| | : Street at Oak (UNCLASSIFIED & )70% BULLETIN OF THE American School of Home Economics PUBLISHED QUARTERLY AND ENTERED -AT CHICAGO AS SECOND- CLASS MATTER, UNDER ACT OF CONGRESS OF JULY 16, 1894 Seriss | SEPTEMBER, 1908 No. 11 THE UP-TO-DATE HOME MONEY AND LABOR SAVING APPLIANCES CHICAGO 606 WEST SIXTY-NINTH STREET ILLINOIS NEW ENGLAND KITCHEN OF THE OLDEN TIME THE UP-TO-DATE HOME LABOR AND MONEY-SAVING APPLIANCES HE up-to-date home is manifestly one which is managed by an up-to-date home-maker. While the average home of to- day in point of convenience is a great advance over that of our grandmothers’ time, housekeeping in general is, undeniably, a belated industry. As stated in the preface of the Library of Home Economics, “It is realized that the business of housekeeping has not kept pace with the tremendous advancement in other lines of human endeavor, that the wonderful discoveries in science and developments in the arts only slowly and partially have been applied to the problems of personal health and home life.”’ It is the purpose of the home-study courses of this School, which are now embodied in‘the Library, to enable home-makers to become up to date in their own homes. As one of our students expresses it, ““ Many of us have missed knowing of the great strides that systematized knowl- edge dealing with home-making has made in the last ten years. Such knowledge is rapidly creeping into schools and colleges, but too late for us — and we don’t want to be left behind by school girls.” The books contain about 3,000 pages, and although to get three meals a day and keep things clean seems a simple matter, the new “Profession of Home-Making” is a rather inclusive subject, which cannot well be condensed further without sacrificing completeness. All twelve of the volumes are concerned chiefly with the saving of money and labor, except for the even more important problems of healthful living and the care and training of children. There are other good books — our Circulating Library Department contains about four hundred, but the Library of Home Economics is the only attempt to cover the whole subject of up-to-date home-making in a systematic way. It is the purpose of this bulletin to describe only a few of the household appliances recently put on the market. ‘The point of view is that of the comfortable American home such as is described in Volume I, The House, Its Plan, Decoration, and Care. ‘This house would have modern plumbing, lighting, and heating systems, as described in detail in Volume III, Household Hygiene. 3 The house itself is the greatest factor. We do not always realize to what extent the average American home is superior to that of any other country in convenience and in the saving of labor. Even the ordinary kitchen range is by no means common in Eng- land, and the high cost of fuel in some European countries makes it necessary to depend upon public ovens to a considerable extent. This, however, may simplify housekeeping, as more food prepared outside the home is used. UBRABY LIBRARY VHOME vHOME ECONGRES fconoMEG E f08?!* House? wy bree THE LIBRARY OF HOME ECONOMICS The farm home may now have nearly all modern conveniences at moderate expense. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 270, Modern Con- veniences for the Farm Home, gives general estimates of cost of such important conveniences as running water and simple sewerage systems. ‘There is a suggestive article on the subject in the Report of the Illinois Domestic Science Association for 1907. The Health- ful Farmhouse tells how an inconvenient farmhouse was converted into a convenient, attractive home at small expense. HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES The advisability of purchasing certain utensils is discussed in Volume VII, Household Management, pages 102-113 and page 195, but it may be well to consider a few general principles here. 4 Any household appliance should save more time and labor than it takes to adjust it and clean it after use. There is doubtful economy in using a meat grinder in making hash for two. An appliance should be used sufficiently often to save more time and trouble than it gives. A special turkey roaster used only two or three times a year is not a profitable investment; when storage space is limited, its room is worth more than its company. Many utensils and appliances which prove excellent investments in a large family are not so in a small family—the greater the number the greater is the utility of labor-saving appliances. ‘The purchase of eny utensil should be made to fill real want and not because of the ,alluring advertisements or fascinating demonstrations. Ap- pliances should simplify, not complicate, but it must be remembered that it usually takes more skill, more brain work to use any appliance successfully than to continue with old-time methods. The auto- matic home is not a future possibility. Household appliances have been invented in nearly all cases by men to sell. Many of them are worse than useless, but more are excellent in their right place. As time goes on, family living will rely more and more on labor-saving household appliances. ‘The manufacturer and farmer cannot afford to be without the latest and best labor-saving devices. Competition and the high cost of labor forces this condition. Outside household labor is also expensive and hard to obtain, but as there is no money value placed on the housekeeper’s time, many women drudge along with no conveniences and broken-down, worn-out appliances. ‘The initial expense often prevents the purchase of appliances for the household, but one that is really needed should be considered as an investment. The manufacturer charges the cost of a new machine to “plant” and distributes the expense along a term of years, as interest and depre- ciation. ‘The same view should be taken of an investment for household appliances. For example, the expense of a washing machine costing $10.00, which might be expected to last for ten years, should be reckoned as interest on the investment, say 60 cents a year, and 10 per cent for depreciation, or $1.00, so that the yearly cost might be properly considered to be $1.60. In whatever way the expense may be considered, a convenience or appliance which saves the homekeeper laborious work or gives time for out-of-door life and recreation is a better investment than doctor’s bills and rest cures. KITCHEN APPLIANCES The greater part of the work of the household still centers in the kitchen in the preparation of the food and the washing of the dishes. Fireless Cookers A Norwegian cooking box is illustrated on page 13 of Principles of Cookery, and in the supplement in the same volume, page 152, an extract is given from the consular report which stimulated all the present interest in fireless cooking. Full directions are given also for making and using a fireless cooker. The principle of operation of these cookers is an old one. It is simply to retain the heat in the food itself and in the water, obtained by the preliminary boiling. Cooking operations use little or no heat in the sense that heat is used in raising the temperature of water or in keeping it boiling, so that if the heat can be prevented from escaping, the changes of cooking will take place without the addition of more heat. As stated on page 13, Chemistry of the Household, ‘Water has a much greater capacity for absorbing heat than any other common substance. For example, one pound of water will absorb ten times as much heat in being raised one degree Fahrenheit as one pound of iron.” Elsewhere in this volume and in Principles of Cookery, cooking below the boiling point is recom- mended, especially for tough meat and eggs. Starch begins to cook at 150°-185° F. In the experiments made by Miss Sprague, described in the Bulletin, “A Precise Method of Roasting Beef,” it was found that the interior of a “‘rare”’ roast reaches only 148° F., and a well-done roast 174° F. The coagulating temperature of proteid is about 170° F. Consequently it is apparent that nearly all cooking may be done at a less temperature than the boiling point of water, 212° F. Of course it requires the high temperature of the oven or griddle to produce the flavor and brown crust of bread, cake, and meat. Not everything can be cooked satisfactorily in the fireless cookstove — only the things that are usually cooked in water. However, some of the manufacturers now furnish their cookers with metal or soapstone plates which may be heated to'a high temperature so that baking can be done in them. It is especially important that the vessels used be tightly covered, for water as steam or vapor carries away a large quantity of heat as latent heat. (See Chemistry of the Household, pages 12, 138, and 152.) Naturally, the greater quantity of boiling water, the more 6 heat there.is to be retained and the longer the heat is kept up to the cooking temperature. ‘The preliminary boiling must be continued sufficiently long for the food to be heated through, otherwise the cooler interior of the food will reduce the temperature of the water below the cooking point. ‘The time required varies from about five minutes, for small vegetables and grains, to half an hour or longer, for a ham or large piece of meat. It is sometimes advisable to reheat to the boiling temperature, three or four hours after the first heating, when very long cooking is required. If there is consid- erable water present, foods will remain sufficiently hot for serving in five to eight hours. When food is left in the cooker over night, it is usually necessary to reheat before serving. COOKERETTE NO. 1 Contains 9-quart Granite Kettle, 3-quart Dish and Ware Basket Price, $3,95 In some experiments made by Miss Bertha M. Terrill on ‘fire- less cooking at the University of Chicago, it was found that the gas consumption for the preliminary boiling was as follows: Oatmeal 2 cups Ete Oi: £ cu. ft. Beets 6 Lia It ent Stew (lamb) 2 \bs. bs a es Ham ast ous ae ae Further experiments showed that the “simmering” temperature could be kept up with a consumption of about 2 cu. ft. of gas per hour. For “just boiling” from 3 to 4 cu. ft. per hour was required. These figures allow an estimate to be made of the saving in fuel by the use of a fireless cooker. For example, the 5 lb. ham cooked entirely on the gas stove would require 2 cu. ft. of gas to heat the water and boil it 30 minutes, and about 6 cu. ft. to boil it slowly is for two hours — total 8 cu. ft. Cooked with the aid of the fireless cooker, the gas consumption would be 2 cu. ft., or only one-fourth as much. To boil the lamb stew 15 minutes and keep it at simmering tem- perature an hour would require 3 cu. ft. of gas; cooked in the fire- less cooker, 1 cu. ft., or one-third. These figures represent the minimum saying, with gas used carefully. In the same series of experiments, it was found that the double burner of the gas stove turned on full consumed gas at about the rate of 30 cu. ft. per hour, and the inner jet at 17 cu. ft. per hour. As the gas is often left turned on full when cooking, the saving in most cases would probably be more than two-thirds or three-fourths. The great advantages of fireless cook- ing are the saving of time and attention, prevention of over-cooking and burning, and hot foods ready when wanted. ‘The D Te Cooker of ‘ Indurated Fiber.” Contains 8-quart : pail and 2quart dish. disadvantages are that the cooking has to Price, $6.50 ee be started two or three hours before the foods are served, so that more forethought is needed. There are a great many of these fireless cookers now on the market, as may be noted from the advertisements in the magazines. They give a little better results than home-made cookers, because of better construction, better packing material, and especially adapted utensils. ‘The heat insulating mate- rial most commonly used is_ hair felt, granulated cork, and the waste from the manufacture of sponges. Because of their compactness, the factory-made cookers are more con- venient than home-made cookers. The insulation will keep out heat as well as retain it and so the cookers may be used as ice-cream freezers. The most common style is the bench type with two or three com- partments. ‘The “Hallock” and the F en Hot Dinner Pail. ‘‘Indurated Caloric” cookers are examples Fiber.” Price, $3.00 8 of this type. The other type is cylindrical with vessels placed one on top of another and usually made entirely of metal. Representatives of this type are -the “Cookerette,” the “Seely Cooker,” and that made by the Republic Metal Ware Company. The U.S. Cooker is made of “indurated fiber” — papier-maché,— the container being solid and made entirely of this material. Home-Made Fireless Cookers A fireless cooker which will save time and fuel may be improvised ‘at home without difficulty. A deep box with cover, or a small trunk, may be used and for packing, any non-conducting material HALLOCK FIRELESS COOKER Two 9-quart Pails and 4-quart Dish of Enameled Ware ; Wire Basket Price, $9.00 will serve, such as fine hay, excelsior, feathers, sawdust, or even crumpled newspaper. It is best, as described by Miss Barrows, in Principles of Cookery, to use bags or pillow ticks for holding the packing material. An excellent cooker may be-made very easily from a sugar barrel and excelsior. ‘They have been made in a number of domes- tic science schools and are used for cooking all hams, tongues, etc., and for making soup stock for the lunch rooms at Chautauqua. After loosening clean excelsior, pack about eight inches firmly in the bottom of the barrel. Place a fifteen to twenty quart pail in the center and pack excelsior very firmly all around, even with the top. A sack of bed ticking filled with excelsior or other material to place over the top completes the cooker. ‘The excelsior mats so well that the pail may be removed a large number of times and replaced without the necessity of repacking. The pail should have a tight cover— the tighter the better. One or two shallow dishes with or without covers could be placed in the larger pail, supported by a wire stand, so that the cooker could be used for several things at the same time. il | A flour barrel would serve equally well | ee ||| \)) for making a smaller cooker containing (Cerra) a, ten or twelve quart pail. One of our students reports making a very successful cooker in a corner of the in rm window box in her kitchen. All fireless “IDEAL” STEAM cookers must be. opened for airing and COOKER No. 40. : 3 Price, $6.65 drying, otherwise they become musty. Steam Cookers A good steam cooker is a useful appliance, especially after one gets into the habit of using it. Both the cylindrical type and the square type with doors are illustrated in Principles of Cookery. Tests made with one of the square cookers — the Ideal — showed that fuel economy with gas amounted to about one-third, in com- parison to using separate dishes for the things cooked. There would have been a greater saving but for the fact that about one- fifth more time is required to cook by steam than by boiling in water. A very ingenious appliance is the Culver Steam Cooker. It is of the cylindrical type and has an outside reservoir which contains the reserve water supply, which is fed in automatically as needed. There is a water-sealed cover and the steam passes down an outside 10 tube and bubbles up through the water reservoir in plain sight. As the rate of operation can be seen by the number of bubbles appearing, the gas consumption can be regulated to anicety. It was found that with a gas consumption of only three feet an hour, the cooker could be operated successfully. The reserve supply of water enables this cooker to be run for four or five hours without attention, or even over night, if run very slowly. ® i in iy r fz | | {| Ma) aT T Has ll HH! L H WT | | NN a | \® HA 1} Ww ati | \ rt \ i) CULVER STEAM COOKER W, Boiling water, 2 cups; R, Reservoir; A, Water seal for cover; I,!Tube for steam which bubbles up through water in R.OPrice, $4. 50 Steam cooking is particularly good for sweet-flavored vegetables, tough meat, fish, and so on. The advantages of steam cooking are that there is no danger of burning, fuel economy, and long, thorough cooking. Meats shrink in volume much less than when boiled or roasted. ‘The juices extracted in steaming meat, chicken, and fish make especially delicious broths. 11 ‘The Buffalo Steam Cereal Cooker is an excellent appliance. It is made in aluminum as well as in tin and has an egg poacher arrangement and other devices. Small Ovens Fuel ecouomy is discussed in the supplement of Principles of Cookery and the comparative value of fuels is given in Chemistry of the Household, page 28. The Fireless Cooker and Steam Cooker are both fuel savers. ‘There remains to be mentioned a small portable oven, like the “Lady Elgin Oven,” for use on top of gas, gaso- line, or aleohol stove. When there is much baking to be done there is no economy in using such small ovens rather than the large oven of the gas stove, but for baking one or two dishes only, there is considerable fuel economy. With this anil oven the gas consumption for baking pan of muffins was 1 cu. ft. for heating the oven, and 8 cu. ft. for bak- LADY ELGIN OVEN ing twenty minutes. With FE ae 1, Inside measure, 12x12 inches. Price, $1.50° gas at $1.00 per thousand cu. ft. the cost was 0.4 cents. The gas consumed in the large oven of the gas stove was 4 cu. ft. for heating the oven, and 73 cu. ft. for baking twenty minutes. With gas at the same price, the cost was 1.15 cents or nearly three times as much as in the small oven. A chemical thermometer can easily be inserted through the top of these sheet iron ovens and the _ tem- perature can be regulated so that the tendencies of these small ovens to burn can be overcome. Bread Toasters The saving of gas by using one a of the small bread toasters rather Gas Bread Toaster. Price, 25 cts. 12 than the oven or broiler of the gas stove is considerable, and the toast is more quickly made and better. The coffee may be boiled on the top while toasting bread. EFFICIENCY IN HEATING WATER WITH GAS Some very interesting experiments have been made by Pro- fessor Judson C. Dickerman, of the University of Wisconsin, on the efficiency in the use of gas for heating water. The full result may be published in a bulletin of the University. He has kindly con- sented to give us some of the preliminary figures. The experiments were made by heating two pounds of water to 200° F. in covered dishes of various sizes and materials and meas- uring the gas consumed. Knowing the heat units of the gas and the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of the water, the percentage of heat produced which was communicated to the water was easily calculated. ‘The following are some of the results: EFFICIENCY IN Heating WATER Burner Tin Dish Aluminum Blue Enamel White Enamel 64m. Diam. 641n. Diam. 6% in. Diam. 11 in. Diam. 5} in. Diam., 28.2% 30.1% 29.7% 40.5% 32 in. Diam., BEDS es, RUA se nS eae ays ahe 45.5% Banseti burner ie. ot Se ee 88.3% 52.0% In these experiments the gas was burned in the 54-inch burner at the rate of 22 feet per hour; in the 3#-inch burner at the rate of 18.5 feet per hour, and in the Bunsen burner at the rate of 16 feet per hour. ‘This was with the gas turned on full (but not with the flame streaming around the sides of the dish). When the flame was turned down about one-half and the water heated more slowly, it was found that the efficiency in all cases was some- what less. It is apparent that the material of which the utensil is con- structed made very little difference in these experiments. One would suppose that the tin and aluminum dishes would give some- what higher efficiency than the enameled ware, but this did not seem to be the case. It was found that an old rusty dish, and one that was somewhat coated with the deposit from hard water, gave about the same results as a clean dish. Using a new, bright tin dish, the efficiency was somewhat less than when the bottom became colored by the flame. Leaving off the cover of the dish decreased the efficiency about 10 per cent. 13 The determining factor seemed to be the relation of the diameter of the flame to that of the dish — the greater the diameter of the dish in comparison to that of the gas burner the higher the efficiency. This suggests that it costs less to heat the water for dish washing in a covered dish pan than in the tea kettle; that it is more econom- ical to use the small single burners on the gas stove than the wide double burner. It would reduce gas consumption if gas stoves were made with two or three small, straight tube burners like the ‘““simmerer”’ burner, instead of one. ‘The wide type of burners are used so that the heat will not be concentrated in one spot, which AN INSTANTANEOUS HOT WATER HEATER would give a tendency to burn foods, and also that the dish may be placed near the burner. The common type of “mushroom” burners, constructed so as to spread the flame, such as are com- monly used in cooking school laboratories, are not as economical as a plain Bunsen burner. Varying the mixture of gas and air at the burner seems to have no apparent effect on the efficiency. Other experiments were made in heating water with the “Cres- cent” Instantaneous Water Heater, in which the products of com- bustion come in contact with the water. It was found that\‘the efficiency varied between 75 per cent and 90 per cent.” * With WZ NS ROTARY TYPE OF WASHER Piston Water Motor Attached A dozen or more different kinds of washing machines may be seen in any department store, and usually hardware and general merchandise stores have two or three kinds on sale. The most common type is the “rotary” washer — a wooden tub on legs with the bottom larger than the top. The bottom and sides are corrugated. ‘There is a shaft in the center, at the bottom of which is a wooden disc with four prongs — the so-called “milk- stool’”’ arrangement. ‘This presses against the clothes, and by the mechanism on top is twisted half way or more around in one direction, then reversed and turned the other way. The clothes move at the same time and rub against the corrugated bottom and sides. When the motion is reversed, the water has a tendency to force through the clothes. 31 The mechanism for making this twisting motion and the re- verse constitutes the variety in this type of washing machine, the most common method being by means of a crank on a fly wheel. This type of machine costs from $4.50 to $8.00. The “Syracuse Easy” machine is an adaptation of the old- fashioned pounding barrel for washing clothes. ‘There is a cone- shaped plunger which is moved up and down in the galvanized iron tub, and so forces and draws the water through the clothes. The makers of this machine have an attachment for “set tubs” working on the same principles. It is rather slow in its action. Hand Machine Electric Machine PARAGON WASHING MACHINES Cylinder type, all metal, sheet iron galvanized Another manufactures a cone-shaped arrangement on the énd of a stick. It keeps the hands out of the water and is used in any wash tub or pail. It costs $2.50 made entirely of copper. Then there is the type of machine half cylinder in shape, with a rocking motion of the half circle framework of slats which rubs and squeezes the clothes. The steam laundries use cylinder machines, one cylinder inside the other, the inside cylinder being perforated or being made of slats of wood. ‘The revolving of the inside cylinder lifts the clothes up and drops them back into the hot, soapy water. ‘There are two or three different makes of household machines made on this prin- ciple. They cost $10.00 or $12.00. Running a hand machine is a good deal easier than scrubbing on a washboard; moreover, boy or man power may be used. 32 A number of washing machines are made to run by power. The simplest arrangement is a piston water motor, which gives simply a forward and back motion and is applied directly to the rotary type of washers. These motors require at least 25 pounds of water pressure to operate them success- fully. The motor is attached to the water faucet by a length of hose. One make is stated to use 240 gallons of water per hour. The motor alone costs about $12.00, and with the whole washing machine, from $15.00 to $18.00. A number of manufacturers supply washing machines operated by an electric motor. ‘The clothes wringer is also at- tached so that the clothes may be both washed and wrung by the machine. The “1900 Washer,” electrically operated, with wringer, costs $54.00 furnished with direct current motor, and $60.00 with alternating Driven current motor. The “Paragon”? Washer with electric motor for washing and wringing complete costs $60.00 for the direct current A Washing Device for the Wash Boiler outfit, and $75.00 with an alternating current motor. The “‘Para- gon” machine is made in larger size for hotels and institutions. We have tested the “Paragon” hand machine for the past six months and find that it does excellent work. More intelligence is 33 required to use a washing machine successfully than to scrub the clothes in the old way on a washboard. The method for washing white clothes with the kerosene or paraffine boil,is described in Chemistry of the Household, page 130. A sketch of the apparatus illustrated was given us by Professor Sheppard, of the University of Minnesota, author of Laundry Work. It fits in the bottom of the wash boiler and the formation of steam forces the water up the spouts, over and through the clothes. We have not had the apparatus made. A tinsmith stated that it would cost about $2.50 to make the apparatus. IRONING _ The old-fashioned flat iron with attached handle is gradually giving way to the “Potts” iron with detachable wooden handle. SPECIAL IRON HEATERS Made by the Kalamazoo Stove Co. Price, about $2.50 These are heated on the stove or over the gas flame, like the older style flat iron. It is often convenient to have a small one-burner gas stove which may be placed at the side of the ironing table or ironing board. The Kalamazoo Stove Company makes a special heater for‘irons which may be attached to their gas ranges or is sold separately. it doubtless saves some gas. 34 Electric Irons More electric heated flat irons are used than any other electric household appliance. Those using them are very enthusiastic in their praise. It is stated that the ironing can be done in about half the ‘time ordinarily re- quired. As in all self-heated irons, the polishing surface is kept clean, and as the heat is supplied constantly, no time is lost in changing irons. — A’ six pound electric flat iron requires about 250 watts an hour (one-fourth a kilo- watt) when the electricity is on all the time. In ironing deli- cate pieces it is necessary to shut off the current to prevent the iron growing too hot. This can be done instantly with the electric iron and turned {on again instantly, which is the great advantage of electrically heated irons. One of our members reports that the use of the electric iron adds about $1.50 per month to the electric light bill and saves about 75 cents on the gas bill. This is in a family of five with two small children,with electricity at 13 cents a kilowatt hour, all the laundry work done at home. General Electric Company Flat Iron on Stand. Price, $3.50 to $5.00 Gasoline and Alcohol Irons The advantage of the gasoline and alcohol self-heated iron is the same as the electric iron; no time is lost in changing irons and the heat can be regulated. | We have tested the Hawkes gasoline iron and find that it does excellent and rapid work, especially for large pieces. For fine work the iron is apt to become too hot. On a rough test, the cost of fuel with gasoline at 16 cents a gallon is about half that for accomplishing the same work with flat irons heated on the gas stove — gas at $1.00 per 1,000 cubic feet. It requires about five minutes to heat up the gas generating apparatus. ‘The Hawkes iron is also fitted so that aleohol may be used; in fact the manufacturers are now furnishing nearly all the irons with alcohol 35 burners, as they found that certain grades of gasoline gave trouble in burning. The small tank holding the gasoline or alcohol sup- ply is very strongly made, and we do not think the gasoline or alcohol iron is dangerous in intelligent hands. Alcohol irons work on the same principle as the gasoline iron, though they must have a differently constructed burner, because HAWKES’ GASOLINE OR ALCOHOL IRON Price, $5.00 the alcohol must be burned more rapidly than gasoline to keep up the required temperature. An iron will burn a pint of alcohol in three to four hours and so costs two or three cents an hour to operate. ‘The small alcohol irons for pressing are convenient for small work. Gas Irons Large-size, self-heated gas irons are very commonly used by tailors for pressing, but not often used for the family ironing. Their disadvantage is the rubber tube for supplying the gas. If a light weight rubber tube is used, it is but little more inconvenient than the cord of ‘the electric iron. They are made with two polishing surfaces and arranged to turn so that first one and then the other side may be used. We have not tested this style of iron. They cost $4.00. ; Mangles The reason that flat work is so much cheaper than fancy laun- dry is that the ironing is done on the ironing machine or mangle, usually a hot mangle. 36 If the laundry work is not sent out, a mangle is a good invest- ment for a large household, boarding house, or institution. The cold mangles are less expensive than the gas heated mangles. The damp clothes are folded and passed through the rolls of the mangle under considerable pressure, once through for every fold. With a cold mangle the flat work must be dried afterwards. This is a slow process. We have known of napkins being furnished to ALCOHOL IRON, GERMAN DESIGN Sold by The Alcohol Utility Co., New York. Small size, $3.50; large size, $5.00 the guests in hotels and boarding houses before they were quite dry! Itis stated that the cold mangle is easier on the cloth than the hot mangle or ironing. The hot mangles are heated either by gas, gasoline, or electricity. The clothes are finished as dry as in ordinary ironing, and in very much less time. Particularly good work can be done on table linen with a hot mangle, provided care is used. One disadvantage of the mangle, hot or cold, is that it takes two persons to operate the hand machine successfully. ‘The large machines are run by power. 37 GAS-HEATED ITRONING MACHINE Size, 37inches, Price, $40.00. With Electric Motor, $100 4 : SMALL HEATED HAND MANGLE $1ze,24 nches. Price $22.00. Made by American Ironing Machine Co., Chicago SS aS = oe ©, A 2a) Bg! a HE My; ps Hi Wi, Ws Li Wea LY YL A COLD MANGLE Made by American Wringer Co. Price, $6.75 A DRY ROOM A very great convenience, especially in the winter, is a dry room near the laundry. ‘This is easily arranged for in a new house, or sometimes in an old one. If furnace heat is available, one of the hot air pipes may be turned into the room. Provision must be made for an outlet, preferably near the bottom of the room. If steam or hot water system is used, a radiator can be placed in the dry room. If it is placed on the floor, the outlet should be high up on the opposite side and there should be an inlet near the radiator. The dry room makes the laundry work independent of rainy days and saves dangerous exposure in cold weather. 39 POWER}IN, THE, HOME The up-to-date home should have some sort of mechanical power available. When the house is wired for electricity, the small electric motors can be applied to all sorts of mechanical operations, and the power taken from any electric light socket. ‘The first cost of an electric motor is considerable, but the electric current for power is cheap and easily controlled. It only requires about the same amount of electric current to operate a ;!; horse-power motor as for a 16 candle-power incandescent lamp, i.e., 50 watts per hour. Electric Motors An electric motor applied to the sewing machine is a very great help, especially if much sewing is done. A ;!; horse-power motor **GENERAL ELECTRIC” SEWING MACHINE MOTOR AND ATTACHMENTS and attachment can be put on for about $10.00 with direct current, and $12.00 with alternating current. ‘The motor is started, stopped, and the speed regulated, by a touch of the foot on the treadle. A -}> horse-power motor for running a washing machine and the like costs about $25.00. It will use about 60 watts per hour. The local electric light company will give more definite figures. A motor with silver polishing buffer and grinding wheels costs 40 | $12.00. The electric fans are, of course, quite commonly used. There seems no reason why the buffing wheel might not replace the fan of the fan motor. Water Motors The rotary water motors are less expensive than electric motors but they cannot be operated successfully unless the water pressure is at least 35 pounds per sq. inch. If the water is metered, the cost of running is usually higher than for an electric motor of the same power. A small water motor with}, polishing and grinding wheels costs $3.00, and a larger one for a wash- ing machine, $5.00. 41 ROTARY WATER MOTOR VACUUM CLEANING The up-to-date home of the future will, without doubt, be sup- plied with a pneumatic cleaning outfit. Perhaps vacuum pipes may be laid in the streets with a pipe leading to each house and branch pipes for each room. When the room is to be cleaned, it will be necessary only to attach a hose with a nozzle and turn a valve. On applying the nozzle to the rugs and furnishings, all dirt, dust, germs, and insect eggs will be sucked out and away! Be that as ‘* INVINCIBLE” PORTABLE VACUUM CLEANER For Residences, Small Hotels, Clubs, Hospitals, ete. Made of Aluminum Weight, 115 lbs.; Price, $265 it may, there are now on the market various vacuum cleaning apparatuses ranging in price from $15.00 for a hand device to $1,000 for individual equipment for a large house. We have investigated one or two of the low-priced machines, and hesitate to recommend them. ‘They are not sufficiently powerful to do much more than remove surface dirt. An electrically driven portable machine costing $265 does excellent work. The individual equipments for a house with a plant in the basement are thoroughly satisfactory. The plant is automatic in its action, it 42 being necessary only to open the valve to start the air pump working. Up to the present, a plant for a twenty-room house, installed with a pipe for each room, costs in the neighborhood of $1,000. One of the companies is planning to put on the market an installation which will cost about $500, for a twelve-room house. While even this is beyond the means of those in moderate circumstances, prices will undoubtedly be reduced somewhat as time goes on, so that all houses costing from $10,000 up will be equipped with vacuum cleaning plants. In the meantime we will continue to use the well established carpet sweeper. In a large household, the vacuum cleaning system is stated to do away with the services of one maid. If this is true, it would amount to a saving of approximately $250 a year, which would represent an Investment of $2,500 at 10 per cent. THE DUSTLESS DUSTER To come down to something that we can all afford, mention may be made of the Howard Dustless Dust Cloth. Price, a yard square, 25 cents postpaid. It is simply a good grade of cheese cloth which has been treated with some substance which holds the dust.” We suspect that the oil-treatment is similar to that used in dyeing Turkey red on cotton. At any rate, the oily substance is fixed on the fiber so that the dust cloth may be washed in soap and water after being used and still holds its dust-retaining properties. The cloth is not “greasy” but gives'a good polish to wood-work, glass, ete. It may be used to advantage over a broom in sweeping walls and hardwood floors. A STOCKING DARNER The sewing machine manufacturers supply more appliances for the sewing machine than are generally used. Mrs. Maynard has invented one that re- duces the labor of darning. Darning table cloths and the like on a sewing machine with the help of an embroidery hoop is spoken of in Textiles and Clothing, page 158. The Dorcas Darner carries this quick | method of repair a step further by THE DORCAS SEWING enabling one to darn stockings on the Bre Snags Vase Salt sewing machine. The darner is simply 43 a metal ring with ,hooks on one edge and wires on the other. The darner is placed in the stocking with the hole in the center of the darner, the material caught on the hooks, so as to keep the goods tight around the hole, and the remainder of the stocking is held out of the way by the wires. A double-thread sewing machine must be used. ‘The presser- foot is taken off, the machine is threaded with fine thread, No. 120, the darner with the stocking is placed under the needle, and stitching is done, backward and forward across the hole. A large hole can be darned very quickly in this way on the macnine and much time saved. Moreover, stockings so far gone that it would be a foolish waste of time to try to darn them by hand can be kept in commission with the help of the Dorcas Darner and the machine. ‘The darner is too large to be used well in the toes of thick stockings of small children. The price is 55 cents postpaid. THESJTUNGSTEN LAMP A recent development in electric lighting is an incandescent lamp having a filament of the oxides of tungsten, in place of the usual carbon filament. ‘They give much more light for the cur- rent used; a 32 candle-power tungsten lamp requires 40 watts per hour, while a 16 candle-power old style lamp takes 55 watts. A 20 candle-power tungsten lamp uses 25 watts. They can be used best in a vertical pendent position, and when the lights are turned on by a wall switch, for the filament is easily broken. The 40-watt lamps cost about $1.00, and 25-watt lamps 75 cents. They have about the same “life” as a carbon filament lamp — 1,000 lighting hours. Experiments are now being made on a new “helium” lamp, which may be even better than the tungsten lamp. With these high power lamps, it is customary to use globes of ‘“Holophane”’ glass. These are prism shades and distribute the light where it is wanted. MISCELLANEOUS Many household appliances have not been mentioned, espe- cially small devices for the kitchen. See Household Management, page 105, and 195, and Principles of Cookery, page 161. Jtchen cabinets are too common to need more than a passing mention. They are especially useful in a large, poorly arranged kitchen. In prices they range from $10.00 to $40.00 or more. Some of the 44 larger kitchen cabinets seem to be overloaded with a multiplicity of cunning devices. We have been asked by a number of our members to name the best refrigerator. We don’t know. All the reputable manufac- turers make thoroughly good refrigerators. As to quality, you usually get what you pay for. We have had several inquiries for pastry bags used in cake deco- rating, for potato, mayonnaise, etc. These consist of a rubber bag with nozzles having various shaped openings. A set of twelve and the rubber bag costs $1.50; the bag alone 60 cents and the tubes 10 to 15 cents each ‘Timbale irons cost about $1.00 each, and rosette irons 50 cents for a set of two. Mention might have been made of window cleaners, mop wringers, garbage incinerators, ash sifters, and so on indefinitely. Further details in regard to Household Appliances will be sent on request to members of the School, or to others if stamps are en- closed. If not obtainable locally, appliances may be obtained through the Purchasing Department of the School. BIBLIOGRAPHY The following books and pamphlets may be borrowed by members of the School, one at a time, if postage is sent with request. THE FIRELESS COOKER — How to Make It, How to Use It, What to Cook, by Lovewell et al. 210 pages, illustrated. Price, $1.00, postage 10ce. FIRELESS COOKERY. 10 lessons; Cook Book; 10 Menus; Time Card. By Mrs. S. C. Cody. Price, $1.00. Loaned 6 cents. MODERN CONVENIENCES FOR THE FARM HOME. Farmers’ Bulletin No. 270. Free of the Dept. of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. “POSSIBILITIES OF THE COUNTRY HOME,” etc., in Illinois Asso- ciation of Domestic Science Year Book, 1908, Mrs. H. A. McKeen, President, Springfield, Ill. 110 pages. Loaned +4 cents. ‘“‘A MODEL KITCHEN” in Report of Missouri Housekeepers’ Confer- ence Association, 1908. University of Missouri, Columbia. Loaned 2c. ‘SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF FARM- HOMES” in Report of Farmers’ Institutes,’07 Raleigh, N. C. Loaned 2c. ‘““THE ECONOMIES OF ELECTRIC COOKING” in Bulletin of Clark- son School of Technology. Loaned 4 cents. RELATIVE COST OF HOME COOKED AND PURCHASED FOOD, Massachusetts Labor Bulletin No. 19, 1901. Loaned 4 cents. INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL; USES AND STATISTICS, Farmers’ Bul- letin No. 269. Free of the Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 45 COMPARATIVE VALUES OF ALCOHOL AND GASOLINE FOR LIGHT AND POWER. Bulletin 93, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa. 24 pages, illustrated. Loaned 2 cents. DRAINAGE SYSTEM WITH CESSPOOL. Bulletin of New Hamp- shire Board of Health, Concord, N. H., illustrated. Loaned 2 cents. INDUSTRIAL ALCOHOL, articles in Harper’s Weekly, Oct. 3, 1908. Price 10 cents. Loaned 4 cents. BULLETINS OF THE HOUSEKEEPERS’ EXPERIMENT STATION. Nos. 1, 2, and 3, by Charles Barnard, Darien, Conn. Four pages each, price 30 cents. Loaned 2 cents. Note the ‘‘Experiment Station” Department in Good Housekeeping. ADVERTISING BOOKLETS. Send to the manufacturers !for!them. FIRELESS COOKERS: The ‘‘Cookerette” Co., ‘‘Hallock” Co., and **Caloric” Co.— all Grand Rapids, Mich.; ‘‘Chatham” Recipe Book, Mason Campbell Co., Detroit, Mich.; Republic Metal Ware Co., Buffalo, N. Y.; U.S. Fireless Cooker Co., Boston, Mass.; Seely Fireless Cooker Co., Chicago, Ill.; The Fireless Cooker Co., Chicago, etc., etc. STEAM COOKERS: The ‘‘Ideal’? Cook Book, Toledo Cooker Co., Toledo, O.; Culver Cooker Co., Harvey, II. ALCOHOL STOVES, etc.: Alcohol Utilities Co., 156 W. 23rd St., New York City; Manning, Bowman & Co., Meriden, Conn. ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES: General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. Simplex Electric Heating Co., Chicago, Ill WASHING MACHINES. Paragon Mfg. Co., Chicago; ‘‘Syracuse Easy,” Rochester, N. Y.; ‘“The 1900”’ Washer, Binghamton, N. Y., etc. DISH WASHERS: Prince Mfg. Co., Chicago Ridge, Ill.; National Machine and Stamping Co., Detroit, Mich. MANGLES: American Ironing Machine Co., B.- Lake- St., Chicago; American Wringer Co., New York City; American Laundry Machine Co., W. 27th St:, New York City. KITCHEN UTENSILS: Bread Mixer, Choppers, etc., Landers, Frary & Clark, New Britain, Conn.; Enterprise Mfg. Co., Philadelphia, Pa. WATER SUPPLY: Kewanee Water Supply Co., Kewanee, Ill. VACUUM CLEANING: Electric Renovating and Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. American Air Cleaning Co., Milwaukee, Wis.; General Com- pressed Air and Vacuum Machinery Co., St. Louis, Mo. 46 To Members of the A. 8S. H. E. Dear Friend: Here at last is the long-delayed Bulletin No. 11 on ‘‘Household Appli- ances.” Bulletin No. 10, giving the list of Books in our Circulating Library Department and so on, 1s also sent to those who have not received it before. We still have in print Bulletin 7, ‘‘The Profession of Home-Making’— Home-study Courses, No. 8, Club Study of Home Economies, No. 9, ‘‘Home Economics in Modern Education,” all of which have been sent to you. Please acknowledge receipt of this Bulletin, particularly if we have not heard from you for some time, so that we may know that we have the correct address. No future Bulletins will be sent to members from whom we have not heard for over two years, until we do hear from them. When you write, remember to send us the names of any acquaintances who may be interested in our School or the ‘‘Library of Home Economics.” This helps the School greatly. Names are never mentioned unless requested. And don’t forget that the ‘‘Library” makes a fine gift, and that members have the wholesale rate on the complete series or one or more volumes when they give them away. American Home Economics Association At the next meeting of the Lake Placid Conference on Home Economics to be held Dicorher Se 31 On Washington, D.C., this new Association will be formed. ere wil be a central body with local branches. A journal will probably be published. Full details of the Washington meeting will be given in the preliminary Bulletin. The price of the three preliminary Bulletins before the new organization gets out tts journal 1s 25 cents. Stamps may be sent to Mrs. Ellen H. Richards, Mass. Institute of Technology, Boston, or to the School. We hope a large proportion of our members will subscribe for . these preliminary Bulletins and later become members of the Association. National Aid to Home Economics The Davis Bill, spoken of in previous Bulletins, which proposes to give funds for_the encouragement of home economics and agriculture in rural high and normal schools and home economics and industrial aris in city high and normal schools, has received the cordial endorsement of President Roosevelt, 47 N01. - the National Education Association, the Lake Placid Conference on Home Economics, and a great many commercial organizations, manufacturers’ asso- ciattons, farmers’ organizations, labor unions, and so on. We doubt af the home-makers of our country have made their wishes known to any great extent to their congressmen and senators. | ; / Lf you belong to any organization, or if not, will you not get up a petition reading something as follows: “*To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled: 3 “We, the undersigned, citizens of the state of...... ogee members ae hag Pn a na respectfully request that the Davis Bill, (H. R. 18204, = arr eae 4 rien = Sixtieth Congress) for the encouragement of technical education, be immediately ~ enacted and put in force.” Put this at the head of a long sheet of paper and get as many signatures as possible with correct addresses. Send tt as soon as possible to your own Con- ~gressman or to Representative Davis at Washington. Then write a personal note to your Congressman and to both of your Senaiors, urging the passage of the bill before March 4, 1909. As a prominent educator has said, ‘‘It will take a century to otherwise accomplish throughout the country what may be thoroughly established in five years by means of the assistance proposed im the Davis bill.” A copy of the bill and speeches in regard to it may be obtained jrom Congressman Davis, Washington, D. C., or will be sent from the School for 2 cents postage. The membership in our School is increasing slowly, now,being nearly 3,500. A good deal of interest seems to be manifested in our professional courses jor teachers, institution managers, social workers, and the like. A great many more colleges, normal, and high schools, have adopted some of our books as text-books. With the co-operation of our members we feel that the School will continue to increase in strength and usefulness. Sincerely yours, /) Sak GK | x Y fates 48