Wisdom From Grandma's Cookbook
This cookbook is a family treasure, and I somehow ended up with it. I can remember my sisters and I reading this book at home and laughing about how times have changed. This is my way of sharing it with them... I hope you will enjoy it today as we did many years ago. I will try to add a bit each day.
9/7/00 ~When I talked to Mom this morning, she told me Aunt Gladys had given her this book, and Aunt Gladys had gotten it from Grandma Davis. I had assumed it came from our other Grandma.. Just a little info.. you all know how hard it is to get anything out of Mom!
10/26/00 ~ I found another copy of this book at an antique auction last weekend. It is in excellent shape, but there is no copyright date. The book was written by Miss E. Neil.
12/17/02
Those Ungraceful Habits ~ A public conveyance brings one awkwardly near the faces of strangers. Perhaps from sheer inanity one is apt to take undue notice of his fellow passengers. When glances meet, the gaze is lowered to the flounces of the lady seated near, or to the trim, polished boot of a gent at the far end of the car. There are nice people everywhere, and if one is artistic in taste, there will ever be a looking for beauty of face or form, in dress, or carriage, or manner, or speech; but "why is the fresh girl face so often marred by the ugly habbit of cribbing?" "A beautiful woman," whispered a friend, and the eye was attracted toward a grand looking lady with wide, white forehead, from which the brown glossy hair was smoothed away without the ghost of a crimp; there were pretty arching brows, shading lashes, shapely nose, but, alas! for the ruby lips bitten and moistened so often as to prevent the possibility of catching the outline--the profile so needful to the sketcher of beauty. A poet has somewhere said that "affectation begins with the mouth," but "who would charge the gentle sex with vanity!"
What! To redden by biting, or brighten by wetting; that folly could not be. Let us rather suppose the fair one had by some mishap forgotten to lunch, and all this is due to the gnawings of hunger. While thus seeking to palliate the fair cribber, a young man becomes noticeable by persistantly pulling at the ends of his moustache, chewing them in a hungry way, now changing the exercise by twisting them to needle-like points which he seemed to be coaxing upward.
"From whence has come this ugly habit?" one is fain to ask. Certainly not from pride. A fine flowing beard and full moustache ought not to be a cause of folly to the owner. The hairs of the face, given to protect the throat and lungs, never to be shorn in the cold seasons, can it be that there is nutriment in them? While thus questioning, the writer's two hands were suddenly jerked from his side pockets, where they had been comfortably resting. The wife's gentle remonstrance had been brought to mind by the entrance of an awkward fellow, with hands deeply thrust in the pockets of his torn pants. A caricature of one's self is often a tacit reproof. That very morning the dear wife had said; "Those torn side-pockets are the most difficult of tears to mend." And the inward monitor asked: "From whence has come this indolent habit? From love of ease or want of mittens, which? Perhaps indifference of the patient mender's." And again the monitor asked:
"What of that habit not comparable to weeds for growth?"
"What mean you?" was meekly asked.
"That of looking well to one's own faults, that lesson the hardest and the latest learned: to know thyself." Then the writer realized that he, too, was not quite perfect.
12/13/02
Items Worth Remembering ~A sun-bath is of more worth than much warming by the fire.
Books exposed to the atmosphere keep in better condition than if confined in a book-case.
Pictures are both for use and ornament. They serve to recall pleasant memories and senses; they harmonize with the furnishings of the rooms. If they serve neither of these purposes they are worse than useless; they only help fill space which would look better empty, or gather dust and make work to keep them clean.
A room filled with quantities of trifling ornaments has the look of a bazar and displays neither good taste nor good sense. Artistic excellence aims to have all the furnishings of a high order of workmanship combined with simplicity, while good sense understands the folly of dusting a lot of rubbish.
A poor book had best be burned to give place to a better, or even to an empty shelf, for the fire destroys its poison, and puts it out of the way of doing harm.
Better economize in the purchasing of furniture or carpets than scrimp in buying good books or papers.
Our sitting-rooms need never be empty of guests or our libraries of society if the company of good books is admitted to them.
12/12/02
Laughter ~The laughter of girls is, and ever was, among the most delightful sounds of earth. Truly there is nothing sweeter or pleasanter to the ear than the merry laugh of a happy, joyous girl, and nothing dissapates gloom and sadness quicker, and drives dull care away like a good, hearty laugh. We do not laugh enough; nature should teach us this lesson, it is true; the earth needs the showers, but if it did not catch and hold the sunshine, too, where would be the brightness and beauty it lavishes upon us? Laugh heartily, laugh often, girls; not boisterously, but let the gladness of your hearts bubble up once in a while, and overflow in a glad, mirthful laugh.
12/11/02
Dinner-Table Fancies ~ To be in thoroughly good form at dinner is the very inflorescence of civilized life. Like may other regulations of social life, dinner-table etiquette is arbitrary, but not to know certain things is to argue yourself unknown so far as society life goes. To take soup pushing the spoon from rather than toward yourself; to touch the napkin as little as possible; to accept or decline what is offered instantly and quietly; these and other trifles characterize the well bred diner-out. The attempts to introduce too much color in the dinner-table decorations are rather declining. The finest white damask still holds the preference, and the centerpiece of plush or velvet underlace is little used now. Fewer flowers, too, are seen, and those in very low forms. The dessert plates come in deep tones in Dresden china, and the doyley on which the finger-bowl rests should be immediately removed with the bowl, on reaching the guest. The latest fashion in ice-cream plates is the Bohemian glass in oval form with small handles. Menu cards, handpainted, hold the preference, but many are seen on tinted cardboard with engraved vignette in one corner and the date in another.
12/10/02
Make Home Pleasant! ~ A cheerful, happy home is the greatest safegaurd against temptations for the young. Parents should spare no pains to make a home a cheerful spot. There should be pictures to adorn the walls, flowers to cultivate the finer sensibilities, dominoes, checkers, and other games, entertaining books and instructive newspapers and periodicals. These things, no doubt, cost money, but not a tithe the amount that one of the lesser vices will cost.. vices whichare sure to be acquired away from home, but seldom there. Then there should be some social pleasure... a gathering of young and old around the hearthstone, a warm welcome to the neighbor who drops in to pass a pleasant hour. There should be music and amusements and reading. The tastes of all should be consulted, until each member of the family looks forward to the hour of reunion around the hearth as the brightest one in the twenty-four. Wherever there is found a pleasant, cheerful, neat, attractive, inexpensive home there you may be sure to find the abode of the domestic virtues; there will be no dissapated husbands, no discontented or discouraged wives, no "fast" sons or frivolous daughters.
11/20/01
Don't Stoop! ~ Grandmother has noticed that some of her boys lately have acquired a very bad habit. They go about with their backs bent, as if they were fifty years old, and were bearing the responsibilities of age on their shoulders. This is all wrong. Stand up straight boys; don't go around with a "stoop in your back," as if you had a curvature of the spine. If you do, depend on it, you will have it sure enough long before you get to be old. Always stand erect, and when you walk, throw back your shoulders, and take that kink out of your backbone. This is easier said than done isn't it? Grandmother will tell you just how you can do it, and remember every word she says, for she has been through it all herself, and has straightened up many a grandchild in more respects than one. Here is her rule:
"Throw Up Your Chin!" The whole secret of standing and walking erect consists in keeping the chin well away from the breast. This throws the head upward and backward, and the shoulders will naturally settle backward and in their true position. Those who stoop in walking generally look downward. The proper way is to look straight ahead, upon the same level with your eyes, or if you are inclined to stoop, until that tendency is overcome, look rather above than below the level. Mountaineers are said to be as "straight as an arrow," and the reason is because they are obliged to look upward so much. It is simply impossible to stoop in walking if you will heed and practice this rule. You will notice that all round-shouldered persons carry the chin near the breast and pointed downward. Take warning in time, and heed grandmother's advice, for a bad habit is more easily prevented than cured. The habit of stooping when one walks or stands is a bad habit and especially hard to cure.
11/19/01
High-Heeled Boots Must Go ~ A lady looks infinitely taller and slimmer in a long dress than she does in a short costume, and there is always a way of showing the feet, if desired, by making the front quite short, which gives, indeed, a more youthful appearance to a train dress. The greatest attention must, of course, be paid to the feet with these short dresses, and I may here at once state that high heels are absolutely forbidden by fashion. Doctors, are you content? Only on cheap shoes and boots are they now made, and are only worn by common people. A good bootmaker will not make high heels now, even if paid double the price to do so. Ladies... that is, real ladies... now wear flat-soled shoes and boots, a la Cinderella. For morning walking, boots or high Moliere shoes are worn.
If you wear boots you may wear any stockings you like, for no one sees them. But if you wear shoes you must adapt your stockings to your dress. Floss silk, Scotch thread, and even cotton stockings are now worn for walking, silk stockings have returned into exclusively evening wear. Day stockings should be of the same color as the dress, but they may be shaded, or striped, or dotted, just as you please. White stockings are absolutely forbidden for day wear... no one wears them... no one dares wear them under fashion's interdiction.
11/18/01
Headache ~ One of our English contemporaries has wisely been devoting some thought and space to the common and distressing fact that a great many English women suffer from headache. The same trouble prevails in America, and men, no matter how selfish they may be, are deeply concerned about it, for a wife with a headache cannot be companionable; the best of sweethearts with a headache is sure to be unreasonable, while a lady who has neither husband or other special cavalier to engross her attention can ruin the peace of mind of every one she meets while she has a headache of perceptible size. No amount of masculine grumbling is likely to change all this, but women themselves might change it if they would comprehend the causes of the malady, and then apply their nimble wits to the work of prevention or cure.
The trouble is that all American women who have headaches live indoors, where the best air is never good and the worst is poison, and they have none of the exercises which saves man from the popular feminine malady. Were a strong man to eat breakfast at any ordinary American table and then sit down at a work-table or even move about briskly from one room to another, he would have a splitting headache by noon, and the chatter of his innocent children would seem to be the jargon of fiends. The midday meal would increase his wretchedness, and by dusk he would be stretched in his misery upon his bed, with one hand moping his forehead with ice-water, while the other would threaten with a club or pistol any one who dared to enter the room or make a noise outside. There is no reason why women should not suffer just as severely for similar transgressions of physical law. True, indoor life is compulsory for a large portion every day, but special physical exercise in a well-aired room is within the reach of almost every woman, and so is a brisk walk in garments not so tight as to prevent free respiration. There is very little complaint at summer resorts, where windows are always open and games and excursions continually tempt women who do not value complexion more than health. Girls who ride, row, sail, and shoot, seldom have headaches; neither do those unfortunate enough to be compelled to hoe potatoes or play Maud Muller in hay-fields. Let women of all social grades remember that the human machine must have reasonable treatment, and be kept at work or play, to keep it from rusting, then headaches will be rare enough to be interesting.
11/01/01
Some Of The Secrets Of Beauty ~There is as much a "fashion" in complexion as there is in bonnets or boots. Sometimes nature is the mode, sometimes art. Just now the later is in the ascendant, thyough, as a rule, only in that inferior phase which has not reached the "concealment of art" ... the point where extremes meet and the perfection of artifice presents all the appearance of artlessness. No one of an observant state of mind, who is accustomed to the sight of English maids and matrons, can deny that making-up, as at present practised, partakes of the amateurish element. Impossible reds and whites grow still more impossibly red and white from week to week under the unskilled hands of the wearer of "false colors," who does not like to ask for advice on so delicate a subject, for, even were she willing to confess to the practice, the imputation of experience conveyed in the asking for counsel might be badly received, and would scarcely be in good taste.
The prevelent and increasing short-sightedness of our times is, perhaps, partly the cause of the excessive use of rouge and powder. The wielder of the powder puff sees herself afar off, as it were. She knows that she cannot judge of the effect of her complexion with her face almost touching its reflection in the glass, and, standing about a yard off, she naturally accentuates her roses and lilies in a way that looks very pleasing to her, but is rather startling to anyone with longer sight. Nor can she tone down her rouge with the powdered lair that softened the artificial coloring of her grandmother when she had her day. Powder is only occasionally worn with evening dress, and it is by daylight that those dreadful bluish reds and whites look their worst.
On the other hand, there are some women so clever at making up their faces that one almost feels inclined to condone the practice in admiration of the result. These are the small minority, and are likely to remain so, for their secret is of kind unlikely to be shared. The closest inspection of these cleverly managed complexions reveals no trace of art.
Notwithstanding the reticence of these skilled artists, an occasional burst of confidence has revealed a few of their means of accomplishing the great end of looking pretty. "Do you often do that?" said one of those clever ones. a matron of 37, who looked like a girl of 19, to a friend who was vigorously rubbing her cheeks with a coarse towel after a plentiful application of cold water.
"Yes, every time I come in from a walk, ride, or drive. Why?"
"Well, no wonder you look older than you are. You are simply wearing your face out!"
"But I must wash?"
"Certainly, but not like that. Take a leaf out of my book; never wash your face just before going out into the fresh air, or just after coming in. Nothing is more injurious to the skin. Come to the glass. Do you notice a drawn look about your eyes and a general streakiness in the cheeks? That is the result of your violent assault upon your complexion just now. You look at this moment ten years older than you did twenty minutes ago in the park."
"Well, I really do. I look old enough to be your mother; but then, you are wonderful. You always look so young and fresh."
"Because I never treat my poor face so badly as you do yours. I use rain-water, and if I cannot get that, I have the water filtered. When I dress for dinner I always wash my face with milk, adding just enough hot water to make it pleasant to use. A very soft sponge and very fine towel take the place of your terrible huckaback arrangement."
Two or three years ago a lady of Oriental parentage on her father's side spent a season in London society. Her complexion was brown, relieved by yellow, her features large and irregular, but redeemed by a pair of lovely and expressive eyes. So perfect was her taste in dress that she always attracted admiration wherever she went. Dressed in rich dark brown or dullest crimsons or russets, so that no one ever noticed much what she wore, she so managed that suggestions and hints... no more... of brilliant amber or pomegranite scarlet should appear just where they imparted brilliancy to her deep coloring, and abstract the yellow from her skin. A knot of gold satin under the rim of her bonnet, another at her throat, and others in among the lace at her wrists, brightened up the otherwise subdued tinting of her costume, so that it always looked as though it had been designed for her by some great colorist. Here rouge was unnecessary. The surroundings were arranged to suit the complexion, instead of the complexion to suit the surroundings. There can be no doubt as to which is the method which best becomes the gentlewoman.
In addition to the disagreeable sensation of making-up, it must be remembered that the use of some of the white powders eventually destroys the texture of the skin, rendering it rough and coarse. Rimmel, the celebrated perfumer, in his book "Book Of Perfumes," says that rouge, being composed of cochineal and saffron, is harmless, but that white cosmetics consist occasionally of deleterious substances which may injure the health. He advises actors and actresses to choose cosmetics, especially the white, with the greatest of care, and women of the world, who wish to preserve the freshness of their complexion, to observe the following recipe: Open air, rest, exercise, and cold water. In another part of this pleasant book the author says that schonada, a cosmetic used among the Arabs, is quite innocuous and at the same time effectual. "The cream, which consists of sublimated benzoin, acts upon the skin as a slight stimulant, and imparts perfectly natural colors during some hours without occasioning the inconveniences with which European cosmetics may justly be reproached." It is a well known fact that bismuth, (they make bismuth shot to replace lead shot for shotguns) a white powder containing sugar of lead, injures the nerve centers when constantly employed, and occasionally causes paralysis itself.
In getting up the eyes, nothing is injurious that is not dropped into them. The use of kohl or kohol is quite harmless, and, it must be confessed, very effective when applied... as the famous recipe for salad dressing enjoins with regard to the vinegar... by the hand of a miser. Modern Egyptian ladies made their kohol of the smoke produced by burning almonds. A small bag holding the bottle of kohol, and a pin, with a rounded point with which to apply it, form part of the toilet paraphenalia of all the beauties of Cairo, who make the immense mistake of getting up their eyes in an exactly similar manner, thus trying to reduce the endless variety of nature to one common pattern, a mistake that may be accounted for by the fact that the Arabs believe kohol to be a sovereign specific against ophthalmia. Their English sisters often make the same mistake without the same excuse. A hairpin steeped in lampblack is the usual method of darkening the eyes in England, retribution following sooner or later in the shape of a total loss of the eyelashes. Eau de Cologne is occasionally dropped into the eyes, with the effect of making them brighter. (Yikes!) The operation is painful, and it is said that half a dozen drops of whiskey and the same quantity of Eau de Cologne, eaten on a lump of sugar, is quite as effective.
It's been a year since I added to this.. my how time flies when you're having fun! *LOL*
10/31/01
How To Be Handsome ~ Where is the woman who would not be beautiful? If such there be... but no, she does not exist. From that memorable day when the Queen of Sheba made a formal call on the late lamented King Solomon until the recent advent of the Jersey Lily, the power of beauty has controlled the fate of dynasties and the lives of men. How to be beautiful, and consequently powerful, is a question of far greater importance to the feminine mind than predestination or any other abstract subject. If women are to govern, control, manage, influence, and retain the adoration of husbands, fathers, brothers, lovers, or cousins, they must look their prettiest at all times.
All women cannot have good features, but they can look well, and it is possible to a great extent to correct deformity and develop much of the figure. The first steps to good looks is good health, and the first element of health is cleanliness. Keep clean! Wash freely, bathe regularly. All the skin wants is leave to act, and it takes care of itself. In the matter of baths we do not strongly advocate a plunge in ice-cold water; it takes a woman with some of the grit that Robert Collyer loves to dialate on and a strong constitution to endure it. If a hot bath is used, let it come before retiring, as there is less danger of taking cold afterwards; and, besides, the body is weakened by the ablution and needs immediate rest. It is well to use a flesh brush, and afterwards rinse off the soap-suds by briskly rubbing the body with a pair of course toilet gloves. The most important part of a bath is the drying. Every part of the body should be rubbed to a glowing redness, using a coarse crash towel at the finish. If sufficient friction cannot be given, a small amount of bay rum applied with the palm of the hand will be found effcacious. Ladies who have ample leisure and who lead methodical lives take a plunge or a sponge bath three times a week, and a vapor or sun bath everyday. To facilitate this very beneficial practice a south or east apartment is desirable. The lady de-nudes herself, takes a seat near the window, and takes in the warm rays of the sun. The effect is both beneficial and delightful. (My neighbors would love this one! *L*) If, however, she be of a restless disposition, she may dance, instead of basking in the sunlight. (Did I mention that the county sherriff lives across the road!) Or, if she not be fond of dancing, she may improve the shining hours by taking down her hair and brushing it, using sulphur water, pulverized borax dissolved in alcohol, or some similar dressing. It would be surprising to many ladies to see her carefully wiping the separate locks on a clean, white towel until the dust of the previous day is entirely removed. With such care it is not necessary to wash the head, and the hair under this treatment is invariably good.
One of the most useful articles of the toilet is a bottle of ammonia, and any lady who has once learned its value will never be without it. A few drops in the water takes the place of the usual amount of soap, and cleans out the pores of the skin as well as a bleach will do. Wash the face with a flesh-brush, and rub the lips well to tone their color. It is wise to bathe the eyes before putting in the spirits,(well duh!) and if it isd desirable to increase their brightness, this may be done by dashing soapsuds into them.(Suppose the Taliban co-wrote this!) Always rub the eyes, in washing, toward the nose. If the eyebrows are inclined to spread irregularly, pinch the hairs together where thickest. If they show a tendency to meet, this contact may be avoided by pulling out the hairs every morning before the toilet.
The dash of Orientalism in costume and lace now turns a lady's attention to her eyelashes, which are worthless if not long and drooping. Indeed, so prevalent is the desire for this beautiful feature that hair dressers and ladies' artists have scores of customers under treatment for invigorating their stunted eyelashes and eyebrows. To obtain these fringed curtains, annoint the roots with a balsam made of two drachms of nitric oxide of mercury mixed with one of leaf lard. After an application wash the roots with a camel's har brush dipped in warm milk. Tiny scissors are used, with which the lashes are carefully but slightly trimmed every other day. When obtained, refrain from rubbing or even touching the lids with the finger-nails. There is more beauty in a pair of well kept eyebrows and full sweeping eyelashes than people are aware of, and a very unattractive and lustreless eye assumes new beauty when it looks out from beneath elongated fringes. Many ladies have a habit of rubbing the corners of their eyes to remove the dust that will frequently accumulate there. Unless this operation is done with little friction it will be found that the growth of hair is very spare, and in that case it will become necessary to pencil the barrin corners. Instead of putting cologne water on the handkerchief, which has come to be considered s vulgarism among ladies of correct tastes, the perfume spent on the eyebrows and lobes of the ears.
If commenced in youth, thick lips may be reduced by compression, and thin linear ones are easily modified by suction. This draws the blood to the surfaces, and produces at first a temporary and, later a permanent inflation. It is a mistaken belief that biting the lips reddens them. The skin of the lips is very thin, rendering them extremely susceptable to organic derangement, and if the atmosphere does not cause chaps or parchment, the result of such harsh treatment will develop into swelling or the formation of scars. Above all things, keep a sweet breath.
Everybody cannot have beautiful hands, but there is no plausible reason for their being ill-kept. Red hands may be overcome by soaking the feet in hot water as often as possible. If the skin is hard and dry, use tar or oat-meal soap, saturate them with glycerine, and wear gloves in bed. Never bathe them in hot water, and wash no more often than necessary. There are dozens of women with soft, white hands who do not put them in water once a month. Rubber gloves are worn while making the toilet, and they are cared for by an ointment of glycerine and rubbed dry with chamois-skin or cotton flannel. The same treatment is is not unfrequently applied to the face with the most successful results. If such methods are used, it would be just as well to keep the knowledge of it from the gentlemen. We know of one beautiful lady who has not washed her face for three years, yet it is always clean, rosy, and kissable. With some of her other secrets she gave it to her lover for safe keeping. Unfortunately, it proved to be her last gift to that gentleman, who declared in subsequent note that "I cannot reconcile my heart and my manhood to a woman who can get along without washing her face." 10/31/00
Pleasant Homes ~ Handsome furniture will not, unaided, make rooms cheerful. The charm of a cozy home rests principally with it's mistress. If she is fortunate to have sunny rooms, her task is half done. In apartments into which the sun never shines recourse must be had to various devices to make up, so far as may be, for this grave lack. A sunless room should have bright and joyous color in it's furnishings. The walls should be warmly tinted, the curtains give a roseate glow to the light that passes through them. An open fire may diffuse the sunshine but lately imprisioned in oak or hickory, or ages ago locked up in anthracite. Ferneries and shade-loving plants may contribute their gentle cheer to the room and suggest quiet forest nooks. An attractive room need not be too orderly. A book left lying on the table, a bit of needle-work on the window-sill, an open piano, may indicate the tastes and occupations of the inmates, without suggesting that there is not a place for everything in that room. There is such a thing as being too neat and nice to take comfort in everyday life, and this is anything but cheerful. And then there is such a thing as being so disorderly and negligent that comfort and cheer are impossible. If the house-mother cannot rest while there is a finger-mark on the paint or a spot on the window-panes, she may make a neat room, but her splint will keep it from ever being cheerful. If she has no care for the "looks of things" her failure will be equally sure. A bird singing in the window, an aquarium on the table in some corner, some plants growing and blooming, domestic pets moving about as if at home, these give life and brightness to an apartment, and afford constant opportunities for the pleasant occupation and companionship. Books people a room, and pictures on the walls, if selected with taste, are ever fresh sources of enjoyment. You may gauge the refinement and cultivation of a family by these infallible tests, unless they have been selected by some outsider. Bits of embroidery, of scroll-work, and a thousand tasteful devices may contribute to the charm of a room and make it irresistibly attractive.
10/29/00
Sunlit Rooms ~No article of furniture should be put in a room that will not stand sunlight, for every room in a dwelling should have the windows so arranged that some time during the day a flood of sunlight will force itself into the apartments. The importance of admitting the light of the sun freely to all parts of our dwellings cannot be too highly estimated. Indeed, perfect health is nearly as much dependent on pure sunlight as it is pure air. Sunlight should never be excluded except when so bright as to be uncomfortable to the eyes. And walks should be in bright sunlight, so that the eyes are protected by a veil or parasol when inconviently intense. A sun-bath is of more importance in preserving a healthful condition of the body than is generally understood.
A sun-bath costs nothing, and that is a misfortune, for people are deluded with the idea that those things only can be good or useful which cost money. But remember that pure water, fresh air and sunlit homes kept free from dampness, will secure you from many heavy bills of the doctors and give you health and vigor, which no money can procure. It is a well established fact that people who live much in the sun are usually stronger and more healthy than those whose occupations deprive them of sunlight. And certainly there is nothing strange in the result, since the same law applies with nearly equal force to every animate thing in nature. It is quite easy to arrange an isolated dwelling so that every room may be flooded with sunlight some time in the day, and it is possible many town houses could be so built as to admit more light than they now receive.
10/26/00
A Nice Clothes Frame ~ Our kitchen is very small; too small, in fact, to be very comfortable in, and, moreover, has to serve the double purpose of kitchen and laundry. There was no room to spare for the big clothes-horse we had been accustomed to use, nor even for a smaller clothes-screen we thought of purchasing. In this emergency we happened upon a nice frame, which consists of bars of wood secured at one end in an iron clamp, which screws on the side of a window frame. These bars move freely around, and quite a respectable sized ironing can be aired upon them. We found they were invented and made by a dealer in the country who had no patent upon them, and so, of course, his sales must be limited, yet they are very convenient. The clothes are hung quite out of the way, and yet can be well aired.
Keep The Cellar Clean ~ A great deal of the sickness families suffer could be easily traced to the cellar. The cellar not unusually opens into the kitchen, the kitchen is heated, and the cellar is not. Following natural laws, the colder air of the cellar will rush to take the place of the warmer, and therefore, lighter air of the kitchen. This would be well enough if the cellar air was pure, but often it is not; partly decayed vegetables may be there, or rotten wood, etc. A day should be taken to throw out and carry away all dirt, rotten woods, decaying vegetables, and accumulations which have gathered there. Brush down the cobwebs, and with a bucket of lime give the walls and ceiling a good coat of whitewash. If a whitewash brush is not at hand take an old broom that the good wife has worn out, and spread the whitewash on thick and strong. It will sweeten up the air in the cellar, the parlor, and the bedrooms, and it may save the family from the afflictions of fevers, diphtheria and doctors.
10/7/00
All About Kitchen Work ~A lady who for a time was compelled to do all of her own kitchen work says: "If every iron, pot, pan, kettle or any utensil used in the cooking of food, be washed as soon as emptied, and while still hot, half the labor will be saved." It is a simple habit to acquire, and the washing of pots and kettles by this means loses some of its distasteful aspects. No lady seriously objects to washing and wiping the crystal and silver, but to tackle the black, greasy, and formidable-looking ironware of the kitchen takes a good deal of sturdy brawn and muscle as well as common-sense.
If the range be wiped carefully with brown paper, after cooking greasy food, it can be kept bright with little difficulty.
Stoves and ranges should be kept free from soot in all compartments. A clogged hot-air passage will prevent any oven from baking well.
When the draught is imperfect the defect frequently arises from the chimney being too low. To remedy the evil the chimney should be built up, or a chimney pot added.
It is an excellent plan for the mistress to acquaint herself with the practical workings of her range, unless her servants are exceptionally good, for many hindrances to well-cooked food arises from some misunderstanding of, or imperfection in, this article.
A clean, tidy kitchen can only be secured by having a place for everything and everything in it's place, and by frequent scourings of the room and utensils.
A hand-towel and basin are needed in every kitchen for the use of the cook or house-worker.
Unless dish-towels are washed, scalded and thoroughly dried daily, they become musty and unfit for use, as also the dish-cloth.
Cinders make a very hot fire... one particularly good for ironing days.
Milk keeps from souring longer in a shallow pan than in a milk pitcher. Deep pans make an equal amount of cream.
Hash smoothly plastered down will sour more readily than if left in broken masses in the chopping bowl, each mass being well exposed to the air.
Sauce, plain, and for immediate use, should not be put into a jar and covered when warm, else it will change and ferment very quickly. It will keep some days with care in the putting up. Let it stand until perfectly cold, then put into a stone jar.
To scatter Philadelphia brick over the scouring board onto the floor, to leave the soap in the bottom of the scrubbing pail, the sapolio in the basin of water, and to spatter the black lead or stove polish on the floor are wasteful, slatternly habits.
A clock in the kitchen is both useful and necessary.
10/1/00
The Art Of Beauty In Dress ~It is far easier to find fault with existing customs than to devise and put in practice other and better ones.Ladies do not like to appear singular, and make themselves conspicuous by wearing such articles of dress as are laughed at, possibly, certainly not worn by other persons in the city or county in which she may belong. And so the matter goes on. Manufacturers, dry goods dealers, and miliners, and dresmakers, carry the day with a high hand. Yet there is always some choice, and as, thanks to our civilized habits, a full-length mirror is obtainable by most ladies, given the resolution to make the most and best of themselves, the greater number of women can so study the art of dressing well as to produce some excellent results.
It will hardly do to copy the old masters of painting in the arrangement of drapery, at least anyways closely, for no matter how well the voluminous folds may look painted, they certainly would be very much in the way in real life, and impede any free action of the muscles somewhat, while the length of sweeping gowns certainly looks more in place on painted canvas than it can do on an ordinary walking dress. Ladies have realized this fact, however, and the short walkingskirt, at once pretty and convenient, has been the result,
In some places the common-sense shoe can be found, and this permits the muscles of the foot, if not the freest, yet fair play. One great mistake in the dressing of the feet is getting the covering too short. It will throw back the toe joints, and a bunion is only too frequently the result. If the soles of the shoes are too thin, the feet become chilled, and disease insues. Yet in repeated instances they have been known to draw the feet and made them exceedingly tender and sore. A light cork sole sowed to a knitted worsted slipper will give a foot covering, equally light and far less injurious in its results.
There are ladies who wholly ignore woolen hoisery, preferring lisle thread, cotton or silk. Yet in winter time, particularly for children, woolen stockings are almost a necessity, particularly if woolen is worn over the rest of the body. There are some people who can not abide the feeling of wooleen garments next to the skin, and they are obliged to get their warmth of clothing in other than their undergarments. Heavy outside garments are not quite so graceful as those of softer and lighter material. But if they must be worn they will bear a plainer cut than such clothes as are naturally clinging, and adapt themselves to the figure.
Solid and plain colors have a greater richness than mixed shades. If combined tints are used, they should only be such as harmonize well and in the full-length figure give a good personel effect. Probably more ladies err in getting good general effects than in any other one in particular. They have various garments, pretty enough, possibly, in themselves, yet which do not harmonize well together, either in material, color or cut, or possibly with their particular style of figure and shade of hair and complexion. For example, the skirt will have one style of trimming, the waist another, the bonnet may look exceedingly well with one suit, and be quite out of keeping with another. A short dumpy person will wear flounces, a tall slim one stripes, while some red-haired women will fancy an exquisite shade of pink, while green or blue would have been much more becoming.
Black generally makes people look smaller, and white larger. A very pale person can bear a certain amount of bright red. A delicate complexion looks well with soft ruchings or laces at neck and wrist. Lace is so expensive that it cannot be so generally worn as it might be, with excellent effect. Probably no prettier head covering has ever been designed than the veils worn by the Spanish women. Certainly they are infinitely more graceful than a modern poke bonnet.
Dress goods cut up into little bits and sewed together into fantastical shapes called trimmings, are apt if too freely used to give an air of fussiness to the dress, and be withal a source of endless annoyance in catching dust and dirt. The former ideas of a border or hem to finish has become the greater part of the garment.
Nothing is gained in grace by making any outside garment skin-tight, while much is lost in comfort by so doing. A sleeve, for instance, to be serviceable and look well, should be loose and adapt itself somewhat to the curve of the arm. Likewise a dress waist looks far better a little loose, as well as being more healthful and wearing better.
Large, stout persons can add to their appearance much by wearing all outside skirts buttoned on to fitted undergarments below the hips several inches, for gathers about the waist only add to their stoutness of look, and are uncomfortable to carry about. A yoked petticoat answers the purpose very well in lieu of the buttoned skirts.
A wrapper for a tall slim person can have a Spanish flounce, while a slashed skirt with kilt inserts is more becoming to a short figure. Large folds are always more graceful than small pleats and puckers. One very great fault of our dressmaking lies in not allowing the goods to fall in large and natural folds, but in bunching and pleating it in folding, and pressing the goods down into fantastic and inartistic shapes. Added to this, the paniers, and padding, bustles, and hoops, until an ordinary woman is forced to appear like a stuffed figure instead of a living human being.
Every woman can modify, and arrange, and simplify, and that without becoming either ultra or conspicuous. It will take time. That cannot be helped, yet possibly the saving in comfort and expense may fully compensate for the few hours spent in studying her own dress with the mirror before her and with the determination to make the very best and most of herself.
9/29/00
Courage ~ One may possess physical courage, so that in times of danger, a railroad accident, a steamboat collision or a runaway horse, the heart will not be daunted or the cheek paled, while on the other hand, one may be morally brave, not afraid to speak a word for the right in season, though unwelcome, to perform a disagreeable duty unflinchingly or to refuse to do a wrong act, and yet be a physical coward, trembling and terrified in a thunder-storm, timid in the dark, and even scream at the sight of a mouse. Courage, both moral and physical, is one of the finest attributes of character, and both can be cultivated and gained if desired and sought after. Some girls think it interesting and attractive to be terrified at insects, and will shriek with fright if they happen to be chased a few rods by a flock of geese, but they only excite laughter and do not gain the admiration which a brave girl who tries to help herself would deserve.
9/28/00
Packing Away Furs ~ All furs should be well switched and beaten lightly, free from dust and loose hairs, well wrapped in newspaper, with bits of camphor laid about them and in them, and put away in a cool dark place. If a cedar closet or chest is to be had, laid into that. In lieu of that, new cedar chips may be scattered about. It is never well to delay packing furs away until quite late in the season, for the moth will early commence depredations. In packing them they should not be rolled so tightly as to be crushed and damaged.
9/27/00
Cultivating Selfishness In Children ~ The mother who in the fullness of generous love runs hither and thither continually to do for the various members of the family those things which they should do themselves, comes to be regarded as a useful piece of machinery, suited to minister to their wants, but she is not regarded with one whit more of love or reverance, rather the reverse. By and by, when the mother is worn out in body and spirit, when the child, grown older, feels no need of her as its slave, it finds more attractive playmates and companions.
The mother has necessarily far more labor, care, and anxiety than any other member of the household. She is continually occupied, and her work seems to have no end. Neither husband nor children will love her the more for sacrificing herself wholly to them, as many a sad, weary mother has learned to her cost. Let her be just to herself. Not that she should make slaves of the children any more than they should make a slave of her. But children like to be useful, like to feel that they are a real help to older persons, and if a little praise and perhaps, too, a little money is given them, they will learn to enjoy the pleasure of helping mother and of earning something for themselves, and early taught the dignity of labor as well as save their mother a little time to keep herself in advance of them in study and thought, in general information, and in spiritual growth, so as to be always reverenced as their intellectual and spiritual guide and friend and counsellor.
It has been truly said by Miss Sewell, author of an excellent work on education, that "Unselfish mothers make selfish children." This may seem startling, but the truth is, that the mother who is continually giving up her own time, money, strength, and pleasure for the gratification of her children teaches them to expect it always. They learn to be importunate in their demands, and expect more and more. If the mother wears an old dress that her daughter may have a new one, if she work that her daughter may play, she is helping to make her vain, selfish, and ignorant, and very likely she will be ungrateful and disrespectful, and this is equally true of the husband, and other members of the family. Unselfish wives make selfish husbands.
9/26/00
Teach Your Own Children ~ Some parents allow their children to acquire the very rude and unmannerly habit of breaking in upon their conversation and those of older persons with questions and remarks of their own. It is very uncivil to allow them to do so. So, even among their own brothers and sisters and schoolmates of their own age, let them speak without interrupting. If one begins to tell a story or bit of news, teach them to let him finish it; and if he makes mistakes that ought to be corrected, do it afterwards. Don't allow them to acquire the habit of being interrupters. Most of those who allow their own children to form this disagreeable habit will be exceedingly annoyed at the same conduct in other folks' children. The fault is that of the parents in not teaching their children. If they interrupt at home, tell them to wait till they can converse without annoying, and see that they do. Yikes!!
9/25/00
Children Love Games ~ Take advantage of this to give them physical training. Furnish them the apparatus for games which require a good deal of muscular exercise. Those curious little affairs which require them to sit on the floor or gather about the table and remain in a cramped position, are not advisable.
It is particularly desirable that the games should call them into the open air and sunshine. In this way children lay in a stock of health and strength. Remember that, particularly in our early years, this is infinitely more important than all adornments of the person or the study of books.
Let it not be forgotten that symmetrical development of the body is of the utmost importance. A child, for example, is weak and round-shouldered. It is important that he should be made straight. Every conceivable exercise may tend to increase the strength, but only special exercises tend to draw the shoulders back, and thus secure the rectitude which is the basis of spinal and visceral tone. It is not difficult to give children such games and sports as will have this special tendency.
9/24/00
Teach The Little Ones ~ There is scarcely a busy home mother in the land who has not at some time or other felt how much easier it would be to do all the work herself than to attempt to teach a child to assist her, whether it be in household matters or in sewing. Now we would speak particularly of the latter. But it seems almost the right of every little girl to be taught to sew neatly, even if it does cost the mother some self-sacrifice. Very few grown women are wholly exempt from ever using a needle. On the contrary almost every woman must take more or less care of her own wardrobe, even if she has no responsibility for that of any one's around her. Machines cannot sew up rips in gloves, replace missing buttons, or make or mend without any needlework by hand. Some stitches must be taken, and how to sew neatly is an accomplishment quite as necessary, if not more so, to the happiness of a majority of women than any other. If a little girl be early taught how to use her needle, it very soon becomes a sort of second nature to her, and very little ones can learn to thread the needle and take simple stitches. Only the mother must be patient and painstaking with them, not letting poor work receive praise or permitting the child to slight what she undertakes. The stint can be a very short one with very little children. It is usually best so, but frequent lessons should be given.
9/23/00
Girls, Learn To Cook ~ Yes, yes, learn how to cook, girls; and learn how to cook well. What right has a girl to marry and go into a house of her own unless she knows how to superintend every branch of housekeeping; and she cannot properly superintend unless she has some practical knowledge herself. It is sometimes asked, sneeringly, "What kind of a man is he who would marry a cook?" the fact is, that men do not think enough of this; indeed, most men marry without thinking whether the woman of his choice is capable of cooking him a meal, and it is a pitty that he is so shortsided, as his health, his cheerfulness, and, indeed, his success in life, depend in a very great degree on the kind of food he eats; in fact, the whole household is influenced by the diet. Feed them on fried cakes, fried meats, hot bread and other indigestible viands, day after day and they will need medicine to make them well.
Let all girls have a share in housekeeping at home before they marry; let each superintend some department by turns. It need not occupy half the time to see that the house has been properly swept, dusted, and put in order, to prepare puddings and make dishes, that many young ladies spend in reading novels which enervate both mind and body and unfit them for every-day life. Women do not, as a general rule, get pale faces doing housework. Their sedentary habits, in over-heated rooms, combined with ill-chosen food, are to blame for bad health. Our mothers used to pride themselves on their housekeeping and fine needlework. Let the present generation add to its list of real accomplishments the art of properly preparing food for the human body.
9/21/00
How To Dust A Room ~ Soft cloths make the best of dusters. In dusting any piece of furniture begin at the top and dust down, wiping carefully with the cloth, which can be frequently shaken. A good many people seem to have no idea what dusting is intended to accomplish, and instead of wiping off and removing the dust it is simply flirted off into the air and soon settles down upon the articles dusted again. If carefully taken up by the cloth it can be shaken off out of the window into the open air. If the furniture will permit the use of a damp cloth, that will more easily take up the dust, and it can be washed out in a pail of soapsuds. It is far easier to save work by covering up nice furniture while sweeping, than to clean the dust out, besides leaving the furniture looking far better in the long run. The blessing of plainness in decoration is appreciated by the thorough house-keeper who does her own work while dusting.
9/19/00
Warm Water ~ Warm water is preferable to cold water as a drink to persons who are subject to dyspeptic and bilious complaints, and it may be taken more freely than cold water, and consequently answers better as a dilutent for carrying off bile and removing obstructions in the urinary secretion, in cases of stone and gravel. When water of a temperature equal to that of the human body is used for drink, it proves considerably stimulant, and is particularly suited to dyspeptic, bilious, gouty and chlorotic subjects.
Cleaning House ~ Sitting & Dining Rooms ~ By the time the upper part of the house is well cleaned and in good order, if it has been taken one room at a time, and leisurely, probably, the diningroom can be torn up on a warm pleasant day, and, unless the alterations are to be extensive, scoured and gotten to rights again before nightfall. And the sitting room on another day. House-cleaning, unless conducted on some plan which occasions little if any disturbance in the general domestic arrangement, is a nuisance, particularly to the males of the household. Nothing can be (next to a miserable dinner) more exasperating to a tired man than to come home and find the house topsy-turvy. And it certainly raises his opinion of his wife's executive ability to find everything freshened and brightened, and that without his having been annoyed by the odor of the soapsuds, or yet having been obliged to betake himself to the kitchen for his meals.
This is all of this I can type tonight without getting sick!! *L* More on housekeeping tomorrow!!
9/20/00 ~
But if the order of work is well laid out the night before-hand, the breakfast as leisurely eaten as usual, and the family dispersed in their various ways before commencing operations, then by working with a will wonders can be accomplished in a very short time. It is not worthwhile to undertake a thorough cleaning of all extra china, silver and glassware which may be stored in the china closet, in additionto the room itself. They can readily wait over until another morning, as can the examination of the table-linen. In cleaning any room, after the furniture and carpets have been taken out and the dust swept out with a damp broom, the proper order is to begin with the ceiling, then take the walls and windows, and lastly the floor. Kalsomining or whitewash dries most quickly when exposed to free draughts of air, the windows being thrown wide open for the purpose; this process can also be aided by lighting a fire in the room, either in the stove left for the purpose, or in the grate. These means are equally good for drying a freshly-scoured floor.
In lieu of regular carpet wadding, layers of newspapers are very good padding under a carpet, or better yet, sheets of thick brown paper will answer very well. Matting and green linen shades are delightfully cool in either sitting or dining-room for summer use, or all through the hottest weather; if the dining-room can be left with a bare floor, and lightly washed off with cold water before breakfast each day, it will add greatly to the coolness of the room. A fireplace can be arranged with a screen before it, or it can be left open, the fixtures taken away, and a large stone or pottery jar filled with fresh cut flowers daily set into it. Very showy flowers can in this way be made effective in decorating a room. Jars covered with pictures of decalcomania are tawdry-looking. Better far to paint them a dull black or bottle-green, or a brick red, with a plain band or geometric design traced in some contrasting color.
In dining-room furniture oak wood with green trimmings and light paint are good contrasting colors, while black walnut or mahogany, with red carpet and shades of red predominating about the room, look well with dark paint.
In arranging a sitting-room large spaces left empty look more comfortable and are more convenient in every way than a room huddled too full of furniture. A home is not a furniture wareroom for a fancy bazaar, but a place for people to live in and to move about in.
House-cleaning time presents an opportunity for disposing of many ostensibly ornamental articles which only serve to fill up space, without being either beautiful or well-made of their kind.
An empty wall looks better than one hung with daubs. Good engraving and plain, cheap frames are now obtained at such a trifling cost that almost every one can afford one or two excellent ones in their sitting-room. People living at a distance can easily send to some large city for an engraving or two, or, if they prefer colored pictures, to some well-known establishment for two or three good chromos. I have some of the best newspaper engravings pinned upon the sitting-room wall, framed in pressed ferns, with very good effects indeed. Once a very simple bracket held a glass bumper of unique pattern, from which was trailed cypress vines, and mingled with them, a bunch of scarlet lychins. Against the white wall of the room they looked brilliant, and the effect was really beautiful.
When the sitting-room is torn up frequently an array of newspapers, missing books, etc., are found huddled together in some corner. In setting the room these should find their proper places, and it would be a good thing to keep them there ever after, for no matter how thorough the cleaning process, untidiness and litter will soon make any room appear nearly as badly as before it was scoured.
9/18/00
Fainting ~ For a simple fainting fit a horizontal position and fresh air will usually suffice. If a person receives a severe shock caused by a fall or a blow, handle carefully without jarring. A horizontal position is best. Loosen all tight clothing from the throat, chest and waist. If the patient can swallow, give half teaspoonful aromatic spirits of ammonia in a little water. If that can not be procured, give whiskey or brandy and water. Apply warmth to the feet and bowels.
To Restore From Stroke Or Lightning ~ Shower with cold water for two hours; if the patient does not show signs of life, put salt in the water, and continue to shower an hour longer.
Relief For Inflamed Feet ~The first thing to be done is to take off and throw away tight-fitting boots, which hurt the tender feet as much as if they were put into a press. Then take one pint of wheat bran and one ounce of saleratus, and put it into a foot bath, and add one gallon of hot water. When it has become cool enough put in the feet, soak them for fifteen minutes, and relief will be almost immediate. Repeat this every night for a week, and the cure will be complete. The burning, prickly sensation is caused by the pores of the skin being closed up so tightly by the pressure oof the boots that they cannot perspire freely.
9/16/00
Chapped Hands ~ Powdered starch is an excellent preventive of chapping of the hands, when it is rubbed over them after washing and drying them thoroughly. It will also prevent the needle in sewing from sticking and becoming rusty. It is therefore advisable to have a small box of it in the work-box or basket, and near your wash basin.
Lunar Caustic ~ Lunar caustic, carefully applied so as not to touch the skin, will destroy warts.
Cure For Rheumatism And Billious Headache ~ Finest Turkey rhubarb, half an ounce; carbonate magnesia, one ounce; mix intimately; keep well corked in glass bottle. Dose: One teaspoonful, in milk and sugar, the first thing in the morning; repeat till cured. Tried with success.
Fever And Ague ~ Four ounces galangal-root in a quart of gin, steeped in a warm place; take often.(I like this remedy!! *S*)
9/14/00
To Cure A Whitlow ~ As soon as the whitlow has risen distinctly, a pretty large piece should be snipped out, so that the watery matter may redily escape and continue to flow out as fast as produced. A bread and water poultice should be put on for a few days, when the wound should be bound up lightly with some mild ointment, when a cure will be speedily completed. Constant poulticing, both before and after the opening of the whitlow, is the only practice needed; but as the matter lies deep, when it is necessary to open the abscess the incision must be made deep to reach the suppuration.
Tape-Worms ~ Tape-worms are said to be removed by refraining from supper and breakfast, and at eight o-clock taking one-third part of two hundred minced pumpkin seeds, the shells of which have been removed by hot water; at nine take another third, at ten the remainder, and follow it at eleven with a strong dose of castor oil.
For A Caked Breast ~ Bake large potatoes, put two or more in a woolen stocking; crush them soft and apply to the breast as hot as can be borne; repeat constantly until relieved.
Blistered Feet ~ A good rememdy for blistered feet from long walking is to rub the feet at going to bed with spirits mixed with tallow dropped from a lighted candle into the palm of the hand.
Asthma ~ A lady writes that sufferers from asthma should get a muskrat skin and wear it over the lungs, with the fur side next to the body. It will bring certain relief.
9/13/00
For Felon ~ (a deep inflamation of the finger or toe especially near the end or around the nail and usually with pus) Take common rock salt as used for salting pork down or beef, dry in an oven, and pound it fine and mix with spirits of turpentine in equal parts; put it in a rag and wrap it around the parts affected; as it gets dry put on more, and in twenty-four hours you are cured. The felon will be dead.
Coffee pounded in a mortar and roasted on an iron plate, sugar burned on hot coals, and vinegar boiled with myrrh and sprinkled on the floor and furniture of a sick room, are excellent deodorizers.
The skin of a boiled egg is the most efficacious remedy that can be applied to a boil. Peel it carefully, wet and apply to the part affected. It will draw off the matter and relieve the soreness in a few hours.
9/12/00
To Remove Discoloration From Bruises ~ Apply a cloth wrung out in very hot water, and renew frequently until the pain ceases. Or apply raw beefsteak.
Earache ~ There is scarcely any ache to which children are subject so hard to bear and difficult to cure as the earache; but there is a rememdy never known to fail. Take a bit of cotton batting, put upon it a pinch of black pepper, gather it up and tie it, dip in sweet oil and insert into the ear; put a flannel bandage over the head to keep it warm. It will give immediate relief. As soon as any soreness is felt in the ear, let three or four drops of the tincture of arnica be poured in and the orofice be filled with a little cotton wool to exclude the air. If the arnica be not resorted to until there is actual pain, then the cure may not be as speedy, but it is just as certain, although it may be necessary to repeat the operation. It is a sure preventive against gathering in the ear, which is the usual cause of earache.
To Cure Toothache ~ The worst toothache, or neuralgia coming from the teeth, may be speedily and delightfully ended by the application of a bit of clean cotton, saturated in a solution of ammonia, to the defective tooth. Sometimes the late sufferer is prompted to momentary laughter by the application, but the pain will disappear.
9/11/00
For Sore Throat ~ Cut slices of salt pork or fat bacon; simmer a few moments in hot vinegar, and apply to throat as hot as possible. When this is taken off, as the throat is relieved, put around a bandage of soft flannel. A gargle of equal parts of borax and alum, dissolved in water, is also excellent. To be used frequently.
A Good Cure For Colds ~ Boil two ounces of flaxseed in one quart of water; strain and add two ounces of rock candy, one-half pint of honey, juice of three lemons; mix, and let all boil well; let cool, and bottle. Dose: One cupful on going to bed, one-half cupful before meals. The hotter you drink it the better.
To Stop Bleeding ~ A handful of flour bound on the cut.
A Healthful Appetizer ~ How often we hear women who do their own cooking say that by the time they have prepared a meal, and it is ready for the table, they are too tired to eat. One way to mitigate this is to take, about half an hour before dinner, a raw egg, beat it until light, put in a little sugar and milk, flavor it, and "drink it down." It will remove the faint, tired out feeling, and will not spoil your appetite for dinner.
9/9/00
Leanness ~ Is caused generally by lack of power in the digestive organs to digest and assimilate the fat-producing elements of food. First restore digestion, take plenty of sleep, drink all the water the stomach will bear in the morning on rising, take moderate exercise in the open air, eat oatmeal, cracked wheat, Graham mush, baked sweet apples, roasted and broiled beef, cultivate jolly people, and bathe daily.
Superfluous Hairs ~ Are best left alone. Shaving only increases the strength of the hair, and all depilatories are dangerous and sometimes disfigure the face. The only sure plan is to spread on a piece of leather equal parts of garbanum and pitch plaster, lay it on the hair as smoothly as possible; let it remain three or four minutes, then remove it with the hairs, root and branch. This is severe but effective. Kerosene oil will also remove them. If sore after using, rub on sweet oil. (Now there's a great tip! *L*)
The Breath ~ Nothing makes one so disagreeable to others as a bad breath. It is caused by bad teeth, diseased stomach, or disease of the nostrils. Neatness and care of the health will prevent and cure it.
The Quinine Cure For Drunkeness ~ Pulverize one pound of fresh quill-red Peruvian bark, and soak it in one pint of diluted alcohol. Strain and evaporate down to one-half pint. For the first and second days give a teaspoonful every three hours. If too much is taken, headache will result, and in that case the doses should be diminished. On the third day give one-half teaspoonful; on the fourth reduce the dose to fifteen drops, then to ten, and then to five. Seven days, it is said, will cure average cases, though some require a whole month. (Where was that quill-red Peruvian bark when we needed it! *S*)
9/8/00
Measels And Scarlatina ~ Measels and scarlatina much resemble each other in their early stages; headache, restlessness, and fretfulness are the symptoms of both.(I've had measels all these years... and you guys thought I was crazy! *L*) Shivering fits, suceeded by a hot skin; pains in the back and limbs, accompanied by sickness, and, in severe cases, sore throat; pain above the jaws, difficulty swallowing, running at the eyes, which become red and inflamed, while the face is hot and flushed, often distinguish scarlatina from scarlet fever, of which it is only a mild form. While the case is doubtful, a dessertspoonful of spirit of nitre diluted in water, given at bedtime, will throw the child into a gentle perspiration, and will bring out the rash in either case. In measles, this appears first on the face: in scarlatina, on the chest; and in both cases, a doctor should be called in. In scarlatina, tartar-emetic powder or ipecacuanha may be administered in the mean time.
Stye In The Eye ~ Styes are little abscesses which form between the roots of the eyelashes, and are rarely larger than a small pea. The best way to manage them is to bathe them frequently with warm water; or in warm poppywater, if very painful. When they have burst, use an ointment composed of one part of citrou ointment and four of spermacetti, well rubbed together, and smear along the edge of the eyelid. Give a grain or two of calomel with five or eight grains of rhubarb, according to the age of the child, twice a week. The old-fashioned and apparently absurd practice of rubbing the stye with a ring, is as good and speedy a cure as that by any process of medicinal application; though the number of times it is rubbed, or the quality of the ring, and direction of the strokes, has nothing to do with its success. That pressure and the friction excite the vessels of the part, and cause an absorption of the effused matter under the eyelash. The edge of a nail will answer as well as a ring.
For Constipation ~ One or two figs eaten fastly is sufficient for some, and they are especially good in the case of children, as there is no trouble in getting them to take them. A spoon of wheaten bran in a glass of water is a simple remedy and quite effective.
9/7/00
FYI ~ Chilblains are an inflamatory swelling or sore caused by exposure to cold. (hands & feet)
A drachm is a greek unit of weight.. dram is from the greek word drachm.
Catarrh is an inflamation of a mucous membrane.. nose or air passage.
Diarrhoea ~ (This is the way it is spelled in this book.. it's not a typo)For any form of diarrhoea that, by excessive action, demands a speedy correction, the most effacious remedy that can be employed in all ages and conditions of childhood is the tincture of kino, of which from ten to thirty drops, mixed with a little sugar and water in a spoon, are to be given every two or three hours till the undue action has been checked. Often the change of diet to rice, milk, eggs, or the substitution of animal for vegetable food, vice versa, will correct an unpleasant and almost chronic state of diarrhoea.
If it is not convient to fill flannel bags for the sick room with sand, bran will answer the purpose very well, and will retain the heat a long time.
Bites Of Dogs ~ The only safe remedy in case of a bite from a dog suspected of madness, is to burn out the wound thoroughly with red-hot iron, or with lunar caustic, for fully eight seconds, so as to destroy the entire surface of the wound. Do this as soon as possible, for no time is to be lost. Of course it will be expected that the parts touched with the caustic will turn black.
9/6/00
Chilblains ~ Chilblains are most irritating to children. The following is an infallible cure for unbroken chilblains. Hydrochloric acid, diluted, one-quarter ounce; hydrocyanic acid, diluted, thirty drops; camphor-water, six ounces. This chilblain lotion cures mild cases by one application. It is a deadly poison, and should be kept under lock and key. A responsible person should apply it to the feet of children. This must not be applied to broken chilblains.
To Cure A Sting Of Bee Or Wasp ~ Mix common earth with water to about the consistency of mud. Apply at once.
For Toothache ~ Alum reduced to an impalpable powder, two drachms; nitrous spirit of ether, seven drachms; mix and apply to the tooth.
Choking ~ A piece of food lodged in the throat may sometimes be pushed down with the finger, or removed with a hairpin quickly straightened and hooked at the end, or by two or three vigorous blows on the back between the shoulders.
Gripe Water ~ A very excellent carminative powder for flatulant infants may be kept in the house, and employed with advantage, when ever the child is in pain or griped, by dropping five grains of oil of aniseed and two of peppermint on half an ounce of lump sugar, and rubbing it in a mortar, with a drachm of magnesia, into a fine powder. A small quantity of this may be given in a little water any time, and always with benefit.
Cubeb Berries For Catarrh ~ A new remedy for catarrh is crushed cubeb berries smoked in a pipe, emitting the smoke through the nose; after a few trials this will be easy to do. If the nose is stopped up so that it is almost impossible to breathe, one pipeful will make the head as clear as a bell. For sore throat, asthma, and bronchitis, swallowing the smoke effects immediate relief. It is the best remedy in the world for offensive breath, and will make the most foul breath pure and sweet. Sufferers from that horrid disease, ulcerated catarrh, will find this remedy unequaled, and a months' use will cure the most obstinate case. A single trial will convince anyone. Eating the uncrushed berries is also good for sore throat and all bronchial complaints. After smoking, do not expose yourself to cold air for at least fifteen minutes.
9/4/00
Cuts ~ For a slight cut there is nothing better to control the hemorrhage than common unglazed brown wrapping paper, such as is used by marketmen and grocers; a piece to be bound over the wound.
Cold On The Chest ~ A flannel dipped in boiling water, and sprinkled with turpentine, laid on the chest as quickly as possible, will relieve the most severe cold or hoarseness.
Bleeding From The Nose ~ Many children, especially those of a sanguineous temperment, are subject to sudden discharges of blood from some part of the body; and as all such fluxes are in general the result of an effort of nature to relieve the system from overload or pressure, such discharges, unless in excess, and when likely to produce debility, should not be rashly or too abruptly checked. In general, these discharges are confined to the summer or spring months of the year, and follow pains in the head, a sense of drowsiness, languor or oppression, and as such symptoms are relieved by the loss of blood, the hemorrhage, should, to a certain extent, be encouraged. When, however, the bleeding is excessive, or returns too frequently, it becomes necessary to apply means to subdue or mitigate the amount. For this purpose the sudden and unexpected application of cold is itself sufficient in most cases to arrest the most active hemorrhage. A wet towel laid suddenly on the back, between the shoulders, and placing the child in a recumbent posture, is often sufficient to effect the object; where, however, the effusion resists such simple means, napkins wrung out of cold water must be laid across the forehead and nose, the hands dipped in cold water, and a bottle of hot water applied to the feet. If, in spite of these means, the bleeding continues, a little fine wool or a few folds of lint, tied together by a piece of thread, must be pushed up the nostril from which the blood flows; to act as a plug and pressure on the bleeding vessel. When the discharge has entirely ceased, the plug is to be pulled out by means of the thread. To prevent a repitition of the hemorrhage, the body should be sponged every morning with cold water, and the child put under a course of steel wine, have open-air exercise, and, if possible, salt water bathing. For children, a key suddenly dropped down the back between skin and clothes, will often immediately arrest a copious bleeding.
9/3/00
Croup ~ Croup, it is said, can be cured in one minute, and the remedy is simply alum and sugar. The way to accomplish the deed is to take a knife or grater, and shave off in small particles about a teaspoonful of alum; then mix it with twice its amount of sugar, to make it palatable, and administer it as quickly as possible. Almost instantaneous relief will follow.
Poison Ivy ~ In the summer season it is not an uncommon thing for persons going into the woods to be poisoned by contact with dogwood, ivy, or the poisoned oak. The severe itching and smarting which is thus produced may be relieved by first washing the parts with a solution of saleratus, two teaspoonfuls to the pint of water, then applying cloths wet with the extract of hamammellis. Take a dose of Epsom salts internally or a double Rochelle powder.
Convulsion Fits ~ Convulsion fits sometimes follow the feverish restlessness produced by these causes; in which case a hot bath should be administered without delay, and the lower parts of the body rubbed, the bath being as hot as it can be without scalding the tender skin.
Burns And Scalds ~ A burn or scald is always painful; but the pain can be instantly relieved by the use of bi-carbonate of soda, or common baking soda (saleratus). Put two tablespoonfuls of soda in a half cup of water. Wet a piece of linen cloth in the solution and lay it on the burn. The pain will disappear as if by magic. If the burn is so deep that the skin has peeled off, dredge the dry soda directly on the affected part.
9/2/00
To Clean Decanters ~ Roll up in small pieces some soft brown or blotting paper; wet them, and soap them well. Put them into the decanters about one-quarter full of warm water; shake them well for a few moments, then rinse with clear cold water; wipe the outsides with a nice dry cloth, put the decanters to drain, and when dry they will be almost as bright as new ones.
Spots On Towels And Hosiery ~ Spots on towels and hosiery will disappear with little trouble if a little ammonia is put into enough water to soak the articles, and they are left in it an hour or two before washing; and if a cupful is put into the water in which white clothes are soaked the night before washing, the ease with which the articles can be washed, and their great whiteness and clearness when dried will be very gratifying. Remembering the small sum paid for three quarts of ammonia of common strength, one can easily see that no bleaching preparation can be more cheaply obtained.
No articles in kitchen use are so likely to be neglected and abused as the dish-cloths and dish-towels; and in washing these, ammonia, if properly used, is a greater comfort than anywhere else. Put a teaspoonful into the water in which these clothes are, or should be washed every day; rub soap on the towels. Put them in the water; let them stand a half hour or so, then rub them out thoroughly, rinse faithfully, and dry out-doors in clear air and sun, and dish-cloths and towels need never look gray and dingy -- a perpetual discomfort to all housekeepers.
9/1/00
Pounded Glass ~ Pounded glass, mixed with dry corn-meal, and placed within the reach of rats, it is said, will banish them from the premises, or sprinkle Cayenne pepper in their holes.
Polish For Boots ~ Take of ivory-black and treacle each four ounces; sulphuric acid, one ounce; best olive oil, two spoonfuls, best white-wine vinegar, three half pints; mix the ivory-black and treacle well in an earthen jar; then add the sulphuric acid, continuing to stir the mixture; next pour in the oil, and, lastly, add the vinegar, stiring it in by degrees until thoroughly incorporated.
To Clean Plate ~ Wash the plate well to remove all grease, in a strong lather of common yellow soap and boiling water, and wipe it quite dry; then mix as much hartshorn powder as will be required, into a thick paste, with cold water or spirits of wine; smear this lightly over the plate with a piece of soft rag, and leave it for some little time to dry. When perfectly dry, brush it off quite clean with a soft plate-brush, and polish the plate with a dry leather. If the plate be very dirty, or much tarnished, spirits of wine will be found to answer better than water for mixing the paste.
8/28/00
To Soften Hard Water ~ Add a half a pound of the best quick lime, dissolved in water to every hundred gallons. Smaller proportions may be more conviently managed, and if allowed to stand a short time the lime will have united with the carbonate of lime and been deposited at the bottom of the recepticle. Another way is to put a gallon of lye into a barrelful of water.
To Destroy Vermin In The Hair ~ Powdered cevadilla one ounce, powdered staves-acre one ounce, powdered panby seed one ounce, powdered tobacco one ounce. Mix well and rub among the roots of the hair thoroughly.
To Remove Bruises From Furniture ~ Wet the bruised spot with warm water. Soak a piece of brown paper of several thicknesses in warm water, and lay over the place. Then apply a warm flat-iron until the moisture is gone. Repeat the process if needful, and the bruise will disappear.
Pearl Smelling Salts ~ Powdered carbonate of ammonia, one ounce; strong solution of ammonia, half a fluid ounce; oil of rosemary, ten drops; oil of bergamot, ten drops. Mix, and while moist put in a wide mouthed bottle which is to be well closed.
8/27/00
Just a little info to pass along.. a gill is 4 ounces.
Camphor Ice ~ One ounce of lard, one ounce of spermaceti, one ounce of camphor, one ounce of almond oil, one-half cake of white wax; melt and turn into molds.
Starch Polish ~ Take one ounce of spermaceti and one ounce of white wax, melt and run it into a thin cake on a plate. A piece the size of a quarter dollar added to a quart of prepared starch gives a beautiful lustre to the clothes and prevents the iron from sticking.
To Clean Feathers ~ Cover the feathers with a paste made of pipe-clay and water, rubbing them only one way. When quite dry, shake off all the powder and curl with a knife. Grebe feathers may be washed with white soap in soft water.
To Test Nutmeg ~ To test nutmeg prick them with a pin, and if they are good the oil will instantly spread around the puncture.
To Clean Mica ~ Mica in stoves, when smoked, is readily cleaned by taking it out and thoroughly washing with vinegar a little diluted. If the black does not come off at once, let it soak a little.
8/25/00
Cologne Water ~ Take a pint of alcohol and put in thirty drops of oil of lemon, thirty of bergamot, and a half a gill of water. If musk or lavender is desired, add the same quantity of each. The oils should be put in the alcohol and shaken well before the water is added. Bottle it for use.
To Cleanse A Sponge ~ By rubbing a fresh lemon thoroughly into a soured sponge and rinsing it several times in lukewarm water, it will become as sweet as when new.
Icy Windows ~ Windows may be kept free from ice and polished by rubbing the glass with a sponge dipped in alcohol.
Blood Stains ~ To remove blood stains from cloth, saturate with kerosene, and after standing a little, wash in warm water.
8/24/00
Waterproof Paper ~ Excellent paper for packing may be made of old newspapers; the tougher the paper of course the better. A mixture is made of copal varnish, boiled linseed oil and turpentine, in equal parts. It is painted on the paper with a flat varnish brush an inch and a half wide, and the sheets are laid out to dry for a few minutes. This paper has been very successfully used for packing plants for sending long distances, and is probably equal to the paper commonly used by nurserymen.
Recipe For Violet Ink ~To make one gallon, take one ounce of violet analine; dissolve it in one gill of hot alcohol. Stir it a few moments. When thoroughly dissolved, add one gallon of boiling water, and the ink is made. As the analine colors vary a great deal in quality, the amount of dilution must vary with the sample used and the shade determined by trial.
Perspiration ~ The unpleasant odor produced by perspiration is frequently the source of vexation to persons who are subject to it. Nothing is simpler than to remove this odor much more effectually than by the application of such costly unguents and perfumes as are in use. It is only necessary to procure some of the compound spirits of ammonia, and place about two tablespoonfuls in a basin of water. Washing the face, hands and arms with this leaves the skin as clean, sweet and fresh as one could wish. The wash is perfectly harmless and very cheap. It is recommended on the authority of an experienced physician.
Renewing Old Kid Gloves ~ Make a thick mucilage by boiling a handful of flaxseed; add a little dissolved toilet soap; then when the mixture cools, put the gloves on the hands and rub them with a piece of white flannel wet with the mixture. Bottle it for use.
8/22/00
Note: While looking through the book today I found several pages that Jackie had autographed while learning to print her name.
To Keep Flys Off Gilt Frames ~ Boil three or four onions in a pint of water and apply with a soft brush.
To Prevent Knives From Rusting ~ In laying aside knives, or other steel implements, they should be slightly oiled and wrapped in tissue paper to prevent rusting. A salty atmosphere will in a short time quite ruin all steel articles, unless some precaution is taken.
Cement For Glassware ~ For mending valuable glass objects, which would be disfigured by common cement, chrome cement may be used. This is a mixture of five parts of gelatine to one of a solution of acid chromate of lime. The broken edges are covered with this, pressed together and exposed to sunlight, the effect of the latter being to render the compound insoluable even in boiling water.
8/21/00
How To Wash Flannels ~ There are many conflicting theories in regard to the proper way to wash flannels, but I am convinced from careful observation, that the true way is to wash them in water which you can comfortably bear your hand. Make suds before putting the flannels in, and do not rub soap on the flannel. I make it a rule to have only one piece of flannel put in the tub at a time. Wash in two suds if much soiled; then rinse thoroughly in clean, weak suds, wring and hang up; but do not take flannels out of warm water and hang out in freezing air, as that certainly tends to shrink them. It is better to dry them in the house, unless the sun shines. In washing worsted goods, such as men's pantaloons, pursue the same course, only do not wring them, but hang them up and let them drain; while a little damp bring in and press smoothly with as hot an iron as you can use without scorching the goods. The reason for not wringing them is to prevent wrinkles.
Cleaning Lace ~ Cream-colored Spanish lace can be cleaned and made to look like new by rubbing it in dry flour; rub as if you were washing in water. Then take it outdoors and shake all the flour out; if not perfectly clean, repeat the rubbing in a little more clean flour.. The flour must be very thoroughly shaken from the lace, or the results will be far from satisfactory. White knitted hoods can be cleaned in this way; babies' socks also, if only slightly soiled.
New Kettles ~The best way to prepare a new iron kettle for use is to fill it with clean potato peelings, boil them for an hour or more, then wash the kettle with hot water; wipe it dry, and rub it with a little lard; repeat the rubbing for half a dozen times after using. In this way you will prevent rust and all the annoyances liable to occur in the use of a new kettle.
8/18/00
How To Clean Corsets ~ Take out the steels at front and sides, then scrub thoroughly with tepid or cold lather of white castile soap, using a very small scrubbing brush. Do not lay them in water. When quite clean let cold water run on them freely from the spigot to rinse out the soap thoroughly. Dry without ironing (after pulling lengthwise until they are straight and shapely) in a cool place.
To Clean Hairbrushes ~ Do not use soap, but put a tablespoon of harts horn into the water, having it only tepid, and dip up and down until clean; then dry with the brushes down, and they will be like new ones. If you do not have ammonia use soda; a teaspoon dissolved in the water will do very well.
8/16/00
To Remove Stains From Matresses ~ Make a thick paste by wetting starch with cold water. Spread this on the stain, first putting the mattress in the sun; rub this off after an hour or so, and if the ticking is not clean try the process again.
Kalsomining ~ For plain white use one pound white glue, twenty pounds English whiting; disolve glue by boiling in about three pints of water; dissolve whiting with hot water; make the consistency of thick batter; then add glue and one cup soft soap. Dissolve a piece of alum the size of a hen's egg, add and mix thoroughly. Let it cool before using. If too thick to spread nicely add more water til it spreads easily. For blue tints add five cents' worth of Prussian blue, and a little Venetian red for lavender. For peach-blow use red in white alone. The above quantity is enough to cover four ceilings, sixteen feet square, with two coats, and will not rub off as the whitewash does made of lime.
Papering Whitewashed Walls ~ There are many ways, but we mention those that are the most reliable. Take a perfectly clean broom, and wet the walls over with clean water; then with a small, sharp hoe or scraper scrape off all the old whitewash you can. Then cut your paper of the right length, and, when you are all ready to put on the paper, wet the wall with strong vinegar. Another way is to make very thin paste by dissolving one pound of white glue in five quarts of warm water, and wash the walls with it before putting on the paper. A very good way is to apply the paste to both paper and wall. The paste may be made from either wheat or rye flour, but must be put on warm.
8/15/00
Furniture Polish ~ Equal portions of linseed oil, turpentine, vinegar, and spirits of wine.
Mode: When used. shake the mixture well, and rub on the furniture with a piece of linen rag, and polish with a clean duster. Vinegar and oil, rubbed in with flannel, and the furniture rubbed with a clean duster, produce a very good polish.
Squeeking doors ought to have the hinges oiled by a feather in linseed oil.
A soft cloth, wetted in alcohol, is excellent to wipe off French plate-glass mirrors.
A red hot poker will soften old putty so that it can be easily removed.
8/11/00
Stove Polish ~ Stove lustre, when mixed with turpentine and applied in the usual manner, is blacker, more glossy and more durable than when mixed with any other liquid. The turpentine prevents rust, and when put on an old rusty stove will make it look as well as new.
Cleaning White Paint ~ Spirits of ammonia, used in sufficient quantity to soften the water, and ordinary hard soap, will make the paint look white and clean with half the effort of any other method I ever have tried. Care should be taken not to have too much ammonia, or the paint will be injured.
To Cleanse The Inside Of Jars ~ This can be done in a few minutes by filling the jars with hot water (it need not be scalding hot), and then stirring in a teaspoonful or more of baking soda. Shake well, then empty the jar at once, and if any of the former odor remains about it, fill it again with water and soda; shake well, and rinse out in cold water.
8/10/00
Moths In Carpets ~ Persons troubled with carpet moths may get rid of them by scrubbing the floor with strong hot salt and water before laying the carpet, and sprinkling the carpet with salt once a week before sweeping.
Smooth Sad-Irons ~ To have your-sad irons clean and smooth rub them with a piece of wax tied in a cloth, and afterwards scour them on a piece of paper or thick cloth strewn with coarse salt.
To Sweeten Meat ~ A little charcoal thrown into a pot will sweeten meat that is a little old. Not if it is anyway tainted-- it is then not fit to eat--but only if kept a little longer than makes it quite fresh.
8/9/00
For Cleaning Jewelry ~ For cleaning jewelry there is nothing better than ammonia and water. If very dull and dirty, rub a little soap on a soft brush and brush them in this wash, rinse in cold water, dry first in an old handkerchief, and then rub with buck or chamois skin. Their freshness and brilliancy when thus cleaned cannot be surpassed by any compound used by jewelers.
For Washing Silver And Silverware ~ For washing silver, put half a teaspoonful ammonia into the suds; have the water hot; wash quickly, using a small brush, rinse in hot water, and dry with a clean linen towel; then rub very dry with a clean chamois skin. Washed in this manner, silver becomes very brilliant, requires no polishing with any of the powders or whiting usually employed, and does not wear out. Silver plate, jewelry and door plates can be beautifully cleaned and made to look brand new by dropping a soft cloth or chamois skin into a weak preparation of ammonia-water, and rubbing the articles with it. Put half a teaspoonfull into clear water to wash tumblers or glass of anykind, rinse and dry well, and they will be beautifully clear.
For Washing Glass And Glassware ~ For washing windows, looking-glasses, etc., a little ammonia in the water saves much labor, aside from giving a better polish than anything else; and for general house-cleaning it removes dirt, smoke and grease most effectually.
Insects And Vermin ~ Dissolve two pounds of alum in three or four quarts of water. Let it remain overnight, til all the alum is dissolved. Then, with a brush, apply, boiling hot, to every joint or crevice in the closet or shelves where Croton bugs, ants, cockroaches, etc., intrude; also to the joints and crevices of bedsteads, as bed bugs dislike it as much as Croton bugs, roaches or ants. Brush all the cracks in the floor and mop-boards. Keep it boiling hot when using.
To keep woolens and furs from moths, two things are to be observed--first, to see that none are in the articles when they are put away; and second, to put them where the parent moth cannot enter. Tin cases, soldered tight, whiskey barrels headed so that not even a liquid can get in or out, have been used to keep out moths. A piece of strong brown paperwith not a hole through which a large pin can enter, is just as good. Put articles in a close box and cover every joint with paper or resort to whatever will be a complete covering. A wrapper of common cotton cloth, so put around and secured, is often used. Wherever a knitting needle will pass the parent moth can enter. Carefully exclude the insect and the articles will be safe.
8/7/00
To Make Hens Lay In Winter ~ Keep them warm; keep corn constantly by them, but do not feed it to them. Feed them with meat scraps when lard or tallow has been tried, or fresh meat. Some chop green peppers finely, or mix Cayenne pepper with corn meal to feed them. Let them have a frequent taste of green food, a little gravel and lime, or clam shells.
To Clean Combs ~ If it can be avoided, never wash combs, as the water often makes the teeth split, and the tortoiseshell or horn of which they are made rough. Small brushes manufactured purposely for cleaning combs, may be purchased at a trifling cost; with this the comb should be well brushed, and afterward wiped with a cloth or towel.
For Cleaning Ink-Spots ~ Ink-spots on the fingers may be instantly removed by a little ammonia. Rinse the hands after washing in clear water. A little ammonia in a few teaspoonfuls of alcohol is excellent to sponge silk dresses that have grown "shiny" or rusty, as well as to take out spots. A silk, particularly a black, becomes almost like new when so sponged.
8/5/00
Polish For Bright Stoves And Steel Articles ~ One tablespoon of turpentine; one tablespoon of sweet oil; emery powder. Mix the turpentine and sweet oil together, stirring in sufficient emery powder to make the mixture of the thickness of cream. Put it on the article with a piece of soft flannel, rub off quickly with another piece, then polish with a little emery powder and clean leather.
To Prevent Pumps From Freezing ~ Take out the lower valve in the fall, and drive a tack under it, projecting in such a way that it cannot quite close. The water will then leak into the well or cistern, while the working qualities of the pump will not be damaged.
To Preserve Steel Pens ~ Steel pens are destroyed by corrosion from acid in the ink. Put in the ink some nails or old steel pens, and the acid will exhaust itself on them, and the pens in use will not corrode.
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 bruised onions or garlic, which will answer the same purpose. Strain off the liquid, and with it, when cold, wash, with a soft brush, any gilding which requires restoring; and when dry it will come out as bright as new work.
8/4/00
To Remove Ink From Carpets ~ When freshly spilled, ink can be removed from carpets by wetting in milk. Take cotton batting and soak up all of the ink it will receive, being careful not to let it spread. Then take fresh cotton, wet it in milk and sop it up carefully. Repeat this operation, changing cotton and milk each time. After most of the ink has been taken up in this way, with fresh cotton and clean, rub the spot. Continue til all disappears; then wash the spot in clean water, and rub til dry. If the ink is dried in, we know of no way that will not take the color from the carpet as well as the ink, unless the ink is on a white spot. In that case salts of lemon, or softsoap, starch, and lemon-juice will remove the ink as easily as if on cotton.
To Remove Ink From Paper ~ Put one pound of chloride of lime to four quarts of water. Shake well together and let stand for twenty-four hours; then strain through a clean cotton cloth. Add one teaspoonful of acetic acid to one ounce of this prepared lime water, and apply to the blot, and the ink will disappear. Absorb the moisture with blotting paper. The remainder may be bottled, closely corked, and set aside for future use.
An occasional feed of hard-boiled eggs made fine and mixed with cracker-crumbs is good for canary birds. Feed a couple of thimblefuls at a time.
8/3/00
Stains On Marble ~ Iron-rust stains on marble can usually be removed by rubbing with lemon juice. Almost all other stains may be taken off by mixing one ounce of finely powdered chalk, one of pummice stone, and two ounces of common soda. Sift these together through a fine sieve and mix with water. When thoroughly mixed, rub this mixture over the stains faithfully and the stains will disappear. Wash the marble after this with soap and water, dry and polish with a chamois skin, and the marble will look like new.
A thin coating of three parts lard melted with one part rosin applied to stoves and grates will prevent their rusting in summer.
Paint Or Varnish ~ Oil of turpentine or benzine will remove spots of paint, varnish, or pitch from white or colored cotton or woolen goods. After using it they should be washed in soap-suds.
8/2/00
Stains And Spots ~ Children's clothes, table linens, towels, etc., should be thoroughly examined before wetting, as soap-suds, washing-fluids, etc., will fix almost any stain past removal. Many stains will pass away by being simply washed in pure soft water; or alcohol will remove, before the articles have been in soap-suds, many stains. Ironmold, mildew, or almost any similar spot, can be taken out by dipping in diluted citric acid; then cover them with salt, and lay in the bright sun until the stains disappear. If of long standing, it may be necessary to repeat the wetting and the sunlight. Be careful to rinse in several waters as soon as the stain is no longer visable. Ink, fruit, wine, and mildew stains must first be washed in clear, cold water, removing as much of the spots as can be, then mix one teaspoon full of oxalic acid and half a pint of rain water. Dip the stain in this, and wipe off in clear water. Wash at once, if a fabric that will bear washing. A tablespoon of white-currant juice, if any can be had, is better than lemon. This preparation may be used on the most delicate articles without injury. Shake it up before using it, and be careful and put out of reach of meddlers or little folks, as it is poisonous.
To Remove Grease Spots ~ An excellent mixture to remove grease spots from boy's and men's clothing particularly, is made of four parts alcohol to one part of ammonia and about half as much ether as ammonia. Apply the liquid to the grease spot, and then rub dilligently with a sponge and clear water. The chemistry of the operation seems to be that the alcohol and ether dissolve the grease, and the ammonia forms a soap with it which is washed out with the water. (*L* Or else the ether puts you to sleep and you don't really care if his clothes are greasy or not!) The result is much more satisfactory than when something is used which only seems to spread the spot and make it fainter, but it does not actually remove it. If oil is spilled on the carpet, and you immediately scatter corn meal over it, the oil will be absorbed by it. Oil may also be removed from carpets on which you do not dare to put ether and ammonia, by laying thick blotting paper over it and pressing a hot flat-iron on it. Repeat the operation several times, using a clean paper each time.
8/1/00
To Keep Off Mosquitos ~ Rub exposed parts with Kerosene. The odor is not noticed after a few minutes, and children especially are much relieved by its use.
Coal Fire ~ If your coal fire is low, throw on a tablespoon of salt, and it will help it very much.
Ironing ~ To keep starch from sticking to irons, rub the irons with a little piece of wax or sperm. (Yikes Grandma!)
Camphor ~ When placed in trunks or drawers will prevent mice from doing them injury.
Mice ~ Pumpkin seeds are very attractive to mice, and traps baited with them will soon destroy the little pest.
Lamp Wicks ~ To insure a good light, wicks must be changed often, as they soon become clogged, and do not permit the fresh passage of the oil. Soaking wicks in vinegar twenty-four hours before placing in the lamp insures a clear flame.
For Clothes That Fade ~ One ounce of sugar of lead in a pail of rainwater. Soak overnight.
To Wash Woolen Blankets ~ Dissolve enough soap to make a good soda in boiling water, add a tablespoon of aqua ammonia; when scalding hot, turn over your blankets. If convient, use a pounder, or any way to work thoroughly through the suds without rubbing on a board. Rinse well in hot water. There is usually soap enough from the first suds to make the second soft; if not, add a little soap and ammonia; and after being put through the wringer let two persons, standing opposite pull them into shape; dry in the sun. White flannels may be washed in the same way without shrinking. Calicoes and other colored fabrics can, before washing, be advantageously soaked for a time in a pail of water to which a spoonful of ox gall has been added. It helps to keep the color. A teacup of lye to a pail of water will improve the color of black goods when necessary to wash them, and vinegar in the rinsing water of pink or green will brighten those colors, as will soda for purple or blue.
An Excellant Hard Soap ~ Pour twelve quarts soft boiling water on two and one- half pounds of unslacked lime; disolve five pounds sal soda in twelve quarts soft hot water; then mix and let them remain from twelve to twenty-four hours. Pour off all the clear fluid, being careful not to allow any of the sediment to run off; boil three and one-half pounds clean grease and three or four ounces of rosin in the above lye til the grease disappears; pour into a box and let it stand a day to stiffen and then cut into bars. It is well to put the lime in all the water and then add the soda. After pouring off the fluid, add twoo or three gallons of water and let it stand with the lime and soda dregs a day or two. This makes an excellent washing fluid to boil or soak the clothes in, with one pint in a boiler of water.
A Cement For Stoves ~ If the stove is cracked, a good cement is made for it as folows: Wood ashes and salt in equal proportions, reduce to a paste with cold water, and fill in the cracks when the stove is cool. It will soon harden.
To Clean Kid Gloves ~ Rub with very slightly damp bread-crumbs. If not effectual, scrape upon them dry Fuller's earth or French chalk, when on the hands, rub them quickly together in all directions. Do this several times. Or put gloves of a light color on the hands and wash the hands in a basin of spirits of hartshorn. Some gloves may be washed in a strong lather made of soft soap and warm water or milk; or wash with rice pulp; or sponge them well with turpentine, and hang them in a warm place or where there is a current of air, and the smell of turpentine will be removed.
