well to have two
of them, one large, and one small.
You will want a cullender ; a fish-kettle; an egg-boiler; an
egg-slice; a pepper-box; a dredging-box; large and small
graters. For spice-boxes, it is best to keep the different sorts
of spice in small, separate, painted tin boxes, each with a tight
fitting lid, and a handle to hang it by, to nails driven along the
edge of a dresser-shelf; each box to have the name of the spice
(as cinnamon, mace, nutmegs, cloves) painted on the side.
These will be found more convenient than the large spice boxes,
in which, notwithstanding the divisions, the spices are very
apt to get mixed. Do not buy your spice ready ground,
as when powdered, it loses its strength by keeping. You
should by all means have a tin apple-corer; a most useful little
instrument, to be struck into the stem end or top of the apple,
and turned round and round like a cork-screw; it will, in one
minute, thrust out the core through the bottom, as smoothly
and nicely as possible. A tin apple-roaster, to set before the
fire, is also a useful thing.
You will want a tin vessel, large enough to contain three or
four gallons of lamp oil, and also large and small oil-cans for
daily use; a lantern; broad-bottomed kitchen candlesticks or
lamps; a candle-box; a large and a small funnel for pouring
liquids; a sugar scoop, if you keep sugar in a barrel; and a
flour scoop, for the flour barrel. A set of tin mugs, (with lips
or spouts,) to be used as measures, will be found very conve-
nient; they may be six in number; a gallon; a two quart
measure ; one quart; a pint; half a pint; a jill; and half a
jill. · Have also a pair of scales with a set of weights. It is


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
239
constantly covered with a tight lid. Suet can be kept perfectly
good for a week, by burying it in the flour barrel.
Your salt-boxes and sugar-boxes should be of wood with
close covers.
A large close-covered wooden box is very convenient for
softening sweet cake that is not quite fresh. Shut up the cake
closely in the box, and about an hour before tea, set it in front
of the fire, (not so near as to scorch the wood,) and turn it
round occasionally. This will soften the cake, and make it
seem fresh. If the cake is large, slice it before you put it into
the box.
BASKET-WARE.—There should be a large market basket
and a smaller one, and these should be kept very clean, wiping
them always after using, and frequently washing them out
with a wet cloth, and then putting them to dry. They will
require occasionally scrubbing with a hand-brush, soap, and
warm water, to get off the grease that the marketing will leave
in them. Fish should be carried home from market in the
hand, and not laid in the basket, or they will communicate a
taste and smell to the other provisions. If you use a basket
for keeping the bread, let it be one with a cover, and see that
the bread, when put away in it, is always closely wrapped in a
clean thick towel.
Small hand-baskets are useful for eggs, and many other
articles.
It is well to have a bottle-basket with sockets, so that bot-
tles may be carried in it standing upright, and without any
danger of breaking.
Demijohns (large bottles, covered with basket-work) are
extremely useful in a kitchen or store-room, for holding vinegar,
molasses, &c.; being less liable to accidents, than earthen, or


240
THE HOUSE BOOK.
eyen stone jugs. Small demijohns, holding from a gallon to
two gallons, are very convenient.
For laundry-work you should have one or more large clothes-
baskets, which should not be used for any other purpose. A
basket with a lid or cover is useful for small muslins, &c.,
after they are ironed, to preserve them from injury by dust or
damp.
, An old champagne basket, kept in a kitchen closet, will be
found a good receptacle for dusters and sundry other things.,
There should be a box or basket to contain all the things
necessary for cleaning silver and other metal ; another for the
articles used in cleaning mahogany furniture; one for the lamp
things, and one for those employed in cleaning knives, &c.
Also a receptacle for the shoe-cleaning apparatus. It is well
to keep in a box or a drawer nails of different sizes, a claw-
hammer, a small saw,a gimlet, a screw-driver, and a ball of twine.
KITCHEN CLOTHS.—Table cloths for the kitchen are
generally made of unbleached cotton diaper ; but coarse linen
or huckaback will eventually be found cheapest, as it will last
much longer. There should be a sufficient number of kitchen
towels of different sorts to suit different purposes. For instance,
there may be half a dozen rolling towels of crash, or coarse
thick linen; a dozen smaller towels of the same quality, each
being a yard in length; and a dozen towels of common thin
linen diaper, for wiping glasses, china, &c.
· Pudding-cloths are best when of very thick linen, (for in-
stance, Russia sheeting,) and made square. Dumpling-cloths
the same, but smaller. Jelly bags should be always of white
flannel ; when quite new, they must be well washed before
using, to get out all the grease of the wool. They are made
of a square of flannel, doubled like a half handkerchief, so as


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
241
to be wide at the top and pointed at the bottom; the side being
sewed up in a strong seam, and the top or mouth hemmed,
with three tape loops sewed to it, by which, when in use, it is
suspended to the legs of a table, or to a wooden frame made
for the purpose.
Scouring flannels or rubbers should be strong and coarse.
If made on purpose, it is well to hem them slightly all round,
to prevent their ravelling. Do the same with new dusters,
which are better of cotton than of linen, being softer.
The cloths used in scrubbing the floor should be of thick tow
linen or strong crash, and very large. Let them also be
hemmed. The dish-cloths and pot-cloths may be less thick,
but also of brown linen. Paint-cloths are best of soft old linen;
if new, they are apt to scratch the paint. Old towels, sheets,
&c., come well into use as kitchen cloths. When dirty, let
them be washed, and not thrown away, as of no farther account.
· All the above-mentioned articles should be kept clean and
taken care of, always putting them away in their proper places,
The clean towels, &c., may be deposited in the dresser-drawers.
The cloths appropriated to the slop-buckéts, &c., had best
be of a different colour and material from the others, that they
may be easily distinguished, and not used for any other
purposes. -
Sponges are of great use in various sorts of cleaning. They
should in all houses be provided for the purpose. To keep
them soft and white, wash them in warm water with a little
tartaric acid in it, and then rinse them in cold water. Také
care not to put in too much tartaric acid, as, if used to excess,
it will corrode the sponge.
BRUSHES, &c.—In most kitchens there is a large closet
for the purpose of containing articles necessary for doing the
21


242
- THE HOUSE BOOK. :
work; and in this closet nothing eatable should be kept. It is
well to have shelves in one part of it, and hooks or pegs in
another. Of hair sweeping-brushes you will want two; one
for the lower part of the house, and one for the upper; besides
another with a very long handle, for windows, cornices, &c.
Corn or whisk-brooms will be necessary, and a birch-broom
may also be useful for sweeping the cellar, yard, &c. Whisk-
brooms, whether for sweeping floors or for brushing clothes,
will last much longer, and can be used more effectively, if the
twigs are prevented from sprawling out or spreading apart, by
covering them halfway down with a sort of petticoat made of
stout brown linen, or coarse, strong cotton. It must be fastened
tightly round the bottom of the handle, where the twig or broom
part commences, extending downwards about halfway, and
must fit tightly, so as to keep the twigs close and compact.
We have seen these covers very nicely made, with a hem at
the bottom, and a case and drawing-string of tape at the top,
so as to slip on to the whisk, and be tied round; having the
advantage of being taken off and washed when dirty. A tole-
rable cover may be made for a broom by slipping over it part
of the leg of an old woollen stocking, securing it round the
bottom of the handle with a string.
Short-handled brushes will be wanted for the stairs, for
brushing bedsteads, for removing the dust from between the
slats of Venetian shutters, and for many other purposes. All
brooms and brushes used for sweeping will last much longer
if, when not in use, they are hung up by a loop of twine or
tape, passed through a hole drilled for the purpose near the top
of the handle.
Also, before they are put away, let all the bits of flue, clip-
pings, threads, &c., be picked off them.
• You will, of course, want scrubbing-brushes with and with-


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
243
out handles; white-wash brushes; stove-brushes; shoe-brushes,
and brushes for cleaning the various articles of furniture, in-
cluding silver. These should be kept in suitable places,
and always washed before they are put away. One or more
paint-brushes will be found very convenient in every house.
After using, they should be soaked in spirits of turpentine to
get off the paint, and then washed in warm soap-suds.
• Leathers for cleaning metal are indispensable. They will
last longer, and be taken better care of, if of large size and of
regular shape. They should be of buckskin; or soft sheepskin,
such as passes for the skin of the chamois goat, and is called
shammy leather. These leathers can easily be washed with
soap and water; and this ought always to be done when they
require it.
REFRIGERATORS.---'These are large wooden boxes,
standing on feet, and lined with tin or zinc, being generally
interlined with charcoal, and having at the bottom a receptacle
for ice, and a drain to carry off the water that drips from it as
it melts; a vessel being always set underneath to catch the
droppings. They are divided into compartments for the recep-
tion of different articles of provisions, and furnished with mova-
ble shelves or slats on which to set the things. During the
warm season they must be every day replenished with fresh
ice, wrapped in a piece of blanket to prevent its melting too
fast. In a refrigerator, articles of provision may be kept from
spoiling with much more certainty than when placed in a cellar
or vault. They are conveniences which no family should be
without. It is well to have two; one for meat, &c., and the
other exclusively for butter, cream, milk, and nice things made
from the productions of the dairy; as these are all very apt to
imbibe a disagreeable taste if kept in the vicinity of provisions


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
245
more agreeable, by depriving of its impurities. River water
(even that which is generally clear) always becomes more or
less turbid in rainy weather, or when the ice breaks up; and it
is then in a very bad state for use. "
Filtering jars may be had in all places where stone ware is
sold ; they should be kept in the cellar, and when the water is
drawn out, they should be replenished, so as to keep them full.
A very cheap and good contrivance for filtering, is to take a
large garden flower-pot, and lay in the bottom a piece of
sponge, so as to cover the hole. Upon this, put a few smooth
clean pebbles, to keep the sponge in its place, and fill up the
pot to within two or three inches of the brim; with a mixture
of one part of powdered charcoal, to two parts of fine sharp
sand. Then cover the top of the pot with a piece of clean
white flannel, tied tightly round the rim with a twine, but so
as to sink or sway down in the centre. Set the flower-pot into
a pan or tub, and pour the water into the flannel, letting it filter
through the charcoal, &c.; and by the time it has passed
through the sponge, and come out at the bottom, it will be
clear.
THE CELLAR._If you' are under the necessity of keep-
ing articles of provision in a cellar, it should be partitioned off,
or separated by a wall from that in which the fuel, &c., is
deposited. Great care is necessary in keeping the cellar clean,
and free from every thing that has a powerful smell. A barrel
of salt fish placed in the cellar will frequently pervade the
whole house with its odour, and impart a fishy taste to every
article of food that may be kept there; also by rendering the
air impure, it will cause them to spoil very soon. Milk or
butter kept in the same cellar with a fish-barrel, acquires a
very disagreeable taste, and is indeed unfit for use. In a town,
21*


246
ТңE. HousE BOOK.
where salt-fish can always be purchased in small quantities for
immediate use, it is best to keep no fish-barrel at all; as the
smell is generally more or less diffused through the lower part
of the house, and will be very perceptible to visiters, though
custom may prevent the family from noticing it.
If you keep a barrel for pig-slop, either in the cellar or in
the yard, see that it is emptied daily, and the contents carried
away; otherwise, it will certainly cause a very offensive and
unwholesome smell. In warm weather, the slop-barrel should
not be kept near the kitchen, but in an out-house, or in the most
remote part of the yard. If you have pigs of your own, keep
no slop-barrel at all, (particularly in summers) but let the
refuse of the kitchen be thrown into an old tub or bucket, and
carried to them at once. I
By carefully stopping all the holes and crevices, and by
keeping the windows of your celdar carefully closed, particu-
larly after sunset, you may prevent the ingress of rats and mice
from the neighbouring houses. For this reason, the windows
should be protected by close nettings of thick iron wire; as, if
there are only bars, these destructive animals can easily slip in
between. We have seen in a public street, and in broad day-
light; a rat going into a cellar through the iron bars of the
window.
Cabbages and other vegetables may be kept all winter in a
cellar, by burying them in earth or sand.
A cellar, like all other places belonging to a house, should
be kept clean; for no impurity can be allowed to remain there,
without causing an offensive effluvia, and endangering the
health of the family. The floor, whether of clay or stone, will
require frequent sweeping with a coarse broom, and all the
contents of the cellar should be arranged, in good order, and


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
247
not allowed to stand about in the way of every one that enters
the place.
In a fuel cellar, there should be receptacles for the ashes,
and for the dust collected in sweeping the house. In most
cellars, there are cavities made for the purpose, and called the
ash-hole, and the dust-hole. Besides the coal and wood, here
are kept the charcoal barrels; the cinder-sieve; the coal-
scuttles, when not in immediate use; the fire-pan, for carrying
live coals that are wanted for kindling; the saw, and the wood
axe. Each of these things should of course have its appro-
priate place. The business of knife-cleaning, and of boot-
cleaning, is sometimes performed in the cellar, if it is light
enough for such purposes. A cellar closet is a great conve-
nience, as many things can be kept there that are not exactly
proper for the kitchen closets.
HYDRANTS AND PUMPS.—To prevent a hydrant in
the yard from freezing, cover it closely, as soon as the cold
weather sets in, with straw above and below, leaving nothing
exposed but the handle and the spout, and lay over the top
several folds of old carpet or coarse blanket. A hydrant will
be less likely to freeze, if care is taken, after drawing water
from it, always to turn the handle back, as far as it can possi-
bly go. This caution should be impressed on the servants.
If you have a pump, you may prevent its freezing, during
the night, by setting the handle as high as it will go. It is
well, also, to cover the pump as much as possible with straw
and old carpet. In the north, we have seen pumps screened
from the cold, by a roof or shed built over them.
If the hydrant or the pump should freeze, you may thaw it,
by pouring on a kettle full of boiling water, round the handle
and the spout.


248
THE HOUSE BOOK.
· In cities sufficiently south for fig-trees to grow in the open
air, they will thrive beautifully if in the immediate vicinity of
a garden hydrant. The finest fig-trees we ever saw in America,
were planted one on each side of a little garden in the most
central part of Philadelphia. They grew to an unusual height,
produced a continual succession of figs, and their foliage
always remained green and luxuriant, till late in the autumn.
Grape-vines planted on the hydrant-side of the garden, will
generally produce finer fruit, and in greater abundance, than on
any of the other walls.
STORE-ROOMS.-It is a great convenience in the country
particularly) to have two store-rooms; one of them not far
from the kitchen; the other in the vicinity of the dining-room.
In one, you can keep tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, flour, rice,
soap, candles, &c.; all which articles, there is great economy,
as well as convenience, in buying by the quantity, particularly
if the family is large. In this store-room should be kept scales,
weights, and measures; the scales fixed permanently to a
beam.
Smoked tongues, hams, and dried beef may be kept here,
sewed up in white-washed cloths, and suspended on hooks to
the ceiling. Hanging shelves are very useful in a store-room.
Great care should be taken to keep out rats, mice, and cock-
roaches. .
The other store-room may be smaller, and appropriated to the
pickles, sweetmeats, cakes, &c., that may be used in the
family; also sweet wines, cordials, syrups, and other articles
of like description Here may be kept the utensils for making
blanc-mange, ice-cream, and confectionary of various de-
scriptions.
It is well to have all the jars labelled with the names of the


KITCHEN UTENSILS.
249
things contained in them, that wrong ones may not be opened
by mistake. Here should be kept a large spoon and a fork for
lifting out the pickles, and another spoon and fork for the
preserves. Also a towel, for wiping up any juice or vinegar
that may chance to drop.
This store-room must be well furnished with shelves. And
it is very convenient to have a small table in the centre, to set
things on when you take them down.


s
250
THE DINING-ROOM, &c.
Ir the dining-room is adjoining to the kitchen, much trouble
of opening and shutting the door, and going out and in, may
be saved, by making in the partition between the two apart-
ments, a square window with two shutters, one on each side;
the shutter that opens into the dining-room to be painted or
papered to correspond with the wall, so that when closed, it
may be scarcely perceptible. On the kitchen side, the window
should have two very broad shelves, on which to set the dishes,
&c., that are handed in and out through it.
When the dining-room is up stairs, and immediately over
the kitchen, a dumb-waiter closet will be found a great conve-
nience. This is a long deep closet, made in the wall, and de-
scending from the dining-room to the kitchen, with a door into
each. Inside of this closet, is a tier of broad square shelves,
one above another, and connected by a frame. This tier of
shelves is raised and lowered by means of a pulley and a
strong rope, with a loop or handle at each end. On these
shelves, the cook places the dishes, and they are drawn up by
the servant that waits on the table, and let down when done
with. Each shelf of this apparatus is surrounded by a rim or
ledge like a tray. A contrivance of this kind saves much time
and trouble in carrying the things up and down stairs, and
lessens the risk of breakage.
If there is no convenient pantry, a large closet is indispen-
sable to a dining-room. Two small side-boards, one in each


THE PANTRY, ETC.
251
recess, occupy less space than a large one standing out, and
are therefore preferable, unless the dining-room is very spacious
and expensively furnished, so that an elegant side-board may
be classed among its ornaments.
THE PANTRY.-The pantry is a small apartment, either
* adjoining to the dining-room or very near it, in which it is very
convenient to wash the china and glasses, to arrange the cas-
tors, clean the silver, &c. It should be fitted up with shelves
for holding the glass and china, or, what is still better, with a
sort of dresser, having closets above and drawers beneath. The
plate should either have a closet to itself, or be kept in drawers
lined with green baize. We have seen a plate closet of iron,
let into the wall of a pantry, and opening by a sliding door, so
constructed as to be imperceptible to strangers. In some fami-
lies all the plate is locked up every night in an iron chest, the
key being kept by the master of the house.
In places where there is an abundance of water, (as in Phi-
ladelphia,) it is not unfrequent to have it brought by a pipe
into the pantry, not only for the convenience of washing the
articles contained there, but to afford a supply to all that part
of the house. Under the spout of the pantry water pipe, in a
handsome house, we have seen the sink or drain lined with
marble instead of lead or zinc. In winter it is well to have the
pantry made comfortably warm by an iron drum or something
of that sort. Here should be kept the knives, forks, crumb-
cloth, table-cloths, napkins, waiters, trays, plate-warmer, dish-
mats, cork-screws, wine-coolers, and every thing necessary for
setting the table.
THE CASTORS.-Attention should every day be given to
the castors, to see that they are clean and in proper order, and


252
THE HOUSE BOOK. '.
,
that there is no deficiency of any of the articles contained in
the cruets. It is a good rule to fill them up daily. The cay-
enne should be shaken and stirred up to the bottom every day,
as it is apt to get into solid masses; and the cover of the bottle
should be examined, to see if the holes are not clogged and
stopped up with the pepper, which in that case must be removed
by poking it out with a large pin or with the prong of a fork.'
The vinegar cruet must also be inspected, to see that its con-
tents are not cloudy. Vinegar by long standing will collect a'
mouldy sort of slime, commonly called the mother. It should
then be emptied out, and the bottle well washed. Much of the
vinegar now sold in the stores is adulterated with vitriol, tar-
taric acid, or some other ingredient, of which a small quantity
will give a strong degree of sourness, but at the same time
rendering the liquid so corrosive as to be unfit for use. We
have seen oysters that, from being pickled with this pernicious
vinegar, were eaten into holes by it before they were cold, all
of them dissolving by next day into imperceptible particles.
Pickles also are destroyed by it in the same manner; and of
course its effects on the human system must be highly delete-
rious. It is safest to try a small quantity first, and if you find
it of the above description, send back what you have bought;
or at least do not, on any consideration, use it. · We believe
that Underwood's best pickling vinegar may be safely depended
on. Families that live in the country will find it most conve- '
nient to make their own vinegar.
Salad oil, when not fresh, acquires a very unpleasant taste.
When this happens, it need not be thrown away after removing
it from the cruet, as it may be saved for the mixtures used in
cleaning furniture, &c. Do not mix much mustard at a time,
as the fresher it is the better. Never leave the spoon in the
mustard after dinner, nor the salt-spoons in the salt, or they


THE PANTRY, ETC.
253
will spot and canker; but take them out and wash them when
you do the other spoons. Also, empty out the salt-cellars and
wipe them clean. When you fill them, smooth the salt very
nicely on the top. Salt must be kept perfectly dry, for if damp
it will be moist and discoloured. Use only the best; its cost
is not much, and there is no real economy in buying salt of infe-
rior quality.
In some castors are bottles for powdered loaf-sugar; but the
most usual way of bringing this condiment to table is in a small
glass or silver bowl, with a perforated ladle for dipping it out
and sprinkling it on. After powdering, let it always be
sifted.'
If the stopper of a cruet is lost or broken, it should at once
be replaced with a new one; besides that, if left open, the con-
tents will spoil, a castor with defective bottles looks very badly.
A table large enough for fifteen or twenty persons will
require two castors.
There are castors purposely for anchovy, soy, catchup, and
other fish-sauces. They contain either four or six handsome
bottles, all labelled. We consider this a much nicer way of
bringing fish-sauces to table than the common one of introduc-
ing them in the coarse black bottles in which they are put up.
TABLE-MATS.-A set of table-mats (of which the India
are the best) are indispensably necessary, to prevent the heat
of the dishes from leaving white marks on the table. The low-
priced mats of checkered straw wear out or break to pieces so
soon, that they are not worth buying. We have seen very good
and durable substitutes for India mats, made of thick oil-cloth,
cut into an octagon shape and of different sizes, lined under-
neath with green baize or with stout woollen cloth, and bound
round the edge with worsted ferret. The oil-cloth for this
22


254
THE HOUSE BOOK."
purpose looks best to be of only one colour ; for instance,
shaded green or shaded brown.
· Little stands for tea-cups may be made in this manner. .
KNIFE RESTS.-There should be a pair of these placed
at each end of the table, at the sides of the two principal dishes,
for the purpose of receiving the knife and fork when the carver
lays them down, instead of putting them into the dish. They
are sometimes of china, corresponding with the dinner set, and
very frequently of silver.
BUTTER KNIVES.-Beside each butter plate should be
placed a knife, as no person accustomed to genteel society will
help himself to butter with his own knife. There are knives
with silver blades made expressly for this purpose. They are
best with silver handles; as those of mother-of-pearl are very
liable to break, or come off. .
FINGER GLASSES. These are generally blue or green,
and are filled with water and set round the table, just before
the cloth is removed, for the company to dip their fingers in,
rubbing them with a slice of lemon or an orange leaf, that is
put into each glass for the purpose. Every glass is placed
on a folded. doily. The disgusting European custom of taking
à mouthful or two of the water, and, after washing the mouth,
spitting it back again into the finger glass, has not become
fashionable in America. Neither is it usual in our country to
place tooth-picks on the table for the benefit of the company;
most gentlemen preferring to pick their teeth and wash their
mouths in private.


THE PANTRY, ETC.
255
- TABLE-LINEN.--If the circumstances of the family will
allow the expenditure, it is advisable always to get the table-
ļinen of the best quality; as that which is fine and thick will
last much longer and look much better than if comparatively
coarse and thin. There is nothing of the sort superior to the
best double French damask; it being not only fine and thick,
but soft and glossy, like satin; and it looks as well after wash-
ing as before. The appearance of all table-linen is improved
by being mangled in a machine, instead of ironing. A table-
cloth ought to be considerably larger than the table, so as to
háng down all round.
NAPKINS.—There are few genteel families who are not in
the practice of using napkins at table, to spread on the lap
while eating, and for wiping the mouth and the fingers. The
best size is about three-quarters square. It is now more cus-
tomary to hem the napkins than to ravel them into a fringe.
If fringed, they must be afterwards whipped with a needle and
thread, to secure them from ravelling still farther. Napkins
with coloured borders look less genteel than those that are all
white. The fine French double damask are the best and hand-
somest, and will last twice as long as any others. For a dinner
party it is customary to place the napkins on the table, nicely
folded in squares or diamonds, of which there are a variety of
ingenious forms. But when the family dine without company,
or with only two or three guests, the napkins are usually folded
square, and then rolled up tightly and slipped into a ring of
silver, ivory, ebony, or box-wood. These rings are generally
numbered or lettered ; and care should be taken to place the
napkin of each person in his own ring.
All table-linen should be marked in full with the whole
name of the family.


256
THE HOUSE BOOK.
DOILIES.—These are small napkins intended for wiping
the fingers after eating fruit, and are placed round the table for
that purpose. They are very generally of coloured cotton,
with a border; the colours are dark, that the stains may not be
conspicuous on them. Unless they are washed very frequently,
they acquire a rather unpleasant smell, and are not agreeable
to use. We think it best to have white ones, as they are much
nicer, and the stains can easily be removed from them. Doilies
are always fringed.
SETTING THE DINNER TABLE.-Before you begin
to set the table, see that every thing is ready and in good order;
so that, after you once commence, you may not have to quit for
the purpose of making something clean, or of remedying some
inconvenience. If in winter, first see that the fire is good, and
the hearth clean, and the plates set before it in the plate-warmer.
In summer, if there is to be wine, attend in proper time to put-
ting the bottles into the cooler, heaping round them pieces of
ice. Also have ready, in one or more small glass dishes of
saucers, a sufficiency of bright clean ice, broken into small
bits, (with a dessert spoon in each dish,) for the purpose of
using while at table to cool the glasses of wine or water.
Cut the dinner bread into thick oblong pieces or blocks; as
it is not customary to slice bread, except for breakfast and tea ;
and take care to have enough in the bread-basket to supply all
the persons at table with a second piece, if required. It is
extremely awkward to be obliged to replenish the bread-basket
in the midst of dinner, some of the company, perhaps, waiting
for it in the mean time. Every thing may be so arranged
before-hand that the waiter will not have occasion to leave the
room during the progress of the dinner.
First lay down the crumb-cloth; and then, if there is'a


SETTING THE DINNER TABLE.
257,
woollen cover on the dining-table, remove it before you put on
the linen cloth, which must be laid smoothly and evenly, so as
not to hang down more on one side than on another. Bring in
the things (as many at a time as you can) on your tray. Set
your plates round the table, one for every person, but place them
at the sides only, except those that are intended for the master
and mistress of the house, who of course occupy the two ends,
and will not be able to carve so conveniently if any one iş
seated beside them.
It is always better to have too much space than too little ;
and it is therefore advisable to set a table rather too large for
the company, than one that is in the least too small. We have
seen a whole dinner party made uncomfortable all the time,
from being crowded at a table of insufficient size; and in warm
weather, particularly, this is no trifling inconvenience.
. Having set round the plates, lay a knife and fork in front of
each; and if there is soup, a spoon; also setting a soup plate
on each of the flat ones. At each comer of the table lay two
spoons across, and put other spoons wherever dishes are to be
sét. Have a salt-cellar at each corner, between the bowls of
the crossed spoons. In some houses it is customary to keep
the castors on the side-board, to be handed by the waiter as
they may be required. This we think inconvenient, particularly
where there are but one or two waiters, and eight or ten person's
at table. We see no very reasonable objection to having the
castors on the dining table. If there are two sets of castors,
place in the middle of the table the salad bowl or the celery
glass ; unless there is company to dinner, and the centre, per-
haps, is occupied by a plateau, an epergne, a vase of flowers,
or some other ornament.
If there are to be two large dishes, place a carving knife and
fork, and a large gravy spoon, for each. For soup, place the
22*


268
: :" THE HOUSE BOOK.
soup-ladle at the head of the table. For fish, lay the fish-knife
at the foot. Also knives, forks, and spoons for the side dishes.
At the left hand of every plate place a tumbler, and one or
more wine-glasses, according to the variety of wines that are
to be brought to table; it being customary to drink different
wines out of different sorts of glasses; the fashionable glass
for each wine varying so frequently, that it is difficult in this
respect to give any rules. The decanters are to stand near the
corners. It is now usual at many tables to have a small water-
bottle (holding about a pint) placed by the side of every plate,
that each person may pour out water for himself. Neverthe-
less, there should always be water-pitchers on the side-table,
to replenish the bottles when necessary, whether large or small
ones are used on the table. In summer, when filling the
pitchers, put two or three lumps of ice into each.
At the right hand of every plate put the napkin and the bread,
taking each piece out of the bread-basket with a fork. At
dinner-parties it is usual to have each napkin nicely folded in
a diamond or other form, and the bread laid in the centre,
covered by one of the corners. On such occasions it is very
customary to have light French rolls instead of pieces of cut
bread.
On the side-table place a waiter or tray for receiving the
dish-covers, plates, dishes, &c., that are removed from the table
after using. Also a knife-basket. It is a good custom to keep
there always at dinner-time (as mentioned in a former page) a
large can or mug of painted block tin, filled with hot water, in
which to plunge the blades of the knives as they are taken from
table, that the grease may not have time to dry on them. To
wipe a knife or fork and return it to the table, is not an agree-
able custom ; as, without a regular cleaning, they will always
smell and taste of the things for which they have just been


SETTING THE DINNER TABLE.
259
used; of fish, cheese, or onions, particularly. In all families
that are able to live genteelly, there should be a sufficiency of
knives, forks, &c., to afford fresh clean ones as often as the
plates are changed. It is well, even in small private families,
to have on the side-table some extra plates, knives, glasses,
&c., in case of a friend coming in unexpectedly, and consent-
ing to sit down and take dinner; this will preclude the neces-
sity of sending a servant out of the room to bring them ;
besides which, they will be at hand, in case they may acci-
dentally be wanted for other purposes.
The side-board is the place for the extra bottles, glasses,
silver, china, fruit, &c., that may be required at the dessert, or
after the cloth is removed. These articles may be so disposed
on the side-board as to make a very handsome appearance,
particularly when it has a marble top, and is lighted up for an
evening dinner-party. The side-board is also the place for
handsome water-pitchers, finger-glasses, and silver waiters.
· When dinner is ready, bring in your dishes on the tray, set-
ting it down on the tray-stand. Each dish should have a
cover. If there is soup, set the tureen at the head of the
table, to be helped by the mistress of the house; and if there
is fish also, place that at the foot of the table. Should there
be only one of these articles, put it before the lady's seat, and
place the largest dish of meat or poultry at the bottom. Set
the side dishes opposite to each other; and in arranging the
vegetables, do not place together those that are most similar.
For instance, do not put peas and beans next to each other ;
or sweet potatoes and white potatoes; or parsneps and carrots ;
or squashes and mashed turnips. It would be still worse,
when there are two dishes of each vegetable, (as is generally the
case at a large table,) to place together both dishes of asparagus,
or both dishes of cauliflower. They should be made to match


260
'THE HOUBE BOOK:
cross corners, (as it is called,) placing one on each side of the
table, not directly opposite, but diagonally or slanting ::
Attempts have been made to introduce the English fashion,
of keeping all the vegetables on the side-table, the waiters
bringing each one-separately to the table, as it may be asked
for by any person that wishes it, and then carrying it back
again. We think this custom too tedious and too troublesome
to become very general in America. Unless the waiters are
very alert, and amply sufficient in number, it is well not to give
them any unnecessary addition to their indispensable business.
Before dinner, let the cold pastry be placed in the side-board
closet, that it may be at hand when wanted for the table; or,
else, if the pantry is close to the dining room, it may be set out:
there, covering it with a clean cloth to keep the flies from it.
Covers of fine black wire net are very useful for fruit and
sweetmeat dishes. .!
Boiled puddings are always eaten warm, and should not be
taken out of the pot, till a few minutes before they go to table.
When the family are nearly ready for the pudding, the waiter
should ring the bell into the kitchen, and the cook will send
some one, or come herself, to meet him with the pudding, at-
the dining-room door.
In placing the dishes, see that they are all set perfectly
straight and even, and that each has near it the proper sauce
or gravy. Afterwards arrange the chairs round the table; and
if it is winter, put the chair-screens, if you have them, on those
that are nearest the fire. If it is summer, see that the sashes
are raised, and the venetian blinds drawn down, turning the
slats, so as to make the room sufficiently light. Then give
notice that dinner is ready, either by ringing the dinner-bell,
sounding the gong, as may be the custom of the family; or by
opening the drawing-room door, and advancing a little towards.


WAITING ON : TABLE.
261
the lady of the house, and bowing to her. This last is the
most usual mode of announcement when there is company to
dinner.
If the dinner is in the evening, see that the lamps, candles,
&c., are all in good order before you place them on the table.
The table should be very well lighted, particularly at a dinner
party. If the dinner is to commence in daylight, and it is so
late in the afternoon that there is any possibility of its being
protracted till after sunset, it is best to close the windows and
light the candles at once; as it is extremely uncomfortable to
have the company overtaken by the gloom of twilight, and
obliged to wait almost in darkness while the lights are prepare
ing. See also that the entry lamp, stair lamps, &c., are lighted
in early time; so that the guests may have no difficulty in
finding their way, and that the servants may not be liable to
break things by stumbling with them in the dark.'
WAITING ON TABLE.—When attending on table you
should always be clean and neatly drest; as nothing, at such
a time, is more disgusting than a greasy, slovenly, shabby-
looking waiter. A good waiter, who has a proper respect for
himself and his employers, will always put on a clean collar
before dinner, and a clean white apron; taking care that no
part of his dress is either dirty or ragged. If he is prudent and
sober, his wages will easily enable him to wear decent clothes
on week-days as well as on Sunday. There are domestics
(women as well as men) who do not scruple to go about the
house, and appear before the family and their visiters, almost
in the garb of beggars, while all their money is saved for the
purchase of holiday finery. Against this disrespectful and
revolting practice the head of the family should at least try the


262
· THE HOUSÉ BOOK."
effect of remonstrance; for if passed over or connived at, it will
grow into an absolute nuisance.
For a waiter, while engaged in his business, a round jacket
is more convenient and appropriate than a long coat; and in
summer his clothes should be of materials that will wash.
Shoes are more convenient for him than boots, as they are less
noisy; and being lighter, he can move about in them with more
alertness. Presuming it to be a clean one, his shirt-collar
should always appear above his cravat when drést for waiting
on table ; as the want of something white about the neck will
give any man (even a gentleman) a dingy and dirty appearance.
When attending at dinner, he should have on his hands a pair
of clean white cotton gloves; always, at least, if there is com-
pany. He should never wait at table without a small server
in his hand, on which to receive or carry round plates, knives,
vegetable dishes, the bread-basket, and whatever may be
wanted ; and in the other hand he should hold a napkin, with
which to take hold of the plates, &c., when changing them.
Whether he has gloves on or not, the napkin ought on no
account to be omitted ; and he should hold the plate' by the
edge of the rim only. We have seen the rim of a pláte very
disagreeably marked by the thumb' of a dirty-handed waiter,
who had no napkin.
The master of the house will, before dinner, have given you
his orders respecting the wines.
After you have announced the dinner, and held the door open
till the company have all gone into the dining-room, shut it,
(unless in summer,) and after they are seated, take off the
covers of the soup or fish; and, till these are done with, leave
the other dishes covered. When the soup and fish are removed,
uncover the other things, beginning at the bottom dish on the
left-hand side. In taking off the covers, turn them up quickly,


WAITING ON TABLE.
263
that the drops of greasy steam on the inside may not fall on the
table-cloth. Deposit them for the present in the tray, till there
is an opportunity of carrying them out.
If you are the only waiter, take your station at the bottom
of the table, about a yard from the person that is carving, and
a little to the left of his chair: this will give you an opportu-
nity of seeing what is wanted, much better than if you stood
exactly behind him. If there are two attendants, the second
should place himself in the same manner near the lady of the
house. If there are four, two should stand at the sides of the
table; not exactly opposite to each other, but one rather nearer
to the top, the other somewhat nearer to the bottom. All
should be drest as nearly as possible alike, and every one
should have a white apron, white gloves, a small server or
hand-waiter, (which is frequently of silver,) and a napkin.
Go first to each of the ladies, and in a low voice inquire what
you shall bring them. After they are all helped, attend to the
gentlemen. When you hold a plate to the carver, stand at his
left-hand; and when you take it to the person for whom it is
intended, go to the left side also. Hand nothing to any one
without first placing it on your small server; and always go
to the left side, except when you are filling a glass with water,
cider, or beer; then go to the right, as the tumbler stands on
that side; and be careful that you do not pour it too full, so as
to run it over and wet the cloth.
After every one has been helped by the carvers, take the
vegetable dishes, two at a time, on your hand-waiter, and carry
them round to each of the company. If the attendants are
alert, and sufficient in number, there will be no occasion for,
any persons at table to offer, or to require being helped to vegen
tables, sauces, &c., by each other: and no lady or gentleman
accustomed to dining in company, will have any hesitation


264
· THE HOUSE BOOK."
about asking the domestics for whatever they want; instead of
depending on the services of their friends, or waiting awkwardly
and silently, in the hope that some one may chance to perceive
their destitution and come to their relief.
The waiter, however, should look out attentively, and when
he perceives that bread, water, sauce, &c., is wanted, he should
bring it, even without being told. He should also attend par-
ticularly to any very young or evidently inexperienced persons,
whose diffidence may prevent them from asking for themselves.
When you perceive that all the company have done with the
meat, poultry, &c., keep your eye on the lady of the house, and
she will make a sign for you to take away the plates and remove
the dishes. In doing so, take hold of the dishes firmly, the
larger ones in both hands, and see that you lift them high
enough to clear the glasses, &c. It is well to ring the bell
first, as a signal for the cook to have ready the pastry, &c.,
which in America is generally termed the dessert; though in
Europe the dessert signifies only the fruit and other things that
are put on the table with the wine, after the cloth is removed.
As you take the plates, put them on the tray or on the side-
table, if you have no plate-basket; and deposit the knives in
the knife-tray or knife-basket, which should be made with a
division for the forks. Do all this expeditiously, and without
noise. Then take a fork in one hand, and a large plate in the
other, and go round and collect all the pieces of bread that may
be left on the table. Next, take your crumb-brush and a small
server, and go round and brush off all the crumbs. When there
is dinner company, it is very customary to spread two damask
cloths on the table, the upper one to be taken off and carried
away, after the meat, &c., is removed ; leaving beneath it a
clean one for the pastry and confectionary. When you bring
in these articles, arrange them so as to look handsomely, placing


WAITING ON TABLE.
265
in the centre of the table the largest and most conspicuous.
Beside a dessert plate and a small knife and fork, set, if neces-
sary, a saucer and a spoon to each person. At this time there
should always be on the table small vessels of glass or silver,
containing powdered loaf-sugar, with a little sugar ladle in each,
in case any of the articles should require more sweetening.
The usual time for eating salad or lobster is between the
meat and the pastry. These things are generally drest by some
one at table, (frequently a tedious business,) and handed round
to the company. It is, perhaps, more convenient to have them
drest immediately before dinner, and brought to table in a large
glass bowl.
This also is the usual time for eating cheese.
- When the company have done with the confectionary, the
finger glasses should be brought on hand-waiters, setting one
glass before each person; after which, the napkins having been
returned to the table, remove them all.
Finally, clear every thing off the table; and, turning up the
cloth all round, take it up by the edges, and carry it away to
be shaken out. Then put on the wine, fruit, and cake, with
the powdered sugar, in case it should be wanted. Set for every
person a small plate, a fruit knife, (those made for the purpose
are generally of silver,) a nut-picker, and a doily for the fingers.
The nuts should be cracked before they are brought to table,
and done carefully, so as to divide them in half, and not crush
them to atoms.
Set on the wines and fruit so as to match cross-corners, and
the large cake in the centre; and place on the table one or more
pitchers of ice-water, standing on small waiters, with a few
tumblers round them. If in summer, set on also the saucers
of broken up ice. Remove the things from the side-table with
as little noise as possible; after which you may leave the
23


266
THE HOUSE BOOK.
dining-room, as your services will be no longer required there.
Let the articles on the side-board remain undisturbed till after
the company has adjourned to the drawing-room, or departed.
During dinner, some one should see that the drawing-room
fire is burning well, and, if it is evening, that the lamps are
lighted, both there and on the way thither.
In the mean time you may see to the washing of the glasses,
silver, &c.; counting all the articles of plate, and putting them
away carefully.
At dinner parties of gentlemen only, it is usual to have coffee
brought in when they have sat a certain time over the wine and
fruit. The coffee must be made very strong and clear, and
handed round on a waiter with the sugar dish and milk jug:
nothing is eaten with it. The time for bringing it in will be
denoted by an order from the mistress of the house, or by the
master ringing the dining-room bell. After coffee the gentle-
men usually depart. If there are ladies at the dinner, they will
leave the table with their hostess when she makes the signal,
and remain with her in the drawing-room, where she will send
for the gentlemen to join them at tea. The waiter will then
be wanted to carry round the tea and coffee.
When the dining-room is vacated by the gentlemen, let the
table be cleared as soon as possible, and wiped clean; putting
the wine, &c., carefully away.
With regard to desserts at dinner parties, a very excellent
fashion prevails in some parts of the old world, which might
be introduced to much advantage in the new; particularly in
warm weather, and in large houses where there is no want of
rooms. It is to have a separate table for the dessert, set out in
another apartment, (generally one opening into the garden.)
When the company have finished the meats, &c., they are con-
ducted into the cool fresh dessert-room, and take their seats at


WAITING ON TABLE.
267
the table, where there has been time and opportunity to arrange
the articles of confectionary so as to produce a much more ele-
gant effect than when brought in one at a time to replace the
dishes that have just been removed. Meanwhile, the first table
can be cleared completely, and with more convenience than
when done in presence of the company.
Another advantage of having the dessert table set out in
another room is, that it gives the guests an opportunity of
changing partners.
The preparations for a dinner party should be commenced
the day before. The waiter should have a bill of fare given to
him in time, that he may know what arrangements to make ini
his department.
It will be seen that the foregoing directions for waiting on
table refer particularly. (but not exclusively) to large dinners.
Any waiter that is clever in his attendance on company, will
be equally so when his services are required on a smaller scale,
and when there are none at table but the family. In genteel
houses the arrangements of a family dinner should be so con-
ducted, that the waiter, being accustomed every day to setting
the table nicely, and waiting on it properly, will not feel the
least at a loss when he is required to do so for company. If
the family fall into the habit of waiting on themselves when
they are alone, the domestics (besides losing some of their
respect for them) soon get out of practice: and when there are 1
strangers at dinner, become so bewildered and awkward as fre-
quently to cause much vexation.
Some families wish to dispense with the presence of servants
at meal-times, considering them a restraint on the freedom of
conversation. When this is the case, the little round tables
called dumb-waiters are very useful, placing one of them behind
every two persons. On these are placed clean plates, knives,


268
· THE HOUSE BOOK.
forks, and whatever may be wanted; and each has a shelf
below, on which to set away the dirty plates, &c.
CARVING.–The seat for the carver should be somewhat
elevated above the other chairs: it is extremely ungraceful to
carve standing, and it is rarely done by any person accustomed
to the business. Carving depends more on skill than on
strength. We have seen very small women carve admirably
sitting down; and very tall men who knew not how to cut à
piece of beef-steak without rising on their feet to do it.
The carving knife should be very sharp, and not heavy; and
, it should be held firmly in the hand: also the dish should be
not too far from the carver. It is customary to help the fish
with a fish trowel, and not with a knife. The middle part of
a fish is generally considered the best. In helping it; avoid
breaking the flakes, as that will give it a mangled appearance.
In carving ribs or sirloin of beef, begin by cutting thin slices
off the side next to you. Afterwards you may cut from the
tender-loin, or cross-part near the lower end. Do not send any
one the outside piece, unless you know that they particularly
wish it.
In helping beef-steak, put none of the bone on the plate.
In cutting a round of corned beef, begin at the top; but lay
aside the first cut or outside piece, and send it to no one, as it
is always dry and hard. In a round of a-la-mode beef, the out-
side is frequently preferred.
In a leg of mutton, begin across the middle, cutting the
slices quite down to the bone. The same with a leg of pork
or a ham. The latter should be cut in very thin slices, as its
flavour is spoiled when cut thick.
To taste well, a tongue should be cut crossways in round
"slices. Cutting it lengthways (though the practice at many


270
THE HOUSE BOOK.
Sány persons frightful. Currant jelly is an indispensable
appendage to venison, and to roast mutton, and to ducks.
A young pig is most generally divided before it comes to
table, in which case, it is not customary to send in the head,
as to many persons it is a revolting spectacle after it is cut off.
When served up whole, first separate the head from the shoul-
ders, then cut off the limbs, and then divide the ribs. Help
some of the stuffing with each piece.
To carve a fowl, begin by sticking your fork in the pinion,
fand drawing it towards the leg; and then passing your knife
underneath, take off the wing at the joint. Next, slip your
knife between the leg and the body, to cut through the joint;
and with the fork, turn the leg back, and the joint will give
way. Then take off the other wing and leg. If the fowl has
been trussed (as it ought to be) with the liver and gizzard,
help the liver with one wing, and the gizzard with the other.
The liver wing is considered the best. After the limbs are
taken off, enter your knife into the top of the breast, and cut
under the merry-thought, so as to loosen it, lifting it with your
fork. Afterwards cut slices from both sides of the breast.
Next take off the collar-bones, which lie on each side of the
merry-thought, and then separate the side-bones from the back.
The breast and wings are considered as the most delicate parts
of the fowl; the back, as the least desirable, is generally left
in the dish. Some persons, in carving a fowl, find it more
convenient to take it on a plate, and as they separate it, return
each part to the dish; but this is not now the usual way. '
A turkey is carved in the same manner as a fowl; except
that the legs and wings being larger, are separated at the lower
joint. The lower part of the leg, (or drumstick, as it is called,)
· 'being hard, tough, and stringy, is never helped to any one, but
'allowed to remain on the dish. First cut off the wing, leg,


CARVING.
271
and breast from one side; then turn the turkey over, and cut
them off from the other.
• To carve a goose, separate the leg from the body, by putting
the fork into the small end of the limb; pressing it close to
the body, and then passing the knife ander, and turning the leg
back, as you cut through the joint. To take off the wing, put
your fork into the small end of the pinion, and press it closely
to the body; then slip the knife under, and separate the joint.
Next cut under the merry-thought, and take it off; and then
cut slices from the breast. Then turn the goose, and dismem-
ber the other side. Take off the two upper side-bones, that
are next to the wings; and then the two lower side-bones.
The breast and legs of a goose afford the finest pieces. If a
goose is old, there is no fowl so tough; and if difficult to carve,
it will be still more difficult to eat.
Partridges, pheasants, grouse, &c., are carved in the same
manner as fowls. Quails, woodcocks, and snipes are merely
split down the back; so also are pigeons, giving a half to each
person.
In helping any one to gravy, or to melted butter, do not pour
it over their meat, fowl, or fish, but put it to one side on a
vacant part of the plate, that they may use just as much of it
as they like. In filling a plate, never heap one thing on
another.
In helping vegetables, do not plunge the spoon down to the
bottom of the dish, in case they should not have been perfectly
well drained, and the water should have settled there. , ,
· By observing carefully how it is done, you may acquire a
knowledge of the joints, and of the process of carving, which
a little daily practice will soon convert into dexterity. If a
young lady is ignorant of this very useful art, it will be well
for her to take lessons of her father, or her brother; and a


272
THE HOUSE BOOK.
married lady can easily learn from her husband. Domestics
who wait at table may soon, from looking on daily, become so
expert that, when necessary, they can take a dish to the side-
table and carve it perfectly well.
At a dinner party, if the hostess is quite young, she is fre-
quently glad to be relieved of the trouble of carving by the
gentleman who sits nearest to her; but if she is familiar with
the business, she usually prefers doing it herself.
· TO DRAW POULTRY, &c.—Though to prepare poultry
for cooking is by no means an agreeable business, yet some
knowledge of it may be very useful to the mistress of a house,
in case she should have occasion to instruct a servant in the
manner of doing it; or in the possible event of her being obliged
to do it herself; for instance, if her cook has been suddenly
taken ill, or has left her unexpectedly.
As all poultry is, of course, drawn in the same manner, it
will be sufficient to designate the mode of emptying the inside
of a fowl. In winter, if the fowl is frozen, lay it before the
fire till it has completely thawed. Then have ready one or
more large pieces of waste paper, rolled up loosely into a long
wisp ; lay.the fowl down on a clean part of the hearth, and,
taking its legs in your hand, light the paper, and pass it back
and forward above the surface of the skin, (turning the fowl on
both sides,) so as to singe off all the hairs; doing it so carefully
as not to burn or scorch the skin. There should always be a
quantity of old newspapers, or other waste paper, kept in a
closet or drawer of the kitchen for this and other purposes.
Next, lay the fowl upon its back on a clean old waiter or tray,
(such as should be kept in every kitchen,) and with a large
sharp knife cut off, first the head, and then the legs at the first
joint. The next thing is to cut a very long slit in the skin at


DRAWING POULTRY, ETC.
273
the right side of the neck, and with your fingers strip down the
skin towards the shoulders, till you come to the craw, which
you must take out with your hand. Then with your knife
make two long deep cuts or incisions on each side of the body,
going downward towards the tail. Put your hand into the cut
or orifice on the right side, and pull out the heart, liver, gizzard,
and then the entrails. Take care not to break the gall-bag, or
its liquor will run over the liver, and make it so bitter that it
cannot be eaten, and should therefore be thrown away without
cooking. Next, to flatten the body, break the breast-bone by
striking on it hard with your hand. Then tuck the legs into
the lower part of the slits that you have cut on each side of the
body. Afterwards with your hand bend or curve inwards the
end of the neck-bone, and tuck it away under the long loose
piece of skin left there. · After this, lay the fowl in a small tub
of cold water, and wash it well inside and out: then dry it with
a clean towel.
» Next, cut open the gizzard, empty it of the sand and gravel,
and take out the thick inside skin. Split open the heart, and
let out the blood that is in it. Then carefully cut the gall-bag
from the liver, so as not to break it. Wash clean the heart,
liver, and gizzard, (having trimmed them neatly,) and return
the heart to the inside of the breast; putting back also the eggs,
if you have found any. Have ready the stuffing, and fill up
with it the vacancy from which you have taken the craw, &c.,
pressing it in hard. Next, taking between your thumb and
finger the above-mentioned piece of skin at the top of the neck,
draw it down tightly towards the back of the fowl, (folding it
nicely over the bent end of the neck-bone,) and fasten it down
between the shoulders with a skewer, which must be stuck in so
as to go lengthways down the back. This will prevent any of
the stuffing from getting out, and will keep all compact and nice.


274
THE HOUSE BOOK. .
.
Then run a skewer through both the wings and the upper
part of the body, tucking in the liver so as to appear from under
the right pinion, and the gizzard (scoring it first) on the left.
Both pinions must be bent upwards. Lastly, secure all by
tying two strings of small twine tightly round the fowl; one
just above the skewer that confines the legs; the other just
below that which passes through the wings.
Of course, the strings and skewers are removed before the
poultry is sent to table.
Turkeys, geese, and ducks are always trussed in this manner,
the legs being cut off at the first joint. So are fowls for boiling.
But when fowls are to be roasted, some cooks leave on the
whole of the legs and feet, (scraping and washing them clean,)
and drawing the feet up quite to the breast, where they are tied
together by a string.
Pigeons, pheasants, partridges, &c.; are all trussed as above,
with the legs short.
- To draw a little roasting pig, cut the body open by one long
slit, and before you take out what is inside, loosen it all with
a sharp knife; then extract it with your hands. Empty the
head also. Afterwards wash the animal clean, (inside and out,)
and fill the vacancy with stuffing. Having bent the knees
under, skewer the legs to the body, and secure the stuffing by
tying twine tightly several times round the body; first fasten-
ing the slit by pinning it with a wooden skewer. Having
boiled the liver and heart, chop them to enrich the gravy:
· THE BREAKFAST TABLE.-If preparing the breakfast
table in winter, first see that the fire is good and the hearth
clean. "If in summer, that the butter and cream are cooling in
the ice. If you have no ice, they may be cooled by standing
in a vessel of cold pump-water. In warm weather, some fami-


THE BREAKFAST TABLE.
· 275
.
lies have fresh fruit on the breakfast table, such as currants,
strawberries, raspberries, &c. If produced in the garden, they
should be gathered early, divested of the stems, put into deep
dishes, sprinkled with powdered white sugar, and set on ice,
or in some cold place.
. Having removed the coloured table cover, (if there is one,)
and wiped the table with a duster, spread on the white cloth
as evenly as possible, observing that the centre crease of its
folds is exactly in the centre of the table. Then place the large
japanned waiter at the head of the table, and put on it a cup,
saucer, and tea-spoon for each person, and a small pile of three
or four extra ones, in case they should chance to be wanted.
Put the tea-spoons at the right-hand side of the cup. Back of
the cups and saucers, set the sugar-dish on the right-hand, and
the cream-pot on the left, with the slop-bowl in the centre;
leaving a place behind for the coffee-pot or tea-pot. If there is
an um, its place is beyond the waiter; and there should be a
stand for it, either of worsted work or of oil-cloth. If the
spout is inconveniently low, (as is sometimes the case, the
um may be elevated by a stand made of a thick block of wood,
nicely finished, and painted and varnished in imitation of ma-
hogany or black walnut. The spout of the tea-umn should be
immediately over the tea-pot. If there is a coffee-urn, the cups,
of course, are filled directly from it.
In preparing the urn, see that the heater is put into the fire
in time to become red-hot. When you put it into the cylinder,
take care not to drop it down too hard and heavy, or you may
break the bottom of the urn. There should be a long iron rod
with a hook at the end, for the purpose of lifting the heater.
The water or the coffee must always be boiling hot at the time
you pour it into the urn, and it must always be filled to a level
with the heater, which otherwise may burn the top and sides.


276
.: THE HOUSE BOOK.. to
An urn should be washed out every day, and wiped dry inside;
as, if left damp, it will be apt to get musty. An urn that is
put by for any length of time should, while out of use, be kept
filled with clean waste paper: not newspapers, however, or
any sort that is printed. It is well to have a green baize cover,
for your ums, as it will preserve them from dust and damp, and
from injury by the flies.
i In some families, a bright tea-kettle on a chafing-dish, to
stand on the hearth, iş used instead of a water-urn. In this
case, see that the chafing-dish is well filled with clear glowing
coals, free from ashes; and that the water is boiling hard at
the time the kettle is filled. It should be brought in about ten
minutes before the breakfast hour, that the tea made with it
may have time to draw. Scald the pot twice before the tea is
put in.
After you have set the cups, place round the table the plates,
knives, and forks, leaving a few extra ones on the side-board.
If they are used in the family, do not forget to set round the
-little cup-plates. Lay also a napkin for each person. Place
the castor in the centre of the table, and the eggs just behind
it. If a tin or silver egg-boiler is used on the table, it should
be filled in the kitchen with water that is boiling. Then put
in the eggs, which ought first to be wiped clean; for, though
the outside is not eaten, if dirty they look disagreeably. In
three or four minutes pour off the first water, (which will have
become chilled by the coldness of the eggs,) and fill up the tin
with some more that is boiling hard. Then shut up the covers,
and the eggs will finish their boiling on the table.
When egg-cups are used, they are generally of china, or else
of silver, gilt inside. The egg is set into the cup, and, having
broken the large end by striking it with a spoon, it is eaten out
of the shell. Another way is to have egg-glasses, and to empty


THE BREAKFAST TABLE.
277
into the glass the contents of the egg. Spoons for the eggs
should be laid beside all the plates. Have two salt-cellars;
and, as there should be a plate of butter on each side of the
table, put two butter-knives. Butter for breakfast looks very
nicely if made into round pats and printed with a small butter
print. On the top, if the weather is warm, should be laid å
piece of clear bright ice. There are small, covered, deep dishes
of china or glass, purposely for holding the butter when brought
to table. There are similar covered dishes for cheese. For
whatever meat or fish may be at breakfast, lay a knife, fork,
and spoon to help it with ; and place mats for the hot dishes,
which should be brought in with covers. Do not cut the bread
too thin, and see that a sufficiency of it is put on at once. If
there are hot cakes, let them be brought to the door, and there
delivered to the waiter; for it will be very inconvenient to have
him continually going in and out for them. Of batter cakes,
it is well to begin with four on each plate; otherwise the inter-
vals between the arrival of the fresh supplies will be quite too
long for persons with good appetites, or who may have but
little time to remain at table. .
The domestie that attends at breakfast should (as at dinner)
have a napkin and a small waiter, with which to hand every
thing. It is the custom in many houses (and a very good one)
- to send round the sugar and cream, that each person may use
them according to his own taste. The custom of putting brown
sugar in coffee is now exploded in almost all families that live
genteelly.. . .
. . . . . !
The coffee should on no consideration be thick and muddy.
It is not well to roast more than a pound at a time, as it loses
its strength by keeping. Previous to roasting, it should be
washed through three waters, and then dried before the fire.
Then put it into the coffee-roaster; (an iron cylinder, standing
24


278
''THE HOUSE BOOK..**
horizontally on feet before the fire, and turned round occasions
ally by a handle.) If you have not one of these convenient
articles, you must substitute an iron pot or skillet; or you may
do the coffee in a tin pan, set in the oven of a hot stoves
Whatever it may be roasted in, it must be stirred frequently,
and done of a fine dark brown, not black; putting among it;
while roasting, a table-spoonful of butter. By the time it is
taken from the fire, have ready for one quart of coffee the white
of two eggs; beaten to a froth, and gradually mix it with the
coffee, after it has been poured out into an earthen pan, and
while it is cooling. It must not be hot enough to turn the egg
white. This will give the coffee sufficient cléarness when
ground and made; and precludes the necessity of putting in
isinglass or white of egg every morning. If it is necessary to
roast a larger quantity at once, you will find the whites of three
eggs sufficient for four quarts of coffee. i
-. If there are both fish and meat on the breakfast table, see to
have at hand a sufficient supply of clean plates, knives, and
forks, in case any of the company should choose to eat of both.
At breakfast, as at dinner, things should be so arranged that
the waiter will have no occasión to leave the room. If there
is cold ham, let it be sliced extremely thin. Ham for broiling
or frying should, early in the morning, or the night before, have
the saltness taken out by scalding the slices several times in
boiling water, letting it soak in each till the water cools. i...
Half an hour before breakfast, the waiter should ring his
hand bell, to give notice that the time is approaching; and
when every thing is on the table, and the lady of the house
ready to take her seat; he should ring it again. His station at
breakfast is behind her chair, a little to the right. He is first
to hand round the cups of tea or coffee, one at a time, on his
waiter. Next, beginning with the ladies, he is to carry their


280
THE HOUSE BOOK.
&c., in a short time renders them unpleasant, and they are
rarely washed as soon as is necessary.
Unless there are oysters, or cucumbers, the castors and salt
need not be set on the tea-table. If there are sweetmeats, it is
well 10 have an extra cream jug, or to have cream in a glass or
silver bowl, to be dipped out with a small ladle. For fresh
fruit, strawberries, raspberries, &c., á bowl of powdered loaf-
sugar will also be wanted. The basket or plates of sweet
cake should be carried round the table, on his hand-waiter, by
the domestic who is attending, and this should be done not
merely at the close of the repast, but soon after its commence
ment. The various sorts of very small cakes, scarcely a
mouthful in size, and called by the confectioners mixed cakes,
are no longer introduced at tea.
HINTS ON EVENING PARTIES.-In sending notes of}
invitation, let the hour always be specified, and the day of the
month, as well as that of the week. If you intend to have tea,
let the word be mentioned in the note; otherwise, invite for
evening only. .. . ..
Bespeak your confectionary, &c., at the very best shops; other
wise the things may be sent to you made of bad ingredients.
Unless your own servants are sufficient in number, and very
capable, hire for the evening one or more of the men who
make a business of waiting at parties, and who understand
how they are conducted at the best houses. If you depend on
your own people, you must see that the fires are in good order,
and the lamps all lighted at an early hour, and that all the re-
freshments are actually in the house, so that there may be no
disappointment, and no occasion to send out for any thing.
When tea is to be carried round to more than four or five
persons, there should be two men as waiters, one to hand the


HINTS ON EVENING PARTIES.
281
tea, and the other the cakes. If the party is large, the waiters,
of course, should be more in number.
,. We earnestly recommend, that before the company begins to
arrive, there shall be provided in some convenient place, in one
of the drawing-rooms, a server with a pitcher of cool water,
and some tumblers, for the benefit of those ladies that are in
the practice of interrupting and retarding the progress of the
tea, and sending away the man that is handing it, to bring them
a glass of water; notwithstanding that they might easily have
allayed their thirst while in the dressing-room. ,
On one of the large tea-trays or waiters, set round the cups
of green tea, black tea, and coffee; those of green tea distin-
guished by having a spoon in each cup, the others having
spoons in the saucers. In the centre, place the sugar-dish,
cream-jug, and a small tea-pot of hot water, for those who wish
to weaken their tea, or to drink only milk and water. The
handles of all should be tumed towards the company. The
business of carrying round the tea will be much accelerated, if
there is a third waiter, (a boy, for instance,) to take round on a
small server, the sugar, cream, and water-pots, as then the
first waiter will only have to stop a moment before each person,
merely while a cup is taken from his tray. It is not necessary,
when tea is handed round to a large company, to have bread
and butter, muffins, toast, sliced ham, tongue, or any thing of
that sort on the cake waiter. Few persons, (particularly
ladies,) on these occasions, have any desire to partake of them,
having, perhaps, already taken a family tea at home: and
they are very greasy to the fingers, injurious to the gloves, and
may also, by some accident, grease the dresses. It is better
on the cake waiter to have cake only; for instance, a large
handsome one in the centre, placed on a silver waiter, and
sliced standing; a basket of smaller cakes, and one of sponge
24*


282
i . THE HOUSE BOOK. : .
cake, for persons who are unwilling to eat of any that has butter
in it. There should be a silver fork on the tray, for taking out
a slice of the large cake, and a knife with which to cut more,
if necessary. On this tray should be small plates in piles, set
on the side next the company.
The chief waiter must take an opportunity of asking the lady
of the house if there is any one to whom she particularly wishes
the tea to be handed first. This compliment is always paid to
a bride, to the greatest stranger, or to a lady for whom the party
has been made. Otherwise the waiter understands that he is
to go first to the lady who appears to be the eldest in the rooin.
When all the ladies have been supplied, the tea, &c., is then
handed to the gentlemen, taking care to miss no one. When
the tea-tray is empty, the waiter is to carry it to the room where
it is poured out, and bring it back with a fresh supply. Some-
times, when the company is not very large, the tea is poured
out in their presence by one of the ladies of the family, seated
at a table in the back drawing-room.
• The boy or third waiter having taken from his server the
cream, sugar, &c., should carry it round for the empty cups.
The man that has the cake waiter should continue to go
round with it, particularly in the interval between the first cups
and the second, and should look out to see if every person is
helped. After the cups have gone round a second time, (begin-
ning again with the lady to whom the tea was handed first,) it
will not be necessary to bring in quite as many the third time,
as few persons take more than two. It is customary to conclude
by bringing in the cake-tray alone and going round with it at
the last.
About an hour after tea, it is usual to send round lemonade
in glasses with handles, a basket of little cakes (maccaroons,
&c.) being in the centre of the tray. If there is to be a supper,


HINTS ON EVENING PARTIES.
283
nothing more is handed round. If not, there is generally ice-
cream, jelly, blanc-mange, &c., accompanied by wafer-cakes,
savoy-biscuit, or almond 'sponge-cake, and followed immediately
by a tray with wine and liqueurs.' Champagne is always
carried round in a black bottle, with the cork in except at the
moment when the waiter is filling the glasses, which he must
do as quickly as possible.
i When the wine, &c., is handed to the ladies, it is well to
have on the same tray a glass pitcher with cool water, and a
few tumblers.
At ladies' parties, when there is what is called a standing
supper, and no dancing, it is customary to have the table set in
the back drawing-room, about ten o'clock. The waiters who
are hired for these occasions perform this business with great
expedition and dexterity, and arrange the articles on the table
so as to produce a very elegant effect. When all is ready, the
chief waiter signifies it to the lady of the house, and the com-
pany then assemble round the table.
· Some confidential person should be employed on these even,
ings to superintend behind the scenes, and see that proper care
is taken of all the things that are left. The servants should be
forbidden to invite their friends to the kitchen, as they are very
apt to do on these occasions. Having company of their own
withdraws their attention from their business, and gives oppor-
tunity for much idle gossip; besides which, their visiters
generally carry off nearly all the delicacies that remain of the
supper, and frequently make too free with the wine.
- In the principal cities it is usual to decorate the supper table
of a ladies' party with vases of flowers; or with temples, bas-
kets, &c., of ornamental sugar-work. These can be hired, for
the evening, of a confectioner. Glass and china can also be
hired from a china-store. There are baskets of mottoes or
"
me.


284
... THE HOUSE BOOK,
secrets, ice-creams, jellies, blanc-mange, sweetmeats, fresh
foreign fruit, cakes, charlottes, and other things, according as
the fashion may be. Also oysters, pickled or stewed, terrapin,
and chicken salad, with baskets of small light bread-rolls to
eat with them, Much unnecessary expense is frequently in-
curred on these occasions."
The gentlemen conduct the ladies to the supper-room, and
help them as they stand round the table. The waiters should
also be alert in seeing that every one is properly attended.
Tea is only dispensed with at very large parties, where
handing it round in the crowd would be inconvenient. On
these occasions it is sometimes customary to have a table in
each of the dressing-rooms, with tea, coffee, and a basket of
cake, with a servant to pour out for any one who'may choose a
cup before they go down. Have no wine in the gentlemen's room.
Few persons, however, go to a party without first taking
their tea at home at the usual hour.
On the evening of a party, the fires should be in proper order,
and the lamps lighted at an early hour, both in the drawing-
rooms, on the stair-case, and in the dressing-rooms; and the
ladies of the family drest and down stairs long before it is time
for any of the company to arrive, in case some of the guests
may chance to be in advance of the hour. Let one of the
waiters take his station in the entry, just within the street-door,
to be ready to open it immediately, as soon as the bell rings,
and to inform the company, as they come, where they are to
find the dressing-rooms. In cold weather, there should be a
good fire in the stove that warms the hall and stair-case. It is
well to have another waiter stationed up stairs, near the gentle-
men's room; and a female domestic should stay just within
the open door of the ladies' room till the company has all
arrived. Both dressing-rooms should be well lighted, having


286 .
'N
THE HOUSE BOOK
drawing-rooms and pantry be locked up, and all left as it is till
morning. We have heard of over-good house-wives, (more
nice than wise,) whọ boasted of having, after a party, stayed
up all night, and made their servants do the same, for the pur-
pose of having every thing washed and put regularly away,
and the rooms restored to their usual order; a mode of pro-
cedure which few circumstances could warrant, and which
certainly evinced very little consideration for themselves, and
none at all for their domestics.
At summer evening parties it is the custom (whether the
refreshments are handed round or placed on a table) to have,
after tea, cakes, confectionary, ice-cream, and fresh fruits,
which, if they are berries, should have with them a bowl of
powdered loaf-sugar and a pitcher of cream. The beverage,
lemonade and orgeat; and after the ice-cream, wine or li-
queurs.
From “ the signs of the times,” there is great reason to hope
that the period is fast approaching when large, crowded, and
extravagantly luxurious parties will become obsolete; at least
in those classes of American society that are or ought to be
the most distinguished for good taste and refinement. Surely
the most rational, agreeable, and in every respect the most
eligible manner of keeping up social intercourse, is to see your
friends frequently, but in small numbers; instead of once or
twice in the season giving what is called a squeeze, asking
every one you may happen to know, (and consequently many
whom you do not care for,) and incurring a great and sometimes
very inconvenient expense, and a vast deal of fatigue, for a
purpose that, after all, affords no real pleasure, either to the
family or their guests.
We are glad to find that, in the most really genteel circles,
it is now becoming very customary to have only small parties ;


SUPPER PARTIES.
287
,
inviting but twenty or thirty persons at a time, till, in the
course of the season, you get round all your friends: and select-
ing, on each occasion, those that are likely to be most agreeable
and best suited to each other. And, as at these assemblages,
nothing is provided that is entirely for show, and the style of
dress is comparatively simple, the expense and trouble of
receiving company, or of going into it, is greatly and properly
diminished ; and the enjoyment proportionably increased.
Where there is a small company, not exceeding ten or a dozen
persons, it is usual, an hour or two after tea, to have refresh-
ments brought in by a domestic, and placed on one of the tables
in the room, with a sufficiency of glasses, plates, forks, &c.,"
allowing a few extra ones. After which, the servant retires,
as soon as the mistress of the house has seen that all is right;
and the gentlemen go to the table, and help the ladies as they
sit, to whatever they may wish. The refreshments remaining
on the table, as long as the company stay, and offered again,
previous to their departure.
SUPPER PARTIES.Except at an oyster supper, it is not
very customary for ladies to appear at these entertainments.
For a.gentlemen's supper party, it is usual to have terrapin,
canvas-back ducks, or game; and sometimes French dishes.
On some occasions, all the articles for a gentlemen's supper
party are cold. The table is set out nearly the same as for
dinner, first seeing that the room is well lighted and well
warmed. If the supper consists entirely of cold things, the
plates must be cold also; and it is not usual at suppers, to
have either wine-coolers or finger-glasses; or to hand round
coffee at the close. There is sometimes chocolate and rusk. -
- Pastry is rarely seen on a supper-table. The dessert is of
ice-cream, oranges, grapes, &c.


288
THE HOUSE BOOK.
- At an oyster supper, it is usual to have all the various pre-
parations of oysters, fried, stewed, broiled, roasted, raw, and,
in patties. Potatoes mashed, and browned, are generally
added. The roasted oysters are served in the shell, on very
large dishes, and brought in “ hot and hot," all the time; as
they are generally eaten much faster than they can be cooked.
Small baskets (usually of maple or stained wood, with brass
hoops.) are placed on the floor, for the purpose of receiving the
shells, beside the chairs of the gentlemen; as the business of
opening the oysters mostly devolves on them. At the right
hand of each plate, is placed a thick folded towel, and an
oyster knife, which is used only to open the shell; at the other
side, the napkin, fork, bread, tumbler, wine-glasses, &c. On
the side-table, let there be plenty of plates, knives and forks,
to change with ; a basket of bread or light rolls; pitchers of
water; and bottles of porter and cider; decanters of wine
being on the table.. . .
Several butter-plates, with a butter knife to each, should be
- set along the table. Sometimes the butter is made up into the
shape of a pine-apple, or a basket of flowers.
· We subjoin an excellent receipt for
Cream-oysters.—Take, for instance, five hundred of the
largest and finest oysters you can procure. Lift them out of
the liquor, one at a time, by sticking a fork into the heart or
hard part, and lay them in a deep pan. Then strain the liquor ;
take the half of it only, and boil it. When it has come to a
boil, have ready three quarters of a pound of the best fresh
butter, divided into balls or lumps, and each slightly rolled in
a very little flour. Add them to the boiling.oyster-liquor; and
when they are all melted, stir the whole very well, and put in
the oysters. As soon as they have come to a boil, take out the


290
THE HOUSE BOOK.
· CHINA WARE.-For common, every-day use, china ware
of entire white seems now to have superseded all others, and
very justly; as, when of good quality, it is pure and delicate
in its appearance, never looks the worse for wear, (as is the
case with much of the gilt china,) and when broken is easily
matched. If possible, avoid buying cups with handles; as the
handles are rarely used, and soon knocked off, and the cup then
looks shabby and defaced. Many of the saucers now made
are but very slightly concave, and turn outwards towards the
edge, which makes them useless to persons who do not like to
take their tea out of the cup. As there are many who prefer
drinking out of the saucer, it is well to buy them of a conve-
nient shape, and also to have a set of little cup-plates or
cup-mats.
India china (except the large jars) is now much less in
favour than formerly; as the French is generally preferred to
it, the gilding being more lasting, the colours finer, and the
patterns more elegant. The Worcester china is also very
beautiful in quality, gilding, and painting. It is not unusual
to make up at the china stores what are called Harlequin tea-
sets, every cup and saucer being different, and to be purchased
separately. Odd cups and saucers are imported for this pur-
pose, of all shapes, patterns, and colours. A Harlequin set,
however, should consist of none but the most elegant articles.
If of low-priced cups and saucers that have no beauty to recom-
mend them, the whole will have a mean and paltry effect,
looking like the leavings of broken sets.
China of a white ground, sprigged with flowers of different
colours, has too much the look of calico. The most elegant
that we have seen has but one colour besides the gilding. 'A
delicate light blue or pink, with a rich gold border, is very
beautiful. So is dove-colour and gold; or purple and gold.


MENDING BROKEN DISH E 8.
291
*-: TO MEND BROKEN DISHES. If you have any dishes
or plates that have been merely broken in two, but not shattered,
procure from a house-painter a small quantity of common white
paint. Take the two halves of the dish, (first seeing that they
are perfectly dry, and free from grease ;) place them, bottom
upwards, on a shelf or common table, or on a floor, and smear
the broken edges with the paint, laying it on neatly with a
small brush. Then join these edges together, fitting them
closely. Cut some strong new linen-tape the exact length of
the fracture. Cover one side of the tape also with white paint,
and lay it over the crack where you have joined the two broken
pieces together. Press down the tape closely on the crack, so
as to make it lie smooth and even. Then let the dish remain
untouched for three or four weeks, by which time the fracture
will be firmly cemented, and the dish will never break again
in that place.
Perform the process in the place where the article is to
remain unmoved till quite dry; and do it on a shelf, table, or
floor that is perfectly level. It should be done in a room that
is not in constant use, where it can be shut up so that nothing
will disturb it while drying, and where no dust can lodge
on it.
'A bowl or other vessel, cracked but half across, may be
mended by plastering the crack on both sides with only the
white paint, omitting the tape.
Many servants are in the habit, when a dish comes from the
table, of setting it on hot coals, to keep the meat warm for their
own dinner, at the risk of splitting the dish in two. Let this
practice be forbidden; and direct them to remove the meat into
a tin or iron pan when they wish to warm it. Whenever plates
or dishes are broken in half, care should be taken to save the
pieces, that they may be mended in the above manner: we


292
THE HOUSE BOOK.'Y
:
know it to be a mode of cementing them that can certainly be
depended on.
TO MEND BROKEN GLASSES.--Get some cloves of
English garlic; (you may obtain them in market, at a seed-
store, or at a druggist's ;) tie them up in a rag, lay them in a
tin pan, and pound them with a hammer to get out the juice.
Next take the broken glass, (for instance, a tumbler, bowl, or
dish that has been broken in half,) and wet or smear each of
the broken edges with the garlic juice. Then stick them firmly
together, stand the article on a plate, and set it away to remain
undisturbed for a fortnight.
The broken lid of a pitcher can also be mended in this
manner..
There is no way of mending a looking-glass, if broken.
TO MEND A WINDOW PANE.-If a window glass is
cracked across, you may mend it by plastering some putty on
both sides of the crack. This will not look well, of course,
but it will make the broken pane air-tight, and prevent it from
falling apart, and may do very well till you can have a new
glass put in by the glazier.
TO SOFTEN OLD PUTTY.-In removing old or broken
panes from a window, it is generally very difficult to get off
the hard dry putty that sticks round the glass and its frame.
Dip a small brush in a little nitric or muriatic acid, (to be
obtained at the druggist's,) and go over the putty with it. Let
it rest a while, and it will soon become so soft that you can
remove it with ease.


CEMENTING ALABASTER, ETC.
293
CEMENT FOR ALABASTER, MARBLE, &c.-Take a
pound of bees-wax, and half a pound of rosin, and melt them
together. Have ready three-quarters of a pound of finely pow-
dered alabaster, or powdered marble, (according to the article
you wish to cement,) and add it gradually to the melted mix-
ture, stirring the whole very well. Then knead the whole mass
in water, that the ingredients may be thoroughly incorporated.
You may add more of the powder, to bring it nearer to the
colour of the article to be cemented.
· Before applying this cement it must be heated, and so must
the parts of the subject you are going to unite; they must also
be thoroughly dry, and quite free from grease.
The powder may be obtained from an alabaster or marble shop:
For cementing plaster of Paris, make the mixture with pul-
verized plaster.
COMMON CEMENT.-Mix together half a pint of vinegar
and half a pint of milk. When they have formed a curd, take
the whey only, and mix it with the whites of five eggs, beating
the whole very hard. Then sift in, gradually, sufficient quick-
lime to convert the whole into a thick paste. This will be
found useful for broken bowls, jugs, &c. Rub both the broken
edges, and then cover the crack with it, allowing it a fortnight
to dry.
Another good cement may be made by mixing together equal
quantities of melted glue, white of egg, and white lead, and
-boiling them. ..,
... CEMENT FOR IRON KITCHEN UTENSILS.-Take
six parts of yellow potter's clay, and one part of steel filings;
mix them together with a sufficient quantity of linseed oil to
make a thick paste of the consistence of glazier's putty. Then
25*


294
THE HOUSE BOOK.
.
apply it to the cracked parts, on both sides, and let it stand
three or four weeks, undisturbed.
CEMENT CAKES.-Take four ounces of the best glue,
and two ounces of ising-glass; put them into a common glue-
kettle, with as much mild ale as will cover them. Dissolve
them, over a slow fire, to the consistence of strong glue. Then
add gradually, an ounce and a half of well-boiled linseed oil,
stirring the whole very hard. Spread it out to cool, and then
cut it into cakes ; in consistence, it will resemble India rubber.
When wanted for use, boil à piece of it in a proportionate
quantity of ale, till quite dissolved, and apply it hot. Then
let the article rest till next day.
It will unite wood, earthen-ware, china, &c.
By adding a little tow to the solution, it will afford an excel-
lent cement for leaks in casks, &c.
COMMON PÅSTE FOR PAPER.–Take two table-
'spoonfuls of wheat flour, and mix it gradually with half a pint
of cold water, carefully pressing out all the lumps, and making
it very smooth. If you wish it thinner, add more water;
another half pint will make it quite thin. Pour it into a sauce-
pan or skillet, set it on hot coals, stir it frequently, and after it
has come to a boil, let it continue boiling about five minutes.
Then take it off, and put it to coól.
A little powdered alum, (for instance, a half tea-spoonful to
the above quantity,) stirred in while over the fire, is an im-
provement to paste, making it more tenacious.
In pasting paper on wood, first wet the paper all over with a
clean sponge dipped in cold water'; spread the paste on the
wood, and lay on the paper while damp; otherwise it will be
in wrinkles, when dry.


RYE PASTE, ETC.
295
RYE PASTE.-For very strong purposes, (wall paper, for
instance,) the paste should be made of rye-flour, with the addi-
tion of a little powdered rosin.
444 аптие
COLD PASTE.—This can be obtained at any time, when
it is not convenient to boil it, by keeping always in the house,
a bottle of gum arabic water, made in the proportion of an
ounce of pulverized gum-arabic to a jill of water. Mix a little
flour with barely water enough to dissolve it, making it very
smooth, and free from lumps; then add a little of the solution
of gum-arabic, diluting it with more water, if necessary. The
gum will make this paste sufficiently adhesive for any common
purpose, without boiling.
- COMMON GLUE.-Take a piece of glue, and melt it over
coals in a small earthen glue-pot. When it has come to a boil,
take it off, and apply it warm, by spreading it on with a small
brush, or a flat stick. If it congeals before you are done with
it, melt it again. While drying keep a string tied round the
article glued. ; .
RICE GLUE.-Mix together rice-flour and cold water, to a
thick paste, pressing out all the lumps with a spoon, and
making it very smooth. Then dilute it with a little more
water, (altogether, you may allow a jill of water to a table-
spoonful of rice-flour,) and boil it slowly, as long as you would
boil starch; stirring it frequently. When done, set it to cool.
Use it for pasting fine paper, and for any little ornamental arti-
cles made of paste-board. It is a very nice and durable cement,
• The water in which rice has been boiled for the table, will
afford a cement for slight purposes.


is
296 : :
BED-CHAMBERS.
i '
REMARKS.
. It is customary to have the two principal bed-rooms furnished
equally well; the second being usually appropriated to visiters.
Besides this, if the house is large, there may be other spare
bed-rooms, fitted up in a plainer manner. It is not a good
practice to keep articles belonging to the family, in the presses,
closets, or bureaus of the spare bed-chambers. As most of
these things have to be removed, (or, at least, ought to be,)
when the room is (for more than a few days) occupied by a
visiter, it is better to place them permanently elsewhere. A
female guest, particularly, from requiring more space for her
articles of dress, should have the entire use of all the receptacles
in her apartment; also, no lady can feel secure of the privacy of
her room, if she knows that she is liable to be frequently dis-
turbed at unseasonable times, by members of the family com-
ing themselves, or sending servants to get things out of the
closets, drawers, &c., of the spare chamber.
CHAIRS, SOFAS, &c.-In every chamber there is great
convenience in having a rocking-chair, a stuffed easy chair, or
something of the sort, and one or two footstools. Also, low
chairs, to sit on when sewing, or when washing your feet.
Large, deep sofas, with square pillows, are now considered
essential articles of furniture in bed-rooms. These sofas are
generally covered with furniture chintz, or dimity, or damasked


CHAMBER FURNITURE.
297
brown linen, and are very useful in case of illness, or to recline
on for an afternoon nap. Many of them are made to contain a
frame and a double mattrass, which can be drawn out at night,
$0 as to furnish an extra bed, when necessary. Plain ones
may be had in Philadelphia as low as forty dollars. They
require great care in keeping clean, otherwise they may be
infested with insects.
A cheap substitute for a chamber-sofa is a long, broad settee
of painted wood, furnished with a mattrass and square cushions,
covered with chintz tied on with strings, and having a valance
in front
• The most convenient chairs for bed-rooms are of curled
maple, with cane seats ; but if the other furniture is elegant,
they will be considered too plain. In this case, handsome
painted and gilt chairs will be more in accordance, the colour
corresponding with that of the curtains. Mahogany chairs are
generally considered too heavy and cumbrous for a chamber.'
• Trunks and square wooden bonnet boxes may be made rather
ornamental than otherwise to a chamber, by fitting them up as
seats. To do this, have for the top of each trunk a brown
linen cushion, stuffed with moss or hair, and made exactly to
fit. For this cushion let there be an outside covering of chintz
or some other material, (as handsome as you please,) with a
binding, and a fringe or a frill all round, deep enough to conceal
the place or crack where the lid opens. Then have a valance
of the same, (either full or plain,) to nail, with small tacks, all
round the sides and ends of the trunk, and descending to the
floor. Fasten the cushion firmly to the top of the trunk, by
tacks driven through the binding. By drawing out the tacks
with a claw-hammer, the cushion and valance can be removed
when it is necessary to wash them, and when the trunk is
wanted for travelling. We have seen an old champagne basket


298
. THE HOUSE BOOK...
used in a bed-room as a receptacle for shoes; and made quite
ornamental by being cushioned and valanced in the above
manner on the outside.
There are chamber ottomans, with the wooden frame made
hollow inside, like a long box, for the purpose of containing
the bed linen, &c. They stand in the recesses, and have stuffed
seats and cushions, covered generally with chintz.
RECEPTACLES FOR DRESSES, &c. In building or
altering a house, it will be found an excellent plan to construct
a range of large closets (three in number) between the two
principal chambers on each floor; the central closet having two
doors, (one opening into the front room and one into the back,)
and two tiers of deep shelves. In summer, by throwing open
both these doors, you may have a fine draught of air through
the rooms. On the inside of each door let hooks be fixed for
hanging up dresses. Of the other two closets, one may belong
to each room; or, if uniformity of doors is particularly desired,
the middle closet (being the largest) may be appropriated to
the occupants of one chamber, and the side closets to those of
the other.
; A ward-robe, or commode, is an almost indispensable article
of furniture for a chamber, particularly if there is no large closet
or press. In spacious rooms occupied by two persons, there
are frequently two commodes, Those are perhaps most con-
.venient that have a tier of shelves on each side, and a space in
the middle, furnished with two rows of large brass or iron
hooks, on which to suspend dresses or coats; the linen and
smaller articles to be laid on the shelves. •
Exclusive of the large wardrobes that are tall enough to
contain dresses hanging up, there is a smaller sort, about the
size and height of a bureau, with four shelves instead of


CHAMBER FURNITURE.
299
drawers, all enclosed by a two-leaved door, opening in front.
They stand on castors, and are made of mahogany or stained
wood, and have advantages over bureaus, as they preclude the
trouble of pulling drawers in and out; the whole being opened
by a door, one lock suffices for all. Every thing that you
would keep in a drawer can be laid just as conveniently on the
shelves of one of these low commodes.
There is frequently much trouble with the handles of bureau
drawers, particularly if they are of glass, as they are very apt
to come off in your hand. So, indeed, are the plated and brass
handles. Those of mahogany keep their places best, and have
been introduced very successfully on the handsomest bureaus.
Unless the top of a bureau is of marble, it is usual to cover it
with a white cloth, either of damask linen, or of dimity, fringed.
If a drawer is apt to stick in damp weather, the inconvenience
may be remedied by nicely paring away with a knife a little
of the wood on the side edges.
Bandboxes are seldom used now, except for the convenience
of conveying a cap, bonnet, or dress to the house of a friend or i
a milliner. They are rarely found among the baggage of a
genteel female traveller ; square wooden boxes, with locks,
keys, and handles, being substituted for them. These wooden
boxes are generally tall enough to contain a folded dress under
the bonnet or other millinery, and should be painted on the
outside. They will last many years, will bear exposure, and
can go outside with the rest of the baggage. Tall square ;
leather trunks are sometimes used for carrying bonnets, &c.
A paste-board bandbox ought to have a strong loop of twine,
red tape, or galloon, passed through one side, large enough to
slip over the hand in carrying it. To secure the lid, bore two
holes in it near the edge, one on each side, and pass through
them strong pieces of string, each about a quarter of a yard in


CHAMBERF
301
ITURE.
moved, to take in your hand for the purpose of looking at the
back of your head and neck, after dressing; the large glass
being in front. This small back-glass may be hung in a recess,
or over the washing-stand, at a convenient height for 'seeing
your teeth while cleaning them.
On the toilet table keep always your dressing-case, your
bottles of cologne, Florida water, &c., and a large pincushion,
filled with pins of different sizes, including some that are very
long and stout, for the purpose of pinning shawls.
· The best pins are those with pewter heads, as they do not come
off, like the wire heads. In buying black pins, try several to
see if they have good points and go in smoothly; as many of
them (particularly what they call the jet-black) are so rough and
blunt as to be useless. Those of a bluish tinge are preferable.
The little minikin pins are very useful for ribbons, frills, &c.
In building a large house, it is very eustomary to connect 'a
private dressing-room with each of the principal chambers.
This room ought to have a good light, and also a fire-place ;
and should of course contain whatever may be wanted for the
purposes of washing and dressing. But in most American
houses the business of the toilet is still performed in the sleep
ing-rooms.' .1; s s s .;
· WASHING-STANDS, TABLES, &c.—The most elegant
washing-stands are of mahogany, with marble tops; they gene-
rally having a closet underneath. To any washing-stand, (even
to the plain ones that are made simply in the form of a table,
with a drawer, and a shelf below,) a marble top is useful as well
as omamental; mahogany or stained wood becoming very soon
disfigured with wet and soap-stains. There should be sufficient
space on the top of the washing-stand for a large basin, a
large pitcher, a water-bottle that holds at least a quart, a
26


302
• THE HOUSE BOOK.
glass tumbler and a china múg; and alsó space to ac-
commodate the different china receptacles for soap, tooth-
brushes, nail-brushes, &c. Under it or near it a deep foot-
bath should be placed. These are either of white ware, or
to match the basin and pitchers. On the left side have a
wooden stand, (something like a circular stool,) to elevate
the slop-bucket about a foot from the floor, which otherwise
will be in danger of much splashing. A slop-bucket, for
receiving the water that has been used, is, or should be, an
indispensable accompaniment to all washing stands. They are
isometimes of maple, with brass hoops; but we think painted
tin slop-buckets far better than those of wood, as they can be
kept clean more easily, and are not so apt to acquire an unplea-
sant smell. On the left-hand of the washing-stand should be
placed the towel-horse, which may be of mahogany, maple, or
stained wood, having two bars across; the upper bar being an
inch or two below the top, and the lower one about fourteen
inches farther down. If the second bar is placed too low, the
towel hung on it, even when doubled, will trail on the floor.
The feet of the towel-horse should be strong and heavy, that it
may not be easily overset. Towel-horses may be obtained at
a very small cost, and no chamber should be without one, as
the paint of a chair will soon become much defaced by the
practice of hanging a wet towel over the back: so also will the
wall. No towel should be less than a yard long. They may
be of linen damask, thick bird's-eye diaper, or of white hucka-
back. The last is the best for common use; and if of the first
quality, it wears better than any other towelling: its usual
price is twenty-five cents per yard. Thin, low-priced towelling
wears so badly that it is not worth buying; and cotton towels
are not used by persons of genteel habits. Foot towels are
usually of thick unbleached linen.
.


BEDSTE ADS."
303
* There are large, deep washing-stands, that contain inside
the pitchers, basins, &c., and a broad, shallow slop-bucket,
and have a lid to open with hinges, which, when shut down,
conceals the whole, and makes it appear like a table. These
stands are used in libraries, in offices, and to place in a recess.
of the passage, down stairs, for the convenience of washing
hands, without going above.
There are low wash-tables, for the convenience of washing
· very young children. They are made of proper height for the
low chair on which the nurse sits, while she is performing
this office. They have a shelf beneath, to contain the pitcher;
and in the top is cut a small hole for the soap-cup, and a large
one for the basin, which should be very capacious; so that
the baby, in its earliest infancy, may be immersed in it, and
when older, may be seated on the table, with its feet in the
water.
• A table, to use when writing or sewing, is an indispensable
article of furniture to a chamber. Writing materials ought to
be kept in every bed-room, that they may be ready for use,
when wanted; a work-box will not be omitted in an apartment
belonging to a lady. A hanging shelf, for books, is far better
than to lay them about the mantel-piece, or on the top of the
bureau.
.
;
{ BEDSTEADS.-In providing your chambers with bedsteads,
it is always best to purchase them all quite new; otherwise, you
never can be certain of their being perfectly clean, and free from
insects which the approach of warm weather may bring out.
For a large and handsomely furnished chamber, no bedstead,
looks so well as the square, high post, with curtains. What
are called French low post bedsteads, are preferred by many
persons, who have an objection to curtains. We think, however,


304
THE HOUSE BOOK.
(to say nothing of the dreary and comfortless appearance of a
curtainless bed, in cold weather, particularly when a sick per-
son is lying in it,) that the winter climate of most parts of
America is such as to render curtains highly desirable at that
season, to all who can conveniently procure them. It is not
necessary to draw them closely all round; but if the heads of
the sleepers were always screened from the cold air of a cold
room, there would, perhaps, be fewer tooth-aches, rheumatic
pains, coughs, and sore-throats. Still, there is one very serious
objection to bed-curtains, in the rooms of children, or of any
persons that are not habitually careful; the danger of their
being set on fire. When this accident does happen, it may
sometimes (if instantly perceived) be extinguished, by catch-
ing up the end of the curtain, and with both hands squeezing
and crumpling it down upon the burning part, so as to smother
or crush out the flame.
· Unless the room is so small, that it cannot be fixed other-
wise, no bed should be placed with one side against the wall,
particularly in summer, as that position impedes the free
circulation of air round the sleeper, greatly increases the heat,
änd seldom fails to produce insects. A room must' indeed be
small that will not, by judicious arrangement, allow of some
space on both sides of the bed ; and even a little is better than
none.
· What are called canopy beds are generally placed with one
side against the wall, that a beam or circular block may be
fixed in it, from which the curtains are to descend. This is
not necessary for canopy curtains, if the bedstead is made ac-
cording to a new and excellent French fashion, of a low post
bedstead, with two high poles directly opposite;, one rising
from the centre of the head-board, and one from the foot-board,
Both are connected at the top by a corresponding bar os


BED-CURTAINS.
307
when washed, which will not be necessary before spring. The
upper valance need not be made full. It will look very well
plain, cut into large deep scollops or vandykes, the edgés deco-
rated with coloured binding or fringe. Curtains for square or
high-post beds are frequently made in long, straight, full pieces,
without any drapery or festooning, running with rings on a
brass rod round the top of the bed. The foot-valance of a bed
should always hang full; it is fixed by tacking the binding“
with small nails along the frame of the bedstead.
The best sort of chintz curtains are generally lined with
coloured glazed muslin. This lining must be taken out and
renewed whenever the curtains are washed. . . ! :
'. The bed-curtains and window-curtains should of course be
of the same material, and corresponding in form. ' Their colour
should contrast well with that of the wall, which in chambers
(as in all other rooms) will look best of a light or pale tint.
Curtains of figured or damasked brown linen, though not
handsome, are very lasting and economical; and may be set
off with a bright coloured fringe or binding. ..
All curtains ought to be well shaken every day, and frequently
brushed between the folds with a hand-brush. To prevent the
dust from accumulating on the top or tester, cover it with sheets
of_cartridge paper, (or very stout brown,) the edges laid over
each other. These will receive the dust which would other-
wise lodge and accumulate on the tester, and they can easily
be removed, brushed off, and returned to their places. To
make those more accessible that cover the middle part of the
tester, the edges of several sheets had best be pasted together
so as to form a large square.
· In summer, after the curtains are taken down and put away,
it is well, on a high post bedstead, to have a tester and top-
valance of dimity or white muslin; otherwise the bare posts


308
THE HOUSE BOOK.
and top-rail will look naked and ungainly. There should also
be a white foot-yalance to correspond. ...
It is usual at the head of the bed, to have watch-pockets of
the same material as the curtains. If there are no curtains, the
watch-pockets may be of velvet or of buckskin.
. :
By the side of a high bed it is customary to have steps for
the purpose of ascending it easily.' Bed steps are generally of
mahogany, covered with Brussels carpeting. . .. : :
BEDDING.-Many persons think it conducive to health to
sleep very hard. This is only the case with peculiar constitu-
tions. Generally speaking, most people will sleep more com-
fortably, and feel more refreshed afterwards, on a moderately
soft bed or mattrass. Even in summer, and in warm climates,
a mattrass should not be so hard as to have no elasticity. If
the mattrass is sufficiently thick to prevent the feather bed
beneath from rising or swelling around you, the proper end is
answered as far as health is in question; and certainly the
comfort is much greater than if all beneath you is so hard and
compact that you cannot but feel as if sleeping almost on a
floor of wood or stone; as is often the case, when a thick, solid,
hair mattrass has nothing under it but one equally solid of
straw. We believe there are few grown persons who, during
the severity of an American winter, would really find their
health impaired by sleeping with the feather-bed on the top of
the mattrass; and few that, in the summer, would find them-
selves too warm by having a feather-bed, instead of a paillasse,
underneath a mattrass of moderate thickness. Domestics and
working people, who have to sleep on very hard bedding, fre-
quently complain of rising in the morning as tired as when they
went to bed, and of feeling as if they had not strength to go


BEDDING. :::
309
about their work. Children, no doubt, suffer much from the
same cause...
Mattrasses of horse-hair are cooler than those of wool. The
long southern moss is frequently used as stuffing for mattrasses.
The mattrass should fit the bedstead exactly; so also should
the bed. ,
· Linen bed-ticking is far the best; that of cotton stripe, though
lowest in price, is eventually the most expensive, as it lasts
but a short time, and the feathers are continually coming through
it. When a tick becomes só old and thin as not to retain the
feathers well, it is best to get a new one, as the daily loss of
feathers will soon materially diminish the size of the bed. It
is well for the chambermaid to keep a paper bag, in which to
save the feathers that she finds on the floor.
Beds, bolsters, and pillows are not comfortable unless they
are large and full, and well stuffed with feathers; it is a pitiful
economy to put in so small a quantity that they become nearly
fat as soon as you lie down on them. Each bed should have
two pillows; and it is well to have some extra ones in the
house, in case of illness. The bolsters ought to have white
linen cases, as well as the pillows. There is no real economy
in buying cotton sheets and pillow-cases, even for servants'
beds ; as cotton, besides being very uncomfortable in summer,
lasts but a short time; and when it begins to get old, it tears
unexpectedly in all directions. Linen bedding is universal in
genteel families ; except when winter sheets of thick cotton
may be preferred, as somewhat warmer in very cold weather.
For servants' beds, Russia sheeting is the best and most durable.
For a large double bed, it is well to have each sheet three
yards long and two yards and a half wide, that there may be
plenty to tuck in, particularly if there is no bolster-case. To
save a little linen, sheets are often cut out so short and so nar-
į


310
THE HOUSE BOOK.
row, that, as they can be tucked in nowhere, they keep their
places nowhere, and are uncomfortable all night. For a single
bed, the length must be the same as for a double one, but two
yards will be wide enough. When a sheet that has been long
in use becomes thin in the middle, it may be turned by ripping
down the seam, and then sewing up the two outer selvages,
which will bring together the strongest and best part of each
breadth. All the bed-linen should be marked with the whole
name of the family; and each pair of sheets and pillow-cases
should have the same number or figure, so as to designate the
different sets. In making pillow-cases, let them be large
enough to admit the pillow easily. They are frequently frilled
at the ends, and fastened with buttons. They look very white
and nice with an under-case of thick white muslin. . . .
· Pillows stuffed with bits of clean paper, cut about half an
inch square, are said to be very soft and cool. Hop pillows
are sometimes recommended to invalids, or persons who sleep
badly. To reposé comfortably on a square French pillow,
stuffed with hair, requires some practice. : ... "
· Except in very cold climates, it will not be necessary to allot
more than three blankets to each bed; beginning with one in
the autumn, and adding the second and the third as the weather
grows colder. The blankets should be larger every way than
the bed, to allow for tucking in, and for turning down at the
head. Blankets of the best quality will last many years. At
the close of spring they should always be washed before they
are put away. Where the winters are very severe, eider down
quilts and cotton comfortables are frequently used, in addition
to one or two blankets.
TO KEEP BLANKETS THROUGH THE SUMMER.
. - Spread a large coarse sheet on the floor. Fold up the blan-


:: BEDCOVERS.' .
311
kets and place them on it, having sprinkled between every fold
either shreds of tobacco, or bits of camphor. Shavings of
Russia leather are also a remedy against moths. Having piled
the blankets smoothly, put the remainder of the sheet round
them and over them, and pin it up tightly in various places.
Then lay the whole in a large chest or in a dark closet. Let
them remain unopened all summer. In the autumn, after the
warm weather is entirely over, have the blankets all brought
down on a fine dry day, and hang them out on lines to dispel
the scent of the tobacco, if you have used it as a preservative.
In putting away your blankets, always leave out a few,
(allowing one for each bed,) in case of a very cool night, such
as sometimes occurs in the summer season, and also that they
may be at hand to begin with, as soon as the warm weather
is over.
BED. COVERS.White Marseilles quilts keep clean much
longer than the knotted white counterpanes. They are not;
however, so durable; as the surface of a Marseilles quilt, being
fine and thin, soon wears off. They may afterwards be covered
with an outside of fine, white, thick muslin, and quilted over
again. Patch-work quilts of old calico are only seen in inferior
chambers; but they are well worth making for servants’ beds.
The custom of buying new calico, to cut into various ingenious
figures, for what was called handsome patch-work, has become
obsolete. Quilts are now made entirely of the same sort of
dark calico or furniture chintz; the breadths being run together
in straight seams, stuffed with cotton, lined with plain white
or buff-dyed thick muslin, and quilted simply in diamonds,
shells, or waves. For a large double bed, a quilt or any other
cover should be three yards long, and about three yards
wide. It is usual to have a quilt or bed-spread of the same


312
THE HOUSE BOOK.
chintz as the curtains. For very elegant beds, the covers are
generally of silk or damask, (also to match the curtains, )i with
a silk lining, and a trimming of fringe to correspond. .
· Summer bed-covers are usually of furniture chintz or of
dimity, with a binding all round : and, if you choose, a cotton
fringe. They should have no lining, or they will be too warm
for the season. In many families, unlined spreads of furniture
chintz are used in winter as well as in summer, depending for
warmth on a sufficiency of blankets. This we think a good
plan, as it enables you more easily to regulate the covering
according to the temperature of the weather.
I
The old-fashioned country coverlets, woven of coloured yarn,
are still used in country houses. They have the advantage of
being light as well as warm, are extremely durable, and wash
well. It is best to have little or no white in them. : i
WASHING A COLOURED QUILT.-Make, in a very
large tub, a suds of brown soap and water that is not very warm;
adding a small tea-eupful of ox-gall to set the colours of the
calico. Put in the quilt, and wash it well. Afterwards wash
it through a second suds, and wring it very dry. Then rinse
it through three cold waters, wringing it very hard out of the
last. Hang it immediately out to dry, with the wrong side
outwards. An hour or two before evening, turn the right side
out. Take it in at sunset, and fold it up. Next morning, hang
it out again; as one day (even in summer) is not sufficient to
dry a quilt thoroughly, the cotton with which it is stuffed
remaining damp a long time in the inside. Towards the end
of the second day bring it in, fold it up, and (if it is perfectly
dry) put it away. A quilt cannot be ironed. It is best to
wash them late in the spring, when they are no longer required
for the beds; they will then be ready for the cold weather.


WASHING QUILTS, ETC.
" In a similar manner you may wash a chintz bed-spread, in
two luke-warm lathers, (as hot water will certainly fade it,)“
with two table-spoonfuls of ox-gall stirred into the first suds.
A spread (being single) will dry much sooner than a quilt, and
must be sprinkled and folded, and afterwards ironed on the
wrong side.
· TO WASH A MARSEILLES QUILT, OR A WHITE
COUNTERPANE.—Put it to soak over-night in a large tub
with luke-warm water, (in which has been mixed about a quart
of lye,) and rub some brown soap on the quilt. Next morning,
wash it up and down a while in the soaking water; then wring
it out, and put it into a clean tub of warm soap-suds, and give
it a good washing. Then do the same through a second suds,'
(hotter than the first,) and wring it out very hard. Rinse it
through three cold waters; adding to the last a little blue from
the indigo bag. Having wrung the counterpane very dry, hang
it out in the sun, wrong side outward ; taking it in towards
evening. Next day, hang it out again, with the right side out."
It may probably take three days to dry completely. It must
on no account be put away with the slightest dampness about it."
· In washing a quilt or counterpane, never use soda. .
TO MAKE COTTON COMFORTABLES.—These are
soft thick quilts, used as substitutes for blankets, and laid under
the bed-spread. One of them is equal in warmth to three heavy
blankets; and they are excellent in cold winters for persons
who like to sleep extremely warm. In chambers with fire, or
in a room that has had a fire all day, a comfortable will gene-
rally be found too warm a covering, except in severe weather.
It is best to use them in cold apartments only. If the house
should be crowded with guests, so as to cause a scarcity of"


314
THE HOUSE BOOK.
beds, a thick comfortable may be found a convenient substitute
for a mattrass.
Early in the spring, all the comfortables belonging to the
house should be washed and put away till winter.
A comfortable for a large or double bed ought to be three
yards long and three yards wide. You may make it of glazed
coloured muslin, (in which case it cannot be washed,) or of fur-
niture chintz, or cheap calico, It is best to have both the lining
and the outside of the same material. Having run the breadths
together, place it in a quilting-frame, and lay on the cotton bats,
thickly and evenly, each one a very little over the edge of the
other. A comfortable of the above size will require three,
pounds of carded cotton bats. It should be quilted in very large
diamonds, laid out with chalk and a long ruler, or with a cord
line dipped in raw starch, wetted to a thin pastę with cold
water. In quilting a comfortable, you need not attempt to take
close, short stitches. to .";.
In laying the cotton between the lining and the outside, leave
unstuffed about half a yard on each side and at the bottom; but,
continue the stuffing quite up to the top or head of the comfort
able. Let the thin part, however, be quilted the same as the
rest. By thus leaving a thin border round the sides and bottom,
you prevent the inconvenience so often objected to comfortables,
their tendency to slip off the będ; as the thin part can be easily
tucked in, so as to secure it perfectly from all danger of sliding
out of place.
TO MAKE A SILK QUILT.-This is a light and con-
venient article for a couch or for a child's crib, and will be
found extremely useful in a sick-room. It can be made very
economically out of two silk dresses, after the bodies are past
wear. Take the two skirts and (first removing with Wilming-


M
SILK QT
Ts. ETC.
MAKING SILK QUILTS, ETC. 315
ton clay any grease-spots that may be on them) rip them apart,
turn them, and sew them together again. You may add to the
Jength by taking the two sleeves, (if they are wide enough,)
ripping them open, and joining them across the top of the
breadths. After all the silk has been turned and re-sewed,
sprinkle and fold it, and iron it on the wrong side, pressing the
seams well. Take care that the irons are not very hot, or they
will discolour the silk. Then put it into a quilting frame, and
lay in one thickness of the glazed cotton wadding in sheets.
Quilt it in large diamonds." . .?
"In most families, at least one quilt a year might be made of
left-off silk dresses, exclusive of those that may be converted
into petticoats. The skirts of two silk dresses will make a
very good winter petticoat, interlining them with cotton wad-
ding. They should first be ripped apart, ironed smoothly, and
turned. If you have not a quilting-frame at hand, you may
quilt a petticoat on a large table, or by spreading it on a bed.
The most convenient way will be to quilt the breadths sepa-
rately, (each with its wadding and lining,) and then to sew
them together afterwards. They should be quilted in large
diamonds, with three or four straight rows along the bottom of
the petticoat, which ought afterwards to be bound with very
stout ribbon or broad galloon."
' A wadded petticoat may be made without quilting, by tack,
ing or basting the sheets of wadding to the lining, as is done
in making a cloak or a pelisse. It should be basted with very
strong sewing-silk in long needlefuls; taking care to tie firmly
the end of every fresh needleful to the end left of the last.
Run several straight rows along the bottom after you have put
on the outside silk.


816
THE HOUSE BOOK.
· TO MAKE UP A BED.-As soon as the bed is vacated,
fasten back the curtains, (if there are any,) and let the clothes
be all taken off, and spread separately over the chairs; the pil.
lows and bolsters placed near the windows, and the bed turned
up towards the head, or pulled down at the foot, so as to expose
the sacking to the air. This should be done by the occupant
of the bed, immediately on rising, before she begins to wash
and dress. The sashes should be raised, (unless the weather
is rainy,) and the room ought to be thorougłıly ventilated, for
at least an hour, even in the winter season. If the weather
is such, that rain or snow is likely to come in at the windows,
on quitting the room leave the door open, or at least a-jar, that
as much air may be admitted as possible. The atmosphere of
no apartment can be wholesome, unless it is well ventilated, at
least once a day. Besides which, a room continually closed,
and a bedstead, from which the bedding is not removed till the
moment before it is to be made up, will infallibly produce in-
sects. The sashes should be kept raised, while the bed is
making.
When the bed is sufficiently aired, turn it over, and with
both hands, take it by the middle, and shake it well in every
part, and smooth it evenly: taking care not to have it higher at
the foot, than at the head. If there is a mattrass above the
bed, turn up the lower half of the mattrass, and shake up that
part of the bed ; then turn down the upper half of the mattrass,
and shake and smooth the upper part of the bed; and then fix
the mattrass evenly. Next, spread on the under sheet, tucking
it in all round under the sides of the mattrass; so as to keep it
smooth and even, and to prevent its wrinkling, dragging, and
getting out of place during the night. If it has a white linen
case, shake up the bolster well, and lay it on after the under
sheet. If it has no case, draw up this sheet more to the head,


MAKING UP Å BED.
314
and tuck it well over the back of the bolster, but do not stretch
the under-sheet tightly, so as to drag the bolster down at night,
causing it to get beneath the shoulders of the sleeper. Lay it
easy, and pat it with your hands into the hollow between the
bolster and the bed. Next, spread on the upper-sheet, tucking
it well under at the bottom, lest it get loose and out of place
at night. You need not tuck it at the two sides, as you did
the under-sheet. Then, if thete are blankets, lay them on
smoothly, securing them in place by tucking them in at the
bottom and at the lower corners. Next, put on the spread or
counterpane, taking care to have it smooth and even, and turn-
ing it down at the head with the upper-sheet. Then beat up
the pillows and lay them in their places, the open ends
outwards.
Before you sweep the room, it will be well to cover the
whole of the bed with an old sheet, or something of the sort,
kept for the purpose in a closet. This will screen the bed from
the dust.
· If the counterpane is white; fold it up on the wrong side,
and do not put it on the bed, till after the room is swept and
dusted. If there are curtains, keep them fastened back, and
take up the long ends of the falls, and place them on the bed,
that they may be out of the way while you are sweeping and
dusting. Also turn up the valance. After the room is swept,
the curtains should be well shaken, and the dust brushed out
of the folds with a hand-brush. At least once a week, the
upper part and the tester should be brushed thoroughly. You
can reach them, by standing on the bed-steps, (if there are
any,) or on the movable steps with which most houses are
provided, or by getting on a high chair. If dust is allowed to
accumulate in bed-curtains, it will cause bugs ,
Of course, the bed must always be made before the room is
27*


CLEANING BED-ROOMS.
319
Also, sweep carefully under the drawers, tables, &c., and behind
the trunks or boxes, leaving no dust or cobwebs in the corners
of the room.
If there are clippings, scraps of paper, or threads about the
carpet, pick them up before you begin to sweep. When you
have nearly done, open the door, at which you should have a
tin dust-pan and a hand-brush, and sweep into the pan all the
dust, &c., from the room. By the time you have carried away
the slop-bucket and the dust-pan, the loose dust that has been
raised by the broom will have settled. Then, with a soft dust-
ing-cloth, go first over the surbase, not forgetting the door-lock,
door-panels, and window-frames, and then over all the furniture;
shaking your cloth frequently out of the window, the sash of
which should be open all the time you are doing the room. Shake
the curtains well; and if there are Venetian blinds, dust the
slats as high as you can reach. Dust also the mantel-piece,
fire-irons, &c. For the looking-glass and pictures have a clean
cloth. When you have thoroughly dusted every thing in the
room, bring some warm water and two clean cloths, and wash
and wipe (inside and out) all the crockery belonging to the
apartment, beginning with the glasses and pitchers, and not
forgetting the receptacles for the soap and the tooth-brushes.
Then, having wiped the washing-stand, set every thing in its
place, and arrange nicely all the articles on the toilet, the table,
and the mantel-piece. Afterwards bring back and lay down
the loose carpets, spread the counterpane properly on the bed,
and arrange the curtains. Next, bring in a large clean bucket
of fresh water, (which should be furnished either with a tin
dipper or a spout,) and fill the pitchers and water-bottle. Hang
clean towels on the towel-horse, leaving there the wet one that
has been made use of that morning, spread out to dry. It may
be used during the day by the occupant of the chamber, for any


WARMING BEDS, E T.C.
321
TO WARM A BED.-The most usual manner is with a
long-handled brass warming-pan, filled with hot coals, and
moved all over the under sheet; the upper bed-clothes being
turned down to admit it. The heat produced by a warming-
pan is, however, very soon gone. A bed may be kept warm
much longer by heating a brick in the oven of a stove, wrapping
it up closely in a large, thick, old cloth, folded several times
round the brick to prevent its burning the sheets, and putting
it into the bed near the foot, seeing that it is not too hot. An-
other way of warming a person in bed is, to take a large black
bottle, fill it with hot water, cork it tightly, wrap a cloth round
it, and lay it against the soles of the feet; having ready a
second bottle of hot water to replace the first when it becomes
cool,
Square foot-covers of wadded silk, slightly quilted, are excel,
lent to wrap round the feet, if cold, when lying down. They
are still better if stuffed with eider-down.
There are little hand-baskets, lined with fur, to put the feet
in while riding in a carriage when the weather is very cold, or
while on a sleighing party,
Small portable foot-stoves of perforated tin, set in a wooden
frame, and containing a little iron pan to be filled with hot
coals, are excellent for keeping the feet warm in winter, when
sitting still. They cost but a trifle, and no house should be
without them, particularly where wood is burnt.
TO DETECT DAMPNESS IN BEDS. First have the
bed well warmed with a warming-pan. Then, the moment the
pan is taken out, introduce between the sheets an inverted glass
tumbler. After it has remained there a few minutes, withdraw
it. If the glass is found dry, you may go to bed without any
apprehensions of chill or rheumatism. If the glass is covered


322
THE HOUSÈ BOOK.
with drops of wet or damp steam, your safest way will be to
take off the sheets and sleep between the blankets; as you may
most probably be unable to obtain a second pair that are dryer
than the first.
Many persons have caught severe colds by sleeping on new
beds, the feathers of which were not sufficiently dry. Before
á new bed is slept on, it should be exposed several days to the
hot sun, or warmed in a stove-room.
· TO STOP THÈ CRACKS OF DOORS AND WIN-
DOWS.—Before the cold season commences, the window-
sashes of the chambers should be made tight, and the doors
secured against the admission of currents of air when shut.
This will scarcely be necessary in a very well built house,
where the doors and windows all fit perfectly, and where the
wood-work, being well seasoned, has not shrunk.'
Where there are large cracks at the bottom of the door, have
à thick slip of wood nailed on the floor outside. A similar slip
may bé nailed along the side of the door-case where it opens.
We have seen these laths covered with green baizé sewed on
tightly, and the nails driven through the baize only. Also,
keep the key always in the lock, aš å strong draught of air
tushes through an open key-hole. For inferior room's you may
nail a stout slip of listing (thé sélvage of cloth) all along the
outside of the crack; taking it off in the spring. We have
seen, in old-fashioned houses, gilt or morocco leather (pinked
or scolloped at the edge) tacked with gilt or brass nails round
the crack of a door; and as it was considered ornamental as
well as useful, it was left there all summer. A long harrow
bag, made of carpeting or thick cloth, and filled hard with sand,
will somewhat lessen the draught at the bottom of a door, if
iaid on the floor outside.'


ÞYRSE RIES.
323
For the outside doors, and those of the best rooms down
stairs, it is usual, to have a broad, thick, brass ledge fastened
to the floor, so as to screen the crack at the bottom of the door,
In the chamber of an invalid, it is well to have a tall, stand-
ing screen, placed just within the door, that when it is opened,
the rush of cold air may be felt less sensibly.
In a very severe climate, where it is thought best not to raise
the sashes during the winter, they may be made air-tight, by
pasting slips of thick paper over the cracks, fitting them neatly;
or by nailing all round the window-frame, laths covered with
baize. Some persons stuff the cracks with wadding, put in
with the point of a knife or scissors. There is frequently, how-
ever, great difficulty in removing the wadding in the spring ;
bits of it working in so far, and sticking in so fast, as to pre-
vent the sash from going up and down. A window-sash may
be kept very tight, by merely sticking into the cracks, several
ļittle wedges of wood two or three inches long, about an inch and
a half wide, and shaved quite thin towards one of the ends.
Any boy can make them out of a slip of thin board. They
can be pulled out in a minute, when it is necessary to raise the
sash, and replaced as easily when it is shut down.
In the north, most of the windows are made with double
sashes, as preventives to draughts of cold air.
NURSERIES.—The children's apartment is too frequently
one of the least comfortable in the house, being either a damp
gloomy, division of the basement story, or else a narrow room
in what is called the back building, excessively warm in sum
mer, by reason of its having a low ceiling, and windows facing
the beams of the afternoon sun. It is important to the health
of all children, that the nursery should be large, airy, and
cheerful in its aspect; and that it should be comfortably warm


324
THE HOUSE BOOK.
in winter, and cool in summer. If it opens into a balcony, so
much the better. If not, the children should be secured from
the danger of falling out, by iron bars placed across the lower
part of the windows. We have seen iron window-guards made
very ornamental, by being cast in the form of trellis-work, and
painted green. If there are no guards at the bottom, the sash
should only be opened by letting it down at the top.
* At the head of the stair-case nearest to the nursery, we have
seen a gate like that of a paling fence, with a fastening that
could not be opened by a small child ; and all the bars or laths
were perpendicular, to prevent the possibility of climbing on
them.
The nursery fender should be very high, and firmly fixed, 80
as not to be easily removed or overset. If there is a close
stove let it be surrounded by a high screen of block tin. The
tables should have no 'sharp corners; neither should there be
projecting shelves within reach of the children's heads; nor
any hooks or nails in the lower part of the wall. Have a suffi-
cient number of low chairs and stools, and a small low table,
on which the children can make their feasts." There should
be a closet, in which all their play-things may be collected
and put away at night. Slight gaudy toys, that are merely
for show, afford no amusement to children. They do not like
play-things that they cannot play with. A rag-doll, (as babies
of stuffed linen are most disrespectfully called,) with plain
clothes, that can be put on and taken off at pleasure, and
washed when dirty, and that can be thrown about without
danger of injury, will give far more enjoyment to a little girl,
than a splendid, but fragile effigy of wax or plaster, in habili-
ments of satin, and gauze, and spangles: very showy, but every
part of the dress sewed on fast, and immovable. Miniature
árticles of crockery, tin, and wooden ware; nine-pins: blocks


• THE ATTics. :
325
for building houses; little carts; wheelbarrows, &c.; are always
interesting and agreeable to children; most of whom also take
great pleasure in a slate and pencil. Their slates should be
small, (of six cent size, for instance,) and furnished with two
long twine strings, one for the pencil, and one for a bit of
sponge. We cannot but think, that if every child, at two years
old, was supplied with a slate and pencil, every child would
- teach itself enough of drawing, to lay a good foundation for
the acquirement of that useful and delightful art, when culti-
vated at a later period. 'We have seen very intelligible sketches
on the slate, made by children of four and five years old; and
in every instance, the same young persons have drawn admi-
rably, by the time they were fourteen or fifteen.
THE ATTICS.—The attic or upper rooms of a three story
house are generally appropriated to the domestics. It is well
that at least one of these rooms should have a fire place, in
which (where coal is burned) a small cheap grate may be set.
Upper rooms where wood is burned in an open fire-place, are
very apt to smoke, from the shortness of the distance to the
top of the chimney. Where there is no fire-place, there should .
be a hole made in the chimney part of the wall, for the admis-
sion of a stove-pipe; as a small close stove, either for wood or
coal, may be found necessary in case of sickness, or if the
room should chance to be for a while occupied by one of the
members of the family. In well-finished attics, there are fre-
quently shutters to the windows. If there are no shutters, the
sun-beams may be excluded, by thick blinds of lined wall
paper, or of stout brown linen, or even of strong domestic
cotton.. . ''
'i '. ' .
It is best to have a separate bed for each of the domestics.
Many a valuable hired woman has left her place, rather than
28


326
THE HOUSE BOOK.
he obliged to sleep in the same bed with another female that
was disagreeable to her. Servant-women who have just come
from Europe, not unfrequently arrive with contagious diseases,
produced or fostered by the heat and dirtiness of the steerage;
and a clean American female is justifiable in objecting to the
risk of having such a bed-fellow.
Painted low-post bedsteads are best for the rooms of the
domestics: who, if they had curtains, might very probably set
them on fire with their candles. What are called cot-bedsteads
are objectionable, on account of the difficulty in keeping them
free from bugs. The sheeting may be of strong unbleached
linen for summer, and unbleached domestic cotton in the
winter. One of the quilts called comfortables will give as
much warmth as three blankets.
- In winter let there be a piece of carpet to lay down by the
side of each bed. In summer it will not be necessary.
Each servant's room should be furnished with a washing-
table, a looking-glass, a táble, and several chairs. In good houses
there are generally closets in the attics. If there are no closets,
let a few shelves be put up, and also some pegs or large hooks,
on which they may hang their clothes, with.a curtain of thick
calico or check to screen them from the dust.. i . . .
· The walls of garret-rooms should always be white-washed;
and it is well to have this done twice every summer. While
we urge the humanity as well as the policy of giving the ser-
vants of a family no real cause to complain of want of comfort
in their sleeping-rooms, (or in any thing else,) we also-suggest
the expedieney of the mistress of the house seeing that the
attics are kept comfortable, by due attention being paid to their
cleanliness. The domestics should all be instructed to take
off the bed-clothes and spread them out on chairs, early in the
morning, as soon as they are up; putting the bolsters and


THÉ ATTICS, ÉTC.
327
pillows near the window, and raising the sash before they leave
the room, so as to admit the fresh air. After the chambermaid
has finished her work below, she should go up and put the
attics in order, sweeping and dusting them every day. Insects
are frequently conveyed to the chambers of the family upon the
clothes of servants who come out of dirty beds and dirty garret-
rooms.
If mouse-holes are found in the attics or in the loft above,
they should be immediately stopped up, and measures taken to
destroy the mice; otherwise these troublesome little animals
will be very likely to find their way to the lower apartments.
In summer, the attics should be scrubbed at least once
a month, and the bedsteads taken down, examined, and
cleaned.
A bell from the room of the lady of the house to that of the
cook is indispensable, that she and the other domèstics may
have notice when to rise in the morning. Many servants,
however, have the excellent habit (and it is easily acquired)
of waking of themselves, and rising of their own accord at
day-light.
SKÝLIGHTS.-The sky-lights which are generally placed
on the roof to light the upper stair-case, should have very thick
glass, each pane fitting exactly; else they are liable to leak,
and to be broken by a violent rain or hail-storm. They are
sometimes made with a hood or wooden 'covering, to be shut
down previous to a storm. Care should be taken that all the
wood-work of the sky-light (as well as the glass) fits tightly;
otherwise it will not only leak from rain, but from the melting
of the snow, when it thaws. As soon as the snow has ceased
falling, some one should go up and remove it at once (while it
is still soft) from the skylight, which will otherwise be entirely


330
THE HOUSE BOOK. I
drawing-room, should inquire the name of the visitor, and an-
nounce it as he holds open the door, that those within may know
who is coming. If none of the family are in the drawing-
room, he is, on showing in the stranger, (a lady, for instance,)
to place a chair near the fire, if it is winter: or to invite her to
take a seat on the sofa, if it is summer. If the room is dark,
he is to open the shutters, or turn the blinds, so as to give
sufficient light. He is then to inquire the name of the lady,
that he may inform those of the family, which of their friends
they may expect to see. When the lady is about to depart, he
will be at hand immediately after hearing the parlour-bell, to
go forward and open the street-door for her. . .
• There should be mats at each of the passage doors, and at
each parlour door. For the latter, mats of shaggy wool, like
a sheep-skin, are much in use. The mats should all be taken
into the yard, and shaken and beaten every day, at the time the
entry is swept.
THE FRONT DOOR.-It would be well if all door-steps
were furnished with hand-rails. Without them, there is much
danger of slipping down in icy weather, or at night, or for per-
sons that are lame. In Philadelphia, it is the custom (and a
very good one) to wash them every day, (using warm water
in winter,) and also the pavement before the house. A foot-
scraper is an indispensable appendage to a front door. As soon
as a snow has done falling, and before it has time to freeze, it
should be immediately cleared entirely away from the door-
steps, and pavement. It is then an easy task, but a very diffi-
cult one after it has frozen. To say nothing in regard to the
danger of persons slipping down on the ice, and being severely
injured, (of which there are instances every winter,) an icy
door-step or pavement has a wretched and slovenly appearance,


THE FRONT DOOR.
331
gives a mean aspect to the house, and is altogether inexcusable;
for if you have not a man-servant to clear it away with a spade
or large shovel, you can get it done for a trifle by the poor men
who go about for that purpose after a snow, and to whom such
a job is frequently an act of charity. We have seen stout
little boys, the sons of gentlemen, find great pleasure and good
exercise in shovelling the snow from the door in a bright win-
ter morning. Also, let the pavement and steps at the back-
door be cleared from the snow as soon as possible. If, how-
ever, the snow has been allowed to freeze on these places, keep,
the ice always well covered with ashes, or sprinkle salt on it.
Every winter there are limbs broken, and lives endangered,
from falling on icy pavements or frozen door-steps; accidents
that would never happen, if every citizen did his duty in keep-
ing his own premises free from ice, and if the public bodies
were equally vigilant in having the snow immediately cleared
away from the vicinity of the public buildings. .
If obliged to walk on snow or ice : carpet moccasins are ex-
cellent preventives from slipping; and so are broad-soled India-
rubber shoes, of the thick old fashioned sort. .
Just within the front door, have always a large mat to wipe
the mud or dust from the feet. We have seen, in addition, a
large foot-brush, half a yard square, of short, stiff bristles, set
in a heavy wooden frame, and placed near the mat. .,
If you live in a handsome house, and have lamps at the
front door-step, it will not only add much to the convenience
of those who go in and out, but also be a great security against
thieves, to have these lamps lighted every night, and not merely
when you expect company. No robber will attempt to force
his way into a house, if the front is well lighted all the time;
and the additional expense of oil will not be felt by any family


332
THE HOUSE BOOK.
that can afford to reside in an elegant mansion, containing
valuable plate and costly articles of furniture.
There is great convenience in having in a front door a sliť
for the reception of newspapers, letters, &c. This aperture
should be perpendicular; (not horizontal, according to the old
custom,) and its best place is just above the handle of the lock.
Over it should be placed a movable brass or silver-plated cover,
to be slipped to one side when a paper is thrown in, and
replaced. This cover, if handsome, will make the slit rather
ornamental than otherwise.
- No private dwelling should be without a name-plate on the
door. The want of one frequently causes much inconvenience
to strangers, particularly in a row of houses that are all alike,
and in streets whose similarity is so great as in Phila-
delphia.
BELLS.—No room should be without a' bell; as there is
ño part of the house in which a bell may not be useful, particu-
Jarly in case of accidents, or of persons being taken suddenly
ill in the night. It would be a good custom, in large private
houses, to have the rooms and bells numbered, as in hotels.
Much trouble may be spared to the domestics by establishing
different modes of ringing the bell, so as to apprize them of
what is wanted before they come up stairs. For instance, let
it be understood that if a servant is to come for the purpose of
receiving a message or an order, the bell is to be pulled once :
and if fuel is wanted, let it be pulled twice: if lights, three times:
if water, four times. In some families the manner of ringing
the bell is so regulated, as to denote, not the thing, but the
servant that is wanted : as, one ring for the waiting-man; two
for the boy; three for the chambermaid, &c.
The handle of the front-door bell should be placed low, so


DOOR-LOCKS, ETC.
333
as not to be out of the reach of a child. The bell itself should
, be large, and loud enough to be heard in any part of the house.
In hanging it, let the wire go along as straight as possible; for
bends and turns make it hard to pull effectively, and frequently
cause it to be broken in the effort. We have known houses
into which it was very difficult to obtain admittance, on account
of the inefficiency of the door-bell, or the almost impossibility
of pulling it so as to sound; the visiters being not unfrequently
obliged to give up the attempt and go away, in despair of being
heard by any one.
*** Brass knockers are now considered old-fashioned ; but they
have at least the advantage of being easily sounded, and never
getting out of order,
· DOOR-LOCKS.-There is no economy in finishing a house
with door-locks of inferior price and quality; as they are so
often out of order, that the frequent expense of having them
repaired soon becomes greater than would have been the addi-
tional cost of having good ones at first. Brass locks and keys
are the best, and therefore the most economical; a rule that is
good in nearly every thing. It is well to have all the locks
and keys engraved in corresponding figures, that the exact key
of every lock may be known at once ; key No. 3 belonging, of
course, to lock No. 3. If the number is marked on a little round
piece of brass attached to the key, do not have the edge of the
brass ornamented by jagging, as is sometimes done; for the
points or scollops are very inconvenient, and hurt the hand
whenever the key is applied to the lock. .
..When the hinges of a door begin to creak, rub them well
with lamp-oil or with soft soap.
The practice of putting heavy weights to a door, for the pur-
pose of causing it to shut immediately of itself, is not a good


334
THE HOUSE BOOK.
one; for (to say nothing of the loud and disagreeable noise it
occasions) very bad accidents have happened to children, from
being caught in a door while closing so rapidly that they could
not escape from it in time. We have known a tea-waiter with
all its china demolished, by the person that carried it being
unable to pass with sufficient quickness when the door closed
with a weight.
CHIMNEYS.-Smoky chimneys are intolerable antidotes
to comfort, and therefore care should be taken to construct them
otherwise. Perpendicular fues, that go up quite straight, are
much more apt to smoke than those that are zigzag, or have
bends or elbows in them. The longer the chimney, the better
the draught; for which reason fire-places in the upper story
will be frequently incommoded with smoke, while those farther
down are entirely free from it. In two-storý structures, the
chimneys should be very tall, lest their draught be overpowered
by adjoining buildings that are higher. This is sometimes the
case, even in a three-storý house, when one of four stories is
erected beside it. The remedy then is to raise the chimneys
of the lowest house, or to put pots or cowls on them. Two
"separate flues in the same chimney should have no communi-
cation with each other before they reach the top; otherwise
one of them will be sure to smoke. It is best to narrow the
aperture at the top of the chimney, that there may be less space
for the wind or for damp air to rush down the flue. Also,
chimneys (those of kitchens particularly) sometimes smoke
from having the aperture targė in the extreme at the bottom.
The smoking of a large fire-place may be sometimes partially
remedied by a piece of sheet iron about the depth of eight, ten,
or twelve inches, nailed along the whole front of the chimney-
piece.


CHIN NE Y S.
335
FLOORS.-In building or new-modelling a house let the
floors be made of wood that is very well seasoned, otherwise
they will shrink from the walls: leaving large cracks round
the surbase to become places of egress and ingress for cock-
roaches and mice. It is well to have all the floors perfectly
level on each story-it being inconvenient for children, and for
servants carrying things, to have a step or two to go up or
down in passing from room to room. :
When they are not to be carpeted, it is an excellent plan to
have the floors painted; as it preserves the wood, fills up the
cracks, and saves much hard-scrubbing, White or lead colour
is best. The strip of floor at the two sides of the entry and
stair-carpet looks very well painted white; and instead of
scrubbing, it need only be washed with a wet cloth.
DAMP WALLS. If a new house is finished in the autumn
it is not prudent for the family to remove into it till late in the
spring, particularly if it is built of stone or brick. The walls
require a long time to dry thoroughly, and the general humi:
dity diffused through the rooms by the dampness of new plas-
tering has been found in many instances sadly deleterious to
the health of some of the occupants, either by producing almost
immediate rheumatism, or laying the foundation of pulmonary
complaints that ended fatally. It will be well to have the
grates and stoves set early in the autumn, and a fire made up
once a day in each of them throughout the winter: some per-
-son going daily to the empty house to attend to them.. .,
; The expense of these fires will be amply compensated by
the confidence of security from damp, with which you may
take possession of your new house, when the spring has set in.


.
.
336
HOUSE-CLEANING, &c. * *?
PREPARATIONS. , Les, in
* In some families there is no general house-cleaning at stated
periods, but the rooms are scrubbed, white-washed, &c., one
at a time, as may be most convenient. But the usual custom
in America is to have the house completely cleaned from top
to bottom twice a year; late in the spring and early in the
autumn. As the temperature of the season varies in different
parts of the Union, it is a good rule not to commence house-
cleaning in the spring till the trees are all in full leaf; but to
begin it in autumn as soon as the leaves become tinged with
brown; having it entirely over before the 20th of September;
at which time the equinoctial rains may be expected, fire will
be necessary, and the house and furniture ought 'no longer to
appear in the guise of summer. But at no season should
house-cleaning be commenced when there is a prospect of bad
weather. And the whole business may be deferred or antici-
pated a week or more, if there is a prospect of the master of
the family having business to take him from home at the period
so uncomfortable to all gentlemen. We would advise him,
however, before he goes, to put his library-table in order bim-
self, and to lock up (taking the key away with him) all his
papers, &c. ' si izan !
* Besides the assistance of your own domestics, you will find
it necessary to employ at least three other persons; a white-
washer, a scrubber, and a man to take charge of the carpets.


HOUSE-CLEANING.
337
You should bespeak their services a week or two beforehand,
as at the usual house-cleaning seasons they are much in demand,
and you may be disappointed in obtaining them. It may be
well to make a stipulation with them that they are not to under-
take the white-washing or cleaning of another house at the
same time with yours; a practice that is very common with
them, rather than lose a job. The consequence is, that after
doing a day's work (or perhaps only a morning's work) at your
house, they will go off to another and work there a while; you,
in the mean time, seeing nothing of them all the afternoon, or
perhaps during the whole of the next day, to your great disap-
pointment and inconvenience. ..
. The cook is never required to assist in house-cleaning; as
at that time she will have enough to do in preparing food for
an additional number of persons, and in clearing things away
after them. They should all have an early and substantial
breakfast, and a luncheon between breakfast and dinner; they
will work the better for it. And give them their tea before
they go home in the evening.
The first thing is to remove most of the furniture from the
rooms; the next is to take up the carpets. This will be done
by the man you have engaged to attend to them, and by the
assistants of his own that he will bring with him. In Phila-
delphią it is easy to procure a coloured man who, for about five
dollars, will undertake all the carpets of a large house. He
will bring a cart, into which he will put them all, after he has
taken them from the floors and folded them loosely; and he
will be provided with carpet-sticks, brooms, and whatever is
necessary, including men to help him. Haying taken the
carpets to some one of the vacant lots in the skirts of the city,
he will make them perfectly clean, by shaking and beating
them first, and then laying them on the grass and sweeping
29


338
THE HOUSE BOOK.
them. He will then fold them neatly, and bring them home
in his cart, ready to be put away, if they are not to be in use
during the summer. It is well to give him, before he goes out
with the carpets, a quantity of tobacco to lay among the folds,
or a quarter of a dollar to buy some for the purpose.
As soon as the carpets are gone, the floors must all be swept.
And this must be done twice over ; as the first sweeping will
only take off what is called the rough dirt. The looking-glasses,
pictures, &c., should be taken down, dusted clean, and then
laid upon their faces on the beds, or on large tables in the
centre of the drawing-rooms, covering them with a sheet or
blanket. The lamps, branches, vases, and all the ornamental
articles belonging to the mantel-piece, centre-table, and pier-
tables, had best be collected all into one room, and cleaned
while there by some careful person.
WHITE-WASHING.–The white-washing and scrubbing
should always be commenced in the upper story, descending
by degrees; the stair-case being done last. In a new house,
no wall should on any account be white-washed or painted till
after the plastering has been dry at least a year.
To make white-wash, put lumps of quick-lime into a bucket
of cold water, and stir it about till it is all dissolved and mixed.
It should be about as thick as cream. A pint of common white
varnish, (which can be procured at a cabinet-maker's for a
trifle,) mixed in a bucket of white-wash, will make it stick like
paint. Instead of water to mix the lime with, skim milk
(which must be perfectly sweet) will make the white-wash
very white and smooth, and prevent it rubbing off easily.
White-wash is put on with a very long-handled brush, made
for the purpose ; and it should be spread thinly, smoothly, and
evenly. When it is quite dry, it must be gone over with a


- .
339
HOUSE -CLEANING.
second coat; and if the wall has previously been very dirty,
or coloured with yellow ochre, a third coat of white-wash may
be necessary. For ceilings, instead of the common white-wash,
it is best to give them a coat of what is called Paris white, (to
be obtained at the paint-stores,) mixed with water.
All the closets should be cleared out, and their walls white-
washed, and the paint of the shelves and doors cleaned.
· CLEANING PAINT OR WAINSCOTTING.– Have
ready two buckets of water, some hard soap, a flannel, a soft
linen cloth, and some old, soft, linen towels. Paint will come
off if cleaned with soft soap, pearl-ash, sand, or a scrubbing-
brush. In one bucket, rub the soap in the water till it makes
a light suds, dip in the flannel, and with it rub the paint well.
Then, as you go along, rinse off the soap with the soft cloth
dipped in the other bucket of water, and dry, as you proceed,
with the old towels; hanging them to dry in the window as
they become wet. In this manner clean the doors, (on both.
sides,) the window-frames, shutters, and whatever painted
wood-work or wainscotting may be about the room; using the
movable steps, when necessary.
If you find an ink-stain on the paint, wipe it with the wet
corner of a cloth dipped in oxalic acid, (either in powder or
dissolved.) This will remove the ink. Then, in a few minutes,
wash off the oxalic acid with an old towel and clean water.
If the paint is white, no trace of either the ink or the acid will
be left. If it is coloured paint, rub the place with some harts-
horn and water, and let it dry. The same application will take
ink out of a floor, or remove its stain from a mahogany
table, or from a carpet; the hartshorn and water restoring
the colour that has been faded by the oxalic acid in expelling
the ink.


340
THE HOUSE BOOK.
It is best to clean the paint directly after the white-washing,
and before the windows are washed. .
WINDOW WASHING.—Having taken down the curtains
or blinds, wash the outside of the windows, raising the sashes,
and throwing against them cold water from a tin mug; looking
out first, to see that no person is passing below. For the inside,
take a sponge dipped in luke-warm water, and rub each pane
of glass till quite clean; finishing with a soft linen cloth. For
the best windows, after washing the glass with luke-warm
water, (as above,) rub every pane with a buckskin dipped in
finely-powdered whiting, or prepared chalk; and then wipe it
off with a soft linen, and finish with a silk handkerchief. This
will make good glass look beautifully. To reach the top in
cleaning the inside of windows, you must stand on the movable
steps. If there are Venetian shutters, brush or wipe them well
between all the slats. If there are Venetian blinds, see that
they are in good order before they are put up for the summer;
and, if necessary, have them re-painted, and the cords re-
newed.
It is said that windows will look much clearer if, in the water
that is thrown up to wash the outside, a handful of saltpetre
has been dissolved.
CLEANING CHAIRS.- Painted chairs should never be
scrubbed, as it takes off the paint. It is sufficient to wipe them
well with a flannel dipped in luke-warm water, and afterwards
with a dry cloth. If there is gilding on the chairs, do not wet
them at all, but wipe them with a dry soft cloth. Chairs of
curled maple may be washed with a flannel and luke-warm
soap-suds, then rinsed with a cloth dipped in cold water, and
then finished with a dry cloth.


342
THE HOUSE BOOK.
require clean water at least once for every flight of stairs. For
the kitchen-stairs, you may use sand as well as soap.
Before the steps of the staircase are scrubbed, the painted
part of the bannisters should be cleaned. First sweep them
well with a bannister-brush, getting all the dust thoroughly out
from between the rails. Then wash them with soap and flannel
and luke-warm water, rinsed off with plain water, and dried
with a linen cloth. The mahogany part must be cleaned in
the same manner as your other mahogany.
FINISHING THE HOUSE-CLEANING.-A house-
cleaning generally finishes with the kitchen, cellar, kitchen-
staircase, and yard. The closets in the kitchen should be all
cleared out, white-washed, and scrubbed. So also should the
dresser shelves and drawers, the tables, &c. The tin-ware,
iron-ware, and all the utensils belonging to the kitchen and
cellar, should have a complete scouring; though, of course,
they ought to be kept clean at all times. If any entirely use.
less rubbish has been allowed to accumulate, let it be burnt,
rather than occupy space to no purpose. :::. . .
After the spring house-cleaning, (which, east of New York,
had best be deferred till June, or till the damp, chilly weather
seems entirely over for the season,) let the fire-place in one of
the parlours be so arranged, that a fire can be made up there
if necessary.
See that the curtains, carpets, and any articles of furniture
that may not be wanted during the summer, are put carefully
away.
Let all the books be removed from the shelves, well dusted,
and regularly arranged.
Previous to the autumn house-cleaning, let all the chimneys
be swept; at least, all those in which wood is burned. It will


HOUSE-CLEANING.
343
not be necessary to put up your winter curtains before
November.
At each house-cleaning, let all the bedsteads be taken apart,
examined, and the joints washed with cold soap suds.
If your house requires painting, papering, or other repairs,
have them done just before the cleaning time. Previous to
replacing the furniture in your rooms, let every thing be mended
that requires it.
· TO REMOVE THE SMELL OF PAINT.-Take three
or four broad tubs, (such, for instance, as hold about eight
gallons,) fill them with cold water, and put into each an ounce
of vitriolic acid, which you can obtain from a druggist. Place
these tubs near the wainscot, in a newly painted room. This
water will absorb and retain the effluvia of the paint. Next
day, fill the tubs with fresh water, and add to each, another
ounce of vitriolic acid. Repeat this a third day, and on the
fourth, the smell of the paint will not be perceptible.
Raw onions, sliced, and set on plates about a newly painted.
room, are said to take away the smell of paint; or rather, we
suppose, to change it for their own; which, certainly, has the
advantage of not being unwholsome, though to most persons
far from agreeable. The sliced onions should be every day re-
placed with fresh ones, till after the paint has entirely dried,
and its smell is quite gone. The onions that have been stand-
ing in the atmosphere of the paint, should be thrown into the
fire, and destroyed at once; as if eaten, they would be poisonous.
TO TAKE CARE OF FURNITURE WHEN THE
HOUSE IS REPAIRING.-It is not always necessary, on
these occasions, to remove or pack away the furniture, parti-
cularly if the rooms are large. Having taken up the carpets,


344
THE HOUSE BOOK.
and had the floors swept, place the tables, and sofas, and largest
pieces of furniture in the centre of the room, building or arrang-
ing upon them and round them, all the other articles, so as to
occupy as little space as possible, and be perfectly safe from
injury. Cover the entire stack with old quilts sewed together,
or with your worst carpets, put round and over the whole, so as
to conceal every article; and then secure all, by sewing to-
gether, as may be most convenient, the edges of the carpeting.,
PREPARING ROOMS FOR SUMMER.-In some fami-
lies, the carpets are replaced on the floors, after the spring
house-cleaning, and kept down all summer; and no change is
made in the furniture, except to put away the curtains. In
other houses, matting is substituted for carpeting: the sofas,
ottomans, and chair cushions are covered with chintz cases ;
and all the gilded articles are screened from the fies, by
envelopes of muslin, gauze, or tissue paper. Gauze, we con-
sider the worst sort of covering, as it is very apt to split, its
texture is so open that it admits the dust, and it only lasts one
season. Low-priced muslin dyed yellow with turmeric and
milk, is much better, and may be used for the same purpose for
two or three summers. Tissue paper is still more impervious
to dust, and makes a nice and very cheap covering. We have
seen green tissue paper cut out into large jagged leaves, laid
closely over each other, so as to cover completely the gilt
frames of mirrors and pictures, and looking like a thick mass
of foliage all round. The covering on frames must be secured
closely with small pins: those over lamps, chandeliers, &c.,
should be tied on with cheap ribbon of the same colour. Of
course, the things must all be well dusted before the covers
are put on.
Where the flies are not particularly numerous, it is best to


PREPARING FOR SUMME R.
345
leave the ornamental furniture without covering during the
summer; as, with all the care you can take, dust will get under
the covers, damp will penetrate, and pins will scratch the gild-
ing; so that, on the whole, what is gained by excluding the
flies is lost by the general dinginess which they will contract
from dust and dampness lodging all summer beneath the
covers.
If the rooms are occupied as usual during the summer, it is
well to have handsome chintz covers for the damask or cloth
furniture.' But if the family remove into the country, and the
best apartments in the town-house are little used during their
absence, the covers may be of stout brown linen. Before they
are fastened on, if the sofas, cushions, &c., are of cloth, or of
worsted damask, let some crumbled camphor be introduced
between; otherwise the moths may attack them under the
covers. They should also be occasionally examined during
the summer, and replenished with fresh camphor.
To conceal the empty grate, it is frequently covered with a
summer-blower of handsomely omamented iron.
There are various pretty ways of decorating and screening
the grate with tissue-paper of different colours, ingeniously cut,
and made to fall like curtains over the whole front. The paper
is fastened to a round stick, (for instance, a piece of a brush-
handle, cut exactly to fit,) and laid along the slit or aperture at
the back of the chimney. The paper for these curtains may
be of two colours, (blue and yellow, or pink and green,) and
the long sheets must be folded and cut four double, and then
opened out. Sometimes a quantity of double cut-paper fringe
(generally green) is made, and wreathed closely round the bars of
the grate, so as to leave none of their iron visible; the interior of
the grate being filled with long narrow strips or shavings of
paper of another colour. These cut papers, if carefully taken


THE HOUSE BOOK.
down and put away when the season is over, will last two
summers.
Where wood is burnt, many persons in summer fill up the
fire-place with a close chimney-board. This makes the room
too warm, as is also the case with a summer-blower. In a
chamber, particularly, the fire-place should on no account be
stopped up in summer. Among the least objectionable chim-
ney-boards are those of strong, black, gauze canvas, pasted at
the edge on an open wooden frame, and ornamented with a
centre-piece and narrow border of coloured worsted-work, or
with a large vase of flowers, cut out from wall-paper, and pasted
on the gauze. This gauze (which is made for similar purposes)
is of very open texture, and admits a little air from the chimney.
Still, for an open fire-place in summer, there is nothing better
than a large handsome jar to stand on the hearth, well filled
with fresh flowers, relieved against a background of long and
spreading cedar or pine twigs. : : :
. We have seen evening chimney-boards which were very
beautiful transparent paintings, stretched on a frame made
exactly to fit the fire-place, and illuminated by a lamp or lamps
placed behind them on the hearth ; the light, if necessary, being
elevated to the proper height by setting it on a little bench.
A fine night-view of a great eruption of Vesuvius, and another
of Alpine scenery by moonlight, made very elegant transparen-
cies for two chimney-boards.. .:
· There are chimney-boards of radiated silk, set in a mahogany
or rose-wood frame, with a gilt ornament in the centre.
For the admission of air into the room, there is no chimney.
board superior to those in the form of Venetian shutters, open-
ing in the middle.


348
THE HOUSE BOOK.
backwards, with the front uppermost, and the back resting on
the folded skirt beneath. Lastly, spread out the sleeves; give
each of them a fold forward at the shoulders, and a fold back,
ward at the elbows, and lay them across each other evenly on
the fore-body.
· Fold the pelerine right-side out. First, double it in half,
beginning down the middle of the back. Next, give the dou-
bled pelerine a fold backwards, then a fold forwards, and then
another fold so as to leave the corners uppermost.
· A belt-ribbon, for packing, should be rolled on a block, and
fastened with two little pins. -
· A lady's travelling dress should be made to fasten at the
side or in front, pelisse-fashion; that, during her journey, she
may be able to dress herself without assistance. i
. It may be well to have a camphor-bag sewed to each of her
night-gowns, that she may be less liable to attacks from insects
when sleeping in such beds as are frequently met with in
travelling.
TO FOLD A COAT FOR PACKING.-Lay the coat at
its full length upon a table, with the collar towards the left-
hand; pull out the collar so as to make it lie quite straight;
turn up the coat towards the collar, letting the crease be just
at the elbow; let the lappel or breast on one side be turned
smoothly back on the arm and sleeves. Turn the skirt over
the lappel, so that the end of the skirt will reach to the collar,
and the crease or folding will be just where the skirts part at
the termination of the waist. When you have done on one
side, do the same.on the other. Turn the collar towards the
right-hand, and fold one skirt over the other, observing to let
the fold be in the middle of the collar. "
You should have a yard and a half of brown holland, hemmed,


· PACKING, ETC."
349
marked, and kept for the purpose of wrapping a coat, waistcoat,
and pantaloons in, when packed for travelling.
Boots, when wrapped in paper for packing up, frequently
burst through it and soil the clean linen. It is best to have for
them bags of ticking or brown linen, made to fit them when
they are rolled up from the top about halfway down the leg.
If you do not take a dressing-case, a bag to hold a comb and
brush is also very useful, either for a lady or gentleman. .
· TO FOLD A SHIRT.-Having spread the shirt on a table
or on a bed, fold over the two sides lengthways, so as to lie
one over the other upon the bosom. Turn the sleeves back
halfway from the shoulders, (doubling over the sleeve-gussets
in half,) so as to lie straight down on the folded body. Then
take the whole and give it a cross-fold upward, so that the
lower half of the shirt that is turned over, covers the upper part
of the sleeves and the bosom. .
False collars are folded in half only. False bosom pieces,
first in half from the back, and then another fold is given, so
as to leave the full part upwards.
We advise all gentlemen that wear false collars to wear false
wristbands also.
TO PACK A LARGE TRUNK.-Have all the things
laid out ready, the light things divided from the heavy ones ;
and keep at hand a quire of soft wrapping paper. Spread a
clean thick towel over the bottom of the trunk, and place on it
the hard flat things, such as portfolios, music-books, a writing-
desk, boxes, books for reading, &c.; taking care to fit them
well together, so as to be even at the top; and filling up the
crevices with small articles that will not be injured by com-
pressment, each of them, however, wrapped in paper, to prevent
30


350
THE HOUSE BOOK.
their scraping or defacing the other things. Never use news
paper for packing, as the printing ink will not fail to rub off
and soil whatever it touches. You may stick in a pair of shoes
here and there, each pair laid together as flat as possible, and
tied round with their own strings. Some persons have shoe-
bags made of flannel or cloth, and stitched into compartments,
each division containing a pair of shoes. Over the layer of
hard flat things in the bottom of the trunk, spread a towel;
and on this lay your flannels, linen, &c., filling up the interstices
with stockings and gloves. Then cover them with another towel,
and put in your dresses, the muslin ones uppermost; filling in the
corners with pocket handkerchiefs. On the top of your dresses lay
your pelerines, collars, and caps, (if you have no other way of
carrying them,) &c., finishing with a thin towel over the whole.
No trunk should be packed so full as to strain the hinges. If
your trunk has a false top, you can fill that with any articles
that may be rolled up tightly. Shoes should on no account be
packed without covers, as the colour (particularly, if-black)
will rub off, and disfigure, any white things that may be near
them. Avoid putting any eatable articles in a trunk or box
that contains things which cannot be washed, as they may be
much injured by grease or stains. On no consideration, carry ink,
even though locked up in a writing desk. You can always at
the place to which you are going, buy yourself six cents worth
of ink in a small square bottle, which will also serve for an
inkstand. It is well, however, to take with you a few sheets
of good writing paper folded in the form of letters, each with
a wafer stuck on one edge, to be ready, in case you have occa-
sion to write before you reach your journey's end, or immedi-
ately after. It is well to have red tapes nailed across the inside
of the lid of your trunk, for the purpose of slipping letters and
papers between them.


. PACKING, ETC.
353
bag, and draw it up as close as possible, so as to finish it with
a tassel, or a bow of ribbon at the gathering place. This bag
will be found very useful in travelling; as in the different
divisions, you may carry a comb, hair-brush, tooth-brush,
smelling-bottle, a cake of soap, purse, needle-book, keys, &c.,
so arranged, as not to interfere with each other inconveniently;
leaving the space in the middle of the bag for your handker-
chief, which you can then take out without any danger of its
bringing other things along with it. These large reticules will
be found less troublesome to carry, and better in every respect,
than a travelling hand-basket.
A BONNET-COVER.-When travelling in dry weather
on a road that is likely to be dusty, you may effectually pro-
tect your bonnet from injury, by taking with you a cover for
it. To make this cover, get a yard of white glazed cambric
muslin, and cut it into the form of a large straight hood;
gathering it close at the back of the head upon a small circular
piece about the size of a half-dollar. Slope it away at the
sides of the neck, and put a case with a drawing-string of fine
tape along the edge of the front: the string to tie at the side.
If you commence your journey by water, you can roll up this
bonnet-cover, and keep it in your reticule while in the steam-
boat; putting it over your bonnet, and drawing it round your
face, just before you get into the vehicle in which you are to:
ride. You will find when you take it off, that it has effectually
screened your bonnet and its ribbons from the dust and sun.
It must, of course, be made very large and loose, that it may
not flatten or discompose the trimming.
. We have seen bonnet-covers of green silk; but, if it chances
to get wet, the green dye will run down and stain the bonnet.
The same thing may happen, if the cover is of coloured muslin.
30*


356
THE HOUSE BOOK.
her very ferocious. When it is to be taken finally away, let it
be removed when the cow is out of sight and hearing ; other-
wise she will be too much distressed. While grieving for the
loss of her calf, she will give less milk than usual.
A cow's stable should be tight and weather-proof, with two
doors, and one or more windows. The floor should have a very
little slope down towards the front door. The stable should
be furnished with a manger and a drinking trough, and have a
loft above to contain the hay. A large jar of salt should be
kept always in the stable-loft; and fix a salt-box in a place
convenient to the manger, and within the cow's reach. Into
this box put a handful every day; as cows are extremely fond
of salt, and without it they will not thrive. Some persons,
instead of this, give the cow half a handful of salt every time
she is milked. This is a good plan, as it pleases her, and
causes her to let down her milk; and is an additional induce-
ment for her to come regularly home in the evening.
The stable door should be left open all day, (except in severe
or stormy weather,) that the cow may go in and out as she
pleases; and care should be taken always to keep fresh water
in the stable. At night, soon after milking, put her into the
stable, and keep her shut up till next morning. At least two
buckets-full of fresh water should be left in her drinking-trough
every night. In stormy and severe weather, keep her all day
in the stable, and allow her additional food.
In summer, give her at milking-time a large basket-full of
fresh-cut grass, emptying it down before her. This will be the
best food she can have; but for a change, her morning repast
may be of the refuse of the garden, collected for the purpose;
such as beet-tops, carrot-tops, corn-husks, and a few of the
outside leaves of cabbages; but if cabbages are given in any
quantity, they will spoil the taste of the milk. So also will


KEEPING A COW.
357
:
every sort of turnips. Cows are extremely fond of pumpkins,
and they are very good for them: so are apples, potatoes, beets,
carrots, and parsneps, all of them cut up small; otherwise the
cow may choke in swallowing them. Cows will eat no food
that has any thing animal about it, and nothing that is dirty or
decayed. If water is brought to them in a greasy pail, they
will on no account touch it. It is not well to give them parings,
&c., from the kitchen; and what is called slop is unwholesome
for them, besides making their milk taste disagreeably.
In summer, after being milked in the morning, let your cow
go all day in a good rich pasture; but do not allow her to keep
about the road, as the little she can pick up there will do
her no good; not to mention the danger of accidents, and the
probability of her straying away.
If she is accustomed to being always fed at milking-time,
she will come home from her pasture-ground every afternoon
of her own accord, which is a saving of much trouble. Give
her another basket-full of cut grass, or some other wholesome.
vegetable food, while she is getting milked in the evening.
Two tons of hay (not less) are about sufficient for a cow
through the winter, unless it is a very long one; with half a
bushel of bran each day.
In winter, a cow should be punctually fed three times a day.
Early in the morning give her eight quarts of wheat bran or
shorts, mixed with sufficient water to make it rather liquid;
and, besides her allowance of bran, let her have as much hay
as she will eat. At noon give her hay only, but enough for
her to eat till she is satisfied. In the evening, give her again
eight quarts of bran mixed with water, and as much hay as she
wants. If she is a good cow, you will be amply remunerated
for feeding her thus liberally with wholesome food, by the
quantity and richness of the milk she will yield in consequence.


358
THE HOUSE BOOK.
Unless a cow is well-fed, well-sheltered, and kept fåt and
healthy, her milk will be poor and in small quantity, and she
will be dry nearly half the year, instead of only about three
weeks. Besides which, cows that are kept in poor condition
are liable to diseases, and become infested with vermin. It is
a great error not to feed the cow as well as usual during the
time she is dry. Her food should then, as always, be good and
plentiful; and you will be amply repaid by the quantity of
milk she will give afterwards.
The milk-pans should be broad and shallow. If they are
not kept very clean by scalding and washing, the milk will
taste disagreeably, or turn sour in them. During the day, the
empty pans should be exposed to the sun and air; but about
an hour before milking-time, they should be filled with cold
water, to cool and refresh them. The pails or buckets require
clean scouring every day. If the outside is painted, (a good
practice,) it will be only necessary to scald and wash the inside
daily.
The person that milks should be provided with a small
wooden stool to sit on; and with thick water-proof shoes, as a
protection against the damp ground at early morning or in wet
weather. Care must be taken always to milk the cow tho-
roughly dry; otherwise the quantity of her milk will decrease,
and she will at last cease to give any. After she has been
nearly milked, quit her for a little while; during which time
you may carry in and strain the milk. Then go back to her
with another and smaller vessel, and give her a final milking,
or stripping, as it is called. These strippings are nearly as
rich as eream; and if you make butter, they may be put into
the cream-crock.
We have known a cow, fed, sheltered, and managed exactly
in the above manner, to produce milk enough to make seven


THE DAIRY, ETC.
359
pounds a week of the best possible butter, yellow, rich, and
sweet.
If you have no milk-house, get a refrigerator or large ice-box,
exclusively for the milk, cream, and butter; putting nothing else
into it. Milk is liable to imbibe a bad taste, and to sour easily,
if exposed to the vicinity of other articles of food; therefore
:(unless shut up in a refrigerator) it ought never to be kept in
a cellar.. We have known milk to acquire an intolerable taste
from being kept in a cellar in which there was a barrel of salt
fish; and the butter made from this milk was uneatable.
Cows, should never be allowed access to any field in which
there is garlic; as the strong taste and smell that it communi-
cates to their milk and butter, and even to the flesh of their
calves, can by no process be removed.
THE DAIRY. A dairy or milk-house should be divided
n into two apartments. The one that contains the milk and
cream had best be built over a running brooklet, so that in
summer the pans may sit in the cold water upon broad flat
stones, placed there for the purpose. The remainder should
be neatly paved with brick or stone, laid with a slight descent ;
and the floor ought to be washed every day in summer, and
· twice a week in winter.
- The building should have very thick walls, so as to exclude
the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter. The win-
dows (they should never front the south, south-east, or south-
west) ought to be secured with wire netting, having also glazed
sashes to open with hinges. The apartment that contains the
milk, cream, and butter, should be used for no other purpose,
--and nothing else should be kept there. In the additional room
: let all the other articles be placed that are necessary for dairy
· business, neatly ranged on shelves. Here also keep your


360
THE HOUSE BOOK.
cheese, rennet,. &c. Let every utensil be kept“ perfectly
clean ; otherwise the milk will tum sour, and the butter will
have a bad taste. The best milk-pans are of brown earthen
ware; those of metal being injurious to the milk. Twice a
week in summer, and once a week in winter, it is well to half
fill them all with wood-ashes, and then pour on boiling water
till it reaches the brim. Let them stand in this for several
hours; then empty them, and wash them clean with hot water,
rinsing them with cold, and wiping them dry. Besides your
pails and milk-pans, you will want tall earthen crocks for the
cream and butter-milk; a skimming-dish; a cream-stick; a
strainer, which is a tin basin with a bottom of fine canvas or
bolting-cloth; a churn; a short-handled butter-scoop or ladle,
and a butter-print. It is well also to have a table with a marble
top, a pair of scales for weighing the butter, and a set of linen
cloths, in which to wrap each pound separately. .
In summer the cream should not be kept more than two or
three days; and in winter the churning ought to be done three
times in a fortnight; as, if the cream is kept too long, the butter
will certainly be bad. The cream-crock should be stirred
several times a day with the stick. Where there are two or
three cows, it is best to have a barrel-churn, which is turned
by a handle. If there is but one cow, a common or dash-churn
will do very well. We have heard of churns of a new con-
struction, that will cause the butter to come in twenty minutes.
They are made at Westchester, in Pennsylvania.
The following is an English receipt for making butter; and
we think it may be depended on as a good one. The art of
· butter-making is nowhere better understood than in England.
In summer the churn should be filled with cold spring water,
and in winter scalded with hot water, preparatory to churning;
- then pour the croam in through a strainer. In warm weather,


KEEPING POULTRY.
363
it, cover the pan, and let the rennet lie in the salt four or five
days. Then take it out, and slip into it a long smooth rod or
stick, which must be bent into the form of a loop or bow, and
the two ends tied together with twine. The rennet must be
well stretched upon the stick. Afterwards hạng it up in a dry
-room ; and when it is thoroughly dried, keep it in a drawer or
closet.
A piece of rennet about three inches square (or more, if it is
not a new one) will be sufficient to turn a quart of milk, which
must first be made warm. The piece of rennet should be well
washed in cold water, and then wiped to get all the salt out,
and then steeped for some hours in a cup with just enough of
luke-warm water to cover it. This water should then be stirred
into the warmed milk, covering it and setting it not far from
the fire. When the milk has become a firm curd, and the whey
looks greenish, remove it to a cold placé, as it should be eaten
quite cold. :
Rennets ready prepared, can be bought for a trifle, at all sea-
sons, in Philadelphia market. They are much used for curds
and whey. . . . . . . . -
· TO KEEP FOWLS.-No fowls can possibly thrive well,
or be profitable to the owners, unless they are plentifully fed,
and have a comfortable place to roost in at night and for a
shelter in cold or wet weather. Their room or hen-house may
be adjoining to the wood-house, or some other out-building.
It is best to have it facing the east or the south, and it must be
perfectly weather-tight. It should have a door and windows,
and be very well lighted : the windows may either be latticed
with wood, or netted with iron wire. In the evening, after the
fowls have gone to roost, let the door be locked; seeing that
it is opened very early in the morning, unless in bad weather.


364
THE HOUSE BOOK.
The hen-house should be frequently cleaned out, and occasion-
ally white-washed; for if kept dirty, the fowls will be infested
with vermin. If this should happen, catch every fowl, even to
the smallest chickens, and rub their skins and feathers well
with lard or dripping; then have their house thoroughly cleaned
and white-washed at once; afterwards fumigating it with burn-
ing brimstone. Next, throw some sand or fresh earth on the
floor.
· If fowls are scantily supplied with water, or if they have
access only to that which is dirty or puddled, they will contract
a disorder called the pip, which is a thin white scale that
grows on the tip of the tongue, and prevents their feeding.
Catch them, pull off the scale with your fore-finger nail, and
then rub the tongue with salt. When fowls have this or any
other disease, they look drooping, their eyes appear dull, and
their combs and gills become pale and flabby. When they are
sick, feed them with bran that has been mixed to a paste with
boiling water.
• In wet weather, keep the fowls shut up all day in the hen-
house; also when it is very cold, taking care that they are
properly supplied with food and water. They should have in
their house a little manger or feeding-trough, which ought
never to be empty. If they have plenty of food always by
them, they will eat frequently but only a little at a time, and it
is best for them to do so. When their food is given to them
•scantily and irregularly, they injure themselves by devouring
it too fast.
Feed them chiefly with Indian corn, allowing at least three
quarts a day in winter, and two quarts in summer, to a dozen
fowls. The corn will be still better for them, if previously
soaked in water. They should have food given to them regu-
larly three times a day. It is usual to feed young chickens on


366
· THE HOUSE BOOK.
Their roosts or perches should be so contrived as not to be
exactly over each other, and some should be placed low enough
for the young fowls to reach without difficulty in flying up to
them. Let none of the nest-boxes be placed under the roosts.
The hen-house should frequently be cleaned out, white-
washed, fumigated with sulphur, or by burning pine or cedar
boughs; and then strewed with sand.
Indian meal and West India molasses, mixed together, and
combined till it crumbles, is excellent for fattening chickens,
and making them grow rapidly. When fed with it three times
a day, they have been known in two months to become as large
as full-grown fowls. The great Bucks County fowls, (as they
are called in Pennsylvania,) if fed in this manner, will grow
to such a size, that when brought on table, they are often mis-
taken for young turkeys.
Wormwood and rue, sowed plentifully every spring about the
neighbourhood of the hen-house, will tend to keep away vermin;
and if strewed about the floor in the vicinity of their nests, it will
keep off weasels and other such animals that come to suck the
eggs. They may also be kept off by scattering powdered valerian.
Eleven fine hens, managed in the foregoing manner, well-
sheltered, kept clean, and plentifully supplied with good food
and water, have been known to supply two thousand eggs in
"the course of a year, (laying all winter,) and a hundred chickens
have been raised from them, all fat and ready for killing in the
autumn. The best hens for laying during the winter are
pullets hatched the preceding spring.
Bantam fowls are less injurious to a garden than any others,
as the feathers about their feet prevent them from scratching
up the seeds. If your garden fence has the palings sharp-
pointed at the top, the fowls that are outside will find it diffi-
cult to get over; as after flying up to the top, they will have


KE E PING POULTRY,
367
no place to rest their feet on, while preparing to take their
flight downward.
When you do not intend the hen to sit, instead of keeping
one real egg always in the nest, have it furnished with three
very large ones, shaped out of chalk.
When a hen hatches in wet weather, the young chickens as
they come out of the shell, should be brought into the kitchen
or some other warm room, and kept there till next day or longer,
in a basket with some cotton or wadding in it; feeding them
with curds or with soaked bread. After she has hatched, con-
tinue to feed the hen exceedingly well, or she will not have
warmth enough for her chickens when she collects them under
her; besides that, during the day, she requires great strength to
enable her to take care of them, and make for them the unusual
exertions to which she is prompted by nature. The chickens
of a poor hen die off very fast.
TURKEYS.—Turkeys are more difficult to raise than any
other poultry; as when young, the least exposure to wet is
destructive to them. A turkey-house should be contrived and
managed just like a chicken-house. As turkeys are in much
-esteem for the table, and always bring a good price when raised
for market, they are well worth the trouble and expense of rear-
ing carefully. Those hatched in May or late in April, after the
weather has become settled, always thrive the best; but till
they are as large as an old partridge, and have their backs well
.covered with feathers, they should be kept closely in their house
every morning till the dew is quite off the ground; and in
damp weather, they should not be allowed to go out at all.
If hatched in wet weather, keep them several days in the house.
The best food for young turkeys, is milk turned with rennet
into a firm curd, made fresh for them every day; and this is


KEEPING POULTRY.
369
• Though geese eat grass, they will not, however, fatten upon
it. They should be fed with corn early in the morning. They
will then walk off to their field by themselves, and come home
of their own accord in the evening; when they ought to be fed
again, before they go to rest. Their sleeping-place must always
be under cover; and in their grazing-field a brook or some
accessible water is indispensable.
Geese should not be killed till they are full-grown: what
are called green geese are flabby and tasteless. To fatten geese
rapidly for killing, put them for a few weeks into a pen, which
must be kept well littered with clean straw, and have belong-
ing to it a feeding trough for their corn or oats, and a drinking
trough kept well supplied with clean water. Geese will not
thrive if kept dirty. Vary their food with refuse lettuces and
cabbages from the garden.
- The latter part of the summer is their moulting season ; and
if not picked, when their small feathers become loose they will
drop about the ground and be wasted. If the goose-picking is
done by a woman, she must have all the geese caught and
penned up in some convenient place; and then, putting on a
large coarse apron, she must take each goose on her lap, hold-
ing its legs fast with one hand, while she picks off the loose
feathers with the other, and lays them in a basket beside her.
An old goose should be allowed to live as long as possible;
for, if killed, it will be too hard and tough to be eaten. . .
DUCKS.-Though ducks, like pigs, will eat of garbage,
and of various disgusting things, yet there is no advantage in
their dumg so, but precisely the contrary; as their flesh becomes
-strong and bad in proportion. Corn, oats, buckwheat, wetted
Indian meal, lettuces, white cabbages, and other refuse of the
garden, are excellent food for them. Parsley, sowed about the


KEEPING BEES.,
371
rings, so as to encircle each leg of the hive-bench, at a few
inches from it. Then cover these rings thickly with tar. You
may easily trace these destructive insects to their hills, and
you may destroy them there, by pouring on boiling water after
night, when they are all at home.
: Wasps and hornets are also very injurious to bees; and their
nests should always be destroyed as soon as they begin to
make them. This can be done, by holding under them a stick
to the end of which is fixed a lighted rag, that has been greased
and dipped in brimstone.
As fowls will eat bees, they should not be allowed access
to the place where the hives are kept.
The best situation for hives is to face the south or the south-
east. From the north they should always be sheltered. As
bees require a great deal of water, they will not thrive unless
there is a stream in their vicinity. The grass round their bench
should be kept free from weeds, and some dwarf or low flowers
may come within two feet of it; but tall plants will assist der
structive insects in getting to the bees.
The hives must have four sticks across the inside, at equal
distances, for the bees to work on. The entrance hole may be
four inches wide, and an inch and a half high. Old hives
should not be used for new bees; for an old hive is not so
wholesome as a new one, and it may probably be infested with
the embryos of moths and other insects.
Bees are extremely fond of the blossoms of fruit trees, (of
the peach, particularly,) and of aromatic herbs; also of the
blossoms of beans and of white clover. But the best honey ia
made from the flowers of the buck-wheat.' ... ?
After buying or selling a hive of bees, the best time to re:
move it for the purpose of carrying it away, is in the evening.
It should be raised a little from the bench several hours before,


KEEPING 'BE E S..
373
of a tree. If the swarm rests on any thing that can be brought
to the ground, spread under it your large linen cloth, and on the
cloth lay two sticks two feet asunder. Let some one climb
up quietly, cut off that part of the branch of the tree, (if the
swarm has settled on it,) and lay it gently on the two sticks
placed on the cloth. This may be done without disturbing the
bees that are clinging to the bough. Then quickly and dex-
terously clap down the hive over the swarm ; fold the re-
mainder of the cloth over the whole, and thus carry it cautiously
to its station.
Some hives will swarm twice; the second swarming may be
expected within three or four days, but never later than ten
days, after the first. :
If a hive divides into two swarms, it is a sign that each
swarm has a queen. When a cluster of bees are seen together,
forming a knot about the size of a plum, the queen will gene-
rally be found there. She is larger than the other bees.'
Separate them, and with a wine-glass turned downward, you
may secure the queen. Put her with a score or two of her
subjects into a box perforated with holes large enough to admit
air and yet not to allow the bees to escape. Feed them with
honey; and keep the queen in reserve, in case of the death of
a sovereign in one of the hives. When all the bees of a hive
cease to work, it is an evidence that their queen is dead; and
the spare queen should then be taken late in the evening, (wet-
ting her wings to prevent her escape,) and introduced into the
hive; when her new subjects will receive her gladly, and re-
sume their work.
You may take the honey without destroying the bees, (as is
the usual practice,) by the following easy method. Dig a
small pit near the hive bench, and have ready a new empty
hive with four sticks laid across the inside, which must be well


TAKING CARE OF GOLD-FISH.
375
of itself. It will assist in feeding bees; or it may be made
into a paste with lard or melted spermaceti, and will be good
for chapped hands. . .
• To obtain the wax, take the combs, after all the honey has
been extracted from them, and having tied them up in a bag,
(placing some pebble stones at the bottom to keep them down,)
put the bag into a kettle of cold water, and hang it over the
fire. As the water heats, the wax melts and rises to the top,
while the impurities remain below. Afterwards, put the melted
wax into small saucers, and set it in the air to cool. It will
come out in cakes; first wrapping round each saucer a cloth
dipped in hot water, to loosen the wax.
· TO TAKE CARE OF GOLD-FISH. It is a mistake to
suppose that gold-fish kept in glass globes require feeding.
They have the singular property of subsisting on the invisible
animalculæ of the water; and though they will eat bread or
vermicelli if given to them, they are much better without it.
It is necessary, however, to change the water every day; as
clean fresh water is indispensable to their existence, when
confined in a small space. To do this, empty the globe into a
large basin, pouring the fish along with the water. Wash the
globe very clean inside and out, making it look perfectly bright
and clear; and fill it with fresh water. Then catch the gold-
fish in your hand, (doing it very carefully, to avoid hurting
them,) and instantly transfer them to the globe of clean water.
Gold-fish, in winter, should always be kept in a warm room.
It is not well to have more than two fish in one globe.
TO MAKE BREAD SEALS.-On receiving letters with
handsome seals, do not break the wax, but cut round it with
a pair of scissors. When you have collected a number from


MAKING WRITING INK.
377
blemishes as possible; those that are smallest and bluest are
the best. Also half an ounce of copperas; and half an ounce
of fine clean gum arabic. Let each of these articles be
coarsely bruised or pounded, but do not mix them. Put each
into a separate. queensware or earthen vessel. Boil a quart
of clear soft water, (not more ;) and when it is scalding hot,
pour a pint and a half of it on the bruised nut-galls. Divide
equally the remaining half pint, and pour one jill of it on the
copperas, and the other jill on the gum arabic. Set them all
away on a closet shelf, where they will be free from dust; or
cover them closely. Let them stand a week to infuse, stirring
them frequently: particularly the gum arabic, which, otherwise,
will get into a clod. At the end of a week, pour the copperas
and the gum arabic into the larger vessel that contains the nut-
galls, and stir the whole together. Let it stand open for two
or three days. Then have ready a clean black bottle that will
hold a quart, and drop into it a dozen cloves slightly bruised.
Put a funnel into the mouth of it, set a strainer in the funnel,
and pour the mixture through them into the bottle. Place the
bottle (uncorked) for three or four days in the open air, which
will blacken the ink. Then cork it, and the ink will be ready
for use. The cloves are to preserve it from moulding. This
ink will be found excellent; improving in blackness after it
has remained a while on the paper.
· You may make a quart of ink in this manner, at one fourth
the cost of the same quantity obtained at a stationer's.
Before you replenish an ink-stand, empty out the dregs, fill
it with warm water, and let it soak a while. Then wash out
all the sediment that sticks about the sides and bottom, and
rinse it quite clean; otherwise the remains of the old ink will
thicken and injure the new.
32*


LIQUID COLOURS FOR MAPS, ETC.
379
-
If you find, upon trial, that the ink is not black enough, add
an inch more of lunar caustic to the small bottle.
Durable ink may be extracted from linen, by stretching the
part over a cup of boiling water, and rubbing on it with your
finger some oxalic acid or salt of lemon. Then wash the place
immediately in warm soap-suds, and rinse it in cold water.
LIQUID COLOURS FOR MAPS, &c.- To make a fine
red colour, take an ounce of powdered cochineal, three-quarters
of an ounce of cream of tartar, and a piece of alum the size
of a hickory nut; this alum must be finely powdered. Put the
cochineal and the alum into an earthen pipkin with rather less
than a pint of clear soft water, and boil them for half an hour,
stirring in gradually the cream of tartar. Then strain it, and
put it away for use in a clean bottle tightly corked. When
you go to use it, pour out some into a cup, and dilute it with
water, till you get it the tint you want.
: Light Blue Colouring.–Break up a quarter of a pound of
blue vitriol. Put it into a pipkin with less than a pint of clear
soft water, and set it over hot coals. Add gradually, while it
is boiling, two ounces of cream of tartar; and boil the mix-
ture half an hour. Then strain, and bottle it for use. This
is a light and beautiful blue. Dilute it with water when you
use it.
Bright Green Colouring.–Take some of the above blue
vitriol colouring, and melt in it a small lump of gamboge.
Then stir it well.
Fine Yellow.—Dissolve lump gamboge (which must never
be pulverized) in soft water.
Deep Blue Colouring.–Break up a quarter of a pound of
indigo, and put it into a large bottle. Pour on it eight ounces
of oil of vitriol. Cork. it, and let it stand a week, shaking it


380
1. THE HOUSE BOOK.
,
several times a day. By diluting it with water, you may have
the colour as-pale as you please. By adding gamboge to this
blue, you may make a dark green.
Purple and Lilac.-Mix together the above blue colouring, and
the liquid cochineal, diluting it with water to the tint required.
Brown.--Také three ounces of copperas, break it up small,
and boil it in a pint of water for half an hour. Then strain
and bottle it. Dilute some of it when you wish a paler tint.
· COLOURING MAPS.--In colouring maps, if you find that
the paper (for want of good sizing) is likely to spot or sink,
(which you may ascertain by trying it with a little water,) go
all over it (previous to colouring) with strong alum-water,
washed on with a very large camel's-hair brush. Then dry it.
Your colours for washing the land parts of the map must be
entirely liquid, and placed beside you in cups. Have also a
small pitcher of water to dilute them still more, if necessary.
They should be laid on with a large brush, as evenly as possible;
doing all the red at once, then all the blue, then all the yellow,
&c. Designate the water with light blue carried along the
edge of the land, and shaded off, till nearly colourless. When
the different sections of the map are all washed with their re-
spective colours, and quite dry, have ready some cake colours
rubbed on little plates or saucers, and with a fine camel's-hair
pencil, mark out, with a dark shade of each colour, all the
boundary outlines.
A little ox-gall infused in the water will greatly brighten
the colours, and cause them to flow more easily in the brush,
by counteracting the greasiness of the printing ink.
TO MAKE PAPER TRANSPARENT.-Dissolve some
rosin in spirits of wine. Dip into it a camel's-hair brush, and


COURT PLABTER, &c.
381
with it go over as much of the paper as you wish to make
transparent, doing it on both sides.
A coloured drawing or engraving may be made by this
application transparent in those parts where moonlight or fire-
light is intended to be very bright. Afterwards, they can only
be seen to advantage with a light behind them. The same
application is used for transparencies painted on linen or thick
muslin stretched on a frame.
TO MAKE COURT PLASTER.–Stretch tightly, some
thin black or flesh-coloured silk in a wooden frame, securing
it with pack-thread or small tacks. Then go all over it with
a soft bristle brush dipped in dissolved isinglass or strong
gum-arabic water. Give it two or three coats, letting it dry
between each. Then go several times over it with white of egg.
TO MAKE POUNCE.—Powder very finely, some gum
sandarac—sift it, and put it into a little box. It is used to
smooth the paper after scratching out with your penknife a
blot or an error in writing. Rub on the pounce with your finger.
TO PRESERVE PENCIL MARKS.-If you have any -
thing drawn or written with a lead pencil that you wish to pre-
serve from rubbing out, dip the paper into a dish of skimmed
milk. Then dry it, and iron it on the wrong side. In ironing
paper do not let the iron rest a moment, (as it will leave a
crease or mark,) but go over it as rapidly as possible.


... 1382
·
SEWING WORK.
REMARKS.
No sort of sewing work can go on well, unless there is at
hand a sufficient and well chosen supply of every thing neces-
sary to its accomplishment.
• In providing needles, short ones will generally be found most
convenient, and their eyes should be rather large. Many of
the needles that are put up in assorted quarters of a hundred,
are so small as to be of no possible use to any one. There-
fore, in buying needles, it is best to select for yourself. Have
always some that are very large, for coarse strong purposes.
When a needle breaks or bends, put it at once into the fire;
for if thrown on the floor or out of the window, it may chance
to run into the foot of some one. It is well to get at least a
dozen cotton spools at a time, that you may have always at
"hand the different gradations of coarse and fine. The fine
"spools of coloured cotton are far better for many purposes than
bad sewing silk; but coloured sewing cotton should only be
used for things that are never to be washed, as it always fades
after being in water. Mourning chintz should on nó account
be sewed with black cotton, as it will run when wet, and stain
the seams. The sewing silk now made in America is of ex-
cellent quality, and far superior to the imported both in strength
and smoothness. Of foreign sewing silk, the Italian is good,
provided it is not very fine; in which case, being only two
threaded, it will split and ravel, and besides is very weak.


. SEWING WORK..
383
The best English sewing silk is excellent, being both strong
and pliable. The India is strong, but harsh, wiry, and unplea-
sant to use. It comes in skeins that are twisted up very tightly.
Silk is troublesome to wind, and is weakened by the process.
It is better to cut the skeins at the tying-place, and put them
into long papers. By laying on each other six half-sheets of
long or foolscap paper, and sewing them together down the
middle, as if making a book, and then folding each division
lengthways into a thread-paper, you may have a recep-
tacle for twelve different skeins of silk; keeping them all
compact by means of a narrow ribbon or tape tied round the
whole.
Except for some very slight purposes, it is best to buy no
tape that is not twilled. Real linen tape is now scarcely to
be found at any price; all that passes for it being only of
glazed cotton; therefore, since you must have cotton, it is
better to get the twilled, as it is very strong, and not apt to:
break. In buying cotton cord, choose that which is quite small,
or, when covered, it will be clumsy; and see that it is clean
and of a good white, particularly if intended for muslin; as it
will show through the covering, and never wash whiter. It is
well to buy a dozen hanks of cord at a time.
In choosing galloon or silk ferret, inspect it attentively to
see if it is not half cotton, instead of being all silk. If there
is cotton in it, the colour will be dull, and it will very soon
break. There are thick stout ribbons (usually broad) that have
cotton in them, and wear rough and rusty almost immediately:.
do not buy them.
You will require several bodkins of different sizes. The
smoother they are, the better they will run through the cases.
Always get them with a knob at the end. Steel bodkins are
more serviceable than those of gold or silver; but in buying


SEWING WORK.
885
pose of keeping materials employed in sewing; the articles for
immediate use being in your work-basket.
Ii i
: There are various ingenious needle-books, so contrived as to
contain, in a very small compass, all the implements that may
be necessary to'a lady when she takes her sewing with her on
a visit. : ; .
A piece of white wax, for rubbing on a needleful of sewing-
silk to strengthen it, is a most useful little article: so also is
a small box of prepared chalk, to dip the fingers in when the
weather is warm and the hands damp. But, as some portion
of the chalk will come off upon your work, it is best to use it
only when you are sewing white things. At other times, you
will find an emery-bag indispensable. Those that are made for
sale have generally so little emery in them, that they are soon
found to be useless. It is best to make your own emery-bags;
buying the emery yourself at a druggist's, or at a hardware
store.
- We highly recommend a brick pincushion, as an important
article of convenience when sewing long seams, running
breadths, or hemming ruffles. It is too heavy to overset, and
far superior to a screw pincushion, which can only be fixed to
a table with a projecting edge. A brick pincushion can be set
anywhere, even on a chair; and enables the person who has
pinned on it her sewing, to sit always in an upright posture,
which is a great advantage; as to be obliged to stoop inces-
santly over your work, is extremely injurious to health ,
Get a large clean brick, not in the least broken or scaled off
at the edges, and cover it all over with strong coarse tow
linen, or thick cotton cloth, sewed on tightly and smoothly with
strong thread. Then make a bag of thick linen, allowing it
to be two or three inches larger each way than the top of the
brick. Stuff the bag as hard as possible with bran or with
33


MAKING UP LINEN.
389
breadth across should make two sleeves. You will find that
by exactly following these directions, there will be no clippings
or shapings, but every particle of the linen will be turned to
account.
- The old shirt must be your model in putting together and
sewing the different parts. It is usual to make the bodies first;
then the sleeves; then the collars, wrist-bands, and neck-gus-
sets; and lastly to put all the different parts together.
For ruffling shirts, a breadth of wide cambric is the usual
allowance for each side of the bosom. If the cambric is narrow,
allow a breadth and a quarter to each side. If too full, it will
not lie smoothly or pleat well. Half a quarter of a yard is a
good depth for each frill. This, if the cambric is wide, allows
à quarter of a yard to each shirt; being two yards to eight
shirts.
In the room where you generally cut out your sewing-work,
you should keep a yard-stick. It is a good practice to measure
things as soon as they are brought home; that if there is any
mistake in the quantity, you may discover it at once, and have
it rectified. . . .
In teaching a little girl plain sewing, it is not necessary that
she should begin with a shirt; particularly if she learns at
school, where making a shirt is always a very slow business, and
where some of the pieces are frequently lost during the process.
A much better way is, to let a child practise the varieties of
plain sewing on a yard of fine shirting muslin, on which her
instructer may contrive to show her specimens of all the
different things belonging to shirt-making; such as sewing
selvage seams; back-stitching and felling; hemming; fine
stitching; working button-holes; making gathers and sewing
them in; tail-pieces, bosom-bits, neck-gussets, &c. When a
little girl has successfully accomplished all that can be done
33*


MAKING UP LINEN.
391
on permanently, or you may finish them with a binding round
the neck, to be worn with a false collar. .
A SHIRT OPEN AT THE BACK OF THE NECK.
If the shirts are for a man of moderate size, and the linen is
yard-wide, you may, in cutting out the body, (which should
be a yard in length,) take a strip off the side for the wrist-bands,
&c. Slit the back of the shirt, down from the neck, about half
a yard deep. This slit must be hemmed; and at its termina,
tion a tuck is to be laid all the way down the remainder of the
shirt-back. Cut a square piece out of the upper part of the
fore-body, (about a quarter and a half-quarter deep, and the
same in width,) for the purpose of admitting a full bosom piece.
This square piece of linen will come into use for sleeve-linings,
shoulder-linings, &c. The bosom piece must be cut about
three-quarters wide, and a quarter and a half-quarter deep. It
is to be set into the open square made for its reception in the
fore-body; first laying it into three broad pleats of equal size,
basting them down till you have fitted the bosom piece and cut
out the neck to the proper size. Then close-stitch the pleats
all the way down by a drawn thread. Afterwards insert the
bosom piece into its place, back-stitching and felling it down
neatly, first basting it in. Dispose of the extra width of the
fore-body (where it joins the lower part of the bosom piece) by
laying small pleats, one at each corner, and two meeting in the
.centre. Insert into the top of each shoulder (where the collar
is to go on) a neck-gusset, gathered a little at the upper edge.
Line the tops of the shoulders with an under piece about half
a finger broad.
Gather the back of the neck; having cut out the front, round-
ing it downwards. The neck, both before and behind, must
have a binding made of a double piece of linen, about half a


MAKING UP LINEN.
398
of the neck-band to which they are sewed, make a perpendicular
button-hole, to meet the button on the inner binding of the
shirt-neck. Strengthen the lower part of this button-hole by
sewing a bit of fine tape at its bottom. At the back of the
false collar, sew to each end a string of fine tape, (about half
a yard long,) to tie it on with.
For a moderate-sized man, the collar-band may measure
somewhat more than a quarter' and a half-quarter round the
neck.
A FALSE SHIRT-BOSOM.-Take a piece of yard-wide
linen, at least a quarter and a half-quarter in length, and make
a narrow hem up each side, slightly sloping them towards the
shoulders. i Lay over in the middle a broad tuck, that, when
folded or creased down, will be a nail in breadth; and close to
it, on both sides, make two smaller tucks, each a little more
than an inch broad. The broad or middle tuck must be stitched
down permanently, and it should have a 'row of fine stitching
near the folded edge. The other four tucks need only be laid
over; basting them down to keep them in place till after they
are secured by the bindings at top and bottom. At the bottom
put a binding of linen, about an inch and a half broad when
doubled; working a cross-way or horizontal button-hole in the
centre of its front, and sewing to each extremity of the binding
tape strings about half a yard in length. Bind the neck with
a strip of linen, about an inch and a half broad when doubled,
and perhaps a quarter and a half-quarter in length; and make
directly in front a cross-way button-hole. Between the neck-
binding and the main piece of linen, insert at each shoulder a
small single neck-gusset, cut out in a triangular shape, about
half a finger each way. Sew on each end of the neck-binding
a tape string about half a yard long.


MAKING. V.P LINEN.
396
shoulder to shoulder ; in which case, there must be a slit of 4
quarter of a yard deep, either down the back, or down the front
of the neck, fastening with buttons.. ;
Make the body of the chemise first; finishing the neck, and
putting on the shoulder-straps. Then have ready the sleeves,
and set them into the sleeve-holes left at the two sides. The
sleeves should be gathered on the top of the shoulder, and the
shoulder-straps felled down-upon them, on each side. If there
are arm-bands, they should sit loosely round the arm. Next,
take the sloped pieces that came off the bottom of the gores,
and with them, line that part of the body that forms the sleeve
holes; carrying down the lining about an inch below the lower
corner of the gusset. This will greatly strengthen the part
round the sleeve-holes.
Cut out in the above manner, the whole of the linen will
come into use, and there will be no shapings or clippings what-
ever. What is called a long piece of yard-wide linen, will
thus make ten chemises for a woman of moderate size; with
the addition of an extra yard and a quarter to complete the
body of the last.
A lady's chemise may be trimmed with thread edging, with,
tetting, or with linen cambric frilling. The frilling, to look
neatly, should be very narrow. In fulness, allow it a little
more than twice and a half the extent of the parts on which it
is sewed.
For winter, chemises with long sleeves are very comfortable;
and are good preventives against rheumatism, particularly,
when made of fine thick American muslin or domestic cota,
ton. These sleeves may be half a yard and half a quarter,
long; they need not extend down quite so far as the wrist.
One breadth of wide cotton, split in half, will make a pair of
long sleeves, to which square gussets must be added. You,


396
THE HOUSE BOOK.
may gather them at the lower part of the arm, as well as at
the shoulder; leaving a small slit, and setting on a band to
fasten with a button. Or you may leave them loose at the
bottom, merely finishing with a broad hem. In case of illness,
it is most convenient to have these long sleeves unconfined at
the bottom, that they may be rolled up above the elbow when
bleeding is necessary.
· MAKING UP FLANNEL.-No one that can afford the
price of fine flannel, should ever buy it coarse. There is no
coarse flannel that can be washed without shrinking much
more than if it was fine; also, it is rough and unpleasant to
wear, and catches dust and dirt immediately. In purchasing
flannel, look particularly at the blue selvage edge; if that is
thin, uneven, and coarse, the flannel is not good; but if the
selvage is stout, fine, and close in its texture, you will find the
flannel to wear well. For grown persons, always get the wide
flannel. Three breadths will make a petticoat for a woman
of moderate size; and if the breadths are a yard and a quarter
in length, they will allow three tucks, to be let out successively
as the flannel shrinks. Before making it up, flannel should
always be washed; first dividing the breadths, but do not cut
off the blue selvage till after the washing.
- In sewing flannel, lay the two raw edges one over the other,
and run them together along the middle, with short close
stitches. Then cat-stitch or herring-bone each of the raw
edges down to the flannel, making both sides of the seam
exactly alike, and doing it very neatly. In making a flannel
petticoat, put one breadth before and two behind. At the top,
leave, exactly in front, a quarter of a yard quite plain; pleat
the rest, except just behind, and there gather it. Bind it with
white linen, and finish the pleats with a row of close stitching,


MAKING UP FLANNE L.
397
an inch below the binding. Sew to the binding straps of broad
twilled tape to go over the shoulders; making the straps long
enough to allow the petticoat-binding to be a little below the
waist of your dresses. It is a good plan to have in the back
part of the petticoat-binding two cases, each about a quarter
of a yard long, nicely stitched, with one end of each left open,
and an eyelet-hole worked on the outside of the binding at the
other termination of the casings. Into these cases, run long
strings of twilled tape, in the manner of reticule strings, to
draw both ways; each string being long enough to cross in
front, and then go round the waist and tie behind. The loose
ends of the strings should have a thick rolled hem, to prevent
them, when stretched out, from slipping back into the eyelet-
holes."co :;.. v .. '
Baby's flannel is frequently bound with white ribbon. Many
ladies also bind the bottoms of their petticoats with ribbon.
It looks very nicely at first, but has the disadvantage of shrink-
ing after it is washed, of turning yellow, and of very soon
wearing off, and requiring renewal... .!
Flannel shirts, jackets, &c., should be made full large at first,
to allow for shrinking..2
" .","ind i r
All the seams and hems of flannel must be made very flat;
the hems finished with a row of running close along the edge.
None of the raw edges should be turned in and felled down, as
it renders them too clumsy. The cat-stitch or herring-bone
should be used instead of felling. The slits must all be cat-
stitched down, and secured at the bottom with a bit of tape
sewed across. 1'..iti i top !! . ;
1. In running a tuck, whether on flannel or any thing else, the
best way of regulating its width so as to make it all the way
precisely even, is to cut out a bit of stiff card exactly the depth
you intend to make the tuck, including the regular distance
34


400
THE HOUSE BOOK.
a facing of muslin the same breadth as the tuck; the facing to
descend an inch or two below the slit, so as to strengthen it at
the bottom. On the faced side of the slit, set half a dozen
pearl buttons.
The shape and size of the collar is a matter of taste; but for
a plain square collar, you may have a piece of muslin about a
quarter of a yard deep and half a yard in width; if for a broad
hem, it must be larger every way. If you wish the collar to
sit closely, give it no scoop at the back of the neck, but let it
be perfectly straight all along, where it is sewed on to the
gathers. Line the collar, not throughout, but merely about
half a finger up; sewing in between the lining and the outside
the gathers of the neck. Place a button and button-hole at the
bottom of the collar. The sleeves may either be finished with
a wrist-band at the bottom, or left loose with merely a broad
hem; the latter way is best for convenience. The collar and
wrists of a lady's night-gown may be trimmed with frilling of
a thinạer muslin, or lace-edging. Or, what is much easier
and less expensive, they may be finished with points or scol-
lops along the edge; made by laying down a hem on the right
side, and, with a bit of card cut into the proper shape, marking
the scollops along this hem with a pencil, but not so close as
to make them join each other. Then run the scollops along
by the pencil-marks, taking very short stitches; and, when
done, cut them out with sharp scissors, a little distance above
the sewing. Next turn them over, so as to make them right
side out; poking their edges even with the blunt end of a bod-
kin slipped inside :, and then finish by hemming down the
straight edge.
i
n i jir i.
: Instead of sewing the gathers into the collar, night-gowns
are very frequently made with what is called a yoke; that is,
a piece of muslin cut bias and made double, and carried over


NIGHT-GOWN S.
401
the shoulders. The back and front of the gown, and the tops
of the sleeves are gathered into the yoke, which, to look well,
should not be too deep. Less than a finger behind, and less
than half a finger directly in front, will be quite deep enough.
The yoke should be corded all 'round, and have two buttons
to fasten it in front. . . . ;
· For very warm weather, it is well to have some cross-barred
muslin night-gowns, with short full sleeves, gathered on a
band; and, instead of a collar, the neck also to be gathered on
à narrow band. They will be found very, cool and pleasant in
nights of extreme heat.
· If there is too much fulness in the back of a night-gown, it
will drag downwards off the neck behind, and ride up (as it is
called) at the throat. To avoid entirely this inconvenience,
night-gowns, when of six-quarter muslin, are sometimės made
with the back-breadth sloped into two very large gores; sewing
them both together by the sloped edges, so as to make a long
seam up the middle of the back, from the neck to the feet; the
small ends of the gores coming together at the top, and fitting
into the collar or the yoke without having any gathers behind.
This manner of cutting increases the width at the bottom of
the gown. Where the gore-seam terminates at the lower end,
each gore should be sloped considerably upwards; otherwise
they will hang down in an awkward point.
Loose gowns of black India silk are very convenient. For
winter they should be lined all through with slate-coloured
glazed muslin.
DOUBLE WRAPPERS.-These may be cut out in the
same manner as night-gowns. If made of calico or gingham,
it is best to have both lining and outside of the same material.
The seams are all inside, so as to have no raw edges. If
34*


NIGHT-CAPE AND HOOD.
403
diamonds, with long needlefuls of dark-coloured silk. Then
quilt the sleeves and the collar, and when done put them toge
ther. Some persons find it more convenient to quilt all the
breadths separately. The quilting may be done either in a
frame or on a large table.
· If made of proper materials, a quilted wrapper may be washed
as often as necessary, in the same manner as a bed-quilt.
A NIGHT-CAPE.-These are very convenient for ladies
to wear when going to or returning from a summer evening
party, or upon any occasion when a cloak would be too warm,
and when a shawl would crush the upper part of the dress.
The skirts of two left-off silk dresses will make a night-cape,
which should be very large, so as to cover lightly nearly the
whole of the arms, as well as the shoulders and back. 's;
Having ripped apart the skirts of two dresses, let the silk be
sprinkled and ironed smoothly. Then lay the breadths of the
outside together, so as to form an exact square, as large as you
can get it. Do the same with the breadths of the silk that is
to form the lining. Having run all the seams, and pressed
them with a warm iron, (wetting them first with your finger,
dipped in water,) baste together the two squares of silk, and
cut them into an exact circle. In the centre cut a round hole
to admit the neck, and then split the front of the cape straight
down; afterwards sloping it upwards a little, where it meets
at the bottom. Cord the edge all round, and bind the neck
with a band of the same silk. You may fasten it down the
front either with buttons or with strings of ribbon.
TO MAKE A LADY'S HOOD.-Get a yard and a half
of wide dark-coloured silk for the outside, an equal quantity
of light-coloured silk for the lining, and four yards of narrow


404
THE HOUSE BOOK. h.
mantua ribbon, the colour of the lining; three ounces of eider-
down, (which you may obtain from a furrier;) four slips of fine
light bonnet-cane; sewing silk to match the outside; and a
yard and a half of broad mantua ribbon for strings, also the
colour of the outside. For the main part of the hood, take
three quarters and a nail or an exact square of the silk, to be
cut after you have laid it bias, as both lining and outside are
to be cut so. At the part which ascends from the back of the
neck to the back of the head, cut a slope upwards, about a
finger in length. Next, hem down upon the lining the outside
silk along the front edge of the hood, along one of the sides,
and at the back edge; and rún, at equal distances, three or
four small double casings, which must go horizontally or across
the silk, so as to form it into divisions. When these are done,
take the eider-down, open the end of the paper bag that con-
tains it, and pour it carefully, and in equal portions, into each
of the divisions that you' run in the silk. When you have got
all the eider-down in, secure it by running together the side of
the hood that was left open to admit it. Then put drawing
strings of the narrow ribbon (the colour of the lining) into the
časings, bringing out the strings so as to tie at the side and
not in the middle. In the last or farthest back casing, run a'
slip of cane about three quarters and a nail in length, and draw
úp the silk full upon it; bending the cane round into a circle,
and securing it well at both of its ends. Sew up the slope at
the hind part of the hood, and whip over with a gathering
thread the edge of the remaining silk; drawing it all as close
as possible, till the whole edge is brought together in one place
at the back of the head. Next, draw the cases to the fulness
you wish, by pulling the ribbon that is run in them; and then
slip in, between the lining and the outside, three or four canes,
as long as the full width of the silk. These canes go alter-


406 . THE IN OUSE 'B'O OK.
outside, with a pale pink or light blue lining. A black hood
may be lined with gray, pale blue, or pink: an olive-coloured
"outside with either light pea-green; pale pink, or light lilac. *
· If properly taken care of, and not exposed to rain, a well-
made hood of new silk will last a great many years...
"A summer hood may be made in the same manner as one for
winter: but, of course, without eider-down or wadding. !
I HINTS ON DRESS-MAKING._Notwithstanding the
almost incessant changes of fashion, there are certain general
Tules in the art of mantua-making that never vary, and which
'it may be well to point out for the instruction of those who are
desirous of making their own dresses. Young persons who
live in the country will find it very convenient to have some
knowledge of the manner of accomplishing this business; and
"even in cities there are many who, from considerations of eco-
*nomy, might be glad to understand as much of the art as would
"enable them to cut out and put together at least their common
dresses : which often, when done by a mantua-maker, cost more
for the making than the price of the material. "... m ina
In purchasing adress, always get what is called a large
pattern; that is, an ample allowance of the stuff. What is left
will no doubt come into use for altering, mending, renewing
cuffs, &c.; or perhaps it may be wanted for a new body. Also,
if a dress is scantily made, it will never look well, however
expensive the material; particularly if the skirt is too narrow.
In buying silk, you can best ascertain its thickness by hold-
ing a part of it between your eyes and the light. If very stiff,
it is highly gummed, and therefore cannot wear well, as the
gum will cause it' to cut or split at the pleats or gathers. Soft
thick silks, with both sides alike, cut out the most advanta-
geously, and wear the best. Figured or flowered silks look


HINTS ON DRESS MAKING.
411
the linen, (not' bias,) and it must be pinned very smoothly on
the back of the dress worn at the time by the person for whom it
is intended; allowing sufficient everywhere for turning in, and
for outlet if the dress should afterwards be found too tight. The
lining must be allowed longer in the waist than the model dress,
as it takes up greatly in sewing on the skirt. For a person of
hollow back and taper form, the side-seams should have a con
siderable slope inwards from the arm-hole, to the lower extre-
mity of the waist; otherwise, the dress will not set well in to
the lower part of the back, even when made very tight. Where
the waist is thick, the slope inwards should be less; and some
figures require none at all. If the back of the person is rather
round, or the shoulders very prominent, (as they frequently
become, from habitually compressing the waist to excessive
tightness,) the body should be cut considerably longer behind,
so as to allow sufficient space for the projection of the shoulders.
When the back is flat and straight, the body need be no longer
behind than at the sides. Be very careful not to cut the body-
lining too short either behind or before; for to all figures, a
short waist is unbecoming. In cutting out the sleeve-holes,
notch them in front, and allow them sufficiently easy; particu-
larly, just under the arms. Give the shoulders a considerable
slope inwards towards the neck; otherwise the dress will set
too loose about the upper part. Next, with a piece of tape,
measure the length of the skirt from the waist behind, down
to the heels, allowing sufficient for the hem or facing.
• After the lining has been fitted and cut out over the model-
dress, take it off and baste it together; also bàsting down the
large pleats. · Then let it be tried on, and fitted a second time
upon the corset only. This is the time to remedy any faults
in the cutting out or basțing together. If it is found too loose
about the upper part of the back, slope it in a little more


412
THE HOUSE BOOK.
towards the neck. If the top of the front is too loose, slope
that also a little more in to the neck. If too tight, let it out
sufficiently, by opening the shoulder-seam. Should the lower
part of the back be too loose, take it in a little at the side-seam
under the arms. If the waist is too tight, let it out at the side-
seam of the fore-body; or it may be necessary to let out both
the back and the fore-body. A dress, to fit well, should have
no wrinkle whatever under the arms, or indeed in any place
where it ought to be perfectly smooth. A body will frequently
set badly, not because it is too loose, but from the sleeve-hole
being so small that the dress cannot be got on sufficiently;
causing it to hang off and wrinkle down. When this is the
fault, the remedy, of course, is to enlarge the sleeve-hole.
When sleeve-holes are found too tight, cut them away first in
front and under the arms, and then round them off nicely at the
back. If left too tight when the lining is cut out, they will
not be any looser when the dress is finished; as the ridge made
by the seam in putting in the sleeve, always fills up whatever
space is allowed for the sewing. When the fitting of the lining
is finished, do not, after stitching them down, trim off the inside
folds of the large pleats, but allow them to remain uncut: in
case it should, at any time, be found necessary to let them out
for the purpose of enlarging the body. They can be made to
ļie perfectly flat, by felling down the folded edge on the inside.
· In making the fore-body of a dress, the silk or other material
that constitutes the outside, should always be cut precisely bias ;
otherwise, neither the pleats or gathers, nor indeed any part of
the front can set well. To do this, fold one corner quite sharp,
and make the middle of the fold lie exactly even. If the silk
is not wide enough for a perfect bias, join it at the selvage to
another selvage piece running just the same way. An imper-
fect bias causes the pleats to twist or warp, and the whole to


418
:
"
THE HOUSE BOOK.
band, and at the bottom into a wrist-band : they must not be
so long as to appear at the slit of the lower part of the outer
sleeve. Each of these sleeve-linings should have four tapé
strings sewed at equal distances to the binding at the top, to
be tied to corresponding strings sewed inside of the arm-hole
of the dress. Separate sleeve-linings are very convenient for
any description of dresses, as they can be worn or not, accord-
ing to the temperature of the weather, and can also be washed
when soiled. If a permanent lining is put into any part of å
sleeve that is to be washed, it must on no account be of a
coloured material, as, in washing, the colour will run through
to the outside.
After the sleeves of a dress are cut out, the pleats, gathers,
bands, straps, &c., must all be made and put on before the
seams are sewed up; otherwise it'will be impossible to get
any of those decorations even; besides that it is much easier
to do them when the sleeve is spread out flat, than after its
sides are closed up. Where the slit or opening comes at the
wrist, put on each side a broad facing, felled down upon the
lining, no part of which ought by any chance to be apparent
when the dress is on. Make the pleats or gathers very even
and regular, and baste or run them down under the bands. If
there are no bands, close-stitch the pleats as neatly as possi-
ble. If there are bias folds as sleeve-trimmings, let the strips
of which they are made be cut an exact bias; and in sewing
them on to the cord by which they are finished, hold the folded
piece rather loose or easy, and see that you do not get it twisted
or warped in the slightest degree, otherwise it will look very
badly. When all the rest of the sleeve is finished, baste á
cording all along one side, and then hold the edge of the other
side even with it, and run them both together with close short
stitches, going as near the cord as possible. In setting in


424
THE HOUSE BOOK.
:
time, and to fit exactly beneath the upper dress. The sleeves
should be short, and the body perfectly plain. Fine white linen
or lawn under-dresses, have now superseded those of white
silk, and being much whiter are far more becoming. We
have seen under-dresses of a skirt only, sewed at the waist to
the inside of the thin upper-dress, before it was put on. This
is sufficient with the lining of the body and the short sleeve
lining. To very young girls, no dress is more becoming than
a clear muslin. In buying one, see that it has not a blueish cast.
· Ladies who have sense and courage to resist the pernicious
but almost universal custom of wearing long corsets with
busks and whalebones, may make their figures look extremely
well, by a very simple method which cannot possibly interfere
either with their comfort or their health. It is to buy or be-
speak corsets made in the usual manner, yet not so tight but
that the backs can be brought to meet with perfect ease. After
the corsets come home, draw out the busk and all the bones,
except the two that go up the back next to the eyelet-holes;
and which, when they lie flat in the hollow between the shoul-
ders, are not felt by the wearer. After the bones are withdrawn,'
cut off the lower part of the corsets all round, allowing them
just long enough to reach about a few inches below the waist
of your longest-bodied dress. Then bind the bottom with
twilled tape. Wom in this manner, short, and without a busk
or any bones except two up the back, the corsets will feel very
comfortably, and can in no way affect the health ; while the
figure will look so well that few persons will perceive that
the corsets are not exactly in the usual mode. It is the busk
in front, and the bones compressing the waist all round, (united
with improperly tight lacing,) that do the injury; and cause in
so many instances, diseases which embitter the lives of our
young females, even if they do not eventually destroy them. .


INDE X.
481
Cotton stockings, (unbleached to Enamelled kettles, (to clean,) 220.
wash,) 59.
Entrance halls, 328.
Cotton cord, (to shrink,) 62. ,' Entry lamps, 160.
Countérpanes, (to wash,) 313. Evening parties, (hints on,) 280.
Court-plaster, (to make,) 381.
Cow, (to keep,) 355.
Cream oysters, 288.
Faded dress, (to bleach,) 26.
Crickets, (to destroy,) 112. False collars, (to make,) 392.
Crockery, (kitchen,) 233.
False shirt-bosoms, (to make,) 393.
Curtains, 188.
Feathers, (bed-to wash,) 64.
Curtains, (to clean,) 189.
Filtering jars, 244.
Finger glasses, 254.
Fire irons, (to clean,) 216.
Dairy, 359.
Fire irons, (to prevent from rust-
Dampness in beds, (to detect,) 321. ing,) 217.
Damp walls, 335.
Fire screens, 151.
Decanters, (to clean,) 209. Flannel, (to make up,) 396.
Dip candles, (to make,) 170. Flannel, (new-to shrink,) 31, 32.
Dining-tables, (to polish,) 197. Flannel, (to wash,) 32.
Dinner table, (to set,) 256.
Fleas, 111.
Dinner table, (to wait on,) 261. Flies, 112.
Doilies, 256.
Floating tapers, 163.
Doors and windows, (to stop their Floating tapers, (cheap ones,) 166.
cracks,) 322.
- Floating tapers, (to renew,) 164.
Door locks, 333.
Flower stands, 194.
Down feathers, (to clean,) 64. Folding clothes for ironing, 26.
Double wrappers, (to make,) 401. Folding a coat, 75.
Dresses, (coloured—to wash,) 37. Folding a coat for packing, 348.
Dress, (book muslin--to wash,) 43. Folding a lady's dress, 75.
Dress, (painted muslin-to wash,) Folding a dress for packing, 347.
42.
· Folding a lady's cloak, 77.
Dress, (a lady's to fold,) 75. Floors, 335.
Dresses, (to fold for packing,) 347. Forks, (to clean,) 213.
Dress-making, (hints on,) 406. Fowls, (to keep,) 363.
Dress, (a lady's-to make the Front doors, 330.
body,) 410.
Fruit stains, (to remove,) 79.
Dress, (to make the sleeves,) 416. Furniture, (black walnut) 193.
Dress, (to make the skirt,) 420. Furniture, (curled maple,) 193.
Ducks, (to keep,) 369.
Furniture, (mahogany,) 192.
Durable ink, (to make,) 378... Furniture, (rose wood,) 193.
Dust, (to remove from a dress,) 86. Furniture, (varnished mahogany-
Dyes, (domestic-remarks on,) 93. to clean,) 196.
Dyesforyarn, (countrymanner,)101. Furniture, (kitchen,) 228.





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REFERENCE DEPARTMENT
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taken from the Building
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