LIBRARY OF CONGRESS D0Dm7ED3S5 • 3 - '<^'> V 1 \/ .-i^-' V f <=2<. ^ * o « o ^ <^^ y>' '^A . '^^0^ o , * o N o ' -(^ ^^^^ °^^^-\/ V'*^\/ °<^^-'X OI5K HOMEB HEIR SDORNMENT&; OR, f ow to Puild, 1[inist], l[uroisli, and J^dorn a fome, CONTAINING PKACTICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOB THE BUILDING OF HOMES, INTERIOR DECORATION, - "WOOD CARVING, SCROLL SAWING, HOUSE PAINTING, WINDOW HANGINGS, SCREENS, CURTAINS, WINDOW GARDENING, INCIDENTAL DECORA- TIONS, DECORATIVE-ART NEEDLE-WORK, AND ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE GARDENING ; TO WHICH IS ADDED A HOUSEHOLD COMPENDIUM OF NEW, PRAC- TICAL AND VALUABLE RECIPES, THE WHOLE BEING DESIGNED TO MAKE ^APPY ffioMES FOR ffilPPY or By ALMON C. VARNEY, Supervising Architect, etc., Detroit, Mich., ASSISTED BY THE FOLLOWING CORPS OP SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOKS : JOHN H. YOUNG, Author of "Our Deportment," etc, ; Mrs. J. M. S. HOLDEN, Author of Interior Decoration ; CHAS. E. BENTLEY, Author of Decorative Needle- work; WILLIAM BOYDELL, Author of Home Paintimj; JOHN SWIFT, M. S., Late Professor of Horticulture and Land- scape Gardening, Maine Agricultural College. |)LILi§TKA\Ti@. J. C. CHILTON & CO., Publishers, DETKOIT. MICIUGAN. <^ ■h Intha DfficB of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, Transfer Blielneers School Uby, June 29,1931 >B. TO THE ® People oe JtaRici. j^j ; V^ [ill] » ^M, e -,nno.r.r,r,, m4i -?mi^4i^ submitting this work to the public, the Publishers §1 think it not amiss to state that the contents have been carefully criticised and reviewed by competent and '^^^^ conscientious critics. f'^Jf To the authors of the various departments much •^ credit is due for the successful manner in which they ' have treated the topics assigned them. For other favors and information not otherwise available special thanks are due — To Mr. Chas. E. Bentley, Designer and Manufacturer of Decorative Art Needle- Work, New York; Messrs. Phillips & Hunt, Publishers of the "People's Cyclopedia," New York; The American Encaustic Tiling Co., New York; Messrs. Warren, Fuller & Co., Manufacturers of Artistic Wall- Papers, New York; E. T. Barnum, Manufacturer of Crest- ings, etc., Detroit; Messrs. Mills & Barker, Ai-tistic Furni- ture, Detroit; A. H. Shipman, Fret-Saw Manufacturer, Eochester, New York. The Publishers take no small degree of pride in present- ing a work Avhich furnishes so many valuable suggestions on the subject of Our Homes and Their Adornments, and they can but wish that it will greatly assist in making many HAPPY HOMES FOE HAPPY PEOPLE, [iv] [HAT grand old Saxon word, HOME, has for ages held a peerless place wherever the English lan- guage is spoken. And thus do we find it, under every zone, embalmed in song, cherished in the memory, and enshrined in the heart 1 Too much, therefore, can scarcely be said on such a theme, nor too devoted a service rendered to such a cause. And knowing as we do how largely, in this country, Home Life influences both the individual and the State, we come to present the offering of Our Tribute in the imperish- able form of A BOOK, for the acceptance and appreciation of a Home-loving people! The object of this, our labor, is to link — as in a marriage tie — this venerable and comprehensive word " home " with that other word of classic mold, but of modern application, — "ADORNMENT." And wlth the whole-hearted enthusiasm of ^^ match-maJcera" we sincerely hope and believe that they will be found to be not " unequally yoked." [V] vi PREFACE. We are of the opinion that no attempt at " aw alliance " of this nature has ever before been so Avisely planned and so successfully consummated. It only remains, therefore, for us to bid a universal welcome to the Bridal! The homes of the past have been as redolent of virtue and affection as can be claimed for those of our own day; but the age has advanced in all those accessories which give to modern life its charm, and for a " Home " now to be without 'ts " Adornments,'' would be a return to a primitive condition that would ill accord with the scale and quality of social existence everywhere around us. The volume here presented comprehends and supplies, in its completeness, this felt need eminently more than any hitherto offered to the public. The departments it covers embrace the whole domain of " Home and its Adornments," from the most enlightened, cultivated, and reliable sources possible. Under the firm belief that " a thing of beauty is a joy forever," we have reason to expect that our Home Life will become radiated with a brighter glow, from the Alliance of Adormnent with Domesticity ; while the influence of such elements, acting as a Kindergarten, will daily and hourly impress on both young and old its " Object- Lessons " of in- struction with ever softening and refining influences. Economy, which holds so prominent a place in our mod- em household administration, finds a most signal recognition in the work here presented. Recipes of great practical value, are lavishly scattered among its pages; while the Useful, as well as the Ornamental, has in each Department received the most particular attention. PBEFACE. vu " The least said, the soonest mended," is a well-known proverb; and though we have no reason to fear " a break- age " among any of the numerous articles for use or orna- ment cabineted within the binding of this volume, yet we would on no account exhaust the reader's patience with a long Preface. Eveiy new venture expects the favoring breeze of popularity to carry it safely into port. And if our numerous friends will only be kind enough to judge of this work by its merits, we shall then have no fear for the results. THE PUBLISHEES. .r ClOMTEXM'T©. -4 »-?.. PART GtmM: (^fcmnin^, ^Udm^, and 0^iwi^fiin^ <^tom^. CHAPTER I. General Considerations. — Ideal Homes. — Renting and Pui-- chasing. — Contracting the Work. — Paying for Homes Gradually 25 CHAPTER II. How to Plan a House. — Hints as to How to Proceed. — Kinds of Lumber to Use. — Suggestions Worth Noting. —Painting- 30 CHAPTER III. Ornamentation. — Appearance of a House. — Secret of At- tractive Buildings. — The Place to Put Ornaments. — Little Expense with Good Results. — The Front En- trance. — Portico. — Beauty of Outline. — Cotnice. — Gable 36 [viil] CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER IV. Buildings of Wood, their Economy. — Kinds of "Wood to Use. — Ei'ecting the Building. — Direction Therefor. — Rendering Wooden Buildings Warm. — Back Plaster- ing. — How to Make a Wooden Dwelling Nearly Fire- Proof - 39 CHAPTER V. Dtirable Floors. — A Better Plan for Floors Suggested. — Open Joints and How to Prevent Them. — Inside Fin- ish. — The Best Woods and How to Use Them. — Pre- vention of Swelling in Lumber 45 CHAPTER VI. Staircases. — Directions for Building. — New Style of Ban- isters. — Rear Staircase. — Hard Woods. — Black- Wal- nut. — How to Finish a House in Hard Wood. — Veneering Hard Woods 51 CHAPTER VII. Something more Durable. — Brick and Stone Houses. — Their Cost. — Veneer Brick and Stone Work. — How to Prevent Brick Walls from Sweating. — Stone Trim- mings for Brick Houses 57 CHAPTER VIII. Valuable Suggestions and Rules. — Methods of Estimating Work and Material. — How to Find the Amount of Lumber Necessary to Erect a Given Building. — Prices of Labor 61 X CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. House Painting. — Its Philosophy. — Best Time to Paint. — Kinds of Paint. — Colors. — Mixing. — OUs and Driers. — Applying Paints. — Priming. — Second Coat. — Finishing Coat. — Brushes. — General Suggestions. — Inside Paint- ing. — Varnishing. — Graining. — Graining Tools. — The Ground. — Graining Colors. — Oil-Finish 65 CHAPTER X. Descriptions and Specifications Continued. — Lathing and Plastering. — Carpenter Work. — Tin Roofs. — Crestings and Finials. — Doors, Windows, Blinds, and Shutters. — Inside Finish. — Main Room and Kitchen. — Plumbing. — Glazing. — Stoi*m Doors 76 CHAPTER XI. Heating and Ventilation. — Open Fire-Places. — Grates and Furnaces — Steam Heating. — How to Ventilate. — Im- pure Ail". — Nature's Disinfectants 91 CHAPTER XII. Situation and Siirroundings. — Selecting a Healthy Site. — How to Secure Good Drainage. — Pui-e Water. — Danger from Stagnant Pools. — How a House Should Front. — Sunshine. — Its Value. — Shade Trees 97 CHAPTER XIII.' The Primitive House. — Our Noble Ancestors. — Modem Residences. — How to Build a House and Make, Addi- tions to It. — A Simple Cottage. — Design I. (5 illustra- tions.) ...102 CONTENTS. xi CHAPTER XIV. An Attractive Cottage Home for People with Small Means. — How Constructed. — The Cost. — How to Paint It. — Design II. (2 illustrations.) HI CHAPTER XV. A Neat, Symmetrical Story-and-a-half House at Moderate Cost. — Description of Its Arrangement, — Its Advan- tages over a One-story House. — Some Novel Features. — Design III, (3 illustrations). — Design IV. (2 il- lustrations.) - 115 CHAPTER XVI. Story-and-a-half houses Continued. — A House that Will Admit Sunlight to Every Room. — Appearance Made Subordinate to Arrangement of Rooms. — An Excellent Floor Plan. — Design V. (2 illustrations) 125 CHAPTER XVII. A Rural Cottage Home. — A Plan that Combines Convenience and Beauty. — Simple Adornments that Add to Comfort. — Perspective View of a Picturesque Gothic House. — Design VI. (2 illustrations) — Design VII. (with il- lustration.) 128 CHAPTER XVIII. More Durable Material. — A Solid Gothic House. — Style, not New but Popular. — Description of the Plans — Cost of Erection. — Design VIII. (3 illustrations.) — Exten- sive Farm Residence and Bam. — Design IX. (2 illus- trations.) 132 xii CONTENTS. CHAPTER XIX. An Elegant Brick Residence. — Comfort and Beauty Com- bined. — Description of Plan, Materials, and Construc- tion. — Design X. (2 illustrations.) — A Modem Yilla. — Design XI. (with illustration.) 138 CHAPTER XX. How to Build a Summer Cottage. — Cheap, but Attractive Houses in the Hot Season. — How to Build a Rustic Arbor. — A Few Suggestions on Beautifying the Sur- roundings with Little Expense 143 CHAPTER XXI. Alterations and Additions. — Old Houses Made New. — Caiition. — Improving Roofs and Gables. — Remodeling Windows 149 CHAPTER XXII. Outhouses. — Some Practical Suggestions. — How to Have Ice all the Summer. — An Ice-House Preservatory. — Plan for a Cheap but Excellent Farm and Carriage Barn 157 <^.j^;^^ fff^ ORNAMENTATION. — APPEARANCE OF A HOUSE. — SECRET OF ATTRACTIVE BUILDINGS. — THE PLACE TO PUT ORNA- MENTS. — LITTLE EXPENSE WITH GOOD RESULTS. — THE FRONT ENTRANCE. — PORTICO. — CORNICE.— GABLE. 3j«iO HE exterior of a house built of wood can, at a small cost over what the difference would be for a plain one, be made attractive and even beauti- ful in outline and effect; it should, however, be borne in mind that the requirements to produce a fine artistic effect, are not, by any means, in the amount of ornamentation put on, but in the kind and in the adaptability of the ornaments of the building. In other words, what is put on for the purpose of ornamenting should be in the right place, and look as if it belonged and had a purpose there. Many times this is overdone, and the building when completed looks more like a thing constructed upon which to nail tawdry or illy-designed ornaments, than a harmonious whole, with each part blending with the other, and making an object that will attract attention, and challenge admiration, and upon which the eye lingers [36] WHERE TO PUT ORNAMENTS. 37 spell-bound, while the effect on the memory is of something beautiful. All this is very simple of explanation. Sometimes we look upon a house that has this attraction for us, and when we come to think over the amount of ornamenting done and the cost of the same, we are almost astonished that so little could attract attention; but it is simply the arrangement of the design of the building that produces this effect. The fbont entrance, the portico, and the entrance doors should, we think, be the place to show the most taste in ornamentation. This is the point that must command the most marked attention. Let the outline be easy and graceful, the steps broad, and, where there is plenty of room and the expense can be borne, curve out in an easy manner. Nothing helps to make an inviting entrance like broad, easy steps. The front doors, we think, should be a model of outline, and the ornamentation in good taste. This can be done without much, if any, carvings. We think that most of the costly doors often seen, covered with carved ornaments, are anything but beautiful, and they often look burdened with unmeaning intricacies of the gouge and chisel, where something else, in rich design of form and outline, would have been far more attractive. The portico, again, an important feature so commonly used now on city and town houses, possesses the same characteristics, that is, the same amount of work looks either good or bad according to the taste and skill displayed in the forms of finish, the dimensions of outlines, caps, etc. A column too large in proportion, may spoil the good effect 38 OUB HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. of an otherwise fine portico; and the same thoughtfulness must govern the entire work. The windows, the frames, caps, and sills must, when completed, form an outline that is easy and symmetrical, whatever the design may be. For instance, a window with a neat cap, and the sill cut short off, with nothing to relieve it on the side, or any corbel under the sill, looks ungraceful. It matters not how fine a cap it may have, there will be something lacking. Cornices and gables, again, are open to the same crit- icism. A cornice may be too broad for the building, or the roof too steep for the width of cornice, either of which pro- duces a strange effect upon the building. The gable can be ornamented in a multitude of ways that are most pleasing to the eye, or the vagaries of the jig and band saw may cumber it down with trash that is most repulsive to look upon. We have briefly touched upon these points, endeavoring to show where beauty in the exterior of our houses may be had, and that, too, in many cases without increasing the cost, if we only use good taste, skill, and fair judgment in the designs. CxMAF^^RK T^. BUILDINGS OF WOOD. — THEIR ECONOMY. — KINDS OF WOOD TO USE.— ERECTING THE BUILDING.— DIRECTIONS THERE- FOR. — RENDERING WOODEN DWELLINGS WARM. — BACK PLASTERING. — HOW TO MAKE A WOODEN DWELLING NEARLY FIRE PROOF. moderate there can one built brick and discussion chapter. o:*ic N this country with its almost exhaustless resources of forests, including the finest assort- ment of woods for building found on any- continent, the choicest kinds can be procured at reasonable figures. The woods best adapted for the framing and finishing of all exterior portions, as well as for the superstructure itself, are PINE, SPRUCE, and HEMLOCK, their abundance, improved methods of manufacture, and moderate cost, rendering them the most desirable woods for houses of cost. As far as health is concerned, we think be no house better adapted to its promotion than of wood. However, the obstacles to health in stone buildings are not insurmountable, and a full of these materials will be found in another [39] 40 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. A building of wood cannot well be made as warm as one of brick or stone, but can, in the following manner, be made warm enough for all practical purposes. For an ordi- nary eight-room, two-story building we will imagine three rooms and a hall in first story, the same number on the second floor, and a rear part with kitchen, pantry, and back staircase, and cellar under this, and on second floor of rear part a servant's room and bath-room. The sills should be eight inches square, the floor joists for first floor two by ten inches, and framed into the sills even with the tops of the same, so that when the floor is laid it will just come evenly over the sills, to prevent rats and mice from gaining an entrance, for these pests are one of the most annoying dis- advantages in most wood dwellings, as they are generally constructed. Now proceed to put up the outer walls of the house of two by four scantling, with ledger boards one by five inches cut in for second story floor joists to rest upon, and plates doubled and spiked down on top of scantling for rafters. Cover the outside of frame with good, sound boards, dry, or nearly so. The frame should either be dry, or after being put into the building should have a chance to dry before plastering is put on. Boards should be planed, as you cannot make them lay down even with each other if of uneven thickness. On the inside, between the outside studding, nail on furring strips one inch square with the face one and a half inches from outside of studding, and to these lath in the ordinary manner, and put on one good coat of rich, brown mortar; this is known as hack plastering. We know of no way so well adapted for making a warm house as this. FIBE-PBOOF WOODEN BUILDINGS. 41 If your frame is not dry, or if studding is wet or green, they might shrink and leave small crevices for air between furring strips and studding. We might observe right here that it is of vast importance to have the timber for floors and partitions well dried, either for wood buildings or brick and stone. This back plastering will cost from ten to twelve cents per square yard, including lathing; and considering the great benefit of a warm, dry house, it should be put in most good houses at least. This arrangement leaves an air-space next to the outside boarding, and one next to inside plaster- ing, thereby effectually excluding dampness and wind. Another thing that should be done to help overcome the disadvantage of wood buildings, as compared with brick and stone, is to render them comparatively safe from total de- struction by fire. As usually constructed, walls are so many flues on the outside, leaving free access for draughts of air to fan a fire and spread it with lightning rapidity from cellar to garret, so that when discovered it is beyond control. Such walls also allow vermin to pass up and in between the ceiling and floors, if they once get in below. We over- come this danger, in a measure at least, in the following way: On the level of the second floor, either run the floor- ing in between studding, or nail or cut in horizontal pieces between each studding, and over these fill in a couple of inches of mortar or a course of brick laid in mortar. This closes the passages between plaster and boards effectually, so that there is no draught should the house catch fire by any means on an outside wall. How many times this arrangement alone would have kept a fire burning so slowly 42 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. that it could have been discovered and put out before it had worked its way up to the roof. This is one of the pre- cautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of fire in wooden buildings. Still, most of our brick dwellings, so far as their internal construction is concerned, are exceed- iagly inflammable; and if a fire is once well under way, it usually ruins everything inside. Sheathing Paper. But to return to our wood house. On the outside walls we would place one thickness of tarred building paper with the edges lapped, and run it under all finish, as corner boards, cornices, window and door frames, etc. This paper now costs two and three-fourths cents per pound, and comes in rolls of about fifty yards each, on an average, so it will be an easy matter to find out about the amount wanted. Now these two things — building paper and back plas- tering — should be used where a good house is building, but on some cheaper houses it may not always do to incur the expense. The usual plan here, and for most parts of the country, is to paper only in the manner directed above; but we are sure, that for a good house, it will pay to bu,ck plaster also. The roof, if of shingles eighteen inches long, should be laid five and one-half inches to the weather, and should be laid on roof boards with open joints one and a half inches. This is much better for the roof than to have the boarding laid with close edges, or matched, as when the shingles are wet they absorb a large amount of moisture, and are liable to swell and injure the roof. Where roof boarding is open, a better circulation of air is obtained and the shingles dry SHINGLES AND CLAPBOARDS. 43 out quickly, while on the other hand, with boards laid close, the shingles have to dry from the outside surface entirely, or nearly so, and require more time, thereby causing a quicker decay of the wood. Shingles make a good roof, as almost every one -knows; and considering their cost, they are not liable to be super- seded by anything else for cheap wooden buildings. The slate roof, of course, is much better, both in appearance and durability, but its cost must exclude it from general use on wooden buildings of moderate cost while shingles are so cheap. The best shingles ever made are the old-style hand- shaved, but very few are now made. By using a little care, in laying sawed shingles, to turn down the brash way of the grain, the shingles will last much longer. Clapboaeding. The outer walls are usually covered with clapboards of pine, spruce, or, sometimes, basswood; in this locality, usually pine, and this is the best. These boards are made from six-inch strips, one inch thick as they come from the mills; after being allowed to dry they are planed both sides, and jointed, and run through a re-sawing machine, making two clapboards out of each inch piece. Clap- boards should not be laid to exceed four and one-half inches to the weather, and nailed once in twelve inches. In many parts of the Eastern States, particularly Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, large quantities of spruce clapboards axe made from small, straight trees which are cut in four and six-foot lengths, turned in a lathe and then sawed toward the center, the thin edges in, and thick edges out. These make a very good clapboard, but great care must be used 44 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. in putting them on, owing to their liability to split. Some painters claim that on these boards paint will not stick as well; still, in our experience, where dry clapboards have been painted with pure white lead and linseed oil, it has ilot come oft". Basswood is used in only a few localities where the wood is plenty ; if put on dry, and thoroughly nailed and painted without getting wet, it makes a very good covering. Clap- boards are undoubtedly the best covering for outside walls of wood buildings. Boards ten inches wide, running per- pendicularly and battened at the joints, make a good out- side covering. Now-a-days we sometimes venture upon the grounds of our ancestors by shingling outer walls, but usually for eftect only, in gables, where a few shingles laid in a panel or above a belt course, cut in some attractive pattern and paiuted in some rich or warm color, have a pleasing effect. The great disadvantages in the protection of exposed surfaces of wooden buildings, render the material less desirable for certain classes of residences, and thei'e is not the least doubt that less perishable materials are preferable, other things being equal. ^^J!^p^^^^ ^, DURABLE FLOORS. — A BETTER PLAN FOR FLOORS SUG- GESTED. — OPEN JOINTS AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM. — INSIDE FINISH. — THE BEST WOODS AND HOW TO USE THEM. — PREVENTION OF SWELLING IN LUMBER. o»;c INE and spruce are the kinds used most for ordinary floors that are to be covered with carpeting. In tlie Middle and Western States, the flooring is matched and laid the first thing after the roof is on the building. In the Eastern States, a floor of cull boards, planed to an even thickness and unmatched, is laid as soon as the floor joists are in place, and this comes very handy to work upon during the process of constructing the walls, either in wood or brick buildings. After plastering and other work of inside finishing are all done, and the base board in place, the last or upper floor is laid over the cull floor previously laid. The last floor is made of pine, or more commonly there, spruce, unmatched, the edges jointed, and the measure taken for each piece, which is cut in place and laid, commencing on either side of [45] 46 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. the room and meeting in the center, fitting each end to a joint against base board. The last opening near the center is measured, and a piece fitted and sprung into place, mak- iner the whole floor tierht. It is then lined off and nailed on both edges. This makes a very good floor, though costing somewhat more than a matched floor. The edge of such a floor being inside of base board, if there is any settling it will not show an open joint, as in the plan of putting the base board on the floor, when any shrinkage will leave an opening. In kitchens, this plan of laying the floor inside of finish is particularly good, as the floor frequently wears out in time, and has to be replaced, which can be done without disturbing other finish. Hard-wood floors are much used, and those made from the following woods are desirable: White oak, hard maple, cherry, and ash, if straight grained. In the Eastern States, much southern hard pine is used for public buildings and factories. This has a smooth, hard, glassy surface, and makes an excellent floor to stand the wear. We omitted to mention the use of matched sheathing for outer walls, in connection with our remarks on outside covering; this is desirable many times for fronts in city or town ; but in the way it is usually put on, horizontally, in many places, we think it serves a very poor purpose. If the sheathing applied in this way is ever so dry, the tendency is to produce leaks and rotten joints. The rain, beating against the wall, works into the joints, and falling in behind window-frames, many times causes leaks and swells open the joints of the sheathing, so that the appear- ance is anything but pleasing. finishing: 47 We frequently sheathe the fronts of houses, but we first board and paper outside in the usual manner; then we use perfectly dry matched pine, seven-eighths inch thick and two and a half inches wide (having it narrow lessens risk of shrinkage), putting it on vertically, and wherever it comes on a window cap, or roof, we turn the tin well up under. The reasons why this method is better are obvious. It cannot leak, for if any water should get into a joint, it runs out at the lower end, and the joints running vertically, the water will not have much tendency to get into them. Besidas, this method looks better. We have, in this city, known of many instances where the fronts of houses sheathed horizontally have leaked, and the owners have had them clapboarded to put a stop to the annoyance. The best finish for all outside wood-work, as is well known, is pine. Nothing else, of the many different kinds of wood, possesses the quality of withstanding the storms and weather changes as does pine, when, of course, pro- tected with paint. All outside finish, so far as practicable, should be primed before being put into the building. We have found from practice that the moldings of columns, as they are fitted and cut for their respective places, should be hollowed out on the back, or heel, of the miter, and the joints painted one coat. A column made from dry pine, with its joints put together in the same way, will not show the joints of the capital and molded bases open, like many frequently seen on new work carelessly put up. The cause of open joints is plain. The water striking the column and running down onto the capital and base, 48 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. thoroughly saturates them ; they swell, and if what is known as the heel, or thick part of the miter, has not been hol- lowed out as above, the outer parts are forced apart, leaving an ugly gap for the painter to cover up ; if cut away, it can swell without forcing the joint open on the outer corner. Pine is also mostly used for all kinds of inside finish in the ordinary class of buildings or houses. Whitewood, known in some parts of the South as poplar, is used to some extent where this kind of wood is plentiful, and being a soft wood, it is very easy to work; the surface finishes down smoothly, and takes paint well. Indeed, it gives a better surface for painted work than it is possible to obtain on pine, and there is no pitch to come through, and but few knots to be found in it. It is not abundant enough to compete with pine in all markets, and although there are very few knots or " shakes" to contend with, it has a way of checking in seasoning, from the ends, that causes a large waste to the consumer. These checks extend from one to four feet from either end, and we know of no way to pre- vent this. Having used a large amount of it in years past^ we think there is none. Bass-wood, a pure, white, soft, pliable wood, fully as soft as pine, is much used for carriage and sleigh bodies, and indeed for almost any finishing that requires bending for form, where great strength is not demanded. This wood takes on a fine finish, as may be observed by noticing the brilliant, coal-black polish on carriage bodies. It makes a very good inside finish, but must be well secured in place, wherever used, as it will, before being painted, quickly absoi'b moisture, and warp into all manner of shapes. It has never been used very extensively in cities THE BEST WOODS. 49 for inside finishing, its use being confined principally to certain localities where it is abundant and cheap, and wheie pine is not so plenty. In the Eastern States the farmer, having trees of this variety in his forest, and no pine, cuts them into finishing lumber, and uses it to save the purchase of pine. Like whitewood, it is much used in cabinet work for drawers and backing of furniture. It resembles the whitewood in most respects, being free from knots and liable to checking in the ends during seasoning, but it is softer and whiter. The woods enumerated in the foregoing list comprise those most used for painted work on interior finish, save in California, where redwood is used very largely. This wood has the peculiar disadvantage of shrinking endwise of the grain. In either of the two woods mentioned in comparison with pine, neither is so well suited for doors and sash, as they will warp, and must be secured in place to something solid. This is particularly true of bass-wood. Whitewood is sometimes used for doors, but does not stand like pine; so when we consider the question of general utility, pine is really the best of all, and we know of noth- ing that retains its form as well. For inside finish, it should be got out some time before being put into the building, and kiln-dried either before or after work- ing; and the best and only way anything like a good house should be finished, is in the following manner: The plastering should be put on ai-ound all doors, windows, wainscotings, and base, and all the plaster work should be thoroughly dry before the lumber for finish is taken into the house, as dry pine, taken into even a damp room and left for a few days, wiU absorb considerable moisture, and if 4 50 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. put on the walls before it is dry, it will surely open in the joints. A very good plan, which we have seen used, is to give lumber for casings or architraves, a coat of shellac on the back side, which keeps the moisture, if there be any in the wall, from entering the wood. For finishing cheap houses, the plan most generally followed, is to put on plaster ground for the base board only, and then put on the first member of the architrave around doors and windows, and finish the plastering to this, and after mortar is dry, to put on a band molding, as it is called, lapping o%'er the casing and back onto the plaster, covering the joint between casing and the mortar. This plan answers very well for cheap houses, the only difficulty being that the finish first put on will swell up by contact with wet mortar and cause open joints, which will have to be filled with putty by the painter. Cmaftr^ '^1. STAIR CASES. — DIRECTIONS FOR BUILDING. — NEW STYLE OF BANISTERS. — REAR STAIRCASE. — HARD WOODS. — BLACK- WALNUT. — HOW TO FINISH A HOUSE IN HARD. WOOD. — VENEERING HARD WOODS. ol»{o HE staircase in the better class of houses should not be built, save the rough carriages, until after plastering is completed and dry, for the rea- sons before stated. The "treads and risers" for all good stairs should be ganed, or housed in, to back stringer, as the term is used ; and where the face stringer is cased up or made what Is known as a close stringer, they .should be housed into this also, and these grooves should be cut on a bevel, and wedged and glued in place solid and nailed. In the corner, between the stringers, a small, square, pine block, some six inches long, should be glued in against "tread" and "riser." This holds the stairs, or "treads" and "risers," solidly together, and prevents the squeaking so often heard when going up and down many apparently good flights of stairs. All kinds of wood used for inside finish are used in stair work. [51] 52 OUR HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. Until within a few years, the post at foot of stairs, or newel post, banisters, and rail have been made from black- walnut, except in the more pretentious houses, where mahogany is sometimes used. But at the present, in the East, very little black-walnut is used for stair work, ash, oak, and butternut, being substituted. We have now, in ordinary houses even, broken away, in a measure at least, from the old-style turned newel post and banister, and in their place you find a square post for a newel, ornamented in a simple and pleasing manner on the base and shaft, with a cap formed in a graceful outline to the top, for a gas-light stand, or candelabrum, or if this is not wanted, an orna- ment of wood. On the side of staircase, in place of the banisters is found a neat design for a series of cut panels, made quite open, so as not to look too "boxey," and this surmounted by the rail. If there is room in the arrangement to turn the stair once, at least, when part way up, on a level landing, with a square angle post at the corner, the effect is good. The level landing of course takes a little more room. An ordi- nary flight of stairs can be made in a neat and simple de- sign, something after the plan stated above, at a cost very little more than the old style, and it looks very much better. A window of stained glass, over a staircase, or at a landing part way up, gives a very pretty effect of color in the hall below. Rear or back stairs are not always housed in the stringer, but in a good house it is better, and there should never be over three " winders " in turning a comer, as when more are used it renders the steps so narrow that a person going down is Hable to fall. In building, always bear in mind that back stairs are HARD WOOD FINISH. 53 used as much by nearly all the occupants as the front stairs, and therefore as much care should be taken in their construction. Kinds of Hard Wood Generally Used in Inside Finishing, and the Manner of Using and Applying the Same. The following constitute the principal kinds of native hard woods used: Black-walnut, black or brown ash, butternut, white ash, white maple, white oak, red oak, red cherry, and sometimes birch and beech, but not to any great extent. The days of black-walnut are already numbered for lavish use in finishing buildings, and even for furniture. The consumption of this beautiful wood in the last ten years has been so great that the scarcity now felt is causing the price to increase constantly ; and in a few years, at most, it will be used but little, even in furniture, and that of the most costly kind. Although it is an elegant wood, and better adapted for furniture, we think that the finish of our houses and public buildings loses nothing by the substitution of the lighter hard-woods in its stead. Spending several weeks recently in the cities of New York and Boston, and visiting many fine houses as well as public buildings, the author observed the general absence of black-walnut finish even among the opulent. In the West, where we can obtain it at a lower price than in the East, we still adhere to it. Although, in our own practice for the last four years we have been in favor of using light, hard- woods, exclusive of any trimming up with black-walnut. We have found, in the majority of cases, that the prejudice in its favor is so strong that our patrons would overrule our preference, and have the black- walnut. 64 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. In the last two years we have finished a few houses in light wood, and the indications are that we shall now soon follow our Eastern friends in its use. The light woods give a welcome, bright effect to an interior, their grain, when finished properly by the painter, standing out clear and beautiful. A room finished with light woods, in our opinion, presents a more cheerful appearance and has noth- ing of the gloomy effects produced by darker woods. Our furniture generally being dark, the variety of upholstering usually produces all the contrast required for effect without the use of walnut finish. The author has now in process of construction a residence to cost twelve thousand dollars, with finishing as follows : The parlor and sitting-room finished in buttei-nut ; the vestibule, front hall, and staircase, all black-walnut; the dining-room, library, and entire remainder of house, in red oak. The finishing of the hall and staircase in walnut was simply a compromise with the proprietor, who in the beginning was determined to run streaks of walnut all the way through the different rooms, but finally consented to the arrangement given above. In the East, you can find beautiful staircases in light woods, and will be surprised at their beauty. There are, as yet, but few in the city of Detroit. The first proceeding with all kinds of hard- wood is to get it thoroughly kiln-dried; and a good amount of care should be used, so that the planks or boards will not warp and spring while in the kiln. In securing the best effect of grain, much depends upon the sawyer; the sidings taken off produce fine grain, and quartering the log through is a good way to show the grain. VARIETIES OF HARD WOOD. 55 In our judgment brown ash is one of the richest of our native woods; the pleasing variety of forms the grain assumes, especially the mottled or vai'iegated color (some- times called by dealers, " calico ash ") is very rich, desirable, and much sought after for the Eastern market. Most specimens of this wood are of a soft, brashy nature, easily worked, and take on a fine, smooth finish when worked down, in consequence of which it is much used in furniture. White oak is an exceedingly tough, hard-wood, and very difficult to work and bring down to a smooth finish. This can of course be done, but it costs a good deal in hand labor to accomplish it. Red oak is less difficult to work, being more of the nature of ash, but tougher; the grain is finely marked in a variety of forms, and the red, bright color gives it a very fine, rich efiect when finished. White or hard maple is a very hard, bright wood, and very white (except the heart of the tree), used but little for finishing work, but more for floors, the grain being ordinary. Bird's-eye maple is much sought after for car work, and is sometimes used in houses. Red cherry has a very fine grain, and a rich, reddish color, taking on a fine polish, and in some degree resembling some varieties of mahogany. It is now much used in the East for finishing staircases, dininsf-room wainscotinsrs, etc., and is very beautiful for such purposes. It is also used extensively in the manufacture of school desks. Some persons are led astray in regard to the difierence in cost of finishing in hard- woods and pine; the price per thousand feet is about the same, but the difference in cost arises from the fact that there is always more waste in hard- 56 OUR HOMES AND THE IB ADORNMENTS. wood than pine, and that more hand labor is required to produce a fine job of joining in hard- wood. Doors of hard-wood should always be made by veneering on pine. Make, first, a plain pine stile and rail door, and make the ^:)a'>7e^s of the kind of hard- wood intended; then glue upon the pine frame, covering it up entirely, a thin covering of the hard-wood desired, one-fourth to three- eighths of an inch thick. When this work is dry, cut the desired moldings of the hard-wood, and secure them on the edges against rail and stiles, as in any other door. Such a door, if properly made, will stand without warping. The pine, being better to keep true than any known wood, makes an excellent foundation to hold the hard-wood. Another plan in common use for making a hard-wood door, two and one-fourth inches thick, for instance, is to make two doors of equal thickness and glue them together, both being framed separately. When thus glued together, a door is much stronger and less liable to warp than one equally as thick made of a single piece of wood. CxFIJ^F^a^RR ^11. SOMETHING MORE DURABLE. — BRICK AND STONE HOUSES. — THEIR COST. — VENEER BRICK AND STONE WORK. — HOW TO PREVENT BRICK WALLS FROM SWEATING. — STONE TRIMMINGS FOR BRICK HOUSES. o>*:o HERE is something in the word stone suggestive of stability ; something that conveys the idea of endurance, solidity, and capability to stand the tempest, the wear of winter's ice and snow, and of summer's parching rays. This ability to withstand the forces of the elements, and to maintain intact in spite of the.se forces, renders stone the natural product of nature, and brick the offspring of man's genius, especially suitable for purposes of building, both for domestic and commercial use. And then it gratifies the natural vanity of a man to be able to erect a residence of such material as will last for generations, and serve as a land-mark of family history. One great advantage of brick or stone work is, that when once properly put up, it requires but little outlay to keep it in good repair, while, on the other hand, a building of wood [57] 58 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. must be looked after frequently, and repainted every few years, to preserve it from decay and keep it in good ap- pearance. A brick house requires more care than stone, as the bricks, in time, become discolored, and require to be stained and penciled over. Security from fire is another consideration in favor of stone and brick, houses of these materials being less liable to take fire from the outside ; but when once well started in- side, a fire will do as much damage to furnishings and contents as in a building of wood. Comparative Cost. The cost of buildings of brick and stone, of course, is much more than of wood, being about twenty-five per cent more for brick and more yet for stone. The cost of stone mainly depends upon the locality of the quarry, the quality of the stone itself, the means of transportation, and the ease with which it can be worked. As brick clay is found in almost every locality, the cost of brick depends simply upon the cost of labor, fuel for burn- ing, and the relation of supply and demand. It may be well to state that quality depends much upon the methods and thorouofhness of burning the brick. This matter should be looked to in the purchase of brick. Beautiful enameled brick of many colors are now made, but their cost is too great to bring them into general use, though for special pur- poses they give a pleasing effect. Veneer Brick and Stone Work. A very nice plan for building what may be called a half -stone or veneer-stone house, is as follows: On the ■ VENEER BRICK AXD STONE WORK. 59 completed foundation wall, back some five inches from the outer edge of the water-table, a frame, as for a frame house, is erected of two by six-inch studding in the usual manner, and then boarded on the inside; fill in from the outside five inches thick with brick and mortar against boarding, and on top of water-table, outside of brick and mortar, set with cement a veneer of sawed stone four inches thick, of con- venient size, and anchor each stone to the studding with small iron hooks. So build up, fitting in window sills and caps, and finish with modern gothic roof, and the house is, to all outward appearance, of solid stone. ^ We can see no reason why buildings erected by this plan are not as durable as most houses. The wood is thoroughly protected, and if the foundation wall is well laid, no damage can arise from settling. We know of some such houses that have been standing for many years, and are said to be in a perfect state of preservation. Brick veneer is made on the same principle. One four- inch course of brick is laid from the foundation to top of outer wall, anchored once in five courses, and the building is taken for one of solid brick. The framing for these should be quite dry, and rendered very strong by bridging. This class of buildings, we think, should not be encour- aged in city or town where houses are so compact, as in case of fire the whole wall may tujnble down when least expected, burying the firemen under it. Being but four inches thick, such walls in reality furnish but little protec- tion against intense heat from surroundmg buildings on fire. Houses of brick or stone are, in consequence of thick walls, much warmer in winter and cooler in summer than buildings of wood. The walls should be furred by fasten- 60 OZTR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. ing strips to them and lathing to these strips, leaving a dead space between the plaster and brick or stone. This keeps out the moisture, and prevents the annoyance of " sweating " walls. If the cellar of any house is not a perfectly dry one, put on one coat of good mortar overhead. This effectually prevents the passing of dampness from the cellar, and makes a warm first floor. The modern brick houses of more elaborate finish are now trimmed with some of the many fine stones to be found in difierent localities. The contrast produced by the fine red of the brick and the quiet shades of the stone in sills, belting-courses, window and door caps, and the various other ways in which it may be needed, is very pleasing indeed. We think it desirable to lay the stone flush with the brick ; this keeps it cleaner, and it stands better. Pro- jecting belts and courses must drop off" the water, which leaves soiled marks in its course. When the foregoing facts are carefully weighed, we think that the majority will agree with us in saying that when it is intended to put over four thousand dollars into a house, it should be constructed of brick or stone, or both, if the locality is such that it can be done without exagger- ated difierence in cost. dmAF^TRR VfK, VALUABLE SUGGESTIONS AND EULES. — METHODS OF ESTIMAT- ING WOEK AND MATEEIAL. — HOW TO FIND THE AMOUNT OF LUMBER NECESSARY TO ERECT A GIVEN BUILDING. — PRICES OF LABOR. o>»ic XCAVATING CELLARS.— This is estimated by the cord of 128 cubic feet, by the square foot, or square yard. One to two dollars per cord is usually paid, according to hardness of the subsoil. Dizains, — So much per lineal foot, according to depth and hardness of subsoil. Pipes for drains cost in proportion to their size. Stone-ivork for foundations, — Usually 16^ cubic feet, estimated at so much per perch, laid in the wall, and costs according to kind and quality of stone. Brick-work — Is figured by number of cubic feet in the wall, 22 common brick to the foot. Prices for laying up the wall vary with cost of labor. Plastering. — This is estimated by the square yard, — for three-coat work, twenty -five cents; and two-coat work, twenty cents per square foot, including mortar. Stucco or plaster cornice work, from thirty cents up, per lineal foot. [611 62 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. For center-pieces of stucco, the cost is two dollars and upward. Car'penter-work. — For framing, compute the number of feet of board measure in frame, and to the cost of this add eight dollars per thousand feet for ordinary framing. For brick walls, allow five dollars per thousand feet for labor; for common boarding of walls, roofs, and rough floors, add to the cost of boards four dollars per thousand feet for labor ; for shingles, one dollar and fifty cents per thousand for laying. Cornicing — Must be estimated at so much per lineal foot, and costs according to the amount of work. Windows — Are reckoned by the piece, considering finish inside and out, all complete save the glazing. Doors. — Double doors for entrance, if of pine, are twelve dollars per pair upward, according to style, — walnut, from thirty dollars upward ; common doors, from six dollars up- ward; inside sliding doors, from twenty dollars per pair, upward, according to finish. Floors,— LaXdi, add one dollar to cost of every ten square feet of lumber. For base, the cost is so much per lineal foot for lumber, and three dollars per hundred feet put down; wainscoting, so much per square foot. Staircases. — Common, straight, cylinder staircases, with curved rail, and casings at all angles of stringers, and common newel posts and turned banisters, cost about forty- five dollars; winding stairs, ninety dollars; and so on, the cost varying with the amount of work. Bay-windows, — One story, forty -five dollars ; two stories, eighty-five dollars. Clapboarding or weathei'-hoarding. — For this work, add to cost of lumber ten dollars per thousand feet, but if much fitting is required this amount will not be enough. METHODS OF ESTIMATING WORK. 63 Painting — Is computed at so much a square yard ; and for glazing, take the size and consult some good dealer or a good price list. Cresting — Costs so much per lineal foot. Harchuave and plumbing— Qoni according to the quality of material and the amount of work. In the foregoing estimate the prices quoted are perhaps an average; in the country the cost will usually be less. Measuring. A foot of lumber is a piece 12 inches square and 1 inch thick; a board 12 inches wide, 1 inch thick, and 10 feet long contains 10 feet of lumber. To measure hoards, — Multiply the length in feet by the width in inches, and divide by 1 2 ; the result is the number of feet in the board if 1 inch thick; if 1| inches thick, add \; if l-g- inch thick, add | ; if 2 inches thick, the board will contain twice as many feet, and so on. To measure a pile of lumber. — If the boards are of equal length and width, multiply the feet in one board by the number of boards. If the boards are of equal length, but vary in width, measure each board with a tape-line, drawing it out as each board is measured ; and when the pile is completed, examine the tape-line, find how many feet you have measured off, and multiply this by the length, in feet, of one board. If the boards vary in length, they must be measured separately, or averaged. To find number of feet in studding, etc. — Multiply length and breadth in inches by length in feet, and divide the product by 12. The result will be number of feet in the stick. 64 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. To find hoiu many feet of homher a log will make. — Take the average diameter in inches and subtract 4, square one-fourth of the remainder, and multiply by the length of the log in feet. The result will be the correct number of feet that the log will make. Amount of lumber for a given building. — By apply- ing the foregoing rules, any one may find the numbei* of feet of lumber required for a given building. Begin with sills, and calculate for each kind of lumber separately, adding the results. For clapboarding, add one-third for lapping; for matched flooring, add one-fifth for waste. Shingles. — The number of shingles required for a roof is usually estimated at one thousand for every square, or one hundred square feet; hence, find the square feet in the roof and divide by one hundred, — result is the number of thou- sand shingles. This estimate is ample, and with good shin- gles 1000 should lay 125 to 140 feet. Or, find the area in inches, multiply the width of a shingle by the length exposed to the w^eather, and divide the area by the product. This gives the number of shingles, but there must be allowance made for waste. Shingles are laid from three to six inches to the weather, according to length, and they vary in width, four inches being the average width. For clapboarding, — Add one-third to the number of surface feet to be covered, for boards, 6 inches wide, laid 4| inches to the weather. For flooring, — add one-fifth to the surface feet, for matching. In plastering — It is customary to compute the whole area and deduct one-half the area of doors and windows, but in some places no deduction is made. G.Hi\F>i"Ri^ TX. N- HOUSE PAINTING. ^ ITS PHILOSOPHY. — BEST TIME TO PAINT. — KINDS OF PAINT. — COLORS. — MIXING. — OILS AND DRIERS. — APPLY- ING PAINTS. — PRIMING. — SECOND COAT. — FINISHING COAT. — BRUSHES, — GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. AINT, composed of a mixture of oil and mineral, generally white lead, and applied to wood, iron, and even stone, acts as a preserver by shielding the surface from the action of rain and the atmosphere. A building left unpainted any length of time, absorbs moisture quickly ; and besides rendering the rooms unhealthful, by reason of moisture, it decays very rapidly. The best time to apply paint is in the spring or autumn. Cool weather, if dry, is better, as the paint hardens naturally and presents a firmer surface to the action of the elements. In summer, when exposed to the sun, the oil in the paint soaks into the wood and leaves the lead to crumble and wear off' quickly ; yet if care is taken to apply the paint at proper hours, the action of the sun will affect it but little. B [65] 66 OUR HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. Kinds of Paint. Pure white lead is the base or body of all durable paiDts, and is vastly superior to all others for first coats. Owing to the fact, however, that it is prepared by an acid process, it is not so good in a pure state for outside coats, as it is in many cases not thoroughly washed and contains more or less acid, and when so exposed to sun and rain the presence of the acid is liable to make it powder and rub off like whitewash. Zinc, which is prepared by fire process (oxidized), con- tains no acid or other inj urious substance ; and when mixed with white lead, it forms the best outside coats, the zinc neutralizing the acid in the lead and giving additional firm- ness to the body. The mineral paints contain iron as their base, and are mixed with oil and prepared for use as lead and zinc. Many manufacturers now put up paint in cans, ready for use, and there is abundant room for deception. Consumers should beware and purchase of reliable dealers. Colors. Which color should be used in painting a house, is purely a matter of taste. The surroundings determine this to a great degree. A house surrounded with heavy foliage would require a lighter tint than one standing in an open space. Every house should have two or more tints; the cornice and verandas should be of a contrasting shade with the body of the house, while the shutters, etc., should have a darker tint than either. Of the various colors, the olive tints in their different shades are very pleasing to the eye, also HOUSE PAINTING. 67 lavender, drabs, stone, etc. A pea-green is a very healthful color, and with proper contrasts in veranda and shutters is very pleasing. Mixing Colors. An endless variety of colors and tints can be produced by mixing. The following are only a few of them, — such as may be serviceable: — 'Stone Color. — White lead and a little black. Drab. — White lead with burnt umber and a little yellow ochre for a warm tint ; raw umber and a little black for a green tint. Sky-blue. — White lead with Prussian blue. Buff. — White lead with yellow ochre. Cream-color. — Add more white to the buff. Olive-green. — Raw umber with Prussian blue, thinned with boiled oil and turpentine. Pea-green. — White lead with Prussian blue and chrome- yellow. Lead Color. — White lead and black. Oils and Driers. Oils and turpentine should be pure and free from dust and other substances. To aasist the process of drying paints, driers are used. Those most in use are sugar of lead, litharge, and white copperas. When ground and mixed with paint, they assist the process of drying very much. Where it does not affect the color, red lead may be used as a drier. Boiled linseed oil with litharge, one gallon of the former with one-fourth pound of the latter reduced to a powder, makes an excellent drier. It should here be 68 OUR HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. remarked that driers have a tendency to injure the colors, and hence should not be used in finishing coats. Applying Paints. Before applying paint, the surface to be painted should be carefully cleaned, and all projections of glue, putty, and whitinof removed with knife and duster. Knots should be killed by the application of knotting, which is made with red lead, carefully ground and thinned with boiled oil ; another and better plan is to apj)ly a varnish of shellac. If knots are neglected, they give out turpentine and destroy the paint. Shellac is a gum, in natural state, and can be dissolved in alcohol in the proportion of three pounds of gum to one gallon of spirits ; twenty-four hours is sufii- cient time to dissolve it, when it is known as shellac varnish, and by adding proper coloring matter, it forms an excellent varnish for many purposes. Paint should never be applied to damp or wet surfaces, as it is sure to peel off. Priming. After the knotting is complete, the priming, or first coat, should be applied. This coat should be composed chiefly of white lead, mixed with a very small quantity of red' lead, and should be about the thickness of milk. Eight to twelve gallons of oil to every one hundred pounds of lead, is about the proportion ; and one pound should cover fifteen to twenty square yards. It is not necessary that this first or priming coat should be of the color intended- for finishing, as the later coats will secure the desired tint. In some cases a second priming coat, thinner than the first, is laid on, in which case two coats more will make an extra good job of painting. HOUSE FAINTING. 69 After the priming coat is quite dry, all nail-holes, cracks, and other defects should be filled with putty, smoothing all rough places with fine sand-paper. In priming old walls, remove dirt and decayed wood with sand-paper and pumice- 'stone ; shellac sizing may also be applied if the wood is some- what porous, and more red lead used than on first coat for new work. If brick buildings are to be painted, the priming coat should be native minerals, such as ochres, Venetian red, or iron, with a proper amount of raw linseed oil, as these will adhere more permanently and make a good foundation for future coats. Second Coat. . This coat is a color coat, and the tint, if paint is not already prepared with desired color, can be made from the directions previously given for mixing colors. This coat should be a shade darker than the finishing coat. The paint for this coat should be moderately thick; if applied in cold weather or under unfavorable circumstances, the quantity of driers must be increased. If the work is to be left shining, this coat should be thinned almost entirely with linseed-oil, in which case no driers will be needed. Finishing Coat. If the work is to be glossy when finished, use more oil than turpentine and no driers ; but if the work is not to be glossy, — -fiat, — use turpentine for thinning. Care should be taken to bring this coat to the desired tint, and it should be laid on just as soon as the former coat is dry enough to work over. This coat should be of same consistency of the pre- ceding, and laid on with the utmost care. 70 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Beushes. Brushes are made of all sizes, both round and flat, and are chiefly of bristles; the best for outside work are called wall-brushes, from three to five inches in width. Fop inside and small work the round brush is best. When out of use, brushes should be carefully washed in turpentine and laid out of the reach of dust. When using, they should be left over night immersed in linseed oil or turpentine. Varnish brushes should be washed in turpentine, and should they be left full of varnish and dry they may be cleaned by soaking in alcohol for twenty-four to thirty -six hours. Where it is practicable, a separate brush should be used in different colors; especially is this true where delicate tints are used. General Suggestions on Outside Painting. •Posts and pillars may be made to represent stone, by the following process: Procure a hand bellows, mash the nozzle down flat; into the nozzle, two inches from end, solder a small funnel, and before the finishing coat of paint dries, throw white sand by means of the funnel and bellows against the pillar. The sand will adhere, and when dry, the work resembles stone very closely. By procuring col- ored sand, pleasing combinations can be made. For barns and other out-houses, the best paints are those which contain iron as a base, as the boards are usually rough and this class of paints generally protects such sur- faces as well or better than the finer paints, besides being cheaper. Brushes should be heavy, as they wear very rap- idly. In this class of work, a variety of colors costs no more, and adds greatly to the appearance of the work. HOUSE PAINTING. 71 Inside Painting. Hard woods, as walnut, ash, and oak, look quite well in oil-finish, which is always popular, and preserves the wood quite well. The wood should be well filled with a mixture of gilder's whiting, or corn-starch and boiled linseed oil to the consistency of cream, applied with a brush ; after standi ing a little while, the work should be thoroughly wiped off with woolen rags. After standing a week, or till well dried, the work should be well sand-papered with No. | sand-paper or hair- cloth, when another coat should be applied and rubbed off as before. When dry, the work is ready for the finishing or gloss coat, which consists of boiled oil, applied with a soft brush, and if a dead gloss is wanted, this coat should be rubbed with soft woolen rags. If high gloss is desired, omit the rubbing and repeat the coat. Coach varnish will give a high gloss, but it is liable to damage from scratches. Plastered walls may be painted any desirable tint by ob- serving the foregoing directions; it may be well to observe that plaster soaks up more paint than wood, and hence re- quires more coats after the first coat. It is well to give the work a light glue size before applying the next coat, as it will give a much more even gloss. Oil and Shellac Finish. A very cheap and at the same time a popular method of finishing inside wood-work, is to apply one coat of boiled oil, and when dry, apply a finishing coat of varnish and oil mixed, or shellac varnish alone. The natural grain of the wood is preserved, and it can be kept clean easily ; the wood when thus finished is a shade darker than its natural color. Another plan is to apply two coats of varnish, without the oil, leaving the wood very glossy, but liable to scratch easily. If ever desirable afterward, the wood can be p.ainted as usual. 72 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Graining. Graining is a tedious but not too difficult business for a person of ordinary intelligence to attempt with a fair degree of success. In the outset, a clear idea of the wood to be represented, should be in mind. A good plan, where the commoner woods are to be represented, is to procure a board having one or more sound knots and plane it off, and with this for a model, proceed to grain the job in hand. Before the graining properly commences, the work should be made very smooth with sand-paper and putty, and one or more priming coats of white lead should be laid on and allowed to dry; the work is then ready for ground coat. The Tools. These are few and comparatively inexpensive, — besides the brushes necessary for applying the color, steel combs, coarse and fine, and soft, cotton rags. The brushes and combs can be found at any store where paints are sold. Formerly a leather comb was used, and may be desirable; if so, any one can make it, using stifi' leather. The Ground. This is the base of the graining, and should be as near the color of the wood as possible, care being taken not to get it too dark. The ground for maple, ash, and oak is about the same, a light cream for the maple and a shade darker for the oak and ash ; walnut ground is of a deep copper color. HOUSE PAINTING. 73 The Graining Color, or the color which shows the veins and growth of the wood, is the most important, as the dehcate lines of the wood are to be traced in it. When the ground has been laid on and is quite dry, this graining coat is laid on, and while yet moist, the tracings of the peculiarities of the wood are made. Before proceeding to give specific instructions, it may be well to note a few general suggestions on the figuring of woods. Knots should have a dark center with a succession of very irregular circles, which on the outer edge become elongated till they merge into the sap of the timber length- wise. The sap, which in the natural wood is the smooth, shining part of the board, is made by wiping off* the grain- ing coat with a cotton rag drawn over the thumb, the nail of which is made to outline the sap, while by means of the fleshy part the broader lights of sap may be wiped out, observing to move the rag with every stroke to present a clean surface for the next. After having wiped the figures, they should be retouched with a small roll of clean rag. Veining or Combing. Take a coarse steel or leather comb and draw it down lengthwise of the wood, and g(^ over the same with a finer comb. Next take a fine comb and go over this work; at irregular intervals give the comb a quick wavy motion, diagonally, thus imitating the growths of the wood. In all eases the combing should precede the sap work. 74 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Ash Graining. Ground. — White lead, raw Italian sienna, or golden ochre instead of sienna, mixed with turpentine and oil, using small proportions of oil. To get the desired color, which should be a light straw tint, keep adding sienna to the lead, and try it frequently on a board. Apply with a brush very smoothly. Observe that this ground is the same also for light oak and maple. Graining Color. — Raw sienna, burnt umber, and white lead mixed with turpentine and very little oil form the grain- ing color. The tint is darker than the ground tint, and is made in the same way. The graining coat must be put on in small quantity so that the work may be done before it dries. To prevent the paint from running, add a small quantity of soft soap. Proceed with the graining as in foregoing instructions, and if a mistake is made, apply more paint and begin anew. Apply one or more coats of varnish. Old Oak. Ground. — Raw sienna, burnt umber, white lead, and Venetian red; mix with equal parts of turpentine and oil to the desired tint. Let this dry well. Grain. — Vandyke brown, and raw sienna, turpentine, and small amount of oil. Bird's-eye Maple. — Destemper. Ground. — White lead, yellow ochre, or same as for ash. Use care not to get it too dark. Grain. — Equal parts of raw sienna and burnt umber, HOUSE PAINT TNG. 75 mixed with ale or beer. Have two paint buckets and make two thicknesses of paint. Lay on the thin coat first evenly, then with a smaller brush put in the darker shades. The eye is made by dabbing the color with the tips of the fingers; shade the eye with a little burnt sienna, using a small hair pencil. When dry, varnish. Mahogany. — 1. Vandyke brown and a little crimson lake ground in ale, laid on, allowed to dry, and then smoothed, forms the ground. Then lay on a second thicker coat, soften with a badger-hair brush, take out the lights while it is wet, and imitate the feathery appearance of mahogany heart. Soften, and top grain with Vandyke brown laid on with an over-graining brush of flat hog-hair combed into detached tufts. In softening, be careful not to disturb the under color. Or, 2. Grind burnt sienna and Vandyke brown in ale, lay on a coat, mottle with a camel- hair mottler, and soften. When dry, over-grain as above. For the proper varnishes to use, the reader is referred to that department of this work. It is a matter of great difficulty to prevent varnish on outside doors from ^ cracking; for this reason, painters recommend that a coat of oil be applied instead, and where it becomes dingy, apply more oil with a rag. This will avoid the cracking and preserve the graining. Doors of the parlor may be ebonized if the furniture and carpets wiU harmonize with it. (See Varnishes and Wood Dyes.) ClmAPa^RR X. DESCRIPTIONS AND SPECIFICATIONS CONTINUED. — LATHING AND PLASTERING. — CARPENTER WORK. — TIN ROOFS. — CRESTINGS AND FINIALS. — DOORS, WINDOWS, BLINDS, AND SHUTTERS. — INSIDE FINISH. — MAIN ROOM AND KITCHEN. — PLUMBING. — GLAZING. — STORM DOORS. o>«o ^JI^JATHING and Plastering. — In wooden build- ings the walls should be made even, so that when the plastering is put on, the wall will present no "ins and outs." This may be effected by trimming all the timbers down to an equal width before lathing. Stone and brick walls should be furred with strips; for brick they are one by two inches, nailed to the bond timbers laid in the walls, once in nine or ten courses, as they are built up, and for stone two by four inches, nailed to plugs or wedges, built up with or driven into the walls. These furring strips are placed sixteen inches apart from center to center, and the lathing nailed to them. In the best houses it is customary to cross-fur on ceiling joists, as when done, the plastering is less liable to crack. [76] CONTRACTS WITH TEE CARPENTER. 77 Laths should be made of spruce, pine, or other soft woods, and thoroughly seasoned and dried. The mortar should be made of first quality of quicklime and good sharp sand, mixed with plenty of long hair. Ceilings should first be gauged with a mortar of plaster-of- Paris and lime, followed by a coat of browning, or common mortar, and finished with a white, hard putty coat made of plaster and quicklime. In the better class of houses, three coats are given to the ceilings, and two to the walls; this prevents the laths from showing through the plaster. All angles should be smoothed down, and corners made straight and true. Stucco cornice and plaster ornaments for ceilings are giving way to paper, which is now prepared in beautiful designs expressly for ceilings. Carpenter Work. In most parts of the country it is usually the custom to let the contract for building wooden houses to the carpenter, who is frequently a contractor, and sub-contracts the erec- tion to other parties. There is one evil in this method, against which we wish to caution our readers, viz: When the contractor gets the whole job in his hands, he is too liable to seek the lowest priced sub-contractor for the different kinds of work, such as plastering, painting, etc., and the result is a poor job thi'oughout. The only remedy for this is to have the con- tractor select his subbuilders, and then learn whether they are trustworthy before awarding him the contract. Another plan is to contract the diflferent kinds of work separately, thus securing a better job, as no speculation is involved. 78 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Framing Timbers. These may be of any lasting wood, and hence the kmd most readily obtained will be used ; spruce, pine, whitewood, poplar, or oak, is suitable. In many localities it is custom- ary to use sills containing about twice as much material as is necessary. If the foundation is properly made, of brick or stone, the sills may be two by six inches, but if the house is built on piers or posts, the sills should be six by eight inches, or eight inches square, with the corners framed together, and the joists framed in even with top of sills. When smaller timbers are used on brick foundation, the flooring joists are not framed in, but rest on top of sills. The studding should be of good sound wood, free from many knots, two by four inches, cut to an even length, and gained on the side for ledger boards which support second story joists. Each studding should be nailed to the sill with four tenpenny nails; this we believe to be better than the old plan of mortising into the sills, as in that case they are framed very loose, and cannot stand so much rough usage. The plates for rafters to rest upon should be two by four inches, and should be doubled, and spiked down to each studding with thu'ty-penny nails. The ledger boards, supporting the joists of second story should be of the soundest material, one by five inches, let into the studding and spiked to them. The first and second story joists should be two by ten inches, and the attic joists two by six inches. The joist of second story should be spiked to the studding with thirty- penny nails. The rafters, if for shingles, should be two by CABPENTEB WOBK. 79 four inches, but if for slate, two by six ; in either case they should be set sixteen inches apart, center to center, and collared with sound boards nailed to every other pair. At doors and windows the studding should be doubled to give more strength for casings; and where partitions are placed, the floor joists should be doubled. Boarding for outside walls should be of sound pine, spruce, hemlock, or whitewood, one inch thick, planed on one side, laid close joint, and nailed on both edges at every bearing. The same kind of boards should be used for O covering the rafters, but the joints should be laid open; and if floors are to be laid double, this kind of boarding will answer for bottom floor, and the attic floor will need no other flooring. Sheathing Paper, see page 42. Shingle Roofing, see page 42. Clapboarding, see page 43. Slate roofs, when of first-class slate, well laid, and all joints perfectly fitted, are the most desirable of all There are many varieties of slate, and, like Joseph's coat, of many colors. It has been the custom to use these different colored slates, arranged in pleasing figures, and presenting a very good effect, but we are inclined to prefer the jet black slate; nothing is richer, and the color will fade but slightly. The slate should be seven by fourteen inches, cut to any desirable pattern on exposed ends, round, hexagonal, or clipped on the corners. Slate should be laid two and a half inches head cover, that is, each slate should lap over the second one below it that distance, and if the roof is not steep, three-inch laps will be required. The first course of slate must be doubled, and the last 80 OUB HOMES AND TEEIB ADORNMENTS. course and all small pieces used in fitting must be well bedded in elastic cement, made and for sale for the purpose. On gothic roofs, and in fact any roof where the roof makes an angle, great care should be taken to have the slate cut and set to a perfect joint; but as they can never be cut so as to make a perfectly water-tight joint, each course must be flashed under with tin, that is, tin must be bent over the last course and extend up on sheathing so that the next course will hide it. All valleys (gutters made by angles of roofs) must of course be made of tin, and the slates neatly fitted and set in cement. In slating about chimneys, the tin should pass under the slate and turn up against the bricks ; but this is not enough, this tin against the bricks must be cap-flashed, or in other words, the mortar must be dug out of bricks just above, and tin or sheet lead inserted and turned down, then no leak can occur. For fire-proofing shingle roofs, see Recipes, Varnishes, and Paints. Tin Roofs and Trimmings. Away from the salt atmosphere of the coast, tin makes a good roof, and will last, if good and well put on, for a long time. Owing to the fact, however, that there are many inferior brands used, these roofs give out prematurely, and in consequence, many condemn the material. The best brands are M. F. Charcoal, I. X., and I. C, ranking in qual- ity in order named ; the last is a thinner tin, not so good, of course, but much used. All portico, veranda, and bay-window roofs, and all sunk gutters on same should be covered with tin. Tin all window caps, turning it up four inches under the clapboards. CBESTINGS, DOORS AND WINDOWS. 81 The bay-windows require especial care, being so exposed as to make it very difficult to protect them from leaking. The tin must extend up under the clapboards, and around the studding. The conductors, leading water from the roof to the ground, should be made of good material. I. X. tin will answer, but corrugated galvanized iron, we think, is best, as it will expand when water freezes in it, but will not burst. All tin roofs and trimmings should be painted with mineral paint as soon as they are put up. Crestings and Finials. The roofs of many buildings can be much improved in appearance by the use of some one of the many neat designs of ornamental iron crestings, to be supplied by hardware dealers or manufacturers. Finials of either wood or iron look well upon gables. Staircases, see p. 51. Floors, see p. 45. Portico and veranda floors should be laid of stuff one and one-fourth inches thick, and two and one-half inches wide; the edges should be painted with white lead, and the floor nailed blind, (i. e., in edges of boards, so that the nails will not show). Doors and Windows. All styles of doors and windows are now ready-made and are for sale everywhere, so it is only necessary to specify in the contract with the builder the kind and style wanted, unless special designs are desired. Outside and sliding doors should be one and three-fourths inches thick, and all other doors one and three-eighths inches 6 82 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. thick. Mateinal must be thovoughly kiln-dried, and free from knots and sap. Window sash and fi-ames should be fitted snugly ; and above all, sash should be hung with cord and pulley where the expense can possibly be borne. Sash should be from one and three-eighths to one and three-fourths inches thick. If not hung with pulleys, windows should be supplied with convenient locks to hold them at any desired height. The casing and stops about windows should receive great attention, as here is the place that usually admits much cold in winter. Blinds and Shutters. These are very desirable; but there are difficulties in the way of the use of inside blinds, as they may interfere with the window drapery. They should be arranged to fold on hinges, fourfold being most desirable. The slats should be made horizontal, as they hold in place better when arranged for the admission of light. Outside shutters are usually one and one-fourth inches thick, and should be made of the best material, and hung in the most substantial manner. Like doors, blinds and shut- ters are for sale ready-made, and in contracting, specifica- tion should be made of style wanted. Neat locks or catches should be put on both inside and outside shutters. Inside Finish — Wood-Work. Here is the department where. good taste will assert itself. The wood finish of the different rooms should receive due consideration in the plans and specifications, and definite contract of what is to be done should be made with builder. INSIDE FINISH. 83 For buildings of meuium cost, it will be more satisfac- tory to finish in soft wood, and pine is the best. When well smoothed down and varnished, it presents a beautiful contrast with the furnishings; and as it is the cheapest, all can afford it, nor should it be discarded by any because it is cheap. It can be easily cleaned and re-varnished. Main Rooms. These should have molded architraves or casings on doors and windows, of neat design, resting on plinth blocks at the floor. Back plaster under the windows, and cover this with a neat sunk panel, extending to the floor and fin- ished with raised moldings. Base boards should be paneled and finished with a neat design of raised moldings on the top. Exposed or project- ing corners of plastering should be covered with turned beads of pine, extending four feet from base finished with neat turned design on each end. Second-floor chambers finished same as main rooms, with architraves one inch narrower. Kitchen. This room should be wainscoted on all sides three feet high, with matched and beaded sheathing, not to exceed four inches in width, applied vertically, and the top finished with a neat molded cap. The pantry should be finished with one broad shelf, with space beneath for flour barrel, which should be closed in its place with a door, and from the broad shelf above cut a door through to reach the barrel. Adjoining the barrel under the shelf, place a tier of three drawers, and if the 84 OUB HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. length of the pantry will permit, a cupboard may also be placed under the shelf. Finish the space above with shelv- ing, hooks, and other conveniences. The bath-room should be wamscoted same as the kitchen, except behind the tub, where it should be; four feet high. The bath-tub must be paneled in front with raised molding and the top finished with a molded cap. The water-closet should have seat and tight-closing cover, both hinged to raise separately, and the riser in front paneled like bath-tub, hinged at the bottom, and secured by catch at top, for convenience in repairs. The wash-basin should be supplied with neat paneled door and one drawer. The Mantel. In the Eastern States, mantels of hard wood are now quite popular, being gotten up very elaborately. Cheaper ones can be made of less costly woods, and when finished properly they look quite well. The mantel-shelf should rest upon two uprights of wood which form the sides of the mantel, and these should be paneled and finished with raised moldings. The board im- mediately under the mantel-shelf should also match them. Our preference, however, is decidedly in favor of marbleized slate mantels, which can now be obtained by any one at a reasonable cost. Further suggestions on mantels will be found under House Furnishing. Plumbing and Fitting. There is, perhaps, no department of house finishing upon which the health and comfort of the inmates depends more PLUMBING AND FITTING. 85 than plumbing and fitting, and probably nothing is more annoying and dangerous than a poor and incomplete job of this work. There is no part of the work connected with the erection of dwellings, we are free to confess, that we so much dislike to contract and superintend, and in a measure become re- sponsible for, as the plumbing. We recommend that this work be contracted separately, and that none but the best workmen be allowed to figure on the job; in addition to this, let the plans and specifications for the work be complete, and carefully inspect the job as it progresses. We deem it unnecessary to go into a detailed description of plumbing for city residences, as good, trustworthy work- men, under the direction of the architect, will be able to dictate what should be done, better than can here be described. For those who have not public water supply, we give a few hmts that will be of value; and here let it be remarked that for the additional expense incurred, the increased com- forts and better health will fully compensate the occupants. Our description contemplates a bath-room, with hot and cold water, and a water-closet, — one of the greatest con- veniences of a house. The hot water attachments may be left off", if expense cannot be borne, until the owner is better able to incur the cost. The greatest care should be taken in the connection of the pipes, so that foul gases may not escape into the rooms. A tank holding from two to ten barrels should be con- structed in the attic above the bath-room, or in the top of the bath-room, near the ceiling; it should be in the attic if 86 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. the building has a deck or flat roof so that the water may be conducted to the tank; if a pitch roof, the tank Tiitust be in bath-room. The tank should be well supported with strong posts or partitions, as otherwise the weight of water might cause settling of building and cracking of the plaster work. Line the tank inside with sheet lead or zinc, lead being preferable. A wooden tank might be made by a first-class workman, but it is not so durable, and more liable to leak. Conducting pipes from roof must empty into the tank, and a pipe from the force pump at cistern, or well, must also empty into it for filling in case of long droughts. A pipe to prevent the tank from overflowing should be inserted near the top and led down to a drain or sewer; its capacity should be equal to the capacity of the conductors from the roof, and it must have a trap, (simply a vertical bend in the tube like the letter S,) to prevent sewer gas from rising from the drain or sewer. A three-quarter inch supply pipe must be sealed into the bottom of the tank and led down to the bath-tub, where branches should be made to the water-closet and lavatory (wash-basin). Faucets of the desired pattern should be fixed at the bath-tub and lavatory. Hot water may be obtained by setting a thirty or forty gallon galvanized iron boiler in the kitchen, making all necessary couplings with the stove for heating the water. A pipe leading from the tank just described will keep the lioiler supplied, and force the hot water up into the bath- room for supplying tub and wash-basin, and also for cleaning and scrubbing purposes. The bath-tub should be lined with ten-ounce planished PLUMBING AND FITTING. 87 copper, and a waste-pipe soldered into bottom of tub, and also an overflow pipe near the top, both connecting below the tub, and leading off to the soil pipe from water-closet Set a water-closet near the tub, (The best made are the A. G. Alexander, and the Jennings water-closets, the first being preferable,) and connect closet with a four-inch lead S trap, which should be sealed into a four-inch iron soil pipe extending down to, and sealed into the sewer; complete by connecting the pipe from tank with the wash-pipe of closet. The lavatory, or basin, should be supplied with an over- flow bowl, and the waste and overflow pipe should be connected, S trapped, and let into the lead S trap in the water-closet, and compression faucet connected with supply pipe over the bowl. A four-inch ventilating pipe made of No. 26 galvanized iron, must be connected Avith S trap of water-closet, and ex-' tended at least four feet above the roof, terminating with a cap. Smaller ventilating tubes should connect bath and basin trap with this large shaft. Another ventilating shaft, nearly as large as the first, should be connected with the space under and around the water-closet, which is supposed to be boxed up, with a cover to shut down on seat, and carried up into attic, and con- nected with kitchen or other flue. We have thus gone into particulars so that our readers, not acquainted with such matters, may see how the object desired may be obtained. The expense is not so great as might be supposed, and by leaving out the hot water, as we have said, it may be reduced; a further reduction, sa^'ing 88 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. much, might be made by omitting the water-closet, but by all means put it in. Painting. — See House Painting. Glazing. Double thick glass, either French or American, is more durable, and costs less, proportionately, than glass of single thickness. In main rooms, at least, the custom now is to make the glass large, one pane to a sash, and two to a window; all cost considered, it is about as cheap as to put in several panes of smaller and thinner glass, and it is far better in appear- ance. If the doors are to have cut glass panels, and it does not add greatly to the cost to have them, each pane must be bedded against putty, that is, putty is first put in around the shoulder against which it rests, and the glass pressed down against it and secured with glazier points, and then fastened with putty; window-glass should be bedded in the same manner. Haedware. The front door should have a good, brass face, or other style lock and night latch combined and the knobs of the door and door bell and the escutcheon, should be of genuine bronze or other durable material. A door bell adds char- acter to a house, and it is always a source of annoyance to occupants and visitors to be compelled to rap, rap, rap, till some one in the back part of the house hears and attends. A good bell should be at least four inches in diameter, many styles being for sale by dealers. The front door should be hung with three butts, four DOOBS AND HANGINGS. 89 and a half inches square, of real bronze or Berlin bronze, and if the door is double, the stationary door, or wing, should be provided with good strong bolts at top and bottom. Slidmg inside doors are very convenient, but to act well, must be built in with the walls and must slide on anti- friction rollers, run on brass or other solid track. Knobs are made of a variety of materials; bronze, por- celain, lava, and turned wood are appropriate and durable. Sash locks are useful, and should be placed on every window; we think the Morris sash lock the best. Cellar and all other doors requiring rough usage, should be swung with wrought-iron butts. Storm Doors. In many parts of the country the use of storm doors is unnecessary, as in the South, but in all of the Northern States they should be put up on houses not provided with vestibule entrances, on the approach of cold weather. They economize fuel by preventing direct cold currents from the entrance door. The storm door can be made by any one who can handle tools; and when once made, can be taken down and put up each winter by the owner. It should be made in sections, and these should be fastened to facings of main door and to each other with hooks and staples. The storm door itself should be self-closing so that from neglect it may not be left open. Our object in presenting the foregoing Descriptive Speci- fications has been to set forth and explain the details of con- struction, so that any one not employing an architect can make out his specifications in such a way that the builder will leave out nothing. It may also enable those who have 90 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. plans and specifications made out by a builder or architect, to examine the same in connection with these pages and see if the quality of material and character of workmanship are up to the standard, and whether any omissions have been made. In another part of the work will be found a Form of Contract for building. It has the sanction of good builders, and is pronounced good by a legal authority. dm^F^T'^m XI. HEATING AND VENTILATION. — OPEN FIRE-PLACES. — GRATES AND FURNACES. — STEAM HEATING. — HOW TO VENTI- LATE. — IMPURE AIR. — nature's DISINFECTANTS. o>«c HE old fire-place, with its cheery blaze and glow- ing back log, and coals that assume ten thousand fantastic shapes and pictures, all giving out an abundance of heat, cannot be outdone by any inventions of modern progress, we think, even though more easy methods have been introduced. In a location where wood is abundant, we ad- vise house owners to have a good, large, open fire-place in tlie main living-room, as we think this the nearest approach to a means of perfect ventilation, the warm flue of the fire-place creat- ing a strong draft from near the floor and carrying out the foul air. Moreover, the influence of the open fire, with leap- ing flames and glowing, crackling coals, draws the family around its magic circle and brings the members a little nearer each other. Grates and Furnaces. The nearest approach to the open fire-place is the grate [91] 92 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. for burning soft coal, and when arranged with its ash pit as before described in this work, is very easy to keep clean. This method of heating is now very general and answei's the purpose quite well. A good mantel and grate may be obtained at from thirty dollars upward. Heatmg furnaces, burning wood or hard coal, are very much used also. Out of the many patterns made, some are reasonably good, among which we would recommend the Boynton, the Magee, the Ruby, and the Dome furnaces. All modern styles have a reservoir for holding water, to be evaporated into the hot-air chamber, and thereby moistening the heated air and giving a warmth more like steam. With old-style furnaces, the difficulty was that the air was burned or vitiated, and thus rendered unfit to breathe. This ob- stacle is mainly overcome in the modern furnace. The furnace should have a cold-air supply-box or con- ductor leading from the outside, and also a register in the hall with conductor leading to the furnace. This will take the cold air from the rooms when heating begins. The supply conductor from outside should be ample, and should have a cut-off for regulating the supply of cold air. Most furnaces can be used without being covered with brick ; but we advise, as a means of economizing heat, that they be bricked in, first by a single four-inch wall, and around this, with an air-space of ten inches between, an eight-inch wall. This arrangement leaves a space between the furnace and first wall, and the inside of this wall should be covered with plaster-of-Paris, as it is a non-conductor of heat. The pipes conducting the hot air should be of tin or gal- vanized iron, and should be let into the top of hot-air cham- HE A TTNa WITH STEA M. 93 ber OA^er the furnace. The warm conductoi's leading to the rooms of the first floor, open into a register in the floor, which should be bricked in around, four inches from any wood. The conductors to upper stories should be by means of tin flues in the walls, and these should open by register into rooms just above the base board. The smoke pipe should be connected with the hisfhest and largest flue in the house. Steam as a means of heating dwellings is comparatively new and not very generally used yet outside of large cities. In Detroit, and two or three other large cities, there is a section of the city, covering an area of nearly one square mile, successfully supplied with steam, by a Steam Supply Company, from a battery of boilers all located in one build- ing, the steam being carried in pipes laid under the pave- ment. This method has been tested sufiiciently to demonstrate its superiority over all others as a means of heating large buildings with many rooms. The ease with which steam finds its way through pipes to the remotest part of a building, without any sensible loss of heat, gives it a great advantage over furnace heating. The method is healthful, and with the present precautions and use of low pressure boilers, no serious accident can attend its use. The radiator pipes or drums for each room are made in an endless variety of designs, painted, gilded, and varnished ; and while the cost of putting in a boiler and pipes is greater, the saving of fuel and safety from fire will soon repay the additional expense. One hint may be profitably added here, to those who are not accustomed to steam; every radiator must have, of course, a place for the admission of steam, and this is always supplied with a valve to turn off" the steam and turn it on 94 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. as occasion requires, and every radiator must have a small air exhaust, at the opposite side or end fi-om the valve. It is sometimes omitted by the workman, but must be put in or the register will not work. When the steam is turned on, open this air exhaust until the steam drives out all the air, and when the steam is turned oflf, open exhaust to let air in. Ventilation. The importance of pure air in our dwellings cannot be overestimated ; inventions without number have been made and offered the public, and treatises without end have been written, each of which, if we should credit the inventor or author, afforded a perfect and the only possible means of escape from death by foul air. One after another they have been tried, and their adoption has resulted in failure and disappointment in too many eases, and yet many seem to be looking for some patent self-regulating process or device, which, without knowledge, attention, or thought, shall ventilate a dwelling. The expectation must always meet with disappointment, but with our present knowledge, and without waiting for any new facts or inventions, we can apply our common sense and thereby devise plans to secure air reasonably pure in our rooms. The principal impurity in the air in our rooms, is carbonic acid which is produced in the act of breathing, hence it is -being constantly thrown off, and if not removed from the room it will soon vitiate all the aii- within. In a nearly pure state carbonic acid is heavier than air, and where the air is of an even temperature, it will occupy the lower part of the room near the floor. Owing to the fact, however, that in most cases the air is warmer in VENTILATION. 95 some parts of the room than in others, it is not at all improbable that the carbonic acid clifRises itself throughout the room. The problem then is to remove this vitiated air, and supply its place with pure air, by not subjecting the occu- pants to cold draughts. To secure this end, ample means of entrance and escape of air must be made. Fig. I. The best means which can be provided, is the open 'fire or grate for escape, as currents setting up the flue will change the air very quickly if means of entrance are provided by an open transom, a window lowered at the top, or other means. Our illustration shows an easy, cheap method of ventila- 9g OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. tion adapted to any building. Fasten a neat piece of wood from 3 to 5 inches wide inside the bottom sash, fitting: it tightly at ends and bottom, and leave it far enough away so that the sash will move up and down with ease, and if there is half an inch between, it will only act the better. When the lower sash is raised, the air rushes into the room between the piece of wood set in and the sash, and also at middle between the two sash, as shown by the arrows pointing upward. It will be seen that the piece set in prevents the air from coming in and striking the occupants as a direct draught, as when the air strikes the board, it deflects it upward. A weather strip could be fastened to the bottom of sash between piece set in, and thus admit air only between the two sash at middle of window. If it is desired to establish an outward current, the top sash may bo lowered, when the air will pass out as indicated by the four arrows. The " revolving ventilator " which is sold at the hard- ware stores, is recommended by many. It is inserted in a circular hole cut in the glass near top of window. Plenty of air should be admitted into the bed-room, — no danger of " colds " when abundance of pure air and clean bed-covers are at hand. Children's rooms should especially be looked after in this respect, as we owe it to them to give abundant supplies of nature's own disinfectants, — pure air and water. 'Rooms that have their doors opened and closed frequently, as in the living-rooms, need but little attention in ventila- tion. In the morning the windows and doors of bed-rooms should be thrown open and allowed to remain so for some time, to permit the pure air to thoroughly search every nook and corner, and drive out impurities. CxFIi\F»a-RK Xff, SITUATION AND SURROUNDINGS. — SELECTING A HEALTHY SITE. — HOW TO SECURE GOOD DRAINAGE. — PURE WA- TER. DANGER FROM STAGNANT POOLS. — HOW A HOUSE SHOULD FRONT. — SUNSHINE. — ITS VALUE. — SHADE TREES. o>«c THEE, things being equal, high ground is always preferable for a building site; but many things must be taken into consideration in the location. Old water-courses, low, swampy grounds, and dense forests should be avoided, as they are fruitful sources of disease. It is not pleasant to locate near a manufacturing concern, where the din of resounding machinery fills the air with discordant sounds, and where clouds of smoke settle down at the most inopportune moments. It is not best in cities to locate where a good sewer is not accessible, for in time the difficulty in drainage will become very annoying. In the country there is not so much difficulty in securing a desirable location. The first consideration should be good drainage, and the soil and subsoil must be carefully exam- 7 [97] i 98 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. ined to this end. If the soil is gravelly oi- porous, and the subsoil a hard clay, impervious to water, the site is not a good one, for the surface water will simply settle down to the clay and remain there, making the ground damp and unhealthful. This may, however, be remedied to a great extent by putting in tile drains, but it is best to find a good porous or gravelly subsoil. Where a good system of sewerage is maintained, the drainage is of no consequence, as it is easy to secure almost perfect immunity from damp premises. The next consideration is a good and ample supply of drinking water, and water for all domestic purposes; this is of vital importance. It is far better to be at some expense in bringing it from a distant spring or a running stream by means of pipes, than to run any risk by the use of contam- inated water. Many fine sites, in other respects very desirable, are not deemed practical by reason of their loca- tion on high ground away from water, but this difficulty can usually be overcome if there is water within a reason- able distance in a valley below, by means of a Hydraulic Ram. A well should not be located near any building unless there is a perfect system of drainage for carrying off" the surface water; neither is it safe to locate a well too near a drain, as the incline of the surface or strata of subsoil may allow the sewage to filter through into the well and con- taminate the water. In many parts of the country, where the lower strata is gravel, and where the water is only a few feet down, drive wells are put in by driving into the earth an iron pipe one and a half inches in diameter, upon the end of which is DRAINAGE AND EXPOSUBE.' 99 firmly screwed a sharp, steel-pointed head, the pipe for a few inches above the steel-pointed head having small holes for the admission of water. Water from this kind of wells is usually pure, and no water from the surface can get in to contaminate. Any system of drainage depends largely upon a good supply of water for its effectiveness, and with- out good drainage the best location will soon become unhealthy. A quick-running stream, if not subject to annoying or dangerous overflows, is to be desired as an adjunct to a good site, as it can be made the means of carrying oflT accumula- tions of filth; but a sluggish stream, or standing water, should be avoided, as danger lurks on their banks ; nor are pools that are made for ornament to be trusted. Lakes, if fed by rivulets or unseen springs at the bottom, so that the water will not stagnate, may be most delightful and reasonably healthful as adjuncts to building sites. Exposure of a House. The exposure of a house, or the direction it fronts, and the relative location of its principal rooms, has much to do with the comfort of its inmates. The greatest consideration is the admission of sunshine into every room, if possible, sometime during the day. In cities and towns where the streets run with the cardinal points of the compass, a northwest corner, the house fronting south, is the best location, next to which the west side of a street is preferable, as the principal rooms may then be located on the east and south exposures; and if some room must be located so that sunlight cannot enter, let it be the dinning- room, for while we want it as pleasant as possible, we live 100 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. in it less time than any other. The kitchen also may be located on the cold side, as may the staircase and hall. If the house should stand on the west side of street, on an inside lot, the principal rooms should be on the south side, if the house is on the east side, the exposure of the principal rooms should be on the south and west, and for sunshine this is really a better location than the foregoing, but it has the disadvantage of being exposed to the intense heat of the afternoon sun, which can in a measure be over- come by shade-trees placed not too close to the house. If the house is built on the north side of the street, the house fronts south of course, and the principal rooms should open to the east, allowing the morning sun to pour its full rays into the rooms, just at the time of day when sunshine is enjoyable; and as the day passes the sun will sweep around and give the whole front and west side a bath, leav- ing the east rooms cool and shady in the afternoon. There are some disadvantages in locating a residence on the south side of a street, for the winds of winter have full play upon the parts where the principal rooms must be located ; and yet this can be overcome by the use of double windows, and by building a vestibule entrance, or a storm door. While such houses may possibly be colder in winter they are more pleasant in summer. All houses should have verandas on the sides exposed to the sun, if possible, and sleeping rooms so exposed, may be rendered cooler by keeping out the hot rays by means of awnings. In the country, no obstacles are usually in the way to securing the best possible location for sunlight. The best frontings are either south or east, and if the LOCATING AND BEAUTIFYING. 101 house should be set in some other way than with the cardinal points, there is no law by which the owner can be compelled to turn it around. The rooms must be so located as to secure the sunlio-ht to the best advantage, the style of the building and location of trees having, of course, much to do in determining what is best to do. There is nothing, perhaps, that enhances the beauty of houses more than trees and shrubbery when there is room for them. Trees should not stand too near houses, nor should their branches ever overhang, as they not only damage the work and mar the beauty of outline, but they also cause a dampness to settle around and into the house, rendering it unhealthful. We think much of shade-trees, but would keep them at a respectful distance from the house; near enough to break the force of winter's winds, and .slie'.tL'r from summer's sun. CxFii^^a^nK XIII. THE PRIMITIVE HOUSE. — OUR NOBLE ANCESTORS. — MODERN RESIDENCES. — HOW TO BUILD A HOUSE AND MAKE AD- DITIONS TO IT. — A SIMPLE COTTAGE. o»io IANY of our readers are no doubt familiar with the old-fashioned house built by our forefathers — the log cabin. Our engraver has succeeded very well in producing a good illustration, one with its primitive surroundings. Who shall say that its walls of rough logs, and its roof made of rough puncheons held in place by poles, did not shelter the best blood of our nation? And who shall fail to revere the memory of those who toiled in and reclaimed the wilderness from its wildness, endured privations, poverty, and mis- fortune, triumphed over obstacles almost insurmountable, and made it possible for us to possess Our Homes and Their Adornments ? No architect had they to plan parlor, library, and conservatory, no mills had they to cut, plane, match, and fashion the lumber; but with ax and rude saw they hewed from the tree each piece, patiently but perseveringly until [102] OUR ANCE8T0ES. 103 the house was finished, — not in soft wood or hard wood, not in molded base or graceful architrave, but finished for such comforts as they needed. And the Mothers — all glory to their memory! — their fingers were busy in interior decoration — not in making applique work, not in painting plaques and panels, but in providing such comforts as could be obtained. They took ^^^SV^ Fig. 2. as much pleasure and exhibited as much pride in their graceful festoons of red-pepper pods and dried pumpkins, as does the modern woman in her richly ornamented portiere or lambrequin. Comfort never waited to be invited into such a house; she entered and took up her abode there. Little use for ventilating apparatus — the high piled open fire-place, roar- 104 OUR HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. ing and crackling, asserted its ability to assume all care of the frequent change of air in the room, and as for inlets for air, there were plenty of them. The plans and specifications of such a house would probably call for " solid walls of native timber carefully oi'ooved and fitted at each corner so that no crack between timbers should exceed six inches; the walls at the ends carried up so as to give the roof the proper pitch ; the rafters to be of poles, laid from end to end ; the roof to be of slabs, lapped and the joints broken; the whole to be held in place by good solid poles, well ' scotched ' and tied down at the ends; the floor to be made of well-smoothed slabs, laid close and in a workman-like manner; the walls to be plastered with good, tough red clay, carefully put on with the hands ; the whole building to be completed and ready for occupancy before the approach of cold weather." Each man was his own architect, contractor, builder, and finisher; yet the old log-house did not long content its occupants, for after the " clearin' " was made and the fields well under cultivation, the heived log-house was built, and perhaps after a few years a double hewed log-house was put up, with well-fitted logs, and cracks filled, not with red clay, but pure white lime, burned from stone taken from the quarry on the premises. Thus the desire for better houses, and the ability to possess them has grown, till by genius, industiy, and frugality, any family may possess their own home and adorn it in a manner suited to their taste and means. To all such, the several departments of this work are worth perusal. PRAIBIE HOUSE. 105 DESIGN I.— A PRAIRIE HOUSE. In the accompanying engravings we have, perhaps, given a plan that may seem advisable for some of our prairie readers to follow. There is hardly any one settling on the prairies who could not produce lumber sufficient to build a small "shanty," but is deterred from doing so, for, he says, " I will be able in a few years " — remember., the corn-growing and pork-pro- ducing farmer of the West accumulates fast when once started — " to build me a good, respectable house, and I l^ate Fig- 3- to waste material upon something that will be nearly useless then." It is to help this class of builders that our designs are intended. Fig. 3 represents a simple cottage of only one room, which can be erected at a very trifling expense, even on the prairies where lumber is high and scarce, and must be hauled a long distance. It is 12x14 feet, and 7 feet between joists, it will take material as follows: 800 feet of 106 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. inch boards @ $30 per thousand, $24; 4 sills, 6x9, and 4 beams, 6x6, 10 rafters, and 12 joists, $6; 2 panel doors @$2.50 each, and 3 windows @ $1.50 each, $9.50; nails and paper for roofing, $10. Total, $49.50. Here is a cost of about fifty dollars; and any man of ordinary ingenuity can do all the work himself, with the aid of a carpenter to case the windows, and case and hang the doors. Let him first frame the sills and lay them upon the foundation in proper position ; next frame the beams and Fig. 4. lay them upon the sills; then securely nail two boards perpendicularly at each corner of the sills., Use sixteen-foot boards, cut in the middle; this will make the building seven feet in the clear. Now cut four stanchions seven feet long; and with the aid of one person you can raise the beams one end at a time, slip under the stanchions, and nail the tops of the boards that had been previously nailed to the sills, securely to the beams, and you ADDITION TO PBAIRIE HOUSE. 107 are ready to proceed with the planking, which any one can do who can saw off a board and drive a nail. For roofing, use saturated tar paper, which is manu- factured expressly for it, and is for sale in all Western towns. The cost is about one-fourth that of shingles ; it is not as good, but will last several years, when you can lay your shingles right over it. If you build in the spring or early summer, you can omit the clapboards until the fall; but don't omit the veranda. We are like an architectural gentleman who once went into ecstacies over blinds. We have nothing rebutting to show; it is a blind subject; but we think the crowning glory of any house, large or small, is a veranda, or as the girl called it, "our folks's stoop." So much for Fig. 3. Now we will suppose our humble farmer, at the end of one or two years, has acquired means to enlarge his humble 108 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. domicile. This he can do, as shown in plan, Fig. 5, which consists of his first erection with a lean-to of one bed-room, a pantry, and a wood-shed. This can be erected upon the same principle as the first. The reason we recommended planking and clapboards in preference to studs and clap- boarding, is that any one can build with planks ; but it will require a professional carpenter to build a studded house. Fig. 5 will make a vei-y convenient house for a small family. The inside can be finished with paper or plaster, to suit the taste of the occupants. Again we will suppose that "the lapse of years has brought round the time " when our friend wishes to again enlarge his house. If he has followed our former plans, he will do so, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. This consists of an upright part added to his former erections. He now, of coui'se, has means sufficient at his command, and will call in the aid of a practical architect. He can build this last part two stories high if he wishes, but we would advise a low house in a ADDITION TO PBAIBIE HOUSE. 109 prairie country. We think this will make a very convenient house, not devoid of beauty. Plan, Fig. 3, is a room 12x14; V, veranda. (fQ Plan, Fig. 5, K, living room, 12x14; B, bed-room, 8x9; P, pantry, 8x8; W, S, wood-shed; V, veranda. 110 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Plan, Fig. 6, L, living-room, 12x13; K, kitchen, 12 xl4; D, dining-room, 9ixl2; B, B, B, bed-rooms, 9x8, and 8x8; S, P, summer pantry, 8x8; P, pantry, 8x8; W, wood-shed; V, V, veranda. The summer pantry can be used in winter for a place to keep meat, and as a store-room. Being away from the kitchen fire, it will keep meat fresh a long time in suitable weather. The cost of the last design (the third addition) will not exceed $1,500, and could probably be built for less if one would do as much of the work as possible himself. (!1maf»^^rr XIV. AN ATTRACTIVE COTTAGE HOME FOR PEOPLE WITH SMALL MEANS. — HOW CONSTRUCTED. — THE COST. — HOW TO PAINT IT. ^ DESIGN II. ^ ]E give in Figs. 8 and 9 illustrations of the arrangement of the rooms on first floor, and perspective view of front and principal side -« Fig. 17. from a central hall- way at the head of the stair landing, and all being accommodated with closets. The main posts being 16 ft. long, the first story should be 9 ft. and 8 in. between timbers ; and the second story 6 ft. 9 130 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. 4 in. on the sides, and 9 ft. through the center. The outside walls are intended to be boarded vertically with ten-inch boards with molded battens over the joints. We think the exterior of this cottage admirable; the rustic veranda and trellises over the doors and windows are intended for vines, not merely as supports for them, but to give thereby an air of rural refinement and poetry to the house. Cedar poles are the best for trellises, but other accessible woods may be used, and the bark should be left on. The embellishment with vines may be cheaply and quickly secured by any person of taste who knows how to select, plant, and train them ; and they should be selected, planted, and trained by every person who lives in such a cottage. Such garniture is the best external evidence of refine- ment and good taste that can be employed; and as an educational agency in a family, nothing is more potent nor gives greater pleasure. This cottage would probably cost near $1500 but a cheaper one with the same rooms and conveniences could scarcely be devised. DESIGN VII. In our illustration, Fig. 19, we give a perspective view of a picturesque and most admirable exterior of a modern gothic-roofed story-and-a-half house. This is particularly adapted for a country house or suburban residence with plenty of room around it, and should be set on an elevation, the ground sloping away in all directions, with plenty of 21 op' iO A PICTURESQUE GOTHIC HOUSE. 131 surrounding shrubbery. The chppecl or hooded gables, trimmed with neat tracery and broad projections of roof a,nd cornices, with wide veranda and canopy tops over the windows, all do much toward making up the general form and graceful outline of the house. The first floor contains four large rooms; viz, parlor, sitting-room, dining-room, kitchen with pantry, and bath- room, besides a fine hall and easy staircase. On the second floor are four good bed-rooms and a closet to each, with a hall opening into all rooms. The sides of house are clapboarded in the usual manner and the roof shingled. The house should be painted on the outside in two modern colors of lioht drab or stone color for body, and darker trimmings. Such a house, furnished in first-class style, would probably not exceed $1700 in cash. Chlaf^tkr X^IIl. MORE DURABLE MATERIAL. — A SOLID GOTHIC HOUSE. — STYLE, NOT NEW BUT POPULAR. — DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANS. — COST OF ERECTION. — DESIGN IX. — EXTENSIVE FARM RESIDENCE AND BARN. ^ DESIGN VIII. ^ E now pass to a house composed of material more durable and costly. Figs. 20, 21, and 22 pre- sent a design of a building intended for a farm- house, tp be built of stone. The leading ideas in the arrangement of the rooms were compactness and convenience, something less pretentious but fully as cosy, if the main stair-way is made to take a subordinate position from the usual place assigned it near the front entrance. A is the porch in the base of the tower, with front en- trance opening directly into the main living- room C, 15x15 ft. The parlor B is the same size as the living-room, with which it is connected by a door, which might be a sliding door if desired. D is the library, or ow- ing to its location away from other rooms, could be used for a sick-room when occasion might require it. This room is 9x11 ft., a good closet for its accommodation being made (132) A SOLID GOTHIC HOUSE. 133 under the staircase. The kitchen E is llxl2?> ft. ; bed-room F, 7|xlO ft., with closet J, off from it; pantry G, 8x10 ft. ; hall H; wood-shed I, 15x15 ft. ; closets J, J, and veranda V. On the second floor are commodious sleeping-rooms, N, O, L, and F, all of which are well-lighted and have good closets J, J, J, J. A hall-way, H, H, runs from in the^tower to main and rear staircases, and the room M is for a servant's room , pier. 20. K is the balcony on tower, and a narrow stair- way, with rail, leads from main hall up to the tower observatory. The general form of the outer walls is such as admits of a picturesque outline in the elevation, and in the treatment of the exterior finish the expenditure has been spread out in simple embellishments over the whole structure rather than concentrated upon an elaborate cornice. 134 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. This design, we are well aware, is not altogether new, neither did we intend it should be; it is simply a study of the old gothic forms of architecture, whose pleasing outlines can never become old to the lover of the beautiful. This house, if built of stone as designed, will xl8 ft., is so constructed as to give it the appearance, in front, of a bay-window the whole width of the room. This is a very pleasant feature, both of the parlor and the room above, as it gives, to one standing in the front of the room, a view of the street in both directions. D is the back parlor, or sitting-room, 18|xl6 ft., opening from the rear of which is a toilet-room L, containing wash- basin, with hot and cold water, and a closet, and K, a clothes or general closet. The dining-room E, 12x16 ft., is reached by side en- trsbnce, hall, or rear parlor, and the three main rooms and hall are easily thrown into one grand reception-room, by means of broad, sliding doors that run on tracks overhead, thereby leaving nothing in the way of carpets extending 1-iO OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Fig. 25. AN ELEGANT BRICK RESIDENCE. 141 throughout these rooms. Each of these rooms is provided with a gi-ate and elegant mantles of slate. Connecting with the dining-room is the kitchen H, 12x16 ft., from which opens a commodious pantry G, stair- way I to cellar, rear stair-way J to second floor, outside entrance N to basement, and the china-closet M. A cut of second floor is not necessary, as it is arranged similar to the floor below, excepting that a hall four feet wide runs from front to rear, giving direct communication to all the chambers; and the bath-room, fitted up with copper-lined bath-tub, a wash-stand, and a best Alexander water-closet, is located over toilet-room L. Each chamber is supplied with a closet, and a large Unen-closet with shelves and drawers is placed over rear stairs. The front hall on this floor extends from front window over portico to the window at head of rear staircase. This arrangement secures a free circulation of ah' through the hall and rooms when desired. The attic, which is reached by a narrow, inclosed stair- case over the main stairs, can be finished into three good, comfortable rooms. The windows are tiimmed with best Ohio buff' sandstone,^ and the brick- work is stained and the joints penciled black, which arrangement shows to excellent effect. The roof is of best Pennsylvania black slate, cut a hexagonal pattern, laid over roofing felt, and is one of the attractive features of the building. Iron cresting and finials of peculiar design ornament the ridges of main part of roof, and the cresting, portico, and veranda are of wood. By referring to the perspective view, it will be seen tha the front gable, forming the angles for the bay-shaped rooms. 142 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. extends out over the front in the same manner as it would if the entire end were square. The projecthig cornice that overhangs the angles is supported on two massive brackets, springing out from each angle and joining under the cornice. The front is filled with neat tracery, which, with the supporting brackets, verge-boards, etc., all combine to form an imposing front. It is not egotistical to say that this building possesses to a high degree the requisites of convenience and comfort, with no small degree of taste, for the amount of money re- quired in its construction. We commend it to all who wish a house of like cost and accommodations. DESIGN XI. Our illustration is a perspective view of a fine suburban villa of ample dimensions. The plans and specifications of such a residence should be made by none but the best archi- tects, and those contemplating such a house will of course put its construction into none but the best hands. ,^®^r>w5«^^p. XX. HOW TO BUILD A SUMMER COTTAGE. — CHEAP, BUT ATTRACT- IVE HOUSES IN THE HOT SEASON. — HOW TO BUILD A RUSTIC ARBOR. — A FEW SUGGESTIONS ON BEAUTIFYING THE SURROUNDINGS WITH LITTLE EXPENSE. o>»ic S the warm season approaches, many persons, es- pecially those in cities, are anxious to retire to some spot where they may escape the heat. Many go to the fashionable watering places, some to private boarding houses in the country, and not a few camp out by some lake or stream. Generally such persons are able to bear the expense, and have a summer-house on a lot owned or controlled by themselves, located near some lake, bay, or stream, easy of access to the outside w^orld, but far enough away to escape its anxieties. To such we offer a few suggestions. We will suppose that a summer cottage for a family of four is to be constructed. We must have two rooms on the first floor, and the same number above for sleeping apart- ments. The plan and dimensions wall be as follows: The house will be 13x25 ft., making the front room 12x12 ft., [143] 144 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. the back room, 10x12 ft. foi' dining-room, with a staircase between, 2?> ft. wiilf, the space under staircase being used for a pantry. Tlie same arrangement of rooms on second floor will answer. The roof can be extended out four feet over the front, and a veranda constructed for fii-st floor, the roof of which will serve as a balcony to front sleeping- apartment. In the rear of liouse, we would construct a cook-room, or kitchen, with shelves in corners, 10x10, with a shed roof attached to main building. We now have the plan of the house, let us consider kind, quality, and cost of materials. The structure will require thirteen foundation posts, 7 in. in diameter and not less than 5 ft. long; set four posts on the long sides, one in the center of eaoh end, and three for the kitchen, costing not over $2.60. Lumber for the building will be required as follows 2 sills, 6yi6 in., 25 ft. long; 3 sills, same size, 18 ft. long; 38 studding, 2x4 in., 14 ft. long; 14 studding, same size, 13 ft. long, for plates; 22, studding 12 ft. long, for kitchen walls and rafters; 34 pieces, 10 ft. long, for rafters and gable ends; 22 pieces, 2x8 in., joists for first floor, same number, 2x6 in., for sec- ond floor, all 13 ft. long; 6 pieces, 4x4 in., 9 ft. long, for veranda posts; and 7 pieces, 2x8 in., 10 ft. long, for floor joists of cook-room. This includes all the frammg lumber required in the frame-work, and is not more than two thousand feet board measure, which would cost $15.00 per thousand, or $30.00 The covering boards for the outside walls should be of a good smooth quality of what is usually termed "barn boards," planed on both sides and applied vertically, and th.e joints covered Avith two-inch battens; 1300 ft. will be 4 PLAN OF SUMMER COTTAGE. 145 required at a cost of $20.00. 700 ft. of roofing boards, planed on one side, sound but not necessarily free from knots, will cost $9.00. 5000' shino-les for main roof and kitchen, at $4.00 per thousand, $20.00. The flooring, of pine or spruce, mateht'd and laid in the ordinary way, 800 ft., at a cost of $17.00. For the main cornice use a simple 12-inch projection on rafters, with a verge-board cut in a neat pattern for eaves and gables ; the rafters being planed no plancher will be nec- essary. The veranda is made by extending columns up to the roof with a railing of simple pattern around the upper floor or balcony. There should be at least two windows in front room, and the same number in the rear rooms, all of common, plain frames, with two-light sash, 24x36 inches. One door opens to each front room, one to veranda and balcony, one between two upper rooms, and one to kitchen, no door being neces- sary between the two main rooms below. Partitions between rooms of main floors ai'e of plain matched material, and the staircase a box stairs, forming a pantry underneath. The foregoing includes in a general way the principal things needed for the cottage, and below are the figures giving approximate cost of material and erection: — Framing material, $82.00 Covering boards, 20.00 Roofing boards, 9.00 Shingles, 20.00 Flooring, 17.00 Battens, 6.00 Moldings, verge-boards, etc., 15.00 Windows all complete, 20.00 10 146 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Doors all complete, $12.00 Staircase and extra lumber, 6.00 Painting — two coats, 20.00 Labor of putting up the building, 50.00 Contingent expenses, 10.00 The whole cost need not exceed $240.00, and in many localities it will come within $200.00. Hundreds of people can possess such a building for sum- mer use, to which they may retire and spend the " heated term " in the most pleasant manner. Certainly the expense is not so great as to deter people in comfortable circum- stances, besides the same amount would be spent in two summers, in boarding and other expenses, with far less real comfort. How TO Construct a Rustic House. Where there is anything like spacious grounds around a hou.se, that can be used for a lawn, nothing adds more to the attractiveness of the out-door scenery than a cosey, rustic retreat, covered with climbing vines, whose leafy foliage forms a most inviting welcome to whoever may seek shelter from the scorching rays of the summer sun, and rest upon the rude seats within. A rustic summer-house is quite simple to build, and a great variety of forms can easily be made if the material can be readily obtained. Cedar is tiie bast and can be found in most localities; but spruce will do very well where cedar cannot be obtained. If one lives in the country, and the material is to be cut in the woods, it should be selected, for the most part, from small trees or saplings as near of a size as passible. But a variety of sizes will be needed in trimming up, »o that in cutting we may take some of both larger and A RUSTIC SUMMER HOUSE. 147 smaller sizes. Trim off roughly, that is, cut the small limbs not close to the body of the tree. Now, for illustration, we will build a small arbor, say 8 ft. wide and 1 2 ft. long. Of course, in selecting our material we must know first what we are to build, and select certain parts for certain places. For the arbor we are considering, we must have six posts about 5 in. in diameter, one for each corner, and one in the middle of each side. These make our main supports for the superstructure. From the top of these carry across the eight-foot way stout poles and secure them in place; now on the top of the ends of these pieces we will extend pieces the reverse of the former and over the posts, thus making, as it were, the plates, which should extend over two feet at each end, the center pole extending parallel with pieces last mentioned, and of the same length; this center piece must be raised to the height of two feet above the others, and will rest on an upright piece set down upon the cross-pieces before mentioned. We now have the outline of our structure. The roof should be covered with poles two inches apart, extending over the eaves 2 ft. and joining in the center of the roof. The plates should be 9 ft. from the ground, and parallel with them, down 16 in. below, all around, place other sticks, and under the corners place braces. Between the pieces parallel with the plate, cut in cross-pieces close together, all around, and fill in the gables of the roof, pieces cut in any form that the taste may suggest. The sides and ends, except a three-foot opening in center of each end, must have a rail all around, three feet high, cut in between the main posts ; also a piece around in the same manner near the ground; then fill in this space under the rails in any form that may be .desired, and on each of the two sides make a seat of the smaller poles. 148 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. This completes our description of one simple form of making a rustic summer-house. Very little skill is re(juired, nor many tools; a saw, hammer, and sharp hatchet are the main ones that Avill he required, with plenty of tenpenny nails for securing the work. Of course a little good taste in ari'anging the foims oi roof and trimming the same, may add much to its symmetry. Some of the many kinds of climbing vines should be planted and trained to spreaH0USE. An ice-house properly made will last a long time with but little attention; and in the country where ice is not supplied, there is no reason why the milk-house, meat pre- servatory, and ice-house should n(^t be combined in one, especially where a running stream is not near at hand. ri-1 158 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Ice can be preserved in simple, double-walled houses, with the space between filled with sawdust, and the ice packed in closely and covered well with sawdust. The Fig- 33- accompanying engraving and description will, however, yive a better idea of how to combine the ice-house and preservatory. The novel feature of this plan is the placing of the pre- servatory under the mass of ice, from which it is separated by the floor made of plates and galvanized iron. It is thus FARM AND CARRIAGE BARN. 159 already filled with cold air of about the temperature of 34'' or 36°. The temperature is communicated to the preserva- tory by the ice acting thi-ough the thin floor of iron plates. Fresh air may be inti'oduced from the sides when desirable, and ventilation is secured in the direction indicated by the arrows, between the outer and inner walls. The iron floor slopes to the center, where the drainage is completed by a pipe. The outer wall is made of stone or brick, next comes an air-space eight inches wide, then a wall of boards filled in with sawdust. The current of warm air from below passes up the air-space, through holes into the chamber above the ice, and out at the roof. The rafters are double-boarded and sawdust placed between them and a four-inch air-space left between them and the roof ; this secures brisk circula- tion of air. If the ice-house is to be connected with the dwelling, the preservatoiy may be entered from the cellar by breaking a door-way through the wall ; if apart from the house, unless a side hill be available, some steps downward will be necessary. The ice-house should be wholly above ground, but the preservatory partly or entirely under, as shown by the grade lines on side of cut. Farm and Carriage Baen. There are many farmers owning farms of from fifty to eighty acres, who often feel the need of a carriage barn, yet do not feel able to build one in addition to their other farm buildings. To such it is believed this design of a farm and carriage bam combined will be acceptable. The size of the main barn is 30x60 ft., corner posts 15 1()0 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. ft. liigh; the linter or back part containing the stables and store-room is 15x68 ft., with corner posts 9 ft. high. Tlie shed containing the pig-pen and hen-house is 8x32 ft., and m 8 ft. high. The grain and water buckets in the horse stables are filled through sliding doors opening from the feed-room. The hay-racks should be of hard wood or iron, and filled FARM AND CARRIAGE BARN. KJl from the mow ovei' the cariiage room. The graiiar}- has capacity for three hiiu(hctl busliels of grain, and the whole barn storage room sufficient fur a fai-ni of sixty acres. The following is the descriptive reference to the cut: A, threshing and entrance floor, 16x30 ft.; B, carriage and 11 162 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. wagon room, 22x24 ft. ; C, mow, 18x22 ft. ; D, horse stables, 15x22 ft. ; E, feed-room, 7x12 ft. ; F, stairs, with pump (•) under them; G, harness closets; H, H, H, hay racks in horse stables; I, I, I, I, grain and water buckets; T, store- room, 15x21 ft.; K, tool-closet; L, work -bench; M, passage- way, 4x30 ft. ; N, granary, 8x22 ft. ; O, cow stables, 15x20 ft. ; P, P, P, P, mangers ; R, pig-pen ; S, sleeping-room ; F, feed-trough; U, hennery; V, feed-box; W, perches for hennery. «9 ^'^ « s^ m ^ ^ .J <^^i(^ rl [tw ^m|l$|iift ♦f' FOR [163] ^HE following chapters are designed to suggest employ- ments that will beautify the home, and in many in- 'if^ stances add to the revenue of the family, and above all furnish such attractive work as will keep the boys of the family at home, and away from the contaminating influ- ences of the streets. (!1maftrr I. A MANUAL OF FRET SAWING. — PRACTICAL LESSONS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. — FINISHING UP THE WORK. — USE OF SAWS. — SAWING METALS. — USEFUL ARTICLES. — SAWS AND THEIR PRICES. t>>»Jo HE amateur is frequently in too great haste to "make a bracket," and does not give sufficient time for practice ; especially is this the case with the younger ones, and for this reason many get discouraged. The true way to be successful is to follow instructions explicitly. No one should atteonpt to do a nice piece of work until he can saiu on a line, or circle, or cut an angle with ease and precis io7i; for this practice old cigar boxes are the cheapest and handiest. After you have learned to follow straight and curved lines, the next and only difficult point to learn is to turn a square or sharp corner, as in Lesson I. Hoto to Use the Scroll- Saiu. — Amateurs should first learn to operate treadle, so they can run machine and talk at same time; even write and run saw. Having accomplished this, take a piece of cigar box or other thin board, make straight [165] 166 OUB HOMES AND THElJi ADOBNMENTS. and curved lines upon it (do not at first turn round). When you have made the marks, place the board close to the saw, as near the mark as possible, with your hands on top of the board; press down gently — not hard, but always down and forward at an even speed, not by fits and starts. Keep the hands as near the saw as possible. Always use thin lum- ber first, and saw slowly; as you learn to saw you can learn to vise machine to fullest capacity. To saw a bracket or any other piece of work, always place the pattern on the wood so that the grain will run lengthwise of the weaker parts. Lesson I. — Commence at one end and saw up to a sharp point; now, without stopping the motion of the saw, you want to swing the piece of wood around, using the saw blade as a fulcrum for the center; when you get so you can Fig. 79- successfully do this you will find it of great value in executing work rapidly and nicely. At first you will find it a httle difficult, for the reason that you do not turn on the actual center of the saw blade ; this is caused by your press- ing the wood forward slightly while you are turning it; now it should not be pressed in any direction, but if any way it should be held back a little, for the reason that it would then hit the back of the saw blade, which cannot cut; but this will be overcome by practice. Lesson II. — This is a different practice, but it will require no special instruction. Carefully follow the lines. HOW TO MAKE BRACKETS. 16: Do not crowd or hurry your work. In case the saw works hard, occasionally apply a little soap or bees- wax to the back of the blade. Fig. 80. f Lesson III. — This is a combination of the line, curve, and angle, but differing from previous lessons in this respect: In the preceding figures our object was to preserve the outside Fig. 81. line, in this we preserve the inside. First, drill a small hole at a, unscrew the upper saw fastener, and insert the blade through the hole. Now proceed to cut out the design as al- ready described. Having practiced on these lessons until you can saw true, either on a line, curve, or angle, you will be ready to advance another step in this fascinating art. Lesson IV. — Making a Bracket. — Having selected a good piece of black- walnut about three-sixteenths of an inch thick, apply to it the design. There are several methods for doing this. The simplest is to paste the design directly upon the wood, using flour paste. After the sawnng is done, the paper can be removed by moistening with water, but it is much better to be careful in putting the paste on, and only put it on the part you throw away. You can also secure the 168 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. design to the wood with small tacks, driven into the parts of the wood to come away. Another good way: Pro- cure a sheet of " impression paper," lay the paper on the wood, place the design over it; take an instrument with a fine, hard Fig. 82. point, and trace around the design. On removing the impres- sion paper, the design will be seen neatly copied on the wood. It is better to cut away inside work first. Drill holes in every part which requires cutting away; this done, place the wood, with the design upward, on the saw table. The inside of the design being complete, remove the outside in the same manner. Having finished the various parts of the bracket, it is ready for finishing. Smoothing off Work. — Take a small, half-round file, and file the corners true, and straighten all edges. Take sand-pa- per and rub the bracket carefully. Under edges will be found ragged, but sand-paper will make them smooth. When a number of thicknesses are sawed, this is obviated. Putting Work together. — Small brads or screws can be used; if the bracket is quite small, glue alone is sufficient. In case the bracket is intcudi'tl to carry some weight, use screws. INLAYING AND OVERLAYING. 169 Oil. — For oiling, boiled linseed oil should be used. Apply to wood, and when it is absorbed, rub over with a stiff brush or soft paper. Shellac. — Take half- pint bottle of alcohol, fill about one- quarter full of bleached shellac in small pieces. After standing several hours this will be dissolved and ready for use. Apply to the wood with fine sponge or cotton. It dries so very quickly that several coats can be applied in a few moments. Varnish is frequently used, but it does not give the wood as pretty an appearance as oil or shellac. If used, it must be applied lightly and evenly. There are several kinds, vary- ing in color which must be used according to the color of the wood. Polish. — To polish well requires practice, care, and patience, and we would not advise amateurs to undertake the work unless they are desirous of so doing. Prepared French polish is generally for sale at paint stores. In the first place, see that the wood is smooth. Use fine sand-paper, and be sure to remove every scratch. Having obtained the polish, — lifrht or dark, according" to color of the wood, — soak small bits of tow or cotton wool in the polish, and apply evenly to the wood; add more polish to cotton wool, but before ap- plying to the wood place it inside a piece of linen rag, on which put a drop or tM^o of sweet oil — this prevents the rag from sticking; rub the wood again, giving a circular mo- tion to the rag; repeat the supply of polish and oil as re- quired, until the suiface is uniformly polished. Marquetry or Inlaying is a fascinating part of scroll sawing, and is destined to become more popular. At first thought it may seem difficult to inlay ,one piece of wood into another, but the process is simple when you know how. 170 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. For our first lesson we will take a clover leaf, and inlay black- walnut into white holly. Take two pieces of wood, each one-eighth of an inch thick, walnut and holly ; fasten them together, either with 4» Fig. 83. Fig. 84. common shoe pegs or screws. Let the walnut remain on top ; secure the design to wood; drill a small hole for the saw blade, the same as in fret sawing, in which insert blade (No. o) ; saw with your work on the right of saw blade. From the picture you will readily see how the dark piece of wood will drop down and fit into the light. If the bevel is just right it will leave the work smooth with no gaps. Having cut out the clover leaf, you can secure it in its place. Glue around the edges of the leaf, insert quickly in the holly, and let it harden under pressure. Finish off the work with sand- paper. Overlaying. — When the amateur has become master of his saw, so that he can saw delicate and intricate work, he should do overlaid work, as this is very neat and a change from other work. Ordinary flat picture-frames can be over- laid with vines and fine tracery. Here is an instance where glue becomes very useful, for one can fasten overlaid work on finished wood, where ordinarily it requires escutcheon pins, but all know it is not pleasant to drive them in light and frail work. Very pretty photograph frames are made by taking a pine board and sawing an oval out of the center and covering the pine with velvet. Fasten the overlaying on SILHOUETTES —8AND-PAPEETNG. 171 velvet. Designs for overlaying, such as vines or clusters of flowers, a head or any other ornament, can be procured of almost any dealer; but a great many pretty designs for this work can be obtained in such books as the Ladies' Book and Harper's Bazaar. Silhouettes. — Few articles made with the scroll-saw are more ornamental than Silhouettes. Many designs can be found in books for children. They should be cut from ma- terial one-sixteenth of an inch thick, or from veneers. Black and white are favorite colors, or ebony and white holly. It re- quires a tough wood. The finest and best saws should be used. When veneers are used, they should be placed between two pieces of a sixteenth of an inch in thickness each, and fastened firmly. Silhouettes are used in various ways, by overlaying on polished wood or paper placed on a board for a back' ground. If you possess a treadle machine, you can make decorations for your wall, or even make a nice border. Paste a very dark strip around for the border, then procure white holly veneer and saw out a variety of patterns — you can saw one-half dozen or more at one time. Glue them on. the dark border, each equal distances apart. If you wish to saw a perfect likeness of one of the family or a friend, place a piece of paper on the wall, and with a strong light throw a shadow on the paper; now with a pencil trace the features, and with a pantagraph reduce to any size you wish. With a little practice you can do excellent work. You can dec- orate an easel you wish to give to a friend with his own likeness, by obtaining it in this way and reducing as stated, placing the picture on wood, saw it out and overlay the ob- ject to be given away. Sand- Papering. — To sand-paper flat surfaces, alway - 172 OTJR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. use a block. Take two pieces of pine, three by four inches, and three-eighths of an inch thick ; through one of them put a few slender screws, just Jong enough to come through about one-eighth of an inch ; file these points sharp, take a piece of sand-paper four inches wide and seven and one-half long, lay one end on the screw points, pi-ess the paper over them, place another block on this, and fasten the two together with screws; two sets of blocks are best, one foi- fine, the other for coarse, paper; lay the work on a bench, hold the board with one hand and rub with the other, giving it a circular motion, and move rapidly ; begin with No. i, finish with No. (JO. Another good way for small work : Lay the whole sheet of paper on a bench or level board, turn the piece to be sand- papered down on it and rub. Small work can be done nicely in this way. Fret Sawing in Metals, Shell, Pearl, and Ivory. Brass, gold, silver, shell, ivory, and pearl can also be used by Fret Sawyers, many beautiful and useful ornaments being- produced by them. It is not generally known, but is a fact, that bi-ass, tin, zinc, and other composition metals, can be cut with the bracket saw almost as easily as wood. In sawing out thin metals, or thin and brittle substances, the article to be sawed should be placed between two thin pieces of walnut. The design can be placed on the wood as ordinary work, and the wood and metal sawed through at the same time. By this means very delicate work can be wrought, as the wood forms a support for the thin metal. No matter how fine the lines may be, or how intricate the work, with a steady hand and keen eye the saw will cut hair lines as well as coarse ones. For metal sawing, only the best blades should be used. MAKING ESCUTCHEONS AND HINGES. [ 7S Nos. I, o, and 00 are most desirable. In this manner, ear- rings and various articles of jewelry and ornament may be produced. Beautiful ornaments can also be cut from brass, silver, ivory, etc., for inlaying into woods of contrasting colors. Sheet brass, copper, and other metals can be procured of various thicknesses. A silver coin can be hammered quite thin and flat. With the fret-saw this can be worked up into articles of jewelry, or for inlaying purposes. Silver in- layed into ebony is very beautiful. Hard, vulcanized India-rubber is manufactured in sheets about two feet squaie, and is sold by the pound. It can be easily cut, and is very attractive and convenient to use for jewelry, card-baskets, etc. Even a handsome clock case can be made from this material. When sawing rubber, frequently place a little oil on the blade, to reduce friction. In putting nice work together, it is of importance to do it well, as good work can be easily spoiled. Hinges can be had at most stores, but they are usually too plain for fine work, and we propose to show how an ornamental hinge can be made by means of the fret-saw. Sheet brass, copper, or other metals, can easily be procured of various thicknesses. The best suited for this purpose will range from -J^ to -^ of an inch. Upon a piece of metal, the requisite size, trace, with a fine awl point, the design you have selected. Saw out the design, and leave flange sufficient to form a turn or socket, where the two parts of hinge are to be united by a pin. This flange will at first be straight, but by using a pair of small pli- ers and working it with a light hammer around a steel wire fully as large as the diameter of the pin, it will take a tubular shape. To the other half of the hinge there will be, of course^ 174 nrn ttomes and their adornmemtj. two more flanges to be made in the same way. The pin should 1)6 fitted as true as possible in order that the hinge may open and shut easily. The hinges should be fastened Fig. 86. Fig. 87. on with small wire pins, holes of proper size being drilled throuffh the metal and wood. Fig. 88. Fig. 89. Fig. 90. Fig. 91. Escutcheons for key-hole ornaments can also be cut from brass and other metals. A few styles are shown above. HAND SCROLL, OR FRET SA IVS. 175 Many other small articles from metals can be cut out with the saw. We illustrate two very useful ones. They are metal loops for suspending clock cases, picture-frames, brackets, etc. For this, sheet brass is used. As nail-heads vary in size, the hole by which the loop is passed over the nail should be sufficiently roomy for the largest-sized pict- ure-nail. Fret- work boxes can be still further ornamented by means of corner braces cut in neat designs from brass. These can be cut in pairs by following the directions already given. Saws, Lathes, Prices, Etc. Some of the higher priced scroll sawing machines, have a turning lathe attachment, and are equipped with a com- plement of chisels and gouges, by means of which many useful and ornamental articles can be easily turned. Some also have a buzz-saw attachment, a dovetailing attachment, a molding attachment, and buffing and polishing attach- ments, so that they are adapted to a great variety of work. The cost of a scroll sawing machine varies from three to twenty-five dollars. With most machines, fi-om six to twelve saw blades are given when it is purchased. The saw blades cost from ten to seventy -five cents each, or from $1.20 to $6.00 per dozen, according to size. We present herewith a cut of a scroll sawing machine, to which any of the above-mentioned attachments can be made. Hand Scroll or Fret Saws. Persons who do not wish to go to the expense of a scroll or fret sawing machine, but who desire to do ornamental work in the making of brackets, or picture frames, or in- 176 OUIi HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. laying work, can procure small hand scroll or fret saAvs at an expense of only a dollar or two at the most. These saws v\nll do most of the work that can be done by a machine, but of course it cannot be done as quickly. Marquetry or inlaying work may be done equally as well, and perhaps Fig. 92. better, by the hand scroll-saws. With these saws are usually furnished several blades and a number of designs. They may be procured at hardware stores where scroll sawing machines are kept, or of manufacturers. An ingenious boy with a few simple tools and an old sewing-machine table, could soon transform one of the above hand machines into an effective foot-power saw. (!lMi^F»^RFi THE ART OF WOOD CARVING. — ITS ORIGIN AND HISTORY. THE TOOLS AND THEIR USES. ORNAMENTS THAT MAY BE MADE. — HOW AMATEURS MAY LEARN THE ART. DIRECTIONS FOR FIRST ATTEMPTS. oi*io |00D CARVING.— Within the past few years much attention, has been given to carving on wood as a pastime and useful recreation. This is probably the oldest branch of Art within the knowledge of man. Apparently, the first weapon w^as a club, and the first attempt at decoration was some scratching or carving on it. Among the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, it was much practiced. As a branch of Christian Art it was one of the earliest, and attained a high development in tlie fifteenth century, as is attested by the elaborate carvings in many of the old cathedrals in Europe. It greatly declined during the last century or two, but has again revived, and promises to attain great importance. The Swiss are noted for their high attainments in the art of wood carving, as thev are in their ornamental scroll sawing, and it is perhaps to them that Ave owe the revival of this art in America. [177] 178 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Carving in wood is an elegant and useful art, and is easily learned. Of course, elaborate work is not easily done; but many articles of utility and adornment may be carved by any boy or girl with only ordinary mechanical ability. It is said that whittling' is natural to Americans, Carvino- is only a higher grade of whittling, in which the jackknife gives place to the chisel and the gouge. It would astonish most people to be shown what may be done with these simple tools. For not only may elegant trifles, such as brackets, book rests, bread plates, paper knives, picture- frames, etc., be made by the home carver, but chairs, tables, side boards, bedsteads, and otlier domestic articles may be ornamented in this way. That woman may excel in doing carved work, was shown by the work of the Cincinnati Carving Club, exhib- ited at the Centennial. What has been done by these ladies may be done by other ladies. It is here worthy of note that carving clubs are forming all over the country, and thereby stimulating hundreds to acquire this elegant and useful art. To aid such as may wish to learn the rudiments of carving, we have prepared the following lessons. The Use of Tools, The first lesson of the amateur is to learn the use of the three principal tools, — the flat chisel, gouge, and veining tool. (See tools 2, 3, and 4, next figure.) For this lesson- take a block of whitewood, or any soft wood, six inches long by two or three Ijroad and one and a half thick. Secure it firmly to a bench; then, with the flat chisel, carve the beveled edges and make the miters perfect. Now take the veining tool, No. 3, which cuts a V-shaped groove, and carve out the design, as given on the next page. PRACTICAL INSTRUCTION. 179 In using this tool, it must be held in the right hand and in a slanting direction. The left hand should be hollowed and placed on the tool, the wrist and tips of the fingers Fig. 93. resting upon the work. This steadies the right hand and prevents the tool from slipping forward. Now use the gouge, and carve out the circular depression which may be Fig. 94. seen in the design. Practice on this lesson until you can carve the design accurately. m DESIGNS FOR WOOD CARVING. HINTS TO AMATEURS. 181 It is necessary, in order to carry on wood carving, to pro- cure a strong table of deal or other wood, the stronger and heavier it is the better, as nails must be driven into it, and holes bored. It must stand firm and solid and in a good light. The first attempt must necessarily be a simple out-, and perhaps an ivy-leaf is the easiest representation that can be atteiupted. Choose a piece of pine wood about three- quarters of an inch thick, free from knots, and perfectly dry and well seasoned; old pieces such as may be found stored away in many houses would answer well for be- ginners. A sketch of the leaf to be carved must first be drawn upon paper, the back of which is then rubbed with red chalk or other coloring matter at hand. This paper is then pinned upon the wood, and the outlines of the leaf pressed over with some blunt instrument, such as a crochet-needle or pin-head, and upon removing the paper the outline will bu found upon the wood. Deficiencies in the outline must be corrected in pencil, or, if hard wood is used, in pen and ink. Then follows the first process, known as stabbing out, which is done by holding the chisel upi-ight and pressing directly downward along the outline of the leaf. After the design is thus distinctly outlined into the wood, it is a good plan to deepen the depression made by the chisel, by running the curved gouge round the edge until a groove about the six- teenth of an inch deep is made. The next work is to cut away the wood, and this requires caution. Until the operator thoi'oughly understands how to cut with or against the grain of the wood, he should remove as little wood as possible. In clearing the wood between the outlines, it is best to work across the grain, and to begin 182 OUR EOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. cutting out the wood about a quarter of an inch from the outline, shaving very gradually toward it, relieving the wood at each cut, and setting the leaf free. This work should be done very carefully until the wood is entirely removed be- tween the pattern edges, leaving the pattern in relief, care being taken always to cut thoroughly and never to tear or dig the wood. An experienced carver remarks : " Leave no rags, jags, or fragments; clear out completely every angle and corner; get your work as smooth as possible with what- ever tool you may be using, and let every stroke of your chisel or gouge be regulated by design. By following these rules, by cutting slowly and carefully, a -little at a time, by holding the tools firmly and leaving the pattern sloping out- ward to be finished, the amateur will be surprised at the re" suits obtained after a little practice." The midribs of the various lobes of the leaf next demand attention. These must first be stabbed out, as in the outline* and then the surface of the lobe must be slanted down to them from side to side. The second stage is but a repetition of the first process, the ground being uniformly lowered, and then the appearance of the leaf claims consideration. " Cer- tain portions of the surface nuist be lowered to present an appearance of reality," some portions remaining at their or- iginal elevation, others being cut or shaved away to present an undulating surface. Here a knowledge of art is useful in suggesting the proper distribution of light and shade, which must be conveyed by the ingenious use of the gouges of different degrees of curvature. No artificial means should be used for smoothing or leveling the unequal appearance of the cai'ved surface, but it should remain as the tools leave it. The study of natural leaves is very important in carving, for by this means a knowledge of the different fibers in va- rious leaves is acquired, and wood carving, from being a merely mechanical amusement, becomes in reality an art. LANDSCAPE GARDENING. GENERAL RULES AND OBSERVATIONS APPLICABLE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF SMALL LOTS FROM ONE-SIXTEENTH TO ONE-HALF ACRE IN AREA. — ERRORS OF COMMON OC- CURRENCE. — STYLE OF GARDENING. — EXPOSURE AND LOCATION. — GRADING AND TERRACING. oj»;o EFORE entering upon details as to the best methods of improvement, and as a fruitful source of awaKening attention to the subject, it has seemed best to enumerate some of the more no- ticeable faults, most of which may be seen upon any street of half a mile in length in any but the most wealthy portions of our cities and vil- lages, in the hope that the reader may the better analyze his premises, if already improved, or guard against these defects when about to make for himself a home in the future. Chief among these faults may be named the following— Errors to Be Avoided. 1 . Houses too near the street. 2. Too many trees inside the yard. [183] 184 OUR HOMES AJ^D THEIR ADORNMENTS. 3. Too mucli shade about the house. 4. The use of improper trees, considermg- the style of architecture employed, as well as the use of such trees as have the disagreeable habit of suckering, or sending up sprouts, or that produce unsightly blossoms, or food for "horrid worms," as ladies say. 5. The use of improper colors upon fences and build- ings, — colors that do not harmonize with each other, nor with the things that nature furnishes in that locality. 6. The want of care necessary to keep a place tidy and neat, 7. The destruction of lawns by the use of too many and too great a variety of things in small places. 8 The use of too many styles of fence upon the same block, out of proportion as to parts, some having too small posts, some being too low, others too high, together Avith numberless other defects, Avhich we shall mention in connec- tion with each subject of which we shall speak hereafter. How TO Begin. But lest the want of space forbids our going suffi- ciently into details upon all these topics, it may not be amiss to remind the reader that imitation is one of the most fruit- ful sources of advancement. Look about you, and when you see a thing that looks pleasing and tasty and suited to your means, strive to copy it. Take notes and measure- ments in detail, for it is the minute features that produce the perfect whole. Do not allow yourself to guess at the size of a fence post or the height of the fence, the width of a walk, or the distance trees are planted apart, etc., etc., unless you know your taste is good in regard to such matters. IMPROVING SMALL LOTS. 185 Many a man can appreciate good music, still he may not be able to utter a musical sound; and so in the adornment of homes, most can admire, but few can create them independ- ently, and hence must be governed by rules or samples. Or, better still, if you are able, get some person skilled in such things to furnish a plan, or at least give some sug- gestions that you may profit by when improvements are commenced. Things to Be Attained. The improvement of city or village lots that do not ex- ceed a half-acre in extent is quite a simple, easy matter if you have carefully noted all the errors spoken of in the preceding pages, so that you are sure not to commit any of them, in which case, the work is already half done. Simplicity and Neatness Are the two main things to be sought in these little places, and since they can only be considered as one part or feature of larger places, no attempt to embody everything that could be attained upon a lot containing five or more acres will ever give pleasure or satisfaction within the limits of a small lot. The best that can be done is to secure one fine piece of lawn ; a few choice flowers, not attempting to raise all that are named in the floral catalogues; and a few very fine, small growing trees and shrubs, in place of those of larger growth that are suitable for extensive lawns, together with only such walks as are necessarily traveled in going to and from the house to the approach, out-buildings, or flower garden, if one is kept at all; this last being of doubtful propriety within such narrow limits. Hence, use only small ornaments for small yards, and thus form a picture perfect 186 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. in all its parts, but taken in miniature. But at present we will consider some things that more properly come first. Style of Gardening Used. In general, only the "formal " or "geometric " style can be applied within narrow limits. There is no room to make curved walks and flowing outlines, rockeries, cascades, lakes, and other things that belong to the natural style. A mixed style might properly be adopted upon a good-sized lot, pro- viding care is taken in locating the house and out-buildings, having a side entrance to the former, and having the latter so placed in the rear that a curved walk could be started from the proper place for an entrance to the yard, passing the door of the house, thence on towaixl the places that it be- comes necessary to visit about every home. No abrupt turns would be admissible, for nothing of the " picturesque " can ever be tolerated here, not even rough rustic chairs and things of like nature. On account of their nearness to the dwellinof, all architectural ornaments or manufactured arti- cles should conform to, and be in harmony with, the style of the house, which is the leading feature in these small lots. It may be laid down as a general rule that things brought into close contact should either produce harmony of design by happy contrasts, the one being a natural and the other an artificial object, or else be of similar nature and the same style. Do not use gothic vases and other architectural orna- ments in connection with a house in Grecian or Roman style. The Exposure or Location. Of course we do not expect all can obtain the most de- <^irable places, and many of the readers have already pur- THE EXPOSURE OB LOCATION. 157 chased and perhaps built ; but it is proper to speak of these features, and then each can apply them so far as his purse or premises will allow. First, then, in cities or villages where the streets are sure to be graded sooner or later, a medium elevation should be selected, being most likely to conform best to the level of the grade of the street when established. Of all locations, a southeast corner lot in the block is the most desirable, con- sidering the means of access to barns, out-buildings, etc., and the bringing in contact of the most protected, or least in- clement sides of the house for an entrance, and the most easily sheltered portions of the grounds for a lawn or ornamental purposes. Next to this would be the corner opposite on the south, being the northeast, which does very well by placing the house near the road on the north, and having a bay-window or veranda opening toward the south f'.de, where the lawn should be, as before. Next to these two, we would choose an inside lot on the west side of the north and south road, or the noi'th side of the east and west road. But should you be so unfortunate as to get the less desirable locations, it might justify more planting for shelter in front, and perhaps pure white houses with green blinds, together with a location less distant from the street than Ave shall recommend in our directions upon that subject, mak- ing the ornamental part of the yard partly to the warm side, 01 even behind the house if desired. Of course, good neighborhoods, good views, nearness to churches, schools, and places of business, although not strictly belonging to the subject of ornamental gardening, should always be considered, as also good water, means of drainage, distance from noisy, smoky, or unhealthful man- ufacturing establishments, or cess-pools, etc. Get started 188 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. light if possible, and then half the work is saved; verifying the adage, " Well begun is half done." The Style of House to be Built, Although not properly belonging to this subject, needs great care in its selection. Nothing in ornamental gardening can ever atone for a poorly designed house. So, if possible, consult your architect and gardener together; and if you can afford neither, you had better borrow such features as you hnd in works upon architecture, like the one in hand, using them as your pattern and guide rather than trust youi own poor taste, if such only you possess. The Distance of the House from the Road. This depends much upon the style or size of the house, and more upon the shape of the lot, which should properly be twice as long as wide. It is also quite important to con- sidei the views to be obtained or obstructed by sun-ound- ings. In general, all the houses in a block should front on the same line, and the center of the house should be placed back from the street one-fourth or one-third the length of the lot, the distance being increased with the increased width of the lot, providing the lengths are the same, as is usually the case in cities' and villages. Upon a lot ten rods long, this brings a house that is thirty-three feet long, from twenty -five to thirty -five feet from the road, the shorter dis- tance being about the least admissible in such sized lots, espe- cial I y if all owners on the block can agree. And between these distances, the economic use to which you might desire to put your back yard, or the ornamental use to which you IMPROVEMENTS. 189 might wish to devote your front yard, must determine each case. Then, too, if your lot is ver}' high above the grade, pru- dence would dictate not to use the less distance, but rather to increase the greater distance, thus giving less pitch per rod from the house to sidewalk. The pitch should in no case exceed one foot to the rod, not more than half this being desirable ; and even then the surface should be a little full near the center, giving it a slight convexity, which in- creases the apparent breadth of lawn. Means of Improvement. The first thing to be done upon a new place is to secure perfect dramage for cellar and surplus waters, and the next is to mark out your necessary Roads and Walks; But as we have occasion to speak of these more fully under the head of large places, the details being the same in both, we will proceed to the Grading and Terracing. In case the pitch is too great from the house to the street, or in other places upon the premises, it will be neces- sary to terrace; and when this is done, let it seem to be a part of the house, being parallel with it, and supporting the same at every turn when near to it, or parallel with the fence when near to the road. Let the banks be smoothly cut, and neatly sodded with the finest June or blue grass sod that can be procured from some adjoining road- 190 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. side or pasture, not coarse timothy, clover, or dandelion sod. The same kind should be used in strips about eight inches wide for marking the borders of drives and walks, and be well pounded down with the back of the spade, and kept well watered during dry weather. Give the face of the ter - race sufficient slant to keep it from falling down, and a concave rather than a convex face, which last does not look nor stand well. It would hardly seem proper to resort to terraces unless there is an incline above a foot to the rod in distance. As regards the grading of the general surface, it is often advisable to plant the ground to some spring hoeing crop, — potatoes are best, — thus giving the old sod time to decay, making it much easier to level down smoothly in the fall, which of all seasons is the best for such work. Fill up all abrupt depressions, making the general surface smooth and even, with good descent for drainage. Formation of Lawns. As lawns constitute the chief charm- in all small grounds, great care should be taken in their formation. Dig the ground deep and apply plenty of fertilizers in the form of rich loam, not clay alone unless the soil is too sandy, nor sand alone, for it will not hold moisture nor sustain lux- uriant vegetation ; but use both together, or more of one or the other as there seems to be need. Apply also a good quantity of composted muck if needed, and a generous supply of manure as free from weeds and the coarser kinds of grass seed as possible. Composting one season and turning often, will greatly improve barn-yard manure, and mixing it thor- oughly with the muck or road dust is better still. After FORMATION OF LAWNS. 191 the ground is leveled and the prepared manure applied, rake thoroughly with a fine-tooth iron rake, removing all chunks, sticks, stones, sods, etc., which may be buried in the ground or removed. After this let the ground settle awhile, through a heavy rain if possible; and then, after again raking the entire ground over and making the surface smooth and even, sow evenly a mixture of equal parts of June or Kentucky blue- grass and redtop seed, with a little sweet-scented clover, not more than a pound to three bushels of the other two. Use this mixture at the rate of one quart, or a little less, to the square rod of surface. Sow early in the spring or in September, and about July commence mowing to kill the weeds; and if dandelions, thistles, or other perennial weeds are seen, dig them out with a garden trowel. Now, by mow- ing once in a week or two, rolling, and during dry weather sprinkling occasionally, you will soon have the greatest or- nament that can be obtained near a house or made to adorn small premises. A More Permanent Lawn, One that will not be parched and dry during the droughts so common in our climate in summer, may be formed by another method which is costly in the beginning, but will return a rich reward when once completed. This is made by " trench- ing," or turning all the ground upside down to the depth of two, or better, three feet; commence at one side by throw- ing out a ditch, then fill this by forming another of same width next to it, and so on until all the ground has been inverted, the first dirt thrown out being carried to fill the last ditch. Then by leveling, rolling, and forming a new 192 OUR HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENTS. surface of rich soils, as at first directed, and sowing: as before, you will have the most durable and perfect lawn that can be formed, and the cheapest in the end. But as most Amer- icans are too impatient for such work, we have given the quick way first, supplying the lack of moisture by artificial watering during periods of drought. G.Hj^F»x:^i^ f^. SPECIAL FEATURES. DRIVES AND WALKS. VARIETIES OF SHRUBS, TREES AND FLOWERS TO USE. — LAYING OUT AND MAKING WALKS AND DRIVES. — EASY METHODS OF LAYING OUT DRIVES. — GROUPING AND PLANTING. SPECIAL FEATURES. RIVES AND WALKS.— As we have before stated, the number, direction, and location of drives and walks are matters of the utmost im- portance, as these not only form convenient means of ingress and egress to the premises, and connect the points which must be so often visited about every house, such as the barn, gardens, out-buildings, etc., but also furnish the boundary lines for lawns, garden-patches, and other divis- ions of the premises. Therefore it becomes a matter of the utmost importance where these necessary features should be placed to make them at once convenient and useful, seeming to fall just where we need to go in following our daily pursuits, — a thing that no true economist should overlook. Still, they can be made "a thing of beauty," or at least, so as to enhance the* more beautiful features, since they furnish a guide for cor- 13 [193] 194 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. rect planting, which is the most difficult of landscape work. Not that we would set our trees and shrubs in regular oi-der along the line of the drives, as would be eminently proper in the strictly "formal style;" still, at every turn, the one must be governed and made to support the other in an informal way ; hence the importance of careful study in locating our walks and drives. No absolute rules can be laid down, since premises and their objects vary so materially. But first of all, ofreat care should be taken in regfard to the location of the house, for this in turn must govern all else. Next to this, as few walks and drives should be made as will meet the every-day necessities ; for if too numerous, they are expensive luxuries which require constant care and attention to prevent their becoming nuisances, for such they will become when overrun with weeds and grass, while at the same time they greatly mar the breadth pf lawn by cutting it up into small patches like a piece-work quilt. If the lot is small, the house very near the road, — less than twenty-five feet, — and the door in front, it will hardly be possible to do more than run a straight walk from the road to the door, turning by a gentle elbow curve and passing along the side of the house to the kitchen door, leaving a narrow strip of sod between the walk and house, and thence to the out-buildings in the same formal manner. Trees must be of small size, and planted so as to shut out views of an objectionable nature, but should never be close to the house. Use only nice flowering shrubs, such as the althea, deutzia, spirea, iveigela, and nice roses on the warmer sidas; and azaleas, kahnias, and rhododendrons, all "with numerous varieties, on the cold or northern exposures, near the dwelling. DRIVES AND WALKS. 195 If yon keep a horse or cow and have no alley in the rear, it will be necessary to put next to one side of the lot a straight drive leading directly to the barn, located at the back corner on that side. A slight raise in the turf on the side of the drive next to the house, together with a judicious planting of shrubbery, either of a strictly ornamental char- acter or of currants, gooseberries, etc., thus shutting out the view of the barn and gravel, may be desirable, thereby combining the useful with the decorative. Flowers require such time and attention as few people are willing to devote to them ; still, if the ladies can be in- duced to give their time, they can be made to add much to the beauty and attractiveness of the surroundings. Culti- vate those that are hardy, such as peonies, petunias, phlox drummondii, asters, zinnias, etc., putting only one kind in each of the small, oval beds cut out here and there in the lawn, or else use some high-growing plants in the center and low ones around the border of the beds, which should be raised a few inches toward the center. Select such colors as blend together nicely, and care for them well. A small evergreen makes a nice center-piece. Places of Larger Extent, with houses located as before directed, especially if the entrance is on the side, — a much more convenient plan, considering ease of access, the front door being replaced with a bay-window if frontage is favorable, — admit of a greater diversity of walks and drives; and these do not differ, only in width, the wider ones, above eight feet in width, being used for both purposes very properly. The first thing now to take into consideration is a con- venient place for an entrance. If your daily travels lead 196 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. you nearly always toward a certain corner of your lot on the front, and your door is on the same side, you are fortu- nate; for then it will be an easy matter to make your open- ing in the fence somewhat to that side of the front of the house. Passing through the fence at right angles therewith, very soon bear toward the nearest corner of the house, and before reaching it, again turn in the opposite direction, passing the entrance at right angles with it ; thence continue the drive toward the barn, which should be located op- posite the street entrance, and toward the back corner of the lot, if not too distant; at the same time a return curve may be made, lea.ving the barn drive on an outward curve near the house steps and meeting the entrance drive in the same manner, having made a pear-shaped figure. If all this happens on the side opposite your best room, which should always be on the side of your house overlooking the finest, warmest parts of your pleasure-grounds, so much the more fortunate. Again, just where your entrance drive first turns, you can leave it in an abrupt manner in the opposite direction with a less conspicuous drive or walk which skirts that side of the premises, and makes its way to the barn, wood-yard, etc. This will obviate the necessity of passing the house when going on business, drawing feed, coal, etc. In case you have a corner lot or an alley in the rear, there will be less necessity for this last drive, since the bam may be placed on the road or alley, and easily reached from the outside. Again, in case there is need for often going in both di- rections after reaching the street, and your premises are sufficiently large, the house being fifty feet or more from the road, you can have two openings into the yard, about equally WALKS AND DRIVES. 197 distant from the house, and unite these by a curved drive which connects with the first-named drive where it turns nearest to the front corner of the house, as spoken of at first. This will make nearly a half circle of the drive connecting the entrances and passing the front of the house, which, in ***** -%..,-'*-. { ^ ■■••.X7\ Fig. 36. this case, may very properly have a front door opening into a hall, and also a veranda or open porch in place of the bay window, w^hich w^ould now properly fall on the side of the house next to the pleasure-grounds. As to the details necessary to form correct and pleasing curves, (not geometric ones in all cases, as some seem to think, and even give rules for forming), space will not per- mit me to explain fully A correct eye will stick a row of 198 OUE HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. stakes through the center of the space intended for a walk or drive, and a measuring pole as long as the drive is wide, with a short stick nailed at right angles to the measure at its center, will determine the outside line of the walk, pro- vided the short crossing stick is kept in a line with the cen- ter row of stakes at every point measured, as shown in the figure. The same figure will also show the arrangement of the planting, which should not be in any formal order, but so placed as to appear natural and not to obstruct any views, while at the same time furnishing a pretense for turning just as we do. There are other methods, such as using measurements and making offsets from tangent lines, for which we must refer you to the more extensive works on this subject. One more, which is very easy to put in prac- tice if the ground is newly graded' and raked, is to take your horse and carriage and start at the entrance and drive, in an easy, natural way, toward the points you wish to reach ; then make the return, meeting the first track on the outward bend, merging into it in a graceful manner, and pass- ing out. Then widen the track, by stakes stuck on each side, to the width of your drive, or let it remain as it is for a walk only. This is the easiest of all methods if you have any idea of where you ought to drive. Making Walks and Drives. This should be done in as permanent a manner as your means will admit. There are many methods, but the same general principles govern them all; viz., thorough drainage underneath, and a hard, compact surface that will not cut up into ruts, nor furnish dust or mud at any season of the DEIVES AND WALKS. 199 year. In order to accomplish this, you will need to dig out the dirt to the depth of one foot at least, using the same for filling where needed, and leaving -the bottom with a gentle inclination toward the center if the drive is not more than twelve feet in width ; in this case a tile drain should be laid under this lowest line, following the course of the road. But in case the road is wider, slant the bottom both ways from the center toward the outside, and then under both these lowest points use tiers of tiles as before. The tiles should be put at least one foot lower than the bottom of the road-bed, and laid as directed in the article upon the im- provement of large places, the ditches being filled with gravel or other porous soil, in order to let the water drain ofi" rapidly from the road above. The cheapest material with which to fill the lower part of the road-bed is probably cobble-stone, which should be laid smoothly and evenly over the bottom, and then covered with layers of broken stones, stone chippings, which may be bought sometimes very cheap, large gi'avel stones, oyster shells or other materials of similar nature, such as can be most easily procured in your locality. Fill in evenly, and finish with clean, coarse gravel to a depth of three or more inches, bringing the edges up to within two inches of the top of the sod border befoi-e spoken of, which should always form a border between the drive and the seeded lawn. The center of the drive or walk should be higher than the sides, haviner an elevation of about one-half inch to the foot in width from the side to the center, or four inches rise in a twelve-foot road. Each layer of material should be thor- oughly rolled, and the surface kept well and evenly raked, and freed from weeds. The margins of sod should be neatly 200 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. trimmed several times during the season, keeping them on. the original line, which may be preserved by driving a line of stakes on each side so that the tops will just come even with the sodding. There are several other features in connection with the making of roads, of which we have only spoken briefly, and which must be passed by in this brief treatise, referring you again to more exhaustive works on landscape gardening. Of this subject something has already been said in con- nection with other subjects; and since no small limits can do it justice, it may be as well to omit it as a separate topic, and glance at it in connection with the subjects treated of in the few remaining pages. A very good means of in- creasing the breadth of lawn in small lots is to have no boundary fence between neighboring lots, especially along the front half of the lots. In this case, no little care should be exercised in the planting of trees between the two dwell- ings, by the judicious disposition of which we may shut out the view of our neighbor's house from the best win- dows and other points of view, and thus appear to own a larger place than we really do. Even the entrances to two adjoining places may be combined in one so far as the starting point is concerned, with a saving of space, and no loss in effect. In case these methods are put in practice, it may be best to erect a high fence along the back half of the line, and then run a line of hedge or a grape arbor at right anglas to this on the front end, reaching nearly from one house to the other, and sepai-ating the front views from the kitchen and other unsightly offices necessary to every house- hold. Of this, we shall speak again under the subject of fences. DRIVES AND WALKS. 201 A few words on the general location of plants : Except in strictly formal grounds, do not plant trees at regular distances along the walks, borders, etc., nor attempt to make one side exactly correspond to its counterpart. Neither go to the other extreme and scatter them indiscrim- inately over the premises, thus breaking up all the breadth of lawn and shutting out all desirable views. Give heed to the development of these last two features, which may be promoted by properly grouping trees of harmonious forms and shades, also by planting most thickly along the margins of the premises, especially on the sides where shelter is needed from cold winds, and in the turns of the walks and drives, as spoken of elsewhere. Leave open vistas from the best points of view to fine objects in the distance, or on the premises, and many a happy hour will take the place of idle melancholy. (!xFIi\F»a^KR ^. TREE PLANTING. — THE BEST TIME TO PLANT. — HOW TO PLANT. — REMOVING AND PLANTING LARGE TREES. — HOW TO SELECT. — A GOOD LIST. — CARE OF TREES AND SUC- CESS IN THEIR CULTURE. — FENCES. — KINDS AND THEIR STYLE. — HOW TO MAKE THEM ORNAMENTAL. oJOtc gardeners REE PLANTING.— All American agree, we think, in placing November and De- cember (if open) at the head of all other months for the planting of deciduous ornamental trees. To be sure, small trees and shrubs will do well planted in the spring, especially if the season proves not too dry, and proper care is taken to mulch the ground, and thus prevent the di- rect rays of the sun from absorbing the moisture immediately about the roots. The conditions necessary to be observed may 1. Never remove a tree from a good soil and place it in a poorer one; and in order to prevent this, the hole in which the tree is to be set, must be dug much larger than the tree, and then the extra space, be noted in the following order up to a [202] proper depth, filled with rich soil, or with TREE PLANTING. 203 manure mixed with the lower and most distant parts of the soil in the hole. 2. Do not put the manure in con- tact with the roots, nor set your tree too deep, for these two errors have caused more failures than all others. The deeper and wider you make the holes the better, even to four feet deep, and that much wider than the roots, filling the extra space with rich dirt, well packed down, in order to prevent the tree from settling when the rains come. In transplanting large trees, above three inches in diam- eter, a preparation must be made before freezing weather comes on in the fall. This consists in digging and prepar- ing the hole to receive the tree, as before, after putting in some extra dirt, which is to be removed before dropping the tree into the hole, and used in filling any extra space about the roots. Also dig a trench around the tree as deep as its main roots run, leaving a large ball of dirt attached to the loots. Shave the dirt down on top until the roots appear, to lessen the weight. Both the trench and the receiving hole should be filled with straw, leaves, or coarse manure, to prevent the ball of roots and the extra filling dirt from freezing down on the bottom. Time for Removing Trees thus Prepared. Now, if you have extensive planting to be done, and the above preparations are completed, you can wait until the ground is thoi-oughly frozen in winter, *when the removal should be done, taking cai'e not to bruise the trees, and leav- ing the ball of dirt as large as can be conveniently moved. If but few trees are to be removed, and the M^eather is favor- able, i. e., cold, freezing nights and warm days, some prac- tice moving the trees in the fall, early in the morning, after a 204 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. crust has been frozen over the ball of dirt left about the tree dug around the day previous, and thus obviate the necessity of covering the dirt, which thaws out at midday, if left ex- posed on the surface near the hole. But where extensive planting is to be done, the first method should be adopted. Then in midwinter remove the fillino- and dig- down the bank on the most convenient side to such a slant as to admit a stone-boat or sled being backed under the tree, when tipped over in the opposite direction. In this way, trees a foot in diameter may be safely moved, if you apply force enough to move them. Another method of moving large trees is to use a wide, stout cart with a heavy tongue, which last is raised along side the body of the tree and bound fast, at the same time passing a strong chain under the ball of roots and over the axle of the cart, then pull the tree over with a long rope attached to the end of the tongue, after which, hitch a team to the root end, draw it to the new hole on planks, and lower as before directed. Before removing the tree, be sure and make some mark, either by cutting off a limb or peeling the bark from the body a little, always on the same side of every tree you re- move, the more easily to be remembered, by which you may know how the tree stood, and thus be able to place the same sides to the same points of the compass when you set them out. Some think this an unimportant point, while others lay great stress upon it. At least, it is a safe rule and re- quires little extra work; and indeed it would seem quite reasonable that the same side that had become acclimated to the rays of the sun or any class of winds should be best able to conform to their effects when transplanted in the same relative positions. As a general rule, the width of the roots KINDS OF TREES. 205 left should be as many feet as the tree is inches in diameter. After drawing the tree to its place, remove the filling and dirt until to the right depth by measure, and then lower the tree carefully to its place, packing the dirt about the ball and using the rest of the filling for a mulch. For removing small trees or shrubs, and always for ever- greens, which are much more difficult to make grow, where the dirt is to be removed from the roots, damp days should be chosen; othei'wise great care should be taken to cover and moisten the roots. Your success will also depend much upon the kind of trees chosen. Maples, elms, ashes, and most nursery-grown trees are quite tenacious of life; but oaks, hickories, chestnuts, and other deep-rooted trees must be handled with care. Some cut a circle about the tree, severing the roots some distance from the body, or even dig a trench and fill with rich dirt six months before removal, causing many fine, fibrous roots to spring out. Never select tall, spindling trees, grown in deep shade ; but rather get good, healthy, stocky trees from the open fields or outskirts of the woods, where the sunlight and winds have had a-' chance to harden and acclimate them to the conditions with which they are likely to meet in your exposed lawns or roadsides. The land must be tho- roughly drained previously, so that no water will settle in the holes, for no success need be expected with most trees unless this is done, either naturally or by tiles. Kinds of Trees. Of the shaped trees, shrubs, and flowers to be chosen to accompany the various styles of architecture, we have already spoken several times, either by way of criticism or direct in- struction ; and since we have only attempted to improve small 20G OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. city places so far, where little can be done in the line of grouping, we can recommend no trees better suited to the I'oadside than the different kinds of maples, which are up- right, hardy, beautiful trees. Elms are superb specimen trees, especially on low or level grounds, where there is plenty of roon;i for their devel- opment; but for these small places, as before stated, trees of the second class in size are as large as can be used, and among these may be named the mountain Msh, catalpa, beeches, birches, lindens, dogwood, sassafras, buckeye or horse-chestituts, and m most locations, nothing is more beau- tiful at all seasons of the year than the common pepper- idge, among deciduous trees. And among the evergreens useful for small places, the Norway spruce takes the lead for either specimen trees or small groups, while the arbor vitce is best suited for ornamental fences or hedges, as it stands trimming well and thrives under almost any condi- tion, in shade or sunshine. Cedars also answer the same purpose very well. Evergreen barberry and the low, bushy juniper fill a needed want. But we must refer you to the woods or to a list of the trees that may be had almost anywhere, for want of further space. Fences. The subject of fences, of which we promised to speak, will be difficult, if we attempt to please every one, judging by the numerous styles now displayed in front of residences in cities. Tongue cannot describe them nor printer's ink do them justice ; so we will not tiy, but proceed to offer some suggestions which meet our views of good-sense, taste, and economy. In the first place, let every man on the same KINDS AND STYLES OF FENCES. 207 side of the block agree to have a similar fence, if possible, thereby producing some degree of harmony, instead of entire discord. From the various views we hear expressed upon this subject ralmost every day, we find that many persons of good judgment are anxious to see all fences removed from the road, and the lawn extended to the sidewalk ; and, in- deed, it has desirable features. It looks well to the passer- by, and makes it very convenient for him to step into the yard, peep into the open window at night, or examine every little opening bud or inviting flower by day; and at the same time there is little resistance offered to keep idle hands from appropriating such things as fancy leads them to covet. Admitting, then, the need of some protection, what shall it be? The two objects for which fences are erected are pro- tection and ornament. The first requires only strength and height, and is adapted to the use of back yards and parts that are unsightly, or about yards containing fine fruits or other things that are likely to suffer from viciously inclined men and stock, or from mischievous boys. Any neat, high, tight board or sharp picket fence will answer the purpose, not less than five feet being a proper height. But better still would be a nice hedge of thorns; osage orange, where not too much exposed to cold, as it is scarcely hardy enough for Northern States, or buckthorn, which last Downing rec- ommends above all other hedge-plants for this climate, are among the best. Or if ornament is sought also, with pro- tection from winds, use Norway spruce, hemlock, or arbor vitse, planted closely, and carefully tended and clipped, let- ting them attain the height of five or more feet, thick and even throughout their whole length. 208 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. But about all the ornamental parts of your small yard, and including so much of your house as presents no un- m sightly defects or unpleasant features, and of course, in- cluding the whole main front of vour lot must be made a KINDS AND STYLES OF FENCES. 209 fence in which the ornamental, or at least the nnnotieeable, predominates, protection being made only partial and of secondary importance. What shall it be, — iron, stone, or wood? Of the whole list, what can be prettier than a beautiful, low, well-kept hedge, made of some of the evergreens last named? Still these will not answer alone if cattle are allowed to run the roads, and they must be protected by some inconspicuous wooden or iron structure. Next in neatness, comes a low wall, with a coping of cut stone, the whole not exceeding ten inches in height above the surface of the ground, and then surmounted by a light, tasty wire or iron fence, with posts made of |xl inch iron bars, edge to the front, firmly set into the stone cap with brimstone or other fastening ma- terial. Beautiful patterns are easily selected by sending for a catalogue, to any good firm that manufactures this class of articles. Let the design be simple, neat, and tasty, rather than grand and self -imposing, which detracts greatly from the appearance of the house, and interrupts the view of the lawn. Green or black should be the color of the wires. In the former case, use the best green paint, as near the color of green grass as possible; and dip the posts in coal-tar, which is the best black paint for iron, when used boiling hot. Some prefer sanding their fences while the paint is still green, and often with good effect. Of the cheaper fences, the common perpendicular, curved top, wire, picket fence, when well made and in good propor- tion, — as much of the pleasing effect and beautiful appear- ance depend upon these points, — is among the most substan- tial, and is not wanting in ornament. This is made with a frame of nice posts, with horizontal rails at top and bottom of 2x4 inch stuff", well-planed and notched together as for a 14 210 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. wooden picket fence, but using, instead of the latter, rods of ^ iron, placed three inches apart, passing through the rails, and curved above the top rail in such a manner as to again enter the rail behind the second or third rod from it success- ively. Corner posts are cased, paneled, and capped nicely. A cheaper fence still, and one that answers a good pur- pose without pretense, is the low, four-board fence now so common. No ornamental fence should be over three and one-half feet high, nor have the bottom board more than two or three inches above the surface of the lawn. A large vacant space beneath a fence presents an indefiniteness that is far from pretty and very unsatisfactory to behold. Some writers lay great stress upon the use of rustic fences, and other ornaments. But to us they seem very much out of place in ordinary city lots, being only appro- priate where the surroundings are wild, rugged, and uneven, partaking naturally of the " picturesque in nature." The colors of the fences should be the same as that of the house, providing this is such as good taste suggests; viz., dove, fawn, and other neutral tints, with trimmings of a little darker shade, or even pure white in the deep shade of trees, unless they be made of iron or partly iron, which should be of .green or black, as already recommended. Of course there are numerous other appropriate styles of fences which any mechanic of sfood taste could devise, but all should aim at :simplicity of design and neatness of finish, being made to evade, rather than attract notice; which last should always be directed toward the central figure, — the house ; or if this be rather ordinary, in appearance, then toward its beautiful adornments, the creepers with which it should be shrouded, and also toward the lawn with its embellishments. PaiB; i« i^og>- e|9 ♦ ■♦■♦«♦.♦•-♦-••»•♦■♦■»■ ijjiy-^ HOW TO MAKE HOMES BEAUTIFUL. (0^ .^e^_^- -Vg) ^;:«) [311] ^I^^VERY man's proper mansion-house and home, being ^j^^ the theater of his hospitality, the seate of self-frui- '^f\ tion, the comfortablest part of his own life, the noblest •'"'• of his Sonne's inheritance, a kinde of private princedom, naye, to the possessors thereof, an epitomie of the whole world, may well deserve by these attributes, according to the degree of the master, to be decently and delightfully adorned." Sir Henry Watton. [3131 CxMJ^P^^RR 1. INTERIOR DECORATION. — GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. — OB- JECTS AIMED AT, AND EXTENT OF DECORATION. — HOW TO BEAUTIFY WALLS AND CEILINGS. — WALL-PAPERS. — HOW TO SELECT THE BEST. o-^ic I Y interior decoration is meant the addition to the interior of our homes, as finished by the builder, of such features as will add to the attractiveness of the rooms and lend an enchantment not felt or attained where habitation is the only object desired in a house. The addition of furniture of the humblest kind to a room relieves the monotony and gives it an air of comfort; the presence of other articles not strictly in the line of necessities still further adds to its comfort. But there are other considerations; rooms should not only be habitable but cheerful, and she is a wise house- wife who recognizes this fact early and sets about obtaining the desired result. The practice of Home Decoration is growing in favor rapidly; and as general culture increases, the demand for [213] 214 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. means of beautifying the home increases, and the ingenuity of decorators has been taxed to its utmost to keep pace with the demand. Walls and ceilings are no longer left in monotonous white, where even the presence of a soiled spot affords relief for the eye, but are now beautified in many ingenious ways to relieve the dreary expanse. In these chapters, the author will endeavor to point out some of the ways in which Interior Decoration may be effected, giving smiple directions therefor, so that by these instructions any one can perform most, if not all, the work without the aid of skilled labor, with the simple suggestion that, where it can be afforded, the assistance of the trades- man should be utilized. The extent of decoration should harmonize with the sur- roundings ; in other words, it should be governed by the uses to which the room is to be put, its size, and the amount to be expended, so that when done, there will be an air of completeness about the room which will render its occu- pancy pleasing. And here let it be remarked that Elabora- tion is not Decoration; the central idea of Decoration is comfort; Elaboration may leave no room for comfort. Harmony is another vital consideration in the matter of decoration. Especially is this true of colors ; the entire con- tents of a room should present such mingling of colors as will rest the eye and awaken admiration. Many overlook this important factor in the decoration of houses, and thereby spoil what might otherwise have been a source of admiration and beauty. With this we pass to the consideration of DECORATING WALLS. 215 Walls and Ceilings. Next to the adornment of our own persons, the back- ground or foundation of the rooms which we inhabit is of greatest interest to us. Our circumstances determine wheth- er these backgrounds, which resolve themselves finally into wall-papers, shall be pleasant negative settings to the objects with which we fill our homes, or whether these decorations shall themselves supply the lack of objects which our taste or our purse may have hindered us from collecting. Wall-Papeks. Like all transient fashions of dress or ornament, where the material is comparatively cheap, the patterns or colors of wall-paper are constantly changing, and new patterns and fashions are brought out every year. The small expense attending the decoration of a house enables each new occupant to choose the style of his mural adornment at frequent intervals. It is our aim here to present certain principles according to which a person may be able to select such mural and ceiling decorations as may be best adapted to the rooms he wishes to adorn. Nothing more keenly excites homesickness than the dismantling of a room where our life is usually spent. A sense of loneliness is produced by the removal of our paintings, book-case, and hanging shelves in an ordinary house cleaning, which is only effaced by a complete restoration after the cleaning is over. Wall- papers add as much or perhaps even more to our pleasure and comfort, at home, than pictures or other ornaments. The favorite painting may be dispensed with, but the harmony or disagreeable tints and figures on the wall-paper become 216 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. a part of the room, and are not so easily be to disposed of. They either possess the richness and repose suitable for a pleasing background to furniture, mirrors, and paintings, or their glaring, patchy colors kill the effect of the best pictures; and to many a nervous invalid they render his hours and days miserable, as he counts and combines over and over again the meaningless recurrence of a marked angle or curve, or the ever-repeated misshaped flower. The first principle that should be considered in the choice of wall-paper, is that the decoration of the sides of a room ought always to be a background more or less rich, according to the circumstances, for the usual occupants, fur- niture, and ornaments, relieved against it. The choice of a pattern then becomes of secondary importance. A pattern that would be agreeable to, and suitable for, a large room, would not be for a small room, because little groups of objects on a wall-paper, covering a limited space, take pleas- ant, general figures, which, if they are seen scattered over a large surface, make combinations that destroy the effect of the most attractive patterns in detail. In looking over a vast number of paper-hangings, one is apt to be impressed with the fact that the beauty of the paper arises much • more from a successful combination of colors than from any special loveliness of design. Patterns may be observed where, in a small set of squares, grave and rich effects are produced by a skillful variety of tints of olive and bronze, enlivened here and there by small touches of red. In some of these little squares are leaves of plants; in others, simple circles; and in others, some formal, geometrical patterns. Yet as a result of them all, we have a quiet and perhaps brilliant SELECTING WALL PAPERS. 217 shadow, relieving against its rich hues, positive tints in clothing, or bright china, or brilliant glass, as well as the people and furniture in the room. A person is almost always able to find in any stock of paper-hangings, a kind of paper so simple in its attempts at form and color, that any one is sure to be pleased if he covers his walls with it. These papers consist of narrow, simple stripes, tiny clover leaves, or it may be little star- shaped figures, grey or white, upon a background scarcely different from itself. A cool and pleasant effect is always given to an apart- ment thus covered ; and if rich oil-paintings could not bear the contrast with so chilly a color, no headache was ever aggravated by it, no ornament ever obscured. A paper so neutral is not positively offensive, though it may be of an antiquated style. Choice of Papees. In the choice of papers, a person must k)ok to the adapt- ation of tints for different rooms, choosing bright or even brilliant shades for the dining-room, bronze shades with slight points of gold for a library, slight soft shades of blue or light-grey for bed-rooms, and rich cream colors with per- haps a little gold for the parlor or drawing-room. The patterns or forms best suited to the size and shape of the rooms can then be selected. Long, perpendicular lines, as it is well known, lead the eye up, and give an impression of height to an apartment that no other combination can realize. Figures whose pre- dominating lines are horizontal lower the appearance of the room, while large, detached patterns at regular distances 218 OUB HOMES AND TIIEIB ADORNMENTS. tire the eye and the mind with the constant tendency to count and recombine them; and besides, they compete so powerfully with other objects on the walls, such as pictures and bric-a-brac, and they disturb the effect of background to people or furniture so completely, that this class of forms is, perhaps, of all others, the most to be condemned. The scintillating effects of small figures render them the most suitable for wall-papers. Of the numerous changes and improvements in all de- partments of art, none is more remarkable than the rapid advance made in wall decorations and paper-hangings. Wall-papers, with humming-birds and gigantic roses on a sea-greenish background, have happily become antiquated, and an ugly or too conspicuous wall-paper is now the excep- tion, not the rule. Wall-papers as now produced, are the re- sult of a comparatively well-educated taste. (j;5,H[J^F»a^RR II. HINTS ON THE CHOICE OF PAPERS. — WHAT SHADES TO SE- LECT. — HARMONY OF COLORS. — SELECTING PAPER FOR DIFFERENT ROOMS. — THE DADO. oJOio E present herewith a few hints to guide our read- ers in the choice of wall and ceiling papers for different rooms. In the first place, it must be borne in mind that the paper must not be the most ornamental part of the room, but must serve as a background for the general furnishing and objects the room contains. If the general furnishing of the room is rich and elaborate, the paper should correspond; still it must not be too conspicuous, but form a rich background to harmonize with the various rich objects which are presented against it. If the furniture is plain, it will be entirely out of place to have a rich paper upon which it shall be outlined ; for then the richness of the latter will tend to give a cheap appearance to all the furnishings of the room. Consequently, care must be taken not to give too rich a color to the walls of a room, and one not in harmony with all the surroundings. A gold paper is not needed to add to the richness of a room. [3191 220 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Another consideration in choosing paper is as to how light or dark the room is. If a room has many windows, and is therefore well lighted, it will bear a paper with a darker background than though it was poorly lighted ; and a dark i-oom should, on the other hand, have a light paper. Parlor or Drawing-Room Papers. For parlor or drawing-room paper, those with light or medium backgrounds are regarded in best taste, introducing but few colors and those of rich and delicate tints, and dis- tributed as evenly as possible, so as to avoid any strong contrasts. The patterns for parlor papers are subject to frequent change, the latest styles running more to curved lines than to any distinct patterns. The choice of patterns, however, is a matter of taste, and must in most cases be determined by the size and general appearance of the room. Dados are rarely used upon parlors or drawing-rooms. A frieze or border is always used, and these are of widths varying from six to twenty inches. The width of the frieze upon any room must be determined by the height of the room and by other accessories. This is usually of the same color as the background of the paper, or, possibly, in most cases a little lighter, but seldom of a darker hue. The idea of the frieze is to give an appearance of greater height to the room, and the frieze and paper should be separated by a dark band or a band of gold color. A gilt molding is often used at the junction of the wall and ceiling. In this connection it might be suggested that a French pearl-grey, a warm stone color, a pale buff, or a delicate green, are all beautiful for parlor walls. The faintest sus- SELECTING WALL-PAPERS. 221 picion of pink, like the inner lining of some lovely sea-.shells, is both pretty and becoming, and will go well with most things in the way of furnishing. A frieze of flowers and butterflies would not be inhar- monious with this tint. Pale lemon-yellow is a pleasing tint,^ or a fuller apricot-yellow is very effective, especially with black wood-work. In speaking of the color it is not meant that the wall- paper must be of one single tint, but reference is made to the predominating hue, which exists even when pattern and coloring are complex. The shape of a room has much to do with its general effect. A long, narrow room lacks the capabilities of one square, or nearly square. A broken line of wall is by no means a misfortune, and may be converted into prettier sur- prises than could possibly be effected with straight lines. The Libkaky. For a library, more antique patterns may be used in wall-papers, and the prevailing style at present is the use of Pompeian colors, of somewhat sombre hiies, but not enough so to make the room appear gloomy. Dados are used in the library. These are not less than 26 inches wide, and sometimes as high as four or five feet, but oftenest run from 30 to 40 inches. Dados are either of the same shade or somewhat darker than the wall-paper, but never of a lighter shade. Friezes are also used, which are usually of a lighter shade. The Bed-Rooms. The choice of wall-paper must be determined greatly by the amount of light to which they are exposed. If the room 222 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. be somewhat dark, a paper with a very light background should be put on, and generally speaking, light papers should be used on bed-rooms, but considerably darker for a well- lighted than for a poorly-lighted room. Where there are floods of sunshine, French grey, blue, or cream color may be used to advantage. If friezes or bordering can be found of roses and buds, morning glories, daisies, or primroses, according to the paper, the effect will be very good. Patterns of flowers are espe- cially appropriate for bed-rooms. A cottage bed-room, papered with small pink roses on a white satiny ground, is exceedingly pretty. The Dining-Room. The paper for the dining-room should have a background of a medium, or from a medium to a dark, color. If a dado is used, then rich colorings may predominate in the dado while the wall may be left comparatively free of colors and quiet in tone. The dado may be from 30 to 40 inches in height. If no dado is used, the walls themselves may partake of bright and cheerful colors, and well-defined patterns. The ceiling should be light and delicate, and near the cornice one or two lines of harmonious but contrasting color with that on the walls. One of the handsomest wall coverings for a dining-room, where it is at all suitable, is a dado of ri«h maroon, with gilt figures, and a gilt and maroon molding in lines ; above this, a very pale tint of olive-green with the cornice of maroon and gold. DECORATION OF CEILINGS. 223 Ceilings. From the nature of ceilings, the manner of finishing them is susceptible of a wider range than the side wall affords, however ornamental the latter may be. The reason of this is apparent when we consider that the ceiling is the only portion of an apartment which is not covered up or obscured by furniture or ornaments, and that the eye rests upon it undisturbed by surrounding objects. The repose which comes from a repetition of small figures, and the brilliancy of effect of large pictures, balanced by suitable surround- ings, are, in various circumstances, proper to ceilings. Until lately, good taste had been so little developed that it was agreed for dwelling-houses in general that a plain white ceiling was the best, and we were content to paper our walls and kalsomine or whitewash our ceilings. But we are at last beginning to learn that the blank white ceiling may be relieved from its cold chilliness by a mixture of buff, or greenish, or some other hue, which gives a warmer and more agreeable tint to a room than simple whitewash, and it may be made even more beautiful by the use of ornamental papers. The decoration of ceilings with paper has now come into general use, and has taken the place of the more expensive decorating by fresco painting. The latter method of deco- rating ceilings in private residences could only be employed by the wealthier classes, and so rarely do we find experienced artisans in fresco painting, that the cost of frescoing the ceil- ings of a fine residence is so great that but few of even the wealthier indulge in it. Equally as good and perhaps better effects are now being 224 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADOBNMENTS. produced at from one-half to one-tenth the cost, by the use of papers made especially for ceilings in all manner of de- signs. They are frequently astronomical patterns, represent- ing so far as can be done the canopy of the heavens. They are produced with no positive or set patterns, and no straight lines. The outer edges consist usually of panel- ings and stilings, of which there are many beautiful designs in paper, while the astronomical patterns come in between, arranged also in panels. The former style of having large plaster-of- Paris center- pieces and raised cornices along the room has been abandoned. Small, tastefully-ornamented center-pieces from ten to eight- een inches in diameter are much used, from the center of which suspends the chandelier in the middle of the room. The effect of decorating ceilings with paper is especially beautiful, and when tastily done, it adds very much to the beauty of the room. The paper for ceilings has a light back- ground, while the edges are usually of a darker shade. The patterns of papers for ceilings are quite numerous, and may be found at any store where paper-hangings are sold. The decoration of ceilings has become a very important part of the paper-hanger's work ; and when he has an artis- tic eye and fine taste, his work often excels that of the fresco painter. The Dado. The use of the dado in the sitting-room, dining-room, and library, answers to some extent the purpose of wainscoting. It forms a lower bordering to the paper, and may extend to any height desirable, from two feet to five feet, though its height is usually from thirty to forty inches. It often forms Fig. 38. We pi-RSfiTit three designs of Frii-zcs, of the very latest pattern. Fig. 'S was (les fined by Mr. John Leiquton, F. S. A., London. Fig 39- The second design is by Mr. Frro Bkok, of New York, the manufac- turer of wall-papers. Fig. 40. And the last, by Mr. Lewis f. TlFK.\^fr, of New York, the distin- guished decorative artist and painter. The designs of Messrs. Leighton and TiFP\Nr have been kindly furnished the publishers of this work by Messrs. Warren, Fui.r.EU & Co., New York, the largest manufacturers of wail-papera in the United States. THE DADO AND FRIEZE. 225 a more suitable background for the display of the furniture and other furnishings of the room, and affords place for a richer and more elaborate display than the wall-papers proper. The designs upon dados are often very rich and high- colored, while the wall-paper above has a quiet tone, and is of medium light or dark color according to the size or light of the room. The dado is almost always of a darker shade than the wall-paper, and patterns of high-colored and large flowers or birds are not uncommon. The Frieze is the top border next to the ceiling. — It is now usually from six to eighteen inches in wddth, the width used depending principally upon the height of the room. The custom formerly was to have the frieze dai'ker than the paper on the main wall, but of late years the frieze is some- what lighter than the paper, with a dark line or beading at the point where they unite. A gilt molding at the corner above the frieze produces a good effect. A roll of paper will cover from thirty-six to forty -four square feet, and by ascertaining the number of square feet on the walls to be covered, and dividing it by thirty-six, the number of rolls of paper needed will be ascertained. In measuring the walls, of course the windows and doors are not to be taken into consideration. Paper is sold by the roll, and ranges in price according to texture, style, finish, and color, from ten cents upward, some of the most elaborate styles selling as high as twenty- five dollars per roll. 15 (!xMi\F»a"KR 111. HOW TO HANG WALL-PAPERS. — SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS FOR EVERYBODY. — SIZING THE WALLS. — AMOUNT OF PAPER IN A ROLL. — HOW TO CUT AND MATCH THE PAPER. — PASTE FOR WALL-PAPER. o»{c T is usually best to leave the walls or ceilings for at least a year before papering them, for the ^' reason that it requires that time for the plaster to become so thoroughly dry as to hold the paper. If, however, it is desirable to paper new walls, it will be necessary to first put on a thin coat of sizing, in order to make a surface to which the paper will stick better than to the bare wall. This sizing may be made of a weak solution of glue, and may be put upon the wall with a whitewash brush. However, if the walls are green they are apt to draw the colors from the paper, so that it is best in all cases not to paper walls for at least a year. In pi'eparing an old whitewashed or colored wall for paper, the wash or color is first wetted well with water, and scraped off with an old plane-iron, or any piece of steel [2'>G] HOW TO HANG WALL-PAPERS. 227 which has a smooth edge, after which the wall should be swept down with a stiff broom, to remove all that the scraper may have left, and make an even surface. If there is any loose plaster, those parts should be well sized and have a piece of strong paper pasted over them, but it is even better to have the place re-plastered. Cracks or holes may easily be filled with a little putty, and in no case should they be left unfilled. If not stopped in any other way, slips of paper should be pasted over them, or else the cracks will soon show through the outer paper. After all this is done, the room may be sized, and the sizing will be dry enough in an hour for the papering to be commenced. If the room has once been papered,, it will be necessary to go over the walls and tear off" all the loose pieces, especially at the top and bottom, corners and edges. If the bare wall is exposed by the tearing ofi", these spots should be sized. After all these preparations are made, the wall is ready to receive the paper, and the hanging may proceed. Wall-paper comes in rolls, eight yards in length, and from eighteen to twenty-two inches in width. A margin runs along each side of the paper usually from one-fourth to three-fourths of an inch wide, and before hanging the paper the margin on one of these edges must be trimmed close to the pattern printed on the paper. To do this, unroll a yard or two of one of the pieces of paper and with a pair of scissors trim off" the edge, rolling up the paper again as it is trimmed. It is usual to begin papering from one of the main windows in the room, and the edges of the paper when bung shall be toward that window, so that it will be necessary to 228 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. trim off the edge of the paper nearest to the window. It is necessary to trim off but one edge, as the paper when put on the wall laps over the margin of the other edge in order to match the pattern. When the edge is trimmed, cut off a length about the height of the room from the ceiling to the base-board, or if a dado is to be used, so that it will come an inch or two below the top line of the dado. The second length must be cut ^o that the pattern will match exactly with the piece first cut, and so on. If desired, as many lengths may be cut at once as will be necessary to cover the room, or each piece may be cut as it is needed. The paste having been prepared beforehand, a thin layer may be spread over the back of the first piece, fold the piece up so as to handle it easily, and having brought the top to meet the ceiling, see that the length hangs straight, trying it, if necessary, by a plumb-line ; then, after having fastened the top to the wall, take it by the lower end, draw it away from the wall, being careful not to loosen it from the wall at the top, and let it fall back a.nd it will drop into its place without a wrinkle. Now with a soft clean cloth begin at the top and press the paper to the wall all down the center to the bottom. Then beginning at the top, again press it from th(.^ center to each side, alternately, regularly downward. If this opera- tion be properly done, the length will be perfectly close to the wall, and smooth in every part. It is not to be pressed heavily; but the cloth, being taken in the hand as a round, loose lump, must be moved quickly over the surface — dab — dab — dab — with a light, clean touch, HOW TO HANG WALL-PAPERS. 229 otherwise some of the colors may be apt to smear. Last of all, mark with the point of the scissors where the paper meets the baseboard, cut off all that is over, and press the end carefully into its place. Proceed with the second length in the same way, bring- ing the trimmed-ofF edge to meet the pattern of the first one, and taking care that no gap is left between. Neglect of these precautions will convert a handsome paper into a sight that will be a constant eye-sore. Try the lengths frequently with the plumb-line to avoid the chance of getting out of upright. How TO Make Paste. Paste is best made with old flour, water, and a little size or glue; alum is also added, to make it spread more freely without losing any of its tenacity or sticking quality. It should be brought to a slow boil and made rather thicker than ordinary gruel, and then allowed to get cool before using. It should be laid on the paper smoothly and equally, with a good brush, not putting on too much, or it will squeeze out at the edges. Where this takes place it must be renewed with a clean damp sponge. Any accidental smeare of paste may be removed in this way, if taken off lightly as soon as they are made. (!lMAF^a"E.R T^. DECORATIVE ART NEEDLE-WORK. EECENT IMPROVEMENTS IN NEEDLE- WORK. — USEFULNESS NOW A PROMINENT FEATURE. — LIST AND DESCRIPTION OF MATERIALS. — PRICES. — BEAD WORK. oJ«c |T|"pO department of home ornamentation offers a wider range than Needle- Work. Each year tlie desire to increase the attractions of our homes, becomes greater. In many large cities societies of Decorative Art have been teaching ladies what real ornamentation means, and great prog- ress has been made, as the demand for specimens and designs for needle- work and embroidery fully attest. It is needless to say that the embroideiy of to-day is vastly superior to that of a few years ago, — that the glaring, unserviceable ornamen- tation of the past has given place to decoration of a more refined character, in which cultivated taste displays itself, while usefulness is not overlooked. The real secret of beauty in home decoration does not depend so much upon the richness of materials used as upon their arrangement with reference to the principles of har- mony and simplicity. [230] MATERIALS FOR EMBROIDERY. 231 The cardinal principles in work of this character should be usefulness and ornamentation combined. Materials. The materials used as foundation work for embroidery- are varied, new ones being brought out every year; but the subjoined list will be found serviceable in the selection of such as are most popular and least changeable. Materials of inferior quality should never be chosen. Labor expended on them never pays. The fabrics, of what- ever material, should be firm, well woven, and devoid of irregularities. Inexpensive stuffs, when suitably treated and used for appropriate purposes, are just as desirable as more costly ones. Flax Cloth. — Unbleached brown linen is often used for chair covers, doylies, etc. Canton Flannel, — Now known as Fashion Drapery, is used very much. It is double width, and may be found in a variety of shades. Moniie Cloth — Is fifty inches wide, made of both cotton and wool, and varies from one to three dollars per yard. Upholstery Felts — Are now much used instead of cloth for curtains, table-covers, lambrequins, portieres, etc. It is easy to work upon, and is made in a variety of beautiful shades, presenting the appearance of fine cloth at much less cost. Two yards wide, one dollar and a half per yard. Bolton Sheeting — Is of a beautiful cream color, and improves with washing. It is much used in embroidery, and comes in very wide widths at one dollar per yard. Plushes— Are costly materials. Cardinal, old gold, and peacock blue are the standard colors of this material ; but a variety of other tints can be found. A beautiful new style is 232 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Ombree plush, shaded gradually from one side of the piece to the other, producing a charming effect in screens, panels, or anything which is of sufficient size to show the shading. Single width is four dollars and a half per yard, and up- ward. Satin — Is furnished in a variety of beautiful colors, and is of great width, selling at six dollars and fifty cents per yard. Embroidery satin is known as Furniture Satin. Crewels — Are made in all desirable tints. Fast colors, however, are found only in the best quality of crewels. These can be cleaned without fading, and are therefore espe- cially for- working on linen and flannel. In using crewel, it should be cut into short lengths, as long needlefuls pull the design out of shape. Arasene — Is a kind of chenille, rich in appearance, and producing good effects. The work is done in the same way as with crewel, except that after working, the outlines are traced over with tinsel or gold cord, which adds greatly to the clearness and beauty of the design. Embroidery Silks — Include several kinds; as, bobbin silk, purse silk, filoselle, all differing in quality and texture, — bobbin silk being used for satin, silk, or any fine material. Filoselle is manufactured of inferior silks, and hence costs less than purse and bobbin silk. Beads. — Cut steel beads, colored with transparent lac- quers, allowing the metallic luster of the beads to show through, are one of the latest novelties in needle-work. A silk or linen thread is used to string them on, as many beads being strung on at each stitch as are necessary to give it the desired length. As they are made of many colors, the work can be very accurately shaded, the same stitch showing several shades. (J^]^_^p,/J^^^ ^^ EMBROIDERY STITCHES. — DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BEST STEM STITCH. — BLANKET STITCH. — CHAIN STITCHES. — HER- RING-BONE, BUTTON HOLE, AND SATIN STITCH. — KEN- SINGTON OUTLINE. — JANINA. — BLANKET.— DESIGN FOR BORDERS AND CENTERS. — THE NEW PLUSH STITCH. o>»;o HE best authorities agree that for embroidery the simpler and fewer the stitches the better. Of course, the number and character of the stitches depend upon the design to be made, some designs being so elaborate as to require no small amount of work. Stem or Tent Stitch, — Which is the simplest stitch for beginners, consists of a single long stitch taken forward, followed by a shorter one backward, thus alternating, a long one forward and a short one backward, only the long stitch showing in the work. Blanket Stitch — Is exactly like the ordinary button-hole stitch, and is used in edging materials. A very Borders in Button-hole. Ennbossed Button-hole, or Blanket pretty effect is made by varying the length of the stitches, or sloping them in many directions. [333] 234 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Chain Stitch. Tivisted Chain Stitch. lar to the foregoing, the needle, however, being set to the left instead of into the preceding stitch. This stitch can be varied by setting the needle far- ther to the left, and ex- tending its length, when we have what is called the Vine Chain Stitch. Chain Stitch. — This old-fashioned stitch is quite popular for fasten- ing down the edges of ap- plique work, embroider- ing mats, etc. Our il- lustration sufficiently ex- plains the method of making the stitch. This is made in a manner simi- Twisted Chain Stitch. Satin Stitch. — Our illustration of this stitch gives a very good idea of the way to work it. It is very pop- ular, and suitable for work with flosses, em- broidery silks, zephyrs, and crewels. The de- sign is stamped on the goods, and the whole filled in well with .silk or worsted, before the real embroidery is begun. Care must be taken to have the edges even. It is really an over-and- over stitch, the work ap- pearing nearly alike on Satin Stitch. both sides. HERRING-BONE STITCH. •235 Knot Stitch. — This stitch is useful in making the center q£ flowers and the ends of sta- mens. The needle is brought ttiTOUgh, and the floss wound about it one or more times, •wiien it is again thrust through the material very near where it was bc^ught up. Herring-bone Stitch. Herring-Bone Stitch.— Thif> is a very popular stitch, as it makes a good appearance, and is adapted to a wide range of work. It is es- pecially appropriate for joining- seams, taking the place of the vinsightly ridge made by a fell. The two illustrationsgi ve a clear idea of the method of making this stitch, the larger showing one varia- tion for ornamental effect. Herring-bone Stitch. Design for a Border. — The design for a cor- ner will assist in understand- ing this. The rings and the diamonds are made of three threads of dif- ferent shades, while the an- gles are con- cealed by gold- colored silk. <5>^"5^'!^'"'— «r^!«"!S*t'^'"»^V1^^>«^•* F'g- 45- Fig. 46 aiG UR HOMES AFD THEIR ADORNMENTS. tween the tabs may be filled with lace plaited, as in the cut, or with embroidery. Fig. 47 Tatted Doyley. The tatted doyley shown in our illustration, Fig. 47, is so distinctly marked that it does not need an explanation to those skilled in the use of the shuttle. The tatting, which is com- Doned of double and p^arl .'^titches, should be worked as seen LINEN EMBROIDERY. 247 in the illustration, with No. 6 cotton, and the spider's web in No. 16. The design would be equally suitable for a baby's cap crown, or it might be used for a flower stand mat. Linen Embroidery. Fig. 48 is an illustration of a tidy made of the new style of embroidery on linen crash. Old ladies whose sight is fail- ing will find this very agreeable work. The stars should be worked in two shades of bright zephyr, while the division lines between the figures should be made of narrow black velvet, crossed with " herring-bone " stitch in gold-colored 248 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. silk. Almost all damask toweling is suitable for this work, but the unbleached gray and buff, covered with stars, diamonds, or butterflies, will be found most satisfactory. Shaker rocking-chairs and hassocks cushioned with this em- broidery are quite fashionable and are really very handsome. t I 1 If f I Fig. 49- G.mjvF»a-EiR Wfl SOME ELEGANT DESIGNS. — EMBROIDERED ROCKING-CHAIR COVER. — A WORK-APRON. — DESIGNS FOR ELEGANT GLASS MIRRORS. — NEW STYLE OF SPLASHER. — BEAD EMBROID- ERED NEWS RACK. — HANDSOME TABLE COVER. — A PIANO SCARF IN PLUSH APPLIQUE WORK. o»ic ! LEGANT ROCKING-CHAIR COVER. — The very ele- gant rocking-chair shown in Fig. 49 is uphol- stered in hair and covered with silk plush of the peculiar shade called " drakesneck," a sort of bluish-green of a deep, rich shade, which forms a most exquisite background for the sprays of wild rose so perfectly embroidered on the seat and back in silk filoselle, and the leaves having that tinge of brown and red mingled with dull green so often seen in the growing bush. The arms and front of the chair are finished with silk gimp to match, and silk fringe of the same shade as the plush, re- lieved by pink silk double ruffs at intervals. The back is covered with pink plush, and the whole forms a most beau- tiful chair and one that will not be ruined by reasonable use. [249] . 250 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. A Pretty Work-Apron. A pretty little work-apron is shown in Fig. 50, made of a yard of pongee silk, 18 inches wide, embroidered in etching silk, the desio-n beinef that old conundrum of ' ' How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining honr?" f-ig. 50. Another design often used instead, represents a little girl plucking the petals of a daisy, with the words " I do n't care what the daisies say, I know I'll be married some fine day. " After the embroidery is done, a hem is turned all around and neatly hemstitched, the lower end turned up to form a pocket, and the apron finished with bows of silk ribbon. DESIGN FOB HAIR RECEIVER. 251 They will wash perfectly, and make charming presents for girls. Fig- 5 • Hair Receiver. Fig. 51 is a novel and pretty hair and hair-pin receiver, made of No. 12 satin ribbon of two colors interwoven in a 252 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. sort of checker-board pattern, as seen in the engraving. A piece of card-board in the center forms a partition, on one side of which is a crocheted cushion of split zephyr to receive the hair-pins, the other side being left as a hair receiver. The whole ia bound with satin and finished at the upper edge with quilled ribbon, as seen in the illustration. The fringe seen just below the quilled ribbon is made by fringing about two inches of the ends of the ribbons. Glass Mirroks. An elegant addition to almost any room is one of the beveled glass mirrors shown in Figs. 52 and 53. The frame is of pine or whitewood and covered with silk plush embroid- ered with arasene or with silk floss, arasene being much the best as the colors are better and the general effect more rich. The cuts show two very diflferent designs, — one a vine of wild clematis, and the other a spray of dogwood ; the former worked on deep Indian-red plush, and the latter on a very dark olive-green. They can be made of various sizes, but 10x10 or 12x12 for the glass is generally preferred. They are quite diflferent in appearance from the painted frames so abundant in the stores, and which are usually very poor specimens of amateur art. A New Style Splasher. Splashers are not very new, but the one shown in Fig. 54 is so far superior to the ordinary splasher as to merit descrip- tion. It is made expressly for the purpose, being woven with a band of open-work all around and a sewed fringe on the four sides. The material is linen momie cloth. Along the upper edge at the back, five loops of tape are sewed, Fig. 52. Fig. 53- Fig- 55- DESIGN FOB SPLASHER. 253 through which a brass or wooden rod is passed and secured to the wall by brass screw-eyes. One end of the rod is made to slip off so that the splasher is easily removed to be Fig- 54- washed, and replaced again without the usual damage to the wall by tacking. The designs on- them are also new and pretty. A News Rack. Fig. 55 is a news rack in bead embroidery. The frame is of gilded wood, and the foundation for the embroidery is of deep maroon silk plush. The design of maple leaves is embroidered in metal beads in various shades of olive-green and brown, red-bi'own and yellow. The work is done very much the same as crewel work, a silk thread being used, and the beads strung on four or five at a time to form a long or short stitch and of such colors as required. The beads can be procured of every color. 254 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Theee-Cornered Table. Fig. 56 represents a three-cornered table, the frame of which is of gilded wood. The top is covered with shaded blue plush, ornamented with a spray of wild clematis, em- broidered in beads, the flowers in steel, and the leaves in cut-gold. The sides are draped with shaded blue plush, Fig. 56. caught up in the center of each side by a large silk pompon from which depend soft silk ball tassels. Long " horse-tail " tassels of twisted silk of a Terra Cotta shade, are hung at each corner. A lar^e bow of shaded satin ribbon, tied taste- fully at one corner where the flower stems begin, completes this very pretty table. DESIGN FOR PIANO SCARF. 255 Applique Piano Scarf. Fig. 57 is a piano scarf for an upright in the new Mo- saic embroidery, or plush appHque work. The ground is of lava gray plush and the design of autumn leaves is cut out of a variety of shades of plush, each half leaf being a sepa- rate piece and different shade. The pieces of plush are first pasted down on a foundation of crinoline, and when dry, cut out neatly with very sharp scissors and gummed to the plush foundation. The edges are then sewed down firmly with silk of the same shades as the plushes. The neglect of this sewing down is what has caused many to regard Mosaic work as lacking in durability ; but if the edges are well sewed down they will not fray or ravel out. After sewing down, the edges are concealed by a gold or tinsel cord caught down in couching stitches. A few stitches of chenille of darker shade than the plush it is used on, are added to show the veining of the leaves. A very pretty way of adjusting the scarf is to bring up the embroidered end, throwing it over from the back, and letting it hang over the front of the piano. The v/ork is very easily and quickly done with the ex- ception of the preparation of the pattern, which requires a variety of odd shades of plush not easily obtained by the amateur, and without which the work loses much of its beauty. The patterns, however, can be procured already pi-epared on crinoline at any of the first-class fancy-work establishments in most of the large cities. They can be easily transferred to any foundation by moistening the crinoline to soften the gum. A handsome table scarf in " darned work " is shown in 256 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Fig- 57- DESIGN FOE TABLE SCARF. 257 Fig. 58. The body of the scarf is of ecru plush. The orna- mentation is of alternate squares of ecru satin, darned in a geometric pattern in colored embroidery silk in a variety of Fig. 58. stitches, and squares of old blue plush, with a small spray embroidered in gold and steel beads. The ends are finished with silk fringe and four large tassels to correspond with the satin and plush. 17 258 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. It is impossible in an engraving to do justice to this work, the rich, deep tints of which plush alone is capable of exhibiting, being quite lost when represented by printer's ink. Some of the specimens are exquisite, and by many would be preferred to the most elaborate embroidery. (!xH[J^F^a"RR ^Iff. HANGINGS FOR DOORS, HALLS, AND WINDOWS, — HOW TO MAKE THEM, AND OF WHAT TO MAKE THEM. — ELEGANT EFFECTS AT SMALL COST. — HOW TO USE THE ODDS AND ENDS IN RENDERING THE HOUSE MORE BEAUTIFUL. — COST OF MATERIALS. o>»Jo lORTIERES. — A beautiful room is far more beautiful when there is no square means of egress suggesting the unpleasant idea of departure. Where, however, the means are limited, one pretty portiere covering, or replacing an ugly door, or curtaitimg an outside one, gives an air of taste and elegance. Midway in a hall, as in the case of an outer door, drafts are prevented by a heavy fall of drapery. They should not repeat the curtains of the room, but represent a separate idea, though in harmony with the room. They are frequently made *:o JOTHING breaks up the stiffiiess of a room, and nothing serves so many odd purposes, as a fold- ing screen. A lady, assisted by a carpenter, con- structed a large one of four panels to make a dressing-room in one corner of a large bed-room. Since then it has served to conceal the bed from sight in a small hotel room, to hide a Christmas tree from sharp little eyes, and as a background for the model in a studio. The smaller banner and lamp screens are often very useful and always graceful and pretty. The frame for a panel screen may be constructed by any good carpenter who has well-seasoned wood to work with. The wood should be about two and one-half inches in width for a large screen. The two uprights of each panel look well reaching about two inches below the cross-piece at [266] HOW TO MAKE AND USE SCREENS. 267 the bottom. A screen of three panels, each five feet high and twenty inches wide, is perhaps the best balanced. The illustration here given will furnish all necessary details bet- ter than a description. Fig. 59- Ebonized wood is undoubtedly the favorite wood, as it enhances the beauty of all sorts of decoration. The follow- ing is an excellent recipe for Ebonizing Wood, Though a good carriage-maker can do better than any amateur workman: Put a quarter of a pound of best size in a stone pot, with sufficient water to cover it. Set it on 2G8 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. the stove to melt, but do not let it boil. Then three cents' worth of lamp-black, and a little blue black to improve the color, should be made to the consistency of paste with oil. Upon this is poured the melted size, and the two mixed thoroughly together. Apply this while warm to the wood, and paint thickly enough to look solid. When quite diy, varnish with two coats of oil-copal varnish. This should be done in a warm room free from dust. The var- nish is put on with a large brush, boldly, rapidly, and evenly. If the article is to have a polished appearance, two coats of varnish will answer, but three or four varnishings will be needed to give it a dull finish. The rubbing down is done with the finest pulverized pumice-stone, mixed with water to make it about the thickness of cream, and rubbed on with a piece of rag. The rubbing must continue till all inequali- ties disappear and the surface is as smooth as glass. It has then to be dried with a cloth and polished again with tripoli and sweet oil. After drying a second time with soft linen, rub it with starch powder, and finish it with a clean, soft linen cloth until you can see your face in the polished sur- face. A single grain of sand or grit on any of the cloths would injure the surface. Bamboo Screens. Bamboo screens and easels are very popular. We have known them to be made from fishing rods, but suppose the bamboo must now be imported on purpose. Tripods and Fire-Screens. The handsome stands are made of gilded iron, having a solid base, a slender upright, and a cross-piece from which COVERING AND DECORATING SCREENS. 269 the banner screen is suspended. In England, where an open fire is in almost every room, fire-screens are much in use. Modern ones are of gilded iron, and screwed to the mantel, the banner protecting the eyes of those sitting before the fire. An Old Clothes-Horse. This frame- work needs but slight explanation, and can often be found in a somewhat dilapidated condition in the kitchen garret. From thence it can be brought, ebonized or painted in successive coats of Venetian or Indian red, and covered to suit the taste. The Covering and Decoration of Screens. Perhaps the handsomest screens are those which are painted by hand. We own to a prejudice against painting on silk or satin. Fine painting should be on a more enduring material, and poor painting should only be done as a stepping- stone to what is better. After putting magnesia on the back and using your oil-color without additional oil, the color will " run " a little. As for water-color, you have to use body color, (Chinese white mixed with the ordinary water-colors), and the result is a dry surface which seems ready to crack off like white- wash. Nevertheless, we have seen some fine efiects produced both -with oil and water-color. French artists of name and fame have not scorned fan decoration upon silk and satin. Unless, however, great skill has been acquired, we would ad- vise one of the following methods: — 1. Painting with oil-color upon some kind of canvas in- tended for the purpose.* 2, Painting with water-color upon paper and protecting the work with glass. 270 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. 3. Embroidery which seems the dower right of rich stuffs, a most natural and beautiful decoration. 4. Applique work, either onlaid or inlaid, and — 5. A plain surface adorned with odd bits of decoration, birds, fans, pieces of heavy lace, etc. As to the first, picture canvas is heavy and very expen- sive. We have found oil window shading a very good substi- tute, and we have been told that book-binder's cloth serves equally well. Either can be nicely stretched upon the frame, the edge covered with narrow worsted braid, which comes at a cheap rate in thirty-six yard pieces, and tacked with upholsterer's tacks. This makes the back of the screen neat, and a pretty color of canvas-butf or stone color can be selected. Flowers have long been a favorite decoration, though many speak of the difficulty of finding designs of sufficient .size and importance for a large screen. It is well to decide upon the design for all of the panels before beginning to paint. A Pretty Idea Is to have the first panel for the spring, the second midsum- mer, the third for autumn. The first could be either a long branch or double branch of peach or apple blossoms, set, per- haps, in a brown vase upon a pretty table-cover. The back- ground could be a pale yellowish tint. The second might be a mass of roses hanging down from the top with a soft, gray background. The third could be a great branch of white chrysanthemums coming well across the panel from the left, with some crimson and gold blossoms near the frame of the screen, as if one hand held the three branches. COVERING AND DECORATING SCREENS. 271 Flowers and Figures from Nature. In studying flowers it is well not to cut them, but paint a selected branch while it still grows and rejoices. A branch of chrysanthemums or azaleas can never be placed as beauti- fully as it places itself upon the parent stem. Figures are very appropriate for a screen, but there are not many unprofessional artists who have studied the figure sufiiciently to produce satisfactory results. One young lady having great talent, evolved, after some study, a screen from a frame made by a carpenter, and some burlaps for canvas, upon which (it had but two panels) she painted a knight and a lady. She served, with the aid of a long mirror, for her own model for the lady, and an unwilling brother was drummed into service as the knight. The burlaps had a sizing of paste to fill up the interstices and save paint. A Stationary Screen. We have seen a sort of partition screen built across a hall to convert the back part into a boy's bed-room. The frame wa.^ painted a dull red. The burlap was stretched, and a pretty group of peacock feathers arranged upon it, with a bow of some gay striped stuff* holding the stems. It was in an inconspicuous place, and the effect was excellent. Water-Colors. Each panel can be divided into sections by a band of wood. The frame is thus strengthened, and neither the picture nor the glass need be so large. In the water-color exhibitions in London, solid screens serve as hanging places for niauy small sketches which would stand but a poor chance among the large frames on the wall. GLMj^F^a^KR X. EMBKOIDERED SCREENS. — JAPANESE PIECE-WORK. — A PAT- RIOTIC SCREEN. — NEW USES OF OLD MATERIAL. — A QUEER USE FOR AN OLD CLOTHES-HORSE. — LAMBRE- QUINS. — TABLES. — CABINETS. — ODDS AND ENDS. — USE UP THE PIECES. o»*:o N the furnishing of bed-rooms, the individuality of the housewife asserts itself very strongly. When it is remembered that from one-fourth to one-third of our time is spent in our bed- rooms, no argument is necessary to prove that it should be rendered the most pleasant. Of course the bed itself is the principal feature. Too much is apt to be expended upon the bed- stead. More attention should be paid to the springs and mattresses. It is an easy matter from among the multitude of patterns to secure easy and durable springs at reasonable cost. The best mattress is made of hair; for health, the common husk mattress, with wool or cotton top, equals the hair, and is, moreover, very cheap. Avoid high beds; who does not remember the beds of our grandfathers, requiring the aid of a treacherous chau- to get into them ? [294] THE DRESSING BUREAU. 295 For decorative effect, the bed is the least important feature of the room. Usually the wall-paper, carpet, brackets, pictures, lounge, table, and bureau or dressing-case, OQ if all or a part of these can be afforded, add more to the cosiness of the room, than the bed. It is a good plan to purchase a plain bedstead and devote more to the other fur- niture. 296 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. The Deessing Bureau. Where it can be afforded, a bureau is very dasirable ; it should be of size corresponding with the size of the room. Unless there is a good closet or a table with drawers, the bu- reau is almost a necessity. Marble tops are to be con- demned where articles of glass or fine china come in contact with them. fig. 7 BEDSTEAD AND DRAPERY. 297 A recent writer on this matter says of the bed-room table: " Quite an inexpensive one may be made from a dry- goods box three feet hi^-h, four wide, and two and a half feet deep, with four blocks of wood, one inch thick and four inches square, nailed beneath each corner, to which casters are fastened. The box is placed with open side out, and fitted with a convenient shelf or two. The whole interior should be neatly papered. "On the top at the back, one or two small boxes may be fastened, and the entire top covered with oil-cloth or other suitable material, and the front may be hung with drapery concealing the inside shelves. Another plan would be to sand-paper the outside and finish in shellac varnish. Much ingenuity can be displayed and money saved, by watching the fashion and other journals and carrying out their suffffestions." "tJO^ Bedstead and Drapery. Our illustration presents a very neat bedstead and drapery. The hangings are of muslin and net, worked in satin and slanting stitch, over-cast at the edges. The green quilted siik counterpane is laid inside a fine linen case, embroidered around the edges and buttoned over the quilt as shown. The pillow is trimmed with lace insertion and a double muslin frill, and embroidered at the corners, where it is also ornamented with a bow of colored ribbon. At the foot of the bed is a second cover of chintz or dimity, also trimmed wnth lace or frills. Brackets made with the scroll-saw can be used to advantage to hold books, curiosities, china, etc. The toilet- table or wash-stand affords an excellent chance for the dis- 298 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. play of taste, the indispensable splasher and towel-rack may be articles of home manufacture, while a neat-figured damask towel will answer quite well for a marble top. In bed-rooms, where space must be economized, the Fig. 72. new style wardrobe and bedstead combined, may be used to excellent advantage. Our illustration gives all necessary details. It will be seen that the wardrobe is located behind the head of the bedstead. At each end is a door opening into the wardrobe, and hooks are attached to a piece which slides in and out. Fig. 73. DBAPEBY AND TOILET-STAND. 299 Two drawers for linen are placed in the bottom of the wardrobe, and the whole space is nearly, if not quite, as capacious as a bureau or separate wardrobe. The doors close tightly so as to prevent dust from entering. Large pictures are out of place in a bed-room. A few engravings, — nothing of the " death-bed-of- Washington style," — with photographs of a few friends, are very appro- priate. The color of carpet and wall-paper should not be too dark, and the drapings of the windows should be such as to admit the sunlight freely. Cane or leather seated chau's are sold at such rates that most people can afford them. The easy rocker seems almost indispensable, especially in event of sickness in the household. Our ideal bed-room is among the best, if not the best, room in the house, except, perhaps, the family sitting- room. Drapery for Toilet-Stand. On the opposite page we give an illustration showing how the commonest and plainest bed-room may be rendered beautiful and attractive by the aid of a little taste and cheap material. The toilet-stand may be a cheap table, with a shelf erected on the top for toilet articles, and a bracket higher up for perfume articles, etc. Oil-cloth of any desired color may cover the table, cut in any shape to suit the fancy, the edges being bound with braid to correspond. The shelves and brackets may be covered to correspond with the table, and the whole draped with muslin or other material, edged with lace, or trimmed to suit the JOO OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. taste, or in harmony with the other adornments of the room. Shelves may be made under the table, and a curtain of coarser material suspended from its edges conceals them. These shelves may be used for shoes, slippers, etc. r^ RMw Wmm M ^^^^■^ ^" THE CARE, --^ CULTURE, t PROPAGATION OF !- t^^ [301] Enough for great and small; The oak-tree and the cherry-tree, "Without a flower at all. We might have had enough, enough For every want of ours, For luxury, medicine, and toil, And yet have had no flowers. Our outward life requires them not; Then wherefore had they birth ? To minister delight to man. To beautify the earth; To comfort ma«, to whisper hope, Whene'er his faith is dim. For whoso careth for the flowers Will care much more for Him. — Mary Howitt. [3021 Glmafte^r I. THE CULTUKE OF FLOWERS, — HOW TO HAVE THRIVING PLANTS AND ABUNDANCE OF FLOWERS. — USEFUL SUG- GESTIONS. — HOW TO CONSTRUCT AND MANAGE HOT- BEDS AND FLOWER-BEDS. oj*:o HERE is no employrnent which tends to the development of the better nature of men and women more than the culture of flowers. How- ever humble the circumstances, the possession and culture of at least a few choice varieties, will make the home more tidy, and lend an air of refinement not to be attained in any other way. An English writer says: "To have a flower garden is to have many friends con- tinually near. Indeed, who will say that flowers do not lend a companionship to those who faith- fully care for them?" There is perhaps no better index of refinement in a home than the presence of flowers. It is no doubt very difficult in large cities, where the yards are of smaU dimen- sions, to do much in the way of flower gardens, but even there a few varieties, planted in the back yard, can be made [303] 304 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. to furnish many a bouquet for the breakfast, dinner, or tea- table. In the smaller cities and towns, and in the country, no excuse can be offered for the neglect of flowers. Many plead want of time, but the excuse is not a good one, for but few minutes per day are required, and these few minutes furnish just such relaxation as every one needs to keep away the wrinkles, cares, and perplexities of regular employment; besides, the satisfaction and happiness gained in their care generally repay the possessor for all the atten- tion they require. Brief Hints on Sowing and Cultivating. In the outset do not make the common mistake of most new beginners, and undertake too many varieties at once, giving all the same treatment, for defeat will attend the effort. A good plan is to procure a seed catalogue, like D. M. Ferry & Co.'s, of Detroit, and others, which will tell you what every flower is, its culture, and when to expect flowers. Select from the catalogue a dozen or more good varieties, and content yourself with their culture until you can secure good results, and then increase your stock. The following hints will be of value in their care and culture : — Selection of Varieties. — Success in flower culture depends quite largely upon a judicious selection of varieties. Every sort is, under certain conditions, attractive and desirable; but some of them, while exceedingly beautiful under favorable circumstances, will be most unsatisfactory and little better than weeds under others. SOWING AND CULTIVATING FLOTVEKS. 305 The Soil.— Another great object to be considered is the soil into which flower seeds are to be sown. The soil best adapted to flowering plants generally, is a light, friable loam, containing a sufficient amount of sand to ivnder it porous. A great many varieties will live in almost any kind of soil, except it be extremely dry, calcareous, or of a stiff*, heavy character ; still, to give them a fair chance for development, some little pains should be taken in adding to the soil, as much as possible, what may be wanting in it. Most flowers are better if produced on plants of most vigorous growth, so the greater portion of the garden should be prepared by deep digging, thorough pulverization, and liberal enriching with large quantities of well-rotted manure. On the other hand, some sorts do best on very poor soil, so a portion of the garden should be left without enriching at all. As the process of germination is shorter or longer in the different kinds of seeds, the patience of the cultivator is often sorely tried with seeds of a slowly germinating character; the patience of a devoted florist, however, ""is never exhausted in these manipulations, and the certainty of his final succeas repays him fully for the ti'ouble. Solving the Seed. — Nine-tenths of the failures in flower culture come from improper treatment of the seeds and young plants ; and we urge every one who makes an attempt to train and care for flowers, to study our descriptions of each variety found in the succeeding pages, observing the following general rules : — Make the surface as fine and smooth as possible. Do not plant any of the seeds when the ground is wet. Cover each sort of seed to a >»:o« — HE art of preserving flowers in their natural state has long been known, but the process Beems to have been forgotten until the increas- ing demand for bouquets brought it to the minds of the people of Germany. There are two ways of preserving flowers. The one used almost ex- clusively in Germany, and, we think, the easier method, is as follows: — The Sand Process. Procure a very fine quality of sand, wash it until all the particles of clay are dissolved, and dry it well by placing it on a board set slanting to allow the water to run off. Bake it thoroughly; and while it is warm, take an ounce of mutton tallow to twelve pounds of sand ; scrape the tallow and scatter it over the sand, stirring it in as it melts. Do not neglect this; for the tallow prevents the [333] 384 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. sand from sticking to the flowers. Take a cigar-box or some other suitable box, an(i cut several holes through the bot- tom, over v^hich paste paper to keep the sand from escaping. Sift sand into the bottom of the box until it is about half an inch deep, using a fine sieve. Upon this carefully place a layer of flowers, and sift in sand enough to cover them. Jar the box a little with the hand to settle the sand into and around the flowers. Put in more flowers, and cover them with sand as before, continuing the operation until the box is full. Place the cover in tight, and put the box in a place where it will be kept at a steady temperature of about 80°. In about four days, if kept at the proper temperature, the flowers will be dry, and can be removed by puncturing the paper placed over the holes cut through the bottom of the box, and allowing the sand to run out. At first the flowers will be too brittle to be handled, and the box should be left in a damp place for a few hours, when the flowers will be ready for use. The Sulphur Process. The other process alluded to is the preservation of flowers by the agency of sulphur fumes. Procure a box that can be inan small strips of wood, and place rods across upon which to hang the bunches of flowers. For ventilation, bore a hole in one side near the bottom, into which fit a plug closely; arrange the flowers in loose clusters of from three to ten, according to size, placing a variety of flowers in each cluster. Hang the bunches on the rods so that they will not touch one another, and in the bottom of the box place a metal pan PBESEBVING FLOWERS. 335 containing a small shovelful of live coals. Spread out the coals, and sprinkle over them about three ounces of pulver- ized sulphur; then place the lid on securely, and the process is commenced. Open the hole in the side for a few minutes, until you see the fumes rising, but no flame; then close the opening, throw a piece of heavy carpet over the box, and leave it for a day. Upon examination, the flowers will be found perfect in form, but bleached almost white. Expose them to the air in a dry place, and they will soon regain their color, but will be of a lighter shade than before bleaching. The box must be kept absolutely air-tight after the fumes begin to rise, and it is better to paste cloth over the edges and corners to make it certain that no air can pass through. Keep the box in a dry room. Preserving Bridal and Funeral Flowers. Every bride desires to keep the flowers she wore on her wedding day, and all desire to keep the wr^eath that lay on the breast of some dear departed one. The art of preserving these mementos has been kept secret, only a few professional florists knowing the process. It is simple enough, and we give it. The Paraffine Process. Let the flowers be fresh and firm,' and the color light. Green leaves cannot be treated; hence must be left off". Take the finest quality of paraffine, and melt it by placing it in a cup set in boiling water. Keep the paraffine in a liquid state by means of the warm water, and dip the flowers into it, being careful that the parafline is not hot enough to cook them. Do the work as quickly as possible, 336 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. so as to make a very thin coating on the flowers. To pre- serve green leaves, coat them with green wax, or add green powder paint to the paraffine. In preserving flowers, it should be observed that those with a thick, full corolla, such as tulips, lilies, etc., are not well adapted to this purpose. When the preserving process is completed, the flowers should be tastefully arranged, and placed where they will be free from dust. Glass globes or bell glasses arc excellent, and if a few bleached ferns form the background, the effect will be pretty. In arranging flowei's of any kind, be careful not to place together those of tints which do not blend; as scarlets with pinks, blues with purples, etc. An intelligent under- standing of the harmony of colors will enable any one to arrange a very few and very common flowers so as to pro- duce excellent effects. Crystalizing Grass. . Take one pound of alum and dissolve it in one quart of rain-water. Tie up bunches of feathery grasses, wild rye, oats, bearded wheat, etc., loosely, and suspend them over a tub. Heat the alum-water, and pour it over them very slowly until every cluster is thoroughly saturated. Leave the bunches to dry over night, when every point will sparkle with crystals. Should the process fail, add more alum, and the next application will succeed. These grasses make very ornamental winter boqueis. -^s^m^^^ m FOR THE [337] A bunch of sumach, shining bright, And a stag-horn, deck the wall. With a string of birds'-eggs, blue and white, Beneath. — Alice Cart, in Thk Settler's Christmas Eve. G.Mi=^PTRK f. BRUSH AND PIGMENT. — PAINTING IN OIL AND WATER COLORS. — FULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR BOTH. — PANEL PAINTING. — ■ PAINTING PLAQUES AND VASES. — AN ELEGANT ART. — BHA.UTIFYING THE HOME. — ^A NEW WARE FOR PAINTING. — OIL COLORS ON SILK, SATIN, AND PLUSH. — WATER COL- ORS. — BOWL PAINTING. F late years there has been a very great advance in the use of oil and water colors in interior dec- orations. Many ladies have turned their atten- tion to painting panels, screens, and plaques for adorning theii- own houses, and some have ac- complished most satisfactory results in painting on china. The following pages give the neces- sary instructions for the amateur who wishes to try her skill in this elegant art. The materials necessary are very few, render- ing the work less difficult than it seems, and at the same time less costly. A few camel's-hair brushes, — some fine, othei-s coarse, — a tile, a plate, or a piece of window glass to mix the paints on, a small vessel to hold turpentine, and a few tubes of oil-colors, to be had at any paint store, are the requisite materials. Some knowledge of drawing is necessary, so that the design to be painted may be outlined on the material with a pencil. Unless the person is skillful [339] 340 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. in this, the outline should be drawn once or twice on paper before it is traced upon the material. No amateur should be ambitious to undertake difl&cult and elaborate designs at the outset. Let the advancement be easy. Take, for the first effort, a simple subject requir- ing only two or three tints. Flowers are best for beginners. Patience and continued practice will teach the pupil how to meet the difficulties in the use of brushes, colors, etc. In handling the brush, avoid "dabbling," and accom- plish as much as possible at a single stroke. It is hardly necessary to say that the tints are better if a brush is pro- vided for each color, but by careful cleaning the same brush may be used for several colors. In oil-colors, it is a good plan to squeeze the paint from the tube on blotting paper, so that the surplus oil may be absorbed; otherwise there is a risk of staining. If the paint then becomes too dry, tur- pentine should be used to thin it, at the same time causing it to dry more quickly. Panel Painting. Panels of doors, or simply oblong wall-panels of well seasoned wood, are now painted in oil-colors. The oblong^ panels look well hung upon the wall, or set upon an easel, a shelf, a cabinet, or the mantel. The materials are the ordinary tube oil-colors,^ camel's hair or sable brushes of several sizes, a bristle brush for backgrounds, and a hand rest. It should be remembered that panels are not pictures in the true sense, but a part of a picture, of which the room itself is the whole. The background, if the wood is not left its natural color, should be soft mottled blue, green, or gray, toned a little with warmer colors, a fleck of white here and there being very admissible. PANEL PAINTING. 341 For Subjects, flowers painted in natural colors are most popular. Peach and apple blossoms, on drooping boughs, sprays of dogwood, or anything which suits the fancy, may be chosen. One author, who seems to appreciate the plant, recommends the hop-vine, and it really seems capable of excellent treatment, especially on door panels. Other sub- jects may be taken; as a sketch of a sailing vessel, supported by the branches of a piece of coral, the latter being painted a light pink; swallows skimming over a small lake; or a mischievous robin perched on a bough of ripe cherries. The beginner should attempt only the simplest subjects. Painting Plaques. The decoration of plaques and vases is a very elegant and popular employment for ladies, and is rapidly growing in favor. Two methods are used, one in which the plaques are painted and the painting is burned in, the other simply requires the painting without the burning. The same sug- gestions also apply to vases. Plaques for ordinary oil-colors are made of wood, paper Tnache, china, and porcelain, costing from fifteen cents for wood, to two or three dollars and even higher for porcelain, paper mache being the favorite. The paints and brushes are the same as are used for panel painting, except where the work is done on china, for "firing," when Lacroix's En- amel, or other mineral colors, must be used. The sizes most used are from twelve to sixteen inches in diameter. For a background the whole plaque may be painted in graduated tints of sage green, blue, or brown; or it may be left the natural color, j ust as the design requires. The Designs. — In tho selection of designs, the field is very wide, and ranges from a single spray of apple blossoms to 342 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. animals, portraits, and landscapes. The picture should cover the plaque, not solidly, but the whole surface should be util- ized and the design well balanced. Sometimes a center-piece is painted, with a tasty border. Very many persons will be at a loss to make their own designs, and to such, the sug- gestions and designs furnished by the Art Amateur, a monthly Art Journal published in New York, will be of great use. Others need but a slight hint from which to form^ a very good sketch, making the details to suit their fancy. A very attractive picture would be a few stalks of ripe wheat, with a mouse perched upon one of the stalks ; a faint attempt at a landscape, with grass and mushrooms in the background, and a pale moon in the distance. Paint the mouse gray ; wheat, yellow ; grass, green ; mushrooms, gray on top and stems, under surface striped with black ; and sky, blue. Another good design is a vase of gold fish, with a young chicken near, and a few stems of grass rising from behind the vase. Paint the globe a light gray, and shade with a dark gray; fish, capucine red shaded with the same; chicken, yellow with shading of darker color of same; plants, green. Sprays of flowers with birds are not only very easily painted, but very popular. Imitation Barbatin or Lamoges Ware. A new material for oil-colors has recently made its ap- pearance. It is clay modeled into the forms of vases and jars, upon the surface of which flowers are molded in full re- lief. This ware is intended, when painted and varnished, to represent the celebrated "Barbatin" or "Lamoges" ware. The ordinary tube colors are used, and the taste of the decorator will be taxed to its utmost in the selection and blending of colors. The vases should be given some warm IMITATION BABBATIN WABE. 343 color in lights and shades, or what would be called mottled, and the flowers should be painted natural colors. For the vase, a shaded deep green, blue,' or brown, would be appropriate. The varnish, of course, should be white or nearly so, as otherwise the brilUancy of the colors would be marred. To those who have not means to own the burned wares, this commends itself, and it is destined to be very popular, imi- tating, as it does, the famous and costly French wares. The vases are sold at first-class art and picture stores. Silk, Satin, and Plush. These three materials are sometimes painted on for ban- ners, panels, and screens. The materials for use are the same as have been spoken of, with the addition of ox gall spread over the designs, on silk or satin, before the painting is begun. The highest general color is applied first, in painting these fabrics, and the strokes of the brush should be parallel to the rib of the silk, that is, not across the woof. Put in the deepest shades last. There is one difficulty in this work, and that is the spreading of the oil in the paint. To prevent this, squeeze out the tube colors upon blotting paper, and let it absorb the oil. If the oil should then spread, rub the wrong side of the goods with coke magnesia, to absorb it; and when absorbed, brush ofi" the powder. The material should be stretched upon a drawing-board by means of tacks, and the outline drawn upon the goods with a lead pencil, or with blue or red stamp- ing paper. While engaged upon the design, protect the fab- ric from soiling as much as possible, with a sheet of paper. Plush is the richest of all materials for oil-colora A stiff brush of bristle is necessary to stamp in the colors. Mirrors with plush frames painted with sprays of flowers instead of embroidery are much admired. Designs on plush are out- lined with a brush and flake white. 344 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Water Colors. — Buy only the very best, from responsi- ble dealers. Sometimes two or three coatings of color must be applied to satin and silk before the color takes on the proper tint. Chinese wKite is almost universally used in toning colors and putting in the lighter tints. Mix the white with the color to be toned, or apply it to the fabric, accord- ing to the object you wish to accomplish. . Transfer oil pictures are now sold which can be applied to silk and satin by use of a hot iron. Fan Painting is another field for the artist. Silk, satin, paper, and vellum are the materials. The fans must be se- cured upon a board while being painted. The walls of rooms are frequently adorned with gaily colored Japanese fans, of various sizes. Bowl Painting. — Wooden bowls, such as are used for making bread, are perhaps the latest for painting in oU. The entire bowl is first painted some color, — blue or gray looks well, — and then on the inside is painted a design covering the bottom and extending up the sides. The subjects which seem most sought after are marine views, with scenes of sun-rises. " At morning, flinging wide, Its curtain-clouds of purple and vermilion, Dispensing life and light on every side." The bowls, when completed, are hung rather high, with a, downward incline, in the corners of the room, and look well nowhere else. In the painting, minute details are to be avoided, as the view will be seen at a distance only. These ornaments take the place of corner brackets. Decorating Flower Pots. — Plain, smooth, red-clay flower pots are capable of some decoration worth mentioning ; and as they occupy such prominent places in the house, it is not strange that they should receive some attention from the decorator. Oil or water colors will serve the purpose. Lay byroad bands of dull blue around the top and bottom, cover- ing the intervening space with black. Now if you do not have transfer pictures, paste scrap chromos on the black band. Do not observe too much order in pasting them on, but ar- range them in a most disorderly manner. The efiect is ex- cellent, and the experiment worth trying. (^^j^p>/jv;^^ f J^ CRYSTAL AMBROTYPES, OR PHOTO-ENAMEL. — HOW TO PAINT PHOTOGRAPHS. — EXPLICIT DIRECTIONS FOR THE PAINT- ING. — MATERIALS AND THEIR USE. — DECALCOMANIA, OR THE ART OF TRANSFERRING PICTURES. — TRANS- FERRING PICTURES TO WOOD, STONE, GLASS, SILK, SATIN, ETC. — EASY AND INEXPENSIVE WAYS OF DEC- ORATING. 1^ »oJ«to OUBTLESS many have admired the hand- somely colored photographs exhibited through- out the country by agents who claim to know the secret of the art, and the method of teaching it. The fact is, it is no secret, the process being an old one, and very simple. Materials Necessary for the Work. ' The best of tube paints in flake white, orange- yellow, Indian red, vermillion, chrome-green, rose-madder, terre-verte, ivory black, Prussian blue, and vandyke brown, a convex glass in size to suit, an ounce of castor-oil and balsam of fir in equal parts, an ounce vial of castor-oil, adhesive paper, good mucilage, and camel's hair brushes in three sizes. None of these are diffi- cult to procure, except the convex glass. That can be ob- tained from any first-class picture dealer. [345] 346 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTK The Process. Let your photograph lie m rain-water for ten or twelve hours; it can then be taken from the card with ease. Use a blotter to dry it. Clean the glass thoroughly. Cover the face of the photograph with mucilage, using a soft linen cloth, and at once place the face side next to the under side of the convex glass. Place soft paper over it, and work out all air and moisture, beginning at the center. When perfectly smooth, lay the picture aside for an hour, after which wet the entire surface with the mixture of castor-oil and balsam of fir, and place in the sun. In about eight hours the picture will become perfectly transparent. After it has become perfectly transparent, wipe off the picture with castor-oil and a linen cloth to free it from the sticki- ness caused by the balsam of fir. The picture is now ready for the paint. How TO Paint the Picture. Take a fine brush and the least possible amount of flake white, and touch the white spots in the eyes. Next outline the face, ear, nose, and mouth with a slight line of white. If the eyes you wish to paint are blue, use Vandyke brown for the pupUs, and Prussian blue mixed with a little white for the rest of the eye, using white for the corners. If the eye is brown, paint the pupil black, and the rest of the eye brown. The corners are painted with white and yellow mixed for dark eyes. For a blonde, paint the lips with white and rose-madder ; for a brunette, use white and Ver- million. For the center of the ear, use a fine paint of ver- million ; for the rest of the ear, white, with a slight touch of rose-madder. Paint the cheeks and chin of a blonde with a TRANSFEBBING PICTUBES. 347 mixture of rose-madder, white, and a little touch of yellow. For a brunette use Vermillion instead of rose-madder. This mixture gives the flesh tint. Use the flesh tint beneath the brows and around the eyes. Add a little white to this, and paint around the edges of the hair, increasing the amount of white '^as you near the eyebrows. Use flesh tint for the neck. For blondes, use a background made of Prussian blue, rose-madder, and white; and for brunettes use white, rose-madder, and terre-verte, well mixed. For jewelry, use orange yellow mixed with a little white. For hair slightly gray, use ivory black and pure white mixed. For auburn hair, mix white, yellow ochre, and Vandyke brown. These pictures will remain in good condition for some time, but after a few years will become opaque. Good ma- terials are absolutely necessary. This work requires much patient efibrt. When the painting is all done, place the picture in an oval frame, such as are found at the picture stores. Decalcomania, or the Art of Transferring Pictures. There is no more ready process for decorating panels, vases, flower stands, the beds of vehicles, and, in fact, any- thing upon which a picture can be placed with slight cost, than the art of decalcomania. The Materials. The pictures for transferring are for sale in picture, paint, and varnish stores at very trifling cost. The other materials are, a small quantity of balsam of fiir, or some good white varnish which will dry quickly, a small sponge, and a brush for applying the varnish. 348 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. How TO Transfer the Picture. A little practice is required to make a neat transfer. Clean the object- to which the picture is to be applied, and take great care to leave it dry and perfectly free from any oily substance. Apply a thin, even coating of either var- nish or balsam of fir to the face of the picture, and press the picture to the surface to which it is to be transferred. Be careful that the picture is never moved after it is once ap- plied. Smooth it down very evenly, working out every blister and air-hole. The next step is to remove the paper, which will then reveal the picture firmly stuck to the sur- face intended. The process of removing the paper is very simple, but skill is required. With the sponge, moisten the paper, gradually but thoroughly. This should be done before the varnish is quite dry. When the paper has been sufficiently moistened, it should be neatly peeled off, beginning at a corner, when, if the foregoing instruc- tions have been faithfully observed, the picture will be re- vealed firmly sticking where desired. Sometimes a portion ©f the picture will come off with the paper ; this results from one of three causes, — either the varnish was not evenly spread, or it had not dried enough to hold the picture, or the paper had not been sufficiently moistened. The remedy is apparent. Among the late uses to which this method has been put is the transferring of pictures to silk and satin, in place of painting, and it may not be amiss to state that when they are transferred, the pictures very much resemble oil paint- ings. There is no reason why these pictures could not be transferred to any plaque or vase, making leally beautiful ornaments. If the pictures are not attainable at local stores, they can be obtained in the larger cities. G.HAF»a:"E.R Ilf. SOMETHING NOVEL IN EMBROIDERY. — FISH SCALES. — HOW- TO MAKE BAGS AND SACHETS. — COVER FOR A BABY'S CRIB. — OVAL FRAMES FOR PHOTOGRAPHS. — BASKETS. — A KITCHEN TABLE TRANSFORMED INTO A LIBRARY TABLE. — HOW TO MAKE RUGS. — SHEEPSKIN RUGS. i>5«^ the veins. And to make the ro outer circle of sewing thro' next circle stitches, and next, until i s reached, b e finished beads, or, if small, one will bird is worked eyes are each the beak, legs, and the same as the stems. ses, sew on the scales first, the holes ; the laps over the so with the the center which may with a few the flower 'be answer. The af5 follows: The ngle black bead claws are worked For the wings, the scales are sewed on with silver wire carried across, the diflerent sizes and colors of scales making up the entire bird. For pointed ends of wings the scales may be clipped to a point with the scissors. A necklace and cross of scales worked on black velvet make a very pretty ornament for an evening toilet. Bags, Sachets, eic— Reticules and bags are now very popular, and any lady having a desire to possess one may make it without great expense. Satin is the favorite, but plush and other materials are quite as appropriate. They should be made with draw-strings of satin, and should be embroidered or painted in some appropriate de- sign. Peacock's feathers, violets, pansics, dog-wood, and primroses are favorite subjects. The inside should be lined PATTERNS FOR FRAMES AND BASKETS. 351 with some stiff material. The handle may be made of twisted silk cord. Cover for a Baby's Crib. — There was recently shown at the rooms of the Society of Decorative Art in New York, a crib cover which attracted great attention. The material was worked with silk, on white linen, the design, in outline, being several sleepy birds perched upon a branch, with a motto underneath, — " Little babes which sleep all night, Laugh in the face of sorrow ; Little birds which sleep all night Sing carols on the morrow." By way of suggestion, it might be added that the design might be worked on some semi-transparent goods with a bright lining underneath. Oval Picture Frames. — Very handsome frames for card and cabinet photographs and other small pictures, may be made in the following manner; Take a piece of pine board one-fourth of an inch thick, the size you wish your fraiiie to be, and with a saw cut out an oval opening in the cen- ter, large enough to suit the picture. Cover the board with velvet, plush, or silk, cutting out the center and turning the edges of the plush around the edges of the board, and also at the oval opening. Fasten the picture over the opening with strips of paper pasted across, and then cover the entire back with some colored paper. The frame may have narrow bands of ribbon or other colored material running diagonally from the edge to the oval ; or sprays of flowers may -be painted or embroidered across one corner, just touching the oval. Square frames may also be made in a similar manner. Imitation Coral Hanging Baskets. — Take old hoops with the covering on; bend and tie in any shape desired; tie with wrapping-twine, with ends of the twine left one- fourth of an inch long ; cover the basket when formed with knots or ties about one inch apart all over the basket. Then take one-half pound of bees-wax, melt in a shallow pan, stir in enough Japanese verraillion to get the color you 352 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS, wish, then roll the basket in the melted wax until it is completely covered. The resemblance to red coral is very true, and the basket is admired by every one. We have seen one made in this way, that has hung- exposed to the weather for two years, and is still as good as new. Baskets for Waste Paper, etc. — Take two tapering bas- kets, such as peaches are shipped in, and fasten them to- gether, bottom to bottom, making an hour-glass shape. Line the inside of each basket, but use different colors, say one pink, the other blue ; cambric will answer for the lining. For a cover, select whatever material may suit the fancy, and work some designs in outline upon it ; fasten this cover to the basket from top to bottom, and draw in the middle with a ribbon. By selecting baskets of a proper size, they may be made serviceable for office use. It will be observed that this makes, in reality, two bas- kets, or rather a reversible basket. An Elegant Table. — An ordinary kitchen table can, with little trouble, be transformed into quite an elegant piece of furniture for the library. The top and legs are smoothly covered with green cloth ; the seam on the legs to be neatly sewed, and the joining made on the inside of the leg that it may not show. It is then tacked at the top to hold it in place. The cloth is drawn smoothly over the top, and tacked all around the sides. The head-piece ex- tending around the sides of the table must also be covered. An under-shelf is made of pine wood covered with cloth, and fitted securely to the legs about eight inches below the top. A heavy cord fringe of green worsted must be fastened around the edge of the top, also around the shelf, with brass-headed nails about an inch and a half apart. A castor fitted into each leg will finish a very handsome table for the parlor or library. How TO Make Rugs. Filled Rugs. — Here is a plan for making very handsome and serviceable rugs at little expense. The foundation is some strong but open cloth; as crash, drugget, or coffee HOW TO MAKE BUGS. 353 sacks. The foundation should be stretched upon a frame, and some pretty design sketched upon it; the sketch should then be filled in with silk, cotton, or woolen rags of tasty colors. iL^ilk rags look best, of course, but worsted may be used with excellent effect. If the design is a good one, the rug will be quite satisfactory. The rags should bo drawn through with a large crochet needle, and the ends cut every stitch ; and when the work is complete, all the ends should be sheared off to an even length. It is hardly necessary to add that the foundation should be entirely concealed by the filling, and the wrong side lined with some coarse material. A fringe all around would add to the effect. Mugs of Sheepskin. — Here is a field for ladies who will take the pains to follow our suggestion, to make many pretty and useful articles. Wool is easily colored, either on the skin or in fabrics. Sheepskin with the wool on can be quite easily tanned. Boil the skin a short time in strong soap suds to which has been added some sal-.soda, and soak it for twelve hours in half a pound each of salt and alum with enough water to cover the skin; this process com- pletes the tanning. To dress it, procure a large board, to which tack the skin, flesh side out, and before it is dry sprinkle it with a powder of equal parts of alum and salt- petre. Leave it to dry for thirty hours, and then rub it thoroughly with pumice stone, to make it soft and pliable. To make a rug of the skin, the ends of the wool should be colored to suit the fancy, with aniline Of other dyes, after which it should be trimmed and lined. Carriage Rugs. — Very attractive carriage rugs are made by bordering some bright cloth with strips of the skin, colored to match, or to hai-monize with the center of the rug. To Conceal Flower-Pots. The ordinary Japanese fan has found still another use; viz., to conceal the unsightly sides of common flower-pots. Remove the rivet which holds the fan together, and in its place insert a wire long enough to reach around the pot. 23 354 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Fasten the fan around the base by means of the wire, spreading out the ribs of the fan so that they extend entirely around, and complete the work by fastening the extreme edges of the fan at the top. Simple as it is, this transforms an unsightly receptacle for flowers, in to one more in harmony with its surroundings. Pretty Lamp-ShA'Des. The pretty lamp-shades for sale in the stores, can be made at home just as well, and with much less expense. Procure a sheet of tissue-paper of the desired color, and cut it .. perfect square. Fold two opposite edges, creasing it through the middle; fold again the other way, thus making a smaller square of four thicknesses. Next fold this square so as to form a triangle, and then this triangle into a smaller one, letting the folds point to the center, until you can fold the paper no more. Now taking hold of the center with one hand, shake out the folds, and gently smooth it down, forming many creases. Cut out the center large enough to slip over the globe, and the shade is complete, unless you wish to fringe the edges. Cardinal, pink, violet, or light blue are the best colors to choose. (^]^^P».J^J^]^ f^^ ENCAUSTIC TILES. — THEIR DURABILITY. — HOW TO USE THEM. — PAVING HEARTHS. — COST. — MANTELS. — HOW TO GET THEM, — CABINETS. — HOME DECORATION OF TILES. oJ<«o O other like material presents better opportunities for gratifying the desire to embellish and beau- tify our homes, than the use of Encaustic Tiles. They are made of powdered clay from which all foreign substances have been removed ; usu- ally they are in squares varying from one to eight inches; some styles are oblong, others tri- angular. Clay can be colored all tints ; and the same block, by means of stamps and presses, may have a perfect and pleasing figure of two or more colors. When properly pressed and burnt, these tiles are very serviceable, and when the additional work of glazing is put on, they are well-nigh as dui-able as stone for the purposes intended. Whether required for the floors or walls of vestibules, or the ornamentation of heai'ths and mantels, as well as for other purposes of decoration, their endless variety, their [355] 356 OUIi HOMES AND THEIR Al)UiL\MENrS. various shades and colors, combine in forming a material suited to purposes of ornament, and as durable as beautiful. Hearths and Pavements. A hearth or hall can be paved with tiles at a very rea- sonable cost, (about fifty cents per square foot,) and when once done, the whole always presents a neat and cosey ap- pearance, and is easily cleaned. The patterns can usually be selected from catalogues furnished by dealers and manufacturers. It is becoming popular to lay whole floors in tiles, and as people become better acquainted with this material, its use will supersede wood in many cases where durability and beauty are desired. The tile floor or hearth is laid in mortar, and presents a perfectly smooth surface, the joints fitting closely, and the whole contrasting finely with carpets and furniture. Mantels, Cabinets, etc. The panels at sides and top of mantels are frequently ornamented with tiles. A very attractive mantel of ebon- ized or other wood can be decorated in this way, and the whole cost is much less than for the cold and costly slate or marble mantel. The tiles are set in the panels, something after the fashion of a picture in a frame. These are more costly than floor tilings, as they are ornamented with all kinds of designs, comprising such subjects as birds, flowers, foliage, designs from history, Shakespeare, and the Script- ures. Panels of Cabinets, door-facings, and furniture may be ornamented in the same way, and where the designs consist' MANTELS AND CABINETS. 357 •of geometric figures, which for the door-facings are appro- priate, the cost is low. Small tiles may be set into any fur- niture desirable, by cutting away the wood to the desired size, and inserting the tile with plaster or putty. As the field of home decoration is comparatively broad, the good taste of the proprietor is about the only guide as to the ex- tent and scope of the work. Such tiles can be procured six to eight inches square, at a cost of from $1.80 to $5.00 per dozen. Persons of decor- ative talent can buy the plain tiles and decorate them to suit their fancy, returning them to the factory to have the designs burned in; this practice has of late become very popular. It is advisable to consult catalogues of designs and prices from some reliable dealer or manufacturer, before attempt- ing to do very much in this style of decoration, yet there is no doubt that in a few years examples may be found in almost every home. LnrCEUSTi-WiLTOK Lincrusta- Walton is the name of a new material for wall and ceiling decorations, recently introduced from England. It is intended to supply the place of wall-paper, fresco, or plaster, and at the same time to give the effect of elegant carvings, at moderate cost. This material has been quite extensively used in Europe, and has met all the requirements of a perfect wall covering. It is composed of vegetable fiber and oils to make it plastic, and while in this state it IS stamped in many chaste patterns. By means of stamps, colors, bronze, and gold, it can be made to imitate carved wood, metals, or any other materials intended for walls or ceilings. It is not affected by variations of ^eat or cold, and may be washed thoroughly without injury. It is not damaged by the actioji of water, as samples have been exposed on the outside of buildings and immersed in water for one vear with no evil effects. I It would be difficult to produce a material which im- parts richer effects, and lends an air of more refinement to a room. Angles and joints offer no opposition to its appli- cation, as it is so flexible that it may be fitted to any surface by the use of paste, just the same as wall-paper is applied. ^358^ LINCR USTA - WALTON. 369 Its cost is about that of the finer qualities of wall-paper, but its durability and elegance recommend it, and it Is much more economical in the long run. A manufactory has re- cently been established in Connecticut, and its general use in all the better class of buildings seems but a question of time. This material is controlled by the Lincrusta- Walton Company, 41 Union Square, N. Y., and all leading dealers in wall decorations keep it in stock. The accompanying illustration gives a very clear idea of the material, except that it is impossible to reproduce the rich effects of the blending of colors upon the objects in relief. CxHi^FTRR ^. DYEING AND BLEACHING. DYEING COTTON. — HOW TO TREAT THE FABRICS. — DIREC- TIONS FOR ALL LEADING COLORS. — DYEING WOOLENS ANILINE COLORS. — COLORING STRAW HATS. — HOW TO MAKE MORDANTS. o>»io |yERY frugal housewife has frequent occasion to resort to Dyeing to restore faded but slightly worn garments and other articles of dress to the original or some other color, as well as to color yarns. But she has not always at hand the proper directions for making the dyes, and so many times the professional dyer is given the work. In the following pages are such direction and recipes as will be found of great value in preparing the garments for and giving them the desired color. It will be observed that separate directions are given for Cotton and Wool as it frequently happens that the bath intended for woolens will not color cotton the desired shade. This department contains a list of reliable and trust- DYEING COTTON. 361 worthy recipes for all colors that can be made without the aid of an experienced dyer. The proportions are generally in such quantities as are needed most. In the fixation of color upon cloth, recourse is often had to a tnordnnt, which acts as a middle agent and attaches the color to the cloth. The principal mordants are alum, cream of tartar, and salts of tin. Previous to the application of any color, the cloth or yarn must be well cleansed from grease, oil, etc., by scouring in soda or soap ; and except where the material is to be dyed of dark color, the goods are also subjected to the process of bleaching. In case of fabrics which require a smooth surface, the preliminary operation of singeing off the loose hairs is resorted to. Note. — Many of the within Dyeing recipes are taken from the Peoples' Cyclopedia, a work which is pronounced by the best critics superior to any other Cyclopedia ever published. Dyeing Cotton. The following recipes for dyeing cotton apply to 10 pounds weight of cotton yarn or cloth, which is found to be the smallest quantity capable of being well dyed at one time. The proportions of each ingredient may be altered, however, so as to correspond with the quantity to be operated upon. 1. ComTYion Black. — Take 3 lbs. sumac, and treat with hot water, steeping the goods in the hot decoction for some hours; wring out, wash for 10 minutes in lime-water, and for 30 minutes in a solution of 2 lbs. copperas. Wash the goods well in cold water, sometimes repeating the treatment with lime, and rewashing; then work the goods for 30 minutes in a warm solution of 3 lbs. of log- wood, and afterward with 2 oz. copperas; work again for 10 minutes; wash and dry. 362 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS, 2. Jet Black. — Proceed as at 1, adding 1 lb. of fustic with the logwood ; and when 3 pts. of iron liquor are used instead of the 2 oz. copperas, a more brilliant black is obtained. 3. Blue Black. — Use indigo blue vat, then proceed as atl. 4. Brown. — Treat the goods with a yellow dye, then work for 30 minutes in a decoction of 2 lbs. lima wood, and 8 oz. logwood; lift and work with 2 oz. alum for 15 minutes, then wash and dry. 5. Catechu Brown. — Immerse the goods at a boiling temperature in a decoction of catechu; then work for 80 minutes in a hot solution of 6 oz. bichromate of pot- ash. Wash in hot water. If the latter contains a little soap, the color will be improved. 6. French Brotvn. — Dye the goods with[a spirit yellow, then treat for half an hour ^nth a solution of 3 lbs. of log- wood; raise with a little red liquor, work for 10 minutes, wash and dry. 7. B£cl. — Make a hot solution of 3 lbs. of sumac, intro- duce the goods, and let them stand till the liquor is cold; then wring out and work in water containing in each gallon a gill of red spirits (prepared by adding 2 oz. feathered tin by degrees to a mixture of 3 parts hydrochloric acid, 1 part of nitric acid, and 1 of water), in the cold, for 30 minutes, wring and wash well; then work the goods for 30 minutes in a lukewarm decoction of 3 lbs. of lima wood and 1 lb. of fustic, add a gill of red spirits, work the goods longer, wash and dry. The famous Turkey- red is imparted to the cloth by first impregnating it with an oily or fatty substance, and then subjecting it to a decoc- tion of madder. DYEING COTTON. 363 8. Yelloiu or Straw. — Work the goods in a weak solu- tion of acetate of lead ; then wring out, and work in a dilute solution of bichromate of potash ; wring out, and work again in the lead solution; wash and dry. 9. Leghorn Yellotv. — Proceed as at 8, but add a little annotto liquor with the solution of bichromate of potash. 10. Spirit Yelloiu. — Work the goods through a weak solution of protochloride of tin for 30 minutes, then work in a solution of quercitron bark for 15 minutes. Lift out, and work again in tin solution, and wash in cold water. 11. Orange. — Proceed as at 8, and afterward pass through lime-water at the boiling point, finally washing in cold water. 12. Blue. — The goods are worked in various strengths of solution of salts of iron, such as nitrate of iron; wring out, wash in water, and then work in solution of yellow prussiate of potash ; wring out and wash in water, and then work in solution of yellow prussiate of alum. The various shades of blue may be obtained by using stronger or weaker solutions. 13. Green. — Dye the cloth blue, then work in red liquor (acetate of alumina), wash in water, work in decoction of fustic or bark, raise with solution of alum; wash in cold water and dry. The darker shades of green, as olive or bottle green, are brought out by the use of sumac and log- wood, along with the fustic. 14. Lilac. — Work the cloth or yarn with spirits, (see 7), then in logwood solution at a temperature of 140° Fahr- enheit, adding a little red spirits, red liquor, or alum, wash and dry; or dye the cloth blue (12), then work in solution of logwood, add alum, wash and dry. 564 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. 15. Purple. — Soak the goods in a warin decoction of sumac till cold, work for an hour in red spirits, wash, work in hot solution of logwood, then add a little red spirits, and work again, wash and dry. The various shades of purple may be obtained by altering the strength of the chemicals; the more sumac, the browner the hue; and the more log- wood, the bluer the purple becomes. 16. Lavender or Peach. — Work the goods for 20 min- utes in spirit plumb (a strong solution of logwood treated with about one-sixth of its volume of a solution of tin; made by dissolving tin in 6 or 7 parts of hydrochloric acid, 1 part of nitric acid, and 1 of water), wring out and wash well in cold water. 17. Drab. — Work the goods in a decoction of sumac, lift, add copperas, rework, wash in water, then work in a mixed decoction of fustic, lima wood, and logwood, raise with a little alum, wash and dry. Catechu is occasionally employed. Woolen Dyeing. A pound of wool woven into common merino measures about 3 yards, common moreen about 2 yards. 1, Jet Black. — For 50 lbs. Prepare with 2^ lbs. chrome, boil half an hour, and wash in two waters. Dye with 20 lbs. logwood and 2 lbs. fustic. Boil half an hour, in one water, then rinse in a slight sour, moderately warm, wash in one cold water, and finish out of a warm one, softened with a little urine. 2. Fast Black. — ^For 50 lbs. Prepare with 2 lbs. chrome, 1 lb. tartar, and 1 quart muriate of tin ; boil 1 hour and wash in 2 waters. Dve with 25 lbs. logwood and 3 lbs. VYEING WOOLEN. 365 fustic. Boil 30 minutes, lift, add 1 pt. vitriol. Return for 10 minutes, then wash and dry. To render this blue-black, omit the fustic. 3. French Brown. — For 50 lbs. Preparation: 1| lbs, chrome. Dyeing, 6 lbs. cudbear, 1 lb. tartar; and if not dark enough, add 8 oz. logwood. Boil half an hour. 4. Claret. — For 50 lbs. Preparation: \h lbs. chrome. Dyeing, 9 lbs. lima wood, 2 lbs. logwood, h lb. tartar. Boil half an hour. 5. Purple. — For 50 lbs. Wash in a preparation of 1^ lbs. tartar, and 1 lb. alum; wash in 3 waters. Dye with 10 lbs. logwood, boil half an hour, raise with 1 quart muri- ate of tin. 6. Pale Blue. — For 50 lbs. 1 gill sulphuric acid, 3 oz. extract of indigo, 1 lb. alum. Enter cold with one-half of the extract, give the other half when the boiler warms. 7. Pea Green. — For 54 lbs. 2 lbs. extract of indigo, 7 lbs. fustic, 1 lb. alum. Bring on from the cold, when the boiler heats to 180° Fahrenheit, put in the fustic, boil 15 minutes. 8. Olive Green. — For 50 lbs. Prepare with 1| lbs. chrome; boil half an hour, and wash in 2 waters; then boil 12 lbs. fustic and 2| lbs. logwood for 1 hour; add 2 lbs. madder and 2 lbs. redwood. Enter; boil half an hour. Raise in the same liquor with 4 oz. blue-stone ; wash well and dry. 9. Brab. — For 50 lbs. 7 lbs. fustic, 8 oz. madder, 4 oz. cudbear, 2 lbs. alum, 8 oz. tartar. Enter between the cold and 160° Fahrenheit; after heating up, boil from 10 to 30 minutes; wash in 2 waters. All dark shades of this and the following color may be slightly prepared with chrome; wash in 2 waters. 366 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. 10. Slate. — For 50 lbs. 1 lb. logwood, 4 oz. fustic, 8 oz. extract of indigo, 2 lbs. tartar, 2 lbs. alum. Work as for drab. 11. Yellow. — For 40 lbs. 2| lbs. quercitron bark, 2 lbs. tartar, 2 quarts muriate of tin. Enter at 150° Fahrenheit; boil 80 minutes. 1 2. Amber. — For 40 lbs. Boil 4 lbs. quercitron bark and 8 oz. madder. Add 2 quarts muriate of tin, 1 lb. tartar. Enter at 200° Fahrenheit; boil 30 minutes. 13. Orange. — For 50 lbs. Boil 10 lbs. quercitron bark and 1| lb. cochineal. Add 2 lbs. tartar, 2| quarts yellow spirits. Enter at 200° Fahrenheit; boil 30 minutes. 14. Rose Color. — For 40 lbs. 1 lb. cochineal, 3 gills double muriate of tin, 1 lb. tartaric acid. Enter at 100° Fahrenheit, heat up; boil 15 minutes; lift, and cool to 120° by throwing out part of the liquor, and filling up with water; add 1 gill ammonia paste, 12 oz. tartaric acid, 6 oz. oxalic acid. Bring up to boiling; when the desired shade is reached, wash well and dry. 15 Scarlet with Cochineal. — For 50 lbs. Boil 4 lbs. cochineal and If lb. quercitron bark. Add 3 lbs. tartar, 2 qts. scarlet spirits. Enter at 200° Fahrenheit; boil 1 one hour; wash well. Sour before dyeing, either cold or warm ; wash in 1 water and take out. Aniline Colors. — No mordant is necessary for these colors when used on silk or woolen; the proper quantity of clear liquid is mixed with slightly warm water, the scum skimmed off, and the goods entered and worked until the required shade is obtained. For dyeing cotton, the cloth is steeped in sumac or tannic acid, dyed in the color, and then fixed by tin; or the cloth may be sumaced and mordanted as usual with tin, and then dyed. ANILINE DYES. ' 367 Aniline Dyes. The following recipes are for working pure anilines, and we suggest that to obtain good colors, the dyes used should be those of the Crown Aniline Works (T. H. Eaton and Son, Detroit, Mich). They can be obtained of any re- liable druggist who may choose to order them, or the cus- tomer can order direct from the manufacturers. It is very important to have clean soft water and clean goods to make good colors. To remove grease from goods, run them through sal-soda water. When you dye, use wood or cop- per vessels. Dissolving. — Aniline dyes of all colors should be dis- solved in water boiling hot, using 10 gallons of hot water to one pound of dye, and smaller quantities in proportion, be- fore being placed in the bath intended for immersing the goods. Dyeing Wool. Magenta. — Crimson. — Violet. — Dye in a neutral bath (a neutral bath is a bath of clean water only). Start at hand heat, and raise the temperature of the bath to below boiling point, but do not boil. The amount of dye to be used will depend upon the color you want to produce; the goods may be raised from time to time, and more dye added. Care should be taken to turn the goods well while in the bath ; wash in clean cold water, wring, and dr}-. For Silk, dye as above, only add a little dissolved Mar- seilles soap. Scarlets and Cardinals. — For 50 pounds of goods, (smaller quantities in proportion), take one pound cochineal 368 OU^ EQMEU AND TEEIB ADOUNMENTS. substitute, or one pound cardinal red, dissolve, and add to a bath soured with oil of vitriol until the bath is about as sour as weak vinegar; enter the goods at hand heat, turn well while raising to the boil, and boil 30 minutes. Wash in cold water, wring, and dry. Silk is dyed in the same manner, only use strong vine- gar to sour the bath, and a some Marseilles soap. Scarlet and cardinal are fast colors, and will not fade. Pink. — For 50 pounds, take J pound of eosine, dissolve and add to a bath containing 5 lbs. of alum ; bring to the boil, but do not boil long. Orange. — Dye the same as scarlet ; use Orange I. Acid or Navy Blue. — For 50 pounds of goods, take one pound navy or any acid blue, dissolve the blue, and add to a bath containing oil of vitriol sufficient to make it as sour as weak vinegar; boil gdbds for one hour, wash well in cold water, wring, and dry. Nicholson Blue {Fast Blue). — For 50 pounds of goods,, take I pound 3 B, Nicholson blue, dissolve, and add to a bath containing 5 pounds sal-soda. Enter the goods, and work to the boiling point, boiling 30 minutes; then take out and wash in clean cold water. Prepare a second bath of clean water, make it sour to taste with oil of vitriol, bring the bath to hand heat, enter the goods, and bring to boiling point. Wash well in cold water, wring, and dry. Seal Brown. — For 50 pounds of goods, dissolve one pound mode brown in 5 gallons boiling water; make your bath quite sour with oil of vitriol, add 5 pounds of glauber USEFUL SUGGESTIONS. ,369 salts. Enter the goods, boil 30 minutes, wash in cold water, and dry. Yellow. — Dye with acid yellow, and work same as scarlet. Green. — Dye with Frankfort green the same as for fast blue. Anilines are not adapted for domestic cotton dyeing, but a good color can be made with cotton blue by working in a bath of clear water containing cotton blue, alum, and glauber salts. For 50 pounds of goods, ^ pound blue, 2^ pounds alum, and 2 pounds glauber salts. Useful Suggestions. In accommodation to the requirements of dyers, many of the recipes describe dyes for large quantities of goods; but to make them equally adapted for the use of private fami- lies, they are usually given in even quantities, so that it is quite an easy matter to ascertain the quantity of materials required for dyeing, when once the weight of the goods is known, the quantity of materials used being reduced in proportion to the smaller quantity of goods. Use soft water for all dyeing purposes, if it can be pro- cured, using 4 gals, water to 1 lb. of goods ; for larger quan- tities, a little less water will do. Let all the implements used in dyeing be kept perfectly clean. Prepare the goods by scouring well with soap and water, washing the soap out well' and dipping in warm water, previous to immersion in the dye or mordant. Goods should be well aired, rinsed, and properly hung up after dyeing. Silks, and fine goods should be tenderly handled, otherwise injury to the fabric will re- sult. 24 370 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Mordants are solutions used to fix colors and may be made from several common chemicals. A good one is made by mixing copperas and acetate of iron in proportion of four of the former to six of the latter. Immerse the cotton or linen to be colored, in this before putting in color vat. Mordants must be used in dyeing cotton fabrics, as they fix the color. Before using Cudbear, it must always be drenched with a little hot water, to the consistency of paste ; then scald or boil it as occasion may require. A solution of tannin or smnac makes a good mordant. Alum or cream of tartai' will answer. ''Sour," referred to in some recipes, is made by stirring into clean water enough sulphuric acid to give a sharp taste. The acid can be procured at any druggist's. To Color Straw Hats or Bonnets a Beautiful Slate. — First, soak the bonnet m rather strong warm suds for 15 minutes, to remove sizing or stiffening ; then rinse in warm water, to get out the soap; now scald cudbear, 1 oz., in suf- ficient water to cover the hat or bonnet; work the bonnet in this dye, at 180" of heat, until you get a light purple; now have a bucket of cold water, blued with the extract of indigo, |- oz., and work or stir the bonnet in this until the tint pleases; dry, then rinse out with cold water, and dry again in the shade. If you got the purple too deep in shade, the final slate will be too dark. Dye for Feather's. — Black: Immerse for two or three days in a bath, at first hot, of logwood, eight parts, and cop- peras or acetate of iron, one part. Blue: with the indigo vat. Brown : by using any of the brown dyes for silk or woolen. Orimson: a mordant of alum, followed by a hot bath of DIRECTIONS FOB BLEACHING. 371 Brazil-wood, afterward by a weak dye of cudbear. Pink or Rose: with saf -flower or lemon juice. Plum: with the red dye, followed by an alkaline bath. Red: a mor- dant of alum, followed by a bath of Brazil-wood. Yel- low : a mordant of alum, followed by a bath of turmeric or weld. Green Dye: take of verdigris and verditer, of ■each one ounce, gum water 1 pt. ; mix them well, and dip the feathers, they having been first soaked in hot water, into the said mixture. For Purple, use lake and indigo For Carnation, vermilion and smalt. Thin gum of starch water should be used in dyeing feathers. Bleaching. To Bleach Sponge. — Soak it well in dilute muriatic acid for twelve hours. Wash well with water to remove the lime, then immerse in a solution of hyposulphate of soda,, to which dilute muriatic acid has been added a moment be- fore. After it is bleached sufficiently, remove it, wash again, and dry. It may thus be bleached almost white. To Whiten Lace. — Lace may be restored to its original whiteness by first ironing it slightly, then folding it, and sewing it into a clean linen bag, which is placed for twenty hours in pure olive-oil. Afterward the bag is to be boiled in a solution of soap and water for fifteen minutes, then well rinsed in lukewarm water, and finally dipped into water containing a slight proportion of starch. The lace is then to be taken from the bag, and stretched on pins to dry. Bleaching Stvaiv Goods. — Straw is bleached by simply exposing it in a closed chamber to the fumes of burning sul- phur, an old flour barrel is the apparatus most used for the purpose by milliners, a flat stone being laid on the ground, 372 OUE HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. the sulphur ignited thereon, and the barrel containing the goods to be bleached turned over it. The goods should be previously washed in pure water. To Clean Ostrich Feathers. — Cut some white curd soap in small pieces, pour boiling water on it and add a little pearlash. When the soap is quite dissolved, and the mixt- ure cool enough for the hand to bear, plunge the feathers into it, and draw them through the hand till the dirt ap- pears squeezed out of them, pass them through a clean lather with some blue in it, then rinse them in cold water with blue to give them a good color. Beat them against the hand to shake off the water, and dry by shaking them near a fire. When perfectly dry, coil each fiber separately with a blunt knife, or ivory folder. Bleaching Powder. — Chloride of lime makes a good bleaching powder. The stuff to be bleached is first boiled in lime-water; wash, and without drying, boil again in a solution of soda or potash ; wash, and without drying, steep in a weak mixture of chloride of lime and water for six hours ; wash, and without drying, steep for four hours in a weak solution or mixture of sulphuric acid and water; wash well and dry. Upon an emergency, chlorate of potash, mixed with three times its weight of common salt and diluted in water, may be used as a bleaching liquid. Bleaching Ivory. — Antique works in ivory that have become discolored may be brought to a pure whiteness by exposing them to the sun under glasses. It is the particular property of ivory to resist the action of the sun's rays, when it is under glass; but when deprived of this protection, to become covered with a multitude of minute cracks. Many antique pieces of sculpture in ivory may be seen, which. DIRECTIONS FOR BLEACHING. 373 although tolerably white, are, at the same tune, defaced by numerous cracks; this defect cannot be remedied; but in order to conceal it, the dust may be removed by brushing the work with warm water and soap, and afterward placing it under glass. Antique works in ivory that have become discolored, may be brushed with pumice-stone, calcined and diluted, and while yet wet placed under glasses. They should be daily exposed to the action of the sun, and be turned from time to time, that they may become equally bleached; if the brown color be deeper on one side than the other, that side will, of course, be for the longest time ex- posed to the sun. To Bleach Prints and PHnted Books. — Simple im- mersion in dilute muriatic acid, letting the article remain in it a longer or shorter space of time, according to the strength of the liquor, will be sufficient to whiten an engraving ; if it be required to whiten the paper of a bound book, as it is necessary that all the leaves should be moistened by the acid, care must be taken to open the book well, and to make the boards rest on the edge of the vessel, in such a manner that the paper alone shall be dipped in the liquid ; the leaves must be separated from each other, in order that they may be equally moistened on both sides. The Uquor assumes a yellow tint, and the paper becomes white in the same pro- portion. At the end of two or three hours the book may be taken from the acid liquor, and plunged into pure water with the same care and precaution as recommended in re- gard to the acid liquor, that the water may touch both sides of each leaf. The water must be renewed every hour, to extract the acid remaining in the paper, and to dissipate the disagreeable smell. Printed paper may also be bleached by sulphuric acid, or by alkaline or soap leys. 374 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Washing Fluid. — Take 1 lb. sal-soda, | lb, good un- slaked lime, and 5 qts. of water; boil a short time, let it settle, and pour off the clear fluid into a stone jug, and cork for use ; soak your white clothes over night in simple water, wring out and soap wristbands, collars, and dirty or stained places; have your boiler half filled with water just begin- ning to boil, then put in one common tea-cupful of this fluid, stir and put in your clothes, and boil for half an hour, then rub lightly through one suds only, and all is complete. «!-A_3 fe v^- a -f-^-H*^"^-!^-** Household Cmpendi um -< o:f ^— [8753 -A. ^KW^HIS department embraces a list of Eecipes, many of ^1^ which have appeared in no other work, and the whole Tlist may be relied upon as practical, easy, and effective. The following classification of subjects has been intro- duced for the benefit of the reader : Hints on Health, Hints on Home Adornments, Toilet Eecipes, Dyeing and Bleach- ing, Cleaning and Scouring, Yarnishes and Paints, Cements, •nd Miscellaneous Recipes. [376] ..^.. ,jgps^ -r-^==^^^'^^=^=^- ■<*- fOUSEHOLD iOMPENDraM. -g-g=:r ?^ W^<:^^N:r^S-?- -0 elCii4^t> oi^i elCea^Wv. DISINFECTANT FOR SICK-ROGMS.— Let a reliable apothecary put up for you in a small bottle four ounces of ninety per cent alcohol and one ounce of thirty-six per cent nitric acid. One-half of this mixture will disinfect a room fifty feet long, thirty feet wide, and twelve feet high. One large spoonful of it (one-half ounce) will disinfect a large bed-room containing 1,200 cubic feet of air-space. Two tea-spoonfuls of it (two drachms) will disinfect a bed-room nine feet square, and seven and one-half feet high. A tea-spoonful (one drachm) is sufficient for 800 cubic feet of air-space. The method of using the mixture is as follows: Put the quantity to be used in a porcelain capsule (a tea saucer will do), set a pan of warm water in the room to be disinfected ; let the capsule or saucer containing the disinfectant float on the surface of the warm water. The mixture in the float- [377] 378 OC/U HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. ing capsule or saucer will evaporate by the heat of the water, and the vapor will effectively disinfect. Do n't try to evap- orate it on a stove, over a lamp, or by a fire ; mischief would result. Use exactly warm water to effect evaporation and nothing else. Use only porcelain to hold the mixture, for it will corrode metal. It will also spoil a good spoon. Label the bottle "poison," for it would be very dangerous to take it instead of medicine. The chemist will perceive that the disinfecting vapor evolved is nitrate of ethyl. The alcohol is in excess and so saturates the acid products of the reac- tion that they are not disagreeable, while they are equally effective. The material, in the quantity necessary to use, is very cheap, and the method of using it, when clearly understood, is very simple. The vapor evolved, while inoffensive, de- stroys infected dust and germs of putrefaction floating in the air of a sick-room. It is excellent for hospitals and public buildings; only, in large spaces, the quantity used should be divided and evaporated in different parts of the room. It is sufiicient to use it once a day. Hygienists are indebted to a French scientist, M. Ley- russon, for this ingenious, cheap, and simple method of dis- infecting sick-rooms, without danger or even annoyance to the inmates. It has been very recently published in France. The Best Deodorizer. — Use bromo-chloralum in the pro- portion of one to eight table-spoonfuls of soft water ; dip cloths in this solution and hang in the rooms; it will purify sick- rooms of any foul smells. The surface of anything may be purified by washing well and then rubbing over with a weakened solution of bromo-chloralum. A weak solution is excellent to rinse the mouth with often, when from any HINTS ON HEALTH. 379 cause the breath is offensive. It is also an excellent wash for sores and wounds that have an offensive odor. Lime-Water. — One of the most useful agents of house- hold economy, if rightly understood, is lime-water. Its mode of preparation is as follows: Put a stone of fresh un- slacked lime about the size of a half -peck measure into a large stone jar or unpainted pail, and pour over it slowly and carefully (so as not to slacken too rapidly), a tea-kettle full (four gallons), of hot water, and stir thoroughly; let it settle, and then stir again two or three times in twenty-four hours. Then carefully bottle all that can be poured off in a clear and limpid state. It is often sold by druggists as a remedy for children's summer complaints, a tea-spoonful being a dose in a cup of milk, and when diarrhea is caused by acidity of the stomach, it is an excellent remedy, and when put into milk gives no unpleasant taste, but rather improves the flavor. It may also be put into milk that is to be used for puddings and and pies, to prevent its curdling. A little stirred into cream or milk, after a hot day or night, will prevent its turning when used for tea or coffee. It is unequaled in cleansing bottles or small milk-vessels, or babies' nursing bottles, as it sweetens and purifies with- out leaving an unpleasant odor or flavor. A cupful, or even more, mixed in the sponge of bread or cakes made over night, will prevent souring. 380 OUR HOMES AND TBEIB ADORNMENTS. Preserving Autumn Leaves. — These may be easily pre- served and retain their natural tints, or nearly so, by either of the followingf methods: — As they are gathered they may be laid between the leaves of a magazine or large book until it is full, and left with a light weight upon them until the moisture in the leaves has been absorbed. Two or three thicknesses of paper should intervene between the leaves. If they are large or in clusters, take newspapers, lay them on a shelf, and use them as with a book. When the leaves have become perfectly dry, dip them in melted white wax into which you have put a few drops of turpentine, and lay them on clean papers to dry ; this will make the leaves pliable and natural, and give them suffi- cient gloss. Great care should be used to make the wax just hot enough, the temperature being ascertained by the first leaf dipped in. Draw it gently out of the wax and hold it up, — if the wax is too hot, the leaf will shrivel ; if too cool, the wax will adhere in lumps. Leaves preserved in this way make chaste and attractive ornaments, if grouped in graceful figures. Skeletonizing Leaves. — For the leaves, maple ones and those that have a pretty shape are the best: To one pound of soda-ash add two quarts of soft water. After it is all disvsolved by boiling, add as many leaves as your dish will hold ; lay them in flat, boil until the epidermis will come off easily. Try a leaf in cold water, and if only the veins remain they are done sufficiently. Clean them with an old HINTS ON HOME DECORATION 381 tooth-brush, and supply the missing stems with fine wire. After they are well cleaned put them in a solution of chlo- ride of hme to bleach, ten cents' worth of lime is enough for leaves and ferns too. Gather the young ferns and put them in the solution of lime you have for your leaves, not the soda-ash, only the bleaching solution. Float them on stiff paper and put them in books to dry, after washing thoroughly in clear water to prevent them from turning yellow. Poppy-heads are very fine, also Molven balm fixed in this way is lovely for winter bouquets. Add more water to the leaves as it boils away. For Crystallizing Grass. — Ladies who admire beautiful bouquets of grasses, will appreciate the following recipe: — Take one and one-half pounds of rock alum, pour on three pints of boiling water; when quite cool put into a wide-mouthed vessel, hang in your grasses, a few at a time. Do not let them get too heavy, or the stems will not support, them. You may 'again heat alum and add more grasses. By adding a little coloring matter it will give pleasing vari- ety. To Imitate Ground-Glass Windows. — Put a piece of putty weighing about six ounces into a muslin bag so as to form a smooth surface. After thoroughly cleaning the glass, pat it all over with the bag of putty, which being forced out through the muslin, will cover the glass. Let this dry hard, and varnish with shellac or white varnish. If still more time and pains are taken, the glass can be made to represent ground glass almost perfectly. Cut from stiff paper any graceful geometric or other pattern, paste it on the glass, and go over the part not covered by the pattern, as above. After the putty is dry, remove the 382 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. pattern and paste with water. This plan is especially adapted to glass in doors. Ebonizing Wood. — The following is a recipe used by furniture manufacturers for the now popular style of ebon- izQd. wood: Logwood chips 8 oz., water q. s., copperas I oz. Boil the logwood in one gallon of water for half an hour, and add the copperas. Apply to the wood hot, giv- ing two or three coats. In varnishing ebonized wood, a little drop black must be added, or the varnish will give a brown shade. The publishers have been at no small expense in secur- ing recipes for this work, and can assure their patrons that they have all been tested by experience. The toilet recipes have been furnished by a druggist of long standing, many of the formulas not having been given the public before. The Hair. Hair Gloss. — Glycerine 6 oz., cologne 2 oz. Mix and use to moisten the hair. Hair Oil. — Castor oil 6 oz., cologne spirits or alcohol 2 oz. Perfume with bergamont or other desirable perfume. Hair Wash for Cleaning the Scalp. — Salts of Tartar -J oz., alcohol ^ of a pt., rain-water 1 pt., rose-water | pt. Mix and dissolve. If a profuse lather is desired, add more tartar. Hair Lotion, To Prevent Hair from Falling Out. — Rose-water 15 oz., glycerine 1 oz., acjua ammonia 1 dr., tincture of cantharides 2 dr. Mix, and use once a week. TOILET RECIPES. 383 To Glean Hair-Brushes. — Use spirits of ammonia and hot water; wash them well and shake the water out, and they will be white and clean. Use no soap. To Beautify the Hair. — 2 oz. of olive oil, 4 oz. of good bay-tum, and 1 dr. of the oil of almonds. Mix and shake well. It renders the hair dark and smooth. The Teeth. To Beautify the Teeth. — Dissolve 2 oz. of borax in three pints of boiling water, and before it is cold add one tea-spoon- ful of spirits of camphor ; bottle it for use. Use a tea-spoon- ful of this with an equal quantity of tepid water. Tooth Powder. — Precipitated chalk 4 oz., orris root 2 oz., rose pink | dr., oil of cloves 4 drops, oil winter-green \ dr. Rub the oils with the powder, sift, and the powder is ready for use. It should be kept in a bottle. Tooth Wash. — Diluted alcohol | pint, borax, honey, gum myrrh, and red saunders, each \ oz. Preparation. — Rub the honey and borax together in a bowl or mortar, and gradually add the alcohol ; add the myrrh and saunders, and allow the whole to stand fourteen days, when it may be filtered or strained. If some cologne is used instead of the alcohol, it will improve the wash. The Face and Hands. Bloom of Roses. — Rose-water 8 oz., carmine, No. 40, .1 dr., aqua ammonia J oz. Pulverize the carmine to a fine pow- der, add the aqua ammonia; and when the powder is en- tii'ely dissolved, add the rose-water. This is a very delicate and harmless cosmetic. Bloom of Youth. — Rose-water 1 pt., oxide of bismuth 4 384 OUE HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. oz. Powder the bismuth and agitate with the rose-water. This wash can be colored pink by adding a little carmine. Violet Powder. — ^Arrow root powdered, or wheat starch, 4 oz., powdered orris root 1 oz., oil of lemon 5 drops, oil of cloves and bergamot, each 4 drops. Stir the oils with the powder until thoroughly mixed. Aromatic Vinegar for the hands and face. — Acetic acid 8 oz., oil lavender 2 dr., oil rosemary 1 dr., oil cloves 1 dr., camphor gum 1 oz. Dissolve the camphor in the acetic acid and add the oils. After remaining for a few days, strain, and it is ready for use. Camphor Ice. — \ oz. each of camphor gum and white wax, spermaceti and sweet oil; melt slowly the hard ingre- dients, and then add the oil. Cold Cream. — 4 oz. sweet almond oil, 2 oz. rose-water 2 oz. white wax, 2 oz. cocoa butter, 2 oz. spermaceti; put a bowl in a pan of boiling water; cut the spermaceti, white wax, and cocoa butter in small pieces; put them in the bowl, also the oil and rose-water. When melted, stir contents until cold. For the Hands. — | oz. of glycerine with same amount of alcohol. Mix, and add 4 oz. of rose-water. Bottle, and shake well. An excellent remedy for rough or chapped hands. To Take Stains off the SJcin. — For cleaning the hands when stained with chemicals: Put \ lb. glauber salts, ^ lb, chloride of lime, and 4 oz. of water into a small wide- mouthed bottle, and when required for use pour some of the mixture into a saucer and rub it well over the hands with a brush or coarse towl, and wash them in warm water. Acacia Sachet. — Exquisite and cheap perfume for the glove box or drawer: — VABNISHES. 385 Cassia buds and orris r thickness of molasses; the parts to be cemented must first be well thinned down, then pour a small quantity of the cement on both ends, spreading it well so as to fill the pores of the leather, warm the parts over a fire for about half a minute, apply them quickly together and ham- mer well. The bottle containing the cement should be tightly corked and kept in a cool place. Marble Cement. — Take plaster-of-Paris and soak it in a saturated solution of alum, then bake in an oven, the same as gypsum is baked to make it plaster-of-Paris; after which grind the mixture to powder. It is then used as wanted, being mixed up with water like plaster and applied. It sets into a very hard composition capable of taking a very high polish, and may be mixed with various coloring minerals to produce a cement of any color capable of imitating marble. This cement is also used for attaching glass to metal. Chinese Cernent. — Finest pale orange shellac, broken small, 4 oz., rectified spirit, the strongest, 3 oz., digest to- gether in a corked bottle in a warm place until dissolved ; it should have the consistency of molasses. It is used for wood, glass, ivory, jewelry, and all fancy works. RECIPES FOR CEMENTS. 407 Cements for Cracks in Wood. — Make a paste of slacked lime 1 part, rye meal 2 parts, with a sufficient quantity of linseed oil. Or, dissolve 1 part of glue in 16 parts of water, and when almost cool, stir in sawdust and prepared chalk a sufficient quantity. Or, oil-varnish thickened with a mixt- ure of equal parts of white-lead, red-lead, litharge, and chalk. To Mend China. — Take a very thick solution of gum arable in water, and stir into it plaster-of-Paris until the mixture becomes of a proper consistency. Apply it with a brush to the fractured edges of the china, and stick them together. In three days the articles cannot be broken in the same place. The whiteness of the cement renders it doubly valuable. Stone-Masons Cement. — Clean river sand 20 lbs., lith- arge 2 lbs., quick-lime 1 lb., linseed oil, sufficient to form a thin paste. This cement is used to mend broken pieces of stone, and after a time it becomes exceedingly hard and strong. A similar composition has been used to coat brick walls, under the name of mastic. Fire-Proof and Water-Proof Cement. — To 4 or 5 parts of clay, thoroughly dried and pulverized, add 2 parts of fine iron filings free f lom oxide, 1 part of peroxide of manganese, | part of sea salt, and | part of borax. Mingle these thor- oughly and render them as fine as possible, then reduce them to a thick paste with the necessary quantity of water. It must be used immediately. After application, it should be exposed to heat, gradually increasing almost to a white heat. This cement is very hard, and presents complete re- sistance alike to a red heat and boiling water. Another Method. — To equal parts of sifted peroxide of 408 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. manganese and well-pulverized zinc white, add a sufficient quantity of commercial soluble glass to form a thin paste. This mixture, when used immediately, forms a cement quite equal in hardness and resistance to that obtained by the first method. Armenian, or Jeweler's CeTnent. — Dissolve 5 or 6 bits of gum mastic, the size of a large pea, in as much spirits of wine as will suffice to render it liquid ; in a separate vessel dissolve as much isinglass (previously softened in water, though none of the water must be used) in rum, or other spirit, as will make a 2-oz. phial of very strong glue, add- ing two small pieces of gum ammoniacum, which must be rubbed or ground till they are dissolved ; then mix the whole with a sufficient heat. Keep it in a phial closely stopped, and when it is to be used, set the phial in boiling water. The preceding is also effectual in uniting almost all sub- stances, even glass, to polished steel. To Renew Manuscri/pts. — Take a hair pencil and wash the part that has been effaced with a solution of prussiate of potash and water, and the writing will again appear if the paper has not been destroyed. Tracing Paper. — 1. Wash very thin paper with the following mixture: Spirits turpentine, 6 parts, by weight, resin 1 part, boiled nut oil 1 part. Apply with a soft sponge. 2. Brush over one side of a good, thin, unsized paper with a varnish made of equal parts of Canada balsam and turpentine. If required to take water-color, it must be washed over with ox-s"all and dried before being used. MISCELLANEOUS EECIPE8. 409 3. Open a quire of double-crown tissue paper, and brush the first sheet with a mixture of mastic varnish and oil of turpentine, equal parts; proceed with each sheet similarly, and dry them on lines by hanging them up singly. As the process goes on, the under sheets absorb a portion of the varnish, and require less than if single sheets were brushed S€f)arately. Transfer Paper — is made by rubbing white paper with a composition consisting of 2 oz. tallow, i oz. powdered black-lead, -4 pint linseed oil, and sufficient lamp-black to make it of the consistency of ci-eam. These should be melted together and rubbed on the paper while hot. When dry it wUl be fit for use. Alloy for Journal Boxes. — Copper 3 lbs., tin 3 lbs., and antimony 1 lb. Melt the copper first, then add the tin, and lastly the antimony. It should be first run into ingots, then melted and cast in the form required for the boxes. Ainher, to Mend. — Smear the parts which are to be united with linseed oil, hold the oiled part carefully over a small charcoal fire, a hot cinder, or a gas-light, being care- ful to cover up all the rest of the object loosely with paper; when the oiled parts have begun to feel the heat, so as to be sticky, pinch or press them together, and hold them so till nearly cold. Only that part where the edges are to be united must be warmed, and even that with care, lest the form or polish of the other parts should be disturbed ; the part joined generally requires a little re-polishing. Bronzing Wood. — The wood is first covered with a uni- form coating of glue, or of drying oil, and when nearly dry the bronze powder, contained in a small bag, is dusted over it. The surface of the object is afterward rubbed with a 410 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. piece of moist rag, or the bronze powder may be previously- mixed with the drying oil, and applied with a brush. The bronze powder can be procured at almost any drug store, and at some paint stores. To Print a Picture from the Primt Itself. — The page or picture is soaked in a solution, first of potassa, and then of tartaric acid. This produces a perfect diffusion of crystals of bitartarate of potassa through the texture of the unprinted part of the paper. As this salt resists oU, the ink roller may now be passed over the surface, without transferring any part of its contents except to the printed part. Hints about Screws. — Where screws are driven into soft wood and subjected to considerable strain, they are very likely to work loose, and it is often difficult to make them hold. In such cases the use of glue is profitable. Prepare the glue thick, immerse a stick about half the size of the screw and put it into the hole, then immerse the screw, and drive it home as quickly as possible. When there is an article of furniture to be hastily repaired, and no glue is at hand, bore a hole, insert the stick, fill the rest of the cavity with pulverized resin, then heat the screw sufficiently to melt the resin as it is driven in. Where screws are driven into wood for temporary purposes, they can be more easily re- moved by dipping them in oil before inserting. When buy- ing screws, notice that the heads are sound and well cut, that there are no flaws in the body or thread part, and that they have gimlet points. A screw of good make will drive into oak as easily as others into pine, and will endure having twice the force brought against it. To Make Putty. — Mix a quantityof whiting into a very stifi* paste with linseed oil, rubbing and beating it well before MISCELLANEOUS BEGIPES. 411 using. For particular purposes, as for fanlights, iron-framed green-houses, and other places where the lap or hold is very narrow, a little white-lead may be added to advantage. Colored putty has a mixture of red ochre, lamp-black, or other color with the whiting. To Make Sealing- Wax. — Red. Take 1 lb. of yellow resin, h\ oz, of gum lac, 5| oz. of Venice turpentine, and 1 oz. of vermilion. Melt the lac in a copper pan suspended over a clear fire, add the resin, pour the turpentine slowly in, and soon afterward add the vermilion, stirring the mixt- ure all the time. Form either into round sticks by rolling it out on a smooth stone slab by means of a wooden board, or into oval sticks by casting it into stone molds made in two pieces. Black sealing-wax is made by substituting either lamp- black or ivory -black in the above recipe. Gleaning Harness, oi' Saddles and Bridles. — If harness, wash it perfectly clean with warm water and soft soap, and when dry, apply neat's-foot oil and black dye, mixed; mix them by adding a small quantity of salts of wormwood, when they will be well blacked and pliable. At the same time, by applying the oil and dye to the bottom or under parts of the straps, and composition to the top, they will always be pliable, and have a good polish on the top. If a riding saddle, wash in cold water and soft soap until free from dirt; then apply soft soap with a woolen cloth — about 2 table-spoonfuls would be enough for a saddle — which will dry in. If the saddle is to have a yellow appearance, infuse a few cents' worth of hay saffron in about four or five table- spoonfuls of water, and apply before the soft soap, then rub on a piece of woolen cloth, or a brush, a piece of bees- wax. 412 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. and finish the saddle off with it, rubbing till a good polish is obtained. Blacking for Harness. — 1. Molasses ^ lb., lamb-black 1 oz., yeast a spoonful, sugar-candy, olive oil, gum traga- canth, and isinglass, each 1 oz., and a cow's gall. Mix with 2 pts. of stale beer, and let it stand before the fire for an hour. 2. Molasses 8 parts, lamp-black 1, sweet oil 1, gum arable 1, isinglass 1, water 32. Apply heat to the whole; when cold, add 1 oz. spirits of wine, and apply with sponge. If it should get hard, place the bottle in warm water a short time. 3. Melt 1 lb. bees-wax, stir in 4 oz. ivory-black, 2 oz. spirits turpentine, 2 oz. Prussian blue, ground in oil, and ^ oz. copal varnish. Make into balls. With a brush apply to harness, and polish with silk gently. Harness Composition. — Put into a glazed pipkin 2 oz. of black resin, place it on a gentle fire ; when melted, add 3 oz. of bees- wax. When this is melted, take it from the fire, add \ oz. of fine lamp-black, and | dr. of Prussian blue in fine powder; stir them so as to be perfectly mixed, and add sufficient spirits of turpentine to form a thin paste, let it cool. To use it, apply a coat with a piece of linen rag pretty evenly all over the harness ; then take a soft polishing brush and brush it over, to obtain a bright surface. To Destroy Bed-Bugs, Moths, and Other Vermin. — Dissolve 'alum in hot water, making a very strong solution; apply to furniture or crevices in the walls with paint brush. This is sure destruction to those noxious vermin, and inval- uable because easily obtained, is perfectly safe to use, and leaves no unpleasant traces behind. When you suspect RECIPES FOB MAKING INK. 413 moths have lodged m the borders of carpets, wet the edges of the carpets with a strong solution; whenever it reaches them, it is certain death. Black Ink, Non-Corrosive. — Digest in an open vessel 42 oz. of coarsely-powdered nut-galls, 15 oz. of gum Senegal, 18 oz. of sulphate of iron, copperas free from copper, 3 dr. of aqua ammonia, 24 oz. of alcohol, and 18 qts. of dis- tilled or rain-water. Continue the digestion until the fluid has assumed a deep black color. To make less quantity, use less of each ingredient, but in the same proportion. For cheap inks other ingredients may be substituted instead of part of the galls; logwood, catechu, sumac, and oak -bark may be used for the same purpose. Many other substances, such as elm wood, elder, chestnut, beech, willow, plum, cherry, and poplar, all contain a certain amount of astrin- gent properties, but none of them are to be compared to galls, and are not likely to supercede them in the manufact- ure of ink so long as galls can be had for a fair price. A Cheap Invisible Ink. — Dissolve 1 fluid oz. of common oil of vitriol in a pint of soft water. Stir well and allow it to cool. "Write with a clean pen. When dry it will be in- visible, held to the fire it turns an indellible black. Green Ink. — Verdigris 2 oz., cream of tartar 1 oz., water | pt., reduce one-half by boiling, and filter, using druggist's filtering paper. Blue Ink. — Chinese blue 2 oz., boiling water 1 qt., oxahc acid 1 oz. Dis-solve the blue in the water, then h,dd the acid, and it is ready at once. Soap-Bubbles. — Few things amuse children more than blowing bubbles. Dissolve I of an oz. of castile or oil soap, cut up in small pieces, in f of a pt. of water, and boil it'for 414 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. two or three minutes ; then add five oz. of glycerine. When cold, this fluid will produce the best and most lasting bubbles that can be blown. To Prevent Rusting. — 1. Boiled linseed oil will keep polished tools from rusting if it is allowed to dry on them. Common sperm oil will prevent them from rusting for a short period. A coat of copal varnish is frequently applied to polished tools exposed to the weather. Woolen materials are the best for wrappers for metals. 2. Iron and steel goods of all descriptions are kept free from rust by the following: Dissolve I oz. of camphor in 1 lb. of hog's lard, take off the scum, and mix as much black-lead as will give the mixture an iron color. Iron and steel and machinery of all kinds, rubbed over with this mixture, and left with it on for 24 hours, and then rubbed with a linen cloth, will keep clean for months. If the machinery is for exportation it should be kept thickly coated with this during the voyage. To Prevent Lead Exploding. — Many mechanics have had theii' patience sorely tried when pouring melted lead around a damp or wet joint to find it explode, blow out, or scatter from the effects of steam generated by the heat of the lead. The whole trouble may be stopped by putting a piece of resin the size of the end of a man's thumb into the ladle and allowing it to melt before pouring. Simple as the secret is, many have paid $20 for the privilege of knowing it. To Repair Rubber Hose. — Cut the hose apart where it is defective. Obtain from any gas-fitter a piece of iron pipe two or three inches long, twist the hose over it until the ends meet, wrap with strong twine, well waxed, and it will last a long time. To Keep Wagon Tires on the Whed. — A practical THE TEMPERING SECRET. 415 mechanic suggests a method of so putting tires on wagons that they will not get loose and require resetting. He says he ironed a wagon some years ago for his own use, and before putting on the tires, he filled the felloes with linseed oil, and the tires have worn out and were never loose. This method is as follows: Use a long cast-iron heater made for the purpose; the oil is brought to a boiling heat, the wheel is placed on a stick, so as to hang each felloe in the oil an hour. The timber should be dry, as green timber will not take oil. Care should be taken that the oil is not made hotter than a boiling heat, or the timber will be burned. Timber filled with oil is not susceptible of injury by water, and is rendered much more durable by this process. The United States Government Tempering Secret. — The following process and mixtures, patented by Garman and Siegfried, and owned by the Steel Refining and Tem- pering Co., of Boston, Mass., cost the U. S. Government $10,000 for the right of using in their shops, and is said to impart extraordinary hardness and durability to the* poorest kinds of steel. Siegfried's specification reads as follows: — " I first heat the steel to a cherry red in a clean smith's fire, and then cover it with chloride of sodium (common salt), purifying the fire also by throwing in salt. I work the steel in this condition, and while subjected to this treatment, until it is brought into nearly its finished form. I then substitute for the salt a compound composed of the following ingredients, and in about the following proportions : One part by weight of each of the following substances: chloride of sodium (salt), sulphate of copper, sal-ammoniac, and sal-soda, together with | part by weight of pure nitrate of potassa (saltpeter), said ingredients being pulverized and 416 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. mixed ; I alternately heat the steel and treat it by covering with this mixture and hammering it until it is thoroughly refined and brought into its finished form. I then return it to the fire and heat it slowly to a cherry red, and then plunge it into a bath composed of the following ingredients, in substantially the following proporticms for the required quantity: of rain-water 1 gal., alum, sal-soda, sulphate of copper, of each 1| oz., of nitrate of potassa (saltpeter) 1 oz., and of chloride of sodium (salt) 6 oz. These quantities and proportions are stated as being what I regard as practically the best, but it is manifest that they may be slightly changed without departing from the principles of my invention." U. S. Mint Test for Counterfeit Silver. — Make a solu- tion of 24 grs. nitrate of silver, 30 drops nitric acid, and 1 oz. of water; scrape the coin to be tested and apply a drop of the liquid; if the coin turns black, reject it. "^fioit jT TM*]B \ ^^- V-any ways, chiefly in the kinds of vegetables and different seasonings used, as in herbs, burned caramel, eggs, or slices of bread fried to a crisp in butter, which impart a SELvory relish. Potato Soup. — Slice and fry to a nice brown 4 large on- ions in one-fourth lb. butter in a soup pot, add 4 qts. of skim- milk, have pealed and boiled a good 3 pts. of potatoes, mash them fine and reduce smooth with the milk from your soup pot; repeat this till all the potatoes are in the soup pot; just bring to a boil, and add pepper and salt to taste. Ox-Tail Soujy. — Take 2 ox tails and 2 whole onions, 2 caiTots, 1 small turnip, 2 table-spoonfuls of flour, and a little white pepper, add 1 gal. water, let all boil for 2 hours; then take out the tails and cut the meat into small pieces, return the bones to the pot for a short time, boil another hour, then strain the soup, and rinse 2 spoonfuls of arrowroot to add to it with the meat cut from the bones, and let all boil for a quarter of an hour. Beef Souj). — Cut all the lean off the shank, and with a little beef suet in the bottom of the kettle, fry it to a nice brown; put in the bones and cover with water; cover the kettle closely; let it cook slowly until the meat drops from the bones, strain through a strainer and leave it in the dish during the night, which is the only way to get off all the fat. The day it is wanted for the table, fry as brown as RECIPES FOB SOUPS. 421 possible 1 carrot, 1 onion, and 1 very small turnip sliced thin. Just before taking up, put in one-half tea-spoonful of sugar, 1 blade of mace, 6 cloves, 12 kernels of allspice, 1 small tea-spoonful of celery seed, with the vegetables, this must cook slowly in the soup 1 hour, then strain again for the table. If you use vermicelli or pearl barley, soak in water. Mutton Soup. — Boil a leg of mutton 3 hours, season to your taste with salt and pepper, and add 1 tea-spoonful of summer savory ; make a batter of 1 egg, 2 table-spoonfuls of milk, 2 table-spoonfuls of flour, all well beaten together; drop this batter into the soup with a spoon, and boil for 3 minutes. Oyster Soup. — Take 1 qt. of water, 1 tea-cupful of butter, 1 pt. of milk, 2 tea-spoonfuls of salt, 4 crackers rolled fine, and 1 tea-spoonful of pepper ; bring to full boiling heat as soon as possible, then add 1 qt. of oysters. Let the whole come to a boiling heat quickly and remove from the fire. Another. — Pour 1 qt. of boiling water into a skillet, then add 1 qt. of good rich milk, stir in 1 tea-cupful of rolled cracker crumbs, season with pepper and salt to taste. When all come to a boil, add 1 qt. of good fresh oysters; stir well, so as to keep from scorching, then add a piece of good SAveet butter about the size of an egg; let it boil up once, then remove from the fire immediately; dish up and send to table. Tomato Soup. — Boil chicken or beef 4 hours, then strain, add to the soup one can of tomatoes and boil 1 hour. This will make four quarts of soup. Vermicelli Soup. — A knuckle of lamb, a small piece of veal, and water to cover well ; when well cooked, season with salt, pepper, herbs to your taste, and a small onion, to which 422 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. you may add Half ord or Worcestershire sauce about 1 table- spoonful. Have ready one-fourth lb. of vermicelli, which has been boiled tender, strain your soup from the meat, add the vermicelli, let it boil well and serve. ToTnato Soup tuithout Meat. — 1 qt. of tomatoes, 1 qt. of water, 1 qt. of milk. Butter, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook the tomatoes thoroughly in the water, have the milk scalding, (over water to prevent scorching). When the tomatoes are done, add 1 lai-ge tea-spoonful of saleratus, which will cause a violent effervescence. It is best to set the vessel in a pan before adding it, to prevent waste. When the commotion has ceased, add the milk and season- ing. When possible, it is best to use more milk than water, and cream instead of butter. The soup is eaten with crackers. This recipe is very valuable for those who keep abstinence days. Corn Soup. — 1 small beef bone, 2 qts. of water, 4 toma- toes, 8 ears of corn ; let the meat boil a short time in the water, cut the corn from the cob and put in the cobs with the cut corn and tomatoes; let it boil about half an hour, remove the cobs; just before serving add the milk, which should be allowed to boil for a few moments only; season with salt and pepper. Bean Soup. — 1 pt. of beans, 4 qts. of water, small piece of fat beef, boil 3 hours and strain. If too thin add 1 table- spoonful of flour. Noodles for Soup. — Rub into 2 eggs as much sifted flour as they will absorb, then roll out until thin as a wafer, du.st over a little flour, and then roll over and over into a roll, cut off thin slices from the edge of the roll and shake out into long strips, put them into the soup lightly and boil HOW TO COOK FISH. 423 for ten minutes, salt should be added while mixing with the flour, — about a salt-spoonful. Fish are good when the gills are red, eyes are full, and the body of the fish is firm and stiif. After washing them well, they should be allowed to remain for a short time in salt water sufficient to cover them. Before cooking, wipe them dry, dredge lightly with flour, and season with salt and pepper. Salmon-trout and other small fish are usually fried or broUed ; all large fish should be put in a cloth, tied closely with twine, and placed in cold water, when they may be put over the fire to boil. When fish are baked, prepare them the same as for boiling, and put in the oven on a wire gridiron, over a dripping-pan. Boiled White Fish. — Lay the fish open, put it in a dripping-pan with the back down, nearly cover with water. To one fish add 2 table-spoonfuls of salt, cover tightly and simmer (not boil) one-half hour, dress with gravy, butter, and pepper, garnish with sliced eggs. For sauce, use a piece of butter the size of an egg, 1 table-spoonful of flour, one-half pt. of boiling water; boil a few minutes, and add 3 hard- boiled eggs, sliced. Sauce for Boiled Fish. — To 1 tea-cupful of milk add 1 tea- cupful of water, put it on the fire to scald, and when hot stir in 1 table-spoonful of flour, previously wet with cold water; add 2 or 3 eggs, season with salt and pepper, a little celery, vinegar, and 3 table-spoonfuls of butter. Boil 4 or 5 eggs hard, take off" the shells, and cut in slices, and lay over the dish. Then pour over the sauce and serve. 424 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Baked Black Bass. — 8 good-sized onions chopped fine, half that quantity of bread crumbs, butter size of hen's egg, plenty of pepper and salt, mix thoroughly with anchovy sauce until quite red. Stuff your fish with this compound and pour the rest over it, previously sprinkling it with a little red pepper. Shad, pickerel, and trout are good, cooked in the same way. Tomatoes can be used instead of an- chovies, and are more economical. If using them, take pork in place of butter and chop fine. Broiled White Fish. — Wash and drain the fish, sprinkle ^dth pepper and lay with the inside down upon the gridiron, and broil over fresh bright coals. When a nice brown, turn for a moment on the other side, then take up and spread with butter. This is a very nice way of broiling all kinds of fish, fi'esh or salted. A little smoke under the fish adds to its flavoi'. This may be made by putting two or three cobs under the gridiron. Uels. — Skin and parboil them, cleanse the back bone of all coagulations, cut them in pieces about 3 inches in length, dip in flour, and cook in pork fat; brown. Salt Mackerel. — Soak the fish for a few hours in luke- warm water, changing the water several times; then put into cold water, loosely tied in cloths, and let the fish come to a boil, turning off the water once, and pouring over the fish hot water from the tea-kettle; let this just come to a boil, then take them out and drain them, lay them on a platter, butter and pepper- them, and place them for a few moments in the oven. Serve with sliced lemons, or with any nice fish sauce. Baked Halibut or Salmon. — Let the fish remain in cold water, slightly salted, for an hour before it is time to HOW TO COOK OYSTEHS. 425 cook it, place the gridiron on a dripping-pan with a little hot water in it, and bake in a hot oven; just before it is done, butter it well on the top, and brown it nicely. The time of baking depends upon the size of the fish. A small fish will bake in about half an hour, and a large one in an hour. They are very nice when cooked as above and served with a sauce which is made from the gravy in the dripping-pan, to which is added a table-spoonful of catsup and another of some pungent sauce and the juice of a lemon. Thicken with brown flour moistened with a little cold water. Gar- nish handsomely with sprigs of parsley and current jelly. Oyster Patties. — Make some rich puff" paste and bake it in very small tin patty-pans ; when cool, turn them out upon a large dish; stew some large fresh oysters with a few cloves, a little mace, and nutmeg; then add the yolk of one egg, boiled hard and grated ; add a little butter and as much of the oyster liquor as will cover them. When they have stewed a little while, take them out of the pan and set them to cool. When quite cold, lay two or three oysters in each shell of puff* paste. Stewed Oysters. — Drain the liquor from 2 qts. of firm, plump oysters, mix with one small tea-cupful of hot water, add a little salt and pepper, and set over a fire in a sauce- pan. When it boils, add 1 large cupful of rich milk. Let it boil up once, add the oysters, and let it boil 5 minutes. When they ruffle add 2 table-spoonfuls of butter, and the instant it is melted and well stirred in, take off" the fire. Broiled Oysters. — Drain the oysters well and dry them with a napkin. Have ready a griddle hot and well-but- tered, season the oysters, lay them on the griddle and brown them on both sides. Serve them on a hot plate with plenty of butter. 426 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Oysters a la Creme. — 1 qt. of oysters, 1 pt. of cream; put the oysters in a double kettle, cook until the milk juice begins to flow out, drain the oysters in a strainer. Put the cream on the same way; when it comes to a boil, thicken with flour wet with milk as thick as corn starch ready to mold; then put in the oysters and cook 5 minutes. Serve hot on toast. Escaloped Oysters. — Butter the dish, (common earthen pie plates are the best), cover the bottom of the dish with very fine bread crumbs; add a layer of oysters; season with pepper and salt; alternate the crumbs and oysters until you have three layers; finish with crumbs; cover the top with small pieces of butter; finish around the edge with bread cut into small oblong pieces dipped in butter ; bake half an hour; unless shell oysters, wash them thoroughly and strain. To Fry Oysters. — Use the largest and best oysters; lay them in rows upon a clean cloth and press another upon them, to absorb the moisture; have ready several beaten esfors, and in another dish some finelv crushed crackers ; in the frying-pan heat enough butter to entirely cover the oys- ters; dip the oysters first into the eggs, then into the crack- ers, rolling them over that they may become well in- crusted; drop into the frying-pan, and fry quickly to a light brown. Serve dry and let the dish be warm. A chafing dish is best, Stetued Tripe. — Select 2 lbs. of double tripe well cleaned and 'blanched, cut in pieces of rather less than a quarter of a pound each, put in a clean stew-pan with 1 pt. of milk, and one of wat(*r, 2 tea-spoonfuls of salt, 1 tea- spoonful of pepper, 8 middle-sized onions carefully peeled; HOW TO COOK POULTRY AND GAME. 427 set it on to boil, which it should do at first rather fast, then simmer till done, which will be in rather more than half an hour. Put it into a deep dish or tureen, and serve with the milk and onions. 6!> ^OAA'VcrAA Cl^/lh (Sai44^. When poultry is brought into the kitchen for use, it should be kept as cool as possible. The best position in which to place it is with the breast downward on a shelf or marble slab. The crop should be taken out. Choose fowls with a thin, transparent skin, white and delicate. Time required to boil poultry: a chicken will take about 20 minutes, a fowl about 40 minutes, a small turkey 1| hours, a large turkey 2 hours or more. Preparation of Hashes, Gravies, and Sauces. — There is nothing worse for the health or for the palate than a poor hash, while a good hash is not only a favorite dish in most families, but an essential article of economy and convenience. For this reason a separate article is devoted to this subject. The following are the ways in which hashes are spoiled. The first is by cooking them. Meat, when once cooked, should only be heated. If it is again stewed or fried, it tends to make it hard or tough, and diminishes its flavor. The second is by frying the butter or gravy in which they are prepared. It has been shown that this is very injurious to the healthfulness of food. Butter and oils may be melted without changing their nature, but when cooked, they be- come much more indigestible and injurious to weak stom- achs. The third mode of injuring hashes is by putting in flour in such ways that it is not properly cooked. Flour 428 OUB HOMES AND THEIB ADORNMENT^. dredged on to hashes while they are cooking imparts the raw taste of dough. The fourth mode is by putting in so much water as to make them vapid, or else so much grease as to make them gross. The fifth is by seasoning them with so little care, that they either have very little savory taste, or else are so hot with pepper and spice as to be unhealthy. If the housekeeper will observe these cau- tions, or see that her cook does so, she may always have good and healtliful hashes. Boiled Fowl. — Take a young fowl and fill the inside with oysters ; place in a jar and plunge into a kettle of water; boil 1| hours; there will be a quantity of gravy in the jar from the juice of the fowl, and the oysters; make this into a white sauce, with the addition of egg, cream, or a little flour and butter; add oysters, or serve up plain with the fowl. This is very nice with the addition of a little pars- ley to the sauce. Roast Turkey or Chicken. — Having picked and drawn the fowls, wash them well in two or three waters; wipe them dry; dredge them with a little flour inside and out, and a little pepper and salt ; prepare a dressing of bread and cracker crumbs, fill the bodies and crops of the fowls and then bake them from 2 to 3 hours; baste them frequently while roasting ; stew the giblets in a saucepan ; j ust before serving, chop the giblets fine; after taking up the chicken and the water in which the giblets were boiled, add the chopped giblets to the gravy of the roast fowl ; thicken with a little flour, which has been previously wet with the water ; boil up and serve in a gravy-dish. E-oast chicken and tur- key should be accompanied with celery and jellies. To Boil a Turkey. — Make a stufiing for the craw of HOW TO COOK POULTRY AND GAME. 429 chopped bread and butter, cream, oysters, and the yolks of Qggii ; sew it in, and dredge flour over the turkey, and put it to boil in cold water, with a spoonful of salt in it, and enough water to cover it well; let it simmer for 2 J hours, or if small, less time; skim it while boiling. It looks nicer if wrapped in a cloth dredged with flour; serve it with drawn butter, in which put some oysters. Roast Chickens. — Wash them clean outside and inside, stuff" as directed for turkeys, and baste with butter, lard, or drippings, and roast them about an hour. Chickens should be cooked thoroughly. Stew the inwards till tender and till there is but little water, chop them and mix in gravy from the dripping-pan, thicken with brown flour, season with salt, peppei-, and butter. Cranberry or new- made apple sauce is good with them. Baked Chicken. — Cut the fowl open and lay it flat in a pan, breaking down the breast and the back bones, dredge with flour and season well with salt and pepper and bits of butter ; put in a very hot oven until done, bast- ing frequently with melted butter, or when half done take out the chicken and finish by broiling it upon a gridiron over bright coals; pour over it melted butter and the juices in the pan in which it was baked. Dressing for Chicken or Turkey. — Chop bread crumbs quite fine, season well with pepper, salt, and plenty of butter, moisten with a very little water, and add a few oysters with a little of the liquor, if you please. The best authorities say the dressing is the finest when it crumbles as the fowl is cut. Dressing for Turkey. — One pint of soaked bread, 2 table-spoonfuls of sage, 2 table-spoonfuls of summer savory. 430 OUR HOMES AND THEIR A OOBNMEATS. 2 tea-spoonfuls of salt, 2 tea-spoonfuls of pepper, butter the size of an egg. Fried Chicken. — Cut the chicken in pieces, lay it in salt and water, changing the water several times, roll each piece in flour, fry in very hot lard or butter, season with salt and pepper, fry parsley with it also. Make a gravy of cream seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little mace, thickened with a little flour in the pan in which the chicken was fried, pour- ing off the lard. Curry. — To make curry with rabbit, chicken, or any other meat, flour the meat and fry it a nice light brown, fry also 2 large onions in the same way, mix a table-spoonful of curry powder, and a small quantity of cayenne in a tea-cup, with warm water, to the consistency of cream, and cover every part of the meat with the mixture ; have ready some nice stock or thin gravy, put all together in a stew-pan, and let it stew gently 20 minutes; before serving, slice 2 or 8 apples, let them stew away ; this addition is thought to be a great improvement as it makes the curry milder. Some rice should be boiled very dry and served around the dish. Chicken Pie. — Stew chickens until tender, line the sides of a deep pie dish with nice pastry, put in the chicken and the water in which it has boiled (which should be but half a pint), season with a large piece of butter, salt, and pepper, and then cover loosely with crust. While this is baking, have ready a quart can of fine oysters, put on the fire 1 pt. of rich milk (or the li({uor of the oysters will do), let it come to a boil, thicken with a little flour, and season with butter, pepper, and salt ; pour this over the oysters boiling hot ; and about fifteen minutes before the pie is done, lift the crust and pour the oysters and all into the pie, then return to the oven to finish. HOW TO COOK POULTRY AND GAME. 431 To Roast Wild Foivl. — Put an onion, salt, and hot water into a pan, and baste for 10 or 15 minutes; change the pan, put in a sKce of salt pork, and baste with butter and pork drippings very often, just before serving dredge lightly with flour and baste. Ducks take from 25 to 85 minutes to roast, and woodcocks and snipes 15 to 25. Do not draw or take off the heads of either. Garnish with fried or toasted bread, lemon, parsley, and currant jelly. Ducks. — When roasted, use dressing as for turkey, with the addition of a few slices of onion. Many cooks lay over the game slices of onion, which take away the fishy flavor, removing the onion before serving. Make a sauce with the drippings in the pan in which the game is roasted, and to which are put the chopped giblets, being previously well cooked; thicken the gravy with brown flour, moistened with water. Serve with currant jelly. Prairie Chickens, Partridges, and Quails. — Clean nicely, using a little soda in the water in which they are washed, rinse them and dry, and then fill them with dressing, sewing them up nicely, binding down the legs and wings with cords. Put them in a steamer over hot water, and let them cook until just done. Then place them in a pan with a little butter, set them in the o^'en and baste them frequently with melted butter until of a nice brown. They ought to brown nicely in about 15 minutes. Serve them on a platter, with sprigs of pai'sley alternating with currant jelly. Quail on Toast. — After the birds are nicely cleaned, cut them open down the back, salt and pepper them, and dredg'e with flour. Break down the breast and back bones, .so they will lie flat, and place them in a pan with very little water and butter in a hot oven, covering them up tightly 432 OUR HOMES AND^THEIB ADORNMENTS. until nearly done. Then place them in a spider in hot butter, and fry a moment to a nice brown. Have ready slices of baker's bread, toasted and slightly buttered upon a platter. The toast should be broken down with a carving knife so that it will be tender. On this place the quail, make a sauce of the gravy in the pan, thicken slightly with browned flour, and pour over each quail and the toast. Pigeon Pie. — Make a fine puff paste, lay a border of it around a large dish, and cover the bottom with a veal cutlet, or a very tender steak free from fat and bone, season with salt, cayenne pepper, and mace. Prepare as many pigeons as can be put in one layer of the dish, put in each pigeon a small lump of butter, and season with pepper and salt; lay them in the dish breast downward, and cut in slices half a dozen of hard boiled eggs, and lay in with the birds; put in more butter, some veal broth, and cover the whole with crust. Bake slowly l-i hours. All salt meat should be put on in cold water, that the salt may be extracted while cooking. Fresh meat, which is boiled to be served with sauces at the table, sliould be put to cook in boiling water; when the outer fibers contract, the inner juices are preserved. For making soup, put the meat over in cold water, to extract the j uices for the broth. In boiling meats, if more water is needed, add that which is hot, and be careful to keep the water on the meat con- stantly boiling. HOW TO COOK MEATS. 433 Remove the scum when it first begins to boil. The more gently meat boils, the more tender it will become. Allow twenty minutes for boiling each pound of fresh meat. Roast meats require a brisk fire. Baste often. Twenty minutes is required for roasting each pound of fresh meat. The variation in roasted meats consists simply in the method of preparing them to cook, before putting them in the oven. Some are to be larded, some stuffed with bread dressing, and others plain, only seasoning with pepper and salt. A piece of red pepper, cooked in a boiled dinner, is very nice. Roast Beef. — Prepare for the oven by dredging lightly with flour, and seasoning with salt and pepper ; place m the oven, and baste frequently while roasting. Allow a quarter of an hour for a pound of meat, if you like it rare ; longer if you like it well done. Serve with a sauce, made from the drippings in the pan, to which has been added 1 table- spoonful of Halford or Worcestershire sauce and 1 table- spoonful of tomato catsup. Beefsteak and Mushrooms.— Vut in a saucepan 1 oz. of butter, 1 small onion chopped fine, a little ground sage, and a little thyme, and put it over the fire ; when hot, shake m 2 table-spoonfuls of flour, and when it becomes brown, put in 1 gill of water^ and let it boil for half an hour. Then add 3 table-spoonfuls of beef stock, a little salt, a little nut- meg and one wine-glass of sherry wme. Put in one can of mushrooms, and let it boil for 10 minutes. Pour this over a nicely broiled beefsteak. To Boil Corned Beef — Put the beef in water enough to cover it, and let it heat slowly and boil slowly, and be careful to take off the grease. Many think it much nu- 28 434 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. proved by boiling potatoes, turnips, and cabbages with it. In this case the vegetables must be peeled and all the grease carefully skimmed as fast as it rises. Allow about 20 min- utes of boiling for each pound of meat. To Cook a Havi. — Boil a common-sized ham 4 or 5 hours, then skin the whole and fit it for the table. Set it in an oven for half an hour, then cover it thickly with pounded rusk or bread crumbs, and set it back for half an hour. Boiled ham is always improved by setting it into an oven for nearly an hour, till much of the fat fries out; this also makes it more tender. Spiced Beef. — 4 lbs. of round of beef chopped fine, all fat being removed ; add 3 doz. small crackers rolled fine, 4 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1 table-spoonful of ground mace, 2 table- spoonfuls of black pepper, 1 table-spoonful of melted butter ; mix well and put in any tin pan that it will just fill, pack- ing it well ; baste with butter and water, and bake 2 hours in a slow oven. To Gom Beef. — To each gallon of cold water, put 1 qt. rock salt, 1 oz. salt-petre and 4 oz. brown sugar, (it need not be boiled), as long as any salt remains undissolved, the meat will be sweet. If any scum should rise, scald and skim well ; add niore salt, salt-petre, and sugar ; as you put each piece of meat into the brine, rub over with salt. If the weather is hot, gash the meat to the bone, and put it in salt. Put a flat stone or some weight on the meat to keep it under the brine. Pickled Pork Equal to Fresh. — Let the meat cool thor- oughly, cut into pieces four to six inches wide, weigh them, and pa(-k as tight as possible, salting lightly. Cover the meat with brine as strong as possible. Next day pour off HOW TO COOK MEATS. 435 a gallon of the brine and mix with it a table-spoonful of salt-peter for every hundred pounds of meat, and return it to the barrel. Let it stand one month, take out the meat and let it drain 12 hours. Put the brine into an iron kettle, add 1 qt. molasses or 2 lbs. sugar, and boil till clear. When cold return the meat to the barrel and pour on the brine. Cover it close, and you will have the sweetest meat you ever tasted. Mviton Chops. — Cut them nicely, clearing away all ragged ends and edges; fry for a few moments covered closely, and then dip each piece in cracker crumbs and beaten Ggg, or you may prepare them as for frying; then, lay them in a dripping-pan, and put into the oven to bake; baste frequently with a little melted butter and water. Roast F(C'a7.— Prepare a leg of veal for the oven by washing, di'ying, and larding it with strips of fat bacon or ham, and dredging it well with flour, and seasoning with salt and pepper ; baste frequently and serve with the gravy thickened. A roast fillet of veal should be prepared by stuffing it with bread crumbs, seasoned with chopped ham, summer savory, pepper and .salt. Dredge lightly with flour and bake. Fy-ied Calf's Liver. — Cut in thin slices, wash and drain, roll them in corn meal or cracked crumbs, and f r)' in fresh or salt pork gravy or butter. To Cook Sliced Ham. — Cut raw ham in slices, soak in scalding water half an hour, lay your slices in a frying-pan, pepper each, and lay on each slice a little made mustard ; pour in half a tea-sjxwnful of vinegar to each slice; fry quickly, turn often. When done take out, serve on a dish, add to the gravy 1 spoonful of wine, (if you have any 43d OUE HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. handy), and 1 tea-spoonful of sugar. Boil up once, pour over your ham, and serve. Baked Ham. — Most persons boil ham. It is much bet- ter baked, if baked right. Soak it for an hour in clean water and wipe it dry, next spread it all over with thin batter, and then put it into a deep dish with sticks under it to keep it out of the gravy. When it is fully done and the batter crusted on the flesh side, take off the skin and set it away to cool. To Boil Ham. — Wash and scrape the ham clean; put it on in cold water enough to cover it; put into the watt>r 2 onions, 2 carrots, a head of celery, a dozen cloves and a handful of timothy hay ; boll without stopping until the skin will readily peel from the ham ; cover the ham with rolled crackers, or bread crumbs that have been browned and rolled, and bake in a slow oven for 2 hours. Chicken Salad. — Three chickens chopped fine, both light and dark meat, the juice of two lemons, 8 or 10 eggs boiled hard, the whites chopped fine and the yolks mashed fine, moisten with 6 tea-spoonfuls melted butter, 2 tea-spoonfuls sweet oil ; to which add 1 table-spoonful of mustard, 1 of pepper, ] of salt, 1 of sugai', 3 of cream; and last, add 6 large bunches of celery chopped fine, with sufficient vinegar to moisten the whole. Chicken Salad, No. 2. — Boil one chicken tender, then take the meat and chop up, take 2 table-spoonfuls of mus- tard, 3 eggs boiled hard, chop the whites with the chickens, ' rub the yolks up fine with the mustard, 1 table-spoonful of SALADS, SA UCES, AND PICKLES. 437 salt, 3 table-spoonfuls melted butter, 1 table-spoonful black pepper, vinegar enough to moisten it, chop 3 heads of celery to one chicken, mix all together and serve. Fish Salad. — Boil tender a white-fish or trout; chop &ie ; add same quantity chopped celery, cabbage, or lettuce ; season same as chicken salad. Gabhage Salad. — First prepare the cabbage by letting it stand for some time in cold water, in order to make it crisp ; dry well and shave as finely as possible. Choose a firm, white cabbage. Dressing: E,ub together a piece of butter the size of a walnut, and 1 table-spoonful of flour; stir in 2 table-spoonfuls of vinegar, and scald for 1 minute ; then add the yolk of 1 egg (beaten) and two table-spoonfuls of cream ; salt and pepper to taste. Salad Dressing. — The yolk of 4 eggs, two-thirds of a cup of oil, red pepper, salt and mustard to taste, the juice of 2 lemons, and last of all, 1 cup of thick cream. If the dressing is for chicken salad, use the oil or fat from the chicken instead of sweet oil. Be sure and put the cream in last, just before sending to the table. 3Tint Sauce. — Mix 1 table-spoonful of white sugar to half a tea-cup of good vinegar ; add the mint and let it in- fuse for half an hour in a coal place before sending to the table. Serve with roast lamb or mutton. Celery Sauce. — Mix 2 table-spoonfuls of flour with half a tea-cup of butter; have ready a pint of boiling milk; stir the flour and butter into the milk ; take 3 heads of celery, cut into small bits, and boil for a few minutes in water, then strain it off"; put the celery into the melted butter, and keep it stirred over the fii^e for 5 or 10 minutes. This is very nice with boiled fowl or turkey. 438 OUE HOMES ANJ> THEJli ADORNMENTS. Egg Sauce. — Take the yolks of 2 eggs boik>d hard; mash them with 1 tea-spoonful of mustard, a little pepper and salt, 3 table-spoonfuls of vinegar, and 3 of sweet oil, A table-spoonful of catsup improves this for some. Nice for boiled fish. Tomato Sauce. — -36 ripe tomatoes, 6 green peppers, 2 onions chopped fine, 2 cups of sugar, 2 table-spoonfuls of salt, 2 tea-spoonfuls of ground cloves, 2 tea-spoonfuls of mustard, 2 tea-spoonfuls of cinnamon, and 2 cups of vinegar; boil half a day. Fish Sauce. — \ lb. of fresh butter, 1 table-spoonful of finely chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper, and the juice of 2 lemons. Cream the butter; mix all well together, adding at the least 1 tea-spoonful of mayona/ise. Less lemon juice niay be used if preferred. Tomato Mustard. — 1 peck of ripe tomatoes; boil with 2 onions, 6 red peppers, and 4 cloves of garlic, for 1 hour; then add one-half pt. or one-half lb. salt, 3 table-spoonfuls black pepper, one-half oz. ginger, one-half oz. allspice, one-half oz. mace, one-half oz. cloves; then boil again for 1 hour longer, and when cold add 1 pt. vinegar and one- quarter pound of mustard; and if you like it very hot, a table-spoonful of cayenne. Horse-Radish Sauce. — 2 tea-spoonfuls of made mustard, 2 of white sugar, one-half tea-spoonful of salt, and a gill of vinegar ; mix and pour over grated horse-radish. Excellent with beef. French Pudding Sauce. — Beat 4 oz. butter to a cream ; stir in one-quarter oz. brown sugar ; add the yolk of 1 egg and 1 gill of wine; put it on the stove, stirring all the time till it simmers. Grate nutmeg over it before send- ing it to the table. SALADS, SAUCES, AND PICKLES. 439 Tomato Catsup. — Boil the tomatoes until quite soft, and rub them well through a sieve; to every quart add 2 oz. shalots and large red peppers, or 1 tea-spoonful cayenne pep- per, 1 oz. bruised ginger, 1 spoonful salt, a few cloves; boil until reduced one- third; 10 minutes before taking off the fire add one-half pt. of vinegar to each quart. Pickled Cherries. — 5 lbs. of cherries, stoned or not, 1 qt. of vinegar, 2 lbs. of sugar, one-half oz. of cinnamon, one- half oz. of cloves, one-half oz. of mace ; boil the sugar and vinegar and spices together, (grind the spices and tie them in a muslin bag), and pour hot over the cherries. Spiced Currants to he Eaten with Meats. — 4 qts. cur- rants, 1 pt. of vinegar, 3 lbs. of sugar, 1 table-spoonful cin- namon, 1 of allspice, 1 of cloves, 1 of nutmeg; cook 1 hour; keep in a cool place, tightly covered. Green-Tomato Pickles. — Cut one-half pk, of green, tomatoes and 6 large onions into thin slices ; let them remain in salt and water over night; then pour off the brine and put them in a preserving kettle with 4 table-spoonfuls of sugar, 4 of the best mustard, two tea-spoonfuls of ground cloves, 2 of cinnamon, 1 of cayenne pepper, and one of curry powder, and let them simmer for 1 hour; then put them in stone or glass jars. Pickled Cabbage. — Select solid heads, slice very fine, put into ajar, cover with boiling water; when cold, drain off the water, and season with grated horse-radish, salt, equal parts of black and red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves whole ; cover with strong vinegar. This is convenient and always ood. Spiced Tonruitoes. — To 4 lbs. of large red tomatoes, take 2 lbs. of good brown sugar, 1 pt. of cider vinegar, one-half to 440 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. oz. dovas, and one-half oz. of stick cinnamon; stew all to- gether in a preserving kettle until the tomatoes are cooked ; take the tomatoes out and put them on dishes to cool, letting the syrup go on simmering slowly ; when the tomatoes are cold, return them to the syrup for a little while; let them become cold before putting them into the jars. The syrup must be boiled down as thick as molasses, and poured cold over the tomatoes; tie them down with bladder or waxed paper. Chow Chow. — 2 qts. tomatoes, 2 white onions, one-half doz. green peppei-s, 1 doz. cucumbers, 2 heads of cabbage, all chopped fine ; let this stand over night ; sprinkle a tea- cup of salt in it. In the morning drain off the brine, and season with 1 table-spoonful celery seed, 1 oz. turmeric, one- half tea-spoonful cayenne pepper, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 oz. cinnamon, 1 oz. allspice, 1 oz. black pepper, one fourth oz. cloves, vinegar enough to cover; boil 2 hours. Ripe Tomato Picldes. — To 7 lbs. of ripe tomatoes add 3 lbs. sugar, 1 qt. vinegar; boil them together 15 minutes; skim out the tomatoes and boil the syrup a few minutes longer; spice to suit the taste with cloves and cinnamon. Tomatoes Whole for Winter Use. — Fill a large stone jar with ripe tomatoes, then add a few whole cloves and a little sugar ; cover them well with one-half cold vinegar and one-half water; place a piece of flannel over the jar, well down into the vinegar, then tie down with paper. I have kept tomatoes in this way the year round, and can cheer- fully recommend them. Should mildew collect on the flan- nel it will not injure the tomatoes in the least. Fielded Oysters. — Wash the oysters and scald them in strong salt and water; skim them out and throw into cold BELISHES, 441 water; scald whole peppers well in vinegar; let it get cold. Put the oysters in a stone jar; make liquor to cover them of the water they were scalded in, and vinegar. A cup of vine- gar to one quart liquor, to be used cold. Scrambled Eggs. — Beat up 6 eggs with 2 oz. of butter, 1 table-spoonful of cream of new milk, a little chopped pars- ley, and salt ; put all in a saucepan, and keep stirring over the fire until it begins to thicken, when it should be imme- diately dished on buttered toast. French Toast. — To 1 Qgg thoroughly beaten, put 1 cup of sweet milk and a little salt. Slice light bread, and dip into the mixture, allowing each slice to absorb some of the milk, then brown on a hot battered griddle, spread with butter, and serve hot. Breakfast Steak. — A nice steak of beef or veal ; pound it, if tough, with a steak mallet ; lay in a bakiag tin, dredge it lightly with flour, season with salt and pepper, and, if you like, a little chopped parsley; then put into the oven and bake for 20 or 30 minutes, or until sufficiently well done; put it on the platter, spread with butter. Dredge into the juices of the meat in the baking pan a little flour, and sea- son with butter; let this boil up and pour over the steak. This is very nice. A Nice Breakfast Dish. — Mince cold beef or lamb; if beef, put in a pinch of pulverized cloves; if lamb, a pinch of summer savory to season it, very little pepper and some salt, and put it into a baking dish ; mash potatoes and mix them with cream and butter and a little salt, and spread 442 OUE HOMES AAJ) THMIR ADORNMENTS. them over the meat; beat up an egg with cream or milk, a very little; spread it over the potatoes, and bake it a short time, sufficient to warm it through and brown the potatoes. Rice Cakes. — 1 tea-cup of soft boUed rice, the yolk of 1 &gg, a pinch of salt, 2 table-spoonfuls of sifted flour, beaten well, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and gi-avy ; lay pie crust Tound the edge of the platter, and cover the same; bake a nice brown in the oven. To Stew Mushrooms. — Peel them and put them to stew in some milk till tender ; when sufficiently done, add to them some butter and flour mixed together, a little cayenne, and some salt; part cream instead of milk will improve them. Excellent Omelet. — 6 eggs, whites and yolks beaten sep- arately; one-half pint of milk, 6 tea-spoonfuls of corn starch, 1 tea-spoonful of baking powder, and a little salt; add the whites, beaten to a stiff" froth, last; cook in a little butter. Cheese Scollop. — Soak 1 cup of dry bi-ead crumbs in fresh milk. Beat into this 3 eggs; add 1 table-spoonful of butter and one-half pound of grated cheese ; strew u jwn the top sifted bi'ead crumbs, and bake in the oven a delicate brown. An excellent relish when eaten with thiu slices of bread and butter. White Corn Bread. — 1 pt. of meal thoroughly scalded with hard boiling water; butter the size of an egg, and 1 well-beaten egg; add milk to make it just thin enough to flow over the pan. Have the batter an inch thick, and then bake. PUDDI^^GS. 443 fCubhi'H^. Suet Puddings. — 2 cups of chopped suet, 2 of raisins, 2 of molasses, 4 of flour, 1 of milk, 3 tea-spoonfuls of baking- powder; boil 3| hours; eat wdiile hot. Sauce for same: 1 cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, 1 egg, 1 table-spoonful of wine or vinegar; beat 15 minutes and heat to a scald. English Fruit Pudding. — 1 lb. currants, 1 lb. stoned raisins, 1 lb. sugar, 1 lb. suet, 2 lbs. grated or soaked bread, 6 eggs, one-half tea-spoonful saleratus, 1 tea-spoonful salt, and ] grated nutmeg ; crumb the soft part of the bread fine ; soak the crust with boiling milk, or water will do; beat up the eggs and put all together, mix thoroughly with the hands; take a square piece of cotton cloth and lay it in a tin pan, put the pudding into the cl(3th and tie down close ; put into a pot of boiling water, and boil 5 hours; as the water boils away, keep adding more. Chocolate Pudding. — 1 qt. milk, 3 table-spoonfuls sugar, 4 table-spoonfuls corn starch, 2| table-spoonfuls chocolate; scald the milk over hot water; dissolve the corn starch in a little scalded milk, and before it thickens add the chocolate dissolved in boiling water; stir until sufficiently cooked. Use with cream, or sauce of butter and sugar stirred to a cream. Cottage Pudding. — 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of sweet milk, 1 pt. of flour, 2 table-spoonfuls of melted butter, 1 tea-spoon- ful of soda, 2 tea-spoonfuls of cream tartar, 1 egg. Rice and Apple Pudding. — 1 cup rice boiled very soft, stir well to keep from burning; 8 large apples, stewed; press the pulp through a sieve, mix it thoroughly with the rice ; add half a tea-spoonful of butter and yolks of two eggs 444 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. well beaten ; sweeten to taste. Bake. Beat the whites of the eggs and put on top. It is nicer almost cold. Baked Indian Pudding. — 2 qts. scalded milk with salt, 1| cups Indian meal (yellow); 1 table-spoonful of ginger, letting this stand 20 minutes; 1 cup molasses, 2 eggs (sal- eratus, if no eggs), a piece of butter the size of a common walnut. Bake 2 hours. Splendid. Sago and Apple Pudding. — Boil a cup of sago in water with a little cinnamon, a cup of sugar, lemon fla- voring; cut apples into thin slices, mix them with the sago; after it is well boiled, add a small piece of butter ; pour into pudding dish and bake half an hour. Orange Pudding. — Peel and cut five good oranges into thin slices, taking out all seeds ; put over them a coffee cup of fine white sugar. Let a pint of milk get boiling hot, by setting in hot water ; add the yolks of 3 eggs well beaten, 1 table-spoonful of corn starch made smooth in a little cold milk ; stir all the time, and as soon as it thickens pour it over the fruit. Beat the whites to a stiff froth, add a table-spoon- ful of sugar, and spread it over the top for frosting ; set in tb.e oven a minute to harden. Can be eaten hot, but Ls best cold. Floating Island. — Put a quart of milk to boil, su- gar, salt, and flavoring to taste; separate 3 eggs; beat the whites to a stiff froth ; drop them in the boiling milk from a table-spoon, letting them remain half a second; then take 2i table-spoonfuls of corn starch; put it into the boil- ing milk, let it remain 5 minutes, then add the yolks, let it boil 2 minutes, and take it off to cool, then place it in a glass dish, and drop the whites upon it with a spoonful of currant jelly on each. PUDDING SAUCES AND PIES. 445 '^■ubbi^na Scnic<2^. Wine Sauce. — 2 tea-cups of sugar, 1 tea-cup of butter, stir to a cream, beat 2 eggs very light, and stir all together, add 1 cup of wine, mix and set on top of tea-kettle of boil- ing water. It must not be put on the stove, nor boil. Pudding Sauce. — 2 eggs well beaten, 1 cup pulverized sugar. When mixed pour over 1 cup boiling milk, and stir rapidly. Flavor as you please. Hard Sauce for Pudding, Rice, etc. — Take 1 tea-cup sugar, one-half tea-cup butter, stir together until light, fla- vor with wine or essence of lemon. Smooth the top with a knife, and grate nutmeg over it. Fine Puff Pastry. — 1 lb. of flour, a little more for roll- ing-pin and board, and half a pound of butter and half a pound of lard. Cut the butter and lard through the flour (which should be sifted) into small thin shells and mix with sufficient ice- water to roll easily. Avoid kneading it, and use the hands as little as possible in mixing. Plainer Pastry. — 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of lard, a little salt, cut through the flour and mix lightly together. Some cooks mix the lard tlu-ough the flour first, and then mix with water and roll out. Cut the batter into thin sheets, fold over and lay aside, cutting off" from the roll what is used for the bottom or top crust as wanted. Lemon Pie. — The juice and grated rind of 1 lemon, 1 cup of water, 1 table-spoonful corn starch, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 446 OUE HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. and a piece of butter the size of a small egg; boil the water, wet the coin starch with a little cold water and stir it in ; when it boils up, pour it on the sugar and butter; after it cools add the egg and lemon. Bake with upper and under crust. Pumpkin Pie. — 1 qt. of strained pumpkins, 2 qts. rich milk, 1 tea-spoonful of salt, and 2 of ginger, cooked with the pumpkins ; 6 well-beaten eggs, and 1 1 tea-cups of sugar. Mince Pie. — 3 cups chopped cooked meat, 6 cups of apples chopped fine; make moist with boiled cider and sweeten with molaases or dark sugar; spice to your taste using cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and a very little black pepper; put currents and raisins into the pies when ready to bake. Another: — 3 lbs. of raisins, stone and chop them a little; 3 lbs. of currants, 3 lbs. of sugar, 3 lbs. of suet chopped very fine, 2 oz. candied lemon peel, 2 oz. of candied orange peel, 6 large apples grated, 1 oz. of cinna- mon, 2 nutmegs, the juice and gi-ated rinds of three lemons, and one-half pt. of brandy. Excellent. Rhubarb Pie. — 1 cup of stewcxl pie-plant, 1 cup of sugar, 1 table-spoonful of flour, yolk of 1 egg; flavor with lemon; beat all together thoroughly. Don't use pie-plant too hot for fear it will cook the egg. Bake with just an under erust, and use the white of an egg for frosting. Goeoanut Pie. — One-lialf lb. of grated cocoanut, three- quarters of a pound of white sugar, 6 ounces of butter, 5 eggs (the whiter only), 2 table-spoonfuls rose-water, 1 tea- spoonful nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugar, beat till very light, and add the rose-water; then add the cocoanut HO^r TO MAKE PIES. 447 with as little and light beating as passible; finally whip in the stiffened whites of the eggs with a few skillful strokes and bake at once in open shells. Eat cold with powdered sugar sifted over them. These are very pretty and delicious pies. Cream Pie. — Boil nearly 1 pint of new milk; take 2 small table-spoonfuls of corn starch beaten with a little milk ; to this add 2 eggs; when the milk has boiled, stir this m slowly with 1 scant tea-cup of sugar, one-half cup of butter, and 2 tea-spoonfuls of lemon. Cakes: 3 eggs, 1 cup of white sugar, Ih cups of flour, 1 tea-spoonful of baking- powder, mix it in flour; 3 table-spoonfuls of cold water; bake in two pie pans in a quick oven; split the cake while hot, and spread in the cream. Cranberry Tart. — Take cranberries, pick and wash them in several waters, and pat them into a dish with the juice of half a lemon, one-quarter of a pound of moist sugar or pounded loaf sugar to 1 qt. of cranberries; cover it with puff* paste or short crust, and bake it three-quarters of an hour. If short crust is used, draw it from the oven 5 minutes before it is done, and ice it ; return it to the oven, and send it to the table cold. Custard Pie. — Make a custard of the yolks of 3 eggs with milk, sea.son to taste; bake it in an ordinary crust; put it in a brick oven, that the crust may not be heavy, and as soon as that Ls heated remove it to a place in an oven of a more moderate heat, that the custard may bake slowly and not curdle; when done, beat the whites to a froth; add sugar and spread over the top, and return to the oven to brown slightly ; a small pinch of salt added to a cus- tard heightens the flavor; a little soda in the crust prevents it from beinij heavv. Yerv nice. 448 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Rice Custard. — To half a cup of rice, add 1 qt. of milk and a little salt; steam 1 hour, or until quite soft; beat the yolks of 4 eggs with 4 table-spoonfuls of white sugar; add this just before taking off the rice; stir in thoroughly, but do not let it boil any more ; flavor with vanilla. Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, with sugar ; after putting the mixture into the pudding dish in which you serve it, put the whites over it, and let it slightly brown in the oven. Boiled Custard. — 2 table-spoonfuls of corn starch to 1 qt. of milk; mix the corn .starch with a small quantity of the milk and flavor it ; beat up 2 eggs. Heat the remainder of the milk to near boiling, then add the mixed corn starch, the eggs, 4 table-spoonfuls of sugar, a little butter and salt. Boil it 2 minutes, stirring briskly. Apple Custard. — Take 6 tart apples, pare and quarter them, put into a baking dish with 1 cup of water ; cook until tender, but not to pieces, then turn them into a pudding dish and sprinkle sugar over to cover them ; beat 8 eggs with sugar, mix with them 3 pts. of milk and a little nut- meg; turn it over the apples, and bake 25 minutes. Trifle. — Slice sponge cake into thin layers spread with jam, soak in brandy or wine; put into a deep dish; make a thin custard of 1 qt. milk and 3 eggs; sweeten to taste, and pour over the cake. Take one-quarter pound almonds, pour boiling water on them so as to remove the peel, cut fine, and sprinkle over the custard; take 1 pt. of cream, whipped and sweetened, and lay over the custard. Cocoanut Drops. — To one grated cocoanut, add half its BREAD -MAKING. 449 weight in sugar and the white of one egg, cut to a stiff froth; mix thoroughly and drop on buttered white paper or tin sheets. Bake 15 minutes. A Nice Dessert Dish. — Fill a quart bowl with alternate layers of thinly sliced red apples and sugar, and add half a cup of water, cover with a saucer, held in place by a weight; bake slowly three hours; let it stand until cold, and you will turn out a round mass of clear red slices, im- bedded in firm jelly. For an accompaniment to a dessert of blanc mange, rennet custard, cold rice pudding, or sim- ilar dishes, or even with nice bread and butter, there is nothing better. Chocolate Caramels. — 1 cup of grated chocolate, 3 cups of sugar, 1 cup of molasses, 1 cup of milk, and a small piece of butter. Boil for about 20 minutes, stirring all the time; pour into a buttered pan, and when nearly cold mark off in small squares. Charlotte Russe. — Take 1 qt. of thin cream, sweeten and flavor, whip the cream until all is a froth ; then take half a box of gelatine, put in as little cold water as possible to soak, and set on the stove to melt; let the gelatine cool before putting into the cream. Have a dish ready lined with cake or lady-fingers, pour the cream into it. and set on ice until ready for use. In the composition of good bread there are three impor- tant requisites, — good flour, good yeast, and strength to knead it well. Flour should be white and dry, crumbling easily again after it is pressed in the hand. 29 4 450 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. A very good method of ascertaining the quahty of yeast will be to add a little flour to a very small quantity, setting it in a warm place. If in the course of 10 or 15 minutes it rises, it will do to use. When you make bread, first set the sponge with warm milk or water, keeping it in a warm place until quite light. Then mold this sponge by adding flour into one large loaf, kneading it well. Set this to rise again, and when suffi- ciently light mold it into smaller loaves, let it rise again, then bake. Care should be taken not to get the dough too stiff with flour; it should be as soft as it can be to knead well. To make bread or biscuits a nice color, wet the dough over the top with water just before putting into the oven. The flour should always be sifted. Yeast. — 6 good potatoes grated raw, a little hop tea, 1 qt. of boiling water, three-fourths cup of brown sugar, one- half tea-spoonful of salt; when cold, add yeast to make it rise. Keep it covered and in a cool place. Another. — Put 2 table-spoonfuls of hops into a muslin bag and boil them in 3 qts. of water for a few minutes; have ready 1 qt. of hot mashed potatoes, put in 1 cup of flour, 1 table-spoonful of sugar, and 1 of salt ; pour over the mixture the boiling hop water, strain through a colander, put 1 pt. or less of fresh baker's yeast, or 2 cakes of yeast, in whUe it is warm, and set it in a warm place to rise. This yeast will keep 3 or 4 weeks, if set in a cool place. In mak- ing it from time to time, use a bowl of the same to raise the fresh with. Boston Brown Bread. — To make 1 loaf: Rye meal un- sifted, half a pt. ; Indian meal sifted, 1 pt. ; sour milk 1 pt. ; molasses half a gill. Add 1 tea-spoonful of salt, 1 tea-spoon- BREAD -MAKING. 451 f ul of soda dissolved in a little hot water, stir well, put in a greased pan, let it rise 1 hour, and steam 4 hours. Bread. — Take 4 qts. of sifted flour, 1 tea-cupful of yeast, a pinch of salt, and wet with warm milk and water till stiff enough to knead. Work it on the board until it requires no more flour. If made at night the bread will be light enough to work over and put in pans early in the morning. This quantity will make two large loaves. One-third of the lump may be taken for rolls, which can be made by work- ing in butter the size of an egg, and setting aside to rise again; when light the second time make out in oblong shapes; cover them with a cloth and let them rise again. As soon as they break apart, bake in a quick oven. They will not fail to be nice if they are baked as soon as they seam. This is the great secret of white, flaky rolls. Two or three potatoes will improve the bread. Good housekeep- ers always have flour sifted in readiness for use, and never use it in any other way. Muffins. — 1 table-spoonful of butter, 2 table-spoonfuls sugar, 2 eggs; stir all together; add 1 cup of sweet milk, 3 tea-spoonfuls of baking powder, flour to make a stiff bat- ter. Bake 20 minutes in a quick oven. Waffles. — 1 qt. of sweet or sour milk, 4 eggs, two- thirds of a cup of butter, one-half a tea-spoonful of salt, 3 tea-spoon- fuls of baking powder; flour enough to make a nice batter. If you use sour milk leave out the baking powder and use 2 tea-spoonfuls of soda. Splendid. Corn Bread. — One-half pt. of buttermilk, one-half pt. of sweet milk, sweeten the sour milk with one-half tea- spoonful of soda; beat 2 eggs, whites and yolks together; pour the milk into the eggs, then thicken with about 9 table- 452 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. spoonfuls of sifted corn meal. Put the pan on the stove with a piece of lard the size of an q^^; when melted, pour it in the batter. By stirring this lard it will grease the pan to bake in. Add a tea-spoonful of salt. Graham Biscuits. — 1 qt. of Graham flour, 3| heaping tea-spoonfuls of baking powder, 1 tea-spoonful of salt, and 1 of butter. Make into soft dough with milk. Soda Biscuits. — To each qt. of flour add 1 table-spoon- ful of shortening, one-half tea-spoonful of salt, and 3| heap- ing tea-spoonfuls of good baking powder; mix baking powder thoroughly through the floui-, then add the other ingredients. Do not knead, and bake quick. To use cream tartar and soda, take the same proportions without the baking powder, using instead 2 heaping tea-spoonfuls cream tartar and 1 of soda. If good they will bake in five minutes. Strawberry Shortcake. — Make good biscuit crust, bake in two tins of same shape and size, mix berries with plenty of sugar, open the shortcake, butter well and place the berries in layers, alternated with the crust; have the top layer of berries, and over all put charlotte russe or whipped cream. Orange Shortcake. — Make a nice shortcake, spread in layers of sliced oranges with sugar and a little cream. To be eaten with sweetened cream. Apple Fritters. — 1 tea-cupful of sweet milk, 1 table- spoonful of sweet light dough, dissolved in milk, 3 eggs beaten separately, 1 tea-spoonful of salt, 1^ tea-cupfuls of flour, 1 table-spoonful of sugar, the grated peel of a lemon, and peeled apples sliced without the core. Drop into hot lard with a piece of apple in each one, and sprinkle with powdered or spiced sugar. Let them stand after making and they will be lighter. Good. BBEAD-MAKING. 453 Buckwheat Cakes. — 1 qt. of buckwheat flour, one-half a tea-cupful of corn meal or wheat flour, a little salt, and 2 table-spoonfuls of syrup. Wet these with cold or warm water to a thin batter, and add, lastly, 4 good table-spoon- fuls of baking powder. Fritters. — 1 pt. sweet milk, 4 eggs, 1 qt. flour and 3 tea-spoonfuls baking powder sifted together. Serve warm with maple syrup. Rolls. — To the quantity of light bread dough that you would take for twelve persons, add the white of 1 egg well beaten, 2 table-spoonfuls of white sugar, and 2 table-spoonfuls of butter ; work these thoroughly together ; roll out about one-half an inch thick ; cut the size desired, and spread one with melted butter and lay another upon the top of it. Bake delicately, when they have risen. French Rolls. — 1 qt. flour, 2 eggs, one-half pt. milk, 1 table-spoonful of yeast, knead well ; let it rise till morning. Work in 1 oz. of butter and mold in rolls; bake imme- diately. Cream Cakes. — 6 eggs, beaten separately, one-half pt. of sour cream, 1 pt. of sweet milk, 1 and one-half tea-spoonfuls of baking powder, flour enough to make a thin batter; bake in cups. Mush. — Indian or oatmeal mush is best made in the fol- lowing manner: Put fresh water in a kettle over the fire to boil, and put in some salt; when the water boils, stir in handful by handful corn or oatmeal until thick enough for use. In order to have excellent mush, the meal should be allowed to cook well, and long as possible while thin, and before the final handful is added. When desired to be fried for breakfast, turn into an earthen dish and set away to 454 OUB mOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. cool. Then cut in slices when you wish to fry; dip each piece in beaten eggs and fry on a hot griddle. In making cake, it is very desirable that the materials be of the finest quality. Sweet, fresh butter, eggs, and good flour are the first essentials. The process of putting together is also quite an important feature, and where other methods are not given in this work by contributors, it would be well for the young housekeeper to observe the following direc- tions : Never allow the butter to oil, but soften it by putting it in a moderately warm place before you commence other preparations for your cake ; then put it into an earthen dish (tin, if not new, will discolor your cake as you stir it) and add your sugar; beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add the yolks of the eggs, then the milk, and lastly the beaten whites of the eggs and flour. Spices and liquors may be added after the yolks of the eggs are put in, and fruit should be put in with the flour. The oven should be pretty hot for small cakes, and mod- erate for larger. To ascertain if a large cake is sufficiently baked, pierce it with a broom-straw through the center ; if done, the straw will come out free from dough ; if not done^ dough will adhere to the straw. Take it out of the tin about fifteen minutes after it is taken from the oven, not sooner, and do not turn it over on the top to cool. Icing. — The following rules should be observed where boiled icing is not used: — Put the whites of your eggs in a shallow earthen dish, BEGIPES FOR CAKE. 455 and allow at least a quarter of a lb., or sixteen table-spoon- fuls, of the finest white sugar for each egg. Take part of the sugar at first and spri22]d^ over the eggs ; beat them for about half an hour, stirring in gradually the rest of the sugar, then add the flavor. If you use the juice of a lemon, allow more sugar. Tartaric acid and lemon juice whiten icing. It may be shaded a pretty pink with strawberry syrup, or colored yellow by putting the juice and rind of a lemon in a thick muslin bag and squeezing it hard into the egg and sugar. If the cake is well dredged with flour after baking, and then carefully wiped before the icing is put on, it will not run, and can be spread more smoothly. Put frosting on the cake in large spoonfuls, commencing at the center, then spread it over the cake with a large knife, dipping it occa- sionally in cold water. Dry the frosting on the cake in a cool dry place. Boiled Icing. — 1 pt. granulated sugar, moisten thor- oughly with water sufiicient to dissolve it when heated, and let it boil until it threads from the spoon, stirring often; while the sugar is boiling, beat the whites of 2 eggs tiU they are firm, then when thoroughly beaten, turn them into a deep dish, and when the sugar is boiled, turn it over the whites, beating all together rapidly until of the right con- sistency to spread over the cake. Flavor with lemon, if pre- ferred. This is sufficient for two loaves. Chocolate Cake. — 1 cup of butter, 1 cup of milk, 3 cups of sugar, 4 cups of flour, 6 eggs, 1 tea-spoonful of soda, 2 tea-spoonfuls of cream of tartar; bake in layers like jelly cake. Icing for cake, to place between : 1 cup of sugar, 1 cake of chocolate, and the whites of 2 eggs whipped together. 456 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Cocoanut Cake. — 1 cup of butter, 3 of sugar, 1 of milk, 4 of flour, 1 tea-spoonful of soda, 2 of cream of tartar, 5 eggs; bake in layers like jelly cake. Icing to place be- tween the layers : Half a lb. of white sugar to the whites of 2 eggs, whip the eggs, add the grated cocoanut, and place between the layers. Wedding Cake. — 5 lbs. of seeded raisins, 2 lbs of cur- rants, 1 lb. of citron, 12 eggs, 1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of sugar (brown), 1 cofFee-cup of molasses, a little brandy, 1 tea-cup of spices. GhefiLp Good Cake. — 1 cup of sugar, one-fourth cup of butter, three-fourths cup of cold water. If cups of flour, whites of 2 eggs, 1 tea-spoonful of lemon, bakifig powder used. Gold Cake. — One-half cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, one-half cup of milk, 3 of flour, 3 tea-spoonfuls of baking powder, and yolks of 4 eggs. For the silver cake use the same recipe, only in place of the yolks of eggs use the whites of 4 eggs. For marble cake, same recipe, using 1 cup of brown sugar, 1 cup of molasses, and some spices, and drop it in the dish on the white cake or silver recipe. Jelly Cake. — 3 eggs, 1 small tea-cupful of sugar, 1 cup of flour, whites and yolks of the eggs beaten together; flavor, and bake in 2 layers, in a quick oven. Fruit Cake. — 2 lbs. of stoned raisins, 2 lbs. of currants, 1 lb. of butter, 1 lb. of sugar, 1| lbs. of flour, 10 eggs, 1 wine-gla^ of brandy, 1 wine-glass of wine, 1 table-spoonful of cloves, 1 table-spoonful of allspice, 2 table-spoonfuls of cinnamon, 1 nutmeg, 1 tea-spoonful of sweet almond meats blanched and cut in slices, 2 oz. of candied lemon, 2 oz. of RECIPES FOB CAKE. 457 citron; a little molasses improves it, nearly a tea-cupful;* flour the fruit, using that weighed out for the cake ; put a half tea-spoonful of soda or 1 tea-spoonful of baking-powder with it on the fruit ; bake 3 hours, slowly. Frosting for Cake. — 1 cup frosting sugar, 2 table-spoon f uls of water, boiled together ; take it off the stove and stir in the white of 1 egg beaten to a stiff froth ; stir all together well ; then frost your cake with it, and you will never want a nicer frosting than this. Cream Filled Cakes. — These delicious cakes are very easily made if care is taken to have the water boiling. Measure out one-half pt. and put in a small kettle ; immedi- ately after it comes to a boil again put in two-thirds of a cup of butter and 1 and one-half cups of fiour; stir briskly for a moment, leaving it over the fire ; remove this mixture and place in a dish where it will get entirely cold; beat 5 large fresh eggs very thoroughly, then stir in your cold mixture a spoonful at a time; stir it all until smooth and free from lumps ; drop them upon a greased dripping-pan in small pear-shaped cakes; bake half an hour in a real hot oven; don't be afraid they will burn unless you see them doing so. When done they will be hollow inside, of a bright brown color; if not well done they will flatten. The oven must be hot when you put them in, and if kept so success is sure. Filling or Cream : Put a little more than 1 pt. of milk in a pail and set it in boiling water; beat 2 eggs, two-thirds cup of corn starch, one full cup sugar, one-half tea-spoonful salt, and some vanilla, thoroughly together; add a full half cup of milk, and stir all into yoar boiling mUk; it should be very thick ; cut open 3^our cakes near the bottom and fill very full of cream ; be sure the cream is cold. 458 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. Glittering squares of colored ice, Sweetened with sjnrups, tinctured with spice ; Creams, and cordials, and sugared dates ; Syrian apples, Othmanee quinces, Limes and citrons and apricots. And wines that are known to Eastern princes. ****** And all that the curious palate could wish, Pass in and out of the cedarn doors. — T. B. Aldrich. Directions for Freezing. — Use 1 part of coarse table salt to 2 parts of ice broken into pieces about the size of a walnut. This should be firmly packed around the cream pail to the height of the freezer. For 3 pints of cream, 1^ pints of water should be poured over the ice in the freezer, and for every additional quart of cream 1 pint of water should be added to the ice after packing. When there is no ice-cream freezer convenient, ices may be frozen by putting the cream to be frozen in a tin pail with a close cover. The ice and salt for packing may be put into a larger pail and packed firmly around the pail of cream to be frozen. Let this stand to chill for 20 or 80 minutes, then remove the cover and stir the freezing mixture within until stiff. Then repack, cover the whole closely with a woolen cloth or car- pet and leave for an hour or two in a cool place. Currant Ice. — 1 pt. of currant juice, 1 lb. of sugar, and 1 pt. of water ; put into freezer, and when partly frozen add the whites of 3 eggs well beaten. Orange and Lemon Ices. — The rind of 3 oranges grated and steeped a few moments in a little more than a pint of water; strain one pint of this on a pound of sugar and PBESEBVING AND CANNING FBUITS. 459 then add 1 pint of orange or lemon juice; pour into the freezer, and when half frozen add the whites of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Strawberry Ice-Cream. — Mash with a potato poundei* in an earthen bowl, 1 qt. of strawberries with 1 lb. of sugar, rub it through the colander and add 1 qt. of sweet cream and freeze. Very ripe peaches or coddled apples may be used instead of strawberries. Ice-Cream. — 1 pt. milk, yolks of 2 eggs, 6 oz. sugar, 1 table-spoonful corn starch; scald until it thickens; when cool, add 1 pt. whipped cream and the whites of 2 eggs beaten stiff. Sweeten to taste, flavor and freeze. ** Fruit of all kinds, in coat Rough, or smooth rind, or bearded husk, or shell, She gathers tribute large, and on the board Heaps with unsparing hand." — Paradise Lost. Bring me berries, or such cooling fruit As the kind, hospitable woods provide. — Covyper. Fruits for preserving should be carefully selected, remov- ing all that are imperfect. They are in the best condition when not fully ripe, and as soon as possible after they are picked. Small fruits should not be allowed to stand over night after they are picked when they are to be preserved. Use only the finest sugar for preserving. When fruit is sealed in glass cans, wrap paper of two or three thicknesses around the cans. The chemical action of light will affect the quality of the preserves when perfectly air-tight. "With this precaution, glass cans are preferable to any other for 460 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. preserving fruit. One-half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit, is a good rule for canned fruit, although many house- keepers use but one-quarter of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. An excellent rule for canning the larger fruits, as peaches, pears, etc., is to place them in a steamer over a kettle of boil- ing water, first laying a cloth in the bottom of the steamer. Fill this with the fruit and cover tightly. Let them steam for 15 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork, (some fruits will require a longer time). Make a syrup of sugar of the right consistency. As the fruit is steamed, drop each for a moment into the syrup, place in the cans, having each one-half full of fruit, and fill up with the hot syrup, then cover and seal. Preserved Peaches. — Select Peaches of fine quality and firm. If too ripe they are not likely to keep perfectly. Pare and place them in a steamer over boiling water and cover tightly; an earthen plate placed in the steamer under the fruit will preserve the juices which afterward may be strained and added to the syrup. Let them steam for 15 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a fork ; make a syrup of the first quality of sugar, and as the fruit is steamed, drop each peach into the syrup for a few seconds, then take out and place in the cans ; when the cans are full, pour the hot syrup over the fruit, and seal immedi- ately. Inexperienced house- wives will do well to remember that the syrup should be well skimmed before being poured over the fruit. We prefer the proportions of half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit for canning, although many excel- lent house-keepers use less. This rule is excellent for all the large fruits — as pears, quinces, apples, etc. PBESEBVING AND CANNING FRUITS. 461 Preserved Pears. — To 6 lbs. of pears, 4 lbs. of sugar, 2 coffee cups of water, add the juice of 2 lemons, and the rind of 1, a handful of whole ginger ; boil all together for 20 minutes, then put in your pears and boil till soft, say about a quarter of an hour. Take them out and boU your syrup a little longer. Then put back your fruit and give it a boil ; bottle while hot, adding a little cochineal to give it a nice color. Preserved Apples. — Weigh equal quantities of good brown sugar and apples; peel, core, and cut the apples into small square pieces ; make a syrup of 1 pt. of water to 3 lbs. of sugar, boil untU pretty thick, then add the apples, the grated peel of a lemon or two, a little whole white ginger (if liked) ; boil until the apples are clear and begin to fall. Preserved Cherries. — Stone the fruit, weigh it, and for every pound take three-fourths pound sugar. First dissolve the sugar in water in the proportion of 1 pt. of water to 1|^ lbs. of sugar; then add the fruit and let it boil as fast as possible for half an hour, till it begins to jelly. As soon as. it thickens put into pots, cover with brandied paper, next the fruit, and then cover closely from the air. Canned Cherries. — Prepare in the same manner, allow- ing but half a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit; after putting the fruit into the syrup let it scald (not boil hard) for 10 or 15 minutes, and then can and seal, A few of the cherry stones tied in a muslin bag and put into the syrup to scald with the fruit, impart a fine flavor ; they should not be put into the jars with the fruit. This method is excel- lent for use with all the small fruits, as strawberries, rasp- berries, and also plums. Canned Strawberries. — After the berries are pulled, let as many as can be put carefully into the preserving kettle at 462 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. once, be placed on a platter. To each pound of fruit add three-fourths of a pound of sugar ; let them stand 2 or 3 hours, till the juice is drawn from them ; pour it into the ket- tle and let it come to a boil, removing the scum which rises; then put in the berries very carefully. As soon as they come to a boil, put them into warm jars, and seal while boiling hot. Quince Preserves. — Pare, core, and quarter your fruit, then weigh it and allow an equal quantity of white sugar. Take the peelings and cores and put into a preserving kettle; cover them with water and boil for half an hour ; then strain through a hair sieve and put the juice back into the kettle and boil the quinces in it a little at a time until they are tender ; lift out as they are done with a drainer and lay on a dish ; if the liquid seems scarce, add more water. When all are done throw in the sugar and allow it to boil 10 min- utes before putting in the quinces ; let them boil until they change color, say 1^ hours, on a slow fire; while they are boiling, occasionally slip a silver spoon under them to see that they do not burn, but on no account stir them. Have two fresh lemons cut in thin slices, and when the fruit is being put in jars, lay a slice or two in each. Canned Tomatoes. — Wash your tomatoes, and cut out any places that are green or imperfect; then cut them up and put over to cook with a little salt ; boil them tUl per- fectly soft, then strain through a colander; turn them back to cook, and when they have come to boiling heat, poui- them into stone jugs t^one or two gallon jugs, as you prefer). They will keep a day or two in winter if all are not used at a time ; put the cork in, and have some canning cement hot and pour over the cork. The jug must, of course, be hot when the tomatoes are poured in. FBESERVING AND CANl^ING FRUITS. 463 Artificial Honey. — Mix together 10 lbs. white sugar, 2 lbs. clear bees' honey, 1 qt. hot water, half an ounce of cream tartar; when cool, flavor with 2 or 3 drops otto of roses and sprinkle in a handful of clear yellow honey-comb broken up. This will deceive the best judges, and is perfectly healthful. Grape Jam. — Take your grapes, separate the skin from the pulp, keeping them in separate dishes, put the. pulps into your preserving kettle with a tea-cup of water; when thor- oughly heated run them thorough a colander to separate the seeds; then put your skins with them and weigh; to each pound of fruit, put three-fourth of a pound of sugar; add merely water enough to keep from burning; cook slowly three-fourths of an hour. This is a delicious jam, and worth the trouble. Blackberry Jam. — To each pound of fruit add three- fourths of a pound of sugar; mash each separately; then put together and boil from one-half to three-fourths of an hour. Raspberry Jam. — To 5 or 6 pounds of fine red raspber- ries (not too ripe) add an equal quantity of the finest quality of white sugar. Mash the whole well in a preserv- ing kettle; add about 1 qt. of currant juice (a little less will do), and boil gently until it jellies upon a cold plate; then put into small jars; cover with brandied paper; and tie a thick white paper over them. Keep in a dark, dry, and cool place. Orange Marmalade. — Take 7 oranges and 6 lemons ; boil in water 2 or 3 hours ; throw away the water, and open the oranges and lemons, taking out the seeds and preserving all the pulp and juice possible; cut the rinds in small strips or 464 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. chop them, but cutting in strips is better ; weigh it all when this is done ; then put 3 lbs. of sugar in 2 of the pulp, and boil slowly till clear. Siberian Crab Jelly. — Boil a peck of crab-apples for 2 hours in as much water as will cover them, then put them into a jelly bag and allow to drain, (do not squeeze them); to each pint of syrup, put 1 lb. of loaf sugar, and boil for half an hour. Select the reddest crabs you can find, and the jelly will be a beautiful color. Chocolate Caramels. — 2 cups of brown sugar, 1 cup molasses, 1 cup chocolate grated fine, 1 cup boiled milk, 1 table-spoonful flour, butter the size of a large English walnut ; let it boil slowly and pour on flat tins to cool; mark off while warm. The bubbling and loud hissing um, Throws up a steaming column ; and the cups That cheer, but not inebriate, wait on each ; So let us welcome peaceful evening in. — Cowper. Tea. — When the water in the tea-kettle begins to boil, have ready a tin tea-steeper; pour into the tea-steeper just a very little of the boiling water, and then put in tea, al- lowing one tea-spoonful of tea to each person. Pour over this boiling water until the steeper is a little more than half full ; cover tightly and let it stand where it will keep hot, but not to boil. Let the tea infuse for 10 or 15 minutes, and then pour into the tea urn, adding more boiling water, in the proportion of one cup of water for every tea-spoonful BEVERAGES. 465 of dry tea which has been infused. Have boiling water in a water-pot, and weaken each cup of tea as desired. Do not use water that has boiled long. Spring water is best for tea, and filtered water next best. Tea a la Russe. — Pare and slice fresh, juicy lemons; lay a piece in the bottom of each cup, sprinkle with white sugar, and pour hot, strong tea over. Or the lemon may be sent around in slices with the peel on. No cream is used. Roasting Coffee. — This process should be carefully watched and superintended. The quality and flavor of the coffee depends largely upon the method of roasting. When the berry crackles and becomes crisp, it is sufficiently roasted. Just as soon as it is taken from the roaster, it should be placed in several thicknesses of flannel to preserve the oil and aroma. When cool, place it in an air-tight cannister. Cream Nectar. — 2| lbs. of white sugar, one-eighth lb. of tartaric acid, both dissolved in 1 qt. of hot water ; when cold, add the beaten whites of 3 eggs, stirring well ; bottle for use. Put 2 large spoonfuls of this syrup in a glass of cold water, and stir in it one-fourth of a spoonful of bicar- bonate of soda. Any flavor can be put in the syrup. An excellent drink for summer. Raspberry Acid. — Dissolve 5 oz. of tartaric acid in 2 qts. of water; pour it upon 12 lbs. of red raspberries in a large bowl ; let it stand 24 hours ; strain it without pressing ; to 1 pt. of this liquor add 1| lbs. of white sugar; stir until dissolved. Bottle, but do not cook for several days, when it is ready for use. Two or three table-spoonfuls in a glass of ice water will make a delicious beverage. Raspberry Vinegar. — To 4 qts. red raspberries, put 30 466 OUB HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. enough vinegar to cover, and let them stand 24 hours; scald and strain; add 1 lb. of sugar to 1 pt. of juice; boil it 20 minutes, and bottle; it is then ready to use and will keep for years. To one glass of water add a great spoonful. It is much relished by the sick. Very nice. Blackberry Syrup. — To 1 pt. of juice, put 1 lb. of white sugar, one-half oz. of powdered cinnamon, one-fourth oz. mace, and 2 tea-spoonfuls cloves; boil all together for 15 minutes, then strain the syrup, and add to each pint a glass of French brandy. . Red Currant Wine. — For every gallon of water take 1 gallon of currants off the stalks, bruise well and let them stand over night. Next morning mash them well with your hands and strain through a hair sieve. To every gallon of the liquor add 4 lbs. of sugar. Rinse the cask well with brandy, and strain the liquor again when putting in, by which you will see whether the sugar is dissolved. Lay the bung lightly on, and stop it up in 10 days. ^^ ,»=^T(5^^te*=^T<^ m jIkt Of iiYiNG Rimers. .►^^=$<-.. T has been said that the social progress of a com- munity is in exact proportion to the number of its dinner parties ; and in all ages the friendship of nations, as well as of individuals, has been ce- mented, and enmities forgotten, in the allure- ments of dining. It is an undeniable fact that more enduring alliances have been struck by diplomatists across the dinner table than were ever agreed upon in ministerial cabinets. Talle- rand regarded the dinner table as the best place for the transaction of diplomatic business. And can any one doubt that much of the culture of the world, with all its elements of refined manners, intellectual progress, and taste for science, literature, and the fine arts, is largely dependent upon the social gatherings at the dinner tables of the metropolitan cities? The rules which regulate dinner giving and dining in America, have been adopted from both England and France, [467] 468 OUR HOMES AND THEIR ADORNMENTS. as they have been found to fit our social conditions; and the dinner giver who attempts to be original is likely to fail, be- cause he disturbs the harmony which established customs insure. The path of safety here, as in all social matters, is the beaten track. The first consideration, when a dinner has been decided on, is a discreet selection of guests. The proper limit as to numbers will be decided by the good sense of the host and hostess, the size of the table and dining-room being impor- tant considerations, though the number of guests should not exceed twelve. Thirteen is an ominous number, and there are superstitious people who would not sit at the table when thirteen were present, from the belief that some fatality might soon happen to one of their number. The aim of the host and hostess should be to bring to- gether such people as are of equal intellectual attainments, and of like social standing. Guests are wanted who will affect each other pleasantly. They need not be friends, nor even acquaintances, but they must be congenial, and have common tastes and sympathies. Good talkers are invalu- able, and good listeners no less so. The test of the success of a dinner party is the manner in which the conversation is sustained at the table. A constant flow of talk and mer- riment is proof that the guests have been wisely chosen, while emban-assing halts and dead pauses in conversation denote that they are not in sympathy with one another. The invitations are issued in the name of the host and hostess from three to ten days in advance. They are sent hy messenger, and not by mail, only when the distance is too great to send a trusty servant. An invitation to a din- ner party requires a prompt answer, and if it is accepted DINNER INVITATION. 469 the engagement must be sacredly kept, as the non-arrival of a guest means an empty chair at the table, a lady with- out an escort, or a gentleman without a lady. If in doubt, it is better to decline; but if an invitation has been ac- cepted, and an insurmountable obstacle intervenes, an ex- planation must be made at once, so that the vacant place in the little circle may be filled. The following is the form of the invitation: — jm. and J^l^. WUfmm ^mfon i^iwU tfie jifmMiU wEA. Cilass, Convex for Phot'is, Grass, To Crj'stallize, Herriiig-Bone Stitcli, How to Paint Pliotograjilis, How to Transfer Pictures, Iir.ifation Barbatiii and Laniogcs Ware, Janina Stitch, I'ASE. 34 r, 336 23.') 34", 348 Kensington Outline Stitcli, " 236 Knot Stitch, ES.'i Lace Lambrequin, (with ill.) 283, 2S.j Lanibreiiuin and Curtains, 282 Lanioges Ware, Imitation, 342 Lamji-Shades, s.-s* LINCllUSTA-WALTON- Kemarks, 3ri7 Of what Composed, 357 Its Uses, 357 Beauty, S57 Effects, 358 Method of Applying to Walls, 357 Illustration, 35S MATERIALS— For Embroidery, 231, 232 For Lambrequins and Cur- tains, 282, 2S3 For Oil Painting-, 339 For Photo-Enameling, 345 For Transferring Pictures, 347 NATURAL FLOWERS, TO PRESERVE- Remarks, 333 By the Sand Process, 333, 334 By the Sulphur Procfess, 334 By the Paraffine Process, 335 OIL PAINTING- Remarks, 33y I'AGE. Subjects for, 341, 342 Materials Necessar^\-, 339 Panels, 340 Plaques, 341 Silk, Satin, and Plush, 343 Imitation Barl)atin Ware, 342 Fans and Bowls, 344 Oval Picture Frames, 351 Oil Colors, A New Material f.r, 342 PAINTING IN OIL COLORS— Instructions in the Art, 339 340 Panels, 340 Plaques, 341 Plush, 343 Pots for Flowers, 344 Photographs, 345 347 Pictures, How to Transfer tn Wood, etc.. 347 Picture Frames, To Make, 351 Preserving Natural Flowers, 333 RUGS— Of Silk Rags, 352 Of Slieejiskin, 353 For Carriages, 353 Sand Process for Preserving' Flowers, 333 Sofa Pillow, (with ill.) 232-284 Stitches, Embroidery, 333-338 Suljjhur Process for Preserving Flowers, 334 Silks and Satin, To paint in Oil Colors, .343 Sheepskins, To Tan and Color for Rugs, 353 Table, How to Make, Tanning Sheepskin. Transfer Pictures, Tissue Paper Lamp-Shades, Waste-Paper Basket, Water Color.s, 352 353 347 354 352 344 ^^•n^ *> ^ ^ •' \V^ '^^^ •"-» A° ^ "^