Class JT^^-t- -Fs3 Book Copyright N°_ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. Emergency HELPS /^r Housekeepers and Others Compiled by Mrs. Geo. W. Fleming LYNCHBURG, VA. 1906 J. p. Bell Co., Inc., Printers Lynchburg, Va. 1 i LIBRARY of CONGRESS 1 Two Copres Received I Die 3 5906 j^ Copyright Entry , j cuss A XXc, No. ^^7/7 3 COPY B. Copyright 1906 by Mrs. Geo, W. Fleming .< HERE are better ways of doing things If people did but Know ; And so, 'tis "Little Helps" ive need As through this w^orld we go. *Some things w^e find out for ourselves. And some we must be told ; And oftentimes new \sra.ys we find Are better than the old.** INDEX Antidotes Fok Poisons C lasse PAGE Acids ^ Arsenic 8 Cocaine - ^8 Iodine .. 28 Mercurial 28 Opium 28 Phosphorus 28 Strychnine 28 Zinc salts 28 Candy Making Boiling 198-200 Colorings for candy .., 200 Coloring liquids, to make 201 General directions for 197 Glucose 198 Materials 197 Syrup kept in Stock.... , ., 200 Syrup, to prepare 200 Cleaning Hints Black silk, to clean 119 Candle drippings, to remove 121 Felt hats, to clean 121 Gasoline, to clean with 120 Grease remover 121 Grease spots from clothing, to clean 119 Kid gloves, to clean 122 Lace, to clean 121 Light cloth, to clean 123 Machine oil, to remove 121 Oil spots, to clean 124 Patent leather, to clean 124 Panama hats, to clean 124 Pillows, to clean 124 Spot on silk, to clean 119, 120 Spots on clothes, to clean 120 Straw hat, to clean 119 To freshen flowers on yoilr hat 122 Tortoise shell combs 123 Q INDEX FA6B Undressed kid, to clean 120 Wagon grease, to remove 121 White silk lace, to clean 123 White feathers, to clean 122 CooKEKY Notes A hint to jelly makers 59 A substitute 31 Apples, canning 59 Applesauce 50 Beef, to test 38 Boiling water 51 Bread crumbs , 34 Bread, to test 33 Bread, to freshen 33 Broiling steak 58 Broiled meats 51 Broiling, over coals 51 Butter or lard, mixing 34 Cake, effects of water on 32 Cake, to keep moist 37 Cakes, griddle , 53 Cake, effect of temperature on , 48 Cake burning, prevented 38 Cakes and puddings 39 Can tops, to loosen 60 Canning and preserving '. 60 Cheese, to keep moist 35 Cider, canning 61 Cocoa, quick 42 Corn meal and flour , 54 Coffee making 35 Cooked meats, to make tender 51 Cooking stew 45 Cooking a cereal 45 Cream, whipping 39 Cream, when freezing ,.... 58 Cream in coffee 52 Cream, to keep ... 50 Cream, whipped 49 Croquettes 48 Custard hints 58 Danger in the teapot 46 Defective fruit cans , 60 Dried fruits, the care of 49 Eggs, breaking 36 Eggs, whites 36 Egg, to use yolk 31 Egg yolks, to keep 31 INDEX 8, testing 51 Eggs, beating 53 Eggs, to beat whites 47 Experience a teacher 52 Fish scales, to remove 37 Fish, to put away 35 Fish, good flavor 34 Fish, baking 48 Fishy taste, to take away , 43 Flavorings 38 Flavoring extracts 37, 42 Food, to keep warm 37 Fowls, to make tender 36 Fruit jelly, to make "jell" 35 Fruit and vegetables, tinned 59 Gelatine, avoid odors 33 Gravy making 37 Green vegetables, to keep fresh 44 Horseradish 31 Ham, devilled 50 Ham, boiling 33 Ham, cooking 40 Hatpins, etc., "in cookery" 45 Icecream, something about 47 Irish potatoes, to make light , 35 Jelly, when making 43 Kitchen odors 47 Lamb chops 58 Light bread, a delicate crus 32 Lemons 40 Lemonade, convenient 44 Lemon for jelly 53 Marmalade or jam, to stir 38 Mayonnaise, making 49 Mayonnaise, to arrest curdling 31 Meat for cooking 34 Meringue on pies .♦. 38 Milk, scalded 36 Milk, to boil 40 Mold on olives 46 Molasses, to clarify 46 Nature's way 41 New can tops 60 New rubbers qO Odors, to prevent..... 38 Olive oil, for frying 33 Onion juice, to obtain 48 Onions, after peeling 39 Oysters, fried 48 8 INDEX PAGE Oysters, fresh 39 Pastry, baking. 57 Pancake pointer 39 Parsley, to keep 60 Peas and beans 49 Pepper, white 45 Pecans, to remove meats 44 Pies, fruit 58 Piecrust 39 Pop corn, an idea 32 Potatoes, to cream 44 Potatoes, baked 43 Potato hints 40 Potatoes, another way to cook 44 Potatoes, to cook (old) 58 Preserves, prevent molding. 51 Proportions in cookery. 54 Pudding, to steam 53 Eaisins, chopping 42 Ehubarb, to cook 38 Kice ....„ ; 31, 36 Salt, too much 34 Salt, in cooking 36 Salt, when not to use 33 Sauces, to skim 34 Seasonings, suggestive 50 Seeds from cranberries, to remove 35 Scallops 49 Soda, when to use , 36 Soda batters, test > 34 Soda and baking powder 53 Something to know 40 Soup, to clarify....... 51 Soup, secret 53 Soups and gravies, to thicken 32 Spices, how to use 33 Sugar, to prevent graining..... 39 Sweet potatoes, baking 59 Syrup cans 60 Tea, to prevent stains 39 Tea cakes, prevent burning 54 The old way and the new 41 Time table, boiling meats 55 Time table, boiling vegetables 56 Timetable, boiling fish 55 Time table, baking meats 56, 57 Timetable, baking fish 57 Timetable, baking bread and cakes 57 To hurry the pot 36 INDEX 9 PAGE To keep fat from sputtering 32 To cook a small roast 54 To boil cabbage 47 To thicken custards, etc 52 To remove grease from broth 40 Turnips, to cook 45 Vegetables, cooking 49 Vegetables, to preserve color 51 Vegetables, in soup stock 54 Vegetables, green 35 Vinegar, to clarify 46 Weights and measures 52 When cream is thin 57 Gas and Oil Stoves Accumulation of gas 153 Another trouble 153 Buying 154 Baking cake 155 Cooking 154 Cooks differ 154 Drums and strainer , 156 For convenience... 155 Gas range, to set 153 Gas stoves 153 If flame decreases 156 If oil raises 157 Lighting a burner 154 Lighting rings 157 Repairs , 156 Smoking burners 156 Suggestion ...,, , 156 To set an oil stove , 155 To clean pipe 157 Well kept stove 154 Health Hints Apples for health 193 Bathing , 192 Boys smoking ; 190 Cheerfulness 193 Children and pet cats 189 Coffee 191 Crossing the limbs 189 Deep breathing. , 191 Dotted veils 192 Eruptions on the skin 190 Flesh producer . 189 10 roEX PAGE Headache. 194 Infants — feeding 192 Nervous women ., 192 Oranges for health 193 Pineapples 193 Sound sleep and cold water 190 Sleep for growing children... 191 Sunshine 192 Summer heat 190 House Cleaning Notes A fine carpet cleaner 113 Ammonia 99 A good idea for closets 101 A greasy sink 102 Bars of grate, to polish 113 Bathtubs 102, 103 Bath room hooks , 112 Bathtubs, to cleanse ,,., 102 Beds, to clean 101 Brass, to clean 99, 103, 108 Brass articles, to prevent tarnish 106 Bronze ornaments 104 Broom bag 101 Cane chairs, to restore 112 Carpets, to freshen , Ill Carpets 113 Carpett and rugs 114 Care of cellar and furnace 107 Cellar, to dry out 115 Chandeliers, to clean 114 Chandelier globes, to clean 100 Combs andbrnshrs 110 Dust, to get rid of 101 Dust on wardrobe .. 112 Floors covered with matting 115 Floors, good finish for 115 Fly specks, to remove 113 Finger marks on mirrors 110 Furniture, to clean 109 Furniture, to polish 114 Glassware ,. 102 Grates, to clean 100 Gilt frames, to brighten 101 Isinglass, to clean • 102 Ink stains on furniture 105 Ivory handle knives 110 Kitchen windows 99 INDEX 11 PAGE Kerosene oil 99 Light carpets, to clean 113 Linoleum, to clean 105, 106 Linoleum, to wash 109 Mantel tiles , 113 Marks on polished tables 99 Mahogany, to clean 108 Marble, stains on 105, 107 Mirrors 114 Mirror frames, to cleanse Ill Mirrors, to clean 100 Moths in carpets 115 Nickel plate, care of 103 Nickel plate plumbing, to cleanse 104 Nickel plate, to clean 103 New agate ware. 99 New floor and whisk broom, to preserve 115 Oiling a clock , 104 Oil marks on wall paper 105 Oilcloth 109 Oil cloth, to renew 101 Plaster statues, to clean 107 Piano, to clean 110 Polished fl^oors, to protect 114 Rust on steel 108 Silver, to clean 100 Soot, to remove 102 Soda, a cleanser 103 Stained floors, to wipe , 105 Sticky fly paper, to remove 107 Sewing machine, to clean 110 Varnished doors, &c., to clean Ill Wall paper, to clean 106 White paint 109 Windows, to wash „ 112 Window panes, to remove paint from 112 Wicker chairs, to clean 109 Window washing 106 Windows, to polish 104 Window panes, to brighten 104 Woodwork, to clean 107, 112 Kitchen Helps After a few years' use 73 A few "don'ts" 76 Black lead dust 74 Bottles, to clean 72 Burnt meat, from vessels to remove 67 Chimney cleaner 72 12 INDEX Cherry pits, to remove 73 Cook stove, to keep clean 71 Cracks in stove, to mend 66 Eggs, to keep fresh 71 Eggs, to test ,. 77 Fishy odor 76 FJame, to extinguish 67 Food burning on stove 67 Frying pan, to clean 69 Frying pan, cleaning 69 Glassware, to harden 70 Good suggestion 70 Grease on the stove 72 Grease on floor , 74 Glass jars for vinegar 74 Griddles, soapstone 67 Hot grease ,.. 67 Hot fire, remedy for • 68 Hot bread and cake, to cut , 74 Kettle covers 72 Kettles, to keep clean.... 71 Kitchen sink, over the 75 Kitchen sink, to unstop 75 Kitchen, convenience for 75 Kitchen knives 75 Kitchen floor, don't oil 74 Kitchen cloths, to purify 71 Kitchen fire 69 Kitchen floor , 70 Kitchen rack 70 Kitchen odors, to prevent 67 Kitchen lamps 65 Kitchen table, to keep clean , 65 New tin, to prevent rusting 71 Odor of onions..... 73 Odors, to destroy 77 Paper bags, the care of 73 Paint, in the kitchen 74 Eusty screw, to remove 69 Salt, a cleanser , 68 Salt, to keep dry 67 Salt cellars, to fill 65 Sauce pans, to clean 65 Sink brushes 66 Soap, for the kitchen 66 Soda in the kitchen 66 Soot, to burn 68 Spots on stoves 68 Steel, to prevent rusting 70 INDEX 13 Stove polish hint 73 Stove poli h, to improve 69 Stove polish 68 Stove pipes, to cleanse 66 Sugar in the tea-pot 65 Tea-pot, to repair 69 Tinware, to brighten 75 To protect dishes 65 Vegetables, to keep 74 Walnut and fruit stains, to remove 73 Laundry Helps A caution 84 An economy 87 A magical washing method 90 Black stockings, to wash 91 Borax soap 82 Chamois skin, to wash , , 84 Clothespin apron 87 Clothespins, enameled 81 Colored muslin, to wash 94 Colored table linen, to wash 88 Colors, to set 81 Curtains, to launder 86 Dark calicoes, to wash 94 Evening shawl, to clean 84 Flannels 84 Flannels, to prevent shrinking 90 Flannels, to wash 88 Flour sacks, to wash 84 For ironing day , 88 Flounces, to launder 92 Grass stains 90 Handkerchiefs, to wash 87 Hard soap 81 Hints from an observant laundress 89 Ironing 91 Iron stand 81 Ironing sheet for table 82 Irons, to keep smooth 90 Laundress' complaint , 93 Lace, to cleanse 94 Laundry hints 86, 92 New blanket", to wash 89 Old and discolored lace, to wash..... 95 Paint and wagon grease, to remove 88 Perspiration, stains 89 Potatoes as soap 85 Pongee silk, to wash......... 85 l^ INDEX PAGE Prevent fading 83, 86 Eed table linen, to wash 82 Scorch 87 Scorches, to remove 81 Scorched spots, to remove 92 Sewing machine oil 88 Something about quilts 87 Sprinkled clothes 88 Starch, gum arable as , 91 Starch, salt in 92 Starch, salts in 92 Starch, alum in 91 Starching bath towels 87 Starch polish 83 Starched garments 89 Stained hat bands 91 Table linen, to launder 85 Tar, to remove 82 To whiten clothes 93 To save tired feet when ironing 94 To make stockings last 90 Washing fluid 82, 83 Wax for irons , 91 Washing powder shaker 81 White cashmere, to wash 83 MiSCELLAKIES A sprig of parsley 209 Bed-making made easy 206 Boxes, useful , 214 Bric-a-brac, to mend 205 Bread, cakes or pies 216 Breaking tumblers, to prevent 211 Burdock, to exterminate 213 Carpets, to mend 210 Candle, to extinguish 208 Chamois skin.... 209 Darning with hair 212 Ferns, to make grow 218 Fire in chimney, to extinguish 211 Flour avid sugar bags, to open 212 Fly paper, "sticky" 212 Fountain pen, to open 207 Fuel economy 208 Gas globes 216 Glue, to strengthen 211 Glue 213 Glue hint 207 INDEX 15 Grass, to kill. , 207 Grease the nail 209 Ink, mold in 216 Kerosene or gasoline blaze 206 Knives and forks 208 Lamp, filling 214 Lamp tops, to fasten 215 Lamp chimneys, care of 212 Lime in the store-room 208 Mirrors, to resilver 205 Moth destroyers - '. 210 Mucilage, to make. 212 Muslins, to pack 211 Odors in clothing, to remove 207 Oil cloth, to make 211 Onions, odor of 214 Paint, to remove 214 Papering, to stick 205 Papering, to make paste for 205 Patent leather shoes, the care of ■: 217 Pen, a steel 216 Raw potatoes, a slice 216 Rubber plant, to make branch „ 217 Rusty screw 208 Rubber goods, the care of 213 Rust on steel knives, to prevent 209 Sheepskin rugs ., 212 Sheepskins for mats, to prepare. 217 Silk unwinding, to prevent 207 Silver, to prevent tarnishing 208 Squeaking shoes 215 Steel from rusting, to prevent , 215 Stair carpet, to buy , 216 Stone coating for wood 210 Stone cement 209 Tobacco, to keep moist 209 To remove stoppers in bottles 206 To remove a tight ring 213 To stop shoes from squeaking 206 To make cloth rain-proof 215 Timely helps 208 Unused teapot, to keep 207 Water bottles and cruets 206 Wall paper, to remove 211 Walls, to clean 206 Water cooler 210 Whalebones, hairpins, etc., to renovate 210 Winnowings 215 Wooden bowls, care of 213 16 INDEX Sick Eoom and Medical Advice page A taper for sick room 168 Abstinence 172 An ounce of preventive 167 Asthma , 164 Antidote for strychnine 164 Bed sores, to prevent 184 Boils, whiskey 173 Bottle, babies' 162 Bleeding from a wound ... 176 Burns, to cure 178 Burns 184 Catarrh...... 166 Carbolic acid 178 Chapped hands 176 Chilblains 164,177, 179 Children should sleep in the dark 173 Colic in babies 162 Cold, or pain in the bones 164 Colds, cure for 175 Colic... 182 Convulsions 163 Corn cure, tested 175 Corns, remedy for 176 Constipation 180, 183 Croup 163,164 Earache 185 Ear, insect in 170 Eczema 161, 185 Fever blisters 180 Foreign substance in the nose 169 Foreign substance in the eye 165 Gall stones ! 182 Good remedy for teething babies 162 Hay fever 176 Headache, to relieve 173 Headache 184 Heartburn, to relieve 175 Hives 181 Hot water bag, to mend 168 Inflammation 178 Inflamed eyes, for 179 Indigestion, lo cure 171 Insomnia, for 171 Irritated skin 162 Irish potatoes for burns 166 Lemons as remedies 181 Lemon and coffee 174 Liniment 165 Medicinal bath 171 INDEX 17 PAGE Mustard plasters 165 Neuralgia, excellent remedy for 176 Obstructions in the throat 173 Old-fashioned remedy for colds 168 Olive oil as a medicine 170 Piles 182 Plasters, ginger 182 Poison, mushroom 184 Poison ivy 167,168 Rattlesnake bite, "Texas cure" 180 Ked flannel in sickness 166 Kheumatism. 167 Eheumatism, celery for 169 Ringworm 161, 179 Eusty nails, danger of 182 Bun-a-round, cure for 177 Sanitary hints 161 Salt, efficacy of 177 Scald 180 Scars 178 Sick headache 175 Sick room, to fumigate 178,183 Sick room, for the 170, 181 Slight constipation in children 162 Soft corns 179 Sore eyes, invaluable remedy for 172 Sore throat 184 Sprained arm 167 Sprains, excellent for 176 Sprains, remedy for 177 Speedy cure for corns 165 Splinters, to extract 169 Strengthening plasters 165 Summer complaint 180 Sudden deafness 174 Sulphur for the complexion 166 Toothache remedy 184 Too much fruit 181 To keep a room cool 179 To keep ice water in sick room 161 To stop a cough 168 To ventilate a room 161 Warts 179 Warts, to make disappear 180 Water drinking 172 Watermelon seed, save 174 When bathing the sick 175 When choking 174 White-footed hose 173 18 INDEX Stains, Dyes, Etc. page An ink stain, to remove 141 Blood stains 138 Cocoa stains, to remove 137 From a missionary in China 137 Fruit stains 139 Grease spots 139 Grass stains 138, 140 Hot tea and coffee stains 138 Ink stains 138, 141, 142 Iodine 138 Iodine stains 140 Iron rust 138 Mildew 137,139 Mud stains 141 Pitch tar, etc 139 Shabby spots on leather 140 Soot stains 139 Stains on marble 137 Tinting dress goods, etc 141 Vaseline stains 140 Varnish and paint 140 The Toilet Air bath for the hair 145 Blackheads 147-148 Chaps, to prevent 148 Dandruff, to cure 149 Eyebrows, to increase growth 146 Excessive perspiration, under armpits 148 Feet, care of 149 Feet, powder for ; 150 Finger nails, to whiten 149 For red hands 149 Grease, for the hair 146 Parsley water, for the face 148 Shampoo, an excellent 145 Shampoo, egg 145 Shampooing 146 Skin, care of 147 Teeth, care of 149 Wrinkles, lotion for 149 Yellow complexion 150 Vermin and Insect Destkoyers A chalk line 132 Ants 131 Ants and mice 132 Bed bugs, for 131 INDEX * 19 PAGE Bed bugs, unfailing remedy 130 Bugs on cucumbers 133 Camphor balls, for roses 131 Cabbage worms 130 Cut worms 129 Green worms on currants., 130 Insecticide, for roses 131 Mealy bugs 133 Mitew in setting hens 133 Moths 129 Moths, to exterminate 129 Moths, turpentine for 130 Moths, tansy for 131 Potato bugs 133 Eats, calomel for 130 Eats 129 Eats without poison, to kill 132 Eoaches, to rid a house 132 Eoaches, to exterminate 129 Soot on snaps 133 Tobacco as an insecticide , 130 Worms, in soil 132 ONFS OWN INDEX. ONE'S OWN INDEX 21 22 diri'S OWK IKDE2 ONE'S OWN INDEX 23 24 ONE'S OWN INDEX ONE'S OWN INDEX 25 INTRODUCTION In presenting this book to wives, mothers, grown-up daughters and would-be housekeepers, I am only giving to them something that I have needed and have wished for so long myself. Its scope is quite large, comprising, as it does, "discoveries," "experience," "good ideas" from houskeepers; and those who think it worth while to investigate, should try and learn for themselves a good way of doing. From time to time I have culled and saved such information as seemed, from my point of view, to be most expedient and best suited to the needs of my own household. Of course I cannot lay claim to having "tried" the many "good things" that I have in store, and did not start out with malice aforethought to appropriate to myself the ideas of others, which I have literally done; but now that it is in compact form I hope that the good it may do will atone, and I shall myself enjoy it as a reference book, with the most grateful feeling that so many of my sister co-workers are its contributors. The way in which I have compiled it accounts for the iiTegularity of my book, and I have made provision in its "blank" pages for those who wish, and find it possible, to be more systematic in its arrangement — ^hoping that it may fill its mission and be of great benefit. ANTIDOTES FOR POISONS. Classes. Antidotes for poisons may be divided into two classes: Chemical and Physiological. The object in the use of chemical antidotes is, by means of chemical reaction in the stomach, to convert the poison into another compound which is not harmful, or into a com- pound which is insoluble in the liquids of the stomach, and therefore not absorbed into the system. The object in physiological antidotes is to administer other substances which have a medicinal effect on the system, con- trary to the poison and thereby neutralize its effect. As a general rule (not always however), it is well to follow the antidote with an emetic. The following table gives the antidotes for a few of the most common poisons, such as are likely to be found about dweUing houses : Acids — Muriatic, Nitric, Sulphuric, etc. — Give prepared chalk, plaster from the wall, carbonate magnesia or bicar- bonate of soda, stirred in water. The chalk is preferable if at hand. Carl olio Acid. — Olive oil, melted butter. Avoid the use of water. Oxalic Acid — Chalk or Calcined Magnesia, Alhalies, such as Concentrated Lye, etc.— Give oils freely; white of egg and milk or cream. Lead Compound — Sugar of Lead etc. — Give diluted sul- phuric acid, or small dos^ of epsom salts every five or ten minutes. 38 EMERGENCY HEIPS FOB, Bichloride Mercury, Corrosive Sublimate. — ^TJse white of egg stirred in milk freely, and follow in a little wMle with an emetic. Opium, Laudanum, etc. — ^Vomit if discovered early and fol- low with copious draughts of strong coffee or tea. Keep patient in constant motion by walking or striking naked skin with wet towels. If heart action and respiration is low and labored, stimulate with nitro glycerine. Arsenic and its compounds — Fowlers Solution, Rough on Bats. — Hydrate iron with magnesia or hydrate iron alone, which in the household may be prepared by diluting largely tincture of iron, and adding ammonia water, and stirring. The resulting precipitate (after pouring off the water) should be mixed with water and administered freely. Follow with an emetic — warm water with a little mustard stirred in it. Cocaine. — Vomit if discovered soon after taken; if not discovered soon give tannin or decoction of oak bark. Iodine. — Give starch freely stirred in water, later follow with olive oil. Phosphorus from Matches. — Give 10 to 30 drops spirits turpentine stirred in water. Later give charcoal and lime water. Strychnine. — Give emetic if found out early — tannic acid; mixture of iodine and iodide potassium — one grain to five grains in water, strong tea or decoction of oak bark. Con- trol spasms with chloroform or bromide potassium (60 grain doses). Zinc Salts. — Usually these salts are emetic, but if no vomit- ing occurs, use bicarbonate soda and abundance of white of egg stirred in milk. This table is reliable, having been contributed by a promi- nent druggist. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 29 COOKEEY NOTES To Keep Egg Yolks. In breaking eggs, if tlie yolks are not to be used imme- diately, nearly fill a tumbler with cold water, break one at a time, dropping the yolk in the water, where it will not only remain whole but will keep fresh for several days. HOESE Eadish. Grind horse radish in a meat chopper instead of grating, and almost putting out the eyes. To Aeeest Cuedling in Mayonnaise. Beat the white of an egg to a stiff froth, adding and beating it with the curdled mixture. To IJse Yolk op Egg. To use the yolk of eggs for garnishing a dish or other- wise, drop the yolk into boiling water, continuing to boil until done, reserving the white for any other purpose. A Substitute. Pastry made of rich cream instead of lard is said to be more digestible. Rice. A tablespoonful of lemon juice added to three cups of water in which one cup of rice is boiled will make the rice whiter, and keep each grain separate. 32 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Keep Fat from Sputteeing. Wlien frying eggs, to avoid the sputtering of fat, sprinkle the least bit of flour in the lard before using. To Give a Delicate Ckust to Light Bread. Before putting in the oven sprinkle lightly or brush over with a little water, and your bread will have a more delicate crust. To Thicken Soups and Gravies. Never thicken soups and gravies with flour and water. The reason is obvious — flour and water mixed and poured into a hot liquid give "starch" as a result. Mix flour with butter or any other dripping, then put into the hot mixture and it will be quickly dissolved. An Idea about Pop-Corn. It is generally believed that the more quickly it is cooked the better. The following is more scientific. After putting it into the popper, pour cold water over it to thoroughly wet it, popping a small quantity at a time. If the fire is quite hot, shake it on the top of the stove awhile, then take off the stove lids and gradually subject it to stronger heat. Watch the clock, and if it pops before four minutes have expired hold it further from the fire; but when it has been heating fully four minutes expose to the strongest heat, shak- ing vigorously. Almost every grain will appear to pop at once, and little or no shell is found about it, as the corn being moistened and heated, the opening of the grain is complete when it pops. Effect of "Water on Cake Mixture. If cold water is mixed with sponge cake the batter will be yellow; if boiling, it will be white. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 33 Boiling Ham. Add a cupful of sugar to the water in which, a large ham i«. boiled, of course less to a small one. The flavor will be improved. To Freshen Stale Bebad. Wrap in a towel and steam thoroughly. How TO Use Spices. Never use ground spices in pickles unless tied up in muslin, as they will darken the pickles in spots. When Not to Use Salt. Boiled fish, like beef steak, should not be salted until nearly cooked. Salt hardens the fibre and draws out the juices. Salt toughens vegetables, therefore should be thrown in when they have nearly finished cooking. To Avoid the Odor of Gelatine. Soak first in cold water or milk. It will then quickly dissolve in hot liquid and have no odor. Use of Olive Oil for Feting. If food disagrees with you fried in fats, try olive oil. This is, as you know, a vegetable fat and is not likely to hurt one. Parsnips and carrots fried in olive oil and salted and peppered to taste are delicious. The oil gives a dif- ferent flavor to food, but be sure it is pure. To Test Beead. If the dough of light bread springs right up when the finger is pressed upon it and leaves no dent, it is ready for the oven and should be baked immediately. 3 34 EMERGENCY HELPS FOU Bread Crumbs. Crumbs grated fresh from the loaf give a more delicate color than those dried and put aAvay for frying purposes. Meat for Cooking. Meat should not be washed. It can be cleaned by .wiping with a damp cloth or scraping with a knife, and satisfy the most fastidious. To Skim Sauces. Draw the sauce-pan to the side of the fire, throw in a teaspoonful of water (cold), and the grease will rise so that it may be easily taken off. A Good Flavor for Fish. Lemon juice or vinegar put into the water in which fish is boiled will make the flesh much whiter and add a good flavor. To Test Soda Batter. To test soda batter before cooking, if made up with but- termilk and has an acid taste, add more soda until it lias a bitter twang. This is a good guide but one must be experienced in testing it. Mixing Butter or Lard. In mixing butter or lard for batters, do not melt, but chop or crumble into the flour. Too Much Salt. If you should be so unfortunate as to make a pot of soup too "briny," continue boiling and throw in two or three slices of raw Irish potato. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 35 To Make Fruit Jelly '^'Jell/' To make fruit jelly "jell/' while making, put in one unripe bunch of grapes to three or four ripe ones, and observe the rules for making jelly. To Eemove Seeds from Cranberries. Before cooking, cut them in halves, place in a colander, and allow cold water to run through them for a minute. Green Vegetables. Do not cover the vessel in which they are cooked or they will turn a bad color. Leave uncovered and add a pinch of bread soda to the water and they will be a vivid green. To Put Aw^ay Pish. To put away fish and to keep them fresh, do not lay one on top the other, but wring out a clean cloth from salted water, wrap them separately in this and lay on a cool dish. Set in a cool place. Making Coffee. When making coffee add a pinch of salt after placing it in the pot. The flavor will be much improved. To Make Irish Potatoes Light. When boiling them, throw them from cold water into boil- ing water to which has been added a little sweet milk. It will prevent them from being tasteless and heavy. To Keep Cheese Moist. Wfrap in a cloth wrung out of vinegar, place in a paper bag and hang in a cool place. 36 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Make Fowls Tendee. A spoonful of vinegar or pinch of soda put into tlie water in Which meat or fowls are boiled will make them tender. ElCE. Eice will have a much finer flavor if washed in hot water before cooking. Whites op Eggs. Fold whipped whites of eggs into any mixture rather than stir them, as the latter method breaks the air cells. Breaking Eggs. It pays to break eggs one at a time, into a saucer, so that any can be rejected if necessary and the mixture not be spoiled. Scalded Milk. Milk is scalded when the water in the double boiler boils. "When to Fse Soda. Always use soda with sour milk, also with molasses, in- stead of baking powder. Salt in Cooking. If any dish, either soup, vegetable or sauce, becomes too salt, dust in a little brown sugar and the dish will again become palatable. Brown sugar is the antidote for salt. "To Huery the Pot.'' Do you wish to rush the contents in the inner vessel of your double boiler? Add some salt to the water underneath, HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 37 half a teacupful to two quarts of water. Boiling salty water generates quickly a strong heat. Flavoring Extracts. Flavoring extracts should not be added to any hot mixture, for if put in while hot much of the flavor passes off into steam. Whipping Cream. Add a pinch of salt to cream before whipping it, also whip it in a pitcher, as it will whip more easily. Gravy-Making. When making gravy remove the pan from the fire while the thickening is being stirred in, and when smooth return to the fire to cook. This will prevent lumps forming. To Remove Fish Scales. Fish scales can easily be removed by pouring hot water on the fish slowly until the scales curl, then scrape quickly. Wash in several waters, having the last cold and well salted, so that no slime will be left. To Keep Food Warm. Instead of putting food into the oven for late comers, cover it closely and place over a pan of hot water. The steam will keep the food hot and at the same time prevent it from drying. To Keep Cakes Moist. Put them in a stone jar. 38 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Test Beef. To test beef press it down with the thumb. If it rises quickly it is good. It should be fine grained, of a bright red color, with streaks of clean, white-looking fat. The meat is apt to be tough unless there is plenty of fat on it. To Peevent Odors. Tie a piece of bread the size of your fist in a rag and put in the kettle of boiling vegetable. To Stir Marmalade or Jam. Put a large handful of marbles on the bottom of the kettle in which it is cooked and the constant moving of them will stir it sufficiently. Meringue on Pies. Do not expose your meringue after cooking too suddenly to a cooler temperature, as it is most apt to fall. Flavoring. Try flavoring chocolate blanc mange with cinnamon, also chocolate fudge. To Keep Cake from Burning. When placing in the oven set in another tin and you will not have burnt cake; an old stove rack is very valuable for the same purpose. To Cook Ehubarb. If rhubarb is scalded before cooking it will require less sugar and at the same time lose none of its acidity. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 39 To Know Fresh Oysters. Shell oysters that open quite easily should not be eaten. Fresh ones close very firmly on the knife when being opened. A Pancake Pointer. When making pancake batter, add about one tablespoon- ful of melted butter to one quart of batter and you will not have to grease the griddle. The cakes will be improved and your kitchen will not be filled with smoke. To Prevent Tea erom Staining Damask. Put a lump of sugar in the tea-pot and it will prevent tea fi'om staining any damask, however fine, over which it may be spilled. Pie Crust. Pie crust will not be soggy if brushed over with white of egg before the fruit is put in. After Peeling Onions. Eub the hands with raw potato to remove the odor. Try it. To Prevent Sugar from Graining. Sugar can be prevented from graining by the use of a little cream of tartar, tartaric acid, or lemon juice. Cakes and Puddings. Try substituting dates for raisins in making cakes and puddings. The dates, in addition to being cheaper, are said to be more wholesome. 40 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, To Boil Milk. Wlien you boil milk grease the pan with butter before putting in the milk. This will prevent the granules on the bottom of the pan, which burn so easily and are so hard to wash off. Cooking a Ham. To prevent dryness, a ham should be left in the water in which it is cooked until perfectly cold. To Remove G-eease eeom Broth. A good way to remove grease from broth is to pass a piece of brown or white wrapping paper across the top of the broth before using. The grease adheres to the paper. Something to Know. When a kettle of meat or vegetables scorches, place the kettle in cold water as quickly as possible and the unburnt food will not taste scorched. Potato Hints. Potatoes which have been frozen can be used and be as good as ever if not allowed to thaw. If they thaw the least bit they are worthless. Pare them in cold water and drop one at a time in boiling water. In the winter or early spring when potatoes are sprouted or withered, pare them early in the morning and allow them to stand in cold water. Then put them over the fire in cold water and you will have good potatoes with very little of the old taste. , Lemons. Before using lemons always roll them, they will produce HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 41 more juice. Add lemon juice to rice when boiling, as it causes the grains to separate. ]!^atueb's Way. If those troubled with constipation or inactive bowels will try this remedy, much distress will be avoided : Mix two cups of fine wheat bran with one cup of pastry flour, adding one-half teaspoonful of salt, one half-cup of molasses, one teaspoonful of saleratus, dissolved in one and one-quarter cups of sweet milk. An egg improves but is not essential. Bake in gem pans and eat one gem at each meal or twice daily as required. The Old Way and the New. Every country housekeeper knows the enormous waste from the lard supply in "cracklings" in the old way of "drying up" lard at hog-killing time. The new way turns all the fat into lard. Cut the fat from the skins, free it from all lean particles and bloody shreds, and where there is only a small quantity to be ren- dered mix the leaf lard with the other fat. Wash first in quite warm water and rinse twice in cold water, put it on the stove in closely covered vessels, stiring frequently until the fat is boiled perfectly done and tender. Have ready some good, home-made, sound wood-ash lye, strain from all sed- iment and add half a teacup of the lye to each gallon of the fat, first removing it from the fire to cool somewhat, or it may boil over. Eeturn to the fire and cook gently. If the fat is thoroughly done it will soon be reduced to a creamy consistency, the fat entirely dissolved. Cook the lard un- covered after the lye is added. When the lard is done it will be perfectly clear, with a very thin, brown gummy scum on top; no cracklings at all. EMERGENCY HELPS FOR EemO'Ve this scum and let the lard remain on the stove at the scalding, bnt not boiling, point for two or three honrs. Pour into perfectly dry, hot earthen jars; holding only one gallon each is the best size. Let it cool uncovered and then cover closely and keep air-tight. Keep in a cool, dry place. I prefer to keep my lard in small vessels because oijly the small quantity is exposed to the air while using , the bulk of the year's supply remaining air-tight, and in no danger of becoming rancid. Quick Cocoa. "A Little Help" that we find a big help, cold mornings when we like particularly for the school-children to have a warm nourishing drink with their too often hastily eaten breakfast, is how to make delicious cocoa with little time and trouble. Use a teaspoon each of cocoa and sugar for each cup. Place dry in sauce-pan and shake well; pour over it hot water. It dissolves instantly and is ready for the milk. Let come to a boil and it is ready to serve. ISTo extra dishes to wash, and no lumpy, sticky mess, as by the old process of dissolving cocoa by itself. Flavoring Extracts. Rather than use cheap extracts buy one-half ounce of any essential oil and use one drop of it in place of the usual amount of extract. The cost is trifling, there is no danger of impure alcohol, it will keep indefinitely and you know that you have the real thing. Peppermint, wintergreen, clover, lemon, oranges and others may be used in this way. Chopping Eaisins. It is true that raisins when put through a chopper come out lumpy and sticky. I find that by first washing them in HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 43 cold water, tlieii putting them through the chopper, they come out free and in fine condition for use; — ^not adhering in masses as before. For Mealy Baked Potatoes. Bake in a quick oven and when done and soft press them so as to crack, allowing the steam to escape. Let remain in the oven a few minutes and serve immediately. To Take Fishy Taste from Duck. Eub well before cooking with onion and while cooking place inside of the bird six whole cranberries. When Making Jelly. If jelly is boiled long after adding the sugar, the mixture will leave a coating on the sides of the kettle, as it boils down or evaporates, which may be scorched by the heat of the stove, and will destroy both the flavor and color. This I learned from experience after being at a loss to know why my jelly did not always have the fine flavor and beautiful color I sometimes obtained. To make perfect jelly, clear fruit juice should be reduced one-third and the juice obtained by cooking the more solid fruits should not only be boiled away one-third, but also long enough to evaporate the water used in cooking the fruit. Measure the juice and turn it into a clean kettle, add an equal quantity of granulated sugar and boil gently fivc minutes, not allowing it to rise in the kettle. Jelly made thus will be perfect in consistency, flavor and color, providing the fruit used is fresh and just ripe — ^not over-ripe. 44 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Cream Potatoes. When mashing do not put cold milk with them, always heat, and yon will be pleased with the result. Cream briskly. To Keep G-reen" Vegetables Fresh. To keep lettuce, celery, cucumbers, etc., fresh several days, without ice, fold them loosely in a damp cloth; in this way they will keep crisper than when put on ice. To Eemove Meats Whole from Pecan Kuts. Soak them over night in cold water. For years this was a secret method of the Italians but was finally divulged. Convenient Lemonade. Lemon syrup at a minute^s notice on a hot day is con- venient. Melt one pound of sugar with water enough to keep it from burning and boil it until it spins a thread. Add to this the juice of one dozen lemons and the thin rind of four lemons, and heat the mixture thoroughly, but do not allow it to come to a boil. Strain, and when cool bottle. A tablespoonful is sufficient for a tumbler of lemonade. Another Wat to Cook Potatoes. To make a baked potato as delicious as possible put it in a napkin when taken from the oven and rub it gently between the hands until mealy. Do not break it or you will have a moist, heavy potato. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 45 "White Peppee. Always use white pepper when seasoning a cream, sauce, mashed potatoes, a white soup, a creamed dish, savory rice, poached eggs, or any white dish in which the black grains of pepper would show. Cooking Tueistips. Drop in the vessel a pinch of sugar when boiling tur- nips, it improves them wonderfully. Cooking a Ceeeal. Occasionally a cereal, when nearly cooked, will be too moist to serve because the proper quantity of water and grain has not been used. Do not add more of the cereal, for it would not cook equally; instead, for fifteen minutes leave off the lid and let the water in it evaporate. Cooking Stew. When it is not possible for you to watch a stew and keep it from boiling — which toughens the meat and spoils the flavor — put it to cook inside a double boiler. Simmering makes tender the toughest sort of meat. Hatpins and Knitting ISTeedles "in Cookeet."'' Keep a thin knitting needle or blunt hatpin by the stove to use in piercing any vegetable which is cooking. It will not leave as unsightly a mark as a fork. 46 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Clarify Molasses. The old-fashioned way is as follows : heat it over the fire, with one pint of fresh sweet milk for each gallon. The scum which arises should be taken off before it is broken by boiling. To Clarify Pickle Vinegar. If you add a few strips of horse radish root or half a cup- ful of nasturtium seed while putting up the pickles, the vinegar will remain perfectly clear until the last cucumber has been eaten. Danger in the Teapot. A current bit of news records the fact that a family was prostrated by some peculiar disease, which baffled experts. Finally one of the children died. Careful investigation proved the cause of death to be inflammation of the stomach induced by drinking tea from a pot in which the leaves stood day after day; the tannic acid was really a poison. Of course this was extreme, but the habit of keeping tea steeping for hours at a time is equally unsafe. Tannic acid acts upon the coating of the stomach, and though the action is generally slower than in the case cited, it leads surely to stomach dis- orders. Tea should not be boiled and should be made fresh at each meal by pouring boiling water upon the leaves which are put into a perfectly clean teapot. The boiling water is sufficient to extract the good of the tea, and the teapot should never be set on the stove at all. Mold on Olives. The mold that gathers on the top of a bottle of olives after HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 47 it is opened may be prevented by dropping in some grated horse radish or nasturtium seeds. Kitchen Odors from Cooking. In winter, with closed windows, cooking odors have a way of insinuating themselves into every crevice. A small piece of charcoal dropped into the kfettle of boiling cabbage or onions will mimimize the smell, though it will not entirely prevent it. A famous housekeeper tells me that to obviate the incense arising from cooking cabbage, it is only necessary tc boil it gently without a cover. To Beat the Whites of Eggs. To beat the whites of eggs quickly, put in a pinch of salt. The cooler the eggs, the quicker they will froth. To Boil a Cabbage. A cabbage is rendered more wholesome by boiling in two waters; the first carries off the oil, which is contained in cabbages and to some persons proves very unwholesome. Something about Ice Cream. If half of the cream to be used in making ice-cream is first scalded and the sugar melted in it, there will be no danger of churning it into butter, as sometimes occurs when it is used unscalded. After cooling, add the remainder of the cream demanded by the recipe. It will be richer and more velvety in texture than if the "raw" cream is used. 48 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Effect of Temperature on Cake. Always remember that loaf cakes require a slow oven, while layer cakes demand a quick, steady heat. If the oven ip. too hot and is hard to cool, instead of laying a piece of paper on top of the cake, a plan which frequently causes it to fall, set an asbestos mat on the upper rack of the oven, It absorbs a great deal of the heat and prevents the top of the cake from burning. To Obtain Onion Juice. To obtain a few drops of onion juice, take a slice of tht onion and scrape the cut surface with a sharp knife over the dish you wish to flavor. Baking Fish. When baking a fish that is very thin dished near the tail, pin about it, five or six inches from the tail up, a small pocket of buttered paper, which will preserve its shape and keep the tail from becoming dry and brown before the thicker portion is cooked. Fried Oysters. Never fry more than six oysters at once unless you have a very large kettle of fat. If more are cooked they will cool the fat, soak up the grease, and take a long time to brown. Croquettes. When croquettes dissolve or come to pieces in the frying kettle, it is because they have not been properly dipped and crumbed. Every particle of a croquette must be covered with egg to seal it, as it were, from the fat entering through small holes or openings. If these rules are observed with oysters and croquettes you will have no fear of failure. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 49 The Caee of Dried Feuits. Wipe with, a damp cloth figs and dates, wash prunes, raisins, or-any dried fruit before using. They have lain open to dust during the drying process, while fruits cured in Oriental countries are frequently exposed to the most uncleanly con- ditions. Whipped Cream. It is almost impossible to whip cream unless it is thoroughly chilled and is at least twenty-four hours old. Making Mayonnaise. A good rule to commit to memory for the making of mayonnaise is three eggs to one quart of oil, and half a cup of vinegar or lemon juice. Sometimes it will take less oil, if it is very cold. Peas and Beans. *^ In cooking peas and beans that are too old to be tender, add a pinch of baking soda to the water in which they are cooked; it removes the strong flavor and makes them more delicate as well as more digestible. Cooking Vegetables. In cooking snaps, peas and most vegetables, never add cold water, when that in which they are cooking has nearly boiled dry ; rather wait until you can heat some, as snaps, especially, will shrivel and become unsightly and unpalatable. Scallops. Scallops crumbed, individually, take so much time that it is a much easier method to put the finely sifted crumbs on a 50 EMERGENCY HELPS FOE paper and into this drop the egged scallops. Lift the paper by the comers and toss the scallops gently in the crumbs until they are well coated and dry. It also makes a lighter scallop or dish. Devilled Ham. When a boiled ham has been almost used, cut off every available bit of meat, discarding tougb gristle and skin, put it through the finest knife of the meat chopper, season bighly, when it vill be transformed into devilled ham. Pack in a small jar, cover with melted butter and put away to use for sandwiches. Ham bone may be used for soup stock. Plaix Apple Sauce. Plain apple sauce may be completely transformed into a really delicious dish by various small additions. Dates stoned and cut in two, orange peel in flakes, half a cupful of English walnuts or a cupful of plump raisins will so flavor and enrich apple sauce that it will be welcomed as a dessert. To Keep Ceeam. If you have a cupful of cream on hand that you wish to keep fresh, add to it two or three lumps of sugar, stirring it well; then cover closely and set in the coldest comer of the refrigerator. Seasoxin-gs, Suggestive. There are certain flavorings which seem required in reheat- ing certain meat left-overs. Beef needs browned onions, mut- ton or lamb browned onions with chopped celery; chicken requires parsley and celery salt; veal, lemon juice and onion browned in butter or an addition of tomatoes. housekeepers and others 51 Beoiled Meats, In broiling meats over coals never allow tiiem to smoke the least. After the coals have bnrned down somewhat, throw on a handful of salt to deaden the bine flame that arises. If the dripping takes fire, remove the meat from the stove to cool a few minntes. Do not try to blow it ont, as there is danger of burning the face. Testing Eggs, Drop eggs in a dish of water and if the small end comes to the top they are fresh. Boiling Watee. Use boiling water when it first boils or the gases will escape and the water become flat. To Make Cooked Meat Tendee. Wrap boiled or roasted meat in a moist cloth when intended to be used cold. This will make it more tender and prevent it from dr}dng. To Keep Preserves from Molding. A panful of lime kept in the cupboard where jams and preserves are stored away will prevent molding. To Clarify Soup. The white of an egg dropped into a pot of soup will gather to it all impurities. When it curdles, remove it. To Preserve Color op Green Vegetables, A lump of sugar put in to boil with green vegetables will 53 EMERGENCY HELPS FOE. preserve their color and improve the flavor, especially that of peas. Weights and Measures for Cooks. One quart of wheat flour weighs a pound ; of Indian meal, one pound, two ounces; soft butter, one pound; best brown sugar, one pound, two ounces; powdered white sugar, one pound, one ounce; broken loaf sugar, one pound; four large tablespoonfuls make one-half gill; one common tumbler holds one-half pint; one common-sized wine glass holds one- half gill ; a teacup holds one gill ; a large wineglass holds two ounces • a tablespoonful is equal to one-half ounce. Cream in" Coffee. Cream, as well as milk, boiled adds to the richness of coffee and does not chill it. To Thicken Custards^ Etc. When yoii wish to thicken a sweet mixture that calls for corn starch or flour and sugar, take the required sugar, mix the flour with it as you would flour fruit for a cake; each particle of sugar receives its coating of flour and you can put it into' boiling milk or any liquid mixture without fear of lumping. Experience a Teacher. Most women know the discouragement of a light, puffy omelet, suddenly, before it is scarcely served or can possibly be eaten, flattened into a thin, leathery, shrunken substance. If the yolk is beaten separately and the well beaten whites put in last — after the milk with a pinch of powdered sugar, likewise of corn starch, has been added to the yolks — there is scarcely any danger of collapse. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 53 Lemon foe Jelly. Lemon juice added to fruit juices that do not "jelF' readily, sucli as cherry, strawberry, etc., will cause them to "jell." WhejST Steamiistg a Pudding. It is much better to line the pan with glazed paper well buttered. Cut the paper to fit the pan, allowing half an inch above the sides. Butter last. This will enable you to lift out the pudding intact and serve neatly instead of in lumps. This applies as well to loaf cake. A Seceet about Soup. This comes from a Canadian cook as being the secret of the fine flavor of her soup called "plain tomato* soup.^^ Either with a dish of baked tomatoes, or with the soup, add one cucumber cut up. Cook till soft, and strain. Beating Eggs foe Omelet. For omelet, custards, various sauces and puddings, eggs are only slightly beaten. About twelve or fourteen strokes of a whisk mean "slightly" beaten. GtEiddle Caees. If large bubbles appear on the top of a griddle cake as it is first put to cook, you may know your griddle is too hot. Soda and Baking Pov^^dee. In making a recipe which calls for cream of tartar and soda, and you wish to make it with baking powder, remember that two teaspoonfuls of cream of tartar and one of soda make three of baking powder. 54 EMERGENCY HELPS FOK In using soda and sour milk the proportions for almost any dougli or batter is one teaspoonful of baking soda to two cups of sour milk. CoKN Meal and Flode. / In using corn meal in a bread, always scald it with a part of the liquid demanded in the recipe to soften its starch. There is not time enough during the baking for this to be done properly. In using bread flour instead of pastry flour, as is sometimes demanded for a baking powder mixture, deduct two tablespoons from each cup in the mixture. To Cook a Small Eoast. First sear it over as you would steak, driving in the meat juices, making it more tender and requiring less oven heat. Vegetables in Soup Stock. In hot weather omit vegetables in soup stock; it will keep better. Add the vegetables in making the soup. The Tea Cakes Won^t Bukn. Turn the baking pan upside down and bake on the bottom of the pan and you will never do any other way. Peopoetions in Cookeey. Five to eight eggs to one quart of milk for custards. Three to four eggs to one pint of milk for custards. One saltspoonful of salt to one quart of milk for custards. One teaspoonful of vanilla to one quart of milk for custards. Two ounces of gelatine to one and three-fourths quarts of liquid. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 55 Four heaping tablespoonfuls of com starch to one quart of milk. Three heaping teaspoonfuls of baking powder to one quart of flour. One even teaspoonful of baking-powder to one cupful of flour. One teaspoonful of soda to one pint of sour milk. One teaspoonful of soda to one-half pint of molasses. One teaspoonful of baking-powder equals one-half tea- spoonful of soda and one teaspoonful of cream of tartar. Time Table. MEATS. Boiling Time Mutton, per pound 15 minutes Potted Beef, per pound . 30 to 35 " Corned Beef, per pound 30 " Ham, per pound 18 to 20 " Turkey, per pound 15 " Chicken, per pound 15 '' Fowl, per pound 30 to 30 " Tripe, per pound 3 to 5 hours EisH. Time Codfish, per pound 6 minutes Haddock, per pound 6 " Halibut, per pound 15 " Blue 10 " Bass 10 " Salmon 10 to 15 " Small Fish 6 Lobster 30 to 40 " 56 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR VEGETAJBLES. Boiling Time Potatoes 30 to 30 mimites Asparagus 30 to 35 " Peas 15 to 30 " Lima 30 to 40 Spinach 15 to 30 Turnips 30 " Beets 30 minutes or more Cabbage 1 hour Snaps 3 hours Cauliflower 30 minutes Brussels Sprouts 10 to 15 " Onions 30 to 40 Parsnips 30 to 40 " Green Corn 30 to 35 Never take time to put salt in the boiling pot until meats and vegetables are more than half done. TIME TABLE FOR BAKING MEATS. Beef ribs, rare per pound, 8 to 10 minutes " well done " 13 to 15 boned and rolled " 13 to 15 " Pound of beef " 13 to 15 Mutton leg, rare " 10 " " well done " 15 " loin, rare " 8 " shoulder, stuffed " 'l5 " saddle, rare " 9 Lamb, well done " 15 " Veal " 18 to 30 Pork " 30 " Venison " 10 HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 57 Time Chicken per pound, 15 minutes Goose '' 18 Fillet, hot oven " 30 Braised meats " 3 to 4 hours Liver, whole " 2 hours Turkey, 8 lbs " 1% " Turkey, very large " 3 " Birds, small, hot oven 15 to 30 minutes Ducks, tame 45 " Ducks, wild, very hot oven 15 " Partridge 35 to 40 Grouse 20 to 25 " PISH. Large fish about 1 hour Small fish 20 to 30 minutes BEEADS AND CAKES. Light bread 1 hour Biscuits 20 minutes Cake 20 to 45 Custards, very slow oven 1 hour Pastry — Baking. . . . . If pastry is slow in browning throw a little sugar on the oven shelf. This will expedite matters greatly. WHEisr Cream Is Thin, WTien cream from being too thin is hard to whip, add the white of an &gg to each pint of cream; the whipping can be accomplished much more easily, and the flavor of the cream not changed in the least. 5S EMEEOENCY HELPS POK When Broiling Steae. Try brushing your steak over with, flour and butter to keep the juices in. When Feeezing Cream. Pack newspapers around the top of the freezer over the ice to keep it from melting too rapidly. To Cook Potatoes — (Old). It makes no difference how old or shriveled the potato may be, pare and put on in cold salt water and let come to a boil; pour off this water, finish cooking in boiling water, and you Avill have a light, mealy potato. Fruit Pies. In making fruit pies, insert a little paper funnel into the centre. The steam will escape and the juice will not run out into the oven. Lamb Chops. Try dipping lamb chops in lemon juice just before broiling them. They are delicious. Hints about Custards. In making a custard of any sort, the whites of the eggs are not necessary. Use the yolks to thicken the milk, in the proportion of one egg to a cupful of milk. Use whites for meringue. To prevent a baked custard from wheying, place the dish containing the custard in a basin of water while baking. To prevent a boiled custard from curdling, do not cook more than two or three minutes after adding the eggs to the HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 59 milk, and do not add salt Tintil you have removed it from the stove. Scald milk with which to make custard pies. Baking Sweet Potatoes. After washing sweet potatoes thoroughly, grease the out- side with fried meat grease before baking. They will be found a great deal more juicy and the peeling can easily be removed. A Hint to Jelly Makers. Don't feel compelled to make all your fruit jelly during the hot weather. As the fruit comes in season, cook and strain the juice, return to the kettle and let it boil. Can without sugar, and make into jelly as needed during the winter. In this way you lighten your summer work and also need fewer jelly glasses, while the jelly has a fresher taste, which is sometimes lost after keeping it for awhile. Tinned Fruits and Vegetables. In buying tinned fruits and vegetables, select those cans whose tops are flat or depresssed, for if the tops are bulged out, air has entered the tin and fermentation set in. Canning Apples. Try canning apples in slices with the peel on — ^ready for frying. Steam them rather than boil, as you wish the pieces whole and not entirely done. This is a great con- venience and a good breakfast dish in late spring when apples are expensive. 60 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR CAi;rNING AND PRESERVING. Always heat rubbers before placing on jars to avoid the rubber taste after being canned. To Loosen Can Tops. When tops stick very tightly to cans, submerge the top in hot water and unscrew immediately. IsTew Can Tops. In buying new can tops sometimes a sharp edge is found; scrape with a knife to avoid cutting rubber when sealing cans. New Rubbers. When buying new rubbers buy black or dark ones, as they are purer rubber and do not get as stiff with use. To Keep Parsley. To keep parsley for soups, gather in the fall and sprinkle with salt in layers in glass jars. Defective Fruit Cans. When fruit cans are defective, run white wax — melted — around the top where metal and rubber unite. It has proved a sure remedy, is easily applied with a spoon, and can be repeated many times. Syrup Cans. Save your syrup cans such as have close-fitting tops. These if washed nicely and are not bent answer very well for canning purposes, sealing with wax and resin melted together, or resin strings. housekeepers and others 61 Canning or Bottling Cider. To keep cider perfectly sweet indefinitely, scald the cider, and when just at the boiliag point, pnt iato self -sealing bottles, fruit jars or commlon bottles. If the latter, scald the corks, and cover with beeswax and resin. The bottles must be filled to overflowing, and sealed or fastened imme- diately. It must be bottled not later than two weeks from the mill, or it will not keep so well, and not much earlier or the flavor will not be as good. This cider has been favor- ably commented upon by persons who are competent judges. Q2 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 64 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 65 KITCHEN HELPS. To Keep the Kitchen Table Clean. If all clean papers and pasteboard boxes were cut in convenient shape, with a hole near one end, through which to hang them on a large hook near the kitchen table, and used to stand hot kettles, frjdng pans and other utensils on, the table would be kept white and clean without any tedious scourings. To Protect Dishes. Spread a newspaper on the back of the kitchen range and stove shelf, before the dishes are placed thereon to warm: they will not soil the table linen. Ejtchen Lamps. If kitchen lamps must be cleaned on the kitchen table, spread a newspaper down before commencing the operation. To Clean Porcelain Sauce-Pans. Fill them half full of hot water, and put in the water a tablespoonful of powdered borax and let it boil. If this does not remove all the stains, scour well with soap and borax. Filling Salt Cellars. Salt and pepper shakers can be quickly and neatly filled by the use of a small funnel placed in 1)he mouth of each. Sugar in the Teapot. Put a lump of sugar in the teapot and it will prevent 5 66 EMEEGENCY HELPS FOR tea staining any damask, however fine, over which it may be spilled. Sink Brushes. Use wire brushes for cleaning sinks; they have wire bristles which do not become wet and sodden with greasy water, etc., and are as sweet and clean after a whisk through hot suds as though they had never known what sink brush- ing was. Soda in the Kitchen. Sal soda is best but bread soda or bicarbonate is cheap and always on hand. Jugs, jars, churns, in fact dishes, almost anything, may be made sweet and cleansed with soda and hot water. To Mend Cr^^cks in Stoves. Take equal parts of wood ashes and salt and make a paste or cement about the consistency of putty, fill cracks with it and allow to dry before building a fire. \ To Clean Stove Pipes. Potato peelings and zinc filings put in the stove or fur- nace over hot coals will by a chemical process keep all pipes clean of soot. Good Kitchen Soap. Cut an ordinary bar of soap in small pieces, put it in three pints of hot water, and add one ounce of borax. Let it melt but not boil and, when well mixed, pour out to cool. Cut in cakes. If fou vsdsh hard soap use less water. Made in this way the soap will go further, and labor lessened. It is very good also for laundry purposes, as it improves the whiteness of the fabric. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHEaS 67 To KJEEP Salt Dry. On damp days salt becomes clogged in salt shakers. Try mixing with the salt a little corn starch, flour, or one-fourth as much rice grains as salt — or set in warming oven. Food Burning on Stoves. Tlie disagreeable odor^s may be done away with if imme- diately after anything boils over on the stove, you will sprinkle salt upon the place. To Prevent Kitchen Odors. Tie a piece of bread, the size of your fist, in a piece of cheese cloth and put in the kettle of boiling vegetables. To Eemove Burnt Meat from a Kettle or Pan. Fill the pan with cold Avater and allow to stand several hours, when the burnt meat, or food, will come up in a soft crust. Soapstone Griddles. The cracking of soapstone griddles is perhaps oftener due to their being heated too suddenly. Always set on the back of the stove, sometime before using, to allow them to heat gradually. Hot GtReasb. When hot grease is spilled on the floor, immediately dash upon the grease some cold water, which will harden it and prevent it from soaking into the floor. To Extinguish a Flame. I have learned by experience that you can at once ex- tinguish the flame of a gasoline stove that has blazed up — 68 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB as it will sometimes do — hy putting a little flour on the burner. This will extinguish it at blankets have been tried and failed. burner. This will extinguish it at once when water and A Good Stove Polish. This recipe was obtained from a dealer in stoves, and used upon work just received from the factory. Take about a half cup of plumbago, mix with it just enough black asphal- tum varnish to gather up the dusty powder; then mix with this, enough benzine or gasoline to make a tliin polish. Put on with a brush as you would paint. Rub with a brush or flannel cloth. This is a cold stove polish, for if used on a hot stove it would immediately ignite and perhaps cause serious trouble, as the gasoline is very inflammable and should under all circumstances be used by an intelligent person. Remedy fok a Hot Fire. If your fire gets too hot, sprinkle upon it a little salt. Obstinate Spots on Stoves. G-rease spots that have burnt and become hard on the stove may be removed by a few drops of kerosene oil on the cloth before they are rubbed. To Burn Out Soot. If newspapers saturated with kerosene oil are stufled in the pipe of cook stove, and fired, the accumulated soot will burn out. Common Salt as a Cleaner. WTien earthenware vessels have been burnt brown in cooking fruit, or milk or enamel pans, or pie dishes are HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 69 stained, or cups stained with tea, rub them with a little common salt. To Impkove Stove Polish. A few drops of turpentine in stove polish will give a better gloss and last longer. To Eepair a Teapot. When your tea or coffee pot is bereft of its knob, try a cork screwed on and fastened with a nut on the inside of the top. The cork is a non-conductor of heat and if the size of cork is proportionate to top, it is not at all un- sightly. To Remove a Rusty Screw. A rusty screw may be removed by placing a hot iron on the top of it and immediately using the screw-driver. For the Kitchen Fire. A handful of oyster shells thrown into the range fire will prevent clinkers, as the lime in the shells will dissolve the minerals in the coal which form the clinkers. To Cleanse a Frying Pan. To cleanse a fishy frying pan, fill tlie pan with cold water and set on stove until it boils hard, then throw into it a red hot cinder and wash in the usual way. Another Way op Cleaning a Frying Pan. When iron griddles, frying pans and small iron cooking utensils become grimy and have thick crusts of burnt grease on them, first rub over well with kerosene oil; then open your stove and put the vessel or pan on the red-hot coals. Ii 70 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB will take fire and must become red-hot; at which time take it to the sink and ran over it some cold water. Then wash thoroughly, and in most cases it will be clean like new iron. Grease well and use again. To Harden Glasswaeh. To make glassware, crockery or china less susceptible to changes of temperature, boil them in salt water. To Prevent Steel erom Eusting. If steel knives, which are not in general use, are dipped in a solution of one part soda to four of water, wiped dry and wrapped in a flannel cloth and kept in a dry place, they will not rust. The Kitchen Floor. If your kitchen floor is well oiled, that is, rubbed well with a little linseed, it can easily be kept clean by mopping once a week and an occasional washing with warm soap- suds to keep it from gumming. A Kitchen Eack. A useful rack to have on the wall near your stove or gas range to hold sauce-pan covers is made of pine, five feet long, one inch wide, and three-quarters of an inch thick. Fasten it to the wall with small blocks of wood about three- fourths of an inch thick, at each end where the screws pass through. My rack holds twelve covers and I have found it very convenient. A Good Suggestion. A cook stove, oil or gas, should always be elevated to avoid HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 71 stooping when working around it. Try the plan and you will soon see how much backache will be saved. To Keep the Cook Stove Clean. Cover the frying pan while cooking to prevent greasing the stove. But if the stove should become greasy put a piece of soap in the polish before putting it on. To Purify and Sweeten Kitchen Cloths. Put them in cold water with soap and lemon skins, let come to a boil, then wash out with soap. Dry in the sun. Bits of "saved" lemon rinds put into stained cooking vessels with cold water will go far towards cleaning them. To Keep New Tin from Eusting. Before using new tin vessels, either in cooking or for the kitchen, grease well with lard, put it in the oven and bake well or until thoroughly heated. The same applies to iron gem pans to keep them from sticking. To Keep Kettles Clean. If you grease well the bottom of the teakettle, dinner pot or broiling pan before setting over the fire the soot can be easily wiped off. To Keep Eggs Fresh. There are lots of rules in cook books for preserving eggs but many seem' to sacrifice the quality of the egg. This method will be found first class: Pack them, so that they will brace each other (not shake), in a strong but thin cotton bag. When filled, pin or sew lightly together, having sewed on both sides or ends of the bag a loop by which to 72 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR hang it. Hang on a beam in a cellar where a good current of air will always be passing, and every seventh day reverse the hanging. Don't forget to do this and with abundance of fresh air they will keep for months, delicate and appe- tizing as when freshly laid. Kettle Covers. Of all the useful things in a kitchen, the kettle covers are perhaps the most troublesome when not in use. Make a large pocket of oilcloth with suitable divisions (binding strongly), and tack in a handy place near the cook stove, and you can see the cover you want without handling all in the kitchen press. Zinc a Chimney Cle^vnee. Those who use smoky, soft coal may not know that a few zinc scraps or a piece of zinc throv/n into the fire of the kitchen stove once a week will keep the stovepipe free of soot. By chemical action the soot will fall from the pipe, and be carried away by the draught, which must be turned on. To Clean Bottles. Keep a box of small pebbles in the kitchen and when necessary j)ut in your bottles, decanters, etc., a tablespoon- ful or more with a little soda. The pebbles are better than shot, as the shot leave behind a portion of oxide of lead, which soon impairs the beauty of the glass. GrREASE ON THE StOVE. If you spill grease on the stove, throw on a little ashes; this will absorb the grease and after awhile, when brushed off, none of the grease will remain. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 73 A Stove Polish Hint. Mix the stove blacking with vinegar to the consistency of creani;, add a pinch of sugar, put on with a brash and polish with old newspaper ; it ' will give a beautiful and lasting polish. Aftee a Few Years' Use. Many cook stoves turn red on top and refuse to receive polish. To remedy this, add a little wood ashes to the polish, wet with water and proceed to polish as usual. It should be added for the top only. Take Care of Paper Bags. A little thing and it seems trifling, but when in a hurry and needing one, it is nice to know that an enamel cloth bag tacked upon the pantry door contains, exactly what you want. Fold them when emptpng and don't wait until they are thrown around and soiled. To Eemove Cheert Pits. Put the loop-end of a hairpin (after dropping in hot water to sterilize) into the cherry and pull out the stone. Very little injury is done to the fruit. To Eemove Walnut and Fruit Stains from the Fingers. Dip them in strong tea, rubbing the nails with it with a nail brush. Wash in warm water; they will instantly dis- appear. To Eemove the Odor of Onions from the Flesh. After peeling the odoriferous onion, cut an Irish potato peel from a fresh potato and rub on the hands, and the odor will leave immediately. 74 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR DoN^T Oil the Kitchen Floor. Use linoleum as a covering, or paint the kitchen floor with a good house paint — not too dark in color. To EIeep Vegetaeles. An over supply of vegetables must be kept in a dry dark place, as light, warmth and moisture produce either germi- nation or decay. GrEEASE ON THE FLOOR. When grease is spilled on the kitchen floor, pour over it a dipper of cold water before it soaks in. Paint in the Kitchen. The woodwork in the kitchen, especially if dark, will look dingy from the use of powders and soap. Instead take a pound of bran to a gallon of water, boil for an hour and wash the paint. It will become clean, bright and glossy. To Cut Hot Bread and Cake. First lay the blade of the knife flat on the stove until well heated, and it will cut smoothly through hot bread or cake. Glass Jars eor Vinegar. Vinegar should not be kept in stone jars, as the acid may affect the glazing and ruin the vinegar. It should be kept preferably in glass jars. Black Lead Dust. The annoying black lead dust that arises when polishing a stove with ordinary blacking may be prevented by adding HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 75 a pinch of powdered gum tragacanth to the blacking, or using some of the good paste polishes now on the market. Kitchen Knives. The best way to clean kitchen knives is to cut a raw Irish potato in half, dip in ordinary ashes from the stove and add to it a little "elbow" grease. Brighten the TInware. A hot solution of salt and vinegar will brighten the tin- ware in the kitchen, also the faucets over the sink. Convenient for the Kitchen. Blue litmus paper is a convenient addition to the kitchen equipment. It is often difficult to determine whether or not milk is perfectly fresh, but put even a drop of milk on this paper, and if it is the least acid the paper will turn red. Over the Kitchen Sink. Keep a cup of Indian meal over the sink. It may be used in the absence of soap, and when "fair'^ hands get chapped or rough in cold weather use after rough work, and while still damp rub them with dry meal and they will be kept smooth and soft. To Unstop a Sink. I repeat what was told me by a plumber. "Kever pour lye in a sink pipe which has been stopped by grease, etc." The reason is obvious: lye and hot water coining in contact with grease makes soap and causes it to form in the pipe as a cake of soap. Instead, pour strong washing soda or pearline, which dissolves grease. 76 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, A Few ""Don'ts"" feom a Stove Eepaieer. Don't heat a stove rapidly the first time. Don''t pile the coal above the top of the firebox, or allow the stove to get red-hot on top. It warps and cracks the covers. Don't let your grate get clogged, shake often. Don't let ashes accumulate in the ash pan; a full pan of ashes reaching to the grate when a hot fire is on will melt the bars of the grate. Don't let clinkers remain fastened to the firebox. Throw in an oyster shell now and then. Don't rush the range with the oven draught open. You only waste fuel and burn out the range. Don't let the smoke draft stand open except when fresh coal is pu.t on. Heat that goes up the chunney is so much good money burned. Don't burn wet garbage in the stove, it forms steam and is liable to crack the firebox. Don't set on the stove leaky vessels or spill cold water. Cold contracts and will cause the lids to crack. Don't let the reservoir covers stand open. The air and moisture cause oxidation (rust) and the hinges, are strained. Don't let soot accumulate in the flue. Scrape off all soot that hangs to the oven bottom, and clean thoroughly once a week. That "'Fishy'^ Odok. There is always difficulty in eradicating the fishy macke- rel odor from forks, knives, etc., used in cooking them. To avoid this my cook fills a bucket with fresh earth and, imme- diately after washing them, sticks them into it, the earth drawing the odor out. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHEHS 77 To Test Eggs. By touching the ends of the egg to the lips a difference in temperature of the ends will be noticeable if the egg is fresh. Destroying an Odor. The odor that clings to a pan in which fish and onions are cooked may be dispelled by placing in a hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes after washing and drying. 78 EUEEOENCY HELPS FOK HOITSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 79 80 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 81 LAUNDEY .HELPS. To Eemove Scorch. If any article is scorched in ironing, hang in the hot sun and the scorched part will be entirely removed. To Set Colors. A spoonful of ox-gall to a gallon of water will set almost any goods. Soak before washing. Fire Brick for an Iron- Stand. For an iron-stand a clean fire brick is more satisfactory than the ordinary disc of fancy iron, which not only allows the air to get at the bottom of the iron but conducts the heat from it. The brick is a non-conductor and retains the heat in the smoothing iron. Enameled Clothespins. If clothespins are dipped in white enamel paint and dried in the sun, they can be kept perfectly clean and will not splinter the clothes. Shaker for Washing Powder. The pulverized washing powders last much longer if used from a sifting can, talcum powder box, or, equally as good, a baking powder box with the top perforated with small nail holes. Hard Soap — Excellent. Dissolve one-half pound of borax in five gallons of warm soft water; next put in two cans of lye, add nine pounds 82 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR of grease, and cook one and one-half hours or until it will harden when tried on a saucer. Cut in bars. To Wash Eed Table Linen. Make suds of lukewarm water, and good hard soap. Wash gently without rubbing soap on the cloth. Einse well and dry in shade. When nearly dry fold well and run through a wringer. If carefully put through wringer it will look as well as if ironed, and not fade. An Ironing Sheet for a Table. This should be made large enough to turn under an inch and allow an inch hem all around. Into this hem run a heavy cord or tape. Draw tightly and tie under the top of table. For a skirt board make large enough to turn under two inches, tacking tapes opposite each other, and tie. 1 To Remove Tar. Before washing, rub well with lard, wash with soap and water. Applies to either hands or clothing. Washing Fluid. Take one pound of washing soda, one-fourth pound of unslaked lime, and one gallon of water. Boil up, and when cold pour off clear. Use one teacupful to a boiler of clothes. It will remove almost any stain, leaving the clothes clear and white. Borax Soap. Cut an ordinary bar of laundry soap in small pieces, put it in three pints of hot water and add one ounce of borax. L^t it melt but not boil. When well mixed pour out to cool. Cut in cakes. If you wish hard soap use less water. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHEUS 83 Prepared this way the soap will go further, labor is lessened, and whiteness of fabric assured. To Wash White Cashmere. ■ Cashmere is so apt to turn yellow in washing. White soap must be used sparingly. Wash with cold or lukewarm water, and when quite clean, rinse well in water, the same temperature, with a little blueing in it. Shake, do not wring, and when almost dry, iron with moderately hot iron on the wrong side. Starch Polish Tried and True. Take two parts of spermaceti to one of white wax; melt slowly together; use a piece the size of a thimble to two quarts of starch. It gives a lustre to calicoes equal to new, and makes clothes iron easily. Prevents Fading. A large spoonful of turpentine put in the water when wash- ing dresses or waists with delicate colors will prevent fad- ing and preserve the colors fresh and bright. Washing Fluid. Dissolve one ounce of salts of tartar, one ounce of salts of ammonia, and one can of Babbitt's potash in five quarts of lukewarm water, and add half a cake of borax soap shaved fine. Clothes should be dry when put in boiler and should boil twenty minutes. Wlien taken out of the boiler and rubbed for a few minutes it will be found that all dirt and spots will be removed with very slight effort. This fluid does not injure the clothes and has been used by a number of people. 84 EMEE,GENCY HELPS FOR Washing an Evening Shawl. Soak the shawl in warm suds of white soap. Do not rub soap on the shawl. Squeeze the suds through it, but do not wring. When clean rinse in weak suds of the same tempera- ture as the first water. Throw in a heap on a clean sheet to dry, turning occasionally. Wlien dry pin in shape on a sheet, then sprinkle with cold water to raise the fluffy fibre. A knitted or crocheted shawl so washed will appear like new. Flannels. Flannels should never be allowed to lie in the water while being washed, but rather washed and hung out as quickly as possible. Only a moderate iron should be used, as heat turns them yellow. Washing Chamois Skins. If washed in cold water with plenty of soap, and rinsed well in clear cold water, the skins will never be hard, but very soft and pliable. To Wash Flour Sacks. Eather than throw them away before washing, wet them well in kerosene, let stand for an hour or more, then put them in warm soapy water, wring out, and after a few mo- ments wash as usual. These are convenient in the kitchen and look so much better than with traces of lettering on them. A Caution. During a long wet spell all wooden surfaces are apt to be covered with a slight mold. Experience has taught me never again to assort soiled clothes on a back porch. This was done by my maid and in the interim of waiting to find HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHEHS someone to take the i^lace of an absent waslier^ the dampness of the atmosphere caused the clothes nearest the lattice to cling to the floor. In every case the pieces were taken np with the soil from the floor, and to my surprise, when the clean clothes came in, my washer astonished me by saying that they were filled with mildew, and she could do notliing with them. The consequence was, I was two days work- ing on them before the next wash day, some pieces of which were never reclaimed, as they were "set" in the previous wash. Potatoes Used as Soap. Two potatoes grated in a basin of warm water will often give better results than soap in washing delicate flannels, woolen goods, ribbons, etc. To Wash Pongee Silk. Pongee silk is washed like a muslin garment, except that it must never be boiled or scalded. Let it get quite dry and iron with a hot iron. Do not wring. If ironed while wet or damp it will either be spotted or darkened in color. To Launder Table Linen. Careful housewives should look over table linen for stains before sending to the wash, as very often it is almost im- possible to efface any discoloration after it has been sub- merged in soapy water. Follow the ordinary rules of wash- ing, remembering that there is no need for table linen to be thoroughly dried and sprinkled. Just allow the cloths to dry enough to iron well, then hold the hem or selvedge together on the side and shake into a straight seam or fold in the cen- tre, roll up and in a short time it may be ironed. Iron on a table double, reversing the side, and having folded it right gg EMERGENCY HELPS FOR side in, you may now unfold and fold again, ironing with a hot iron and pressing heavily. This takes time, but you will be repaid in the end. To Wash Curtains. In the absence of curtain stretchers, wash as you would anything else that needs to be handled carefully, not wring- ing, of course; only squeeze out the water. Some lay soiled curtains to soak; I do not, as soaking gives them a dingy look. Eather after washing through one or two waters with good soap or pearline, scald them until they reach the boiling point, then rinse and starch with lump starch to which has been added a little alum. Squeeze out all the starch you can then spread on grass in the sunshine, pinning them as closely as possible with hairpins stuck upright in the ground. If ruffled, iron ruffles. If scalloped they may be ironed in shape with very little trouble. In fact, even with stretchers I always shape the scallops with the iron, which makes them look flat and smooth as when bought. A Laundry Help. Much of the labor of ironing sheets is saved if, when washed, they are hung lengthwise on the clothesline. The selvedge will be found smooth as the rest of the sheet — not "curled up." Prevents Fading. A large spoon of turpentine put in the water when washing dresses or waists with delicate colors liable to fade will pre- vent fading and preserve the colors fresh and bright. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 87 An Economy. In cooking rice — of course everyone cooks it dry in the good old Southern way — save the water in which it has been boiled, to use for starch. It will give the exact stifEness to hand- some center-pieces and other dainty articles. Stakching Bath Towels. Starch Turkish bath towels. These "scratchy/' unironed towels are just the thing to use before retiring, giving better results than a flesh brush. Scorch. Never despair when linen seems hopelessly scorched from an over-heated iron. Soak stain in lukewarm water and squeeze lemon juice over it, sprinkle with salt and lay in the sun to bleach. Washing Handkerchiefs. On wash day soak badly soiled handkerchiefs in a ba^in of water to which has been added a generous handful of salt. All that is objectionable will be removed and they may then be washed as usual. Clothespin Apron. This is made of bed-ticking with two large pockets. It is much handier than a box or basket, as the apron can be hung up with the pins, kept clean and always ready for use. Something about Quilts. By rolling tightly or folding, after washing, and then beating with a rolling pin or potato masher the cotton will be lightened up and the quilts made soft and new. 88 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Paint and Wagon Grease. By rubbing while still fresh with kerosene or lard, and then washing out in warm water and soap, paint and wagon grease may be easily removed. Sewing Machine Oil. When your sewing machine has been too heavily oiled and the oil runs off the needle into the stitching, wash it first in cold water before sending it to the general wash. Use some soap. Speinkled Clothes. It is much better to use hot v/ater for dampening clothes, before ironing, as the moisture is more even and the clothes are ready for the iron sooner. Colored Table Linen. Colored table linen should be washed in tepid water in which powdered borax has been sprinkled; wash quickly, using little soap, and rinse> in tepid water containing boiled starch; dry in the shade and iron while still damp. Washing Flannels. Wlien washing flannels do not rub or wring them, sop them up and down in good suds, rinsing also in suds of the same temperature, and the shrinkage will be little. For Ironing Day. When ironing, if your flat irons do not heat fast enough, try placing a dripping pan over them and they will get hot much quicker. housekeepers and others 89 Perspikation Stains. Ginghams or other colored shirt waists that have been stained by perspiration under the arms may be restored by soaking the waist an hour or two in cold water, then use plenty of corn meal — ^instead of soap — ^to rub the places when washing. Starched Garments. After starched garments have been ironed, hang them in the hot sunshine, that they may thoroughly dry, and that the sunshine may take out any yellow spots from too hot irons, also any odor from burnt or sour starch as is some- times the case. To Wash New Blankets. \^T.ien blankets are to be washed for the first time they should be soaked over-night in cold water and then rinsed. This is to remove the sulphur used in bleaching. After this, they should be soused until clear in a lukewarm lather made with boiled soap and water, and then rinsed in clear water, the same temperature. Hints erom an Observant Laundress. Alum used in rinsing water will prevent green from fading. A handful of salt thrown into rinsing water should be used to set blue. Ox gall is good for gray and brown. Hay water made by pouring boiling water over hay is excellent for washing tan or brown linen; when this is not used the garments will soon look faded and bleached. 90 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Prevent Flannels from Shrinking. Let your flannels soak in cold water forty-eight hours. Set them on the stove in the same water and let it come to a boil. Eemove, and let stand twelve hours. After this treat- ment they will remain just the size they were when you bought them. * To Keep Irons Smooth. To clean irons that have become rough and sticky through bits of starch sticking to them, wash thoroughly in soap- suds, drying well. They will always be smooth and clean. Be sure to dry them before heating or they will rust when put on the stove. To Make Stockings Last. Wash the feet of new stockings before wearing: the idea of shrinking theni first will make them last longer. A Magical Washing Method. Take a half bar of soap, shave it, and melt in a quart of boiling water. Add one teacupful of gasoline or benzine, pour this into a tubful of boiling water and put the dry clothes in. Yiou can begin right away on the cleanest things or wait a few minutes, as best suits you, for they need little or no rubbing. Ladies' waists or baby's clothes need only to be dipped and moved about, to come out white and clean. Grass Stains. Before laundering, wet all grass stains with alcohol. housekeepers and othees 91 Gum Aeabic as a Starch. Use gum arable water for stiffening daint}^ muslins. Clap together the garment you wash until nearly dry, then iron quickly. Starch tends to cloud a thin material. Alum in Starch. It is said that alum put in starch, a teaspoonful to a quart, will make curtains retain their stiffness and render them fire-proof. They will smoulder, but not flame. Ironing. In ironing don't fail to spread a little salt on a piece of board, upon which to polish and rub your iron. Wax for Irons. A small piece of beeswax or sperm candle tied in a rag will be found indispensable to occasionally rub over face of iron; of course wipe before using. To Wash Black Stockings. Black stockings are apt to assume a greenish hue after repeated washings. A simple way of preserving the color is to wash them in soap free of soda and in the last rinsing water to add a teaspoonful of good vinegar. Wring them out and clap them' into shape. A hot iron tends to destroy the color, particularly if they are wet. Stained Hat Bands. To renovate or wash hat bands, when stained, dissolve an ounce and a half of white castile soap in four ounces of alcohol and an ounce each of sulphuric ether and aqua ammonia. Apply with a sponge or tooth brush briskly and 92 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR rinse out with clear cold water. This mixture will wash or clean any cloth with fast colors. Salts- iisr Staech. A heaping tablespoonful of salts (Epsom) put in one gallon of starch, while cooking, will put a fine gloss on shirts, collars and cuffs, when ironed. Salt in Starch. Table salt will keep starch from sticking, but will add to the flabbiness of ironed clothes in damp weather. To Launder Linen. A woman I know, who launders linen beautifully, starches shirts, collars and cuffs in a thick, boiled starch (rubbing it well in) and hangs them out to dry; an hour before ironing, the linen is dipped in boiling water that has been poured through a strainer containing all the odds and ends of fine white soaps. This soap water keeps the starch from sticking and adds lustre when hard pressed. Laundering Flounces. A fashionable dressmaker says: "Be sure to iron all circular flounces with the ^grain' or threads of the material. This will prevent sagging, and holds good in the pressing and laundering of circular skirts as well." To Eemove Scorched Spots from Linen. Housekeepers are very much annoyed by these, and a paste may be made which will remlove them entirely. To make : Use half an ounce of castile soap (white) finely HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 93 shaved, two ounces of earth secured at the druggist's, the juice of two peeled onions and one cupful of vinegar; stir well and let it boil thoroughly. Cool before spreading over the spots, and let remain until dry; then wash out and the places will have disappeared. A Laundress' Complaint. "Pins, hooks and eyes are the ruination of a nice laundry,^' said one of those good old colored women who bring in my young lady's linens with a whifE of bergamot in the starch. "'You wouldn't imagine how many nice ladies never think of sewing on a button or tape, but send their laundry to me with torn waist bands, and often pins left in the garment." She further bemoaned the advent of hooks as waist fasteners, saying that she had had an entire laundry ruined with small spots of rust coming from the back of a single waist of rusted hooks, while the clothes were dampened for ironing. "My young mistress," said she, with a "befo' de wah" tone in her voice, "always made a habit of taking a stitch in the laundry as soon as needed, and there was no such thing as sending an unmended gar- ment in with her laundry." A careless housekeeper has the responsibility on her own hands when through such negligence she receives the message that her washer-woman has been laid up all week with a needle or pin wound in the hand, and it has been pronounced serious by the doctor, therefore depriving her of honest labor as the bread-winner of a large family. To Whiten Clothes. A tablespoonful of pearline added to a gallon of cold water will whiten dingy-looking white clothes. Put the 94 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR clothes on in a boiler, pouring over them the water in pro- portion to clothes. Let come to a stiff boil for about fifteen or twenty minutes, then take out and scrub, if necessary, rinsing well in two bluing waters. Use ball bluing, re- membering not to let the clothes stand in the blue water, but rinse each piece separately. Hang in the hot sun. To Wash Laoe. Cover a bottle with linen stitched smoothly to fit the shape. Wind the lace about it, basting both edges to the linen. Wash on the bottle — soaping and rinsing well — then boil in soft water and dry in the sun. Clip the bastings and do not iron. To Wash Dark Calicoes. Take three quarts of wheat bran and put in a two-gallon kettle and fill with soft water, letting it come to a boil; dip off all the water and strain into the tub, adding enough water to wash the dress, using no soap. Put more water on the bran, strain as at first and rinse. Hang in the shade to dry and iron on the wrong side. To Sayb Tired Feet When Ironing. A flat pad for the laundrj^ or an old comfort folded and used to stand on, or a child's high chair, with arms removed, as a seat. before the ironing board. To Wash Colored Muslins. Put three cents' worth of sugar of lead into one gallon of cold water, soak the garment in it for ten minutes; then, without wringing, hang on the line until thoroughly dry. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 95 It may be sent to the laundry without fear of fading. Care should be taken, as this is a strong poison. To Wash Old and Discolored Lace. Place the lace flat in a bowl then pour over it a strong suds made from some good white soap; now over the top of the bowl, cover with a pane of glass, and set in the hot sunshine. The water will become almost boiling hot and every bit of the soil will be extracted from the lace. After rinsing in several clear waters lay the lace on a pillow and pin the edges down, giving shape to the scallops. EMEEGENCY HELPS FOU HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 97 98 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOTTSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 99 HOUSE CLEANING NOTES. To Clean Brass. The easiest and quickest way to clean brass or copper is to rub with a solution of oxalic acid, rub quickly, then dip a dry flannel in tripoli or prepared chalk and rub well. To Eemove Marks from Polished Tables. To remove marks from polished tables, caused by heated dishes, make a thin paste of salad oil and salt. Spread it over the marked place, let it remain an hour or more, then rub off with a soft cloth. The result will be a complete disappearance of the spot. KJBROSENE Oil. Kerosene oil is fine for cleansing a greasy kitchen sink. Eub on freely with a soft cloth. New Agate Ware. Eub new agate ware with salt, to prevent bread from sticking to it. Kitchen" Windows. An old salt bag cleanses steamed kitchen windows with- out leaving lint. Ammonia. Ammonia will make all glass shine if a small amount is used in washing water. LOFCc 100 EMEUGENCY HELPS FOR To Clean Silver. Put one-lialf pound sal soda in eight quarts water; when, at a boiling heat^ dip the pieces of silver. Immediately wash in soapsuds and wipe dry with a piece of cotton flannel. To Clean Silver. Take sour buttermilk, put in a deep jar or vessel, and soak small silver for about three hours. The acid in the milk will search out all the dark stains from carving and it will be as bright as though it had been cleaned with a brush. Wash well with hot water and wipe dry while hot. To Clean Globes of Chandeliees. The smoked and dusty globes of chandeliers can be nice- ly cleaned by soaking them in hot water to which a little sal soda has been added. Put some ammonia into hot water, immerse the globes and scrub quickly with a stiff brush. Rinse thoroughly and wipe dry. To Clean Grates. Add half a dozen drops of spirits of turpentine to the black lead when cleaning grates, stir well and a good polish will be the result, and will also keep stoves from rusting when not in use. To Clean Mirrors. Sponge them perfectly free from all dirt, drying with a soft cloth; and when quite dry rub a little powdered blue over the glass, polishing it finely with a soft old silk hand- kerchief. HOUSEKEEPEHS AND OTHERS 101 To Eenew Old Oilcloth. Dissolve half an ounce of beeswax in a claret glass of turpentine, rub it lightly over the surface, and polish with a dry cloth. To Clean" Beds. Wash often with salt water slats and inner portions of your bedstead. Beoom Bag. Make a bag of white Canton flannel to fit the broom, and tie this over it, for sweeping down walls. To Brighten Gilt Frames. Take sufficient flour of sulphur to give a golden tinge to about one and one-half pints of water, and in this boil four or five onions, and apply with a brush. To G-et Eid of Dust. Sprinkle your dust cloth, a brush only distributes the dust. It is a good idea to have a long-handled mop made of stocking ravelings, slightly oiled with kerosene ; for when a duster is mopped, or rather slapped, against carved furniture the oil on the same will attract the dust in small cracks and crevices and prove very satisfactory. A Good Idea. It is a good idea to spray clothes closets with a weak solution of carbolic acid every spring and fall. At the first hint that there is a moth in a piece of upholstered furniture, take it to the air — into the back yard if there is one — ^brush it thoroughly, then saturate it with naphtha. But never do this in the house. The fluid is so volatile that 103 EMERGENCY HELPS FOU even a burning match may set the fiunes on fire and cause an explosion. It should remain out of doors until all the odor of the naphtha has left it. To Cleai^ Isinglass. When rubbing up your stove, do not forget that the isinglass windows may be most quickly and thoroughly brightened by vinegar and water. Eub them quickly with a soft rag dipped into the vinegar and water, being careful to go well into the corners. This will keep the windows clean for a long time. A G-REASY Sink. To clean a greasy sink, a little paraflfine oil rubbed on with flannel will save trouble. Bath Tubs. To cleanse a bath tub apply with a scrub brush muriatic acid, such as is used in commerce. Something about Soot. If soot from an, open fireplace blows on the carpet or rug, sprinkle coarse salt over it and sweep. It will not only clean up the soot but will also freshen the carpet. Glassware. ISTothing improves glassware half so much as using a scrub brush with silver polish or whiting. Einse and wipe dry, and see how it will shine. HOTTSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 103 To Clean JSTiokel Plate. Use a mixture of washing soda and ammonia with a little thin whiting paste, when it is to be polished. If cleaned once a week they can be kept clean without much trouble. To Clean Beass. Eub with salt and hot vinegar. Bath Tubs. To clean bath tubs never use the so-called non-scratch- able scouring soaps on porcelain bath tubs, sinks, closets, etc. Instead, use a rag dipped in gasoline or kerosene, and note how quickly any sediment or discoloration will dis- appear. Soda as a Cleanser. A pint of dry soda dissolved in three quarts of boiling water and poured, while hot, into the kitchen, or any sink will keep the smell of the plumbing clean. Care of E"ickel Plate. The bath room requires considerable attention and the nickel plate must be frequently cleaned and polished. This may be done by using a mixture of washing -soda and ammonia, with a little thin whiting paste, when it comes to the polishing. If a cleaning of this is given once a week the fixtures can be kept bright and new without much trouble, but if the surface once becomes thoroughly clouded by neglect, it will take many repeated rubbings to restore the original polish and brightness. 104 EMERGENCY HEIPS FOR To Clean Niceel-Plated Plumbing. Use gasoline with a woolen cloth. Care should be taken whenever or wherever used not to strike a match or have any fire about, as it is very dangerous. To Oil a Clock. Place a rag saturated with kerosene in the bottom of the clock and the dust from the works will precipitate. To Brighten Windov\^ Panes. If window glass is lacking in. brilliancy, clean it with a liquid paste made of alcohol and whiting. A little of this mixture will remove specks and impart a high lustre to the glass. To Polish Windov^s. The action of the sun, moisture and carbonic acid in the air on the soda or potash in glass produces an opaqueness more or less pronounced. To remove this, wet the glass with diluted hydrochloric acid, and after a few minutes go over the glass with powdered whiting. Pour the acid slowly into the cold water, using four ounces of the acid to twelve ounces of water (one pint and a half). Polish with chamois or soft paper. It must be remembered that this acid will attack metals and should not be allowed to touch them, nor should the bottle be left open an instant longer than neces- sary, as the fumes are very destructive. To Clean Bronze Ornaments. To clean bronze ornaments, take one draclnn of sweet oil, one ounce of alcohol, and one ounce and a half of water. Apply quickly with a soft sponge, but do not rub. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 105 To Clbajst Linoleum. Take equal parts of cotton seed oil and sharp vinegar, rub well with a flannel rag. If the linoleum is very dirty, first wash it with soap and water, or water to which a little turpentine has been added. Do not use washing soda on linoleum, as it readily attacks oil and paint, of which this floor covering is chiefly made. To Eemove Stains from Maeble. Mix together a quarter of a pound of whiting and an eighth of a pound each of soda and melted laundry soap, boiling them until they become like) paste. Just before this is cold spread it on the marble, and leave it there for twenty-four hours. Then wash if off with soft water and dry the marble with a soft cloth. Oil Marks on Wall Paper. To remove oil marks from wall paper make a paste of pipe clay and cold water, leave it on all night and brush it off in the morning. A second application may possibly be necessary. Ink Stains on Furniture. Add six drops of nitre to a teaspoonful of water and apply to the stain with a feather. If the stain does not yield to the first application, make it stronger and repeat. To Wipe Stained Floors or Woodwork. In wiping stained floors and woodwork, add about two tablespoonfuls of linseed oil to the pail of tepid water and you will have a gloss that few other oils will give. 106 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Window Washing. Add to the pail of water with which you wash your windows a tablespoonful of kerosene. Always wash win- dows on a clear, sunshiny day. To Clean Linoleum. Eemember the fact that the dirt on this floor covering is all on a smooth varnished surface and needs no scrubbing with a scratchy brush, -soap, or other strong agents, to remove it. Wiping with flannel wrung from tepid water, or half milk and water, will remove all grime. A mop is not good for wiping floors unless a cloth is used for wiping base- boards and mouldings after the mopping. If this is not done the wood soon becomes streaked and dirty. A good furniture polish applied twice a year will be good to retain its smoothness. To Clean Wall Paper. Mix a little soda with a dough made of flour and water. The soda will not injure the paper and the work will be done more rapidly with it. To Prevent Brass Articles from Tarnishing. Apply a thin varnish of gum shellac and alcohol. This is a valuable suggestion and was given the writer by a dealer in beds and bedding. The gas fitter and the picture frame maker, as well as the furniture m.an, the dealer in grates as well — all make use of it. The varnish furnishes a lacquer and ten cents^ worth is sufficient for a brass bed- stead. Apply with a soft hair brush. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 107 To Clean a Plastek Statue. Make a thin paste with cold water and fullers earth and spread it on the statue, using a soft brush. FUl a tub with soapsuds and wash the statue in this. Einse quickly and dry with sponge or soft cloth. All the work must be done speedily and carefully. Sticky Fly Paper. Ttirpentine is the only satisfactory medium for separating any article from "sticky fly paper." The Cellar and Furnace. The inexperienced housekeeper is likely to allow all in- terest in the furnace to pass from her mind with the last fire of spring days. Such neglect should be repaired at once and the furnace thoroughly cleaned and put in good condition inside as well as out;, on the principle that "prevention is better than cure.'^ The interior should be repaired and cleaned, pipes investigated and ready for fall use; in other words, anticipate the "rush" for workmen, at that season of the year, when everyone seems busy. For Washing Woodwork. For a week or two before house-cleaning time, I save cold tea and cold tea leaves and strain and bottle until I have a quart. It is excellent for washing varnished wood. Simply rub with a clean rag, using no soap. Stains on Marble. Sometimes there are stains on marble and in the basin of the bath room washstand which resist soap preparations. 108 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Scrub with dry salt and a cloth wrung from hot water. Then wash well with kerosene, later with soap and water, s EusT ON Steel. Eust on steel will generally yield to a paste made from fine emery powder and kerosene. Eub the spots with this, let it stand several hours, and then polish with oil. To Clean" Brass. There are many preparations for cleaning brass quickly and well, but the old method of using rotton stone and oil is quite as satisfactory as the newer ones. Have the brass washed with soap and water, then dried. Wet finely powder- ed rotten stone with sweet oil and rub the brass with this, using a woolen cloth. Go over it with dry powder and a clean cloth, polish with chamois skin. To Clean Mahogany. Spread paraffine oil on the soiled woodwork and let stand for an hour or more to soften the dirt; then wash with soap and warm water, and wipe dry. Next rub on the mixture of paraffine oil and turpentine — one-third turpentine and two-thirds oil. Polish with soft old flannel. Let it rest for an hour or two, then polish with soft old linen. If the surface is very dirty, dull and scratched, instead of washing with soap and water, add more oil and sprinkle with powdered rotten stone. Eub gently and regularly, first with a circular motion and then with the grain of the wood. Wlien the surface is smooth and bright wipe off the rotten stone and finish as you would after washing with soap and water. HOUSEKEEPEES AND OTHERS 109 To Wash Linoleum. N"ever scrub with a brush, but wash with tepid water and a dash of soap powder. Einse with clean water and when dry rub with furniture polish. To Clean Wicker Chairs. " ITse tepid soapsuds made with some good white soap, a large pinch of salt being added. If there are any places very soiled or hard to reach, use a smiall scrub brush or an old nail-brush. Then wash the whole chair well, using a flannel cloth. Einse and dry well. Another flannel cloth which has a tiny bit of oil upon it will give the final polish- ing. To Clean" Furniture. First, scrub with soap and water, not wetting more sur- face than can be conveniently dried almost immediately. Mix one pint of boiled linseed oil and one-half pint of kerosene, then rub with this the cleaned furniture. It needs plenty of elbow grease. Leave it half an hour and give it a second polish, whereupon it will shine like glass. White Paint. Do not put soap on white paint, it turns it yellow. Use ammonia in the water, wash very quickly, a little space at a time, and wipe dry. Oilcloth. Clean oilcloth with sweet milk and water, or skim milk. Soap will ruin it. 110 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Clean" a Sewing Machine. First, take the machine apart, boil in soda water, re- place, and oil well. Or, second, empty the oil can, fill with gasoline, flood every oiling place on the machine, run very rapidly, repeat if necessary, wipe ofE with a cloth, then oil, with machine oil. To Clean a Piano. Your piano may be polished safely and beautifully with pure castile soap and cold water. Moisten a soft cloth with water and rub well with soap. Dip again slightly in water and apply, washing about eighteen inches square surface at a time. Dry at once and the polish is there. Do not use chamois. Ivory Handle Knives. To restore the whiteness of ivory knife handles apply tur- pentine with a bit of flannel. Finger Marks on Mirrors. For washing finger marks from mirrors put a few drops of ammonia on a soft rag and make quick work of it. Mirrors that are fly-specked should be washed with cold water, and then polished with a clean soft rag. Combs and Brushes. If it can be avoided never wash combs, as it makes the teeth split, and roughens the tortoise shell or horn of which they are made. Small brushes are made for this purpose and may be bought at a trifling cost. After cleaning, wipe with a damp cloth. Brushes should be washed with am- monia or borax and tepid water, dipping the bristles up and HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS HI down in tlie water without wetting the back. Einse in clean warm water, shake well and dry in the shade and air, with bristles down. Soap softens bristles and will turn an ivory handled brush yellow. To Clean Mirroe Feames. To clean a gilt mirror frame brush off every particle of loose dirt, then wet it, a little space at a time, with alcohol applied with a camePs hair brush. Eub off the alcohol, be- fore it dries, with a silk or flannel rag. The soil should come with it, so change the cloths often. If there are breaks in the frame fill up with plaster wet with white of egg, shape quickly, let set, then smooth over with plaster newly wet to a cream in tepid water. When the outer coat- ing is dry, gild either by pressing on gold leaf or painting with gold paint. Only the finest frames are worth gold leaf. The same treatment applies to picture frames. Scratches on the backs of mirrors may be made less noticeable by pasting over them a little tinfoil, fastened on with patches of glued paper at each end or corner. To Freshen Cae1»ets. Wipe, after sweeping well, with a rag wrung out of a pail of water in which two tablespoonfuls of turpentine have been added. Wipe quite hard and wring rag as dry as possible. To Clean Varnished Doors^ etc. Wash thoroughly with strong pearline water; this will take off all soil and thumb marks, from around the knobs. Now get a varnish brush, some copal varnish and some tur- pentine; thin, and apply sparingly. Why stand and oil 113 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR and rub when with a paint brush you can do the work in one-half the time ! To Clean Woodwork. After it has been well washed use equal parts of boiled linseed oil, spirits of turpentine and strong vinegar. Eub well with a woolen rag. To Clean Paint from Window Panes. Apply strong vinegar on the spots, let stand for a while, then wash as usual. Dust on a Waedrobe. How easy it is to spread a newspaper on the top of the wardrobe ! Then when fall cleaning time comes simply lift the paper, fold in the dust and burn. Bath Eoom Hooks. Hooks used in bath rooms, kitchen and pantry may be dipped in white enamel paint; they are easily cleaned, and there will be no danger of iron rust. To Wash Windows. Do you know that a little thin cold starch, rubbed over windows and mirrors and then wiped oflE with a soft cloth, is an easy way of producing most shining results? To Eestore Cane Chairs. When cane-seated chairs become shabby and the elasticity is gone out of them, they may be restored by turning up the seat and washing the cane work with hot water and a sponge till it is thoroughly soaked. If the cane work is very HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 113 dirty, use a little salt in the water. Dry the chairs in the fresh air. The Bars op a G-rate. The bars of a grate often become burned and red. Paint them with a little lemon juice, let dry and polish in the usual way. For Light Carpets. Use coarse corn meal mixed with fine salt, sweep it first into the carpet — against the grain — ^then out of it with the graiu or nap. The salt freshens the colors and kills the larvse of moth and buffalo bug. Clean rugs in the samB manner. A Fine Carpet Cleanee. Grated Irish potato, or better, run through the grinder, scattered freely over the carpet, and well swept off, is a good cleaner, reviving the colors without injury to delicate shades. Carpets. Carpets should be beaten on the wrong side first, and afterward, more gently, on the right. Never put down a carpet on a damp floor, for this is a frequent cause of carpets becoming moth-eaten. Mantel Tiles. If freshly cleaned tiles are rubbed over with paraflSne they will remain clean a long time. To Eemove Fly Specks. To remove fly specks from varnished surfaces, use equal parts of water and skimmed milk, warmed. 8 114 EMERGENCY HELPS TOR Carpets and Rugs. Carpets and rugs may be thoroughly cleaned by being hung over a clothes line and having the garden hose turned upon them. This wHl do no harm to any carpet. Dry in a shady place. To Clean Chandeliers. Wipe with a soft cloth wet with kerosene. This should be done several times during the summer. Fly specks can be wiped off in the same manner, even when on gilt picture frames; but the cloth must be only slightly moistened in the latter case, and used lightly, else the gilt itself may come off. To Protect Polished Floors. If on the dining room you have no covering, try rubber tips on the chairs; it not only protects the floor from scratches but does away with the immense amount of noise when the family gathers around the table. ■ To Polish Furniture. Do not spare in the first washing of it good soap and water, making a warm suds and washing a space not larger than you can wipe off quickly. Mlk one pint of boiled lin- seed oil, one-half pint of kerosene, then rub with a soft rag on the washed furniture. It needs plenty of elbow grease. Wait a half hour and give it a second polish and it will shine like glass. Mirrors. In placing pieces of furniture which have mirrors, avoid having the sufl to shine on their surfaces. I know from ex- HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 115 perience they will assume a milky appearance and can never be restored to their original clearness. Flook and Whisk Beooms. New floor and wliisk brooms 'should be allowed to soak in scalding water a few minutes, to tighten the straw. Moths in Caepets. If benzine is sprinkled on floors before carpet is laid it will prevent moths. Before matting is laid always wipe over the floor, as when it is damp the straw in matting softens and seem less hard to make it lay flat to the floor. A Good Finish foe Floors. A splendid finish for a stained floor consists in mixing about one pint boiled linseed oil with a five cent cake of common beeswax melted in it. When put on with a woolen cloth, rubbed with the grain, it is a most durable finish. Flooes Coveeed With Matting. Floors covered with matting should never be swept with a stiff broom, as the straws are scratched, and with repeated sweeping become cuts eventually, swept up in the shape of small split straws. Cover the broom with a bag of outing or somie light goods made to fit the broom. Fasten with a draw-string around handle. To Dry a Damp Cellae. Stand in the cellar a bucket full of lime which has not been vslaked, and the lime will absorb the dampness. 116 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 117 118 EMERGENCY HEIPS FOE HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 119 CLEANING HINTS. To Clean" Black Silk. First rip apart. Cover the ironing board with, an old blanket or double shawl, and on top tack a sheet. Lay silk smooth on this sheet and sponge or wipe both sides with following mixture : one-half cupful of ox gall, one^half cup- ful of amtnonia and one-half pint of tepid water. EoU on a broom handle, having it free from wrinkles. Do not iron. To Clean a Spot on Silk. First begin five or six inches from the spot, touching lightly with gasoline, benzine, chloroform, or whatever the medium, and until the spot is reached apply a little of the cleanser at a time and keep wiping to avoid the rim that always follows when applied directly to the spot. To Clean" a Strav^ Hat. Your straw hat may be renovated as good as new by rub- bing with slices of lemon. For Cleaning Grease Spots from Clothing. Buy ten cents' worth of soap bark, which is sold at drug stores, ready chipped for use. Put the soap bark in a bowl, covering it with boiling hot water, and after it has steeped a few minutes strain and clean with a sponge or woolen cloth. Now take the garment, a coat for instance. Lay the coat on a well covered board just as for ironing, right side wp, and place on it a piece of woolen goods previously washed so that any coloring may not fade from it; with a reasonably hot iron press all over, care being taken not 120 EMERGENCY HELPS FOE to use the iron on garment^, unless over the piece of goods, for wherever the bare iron touches the gar- ment it will make a sleek mark. In pressing newly made woolens, dampen some of the same goods as a piece to press on and press until dry. Of course where the ma- terial has been previously shrunken the dampened place will not show, otherwise the whole garment must be pressed in the same way. Moral: Always sponge woolens before mak- ing. To Eemove Grease Spots from Silk. French chalk will remove a grease spot from the most delicate silk by scraping and allowing it to remain on spot not less than twenty-four hours. Rub well into the silk and at the end of time designated, brush off briskly. To Clean a Spot with Gasoline. An experienced renovator gives these hints : "The fabric should be cleaned with a piece of the same goods, the cloth rubbed lengthwise and with the weave. Continue rubbing until the material is perfectly dry. These directions care- fully followed, insure perfect success." Undressed 'Kid. Pulverized pipe clay is said to be good for cleaning un- dressed kid. Spots on Clothes. It is not at all a bad idea when in doubt as to the nature of a spot on woolens — or anything, indeed — ^to tip the end of the tongue on it; in other words, taste it. I have often been discouraged after trying to remove a spot with gaso- line, and upon second thought used my tongue, as the HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 121 "tester," and accomplished the work in a few mimites with a rag simply dampened with cold water, never soapy. Deippings trom Candles, Drippings from candles may be removed by dissolving and rubbing with chloroform. Wagon" Geease. Eub wagon grease while still fresh, with lard or kero- sene, then wash with warm water and soap to remove. Machine Oil. When so unfortunate as to over-oil your machine and the surplus gets on silk work, immediately cover with prepared chalk, or talcum powder, let stand an hour or more, then brush. To Clean" Lace. To clean handsome lace, soiled by handling, pack away between paper and under a press, with magnesia scraped fine; first, on paper, then a thick coating on the lace, letting it remain for a day or two at least. Take out and shake well. Felt Hats. Felt hat may be similarly cleaned, by rubbing on mag- nesia. White corn meal rubbed on with the bare hand or a cloth will also clean light felt, or beaver. A Grease Eemover. Two ounces of aqua ammonia, one quart of soft water, one teaspoonful of saltpetre, one ounce of shaving soap. Scrape the soap fine before mixing and allow it to stand several hours.. In addition to a grease remover, this is also sure death to 122 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR bed bugs. It will remove grease that is mixed with oU, grease from carpets, by covering spots and sponging thoroughly, and rinsing with clear water. To Clean White Featheks. What more suggestive than water for the plumage of birds ! Don't send them to the cleaner, wash them with a white soap and clear water. Make a good lather in warm (not hot) water, shake the feathers gently in the water until they are quite clean. Einse once in clear cold water, then in cold water with a little blueing. To dry, shake over the stove near enough to warm, not bum. To curl, moisten over the steam of a kettle until the strands sep^ arate, draw the strands, a few at a time, over the blade of a dull knife, not pressing too hard. To Clean White Kid Cloves. Put the gloves on the hands and with a flannel rag rub softly, as you would wash your hands, cleaning well the tips of the fingers, seams and stitching. Wash in clear gasoline, remove from the hands, hang in a shady, windy place, and after the gasoline has evaporated you will be surprised at their whiteness. Gasoline that has been soiled mjay be poured into a separate jug, well corked, and allowed to settle; when it may be poured back into the original jug, as clear as when it came out. To Freshen the Flowers on Youe Hat. When flowers begin to fade on your summer hat do not destroy them, but tint them with your water-colored paints, or, better still, use your oil paints, mixing with gasoline. HOUSEKEEPERS AWD OTHERS 123 You can display great taste in dipping tlie flowers in a solid color, then touching them lightly on the petals, etc., as they require. Cleaning Light Cloth. Wraps of light colored cloth used for dress occasion? very soon succumb to the influences of our dirt-flUed atmos- phere. Have constantly on hand a bottle of strong borax water, say a teaspoonful to a pint of water, dissolved while the water is hot. When the first suggestion of soil appears, rub it with a fresh piece of cotton dipped in borax water. If the spot is very hard to remove use two or three pieces of cotton, so that the soil is not scattered. Eub briskly, to keep the water from soaking into the cloth. This treat- ment will remove dust, mud, and also perspiration stains. Be sure and treat the spot as soon as possible. While cleaning thoroughly, borax water does not leave the ugly circle of stain that gasoline often does. To Clean White Silk Lace. Soak in skimmed milk over night, souse in tepid soap-- suds, carefully rinse, then pull out and pin down while damp. Black lace may be cleaned with borax water. Use one teaspoonful to a pint of warm water. Don't dry it near a fire, heat makes black rusty. Gold and silver laces can be cleaned with stale bread crumbs mixed with powdered blue. Toktoise-Shell Combs. Tortoise-shell combs may be polished by rubbing, first, with a cloth moistened with alcohol to remove the grease 134 EMERGENCY HELPS FOK and dirt, and then polished with a soft cloth and a drop or two of oil. To Cleajst Panama Hats. Of equal portions of precipitated sulphur and oxalic acid mixed, take half a teaspoonful and dissolve in half a tumbler of cold water. Dip a clean sponge (not too wet) and pass over the hat until perfectly clean, then place in the sun to dry, after which the hat will look like new. Ten cents will cover the cost. To Clean ajst Oil Spot. If flour is immediately put on oil spilled where not wanted, in a few hours, if sufficient flour has been used, there will be no trace of it except in the oil soaked flour, which burns well. To Clean Patent Leather. Clean patent leather with the French harness paste sold by harness makers. Apply lightly and then polish with a soft cloth. Patent leather treated in this way rarely, if ever, cracks. To Wash or Clean Pillows. Whether of down or feathers, empty the stuffings into a bag of cheese cloth or mosquito netting, tie the mouth of it tight and wash in a tub of strong white soapsuds, touched up with ammonia. Eub the bag between the hands, and souse up and down for ten minutes. Einse in clear hot water twice; do not squeeze but hang to drain and dry in the sun or near the heat. When half dry pull the bag apart several times. When entirely dry put into a HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 135 heavier bag and whip vigorously with a rattan whip or cane for ten mirmtes. The feathers will be like new. There is a slight loss — yon will probably be minus one pillow in six. IsTever wash in "&et" tubs, as the down on the feathers going into the pipes of a bath tub or wash tub will cause no end of trouble. 126 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 127 1^8 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS lg9 VERMIN AND INSECT DESTROYEES. Moths. There is something in printers' ink inimical to moths. I have had no trouble in keeping furs and woolens quite free from the pests by shaking, cleaning and doing up in large newspapers. Label the articles inclosed. To Exterminate Moths. Clothes, carpets, furs, feathers, woolens, etc., may be packed with whole black pepper or cloves, without fear of their being molested by moths. Always brush before put- ting away. Rats. Chloride of lime is an infallible preventive of rats if put down their holes and sprinkled where they are expected to appear. I have also tried powdered sulphur, and have kept them away six months at a time. To Exterminate Roaches. A few drops of turpentine sprinkled where cock roaches frequent will drive them away at once. This applies to black and red ants as well. For Cut Worms. Take Paris green (a very little), mix it with what millers call "shorts" or "middlings." Use just enough of Paris green to make it a light color, dampen slightly and scatter about on the infested places. The worms prefer it to any- thing in the garden and when they eat it death is sure. 130 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Calomel for Eats. Do not have rats on your premises. A sure and safe way is to "salivate" them. They are wise animals, and one rat with hair and teeth falling out will tell the story and leave, taking with him all the others. Spread five cents' worth of calomel upon buttered bread and put where the rats come, at the same time putting water where they may drink. They will leave in a few days. Turpentine for Moths. Sprinkle carpets, flannels, and blankets with turpentine and you will have no trouble with moths. Cajbbage Worms. To kill cabbage worms dissolve one ounce of saltpetre in three gallons of water, and dip a whisk broom in the solu- tion and shake over the plants. Salt and flour is also good. Tobacco as an Insecticide. Tobacco dust mixed with flour of sulphur will kill most garden insects. Apply with bellows. Green Worms on Currants or Gooseberries. Wliile the dew is still on the bushes and before the bud opens, dust well with powdered hellebore. They may re- quire a second treatment when the leaves and blossoms are out. Unfailing for Bed Bugs. An unfailing preparation for the extermination of bed bugs is as follows : Mix ten cents' worth of corrosive sub- limate, ten cents' worth of carbolic acid, and a quart of HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 131 water. Apply daily with a brush in all spots which, indi- cate the presence of such pests. Use a small brush which will penetrate into comers and crevices. Saturate all sus- picious places. In a short timie the pest will be absolutely removed. Avoid abrasions on the skin, as corrosive subli- mate is very poisonous. I Foe Bed Bugs. Nothing is better or more time-honored than white of eggs and mercury, a thimbleful to the white of each egg. Beat the eggs quite light, add the mercury, well beaten in, and apply in cracks and crevices with a feather. Always clean beds the first of March. Insecticide for Eoses. Save coffee grounds, dry them out, and put around your roses with equal parts of soot. Camphor Balls for Eoses. Hang in your rose bushes a little bag containing moth balls or camphor. Tansy — For Moths. If tansy is sprinkled about clothing moths will never disturb. Ants. Place around where they frequent little tin tops of syrup, and in a short time you will have caught the last one. 132 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Ants and Mice. Camphor gum placed around the house where they fre- quent will surely make them leave. A Chalk Line. It is said that ants will not "walk the chalk line." Draw a heavy chalk line around the article to he protected and if the line is complete they will not cross it. To Kill Eats v^ithout Poison. Take a common sponge, cut in small pieces, and when quite dry spread on it some meat-grease or lard, which they will eat quite greedily. The moisture of the stomach will cause the sponge to swell and a "deadly" case of indigestion will follow. To EiD A House of Koaches. Take equal parts of red lead and corn meal mixed with molasses and spread on plates, placed where they frequent. In less than a week there wUl none remain. To Kill Worms in Soil. When potted plants fail to flourish through some ob- scure cause, it may be that there are angle worms in the soil. If so, lime water will eradicate them; if not, it will be apt to benefit the plants. Dissolve a lump of lime, half the size of an egg, in a quart of rain water, and apply until the soil around the plant is thoroughly moistened. Apply twice a week, rarely more than two treatments are necessary. housekeepers and others 133 Mites in Setting Hens. Dust the hen and nest with powdered sulphur, once a week. Soot on Snaps. If well sifted upon them, when wet with dew, soot will drive the bugs away which ahnost devour them. Potato Bugs. Early in the spring, make a mixture of lime, Paris green and water and as soon as potato bugs become numerous sprinkle the row of plants with the mixturei. Sprinkle again when about to lay them by. Mealy Bugs. If mealy bugs are attacked in time, a whisk broom and strong soapsuds is sure death to them. Bugs on Cucumbers. For bugs on cucumbers, sift plaster over the vines. 134 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 135 ^^^ __^ EMERGENCY HEIPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 137 STAINS, DYES, ETC. To Eemove Cocoa Stains. Soak the fabric in clear cold water, tlien wash in the usual way. Fkom a Missionary in China. A Chinese plan for removing ink stains from cloth, is to wash them with boiled rice. Eub the rice on the stain as you would soap, and wash with clear water. If the first application does not complete the cure, repeat the process. We have found this to act like magic, even upon stains not discovered until perfectly dry. Stains on Maeble. Iron stains on marble may be removed by applying a mix- ture of spirits of wine and oxalic acid. Wash off quickly with warm water. Mildew. To take out mildew, make a thick paste of table salt and buttermilk and cover the spot with it. Lay in the hot sun for a day renewing the paste at the end of four hours. If obstinate, repeat next day. Should a trace of the stain remain cyanide of potassium will eradicate it. Moisten the spot with water, rub in the powder and lay in the sun for four hours, moistening the spot twice in this time. Then wash at once. I'ou can get the cyanide of potassium from a drug store, it is a deadly poison. 138 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR IisTK Stains. Soak in sour milk. If a dark stain remains on the fabric, rinse in a weak solution of chloride of lime. Let stand in the sun. Ink Stains. To remove, make a weak solution of oxalic acid and water and apply. Stand in the sun. If the first application does not remove it, apply again, then wash in cold water. After the spot has faded very much the general wash will take it out Blood Stains. Soak in cold salt water; then wash in warm water with plenty of soap. Afterwards boil. Grass Stains. Saturate the spots thoroughly with kerosene, then put in the wash tub. Iodine. Wash with alcohol, rinse in soapy water. Hot Tea and Coffee. Soak the stained fabric in cold water; wring; spread out and pour a few drops of glycerine on each spot. Let it stand several hours, then wash with cold water and soap. Iron Eust. Put over stain lemon juice and salt, and bleach for several hours in the sun. housekeepers and others 139 Geease Spots. Hot water and soap generally remove these. If fixed by long standing use etlier, chloroform or naphtha. All three of these must be used away from fire or artificial light. PiTCH^ Wheel Geease^, Tae. Soften the stains with lard then soak in turpentine. Scrape off carefully with a knife all the loose surface dirt; sponge clean with turpentine and rub gently till dry. Mildew. Soak in a weak solution of chloride of lime for several hours. Einse in cold water. It is almost impossible to remove mildew if it has once been "set" in the wash. Feuit Staiists. Stretch the fabric containing the stain over a basin and pour boUing water on the stain. In cold weather fruit spots can be removed by hanging the stained garment out of doors over night. If the stain has been fixed by time, soak the article in a weak solution of oxalic acid and water or hold the spot over the fumes of sulphur. Soot Stains. Eub with dry corn meal before sending to the wash. 140 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Vaseline Stains. Saturate the spot with ether and lay a cup over it to prevent evaporation until the stain is removed. Use ether with great care. Vaseline may also be removed with kero- sene oil, to be applied before it has been wet. Varnish and Paint. If the stain is on a coarse fabric dissolve by saturating with turpentine; use alcohol if on a fine fabric. Sponge with chloroform if a dark ring is left by the turpentine. Avoid fire and artificial light. Iodine Stains. To remove iodine stains from cloth, wash and soak in sweet milk, rubbing frequently. Not a trace of the stain will be left. Iodine Stains. Soak the stain in cold water for a half-hour, then cover it thickly with common soda, before sending it to the wash. Shabby Spots on Leather. These may be dyed with ink mixed with the well-beaten white of an egg. Polish with soft dusters until quite dry and glossy. GrRAss Stains. Do you know that if you rub grass stains with molasses they will come out without difficulty in the general wash? housekeepers and others 141 Mud Stains. Mud stains may be removed from silk by rubbing with a bit of flannel or, if stubborn, with a piece of linen wet with alcohol. Mud stains m cotton goods are often caused by the mud spattering from wheels in driving. The mud often comes out but leaves a spot resembling mud, which is believed to be, by many, simply iron rust from the wheels mixed with mud as it spatters. Ink Stains. To remove ink stains from the fingers rub with a little salt and vinegar. Tinting Dress Goods. A secret worth knowing is how to tint laces, chiffons, silk or crocheted buttons, net, feathers, etc., to a gown shade. The materials required are oil paint in tubes and benzine or gasolene. The benzine is placed in a porcelain bowl and the paint is dissolved in it. The work has to be done quickly, and of course in a fireless room, preferably on a hack porch. Mix the paint until the exact tiat is reached, then weaken or dilute with the benzine, dipping the lace or whatever is to be dyed quickly before the paint falls to the bottom. Do not let the goods touch the bottom, as there might be a spot of paint there. A hairpin comes in handily to hold the edges of the goods. Shake quickly and hang in the air. Experiment before risking costly materials, but the process is really not so formidable. Handsome flowers, espe- cially buttercups, daisies and similar small flowers, have been made to do double service under a different shade as they most always fade during a summer's wear. 142 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Eemove an Ink Stain. Get your druggist to put up for you some "Labarraque's solution/' apply to the spot and you will be delighted with the result. This preparation is very powerful and care must be taken to rinse the garment immediately after the stain disappears. EOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 143 144 EMERGENCY HEIPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 145 THE TOILET. Every woman may not be beautiful, but every woman can be attractive if she chooses to be. Clean hair and a clear skin are the two things most important. If she devotes fifteen minutes every day to intelligent care of herself — ^not for a week, nor for a month, but for exactly as long as she wishes to remain attractive — the results will repay her ten- fold. Some of the most efiicacious preparations and reme- dies which she can use are the simplest. To Make a Good Egg Shampoo. Use one egg, one pint of hot rain-water, one ounce of spirits of rosemary. Beat the mixture thoroughly and use it warm. Eub it well into the scalp and rinse several times in clear water. ^ An Excellent Shampoo. Dissolve half a cake of white tar soap, or Packer's tar soap, in a quart of boiling water. Let it simmer half an hour over a slow fire. Dissolve a tablespoonful of washing soda in a quart of boiling water. Add it to the soap mixture. Stir together and let cool. Shampoo the hair thoroughly and rinse four or five times. Dry in the air. Air Bath foe, the Hair. Nothing is so fine for the hair as fresh air and sunshine, especially during the summer when the head perspires freely. Go out 'on a porch, stand in the sunshine and brush the 10 146 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR hair, massaging the scalp. Sometimes a headache may be relieved in this way ; besides, a massage ha5 also a wonderful power of strengthening the growth of the ' hair. Shampooing. How often shampooing should be done depends upon the person and the occupation. Those traveling on cars or engaged in dusty work should shampoo much oftener than those not so exposed; but it is a safe rule to say that if dan- druff is noticed or falling of the hair, which will likely fol- low, then the hair should be washed. Once a fortnight, in ordinary cases, is probably enough for decency; but once a week never hurts one, if the shampoo is properly given. Hair ISTeeds Little Grease. Often the hair needs no oil, as the natural supply is suffi- cient. It has been amply proven by tests that compounds embracing gelatine, nucleo-proteids and glycerine, when their strength is carefully adapted to the needs of the user, promote hair growth more than do all the stimulants and greasy com- pounds known. If one cannot afford the products of the laboratory one may wash the head weekly, with a strong solution of gelatine and egg white. It may be also used as a lotion daily, if freshly made. To Increase Grow^th op Eyebrows. Sweet oil or melted vaseline applied vsdth a camel's hair brush will darken and increase the growth of the eyebrows. The stroke of the brush should follow the direction of the brows. HOTISEKEEPEES AND OTHERS 147 Caee of the Skin. Half the facial blemislies to which womankind is heir are due to the clogging of the pores, by means of particles of dust, accumulated when traveling in cars, and journeying through dusty streets. These poison the skin and produce blemishes. Pure soap and soft water are a woman's good friends for beauty^s sake, and must be employed first and foremost. The indiscriminate dabbing on of creams or lotions is worse than useless unless cleanliness is observed first. Blackheads. Blackheads are exterminated with patience, and during the process, benzoin should be employed as an astringent to close the pores, while it is necessary to open them. The skin must be treated (for blackheads) to a thorough scrubbing with warm, soapy water on retiring and a cloth, dipped in hot water, should be held to the face. This answers the same purpose as steaming and is easier for the average woman to employ. To obviate any soreness after treatment, and to give tone to the skin, rinse with cool water, then sponge with cold water, to which has been added one teaspoonful of witch hazel and ten drops of spirits of camphor to each pint of water. If the pores are much distended touch each spot only with a solution of benzoin and water — one part benzoin to four of water — using a small camel's hair brush. If the skin seems parched after washing rub in a little good cream, and when making the morning toilet be care- ful to remove any remaining traces of the cream, for if left it will catch all fl}^g dust. Protect the face with a little pure face powder and wear a chiffon veil whenever possible. 148 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, After a week of this treatment, or as soon as tlie face seems quite free from blackheads, add fifteen drops of simple tinct- ure of benzoin to each pint of water and use it in the rinsing water, both morning and evening. Excessive Perspikation and Odor Under Armpits. Bathe underneath the arms with soda water just before dressing. A powder sold under the name of "Spiro" is very fine for this purpose. Prevention of Chaps. Chaps and roughness of the skin would never occur in the healthy child, if every mother made a routine practice of see- ing her children's hands and faces rubbed with pure lanolin, thinned by the addition of almond oil. This is inexpensive and almost a specific. Glycerine is irritating to most flesh, but if added to warm water, in the proportion of one to forty, the mixture will make an excellent emollient wash. Parsley Water for the Face. The latest cure for a thick or spotty complexion is to wash it with parsley water. Take half a pint of rain water and soak in it a large bunch of parsley, letting it remain in the water all night. In the morning when you dress, rub the face well with a dry cloth; then dip sponge in the parsley water, and pass the damp sponge over the face, leaving it on without drying it. If this is done, three times daily, at the end of a fortnight you will be surprised to see that there are no more spots or roughness on your face. EOTJSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 149 To Whiten the Finger ISTails. Cut a lemon in half and rub the nails with it before retiring. Wash with warm water the next morning. For Eed Hands. Use a little chloride of lime^ dropping a few grains into the water used for washing the hands. Be careful to remove rings, bracelets, etc., for chloride of lime will tarnish them. Care of Feet. To relieve perspiration and remove unpleasant odor from the feet, bathe in ammonia and water at night; change stock- ings often, and always when changing rub the feet dry with a clean towel. To Cure Dandruff. Wet the scalp only with a lotion of two ounces of witch hazel and eight grains of corrosive sublimate. The use of this lotion must be discontinued as soon as the dandruff is re- moved. Lotion for Wrinkles. One part cocoa butter, and two parts lanolin. Mix thoroughly and use twice daily. This will not fail if intel- ligently massaged into the face. The Teeth. Preserve the teeth by using lukewarm water and brushing two or three times daily. Alwaj'-s use a soft brush, some good disinfectant, and occasionally a good chalk. 150 EMEEGENCY HELPS FOR Powder foe Excessive Peespikation on the Feet. In the German army, the following powder is said to be used for this condition: salicylic acid, two scruples; starch, one-half ounce; powdered talcum, two and one-half ounces. In mild cases a bath of alum-water, followed by the dusting powder given above, is sometimes effective. Yellow Complexion. A yellow- jaundiced complexion yields to the olive oil treat- ment. A tablespoonful of oil must be taken every morning before breakfast. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 151 153 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 153 GAS AKD OIL STOVES. Gas Stoves. If you wish to keep your kitchen free from smoke and smells, have a stovepipe connect with the gas range. It is a safety valve for the accidents which are liable to occur in an oven when things become spilled and burned occasionally in the hands of careless servants. Food left in the oven to char takes fire when the oven burners are turned on at full height. "With a pipe entering the chimney, such an accident as this is an impossibility. To Set a Gas Eange. Be sure to place it at a height that suits the person who is to do the cooking, to avoid stooping. Keep a sma]|l vegetable brush to scrub the burners on top of the range. If they seem to be choked clean each one with a wire. Quite often a gas company is blamed for providing poor gas when the fault lies with the clogging of the burners. Accumulation op Gas. There should not be of necessity an accumulation of es- caped gas in the roasting chambers; occasionally, however, if a jet has been on for a few minutes there may be gas enough to cause an explosion. Eemedy this by first opening the oven doors then if the gas does flare out no damage will be done to the stove. Another Trouble. If the gas flows reluctantly there is sometimes rust in the gas pipe underground. 154 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Lighting a Buener. When lighting a burner, and it pops back with a sudden noise, be sure there is toO' much air in the pipes. , Close the mixers slightly, then it will light without any noise. Well-Kept Stove. The secret of a well-kept stove is to clean it thoroughly once a day, never allowing it to grow so dirty that its work- ing powers are impeded. When through with cooking, draw out the sheet iron slide under the burners and treat it to a thorough scrubbing with hot water, and a cleansing preparation. This slide is a catch-all for everything that boils over and burns, and is an excellent contrivance for keeping the stove clean. Cooking. A gas stove, if well managed, cooks more perfectly and scientifically than a coal range, because one has perfect con- trol of the heat. You will soon learn to economize gas and time. Buying. In buying, don't buy a small gas stove; a four-hole stove, with a top about twenty-four inches square, is so serviceable that it pays whether a family be large or small. See that the stove bought has an attachment for lighting the oven from the outside, as it is much more convenient and safe than the old method of reaching in with a match. Cooks Differ, Cooks differ about which oven in a gas stove is best for roasting. Experts prefer the lower oven, for a roast beef, at HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 155 least. The method of cooking in this compartment gives you a roast more like meat from an old-fashioned spit, than anything else. The outside is. immediately seared and the juices are kept inside. Light both burners for five minutes then set the meat on the grate, which rests in a large pan that comes with the stove, and put it in the lower oven. It will brown all over immediately. Watch that it does not scorch. Turn out one burner Avhen well browned and cook slowly, turning and basting once in ten minutes. If there is difiQculty on accoujit of roast being too large for oven and is liable to bum, sear in the lower oven and finish baking in the upper compartment. Baking Cake^ Etc. If there should be trouble in the oven baking too quickly for pies, cookies, etc., invert a roasting pan and set on a slide, putting the cake tins on it. For Convenience. Keep a thin sheet-iron lid hanging behind the gas stove; it is handy for all sorts of purposes. You will find it capital when a slice or two of toast is to be made. Heat it quite hot, then put the bread between the wires of a toaster and hold over it the hot lid. You will have a nice crisp brown slice in about two minutes. To Set an Oil Stove. First, for the convenience and comfort of the cook, set it so that it will be high enough to avoid stooping, taking care to have it perfectly level so that the oil will run into all the burners equally, avoiding the overflow from them if any of the valves are open. 156 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, Suggestion. The oil bowls may be easily taken off the stove by unscrew- ing them from the burner-pipe, and carefully wiped out. These becomes dirty and clogged and often at the bottom a black powder will form as the result of imperfect combustion, and allowing vegetables, soups, etc., to overflow while cook- ing. Therefore, in selecting one get those which are provided with a shield or protector over the flame and which forms a part of the lid. Drums and Strainer. The burner drum, which is the draught over the burner, may be simply lifted to clean the burner parts, and the strainer in the lower oil tank may be lifted out and cleaned in the same way. Kepairs. In ordering repairs for oil, gas or cook stoves, do not forget that all castings are numbered, also the number and name of stove is written or made in a conspicuous place. Smoking Burners. Do not be careless about turning off the valve tightly when done with the flame, as thereby the oil is left in the burner which gathers its quota of dust; and this surplus oil in the perforated tubes, making them damp, as a consequence causes the burner to smoke and smell for a few minutes until the tubes are burned dry. Never turn the oil on until you are about ready to light the stove. If Flame Decreases in Height. Should this occur while the valve is open, there may be some dirt in the valve; open the valve wide for a moment HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 157 only, which, may wash the dirt out, or take the valve stem out and run a small wire through it. It may result also from the strainer being clogged; in such case clean strainer. If Oil Eaises or Uneven Streaks Appear in the Flame. The first trouble would be caused by a leak in the upper reservoir or perhaps the valve to this reservoir is not screwed tight. The latter may be remedied by shifting the drum from side to side, or cleaning the outside of the large perforated chimney. Lighting Eings. These serve better if rough and dirty than if thoroughly cleaned, unless they become so encrusted that they will not easily go back to place when taken out. Scrape off enough of their roughness to allow them to do so, but do not scrape their top or bottom edges. To Clean Pipe. The main pipe of the stove may be readily cleaned by removing the cap at the end of the pipe. There are very many troubles to be corrected, but very many of them need not be, with care and cleanliness, applying general rules as given. 1^§ EMERGENCY HELPS POR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 159 160 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS ANB OTHERS 161 SICK EOOM AND MEDICAL ADVICE. For Eczema. Three heaping tablespoonfuls of lard, one teaspoonful car- bolic acid, one teaspoonful of oil of sassafras, one teaspoon- ful of finely scraped gum camphor, one teaspoonful com- pound tincture of benzoin, one teaspoonful of glycerine. Mix well and apply when the flesh is warm or rub in gently^ sitting by the fire. Wash the flesh first in good castile soap, mopping or wiping perfectly dry. EiNG "WOEM. Three parts of vaseline, one part of iodide of potash. Apply twice daily until it disappears. To Keep Ice Water in a Sick Eoom. Pill a pitcher with water and ice, surround with newspapers and draw them together above the top of pitcher with a rubber band. Saistitaey Hint. Drinking water in rooms must be kept closely corked; it is a reservoir for the impure emanations of men and animals. If set about in open vessels in a room it will absorb gases, etc., but is rendered entirely unfit for drinking. To Ventilate a Eoom. To ventilate a room, lower the window-sash from the top, and raise it the same distance from the bottom. 11 162 EMEEGENCY HELPS FOB, For Slight Constipation in Children. Warm castor oil nibbed well over the bowels is an eas}' and pleasant relief. Hot water applied to the bowels is also beneficial. Irritated Skin, For irritation between the folds of the neck and other parts of the body, mix one part pulverized hydrastis, three parts sub-nitrate of bismuth. Sprinkle plentifully on the gores at night, and in the morning your baby will bless you with a smile. Colic in Babies. I have never tried anything that will relieve a baby of colic so quickly as an injection of quite warm water and a warm cloth, laid over the stomach and bowels. ' A Good Eemedy for Teething Babies. A cloth wning out in whiskey heated quite as hot as the child^ can bear it, and applied to the bowels and stomach, will sometimes change the character of the actions of a child during the teething period; is also very soothing and bene- ficial for cold on. the bowels. Bottle Babies. If modem mothers could only believe that all nursing bot- tles, tubes, rubbers, etc., have been destroyed, they would soon realize how easy it is to feed a child from the start, from a cup and with a spoon. Try it and do away with sterilizing bottles, washing rubbers, etc. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 163 CON-yULSIONS. Convulsions in. children are very alarming^ and tlie motlier, after having summoned a doctor;, in the interim, will immerse the child in warm water to the neck, made gradually hotter, then apply cold water to the head until the body relaxes. Have ready a warm blanket and wrap closely and as dexterously wipe with warm cloths. Keep the patient very warmly wrapped, applying cold to the head and warmth to the feet. If convulsion is caused by an overloaded stomach, give an emetic ; or constipation, give a hot soapsuds injection, which will free the bowels immediately and prevent the return of a convulsion. Croup. If the child is old enough to understand, raise him up in bed with a warm shawl around him and give him dry sulphur in tiny spoon doses, a little at a time, letting him work it as carefully as possible down the throat. In a short time he will begin to breathe more freely and is out of the frst danger. At the same time apply to the throat and chest, after a good rubbing with some kind of soft oil, a warm flannel cloth. Dry sulphur, however, as soon as it reaches the throat seems to act like magic. Group. "When the voice is hoarse, and beathing hard, or if you can anticipate it, give a dose or two of syrup of ipecac (say a teaspoonful) ; if the case is far advanced, give a dose of calomel or some good liver medicine to act on the liver and bowels, and repeat the ipecac every fifteen minutes until vomiting is produced. Keep the child perfectly warm and you need hardly fear any more trouble from that spell. If 164 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, the child remains hoarse the next day, which is liable to be the case, avoid its putting the hands in cold water or unneces- sary exposure. Anticipate its troubles by giving a simple cough syrup or ipecac, and rub the throat with some simple on. Croup. Apply a mustard plaster to the throat under the chin, made up with white of egg, to avoid blistering. This will often give quick relief. Asthma. Two ounces of best honey, one ounce of castor oil, mixed. Take a teaspoonful night and morning. I have tried this with best results. For a Cold or Paiist in the Bones. Drink a pint or less of strong catnip tea, made palatable with milk and sugar, just before going to bed. Cover with extra amount of covering to produce a sweat, and in the morning have some one rub you all over with a cloth wrung out of hot water. Wipe dry and put on fresh, clean under- clothes, dress warmly, and remain in a warm room at least a day. Chilblains. Apply tincture of benzoin. This is a sure remedy Antidote for Strychnine. It has been found that spirits of camphor is a sure specific or antidote for strychnine. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 165 For Foeeign Substances iisr the Eye, It seems almost incredulous, but a horse liair formed into a' loop and placed under the lid of the eye, and over the ball, then dragged or pulled through will, even after several days' irritation, be found effectual in removing cinders or any gritty substance. One or two flax seeds dropped into the eye will also remove any small particle from it. Speedy Cure for a Corn, Shave a strip from the end of a bar of kitchen soap, place on the toe, wrap with old linen and saturate with kerosene oil. Liniment. A liniment made of cayenne pepper and kerosene, or gum camphor and kerosene, is very good for general use. Mustard Plaster. To make a mild mustard plaster, mis one teaspoonful of strong mustard to two of lard. It will heat the part suf- ficiently and not blister. Strengthening Plaster. 1 lb. white resin. 4 ozs. mutton tallow. 4 ozs. beeswax. 2 ozs. Burgundy pitch. 1 oz. good brandy. % oz. oil spike. % oz. sassafras oil. Melt in a skUlet the resin, tallow, beeswax and pitch. Mix in a bottle the brandy, sassafras, and spike. Have a half 166 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, tub of cold water sitting by the stove, and when the con- tents of the skillet are very hot, pour on those from the bottle and it will foam up very quickly. Pour this mixture on the surface of the cold water, and as soon as it can be handled pull like molasses candy and put away in sticks. To use, melt the end of the stick, rub on a rag, and apply as hot as can be borne. It will remove inflammation from old sores, and on a wound it will show its healing effect in one night. For lame back it is unequalled. Catarbh. A teaspoonful of warm honey taken every fifteen minutes has a surprising effect on catarrh. Sulphur for the Complexion. A tablespoonful of sulphur taken every other morning for a week, and omitting it for three days, then taken every other morning for a week, is one of the best things for the com- plexion. It acts like magic. It should always be mixed with molasses or something that will clear it from the system, Eed Flannel in Sickness. Eed flannel should not be fastened around the neck and on the chest of children, as medicines draw the coloring matter out, and may poison the tender skin of a child. Always use white flannel. Irish Potato for Burns. When one is painfully burned, bind to the part finely scraped raw Irish potato; keep applying it freshly until the fire is extracted. The potato will become dry very quickly. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 167 Poison Ivy. For the inflammatioii, pieces of old linen wet in baking soda water, or in lime water, are very soothing. Plain cream is perhaps as useful as any simple remedy. Strong soapsuds, too, will alleviate the pain. In the later sitages dry starch dusted over the spots is a well known remedy. The inflamma- tion generally subsides in a week. If you are annoyed by the persistent growth of the ivy in your yard a little sulphuric acid poured around the roots will kill it. Eheumatism. A simple panacea for rheumatism consists of an ounce of saltpetre, mixed thoroughly with one-half pint of sweet oil, and rubbed on the part affected. An Ounce of Peeventive. When the hands and feet are numb and cold never put them near the fire or in hot water, as this, by causing the blood vessels to dilate too rapidly, is the cause of chilblains. They may be put into tepid water, and a little hot water added from time to time, so as to gradually increase the tempera- ture; but the best plan is to warm the feet and hands by exercise and rubbing. For a Sprained Arm. Enough poke root washed and chopped up to make one- half peck, cover with water, boil down to a strong tea, strain and add four pods of red pepper, two tablespoonfuls kerosene oil, two tablespoonfuls of turpentine, two tablespoonfuls of salt, and one-half pound of lard. Stew down and when nearly cool stir in two eggs, and bottle; warm and rub the whole arm and wrist, and wrap up in flannel at night. 168 EMERGENCY HEIPS EOR If kept up long enough will relieve. It is also a fine liniment for any sprains, or sore, and is well worth keeping in the home. An Old-Fashion"ed Cold Remedy. A good old-fashioned home remedy for cold on the lungs or any soreness in the chest is simply spirits of camphor and lard. To two tablespoonfuls of lard add three tablespoon- f uls of spirits of camphor and mix thoroughly ; place over the fire until it is melted ; then spread on a piece of fiannel. Hold the flannel to an open fire until it becomes quite hot, then lay it on the chest. If it is applied at night on going to bed, in almost every case by morning the soreness will be relieved. If applied in the daytime one should be careful not to expose himself to cold air or draughts. It may be changed and heated occasionally. This is a simple home remedy, used in childhood, and we have had occasion many times to prove its efiiciency in later years. To Stop a Cough. Oil, not essence of peppermint, if rubbed on the throat and chest will usually stop the most obstinate cough, and if applied to the nose will help a cold in the head. To Mend a Hot Water Bag. At a moment when it was urgently required, an unseen hole in the hot water bag was mended by crossing two strips of rubber plaster upon it. This was put on temporarily, but lasted quite a long while. For Poison Ivy. For a very severe case of poisoning and after having tried many things suggested by friends, I accidentally found that HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 169 dioxygen was a perfect remedy. Bind the place with linen saturated with the dioxygen. Instead of breaking and spread- ing in their usual fashion, the pustules turned white, and dried up in less than four days. Celery for Rheumatism. Rheumatism is impossible, it is said, if the vegetable be cooked and freely eaten. Either stewed in salt and water, drinking the water, or stewed in milk and butter, thickened and eaten on toast. The value of the plant lies in the apiol, 01 parsley camphor, it contains. This dilates the blood vessels and has few equals as a diaphoretic and diuretic. Any thing that produces a profuse perspiration is good for the rheumatic patient. All the world knows that celery is the best absorbent a drinking man can take, and its action on the kidneys and viscera is most healthful. To Extract a Splinter. If a wide-mouthed bottle is nearly filled with hot water, and the injured part held over the mouth and pressed quite tightly, the suction mil draw the flesh down and the splinter out without pain. Foreign Substance in the Kose. If a foreign body has become lodged in the nose, pressing the ball of the thumb against the nose above the object, pass- ing a loop of smooth fine wire along the middle inside wall until it passes beyond the object, then slowly drawing down- ward, following with the thumb on the outside, will generally be effective if done before impaction or swelling takes place. 170 EMERGENCY HELPS EOR The Ear. If an insect gets into the ear a piece of cotton "wool, saturated with a strong solution of salt or vinegar, inserted into the ear, usually kills the insect, and it comes out with the plug of cotton, 'If it is still living, drawing the ear upward and backward, thus straightening the canal, gives it a better opportunity to escape, which it is always anxious to do. A foreign body in the ear, if it can be seen, vascy be removed with a wire loop, but great care must be taken to avoid its being pushed through the drum head into the middle ear, causing inflammation and possibly death. Holding the head over, so that the water may easily run out, the ear well syringed with a very gentle flow of water and carefully d:irected toward the bottom of the canal will often prove effi- cacious. Olive Oil as a Medicin'b, A mother writes that she gives each of her children a large tablespoonful of the best olive oil at the end of their noon dinner and believes that it has improved their health to a marked degree. They were pale and thin and subject to colds ; this, recommended by a specialist in children's diseases, has made of then plump, rosy and healthy children, apparently proof against taking cold, A Taper for the Sick Eoom. During the illness of a member of my family, I learned that by putting finely powdered salt around the wick and on the candle up to the black part of the wick will give a subdued light, one that will burn evenly and slowly. housekeepers and others 171 For Insomnia. Sufferers from insomonia should try cayenne pepper sand- wiches. Cut a thin slice of bread, butter it generously, and cover it over with another slice of bread. It is surprising what little inconvenience will be experienced, merely a slight smart- ing sensation in the mouth, which is soon over. The sandwich should be eaten just before retiring, and soon after the sufferer will be asleep. The pepper acts as a stimulant to the stomach, drawing the blood from the excited brain. The sandwich is much less harmful than drugs, and pepper when taken in small quantities is a good tonic for a weak stomach. Bilious headache has also been known to yield to a cup of hot water, to which has been added a generous pinch of cayenne pepper and a nip of soda as big as a pea. To Cure Indigestion. Grlycerine will cure indigestion. This is a very simple and inexpensive remedy. Mix a teaspoonful of glycerine with a wineglassful of water and take it with, or directly after, meals, until the enemy is ousted; which in an ordinary case will be a few days, and in an obstinate case about a fortnight. Eepeat if it manifests itself again. A Medicinal Bath. This is the prescription of an old physician for the ner- vously worn, and those who suffer from insomnia. Take of sea salt four ounces, spirits of ammonia two ounces, spirits of camphor two ounces, of pure alcohol eight ounces, and sufficient hot water to make a quart of the liquid. Dissolve the sea salt in hot water and let it stand until cool. Pour into the alcohol the ammonia and camphor; add the salt water, shake well and bottle for use. Apply with a soft 172 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR sponge, clipped in this mixture. Wet over the whole surface of the body and rub vigorously until the skin glows. When nervous, "blue" or wakeful, do not omit this bath. The rest and refreshing that follows will amply repay the efEort required to prepare it. An" Invaluable Eemedy foe Sore Eyes. Boracic acid powder dissolved in warm water will be found very effectual for the cure of sore eyes. When cold, bathe the eyes three or four times a day. Boracic ointment is a sure cure for gathered fingers and affections of this kind. Water Drinking. Too much stress can not be laid upon water drinking. Copious draughts are required by the system, not only to assimulate with the food but to flush the stomach, bowels and kidneys, in order that they may be able better to perform their work. Water, in order to have the most wholesome effect, shauld be taken on an empty stomach, otherwise the gastric fluid will be so diluted that it cannot perform its functions. Half an hour or an hour before breakfast, midway of meals, and on retiring, are the most approved times. There are estimates as to the quantity of water to be taken during a day, but if two quarts or more, it will suffice to keep the system in good condition, provided these rules are rigidly adhered to. Parents should instill into their children the danger of taking sudden draughts of ice water when over-heated or after a full meal. Abstinence. A person whose general health is good can cure any slight derangement of the stomach by total abstinence; and it is much better to refrain from food than to take medicine. hotisekeepers and others 173 Childrek Should Sleep in the Dark. Bring up cliildren to sleep in the dark, as it is much better for their eyes, the complete darkness being an entire rest. Use dark shades in the nursery, and never place a child's bed opposite the glare of a window, as a bright light falling upon the eyes in sleep is very injurious to the sight. To Eelieve Headache. " A headache is often relieved by bathing behind the ears with right hot water. White-Footed Hose. A physician urges that the wearing of stockings with white feet will do more to promote ease in walking and relieve foot ills than anything to be suggested. Socks and stock- ings of lisle thread or cotton in black bind the feet and make them swell, he says, no matter how fine and open they may be. The hard twist of lisle thread is especially torturing to ten- der feet. A further caution is added that new cotton hose, as well as new cotton undergarments, should be washed before worn, to wash out the sizing used by manufacturers. Whiskey for a Boil. Keep a cloth saturated with whiskey upon a boil, and it will "head" in from two to three hours. Ant Obstruction in the Throat. Any obstruction in the throat may be removed by the swal- lowing of the white (whole) of an egg. It will have the effect of "gagging/' and the effect made will very often, if not always, dislodge it. 174 EMERGENCY HELPS EOB, When Choking, If you are choked and cannot get relief, get down on all fours and cough until you remove the impediment. Lovey Marjr's plan of holding the child upside down, and shaking him, is perhaps the best plan Icnown for relieving a choking baby. Save Your Watermelon Seed. In the summer time when they are plentiful, save water- melon seed, for medicinal purposes. There is no other home remedy so good for affected kidneys as watermelon seed tea. Use a handful of watermelon seed to the pint of water; let it steep well. Dose : one-half teacupful taken at intervals as desired. During a long siege of mumps, I found nothing equalled this for giving the patient relief. It is mild and eflficacious, may be given to a baby in small doses. This has been tried in nearly a dozen cases of mumps. Lemon and Coffee. A teaspoonful of lemon juice in a small cup of black coffee will drive away an attack of bilious headache. It is better, however, to use lemons freely and so avoid the cause. For Sudden Deafness. Dissolve a tablespoonful of cooking soda in one-half teacup of boiling water. Every morning, for a week or two, take one-half teaspoon- ful of this, suitably wanu, into it drop five drops of pure glycerine and pour into the ear and hold the head over until none runs out. At the end of a week or more syringe the ear thoroughly with warm water. This has been successfully tested several times. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 175 When Bathing the Sick. Add a small quantity of alcohol or bay rum to the water, to produce refreshing sleep. Sick Headache. Eelief may often be obtained when suffering with sick head- ache by holding the head over a basin and pouring a stream of cold water on the back of the neck. To Relieve Heartbuen. Add a teaspoonful of lemon juice to half a glassful of cold water, in which has been dissolved half a teaspoonful of car- bonate of soda, and drink immediately. A Tested Corn Cure. Take a lemon, cut off a slice about one-fourth of an inch thick, bind this firmly to the toe, over the corn, upon retiring. In the morning remove the lemon and you will be surprised to find it white and all the soreness gone. Apply as directed for three or four nights, and at the end of the third or fourth morning you can remove the com without any pain whatever. For Chapped Hands. Pour fourteen ounces of hot, soft water over one drachm of gum tragacanth. Let stand until all dissolved, which will take about twenty-four hours. Then add two ounces of glycerine, two ounces of alcohol and a few drops of rose water. Keep in a wide-mouthed bottle. Cure for a Cold. It may not be generally known that one teaspoonful of aro- matic spirits of ammonia in two-thirds of a glass of cold li^Q EMERGENCY HELPS FOR water, taken in doses of one teaspoonful every fifteen minutes, or half-hour, according to the severity of the case, will relieve any ordinary cold, if taken in the early stages. Remedy for Corns. One drachm of salicylic acid, eight grains of extract Canna- bis Indica, one ounce collodion. Mix, and apply with a soft brush two or three times a week. Excellent Eemedt for jIi^Teuralgia. jMix equal parts of sweet oil, spirits of hartshorn, and chloroform. Shake well, and before the particles have time to separate, wet absorbent cotton and place upon the region of severest pain, for about a minute, unless relieved sooner. Hold a handkerchief over the cotton to confine the fumes. Do not keep on too long, as it will blister. Hay Fever. One ounce of iodide of potassium, one drachm of Fowler's solution, six ounces of distilled water, mix. Dose, one tea- spoonful every four or six hours. Bleeding from a Wound. Bleeding in man or beast may be stopped by a mixture of equal parts of wheat flour and common salt. It may be left on as long as the case demands. Excellent for Sprains. If possible, immediately after being sprained, before swell- ing takes place, bind the part rapidly with adhesive plaster. This was the experience of a physician whose cooJc had the misfortune to fall while he was a looker-on. She was ready HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 177 immediately afterwards to take her place without pain in the household. Eemedy for Sprains. Immediately after sprain, or as soon as possible, immerse the part in warm water, made gradually as hot as can be borne. Drop in the water carbolic acid, until the water has a decided carbolic taste, not enough of course to burn the skin. This v/ill help greatly in taking out the inflammation or bruised blood. Now, wring a towel out of very hot water and con- tinue this until the patient is relieved. This treatment is tedious but will pay in the end. It is said that a sprain lasts six weeks, but with heroic and timely treatment directly after the injury has been received it may be averted. Efficacy of Salt. A pinch of it on the tongue, followed ten minutes after a drink of cold water, will often cure a sick headache. It clean- ses the palate and furred tongue, and is good as a gargle. Used dry as a snuff, it will do much to relieve colds, hay fever, etc. Hemorrhages from tooth pulling can be stopped by rinsing and holding in the mouth a solution of warm water and salt. Chilblains, Eub the affected parts with turpentine, just before retiring. Eepeat every night until the cure is effected. Cure for Eun-Around. Mutton tallow and white chalk, blended together and bound on the finger, is a sure cure for "run-around." The same is also applicable to a felon if used when first started. 12 178 EMERGENCY HELPS FOE, Inflammation in the Flesh. Immediately after receiving a mash, cut, or any injury of a similar character, immerse the part in hot water to which a little carbolic acid has been added. In cases of threatened blood-poison, it is very fine. Hold the part under the hot water until the pain ceases. Carbolic acid must be used intelligently, the burn from a single drop is very pain- ful. The antidote is given elsewhere in this book. A Cure for Burns. Turpentine and gum camphor— all the gum that the tur- pentine will absorb — applied to a burn, will take out the fire and heal it up, no matter how bad the burn, and will not leave a scar. Carbolic Acid. When suffering with sore mouth, after drawing a tooth, or with sore mouth from disordered stomach, or a blow against the mouth, causing it to be cut or injured on the inside, appeal immediately to the bottle of carbolic acid, drop- ping a little in water until it has a faint, "biting" taste. Einse the mouth often and all places will heal very quickly. It does not sting as one would suppose, and the taste is not unpleas- ant, and can be used with great effect. Keep the bottle of strong acid from children or careless persons. To Cleanse the Air op a Sick Eoom. Put a lump of gum camphor in a saucer and apply a hot poker to it. This will cause a strong fume which will not only cleanse the air but act as a powerful disinfectant. Soars. Scars which are not very deep may be removed by the daily I'ubbing of cocoa butter. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 179 EiNG Worm. Dilute one part sulphuric acid to twenty of water, apply with a feather, only on the part affected. Waets. Warts may be removed by applying daily a drop of muri- atic acid; apply with a toothpick, taking care not to touch the surrounding cuticle. Chilblains. Chilblains are relieved by painting with collodion. For Inflamed Eyes. An eye wash well recommended is composed of one ounce of distilled water, one-half ounce of camphor water, five grains of boric acid. This is said to be especially fine for inflamed lids. To Keep a Eoom Cool. A simple and good way to keep a sick room cool in extreme weather, is to dip towels in cold water and, after wringing them well, darken the blinds and hang the towels in the win- dow. The room will cool off quickly. Soft Corns. Soft corns are generally caused by friction and moisture between the toes, making the flesh appear as though scalded. Put between the toes something to take out the soreness and while wearing the shoe always separate the toes by a piece of tissue paper. 180 emergency helps for "Texas Cuee'" foe Eattlesnake Bite. This need not be confined to "Texas" as a remedy, and it would be worth trying anywhere that necessity calls for it. Take a pan or bowl and pour into it enough kerosene oil so that the bite or wound will be submerged. It will draw the poison out immediately, making the kerosene in the bowl turn perfectly green. Throw this away and refill until the kerosene no longer changes color, then put on a poultice of plain table salt, saturated with kerosene oil. Keep on an hour or more and all danger will be past. This must be done immediately after the bite, before the poison has had time to thoroughly enter the circulation. To Make "Waets Disappeae. To make warts disappear, apply a paste made of strong vinegar and gunpowder. Two or three applications is gen- erally sufficient. Fevee Blisters. A fever blister will disappear almost like magic if touched with sweet spirits of nitre. Constipation. A teaspoonful of pure cream taken every night has been foimd helpful by some troubled with constipation. Foe Summer Complaint. A splendid remedy for the disease is the common mullin leaf boiled in new milk, and sweetened to taste. A Scald. Dust a scald with boracic acid and it will prove very cooling in effect. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHEHS 181 Too Much Fkuit, If too much fruit has been eaten in hot weather, take five drops of cinnamon oil in a teaspoonful of water. The relief will be instant. Foe The Sick Eoom. The best covers for glasses or tumblers in the sick room are rounds of card board. They are inexpensive, noiseless, clean, and can be easily replaced. Hives. This disease is caused by poor digestion. Take a table- spoonful of sulphur and a teaspoonful of cream of tar- tar, mix into a cupful of molasses. Dose: one teaspoonful taken every morning one-half hour before breakfast, as long as this quantity lasts. Drink plenty of cold water between meals. Lemons as Eemedies. Gargle a bad sore throat with a strong solution of lemon juice and water. The juice of half a lemon in a cup of black coffee without sugar will cure sick headache. A strong unsweetened lemonade taken before breakfast will often prevent and cure a bilious attack. Lemon juice added to milk until it curds, then bound upon parts swollen from rheumatism, will bring relief. Lemon juice mixed very thick with sugar will relieve a tickling cough that is so annoying. A hot lemonade taken before going to bed will cure a cold on the lungs. A cloth saturated with lemon juice and bound upon a cut, or wound, will stop its bleeding. 132 emergency helps for Ginger Plasters. Plasters made of ginger, and made like mustard plasters, produce the same results and do not blister. Piles. Mix equal parts of sulphur, cream of tartar and granu- lated sugar — ^two teaspoonfuls of each. For three evenings take a teaspoonful of this. Wait three evenings, take a tea- spoonful two evenings. Wait two evenings and take a tea- spoonful the next evening. This completes the course. If not removed, it may be tried again. The Danger of Eusty Nails. The danger of runniag a rustj'^ nail into the foot or hand consists in the fact that a rusty nail is never clean. The wound caused looks slight, but is usually deep ; and if inflicted about streets or stable yards, where the tetanus or lockjaw germs love best to lurk, the danger to be feared is the onset of this dread disease. Although five times out of six no further trouble need be feared, the sixth time is quite suffi- ciently terrible to make any one careful. For GrALL Stones. A simple and harmless one and one which I know to be good. Warm and drink a half -cupful of pure olive oil. It is not unpalatable and will have a far-reaching effect. Be sure that it is pure olive oil and not cotton seed oil, which comes up in the throat after being swallowed, and is so much sold for salads. Colic. Eaw linseed oil will cure any colic. Take as directed for castor oil. Will cure grip, and for weak lungs it is a specific. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 183 CHRGisrio Constipation. Eub bowels witli a mixture of three parts castor oil to one of turpentine. To Fumigate a Sick Eoom. Wihere there are no health officers to attend to the process of fumigation, the following rules are enjoined : After thor- ough disinfection of convalescents and attendants, allow no piece of furniture, etc., to be removed from the room, but strew the articles around so that the fumes of the disinfectanx may best penetrate them; in the center of the room, place a tub with some water in the bottom, then a few bricks upon which to set a pan containing sulphur. For every thousand cubic feet of air space about three pounds of rolled sulphur will be required. Pour a little alcohol over this and apply a live coal. Leave the room quickly, close the door and seal it as you did the windows. The room should not bs opened until eight hours after burning has ceased; and when entering for the first time aiterward hold a wet cloth over the nose and mouth and open the nearest window as quickly as possible. When used in such quantities as that the fumes would be dangerous to life, it must be arranged to open the window from the outside. The room must be thoroughly aired for several days. Diphtheria germs linger for a long time after in the throat of the convalescent, and as they may lodge in the throat of the healthy nurse, it is obvious that kissing should not be indulged in by the occupants for months. The patient should be prohibited from any undue exertion, as it is claimed that for many weeks after, heart paralysis is even more liable, later on than in the initial ill- ness. No case of sore throat should be neglected, particularly in the case of children, for early treatment may do much 184 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR toward modifying what might be a serious disease. One of the most healthful deodorizers is burnt sugar. Sprinkle sugar on a shovel of live coals and leave in the sick room for a few minutes. BUENS. For burns, equal parts of limewater and linseed oil, with a few drops of carbolic acid. All air must be excluded. Do not dress a bum too often. Sore Throat. Muriatic tincture of iron is a sure remedy for ulcerated sore throat. If very severe dilute with water and glycerine, and use as a swab. Dilute again as a gargle. Mushroom Poisoisr. Pulverized charcoal is a specific against mushroom poison; mix a large quantity with water, and give at the rate of a tea- spoonful every minute or more until painful symptoms dis- appear. Eemedy for Toothache. Saturate a piece of cotton wool in boiling vinegar and rub the gmn around the aching tooth with it. Pill the cavity in the tooth with wool. If the pain does not cease within five minutes, make another application. Headache. Much relief is often experienced from rubbing the scalp , which draws the blood from the brain to the surface. To Prevent Bedsores. Wash the patient's back and heels every day, and rub on with the palm of the hand a little alcohol. I have known HOUSEKEEPEES AND OTHERS 185 people to keep their bed for years, and by thus using the alcohol, bedsores have never troubled them. For Eczema. If your child is troubled with eczema, always add a little oatmeal to the water in which you wash the affected parts, and never use a cheap soap. Cheap soaps contain soda and potash, and these make the spots irritable and cause them to spread. Earache. A little black pepper sprinkled on a small piece of antiseptic cotton, the cotton drawn up around the pepper, dipped into warm, oil, and inserted in the ear, is a quick relief when suf- fering from earache. 186 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 187 188 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 189 HEALTH HIKTS. Crossing the Limbs. "Women who sit with their legs crossed, to sew or read or hold the baby, are not aware that they are inviting serious physical ailments, but it is true. When a man crosses his legs he places the ankle of one limb across the knee of the other, and rests it lightly there. A woman, more modest and restricted in her movements, rests the entire weight of one limb on the upper part of the other, and this pressure on the" sensative nerves and cords, if indulged in for continued lengths of time, as is often done by ladies who sew or embroider, will produce disease. Sciatica, neuralgia, and other serious troubles often arise from this simple cause. Children and Pet Cats. Never allow your children to sleep with a pet cat. The intimacy very often is so close between a child and a cat, as to give it diseases. The contagion is brought from one house to another, especially true of diphtheria. To Produce Flesh. To assist in growing flesh take a light luncheon before going to bed. An empty stomach will feed on the flesh during the night. 190 * EMERGENCY HELPS TOIl Eruptions on the Skin. Although lotions and creams improve a poor complexion, an eruptive skin means internal trouble, and until that is remedied the lotion will be of little effect. Sound Sleep and Cold Water. Wlien one is working hard, it pays to take five minutes to lie flat on the floor, close the eyes and relax every muscle, and forget all cares. Most beds are too soft for deep, dream- less sleep. Take the springs off and sleep on your back with- out a pillow. If you must sleep on your side, use a pillow, but train yourself to push it aside and lie on your back as soon as possible. I know how hard beds feel after one has been used to feathers and springs, but make up your mind to it and you will soon find the benefit of refreshing sleep. A warm bath before retiring and a cold bath on rising will insure one against taking cold, and also sweeten the temper. To Withstand Summer Heat. Take a cold bath and wet the top of the head. There is nothing like cold water inside and out for pimples, and poor circulation and "that tired feeling;" but do not drink cold water at meals. Boys Smoking. Try by every means in your power to prevent your boy from smoking, until he is grown at least. Whatever differ- ence of opinion there may be upon the advisability of smoking for men, there is none as to its pernicious effect upon boys. It affects the action of the heart and reduces the capacity of the lungs. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 191 Young men who are being trained for athletics are not permitted to smoke, as they say "it is bad for the wind/' Smoking stunts the growth, decreases the weight. Cigarettes are especially injurious. Nicotine, the active principle of tobacco, is said by chemists to be, next to prussic acid, the most rapidly fatal poison known. The tender tissues of a growing boy cannot absorb even a very small quantity of it without the most injurious results. The Use of Coffee. Coffee is not harmful when rightfully used — that is, with- out milk or cream. It is a valuable agent in assisting in the digestion of food, and aids the blood in taking up more nourishment than it otherwise would. It quickens circu- lation and respiration, it stimulates and refreshes. It is a sovereign remedy in tiding over nervousness, in cases of emergency; as a stimulant and choleric generator in cold weather it is one hundred per cent, better than spirituous liquors. Coffee is a non-reactive stimulant. As a brain istimulant it may be termed an intellectual drink. Cocoa is food and so is chocolate. Sleep for Grow^ing Children. Growing children need plenty of sleep; the best rule is to let them sleep until they wake naturally. Deep Breathing. The best remedy for poor circulation is deep breathing. This strengthens and exhilarates all the organs of the body. Poor circulation, unless from heart trouble, can, in most cases, be cured in this way. 192 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Bathing. Long baths are injurious to the health. Begin the day with a cold bath, and a good drink of either cold or hot water. The bath will act as a tonic to the whole body and the drink will do much toward properly preparing the stomach for the reception of food. In exceedingly warm weather a warm bath is more penmanently refreshing than a cold one, as it draws the blood to the surface, making the skin cool and moist, whereas a cold bath induces rapid circulation, causing heat. An afternoon bath, followed by a fifteen minutes^ rest, lying at full length on a couch (with the eyes closed) in a darkened room, whether you sleep or not, will be of inestimable value to the woman who wishes to keep in good health and cheerful spirits. Nervous Women. Nervous women should not talk too much. Excessive and enthusiastic talking wastes vitality. Dotted Veils. If you value your eyesight, do not wear dotted veils. Sunshine. Do not fear the sunshine if you wish to keep young. The most beautiful things of life do not grow in the darkness. Feeding Infants. More infants' lives are taken by overfeeding than by starvation. Never liken an infant's digestion or diet to your own. HOUSEKEEPERS ANB OTHEHS 193 Cheerfulness. Cheerfulness is a habit, Just as much as worrying — only it is a good deal pleasanter for yourself and everybody else. Get the habit, then, and the first thing you know tKe worries will have taken flight. They cannot stand sunshine. In a cheerful atmosphere they find themselves so distinctly "out of it" that they prefer to make themselves scarce. Therefore, be cheerful It may cost you something at first, but it will pay in the end. Oranges for Health. Oranges are a most valuable fruit. Orange juice allays thirst, and with few exceptions is well borne by the weakest stomachs. It is also a laxative, and if taken at night or before breakfast it will be found most beneficial. Pineapple. Pineapple possesses valuable antiseptic properties. It is most useful in throat diseases. WTiere the digestion is not good, use the juice. Apples for Health. The apple, perhaps, is not so valuable on account of its nourishing qualities, but it certainly cannot be surpassed as a tonic and stimulant to digestion and as a refreshment. The apple contains sugar, albuminous substance, and acids; the sugar helps in the accumulation of fat. The system requires acids that are very beneficial to the body and we undoubtedly get them from the apple, the albuminous part being the nourishing part. Although it contains a very small amount of nourishment, it adds to the bulk of food which is necessary to proper digestion. Cooking renders the apple very easy 13 194 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR of digestion and how quickly we appeal to it in convales- cence! Chronic constipation may be often overcome if one eats an apple at night, a half-hour before retiring. Get into the habit of eating apples at least once a day and as a result, improved health and general good feeling will fol- low. The apple acts as a cleanser of the system and a nourishment for the brain. Poods Which Causj!; Headache, Constipation, one of the most fruitful sources of headache, if- due principally to soft breads, soft foods, such as cereals, mushes, etc., and a lack of raw green vegetables, fruits and olive oil, or other uncooked fats, as butter and cream or fatty nuts. Avoid sweets: coming as they do at the end of a meal, thej'' generate an excess of organic acids and cause "sour stomach," and flatulency. The custom of eating two nitrogenous courses at the same meal, as fish and meat, is wrong. Fish or meat would be better. You are less liable io over-eat. The heavy course dinners of the rich soon make poor jaded stomachs. Errors in diet and over-eating cause more than half the diseases of our modern life. Those sub- ject to headaches from sluggish liver or constipation should eat but two meals a day. An abimdance of clear cold (not ice) water, followed by a fast of three or four hours, will in a short time cure most persons of "biliousness," The remain- ing two meals must of course be consistent, and composed of well-made, clear soups, boiled, baked, roasted, stewed beef, mutton, chicken and an occasional bit of fish, a small amount of starchy foods, always a green vegetable, one raw if possi- ble, or some raw fruits. No liquids should be taken with the meals, except a glass of water at the close. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 195 196 EMERGEITCY HELPS FOE HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 197 CANDY MAKING. Geneeal Directions for Candy-Making. The making of delicious candies according to tlie methods of practical confectioners will not only aSord an agreeable pastime, but will prore of lasting benefit, especially to the younger members of the family; for candy prepared at home may be counted upon as pure and wholesome, and with a little experience, ma}'^ be made to look Just as tempt- ing. No more skill is needed, however, to make a pan of dainty caramels than to mix and properly bake a delicate cake, and no more judgment is required than is used by the housewife in deciding the exact moment for removing a pan of jelly from the fire. Any woman who is anxious to succeed, and who will follow carefully and intelligently the general directions for candy-making, may be sure of producing good results. Materials. The confectioner generally uses sugar prepared especially for his business, but the amateur will get good results by using the best granulated or loaf sugar, for such candies as are made over the fire. In. making candies that require no cooking, XXX confectioner's sugar must be used, and can be bought at any large candy or grocery store. The sugar is as soft and finely powdered as flour, while the ordinary powdered sugar will disclose a slight grain, if rubbed between the finger and thumb, which makes it unsuitable for ^"un- cooked" candy. For dark nut candies, caramels, taffy or molasses candy that is to be pulled, the best brown and yellow sugars should be used. ]^98 emergency helps for Glucose. This substance is used by professional candy-makers to prevent candy from graining. It sometimes gives a bitter taste and to many people is very objectionable and easily detected, though is not as injurious as is generally supposed. This "graining" quality in sugar may be prevented also by boiling the sugar in a kettle with a top, so that the steam will wash any granules that may accumulate on the sides. If this is not done, a little mop made by wrapping a small stick with soft cotton, dipped in warm water, and frequently wiped around the sides to dissolve the granules, is effective. Cream of tartar is also a very useful agent and in many candies necessary for this purpose. Boiling. The most delicate part of candy-making is the boiling of the sugar. One degree, either way, will spoil the whole mass. Most candies must be made in clear weather, as sugar is very much affected by the atmosphere. Ther- mometers are generally used by professionals, but the amateur is at a disadvantage with recipes in which degrees only are given. For. example, take three pounds of granulated sugar and one pint of clear water, always using perfectly clean copper, tin, granite-ware porcelain-lined pan or kettle. Stir the sugar and water until thoroughly dissolved and it commences to boil ; after the boiling begins do not stir, or the syrup will be apt to grain; that is, the tendency of sugar, when the water which holds it in solution is evaporated (or ceases to appear as steam), is to resume its original form of crystals. Occasionally dip a spoon in the syrup, hold it above the pan, and throw a little of it upward over the pan. When HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 199 it spins threads or lines like cobwebs th.e first degree or ''thread^' has been reached. Another way of testing the "thread^' degree is to press a little of the syrup between the thumb and finger. A ring will form and a fine thread be drawn out which breaks at once and returns to the drop; for the second stage, the thread draws a little farther than the first. There are two "thread" stages, which are indicated by the thermometer at 315° and 317°. We then have "little pear?^ and "large pearl," and when tested between the finger and thumb, the sugar forms a long thread, but breaks ; the next degree or "large pearl" stretches without breaking. These first four degrees are syrups, and are indicated on the thermometer at 215°, 217°, 220° and 222°. Next we have the crystallization stages, which are tested by dipping and bending a broom straw to form a loop at the end. If the sugar fills the loop with a film which, when blown, will form a bubble, we have the 'TjIow" stage or 230°. Dip the loop into the sugar again and if this film will blow off into fine threads we have the "feather" stage or 232°. The candy stages now follow: Small ball, 236°-238°. Large ball 246°-248°. These stages are tested by dropping a little of the syrup in cold water and for "small ball" the candy will form into a soft ball when pressed between the fingers; and at "large ball," when the candy cooks a few more degrees, the mass will form a hard ball. We have now come to the ninth and tenth, or "small crack," and "crack" stages measuring 290° and 310° on the ther- mometer — tested by a little dropped into water, which will break when cooled; a little more boiling and we have the "crack" stage. 300 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, The next is the caramel stage, when it assumes a yellowish color; great care must be taken here or it will burn. Sugar cooked to this stage is used for seasoning soups, sauces, creams, etc. Syrup Kept in Stock. Syrups may be kept in stock until needed for use. It is well to have in stock syrup at 34° for softening fondant when used for icing cakes, eclairs, etc. Water ices should register 18° -20° on the syrup gauge when ready to freeze. Sj^rup at 32° should be used for sweetening fruits to be frozen rather than "raw" sugar. To Prepake Syrup. To prepare syrup without a gauge the following direction^ will be useful : Take three and one-half cupfuls sugar and two and one-half cupfuls of water, stir over the fire until dis- solved. After it has boiled five minutes from the time it is actually boiling, it will register 28°, and every five minutes additional boiling it will thicken one degree. At the end of 15 minutes, it is 30° ; at the end of 25 minutes, it is 32° ; at the end of 35 minutes, it is 34°. Kever put sugar over a slow fire to cook, as the water will slowly evaporate before the required degrees are obtained. Colorings for Candy. The idea prevails that the coloring used in candy is poison- ous, or at least unwholesome, but the reader will see that the formulas here given, and which are used by the best con- fectioners, call for nothing but harmless ingredients. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 301 To Make Coloring Liquids. For red : Powdered cochineal 14 oz. Powdered alum 14 oz. Powdered sal tartar %oz. Powdered cream tartar y2 oz. Mix and add six ounces of warm water, and four ounces of alcohol; allow the solution to stand over night, and filter for use. ' Blue. — The best and most innocent substance for this pur- pose is soluble Prussian-blue, which may be procured from the druggist. Ordinarily Prussian-blue will not dissolve in water, unless oxalic acid (a powerful poison) is added, but the pure soluble Prussian-blue, which is a preparation of iron, and perfectly harmxless, may be added to water, to make any depth of color desired. One drachm of the powder to two ounces of water will be found sufficient. Yellow. — To one ounce of saffron, add two ounces each of alcohol and water, and allow it to stand several days. This forms a deep orange color, and, when diluted or used in small quantities, will impart a beautiful yellow shade to all forms of sugar. Green. — Mix blue and yellow; vary according to the shade desired. Purple. — Blend red and blue in proportions to produce the required tint. These colorings may be mixed as an artist does paints, varying the colors. 202 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 203 204 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 205 MISCELLANIES. For Resilveeing a Mirror. Wlien old looking-glasses need renewing, paint them on the back with the following mixture: Half an oimce of tin, half an ounce of lead, and three ounces of bismuth, melted together. When slightly cool, add three ounces of mercury, and apply with a hare's foot. To Mend Bric-a-Brac. Plaster of Paris and mucilage, or glue, made into a paste, will mend bric-a-brac. Then paint over the seams with water colors to match the ware. This work, if neatly done, will bear very close inspection. To Make Paste for Papering. Take one quart and a half of flour, mix a little water, and beat to a thin batter; then pour on h oiling water, which will be necessary to cook it. To Stick Papering. Much depends upon the sizing, and if the wall has cal- cimine or whitewash, that can be easily rubbed off; first brush or scrape it with a very hard brush. To make the sizing: Take one-half pound of granulated glue, pour on cold water until it is absorbed, then tepid water, to dissolve it; now, pour over it a gallon of boiling water; stir until thoroughly dissolved. Apply to the walls with a whitewash-brush. Too heavy sizing is often the cause 206 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR of papering coming off, especially where it is put over another course of paper. To Clean "Walls. Equal parts of boiling water and strong vinegar used with a sponge to wash calcimined walls will cut the calcimine and prepare the wall for papering. To Remove Stoppers in Bottles. Make a turn around the neck with a stout string, hold the bottle firmly on the table with one hand, hold one end of the string with the other and get a friend to pull the other end. A little saAving will heat the mouth, or neck, of the bottle, sufficiently to expand it and loosen the stopper. Keeosene or Gasolene Blazes. These can be readily extinguished by milk, which is con- venient in almost every kitchen. While water only quickens the flame of gasolene and kerosene, milk immediately extin- guishes it, and prevents all danger. To Stop Shoes from Squeaking. Try putting a few drops of oil between the uppers and the soles. This will often effect a cure. Water Bottles and Cruets. Water bottles and cruets can be cleaned by putting into them some pieces of raw potato and soapy water. Shake thoroughly until the glass is clean. Bed-Making Made Easy. For heavy mattresses put two loops made of strong tape, or cloth, through which you can insert your hand, on each HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 207 side of a mattress, and see how mucli more easily it can be lifted, turned or pulled to position. Opening a Fountain Pen. If your fountain pen is stuck, so that you cannot unscrew it, wrap a small rubber band tightly around the nozzle or pen part. This will give you a grip on the pen that will nearly always fetch it. If this does not do, try a little powdered rosin on the fingers. This is rough on the hands, but is effective. A Glue Hint. A teaspoonful of saltpetre, added to a large pot of glue, will prevent it from smelling badly; besides, it causes the glue to dry faster and harder than without it. To Peevent Odors in Clothing. Several small pieces of charcoal, laid in the folds of clothing, closets and wardrobes, will absorb all unpleasant odors. To Prevent Silk Unwinding on Sewing Machine. When silk insists upon slipping from the spool too rapidly, try a heavy piece of cloth or blotting paper under it. The result is very satisfactory. To Kill Grass. Kerosene oil poured between the cracks of rock walks will kill the grass. To Keep an Unused Teapot. To keep an unused teapot from getting musty, put into it, after being thoroughly washed and dried, a lump or two of sugar. 308 EMERGENCY HELPS FOB, To Blow out a Candle. Hold it high and blow upwards. This will prevent the grease from scattering. To Keep Silvee from Tarnishing. A lump of camphor put in the china closet will prevent any silver which may be in it from tarnishing. Lime in the Store-Eoom. Place a box of lime in the room in which jams, preserves and fruits are stored. It will prevent mold from gathering on the fruit. A Timely Help. 'V\niile writing, I dropped a blot of ink on my paper. A bright little girl called for some chloride of lime, and making a solution of it with water, she proceeded to put it on the spot. To my surprise the black spot cleared away. Fuel Economy. Push old fire ashes all into one corner of the fire box, then build a new fire to the top of fire box under one hole. I have seen cooking and ironing done this way, with great economy. A EusTY Screw. A rusty screw can be easily removed by first applying a very hot iron to the head for a short time, then immediately use the screw driver. Knives and Forks. Knives and forks that do not have solid metal handles, made in one piece, with the tines and blades, should never HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 209 be laid in water, the handles should be washed by dipping quickly in cool water. To Keep Tobacco feom Deting. Put a piece of dried apple or orange peel in the jar. A Speig op Paesley. Eat a sprig of parsley after indulging in onions, and it will remove the unpleasant odor from the breath. Chamois Skin. I was told by an optician never to use kid or chamois skin to polish glasses or spectacles; use tissue paper or soft cloth. The chamois skin is an animal product and will make them smeary. GrEEASE THE NaIL. Not long since, I saw a person trying to drive a nail through a piece of seasoned oak, an inch and a half thick. This was impossible, until I suggested that he grease the nail. It then was driven easily and without bending. To Peevent Steel Knives feom Eusting. Dip them in a solution of one part soda, to four of water. Wipe dry and roll in flannel cloth. Keep in a dry place. Cement foe Stone. Mix litharge and glycerine, making a paste as thick as putty. It will fasten brass tops to lamps, tighten loose nuts, secure bolts when nuts are missing, and make joints of iron or wooden implements firm. Do not use the mended article until the cement is well hardened, which may be a week. 14 210 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Stone Coating for "Wood. Mix forty parts of lime, fifty parts of resin, four parts of linseed oil, one part cupric oxide, one part sulphuric acid. A Cheap Water Cooler. Place a two-gallon stone jar in a candy bucket, which may be purchased of a grocer for ten cents. Pill the space between the bucket and jar with sawdust and cement over the top of sawdust. Make a wooden top for the cooler. Six pounds of ice and six quarts of water, put in the cooler in the morning, will furnish a small family with ice water for the day, and the cost of cooler should not exceed thirty-five cents. To Eenovate Whalebones, Hairpins, Etc. Whalebones that have done good service in an old dress may be pressed straight with a flat iron, and serve again. Hairpins of bone, celluloid or rubber that have become spread or missliapen may be laid in a dish of hot water, taken out with a hatpin, and shaped before cooling. Moth Destroyer. Sprinkle coarse salt and black pepper over the floor, sweep in cracks where moths infest, let it lie three days. This will insure their absence from the house. To Mend Carpets. Cut it by a thread, making the figures match ; make a seam of it on the machine. Open seams by pressing with a heavy flat iron, or smooth open on the floor by rubbing the foot along the seams. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 211 To Strengthen Glue. Add to it a little powdered chalk. To Pack Nice Muslins. To keep a fine white mull from yellowing when packed away, blue a large piece of white lawn with ordinary washing blue, and when perfectly dry, wrap gown in it and pack in a cardboard box, large enough to keep from crushing. To Make Oilcloth. If one has a faded carpet, reasonably strong, oilcloth may be made of it. First, stretch and tack the carpet on the floor of a vacant room or garret. Then with a whitewash brush put on two coats of paste, made with rye flour. When this has dried paint over twice with yellow ochre or any other paint color you wish, mixed with boiled linseed oil. Put this on with a paint brush and allow each coat to dry before putting on the next. Finish with a coat of warm linseed oil and allow it to dry thoroughly before using. To Eemove Wall Paper. Wet the paper with a whitewash brush or cloth, let it soak a few minutes, then scrape off with knife or a dull hoe. To Put out Fire in Chimney, Throw in the flro place a gill of salt. This applies to stove, furnace, etc. To Prevent Tumblers from Breaking. Set in cold water to which has been added a handful of salt. After boiling, set aside to cool in the same water, very gradually. Also applies to lamp chimneys. gl3 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR Care of Lamp Chimneys. Do not wash lamp chimneys, it makes them brittle. In- stead, hold them over a steaming tea-kettle a moment, then polish with a clean, soft cloth. Soot may be wiped out first with paper. To Make Mucilage. Take two ounces of clear gum arable, one and one-half of fine starch, one-half ounce of white sugar. Dissolve the gum arable in as much water as a laundress would use for the starch, add starch and sugar, then suspend a bottle in which the mixture has been poured over a kettle of water. When it becomes clear it is done, and should be as thick as tar, and keep so. Add a few drops of any oH. This mucil- age will stick paper to tia or glass, and keeps well. Sheepskin" Eugs. Clean white sheepskin rugs by scrubbing with castile soap and water. Dry in the sun. "Sticky Fly Paper," Turpentine is the only satisfactory medium for separating anything from "sticky fiy paper." Darning with Hair. A torn place in a woolen garment may be darned with strands of hair, using the same as thread. The hair must accord with the color of the garment. I) To Open Flour and Sugar Bags. Turn the flat side of stitch toward you. Cut on the right hand side at the end, not drawing the thread and cutting both at the same time. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 313 The Care of Rubber Goods. Water bags, bed-pans, S3^rmges, in fact all rubber goods, should be hung in the air — not closed in boxes, as they become hard and unfit for use. After emptying the water bag, blow air into it to keep the sides from sticking together. Glue. For all fish glues, vinegar is a good solvent. If glue in the bottle becomes too thick, thin it with vinegar rather than water. To EXTERMIlsTATE BURDOCK. The hardest thing to contend with in many localities is the burdock. It is almost impossible to dig it out. If the least part of a root is left in the ground it will grow, but if you take an axe or sharp butcher knife any time in the sum- mer and cut them off level to the ground, then pour on a teaspoonful of kerosene oil, the plant will die at once and never start again. To Remove a Tight Ring. Take a piece of cord or vn'apping thread and push one end of it under the ring. Then begin just above the ring, wind the cord very tightly round and round the finger clear up to the tip of the finger. Now take hold of the end of the cord that was slipped under the ring and unwind the cord. As the string unwinds the ring will be carried along with it and removed without difficulty. Care of Wooden Bowls. To prevent wooden bowls or trays from splitting, take them before they have been touched with water, apply boiling hoc 214 EMERGENCY HELPS EOR linseed oil over the outside and top edge, all that will pen- etrate. About Lamps. Soak lamp wicks in vinegar before using. Clean chimney with soda or ammonia water. Put salt in bowl or reservoii' and it is said that the oil will burn brighter. The Odoe of Onions. This may be removed from a frying pan by adding a little water to vinegar and allowing it to stand a little while. Useful Boxes. To make nice little spice boxes, take the large-sized baking powder boxes, tear off the paper by soaking in water, leaving a bright tin box. Kow paint over with well-thinned black asphaltum paint, let stand a few minutes until nearly dry; then with a match write on the box the contents — "spice," "nutmeg," etc. The letters will be marked, as it were, with bright letters which will not wash off. Large tin boxes may be treated this way and used for bread and cake. Filling Lamps. Do not fill lamps entirely, as the heat causes oil to expand and perhaps overflow. Turn the wick well down below burner when not in use. To Eemove Old Paint. Two parts of ammonia with one of turpentine makes a mixture which will soften old paint and varnish so that it can be easily scraped off. housekeepers and others 215 Windowings. You keep a. scrap book, of course, and you will be glad to know how to make sweet paste to fasten your treasures in your book. Dissolve in water two square inches of glue and the same quantity of alum. Boil with flour just as though you were making flour paste and stir until very smooth. When cool stir in two teaspoonfuls of oil of lavender. This makes a pint of paste that will keep as long as you wish it — a year, if necessary. Squeaking Shoes. When your shoes squeak go to your shoemaker and have him put a peg in the middle of the sole, and there will be no more loud proclamation. Another thing, when you buy a pair of new shoes and they hurt you, put water in them and let it remain for a minute, then pour it out, and if your shoes burn or hurt you after that, you may say that I am wrong. The water takes all the natural heat out of the leather and makes the shoes comfortable. To Fasten Brass Lamp Tops. To fasten the yoke on lamps melt alum in an old spoon and use as any other solder. To Prevent Steel from Eusting. A small bag of quicklime kept among steel articles will prevent them from rusting. To Make Cloth Rainproof. Dissolve in a gallon of water one ounce each of sugar of lead and powdered alum. Let this stand until clear and 316 EMERGENCY HELPS FOE pour off the liquid. Soak the cloth in this for twenty-four hours^ and when dry it will be found quite rainproof. A Slice op Eaw Potato. Kept conveniently at hand near the kithchen sink and rubbed well over the stained spots will remove many stains from the hands during the day without resorting to strong acids. When Buying A Staie Caepet. Get an extra yard and fold in a half yard at each end. If you do this you will be able to move the carpet up and down^ avoiding the worn edges that always come when wear- ing it year after year the same way. Bread, Cakes or Pies. Should never be put away warm, as they will become soggy. ' G-AS Globes. Should never be screwed tightly in their frames as some allowances must be made for expansion when heated, or they will crack. Mold in Ink. May be prevented by putting a few drops of carbolic acid. This applies to paste, mucilage, etc. A Steel Pen. Before using a steel (new) pen, strike a match and hold the point of the pen in its blaze for two or three minutes. This tempers it and insures longer service. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 217 To Peepaee Sheepskins for Mats. Make a strong lather with hot water, let it stand until cold ; then wash the skin in it, carefully squeezing out all the dirt from the wool; wash in cold water until all the soap is taken out. Dissolve one pound each of salt and alum in two gallons of hot water, and put the skin into a tub sufficient to cover it. Let it soak for twelve hours, and hang it over a pole to drain. When well drained stretch it on a board to dry, and stretch several times while dry- ing. Before it is quite dry sprinkle on the flesh side one ounce each of finely powdered alum and saltpetre, rubbing it in well. Try if the wool be firm on the skin; if not, let it remain a day or two, then rub again with alum; fold the flesh sides together and hang in the shade for two or three days, turning them over each day till quite dry. Scrape the flesh side with a blunt knife and rub with pumice stone. Caee of Patent Leather Shoes. They should be well stuffed in the toe with tissue paper after taking off, and rubbed with a little vaseline. If cared for in this way they will keep without cracking an entire sea- son. Vaseline is a splendid preserver of leather, but should be used sparingly so it will not leave a greasy appearance. How TO Make A Eubber Tree Branch. "With the large blade of a pen-knife make a quarter-inch incision in the main stem, just above the eye of the leaf — preferably where an old leaf has dropped off — and in a few weeks the new sprout will appear. By this simple method an otherwise badly shaped tree can be made symmetrical and beautiful. 218 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR To Make Feens Grow Better. Put pieces of raw beef close to the inside of your fern- pots (between the pots and the soil), and you will be de- lighted at the wonderful growth they will make. Other con- ditions for fern growing must, of course, be observed. HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 219 220 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 221 232 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 223 224 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 225 16 226 EMEEGENCY HELPS FOE, HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 337 228 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 239 230 EMERGENCY HELPS FOR HOUSEKEEPERS AND OTHERS 231 oEc 10 im