GENERAL BUGQESTIONS

On Monday, wash: Tuesday, iron: Wednesday, bake and scrub kitchen and pantry : Thursday, clean the silver- ware, examine the pots and kettles, and look after store-room and cellar : Friday, devote to general sweeping and dusting : Saturday, bake and scrub kitchen and pantry floors, and pre- pare for Sunday. When the clothes are folded off the frame after ironing, examine each piece to see that none are laid away that need a button or a stitch. Clean all the silver on the last Friday of each month, and go through each room and closet to see if things are kept in order and nothing going to waste. Have the sitting-room tidied up every night before retir- ing. Make the most of your brain and your ey^, and let no one dare tell you that you are devoting yourself to a low sphere of action. Keep cool and self-possessed. Work done quietly about the house seems easier. A slamming of oven doors, and the rattle and clatter of dishes, tire and be- wilder every body about the house. Those who accomplish much in house- keeping— and the same is true of every other walk in life— are the quiet workers.

Silver-ware, when set away, keeps best wrapped in blue tissue-paper. Raiky Days. — Make tlie house as bright ana sunshiny as possible.

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. 437

To Preve2»t Hinges Creakino. — Rub with a feather dipped in oil.

To Drive ofp Fleas.— Sprinkle about bed a few drops of oil of lavender.

Red Ants. — A small bag of sulphur kept in a drawer or cupboard will ^rive away red ants.

Icy Windows. — Windows may be kept free from ice and polished by nibbing the glass with a si>onge dipped m alcohol.

To Destroy Cockroaches, etc.-— Sprinkle the floor with hellebore at night. They eat it and are ^^oisoned.

Lost CniLnREN. — Label children's hats with the name and place of resi- dence so that, i* lost, they may be easily restored.

Parcels. — When parcels are brought to the house, fold paper and put away in drawer, and roll the string on a ball kept for the purpose.

Soap.— It is a great saving to have bars of soap dry. It should be bought by the quantity.

'To Prevent Pails prom Shrinking. — Saturate pails and tubs with gly- cerine, and they will not shrink.

To Keep Flies ofp Gilt Frames. — Boil three or four onions in a pint of water and apply with a soft brush.

To Remove Old Putty from Window-Frames. — Pass a red-hot poker alowly over it, and it will come off easily. •

To Soften Hard Water. — ^Hard water l>ecomes nearly soft by boiling. A. piece of chalk will soften hard spring-water.

Provide on Saturday for Monday, so as not to take up the fire with cooking, or time in running errands on washing-day.

To &)FTEN Cistern-Water. — Cistern-water that has become hard froiki. long standing, can be softened by adding a little borax.

To Destroy the Smell op Fresh Paint. — Sprinkle hay with water in which chloride of lime has been mixed, and place on floor.

Ants and Insects. — Dissolve two pounds alum in three quarts water. Ap- plv with a brush while hot to everjr crevice where vermin harbor.

1*0 Clean Chromos. — Dampen a linen rag slightly and go over them gently. If the varnish has become defaced, cover with a thin mastic varnish.

Coal Ashes make excellent garden walks. They become very hard by use and no weeds or grass will grow through them.

To Cleanse a Sponge.— By rubbing a fresh lemon thoroughly into a fionred sponge and rinsing it several times in lukewarm water, it will become AS sweet as when new.

To Remove Grease Spots prom Carpets. — Cover spots with flour and then pin a thick paper over ; repeat the process several times, each time (irushmg off the old flour into a aust-pan and putting on fresh.

Mending. — Never put away clean clothes without examining every piece to see if they are in any way out of order. Stockings, particularly, should be carefully darned.

HardWhitewash. — Ten cents worth of kalsomine, five cents worth of glue dissolved in warm water, two quarts of soft soup, and bluing. This will do 'for halls closets, fences, etc.

Bad Smell.^. — Articles of clothing, or of any other character, which have become impregnated with bad-smelling substances, will be freed from ihem by burying for a day or two in the ground. Wrap up lightly before burying. Cement for China. — To a thick soluticm of gum arable add enough plaster of parts to form a sticky paste; apply with a brush, and stick edges to- gether.

Sheets. — ^When sheets arc beginning to wear in the middle, sew the sel- yage sides together and rip open the old seam, or tear in two and hem the Bides.

To Make Artificial Coral. — Melt together four parts yellow resin and one part vermilion. Dip twigs, cinders, or stones in this, and when dry they will look like coral. To Sew Carpet-rags on a Machine. — Make the stitch short, run it ob-

438 GENERAL SUGGESTIONS.

liqaely across the rags where they are to be joined, and sew a good many before cutting the thread.

A Rustic Frame. — A neat rustic frame for pictures may be made of cat- tail rods. Hide the corners where they are joined with ivy, or a vine made of leather-leaves or handsome autumn leaves and the berries of bitter-sweet

To Destroy Weeds in Walks. — Boil ten pounds stone-lime, five gallons water and one pound fiour of sulphur, let settle, pour off clear part, and sprinkle treely upon the weed^ walks.

To Mend Tin. --Scrape the tin about the hole free from grease and rust, rub on a piece of resin until a powder lies about the hole, over it lay a piece of ■ solder, and hold on it a hot poker or soldering iron until it melts.

To Remove Grease from Wood before Painting. — Whitewash the spots over night, and wash it olf in the morning. When dry, the paint will stick. Slaked Time laid on the spots and wet a little, will do as well as whitewash.

To Clean Hearths. — Soapstone or sandistone hearths are cleaned by washing in pure water, then sprinkling with powdered marble or soapKstooe, and rubbing with a piece of the stone as large as a brick, and having at least one tlat surface.

Lightning Cream for Paint or Plothes. — Four ounces white castile soap, four of ammonia, two of ether, two of alcohol, one of glycerine; cut the soap fine, dissolve in one quart of soft water over the fire, and when dissolved add the other ingredients.

Kerosene and Carpets. — ^When so unfortunate as to spill kerosene oil or other grease on a carpet, sprinkle buckwheat flour (wheat flour will do) lightly over it until it is completely covered, and let it lie without disturb- ing it for a week ; brush off, and there will be no trace of oil left

Magic Furniture Polish. — Half pint alcohol, half ounce resin, half ounce gum-shellac, a few drops analine brown ; let stand over night and add three-fourths pint raw linseed oil and half pint spirits turpentine ; shake well before using. Apply with cotton flannel, and rub dry with another cloth.

To Hang Pictures. — The cheapest and best material with which to hang pictures is copper wire, of a size proportioned to the weight of the

Sicture. When hunz, the wire is scarcely visible, and its strength and urability is wonderful.

Lamp-wicks. — To insure a good light, wicks must be changed often, as they soon become clogged, and do not permit the free j^assage of the oiL Soaking wicks in vinegar twenty-four hours before placing m lamp insures a clear flame. Felt wicks are best.

To Temper Lamp Chimneys. — Lamp chimneys and glass-ware for hot water are made less liable to brake by putting in cold watser, bringing slowly to boiling point, boiling for an hour, and allowing to cool before removing from water.

Furniture Polish. — One and a half ounces each alcohol and butter of antimony, one-half ounce muriatic acid, eight ounces of linseed-oil, one- half pint vinegar. Mix cold. This has been tried for twelve years and has been regularly sold for $10.

A Cheap Carpet. — Make a cover for the floor of the cheapest cotton cloth. Tack it down like a carpet, paper it as you would a wail with paper re- sembling a carpet in figures, let it dry, varnish with two coats of varnish, and with reasonable usage it will last two years.

Mending Plaster of Paris. — Gum shellac makes an excellent strong cement for joining broken pieces together, and is more covenient than glue. The shellac should be flowea upon the surfaces to be joined, firmly pressed together, and carefully set away for about one hour.

To Make Rag Rugs. — Cut rags and sew hit and miss, or fancy striped as you choose ; use wooden needles, round, smooth, and pointed at one end, of any convenient length. The knitting is done back and forth (like old fash- ioned suspenders), always take off the first stich. — Anna F. Sisey,

To Clear Cistern Water. — ^Add two ounces powdered alum and two

GENERAL SUOGE/STIONS. 439

^nnces borax to a twenty barrel cistern of rain-water that is blackened or oily, and in a few hours the sediment will settle, and the water be clarified ■and fit for washing and even'for cooking purposes.

To MAKE Oil-Cloths more Durable. — Before or after putting down new oil-cloths, put on one or two coats of linseed-oil with a brush, and when thoroughly dry, add one or two coats of varnish. This makes the cloth softer and much more duToble. — Miss Eva Evatit^ Delaware.

To Keep Ice-water. — Make a hat-shaped cover of two thick^nesses of 43trong brown paper with cotton-batting quilted between, large enough to cirop over and completely envelop the pitcher. This prevents the warm air from coming in contact with the pitcher, and the ice will last a long time.

To Sweep a Rag-Carpet. — St?t a pail of water outside the door and dip the broom in it, shaking the water otf, so there will be no wet streaks on the car- pet ; sweep but a small portion, and then dip the broom again ; in this way the dust is taken up in the broom, instead of being sent whirling througn the air.

To Start a Fire in damp, still Weather. — Light a few bits of shavings or paper placed upon the top of grate: thus by the heated air's forcing itself into the chimney and establishing tnere an upward current, the roOto is kept free from the gas and smoke which is so apt to fill it, and the tire can then be lighted from below with good success.

Putting away Clothes. — Before putting away summer or winter clothes, mend, clean, brush, shake well, fold smoothly, sprinkle gum-camphor, on «very fold, and on the bottom of trunks or closets (unless cedar chests are used). Fine dresses, cloaks, etc., should be wrapped in towels or sheets by themselves, and placed in the tray or a separate apartment of the trunk.

Cement for Attaching Metal to Glass. — Mix two ounces of a thick ■solution of glue with one ounce of linseed-oil varnish, and half an ounce of pure spirits of turpentine ; boil the whole together in a close vessel. After it has been applied to the glass and metal, clamp together for two or three days till dry.

Cane Chair-Bottoms. — ^To clean and restore the elasticity of cane chair- bottoms, turn the chair bottom upward, and with hot water and a sponge wash the cane ; work well, so that it is well soaked ; should it be dirty use floap, let it dry well in the air, and it will be as tight and firm as new, pro- vided none of the canes are broken.

To Paste Paper on Tin. — Make a thin paste of gum-tragacanth and water, to which add a few drops of oil of vitriol. Mix a pound each of transparent glue and very strong vinegar, one quart alcohol, a small quantity of alum, and dissolve by means of a water-bath. This is useful for uniting horn, pearl, shell, and bone.

To Clean Oil-Cloths.— Take a pail of clean, soft, lukewarm water, a nice, soft piece of flannel, wash the oil-cloth and wipe very dry so that no drop of water is left to soak in and rot the fabric. After washing and drying, if a cloth is rung out of a dish of skim-milk and water, and the oil-cloth is rubbed over with this, and then again well dried, the freshness and luster of the cloth will well rej)ay the extra labor.

How to Wash Chamois Leather. — Make a good, tepid suds with hard or* soft soap, put in leather, rub it on the wash-board, put soap on skin and rulj again on board, and wash in this way through one or two suds, or until per- fectly clean; rinse in tepid water without bluing, squeeze dry (do not wring), hang in sun and keep snapping and pulling it till perfectly dry. The leather will be as soft as new if the snapping and pulling are done thoroughly.

A Cheap Filter. — The most impure water may be rendered pure* by fil- tering through charcoal. Take a large flovver-pot, put a piece of sponge or clean moss over the hole in the bottom, fill three-quarters full of equal parts clean sand and charcoal, the size of a pea; over this lay a linen or woolen cloth large enough to hang over the sides of the pot. Pour the water into the cloth, and it will come out pure.

440 GENERAL SUGGESTIONS,

To Clean Looking Glasses. — Divide a newspaper in two, fold np one- half in a small square, wet in cold water. Rub tiie glass first with tlie wet half of the paper, and dry with the other. Fly-specks and all other marks will disappear as if by magic. This is only true of the best quality of rag paper, sucn as is used by tlie best weekly papers. Paper which has wood or straw in it leaves a linty deposit on the glass.

To Cl^an Silver- ware Easily. — Save water in which potatoes have been boiled with a little salt, let it become sour, which it will do in a few days; heat and wash the articles with a woolen cloth, rinsing in pure water, dry and polish with chamois-leather. Never allow a particle of soap to touch silver or plated ware. For wiping silver, an old linen t&ble-cloth cut np in pieces of convenient size, hemmed, and marked "silver," is very nicje.

To Clean Smoke off Marble.— Wet a piece of flannel in strong ammonia and rub the marble quickly with it, and then wash off with hot soap-suds ; or, make a paste of chloriue of lime and water and brush over the whole surface that is smoky. Let it stand a minute, then wash with hot suds. A paste of crude potash and whiting brushed over a grease spot on marble will cleanse it perfectly.

Economical Mats for use in front<loors, fire-places^ bureaus, stands, etc., may be made of cotfee-sacking, cut to any desired size, and worked in bright worsted or Germantown wool. Any simple pattern may be used or it may be entirelv filled in with a plain green. The edges of the sacking may be fringed oy raveUng. To give it weight, line with an old piece ^ carpet or heavy cloth.

A Good Cement — For mending almost any thin^, may be made by mixing litharge and glycerine to the consistency of thick cream or fresn putty. This cement is useful for mending stone jars, stopping leaks in seams of tin- pans or wash-boilers, cracks and holes in iron kettles, fastening on lamp^tops; an all cases the article mended should not be used till the cement has hard- <ened. This cement will resist the action of water, hot or cold, acids, and •almost any degree of heat.

To Preserve Books. — Bindings may be preserved from mildew bv brush- ing them over with the spirits of wine. A few drops of any perfumed oil will secure libraries from the consuming effects of mold and damp. Russia leather which is perfumed with the tar of the birch-tree, never molds or sus- tains injury from damp. The Romans used oil of cedar to preserve valuable manuscripts. Russia-leather covered books, placed in a stationer's window, will destroy flies and other insects.

Badlt Fitting Doors. — When blinds and doors no not close snugly, but leave cracks through which drafts enter, the simplest remedy is this: Place a strip of putty all along the jambs, cover the edge of the blind or door with chalk, and shut it. The putty will then fill all spaces which would remain open and be pressed out where it is not needed, while the excess is easily removed with a knife. The chalk rubbed on the edges prevents adhesion, and the putty is left in place, where it soon dries and leaves a perfectly fit- ting jamb.

Care of Oil Paintings and Frames. — Wash the picture, when neces- sary, in sweet milk and warm water, drying carefully. Or, clean the paint- ing well with a sponge dipped in warm beer, and when perfectly dry, wash with a solution of the finest gum-dragon dissolved in pure water. ' To re- touch a gilt frame wet the rubbed spot with isinglass dissolved in weak spirits. When about dry. lay on gcjld-leaf, and when quite dry, polish with a very hard burnisher. Give the gilt frame when new a ooat of white var- nish, and all specks can then be washed off with water or suds without harm.

Finish for Room. — A room with plain white walls is finished beautifully by placing a black walnut (or the same wood with which the room is fin- ished) molding around the room where the border of paper is usually placed, at the junction of wall and ceiling. The molding, finished in oil, costs from

GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. 441

one to five cents a foot, and is easily put up. The upper edge should be rounded, and a space of a quarter inch left between it and ceiling. To hang pictures buy an S hook, sofd at all hardware stores, place one hook over the molding, hang the picture cord on the other, and slip to the right or left to the desired position. This saves the wall from injury from picture-nails.

Pkbpbtual Pastb. — Dissolve a tea-spoon of alum in a quart of water. When cold, stir in as much flour as will give it the consistency of thick cream, being particular to beat up all the lumps ; stir in as much powdered losin as will lay on a five-cent piece, and throw in half a dozen cloves to give it a pleasant odor. Have on the fire a tea- cup of boiling water, pour the flour mixture into it, stirring well at the time. In a few minutes it will be of the consistency of mush. Pour it into an earthen vessel, let it cool, la^ a cover on, and put in a cool place. When needed for use, take out a portion and soften it with warm water. Paste made in this way will last a year. It is better than gum, as it does not gloss the paper.

To Clean a Papered Wall. — Cut into eight pieces a large loaf of bread two d&ya old, blow dust off wall with a bellows, rub down with a piece of the bread, in half yard strokes, beginning at the top of the room, until upper part is cleaned, then go round again repeating until all has been gone over. Or, better, take about two quarts of wheat bran, tie it in a bundle of coarse flannel, and rub i^over the paper. It will clean the paper nicely. If done carefully, so that every spot is touched, the paper will look almost like new. Dry corn meal may be used instead of bread, applying it with a cloth. If ^ase spots appear, put blotting paper over spots and press with a hot flat- iron.

Ink Stains on mahogany, rosewood, or black walnut furniture may be removed by touching the stain with a feather wet in a spoonful of water in which six or eight drops of nitre have been mixed. As soon as the ink dis- appears, rub the place immediately with a cloth wet in cold water, or tlie nitre will leave a white stain. If the ink stain then remains, make the solution of nitre stronger, and repeat. Ink stains on pa})er mav be removed by a solu- tion made as follows : Dissolve a half pound chloride of lime in two quarts of soft water ; let stand twenty-four hours and strain through a clean cotton cloth ; add to an ounce of the lime-watei^a tea-spoon of acetic acid, apply to the blot, and the ink will disappear. Dry with blotting paper. Bottle the remainder of the lime-water closely, and keep for future use.

The Cabe of Marble. — Never wash the marble tops of wash-stands, bureaus, etc., with soap. Use clean warm water (if very much soiled add a little ammonia) and a soft cloth, drying immediately with a soft towel. There is nothing that will entirely remove grease spots from marble, hence the necessity of avoiding them. To clean marble or marbleized slate man- tels, use a soft sponge or chamois-skin, dampened in clean warm water without soap, then polish with dry chamois-skin. In dusting, use a feather- duster, and never a cloth, as it is likely to scratch the polished surface. Slate hearths are preferable to marble, as they are not so easily soiled. To wash them, use a clean cloth and warm water. Many oil them thoroughly when new with linseed oil ; thus prepared they never show grease spots.

Indelible Ink. — Two drams lunar caustic, six ounces distilled or rain- water ; dissolve, and add two drams gum-water. Wet the linen with the fol- lowing preparation : Dissolve one-half an ounce prepared natron, four ounces water, add half ounce gum-water, (recii)e below); after smoothing it with a warm iron, write with the ink, usjng a gold, quill, or a new steel pen. The writing must be exposed to a hot sun for twelve hours; do not wash for one ' week, then be particular to get out the stain which the preparation will make. If this is followed in every particular, there need never be a failure. Oum- water for tlie above is composed of two drams gum-arabic to four ounces water. One tea-spoon makes two drams, two taDle-spoons make one ounce. If at any time the ink becomes too pale add a little of pure lunar caustic. Never write without using the preparation, as it will rot the cloth.

442 GENERAL SUGGESTIONS,

To Exterminate BedbuiiS. — In March scald with hoi ling water every crack or suspected place where they find refuge, and then touch thoroughly every crack and seam where the bugs are likely U) harbor, with kerosene. Great care must be taken not to injure fine varnished furniture. If any injury ia done to varnish by the hot water, it may be restored by rubbing immedi- ately witli a rag wet in turpentine or oil. Beds should be examined again for vermin in July and August, and if measures are taken to exterminate them, there will be very little trouble. Another death-dealing method is to fill crevices with salt, and wash bedstead with .strong brine, or use kerosene in the same way. Paris-green and mercurial ointment are deadly poisons to the beilbug, but as they are dangerous to have in the house, the first-named metlKxls are preferable.* One jjart quicksilver to twenty parts white of an egg, applied with a feather to every crack and crevice in bedstead and room, will kill them. Most people are unable to console them.selves for sleepless nights as did the Irishman, who said : '' Indade, I did auite as well as the bugs, for not one of them slept a wink all night," and the above recipes, are anv of them certain to remove the pests if pn)perly and faithfully applied.

Farmer's Door Mat. — Every doorstep should be provided with a foOt- scraper and a brush or broom, and every one, as he comes in, should take the time to use them before appearing on the carpet or clean Hoor. If a regular scraper — one ma<le for the purpose — is not at hand, one can make one from a bit of hoop-iron, which is to be placed on a step or edge of the porch in a convenient place. It is well to provide a ** mud-mat," which is simply strips an inch or so sijuare — fence pickets will answer — screwed to three or four cross-pieces an inch apart, or a more elaborate one can be made by stringing the .slats upon fence wires. One with muddy boots is very apt to stamp ana rub tliem on the strips or floor of the porch f a mud-mat will clean them off more effectually, and save the porch hard wear, A very excellent mat may be made by boring holes in aboard, and drawing corn husks tlirough the lioles. Careful persons change their foot-gear when they enter the house to remain any length of time— a custom con<lucive not only to neatness, but so greatly to comfort, that it is to be commended.

Moving. — When about to move to another house, begin packing two weeks beforeliand. Carefully inuk small and fragile articles in boxes arid barrels. In this way, china and glasswaJ*, and fragile ornaments may be stowed away with odd articles of clothing, bedding, etc. Books should be packed in boxes, or wrapped several in a package, in several thicknesses of news- paper, and tied with strong twine. They can thus be transported with very little handling. Larger pictures should be taken down and tied in couples, face to face, with rolls of soft paper between the corners to prevent rubbing. Small pictures maj' be packed with clothing in bureau-drawers and trunks. Take up carpets last. When about ready to move, select one room up-stairs into which remove every thing possible from the other rooms, and another below for the same purpose. If the occupant of the house into which you are to move will do the same, you can easily make some rooms there readv for occupancy. Of course each room must be swept down and scrubbed. As soon as the floors are dry, carpets may be put down in the more impor- tant rooms, and the furniture moved in. On the day the transfer is made, see that coal or fuel is provided, so that a fire may be started, and take along a basket, with matches, towels, napkins, knives and forks, sugar, tea, bread, and other materials for lunching. With all the caution you can exercise, you will find Franklin's old saying true, that " three removes are as bad as a tire." Houses that have been empty may become fever breeders when they •come to be re-occupied. An English sanitary ofl!i(;er alleges that he has observed typhoid," diphtheria, or other zymotic affections to arise under these circumstances.

GENERAL SUQOESTIONS. 443

their country homes for the summer, should see that the drains and pipes are in perfect order, that the cellars and closets are cleared of rubbish, and the whole house thoroughly aired before occupying. Copperas used freely in the cellar is a good and cheap disinfectant

Labor-saving Contbivamcbs. — Every good housewife has neatly arranged cupboard and dish-closet. Every thing has its appropriate shelf and division. But there are other thin^ for which provision should be made. A pile of books is sometimes seen in one part of the dining-room, a few newspapers in another, and a pair of shoes in a third. The inside of a closet is sometimes a mass of confusion — "a place for every thing," and every thing thrown promiscuously into it Half a dozen garments are hung upon one nail, to crowd each other out of shape ; others are thrown upon the floor amid heaps of boots and shoes. And so on to the end of the chapter of careless and slov- enly disorder. There is no excuse for such carelessness, and no satisfaction in such housekeeping. Want of time is no excuse, for such want of system and order is the cause of the most prodigal waste of time. It is only neces- sary to use the brain a little to save the hands. Systematic habits, doing every thing well, and the hundred little contrivances which will suggest themselves to every neat and ingenious housekeeper, will save time, and establish order and cleanliness. Have shelves in the closet, and regular rows of hooks, and plenty of them; let one side be appropriated to one kind of clothing, with a hook for each article. If necessary to preserve the order, make a neat label, and paste over each hook. Make shoe-pockets (these pockets are made of about two and a half yards of calico ; one yard of which makes the back, to be tacked to the door when done. Split tne remaining yard and a hali in two, lengthwise, and, placing the strips about one inch apart, make, across the back, three rows of pockets, by -stitching first the ends

444 HOUSEKEEPERS ALPHABET.

housekeeper's alphabet.

Apples — Keep in dry place, as cool as possible without freezing. Brooms — Hang in the cellar-way to keep soft and pliant. €r.\nberries — Keep under water, in cellar; change water monthly. Dish of hot water set in oven prevents cakes, etc., from scorching. Economize time, health, and means, and you will never beg. Flour — Keep cool, dry, and securely covered.

Olass— Clean with a quart of water mixed with table-spoon of v^monia. Herbs— Gather when beginning to blossom ; keep in paper sacks. Ink Stains — Wet with spirits turpentine; after three hours, rubir^ll. Jars — To prevent, coax ** husband " to buy our Cook-Book. Keep an account of all supplies, with cost and date when purchased. LoTE lightens labor.

Money — Count carefully when you receive change. Nutmegs — Prick with a pin, ana if good, oil will run out. Orange and Lemon Peel^Dry, pound, and keep in corked bottles. Parsnips — Keep in ground until spring. Quicksilver and white of an egg destroys bedbugs. Rice — Select large, with a clear, fresh look ; old rice may have insects. SuQAR^For general family use, the granulated is best. Tea — Equal parts of Japan and green are as sood as English breakfast. Use a cement made of ashes, salt, and water for cracks in stove. Variety is the best culinary spice. Watch your back yard for dirt and bones. Xantippe was a scold. Do n't imitate her. Youth is best preserved by a cheerful temper. Zinc-lined sinks are better than wooden ones.

<& regulate the clock by your husband's watch, and in all apportiomnenU of time remember the Giver.

THE DIN^ING-ROOM.

It may not be amiss to give a page or two to the observances of formal dinners in '* society," lest some reader — who may hope, if she becomes the rare boasekeeper we expect, to be called to give such dinners as the wife of a Congressman, Governor, or even as mistress of the White House itself — shonld be taken unawares. In every house, great or small, the Dining Room should be as bright, cheerful and cosey as possible, and at the table the mistress should wear her brightest smile. If there are trials and troubles, do not bring them to the table. They impair digestion, and send husband and children out to business or school, glum and gloomy, instead of refreshed and strengthened. The plainest room may be made beautiful by taste, and the homeliest fare appetizing by neatness and skill. Little attentions to the decoration oc pretty arrangement of the table charm the eye and whet the appetite, and make the home table powerfully attractive. The every-day observance of sensible and simple table manners ought always to be encour- aged, because, in the long ri.'n, it promotes the comfort and the cultivation of the family, and takes the pain of embarrassment out of state occasions. Above all, the room, the table, and its furniture should be scrupulously neat and orderly. For formal dinners, a round table, five to seven feet in diam- eter, is the best fitted to display the dinner and its fine wares ; but the exten- sion table, about four feet wide and of any length desired, is generally used. At the round table, conversation is, of course, easily made general, the party being small. The table-cloth must be spotless, and an under-oover of white cloth or baize gives the linen a heavier and fi

446 THE DININQ-ROOM,

filled and set in a convenient place. Dishes that need to be warm, not hot^ are left on the top shelf of the range or elsewhere where they will be kept warm until needed. When the soup-tureen (with the soup at the boiling point) and the soup-plates are placed before the seat of the hostess, dinner may be quietly announced. The host or hostess has, of coarse, previously, in^ dicated to each gentleman the lady with whose escort he is charged, the guest of honor, if a gentleman, escorting the hostess, and taking a seat at her right ; if a lady, being escorted by the host to a seat at his right Each gentlemap offers the lady assigned to him his right arm, and escorts her to a seat at his left, paissing her in front of him to her chair which he has gracefully drawn back. The distribution of seats will tax the tact of the hostess, as the moment of waiting to be assigned to place Is extremely Awkward. Of course, all should have been decided on beforehand, and the places should be designated with as little confusion as possible. The suc- cess of the dinner will depend largely \x\yo\x the grouping of ag^reeable per- Bons. The host leads the way to the dining-room, the hostess follows last, and all guests stand until she is seated. (In France, and at large dinner parties in this country, a card with the name of each guest is placed on the plate which is intended for him.) Once seated the rest is simple routine. Ease of manner of the host and hostess, and quiet and systematic movements in attendants, who should be well trained, alert and noiseless, but never in a hurry, are indispensable. Any betrayal of anxiety or embarrassment on the part of the former, or blundering by

The attendant places each dish in succession before the host or hostess (the soup, salad and dessert only being served by the hostess) with the pile of plates. ESach plate is supplied, taken by the attendant on a small salver, and set before the guest from the left. Any second dish which belongs to the course is presented at the left of the guest, who helps himself. As a rule the lady at the right of the host, or the oldest lady, should be served first As soon as any one has finished, his plate is promptly removed, and when all are done, the next course is served in the same way. Before the dessert is brought on, all crumbs should be brushed from the cloth. The finger- bowls, which are brought in on the napkin on the dessert-plate and set off to the left of the plate, are used by dipping the fingers in lightly and drying them on the napkin. They should be half full of warm water with a bit of lemon floating in it When all have finished dessert, the hostess gives the signal that dinner is ended by pushing back her chair, and the ladies repair to the drawing-room, the oldest leading and the youngest following last^ and the gentlemen repairing to the library or smoking-room. In about half an hour, tea is served in the drawing-room with a cake-basket of crackers or little cakes, the gentlemen join the ladies, and after a little chat over their cups, all are at liberty to take leave.

It is, of course, presupposed that the host carves, and carves well. If he does not he should forego the pleasure of inviting his friends to dinner, or tha dinner should be from chops, ribs, or birds which do not require carving.

THE HOST AND HOSTESS. 447

In making up a dinner party, it is all important to know who will accept ; and invitations, which may be written or printed, and should be sent by mes- senger and never mailed to persons in the same town, should receive a prompt reply, aday's delay being the extreme limit. The simplest form of invitation and reply is best, but both must be formal, this being one of the occasions on ^V'hicli the wings of genius must be promptly clipped. Ten minutes beyond the appointed time, is the utmost limit of tardiness admissible in a guest, and ten minutes early are quite enough.