LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, C]iap,_/:_.C Copyright No. Shelf. .Diz UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^ / T A READY REFERENCE HAND-BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMA- TION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR EVERY DEPART- ^ MENT OF THE HOUSEHOLD. KKEP READY FOR USE THIS LITTI.E BOOK 'T WII^Iv REPAY THE TIME YOU TAKE TO I.OOK. .nPVR ^sS- 'onr'^ HINTS PUBLISHrNG CO., Cleveland, O. HINTS TO HOUSEKEEPERS. J^ A READY RBFBREN6B HAND-BOOK OF USEFUL INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR EVERY DEPARTMENT OF THE HOUSEHOLD. T v^ /^ ''^ ^ KEKP READY FOR USE THIS I.ITTIvK BOOK, 'T \VIL,h RKPAY THE TIME YOU TAKE TO LOOK. \ Copyright 1S95 by H. M. gakl«rb- -; ^---.^ Ji\M 231896) i - THE BRITTON PTQ. CO., 4S SHERIFF ST., CLEVELAND^ O. h ^ aV (D LIVING ROOMS AND NURSERY. To Wash Windows. Put a teaspoonful of powdered borax in warm water, wash with a piece of chamois skin and dry with news- paper. Or; put a tablespoonful of kerosene in the water, dry and polish with newspaper. To Remove Old Pntty. Paint over with nitric or muriatic acid. Putty will soften in an hour. Finger Marks. A flannel cloth dipped in kerosene and wrung dry is useful for removing finger marks from wood. To Dust Ceilings or Hardwood Floors. Make bags of Can- ton flannel to draw over the broom. To Keep Brooms. Never stand them broom part down. Dip them in boiling suds once a week. Best brooms are light green. To Remove Clinker from stoves put common salt on the coal before making a fire. Soot. Clean up soot by covering thickly with dry salt before .sweeping. To Clean Iron Orilles, Etc. Rub on a very little vaseline with a soft rag. To Stop (xas Leak. Soften common brown soap and plaster it around the leak. Keep lava tips on burners to save gas. To Avoid Smoke. After arranging a fire for lighting, in stove, furnace or grate, light a paper, or shavings, on top of the fire to create a current of hot air. Then light fire from below. Burning- Chimney. Put salt on the fire and close the draught. Oil Cloths. Clean with clear luke warm water and flannel rag. When dry rub with cloth dampened with milk. Or; Wash with milk and water then apply following mixture with a flannel cloth. Put half an ounce of beeswax in a saucerful of turpentine and set in a warm place until they can be thoroughly mixed. Rub off with dry flannel. To Clean Brass Gas Fixtures. Rub with cut lemons and wash off with warm water. To Clean Brasses. It is said to be an aid to dip a cloth in kerosene for using with the putz pomade. To Clean Marble. Two parts soda, one part pumice stone, one part pulverized chalk ; sift fine and mix with water. Rub well over the marble, then wash with soap and water. Furniture Polish. Saturate with olive oil and apply solution of gum Arabic dissolved in hot alcohol. Apply cold. Paint From Windows. Wash paint from windows with equal parts of ammonia and turpentine. Wash off with suds. Or use a hot solution of soda. To Stop Creakinj? Hinge. Rub soft lead pencil into the crevices. Plaster Busts and Statuettes can be cleaned by dipping them into thick liquid starch. When thoroughly dry remove with a brush. Pillows and Beds. Do not put pillows or feather beds in the sun to air — but in a shady place, with a dear, dry wind blowing over them. If it is cloudy, but not damp, and the wind strong, it is all the better. This if practiced ofLeu will keep well-cured feathers sweet. Badly cured feathers cannot be made sweet. A hot sun on the best of feathers will turn them rancid. To Clean Woodwork. When paint is thoroughly dry and clean, rubbing it over with whiting on a soft cloth will give it a nice polish. Delicate shades of paint that are not much soiled may be cleaned by using a little whiting in the water. Grained wood can be cleaned nicely with tea of medium strength and well strained. This will not remove the gloss, which the use of soap will surely do. Ammonia in the water should never be used for cleaning paint, for, although excellent as a cleanser, it gives the surface of the paint a dull, dead look, as it removes the polish. Where the room is to be re-painted, ammonia water will remove the dirt quicker, and with less labor, than any thing else, and will be found excellent for the purpose. Smoked Ceiling* from Kerosene. Wash with strong solution of soda. Fill any cracks with cement made of one pint of water to one pint of silicate potash and common whiting mixed. Umbrellas. Dry a wet umbrella open and upside down. To Soften Stiff Shoes. Rub in vaseline or castor oil well with a cloth. A Tiglit Shoe or Boot will go on easily if the soles are warmed thoroughly. Or wet a cloth in hot water and lay across where it pinches, changing it several times. To Dry Shoes, if not wet through. Heat pebbles and put inside the shoes. ' It will dry them without injury to the leather. Or; stuflf wet boots and shoes with paper until they have dried. To Make Shoes Water Tight. Mix neatsfoot oil with a little kerosene and boiled linseed oil in a shallow dish, stand the shoes in this so that the soles are covered. Let them remain for several hours. Rub them well when taken out. Tender Feet. Sponge night and morning with a solution of i tablespoonful of carbonate of soda to a half pint of cold water. Dusters. Make dusters of cheese cloth. Shake them after using and wash frequently. For tufted furniture have a carHage brush or a round paint brush. To Clean Chromos. Wipe them off with a piece of chamois skin moistened with cold tea and then polish with a little olive oil. Picture Frames and Glasses can be preserved from fly specks by painting them with onion water, made by boiling three or four onions in a pint of water. Fly specks can be removed b)' touching them with a camel' s-hair brush dipped in spirits of wine. To Ebonize Frames. Scrape the old gilt off the frames. Rub them with sand paper and paint with black Japan varnish or Bruns- wick black. Reg'ilding. After regilding with the gold paints it insures per- manency to cover the gilding with melted beeswax applied with a soft brush. Frames varnished with copal varnish can be washed with cold water without injury. Oil Painting's can be cleaned with raw potato. Cut the potato in halves and rub the picture, cutting again as the potato becomes soiled. Wipe dry with a silk handkerchief. To Clean Clilt Frames. Kqual parts of white of an egg and chlor- ate of potash. Dip a soft brush in the mixture and go over the frames. Hanging' Pictures. Let the cord pass through both rings and join in the center of the picture. To ('lean Furniture. Rub the surface with a wet cloth (with a little soda or borax in the water) dry thoroughly, then rub it with raw linseed oil and afterwards coat lightly with shellac, polishing finally with a soft cloth. Old Oak Furniture. Wash it iu warm beer, or weak soda and water, dry with a clean cloth. Have ready a gallon of strong beer boiling hot in which has been dissolved one ounce of beeswax and one ounce of brown sugar. Put it on with a paint brush and when dry polish with a woolen cloth. Delicate Cabinet Work. A fine polish: Half a pint of linseed oil, half a pint of old ale, the white of an egg and one ounce of muriatic acid. Shake well before using. Apply with a soft cloth and rub for a few minutes. This preparation will keep a long time. Filling" for Cracks iu Floors. Make a paste of three quarts of water to a pound of flour and a tablespoonful of alum thoroughly boiled. Soak in this while hot old newspapers till a thick pulp i^ formed. Stuff in cracks while warm. Carpets. The oftener carpets are shaken the longer they wear. To Clean Carpets. After tacking down go over the surface with a pail of suds to which a cup of alcohol and two tablespoonfuls of ammonia has been added, rinsing and wiping dry as you go along. Or; use as above; j4 har of soap dissolved in )4 pail of boiling water and five cents worth of salts of tartar. Use hot. Just before sweeping carpet dip broom in hot water to which a little ammonia has been added, or use damp salt on carpet, or snow. To Spong'e Black Silk. Take a teaspoonful of ammonia to a cupful of cold cofiee. Use soft sponge or flannel cloth. To Clean Gold Lace. Rub with a-^oft brush dipped in burnt alum pounded and sifted. Or ; grate stale bread fine and mix with pow- dered blueing. Lay this thickly on the lace and let it lie for awhile. Then brush off with a piece of flannel and polish gently with a piece of velvet. Black Lace. Sponge the lace with an old black kid glove dipped in a solution of one teaspoonful of borax in a pint of warm water. Pull it in shape, after clapping it nearly dry with the hands, and lay it on brown paper to dry. Do not put it near the fire, nor iron it. To RenoTate an Old Dress. Rip the garment to pieces and brush every part well. If necessary clean with soap bark or other cleanser. Use a piece of the same goods to sponge with and stroke with the nap of the material. Press while damp with a clean cloth laid over the surface, one that will not shed lint. (xrease Spots can be removed by covering with dampened magnesia to be brushed off when thoroughly dry. Jet Passementerie, Wipe with a soft cloth dipped in alcohol and water. Raise Pile of Velvet. Hold the wrong side over a basin of boiling water keeping it taut until the pile begins to rise. Then let a second person brush it with a stiff brush. To Curl Ostrich Feathers. Hold the feather over a stove or other hot iron while curling. Take a silver knife or the back of a small pen knife and draw the fibers of the feather between the thumb and dull edge of the knife, not more than three fibres at a time, begin- ning at the point of the feather. White Feathers can be washed in warm soap suds then rinsed thoroughly and curled. For Cleaning" Clothes. Alcohol may be used instead of ammonia. Soiled Coat Collars and other woolen goods can be nicely cleaned with soap bark. Get at druggists soap bark chips. Break a piece about two inches square into small bits and pour over it a half pint of boiling water. Let it stand an hour or more, where it will keep warm. Sponge the goods, afterwards rinsing with warm clear water. To Clean Gloves. Put the gloves on and rub with an old linen handkerchief dipped in milk and rubbed on white castile soap. Wet the entire glove and rub and pull gently until dry. Mend Gloves with fine cotton instead of silk. Do not wear your best gloves in damp weather. To Restore Black Kid. Add a few drops of ink to a teaspoon- •ful of olive oil. Apply with a feather and dry in the sun. To Remove Iron Rust from Clothes. Thicken lemon juice w^th equal parts of flour and starch and a little soft soap. Apply to the rusted spots and place in the sun. Pitch or Wag'on Grease. Grease the spots and after a few minutes sponge with turpentine. To Remove Siiubiirn. Add to twelve ounces of elder flower water six drams of common soda and six drams of powdered borax. Or; Take half an ounce blanched bitter almonds and half a pint of soft water. Beat the almonds to a pulp. Add to the water, strain and use. To Clean the Skin. Put a tablespoonful of tincture of beuzoine in half a pint of water. Add more water if the sensation is too burning. Use with soft flannrfl. To Remove Dandruff. Rub common salt into the roots of the Jiair at night and brvish it out in the morning. Brush the hair fre- quently with a stiff brush to keep it in good condition. Stained Hands. Borax water is excellent to remove stains from the hands and keep the hands in good condition. If you have been picking or handling acid fruit and have stained your hands wash them in clear water, wipe them lightly, and while they are yet moist, strike a match and i-hut your hand around it so as to catch the smoke, and the stain will disappear. Workers on fine lace and embroidery are often inconvenienced by the perspiring of their hands while at work. This can be remedied by rubbing the hands frequently in dry bran. To Thread a Needle. When troubled to get ihe thread in try the other end of the thread. Squeaking' Boots. Drive a peg into the middle of the sole. Preparation for Cleaning* gloves, ribbons and laces: Two quaris of deodorized benzine, two drams of sulphuric ether, two drams cf chloroform and four drams of alcohol. Wash the articles in it and rinse well in fi^esh water. To Clean Papered Walls. Wipe with a flannel cloth tied over a broom. Cut a thick piece of stale bread and wipe the paper from the top down in straight lines. Renew the bread when it begins to streak the walls. Hard Finished Walls. Wash them with soda and water. A Wash for Walls. Soak a quarter of a pound of glue over night, add a pint of clear water in the morning and set in a warm place till the glue is all dissolved. Put five and a half pounds of Paris white into a large pail. Pour over it boiling water, stirring cpnstantly. Add the glue. Mix it to a smooth paste. Thin with hot water and apply with white wash brush. Smoked Ceilings. Clean with soda and water. If the wall above the stove has been smoked, cover the black patches with gum shellac and they will not strike through either paint or kalsomine. White-wash from Carpets. A few drops of carbonate of am- monia in warm water will immediately remove the spots. White Spots on Furuitnre can sometimes be removed by rub- bing hard with kerosene. Or, by holding a hot iron over the spot without touching and then rubbing with an oiled cloth. Willow Furniture. Scrub with a nail brush and warm water in which a little washing soda has been dissolved To take Bruises from Furniture. Wet the spot with warm water, lay over it brown paper soaked in warm water and iron until dry. Matting". In turning draw the long threads through with a coarse needle. Wash mattings with salt and water. Cane-seat Chairs are improved by washing. Dry them bot- tom upwards. THE NURSERY. Do not think that the baby is always hungry, or has colic, when he cries. Look for pins sticking, or clothes too tight. If baby has colic he will scream and draw up his legs. For colic try warmth to feet and bowels before dosing. A warm bath will often relieve the pain. Give the baby plenty of fresh air but protect him from taking cold. A child's flesh is very tender, treat it accordingly. Keep the baby's bottle, if he must have one, clean and sweet. It is well to have two bottles that one may be thoroughly cleaned while the other is in use. Do not let the baby have his bottle all night. Give it to him when he wakens and take it from him so soon as he falls asleep. Never dry napkins around the nursery fire. The vapor from them is poisonous to child and nurse. It is not safe to give a baby anything to eat but milk foods until he has begun to secrete saliva. Babies are sometimes injured by swallowing bits of worsted from the nurse's shawl or from tufts in coverings. Ivift a baby's carriage gently over curbstones and other rough places. Keep painted toys away from a young baby. Beware of cold air on the floor when the weather begins to grow cold. If the baby frets see whether his clothes are dry. How long would you endure wet clothing ? Do not burden a young girl with the care of a baby. Better let her wash the dishes and the mother tend the baby. Teach a child to obey before he is one year old and save your- self much trouble. Do not accustom children to light in the room at night, but arrange to get a light instantly when needed. If a child shows great dislike to his nurse find out the reason. A child's first teeth should be perfectly sound when they are shed. If not the child probably needs a doctor. Children like variety in amusement as well as in food. It is good for them. Well meaning persons often torment a child when attempting to amuse him. A child of nervous temperament should not be ex- cited by undue laughter and romping. Do not stimulate the mind of a bright child by "showing him off." It is safer to keep him back. Do not wash a child's face and hands just before he goes out in the cold. If a child strangles while eating give the white of an egg unbeaten. When a child holds his breath, dash a little cold water in his face, or, clap his hands together quickly. Teach children early to beware of fire; and what to do in case of their clothes catching fire. Nurses, especially young ones, should be taught that a small fire is easily smothered out, that air increases the blaze and that a person whose clothes are on fire should lie down immediately. The greatest danger is from swallowing the fire. A child will often not notice a slight hurt if those around him do not do so. Use brown paper dipped in warm water for a bump. When a child chokes on any foreign substance hold him by the heels, head downwards. CURES AND EMERGENCIES. Oh all Occasions Keep Presence of Mind. Don't get Excited l)ut C'onsnlt this Book. Keep Drugs and Medicines in a dry closet out of reach of children. Carefully mark bottles and boxes. See that corks and stoppers are tight. If labels come off throw away contents unless sure of what they are. For Rheumatism. Equal parts of olive oil and wintergreen. Outward application. Heartburn. Haifa teaspoonful of salt dissolved in a little cold water will relieve heartburn. Aching Feet. Bathe in hot water with a little ammonia in it. Sprains. Bathe frequently in hot water and take perfect rest. Burns. Use carbolized oil. For slight burns soda will relieve. For washing deep burns, mix five drops of carbolic acid in one teaspoonful of glycerine and fifteen drops of listerine. Put this in half a pint of warm water. Nose Bleed, A roll of paper pressed up behind the upper lip will stop nose bleeding. llingworm. Ten grains of iodine in an ounce of turpentine, bathe frequently. Corns. A bread poultice made with strong vinegar is good for corns. Between the toes put a piece of absorbent cotton. Poultices. Make all poultices large to insure heat and moisture. Bread and milk is the simplest poultice. Scraped carrot, boiled soft, is good for running sores. Flaxseed poultice is good for cold on the lungs. Be careful not to take cold after poulticing. Miistai'd Plaster. Mix with white of egg to prevent blistering. Lime in tlie Eyes. Use cold sugar water. Thirst. Hot drinks relieve thirst better than cold ones. Hot water is a good remedy. Also, for feverish thirst, brown to burn- ing a slice of bread and while hot plunge it into a tumbler of cold water. Also, weak green tea and lemon juice. Sting of Bees. Carefully extract the sting, then suck the wound and apply ammonia. Disinfectant. Burn coffee on hot coals or oh a hot stove in the room. Solid Food properly masticated, is more easily digested, gen- erallj^, than soups and broths. Fats and oily substances are hard to digest. Strong mental ex- ■ ercise or emotion tends to impair digestion. Lightning. Damp air is a conductor of electricity. Avoid a draught of air in a house during thunder storms. An open field is safer than near a tree or building during a storm. I^ightning will not pass through dry silk. Convulsions. Give a warm bath and put a cold cloth on the head. Nail in the Foot. Make a poultice of a fresh beet thoroughly pounded. Apply frequently. Icy Steps. Put salt on to cut the ice. Warts. Wash them with moistened washing soda and let it dry without wiping. Do this often till they have disappeared. Fire. A little fire can be easily put out with a pail of water and a mop, or a wet blanket. Every minute counts. Do not waste time in giving an alarm if you can put the fire out yourself. In passing through fire keep close to the floor, and, if possible, tie a wet silk handkerchief over the face. Mosquito Bites, Apply listerine. To sponge the body with a weak solution (six or seven per cent.) of carbolic acid is a protection against the sting of mosquitos and other insects. Salt is a remedy for poison from pineapple peel. Sage tea will prevent hair from falling out. Honey or molasses is said to be good for a sting. Cholera. Acids destroy the life of cholera germs. Cleanliness is most important. Boil all water used for drinking and cooking purposes. Disinfecting Compound. Oil of Rosemary ten parts, lavender two and a half parts, thyme two and a half parts, mix with thirty parts of water and one and a half parts of nitric acid. Shake the bottle before using. Saturate a sponge with the compound and leave in the room to diffuse the mixture by evaporation. To Keep Shaved Ice. Put a saucer containing shaved or pounded ice in a soup plate and cover it with another, then place the plates between two pillows. This will preserve ice for 24 hours. To Stop Bleeding. Apply wet tea leaves. Sty on the Eye. Wet black tea leaves with boiling water and bind on the eye over night, or touch with pulsatilla. Bee Sting. Apply raw corn meal. For Ivy Poison. Use sweet spirits of nitre. For "dragged out feeling." Plenty of fresh air. Prevention is better than cure. Eat lightly and rest when indisposed from sudden cold or overwork. Guard especially against taking cold when very tired. Change wet clothing as soon as possible. If frozen rub with snow till the stiffness is out, and keep from the fire. Never Lig-ht a fire with kerosene. Trim and fill lamps in the day time. Never fill a lighted lamp or stove. When Gas is Escaping- in a room do not bring a light till the room is aired. Never put your head out of a car window when the train is in motion. Never jump from a car before it has stopped. Always look in the direction in which you are moving. If a horse runs away with you do not jump out of the vehicle. Keep matches away from children and mice. A physician says "take the elevator up and the stairs down." In climbing a ladder look up not down. Spotted veils are injurious to the eyes. Never read while lying down if you value your eyes. Turn your back to the light when reading. Bad dreams are often caused by a tight neck band. Volatile preparations lose their strength with keeping. Opium, and mixtures with it, grow stronger. Eat acid fruits when using white lead paints. To Restore Exhausted Nerves. Take a warm bath with an ounce of ammonia to each pailful of water. Sleeplessness is often caused by hunger. Do not go to bed hungry, but do not eat heavily or of indigestible food just before retiring. ,,: To Relieve Paroxysms of Coughing. Put a spoonful of pure glycerine in half a glass of hot milk. For Earache. Have a hop bag ready in case of earache or neuralgia. Make it of flannel and fill it with hops. Heat for use byJaying in the oven. It can be used over and over again CARE OF INVALIDS. Keep the room thoroughly ventilated, temperature even, be- tween 68 and 70 degrees. Have pure air always and plenty of sunshine except in hot weather. Shade the patient's eyes from daylight or gas light. Change bed linen at least once in three days, blankets and quilts once a week. Latter can be well aired instead of washed. In long illness watch for bed sores. If found wash with a few drops of listerine in warm water, dry thoroughly and lay linen rag, saturated with vaseline, over sore or reddened place. ,i . Keep sheets and pillows smooth but do not disturb the patient wiih fussiness. , ,„ Hake the meals tempting in appearance. '" Do not whisper, or walk on tiptoe, speak aloud or not at all. Do not allow talking ijj the riext room,Jieard by but unintelligi- ble to the patient. '! V • An iuvajid cannot bear much talki;ig at one time. , , Do not rattle paper or move about unnecessarily. Shut 49Prs and windows softly. Keep all unneeded things out of the room, the less drapery the better. Make every preparation for night early. Do not ''forget some- thing" till the patient is ready to go to sleep. Infection, In such cases the visitor must not go tired or fasting into the sick room. Do not stand in a draught from the bed to a door or fire-place. Do not hang over the bed nor sit too close to the patient. Be fearless and cool. Burn all rags used in contagious diseases. ^,^,^^ Be careful to wash by themselves spoons and dishes used in me sick room. Coal for Grrate. Wrap each piece in paper and they can be laid on with the hands making no noise in the sick room. The Tong-ue. A white fur on the tongue attends simple fever and inflammation. Yellow tongue indicates derangement of the liver, possibly typhoid fever. A vividly red tongue, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the stomach or bowels. A white velvety tongue attends mental diseases. SWIMMING AND BATHING. Do not go into the water for at least an hour after eating. After the first shock of cold a warm glow should come over the body. If it does not, get out of the water. '' ^ Do not stay in a minute after the second chill. There is great danger when the skin turns blue. Do not go into the surf above your waist if you cannot swim. Never stand around in wet clothes till you feel chilly. If you cannot swim and find yourself beyond youi depth don't get rattled. lyie perfectly flat on your back with arms outstretched and, by very slight movements of the hands up and down, you will easily keep afloat. KITCHEN. Very Fat Meat requires more time to cook than lean meat. An Iron Pot with soot on the bottom will boil water quicker than one without. Don't bang the oven door when cake is in, as it makes it heavy. Fresh meat when beginning to sour may be sweetenedb^ placing it out of doors over night. Don't core apples or quinces when making jelly from them." ' Peal oranges easily by starting from the stem end. ' ' ' Do not begin on the stem end in grating nutmegs or they will crumble. To Test Flour, Good flour will hold together when squeezed tightly in the hand. ' Soap. Don't let soap lie in dish water to waste. Sink. Put washing soda dissolved in boiling water in your sink once a week. Don't throw 'water which has much washing powder in it into your sink unless boiling hot, for when cool it will clog the pipes. Spriukle salt on the stove when anything has boiled over. Hot Water Pipes. Never use water from hot water pipes for cooking. Galvanized iron poisons hot water but not cold. Stove Polish. Mix stove polish with strong soap suds, or add a few drops of turpentine to the blacking. To blacken a hot stove add a little sugar to the blacking. Keep stoves clean by rubbing them daily with newspaper. New Iron Kettles. Boil potato skins in them to prevent rust. This will also take oflf burn from iron kettles or agate ware. Rest. Keep an easy chair in your kitchen. Oveiiclotlis. Have plenty of oven cloths made from old calico. Don't use towels for ovencloths. New Iron. New iron should be very gradually heated at first to prevent cracking. Clogged Lamp Burners. Boil them some time in water in which a good-sized lump of saleratus and a little soap has been dissolved. Pie plates that have been long in use are apt to get rancid. Put them in weak lye cold and let it come to a boil. Cutlery. Never put a good knife in hot fat as it destroys the temper of the steel. Do not put ivory handles into hot water. Do not wrap steel knives in woolen cloths, paper is better. Woolen injures steel. Nutmeg" and Cinnamon for sauce should be mixed through the sugar before it is wet. Cheese. Keep cheese in cloth wrung out of cold water. Salt Pork. To freshen, soak in milk. Mackerel. Soak over night in milk and water. Liver. Pour boiling water over liver before frying to take out strong taste. Old Fowl or other tough meat. To make tender put half a cup of vinegar in the water in which it is boiled. Stewed fruit will be sweet with less sugar if it is put in after removing from the fire. Spinach. In boiling, when nearly done drain off hot water and put on cold letting it come again to boiling. Perfect Coffee will be roasted at home; a light brown, not black. Hard Boiled Eg-^s. Cook not less than twenty minutes in water just below the boiling point to prevent tough yolks. Cranberries and lemons can be kept good a long time in cold water. To keep Parsley for winter use, dip it in strong boiling salt and water and dry. Charcoal is recommended as an absorbent of gases in the milk room. To Remove a Glass Stopper. Put on sweet oil and set it in the sun. In Canning' Fruit. Stand the glass jars on a folded towel thoroughly wet with cold water and hot fruit can be put in without breaking the jar. Jelly. In making jelly do a little at a time. The color and flavor are better when the jelly is made in fair weather. But after they are made keep jellies in a dark, cool, dry place. Oatmeal. In making porridge do not put in salt till it has boiled ten minutes. Salt hardens the grains. Sardine Sandwiches. Drain off the oil and lay sardines on soft paper before making sandwiches. Peas and Beans need soft water for boiling. Onions are better in hard water. Salt will harden the water. Meat. To extract juice put meat in cold water without salt. To keep juice in use hot water and salt. To Choose a Fowl. If young the rooster's spurs are short. If old the fowl will have an open vent, it young a close hard one. A hen, if old, has rough legs and comb — smooth ones if young. Radishes with the skins scraped off will be easily digested. Cake. In making cake warm the sugar before putting it to the butter to make it cream. Lard. To cleanse lard heat it to boiling point, skim off the froth, slice an apple into it and cook till done. Currants. To wash currants for cake use warm but not hot water. Rub the currants well with flour before washing. Blanching- Almonds. Drop them in cold water as you take the skins off to keep them white. Do not let them stand long in hot water. Fruit for Cake. Heat fruit for cake before putting it in to keep it from going to the bottom. To Break Ice without loss wrap it in a strong cloth and pound with a mallet. Drawn Butter. Put the butter and flour iu cold water and let it stand some time before heating. Stir while boiling one way only. To Preserve Egg-s. Pack them in dry salt not to touch one another. Custard. In making baked custard warm the milk before adding the sugar and eggs. Pour the hot milk on the beaten eggs, stir well and then return to the double kettle. Meat. Never place meat directly on the ice. Poultry or (xame. Wipe inside and out with a cloth dipped in vinegar. Paring Peaches. Dip them in boiling water then in cold to take the skins off. To Scald Milk. Wet the sauce pan with cold water before put- ting the milk in and it will not easily scorch. In Making Tea. See that the water boils, and has just com- menced to boil, when poured on the tea and put on all that is needed at once. To Test an Oven. Try it with a piece of white paper. If it be- comes a light brown it is right for pastry ; if dark yellow for bread or cake, if black for nothing. Doughnuts— Lard. After frying doughnuts pour the lard into a pan and let it cool. When hard turn it out and scrape off the bot- tom before putting it back into the kettle. Firm Butter without ice. Take a new flower pot, wrap it in a wet cloth and set it over the butter. Anything: Mixed with water requires a hotter oven than th^ same thing mixed with milk. ., A Drippinsi' Tjiu half full of cold water set on the upper grate in the oven will prevent cakes and pies from burning. To Cut New Bread heat the knife and the bread will not crumble. To Boil Potatoes. When the skin breaks pour off the water and let them finish cooking in their own steam. (Travy. A tablespoonful of strong coffee put in white gravy gives a good flavor. In making set the pan off the fire while you stir in the flour. Maccaroiii. Dash cold water over maccaroni after boiling be- fore baking. To Make Pie Crust Flaky. Rub a little flour and butter to- gether and then roll it into the crust. If cake sticks to the pan put a wet cloth around the tin and let it stand a few minutes. , .; Acids will curdle milk but not cream. Boiled Eg'g'S for Slicing-. They should be put in cold water and brought to boiling point. Boil fifteen minutes then take off and stand to cool in same water. Milky (tI asses should be rinsed in clear cold water before they are put in hot suds. Pariug- Pineapples. Wrap a cloth around the top leaves. §tand the fruit on a table and cut the skin downwards holding the top with the left hand, pick out the eyes with a penknife and then slice, or pick up with a silver fork. Do not use same knife for cutting rind and slicing as the acid of the rind is poisonous to some persons. To Beat Eggs. To beat the whites easily add a pinch of vsalt. .Pies. Wash the crust of pies with milk to make them brown ■ ' To Seed Raisins easily pour hot water over them, let them stand a moment then drain off the water. ' Tea, Coffee and Spices should be kept in close cans. Molasses and vinegar iugs should be kept corked. ., Kitchen Sink. Keep a small piece of washing soda in the sink all the time. Once a week, at least, pour hot water in it till the pipes are thoroughly cleaned. . To Detect Lead. The least trace of lead in water may be de- tected by adding a few drops of tincture of cochineal. If any lead is present the water will at once become blue. Canned Goods. Never leave them in the can after it is opened. Turn out at once. Pour off the liquor from salmon and lobster. They are im- pgroved by being rinsed in cold water. :; Canned meats will not keep so long as fresh meat after the can k.opened. To Wash Mica. Put a little vinegar in the water. ,; To Pulverize Salt. Heat it in an oven and roll with a rolling ' ^lien Boiling Onions. Set a cup of vinegar on the stove to boil and it will destroy the odor. To Keep Ivory Handles White. Wash them with a flannel dipped in soap suds, wipe very dry. Dissolve alum in water, boil it and when cold let the handles lie in it for one hour— then brush them well with an old tooth-brush. Next dip a linen towel in cold f water, squeeze it out and wrap it around the handles leaving them to dry gradually. It would injure them to dry rapidly. Lamps. Wipe wicks of lamps. Do not cut them. Breathe in the chimneys and wipe with newspaper. Do not fill lamps quite full. Never fill them when lighted or near a light. Damp Cellar or Pantry. Keep a box of lime in it. Roug'li Hands. When washing them use very little soap, rinse well and dry thoroughly. Keep old gloves to put on when making^ fires. I LAUNDRY. Dish Towels. Boil up with a little ammonia in the water. t)on't injure other clothes by putting them in the general washing. Flat Irons, Wipe them on a cloth wet with kerosene and they will not scorch. Rub with salt if rusty. Scorched Linen. Lay the article in the bright sun. Ironing. Dry the clothes thoroughly before putting them away. Damp towels have been known to produce a skin disease. To Remove Stearin. Use pure alcohol. To Wash Lisle Thread Gloves. Do not use soap. Put a tea? spoonful of ammonia in one quart of water. Dry on the hands. ''''' Fine Lace. Use no starch but put a little fine white sugiir-'iii the rinsing water. Iron lace between two pieces of paper. ''"'' Black Stockings. Wash separate from other clothes if yd'u want them to look well. Lint from white clothes is ruinous *tb black stockings. Gray and Bnff Linen. A tablespoonful of black pepper put in the first water in which gray or buff linen is washed is said to keep the color. Also good for black cambric. (xum Arabic is better than starch for colored linen. Dampeti the fabric with a cloth wet in gum Arabic water, a little at a time, and iron while damp, on either side of goods. To Stiffen Straw Hats. Use gum Arabic water and press with a flatiron. To Clean Angora or other white wool or fur. Make wheat flour very hot and rub through the wool or fur. Pin the garment on a line where the wind will blow out the flour. Stir the flour while heating. To Clean Feathers. Lay them on a plate and scrub gently with a toothbrush dipped in soapsuds. Shake out and dry by a good fire. After perfectly dry curl with a pen knife. Ink Stains in colored goods can be removed by first washing with warm water without soap then dipping in a weak solution of oxalic acid hot, then rinsed in warm water and the spots touched with diluted ammonia. To Press Velvet. Put a wet cloth on a flat-iron and lay the velvet on it right side up. Rub the velvet gently with a dry cloth till the pile is raised. When it is dry brush with a soft brush. Ink Ont of Linen. Put on melted tallow and then wash. . Fruit Stains. Soak in kerosene before wetting with water. To Wash Black Goods. Soak the goods all night in water p'lit on warm with a little borax dissolved in it. In the mornihg "h^tlj^ rtn the line t6' drip and press when nearly dry. '''' GARDEN. Fertilizer. Ashes mixed in soapsuds is good for bushes. A tablespoonful of liquid ammonia to each gallon of water is a good fertilizer. Weak manure water is also good for plants. The pure manure is too strong. Keep the earth moist, not wet. Use tepid water for watering plants. Before spading in the spring sow salt plentifully on the ground if the soil is inclined to be too dry. It will keep it moist. To Kill Grass or Weeds in Paths. Sow salt plentifully over them when they first come up, or use strong brine. Coal Ashes will make a good walk. Seed Beds. Covering small seeds with a black cloth will hasten their germination. Transplanting. Carry the plants in a pail with water in the bottom. Pour water in the hole before setting the plants. To Destroy Weeds. Ten pounds of stone lime, five gallons of water and one pound of flour of sulphur. Mix together and when settled pour off the liquid and put it on the weeds Grapes from Cuttings. Have a box two feet high and two and a half wide, as long as you please. Fill the box half full of well pulverized soil ; prepare the cuttings with three eyes in each one, cut smooth below the bottom one. Place them in slanting posi- tion with the last bud just above the soil. Nail some cheap white cloth tightly over the top of the box. Water with warm water every evening. Place the box in a sunny place. Plant out in a few weeks. To Prune Grape Vines. Cut off half or more of the previous season's growth. Leave the largest canes and shorten these. If any small ones are kept leave three buds only on each cane. Prune early before the vines bleed. Suckers from Apple Trees. Remove them early in the season before the sap runs. Safest Time for Wounding- Trees. All plants that drop their leaves can be transplanted better just when the leaves have faded than at any other time. This is also a good time for pruning or wounding trees and plants. Cucumber Patch. Cut the cucumbers every day. Do not allow one to go to seed if 5^011 want a good crop. Asparagus. Cut large and small shoots every day till the cut- ting season is over. Sunflowers. The stalks and seeds are said to make good fuel. "An acre of sunflowers will furnish fuel for one stove for one year." Pansies. Water well and keep moderately thinned out pulling the weakest plants. Tube-roses. Plant bulbs in old fruit cans without holes in the bottom, keep them warm and wet. When well started set them out in the bed. To Root Cuttings. Put the cutting in a bottle filled with water. Fill around the top of the bottle with cotton. Hang the bottle in a light place but not close to a window. In two or three weeks it will have good roots, then take from the bottle and dip the roots in warm sand until each fibre is coated. Pot in a rich sandy composition spreading the roots gently. Press the soil down above them. Water well and shade them from the sun. Care of Rose Bushes. Roses that bloom more than once in a season should be pruned back after the first blossoming to a strong bud. Never allow seed capsules to mature on the bushes. Commou Elder makes a good ornamental hedge if kept trimmed. Protect Young' Trees, after planting, with a frame which will shade as well as keep them from injury. It is well to wrap the trunks in straw. Bulbs should be taken up on the first bright sunny day after the frost has withered the stalks. Let them dry in the sun for a few hours then cut the stalks to within a few inches of the bulb and put each kind in a separate paper bag, marking them with the name. Creraniums and Salvias can be kept all winter by shaking off the dirt from the roots and hanging them, upside down, to the beams in the cellar. In the spring cut them down almost to the roots and set them out. House plants require plenty of fresh air and freedom from dust. It is safe to open windows when the mercury is over 30° out of doors. All plants need some rest and those for the house should be potted early in September and kept in a dark place, with little watering, until the middle of October. After this give them all the sun and light you can. When dry give them water but do not keep them soaked. Temperature for House plants should average from 60° to 70° in the day time and about 50° at night. Plants require moist air and it is well to keep a can of water on the stove in a room where they are. Water with warm water. If plants seem sickly give them fresh soil. "Small pots make quick bloom." House plants need more water after January than before. Keep the pots clean on the outside. To fill a Window Box. Put in first an inch or two of broken pots, cover this with moss and then with good earth. Frozen Plants. Set in a dark place and shower with cold water till the frost is out. Charcoal mixed with the soil is good for plants. Soaked Earth for house plants may cause malaria in the house. Don't water plants when the sun is shining on them. One hour of morning sun is worth two in the afternoon. Turn the plants frequently to insure symmetrical growth. Mignonette for the house. Sow the seed in pots in September and let plants grow till just ready to bloom then transplant to a window box. For soil in the box use three parts loam, one part manure, one part leaf mold. Apply water in the mornings. Shade from the sun in the middle of the day. Sponge for Ornament. Take a large sponge and soak it well in warm water. Squeeze it half dry and scatter seed of any small vine or plant in the openings. Hang the sponge near a window and sprinkle it with water every morning. Sweet Potato Vine. Cut off one end of a sweet potato and lay the potato in a dish with enough water to wet the under part. Set it in a warm dark place until sprouts start, pinch oflF all but two or three and hang up in a sunny place. To Keep Cut Flowers. Put a pinch of salt in the water in which they are. They can be kept a long while by laying them every evening in a shallow bowl with their stems in a little water and the whole covered with a damp towel. Cut the stems off a little each day. To Keep Cut Flowers Fresh add a little carbonate of soda to the water in the vases. Apple Trees. Paint the trunk with soft soap and sulphur to destroy worms and improve fruit. Five gallons of soap to one of sulphur. Put on with white wash brush. Red Spiders. Keep a saucer of water among the pots. Sponges filled with water and placed in the branches of large plants will drive away red spiders. Lime Water applied once or twice a week will destroy worms in pots. It may also be used for oprinkling the foliage to remove insects. Currant Worms. Apply salt water with a syringe when the worms have begun to destroy the leaves. Do this in dry weather as a rain would dilute the salt. The salt water must not be strong enough to kill the leaves. For Rose Blight. Equal quantities of sulphur and tobacco sprinkled over bushes when the dew is on. Also, decoction of elder leaves applied with syringe. This will also prevent fungi. To Kill Bugs on Vines. Dissolve a tablespoonful of saltpetre in a pailful of water and sprinkle on vines. Cucumber Vines. Cover the hills with split cotton-batting until the plants are up to keep oflf bugs. Quince Bush. Bandage the stem with two or three wrappings of cloth as far down as possible and pack earth about two inches around the bandage, renew each spring. Earwigs. Make tubes, three or four inches in length, of elder. Plug up one end, hang the tube on a stick close to the infected plant, open end downwards. In the morning remove the tube and destroy the insects in it with boiling water. GENERAL INFORMATION. Light Oas or Candle by holding the match to one side, not over the orifice or wick. Hold it higher than the mouth when blowing it out. To Make Wood Fire-Proof. Soak in skim milk and brine. Clean Furs with warm bran. Remove Match Marks from Wood by rubbing with lemon.